Posts tagged Apps
Atomic Web – the iPad’s best browser
May 12th
After toying with the lite version for a day or so, I happily dropped a dollar for the full version of Atomic Web – an alternative browser for the iPad. Where the Opera Mini browser differs from Safari on the iPhone in speed (and, er, variety), Atomic Web differs from Safari on the iPad in features. Yes, yes – the iPad isn’t a laptop, but its screen is a lot bigger than its smaller cousins and that in and of itself makes the lack of features in Safari even more evident.
Firstly, there’s full screen mode. Granted, it’s only a half an inch here and a quarter inch there, but that real estate adds up when you’re used to a 15″ or 17″ (or bigger) screen. Atomic Web is highly configurable, including themes, ad blocking and private mode, and 2-finger gestures and a 3-finger tap that can be assigned to over 15 different shortcuts. It also comes packed with the ability to save a web page and view source.
I’m a big fan of the Facebook and Twitter integration (and come to expect it, really), though it seems as though the biggest crowd-pleasing feature is tabbed browsing. For all of the thought Apple puts into UI, I think they dropped the ball by not even including tabs as an option.
I haven’t found the browser to be buggy, and the closest thing to a complaint I have is that you can’t make it your default browser – something I don’t think Atomic Web has any control over at all.
Atomic Web has replaced Safari as my iPad browser of choice – for now at least.
Companies Can’t Wait for Apple to Sell Card Swiping iPods…Really
Jan 6th
Ever since going into an Apple Store last week and seeing their new iPod Touch-based POS system first hand, I knew it would only be a matter of time before other retailers started to daydream about how such a system could work for them too. Though Apple hasn’t decided whether they’re going to sell an EasyPay-like app and hardware (which includes a barcode scanner and card swipe built slickly into what amounts to an iPod jacket or sleeve), rumors abound that they’re making moves to do so.
Now at least one company is tired of waiting.
Simply Swipe It now has an app that can process transactions through EPay and Authorize.net, and is also offering for pre-order an accessory card swiper called QuickSwipe that looks like it clamps onto the sides of a Touch. From the image on their site it looks to be aesthetically a far cry from what Apple Store employees are toting around, but it’s proof that Steve Jobs and Company don’t have the “use your finger to sign here, please” market cornered just yet.
