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Wildcard launches a slick news app you might actually use
Here's the evolution of mobile news reading in a nutshell: First there were browsers; then RSS readers; and eventually we saw a slew of news reading apps like Flipboard, Feedly and Nuzzel that aimed to make it easier to discover and read news. Now Wildcard, an iPhone app that previously tried to turn the entire internet into mobile-friendly cards, is stepping up the mobile news game with its latest version. Like the competition it also highlights breaking news based on your preferences, and it also takes into account what your Twitter friends share. But it has a few big advantages. It's simply gorgeous, with an interface that feels perfectly suited to browsing on your phone; and it also features some helpful editorial curation. After testing, and giving up on, plenty of news apps over the years, Wildcard stands out for one reason: It actually makes me want to read more news.
Wildcard uses beautiful card interface for news and shopping
Wildcard is a slick new app that gives you the latest news from a large, curated collection of sources while also providing you an easy way to shop. The combination of postings from around the web with online shopping may sound a little odd but it works. For example, one featured collection focuses on coffee and includes articles about coffee alongside opportunities to purchase coffee brewers or other related-to-coffee items. Wildcard is free and requires iOS 8 and up. It is optimized for the iPhone 5, 6, and 6 Plus. After a brief introduction, Wildcard's main screen appears listing trending searches, featured collections, a presumably trending article, new brands available in the app, and finally a master directory of the various topics available. The features collections include the displayed (above) Tech Digest, the aforementioned "Home Brew" collection about coffee, and an eclectic collection of others such as water resistant sneakers, how to turn a pumpkin into a keg, and surviving a breakup. The Wildcard directory contains categories such as News, Tech and Gadgets, Lifestyle, Entertainment, and so forth. It is a mix of news (blog and professional) and products for sale. These curated collections span a wide spectrum of sources and interests, which is a good thing. I only wish there was a way to add my own sources to the mix. There are certain websites that are part of my daily mix and they aren't all available in the app. One thing I noticed is that, in some cases, the content presented was a bit stale. For example, Daring Fireball, in the Tech section, displays nothing more recent than October 24 (it is November 13 as I write this). I prefer to make my own decisions about what I will and won't read from a particular source so I hope this is a glitch that will get fixed and not some attempt at ham-fisted curation. That said, I have to say that the actual display of the sources and of the news items themselves are gorgeous. The card metaphor really works in this context and it makes the endless river of news feel manageable. Each site's content is displayed in its own color scheme and generally looks very well done. A few times, such as with Brain Pickings, it fails and the controls at the top of the screen are almost entirely lost (See below). But these are minor quibbles (just remember that even if you can't see it, there is a back button at the upper left!) and does not overly detract from the experience. The online shopping aspect appears to be quite clean. Even here, content is presented in cards from the product information, the checkout form, and so forth, and the metaphor holds here as well. An in-app web browser is provided for when you need or want to get more details on a given product and you are warned that you are now viewing content from outside the app (as if to say, don't blame us if it doesn't look as sexy as it does in the rest of the app). When you first go to purchase something, you create an account, which will store your shipping and billing information and your chosen credit card number. Interestingly, you cannot create an account until you actually purchase anything. At least you can scan your credit card so you do not have to type the numbers in (though I much prefer it when apps support 1Password so I don't even have to take the card out at all). Wildcard is a beautiful app and it does a wonderful job of presenting information and products in a well thought-out interface that is a model of simplicity hiding complexity. If it allowed me to add more sources (or hide others) and otherwise tailor the experience more, it would be even better. For where it is now, it's excellent and it will be interesting to see how it evolves over time.
Wildcard aims to replace your phone's web browser with mobile cards
The web was built for desktops -- not your phone. And while we've made great strides in adopting mobile-friendly sites over the past few years, they typically offer a clunkier experience than native apps. Wildcard hopes to offer the best of both worlds for mobile. Launching today, it's an app that deconstructs mobile sites into "cards" that are easy to digest on your phone. For news sites, Wildcard feels like a fancy RSS reader. But it can also break down mobile storefronts into cards, allowing you to browse and make purchases from within the app.
Kyocera cranks with Virgin Mobile Festival Special Edition Wild Card
If, for whatever reason, a Tony Hawk-branded Sidekick LX just isn't your bag, how's about this limited edition alternative? Aside from actually being more than a figment of someone's imagination, Kyocera's $99.99 Virgin Mobile Festival Special Edition Wild Card is definitely in the running for longest mobile name of all time. You'll also find a few musical touches added in, like the 50 free eMusic song downloads (enthralling, we know), graffiti-style Festival graphics, exclusive wallpapers and a one-year subscription to SPIN magazine. Interested consumers can look exclusively at Best Buy for this one until July 31st (unless the 15,000 are snapped up earlier), and make sure you bring it to the Baltimore Festival for gratis access to the Virgin Mobile Guest Lounge -- sure to be stacked wall-to-wall with nerds just like you. One more shot after the jump.
Virgin Mobile deals the Kyocera Wild Card
Virgin Mobile is officially dipping its toes into smartphone water with its latest offering, the Kyocera Wild Card. Of course, how deep into that particular pool both companies are going is a question for the ages. The Wild Card isn't exactly the most robust phone you'll ever get your hands on, though the flip-phone does offer a QWERTY keypad, dual screens, a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth integration, and a WAP browser. The hitch is that you'll have to view that browser on a 128 x 160 screen, which is painfully, embarrassingly small -- though they do throw in Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man to keep you distracted. Hey, for a price point of $99, you could do way, way worse. The phone is available now from your friendly neighborhood Virgin Mobile dealer.
Kyocera's Wild Card for Virgin Mobile does 3G
Bluetooth fever: catch it! Virgin finally caught wind of this newfangled Bluetooth standard with its most recent release, the Super Slice, and we're glad to see the trend continues. Hints of the Switch_Back's replacement -- christened "Wild Card" apparently -- are starting to circulate around Virgin's US site, and fans of the original are probably going to like what they see. The center d-pad placement on the QWERTY keyboard and the smallish innter display both carry over, while Bluetooth is a key add-on. It gets better, though: the Wild Card looks set to possibly become Virgin's first 3G device, with "high-speed data service" specifically mentioned on page 9 of the user's manual. Bleeding edge, eh? What's next, Virgin, a 2 megapixel cam?[Thanks, Mitchell K.]Read - Small picture of the Wild CardRead - Kyocera Wild Card user's manual [Warning: PDF link]
Create-a-Rare-Developer, win wild-card piata
Our piñata loving friends over at Piñata Island are holding a contest where the winners will receive an extremely rare in-game Viva Piñata wild-card piñata. To win, all you have to do is pick a name of a developer off of the credits list and make a piñata that you feel best fits that person. Draw a piñata, build one out of wood, or use paper mache, it's up to you. Oh, and be sure to make up a brief back story for the little guy too. One lucky winner will have the choice of picking a discovered or undiscovered wild-card piñata or have a Mystery Crate sent to them. Three other runners up will get a discovered wild-card piñata of their choice. All entries must be posted on the forum by May 5th, so find a developer and make a piñata already![Thanks, jimmcq]
Rare going to reveal wild card Piatas?
Over at the Viva Pinata Forum Rare's very own BIGsheep decided to run a poll asking fans which wild card piñata they'd like to see. And for those of you who aren't in the loop, wild card piñatas are extremely rare, randomly born, and there is no concrete formula on how to create them. Think of them as genetic screw ups that are one in a million. Anyway, BIGsheep's poll ends in roughly a week and we're curious to see what will happened when the poll ends. Is he going to be kind enough to show us what the wild card piñata looks like, maybe lift the lid on his entire wild card stash? We'll just have to wait and see what goes down with this wild card poll fiasco. And don't forget to vote![Thanks, jimmcq]