Tweetcomb is revolutionizing twitter on honeycomb tablets, Must See!

I've had the pleasure of testing a great new twitter app by our friends over at Newsr.  They have taken the app to the market and well worth a peek.

Android Market says the following:


TweetComb is a Twitter client designed and created exclusively for the Android Honeycomb platform. TweetComb gives you a tablet-friendly view of your Twitter timeline, mentions, direct messages, and more.

Features of TweetComb:
-- Interact with Twitter in a tablet-friendly way with the only Twitter experience designed for Honeycomb.

Check out "TweetComb"

-- Read your timeline, mentions, and direct messages with three distinct fragments. Each fragment interacts with Twitter for updates independent of the others.
-- When new tweets arrive, TweetComb will alert you with an audio clip.
-- TweetComb gives you an easy way to use and switch between multiple Twitter accounts.
-- From an individual tweet, you can reply, retweet, share, favorite, and send a direct message.
-- Quickly send status updates with full support for cut/copy/paste.
-- Support for sending and replying to direct messages inside the app.
-- TweetComb can be shared to from other apps such as the browser, Newsr, and others.

Since launching Tweetcomb to market they have had two updates with significant additions.  I like how they use the tablet's size to show the three most used functions of Twitter.  Which are Timeline, Mentions and Direct Messages.  Recent updates they have added direct messaging from within the direct messages column.

Long press on a tweet and see all the magic offered.  If you are a Android honeycomb tablet user and like Twitter then Tweetcomb is for you.

Targus cases make the Motorola Xoom Look good as a work device

Are you looking for a light weight versatile case for your Motorola Xoom?  Look no further I introduce the Targus Spruce EcoSmart Mini Messenger Case (TBM022US) (Black with Green Accents).  This little beauty is classy looking with room for your Xoom, power adapter and business essentials.

On the outside you have a zippered compartment for smaller items.  I will carry ear buds, cleaning cloth and probably will hold my Droid X in there while running around.  You have a nice carry handle and it comes with a shoulder strap.

Open up the secure flap and there are two zippered compartments one has a padded spot for your Motorola Xoom.  If you have the protective portfolio case it will be a snug fit. The other compartment can be used for business items like pens/pencils, business cards, note cards and more.



Technical Details

• Compatibility- Designed specifically to fit the Motorola Xoom
• Functionality- Large capacity case; includes space, padded main compartment and additional storage for accessories such as an power adapter,
• Ergonomic- Padded/removable shoulder strap and padded carry handle make this case easy to travel with
• Material- Constructed of recycled polyester material from recycled plastic bottles
• Limited Lifetime Warranty. Cables and more; Large organization pocket with pen loops, business card holder and zippered compartment

As you can see this would make a great companion to the Motorola Xoom.  If you have any recommendations please make a comment below.

Why I Switched To Newsr RSS Reader

Newsr Main Screen

Thanks to the Android Central Forums and a post named The officially unofficial "Optimized For Honeycomb" Apps List.  I stumbled upon a new RSS reader called Newsr and started to investigate the new app.

I am a cautious buyer of apps.  I look at reviews and do a Google search to formulate an educated guess on whether to buy an app or not.  Newsr had no reviews or ratings but the developer Chris Stewart put his email in the description.  I went ahead and emailed Chris to see if there was a trial version (there is not at this time).  After a couple of email exchanges I decided to purchase the app.  Here is the market description of Newsr.

Newsr gives you a tablet-centric way to casually read your Google Reader RSS feeds. Newsr takes advantage of the screen real estate on your Xoom device and gives you an elegant way to read your news. Newsr stays in sync with your Google Reader account so you'll never read the same news twice!

Pros:
Watch embedded (youtube) videos right from the app.
Mark All As Read (highly important)
Sync's nicely with Google Reader account (tested and confirmed it works)
Share Article with Facebook, Twitter etc...

Cons (feature request):
Ability to Star/Unstar an article
Need to be able to mark an article as Unread
Would like to one click share in Google Reader without a note
Does not sort by folders (not sure how that could be worked in)

I have been testing other RSS readers and although nice have been missing key features that Newsr have incorporated right from the beginning.  Chris Stewart has assured me that the development continues and he is looking for feedback and feature request to make the app even better.  

Don't Let your Android Battery be a Drain

To continue the theme of performance as specified in To Kill or Not to Kill Task in Android.  One area that people complain about a lot is the lack of battery performance from there Android devices.  I stumbled upon a great post Tips to maximize battery life on Android by John Edgar I specifically like how to calibrate a battery he says

“Calibrate the battery by completely draining it until the phone completely shuts itself off. Turn the phone on again and let it shut itself off one more time. Then charge your phonewhile it is off for over 8 hours. This will fully charge the battery so that when the phone is turned on, it now sees the battery as full. It is recommended to repeat this process at least one more time. You will see an increase in your battery’s charge life and longevity. Calibration of a battery can be done at any point and a maintenance calibration is recommended every month.”

Even though Lithium Ion batteries are not suppose to have "memory" like the old nickel cadmium batteries it is still good from time to time to calibrate or refresh your battery.

As seen in the image of my battery statistics I am not doing to bad.  The one area that takes up the most battery power is the display.  This is common for smartphones in general.  I was running 62-65% on my display settings.  I  took my brightness setting off of Automatic brightness and moved it to the lowest setting.  As seen in the display I have dropped to 48% and this is taken within an hour of changing it.  I also updated the app Settings Profiles Full change this to the lowest setting upon each change.

What makes the Motorola Xoom the perfect enterprise tool?

Motorola Xoom is the perfect device for connecting to a corporation's technology infrastructure such as a enterprise exchange sever, Microsoft Communicator r2 and a citrix connection on a device larger than 4 inches. The  Motorola Xoom with it's georgeous 10.1" screen sporting a dual core tegra 2 processor.  The tools that a corporate employee will need to be highly effective on the go are:

NitroDesk TouchDown which lets you connect to your corporate email from your android powered Motorola Xoom. This program takes the brunt of the corporate IT policy instead of putting the policy on your tablet which can cause lockups and lockouts.

Office Talk, Microsoft(R) Office Communicator(TM) Client (OCS) for Android. Allows you to stay connected with your coworkers and customers with the enterprise instant messaging system.  Not all IM clients will connect to an enterprise system for this reason office talk is perfect.

Citrix Receiver labs allows organizations to manage the proliferation of new devices entering the workplace by providing secure, high-performance delivery of virtual desktops and Windows, web and SaaS applications on any user device. You use this app to remote into desktops and servers to administer programs, license managers, users and folder shares.

These alone make the Motorola Xoom the perfect enterprise level tablet.  Do you use a tablet or smartphone for doing business work?  

Posted via Blogaway on the Motorola Xoom!