jam

Gigzee iPhone app finds nearby live shows

Start-up company Gigzee recently updated its free gig-finding iPhone app. I love live music, and I'm always happy when there's another iPhone app to help me find out what's going on. But Gigzee's competing in an already crowded space, and it doesn't have much to set it apart from its competitors.

The concept's familiar enough: Gigzee uses the iPhone's GPS transceiver to detect your current position, then lists live music gigs happening in the next two days, within a certain distance (the default is five miles). You can also enter a ZIP code … Read more

A tale of two iPhone puzzle games

A few weeks ago, I received e-mails from two developers within the space of about two hours. Each was pitching a new, "totally unique" puzzle game, and would I like to review them?

Now, I'm a sucker for puzzlers, especially on the iPhone, but the App Store is already teeming with them--each one claiming to be "original," "addictive," "brain-teasing," and so on. How truly unique could either of these newcomers be?

The first one, Connected, instantly reminded me of countless lay-the-pipe-before-the-water-escapes games--until I started playing it.

Connected does involve pipes, but … Read more

JamBase updates concert-finding iPhone app

JamBase, one of the first and certainly most famous online concert-listing services, released its free iPhone app last October. It was a simple affair: you entered your ZIP code and the app returned a list of live music shows in your area over the next few days. If you had a list of favorite artists stored at the JamBase Web site, it would track those artists for you. Since then, competing apps like Bandloop and iConcertCal have upped the ante with more sophisticated interfaces and GPS targeting, which lets them find nearby shows without forcing you to enter any data. … Read more

Make your keyboard an instrument

In a time when most people spend 8 hours a day (or more) with their fingers on a keyboard, a service called JamLegend wants you to spend a few more. It turns your average, everyday keyboard into a virtual electric guitar. Think of it as Guitar Hero, without the need for special hardware or software.

To play songs, you just hit the right note at the right time, which, just like Guitar Hero, requires holding the corresponding notes and strumming with the Enter key. The site suggests two ways to play: either a "chill" mode that looks like … Read more

Hands on: Google Voice versus 3jam

At the end of July, a small start-up called 3jam introduced a virtual phone service that takes on Google Voice. While each is a beta-phase call-forwarding service, it became clear after dozens of calls, text messages, and voice mails, that there are important differences between the two, both on paper and in real-world testing.

First, 3jam's public beta is broadly available to all takers. Google's, on the other hand, is in invitation-only closed beta. 3jam's costs an extra $5 a month to use (for a 12-month contract), and that's not including a premium SMS plan for those wishing to surpass the monthly 40-U.S.-domestic-text-message limit. However, it can port your cell phone number and has an emphasis on group communications, which we'll talk about later on. Google Voice, on the other hand, won't yet let you hang onto your cell phone number, which means friends will need to call some new digits, but it is currently free for domestic calls (international call and texting rates will still apply).

It's spelled out here in this inexhaustive features comparison chart.

FEATURES GOOGLE VOICE 3JAM Beta Closed, invite-only; U.S. Open; International Cost Free $5/month and up Keep cell number Not yet Yes Call forwarding Cell phones, land line, Gizmo VoIP Cell phones, land line, one VoIP client Call screening, blocking, recording, listening to a live voice mail Yes No Customized voice mail greetings Multiple One Initiate a cell call from the computer Yes No Initiate SMS from the computer Yes Yes Visual voice mail Machine-transcribed Machine-transcribed Voice mail playback Phone, Web, e-mail file Phone, Web, e-mail file Free SMS Unlimited domestic Domestic: First 40 per month Group SMS No Yes Multiple phone lines per account No Yes

Does 3jam's group advantage justify the cost? Should users hold out for Google Voice?

For its part, Google Voice, which grew out of the acquisition of Grand Central, offers casual users the stronger feature set of the two, with more sophisticated calling tricks--call screening, call blocking, and listening in on a voice mail as it's being recorded. Like the visual voice mail service YouMail, it will also let you record personalized voice mail messages, but it's geared toward groups rather than individuals. … Read more

Google Voice finds a rival in 3jam

If you're itching to try Google Voice, but haven't received one of the coveted private beta invites, a Menlo Park, Calif., company called 3jam is offering an alternative.

This week, 3jam announced an open beta of its new voice forwarding and transcription service that bears a striking resemblance to Google Voice (covered here).

There are differentiating factors, though. Google Voice for instance, gives you a single central number that all your other numbers forward to--cell phone, work line, home phone, and VoIP. It employs call screening and machine-facilitated visual voice mail transcription. Using it, you can block calls, … Read more

Top free antispyware picks

Major malicious software epidemics like the much-feared Conficker virus may be fewer and farther between these days, but just because you can't see a threat, doesn't mean it can't hurt you. To that effect, we've rounded up a collection of top antispyware applications on Download.com. Not only will these six favorite programs help catch out lurking intruders, but also their services won't cost a cent, unless you choose to upgrade.

In the meantime, those considering an upgrade in the fall to Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system should take note that Microsoft has enhanced … Read more

Create photo presentations and race 4x4s off road: iPhone apps of the week

Last week I mentioned how long it took to sync my iPhone to iTunes and it seems I'm not alone. I think almost all Mac users reported that syncing only took a few minutes, but a lot of Windows users (with some exceptions) were having the same experience as me. Is Windows doing something to muck up the process or is syncing different across platforms? Hopefully, this is something Apple will look into in future updates.

Following your advice, and the advice of other iPhone forums, I restored my iPhone and then used my latest backup to get my … Read more

Webware 100 winner: JamLegend

Site: JamLegend.com Category: Audio & Music

JamLegend emulates console games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band by letting users play the guitar tracks on songs using their QWERTY keyboard. Users can play by themselves or with others, and have their scores tracked on community leaderboards.

For artists, JamLegend is a chance to make your music an interactive experience--and a profitable one, since the service links back to your band's site, or online stores where the track can be purchased.