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- PadGadget Daily App Deal – 12 iPad Apps on Sale
- TweetyPop – A New Twitter Client That Leaves All Others In The Stone Age
- Heidi Part I for iPad – App Review
- Delivery Status touch – iPad App Review
- Jot! – A Real Time Collaboration App – iPad App Review
- Bird Zapper! – iPad Game Review
- Apple and the “iCloud” Game – Domain Name Ready?
- Album App – iPad App Review
- Distimo: 75,755 iPad Apps Available, Paid Apps Sell for $5.36 on Average
| PadGadget Daily App Deal – 12 iPad Apps on Sale Posted: 28 Apr 2011 08:24 PM PDT
For today’s Daily Deal we’ve found 12 great apps to add to your iPad collection. We have eight productivity / utility apps and four game apps in today’s bundle. We used our PadGadget Apps Tracker to find these great deals and we’ll continue to look for the best app deals as they pop-up. Some of these apps are up to 80% off, some are even free, so be sure to check them out because they are on sale for a limited time.
We use our PadGadget Apps Tracker to constantly monitor the App Store to find the biggest price changes on iPad apps. Our editorial team goes through the data, picks the best deals on the most interesting apps and then brings them to you on a regular basis. All app prices are checked at the time of posting but prices are subject to change without notice. When developers put their games on sale it’s usually for a very limited time, often 24 hours or less, so be sure to check pricing on iTunes before making a purchase. » Related posts:
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| TweetyPop – A New Twitter Client That Leaves All Others In The Stone Age Posted: 28 Apr 2011 06:45 PM PDT
As Twitter clients go, most of them are about the same. Some have more features than others. Some look better. But for the most part, I've found that free Twitter apps are just as good as paid ones and they are not much different than Twitter.com anyway.
That being said, TweetyPop has just blown my mind. Let me give you a visual. Picture this: the feed page is as big as the entire screen and there is a space scene in the background. Your tweets are layered, three-dimensionally, in word balloons that are largest (oldest) to smallest (newest). As you read a tweet, you grab it and swipe it off of the screen, making room for others. You can move the topmost tweets around however you like, and get this- you can use it as a screensaver, allowing your tweets to move around on the screen by themselves.
Even though that alone is more than enough reason to spend the two bucks it costs, there are other features that make it a top notch app. You can have more than one Twitter account at a time. You can include photos from your iPad's camera roll or photo album. You can increase or decrease the speed at which your tweets show up on the screen. You can send to Instapaper. You can fast forward or rewind the timeline to view older posts. You can view a specific time only, like between the past 8 – 15 minutes. If you find yourself longing for the two-dimensional list, you can always choose that as a viewing option, too. Of course, the app includes all of the regular features like, mentions, lists, searches and direct messages, too. This new way of reading tweets is the next big thing. TweetyPop is to Twitter clients as Twitter was to Social Networking.
What I liked: It blew my mind. I just can't say enough about how cool it is. My favorite, though, is the screensaver feature. I like having my tweets just roaming around on my screen while I work. What I didn't like: Umm… nothing. To buy or not to buy: I think you already know how I feel
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| Heidi Part I for iPad – App Review Posted: 28 Apr 2011 06:15 PM PDT
Heidi Part I is the first in a three part series of apps about a loveable little girl forced to live with her grouchy grandfather in the Swiss Alps. When Heidi’s guardian, Aunt Dete, takes a job in Frankfurt, Germany, her aunt leaves her in Switzerland with her grandfather. Heidi is a kind and friendly girl who quickly makes friends and eventually wins over the heart of her grandfather. This enduring story is sure to be one children will enjoy. There are several reading options to choose from when readers start the app. First, they may select either the English or Deutsch (German) version of the story. Once the language is decided, children must then select “Read myself” or “Read to me” to begin. If readers select the German version, they then get to choose between the more proper Hochdeutsch and the Swiss dialect of German (Schweizerdeutsch). In addition to language options, Heidi Part I includes interactive features on every page. Simply tap people’s faces, animals and objects on the page to hear characters talk, church bells chime, birds chirp and more. There’s nothing quite like the quaint villages and breathtaking scenery in the Swiss Alps and this enjoyable adaptation of Heidi for the iPad encompasses it into the story. This app combines a classic story, beautiful illustrations and interactive features to create a wonderful 21st century version of Heidi for children across the globe to experience. What I liked: A timeless story, beautiful illustrations and language options make this app appealing to both young and old. What I didn’t like: There’s no way to return to the home screen when reading without stopping and restarting the app. Also, readers have a limited area to tap on each character so they can hear them talk. To buy or not to buy: If you appreciate timeless classics and want your children to do the same, Heidi Part I for iPad will be an excellent addition to your book app collection.
Note: Heidi Part II (Heidi in Frankfurt) will be in the App Store in June 2011 and Part III (Klara learns to walk) comes in August. » Related posts:
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| Delivery Status touch – iPad App Review Posted: 28 Apr 2011 01:23 PM PDT
When you start Delivery Status, it asks for your location, and then zooms in to a map of where you are located. To add a delivery, you click the plus sign, where it opens a menu to enter tracking information. You can add detailed information from over 30 services all over the world. I entered data from a recent Amazon order. I put in my order number, my email address, and password. It pulled the tracking data from the Amazon website, and displayed the exact location of where my package is currently located, as well as information about the items included in my shipment. From the map screen, where all of your individual shipments are located, there are options to view your tracking information online and to share the tracking information via email. I wanted to note that I wasn't thrilled with putting in my Amazon.com username and password, but it was easier just using my order number and letting Delivery Status look up all the information for me, instead of going through the hassle of finding individual tracking numbers on Amazon's site. You don't need to put in personal information to use this app though – it would have worked just as well with a simple tracking number.
I loved that Delivery Status makes checking on packages simple and quick. I no longer need to log into multiple websites each day, such as Fed-Ex, UPS, and USPS to see where my packages are located. They're all in one place, with a map feature that visually displays the locations of all your packages with a map marker. The interface is clean, clutter-free, and intuitive. By creating and signing into a Junecloud account, you are able to access your data from any computer or web enabled device. This worked flawlessly. After I created my account, I logged into the Junecloud website and immediately saw the tracking information I had entered. When you get deeper into the features of this app, things get more complicated. If you want to receive push notifications for updates on your packages, you have to install additional software on your Mac. From the website, you can install a widget that will display tracking information and that will allow you to send push notifications to your iPhone (yes, it’s universal) or iPad as long as your computer is on. The widget is free, so if you're interested in what Junecloud does, I'd recommend checking it out to get an idea of how it all works. It's a great tracking widget on its own, but the complete tracking system is even better. What I liked: Package tracking is a breeze with this app, and it's great for incoming or outgoing packages. I send things to people often, and it's nice knowing that everything is going fine in just a couple of seconds after starting up the app. What I didn’t like: I would prefer an innate push notification system that did not require me to install software on my computer. To buy or not to buy: I'm not a Windows user, but the Junecloud website and app indicate that this system only works on OS X. So if you're a PC user that wants to sync this app with your computer, or get push notifications, I'd stay away. However, if you just want to track packages on the iPad, then this is a great app for that. If you're a Mac user, go for it, everything is perfectly integrated. This app ended up being very useful to me and was something I didn’t know that I needed until I had it. I’d highly recommended downloading this one - you’ll be amazed how much simpler it is to keep track of sending and receiving packages and you will wonder why you didn’t have this functionality ages ago.
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| Jot! – A Real Time Collaboration App – iPad App Review Posted: 28 Apr 2011 12:00 PM PDT
This simple to use note-taking/doodling/ productivity app is multi-functional, flows nicely and looks great on the iPad. You can free-hand draw with your finger or stylus or you can add text with just a tap. You can copy and past lines, change their color, or delete them altogether. You can save your Jot! to your photo library, email it or print it. Of course, this is in addition to the amazing ability to share the whiteboard live with others. When you open a blank sheet, you have a side panel with a few options. Pick a color and start drawing If you mess up, you can either use the eraser, or just delete the line you don't like. You can grab a line by touching and holding for a second. An edit panel will show up that allows you to move the line, drag it to the garbage, copy it or change the color.
Once you are finished with your doodle, or what every you are creating, you can start a new one and the old one will be automatically saved within the app. If you are ready to send your work of art to someone, you have the option of sending it as a "jot" file (when I tried this, I was unable to open it on my computer. Apparently there is a .jot application you can get), a PDF or an image.
You can join a Live Sharing session in read-only mode for free, but to host a session, or to collaborate during a session you must subscribe to the service at a cost of either $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year. There is a free two-week trial version so you can give it a test drive before making the plunge.
The app is available for the iPad for $4.99 or the iPhone at $2.99. There is also a free iPad version that you can participate in Live Sharing with, too. What I liked: This app is easy to use and is not bogged down by a lot of unnecessary features. Too much clutter can stifle creativity and this app avoids that, without seeming like a waste of money. What I didn't like: Adding AirPlay capability would be a cool feature. There are only four color options, and while that is what you get in a pack of whiteboard pens, it would be nice to have a couple of extras, like yellow and orange. To buy or not to buy: The app is priced at $4.99 and I might have called it too expensive. But with the Live Sharing feature, this is a definite buy for collaborative types.  » Related posts:
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| Bird Zapper! – iPad Game Review Posted: 28 Apr 2011 11:02 AM PDT
The premise of the game is very simple: annoying little birds (of various types) have hijacked your power lines. They slide across the screen in and out of view and as they do you need to zap them by swiping across them with your finger –but you are doing a little pattern matching in the process because you need to be swiping birds that are alike in groups of 3 or more.
The graphics are bright and fun and the background music is just the right amount of motivating and engaging without being too annoying. I should note that the sound effects as you zap the birds are very satisfying.
As you zap birds, a battery graphic on the screen shows your energy remaining. Zap 1,000 birds to get more battery life. It truly is an exciting race against the clock! For those of you who like shortcuts, there is the option to buy additional batteries (50 for $0.99) with an in-game purchase from the App Store. This game doesn’t skimp on the details, among other settings you can choose between 5 languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch) so you can zap birds in your native tongue. What I liked: Everything! It was a fun game from start to finish. What I didn't like: That I had to stop playing it to return to my ‘regular life’. To buy or not to buy: Absolutely! This is one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played in quite some time –and I download a lot of games!
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| Apple and the “iCloud” Game – Domain Name Ready? Posted: 28 Apr 2011 08:37 AM PDT
The rumors about Apple’s new cloud service keep getting stronger. The last several weeks have been quite entertaining for the Cupertino company. First, we heard the company stopped selling MobileMe on retail stores. Then, we heard that iOS 5 would be focused on cloud-based features, and a new "personal media locker" hosting service would be released for your music, videos and photos at a $20 to $25 yearly cost. Now, a new report indicates that Apple may have bought the iCloud.com domain name for its service. GigaOM has reported that Xcerion may have sold the iCloud.com domain to Apple. If you search for it, the iCloud.com domain name was being used as a “storage-as-a-cloud” service by Xcerion. Xcerion acquired the domain name in April 5, 2011 and recently rebranded the domain name to “CloudMe”. According to GigaOm, a source very familiar with the situation has informed the tech blog about Apple’s potential new name for its much awaited cloud-based music service. GigaOm’s tipster claims the name will be “iCloud”. If you do a Whois search for the iCloud.com domain name, Xcerion still comes up as the domain’s owner. But, if GigaOm’s report proves to be correct, Apple spent $4.5 million to buy the domain name. A week ago, Reuters reported that Apple have completed work on its new cloud-based storage system, and everything appeared to be finalized including deals with major record labels. Will this be the actual domain name used for the new cloud service? Of course, Apple can always change its plans. Stay tuned. [via GigaOm] » Related posts:
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| Posted: 28 Apr 2011 08:12 AM PDT
After uploading photos, creating an album takes just one touch. Album App’s photo editing capabilities, however, are very basic. For example, there is no way to remove red eye, so photos should be cropped and retouched before uploading them to Album App. The program does allow users to change the size of photos, as well as angle them, and layer them. I found using the touch screen to re-size the photos in Album App rather imprecise. Album App’s real strength is its photo layout capabilities. Are there any other former high school yearbook editors out there? If so you all will appreciate how fun it is to add up to four photos onto one album page, in a variety of attractive configurations. Album App also lets you add text, objects, backgrounds, and themes to your albums. These options are all quite limited, and not always logically thought out. For example, a user can choose from a decent number of different fonts, but cannot change the font size when adding text, yet text can be added in almost any color. It was also difficult to undo anything. At the moment, it is easy to accidentally add a page, but you cannot delete one, though the developer promises that this will be fixed in the next update. Album App also does not allow you to export albums at the present time. I imported 50 photos from facebook to my camera roll to create a test album. I also imported my Flickr photos. I have around 100 photos on Flickr, but the app warned me that “this may take awhile” and it did. It didn’t give the option to select certain flickr photos, so for users who have chronicled their lives on Flickr, or made exhaustive sets that document their Hummel collection, be warned, it really will take awhile. Album App’s UI is clean. It looks like the developers hired the same interior decorator as Wunderlist HD. Both apps favor light hardwoods, dark tapestries, and share a bright red logo. I was pleased with the the album I created using Album App, which is available for download in the App Store for $3.99.
What I liked:Album App was relatively easy to figure out. It featured attractive, preset photo layouts that made my pictures look good. What I didn't like: There were a number of useful functions missing. It is annoying not to be able to delete an album page. It is frustrating not to be able to change the font size. While these limitations do not interfere with the app’s basic function, they do limit its over all utility. To buy or not to buy: If you are looking for a way to construct simple photo albums, then Album App is a good choice. However users who need to do basic photo editing, or anyone whose Flickr library contains a large number of images may find the app does not meet their needs.
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| Distimo: 75,755 iPad Apps Available, Paid Apps Sell for $5.36 on Average Posted: 28 Apr 2011 07:10 AM PDT
According to Distimo, exactly 75,755 apps have been built or ported to the iPad since its launch on April 3, 2010 – a little lower than our own estimate of 80,000 apps. Interestingly, and unlike the iPhone and Android, iPad apps have become more expensive over time, which can be explained by the fact that iPad apps developers seem to be shying away from in-app purchases.
Distimo also shows that many iPad developers have recently started to diversify, as several of their apps are now also available on competing eco-systems, such as Android and QNX – a sign that the iPad competition is finally coming. These developers include Chillingo, Electronic Arts and Gameloft, which already released some of their iPad apps catalog on Android and BlackBerry, and are working on porting more apps throughout the year.
This news shouldn’t come as a surprise, as after all, both Google and Rim have been working double shifts to bring to the market tablets able to compete with the iPad, such as the Motorola Xoom, and Rim’s PlayBook. But to this day, both Android and QNX are still far behind when it comes to their share of the tablet market, and while these competing eco-systems are poised to grow, it will take years for them to catch up. » Related posts:
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When Johanna Spyri wrote the now world renowned children’s book Heidi over 130 years ago, I’m certain she never dreamed of children reading her book on a electronic device like the iPad. Now thanks to Swiss app developer and mother Katrin Draemann Barothy, this classic story is available in the App Store for the reading pleasure of children around the world.
The makers of the popular whiteboard app 
There are two new words for addition and they are 
Gameplay has many levels because as you progress there are bonus features such as eggs and frozen birds that eliminate other birds by smashing the ice. In addition, you can choose from 3 modes of play including Survival, Blitz, and Zen Mode!
If you are looking for an easy way to create photo albums on your iPad, then 
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