Apps

It's been a couple years since I have reviewed iOS-centric hardware for musicians. This is because with each major iteration of the iPad, Apple has altered the dock input configuration thereby rendering an entire ecosystem of equipment relying on that connection port obsolete.  It was painful to send a stack of old IK Multimedia hardware to the landfill a few years ago when Apple upgraded iPads to use the Lightning connector instead of the original 30-pin dock connector.  A similar roundup of older third-party hardware reliant on the Lightning connector will likely happen again late next year if Apple migrates the rest of its future iPad and iPhone devices to USB-C.  Given Apple's track record, I have resisted investing much additional effort in third-party hardware dependent on proprietary adapters. That is why Eventide's H9 Max Harmonizer Effects Processor ($699) guitar effects stomp box piqued my interest.  

App Saturday: IMDb

By Hallei Halter

With all the movies and TV series coming out, it can be hard to keep track of what you might be interested in watching. IMDb is a source for discovering new and old movies and shows, current show times, ans if you're able to stream a show on Amazon. IMDb is great for any casual viewer or film buff, as the app also provides behind the scenes content and additional information about cast and crew, while recommending other titles you may enjoy. 

If your iPhone or iPad is buggy or frozen, if apps are crashing, or if your iPhone’s settings aren’t working, try turning your iPhone or iPad off and then on again or doing a hard restart. These very basic troubleshooting steps can fix a surprising number of problems with your iPhone or iPad and are almost always worth trying before moving on to more advanced troubleshooting. This article also covers what to do when apps are freezing, crashing, or otherwise malfunctioning on your iPhone or iPad.

New York City-based curve model Meara has leveraged her following to get free products, pay half of her bills every month, and even book national modeling campaigns. Instagram is the fastest growing social network, with more than one-seventh of the global population using it actively every month. That’s a lot of potential. Whether you have a business, a product, or you want to promote yourself creatively like I do, this app is one of the best and most efficient ways to grow a fan base. I’ve leveraged my following to get free products, pay half of my bills every month, and even book national modeling campaigns. I’m a huge fan of the app, and with a bit of discipline and dedication, I think you will be too.

App Saturday: Google Chrome

By Hallei Halter

Considering options for a web browsing alternative to Safari on your iPhone or iPad? Google Chrome is a fast web browser app that can quickly load pages and has loads of features you can easily learn to take advantage of. With so much to offer, here's why Google Chrome is one of our top choices.

App Saturday: YouTube

By Hallei Halter

I used to only watch YouTube when I wanted to do something specific, like looking up a how-to video or watching from a link someone sent me. With so many videos and not so very strict categories, I found it hard to find something I liked right off the bat when just browsing the app. But after liking some videos and subscribing to a couple channels, I began to better navigate YouTube's sea of videos. Now I can browse YouTube and enjoy videos relevant to what I like or branch out to discover new interests. 

We use the internet for just about everything; shopping, banking, communicating with friends and family, and storing music, photos, and videos. It's vital to safeguard all the personal data associated with these services with a different, strong password for each account. A password manager can help you generate and keep each password safe. There are lots of reputable, free password keepers to choose from, including 1Password, True Key, and LastPass. We'll go over the features of these apps so you can choose the best option for your needs. We'll also cover how to install a password app, and how to use it once you have. Let's get started.  

App Saturday: TripAdvisor

By Hallei Halter

Planning trips can go either way: you plan them to the minute or you have a general idea of what you want to do. TripAdvisor helps you to decide on the best travel ideas by finding local spots of interest based on reviews and photos by other regular people. This travel planning app features suggestions by travel magazines and famous personalities who you can follow in the app in order to find more travel destinations that appeal to you. You can also book transport, hotels, and restaurant reservations within this app, making it your travel-planning utility knife.

App Saturday: Yahoo Sports

By Hallei Halter

As any sports fan knows, there's a lot more to keep track of when following your favorite teams or sports than just the scores. Team and individual rankings, decisions made on and off the field, and where the game is taking place can have an impact on not just an individual player but the whole team. For comprehensive coverage of sports that includes all of the above and more, check out Yahoo Sports.

A phone call where you can see the person on the other end in real time; it used to be the stuff of science fiction. In 2010, though, Apple made it a reality when Steve Jobs announced the iPhone 4 and FaceTime at WWDC 2010. Through the years FaceTime has evolved and improved to include more devices and capabilities, until with Apple's latest operating system, iOS 12.1, we finally have group FaceTime, where up to 32 people can use the audio-video feature at once. Since FaceTime has expanded so considerably, the time has come for a guide that includes all the different ways to use the service on iPhone and iPad. We'll cover how to make and join a call using the FaceTime app, iMessages, and Siri, as well as how to use Group FaceTime, Memoji, and Animoji. Let's get started!  

App Saturday: VSCO X

By Hallei Halter

Typical vintage filters for photos slap on a yellow tint and call it a day. VSCO, a photography app that doubles as a photo editor, imitates analog camera settings to make your images look like natural film photos. The app also offers VSCO X, a yearly subscription that bulks up the app to include over 100 filters and tools to edit your photos to look like professional pieces.

It doesn't matter what I'm buying, I always wonder if I could have gotten a better deal. And by better deal, I mean save more money, especially on the neccesities like food and toiletries. The Ibotta app provides rebates on a range of products, occasionally on any brand without restrictions. It's a simple app that's added only a few minutes to my shopping trips, but over time has kept quite a few dollars in my wallet.

If you've updated your iPhone or iPad's operating system to iOS 12, you may be wondering what happened to the level tool. Don't worry, the level hasn't disappeared, it's just been incorporated into the new Measure app. Third-party developers have long offered a level app, a tape measure app, or both, but owners of the iPhone 8 and iPad 5th generation, iPad Pro, or later devices can enjoy the old level feature along with the new tape measure feature for free. If you've been wondering where to find your smartphone or tablet's level (or spirit level as our British friends call it) read on. 

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