Send SMS and Receive Call Notifications with Google Chrome and Android

I love Apple, I really do. I love the marketing, the special keynotes which have people sitting at the edge of their seats worshiping Steve Jobs with their iPads, iPhones and iPods lit up like a music concert – cheering at the every movement and word. And their best slogan yet, “If you havent got an iPhone, you dont have an iPhone” – its brilliant…I love Apple.

Every now and then however, something comes up in the Android world that is special, really special. Imagine  having notifications of SMS  and being able to reply from your browser without touching your mobile phone, or being notified that you have a missed call or that someone right now is calling you, right inside your own browser. Well, now you can do all of these things with an application called MightyText (Previously names Texty). This application is in private beta and can only be found on the Android Marketplace and gives the aforementioned slogan and all the Apple fanatics (including me) something to really think about.

MightyText  uses your existing mobile number, syncs SMS with your Android, provides instant alerts for SMS/Calls and all without having to touch your Android device…great for work, great for home and completely free and easy to set up.

To get started you will need to:

1. Check your Android is 2.2+
2. Install Google’s Chrome Browser
3. Request a Beta invite (here)
4. Spread the word via Twitter for access within 8 hours
5. Install the MightyText Extension from Google Chromes Webstore (here)
6. Make sure that your Gmail address entered when registering is DEFINITELY @gmail.com or @googlemail.com – it matters trust me!

I have been using the service for the last week and, minus a few hiccups as you would expect with a beta, it is flawless! You can send and receive SMS in your browser at no extra cost other than your network providers standard rate. When an incoming call is received, you will be notified instantly and can choose whether to answer or not. You can even sync your existing Google Contacts with MightyText  to include a contact’s name for SMS and call notifications. MightyText  is a very promising application for any Android user and certainly puts iOS and others in their place.

Suggested improvements for MightyText :

1. Privacy – Currently difficult to disable the service without uninstalling the app in Chrome and avoid prying eyes.
2. SMS Failure – at times can fail to send an SMS, but not enough to be a distraction.
3. GUI – Simple and basic, does the job but I would enjoy using it more if graphically improved.
4. Browser based – why not have a desktop application independent of Google Chrome?
5. Sticky Popups – Notifications do not disappear after a certain period of time which is a distraction. The App could give more flexibility over how is notifies the user and be more discreet.

Overall, alternative apps like EasySMS and RemoteSMS have tried to achieve the above but with little success and complex instructions involving USB, Bluetooth and WiFi which frankly make the best of us give up, and they cost. MightyText  by far deserves a look at considering it does not cost anything, it will save anyone, anywhere, a lot of time in the long run and sets the benchmark for merging cloud computing with mobile devices. Good work!

(PSN) Playstation Network Outage – Day 3 (Update)

Over the last 3 to 4 days the PSN or Playstation Network has been down for maintenance. And it still is. At first not knowing what was the cause, Playstation have since discovered an external intrusion on their system and now, well, read for yourself:

We sincerely regret that PlayStation Network and Qriocity services have been suspended, and we are working around the clock to bring them both back online. Our efforts to resolve this matter involve re-building our system to further strengthen our network infrastructure. Though this task is time-consuming, we decided it was worth the time necessary to provide the system with additional security.

We thank you for your patience to date and ask for a little more while we move towards completion of this project. We will continue to give you updates as they become available - Playstation Blog 23/04/2011

You cn check and monitor updates via the US blog, this is updated first at Playstation Blog (US). Lets hope it’s up and running soon!

(PSN) Playstation Network Outage, Right On Time! [Update]

An update from Playstation’s blog confirms an external intrusion on the system, with problems occurring as early as Wednesday the 20th of April:

An external intrusion on our system has affected our PlayStation Network and Qriocity services. In order to conduct a thorough investigation and to verify the smooth and secure operation of our network services going forward, we turned off PlayStation Network & Qriocity services on the evening of Wednesday, April 20th. Providing quality entertainment services to our customers and partners is our utmost priority. We are doing all we can to resolve this situation quickly, and we once again thank you for your patience. We will continue to update you promptly as we have additional information to share. – Playstation Blog

70 million gamers have been affected, unable to play online  on PSN. Since Playstation’s earlier post, we have no timescales other than the “few days” estimate. The countries affected includes AE, AU, GB, IE, NZ and Canada (thanks Brenda). You can follow the updates on their twitter stream here @PlayStationEU,

(PSN) Playstation Network Outage, Right On Time!

It could even be a few days according to other blog reports here is the official blog report from Playstation:

While we are investigating the cause of the Network outage, we wanted to alert you that it may be a full day or two before we’re able to get the service completely back up and running. Thank you very much for your patience while we work to resolve this matter. Please stay tuned to this space for more details, and we’ll update you again as soon as we can.

For further information, please refer to updates on PlayStation.com our @PlayStationEU twitter feed.

Microsoft will have a field day, an outage for the Easter Holidays – excellent work!

Top Apps in the Cloud: 37 Free Storage/Webtop Cloud Applications

The world is getting smaller because organisations are getting bigger, this means more travelling, more hotels and of course time away from all your home comforts including your beloved tech.

What if you could take all your media everywhere? What happens if you lose your local files? Or what if you can’t be bothered turning your PC on? Cloud computing could be your answer. Consider some apps that could help keep your world with you on the web, desktop and smart phone.

Music in the Cloud

• mSpot
• MP3Tunes
• Psonar
• Mougg
• Ubuntu One
• Audiobox.fm
• PulpTunes
• Moof

Document Editing in the Cloud

• Google Docs
• Office Web Apps
• Box.net
• Live Documents

Photos in the Cloud

• Flickr
• Picasa
• PicNik

File Sync in the Cloud

• Dropbox
• ZumoDrive
• SugarSync

Storage in the Cloud

• Windows Storage Live Drive
• ADrive
• Google Storage
• MobileMe

Desktop in the Cloud

• Google Chrome (Web Apps)
• icloud
• eyeOS
• Nivio
• G.ho.st
• OODesk
• ZimDesk
• myGoya
• Jolicloud

Personal Assistant in the Cloud

• Evernote
• Springpad
• Backpack

Passwords in the Cloud

• Lasspass
• Roboform
• Passpack
• Keepass

These apps are just a few of the best out there on the market at the moment, and the best thing is that they are all free to use. have a look and let me know what you think!

Evernote vs Springpad: Two very useful “Cloud Apps”

I have developed somewhat a fascination for cloud computing of late, and across my searches I have found Evernote and Springpad. Now you will no doubt recognise the first Evernote, but a new player on the field is called Springpad. Both these apps help organise your life, your thoughts and your projects. Whether for professional or personal use, these two applications help us all capture those random moments when we need a pen. Whats so useful about Evernote and Springpad is that you can sync your life ideas across the web, computer and your phone allowing you to access everything everywhere, anytime. A closer look at each…

Evernote – Remember Everything!

1. Evernote is perfect for a brain dump, whether you type a quick note, clip a web page, snap a photo of a document or even take a screenshot you can sync all of it with the cloud.
2. Organise your notes into “Notebooks” and keep a track of your instance moments of inspiration.
3. Your notebooks are indexed and made searchable – yes even images, PDF’s and your handwriting!
4. You can Tag, Title and Keyword your notes to find them on any of your devices – web, computer and phone.

With an application like this the possibilities are endless. For instance, in business, you could take a picture of all the business cards you come across, do away with having to store them in your draw and have them photographed and indexed by Evernote to access at a moments notice. Or even at home take a snap shop of your shopping list, or the receipt from your last shop and have it to hand on your mobile device. A great tool I have to admit, but there are limitations;

Evernote Premium ($5 or £3.12 per month)

• Monthly upload allowance increased to 1GB* (You only get 60MB per month allowance in the free version).
• Add, synchronize, and access any file across platforms and devices (Not all file types allowed until upgrading to PRO).
• Maximum note size upgraded to 50MB (Upload in Free version is 25MB).
• Access previous copies of notes (Not available in Free version).
• For Android, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users, access your notebooks offline (Can only do this when the Computer is Online in Free version).
• Search within PDFs (Again not in Free version).
• Priority image recognition (Slower indexing of images in Free version).
• No ads (ADS!).

If  you are a power user the upgrade may be worth it, I however have managed to cope with the limitations that the Free account imposes but their privacy policy may be something to check too.. This is where the next app Springpad takes advantage over Evernote, it is completely Free so let’s have a look.

Springpad – Think it. Spring It!

Make a note, take a picture, scan bar codes or create a task. Springpad can help you remember anything, locations, movies or even recipes. Unlike Evernote, Springpad does not allow many files to be uploaded apart from photos, but it does connect what you want to do with meaningful suggestions from the internet itself. The features are below;

1. Create a Task, Checklist or Notes to help you remember.
2. Look up products, locations, movies and more using the power of the internet – even your Google and Facebook contacts.
3. Clip web pages you are visiting using browser applets without leaving the site .
4. Springpad syncs between the Web and your Mobile device.
5. Create Alerts that sync with your Google Calendar.
6. Organise your notes by “Notebooks” and then use the “Board” to visually organise and label the notes uploaded.

More like a Personal Assistant than a “brain dump” app, Springpad helps keep you organised probably much better than Evernote does on a daily basis. Springpad helps probably plan for future events and ideas, whereas Evernote is more of an archive of information that you would want to recall. Although Springpad does not have a Desktop app like Evernote, the biggest advantage is price it is completely and totally FREE! No you can’t upload and have images indexed, attach documents or easily archive your business cards, but you can sync your life with Alerts, visually organise your ideas with the Board and link your plans and thoughts to real places, products and people using the internet “Look up”. Of course for anyone outside of the US, (as a representative informed me from Springpad), we will have to wait for the internet searches against your notes to be location specific – currently its only US focused for prices, location etc…

There maybe an argument that both Springpad and Evernote are useful alongside each other, I for one wish that I could have all the features in one app, maybe something like “Everpad” or Springnote” – they each have their benefits and pitfalls, it depend on your priorities. For me I am undecided, both are US focused and as with anything it usually takes a few years for everyone else to catch up – maybe check them both out yourself and see what you think!

UPDATED: HTC Desire 2.2 Froyo Update at 9:00am 14/10/2010 for Three Customers! (3UK)

@HTC Desire Owners – We’ve spoken to HTC this morning and they’ve said the Froyo update v2.25.771.1 will be live by 16:00 10/14(TW time). We’ll keep you updated if we get news any earlier.

 

As many of you are frustrated, this response on the blog.three.co.uk website is a much-needed message, if not to reassure customer that the update is actually coming but also to save some of the reputation left for the network itself. well here we have it – the next 24-48 hrs could make a lot of Three customers very happy:

“We appreciate that many of you have been left frustrated with the time it’s taken us to get the Android 2.2 update for the HTC Desire out to you. I’ve read all your comments and it’s obvious that we haven’t been as clear as we should have been in communicating the details of the process to you. We’re as frustrated as you are with the length of time it’s taken to get this update out and we’re looking at ways to reduce the lengthy updates process and communicate better with you moving forwards.

So you’re clear on where we are now and to reassure you it won’t be much longer, this is what’s been happening: Two weeks ago we approved the customised version of the Froyo update. We then sent it to HTC who rebuilt it as an ‘over the air’ package, this took around a week. We’ve since tested it and have approved the ‘OTA’ package today. We have sent it to HTC and we’ve been told it could be live within 24 hrs and at worse case 48 hours.

We’ll have another update from HTC tomorrow morning and if for any reason there is another delay we’ll post quickly explaining why. Thanks for all your feedback, it’s helping us shape a better process.”

Well if you have been waiting for the update from Three UK this should be a relief to everyone – I personally am looking forward to better battery life and a faster task management system. See Google for more details on Froyo 2.2 if you want to know more.

HTC Desire Contact-Sync Issue with Google – SOLVED!

Okay, your adding contacts and they are disappearing right? You add one again and as soon as you sync up the message “Contact not Found” appears right before your eyes and the contact has been removed. Well here is the solution.

Most recently you have probably changed your googlemail.com account to a gmail.com for the UK version. This is what has caused the issue. To solve this is simple, and your contacts will be syncing again once more – read on:

1. Sign into GoogleMail, and click “Settings”, finally choose the “Accounts and Import” Tab.
2. You should see a “Switch to Gmail?” italic hyperlink next to your email address – click this.
3. Confirm the switch over, (yes as the screen will confirm, your gmail.com emails will be forwarded to your googlemail.com account). Thats it!

The alternative, if you do REALLY want the gmail.com option, is having to reset the phone and when setting up the gmail add the new XXXXX@gmail.com as the core account. Simple as 1, 2, 3 – that is the solution! Why it happens, I have no idea. The switch must conflict with the cloud when syncing and is an annoying bug to say the least – but a quick solution is there…take it or leave! Hope it helped!

LastPass vs 1Password – online password storage!

When I first joined the world-wide web some 10 years ago – dial-up was my connection and the only login I had to remember was to sign on to the internet. With broadband and even its mobile introduction having a fast connection has accelerated everything from shopping online, email and even television and more recently social networking. With that said that one username and password I had to remember has somewhat increase by x20 and now with home and work remembering these logins safely becomes ever more difficult. For me I think I found the solution – that is 1Password and LastPass.

Rather then review what everyone can probably find blogged elsewhere I will briefly discuss which one I chose and why I genuinely like both of these solutions to not having to remember a single username and password.

LastPass is an online password solution which is multi-platform across all major OS, mobile devices and modern browsers. With login data stored remotely and hosted by LastPass, installing extensions in a preferred browsers and sharing this across multiple computers and mobile devices using their premium service becomes as easy as a few clicks. LastPass synchronizes data including Logins, Form Data, One Click Logins, Password Via Email, Password Generator and much more universally accessible! As far as price goes, the FREE version is more than adequate boasting direct imports of competing password solutions such as the aforementioned 1Password. If you wish to part with $12 dollars for the year, this gives users the mobile freedom in the from of an app allowing the user use logins on the move – apps are available for all major smartphone platforms.

1Password works for the Mac and Windows and works seamlessly with the OS Architecture. Equally, 1Password is as feature rich as LastPass – including Form Filling, Auto Login, Application Serial Storage and Bank Account details (as with LastPass). All the Data entered is stored locally on the OS rather than hosted like LastPass. Needing only a master password, this will unlock the 1Password application and with it access all the secure data that has been accumulated with no expense spared for eye candy. With one of its main advantages being how well integrated it is with the Mac/Win OS, upon signing on a new website, 1Password will immediately prompt the user to save the log in – whether it is open or not. Pricing is $39.99 but with its polished finished for the Mac OS (the version I used) it is well worth the expense. The biggest advantage of all is the close relationship 1Password has with Dropbox – allowing the user to log in to their passwords using a HTML site stored on the cloud – anywhere!

So, 1Password or LastPass?

With equal standing in my mind LastPass swayed the deal for me for a few reasons;

1. $12 vs $39.99 USD even in GBP is a no-brainer, in fact the FREE version of LastPass is Perfect! – 1Password has no cheaper competitive alternative.
2. LastPass offered solid and consistent extension compatibility for Google Chrome – functionality is lost here with 1Password; and ambiguous.
3. Having to use Dropbox as a means to share the HTML 1Password site was ok but did not work with my HTC Desire on Android
4. Google Chrome and “Sync” automatically installs the LastPass extension across as many different browsers I use which is where I surf the internet – easier than Dropbox in my opinion – a more versatile and accessible platform whatever PC/Mac I use.
5. Although 1Password promptly asked to save passwords, this is limited to the PC/Mac it is installed on – LastPass updates this across browser and not OS.
6. Full Featured data management with the only REAL limitation being quicker support and mobile access on the premium version of LastPass.

Having said all of that – 1Password offers unlimited updates and offers the security that all the data is stored locally – i.e. you have a choice. LastPass is a cloud storage model and that is always a concern; a price to pay for a full featured service? I wont use it for my bank accounts at any rate! All in all, my opinion is mine alone – see for yourself and visit 1Password and LastPass.

Top 10 HTC Desire Apps

Yes another post about the HTC Desire, but I do own one after all. There are a lot of applications both Paid and Free that are very useful but for me, without the 2.2 update on 3UK space is limiting and I am running out of space. Despite that I have comprised a list of the top 10 applications available free that I regularly find myself using on a daily basis:

1. Speedtest – much like the Speedtest.net website, this application allows me (and you) to test a wireless network or mobile internet speed – keeping history you can track quickly and easily how well your ISP and Mobile Provider are doing with your much-loved internet connection.
2. Wifi Analyzer – I have known businesses charge money for apps like this, but this is also free. it gives the user a full and clear picture of all the access points available and even helps you connect to the strongest Wireless Network. I used it to choose the least crowded channel for my router – which improved my connection quality for three floors greatly!
3. TweetDeck – Handling both Facebook and Twitter and even Foursquare updates, this is not available on the Android Market as it is in Beta – its fast and does wonders for my battery life!!
4. WordPress – and why would I not mention this???
5. NewsRob – great for Syncing my Google Reader Subscriptions – battery drainer! I use Seesmic to publish to Twitter as it summarises the description and link without having to type anything!
6. Dropbox – great for work and home, you can sync all your files across all your computers and mobile devices for free – free accounts give you 2GB – invite me and get another 250MB – (http://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTIyNTE0MTI5)
7. GoogleMail – what more can I say with Push and a great UI on the Android OS – works seamlessly with Gmail, Calender and Contacts – for free (no thanks MobileMe).
8. iMobster – An addictive social networking game based on the Mafia – add me using CPAHVG.
9. IMDb – A great resource for up and coming Films, trailers OTA on your mobile even including on set photographs and cast lists – excellent for Film buffs.
10. Retro Camera – a very useful and free photography app, allowing you to take nostalgic and old-looking images with abilities to share them on Facebook and Twitter.

So there is my top 10 apps for the HTC Desire – give them a try; your suggestions are always welcome!