Matt Tinsley
Articles by Matt Tinsley
Tube Map Live for iOS displays real-time Tube movements
Tube Map Live (free) for iOS displays real-time data on tube train movements as they make their way around London. It's the latest app to come from developer Andy Drizen, who recently brought us Tube Tracker (US$2.99), which is a superb app for navigating your way around the London tube network. Essentially, Tube Map Live is the Transport for London (TfL) underground map with little circular train graphics representing tube trains as they move in and out of underground stations around the network. Train movement is based on a combination of officially supplied data from TfL and the same algorithm used in Tube Tracker to provided the most accurate train information. However, Drizen does provide a disclaimer stating info from TfL is not always 100 percent accurate, so things can look a bit odd from time to time. But by and large, the app gives you a pretty informative bird's-eye view of the tube network. Viewing the map with all the trains moving around at once can be a little overwhelming, so Tube Map Live has a few features to help make things a bit clearer. First, train lines can be de-selected from the map (removing the train info from that line). Second, each circular train graphic has a border shaded the color of the line it's traveling on. Third, a user can tap on a train to see its destination (for example, a Central Line train going to White City or Woodford via Hainault). Finally, at the bottom of the screen is a scrolling bar with current line information. If all that isn't enough, tap on "more," which takes you to the Tube Tracker app if you've got it installed. Though I love Tube Tracker for planning a journey and getting very specific info on train times, Tube Map Live is fantastic for those moments when you just need to view the TfL tube map with the additional benefit of seeing live train movement information. It's also plain good fun to watch and observe the trains going about their business, especially if you're a train aficionado. At night, the map also displays ghost trains (trains that move around the network, but are not for public use), displayed with a blue, scary-looking ghost train face!
RHA announces two new premium iOS-compatible earphones
RHA, the Glasgow-based makers of high-quality earphones and over-ear headphones, has added two new, premium earphone models to their in-ear line-up, the MA600i and MA750i (pictured above). TUAW's reviewed RHA's MA150 and MA450 earphones and the SA950i on-ear headphones in the past, and the results were very impressive, especially considering the price points. The two new models RHA has announced promise even better sound quality, design and value for money. The MA600i (US$85.95) are constructed from "aircraft-grade aluminum," and combine RHA's unique aerophonic shape with custom 320.1 dynamic drivers "for highly accurate, balanced sound reproduction." The MA750i ($129.95), RHA's first to utilize 303F stainless steel, feature "handmade 560.1 dynamic drivers for precise balanced and articulate audio reproduction with an open soundstage." The MA750i offer over-ear cable support for more active users who desire a secure fit. Both earphone sets come with a three-year warranty, and are supplied with dual-density, double-flange and memory foam ear tips, ensuring effective noise isolation and a comfortable fit. Each set also comes with a carry case as well as an intriguing stainless steel ear tip holder. A three-button remote and built-in microphone allow for hands-free use with iOS devices. Versions of the earphones without the remote will be available later this year. If you live in Europe, both earphones are available from Apple Retail Stores now, and should be available in US Apple Retail Stores on August 28th. We're looking forward to trying these out, and we'll be sure to put reviews up just as soon as we can.
Aero weather app for iOS takes design cues from upcoming iOS 7
Aero (US$0.99) is a new weather app that's taken many design cues from the upcoming release of iOS 7, particularly the redesigned weather app that was demoed at Apple's last media event and is currently demoed on Apple's iOS 7 info page. From the icon to the font to the live animations that illustrate whether it's snowing, raining or sunny, at a glance, you could be forgiven for thinking Aero is the new iOS 7 weather app. Even the menu and option buttons look and feel similar to what's expected from iOS 7. But on closer inspection, it soon becomes clear that, though heavily influenced, Aero is an independent weather app and not entirely a carbon copy. In terms of forecasting the weather, Aero ticks all the boxes a standard weather app does. It's got five-day and hour-by-hour forecasts, humidity, wind and pressure indicators as well as sunrise and sunset times. It uses GPS to locate your current location's temperature, which is clearly displayed in a large font in the upper half of your iPhone's screen. You can add unlimited city forecasts, and get to them by swiping through or tapping the button at the top-left corner of the screen to enter a small menu and index to scroll through the cities you've added. An extra touch is that the time for each city you view is displayed too, doubling the app as a world clock. Similar to Solar and others, and the iOS 7 weather app, the background illustrates the current weather with moving graphics / live animations, like rain, snow, fog or wind. The graphics look great and add a nice depth to the interactive experience, with a parallax effect when you tilt your iPhone in different directions. Another prevailing trend in weather apps is a squiggly line that's indicative of how weather will change over a period of time. In Aero, the line represents the temperature over a five-day forecast, making it easy to see if things are going to cool down or heat up in the coming days in an easily perceivable way. Aero has a few extra features, which help it stand out. The Aero icon displays your current location temperature in a notification badge. Push notifications need to be enabled for this to work, but it's worth it just to see the temperature at a glance from the home screen, without even opening the app. Within the app, to refresh a current location, swipe down. To view a Wikipedia info card for the city you're currently viewing, long-press the city's name. Aero is a beautifully designed weather app that takes full advantage of the iPhone's Retina display. It looks fantastic and has some interesting extra features that place it a cut above many other weather apps out there. If you're a weather-app junkie, or you're just looking for a taste of what iOS 7 could bring in terms of design and feel, Aero is worth checking out. Or you could wait a couple more months for the release of iOS 7 and Apple's own free, re-designed weather app!
Review: Elago P2 and M2 stands for iOS devices
Update: This post has been amended to indicate the M2 stand for iPhone is angled appropriately for video calling. Elago is a design company based in California that makes accessories for mobile devices. Its P2 (US$49.99) and M2 ($29.99) stands are designed to accommodate the iPad, iPad mini, iPhone and iPod touch. Design Made from aluminum, the P2 (a slightly larger design for iPad) and M2 (for iPhone) are extremely solid and sturdy, though quite light. You'd be hard pressed to damage one in any way. I was actually a little more concerned that the stands themselves might scratch or damage a surface like a wooden table top if one of them was knocked over or dropped (or even my iDevice). However, the bases have rubber feet to prevent scratches, slipping and sliding. Taking more than just a design cue from the tear-drop-like base of iMacs and Apple displays, both the P2 and M2 will fit right in with the rest of your Apple gear. Like you do with an iMac or Thunderbolt display, with an iPhone or iPad in place, you get the impression that your iDevice is floating in the air, except for the giveaway wrap-around feet that hold the device in place at the bottom, and the stands' base footprint. On the rear of both stands are two cutaways, a small circle and vertical rectangle for cable management. The vertical rectangle is big enough to feed the USB end of an iOS device charger cable through as well as, of course, the Lightning connector variety. I'm not entirely sure what the circular cutaway is for, but the lightning connector fits through that too. The available black and silver colors (the silver akin to an iMac or MacBook), reinforce the Apple-esque inspiration. I don't think this is a bad thing. The P2 and M2 are simple and minimal, yet functional. They look great, and when in use, take a back seat to the devices resting on them. %Gallery-195668% Functionality The M2 and P2, like most other stands, are really simple to use. You place one on a table top, counter, or desk etc and rest your iDevice on it (vertically or horizontally), fitting into the bottom-padded, wrap-around feet that provide plenty of support. There's also plenty of room in those feet to accommodate a bulky case, so no need to take your iDevice out of a case if you use one. The P2 and M2 gives you 2 - 3 inches of height at an approximate 45-degree angle. The angle is not adjustable, but it's great for reading and typing, glancing at your device or even watching a film. I found it particularly useful in the kitchen when reading a recipe or just watching the news while preparing dinner. I really liked how my iPad in this instance was lifted entirely off the counter, out of the way of accidental spills. In that sense, it's much better than Apple's smart cover folded into a stand. For video calling, the P2 stand is passable, but not ideal as the angling is a little too sharp. However, the M2 for iPhone is angled just right, You're able to have your phone at a reasonable distance when making video calls, not having to look down into the screen at close range. As I mentioned above, both stands are extremely solid, but also easy to just pick up and move to a different location if you need to. The cable management is simple and effective too. Simply feed it through or pull it out depending on your needs. It's important to note that the P2 and M2 are stands. They are not what I'd consider to be a dock. Your iPhone or iPad will not fit snugly and securely into the stand, like Apple's iPad dock or other third-party docks. I think of the P2 and M2 more as a place to rest your iDevice, giving you a handy and clutter-free solution, with a practical viewing angle. My only concern with the P2 and M2 is that you might scratch or wear the back or base of your iPhone or iPad if you're not careful. The inner part of the wrap-around feet are padded, but the edges are not padded and only ever so slightly rounded off. I can't say I saw any new scratches on the aluminum side of my iPad, but the sound of aluminum rubbing and knocking against aluminum was unnerving and enough to keep me cautious. It's not a deal breaker by any means, but a little more padding and refinement in this area on the stand wouldn't go amiss. Conclusion I really like the P2 and M2 stands. They look fantastic, are simple and practical to use, and are extremely sturdy. The P2 is perfect for the iPad, but if you use an iPad mini, you can get away with the smaller M2 stand that's designed for iPhones. Right now the P2 and M2 are on sale. The P2 is reduced down to $29.99 and the M2 to $24.99, making them even better value for money. Who's it for? Anyone who needs to stand and raise their iDevice on a desk, counter, worktop etc. Remember, technically speaking, it's a stand, not a dock. Pros Solid aluminum that's sturdy and strong Apple inspired design that looks great with iDevices Cable management Practical viewing angle (the M2 is angled well for video calling) Cons Without care, the small possibility that your iDevice may get a scuff or scratch from the aluminum wrap-around feet. The P2 is passable, but Impractical for video calling
BioShock Infinite coming to the Mac later this month
BioShock Infinite will be available on Mac as of August 29th, some five months after it was first released on PC and consoles. That may sound like a long time for Mac gamers to wait, but that's much better than the more than two years after the official release date it took for BioShock 2 to arrive on Mac OS X. Ported by Aspyr, the same outfit that brought Borderlands, Civilization and Call of Duty to Mac gamers, BioShock Infinite will be available through the Mac App Store, Steam and Asypr's own GameAgent. The list price is US$59.99, though where you purchase could determine how much bang for the buck you get. Purchasing through Steam will get you Steam Play, meaning you get a copy for both Mac and PC, where as purchasing though GameAgent gets you the Columbia's Finest DLC and a voucher for 20 percent off the list price, which is quite a big incentive. Either way, Aspyr has stated the new Clash in the Clouds DLC will be available on or not long after the launch date, and the recently announced Burial at Sea two-part campaign add-on will follow thereafter. [Via The Verge]
Review: Settlers of Catan for Mac
Catan (US$16.99) is the Mac app incarnation of the well-known board game Settlers of Catan. If you haven't played Settlers (as my family refers to it) before, you're in for a real treat. And a whole lot of stress too. Oh, and did I mention the strife? Settlers is, in a way, similar to Monopoly, but more complex. It requires more forethought and strategy, and usually a lot more time too. Add the Cities & Knights or Seafarer expansion packs, and things get even more exciting. It can take many played games just to understand all the rules, and many more before you claim the coveted Lord of Catan title. That is unless you're one of the very annoying, and very lucky, first time winners! TUAW's covered Settlers of Catan and Catan for iOS in some detail before, so I'll jump straight into how Catan performs on the Mac. The Mac version of Settlers, also titled Catan, remains true to the original board game. You're able to play the original Settlers of Catan rule-set or add the Cities & Knights or Seafarers expansions. Catan can be played in one of two ways: solo campaign with the expansions, or scenario, where you choose from a variety of pre-set maps, including playing the original rule-set. Scenario mode also lets you play with others in a hot-seat style, multiplayer mode, similar to the iOS version. I guess you'll have to trust your friends not to look at your resources when it's your turn! Unfortunately there's no cross-platform multiplayer mode, let alone a simple online multiplayer mode for the Mac version of the game. Catan would be the perfect game to start playing online on your Mac, pause and then continue on your iPad or iPhone, but it's not so. However, there is Game Center support in the form of achievements and local game statistics. Campaign mode offers you ten challenging competitors to overcome in order to win the game. There are three difficulty settings to make sure you're always challenged. Pre-game banter between the characters preludes the start of each game. It's fun, but I mostly skipped through it all to get on with the game. %Gallery-195250% Visually, the game is represented in two ways. Either the tradition board game style view or a 3D representation of the game with moving graphics and animations to illustrate gameplay. For me, the 3D version was a no brainer. Either way, it's easy to zoom in and out of the board, but the game naturally focuses in on parts of the board as gameplay dictates, so most of the time you'll not have to worry about navigating around the board. While the graphics are fun, and basically lifted from the iOS versions of Catan, I was a little disappointed with the graphical performance of the game on my Retina display MacBook Pro. Anti-aliasing can be turned up, which made a big improvement, but I guess I was expecting more detail, less pixels. Visually, the game is really easy to follow and simple to navigate, provided you understand how to play the game. I loved the audio in Catan. The sound effects add character and life, and the soundtrack is wonderful too. It really encapsulates the emotional heart of the games, pulling you deep into the world of Catan. Of course, both effects and sound track volumes can be adjusted or altogether turned off. One of the biggest challenges with playing Catan is understanding how the game works. Thankfully, Catan for Mac comes with the Catan Almanac, covering every aspect of the game, including the rules, for quick reference. However, this itself doesn't really explain how to play the game, including navigating and understanding the game in its Mac format. Fortunately, there's a tutorial mode where Prof. Easy talks you through the game rules and components, though there's no tutorial demo environment to practice in. Unfortunately you can only access the almanac in game-play, not the tutorials. You need to save and exit your game to get to those. It would be nice to have a help mode during game-play, where you could hover the cursor over something in the game, which would then give a description of what an item does or how you can use it. Regardless, there's plenty to help you get your head around playing Catan in the almanac and tutorials. Finally, there's an editor to create your own Catan maps and scenarios. These can then played or even published to other players through the Catan online network. However, I didn't get round to trialing this myself. Overall, I really enjoyed playing Catan for Mac. I think that's because there's no denying that Settlers of Catan is a great game. But also because the port of Settlers to the Mac has been done, for the most part, really well. There are quite a few reviews on the Mac App Store saying that Catan crashes a lot. However, I'm pleased to report that in many hours of game-play, Catan didn't crash or hang on me once. Regrettably, the game suffers in multi-player mode, but that's primarily due to the fact that your limited to a single screen to play on. Furthermore, there's no online game-play, which would be a great way to enhance the multiplayer aspect of Catan. Having said that, I hooked my Mac up to my living room TV and played the game with a few friends and we had a great time. It would be great to see Catan evolve, taking advantage of OS X and iOS features like Game Center and AirPlay, so that Catan on the Mac can truly become the multiplayer game it's supposed to be. But for now, it's a great way to play Settlers of Catan on your own or with a friend.
Apple wins Harris Interactive Brand of the Year in three categories
Market research firm Harris Interactive, which annually measures the public perception of corporate brands in various ways, has awarded Apple repeat Brand of the Year in three categories in the Harris Poll EquiTrend ranking for 2013. Apple ranked highest in the computer, tablet and mobile phone categories. The study, which surveyed 38,500+ Americans representing the average American consumer aged 15 and over, covering 1,511 brands, seeks to determine the strongest brands based on familiarity, quality and purchase consideration. Apple's Mac, iPad and iPhone came up tops in the computer, tablet and mobile phone categories respectively, beating the likes of HP, Dell, Sony, Amazon, Samsung, HTC and Google. In February, Harris Interactive announced that Apple was considered to have the best image of any American company in 2012. So far, Apple seems to be doing very well in this regard for 2013. For more details head on over to PRNewswire. For the full list of EquiTrend rankings click here. [Via The Loop]
Author Neil Gaiman enters gaming with Wayward Manor
Award winning author and screenwriter Neil Gaiman, best known for his works The Sandman, Coraline, and (for better or worse) Beowulf, to name a few, has announced Wayward Manor, a new puzzle / adventure game for Mac and "tablets," to be released in the fall Wayward Manor is set in a 1920s Victorian pastoral estate. You, the protagonist, are a ghost trying to have a peaceful after-life. However, your slumber is interrupted by unruly, quirky, living intruders. Your goal is to get rid of them in ever increasing and imaginative ways. The game has been developed by indie outfit The Odd Gentleman (Flea Symphony). Wayward Manor is now available for pre-order as well as a selection of limited edition products and experiences (including dinner with Neil Gaiman himself for US$10,000) to raise funds for the next installment of the game) For more details check out the rather peculiar promo clip below or head to the Wayward Manor website for details and to pre-order.
Flyro is an addictive and fresh endless runner game for iOS
In Flyro for iOS (US$0.99) you're a nimble bird with a special power; you transform into a destructive flame when flying. Your home town, appropriately named Birdtown, has been frozen by an evil mouse, Moustermind. Your mission is to overcome all the obstacles the Moustermind sets before you so you can save Birdtown. Flyro is based on the classic arcade-style, endless runner game. You fly around and through objects and obstacles to score points, complete objectives and ultimately unfreeze Birdtown. It's really simple to get started, the controls are excellent for touch devices like iPhone and iPad. With your thumb, slide or tap left and right to move Flyro (I assume that's what the little bird is called) around the screen, so he doesn't crash into things and die. When flying in a straight line, Flyro transforms into a flame that can burst through wooden bridges and barrels. This earns you points, golden coins and fireball tokens. Collect enough tokens, and a massive fireball erupts to help fend off enemies. Unfortunately, when Flyro moves around to avoid objects, his flame power disengages and he's susceptible to crashing into wooden objects and dies. One great thing about Flyro is that the game-play is never quite the same. Using Moustermind Tech, Flyro automatically adjusts game-play difficulty based on how well you play the game. With a soundtrack from composer Mike Morasky (Portal 2, Left 4 Dead), beautiful graphics, and addictive game play, Brute Farce's Flyro takes a new spin to the endless runner game and comes out with a real winner. Do check out Flyro.
Ear Monsters for iOS uses 3D audio to drive gameplay, kill monsters
Ear Monsters (US$1.99) is an arcade-style iOS game with a twist. Unlike most games on the iOS App Store, Ear Monsters uses 3D audio to drive gameplay instead of video. Ear Monsters is about a monster invasion through wormholes. At first, the monsters are visible and you're easily able to take them out with a satisfying tap on the wormhole they arrived through. However, soon they arrive invisibly, which makes killing them a lot more difficult. Fortunately for us, you can still hear them arriving. And that's where focusing on what you're hearing instead of what you're seeing becomes really important in Ear Monsters. Naturally, you need to play Ear Monsters with your headphones! Ear Monsters takes a little bit of time to adjust to. But once you get used to it, it becomes an incredibly challenging and rewarding game to play. Gameplay starts off easily with just three wormholes. The monsters appear in the wormholes one at a time with a visual and audio cue. Once you're skillful at killing the monsters, the visual cue disappears and you're left with just the audio. As you progress, more wormholes appear. At its hardest, Ear Monsters has 14 wormholes. On top of that, there are bombs to contend with too. Thankfully air support arrives every so often to give you the opportunity to acquire some bonus help. Ear Monsters has drawn attention in the visually impaired community for its audio driven gameplay. Developer Brian Schmidt has written a very interesting blog post on the development of the game and how he tailored it to the visually impaired community. If you're interested in game development and accessibility, particularly on iOS, it's well worth checking out. I enjoyed playing Ear Monsters. At its heart, it's a simple arcade-style scoring game. However, with gameplay driven by audio, it provides something totally different resulting in challenging, addictive, bite-size fun. It's definitely worth checking out, and I look forward to seeing how it develops in the future.
Review: Griffin Survivor + Catalyst waterproof iPhone 5 case
The Griffin Survivor + Catalyst waterproof case (US$69.99) is said to keep your iPhone dry up to 3 meters deep in water and protect your iPhone from drops from a height of 2 meters or less. On a day-to-day basis I don't use a case for my iPhone. However, there have been plenty of occasions when I've wished I did use one, so as not to worry about protecting and shielding it in certain situations, like when I'm at the beach, hiking or camping etc. Design The Griffin Survivor + Catalyst (GSC) case has TPE shock-absorbing bumpers, a PET-integrated screen cover, a silicone O-ring to seal the case together and keep water out, and a polycarbonate frame. Though light, it feels sturdy -- especially with an iPhone inside it. Two nylon latches lock the case together, there's a charge port door as well as volume control, home button and power button. It also comes with a lanyard to attach to the case. On the back panel of the GSC are two latches that release the back panel from the rest of the case. The silicon O-ring seal wraps around the edges of the back panel. The GSC comes with two large-print A3 pages of instructions and a bright red alert card placed within the case that tells you to follow the instructions precisely or there will be "damage to your device." Function I've never used a waterproof case before, so I read the instructions through very carefully. Griffin tells you to do a test on the case every time you use it to make sure the seal is intact and the case isn't damaged in anyway. This involves checking for damage or dust within the case, its latches and buttons, and assembling it without the iPhone inside and submerging it in water for 30 minutes. If you see water bubbles coming from the case straight away there's a problem with the seal or the case is damaged. If there are no air bubbles and after 30 minutes you remove the case and there's no water present inside, you're good to go at placing your iPhone in the case. Of course once you've inserted your iPhone you need to make sure the seal is flush with the case again and check it all fits snugly together. I did the test and found no air bubbles or signs of water in the case after 30 minutes. So I took the plunge and put my iPhone 5 into the case exactly as prescribed in the instructions. It's always a little frightening to place expensive gear in harms way, but I took a deep breathe (for me and my iPhone) and placed it in my basin of water. I was reluctant to leave the phone submerged for too long, so I gave it 30 seconds, scrolled through the lock screen to the home screen, swiped through a few pages of apps. and pulled it out again. Thankfully, after opening up the GSC I found no water on my iPhone, though I did find the experience a little nerve wracking. I decided to repeat the experiment again, but this time use some tissue paper instead of my iPhone, and leave the case in water for much longer than 30 seconds. Unfortunately, after about 40 minutes I did notice there were some small droplets of water within the case and parts of the tissue paper were damp. I can only assume that this time round I didn't quite get the assembly of the case right. If you're ever in doubt, Griffin has an extensive range of support articles and videos on how to test and look after the GSC Conclusion In terms of protection against the elements and accidental drops, the GSC really stands up and I can't fault it. If my iPhone were to fall in water, it would be protected well on a bad day if not entirely on any other. The case obviously adds some bulk to your iPhone, but I've seen and used bulkier cases. It's not unattractive and Griffin says it will be releasing some more adventurous colors next year. The lanyard attachment is a practical addition, too. Pros Good to excellent protection from drops and the elements, including dust, sand and water. Protects your iPhone in submerged water Good looking and functional for a case of this design Light weight Cons Somewhat laborious process to ensure the case is entirely waterproof There are still times when some water may get through if the case isn't assembled and tested properly. Who's it for? Those who use their iPhone in extreme environments and don't want to worry about damage from the elements.
How willing are you to re-purchase apps for iOS 7?
Gedeon Maheux, a graphic designer and co-founder of the Iconfactory, has written an interesting post on his blog about how the introduction of iOS 7 will impact developers and users. There's no doubt the introduction of iOS 7 will be a huge opportunity for developers to get their apps in front of new users. And current users will expect their favorite apps to be updated in-line with the dramatically different, new OS, or else apps will quickly be deleted. This means developers will need to put time, energy and money into updating their apps for iOS 7. Since Apple does not support paid upgrades on the iOS App Store, and redesigning apps for a new OS costs money, Maheux suggests that developers are faced with the opportunity to charge users once more for their albeit redesigned, ready-for-iOS 7 apps, instead of offering them as free updates. However, the question then arises: are users willing to re-purchase apps for iOS 7? Maheu's post is well worth reading as he delves into the implications of the matter, but we thought it would be pertinent to ask our readers the above question. Before you answer the poll below, take a moment to scroll through your apps and consider how many paid apps you use and rely on on a daily basis. %Poll-83564%
Noom Weight for iPhone is a calorie counting app that could benefit from bulking up
Noom Weight for iPhone is a simple, free app that lets you log calorie intake, weight and exercise. It's based on the Noom Weight Coach app for Android, but doesn't have all the bells and whistles that the Android app has. The idea behind the Noom Weight app is that by logging your daily food and exercise, you become more aware of your eating habits, which in turn should motivate you to eat more healthily and exercise more regularly. When you first open Noom Weight, you fill out a profile of yourself based on your gender, your current and target weight, your height and how quickly you would like to reach your target weight. The app then determines approximately what your daily calorie intake should be. From there, each day you log your exercise and food intake, starting with breakfast and working your way through to dinner, aiming for your target calorie intake. Up until this point, I was really excited about Noom Weight. I'm not looking to lose a load of weight, but it would benefit me to shape up a little. The idea of logging and tracking my food intake and exercise actually seemed quite interesting and fun, and if I ended up shaping up a bit along the way, all the better. However, the experience soon became a burden and chore. Not because of the app's design or UI -- Noom Weight is actually a really well-designed app; it's well laid out and easy to use. The reason is when I came to logging food, the app hardly recognized any of the food I was trying to log, which meant I had to manually enter the calorie content of each piece of food I ate... and I don't know the calorie content of every piece of food I eat. For example, this morning I had half of a mashed avocado with salt and pepper on a slice of buttered, whole-grain toast. Entering avocado into the app was fine; that was recognized immediately. But when I entered whole-grain bread into the app, it didn't recognize that. I had to find out how many calories my slice of wholegrain toast had in it, then add the calories for the butter. That may not sound like a chore, but when you have to do that for most items in a varied diet, it becomes extremely laborious and time consuming. After a couple days, I realized that what I was entering was not accurate and the process was taking up too much of my time, which nullified the purpose of the app. I gave up. As mentioned above, I really like the design and feel of the Noom Weight app. I also like the thinking behind it, but until the Noom Weight app has a much more extensive and up-to-date food-to-calorie database, or even the ability to scan barcodes of food packages for quick calorie-counting -- like some other calorie-counting apps out there -- it's not going to be much use to the average person wanting keep track of their food intake. However, if you're the kind of person who weighs everything you eat to work out the calories anyway, Noom Weight is a great place to store that information. Do you use a calorie counting app? Let us know what works for you in the comments below.
Weathertron for iOS forecasts the weather accurately, uniquely
Weathertron (US$0.99) is a new and unique weather app for iOS. There are many weather apps available on the iOS App Store. Most of them tell the weather with a number to indicate the temperature and a graphic to show whether it's sunny, overcast, raining, etc. However, to get more information, like five-day or hour-by-hour forecasts, you need to dig a bit deeper. The Met Office weather app is a bit like this. There's a wealth of information, but it's not necessarily the easiest to navigate or interpret from a glance. Then there are some weather apps that fly in the face of tradition, like Solar, that are beautifully simple. They give you an idea of what the weather is and what it's going to be, but more insight can be hard to come by. Finally, there are weather apps that merge the best of both of these worlds. My personal favorite is the BBC Weather app. But recently I was introduced to Weathertron, which takes a slightly different approach to displaying the weather. Aggregating weather data from 16 different weather models, Weathertron displays 12 hours of weather in a unique visualizer or infographic at a single glance. Not only do you see the current temperature at the top of the screen, you can also see the expected high and low for the day, when it will hit and everything in between, giving you a minute-by-minute temperature forecast. Additionally, the infographic also displays clouds, rain and snow, making it really to see if there's heavy rain on the way and when it might arrive or that the clouds are going to part and there's sunshine for the rest of the day. With a tap and hold you can scroll round the infographic to find out what the weather will be at an exact point of the day, too. And with a tap on "tomorrow" you'll see the same level of detail for tomorrow's forecast, too. It took me a little while to get used to all the information and how to interpret it, but once you get your head round what you're looking at you realise the depth of information that's on the screen. It's all presented in a really spacious and well-laid-out format that's crisp, clean and uncluttered. With a few taps there's a whole lot more information to be had. Tap on the current forecast temperature to see sunrise and sunset times for the day. Tapping on the graph at the bottom right of the screen will take you to a seven-day forecast with highs and lows, cloud and rain. The way the highs and lows are laid out on the graph makes it easy for you to see straight away the warmest and coolest days coming in the week ahead before you've even looked at the temperatures. It's so simple, but really informative. My only gripe with Weathertron is that you can't have multiple cities lined up to switch between forecasts easily. You need to enter in the name of a city before you can view it. Hopefully Weathertron developers Keming Labs will address this in an upcoming update. Regardless, Weathertron is one of the best weather apps I've used on my iPhone. Which weather app do you use on your iOS device? Let us know in the comments below.
Tube Tracker for iOS helps you get around London's Underground, Overground and DLR
Tube Tracker (US$2.99) is the ideal companion for those traveling London's Tube (underground train service), the DLR (Docklands Light Rail) and the London Overground rail service. I've lived in London for over 12 years. Almost everyday I use London's rail network in one form or another to get around the city. To this day, every now and again, I still get excited about using the network. I get overwhelmed by its sheer scale, size and the complexity of it. It's simply an incredible feat of engineering. According to the Transport for London website, there were 1.1 million passenger journeys on the Tube in the 2011 - 2012 period. There are stations and tunnels dozens of meters underground. It is incredible! However, there are days, more often than not, when I can't stand to be on the network. Unexpected delays, overcrowding and getting lost are very real problems train travelers face in London. That's where Tube Tracker comes in. I've spent the last few days using Tube Tracker and I've found it to be one of the most comprehensive apps I've used to navigate the London Underground, DLR and London Overground. When you first open the app, you're presented with a list of stations from the nearest to the farthest from you. Tube Tracker uses your iPhone's GPS to indicate how far away you are from a station -- to the nearest meter -- as well as displaying a GPS compass next to each station to point you in the direction of that station. The colors of the train lines that operate through each station are shown next to the name of each station, so from a glance you can easily see which station you need to get to in order to catch the train you're looking for. For example, if you need the Central Line, which is identified with red, simply scroll down until you see some red next to a station name. As well as the station list being populated according to location, you can also set the list to either show recent stations visited or stations you've indicated as favorites because you've starred them. When you tap on a station name, you're shown a map of the station as well as the platforms at the station. Tapping on the platforms shows you a list of trains due and how long it will be until they arrive. %Gallery-193475% For me, the above features alone are incredibly useful. Say I need to catch a train to Highbury & Islington, which is on the London Overground line, indicated by an orange color. I open Tube Tracker and see that the nearest station to me is Shoreditch High Street, a London Overground Station at 460 meters away. I know that Shoreditch High Street serves the London Overground line because the orange color is displayed next to that station name. I tap on the station name and see that from platform one, a train will arrive for Highbury & Islington in three minutes, then a Dalston Junction train in eight minutes and then another Highbury & Islington train in 11 minutes. Just from a glance and a single tap, I now know what time I need to leave, which train I need to catch, when it will arrive and which platform it will arrive on. This information is pulled directly from Transport For London (TFL), so if there are any delays or cancellations, it will be updated here. Extremely useful! On top of that, Tube Tracker also has a complete and searchable TFL map, live service updates, a journey planner, first and last train times, offline mode and service update alerts, which can be set by date, time and train line. This really is a comprehensive and extensive list of features. I've really enjoyed using Tube Tracker over the last few days. It's well-designed and particularly easy to read and navigate. If you're a Londoner or you're planning on visiting London anytime soon, Tube Tracker is most certainly worth checking out. If you're looking for a couple Underground app alternatives (one of them free), check out fellow Londoner and TUAW blogger Michael Grothaus' post here featuring two of his favorite apps to navigate the Underground.
How Steve Jobs influenced Pixar's main campus building
Buzzfeed has put together an interesting article detailing the oversight and input Steve Jobs had over the construction of Pixar's main building on its 22-acre campus in Emeryville, Calif. The building, which was recently renamed The Steve Jobs Building, now stands in honor and memory of Jobs, who purchased Pixar from LucasArts in 1986 and was CEO until the company was sold to Disney in 2007 for US$7.4 billion. In particular, the article shares some fascinating insights into the campus' main building and Jobs' obsessive attention to detail in its construction. Senior Design Project Manager Craig Payne, who knew Jobs from his time at NeXT, tells of Jobs' very specific expectations for the building. From the shading of brick colors to the bolting, not welding, of the steel for the structure, Jobs' stipulations were to the nth degree. The article is a fascinating read into the culture at Pixar, and how Jobs' attention to details impacted and shaped that culture. [Via 9to5Mac]
Jamn for iOS makes learning to play guitar visual, easier
Jamn (US$1.99) is a universal iOS app that visually communicates the relationship between musical keys, chords, scales, notes and the audio an instrument produces. Having spent some time teaching music to young students, I know all too well how difficult it can be to communicate the relationship between music theory and the sound that an instrument produces. Inevitably, it involves me scribbling endless analogies on a piece of paper until the penny drops. And while there are helpful visuals out there, I've not come across one as clear and as simple on the iOS App Store as Jamn. Through Jamn's intuitive and interactive Jamn wheel, the relationship between theory and sound is made visual, helping to connect the dots for beginners and those wanting to learn more. For example, by selecting the key of C in Jamn, the wheel will clearly identify all relevant major and minor chords for that key. Turn the wheel and the key changes to reveal the next appropriate chords. You can also hit play to hear exactly what each note and chord sounds like. It's a simple premise, but has the potential to make a big difference in the learning process. Each note and chord is also represented on a virtual guitar fretboard, displaying where each finger should be placed to make up the chord. The same can be done by swiping the fretboard to ukulele or piano mode. In guitar mode, tilting your iDevice will put the app in eHands mode, giving you a literal hand position representation of what your hand should look like when playing the chord. The app comes with 10 of the most common hand positions, a further 200 can be purchased via in-app purchase for $1.99. Additional features include an in-key chord finder, a scales library, a tuner and tutorial videos to get you started. There really is a lot in Jamn to get you learning, understanding and playing your instrument. If you've already got the basic principles of playing, for example, the guitar, Jamn will be a fantastic tool to help you develop and progress in your musicality. But if you're a teacher, I can see Jamn being particularly useful in providing a creative and interactive way to teach students the fundamentals of playing the guitar, ukulele or the piano. Jamn is certainly worth checking out. What apps have you used to help you learn or teach an instrument? Let us know in the comments below.
Reflow: A music composition and notation app for Mac and iOS with iCloud sync
Reflow for Mac (US$19) and iOS ($5.99) is a tool that makes composition and practice of music easier. A few weeks ago you may have seen TUAW's Editor-in-chief Victor Agreda, Jr. interview Sébastien Bourgeois, creator of Reflow, in our Origin Stories series. The interview spiked my curiosity about the app, so I took a closer look. While there are some great music notation apps out there for Mac (Tabular) and iOS (Weezic), what caught my attention about Reflow is that it supports both Mac and iOS. Plus, Reflow takes advantage of the latest Mac OS X and iCloud sync features. Let's say you're composing a song in Reflow on the Mac. Reflow (which supports fullscreen mode) will automatically save your work as you progress with autosave. And if things take an unsurprising turn, simply engage versions (just like you would in Pages, for example) and go back to the last iteration of your work that suits you best to carry on from. Finally, Reflow takes advantage of iCloud support, meaning you can be working on the Mac one minute and switch over to your iPhone or iPad and carry on where you left off the next. These simple features make a huge difference to the creative process by letting you focus on the music. But all of these great features would be meaningless if Reflow didn't have the basics to make a fantastic music notation app. Fortunately, it does. The app's beautifully simple interface lets you build multi-track (guitars, bass, keyboards, drums) compositions with musical notation or tablature. It's as easy as clicking or typing in a note or beat, playing on a MIDI keyboard or, for guitarists, dragging and dropping chords in from the extensive chord diagram database. Of course, you can create your own chords, too. Furthermore, Reflow gives you an audio representation of your work using a lightweight audio engine, so you have a great idea of what your composition will sound like before the real players step in. And you can modify and edit your work during playback. Reflow also lets you build and re-arrange your own song structures, so if you suddenly decide the intro sounds better as a middle-eight, just drag it over. Finally, Reflow also supports Guitar Pro and Power Tab files for import. Export your compositions in Guitar Pro, PDF, Wave and MIDI files, or share by email. For songwriters and composers looking to write for a typical band, Reflow has all the tools you'll need. But where Reflow stands above the rest is in its creative process and workflow. With iCloud support, Reflow allows you to transition work seamlessly between Mac or iOS and takes the worry out of saving your work as well as going back through previous versions.
Feed Wrangler: A subscription-based RSS reader for web and iOS
Feed Wrangler (US$19/year) is David Smith's subscription-based RSS aggregation and syncing service for web and iOS devices. If you're a Google Reader user, you're probably aware that the service will shut down on July 1st. This means you'll either go back to browsing your favorite news and blog websites the old fashioned way or you'll be looking for an alternative RSS reader. Though I'm not a heavy RSS user, I am curious to find a good alternative to Google Reader. And now that Feed Wrangler has launched, I thought it would be worth checking out. Feed Wrangler takes a different approach to RSS reading. Of course, you get to add feeds, view all your favorite web content in one place, and sync across multiple devices. But Feed Wrangler is somewhat different to others in that you pay a subscription fee to use the service. The idea being your support allows Feed Wrangler to offer excellent performance, while developing, growing and improving. While Feed Wrangler is simple to get to grips with for beginners and light users, advanced users have not been forgotten. Smart Streams lets you create custom feeds based on text filters. Very handy if you're looking to keep track of something specific. You can also filter items out by creating a filter with a particular search term, keeping unwanted content away from your feeds. Other features include full text search of subscribed feeds, starring and integration of read later services Pocket and Instapaper, a welcome feature, indeed! On the web, Feed Wrangler has a really clean and easy-to-use interface. It puts your content front and center, without any unnecessary distractions or cumbersome features. To add feeds, import from Google Reader, an OPML file or enter URL and RSS addresses manually. Adding feeds while browsing is made easy by clicking on a custom bookmark link to Feed Wrangler from the website you want to add. At version 1.0.1, the universal, free iOS app offers the same features as the web version as well as sharing options to Mail, Message, Facebook etc. The app interface is also clean and clear cut, though very basic, with everything pointing to content. My only immediate gripe was that there was no option to change the text size, which can be frustrating on mobile devices. But regardless, in no time I had my feeds setup across my devices -- everything syncing up perfectly. After spending a bit more time with Feed Wrangler, I was pleased to find how stable and speedy it was -- things worked as they should. It was great to be able to set up Smart Streams and filter out content I wasn't interested in, a feature I've not taken advantage of before. At the end of my time with Feed Wrangler, I found myself wondering if I would miss Google Reader using a service like Feed Wrangler. The conclusion I came to was that I would miss Google Reader, but I think purely for nostalgic reasons. For me, Feed Wrangler did everything I wanted a RSS reader to do. With time, Feed Wrangler could easily become my go-to RSS reader. It's clear there's still a bit of growing up to do, particularly in terms of design and interaction, but the core functionality is well and truly in place. Would I pay $19 annually to use it? If I were a heavy RSS user looking for solid performance and great features, then yes, I would. And taking into consideration Feed Wrangler's commitment to developing and growing (there's already a Mac client on the way), the $19 price tag makes even more sense.
Ecamm releases Printopia Pro for corporate users
Ecamm already makes the popular Printopia app; it's a Mac-based solution for printing from iOS devices (and other connected Macs) for those that don't wish to use or purchase specific AirPrint-supported printers. Now the company has released Printopia Pro to tackle the bigger challenges of AirPrint in corporate or institutional networks. Similar to Printopia, Printopia Pro leverages AirPrint, but without the need for investment in new, AirPrint-supported printers. Ecamm has taken the features of Printopia and powered them up in Printopia Pro to work in extremely demanding print circumstances. [Some enterprise users have aimed to solve this problem with Lantronix's xPrintServer hardware, which now comes in both office and home editions. –Ed.] Printopia Pro is scalable to support hundreds of users and supports all the existing printers on your network. With centralized management, you can manage print jobs, access controls, configure printers and monitor printer status in real-time and from any location. The product supports printing across subnets (a key drawback of the basic AirPrint service, which normally requires some DNS and wide-area Bonjour tweaking to overcome) and integrates with corporate directory services for access control to printers. Print jobs can be sent via Secure AirPrint, using SSL encryption to hide them from network snoopers. You can even configure Printopia Pro to provide PDF virtual printers, so iOS users can transparently print to web or server folders for paperless workflows. Pricing starts at US$79 for teams/small businesses and goes up to $499 for enterprise customers. Further details and a trial upon request can be found at the Printopia Pro website, here.