Note taking will never be the same on iPhone and iPod Touch thanks to the port of PhatWare’s PhatNotes, already well known on the Windows Mobile platform.

PhatWare has released the new PhatNotes 1.0 for iPhone. The software runs on both iPhone and iPod Touch with the promise to enhance your note taking experience and effectiveness.

From the press release:

PhatWare Releases PhatNotes for iPhone 1.0 and PhatNotes Desktop 5.5

Award-winning professional strength notes organizer is now available for iPhone featuring full synchronization with PhatNotes Desktop Software.

Mountain View, CA (PRWEB) December 8, 2009 — PhatWare Corporation announces today the release of PhatNotes for iPhone 1.0 and PhatNotes Desktop 5.5, delivering the most advanced and simple-to-use notes synchronization for iPhone and iPod Touch devices. PhatNotes is the first iPhone notes editor to offer both handwriting recognition input and keyboard entry as well as advanced note editing features such as shorthand, customizable Auto-corrector and user dictionary, and spell checker.

[...]

PhatNotes for iPhone features include:

• The ability to easily manage thousands of notes stored in multiple folders and grouped by specified attributes
• Advanced text search and notes filtering
• User reminders and hyperlinks between notes
• Advanced text editor features handwriting recognition input in addition to the iPhone keyboard
• Full notes synchronization with PhatNotes Desktop software

The new PhatNotes Desktop software features synchronization software for iPhone and has passed Microsoft Windows 7 compatibility testing.

“Since the release of the first iPhone, many existing and new PhatWare customers have asked us to offer a version of PhatNotes for iPhone,” said Stan Miasnikov, president of PhatWare Corp. “We are thrilled that after nearly a year of work, the new generation of PhatNotes software for iPhone and iPod Touch devices is now available. We appreciate all of the input received by industry professionals and beta testers which has contributed to making PhatNotes among the best in its class.”

PhatNotes has been among the leading notes organizers on the Windows Mobile platform since its first release in 1997 and won numerous industry awards, including Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine’s Best Software Awards in the notes category for eight consecutive years. PhatNotes allows users to create notes and organize them by category, color, subject, priority, creation, authorization, and modification dates. The software provides powerful text search, advanced data filtering, document security, and email capabilities.

PhatNotes Availability and Pricing

PhatNotes for iPhone is sold exclusively in the iTunes App Store and is priced at $9.99. PhatNotes Desktop software is available directly from PhatWare and PhatWare’s authorized resellers and is priced at $19.95. A free 30-day trial version of PhatNotes Desktop software can be downloaded from the PhatWare web site at www.phatware.com/phatnotes. All registered users of PhatNotes 5.x can upgrade to PhatNotes 5.5 Desktop free of charge.

The PhatNotes Desktop 5.5 companion is available as well to sync your notes on Windows computers.

Interestingly enough you will have the chance to input text with handwriting, and to use customizable spell checker, auto-corrector and user dictionary.

If you add notes attributes, hyperlinks, and search and filter capabilities the $9.99 price seems right.

PhatNotes 1.0 for iPhone: the filter panel

PhatNotes 1.0 for iPhone: a note

One day after the first reviews of the new Barnes & Noble Nook, the ebook readers scenario is quite uncertain.

Image courtesy of Gizmodo

Geek.com has an interesting post which collects the conclusions of the reviews by SlashGear, Engadget and Gizmodo. While SlashGear is sold on the Nook, Engadget thinks the device is on par with the Kindle and Gizmodo recommends the Amazon’s eReader.

Thus, there is no real winner.

If you look at the Nook specs, there is nothing to complain about, as the reader has Wi-Fi, PDF support, an expansion SD slot and a second color screen. However some concerns are raised about the software powering B&N’ eReader, which can be really sluggish at moments.

Let’s hope the next firmware will solve this problem. It would be a real shame to loose such a beautiful platform because of poor software implementation.

Via: Geek.com

HTC Bravo

HTC’s Snapdragon chip Android phone just continues to rack up the gossip, and an impressive list of names.  As of right now, the HTC Bravo will be the European version of the phone, and we do have some specs to check out.  We all know about the 1Gz Snapdragon chip set, but let’s get into some of the other nuts and bolts.  First, it will have an AMOLED screen at 3.7″, which should lead to one beautiful picture, and the only Android phone with this feature.  Also rumored is that the phone will have Android OS 2.1 by the time it ships sometime early next year.  Also, this will be one skinny phone at 11.7mm, even slimmer than the iPhone 3GS at 12.3mm. 

Now, is this the same phone that will be the Passion here in the states?  Well, no one really knows.  Original Passion/Dragon specs had the screen bigger at 4.3″, so the Bravo is at 3.7″.  Could HTC have changed this?  Of course, and earlier leaks could be wrong, but I for one am eager to get my hands on whatever this phone is. 

Rest of the specs:

Updated HTC Bravo specs as of December 7, 2009:

• Size: 112 x 56 x 11.7 mm
• Networks: WCDMA/HSPA: 900/2100 Mhz; GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Maximum speed: UL = 2 Mbps; DL = 7.2 Mbps
• OS: Android 2.0 (likely to ship with Android 2.1)
• Display: 3.7-inch WVGA (480×800) AMOLED capacitive touch screen
• Camera: 5 megapixel with auto focus with dual LED flash; High definition 720p video capture
• Internal memory: 512 MB flash ROM; 320 MB RAM* (original RAM was 256 MB); 16 GB micro SD card included
• Chipset: Qualcomm QSD8250 1 GHz Snapdragon
• Battery: 1400 mAh
• Also: Optical joystick, microSD, WLAN (802.11 b/g), Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, GPS/AGPS, G-Sensor, Digital Compass, FM radio, microUSB, 3.5mm audio jack
• Special features: DivX, Dolby, Facebook, FlickR, Twitter, Microsoft Exchange

Via:  Android and Me

Every once in a while a new application comes along that forces you to rethink how you actually use your mobile OS.  For Windows Mobile, there are a couple that I can name off the top of my head, and I’d like to share the news about a new one… Hi-Launcher for Windows Mobile.  Yes, any of you current or previous Palm OS users out there, you read that correctly.  If you have ever been a Palm OS user, chances are that you were familiar with this customizable start menu type application that provided users with as close to multi-tasking as they could get.  Very recently, RNS Software has gotten into the Windows Mobile development game, porting Hi-Launcher 3.5 for Palm OS to the Windows Mobile operating system.

The result, you ask?  A fully customizable start menu replacement that builds on the principles the default Windows Mobile Start Menu introduces, but takes them to a complete level of user specification.  Users can define cascading menus full of shortcuts to program, files and system settings.  Menus can be filled with phone numbers, with bookmarks, with information about system settings, and so on.  Users can build custom Communications Managers, custom Task Managers and call logs.

Please grab yourself a glass of iced tea and join me below as we start a visual (read: lots of pictures) introduction of how Hi-Launcher can become your ultimate Start Menu replacement.

Upon installing the trial of Hi-Launcher, you will be prompted with the option of using a custom Start Menu that shows off some of the programs functionality or have one that mimics the default Windows Mobile offering.  Here you see the custom menu showing off some of the functions found in Hi-Launcher.

After taking some time to browse the functionality provided over and above what the build in Start Menu provides, you will likely want to start work on designing your own custom menu.  This can be done easily via the Hi-Launcher Preferences option.  Once in the configuration program, you will want to select the Design menu option.  From there, I honestly recommend exploring the different options available to you.  Press the + button and start loading up your different cascading menus.  You can always delete any entries or menus you don’t want, and can even save your current menus for later reloading.

After spending a bit of time tweaking my menu, I’ve managed to add several different cascading menus that allow for a finer grain of multi-tasking.  A simple Communications manager has been added, so that tapping on the Phone, Network or Bluetooth entries toggles that communications method.  System information (battery and memory) can also be viewed, as illustrated below.

The screenshots below illustrates recently used programs and a fully functional task manager.  With the task manager you can see open programs, close all with a simple menu selection, close individual items or switch to already running programs.

Call logs and contacts can also be easily worked with, as shown in the screens below.  You will see that lists can be added that display your most recent calls.  Selecting a menu entry redials the number with the phone program.  The contacts option allow you to expand on a selection from your Address Book, either calling, sending a SMS or an email to the recipient.

In conclusion, Hi-Launcher provides a very suitable replacement for the built in Start Menu.  The cascading menus and choices available allow the user to create a customized tool that allows for a much finer level of multi-tasking that is present in the stock Windows Mobile.  Users can now do a myriad of different actions without having to actually leave the program they are currently using, allowing for a much more pleasant and productive Windows Mobile multi-tasking experience.

In reviewing the program, I did have several questions about features, both current and that I would like to see in future versions.  The developer has been very receptive, answering emails quickly and with great detail.  He has even went so far as to indicate that the two shortcomings I did find with the current version, the ability to use custom graphics in the background, and the ability to add full folders of menu shortcuts from the Windows/Start Menu/ directory.  Once these two features are added, I’m going to be in Windows Mobile heaven!

You can download a fully functional trial of Hi-Launcher for Windows Mobile at the product’s website:

http://www.hilauncher.com

You can also register the full version of the program for $14.95.

If I had to choose a single game genre which defined the iPhone/iPod Touch user experience for me, it would be the line drawing games.  This is a genre which is unique (at least to my knowledge) to the iPhone.  Essentially, the point is to guide vehicles into their correct endpoints by drawing a line on your screen connecting the vehicle to its destination (does this remind anyone else of Bill Cosby’s Picture Pages??).  Chief among the games in this genre is Flight Control from Firemint, which I have covered extensively here.  In fact, that game so clearly defines the genre that when Backflip Studios announced Harbor Havoc 3D, they readily admitted that it was inspired by their own love for Flight Control.  High praise, indeed.  And a real challenge for Backflip.  Their goal was to make a game which would not just approximate Flight Control, but surpass it.  To accomplish this lofty goal, they introduced the concept of 3D action, and vehicles operating on multiple planes. 

I do not think I need to delve to deeply into the game play.  Most of you are probably pretty familiar with this genre.  The game consists of a series of maps.  In Backflip’s iteration, each map consists of harbors on a waterway.  As each vehicle enters the screen, all you need to do is draw a line to show its path to the correct harbor.  Each vehicle will follow the line you draw, no matter how indirect the path may be.  Watch out, though, there are numerous different vehicles, each of which travels at a different speed.  You will need to keep track of them all, and ensure no collisions occur to end your game.  Of course, the nice thing about working with ships is that they all have anchors.  Just tap any ship at any time to drop the anchor, pausing its motion exactly in place until you tap it again.  This is a handy tool, which I have not seen used in other games in this genre.

What really sets Harbor Havoc apart from other line drawing games, however, is the 3D designation.  When I first saw this, I thought it was simply a reference to the graphics, which are exquisitely drawn, but it really means so much more than that.  Unlike most line drawing games, which has all of the vehicles traveling along the same plane, there are actually four planes of motion in this game.  First are the ships, which travel along the surface of the water.  Helicopters fly over the surface; and beneath the surface are submarines and rovers, which drive along the bottom of the harbor.   The really cool thing is that only vehicles traveling along the same plane can interfere with one another.  This means that while a ship can crash into another ship, it will pass harmlessly over a submarine.   This may sound like it could make the game easier, it actually makes it infinitely more complicated as you must track not only where each ship is heading, but also on which plane of motion it exists. 

Additionally, the developers really showed a fantastic eye for detail with the graphics in this one.  Whether it is the refraction of light as it hits the water (causing underwater objects to appear slightly distorted), the ripples of water moving on the surface, or even shadows of objects flying above the water, the realism of the graphics in this game is far more than any of use could reasonably have expected (and don’t even get me started on the explosions, which are just incredible).

It is extremely well done, and really makes you wonder what Backflip Studios could do with something like an adventure game, or other genres which use more than a single screen at a time.

Heck, even the menus got in on the 3D graphics action, with a really cool approach to cycling through the various maps.

The other complication is that every vehicle type does not necessarily exist on all of the maps.  When you start the game, there are three maps available: Far East, Atlantis, and Arctic.  Far East is the most basic map, featuring only ships.  The Atlantis takes place completely underwater, involving submarines and undersea rovers.  Finally, the Arctic map involves the most vehicles, with helicopters, ships, and submarines to guide.  Score at least 25 points on all three levels to unlock the fourth and final level, the Lighthouse.  The Lighthouse is unlike anything I have seen on a line drawing game.  It exists in complete darkness.  You must guide the ships to port by using only the glimpses you get as the lighthouse light briefly shines on them (like a real lighthouse, the light is constantly rotating). 

One challenge I did not, particularly on the Arctic level, was that the ships are not always necessarily color coded.  In most line drawing games, the vehicles and their ports are similarly colored, so that you know where to guide them.  To overcome this shortcoming, when you hold your finger on any vehicle, the correct port will glow. 

On top of all this, Backflip games has added integration with Plus+, which allows you to post global high scores online, and post your high scores to your Facebook or Twitter account.  Additionally, there are dozens of awards associated with your Plus+ account, so pay attention to the various tasks you need to accomplish in order to reach these milestones (not all of which are positive in the game).  The only problem I had with this setup, was that I could not access the awards while offline.  This seems like a small thing, but since I rarely have my iPod Touch online, it would have been nice to be able to review my accomplishments, as well as the requirements for uncompleted milestones and awards, while offline.

Backflip Studios has easily become one of my favorite game developers for the iPhone.  Their games, all of which are $1.99 or less, range from completely original games like Ragdoll Blaster and Paper Toss, to completely original approaches to well worn genres.  This latter category is where we find Harbor Havoc, which brings the concept of different planes of motion to the line drawing genre.  While I did find that there was some lag loading a new game, the some stunning 3D graphics, made it well worth the wait.   

Harbor Havoc 3D is available in the iTunes App Store for $1.99. 

What I Liked:

• 3D graphics are exceptional
• 3D gameplay puts vehicles on different planes
• Online high scores and awards
• Lighthouse level
• Anchors
• Fantastic gameplay

What Needs Improvement:

• Slow load time
• Can’t view awards offline