How important is a helpdesk or support medium for businesses and mobile phone app developers? Similar to modern day business, these are critical in making sure that they get the necessary feedback to be able to provide proper attention and customer service support for people who may be needing them. In short, it helps them improve current issues to provide patches and also becomes a key factor towards making future apps to cover a larger scope.

With this in mind, Zendesk launches the First Mobile Dropbox for Help Desk Functionality for Android and iPhones. This is something that can really be a privilege to most app developers, particularly the ones aching in getting feedback. With this dropbox in place, iPhone and Android users can easily and quickly submit a bug report, feature request, question or service request directly to the developer without having to leave the application.

The trend is similar to what we see online. There is no telling when help and support may be needed but this should be automatic. Today, we may rarely see them but overall, they are really something that should be instant and hence not really an option. Any business or app for that matter should provide them to people since no product or service is perfect and is susceptible to bugs, issues and concerns.

Support drop boxes are a ubiquitous feature on the web where users see them labeled as “feedback,” “support” or even “help,” providing an easy way for visitors to interact with the site owner. However, until now, mobile application users have not been able to enjoy the same convenience and access on their devices as they have online.

(Source) Press

Tags: application users, apps, bug report, Cell Phones, current issues, customer service support, drop boxes, dropbox, feature request, feedback support, iPhone, iPhone, mobile application, mobile phone, Mobile Software, necessary feedback, privilege, proper attention, service request, support medium, ubiquitous feature

For people who love to watch streaming movies via their iPhone, you can now get your hands on the full version of the previously beta version of the SlingPlayer Media for Blackberry. Sling Media has announced that its SlingPlayer Mobile for Blackberry. Now available for $29.99 or part of a a 30-day free trial.

Previously only available as part of public BETA testing, the application can now ready for everyone. After downloading the application, users can add and edit Slingboxes then change channels directly through the mobile application. SlingPlayer Mobile allows users to watch video content streamed live from their home Slingbox digital video device.

Depending on your options or wants at the time, the application can be adjusted to optimize low-bandwidth streaming settings and adjust aspect ratio specific to their devices. Country selection on entry to the website (mobile.slingmedia.com) is requested where from that point, you can select the product you are after and download away.

(Source) Phone Mag

Tags: Apple, application users, beta version, BlackBerry, digital video device, iPhone, iPhone, low bandwidth, mobile application, Mobile Software, public beta, Sling Media, slingmedia, slingplayer mobile, streaming movies, video content

You can just thank CBSSports.com for getting the latest news and updates on the NCAA onto your iPhone or iPod Touch. CBSSports.com announced today they have launched an NCAA March Madness on Demand application for the iPhone and iPod touch that will provide fans live streaming video and audio from the 2009 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, beginning Thursday, March 19 and continuing all the way through the Men’s Final Four from Detroit, MI.

The NCAA March Madness on Demand iPhone and iPod touch application will provide live video of all 63 games from the first round of the tournament through the semifinal and final games of the Men’s Final Four, as well as access to tournament brackets updated in real-time with up-to-the minute scores, and the ability to click directly from brackets into live video. It will also provide exclusive CBSSports.com Edge Matchup game previews, including team breakdowns and matchup comparisons to prepare fans for each step on the Road to the Final Four.

During live game action, NCAA March Madness on Demand application users can access in-game box scores and player stats — even as an overlay on top of the video. Following each game, they can also view a full tournament scoreboard, including game recaps, player and team stats and video highlights of every tournament game. All games from the Final Four will also be available for $1.99 each on Apple’s iTunes Store the day after they are completed.

(Source) Press

Tags: Apple, application users, basketball championship, cbssports, demand application, final games, game action, iPhone, iPod Touch, Mobile News, Mobile Software, ncaa division i, ncaa march madness, ncaa march madness on demand, tournament brackets

Prolonging the life of batteries of devices is a great boost to avoid additional costs for certain devices. But the actual practice of prolonging them is sometimes overlooked.

In fact, there is no real way of properly evaluating their state but with this new Solar Power Battery Charger Evaluation Boards from IXYS, battery life extensions are bound to improve.

These evaluation boards show how the ‘Solar Bit’ can be used to increase battery life, help design solar cell based products, provide customer convenience and reduce the disposal of batteries. The boards are designed to assist customers in understanding the features of the IXYS Solar Cells in the form of Solar Bits.

The Solar Power Battery Charger Evaluation Boards are as follows:

EVIX-CX3AA – Showcases three different IXYS components which are used to create a battery charger. This demonstrates an entirely ‘off-grid’ design which automatically disconnects the battery from the solar cells in low or no-light conditions thereby preventing inadvertent discharging with no additional circuitry required.

EVIX-10 – This highly configurable evaluation board provides 10 ‘Solar Bits’ which can be individually set to series or parallel configuration with the other cells. In addition, several EVIX-10 boards can be connected together, also in either parallel or series. This allows users to customize the configuration precisely to a specific need. Changes to the configuration take only seconds and are made via simple jumpers.

EVIX-USB – As USB devices become more prevalent, the use of the USB connection to charge batteries while away from a computer increases in value. The EVIX-USB demonstrates how the innovative design of the ‘Solar Bit’ can be used to create a simple USB charger. By utilizing the IXYS ‘Solar Bit’ in this application users can develop products that substantially extend the usable time for USB charged products while away from a computer and utilizing the power of the sun rather than an AC power source.

EVIX-LED – With the advent of several emerging technologies we are now able to provide completely battery-less power sources for remote applications. The EVIX-LED demonstrates how the IXYS ‘Solar Bit’, combined with super-capacitor technology, can be used to provide a burst of energy for a short period with a rapid recharge time. This solution is completely off-grid and does not require a battery. In this case it powers a bright LED for over one full second and recharges in full sun in just a few minutes. Designers now have the capability of using the IXYS ‘Solar Bit’ to provide battery-less solar power sources for applications requiring an intermittent burst of energy.

EVXOB17-12X1 – This simple evaluation board connects 10 IXOLAR ‘Solar Bits’ in series for general experimentation and use in a small footprint, as a Solar Panel to charge batteries, for portable devices, like MP3 players, cell phones, PDA’s, test instruments, portable medical devices, etc.

(Source) Press

Tags: Accessories, application users, battery charger, battery life, Cell Phones, disposal of batteries, evaluation board, evaluation boards, grid design, innovative design, power battery, solar cell, solar cells, solar power, usable time, usb connection