Category: News

1. The New Launch Center Pro App, Explained (Video)

There’s been much ado about the new Launch Center Pro app ($2.99), too bad it’s hard to understand just what exactly the app does or how you’ll benefit. App Advice’s lovable pixie Robin Rhys put together this nice video showing some nice examples of how to set it up and use it to save yourself some time (in a nutshell, it saves you lots of taps over time). I’m still not sure I’m sold, but it does seem like something Apple should build into the iPhone.

Here’s Robin’s tutorial video:

2. How to Properly Clean Your iPhone/iPad

Allyson Kazmucha of iMore tells you how to properly clean the screen, reiterating Apple’s own advice in saying to use a microfiber cloth or other gentle, non-abrasive material in order to protect the oleophobic coating. Never spray liquids directly onto the iPhone itself, and avoid liquids with ammonia, alcohol, or bleach.

3. The Best Browsers for the iPhone and iPad

Thorin Klosowski of LifeHacker compares 4 browser apps: Safari, Chrome, Dolphin, and Atomic. Safari wins by default (pun intended), but Thorin’s surprise pick is Atomic, which is by the far the most powerful browser app with the most options (even though it’s a little on the ugly side.) Atomic has Ad block, Dropbox support, ability to download files, easy switching to private browsing, etc. Atomic comes in a free version and a $1 verison.

4. Cool New App: Weather Neue, a Free, Minimalist Weather App

There have been a lot of interesting weather apps the past few weeks. This week’s is a free one. Aldrin Calimlim over at AppAdvice takes a brief look at Weather Neue (free), a minimalist weather app that I think would look great running on an old iPhone doubling as a desktop clock. Last week, there was the beautiful WTHR app ($0.99), similar in its stark beauty.

5. Waze Is Blowing Up!

Waze (free) is a great little app, and I’m so glad to hear it’s becoming more popular (it’s grown from 10 million to 20 million users in 6 months!) and thus more useful. It’s a free navigation and traffic app that relies on its users to supply useful info like traffic jams, speed cams, etc. It even recently added user-reported gas prices and gas discounts. Even Apple has taken notice, as it’s reportedly using some of Waze’s data in its upcoming Maps app refresh. Such a fun little app, just remember to keep your eyes on the road.

6. Five iPhone Apps for Better Photos and Video

Nina Frazier of Mashable has some good suggestions for iPhone camera apps. I admit sticking to the plain old Camera app when I really should teach myself to use one of these more powerful alternatives.

7. Free App Alert! 30/30, a Productivity App

30/30 (free) is a cool timer/productivity app with an incredibly easy-to-use interface. With a few taps, set up a list of timers like works like this: work 30 minutes, take a break for 10, back to work for 15, then yoga for 20. The app will alert you for each step and keep you on track. Perfect for anyone who tends to get lost in activities when they really should take a break. There are many alternative uses I can think of for the app, too, like using the multiple timers for cooking.

8. Pandora Is No Longer an Eyesore

Pandora has always been an eyesore in both its web and app versions. The most recent update brought a fresh new look and these changes:

• Visual refresh and design enhancements
• Full lyrics for the songs we play
• Artist biographies
• Detailed track features from the Music Genome Project
• Song history: rate, bookmark, or buy previously played tracks
• Explicit lyrics controls
• Start a new station directly from the Now Playing screen
• Simplified sign-in and registration screens
• Reduced battery usage

9. Check Out These Great New Free iPhone/iPad Games

With free iOS games being taken to the next level in quality, Nintendo’s Game Boy franchise really is dead. Check out the list below of recent new free games in the App Store. They are all freemium, but you don’t have to spend any money to play. The two new Temple Run clones are even better than the original (see the last 2 games on the list). Freemium maybe can’t support epic console-quality games, but it sure works for mobile.

• Darkside (arcade mode available in this free version)
• CSR Racing
• Outwitters
• Frisbee Forever 2
• TheEndApp
• Subway Surfers

1. You Can Now Buy a Virgin Mobile Prepaid iPhone

Virgin Mobile joins Cricket in selling a prepaid iPhone. Virgin is the better deal, with cheaper plans and a better network, according to USA Today’s Rob Pegoraro. Prepaid carriers don’t require a credit check to buy the iPhone like Verizon and AT&T, so it opens things up for more customers. The Virgin iPhone is available direct from Virgin’s website and at Best Buy and Radioshack. Virgin is also opening 10 retail stores in Chicago to get back into the cell phone huckstering business.

2. The Top 10 Airline Apps

Brian Kelly at the awesome The Points Guy blog (a blog about stretching credit card reward points for super-cheap travel) lists and briefly reviews his top 10 apps from airlines. JetBlue’s app is his #1 because it offers a ton of features, including notifications for flight times, TV and radio schedules for in-flight entertainment, and just about everything else you’d want from an airline app. If you’re going to do some air travel soon, this is a good list to read through to get an idea of features. Also, can I plug our 50 Best Travel Apps list? Thank you.

3. Review: WTHR, a Beautiful New Weather App

Chris Herbert of MacStories likes the cool new WTHR ($0.99) app. The app offers a 7-day forecast and only two interface buttons to tap. Minimalist design geeks rejoice, even a sunny day can now be viewed in a Dieter Rams esque, stark, bleak but beautiful, function-as-form design aesthetic.

4. Griffin Introduces Kiosk for iPad

The Griffin Kiosk ($199, $299) is a new way to put the iPad on display in public. Businesses and marketers will likely love this, more so when Guided Access from iOS 6 arrives. The Griffin Kiosk locks down the iPad. You can even bolt the Kiosk to the floor or table. And a built-in power cord means the iPad won’t run out of juice.

5. Review: Wahoo Bluetooth 4.0 Heart Rate Sensor

If you’re a serious runner/athlete/nerd, you might want to check out the new Bluetooth 4.0 Wahoo Heart Rate monitor. I reviewed a Wahoo Heart Rate sensor for iPhone last year and thought it was pretty cool. This new Bluetooth 4.0 version uses less power but it’s only compatible with the iPhone 4S or newer devices. Nick Guy of iLounge says he couldn’t get it to work with the popular Runkeeper app (which it’s supposed to), but I’m sure that will be fixed pronto.

6. Review of Apple’s New PodCast App

Allyson Kazmucha of iMore says to ignore Apple’s new Podcasts app and instead use Instacast ($1.99) or other podcast-management apps (I personally prefer Stitcher Radio, a podcast management app that is free). Kazmucha rightly complains that Podcast doesn’t sync your subscriptions between your iPhone and iPad even though Apple is spending billions on iCloud. What’s up with that, Apple? Instacast offers synching and notifications for when new podcast episodes appear, and they don’t even have a $100 billion sitting in the bank.

7. Updated Gmail App Gets Notifications, Permanent Login, and Send From Alternate Email Address Features

The recent update to the official Google Gmail app (download) has it creeping closer to becoming a real alternative to the iPhone’s Mail app (the last feature lacking is support for multiple accounts). But if you only have one email and its Gmail, this app is could replace Mail. The latest update adds support for iOS notifications for when you receive an email (banners, alerts and lock screen options). They also made said notifications appear faster (they say 5 times faster, whatever that means). They also fixed the login so that you stay logged in until you sign out (this was the really annoying part about the app and why I didn’t use it).

8. Review: Martha Stewart Craft Studio app

Lisa Caplan of Appoliscious says to hurry up and grab the Martha Stewart CraftStudio iPad app (download) while it’s still free (regular $4.99). You can make really good-looking greeting cards, invitations and scrapbook pages digitally, and print them out via the Snapfish printing service if you so desire.

9. Johnny Carson: King of Late Night Documentary free to watch in PBS iPad app

John Gruber of Daring Fireball recommends people watch the new documentary Johnny Carson: King of Late Night, which is $9.99 in iTunes but free for a limited in the PBS for iPad app (free). It can be found in American Masters in the app. Man, I love the PBS app, I mentioned it in my recent list of Apps that Stream Free TV Shows and Movies. It’s amazing how much great free content is out there if you don’t insist in watching the latest and greatest thing. Anyway, Johnny Carson is great, and I’m just old enough to have watched him as a kid. Best late-night talk-show host ever. Easily the most likable.

10. Review: Spotify vs Pandora

Spotify now mimics Pandora by offering free personalized radio stations where you can like or dislike songs and the app learns your musical tastes. So should you switch from Pandora? Of course not. Michael Gowan of TechHive compares and contrasts both apps and decides that Pandora wins easily. I agree, Pandora’s interface is singularly designed for this purpose. The Spotify app buries its radio functionality. Still, if you already subscribe to Spotify, the radio stations are a great music-discovery tool.

11. New York Times Subscribers Can Now Read Using Flipboard

Is this a hint at the future of newspapers? Will general all-purpose reading apps like Flipboard become the Comcasts and Time Warners of print media? Pay $20 a month and get all the newspapers and magazines in the US! I’m in.

12. Free Stereophile iPad App Recommends High-End Audio Equipment

Mel Martin of TUAW points to a new app frm Stereophile (download). I guess Stereophile is some kind of bible for audiophiles. The app lists and rates 700 pieces of stereo equipment and links to reviews. The design of the app is not so great (no landscape view, for example), but it has great information, for free. Man, I love information.

1. The Pros and Cons of Buying a Prepaid iPhone

Thinking about a prepaid iPhone? Brad Spirrison of Appolicious says while the price is right (as long as you don’t mind a higher upfront cost), Cricket and Virgin’s networks are generally inferior to the majors like AT&T and Verizon, so do your homework first. In fact, in some cities like Chicago, Cricket won’t even offer a prepaid iPhone because their network runs on a different frequency (however, an iPhone on Cricket can work in Chicago via roaming, but it costs Cricket too much to allow it for too long).

2. Cricket Now Selling the iPhone 4 and 4S

Did we mention that Cricket has actually started selling the iPhone now? Forget about contracts. But as mentioned, the worry is, does their network cover your city?

3. It Costs $1.36 to Charge an iPad a Year. The iPhone, $0.38

Here’s another reason to turn off your PC and relax on the couch with your iPad. The Associated Press’s Jonathan Fahey points out that a cup of Starbucks coffee costs more than it does to run an iPad for a year. A PC costs $28.21 in energy a year. A refrigerator $65.72. The iPhone only costs $0.38. The numbers seem a bit low to me, but who am I to question the great Associated Press!

4. How to Change Your Apple ID Email Address

The New York Times’ J.D. Biersdorfer explains that Apple recommends you use an email address you actually use for your Apple ID account. Why? Not only so they can send you those annoying iTunes promo emails but also important stuff like App Store receipts. You’ll want to know if someone is buying stuff using your account.

5. Advanced iPhone Camera Exposure and Focus Tips

The iPhone 4 and 4S are serious cameras, and you can do some serious photography with them. Justin Balog of the iDownloadBlog take a look at advanced photography techniques using the Camera+ and Camera Awesome apps. Both apps provide extensive control of iPhone’s exposure and focus. You know what they say, the best camera is the one you have on you.

6. 4 RSS Reader Apps Reviewed: Reeder, Mr. Reader, Reader X, And Newsify

The Reeder app is my favorite RSS reader for iPhone and iPad, but Christine Chan of AppAdvice has at least one surprising piece of advice, she says Mr. Reader works better on the iPad (but Reeder is best on the iPhone). Will I change my favorite iPad RSS reader. Stay tuned.

7. Review: iHealth Blood Pressure Dock

Rob LeFebre over at 148Apps “reviews” the iHealth, an iPhone dock that comes with a blood pressure cuff and free app. The iHealth makes it easy for anyone to keep track of their blood pressure. You can even track multiple family members. LeFebre gives it 4.5 out of 5 stars (although he’s pretty scarce on details and doesn’t post real photos, which makes me wonder…). A $99.95 device.

8. Review of Timer: an App to Time Multiple Things At Once, and to Remember Your Previous Timers

Timer is an intriguing, if simple, app that has 12 buttons that start/stop 12 different timers, which can run down simultaneously. If you’re a chef doing a balancing act in the kitchen, this app could come in handy. The app also remembers your timers, so you don’t have to set them each time. TUAW’s Richard Gaywood does a brief review.

9. Gruber Recommends Dark Sky Weather App

John Gruber of Daring Fireball explains, in his usual succinct manner, why he can recommend Dark Sky, an app that will alert you when it’s about to start raining.

10. Pinball Arcade, a Good Free Pinball Game, Appears in the App Store

I’m a fan of iOS pinball apps, and another good free one has appeared in the App Store. Pinball Arcade comes with one free table, Tales of the Arabian Nights.