It’s been an interesting week in the tech world, particularly for fans of “personalized reader” apps who now have a trio of solid choices that work on screens small and large (thanks to the new Google Currents and both Zite and Flipboard going universal on the iPhone). Hey, maybe you’re even reading this right now from your Currents app -- if so, you probably want to get on with the day’s news, so here’s the best and brightest from Friday, December 9, 2011.
After much debate about what it will do with the webOS technology they acquired from Palm, HP today announced that the mobile operating system was being gifted to the open source community, just in time for the holidays. HP president and CEO Meg Whitman promises that the company will remain “active in the development and support of webOS,” and the goal here is to accelerate development without HP having to sink big bucks into the platform. According to The Verge, Whitman even promises new webOS hardware down the road, with tablets specifically mentioned for “the near term” (2013 and beyond). Unfortunately, the CEO bummed out Palm lovers everywhere by stating, “I do not believe we will be in the smartphone business again.” Sad to hear, but open sourcing webOS could be the best way for it to survive and possibly even flourish against the similarly open-sourced Android and even Apple’s closed iOS. HP, we applaud you!
Mac users with small business accounting needs: It’s that time of year again! Acclivity has just announced the availability of AccountEdge 2012, which comes packing a new command center, quick access Side Bar and a new welcome window in addition to the ability to restore company files, track auto mileage, create multiple billing rates, streamline invoicing and plenty more. The new version is available now, priced at $299 for new users or $159 for an upgrade.
Two of the iPad’s coolest apps got updates today -- first and foremost, “personalized magazine” Zite follows in the footsteps of Flipboard earlier this week by downsizing for the iPhone with version 1.3. Now, Zite users can log in to their free account created on the iPad and have all of their synced content ready and waiting for them on the iPhone or iPod touch as well. The free update is available from the App Store.
Readdle has also been busy with their Printer Pro app, which just hit version 3 this week. Available for either the iPad ($6.99) or iPhone/iPod touch ($4.99), the app features a completely redesigned user interface along with a new Printer Setup Wizard to make things quick and easy when getting started. Microsoft Office documents are now printed with proper page detection and content alignment, and all know bugs and crashes have been squashed.
zuuka is back with a holiday treat in the form of the new iTalk Santa, Arthur Christmas app for the iPhone and iPod touch. Now available in the App Store for only 99 cents, the app is based on the new feature film Arthur Christmas from Sony and allows users to “have fun creating and recording videos of Santa and Arthur saying and doing” just about anything you’d like. Users can even record short videos of their interaction with Santa or Arthur and save or share them to YouTube, Facebook or your device. The app is just the latest in the full line of iTalk apps from the creators of the iStoryTime series and is sure to light up your holiday season.
Pandora, look out: Spotify is on a roll, and you’re clearly in their sights! The streaming music service today announced a new experience for Spotify Radio, featuring unlimited stations and unlimited skips. “You can be the DJ and skip between stations and tracks, or choose a station and just go with the flow,” the Spotify blog explains. “If you like what you hear, you can save the song to a playlist or play it again on demand.” The unique radio experience is available now with a new preview version which can be downloaded from the company’s website.
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