Cellphones

Feature Points On iOS and Android, Earn Free Money For Downloading Apps

28 March 2013 9:58 PM

Feature Points
Have you ever wanted to get free money? A new app for Android and iOS, Feature Points, is now offering this feature. The old saying “money doesn’t grow on trees” still applies here. However, if you have an Android or iOS device, you can get rewarded just for using your phone.

More specifically, Feature Points works by providing you with a list of free apps. Each app on the list has a number of points connected to it. After you download this app and use it for 30 to 60 seconds, your account should be rewarded with the points.

The app originated on iOS and was just released for Android in February. In our experience with the app over the past 24 hours, we noticed a few bugs with the WebView interface. Otherwise, if you are worried about Feature Points being a scam, you should be reassured by the fact that Chris Pirillo and other tech junkies used it on iOS.

To get started, visit the following list on your mobile device (+50 bonus points included free). So what do you think about being rewarded for downloading free apps? Is it a good marketing strategy or too good to be true? Let us know in the comments below.

LINE – A fun WhatsApp alternative that lets you make calls and chat for free

23 March 2013 10:41 PM

Line

LINE lets you call, chat and send photos to others for free, from your Smartphone, Mac or Computer.

LINE allows you to make free calls to other users of the service. This includes the ability to make calls between the iPhone and Android versions of LINE. The application is easy to set up, allowing you to register with your phone number or email address (the latter option only gives you access to text chat, though.)

The call function of LINE works really well. Although the option to make video calls is missing, the sound quality when making calls is excellent. There is a slight delay in calls both via WiFi and 3G, though the quality is still better than both Fring and Skype.

Text chatting in LINE is easy, with support for group chats of up-to 100 people, and a good selection of emoticons to add to your conversations. Unlike WhatsApp, LINE allows you to chat between the desktop and mobile versions of the application – on the go and at the office!

LINE is a viable alternative to apps like WhatsApp and Viber, allowing you to make free calls on your phone with good audio quality.

Download LINE now free for; iPod/iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Mac OS X, Windows or Windows 8

Apple Store app updates with new delivery options, store availability

13 March 2013 10:48 AM
Apple Store - EasyPay (c) Apple Inc

Apple Store – EasyPay (c) Apple Inc

On Tuesday the Apple Store app has received its first update (version 2.5) since November last year, and it doesn’t add much. There’s new delivery options that allow you to choose different shipping options for separate items in an order, useful if you want to pick up part of your order at an Apple Store then have the rest of it shipped to you.

The app also adds the ability to check and see if an item is available at your closest Apple Store for pick-up, however this feature is only available in the US at this time.

Here are the release notes from the App Store:

  • New delivery options make it even more convenient to get your Apple products. Choose different shipping options for different items in an order.
  • An even easier way to see if the product you want is available for pickup at your favorite Apple Retail Store (U.S. only)

 

The newly updated Apple Store app is a free 5.9MB download from the App Store.

LG announces 10 million sales of LTE devices

4 March 2013 3:16 AM

LG passes ten million mark this weekend in sales of LTE smartphones. Company hits one million sales of 4G devices a month during peak sales periods. It’s been just six months since the Korean firm announced sales of 5 million across their LTE smartphone range but LG plan to double its most recent reports of 10 million by the end of 2013.

In an official press release, President and CEO of the LG Mobile Communications Company stated, “Agressive pushing forward with 4G LTE technology allows LG to satisfy the needs of consumers and is a huge factor in our growing success in global LTE smartphone sales.”

Last week at MWC, LG revealed three new mid-range devices, for people seeking 4G on a budget, to join the Optimus L Series II range – the 3.2-inch L3II, 4.0-inch L5II and 4.3-inch L7II – accompanied by high-end devices; the Optimus F5 and F7.

LG still face serious competition from Sony, Nokia, BlackBerry, HTC and others for that third place spot behind Apple and Samsung.

LG’s new ‘phablet’ – the LG Optimus G Pro, which sports a full HD IPS display, is yet to announce a definite release date in the UK. Following the success of the Nexus 4, this new handset is set to take on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and HTC One.

It’s here. Google Maps for iPhone

13 December 2012 6:32 PM

Get the new Google Maps and say hello to Google search, voice guided navigation, transit directions, Street View, and much more. The new Google Maps application for the iPhone became the most downloaded free item in Apple‘s App Store on Thursday, just hours after its launch.

The long-awaited app launched in the early hours of Thursday morning, finally bringing relief to the millions of iPhone users forced to rely on Apple’s own much-maligned mapping system.

The popularity of Google Maps provided an insight into the unpopularity of Apple’s own attempt at providing a map service. Its launch came after Apple ditched its partnership with Google ahead of the launch of iOS6, the most recently launched operating system for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

“Starting today, we’re pleased to announce that Google Maps is here – rolling out across the world in the Apple App Store. It’s designed from the ground up to combine the comprehensiveness and accuracy of Google Maps with an interface that makes finding what you’re looking for faster and easier.”

Early reviews of Google Maps were overwhelmingly positive. The New York Times described it as “free, fast and fantastic,” concluding that “Google Maps for iPhone is an astonishingly powerful, accurate, beautiful tool“.

The Next Web said the new tool was “pleasantly responsive and feature-rich,” although noted “a few rough spots that suggest it’s been rushed ahead to market“.

The early response to Google Maps is in stark contrast for the widespread despair provoked by Apple’s own attempt at building a mapping system.

Users reported that railway stations had been imagined, the Sears Tower in Chicago had been mislabelled, Paddington Station in London had ceased to exist and searches for ‘London’ directed UK iPhone users to the Canadian London in Ontario, rather than Britain’s teeming metropolis.

Google Maps had been an inbuilt part of the iOS operating system until this year’s update. Apple decided not to renew its licence with Google, reportedly frustrated that Google had refused to allow it access to its voice-directed turn-by-turn navigation and vector graphics for mapping.

The app looks wonderful. It’s easy to navigate and has a very clean interface and it’s free on the App Store.

* You must sign-in with a Google account to bookmark places.

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 5.1 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.