It may seem anathema in the early 21st century, but some people still prefer their news in-depth, thorough and well-written. But in a twitterpated sound-bite culture it’s difficult to find comprehensive news reporting much less an app that serves it without paying for multiple subscriptions.
A new iPad app on the news aggregator scene, Longform, is changing that, and doing so in a way that still feels very iOS.
Longform curates articles from numerous major publications including The NewYorker, National Geographic,BusinessWeek, Esquire and about a dozen more. Along with a Longform feed that culls from additional sources, readers select their favorites.
A tap on the periodicals, placed on the left sidebar, brings up headlines and excerpts appear on the right. Readers are then offered a web view or a beautifully Spartan page for easy reading in either orientation.
The app is closely integrated with Readbility for offline reading, but users can choose Instatpaper or ReadItLater in the options menu if they prefer. If one has used any of these services or Safari’s native reader, the look is much the same.
The app allows for multiple scalable fonts, page-formatting options, and favorite articles can be shared via Twitter. Facebook, Tumblr or by email.
I have a wishlist as long as my arm for additional sources, but Longform is a off to a tremendously good start both in terms of style and substance. It has already earned its place amongst my favorite news aggregators on the App Store.
Ah, Valentine’s day. That wonderful day where those in relationships set huge expectations for perfect romantic escapades that can seldom be met by their partner and singles wish they could share in the homage to Hallmark and Cupid. Finding the right thoughtful token or date locale doesn’t have to be an expensive ordeal, however. As always there are a bevy of holiday-themed apps that claim to help make the day either more special or more commercial depending on your point of view. We have collected our favorite four apps for singles and couples looking to make the most of February 14 without waking up broke on the 15th.
Build-a-Card Cupid Edition
Heartfelt words, to a lover, relative or friend, can make them feel special and cherished. Greeting cards are the most traditional way of sending sentiments, but printed brick-and-mortar shop cards are expensive and seldom say exactly what you want. e-cards are less expensive, but it’s still hard to find the right one and harder still to keep them out of spam filters. Build-a-Card Cupid Edition is packed full of love-themed templates and graphic elements to allow users to customize valentines with their own words and photos. These particularly pretty cards can then then be sent via email, Twitter or Facebook and you can send as many as you like for less than the price of a single dead tree card.
iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-01-19 :: Category: Entertainment
iWrite Love Poems
If sending a card is touching, nothing is more romantic or traditional than sending an original stanza or three of romantic poetry to your beloved. Sadly, however, not all of us are gifted wordsmiths. If you are looking for some help in composing a grand romantic ode or a simple rhyming couplet, iWrite Love Poems, an App Store Valentine staple, can help. It offers eight types of poems from seductive to wistful, general style tips and if the creative juice still won’t flow, the app creates its own loving verses. The GUI would benefit from an iOS 5 makeover, but there is in-app email sharing to pass along the love notes.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-01-22 :: Category: Entertainment
Urban Spoon
A classy dinner date to a hot spot or intimate eatery doesn’t have to break the bank. With Urban Spoon’s apps, not only do dates have endless dining options worldwide, but all you have to do to impress and stay solvent is pick a location, cuisine, and price range. A shake or spin will provide a hip dining spot to enjoy and a way to impress that special someone with your culinary savvy.
iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-04-27 :: Category: Travel
OK Cupid
We promised we would’t leave out singles, and we haven’t with card makers and restaurant suggesters, but if you are looking for a hot Valentine’s date, or for that perfect someone, OK Cupid, the app for the well-known dating site, can certainly help. Subscribers can access all the profiles and interact on the fly from the privacy of their palm. Based on the community size there should be someone for almost everyone. And if you still don’t find that perfect someone, at least not in time, there are a ton of valentine updates to popular iPhone games to tide you over until Mr or Ms right finds you.
57 years after Walt Disney first opened the gates to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, would-be visitors to Sleeping Beauty’s castle no longer have to travel to see the magic. Now there’s an app for that. OK, not really, very little beats the look in a child’s eyes when they first meet Mickey or a favorite princess on Main Street. But for those planning a trip, or those for whom one is still in the amorphous future, the folks at Disney have “Imagineered” an app: Disneyland Explorer for iPad. It takes virtual visitors on a pretty extensive tour of the entire California Disney experience.
Families can use a standard navigation menu, or simply swipe through the two parks – Disneyland and it’s younger sibling Disney California Adventure – to discover not just the rides, but also the restaurants, nightlife, shopping and hotels. There are 100 “touch points” in the app – that is 100 things to find and tap. Many just describe the associated attraction, but others offer photographs, short videos, and a few toggle some interactive treats kids will enjoy including a chance to choreograph a fireworks show or ride up – and then plummeting down – the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
This “happiest app on earth” is free to download and while its primary purpose is to get us calling our travel agents and packing our bags, as souvenir, wish, or a peek at what’s changed in oh, say, 35 years, it’s admirable as a stand-alone product. As always when Imagineers get behind a project, the presentation is slick, seamless, and will leave tourists past and future wanting more.
Fanhatten already offered TV and Movie fans tons of entertainment by providing ratings, general information and then linking users to popular streaming services from iTunes, Hulu Plus and Netflix to Crackle and PBS.
Now they have updated to incorporate the hottest trend in in online news – discovery. The app is now a one-stop shop for celeb 411, reviews and streaming, but also personalized news feeds and recommendations based on social networks and predictive algorithms.
Fanhatten now boasts over 60 major entertainment publication sources including Billboard, E!, Entertainment Weekly, TMZ, Rolling Stone, and People.
But the new Fan Feed is where to find the action. The app allows users to select favorite shows, actors, even directors and brings up content that is tailored to individual taste. As users spend time with Fanhatten and add more likes, the feed gets progressively “smarter”. If friends use Fanhatten too, the app offers a social component and shared recommendations as well.
Now that the already rich content comes with discovery and social components it should not only please its own existing fans, but create a new market for people who aren’t looking to stream necessarily, but who are looking for what – and whom – to watch no matter how they access the video.
As we mentioned in our favourite four apps for keeping New Year resolutions, weight loss (as well as getting into and staying in good healthy shape) tops most people’s list of desired self-improvements. Few other goals are harder to achieve, however. We don’t have the secret formula, but we do have four iPhone apps that make getting into the right shape a lot easier. Hit the break for our favorite four apps to do just that.
Ion Audio is getting a ton of press over the new iCades and my personal favorite their Guitar Apprentice, but Guitarlink Air looks pretty cool too. Announced at CES 2012, the system connects a guitar to Mac, PC, iPad or iPhone wirelessly. Guitarlink Air’s uses what it calls “high performance, low-latency technology.” The transmitter, a lightweight clip-on to a guitar strap funnels a 2.4 GHz signal that is amplified by an amp or digital output source without the annoyance or constraints of a cables.
Rockers can also use Guitarlink Air and an iOS device to practice with headphones or in conjunction with apps like AmpliTube and Garageband. and a free amp is included. The package, scheduled for a Q2 release, comes with Guitar Rig LE software that, according to Ion’s press release “shapes guitar sound with emulations of classic amplifiers and effects pedals.” No word yet on price, but its yet another one from Ion Audio for the wish list.
Aggregators are great, but for those who love print news, PressReader has a library of thousands of newspapers from around the world, exactly as they appear in print and in over 50 languages. PressReader has always been feature-rich, including auto-delivery of favorite papers, read-aloud, pinch-to-zoom, lots of sharing options and other features common to reading and news apps. In version 3.0, they have added the feature I have been hoping to see: SmartFlow.
SmartFlow gives readers a more polished and fluid iPad magazine feel. Stories are presented using the full screen to maximum advantage. Readers can now glide through the stories, expanding those of interest without page-hopping, allowing readers to focus on what is of interest and discover stories they may have otherwise skipped. Font size is scalable and changing it neatly realigns columns.
Papers from the vast catalog can be purchased singly or subscriptions open the entire library. For news from around the world and around the corner, PressReader brings print papers to iOS in an inviting fashion, and offers hope that newspapers don’t have to go the way of the Dodo.
Remember April Fool’s day 2010? ThinkGeek showcased a retro-fied iPad cabinet, complete with 70’s Mork-suspender’s striping as a gag. Well, the laugh was short-lived, as the product took hold and became a top seller. At CES 2012, as we reported, ION AUDIO, who make the real product, announced a new line-up of iOS gear including a line of streamlined iPad controllers with the same arcade style 8-point joystick and 8 buttons, and for the small iOS screens, a controller-case that most resembles the PSP.
But, as 148apps writer Jenifer Allen pointed out in her coverage of the Gametel Controller: There’s “no use [for add-on controllers] without good software support.”
Like many, I’ve been holding out for one very special arcade classic that screams joystick like no other: NAMCO BANDAI’s PAC-MAN for iPad. Actually I’m lying, I really want Ms PAC-MAN, which if the product shot from ION’s press release is any indication is coming soon, but I’ll more likely consider ponying up for just the little male yellow chomper. And now he and his ghostly nemeses are officially iCade compatible.
In the press release Fred Galpern, Brand Manager, at ION says. “It’s thrilling to add Pac-Man to the list of iCADE compatible games … adding this beloved classic is truly exciting.” Thrilling may be overstatement, but if this signals a general alliance with NAMCO BANDAI, and other old-school gamehouses, the exuberance on ION’s part, and mine, is well founded.
Griffin, well known accessory manufacturer, and Crayola, the preeminent name in kid’s crafts, have teamed up before to offer young iPad users some neat stuff. At CES 2012, they are paired up again to showcase cases for iPod touch specifically as well as products for the whole iDevice line.
There are two new Crayola-branded headphones coming for kids: Crayola MyPhones Earbuds come in bright colors with padding for small canals, and MyPhones Headphones sport traditional over-the-head design, come in multicolored options with stickers for customization.
Also in the way of accessories are three new iPod touch cases. Crayola Case Creator sounds like the most fun. Slated to go on sale this spring, at a price of $29.99 the product is part app, part case. The child designs the skin using an app that allows for drawing and other creative tools and then prints out one-of-a-kind art that slides into a Griffin case that affords protection.
Crayola Color Clickers, at $24.99, will offer kids mix-and-match striped pieces, 28 in all, to create a protective and unique look every day. Crayola Crayon Classic Cases make iPods look like very wide flat crayons with the traditional Crayola striping available at the same price.
On the app front, Crayola Lights, Camera, Color HD is already on the app store for $1.99 – it allows kids to take photos and turn them into custom coloring pages, which can then be adorned digitally with crayons, colored pencils, markers, even stickers. Yet to be released, Crayola Sill Face Swaps HD will come with coloring pages, and kids can use existing photos or ones snapped with the iOS device to fill in faces for silly creative fun.
OK, so it’s already five days into 2012, and if you are like some of us, it’s very likely you are already off track, or about to get there. But, of course, there are a slew of iPhone apps that can help. Whether you are looking to make a proactive change for the better or eliminate an old habit, now or any time of year, here are our favourite four apps to help.
Commit
Commit is a new app, and we love it. The simple iPhone offering is all about keeping the most important commitments: the ones we make to ourselves. There is little to this great app – upon launch users are greeted by a simple fill-in-the-blank. “I will ___ every day.” Just pick something, jogging, writing, mediation, whatever, and set a reminder time. A push notice will prompt the action, and the app will log streaks. The unobtrusive GUI makes it fun to try again too.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-12-22 :: Category: Productivity
Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker by MyFitnessPal
If there is one resolution that is repeated annually – almost ritually for every big occasion in fact – by most everyone it is losing weight and to getting into or staying in good, healthy shape. No app makes all that possible, and does it as well, as this one by MyFitnessPal. It’s easy to use, has a vast database of calorie counts and other important nutritional information on food choices, and has 350 exercises for strength and cardio fitness goals. The app is social, feature packed, as has so much important information anyone serious about health should check it out.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-12-07 :: Category: Healthcare & Fitness
LIVESTRONG MyQuit Coach – Dare to Quit Smoking
Ok, so in 2012, are people even allowed to admit they smoke anymore? It may not be on TV and in movies much today, at least not here in North America, since there are laws in place making it costly to show people doing it, but statistics suggest the reality may be better than 20 years ago, but millions worldwide are still hooked on coffin nails. No one really needs to tell a smoker why quitting is a good idea, but cancer avoidance tops most lists. So what better branding, and in this case, a system and an app worthy of it, to help make the very difficult process easier than LIVESTRONG. MyQuit Coach helps identify triggers, set a realistic quitting schedule, has social network support and even game-like achievements to reward progress.
Ideal Me is ideally suited to anyone who anyone wanting to stop or start a common or wholly unique habit or goal. The app has some suggestions for a broad range of users from students to travelers, to those facing serious addictions, but encourages us to create our own aspirations as well. After a goal is set, the app allows users to create a step-by-step plan including a time frame, for, say the stages of writing a novel, or adhering to a work out regimen, and positively reinforces reaching benchmarks – their apt term for not just starting a New Year’s resolve, but getting it done too. A free “lite” version is available too.
Happy New Year to all of our readers! We had a great end to 2011 across all of the 148Apps sites. At our flagship 148Apps.com site, writers Rob LeFebvre and Carter Dotson posted a series of articles counting down the “Favorite 50″ apps and games of 2011. The lists cover every genre and type imaginable, but if you want to cut to the quick, take a look at the top five apps or the top five games. Whether you agree or disagree with our decisions, we feel sure you’ll discover a few new apps along the way.
Over at GiggleApps, writer Amy Solomon continued her mission to review the best new apps for children by reviewing Kids Food Adventure. Solomon writes, “Kids Food Adventure is a very nice universal app that is geared towards encouraging children to try new foods.
The foods included in the application can be searched by season, as one can look at a calendar where each month of the year has seven foods that are in season, and I like how one can pre-select an area of the world – be it North America or Europe – to make the food selections offered, which are accurate in terms of seasonal availability.”
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-09-21 :: Category: Education
Finally, on AndroidRundown, Carter Dotson commented on why Android phones currently have OnLive, while iOS users are still out in the cold. Dotson says, “So, here we are, two weeks later, and OnLive is still only on Android. It was announced to be released for iOS along with the Android version, but no real reason has been given as to the delay of the iOS version, beyond that Apple is still examining it for approval.
Without firsthand knowledge of the process, I can only assume that Apple is not likely to approve it because it will not fit their policies. See, OnLive’s client is all cloud-based; even the interface and menus to choose games are streamed from their servers. This also means that buying new games comes from operations occuring on their servers.”
So here’s to a fantastic 2012 for everyone. We’ll stay with you throughout the year, covering all of the latest iOS news, reviews, sales and more. If you want to stay on top of all the happening, plus get plugged into giveaways, follow us on our Twitter and our Facebook streams. Happy New Year!
It’s four days until Christmas and if you are like many of us, you likely have some last minute holiday shopping to do. Inside stores lines are long and prices change daily, and at this point if you order online you might want to upgrade shipping, but if you still have some people on your “nice” list here are our four favorite apps to help you find a great gift at a great price even at this late date.
Amazon Mobile
What’s there to say. If you want to find anything, and get last minute shipping the best place online is amazon.com. Amazon Mobile allows iPhone shoppers to navigate Amazon’s labyrinthian site quickly, compare prices, read reviews and purchase directly through the app. Search options include keyword searches, as well as barcode scanning or even upload a picture.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2008-12-03 :: Category: Lifestyle
Bakado
With Bakodo on their iPhones shoppers can scan barcodes for in-store price checking , but there that’s not all. Bakado includes product reviews, and can search by keywords too. The app makes shopping social allowing the indecisive to post what they are looking for on Facebook and get feedback from their friends.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-06-11 :: Category: Utilities
Gilt on the Go
Have a taste for the finer things in life, but not necessarily the budget? Gilt has been providing a service that offers deep discounts on highly sought after items for some time, and they also have several apps. To use Gilt, you need to be a member and have an account on their site, but in-app shoppers can browse before they decide to sign up. For the brand name bargain hunter, Gilt is a guilt-light shopping experience.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-09-24 :: Category: Lifestyle
Target
Target is not only considered upscale compared to Wal-Mart, while still offering deep discounts, their app is preferred too. The Target app allow seasonal spenders on a budget to shop at any Target store. The app sends daily deals straight to the iPhone, locates the nearest store and keeps track of gift lists with TargetLists. This app also includes a bar code scanner to make extra sure Target’s deals are the best.
As Christmas fast approaches there are gifts to be bought, lists to be made, and of course children, old and young, whose anticipation needs to be kept in check. As always, during a holiday season the App Store gets a slew of half-baked themed offerings, so we’ve put together our favourite four apps for getting through the pre-Christmas madness for you here.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas! – Dr. Seuss
The beloved Dr Seuss Christmas book-turned tv-holiday-special comes to life in this digital rendition for young and old alike. For the little ones there is a read-to-me as well as a read-to-myself option. For everyone else, there is wonderful narration, classic illustrations, and the timeless tale of a decidedly green Scrooge, a town full of friends awash in Christmas spirit and Cindy-Lou Who to open the Grinch’s very small heart.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-12-10 :: Category: Books
Christmas!!
An all-purpose seasonal app and a classic of sorts, Christmas!! is a countdown and Advent calendar full of surprises. But, the app also has games to keep kids occupied, jokes, songs, holiday wallpaper to dress up your iPhone and even a shopping list.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2008-11-06 :: Category: Utilities
Elfster
The website, by the same name, known for helping make all group holiday gift-giving and ecard-sending a breeze is now an app. Elfster keeps gift lists for anyone, has hot gift ideas, and is ideal for planning office or school parties and Secret Santa exchanges.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-11-03 :: Category: Social Networking
Robot Unicorn Attack Christmas Edition
For those of us who are a bit older but still find ourselves wishing the big day would arrive, Adult Swim has a new version of its hit endless runner, Robot Unicorn Attack, all dressed up and ready to race us through the holiday season. If this offering proves as much fun as previous ones in the franchise, players will still be addicted right into the new year.
With the Web eventually came gobs of written material and sifting through it has become a chore to find the good information. Sure, using RSS feed readers is nice, but they’re sometimes clunky and take time to curate and setup. Nick D’Aloisio, a 16-year-old kid from London, might have an answer in his new app called Summly. The app works to simplify the way people browse and search the web by automatically summarizing search results, webpages and news articles.
The interface seems easy enough in that the user simply enters a search term or enters a URL and the app automatically provides the top information from the source in a bulleted list as well as the link to the full article. And Summly seems to be onto something as researchers from MIT tested the company’s patent pending summarization technology and found that it indeed was accurate in providing precise results. Best of all, it can produce results in any language, but is optimized in English, French, German, Dutch and a few more. The app is available now on the App Store for free.
There are many out there who believe that the current mobile explosion will save the dying news industry. Newspaper and magazine publishers have been loving Apple’s Newsstand App for the increased visibility it gives their content. Now Google has released a rival, more Flipboard-esque, mobile reader of their own, Google Currents.
Google Currents offers optimized, magazine-style versions of articles from Forbes, TechCrunch, Saveur, Popular Science, Good, 500px, Fast Company and more. Google Reader subscriptions are also used to provide users content from the blogs and feeds they follow. Popular, trending stories are collected from all of these sources and given special placement with photos, slideshows, videos, live-maps and social streams intact.
Users can also save articles for “high speed offline reading”, share them, and sync them across all of their devices. Content scales to fit whatever sized screen a phone or tablet may have. Google Currents is available now for free and is compatible with iPhones and iPads.
Before personalized iPad magazines over took the news sector of the App Store there was Flipboard. The free iPad customized magazine was the first to offer readers their choice of news from their favorite sources, along with social network integration in one eye-pleasing package. Now, all iOS device owners can see what all the hype is about, because Flipboard has just released an iPhone native version.
For iPhone owners there are now “Cover Stories” which are the app’s top picks base on a user’s profile, which gets better as Flipboard learns the reader’s tastes. This feature will be coming to iPad soon. For all, stories can now be “flicked” through for added convenience, and there is, of course, cross-device syncing.
According to MobileBeat, Fllipboard CEO Mike McCue stated:
The iPad is an amazing device that challenged us to rethink how people discover and share social news… With the iPhone we redesigned Flipboard for a new use case, where people want to find the things they care about even faster and multiple times every day. Flipboard for iPhone puts all the power of Flipboard in your pocket
It’s surprising sometimes, after accumulating so many apps, to see what we actually use on a regular basis. While setting up so many new iPhones recently, we really had to think – in a post iOS 5 world that rendered many staples obsolete – which of the dozens of utility apps we’ve stockpiled we still actually use. Here are our favorite four “classics” that we can’t get through most days without.
Flashlight
If you have an iPhone or iPod touch with a front-facing camera, no flashlight app we have seen is better or simpler than this one. The app uses the LED camera flash and a simple slider as a switch to provide bright reliable illumination in dark parking lots, while stumbling for door keys after a late night, or when trying to make a quiet escape from a dark room.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-07-07 :: Category: Utilities
Mobile Mouse Pro
Many people use larger widescreen iMacs as TVs, alarm clocks or to manage urgent morning reminders. We’ve tried pricey wireless controllers that work with no flat surface, say from a bed, but none are more comfortable, much less so affordable – particularly for browsing and playing media – than Mobile Mouse Pro. Setup is so simple and the interface so intuitive, using it feels like something Apple would, or more aptly should, have made. The shake-to-toggle keyboard feature is wonderful, particularly when a locked screensaver kicks in after a period of inactivity. An iPad version is sold separately.
iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-04-01 :: Category: Utilities
Pastebot
While not iPad native, we use Pastebot on all our Apple gear, and can’t imagine getting much done at all with out it. Aside from being a robust iOS clipboard manager, it integrates seamlessly with Macs so users can instantly send copied links, text or anything else including images, back and forth from pad to phone to ‘puter with no effort after simple set-up.
We’ve all set up iCloud and like what we’ve seen, but when it comes to simple file sharing there is still no better app around than Evernote. The cloud storage app and its integration both into iOS and OS X are so smooth, users will forget it’s not just part of their hard drive that they can share with anyone, anytime. For work, for sharing photos, or just to send notes to oneself, it’s still our go-to cloud app and the GUI is as gorgeous and intuitive as ever.
Jimi Hendrix The Complete Experience takes fans who were there and those of us who wish we had been, through the legend’s life and music. Sony Music Entertainment hardly recreates the vibe that of the iconic shredder of the “Star Spangled Banner” at Woodstock, but it’s a great download.
Sony is clearly promotng their Hendrix catalog – by the song, album, movie or even complete discography – but, what a great way to shop. They say the app will evolve with new videos and features added regularly, but as it stands it’s a pretty groovy package.
It looks at Jimi’s studio works, albums, filmography and the “Experience”, which references both the name of his band and the Voodoo Chile scene. That’s not all, there’s a Venues section and one just on the Isle of Wight Festival with some goodies like a real-to-real tape player. The free app has AirPlay support, and social network integration.
IntoNow from Yahoo! functions on the premise that watching television should be a communal experience. The app, in part, is like having SoundHound for TV. When launched, it listens to the show playing, and seeks out that specific pattern to find the specific episode being watched. Once identified, a panel opens showing how many users watched the episode, a one-line synopsis and a cast list, but only the regular cast, not guest stars.
While watching live or recorded programs, fans can chat with other users and their friends who use the service – spoiler alerts included – or check out the buzz on Twitter. For sports the app even has stats.The app is also a TV discovery tool. IntoNow’s appealing GUI and the “something new” factor could really change how people watch live and recorded TV.
A slew of games hit the App Store this week, and we’ll bring most of them to you in review form. but there were also a lot of apps that were overshadowed by the gaming bonanza. We look at five we think you’ll want to check out.
Meanwhile for iOS
A truly interactive comic book experience, Meanwhile for iOS takes users right into a comic by Jason Shinga where they control how the story unfolds, Jimmy, the protagonist finds a mad scientist with, what else, but a doomsday device and readers young and old can help determine the outcome of the adventure.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-11-08 :: Category: Books
VocaLive for iPad
Ok we admit to some cynicism about this one, especially at the price, but if it does work a new world of Rebecca Blacks will be thrilled. VocalLive claims to work like auto-tune letting ever the most tone-deaf have their singing modulated to match the music’s pitch. If anyone tries it we’d love to hear what you think of the results.
iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-11-09 :: Category: Music
Doodlecast for Kids
Kids not only draw with this app, it captures them in action during the whole creative process. Kids and parents can watch it back and even use it as an educational tool to help with writing letters and numbers. The app comes with 20 drawing prompts or kids can start fresh with their own ideas.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-11-10 :: Category: Education
Photogene2 for iPhone
One of the best photo-editing apps, Photogene, which offers near desktop results has a new version. It supports the iPhone 4s and includes more robust editing tools, especially in the fine-tuning as well as extended export options.
Use the iPhone video camera in a new way – to record athletes in action for analysis later. We suggest you use a sturdy case if you use it behind the batter, but it takes a video and slows it own with a flywheel to find precise moments and allows coaches and personal trainers to mark up the video to help show what they are doing wrong, rather than just telling.
Last week we looked at the best camera replacement apps for the iPhone native app. So, this week we wanted to continue the theme, this time looking at apps that focus on adding those ever-popular effects and filters. Many of the choices feature a camera replacement component, but all do unique things to produce end results that are anything but the average cell camera shot, no matter how high the resolution. All of these apps will make even casual photographers look like virtual experts.
Instagram
Instagram is all about effects and sharing and it’s completely free. This long-time user favorite allows shutter bugs to shoot right from the app or use existing images in the photo album and easily add custom filters. Most photo apps have social media integration but Instgram can actually be classified as a social networking app. Users can share on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, but also less common options ike Posterous and Foursquare and even has a huge community that interacts with likes and comments.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-10-06 :: Category: Photography
360 Panorama
For panoramic images 360 Panorama is our choice. This universal app allows users to take ad then patch together photos seamlessly to create breath-taking immersive images. The app uses the gyroscope to give users a full 360 view and stitches the images with amazing speed.
For truly detailed images, high dynamic range photography (HDR) is the way to go. Pro HDR takes a lot of the hassle out of getting the images to look sharp and brilliant in all conditions. This app takes multiple pictures of the same thing with different settings to highlight or fix specific areas and them merges them together. The results are near 8 mega-pixel image quality. This is the only HDR camera app that automates the process, but for those with advanced photography skills there is also a manual option for setting exposure of the images that will make up the final composition.
For vintage effects like we got in the 1970′s with plastic encased toy-like cameras which gave very analog results, Hipstamatic is the go-to app for iPhone photographers. It uses what were once considered flaws – like overexposure, odd colour balance and blurring – to create photos with an authentic feel. The app comes with 10 effects for the initial price and five additional effects packs can be purchased in-app. Hipstamtic features a lot of social network integration as well.
If you blinked you might have missed it, but a couple weeks ago it finally happened. Gmail launched their official universal app. For a few hours anyway. It was pulled by the folks at Google shortly after launch due to a combination of bugs on their end and an outcry from users about the apps shortcomings and GUI. But it’s back again and ready for download, though it still has some issues.
Why have a Gmail app at all? Well, there are certain features Gmail users love and depend on that Apple’s mail app doesn’t allow for, most notably simple searching of all that archived mail from one spot. Also threaded conversation – the reason I use Gmail only – and the priority inbox are not supported.
Two weeks ago, we introduced our Gmail app for iOS. Unfortunately it contained a bug which broke notifications and displayed an error message, so we removed it from the App Store. We’ve fixed the bug and notifications are now working, and the app is back in the App Store. For an overview of what’s available in the Gmail app for your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, check out this blog post.
In the short time the app was public we received a lot of helpful feedback and feature requests. This included requests for everything from bigger features like multiple account support to customizations like improved notifications and mobile specific signatures.
We’re just getting started with the Gmail app for iOS and will be iterating rapidly to bring you more features, including all the ones listed above plus many more. Based on your comments we have already improved our handling of image HTML messages – they are now sized to fit to the screen and you can pinch to zoom in.
Grab the the Gmail app and let us know what you think Google still needs to work on.
Apple has done a lot to improve the native camera app with iOS 5 and lucky iPhone 4S owners are already taking the highest quality iPhone images ever. But, even with the tune up, many of the most requested features from manual adjustments to photo bursts, darkroom effects to more sharing options (Facebook anyone?) are still lacking. But, the app store is filled with alternatives so this week we look at our favorite four camera replacement apps.
Camera+
Camera+ has been the top camera replacement app almost since its launch in June 2010 and gets frequent updates keeping it at the top of the charts and this list. The app allows uses to users to set focus and exposure manually like a real camera, uses the iPhone 4 LED flash as a continuous fill light to brighten up dark settings, has image stabilization and a 6x digital zoom that really pulls the action in. Camera+ allows for photo editing, has a lot of effects, and has plenty of social media integration for easy photo sharing.
For still and video Camera Genius replaces the native camera app with 6x digital zoom, a full screen button to make it easy to snap pics on the fly, a timer, image stabilization and a mini burst mode which will take three action shots rapidly. The app also helps iPhoneographers and videographers shoot clean with a Photo Composition Guide and of course, lots of sharing capabilities.
Camera Pro Plus is all about speed. The developers claim it is the fastest camera app, and while we can’t verify that, it is zippy. This app features live video and still filters so users can preview effects before snapping and add them in one step. Burst mode is particularly useful for action settings allowing for 40 shots to be taken in rapid succession and the app has an array of editing and darkroom effects, private photo and video collection storage, even photo transfer via Wi-Fi along with the requisite social network sharing options.
King Camera is a newcomer to the App Store. It’s a powerful, fast and responsive app with some cool features missing from others on this list including the ability to shoot time lapse photography and stop motion animation. The app controls the video camera too and adds a big button to both along with a rule of 3rds grid and integrates a flashlight feature for low-lighting situations. For stills there is also exposure and white balance lock, a self-timer, anti-shake even photo backup. The app also has some fairly robust photo editing abilities, the requisite fun filters and, you guessed it, lots of easy social media sharing with a tap. The French Canadian company behind the app even had a commercial shot for local TV using only images taken with an iPhone and the King Camera app – judge for yourselves.
Chillingo released three new titles last week, all under the clickgamer.com brand and each distinct. Saving Moo pits aliens against cows with only the farmer, himself having being abducted before and now ready, standing between them. This arcade game will have players blasting aliens with 17 funny weapons like egg cannons and marshmallow guns over 25 equally funny action filled levels.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-10-27 :: Category: Games
Candy Town is a simple match-3 style game that stimulates a players appetite and their ability to think fast. Connect at least three of the same flavor and create combos of like-colored cupcakes to progress through increasingly difficult levels or race against the clock.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-10-27 :: Category: Games
We’re most excited about SpinTrip, however, that has elements of a fantasy adventure gaming in a platform set-up. Evil Gants have stolen magic Shims, so with the help of magical Chibs gamers embark on a quest across the land of Canoo to save them. Confused? Watch the trailer and see for yourself.
For many iPhone users iOS 5 solved a big issue. The camera app can now be accessed right from the lockscreen making it much easier to capture quick pics on the fly. But, what about those who want to record video as quickly? Well of course they can switch to the video setting from the camera app itself, but 1Tapps offers another solution.
1TapVideo is an app that allows for single-tap video recording, saving precious seconds lost while switching from still to video when trying to capture moments that happen at the speed of life. The app’s icon launches the video camera automatically, still allowing users access to features like the front and back cameras. And the app has some of it’s own perks like a timer, auto focus, auto white balance and auto exposure. Also, a big button feature for fastest possible start-up time. Users can set the output resolution and the app works on all camera-enabled iOS devices. It even saves the video even if the app is accidentally closed.
Holy game bonanza bat geeks! So many titles were launched “just in time for Halloween” it’s hard to keep up. Most of them have been getting a lot of press, but a few are so new you may not have seen them yet. And, hiding in all that gaming goodness were a few very cool app releases as well. This week we look at five you may have missed. If we didn’t catch your new favorite please leave us a note in the comments below.
Zombieville USA 2
This simple sequel will have gamers shooting hoards of zombies to bits with all new weapons and enhanced graphics along with Game Center integration and even a wireless multiplayer mode. The casual undead fun is a perfect for halloween weekend.
Create games and sims or bring to life your own app ideas on the iPad. Codify lets users code and includes a visual editor with a vector graphics tool, built-in game sound effects, complete in-line reference and even gets the accelerometer and multitouch screen into the show with this app that lets anyone try their hand at developing.
iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-10-26 :: Category: Productivity
Oscura
From MTV Networks comes more eery fun. Oscura is a 2d platformer with a 3D feel, AirPlay support and a seriously goth tone. Keep the Dark Creatures at bay this All Hallow’s Eve.
Mo Willems brings the Pigeon to iPad. Create unique Pigeon-staring stories with Mo at your side. Mo really voices the Pigeon, but the app allows users to record their voices too – part book, part creative toy, kids and creative types should have a lot of fun with this new digital publication from Disney.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-10-27 :: Category: Books
Songineer™ – Instant Composer
For those who want to make music, but lack the advanced training, enter Songineer – Instant Composer. It lets users instantly create great sounding tracks to share with friends on social media. Don’t expect auto-tune results, the app is packed with quality features including 20 unique instrument and drum kits galore to give any creation a unique feel and lots and lots of beat.
This week at 148Apps, Tweetbot was on a roll, a new storybook app joined the fold, and - oops - apps broke the Super Bowl. There's more to read, so get to it!
It may seem anathema in the early 21st century, but some people still prefer their news in-depth, thorough and well-written. But in a twitterpated sound-bite culture it’s difficult to find comprehensive news reporting much less an app that serves it without paying for multiple subscriptions.
:: IN LOVE
57 years after Walt Disney first opened the gates to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, would-be visitors to Sleeping Beauty’s castle no longer have to travel to see the magic. Now there’s an app for that. OK, not really, very little beats the look in a child’s eyes when they first meet Mickey or a favorite princess on Main Street. But for those planning a trip, or those for whom one is still in the amorphous future, the folks at Disney have “Imagineered” an app: Disneyland Explorer for iPad. It takes virtual visitors on a pretty extensive tour of the entire California Disney experience.
Ion Audio is getting a ton of press over the 
Aggregators are great, but for those who love print news, PressReader has a library of thousands of newspapers from around the world, exactly as they appear in print and in over 50 languages. PressReader has always been feature-rich, including auto-delivery of favorite papers, read-aloud, pinch-to-zoom, lots of sharing options and other features common to reading and news apps. In version 3.0, they have added the feature I have been hoping to see: SmartFlow. 
Remember April Fool’s day 2010? 
Griffin, well known accessory manufacturer, and Crayola, the preeminent name in kid’s crafts, have 
:: INFORMATIVE
Happy New Year to all of our readers! We had a great end to 2011 across all of the 
Finally, on AndroidRundown, 
With the Web eventually came gobs of written material and sifting through it has become a chore to find the good information. Sure, using RSS feed readers is nice, but they’re sometimes clunky and take time to curate and setup. Nick D’Aloisio, a 16-year-old kid from London, might have an answer in his new app called Summly. The app works to simplify the way people browse and search the web by automatically summarizing search results, webpages and news articles.
Before personalized iPad magazines over took the news sector of the App Store there was 
IntoNow from Yahoo! functions on the premise that watching television should be a communal experience. The app, in part, is like having 
If you blinked you might have missed it, but a couple weeks ago it finally happened. Gmail launched their official universal app. For a few hours anyway. It was pulled by the folks at Google shortly after launch due to a combination of bugs on their end and an outcry from users about the apps shortcomings and GUI. But it’s back again and ready for download, though it still has some issues.
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