My wife and I have been talking about her making a career change, and that necessitates her going back to school. Back when I went to school, the smartphone wasn’t even invented, much less a tool for getting anything done. Today, AppStorm reviews apps all the time that are designed for helping out with homework and assignments, and that means that she could use her iPhone for school. Sounds great, right?
But what about you? If you go to school, do you use your iPhone for keeping track of your homework or anything else? Let us know in the poll to the right!
Sometimes, an app comes along that fits a small niche in a really interesting, kind of absurd way. How many people really need an app that combines ambient music with police radio? And out of the people who think they need that app, how many are willing to pay for it? Any development time is a gambling risk; wasted time developing an app that doesn’t work out is potentially wasted money (or so the saying goes — don’t ask me, I’m still trying to earn pennies by saving them so I fall for these scams all the time). Regardless, somebody put this app together. It’s called La Vue, it’s a universal app and it’s on the App Store for $0.99.
There’s no denying the concept is pretty cool, but cool concepts with weak implementations are never any good. The real question I had going into this isn’t why anybody would bother putting this together; it’s such an original and cool idea that the real question is why somebody wouldn’t. But I did wonder if the design was any good, if the app matched or exceeded its value and who could really use an app like this. My answers surprised me. (more…)
Chorma is an app to get you and your housemates on the same page when it comes to chores. More straightforward than a passive-aggressive sticky note left on the week-old pile of dirty dishes and less confrontational than a house meeting, Chorma wants to make it easy to communicate with the people you live with without killing them.
I don’t strictly speaking have any housemates, but I do have a husband, and he does leave piles of dirty, well, everything lying around. We’ll see if Chorma can help us get things done before our dirty laundry takes over the house and we have to move into the yard. (more…)
There’s nothing like a healthy dose of gaming to help you unwind after the work week, and we’re always happy to help you out with the finest recent releases.
This week, you’ll meet some familiar faces in new settings, dive into a pair of super sequels and try out a fascinating spin on a familiar formula — click through and get started! (more…)
Oh, how I used to while away my days playing Sonic the Hedgehog on my SEGA Genesis back in the day. Between that and Street Fighter II, I don’t know how I got any homework done (actually, that explains a lot). Seriously, the Sonic series of games have a solid root on my heart, but recent versions have desecrated the name and turned it into a near worthless bit of IP.
But now there’s Sonic Dash, a reinvention of the concept for the mobile platform. It’s a runner, sure, but it’s also a different format for my favorite blue hedgehog entirely. Does it hold up to all of those childhood memories, or is it just another Sonic and the Black Knight? Let’s find out. (more…)
As the world goes more and more mobile, people want to be able to take as much of their life with them as possible. Many people, including yours truly, write for a blog — be it your own, or someone else’s as a writer. It only seems natural that we should be able to blog wherever we are and not have to wait until we get back to our computers to get work done.
Luckily for us bloggers, we have a few choices available when it comes to using an iOS device to manage blogs. Today, we’re going to be taking a look at Poster, one of the better blogging apps available. Let’s get into it after the break. (more…)
Pinboard is a simple bookmarking service that allows users to bookmark webpages and funnel in bookmarks from many other services and browsers. Pinboard is similar to Delicious, except significantly faster and less social. Bookmarks are stored in the cloud, so users can access them anywhere. The service features tag support and a read later queue, and bookmarks can be labelled as public or private. The service is available for a one-time fee, which currently sits around $10. The fee grows with each purchase, which serves as a way to prevent unsustainable growth.
Although Pinboard is an excellent service, there’s a lack of solid Pinboard applications in the App Store. The service has a mobile version, but it’s missing many of the perks that native apps take advantage of. Collin Donnell’s Pinbook is a universal Pinboard client that attempts to bring the best aspects of Pinboard to the iPhone and iPad.
If you’re a pop culture enthusiast, you’ll love Icon Pop Quiz. The game tests your knowledge of everything from TV shows and movies to celebrities and well-known characters.
Gameplay is simple: You’re presented with a grid of abstract, mod-looking icons, each one meant to symbolize a person or thing. If you think you know the answer, just click the icon and type it in. What do you get if you’re right? Points and a few other things, but mostly bragging rights — isn’t that the best part of being a pop culture wiz anyway?
Click “more” to see whether you’re up to the test. (more…)
I love baking bread — the feel of kneading silky dough, the magic of watching it rise and the smell of it baking in a hot oven. If you love baking bread too, or if you’ve always wanted to learn, you’ve got to check out the Bread Baking Basics app by Michael Ruhlman. This clever app gives an overview of Bread Baking Basics and then lets you create custom recipes with the flours you’ve got on hand using ratios. Ruhlman, a writer, cook and renowned food authority, has co-authored cookbooks with famous chefs, including Thomas Keller and Eric Ripert. The man knows his stuff and his writing style keeps the process simple and approachable for novice bakers. If you’ve got experience with the peel, you’ll appreciate this handy app that enables you to be less reliant on recipes and more focused on technique.
Interested in getting your hands in some dough? Keep reading … (more…)
Spring Training is just winding down around my part of the U.S., but that just means that we’re that much closer to opening day. It used to be that I had to subscribe to specific TV channels to watch my favorite team play, but now I can just prop my iPhone or iPad up next to my desk and watch while I work. Turns out I use my iPhone to follow pretty much all the sports I watch, whether it’s just to catch up on the score or delve deeper into the system.
What about you? Do you use your iPhone to follow sports? Let us know in the poll to the right!
