The 5 Blogs iPhone Users Love [Win BuzzVoice 3.0 - Retweet this to Enter]

Top 5 BuzzVoice BlogsThanks to Apple featuring BuzzVoice 3 On The App Store, more and more people are listening to their favorite news and blogs in the car, on the train, in the gym.

Although users can stream stories from over 1,600 news sources through our cloud-based service, they hold a special place in their hearts for the following blogs…

The Top 5 Most Popular Blogs on BuzzVoice are:

1) Gizmodo brings BuzzVoice listeners up to date on the newest and most interesting gadgets.

2) TechCrunch highlights and reviews new Internet products and companies.

3) Mashable covers social media, technology, and web culture.

4) All Things Digital covers hot topics like Android, the iPad, cloud computing, and more.

5) Read Write Web keeps BuzzVoice users abreast of daily Internet industry news.

Want to listen to these and many other great sources while you bike, bake, mow,  jog or shop?

>Enter to Win a Free Copy of BuzzVoice 3.0 (A $4.99 Value)

To Enter to Win, Just Click Here To Retweet This Post On Twitter.  That’s it!

The contest ends midnight on Monday, 7/26/10, then we’ll select 3 winners. Good Luck!

Email to Steve Jobs Puts Lucky Developer on Front Page of The App Store

BuzzVoice 3.0 on the front page of The App StoreWe’ve all seen the flurry of news stories about Steve Jobs responding directly to emails from regular people and developers. It’s become an Internet meme, with reputable sources like The New York Times, Wired , TechCrunch and others attesting to the authenticity of the emails.

Perhaps the most controversial [alleged] response from Jobs is the recent thread between Jobs and an irate iPhone 4 owner about the iPhone 4 antenna issue – an issue so hot that Apple is holding a press conference to address it [Read the thread on the iPhone 4 reception issues on The Boy Genius Report].

Since Jobs seems to read his own email and has expressed a passion for reinventing the news experience on Apple devices during his keynotes, we decided to take a chance and shoot him an email.

In our email titled “Pandora for news,” we explained how 26% of Americans now read news on mobile devices, and that for a nation of commuters, fitness fanatics and multitaskers, reading news on tiny screens is not only a bad user experience, but also a dangerous one. We added that 28 states have enacted distracted driving laws as counter measures. Then, we went on to explain how we used the iPhone SDK to create BuzzVoice, a “magical” new way to consume news on iPhones, iPads and iPod touch devices.

Steve Jobs on BuzzVoice 3.0We included a link to a fun video showing how our cloud-based streaming audio service lets people *listen* to over 1,600 of the web’s top news and blogs – making getting news on the go, easier, safer and more fun, and added a link to the new BuzzVoice 3.0 app On The App Store. Lastly, we asked him to feature BuzzVoice 3.0 on The App Store so that Apple device owners could benefit from using it in the car, train, gym, or wherever they happen to be.

We didn’t expect a response. In fact we haven’t received a direct response yet, however, we just noticed that BuzzVoice 3.0 is now featured on the front page of The App Store.

Thanks for listening Steve – we’re pinching ourselves.

PS: The screenshot we included about him being the “smartest CEO” may have done the trick.

BuzzVoice Selected to Attend MobileBeat 2010

The mobile industry is on the rise, and smartphones, tablets, and new operating systems are creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to get involved in the rapidly expanding industry.  MobileBeat wanted to bring heavy hitters from the mobile community together for two days to take a look at some of the most interesting innovations that are transforming the mobile industry.

The MobileBeat conference took place in San Francisco and ran from July 12-13.  We were thrilled when we received the opportunity to attend the conference free of charge due to our promising technology and activity in the mobile space.

There was a wide variety of companies represented at the conference.  High profile attendees included executives from HP, AT&T, Twitter, Google, Facebook, and Motorola.  The innovation presented by these organizations and the forward-looking startups that attended MobileBeat ensured that there was no lack of interesting information at the conference.

HP's Phil McKinney kicks off MobileBeat 2010: Photo Courtesy of Venture Beat

HP's Phil McKinney kicks off MobileBeat 2010: Photo Courtesy of Venture Beat

Obviously, current hot topics like Andriod and the iPhone 4 were discussed at the conference, but there were four major trends that surfaced throughout the two days of presentations.  It looks like the mobile industry is trending towards:

  • Location-based services- location-based services like Gowalla, Foursquare, or MobileBeat attendee MyTalk help mobile device users locate businesses, services, or people who are near them
  • Mobile security- services like a mobile lock box, a personal surveillance system, and secured mobile payments help keep your information safe
  • Educational tools- EduPath, an app for SAT test prep, won the consumer-facing app category of the MobileBeat startup competition
  • Mobile advertising- iAds and integrated text messaging is changing the face of mobile advertising

Another trending topic was the use of mobile devices in the car.  Since the car is one of the most popular places to use BuzzVoice 3.0, we enjoyed listening how other companies are incorporating apps into the driving experience.  Startup company Motolingo has an app that connects to your car and updates you on your fuel consumption, location, or why the check engine light is on.

We had a great time at MobileBeat 2010.  Check out this MobileBeat recap for a more in-depth look at the innovation presented at the conference.

Mashable Asks: Can Robots Run the News? BuzzVoice Video Response

Can Robots Run the NewsTonight, while checking flights on my computer, I had my iPhone on my desk, streaming my favorite blogs on the new BuzzVoice 3.0 app. After listening to a story from The iPhone Blog, I was about to close BuzzVoice and head up to bed.

However, before I could hit the home button on my iPhone, a story by Mashable, titled “Can Robots Run the News?,” started playing. Given the way I was consuming this news – by sitting back and letting BuzzVoice do all the work – the title struck me as ironic.

I listened to the story twice, then picked up my other iPhone to film my response to Mashable writer Sarah Kessler’s question. Given that I co-created BuzzVoice, my answer might surprise you. Check out the short video. What do you think? Can Robots Run the News? [Good Night - John]