Google Adds iPhone Push Notifications for Gmail, Calendar

Aug 23

Posted by Alan in App Updates, Google, iPhone Apps With Push Notifications | No Comments

Google has released a big update for its Google Mobile iPhone app (link) that adds push notifications for Gmail and Google Calendar. The notifications can be adjusted in the app’s settings to only appear during a specified time. For example, you could turn off notifications for while you’re sleeping.

Also added to the Google Mobile app were instant as-you-type info for flights, weather, stock quotes, and currency conversions that show up without even tapping Search.

We wonder why Apple simply doesn’t have an option to turn on Local Notifications for its Mail app so there’d be no need to use a push notification server. Or maybe Google was wondering the same thing and got tired of waiting for Apple to implement it.

Google Mobile is a free download from the iTunes App Store.

*Update* Push notifications for this app do not seem to be working, and no word from Google on what’s going on.

The 50 Best Free iPhone Apps for Kids

Aug 23

Posted by Alan in Best Free iPhone and iPod Touch Apps, Best iPhone Apps for Kids, Free iPhone Apps for Kids, Games for Kids, iPhone Apps for Children, iPhone Apps for Kids, iPhone Tips | 1 Comment

With so many apps in the iTunes App Store, it can be tough to sort through them all to find the gems. Here are our editors’ handpicked choices for the 50 best free apps for available for children on the iPhone and iPod touch, along with some honorable mentions.
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Facebook Goes Places

Aug 19

Posted by Tim Barribeau in App Updates, Facebook | No Comments

Facebook just announced a major new feature for the world’s most popular social network: location based check-ins. A new version of their iPhone app has just been put out (link), which is now location aware. The feature was obviously taken from incredibly popular apps like foursquare, and lets you tag yourself and friends at locations, stores, restaurants and the like:

Go to Places on the iPhone application or touch.facebook.com site and then tap the “Check In” button. You’ll see a list of places near you. Choose the place that matches where you are. If it’s not on the list, search for it or add it. After checking in, your check-in will create a story in your friends’ News Feeds and show up in the Recent Activity section on the page for that place.

While the feature shows up in the app for everyone across America, the capability to actually “Check In” is rolling out slightly slower. It’s not available in all locations quite yet.

If, like me, you’re paranoid about privacy on Facebook, here’s a guide to making sure what you want to keep private doesn’t get broadcast to the whole world.

Official description after the jump:

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Review: Sound ID 510 Bluetooth Headset, the First With Its Own iPhone App

Aug 17

Posted by Alan in Bluetooth, Bluetooth Accessories, Bluetooth Headsets, iPhone Accessories, iPhone Bluetooth Headset Reviews | 5 Comments

The Sound ID 510 bluetooth headset ($130) is compatible with any bluetooth phone, but it’s unique to the iPhone in that it’s the first headset to have its own iPhone app. Add in touch volume controls and a glossy design, and the headset could have been released by Apple itself. Although the headset lacks premium features like voice menus and quick contacts, the Sound ID 510′s size, performance, and accompanying app make it an appealing choice for iPhone owners.

The Sound ID 510 is small and compact even by modern bluetooth headset standards. It weighs only 0.28 ounces (8 grams) and is 2.1 inches long, 0.6 inches wide, and 0.3 inches in thickness. Despite the small size, the headset still offers excellent battery life, with 5 hours of talk time and 135 hours of standby. A downside is that it takes 2.5 hours to fully charge.


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Review: Griffin Motif for iPhone 4

Aug 14

Posted by Alan in iPhone 4 Accessories, iPhone 4 Case Reviews, iPhone 4 Cases, iPhone Case Reviews, iPhone Cases | No Comments

The Griffin Motif for iPhone 4 ($15) is available as one of the cases in Apple’s Free iPhone 4 Case program, but we find it’s not one of the better choices. We didn’t like the semi-transparent TPU material the case is made out of, as it has a sticky feel and poor shock absorption. Even an interesting diamond pattern that shimmers in the light can’t save this below average case.

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Review: Speck Fitted Case for iPhone 4

Aug 13

Posted by Tim Barribeau in iPhone 4 Accessories, iPhone 4 Case Reviews, iPhone 4 Cases, iPhone Case Reviews, iPhone Cases | 12 Comments

One of the many cases available through the iPhone 4 Case program, the Speck Fitted Case ($20) is arguably the most stylish of the choices. Its two-piece construction impressed us with the protection it offers, though we did suffer a few minor accessibility issues with some of the iPhone’s ports. While none of Apple’s free cases have blown us away, the Speck Fitted is one of the better options.

When Apple announced that you could pick up a number of third-party cases for free as part of the great antennae debacle, I was instantly drawn to the Speck Fitted Case. I use a Speck case on my MacBook Pro, and adore it, so I hoped I would have the same feelings with their iPhone products.


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iPhone Basics: How to Turn On Call Forwarding

Aug 13

Posted by Alan in iPhone Basics, iPhone Tips | 1 Comment

The iPhone makes it a snap to activate call forwarding—there’s no need to call anyone or deal with voice menus. You simply activate it in the iPhone’s Settings. Just follow these instructions (note that all calls forwarded will count against your iPhone’s minutes):

1. Open Settings:


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Navigon GPS iPhone Apps Half Off for Limited Time (iPhone Bargains)

Aug 12

Posted by Alan in iPhone GPS, iPhone GPS Navigation Apps | No Comments

Navigon MobileNavigator North America (link) is currently half off in the App Store thanks to Navigon celebrating its one-year App Store anniversary. The current $39.99 price tag is the cheapest the app has ever been (was $79.99). The turn-by-turn GPS app has been well-reviewed by both professional critics and iPhone users alike, averaging 4 stars in the App Store. If it’s not the best iPhone GPS app, it’s in the top two.

Navigon MobileNavigator Norther America is a $39.99 download for a limited time.

Official app description:
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Free Apps We Like: To Do’s List

Aug 12

Posted by Alan in Free iPhone and iPod Touch Apps, Local Notifications, iPhone Apps, iPhone Productivity Apps | No Comments

We’ve seen a lot of to-do apps, but To Do’s List (link) is the best free one we’ve come across yet. And despite including powerful features like local notifications, password protection, and exporting tasks to the iPhone’s calendar, the app never loses sight of its purpose: quick and easy creation of a to-do list.

The first requirement for any good to-do app is that it let you create a to-do as fast as possible. To Do’s List lets you do this in a minimum amount of steps: open the app, hit the plus sign, write your to-do, tap Done. That’s it, the item is added to your list.

From there, you can do the typical organizing like adding priorities and additional notes if you’re so inclined. But what’s special about To Do’s List is that it takes advantage of new iOS features like Local Notifications, which allow you to set alarms for your various tasks that will run in the background and alert you even while running other apps.

The app also lets you add to-do list items to your iPhone’s calendar. If you want to turn a reoccurring to-do like “Get a haircut” into a monthly repeated task on your iPhone’s calendar, you can do so without ever leaving the app.

Some may also appreciate the password protection to keep your to-do’s private. Who doesn’t have an embarrassing task to do now and again, or maybe Christmas shopping for the husband and kids? A setting in the options menu lets you require a password in order to access the app when its launched.

The app has many other settings and tweaks, like various ways to change the app’s appearance. All-in-all, it’s a pretty good deal for free, although it is ad-supported, so you’ll have to deal with an annoying ad (when the ads are working). There’s also a paid version that removes the ads.

To Do’s List is a free download from the App Store.

Review: Cellet Jelly Case for iPhone 4

Aug 11

Posted by Alan in iPhone 4 Accessories, iPhone 4 Case Reviews, iPhone 4 Cases, iPhone Accessories, iPhone Case Reviews, iPhone Cases | No Comments

The Cellet Jelly ($8) is one of the most inexpensive cases we’ve seen yet for the iPhone 4, and while not particularly spectacular in any area, it features solid design (its only flaw being a loose fit) and doesn’t get in the way of using the iPhone, making the case a good value.

Our only complaint about the Cellet Jelly is a semi-loose fit that occasionally allows a corner of the case to slip off when removing from pockets. It’s not the worst fit we’ve seen, and the case will stay on the iPhone in normal use, but it’s nevertheless a minor annoyance. The loose fit also causes the case’s frame around the iPhone’s screen to take on a slightly bent or warped look at times.

But that’s about the only fault we could find with the case. Its most standout feature is not any one design element, but rather that, overall, the case doesn’t get in the way of using the iPhone on an everyday basis. If that seems like a no-brainer design wise, it’s telling that so many case manufacturers get it wrong.
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