Tag: IMovie »

So, you’ve been enjoying recording all those videos on your iPhone. Maybe they’re of your child’s first step or a beautiful view.

You probably want to do something with them now but you're not exactly sure where to begin, right? Well, we've scoured the App Store to take a look for the best video editing app for the job.

Check out our findings below, where we bring you the definitive best video editing app along with some honourable mentions.

iMovie gets update on iPhone and iPad, giving users more control of editing their videos. That's always a good thing, yes? This means users can now create split screen and picture-in-picture effects with just a few simple taps. The same goes for advanced audio edits. It also received a new redesign that makes browsing and sharing videos from a user's library even easier.

Get to it, directors!

In what was another fantastic year in the world of iOS apps & games, we are here to bring you the fifty titles that we, the staff of 148Apps, thought were the best of the year. Here are the app titles 16 - 25 in our Best Apps of 2011:

iMovie- Video editing on the iPhone is revolutionary enough, but the extra screen space on the iPad makes this activity truly useful. Making movies is fun again, thanks in no small part to Apple's attention to detail in this flagship app.

Facebook - The wait was long for the iPad version but between its iconic look and intuitive menus systems, the official Facebook Universal app renders the competition obsolete. It's fantastic to have this in both flavors, for checking on the go or on the couch.

FX Photo Studio HD - Offering a plethora (194 at last count) of different photo effects without forgetting the bare essentials like crop and rotate, FX Photo Studio is a one stop shop for everything anyone might need in a photo editing app.

Dolphin Browser - With gesture based controls and a speed dial system of visiting regularly used sites, Dolphin has made my browsing experience so much faster this year. Safari continues to dominate as the default browser, but Dolphin Browser does so much more so much better.

Daedalus Touch - When we're writing complex, thoughtful pieces of journalism, we like to be undistracted by the cruft of modern computing, like Facebook, or ads. Daedalus Touch makes this possible but doesn't forget to include useful features like iCloud and Dropbox support.

GroupMe - We use this app all the darn time to chat amongst ourselves, even when we have nothing much to say. For private team meetings, SMS integration, and just plain great usability, GroupMe is our go to app. It's also accessible via the web, so no matter where we are, we can join in the conversation.

Stitcher - We love podcasts, and we love Universal apps. Stitcher has both! Using iTunes to download and listen to podcasts is so last year; Stitcher allows us to grab our favorites while on the go, and even provides curated lists for those of us craving that something new we haven't heard before.

Free Time - What can we say? Time-management is very important to us and this app makes it much easier than it used to be. Instead of the standard question of "where do we need to be," Free Time answers the much more subtle - yet equally important, "when do we not need to be anywhere?" This allows us to take that downtime when we can find it, or at least know we're not double booking ourselves. What? Like you've never done that.

Voice Actions - It's not exactly something that we NEED to get through our day, but we're still impressed by just how comprehensive this app is. It also allows us to satisfy our Siri envy until we all get a 4S phone to use. Use Voice Actions to call, text, search the internet, and even bring up favorite apps all with your voice, on any iOS device.

7Notes Premium HD - Need a note taking app with just a bit more to it? 7Notes Premium is a fantastic blend of handwriting recognition, note taking facility, and Evernote compatibility that makes something greater than the sum of its parts. While we'd love a Universal app, there is a version for both the iPad and the smaller devices, so most folks can use this one.

This week, March 13-20, 148Apps awarded the Editor's Choice badge (along with 4.5 stars a piece) to two music apps: IK Multimedia's Amplitube Fender and Apple's Garageband. Editor Rob LeFebvre, who reviewed the Amplitube Fender application along with its hardware counterpart - the iRig - commented: "it's so easy to configure and use that I'm planning on using it on stage in the near future." Rob's been playing guitar for over twenty years.

Garageband was the other application to rock the boat, setting the bar for portable music creation. "Ever since the iPad’s introduction people have wondered why GarageBand (or any of the other iLife software for that matter) wasn’t available," writes Timothy Smith in his in-depth review, noting the third-party counterparts that have attempted to fill the gap - but not like the way Garageband has finally done. "Apple did a great job making their portable version of GarageBand accessible for beginners, but feature rich enough for real musicians. It isn’t going to replace a real studio set-up, but it’s definitely more than a novelty. Their price point is really competitive too."

In other news, a subtle update found in iOS 4.3 reveals a change in the way Apple handles in-app purchases. Bonnie Eisenman reports: "One complaint that has been consistently leveled against in-app purchases is that it’s easy to accidentally make a purchase in real-world money by accident ... In response to such complaints, Apple has changed its handling of in-app purchases in iOS version 4.3. Now, a password will also be required to make an in-app purchase, though for fifteen minutes after entering your password that time you’ll be able to make multiple purchases." For the most part, this should stop any unexpected in-app purchases by your friends or relatives.

On the hardware front, iFixit stripped the iPad 2, revealing a number of interesting points along the way that may lead you to rethink how careful you are with your new device. "Once the team were able to remove the glass, it was noted that both the LCD and glass thickness were smaller in comparison to iPad 1" writes Kyle Flanigan. "Whilst this does provide a number of advantages, notably the reduced thickness and weight of the device, it may reduce its overall durability." On the plus side, the team were able to confirm that the iPad 2 does indeed contain 512MB RAM - double that of its little brother, iPad 1.

Finally, Chanelle Joy Duxbury commented earlier this week on a report that allows for iMovie, which received a universal update, to be installed on the original iPad. I tested the method personally - and it works flawlessly. Now even the first generation iPad adopters can enjoy its big brother's applications!

And, in case you missed it: Episode 76 of The Portable Podcast, in which Carter does his magic mojo with a developer or gamer or both!

That's all for this week - check back the same time next for a round-up of all the latest happenings. Don't be afraid to check out our Price Drop List or our Top 148Apps List, as well - they are CHOCK full of vital info!

The iPad 2 itself is a faster, stronger, thinner, and lighter version of the iPad. It improves on most of the features of the iPad while not radically changing any of the originals features, making this release pretty much what we hoped for and expected. These updates do a lot to elevate the iPad 2 above any of the announced "iPad Killer" Android tablets like the Xoom or Samsung 10.1. The iPad 2 will be available in 16, 32, and 64GB wifi and 3G versions that work on AT&T or Verizon (not both), the same configurations and price points as the current iPad.

The main changes are in the speed of the iPad 2. The iPad 2 improves on the processor by now including an A5 dual core processor. In addition, the graphics processor has been improved, offering 9x the graphics processing power of the original iPad. Next up, the size of the iPad 2 is now considerably thinner, while remaining the same length and width wise. It now has a flat back and weighs a little bit less while retaining the same 10 hour battery life.

The only real new hardware feature of the iPad 2 is the dual cameras. There is now a front facing and rear camera. These can be used to take pictures, videos, and can be used in Facetime. A welcome addition, but not one that really changes the landscape.

The iPad 2 will be available this Friday. So far we've heard that it can be ordered online from Apple.com (no pre-orders though) as well as (starting at 5pm) from Apple, AT&T, Verizon, and Best Buy stores. Other stores will likely announce launch plans this week.

By far the greatest part of last weeks announcements were the new Apple developed iPad apps, iMovie and Garageband. Both look absolutely amazing. We'll be sure to have full reviews of both as soon as possible. Garageband in particular looks absolutely amazing. Both are priced at $4.99. iMovie apparently only works on the iPad 2 while Garageband will work on the original iPad as well.

You can view the full Apple announcement at Apple.com.

So the question for you, our readers, is the iPad 2 enough for you? Does it have the features you wanted? If you have an iPad, will you upgrade to the iPad 2? We can't wait to see your answers.