Apple iPhone Apps

Rant: Google + Updated to Support iPod Touch, but PLEASE Don’t Tell Me It Has ‘iPad Support’ … It Doesn’t!

Yesterday the Google + iOS app was updated, with the following changes noted: – Huddle settings – Aggregated circle add notifications – iPod touch & iPad support – Performance and stability improvements So … they are claiming iPad ‘support’? What does that actually mean, anyway? That it will install and be a minimally functional app that looks and performs terribly? Well, if that is the case, I guess they are correct. When I think of ‘support’ I look to the iPod Touch version, which looks like this: These are the identical screenshots, yet offer VERY different user experiences. The iPad…


Bye-Bye, Spotify

When Spotify finally came to the US I was quick to jump on it. I like using streaming, subscription music services a great deal. I like the flexibility. I love being able to download and listen to pretty much whatever I choose for a small fee each month. Sure, I already have a huge music collection but there’s a ton of music I want to hear that isn’t part of it and there are enough tunes that it would cost me a small fortune to purchase all of them. I tried Rhapsody for a while and while I got hooked…


Zombie Gunship for iPhone/Touch

I am both a fan and historian of weaponry and aircraft. One of the meanest flying machines available in combat is the AC-130 Gunship. The AC-130 is often used to support ground troops and convoys. A 140mm M102 cannon, a Bofors 40mm autocannon and a 25mm GAU-12 Equalizer packs quit the punch. The firepower brought by the gunship is known to be feared and respected in combat. Lucky for us, the AC-130 is being used to help survivors of the zombie apocalypse escape impending doom. The entire game is spent at the helm of the three powerful weapons of the…


Sonos PLAY:3 Review

We have had a fair bit of coverage of the Sonos Wireless Hi-Fi System over the past few weeks. As I noted in my initial review of the system, I only had the review units in my home for 23 hours before I went and ordered my own. I was impressed by the ease of use, the overall sound quality, and the vast amount of music that was available to me through the Sonos eco-system. It was by no means an inexpensive purchase but I have not had a single moment of buyer’s remorse. At this point I am a…


Apple’s in-App Sales Policy — an Intimidation Tactic?

There was so much drama and upheaval in the eBook, magazine, and subscription services on iOS yesterday as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and others caved to Apple’s demands that they either get a 30% cut of in-app sales or all links to external purchasing systems be removed, that it is easy to assume that all this comes down to one word – GREED. But what if it comes down to one different word. What if instead of this being all about Apple and the word “greed”, what if it all comes down to Apple and the word “Amazon”? What if…


And … the Nook App Update Removes Store Links from iOS

Carly said it best – A picture is worth 1,000 words… Carly just posted about Amazon removing store links from their Kindle app. Now Barnes & Noble has done the same. Here is the description of their update: What’s New in Version 2.1.2 You can read any NOOK Book you have purchased on this updated NOOK for iPhone app, however the Shop link has been removed so to buy NOOK Books from your iPhone, open your Safari browser and go to nookbooks.com. This is just the latest in an evolving saga that has basis in a single Apple policy they…


Kindle App Removes Store Links from iOS

A picture is worth 1,000 words… Amazon has updated the Kindle app to reflect Apple’s new rules, namely that you cannot link to an external store in an iOS application. Will this impact buying habits? Only time will tell, but one thing is clear: we, as consumers, are losing. Spotify, Netflix, Rhapsody, NOOK, Kobo, Google Books and now the Kindle have all undergone dramatic changes that will require major adjustments to how we shop on an iOS device. Will this change how you shop for books? Will you be holding off on updating your Kindle app? Sound off in the…


Paper Camera iOS App Review

I’m the farthest thing from a professional or even amateur photographer, but I have a developing (analog pun intended!) obsession with apps that augment my phone’s camera.  My latest find is Paper Camera, which I happily purchased for my iPhone and iPad.  At the time of this writing, it’s on sale for $.99, which is 66% off of the regular price.  JFDP‘s (the developer) blurb: Seeing the world through the stylish and artistic lens of Paper Camera transforms your ordinary world into a magical experience. No boring post-process needed!! What if you could see your everyday life, your house, your…


The Brave New (App) World

It is truly an iOS world. Need proof? Elana and I are out to dinner on the Jersey shore and Elana comes back from speaking to the front desk with… Yes, the restaurant has its own app and has cards advertising it at the front desk. And to top it off the musician playing the background music had his sheet music right in front of him. Well sheet music isn’t quite right… No, his first gen iPad was held in the microphone stand and between songs he could be seen swiping the touchscreen to get to the next tune! It…


Video Quick Look: Withings Smart Blood Pressure Monitor

I am really glad to see more and more “iOS app enhanced” devices being released. We’ve looked at a few clocks that offer tight integration with iPhone or iPad apps and now we are seeing a slew of new devices coming out. One of them, Withings Smart Blood Pressure Monitor uses your iOS device as the “brains” of a blood pressure monitoring system. I’ve been using it for the last week and a half and even had Judie, Carly and Elana take it for a spin. Here are some details and a video overview. From the Company: Designed specifically for…


Review: Stem TimeCommand Clock-Dock

I’ve become a big fan of not having to physically dock my iPhone, iPod or iPad in order to get audio from it. That’s why I love using the Sonos system I reviewed a few weeks ago. At the same time, there is a lot to be said for a bedside dock/alarm clock. Sure, the Sonos system lets you set alarms, but it doesn’t have a clock nor does it charge your power-hungry iOS device. That needs to be covered by something else — something like a clock-dock (yeah, I wrote “clock-dock”!). The problem is, too often the available clock-dock…


Transformers: Dark of the Moon for iPhone/Touch

My youngest son had his fourth birthday on July 2nd. We had a small party with some family and a few friends, and we always let the boys choose their party theme. Riley decided long ago his would be a Transformers party complete with cups, plates, napkins and a cool cake with Bumblebee. Most of his gifts were Transformers, so we had the complete experience. We are waiting until we leave for a mini-vacation to see the movie, so I just downloaded the game, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which was on sale for $.99. Let’s take a look. Play…


The Sonos Wireless Home Audio System Review

If Apple were to release a wireless speaker system, it would probably look and function the way the Sonos Zone system does. Fortunately Cupertino doesn’t need to go to the trouble, since Sonos beat Apple to it — and there isn’t a whole lot of room for improvement. Sure, I understand that those opening sentences sound more than a bit fanboyish toward both Apple and Sonos, but hey, I love my Apple products; in the last month or so, I have also become a Sonos evangelist. How much do I like the Sonos system? Let me put it this way:…


Word Scramble Challenge Edition

From time to time my wife mentions apps she has found or heard about that might be good for the Blue Plate Special. The other night as we watched the news in bed she said, “You should make that word game you always play the Blue Plate.” At this moment I realized, I had a problem with playing Word Scramble Challenge Edition. For some time I have played the game some before bed and just about any other moment I had time to kill. A while back I reviewed the game before it was in its current form which you…


Weather Doodle for iPhone/Touch and iPad

I admit it, I am a weather freak. Part of this is due to the fact that most of my job requires being outside and weather plays a huge factor in how my day or games will go. Another part is due to living in Kansas for a few years as a young kid. Basically, I was scared into learning and being interested in weather. Our county is currently in a drought worse than was experienced during the dust bowl and there does not seem to be any relief in the near future. Yesterday evening we were still at 100…


Sudoku 2 for iPhone/Touch

I have loved playing Sudoku since it became a craze appearing in newspapers. My wife bought me a book full of puzzles one year and I would often print some out for my students to work on if they had down time in class. I love word and number games that require higher level thinking skills. I believe that it is like working out your brain and leads to increased brain power in many areas. Sudoku games have had a home on my phone as long as they have been developed. While the game itself does not change, not all…


Vivint Adds Security and Automation to a 1970s Era Deckhouse, Part One: The System

Eight years ago we moved into a thirty-five-year-old Deck House fixer-upper. Deck Houses are post and beam “kit” houses that are built like a barn, offer huge open space and because they have no joists or crawl spaces for running wires and plumbing present numerous challenges when renovating. It is for that reason (among others) that eight years later, we are still working on it. On the “wish list” of renovations was adding some home automation, but the cost and the unique challenges of the design made it less enticing than it might otherwise have been. At some point, I…


Castle Runner for iPhone/Touch

I remember a day when gaming was simple. The graphics were simple but made the point and game play required timing and easy actions to get as many points as possible. It is not that I do not love new games with fancy graphics and complicated game play, but sometimes it is fun when I have a few minutes to kill to go old school with a nice side scroller where timing is the name of the game. Castle Runner does just this and in a truly challenging manor. Let’s take a look. Castle Runner is an action themed side…


Slacker Launches Slacker Premium Radio with On-Demand Access to Music Library

I’m a huge fan of Slacker Radio but I have to admit, it has been a little long in the tooth lately. I mean, they still haven’t got an iPad app which means you need to use the Slacker iPhone app at 2X resolution on your iPad. Ugly!! Moreover, services like RDIO have made selective music streaming seamlessly ease while Slacker has kept to their same old model. Well, Slacker is hitting a milestone today with the release of a new iPad app AND Slacker Premium, a service for selectively streaming the music you want when you want it! So…


Frisbee Forever for iPhone / Touch / iPad

This week’s Blue Plate Special was spotted by my son. He was browsing the app store on my wife’s phone and came to ask if he could play frisbee. He said, “Dad! I have to get this frisbee game! It looks so cool and I promise it is free!” He had a point, it did look cool and was in fact free, so I let him download it. When he later told me how much he liked it, I added it to my phone then to my iPad since the application is universal. Let’s take a look. With summer coming…


Apple Kills an eBookstore, Who’s Next?

Very ominous news from the iOS ebook world today. Teleread has reported that iFlowReader, a small ebook app, announced the 30% cut to Apple was too much for their tight margins and are closing their doors. Now, you might be thinking “I only use Kindle/NOOK/Kobo, why should I care?” Well, if you do any ebook reading at all on an iOS device, you should be extremely angry and concerned. iFlowReader has an open letter on their site explaining the situation, and here’s the most important part: Why Do We Have to Shutdown? The crux of the matter is that Apple…