The core here is that you’ll still get all of the usual news, reviews and feature content that you’d get on the regular site, but it has all been optimized for a more mobile-friendly experience. They’ve also provided “quick access” to additional content by way of podcasts, videos and photo galleries. The guys at the Verge promise that “videos play just fine on both iOS and Android.” Commenting on posts works too. The “StoryStream” feature for following a story is intact, giving you a notification each time your subscribed story gets an update.

You can find the Verge app in the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Store for the iOS and Android versions, respectively. And yes, they are both free to download.

[Source]

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Whereas QR codes are effectively 2D barcodes that have to take up space on a page, NewsFlash is effectively invisible to the human eye. That’s because it uses flashes of pink and green light that the human eye effectively averages out and does not see; however, the camera on your smartphone can see these pulses, which are then effectively translated as binary code that your phone can then understand. Using the NewsFlash app, you are then redirected accordingly.

In the video below, as an example, a scan of a newspaper page on a tablet sends the smartphone to the same article within the app. In much the same way, a NewsFlash scan of a newspaper in a foreign language can send you an English translation of that article automatically. Of course, this will only work with lit displays and not printed materials, since regular paper can’t flash pink and green, but this could prove interesting in certain signage and other scenarios.

[Source]

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It’s practically the perfect fit. The Metro UI in Windows Phone is already geared toward having those live tiles on the home screen and the UI in Pulse has a similar kind of idea with its graphics-heavy interface. Each feed is shown as a horizontal row, allowing you to swipe side to side to see more stories. Additional feeds can be accessed by swiping up and down. All the integrated sharing stuff is great for social folks too.

I wouldn’t use Pulse to replace Google Reader, since Pulse is capped at 20 RSS feeds at a time, but it’s a great way to consume your news and entertainment (like reading Mobile Magazine!) while on the go. Look for the WP7 version of Pulse to hit the digital marketplace later this week. [Pulse]

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eShadow works by recognizing nearby wireless networks, as well as the wireless communications technologies found within your smartphone. I don’t think that eShadow is particularly novel, though, since you could have had a similar experience with Google Latitude. I guess the idea here is that you can connect with new friends too, based on the personal and professional interests that you share.

They say that eShadow complements current social networks, because it emphasizes and facilitates face-to-face meetings. I imagine this could get really messy at trade shows where you have a lot of people in a small space, all of whom likely share some really similar interests. Thankfully, there are both whitelists and blacklists built into the software that you can define and adjust.

“Today, online social networking has advanced dramatically, but our ability to meet people face-to-face hasn’t gotten any easier,” said Dong Xuan, associate professor of computer science and engineering at Ohio State University. “We want eShadow to close social gaps and connect people in meaningful ways, while keeping the technology non-intrusive and protecting privacy.”

I’m pretty public with what I do — via my blog, Twitter, and other places online — but these kinds of programs are a little too stalker-ish for me. What do you think?

The post eShadow smartphone app will direct you towards nearby friends appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Facebook wants to follow you everywhere, regardless of the kind of phone you have, and that’s why it has just announced a new mobile application for feature phones. Interestingly enough, it’s almost as full-featured (pun intended) as its smartphone counterparts. You can write on walls, check messages, view pictures, read profiles, and so on.

The app can apparently be used without incurring any data charges, so I’m not exactly sure how the carriers are going to be billing you for your usage. They surely want their nickels and dimes as part of this package, right?

The other kicker is that the initial release of the Facebook feature phone app does not include any North American carriers. Instead, it’s being launched on guys like Dialog (Sri Lanka), Play (Poland), Viva (Dominican Republic) and Three (Hong Kong). Mobilicity (Canada) should get it soon, though, as will Telcel (Mexico).

Those coming from Nokia smartphones may recognize some of the visual cues on the Facebook feature phone app. That’s because the social network worked closely with Snaptu to develop it. I don’t think this is any real replacement for a true smartphone, but the feature phone folks will likely enjoy the “no data charges” part. No news yet on a US release or if it will make it that far, Mobilicity in Canada is “coming soon.”

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