Sponticelli ShakingWeb

Web browsing on the iPhone takes a turn for the worse.

Price :

AU$2.49

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Extremely buggy, poor idea with poor execution, lacking necessary features

Sponticelli brings vibration reduction technology to a place where it wasn't needed. We can't think of a reason why anyone should pay for this app.

When Apple suddenly began allowing third-party Web browsers into the App Store (provided they are built off Web Kit), it sparked a question: is there room to improve on Safari? If ShakingWeb is any indication of the sophistication of third-party browser development for the iPhone, Apple has little to fear. Designed to make it easier to browse the Web while on public transport, the app is inferior to Safari and in no way a useful replacement.

Sponticelli has toyed with the user interface, changing Safari's greyish blue for a graphite scheme. It isn't the ugliest interface we have seen in a third-party iPhone app. ShakingWeb has most of the same controls as Safari, with a basic search bar as well as back, forward and reload controls. Unfortunately, the buttons are smaller than those in Safari; while this allows the app to maximise the screen real estate available for displaying Web pages, it makes the buttons harder to press.

Compared to Safari, the speed of ShakingWeb's user interface almost always lags — everything from clicking a link to zooming in to a Web page using multi-touch. Even screen reorientation — flipping the iPhone on its side for a wider view of a Web page — takes over four seconds, and sometimes freezes the app. Web site loading times are acceptably fast, but the cumbersome user interface makes site navigation a much poorer experience than using Safari.

Tabbed browsing, bookmarks, auto-complete and integrated search — all staples of browsing with Safari — are absent from ShakingWeb. Sponticelli admits that any link that requires a new window will not work as a result of the lack of tabbed browsing capability.

The lack of auto-complete and bookmarks forces users to type out whole Web site addresses even if they are regularly visited. Even small flaws, like automatic capitalisation, make using ShakingWeb arduous.

These failures could be dismissed if the app fulfilled its primary function of providing an easier browsing experience for public transport users. The app is based on the idea that public transport users are subjected to constant shakes and bumps, making Web browsing a difficult task. ShakingWeb uses the iPhone's integrated accelerometer to determine the amount of bumping and compensates by shaking the Web page portion of the screen. This is supposed to make it easier to read the screen.

By default, ShakingWeb will only shake the screen vertically; turn on Turbo mode and the app will shake horizontally as well. The amount of shaking that ShakingWeb applies is quite small, so the browser won't bounce around like an antiquated Windows screensaver.

Unfortunately, when we tested ShakingWeb on public transport and in other environments involving motion it did more to impair rather than improve our ability to read. The shaking isn't enough to blur the text, but it is enough to cause one's eyes to veer off focus, making reading harder.

Even if the algorithms behind ShakingWeb are tuned perfectly, the app solves a problem that no one seems to have. Even on the worst CityRail train it is generally possible to read the iPhone's screen. For those who do have a problem browsing Web sites on the iPhone in such situations, ShakingWeb will do little to help.

QStarz BT-Q1300

This GPS receiver is small as a keyring, but powerful enough to track your trek.

Price :

AU$149.00

QStarz's BT-Q1300 Travel Recorder is a Bluetooth GPS device that can be used to track and log your movements. Designed as a keyring, the BT-Q1300 can interact with Google Earth and Google Maps.

The Q1300 is one of the smallest GPS receivers we’ve come across. It's constructed largely of plastic, with gold edges and a fancy pattern on the front; the anti-slip rubber backing on the rear is also a nice touch. The unit has a power switch and a standard mini-USB port for charging, as well as four LED lights that denote power, GPS activity, logging and Bluetooth.

In addition to providing a GPS signal, the BT-Q1300 allows you to track your movements using Google Earth. To use this, you need to install the supplied software and drivers on your computer.

The GPS receiver isn't too difficult to use, though a quick read of the user guide is advised. The one-button operation may allow a slimline design, but it means a bit of fiddling is required to change modes. Holding down the button for four seconds turns it on, and holding for two seconds activates the logger. Simply tapping the button marks your current location as a waypoint. We were very impressed with speed — in most instances, the BT-Q1300 manages to lock onto a GPS signal in less than 30 seconds.

Once you've completed your trip or journey, you simply connect the unit to your PC and select the Read GPS option in the included travel recorder software. For Google Maps you can view your trip within the application window. For Google Earth, you'll need to export the log file. Conveniently, moving the mouse over the log trail shows relevant data, including time, date and speed.

The travel recorder software included with the unit allows you to adjust a number of settings, including how often data is logged. You can adjust this according to both time and speed. The software is largely unremarkable and could use a facelift, so like with the receiver itself it's best to read through the provided instructions before using it.

QStarz claims the BT-Q1300 can provide up to 12 hours of battery life from one full charge. An in-car charger is included in the sales package.

LG's new X120 netbook with Splashtop-powered instant on

We just bumped into LG's X120, a barely-differentiated followup to the X110 that's floating around the show floor. There's still a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, Windows XP and a 10-inch WSVGA screen, but what's new is the Splashtop-powered "LG Smart On" OS, which does the quick boot thing we've come to know and love on many ASUS products, the Voodoo Envy 133 and elsewhere. The effect, as always, is pretty stunning, and the OS should be helpful for a quick look at the web or to hop on IM over the laptop's WiFi connectivity. The netbook itself seems to have been tweaked a tad on aesthetics, but it's still a bit thicker than we'd like at this point for the netbook market. We're short on further details, but since the X110 did 3G, there's a good chance that'll be in play as well -- we're still waiting on PR from LG. In the meantime, you can check out a video of the startup after the break.