Best of AppStorm in May

Coda 2: It’s Here and It’s Awesome

Before Coda, developing websites required a number of different tools. You need a text editor for writing code. You need an FTP application for uploading and downloading files from your server. You need a web browser to preview your work. You often need a database utility to modify your database. And you would often need a terminal application to connect to your server over SSH and make changes. Coda rolled most of the tools needed for these things into a single interface and application. And now Coda 2 builds upon that success.

15 Personal Finance Apps for the Mac

Thanks to personal finance applications, managing and tracking budgets, expenses, cash flows, and potential savings is easier than ever and far less time-consuming. We’ve covered quite a few finance apps for the Mac in the past few months, which shows a growing interest in this category.

We did a round-up of 7 finance software for the Mac two years ago, so I thought it would be interesting to refresh things and take a look at today’s choices for personal finance software. If you’re wondering what’s new, popular, and consistent in the money management category, check out the apps below!

Decibel: Lossless Audio and Beyond

Like many among us, I am not accustomed to paying for a music player. I am happy with iTunes and Winamp in both Windows and Mac. Still, if you are looking forward to pushing the boundaries in playback quality and revolutionary user interfaces, there are a handful choices available in front of us.

Playback of popular lossy formats like MP3 has never been a problem. But when it comes to lossless formats like FLAC, Ogg Vorbis etc. the choices get limited. Decibel is an audio player tailored to the particular needs of audiophiles and promises no discrimination when it comes to lossy or lossless audio formats. Follow me after the fold to check out what’s in store.

When Will We See 4G MacBooks?

This week, the official dates for Apple’s annual WWDC were announced and most people who have been following Apple rumour sites have a fair idea of what exactly is going to be announced. We here at Mac.AppStorm have a strong inkling that the entire MacBook Pro line is going to be refreshed (possibly with those new Ivy Bridge processors and a high-resolution retina display) as well as the iMac range as well.

But what really got me thinking was the idea of 4G MacBooks (4G meaning cell-network-compatible). Yes, it sounds like a bit of a shot in the dark (especially as we haven’t seen 3G-enabled MacBooks so far) but it does seem like a product that would catch on given the higher transfer speeds of 4G and its suitability to more intense web browsing such as video conferencing, HD video streaming and so on.

Keep Your Life and Family Organized With Cozi

Most of us struggle with keeping our busy lives organized, especially if you throw a family into the mix. That is why there are so many apps in the Play Store that deal with personal organization – but it’s hard to weed through them all to find true help. When all the dust has settled, Cozi is one Android app that’s left as a real winner.

Organization requires three separate tools: a calendar, a to-do list, and a shopping list. They are all needed in our every day life and it’d be nice if they all worked together in tandem, and worked for the whole team (or family). Cozi is all of these tools in one convenient app, and they’ve included a journal to boot…

How to Double Your Data Plan for Free With Onavo Extend

A 2 GB data cap isn’t enough. It never has been, and it never will be. You can toe the line but not without incurring the wrath of the throttled download. Tricks like “Turn off location services” are the best we have to offer when friends and family ask how they can get more out of their data plan. That ends now with Onavo Extend.

Onavo Extend is a freshly released app that increases your Android’s data plan by 80% with a few taps. Install the app, speed through the three step setup, and the app starts working its algorithmic magic, compressing data and slashing bills. For free.

Have Fun and Get Creative With Paper Camera

The first thing you need to know about this app is its concept: the effects and filters applied to your photos are made to “cartoonize” them. In fact, it makes your photos look like drawn (or printed) images on paper – hence the name, Paper Camera.

Paper Camera stands out among the wide sea of photography apps in the Play Store. When I first saw the real-time application of its quirky filters, I knew I was going to have fun using it. There’s a lot of potential for your photos with this app – it’s just a matter of letting your imagination take the lead.

How to Push Notifications to Your Android With Pushover

The notification bar is underutilised to say the least, with most notifications coming either from the phone itself or third-party apps letting you know who just tweeted you. Imagine if your website, computer, servers, desktop apps or pretty much anything else could send you important messages, updates and alerts straight to your Android.

That’s the idea behind Pushover: push messages, straight to your phone. Here’s how to get the most out of it.

50 Spectacular Free Apps for Every Windows Installation

For Windows users there is virtually no end of choice of apps and with such a wealth of software titles, things can easily get somewhat overwhelming.

One of the great things about having a huge selection is not only the fact that there is choice, but also that there are free as well as paid-for programs that do the same job. We’ve collected together 50 of the finest apps to save you time hunting for the tools and utilities you need.

Steam: The Future of PC Gaming?

PC gaming in current years has lost its sheen since a big portion of the gaming crowd has transferred to console gaming. When visiting game shops, the PC game section is small and not varied compared to the vast number of games for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Is Steam the answer to PC gaming’s woes? Does Steam really supply what the PC gaming market needs? Let’s find out!

The Metro Experience: For Better or Worse?

When the Consumer Preview of Windows 8 was released back in February, it saw with it one of the most radical design changes to Microsoft’s flagship operating system since the transition from Windows 3.1 to 95.

Although the core operating system remained pretty much unchanged, a new user interface codenamed ‘Metro’ lay at the heart of this release. Taking inspiration from the Windows Phone operating system, Metro brings that familiar launcher to the desktop world with tiles representing apps and a whole new look and feel to your computer.

Ghosts from the Past: A Story of Modern Day Gaming – Part I

Traditionally gamers attribute the advent of gaming to PC. Though it’s true to certain extent, the reins dates back to early ’50s. While the first game was a really simple version of Tic-Tac-Toe (Noughts and Crosses), gaming has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry.

Today, we’re going to take a look back at the evolution of the gaming industry over the years.

Cut the Cable with PlayOn Media Server

I cut the cable TV cord back in college when I lived with four other males in a house where the thermostat’s agreed-upon winter setting never rose above 60 degrees, even when it was below 20 degrees outside. In a house where you don’t pay for comfort-level heating, you definitely don’t pay for cable.

Since that time, I’ve never looked back. If I could make it then, when I actually had time to kill watching TV, I figured I could make it without cable for life. Here’s how I managed to do it!

50 Awesome Text Editors

Let’s face it, there are times when you need to access your files or get some writing done but you’re away from the computer and all you have is your iPhone. Fortunately, the number of text editing apps out there is growing at a rapid rate.

These can allow you to create, edit, save, sync and send your information, all on the fly. And the best part is, with so many different options out there, the odds are good you’ll be able to zero in on one that meets your needs. Click more to get started.

Robbery Bob: The Robbery Game Without Guns

Forget Grand Theft Auto, there is a new robbery game out on the block. While this game does not have all of the action that GTA has, it does not mean it is any less thrilling.

Robbery Bob puts a new twist on previous burglary games. In this review, you will learn why this comically strategic game put this criminal as the most wanted on the App Store charts.

Drafts: a Great Way to Capture and Share Ideas

Drafts from Agile Tortoise is one of the apps that, on first viewing, seems a little basic. There is no disguising the fact that it is a text editor, and not a particularly fully featured one either. Yet there is something about the app – I use it every day, several times a day.

So for all its basic feature list, Drafts occupies a space that is very useful to have occupied, even though it may not seem that way at first. The whole idea behind the app is that when you need to jot something down quickly, there really is “an app for that.” Drafts certainly isn’t the only app that allows you to do that of course, but it is one of the only ones that goes out its way to make that capture process as simple as possible. There are also some other surprising useful features lurking just below the surface.

Max Payne Mobile: Story Driven Shoot-Em-Up

Max Payne Mobile on the iPhone (universal iOS) is a third-person shooter set in a gritty, modern-noir New York criminal underworld. Originally released in 2001 by Remedy Entertainment, it has found its way to iOS, just on the cusp of the release of Max Payne 3.

In the game you take on the titular role of Max Payne, an undercover DEA agent who becomes the main suspect in his friend’s murder, and proceeds to go rogue in order to hunt down the guilty parties. His plan? To rain mad bullets down in an unending torrent of lead that leaves no one left standing. Get gunning after the break.

CloudApp versus Droplr: Which Should You Choose?

So you’ve decided you need a tool to help you share files easily, but can’t quite decide which one. CloudApp and Droplr are the two most popular apps for sharing files from your menubar or directly from the web, but their both so similar it can hard to tell which one is the best for you. The both are web apps for sharing files, they both have native apps for sharing simply from Windows and OS X, they both have free account options, and they now both have pro accounts for sharing more files with more features.

Last year, Jarel wrote an in-depth review comparing CloudApp and Droplr, but a lot has changed in the past year. Let’s look at each of these apps features today, including their native Windows and OS X apps, so you can see which app makes the most sense for you.

Make Fax Machines Obsolete with HelloFax

With the advancement of technology, it is a wonder that fax machines are still around. Although I don’t rely on faxes as much as I used to, I still find myself needing to use one at least once a month or so. There is no way I’d go out and spend the money to buy a dedicated fax machine, plus add another phone line to my bill.

For a while, I was using a cheap fax service online, or I would take advantage of the fact that we had a fax machine at my work office. But then I came across HelloFax and everything that I had done before seemed to feel old and useless. In fact when I was corresponding with my editor on this review, we both had the same thought: Say hello to the new fax machine of 2012.

CronSync Review – One Year On

This time last year, I discovered an unknown web application for time tracking, invoicing and accounting named CronSync. My original review, which can be found here, was a positive one scoring an impressive 9/10.

Unlike some apps however, CronSync hasn’t been lying idle for the past twelve months. The team, based in Germany, has been hard at work upgrading and adding new features. For the past twelve months, I’ve watched CronSync slowly get better and better, and over the last two months several fantastic updates have convinced me that a second review was necessary.

If run a business, hate doing the books and are fed up with Excel, read on.

PayPal Invoices: The Little Known Free Invoicing Tool

PayPal, the original standard for online financial transactions, is still an important part of most of our lives. If you do any work over the internet, from working on a contract for a remote company to designing a website for someone in your own town, chances are you’ll need to send and receive money using PayPal. For the most part, it works great, and even if its website leaves much to be desired, it gets its job done, everyone gets paid, and life goes on.

But then, today I discovered a reason you might want to use PayPal’s website a bit more than for just moving your money around. PayPal’s annoying pre-load ad screen showed me an ad today for PayPal Invoices, a free tool for creating invoices right inside PayPal. Even though I’d already used PayPal for years, I had no idea you could create invoices right inside it. Since you’ll likely need a PayPal account to accept online invoice payments anyhow, it just might be the perfect solution if you’ve been looking for a free online invoice tool.

Spotify: Welcome to the iPad

If you have listened to the buzz about the music industry lately, you have heard of Spotify. Spotify is an online music service with a huge library of millions of songs. Although the Spotify app on the computer is free, adds pop up from time to time, and you can’t go mobile. All of this changes with Spotify Premium. Ads are gone, and you can access your Spotify library on all of your mobile devices be it iPhone, Android, and now the iPad.

10 Brilliant Apps for iPad Shutterbugs

When the iPad was first revealed back in 2010, many people only saw it as purely a device to consume content on. Some of us saw differently. Even before I was able to get my hands on one, I already knew developers were going to seize the opportunity to turn this wonderful device into a productivity powerhouse.
Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just an Instagram junkie looking for something new, there’s guaranteed to be something in the App Store that you’re bound to love.
In this round-up, we’ll help you find the right app you need, whether it be for work or play.

16 Essential iPad Apps for Freelancers

The iPad is a fantastic tool for freelancers.
It’s the perfect mobile computing device that, in combination with the ever-expanding App Store, has the power to transform the way you work. I’ve compiled a list of essential iPad apps for freelancers, read on to become more productive, efficient, and happy that you bought your iPad…

Procreate & Paper: The Engines Mean Everything

Sketchbook Pro. Brushes. Penultimate. Noteshelf. These are only a handful of some of the most popular apps available on the iPad today. Some may have even considered them your only worthy options for illustrating and note taking on a tablet. Chances are, if you own an iPad, you’ve heard of at least one of these names. If not, that’s fine, because today it isn’t about them.
While the aforementioned creativity apps are, in fact, excellent options for anyone looking to use the iPad as a digital note/sketchbook, a couple of apps have since crashed the party and are causing a lot of ruckus – they are Procreate and Paper by FiftyThree. What is it about these two that we love so much? Read on to find out…