GeekSugar

Beautify Your Cell Phone Screen With Getfrog

GeekSugar — Tue, 22 May 2007 15:03:32 PDT

Now that I've grown accustomed to my BlackBerry Pearl's user-friendly interface and colorful homepage, I couldn't imagine using my old black/grey screened Nokia again.

Here's a little techie tidbit..If you happen to have a QWERTY Smartphone and you're not digging its basic homepage, check out Get Frog a site that lets you customize your homepage with fun colors and links...all for free!

Featured on The Boy Genius Report, this site can help you pimp your phone, without having to download a thing. Customization categories include news, sports, tools, shopping, entertainment and business. Yes that's right, you can add your own flair and pizazz to any cell phone homescreen-yay!

6 Reasons to Get Excited About iOS 5

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:15:59 PDT

Though we have to wait until this Fall to update our iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads to iOS 5, there are plenty of reasons to get excited now. Announced earlier this week at Apple's developers conference, the next mobile operating system could save you time, money, and frustration with its over 200 new features. I've rounded up the top six reasons I'm excited for the update - find out more about each of them below!

No more annoying pop-up notifications - How awesome will it be to not have any pop-up notifications interrupting you while watching a video, playing a heated round of Angry Birds, or sending a message? With the Message Center, you'll get all your notifications - from text messages, friend requests, @ replies, and push notifications - at the top of your phone instead of in disruptive pop-up boxes in the middle of your screen. If you've been an Android user in the past, this will look very familiar, and could be a big relief for seasoned iPhone users.
Kiss SMS goodbye - This is big: Apple introduced iMessage, which is basically BBM for iPhones and eliminates the need to SMS text other iPhone users altogether. Working over WiFi or a 3G connection, you can send an unlimited amount of text, photo, video, contact, and location messages from your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, get delivery and read confirmations, and actually see when someone else is typing you back. It's all secure over encryption, and it's all free. Data use will apply when sent over 3G, though, so try to use WiFi when available.
Twitter integration - Your favorite microblogging service gets deep integration into iOS 5, and will allow you to tweet photos right from your camera app, webpages in Safari, videos from YouTube, map locations, and from some of your apps. Your friends' Twitter handles will be stored in Contacts, so if you want to draft a tweet, just start typing their names.

See the rest of the list when you read more.

Bing's New iPad App Is Pretty and Powerful

Kristen Hawley — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 09:00:54 PDT

Microsoft's Bing search engine has just released a shiny new iPad app, aimed to help users search and discover what they're looking for within a bright, colorful, and engaging interface. The app's homescreen image changes daily (similar to Bing.com and its other mobile apps), and also features smaller tiles for staying in the know. Also included, Bing's image search, displaying search results in grid view with image sources and full-page previews.

Additionally, a special Trends feature shows users the top 10 trending searches of the day (and past seven). Bing Maps offers road, aerial, and bird's-eye views of streets. It even includes voice search! You can download this free app from the App Store.

iOS 5 to Warn of Impending Earthquakes

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 10:50:41 PDT

In addition to some of the already-known iOS 5 features, citizens of Japan will get a potentially life-saving inclusion: earthquake warnings. Apple has included a built-in feature that connects Japanese iPhones to the national earthquake warning system and will allow users to opt in to push notifications that alert them of an upcoming earthquake within minutes or seconds before it hits.

Since Japan sits on three different tectonic plates, it sees an average of 1,500 earthquakes annually. And as we saw earlier this year, Japan's warning system can help save lives.

Need to catch up on the other features coming with iOS 5? Check them out after the break.

Fit Tip: Use a Countdown App as a Goal Reminder and Motivator

FitSugar — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 10:00:23 PST

Setting fitness, weight loss, and health goals may be easy enough, but attaining your target can require small miracles. We battle willpower, bustling schedules, energy levels and drive every day, and much like budgeting, the "ain't nothing to it, but to do it" mentality can be hard to master.

Writing positive affirmations, goals, and reminders on Post-it notes works for some, but if you prefer the paperless route consider setting reminders on the smartphone you use everyday. If you're an iPhone user, the free Countdown app lets you store multiple events (or goals) and offers a simple countdown mechanism that will help keep your mind on the goal. If you're down with the Droid, check out Countdown, a widget-inspired app that can be set as your background image so you get a reminder every time you get a glance at your homescreen. Program your app to mark your next big race, the date you want popping biceps by, or the next time you want to wear that teeny tiny party dress.