Lory Gil

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

Some great design apps for graphics artists

If you are trying to come up with a great logo, but need some inspirado, or are looking for an app that will let you take your design creations mobile, there are quite a few apps out there that will help you in that department.

Thanks to a suggestion from one of our readers, we have a list of apps that are great for graphics artists, designers, and people who just appreciate the art of design…

Spendee helps you keep track of finances with little effort

Some people like to track their income and expenses in very detailed and comprehensive spreadsheets. They are usually great with money and probably have a stock portfolio. Some people are constantly over budget and can’t figure out why. They have probably overdrawn their account after purchasing a candy bar at least once in their lives.

If you are the type of person who lives paycheck to paycheck and hate the idea of sitting down everyday figuring out where you money is (or should be) going, Spendee is the perfect finance app on to keep you in check without boring you with the details…

Apps of the week: Spendee, Sky Gamblers, Morning, and more…

Who’s headed for Comic-Con this weekend? If you are one of the tens of thousands of geeks, nerds, and pop culture fanatics that will be invading the tranquil metropolis of San Diego over the next few days, you may need some apps to keep you occupied.

If you are looking for a calendar app to help keep track of the Comic-Con schedule or a game to pass the time while you wait in line for hours and hours, we’ve got a list of apps that will help get you through the weekend…

Some of the best board game apps for iOS

If you’ve read some of my previous reviews, you’ll know that I am a huge fan of board games. The more complex and challenging, the more I like it. I love punching out 100 different little cardboard tokens. I like the sound of two six-sided dice clicking together in my hand.

This week, I’ve made a list of some great board game apps that are based specifically on real-life games that I’ve played. It is by no means a full list of the best board game apps out there, but it features games that I’ve tested in both digital and cardboard environments…

Pacific Rim review: giant mechs and sea creatures battling? Yes please!

Today is the perfect day to write a review of the iOS version of the Pacific Rim game. I just watched the movie last night. I won’t give anything away for those of you who have not yet seen the epic tale of robots and monsters. But I will tell you that some of the features in the game make more sense after seeing the film.

Pacific Rim is a battle game that pits enormous weaponized robots against colossal sea-dwelling aliens in a melee fight for the possession of humanity…

Isometric lets you create beautiful geometric art

There is something interesting about a rhombus. It looks like a square that has had its corners stretched out through a game of tug-of-war. When you put three of them together, you can make a three-dimensional object.

Isometric takes the interesting aspect of the rhombus and turns it into a fun art app. You can create simple design logos or abstract, chaotic drawings just by tapping your screen…

PhotoNova 2 gives you a powerful collection of mobile editing tools

I take a lot of pictures. I always have. I’m not a professional. I just like keeping visual representations of my memories. When I got my first iPhone, I was excited to see how many image-altering apps were available in the App Store to help turn my otherwise-mundane vacation photos into something special.

Now, there are so many photo editing apps that it is hard to weed out the good from the bad and find interesting and innovative ones.

PhotoNova 2 is one of those special apps that offer something a little bit different than your typical photo filter app. With it, you can add effects to specific areas of a picture, giving you more control over how you manipulate your images…

Cal by Any.DO review: a simple and beautiful calendar for iPhone

If you are one of those iOS users that has gotten tired of Apple’s 6-year-old operating system design and are on the edge of your seat waiting for iOS 7 to drop, you will be happy to know that app developers are already on the move, making apps that reflect the whiter, flatter look that we will be seeing in a few weeks.

Cal by Any.DO is one of those apps that is taking on the cleaner, more minimalistic look. This calendar app looks so much like iOS 7’s native app that it is a wonder Apple even approved it…

Fast Toggles offers shortcuts to your most used Mac actions

When you spend every moment of your workday in front of a computer, and every second is money made or lost, optimizing productivity is essential. Whether you need to lock yourself out of Facebook or clean up your desktop, distractions can be a disease on efficiency.

Fast Toggles is a system of buttons that give you shortcut access to some of the actions you use the most on your Mac computer. Instead of taking two or three steps to access files and features, hit a Toggle button and get it done in one. It is like having iOS 7 Control Center on your Mac…

Apps of the week: WunderMap, Instabot, Pure for Flickr, and more…

Here in California, the State Fair has started. I am a huge fan of fried foods and farm animals, so I’ll be spending much of my weekend eating blooming onions and watching cows give birth.

Whatever your plans are for this weekend, be sure to make a little time for your iPhone or iPad because we’ve got a list of games and apps that are sure to keep you busy…

Blendamaze adds color to a traditional wood labyrinth game

Back in 2010, I remember getting really excited about iOS wood labyrinth games. My grandmother had a real one one that I loved playing with when I was growing up. So, having one on my iPad was just too cool.

Blendamaze is a wood labyrinth style game that adds the element of color. Not only do you have to get the ball into the hole, but you also have to make sure that it matches the exit portal color by dipping it in paint first…

Instabot takes your Instagram experience to a new level

I am a big fan of Instagram. It is my favorite social networking site right now. I much prefer looking at photos of my friend’s dinner plates than reading about how sick they got from eating it. Unfortunately, Instagram’s user interface is uninspiring. I am always looking for a third-party app that lets me access my feed with a different theme.

Instabot is a third-party app that, not only lets you view Instagram photos, but also lets you take, edit, and upload pictures to your feed. You can also keep track of who follows you and how often they interact with your posts…