November 1st, 2009

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Best iPhone & iPod touch apps

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 9:24 pm

Categories: App Store, Holiday Gift Guide, iPhone, iPod touch

Tags: Apple iPhone, Apple iPod, Twitter Inc., Video, Road Trip, Apple iPod Touch, App, Smart Phones, Corporate Communications, Consumer Electronics

It’s that time of the year again! It’s hard to believe, but this time last year, we only had 5,000 apps to choose from in the App Store – this year there’s more than 85,000 apps to choose from. What a difference a year makes. Whether you’re looking for an app for yourself or to give to the iPhone or iPod touch user on your list, look no further.

I’ve got a couple of recommendations that will help you keep up with Twitter friends, store all your passwords, be more fuel efficient, count calorie and have a little fun in the process! Can’t decide? That’s ok too, you always give your special someone an iTunes gift certificate, they’re great for apps and music.

TweetDeck for iPhone

TweetDeck is best Twitter client on the desktop, so it’s not surprising that it’s also the best Twitter client on the iPhone (App Store, free) and iPod touch.

It features multiple accounts, growl notifications and a unique column interface that allows you quickly swipe between all friends, mentions, direct messages and saved searches – or any combination thereof. You can even sync your column preferences between the desktop and iPhone apps. TweetDeck for iPhone could use a better trends interface, but it’s other

Although there are literally hundreds of Twitter clients on the App Store, TweetDeck is still the top dog. (Don’t agree? Tweet me your pick @JasonOGrady)

[Vendor site] [App Store]

Bonus pick: Boxcar is a free app that displays a push notification any time someone mentions you or sends you a DM, and it works for Twitter and Facebook.

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December 25th, 2008

Surprise! Santa delivered a bunch of free iPhone apps for Christmas

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 6:14 am

Categories: App Store, Holiday Gift Guide, iPhone, iPod touch

Tags: Apple iPhone, Productivity, Piracy, Quality, Business Operations, Corporate Law, Jason D. O'Grady

Got coal in your stocking? Not happy with your festive sweater or that beautiful tie that you’ve always wanted? Don’t sweat it, Santa delivered a bunch of free iPhone apps - just in time for Christmas.

• Easy Shake – Do you want to have a band or training your sense of tempo ? There are 6 sound effect with Easy Shake. Hold your iPhone and press one of it. Follow the background music and shake your iPhone!
• Classic Memo – Simple classic audio recorder with very basic functions with attractive interface! and let’s you change wallpaper!
• Tankcheck – With these program you can check the prices of petrol stations in - Germany - France - Belgium - Netherlands - Switzerland - Austria - Luxembourg You can check it with you postcode.
• Weather: Zero configuration! – Weather application does what it claims: it shows current weather and 4 days forecast for exact point where you are.
• Crossbones – Crossbones is a challenging and addictive pirate-themed puzzle game. Match cards as fast as you can to collect pirate loot. Play solo or against computer opponents.
• DuckDuckDuck – Rubber duckies float in a pond with beautiful highly realistic interactive water, rain and snow showers, reflected clouds and relaxing ambient sounds.
• Tilt-A-Tip Action Tipster – Use the force of gravity to dial in how much you want to tip! Pass it around, everyone has fun using the accelerometer and other controls.. even the waiter.
• New Year Resolutions – 2009 – Note your resolutions in your iPhone and let this smart app remind you about your resolutions at just the right time. There’s a pre-loaded list of some very useful, and a few wacky resolutions you can choose from–or you could just write some of your own.

Search for them in the App Store. There’s a bunch more of free apps listed at App Shopper so if there was an iPhone or iPod touch under your tree, grab them while you can. If you received an iTunes gift card and are hosting or attending a holiday party don’t forget a couple of my favorites, Drinks and WineSnob.

Update: TouchArcade has compiled a list of discounted iPhone games.

December 2nd, 2008

Holiday Gift Guide 2008: Best luxe Mac accessories

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 1:51 pm

Categories: Accessory, Holiday Gift Guide

Tags: Apple Macintosh, Accessory, Video, Blu-ray, Camera, FlipShare Software, 7xx-series, Desktops, Hardware, Jason D. O'Grady

What do you get for that special person on your list already owns a Mac, iPod and a nice digital camera? Accessories! Here are my picks for the Best Luxe accessories ($200 and up) that are perfect for the Mac user with everything.

Don’t forget to check out my lists of Mac-related Bargain Apples (gift ideas under $100) and Mid-Range Apples (gift items from $100-$300) and iPhone and iPod touch software.

Flip Mino HD Video Camera

The Mino HD is my pick for must-have gadget of the year – the world’s smallest high-definition (HD) video camera. At an impossible 3.3 ounces the Mino HD is the ultimate accessory for any self-respecting Mac head. It’s about smaller than a iPod classic and holds 60 minutes of 720p HD video and can run for two hours on a charge.

The best part is that everything is self-contained. When you’re ready to offload the video a USB port pops out of the top like a switchblade and does double duty as its charger. The included FlipShare software is Mac compatible and makes it easy to trim and add titles to your videos then email them or upload them to YouTube.

Price: $230

[read the review] [check prices]

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November 26th, 2008

Holiday Gift Guide 2008: Best Apple iPhone, iPod touch apps

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 9:22 am

Categories: App Store, Holiday Gift Guide, iPhone, iPod touch, iTunes, iTunes Store

Tags: Apple iPhone, Database, Apple iPod, Apple Inc., Apple iPod Touch, Apple iTunes, US$5, BeatMaker iPhone, Intua, Digital Music

Just about everyone seems to have either an iPhone or iPod touch these days and the companion App Store is chock full of over 5,000 great gift ideas. From powerful databases to file storage to music, this list has something for you. Can’t decide? Give your special someone an iTunes gift certificate, they’re great for apps and music.

Don’t forget to check out my lists of Mac-related Bargain Apples (gift ideas under $100) and Mid-Range Apples (gift items from US$100-$300).

Gas Cubby

Just because gas is down to around US$2 per gallon doesn’t mean that you can go back to your old habits. I still like to track my fuel economy and keep on top of my vehicle maintenance.

Gas Cubby (iTunes, US$5) is the ultimate tool for tracking gas mileage and vehicle maintenance. It’s well designed, full featured, and is incredibly stable. I particularly like the graphs which are visible when turning the screen.

Gas Cubby has been in the App Store for over a week now and has been getting tremendous user feedback with 28 reviews, it’s holding strong at a 4.5-star average.
Their last app, Trip Cubby (iTunes, US$10), was featured for its design by Apple in the iPhone Tech Talks.

Price: $5 (Gas Cubby) $10 (Trip Cubby)

[Vendor site]

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November 24th, 2008

Holiday Gift Guide 2008: Mid-range Apples that won't break the bank

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 11:29 am

Categories: Accessory, Battery, EV-DO, Holiday Gift Guide, Review, iPhone, iPod touch

Tags: Bank, Apple iPhone, Battery, Apple Inc., Apple iPhone 3G, Chumby, Novatel USB727, FastMac U-Charge Battery Charger, 3G, Engineering

If you’ve got a couple extra bucks in your budget this year there are a couple of middle priced (US$100-300) gifts that up that I want to recommend. If this isn’t quite your price range, feel free to check out my list of Mac-related gift ideas under $100 in Bargain Apples. From 3G cards to touchscreen Internet appliances, this list has something for you.

Apple iPhone 3G 16GB (Black)

What can you say that hasn’t already been said about the iPhone? It’s a do everything, communication/entertainment device with a touchscreen and a dead simple interface. Since the App Store opened there’s now over 5,000 applications to choose from making the iPhone pretty much unstoppable.

The only caveat is the network, make sure that AT&T has acceptable coverage (both phone and 3G) in your area before signing on the two-year line. If you can live with AT&T the iPhone 3G is hard to live without. So while it’s not perfect, it’s pretty darned close and getting better with every update.

Price: $199 (8GB) $299 (16GB)

[Read the review] [Compare to the competition]

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November 20th, 2008

Holiday Gift Guide 2008: Bargain Apples

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 12:15 pm

Categories: Holiday Gift Guide

Tags: Apple iPhone, Apple Macintosh, Apple iPod, Battery, Richard Solo 1800 mAh Battery, Inserts, NewerTech Voyager, Engineering, 3G, Digital Music

Apple is undoubtedly one of the hottest tech and consumer brands in the world and they should easily sell more than 2 million Macs and 20 million iPods in the upcoming holiday quarter. With all the Mac gear out there it’s sometimes hard to choose. Here are my picks for the best bargain Apple products this holiday season.

Otterbox Defender case for the iPhone 3G

If you’re a klutz (like me) or just like to keep your iPhone in one piece you really need to use a case. The Otterbox Defender case for the iPhone 3G provides maximum protection for your shiny handset and keeps it safe from the inevitable drop on the pavement. It’s a combination hard case with a silicone skin over top. As a bonus it has covers over all the ports and a built-in cover to protect the screen.

Price: $50

[related: Otterbox cases for iPods and cell phones]

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