10 Great iPhone/ iPod Touch Apps

There maybe iPhone / iPod Touch versions of the apps in the iPad list. The fact the apps do not appear on this list does not diminish the quality of the app.

1. Mint - View your Mint.com account


2. Squarespace - Manage your squarespace hosting account


3. Facebook - Facebook 


4. Nike+iPod - Pedometer app/hardware.  


5. Redbox - Rent movies from Redbox


6. Twitter - Twitter’s own twitter client


7. Doodle Jump - Make a little doodle jump up through a screen of obstacles 


8. Scany  - Analyize your network


9. Dizzy Bee - Good game for kids and adults


10. Monopoly - Monopoly on the go

 

15 Great iPad Apps

1. The Early Edition - Great RSS reader


2. Twittelator - Very good Twitter client


3. Good Reader - PDF and other document reader


4. FileBrowser  - Allows you to browse and stream files from your computer to iPad


5. Plants vs Zombies HD - Plants killing zombies!


6. Dropbox -  Access your documents in your Dropbox account


7. Things - Great task management


8. The Weather Channel Max - The Weather Channel for iPad


9. Pandora - Pandora streaming radio with very nice iPad interface


10. ABC Player - Watch ABC shows right on iPad


11. Netflix - Access your Netflix queue and stream video directly to iPad


12. Dragon Dictation - Dictate memos and have them translated into text


13. TwitPad - Watch the Twit crew and chat along


14. Toy Story - Interactive story book that also allows some pages to be colored and games


15. iBooks / Amazon Kindle - Read your books from your favorite eBook store

Rumor: Next Version Of AppleTV To Run iPhone OS And Cost $99?

Engadget has posted a rumor about the next release of the AppleTV.  They received a tip stating the upcoming release of the home theater product will run the iPhone OS, contain both the A4 processor and 16GB of flash storage.  The big surprise is the cost, $99.  

This rumor is very interesting, hopefully it will have usb ports so you can connect additional storage.  I'm sure the jailbreak community is getting excited about this.  Only time will tell if the rumor is true.

Wired Magazine Releases iPad Edition

Wired has released a new iPad Edition of its monthly magazine.  This version includes animations and other interactive features. While this format looks very interesting, the magazine will cost $4.99 a month.  Subscriptions to the print edition can be easily found for about $10, so the new format represents a $50/yr premium over print. Additionally, each month's release is about 500mb in size.

US Justice Department Examining iTunes Tactics

New York Times columnist Brad Stone is reporting the Justice Department is examining Apple's tactics in the sale of digital music.  This past March, Apple supposedly asked music labels not to participate in Amazon's MP3 Daily Deal program.  The program gave Amazon the right to sell a new release song or album a day before Apple could with special pricing.  Apple asked the labels not to participate in the program and removed any marketing for albums included in the program.

Walmart Drops iPhone 3GS 16GB Models to $97

Walmart has dropped the price of the 16GB iPhone 3GS to $97 (with 2 year contract) ahead of the rumored launch of the next model in June.  

Apple Confirms SteveNote at 2010 WWDC

Today, Apple confirmed that Steve Jobs will present the keynote presentation at Apple's World Wide Developer Conference on Monday, June 7th at 10am PT.  The next version of the iPhone is expected to be announced at that time.  In the past few years, Apple has used the keynote to preview the next version of the iPhone.

Press Release

Digital Music Continues to Gain Market Share As Retailers Scale Back CD Floor Space

Billboard has released a report comparing music sales in 2009 to 2008

Highlights include:

•  iTunes market share increased to 26.7% up from 21.4% in 2008


• Amazon (CD & MP3) market share increased to 7.1% up from 4.9% in 2008


• Top 20 digital retailers increased to 35.5% up from 31.6% in 2008


• Mobile download from wireless providers (mostly ringtones) fell to 4.9% down from 6.6% in 2008


• Top 20 merchants selling CDs fell to 49.3% down from 57.5% in 2008


• Walmart sales decreased to 12.5% down from 15% in 2008 as they reduced floor space for CDs

 Billboard Report

Will The Optical Disc Die Already!

Optical discs have been available to the general public since the 1980’s in the form of music CDs and have evolved into Blue-Ray video discs today.  As much as some things have changed, many have stayed the same.  Optical discs stink.  They scratch too easily, proper storage of the discs takes up too much space, and the capacity is too small.  

I remember playing CDs in my car, something I haven’t done in the last 5 years.  I’m cruising down the street and hit a bump.  Woops, my song just skipped and my CD is now scratched.  Oh well, the music industry will be happy to sell me another.  Anybody that has young children probably has experienced what they can do to DVDs.  The DVD player won’t read your child’s favorite disc anymore.  You take it out of the player and look at the bottom of it.  I’m not sure what the substance is on the disc, but it is nearly impossible to remove.

Look around your house at all of those CDs, DVDs, Blue-Ray, Game Console, and backup discs.  It may look like you have a small library in your house.  You can trade in that wall of DVDs for a 2TB hard drive that is the size of a paperback book and can hold almost 1000 DVD quality movies.  You can probably store all of your music in MP3 or AAC format on your computer’s hard drive.  My 32GB iPod Touch can hold close to 700 CDs worth of music and it won’t skip in my car.  Plus, it is very convenient not to have to swap discs or browse through all of that physical media.

Accessing your backup data is equally frustrating.  Which disc are the wedding photos on?  Where is that document?  Backup discs are a pain to search through and recovering data is a slow process.  External hard drives are very cheap, $139 for 2TB, and can provide instant access to your data.  A word of caution, if you keep your back up hard drive next to your computer, you will lose all of your data in the event of a burglary or fire.  It is a good idea to have a 2nd drive for off site storage (more on this topic in a future article).

I’m not saying that optical media didn’t have its place in computing history.  Before hard drive capacity soared, they offered a lot of storage.  That time has come and gone so lets stop filling the landfills with the shiny discs.  Speaking of that, I wonder how many millions of AOL discs are in landfills?

AT&T to Raise Early Termination Fee For Smartphones

The Wall Street Journal reports that AT&T plans to increase the early termination fee for smartphones to $325. This is a $150 increase from the current $175 fee.  This increase adds credibility to rumors of AT&T losing exclusivity for US iPhone service.

Google Announces Google TV

Google has officially announced Google TV, a new platform designed to bring web based content to your TV.  Google is partnering with Sony and Logitech to integrate the service in televisions, blue-ray players, and stand alone boxes. Under the hood, Google TV will run the Android operating system and Google Chrome.

 

Google Open Sources WebM Video Codec

The Register reports that Google has open sourced the video codec WebM.  Earlier this year, Google purchased the codec for $124.6 million.  WebM will be royalty free and will take on the popular H.264 codec supported and partially owned by Apple and Microsoft.  Starting today, videos 720p or higher that are uploaded to Youtube, will be encoded in WebM.

WebM Home Page

Entry Level MacBook Receives Performance Boost

Apple has updated their $999 laptop with an improved processor and video card.  As of this time, the MacBook has not been update for some time and for it's $1499 entry level model, you can purchase both a new MacBook and an iPad.  

Updated MacBook Specs:

• 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo


• 2GB DDR3 memory


• 250GB hard drive


• 8x double-layer SuperDrive


• NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics


• Built-in 10-hour battery

Scosche In-Dash iPad Concept

 This is a concept video for an in-dash iPad mount.  Pretty cool concept, just not sure how readable the iPad will be during the day.

Targus Crave Sleeve for iPad

There were a couple of reasons I purchased this sleeve for my iPad.  The Crave has a front zipper that can fit my iPod Touch, the cloth I use to clean my iPad, and a Nike sensor with room to spare (all sold separately).  The case can be easily stored in my work bag without me worrying about the iPad being damaged.  Ultimately, the main reason I purchased the case, was the amount of padding in it.  It seems like the Crave will help protect against small falls (there is no way I'm going to test out this claim).  The only negative thing about this case, is that it doesn't provide any protection for the iPad when it is not in the case.  If you are interested in this case, you may want to also consider additional protection such as the Speck Candy Shell.

 

Features:

• Scratch free interior


• Padded exterior


• Hidden handles (for those that want to use them)


• Large zippered front pocket


• Retail Price: $35 (can be found cheaper)

 

Rating: 3/5

Sony CDX GT630UI Car Stereo

 

I received this stereo this past Christmas and love it.  It is compatible with all iPod models and you can control the iPod from the stereo or the iPod itself (passenger mode).  The stereo is also compatible with USB thumb drives, external hard drives, and other MP3 players.  The LCD displays MP3 ID3 tag information such as artist, album, and song.  The only negative I can find for this model is with the Zap button (works like a scan button and plays previews of songs).  It is too close to the forward seek button and I tend to hit it by mistake every once in a while.

 

This model was recently replaced with a new and virtually identical model, CDX GT640UI, that is around the same cost approximately $129 US.

 

Specs:

52x4 Watts

USB & Aux port

iPod direct control

AM/FM Radio (this is still around :) )

Parametric equalization with 7 presets

Wireless remote

Supported Digital File Formats: MP3, AAC, WMA

2 Color display: Blue or Green

Pros: Looks good, iPod/iPhone compatible up to current models, improves sound coming from factory speakers, easy to use, removable faceplate, low cost, USB and Aux ports, 2 color display.

 

Cons: ZAP button is too close to + seek button, not compatible with iPad via USB (nothing currently is) but can work through Aux port, display is dim in direct sun light.

 

 

Rating: 4.5/5 

Spirit Jailbreak For iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad

The Spirit jailbreak tool for firmware 3.1.2, 3.1.3, and 3.2 was very easy to use on my 3rd generation 32GB iPod Touch and my 32GB Wifi iPad.  After downloading the software, it took about 15 seconds to complete.  The web site warns that the iPad is only in beta right now, so your mileage will vary.  Some of the features you can enable via jailbreak will be included in the version 4.0 of the iPhone OS due out in June for iPhone/iPod Touch and September for iPad.  With any jailbreak, remember to change your root password from the default and to proceed at your own risk.



iPod Touch

Pros: Easy to use, Themes, Can run background process, increase the number of icons in a row to 5, additional source of software

Cons: May need to restore your device if the jailbreak fails

Rating: 5/5



iPad

Pros: Easy to use, Can run background process, additional source of software

Cons: No terminal app so you need to SSH into the iPad to change the root password, most apps are not written for iPad, no themes, may need to restore your device if the jailbreak fails

Rating 3/5

Wi-Fi Syncing App Available (Sort Of) for iPhone/iPod Touch

iPhone developer Greg Hughes recently created an app that would allow Wi-Fi syncing of iPhones and iPod Touches (iPad coming soon). According to Engadget, Apple unsurprisingly rejected the app, so it has appeared on the Cydia store for jailbroken devices. The app costs $9.99 and more information can be found on the developers web site.

http://www.getwifisync.com/

Will Your Next Digital Camera Be EVIL?

 

There is a new class of digital cameras out and there has not been an official name given to them.  They are currently being referred to as Evil Cameras.  Evil stands for Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens, which basically means there is not a prism in the Camera.  What you see through the view finder is what you get. The cameras also have replaceable lenses just like DSLRs but with the body the size of a point and shoot.

Sony currently produces a NEX-3 "EVIL" camera.

Overview:

$549 Retail

Mirrorless interchangeable lenses

Body about the size of  point and shoot

HD movie recording

14.2 megapixel resolution

Sweep Panorama

Live View LCD

Up to 7 frames per second

Image Sensor same size as a DSLR

Sony Store

NBC Cancels Heroes

In a spectacular move, NBC cancels the Sci-Fi Action series Heroes. Maybe NBC will replace the series with another reality show like fast food drive-thrus of New Jersey.

 http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/05/nbc-cancels-heroes.html

Canon Powershot SD890IS

 Written By Kim Goshen



I am a big fan of Canon Photoshot Digital Elph Point and Shoot camera's.  The Canon PowerShot SD890 was made to replace one of Canon's most popular compacts, the SD850.  I have owned 3 earlier models of digital ELPH's and I upgrade to a newer model every 2 to 3 years.   I am a stay at home mom of 2 kids and I can grab this camera and have it on in 2 seconds when I see the opportunity for a great shot.  Canon's PowerShot SD890IS Digital ELPH is a good choice for those who want a little extra zoom power from a compact camera. It offers very good photo quality, a 5X zoom lens, optical image stabilization, good performance, and plenty of point-and-shoot features all in a stylish package. The camera took me a little while to learn to hold, but once I mastered that, it was Great!   The time it takes this camera to reset between pictures is about 3.5 seconds.  The camera easily slides right into your pocket and has no sharp edges. The movie setting is a great feature to have.  I only wish you could zoom in movie mode.  The picture and sound when played on my computer is great quality.  I have made some great movies of the kids that our family will cherish forever.

Overall, this is a great camera to have at a great price.  The SD 890IS Digital ELPH has a powerful optical zoom- a Full 5x optical zoom to expand your photographic options. The 10 megapixal CCD and a list of advanced features will not only deliver impressive images but will also make your entire experience fun, exciting & rewarding.



        Powershot SD890IS Features:

• 10.0 Megapixel CCD sensor for up to 3648 x 2736 pixel images


• 5x optical 37-185mm (35mm equivalent) zoom


• Optical Image Stabilization (IS) technology


• 2.5" color LCD with 230,000 pixels


• Widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio for HDTV display


• Ultra-compact body (3.76 x 2.26 x 1.08 in.)


• Advanced TTL AiAF 9-point autofocus system with focus-assist lamp


• Canon's Face Detection AF/AE/FE technology with AF-Point Zoom feature


• Auto, Scene and Camera M (Program) exposure modes


• Continuous 1.2fps shooting until memory is full


• Movie mode w/sound 30fps 640x480/320x240 up to 4GB


• Evaluative metering on focus point or Spot


• Exposure compensation: +/-2EV in 1/3-step increments


• White Balance: Auto, 5 presets or Custom


• Shutter speeds of 15 seconds to 1/1500 second


• Auto noise reduction with 1.3 sec or longer shutter speeds


• Selectable ISO settings from 80 to 1600


• Voice memo (up to 60 sec.) can be attached to images


• Intelligent Orientation Sensor


• Built-in microphone and speaker


• Lithium rechargeable battery and charger included


• Direct print and PictBridge Compliant


• High-speed USB 2.0 connectivity for PC and Mac


• SD/SDHC and MMC/MMC+/HC MMC+ card storage, 32MB SD card supplied

Pros: 10 Megapixal, Advanced Features, Optical Image Stabilization, Huge 5x Optical Zoom, Optical Viewfinder, Improved Face Detection, Motion Detection Technology, Great Color & Exposure, Large Bright LCD, Great Battery Life,Good Low Light Performance, Compact & Lightweight, Easy to Use, Carry & Operate, Mac & Windows Compatible.

Cons: No optical zoom in movie capture.(This was the biggest disappointment), Power button is sometimes hard to turn on/off, Scroll wheel is not always responsive, USB cover often hard to open,  Body design is often hard to grip and Body is made of painted plastic.



Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Features: 5/5

Performance: 5/5

Price / Value: 5/5

Quality: 4/5

Satisfaction: 4/5

New International iPad orders slip to June 7th

New international iPad orders are now pushed out to June 7th and US orders have been pushed back from 5-7 business days to 7-10 business days.

Additionally, the iPad camera connection kit is pushed out 3-4 weeks.  The camera kit is designed to allow users to download photos from a USB connected camera or a SD card.  Users have also discovered other devices such as USB keyboards can be connected.

Plants vs Zombies iPhone OS

Plants vs Zombies for the iPhone OS is a perfect example of what gaming can be on this platform.  The game is well thought out and very addictive (think Facebook games).  The object of the game is to fight off swarms of zombies by populating your yard with numerous plants trying to kill them.  The iPhone/iPod Touch version of the game is a steal at $2.99, while the iPad version will cost you $9.99 for the same game with more pixels. Hopefully, iPhone OS developers with start producing more universal applications.  The game is also available for MAC and Windows and a Web version.



Rating: 5/5



Pop Caps Plants Vs Zombies

Another 4g iPhone Found

MacRumors reports that another 4th generation iPhone has appeared via the Vietnamese forum Taoviet.vn.  The phone was bootable displaying a possible diagnoses program called inferno.   This model is a 16GB version with the same casing as the Gizmodo unit.  The unit was completely disassembled and it appears Apple is now using one of their custom CPUs in it.  

Since the release of the iPhone there has been speculation of an iPhone nano.  Don't expect to see this anytime soon because the iPhone and iPod touch are more like the iPad nano.