Yesterday, Spb Software House released News 2.0 for Windows Mobile, a rebadged and updated version of Spb Insight.  Being an addict to reading RSS feeds, it was exciting to see one of the readers I use see a significant update.  News 2.0 adds several new features and an overhauled look.  Since I’ve had a bit of time to play with the program (Spb Software House was kind enough to provide me with an advanced review copy for free), I’ve been checking my RSS feeds today while dining for pizza at one of my favorite restaurants and on the go.  Grab yourself a glass of iced tea and join me as we look at News 2.0 in depth.

First, let’s take a moment to backtrack, to discuss RSS in general.  Since I’m a teacher by day, I’ve come to learn it’s not wise to make assumptions regarding prior knowledge.  Not wise at all!  RSS is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication.  In short, websites can provide news and information in a specific format, called an RSS feed.  Programs, typically categorized as RSS readers, are intended to read these feeds.  Spb News 2 is Spb Software House’s offering in this arena.

First launch of News provides users with a list of pre-configured channels from some familiar sites (see anything you recognize there?).  A quick connect to the internet via wifi or your phone’s data plan and you can update these feeds, retrieving the latest news.  Spb News offers you the option to update one or all channels at once, to store the data in the internal memory of the device or a storage card (I recommend the card option) and visual feedback regarding update status.  The visual feedback is displayed at the bottom of the screen as what will likely appear familiar to you as a typical progress bar.

Once you’ve managed to update one or all of your feeds, using your finger to press one of the channel entries (I think I’ll choose JAMM) moves to a new screen, displaying a list of the articles contained in the RSS feed.  Each item in the list includes a thumbnail image and the article title.  Unread articles appear in bold font, while ones that you have looked over are in standard font.  Scrolling has definitely been optimized to be touch friendly, with the screen easily draggable from top to bottom.  Moving from using Insight, this is a welcome enhancement.

A finger tap on one of the article entries opens the article in full text, typically displaying an image, the article title and the body.  Spb News provides different levels of font size, ranging from small to large.  I’m fond of the smallest font, as I want to be able to read as much information as possible in a condensed space.  Of course, some people are going to want or need the larger font, so kudos to Spb Software House for recognizing this as a need.  Below you can see News rendering an article, displaying an image and small text.

Switching from article to article is as simple as using a finger to swipe horizontally from left to right or right to left.  Definitely a nice touch in the finger-friendly department!

One of the beautiful things about RSS feeds is that there are tons of them available for reading, covering virtually every subject on the Internet.  Spb News provides several methods of configuring new feeds (just remember to leave JAMM), ranging from choosing from a pre-defined and categorized list of over a 1,000 choices, searching for a specific term or manually entering the RSS feed address of your favorite site.  Be warned, it’s easy to go crazy when picking feeds that sound interesting.  Since pictures are a common part of a RSS feed, please heed my warning and opt to have News store it’s data on the device’s external memory card so that you don’t have your internal memory fill up too quickly!

Last on a long list of functionality, what Spb Software House program would be complete without a Today plugin.  Spb News offers a configurable plugin, with the option to scroll through article headlines one by one or display them as a list.  You can see the plugin, set up for display in list view, on my iPaq’s Today screen below.  One important thing to note is that as you read articles in News, the plugin no longer displays them.  Think of the plugin as a reminder of what is waiting for you to read.

In conclusion, Spb News 2 is a welcome update to Insight.  It incorporates several unspecified bug fixes with a finger friendly touch interface.  In my time experimenting with News, I found that it was very stable and reliable.  Feeds downloaded without error.  The formatting of the articles were kept in tact, optimized for display on the smaller display of your Windows Mobile phone or handheld.

Lastly, I do want to mention just a few shortcomings that I’ve run into with News.  First, there seems to be no option to email an individual article.  True, you can tap and hold to bring up a contextual menu, providing the option to select all of the text.  You can then repeat the process to copy the text.  Of course, you could then open your favorite email program, begin composing an email and paste the text, but you shouldn’t have to go through all the steps manually.  A streamlined option should definitely be included.  Second, an option to save the picture from the feed would be welcomed.

Features Worth Noting:

• Finger friendly interface
• Overall UI much improved in comparison to Spb Insight
• Feed selection catalog provides a wide variety of choices to select from

Areas of Concern:

• There is no easy way to email text from an article.
• There is no easy way to save images.
• Google Reader syncing would be a good step forward.

Pricing and Availability:

• Spb News is available here for $19.95 ( a 15 day trial is also available ).
• Spb News is available here as a free upgrade for registered users of Spb Insight.

Answer: I have absolutely no idea.  However, I can tell you that the lack of a camera is one of my big frustrations with my first gen iPod Touch (lack of true GPS and a speaker being the others).   Well, the folks over at Wired seem to think they have some answers.  According to a post published earlier this week:

A well-connected source tells us those rumors are on the money, and that Apple’s factories in China are already manufacturing iPod Touch models with integrated cameras and microphones. An Apple spokesman declined to comment when reached by phone.

While the camera is a fantastic development, the real news here is the included microphone.  As my good friend, Dan, has pointed out over at Gear Diary, if you add that microphone to your home wireless network toss in the free Skype application, or other VOIP solution, well that could have huge implications for AT&T now, couldn’t it?   Of course, the weak link remains the poor quality of most VOiP solutions currently available for the iPod Touch.  As Dan notes:

I’ve tried Skype, Fring and Truphone on my Touch and iPhone 3GS and have issues with each. Skype would be my hands-down choice for making calls over WiFi if it weren;t for one ting… even on the iPhone with its powerful processor it is a terrible experience. the app is slow to launch, slower to move from one screen to the next and locks up all the time. Fring has never been a good experience. Truphone works well. It is quick to load, fast to use and the call quality is superb. It, however, suffers from a second issue…

Thanks to Apple’s continued refusal to allow even one or two apps to run in the background Truphone is GREAT for outbound calls but not useful for inbound calls. Sure, the current iPhone version of the app makes use of Apple’s push notifications but that isn’t a great option if you really want to use an iPhone or Touch as a WiFi phone.

What do you all think?  Are we seeing a revolution of voice over wi-fi here?  Could this begin to spell the beginning of the end for the current cell phone/mobile device as call phone model?  Or is the call quality still too inadequate to compare? 

Earlier today, PhatWare announced the release of WritePad Pro for iPhone.  I have to say that PhatWare was always one of my favorite developers for Windows Mobile.  Calligrapher, PhatPad, and others were constant staples on my device.  So, I am thrilled to see them continuing to move forward and developing a whole new library for the iPhone.

WritePad Pro is available from the iTunes App Store for $9.99.  While that may seem a bit high (because it is a bit high) for an App Store app, take a quick look at what all you get here.  WritePad Pro actually combines three previously released iPhone Apps: WritePad Affairs, WritePad Notes, and WritePad Events.  All that, plus voice notes, and suddenly $9.99 does not seem all that much after all.  Keep reading for all the details from PhatWare.

PhatWare Corporation, a leading provider of software products and professional services for mobile and desktop computers, announces the release of WritePad Professional Edition – an advanced organizer for notes, events, affairs, and voice notes.

WritePad Professional Edition is a combination of three previously released applications – WritePad Affairs, WritePad Notes, and WritePad Events. It also features voice notes. The data can be organized in multiple folders, which can be sorted by type, name, and color.

Affairs folders assist users with organizing daily tasks, jobs, and contracts. Users can create, edit, and view items in landscape or portrait mode; sort items by due date, subject, priority, color, category, and status; and filter by text found in the subject.

Events folders enable users to create, edit, and view events in landscape and portrait mode; sort events by date, subject, priority, color, and category; filter events by characters or words found in the subject. While creating events a user can obtain a current location using iPhone navigation feature, insert a new or an existing photograph, and associate contact with the event.

Notes folders allow creating, editing, and viewing notes on an iPhone. Notes can be edited in ether landscape or portrait mode and sorted by subject, color, and category and filter notes by characters or words found in the subject.

Voice Notes folders can be used to record and play back voice notes and memos. Each voice note can have name, color and importance properties and can be organized by name, color, priority, creation, and modification dates.

Notes, Events, and Affairs export and import items via CSV files compatible with Microsoft Outlook format. The data can be exchange between items or even other applications using copy/paste. Any item, including a voice note, can be emailed directly from the application or uploaded to another device on the local WiFi running a copy of WritePad Pro.

WritePad Pro uses WritePad text editor developed specifically for iPhone and featuring handwriting recognition input for cursive, print, and mixed handwriting styles, in addition to an iPhone soft keyboard. Advanced features of WritePad’s handwriting recognition engine include intelligent handwriting recognition engine which improves recognition quality over time, and an auto-corrector which automatically fixes common spelling and recognition errors, a spell checker, and a shorthand feature allows users to perform editing commands, insert current date and time and repetitive text by writing a short name and drawing a circle around it, and simple gestures to perform standard editing commands.

For more information about WritePad Professional Edition, please visit PhatWare web site at www.phatware.com/writepad.

After the news that Plastic Logic and Barnes and Noble were teaming up to attack the eBook market, I think their intentions should have been pretty clear.  Just in case there was any question in your mind, however, Plastic Logic announced today that their new reader will connect to the Internet wirelessly via AT&T’s 3G network.  That means the Plastic Logic reader, like the Kindle 2, will allow readers to connect wirelessly to their bookstore and shop for content from anywhere.

I’ll stop my comments there and let you all make your own snide comments about whether you hate or love AT&T’s network.  Keep reading for the full press release from Plastic Logic.

Plastic Logic announced today that AT&T’s* 3G network will provide the mobile broadband connection for the Plastic Logic Reader, the eReader created for mobile business professionals, when it launches in 2010.

The Plastic Logic Reader, which is also Wi-Fi enabled, is the ideal companion for busy, on-the-go business professionals who want to keep up to date on key information and who need to read and review multiple documents throughout the day. The Plastic Logic device is about the size of an 8.5 x 11 inch pad of paper, less than a ¼ inch thick and weighs less than many print magazines. The innovative eReader features the largest screen in the industry and an intuitive touch screen user interface.

“We’re extremely proud to be able to offer the Plastic Logic Reader with the nation’s fastest 3G network through AT&T. This alliance is a pillar in our strategy to providemobile business professionals with a device that delivers a great reading experience, and is fully connected through 3G and Wi-Fi to deliver easy access to digital content,” said Richard Archuleta, CEO of Plastic Logic.

The Plastic Logic Reader is unique among its competitors due to its plastic display, which is based on the company’s revolutionary plastic electronics technology. The eReader features the first ever, commercial high-quality plastic display and an outstanding E Ink reading experience.  Its battery lasts days, instead of hours. Designed specifically with mobile business users in mind, the Plastic Logic Reader will connect its users with their desired business and professional newspapers, books, periodicals and magazine content and will support the document formats business users need, including PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents.

"The Plastic Logic Reader is an impressive device and we look forward to providing the wireless connectivity that will keep business professionals connected to the news, information and entertainment they desire while on the go,” said Glenn Lurie, president-Emerging Devices and Resale, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.  “There is tremendous market potential for electronic reading devices and we look forward to powering this revolutionary device with the nation’s fastest 3G network.”

Users will be able to connect to content and download it wirelessly through AT&T’s 3G network, which offers the best wireless coverage worldwide. Built on the GSM family of technologies, the de facto wireless world standard, AT&T’s 3G wireless network brings enormous economies of scale to electronic manufacturers who are eager to cost-effectively incorporate wireless technology in specialty devices.  AT&T devices work in more than 200 countries and regions. AT&T is also the nation’s largest Wi-Fi provider, with more than 20,000 hotspots in the United States and more than 90,000 hotspots globally in 89 countries through roaming agreements.

The Plastic logic Reader with the Barnes and Noble bookstore and AT&T connectivity is expected to ship in  early 2010, which gives Amazon about 6 months to get their act together…

SPB Software is releasing a reworked and rebadged version of SPB Insight, and calling it SPB News 2.0, today.  The update looks to provide a more finger friendly interface for enhanced functionality on newer devices.

Check out the full press release below, and watch for my full, hands-on review:

SPB News 2.0 – formerly known as SPB Insight – an intelligent news reader that makes full-text articles (including images) available for offline reading on Windows phones. Spb News 2.0 is available for Windows Phones running Windows Mobile 5 and later Professional and Standard editions.  A free, 15-day trial can be downloaded, or SPB News 2.0 can be purchased for 19.95 USD, from www.SpbSoftware.com.

Users of Spb Insight 1.X are entitled to upgrade to SPB News 2.0 at no extra charge.

** What’s New in SPB News 2.0 **
- New touch-oriented user interface
- Left\right gestures for quickly switching between articles
- Automatic update
- Smart scrolling in articles
- A lot of fixes and stability/performance improvements

** Main Features of SPB News **
- Finger-friendly interface
- Full website news
- Full RSS/Atom support (0.9x, 1.0, 2.0)
- Offline reading with pictures
- Easy to use interface
- One hand operation
- Article thumbnails
- Automatic/scheduled update
- No desktop component needed