App Store

Mini Review: Reeder 2 For iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

A few months ago I wrote about the best RSS readers for iPhone. At the time, Byline was my favorite, even though it was missing a couple important features such as being able to share articles on Twitter.

The Byline app description in the App Store has been saying for months they are working on version 3 which will add tons of new features. Turns out they "worked on it" for so long that someone else outdid them.

My new favorite iPhone RSS reader is Reeder 2. I'm not going to get too much into details but I'd rather give a short and sweet review of it.

Pros:

Easy to use and well thought UI It is incredibly fast. Items sync in just seconds Ability to share on Twitter Ability to save to Delicious Quickly "star" an item Easily browse starred, new or all items

Cons:

I don't really like the light-colored UI I wish it gave a larger preview of items

See, many pros and very few cons. Reeder definitely took over the Byline spot in my iPhone dock. If you're in the market for an RSS reader that syncs with Google Reader, then give Reeder a try. At $2.99, it is the best RSS reader for iPhone you can get.

How to Turn Your iPhone Into An iPad Camera

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

It's too bad that a great device like the iPad doesn't have a camera. Fortunately, there's an app that will turn your iPhone into an iPad camera. It's not the perfect solution, but it should do the job...

All you need to use your iPhone as a camera for iPad is the Camera for iPad app. After installing the app on your iPad and iPhone, simply launch it on both devices and they will find each other via Bluetooth. Your iPad will then show what your iPhone camera is seeing.

Intuitive controls let you zoom with a pinch or rotate with a swipe. You can just tap the button to take a high resolution photo that is saved onto your iPad.

Camera for iPad isn't just for the iPad! You can connect an iPhone to an iPod Touch, or even connect one iPhone to another, and choose which is the sender and which is the receiver.

Camera for iPad is available from the App Store for $0.99. While I haven't personally tried the app, MichaelB who tipped me on this confirms it works like a charm.

What do you think?

Remotely Control Your Mac or PC with Remote Jr.

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 27, 2018

I think I'm with Angi on this one. I generally don't pay for apps. But, if I really need an application because it performs certain tasks, and I can't find anything in the free section, I have to buy it. Remote Jr. by Pratik Kumar is definitely one of those applications.

I'm one of those nerds that is constantly trying to find a way to incorporate my iPhone into my everyday life, thus eliminating other remotes and devices. Like when my MacBook is connected to my TV, instead of having an actual wireless keyboard and mouse, I use my iPhone with an app like Logitech's Touch Mouse App.

This proved to be very handy as I could sit quite a distance from my TV and MacBook and pull up webpages, search movies on YouTube, and click through photos. I even had applications that would control my iTunes and the front row applications on my MacBook.

These were all great, but I discovered that what I really wanted was the ability to see the screen of my desktop on my iPhone, as I was controlling it. Just imagine all the possibilities (I say that with a joker-like grin with my hands in a Mr. Burns 'excellent' pose).

After sifting through Apple's App Store I didn't see a whole lot of options. As I started to filter out applications by options (desktop view, mac OS X compatible, etc...) it really just came down to Remote Jr.

After reading that the application also offered the ability to connect to a laptop or desktop over the internet I had no problem dropping the $7.99. The fact that it included a built in front row remote mode was also an added bonus.

But the real value is in the fact that it doesn't have to be on the same network as the computer you are trying to connect to. In general most remote control apps require that you be on the same wireless network as the connecting device, Remote Jr. apparently didn't get that memo.

I had to try this out. From my wireless network at work, I was able to see my MacBook that I left open at home. Without having to mess with the settings, I pressed on my MacBook's icon (that I had setup that morning), and within seconds I was connected to my MacBook at home. I was able to pull up pictures and type a to do list for when I got home.

The coolest thing was probably, right as I was leaving work, I set a playlist up in itunes to start playing. Not just any playlist, but a list of awesome songs that I would love to come home to. Sure enough, after a quick 10 minute commute, I opened my front door to "Welcome to the Jungle" by The Guns and Roses. Que 5 minute air guitar solo, "nunna nunna knees! knees! knees!"

So back to the application. It really seemed to impress more around every corner. Initial setup is a breeze. You run remote helper on your client mac or PC, and you open Remote Jr. on your iPhone. No entering in long and confusing IP addresses, no constant clicking "find" or "search", like all of us have come to expect with apple products, it just worked.

The front row mode on the phone performed like a champ, I was able to watch DVD's browse pictures, and of course play music, all from any room in my house.

Now, for some people, especially those who plan on doing a lot of typing, they may want to go with a full size wireless keyboard. The tiny keyboard on the iPhone screen won't meet everyone's needs. There is also some lag when switching from front row remote to live desktop and other modes, so if that is going to bug you, stay away. But for my needs, this app was perfect.

If you're looking for a way to control your computer from across the living room or across town, at $7.99 Remote Jr. is perfect for you too. Especially if you are a Mac user, this might be your best option for a desktop view capable remote application (and if you know of a better one, link it in the comments, we'll check it out).

Any question or comment, please feel free to ask.

Send iPhone Apps As Gifts

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated July 6, 2017

Giving an iTunes gift card is cool, but I think it's even cooler to be able to give specific apps as gift, and that's what Apple just made possible.

According to Mashable, this new feature has come to the App Store, allowing you to gift specific iPhone apps to other users.

On the drop-down box on each application’s page (next to the “Buy” button) there’s now an option that says “Gift This App.” From that point, you then just enter in details like name, e-mail address and the message that you want to include.

Apparently this feature has been around forever and allowed you to gift music from iTunes. I wasn't aware of it until today. A pretty simple bu neat feature... What do you think? [Via Download Squad]

Apple Finally Makes Links In App Store Apps Descriptions Clickable

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated May 26, 2017

Until now if you wanted to click on a link in the description of an app in the App Store on your iPhone, well, you couldn't. Links were not clickable, which sometimes was very inconvenient.

A Small but noticeable change, Apple finally made these links clickable. I found out about it today while updating Tweetie.

Or maybe it's been here forever and I'm just figuring it out?

Update: @TouchReviews told me on Twitter that links have been clickable only in the 'updates' section. Very amateurish of me; I should have know that.

Milk Crater: A Different way to Browse Your iPod Music Collection (sponsored)

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

Back in December I tweeted about a new app called TUN3R, a sort of visual dial for Internet Radio. The app is interesting if you like Internet radio, but doesn't really go beyond that. The same folks have just released another application called Milk Crater which they claim to be the world's first real-time audio iPod browser. Okay, but how does it actually work?

Milk Crater generates a large grid created from your iPod collection. It uses cover art to generate the tiles, or if no cover art is available for a song, then it uses the song title.

The first time you run the app, it starts a "Dial Rebuild" process which can take anywhere from 10 seconds to a couple of minutes. It does this in order to generate a giant "dial" (which is more like a grid of cover art and song titles). This is where the fun begins. After generating this “dial”, you can move around it by sliding your fingers.

What really sets Milk Crater apart from other music apps (including the iPod app itself) is the fact that it switches audio in real-time as you slip and slide around the grid with your fingers.

Once you get the hang of it, you can start doing more interesting things like building playlists on-the-fly as you browse. It's also possible to export these playlists back into your iPod, through an e-mail export (the only way possible).

Another worthwhile feature is its search capability, which begins highlighting results on the "dial" as you type.

At this point, it's tough to say if it will replace the iPod app itself, but it may give it a run for its $1.99.

Favorite Apps of the Month

Guest Author ∙ Updated March 5, 2018

These are actually my favorite apps of February but I'm a little late...

Power Downloader [iTunes link] - This is a free app that lets you download a host of files to your iPhone like JPG, GIF, HTML, MP3, MP4, 3GP and more. But, what I like to use it for is downloading YouTube videos for later viewing at full resolution. However, you can only watch the video from within the app and there's no way to get the video off your iPhone. Obviously, Apple wouldn't have an app that would pirate YouTube videos. Since YouTube videos don't stream on 3G at full resolution on the iPhone, this helps to watch your videos more cleanly. There doesn't seem to be a size limit when downloading on 3G.

Which location-based app has more than double the amount of users of Foursquare and Gowalla combined and is free? If the answer is MyTown [iTunes link] you'd be correct! Unlike other location-sharing apps, MyTown plays much more like a real game. When you check in to places, you have the option of buying them for your virtual town. The properties you buy give you constant income and to upgrade them you need money. To level up, you need points and you get that by checking in to more places. I have to admit I'm kind of addicted to this. However, the GPS locating on this app is not very good and I have to type in my location most of the time.

I used Beejive for the longest time to instant message on my iPhone. I loved it for the most part but the app loading time was horrendous. Plus, I paid $9.99 for the app. Then came Meebo [iTunes link]. It's free and I believe it does load a little faster than Beejive. I'm sure it's even more magnified for me since I have the older 3G. 3GS users may or may not see that much of a difference. Sure, Beejive has a lot more features. But, I don't use most of them. I just want to IM. Meebo supports push notifications and when you bring up Meebo on your desktop, push notifications are disabled on your iPhone. Nice touch.

Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock [iTunes link] - Apparently, we sleep in cycles of light and deep sleep. Every night, we set our alarm to go off at a certain time in the morning but many times it is when we are in a deep sleep cycle. So, we're very groggy when it's time to get up. The Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock is app designed to change that. The app will sound a soothing alarm when you're in a light sleep cycle and then you can gradually get up. Just as a warning, sometimes your light sleep cycle could come 30 minutes before you actually want to get up. The accelerometer tracks the movement on your bed and knows if you're in a light or deep sleep cycle. So, yes, you will have to sleep with your iPhone on your bed. And, yes, I have knocked my iPhone off my bed a couple of times. What I really like the $.99 app for is tracking how long I'm in light and deep sleep. I posted a sample of one of my night's sleep. I have a lot of peaks and valleys. I am a light sleeper.

What are your favorite apps of the month?

What Are Your 5 Most Used iPhone Apps?

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

I'm curious to see what App Store or stock apps you use on a daily basis.

Here are my 5 most used apps, in no specific order:

Tweetie 2 Byline Mail Safari Camera

I usually don't use the camera app much but since I started traveling a few months ago, I now use it several times a day.

Please take a few seconds to share your most used apps by leaving a comment.

Hey Apple, Ban This!

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated December 23, 2015

You may have heard that Apple removed over 4,000 sexy apps from the App Store. Apple SVP of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller explained in the NY Times the reason behind the ban:

It came to the point where we were getting customer complaints from women who found the content getting too degrading and objectionable, as well as parents who were upset with what their kids were able to see.

I think it's very hypocritical from Apple to do that, especially because they still allow apps such as Sports Illustrated Swimsuit or Play Boy. Why keep those apps then?

When asked about the Sports Illustrated app, Mr. Schiller said Apple took the source and intent of an app into consideration. “The difference is this is a well-known company with previously published material available broadly in a well-accepted format,” he said.

So I guess parents won't be as upset at what their kids can see on those 2 apps because they come from well-known companies. I fail to understand the reasoning behind this...

Next step for Apple might be to ban Google or even Safari from the iPhone because a simple search on Google Images brings up the following results.

I could have gone much more graphical with the image but you get my point.

I understand the App Store is Apple's own playground and that they can do whatever they want there. What's bugging me though is the dictatorship they have put in place. Not allowing sexy apps in the first place would have been one thing, but removing thousands of sexy apps that were perfectly ok a few days ago is just a Hitler-like move.

Whether you like it or not, it's just the way it is. Personally, I really don't care about these sexy apps but I think it is scary how Apple can change the rules at will. But what are we going to do? Meh, we'll just write a blog post about it, and let it go, because that's all we can do. Once again, I feel like Apple has stabbed iPhone users and developers in the back.

What do you think?

ContactFlow Brings Coverflow to Your Contacts

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

Those of you who have a jailbroken iPhone will probably remember ContactFlow [iTunes Link], the jailbreak app that brought coverflow-style management to your contacts. Turns out that the dev decided to go legit and removed ContactFlow from Cydia to submit it to the App Store.

When you launch ContactFlow, you have access to all your contacts. Just tap on a contact to flip the picture and display associated numbers and e-mails. By selecting a number, ContactFlow will simply call your contact. The SMS icon automatically send you to the SMS application. By the same way, in ContactFlow, selecting an e-mail will send you where you can write a new e-mail.

ContactFlow is available from the App Store for free for a limited time, so get it while you can. In the meantime, have a look at this video demo to see ContactFlow in action.

Small iPhone Developer Makes Big Money

Sébastien Page ∙ January 16, 2010

Reuters has a simple article on their site about how Tapulous, the developer of Tap Tap Revenge is selling apps for over 1 million dollars each month.

What I don't like about this article is how they make it sound like developing apps for the App Store is the new El Dorado.

iPhone app developer Tapulous says its sales have approached $1 million a month, providing fresh evidence of the growing success of start-ups designing programs for Apple Inc's mobile device.

Unfortunately, it's not that easy to make big bucks from the App Store. For every App Store millionaire, there are hundreds if not thousands of developers that miserably fail. Most don't fail because of the quality of their apps. They fail because of the strong competition.

When you see these articles about how much money can be made by developing iPhone apps, please take them with a grain of salt...

Top 40 iPhone Apps of 2009

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated February 5, 2016

With over 100,000 apps in the App Store, it's not always easy to figure out what the best applications are. Besides, what's best for me might not be best for you as we all have different needs.

One criteria that makes it easy to figure out if an app is good or not is the amount sold. The more it sells, the better it is, right? Apple recently came up with a list of those top best seller and top rated apps.

Games The Sims 3 The Oregon Trail Need For Speed Undercover Madden NFL 10 Tiger Woods PGA Tour Assassin's Creed Flight Control - my favorite game Cooking Mama Civilization Revolution Wheel of Fortune Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor Real Racing Zenonia Ravensword: The Falle King Earth Vs Moon Episode 2 Sally's Spa Ragdoll Blaster Canabait Blades of Fury DOOM Classic Apps MobileNavigator North America MLB.com At Bat Textfree Unlimited TomTom US & Canada - I have this but I mostly use Google Maps Golfshot: Golf GPS SlingPlayer Mobile ColorSplash Pocket God Quickoffice Mobile Office Suite The Moron Test ReelDirector Magellan RoadMate 2010 North America Jamie Oliver's 20 Minute Meals I Am T-Pain - I think this app is useless CBS Sports SketchBook Mobile Star Walk - one of my favorite apps Convertbot Leaf Trombone Pano

Which of these apps do you own?