The big news this week was the leaked information uncovered by the folks at PadGadget about approved iPad titles already showing up in the Web-based version of iTunes app store. Apparently Apple listed a few of the titles with their "XL" or "HD" versions that weren't supposed to be unveiled until the April 3 iPad launch date. Some of the titles shown included popular games Worms HD, Flight Control HD, Plants vs. Zombies HD, and Labyrinth 2 HD, among others. Apple has since fixed the site removing all the iPad versions in advance of launch day.

In other iPad-related news, I've talked a lot about how the larger screen size and faster processor will change the way apps are designed for the device. My coworker, Donald Bell, wrote a story yesterday about one app that take will take full advantage of the iPad's expanded screen size. While there are only a few apps that we know about (including Apple's very own iWork apps I wrote about here) that are slated to be iPad exclusive, I think the iPad's true value will become clear as more of these apps are released.

This week's apps include an educational tool to improve your vocabulary and the sequel to a popular touch screen bowling game.

WordList 101 (99 cents) is a well-made app that helps you improve your vocabulary on the go. The app helps you learn new words by providing a long list of words (over 1,200 available) with definitions; the ability to take tests that challenge you to match words to similar words in a multiple choice format; and a progress chart that helps you track how well you're doing. Viewing the word list, you can swipe your finger to see all words that start with a specific letter. When you choose a word, a flashcard pops up showing you the definition. A flick to the left advances to the next card and a verticle stroke flips the card over revealing how the word can be used in a sentence. A Favorites button, lets you save words you want to come back to.

After a little studying (or no studying, if you want to test your skills) you can take a test of all words or just the words starting with a specific letter. In the test, the object is to select the best matching word for the word displayed. Once you make your selection (right or wrong) WordList 101 will show the flashcard definition of the word. When your done testing your skills, you can view your progress in the Progress Chart, which displays your number of right and wrong answers for each set of words that begin with a specific letter. Overall, with a smooth-looking interface and nice flick controls, WordList 101 is a great way to improve your vocabulary. The developers promise more words to be added in future updates, so you'll be able to continue learning new words by returning to the app.

Flick Bowling 2 is the sequel to Flick Bowling ($2.99) from longtime Mac and iPhone game developers, Freeverse. In typical Freeverse fashion, Flick Bowling 2 packs a lot of features and plenty of sense of humor to keep the game interesting. The 3D graphics are mostly smooth (occasionally jerky on my 3G) and there are several beautifully detailed themed backdrops, particularly in Story Mode.

Start by practicing your bowling skills in Free Play mode. Once you've mastered your flicking technique to throw straight as well as curving shots, you can play a single game against the AI, a multiplayer game on the same iPhone or over Bluetooth, or you can take a journey through time bowling against historical figures in Story Mode. You'll be able to choose from three balls of different weights before every frame you bowl, so it helps to practice with the different weights to see what each ball can do.

Though you may end up playing the single game or multiplayer game modes the most, the Story Mode is truly an interesting take on bowling, and packed with the kind of silliness Freeverse is known for. The story goes like this: On a regular day of bowling with your friend, suddenly Baron Von Stopwatch (of Freeverse's Wingnuts fame, among others) appears and kidnaps your partner and enters a time portal. From there, you'll travel through time, bowling in historical settings against figures like Cleopatra and Genghis Khan, to gather clues of where Baron Von Stopwatch has taken your bowling partner.

Though I'm reluctant to say Flick Bowling 2 is the best bowling game in the app store, it's certainly the most interesting for entertainment value. If you're looking for a fun take on bowling, while keeping the core game mechanics with excellent touch gestures, Flick Bowling 2 is a fun option.

What's your favorite iPhone app? Do you have a better vocabulary trainer (or other educational app) than WordList 101? Have you bowled a perfect game in Flick Bowling 2? Let me know in the comments!

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas

Last Tuesday at CTIA, Skype and Verizon  jointly announced the Skype Mobile application is coming to select BlackBerry and Android phones on Verizon's network.

While only nine phones can currently run the app, Verizon and Skype are sure to add more phones to the mix. So if you don't have a BlackBerry Storm I or II, BlackBerry Curve or Tour, Motorola Droid, HTC Droid Eris, or Motorola Devour, keep your peepers trained on this First Look video. We'll show you what you're missing out on--or what you should expect when and if Verizon pushes Skype Mobile to more handsets.

This is Skype's first offering ever for BlackBerry. While the news a huge boon to Verizon BlackBerry users who have been clamoring for Skype's attention, the limited availability is a bitter irony for those who use unsupported BlackBerrys like the Bold, or even compatible BlackBerrys on the other mobile networks.

The free Skype Mobile is available now on supported BlackBerry and Android phones. Check out the Download folder on BlackBerry and get the app on Android from the Android Market.

Originally posted at CTIA 2010

Few people do all their work on a single computer. Fewer still don't occasionally need access to files on another PC, whether their own or someone else's. The free Gbridge program lets you access and synchronize files and folders on any Internet-connected PCs quickly and simply.

Gbridge uses Google Talk to create a VPN connection for the secure transfer of files between your own PCs and the machines of family, friends, and coworkers. The service requires a Gmail account, but if you'd rather not use your primary Gmail account, you can create one for free specifically for using Gbridge.

A Tale of Two Desktops
Some people store their personal data in a carefully crafted tree of folders nested as many as five or six levels deep. I go the opposite direction and throw everything onto the desktop. Then I use the free Everything file-search utility to find the specific file I need. The program can sift through my desktop folder's 2GB of files in the blink of an eye.

Now I want to take that omnifolder approach a step further by merging the desktop folders of my laptop and home-office PCs. Gbridge manages the trick, but with one limitation: the program doesn't make it easy to view the contents of the synced folders side-by-side. The aptly named FreeFileSync provides more information about the two folders before you synchronize them.

Simple syncing and sharing of folders on multiple PCs
As part of the Gbridge installation, the program creates a VPN connection for its file transfers. The Gbridge installer warns you that Windows will prompt you to allow an unsigned driver as part of the process. A command-prompt window then opens to complete the installation. The window may stay open for several minutes but will close automatically when the installation completes.

You'll then be prompted to authenticate your Gbridge account by signing into a Gmail account. If you don't already have a Gmail account, or if you want to use an account other than your primary one, a link in the Gbridge authentication window lets you sign up for new one.

After you enter your Gmail sign-in info, Gbridge imports your Google Talk contacts, but it doesn't contact any of them. Click one of the contacts to see options for starting a chat session, allowing the person to access your computer, inviting them to use Gbridge, or removing them from the list. Select Friends at the top of the list to view links for inviting other friends, blocking everyone from sharing the PC, and allowing all friends to access the machine.

Since I'll be sharing only with myself, I didn't need to send any invitations, but I did need to install Gbridge on both the laptop and home-office PC. Then I clicked the Create SecureShare button to begin the sharing process. In the Add New SecureShare dialog, select the folder you want to share, give the share a name, and add a description, if you wish.

By default, six file types are excluded: EXE, BAT, COM, MSI, WSF, and SCR. You can remove file types or add other ones to the excluded list. You can also password-protect the SecureShare. When you're done, click OK. If you haven't selected any friends, Gbridge warns you that you won't be able to share the material. After you click Yes to the alert, the transfer begins.

When the process completes, a browser window opens showing the folder contents, including thumbnails of image files.

Click an AutoSync's description to open the two-tabbed Edit Options dialog. The Basic Options show the folder's location on the Gbridge server, the local file path of the source, the description, and a drop-down menu showing eight options for the sync frequency, including Once (Manual thereafter).

The settings on the Advanced Options tab let you decide what to do when a file is deleted from the local and remote folders or if a local file is changed. You can also set the number of file copies to keep, include or exclude specific files, or sync a single file.

It took only 20 minutes to complete the initial upload of the laptop's 1.85GB desktop folder, but it took more than twice as long to sync the folder with the home-office desktop and just under 30 minutes to sync the 1.3GB desktop on the home-office PC with the notebook's desktop. That's not bad for a free service that completed the two-way sync without a hitch.

Gbridge is capable of much more than simply syncing folders on two different PCs. You can also use it for backup, secure chat, and — most importantly — access to the entire remote PC, not just one or more of its folders. The Gbridge DesktopShare feature is based on the UltraVNC remote-access software. I didn't test Gbridge's secure chat or remote-access features.

Free sync program takes a deliberate approach to duplicate files
Using Gbridge's AutoSync makes it easy to set up and run folder syncs, but the program doesn't let you see what you're syncing beforehand. The FreeFileSync utility provides a side-by-side comparison of any two folders. Simply enter the folder paths or click Browse and navigate to them. Then click Compare to view the contents of each folder in two scrollable lists.

To sync the two folders, click the Synchronize button. If the program senses the sync may damage files or folders, it asks you to ignore the warning or abort the sync. It then shows you a preview of the sync, including how many files will be copied and added to each folder, as well as how many will be deleted.

FreeFileSync lets you copy locked files (via Windows Volume Shadow Copy service) and add commands for opening and using external applications. The program supports very long file names and works with an unlimited number of files. You can delete files before you copy them to avoid running out of disk space when syncing large folders.

One of these days, any file we want — and have a right to — will be available from anywhere at any time. Until then, fast and simple folder-sync programs such as Gbridge and FreeFileSync are reasonable substitutes.

Originally posted at Workers' Edge

LAS VEGAS--Opera Software submitted its mobile proxy-based browser, Opera Mini 5, to the iPhone App Store this week, but whether Apple accepts Opera's proposed alternative to Safari is still up in the air.

Either verdict could benefit Opera's hand. If Apple accepts the browser, Opera wins and can begin making a name for itself on yet another mobile platform. If Apple rejects Opera Mini, Opera gets a chance to play the victim, perhaps setting the stage to mount a similar European antitrust claim against Apple as Opera did against Microsoft for its Internet Explorer browser several years back.

There's a high chance Apple could reject Opera Mini for iPhone, but Opera is poised for either eventuality. A Web page on Opera's site keeps a running tally of the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until Apple processes the submission, and Opera is taking guesses in a rather tongue-in-cheek contest for when exactly Apple will hand down its decision. Whatever happens, Opera clearly wants as many eyes on the proceedings as it can get.

Until we know either way, we give you a glimpse of what could be, our First Look video of Opera surfing on the iPhone.

Originally posted at CTIA 2010