Top Mobile Technology Trends for Bloggers

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Mobile technology has grown rapidly over the last few years. Today, 94% of the US population has a smartphone. That’s a big number, especially when you consider that only 73% of US citizens have access to a home computer. In 2017, those numbers are predicted to get even farther apart.

Bloggers who choose to invest in mobile technology, even if it’s a small investment, will see the benefits. In fact, this year is predicted to be the year that we see a significant number of bloggers, large and small, make the shift to a focus on mobile. [Read more…]

The 5 Beer Apps You’ll Need For St. Patrick’s Day

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St. Patrick’s Day is here again and with it, the need to go out and get ourselves sloshed on some beer. This time around though, we have our handy smartphone’s to help us with the task at hand. Here are some of the best apps you’ll need for an awesome St. Patrick’s Day:

BeerCloud

BeerCloud-Diagram

 

Free on both iOS and Android, this great beer discovery app helps you find nearby beer favorites while also dishing out expert beer pairing advice.

[Read more…]

Facebook Adds Photo Filters To iOS Mobile App

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Facebook Photo FiltersThe battle of the mobile photo filter apps is under way! Yesterday it was revealed that Twitter was secretly working on an Instagram competitor and now Facebook has launched a filter program of its own.

Fresh off the heels of its Instagram acquisition the world’s largest social media network has delivered photo filters for Facebook mobile users.

The new iOS update adds Instagram-style filters to Facebook photos as users choose to use them. Pictures uploaded to an Apple-powered device are automatically eligible to use the filters.

To use the program users simple choose a photo to upload and then tap the wand icon. 13 different filters are include, among them are:contrast, cool, coffee, neon, b&w. and more. [Read more…]

5 Legal Problems Raised By Mobile Blogging

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Cell Phone in CrowdBlogging, as well as almost all media, is become much more mobile. Not only are people reading and consuming news on the go, but they are also recording, writing and photographing it as well.

This move stems directly from the rise in both smartphones, which often include high-definition video/still cameras, as well as other portable recording and Internet-connected devices. From Flip cameras to laptops, you can run an entire multimedia empire without ever sitting in an office.

However, all of this mobility comes with it a series of new legal questions and issues that desktop-only bloggers don’t have to face. When you’re recording audio and video on the street, you have some additional concerns to worry about.

Fortunately, they are legal questions that you can easily address and deal with, so long as you’re aware of them and take steps to avoid them before you step out the door. [Read more…]

Weebly Blogs Are Now 100% iPhone Friendly

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Weebly, a blog platform geared more towards the average user (instead of technical geeks) has finally rolled out an update that will excite premium users who just happen to boast an iOS device.

We’ve just upgraded the Weebly video player to now support fallback to HTML5 video on systems that don’t support Flash. In practice, this means that the videos now work on mobile phones and on the iPad! […]

It’s our small way of saying “Thanks” to Weebly Pro users for your support! We thrive on your continued feedback to let us know what we’re doing right, what we could be doing better, and what new features we should build next. (Official Weebly Blog)

The embrace of HTML5 videos should complete Weebly’s belated embrace of the mobile web, especially right after the company began to court mobile layouts for the platforms blogs.

Despite the embrace of the mobile web, the company has yet to announce any plans on developing an official iOS app or even one for Android.

While Weebly lacks the market share of WordPress.com and Tumblr, the company surprisingly receives more traffic than Squarespace (at least as far as unique visitors go).

With the new year upon us, hopefully the company will seriously consider embracing mobile smartphones (not to mention tablets) in the future, as it could help Weebly appeal more to the masses.

WordPress Posts On-the-Fly

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wThank you, WordPress.

WP has now made blogging-on-the-go even easier thanks to the Twitter API.

Post to your WordPress blogs or read your WordPress favorites via the Twitter API. Any app that uses an API URL will work.

With third-party apps on a meteoric rise, WordPress has wisely decided to embrace a macro/micro-blogging relationship.

Read more on the official WordPress blog.

One such app that ties WP and Twitter together is Tweetie2, arguably the most popular iPhone Twitter app. [Read more…]

Nokia gets excited about lifecasting with Ovi and Facebook

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lifecasting-with-ovi-nokiaAt its annual conference, Nokia has announced a new feature that will be added to its Ovi platform next month and showcased on the new N97 mini mobile handset.

Nokia claims that “Lifecasting with Ovi” is the first service that allows users to update their Facebook status directly from the home screen of their cellphone.

Don’t get too excited — this isn’t 24/7 lifecasting allowing you to strap the phone to your head and broadcast everything you’re doing in realtime video. In reality, it’s simply making it easier to update your Facebook status while on the move.

Nokia NSeries’ VP, Jonas Geust, said, “People want to bring their physical and online worlds together via the internet. The Nokia N97 mini is designed for this new social internet and to help navigate people and places. With lifecasting, the Nokia N97 mini and Ovi usher in the next chapter of personal and location-aware internet.” [Read more…]

iPhone App: Buy One, Get One Free? Byline Celebrates First Year Of Life With One Day Sale

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bylinelogonew

Despite the fierce competition among Google Reader Apps, Byline continues to enjoy a healthy lead over its rivals as the dominant gReader app of choice.

While its primary features may not have changed since the launch of Byline 2.0, its speed has as I have yet to find another gReader app that matches Byline’s speed as far as synching goes (note: Gazette 2.0 is claiming to be faster—I’ll put them each to the test later on).

[Read more…]