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5 Apps: The best camera apps for blind and visually impaired iPhone users
After yesterday's post showing Tommy Edison's video demo of Instagram from a blind user's perspective, we thought it would be helpful to check with an expert and get some suggestions on other camera-centric apps for blind iPhone users. Today's 5 Apps guest post is from Chancey Fleet, an adaptive technology instructor at Jewish Guild Healthcare. -- Ed. With the right apps, the iPhone's camera solves a slew of problems that blind people have traditionally relied on bulky, single-use devices to handle. For the vexatious wad of unidentified cash in a pocket, purse or wallet, there's LookTel MoneyReader. This US$9.99 app uses object-recognition technology and the iPhone's bright LED flash to recognize currency almost instantaneously, even in low light or in a moving car. MoneyReader is savvy enough to recognize several different countries' bills, including the US Dollar, Euro, British Pound, Canadian Dollar and Australian Dollar. Object recognition is also at the core of OMoby, which is designed as a visual search engine for products. This app excels at identifying tiny, identical-feeling toiletries; sugar packets; and, if you get your hand in the frame, "hand." OMoby is a free app, serving as a technology demo for the IQ Engines "visual intelligence" search API for developers. Any blind person will tell you that rumors about the death of hard-copy print are exaggerated: from restaurant checks to office memos, there's still plenty. Blindsight's TextDetective captures document images and turns them into plain text, which can be read with Voiceover using speech output or Braille. The process takes only seconds and provides great results if you have a clearly printed document, good lighting conditions and a steady hand. (The first "reading machine," created in 1976 by legendary inventor and new Google staffer Ray Kurzweil, cost $50,000 and weighed 350 pounds. TextDetective costs $9.99. iPhone not included.) Although several apps are purported to identify colors, they do a mediocre job compared to standalone devices like the ColorTest, which occlude all light around the object being tested, report patterns by playing fluctuating tones and recognize hundreds of shades. Trying to sort laundry? Digit-Eyes updates the classic strategy of labeling clothes. Traditionalists do this with anything from safety pins to metal Braille tags: Nancy Miracle, Digit-Eyes's designer, suggests you do it with washable bar codes, which cue the Digit-Eyes app to play back an audio recording or text note you've made that corresponds to the specific code for each item. The $19.99 Digit-Eyes app also looks up commercial bar code information, complete with package directions and nutrition facts; it also allows a user to print QR codes with embedded text. For blind workers who need a serious tool for fast and accurate inventory management, Ms. Miracle has helpfully reviewed two Bluetooth laser scanners from Serial-IO that read bar codes more quickly and in more diverse lighting conditions than does the iPhone camera. [We reviewed Digit-Eyes on TUAW in 2010. –Ed.] No matter how much technology you have, it's a fact of life: sometimes, you just need to borrow a pair of functioning eyeballs. VizWiz can help with that. Simply take a photo, type or speak a question, and a web volunteer will get back to you -- usually within minutes -- with an answer. You can also opt to post your picture and question to Facebook, if you dare. You can read more about Chancey and her experience of navigating New York City in this feature story on WNYC.
Five apps for the last-minute holiday shopper
Holiday shoppers, your time is almost up! There are only a few days left until deliveries cease and the stores shut down for Christmas. Here are five apps to make this last-minute shopping frenzy a little easier on you and your wallet. Clutch (iPhone, Category: Lifestyle, Free) Clutch is your one-stop shopping app for the remaining people on your gift list. You can add people to your gift-giving list and then use the daily deals, price comparison tool or coupons to save money. You can even buy a gift from within the app and have it delivered directly to your loved one's doorstep. ReturnGuru (iPhone, Category: Productivity, Free) ReturnGuru lets you enter receipts on your phone and track their return dates. The app supports physical and digital receipts, so you can keep track of almost every item you buy. The app will alert you when the return period is about to expire. Parking Meter Pro (iPhone, Category: Utilities, Free) Parking Meter Pro will help you navigate a busy shopping mall and its parking garages. The app marks the spot where you parked and lets you add either a picture or a note to help you remember your location. You can also set a timer, if you are paying for your time parking at the mall. Point Inside Shopping & Travel (iPhone, Category: Navigation, Free) Point Inside is your personal navigator when you are inside the mall. The app includes complete directories and interactive indoor maps of over 1,250 malls across North America. There are also location-aware offers, deals and coupons that'll help you save money while you shop. DropGifts (iPhone, Category: Social Networking, Free) Gift cards are a nice alternative when you can't find a gift or are running out of time to buy one. DropGifts is an iOS app that'll let you send a gift card to your Facebook friends. It includes high-profile gift cards like Gap and Barnes & Noble. If you don't want to use an app to give a gift, you can always give the gift of an app now that Apple has restored that feature to the App Store.
7 apps to help you battle the crowds and save some money on Black Friday
It is Thanksgiving here in the US today, which means tomorrow is Black Friday -- the busiest shopping day of the year. On Black Friday, retailers kick off the holiday shopping season with deep discounts on popular items, and shoppers swarm stores looking for fantastic deals. Below, we have listed some of our favorite Black Friday apps, along with a few others that'll make your shopping experience a bit easier. Black Friday App from Dealnews (iPhone, Free) The Black Friday App lets you browse ads from dozens of major retailers. You can also create shopping lists, access your shopping list at dealnews.com, do price comparisons, receive store alerts and share your favorite ads. Black Friday from FatWallet (iOS Universal, Free) The Black Friday Deal Finder for 2012 pulls deals in from bargain hunting website FatWallet. Similar to the Dealnews app, the Fat Wallet app lets you create wish lists, share deals via email and text and receive alerts when a new ad is posted. It also has an impressive search feature that lets you search and sort deals by store, category, brand and price range. TGI Black Friday (iOS Universal, Free) Similar to the Dealnews and Fatwallet apps, TGI Black Friday has shopping lists, push notifications, price comparisons and search. You can also share deals via Facebook, Twitter or email. You can't go wrong with any of these three Black Friday apps, so just pick one (or all) and go shopping. CheckPoints (iPhone, Free) If you are going to go shopping, you might as well earn some extra gifts for your hard work. CheckPoints is a reward system that lets you earn points for scanning products when you are in a store. There are also games within the app to help you earn even more points. Once you've built up a treasure chest of points, you can redeem them for iTunes gift cards, Amazon gift cards, gadgets and more. Apple Store App (iPhone, Free) Apple fans should be ready to fire up the Apple Store app on Black Friday and do some shopping during Apple's Black Friday sale. Apple rarely discounts their products, so be sure to take advantage of this holiday sales event on Friday. Gift Plan (iPhone, $2.99) Before you go shopping, you should have a game plan and know which person is getting what gift. Gift Plan from Glasshouse apps is the perfect solution for creating gift lists for your loved ones. You can setup profiles that store sizes, personal tastes and gift ideas for each person on your list. MotionX GPS Drive (iOS Universal, $0.99) MotionX GPS is one of the top mapping and navigation apps for iOS. For Black Friday shoppers, MotionX has multi-stop routing that'll let you plan out your shopping route in advance and a parking spot marker so you can find your car in a sea of automobiles.
5 apps to help make your turkey tasty this Thanksgiving
Before you pop that turkey in the oven and start whipping those potatoes, you better make sure you have your recipes out and your ingredients in order. If you are hosting a big Thanksgiving meal and need some help in the kitchen, here are five apps that'll help save the day. You might also check out our past coverage of iPad kitchen racks, tips for protecting your devices in the hostile cooking environment and an amazing DIY cabinet door mounting setup -- just don't let Grandpa chop the vegetables. Substitutions for iPad (iPad, $0.99) Substitutions is a straightforward app listing substitutions tables for cooking. It includes over 400+ substitutions that are organized into categories like alcohol, dairy, herbs & spices and more. It's a life-saver when you're making pumpkin pie and realize you bought sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk. The app is also available for the iPhone. Butterball Cookbook Plus (iOS Universal, $4.99) The ultimate turkey cooking app from the folks who sell the turkeys that'll grace many plates this Thanksgiving holiday. Delectable Wine (iPhone, Free) An app for wine connoisseurs to help you remember and share some of the best wine you've tasted. Perfect for getting the best vino for your holiday dinner table. Appetites (iOS Universal, $0.99) Appetites is an interactive cooking show that you can install on your iPhone or iPad. A new Thanksgiving pack will help you cook the perfect meal. Wave Timer (iPhone, Free) Wave Timer is a hands-free app that'll let you stop a cooking timer by waving your hand at your phone. It'll help keep your phone clean while you cook.
Apps and tips for coping with Hurricane Sandy
All of us in the northeast US (which includes myself and TUAW colleagues Megan Lavey-Heaton, Dave Caolo and Kelly Hodgkins) are keeping a wary weather eye on the approaching maelstrom that is Hurricane Sandy. While we continue to hope for minimal impacts to life and property, it's overwhelmingly likely that millions of people will be facing days or weeks of power outages, constrained transportation and other serious challenges. As we noted last year with the approach of Irene, there are several apps and simple tips that can help keep you safe and secure in emergent conditions. Of course, the most important advice is also pretty simple: follow the instructions of local authorities with regard to evacuations, road closures and travel restrictions. On the app front, the big kahuna is Hurricane HD from Kitty Code, which provides up-to-the-minute storm tracking detail. It's a paid app that tracks all named storms in the Atlantic and Pacific; given that it's the tail end of the season, mostly what you'll get from it post-Sandy is historical info until next time around. True weather nerds may prefer to pick up Base Velocity's RadarScope, which delivers high-resolution radar data from around the US to your Mac or iPad. Also on your Mac, Zipline puts an RSS ticker of weather data on your desktop for immediate alerts. (Base Velocity's development partner WDT makes the handy iMap Weather Radio app, which delivers location-specific weather alerts for thunderstorms and other hazards.) Our in-house weather maven Mel Martin recommends CaneCast as an alternative to Hurricane HD, with similar storm tracking and warning alert capabilities. Mel also likes Emergency Radio Free, which provides thousands of live feeds to NOAA weather reports and emergency/local first responder scanner broadcasts; and the Hurricane Safety Checklist Lite app. Cnet points out ICE Lite, which allows you to quickly file all your "In Case of Emergency" info in one place for first responders or medical personnel. Don't put all your eggs in one app basket, though: you can use Evernote, Dropbox, iCloud notes or Google Drive to easily transfer some of your vital info to the cloud. Then, print out a copy and keep it in your wallet or glove compartment. ABC's Joanna Stern notes that both the Federal Emergency Management Administration and the American Red Cross have helpful apps available for the iPhone. FEMA's app includes contact information for emergency services and recovery assistance; the Red Cross app gives instructions on preparing an "go bag" as well as the locations of support/evac centers. You can also use the Red Cross app to send an "I'm Safe" social media alert to Facebook and Twitter, although if your phone is working you can probably just post directly to those services yourself. Before the storm hits, follow Scott Beale's advice: Always Be Charging everything with a battery in it. In the event of power outages, the vintage technologies may hold out better than modern digital versions: a battery-powered radio and landline phone may remain operable when TVs and cellphones don't. Keeping your iPhone charged, however, is a plus if it's feasible; it can provide emergency communication, navigation and a slew of other capabilities. As a bonus, a tethering plan may be able to provide bandwidth for your computer even if your home ISP connection goes down. You can charge an iPhone or iPad from a laptop, or from an uninterruptible power supply; low-capacity models can be had for under $100, which will give you just enough time to gracefully shut down your computer, or happily provide juice for mobile gadgets for much longer. Best Buy actually has all the APC models on sale now, which means they'll likely go fast. Remember that you need to charge your UPS before the power goes out. Kelly H. recommends turning off your UPS and unplugging all your drain-inducing gear as soon as the power cuts out, then turning it on only to charge the iPhone or iPad. If you're using a generator for backup power, Kelly strongly recommends not plugging your delicate electronics (MacBook Pro, etc.) directly into the generator output, unless you have a pure sine wave inverter providing clean AC power. Put a surge protector or UPS inline to keep that "dirty power" from frying your laptop. Aside from minimizing your iPhone power drain by turning off unnecessary services and Wi-Fi (no point in searching for a network if the access point's offline), you can charge your phone from a backup battery or a hand-crank charger. Plenty of companies are offering AC-chargeable battery packs, including Zagg, PowerStick, Belkin and countless others. When you're looking for a power pack, keep in mind that an iPad needs a 2A USB port (twice the power of a normal USB port) for full-speed charging, although it will trickle-charge fine from a standard port. Putting some elbow grease into the equation, we turn to the cranks. Eton's power products include chargers that can give you enough juice for a five-minute call after some vigorous cranking. Its line that's co-branded with the American Red Cross includes the Rover pocket-sized crank radio, which includes weather bands, USB charging and a LED flashlight for about $50; it's available at Radio Shack and other electronics retailers. For your Mac, back it up -- and consider shutting down and unplugging ahead of power outages if you think they're likely. If you're using Time Machine and Mountain Lion, keep in mind that you can set up multiple, auto-rotated backup targets, so get a solid backup of all your machines on a drive or two and then tuck them away in the floodproof safe (or even better, on a shelf at a family member's house on high ground). If you've got a cloud backup via CrashPlan, Backblaze, Carbonite or Dolly Drive, make sure it's current. In New York City, residents can register for SMS and voice alerts from the city's 311 information system by signing up for NotifyNYC. The NYC Office of Emergency Management's alerts can also be found on Twitter at @NotifyNYC. In other areas, check your local emergency management website to make sure it's accessible on your mobile devices. You can also track all the Sandy updates via our sister site Skye at weather.aol.com. Wherever you are this weekend, stay safe! Please let us know how you're weathering the storm via our comments, Twitter or our Facebook page. Image from NOAA-NASA GOES-13 satellite, Sandy at 5:55pm ET 10/28/2012
Five apps for your Fourth of July fun
Tomorrow is Independence Day in the US, which means it's time to participate in your local parade, grill up some burgers on the BBQ, and watch a whole lotta fireworks with your friends and family. To help you enjoy this upcoming Fourth of July, we have selected five apps that'll let you adorn your holiday photos with some Americana, teach you about the Revolutionary War, and even let you take part in it if your choose. If you have any other suggestions, please add them in the comments below. Have a happy and safe Fourth of July! Holiday Picture It! (Free) Holiday Picture It! is an image editing app that lets you overlay your photos with borders, themed icons and other festive images. The app was recently updated to include a 4th of July theme so you can adorn your Fourth photos with some stars and stripes forever. Macy's 4th of July Fireworks (Free) If you're attending the Macy's 4th of July fireworks this year, then you'll want to grab this official app from Macy's. The app has several features, including a guide to local attractions, subway maps, and weather forecast, that'll make your trek to the fireworks enjoyable. Show details, performer biographies and up-to-the-minute transit information make sure you see what you want to see and make it there on time. 4th of July Finger Painting ($1.99) 4th of July Finger Painting is for those idle moments on this summer holiday. The app includes a handful of images that your little one can color with their fingers while they wait for the parade to begin. It's good, clean fun and will keep them busy for short time. And parents, while you wait, you should check out this quick guide to photographing fireworks. It might come in handy for those end-of-the-day holiday fireworks. The Revolution: Interactive Guide (Free) Yes, the Fourth of July celebrates American independence, but do you know all the events that led up to Revolutionary War and how it ended? If not, you should check out this interactive guide to the American Revolution. It's created by a high school senior who loves history and is chock full of information about this period in American history. The app includes maps, audio guides, biographies of important historical figures, quizzes and flashcards to test your knowledge. The Patriots ($0.99) Ever want to defend the Capitol from an army of approaching British Redcoats? You can get your chance with The Patriots game from Deadmans Production. Set during the Revolutionary War, the fixed gun defense game lets you pick sides in a battle for the US Capitol. You can play as the invading British soldiers or the defending American army. It's available for 99-cents and is great way to pass some time this Fourth of July.
Five apps to help you prepare for the non-stop tennis of Wimbledon
It's the end of June, and for tennis fans that means it's time for Wimbledon. The UK tennis tournament kicks off Monday, June 25. Whether you'll be attending in London or watching from afar, we have a list of apps that'll help you follow the matches from your iPhone and even brush up on your own tennis skills. Official Wimbledon app (Free) The official Wimbledon app is for fans who don't want to miss any of the action. The app lets you keep track of live scores and even listen to matches on one of the three Wimbledon Radio stations. Player profiles, schedules and on-demand video round out this excellent app. If you're in the UK, you also can download the BBC's iPlayer app which will have even more coverage. Tennis Trakker Pro ($12.99) Tennis Trakker Pro is a statistics app that'll let you keep track of a tennis player's performance. You can record the outcome of each point in a tennis match and use this information to identify a player's strengths and weaknesses. The app has a cloud component that'll let you upload match information for future reference and also share it with others who can watch the updates in real-time using ScoreTrakker. This cloud feature does require a subscription which is available via an in-app purchase. New users are eligible for a free 90-day trial of the upload service. There's also a lite version of the app which will let you evaluate it for free. Flick Tennis: College Wars HD ($3.99) Flick Tennis: College Wars HD is for those idle moments when you are tired of tennis highlights and want to settle down with an entertaining game. Flick Tennis isn't a simple back and forth volleying game. It has a storyline that lets you play the role of tennis prodigy Kevin Adams who must fight against the odds to become the best tennis player in the world. There are three modes in the game including story, exhibition and multiplayer. Story and exhibition mode have both single and double matches, while multiplayer mode lets you play head-to-head against a friend on the same device. The game has 11 tennis courts, 10 players and even 35 comic book cut-scenes which add to the plot in story mode. Tennis Clinic ($4.99) Tennis Clinic is for the budding tennis star who wants a portable pocket reference. The app is filled with video tutorials from tennis pros who cover the basic strokes, specialty strokes and other tips & tricks that'll help improve your game. All the tutorial videos are embedded into the app which means you don't have to worry about finding a fast internet connection when you want to watch a video. Because the lessons are included, the app is a hefty 571 MB. USTA Mobile (Free) The USTA app is for US tennis players who want to keep track of United States Tennis Association leagues and tournaments while on the go. You can find tournaments and review the draw. Once you've picked a tournament or a league, you can register for them right from your phone. The app also keeps tracks of players so you can view their records and gain a competitive edge before you start your first serve.
Five apps for Father's Day
It's Father's Day weekend, which means it's time to look at those apps that'll appeal to the Dads in our audience. I solicited suggestions from the guys on our team at TUAW and came up with a list that will help the Dads grill in style and take control over their TV (not that they need any help with that one, right ladies?). If you have any additional app suggestions for the Dads out there, please share them in the comments. MLB.com At Bat 2012 (Free; subscription required for some features) At Bat 2012 is the official iOS app for Major League Baseball. It works on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch and lets you keep up with the 2012 baseball season while on the go. Users can read breaking news, track player's stats, view game highlights and watch current games as well as archived games from the previous season. At Bat requires a subscription, but the pricing is very reasonable. You can get a full season of access for $15 or pay $3 each month. Weber's On the Grill ($4.99) What guy doesn't like to grill? They all love the smell of burning meat over a fire, which is why I added Weber's On the Grill to my Father's Day list. This app is an excellent companion for grilling fans looking for some cooking tips or a new way to prepare a steak. It has 280 grilling recipes and 40 recipes for rubs, marinades and sauces. You can favorite the recipes, share them with friends, and even use them to make a grocery list. National Park Maps HD ($3.99) Though they might not like asking for directions, guys do love maps and a useful mapping app for travelers is National Park Maps HD from National Geographic. The app has detailed trail maps and other point-of-interest information for 20 National Parks. It uses GPS to track your location and lets you find nearby campgrounds, picnic benches and other facilities. You can even use it to mark your camping site so you can find your way back easily after a long day of hiking. Logitech Harmony Link (Free) Think of the Logitech Harmony Link for the iPhone as a digital dashboard to control all your electronics. You'll need a Logitech Harmony Link device, but once you have it, you'll be in remote control nirvana. The Harmony Link app for the iPhone lets you control up to 8 devices from 5000+ brands of electronics. It uses gestures for common commands and has a customizable interface you can tweak to your liking. There's even support for activities so you can select "Watch a Movie" and everything is switched to the right device with all the correct settings. Send a Tip: Grooming Lounge (Free) We've all been there, done that. You have a friend and you don't know how to tell them that their breath stinks. You make a polite gesture and offer them gum, but nothing works. Your hair still curls every time they turn to talk. No worries, because, now, there's an app for that. Just download Send a Tip: Grooming Lounge and send your friend an anonymous tip that'll alert them of their social gaffe. You can read more about the service at the Grooming Guys website. It's hilarious, yet uncomfortably useful.
Five apps for High School and College graduates
It's that time of the year when graduating students proudly receive their diploma and move onto the next phase of their life. Many high school graduates have college on their mind, while college grads are preparing to enter the workforce. Here are five apps that'll help these grads as they move onward and upward. I've included five for high school and another five for college graduates. If you have your own suggestions, please share them in the comments. High school graduates on their way to college will appreciate the following apps to help them get organized and stay in touch with old friends. Path (Free) Path is a social network that provides a more personal alternative to Facebook. Users have tight control over their friends list and share what they want, with the people they want. The Path app for the iPhone has a pleasing UI that makes using the social network an enjoyable experience. It's perfect for high school grads who want to stay in touch with their high school friends. Waze (Free) Waze is a social GPS and navigation app that'll help you get to your destination. It might not be as accurate as Navigon, but the UI and social features are outstanding. The app uses community-sourced information to get traffic data and road reports like the location of speed traps and road hazards. You can also share your location and destination information with friends via text or email. Weather 2X ($0.99) If you're looking for a simple, yet elegant way to view the weather, look no further than Weather 2X. The app shows you the current weather and the forecast with a beautiful backdrop. It's perfect for those mornings when you're getting ready to head out for the next class and need to know whether you should grab that umbrella. It lacks a radar view, but that's not needed when you want a quick snapshot of the weather. Wake N Shake Alarm Clock Pro ($0.99) If you have a hard time waking up for that early morning lecture, then you need Wake N Shake Alarm Clock Pro. The app drops the conventional snooze button and makes it a challenge for you to turn the alarm off by shaking your iPhone. By the time you've turned off the alarm, the shaking motion has woken you up. Don't worry if you sleep like a log, Pro version owners can use the "Merciless" level to ensure the shaking wakes them up. iStudiez Pro ($2.99) and Paper Desk ($3.99) iStudiez Pro is a productivity tool designed specifically for students who want to track their classes, professor's contact info and assignments. The scheduling and PIM app works on the iPhone, iPad and Mac, so you always have your data at your finger tips. There's also Paper Desk, a note-taking app with recording that'll sync the audio to your words. It's great for taking notes and reviewing them before the next exam. College grads looking to move from the classroom to the conference room could benefit from these apps below: Monster Jobs for iPad (Free) Once your done with your studies, you will need to find a job and one of the best places to look is Monster Jobs. The job board has an iPad and iPhone app that is a portal into your Monster account. You can search, view and apply for jobs as well, as view you resume and edit cover letters. It's a great resource for on-the-go job hunters. LinkedIn (Free) One of the best ways to get a new job is by networking and one of the best places to network is LinkedIn. The business social network is filled with professionals in your field of interest who can help you find a job. The iOS app is a basic version of the website. It doesn't let you edit your profile, but you can see your connections and find new ones. Despite this drawback, it's still an excellent way to stay in touch with your colleagues. Mint.com (Free) Though you might not be rolling in the dough quite yet, you'll still need an app to help manage your finances. Mint.com is an excellent online app that makes it easy to keep track of your money from a web browser or your iOS device. The latest iOS version adds support for budgeting and split transactions, making Mint one the best online financial managers. Zillow (Free) Say goodbye to frat houses and dorms. Now that you're out of school, you'll need to find a decent place to live. One of the best resources for finding real estate for sale or rent is Zillow. The iOS app has an extensive listing of homes and apartments that are searchable based on location and property details. You can view property listings, get driving directions and even send an email off to a real estate agent if you're interested in a property. Though its geared toward real estate for sale, Zillow does include rentals. If you want a rental only service, you should check the Rent.com or Trulia Apartment rental app. There's also a decent number of listings on Craigslist which you can find using the +Craigslist+ app. Pocket Resume ($2.99) Before you submit your resume to the Monster job board, you should spend some time tweaking your credentials so you can make yourself stand out from the crowd. To help you effectively present your skills, experience and ambition, you should check out Pocket Resume. The app will help you format your resume and save it as a PDF. You can also upload it to Dropbox for sharing with others and for your own safe-keeping. If you already have a LinkedIn profile, you can easily fill out your resume by importing your information directly from LinkedIn's website.
5 apps for Moms on Mother's Day
It's Mother's Day here in the US and in a handful of other countries around the world. To celebrate this holiday, I've compiled a list of five outstanding apps that are perfect for all the iPhone-toting mothers out there. These titles will help Mom get organized, share memorable moments and have some fun. If you have any suggestions not on this list, please add them in the comments. Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms and Moms-to-be! iAllowance ($3.99) iAllowance is a versatile chore manager that lets you set up comprehensive chore charts for several children. Besides listing each child's responsibilities, you can assign a value to each task and let your child earn money, stars or time for each job they do. The app keeps track of each child's earnings, so you can dole out rewards when they reach a specified amount. iAllowance is chock full of features that'll make doing chores as much fun as possible for both parents and their children. Pic Collage (Free) Pic Collage is a free app that lets you choose the best photos of your kids and assemble them quickly and easily into a collage. You can import photos from your camera, your photo library or even Facebook. All photos are dropped onto the canvas and you can resize, rotate and move them to get the right look. Once you've arranged your photos to your liking, you can change the background, add some text and send the masterpiece off to the grandparents. Day One ($1.99) If want to remember those precious times with your kids, you can't go wrong with Day One, a terrific journaling app that makes it easy to jot down your daily thoughts. Day One's strongest feature is its cross-platform availability. You can use Day One on your Mac, iPhone or iPad and sync your entries across devices. Unfortunately, Day One doesn't let you import photos, so you can't add that precious photo of your baby to an entry. Photo support is on the developer's list of upcoming features, and, for me, Day One is such a good journal that I am wiling to wait. If image support is a must-have, then you should check out alternatives like MyOwnDiary HD, My Daily Journal or Dailybook for the iPad. SpellTower ($0.99) There are so many iOS games, but one that always seems to be at the top of my list is SpellTower. The word puzzle game challenges you to spell words using adjacent letter tiles. The game includes several modes including a Tower mode that lets you spell as many words as possible, and a Puzzle mode that adds a row of letter tiles every time you spell a word. There's also a local multiplayer mode, so you can challenge your spouse or kids. AllRecipes Dinner Spinner Pro ($2.99) AllRecipes Dinner Spinner is a cooking app that'll help you find the perfect meal. The DinnerSpinner lets you add an ingredient, shake your phone and retrieve a matching recipe. You can read reviews for each recipe and add the ingredients to your shopping list. If you're an AllRecipes member, the Pro version of Dinner Spinner lets you view your recipe box on your iOS device. You can also share your favorite messages with your family and friends via Facebook, Twitter or email.
Five apps that'll help you celebrate the Easter holiday
Easter is just around corner which means it's time for spring flowers, lovely dresses and time with family and friends. Below are five apps to help you celebrate the Sunday holiday. If you have any suggestions of your own, please add them to the list (all prices are USD). Wood Puzzles Easter Color HD ($0.99) Wood Puzzles Easter Color HD is an iPad app that features 15 different Easter-themed puzzles. The puzzles are your standard wood puzzles with colorful, chunky pieces that are perfect for the younger set. Easter Egg Coloring Book (Free) The Easter Egg Coloring book is a finger-painting app for children that chock full or rabbits and eggs for your child to color. It's cutesy and will keep your children busy coloring for hours. Olive Tree Bible Reader ($0.99; bibles and study guides available as in-app purchases) If you are a Christian, then you should consider adding Olive Tree Bible Reader to your list of must-have apps. It has a variety of bibles and study guides that you can add to your iPhone or iPad. Use it to bookmark and then review those passages that celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. iCookbook ($4.99) Eggs and candy are a big part of Easter, but we can't forget about the all-important Easter brunch or dinner. If you need some cooking tips or recipe ideas, then go no further than iCookbook. The cooking app features 2,000 recipes with detailed instructions and stunning photos. The app has some compelling features like voice command which lets you use your voice to work your way through a recipe, set timers and more. Egg Dyeing 101 from Martha Stewart ($0.99) Egg Dyeing 101 from Martha Stewart was on our list last year and is back again for a second round. The app has detailed instructions on how to cook and dye Easter eggs as well as fun crafts that you can do once the eggs are done. It's 99-cents and worth every penny.
Five apps to help you file your taxes (updated)
With only a few weeks before taxes are due -- the federal deadline is on April 17, and many states have followed suit -- plenty of Americans are scrambling to file before the clock ticks away. We've gone and found five apps that will help you make Tax Day, and waiting for that refund, a bit easier. TurboTax SnapTax (Free, but has in-app purchases) This app from Intuit allows those who are eligible to file with the simple 1040-EZ to do their taxes straight from the iPhone. Snap a photo of your W-2, answer the questions and hit the button to zip your return to the IRS. While the app itself is free, actually filing a return costs $24.99. TurboTax 2011 (Free, but has in-app purchases) Those who use TurboTax for their taxes can now do so via the iPad. The app itself is a free download, but like all of Intuit's products, filing the return will cost you. Those who have used TurboTax in the past will find the interface familiar. Filing returns starts at $49.99 for federal taxes and $39.99 for state. H&R Block Mobile (Free) This app from H&R Block allows you to check your Federal return status. It also allows you to create checklists for doing your taxes and estimate your refund, and it provides access to a tax help center that allows you to look up questions, define tax terms and more. And, if you throw up your hands in defeat, the app also provides directions to the closest H&R Block location. If you're a 1040EZ filer, you can use H&R Block at Home 1040EZ Tax to file for free. Receipts Pro - Expense Tracking with Reports ($4.99) Receipts Pro keeps track of all your business expenses as you make them so you're not struggling to recall them when doing your taxes. The app lets you take photos of your receipts and organize them into groups or categories. Custom fields can be used to attach tax or payment information to each receipt. An overview graph helps you keep track of spending and a reporting feature lets you print up a detailed list of expenses. IRS2Go (Free) Finally, we have the app developed by the IRS itself. Like other apps, it will allow you to check refund status. You can sign up to get tax tips emailed to you, how to contact the IRS, and you can follow the IRS Twitter feed from it. However, it does not provide access to tax code, forms or the sort of tools found in Tax Central. Still, if you feel more comfortable using the official app to check your refund status rather than Intuit or H&R Block, this app is not a bad way to go. [Kelly Hodgkins contributed to this post; updated to reflect separate apps for H&R Block]
Five apps to entertain and educate your toddlers
One of the best toys I had for my kids was Professor Owl, a talking owl that taught them the alphabet. Sadly, Professor Owl stopped working a few years ago and we've never been able to find a good replacement. Instead of continuing to buy cheap learning toys that break, my husband and I decided to use an iPad or an iPod touch filled with educational apps for our younger ones. In an earlier post, I listed five apps for the pre-school group. Now, I will list five of my favorite apps appropriate for toddlers (18 months to three-years-old). If you have any recommendations, please add them in the comments. Wood Puzzle (US$1.99) Wood Puzzle is a chunky puzzle game for toddlers. It has several different puzzles, each with six to ten pieces. The puzzles are colorful and have objects that appeal to kids like a train, princess and frog. Just like a traditional wood puzzle, your child grabs the pieces and places them in the right spot using a single finger or two fingers if they have enough dexterity. There's also an automatic mode that'll solve the puzzle for your child and animate the solution. Scratch a Sketch ($0.99) Scratch a Sketch is a unique toddler games which has a colorful kids picture covered by a layer of black. As the child touches the screen, the black is erased, revealing the image underneath. It's fun for the toddlers who enjoy seeing the picture pop out at them and entertaining for the under-two set who can randomly wipe the tablet screen and gradually see the picture. Barnyard Games for Kids (Free; $1.99 in-app purchase) Barnyard Games for Kids is a series of mini-games that's perfect for kids four and under. It has bright colorful images and catchy sounds that'll attract your child's attention and hold it. It's more than just farm animals and sounds. Barnyard Games for Kids has games that'll teach your child his or her shapes and colors, alphabet, and numbers. The app includes two free games for free and a $1.99 in-app purchase unlocks the rest. Little Sky Writers ($1.99) Little Sky Writers is an alphabet app that teaches children how to write their letters. It uses an airplane that sky writes each way through each letter. It's easy for your child to trace along and my kids just love the airplane theme. There's even a control tower voice that helps your child learn the sound and usage of each letter. Thomas & Friends: Engine Activities ($1.99) What child doesn't love Thomas the Tank Engine? Both my boys and my girls have enjoyed the Thomas and Friends animated series. That's why I had to buy the Thomas & Friends: Engine Activities when I spotted it in the App Store. The app includes three coloring sheets, three animated puzzles, and three collectible engine cards from Pop Goes Thomas and three of each from Creaky Cranky. There's also a matching game that uses the engine cards that your child has collected. When your child has exhausted the content in the app, you can buy additional activity packs for 99-cents each.
Five apps to keep your young children entertained and educated
Earlier this week, I wrote a post about letting your children use an iPad. I mentioned locking it down, filling it with apps and letting them use the tablet in small increments. In a minor oversight, I didn't mention any of the apps that I put on my iPad. To make up for that mistake, I've decided to do a series of posts on educational apps for kids. Below you will find five apps that are both entertaining and educational for three to five-year olds. In the next few weeks, I'll do another post for older kids and one for toddlers, too. If you have a favorite, feel free to share it in the comments. AniMatch ($0.99) Made by Lima Sky of Doodle Jump fame, AniMatch is a fun, matching game for youngsters with cute graphics and whimsical sounds. The game has a grid of twenty tiles and hidden behind each one is a cartoon animal. Each animal makes a sound when you touch it. As expected, the cow will moo, the lion will roar and so on. It's a cute game that combines memory training with sight and sound recognition. See.Touch.Learn (Free) See.Touch.Learn is a multimedia-rich flash card game for little kids. The app is available for free and includes several free flash card libraries. You can even more flash card libraries or create your own via in-app purchases. There's also a premium version for $24 that gives you access to 1,700 images and 1,300 exercises. The game is fun for kids and powerful for parents. Monster Coloring Book ($2.99) Monster Coloring Book is high on the fun value as it combines monsters and coloring- two topics kids love. The app lets you pick different brushes, patterns, and stickers to color your monsters. WHen you are done, you can save it to your iOS device or send it to an AirPrint printer. The Monster Coloring Book is available for both the iPad and iPhone, but it works best on the larger screen of the tablet. Lakeshore Learning Phonics and Letter apps (Free to $1.99) Lakeshore Learning has a series of inexpensive apps to your children about the letters in the alphabets and their sounds. The company makes a basic alphabet game which introduces a new letter each day. There's also a tic-tac-toe phonics game and an interactive game that teaches beginning sounds. Jr. Bingo ($0.99) Jr. Bingo is a Bingo-style game that teaches little ones about colors, shapes, numbers, letters and letter sounds. Its is one of three games by ABCya that uses Bingo Bugs. These colorful bugs are given as a reward when a child completes a game of Bingo without a mistake. The more games the child completes, the more Bingo Bugs they earn. When the children are done with the game, they can then play with the Bingo Bugs which hop around the screen and can be flicked all over the place.
Five apps for Super Bowl Sunday
The Super Bowl is just around the corner which means it's time to get ready for the big game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. Rather than our usual five apps, I couldn't contain myself and, instead, put together five categories of apps that'll set you up nicely for food, football and fun this coming Sunday. Official NFL and Team Apps if you want to learn more about the Patriots's offense and the Giants's defense, then you should download each team's iOS app. The Giants have a free app for the iPhone, while the Patriots have chosen to go iPad-only with a magazine-style app. The Patriots Football Daily app has a free 7-day trial followed by a paid subscription. The NFL also has a suite of apps to commemorate the game. Each Super Bowl XLVI app is filled with statistics, images and more about current and past Super Bowl match ups. Party Prep and Post-Game Pictures The best part of the game (besides the commercials) is spending it with family and friends. You can use Red Stamp to prepare your guest list and send out party invitations. Once you know who is coming, you can use 170,000+recipes from BigOven to start cooking for your crowd. When the party is over, you can use Pic Collage to assemble your pictures and share them with your party attendees. Social Apps That'll Let You Share The Game Part of the fun of the game is sharing it with others. Now that social apps are a dime a dozen, you can share your thoughts and comments with the world, not just your friends in the room. Besides Facebook and Twitter, you can use Football Connect to play along with the game and talk trash with your friends. If you want to know what other NFL Pros are saying about the game, then check out NFL Pro Tweets which will give you a stream of tweets from players who are watching from the sidelines. There's also IntoNow, a social app from Yahoo that gives you content exclusively for the game while tracking the TV broadcast. The app includes a StatTracker, a way to share the play-by-play action and a sports news feed from Yahoo. If you tag the Super Bowl using the IntoNow app and watch the Pepsi Max ad, you can enter the Pepsi MAX for Life sweepstakes. Apps For Watching and Listening To The Game For the first time, the NFL will stream the Super Bowl over the internet. If you're a cord cutter, you'll finally be able to watch the game on your MacBook Air. If you're going to be mobile, then you'll want to download Pro Football Radio Live. You won't be able to watch the game, but the app will let you listen to it live. If you are a Verizon Wireless customer, you can download the NFL Mobile app. It's free to download and requires a US$3 daily or $10 monthly subscription to watch the video streams. The Super Bowl will be broadcast live over Verizon's airwaves on Sunday, so make sure you have the app, an Internet connection and some cash to watch the game. Football-Themed Games While you wait for the big game, you can fill your time with football-themed games like Pocket Passer QB, a natural football throwing game with several fun mini-games. If you prefer to be a kicker instead of a quarterback, then NFL Kicker might fit the bill. It's a flick-style game that lets you hone your field goal kicking skills. Lastly, there's NFL Pro 2012 from Gameloft, a full-fledged football game that lets you become a gridiron champion.
Five apps to help you track your finances
It's January, which means you're probably thinking about your finances for the upcoming year. Tax season is right around the corner. There might be employment changes coming or large purchases on your mind. Here are five apps to help you keep track of your money as it goes in and out of your wallet. iBank ($4.99) iBank is an all-purpose financial organizer for the iPhone that keeps track of your checking, savings, credit card and cash accounts. It lets you enter purchases on the fly and has some nice features like split transactions and multi-currency support. It can be used as a stand alone app or as a companion app that syncs to iBank for the Mac. iBank lets you sync multiple devices so you and other members of your household can always have up-to-date financial information on your handset. TaxCaster (Free) TaxCaster is a tax calculator for the iPhone and the iPad from Intuit. The app lets you add in W2 income, business income, withholdings, deductions, tax credits and more. It's one of the most feature-filled tax estimators I've used and does an accurate job of estimating your taxes. The app uses sliders so you can easily adjust the values and see how it affects the amount you owe (or will be refunded). Loan Calculator Pro ($0.99) If you have a house, car or a personal loan, then you should have an app like Loan Calculator Pro on your iPhone. The app lets you enter in the terms of a loan and produce an amortization table to see how long it will take you to pay it off, how much interest you'll pay and so on. It includes a "what if" scenario so you can see how your loan will change when you make extra payments. You can also track your loans and add in payments as you make them. Receipts Pro ($4.99) Receipts Pro is a valuable tool for anyone who needs to keep track of receipts. It's a flexible app with advanced features like custom receipt fields and repeating receipts. It'll let you take a picture, save a voice memo and add other attachments like an email to a receipt. Receipts Pro helps you keep track of your money by letting you assign a receipt to an account and a category, too. This information then can be used to generate reports and graphs which show you where your money is being spent. All reports can be saved as a PDF, Excel or CSV file and uploaded to Box, Dropbox and other cloud services. Wikinvest Portfolio HD (Free) Wikinvest is a stock portfolio manager that lets you import and track your accounts from Etrade, Schwab, Ameritrade, Fidleity, and other brokers. It updates nightly, so you always have the latest information on your investments. Wikinvest includes tools to chart your portfolio's performance, both on its own and in comparison with major indices. Pair this with the Bloomberg app for stock news and you have the right tools to maximize the return on your investments. Have any other finance favorites you'd like to tell us about? Leave us your comments below to let other TUAW readers know what is keeping your personal finances in the black.
5 iOS Apps for Skyrim
Skyrim is an action, role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios that's filled with magic, potions, and dragon shouts. The game follows the main character's quest to defeat Alduin and the other dragons that returned to Skyrim. It's the fifth installment in the Elder Scroll series and one of the best so far. If you're a Skyrim fan, here are five apps that'll improve your alchemy skills, level up your character and help you find all the powerful weapons you'll need to slay some dragons (as well as Storm Cloaks or Imperials, depending on how you view the war). All prices are USD. Dragon Shout (Free; universal) Dragon Shout is a simple Skyrim map application. It launches with a blank map and you get to fill it in as you travel and complete quests. You need a free account if you want to add markers, and you can sign up for one within the app. Once you have an account, you can start adding markers to the map and give them a name, description and custom icon. A journal feature keeps a running list of your markers for future reference. All your markers are stored in the cloud and shared across devices. You can choose to keep your markers private or share them publicly. It isn't implemented yet, but Dragon Shout will eventually let you share your public markers with the Skyrim community. You'll also be able to chat with other people who are using the app. Dragon Shout shows promise and will shine when the community features are enabled. It's available for free, so you have little reason not to download it. Guide for Elder Scrolls Skyrim: Fast Leveling, Money, Master Spells, Unique Weapons and Armor ($1.99; universal) Guide for Elder Scrolls Skyrim is a general guide to all things Skyrim. It has tips on how to level up spells, increase your smithing skills and master the art of enchanting. Instead of text-based instructions, the guide often shows a YouTube video within the app. You can literally watch and learn. The app also has a long list of unique weapons and unique armor (armor, rings, shoes, etc). The list will tell you where each item is located, what quest you must take to earn the item, and its effect. There's one small oversight with the effect attribute, though. The effect is listed for the armor, but not for the weapons. So if you look up the Sanguine Rose, the guide won't tell you the staff summons a Dremora Lord to fight on your behalf. I talked to the developer, and this is something that'll be added in a future version of the app. The app has a nice UI and is an excellent first effort. It works on the iPhone and the iPad, which is perfect for the video clips. Skyrim Alchemist ($0.99; iPhone only) Skyrim Alchemist does one thing and does it well. It helps you find the ingredients you need to mix up potions. The Alchemist app lets you find ingredients or find effects. It's broken up into 4 panes -- the top lets your browse ingredients and the bottom lets you browse effects. When you select an ingredient at the top of the app, it will show the effects of that ingredient on the top right. When you click on the effect the top, the bottom wheel will scroll and show you all the other ingredients that produce that effect. It's a fantastic resource for making potions and works exceptionally well on the small screen of the iPhone. You can also use it on the iPad at 2X view. Unofficial Guide for Skyrim ($1.99; iPhone only) If you could only afford one app, then you should spend your money on the Unofficial Guide for Skyrim. The app has a tabular UI that's somewhat plain, but the app makes up for it with information. The Unofficial Guide has detailed quest walk-throughs and information on races, skills, perks, locations, and achievements. There's also a FAQ for commonly asked questions. You should think of the app as a well-organized, information-packed Skyrim wiki on your iPhone. It's formatted for the iPhone's screen, but it works on the iPad, too. MAppZ- Skyrim edition ($1.99; universal) MAppZ- Skyrim edition is a map-based app that's similar to Dragon Shout. What sets MAppZ apart from its competition is its pre-filled information. When you launch MAppZ- Skyrim edition, you are greeted with a map filled with noteworthy locations. Each location has an icon and tapping on the icon will bring up its name. Unfortunately, there is no description. You will have to search outside the app if you want more information on that marker. Similar to Dragon Shout, you can add custom markers to the map and save them for future use. You can also submit them to the database for inclusion on the map. There's also a search feature that'll let you find both pre-filled locations and the custom markers you added. MAppZ also has a nice UI and an easy-to-use menu bar which makes it a pleasure to use. At $1.99, it's another must-have for the Skyrim player. %Gallery-141441%
5 apps for Black Friday
It's time to get your plastic out, and your game face on as Black Friday is almost here. The busiest shopping day in the year is two days away, and we have singled out five apps that'll help you find the best deals. Black Friday from DealNews (Free) When it's not Black Friday, DealNews is one of the best websites for finding deals on everything from clothes to cameras. On Black Friday, though, DealNews has one of the best apps to track individual deals as they are announced. Besides deals, the app also lets you add deals to a shopping list, search for specific products and even pull up online deals from a retailer's website. The best non-deal feature is the app's ability to find local stores so you'll know where to go when that HDTV hits a rock bottom price at Best Buy. Be sure to watch TUAW's Steve Sande interview Dan de Granpre from DealNews on today's episode of TUAW TV Live. TGI Black Friday (Free) TGI Black Friday is an app that focuses more on the ad scans from Black Friday promotions than individual deals like its DealNews rival. Each retailer's ad is scanned and available as a downloadable PDF. You can view sale items on a store-by-store basis or by browsing through categories. You can also search for items and save them to a shopping list. When you are done, you can email your shopping list to you or a loved one. You can also share the deals on Facebook or Twitter. Road Tripper (Free; US$1.99 ad-free) Road Tripper is a basic route planning app. It lets you add multiple points onto a map and save the route between them. It'll let you add all your shopping destinations, so you can plan the best way to travel from the mall to Target and then to L.L. Bean. Once your route is planned, you can print your map or send it via email. You can also share it on Facebook. The app is available for free, but includes advertisements. A US$1.99 in-app purchase will remove these ads. Google Shopper (Free) An essential part of shopping on Black Friday is making sure you get the best deal. Even if you have planned every last detail of your shopping trip, you will inevitably stumble upon an item that you want, but did not know was on sale. To make sure you get the best deal, you should use Google shopper to check prices at competing retailers. The app lets you scan or photograph your sales item and pulls down pricing information from Google's online shopping search engine. Your Favorite Retailer's App (Free) Most major retailers have an iOS app that'll let you find sales information, store locations and inventory. Most apps will let you make purchases that can either be shipped to your doorstep or held at your local store. Before you start shopping on Friday, you should fill your phone with the app from your favorite retailers. Stores like Best Buy, Target and Walmart are some of the top choices for Black Friday shoppers. Apple also has an app that'll let you browse its Black Friday sales, place online orders and arrange for in-store pick up. It will even let you checkout on your own when you are in a busy retail store.
5 apps for Thanksgiving
Whether you're ready for it or not, the holiday season is upon us. One week from today, many of us in the US will be pushing ourselves away from the Thanksgiving dinner table, sated and ready to do some serious shopping on our iPads. To get you ready for the holiday of turkey, football, and giving thanks for what you've got, here are five apps that are sure to get you in the holiday spirit. iCookbook 2.0 Part of the Thanksgiving tradition is cooking up an amazing feast for family and friends. iCookbook (on sale for US$4.99) has recently been updated to version 2.0 and it's now the app to have in the kitchen. This universal app has always had thousands of recipes for you to try out, but it's going to be your cooking buddy from now on. The developers at Publications International recently added voice commands to the iPhone version -- you can now avoid touching your iPad or iPhone screen with those greasy hands by speaking commands to move to the next step of a recipe, start or stop a timer, and more. The app is also awesome for those who may be tired of squinting at recipes, since it now has a "Prepare mode" that provides an enhanced display of a recipe for easy viewing. Have a TV in or near the kitchen? Great, since the app now has AirPlay support as well. If you're not thrilled about having your iOS toy in the messy kitchen while you cook, you can print your recipes to any AirPrint-compatible printer. iCookbook 2.0 provides free updates monthly as well as special recipe packs that are available through in-app purchase. Cocktails HD Sometimes the holidays can be a bit stressful with all of the family dynamics, and you want nothing more at the end (or beginning) of the big get-together than a good stiff drink. That's where Cocktails HD (sale priced at $0.99) comes in handy. It comes loaded with over 600 drink, wine and food recipes, a complete guide to bar tending, and new drinks are added on a regular basis in free updates. The app can also be handy for drinking games (please drink responsibly, though!), with a "random shake" mode that displays random drink recipes with a shake. If you do over-imbibe, do not drive. Instead, use this bonus app -- Taxi Magic (Free) -- to get a ride home or call a taxi for Uncle Bob, who just started dancing the lambada with the Christmas tree. College Football Scoreboard Plus It may be considered a little rude to be eating your Thanksgiving feast in front of the TV, so here's a way that you can keep up on the latest college football scores without committing a social faux pas. College Football Scoreboard Plus ($0.99) gives you up to the minute scores of all the games, schedules of what's coming up next, news about your favorite teams, and even a scrolling ticker of scores. It's perfect for sneaking a peek at what's happening -- just put the iPhone in your lap and keep looking pensive, and they'll just think you're reflecting on the meaning of Thanksgiving. Black Friday by BradsDeals While the guys may be in their tryptophan-induced daze after chowing down on a pound of turkey, the ladies are probably scheming for the Black Friday shopping on November 25. One way to plan on getting the best deals is to use an app like Black Friday (free) by BradsDeals. The app (2010 version shown above) lets you plan out your shopping itinerary by store and product, and includes a ton of Black Friday ads for most major retail chains. Get those deals all lined up for Black Friday, and you'll be ready to get up at 3 AM to start your annual shopping assault. Gratitude Journal The oft-forgotten part of Thanksgiving is the "giving thanks" piece. Regardless of your religion or lack thereof, it's a good time to think about being grateful for what you have and helping those who aren't as fortunate. A few years ago, I did a review of an app called Gratitude Journal Your Positive Thoughts ($0.99). The idea is that each and every day, you just write a short note about what you're grateful for. It doesn't have to be anything incredibly earthshaking -- maybe you're grateful that a friend called you, that you're healthy, or that you ate a really good meal last night. By looking over the good parts of your day, this app can really provide a way to focus on the positives in your life and make you happier. Gratitude Journal also includes nice quotes that will help to keep feeling positive about life in general.
5 apps for the Zombie Apocalypse
It's much harder to put together a 5 Apps post for the Zombie Apocalypse than you might think. Do we focus on serious topics like first aid, or do we try to inject a little humor like Plants vs. Zombies for "training skills"? In the end, we came to the conclusion that this was simply too complex a topic to limit to just five app titles. We give you five app topics instead -- and we've skipped the entertainment component. In that spirit of deadly serious preparedness training, we give you "5 App Categories for the Zombie Apocalypse." First Aid The app store is brimming with first aid applications. We liked the free Know-it-All First Aid refresher app, which seems to have plenty of good reviews and cover the basics. Other well-reviewed apps included Pocket First Aid and CPR ($3.99), and Emergency First Aid & Treatment Guide ($0.99). Emergency health response is a vital component of survival during the apocalypse. Maps During the Zombie Apocalypse, you'll want access to a navigation application that uses cached maps. These apps tend to be quite large (typically over a gigabyte) but when the zombies are after you and the Internet is dead, cached information may be a lifesaver. We recommend Navigon (various prices based on region) and TomTom (ditto). Survival manuals The App Store is home to any number of survival manuals. You may wish to check out iSurvival ($1.99), iSurvive ($1.99), the Army Ranger handbook ($2.99), Wilderness Survival ($3.99), or Survive It ($1.99). TUAW recommends against Zombie Apocalypse-specific titles (e.g. Zombie Apocalypse Manual, $0.99) as they do not provide as balanced coverage as the general topic apps. Flashlight apps There are a bajillion free flashlight apps on the App Store, many of them that can enable your built-in LED like this one. Flashlights can help you find your way through the moonless night as you run across the gravel pits. Be careful though. They can draw more attention to you by the hordes of the undead, who can see just as well as the living (especially when their glazed, bleeding eyes chance upon warm prey). You can use a free Safety Flasher to signal your compatriots once you know they haven't been infected. TUAW recommends against picking up multitool versions of flashlight apps. You don't want to be measuring shelves or using a level at the same time you're fleeing for your life. Also skippo the virtual Zippos. They won't do you any good in a real-world zombie face-off. Camouflage Consider picking up the free Zombie Nombie Lite if you think you may need to enter situations where you must camouflage yourself amongst actual zombies. Hold the app in front of your face, shuffle and make a lot of moaning sounds. You'll blend in perfectly. As a final note, let us point out that apps like the Zombie Survival Guide Scanner are meant for entertainment purposes only. Do not attempt to use these in real-life apocalypses.
