The problem with our vast amounts of media nowadays is that it’s often in so many places – stored on our computer, on our phones, on our game consoles – and sometimes those files wind up on just one place instead of where we really want them. Twonky Media is here to help alleviate some of that content dislocation, by presenting a solution for streaming media to and from your iPhone and iPod touch.

Twonky Mobile serves two purposes: first, it lets you access media being played remotely, so you can access media being played by remote UPnP servers and other Twonky Mobile servers on your iOS device. This means that you can listen to music shared from a computer, or if you have an Android phone and an iPod touch and want to listen to music from your Android on your iPod, you can do so easily. Second, it works as a media server – this means you can easily share your photos from your device to an Xbox 360 hooked up to your TV, for example. You can also use this as a middleman to beam content from servers to a device like the Roku using your iPhone or iPod touch.

One of the drawbacks, due in part to iOS restrictions, is that your music and video libraries appear to be unavailable for streaming, so you can’t use this app to play your iPod library on your Xbox 360. This is an unfortuante limitation of iOS, to prevent music and video content to be used outside of any Apple-sanctioned use. This limits some of Twonky Mobile’s use on iOS, especially as Android’s Twonky Mobile has no limits on what content can be streamed, and it even works for transmitting to AirPlay receivers. The app also doesn’t support multitasking yet, so you can’t use this to listen to audio from a remote server in the background. So while the app could definitely make use of some loosened restrictions and expanded features, but if you’re big on streaming content across your house, this could be worth checking out.

FREE!

Twonky Mobile

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-02-10 :: Category: Entertainment

Technology is an amazing thing. Just a few years ago, taking a photo on a cellular phone with a resolution higher than a postage stamp seemed unfathomable.  Here we are, a handful of years later, and it seems impossible to remember a day when a phone didn’t even include cameras, let alone the HD recorders that were heralded in the most recent iteration of the iPhone.

Now that the iPhone has the ability to take high resolution images with relative ease, it seemed logical that there should be a way to get these images in solid form, without the need for a trip to the local drug store.  Filling this unique void is the new PostalPix service, allowing you to order your digital images in tangible form, without even leaving your couch!  Plus, there is no need to worry about the quality of you images, despite the fact that they are coming from your iPhone camera.  Here’s why they assure your satisfaction:

We do not print cheap photos using printers available to the consumer market. Our prints are made using cutting-edge, high-quality, eco-friendly printing machines you only find in professional photo labs. We guarantee they will stand the test of time.

Making things even simpler than a trip to the grocery store, the photos that you have ordered are then delivered to you mailbox in no time flat.  So how easy is the ordering process?  Let this brief trailer fill you in:

FREE!

PostalPix Photo Prints

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-12-16 :: Category: Photography

As a person with a crazy imagination, I find myself sometimes self-narrating what I see in my day-to-day life.  Anything from an amusing happenstance to a funny exchange between friends, all becomes fodder for my over-active mind.  I can’t even count the number of times that I have taken a picture on my iPhone, only to later come up with a caption that could shed a new, and often more humorous light on a situation.  For people with a mind much like mine, publisher ustwo brings us Happy Snapper, the photo tweaking app for passive aggressive jerks like me everywhere.

Operating under the popular assumption that a picture is in fact worth a thousand words, Happy Snapper allows you to take candid shots from your iPhone photo library, and apply stickers and headers that let the world know what you really think.  Are you really, “with stupid?”  Would you like to inform a coworker that you think their nametag should really read, “Hi, my name is moron?”  You can do all of that an more with this versatile tool of ego destruction. Here is how the app works:

• Pick your sticker and write your own message or slogan.
• Drag to move, pinch/ pull to resize and rotate the sticker at anytime.
• Double tap the sticker to edit the text.
• Take a photo or use an existing photo from your library.
• Save the photo to your library, email it to a friend or post it to Facebook or Twitter.

The app sounds just as simple in execution as it is in concept, but don’t take our word for it.  We’ll leave you with a trailer showing off Happy Snapper’s many uses below.  Be sure to let us know when you posterize your first victim.

FREE!

Happy Snapper

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-10-28 :: Category: Photography

We here at 148Apps would like to welcome you to the new iPhotographer column. What exactly is the point here? That is a mighty fine question.

We will bring you tips, tricks, and reviews geared directly at photographers of all skill levels. There will be tips and tricks on how to perform tasks on an iOS device that just might have you questioning the need for a laptop. We might even delve into some photo techniques and how these techniques can take your iPhone photography skills even further.

Now the question becomes one of credentials. I am an IT professional who ditched his education in computers for life behind a camera. I am a self-taught photographer who is looking to continue to grow my skill set while helping others along the way.

My name is Chris Nitz and I started my own photography business. I have read more articles on shutter speeds, rule of thirds, lighting, and white balance than I can ever care to remember. I have a passion to see the world from a viewfinder. I am by no means a photography elitist or so called expert. I’m here to learn right along with you, and encourage your comments and suggestions at the end of every article.

Let’s get to the meat of this column with a small review. This review is trimmed down, as you will see this app show up in future articles. The app I am referring to is Filterstorm

Filterstorm takes programs like Aperture or Lightroom and brings them right onto your iPad. Filterstorm contains all the goodness of tonal curves, noise reduction, saturation, and so much more right to your finger tips.

Filterstorm’s interface is easy on the eye while maintaining simplicity in navigation. Firing up the app will have the basic controls on the left side of the screen. Loading up a photo is as easy as choosing it from your photo library. Those with a camera connection kit can even bring in photos straight off a memory card.

Once the photo is in the app the real work begins. All edits are made without destroying the original photo. There is even an apply button you have to hit before the changes are made. You can easily test how the changes will look without racing for the undo option.

Filterstorm also gives you options for what to do with your photos once you’re done. FTP, Email, and saving directly to the iPad are all options. While this maybe a small list, it does continue to grow with each new update.

Filterstorm is not perfect, though. While the interface can be tucked away, it still takes up a decent portion of the screen. No Facebook, Flickr, Smugmug, or Picasa integration might have some people crying foul. There are also some funny quirks, like locking a photo into place when you are editing it. This creates a longer workflow process as the changes have to be made, applied, photo moved, and changes reproduced. Good thing there is a way to record the process and store it as a macro.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that the developer is very active with users on Twitter and various internet forums. This program has come a long way since version one and is looking to make bigger changes with upcoming releases.

Filterstorm is by no way shape or form going to take over from the likes of Lightroom on your desktop, but it will give you the perfect option for making quick edits while on the road. Programs that are far more expensive don’t offer this much flexibility. This is worth its weight in megabytes on your iPad. Those of you with an iPhone, this app is currently being migrated to iPhone 4 and 3GS. Look for it to hit the app store soon.

$3.99

Filterstorm

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2010-04-01 :: Category: Photography

Even since the introduction of a 5-megapixel camera in the iPhone 4, Apple’s phone isn’t blessed with the ability to take large photos. As those familiar with photography know and Apple is keen to point out, it’s not the megapixel count that determines the quality of your snaps, merely the size.

Our title doesn’t lie, however. You can achieve images equivalent to 20-megapixels from your iPhone if you make use of AutoStitch Panorama and apply a little concentration. Now updated to version 3.0, AutoStitch allows iPhone users to take multiple photos on their iPhone and stitch them together to create a poster-sized image. Ideal for when the subject you want to capture is too big for the iPhone’s screen (and lens) or you simply want to take bigger pictures.

This latest update adds enhanced compositing techniques, new algorithms to compensate for blending and exposure and automatic brightness matching between images. Users can also now share their shots to Facebook or via email right from their device.

Compatible with the iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4 as well as the iPad and iPod touch, AutoStitch 3.0 is available now for $2.99.

$1.99

AutoStitch Panorama

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-06-06 :: Category: Photography

We enjoyed Moe’s Notes for iPhone which offers some unique features for taking rich multimedia notes that include audio, video, images and GPS coordinates and it’s now available for iPad.

Moe’s Notepad makes the most of the iPad’s larger screen by using splitter bars to show different sections of the app that used to be spread across multiple screens. The updated UI allows users to customize the app’s display as they wish while retaining the same functionality.

Without a camera in the iPad (although the team behind Moe’s Notes believe one is coming) images are taken from the iPad’s Photo’s App with a number of editing options available within the app itself. Audio editing is also impressive with recording and trimming of audio as well as volume and speed settings available.

All media can be combined into an email and sent as attachments with more streamlined options coming in a future update that could include popular formats such as Evernote or GoogleDocs among others.

Users of Moe’s Notes for iPhone should certainly invest in this iPad reworking and those that need a decent note taking tool will be hard pressed to find a more feature-packed alternative.

Moe’s Notes is available now for $9.99

FREE!

Moe's Notepad 1

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-06-02 :: Category: Productivity

One of the many guilty pleasures of Facebook is browsing through the photos your friends have posted. Whether you’re laughing at shots from a drunken night out or enjoying how fat your ex has gotten, it can become an addictive pastime. While there are some Facebook tools available for the iPad, there is yet to be an official Facebook app launched. Fortunately, developers appreciate the fact that iPad users need to stay in touch with their social networks and have created some excellent offerings such as FlickPad.

Thanks to this unique app from Shacked Software you can now feed your Facebook photo addiction with a beautiful, native iPad app. Users are presented with the latest Facebook photos when they open the app and can select favorites as well as share the images they find. The interface makes browsing images fun and offers some great multi-touch features including double and triple taps to access different options and views. One of our favourite features is the ability to hide all of the photos from a particular person although, if you do that, maybe you should question why you are friends with them in the first place.

$0.99

Flickpad HD for Facebook and Flickr

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-04-03 :: Category: Photography

If you’re one of those sociable types who has more friends than you can keep track of, your best chance of staying in touch is to use the power of social networking.

But what if you got caught up in the MySpace explosion and then jumped on the Facebook bandwagon only to be lured by Twitter and Buzz? You can’t just ignore one network and stick with the most popular one. Well… you could but that just wouldn’t be sociable now, would it.

No, your only hope is to let everyone you have ever met via social networking know what you’re doing by updating your status message on each service. But logging in to each site in turn and posting about how you had eggs for breakfast is probably going to keep you busy until it’s time to let your followers know about the contents of your lunchbox. This is where Hellotxt comes in.

The suitably text speak-titled service gathers all of your social networks into one place and allows you to update everything in one go. The aggregation idea is nothing new, but what sets Hellotxt apart from the pack is the sheer number of social networks it supports. Over fifty of them!

Scanning the list, the usual suspects are present but there are some that we have never heard of and some you don’t usually see in this type of app.

The interface is clean and simple and has a few nice details such as a character count (handy for Twitter’s 140 maximum) and link shortening and you can add photos from your iPhone’s Camera Roll to the updates you send out. You can also select which services your update goes to rather than fire out a message to all of them each time. Handy if you’re attempting to mix business with pleasure in the social network world.

You will need to use the Hellotxt.com website to attach your accounts to the Hellotxt service before using the app and you also have to register with Hellotxt which is free, but beyond that there’s no additional setup to worry about.

While we’re sure none of you out there will need to update every social network supported by Hellotxt, if your online updates are starting to wear you down and eat up your time, this free app will be an essential download.

FREE!

Hellotxt

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2010-04-15 :: Category: Social Networking

So the rumored “One More Thing…iSight in the iPad” turned out to be another case of wishful thinking by us fanboys…it happens. I can’t say I’m disappointed in my iPad, quite the opposite actually, I love the darn thing, but not having a camera is a little depressing. Fortunately though, the dev community has come to the rescue where Apple has fallen short by giving us apps that add camera functionality, assuming you have an iPhone, that is.

This amazing feat is done by streaming an iPhone’s camera feed directly to the iPad via wifi or Bluetooth and using the iPad as a remote to take and store photos. As of now the 2 apps I’ve found using this concept, Camera for iPad or Camera A, are limited to taking stills but it’s certainly better than nothing. While both apps ultimately perform the same function, there are some key differences between them, grab more details after the break.

Continue reading Add a Camera to your iPad, No Duct-Tape Necessary »

Remember the good old days when your dad would want to show off how cute you were. Whenever he could get the chance he’d whip out his wallet and that accordion style photo holder would flop out with a dozen embarrassing photos…well today’s kids have it even worse. Think about it, with an iPhone the parents of today can walk around with over a decade of snap shots in their pocket just waiting to embarrass their 25 year old son with…no, I’m not bitter!

To make matters worse, not only can they whip them out at a moments notice but now they can share a copy of them with anyone on the spot simply via MMS or e-mail. If you’re not familiar with this, it can be easily done from the Photos application. Clicking on the arrow in the lower left corner of the Album View will bring up 3 options. “Share,” “Copy,” and “Delete.” Next you’re able to select up to 5 photos and by tapping on the Share icon you’re can choose either “MMS” or “Email.” Quick, simple and to the point, right? But what if you have 12 or more photos you’d like to share, is your only answer going back and forth creating 3 separate e-mails? Nope, here’s your trick: Copy. By selecting the Copy option instead of the Share your iPhone will allow you to select as many as you like and paste them in a new blank e-mail all at once. This can be a handy little time saver but there are some restrictions. For starters it won’t work for MMS and also the number of photos you can send in a single e-mail is limited by how large of a message your provider will allow you to send. Oh and BTW, this trick does not work with videos either.

Now if you’re a parent, go forth and embarrass away with all of those priceless photos. If you’re the victim…I mean child in this disastrous scenario well then I’m sorry. But do take some comfort in the knowledge that someday you’ll probably be sharing your kid’s holograms via text.