There’s a plentiful supply of grocery list apps out there but new app, Grocery List – Buy Me A Pie! is hoping to stand out from the crowd with some very useful features.

Predominantly is the ability to sync lists between all the family’s iOS devices so that each person can add items on the go. This should save users plenty of time as they attempt to consolidate numerous lists, instead the app does it all.

Grocery List – Buy Me A Pie! works through not just iOS devices but also the buymeapie.com site to ensure that it’s always possible to add something to the grocery list for consultation at a later date.

Other features include a word prompting tool which suggests words, items that are automatically grouped within a list and color coded accordingly, plus the ability to create multiple lists for different situations.

Together, Grocery List – Buy Me A Pie! should prove the ideal app for those who need to save time and be more organized in their grocery shopping.

It’s out now, priced at $2.99.

$2.99

Grocery List - Buy Me a Pie!

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-01-10 :: Category: Productivity

It’s been said that everyone has a good novel inside them. It’s just a matter of finding the time to write it all down! Book Writer might not be able to add extra hours to the day, but it can make creating a book that’s possible to read through iBooks or send to friends, much easier.

The app makes it simple to produce all kinds of books from photo books to cookbooks, manuals or even children’s stories, all through the wealth of options within. It’s simple to add photos or videos to a book, as well as resizes such images and move them around easily. It’s the kind of thing that would be great for collating memories from a special event.

Once created, it’s just as simple to share the book via iTunes, email or by printing the document, making it a great way to share creations with friends and family.

Book Writer is out now, priced at $3.99, and it’s an Universal app.

$3.99

Book Writer - eBook, PDF creator

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-12-03 :: Category: Books

Many people have privacy concerns when it comes to social networks such as Facebook, understandably so, especially when dealing with images of family members such as children.

Burst is the latest app hoping to encourage users away from bigger networks, with a focus on sharing just with close friends and family. The app requires just one touch to capture then store and organize mobile videos and photos. It’s then simple to share such moments with the special people in one’s life.

Burst can tag and title those moments along with information from the user’s calendar with everything securely stored in the cloud.

Users can restrict who views the content and be notified via Push notifications, email or SMS when a family member comments on the images.

For those looking for a more secure social networking app, Burst will prove invaluable.

Burst is out now and it’s an Universal app.

FREE!

Burst - Video Sharing Made Easy

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-03-08 :: Category: Photography

Passing one iPad around an entire family can be frustrating, as everyone likely logs in to check their email and social networks without logging back out, and many folks will leave tabs open or clutter up the browser history with sites you could care less about. Rather than constantly log in and out and start to secretly resent those you love why not download Skyfire HotSwap instead?

The new service, which integrates directly into the Skyfire browser, allows users to set up to four separate profiles on an iPad, each with its own social and email settings and browser preferences. Not only is it more convenient, it’s also a boon to user privacy, as now brothers and sisters don’t have to worry about the other spying on their email. Of course, by the same token parents may find it harder to keep tabs on their kids, but parents always find a way.

HotSwap has been integrated into the latest update of Skyfire which is available right now. All you have to do is download (or update) the app and you’ll be ready to put those family fights about the iPad behind you!

$4.99

Skyfire Web Browser for iPad - The Flash Video Browser

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-12-22 :: Category: Utilities

My friends and I already use the iPad for our game nights. We play Bleep Word Guessing Game and Jeopardy! HD on occasion. Well a new iPad accessory called Duo Pop has set out to enhance iPad game nights with their popper system.

Duo Pop basically turns the iPad into a game show with four “Poppers” and a transmitted that’s placed near the iPad’s speaker. Similar to Jeopardy, each player’s popper is used to ‘buzz-in’ to answer questions.

There are multiple apps supported by Duo Pop including Guesstimation, a guessing-based trivia game, In The Know, a progressive clue game similar to what you might see in a bar, Highlights Hidden Picture Countdown, based on the popular kid’s magazine, and Saturday Night Live – The Game, based on the show.

Duo Pop is available for $39.99 on Amazon.

FREE!

Guesstimation—Duo

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-09-30 :: Category: Games

FREE!

In the Know—Duo

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-12-18 :: Category: Games

FREE!

Highlights Hidden Pictures Countdown™–Duo

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-09-30 :: Category: Games

FREE!

Saturday Night Live - The Game

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-09-30 :: Category: Games

Lacking in musical talent? I know the feeling well. I’m what many people would call musically challenged despite desperately wishing I was able to create musical splendours. I’m going to have to settle for just writing words but at least Tones will give me a way of pretending I can create such works of art.

Tones is easy enough to use that even children should be able to figure it out. The user is presented with a grid of sound pads that can be activated by tapping on them. Each provides a way of producing sound through a selection of different musical instruments. Tempo can be adjusted to further change things up and a series of waves, cycles of sound, can be produced, too.

Placed together, Tones creates an unique form of music in a fun and fascinating way. There’s no way of recording just yet but it makes for an ideal, disposable form of creative expression. Just the kind of fun to have with young members of the family who love to see instant results.

Tones is out now priced at $0.99.

$0.99

Tones

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-08-24 :: Category: Music

I don’t have children of my own but having spent plenty of time around my young cousins as they vie for increasing amounts of independence, I can see one such difficulty that parents face. It’s not just the independence of going out by themselves that’s the problem either. They want to sign up to Facebook and Twitter despite being too young to go on either, all thanks to the wonders of peer pressure.

I’mOK might not entirely solve all these arguments but it does do its darndest to minimize problems. The app is part social network, just for the privileged few and part way of parents keeping an eye on where their kids are going when they’re out. It’s not done covertly though, instead it encourages kids to share their lives more with their long suffering parents.

Kids can voluntarily share their location with parents in order to earn points which eventually lead to rewards, previously approved by the guardian. Nothing is done passively so it’s all done by the hopefully responsible child that’s keen to show off how trustworthy they are. It also means that parents can worry less, knowing that their kid will check in with them at the touch of a button.

I’mOK is a free app so well worth a look for any concerned parents or kids keen to show off how responsible they truly can be.

FREE!

I'mOK

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-08-29 :: Category: Lifestyle

If any more evidence was needed of just how much the App Store has further democratized game development, look no further than the story of Connor Zamary. CNET reports that earlier this month, Zamary released a 99-cent game called Toaster Pop for iPhones and iPads after pitching investors on the idea through PowerPoint slides, forming his own company and having meetings with developers. Did we mention that he accomplished all this at the ripe old age of 7?

The game itself, inspired by a story Connor’s father Craig told him about an antique toaster, has players swiping toppings like butter and jam onto slices of bread as many times as they can before time runs out. It’s a simple, straightforward, almost Fruit Ninja style premise but it was Connor’s intention to design a game that would appeal to his young peers. Between impressive and surprisingly marketing-savvy moves like that and a desire to help his younger sister launch her own app, we might be witnessing the rise of some kind of game publishing wunderkind.

Although Connor’s father controls the email account Connor uses for conducting company business, rest assured that the bulk of the operations, negotiations and conference calls are personally overseen by Connor himself. An update to Toaster Pop is already on the way. It seems like only a matter of time before he strikes out on his own.

[ via CNET.com ]

[image credit: CNET.com ]

$0.99

Toaster Pop

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-08-03 :: Category: Games

Newly available for iPhone and iPod Touch owners comes jigsaw puzzler Puzzle Planet.

Previously available solely on the iPad, Puzzle Planet has now become a Universal app. It’s a quirky jigsaw puzzler that promises attractive images and some intriguing power-ups and souvenirs to encourage players to keep playing. There’s even a loose but cutesy story behind things with alien Nur and his friend Glood exploring the wonders of Planet Earth by solving jigsaw puzzles along the way.

The app is a free app to start with, offering 18 different puzzles. Fans can then pay a small $0.99 fee to unlock one of 8 different puzzle packs which further open up more jigsaws, each corresponding to a different theme such as cities or ancient marvels. These aren’t regular jigsaw puzzles either with fast reactions and skill needed to progress, adding a nice twist on the genre. It looks like it’s going to be a great family game in particular.

Puzzle Planet is out now and it’s an universal app.

FREE!

Puzzle Planet

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2010-12-21 :: Category: Games

Arriving on the app store just in time for Father’s Day comes Photogram, a new photo sharing app that’s aimed at family users.

Photogram enables users to create their own invite or card of sorts which can then be delivered to groups of family or friends via email as well as shared via Facebook and Twitter. It means that users can not only show off their photos to others but add a personalized message to them too. Users aren’t restricted to one photo at a time either with up to four photos possible to share at a time.

To spruce up the images even more so, users can use one of many original themes created by up and coming artists. These artists range from painters, photographers, designers and illustrators so there should be something for everyone’s taste. Each theme will require a monetary fee to download with this revenue being split between the artist and Photogram. Users can even learn more about the artist through the app bio pages if they so wish.

Looking at the screenshots, Photogram looks set to have a fairly homey feel. It looks simple to set up groups and in turn send themed messages to them. There’s certainly some great potential with users being able to send birthday greetings, party invites or simply messages informing others of what they’ve been up to. It might make for a great way of keeping in touch with the extended family for instance. Themes are easily browsed with a range of categories to make it all the more interesting.

Pricing hasn’t been announced for the app or the individual themes but hopefully they’ll be at a competitive price. Potentially Photogram could make for a great replacement to the humble greetings card or invite.

Take a look at the screenshot gallery for now as Photogram will arrive on the App Store June 16th. We’ll be sure to keep on top of the latest news about it.

Just in time for this holiday season Discovery Bay Games’ has introduced its newest iPad accessory, Duo ($40). By using physical game pieces in conjunction with the virtual interface of the iPad, Duo takes us one more step towards the Tron world of the tomorrow. To be anything more than a paper weight though Duo must be paired up with one of Discovery Bay Games’ specially made apps which currently only includes Yoomi, but more are promised to be coming soon.

Yoomi is a game where players take turns secretly answering questions like “would you prefer to fly to the moon or dive to the bottom of the ocean?” Once answered the other players attempt to guess which response the first chose. It’s a game very reminiscent of Apples to Apples but with a new and fresh feel that the whole family can enjoy. Explaining in writing how the pair works together would be an nightmare, so I’ve included a much more colorful video below to help keep everyone’s attention…you’re welcome. If you’re interested though Yoomi is currently free on the App Store while Duo is being sold exclusively through Toys “R” Us.