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iPad workspace app CloudOn goes 2.0, adds Adobe Reader, Box storage support
There are several perspectives on the iPad as a productivity tool. Some knowledge workers thrive on a suite of native apps; others can't really get comfortable within a text or code-based workflow without a legitimate keyboard and mouse. The "third way" of iPad productivity provides a hybrid environment: familiar Office apps or remote access to existing computers, with varying degrees of customization to incorporate the touch UI atop the traditional desktop. We've previously talked about Onlive Desktop, one of the major players in the remote gaming and desktop SaaS space (which seems to have struck a conciliatory tone on Windows licensing by moving from Win7 to Windows Server for the underlying tech). Today, the first major version update of CloudOn, one of the primary alternatives to Onlive and other "full Windows" tools, is hitting the App Store. The original free iPad app from CloudOn provided users in the US, UK and Canada with a straightforward way to create and edit Microsoft Office documents without Office, and without their own PC. The back end CloudOn servers plug into your Dropbox account to give you near-immediate access to your files for touchups or extended editing sessions. What you see on the screen is a remote session, optimized for quick transmission across the Internet to you. It works great on WiFi, acceptably on 3G and shows snappy response on a new 4G iPad as well. In the new 2.0 version of the app, the cloud storage options have been extended to include Box.com for personal or enterprise users. CloudOn 2.0 also adds Adobe Reader to the app suite, permitting iPad users to view 3D content or fill-in PDF forms on the fly. A universal image viewer and full outbound email support round out the new feature list. Instead of making the iPad into a virtual Windows desktop, CloudOn masks the filesystem and other apps to deliver an Office-only experience. You want Word, you get Word -- and nothing else. This no-distractions, one app at a time model can track closer to the native iPad experience of "app immersion." While the lack of native copy/paste and autocorrect does slow things down a bit, I found that I could be pretty effective while typing into CloudOn's apps, especially with a Bluetooth external keyboard. Since you're using "real" Office, albeit remotely, some of the key features normally absent from iPad productivity apps are there for you. Ryan Faas keyed in on one of those features: Track Changes and comment support in Word, which has made CloudOn very popular with members of the legal profession. Last week I met with Milind Gadekar, the CEO and founder of CloudOn, and got to hear a bit of his company's vision for the future of distributed work. He told me that his team forsees a continuing fragmentation of the computing landscape, with multiple OS platforms and devices talking to multiple storage providers. The way to enable productivity, he suggested, is to provide a functional nexus of three key components: your files, your apps and your collaborators. While some successful companies are building the infrastructure for files and collaborators and then laying the applications over that with third party integrations (like Box.com), Gadekar and his team decided to go at the problem from the applications vertex first. Given that there are a lot of very capable and popular storage solutions in the market, this seems like a good play. In developing CloudOn, Gadekar and his programmers are keenly aware that the iPad is being positioned as a productivity tool even though it doesn't have the major productivity app suite that most people use everyday: Microsoft Office. While native app vendors have the freedom to create novel interfaces that leverage iOS's touchscreen UI directly, CloudOn's emphasis is on making the subtle adjustments and accommodations that let Office apps (and eventually more mouse-based apps) work smoothly without a mouse and keyboard. Hiding the Windows desktop from the user was the first step in drastically simplifying that legacy UI. As CloudOn expands its suite of available applications (and perhaps makes a move to other access approaches from its current iPad-only incarnation), we can expect to see some revenue models evolve. For now, though, it's a free service and a great way to get your feet wet with remote productivity apps on the iPad.
Nuance updates its PDF converter for Mac
Nuance has released the newest version of its PDF Converter for Mac software. New features introduced include direct connections to cloud services such as PaperPort Anywhere and Evernote, and a FormTyper that converts PDF and paper into electronic forms that can be used online. The release also has OCR capabilities to create searchable PDFs and utilizes the Nuance OmniPage Document Conversion to turn PDFs into word-processing documents and spreadsheets. PDF Converter for Mac is $99, and a free trial is available. It requires OS X 10.6 or higher.
EasySignMobile enters the Facebook fray for iPhone and iPad
Need to sign a contract, like, now? There's an app for that. Several actually, but the folks who create EasySignMobile have gone and made their service a bit more accessible to the unwashed masses with an updated version that supports Facebook authentication. The new feature is currently available only for iOS, although we'd imagine Android users will find similar love in the near future, as the company released its first version for Google's platform last October. Also on deck for iPhone and iPad fans, the latest version of EasySignMobile offers integration with Dropbox and Box.net for easy file storage and retrieval. So next time you need to make your mark, perhaps you can reach into your pocket rather than rummage for a pen. Those interested will find the full PR after the break.
Readdle previews Remarks iPad app at Macworld iWorld 2012
During Macworld | iWorld 2012 last week, I had the opportunity to meet with Denys Zhadanov of Readdle. If you're not familiar with Readdle's products, you might be new to the iOS world. The company has been around for four years and has sold over 3.5 million iOS apps, most of them used for reading and annotating PDF files. The company's newest entry into this market should be hitting the App Store any day now. Called Remarks, the app will sell for US$4.99 and is used to open, edit, and then save and distribute PDF files. My favorite part of the demonstration was when Denys opened a magazine file, tapped several pages, and created a new PDF file with annotations within seconds. Remarks has some unique navigation tools for precisely locating text or handwritten annotations, and it can save in either regular (layered) or flattened PDF formats. A short video showing off the impressive feature set of Remarks is embedded below.
Amazon's Send to Kindle lets you send stuff to your Kindle
Do you like Amazon Kindles? Do you like PCs? Do you like documents? Would you like to send documents from your PC to your Kindle? Fantastic, because that's totally what you can do with Amazon's new Send to Kindle software. You might wanna take this opportunity to grab a notepad, because it's sort of complicated: download the program for free, fire up Windows Explorer, find a document, right-click it, and choose Send to Kindle. You can also save documents to download at a later date and synchronize your bookmarks, notes and highlights across all (non-PDF) documents, which is pretty wild, if you think about it. Windows users can dramatically change their lives at the source link below. Mac users will have to wait a little longer.
Distro Issue 19: Peter Rojas plays 20 questions and Zach Honig boards Boeing's 787 Dreamliner
If you caught our release of Distro for Android tablets, you know we're in the mood for giving. In keeping with that sentiment, issue 19 ushers in two new weekly (and exclusive) features: "Recommended Reading," a guide to the best writing happening outside of our fine publication(s), and "Q&A," our take on the Proust questionnaire, answered this week by Engadget founder Peter Rojas. Of course no issue of Distro would be complete without a generous collection of reviews, and this one's packed full: Zach Honig takes a ride on Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, Richard Lai covers Meizu's MX, Dana Wollman puts Samsung's Series 7 Slate PC through its paces, Tim Stevens tackles the Motorola Xyboard 8.2 and last, but most definitely not least, we examine Verizon's LTE Galaxy Nexus. It may not be your own private Watson, but it might just give you something to do between swigs of eggnog. So hit the appropriate download link and enjoy. Distro Issue 19 PDF Distro on the iTunes App Store Distro in the Android Market Distro APK (for sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Doxie Go mobile scanner cuts the wires, sort of... (Updated)
Apparent Corporations Doxie scanner has been a hit since it arrived a few years back. It's small, lightweight, and pretty well perfect for mobile use. So when I heard that the company had come out with a new scanner called Doxie Go ($199) that allegedly removes the need to have a computer around when you need to scan something, I got a bit excited. Read on for a full review of the Doxie Go. Design When I first saw the PR blasts for the Doxie Go, my thought was that they'd figured out a way to build in Wi-Fi for a scan-to-cloud solution. Nope. Maybe it would use an iPhone or iPad as a go-between for scanning on the road? Not really. So how do they do PC-free scanning? It's quite simple, actually. The scanner has some built-in memory, and also has an SD slot for expanding storage. No SD cards on hand? There's also a standard USB port into which you can plug a USB flash drive. Once you've charged up the device and done a quick calibration, any media placed into the scanner's slot is captured to memory. To actually do anything with the scans, you need to move them to another device; either a personal computer or an iPad. The move to the computer is done with a standard USB to mini-USB cable, and the Doxie Go shows up as an external drive. If you've installed the Doxie software on your Mac or PC, attaching the Doxie Go launches the application for importing the images. Your alternative is to double-click the Doxie "drive" to transfer the files to your computer. All of the scans are saved on the device as jpeg images. Using the app, you can also save your images as PDFs or PNG files. Later this month, there's supposed to be an update that provides optical character recognition (OCR) capabilities for scanning documents and saving them as editable text files. The Doxie Go is still pretty small and light, perfect for traveling. It weights in at 14.1 ounces and will fit into almost any computer bag at 1.75" high x 2.125" deep x 1.5" wide. It comes with a cloth bag for protection, a USB cable, and a small cleaning tool, but no USB power brick. That's fine, because most Doxie Go users are going to either have a power brick they can plug into for charging (like the one that comes with the iPad) or a PC or Mac with a USB port. %Gallery-142381% Update: According to a spokesperson from Apparent, the Doxie Go works well with the Eye-Fi Wi-Fi / SD cards and can be set up for fully wireless scanning. Coupled with the Eye-Fi Direct Mode, it's possible to have scans transferred directly from the Doxie Go scanner to an iPad, iPhone or Android device. Functionality There are two different resolution settings for the Doxie Go -- 300 dpi and 600 dpi. To switch between the two settings, you tap on the power button until the light goes from green (300 dpi) to orange (600 dpi). The device automatically scans in color, and is drop-dead simple to use. Turn it on, slide the document in face up on the left side of the scanner slot, and it takes over from there. For older or glossy photos, there's a special scanning sleeve with a bar code on it to put the photos into. Scans are quite fast -- a 4" x 6" color photo at 300 dpi took about 4 seconds, while a full 8.5" x 11" black and white document scanned in a little over 8 seconds. At 600 dpi, the scan times were about 11 seconds and 27 seconds respectively. I mentioned earlier that you can use the Doxie Go with an iPad. To do this, you'll need the Apple Camera Connection Kit or a similar device. You will need to store scanned images right onto an SD card and put that card into the SD reader dongle from the kit. I tried to attach the scanner directly to an iPad using the USB cable connector from the kit, but the iPad complained that the peripheral used too much power. There is also an iPhone / iPad Sync Kit sold by Doxie for $39, although there are no images or specs for the kit. I would assume that it's a Camera Connection Kit clone. With the iPad, I imported scanned documents into the Photo Library, then used Readdle's PDF Converter app ($6.99) to convert them to PDFs. Once that was done, I could open them in Readdle's PDF Expert app ($9.99) for annotation and signatures. That's actually a very useful use case for the Doxie Go -- if you need to capture and annotate legal or other work documents just about anywhere, use the scanner, the Camera Connection Kit, and an iPad and you're good to go. On the Mac, the software (downloaded directly from Doxie's website) is pretty basic. You can change the file names, add a counter number to each scan, change the image quality, have the app do some automatic processing of images, and move the scans to local or cloud apps. The app gave me the choice to send scans to Adobe Reader, Evernote, iPhoto, Picasa, or Preview. For cloud apps, the choices were CloudApp, Flickr, Google Docs, Picnik, Scribd, Tumblr and Twitter. No iCloud or Dropbox, the two cloud apps I use the most. The final choice is to send scans to Doxie Cloud, a free service provided by Doxie for sharing scanned documents and photos. Conclusion As you can see from this review, you won't totally cut the wires when you're using the Doxie Go. But this scanner can be used to ingest numerous images and documents while you're away from a computer, and then spew them quickly into whatever app you want. There are other solutions that might be less expensive. For example, my usual solution for scanning on the go is to snap a photo of documents and receipts with my iPhone using the $1.99 JotNot Scanner Pro app, which acts as an even smaller "scanner" for traveling. On the other hand, JotNot is not made for scanning photos, and it can sometimes take a while to manipulate scanned images to look good. Other mobile scanners include the NeatReceipts Mobile Scanner ($200), HP ScanJet Pro 1000 ($219.95) and the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 ($200). If you're looking for a fast and incredibly easy mobile scanner, the Doxie Go is definitely a product to consider.
Distro Issue 18 explores the life of Ron Wayne, Apple's lost founder
Some have pegged Ron Wayne as unlucky; not only did he lose big by backing out of one of the most successful companies in consumer electronics, but a set of documents he once sold for a reported $500 recently demanded $1.6 million at auction. Earlier this month, Brian Heater spent two days in the Nevada desert following Apple's third founder, a man known best for his proximity to two guys named Steve and notoriously unfortunate timing. In this issue of Distro, we'll get a glimpse inside Ron's world -- a place occupied by slot machines, antique firearms and collectible coins -- and discover what he really thinks about his onetime business partners. Also in this issue, we'll double your pleasure with a pair of LG smartphone reviews: the Nitro HD and DoublePlay. Dana Wollman will rip through Jawbone's troubled fitness device, the Up, and take Lenovo's IdeaPad U400 for a spin. Ross Rubin will serve up his opinion on "WebOS' Open Sores" and we'll explore the gadgets we can't let go of in IRL. So get to downloading!
Engadget Distro Issue 17 takes a bite out of Android Ice Cream Sandwich -- get your om nom on!
No matter how you feel about Roboto, there's no denying the anticipation that's built up around the latest overhaul of the Android operating system. In this week's issue of Distro, Brad Molen gives you the sweet lowdown on Mountain View's Ice Cream Sandwich, while Zachary Lutz explores why Carrier IQ is leaving a sour taste in some user's mouths. We also have reviews of two Android tablets: Motorola's Xoom 2 and ASUS' Eee Pad Transformer Prime. Zach Honig and Richard Lai take us inside Tokyo Motor Show 2011, Ross Rubin considers a trip with Siri and Box Brown tackles the cosmos and Facebook's "like" button in the Engadget comic. So hit that download button and feed your brain.
Engadget Distro Issue 16 examines the Galaxy Nexus, Audi's R18 prototype and Fanatec's sim-racing gear
Finally pulled yourself out of last week's turkey coma? Awesome. You've managed to regain consciousness just in time for a freshly baked edition of Engadget Distro. In this installment we discuss the nearly perfect Samsung Galaxy Nexus, talk up terrible product names and take a Fanatec Forza gaming duo for a test drive. Speaking of cars, we also have an exclusive look at the Audi R18 prototype and it's tech savvy pit crew, Ross Rubin offers his take on Apple's TV in Switched On and you'll get a another peek into our messenger bags with IRL. Pretty sweet, eh? Go on, hit that download now because it's Friday, and you all deserve a little pre-weekend leisurely reading.
Amtrak begins testing e-ticketing system, other futuristic things
It's been a long time coming, but it looks like Amtrak is finally ready to get with the times. This month, the human-carrier began testing a new e-ticketing system for passengers traveling along its Downeaster line, which extends from Maine to Boston. Under the trial, travelers can either print their tickets at home, or have them e-mailed as a barcode-laced PDF file for conductors to scan. Customers can also change their reservations at the last minute, without having to wait in line at the ticket counter and interact with other people. It's not exactly cutting-edge technology, but Amtrak attributes the delay to the unique nature of the railway, where conductors check tickets in transit and have to deal with a steady stream of passengers getting on and hopping off. As a result, the company had to find a scanning device reliable enough to handle this constant flow of organisms, though it looks as if it's nearing a solution. Amtrak plans to expand the trial to California in February, and if that goes well, the system could roll out on a nationwide basis as early as this summer.
Engadget Distro Issue 15 tackles the Nook Tablet, HTC's Rezound and your turkey hangover
What better way to spend this post-turkey day than curling up with a brand new edition of Engadget Distro? This issue we cover Barnes and Noble's creatively named Nook Tablet, HTC's stellar new smartphone, the Rezound, and Toshiba's Ultrabook contender, the Portege Z835. We're also serving up a piping hot dish of a Samsung Galaxy 7.0 Plus review and Ross Rubin's lip-smacking Switched On, which explores HTC's journey back to the feature. If that's not enough to sate your geeky appetite, we've also got our latest installment of IRL. So belly up and download it now -- this is one holiday treat that won't go straight to your hips.
'Tis the season for the Distro Gift Guide -- 125 geeky giving ideas
We've been doling out or holiday gift giving advice in installments, but instead of making you wait, we're speeding things up a bit, and offering the full 14 categories just in time for Black Friday. Before you go into a turkey-induced coma, download our very latest special edition, the Distro 2011 Gift Guide, to find out what we've got on our wish list, and what you should have under your tree. From TVS to tablets, from smartphones to Lego sets, we've compiled a list of our favorite gadgets, gizmos and gear for every price range. Consider this your manual for fighting turkey-induced giving indecision. Now, go forth and spend! (Just don't go crazy.)
Engadget Distro Issue 13 takes on Stephen Elop, the Kindle Fire and Lenovo's Ultrabook
This week's issue of everyone's favorite weekly magazine (we checked, it's legit), Engadget Distro, brings with it our very first Q&A, and what better subject to start things off than Mr. Stephen Elop? Sitting down with our own man in charge, Nokia's CEO gets candid about leading the outfit's restructuring, Lumia's launch on American soil and the death of MeeGo. As if he wasn't busy enough trotting the globe to meet with international businessmen, Tim also took time out of his busy schedule to bring you his review of both the Kindle Fire and the Galaxy Tab 8.9. We've also got our review of the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, Lenovo's take on the Ultrabook, the IdeaPad U300s, another installment of In Real Life and Ross Rubin take on the tablet wars. So don't just sit there, get to downloading!
Daily Mac App: Gelatin
Some tasks need a really simple, straightforward, no-nonsense app to get the job done. Combining PDF files is one of those tasks, and Gelatin is the app to do it. Preview can do a similar thing, but it's certainly not as straightforward as Gelatin. The app offers a window to drag-and-drop the files you want combined together onto. Select them in finder in the order you want them melded and drop them onto Gelatin. The app will take care of the rest spitting out a PDF with all the files you've dropped onto it joined end-to-end. You can take the file and edit it up with Preview, email it off or save it. Gelatin is free for a limited time and is worth a download for the shear ease of use. If you ever need to combine PDF files, making Gelatin part of your workflow could save you time and effort.
Sign legal documents with your finger, your iPad and Softsign
Did you ever think of your finger as a legal signing tool? Softsign for iPad (free for a limited time) offers a PDF annotation tool for iOS that allows you to sign legal documents via a touch screen. Developer Tom Hodgson points out that a variety of laws implemented more than a decade ago made electronic signatures legally valid in the US, the UK, and beyond. The 2000 United States ESIGN act specified that e-signatures could be accepted as equivalent to a written signature for commercial transactions. The EU has the 1999/93/EC Directive on Electronic Signatures, and in the UK there is the Electronic Communications Act 2000. The first time you use the app, you're prompted to enter a master password. This password goes into effect whenever the screen goes idle or you enter or leave the app. It ensures that no one is going to use Softsign accidentally by picking up your iPad. Once you've authenticated, you can review the PDF agreements that have been sent to you and sign them, both by entering typed text elements and by signing items. The signing screen provides an interactive drawing session letting you create as many strokes as needed to build your signature. Handy undo support means stray marks can be removed before adding them to your signature. Softsign has clearly spent a lot of time thinking about the user experience. You can easily drag elements around the screen to move them into place just-so, or to resize or delete them. This is one of the best iPad direct manipulation GUIs I've encountered in that regard. I'm slightly less fond of Softsign's annotation system, but I understand where it comes from. The designers needed to adapt tasks to a touch-only system without having to add complex gestures or overly train their users. They did this by adding a lot of menus. These are quite pretty to look at, and simple to use, but I wish you didn't have to drill up and down quite so much. Softsign allows you to mark up PDFs, not just sign them. When you enter annotation mode, it uses a series of (modal) pull-down menus that allow you to adjust the pen size, to navigate through the document, and to perform basic edits. Once you're done, (tap Done), you save your changes (with optional password protection) to file and enter a screen that allows you to email and print the file. Softsign offers integrated "Open in" features, letting you export your signed documents to AirSharing, Dropbox, or other applications that connect outward to the internet. Adding new documents to Softsign couldn't be easier. Just drop items in through iTunes or email them to yourself and use iOS Mail's "Open in" option to move PDFs over to Softsign. On the whole, Softsign is cleverly built, offers well thought out features, and was straightforward to use. It is being offered for free for a limited time. TUAW suggests you take advantage of this offer while you can. [We covered SignMyPad a while back, a similar app developed by former TUAW contributor Justin Esgar. SignMyPad is now $3.99 for the basic version, and $19.99 for the GPS-enabled Pro version that formerly cost $99. –Ed.]
Engadget Distro Issue 11 is go! Download it now
You've been waiting all week, and the 11th Issue of Engadget Distro is finally here. For those of you experiencing that nasty crash bug overseas, the fix is in. We released version 1.0.2 of the app earlier this week, so if you've got an iPad (or a way to view PDFs) go on and download it. Taking center stage this week is the half-phone-half-tablet hybrid with a stylus -- pardon, S Pen -- the Samsung Galaxy Note. We'll also take you on a ride with the Grace One City e-motorbike; pick apart HTC's lady phone, the Rhyme; find out what's inside the Motorola Atrix 2; and take a couple shots at (and with) the Pentax Q, a tiny ILC with a massive price tag. But that's not all, if you've been dying to tell us how it is, we're giving you a soapbox to stand on. Yup, we're opening our little weekly to your scrutiny, so if you've got something to say about Distro send your thoughts to distroletters@engadget.com. Provide your name, city and state / country and you might just make it into Issue 12. So, hit that PDF download link below or pick up your iPad and give Engadget Distro a go. Distro Issue 11 PDF Distro on the iTunes App Store Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Engadget Distro Issue 10: It's alive! And ready for download
They're creepy, they're kooky, they're your favorite Frankengadgets and they've invaded the latest issue of Engadget Distro. But fear not, this edition of our fine weekly isn't all about chopping and screwing the devices you love, we've got plenty of other real-life gadgets on hand as well. See that tiny silver sliver on the cover? That's ASUS' Zenbook UX31, perhaps the most viable candidate for the Ultrabook throne. It may not be as thin and light, but we're also bringing you a review of Dell's lightweight XPS 14z, an ergonomically sound laptop with a sizable asking price. On the mobile front, Myriam Joire says hello and goodbye to Nokia's N9 MeeGo phone and Zach Honig gets his hands on its brother from another operating system, the Lumia 800. Nokia's claiming its latest is the "first real Windows Phone," but Sharif Sakr's review of the HTC Titan might just prove otherwise. We'll also bring you a look into Tech News Today host Iyaz Akhtar's geeky upbringing, our latest installation of In Real Life and an exclusive comic from Ed Piskor. So what are you waiting for? Hop on that iPad or hit the PDF download link below, and soak up all that Distro goodness. Distro Issue 10 PDF Distro on the iTunes App Store Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Engadget Distro Issue 9: the Android Invasion is upon us!
They're here! We gave Apple's latest some face time in Distro's first special edition and now it's time for Google's little green robot(s) to get the cover treatment. If Cupertino's strength is in its concentration on a single device, then Android's is in its diversity, and this week we're bringing you our thoughts on not one, not two, not three, but four new smartphones sporting Mountain View's OS. We'll bring you all the dirty details on two hotly anticipated and recently released phones, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Motorola's Droid RAZR, dive deep into Beats in our review of HTC's Sensation XE, and find out if the Amaze 4G can live up to its name. We've also got a review of the first Ultrabook to make it to market, Acer's Aspire S3, and a glimpse at how Tech News Today host, Tom Merritt became the Geek he is today. The Android Invasion is upon us, but don't run for your life. Pick up that iPad or hit the PDF download link below and get your Distro on. (And for those of you diehard Android fans, we are indeed still working on a Honeycomb version -- hang tight!) Distro Issue 9 PDF Distro on the iTunes App Store Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Engadget Distro's first special edition traces the origins of the iPhone 4S
We promised you some unexpected surprises, and it's time that we delivered. Distro's very first special edition is ready for download (and yes, it's available on PDF too). This one's all about a device that's never failed to get folks talking. Yup! It's the iPhone special issue. Love it or hate it, Apple's flagship phone has had an undeniable impact on the mobile space. In this issue, we'll dive deep into Cupertino's latest with our iPhone 4S review and shed some light on the phones that came before with The Evolution of the iPhone. So hop on that iPad, or hit the link below, and download Distro's very special new issue. Distro Special Edition PDF Distro on the iTunes App Store Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
