tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48821810309949309572024-03-14T08:02:18.551-07:00Ellsworth's Favorite iOS AppsI frequently have friends and family ask me for app recommendations for their iPhone/iPad, so this blog attempts to aggregate, archive and re-share those too-long emails, while also reducing the time standing in a restaurant parking lot pointing at our phones while spouses stand off in the corner, smirking and giggling.Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-55905939554573182132014-01-26T15:30:00.000-08:002014-01-26T15:30:27.827-08:00Spacecraft 3D<i>Categories: Augmented Reality, Science, Fun</i><br />
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(FREE; iPhone and iPad-compatible) This is a cool project from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology, and I include it here as a good technology demonstration of the possibilities of "augmented reality."<br />
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After printing a paper "target," the user loads one of the elaborate 3D models of a NASA spacecraft (including the <i>Spirit </i>and <i>Opportunity</i> Mars rovers, <i>Grail</i> and <i>Cassini</i> spacecraft, and the <i>Hubble Space Telescope</i>). When the camera of your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch is pointed at the paper target, a 3D model of the selected spacecraft is superimposed over the camera view. Using your device's internal accelerometers and compass, the app allows you to move around, under and even through the model, as though it were in the environment with you.<i> </i><br />
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(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spacecraft-3d/id541089908?mt=8">Spacecraft 3D</a>)Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-34119378671939928562013-01-09T19:54:00.001-08:002013-01-10T10:19:32.941-08:00Sleep Cycle alarm clock<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Category: Personal</i></span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">($0.99; no iPad-specific version) Ever wake up two hours too early feeling alert and rested, then go back to sleep and feel terrible two hours later? Thirty years ago, I proposed an alarm clock that would wake you at the appropriate place in a REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep cycle. </span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Sleep Cycle</i> attempts to do exactly what I proposed, monitoring your activity while you sleep using the phone's accelerometer, and establishing a pattern to your sleeping. It then wakes you before your target waking time when you are naturally becoming less deeply asleep. <br />
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For <i>Sleep Cycle</i> to detect your activity, you do have to have your phone in bed with you, and because the phone is actually running the app all night, it also must be plugged in to a power source. The instructions advise that the phone be placed under the sheet on the mattress, but I've had a pouch clamped to the headboard that has worked well. A nice feature is that the snooze is activated by simply moving the phone. </span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Does it work? It's hard to say with certainty, even after using this as my exclusive alarm clock for almost two years. <i>Sleep Cycle</i> does have a nice, gentle and progressive alarm sound, and that may be as important to gently waking you as your REM state. </span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Sleep Cycle </i>creates graphs of daily, weekly, and monthly sleep data. </span><br />
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</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgac_E0mvylxA-FZXthBXqd4BTspNsaSoYgKmaR_Q7F-XdcqX_9RnWhHiFtVL6aBIQ6KpXqE6oXiF1UFxH_B5rUBkjQ_Dq7CefLeLEVQcTZv2OCDcDm6U2to5UKUE1Ao2tbljiOuDL4eWwK/s1600/Sleep+Graph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgac_E0mvylxA-FZXthBXqd4BTspNsaSoYgKmaR_Q7F-XdcqX_9RnWhHiFtVL6aBIQ6KpXqE6oXiF1UFxH_B5rUBkjQ_Dq7CefLeLEVQcTZv2OCDcDm6U2to5UKUE1Ao2tbljiOuDL4eWwK/s320/Sleep+Graph.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sleep-cycle-alarm-clock/id320606217?mt=8">Sleep Cycle alarm clock</a>)</span>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-26811537308978768982013-01-09T19:32:00.000-08:002013-01-09T19:32:48.535-08:00Waze<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Category: Navigation</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Free, requires live Internet connect to operate) - Waze is a turn-by-turn navigation system. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A compelling aspect of Waze is that it is "community-based." That is, it uses information gathered from Waze users to create a picture of the current traffic conditions. It even uses users to create maps. If you drive on a road on which no Waze user has ever driven, you may actually "create" new map data (you'll be rewarded with a Pac-Man-like animation as you "munch" new territory. Waze aggregates this data to create their map database, along with other sources. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waze also lets users report traffic problems and even chat with other Waze users (though I'm not sure why). Like Google, Waze also (anonymously) analyzes the speeds of all of its users to identify traffic flow patterns.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waze rewards user-contributed input - including simply using the system - with a points system. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Until the <a href="http://ellsworthapps.blogspot.com/2013/01/google-maps-turn-by-turn.html">new Google Maps with turn-by-turn navigation</a> released in December of 2012, Waze was the best free turn-by-turn solution for users of iOS devices too old to run Apple's Maps app. Even <i>with</i> the release of the new Google Maps, Waze's user-feedback system makes it an interesting option. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/waze-social-gps-traffic-gas/id323229106?mt=8">Waze</a>)</span>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-4072937055637522202013-01-09T19:31:00.000-08:002013-01-09T19:31:40.521-08:00Google Maps (turn-by-turn)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Category: Navigation</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Free) As I write this in early January 2013, this app is still in version 1.0.0.3977, having been rushed into existence by Google following the debacle that was the release of Apple's Maps app in iOS 6, and the exclusion of the original Google Maps app for iOS which had debuted with the iPhone in 2007. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For a v1.0 application, the new Google Maps is polished and slick. However, it's far from perfect, or even good. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In attempting to make the new app represent the new "look and feel" of Google's Web apps, Google has sacrificed some usability. Considering that this is intended to be an automobile navigation solution, the text could be more legible at dashboard distance. While in motion, critical on-screen buttons should be BIG and easily identified - they're not. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Users can't rename or sort saved destinations (actually, I discovered that you can find and edit your saved destinations in your Google Bookmarks, but not without some difficulty). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Google adds their voice search functionality to this app, it will become <i>significantly</i> more useful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's a good start, but it's still not replacing our dedicated GPS navigation systems.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-maps/id585027354?mt=8">Google Maps</a>)</span>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-50315698440485255082013-01-09T18:50:00.002-08:002013-01-09T18:53:43.773-08:00Wind Tunnel<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Category: Education</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Lite, Free; Wind Tunnel, $1.99; Pro, $2.99; Pro HD, $5.99; Lite for iPad, Free; iPad, $1.99; iPad Pro HD, $5.99) This dizzying array of products all have the same purpose: an aerodynamic testing simulation of a physical wind tunnel. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The options for visualization are impressive, and the feature-set is ambitious. I wish there were a way of importing artwork from an external source, and that you could create a Bezier-curve based drawing rather than "painted" sketches to create models, but it's all great fun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made this demonstration video to show some friends the app. The models are all mine, and the big titles were superimposed in another piece of video-editing software:</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/NoSrsqsY8gA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The higher-priced versions feature more visualization options, and the ability to load and save previously-made models.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wind-tunnel-lite/id387302636?mt=8">Wind Tunnel Lite for iPhone</a> Free)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wind-tunnel/id381971296?mt=8">Wind Tunnel for iPhone</a> $1.99)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wind-tunnel-pro/id451043675?mt=8">Wind Tunnel Pro for iPhone</a> $2.99)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wind-tunnel-pro-hd/id450980034?mt=8">Wind Tunnel Pro HD for iPhone</a> $5.99)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wind-tunnel-lite/id387302636?mt=8">Wind Tunnel Lite for iPad</a> Free)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wind-tunnel/id381971296?mt=8">Wind Tunnel for iPad</a> $1.99)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wind-tunnel-pro-hd/id450980034?mt=8">Wind Tunnel Pro HD for iPad</a> $5.99)</span></div>
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Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-90087765533671895742013-01-09T18:33:00.004-08:002015-11-18T20:20:49.130-08:00Voxer Walkie-Talkie PTT<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Category: Communications</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Free) The "PTT" in the name of this app stands for "Push To Talk." This free app uses your Internet connection to send voice and text communications to other Voxer users. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The important part of a PTT communication system is that it's <i>asynchronous voice communication</i>. So unlike a phone call, and like using a two-way radio, you take turns talking. Why would you want to do this? Because there are times when the person you wish to communicate with can't take a phone call. And because there are times - as when you're operating a motor vehicle - that you can't read or type text messages. With Voxer, you press the button and talk. Within a few seconds, the person(s) to which you directed the voice message receives an alert that they've received a new message. When they tap on the message, they hear your voice. They can then send you a response by pressing their on-screen button and replying (or type a text message in Voxer).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But wait, there's more: The REAL power of a network-based PTT system is that you could talk to all 35 people in your nationwide sales force and say, "Hey, who's got the D134 samples we had in Vegas last week?" Within seconds, all 35 addressees in your predefined "Sales" group can hear the message (some who are in meetings or in-flight might not hear the message for minutes or hours), and only the one who knows the answer can either respond directly to you, or answer so the entire group knows. That's far more effective than 35 phone calls or emails. On a smaller scale, you could tell your family members you're on the way home, and wherever they are, they'd all know at once and be able to chime in about rendezvousing at home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Try it. You might never make another phone call.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/voxer-walkie-talkie-ptt/id377304531?mt=8">Voxer Walkie-Talkie PTT</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(UPDATE 11/18/2015) Apple brought asynchronous voice messaging to their Messages app, but it's a bit awkward to use. And something that's still uniquely useful about Voxer is that it can be configured to automatically play incoming voice messages on your phone's speaker without requiring any other action (so you can be driving a vehicle just hear the response come in without having to look for an on-screen "play" button. I gotten out of the habit of using Voxer, perhaps because most people prefer to just send text-only messages, and because I now tend to compose text messages by voice using Siri, but for some people Voxer still presents a nice communications tool, especially for the one-to-many broadcasting model.</span>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-5982873579326603672013-01-09T18:21:00.000-08:002013-01-09T18:23:28.950-08:00TurboScan<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Category: Productivity</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">($1.99) This app promises to perform paper document scanning using your mobile device's built-in camera. To that end, it performs admirably. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In practice, you take a photo, and TurboScan automatically attempts to correct any "keystone" distortion caused by taking the photo off-axis (which is often necessary to avoid reflections from lights). It then converts the image to a high-contrast document (you can optionally choose to save it as a full-color photograph) which you can save, email or export as a PDF or JPEG file. Using the "Open PDF in..." option, we choose upload scanned documents directly to our online DropBox account by choosing the DropBox app. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quality of the resulting "scans" is remarkable (we're using iPhone 4 cameras - 4s/5 cameras would be even better, and TurboScan warns that 3/3G/3GS and iPod touch cameras produce inferior quality images) - better than a photocopier of yesterday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/turboscan-quickly-scan-multipage/id342548956?mt=8">TurboScan</a>)</span>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-33815321361504271852013-01-09T18:08:00.003-08:002013-01-09T18:08:40.385-08:00cPRO Craigslist Client<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Category: Shopping</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(cPRO, Free; cPRO+, $1.99) If you're a regular shopper on the popular online classified site craigslist, this nicely-executed app provides a number advantages for browsing ads. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ads and images are beautifully formatted and presented, and tools allow you to bookmark favorites and track which ads you've previously viewed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The app provides an interface for <i>placing</i> craigslist ads. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A critical shortcoming of the craigslist website it the inability for users to search for an item in more than one geographical area. The cPRO app lets you search across multiple regions simultaneously.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Searches can be saved for later use.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps most importantly, the $1.99 cPRO+ version lets you create <i>agents</i> for ad search criteria, and notify you whenever new ads meet your pre-defined criteria, even if the app isn't running.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To reiterate, the "+" versions cost $1.99 and include search agent notification. There are four total versions, Free and + versions for iPhone/iPod and Free and + versions for iPad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cpro-craigslist-client-for/id310947683?mt=8">cPRO Craigslist Client</a>) (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cpro+-craigslist-client-notifications/id332324766?mt=8">cPRO+ Craigslist Client)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cpro-craigslist-client-for/id373576667?mt=8">cPRO Craigslist Client for iPad</a>) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cpro+-craigslist-client-notifications/id414127508?mt=8">cPRO+ Craigslist Client for iPad</a>)</span>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-82213409484274816252013-01-09T17:46:00.001-08:002013-01-09T18:23:46.491-08:00Voice Memos (built-in iOS app)<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Category: Productivity</i></span></b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Already installed in your iOS device) This sound recorder in your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch makes really impressive recordings with its built-in microphone. It will run in the background, so you can discreetly leave it running while the device display is off. Note that you can re-name each recording, which is automatically time- and date-stamped.</span></b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recordings automatically sync to iTunes on your computer (if you're syncing to a computer) and appear in an album named "Voice Memos."</span></b>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-43317459668103273982013-01-09T16:38:00.004-08:002013-01-09T19:33:53.195-08:00MotionX GPS Drive HD<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Category: Navigation</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">($0.99 with 30 days of Real-time Turn-by-Turn Navigation with Live Voice Guidance)</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that the free <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-maps/id585027354?mt=8">Google Maps</a> offers turn-by-turn navigation for iOS, there's little to recommend this clunky app, but I include it here for completeness.</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don't actually <i>like</i> this turn-by-turn navigation app, but I like almost all the other ones (except <a href="http://ellsworthapps.blogspot.com/2013/01/google-maps-turn-by-turn.html">Google Maps</a> and <a href="http://ellsworthapps.blogspot.com/2013/01/waze.html">Waze</a>) I've tried even less. I still prefer using a dedicated automobile navigation device. Their money-making solution is that they charge a subscription for Internet-delivered voice directions. Currently, the voice-guidance subscriptions are $2.99 for 30 days or $9.99/year.</span></b></span><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(</span><b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/motionx-gps-drive/id328095974?mt=8"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MotionX GPS Drive HD</span></a></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">)</span>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-69185206670052539062012-12-17T11:39:00.000-08:002012-12-17T11:39:24.978-08:00Timer+ (free, paid options)If you've ever used a kitchen timer which can time more than one event simultaneously, you know what <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/timer+/id391564049?mt=8">Timer+</a> does. <br />
<br />
iOS has a built-in countdown timer, but if you need to time more than one event concurrently, this is a fine solution. <br />
<br />
I started using this while digitizing hundreds of videotapes, to alert me that I should check on the progress of two or three concurrent transfers. You can name alarms, and the sounds can be individually set. You can pause and cancel any running timers, and see all the timers at once. <br />
<br />
The free version is adequate for me. Paid features add sounds ($0.99) and eliminate the advertising banner ($1.99).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8hVbd6nbzMydINiiwnzgOY9oLZtW_sCyQQHRYxGDuMcAGPeNzxrq1iEEE3IxGfbvjH6GSFOAKtfyj3XEJNST_0WUcMCWLoa6jMCiqTOIWPFlX-LdJBkMjGiV6Qwlud32Ce7LoV3oIoo2/s640/blogger-image-751850407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8hVbd6nbzMydINiiwnzgOY9oLZtW_sCyQQHRYxGDuMcAGPeNzxrq1iEEE3IxGfbvjH6GSFOAKtfyj3XEJNST_0WUcMCWLoa6jMCiqTOIWPFlX-LdJBkMjGiV6Qwlud32Ce7LoV3oIoo2/s640/blogger-image-751850407.jpg" /></a></div>
Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-39530671201143203202012-12-15T23:55:00.006-08:002012-12-15T23:57:31.084-08:00Flipboard (free)If you're a user of social networking sites like facebook or Twitter, you should take a look at <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flipboard-your-social-news/id358801284?mt=8">Flipboard</a> (free), especially on an iPad.<br />
<br />
Here's the one-liner: <i>It makes your facebook wall look like a magazine.</i> You have to see it.Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-66898128542155608112012-12-15T23:47:00.001-08:002013-01-09T19:39:07.477-08:00GoodReader<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Category: Text, Productivity</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">($4.99) - </span><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/goodreader-for-iphone/id306277111?mt=8" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">GoodReader</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> has been my primary choice for a PDF reader since first owning an iPod touch six years ago. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have to say that GoodReader isn't the friendliest app to use. It's dense and complicated - perfect for the geeky me, and perhaps too fussy for someone who "just wants something to work." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The best parts about GoodReader:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can rename and organize files in folders. I have a lot of PDFs, and inevitably their names as downloaded are something like "100_es-us_ug206_112.pdf," so making it something like "Sony 100ES User Guide" is a necessity for later reference.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can download files from within GoodReader, and if you open a PDF file from a Web browser or email app on your iOS device, you can tap "Open In..." and direct your device to open the PDF file in GoodReader.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">GoodReader can open and view many kinds of text, html, Microsoft Office and media (images, audio, video) files. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Annotation of files.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Worst parts:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Complex, cluttered interface.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Manual screen rotation only, and in only TWO possible orientations (landscape mode with the Home button on the RIGHT - I'd like it the Home button on the left, where I hold the phone).</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>(NOTE: Apple's own free <a href="http://ellsworthapps.blogspot.com/2012/07/ibooks.html">iBooks</a> app make a fine alternative PDF reader for users for whom GoodReader sounds too complex.)</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(</span><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/goodreader-for-iphone/id306277111?mt=8" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">GoodReader</a>)</div>
</div>
Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-42822500963937996932012-12-15T23:31:00.001-08:002012-12-15T23:56:25.247-08:00Skype (free)<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skype/id304878510?mt=8">Skype</a> is a very mature audio- and video-chat client for iOS devices. If you don't have a video camera, you can use it to talk to another Skype user for free. I've used it because Apple's own <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CEwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fios%2Ffacetime%2F&ei=yHfNUNClLoPniwLSmoHYAw&usg=AFQjCNH7LCntTB3CkjUwcXvj20ut3ZON2Q&sig2=88KECm0SQGk5iuDbVZEyQg&bvm=bv.1355325884,d.cGE">FaceTime</a> didn't originally support video chats without a WiFi connection (and still won't in <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5944597/can-i-use-facetime-over-3g4g">many configurations of phone and carrier</a> ). Quality of the video is pretty remarkable, and fairly robust. I've once had a two-hour video chat with a friend while driving down the highway with the camera pointed out the windshield so they could watch my progress from 3,000 miles away, and we only lost the connection twice.<br />
<br />
At least as important, Skype is cross-platform. You can text-, audio- and video-chat with users on other mobile platforms, desktop computers, and even embedded systems some televisions.Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-5617023338308887942012-07-09T17:36:00.000-07:002013-01-09T17:37:02.012-08:00FREE Calls with magicJack<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Category: Telephony</i></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Free) - I've still never used this service or app, though I installed it some time ago. This allows users to make free domestic phone calls on their Internet-connected device (a free Magic Jack account is required for an <i>inbound</i> number to receive calls from other Magic Jack users). Reports are that call quality is spotty, but it's a unique solution for someone with an iPad and a data plan. (Note that unlike Google Voice, you're actually talking to people on the iOS device, and not a real phone.)</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/free-calls-with-magicjack/id463926997?mt=8">FREE Calls with magicJack</a>)</span></b>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-83923226194462198212012-07-09T17:34:00.000-07:002013-01-09T17:34:41.254-08:00Google Voice<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Category: Telephony</i></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Free; not available as iPad-native app) - This app works with a free <a href="https://www.google.com/voice/">Google Voice</a> account, and makes it easier to take advantage of some of the fantastic features Google Voice provides. I choose to let Google Voice handle all my cell phone voicemail, so not only can I receive all voicemail in email, but in the Inbox of this app. Google has offered FREE unlimited domestic phone calls for Google Voice users over the past few years, and the Google Voice app makes calling simpler: select someone to call from your Address Book, and tell Google Voice which phone line you'd like to use. Google calls you on that line, and then calls the other number. We've used this as our exclusive long-distance landline solution for over two years.</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-voice/id318698524?mt=8">Google Voice</a>)</span></b>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-70708950246548799982012-07-09T17:31:00.000-07:002013-01-09T17:31:55.952-08:00String™ Augmented Reality Showcase<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Category: Fun, Augmented Reality</i></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(iPad and iPhone, Free) - I’m including this as an example of "augmented reality" technology. After downloading this app, you’ll be instructed to print a paper “target.” When the camera in your iPhone/iPad sees the target on its camera, it will superimpose a 3D model of one of the sample objects/characters over the camera view, making the objects appear to be in the room, even as you move around the virtual scene. Fun stuff, and a nice introduction to things to come.</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span></b><b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/string-augmented-reality-showcase/id417606536?mt=8"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">String™ Augmented Reality Showcase</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></b>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-701831158611712412012-07-09T17:28:00.000-07:002013-01-09T17:29:10.498-08:00Layar<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Category: Reference, Augmented Reality, Social, Navigation</i></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Free) - This isn't necessarily useful, but it provides a demonstration of the promise of "augmented reality" (which I'm guessing is the "AR" in the name). By utilizing your mobile device's camera, GPS receiver, compass, accelerometer, and information acquired from the Internet, Layar presents you with a realtime "heads-up" display of points of interest around your current location. As you hold up your device and turn around, Layar shows you in which direction and how far away points of interest are. There are downloadable Layar "layer" modules for many interests: food, drink, entertainment, real estate, crime statistics, Twitter . . .</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While it's fun and compelling, I haven't thus far found Layar <i>useful</i>. It would be most interesting as a pedestrian in an ultra urban locale like San Francisco or Manhattan. Theoretically, an AR app should allow you to answer questions like "what's that building?" and "what's down that block?"</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/layar-reality-browser-augmented/id334404207?mt=8">Layar</a>)</span></b>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-12386399049072936042012-07-09T17:25:00.000-07:002013-01-09T17:26:25.858-08:00Yelp!<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Category: Social, Food</i></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(iPad and iPhone; Free) - This front-end to the popular user review site is a slick way to find nearby businesses and eateries.</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yelp! also has an augmented reality mode, but it's a bit obtuse to launch. Tap your way to the "Nearby" pane of the app, then click the "Monocle" button in the upper-right. When you bring the iPad up perpendicular to the Earth, it will switch to an AR view, superimposing reviewed businesses on the horizon over the live camera view.</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yelp/id284910350?mt=8">Yelp!</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></b>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-7456899198821078312012-07-09T17:23:00.000-07:002013-01-09T17:23:28.669-08:00My Measures & Dimensions<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Category: Productivity</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">($2.99, Pro version $4.99) - This app lets users superimpose measurements over photographs. (Alas, it doesn't do the measuring - that's up to you.) It's fantastic for home-improvement projects, especially back-burner ones. If you've ever carried around notes with dimensions with you, this is better. It supports decimal and fraction measurements, and metric, standard, and feet/inches formats.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The app can calculate areas and volumes. Projects can be organized into folders. You can export image files and PDFs to others, or native editable files to other users of the app.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Pro version adds iCloud sync, Zooming, and other features.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-measures-dimensions/id325962257?mt=8">My Measures & Dimensions</a>) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-measures-dimensions-pro/id450797313?mt=8">My Measures & Dimensions Pro</a>)</span>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-79978460523444790702012-07-09T17:01:00.000-07:002013-01-09T17:01:32.688-08:00Netflix<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Category: Entertainment, Streaming</i></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(iPad and iPhone; Free, requires Netflix subscription) - For subscribers to Netflix's streaming service, this app allows you to stream movies over WiFi *and* 3G/4G. Not recommended unless you have an unlimited wireless data account.</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/netflix/id363590051?mt=8">Netflix</a>)</span></b>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-45575938087538084462012-07-09T16:59:00.000-07:002013-01-09T16:59:37.681-08:00eBay and eBay for iPad<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Category: Shopping, Lifestyle</i></span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(iPad and iPhone; Free) - The auction giant's app is a convenient way to shop and browse the site and manage your auctioning activities.</span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ebay/id282614216?mt=8">eBay</a>) (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ebay-for-ipad/id364203371?mt=8">eBay for iPad</a>)</span></span></b>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-9704844716904195872012-07-09T16:56:00.000-07:002013-01-09T16:57:06.984-08:00Amazon Mobile<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Category: Shopping</i></span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Free) - If you buy things from Amazon, you should have their own app. It can't do everything their website does, but for simple shopping, it's quick and easy. A built-in barcode-reading tool lets you find out whether Amazon sells the product you have in front of you.</span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/amazon-mobile/id297606951?mt=8">Amazon Mobile</a>)</span></span></b>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-66412525983997482382012-07-09T16:54:00.000-07:002013-01-09T16:54:49.047-08:00iBooks<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Category: Books</i></span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Free) - This may have changed, but Apple's own e-book reader isn't installed by default. Even if you don't buy books from Apple, iBooks works as a pretty good PDF reader.</span></span></b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">(NOTE: A current bug in some versions of iOS (I experienced this bug in 5.1.1, but it's gone in 6.0.1) limits the number of apps displayed in the menu when the user selects "Open with:" for a PDF file to 10. If you have 22 apps which can open a PDF file, you can still only see 10 in the list. Until Apple fixes this, and if you're running OS 5.x, you may wish to limit the number of apps which can open PDF files.)</span></i></span></b><br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibooks/id364709193?mt=8">iBooks</a>)</span></span></b>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4882181030994930957.post-74359005564214125662012-07-09T16:42:00.000-07:002013-01-09T16:48:05.909-08:00Find My Friends<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Category: Navigation</i></span></span></b><br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Free) - This Apple-published app lets you see the current position of friends and family who trust you (via an explicit setting in which you agree to share your location with a given user) with their current real-time location. Unlike <a href="http://ellsworthapps.blogspot.com/2012/07/glympse.html">Glympse</a>, this works passively all the time by periodically uploading your current position to Apple servers. We run this all the time, and it’s something I sought for a long time as a way for my family to rendezvous. It's still one of a handful of friend-locating apps that shows an auto-orienting map view, so you can hold the phone and walk toward the spot where your friend is. It's not perfect - the auto-orienting cancels if you pinch to zoom in or out - but it's better than trying to describe your positions to each other over the phone.</span></span></b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Note that in addition to automatically reporting your position, you can also turn the position-reporting off, or manually report your position as wherever you'd like.</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span></b><b id="internal-source-marker_0.922504632268101" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/find-my-friends/id466122094?mt=8">Find My Friends</a>)</span></b></span>Ellsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17981756111823859676noreply@blogger.com0