I have to admit that I am not terribly interested in social networking.  Email is usually enough for me, though there are a few sites which I do find to be particularly enjoyable or useful.  One of those sites is LinkedIn, a social networking site for business connections.  As much as I enjoy LinkedIn, however, I have always found their mobile versions to be a bit lacking. 

True to form, the Palm Pre version of the site continued to disappoint.  While it does a good job of organizing your LinkedIn contacts, it does not offer any of the advanced features which are available on the website.  Without them, LinkedIn ends up being little more than an organizer for your email contacts.

Sure, from here, you can view all of the pertinent information about your contacts, and even send them a message, you really cannot do anything else.  You cannot view your newsfeed.  You cannot view 2nd and 3rd level connection recommendations.  You cannot view your groups.  Pretty much the only other thing you can do is look at your LinkedIn inbox (below) and send messages.  For anything else, you are going to have to use the full website. 

If all the Linkedin App was going to offer was access to your contacts, I would have preferred that this information by synced with the main contacts list.  This would have made it a far more powerful tool, which could keep your contacts up to date and current.  By not syncing, all this app really allows you to do is use your LinkedIn contacts to send emails.  I love LinkedIn on the web, but I continue to be disappointed by the seeming lack of effort which makes it inaccessible on a mobile device.  What a disappointment.

Unbelievable but true, starting today it is possible to pre-order a Zune HD.  Click on the picture below to run out and order yours! 

For more details on the Zune HD, head on over Heather’s link from last Tuesday, <Zune HD Pricing News and Video>

The Full Press Release can be found below the picture:

Microsoft’s new portable digital media player available for online pre-order at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Microsoft Store

REDMOND, Wash. – Aug. 13, 2009 – Zune HD, the next generation of Microsoft Corp.’s portable digital media player, is available now for pre-order and is set to hit store shelves on Sept. 15. The player, available in 16GB and 32GB capacities, is the first touch-screen Zune and includes powerful playback technology to give you a different way to experience media on the go. Combined with unparalleled PC software and online services such as Zune Pass, Zune provides a rich and meaningful connection to music, videos, podcasts and more.

Pre-order Zune HD in 16GB Black and 32GB Platinum through http://www.zune.net/zunehd from Amazon.com, Best Buy, Walmart and Microsoft. Beginning Sept. 15, at http://www.ZuneOriginals.net, both 16GB and 32GB capacities of Zune HD will be available in five different colors with the option to customize your player with one of 10 new engravings designed by guest artists.

WHAT: With a sleek and stylish design, Zune HD is the first to combine these features:

• Built-in HD Radio™ receiver. Allows you to listen to higher-quality sound than is available from traditional radio channels, as well as access additional programming through HD2 and HD3 multicast channels from many of your favorite local FM radio stations at no extra cost.
• HD video output capabilities. Supports HD video playback from the device through a premium HDMI A/V docking station (sold separately) directly to an HDTV in 720p, making it easy to enjoy better-than-DVD-quality video on your own big screen at home.
• OLED touch screen. Allows you to easily flip through music, movies and other content. The 3.3-inch glass screen and 16:9 widescreen format display (480×272 resolution) offer a premium viewing experience.
• Built-in Wi-Fi. Allows for browsing, streaming or downloading new music from Zune Marketplace.
• Internet browser. Full-screen Web browsing, optimized for the multitouch screen with zoom-in and zoom-out gestures.
• Accessories, at home and on the road. Zune HD and AV Dock charges and syncs players while playing supported 720p HD videos on HDTVs. Play HD Radio, music and podcasts from your Zune HD device through your car stereo using the Zune Premium Car Pack.

WHY: Pre-order now to be one of the first to experience the new Zune HD’s advanced design, innovative technology and rich multimedia capabilities powered by the NVIDIA Tegra ™ chip ultralow-power HD processor.

PRICING: Zune HD 16GB: $219.99 (estimated retail price); Zune HD 32GB: $289.99 (estimated retail price)

WHEN: Pre-order starting Thursday, Aug. 13. Purchase in stores on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

WHERE ONLINE: http://www.zune.net/zunehd

WHERE IN STORE: Place a pre-order in person at Best Buy beginning Aug. 16. If you want a sneak peek, visit select stores in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. areas on Aug. 22 and 23.

Open Table is pretty similar to Good Food, which we looked at yesterday.  Like Good Food, just enter your current location (either by city name or using the GPS).  Open Table will then pinpoint affiliated restaurants in your area, which you can view either on a map, or in a list view.

The biggest difference between Good Food and Open Table is the purpose of the two apps.  While Good Food was designed simply to help you locate restaurants in the area, Open table’s purpose is to book a reservation.  As such, it is a bit limited to restaurants which are affiliated with the program.  I found this left a number of good options unlisted. 

Nonetheless, once you have found the restaurant you want, simply tap it to bring up the reservations page.  you can change the date, time, and number of diners.  From here, you can even view the menu or read reviews.

Of course, if you live in an urban area, like I do, you might find that your list of possibilities can be a bit long.  If this is the case, you can simply tap the refine button in order to filter your list by cuisine, price, and other options.

Sign into your account (you will need to create an account on the Open Table website, inexplicably you cannot register from the mobile app), and you will find a listing of your upcoming and recent reservations.  You will also be able to review your earned dining points (you earn points each time you use the program to make a reservation).  Earn enough points and you can cash them in for free meals and other prizes.

Although I really appreciated the ability to book a meal from my Palm Pre, I have to say that I preferred the far more comprehensive coverage and user interface of Good Food.  Like Flixster and Fandango, this is another instance in which it would have been nice to combine the two apps, and get the superior interface and coverage, along with the ability to make reservations.  Even better would be placing a take out order at the local Chinese place from here as well.

In the olden days, at the turn of the century, mobile devices came with cradles.  I used to love the cradle, because you could sync and charge your device, while keeping it in a convenient position on your desk, which allowed you to easily access the controls and screen.  Over time, the cradle has been phased out of most devices, primarily for cost savings.  So, I was excited when I bought the Palm Pre to find a cradle of sorts, in the form of the Touchstone charger.

Calling the Touchstone a cradle, however, is a bit of an understatement, like calling the Palm Pre a handheld PIM device.  It has evolved far beyond those humble roots.  The Touchstone is a small, smooth disc which sits atop a raised and angled platform.  The bottom is sticky, so it will not slide around on your desk, while the top is angled in order to hold the Pre in a position which allows you to access the screen and controls easily while it is connected to the Touchstone. 

But by now, you have probably noticed that the upper surface of the Touchstone is completely smooth (aside from the Palm lettering), so how will the Pre stay on there.  It must take some significant feat of balancing to make this one work.  Or magic.  In reality, as with most seeming magic tricks, the answer is much simpler than the apparent illusion.  There is a magnet in the base of the touchstone, and a similar magnet in the special Touchstone back which you will put on your Pre.  all you need to do is drop the Pre (and by that, I mean gently place) onto the Touchstone and let the magnets do the rest of the work. 

Of course, the best part of the Touchstone charger is the complete lack of cables between the charger and the Pre.  simply by resting on top of the Touchstone, the Pre will receive a charge.  Now that is pretty cool.  In order for this to work, you will need to use a specially designed back (just snap off the plastic back and snap on the new one).  In addition to the magnet I mentioned earlier, the special back has a copper connector, which connects the back to the battery, setting it up to receive the charge from the Touchstone. 

Aside from being able to charge with the Pre, I really liked this special back for the Pre, because of its rubberized texture.  The normal back is made from a slick plastic, which left me in constant fear of dropping my Pre like a slick bar of soap.  The new back felt significantly more secure in my hand, which I loved.  I wish this back had come standard on the Pre.

To get the Touchstone working, you will need to plug it into the wall (hey, it can’t all work on magic).  There is a slot in the back, which can connect to the micro USB cable which came with your Pre.  Now, here is the deal, the connection is recessed and angled, so only the cable which came with the Pre is going to easily be able to fit in there.  Pretty sneaky.  Of course, the other end of that cable is a standard USB connector.  I tried plugging it into the USB port on my computer with no success.  The Touchstone and Pre just take up too much power for that.  I also found that my other universal AC adaptors were too underpowered for this job.  The only AC adaptor which could power this contraption was the Palm adaptor which came with the Pre.

This setup would have been fine, except that the Touchstone does not include a USB cable or AC adaptor, which means you will need to grab the one that came with your Pre.  This was a bit more than a small hassle.  It means you need to disconnect the Touchstone every time you want to sync the Pre.  It also means that you cannot set up multiple Touchstone chargers without buying additional equipment.  This is unfortunate, it really would have been better if the Touchstone has included all of the necessary equipment to connect it to the wall socket.

I have to say that the Touchstone may be one of my favorite parts of the Palm Pre.  It just feels like magic, with the Pre simply hovering on top of the Touchstone, absorbing power, as though from mid-air.  Frankly, it looks even more amazing than it sounds.  And it really adds a significant angle to the what is already an incredible device.

What I Liked:

• No wires connect the Palm Pre to the Touchstone
• Small footprint
• Convenient angle allows use while docked for charging

What Needs Improvement:

• Rubberized charging back should be standard
• Box should include a cable and AC adaptor

Where To Buy: Palm

Price: $69.99 ($79.99 with cable and AC Adaptor)

GottaBeMobile is reporting that iPhone’s and iPod Touch’s are soon going to be home to some student’s textbooks.  With major textbook publishers McGraw Hill, Pearson and others on board, many of the core subjects are likely to be covered for students.  CourseSmart LLC is planning to provide the textbooks using a rental model, which does provide the potential benefit of lower costs, something that can definitely help schools affected by the economic downturn.

This is really interesting news for the education environment, as there are some clear benefits I can see to having a student carry his or her textbook with them on their handheld.  First, you’ve got the admit it.. the kids are less likely to say their dog ate their iPhone or iPod.  Next, a common problem that educators face is the forgetful kid.  Forgetting to take the textbooks home, forgetting to bring the textbook to class, and so on.  With the textbook stored on a device that they actually want to have with them, the odds of “forgetting” are likely to decrease.  Now, this isn’t going to guarantee that the student is automatically going to use the textbook, but having it with them is a step in the right direction.  Looking at it from a student health viewpoint, it will be better on backs not to have to carry the large backpacks around.  Finally, we’ve got to admit it… technology does appeal to students.  Students that wouldn’t dare crack open a book, just might take a look at the same material on the iPhone just because of the different environment.  Stimulating a student’s interests is a challenge that educators have to embrace, and reaching them through technology is a good step in the right direction.

What are your thoughts on this topic?  Let us know in the comments section below.

[Image:  TheAppleBlog]