Apple iPhone Apps | Gear Diary

Editorials June 25, 2010

Apple’s FaceTime Slight of Hand – It Isn’t About Video Chat

Two days into using Apple’s new FaceTime on the iPhone 4, and I’m coming to a realization… despite what Apple may say, FaceTime isn’t about video chat, it’s about Apple moving into yet another area of communications. Bear with me while I try to explain… With the arrival of over 600,000 new iPhone’s Apple has quickly introduced a brand-new communications system. Going by the name of FaceTime, it is the first implementation of mobile video chat that actually works. No let me correct that: it doesn’t merely “work”, it works really, really well! So long as you have a high-speed…

Reviews June 24, 2010

Bust Bad Guys with IcePics (In Case of Emergency Pictures) for iPhone

Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could just point your mobile phone’s camera at something or someone, press a single button, and without any further action on your part a picture — complete with GPS coördinates — would be snapped and instantly emailed to yourself, your spouse, a parent, your best friend, or … well, you get the idea. I can think of times where a feature such as this might be handy — like sharing the names and locations of newly discovered dive bars or hole in the wall restaurants with friends when you find them, or creating a travelogue of…

News & Features June 24, 2010

iOS 4 Multitasking Introduces New Popup Notifications and More

One of the reasons Steve Jobs came for the late arrival of any form of Apple-supported multitasking was the battery hit that occurs when multiple apps are running even after the user has moved away from that particular screen. The result is that only in the 4th iteration of Apple’s mobile operating system has any form of multitasking emerged and even with it there are strict limitations. As Larry and I discussed in last weeks Gear Chat, there are only a certain number of functions that can run in the background and, even then, developers have to retool their apps…

News & Features June 24, 2010

A Quick Test of Mobile Blogging From My IPhone 4

I’ve never been all that pleased with the various mobile blogging apps currently available for the iPhone. But with iOS 4 out and a new iPhone I thought I would give it a go once more. The image above is a screen capture from my iPhone. This picture is not…. It was just taken with the iPhone 4’s camera. The new version of the Blogpress app lets you directly upload and embed video via YouTube. How does it look? We’ll know soon enough.

Game Diary, Reviews June 23, 2010

World Series of Poker Hold’em Legend Free for iPhone/Touch App Review

Sunday evening I came home from playing some low stakes poker with some of my coaching buddies and still felt like playing. I searched for a good iPad poker game but came up empty handed so I searched on the iPhone for some poker goodness. There is a number of poker apps on the phone so I first tried a free game just to see how much I liked it. Well, that turned out to be a great decision since I found a fantastic Texas Hold ’em game that I can play anytime. Anyone who enjoys poker has watched it…

News & Features June 20, 2010

Evernote Updated For iOS- Key New Features Make A Great App Even Better

As more and more apps get updated for iOS 4.0 the question of what it all means becomes increasingly important. We already know that Apple’s idea of “multitasking” and “backgrounding” is not the same as what we experience on a desktop. (ie, all the applications you are using continue to run even when they have been moved to the background or the dock.) No, Apple’s idea of multitasking involves allowing key FUNCTIONS to continue running in the background but not the apps themselves. If you want that you’ll have to jailbreak and get Backgrounder. Apple’s reasoning is well-known by now….

Reviews June 18, 2010

You Can Run but You Can’t Hide- Find My iPhone, An iPhone App Quick Look

Apple’s update of MobileMe brings the new email look that has been in Beta to the masses. It is a huge improvement. It also coincides with the release of the Find My iPhone iPhone app. The app is universal so it works equally well on an iPad. (Perhaps it should be called Find My iOS Device???) Here’s a quick look at it in action. When you start the app it shows you all the devices on your MobileMe account. It can take a few seconds to locate the device and, obviously, those with a GPS chip (ie my iPhone or…

Game Diary, Reviews June 15, 2010

Shift for iPhone/Touch

Once again my weekly app store search has brought yet another game. This week’s choice combines subtle, simple graphics and a cool soundtrack with platform game play and puzzle strategy into a truly addictive and unique gaming experience. Shift utilizes simple, yet intuitive controls to guide the character through each level. The game usually costs $.99 but has been free the past couple of days. Shift’s graphics are extremely simple, yet work amazingly well. No fancy 3D rendering or colorful puzzles, just black and white. Much like Spy vs. Spy, the game is entirely in black and white which is…

News & Features June 14, 2010

Dan and Larry Serve Up Gear Chat #11

We’re back with episode #11 of Gear Chat. In this episode Larry and Dan talk iPhone 4. We talk iPhone ordering, hardware likes and disappointments and more. And, of course, we’ll talk iPad and iPhone apps, tips, tricks and news. FiWi- Create 2 symmetrical Finder windows in a snap. $.99 Get it here. PadSync for Mac- Ease browsing, management and sync of iPad shared files. $9.95. Get it here. Reeder RSS Reader for iPad- $4.99. Get it here. Osfoora HD, Twitter for iPad- $3.99. Get it here. Weight Watchers Mobile for iPhone- Free. Get it here. reQall for iPhone- Free….

Game Diary, Reviews June 10, 2010

Angry Birds for iPhone/Touch App Review

It is summer and time to have some fun. I have recently heard rumblings of another great iPhone game. The game was mentioned in the same sentences as Plants vs. Zombies so my ears perked up and I paid attention. I needed to check out the game if it is near as good and addictive as what I was hearing. First I tried the Lite version and thought about using it as the Blue Plate Special, but I was having so much fun I had to go ahead and buy the full version. I was trying to find the words…

Editorials June 5, 2010

Dear Apple and Nuance, You’ve Been Dating Long Enough… Time To Get Hitched

I’ve never had much luck as a matchmaker. In fact I am perfectly horrible at it. Still, this is one time when I am pretty sure that a marriage ought to take place. That’s right, I think it is time for Apple and Nuance to start getting serious about one another. Sure, Nuance now owns MacSpeech Dictate and Scribe which run on OS X. And yes, Nuance’s Dragon Dictation and Dragon Search work beautifully on the iPhone and iPad. But that’s just dating. I want to see them take the next step. And what is that next step? I want…

Reviews June 5, 2010

Electric Pocket’s BookLover for iPhone Review

I know I’ve said it here before, but I’ll say it again: I like lists. I’m a sucker for any promising program that allows me to make more lists, and while I like programs that allow me to create lists for a wide range of needs (Things or ListPro, for example), specialized list programs are great, too, because they can incorporate features that true enthusiasts want but are specific to the list topic. BookLover from Electric Pocket – makers of BugMe! – is just such a specialized list. BookLover, as may not surprise you given the title, is a program…

Game Diary, Reviews June 2, 2010

Glass Tower 2 for iPhone/Touch App Review

Many puzzle games involve items or shapes falling from the top of the screen that must be eliminated in some way. Basically they are a take on Tetris which I loved to play back in my early high school days. Every now and then one of these games is actually unique and fun. I came across Glass Tower 2 on a random search of the app store and it turned out to be a great game. The game is free, but very limited with only 10 levels that may not be repeated. Extra level packs are available for $.99 and…

News & Features June 1, 2010

iPad App- “Bible’s Top10 – ‘Spoken by God'”- When You Really Need to Get Your Fire and Brimstone On

Ah yes, now you too can hear the voice of God uttering the Big 10. A new iPad app lets you: Listen to the holy word of God on you iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. Feel the strength and passion of the Bible´s most sacred laws. God spoke on Mount Sinai to share with the world these 10 rules to be followed for a holy and moral life. Touch the screen and listen. Each law appears in text and with sound as you touch the stone tablets on the screen. I just had to hear what the “voice of God”…

News & Features May 29, 2010

Skype Finally Enables iPhone Calls Over 3G

At long last Skype has enabled calling over the 3G connection. This feature has been promised and promised and promised and finally it’s why. That means that when you’re away from your WiFi connection you can still use Skype to make voice calls. But it gets even better than that. Until the end of August Skype calls over 3G will be free. (Of course data connections will still apply.) According to the upgrade information, there will be a small charge for such calls after that but for now… call away. Do you think AT&T can handle the additional traffic? We’ll…

News & Features May 28, 2010

With Line2 Update The iPad Really Is A Phone

We are spending a few days up in the mountains. It is beautiful. It is peaceful. It is a great place to get some work done. Only problem is… The cell reception here is terrible and our landline costs a fortune. Luckily I still have my subscription to the Line2 VoIP app and it works great. Seriously the call quality is fantastic, and it is what I am using constantly up here. Better still, if your iDevice is jailbroken, then you can leave the app running and receive calls on it. Well an update just hit my iPad and iPhone,…

Game Diary, Reviews May 26, 2010

Bloons TD Lite for iPhone/Touch App Review

Working at a school allows me to see many different fads and phenomena. Sometimes it is a certain clothing style, a catch phrase, a certain style of purse or shoes etc… This year the craze seems to be a certain flash game. The game is available on an educational website that is actually not blocked by the filter at our school. There is a huge number of games to play but one has become the default for almost everyone. Bloons Tower Defense is not only played by the students in spare moments in the computer lab, but the coaching staff…

News & Features, Vehicles & Gear May 25, 2010

iPhone Calls Shotgun With New Safe Driver App

Here is an app that caught my interest as soon as I saw the e-mail. Worry is probably the leading cause of stress for many parents and vehicle fleet managers alike. Dangerous Decisions has released an Apple iPhone app designed to monitor driving conditions in a vehicle and it is available as a basic free download or in a pro version that carries a one-time price of $24.99. No sooner did I hit the sentence in the press release with the link to the download site than I put the free version on my iPhone and went out for a…

Reviews May 24, 2010

Gowalla vs. Foursquare: Which One Is Right For You?

I got hooked on Foursquare, the social networking iPhone OS application that allows you to “check-in” at the places you visit, by Judie back at CES. Judie, Dan and I had a fun time battling for mayorships of various locations in Las Vegas. I’ve been a frequent user of the app. since then too. But a worthy competitor to Foursquare has emerged, so worthy in fact that I find myself using Gowalla more. Both Gowalla and Foursquare are iPhone OS applications that operate on the same basic principal. Using your device’s built in GPS the applications locate you and show…

Reviews May 24, 2010

Sound ID 510 Bluetooth Headset and EarPrint iPhone App- Available June 6, but We Already Have a Review

I previously reviewed Sound ID’s last two headsets, the Sound ID 300 and the Sound ID 400. Both headsets were among the most comfortable and best sounding Bluetooth headsets I have used and both packed some nice features into rather small device. Well this morning Sound ID announced their next generation Bluetooth headset, and it is rather impressive. The headset packs in A2DP Technology, advanced noise reduction, multi-point technology and… get this… an iPhone app that works with the headset. The new headset, the Sound ID 510 will be available in black from AT&T (available in the store and online)…

Reviews May 19, 2010

2nd Opinion for iPhone/Touch App Review

I am not going to lie…many of the apps on my iPhone are used primarily for entertainment and wasting some spare time. Most of these time wasters are games, but every now and then a non-game entertainment app is discovered. 2nd Opinion is not considered a game, but can be just as addicting. If you like crowdsourcing or answering random questions, this will be quite entertaining. 2nd Opinion is a collection of user asked yes/no questions. The questions can be any subject and can include a photo. As more users download the app, the number of questions rises quickly so…