iOS 4.2 Goes For The Gold

Apple, today released iOS 4.2 Golden Master to developers. Apple appears to be on track for its scheduled November release. There is said to be 100+ new features and innovations included with this update. Now that the GM has been released to developers it shouldn’t be too long before it’s made available to the public.

With this release, Apple will finally bring the iPad up-to-date with the iPhone and iPod Touch. This software will be a unification of sorts. No longer will people have to keep track of the most current software version for the iPad and iPhone. iOS will finally have one unified version of the software that runs on all devices. This will be a welcome relief for iPad users everywhere. New to the iPad will be such features as multitasking, folders, a unified mailbox, Game Center support and many other enhancements as well.

iOS 4.2 brings a host of welcomed improvements, but one change is causing some controversy. The screen lock rotation switch has now been repurposed to act as the mute button. Some users are not happy about the change, but it is in keeping with Apple’s theme to unify the iOS on all devices.

With the iPad’s additional screen real estate, the multitasking bar has been expanded to include more features. It operates just as you would expect it to, but now includes screen lock, brightness control, iPod functions and Volume setting. To the left of the volume slider is the new AirPlay button. I look forward to seeing this button appear on the iPhone as well.




AirPlay is arguably the most anticipated new feature coming to this iOS update. AirPlay allows you to stream music, video and photos directly from your iOS device to an Apple TV. Some apps will be compatible with AirPlay as well, allowing you to stream content from an app on your iOS device to an Apple TV. Apps may one day become a replacement for traditional TV channels. This would make the Apple TV a real contender to replace regular cable service. Apple is sure to open an Apple TV App Store, “when the time is right” according to Steve Jobs.

AirPrint is another welcome addition to the iOS. Now, people will finally be able to print mail, photos and even web pages directly to a Wi-Fi connected printer.

Today, Apple also invited developers to submit their apps for iOS 4.2 review. This is great news for the average user. It is an indication that there should be a good supply of compatible apps as soon as the update is released. Hopefully, this version of the iOS will be less problematic for developers to jailbreak than in previous versions. With such an array of new features, this update will be hard to resist.

Twitter Transformation

For all you Twittertastic people out there, I’m sure you’ve noticed some changes to the site (or at least the ability to check the “New Twitter” out). Not only is the layout easier and more comprehensive, but it is infinitely more pleasing both in terms of aesthetics and content. To re-cap the improvements: location integration for statuses and trends, more information about the people you follow, what they’re tweeting, and what kinds of responses they’re getting, the ability to see all your and your friends’ retweets as well as tweets mentioning you in one place, and an overall updated look and feel.

However, why has the Twitter app not received a similar facelift — or is it in the works? I would go so far as to say that some of the updates to the web version are just plain necessary for the app since it is, well, just plain boring. Hopefully, if the changes are well received on the website, we will see some exciting additions to the app as well. I think it would be cool to see the ability to inject locations to your tweets, especially considering that the iPhone is a mobile device, and supplement these with pictures and videos from the various places you visit and tweet from. Similarly, location-based trends would be an essential way to add intrigue to the app. Also, since part of the allure of who is tweeting what are the details behind that tweet (e.g. who the tweeter actually is, who is responding to them and how, and related tweets), it will be necessary for the ability to expand tweets to include the same kinds of information that the web-version now offers. And the tab to see who’s mentioning you — it currently does nothing unless you’ve provided some hot topics, so the app developers should work on creating a tab that encompasses more generally who of your followers and followees are retweeting, who’s mentioning you, and what you’ve retweeted. Also, we can’t forget the Twitter word of the day. It is currently absent from the app, but needs to be a part of it, end of story. Finally, the app’s appearance is pretty drab, so that certainly needs a makeover as well. In essence, everything needs to be addressed and brought up to speed.

Furthermore, some of the third party Twitter apps (such as Echofon Pro for Twitter, TwitBird Pro for Twitter, and Twittelator Pro) implement similar ideas, from location-based tweets, to in-app messaging, to the ability to tweet everything from your voice to what music you’re playing, and superior aesthetics and UIs. Even though these apps tend to be on the pricier side, while the Twitter app itself is free, they provide strict competition, and we can expect to Twitter edged out if the need for improvements isn’t addressed.

Overall, I hope to see at least some of these changes make their way to the Twitter app. There is so much more to tweeting that the actual text, and the mobile developers need to realize that in the same way that the web developers have. Give the iPhone users something Twitterific to chirp about.


Read more: http://iphoneapplicationlist.com/2010/10/15/twitter-transformation/#ixzz12qNGWsnS

Pixels Pro is a New Graphics Editing App for the iPad

Pixels Pro is a new graphics editing program built from the ground up for the iPad and its amazing touch interface.

Simple. Intuitive. Powerful.

Pixels provides artists and creative professionals with the features of a top-tier graphics editing application in the palm of your hands. Come discover the unique features of Pixels. We promise it's not like any other graphics application for the iPad.

Features:
• Layers – Documents can have any number of layers to compose the final image. Each layer provides complete control of its contribution to the image using opacity, blending mode and layer masks for nondestructive editing.

• Selections - Advanced selection tools such as the Magic Wand are available as well as the simpler standard tools like marquee (rectangles, ellipses) and freeform path. Multiple selections can also be combined to create the exact selection the artist is trying to achieve.

• Brushes - All manner of brushes for painting are provided as defaults with the ability to create your own brush styles. Static brushes like airbrush and paint brush are available but brushes can also have dynamic properties like scattering and random sizes to create truly interesting styles.

• Fills - Solid and gradient fills are available in Pixels. Filling offers an array of blending and opacity choices as well as complex user definable gradients. Combined with selections these simple tools become immensely powerful.

• Text - Pixels provides a powerful text tool that can be used to create Text layers in any font available on your iPad along with the standard blending and opacity options of a layer.

• Filters - Layers or Selections can be filtered to achieve new looks using Pixels' provided filter library. Out of the box Pixels provides standard image filters such as brightness/contrast, level adjustment and blur. Along with the standard library of filters that comes with Pixels more are available through the in-application Filter Store.

• PSD Import/Export - Pixels can import complex PSD files for display and editing on your iPad. Pixels can export it documents to PSD, without losing any of information, which can them be opened and edited in any application that also supports PSD files. Importing PSD files, Pixels support most of the basic features, as well as some of the advanced features, of the file format to allow interoperation with applications that also support PSD files.

In addition to these features Pixels supports most of the basic operations of a graphics editing application. Transforming objects by moving, rotating and scaling them. Selecting colors in multiple colorspaces. User presets for brushes and gradients. In all there are too many features to list, get Pixels today and see for yourself.


You can purchase Pixels Pro from the App Store for $9.99.

Read More [via iPaDevice]

Sonic 4 Will Arrive in the App Store on October 7th

Today Sega announced that Sonic 4 will arrive in the App Store on October 7th, according to a TouchArcade report.

Today Sega announced the official release date for Sonic 4, and strangely enough, it will hit the App Store before all the other platforms on October 7th. Following that, it will appear on the Wii on October 11th, PlayStation Network on October 12th, and Xbox Live Arcade on October 13th. Needless to say, as soon as we get our hands on the final game we'll post a full review.

The New Yorker Magazine For iPad Arrives

The New Yorker Magazine has released an iPad app offering access to full issues of the highly-regarded weekly magazine. The free app hit the App Store early this morning and users can purchase individual issues for $4.99 each, considerably more than the per-issue price of about $.90 for a 1-year print subscription.



The app offers access to all content in the print edition plus bonus cartoons exclusive to the iPad edition. Additional features, such as access to archived stories, adjustable font sizing, the ability to share articles and more are planned for future updates to the app.

VLC For iPad Now Available: "It Plays Everything!"

A company by the name of Applidium, has just been approved for their VLC for iPad app. VLC, which I'm sure most of you have used, is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player, that plays almost every type of media file. The player has every codec built-in, meaning you never have to download one again.

It is the absolute go-to media player on desktops, and now for the first time ever, it's right on your iPad. This means no more converting videos, and spending hours waiting for mp4's to pump out. Being that it is available for free, it is a MUST HAVE on your iPad.

I have yet to use it, as I still do not see it listed, so post your comments here and let us know if you've got it up and running. There are some apparent issues with resolutions, which could be a headache, but nonetheless, we are excited it's here.

The application's developers, Applidium, are also working on bringing VLC to the iPhone and iPod later this yea

iPad-Compatible iOS 4.2 Seeded To Developers

The next point release of Apple's iOS has been made available to developers along with a pre-release version of the Mac OS X operating system that includes the upcoming AirPrint feature.

iOS 4.2, which replaces version 3.2.2 of Apple's mobile operating system, was announced and demonstrated by Apple at its September music event. It's notable in that it will finally bring multitasking, folders, Game Center, AirPlay, and an overhauled version of the built-in e-mail client to iPad users--all features iPhone and iPod Touch users have had since late June.

This version of 4.2 is likely the first of several betas that will be seeded to developers ahead of a public release. At its music event, Apple announced that 4.2 would be made available as a free software update in November, leaving the next two months for bugs to get squashed.

iOS 4.1 For iPhone, iPod Touch Released

The latest software for the iPhone and iPod Touch is available starting Wednesday for download from Apple.

The company foreshadowed the arrival of iOS 4.1 at its annual fall press event last week and included an overview of the latest features. The download is free via iTunes for iPhone and iPod Touch owners.

Besides upgrades to new features for games, photos, and high-definition videos, Apple is using this software update to zap several bugs at once.

Among the issues Apple CEO Steve Jobs promised would be fixed with the installation of 4.1 are: proximity sensor problems that were causing some accidental dropped calls; the painfully slow performance of the iPhone 3G with iOS 4.0; Bluetooth connectivity problems with certain car stereos and headsets (that CNET noted as soon as the iPhone 4 was released); and problems related to the Nike+iPod software.

Other upgrades in iOS 4.1 include: the ability to upload HD videos over Wi-Fi, TV show rentals on iTunes from an iPhone or iPod Touch, new HDR (high dynamic range) photo function, and the delayed GameCenter.

GameCenter was announced in April at the iOS 4.0 press event, but was not included in the initial release of the software. GameCenter is a social-networking feature that allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to play games on their devices against friends in real time.

CNET's Kent German will have a hands-on review of the latest software for iPhone and iPod Touch as well as screenshots later today, so be sure to check back.
Originally posted at Circuit Breaker

Version 1.1.0 Of Netflix App Brings Streaming Support To iPhone, iPod

Falling neatly into the category of "I should have written about this sooner but I was too busy enjoying it," the good people at Netflix rolled out an iOS App Store software update today, effectively delivering to iPhone and iPod touch users the ability stream movies directly from their handset.

version 1.1.0 of the Netflix app now supporting iPhone and iPod Touch in addition to iPad is a welcome arrival to Netflix subscribers (at least those with unlimited memberships) and a new opportunity to soak up as much content as they desire from their Instant Watch queue. Version 1.1 requires iOS 3.1.3 or later. In case you're wondering, the streaming service does in fact work over 3G on the iPhone - just like the iPad. According to the hugely popular video rental service, the software made available through this latest update utilizes "adaptive technology" which allows for instant switching between Wi-Fi and 3G connections.

For months (since April, in fact), the people at Netflix have promised to supplement their iPad app with a corresponding iPhone/iPod app. Although this "eventuality" took longer than many Netflix lovers had hoped, today they are reveling in the arrival of this neat little app, which is so totally cool that it even makes some restless in anticipation of getting back to it.

AisleBuyer Brings In-Store Self-Checkout to iPhone

AisleBuyer, a start-up company located in Boston, is partnering with retailers to bring the ability for consumers to scan and pay for items in brick and mortar stores to the iPhone, negating the need for shoppers to stand in line to make purchases. AisleBuyer’s first retail partner is Magic Beans, a small chain store that sells children’s toys and accessories in the Boston area and the Magic Beans app hit the App Store earlier this month.

With the Magic Beans app shoppers can use the iPhone’s camera to read barcodes and see production information for the scanned item. Scanned items can be added to the shopper’s virtual shopping cart.


When you’re done shopping, you can check-out virtually by entering your credit card information in the app and completing the purchase, which will generate a virtual receipt. A store employee will review your purchases against your virtual receipt when you leave the store.

AisleBuyer states that national retail store partners are in the works though the names of these retail partners have not been announced yet. Currently, AisleBuyer retail partners can offer special deals to users through the app, as well as provide coupons and push notifications for upcoming sales and deals. In a future app update to be submitted soon, Magic Beans will offer access to reviews and UPC manual entry. The ability to scan and save items for future/review purchase is also planned.

An Android version is also under development with a release planned for October.

One of our favorite apps to use when shopping in brick and mortar stores is RedLaser that shows prices for scanned items in nearby physical stores as well as online. While AisleBuyer won’t provide comparison shopping like this, it could make shopping for items that aren’t practical to buy online, like groceries, office supplies, and toiletries more easily purchased at a local store, far more efficient and enjoyable for the tech geeks out there. We’d be thrilled to see AisleBuyer apps for stores like Target and grocery chains to make shopping that much easier and look forward to seeing more retailers partner up with AisleBuyer.

Keep Up With Your Favorite Showtime Network Series With The Official iPhone App

The official Showtime app allows you to keep up with the latest info, get exclusive content, and receive upcoming episode notification for your favorite Showtime Network original series and sports shows.

Showtime, the iPhone app, has actually been around for over a year now. However, I felt the need to make a reminder for those who’ve never heard of it or for any of those millions of new iDevice owners out there looking for some useful apps. Whether you’re a fan of Californication, Dexter, Weeds, or even a sports nut that watches Inside The NFL or Inside NASCAR regularly, this is the app to keep you apprised of new episodes and content.

The app is updated as new shows premiere, but it currently offers content for:
• Californication
• Dexter
• La La Land
• Lock ‘N Load
• Nurse Jackie
• Penn & Teller
• Secret Diary of a Call Girl
• The Big C, The Green Room
• The L Word
• The Real L Word
• The Tudors
• Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union
• The United States of Tara
• Weeds

• Fight Camp 360º
• Inside NASCAR
• Inside the NFL
• ShoBox: The Next Generation
• Showtime Championship Boxing
• Strikeforce
• Strikeforce Challengers

• Plus a number of featured films

So what sort of features do fans get to enjoy? Foremost, choose which shows you want to get notifications for. This way you will never miss another episode. For those just too excited, or to help out friends and family not fortunate enough to have iDevices and be able to keep up, share information for a specific episode or movie via a tweet or post to your Facebook wall.

Series content offers an About section, where you can read a brief synopsis of the show, start or stop alerts (notifications), and see upcoming airtimes. The Episodes section provides a guide to all previously aired episodes with brief summaries, related videos, and any upcoming airtimes or availability from on-demand. There’s a videos section for access to any related videos and sometimes even full previous episodes. If the show has a dedicated Twitter feed or iTunes content available, you’ll be able to quickly find it under the Extras tab. Sports shows offer up the About, Videos, and Extras portions. However, Inside NASCAR lacks related videos.

The official Showtime app by Showtime Networks is available for free in the App Store, though, Showtime premium cable channels are not free.

Those of you who are big Dexter/Weeds fans, like myself, will likely find this app to be indispensable, especially since the season 6 premiere of Weeds is tonight and the season 5 premiere of Dexter is on September 26th. For those curious enough, check out the series premiere of The Big C following the new episode of Weeds tonight as well.

Hackers Release Browser-Based iPhone 4 Jailbreak

The unlocked iPhone 4 is now technically legal and technically possible.
Just days after the U.S. Copyright Office ruled that bypassing a manufacturer's protection mechanisms to allow "handsets to execute software applications" no longer violates federal copyright law, the iPhone Dev Team on Sunday released a jailbreak for the iPhone 4 at JailbreakMe.com.

Unlike previous jailbreaks, which required the device to be connected to a computer to run the update, the latest jailbreak is accomplished completely via mobile Safari loaded on the device. The browser-based software bypass reportedly works on all iOS devices, including iPhones, iPads, and iPods running iOS 4 and iOS 4.01, but it will reportedly not work on devices running the iOS 4.1 beta.

Also, some users report the jailbreak disrupts FaceTime and MMS functionality on the device.

However, as of this writing, demand for the jailbreak is apparently so strong that the site's servers can't keep up, and many visitors report difficulty in getting through.

Jailbreaking allows devices to run apps not approved by the company producing the operating system--such as Apple, the main target of such bypasses. Jailbreaking also allows devices to run on nonauthorized networks.

While the U.S. Copyright Office has declared the software legal, Apple discourages users from loading the bypass, reminding them that doing so will void their device's warranty. "As we've said before, the vast majority of customers do not jailbreak their iPhones as this can violate the warranty and can cause the iPhone to become unstable and not work reliably," Apple said in a statement earlier this week.

Dragon Dictation 2.0 Now Live

Nuance Dragon Dictation 2.0 is now live in the App Store, and it leaves no reason for people to complain about the keyboard buttons being too small.

The free app now has “a fun-yet-convenient pop-up toolbar with app icons that allow people to speak a status update and send it directly to Facebook or Twitter, or speak any text and send it directly to the text messaging client or clipboard – all without leaving the Dragon Dictation app client.”

Also included in the app is a save feature that prevents you from losing your data when you get a phone call, iOS4 compatibility, and multilingual support (so far just US and UK English, with German coming this month).

“Millions of people have downloaded Dragon Dictation for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, and this latest version is a direct result of the features our user community has voiced would make the ‘must-have’ app even better,” said Michael Thompson, senior vice president and general manager, Nuance Mobile. “And with support for more languages, we’re answering the call from our Dragon fans around the world.”

Extend Your PC’s Desktop With MaxiVista for iPad

If you liked our coverage of Air Display but it left yourself cursing your lack of a Mac, fear not. MaxiVista has arrived for iPad and will transform your device into an external display for your PC.

For $9.99, MaxiVista can wirelessly add an additional screen to your setup by connecting to your PC via the app and is compatible with XP, Vista and Windows 7. And this is no fly-by-night developer either. MaxiVista has existed in the Windows world since 2003 and now brings its experience to iPad users, with a Mac version also on the cards for the cross-platform iPad owners out there.

Offering a frame rate that comes close, via wireless, to the same quality found with traditional wired displays, MaxiVista looks to be great solution for Windows users who work with multiple windows, palettes or apps.



Read more: http://www.148apps.com/news/extend-pcs-desktop-maxivista-ipad/#ixzz0uABeyCBV

Never Lose Your iPhone: iHound’s Tracking App More Dogged Than Ever

Forget Apple’s expensive Find My iPhone program. iHound is the way to go.

iHound is an iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad tracking app that incorporates many of the iOS’s unique features. Now, with an update for iOS 4, it’s better than ever, and I’d argue that it’s the best iPhone tracking service out there. Here’s how it works. You go to ihoundsoftware.com, make an account, and then download the free app. The service is free for a month; after that, you can purchase a longer term at $10.99/yr. Compare that to MobileMe’s $99/yr requirement for Find My iPhone. Yikes!

Once launched, iHound functions in the background, transmitting your device’s location every 10 minutes. You can opt for always-on tracking, too, as long as you don’t mind the battery drain. Now, if you lose your iPhone, you log on at the iHound website. From there, you can view your device’s current location and / or send a push notification to your device (“Hi there, I’ve lost my iPhone–please call 555-555-5555!”). Better yet, you can force your device to emit a loud, wailing siren noise. That’s sure to catch someone’s attention. And if someone turns your phone off, iHound will launch and transmit its location once the phone is turned back on.

What makes this even sweeter is that with iHound, you can have as many devices as you want on the same plan for no additional cost. (Take that, AT&T…your FamilyMap plan just got crushed.)

I’ve just installed iHound on my second-generation iPod Touch, and I was quite impressed. Not only did iHound pinpoint my location, but the push-notification and siren options work extremely well. It’s true that with an iPod’s dependence on WiFi, iHound isn’t foolproof, but at least I won’t lose my iPod in my own house any more. Furthermore, for iPhone and 3G-enabled iPad owners, this is a no-brainer. iHound is a fantastic, affordable, and highly functional tracking system, and with iOS 4’s background capabilities it’s finally a complete app. Forget MobileMe and Find My iPhone; get iHound!

iPhone 4 LED Flashlight Apps Begin To Light Up The App Store

As we reported a week ago, developers have noticed and taken advantage of the LED flash feature on the iPhone 4 to create updated flashlight apps. At the time of that post, these apps had just begun the App Store approval process, and we were unsure if they would even make it through due to the use of an undocumented API. Apparently Apple’s reviewers didn’t have a problem with it since today some of those apps officially became available to purchase and download.

A number of flashlight apps are new creations but certainly some of the originals have or will be updated to utilize the LED feature alongside the screen illumination function. Most of them released today cost $.99 but there are a couple free choices. The primary features are use of the screen or LED flash, instant on when launching the app, and an on and off switch. Remember, many of these apps require an iPhone 4.

Our original scoop mentioned iLit by Mr. Burns and Dazzling Flashlight 4g by Cramzy. iLit hasn’t quite made it through the approval process apparently, but here are a handful of others released today:

• LED-Torch
• LED Torch with Morse Code
• LED-FlashLight
• 4 Light
• iFlash4
• L.E.D Flashlight
• LED Torch Flashlight

We do plan to perform a bit more in depth research and perhaps a more detailed overview of a few of these apps in the future. Initial tests result in about 10-12% battery depletion for 30 minutes of LED use. Be sure to stay tuned for further coverage on this and other exciting apps.

iMovie app made to run on iPhone 3GS

That was fast. After less than a week of iPhone 4 availability, hackers have found a way to get Apple's iMovie application running on an iPhone 3GS.

Apple's iMovie app, which costs $4.99, is officially available only to iPhone 4 owners. But hackers tipped off tech blog Redmond Pie that they were able to get the app running on the iPhone 3GS. The process, according to tipster David Romhan Torres, starts with users jailbreaking an iPhone 3GS running iOS 4. From there, they need to modify a few items in the app's files to get it running.

Exactly why Apple has decided to not support the iPhone 3GS with iMovie is unknown. Some have speculated that the iPhone 3GS' 256MB of RAM, compared to the iPhone 4's 512MB of RAM, could have contributed to the decision. Either way, those who have a desire to run iMovie on the iPhone 3GS might be able to pull it off with just a few tweaks.

AT&T Officially Out of Stock of iPhone 3G

As if all of the evidence from late last month, including the removal of a "Select" button from the iPhone 3G in Apple's own online store, wasn't enough to convince people that the iPhone 3G is on its last legs, Boy Genius Report points to an apparent internal memo to AT&T retail store employees notifying them that the company is officially out of stock of the device.
June 4, 2010

iPhone 3G 8 GB is Out of Stock

Effective immediately, iPhone 3G 8GB is Out of Stock. Please refer all customers to iPhone 3GS 16 GB and 32 GB models.

FAQ:
Q: When will we receive inventory for iPhone 3G 8GB?
A: At this time, we do not know when more iPhone 3G 8GB will arrive.

Q: Are there any iPhone 3G 8 GB available in COR if my customer can purchase there?
A: Check with your local COR stores to see if they have any inventory available.

The memo appears to be targeted at the selected AT&T authorized retailers permitted to carry the iPhone and refers them to local company-owned retail stores (COR) to check for any remaining stock they might have as the company closes out its inventory of the device.

Apple is widely expected to introduce its next-generation iPhone at its Worldwide Developers Conference next week, with many observers expecting Apple to continue offering the 16 GB iPhone 3GS and slide it down to the entry-level $99 price point currently held by the 8 GB iPhone 3G. Wal-Mart stepped to the front early last week by doing exactly that even before the next-generation iPhone appeared, dropping its price on the entry-level iPhone 3GS to $97 from its previous $197 price point.

LogMeIn Ignition For Ipad and Iphone

One click on your iPhone or iPad lets you remotely access one or more computers anywhere, anytime. So you never have to worry about leaving anything behind. Directly control your Mac or PC, all your apps and all your files – like that important presentation for your boss or that important photo album for your mom – with a simple touch.
Super Quick, Super Easy

• Simple to install and set up in minutes
• Automatic settings for optimized speed and performance
• Easy single price for personal or business use
What You Can Do with Ignition
• Access your home or work computer
• Give your family IT support
• Play computer games located on your home computer

To get started:
1. Create an account at LogMeIn.com
2. Download the LogMeIn software to your PC and Mac
3. Choose our free remote access or a low-cost annual subscription
4. Download LogMeIn Ignition from the App Store
5. Log in from your Apple device to access your computer

What's New in Version 1.1.138

• One app for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
• Dynamically optimizes to device features and functions
• Improved display, rendering and navigation for the iPad, including new keyboard handling
• Faster connection handling for 3G and Wi-Fi

Source: Apple App Store

HippoRemote Turns iPhone into Multitouch Mouse

HippoRemote Pro is a great alternative for controlling your computer instead of the usual mouse and keyboard. While there are plenty of other options in the App Store that offer this functionality, HippoRemote Pro is by far and above the best.

What makes HippoRemote Pro unique is a series of profiles that contain shortcuts to key features. For example if you are a Windows 7 user there is one-tap access to the Start menu. Mac OS users can quickly hit the Exposé button. Popular browsers such as Chrome and Safari also have their own shortcuts. This option is also customizable based on the commands that you find yourself mostly using.

The multi-touch trackpad is great to use and is designed well for tasks like browsing or clicking through a media application such as iTunes. A keyboard button fires up the iPhone’s keyboard for typing, which makes it especially useful when searching online.

The Pro version of the app also contains a browser and Twitter access. They may seem a bit out of place here, but it certainly makes it more convenient to quickly check another site or Twitter without leaving the HippoRemote app.

The mouse function felt very natural, and those with multi-touch trackpads will already be familiar with two-finger scrolling and other common commands. There were a few occasions when the response was slightly off, but it was pretty rare. All told Hipporemote Pro offers a very solid experience. One cool feature is the ability to bring up a list of commands such as opening Twitter or closing the application by shaking the phone.

Using this as a mouse replacement is not recommended, as HippoRemote Pro on the iPhone means dealing with a limited amount of screen real estate for functions like right clicking. However, if doing casual browsing or running a PC or Mac as a media center HippoRemote would be an excellent way to control the device.

Source: http://www.appcraver.com/hipporemote-pro/

PC speakers: decent sound, affordable price

The Expressionist Plus sells for less than $100 online.

Not everyone likes the idea of having PC speakers with a separate subwoofer. But the reality is that unless you step up to something like Audio engine's fairly large and pricey A5 bookshelf speakers, you tend to need a 2.1 system to deliver a richer, more bass-laden audio experience.

Altec Lansing's Expressionist Plus FX3021 2.1 system isn't nearly as beefy as the company's current top-of-the-line PC speaker system, the Expressionist Ultra, but it manages to deliver decent sound at an affordable price--less than $100. It also looks good, though the speakers' glossy black finish is a fingerprint magnet.

The system comes with a small, cone-shaped subwoofer with a downward-firing 5.25-inch driver and two small satellite speakers with 2-inch drivers that are mounted on thick wire stands that let you tilt the speakers up at an angle, instead of them pointing straight ahead.

The speaker cables are hard-wired into the satellites and--as is the case with virtually all 2.1 PC speaker speakers--connect to ports in the subwoofer, which is small enough to set on top of a desk but will most likely end up placed on the ground.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20000581-1.html?tag=mncol;title

iTaskPro(iCal/Outlook Sync)

 

Computer Renaissance would like to share with you app that will help you manage your busy schedule. From work to the school plays and football games with the family.

iTaskPro is the premium version of iTask. iTask is an iphone app that helps people to manage projects and tasks, to do lists and so on. It is a mobile task management tool for the iphone. It is simple, and powerful tool that makes task management easier. iTaskPro will use iTaskPro For Outlook/iCal to synchronize the tasks.

Features:
Synchronization - Synchronize the tasks between iPhone and Outlook/iCal. It is two-way sync. The synchronization requires WiFi network. Exchange server is NOT required.
Voice, picture and text notes for the task - Add voice, picture and text notes to the task.
Email the notes - Email the notes to others.
Repeatable tasks - Add repeatable tasks.
Calendar view - View and add the tasks in calendar view.
Search - Search the task with task name, description, and tagging.
Tagging - Tag the tasks with keywords.
Category - Group the tasks in category.

What's new

1.Major revamp of iTask desktop program
2.Recurring improvements. Compatible with recurring types in Outlook and iCal
3.GUI improvements
4.Bug fixing

Source: iTunes

Ring It Up POS

Ring it Up POS - Track your sales and expenses, right on your iPhone. Bookkeeping no longer has to be a chore.

Ring it Up is a portable point of sale application  for the entrepreneur on the go. Whether you are at a trade show, flea market, swap meet, photo shoot, or a craft fair, Ring It Up makes the job of tracking sales and expenses a snap. After you have added all of your products and/or services into your catalog, adding a sales transaction is simply a matter of a few taps on your screen and you are done. Invoicing your customer just as simple.

Ring it Up is ideal for...
* trade shows
* flea markets
* craft fairs
* festivals
* Door to Door Sales
* Booth Renting stylists/Barbers
* Masseurs
* Photographers
* Consultants
* Contractors

*** Credit Card Processing ***
Ring It Up now works with the following Credit Card Processing Apps.

✓ iMerchant Pro Credit Card Terminal -PhoneTransact.com
✓ Credit Card Terminal - Inner Fence
✓ iSwipe - AppNinjas
✓ ProcessAway - Rapadev
When combined with Ring it Up, you can track your sales and collect credit card payments, right on location.

Ring it UP POS features:
✓ Quick and easy sales or expense entry.
✓ Sales and expense reports.
✓ Customizable receipts/invoices via HTML based templates.
✓ iPhone address book integration.
✓ Data importing and exporting.
✓ Basic Inventory Management.
✓ Quoting feature
✓ Works with 4 different Credit Card Processing Apps

Source: ITunes App Store

SKEE-BALL

 

Skee-Ball! Bring the fun of the boardwalk to the palm of your hand with 3D graphics, great physics, and awesome prizes. A true American classic.

With a quick flick, roll the ball up the ramp and into one of the numbered holes for points, tickets, and unlockable achievements.

Win enough tickets and go on a shopping-spree for fun prizes like a set of vampire teeth, a Peruvian Flute Band CD, or even a custom ball to use in-game. Over 80 prizes in all.

Skee-Ball is easy to learn and easier to love: Play by simply flicking your finger across the screen or making a bowling motion. Tilt the iPhone/iPod touch to add spin. Simple to play, almost impossible to stop playing!

The NVIDIA PhysX engine delivers console-quality physics so the ball rolls and bounces hyper-realistically. Worldwide hi-scores let you see how your hoard of tickets compares to everyone else’s. The Plus+ Network lets you challenge friends with score tracking, achievements and leader-boards.

Skee-Ball is celebrating its 100th birthday, but has never felt more modern!

Update to Skee-Ball V1.1!

• Option to turn off accelerometer.
• Added tutorial tips to explain the Stars.
• Added Brewskee-Ball ball and other prizes.
• Improved ball special effects and loading screen.
• Higher-level Plus+ awards unlock lower-level awards automatically.

Source: http://www.freeverse.com/iphone-os/product/?id=9006

Agent X Word

If you enjoy crossword puzzles, you are going to love Dictionary.com’s new iPhone app, Agent X Word. The app, which is $2.99 in the App Store, is the ultimate crossword solver. The new app leverages Dictionary.com’s proprietary natural-language technology and semantic search capabilities to provide an actual answer (or up to three hints if you just need a little help).

Agent X Word will provide more than two million hints and answers for over 30,000 crossword puzzles updated daily and claims to understand pop culture and current events. The app will offer definitions and synonyms for answers as well as other features such as recent search history and the ability to email answers to yourself or others. If you aren’t sure you want the answer revealed, the app can provide up to three hints per clue, to help you solve the puzzle yourself.

Dictionary.com’s free iPhone app, which launched in April, has been downloaded more than four million times. The app lets you look up definitions and synonyms from Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com, reaching into a database of more than 275,000 definitions and 80,000 synonyms. The app also features audio pronunciations, similarly spelled words and Word of the Day. The company also recently launched a BlackBerry App and released its API to partners to incorporate into various applications, including e-books.

Source: ITunes Appworld

Quad Camera — Toy Photography For The Kid In You

For the photographer that enjoys the toy camera genre the Quad Camera — Multi Shot Cam by Takayuki Fukatsu is a fun iPhone photography app. This is the 4th release in their series of toy camera apps, based on such toy cameras as the Lomo and Holga. The Quad Camera offers a good time.

Simplicity is the key to Quad Camera. All you need to do is line up your subject and press the button. Depending on your setting, the iPhone’s built-in camera will take a series of 4 to 8 shots. The settings offer choices such as layout, timer adjustment, and color or black and white modes. There is also a function that allows you to email the developer directly with your suggestions.

Movement is the key to making your photos pop. For best results target either a moving subject or move the camera itself. I found that 4-8 stills of a stationary subject to be much less interesting. When movement was introduced the photos came alive.

The Quad Camera is great to play with and trying to create some interesting work is fun. But if you’re truly into toy cameras and enjoy the light leaks, vignetting and that old school feel you get from a Holga or Lomo you might be in for a slight let down. I wasn’t able to replicate those effects with Quad Camera — Multi Shot Cam but if someone knows how, without the use of Photoshop, it would be interesting to find out how you accomplished it.

Overall I found the Quad Camera to be worth the $1.99 investment. Shooting a variety of shots with it has been enjoyable and trying to push it to create some interesting work is almost contagious. It can’t compete with my other toy cameras and I don’t think that is the objective, but as an iPhone app it has a charm all it’s own.

Source: http://www.appcraver.com/quad-camera-multi-shot-cam/