Now for the Nook Color/Tablet and Kindle Fire, too!

We’re happy to announce that WordPress for Android is now available for the Nook Color/Tablet and Kindle Fire. The 7″ screen on these tablets make an excellent home for the all-new Dashboard UI that we added in WordPress for Android 2.0.

We paid special attention to the post editor on theses devices, enhancing the layout to make it super simple to edit your post content in either landscape or portrait orientation. You’ll find everything there that you’d want in a WordPress app, including support for editing post content, adding media, viewing your stats, comment notifications, and more.

I’ve been using WordPress on my rooted Nook Color so this isn’t really something new. However, this is good news for Nook Color/Tablet and Kindle Fire owners who haven’t rooted their devices as they can now download the app from the Nook Store or Amazon Appstore and install on their device.

Screenshots:
Dashboard

New Post

Posts

Comments

I personally like the design of the UI (user interface) of WordPress for Android better than that of WordPress for iOS especially the main page or dashboard. I also like the ability to access the real dashboard via the Dashboard icon/shortcut, because it lets you access parts of the blog that aren’t available on the app – other settings, themes, plugins, etc.

IMO, the WordPress for Android’s usability and functionality is definitely much better on a tablet than on a smartphone – enhanced layout and bigger screen makes it easier to create, view and edit posts and navigate through sections. I think its safe to say that the same is true for the WordPress for iOS app which is easier to use and works better on the iPad than on the iPhone unless you only use the app for moderating comments.

WordPress for Android is now available from the Amazon Appstore and Nook Store.

Anyone tried the WordPress for Android app on their Nook Color/Tablet or Amazon Kindle Fire? What are the features you like? What other features would you like to see added on future versions? Please share your thoughts.

Whether you create music for a living or just simply do it as a hobby, I’m sure a lot of people will be happy to know that GarageBand, a popular music creation app which was previously only available on the iPad is now available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. I haven’t tried GarageBand myself but I’ve seen several videos of people using this app to create beautiful music.

For those who aren’t familiar with GarageBand, this app turns your device – iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad into a touch musical instrument and a full-featured recording studio. Play pianos, organs, guitars, drums and basses using multi-touch gestures and make use of 9 built-in amps and 10 stompbox effects. GarageBand allows users to record/mix up to 8 tracks, save it as an audio file (AAC format) and/or sent to the desktop version of GarageBand. The app also comes with 250 professional samples to help users get started.

Screenshots:

GarageBand version 1.1 Features:

• Universal app designed for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
• Create custom chords for Smart Instruments
• Support for 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures
• Reset song key without transposing original recordings
• Transpose songs in semitones or full octaves
• Additional quantization options for recordings including, straight, triplet and swing
• New audio export quality settings for AAC and AIFF (Uncompressed)
• Arpeggiator available in Smart Keyboard
• Adjustable velocity settings for Touch Instruments
• Numerous enhancements, including automatic fade out and improved audio import options

NOTE: GarageBand requires iOS 4.3 or later and is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd gen), iPod touch (4th gen) and iPad. Users who already purchased GarageBand for the iPad can re-download and install the app on their iPhone or iPod Touch for FREE.

GarageBand is now available on iTunes for $4.99.

Anyone using GarageBand? Have you tried using GarageBand on the iPhone or iPod Touch?

Got an email earlier this week from Ericsson Money, announcing the extension of their service to the Philippines. With Ericsson Money, mobile phone users in the Philippines will be able to instantly and safely send and receive money to and from family members or friends in Europe.

Ericsson Money is a member of the Ericsson Group the same company that makes the Sony Ericsson handsets and mobile devices. They have partnered with local telcom operators Globe Telecom (Globe GCash) and SMART Communication Inc (Smart Money) for the service in the Philippines. Users in the Philippines will receive the money via Globe GCash or Smart Money.

Ericsson Money Video

Here are some of the ways people can use Ericsson Money:

• Families: parents can send money to children away at university, on holiday or on a gap year.
• Social sharers: you can conveniently share the cost of a meal, settle small debts and transfer money between friends and family.
• Cash-only: if you’re used to transacting only with cash you can take a first step into mobile money through your mobile handset.
• Non-domestic workers: Overseas workers can send money home to their families without having to use postal or personal cash transfers, which are often time-intensive. The text-like convenience of the service means easy access and availability for the person receiving money as well as the person transferring it.

This is definitely good news for all OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) and Filipinos who have family, loved ones and friends in Europe. By using Ericsson Money, users won’t have to fill up paperwork and wait for the processing time that are involved in traditional postal or international money transfers like Western Union. The service is available 24/7 so with Ericsson Money, users will have a faster and more convenient way to share money with family and friends.

The only drawback, is that you can only open a Ericsson Money account if you’re from one of these countries – UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland and Sweden. Although they do mention that they’ll be adding more countries soon. I hope they also open/extend their service here in the US or Canada as there are a lot of Filipinos working here.

Anyone tried Ericsson Money? What form of service do you currently use to send/receive money overseas?

Here’s the app description on iTunes:

Google+ for mobile makes sharing the right things with the right people a lot simpler. Huddle lets you send super-fast messages to the people you care about most. And no matter where you are, the stream lets you stay in the loop about what your friends are sharing and where they’re checking in.

Features:

• Circles
• Stream
• Check-ins
• Huddle

Screenshots:

I downloaded/installed and have tried all the different features and options on the new Google+ iOS app and I really like it because if has all the basic/necessary features. There are a couple things I like about the app. First, it uses the iPhone’s built-in notifcation system and everytime there’s a new notification – you get notified on the screen and it also gets displayed on the Google+ app icon. Second, posts only show the first two comments and other comments are hidden which saves me time from scrolling to view other posts.

However, it would be nice if it also had some of the features that are available to the desktop version like – Sparks, the option to Share a post and Hangouts for those who own smartphones or mobile device that have dual cameras. Hopefully the Google+ team would add those features in the next release or update of the app.

The Google+ iOS app is compatible with iPhone 3G, 3GS & iPhone 4 and requires iOS 4.0+.

Anyone installed and tried the Google+ iPhone app? How do you like it? Which one would you prefer to use – the desktop version or the iPhone app? What other features and options would you like to see added to the Google+ iPhone app? Please share your thoughts.

With all the buzz on Google+, most people haven’t heard about the release of Google’s latest product – a photo sharing app called Photovine. Although the product name and website doesn’t mention anything Google, rumors started about this mysterious Google project a few weeks back when the company file a trademark application for “Photovine”. It may be surprising to see Google not mention anything about it or release an app like this right after the launch of Google+ but I guess the reason behind this is because Photovine is a creation of Slide (acquired by Google last year) and not Google itself.

Well now that it has gone live, we know that Photovine is an social photo sharing app for smartphones. The Photovine iOS app is already available in the App Store but the service is currently in beta and requires an invitation to use it.

Official Photovine Video

Screenshot:

I’ve already downloaded the Photovine app into my iPhone but the invite hasn’t arrived yet so I haven’t tried the service. However, the Photovine FAQ does provide a hint of what kind of service or social app it will be and what makes it different from other photo sharing apps. “Vines” or tags that users add to images they post on Photovine will enable them to connect with users who share the same interest.

A vine is like a constantly growing family of photos connected through a common caption created by you, your friends, and people all over the world.

Some examples of vines could be: “What Weekends Are Made Of”, “Secret Stuffed Animal”, “Party People”, or, “Love of My Life”.

As people add photos to vines, they tell their own stories about the moments, images, and ideas that define our lives in a way that’s social, creative, and fun.

It will be interesting to see how Photovine will do in an already saturated market of photo sharing apps – Path, Instagram, etc.

If you want to try out this new photo sharing app, head on over to the Photovine website and request for an invite.

Anyone else heard or tried the Photovine photo sharing app? What social photo sharing app do you currently use? Would you consider using Photovine? Please share your thoughts.