Category: iPhone App of the Week

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Best App Site Gets a Make Over

Along with reviewing technology and gadgets, I also review mobile apps. When the App Store came out a few years ago I started doing an “App of the Week” here on my blog. However, I realized that one iOS App per week just wouldn’t cut it seeing how there there hundreds if not thousands of Apps being released every week. So I decided to setup a dedicated site Best App Site so that App reviews could happen more regularly and also not tie up space here for reviews that some may have no interest in. One of Best App Site’s co-authors and web designer Erik Bernskiold just overhauled the site with a new look and feel. Aside from making the site more appealing to the eye, Erik also did quite a bit a work on the backend to make it easier for us to post reviews and to make it easier for visitors to find the reviews they want. The New Best App Site also is even more mobile friendly with a fluid design that quickly adapts to tablets and smartphones.

A big thanks to Erik and I hope that all of you enjoy the new site as much as I do! Head over to bestappsite.com and check it out.

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Why the iPad is becoming my Favorite GPS Navigation Device

Once Apple updated iOS to allow Apps to run in the background I gave up on dedicated Turn-byTurn GPS units. I've been using the Navigon App on my iPhone ever since.  Navigon updated their Apps to be Universal Apps so that they would be native on the iPad too. I remember thinking at the time, "when would I ever want to use a big iPad for GPS navigation?" The first time I used Navigon on the iPad was actually the Europe version in Denmark. The advantage for me then was that i didn't have a car charger with me and the iPad battery would last much longer than the one on my iPhone 4. On that trip I was the passenger, so I could hold the iPad while Scott Kelby drove. I realized something during that drive. It was really nice having a big screen navigation system. While I love the Navigon App, I've always said that the text was a tad bit too small. However, on iPad that's it's big, beautiful and easy to read. Another advantage is that the iPad has a louder speaker that's easier to hear the directions. 

I decided to give it a try solo. During my last trip to LA I used the iPad as my GPS navigation. I just set the iPad on the seat as I didn't really need to look at it once I started driving. The voice directions were good enough. If you wanted to mount an iPad in your car permanently you could use something like this Arkon mount. However, I only use these devices/Apps in rental cars. Therefore, I don't need a permanent mounting solution.

 

The Bottom Line

The iPhone is always with me and I have no plans to delete the Navigon App from it. However, if I have both devices with me and I'm in a rental car, I'm going to use the iPad for navigation over the iPhone. If you want to use an iPad for navigation, you're going to want the WiFi+3G model as it has a GPS chip in it and the WiFi model does not. Also here's a car charger that will charge both your iPad and phone.

You can get the  Navigon North America App here from the NAVIGON MobileNavigator North America - NAVIGON AG

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All of my sites in one App and it’s FREE

World of Terry White

I've just released my second App for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It's called….wait for it…."Terry White".
 

What's in the App?

Well you get one tap access to all of my current and future content (with the exception the exclusive bonus material in my Learn the Adobe Creative Suite with Terry White App) in one spot. The App includes feeds from:

techblog in the app

So if you like what you see here and you're an iPhone, iPad (soon), or iPod touch (2nd or 3rd generation) user, then you'll probably like the App.

My Photography in the app

Head over to the App Store and grab it here.
If you'd like the back story on how the App was developed, check it out here.

TerryWhite

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GorillaMobile 3G/3GS holds your iPhone

gorillamobile3g3gs

I remember when I first saw the GorillaMobile when it was announced and I kinda mentally dismissed it. Don't get me wrong, I love the GorillaPod line of products. It's just that this wasn't what I was looking for in terms of a "holder" for my iPhone to watch videos on the plane. I was looking for something smaller. I never really found the "right" solution. Most were either too bulky to travel with or didn't allow me to lean the iPhone back far enough for a comfortable viewing angle. 

 

I see the light now

I didn't look at the GorillaMobile again until Joby released their FREE Gorillacam App (which I've reviewed here today). I'm very excited about what the app offers in terms of features and of course many of the features can only be realized if you have a way of holding your iPhone still long enough. For example, doing time lapse photography isn't going to be very exciting holding it by hand. This is when I wanted to look at the GorillaMobile again. So I got one and had a ball using it to take pictures. Once I was done playing with the app for the day I started just playing with the positioning of the GorillaMobile itself and realized that THIS IS the holder I've been looking for! It ships with a case for your iPhone 3G/3GS that has a cutout on the back to place it right on the GorillaMobile. This way you don't have "stick" anything on the back of your iPhone.

Continue reading “GorillaMobile 3G/3GS holds your iPhone”

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iPhone App of the Week – The Best App Site

appstore

I'm very pleased to announced that my iPhone App of the Week reviews have become so popular that starting today I'm launching a NEW dedicated site for them called BestAppSite.com

 

bestappsite

Why a new site?

 When I started the iPhone App of the Week feature a year ago no one imagined that the App Store would take off like it did. As a result my weekly feature has become very popular and is drawing the attention of the App Developer community. I'm getting requests to review apps left and right. Even if I just wanted to review my favorite apps, I've got over 100 on my iPhone and at one app a week it would take 2 years just to do those! Now that the App Store has over 100,000 apps there is no way I would even cover a small fraction of them doing only one a week.
While I could just do more on my regular Tech Blog, quite honestly it just doesn't fit. There are many readers of my blog that DON'T own iPhones or iPod touches and would probably get turned off with increased coverage. So I thought it best to setup a new site dedicated to DAILY reviews of Apps. This way I can not only cover my favorite apps whenever I want, but also major updates to the apps that I've reviewed in the past. Currently, there just isn't enough room on my tech blog to cover new apps AND updates. So again, why not have a dedicated site just for iPhone app reviews, news, updates and accessories?

 

The Site Design

Knowing that I wanted to create a great site that would not only be functional but well designed, I once again enlisted the talent of the legendary web guru Erik Berskiold of XLD Studios in Sweden. I wanted the Best App Site to really be The Best App Site, so I went to one of the best to get it done and once again Erik has come through for me. This guy is amazing and great to work with! If you have a web project in mind you should definitely check him out. You'll also see an occasional App Review on the new site from Erik. 🙂

 

What about the content – News, Reviews and Updates?

I've already populated the new site with a year's worth of reviews that I've already done. So there's lots to check out there already.
Also with the new site design you'll be able to easily look for apps in a particular category, ones that work with the iPod touch and Free vs. Paid apps. Like most "hobbies", this will have to be done in my spare time. However, I will do my best to have at least one review (gulping as I write this) per day. 

 

Of course it also looks good on your iPhone or iPod touch too

bestappsiteoniPhone

 

The Bottom Line

If you're an iPhone or iPod touch user and you want to learn more about the over 100,000 apps out there, this site is the one you'll want to go to. Head over to BestAppSite.com to see today's review. Thanks for your continued support!

 

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TomTom Navigation Apps for iPhone on Sale through 12/28/09

tomtom

As you know I reviewed the TomTom app when it first hit the App Store scene (see my review and video here). One of my original complaints has been addressed and that complaint was about the price! Competition is stiff in the iPhone Navigation App market and although TomTom's first release was less than stellar they have followed up with an update AND some sale pricing. TomTom has also added some of the missing features that I mentioned: they added Lane guidance, Text-to-speech and a Help Me! emergency menu.

So if you're a TomTom interface fan, now's your chance to get the app at a more reasonable price! Also TomTom has released a USA ONLY version for less as well (on sale).

 

TomTom USA Map ONLY for $49.99 here:

TomTom U.S.A.

 

TomTom USA and Canada for $69.99 here:

TomTom U.S. & Canada

 

I always felt that these apps should be in the $50 range (or less), so I'm glad that competition has put some pressure on TomTom.

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iPhone App of the Week – Photographer Assistants

It's 2 for 1 iPhone App of the Week Reviews today. I thought I would cover two apps this week that I've come across to assist photographers. If you are lucky enough to have a photographer's assistant, then you know how nice it is to just concentrate on the shoot. That's because your assistant has packed all the necessary gear that you're going to need and he/she has setup your lighting. All you have to do is walk in and pick up your camera and start shooting. How cool is that? Alas, I'm not so fortunate. Since photography is not my full-time gig, I can't really justify a full-time assistant. So it's all on me. However, these two iPhone/iPod touch apps help me with the details:

 

PhotoAssist
PhotoAssist

PhotoAssist is an app that is geared to help you remember all the gear that you need to take on a particular shoot. It seems like I'm always forgetting something when I do location shoots. So this app is very much appreciated.

inventorylist
The easiest way to start off is to spend some time entering all of your gear into the "Inventory List."

Continue reading “iPhone App of the Week – Photographer Assistants”