I have to admit that I have never been one to dabble to deep in the stock market.  Most of my money is in IRAs or index based funds.  Plus, I rarely want to have the values too close, because looking at how much money I am constantly losing can get a bit depressing these days.  Nonetheless, for those of you who do like to have your net worth in the palm of your hand at all times, there is a fantastic app called Express Stocks. 

The main screen shows all of your investments at a quick glance.  This is really nice if you just want to get an overview of how badly your portfolio has been performing.  To get more information on any individual stock, just tap it.  This will show you the recent trends over time, as well as any recent news which could affect its value.  It would have been nice if the app had included a chart or graph showing recent trends in the value of the stock.  But this was not necessary to enjoy the features the app did offer.

When you start the app, you will be shown information for Palm, Sprint, and Bank of America.  I think even they know it would be a pretty big coincidence if those entries actually matched your investment strategy.  So, you will want to add your own stocks and funds in order to personalize the display.  To add a new item, just hit the plus sign on the main screen and then enter the quote or symbol for the stock you wish to add.  That’s it.  It will now appear on the main screen.

In addition to your own stocks, you can also check out how different markets are doing generally.  It looks like unless you are investing in Indian or British markets, you may be in trouble.  Good thing my investment strategy is very long term right now.

You can even check out all the latest business  and market headlines and market movers, in order to stay on top of all the information you need to make an informed decision.

I thought Express Stocks offered a fantastic option for keeping track of all of your investments.  I would have appreciated a few more advanced options, such as some charts or graphs showing recent trends, but that was not entirely necessary.  The best part of the app, by far, was its ease of use.  All you need to know is the name of your investment, and let this app do the rest.  Whether or not you choose to look at the results is up to you.

Share and Enjoy:

Related posts:

1. Palm Pre App Catalog. 30 apps in 30 Days. Day 20: FlightView
2. Palm Pre App Catalog. 30 Apps in 30 Days. Day 7: Fandango
3. Palm Pre App Catalog. 30 Apps in 30 Days. Day 25: Today Show

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I really, really hated the trackpad on my Wind. Actually, I thought I hated all trackpads until I bought my Mac and realized that the other ones were just too small  (that’s not Mac-specific gushing, I just don’t know any other models off-hand with gigantic trackpads). The trackpad on the MacBook Pro is so big it actually dwarfs my iPhone 2G’s screen.

I own a Logitech VX Nano that I bought to use with my Wind, and I kept it around because I thought I’d need it for the MBP. However, I’ve found that between the size of the trackpad and the multi-touch gestures for alt tabbing and right-clicking (it does exist on the Mac after all!), I really don’t need a mouse for activities outside of gaming. There has been one downside to the trackpad usage, though, and it took me two whole months to realize there was a ridiculously simple solution.

One of the ‘new features’ of the 2008 aluminum MacBook lineup was the new buttonless trackpad. It works a lot like the Blackberry Storm where the whole touch surface is the button. Unfortunately, due to my lack of experience with previous trackpad setups, my first instinct was to navigate and click the trackpad with my pointing finger. It made sense to me, but it was also really, really tiring. The MBP’s trackpad is a button, but it has a fair amount of resistance unless you click from the lowest point — preferably in the corner.

After a couple of hours of photo editing and surfing, my finger would get worn out and I eventually began wondering how other users coped with “trackpad fatigue”. Then earlier this week it dawned on me that there was a reason the lower portion of the trackpad was clickable, but not touch-sensitive (the cursor won’t move at all if you touch along the bottom). That’s where my bloody thumb is supposed to go while I navigate with another finger. Then I looked at all of the other trackpads on all of the other laptops I’d ever seen where the buttons were positioned right along the bottom. Ohhh.

Ever since that pathetically obvious realization, I’ve been using the trackpad as it was probably designed. Looking back on it now, it’s funny how differently I approached the trackpad because it was just one gigantic clicking slate. If there was some sort of obvious dividing line or a separate physical button, I would probably have picked up on the thumb-and-finger usage a lot faster.

Share and Enjoy:

Related posts:

1. Thinking about a Netbook? Think about the trackpad first!
2. MacBook Pro – Great Rant at MobileCrunch
3. Hate your trackpad too? Use this retractable USB trackball!

Earlier this week, Handmark released Down 4 The Count, their new boxing game for the iPhone. This seems like a very nice way to relieve stress. If someone makes you mad, hop on your iPhone and beat up some people in the ring. Hopefully this will give you some relief…and the cops won’t be involved either.

Look for a review and possibly even an iPhone boxing game head-to-head coming soon.

Of course, Handmark wasn’t done with just an iPhone release. As Brian pointed out, they released Astraware Boardgames for BlackBerry. They also updated two of their Symbian/S60 games: Astraware Boardgames and Astraware Solitaire.

It is refreshing to see a developer still releasing games for platforms other than the iPhone. I know it can’t be easy, but the group at Handmark/Astraware always seem to get the job done and give us some entertaining games.

See below for official Down 4 The Count press release:

Let your fingers do the punching in Down 4 The Count!
Show your quick finger reflexes in this full-on action arcade boxing game. Take on 10 challenging opponents including Banker Bob, Zed the Zombie, and the ultimate Cyborg 3300 – each with their own boxing style and special skills. Each bout lasts up to three rounds, providing for fast and furious game play! Climb the career ladder as you beat increasingly tougher opponents to unlock the next challenger!

Tap to punch, swipe to dodge, touch and hold to block, and save up your punching power to unleash your Fire Punch!
Use the speed punch bag to train and increase your stamina and punching power
Earn the right to upgrade your gloves as you progress through the game
Use your powerful Fire Punch to knock out your opponents
Take on 10 unique fighters, each with special skills
Defeat all 10 to become the World Champion!

Down 4 the Count also includes the new OS 3.0 iPod Library feature which allows you to create the ultimate boxing soundtrack from your iPod music!

Copyright: 2009 Spidermonk Entertainment. 2009 Astraware Limited, a subsidiary of Handmark, Inc.
iTunes URL: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=327368176&mt=8
Product Page: http://www.astraware.com/iphone/d4tc
YouTube demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvEX1Dif1HM

Share and Enjoy:

Related posts:

1. Handmark Releases Astraware Sudoku and Astraware Casino for Symbian(R) S60(R) phones
2. Handmark Announces Astraware Casino for iPhone with iTunes Library Integration
3. Handmark Announces Astraware Casino Video Games for Blackberry

e-Mobile Software has recently released e-Mobile GTask version 1.0 for Android to the JAMM Store.  e-Mobile GTask is a task/to do manager that allows users to organize their busy lives based on what needs to be accomplished.  Users can expand or collapse items for easy organization, filter tasks based on status, completion, due date, etc and perform powerful searches.

e-Mobile GTask is currently available in the JAMM Store for $9.99.  A free trial and more product information is available here.

While visiting, be sure to check out the rest of the new and updated Android titles.  Links to the product pages are below.

New Software

• Executive Ringtone (Rainbow) v1.0
• Funny Eggs v1.0
• e-Mobile GTask v1
• PaderSyncFM – Android v1.1.15
• Patrik’s Cocktails v1.0
• VoiceIt v0.9
• MemSkill v1.0
• VoxNotes v1.0.0.2
• QuickVox v1.0.0.2
• Contact Send v1.0.0.2

Updated Software

• MultiReader v1.0
• aTAKEphONE v1.10
• Mobiola Video Studio:Watch your favorite Videos, DVD, YouTube, iTunes on mobile v3.1.22

Share and Enjoy:

Related posts:

1. NextAction! for Windows Mobile Professional, a GTD Solution, New to JAMM Store
2. PDATuner Pro for Windows Mobile Smartphone, an Online Radio and TV Player, Updated in JAMM Store
3. From The JAMM Store: New & Updated Software for Palm OS and Windows Mobile

Here’s an interesting one for BB users: if you’re looking to expand your media awareness on a certain topic, Twitter is one of the best modern hot spots for discussion. One of the cool things about it is that it’s pretty easily searchable, and you don’t even need a Twitter account to take advantage of all the information being tweeted around. Twitterlerts takes advantage of this by automatically searching for tweet topics you’d like to be alerted to. Just type in the key words and the app will ding you when a new tweet is found — from there you can view it or share it with friends or co-workers in a quick e-mail.

If you’re interested. Twitterlerts is available from Electric Pockets for $4.99, and there’s also a free trial on Blackberry App World.

Share and Enjoy:

Related posts:

1. Electric Pocket txtForward, Now on Windows Mobile
2. SBSH Software releases RadGuard, cell radiation alert for Blackberry
3. Missing Sync releases Blackberry version. Blackberry users too busy checking email to notice.

And so we come to the end of the Registration Drive.

Many thanks go out to Proporta, ElectricPocket, Otterbox, PPCTechs and Skooba Design for the prizes they kindly donated! I would also like to thank YOU, dear readers for participating and registering! To all the new readers, I hope you enjoy JAMM and will come back for the content, not just the contests!

And so, onto our winners for the Grand Finale.

As picked out by Stealth, the winner of the Checkthrough(r) Backpack Bag is:

Larry W.

And as picked out by Bomber, the winner of the Checkthrough(r) Messenger Bag is:

Darkcorner

Congratulations – they are some awesome prizes! I’ll email you for details!

And, as has been requested many a time – here’s pictures of the Magic Cats – the two adorable creatures who pick the winners for each contest:

Stealth & Bomber!

Share and Enjoy:

Related posts:

1. The Great JAMM Registration Drive Giveaway!
2. JAMM Registration Drive Winners: Day 2!
3. The Great JAMM Registration Drive: Day 2