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Localized Mobile Apps: Why All Eyes will be on the Ponies Next Week

Horse Racing

The rise of mobile devices poses a conundrum for businesses. On one hand, they can be used to reach the masses in venues that once weren’t accessible by the internet. Today, literally everywhere many people go has them connected in one way or another. On the other hand, it’s hard to keep people’s attention because of the ease of access; they can be looking at something they want to purchase and change their mind because their mobile phone tells them it’s cheaper down the block or at Amazon.

It’s a love/hate relationship that many have tried to solve. Next week, as Santa Anita Park opens for its 75th winter season, there will be more than horse racing fans watching the events unfold. The eyes of the tech and retail worlds will be on the track as it launches its localized mobile app for wagering and research.

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Why RIM Shouldn’t Be Completely Counted Out Yet

RIM Headquarters

The wolves of the tech-blogging world are circling around Research In Motion, calling them has-beens and tossing out rumors left and right as the once-proud BlackBerry brand fades into antiquity thanks to the rise of iPhone and Android. There are reasons to believe that we haven’t seen the last of RIM, most notably the probability that their weakness in the market today will make them a prime target for a buyout in the future.

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last update: February 5, 2012

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Digital Wallets: The Future of Payments

Digital Wallet

By now, most have witnessed or participated in the early stages of the shift towards using mobile devices as a payment method. We’ve seen many different variations over the past few years of digital payments with smartphone credit card interfaces slowly emerging as the frontrunning format. That could change.

Regardless of what style picks up steam, one thing is certain – the industry is growing. In this infographic by our friends at Intuit, we have a breakdown of the trends and direction towards which the mobile payment industry is heading.

Click to enlarge.

Digital Wallet

(H/T: Automotive SEO)

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Give the Gift of Laughter

No, really – you can give someone custom laughs as a gift this holiday season and it’s only 99 cents.

The folks at Amidio, who created Touch DJ Evolution and Seline for iOS, have created Laugh Synth, which takes a sound sample and enables you to turn it into laughter. Settings range from the bizarre (Zombie) to the creepy (Red Beard) to the silly (T-Rex).

Slide your finger around the screen to control pitch and speed. You can also add reverb, a chorus effect and adjust all sorts of other levels.

Check out the video on how it works:

You can download it from the iTunes App Store here.

Don’t say I never made you laugh.

Image via stock.xchng.

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4 Ways Smartphones Can Improve Now (Besides Better Battery Life)

I get frustrated with the battery life of my Droid X2. If I don’t take a charger with my everywhere I go, I risk being stranded without means of communication or being connected to my email and the Internet almost constantly.

But once I start ranting, I stop and realize this is basically a hand-held computer that I expect to do everything my desktop or laptop does, plus make phone calls and take photos and videos.

For the time being, I won’t hold my breath that battery life is going to improve. I just need to keep a charger on me at all times and get backup battery packs.

So what are some other ways, besides better battery life, that smartphones could improve and make my life easier?

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Our Small Business AppNation

iPhone Apps

If you weren’t aware, apps are huge. Most small businesses are using them to some extent, even if they don’t realize it. We stay connected through our mobile devices, of course, but there are literally thousands of other ways that apps are helping small businesses grow and be manageable.

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Ugly Girlfriend? There’s an App for That

Ipad Head GirlThere are many uses for the iPad popping up every day. It’s evolving not only in the technology behind it but also in the ways that people use it. While this may be impractical (okay, impossible) to make happen in real life without being staged, the concept behind iPad Head Girl is pretty interesting.

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Facebook’s iPhone App Is Getting Abused. Now Where’s My iPad App?

Facebook iPhone App

Facebook’s release 3-weeks ago of the latest version of their iPhone app has been met with something that can only be described as a “less than enthusiastic” response. Despite being hugely popular over the years and claiming nearly 90 million downloads (about half of the total number of devices that are capable of downloading Apple apps), this version was a lemon.

The social networking giant has responded with emergency fixes that they are planning on releasing today, but as of this article the new version is still not available. That’s fine. My only question: will we see a Facebook iPad app before or after we see the iPad 3?

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