Apple iPad

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. 🙂

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, Gear Bits

GearFest GearChat #1, Tablet or Notebook? Which One When?

While together this past weekend the editors took some time out to talk tech. We’ll share the conversation/s over the next few days. Each of us brought a tablet, a notebook and at least one smartphone along with us. Two used the tablet almost exclusively while the others traded off between them fairly evenly. In this first one we talk about when and how we choose to use one or the other. Has your tablet become a primary productivity tool for you? Let us know in the comments.

Editorials

To 7″ iPad or Not to 7″ iPad, That is the Question

The Gear Chat began with this message to the team… Okay, this is ground we have covered before but it really deserves a new Gear Chat so… 7″ iPad. Interested or Not Interest? I commented: Me, I’m interested. As Mike has said, the 7″ form-factor is quite nice. Easy to carry, good for books and “big enough” for most tasks. Yes, it will offer less productivity functionality than the iPad but I already used my iPhone for much of my work and then finish on the iPad or Mac and this would be better. I love my iPod touch and,…

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…

Editorials

5 Reasons Why the $199 Google Tablet is a Terrible Idea … But I’m Getting One, Anyway

OK, so this was a post I started writing three months ago – when we first started hearing about a $199 Google Nexus Tablet. At the time I thought it was a bad idea – and we didn’t even know who was making it or what the specs might be like at the time! Now that we know that it is an ASUS device, with a footprint essentially similar to the Kindle Fire/Nook Tablet/Samsung Galaxy Tab/etc, with some decent sounding hardware compromises for the price, and the newly announced Android OS 4.1. And guess what – I am more convinced…

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

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

iLuv Epicarp Slim Folio for the New iPad Review

When iLuv’s Epicarp Slim Folio for the New iPad first arrived at my home, I was not impressed. It is thin, remarkably light and the plastic material feels… well let’s just say it does not feel substantial. (UNDERSTATEMENT!) The case truly lives up to its name when referred to as a “slim folio”. It is a folio design into which the new iPad easily, but securely, snaps. And it is quite slim. It is so slim, in fact, that I could not imagine that iLuv had been able to include the magnets necessary to activate the iPad’s sleep/awake functionality. Hey,…

News

Apple’s WWDC News As It Comes In From the Keynote Talk

12:50 EST: We’ll be following the news as it rolls in from the WWDC Keynote. Join us for a conversation in the comments below… So the question of the hours as we are five minutes out… why ONE announcement are you most hoping for? And we are off- Tim Cook is up on stage… no, wait, Siri is doing the intro. (Cute…) “I am excited about the new Samsung, not the phone, the refrigerator.” ( hahaha eh) Now Cook is on stage. 23rd WWDC, sold out in under 2 hours. App Store: 400 million accounts (equals 400 million examples of…

News

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

iPad-mini? iPod touch HD? iPhablet? A Gear Chat

The new… iPod Phablet I blame Francis. After all, he got the ball rolling when he asked the team: Apple 5″ device, how likely are we thinking? I still have my bets on a smaller iPad, but not sure about 5″. Carly jumped in with: Unless they bump the iPod touch to 5in to differentiate it. Chris then said: I could see them doing that to the iPod touch possible, but not the iPhone. I (Dan) then commented: That’s the post I was roughing out- the case for the iPod…

Crowdfunding, Reviews

Hand Stylus Review, Kickstart This!

Using an iPhone and or iPad throughout most days, there is one thing I have learned. My hands can sure make a touch screen smudged up and grimy. While coaching my high school softball team this year, we used the iPad to collect all of the game stats. While this was awesome, I found myself cleaning my iPad after every game just to be able to see the screen. At one point I thought using a stylus might be best to keep it clean while also making the stat keeping easier, but did not have one to use. Recently I…

Reviews

Baseball Superstars 2012 for iPhone and Touch

As we approach summer, I had to keep with last week’s theme to celebrate baseball season. Not to gloat…but yeah I will…my 1st grader ripped a double in the first inning of his last baseball game this weekend! The game of baseball brings me back to a wonderful time in my life that shaped who I am today. If you have already mastered Flick Home Run! and looking for a more complete baseball game for iOS, I have found the solution. Baseball Superstars 2012 can take you back to those awesome summer days as a ball player as well as…

Game Diary, Reviews

Flick Home Run! for iPhone and Touch

Now that baseball season is upon us in full swing and summer is approaching, I found it proper to feature a baseball app in this week’s Blue Plate Special. My kids have been playing tee ball and coach pitch and making dad proud; we have already made it to a minor league game in San Antonio. Baseball is in our blood and a beloved summer activity. I actually learned about Flick Home Run from one of my students that thought I might enjoy it. Boy were they correct! Now I am able to take a little batting practice anytime I…

Reviews

Midnight Mysteries: Haunted Houdini Game Review

History and magic buffs may recall the unfortunate incidents surrounding the death of famed early 20th-century magician, Harry Houdini. Midnight Mysteries: Haunted Houdini by Mumbo Jumbo adds a twist Houdini’s death, that it was not mere chance and acute appendicitis that did him in, but a conspiracy. You know, the butler did it. No, no, actually, you, the player, while minding your own business gets spooked by the late Mrs. Bess Houdini’s ghost, a spirit wanting your help to contact her late husband and find out what really happened over 80 years ago. To accomplish this, you will need to…

Gear Bits

How Much Gear Is too Much?

I have jury duty this week. My only other experience with jury duty was in Boston, and I remember sitting all day in a cramped room reading a book, and almost escaping being put on a jury. So I am anticipating a long day of “hurry up and wait” and have begun packing for the day accordingly. My original plan for what to bring was fairly extensive: iPad iPhone Computer (for logging into the office) Kindle Eers headphones Extra book Chargers iPhone iPod touch (for games) However, when I realized I was treating jury duty like I was going on…

News

AccuWeather App for iPad Updated to Version 2.0 – Now with Customizable Themes!

Weather buffs and iPad users rejoice! AccuWeather has a new free weather app, AccuWeather v2.0, and comes with a lot of bells and whistles and eye-candy. For iPad 3 owners, AccuWeather takes advantage of the iPad’s crisp Retina display. A cool new feature of the weather app is its user-configurable design schemes so that AccuWeather displays weather data the way you want it. Never be in the dark about your local weather conditions again with loads of detailed weather information enough to satisfy the budding meteorologist. New features include: Complete iCloud synchronization of locations and settings between multiple iOS devices…

Reviews

The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad 2 and the New iPad Review

I had a first generation iPad. It was an amazingly useful and functional device for me I loved the unit, but it wasn’t the thinnest. I rarely tried to carry my iPad with a keyboard, because once I put the iPad and a keyboard into my backpack I might was well have been carrying a laptop! When the iPad 2 came out, there were a number of keyboard “covers” that were also released. This system worked well for the iPad 2 since it was so much thinner than the first generation iPad. Still not much could be done for the…

Reviews

TouchRetouch HD for iOS review

Call me jaded, but it is increasingly rare that an iPhone or iPad app really grabs my attention. It is even less common that ones makes me go “Wow, oh wow. Wow wow wow wow wow wow !!” But when an iPad application can render the image you see at the top of this post… when the actual image is this one… And it can all be done in a matter of minutes using just your iPad and a finger… Now THAT is impressive. And THAT is what the app touchRetouch HD can do. The app is surprisingly simple to…

Editorials, How to Do It Yourself!

Mobile Blogging in 2012; What a Difference!

I am headed into the city for a meeting on behalf of Gear Diary, and after I’m done, Elana and I are grabbing a quick dinner in Manhattan before we have a fund-raiser for an organization that supports services for those who are hearing-impaired. Were I going into the city for a full day of events in the past, I would have had to bring my MacBook air, my Canon G11, and some additional equipment that works with them in order to quickly write-up whatever I could in order to get it up on the site as quickly as possible….

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