In a mix of image recognition technology and augmented reality, the app, Word Lens, functions by having the user point their iphone camera at a foreign language sign and having it instantly translated in video by the app on their iphone.

Watch the video here to get a first-hand look at how the app works.

The amazing thing about this app is that not only do you get instantaneous translation of text, it goes so far as to remap the text, colour, font and perspective whatever you happen to be are looking at, be it roadsigns or menus. It doesn’t really work on handwritten text, but it does work on other fonts pretty well. Although the translation isn’t perfect, it certainly can carry the point across.

Thus far, the app itself is free, while the translation feature (currently only available in English-to-Spanish and vice versa) is a paid add-on costing US$5 and it’s available now at the itunes store.

This is one of the first augmented reality software I’ve seen that actually puts practical use of the technology, and it’s available now! Imagine all the language barriers it could break when more language databases are available to the app. Now combine this with another app that could translate the spoken word and we would very well be working towards something like a universal translator, and doesn’t that sound like something straight out of a science-fiction movie?

I’ve been a PC/Windows user all my life. But just recently, after installing Windows 7 on my Dell Vostro laptop (which was running Windows Vista), I’m starting to experience my fair share of Windows problems. So I decided jump ship and join the Apple camp – here’s a look at my new toy… a shiny new Macbook Pro 13.

This was how it arrived. Hmm… doesn’t look like an Apple product at all. But don’t judge the book by its cover…

Phew! Yes… this is more like it.

Ahh! OK now we’re talkin’ !

Beautiful packaging, tightly put together, glossy and shiny. What you’d expect from Apple… much like a BMW engine

Here it is with all the cables and stuff. The power cable is a really a marvelous piece of work… more on this later.

Here’s the special power cable I was telling you about earlier. It is magnetically attached so that if you trip over the cable (like I often do), no worries at all. It comes off but the Mac just keeps running. (In case you don’t know, the battery does not come off in a MacBook.)

OK time to power it up. WOW took like only 15 seconds to boot up. Shut down was even quicker… less than 10 seconds I think. Clearly beats Windows flat in this area. But the 4GB Ram comes in handy I suppose.

BTW the track pad is quite tricky… looks like it’s got no mouse buttons but you can click on the Bottom Left area for a left click and click on the Bottom Right area for a right click. You will need to know this when you go through the initial setup (because tapping the track pad will not work at first until it is enabled after setup). Fooled a Mac novice like me indeed!

What I LIKE about the MacBook Pro

1. Beautiful finish and supersonic boot-up and shut down time.
2. Touch Pad has wonderful two-finger scroll-up and scroll-down control.
3. Touch Pad lets you do pinching like the iPhone. (But it’s not as easy as the iPhone).
4. The lighted keypad looks cool at night, good if you need to use your laptop at night.
5. The laptop doesn’t seem to heat up much, compared to my Dell Vostro which is like an oven after 10 minutes use.
6. The charger is quite compact, much more cleverly designed than Dell chargers.
7. The battery life is pretty good. Just yesterday I was clocking around 6.5 hours+ from a full charge.

What I DON’T LIKE about the MacBook Pro

1. If you come from a Windows environment, you will really suffer in File Management tasks at first.
2. Everything on the screen appears smaller. And I’m not getting any younger. You can try to pinch on the Touch Pad to make things biggers, but most likely you’ll give up after a while. 
3. PrintScreen is such a pain. You need to use the Preview application, then there is a timer which sets off the PrintScreen function after a few seconds. Does anyone know an easier way?
4. There are no Home, End, Page Up and Page Down keys (but there are some Hot Keys to do this – see below).
5. I found out that my Xerox Laser Printer doesn’t have driver support for Mac, so off I went to buy a new printer.
6. Maybank2U Online Share Trading – it doesn’t work with Mac unless you run Windows and install IE. The last version of IE that runs on Mac was IE 3.0 or something. Most likely I will end up installing VMware and running Windows… no escaping from Bill Gates. I called Microsoft but they tell me that I can’t move the Windows from my Dell Vostro to the Mac. The more Mac buyers, the richer Microsoft becomes.
7. The 250GB hard disk is really crap by today’s standards.

Microsoft Office

Did I mention that I’m not gonna install MS Office? Nope, I’ve opted for Open Office instead, it’ll do everything that MS Word and Excel does. I’ve saved myself around RM500 and this has helped me to acquire the superior hardware instead Anyway all the reviews on Apple’s website say that MS Office for Mac really sucks so this is a no-brainer decision for me. Having said that, a week on, I’m still getting used to Open Office. Guess I’m working at 70% speed compared to MS Office, but I’ll get there eventually.

Useful Hot Keys

If you are looking to buy a Mac, you’ll want to know these keystrokes:

END                   :    Command  +  Right Arrow
HOME               :    Command  +  Left Arrow
OPEN                 :    Command  +  O
PAGE UP          :    Fn  +  Up Arrow
PAGE DOWN   :    Fn  +  Down Arrow

Web Developers

Any web developers out there considering switching to Mac? You will need an FTP Software and an Apache environment. I recommend Cyberduck for a free & simple FTP, and MAMP for your Apache, PHP and MySQL.

All in all, the MacBook takes getting used to. I was told Mac users don’t need to install anti-virus, this is a weird concept for me, I’m still coming to grips with it. But if you do have an anti-virus on your Mac, please let me know which one you recommend

The app, known as the Brother iPrint&Scan allows users to wirelessly print from and scan to their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, with a compatible printer from the range of Brother’s latest inkjet multifunction printers.

Since smartphones are such an essential tool for the consumers today, this app comes as a very convenient tool for printing and scanning.

The app is fully compatible with Brother’s range of multifunction printers that have wireless capability released from 2009 onwards. Certain models with network interface are also compatible when connected to a wireless network.

Brother iPrint&Scan is now available at the Apple iTunes App Store. The app itself is free and requires the iPhone 3.0 Software Update or later and a compatible Brother printer.

The appwas initially launched in English, though there are plans to launch the app in French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Dutch versions by the end of 2010. Also, similar apps are planned to be developed by Brother that are compatible with other smartphones including the Google-based Android 1.6 handsets.

Personally I think this is a great idea and I’m sure there are a lot of people who have also been waiting for an app such as this too.

What I find most inconvenient is that the app is geared towards printers/scanners from Brothers only. I realise that as it was developed by Brothers, it’s obvious that the app would only work with the company’s printers. I hope that there will be similar apps developed in the future that works with different brands of printers too.

What are your takes on this app?

Most critics branded Apple for being a megalomaniac hell bent on keeping third party content developers out of the iPhone OS platform, as Flash is commonly used in advertising. They say that by retaining control on exactly how the iPhone OS will perform, they are quashing creativity and unfairly banning the competition from having their technology fairly represented (Flash technology forms a core part of the Internet for many years now, from Flash videos found in Youtube to user-navigation systems of most websites).

Well, Steve Jobs finally came out with an open letter detailing his ‘thoughts on Flash’, but mostly goes on to defend Apple’s action in disallowing Flash to run on their mobile operating system. And the arguments are surprisingly practical, if not convincing.

First, there is the problem of speed. Flash content, especially Flash video, relies on software to decode. The modern H.264 format is far more advantageous because most modern mobile devices, including the iPhone/Pod/Pad, come with a hardware chip dedicated to decoding H.264 format videos. Hardware decoding is far more efficient than using Flash video and thus can be very important especially in a power (both processing power and battery power) limited mobile devices. I have always believed this, but Steve Jobs claimed that a Flash video can only run for about 5 hours before the battery drains, while using H.264, 10+ hours of playback can be expected. This is certainly no trivial figure.

Second, Flash technology is designed around the PC, with many triggers for mouse roll-over and clicks. None of this is possible in a touch device such as the iPhone OS because there is no concept of mouse, hence most websites that rely on Flash for navigation has to be rewritten anyway. And Apple advocates that people move away from Flash and onto HTML5, which contains enough new instructions to emulate the smooth animations and menus reminiscent of Flash.

Steve Jobs goes on to detail a host of other flaws of Adobe/Flash, including security and the fact that by moving to Flash, it’s just moving to a different closed system, this time controlled by Adobe instead of Apple.

Whatever the case, I believe that there is real reason why Apple continues to fight Adobe by now allowing Flash to run on their device. By motivating people to move away from Flash and onto HTML5 (which is a true open standard), Adobe is certainly more at risk here. Well, whatever the case, at least now you have heard both sides of the argument.

PDF is a great format for computers, but on the limited screen of a phone, they are hopeless and very hard to navigate, requiring lots of panning around and waiting for the phone to ‘redraw’ every time you pan the view. I started my quest to hunt for the best ebook readers for smartphones and this is the results.

If you are on the iPhone OS platform (ala iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone), things are extremely simple for you. Simply download the Stanza app, which includes a desktop client. From here on, everytime you turn on your iPhone and connect to your home network, launch Stanza on your phone and computer and they will connect to each other automagically. After that, just click and drop your favourite books from your desktop and it will automatically upload them to your iPhone. It’s  a really genius interface and makes transferring books a painless and near foolproof process.

Stanza is able to convert almost any text medium, including PDF, RTF, MS Office, ePub and a host of other formats.

If you are on Android, things are a bit tougher. Currently my favourite eBook reader app for Android is Aldiko, which performs pretty much the same functions as Stanza on the iPhone. However, Aldiko lacks a desktop client, so you can only get books either through the Aldiko store or by copying it into your phone memory. Aldiko only supports the ePub format, so if you have any other formats, you will need to find a converter for it.

For other smartphones such as Blackberry and Symbian, there are also plenty of ePub readers out there and it should be no problems getting one.

One reason why I prefer the ePub format is because this format will be the future de facto standard for electronic books. It is currently supported by most, if not all, major eBook readers such as the Amazon Kindle, Hanlin and its clones, the Barnes & Noble Nook and so on. Converting your collection over to ePub now ensures future compatibility and less hassle.

Which brings the topic to ePub converters. Stanza does a wonderful job converting all sorts of format into ePub for its iPhone software and the ease of use makes it the top choice converter if you are on the iPhone platform. For Android and other platforms, your best bet is Calibre, an open source Ebook Manager which comes with a powerful converter. Fans say the conversion from Calibre is of higher quality than Stanza, and supports graphics.

Using Calibre is pretty simple, you just install it and start adding books into its database. There is a Convert button which you can click to convert from almost any format to ePub. Once conversion is done, you can choose to transfer it to your phone’s memory. On the iPhone, unless you have jailbroken it, copying is not so easily done as the computer does not detect the iPhone as a Mass Storage device, so you are better off using Stanza’s automated functions.

Enjoy carrying your library in your pocket! And not just your music library, but books as well.

iPad also runs on the iPhone OS, however the release of the iPad version of iPhone OS will be delayed, possibly due to the small differences in hardware and screen size especially. So what can we expect from Apple in the fourth coming?

The biggest buzzword of all is MULTITASKING. Ever since they launched the iPhone, critics have been laughing at Apple’s insistence on not allowing the phone to open up more than 1 active app at a time. The reason cited for this include simplifying the user experience (no doubt, anybody can pick up an iPhone and instantly know how to use it), saving battery life and also making sure the phone doesn’t get bogged down when we inevitably open up too many apps at the same time. For those coming from the PocketPC era, this is a laughable crippling of a smartphone as users of Windows Mobile devices have been able to multitask all this while.

Finally Apple embraces multitasking with the iPhone OS4, and they allowed a specific implementation of multitasking which I’d say is not true multitasking. First of all, ‘multitasking’ is only limited to several specific functions, such as allowing for sound to continue to play even when you close the main app, or allowing your chat session to be maintained when on Skype using VOIP or allowing apps to access the GPS information even when they are closed. Apple has clearly defined several such features. Furthermore, when you ‘switch’ apps, the system will freeze the app the way you closed it, so that you can resume exactly where you left off.The app can still continue to access the functions that Apple has defined, but nothing more than that.

So it’s not true multitasking, because still only one app is running at any time, but at least it gives a good illusion of multitasking, and the app freezing feat reinforces the experience. Crucially though, Apple’s promise of making sure that your phone doesn’t get bogged down or run out of battery life faster is maintained.

Unfortunately, Android has been implementing such a feature for a long time now, and Apple’s just playing catch.

Another feature introduced is the ability to add customized backgrounds and folder icons. However for those familiar with jailbreaking their Apple products, the ability to do these things have long since existed, perhaps not in such a clean and friendly way as Apple’s implementation. More importantly, Android devices already have these options, and a lot more.

In summary, is the device a good deal for Apple fans? Yes because they finally bring the platform to PARITY with Android. This will not even dent Android’s meteoric rise and given how fast and vast Android has been improved in just a few short months, Apple is set to play catch unless they can abandon their habit of clamping down on what the user can do with the gadget in their pockets.

Well, beyond the obvious hard work, practice, and attention to detail to each and every one of his slides and keynotes, there are some recurring habits that Jobs uses to make his presentations that much more captivating.

Those who want to find out more about how this amazing man delivers his product presentations can check out his famous speech delivered to students at Stanford.

The way he presents is very simple, using minimum text, almost NO bullet points, minimal jargon (except where necessary, like the spec sheets) and powerful phrases like “the world’s thinnest laptop” when revealing the Macbook Air.

Here is some information on the methods and techniques that make Steve Job’s presentation so exciting and charming. He has even been described as being able to project a “Reality Distortion Field” during his keynotes, allowing people to get excited over things that, in retrospect, aren’t that interesting and can even be downright problematic, such as the absence of a CD-rom or USB port in the Macbook Air.

Steve Job’s make great use of numbers in his keynotes, as it is a simple and powerful way of conveying information to ordinary people. Although he seems to have lost a lot of weight due to a fight with cancer, it appears that if the recent iPad indicated anything, its that he will be around for a while longer to sell us more expensive money-sucking toys.

Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

But for the millions of Apple fanatics out there, the iPad will be the next best thing since sliced bread.

First, Apple is not marketing the iPad as a netbook, and has openly criticized the format as a cheap device that will eventually fail due to the cheap price. Apple may be right on this one as recent research shows that one in three netbooks will fail, and that’s just the nature of having to keep prices low while trying to cram what is essentially a laptop computer into a small envelope.

The iPad will be running on the iPhone OS, which is hardly surprising and brings the iPad squarely into the iPod Touch and iPhone product lineup. Apple is placing the device as an expanded version of the iPod Touch offering eBook capabilities via the iBook application as well as games developed to run with the bigger screen.

But if it’s eBook that you want, Amazon’s Kindle with superior battery life has a sizable headstart already. Good luck to Apple… getting music listeners to read books!

The interface on the iPad has been made to deliberately resemble the experience of the iPhone, but with all the extra screen space, several interface tweaks have been made, most notably the contextual drop-down menus that makes navigation a breeze. As for the specs:

• CPU: Apple’s custom 1GHz A4 SOC, manufactured by Samsung.
• Display: 9.7-inch, 1024 x 786 (132 PPI), LED backlit IPS with capacitive touch and oleophobic coating.
• Storage: The iPad will come in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB variations.
• Wireless: The devices comes standard with 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1. You can also purchase a version which has 3G connectivity (UMTS / HSDPA 850, 1900, 2100MHz and GSM / EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900MHz). Sorry everyone, AT&T only here in the US — and if you’re thinking about using your iPhone SIM, think again. The iPad uses new micro SIMs.
• Other sensors: The iPad has a digital compass, there’s AGPS on-board in the 3G version, and both versions have an accelerometer and ambient light sensor.
• Ports / input / output: Headphone jack, 30-pin dock connector, built-in microphone, built-in speaker.
• Battery life: Apple claims “up to” 10 hours web surfing on WiFi, listening to music, or watching video, and over a month on standby.
• Dimensions: height: 9.56-inches, width: 7.47-inches, depth: 0.5-inches, weight: 1.5 pounds (1.6 for the 3G model).

The interesting point to note here is the new custom Apple A4 chip, which has been described as blazingly fast by those who’s had time to sit down with an iPad. We’re not sure how much faster this chip is compared to the current leading champion, the 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, but the A4 can power the iPad up to 10 hours continuously, something the Snapdragon will never do due to the power requirements of that processor.

The new 3G version offers data connectivity for the iPad, but it seems that those outside of the U.S won’t be able to fully utilize this feature, which is just as well because the iPad doesn’t really have voice/sms capabilities yet, that remains the sole domain of the iPhone. There is of course NO reason why Apple couldn’t integrate these features in the iPad, but probably they choose to go down this path to artificially differentiate their products.

iPhone OS hackers have already discovered references to webcams, SMS and voice features buried inside the iPad’s operating system, so expect to see the next incarnation of the iPad to have all these. But for now, this is the official stance and those who wants to use the iPad like a phone will need to get an iPhone.

The hardware is impressive and certainly a joy to hold, touch, and feel. It’s described as ‘weighty’ and ‘solid’, spanning nearly 10-inches, rather like holding a stack of A4 papers. It also means that the device is anything BUT portable and you can’t slip it into your pockets, although it will certainly go well into a women’s handbag.

No doubt there will be entire new lineups of fashion accessories designed for men to carry and differentiate their iPad.

The inclusion of iWork for the iPad makes it an interesting productivity tool, but for most of us who do our spreadsheet and slides using Microsoft Word, this will be more of a novelty than anything serious. It is a great strategy to expose the Windows user to the world of Apple productivity applications though, and may even win over a convert or two.

Finally, the product will be available in about 2 to 3 months from now, with the cheapest 16GB version coming in at $499, which is the price point of the iPod Touch 64GB + some extra dollars. Nothing revolutionary, and I definitely don’t expect the iPad to sell as many units as the iPod Touch, which still remains the gadget to beat in terms of functionality, usability and portability.

Commercially, perhaps the iPad will fare slightly better than Apple TV. But I really don’t see it becoming the next iPod or iPhone for Apple’s growing treasure chest.

However, no ground-breaking feature was revealed unlike the launching of the iPod and iPhone.
The ultimate browsing and navigational experience seems to be what Apple is banking on this time round, for its success.
Without further ado, here is an overview of the gadget we have all been waiting for.

1)  Powerful, sleek and ultra mobile
-    1GHz Apple A4 processor
-    ½ inch thin
-    1.5 pounds
-    9.7 inch IPS display
-    10 hour battery life (1 month standby mode)

*Get details of full tech specs here.

2)    Cheaper than the $999 we originally expected
Wi-Fi model
-    $499 for 16GB
-    $599 for 32GB
-    $699 for 64GB

Wi-Fi + 3G model
-    $629 (16GB)
-    $729 (32GB)
-    $829 (64GB)

3)    Remarkable browsing experience
-    Able to view entire web page on the screen
-    Automatically adjusts to landscape or portrait views
-    Internet literally at your fingertips
-    Google-powered maps with high resolution satellite and street view images
-    Almost full sized virtual keyboard

4)    Multimedia galore
-    Organise appointments with, calendar, address book and notes applications
-    Watch high-definition Youtube videos, movies and TV
-    Stack, store and share vibrant photos on high resolution screen
-    Powerful in-built speakers for listening to music
-    iBook app (can be downloaded for free) for the ultimate reading experience.

Here are some screen snapshots of the iPad to help you decide whether or not to pick one up when they ship in March.

Your very own virtual library

Aerial view of your destination route

Flip through photo albums with just a pinch or a tap of your finger

At last! Keyboard made for normal sized fingers

All the HD Youtube videos you can watch

iPad iKnow iLike. Is this on your iWish iList too?

From Microsoft & HP…


From Dell…

From Nvidia…

OK we know that looks alone will not win your hard-earned dollar. If that were so Apple would rule the world right? So here are some specs to look at:

Tablet PC / Slate Comparison Table

Microsoft HP Slate

Dell Mini 5: View at Vimeo

We are still lacking details on all the slates out there but at least this will give you a rough idea on what is it and how it looks like. We’ll be monitering the Apple iSlate closely for an expected announcement this month end, stay tuned.