Mel Martin
Articles by Mel Martin
MultiCam for iOS can greatly improve your photos
Since cameras were first invented photographers have gone through this drill: Focus, set exposure, take photo. Some innovative cameras like the Lytro let you interactively change your focus after you take your image, but the Lytro hasn't set the world on fire due mainly to buggy software and small sensors. MultiCam (U.S. $1.99) cleverly turns the whole process around. You take your photo, then select the proper exposure and focus. The app works by taking a series of three or six exposures almost instantly. It does the same with focus, taking up to 15 shots with varying focus. When you are done, you see the photo with two sliders: one to change the exposure, another to see all the focus options. Moving those sliders, you see the changes in the picture all happening smoothly and in real time. When you have the combination you like, you save the photo. Both the front and back cameras are supported. You can save the MultiCam shots in the app's internal library, and if you throw those away you will have only the image you saved. Chances are good that once you have selected the best combination of focus and exposure, you won't need the originals anyway. I was a little dubious when I started my tests, but Multicam works really well. The multiple exposures/focus stream takes just a few seconds, so you'll want to hold the camera steady. Picking out the best focused and exposed photo is easy on the iPhone's excellent screen, and you can pinch zoom to enlarge the image and check your precise focus. MultiCam is innovative and can truly capture photos that are better exposed and focused that your usual images. I thought it was especially effective on closeup subjects like flowers and insects, and even moving objects at a distance where you might not get the focus right in one shot. Of course the iPhone under iOS 8 allows for the rapid taking of multiple photos like the motor drive on convention DSLRs, but they will all be exposed the same and at the same focal plane. MultiCam is a universal app and it works very well. It's innovative in the way it takes your pictures, and it can certainly make sure you get something better than you might with conventional photo apps. The only suggestion I would make to the developer is that since the app can take multiple exposures, I'd love to see an HDR option added. Then you'll get sharp focus and better dynamic range all in one app. MultiCam requires iOS 8 or later and is highly recommended.
Notes Plus is a terrific note taker for iPad
Notes Plus (iPad only, US$9.99) is an app for taking notes. It sounds simple enough, and you'd expect that it's certainly a needed app for people who are drawing, scribbling and writing down anything from lecture notes to making diagrams or designs. Of course, Notes Plus goes far beyond just taking notes. This latest update adds some features and makes the app iOS 8-friendly. The app lets you write naturally with either a finger or a stylus, with smooth and readable vector graphic strokes. You can also create a text box to type inside, with a wide choice of type styles and colors. Once anything is on the Notes Plus screen, it can be resized or moved. Scaling is smooth and shows no artifacts. The app supports both left- and right-handed users. Notes Plus also lets you record audio, and the recording continues in the background if you leave the app. Notes Plus also allows you to import a PDF or Word document for annotation. The app supports pre-drawn shapes, and images can be imported from your iPad. Notes Plus gives you automatic backup using Dropbox, as well as a folder structure that lets you define places to put things. You get a nice choice of notebook designs, and many styles of paper to write on. Handwriting recognition to turn your words into text is available as a $2.99 in-app purchase. I used the app quite a bit over the last few days, and it really is terrific. However, don't expect to simply pick up your iPad and start taking notes right away. The app requires you to learn special gestures, and you'll need to accommodate the structure Notes Plus offers. That's not a negative -- the app can't be powerful and yet have no learning curve to overcome. Once you do learn Notes Plus, helped by a well done quick-start document and extensive detailed help, you'll be on your way. I did not try the app with a stylus, and it probably feels more natural to write with one. Once I adjusted, it worked fine with my finger as a "pen". If I was still a student and taking lots of notes, this app would be indispensable. It's great for business use, and even creative writers or just list makers will find it extremely useful. I wish there was an iPhone version of this app, because I always have my iPhone with me but don't usually run around with my iPad. It wold be challenging to do this app on an iPhone, but as we know, iPhone screens are getting bigger so the conversion should be easier. Notes Plus is not a cheap app, but the $10.00 price is fair given the power and flexibility. I'm not happy about the extra in-app purchase, as I think handwriting recognition should be a basic built-in feature. Apps that you purchase that keep asking for more just irk me, and I really wish the practice would diminish. Notes Plus is a terrific app that deserves a look if you have the need for its many features. It requires iOS 7 or greater, and was very smooth under iOS 8. Highly recommended.
True HDR adds a third exposure and fine tuning of your photos
True HDR (U.S. $1.99) has always been one of the best third party HDR (High Dynamic Range) apps for iOS. Apple includes an HDR feature with the built-in Camera app, but it really doesn't measure up to dedicated apps. The new version 3 of True HDR takes and analyzes three exposures rather than two for better dynamic range. Thanks to changes made in iOS 8, you can now control focus and exposure independently, and the actual photo capture speed is much improved. You just hear one click when you take your picture, but three photos -- all at slightly different exposures -- are taken. The increased capture speed will be great for any objects that might be moving, but this is not an app for sports photography with fast moving subjects. When you are taking your photo, you can superimpose a grid on the scene to help you keep the camera level and as an aid to composition. True HDR has added a bracket slider so you can control the exposure range manually, and there is also a color histogram to help you set the center exposure. There are sliders to fine tune the image after you take it, offering control of vibrance, highlights, shadows, contrast and brightness. In addition, there are filters that can change the look of your image. I thought the black and white pre-set was particularly effective. The photos I captured with the app looked good. HDR photography works best when there are deep shadows and bright areas as well. I tested the app both outside and shooting from a darkened room into a bright window, focused on the scene outside. That's a tough test for any photo system. The image looked good, and it was far superior to Apple's own solution. Apple has made HDR quite popular among casual photographers. It's not for every photo, but when the conditions are right HDR can make the difference between having a photo you keep or one you toss. True HDR gives you some control over how your photo will look, or you can leave everything to be done automatically. The post photo settings are good, and the filters -- although limited in number -- are of good quality. If you already have True HDR, the update is free. If you are looking for a good HDR app, True HDR will do a nice job for you. True HDR requires iOS 8 and it's a universal app. It is optimized for the iPhone 5, 6 and 6 Plus.
Slidely Show lets you combine media to make nice video slideshows
Among slideshow creation apps for iOS, Slidely Show is a good one, allowing you to make a slideshow movie presentation without making almost any adjustments. It's completely automatic, allowing you only to choose the music, and then you can watch the show be assembled on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. Photos can come from your iOS device, Facebook, Instagram or Dropbox. Select some music you already have stored on your device, and the app assembles the slideshow. You can combine video clips in with your photos, and optionally add slow or fast motion effects. Trying Slidely Show on my iPhone 6, I thought it worked surprisingly well. Transitions were in the form of crossfades, and at the end of the created movie the music faded away rather than ending abruptly as I've seen happen with some other slideshow apps. This latest version of Slidely Show also lets you create video postcards direct from your camera roll. That capability uses the extensions feature Apple added to iOS 8. Pick a photo from the collection on your phone, select Slidely Show as a destination, and then you can change themes, add more photos and choose music without ever opening the Slidely app. It's a very nice implementation that shows just how powerful extensions can be. Your slideshow movies can be shared via mail, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. You can also browse other slideshows created by others and get some good ideas, or upload yours publicly as a way of sharing your ideas. Slidely Show is very good for a quick and dirty slideshow to send off to friends or family. One glitch I noticed: a movie I created was cropped when I viewed it on my older iPad 2, so obviously the clip did not adjust to the proper resolution and screen size Slidely Show is a clever app and for free it's a must-try if you share photos frequently. It really is free; there are no irritating in-app purchases. The app is universal and requires iOS 8. It's available in several languages.
iOS 8.0.2 probably not Apple's finest update
So, how did the update to iOS 8.0.2 that was released last Friday go for you? Apple support boards are getting pretty active with people complaining about the update that was "supposed to fix 8.0.1." A lot of the issues seem to be centered around WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. Many users with car Bluetooth systems are finding that their phones now only randomly connect or don't connect at all. Manufacturer-installed systems for cars from Audi, BMW, Honda and several other companies are having the issue. Immediately after the update, my own car (BMW) lost the ability to make calls. The phone calls would connect, but the other party could not hear me. Incoming calls had the same problem. A temporary fix was to reset network settings and delete Bluetooth profiles, but that fix only lasted two days. Other people I know are experiencing similar problems, and it appears pretty widespread. Others are complaining that the "fixes" for third-party software keyboards didn't work in 8.0.2 either, and that was one of the issues that the update targeted. I can confirm that issue, too -- after setting a third-party keyboard to be the default, my iPhone forgets that keyboard and defaults back to Apple's keyboard. Some of these issues seem to only affect the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, while some are hitting older hardware. All in all, it has not been a great week for Apple iOS updates. Here's hoping Apple is monitoring its support boards and that iOS 8.0.3 is being feverishly worked on. Hope about you? How is it going with 8.0.2? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
RadarBox24 is like an aircraft radar station in your pocket
RadarBox24 (free) is a slick iOS app that displays a zoomable map showing airlines flights that are currently en route. Zoom in and you see representations of the planes moving along their routes. The aircraft location information comes from the servers at AirNav Systems, and is the same data used by airlines and airports. In addition to the United States, the app also provides coverage for about 90 percent of Europe. The free version is pretty basic, showing all the flights but also displaying ads. Your map can be a terrain or plain map, or the app can display a satellite view. A US$2.99 upgrade to the Pro version adds a sky view so you can point your phone at the sky and identify flights as you watch them in real time with your own eyes. I tried the sky view and it worked well, but the data just slightly lagged behind what I was seeing. That's really not a surprise given the complexity of what the app is doing and the speed of the data stream. Both versions of the app are impressive. I upgraded to the Pro version and liked the added information I could get. There is also a search mode for particular flights and airports. Clicking on an aircraft button provides more information about the flight, like its altitude and speed, as well as a photo of the aircraft type. In my opinion, the Pro version is reasonably priced. While there are plenty of apps that track a particular flight, I'd like to see the developers of RadarBox24 add notifications for following a specific flight or flights since they have all the data anyway. This is a nicely done app that aviation enthusiasts and travelers will like. iPhone owners should note that you can ask Siri what planes are flying above you at anytime and get a listing as well as a position map. Siri gets the same data as RadarBox24 from the FAA and other radar operators, although few iPhone users know that Apple's intelligent assistant has that capability. RadarBox 24 requires iOS 7 or later. It's universal, and ran fine on an iPhone 6 running iOS 8. Both versions of the app -- ad-supported and Pro -- are recommended.
Circa News is updated and improved
We last took a look at Circa for iPhone (free) a couple of years ago. Since then this curated news app has added new features and gives you some personalization. There are plenty of news apps out there. Circa's claim to fame is that news editors condense the news and make it a bit easier to read. The on-screen presentation is very nice. Stories are arranged in paragraphs, but these are different. The one your are reading is in regular text, the next ones down are grayed out. When you scroll to it, the text no longer dims. It's a nice way to keep track of where you are, especially if you are multitasking. You can choose categories you are interested in, like sports or international news, while skipping what doesn't interest you. If you are following a particular story, a single click will get you notified if the story updates. The staff also follows breaking news, and you can get notifications when that happens. Another nice feature is what the app calls a Daily Brief. It presents the top stories within your interest range, and delivers the lot via notification at a time of your choosing. A new feature called Wire gathers stories that match your interests into a specific page. Circa News fills a nice niche since Zite is becoming less reliable after its sale to Flipboard. That's a shame, as I considered Zite far better than Flipboard. Circa offers some personalization, and certainly it is worth a look if you are a news junkie. Two disappointments. The app doesn't require you to sign up, but I tried to create a free account twice and both times it failed, suggesting I contact support. A third time it worked. Not a great first impression. I also tried to tune the app to the kind of news I want to follow, but when I exited the app and returned later all my choices were gone and the app reverted to a 'send me everything' mode. After I signed up the choices did stick, but it seems to me they should work with or without an account. Neither problem gives me a good first impression, but these issues should be easy to fix. Circa is a good idea, with an excellent GUI and presentation. If some of the bugs get ironed out, it will be an app I use several times a day. Circa requires iOS 7 or later. It uses the full screen on the newest iPhones and has no issues I can see with iOS 8, but it is not universal, which is a shame as iPad users are just as likely to want to read some news as iPhone users.
ProCamera 8: A solid app with new features and manual adjustments
One of the nice things iOS 8 brought to camera apps is the ability to manually adjust your photos before you shoot them, meaning that photographers get the kind of control normally associated with a DSLR. Things like ISO, shutter speed and exposure can be adjusted to create just the right mood in a photo. Yes, automatic settings work most of the time, but in tough backlighting situations exposure compensation can mean the difference between a photo you keep and one you delete. ProCamera 8 (US$3.99) includes all these manual adjustments and quite a bit more. Video mode now supports slow motion, just like the Apple built-in software. HDR has been added as an in-app purchase for $1.99, and rather than add this feature on their own, the ProCamera developers partnered with the makers of vividHDR, one of the best HDR apps available. Before you use ProCamera 8, you'll want to take a moment or two to familiarize yourself with the operation of the camera. There is button for selecting shooting modes including video, HDR, scanner or night shooting. On-screen controls and indicators include a grid for composition, an anti-shake mode, white balance, a self timer and a tilt-meter that turns a set of crosshairs green when the camera is level. You can adjust exposure composition by turning an on-screen wheel, and I found that to be a really helpful addition when light levels were challenging. The app also has a live histogram which I didn't find all that useful. Of course the app can be used in fully automatic modes, but where's the fun in that? A word about the HDR option. It seems the HDR add-on doesn't work on the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. According to the developer the feature is coming, but isn't quite ready yet. I already had the vividHDR app and it crashed as well on the iPhone 6, so obviously there is some work to be done. HDR works fine on anything older than the iPhone 6 series. Other than that, ProCamera can certainly be your default camera for most situations. The app includes cropping and adjustment tools to give your photos just about any look you can imagine. There are some in-app purchases of other filters (San Fran and Street), but I think they are unnecessary and should be included in the app regular price instead of costing $0.99 each. I feel the same about HDR, which most photographers will want anyway. I'd prefer for ProCamera 8 to have HDR built in, even if the developers have to raise the price of the app. HDR is pretty common these day;, even Apple includes it in the standard Camera app. I checked the HDR on an iPhone 5s, and liked the results. ProCamera 8 takes three exposures very quickly, and then lets you select a variety of processing options before you commit to saving the final image. The HDR photo can be as natural or a garish as you like. ProCamera 8 is a terrific camera app. The addition of manual controls to the iPhone's camera is a big step forward, and there is no reason why ProCamera 8 can't be the app you use for most photos. I think the company is a bit too greedy for offering more filters for a price. They should be included, and the HDR feature should have been ready for iOS 8 since many other HDR photo apps are working just fine with the new OS. ProCamera 8 requires iOS 8 or later. It's not universal.
Four days with the iPhone 6
My colleague Steve Sande gave a nice account of his first few days with his iPhone 6 Plus, so I thought I'd share my reactions to the iPhone 6. This isn't a technical review. We've already had some deep dives into the camera and other hardware improvements. This is one reviewers' impression after a few days. I wasn't among those missing a larger screen. I liked how the iPhone 5s could be easily slipped into a pocket, but I did like the idea of the camera enhancements, the better screen resolution, and the NFC radio. I haven't bought every new iPhone, but almost -- I enjoy the thrill of the new and a fresh warranty. Buying Experience I'm not a wait-in-line kind of guy, so I let the crowds thin out. Early this week I tried an AT&T store, but the wait was one hour and even though they had the phone I wanted, I just didn't want to stand there. The next day, after having dinner out, I spied a Best Buy store and took a chance. There was one person ahead of me, and she was almost done. They had the phone I wanted -- gold, 64GB -- so I started the process right away. About 20 minutes later I was done, and my new iPhone 6 was busy downloading contacts, apps, and more from iCloud. The Bigger Screen So how is it? Well, it seems a little big. I usually keep my phone in a shirt pocket or a side pocket. No, I don't plan on sitting on it and turning it into a flip phone. The screen is beautiful. Photos and videos never looked better, and the larger size screen is certainly good for sharing with friends. I was skeptical of the larger screen, and now I like it. Ergonomics The placement of the sleep/wake switch threw me since it moved from the top to the side. It seems logical because the phone is taller, but if you are holding the phone a certain way and press the switch, you often wind up inadvertently squeezing the volume control on the other side. (I can hear the ghost of Steve Jobs telling me to "not hold it that way"). The Camera The camera is a winner -- a big winner. I expected more megapixels, but megapixels aren't everything. The quality of the camera is noticeably better than the one in my 5s, especially in low light. The optical quality seems also better, and recent independent tests seem to bear that out. Focusing is very fast with the new Focus Pixels feature, even in low light. 1080p HD at 60 fps is impressive too, and my HD test shots looked crisp, even holding up well on a big screen 46-inch flat panel TV via AirPlay. The camera lens protrudes slightly -- it's not elegant, but Apple made a quality over aesthetics decision and I'm on board with that. Battery Life Reports from the field on battery life are mixed. Some say it is better, and that the A8 processor draws less current. I'm not seeing an improvement. I don't think it is worse than the 5s, but the 5s wasn't all that good at battery life. I'm waiting for some decent battery cases to appear. They won't be pretty, but the phone has a better chance of making it a full day with my usage patterns. I'd hoped for better from the phone without external battery help. The iPhone 6 Plus battery life is much better. I'm jealous. Operations seem a bit quicker on WiFi and LTE, so no complaints there. Using the iPhone 6 as a Phone The thing I do the least with the phone ... is use it as a phone. My biggest uses are email, keeping up with the news, and navigation. The phone sounds OK -- not appreciably better than the iPhone 5s -- but I did notice when using the iPhone that I had to line it up just right with my ear to get the loudest sound. If I moved a little bit up or down, the volume fell off rapidly. Mostly, I use the phone through my car Bluetooth system, but as a standalone phone I give it a C+/B-. Is the iPhone 6 too big? While I wasn't really interested in a bigger screen, I do find the larger screen seductive in actual use. Photos and text are clearer, and while I don't watch movies much on the phone, they certainly looked better on the bigger screen. The iPhone 6 Plus is just too big for me, so the iPhone 6 seems just about right. It's not big enough to have pocket fit issues but larger than the iPhone 5s, giving me the benefits that a slightly larger screen delivers. The Reachability feature does work, but in practice I found the extra tapping was more trouble than it is worth. The headphone jack is still on the bottom of the phone, and I really dislike that placement. The final conclusion So a happy choice? Yes. I like the phone and I'm glad I bought it. The market seems to be reacting positively to both new phones, even with the 'bendgate' silly hoopla and Apple dropping the ball on the iOS 8.0.1 update which was sloppy and embarrassing. It's been fixed now with 8.0.2. Advice to Apple: Better battery life is needed, you should think again about button placement, and make sure the telephone features (speaker placement, audio quality) of the phone are as well planned as the camera. Still, the iPhone 6 is an iconic product, the best mobile phone I've ever owned, and Apple still knows how to please and thrill its customers. The larger size is growing on me (pun alert) and Apple has worked hard and done well.
WeatherPro adds widgets and more for iOS
WeatherPro has always been a top-flight weather app, and the latest iOS update adds some nice features like widgets, worldwide webcams and customizable info. The US$1.99 app comes from the MeteoGroup in Germany, but I find their U.S. coverage excellent and detailed. The forecasts have been solid in older versions, and I expect the same in this rewritten iOS iteration. The user interface is tunable, letting you view things like the forecast as a graph. There are animated satellite maps of the USA, Austrailia and most of Europe. You can choose an unlimited number of favorite locations, and the app can find your current location automatically. WeatherPro also can interface with personal weather stations via Netamo. Using this new version is simple, but help is included if needed. Different features are available from a menu at the bottom of the screen (weather, maps, favorites etc) and you bring them up with a tap. WeatherPro is incredibly complete, including things like mountain and hiking forecasts, animated radar and cloud maps, UV indexes and water temperatures. Hourly forecast details are there for the next two weeks. New to iOS 8 is widget support. If you pull down your iPhone notification menu, and tap the Edit link, you can see which installed apps support widgets. WeatherPro is among them, so you can get things like current temperatures, wind speeds and and a forecast with a single flick to the Notification Center. Once you get used to it, you will use it all the time. The new for iOS 8 Windtheme feature (part of a premium subscription in-app purchase) lets you change the entire GUI to focus on winds. Wind direction and speed become visible on every app page, along with forecasts for the best times for winds -- perfect for windsurfers, pilot, kite flyers, and more. Webcams that are nearby can be located, but basically the app opens an internal browser and you get images from a third party provider complete with some junky ads. I'd like to see that part of WeatherPro improved. I also think the overall look of the app could be a little more modern and reflective of the best design cues from iOS 8. There is a lot of data to display, but it's not the prettiest presentation of weather data I've seen. Still, WeatherPro is well named. It has more well organized data than any weather app I've seen. It's feature rich, and somewhat customizable. A premium subscription is $1.99 for 3 months or $5.99 for a year. The app requires iOS 7 or later. If I was a real weather buff and could only choose one weather app to have on my iPhone, WeatherPro would be it.
Adobe updates Photoshop Elements and Premier Elements with great results
Another year passes, and we get new versions of Adobe's consumer photo and video apps, Photoshop Elements and Premier Elements. We're at version 13 for both in this new release. Significant changes include Retina display support on Macs and very cool Guided Editing features. Since both applications are focused primarily on home and advanced amateur use, Adobe has added a tab called eLive, which is short for Elements Live. The tab takes you to a massive collection of videos and tutorials, all designed to get you up and running with solid results. The channel is dynamic, and frequently updated with software update notices, tips, detailed help and more. Photoshop Elements 13 has focused on three areas that should resonate with consumers, including the ability to copy people or objects from one photo to another. In an online demo I attended, I saw how easy it was to remove one person from a photo, and plop him down in another, rescaling the person, and matching the color cast to the new photo. A new Refine Selection Brush makes it easy to get a person or object out of one photo and into another. Adobe has also provided tools to spruce up Facebook pages, combining Facebook Cover and Profile photos with text and layout . Elements 13 also features 'guided edits' for transforming photos into black-and-white images, and, if you like, adding areas of color that are attention getting. Adobe has continued to enhance its one-click editing tools, and provides 50 operations that any noise can easily accomplish. Cropping has also been partly automated. Elements 13 will analyze your photo, noting faces and the overall photo and recommend up to 4 different crops following rules of composition. Premier Elements 13 has been similarly improved for this update. With guidance from the app, you can choose various story framing themes, like weddings or a birthday. A Video Story feature automatically gathers the clips, adds transitions, and music based on your chosen theme. Premier Elements also can reduce or eliminate camera shake. The application has the same Elements Live feature with tutorials, tips and news about the software. Beyond the impressive demo I watched, I tried advance copies of both apps. While I am a dedicated Photoshop user, I found much to like in Photoshop Elements, and have no problem recommending it to friends who don't want to dive quite as deeply as I do into photo editing. Moving a person from one photo to another is indeed easy, something that can be done in Photoshop but many users wouldn't try it without some deep knowledge. I also found the one-click effects quite powerful, and a time saver. There are so many variations you are likely to find something that will work for you. I don't take a lot of videos, but Premier Elements 13 had just about every tool a casual video user would want, and goes much further, stepping into semi-pro territory, not in complication, but in getting pro looking results. Transitions, rearranging clips, adding titles are really simple, and the Guided Edits feature is tremendously helpful. One thing I thought was important to ask Adobe, and that was the matter of subscriptions. Most of Adobe's applications on the pro side or now available only with subscriptions, but they firmly said the Elements line would stay as a purchase-only option. You buy it, you keep it, and upgrade yearly if and when you see fit. With the Creative Cloud subscription service from Adobe, you are basically renting the software. You own all the Elements 13 packages. Adobe Photoshop Elements 13 and Adobe Premiere Elements 13 (Mac and Windows) are immediately available for purchase for US$99.99 from Adobe and retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, B&H, Staples, Office Depot and Campus Bookstores. Upgrade pricing is also available for US$79.99. The Photoshop Elements 13 and Premiere Elements 13 bundle is available for US$149.99, with upgrade pricing of US$119.99. Both Photoshop Elements 13 and Premier Elements 13 are first class packages at reasonable prices. This is a solid upgrade that I think will appeal to home users who find themselves wanting to get deeper into photography and video.
Perfectly Clear migrates from iOS to Mac
I first got a look at Perfectly Clear when it came out for iOS. It was a nice, quick and easy, one-touch solution for improving photos without a lot of editing pain. Perfectly Clear now works on the Mac as a plug-in for Photoshop or Lightroom and maintains the same philosophy it did on iOS -- one click and your photo is improved. Now you might assume a Photoshop or Lightroom user wants more control, but the reality is that with Photoshop on a monthly subscription plan, a lot of new Photoshop users are coming on board. In addition, Perfectly Clear gives you the kind of micro-control advanced Photoshop users may want, so users can adjust photo quality automatically or to taste. Automatic corrections include many portrait features, like face slimming, blemish removal, eye enhancement, teeth whitening and more. For non-portrait photography, Perfectly Clear offers sharpening, noise reduction, vivid adjustments, fix dark images, fix tint, and more. If you don't like the one click fix, there are very in-depth adjustments available for each pre-set. Yes, you can accomplish many of these things with Photoshop adjustments, but Perfectly Clear is easier and faster, and the results can look as good. This version 2.0 of Perfectly Clear has optimized algorithms so it operates at about twice the speed as the pre-update version. Split views with zoom make seeing your changes very obvious, and your custom adjustments can be saved and even shared with other Perfectly Clear users. I consider myself a pretty experienced and advanced Photoshop user, having been enjoying it all the way back to version 1.0. I know enough about the Photoshop tools to get what I want out of almost any image, but Perfectly Clear really works well and with a minimum of hassle. In my testing I found that the enhancements were logical and never over the top. It's not hard to use, and the built-in app help links you both to the manual and video tutorials. It's definitely worth a look for both advanced and newer Photoshop or Lightroom users. You can learn more at the Perfectly Clear website. The Photoshop and Lightroom plugins are US$149.00 each or $199.00 as a bundle. There are free trial versions available. This software is available direct from the publisher and is not on the Mac App Store. Another similarly useful suite of tools is NIK Tools for Mac, now owned by Google. These tools are also priced at $149.00. NIK Tools are excellent and useful, and I find that with Perfectly Clear, I like using whichever package makes the most sense with a particular image. The NIK Tools don't have any portrait features, however. They do have an excellent ability to apply enhancements selectively in the image, something Perfectly Clear lacks. Perfectly Clear plug-ins requires either Photoshop or Lightroom to host them. You need Mac OS X Leopard (10.6) or later. The company is also in late beta for a standalone version that doesn't require any of the Adobe software. Recommended.
Scanbot for iOS gets an update and improves your scans
Scanbot (US$1.99) advertises it can pretty much eliminate your desktop scanner, and it's hard to argue with that. My colleague Steve Sande looked at an earlier version of Scanbot and was impressed (he scans all paperwork that comes into his home with Scanbot), as am I with this latest iteration. The app can image any document, whether it is one page or multiple pages, and get you a clear and usable scan quite quickly. Scanbot tells you to move closer if need be, or to check your perspective (move the iPhone or iPad more directly above the document) so nothing is warped. It then automatically snaps a photo, turns it into a PDF or JPEG file, and then uploads them to the cloud, saves to your camera roll, or allows sharing through mail and messaging apps. Supported cloud services include Dropbox, Box, Evernote, WebDAV, Yandex, Google Drive and a few others. Scanbot lets you turn color off for better images of black and white text, and it automatically enhances your text as well. The developers say the new iPhones are going to work even better thanks to the improved camera in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and the larger screens of those phones will help you get the document focus and orientation better. Scans are all 200 DPI or better. The only thing missing from Scanbot is OCR (optical character recognition) so you can turn your scanned document into editable text. But Scanbot offers a $4.99 in-app purchase for OCR. I bought the upgrade and tried it. The OCR feature worked well, but like most OCR'd text it needed some cleanup afterwards. Scanbot is not the only mobile scanning software out there, but it works very well and is great for saving receipts, whiteboards, notes, sections of a book, anything really. It's fast and reliable, and does an outstanding job for a low cost, although adding OCR brings the total app cost to $6.99. Scanbot supports many Asian and European languages, and it's universal. The app requires iOS 7 or after, and it worked smoothy under iOS 8. If you do a lot of scanning, or just need an occasional quick scan to create a JPEG or PDF, Scanbot satisfies. Soon I'll be taking a look at a competing product, Prizmo, which offers similar features but at a higher price of $9.99
Logoist 2 puts you in the logo creation business
Logoist 2 (introductory price of US$14.99 on the Mac App Store) is a terrific logo creation program that can help you turn out professional looking logos for stationary, presentations, invitations, postcards, just about anything where you need something artful. I took a look at the original version more than two years ago, and the new version is completely rewritten and far more powerful. Changes include: Object groups and style groups Flexible boolean operations (even multiple) for all paths (Path A + Path B - Path C = Path D) Completely redeveloped user interface Vector PDF export Combine pixel and vector based effects Smart Presets: Pre-Configured presets for christmas cards, birthday cards, logos, photo collages... Many new filters and effects Better path editing tools Smart align and distribute tools X-ray mode to quickly inspect projects Thousands of cliparts added Many new preset styles I created some simple logos from the included templates while testing the app today. That's just a matter of replacing the sample text, moving some elements around, tweaking colors and modifying where shadows fall. It's also pretty easy to create something from scratch, and there are complete instructions built into the app, but if you are like me you'll start out with the templates. The app supports output as vector graphics or to Photoshop, and contains enough decent looking clip art to keep you from searching all over for what you need. I'm impressed with the speed and flexibility of the app. Not everyone will want or need the power Logoist 2 contains, but for this very low introductory price you may find you use it more than you think. You can view a video of the app in operation at the developer website. Logoist 2 requires OS X 10.9 or later and a 64-bit processor. It's ready for Yosemite, and it worked fine on the current beta of the upcoming OS.
Yahoo updates its weather app
Amid all the other software excitement this week, Yahoo has updated its popular Yahoo Weather App. The company says, "By using technology typically only experienced in video games, Yahoo is taking the award-winning experience for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch one step further, and bringing the weather to life through animations that appear directly in the app, as well as in iOS 8's Today Widget." The animations run over the top of the usual Flickr photos. They appear as a layer, like heat rising from the Las Vegas desert or moving clouds. Yahoo Weather is one of the nicest free apps for weather and has more detail than the stock Apple app. Yahoo Weather requires iOS 7 or later. Most users should see the update today.
iOS 8 brings new 3rd party keyboards and Swype is one of the coolest
Users of iOS 8 no longer have to be happy with just the default Apple keyboard. Developers are now allowed to create keyboards with features Apple that doesn't provide, and we'll see a catalog of new keyboards now that iOS 8 is out. Dave Caolo reviewed one earlier today, so the flood of keyboards is starting to appear already. Today I'm going to take a look at Swype. Now, Android phones have had alternative keyboards for a long time, so Apple is playing a bit of catch-up here. Some established keyboard creators have already had plenty of experience in the world of Android and are now moving to the iOS platform. First off, why do you need a new keyboard? It's certainly not a requirement, but let's see what is on offer with Swype. The app was released today at a special price of US $0.99, has been on Android for 5 years and has been eagerly awaited by many iOS users. It's among the most popular and for good reason. You can use Swype like the standard Apple keyboard, tapping out words letter by letter, or you can swipe your fingers across the keyboard without lifting them (hence the name "Swype".) The software figures out what you are swiping and the word appears. The keyboard can also learn from experience, and start offering intelligent suggestions. You can also add words to Swype's dictionary and even create shortcuts. Punctuation can be gesture-based, and a standard set of marks and corresponding gestures is built in. The keyboard also offers next word predictions, and support for several languages including English, French, Italian, German and Spanish, with more languages coming soon. It should be noted that Apple's default iOS 8 keyboard now offers a feature called QuickType that also offers predictive typing. Keyboards also look better than ever, as Swype allows you to choose from any of 5 different themes to customize the keyboard. I think the dark themes are really attractive, and make the white letters and numbers easier to see than the standard Apple keyboard colors. "The keyboard is perhaps the most used feature on a phone, so it has to be intuitive, fast, and of course, it has to deliver incredibly high accuracy," said Aaron Sheedy, vice president of mobile solutions for the Mobile Division of Nuance. So how does it all work? Very well, actually. I've been playing with an advance copy for a few days and when you first use the Swype keyboard it can be a bit bewildering. There are some keys you won't recognize, but once you get started and explore how to use them they'll become familiar quickly. Swype comes with an app that installs the keyboard and also offers tutorials and tips. Of course, you can use Swype just like the regular Apple keyboard, but the unique features of Swype are sure to tempt you. One thing missing is the little key with the microphone icon that allows you to dictate text. Apple doesn't allow third parties to use that extension, a policy I hope will change. I think once you get used to Swype, it may be hard to go for you to go back to the Apple keyboard. Swype is now one of many keyboard options for iOS users, and we'll keep an eye on what's out there to help you choose what's right for you. Swype comes from Nuance, the folks that bring us the Dragon family of speech recognition apps. They also developed the technology behind Siri with Apple.
TravelbyArt lets you discover the Paris of famous artists
TravelbyArt (free with one in-app purchase) is a unique iPhone app designed for seeing Paris through the eyes of some of the artists who worked there. The app contains detailed looks at the lives of Ernest Hemingway, Edith Piaf and Pablo Picasso during their years in Paris. You'll be led to places like Hemingway's favorite eateries (many are still open) and where he lived. There are also photos and built-in maps, with a button to transfer to Apple Maps for directions. All in all, the app contains 20 tours you can follow to absorb the life of these artists -- that's more than most other guides provide. Phone numbers are even provided so you can make reservations at restaurants and other tourist stops. I have an interesting history with this app. The developers let me look at it in August of 2014, but I rejected the review because a purchase was required to see anything in depth. There wasn't enough content in the free version for anyone to make an informed purchase decision. That issue is fixed now, and the Hemingway section is complete and available in the free app. If you want the other tours, it's a US$6.99 in-app purchase, which I think is reasonable given the uniqueness of the content. It's nice to see app developers be responsive and make the app better for customers. If you're interested in art, literature and music, and planning a trip to Paris, I recommend TravelbyArt. I found it easy to use, loaded with information you will want to discover, and it's a fresh approach to travel. The in-app purchase also includes a restaurant guide linking to the lives of the artists. I think the app should be universal to help in planning a trip to Paris, but you can run it on an iPad in 2x mode. TravelbyArt requires iOS 7 or later, and it worked smoothly on the latest iOS 8 beta.
Numerics Business Dashboard adds features, goes freemium
I praised Numerics in a review earlier this year. The app lets you build business-oriented displays which can be easily constructed using plugins that will display data in numeric or graphic form. You can choose a variety of data sources like Google Analytics, Salesforce, Basecamp and many others. From there, the app offers a series of templates to give you a compelling design for your data, or it can allow you to have multiple dashboards and swipe between them. The app used to be US$19.99 but now it has moved to a freemium model. Users of the first version will get a lifetime upgrade for free. The current edition is free, but you can buy an advanced widgets pack for $9.99. Other widget packs will be sold as a one-time purchase, priced depending upon the service and kind of widgets in the pack. The system is easy to use, and can create the kind of display that used to require specialized programming. Numerics is worth a second look, as they have added many new data sources, and now include a custom JSON integration provider that can consume and render nine unique types of widgets out of custom data from any business system with minimal programming on the business system end. I tried creating some pages using stock prices and Google Analytics data. It's easy to do, and the results look polished. Check the app store for details on the kinds of data this app can integrate. Numerics is a universal app, but for display would be best suited to an iPad or using AirPlay to display it on a large monitor. Numerics requires iOS 7 or later.
Orbital Wars takes me way back
Shades of Space Invaders from my lost youth and many lost quarters: Orbital Wars (US$0.99) really did bring back memories of those many hours I spent in front of an arcade console and some of my home video consoles playing that classic game and fighting off endless hordes of aliens descending on my hapless spaceship. Orbital Wars shows just how far graphics have come since the old days. The enemies are detailed, the explosions are colorful, the backgrounds are beautifully rendered. The game even has a 3D mode that works if you have an old pair of Red/Cyan glasses hanging around. I tried the 3D mode and liked the extra depth the glasses provided. The app has a nice music score, but you can turn it off. As you move to higher levels the ships come faster and they appear to have their shields up because they are much harder to destroy. As in similar games, your ship fires continuously, so all you have to do is move left and right to try to intercept the enemy. You do that by tapping the left or right side of the screen. Often I could not move over fast enough to make a kill. I think I'd like the game better if there was an option to tilt my iPhone left or right to move my ship. There is full Game Center support, and happily no ads or irritating in-app purchases. Even after a lot of playing, I found I kept coming back for more, seeking higher levels to get me better armaments. Orbital Wars is not a deep strategy game, it's just a move and shoot, but it has the appeal of Space Invaders that sucked me dry of so many quarters many years ago. Orbital Wars requires iOS 4.3 or greater. It's universal, and works only in portrait mode on an iPad. It worked fine under the latest iOS 8 beta. Recommended.
Will you be able to use the new VoLTE service on your new iPhone 6?
VoLTE is coming to Apple iPhones for the first time with the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus -- maybe not right away, but the service will roll out as time passes. VoLTE stands for Voice over LTE, and it brings together voice and data together in the same spectrum. For Verizon subscribers it means that voice and data connections can finally work at the same time on an iPhone. It also increases the quality of voice service, providing something the marketing people call "HD Voice". For VoLTE to work between two mobile phones, both phones must be on the service. If one phones loses the VoLTE signal, the call automatically switches to the default older network. VoLTE sounds great, but the rollout of these services is not going to happen instantly. Here's a thumbnail description of where each U.S. carrier currently stands: AT&T is putting VoLTE into the field, but so far it is only available in a few places -- parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois. Verizon is way ahead here, with VoLTE service quickly coming everywhere Verizon that has LTE capability. T-Mobile also plans a nationwide rollout, and they say they are working with Apple on getting everything up and running. Sprint has been publicly quiet about its plans, but persistent leaks say it will offer VoLTE sometime next year. There's no benefit to VoLTE for current (pre-6) iPhones except one: as more phones switch to the VoLTE technology, the older networks will get less crowded, theoretically giving you fewer dropped calls.