Mel Martin

Now doing consulting and recently wrote a book on film producer Samuel Bronston who made El Cid and Fall of the Roman Empire. I also did the commentary on Fall of the Roman Empire with Bill Bronston, the son of the late producer. I'm an amateur astronomer, and take lots of high resolution photos of galaxies and nebula from my backyard observatory in Arizona.

Articles by Mel Martin

BioDigital Human - 3D anatomy views on iOS
BioDigital Human (free with in-app purchases) is an astounding 3D map of the human body, all rendered in real time so you can explore, zoom and rotate anatomically correct illustrations. The body can be dissected virtually, and layers can be added or removed. Illustrations can be annotated and shared. The free version has access to more than 1,000 anatomy and health condition models, along with editing tools. You can have any 5 models resident on your iOS device at any one time, and you can manage them by deleting some and replacing them with other models. A premium option is US$4.00 a month, billed annually, which gives you the ability to browse more than 5,000 models, along with tools for authoring and embedding. I can see a great benefit for medical or biology students, and even medical professionals can use this to create impressive displays to share with patients or students. There are other plans that let you explore these models in a web browser on a laptop or desktop computer. The quality of the graphics is very high quality, and on my iPhone 6, rotation is done in real-time and is very smooth. When you step back and think that this is running on an iPhone or iPad and not a high-end workstation, you will be impressed. This app is better experienced than described, so if you are interested download the free version and explore. The iOS app is universal and requires iOS 7 or greater. If you are interested in how the human body works this is the app for you. It is both impressive and educational.
Weather or Not gives you weather forecasts for events on your calendar
What a clever idea for a weather app! Weather or Not (US$2.99) takes two things important in your daily life -- weather and your schedule -- and blends the two. On its own, Weather or Not is a very nice weather app with beautiful animated graphics. You get the temperature, wind and humidity at whatever locations you set, as well the chance of precipitation. As you swipe your finger on the screen, an animated sun or moon moves to show you predictions for future times. The best part is that the app accesses your calendar and gives you a forecast for future events. You'll get weather seven days ahead; In addition, the app provides you with daily weather reports and forecasts for any upcoming events you have on the calendar, and the app provides a Today extension for iOS 8. It's a complete package, with calendar/forecast integration being the really good idea here. The graphics are first rate, and you won't need any help setting this app up. When you run it for the first time, it will ask for access to your calendar. If an event is in another city, and that location is in your calendar, the app picks that up and gets you the right out of town forecast. With holiday travel upon us, the app should be doubly useful as you make plans away from home. Weather or Not requires iOS 7, but you'll need iOS 8 to use the Today extension. Weather or Not is a well thought out app that works well and looks great. The only thing I'd like to see are sunset and sunrise times. Weather or Not is optimized for the iPhone 5 and 6.
Swipe N Clean: A low-cost and efficient iOS photo editor
Swipe N Clean (US$0.99) is a new full-featured photo editor for iOS that is easy to use and can be a one-stop app for many iOS photographers. The app contains 75 filters, tools for cropping, adding text and emoticons, and basic controls for brightness, contrast and saturation. One tool I don't see often in similar apps is a resize tool that scales up or down. This app will resize photos, and it works reasonably well. Some controls are handled with swipes. Swipe left to add photos to the delete queue, or right to keep them in your camera roll. If you delete something, the app preserves the trashed photos should you change your mind. From the main menu, you can go into edit mode or sharing mode which lets you send your finished photo to family and friends. Adding filters is enabled with a single tap on the filter preview you like. You can go back if you don't like it. Swipe N Clean also features the ability to paint color onto an photo using what it calls the Splash tool. The first step is to make your color photo monochrome, then you use your finger to paint over areas you would like to have re-appear in color. The brush size is adjustable for detailed work, but often your finger covers the area you are painting so you can't always get an exact result. Some apps offset the viewer from your finger, which would be a good idea for a future update of Swipe N Clean. Adding text is easy, but it is hard to reposition the text block after you've typed it in. That's a pretty easy fix too -- the operation is not straightforward the first time you use it and want to move the text. It works, you just have to experiment to understand the workflow. I'd love to see more editing features in the app. Selective color enhancement to particular parts of the image, removing people or objects smoothly, and perhaps the ability to blend two photos. Still, as it is, Swipe N Clean is a capable editor with a lot of tools to enhance your photos. At under a dollar, it is a good value. Swipe N Clean requires iOS 8 or later. It's optimized for the iPhone 5, but not yet for the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus. The app is not universal, so it's not really suited for the iPad resolutions.
The Audioengine B2 Bluetooth speaker has premium sound
There are oh so many Bluetooth speakers out there. Little plastic ones that sound tinny, larger battery-operated speakers that you can take with you and improve the sound quality. In a departure from the small and the portable is this new speaker from Audioengine (US$299.00). The company, which has impressed many audiophiles with monitor speakers like the A5+ and the A2+ systems, is getting into wireless speakers in a big way. This B2 speaker is a one-piece unit with similar internals to the A2+. No battery, no handle, just good clean sound from your iPhone or iPad. Design The Audioengine B2 is an attractive speaker available in a variety of colors and finishes. It weighs 10 pounds and features a 60W peak total amp (30W per channel). The single piece stereo array features two 2.75" Kevlar woofers and a pair of 34" Silk dome tweeters. It supports Bluetooth 4.0 audio and the aptX codec for higher quality sound (more about aptX later.) The packaging is first class. Accessories and the speakers are packed in plush cloth bags with a drawstring. Functionality Setting the speaker up is easy. Screw in the antenna, turn it on and the B2 is in pairing mode. Bring up your iPhone or any Bluetooth capable device and pair it to the B2. Sound Sound is subjective, but I found the Audioengine neutral with a solid low end. Range was good. Audioengine specifies 100 feet, and no matter where I moved in the house the signal stayed solid. The unit itself is noiseless, and with my ear up to the speaker with no input I could not hear any hum or hiss. The Audioengine bettered all the little Bluetooth speakers I have traveled with, and while my Bose Soundlink Bluetooth speaker sounds very good, I thought the AudioEngine bested it, but for a third more dollars. I listened to classical strings, some Miles Davis and the new soundtrack to the Interstellar movie which has some deep organ notes. Everything sounded clean and pleasant. The speaker doesn't have really extended highs, but generally most small speakers don't. The bass held up very well without getting muddy. Conclusion The Audioengine is not a portable travel speaker system. It it doesn't feature battery power, and is large enough that you won't pack it for travel. But its size is the good feature here, not a negative. It has a solid stereo sound that would be great for a bedroom or an office desk. It's very well built. I always test the volume controls on audio equipment to see if they feel solid, and the Audioengine is obviously a high quality unit. No spurious noises, a lovely finish and concise documentation make it a great package. The only negative is iOS itself. It only supports Bluetooth 4.0, while many Apple competitors support the higher quality aptX codec. Apple is behind here. Very much behind.
A new app takes Time Lapse photos in HDR
Apple's new Time Lapse feature in iOS 8 has spawned several apps that want to improve on the basic time lapse capability. That brings us to the aptly named Time Lapse with HDR app (US$1.99) from Lucky Clan. It's an additional feature for the company's Time Lapse app which I reviewed this summer. The app adds a simple HDR button on screen to invoke the feature. This feature can only be enabled under iOS 8 and it's going to work best on the new faster iPhone 6 and 6 Plus phones, although the app is universal. The Time Lapse feature without HDR needs only iOS 7 or above. The app provides an automatically generated preview after a bit of recording to show you how things are looking. The app is billed as the first HDR time lapse app, but actually I reviewed another capable app with similar functionality back in July. Time Lapse with HDR is easy enough to use. Choose an interval between one frame a second and one frame every 60 seconds, engage the HDR mode and press the record button. I tried some shots from a moving car, and also shot a time lapse video from a high hill to get an image of moving clouds. The quality was excellent. The HDR effect is natural, rather than over-the-top. I have a dedicated little HDR time lapse camera from Brinno, and I thought this app did just about as well. Time Lapse with HDR doesn't have night modes or any adjustments like the Brinno, but this app will satisfy many users. There's a sample video available on YouTube, but frankly, my own tests looked a bit better. Your videos are saved to the camera roll; there are no post-processing options. Time Lapse HDR works well, and will give your outdoor time lapse photography an edge.
MapItOut is a feature rich app for runners, travelers and map mavens
MapItOut (US$1.99) is a very enhanced map program for iOS. You can search almost any city on Earth and then easily find places to go. You save those destinations, and the app creates a customized map for you complete with directions. MapItOut can be used to create a whole travel plan for a trip, or just a local map if you're a runner and want to see the sites while getting your exercise. There are the usual points-of-interest categories, like casinos, museums, coffee shops, beaches, etc, and the app adds a Find My Car feature -- helpful when you're not in your home town and don't know your way around. MapItOut also features a Bluetooth chat function so you can share a trip plan with someone else. Once you have your locations entered, you can easily find things around that location you might not have known about, and the app also searches for flights to a distant location. Once you are set to go, MapItOut opens Apple or Google Maps and provides a summary of travel time. iOS 8 widgets aren't forgotten either: the app will let you set your car location right from the widget pull-down screen. I tried MapItOut on a few destinations and found it easy to use, even though it is loaded with features. It takes a very unique approach to setting up trips and destinations, and I think some other apps could learn from the approach taken here. MapItOut supports driving, walking, cycling and hiking, and I think MapItOut is well worth the money. The only issue I saw during testing was that it was sometimes very slow in drawing the location maps, even on WiFi. On a couple of occasions, the app did not generate a weather report, although that is an embedded feature. MapItOut requires iOS 8.1 or greater. It supports many languages, so it's really ready for travel anywhere. The app has had some updates since launch, and I expect it will get more.
BeWeather 2 is a very customizable app with a widget
BeWeather 2 (US$1.99) is an attractive collection of weather information that can be customized both in the data presented and the look of the app. It as features similar to many other weather apps, but BeWeather's overall presentation still makes it compelling. You get detailed current conditions, a seven-day and 24-hour forecast with sun and moon times, animated radar (US, Canada and Europe), severe weather notifications (US and Europe), very localized rain forecasts, and storm and hurricane tracking. With a swipe down, the weather map with animations goes full screen, and left and right swipes lets you change to your pre-set locations. The app also supports widgets, with customizations for current conditions and forecasts. You can also switch locations from the widget. Setting up additional cities is easy, just hit the + button from the settings menu. There are a variety of colored themes for the app. I liked the darker themes which seem to make everything more legible. The data provider is Weather Underground, so you also get access to several local weather stations, which might make your local forecast even more reliable. While there are plenty of free, and paid apps for weather, I like BeWeather for its depth and easy to use presentation. It requires iOS 8 and it's optimized for the iPhone 5 and 6 series iDevices. BeWeather 2 is going to be handy with the upcoming winter weather, and will be valuable all year too.
Kimiko Pro Color Cam is a solid camera app for iOS
Although there are a mountain of photo apps for iOS, I always like to see fresh ideas, and Kimiko Pro (free) definitely has some. As opposed to a post-processing tool, Kimiko Pro lets you frame your picture and make changes in real time before you snap away. With a pinching motion, you can choose a full frame or 1:1 square format image. You can focus the camera manually, or automatically. There are on-screen sliders for color temperature and contrast, and you can use your iPhone volume button to trip the shutter if you like. Images can be cropped and rotated after your photo has been capture, which is the only post-processing option available in Kimiko Pro. Without post-processing, any photo you take can be loaded into a favorite editor. Once you get used to it, adjusting the image before taking it becomes second nature and may be your preferred way of shooting iPhone photos. I found Kimiko Pro's adjustments to be very natural, but you can push them to surreal if you want to. I enjoyed playing around with Kimiko Pro and appreciate the thought that went into it. It's free if you want to give it a try, with no ads and no in-app purchases. Kimiko Pro requires iOS 7 and it is optimized for the iPhone 5.
The Scout navigation app adds chat, meetups and personalized traffic
Scout has always been a worthwhile free alternative for people looking for something beyond Google and Apple Maps. A just-issued update gives users predictive, intuitive traffic push notifications for users' everyday trips, eliminating the need to manually check for traffic delays. Also added is a chat function for groups, so you can coordinate getting together. The app also supports inviting guests from contact lists, picking a day, time and location. Then Scout offers real-time location and ETA insights so guests are able to view the position of other guests on the navigation map. Scout is powered by OpenStreetMap (OSM), which is not best-in-class navigation data, but it is used a lot and is frequently updated. I gave the updated Scout a try and found all functions to work well. The ETA feature is similar to Glympse, but not as flexible feature-wise. The chat functions works, but should never be used while driving. The personalized traffic reports are a clever idea, and you can schedule report updates giving you road conditions and advising you of alternate routes. I still don't think the Scout POI database can touch Google or even Apple's, but it is serviceable. Scout is certainly worth a look, and many people will like the integration of traffic, ETA and the chat function for getting groups together in a coordinated way. Scout offers a subscription service that provides offline maps, but at US$25.00 a year Scout starts to brush against better and less-expensive competitors. Scout requires iOS 7 or later. It's optimized for the iPhone 5. Hopefully another update will let it more fully match the screen resolution of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
Check out the first holiday widget for iOS
I guess it had to happen -- a widget with a holiday theme, and one that gives you some useful information. I'm talking about SNOWidget, from developer Johnny Ixe who gave us the handy and useful DataMan app. Download the free SNOWidget app, and then load it from your pull-down Today notifications. You'll see a nice animated snowfall, and a quick reminder of how many days are remaining until Christmas. The app allows you to set the size of the widget, the font, and it can measure days or hours until Christmas. What more could you want? SNOWidget requires iOS 8 or later. It's optimized for both the iPhone 5 and 6 series. It's whimsical. It's free. Go get it.
AstoundSound Music player can enhance audio from iOS devices
The AstoundSound Music Player (free with a single in-app purchase option at US$2.99) is an audio 'enhancer' designed to increase the 3D spatial effects that can be enjoyed while listening through headphones, speakers, and in cars. Play your music through the app, and when you switch on the enhancement you'll notice an increase in volume and a slight increase in spaciousness, especially on headphones. There is also a 'bass lifter' that does just that, increases the low end of the music spectrum slightly, keeping things musical. The GUI is attractive and easy to use. No help screens are needed. Your album art if preserved, and it rotates in a spherical graphic. The app is ad supported, but for an additional $2.99 you can be ad-free, have a choice of nicely designed skins, and enjoy a wider choice of levels of enhancement. I listened to a variety of music with Astound Sound (film soundtracks, classical, hard rock and some jazz) with pleasant results. You can switch the processing on and off. When it's off, the volume is much lower, so the enhanced version will always sound better as people will generally respond positively to an increase in levels. This is an old trick I learned as a Hi-Fi salesman back in college. When comparing two systems, the one that is slightly louder will 'win' every time. When I level-matched I still liked the slight processing better than listening straight through, especially on rock and jazz. On classical, I generally preferred a lack of processing. The best way to see if the app has an effect you like is to do the free download and give it a try. The AstoundSound Music Player also has presets for different headphone brands, speaker manufacturers and cars. Those options are pretty limited, but it's good to have choices. My preferred Sennheiser and Beyer headphone models weren't there, but other headsets from those brands were. There are other audio enhancement apps available, including CanOpener, Auvio EQ (free), the Dirac HD Player ($2.99) and the free AudioPhile app. They're all worth a look. The AstoundSound Music Player requires iOS 7.1 and is optimized for the iPhone 5. It's universal so you are good to go on any iDevice.
Live Weather Forecast app adds weather radio and HD Radar
Even with lots of weather apps to choose from, including excellent free apps from Apple and Yahoo, I'm always interested to see something new come along in the weather category that has a unique feature set. Live Weather Forecast (US$0.99) is a graphically pleasing universal app that packs a lot of information into an uncluttered user interface. Of course you get temperature, wind speeds, humidity, feels-like temperature, and a nice ten-day forecast, but you also get the Ultraviolet Index for your chosen location and an interactive map with radar and satellite maps for cloud cover, precipitation, snow and more. It allows unlimited cities to be added for review, and there is a nice, unobtrusive animated background reflecting the weather in each city. Swiping down provides more detail for the current location, while swiping left to right displays any other cities you have added. A circular swipe on the current temperature shows predictions of temperatures for many hours ahead. I think the nicest feature of Live Weather Forecast is full access to NOAA Weather Radio. NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) comes from stations that are set up by the U.S. government to broadcast timely forecasts and alerts for bad weather. It can also provide information during severe incidents like oil spills or other disasters like earthquakes. It's handy to have NWR built into the app. It can play in the background while you do other things with your iDevice, and as a bonus, the app supports AirPlay. Live Weather Forecast does not provide dedicated weather alerts, but if you want audio notifications of significant events that feature is built into your iPhone. Most U.S. cellular carriers support this feature. To turn it on, navigate to Settings > Notifications, then scroll to the bottom of the screen and you can turn on (or off) AMBER alerts and Emergency Alerts. I think the only thing Live Weather Forecast lacks is text-based weather notifications. Moonrise/set times would be also nice considering all the other information that is provided. This is a nice app for under a dollar, and the NOAA Weather Radio service is a solid addition. Live Weather Forecast requires iOS and is optimized for the iPhone 5 and 6 series of devices.
Is Apple about to offer higher quality music downloads through iTunes?
For quite some time, a portion of Apple's customers have wanted higher quality audio files from the iTunes Store. Apple uses AAC coding for the iTunes Store, which is lossy, but a shade better than standard MP3 files. Competitors are now pushing higher quality through download stores like HDtracks. Musicians are also getting into the act, wanting people to hear their music the way it was recorded, and Neil Young has stepped into the fray with his own Pono hardware and music download store. All these initiatives are banking on consumers wanting higher quality than what Apple provides. A sharp-eyed reader noticed a newly released album -- Knives to the Future -- from Project 86 as being a "24-Bit Master". That may be a first for the iTunes Store, or perhaps I just haven't noticed those listings before. 24-Bit mastering would certainly indicate a higher quality download that what's normally available. It may also just be Apple keeping pace with its own request to get music from producers for iTunes encoding with the best possible quality to begin with. In Apple's own notes to producers it says: "To take best advantage of our latest encoders send us the highest resolution master file possible, appropriate to the medium and the project." "An ideal master will have 24-bit 96kHz resolution. These files contain more detail from which our encoders can create more accurate encodes. However, any resolution above 16-bit 44.1kHz, including sample rates of 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, and 192kHz, will benefit from our encoding process." Most studio tracks today are recorded in 24-bit. Chances are Apple isn't sending out higher resolution files yet, but rather taking them in that way. Apple has already said in several venues that it thinks iTunes downloads are the highest quality reasonably obtainable now. While not quite up to CD quality, Apple thinks the differences are imperceptible. Audiophiles differ. I expect the reference on the album mentioned is that the producers supplied a 24-bit master which Apple re-encoded to AAC. Of course Apple invented ALAC, or Apple Lossless Encoding, but Apple hasn't offered any ALAC downloads in the iTunes store, at least not yet. Audiophiles would surely like something better. I have a question in to Apple about its plans, but haven't heard anything back as of publication time. I'll certainly let you know if I hear anything. Apple has been so influential in music sales and hardware over the past decade that it would be nice to see the company step up with an option for higher quality downloads. Let us know in comments if you'd like to have Apple offer higher resolution audio files, or if you think things sound fine as they are.
GoPix is a clever, but limited slide movie maker for Instagram
GoPix ($1.99) is a just-released iOS slide show app for users on Instagram. It's a good illustration of the trade-offs between making something easy to use or having more creative control. GoPix is very, very easy to use. You begin by selecting up to nine photos. The app crops them for Instagram size requirements. Pick a mood pre-set, and the app chooses the music, renders your animated transitions, and you are done. You get a 15-second movie ready to upload to Instagram, or share via other social media or email. For someone who wants to trade control for ease, this is a perfect app, and there are a lot of people who will find this clever app appealing. To my mind, it should have gone further. There is no ability to add text, and while there are a lot of music and a few theme choices (Cheerful, Energetic, Scrapbook, Heartstrings, Cutesy and Upbeat), you can't use your own music. The app also uses filters on your photos, turning some to mono, others to a kind of parched effect. It seems like those choices should be made by the users, not the app creators. You can re-order the photos before you render the animation, but you can't re-edit after it is done. Again, that choice saves some work on the part of the user, but there is a creative price to pay. The transition effects are very sophisticated and tasteful, but you just lose an awful lot of control. That's going to be positive for those who don't want to get into the weeds of creating a great slideshow, but it will definitely frustrate more seasoned photographers who want to express themselves more fully. I'd like to see this developer create a version of the app that ditches the Instagram restrictions, and gives users more creative options. Or perhaps give us a single app that does both -- then we'd have the best of both worlds. If you want to stay with Instagram-compatible apps, then have a look at Fliptastic Pro ($0.99) which I reviewed last year and really liked. It has a lot more canned choices, yet lets you use your own music if you want, and it's also possible to add captions. If you don't want to use it for Instagram, you don't have to, but pushing the "Instagram' button formats everything for that service. GoPix requires iOS 6 or greater, it's optimized for the iPhone 5, but not yet for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
The AppsGoneMad bundle offers 6 solid Mac apps for under 10 dollars
I usually avoid app bundles because there is often one thing I really want, but the rest of the bundle is forgettable. This latest bundle from AppsGoneMad, which can be purchased between now and November 24, actually has several apps for Mac OS X that I think will have wide appeal. At retail, the apps would total US$220, but the whole bundle is only $9.99. Here's what is available: FX Photo Studio Pro -- ($29.99) A solid image processor with a lot of excellent pre-sets and image editing tools Tembo -- (15.00) An excellent replacement for Spotlight which is just as fast but is, in my view, easier to use MacCleanse -- ($29.99) A file utility that, like others of its type, deletes unneeded logs and caches to recover significant space on your hard drive 1000 OpenType fonts -- ($99.00) A nice collection to add sparkle to your text ColorStrokes - ($4.99) An image editor that allows you to selectively add or remove color from an image TubeConverter ($ 29.99) - Give it a YouTube or other online video URL and it downloads the video to a file format of your choice I thought TubeConverter was the most useful and unique. It works with YouTube, Break, DailyMotion, Blip, Veoh, Metacafe, Bing, Vimeo and more. Provide a URL and the video is quickly downloaded. You can convert the video to MP4 (H.264, MPEG-4), MPEG-2, VOB, Super VideoCD MPEG2 PS(MPG), MPEG-1, QuickTime Video(MOV), iTunes Video(M4V), ASF, AVI, DivX, Xvid, WMV, FLV, SWF, RM, Matroska Video(MKV), 3GP, 3G2, DV, WebM, TS or HD formats like HD MP4( H.264, MPEG-4), HD MOV, HD MKV, HD MPEG2, HD ASF, HD AVI, HD WMV, HD FLV, and HD TS. Audio formats include AAC, M4A, AC3, MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, AIFF, FLAC, AMR, MKA, MP2, and AU. There are presets for all Apple iOS devices to get the best fit. I didn't try every permutation, but it worked great for grabbing some YouTube content and watching it later without an internet connection. I really liked Tembo and actually preferred it to Spotlight. It's easier to use, and I like the way files are grouped. In a side by side test, it didn't miss anything, and like Spotlight, it offered previews of media files and documents. It only tripped up once, and that was with an old 1996 Word Perfect document that Spotlight was able to search. FX PhotoStudio Pro is also first rate. It's not Photoshop, of course, but it contains hundreds of filters, masking and framing tools. MacCleanse has a lot of competition on the market, but it does the many of the same things. It cleans up unneeded caches and logs, out of date software, and broken preferences and plug-ins. It worked rapidly, and found about a gigabyte on garbage on my Mac that didn't need to be there. ColorStrokes does some things you can do in other apps too, and it excels at removing or adding color from parts of an image. It has capable zoom tools and undo features that you'll probably use a lot as you perfect your image. The 1000 fonts are, well... 1000 fonts. Some you will like, most you won't. It's still a worthy collection. Although I thought the TubeConverter app was well worth the $10.00 collection asking price or more, I also was pleased with Tembo, ColorStrokes and MacCleanse. I already had FX PhotoStudio Pro so that was a wash. This is a nice bundle. As with any bundle, do the math and see if it pays off for you.
UNU Superpak Battery charges your iOS devices quickly
iOS devices have always had battery issues for heavy users. Each new model comes with a bigger battery, but that battery often serves a higher resolution screen, added radios, a faster processor and other features. There are a variety of battery packs for sale that you can use when you are away from AC or a USB charging port, and there are also integrated battery cases that add some weight and thickness to your iPhone or iPad. Either type of battery pack can get you through a long, data-heavy day. UNU has a most interesting offering that's just become available. It's an external battery pack called the Superpak (U.S. $39.99 on sale) with a hefty 10,000 mAh rechargeable battery. Some smart software on board can charge iOS devices up to 2X faster than most chargers, and it automatically adjusts to each device plugged in to figure out the device's maximum charging speed. Specifications: 2 charging ports; 5v/2.1 amp and 5v/1 amp 10,000 mAH Lithium Polymer Battery Micro USB in from a standard USB cord (included) 4 LEDs to show charging state of the battery pack Special cable that supports either a micro USB connection or a lightning cable (included) Colors: Black or white Dimensions: 3.5 x 3.1 x 0.9 inches Weight: 8.8 ounces 1 year warranty Design The unit itself looks very sturdy, with a hard plastic case. One end lists the specifications of the unit. The other end has a power switch to initiate charging, a micro-USB port for charging the battery pack, 2 output ports and a cord with a fitting that provides both micro-USB and Lightning connections to your device. The top of the case holds the four LED charging indicators -- when all four are lit up, the Superpak is fully charged. Using the Superpak The Superpak is simplicity defined -- just plug it in and charge it up. When it's fully charged, it's ready to recharge your iOS devices. Using both ports, you can charge an iPhone and an iPad at the same time. While I don't have scientific tests to back my claim, charging was rapid. My iPhone 6 went from 70% to 90 percent charge using the 1 amp port in about 15 minutes. Using the 2.1 amp port, the iPhone 6 went from 90 percent to fully charged in just a hair over 10 minutes. A fully depleted Superpak can recharge from AC power in five to six hours. Some third party tests say that the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus can charge twice as fast with a 2.1 Amp charger, and I've certainly confirmed those results with my iPhone 6. Apple's stock charger is only 1 Amp, so this battery will surely speed the process up if you use the 2.1 Amp port. Using the faster port, expect an iPhone 6 to charge from 10 percent to full in just about an hour. You can charge the UNU battery at the same time you are charging an iOS device. The only missing is a case. I think all battery cases should have a carry case, and this one doesn't. Summary and final thoughts The UNU Superpak is a solid piece of hardware with an unusually high power output. It charges rapidly, handles multiple devices, and includes a Lightning connector making it fully compatible with the newer iPhones and iPads. Basically, potential iPhone users will have to decide between this kind of charging or an integrated battery case. I've used both, but manufacturers are beginning to get less excited about integrated cases, as are consumers it seems. I've had battery cases, but a new phone usually means the battery case won't fit anymore. They also add a lot of bulk to the svelte iPhone designs. More than one battery/case designer has told me they are planning on curtailing those cases in favor of form factors like the UNU. Still, UNU expects to offer integrated battery cases for the new iPhones soon, to meet customer demand from those that don't want to carry the extra pack. The UNU Superpak is available direct or from Amazon at the same sale price. It's the most powerful battery charger I've seen for iOS devices, and the clever cable that can provide micro-USB and Lightning connectors is really useful. Recommended.
Updated: Nest pulls iOS app update after many crash reports
Tuesday we told you that a Nest update was on the way, but today ... not so fast. The company has yanked the app that controls Nest Thermostats and Smoke Detectors after several reports of crashes, mainly on iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices. Nest acknowledged the issue on its Twitter feed. saying "We're currently investigating an issue causing the Nest iOS app version 4.4.0 to quit unexpectedly. We'll provide a status update shortly." Google purchased Nest for US$3.2 billion in February to enhance its smart home offerings. There is no timetable for an update. If you downloaded the app before it was pulled, don't install it until the fix becomes available. If you already have it, and it's working on your i-Device, don't sweat it at this point as your hardware may not be among those that had problems with the app. Note: Nest has issued an updated version of the app.
Wiper Messenger offers free private calls and text
Wiper Messenger (free) is a new entry in the messaging and calling category that puts an emphasis on personal privacy. The app is not to be confused with Viber, which also offers voice and text services. To use the app, sign up for a free account. If any of your friends are using it, you see that in your Wiper directory. You can call or text any Wiper Messenger account holder, no matter where they are in the world. The app is called 'Wiper' because it is easy to erase your conversations. If you like your privacy, a wipe erases the chat on both the sending and receiving phones. I tested voice quality and found it to be good. The calls are generally of better quality than standard cellphone audio. You get a ring notification from your phone, and you answer by tapping that notification. The process is the same for texts, although in my testing I got no audible alert on incoming text messages, and neither did my testing partner. Wiper CEO Manlio Carrelli told me there is a known bug relating to this that will be fixed in the next update. It seems to occur after trying to hear a text notification after a Wiper call. Wiper Messenger also features the ability to share YouTube videos with friends. You can do it from within the app, which seems mostly setup to find different genres of music, and then your friend receives a link. I'm not sure that's a really compelling feature as you can do this easily directly from YouTube, but some might like to try it. The app is ad free, and the company is well funded, but at some point Wiper will have to develop some revenue models. I thought the app worked well other than the sometimes lack of message audio notifications. I also thought the incoming call ring tone was a bit soft, even with my iPhone audio turned up all the way. Wiper Messenger gives you good audio quality to most any location, with text messaging thrown in and some privacy not offered by other apps. Wiper Messenger requires iOS 7 or later, and it is optimized for the new iPhone 6 series.
Seasonality Go is a top tier weather app
I reviewed Seasonality Go (US$5.99) a couple of years ago when it was an iPad-only weather app and pretty pricey at $10.99. I liked the app, but wished for a lower price and an iPhone version. Those wishes have been granted, as the app is now 40 percent cheaper, and has a first class iPhone version. There are plenty of free weather apps, so you'd wonder what makes this app worth putting money on the table. First off, there is a wealth of information here: 30,000 weather locations in 200 countries, and astronomical data like sunset/sunrise time and moon phase. There are graphs for 10 weather variables including temperature, wind speed, precipitation, cloud cover and more. There is an animated satellite map with radar and infrared weather data. This latest version has been thoroughly rewritten and adds even more data like dew-point temperature graphs. My favorite feature is the Particle Mode. It simulates what you would see if you dropped some confetti into the air and watched the patterns as it blows. You can watch in a worldwide view and see major weather systems, or zoom down to your location and see the wind direction or how the winds interact with weather fronts. Maybe it's more weather data than you think you need, but you will get used to the richness of the data and the striking GUI. This latest version has been optimized for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and it really looks clean and easy to read. Most people won't buy a weather app and are well served by freebies like Yahoo Weather, but if you crave more, Seasonality Go is really worth a close look and your consideration. There is built-in help and good explanations of what you are seeing. It requires iOS 8, runs in both landscape and portrait mode, and to me it is worth the investment. Check it out on the app store and see if it catches your fancy.
Leaf on the Wind is an engaging and very clever game
I don't do a lot of game reviews because to me they usually are endless variations on a theme. Leaf on the Wind (US$2.99) is a clever exception, and a game I am really enjoying. Leaf on the Wind is a gentle game that involves flicking leaves off a tree to a target off screen that you slowly scroll to. The leaves obey the laws of physics, and you will have to avoid natural hazards like fire, water, wind, and even some man-made obstacles. The pleasant rush of a whistling wind is heard until you hit something and end that level. There is also a pleasing guitar background. The game is challenging without ever becoming silly. It's sort of an adventure, sort of a puzzle, and there is clear goal-seeking. The graphics are very nice and it plays as a nicely integrated package. There are 30 levels, and so far I've been through four, so there is lots of play left, and starting again would also be a good challenge and not repetitive. There is a trailer for the game on the Pangeasoft site. I do like this game. It shows a lot of fresh thought, and it doesn't involve murder and mayhem, although depending on my mood, that's OK sometimes too. I don't want to spoil too much of what the game offers, but suffice to say you're likely to enjoy it if you crave something different. The game is universal, and it's ready to accommodate the larger screen sizes of the iPhone 6 series. Leaf on the Wind requires iOS 8.

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