Apple iPhone Apps | Gear Diary

How to Do It Yourself! August 26, 2013

Features You Will Love or Hate in iOS 7

Although there has been no official announcement, Apple will likely release iOS 7, the next generation of their mobile operating system, next month. It is the biggest overhaul to the OS since its introduction, and while visual differences will draw most of the attention the changes that are less apparent are the ones people will truly love… Or hate. I’ve been using beta versions of iOS 7.0 since it was first available a few months ago. I’ve used it on my iPod touch, an iPhone 4 and an iPad 2 and mostly like what I have seen. My biggest concern…

News & Features August 25, 2013

Photo Sharing – An App that Makes Sharing Photos Simple

Looking for an easy way to send lots of pictures on your iPhone through email? If so, Photo Sharing by Giacomo Guglielmi, is the perfect app for you. It allows you to send as many pictures as you want, including full albums, directly from your phone to your friend’s inbox. If you’re anything like me, you’ve unofficially traded in your point and shoot digital camera for the camera on your iPhone. With the quality of the smartphone camera increasing with each new phone, I almost never need to use my old digital camera, unless of course, I’m on my Honeymoon…

Gear Bits August 20, 2013

Get 1GB Free Storage for Linking Mailbox and Dropbox on iOS!

I’ve been using Mailbox for the past few days – not out of some outstanding desire to revisit the app, but to get a free 1GB DropBox boost. Simply by adding my GMail account to Mailbox, heading to settings and linking my DropBox, I was rewarded with 1GB more DropBox storage! It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re on an iOS device!

Game Diary, News & Features August 15, 2013

Plants vs. Zombies 2 Released on iOS Today!

Popcap and EA Games have teamed up to bring you the greatly anticipated follow-up to the original Plants vs. Zombies. The premise of the Plants vs. Zombies series is that you’re a homeowner who is trying to defend his house against a horde of the undead. Your weapon? Plants. Good Luck! Plants vs. Zombies 2 is out now for free on the App Store. After a lengthy beta testing period and a soft launch in New Zealand, Plants vs. Zombies 2 is finally available to all of us Americans. This time, instead of only defending your own home from the…

Game Diary, Reviews August 15, 2013

Righteous Kill 2 HD for iPad Review – Better Than the Original

While the first Righteous Kill game pretended to adhere to the basis of the (awful) movie, the sequel is original. Similar to the original game, Righteous Kill 2 is a fairly standard Hidden Object genre game. But unlike the original, Righteous Kill 2 is actually a decent game and worth checking out. Type of app: Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure Game Platform/where to buy: iPad, iPhone; available in the iTunes App Store Developer: Starz Media / G5 Entertainment Description: Here are some of the features: – 37 intriguing levels – 16 original mini-games – Police files for 11 victims – Heart-pounding…

News & Features August 15, 2013

Celebrate Julia Child’s 101st Birthday with a Price Reduction in the Mastering the Art of French Cooking App!

When I was a wee preschooler, my morning TV schedule ran from Sesame Street to Mr. Rogers, and then to Julia Child’s cooking show, The French Chef, which helped plant the seed that influenced my interest in cooking. Why do I mention this bit of minutiae? Well, it so happens that today is famed chef Julia Child’s 101st birthday, and to celebrate, Random House Digital, Inc. slashed the price of their iOS app Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Selected Recipes from $4.99 to $1.99 from August 15 through August 18! Based on Child’s acclaimed book Mastering the Art of…

Editorials August 13, 2013

10 Ways You Can Unintentionally Reveal Your Location and How to Stop It

I was reading Facebook this morning, and I saw a three-year-old video that details how posting pictures on Facebook or other social networks can reveal your location. Keep reading for 10 different ways I’ve found that you can unintentionally share your location, and how to combat it if you prefer not to be so transparent. 10. For Amateur Radio Operators Only: The FCC Database This one is listed as number 10, and it’s only for amateur radio operators. I will detail some of the other ways your location can be revealed as a ham operator in another post, but this is…

News & Features August 13, 2013

DataViz Protects and Syncs Your Passwords and Sensitive Info with Passwords Plus

If you are an avid user of Documents to Go you probably already knew about some of DataViz, Inc.’s product offerings in the software office arena. One aspect that is critical to office integrity is security, and DataViz has recently stepped up to the plate with their new Passwords Plus cross-platform password security software. Starting at $9.99, Passwords Plus works to keep passwords, PINs and related sensitive information secure from prying eyes and keep that data synched between devices. No more struggling to remember passwords or hunt through filing cabinets for password lists! It should be no secret that…

Game Diary, Reviews August 9, 2013

Echoes Episode 1: Greenhearth Review -Stylized Mystery Gaming Brought to iOS

Echoes is an episodic mystery game with a distinctive style and where your choices impact the gameplay. The first episode is called Greanhearth, and drops you right into a dark & gritty world as you find out the story behind detective Rocky Fox investigating a murder. Let’s take a look. Type of app: Interactive Mystery Adventure (HOPA) game Platform/where to buy: iPhone/iPad; available in the iTunes App Store Developer: Nova-box Description: You are Ricky Fox, a brilliant detective from NYPD. Your best friend, Arthur Petrovski, a renowned psychiatrist, just passed away in strange circumstances and you travel there to make…

Gear Bits August 5, 2013

Keep a (Free) Sharp Lookout for Boats with PocketMariner’s Boat Watch iOS App

When my family and I went out to visit family in northern Washington, we were treated to the sight of many boats and ships sailing across Puget Sound and surrounding waterways, something of a novelty for us Midwestern landlubbers. In fact, we were able to take advantage of the ferry system at Mukilteo (and lunch at Ivar’s right next to the ferry landing) to help get us to our destination. During this same visit, I was semi-press-ganged into rowing on the Erica with the Old Anacortes Rowing and Sailing Society, and let me tell you, being in a small wooden…

News & Features August 2, 2013

Pebble Adds Email Notifications For iOS Devices

I have become quite dependent on my Pebble smart watch. Being able to see my messages without looking at my phone is actually extremely convenient. When I am in front of a class teaching, on the field coaching or even driving, the watch makes it super easy to glance at my watch when I get a message. It only takes a second and I never skip a beat in what currently is going on. Really, the only reason I like to check is to just make sure it is not an important message from my wife or anything dealing with…

Game Diary, Reviews August 1, 2013

Alchemy Mysteries: Prague Legends HD for iPad Review

Sometimes a title tells you all you need to know about a game – in the case of G5’s Alchemy Mysteries: Prague Legends, we know it is a casual game because of G5, that it is a mystery involving alchemy, that it looks back into history and that it takes place in Prague. We quickly also learn that the game centers around an orphan named Eva who returns to Prague to claim an inheritance and hopefully learn more about her past and her real family. But just after entering the house strange and mysterious things occur! Let’s take a look!…

News & Features August 1, 2013

FX Photo Studio For iPhone/iPad Free Until August 5th

It is often said that the best camera is the one in your hand. This is true and our mobile devices have become the main photography tools for most people. Most modern cell phones and tablets have fantastic cameras and chipsets, but there often is something missing to make them the perfect shot. My favorite aspect of using my iPhone for photos is the ability to immediately edit and enhance images on the fly. I take pride in my ability to make my phone pics look great and use my iPad to edit images from my DSLR. With the use…

Game Diary, Reviews July 31, 2013

Droidscape: Basilica Brings Fun Tactical Escapism to iPhone and iPad

Imagine a futuristic world of a new Dark Age where the only hope for humanity is locked away in a massive labyrinth of a space station called the Basilica. In order to free him you need to help a robot named Bishop 7 navigate the space station. It is a puzzle game with a bunch of twists – read on to find out what I thought! Type of app: Sci-Fi Action Puzzle game Platform/where to buy: iPhone/iPad; available in the iTunes App Store Developer: Kyttaro Games Description: -Sleek, versatile slider controls! – Or play with HeadTwister, our experimental head-tracking technology!…

Virtual City Playground Gets a Major Update

Game Diary, News & Features July 31, 2013

Virtual City Playground Keeps Chugging Along with Massive Update for iPad and iPhone!

I love the Virtual City games including the free social version Virtual City Playground, as I noted in my review of the Android version. In the review I noted that the game took all of the fun of Virtual City and brought it to a free ‘playground’ mode that allowed you to just have fun. Of course, for G5 the big thing is monetization, and they have been very successful trading ease of upgrading and building things for small amounts of real-world cash. It is the classic example of eventually paying $20 for a game that you wouldn’t pay $5…

Editorials, News & Features July 29, 2013

Muzik Socially Integrated Headphones – Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should

“Just because you can include some technological advance in your consumer product, it doesn’t mean you should.” That’s really the thought that came to mind when reading about a pair of new, upcoming headphones. Muzik (while I’m on a rant… I hate it when companies intentionally spell words incorrectly) just announced their first product – a pair of “smart headphones”. As the company release notes the company is, “pioneering a new space called social smartware”. The term describes their goal of connecting consumer electronic devices to content and social media platforms with the goal of making “music instantly discoverable and…

Reviews July 25, 2013

Tweekaboo Virtual Family Diary Review – a Baby Book for the Digital Age

Sarah and I can probably repeat the story of the 24 hours leading up to our son’s birth by heart. We told the story to family and friends, and whenever our newborn got fussy we told it to him. After a few days, Sarah turned to me and pointed out that we should probably write it down somewhere since we will eventually forget all the details. Luckily for us, we had the opportunity to test Tweekaboo, an app that acts as a virtual baby book, letting us add pictures and stories and share them with family and each other. Is…

Game Diary, Reviews July 24, 2013

Dreamscapes: The Sandman Collector’s Edition HD Is a Massive, Gorgeous Adventure Game for iOS

Similar to how console game developers offer DLC as a high profit way to give gamers more of a game they love, ‘collector’s editions’ of casual games offer a way to go beyond the core game for just a couple of extra dollars. When these games are ported to iOS devices, we often get the added content included for free with the full-game purchase. And best of all are times like this when a game offers added gameplay that is compelling, engaging, and worth the time. The game is Dreamscapes, and it is one of the best casual games of…

Reviews July 22, 2013

Logitech Harmony Smart Remote Universal Remote System Review

When I first had the opportunity to check out the Samsung GALAXY Note 8.1 tablet, I didn’t expect to think much of the inclusion of an IR blaster that allows the tablet to function as a smart remote for your tv and media system. Much to my surprise, I liked having the option to use the tablet to control my various entertainment systems. After all who needs to juggle multiple remotes when one device can replace them all? The Griffin Beacon (read about it) sought to do just that by turning your iPhone into a remote using an iOS app…

Game Diary, Reviews July 17, 2013

Twin Moons HD Review – Brings Player Choice and a Polished Experience to the iPad

I had expressed enthusiasm for the team of Cateia Games and G5 Entertainment in the past due to games such as Where Angels Cry, so when I saw that they were teaming up again for Twin Moons, I knew I would have to check it out. Type of app: Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (HOPA) game Platform/where to buy: iPad (iPhone version available here; available in the iTunes App Store Developer: Cateia Games / G5 Entertainment Description: Twin Moons has loads of content, including: – 51 creepy and enigmatic locations – 20 challenging mini-games to master – 18 achievements to earn…

Editorials July 10, 2013

App Store Reflections Five Years Later

Do you know where you were exactly five years ago today? I do because I had just finished spending three days loading every single one of the initial iTunes App Store apps into a data base. I was right here, at my kitchen table in the mountains of Pennsylvania. I had just started my summer vacation and my partners and I knew we had to get the first App Store apps loaded as quickly as possible. Let me go back a bit and then share a few thoughts and reflections. My partners in my first website and I decided to…