Apple iPad Apps | Gear Diary

Get Addicted with Flow Free for iPhone Review

I do agree that iOS has become a wonderful mobile gaming platform, but not in the way I would have first imagined. For me it is not about high quality graphics and blockbuster titles. Simplicity and the ability for quick play is far more important. My phone is always with me and there are many times during the day I am waiting or taking a break. These times are usually only a few minutes long and are fun to fill with a quick game. Puzzle games are perfect for these situations because the are fun, fresh and often quit addictive….

Music Diary, News & Features, Reviews

If You Want to Get ‘Real’, Get SampleTank! My Hands-On Review

When I did my hands-on quickie review of the iRig MIDI hardware and software, my iPad was sitting on top of one of the classic powerhouse synthesizers of the 90s, the Kurzweil K2000R. Aside from the powerful synthesis capabilities in the VAST engine, the system also featured a tremendous sample-playback capability. It cost thousands of dollars 20 years ago, and will still set you back at least a few hundred dollars on eBay now. Now there is software on my iPad that can replicate the vast majority of that experience for a fraction of what I paid for the Analog…

Events, Gear Bits

GearFest Gear Chat Part 4, Google Apps – Yay or Nay?

This was a sweet thought, a search mega-player committed to doing things in a kind, open and customer-friendly manner. But we all know it isn’t the case. No, Google is just a money-making machine and just as Health Insurance Companies make their money by saying “No” to sick people and reimbursing physicians at a rate of pennies on the dollar, Google makes the bulk of their cash by giving you seemingly free services and then using the personally data they rake in to make money. (Yes, I know, the video below is hosted on YouTube… what are you going to…

Events, Gear Bits

GearFest GearChat Part 3, iPad Apps, Judie’s Question and More…

In part 3 of our GearFest Gear Chat Judie asks “What is your one favorite iPad app?” A ridiculous question? Yup. But she wasn’t going to be satisfied until she got an answer from each of us. We then took a look at how many apps we currently have on our iPads. And, how many books, how many songs etc. In all, during this chat we dug a bit more deeply into exactly how we each use our iPads. And, yeah, the bickering got a bit more intense this time through. 🙂

Editorials

It’s the Apps, Stupid…

Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) surveyed more than 1,000 consumers who purchased iPads between the end of 2011 and first quarter of 2012. The survey showed that 21 percent of them replied that they would, or do, use the device for business. That’s especially interesting for a device that was initially panned as being “just a big iPod touch”. The blogosphere has picked up on the research and done its typical “blog-thing”- repeating the same argument and information over and over again. For example, a post on AllThingsDigital attributes it to the same two factors mentioned in the CIRP report…

Reviews

SongPop For iPhone Review

I have a habit of playing name that tune and artist with my wife when we are listening to music. She hates it because she never learns who artists are, just listens to music. Music plays a huge role in my life and I have always been one of those people who always know who is playing the song on the radio for certain genres. In fact, I always wanted to compete on Rock and Roll Jeopardy when it was on VH1. I recently saw a former high school classmate posting information from SongPop on Facebook and thought it looked…

Events

GearFest GearChat #2, All About iPad Apps

In Part 2 of our GearFest Gear Chat we take a look at some of the apps we use and love. Check the bottom of the post for links to each Gmail Get it. Documents to Go Get it. Blogsy Get it. Bento 4 Get it. Type on PDF Get it. Pages Get it. IA Writer Get it. Elements Get it. Scanner Pro Get it. TouchRetouch HD Get it! And since we mention how much more we are now using our iPads to take pictures… here are some of my favorite camera apps! Photogene Get it! ColorSplash for iPad Get…

Gear Bits

Genealogy Made Easy with Ancestry.com

Judie is a huge fan of genealogy research. She and Kevin now have a family tree that includes over 4000 people. (Yes, 4000!) I have used Ancestry.com as well and while I have a collection thus far, just over 100, it has let me learn a good deal about Elana’s and my family. Judie was telling Mike and Carly about it today, and Carly jumped right in and set up her own family tree.

News & Features

Readdle’s Scanner Pro for iOS Gets iCloud and a Makeover

This isn’t an uncommon exchange these days … The other person says, “Dan, let me make a copy of this document for you.” To which I reply, “No need.” as I pull out my iPhone or iPad, fire up the Scanner Pro app and snap a picture of the document or picture in question. Yes, who needs photocopiers when you can quickly and easily snap a picture with a high-quality phone or tablet camera? And as apps like Readdle’s Scanner Pro for iOD becoming increasingly powerful this unexpected use for mobile devices will only grow. The latest update to Scanner…

News & Features, Reviews

Bento 4 for iPad Lets You Cut the Cord and Become a DataBase Power-User

The next generation of iPad is here, and it has nothing to do with the hardware or the OS. No, the next generation of the iPad is coming into view, thanks to the apps that run on it. Not only are they becoming more powerful but, at the same time, they are increasingly reducing their reliance on “host” desktops and laptops. This process of “cutting the cord” is moving iPads out of the realm of add-on device that supports and extends your computer into one that stands on its own. A great example of this is Bento 4. Bento for…

Reviews

Secret Agent Splat’s Mission Review for iOS

Suppose you were an anthropomorphized Felis catus whose father specialized in making toy ducks. Suppose as a cat you had a pet mouse named Seymour. Suppose you discovered one day that someone has absconded with your ducks. Why then you’d transform into Secret Agent Splat and proceed to investigate with help from your pet! Based on the popular children’s book Splat the Cat, Secret Agent Splat’s Mission is a set of mini-games where children can help the eponymous feline (and his rodent sidekick Seymour) hunt down and retrieve Splat’s missing toy ducks and receive a special agent rating. All 48…

Gear Bits, News & Features

MOG Music Service Aquired By Beats

I used MOG as my subscription music service for a time but have settled in on Spotify and am quite happy with the decision. I have, as a result, been wondering what would happen when these various music services began to shake out. Who would survive? Who would close? Who would be acquired. Well it turns out MOG is the first to go. They have been acquired by Beats and, while they will continue to operate as an independent company, it clearly means we will see some changes coming. As the acquisition notice states Fellow Music Lovers, My first love has…

Gear Bits

Some Developers Really Get It …

There are certain apps we love to use. Quite often they come from companies for whom we have the greatest respect. It is no surprise that the two often go have in hand. Case in point, Appigo. I’ve known them since my days at What’sOniPhone, and I have always been impressed. Their apps are great; ToDo has always been one of my favorites, and the folks behind the apps are a class act. This, however, this is above and beyond. The last update to ToDo introduced a new task input method. I liked it, but many (many!!) devoted ToDo-users didn’t. And…

Reviews

GasBuddy for iPhone

I know I am old and have finally become “that guy”. You know, the one that tells the kids how gas went sky-high during high school during the first Gulf War. It actually went over $1 a gallon, and we could not cruise town near as much as we could the summer before. Wow! Were those not the days? Driving across town seems to break the bank with today’s gas prices. My wife and I have a habit of watching gas prices as we travel. We do not always stop when we see a deal, but one of us always…

News & Features

TabToolkit Receives Update and Opens the Tab Store

My iPhone has become an invaluable tool while playing the guitar. Two apps pretty much cover everything I need, and both are developed by Agile Partners. GuitarToolkit takes care of tuning, chords and scales and TabToolkit keeps all of my tabs in order. As a hobby guitarist, I love to collect all of my favorite song tabs in one place. When playing on the deck with friends, it is best to have the chords and words to look at. TabToolkit has been my go-to app for both my phone and iPad to keep everything with me at all times. When…

Reviews

Sonos SUB Reviewed; It Brings “Soul-Shaking Sound and Heart-Pounding Design”

If there is one line of products with which I have been totally enamored it is the Sonos system I purchased a bit over a year ago. To recall my experience with Sonos: I had long been interested in the company and their wireless audio system, but I had never actually seen or heard one in action. I reached out to the company, and they were kind enough to send a loaner system for review. I got it, opened the boxes, set up the system (it took me just a few minutes), and turned it on. I listened, then listened…

Music Diary, News & Features, Reviews

AmpliTube ‘Slash’ Signature Edition for iPhone and iPad Review

Back in 2010 Travis reviewed the iRig and initial AmpliTube app for the iPhone. My wife and kids bought me one soon after it was released, and I have used it for the past couple of years, first with the standard Amplitube app and more recently with the custom-branded Fender edition. AmpliTube has earned a reputation for great sound and accurate modeling with excellent effects, and hope to continue this winning trend with their newly released ‘AmpliTube Slash Signature Edition’, which celebrates the famed Guns N Roses guitarist’s favored Marshall stacks, along with a host of presets and effects. Let’s…

News & Features

Join the Conversation During and After Apple’s WWDC Tomorrow

Apple’s WWDC 2012 kicks off tomorrow, and the keynote begins at 1pm EST. While we wish we were there, we’re going to do the next best thing — follow a number of the feeds simultaneously, and offer you the highlights on the day’s doings with a touch of colorful commentary and a full team conversation in the comments section. Of course, the rumors are flying but, as always, until the news is actually announced, it is nothing but rumor. One rumor that does seem likely to come true is that iOS 6 won’t support the original iPad. The rumor certainly…

News & Features

G5 Games Shows Off Jumpster, Its First Physics Platformer at E3!

I have covered loads of G5 games over the last few years, and most of them fall into the hidden-object, adventure, and puzzle-based casual genres. But now they have announced a new sort of game – Jumpster, a physics-based platformer! Here are some details: Fans of the physics genre games are in for a treat. G5 Games is about to launch its first physics platformer, Jumpster – with high-flying action that is not to be missed. G5 will showcase the game to a select press group at ShowStoppers and E3 in Los Angeles, but you can get a sneak peek…

Editorials, News & Features

Did Google Pick Up Quickoffice for Integration with Google Docs/Drive?

When I first migrated from Windows Mobile to Android, my Android phone had a lite version of Quickoffice pre-installed and as a result I became a frequent user of the software suite. Right now I have Quickoffice for Android, WebOS and iOS, to maintain a semblance of consistency across my multiple platforms, so I therefore took pause when I contemplated the news that Google acquired Quickoffice the other day. On the one hand, I had a brief bit of sorrow on seeing another independent company absorbed by a much larger entity, but at the same time considered the potential tangible…

Game Diary, Reviews

Crossworlds the Flying City for iPad Review

As I play more and more hidden object adventures I have developed a set of criteria that I expect every new game to meet: challenging but beatable hidden object gameplay, challenging but solvable puzzles, a hint system that balances being helpful with making you think, solid technical aspects in terms of graphics and sound, and of course an interesting story. With that list in mind, let’s walk through G5’s latest hidden object adventure CrossWorlds: the Flying City HD! The Hype: Teleport yourself into an out-of-this-world gaming experience! After inventing an amazing device that enables travel through parallel worlds, Professor Dumbdore…