Mobile Apple Me

Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iDevice Apps, Reviews

Category: Travel
Seller: Quinn Genzel
Requirements: iPhone OS 2.1 or later
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
File Size: 0.8MB
Version Reviewed: 4.1
Price: $2.99 ($0.99 Packing (+To Do) version available)
Age Rating: 4+

Here’s the kind of app that can save a career. Or a marriage. It’s merely a database app—add, delete and edit fields, then enter information into those fields. Couldn’t be simpler, really, but QuinnScape has put enough effort into Packing Pro to make it one of the more useful apps a traveler can own.

When you first launch Packing Pro, you’re greeted with four options: View/Edit My Lists, View Sample Lists, Create New List and Import/Export Contents.

The sample lists are interesting to poke around in, as they can give you ideas for items you need to complete and pack. The samples are pretty extensive, though…sometimes far too extensive, if you ask me. Do we need to have shirts broken into three categories or bras and sports bras split into two? I guess that depends upon how you travel. Even “Super Light” has 14 essentials, 8 clothing items, 6 accessories, 10 toiletries, 11 gadgets, 18 medical/health items, and 15 miscellaneous items to pack. If that’s super-light to you, I’m glad we never have to travel anywhere together.

But to be fair, those are just samples on which you can base your own list. You actually don’t even need to look at them directly because you can base your new list on one of these. Delete the fields you don’t want, rename the ones you need as necessary, and you can create your own travel list within 10 to 15 minutes. Although you can’t directly edit the samples, you can base new lists on your previous lists based on the sample lists, so it ends up working okay.

You can also create your own list from scratch, but this will be extra work unless the list is quite short. As mentioned, the provided lists are likely overkill, but it’s very easy to delete the fields you don’t want (10 ziplock bags?). On the other hand, the samples have some items that you perhaps wouldn’t have even considered at any point in your preparations.

Once your trip is set up, it’s just a matter of checking things off as you complete them. Using the pre-trip list is good practice for getting you into the habit of effectively using the app, and it’s somewhat rewarding to see all the items on your to-do list get that green checkmark.

Packing Pro has some other nice features, as well. You can rotate your iPhone or iPod touch to landscape mode for easier typing (if that’s actually easier for you…it’s about the same for me). You can also switch the color palate to something more to your taste (custom or predefined), but I would like this feature more if I could assign different palates to different trips. Easier to distinguish a business trip to Philadelphia from a cruise to Nassau that way.

A fairly new feature to the app is Smart Search. It works just fine, but I’m not quite sure what the purpose is. Do I want to look back on my recent trips to determine on which ones I packed a comb? Someone who takes a vacation more than once every nine years will have to let me know if this is useful.

But that’s pretty much the approach Packing Pro takes. Rather than risk forgetting a possible item or feature, it throws everything imaginable into the mix. If it’s a feature you don’t need, fine. Don’t use it. If it’s a packing item you don’t have, fine. Delete it. The problem here, though, is that the app feels daunting when you first use it. There’s simply too much to be bothered with, and that’ll turn some users off.

Once you customize it to suit your purposes, however, Packing Pro is tremendously useful. Having the answer to, “Honey, did you remember to pack the…?” right at your fingertips makes it a steal at $2.99. You’ll get that money back the first time you don’t have to race back home to get your airline tickets, business report, or pants.

Yes, pants. See what I mean about saving a marriage?

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPad, iDevice Apps, Reviews

Category: Navigation
Seller: ALK Technologies
Requirements: iPhone OS 3.2 or later
Compatibility: iPad 3G
File Size: 1.34GB
Version Reviewed: 8.2.0.139
Price: $29.99
Age Rating: 4+

An iPad 3G GPS guidance app was inevitable, someone just had to be first. And that someone is CoPilot Live. With an iPad 3G and CoPilot Live HD you not only know where you are, but where you are going.

CoPilot Live has been available for the iPhone for some time, and is an attractive option for a lot of users because of its low price and robust feature set. The most attractive of these features might just be that they update map data every quarter, providing you with the freshest maps available—well, unless you’re Google or something. The North American version has full maps for the USA and Canada, so you don’t have to worry about losing your internet connection if you get lost.

CoPilot doesn’t scrimp on features like you might expect its price to suggest.  It has 3D and 2D maps, lane guidance, ClearTurn intersection visualizations to help with complicated intersections, thousands of points of interest and free quarterly map updates.  It switches orientation smoothly, can dial POIs for you, can control iPod.app, supports LiveLink to track your location, has weather information, can search for POI online…okay, you get it.  It has it all.  But this isn’t the review of the iPhone app, so suffice it to say this app has a feature set and level of performance that rivals Appletell-GPS-app-favorite Navigon at a much lower price.

CoPilot Live HD builds off of the already great app for iPhone to make the world’s first turn-by-turn GPS guidance app for iPad.  It has all of the same features, but adds that big beautiful iPad screen into the mix.  And it does so very well.  The maps are rendered with a much higher resolution and look great on screen.  The map moves with your location and updates very smoothly with a pretty respectable frame rate.  Actually, it’s just as good if not better than any other GPS app available.  The iPad’s bigger screen makes it possible to display significantly more information at once.  For instance, you can display the map full screen or instead have it be side by side with an extra pane of info.  That extra pane can contain various things, but my favorite is to have the upcoming directions in text form be displayed.  So you can know where you’re going and how you’re getting there without losing the real time map display.  Honestly, that’s probably my favorite feature of the iPad app.

The only missing features in my opinion is Live Traffic data, and they say it’s on the way for an additional price.  And there aren’t too many problems with the app either.  Navigating to a contact’s address doesn’t always work, especially if a street name is at all ambiguous.  I couldn’t get it to navigate me home.  But after a little tinkering, finding the correct address for just about anything can be done. Also, it could be smoother.

The only other thing I could find is actually more of an annoyance than a real problem, and you’ll likely never experience it.  If you have the iPhone and iPad apps, you have to log into them with separate CoPilot IDs, which have to be created with separate email addresses.  They say that this is so they can enable a feature called LiveLink.  This broadcasts your location to friends while you’re using CoPilot Live.  But I don’t see why this feature couldn’t be tied to an individual iDevice, not a specific email address.

But there’s an elephant in this room, so I’d better talk about it: the iPad.  It’s huge.  Where are you going to put this thing?  Well, there are car mounts available, and Scosche is even making a car audio 2 DIN dock to replace your car’s head unit.  As much as I think using the iPad as a GPS isn’t that much of a hazard or distraction, I’m not sure how many people will actually buy mounts.  You might be better off just having a passenger hold the iPad and help you with directions.  But again, that doesn’t seem like the best way to use this app.  So I guess you really have to think about how you’re going to use this app before buying it.

If you decide that despite it’s size you’re still going to use it, then great, buy this app, because it won’t disappoint.  But good luck trying to figure out where to put the iPad.

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Full Story » | Written by Jake Gaecke for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iDevice Accessories, iPod, iPod Accessories, Macintosh / Apple Hardware, Desktop Macs, iMac, Laptops, MacBook Air, MacBook, MacBook Pro, Peripherals, Cinema Displays and Monitors, Reviews

Provides: Touch screen cleaning
Developer: Moshi
Minimum Requirements: Dirty touch screen device
Price: $16.00
Availability: Now

Let’s be honest with each other; no one thinks cleaning is a whole lot of fun. I personally will do just about anything to avoid it, but every once and awhile becomes necessary. If you own a touch screen device such as the iPhone or iPad, screen cleaning is needed quite often. Such devices often come with some kind of a microfiber cloth, most of which are only marginally useful as the thin material often bunches when you hold it, causing streaks. The The TeraGlove microfiber cleaning kit from Moshi neatly avoids these issues by providing a thick, sturdy pad and a handy flap that fits over your fingers.

I tested the TeraGlove with the screens of two Macbooks, an iPod Touch, a Samsung touch screen cell phone and a 48 inch flat screen TV. Each of them was clear in under a minute. Even the screen that was fairly spotty from a previous ill-fated screen cleaning attempt came out spotless with only the addition of two spray pumps of water to the cloth. 

The TeraGlove even does a decent job on bathroom mirrors if you happen to run out of Windex (not that this is a recommended use).  Another feature I especially appreciated is its washability.  Most Microfibers are a use-it-till-it’s-dead-then-toss-it experience, but you can throw the Teraglove in with your next load of laundry when it gets grody. This feature alone makes it will worth the price of $16. Think of it as in investment in never having to buy a disposable cloth again. 

Speaking of sustainability, the TeraGlove works without any chemicals. You just fill the spray bottle with tap water and you’re ready to go.  Those of you who carefully examine the packaging will note that the product is recyclable and everything is printed with planet-friendly soy ink. 

In fact, my only gripe is a niggling one; I wish it came with a carrying case or pouch so I can take it on the road with my Macbook without the risk of damaging it or smudging pen ink all over the cloth.

Full Story » | Written by Katie Gatto for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iDevice Apps, Mac Software

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod/iPad product updates and announcements for May 28, 2010:

• Macintosh
• iPod

Macintosh

• app4mac has released Projector 2.1, an update to their project management solution for Mac OS X. An iPad version is also available today. Projector provides all the tools you need for professional project management. It is designed to keep track of tasks and calculate a project’s cost. Projector delivers beautiful graphics that are sure to impress customers and colleagues. The iPad version is the first true project management designed for the iPad and the a touchscreen.
• You can now tune your TV to Wolfgang’s Vault on Boxee to get access to amazing vintage concerts from Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan and too many others to mention here.  Wolfgang’s Vault is a music lover’s dream with thousands of concerts from 13,000+ bands from the 1940s all the way to Daytrotter Studios concerts from last week.
• Jumsoft has announced Money 3.6, an update to its acclaimed financial management and budgeting tool for Mac OS X. Money has won wide popularity among small businesses and home users. Fans of Money appreciate the combination of its high usability and effectiveness for finance management. Version 3.6 contains a crucially improved Reconciling feature, which allows keeping Money accounts in balance with users’ bank accounts.

iPhone/iPod/iPad

• VerySoftware has announced Just Jigsaw 1.5 for iPad. Just Jigsaw is a simple and fun jigsaw puzzle game. The game features 15 beautiful photos to choose from, each allowing players to solve 25, 35 and 48 piece jigsaw puzzles. Users can even import images directly from their photo albums. It is the first jigsaw app with Flickr integration. Resume a previous game from exactly where you left it. VerySoftware is offering an exclusive 50% discount for the iPad worldwide launch event.
• Irish Sports Report has announced the launch of Irish Sports Report Magazine on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Irish Sports Report offers 21 issues annually and a special annual football preview magazine. As a subscriber you’ll have access to up-to-the-minute news and information about the Fighting Irish, including the inside news on football recruiting and analysis by Tom Lemming, in-depth game previews and analysis, game recaps and original content not found anywhere else.
• Raijin Software has released Kopfnuss, their mental arithmetic training application for iPhone and iPod touch. Kopfnuss features basic arithmetics, the rule of three, roman and square numbers and calculating basic sums of money—all for different skill levels. Apart from practicing 10 exercises in a row, the time pressure mode allows users to compete for the highscore and earn trophies for fast problem solving.
• Tidal Pool Software has announced Receipts 2.0 for iPhone and iPod touch. Receipts organizes and tracks your business and personal expenses. Create accounts, categories, and five different types of custom receipt fields for local taxes, payment information, or anything else you want to track with your receipts. This major update includes new support for capturing multiple receipt photos, attaching a voice memo to a receipt, and uploading expense reports to Google Docs and Evernote.
• AppFactor is a monthly competition where talented iPhone and iPad app developers can win a publishing deal with Teletext Mobile and make their app famous. The winner of the June competition will be announced at DevDay for iPhone on June 25, 2010. DevDay for iPhone is a dedicated interactive one day conference for software developers and business professionals who want to learn how to successfully build and market iPhone and iPad applications.
• Juicy Bits has released 3D Camera Studio 1.0 for iPad, the easiest way to create your own 3D photos. Based on the popular 3D Camera app for iPhone and iPod touch, it has been completely redesigned to take full advantage of the larger iPad screen. Featuring a project gallery, a simple alignment mode, wireless image transfer, advanced export to JPS, PNS, and MPO files, and an intuitive interface, it is a powerful tool for creating 3D anaglyph, stereogram, and wigglegram images.
• Dejal Systems, LLC has announced Tweeps 2.0 for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Tweeps is a Twitter companion app. It isn’t a full Twitter client - you can’t post tweets from it. Instead, it is a tool to manage your Twitter account. Edit your name, bio text, website URL and location, plus follow/unfollow people, see if someone follows you, block people, and find people. To celebrate the addition of iPad support, Tweeps is available completely free for a limited time.
• VenticentoStudio has announced DataTap 2.0, the revolutionary pocket database app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. DataTap ships with a dedicated free desktop software application, letting users create and edit database records from the comfort of their Macs and PCs. DataTap lets users create and manage unlimited forms with unlimited fields using an advanced yet easy to use form designer, comprehensive data types and industry-standard data encryption.
• Award-winning premium adult sound is now fully mobile with the debut of the fluffertraX iPhone app. fluffertraX is a commercial-free internet radio station that features the very best music from adult film soundtracks. fluffertaX is celebrating 10 years of innovative adult radio, from the Bow Chica Wow-Wow of the 1970s to today’s modern sounds. fluffertraX also features industry news and interviews with composers, directors and actors and actresses in the adult-film industry.
• The new Bruce Lee martial arts fighting game, Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior, available from Apple’s App Store is the first and only game at the Store to bear his name, and features motion captures from those who studied Lee’s style, bringing a level of detail and 3D graphics never before seen in the genre. The Bruce Lee Estate contributed guidance and support through Bruce Lee Enterprises, the licensing company helmed by Bruce’s daughter, Shannon Lee.
• Viaden Mobile has released two gaming apps for iPad to explore the device’s resources for handling casino games. 9-in-1 Viaden Crazy Pack Slots HD features nine different realistic slot machines in one app. Poker for iPad is targeted at casino-poker enthusiasts. It offers three types of casino-poker: Poker Three, Casino Hold’em and Caribbean Poker. 9-in-1 Viaden Crazy Pack Slots HD and Poker for iPad make use of the cool qualities that the device has to offer to the gaming industry.
• Igloo Games has announced a special promotion on all of its App Store games for the Apple iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Consumers who purchase the applications Dizzy Bee, Dizzy Bee 2, Bed Bugs and Flippin’ beginning May 28th 2010, will enjoy these amazing games at a reduced price. Buy once, and play it either on an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. No need to purchase two copies. It’s all rolled into one great product.
• TimeStream Software has announced a Memorial Day weekend special. Customers who purchase and register any Walt Disney World Notescast app for the iPhone will receive a free “Walt Disney World Secrets” Notescast for their iPod Classic, iPod nano or iPod Video. The recently updated “Walt Disney World” Notescast app for the iPhone has more than 300 pages of content and 500 colorful photos.
• Chillingo has announced that in celebration of the iPad release in Europe, the company launched Dominion HD App, a tactical, risk-taking, world domination game. The company also revealed new updates to its popular Puzzler World XL and Ice Age Deluxe: Dawn of Dinosaurs titles.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »