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Five fact-filled apps for Shark Week
It's Shark Week -- that time of the year when sharks take center stage on the Discovery Channel and beyond. This year's shows have been marred by the Megalodon controversy, but that doesn't mean you still can't enjoy learning about the shark species. Below you will find five shark-related apps to supplement your knowledge of the finned fish. Discovery Kids Sharks [iPad; Category: Education; $4.99] A fact-filled app from Discovery that teaches children about sharks. The app also includes interactive games and digital trading cards. Expedition White Shark for iPad [iPad; Category: Education; $3.99] Expedition White Shark allows you to receive near real time Great White Shark tracking data thanks to the scientists at the Marine Conservation Science Institute (MCSI). Data is collected from tagged sharks when they surface and are relayed via satellite to MCSI. Discovery Kids Readers: Sharks [iOS Universal; Category: Books; $1.99] Discovery Kids Readers: Sharks brings sharks to the little ones in your household. The book includes vivid photographs, fun facts and a quiz. Targeted for children 4 to 8 years old. Shark Net - Predators of the Blue Serengeti [iPhone; Category: Education; Free] Another shark-tracking app that allows you to follow sharks as they migrate off the coast of California. Data is compiled from the collaborative shark research of Stanford University scientists and the GTOPP -- the Global Tagging of Pacific Predators project. Learn Sharks Now! [iOS Universal; Category: Education; Free] Learn Sharks Now! includes 30 shark cards with pictures and facts about our this fish. A quiz mode will test your knowledge of the shark. And one bonus app for you gamers out there! Hungry Shark Evolution [iOS Universal; Category: Games; Free] Play as a shark and feed on sea creatures, swimmers and fisherman. Eat and grow from a pup into a full-grown Great White Shark.
Five apps for the summer blockbuster movie season
Summer is reaching its peak which means the blockbuster movie season is in full swing. Below is a list of five movie apps, hand-picked by the folks at TUAW, to test your movie trivia and make your movie watching experience more enjoyable. Check out the list below and add your own recommendations in the comments. Anything After -The Movie Credits Stinger App [iOS Universal; US$0.99] Don't miss that funny cut scene because you skipped the credits to hurry out to your car. Anything After will let you know when a movie has a bonus scene or extra content after the credits. Run Pee [iOS Universal; $0.99] Run pee will tell you the best time to take a bathroom break during a movie. You can relax while you relieve yourself knowing you won't miss an important scene. 4 Movie Scenes [iPhone; Free] Challenge your friends by asking them to identify the movies shown in a montage of scenes grabbed from popular flicks. Jumbl: movies [iOS Universal; $0.99] Test your movie knowledge by unscrambling the world jumble to spell the titles of popular movies. MediaStinger [iPhone; Free] Another stinger app that'll let you know whether a movie has extra content after or during a trailer. It also includes news, movie reviews, and trailers for your viewing pleasure.
Five apps to help you identify birds and their beautiful songs
Spring means migration and the return of birds to many parts of North America. It also means warmer weather and sunny days that are perfect for birding. Here is a list of apps to help you get outside and start learning about our feathered friends (all prices are USD). Field Guide for birds [iOS Universal; $0.99 to $19.99] There are several big-name field guides that include photos and illustrations to help identification, bird calls, range data and other information about each bird species. Included in this list of guides are Audubon, Peterson, Sibley and the all-digital iBird. Audubon Birds is a digital version of the popular paperback field guide. It has excellent images of the birds, range maps and multiple calls and songs for each bird. It also includes NatureShare which allows you to find and share local bird sightings. The Audubon Birds app is on sale now for $3.99, down from $14.99. Peterson is another pocket guide to North American birds that has made its way to the digital platform. Peterson has a full version of its paperback guide that sells for $14.99. The company also recently introduced a Pocket edition of its traditional guide that features a lower price tag ($0.99) and a fewer details. Sibley, another paperback guide, is known for its great illustrations and these details look great on the iPad and iPhone. The Sibley eGuide also has a handy comparison tool and a bird song repeat feature so you can call out to other birds while you are in the field. The Sibley eGuide to North American birds costs $19.99. iBird offers a variety of guides to suit your pocketbook and your geographical location. If you want a guide that covers 938 North American and Hawaiian species, then you should check out the iBird Pro Guide to Birds, currently available for $19.99. This version also includes audio songs and calls, a search feature that lets you save frequently used searches and iCloud syncing for your notes and favorite birds. There is also a Plus version available for $14.99 that has fewer search filters than the Pro version. iBird has affordable versions ($6.99) for regions like the Midwest, West, South and North. iBirds also has a backyard birds version that'll get you birding from the comfort of your deck longer for $2.99. Larkwire Birdsong Series [iOS Universal; $14.99 or less] If you want to turn memorizing bird calls into a game, then you should check out the Larkwire Birdsong series. Similar to the bird guides, Larkwire has several universal iOS apps to meet the needs of a variety of birders. A Master Birder version is available for both land birds and water birds. The master land bird version includes 394 sounds that cover 343 land species, while the water bird version has 253 sounds from 135 species of water birds. Between these two guides, almost all the major North American land and water birds are covered. Larksong's regional guides, core guides and backyard guide will introduce you to bird calling on a smaller scale. There's even a basic guide that includes 20 essential bird songs for free. Chirp! Bird Song USA+ [iOS Universal; $2.99] Chirp! Bird Song USA+ is part bird song app, part reference app. It uses GPS to find bird calls that are common in your location. As your bird-calling skills improve, you can branch out to include all 263 bird song and calls in the app. Besides the audio recordings, the app has snippets about each call and quiz feature to test your knowledge. Cornell Lab Bird Q&A [iPhone; $2.99] The Cornell Lab Bird Q&A app is an educational app about birds. It features a question-and-answer format that cover cool facts about birds, bird feeding, migration and more. These frequently asked questions are answered by the experts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Birdwatchers Diary [iPhone; $12.99] Birdwatcher's Diary is a journaling app that allows you to log your bird sightings while in the field. Each entry includes field notes, a time stamp, location information and more. When you are done, you can upload your birding lists to eBird or back them up to Dropbox.
Five apps that'll help you follow the 2013 NFL Draft
It's a big day for football fans who are gearing up for the 2013 NFL draft. The first round picks start tonight, Thursday, April 25, at 8:00 PM ET, followed by the second and third round on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Use one or all of these iOS apps below to bone up on the draft picks as well as follow the NFL draft live for the next few days. Draftpedia [iPhone; Free] Draftpedia offers comprehensive draft information for the NFL and NBA that extends back to 1970 for the NFL and 1969 for the NBA. It's a wealth of sports draft information right at your fingertips. 2013 Draft HQ - Pro Football [iOS Universal; US$2.99] 2013 Draft HQ - Pro Football is your one-stop shop for information about the draft. Follow news on the top players and read their stats from when they were in college. There are also mock drafts and forums so you can participate in the draft instead of just reading about it. CBS Sports App [iPhone; Free] The CBS Sports app will offer streaming coverage of CBSSports.com's Draft Show Live on the iPhone. The CBS app will also feature mock drafts, player profiles and a live draft picker with round-by-round picks. NFL Mobile [iOS Universal; Free] The NFL Mobile app will provide live video coverage of the NFL draft as well as other draft features like draft alerts and draft trackers, which allow you to follow your favorite prospects and teams. Note: Some features may require a subscription and may be limited to Verizon or Verizon Wireless customers. NFL 2013 [iOS Universal; Free] The NFL 2013 app also offers live coverage of the draft and includes Draft Xtra, a second-screen experience that you can monitor while you watch the draft on TV or over the internet at NFL.com/LIVE. There's also news, analysis and mock drafts. Note: Some features may require a COX, Cablevision or FiOS NFL Network subscription.
Earth Day 2013: Five apps that'll help you protect and enjoy our amazing planet
More than 1 billion people today will take part in Earth Day 2013. Governments, businesses, organizations and individuals will take time to celebrate the incredible planet on which we live. Below, you will find five apps to help you get outside and enjoy nature as well as take steps to protect the Earth in your daily life. iRecycle [iOS Universal; Free] Reduce, reuse and recycle. Use iRecycle to find convenient recycling opportunities when you are at home or away. iRecycle provides you with more than 1.5 million ways to recycle more than 350 materials. Vegetable Tree - Gardening Guide [iPhone; $3.99] Use Earth Day to get started on that garden. Vegetable Tree covers the basics of sowing, growing and harvesting of a variety of vegetables. There is also information on seed depth, germination soil temperature, pH Range, indoor and outdoor requirements and more. MapMyHike+ GPS Hiking [iPhone; $2.99] Get outside today and enjoy some fresh air. When you head out, don't forget to fire up MapMyHike+ GPS, which lets you track your hike and log them for future reference. Keep track of every path you follow and build an online journal of your hikes. WattchIT [iOS Universal; $2.99] WattchIT lets you analyze home electricity costs on a per room basis. Use the tips in the app to make changes in your electricity usage and save money. An excellent, but smaller companion to WattchIT is Stopwattch, which lets you set a timer to measure the energy usage of a single appliance or electronic device. Geography Quiz Game [iPhone; Free] Learn more about the world in the Geography Quiz Game. You can play online against other via Game Center or play against your friends in multiplayer tournaments.
Five apps to kick off the golf season
The prestigious Masters Golf Tournament is in full swing this weekend. Held during the first full week in April, the Masters kicks off the golf season for golfers in the northern climates. To help you track the pros and improve your own golf game, check out some of the top golfing apps available in the iOS App Store. The Official Masters Tournament app [iPad; Free] The official app of the Master tournament will keep you up to date with live streams, scores and news from the Augusta National event. There's also an iPhone version that is available for free. Rotary Swing Golf Instruction [iOS Universal; Free] Rotary Swing Golf Instruction is a video tutorial app that'll teach you how to swing like the pros. The app includes 16 free videos, and you can use an in-app subscription to get access to a library of over 100 videos. New videos are added every month. Golf Channel [iOS Universal; Free] Follow all the latest news and analysis about the current golf season from Golf Channel experts. Keep track of the leader board and follow your favorite players during tournaments. Golf Magazine [iPad; Free] The Golf Magazine app brings the popular Golf Magazine to your iPad. Each issue is filled with tips to improve your golf game. There are also interviews with the pros and gear reviews. You can buy single issue for $4.99 via an in-app purchase. You also can buy a 1-month subscription for $1.99 or a 1-year subscription for $14.99. Super Stickman Golf 2 [iOS Universal; $0.99] Super Stickman Golf is a golf game anyone can enjoy. The latest version includes 20 dynamic courses, customizable characters and both turn-based and race multi-player modes.
Five apps to help you follow the 2013 baseball season
Major League Baseball kicked off its 2013 season last Sunday and we are entering our first full weekend of games. If you are ready to fill your iPhone or iPad with apps to follow every home run, then check out our list of some the best baseball apps available for iOS. MLB.com apps [iPhone or iPad; varies] You can't talk about baseball apps without mentioning MLB.com's suite of outstanding apps. The list includes At Bat 2013, At The Ballpark, Beat The Streak and Full Count. At Bat's most compelling features (game audio and video) require a $19.99 in-app subscription for the season or $2.99 a month, but MLB.TV Premium participants get the app's full suite of options for no additional cost. Team Stream [iPhone; Free] Team Stream is a sports news aggregator that lets you set up personalized streams about your favorite teams. It supports notifications so you will be alerted with breaking news of trades, injuries and the like. Baseball Outs [iOS Universal; Free] Baseball Outs is a a mini-fantasy baseball game that makes watching a baseball game with friends even more enjoyable. You can create a game, draft players and compete against your friends. Fantasy Baseball apps [iPhone or iPad; $4.99 or less] The baseball season gets more involving if you're competing in your fantasy leagues against your friends. You can manage fantasy teams using the official ESPN Fantasy Baseball app or the official Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball app. If you use both leagues, then you might want to check out Fantasy Baseball '13 for ESPN/Y from Bignoggins Productions. Bignoggins also makes Fantasy Monster Pro, which supports ESPN baseball, Yahoo baseball and several different sports. MiLB [iPhone; Free] MiLB is for the minor league baseball fans in our audience. You'll get complete stats, schedules, standings and the latest news for every Triple-A and Double-A team. Like At Bat 2013 and the other titles above, the MiLB app is sold by MLB.com.
Five apps to help you manage your essential spring activities
Days are getting longer, temperatures are rising and spring is finally in the air. Here are several iOS apps to help you handle the major activities of the season including spring planting, spring fever, spring cleaning, spring vacation and the dreaded spring allergies. Garden Tracker - Bumper Crop (iPad, $3.99) Garden Tracker is an iPad planner for your backyard garden that'll let you record the location of the plants that you planted. If you don't have a green thumb, you can choose to grow your own virtual flowers and send them as a bouquet using the Flower Garden app from Snappy Touch. Chimani's National Parks (iOS Universal, Free) The Chimani's National Parks app provides you with a ton of information on National Parks, monuments, battlefields and other historic sites in the US. There's also a passport feature that lets you track the National Park system places that you visit. An optional news add-on ($1.99 IAP) will give you daily park traveler news, which could be helpful when you have spring fever and want to get some serious outside time. If you are looking for a place to stay, then check out this Camp & RV accommodation guide from Allstays. HomeRoutines (iOS Universal, $4.99) HomeRoutines is a housecleaning task manager that lets you schedule your common household chores. You can group tasks according to how often you do them (daily, weekly, monthly) or by zones within your house. A new seasons feature lets you set aside jobs that are suitable for spring cleaning. It's a flexible manager that can be adapted to work with popular cleaning routines like FlyLady or Organized Home. Tripomatic Trip Planning (iPhone, Free) Tripomatic is a travel guide app with information on more than 30,000 attractions worldwide. The app lets you plan out your trip and receive information about attractions that are on your route. Tripomatic also has an offline component so you can make changes to your itinerary while offline and sync the changes when you hop back online. The Pill Book (iPhone, $3.99) The Pill Book is one of the most popular consumer-focused drug guides in the United States. Now available for your iPhone, the app allows you to track medications for multiple family members, setup reminders for your medications, and browse through a wealth of drug information. It's a perfect reference for spring allergy sufferers looking for some medicinal relief from their seasonal symptoms.
Five apps for business card scanning
Persistent critters, those little analog cardboard rectangles. Even with the option to scan QR Codes, email vCards or bump phones to swap contact information, the venerable business card keeps on trucking -- and keeps on making it challenging to leap from analog to digital information. If your career or avocation takes you to meetings, trade shows or conferences, chances are you too have a pile of to-be-dealt-with business cards that could stand a good digital shakedown. Here's our five apps rundown of a few good choices for handling business card scanning on the go. SHAPE's Business Card Reader: Last year, we noted that the US$4.99 Business Card Reader expanded its offerings with an iPad version of the app. BCR delivers capable scanning and OCR (using libraries licensed from high-end scanning developer ABBYY, which has its own app suite as well), with a good verification step to make sure that the recognition is matching the actual card data. BCR can quickly export scanned data to your device address book, match LinkedIn connections, and in the latest version it hooks directly into the CRM tools of Salesforce.com for marketing and sales pros. Evernote Hello: I wasn't all that taken with the first version of Evernote's free meet-and-manage contact app; it was buggy, and it seemed awkward to ask a new acquaintance "Mind if I take your picture so I remember you?" Things have definitely changed for the better with January's version 2 release. In addition to manual entry and Hello-to-Hello audio contact sharing (very cool, I recommend giving it a try), the beautifully designed app now supports business card scanning -- temporarily free for both regular and premium Evernote users, although at some point down the road the regular user scan allowance may be curtailed or changed to IAP. Evernote's expertise with text recognition and knowledge of the iPhone's camera capabilities seems to have paid off, as Hello is now delivering some of the best and quickest scan results I've seen. My favorite feature is the heads-up display that automatically detects the card and gives you instant feedback on getting the best image ("use a shallower angle," "center the card," "hold the phone steady," etc.); as soon as Hello thinks it's got the shot, it captures the scan automatically. If it can't auto-detect, it falls back to manual mode, but most of the time with a light card on a dark background it nails it in one try. Within a few seconds, the data is detected, and if you're signed into LinkedIn via Hello, the card will be matched with that contact immediately. Hello also links a "meeting" note to give context to the encounter, rather than leaving a bare contact without metadata. Some minor quibbles aside (you can't edit the Hello notes in either the desktop or iOS versions of the regular Evernote app, for one), Hello is a winner. Without a firm date or pricing for the end of the free scan trial for non-premium Evernote users, my recommendation is to use it while you can. LinkedIn's CardMunch: With more than 2 million cards processed already, the free scanning app from your friendly neighborhood social network for professional use has simplicity and volume on its side. Assuming you already use LinkedIn's connection ecosystem, CardMunch's scanning speed and off-device processing make it great for dealing with a lot of cards in batch mode, and you can make notes on each scan before it's recognized on the back end. Of course, the trade-off of the cloud processing step is that you can't easily OCR cards on the plane on the way home without forking over for some WiFi. Also, checking for errors is a two-step process since the scan and the data return are a few minutes apart -- but CardMunch tends to make fewer mistakes than other apps, so that's not a big drawback. WorldCard Mobile: When I last checked out the $6.99 WCM app a year ago, it stood up well against competitors like CardMunch and BCR. Since then, the app has added QR Code scanning with support for both vCard and meCard formats, iOS 6 compatibility, support for double-sided cards, batch scanning, duplicate search and direct synchronization with Google contacts. WCM's interface is still in need of some redesign TLC, but for rapid and accurate scanning, it's a good choice. Note that WCM also requires you to tap a small button on the screen to take a card photo, while other apps let you tap the whole screen or auto-detect the card (Evernote Hello). NeatCloud and NeatMobile: If you're in the habit of keeping all your print-to-digital documents in the Neat ecosystem driven by one of the company's desktop scanners, you're already comfortable with the OCR and filing capabilities of the platform. What's new is that Neat is extending your scanned repository into the cloud and onto your iPhone, with the NeatMobile / NeatCloud combination app and service. NeatCloud gives you on-the-road access to your scanned docs, and in turn the NeatMobile app allows you to scan back to that pile of data from wherever you happen to be. This sync isn't a free service, however; monthly plans start at $5.99 for individual users. As such, the mobile app doesn't worry much about handling address book sync or other standalone features; the workflow is that you'll do that processing back on your Mac or PC with the downloaded scans. Neat's app does a solid job of scanning business cards in standalone mode, but for true accuracy with a human touch the optional NeatVerify pass submits your scan for a once-over by a person to make sure everything is in the right place. NeatVerify credits are linked to your NeatCloud account.
Thanking the Academy: Five Apps for the 2013 Oscars
If you're eagerly awaiting the 85th Academy Awards airing this Sunday on ABC, you may find one of these five apps useful before and during the show -- and all of them are free. Good luck to the nominees! Oscars The official app for the event. It's pretty much a US-only affair, and isn't perfect, but it's a handy way to learn more about the nominated performers, creators and films. You can also fill out a virtual Oscar ballot and share it on Facebook. I found it was a somewhat better experience than the mobile version of oscar.go.com (which pushes you to download the app anyway). Of course, the app really kicks into gear on Sunday night; it will provide Backstage Pass live streams from the red carpet, control room and backstage to deliver a "second screen" experience as you watch the big show. Fair warning: the streams are all sponsored by Samsung, so you may be subjected to a certain amount of iPhone-needling. Stitcher The streaming radio service has been amping up the original content lately, and it is now promising exclusive red carpet coverage on Sunday. If you haven't tried Stitcher and you want a different take on the show, this Sunday is a good time to give it a try. Live From the Red Carpet Speaking of red carpet coverage, E! has been at it for a long time. While I haven't used this one, the app has a perfect rating on the store. If you are a red carpet junkie, this is probably going to make you happy until the show starts. Awards Hero: Oscars Edition Awards Hero is not just a database of Oscar-related info; it's also a quick way to get a voting pool going with your Facebook friends. If you're looking for some friendly competition over who picks the most winners, this is your app. IMDb As the world's foremost online repository of movie information, this one seems pretty obvious. Settle disputes, look up actor histories and lots more with the original "Internet Movie Database." Awards Guide is prettier, however.
Five apps for musicians from the beginner to the pro
There is no shortage of quality music apps in the iOS and Mac App Store. Here are five music-creation titles that will appeal to both the novice and the pro. Anytune Pro+ [iOS Universal, $16.99] Anytune Pro+ is a music slow-downer practice app that helps musicians learn to play songs by ear or transcribe tracks. The app lets you slow down the tempo, adjust the pitch, repeat loops and even share comments on a track. DM1 Drum Machine [iPad, $6.99] DM1 is a vintage-style Drum Machine that turns your iPad into a beat-making machine. It includes 86 different electronic drum kits, a step sequencer, a mixer and more. Figure [iOS Universal, $0.99] An easy-to-use music making app that lets you mix drums, bass and lead synth with your fingertips. Great for the some quick jamming when you have a few minutes to spare. Drum Beats+ for Mac [OS X, $4.99] Drum Beats+ is an easy-to-use drum machine with 75 drum loops. It's made by Ninebuzz, the same folks behind Drum Beats+ for the iPhone and iPad. Musix Pro - Epic Isomorphic Harmony Music Instrument [iOS Universal, $9.99] Musix Pro takes a different approach to music theory by arranging notes based on their harmonic and musical relationships. The app includes a wide range of octaves, scales, keys, chords and modes that'll appeal to both the novice and the pro.
Five apps to keep you happy and healthy this year
Struggling to keep those New Year's resolutions to stay fit and eat nutritional foods? Find some new inspiration to stay happy and healthy with one of these five iOS apps below. Juice (iPhone, Free) Juice is a daily energy and activity tracker that lets you enter your daily routine so you can see which behaviors are draining your energy. Healthy Out (iPhone, Free) Whether you're looking for low carb meals or vegetarian dishes, Healthy Out will help you find local restaurants that meet your dietary needs or nutritional preferences. Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson (iPhone, US$2.99) Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson uses meditation to help you relax and get to sleep. Great for insomnia. This is one of many apps in the Andrew Johnson series that'll help you relax and decrease stress in your life. Spinning Indoor Cycling & Heart Rate Training (iOS Universal, Free) Spinning lets you track your spinning cycling workouts and other cardio activities. Gorilla Workout (iOS Universal, $0.99) Gorilla Workout is a daily workout app with detailed exercises and accompanying videos to help you to perform each move with the maximum burn. Once you complete a regimen you can share your results on Facebook or Twitter.
5 Apps: The best camera apps for blind and visually impaired iPhone users
After yesterday's post showing Tommy Edison's video demo of Instagram from a blind user's perspective, we thought it would be helpful to check with an expert and get some suggestions on other camera-centric apps for blind iPhone users. Today's 5 Apps guest post is from Chancey Fleet, an adaptive technology instructor at Jewish Guild Healthcare. -- Ed. With the right apps, the iPhone's camera solves a slew of problems that blind people have traditionally relied on bulky, single-use devices to handle. For the vexatious wad of unidentified cash in a pocket, purse or wallet, there's LookTel MoneyReader. This US$9.99 app uses object-recognition technology and the iPhone's bright LED flash to recognize currency almost instantaneously, even in low light or in a moving car. MoneyReader is savvy enough to recognize several different countries' bills, including the US Dollar, Euro, British Pound, Canadian Dollar and Australian Dollar. Object recognition is also at the core of OMoby, which is designed as a visual search engine for products. This app excels at identifying tiny, identical-feeling toiletries; sugar packets; and, if you get your hand in the frame, "hand." OMoby is a free app, serving as a technology demo for the IQ Engines "visual intelligence" search API for developers. Any blind person will tell you that rumors about the death of hard-copy print are exaggerated: from restaurant checks to office memos, there's still plenty. Blindsight's TextDetective captures document images and turns them into plain text, which can be read with Voiceover using speech output or Braille. The process takes only seconds and provides great results if you have a clearly printed document, good lighting conditions and a steady hand. (The first "reading machine," created in 1976 by legendary inventor and new Google staffer Ray Kurzweil, cost $50,000 and weighed 350 pounds. TextDetective costs $9.99. iPhone not included.) Although several apps are purported to identify colors, they do a mediocre job compared to standalone devices like the ColorTest, which occlude all light around the object being tested, report patterns by playing fluctuating tones and recognize hundreds of shades. Trying to sort laundry? Digit-Eyes updates the classic strategy of labeling clothes. Traditionalists do this with anything from safety pins to metal Braille tags: Nancy Miracle, Digit-Eyes's designer, suggests you do it with washable bar codes, which cue the Digit-Eyes app to play back an audio recording or text note you've made that corresponds to the specific code for each item. The $19.99 Digit-Eyes app also looks up commercial bar code information, complete with package directions and nutrition facts; it also allows a user to print QR codes with embedded text. For blind workers who need a serious tool for fast and accurate inventory management, Ms. Miracle has helpfully reviewed two Bluetooth laser scanners from Serial-IO that read bar codes more quickly and in more diverse lighting conditions than does the iPhone camera. [We reviewed Digit-Eyes on TUAW in 2010. –Ed.] No matter how much technology you have, it's a fact of life: sometimes, you just need to borrow a pair of functioning eyeballs. VizWiz can help with that. Simply take a photo, type or speak a question, and a web volunteer will get back to you -- usually within minutes -- with an answer. You can also opt to post your picture and question to Facebook, if you dare. You can read more about Chancey and her experience of navigating New York City in this feature story on WNYC.
Five apps for the last-minute holiday shopper
Holiday shoppers, your time is almost up! There are only a few days left until deliveries cease and the stores shut down for Christmas. Here are five apps to make this last-minute shopping frenzy a little easier on you and your wallet. Clutch (iPhone, Category: Lifestyle, Free) Clutch is your one-stop shopping app for the remaining people on your gift list. You can add people to your gift-giving list and then use the daily deals, price comparison tool or coupons to save money. You can even buy a gift from within the app and have it delivered directly to your loved one's doorstep. ReturnGuru (iPhone, Category: Productivity, Free) ReturnGuru lets you enter receipts on your phone and track their return dates. The app supports physical and digital receipts, so you can keep track of almost every item you buy. The app will alert you when the return period is about to expire. Parking Meter Pro (iPhone, Category: Utilities, Free) Parking Meter Pro will help you navigate a busy shopping mall and its parking garages. The app marks the spot where you parked and lets you add either a picture or a note to help you remember your location. You can also set a timer, if you are paying for your time parking at the mall. Point Inside Shopping & Travel (iPhone, Category: Navigation, Free) Point Inside is your personal navigator when you are inside the mall. The app includes complete directories and interactive indoor maps of over 1,250 malls across North America. There are also location-aware offers, deals and coupons that'll help you save money while you shop. DropGifts (iPhone, Category: Social Networking, Free) Gift cards are a nice alternative when you can't find a gift or are running out of time to buy one. DropGifts is an iOS app that'll let you send a gift card to your Facebook friends. It includes high-profile gift cards like Gap and Barnes & Noble. If you don't want to use an app to give a gift, you can always give the gift of an app now that Apple has restored that feature to the App Store.
7 apps to help you battle the crowds and save some money on Black Friday
It is Thanksgiving here in the US today, which means tomorrow is Black Friday -- the busiest shopping day of the year. On Black Friday, retailers kick off the holiday shopping season with deep discounts on popular items, and shoppers swarm stores looking for fantastic deals. Below, we have listed some of our favorite Black Friday apps, along with a few others that'll make your shopping experience a bit easier. Black Friday App from Dealnews (iPhone, Free) The Black Friday App lets you browse ads from dozens of major retailers. You can also create shopping lists, access your shopping list at dealnews.com, do price comparisons, receive store alerts and share your favorite ads. Black Friday from FatWallet (iOS Universal, Free) The Black Friday Deal Finder for 2012 pulls deals in from bargain hunting website FatWallet. Similar to the Dealnews app, the Fat Wallet app lets you create wish lists, share deals via email and text and receive alerts when a new ad is posted. It also has an impressive search feature that lets you search and sort deals by store, category, brand and price range. TGI Black Friday (iOS Universal, Free) Similar to the Dealnews and Fatwallet apps, TGI Black Friday has shopping lists, push notifications, price comparisons and search. You can also share deals via Facebook, Twitter or email. You can't go wrong with any of these three Black Friday apps, so just pick one (or all) and go shopping. CheckPoints (iPhone, Free) If you are going to go shopping, you might as well earn some extra gifts for your hard work. CheckPoints is a reward system that lets you earn points for scanning products when you are in a store. There are also games within the app to help you earn even more points. Once you've built up a treasure chest of points, you can redeem them for iTunes gift cards, Amazon gift cards, gadgets and more. Apple Store App (iPhone, Free) Apple fans should be ready to fire up the Apple Store app on Black Friday and do some shopping during Apple's Black Friday sale. Apple rarely discounts their products, so be sure to take advantage of this holiday sales event on Friday. Gift Plan (iPhone, $2.99) Before you go shopping, you should have a game plan and know which person is getting what gift. Gift Plan from Glasshouse apps is the perfect solution for creating gift lists for your loved ones. You can setup profiles that store sizes, personal tastes and gift ideas for each person on your list. MotionX GPS Drive (iOS Universal, $0.99) MotionX GPS is one of the top mapping and navigation apps for iOS. For Black Friday shoppers, MotionX has multi-stop routing that'll let you plan out your shopping route in advance and a parking spot marker so you can find your car in a sea of automobiles.
5 apps to help make your turkey tasty this Thanksgiving
Before you pop that turkey in the oven and start whipping those potatoes, you better make sure you have your recipes out and your ingredients in order. If you are hosting a big Thanksgiving meal and need some help in the kitchen, here are five apps that'll help save the day. You might also check out our past coverage of iPad kitchen racks, tips for protecting your devices in the hostile cooking environment and an amazing DIY cabinet door mounting setup -- just don't let Grandpa chop the vegetables. Substitutions for iPad (iPad, $0.99) Substitutions is a straightforward app listing substitutions tables for cooking. It includes over 400+ substitutions that are organized into categories like alcohol, dairy, herbs & spices and more. It's a life-saver when you're making pumpkin pie and realize you bought sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk. The app is also available for the iPhone. Butterball Cookbook Plus (iOS Universal, $4.99) The ultimate turkey cooking app from the folks who sell the turkeys that'll grace many plates this Thanksgiving holiday. Delectable Wine (iPhone, Free) An app for wine connoisseurs to help you remember and share some of the best wine you've tasted. Perfect for getting the best vino for your holiday dinner table. Appetites (iOS Universal, $0.99) Appetites is an interactive cooking show that you can install on your iPhone or iPad. A new Thanksgiving pack will help you cook the perfect meal. Wave Timer (iPhone, Free) Wave Timer is a hands-free app that'll let you stop a cooking timer by waving your hand at your phone. It'll help keep your phone clean while you cook.
Apps and tips for coping with Hurricane Sandy
All of us in the northeast US (which includes myself and TUAW colleagues Megan Lavey-Heaton, Dave Caolo and Kelly Hodgkins) are keeping a wary weather eye on the approaching maelstrom that is Hurricane Sandy. While we continue to hope for minimal impacts to life and property, it's overwhelmingly likely that millions of people will be facing days or weeks of power outages, constrained transportation and other serious challenges. As we noted last year with the approach of Irene, there are several apps and simple tips that can help keep you safe and secure in emergent conditions. Of course, the most important advice is also pretty simple: follow the instructions of local authorities with regard to evacuations, road closures and travel restrictions. On the app front, the big kahuna is Hurricane HD from Kitty Code, which provides up-to-the-minute storm tracking detail. It's a paid app that tracks all named storms in the Atlantic and Pacific; given that it's the tail end of the season, mostly what you'll get from it post-Sandy is historical info until next time around. True weather nerds may prefer to pick up Base Velocity's RadarScope, which delivers high-resolution radar data from around the US to your Mac or iPad. Also on your Mac, Zipline puts an RSS ticker of weather data on your desktop for immediate alerts. (Base Velocity's development partner WDT makes the handy iMap Weather Radio app, which delivers location-specific weather alerts for thunderstorms and other hazards.) Our in-house weather maven Mel Martin recommends CaneCast as an alternative to Hurricane HD, with similar storm tracking and warning alert capabilities. Mel also likes Emergency Radio Free, which provides thousands of live feeds to NOAA weather reports and emergency/local first responder scanner broadcasts; and the Hurricane Safety Checklist Lite app. Cnet points out ICE Lite, which allows you to quickly file all your "In Case of Emergency" info in one place for first responders or medical personnel. Don't put all your eggs in one app basket, though: you can use Evernote, Dropbox, iCloud notes or Google Drive to easily transfer some of your vital info to the cloud. Then, print out a copy and keep it in your wallet or glove compartment. ABC's Joanna Stern notes that both the Federal Emergency Management Administration and the American Red Cross have helpful apps available for the iPhone. FEMA's app includes contact information for emergency services and recovery assistance; the Red Cross app gives instructions on preparing an "go bag" as well as the locations of support/evac centers. You can also use the Red Cross app to send an "I'm Safe" social media alert to Facebook and Twitter, although if your phone is working you can probably just post directly to those services yourself. Before the storm hits, follow Scott Beale's advice: Always Be Charging everything with a battery in it. In the event of power outages, the vintage technologies may hold out better than modern digital versions: a battery-powered radio and landline phone may remain operable when TVs and cellphones don't. Keeping your iPhone charged, however, is a plus if it's feasible; it can provide emergency communication, navigation and a slew of other capabilities. As a bonus, a tethering plan may be able to provide bandwidth for your computer even if your home ISP connection goes down. You can charge an iPhone or iPad from a laptop, or from an uninterruptible power supply; low-capacity models can be had for under $100, which will give you just enough time to gracefully shut down your computer, or happily provide juice for mobile gadgets for much longer. Best Buy actually has all the APC models on sale now, which means they'll likely go fast. Remember that you need to charge your UPS before the power goes out. Kelly H. recommends turning off your UPS and unplugging all your drain-inducing gear as soon as the power cuts out, then turning it on only to charge the iPhone or iPad. If you're using a generator for backup power, Kelly strongly recommends not plugging your delicate electronics (MacBook Pro, etc.) directly into the generator output, unless you have a pure sine wave inverter providing clean AC power. Put a surge protector or UPS inline to keep that "dirty power" from frying your laptop. Aside from minimizing your iPhone power drain by turning off unnecessary services and Wi-Fi (no point in searching for a network if the access point's offline), you can charge your phone from a backup battery or a hand-crank charger. Plenty of companies are offering AC-chargeable battery packs, including Zagg, PowerStick, Belkin and countless others. When you're looking for a power pack, keep in mind that an iPad needs a 2A USB port (twice the power of a normal USB port) for full-speed charging, although it will trickle-charge fine from a standard port. Putting some elbow grease into the equation, we turn to the cranks. Eton's power products include chargers that can give you enough juice for a five-minute call after some vigorous cranking. Its line that's co-branded with the American Red Cross includes the Rover pocket-sized crank radio, which includes weather bands, USB charging and a LED flashlight for about $50; it's available at Radio Shack and other electronics retailers. For your Mac, back it up -- and consider shutting down and unplugging ahead of power outages if you think they're likely. If you're using Time Machine and Mountain Lion, keep in mind that you can set up multiple, auto-rotated backup targets, so get a solid backup of all your machines on a drive or two and then tuck them away in the floodproof safe (or even better, on a shelf at a family member's house on high ground). If you've got a cloud backup via CrashPlan, Backblaze, Carbonite or Dolly Drive, make sure it's current. In New York City, residents can register for SMS and voice alerts from the city's 311 information system by signing up for NotifyNYC. The NYC Office of Emergency Management's alerts can also be found on Twitter at @NotifyNYC. In other areas, check your local emergency management website to make sure it's accessible on your mobile devices. You can also track all the Sandy updates via our sister site Skye at weather.aol.com. Wherever you are this weekend, stay safe! Please let us know how you're weathering the storm via our comments, Twitter or our Facebook page. Image from NOAA-NASA GOES-13 satellite, Sandy at 5:55pm ET 10/28/2012
Five apps (and more) for the summer road trip
The Independence Day holiday week is upon us, and millions of American families are heading out on the open road. Where past generations depended on paper maps and Mad Libs, the march of technology has given us new tools for kids and parents alike. Our five-plus apps for road trips are accompanied with standbys and alternates to match up with your specific travel needs. Got other favorites or recommendations? Give them a shout out in the comments. When I was young, in the pre-cellphone days, our road trips with other families included walkie-talkies or CB radios to help coordinate bathroom stops or route changes. Even with iMessage and hands-free headsets, there's something to be said for the one-button convenience of push-to-talk -- just ask the crowd of satisfied and loyal Nextel users who depend on the technology every day. Three popular apps that simulate the PTT experience on the iPhone are Voxer, HeyTell and Zello (all free). All the walkie-talkie apps offer one-to-one or group voice chat at the press of a virtual button. Voxer's got Facebook integration and a rapidly growing userbase, plus photo and text sharing (and some hefty funding); Zello's got a simple UI including "one big button" for PTT conversations with the other cars in your convoy; and HeyTell's got geographic indicators for your chat partners plus in-app purchases for fun items like voice changers. Any one may save you some dialing and phone calling while you're looking for your next pitstop, so consult with your fellow vacationers and settle on the one you like. Eyes on the road, please! If you want to automatically alert your friends or family at your destination that you're making progress, check out the free En Route! or the $0.99 just-released iETA. Both apps will automatically update your selected contacts with your expected arrival time and optionally share your location as you go. Other options in this vein: Glympse, Google Latitude or Apple's Find my Friends app. Want to make sure you've got solid 3G or LTE coverage where you're headed? Reader Chris suggests his $2.99 Coverage! app, which consolidates multiple carrier maps into one convenient view. Getting there is half the fun, and getting distracted along the way is at least 15% of the fun. Roadside America for iPhone ($2.99 + IAP) delivers a mapped guide to the silly and serious attractions that make a road trip memorable. Buying the app unlocks a single region of the US & Canada, with a $1.99 option in-app to purchase additional regions or $5.99 to unlock them all permanently. You can track your attraction visits, upload photos, get sunset alerts to time your visits to scenic sites, and of course get directions/hours and phone numbers. Not to be confused with the one and only Roadside America miniature village in Shartlesville, PA, which is absolutely mandatory if you're taking I-78 through southeastern Pennsylvania. Speaking of I-78, I'm positive that my wife and I have made the same mistake at least four times on that highway -- taking an exit for lunch at Friendly's only to find that it's a five-mile winding drive to get to the restaurant, when there's one right off the highway two exits further on. The solution may be iExit for iPhone and iPad (now on sale for $0.99, usually $1.99), which gives you a list of all the amenities and dining options for up to 100 exits on down the road. You can sort your iExit results by type (hotels, gas, fast/slow food, coffee) or identify favorite outlets for more filtering choices. iExit also comes in $0.99 Food and Hotel versions (not much point in buying them while the main app is on sale, though) plus a free Lite version; the Lite version only shows what's coming up at the next exit. There's a similar free app called RoadAhead that Mel reviewed last year; on my next highway drive I'll compare it to the Lite version of iExit and see which one stacks up better. Hat tip to CNN for Roadside America and iExit. Of course, the king of the American road guide castle is the venerable AAA Triptik. Readers of a certain vintage may remember the paper strip maps from AAA with manually highlighted routes, mileage indicators and approved motels & restaurants marked along the way. Triple-A has also changed with the times, as seen in the AAA Triptik Mobile app (free). Integrating maps and navigation details from NAVTEQ, the app simulates the experience of the old paper Triptiks by letting you shake your iPhone (or press an onscreen button) to announce the next navigational maneuver; not exactly turn-by-turn, but not bad. It also lists AAA-approved hotels, restaurants, campgrounds and more. You can also get navigational help and geosearch from the built-in Maps app, naturally, and from apps such as Mapquest (free) and MotionX GPS Drive ($0.99 plus subscriptions). AAA's separate, free Roadside app is also a must-have for members, as it ties into the complimentary roadside service and towing options from the association. If you'd rather document your journey with a photo journal, there are apps for that too. The latest entry is the free Rough Guides Trip Lens, incorporating technology from the HipGeo trip journal app. Trip Lens gives you an Indiana Jones-style map path with your photos along it, even if you took them far away from WiFi or cell towers -- the geocoded photos are cached and uploaded when you're back in range. You can share or send photos, see other shots taken nearby, and give family or friends a custom URL where they can follow along with your travels. Keeping pointed in the right direction is one thing; keeping everyone from boredom-induced road coma is another thing entirely. BoingBoing points out the social trivia app Trivi.al, available in ad-supported or paid ($2.99) versions. Compete against other quizmasters around the country to see who's got the fastest finger and the sharpest recall... and watch the miles fly by. Being on the road means being away from your familiar -- and presumably secure -- home and work WiFi networks. To keep your mobile connections protected on Random Truck Stop Network, a VPN is a good idea. The commercial VPN service Hotspot Shield secures your data with a bonus; compression routines squeeze your data requirements down so that if you're stuck using your 3G or 4G connection, you can minimize the amount of your quota that gets chewed up. Hotspot Shield subscriptions for a single iOS device run $0.99 a month or $9.99 per year, but there is a current deal via Parallels that gets you protection for up to five computers and five iOS devices for a year for $39.95. Finally, when you do step away from the car for a few minutes of sunbathing, you'd better know how much UV you're absorbing before you burn (sticking to the car seat = an uncomfortable ride). Katie Couric's blog, of all places, points to the UV Safe Timer app (free). This tool takes the actual weather at your location into account when computing your sun exposure, along with your activities and skin type. A timer alerts you when you're due for a reapplication of sunscreen. And wear a hat! Photo by C.G.P. Grey | flickr cc
Five apps for your Fourth of July fun
Tomorrow is Independence Day in the US, which means it's time to participate in your local parade, grill up some burgers on the BBQ, and watch a whole lotta fireworks with your friends and family. To help you enjoy this upcoming Fourth of July, we have selected five apps that'll let you adorn your holiday photos with some Americana, teach you about the Revolutionary War, and even let you take part in it if your choose. If you have any other suggestions, please add them in the comments below. Have a happy and safe Fourth of July! Holiday Picture It! (Free) Holiday Picture It! is an image editing app that lets you overlay your photos with borders, themed icons and other festive images. The app was recently updated to include a 4th of July theme so you can adorn your Fourth photos with some stars and stripes forever. Macy's 4th of July Fireworks (Free) If you're attending the Macy's 4th of July fireworks this year, then you'll want to grab this official app from Macy's. The app has several features, including a guide to local attractions, subway maps, and weather forecast, that'll make your trek to the fireworks enjoyable. Show details, performer biographies and up-to-the-minute transit information make sure you see what you want to see and make it there on time. 4th of July Finger Painting ($1.99) 4th of July Finger Painting is for those idle moments on this summer holiday. The app includes a handful of images that your little one can color with their fingers while they wait for the parade to begin. It's good, clean fun and will keep them busy for short time. And parents, while you wait, you should check out this quick guide to photographing fireworks. It might come in handy for those end-of-the-day holiday fireworks. The Revolution: Interactive Guide (Free) Yes, the Fourth of July celebrates American independence, but do you know all the events that led up to Revolutionary War and how it ended? If not, you should check out this interactive guide to the American Revolution. It's created by a high school senior who loves history and is chock full of information about this period in American history. The app includes maps, audio guides, biographies of important historical figures, quizzes and flashcards to test your knowledge. The Patriots ($0.99) Ever want to defend the Capitol from an army of approaching British Redcoats? You can get your chance with The Patriots game from Deadmans Production. Set during the Revolutionary War, the fixed gun defense game lets you pick sides in a battle for the US Capitol. You can play as the invading British soldiers or the defending American army. It's available for 99-cents and is great way to pass some time this Fourth of July.
Five apps to help you prepare for the non-stop tennis of Wimbledon
It's the end of June, and for tennis fans that means it's time for Wimbledon. The UK tennis tournament kicks off Monday, June 25. Whether you'll be attending in London or watching from afar, we have a list of apps that'll help you follow the matches from your iPhone and even brush up on your own tennis skills. Official Wimbledon app (Free) The official Wimbledon app is for fans who don't want to miss any of the action. The app lets you keep track of live scores and even listen to matches on one of the three Wimbledon Radio stations. Player profiles, schedules and on-demand video round out this excellent app. If you're in the UK, you also can download the BBC's iPlayer app which will have even more coverage. Tennis Trakker Pro ($12.99) Tennis Trakker Pro is a statistics app that'll let you keep track of a tennis player's performance. You can record the outcome of each point in a tennis match and use this information to identify a player's strengths and weaknesses. The app has a cloud component that'll let you upload match information for future reference and also share it with others who can watch the updates in real-time using ScoreTrakker. This cloud feature does require a subscription which is available via an in-app purchase. New users are eligible for a free 90-day trial of the upload service. There's also a lite version of the app which will let you evaluate it for free. Flick Tennis: College Wars HD ($3.99) Flick Tennis: College Wars HD is for those idle moments when you are tired of tennis highlights and want to settle down with an entertaining game. Flick Tennis isn't a simple back and forth volleying game. It has a storyline that lets you play the role of tennis prodigy Kevin Adams who must fight against the odds to become the best tennis player in the world. There are three modes in the game including story, exhibition and multiplayer. Story and exhibition mode have both single and double matches, while multiplayer mode lets you play head-to-head against a friend on the same device. The game has 11 tennis courts, 10 players and even 35 comic book cut-scenes which add to the plot in story mode. Tennis Clinic ($4.99) Tennis Clinic is for the budding tennis star who wants a portable pocket reference. The app is filled with video tutorials from tennis pros who cover the basic strokes, specialty strokes and other tips & tricks that'll help improve your game. All the tutorial videos are embedded into the app which means you don't have to worry about finding a fast internet connection when you want to watch a video. Because the lessons are included, the app is a hefty 571 MB. USTA Mobile (Free) The USTA app is for US tennis players who want to keep track of United States Tennis Association leagues and tournaments while on the go. You can find tournaments and review the draw. Once you've picked a tournament or a league, you can register for them right from your phone. The app also keeps tracks of players so you can view their records and gain a competitive edge before you start your first serve.
