Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 14th, 2013 iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
PhotoPills is a photography app that enables you to plan for photographic opportunities that involve the sun, moon, and more. The app lets you calculate where the sun or moon will be and at what time, allowing you to setup and prepare before they reach those locations in the sky. PhotoPills comes with a photo planner, location scouting tool, and 3D augmented reality tools to predict the sun and moon’s path. It also informs you of the milky way and celestial equator.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 14th, 2013 iPad Only App - Designed for iPad
A new scenario unfolds in the latest Battle of the Bulge update. The new scenario is based on historical situations and puts your skills to the test with unique setups. There are also two new computer opponents that have been added along with Game Center achievements for new scenarios and opponents.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 8th, 2013 iPad Only App - Designed for iPad
CultofMac reports, PDF Expert – Fill forms, annotate PDFs gets a new update and adds many new features, including the ability to copy, paste, move, resize, and change the properties of annotations. Users will also notice a new layout in the annotations toolbar as well as a new keyboard to make it easier for entering in the time and date.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on February 28th, 2013 iPad Only App - Designed for iPad
Permanent is a new app that allows users to create and edit spreadsheets on their iPad. The app supports a wide range of spreadsheet formulas, operations, and functions that are common with spreadsheets.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on February 19th, 2013 iPad Only App - Designed for iPad
Codea, the iPad app that allows you to create and run code right on your iPad. It has received a major update to allow users even more options than before. The major update allows complete access to GLSL shaders and has a full-featured GLSL shader editor. There’s also a new parameter system, documentation browser, and a blend mode.
More Details from the App Store Description:
• Shaders: Full access to GLSL shaders from the mesh class.
• Shader Lab: A full-featured GLSL shader editor with live preview and live variables.
• Camera: Stream from the cameras on your device straight into a sprite, capture them into an image, or even input them into a shader.
• Brand new Parameter system. Make buttons, color pickers, text boxes and more for the Codea sidebar.
• Vector sprite rendering. You can now load PDF files as sprites, which can be rendered at any size and still look sharp.
• Two great new vector sprite packs by Kenney.nl.
• Tween: The new tween library provides you with easy to use animations, paths, sequences and more.
• Blend Modes: Use the new blendMode() function for additive and multiplicative blending, or even set completely custom blend modes using the advanced parameters.
• Brand new Documentation Browser, copy sample code and use the sidebar for reference as-you-type.
• Completely re-architected Code Editor with built-in API guides.
• New Tools menu from the main screen lets you manage your assets.
• REPL built into the viewer. Type and execute simple expressions while your code is running.
The iPad has revolutionized mobile digital audio creation. With a host of amazing, professional level audio software apps, anyone can create brilliant pieces of music with relatively little effort and cost. Instruments and recording devices that can cost thousands of dollars are replicated in all their Retina display glory on our multi-touch capable iOS devices, letting us all get our groove on at a moment’s notice.
One of the biggest drawbacks, of course, comes from the single task nature of iOS itself. When using a synthesizer, for example, musicians can’t send that audio to a preferred multitrack recording app. When trying to build a song with a drum machine app, a keyboard synthesizer, and, say, a looping effects app, the only option used to be sending the audio out, bit by bit, to a connected computer, then re-importing it all into a digital audio workstation app (DAW). This isn’t ideal.
Welcome, then, Audiobus, a live, app-to-app audio streaming system for iOS. Audiobus solves the problem beautifully. Here’s a video showing a synthesizer used with a looping app, side by side, connected via Audiobus.
Notice how simple that is? There was no other way to do this, sans extra hardware, before Audiobus. This is a mighty big deal.
The app comes out of a collaboration between the developer of SoundPrism (a digital instrument and MIDI controller), Sebastian Dittmann, and Michael Tyson, developer of Loopy HD. Dittmann told 148Apps that the initial spark for the concept of Audiobus came from Tyson, who wanted to be able to record live audio output from other apps without extra gear. “Virtual MIDI was around for a few months,” said Dittmann, “and we had apps sending MIDI to each other, so why not send audio?”
Initially, the pair were planning on creating a full multitrack recording workstation, but then reconsidered. “We figured that it would be a better idea to focus on making Audiobus do what it’s supposed to do – route audio – instead of adding features to it that can be provided by other apps,” said Dittmann.
Audiobus is a standalone app with API hooks for developers to build in support for it in their own music apps. “In fact, apps that are built upon Core Audio using Audio Units (Remote IO),” says the Audiobus website, “should be able to build in support in about five minutes flat.” Developers looking to add support in their own apps will also be glad to know that there will be no licensing fee to include the Audiobus API.
The possibilities are fairly endless, of course. Dittmann noted that while multitrack recording seems an obvious fit for the Audiobus software, the full potential of the app is something that will only be realized as users get their fingers on it. Using filtering apps to tweak sounds live or combining MIDI sync with Audiobus are two other ways Dittman has seen Audiobus used successfully. Here’s a video of Dittman recording three different sound production apps into MultiTrack DAW. He uses SoundPrism PRO, Sunrizer and Funkbox all at the same time, with some Virtual MIDI magic thrown in for good measure.
Audiobus isn’t just for electronic instruments, either, as the following video shows. Developer Michael Tyson grabs his guitar, and then connects Loopy HD to loop JamUp, with FunkBox and SoundPrism PRO being filtered by NLog in the mix as well. The result is a delightful little song snippet created on the fly, easily and quickly.
Audiobus should bring about a ton of new creative opportunities for musicians like myself that have been longing to use all these great music creation apps together without having to cobble together hardware, software, or mixing devices outside of the iPad.
The developers recommend using an iPhone 4S, iPad 2, or newer devices. Audiobus is available in the App Store right now for $9.99.
Posted by Rob LeFebvre on November 29th, 2012 iPad Only App - Designed for iPad
Adobe updated its Photoshop Touch app today, optimizing things for the new iPad mini. It also adds a host of other improvements, including:
· Added support for three pressure-sensitive styli for iPad: Pogo Connect, Jot Touch and JaJa
· New ways to share completed projects to Facebook and Twitter directly from the app
· Added effects including Lens Flare and Stamp Pattern
· New performance and workflow enhancement including smoother brush strokes and new color selection workflow
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted November 12th, 2012 by Michael Halloran Our Rating: :: PREMIUM PRICE
This app is able to track real-time data consumption to help users prevent overage charges. However, it is lacking in some key features that would be expected from an app at such a high premium.
Posted November 8th, 2012 by Jennifer Allen Our Rating: :: FRESH INSIGHT
Doing exactly what the name suggests, reference guide Wine Simplified deciphers the myths and confusions about choosing what wine to buy. It's a handy resource.
Posted by Rob LeFebvre on October 4th, 2012 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
The fantastic mutli-service IM client, IM+, was updated today, with some welcome fixes.
What’s New in Version 7.3
- Support for iOS 6 and iPhone 5
- Message queue: outgoing messages are queued if network is not available and will be automatically sent when network connection is restored
- UI improvements
- Bug fixes
Developer: IK Multimedia
Price: $99.99
Device Reviewed With: new iPad, iPhone 4
Usability Rating:
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The iRig Mix is a multichannel DJ hardware device that lets users connect up to two iOS devices at once. It also features an extra guitar or microphone input, allowing musicians to use it with other IK Multimedia apps like Amplitube or VocaLive. As with any iOS hardware peripheral, the quality of a device like this comes down to two main areas: the hardware build and the software that it can be used with.
Hardware-wise, the DJ Mix box is fairly solid feeling, and works well to split the audio signal from one or two different iOS sources, as well as an alternate music source like an MP3 or CD player. The top face of the device, where all the action happens, has what you’d expect from a small, two channel mixer, with a master volume control, channel gain knobs, bass and treble knobs for each channel, vertical volume sliders and a horizontal channel selection slider. It also includes a Cue button to listen only to one specific track, as well as signal amplitude lights, and a power light. The iRig Mix is powered via micro-USB, and comes with a wall charger, which must always be plugged in as there are no batteries.
The options are controlled via hardware buttons as well, including whether the input is one device or two, and whether users need X-Sync, a way to synchronize the audio tempo from a second iOS device or alternate audio source. There are two 1/8 inch ports for iOS devices, and two 1/4 inch ports for mic/guitar and headphones. It’s surprising that the headphone jack is the larger size, as most users will have headphones with a smaller 1/8 inch connector.
The sound quality of the box seems a bit on the low side, though that could be affected by the type and quality of audio connector and/or software used with the box. I found the same lower quality sound, however, via the headphone jack as well as the RCA audio out port; I wouldn’t use this in a professional setting, but it’s good enough for parties.
The software I tested the device with, DJ Rig, is a great app to try out dual-audio mixing with. The app recognizes the setting on the iRigMix for single or dual devices, and splits the audio output to the Mix box as specified. There’s a portrait and landscap interface, allowing users to mix, scratch, and add effects easily as they prefer. It allows for the importing of audio tracks, synchronization of tempo, and the like – all standard for the turntable style DJing. I was surprised to find that the app is iPhone only – seems like a Universal app would make more sense.
All in all, the iRig Mix is a decent prosumer-level two channel mixer that can be used with several music apps from IK Multimedia and others. The hardware quality is good enough for amateur use, and the downloadable apps work well with it.
The app now provides personalized hotel recommendations for trips, which is all hooked up to the global hotel inventory from Expedia. An instant search makes it a breeze to check out same-day reservations of nearby hotels, plus there are special deals for the U.S. and other international destinations.
Over 100,000 different hotels are included within the inventory with room prices displayed for each. It’s even possible to set up WorldMate to remember your credit card details to checkout even faster, with support for 20 different local currencies.
Throughout this hotel booking experience, WorldMate tracks exactly where you are so all search results are relevant to your needs, making it easy to filter through the best fit.
The update for WorldMate is out now with the basic version available for free, and the Gold version available priced at $9.99.
In the past, Appigo has always done a great job of providing useful tools for those in need of organizing their lives and becoming more productive. Its products such as Todo and Notebook have continued to evolve, keeping consistently relevant for its users.
Today marks the release of a new app from the firm — one particularly aimed at business-focused users. Todo Exchange Tasks gives that same to-do list app quality that regular Todo provided but it also enables users to directly access their to-do list stored on a Microsoft Exchange server.
Connecting up via Microsoft Exchange 2007 and 2010 using ActiveSync, it sounds so simple and that’s because it is. Users can quickly view their to-do lists via their iOS device as well as create new tasks and mark them as completed. Task organization is also possible and everything is automatically synced.
For those who regularly access a Microsoft Exchange Server for work, this will be an essential purchase.
The iPhone is packed with all sorts of sensors: GPS, gyroscope, facial recognition (camera), and more. It also has a fairly decent camera. Triggertrap combines the features in this powerful piece of equipment to set up automatic triggers for the iPhone camera. Users can set up some interesting automatic triggers with Triggertrap, like “take 50 pictures over 10 minutes” or “take a picture every 200 meters.”
Triggertrap offers 12 different trigger modes including time-lapse, sound sensor, facial recognition, and distance-lapse to name a few. The app also has an automatic HDR mode, HDR time-lapse, and a manual long-exposure mode.
Triggertrap even sells a dongle and connection cables to perform its automatic functions on SLR cameras. Customers can buy the Triggertrap Mobile Dongle for $9.99 and a connection cord that works with their camera that’s also priced at $9.99. There’s also a Twin Head Flash Adapter for using Triggertrap with flashes instead of cameras.
Triggertrap is $9.99 but a free version of the app exists with limited modes (time-lapse, seismic, and cable release modes).
To some, the kitchen is a wasteland where perfectly good food goes to die. For these poor culinary-challenged souls, New York Times columnist Mark Bittman wrote How To Cook Everything, which just so happens to be one of the more comprehensive cookbooks on the market.
Now a selection of two thousand of the best recipes are available no farther than your nearest iOS device. Using the same name, the iOS version of How to Cook Everything hopes to be the end-all, be-all for the tortured chef in all of us. Priced at a beefy $9.99, the software offers aid to everyone from the most talented to the most challenged with the aid of interactive tutorials.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted March 23rd, 2012 by Greg Dawson Our Rating: :: PRODUCTIVE
The SmartPlans project management app goes beyond the basic check list and allows users to get things done in an intuitive and simple to setup dashboard.
Boat Beacon – AIS Marine Navigation has recently been released on the App Store and for seafarers, this is the perfect app to pick up.
The app offers a form of tracking that, like an AIS transponder, enables users to see each other and their boats out at sea. Using Boat Beacon maps and global AIS systems like AIS Hub, Marine Traffic and Shipfinder, users can keep watch of what’s going on around them without any need for external AIS transponder equipment.
While it’s not a transponder so users won’t be visible to other ships on their AIS systems, Boat Beacon – AIS Marine Navigation is an ideal backup plus it has the added benefit of being usable by friends and family to check that all is well at sea. There’s even Ship to Ship instant messaging through the app.
A specialist app for sure, Boat Beacon – AIS Marine Navigation is worth checking out for any seafarers out there that want some extra visibility.
Finger Tied brought Twister-style gaming to the iPad, and Jr does much the same for the iPhone and is a fantastic example of the innovation possible with iOS gaming.
:: BULGE-TASTIC TACTICS
:: DON'T PASS IT UP
The iPad has revolutionized mobile digital audio creation. With a host of amazing, professional level audio software apps, anyone can create brilliant pieces of music with relatively little effort and cost. Instruments and recording devices that can cost thousands of dollars are replicated in all their Retina display glory on our multi-touch capable iOS devices, letting us all get our groove on at a moment’s notice.
The iRig Mix is a multichannel DJ hardware device that lets users connect up to two iOS devices at once. It also features an extra guitar or microphone input, allowing musicians to use it with other IK Multimedia apps like 
In the past, Appigo has always done a great job of providing useful tools for those in need of organizing their lives and becoming more productive. Its products 
The iPhone is packed with all sorts of sensors: GPS, gyroscope, facial recognition (camera), and more. It also has a fairly decent camera. Triggertrap combines the features in this powerful piece of equipment to set up automatic triggers for the iPhone camera. Users can set up some interesting automatic triggers with Triggertrap, like “take 50 pictures over 10 minutes” or “take a picture every 200 meters.”
To some, the kitchen is a wasteland where perfectly good food goes to die. For these poor culinary-challenged souls, New York Times columnist Mark Bittman wrote 
Boat Beacon – AIS Marine Navigation has recently been released on the App Store and for seafarers, this is the perfect app to pick up.
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