Archive for the ‘TiPb Apps’ category

Box.net for iPad – app review

May 26th, 2010

Box.net for iPad is a front end to Box.net’s cloud-based service that allows you to manage and share your data from anywhere. Thanks to the app, you can access your content not only through the Box.net website on any computer, but from your mobile devices now as well.

The iPad version has a very intuitive and easy to use interface. I recently set up an enterprise unlimited Box account for our business. As we are in real estate development, we have tons of files to upload. I was surprised you can even view AutoCad files with a plug-in. Plug-ins are another area I really enjoyed looking at. OpenBox is a service Box.net offers which features several plug-ins for 3rd party clients and apps that can work in conjunction with Box.net. I spoke to a consultant at Box.net that also confirmed desktop syncing is about to come out of beta and hit officially in the next few weeks. That was one of our biggest concerns as we’d like a cloud backup of all our data.

Also, being a small business, we especially liked the collaboration feature. We can leave notes or tasks for eachother on certain documents and folders. When I sign in, I see what’s new or what files have been uploaded or change since my last log-in.

Box.net offers the following features (some features vary with account type):

Sharing with links
In-folder collaboration
User permissions
Integrated file views
Online workspace
Tasks
Uploading files on the go from your iPhone or iPad

Box.net has a few pricing schemes for individuals and business users. The unlimited business version you’ll have to call for details on as it can vary. The enterprise unlimited version also comes with your own dedicated account manager for any technical issues. You can also add an unlimited number of users for a set price per user, per month. Besides the enterprise plan, the other plans are pretty straight forward:

Lite – 1GB storage, 25MB file size limit, Free
Individual – 10GB storage, 1GB file size limit, $9.95/month
Business – 15GB storage per user, 2GB file size limit, $15/month per user up to 3 users
Enterprise – Unlimited storage, Unlimited users, Call for pricing

These prices are very reasonable compared to maintaining a server. Speaking from a business perspective, we’ve had no issues that Box wasn’t able to resolve. If you use Box on a personal or business level, let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Update: After recording the video, Box.net released an update that allows for the uploading of files. We’ll look at that in the iPhone review soon!

[Free - iTunes Link]

Pros

Fast file transfers
More storage for cheaper than competitors
Mobile apps or site for most platforms
Excellent collaboration tools
Easy to set up an implement

Cons

No native editing within iPhone/iPad apps, view only
No desktop sync (as of yet, should be available soon)
Sometimes cuts off Excel files funny

Continue reading for screenshots and a video.

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Posted in App Reviews, App Store Apps, Apps, Reviews, TiPb Apps, box.net, box.net for ipad, cloud storage, ipad, ipad apps

OmniGraffle for iPad – app review

May 24th, 2010

OmniGraffle for iPad is a great application for creating workflow diagrams, organizational charts and more. At work I use Microsoft’s Visio to create workflow diagrams pertaining to software implementations. I now have almost the exact same functionality in my iPad.

The layout is very similar to Apple’s own iWork suite for iPad (and OmniGroup’s other iPad offering, OmniGraphSketcher) in that you swipe between open documents and can easily create or delete documents from the same screen. If you have used OmniGraffle on the Mac or Visio on Windows you will be instantly familiar with the interface once you have created a document. The top right corner has all of your stencils, drawing tools and properties of the objects you are working with. In the top left you have control over layers for your diagram. For this review, I am going to cover the simpler aspects of OmniGraffle so you understand at a high level what it does. Advanced users will revel in the other aspects.

To begin drawing, open the stencil group your want and drag an object to the grid. This can be done in portrait or landscape. From there you have almost limitless choices: color, line thickness, rotation, curve edges, shadows and so on. After placing a few objects in your drawing you can connect them with the connector stencils. Again, drag to the drawing and connect. The properties for lines are the same as other objects but you can add different types of arrows and even branch the arrows out. OmniGraffle for iPad can also use third party stencils, but no guarantees. These stencils should be added via iTunes.

So now you have several objects in your drawing and you want to change the properties of all of them, perhaps change the fill color. How do you accomplish this? Very, very, very easily. All you have to do is tap and hold the first object, then tap subsequent objects. Any object you touch will become a group for editing. You can then apply any changes you like to those objects; colors, line thickness or style, just about anything. It is awesome to have this power at your fingertips and it is a shame OmniGroup does not have templates available for the user to edit since changing properties are so easy to do. OmniGroup has suggested they may add templates in future release of the app.

It is important to note that OmniGraffle gives you excellent placement tools and control over your drawing. You can add, edit or duplicate layers in your drawing and activate snap to grid so you can precisely position every object placed.

The single biggest drawback for this wonderful application is that unless you already use the Mac version of OmniGraffle, it is difficult to share with other types of applications. Exporting options include: send .graffle in email, send email PDF, copy as image and send to photos. There is not an XML or Visio export at this time unfortunately.

I could go on about all of the fantastic features of OmniGraffle and for a 1.0 product launch with iPad and I very excited for the future of this application for the iPad. OmniGroup says that they have a lot of plans to enhance this app and they are coming soon. The short development time did not lend itself for adding a lot of features at launch (though I still think they did an amazing job) For business, this has to be one of my favorite applications.

[$49.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

Has extensive help
Portrait or landscape
Guides to place objects
Snap to grid or smart guides
Innovative tab to hold features
Complete control of shapes, canvas and more
Rectangle and free hand drawing tools
Layout tools
Several stencils to choose from
Lock items on canvas and send items back or to the front
Tap and hold multiple objects

Cons

Limited exporting options
No templates

OmniGraffle for iPad – app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Posted in App Reviews, App Store Apps, Apps, Reviews, TiPb Apps, Visio, diagrams, omnigraffle, omnigroup

Bloomies game for iPhone – app review and give-away

May 23rd, 2010

Bloomies for the iPhone, from Phantoom Entertainment, is a time management or sim-style garden game. Your goal is to advance your garden by gathering more plants, bees and achievements.

Upon starting up the game you are taught how to plant a flower by touching the shovel and adding soil to set up the location. Then you choose your flower and place it in the soil. There is also a bee that gathers nectar, which you will use to purchase other bees and flowers.

Bloomies is a beautiful, easy to understand, open ended sim for casual and younger games who want the fun of building their garden without the responsibility of always having to log in to maintain it. If you go away for a little while and don’t water your plants, they’ll get unhappy but they won’t wither and die, and will be ready and waiting for more when you return.

If you’re looking for something more interactive and immersive, however, then this style and pace of gameplay may not be for you.

Video, pictures, and a give-away after the break!

[$0.99 - iTunes Link]

Pros

Lots of Achievements
Easy to play
Relaxing
Cute Graphics

Cons

Repetitive
Very slow game pace
Will not satisfy the hard core gamer

TiPb iPad 3-star rated

Now for the give-away: we have (3) copies of Bloomies for our faithful TiPb readers. Just leave a comment below telling me what you like best about sim-style games and be sure to include a real email address (we won’t make it public but we will use it to notify you if you win!). Get to it!

(Note: Unfortunately, Promo Codes only work in the US App Store, so if you don’t have access, you won’t be able to claim a prize. Apple’s rule, not ours.)

Bloomies game for iPhone – app review and give-away is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Posted in App Reviews, Apps, Bloomies, Contests, Games, Giveaway, Phantoom Entertainment, Reviews, TiPb Apps, iphone, iphone apps, iphone games

Zombie Infection for iPhone – app review

May 18th, 2010

Survival horror thriller Zombie Infection for iPhone has to be Gameloft’s highest production game to date. The graphics and voice acting are top notch and the cinematic style is engrossing.

Zombie Invasion starts off with you landing in a small town, that — wait for it — has been overrun by zombies! The first level is basically a tutorial showing you the moves for your character. You can shoot and stomp on crates to find goodies such as ammunition and medical supplies. You can move while aiming (albeit very slowly) and you can dismember the zombies by shooting their legs, arms and heads; what more can you ask for?

As you progress through the 12 levels in the game you unlock them to replay at any time. This is great since Zombie Infection has a trophy achievement system. You can go back though levels and practice/earn achievements. There are some fun ones too, for example if you shoot off both legs of a zombie, you get an achievement for that. It is this type of mechanic that makes me come back for more.

To add a little variety to the game, you can also play as one of two characters; Ex-soldier Damien Sharpe and reporter Alex Rayne. The names are cheesy, yes, but the gameplay and fun factor is not. I love this game and I am thankful that Gameloft is bringing these types of games to iPhone; it makes one really compelling alternative to other platforms for mobile gaming. Check the video and pictures after the break!

Pros

Great graphics
Good voice acting
Solid controls
Two different characters to play
Compelling story
Level select after you complete a level
Trophies
Online leaderboards
12 Levels
Unlockable Survival mode

Cons

No quick turn
I can’t think of anything else… this game is HOT!!!

[$6.99- iTunes Link]

TiPb iPhone 4.5-star rated

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Posted in ATT 3G iPhone Apple Jobs, App Reviews, App Store Apps, Apps, Reviews, TiPb Apps, app, game, gameloft, iphone, iphone game, zombie infection

Todo for iPad – app review

May 17th, 2010

Appigo’s Todo for iPad complements their existing Todo for iPhone app very well and if you already use Todo for iPhone, you will be quite pleased with the iPad version. If not, you’ll certainly appreciate Todo for iPad on its own merits.

One of the first things you will notice is the aesthetic; Appigo went for a traditional three ring binder look and feel. You can change the color of the binder, paper and rings in the settings menu. Appigo promises more themes in a future update.

Outside of looking pretty, Todo gets the job done just like its iPhone cousin. You can create a your standard task, project, checklist, contact or website. If you are a Getting Things Done (GTD) user, you will be happy to know that @contexts as well as tags are supported. Holding the iPad in landscape gives you full view of all your task information. On the left side you have your lists, Inbox, Starred and Focus list. Let’s discuss this in a little more detail.

Inbox is where tasks go that you have not assigned to a list yet. They just kind of hang out there till you move them, they can stay there, it is all up to your own workflow. Starred tasks are a way to flag a task. I use this functionality to star any items I want to do today, regardless of due date. Focus list allows you to create a dynamic list based on filters. Maybe you want to only see tasks with a due date of one week from now. You can do this with the Focus list.

If you are like me, you have a bunch of tasks you have given an arbitrary due date to, and inevitably that date slips. You can very quickly and easily move these items to another list, simply reschedule or reassign to a context in bulk with Todo.

For me the biggest benefit with Todo is online synchronization. Sure you can sync via Wi-Fi from your desktop with iCal, but for me it has to be the ability to sync with the excellent free service Toodledo [link]. I have used all of the other major task apps that sync and currently they all sync via the desktop through Wi-Fi. This can be very frustrating for me. During the day I may add a task only on the iPhone, complete a task on the iPad, but there is no way to merge them together till I get home. By Appigo partnering with Toodledo, I get free over-the-air (OTA) syncing and web-based management of my tasks from any web browser when I am not near my iPhone or iPad.

I find few faults with this application and I am so glad it is finally available. The functionality and price cannot be beaten. Checkout the video and pictures below!

[$4.99- iTunes link].

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Posted in App Reviews, App Store Apps, Apps, Reviews, TiPb Apps, appigo, ipad, ipad apps, task manager, tasks, todos

BabyBump pregnancy tracker for iPhone – app review

May 15th, 2010

BabyBump is a pregnancy tracking application for the iPhone, and excellent for both mothers- and dads-to-be or anyone interested in following someone’s pregnancy.

The home screen of BabyBump displays your chosen avatar, name, how many weeks and days you are along in your pregnancy, what trimester you’re in, and how many days left until your due date. BabyBump is divided into 8 different sections:

Weekly info – This is my favorite section. BabyBump gives the approximate length and weight of your baby and compares his/her size to a fruit or vegetable. It also provides information about your Baby’s developmental stage, what to expect with your body, and a health tip.
Journal – Here is where can record your weight, waist size, moods, and appointments. You can view charts of your weight and waist changes.
Photos – A place to store photos.
Birth – This is an excellent section of BabyBump. There is a very tasteful and informative video of the birth process, a list of newborn essential items that you need for Baby’s arrival, and a checklist of your birth plan. When your baby is born, come to this section to create a quick birth announcement and send directly to Twitter, Facebook, and email.
Kick counter – A nice timer to record kick sessions.
Contractions – A similar counter to record contractions.
Baby names – An organized list of 1000 boy and 1000 girl names. You can store a list of favorite names and add any names that aren’t on the list.
Community – This is a forums board. There are many different forum categories including a section for dads!

I have been using BabyBump since December and have seen multiple updates and improvements in the past months. BabyBump is an excellent iPhone companion for pregnancy; in fact, it’s a must-have app for anyone pregnant.

[$4.99 - iTunes link]

Pros

Weekly updates on your baby’s development
Charts of your weight and waist size
Share via Facebook, Twitter, or email
Active forums
Excellents birth plan and newborn essential lists
Themes
Regular updates

Cons

Cannot record measurements in quarter units (i.e. 36.75 inches)
Information under “Body” and “Health Tip” are sometimes rather repetitive.

TiPb iPhone 4.5-star rated

BabyBump pregnancy tracker for iPhone – app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Fieldrunners for iPad – app review

May 14th, 2010

Fieldrunners for the iPad, from Subatomic Studios, LLC, is a tower defense-style game, where the object is to obliterate the fieldrunners before they get to your base. To do this you place weapons on the field so that they will take out all fieldrunners before they get to the other side.

You start the game with 20 lives, which translates into 20 enemies that may pass through your defenses before the game ends. The placement of your defences is in real time, though after each level you do get a small amount of time before the fieldrunners start their attack. Strategy is paramount, as the towers you set up early in the game are still in play for later levels. You do not want to have to sell and move around towers as this will use up valuable resources (arms sales are not as profitable as they once were).

A large green ring indicates where your tower can be placed, a red ring indicates a illegal placement. The size of the ring shows you the range of the weapon which is very important for game strategy. Just clicking on the weapon will bring up the upgrading/sell options. Fieldrunners allows you to choose what difficulty you want to play in. So for veteran tower defense players starting on easy may be quite a bore, however as the game progresses each Fieldrunner you obliterate gains you more funds to purchase weapons.

The controls are very simple — just point click and drag. You place your finger on the tower you want and then drag it to the location you want. All of the game options are also accessible through the game with a touch of your finger. You can also choose to put Fieldrunners into fast forward to accelerate the onslaught.

The game graphics are very clean and cartoonish yet not childish. Even the background of the game is beautifully rendered along with little bugs and flowers (not girly, I promise!).

Fieldrunners is really fun game for anyone who enjoys the tower defense genre. The increasing levels of difficulty keep Fieldrunners enjoyable and challenging. Well worth the price tag.

[$7.99 - iTunes Link]

Pros

Beautiful graphics
A lot of fun
Intuitive controls

Cons

Repetitive gameplay
Could have more weapon variety

TiPb iPad 4-star rated

YouTube link

Fieldrunners for iPad – app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Posted in App Reviews, App Store Apps, Apps, Fieldrunners, Games, LLC, Reviews, Subatomic Studios, TiPb Apps, ipad, ipad apps, ipad games

Panda Hero for iPhone – game review

May 12th, 2010

Panda Hero from Barefoot Explorers LLC is a cute iPhone game with a cuddly eco-friendly message where the objective is to free your animal friends from poachers while you avoid poisonous mushrooms, pits, and other dangers. After you complete a level you also get to have your own virtual panda to take care of and enjoy.

TiPb first took a look at the pre-release Panda Hero at GDC 2010, and the core gameplay here remains the same — using the accelerometer you tilt your iPhone in the direction that you want your panda character to move. In order to jump you lift your iPhone and your character will jump in the air as well. This type of play will satisfy those who enjoy playing any maze-type of game though it is not quite as difficult as something like marble madness.

As with many maze-type games if you have to try to steer your character through many obstacles which includes bridges and labyrinths. You rescue one of your animal friends by going up to the caged animal and touching them. After rescue your animal companion will follow you through the course for a little while before heading back into the forest. The game is quite forgiving as there are no lives so if you die you just return to a close position to continue on.

Your virtual Panda is a lot of fun to interact with, you can use the coins you have gained through the game to purchase the Panda toys, clothing and other fun items.

For adults who enjoy tilt play games and virtual pets, its cute but not deeply strategic. With its bright, beautiful graphics and eco-friendly message, Panda Hero will appeal most to young gamers in their early teens, and that’s who barefoot explorer is targeting. To sweeten the eco-pot, they’re even planting 3 real-world tress for every copy of Panda Hero purchased off the App Store

[$2.99 - [iTunes Link]

Pros

Cute graphics
Virtual pet is a fun addition
Easy controls

Cons

Simple levels
Little strategy involved

TiPb iPhone 3.5-star rated

YouTube link

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Posted in App Reviews, App Store Apps, Apps, Games, TiPb Apps, barefoot explorers, iphone apps, iphone games, maze games, panda hero, virtual pets

Gowalla for iPhone – App Review

May 11th, 2010

Gowalla for iPhone is a social app from some fine folks in Austin, TX that allows you to check-in to locations, see where your friends are checking-in, collect items and complete trips. For those of you not familiar with the whole “check-in” craze, the idea is you travel around town, land at a “spot” such as the movie theater, gas station or restaurant, and then tap the Check-in button. When you do this a couple things happen:

You can…

Post to Twitter and Facebook
Add a photo
Add a quick post
Leave an item

There are some great social aspects to Gowalla, but let’s first talk about items. After installing Gowalla on the iPhone, you receive three items. You can keep and cheris these items in a vault, never to be used, or you can swap for other items at Spots when you check in. You are also randomly given items when you check into locations. I found myself without an item for a few weeks, but fear not, I received two items randomly twice in a day! Other then exchanging an item at a Spot, you can leave an item at that location if now one has. This will give you “founder” status.

What I particularly love about Gowalla compared to it’s competition, is that it is not focused on mayorships or point leaderboards. I tend to think I go a out a fair amount and explore the city with my family, but there are some people that go out even more than I do and I will never catch up to them in points. Gowalla’s main attraction for me is the item collection feature.

For those adventurous types, there are trips. Trips are not built into the iPhone but are on the website. When you follow these trips, you earn a special badge. For example, I will be visiting Chicago and I am going to try to complete the Chicago trip.

To find friends to share with, Gowalla gives you some tools to can scan your address book, Facebook, Twitter, and Gmail, and you can always find by name.

All of this is rendered with beautiful icons and graphics that really allows you to enjoy the experience of the application. The only major detractor for me is that the application is still a little slow, but boy is it pretty…

Gowalla is available now in the App Store for free [Free- iTunes Link]

Pros

Wonderful artistry
Check-in
Trips
View leaderboard
Directions
Save items to your vault

Cons

Cannot edit Spots on the iPhone
Slow loading

Gowalla for iPhone – App Review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Posted in App Reviews, App Store Apps, Apps, Reviews, TiPb Apps, activity, gowalla, social, spots, trips

Quick Review: Dashboard for iPad (Jailbreak)

May 6th, 2010

Dashboard for iPad is a Jailbreak app that will appeal to anyone who likes having widgets — like that little tiger puzzle — on their desktop computer.

Since Apple won’t allow widget apps on the official App Store, it’s Jailbreak only. You can get it free through Cydia and is a decent tweak for being in it’s beginning stages. As of now, you’re stuck with whatever default widgets are at the bottom. Actually, a user in our comments section brought to my attention you CAN install new widgets through SSH. If you plan to SSH, as always, approach with caution. Not recommended for beginning jailbreakers! I’d assume we will see some start popping up in Cydia and Rock soon. Video after the jump!

YouTube link

Quick Review: Dashboard for iPad (Jailbreak) is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Quick Review and give-away: Polyhedra XL for iPad

May 6th, 2010

Polyhedra XL [$2.99 - iTunes link] is a fun little game that involves creating shapes and avoiding obstacles as you fill the screen. The graphics are beautiful and while the beginning levels are simple enough for a child, they progresses to be challenging for an adult.

The goal of Polyhedra XL is simple: create enough shapes to fill up 66% of the screen.

To create a shape, just hold your finger down on the screen. The longer you hold, the larger your shape becomes. The challenge is that there are enemies bouncing around the screen that will pop your inflating shape when they make contact. Once your shape becomes solid, however, the enemies will bounce right off. Rotating the screen will cause your shapes to be affected by “gravity” and you can use this to your advantage to trap enemies.

Polyhedra XL also features a “Toy Box” mode where you can just create shapes, admire the graphics, and relax. I imagine this mode would be great for kids.

I have really enjoyed playing Polyhedra XL and applaud Binary Hammer for creating such a simple, challenging, and beautiful game.

Now for the giveaway! Binary Hammer has kindly provided us with 3 promo codes to give to you. Let us know why you’d like to have Polyhedra XL on your iPad, and we’ll randomly choose 3 winners. Contest begins now and ends Sunday, May 9th at 12pm PST. ( Unfortunately, a US iTunes account is required to enter. Apple’s rule, not ours!)

Screen shots and video after the break!

YouTube link

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Posted in App Reviews, App Store Apps, Apps, Games, TiPb Apps, binary hammer, ipad, ipad apps, ipad games, polyhedra xl

Quick Review: OmniGraphSketcher for iPad

May 4th, 2010

OmniGraphSketcher for iPad [$14.99- iTunes Link] is one of Omni Group’s latest editions to the iPad. Like the Mac app of the same name, it’s a quick and easy graphing or plotting tool that allows for realtime creation of charts and graphs. And on the iPad, it’s all done with multitouch.

You can plot out your own data points and format them any way you want. You can change color, axis points, size, shape, arrows… you get the idea. You can even copy and paste data from a multicolumn document such as Excel or Numbers and create a simple graph quickly.

I found this app to be useful in meetings or anywhere, really, that you need to illustrate some sort of graph (see the YouTube video at the end of this post to get an idea). If you already use iPad, then this is a great arsenal to have for any sort of data analyst, manager or sales person. Show up at a customer site with a busy spreadsheet? Does the customer look confused? You can very quickly plot out a graph to show them why their sales may be down or up.

Finally, OmniGraphSketcher allows you to read OmniSketcher files in email and allows you to export as a PDF via email or as an image to your Saved Photos album.

Overall I am impressed with OmniGraphSketcher. It eerily appears very similar to Apple’s own iWork suite for iPad and you can see where the groundwork has begun to standardize these types of apps on iPad. I vote two thumbs up for OmniGraphSketcher.

Check after the break for a video and pictures!

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Posted in App Store Apps, Apps, Quick Apps, TiPb Apps, ipad, ipad apps, omni group, omnigraphsketcher, sketcher

Quick Review: Pages for iPad

May 3rd, 2010

Having a virtually full-fledged word processor like Apple’s Pages iWork app [$9.99- iTunes Link] on the iPad is a big deal. There has been a lot of discussion, however, about how Pages would work on the iPad. How do I transfer/ sync documents? How will my formatting be effected?

I had to use Pages to do some document editing for a house flyer for our home (we are in the process of selling). I figured what a great opportunity to give Pages a spin. First, I had to get the document on the iPad. Email or iTunes? The Pages file was 12MB so I opted to transfer it via iTunes. The process was simple; I selected the Pages app from the bottom of the Apps tab with my iPad attached to my iMac. I clicked the add files button and chose my Pages file. I synced the iPad and my house flyer appeared in the document list in pages.

After importing the house flyer into Pages, I was not greeted with any formatting warnings (to be fair I have imported Microsoft Word documents and did receive warnings. It was hit and miss; some documents looked identical, others, not so much) and I began editing immediately. But, there was one problem…

I did not know where anything was or how it worked! So, I had to start to play. Where do I change my fonts besides a style? How to I change a graphic to wrap through text and not around it? These were all challenges that with time, I was able to figure out. I would estimate it took a good 30 minutes to fully comprehend how things worked and use the app. Tabs, columns, watermarks, images and graphics can all be added to a document with relative ease.

Using Pages to create and edit my document was… pure joy. Touching your document was fun, and after the initial learning curve, it was easy. Your created documents not only look good, but you have complete control over their flow which is more than ANY other mobile app of this type can offer.

With my editing done, it was time to get my document back to my iMac desktop. So, I had couple of options. I could email, but the file is still to big. I could send as a PDF, but I want to continue to edit the file. I could send it to iWork.com. But, I don’t want the hassle. What do I do? Well, there is an export option as well. You can export the file as a Pages, PDF or Word Document. Once this is done, the document is available to be saved from iTunes on the same tab I used to uploaded it from my iMac. Now it gives me a choice to save to my iMac when I dock my iPad.

Now I have to admit that iWork.com may ultimately be a better solution for accessing edited documents in larger quantities. If I had to transfer several documents it would be tedious doing it through iTunes, but still doable. However, accessing iWork.com on the iPad allows you to download the pages file right there and begin editing. When done, sending to iWork.com is just as easy.

This app is not entirely made from unicorn tears however. I did encounter issues with Pages crashing and being sluggish at times, regardless of the document size. I can easily cut Apple slack on this since it is a 1.0 product. I have confidence Apple will release updates for stability and functionality just like its desktop big brother. Still, don’t let these little nuances dissuade you; make no mistake that this is an unparalleled best-in-class app from the user interface to it’s core functionality.

If you have an iPad and need to create or edit documents, this is a must buy.

Quick Review: Pages for iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Posted in App Reviews, App Store Apps, Apple, Apps, Reviews, TiPb Apps, ipad, ipad apps, iwork, pages, pdf, word, word processing

Quick Review: GoodReader document manager, viewer for iPad

April 30th, 2010

GoodReader for iPad [on sale for $0.99 - iTunes store] is a gem of an app for anyone who wants to access and manage their documents on the go, especially large PDF files. It is upscaled from the iPhone version, but while the interface isn’t radically different this is one case where bigger translates effectively into more and better.

The large iPad screen means you get to see your documents on the left and your panels — Preview, Find Files, Manage Files, Web Downloads, Downloads in Progress, Recent Downloads, Connect to Servers — on the right.

Tap on a document on the left, including those super-large PDF’s and GoodReader brings it up full screen and in our experience, fast. Now navigating a PDF is a bit of a chore at this point due to the iPhone up/down paradigm being retained, but the developers are working on a better, more iPad-like page turning paradigm and we should see that in an update.

GoodReader can show pretty much any file type supported by iPhone OS, including images (JPG, PDF, GIF), Microsoft Office docs, Apple iWork docs, HTML, TXT, and all the sound and video you’d expect. It will even reflow PDFs for you if that’s your thing. There’s a search and a preview on the right side so it’s easy to find the local file you’re looking for.

Document management is powerful, even if the UI is… awkward. There’s a strange assortment of little buttons, but they do wonderful things like protect/un-protect, star/un-star, mark as read/unread, zip/unzip (yes, ZIP!), copy, cut, emial, and more.

To get the files into GoodReader you can browse the web or enter a URL, connect to an online repository like iDisk, DropBox, Box.net, Google Docs, or any WebDAV, IMAP, or POP3 server. You can also connect to a local server and transfer files right over from your computer. GoodReader also supports Apple’s USB file transfer via iTunes, and the latest version includes Document Sharing so you can open compatible docs in GoodReader from other apps (i.e. if you receive a PDF in iPad Mail, you can open it directly in GoodReader).

While the UI inarguably needs some refinement, there’s no arguing about the power of GoodReader for the iPad. If you have big doc needs, check it out. And do it soon, since it’s on sale for $0.99!)

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Quick Review: Words with friends HD for the iPad

April 28th, 2010

Words with friends by Newtoy $4.99 [iTunes Link] is a scrabble-like game for the iPhone and now, iPad.

With Words with friends, you can play online against your friends, against random online opponents, or pass-and play on a single iPad. The nice thing about Words with friends is that it allows you to play with your friends at their own pace, with each move stored online. Push notifications are an option, however, so you know when your friend has made a move.

There’s also an integrated chat/IM system so you are able to ~~talk smack~~ congratulate your opponents.

Some things that are in need of an update or fix, however. Account management is poor. Accessing your account details is annoyingly slow and if you want to change accounts, you have to delete the application and then reinstall it. (Yes, really!)

Also, a recent update took away the eyeball icons that previously told you your opponent was actually online. Unfortunately, it also left behind the “Go to developers Facebook fan page” button, awkwardly and annoyingly placed right between the titles and the board.

My last issue with Words with Friends is that you cannot re-arrange your tiles when its not your turn, which is a helpful way to prepare your next word. You also can’t delete a game once in play and you can not resign from a game when it is not your turn. So I have about 3 ghost games on the iPad at anytime, which I find endlessly annoying.

All that being said, Words with Friends HD for the iPad is a good deal of fun, a great way to game with all your friends and to make some new ones. If you enjoy playing scrabble then you’ll enjoy this!

Video and screenshots after the break!

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Quick Review: Bento for iPad

April 23rd, 2010

Splash Screen

Bento for iPad [$4.99- iTunes Link] is a fantastic database option for users of Filemaker’s Bento for Mac. It is a fast and simple database application for capturing just about anything from invoices to party planning to recipes.

I have been using Bento for Mac and iPhone for a while now. I was very excited to get the iPad version. Bento looks great. There are elegant themes that make Bento appear like a leather- bound book or clipboard. You can create a database on the fly from one of the supplied templates and sync it back to your Mac and iPhone. If you want, you can even make a database from scratch right on the iPad. When creating your database you have a choice of several fields including checkbox, choice, number, text and several more. Adding these fields to your new database couldn’t be easier; click the pencil icon and drag the field to the workspace. Once placed on the screen, choose that fields properties. One of the more impressive features I found was the ability to add a Media field and insert a picture directly from Saved Photos on the iPad. There is a nice shadow effect behind the image and it looks really good.

Overall I am very pleased with the iPad version of Bento. The one feature that I would really like to see would be the ability to either export or send via email a record from Bento; there is currently no option to export data from Bento for iPad.

If you have an iPad and need to have a database with you, you will love Bento. Anyone from parents managing their kids schedule to a small business can use the portability and power Bento has to offer. For only $4.99, you are getting a huge value. If you aren’t the creative type, you can always download templates from Bento’s Template Exchange.

Check out the Video and Gallery after the break!

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Quick Review: UNO HD for iPad

April 19th, 2010

UNO HD for iPad [$4.99 - iTunes link] by Gameloft brings the classic card game to bigger, bolder life on that 9.7″ screen. At first blush, UNO more so than something like NOVA feels like it could have been a universal binary, sparing existing owners of the iPhone version from having to buy it twice. However, Gameloft wisely upped the ante based on the iPad’s-size, offering a 4 player option that makes it eminently more suitable as a true board-game replacement — you can realistically sit 2 or 4 people around an iPad and start up the multiplayer version of the game, share the screen, and get your UNO on.

You can of course also use single-player mode, or multiplayer between devices either locally or online. The graphics look prerequisite-ly great on the iPad, though we did find the controls a tad challenging (choosing and playing cards weren’t quite as buttery smooth as we’d like).

A side effect of the game being run on an iPad instead of with real cards is that it’s almost impossible to make mistakes or (gasp) cheat. The game only allows you to play cards you’re allowed to play, when you’re allowed to play them. Whether that’s a good or bad thing we’ll leave up to you and your consciences to sort out.

If you like UNO and you want to bring a little bit of real world social interaction back to your family and friends, grab an iPad, fire it up, pass it around, and let us know what you think.

Video of me taking on a challenger, after the break!

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Quick Review: PCalc for iPad

April 16th, 2010

PCalc [$9.99 - iTunes link] is one of the leading calculators for iPhone and now its computing power has been updated (as in universal binary) to include support for iPad.

PCalc is an (optional) RPN calculator that is great for scientists, engineers, programmers, and students. It includes a list of common constants, an ample amount of conversions, a paper tape that can be shared via email, and support for binary, hexadecimal, and octal calculations. You can also customize the look of PCalc with different themes and digit fonts.

The interface on iPad is rather beautiful in both landscape and portrait. The buttons are nice and big and everything is easy to read. Navigation between the menus is a much more pleasant experience than on the iPhone.

To see PCalc in action, watch the video after the break!

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Quick Review: Epicurious for iPad

April 16th, 2010

Epicurious [Free - iTunes Link] from CondeNet is one of the best cooking apps you can get on the iPad. It has almost everything you could ask for including over 28,000 recipes, with the number growing daily.

The interface is beautiful with the recipes neatly organized depending on main ingredient, health restrictions, nationality, what’s new, and more. The cookbook section of Epicurious is even easier to navigate on the larger iPad screen. You can have the recipe instructions displayed on the side while looking at the ingredients, photos, user reviews, and nutritional information. There is even a little bookmark so you can keep your place as you look at other sections.

Finding what you want in Epicurious is also a breeze. It has a search tool which allows you to find your next meal by keyword. On the sidebar you can simply click or un-click ingredients to filter the results further and match any dietary restrictions or keep the choices narrowed to just the ingredients you have in the house.

Epicurious also has a wonderful shopping list button and if you want to share your latest recipe with your friends you can email it.

For screenshots and video of this must-have iPad cooking app, stay with us after the break!

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Quick review: Flight Control HD for iPad

April 14th, 2010

Firemint’s Flight Control HD for iPad [$4.99 - iTunes Link] let’s you try your luck at setting the flight path of dozens of aircraft and getting them to their designated landing areas. Seems simple but as the number and variety of airplanes and helicopters increase so does the difficulty — and the fun.

They say air traffic control is one of the most stressful jobs in the world, and as we found out in our interview with Firemint at GDC, that’s exactly where the idea for the game came from.

On the iPad, just like the iPhone, you use your finger to trace the path of the plane to its landing strip and ensure that it does not crash. You have 8 single player maps, 10 aircrafts and the choice of single play or multiplayer. Want to play a friend on the same iPad? You can choose between co-op or vs. modes. Have two iPads? Play over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The game also offers fast forward for those impatient types (me!) and even a 3D map (bring your own glasses!).

Flight Control for the iPad is the perfect game when you need a bit of distractions from life’s stresses… by taking on the stress of air traffic.

Check out the video after the break and tell me if I should have made another career choice…

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Quick Review: Photogene for iPad

April 12th, 2010

Photogene is one of the top selling photography apps for iPhone and now we have that same great editing power, plus more, in Photogene for iPad [$3.99 - iTunes link].

Editing images with Photogene for iPad is pleasurable. The big screen allows you to really see the changes and the tools provided by Photogene are easy and intuitive to use.

Enhance photos with multiple color adjustment: adjust color levels, exposure, contrast, saturation or manipulate the RGB.
Apply filters such as the sharpen or the pencil filter.
Crop, straighten and rotate your image.
Add fun effects like text balloons, frames or special filters.

I have encountered a few minor bugs when using Photogene for iPad, but I trust that these will be fixed in a future update.

To see Photogene for iPad in action, follow us after the break!

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Quick Review: LogMeIn Ignition for iPad

April 12th, 2010

The Desktop

If you’ve been using LogMeIn Ignition for iPhone, prepare to be blown away by the iPad version. LogMeIn Ignition for iPad [$29.99- iTunes Link]has essentially the same functionality as the iPhone, but is much faster.

LogMeIn is a free service (with paid options depending on what you want) that works on a Mac or PC. It allows you to remotely control another computer. LogMeIn Ignition brings that functionality to iPhone and iPad. You have full right and left-click support as well as most all of the other useful key functions such as your “F” keys and arrows keys. If performance is an issue, you have complete control from the settings screen to change resolution and color quality. I tend to use Compressed; it is a step above Black and White and allows for a faster refresh. You can also change how you navigate on screen. You have two choices: screen moves or mouse moves. I lean towards screen moves as that gives me the most speed when navigating. Pinch to zoom works like a charm and is blazingly fast.

Ready for the bonus? LogMeIn Ignition is a Universal app, so you buy once and you can use it on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. For those that need a little extra power in their remote sessions, LogMeIn offers their Pro2 account which allows for even more flexibility such as copy/paste desktop sharing and remote printing between sessions. If you aren’t sure which works best for you, there is a handy comparison chart.

I can’t recommend LogMeIn Ignition enough. It’s come in very handy when having to access my home computer.. and even my Mother-In-Law’s PC for help. There are several VNC type of clients out there, but this one is fast, zero setup (compared to a VNC configuration) and has plans to meet your needs.

Check out the Video and Gallery after the break!

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Quick Review: Air Hockey for iPad

April 10th, 2010

Air Hockey [$0.99 - iTunes Link] by Acceleroto is now a universal binary that works on both your iPhone and iPad (that’s right, pay once, play everywhere). It offers fluid air hockey action, simple controls, and a lot of fun.

For more about Air Hockey from Acceleroto as well as video of my son and I playing please stay with us after the break!

Air Hockey lets you choose one or two pucks and one and two players. If you do not have anyone to play with, one player mode gives you a computer opponent with varying difficulty, from kiddie to INSANE. With the larger size of the iPad, however, a human opponent becomes more more do-able, and much more fun.

Take a peek at the video where I play with my son in a two puck game. Who won? watch to find out, but also watch to see how much fun it is.

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Quick Review: Real Racing HD for iPad

April 9th, 2010

Real Racing HD [$9.99- iTunes Link] is a blast to play on the iPad. I have enjoyed the iPhone iteration for some time and I was really looking forward to the iPad version. Thankfully the game is still a blast to play, looks good and has a few new features to keep you interested in this version.

First of the changes is the resolution. The graphics and frame rate are really smooth. The immersive feel of the in- car view is fantastic. This game does have a different feel now on the larger screen and I like it. You can now add your own skin to your car via the Camera Role. This is a great way to customize the cars in the game if you get bored with what is available. Firemint even has a website with skins to download. To install a skin, just save to the Camera Role or use an existing image. You can then apply the picture to a car, giving it a new look.

The other new feature with this version of Real Racing is the ability to save/ load ghost car data. In Time Trial mode you can save your race after you finish. You are then added to the leaderboards. You can view or race against others in your bracket . You can’t at this time race against higher ranked players. Firemint says they are listening to feedback and may implement this in a future update.

For a first effort out of the gate, I really am enjoying Real Racing HD and I am looking forward to see how the development will improve on this already awesome game. Gallery and video after the break!

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Quick Review: Evernote for iPad

April 9th, 2010

I am a huge fan of Evernote [Free- iTunes Link]. I knew they were working on an iPad version of their software, but I had no idea what to expect. Needless to say I am pleased with their design decisions and love the completely new layout for iPad.

Evernote for iPad gives you several new and fun ways to view and organize your notes. First, you can view them by thumbnail or details. I think thumbnails work best with pictures. I tend to have more text notes, so details works best for me. It gives me the name, etc. of the note at hand.

I love the way Evernote organizes notebooks and tags; the notes appear stacked on each other just like the Photos album. You can’t pinch to peek and open (though that would be cool) instead you simply tap to open the notebook or tags you want. You can also sort by name or by count. There is now a separate area of view notes by place too, you can even use location services to find notes by your current location. Take audio and picture notes? Now you can do both in one note on the iPad app. This is a very nice addition.

If you are an existing Evernote user, you are in luck — the app is universal. Download it once and use it on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Gallery and video after the break!

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