Gadgets aren't the main focus of CES. Each year, app developers come out with their yet-to-be-finished prototypes and pitches to the show in hopes or garnering an interest before launch. While many of those apps are tied to specific gadgets—like apps to help manage your router settings from companies like Netgear at Linksys, as well as Android apps that power on appliances and track your luggage should it disappear—there were a few apps that weren't specifically associated with gadgets. Those apps include one that inspires creativity in your child, one that brings contextual information to a video conversation, and one that offers an easier way to sync photos across devices. Let's take a look at them.
Boom Goggles, Free
Toon Goggles, the makers of a free video portal for kids, and Toon Boom Animation, a Canada-based software company that specializes in animation software, have teamed up to offer Boom Goggles. The app is meant to help kids create their own animated cartoons. No drawing experience is necessary: making your own cartoon is possible with all of the included clip-art and pre-loaded images. Kids can animate the graphics frame-by-frame, then publish their creations to share it with their friends on Facebook or through e-mail. The premium version, which costs $2.99, allows kids to add individual animation to their clip art characters, should they please.
Mindmeld, Coming Soon
Actually, this particular app isn't out just yet, but it is on its way to Android in just a few weeks and it’s too good not to share—we even wrote about it a while back. MindMeld is essentially a convergence of both Skype and Apple’s Siri: a video-conferencing tool that provides relevant, contextual information. Once it figures out the general premise of the conversation taking place, it will attempt to locate and display relevant information from varying sources and search engines. It can also decipher multi-party conversations, pick out multiple keywords, and perform proactive information discovery.
There’s no word yet on how much the app or the service will cost you, but business-centric tablet users may find that this particular app piques their interest. It’s especially useful for remote meetings, but it could be fun for friends who just want to do a video call, too.
NeroKwik, Free
For those with the conundrum of too many devices but no way to keep all of the photographs synced, NeroKwik lets users snap a photo with one device and have them available on any other device that has the app installed. Users can then access that photo on one device or add photos to a photo collection, which are called "Tapestries:" essentially a large group of photos displayed in collage format. Those Tapestries can then be shared to Facebook. The app requires that all new users start an account before they can use the service, but it’s free, and it works with non-Android devices, like iPhones, iPads, and Windows RT tablets. Mac and PC support are arriving soon, too.
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