ZDNet App Wrap: April 8, 2013

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  • Twitter

    Twitter

    Platform: Android

    Price: Free

    During the week, Twitter updated its look for Android 4.0+ and introduced a new flat interface.

    Gone is much of the grey background that framed the different screens of the app previously, with most interface screens now reaching to the edge of the display.

    Some of the functionality is slightly improved, but it's still nowhere near Tweetbot.

    Photo by: Twitter

    Caption by: Chris Duckett

  • Lync 2013

    Lync 2013

    Platform: iPad, Android

    Price: Free

    If your organisation makes use of Microsoft's Lync 2013 software, the chance to go mobile has arrived.

    Both the Android and iPad apps feature the ability to view availability of co-workers; send an instant message, email, or voice call; and provide transport layer security without the need for a VPN.

    While the app itself is free, in order to make use of it, you'll clearly need to purchase the software from Microsoft.

    Photo by: Microsoft

    Caption by: Chris Duckett

  • Optus Mobile Security

    Optus Mobile Security

    Platform: Android

    Price: Free trial for 30 days, then $5/month

    Do you trust security apps that appear on April Fool's Day? What if I told you it was branded as an Optus app, but it was actually based on F-Secure inside? What if I then mentioned that the telco was going to bill you an extra $5 a month for the pleasure of protecting one of the telco's flagship handsets?

    Despite those three questions, fleet administrators may be interested in being able to lock, wipe or reset the passwords of devices, and use the Optus Apps portal to control their fleet. But then why wouldn't those administrators be using a full-featured mobile device management suite?

    And the last kicker for Optus is that much of this app's functionality is offered by the handset makers themselves. (But all those annoying "anti-theft" SMS messages from Samsung Apps can wait for another time).

    Photo by: Optus

    Caption by: Chris Duckett

  • Perl.doc

    Perl.doc

    Platform: iOS

    Price: $2.99

    As venerable as the camel book is, the idea of having a quick and offline reference for Perl on a tablet does sound appealing.

    I'm sure that there are ways to have the same content at your fingertips for free, but if you can spare the $3, it could be a handy purchase to Perl developers.

    Photo by: bitPunch

    Caption by: Chris Duckett

  • Zoho Projects

    Zoho Projects

    Platform: iOS, Android

    Price: Free-ish

    This app is another one of those "the first taste is free" type apps. It starts on a 15-day trial, after which it goes into Free Edition mode unless an add-on in Zoho Projects is purchased.

    If you think that this is a good purchasing model for your app, I suggest you read a few reviews of this app before you head down that path.

    Photo by: Zoho

    Caption by: Chris Duckett

  • SOS iAlert

    SOS iAlert

    Platform: iOS

    Price: $0.99

    An app that works great in theory, if the iPhone is tracking your location, the least it can do is inform significant others when you are in trouble.

    In practice though, if you are in trouble, are you likely to be able to get to your iPhone and open an app to inform others that you are feeling unsafe. And is there an easy way to notify people that you are now not feeling unsafe?

    Could this be the app that cried wolf?

    Either way, I hope you never need to use it.

    Photo by: Future Lab

    Caption by: Chris Duckett

  • Litecoin Wallet

    Litecoin Wallet

    Platform: Android

    Price: Free

    Bitcoin is so passe, if you want to get on the ground floor of another virtual currency, then Litecoin may be your ticket.

    This app is meant to be able to send payments through NFC and also via QR-codes, but the camera functionality is suspect. Another problem is that the blockchain can take days to sync.

    But that's all part of the price of getting in on the ground floor of the next virtual currency that will free us from our corporate and governmental overloads , isn't it?

    Photo by: Joint Security Area

    Caption by: Chris Duckett

  • Mi-PIE

    Mi-PIE

    Platform: iOS

    Price: Free

    Are you in Dorrigo? Do you need a pie? Then this app is absolutely for you!

    So maybe the trendiest food blogueurs are dismissive of the humble meat pie, but clearly it's what the people want. How else do you explain the explosion of Pie Face "cafes" appearing all over the place?

    One of the selling points of this app is that, while its pie coverage is sparse, it has mostly bakeries. Franchisees need not apply, and that makes us judge this app at three and a half dollops of tomato sauce.

    Photo by: Tim Polson

    Caption by: Chris Duckett

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Heading into the App Wrap this week are Twitter, Lync 2013, Optus Mobile Security, Perl.doc, Zoho Projects, SOS iAlert, Litecoin Wallet, and Mi-PIE.

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Twitter

Platform: Android

Price: Free

During the week, Twitter updated its look for Android 4.0+ and introduced a new flat interface.

Gone is much of the grey background that framed the different screens of the app previously, with most interface screens now reaching to the edge of the display.

Some of the functionality is slightly improved, but it's still nowhere near Tweetbot.

Caption by: Chris Duckett

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