Smartphones are wonderful tools, often praised for the communications and multimedia functionality.  They also double as PIM managers that help a user navigate the ins and outs of the busy professional’s life.  But what about serving as a learning tool?  Did you ever envision your phone playing this role?  With SPB Software’s Flash Cards for Android, users can dive into languages like Spanish, French and Italian.  Feel the need for something more exotic, Chinese and Swedish cards are available, plus several others.  Check out the full press release below for more information:

April 12th, 2010 – SPB Software, a leading maker of mobile applications, has announced the release of SPB Flash Cards for Android – a learning software tool created to help language students expand their vocabulary quickly and easily. The application, enhanced by smartphone technologies including photos, algorithms and detailed statistics, is supplementing existing teaching methods to create more flexible learning for language students.

Flash Cards, available for purchase from the Android Market, provides great assistance to those learning a new language. They offer a different and more varied way to learn, through the use of mental agility exercises and images. Available on all touchscreen phones running Google Android and OS version 1.5, the application provides over 1000 cards in 15 languages including Czech, German, English, French and Chinese, all dubbed by native speakers.

“The cards are going a long way in eliminating the reliance on direct word-to-word translation,” explained SPB Software CEO, Sebastian Schmidt. “Rarely does taking a word, translating it into the mother tongue and substituting it with the foreign equivalent, produce the best results.”

With expanding working hours and larger families, people no longer have the time to sit in classrooms or in front of the computer. In this sense, the mobile has given people the flexibility to learn how they want and when they want.

“Learning is a very individual process which people tackle in different ways,” Sebastian added. “SPB Flashcards for Android lets the learner take a step back from the ‘one size fits all’ approach and explore techniques that work for them.”

*** SPB Flash Cards Main Features: ***

- 5 different learning modes
- 15 languages to learn
- 1000+ words in every language
- 65 sections, such as Food, Transport and Clothes
- Create your own cards on SPB website

*** Pricing and Availability ***
SPB Flash Cards is available in 15 different versions:

- SPB English Cards
- SPB German Cards
- SPB Spanish Cards
- SPB French Cards
- SPB Italian Cards
- SPB Chinese Cards
- SPB Japanese Cards
- SPB Korean Cards
- SPB Dutch Cards
- SPB Portuguese Cards
- SPB Russian Cards
- SPB Czech Cards
- SPB Polish Cards
- SPB Swedish Cards
- SPB Finnish Cards

SPB Flash Cards  is available for touchscreen phones running Google Android OS version 1.5 and above. Each version may be purchased for $4.95 from the Android Market.

*** Further Information ***

SPB SPB Flash Cards product page:
http://www.spb.com/android-software/flashcards/

SPB Flash Cards screenshots
http://www.spb.com/android-software/flashcards/screenshots.html

*** About SPB Software (www.spb.com) ***

SPB is a leading brand in mobile software with a unique line of popular consumer products and partnerships with the world’s most innovative handset makers and wireless carriers. SPB’s software solutions deliver richer smartphone experiences and enable subscribers to do more with their mobile data connections. SPB Software is the maker of the world’s single number one best-selling mobile application – SPB Mobile Shell. For more information, please visit www.spb.com.

Follow SPB Software on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/spb_software

Connect with SPB Software on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/spbsoftware

One of the first things I did when I received the iPad (after downloading iBooks) was start hunting for a great RSS feed reader.   I get most of my news via RSS, so a good reader app is critical to my use of the device.  I have already checked out quite a few options, and I will be writing full reviews abut a few of my favorites soon.  In the meantime, our good friend Patrick Jordan over at Just Another iPad Blog has posted a great review of one of his favorite RSS feed readers, NetNewsWire.  Check out Patrick’s full review of this fantasic RSS feed reader for iPad, and stay tuned here for my thoughts on some of the other great options available in the iTunes App Store.

Today’s JAMM Store Deal of the Day is CT Scheduler for Windows Mobile.  You can register the program for half price today, so be sure to check it out.  Details are below.  You can download a trial or register here.

CT Scheduler is a powerful scheduled task manager that turns your phone into a fully automated assistant.

CT Scheduler automatically sends SMS, switches Sound Volume, use Bluetooth / Flight Mode / Wi-Fi, sets call forwarding and does other interesting things at the predefined time.

Features:

• A rich set of supported actions: send SMS, call forwarding, switch volume/bluetooth/wi-fi/flight mode, turn GPRS off, rup program, restart phone.
• Simple and convenient user interface. The program is easy to understand and easy to use. You can view, change, delete and create events fast and easily. Status icons, sorting, filtering and other options significantly simplify your work with list of events.
• Comprehensive time engine. You can use an unlimited number of once- and recurring events. The following types are supported: next 24 hours, once, weekly, monthly and annually. Several events could be set on the same time.
• Test Run. Allows you to test your events right from the program.
• Skip Next. This convenient feature allows you to skip the forthcoming event in advance. It is very convenient if you want to avoid the next event without its deletion or deactivation.
• SMS sending methods. There are different formats could be used for sending SMS. Depending on mobile operator you can select the most appropriate method for SMS-sending to avoid possible problems with encoding.
• Execution notifications, automatic unlock …and many other features!

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC
• Windows Mobile 6 Classic/Professional
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Classic/Professional

Display Dimensions
240×240, 240×320, 240×400, 320×240, 320×320, 400×240, 480×480, 480×640, 480×800, 640×480, 800×480
Operating System
WM5, WM6, WM6.1, WM6.5

As cell phone screens get larger things inevitably get squeezed out.  From extra buttons that can be mapped to your specifications to get where you do often, faster, to d-pads that allow for an alternative to the touch interface found on most smartphones.

Because of the removal of the d-pad on large screen Windows Mobile phones, user more_pizza over at xda-davelopers has created a virtual d-pad for WVGA screens.  Here are his comments on the current state:

The application is at a very beginning stage, so please have mercy. If there will be enough interest for this app, I will continue to improve it.Future work includes:

• interface improvements (transparent images/skins)
• application settings window
• code optimization

For being in its beginning stages, I must say, it runs very well and is easy to move around the screen with the arrow.  The red x is to close the application and the arrows are for the directional commands.

If you have need of a d-pad, as I know some apps demand one, You can download the latest version here.

Be sure to check out the full thread and let us know what you think.

When I was a kid, I’d spend every Friday morning at the bowling alley with my grandmother. While she was busy knocking out monumental scores of 108, I’d mooch quarters off of her and spend them all on The Simpsons Pinball arcade game. While this no doubt made a dent into her 401k, it provided me with hours of ball-smacking action. However, you no longer need to feed a big hunk of metal your shiny quarters thanks to Multiball by Matmi.

Tres bolas

Two things immediately stand out when you launch Multiball: the graphics are fantastic and the gameplay is freakishly realistic. The game even has a tilt feature for all you pinball cheaters out there. It’s fairly easy to turn one pinball into two and even three. This is where the action picks up and is really a challenge.

Dos bolas

The only real complaint I have about the game is the background music. The sound effects are solid, but there is a looping techno-driven beat playing as you enjoy the game. So I wondered if I could listen to a podcast or rock some AC/DC as I pounded pinballs into oblivion. Each time I started audio from the iPod in my iPhone 3G and then started Multiball, however, the game would crash. I wonder if this is something Matmi can address since I felt like the game experience could be a bit better when listening to one’s personal favorite audio.

This is really splitting hairs though. If you’re looking for an awesome pinball game experience on your iPhone for only $2.99, Multiball is a tiltin’ good time.