Lory Gil

Writer of all things app related, traveler of the space-time continuum, baker of really great cookies. Follow me @appaholik

Apps of the Week: MoneyWiz 2, MultiCam, WRC, and more

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

The holiday season is officially over and the New Year has begun. Let 2015 begin. I’ve had my fill of nog and libations and will be spending the first quarter of the year trying to work off all that extra cookie weight I’ve gained.

If you are looking for some apps to help you keep your New Year’s Resolution, check out our list of apps to start the New Year off right. If you are just looking for something to fill your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch up, check out our spotlight of apps and games this week.

MultiCam almost turns your iPhone into a Lytro camera

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

I’ve been enamored by the Lytro since I first heard about it in 2012. If you don’t know about it, the Lytro is a light field camera with technology that allows users to refocus and change perspective of a digital photograph after its been taken. Unfortunately, the Lytro is way out of my price range.

MultiCam – Set Focus/Exposure After Shoot takes some of that technology and brings it to the iPhone so you can take incredible depth of field photos and change which objects are in focus. We’ve got a detailed app review of MultiCam for you today.

10 apps to start the New Year off right

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

It is finally 2015 and we’ve all got big dreams and big goals for the New Year. I love setting resolutions, but hate trying to keep to them. My biggest problems are with staying fit and keeping organized. I start off with a bang, but eventually lose momentum after a few months.

Whether you are fighting to shed that “winter coat” you gained during the holidays, or are looking for a better way to get your life organized, we’ve got a list of apps to help you start the New Year off right.

Spotify4Me, the Spotify Notification Center widget for Mac

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Ever since Apple updated iOS and OS X with the ability to add extensions to Notification Center, I’ve been all about the widgets. On my Mac, I’ve got weather widgets, to-do lists, countdowns, and package trackers. I love them. I want more.

Spotify4Me is a Notification Center extension that adds song skip and volume controls to your Today View. It may not do much, but what it does, it does right.

Ace Ferrara & the Dino Menace is back in the App Store, and free for a limited time

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

In August, a fun little space shooter launched in the iOS App Store under Bulky Pix, but had since been pulled due to ownership rights issues. The game’s original developer, Philipp Seifried, has been able to re-release the title under his own name.

In order to make the transition into his ownership easier, Seifried has made Ace Ferrara & the Dino Menace available in the App Store for free until Jan. 2. You can now take on the entire dino invasion on your own.

The best Keyboards of 2014

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

For a few months now, iOS users have been given a special treat in the form of third-party keyboards. We’ve been lucky enough to try out all of the best ones as they come out. Different keyboards are great for different reasons. Some of them have unique features that no others have.

The iDB writers picked through the cream of the crop to find the ones we like the most. We then put them to a vote to decide which was best-loved by all. Below is the list, including the winner and runner-ups. Since third-party default keyboards are only a few months old, we have decided it is too soon to select a best ever winner.

The best Productivity apps of 2014

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 29, 2018

Apple’s newest desktop and mobile operating systems have supercharged productivity in a big way. We’re not just talking about complex task lists, but new ways to create, save, and share documents and files, better access to important information, and syncing across devices better than anything in the past. This year, we submitted our favorite productivity apps to launch in 2014 and voted on them. Below is a list of the winner, the runner-ups, and our all-time best productivity app.

Step into a world of fantasy with The Last Monster Master

Lory Gil ∙ December 29, 2014

Choice of Games is an up-and-coming app developing company that I’m definitely keeping my eyes on. You may recall that my last weekend app list included “Creatures Such as We” as one to look out for. This week, the company launched another choose-your-own-adventure book and this one is filled with giant, toothy, scaly creatures.

The Last Monster Master is a text-based multiple-choice game book that puts the reader into the character of a Monster Master, which is a telepathic person with the ability to communicate with the beasts of the underworld. As a Master, you are charged with training monsters, as well as making sure they don’t turn on humanity and destroy everything.

The best Notification Center widgets of 2014

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

When Apple first revealed that iOS users would be able to access information from the Lock screen in iOS 8, I wasn’t that excited. I’ve never had a problem just unlocking my iPhone and opening the app I want to get information from. However, once Notification Center extensions became available, I was hooked. Now, I’ve got to-do lists, weather forecasts, news updates, and all kinds of widgets sitting on my Today view.

Everyone at iDB is excited about widgets, so it was pretty easy to come up with a big list of nominations. However, it was hard to narrow it down to the best one. With much hair pulling involved, we came to a final vote. The list below reveals our winner for best Notification Center widget, as well as the runner-ups. Since the feature has only existed for a few months, we are not going to name any “best ever” widget this year.

Apps of the Week: Pandemic, Carcassone, Quarriors, and more

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

This week was a bit dry for new apps and games. The iTunes Connect app store freeze will have definitely had an affect on launches. Instead of spotlighting new titles for you to check out while avoiding the in-laws, this weekend, we are bringing families together.

Today, we’ve got a list of pass-and-play iPad games that you can participate in with your family. If you are looking for a way to bond with cousin Dan, see if a bit of friendly competition (or cooperation) from the list below will turn you into gaming buddies for life.

The best apps with Touch ID support of 2014

Lory Gil ∙ December 26, 2014

I still remember the first time I used Touch ID to unlock my iPhone. It was like magic. I’ve gotten so used to the feature that unlocking my iPad Air just feels like an exhausting experience. Why can’t I just touch the Home button to unlock everything, like my bike lock, my front door, or the trunk of my car? With iOS 8, Apple granted third-party apps the ability to use biometrics to unlock their apps, too. Now, any supported app you have can be set up to require your grubby paw so you don’t have to exhaust yourself by typing in those dang passwords.

The writing team at iDB have taken a few moments to decide which Touch ID-supported apps were worth mentioning. Then, we voted on our favorites. Today, we’ve got a list of the winner and runner-ups. Since Touch ID extensions are only a few months old, we’ve skipped the part about spotlighting the best app ever.