iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear

I have reviewed hundreds if not thousands of gadgets over the past ten years, writing for iPhone Life magazine, so it's rare that I run into something dramatically different. But it took a French firm, onTracks, to surprise me. The company sent me a review unit of its onTracks GuideWatch (starting at €179) and I'll never look at smart watches the same way again.

As a native of Rochester, NY, home of Kodak, I always have a soft spot for Kodak gear. The company created the photography industry but then watched as competitors like Polaroid and later smartphones took over. It looks like Kodak is back in the game with its new Kodak Smile Classic ($149.99) which the folks there sent to me to try. I own the latest Fuji and Polaroid instant cameras so I was pleased to see several enhancements that those devices don't match.

BaseLynx Charging Modules: Scosche’s Customizable & Stylish Charging Solution

(Sponsored Post) By Erin Smith on Thu, 01/07/2021

The BaseLynx Modular Charging system by Scosche is a creative and fully customizable way to power your devices without having to use several separate chargers. Why end up with a tangle of cords and cables when you can select the exact number of chargers you want and connect them seamlessly into one attractive charging station? These modules can be arranged and rearranged as you see fit, and are certified safe for your devices.

Tap Disc is a a semi-quirky tap game featuring the challenge of rounding up bouncing and flying disks, but with the added twist of having to time and place your taps at just the right moment and screen spot. I warn would-be tappers that this game is not easy to master quickly (IMO), but presents unique, tap-elicious gameplay that is both pleasing to the eye, and engaging enough to keep you coming back for more. Read on for the full review...

Tilt to Live recently got an update that includes Game Center support and Retina-worthy graphics. You can grab the game (if you aren't already an addict) here. To learn more about this addictive and award winning game, see my Top App picks article here... I am loving the sharper game screens even as I write this. Shoot, no new power-ups though..! Well, it's rumored there might be another present in time for X-mas!

Since my last, dedicated post, the following important events have happened:

1.) a brand new iPhone / iPod Touch-only Web browser, 360 Browser has been released. It has some unique features not present in any other current iOS browser, not even the best one (iCab Mobile): if you double-tap any of the tabs, you'll be presented a context menu also containing "close all other tabs" and "bookmark all tabs" items – just like on a decent desktop browser. With these, mass operations with several open tabs become much faster than in other iOS Web browsers. A screenshot:

As the app store grows, apps are being developed to fill all areas of our life. From astronomy to hunting there's now an app for that. This is the first of what i hope will be a regular column looking at apps for niche markets that may surprise you. This first blog will look at a niche market that's near to my heart-- Ultimate Frisbee.


Ultimate is the fastest growing sport in America. For those of you who have never heard of ultimate, here is a brief description from the USA ultimate website.

Review: Ektopad F1 for iPad

By Louis Senecal

If you like playing games on the iPad then I think this review and product might be right up your alley. Enter the Ektopad, a case that encompasses your device and gives you really something to hold onto to. Whether you are playing games that involve flying, boating, or driving (on this planet or not), this case may help your overall experience.

I am going to quote this from their website because it’s the perfect description.

TextNow is currently available for free, and if you'd like to do free texting on your iPad or iPod touch, this app certainly deserves consideration. They actually give you a free phone number that others can use to send text messages to your iPad or iPod touch. It also can be used to send picture messages. It does have ads, but you can use in-app purchasing to upgrade to a version without apps ($5.99 per year). Here's a video demo.

The Ultimate PDF Reader Roundup

By Werner Ruotsalainen

(Note that a cleaned up and extended, easy-to-digest version of this article – without the lengthy section on the chart – will be published in the iPhone / iPad Buyer's Guide. Go buy it ;-) ).

The iPad offers an excellent way of reading PDF files. While you can do this right in Safari (with web based PDF's) or can freely download Apple's own iBooks, it may be still worth checking out how almost all (!) the currently available PDF reader solutions. Knowing what the alternative PDF readers are capable of is essential as reading online PDF's with Safari lacks any kind of features like in-document searching. In addition, iBooks lacks some essential features too.

I have anticipated this day for quite some time.  Twelve South, the makers of iconic products for the Mac and more recently the iPad, have finally released the BookBook case.  The BookBook has been available for Macbook's for some time and they are gorgeous real leather, black, brown and red works of art that you store your laptop in.  When closed, they look just like classic novels.

 

Wow!  I have a confession to make.  For the last 38 years, I lived a lie.  I told everyone I knew that I enjoyed listening to music.  Now, I can tell you the truth.  I never actually heard music before I started using the JH16-Pro in ear monitors.  To be fair, this was not an intentional lie.  I just had no idea what I was missing.  Now I do…and I do not think I will ever hear music the same way again.  Jump in with both feet and hang on for a wild ride through the JHAudio’s signature custom in ear monitor.

This is a pretty neat little car charger if you want to charge your devices while on the go. Best of all it chargers a multitude of idevices (as you can see below) including the iPad and the new iPhone 4. I think that adds value.

In my test, I used my iPod Touch and iPad. I had no issues providing power to them from my car. With the purchase, you get the micro plug and a black cable. The cable looks and feels heavy duty, thicker than the standard cable that comes from Apple.

Mix: Free iPad Apps

By Louis Senecal

I downloaded an app the other day for my ipad called Appstream for iPad. It reminded me of the old apple store window display that had all the cardboard apps hanging. This is kind of a fun way to find an app. I chose the setting to show me free iPad apps. The apps are displayed in real time. Click on an icon and a new box comes up that gives the pertinent information as well as screenshots and it redirects you to the app store.

 

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