HelloTxt, by Buongiorno, is one of the popular kids in the current class of of mobile applications that update social networks from a single interface. Considering how many social platforms require constant updating to stay relevant, this type of tool is a life saver for those serious about social media.  Choosing an aggregate social media updater can be a grab bag, but I’ve enjoyed using HelloTxt for about a year now.

The app maker has announced a whole bunch of great improvements for their popular app on mobile platforms iOS and Android.  These improvements will be applied to their more general browser-based application as well.

One of the new features is in-line media viewing, which lets users see photos, videos and whatnot on supported networks without having to leave the feed view (this is commonly called a ‘river of information’ view) which I find to be one of the most useful strategies for consuming data. Social interactions such as retweeting, “liking” and commenting have also been made easier to access and faster to use.

Definitely the most fun improvement in the updated version is the Doodle feature, which lets you draw and sketch status updates- or, maybe just poke a little fun at your closer Facebook friends. The social aggregator has even implemented a suggestion feature for those of us who sometimes forget what we’re doing in the middle of an action.

I have always recommended HelloTxt for those seeking a social media aggregator and upgrades like this make me feel good about the direction that this product is headed.  Happy networking!

The social network for professionals, LinkedIn, is now offering an Android application to compliment its popular iOS (Apple’s mobile platform) and Blackberry implementations.  This app was the logical next step, as LinkedIn has seen a huge increase in members accessing the site from the Android platform.  This app has also been anticipated since the buzz broke that LinkedIn had hired Cedric Beust from Google.  Check out the LinkedIn blog for the full press release.

Since the app is still in its beta version, you’ll need to join the “LinkedIn for Android” group first if you’d like to get it now.  The beta version of the app allows the user to view updates from their professional network, updates from newly established connections, changes to contact profiles, and the popular articles and information from among your contacts.

The app nicely leverages Android’s search function, offering the ability to search for contacts and people from inside the app. LinkedIn says that this app gives the user the fastest search experience of all mobile platforms (not a big surprise from a Google operating system).

Android users can also use the app to send and respond to invitations and message their contacts within invitations. In the future, look for full inbox access, sharing and commenting on updates, and integration of the “People You May Know” feature.

LinkedIn would still be incredibly popular without this app (it adds a member every second) but with Android becoming the most popular mobile platform, a powerful app like this is only going to increase their traffic.

Seesmic, “the only social media tool that you will ever need”, has  announced an update to its popular Android app.  The update includes a UI makeover, Salesforce Chatter integration, and more.

Salesforce Chatter, if you’re unfamiliar, is Salesforce’s enterprise social networking application. Salesforce Chatter allows users to read their Chatter feeds, comment, view groups, contacts, profiles and post updates from the app. Salesforce integration is a great feature for business-savvy social networking users, allowing you to keep your tweets and check-ins focused on the bottom line.  Seesmic also connects your Salesforce and Twitter accounts, cutting down on redundant messaging.

The most powerful thing about aggregators is the ability to get streams from a lot of other social services, like Facebook, YouTube, Foursquare, LinkedIn and others all in one place. The folks over at Seesmic knew that Chatter integration was powerful for business users and is now bringing this great feature to Droid users as well.

The most commonly used functions, like compose and refresh, have been moved to a more accessible section dubbed ‘common actions’ located in the top right corner of the screen.  Seesmic has also added auto-complete  and advanced attachment management features, as well as fully threaded twitter conversations and lots of new languages for non-English speakers (Spanish, Japanese, German, French, Korean, and Polish).

Internet giant Google has announced the release a new phone, the Nexus S.  The handset will be manufactured by Samsung and will feature the new Android 2.3 operating system, dubbed “Gingerbread”.  Unlike many Android devices, this phone was designed with Android in mind (with help from Google’s engineers).  This will be the gold standard of the new generation of Android phones.  Nexus S should be available after the 16th of this month in the US.

Simply put, this Droid is boss.  According to the guys over at techcrunch, who have had their hands on one for a few days now, Nexus S is significantly faster than any other Droid.  It has screen resolution that’s second only to iPhone 4 and is NFC-enabled to easily interact with nearby devices wirelessly.  Techcrunch also calls it “the best phone on the market today”, although I would need a lot of convincing to let go of my iPhone 4.  I still like the substantial feel of the iPhone as opposed to the plastic of the Samsung devices, and as I have pointed out before, style matters.

The Nexus S has a super-fast processor (great for multitasking) and a screen capable of showing deep black.  The screen is slightly larger than iPhone, although it lacks some pixels.  It also boasts 6+ hours of battery life, front and rear cameras, gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, and tons of other bells and whistles.  The standard size is 16 gigs of internal storage which is not expandable.

Although the NFC capabilities mentioned above may not seem important now, it is likely that lots of cool features will be built on this in the near future- for instance, using your phone to pay at retail locations.

Gingerbread Android is of course an improvement over Froyo.  There’s plenty of updates to the old system, not the least of which are keyboard improvements. The bottom line is- if you’re an iPhone user, this isn’t going to make you switch. If you’re an Android user, you will want this phone more than any other. If you’re currently neither, the guys over at techcrunch recommend that you go with the Nexus S. I recommend that you choose something that matches your style, and if Android is your style, definitely get this phone.

The popular iOS and self-proclaimed “#1 Free Business News App” Skygrid is now available on the Android platform.

If you’re unfamiliar with Skygrid, it’s a business news aggregator that originally gained popularity through their iPhone and iPad apps.   Skygrid culls news info from various sources, like top mainstream news sites, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, product review sites, and others.  This info is then sorted into 25 available filters that can be managed through the handheld app.

Content curation has become increasingly important in a world where rapidly-multiplying online data streams flood our senses with information. So, the great thing about SkyGrid is that you can add custom filters to the news, delivering only the latest content in your fields of interest to your phone.  Skygrid has another really cool feature, which is that their patented algorithm tracks how quickly news is spreading across the web (effectively labeling ‘hot’ or ‘trending’ topics).

Information through Skygrid is displayed, not through simple metrics or preset categories, but by people, topics, and events.  This data is combined with a description of how fast the news is traveling. Skynet also allows you to share the news via email, Twitter or Facebook.

SkyGrid also has standard aggregator features like the ability to filter news by category- i.e., with news centralized around politics, sports, entertainment, etc.

So if you’re an Android user looking for trending topics and news via handheld, you might want to stay up to date with Skygrid.  Download the app with this QR code:

If you’re like me, you probably let your significant other use your handheld sometimes.  Or, you might pass your device around at a meeting to show the group a quick image.  However, just because you’re the type to share doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have privacy on your device!  After all, we live in a digital world that also includes things like getting #pantsstatus’d.

If this sounds like you, then consider downloading Android Protector for your Android handset.  This app adds the option to password-protect individual applications without locking down the whole phone.  So, you can hand your phone around without worrying that your coworker might also choose to furtively dig through your photos.  One of the greatest things about this app is that if you use your phone to keep children occupied, there’s no danger of them changing sensitive settings, losing important information or otherwise misusing the device.

Android Protector allows the user to easily define a list of applications to be protected by a PIN.  Simply install the app, run it, set your PIN and then flag the applications you want to secure. You can easily toggle Android Protection on and off from the notification bar—making the phone open access when you are using it while easily switching to a ‘guest mode’ when sharing.  The app doesn’t use a lot of processor power, and shouldn’t slow down the handset while it runs in the background.

The free version (no ads) of Android Protector allows you to lock down up to 10 applications—which is ample for most users. The premium version is $0.99 and features unlimited application locking for your Agent 007-quantities of secret files. Visit the Android Protector site for more details, or just go ahead and scan the QR code to the right of this post to download the app directly to your Android device.

It’s official- Happy Holidays, everyone!  With yuletide cheer comes joy, home-cooked meals, fraternity, and the disruption of your daily routine.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the holiday season…but we all know that in business, especially if you run a small business, time away from the computer can be stressful. However, holiday help is just a download away-  stay away from the keyboard and keep the power of your desktop in your hand with

Splashtop.Splashtop (formerly DeviceVM) recently released its remote desktop app for iOS devices.  This new app’s purpose?  Giving you Windows content on your handheld device.  According to the press release Splashtop will let you “watch movies, listen to music, or access any other Windows files and programs, including full web browsers with Flash”. To take advantage of this, all you’ll need is a WiFi-connected Windows machine on your local network. As of right now this app only allows you to take care of some business or watch flash videos on your iOS device while you’re at home. However, with releases like this the future of remote access is really looking bright.  Technology like this, used over a VPN, would allow folks to have their offices in their pockets and purses everywhere they go.  Although there are some concerns that the technology (especially as it relates to the speed of 3g and 4g style wireless networks) will not work as seamlessly as advertised, I’m hopeful that this capability is just around the corner.  Apps like Splashtop certainly indicate that others are thinking in the right direction.  Although tunneling and emulation are always a technical challenge, I think that the prospects are looking good.

We all like to think that our mobile device purchases are based on rational decisions- a bloodless weighing of technical specs vs. business needs. If we’re honest, though, we know we’re often kidding ourselves in thinking this. Consciously or not, image and style are taken into consideration when making these choices, and we know that our choices affect the way others view us. In the mobile world, image matters.
Don’t believe it? Just look at the keywords people associate with the various mobile platforms. With the iPhone, the words “stylish” and “design” are popular. People who choose the iPhone are often thought of as keen on aesthetics and particular about their personal look.
For Android, “geeky” and “open” are buzzwords. Droid users pride themselves on their technical skills, and look down on those who choose to be ‘locked in’ by Apple’s proprietary nature. A Droid is a handset that says ‘hacker’.
Blackberry owners use words like “work” and “business” in describing their choices. RIM fans can boast that they are ‘real’ business people, focused on work and results over image or cool techie features.
So far, so good, but this all begs the question: where does the Windows 7 phone fit into the matrix? What comes to mind when you think about a Windows 7 phone user? To be successful they’ll need to carve out a niche, and image matters. Check out the accompanying comic and try to answer the question, if we added a line for the Windows phone, what would it look like? I have admit that I find this task challenging…I guess it’s up to Microsoft’s marketing team to show us how a Windows 7 mobile user stands apart from the rest of the smartphone crowd.

For the last two weeks, excited iPad and iPhone users (like myself) have been waiting for Apple’s version 4.2 update to the software platform. There was a false alarm last Friday, and I jumped the gun mistaking what was revealed to be the Beatles announcement for the iOS update announcement.  So now: Good news everyone! Apple has the update ready for final approval, and they’ve loaded the preliminary, developer version online. Since some folks just can’t wait to check it out, the guys over at CNET downloaded the developer version and gave it a spin.  From their highlight reel, here’s what users can expect:

– iPhone 4 users will see small interface improvements.  With this update, they’ll be able to print photos and web pages.  They’ll also get some additional parental controls. SMS will be able to link directly to FaceTime. The iPhone Safari browser will also support text searching in the browser window- a feature I know that I was definitely missing.

-iPad users will also get plenty of new features. The iPad update brings Multitasking, App folders, and GameCenter along with a few other interesting features. Similar to the iPhone, the iPad gets some print options (like searching for local printers), and Safari text search.

Although all of this stuff is fun and interesting, I think that I am most excited about being able to categorize my iPad apps into folders instead of scrolling through all those screens.  When the update is ready, users can get it easily by clicking the ‘check for update’ button in iTunes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAkbmshLfkg