Currently Browsing
Utilities
Some apps available for smartphones these days try and do too much at once. They present you with an endless list of features, but they’re all executed badly and the resulting experience is frustrating. Other apps, whilst having less features, focus on one specific task but pull it off brilliantly — and the resulting experience is fantastic. Countdown Me is a great example of the latter. Let’s take a look at how it takes such a simple concept, and turns it into a very well-rounded app that’s a joy to use. (more…)
One of the biggest reasons why I love my iPhone is that it can be used for so many different things if you are willing to push its limits. Since becoming a teacher, in the last few years I have started to experiment with using iPod Touches, iPhones and other mobile devices in the classroom. I love to show kids how they can use their smartphones for more than just texting their friends and actually learning something.
One of the main things that we use the devices for is to not only consume content, but to make content that they can share with me and other classmates. There are a variety of apps out there that can do this, but I had my students try out Backspaces for a bit, and they seemed to really take to it. The more that I started to use and play with it, the more I saw why they liked it. (more…)
If the iOS’ clock capabilities are too bland for your tastes, then you just might appreciate Radio Alarm Clock. This app is an all-in-one featuring a sleep timer, a shake-to-snooze option and has an old-timey antique display, among other features. It will also alert you that it’s time to wake up with nature sounds, radio stations or various other sounds of your choosing.
Can this flashy timepiece get you ready to take on the world in the morning? Find out more about it after the jump. (more…)
As you have probably heard or experienced, having kids definitely changes your life and how you live it. Before, I had all the time in the world to go to the movies, read the books I wanted, etc. Now, those activities are few and far between, and I definitely can no longer keep up with all the new releases that come out.
Well, a few weeks ago, I got to download an app called Recall, which I was intrigued by because I thought it might help me solve this problem. With so many good things being released in a rapid pace, I don’t know how we can even keep up with everything. But, Recall aims to help us remember when that latest movie we wanted to watch comes out, or that awesome song that we want to download. (more…)
The modern world of gaming is very different to the one of a decade ago. Games consoles are being marketed as far more than just machines to play games on; devices like the iPhone along with the App Store have revolutionised the way we perceive portable gaming, and console manufacturers are struggling to find ways to compete. Even home consoles are becoming outdated, as they largely force us to use physical media in a world where we’ve gotten used to just downloading a new game whenever we fancy.
Microsoft have done something awesome. Instead of releasing something else to compete with Apple in this market, they released Xbox SmartGlass. The app allows you to use your iOS device as an extension of your Xbox, and it is very, very cool. (more…)
One of the things that I have greatly appreciated about my iPhone is the fact that I still have held onto my unlimited data plan since I first signed up. It still rubs me the wrong way how much you have to pay for smartphone plans now days. I get the fact that cell phone companies have to charge more because they are subsidizing the phone, but there has got to be a better solution.
I have always thought that VOIP could somehow challenge these big, corporate cell companies and make themselves competitive. When Google Voice came out, it looked like they might be able to do this. But as we have learned over the past couple of years, VOIP doesn’t look like it is ready to be a player just yet. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t developers out there that are creating some cool apps for it. Outside of Google Voice, one option is SendHub. Let’s take a look at it after the jump. (more…)
Check The Weather is one of those rare apps that gets a lot of attention for outdoing Apple at their own game. These are apps like iA Writer — apps that are minimalist but focused, and excel at the things they do.
Check The Weather fits those criteria. Not only is it a great way to do what the app’s title suggests, but it’s also managed to replace the stock Weather app on my iPhone. For me, this is the first time one app has ever wholly replaced any of the stock Apple apps. Let’s find out why Check The Weather is the only weather app worth your hard-earned cash. (more…)
I’m an upper-year university student with a full course load, a part-time job and a few different freelance writing jobs that I hold down. I really struggle to keep my life organized. Even a few accidentally wasted hours can put me a day behind schedule. Before I got my iPhone and my iPad, my life was filled with sticky notes, notebooks, pens that I always lost, and a complete and total lack of sanity.
Since getting my iPad and my iPhone, my life has become more organized and much easier. I work twice as much and twice as hard — and I’ve become twice as productive. My income has skyrocketed, and I owe it all to becoming more organized. A big chunk of the solution has been iStudiez Pro, a universal app for all your devices. Let’s find out more after the jump.
With the advent of the smartphone, we are starting to do more things on it that we never thought were possible. Recently, I did an experiment where I was going away on a weekend trip and decided to only take my iPhone with me to see if I could get by. I forced myself to use the iPhone for my every day normal tasks that I would do if I had my iPad or laptop. To my surprise, I found that when it was my only device to use, I actually got by fine with it and actually did more on it than I had done before.
Not only are smartphones getting better, so are the apps that are being made for them. Take M dot for example, which lets you create a good looking website right on your iPhone in mere minutes. I had a lot of fun playing with it and it truly displays the extensive capabilities of the iPhone. (more…)
I can hear you ask the question: are you seriously going to review a timer application? How much can there really be to it?
The fact is that for years I had only used Apple’s own timer app, and before I tried Timer I couldn’t see any need to change that. But it’s the little things that make a big difference and Timer has some neat little touches that make it the only timer you’ll ever need. (more…)
