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First Look: Cosmovox, an iPhone instrument
Cosmovox by Leisuresonic is an intriguing iPhone app; the kind of app which immediately looks appealing to me. Essentially, it's a theremin hopped up on music-theory steroids. While it does a decent job of emulating first-gen Star Trek sounds -- using the iPhone's accelerometer to translate vertical rotation into pitch with a continuous tone -- it ups the ante with a very complete set of scales: Major, Minor, Harmonic Minor, Major Bitonal, Pentatonic ... even heading East a bit to Okinawa and Hirajoshi (in case you want to play a digital koto) scales. All total, there are over 30 scales available, as well as a set of controls for adjusting modulation, beating, vibrato and doing other fine-tuning. Here's the thing, though. It's a lot of fun to play with by itself, and my head immediately filled with ideas for incorporating the sound into a composition. I was going to make a video demonstration with a breakbeat and B4 accompaniment, but try as I may, I found it too difficult to really make music with it. I attribute this in large part to a lack of practice and, quite possibly, skill; I can find my way around an array of instruments but this one is truly a challenge. For as simple as it seems once you set the scale (you can't play a wrong note, right?), attaining any kind of consistent melody or rhythm can be an uphill struggle. The best results I got were from layering Cosmovox tracks (recorded through a microphone, Cosmovox has no built-in recording abilities) with other Cosmovox tracks and chopping them up in post to cut out the mistakes. Thus, my efforts yielded no (bearable) movie. The demo video in the FAQ is far more impressive than my feeble attempts anyway. My thoughts: Cosmovox is a fun app for musicians of any caliber, with a far-reaching landscape of space-age sounds to explore. If I can find the free time, I'm hoping that enough practice will allow me to do with it what -- at this point -- only my imagination is capable of. Last I checked, Cosmovox was only $1.99USD at the App Store. A more-than-fair price for hours of wavering, warbling fun. Beyond its practical applications, it makes a great soundtrack for any occasion which kicks off with the words, "Captain's log: Stardate ... ," too.
First Look: GL Golf
If you're the golfing type (and I must admit, I'm no golfer), then you may like a new game/simulator for your iPhone/iPod touch. GL Golf [iTunes Link] allows you to play golf on your iPhone in a semi-realistic 3D world. The game consists of 5 golf courses, and you can play with up to 4 people. I really like the ability to change variables in the game. You can change things like weather, time of day, season, ball color, difficulty of play, and the type of course.The game play is solid. To swing the club just double tap on the screen; when the power meter reaches to a spot you want, just single tap and the club will swing, hitting the ball. You can change the type of club you have by dragging your finger up/down the screen, thereby changing the range. The game does pause itself when you tap the home button, so if you get a call while playing, you won't lose your game. The game is almost perfect with the exception of two things that could be easily changed with an update. First off, the graphics are not the best that you're going to find on an iPhone game. Second, not being able to move the camera (view point) around is a big downfall in certain circumstances. Sometimes a tree or river bank might be blocking your view and you cannot see if you're hitting the ball in the right direction (see screenshot 6). Despite that, the physics model in the game is amazing and very accurate. Overall, this is a solid game and should definitely be on every duffer's app download list. You can purchase GL Golf from the App Store today for $7.99. Be sure to look at our gallery of screenshots. %Gallery-32124%
First Look: TextGuru for iPhone
TextGuru is a new iPhone application that promising, useful -- and also really powerful! The application allows you to create and edit a ton of document types. TextGuru also includes the following features that makes it worth every penny you pay for the application: Cut/Copy/Paste Find and replace text Autosaves your documents Search document collection in entirety Web previews for web documents Pastebin support (with Pastie and Sprunge) Email entire documents Display documents with different iPhone fonts (22 available) Ability to view binary documents in either Hex or ASCII representations (all I can say about this is: 61 77 65 73 6f 6d 65) This application has a built-in sharing feature to get your documents onto/off of your iPhone. Using the sharing feature requires you to download some additional free software, which currently runs on Mac OS X 10.4 and higher. A Windows version of the server software for your computer is in the works.TextGuru also allows you to use Cut/Copy/Paste throughout the application. To use this feature, just double-tap, then hold and drag your finger across the text you wish to highlight. The application places brackets [ ] around the text that's highlighted. You can then press the Cut/Copy/Paste buttons along the toolbar. The application is fairly solid, but I have experienced a couple of crashes after editing a document and pressing the "Done" button in firmware 2.1. Be sure to take a look at our gallery of screenshots. TextGuru is available from the iTunes AppStore for $4.99 (US).%Gallery-31898%
First Look: WriteRoom for iPhone
Just like its Mac counterpart, WriteRoom for iPhone gives you a simple application to create a document in. When you open WriteRoom you are presented with a black screen -- all of your documents are located here. Clicking on a document name will place you in editing mode.To create a document, just tap on the "+" button at the top right of the screen and a blank document will show up with a subtle blinking cursor against a black background.WriteRoom's developer has created a neat way to retrieve documents from your iPhone and get them on your computer. You can browse, edit, and even create a new document on your iPhone from Safari. All of this is dynamic, so as soon as you create a document in Safari, it appears on your iPhone and vice versa (a web page reload is necessary in your web browser). The main problem with Bonjour sharing over Safari is that it only works with Safari's Bonjour bookmarks. Overall, WriteRoom for iPhone is solid, just works, and is completely worth the $5 (US). WriteRoom is simplicity at it's best, and has a very nice user interface without distractions and fancy addons. You can purchase WriteRoom for the iPhone from the iTunes AppStore for $4.99 (US). Be sure to check out our gallery of WriteRoom screenshots.%Gallery-31897%
Lenovo's ThinkPad T500 gets previewed
Now that you're well acquainted with the specifications of Lenovo's ThinkPad T500, there are only a couple more hoops to leap through before pulling the trigger or calmly placing the mouse on the ground and walking away. Here to help you inch closer to one option or the other is NotebookReview, which has procured one of these rigs and given it a thorough inspection. Fans of the trademark design (read: plain, simple, boring / beautiful) will find oodles to love, and build quality (overall) was seen as satisfactory. Unfortunately, a good bit of flex was noticed in the keyboard, which could be a serious issue for fans of previous units. There's plenty more discussion where this came from, so head on down and give the full writeup a look if you're remotely interested in bringing the T500 into your loving abode.
First Look: MiGhtyDocs
Google Docs gives you document storage in the cloud, so why shouldn't you be able to access your documents anywhere you are connected to the cloud -- including your iPhone? Well, Google Docs viewing on the iPhone has been a bit kludgy ... until now.Thanks to MiGhtyDocs (iTunes link), you are now free to roam about the office to view your Docs on the go. You can't edit and you can't view spreadsheets or presentations, but MiGhtyDocs does cache your documents for offline viewing. This application just does one thing, and does it great. And did I mention that it's free? You can download MiGhtyDocs from the iTunes App Store today.
Acer's Aspire One now available: unboxing and impressions
Given that Acer's contribution to the netbook craze was reviewed over a fortnight ago, it follows logic that the thing finally be available for purchase. Apparently the Aspire One is already on shelves in at least one Circuit City location, so chances are you can run out and grab one for yourself today as well. But what if you're not totally convinced it's the mini laptop for you? If you're 100% okay with subjecting yourself to a 26-minute "geek session" (their words, not ours) that unboxes it and gives a few brief impressions, jump on past the break and hit play. We're warning you though, don't venture down there unless you've got your coke bottle glasses on. We're serious.Read - Acer Aspire One first lookRead - Acer Aspire One impressions
Grandialer, an iPhone app for GrandCentral
If you are one of the lucky ones who got in on the GrandCentral beta, then you might be interested in a new iPhone app that integrates with the GrandCentral service. Grandialer (iTunes link) allows you to use your iPhone to call people using your GrandCentral telephone number. The service can be used on EDGE since it's not a VoIP service. The application works by connecting your calls through GrandCentral and ringing back your iPhone. To set up the application, you just need to specify a ringback number for GrandCentral to call you back. To do this, just navigate to Settings > Phone number in the Grandialer application.Grandialer is a free application and is available today on the App Store. For more information on the application you can visit the developer's site.
First Look: Pennies for iPhone
Pennies is a new iPhone application from the same people who brought you AppZapper and Disco. Pennies is a simple, yet beautifully designed, application to manage your monthly budget right from your iPhone or iPod touch. When you first launch the application you are presented with a "This Month" budget screen where you can set your monthly budget, see how much you've spent, see top expenses, and get some statistics. In the "Expenses" tab you can add, edit, or annotate your expenses. When you add an expense, you can select a category and enter an amount. You can choose between 10 categories including: general, food, electronics personal, and groceries. When you enter an amount and save the expense, it is automatically deducted from the budget and the "fuel gauge" moves towards the "empty" line on the month screen. Overall, this is a very nicely designed application that offers a handy solution for managing your budget on-the-go. However, it would be nice to have a desktop application on the Mac that this app could sync with. Perhaps via a WiFi link, like 1Password for iPhone -- maybe it could connect with ChaChing? Still, for $2.99, this application is definitely worth the price. Pennies (iTunes Link) is available right now via the App Store.%Gallery-29188%
First Look: Sketches
Sketches was one of the apps I picked up the very first day the App Store opened -- in fact, it was the first I ever bought, and I bought it as a mistake: Apple's one-click shopping bit me for $7.99 (the app has since dropped in price to $5.99). But it turns out, as a mistake, it was a fortuitous one, because it's one of the apps I've been most impressed with. There are a few other "Paint" style apps floating around the store nowadays, but Sketches is worth the price of admission for doing exactly what it says: letting you easily and quickly draw whatever you want on whatever you want.The quantity of options in a simple app like this are surprising. Choose from six different kinds of backgrounds, including photos shot with the phone's camera, existing album photos, a solid color, a webpage pulled from an in-app browser, a map of your location or a library of six included backgrounds.Next, select from a bevy of colors and line thickness for drawing or the provided clip art. Finally, save the sketch in the app, export it out to your photo album or send it to Twitter. And even as you use the app, more fun appears -- there's a cool Etch-a-Sketch-like shake feature to erase what you've drawn, and the zoom button can move you in close for even more detail.Text input is missing (and reportedly will be included in a later version), but as a quick sketch creator (you won't be designing the Mona Lisa with this, more like circling something on a map or pic before a quick upload to Twitter), Sketches is a really fun, very professional app. LateNiteSoft has it up to 1.2 so far, and even though I had no intention of buying it when I pressed the "Buy App" button without thinking (weren't we all a little feverish when the App Store first dropped?), I don't regret my purchase one bit.%Gallery-29178%
First Look: iPocket for iPhone/iPod touch
One of our fellow bloggers, Erica Sadun, sent me an iPhone/iPod touch application that she created to manage files. iPocket is sort of like a Finder for your iPhone. It allows you to peer into the file structure on your iPhone. Specifically, I was looking to retrieve one of my voicemail.amr files for saving.This application allows you to browse files locally, through FTP and a web interface. You can also send files via Bonjour (using a specially made Mac app) and through email. This is really handy if you want to browse the file structure of an application, or if you need to grab a file. Currently you can view images, sounds, movies, PDF files, text, and property files in iPocket. You will not, however, have access to your iTunes media library on the iPhone as Apple doesn't allow you to view this data. Although this was submitted before the App Store deadline, it remains in review with an uncertain shelf date. You can also check out the gallery of screenshots from the application.%Gallery-29111%
First Look: 1Password for iPhone
Managing passwords on the go is about to get easier, now that 1Password for iPhone has hit the App Store [iTunes link]. The release features secure notes, wireless sync to your Mac, and all the credential-caching fun you expect from the full-size tool -- in a handy pantsable format.I was able to install 1Password on my iPod touch and (after a few false starts) synchronize my 600+ desktop entries to the device, but unfortunately now 1Password coughs and dies on the touch when launched. I did manage to get some setup screenshots before things went south, including the desktop-side code entry to pair the device and the computer, so feel free to peruse the gallery -- once we have a bit more time (and I've thinned out my sync list) we'll give the long-awaited utility the full review it deserves.1Password for iPhone requires 1Password 2.8.1 on the Mac for synchronization. For a limited time, 1Password for iPhone can be downloaded free of charge.Update: Agile has let it be known that version 1.2 of 1Password has already been sent in to the App Store, so you should be seeing the upgrade as soon as Apple gets it loaded (which may be a little while).%Gallery-28696%
First Look: FileMagnet
FileMagnet (mentioned briefly by Dave in his iPhone apps I actually use post yesterday) is a low-cost wireless file transfer tool for iPhone and iPod Touch. It requires you to install a companion desktop application, also called FileMagnet, which acts as the conduit for file transfer. Usage is simple enough: drag files you wish to copy into the desktop app's window. Then open FileMagnet on the iPhone, and as long as the two machines are on the same WiFi network, they will find each other over Bonjour, and wirelessly connect. Then your files are smoothly and wirelessly transferred over. Transfer will also happen every time you sync the device, if the desktop app happens to be running. FileMagnet is a handy place for reference materials, such as Word docs, spreadsheets, PDFs and images, that you're likely to need to carry at all times. It handles entire folders full of files, too. There are a few problems right now, all of which are addressed on the official FileMagnet FAQ, mostly with a promise that they'll be fixed soon: FileMagnet cannot display iWork files (yet) The desktop app requires Leopard (but a Tiger version is on the way) You can't email files, or indeed do anything with them except view them (an email feature is coming) Like a lot of iPhone and iPod touch apps, it's in its early days. Some features are lacking, or not as perfectly functional as you might like. But the developers are aware of the limitations and working on fixes and new features, and personally I think it's a decent value application with bright prospects for future development. I'll be watching out for updates with interest. FileMagnet is $4.99, and available through the App Store. UPDATE: Joshua Keay from Magnetism Studios has been in touch to say that that FileMagnet supports Tiger right now. He added that support for rotation and more file types is on the way in the next build, which will be a free update.
First Look: WordPress
It seems like only yesterday that I was posting about the soon to be released WordPress app for the iPhone. Ah, right, it was only yesterday. A lot can happen when I'm sleeping, it would appear, because sometime last night the WordPress app went live on the App Store.This free app, which works with WordPress.com blogs as well as any self hosted sites running version 2.5.1 or higher, let's you post to your blog easily. As you can see in our gallery, the application is straightforward and pretty easy to use.At the moment this app is all about posting to your WordPress blog, not managing it. You won't be able to access comments from this app, nor can you add users, activate plugins, or anything along those lines.That being said, this is a must have app for all you iPhone toting WordPress bloggers out there.You can find out more about this app on the WordPress for iPhone website.%Gallery-28318%
First Look: Bloomberg
I'm the first to admit that I am no financial whiz. I know very little about stocks, bonds, and money in general (I'm a blogger after all), however, I do know a thing or two about iPhone apps. Imagine my surprise that one of my favorite iPhone apps is the Bloomberg app (shocking, I know!).Bloomberg, in case you aren't aware, is one of the leading sources of financial news. The company's reputation was built upon the Bloomberg Terminal, which is leased to traders, libraries, and the like for a high monthly fee. The thinking is that by having a wealth of knowledge about the market at your fingertips the terminal will pay for itself.The Bloomberg app, in stark contrast, is free but does still offer you a deep look into your stocks. You can keep track of your portfolio, see news related to the companies you invest in, and get lots of performance data at a glance.Take a look at our gallery to see what this app has to offer (keep in mind that I took these screenshots last week, so the stock info is out of date).%Gallery-27917%
First Look: Mocha VNC Lite
Mocha VNC Lite allows your iPhone or iPod touch to connect to your Mac or PC via VNC. For those of you who don't know, VNC is a protocol that allows you to screenshare/control other computers via a VNC client (which is what Mocha VNC Lite is). It is amazing to see this working right on my iPhone. I remember back when I used a Palm device to do this sort of thing and it was very kludgy, but this seems to work rather smoothly. When you are connected to the computer via VNC, you are able to control pretty much everything on the screen, with the exception of special keys (i.e. command, option, F keys, etc.). You can, however, "pinch" the iPhone's screen to zoom in or out the viewing area. Now for the gripes. Mocha VNC Lite uses left-clicks on the screen (which can be quite annoying after a few minutes use). You are also unable to change the refresh rate (however, if you click the "+" button, you're given a "refresh option.") Mocha VNC also offers a paid version which gives you more useful features like extra PC keys, cursor keys, text macros, and a right mouse key. However, the lite version will give most users everything they need for casual VNC management. You can download Mocha VNC Lite from the App Store for free. At the time of this writing the paid version has not yet been placed on the App Store. Feel free to look at our gallery of screenshots before you download.%Gallery-28170%
First Look: SodaSnap Instant Postcards
Missing iCards? Well, SodaSnap hopes to fill the missing hole with their postcards for the iPhone. "SodaSnap Instant Postcards" is a a free application that does just that: creates postcards on-the-go. Just shoot a picture with your iPhone and SodaSnap lets you send it off as an e-mail postcard. You can choose a picture that is saved in your "Photos" library which allow folks with an iPod touch in on the fun. The best part of this iPhone application is that it just works, all without creating a pesky account with some company you've never heard of. That being said, your message is clearly passed through SodaSnap's servers, so you might want to be careful of what you write (such as personal information, etc.). SodaSnap provides great access to the address book for picking recipients. Overall, this is a fun application and the results are pretty good for a free application. SodaSnap Instant Postcards is a free download from the iTunes App Store. Get a detailed look at SodaSnap before downloading by looking at our gallery of screenshots.%Gallery-28163%
First Look: Twinkle
The iPhone will no doubt see it's fair share of Twitter clients (just as the Mac has). Twitterrific is the big name in the Mac/iPhone Twitter app space, but in a client from Tapulous called "Twinkle" has also been generating some interest. Originally released as a jailbreak application for the iPhone and iPod touch, Twinkle has just debuted on the App Store with the ability to location-base your tweets. While Twitterrific seems to have more precise locating abilities, Twinkle uses the location-based tweeting in interesting ways. For instance, you can see tweets originating within a certain mileage range from your location. Twinkle allows you to easily view your direct messages.Overall, Twinkle looks like it will give Twitterrific a run for its money. Best part of all? Twinkle (iTunes Link) for iPhone and iPod touch is absolutely free.Check out our gallery for some screenshots.%Gallery-28037%
First Look: Texas Hold 'Em
I've been having such a good time getting my virtual wallet cleaned out by my Texas Hold 'Em opponents that it's taken me three days to write this post!Texas Hold 'Em is an iPhone port of the popular Apple iPod game that came out a few years ago. If you're a fan of poker tournaments or just intrigued by Texas Hold 'Em, this $4.99 game is a heck of a lot cheaper and less stress on your home life than going to Vegas and playing the real thing.The play action, as you can see in the gallery below, is amazingly realistic. Each of the players even has a "tell" (distinctive physical cue that they're either bluffing or have a really good hand) that you can pick up after a while. There's music that plays in the background, a Wi-Fi multiplayer mode, a number of poker rooms (including a garage that has a shelf full of old computers on one wall), and a good assortment of well-rendered virtual opponents. Frankly, I think it's one of the unsung bargains of the App Store. %Gallery-27918%
First Look: iZen Garden
The iPhone App Store offers several zen garden applications and today, I was able to play with one of them, iZen Garden [iTunes link], on my simulator. The program allows you to place stones onto a bed of sand and rake the sand around the stones. As the marketing materials suggest, it's basically a fidget toy. "iZen Garden is perfect for long meetings, train rides, or meditation practice. It helps you to center your mind, relax your psyche, and relieve your stress." The interface is easy enough to use, with several rocks available and reset options for when your perfect garden gets too messy. At $4.99, it's a love it or leave it program. If rock placement and sand stroking isn't your thing, then iZen Garden probably isn't either. If it is, this is a simple visually appealing solution. I found the program easy-to-use and modestly fun. I have limited artistic skills and my raked gardens always looked messy. Your mileage will almost certainly vary. iZen Garden works on both iPhone and iPod touch.
