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Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012: camcorders and action cams
Welcome to the Engadget holiday gift guide! Picking presents for friends and loved ones is never a simple task, and with thousands of options for each category, buying technology can be an especially frustrating experience. We're here to help. Below you'll find today's bevy of curated picks, and you can head back to our hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. And don't forget to enter our giveaway -- leave a comment for a chance to nab AT&T's Samsung Galaxy Express. Smartphones and point-and-shoots do a fine job at snapping HD footage, so there's really no need for a dedicated video shooter, right? Well, not quite. Despite the best efforts of manufacturers, our handsets and pocket cams most often can't compete with the usability or stabilization features of a camcorder. There are three options to contemplate this holiday season: a tiny, versatile action cam, a consumer camcorder or a high-end professional model. We've rounded up our picks for each category, collected for your consideration just past the break.
The Daily Roundup for 11.23.2012
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Engadget holiday gift guide 2012: accessories
Welcome to the Engadget holiday gift guide! Picking presents for friends and loved ones is never a simple task, and with thousands of options for each category, buying technology can be an especially frustrating experience. We're here to help. Below you'll find today's bevy of curated picks, and you can head back to our hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. And don't forget to enter our giveaway -- leave a comment for a chance to nab AT&T's LG Optimus G. Sure, Ultrabooks and Windows 8 tablets are flashy gift options, but it's extras like the ones found here that really make 'em sing. Whether it's a desktop or portable storage solution, a smart thermostat or a secondary camera for those more experimental shots, we've got you covered. This collection of high-tech add-ons will surely snag the attention of anyone on your holiday shopping list, so mosey on past the break to start perusing.
Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012: smartphones
Welcome to the Engadget holiday gift guide! Picking presents for friends and loved ones is never a simple task, and with thousands of options for each category, buying technology can be an especially frustrating experience. We're here to help. Below you'll find today's bevy of curated picks, and you can head back to our hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. And don't forget to enter our giveaway -- leave a comment for a chance to nab AT&T's LG Optimus G. If you have any gadget junkies in your life, there's a good chance they're craving a new smartphone. Whether you're on a tight budget or have a fat wallet, simply look to our surefire list of the best and most unique mobile devices to place under the tree. But enough with the chatter... let's start shopping!
Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012: gaming
Welcome to the Engadget holiday gift guide! Picking presents for friends and loved ones is never a simple task, and with thousands of options for each category, buying technology can be an especially frustrating experience. We're here to help. Below you'll find today's bevy of curated picks, and you can head back to our hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. Nothing quite says "holidays" like snuggling up with your favorite gaming device and putting some serious time into the backlog of games piling up next to the TV. But 2012 is a year of change when it comes to gaming devices -- PC graphics cards are dropping in price and easily outclassing console competition, and new entrants like the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo Wii U offer novel ways to interact with classic characters. So, what should you get for the gaming-inclined people in your life? Read on to find out what will fit best into your budget this year.
Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012: tablets
Welcome to the Engadget holiday gift guide! Picking presents for friends and loved ones is never a simple task, and with thousands of options for each category, buying technology can be an especially frustrating experience. We're here to help. Below you'll find today's bevy of curated picks, and you can head back to our hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. We've also teamed up with AT&T to give away one hot smartphone with each and every guide, so scroll to the end for today's prize, then leave a comment to submit your entry! You have to admit -- there's something extra special about receiving tablets. Perhaps it's their sleek and portable designs, or maybe it's because they're best for watching movies and playing games rather than pounding out important memos on a deadline. Their rep as entertainment devices is already changing, though: we've seen slates with pen input and bundled keyboard docks burst onto the market this year, and Windows 8 is only boosting that corporate-friendly image. Wherever you fall on the work / play spectrum, we've got some great slate choices for you. Hop past the break to dive in.
Distro Issue 66 is here with the Engadget holiday gift guide!
If you've yet to compile a wish list of your own, or begin to cross names off of that dreaded shopping list, the latest edition of our weekly is primed to lend a hand with both of those tasks. In this issue, we've compiled over 100 devices and other wares that are sure to bring a bit of joy to the holiday season. In addition to the aforementioned collection, Eyes-On ogles a high-end AirPlay speaker, Visualized tracks election results and Box Brown returns to remind us of the horrors of holiday shopping. There's literally a ton of gadget goodness this time out, so grab a copy via the usual methods to start perusing. Distro Issue 66 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro APK (for sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Holiday Gift Guide: 10 gifts for around 10 bucks
It's a particularly tough time for families across the US right now, so we thought we'd try to find some budget-friendly alternatives for the holiday season. You can, of course, always make your own Apple-themed presents. Philipp Janssen's daughter helped decorate the corner of a MacBook Pro carton to create the fashionable iPhone 5 dock you see at the top-right of this post. You can read about other kid-friendly crafts in this write-up from a couple of years ago. Do you know how hard it is to find Apple-relevant gifts for about 10 bucks or less? Here's a hint. You head over to Google and enter "Apple gifts under $10," and Google will helpfully correct that to "Apple gifts under $100". It's not that Google is making any judgments, it's just darn difficult to track down inexpensive gifts. So frustrating was this, we were getting close to making a list that looked something like the following: $10 iTunes gift card $10 iTunes gift card $10 iTunes gift card $10 iTunes gift card .... Fortunately, a lot of brainstorming, Twitter blegs and hard research helped us track down a variety of gift possibilities. We reserve the right to keep the $10 gift card in our final list, but beyond that thanks go to the whole TUAW staff and everyone who responded on Twitter. 10 Gifts For About 10 Bucks 1. iTunes Gift Card - It's never the wrong gift when you allow the recipient to choose exactly the movies, music, apps and books he or she wants with a gift card. The iTunes Gift Card will never go out of style, and exactly on budget, it's the anchor for our list. 2. Macbook Mirrors - Widely available from numerous vendors on eBay, these little mirrors will set you back anywhere from $2 to $10, often with free shipping. I gave away a bunch of these last year. Steven Sande even "unboxed" his on an episode of TUAW TV Live. They aren't great mirrors, but they are great novelties. Available in both white and "MBA"-silver models. Kelly Guimont says she's ordering one for herself this year. 3. The JOYSTICK-IT Arcade Stick for iPhone - Starting at $8.99, you can add a real physical joystick to your iPhone for retro arcade fun. We reviewed this last year and found it to be more novelty than must-buy, but it can make a cute budget gift. If you want to splurge, the superior iCade Mobile gaming system is now just $17! 4. "PU Leather" case for iPad mini - You can pick up a folding leather case from Deal Extreme for $10.20, with free shipping. We haven't tested this one out but like the built-in folding stand. Deal Extreme offers super-inexpensive items from Hong Kong. I've bought lots from them in the past -- just be aware you're buying low-end goods and adjust your expectations accordingly. A similar case at a similar price, offering a magnetic latch is also available from Monoprice. 5. Touch Screen Stylus - Oleophobic screen or not, sometimes it's nice to use a stylus with your iPad instead of your greasy sweaty finger. This Monoprice stylus three-pack clocks in at $8. You can find similarly priced offerings from a wide range of dealers. 6. iPhone Hoodies - Accessorize your iPhone with the latest fashions. The Hoodie Case shown here started at under $10, although your street cred might be enhanced with one of the more authentic versions, which range up to about $20. 7. iPhone Stand - The well-reviewed Rabbit Mini Portable Stand costs $10 on Amazon. Easy to fold, highly portable, and (most importantly) stable, you can use the unit in both portrait and landscape without blocking the screen. 8. iPhone 4 Cases - At $7.50, you can let out your inner geek as your iPhone goes where no phone case has gone before -- unless it's Dave Caolo's phone case, in which case, been there, done that. To infinity. And beyond. 9. Lens set - Change the way your iPhone sees by adding on a wide-angle or fish-eye lens. Perfect for the amateur photographer, you can play with optics for about $9.25. These lenses reportedly work with most iPhone models. 10. Cufflinks - Know someone going to a wedding? Add a little geek chic to their style. Pick up a pair of novelty iPhone-styled cufflinks for about $7 on eBay. There are a lot of vendors, with a variety of color and model choices. It's just the thing for formal occasions.
Engadget's 2012 holiday giveaway: win one of 14 phones from AT&T
We're on the cusp of holiday retail madness, and if you know what's good for you, you'll make use of our comprehensive gift guides. Shopping for friends and family may be top priority, but we know you have a gadget wish list of your own. With that in mind, we've teamed up with AT&T to give away one of the carrier's hottest phones for each guide that goes up -- that's 14 devices total. To enter the contest, leave a comment on each of our guides. We're accepting entries until December 31st, at 11:59 ET, so make sure you get your "pick me!" in for your chance to win a sweet new handset to ring in the new year. Update: To clarify, if you want to enter the contests you need to leave the comment on the actual gift guides. Comments here will sadly win you nothing, except perhaps our sympathy for your well-crafted and witty, but ultimately wasted, demand that we "pick" you.
Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012: digital cameras
Welcome to the Engadget holiday gift guide! Picking presents for friends and loved ones is never a simple task, and with thousands of options for each category, buying technology can be an especially frustrating experience. We're here to help. Below you'll find today's bevy of curated picks, and you can head back to our hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. We've also teamed up with AT&T to give away one hot smartphone with each and every guide, so scroll to the end for today's prize, then leave a comment to submit your entry! For digital cameras, 2012 has been an interesting year indeed. IFA in Berlin brought the first compelling Android-powered model, the Samsung Galaxy Camera, while Photokina delivered a handful of full-frame DSLRs and Sony's jaw-dropping Cyber-shot RX1. As smartphone cameras have evolved, dedicated snappers have, too -- this year's models are far more powerful than any we've seen before, and if you've been holding out for a significant advancement, now's the time to buy. We've sorted the top models for every budget, which you'll find gathered in our guide just past the break.
Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012
<div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/holidaygiftguide2012"><img alt="Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/11/gg-2013-hedders-home.png"/> </a></div><p>Welcome to Engadget's holiday gift guide for 2012! You've heard a thousand times how stressful this season is -- and we're not gonna lie, tech gift-giving is no cinch this year. With the recent arrival of <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/30/windows-8-review/">Windows 8</a>, there are a myriad of laptops, tablets and hybrids to choose from, and you're not getting off easy when it comes to other devices, either. A year's worth of stellar new smartphones, 4K TVs, gaming consoles and everything in between are ready to compete for your hard-earned dough. Sound daunting enough? Well, never fear, because we're here to guide you through the gadget storm with our curated collection of top products. And we want to reward you for doing your research: in partnership with AT&T, we'll be giving away one smartphone for each guide. (Look for instructions in each new post.) For now, click on over to our available category pages, and stay tuned for those to come -- identified by a faded link for now.</p><center> <table border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/23/holiday-gift-guide-accessories/"><img alt="Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/11/accessories-1352259542.jpg"/></a></td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/12/holiday-gift-guide-bags-and-cases/"><img alt="Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/11/bags.jpg"/></a></td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/26/holiday-gift-guide-camcorders-action-cams/"><img alt="Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/11/camcorder-1352258739.jpg"/></a></td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/14/holiday-gift-guide-digital-cameras/"><img alt="Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/11/cameras.jpg"/></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:center;"> <h5> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/23/holiday-gift-guide-accessories/">Accessories</a></h5> </td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <h5> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/12/holiday-gift-guide-bags-and-cases/">Bags and Cases</a></h5> </td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <h5> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/26/holiday-gift-guide-camcorders-action-cams/">Camcorders</a></h5> </td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <h5> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/14/holiday-gift-guide-digital-cameras/">Cameras</a></h5> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <font color="white">.</font></td> <td> <font color="white">.</font></td> <td> <font color="white">.</font></td> <td> <font color="white">.</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/05/holiday-gift-guide-speakers-and-docks/"><img alt="Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/11/docks.jpg"/></a></td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/30/holiday-gift-guide-e-readers/"><img alt="Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/11/reader.jpg"/></a></td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/07/holiday-gift-guide-fun-stuff/"><img alt="Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/11/fun.jpg"/></a></td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/19/holiday-gift-guide-gaming/"><img alt="Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/11/game.jpg"/></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:center;"> <h5> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/05/holiday-gift-guide-speakers-and-docks/">Docks</a></h5> </td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <h5> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/30/holiday-gift-guide-e-readers/">E-readers</a></h5> </td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <h5> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/07/holiday-gift-guide-fun-stuff/">Fun Stuff!</a></h5> </td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <h5> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/19/holiday-gift-guide-gaming/">Gaming</a></h5> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <font color="white">.</font></td> <td> <font color="white">.</font></td> <td> <font color="white">.</font></td> <td> <font color="white">.</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/10/holiday-gift-guide-hdtv-and-home-theater/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/07/bts2011tv.jpg"/></a></td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/28/holiday-gift-guide-mainstream-laptops/"><img alt="Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/11/laptop-1352260871.jpg"/></a></td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/03/holiday-gift-guide-portable-audio/"><img alt="DNP Engadget's back to school guide 2012" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/07/aiaiai-capital-concrete-grey.jpg"/></a></td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/21/holiday-gift-guide-smartphones/"><img alt="Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/11/phone.jpg"/></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:center;"> <h5> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/10/holiday-gift-guide-hdtv-and-home-theater/">HDTV</a></h5> </td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <h5> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/28/holiday-gift-guide-mainstream-laptops/">Laptops</a></h5> </td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <h5> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/03/holiday-gift-guide-portable-audio/">Portable Audio</a></h5> </td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <h5> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/21/holiday-gift-guide-smartphones/">Smartphones</a></h5> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <font color="white">.</font></td> <td> <font color="white">.</font></td> <td> <font color="white">.</font></td> <td> <font color="white">.</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:center;"> </td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/16/holiday-gift-guide-tablets/"><img alt="Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/11/tab.jpg"/></a></td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/12/holiday-gift-guide-ultraportables/"><img alt="Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/11/port.jpg"/></a></td> <td style="text-align:center;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:center;"> <h5> </h5> </td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <h5> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/16/holiday-gift-guide-tablets/">Tablets</a></h5> </td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <h5> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/12/holiday-gift-guide-ultraportables/">Ultraportables</a></h5> </td> <td style="text-align:center;"> <h5> </h5> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table></center>
Engadget's holiday gift guide 2012: ultraportables
Welcome to the Engadget holiday gift guide! Picking presents for friends and loved ones is never a simple task, and with thousands of options for each category, buying technology can be an especially frustrating experience. We're here to help. Below you'll find today's bevy of curated picks, and you can head back to our hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. We've also teamed up with AT&T to give away one hot smartphone with each and every guide, so scroll to the end for today's prize, then leave a comment to submit your entry! Just in time for the holidays, a slew of new Windows 8 Ultrabooks has arrived to make your shopping list all the more difficult. Not only must you settle on a screen size, you also have touch-enabled machines to consider -- and don't forget those Atom-powered hybrids, which pull double duty as standalone slates and full-fledged laptops. The deliberations may be endless, but we've whittled down the playing field to some prime contenders. Just hold your horses -- some of these slick machines are drumming up extra anticipation with release dates well into the holiday shopping season.
Holiday Gift Guide: Mac apps for students
Welcome to TUAW's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide! We're here to help you choose the best gifts this holiday season, and once you've received your gifts we'll tell you what apps and accessories we think are best for your new Apple gear. Stay tuned every weekday from now until the end of the year for our picks and helpful guides and check our Gift Guide hub to see our guides as they become available. For even more holiday fun, check out sister site Engadget's gift guide. It's the middle of the winter break and most students are enjoying a short respite from course work, classrooms and cramming for exams. Students should use some of this free time to clean up their old Mac or setup their new Mac before their hectic school schedule begins again. To help you get organized for the 2012 Spring semester, we've compiled some of the top Mac apps for students. Check out the list below and add your favorites in the comments (all prices are USD). Dropbox (Free) Dropbox is a popular, web-based file hosting service that lets you upload files to a cloud account and share them with other Dropbox users. It's an easy way to store files for yourself or others to view. Besides the Dropbox client which uploads files from your Mac, there are many other apps that use Dropbox for file sharing or file backup. Dropbox gives you 2 GB of storage space for free, but you can purchase additional storage if needed (50 GB for US$9.99 monthly or $99.99 per year; 100 GB for $19.99/month or $199.00/year) Evernote (Free) Evernote is an excellent note-taking app that stores all your notes in the cloud, so you can access them from your iPhone, iPad or desktop. You can create normal text notes, clip portions of web pages and record audio notes. You can also search and modify existing notes. It's available for free and is a must-have for anyone taking notes. iHomework ($2.99) iHomework is an app to help you manage your course workload. It'll keep track of your assignments and set reminders for when they are due. You can also log all your grades, so you know how well you are doing in a class. There's even a section for course information that lets you store the course location, time and the professor's contact information. It's available on the Mac, and it is sold as a universal app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Garage Tunes ($4.99) Garage Tunes is a lightweight music player that'll scan your hard drive for music files and add them to the app. It also scans the library of other computers on your local network that have Garage Tunes installed. It's an easy way for roommates to share their music over a LAN. WiFi Radar ($9.99) If you're the traveling type who likes to study in the library or at your local coffee shop, you'll need a decent WiFi tool like WiFi Radar to help you find available WiFi networks. WiFi Radar will list all the available wireless networks in your area and provide you information about the SSID, channel, signal strength and password state. Once you connect, the app will graph your network signal and let you monitor the reliability of the connection. Coffee Break ($2.99) Coffee Break is a small utility that resides in the menu bar and reminds you that it's time for a break. You can setup alarms that'll dim the screen and tell you take a break for a set number of minutes. Conventional wisdom says you'll stay more alert during those marathon studying sessions if you take regular breaks. Caffeine (Free) Unlike Coffee Break, Caffeine will help keep your computer going during a marathon study session. The app is a small utility that sits in the menu bar and gives you quick access to some of the options in Energy Saver. You can click it once to stop your Mac from going to sleep, dimming the screen or starting screen savers. Click it again and everything is restored back to normal. It's perfect for those times when you're deep in thought and not actively interacting with your Mac. PDF Expert ($19.99) PDF Expert will let you read, annotate, and search within PDF files on your Mac. The app has all the basic functions you need to highlight, underline or add other annotations to a PDF. You can also add notes and bookmarks. PDF Expert will even read the PDF back to you when you want to listen to the document instead of read it. If you don't need the search functions of PDF Expert and have Mac OS X Lion, you can use the built-in Preview app to annotate your PDF document and add bookmarks. A warning to prevent confusion- PDF Expert for the Mac is not associated with the popular PDF Expert for the iPad made by Readdle. iProcrastinate (Free) iProcrastinate is an easy-to-use task manager that'll help you get things done without delay. The app lets you organize tasks into subjects (basically, a category) and add sub-tasks to a task which is great for projects that require several steps. It'll sync between devices on a LAN and upload your file to Dropbox. If you have an iPhone, there's a companion version of the software that'll let you take your tasks with you on the go. Spotify (Free, service has an optional subscription) Spotify is a music streaming service that debuted in Europe and recently made its way to the US. Spotify, like Rdio, lets you browse its music catalog and choose individual tracks to add to a playlist. It's much different from Pandora which plays random tracks based on an artist or genre that you choose. Spotify is available for free on the desktop and includes advertising to support the free model. You can pay $4.99 monthly for an Unlimited plan which gives you all-you-can-eat streaming without ads or sign up for a $9.99 monthly Premium plan which gives you ad-free unlimited streaming, offline caching and Spotify on your smartphone. iWork ($60) iWork is Apple's suite of productivity apps that'll let you create documents, presentations and graphs. The suite includes a document editor (Pages '09), a spreadsheet application (Numbers '09) and a presentation application (Keynote '09). You can buy the apps individually for $20 each on the Mac App Store. Sparrow Mail ($9.99) Sparrow mail is a lightweight email client for Gmail, MobileMe, Yahoo!, AOL and other IMAP providers. The app has a unified inbox and supports both labels and folders so you can keep your email organized. A recent update added Dropbox functionality, which lets you send large attachments via email. There attachments are automatically pushed to Dropbox and recipients can download the file using a link within the email. If you find OS X's mail client to be clunky and slow, you should check Sparrow. Adium (Free) Staying in touch with friends is important and an easy way to chat while on your computer is through Instant Messaging. One of the best free desktop IM clients is Adium, an open source app available for Max OS X. It'll let you connect to AIM, MSN, Jabber, Yahoo, Facebook and more. The app uses tabs to separate your different conversations and supports Growl notifications so you never miss an incoming message. It also merges your contacts, so you won't have the same person listed three times. Advanced features include OTR encryption, file transfer and many, many customization options that'll let you change the look and feel of the app. iStudiez Pro ($9.99) iStudiez Pro is an all-in-one app that'll help you schedule your courses, keep track of your assignments, and calculate your GPA. It's very similar to iHomework mentioned above, but has a different look that some might prefer. It also has a companion app for the iPhone if you want to take your schedule with you wherever you go. Alfred (Free) Alfred is a productivity app that resides in the menu bar and is available via a quick keyboard shortcut. Alfred will let you launch apps, search the web, search your hard drive, perform calculations and more. It's faster and has more features than Spotlight and will become your favorite Mac assistant. Reference books (Variable pricing) Besides applications, there's a variety of reference material available for the Mac. You can download comprehensive guides like Muscle System Pro II, which details the muscular system of the human body. There's also iElement, which contains everything you need to know about the elements in the Periodic Table, and for Political Science majors, there's an app that'll let you study the US Constitution.
Holiday Gift Guide: Procrastinator's Edition
You know who you are. It's Christmas Eve, your stockings are yet to be hung with care, and there's a dismayingly large gap in the "gift gotten" column of your personal Nice list -- or maybe you haven't figured out what the last three days of Hanukkah are going to look like when it comes to gift exchanges. Don't panic; we're right there with you. While physical gifts may be more difficult (though not completely impossible) to get at this stage, the intangible options are still on the table. Some of the best ideas for late gifting were summed up this week by Andy Ihnatko in the Chicago Sun-Times and Chris Breen at Macworld, so be sure to check their lists (twice, even). If you've got a pair of giftees on your list who are craving new cellphones -- or, more to the point, slightly previous-generation cellphones -- MacRumors notes that Best Buy stores are running a special 2-for-1 deal on the iPhone 4 32GB model, today only. Apple no longer has the 32GB iPhone 4 on the product list, so this is an inventory dump; still, it's an inventory dump that works in your favor. Both phones need new 2-year contracts. The growth in the installed base and reach of iOS devices means that you no longer have to head for a specialty retailer (or an Apple store) to get compatible accessories. Every local Radio Shack, Walgreen's, CVS, Staples or Rite-Aid carries iPhone and iPad accessories, albeit often cheap and crappy ones. An extra pair of iPhone-friendly headphones or a set of iPad screen covers would make a dandy 'light' gift, and an SD card or Bluetooth mouse could make the holiday brighter. As Chris Breen's story points out, sometimes the best gift is the one you give of yourself. Assisting a family member with app updates, backup setup or remote access configuration might help them all year long. Making sure that Logmein or iChat are properly configured for remote support can also save you aggravation and travel time later on when that new Mac starts behaving oddly. You can always send a pretty email certificate that your relatives can print out and stick up on the wall for quick reference. The list of digital-only gifts is, of course, very long -- Andy I's story cites most of the usual suspects, including of course gift certificates for all the nicest places. He points out that a Flickr Pro account is ideal for shutterbugs, and that while Spotify doesn't offer gift subscriptions, streaming music competitors Rdio and Pandora both do; so does Netflix, for that matter. Andy also noted something I knew long ago but had forgotten: you can gift an entire iTunes playlist, even if you don't own all the songs in the list. Just drag tracks directly from the iTunes store listing into the playlist, then under the Store menu in iTunes, choose 'Share Playlist...' -- you'll get a dialog offering to publish or gift the playlist. Keep in mind that gifts of individual tracks or full playlists are only redeemable in the country of purchase; you can't do iTunes gifts for far-flung overseas family. Finally, there are the gifts that really keep on giving: learning opportunities and charitable contributions. You could simply send some dough to your recipient's favorite cause, but the fun of giving might be enhanced by one of these charitable apps. For the Mac or iOS user who wants to expand their horizons and sharpen their skills, there are plenty of solid last-minute additions to place under the virtual tree. Both the Amazon and Apple ebook stores include instructional titles like the Missing Manual, Apress or Take Control offerings. (New Mac OS X 10.7 Lion users might particularly appreciate this one.) For visual learners, it's easy to get great tutorial content from vendors like lynda.com, covering a wide range of creative computing topics. This year's crop of screencast content is particularly rich for Apple's new Final Cut Pro X, with great courseware from Larry Jordan, Manhattan Edit Workshop and Izzyvideo among others. As you scramble to find something perfect at the last second, take a mindful moment to breathe, relax and enjoy your blessings with your family. Of course, thanks to the honey-voiced hypnotherapist Andrew Johnson, there's also an app or two for that.
Holiday Gift Guide: iPhone Apps for the Home
Welcome to TUAW's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide! We're here to help you choose the best gifts this holiday season, and once you've received your gifts we'll tell you what apps and accessories we think are best for your new Apple gear. Stay tuned every weekday from now until the end of the year for our picks and helpful guides and check our Gift Guide hub to see our guides as they become available. For even more holiday fun, check out sister site Engadget's gift guide. The iPhone is an integral part of most people's online life. They use it to check email, chat with friends on Facebook, tweet with followers and so on. It only makes sense to use the iPhone around the house, too. You can manage grocery lists, track chores or use the iPhone as an emergency remote when the original is lost somewhere in the couch cushions. If you have a homebody on your Holiday gift list, you should check out some of these popular iPhone apps for the home. Grocery Gadget ($3.99) Grocery Gadget is a full-featured shopping list program that lets you create a shopping list and assign it to a store. You can also add details like price, tax, category, aisle in the store and brand information. You can also take a picture to identify the product or scan a bar code to grab the product information. The app has an online component that'll let you manage the list and sync it between devices. Allrecipes Dinner Spinner Pro ($2.99) Dinner Spinner Pro is a whimsical app from Allrecipes.com that lets you spin your way to a recipe for your next meal. The app lets you select some basic meal information like dish, ingredient and prep time to find a new recipe. You can also spin the categories and pull up some random recipes. It's a fun app that'll tie into your Allrecipes account if you purchase the $2.99 pro version. Pocket Money ($4.99) Pocket Money is an excellent checkbook for the iPhone, iPad and the Mac. The app has all the basic features you would expect to find in a finance app, including split registers, support for a variety of account types, budgeting and reports. You can sync your accounts between multiple iOS devices and your Mac desktop. BillMinder ($1.99) BillMinder is an app to track your bills and alert you before they are due. It's a full-featured app that supports recurring bills, categories and reports. Like so many other apps, it syncs between iOS devices and has a cloud storage option to back up your bills. I wished I had used that backup option before I lost all my bills in an update-gone-awry that wiped my device. BillMinder also links to Pocket Money, so you can mark a bill as paid in BillMinder and automatically enter it in your Pocket Money account register. Box it Up (Free) The last time I moved a few years ago, I used sharpies to mark my boxes and a paper list to keep track of each box's contents. If I was moving today, I could use Box it Up to track my packing progress instead of the cumbersome pen and paper method. The inventory app is simple to use. You create a box, specify a room and start adding items to it. The app includes a search function, so you can easily find the box in which an item is stored. This feature is very helpful during the unpacking process. You can also backup the list to Dropbox or send it as PDF via email. Home Inventory Photo Remote and Mobile Backup (Free) Home Inventory is a cross-platform solution for keeping track of your valuable possessions. It has a desktop component (available in the Mac App Store for $9.99) that you can manage with your Mac. There's also a companion Photo Remote app for the iPhone that'll let you take photos and enter basic details about the items in your house. Think of it as your inventory scanning device. There's also a mobile backup app that stores your inventory list on the iPhone. Both of these companion apps are available for free. Delivery Status ($3.99) Delivery Status is a package tracking app that'll help you monitor items are they are in transit The app supports USPS, UPS, Fedex and more. It'll even pull in tracking information from your accounts with Amazon, Apple and Adobe. If you setup a June Cloud account, you can update your tracking numbers via a web browser, or sync the tracking information with other iOS device and the company's Dashboard widget for the Mac. Cozi Family organizer (Free) Cozi Family organizer is a cloud-based app that let a busy family share a calendar, manage shopping or to-do lists, and contribute to a family journal using their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The app gathers a lot of information together and presents it using a polished UI. It's also one of the first FlyLady approved organizers, which may be important to those folks who follow her anti-CHAOS system of cleaning. iAllowance ($3.99) If you're tired of the traditional piggy bank for your kids, then you need to check out iAllowance. It's a virtual piggy bank that you manage on your iPhone. The app keeps track of multiple banks for your children and manages the chores they do to earn their keep funds. Besides money, you can also dish out rewards for a job well done. You can also sync between devices and upload the data to Dropbox as a backup. Air Video ($2.99) Air Video is a video streaming app that lets you stream AVI, DivX, MKV and other video files to your iPad or iPhone. It converts the videos on the fly into a format your iOS device supports. If you have an Apple TV, you can even use AirPlay to pass the Air Video stream from your iPad to your HDTV. On the Mac, some of Air Video's functionality is replaced by AirPlay, but it's still useful for large video libraries that are encoded with unusual codecs or files that reside on a Windows machine. I have an older Windows-based home theater PC that now serves as a media server powered by Air Video. Sonos App (Free) Sonos makes a popular wireless speaker system to fill your house with music. In its simplest form, it uses a Zone Bridge that plugs into your router and lets you stream your iTunes library to every room that has a speaker. You can stream the same content to all your speakers or setup zones and stream one song to your living room and another to your basement. The best part is that you can control this system remotely using an iPhone. We recently reviewed the Play:3 wireless speaker system, which, at $299, is one of Sonos's less expensive models. Mobile Mouse Pro ($1.99) Mobile Mouse Pro is for home theater PC owners who wants to use their iPhone as a mouse. It uses the accelerometer to track your hand motions and translate them into mouse movements on the screen. Users need to install the Mobile Mouse server on their HTPC. Roku Remote/ Logitech Remote/Apple Remote (Free) The App Store is filled with remote applications to help you control your home entertainment system. You can use them to replace your remote or as a backup for when you can't find them. I use the Apple remote all the time for the Apple TV. It'll work to control your Mac, if you have IR enabled. Point and Measure ($1.99) Point and Measure is an app that'll turn your iPhone into a measuring tape. It's fantastic for those smaller home improvement projects that require you to make a lot of measurements. It's easy to use and fairly accurate once you take the time to calibrate it and learn how to use it. Total Connect and Total Connect Comfort (Free) Honeywell has a series of home security and home comfort systems that you can use to automate your house. The company has introduced two mobile apps to help you control the system remotely. The Total Connect Comfort app lets you control your cooling and heating system while you are at home or traveling. You can change the temperature of different zones in your house, view the humidity level and retrieve system information via email. Honeywell also has a Total Connect app that ties into your security system. It keeps an eye on your property and will alert you of any movement or changes in your location. The app is free, but it requires a monthly Total Connect service fee. IP Cam Viewer Pro ($3.99) Many people don't want the complexity of a full-fledged security system, and choose to install several security cameras around their house instead. Of course, you'll want to watch them remotely and one of the best apps to do this is the IP Cam Viewer Pro for the iPhone. The app lets you pan, tilt and zoom the camera and listen to the incoming audio. You can also send audio if your camera supports this feature. If you see an intruder, you can start recording and capture the crime as it happens.
Holiday Gift Guide: iPhone apps for students
Welcome to TUAW's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide! We're here to help you choose the best gifts this holiday season, and once you've received your gifts we'll tell you what apps and accessories we think are best for your new Apple gear. Stay tuned every weekday from now until the end of the year for our picks and helpful guides and check our Gift Guide hub to see our guides as they become available. For even more holiday fun, check out sister site Engadget's gift guide. Lat week, we looked at iPad apps for students and now it's time to look at their iPhone companions. We have a mixture of apps that'll help you play hard and work hard during your days as a co-ed. Those following the Holiday Gift Guide may recognize a few titles from the iPad list as I purposely chose a few universal apps that'll let you share your data across devices. If there are any must-have student apps not on the list, feel free to add them in the comments. Schedule Planner Pro ($5.99) Between classes, recreation and social events, students have a busy lifestyle and need an app like Schedule Planner Pro to help them manage their many appointments. The app has all the basic features you want in a calendar app including categories, recurring tasks, and support for notifications. It links to Google calendar, iOS calendar and Dropbox, so you always have a copy of your schedule backed up somewhere. Like many iOS apps, Schedule Planner Pro also has a gorgeous interface that makes using the app a pleasure. Jetpack Joyride ($0.99) School isn't all work, you need to make time for play and a good way to put some fun in your life is with Jetpack Joyride. Made by the folks who created Fruit Ninja, Jetpack Joyride lets you strap on a jetpack, fly around obstacles and collect coins as you go. It's one of those games you can pick up and play when you have a few free minutes. Pocket Money ($4.99) Pocket Money is an excellent banking that'll help you keep track of your often limited finances. You can setup all your accounts, track expenses by category and generate reports that'll let you see where your money has gone. You can also setup a budget and watch your monthly spending. If you have more than one iOS device, you can easily sync your registers between both devices. University Apps (Free) Most colleges now have their own iPhone app filled with information for incoming students. You can get campus maps, cafeteria hours and even the phone number for the library on your phone. Don't hesitate to search for your school as big schools and even small schools like my alma mater have embraced the iPhone. Fring (Free) Fring is a video chat app for iPhone, Android and Symbian. It supports video chat (up to 4 people), voice calls and text chat. It also works over 3G, 4G and WiFi connections. It's a lot like Skype, but is a bit less serious business-like. Find My Friends (Free) Find My Friends is an Apple-branded app that uses the iPhone GPS to locate your friends and family on a map. You can turn the location tracking on and off, so your parents will see you when you're studying at the library and not at the local pub. It's a simple app, but sometimes those just work the best. Grades 2 (Free; $0.99 to remove ads) Grades 2 is a grade tracking app that'll help you calculate the scores you need to pass a class. The app lets you enter in all of your assignments, your current grades and your target GPA. The app will work its math magic and tell you what you need to score on your remaining assignments if you want to reach that goal. Flashcards* (Free; $2.99 to remove ads) Flashcards* is a flashcard app with sets for almost every subject. The app ties into the Quizlet service which lets you create flashcard sets on the desktop and share them with other devices. You can also send your sets to Dropbox and share them others. It's available on the iPad, so you can share your quizzes between your iOS devices. iThoughts HD ($7.99) iThoughtsHD is a mind mapping application to help you organize your thoughts. It's great for planning large written essays and designing scientific experiments. You can import mind maps from a variety of desktop applications and export your mind map to PDF and PNG files. You can also store your creations in the cloud using Dropbox, Box.net, MobileMe or WebDAV-based services. iThoughts HD is available on the iPad, so you can potentially share your mind maps between your iOS devices. iHomework ($1.99) iHomework is an app to help you manage your course workload. It will keep track of your assignments and set reminders for when they are due. You can also log all your grades, so you can calculate how well you are doing in a class. There's even a section for course information that lets you store the course location, the time and the professor's contact information. iStudiez Pro ($2.99) iStudiez Pro is an all-in-one app that'll help you schedule your courses, keep track of your assignments, and calculate your GPA. It's very similar to iHomework, but has a different look that some might prefer. It also has a slightly higher price tag. TED (Free) The TED app is filled with over 900 TEDTalks from the top minds in technology, education medicine, business and music. If you want to be challenged by the best of the best, then you should download this app and spend some quality time watching the videos or listening to the TEDRadio stream. It supports AirPlay so you can stream the audio or video to your HDTV if you have an Apple TV. Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock ($0.99) Getting a good night's sleep is critical to students who are often sleep-deprived from alternating nights of studying and socializing. Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock is a unique app that'll help keep your sleep cycle in check. You place the iPhone under you pillow, turn on the app and let it monitor your sleep. When it detects that you are out of deep sleep, it will look at your alarm and pick the best time to wake you up. Amazon Student (Free) The Amazon Student app is Amazon Price Checker for students. The app uses the scan feature of the camera to pull up Amazon prices on textbooks, games, movies, and more. If you have a book you no longer use, you can use the app to get its estimated value and decide if its worth trading it in for an Amazon gift card. You also get six months of free two-day shipping when you start using the app. Movies by Flixster (Free) Movies by Flixster is your connection to the best that Hollywood has to offer. You can watch trailers, find local showtimes, and browse movie reviews from Rotten Tomatoes. You can even purchase tickets from your phone and find local restaurants (with Yelp reviews), which is especially helpful if you decide at the last minute to turn a quick movie into a night on the town.
Holiday Gift Guide: iMovie-friendly video cameras
Funny thing about video cameras: you can spend an arbitrarily large amount of money on them, if you want. The line between the kind of equipment used exclusively by professionals and the stuff you might find in the gear bag of a weekend Scorsese has become so blurred that an $8,000 Canon HD camera no longer seems completely inappropriate for an Amazon wishlist. Well, maybe that's a trifle exaggerated; the high-end Canon, Sony and RED Digital Cinema cameras are certainly out of reach for even the most dedicated hobbyist. (We can dream.) Nevertheless, with prosumer & consumer cameras converging in the $1,000+ range and Flip-style compact HD devices found for less than $100, which ones should you focus on if your post-production process includes editing in iMovie? (For an overview of cameras for the Mac user, see our Cameras gift guide here.) Apple's consumer editing app, part of the $49 iLife '11 suite (but available as a $14.99 standalone buy from the Mac App Store, and shipped with every new Mac today) has a lot more in common with the company's flagship editing tool than it used to. Final Cut Pro X has moved closer to iMovie's editing metaphors and control approaches, compared to Final Cut Pro 7, so that the transition up to the $299 FCP X from iMovie is a smaller jump now (the previous midrange editor, Final Cut Express, has been discontinued). Both programs are fairly agnostic about what kind of source material they'll work with, too. Older versions of iMovie were happy to work with DV cameras and some tapeless models, but they were picky; some would work only with specific settings, and some not at all. iMovie '09 noticeably expanded its camera support, as it included an import/transcode option for the AVCHD recording format; it didn't work on PowerPC machines, but on Intel Macs it did the job by converting the AVCHD footage to an editable native format, the Apple Intermediate Codec. This opened up the camera landscape dramatically, but it meant chewing up quite a bit of hard drive space for the transcoded video clips (AIC is a beast when it comes to drive space, gobbling 50GB per hour of footage -- see Divergent Media's hilarious blog post on editing in native formats) and also plenty of time to convert the video before editing. The import also needed to take place directly from the camera. Now we have iMovie '11, which has camera fever; it works with scores of them. So many models are friendly with the current version of iMovie, in fact, that Apple's replaced the static support chart from '09 with a filtered list that allows you to search by storage media, recording format, manufacturer and more. All of the cameras on this list should be supported well, and there are footnotes indicating any gotchas (for instance, iMovie doesn't handle 1080p60 footage, even though some of the listed cameras do). Just like '09, to handle AVCHD content iMovie '11 will transcode it to AIC before editing; also, like its predecessor, it requires you to import directly from the camera for AVCHD. So which cameras should you choose? My suggestion is: follow the format. AVCHD cameras are popular and readily available, but because of the transcode requirement they will definitely slow you down when working with iMovie -- even with a fast and capable Mac you would be hard-pressed to turn around a family cocktail hour highlight reel before the Cool Whip hits the pumpkin pie after dinner. Instead, look for cameras that support H.264, MPEG-4, HDV or iFrame formats. The iFrame format is actually just a special case of H.264, locked to 30 frames per second, progressive scan mode and 960x540 resolution. That's lower-res than both common HD formats (720p = 1280x720px, 1080p = 1920x1080px) but still looks quite good on high-def TVs and conforms to the 16x9 HD aspect ratio. The smaller frame size helps keep the files manageable, although you'll still burn through your memory cards faster with iFrame than with conventional compression. About 42 minutes of iFrame video fit on an 8GB SD card, versus almost 2 hours of 720p MPEG-4 video, as the iFrame format reduces or eliminates predictive frames to make editing faster and less resource-intensive. iFrame support in a camera manufacturer's product line serves another purpose; frankly, it's a kind of shibboleth for identifying the companies that are willing to at least make a gesture in the direction of Mac-specific capabilities. That's not to say you'll get better service or more clueful iMovie tech support from Panasonic than you would from other vendors, but consider this: historically, one of the best ways for the Mac-using community to show its support for compatibility efforts from vendors (back in the dark days where Mac support was neither a given nor a likely circumstance) was to vote with its dollars. Nowadays the buying power of Apple users is orders of magnitude more than it ever was, and every OEM out there knows it, but it still doesn't hurt to look carefully at who's making the effort to play nice. I'd recommend sticking to flash memory as a storage medium, rather than an HDD-equipped camera. Although the larger onboard storage capacity of a hard drive-based camera may be tempting, it's going to be heavier and more battery-hungry than an equivalent SD-based unit, and you can't pull the drive out of the camera. SD cards are cheap enough now to make it economical to stock up on them -- and the MacBook Pro, 13" MacBook Air and iMac all sport SD slots for rapid import of footage (at least for non-AVCHD content, as you will have to connect directly to your camera for that). When it comes down to specific models, there are so many variations of features, format and style that it probably pays to visit your nearest camera retailer or Apple store and play with a couple of units before making a final choice. Personally, I've been using the Flip-style Panasonic HM-TA1 for a year, and I like it a lot; it's cheap, it takes great video (including this iMovie-edited TUAW interview with Jeff from Voltaic Systems), and it's relatively indestructible. Drawbacks include a rather odd USB connector and a seeming inability to charge from anything other than my computer. It also speaks native iFrame, which is very handy for rapid turnaround projects. The TA1 has two successor cameras with larger screens, the rugged HM-TA20 and the stylish HM-TA2; both are worth a look. Panasonic also bought the camera business that used to be Sanyo's, so the popular Xacti brand of handgrip-style cameras come under the big P's umbrella now. The HX-DC1 and DC-10 models both support iFrame, with a handy flip-out screen and 12x zoom; the more expensive DC-10 adds higher still-shot resolution, intelligent scene exposure control and a full-quality max zoom setting (the DC-1 lets you flip a switch to go between 1x-6x zoom range and 2x-12x). The DC-1 can be found for less than $180, and it should not disappoint; the DC-10 is going to be $260 or more if you can find it, as it sold quite well during the early part of the shopping season. Moving up the quality line to full-featured HD cam models, Canon's Vixia cameras consistently get great reviews and deliver great quality. You will pay for what you get; the Canon gear is not cheap, but you should decide how much your lucky shooter will be using the camera and figure out if it's worth the investment. (They will love you for it.) Sony's pro and consumer cameras also deliver a lot of bang for the buck. If your beloved shutterbug is equally interested in still photography along with the video jones, it might be worth considering a still-centric camera as a video device. I have a Canon S95 point-and-shoot which works excellently for clean, 720p24 video, although like many P&S models it cannot adjust the optical zoom during a video shot. That's a bygone restriction in the successor S100 model, which allows optical zoom and adds a 1080p mode to boot; also, the presence of the newer unit will help lower the price of the S95 now. If your gift recipient craves an interchangeable lens system for a compact camera, the two Nikon 1 models look extremely tempting; both support iMovie-friendly H.264 files, interchangeable lenses (including all traditional Nikon lenses, with an adapter) and add the ability to intermix still captures with movie recording on the fly. (Note that many still cameras will import video to iPhoto or Aperture rather than iMovie, but it's easy to get to from there for editing.) Of course, Canon and Nikon's still camera lines go way beyond the point & shoot universe. Canon's EOS-7D, 5D Mark II and forthcoming 1DX set the benchmark for HD video-capable SLRs, and if you've ever seen the kind of astonishing footage that comes off these suckers you'll know why (and you'll also know why the 7D body starts at $1,200, never mind the lenses). The 5D MkII shows up on Apple's iMovie compatibility list, though oddly not the 7D; still, if you're even considering getting an SLR for video use, save a few dollars for FCP X too. For all things SLR/video, don't miss Philip Bloom's idiosyncratic and delightful site (his story of demoing the Canon cameras for the denizens of Skywalker Ranch is unforgettable). Don't forget, too, that some of the most convenient cameras for iMovie are already bundled inside Apple's bestselling smartphone and music player. The iPhone 4S and the iPod touch are dandy for iMovie video capture, when you need the camera that's already in your pocket. After all, the best camera is the one you have with you. If you do decide to go with a camera that defaults to AVCHD video, it should be noted that you aren't strictly limited to iMovie's built-in conversion routine, although that's the least-effort approach. Shedworx makes the $39.99 VoltaicHD converter app, which transcodes AVCHD content into other QuickTime formats. Divergent Media's ClipWrap can 'rewrap' the AVCHD content (or HDV, or other formats) into an edit-friendly bundle, with optional transcoding; it's $49.99. If you'd like to roll your own converter, there's the open-source hdffxvrt script, which does AVCHD transcoding via the ffmpeg library. There's a lot more that goes into great moviemaking than a great camera. Sound, lighting, a solid tripod; even the iMovie missing manual might make a wonderful gift for the filmmaker in training. (By the way, there's a Joby 20% off sale on all GorillaPod models through midnight PST on December 19, so get cracking!) If you've got a favorite (or feared) gear recommendation for iMovie '11 shooting, share it in the comments below. Happy holidays!
Holiday Gift Guide: iPad apps & accessories for business
From one-person shops to giant enterprises, if businesses agree on anything right now it's "iPad Yay." The Apple tablet hasn't even reached the terrible twos yet, but it's clearly making its presence felt across countless verticals and different industries. For at least a couple of mobile professional writers (who might have been termed "ink-stained wretches" in times gone by), the iPad's capability as a writing tool has led it to largely replace their laptops for day-to-day work. While consumers may be the drivers behind most iPad sales, chances are that the iPad-toting professional on your gift list is using his or her iPad for a combination of personal enjoyment and work tasks, so why not find a gift that supports and extends the biz savvy of everyone's favorite quasi-computer? Here's our brief list of gift ideas that you could conceivably write off on your taxes. Cloudy Days If your business iPad user is a sole proprietor or running a small business, they don't have to compromise about getting big-biz-level enterprise tools anymore. The same Google Apps or Box.com infrastructure that supports huge corporations can be theirs for a modest investment. Consider gifting a pro Dropbox account (50 GB is quite a bit of room to maneuver), or going with Box or Egnyte for more sophisticated file services & sharing. (Dropbox's Teams product is great, too, but requires more coordination with other colleagues.) Maybe a Pogoplug account, or a subscription to one of 37 Signals' highly-regarded services? If your businessperson is already a user of 37 Signals' Backpack business collaboration tool, the $9.99 Pouch app makes their iPad a fully-featured Backpack client. Another collaboration platform, Pagico, just released its official iPad app last week. Then again, what we want from the cloud, often as not, is access to the files we have sitting right there on our computer at the office or at home. With the free Polkast service and iPad app, business users can quickly get to their PC or Mac storage over local networks or remotely as long as the computer is on. It's not the sort of thing that BigCorp IT departments find particularly appealing, but for a lean and mean solo operation or small team it might just do the trick. Speaking of big IT, the pricey ($29.99) but indispensable LogMeIn Ignition client makes it easy to remotely control one or hundreds of remote computers from the iPad's screen. If your gift recipient has to keep tabs on a lot of PCs, Ignition is a wonderful gift. Hardware Given that the iPad is mostly self-contained, unless your recipient is asking for specific accessories or gear there's not much to add to the list that is business-specific. The two notable exceptions come under the "input" and "output" departments. For text-heavy users, a wireless physical keyboard may make the difference between frustration and joy. The Zagg and Logitech keyboard cases get a thumbs-up from Technologizer; our fearless leader Victor votes for the AmazonBasics Bluetooth keyboard, which at $44.90 is $25 cheaper than Apple's wireless compact keyboard. While the folding Jorno keyboard remains vaporgear, Logitech is now shipping its $129.99 fold-up keyboard for the iPad 2, and I have to say it looks awfully tempting. Almost any Bluetooth keyboard will work reasonably well with the iPad, so if your giftee has a preference it should be honored. As for output, it's all about presentation. Give your road warrior the $29 VGA and/or $39 Digital AV Adapter HDMI adapter cables and they'll be ready to hook up in the office or at a client, wherever there's a projector. Both adapters support mirroring with the iPad 2, so the full interface of the iPad can be shown on the screen. Of course, anyone who's going to be tossing their iPad into a backpack or laptop bag will need a cover. Apple's Smart Cover does a fine job on the front, and there's a fair assortment of matching shells for the back. The choice may come down to personal (or professional) style. Presentation & Meeting Apps Speaking of presentation output, what busy professional doesn't have to throw down a few slides now and then? The unquestioned king of the hill when it comes to iPad-driven presentations is Apple's sleek and straightforward $9.99 Keynote -- in fact, you can't really go too far wrong by bundling all three iWork apps for the new iPad user. Still, Keynote is less effective if your giftee isn't Mac-based on the desktop side; the fidelity of PowerPoint file conversions is what I'd call 'adequate.' The QuickOffice Pro HD suite does a slightly better job of keeping PPT files (not PPTX, so be sure to save down) looking the way they should, although neither product supports all the fonts, animations and transitions you'd get from your laptop when presenting. Of course, with QuickOffice you get all three productivity functions in one app. (If you really truly need the full fidelity of PowerPoint 2010, keep reading.) You can't always present in person, so don't forget the remote meeting apps. Fuze Meeting HD and WebEx for iPad both made Apple's Rewind list this year, and both are effective for video conferencing alongside content-centric presentations; Fuze even lets you upload presentation content from your iPad to the service on the fly, and run the meeting completely PC-free. Your iPad owner may already have a business account with a distance meeting service, so keep an eye out for the official app that matches their platform. Note that WebEx's tool does not support Training Center or Event Center programs, so if those features are important to you be sure to let them know. If your decks are already in the cloud with SlideRocket, the company's iPad viewer app is a must-have (and free). The way things are headed, it's not out of the realm of possibility that your iPad owner might show up for a meeting where there's no projector, but where every other attendee has his or her own iPad. In that case, the tool to use is Condé Nast's Idea Flight. This "follow along" presenting tool works just as if you had handed out copies of your deck to 14 people -- but they can't flip ahead without permission, so they won't spoil your big reveal. Idea Flight ties into LinkedIn for contact sharing, meaning you'll never have to suffer the shame of not remembering the name of the next person at the conference table. For unforgettable and unusual presentations, step away from the slide metaphor and go flying away with Prezi. While you need to author your 'cosmic zoom' presentations using the company's Flash-based web tool, the iPad viewer app works great for downloading and showing these wild and head-turning media experiences. Not every bit of dynamic content will play on the iPad, though, so be sure to leave time for experimentation. If you need to be able to show PDFs and other documents in a pinch, the most flexible (and one of the oldest) apps in this category is GoodReader. While its interface has been variously described as "idiosyncratic," "quirky" and "unique but not in the good way," the power and flexibility it offers are unmatched. It's worth having on any business-use iPad just for all the various use cases it covers and the number of other apps you won't have to buy. The latest version adds AFP filesharing support and auto-sync, so Mac users with shared folders can automatically have a set of files copy over to GoodReader without intervention for reading/review on the road. GoodReader also supports nearly every cloud storage service imaginable, from Box to Dropbox to Google Docs to WebDAV. This app would be a bargain at $15, but at $4.99 it's a steal. Travel & Expense There's no way your iPad owner is going to shine at that big pitch meeting if they don't get there on time and on budget. Fortunately the iPad makes a killer travel assistant (and not just because you can play Madden or watch movies on it). For booking air travel, the indispensable Hipmunk app makes finding the least-agonizing itinerary as simple as tap and go (Kayak is also great for complex searches). Once you're booked, Tripit for iPad gives clarity and coherence to your travel plans, allowing you to keep flight schedules in-line with hotel, car and other bookings. There are scores of expense-centric apps on the App Store, and I wish I could recommend a task-specific tool, but sad (or glad) to say I don't have to go any further than my Swiss Army app for all things remembery, the free Evernote app and cloud service (premium subscription optional). Forget the fact that all your notes and tidbits are handily synced to the cloud for easy access no matter where you roam; that's just the start. Evernote's astonishing OCR abilities on your sync'ed image-based notes mean that handwritten comments on receipts, boarding passes or hotel bills actually get recognized and indexed alongside the printed text. Once you've had the experience of jotting a client name or a project code onto a restaurant bill, snapping a picture of it with the iPad 2's camera for Evernote to digest, and then searching back at the office for that client name only to have your scrawl-adorned note pop right up... well, I'll tell you, it's magical. This capability to do IRL tagging on the fly with nothing more than a ballpoint pen is one of many features that keep me perfectly happy with Evernote. For $55, you can gift a year of Evernote's premium service (though the free version is nothing to sneeze at), and get a snazzy t-shirt in the bargain. Evernote can even help you maintain your gift list and plan your holiday celebrations. Notes & Text Having mentioned Evernote enthusiastically, there are plenty more options all over the store for text-centric tasks. The multitalented Notability gives equal time to those who prefer writing by hand, while also supporting keyboard input, PDF annotation, audio recording and cloud synchronization; it's on sale for $0.99 this week (usually $4.99). If you prefer a more minimal notes app that includes the sound-to-text timeline, check out SoundNote. Meteor Notes also adds some interesting features to the party. The free or $1.99 (lite vs. pro) app delivers a familiar folder paradigm, easy search and organization plus Dropbox sync. Of course, the iPad's onboard Notes app is capable of syncing with iCloud, Google mail or Exchange, and there's always Apple's Pages app. But then again, Evernote. Remote Access & Virtualization Aside from the aforementioned LogMeIn Ignition, there's no shortage of solid remote access clients all over the App Store. Wyse's $14.99 Pocket Cloud Pro/free Pocket Cloud gets my personal thumbs-up after Ignition, but really they all work quite well (Mel is a fan of Edovia's Screens app, for $19.99). If you're trying to do a presentation in a PC-specific app (such as PowerPoint 2010) and you haven't been able to get it quite right in SlideRocket or Keynote, using a remote access tool is a great way to deliver a high-fidelity experience. When it comes to remote access to virtual machines, Parallels & VMware have slightly different approaches. For your own personal VMware Fusion setup, VMware recommends using any capable VNC or RDP app to access a running VM. For the company's big-iron infrastructure setups of virtualized desktops, however, you can use the free VMware View app with VMware's new PCoIP connection protocol to easily and securely get a full desktop experience, including 1080p output and a 'Presentation Mode' option that turns a display-connected iPad into a sleek trackpad/keyboard combination -- but that depends on corporate support of a View server. (Wyse's Pro version of Pocket Cloud also supports connections to VMware View, and VMware is also doing View clients for Android, Windows and Mac.) Parallels is happy to offer you a $4.99 (soon to be raised) iPad app that supports remote control of the company's virtualization app on the Mac; this is a solid way to get quick remote access to your virtual machine, assuming your Mac is online and accessible (it should also work with the PC versions of Parallels Desktop, although I haven't tested that). There is a twist, however; you can use the Parallels app to 'pop the stack' and actually control the host Mac system in addition to the virtualized system. This could get confusing! Above and Beyond There are obviously thousands of business-centric apps and millions of ways the iPad can be employed where you're employed; if we went through all of them, that would be enough material to write a book. Or two. Since there's no time for that, here's a few more biz-friendly app finds. The Marketcircle suite of apps (Billings, Daylite) play extraordinarily nicely between the Mac apps that help run the business CRM and other functions and the mobile pros who need that data in a hurry. The Canadian company has gained a reputation for strong service and customer dedication, and if the businessperson on your gift list is looking for a Mac-friendly CRM solution with a good iPad story then they should be running for Daylite. If your scheduling and meeting-invite needs are more you against the world, the tough-to-search-for, great-to-find cloud calendaring service Doodle has an app that's currently iPhone-optimized; we hope it makes it to the iPad soon, but in the meantime the company has just added an iCal connector that allows users on Intel Macs to sync their iCal schedules up to Doodle quickly and easily. Project management? Merlin. Business intelligence & visualization? Roambi. Mind mapping? iThoughts HD or MindJet. So many gifts, so little time! If you've given or gotten a great app for business on the iPad, share it with us all below in the comments. Happy holidays!
Holiday Gift Guide: iPad apps for the home
Welcome to TUAW's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide! We're here to help you choose the best gifts this holiday season, and once you've received your gifts we'll tell you what apps and accessories we think are best for your new Apple gear. Stay tuned every weekday from now until the end of the year for our picks and helpful guides and check our Gift Guide hub to see our guides as they become available. For even more holiday fun, check out sister site Engadget's gift guide. My iPad spends most of its time at home. I don't travel very often, and the 9.7-inch tablet is too large to throw in my bag while I run a quick errand. That's OK; the iPad may not trip the light fantastic, but it is my faithful companion at home. I, like many others, use the iPad while I'm cooking, watching television, or sitting on the couch. If you are gifting an iPad or want one for your coffee table, then you should check out my list of favorite iPad apps for the home. GoodPlayer (US$2.99) Good Player is a jack of all trades when it comes to video. It's a movie player, downloader and streaming media player which supports AVI, Xvid, Divx, DAT, VOB, FLV, WMV, MKV, MP4, RM, RMVB, AC3, HTTP, FTP, RTSP, MMS, SMB, MMSH, MMST, RTP, UPnP and UDP. I use it to stream media from my ReadyNAS, and it works exceptionally well. IMDB (Free) IMDB, the Internet Movie Database, is an excellent app for movie buffs. I use it all the time to look up actor information, cast lists, plot information and more. It covers old movies, current flicks and upcoming films. iBooks (Free) iBooks is an app from Apple that'll let you download and read eBooks from the iBookstore. It's perfect for reading on multiple devices as your bookmarks, notes, and last read page are synced wirelessly between all your iOS devices. Netflix (Free; service costs $8 per month) The Netflix app will let you stream movies and TV shows from Netflix's vast catalog. The UI was just redone, and the updated app looks even better than before. The app also tracks what you have watched and syncs this information between devices. I have an Otterbox case with a built-in stand and use Netflix all the time. Flipboard (Free) Flipboard is a magazine-style reader app that pulls content from your social networks and RSS feeds. It has a beautiful interface and is terrific for catching up on the news while sitting on the couch. Epicurious (Free) Epicurious is a cooking app that pulls its recipes from professional chefs and well-known cookbooks. The app has 30,000 recipes from Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Self, and other professional chefs and cookbooks. The app lets you save recipes to a favorites list and then add the ingredients to a shopping list when you're ready to get cooking. The app also has social media support so you can share your favorite recipes with Facebook friends and Twitter followers. Allrecipes (Free; $4.99 for the Pro version) Allrecipes is an online website that's filled with user-submitted and user-reviewed recipes. The iPad app taps into those recipes by letting you search for recipes by course, cooking method, or prep time. You can then filter the results by rating. If you're an Allrecipes member, you can buy the $5 pro version and sync your online recipes box to the iPad. It's an excellent, all-around app for finding new recipes. The Professional Chef by the Culinary Institute of America ($49.99) The Professional Chef is a reference guide for anyone with a passion for cooking. The app provides information on ingredients and how to buy the best quality when shopping. There's also cooking guides and video tutorials that'll show the best way to prepare and cook your ingredients. The photographs are stunning and the videos are professionally made, which makes its high price justifiable. Bento ($4.99) Bento is a free-form database app that'll help you keep track of anything and everything. You can use Bento to create a home inventory, keep a list of books, track the progress of home improvement projects and more. The possibilities are endless. Shopping apps (Free) Many people use the iPad to shop from the comfort of their couch and retailers are noticing. Major retailers like Walmart and Target have iPad apps; even smaller online shops like Newegg have joined the iPad revolution. Houzz Interior Design Ideas (Free) Houzz is an Interior Design app that'll help you remodel your house. It has over 200,000 high resolution photos that are organized by style, room and location. You browser the photos and choose the styles that you like. When you're done, you can show your ideas to an interior designer and bring them to life. Zillow (Free) Zillow's for the homeowner who's looking to buy or sell a house. The iPad app lets you search for a region and browse all the houses and land that are on sale. You can view the listing details including the price, taxes, number of bedrooms, number of baths and so on. It's an excellent resource for anyone in the market for a new home. Landscaper's Companion for iPad - Gardening Reference Guide ($4.99) The Landscaper's Companion for iPad - Gardening Reference Guide is the definitive guide to plants, tress, shrubs and bushes. The plant guide contains sun requirements, water usage, and growth characteristics for over 8500 plants. There's also 9,000 pictures, so you can see what the plant will look like when it's fully grown. Photo Measures ($4.99) Photo Measures is an app that'll help you keep track of measurements around the house. It lets you take a picture of your house and mark it up with measurements. If you need a new curtain, just snap a photo of the window, write in the measurements and save the doc for future use. It's perfect for your own work around the house, and is handy for creating plans to bring to a contractor. Best Baby Monitor ($3.99) Best Baby Monitor lets you use two iOS devices as a video baby monitor. You can connect the two devices using WiFi or Bluetooth. One device stays in the room with the baby, and the other (most likely the iPad) is with you. You can listen to audio and watch full screen video of your child's room. If it's night, you can turn on the flash to get a better view of your child. Photo by flickr user bfishadow (cc)
Mujjo Touchscreen Gloves keep your fingers warm, useful this winter
If you are looking for a gift for an iPhone-owning friend this Christmas or just want a useful iPhone accessory for yourself, I highly recommend the Mujjo Touchscreen Gloves. There are plenty of capacitive touchscreen gloves on the market, but Mujjo's gloves are the first I've tried that have never missed a tap of my fingers. I've been using Mujjo's M/L glove for a few days and couldn't be happier with them. As for the fit and feel, they are comfortable and snug on my hands. But the beauty of these gloves is that you don't have to remove them to use your touchscreen device. That means no more freezing your hands off while you walk down the street trying to text your friend in 10 degree weather. Mujjo's gloves can be used with touchscreens because high-quality silver-coated nylon fibers are knitted right into the fabric of the glove. Those nylon fibers carry the conductive properties of your skin through the glove and onto your touchscreen. You'd think that the gloves would make the touch surface larger on your device, but I haven't had a single problem touching individual keys on the iPhone keyboard (in portrait mode, no less), composing entire emails, playing games like Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift, and scrolling through my music. Right now you can only order the Mujjo gloves from the company's website. They come in two sizes: S/M or M/L. They ship from Germany and cost €24.95 (about US$32.40). Though I only tried the gloves on my iPhone 4S and briefly on my iPad 2, the gloves should work just fine on any touchscreen device.
