1. A Good Pair of Earbuds for $7? Yup, the Monoprice 8320s
Tired of breaking $100 pairs of earphones? Whitson Gordon over at LifeHacker says to check out the Monoprice 8320 earphones, which currently cost just $7.11. Whitson not only points to reviews at The Wirecutter and Hi-Fi.org, but tested them himself and says they have some “great, thumping bass” along with decent mids and highs. Of course, being $7 earphones, they’re not perfect. The rubber earbud tips come in only one size, and they don’t have the iPhone 3-button dongle, but hey, $7. Enough said. I just bought a pair myself. And, man, if there’s one online store you should know about after Amazon, it’s MonoPrice.com. Incredibly cheap online version of Radioshack.
2. Best Apps of 2012 So Far, According to Appolicious
Brad Spirrison of Appolicious puts together his picks for the best apps of 2012 so far. He makes some interesting picks here, his opinion is not of the run-of-the-mill variety. But the list is also a little short, only 10 Apps. Check’em out, I won’t spoil t.
3. Review: RetailMeNot for iPhone Can Save You Money
If you’re a frugal shopper or just buy stuff online a lot in general, you should know about RetailMeNot.com. The website has been blowing up in popularity the past few years. Well, now there is a RetailMeNot app (free), and, wow, it’s a good-looking app. Jake Rocheleau over at AppStorm took a detailed look at the app and says it’s the “most consistent app for producing real working coupons at so many different establishments.” I agree.
4. Review: Julia Child’s Master the Art of French Cooking, Selected Recipes for iPad
Perhaps no chef changed the way Americans cook more than Julia Child did. The Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Selected Recipes ($2.99) for iPad gathers 32 of her “most often prepared and best-loved dishes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1.” The app doesn’t just supply recipes but more importantly explains the technique required to cook them correctly—something that distinguishes the app from other “recipe books.” Leanna Lofte over at iMore reviewed the app and says it’s “beautiful and very well made” with her only complaints being non-support for Retina Display and poor scrolling on the Videos page.
5. 50 Fantastic Free iPad Apps
You always gotta love a big ol’ app roundup, and Joel Bankhead over at AppStorm has published 50 great free iPad apps. A good mix of classic selections with some new ones I hadn’t heard of.
6. AT&T and Verizon’s Shared Data Plans, Compared
AT&T just announced their shared data family plans, and Leanna Lofte compares them with Verizon’s. Pricing is pretty comparable between the two, although if you have 3 to four phones, AT&T can save your between $50-$240 a year.
7. Review: Checkmark for iPhone
Checkmark ($0.99) is a powerful new reminders app that uses the iPhone’s geofencing feature to remind you to do stuff whenever you arrive/leave at a location. Dan Moren over at MacWorld calls the app a “step up from Apple’s Reminders” app, liking not only the efficiency of the app’s interface but also that you can add a timer element on top of the location-based reminders (for example, remind me 15 minutes after leaving home to call Dad). An app for the forgetful.
8. Fieldrunners 2 Gets a 5-Star Review
Touch Arcade’s Cassandra Khaw gives Fieldrunners 2 ($2.99) a 5-star rating, saying its graphics are “stunning, an audiovisual treat” and “It’s the little things that make Fieldrunners 2 shine so bright.” Me, I’m a little tired of tower defense games (heck, I was already tired of iPhone tower defense games two years ago), but you gotta love Fieldrunners. Maybe it’s time to come back to the genre, like reigniting the flame with an forgotten ex-girlfriend. OK, that sounds like a bad idea.
