class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/restricted-icon.png?323f2c" alt="things to install on ubuntu" />Install Java, Flash, every href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/codec/">codec you’ll ever need and much more, all at once. It’s heavily proprietary, but Ubuntu Restricted Extras is probably the first package you should install in Ubuntu.

Are you a new Ubuntu user? You might soon notice that a lot of things don’t work out of the box. You cannot listen to MP3 files or watch most movies; even DVDs. Browsing the web means doing so without Flash and Java, and certain websites don’t look right because the fonts are different. That’s where Ubuntu Restricted Extras comes in. A collection of software Ubuntu can’t legally bundle with Ubuntu, this package is easy to install and makes your computer capable of a staggering number of things. You’ll get Java, Flash, a staggering number of codecs, all the familiar default fonts from Windows and the ability to open href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/rar/">RAR files.

Windows users need special tools, such as href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/ninite-easily-install-all-your-favorite-free-apps-as-one-installation/">Ninite, to install this amount of software at once. Ubuntu users need only install one package from their repositories: Ubuntu Restricted Extras. This is probably the first thing you should do with any new installation of Ubuntu, so keep reading if you’re not familiar with it.

Installation

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ubuntu-restricted-extras-install.png?323f2c" alt="things to install on ubuntu" width="579" height="238" />

Installing software in Ubuntu couldn’t be easier. Just head to the Ubuntu Software Center, then search for the package you want to install.

The Software Center is a collection of programs you can install in Ubuntu. There are thousands of programs here for free, and an ever-growing collection of games and programs you can purchase. Like the App Store on mobile devices, this is the one-stop-shop for all Ubuntu software. It’s also where you find Ubuntu Restricted Extras. And you won’t need to look long: it’s one click away from the main page:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/restricted-frontpage.png?323f2c" alt="ubuntu suggestions" width="580" height="210" />

You’ll find it under “Top rated software.” Open it, then click the “Install” button. You’ll have to type your password and then you’ll be done.

Are you too lazy to open the program and find Restricted Extras? Fine; href="apt:ubuntu-restricted-extras">click here to install Ubuntu Restricted Extras. Done. Are you using Kubuntu or Xubuntu? Search for “Kubuntu Restricted Extras” or “Xubuntu Restricted Extras” instead.

Included Packages

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ubuntu-restricted-extras-packages.png?323f2c" alt="things to install on ubuntu" width="580" height="343" />

There’s nothing magic about Ubuntu Restricted Extras: it’s just a “meta-package”, which is a fancy way of saying it installs a number of other packages you could find separately in the Software Center if you wanted to. These packages, by name, are:

• flashplugin-installer
• gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg
• gstreamer0.10-fluendo-mp3
• gstreamer0.10-pitfdll
• gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad
• gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly
• gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad-multiverse
• gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly-multiverse
• icedtea6-plugin
• libavcodec-extra-52
• libmp4v2-0
• ttf-mscorefonts-installer
• unrar

Not sure what these mean? The top one, “flashplugin-installer”, gets Adobe’s Flash installed on your system. The various “gstreamer” packages add codecs to Gstreamer, which the Ubuntu video and music player both use to open files. “IcedTea” is a browser plugin for Java, and is followed in the list by a couple more codecs. The mscorefonts package gives you Times New Roman, Arial and other Windows-standard fonts. Unrar does what it says: open RAR files.

On Playing DVDs

None of these packages, however, give you the ability to play DVDs. To do that, you’re going to need to do some extra work. You can href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RestrictedFormats/PlayingDVDs">find the instructions here.

Prefer not to do all that work? Head to the Ubuntu Software Center and install Fluendo DVD Player. It will set you back $25, but it works.

Why is either process necessary? Well, like it or not, DVDs are protected. When you buy Windows or a Mac, the people who created the DVD standard get paid. Ubuntu is free, meaning they aren’t paying anyone for the right to play DVDs. Hence the need to jump through hoops or buy a compatible player.

Why Not By Default?

All of these other programs aren’t included for similar reasons. Simply put, Ubuntu doesn’t have the right to distribute codecs, Flash, Java and other technology on the Ubuntu disk. Doing so would make Ubuntu illegal to distribute in some countries, including the United States of America. This means that Ubuntu could become illegal in America should they decide to include these packages.

Why can they offer Ubuntu Restricted Extras at all, then? Well, basically because it’s up to individuals to either install these packages or not. The theory is it’s up to you to determine whether or not these packages are legal in your country and to act accordingly.

I’d like to hear from you guys. Do you install Ubuntu Restricted Extras, or not? Why? I’ll be around in the comments below, so let’s chat.

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View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/featured-arduino.jpg" alt="arduino circuit board" />Last time I left you href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/started-arduino-starter-kit-installing-drivers-setting-board-port">having set up your Arduino to work with Mac or Windows, and having uploaded a simple test app that blinked the on-board LED. Today I’m going to explain the code you uploaded, the structure of Arduino software, and a little more about the electronic bits on the board itself.

This article is part of an introduction to the Arduino series. The other articles in the series so far are:

• title="What Is Arduino & What Can You Do With It? [Technology Explained]" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/arduino-technology-explained/">What is Arduino and what can you do with it?
• title="What’s Included In An Arduino Starter Kit? [MakeUseOf Explains]" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/whats-included-arduino-starter-kit-makeuseof-explains/">What is an Arduino starter kit and what does it contain?
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-cool-components-arduino-projects/">More cool components to buy with your starter kit
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/started-arduino-starter-kit-installing-drivers-setting-board-port/">Getting Started With Your Arduino Starter Kit – Installing Drivers & Setting Up The Board & Port

The Hardware

Let’s take a closer look at what the Arduino Uno has in terms of bits on the circuit board.

Here’s an enlarged diagram to refer to:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ArduinoUnoFront1.jpg" alt="arduino circuit board" width="580" height="440" />

• Along the top, there are 14 digital Input/Output pins (numbered 0-13). These are the most versatile pins on your Arduino and can function as either input or output, and will form the core of your projects. Digital means that the signal these pins can write or read will be on or off.

• 6 of those digital pins, which are marked by the tilde sign ~ are capable of doing what it is called href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-width_modulation">Pulse Width Modulation. I’m not an electrical engineer so I won’t embarrass myself by explaining the science behind this, but to you and I it means we can provide a range of output levels – for instance, dimming an LED or driving a motor at varying speeds.

• Pin 13 is special in that it has a built-in LED. This is for convenience and testing purposes only really. You can use that on-board LED, as you did in the Blink example app, by simply outputting to pin 13 – or it can be used as a standard I/O pin.

• On the bottom right are 6 analog input pins. These will read the value of analog sensors such a light-meter or variable resistors.

• On the bottom left next to the analog input pins are power pins. The only ones you really need to worry about are the ground pins (GND), 3.3v, and 5v power lines.

• Finally, the only switch found on the Arduino is a reset switch. This will restart whatever program it has in its memory.

• The Arduino has a set amount of memory, and if your program goes too large, the compiler will give you an error.

The Structure Of An Arduino Program

Every Arduino program is made up of at least two functions (if you don’t know what a function is, be sure to read my title="The Absolute Basics Of Programming For Beginners (Pt. 2)" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/absolute-basics-programming-beginners-part-2/">basic programming tutorial, part 2 – function and control statements, and title="The Basics Of Computer Programming 101 – Variables And DataTypes" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/basics-of-computer-programming-variables-datatypes/">part 1 where we discussed variables before continuing).

The first is the setup function. This is run initially – once only – and is used to tell the Arduino what is connected and where, as well as initialising any variables you might need in your program.

Second is the loop. This is the core of every Arduino program. When the Arduino is running, after the setup function has completed, the loop will run through all the code, then do the whole thing again – until either either the power is lost or the reset switch is pressed. The length of time it takes to complete one full loop depends upon the code contained. You may write some code that says “wait 6 hours”, in which case the loop isn’t going to be repeating very often.

Here’s a quick state diagram to illustrate:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/arduino-state-diagram.png" alt="arduino circuit board" width="544" height="362" />

Examining The Blink Program

Take a look back at the Blink program code and identify the setup and loop functions.

Here’s the setup: />

void setup() { /> // initialize the digital pin as an output. /> // Pin 13 has an LED connected on most Arduino boards: /> pinMode(13, OUTPUT); /> }

The lines that begin with // are simply comments to explain the code to a human reader, and they don’t get uploaded to the Arduino. So in fact, there’s only one line of setup code in this particular Arduino app. That line is saying “Set pin 13 to output mode”. 13, remember, is the built-in LED.

Then there is the loop: />

void loop() { /> digitalWrite(13, HIGH); // set the LED on /> delay(1000); // wait for a second /> digitalWrite(13, LOW); // set the LED off /> delay(1000); // wait for a second /> }

The comments at the end of each line of code explain their function quite well. HIGH and LOW refer to the ON and OFF state of a digital output – in our case the LED. You could actually write ON or OFF in the code too, both are synonymous (as is 0 and 1 also). Delay tells the Arduino to wait for a bit, in this case 1000 milliseconds (or 1 second).

Finally, a note about the programming language used here. Notice that both setup and loop functions have the word void before them. This is a special word for nothing, because the function returns nothing when it is called – it simply runs the code contained within. For now, let’s leave it at that by saying that the function’s block of code is enclosed by curly braces { }, and that each line of code must end with a ; semi-colon.

Try altering the basic program somehow by changing the precise delay values to something larger or smaller. See how small you can get it down to before the flashing is no longer noticeable. Work out which value to change to get it to stay on for longer, or to stay off for longer. Try adding some more digitalWrite and delay statements into the loop function to create a more complex flashing pattern like the href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOS">morse code for SOS. If you have a buzzer, try connecting it to pins 13 and GND too (hint: the red wire goes to 13, black to ground).

That’s all for today. Next time we’ll add in some more LEDs and write our own application from scratch. As ever, comments and shares much appreciated. I can’t imagine you’d have any problems with the code referred to today, but if you’ve tried adjusting the code slightly and are running into errors or unexpected behaviour, feel free to post it in the comments and we’ll see if we can work through it together.

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/featured-arduino.jpg" alt="arduino circuit board" />Last time I left you href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/started-arduino-starter-kit-installing-drivers-setting-board-port">having set up your Arduino to work with Mac or Windows, and having uploaded a simple test app that blinked the on-board LED. Today I’m going to explain the code you uploaded, the structure of Arduino software, and a little more about the electronic bits on the board itself.

This article is part of an introduction to the Arduino series. The other articles in the series so far are:

• title="What Is Arduino & What Can You Do With It? [Technology Explained]" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/arduino-technology-explained/">What is Arduino and what can you do with it?
• title="What’s Included In An Arduino Starter Kit? [MakeUseOf Explains]" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/whats-included-arduino-starter-kit-makeuseof-explains/">What is an Arduino starter kit and what does it contain?
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-cool-components-arduino-projects/">More cool components to buy with your starter kit
• href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/started-arduino-starter-kit-installing-drivers-setting-board-port/">Getting Started With Your Arduino Starter Kit – Installing Drivers & Setting Up The Board & Port

The Hardware

Let’s take a closer look at what the Arduino Uno has in terms of bits on the circuit board.

Here’s an enlarged diagram to refer to:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ArduinoUnoFront1.jpg" alt="arduino circuit board" width="580" height="440" />

• Along the top, there are 14 digital Input/Output pins (numbered 0-13). These are the most versatile pins on your Arduino and can function as either input or output, and will form the core of your projects. Digital means that the signal these pins can write or read will be on or off.

• 6 of those digital pins, which are marked by the tilde sign ~ are capable of doing what it is called href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-width_modulation">Pulse Width Modulation. I’m not an electrical engineer so I won’t embarrass myself by explaining the science behind this, but to you and I it means we can provide a range of output levels – for instance, dimming an LED or driving a motor at varying speeds.

• Pin 13 is special in that it has a built-in LED. This is for convenience and testing purposes only really. You can use that on-board LED, as you did in the Blink example app, by simply outputting to pin 13 – or it can be used as a standard I/O pin.

• On the bottom right are 6 analog input pins. These will read the value of analog sensors such a light-meter or variable resistors.

• On the bottom left next to the analog input pins are power pins. The only ones you really need to worry about are the ground pins (GND), 3.3v, and 5v power lines.

• Finally, the only switch found on the Arduino is a reset switch. This will restart whatever program it has in its memory.

• The Arduino has a set amount of memory, and if your program goes too large, the compiler will give you an error.

The Structure Of An Arduino Program

Every Arduino program is made up of at least two functions (if you don’t know what a function is, be sure to read my title="The Absolute Basics Of Programming For Beginners (Pt. 2)" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/absolute-basics-programming-beginners-part-2/">basic programming tutorial, part 2 – function and control statements, and title="The Basics Of Computer Programming 101 – Variables And DataTypes" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/basics-of-computer-programming-variables-datatypes/">part 1 where we discussed variables before continuing).

The first is the setup function. This is run initially – once only – and is used to tell the Arduino what is connected and where, as well as initialising any variables you might need in your program.

Second is the loop. This is the core of every Arduino program. When the Arduino is running, after the setup function has completed, the loop will run through all the code, then do the whole thing again – until either either the power is lost or the reset switch is pressed. The length of time it takes to complete one full loop depends upon the code contained. You may write some code that says “wait 6 hours”, in which case the loop isn’t going to be repeating very often.

Here’s a quick state diagram to illustrate:

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/arduino-state-diagram.png" alt="arduino circuit board" width="544" height="362" />

Examining The Blink Program

Take a look back at the Blink program code and identify the setup and loop functions.

Here’s the setup: />

void setup() { /> // initialize the digital pin as an output. /> // Pin 13 has an LED connected on most Arduino boards: /> pinMode(13, OUTPUT); /> }

The lines that begin with // are simply comments to explain the code to a human reader, and they don’t get uploaded to the Arduino. So in fact, there’s only one line of setup code in this particular Arduino app. That line is saying “Set pin 13 to output mode”. 13, remember, is the built-in LED.

Then there is the loop: />

void loop() { /> digitalWrite(13, HIGH); // set the LED on /> delay(1000); // wait for a second /> digitalWrite(13, LOW); // set the LED off /> delay(1000); // wait for a second /> }

The comments at the end of each line of code explain their function quite well. HIGH and LOW refer to the ON and OFF state of a digital output – in our case the LED. You could actually write ON or OFF in the code too, both are synonymous (as is 0 and 1 also). Delay tells the Arduino to wait for a bit, in this case 1000 milliseconds (or 1 second).

Finally, a note about the programming language used here. Notice that both setup and loop functions have the word void before them. This is a special word for nothing, because the function returns nothing when it is called – it simply runs the code contained within. For now, let’s leave it at that by saying that the function’s block of code is enclosed by curly braces { }, and that each line of code must end with a ; semi-colon.

Try altering the basic program somehow by changing the precise delay values to something larger or smaller. See how small you can get it down to before the flashing is no longer noticeable. Work out which value to change to get it to stay on for longer, or to stay off for longer. Try adding some more digitalWrite and delay statements into the loop function to create a more complex flashing pattern like the href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOS">morse code for SOS. If you have a buzzer, try connecting it to pins 13 and GND too (hint: the red wire goes to 13, black to ground).

That’s all for today. Next time we’ll add in some more LEDs and write our own application from scratch. As ever, comments and shares much appreciated. I can’t imagine you’d have any problems with the code referred to today, but if you’ve tried adjusting the code slightly and are running into errors or unexpected behaviour, feel free to post it in the comments and we’ll see if we can work through it together.

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/blackkey.png" alt="" />One thing I’ve realized, after having spent so much time writing for MakeUseOf, is that you can really follow along with the major events in a writer’s life based on the articles that they’ve written. In my particular case, you can see how I got my brand new Android a couple of Christmases ago, and played around with things like converting it into a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/turn-your-android-phone-into-a-real-star-trek-tricorder/">Star Trek Tricorder. Then, one day after getting a speeding ticket, I started using my Android to report href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-effective-tools-avoid-police-radar-speed-traps/">police speed traps. Then most recently, I quit my job and href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-online-resources-burn-bridges-quit-job/">burned my bridges.

One surprise I had when I started the new job is that I would be receiving a brand new Blackberry phone. Now, this presents a dilemma – do I drop my beloved Android phone and become a Crackberry addict? I decided to explore this new world of Blackberry Smartphone apps to see if it could do at least the most important things that I use my Android for. In the process, I wanted to introduce you to some of those fundamental apps that every Blackberry user should install the first day they activate the device.

Ten Best Must-Have Blackberry Apps

There are really three things that I use my Android phone for about 80 percent of the time – Facebook, Twitter and email. Thankfully, there is a href="http://us.blackberry.com/smartphones/features/social/facebook.jsp">Facebook for Blackberry app that comes default with your Blackberry. It’s actually just as good, if not better, than most of the Facebook apps that I’ve used on Android.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/screenshot_ultimate_free15a07.png" alt="" width="580" height="435" />

One thing I noticed about the Blackberry (Bold) was the very sweet rollover button – sort of like a touch mouse – that you can use to quickly scroll down pages and menus.  This will make scrolling through Facebook updates a breeze!

Of course you’ve got to have href="http://us.blackberry.com/smartphones/features/social/twitter.jsp">Twitter for Blackberry as well. This is also a great app that’s laid out well and easy to navigate and use.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/screenshot_ultimate_free18a08.png" alt="" width="580" height="435" />

The last critical app that I had to have was the ability to access multiple Gmail accounts. Thankfully, there is also a Gmail app available for the Blackberry.  Not only that, you can download a bunch of Google client apps for the Blackberry just by visiting href="http://www.google.com/mobile/blackberry/">Google’s mobile page in your smartphone browser.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/screenshot_ultimate_free12a04.png" alt="" width="580" height="435" />

I like the client, however I also like the look and feel of the browser-based Gmail access from the Blackberry as well. So try both and just choose the one you like best.

Another must-have app that you can also download from Google’s mobile page is Google Maps. If your Blackberry has GPS built-in, then this also becomes one of the coolest free GPS navigational tools you’ll ever use.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/screenshot_ultimate_free14a06.png" alt="" width="580" height="435" />

Accessing & Publishing Information With Free Blackberry Apps

If you regularly read RSS feed updates every day with your morning coffee or during the train ride into work, then you’ll love href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/15737">XPRSS, the best free RSS feed reader available for the Blackberry. This app comes preloaded with a list of the most popular news feeds, and of course you can add as many of your own as you want.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/screenshot_ultimate_free2e09.png" alt="" />

Aside from reading articles that other people write, you may produce your own. If you do have your own WordPress blog, then you’ll want to install the href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/5802">WordPress client. This client lets you do almost everything from managing comments to reviewing and writing posts.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/screenshot_ultimate_free11a03.png" alt="" width="580" height="435" />

If you regularly find yourself on the road and you do have a GPS-enabled phone, then the href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/5829">LifeInPocket GPS app is an all-in-one app that you’ll never be able to live without once you start using it. Based on your location, it’ll show you navigation routes, your nearby friends, nearby businesses including cheap gas or towing services, current traffic levels, current news for your area and much more.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/screenshot_ultimate_free6a14.png" alt="" width="580" height="435" />

Just having this one app on your phone would let you uninstall dozens of other apps.

Another obscure little app that will quickly become a critical, necessary part of your smartphone experience is href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/4841?lang=en">BeamExplorer. Aside from the fact that it is one of the easiest file explorers to use, and integrates very nicely with the Bold’s rollover pad, BeamExplorer also lets you create MS Office files on-the-fly. That’s a very rare feature to find for free in a Blackberry app.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/screenshot_ultimate_free8a16.png" alt="" width="580" height="435" />

One of my absolute favorite apps that I could never really find in the Android Market, is href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/720?lang=en">Vlingo. This is one of those rare apps that seems ahead of the curve technologically. It is perfect for in the car, because you can launch applications, update your Facebook or Twitter accounts.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/screenshot_ultimate_free13a05.png" alt="" width="580" height="435" />

Best of all, when you enable it, Vlingo will read all incoming text messages and emails (up to 50 words) to you so that you don’t have to fumble with your phone while you’re driving.

The last app that I wanted to share is one called href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/39124?lang=en">Vectir. It is a remote control app that is available as either a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi install. It’s ideal for those of you that run servers or monitor-less desktops at home and you want to remote-control the PC.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/screenshot_ultimate_free513.png" alt="" width="580" height="435" />

Blackberry doesn’t offer any free VNC-type apps, but if you install the Vectir server on the PC, you can control the Desktop with your Blackberry just like you would with a VNC connection.

As you can see, even the Blackberry offers a decent collection of free apps to get you started with enjoying your new Blackberry experience. I know I was a little nervous to change over from the Android – but the monthly savings alone made it worth my while. Now that I’ve seen that I can do everything I need to with the Blackberry that I did with my Android, the switchover really won’t be all that painful.

Do you use a Blackberry? Are there any free Blackberry apps that you love? Share them in the comments section below.

Image Credit: href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=1172296" rel="nofollow">Igor Karon

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/dwellebook.png" />And now, we’ll be announcing the 50 lucky MakeUseOf readers who have won themselves a free copy of DwellClick and also those who managed to get their hands on the fantastic Head First iPhone and iPad Development eBook from O’Reilly. Are you one of them? There’s only one way to find out!

DwellClick

1. Daniel Ooi
2. Krissi Bynum-Degen
3. Jim
4. Murray Atherton
5. Nedal Abughula
6. Khaled Alsudairy
7. Ashley Fletcher
8. Tasha Lechtenberg
9. Scott Graves
10. Cynthia Wetzel
11. Ethan
12. Erwin Meijboom
13. Robyn Rainwater
14. Ivonne Lestari
15. Roger Ashcraft
16. Chris Tromp
17. Alan
18. Michael English
19. Helen Scott
20. Priyank Vijaywargi
21. Brandon
22. Jimmy Georgakopoulos
23. Julius Weeks
24. Caseybutt
25. Keith Burt

Head First iPhone and iPad Development eBook

1. Aaron Myers
2. Guilherme Souto
3. Chad Muszynski
4. Ajay Ranna
5. Anura Wickramaratne
6. Joshua
7. Donn King
8. Dom Chester
9. Joseph R Hill
10. Jason Reid
11. Lawrance Courtney
12. Megan
13. Phillip
14. Tom Lucassen
15. Bruno Felipe Da Silva
16. Goldi
17. Mehmet Akif Acar
18. Kishore
19. Rahul Rawla
20. Saurabh Jain
21. Roger Caldwell
22. Soumya
23. Bill Clagett
24. Bagus Frayoga Effendi
25. Chris Cameron

Congratulations! For the winners of the DwellClick giveaway, your promo code has already been emailed to you. Please use the Mac App Store to redeem your free copy of DwellClick via the “redeem” link under the Quick Links section on the right. As for the Head First iPhone and iPad Development eBook winners, the instructions on how to redeem your copy of the ebook has already been sent to you.

Enjoy!

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/dwellclick-ebook-winners/">DwellClick and Head First iPhone and iPad Development eBook winners is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

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class="align-right" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/mzl.ghwwlbgq.480x480-75.jpg" alt="" />Apple’s new class="vt-p" href="http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC947LL/A?n=ipad2&fnode=MTc0MjU2Mjc&mco=MjM2MDgwNDE">Smart Cover has made waves lately. Of course, when a new product like this launches, developers are quick to try and find a way to make their app work with it.  class="vt-p" href="http://stockwatch.toughturtle.com/">Toughturtle has got out front to bring the first full featured financial app that interacts with the Smart Cover. The Smart Cover wakes up your phone and has several folds in it so you can just peek at the screen.

They have integrated a beautiful ticker that you can quickly peek at by just lifting up the first flap on the case. The name class="vt-p" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stockpeek/id445706583#">Stockpeek is an incredibly fitting name for a product such as this, since you can literally peek at your ticker in the app by simply lifting up the case slightly.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/mzl.zjzaibuz.480x480-75.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="360" />

In addition to integrating the Smart Cover, Stockpeek is a fully featured stock app that offers everything you could want in terms of browsing and monitoring your stocks. For any serious trader, the one dollar price tag is very reasonable for what you get. They offer the ability to track an unlimited number of stocks, over 50 worldwide exchanges, full screen charts, and a class="vt-p" href="http://stockwatch.toughturtle.com/iPadVersion/features.php">slew of other features.

Of course, if you don’t have an iPad 2 and Smart cover, the app is still fully functional – just without the peeking feature.

Source: class="vt-p" href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/announcing-stockpeek-an-innovative-stock-market-ipad-app-that-utilizes-the-apple-smart-cover-126654893.html">PR News Wire

href="/tag/stockpeek-launches-apple-app-store-finance-app-integrate-ipad-2-smart-cover-news/">Stockpeek launches On Apple App Store – First Finance App To Integrate iPad 2 Smart Cover [News] is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/iphonedevelopmentebook.jpg?54167" />Think you that a great idea for an amazing iPhone and iPad app that no one else has thought of? Well, get to it and build the app!

This week, we’ll be giving away 25 copies of href="http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781449387822/">Head First iPhone and iPad Development eBook by Dan and Tracey Pilone from O’Reilly Media. Jump in for a quick description of the book and join the giveaway!

Quoting O’Reilly,

Let’s say you have a killer app idea for iPhone and iPad. Where do you begin? Head First iPhone and iPad Development will help you get your first application up and running in no time. You’ll not only learn how to design for Apple’s devices, you’ll also master the iPhone SDK tools — including Interface Builder, Xcode, and Objective-C programming principles — to make your app stand out.

Whether you’re a seasoned Mac developer who wants to jump into the App store, or someone with strong object-oriented programming skills but no Mac experience, this book is a complete learning experience for creating eye-catching, top-selling iPhone and iPad applications.

Install the iPhone OS SDK and get started using Interface Builder and XCode

Put Objective-C core concepts to work, including message passing, protocols, properties, and memory management

Take advantage of iPhone OS patterns such as datasources and delegates

Preview your applications in the Simulator

Build more complicated interactions that utilize multiple views, data entry/editing, and rotation

Work with the iPhone’s camera, GPS, and accelerometer

Optimize, test, and distribute your application

Win a free copy of this ebook and start developing iOS apps! We’ve got 25 copies to give away this week.

How do I win a copy?

It’s simple, just follow the instructions.

Step 1: Fill in the giveaway form

Please fill in the form with your real name and email address so that we can get in touch if you are chosen as a winner. href="https://muo.wufoo.com/forms/z7w1a5/" onclick="window.open(this.href, null, 'height=443, width=680, toolbar=0, location=0, status=1, scrollbars=1, resizable=1'); return false" title="Head First iPhone and iPad Development eBook">Click here if you can’t view the form.

The giveaway code required to activate the form is available in the sidebar on href="http://facebook.com/makeuseof">our Facebook page.

Step 2: Share!

You’re almost done. Now, all that’s left to do is to share the post. There are 2 options to choose from or you can do both!