Category: I-phone

As the editor of one of the best iPhone app publications around, I spend a lot of time in the iTunes App Store. Significant portions of my every day life are spent browsing new offerings, spotting trends and checking out the latest updates to already popular applications.

Every time I visit the App Store I can’t help but notice how broken it is. Searching and even browsing for apps is an incredibly inefficient process that gobbles up time easier than playing Angry Birds. Below we’ll discuss what’s wrong and why Apple needs to quit dragging their feet and implement a fix already!

A Lack of Progressive Improvement

Apple debuted the App Store in July of 2008. The idea was simple, to let anyone and everyone have a shot at creating great applications for the iPhone and distribute them in a widely publicized forum. The result was a carefully planned gold rush.

The unprecedented influx of developers has led to the current number of well over 300,000 applications available for download to anyone with a mobile device containing the logo of our favorite fruit-inspired technology company.

How has Apple responded to this growth? Despite receiving the occasional minor facelift, the iTunes App Store is almost identical to what we were using three years ago. Sure, the system worked well for a few thousand apps, but isn’t it starting to show some inefficiencies now that we’re pushing half of a million?

Search Clutter

To illustrate some of the problems, let’s run a typical search. I’m a sucker for note-taking apps so I opened up the iTunes store, navigated to the App Store section and then ran a search for “notes”.

An App Atore search for note apps

We’ve already hit a problem. I took special care to first navigate to the App Store section before running my search, but did that give priority to apps in my search in any way? Nope. Instead, I get all kinds of movies, songs, shows, books, audiobooks and of course, apps.

If I scroll down far enough or use the navigation, I finally find the applications section. Here I choose between the iPhone and iPad applications. Where’s the option to only view universal applications? There isn’t one. The categories aren’t mutually exclusive, but your search options are!

Choosing between iPhone and iPad apps

The Sea of Icons

Once I decide to search only iPhone apps, I’m brought to a grid of apps that meet my search criteria. With a fairly generic search term like the one I entered, you get tons of results. I don’t know exactly how many results, because this isn’t printed in the results. Nor does it tell me how many pages of results there are, just “Page 1″ along with “Back” and “Next” links at the bottom of the page.

Notice how little information I’m actually receiving here: the app name, icon, price, category and date of the last update.

Click randomly and hope you stumble on something great

From here I’m forced to judge an app based solely on its name and icon design. This inevitably leads to tons of unnecessary clicking to view an app’s dedicated page only to immediately realize that it’s not what you’re looking for at all.

If only iTunes had some sort of list/icon hybrid view capable of showing you more information. Oh wait, it does.

Click randomly and hope you stumble on something great

Wouldn’t something laid out like this be great for searching apps? The app icon could be where the album art is placed and the app description could go where the song list is on the right. It’s already built into your iTunes music library so the format is familiar and they could include a similar view-switcher so that the old icon grid view is still there for anyone that wants it.

Drilling Down

An even bigger problem with the endless sea of icons is that there’s no way to refine my search any further. My search likely yielded hundreds or even thousands of apps, why can’t I filter the results and save myself a few hours of searching?

For instance, from this point I should be able to tell iTunes to only show me the results for the free apps with 3+ stars in the productivity category. Unfortunately, I’m stuck with the pitiful results that iTunes gives me. Or am I?

Better Search Already Exists

You might be thinking that this is all nice in theory, but the App Store is a huge database that can’t just be filtered willy nilly without intense code overhauls. However, the truth is that it’s really not that hard for the system to drill down further. In fact, everyone else is already doing it.

Services like Uquery offer App Store search with the exact features that I’m requesting from Apple. Notice the layout of the results and the filters on the left.

Uquery: Better App Store Search

Chomp, another popular App Store search service, takes things a step further and even adds a screenshot to the results. This is in addition to a brief description (which admittedly could be a bit longer) and filtering options. It’s extremely nice to be able to get a look at the app before clicking to find out more information. I’d love to see something like this from Apple.

Chomp App Store Search

The iPad Already Does It

For users who prefer to search for apps on the iPhone rather than in iTunes, you fall into the same problems. And yet again there are third party developers like AppShopper offering a better experience.

The crazy part is, Apple seems to understand at least the filtering aspect of the problem, and they’ve even addressed it, just not in iTunes or on your iPhone. Check out what iPad owners get when they search the App Store.

iPad App Store Search

Look at that! Apple has included numerous filters that make it easy to trim your results from thousands to something much more manageable. I’ve waited patiently for these to make their way into the Mac and the iPhone App Store search, but it still hasn’t happened. Apple has the created these cool features and implemented them in a single location, and they work great. Don’t you think it’s time to roll them out across the board?

Conclusion

I absolutely love the App Store. It’s literally one of the best things Apple has ever created and has come to define the current generation of personal technology. However, it’s starting to outgrow its infrastructure and Apple needs to begin taking steps to address this issue. I shouldn’t have to look to a third party to run a basic search on Apple’s marketplace.

For now, I’ve made my iPad the primary place that I go to search for apps. Hopefully, Apple will begin to roll out similar filter features on other platforms. Until that happens, you should check out Uquery and Chomp for desktop browsing and AppShopper or one of its fifty competitors for browsing directly on your iPhone.

Leave a comment below and tell us your preferred method of searching the app store. Do you search Apple’s tools or have you switched to a third party solution?

It’s now March. Spring is descending upon us and 2011 (the year of the iPad 2) is getting into full swing! You should know by now whether the grand health plans you laid out in the dark heavy depths of winter are bearing fruit.

Whether it’s all going great and you’ve never been fitter, or you’ve hit an exercise wall, Full Fitness may be just the thing to bring new energy and fresh inspiration to your exercise routines!

Full Fitness

While there are a huge number of health and fitness apps on the App Store I’m going to have a look here at Full Fitness as a potential way to invigorate your exercise routines (and health generally). It’s one of the more popular workout apps, is well priced at $0.99, and takes over from the excellent iFitness App that ranked very highly in its day!

Full Fitness

If you’re looking to turn your iPhone into the perfect exercise companion then Full Fitness could be the App you’re looking for – it boasts a huge exercise list and includes some unexpectedly useful features!

Design & Interface

Something that, to my mind, can instantly make or break an app is the design of its interface. I can’t stand cluttered, ugly, or insistent Apps, and have a definite standard when it comes to App icons (nothing tacky please). Fortunately, Full Fitness has a good looking interface that’s effortless to get to grips with!

User Interface

It uses a simple tab bar for navigation, an example of good functional design, and makes nice use of a red and grey color scheme. The best design features become obvious as you begin to truly use the app: the exercise photographs are a good quality and the graphs look great once you’ve filled them with data!

Clear Photographs

Getting Your Heart Going

The primary functionality of Full Fitness is to provide you with a huge database of exercises and routines that will get you that much nearer to your fitness goals. You can’t argue with the database on the detail front – it includes over 300 exercises, all with pictures, videos, and text instructions for the uninitiated.

Getting Your Heart Going

Simply tap the video icon on the exercise page to see a short demonstration!

In addition to the detailed explanation of all the exercises, I find the solid categorization of all the exercises a really nice touch. You can search by body part, specific muscle (using a rather medical diagram), or equipment. The list of immediate categories is a good way to get started and includes such areas as:

• Abdominals
• Arms
• Back
• Chest
• Legs
• Shoulders
• Cardio
• Stretches

Personally, I have found the equipment category to be particularly useful if you’re on the move or away from the gym, as it allows you to find those exercises that can be done without the aid of expensive (and practically immovable) equipment.

The Equipment List

Alongside the database of exercises Full Fitness also provides users with some predefined workout programs and the ability to create and customise their own workouts, allowing you to tailor them to your own specific needs. The preset programs are in two categories; sports-specific and goal-orientated.

Workout Programs

The goal-orientated programs include such workouts as:

• Beginner Program
• Weight Loss Program
• Muscle Building Program
• Business Travel Workout
• 30 Minute Chest Workout
• And many more…

The sports-specific programs are more self explanatory. They are primarily designed to help you prepare and condition for a particular sport – anything from tennis to golf! These programs come with detailed descriptions of the workout ethic behind them and prebuilt workout plans, and are sometimes even broken down into pre-season, in-season, and post-season routines.

A Sports Specific Program

While there is a lot of choice, it would still be great to see more sports and activity specific programs. I love snowboarding but am always caught out in the first couple of days by the intense pressure put on muscles you normally never use!

Tracking Your Progress

The last piece of major functionality that Full Fitness provides is a way to keep track of the exercise you’re doing and monitor your overall health and fitness progress. You can enter details for each specific exercise session including details like weight and repetitions to keep an extremely close eye on your progress!

Tracking Your Routines

Full Fitness also allows you to add your own custom exercises so you can keep track of those as well.

For those of us who are less concerned with pushing up weight and reps and are instead aiming for more long term goals, Full Fitness also allows you to track your progress in a less time intensive way. You can monitor your body weight, BMI, and measurements.

Tracking Your Weight and BMI

It’s really useful to be able to track your weight and BMI if you’re pushing for a more healthy lifestyle, and Full Fitness does both of these things elegantly. It also includes a calorie counter – a clear attempt at broadening the scope of the app. However, it becomes a rather laborious task to keep track of your food intake on Full Fitness, if that is what you want then there are better Apps out there!

Counting Calories

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re looking for a way to track and push forward in your workout routines, or simply a good way to invigorate and inspire your approach to exercise, Full Fitness could be the app for you! It’s a great way to turn your iPhone into the perfect workout buddy, for only $0.99.

On a final note it’s worth saying that, while Full Fitness can be a good companion, your ultimate success will depend entirely upon your commitment to the cause – your iPhone can’t exercise for you….. yet.

Everyone’s current favorite rumor regarding the iPhone 5 points to the possibility of the glass back plate being changed to aluminum, similar to that seen on the iPod Touch. The glass back on the iPhone 4 has reportedly caused several problems both structural, with breaking and scratching, and functional, due to difficulties with painting and camera interaction on the ever illusive white iPhone 4.

Also, an aluminum back would both be lighter and cheaper to manufacture, which aligns with rumors about Apple seeking to reduce the overall cost of the iPhone.

Personally, I really like the glass back. The iPhone 4 is heavy, but in a good way that makes it feel like a solid product. I’m actually much less prone to dropping it than my extremely light iPod Touch, which always has a way of slipping out of my grip.

Today we want to know what you think. Would you prefer an iPhone with an aluminum back or are you a fan of the glass currently seen on the iPhone 4? Vote in the poll on the right and tell us why in the comments below!

Spring is in the air (I know this because there’s a St. Patrick’s Day edition of Angry Birds Seasons out) and that means that all nature’s glories are emerging from the winter gloom: birds, trees, iPad 2s…

If you happen to be enjoying the weather (standing in line) out in the wilderness (beside an Apple Store) and need some extra help distracting yourself from what’s around you, we offer the following collection of excellent titles — careful though, some of these are obscenely addictive!

Hot Springs Story

Hot Springs Story

If ever there was an iOS game that could be accused of being obscenely addictive, it wouldn’t be Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja…it would be Game Dev Story. Everyone who’s played or is currently playing it is nodding right now. See, although it’s odd, has a decidedly Eastern aesthetic, and is essentially about micromanaging a game design company, it manages to be so utterly and effortlessly engrossing that it’s downright challenging to stop playing.

Hot Springs Story takes that same winning formula and applies it to the creation and management of a Japanese hot springs inn, of all things. If you haven’t played Game Dev Story, then first of all go get it and schedule some hours off, but in the meantime you ought to imagine the gameplay as something like a cross between Sim City and an RTS where you place structures and can upgrade their efficiency.

Building the best hot springs spa is no cakewalk, and you’ll find yourself having to be strategic about placing and managing items and people to attract VIP guests. For fans of Kairosoft’s titles, this game has already bought itself. For everyone else, you owe it to yourself to check this out. If you haven’t played Game Dev Story, I’d recommend you start there, but either of these games will keep you very busy and very happily addicted.

Price: $3.99
Developer: Kairosoft Co., Ltd
Download: App Store

Air Supply – 1bit Run

Air Supply – 1bit Run

Forget 8-bit. You want nostalgic lo-fi? Try one bit graphics. This is Air Supply. Joining the ranks of the running genre, Air Supply offers some novelty in its unique presentation. The white (or green, etc) on black graphics are wonderfully retro and give it an arcade feel. Don’t worry though, as animations, music, SFX, and the general polish of the game are all top-notch.

As the title suggests, the reason for your mad dash across the landscape has to do with your diminishing supply of air. As you run, you’ll need to pick up O2 canisters to keep breathing, as well as powerups to help you defeat the enemies you’ll encounter while shooting, jumping, and jogging along.

There are even a number of achievements to encourage you to keep striving for a high score. For its great aesthetic, excellent gameplay polish, and simple fun factor, Air Supply gets our recommendation!

Price: $0.99
Developer: Quantum Sheep
Download: App Store

My Star

My Star

Games of the sim variety on the iPhone have generally revolved around creating a town, or a city, or some manner of environment. My Star offers a departure from this convention in its focus on the development of a single character: a rock star. It’s an interesting twist and you’ll find that the concept has been executed with impressive levels of content quality and quantity.

Playing the game involves collecting accessories with which to adorn your star, as well as decorating his/her room, playing musical instruments to improve their skill, posting virtual posters in real world locations, and playing various mini-games. The game is very socially minded, so you’ll find lots of opportunities to make friends and share your progress in various ways. You can even opt to get emails and text messages from your star.

The free price tag here comes, as always, with the caveat of having many items in the game available as in-app purchases if you’re not patient enough to earn the in-game currency by playing. Either way, My Star is a competent and enjoyable spin on the sim genre that anyone — but particularly music fans — should be into.

Price: Free
Developer: Orange FT
Download: App Store

Aralon: Sword and Shadow

Aralon: Sword and Shadow HD

Although it’s already becoming less of a novelty to see a large-scale fantasy RPG make its way to the iPhone, every now and again we have to stop and be impressed by just how epic a gaming experience can be had in our mobile phones. Take Aralon: Sword and Shadow for instance.

Not only are the graphics truly stunning, but the 30+ hour quest takes place in a completely 3D world with a day/night cycle, hundreds of items, many complex skills such as fishing, swimming, etc., a pet and henchmen system, 8 types of mounts, 3 playable races, factions, side-quests…all on your phone. The best news is that all this daunting amount of content is well optimized for the system, though you’ll need a 3GS or newer device to run it properly.

Though pricey and quite hefty, Aralon may literally be the most expansive 3D RPG on the platform to date, and the fact that a console-scale title is available on the go for a mobile phone is no doubt going to make a lot of RPG fans very happy.

Price: $9.99
Developer: Crescent Moon Games
Download: App Store

Hunters: Episode 1

Hunters: Episode One

Rounding off this week’s list is an interesting game called Hunters: Episode One, that sits in the turn-based strategy corner and sports some fancy features that set it apart from the pack, not to mention excellent graphics and smooth gameplay.

The game begins on your ship, where you can view your units (mercenaries known as Hunters), equip them, and deal with salvaged loot. The game itself unfolds once you’ve accepted one of the missions from the bridge. Every real world day, you get a replenished set of contracts to play through, and each hour the trade area will be filled with new items. It’s an interesting incentive to keep playing, and for the most part it works. Once you’re playing a level, your turn will consist of moving your mercenaries across the well designed levels and dealing with the enemies you will encounter.

The beginning levels are quite easy, but as you progress you’ll find yourself sorely challenged and needing to be strategic about your equipment upgrades and movement patterns, which is just as it should be. The game is available for free with the limitation that you can only get your team to level two — an in-app purchase removes this cap, though you are not prevented from continuing to play at a low level for as long as you like.

Price: Free
Developer: Rodeo Games
Download: App Store

What Have You Been Playing?

That does it for this week; we hope you enjoy our picks and that you will drop us some comments to let us know what other discoveries you’ve made this week!

In this Quick Look, we’re highlighting EATouch. The developer describes EATouch as follows:

EATouch is the shopping list fast and illustrated: with few taps you can choose from more than 200 products, build your list and go to the supermarket of confidence to start buying. Checking products already in the cart, you can easily shake your iPhone to find out what you have not purchased.

Read on for more information and screenshots!

Screenshots

EATouch

About the App

Here are the top five features you can expect to see in the latest version:

• Touch icon list compositing
• Two simple categories, food and others
• Sort by frequency of choise or alphabetical
• Shake an delete your already purchased items
• Nice and clean design

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
Price: $0.99
Developer: Gusto IDS

Vote for a Review

Would you like to see us write a full review of EATouch? Have your say in our poll:

Would you like to see EATouch reviewed in-depth on AppStorm?Market Research

Quick Look posts are paid submissions offering only a brief overview of an app. Vote in the poll if you think this app is worth an in-depth AppStorm review! If you’re a developer and would like to have your app profiled, you can submit it here.

The wizards at Evernote have done it again. They’ve completely overhauled Evernote for iPhone not just by adding a few features, but through a total redesign of the UI.

Today we’re going to take a look at what has changed and whether or not the update has made for a better or worse experience.

What Is Evernote?

In the incredibly rare case that you happen to be someone who has never heard of Evernote, it’s basically a digital drawer. Every scrap of information that you want to keep but have no idea where to put finds a home inside of Evernote where it is optimized for searching on several levels including tags, notebooks, and even OCR.

Evernote

The best part about Evernote is that it is everywhere you need it to be. There is an Evernote application for Mac, Windows, iPad, Android, Blackberry, Palm Pre, Windows Mobile and of course, the iPhone. Each of these versions automatically syncs over the cloud with every other version that you log into.

If all that isn’t to good to be true, here’s the kicker: it’s free. The apps are free, the service is free, you don’t have to pay a dime to use this amazing suite of products. There are premium plans for power users but I would wager that most people will be perfectly satisfied with a free account (I certainly am).

Evernote 4.0

Since day one, the iPhone version of Evernote has been a great app. To be honest, I thought Evernote 3.0 was gorgeous so I was pretty skeptical when I read that they had redesigned the entire application! So did they improve it yet again or screw it up? Let’s take a look.

Viewing Notes

As soon as you open the new Evernote, you’ll see that it’s completely different. In fact, it appears they’ve fundamentally changed their assumptions about how most people want to use the app.

The old version had a strong focus on note creation. When you started it up, the first thing you saw was a screen with four options for creating different types of notes. After looking around for a second, you’d spot the button to see your current notes on the bottom.

Evernote 3 (left) vs. Evernote 4 (right)

As you can see above, the new version has shifted the focus much further towards browsing current notes. Now the first thing you see when you open the app is all your notes sorted by the date they were created.

As you can see, the familiar scroll bar from the iPad version is on the right side, making it easy to quickly jump to a specific section of the list rather than flicking for minutes on end.

Also notice the little icon in the upper right corner with four boxes. Tapping here will take you to a new screen with three filters for note browsing: images, attachments and locations. Tapping on any of these will show you only those notes that match that specific data type.

Filtering notes by type

Further Filtering

If you’re familiar with Evernote then you know that the simple combination of tags and notebooks can make for a very powerful organizational system whereby you can find just about anything in a second or two. The buttons along the bottom have been repurposed and now provide quicker access to drill down into your notes by notebooks and tags.

Notebooks and Tags

Notice that the Favorites section is now tucked inside the Notebooks tab. This is important because on the iPhone, starred notes are the only ones accessible when you are offline.

Creating a New Note

Though the new Evernote has made a shift towards focusing on current notes, that doesn’t mean they slacked off in the note creation category. At the bottom center of the main screen is a bright blue plus button that you simply can’t miss, this takes you to a brand new and super slick “New Note” screen.

This new screen makes it a breeze to create new notes on the fly, allowing you to customize as little or much as you want. Everything is geared towards visual thinkers so you simply tap the big buttons along the bottom to add a recording, location, tag, image and/or to assign a notebook.

I instantly loved this new layout and the more I thought about it, the more I remembered loving it in another app a long time ago. I did some digging and it turns out I was right, the Evernote New Note screen is almost a direct clone of the old Tweetie app for iPhone!

Evernote (left) and Tweetie (right)

It makes sense that the Evernote crew would use this app for inspiration. After all, it was so good that Twitter bought out Atebits and rebranded the app as Twitter for iPhone! They’ve since abandoned this particular screen so I don’t see why we shouldn’t get to take advantage of the great layout in Evernote.

Another great new feature here is the ability add and manage all attachments that are made to a note. You can easily view all the attachments individually, check out the full list, and delete anything you don’t want.

Closing Thoughts

Though I liked the overall look of the previous version of Evernote, it really wasn’t ideally suited for my needs. I do well over 95% of my note creation on my Mac and mainly use Evernote for iPhone to browse and view this information when I’m away from my desk. Any time someone asked me about something for which I had to refer to Evernote, I inevitably had to make several “hold on, almost there…” comments as I fumbled through the interface and tried to find what I was looking for.

Evernote 4.0 dramatically increases the speed at which I can locate specific notes. The key is quick access to both tags and notebooks right from the opening screen in conjunction with the ability to quickly drill down by note type.

Further, the new note creation screen has really come a long way because it doesn’t force you into a choice of which type of note you want to create like the old home screen did (shown above). Note types aren’t mutually exclusive so a system that is structured as if they were is simply confusing. The new system of creating a note and adding attachments as you go along is much better.

I think the Evernote team really knocked the ball out of the park with this update. As much as I’ve always loved the service, the old app had some serious flaws and I think version 4.0 addressed every one of them.

The one thing that I’d like to see is a few more search bars scattered throughout the app. I can use the main search feature to search everything at once, but it would also nice to search a collection that you’ve already drilled down. So once I tap notebooks, then the name of the notebook, there should be a search bar at the top of the list of notes within that notebook. Overall, this is a fairly small complaint and isn’t really enough the mar the stellar experience.

Give Evernote 4.0 a download and let us know what you think! Do you love the new interface as much as I do or do you prefer the old one?

Typically, you want a really powerful computer for video editing. It’s a processor-intensive task requiring significant expenses in both the software and hardware arenas. However, the iPhone is changing this paradigm. A few years ago, who would’ve thought we’d soon be shooting, managing and even editing high quality video content all on one pocket-sized device?

Today we’ll take a beginner’s look at what the iPhone offers for movie makers. We’ll start off with a brief look at the specs of the hardware and then move on to some great apps that you’ll want to check out to help you become the Spielberg of iOS.

A Tale of Two Cameras

Before we jump into the apps, let’s take a look at the hardware specs that you’ll be working with on the line of Apple iOS devices that support video recording. The specs below are for the iPhone 4, but they’re listed as nearly identical for both the current iPod Touch and the iPad 2.

The iPhone 4 comes equipped with two separate cameras, one on each side of the device to make it easy to capture both yourself and others. Your initial instinct might be to assume that both cameras are technically similar, however, they’re pretty different in terms of quality.

Both cameras are capable of capturing video at 30 frames per second with embedded audio. However, the rear-facing camera can churn out 720p HD while the front-facing camera is limited to “VGA-quality” video.

The front and rear-facing camera specs

Now, this description is pretty technical so let’s talk about what it means. First of all, though Apple is all about applying the “HD” distinction to the rear-facing camera, notice that it’s still not what is known as “Full HD”, which is 1080p at 30fps. However, considering that we are in fact talking about a cell phone, it seems almost laughable to complain about the lack of full 1080p video recording! Even my Canon 500D, a $700 camera, falls short in this area and only offers either 720p at 30fps or 1080p at 20fps.

The more confusing spec for me was the “VGA” distinction for the front-facing camera, since Apple doesn’t really explain their terms here. Some quick research reveals that VGA is a fairly generic term referring primarily to a resolution of 640 x 480 (source).

Obviously, the implication here is that if you care about quality, you should do your best to stick with the rear-facing camera for shooting video.

Shooting Video

Shooting video on the iPhone is so easy that it barely needs to be discussed. All you have to do is open the default camera app, slide the switch to video and fire away!

Shooting Video

Just as with taking photos, any time you want to focus on something, you simply tap on it. This is a beautifully direct way to shoot video and you’ll get the hang of it in no time.

Editing Video: The Apps

Now comes the good stuff, how do you turn those boring video snippets into an amazing movie? There are quite a few options on the app store to choose from, each with its own personality and benefits. Rather than overwhelm you with the complete selection, here are three of the best apps to get started with.

iMovie

iMovie is of course the quintessential video editor on the iPhone because it comes from Apple. The benefits here are plentiful. First, being that it’s an official Apple app, you know it’s going to integrate perfectly with both your iPhone and Mac. You also probably have a feel for how iLife apps are designed on the desktop and will be pretty happy with how well this translates to a mobile device.

Editing movies is as simple as dragging and dropping, with a familiar clip rearranging system that mirrors the way you shuffle the icons on your iPhone’s home screen. You have access to all your photos, music and movies as resources and can easily add transitions and Ken Burns effects to your heart’s content.

The biggest complaint about iMovie is that it is perhaps too automated and simple. The app’s themes and titles for instance lock you into only a few choices with no ability to venture outside the presets and depend on your own creativity.

If you’re looking for a quick way to throw clips together to impress your family and friends, iMovie is a steal at $4.99, but if you’re familiar with video editing software and enjoy a certain degree of freedom, this app may not be for you.

Also, if you’re anxiously awaiting getting your hands on an iPad 2, you won’t be left out of the video editing loop, iMovie for iPad is looks gorgeous!

Price: $4.99
iTunes Rating: 3/5

iMovie

Splice – Video Editor

Interestingly enough, Splice is both cheaper and rated higher than iMovie. It has many of the same powerful features in addition to a unique interface that really maximizes efficiency and allows you to make precise tweaks to both audio and video in seconds.

Splice also comes with a built-in store that lets you purchase sound effects, music tracks and borders to take your projects even further. I downloaded the free ad-supported version to try it out and was able to bust out a great looking movie from my clips and photos in under five minutes from the first time I ever launched the app!

Price: $1.99
iTunes Rating: 3.5/5

Splice

Video Edit

Video edit is about one thing and one thing only: speed. It doesn’t have the most features of any video editing app out there but it does claim to be a whopping 10x faster than iMovie!

When you’re editing, splicing and rearranging video clips on a mobile device, the render times easily can become pretty lengthy. Video Edit attempts and succeeds at solving this problem. You may sacrifice a lot of bells and whistles but if you’re in a hurry it’s well worth it.

Price: $2.99
iTunes Rating: 3/5

Video Edit

Conclusion

To sum up, remember that the iPhone’s two cameras were not created equal (the same goes for the iPod Touch and iPad). Be sure to use the rear-facing camera whenever possible to maximize your quality. When you’re exporting, keep in mind that while 720p will look great for most cases, it still isn’t quite full 1080p HD video and therefore might be a little disappointing if you’re a resolution-focused user with a high quality television.

For editing, there are plenty of apps to choose from on the App Store. If you’re a beginner and want a good place to start, iMovie is perfect. However, it’s definitely not appropriate for every user. Splice is cheaper, gives you a few unique features such as an integrated add-on store and doesn’t lock you in to a cliché theme quite as much. There’s also a free ad-supported version if you’re looking for a no-cost option. Finally, Video Edit is the way to go if you’re concerned with speed. They’ve managed to cut render times down to a fraction of what you’ll find on many competing apps, though it’s admittedly at the cost of some fairly standard effects and features.

Leave a comment below and let us know which video editing apps you’ve tried and how they stack up to the options above. Which is your favorite? Also, be sure to share any movie-making tips you’ve picked up along the way!

Foursquare, Gowalla, Scavngr, Facebook Places, all of these have the same basic premise: sharing your location with the world. You check-in to your favorite spots and tell everyone following you about the places you visit. Along the way you earn badges and prizes, unlock hidden items and complete lengthy goals. It’s a neat system, but it’s not for everyone.

What if you don’t want all that fluff? Even more, what if you don’t exactly want the whole world to know where you are at every waking moment? How do you quickly shoot off your location to a friend or two for a meet up that isn’t publicized on the web? Enter Flares, a location-sharing app with two primary goals: simplicity and privacy.

Getting Started

When you first open Flares, you’ll be asked to create an account. This consists of little else than your name and telephone number. You’ll never have to log in or remember a password, the app is tied to your specific phone and number.

Once you give Flares your phone number, you’ll be sent a text message with a four digit pin to verify that you are indeed who you say you are. Once you type in that pin, you should be good to go.

The sign up process

The text message should come in almost immediately. If it takes longer than ten minutes, you can try resetting your account and going through the process again or contacting the developers for help.

If you’re a Verizon iPhone user and have recently attempted this step to no avail, the most recent update of the app will solve any problems you were experiencing.

The Main Screen: Your Location

As you’ll find, Flares is an incredibly simple app void of bells and whistles of any kind. The main screen simply shows a map with your current location with the options to shoot a flare or view your contacts. And that’s it!

The primary screen shows your location

A Quick Design Note

As you can see from the screenshots above, the first thing you’ll notice about this app is that it looks great. The dark, typography-centric theme feels really classy and the UI is extremely efficient.

Another touch that I particularly like is the vignette in the location map. Typically, apps that incorporate a Google map don’t change the appearance much and it’s nice to see someone break that trend even in a slight way.

Adding Friends

To add friends to Flares, simply tap on the “Contact Book” button at the lower right and select any friends you have with iPhones and the Fares app installed.

Select a friend with an iPhone

Having a friend will give you someone to shoot a flare to, i.e., share your location with. Adding them here is just a preliminary step and won’t shoot off any flares yet.

Sending and Receiving Flares

Now we come to the core functionality of the application. When you’re ready to share your location with someone, tap on the “shoot flare button.” This will bring you to your Contact Book screen where you will have the option to quickly select which of your Flares friends you would like to include.

Once you’re done, tap “shoot” and you will both see and hear the flare shoot off!

Only send a flare to the people you choose.

If you’re on the receiving end, you’ll see a notification that tells you one of your friends has sent you a flare. If you opt to view it, you’ll be taken to another interactive Google map, this time with their location on it.

The map now shows the location of you and your friend

At the bottom of this map is a link that will take you into the official iPhone maps application for directions. That’s really all there is to it!

Praise and Suggestions

First off, Flares is a beautiful app that nearly perfectly accomplishes what it sets out to. The slick, simple interface makes it both enjoyable and easy to share your location with only a select group of friends.

That being said, I would personally like to see a number of additions before I can call myself completely satisfied here. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of focused, simple applications, but there’s a fine line between focused and lacking.

The Flares feature set is just a little on the bare side. For instance, there is no news feed or history of any sort to see if you successfully sent a flare to who you intended to, or even to view recent flares sent to you by other users. I think a simple history page would really go a long way towards making new users confident that everything is working correctly.

The ability to add custom messages and replies to a Flare would definitely be an awesome addition as well. This way you could send your location and say something like “I’m here with some friends, you should stop by!”

My biggest problem with the app though lies in the overall business strategy. At only $0.99, it’s perfectly affordable, but the fact that there’s no free component means that it’s not going to be easy to convince many of my friends to also download the app. Consequently, I don’t really have anyone I can share my location with, and I suspect the large majority of users share this limitation.

To make the app useful for a large number of users, there absolutely needs to be an option to send out a flare as a simple text message to any phone. This would allow me to take advantage of my fancy location app while skipping the awkward step of begging my friends to join. If they have Flares, great, if not, they would simply receive a text message with the address of my current location.

Without this key feature I simply don’t see many people using this app. However, with this simple addition it instantly becomes an awesome and quick response to the common question “Where are you?”

Conclusion

Flares is a great app with a great idea: completely private location sharing without all the noise and silly games found in every other app in the location genre. The interface is stunning and the app performs for the most part without a hitch.

Give Flares a shot and let us know what you think in the comments below. Does the idea of private location sharing appeal to you more than something public?

In this Quick Look, we’re highlighting LotBraining. The developer describes LotBraining as follows: Turn your iPhone into a trainer for personal development with LotBraining. The iPhone & iPod Touch app is based on more than a decade of coaching and training experience. It utilizes mental training techniques originally developed by NASA.
LotBraining’s application areas range from the use for relaxation and focusing before a crucial meeting to a comprehensive personal development training program.

Read on for more information and screenshots!

Screenshots

LotBraining

About the App

Here are the top five features you can expect to see in the latest version:

• Spinning wheel: shows test results & is navigation element
• Tests: to assess the personal progress level in the specific segment
• Training: every segment has it’s own visual training animation and a personal notes section.
• Reminders: local push notifications to set reminders for the personal training plan.
• Settings: personal settings for pulse frequency of the animation and the preferred length of the training sessions.

Requirements: iOS 4.0
Price: $9.99
Developer: LotBraining GmbH

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My wife and I recently had the opportunity to spend some time in Kenya and Tanzania, with a stop in Amsterdam along the way. We had an amazing experience, which included going on safari in Tanzania and attending a beautiful wedding at Lake Navasha in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley.

I knew before leaving Canada that we would have very limited access to the Internet during our travels. I discovered that, with some careful planning up front and a suite of thoughtfully selected apps, the iPhone can be a very useful travel companion, even when no Internet connection is available. Here are some of the apps that I used regularly during our travels. I’ve also included some essential tips for those of you who travel the world with your iPhone (or iPod Touch).

Evernote

Our trip took months of planning and before leaving we sought the advice of other people that have travelled to Africa. The information and wisdom we accumulated went into Evernote along with e-tickets for flights, hotel reservations, maps, scanned brochures and a varitey of information captured from the Internet. As a Premium subscriber, I was able to store this information locally on both my iPhone and iPad, allowing me to access it in the absence of an Internet connection. If you’re not a Premium subscriber, you can easily upgrade to a Premium membership for the duration of your travels for five dollars a month and then go back to a free account when you return home.

Price: Free; Evernote Premium ($5/month) required for offline notebooks

The Evernote Elephant was right at home in Africa.

TripDeck

My favourite web-based travel service of all time is, without at doubt, TripIt. A beautifully crafted app called TripDeck is the most elegant solution I have found for accessing my itinerary on the go. Importing data into TripDeck was as simple as logging into my TripIt account. Each card in the deck contained information on an item in my itinerary – for example, a flight, hotel booking or activity. Flipping over the card revealed detailed information, such as confirmation codes and the phone number for the airline. Having this information in one, easily accessible place was very convenient.

Price: Free; additional functionality available through in-app purchase

Keep details of your TripIt itinerary at your fingertips with TripDeck.

OffMaps 2

I discovered this gem just before leaving on my travels and it proved to be very useful throughout the trip. Before leaving home I downloaded maps, with bundled point-of-interest (POI) data, for all the places we would be visiting. The maps allowed us navigate without having to rely on an Internet connection and the POI data gave us access to a wealth of information while travelling, including local Wikipedia content for popular sights in Amsterdam. While in Nairobi, we used OffMaps 2 to find our way to a world-famous elephant orphanage and when travelling in Zanzibar we frequently dropped pins when going for a stroll to help us find our way back to the hotel.

Price: $0.99 (includes two free maps)

OffMaps 2 allows you to store maps on your iOS device. Handy when you don't have Internet access.

1Password

My most sensitive information is securely stored in 1Password on my Mac, iPhone and iPad and the Dropbox syncing option helps ensure the data on all devices is consistent and up-to-date. Having this information at my fingertips without sacrificing security was very convenient. Instead of digging my passport out each time I checked into a hotel, I simply fired up 1Password Pro and accessed the appropriate “wallet” item, leaving my passport safely tucked away.

Price: $9.99; 1Password Pro for iPhone and iPad also available for $14.99

1Password provides a safe way to store confidential details you may need while on the road.

Currency Converter

While travelling in Kenya and Tanzania we found ourselves bargaining for pretty much everything. The Currency Converter app from Oanda, a well-known provider of currency conversion information, was a useful source of accurate information. Handy to know that 10,000 TZS (Tanzanian Shillings) is equivalent to $6.10 CAD (Canadian Dollars). Despite being quite a basic app, Currency Converter has some handy features. The app supports a long list of currencies and commissions can be figured into rate calculations. We typically used the “4% Cash” setting, which gave us a realistic measure of what we were actually paying.

Price: Free

Foreign currencies can get confusing. Oanda's Currency Converter app helps keep things simple.

Camera

Although we have an SLR camera, having my iPhone 4 in my pocket ready to take photo and video at a moment’s notice was very handy. Despite having purchased third-party camera apps, I ended up using the stock Camera app throughout my travels. I often switched between photo and video and it was convenient to be able to do this without having to switch apps. I also found that the HDR (high dynamic range) mode available to iPhone 4 users is very effective in some instances. And I’m very impressed with the quality of videos shot using my iPhone 4. After we returned from our travels I used the Mac version of iMovie to create an hour-long documentary from our travels, which looked surprisingly crisp, even when viewed on a high-end 60″ television.

Price: Free (included)

The stock Camera app makes it easy to switch between shooting photos and video.

Clock

I’ve tried a number of alternatives to the Clock app, installed by default on all iPhones and iPod Touches, and keep coming back to Apple’s offering. When catching an early morning flight it’s reassuring to know that the alarm will go off even if the Clock app isn’t in the foreground and even when the mute switch is engaged. I also found the World Clock feature useful when making phone calls back home…just to make sure I’m wasn’t calling in the middle of the night.

Price: Free (included)

Apple's Clock app will help you make sure you don't miss your flight.

Flashlight+

If you’re fortunate enough to own an iPhone 4, you may have discovered that the camera flash can also be used as an effective flashlight. Some of the places we visited, including the fishing town of Jambiani on the east coast of Zanzibar, didn’t have streetlights and the Flashlight was a useful app to have on hand when the sun went down. There are free alternatives available, but it was worth paying $0.99 for this app’s elegant design. Fortunately we didn’t need to use the SOS feature, but it’s comforting to know it’s there.

Price: $0.99

Have a flash on your iOS device? Flashlight+ could prove handy when the sun goes down.

Before you go…

Before jetting off on your next adventure, here are a few other practicalities and precautions to consider:

1. Passcode Lock – Several things, including iPhones, have a habit of going missing while travelling (fortunately my iPhone 4 returned safely with me). If you haven’t done so already, add a Passcode Lock to your phone to protect your data. You’ll find the Passcode Lock feature in the General section of the Settings app. For convenience, I chose the Simple Passcode setting, which allowed me to specify a four-digit number as a password. I also enabled the Erase Data feature, which erases all data on the phone after ten failed passcode attempts.
2. Keeping Charged – I picked up an Apple World Travel Adapter Kit before heading out on my travels. In addition to giving me an extra USB power adapter (which charges an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad), the package includes a USB cable and six AC adapter plugs. A less expensive, though not as convenient alternative is to buy a plug adapter and use your existing power adapter and cable.
3. Beware of Roaming Charges – I recommend that you check with your mobile carrier before heading off on your travels. A chat with my Canadian carrier, Rogers, revealed that I would be charged four dollars a minute for any calls that I made or received in Kenya and Tanzania. I was surprised to hear that if I ignored a call, I would be charged for any time people spent leaving me voicemails. For example, if a friend called to say “hi” and left me a two minute voicemail while my phone was connected to the network, a hefty charge of eight dollars would be added to my bill. Your mileage may vary. If you’re likely to be called while travelling you may choose to put your phone in Airplane Mode when you’re not using the built-in GPS. Another option is to remove the SIM card for the duration of your travels – being sure to keep it in a safe and convenient place, just in case you need to use it in an emergency situation.

Bon voyage!

With some thoughtful planning, my iPhone proved to be a very useful travel companion, despite having infrequent access to the Internet. The key was to choose reliable apps that are capable of storing data locally and to ensure that the necessary information was synced up to the phone while Internet access was available.

On a side note, I actually appreciated having less frequent access to the Internet. I was able to enjoy the experience of being in Africa more fully without the constant distraction of things like e-mails and Push Notifications. It turns out that Airplane mode also works in my home town of Vancouver, and I’m committed to turning it on every so often so that I can enjoy the natural beauty in my own back yard without interruption.

Do you have any apps to add to the list? Please share your favourites in the comments.

I use Google Docs more than Office or iWork, so accessing and editing my files across platforms is very important to me. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a decent candidate for editing your documents on mobile platforms. Google unvieled their mobile editor to much hype, but unfortunately it doesn’t provide an extensive, desktop-like experience on any platform.

This review won’t solve that problem. However, Memeo Connect is one of the more elegant solutions to browsing your Google Docs. Plus, for those that don’t require editing on the Google service, the files can be imported into Pages for iOS. Memeo provides a pleasing and fairly stable platform for accessing Google Docs on the go.

Sync, Sync, Sync

Memeo Connect, if you haven’t guessed already, is a Google Docs client aimed at viewing your documents, presentations and spreadsheets on your iPhone or iPad. In addition to the standard Google Docs format, you can also sync the PDFs and Office documents you’ve uploaded to Google’s cloud-based service. Memeo Connect even syncs your folders, starred, hidden, shared and trashed files in addition to providing an all items view.

Choosing one of the synced folders opens a beautiful document view that lists your various documents. There’s a scroll bar at the side to navigate by month, and you can just tap on a document to launch it. The launched document view looks very similar to a full-screen Pages document or like viewing a PDF from Mail.

Browsing documents in Memeo Connect

You can scroll through your file at this point. Unfortunately, this is the navigation mechanism for every file type, including presentations. There’s no integrated presentation viewer although the ability to import them into Apple’s $10 Keynote app sort of makes up for it. When I opened my presentation in Keynote (this was actually a PowerPoint document on Google Docs), it launched in a slide-by-slide basis and worked seamlessly. The same, smooth experience goes for opening a Google Docs file in Pages (another $10 app from Apple).

The interface Memeo has is very nice and, on iPad, is one of those “custom UI” apps that you just have to admire. They haven’t opted for the default UI set, and instead made the app unique by integrating a desk-like feel.

In the settings, you can also choose what to sync by creating criteria such as “starred” (a useful feature for myself) and setting a file size limit to avoid extensive data usage or taking up too much storage.

PDF, Docs and Office

Memeo Connect supports the three tentpole file formats on Google Docs: Google’s standard format for documents created in the service (or converted), Microsoft Office file formats (Word, PowerPoint and Excel) and also PDFs that have been uploaded.

Viewing a single document in Memeo Connect

If you decide to move these files into Pages, Keynote or Numbers, they will act just like an import via iTunes or similar service with the Office documents seeing no difference to ones transferred in iTunes.

Themes

Memeo ships with several different themes and the ability to create your own from your photos synced from the Photos app. Some included themes are stone, leaf, mosaic, sand and wood.

Memeo comes in two different flavors as a universal binary for both iPhone and iPad. They both work great but the interface on iPad is far superior.

Coming soon…

Memeo’s developers promise big things for the app in upcoming updates. We mentioned before about the lack of a real editor for Google Docs on iOS, however, an upcoming update should see the ability to edit documents both offline and online.

A popup on startup informs us that Memeo Connect Editor (possibly a free update, or a free or paid app) you’ll be able to create new documents, edit existing ones both offline and online and share both with collaborators and by email.

The promise is a big one and if Memeo can implement this well enough at a free or affordable price point it will be a very worthy buy. They’ve already demonstrated the capabilities of viewing documents with this app so it all looks very exciting.

Memeo promises big things to come.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for an elegant way to browse your Google Docs when you’re out and about, Memeo works pretty well. We’ve looked extensively at the iPhone app, but the iPad app is also provided in a single, universal binary.

This native app provides a much nicer, smoother and streamlined approach when compared to Google Docs over the web. The ability to import files into Pages for iOS is also a nice touch and you can also print via AirPrint directly from inside the app.

I have noticed some sparse stability issues with the app crashing from time to time if I return after viewing a document. It’s not too much of a pain as you can simply relaunch the app with minimum hassle.

This is one of the best examples of Google Docs integration on the iPad and I can’t wait to see the fabled Editor expected soon on iPad. Rest assured we’ll have a review for that!

The war was supposed to be over. The human race had overcome the alien attack and were promised to live in peace. However, the peacetime was merely a ploy to lull the humans into a false sense of security, and now they need your help. This is the scenario that N.O.V.A. 2 places you in, playing as a Kal Wardin who is the only one who can save humanity and end the war again. N.O.V.A. 2 is the sequel to N.O.V.A. (Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance) a highly successful action-adventure first person shooter for iOS. Fight through intricate and complex levels, battling against aliens and trying to stay alive.

N.O.V.A. 2 brings new levels, new weapons such as Alien Lightning Gun’s, iPhone 4 Gyroscope support, and a new story line that provides hours of intense gameplay. The N.O.V.A. series brings Halo-esque gaming to your mobile phone. N.O.V.A. also features an online multiplayer mode which extends gameplay for hundreds more hours as you battle players from all over the world in several different game types. The combination of intense firefights and amazing graphics made me addicted the minute I started playing.

Gameplay

Single Player (Campaign) features intense fire fights versus huge alien mobs.

N.O.V.A. 2 starts out 6 years after you saved the entire human race from destruction. At the end of N.O.V.A, you convinced the Judgers (a group who sent their army of aliens to destroy the human race) to spare the lives of the innocent humans, but now it seems the Judgers have used this peacetime to plan another attack. Using the 6 years of peacetime, they developed a way to brainwash the remaining human race by offering them a perfect Utopia if they help crush any human resistance. You must now fight to once again save the human race and restore peace forever.

N.O.V.A. 2’s campaign mode lasted me around 3-4 hours of actual gameplay and it was really fun to play. While the game mostly consists of fire fights with a swarm of aliens, it managed to still keep me excited with mission objectives and huge melees.

The game usually throws in different-style fights and objectives, which provide relief from the constant firefights. One in-game mission in particular required setting an ambush on a convoy of aliens that are approaching. You can choose to set down strategically-placed mines to slow down the convoy or to face them head-on with assault rifle fire. With so many new weapons and new villains, along with an intense new campaign, N.O.V.A. 2 is completely worth the purchase if only just for the Single Player mode.

Play through beautiful landscapes.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer Mode gives you extra experience points for going on Killing Streaks.

So you finished the game after 4 intense hours of gameplay and alien killing. With most games, you’d be about ready to remove the game to make room for some new apps. However with N.O.V.A. 2, the gameplay is just getting started when you finish the Single Player mode.

The game offers a huge online multiplayer system that brings you hundreds of additional hours of gameplay against other iPhone users. Just connect to Gameloft Live, the developers multiplayer network, and join a game that you’d like to play. Choose from 5 different multiplayer modes on over 10 unique maps.

My favorite mode is Capture the Flag, which separates users into two teams and sends them after the enemy flag. In addition to killing enemy players, your objective is to capture their flag and return it to your base. This game mode seems to suite many different styles of fighters. For those who love mindless killing, it allows them to chase away enemy players looking to steal your flag. For those who enjoy a good chase, they can find joy in sneaking behind the enemy base and stealing their flag.

Capture the enemies flag while at the same time defending your own.

Multiplayer also provides a way for players to show off their amazing fighting skills. Each kill and completed objective in multiplayer (like capturing the flag or having multiple kills) earns you more experience points. With more experience points, you can unlock more weapons and abilities for multiplayer. It also becomes a status symbol, the longer you play, the higher the experience points.

Choose from tons of different multiplayer games which feature different maps and game types.

Conclusion

N.O.V.A. 2 provides hundreds of hours of immense gameplay that keeps you coming back for more. Between the challenging campaign mode and the addicting online play, you’ll never be bored with N.O.V.A. 2. It becomes a game that provides you with an almost endless supply of entertainment.

While some games offer a limited campaign mode and end up being played only once, N.O.V.A. 2 can be played over and over again without becoming boring. The money I spent on N.O.V.A and N.O.V.A. 2 have been the best investment in my iOS gaming ever. I’ve logged more hours playing these games than any other game.

So join me and a hundred thousand others in the fight against the alien invasion. Download N.O.V.A. 2 today and start saving the entire world.

In this Quick Look, we’re highlighting mobiEXPLORE Italy. The developer describes mobiEXPLORE Italy as follows:

Exploring various delights that Italy has to offer is now so much easier with this handy mobile app. mobiEXPLORE Italy is a free download on the App Store. For iPhone users there is an additional benefit, since most of the app’s content is offline, using mobiEXPLORE helps you keep roaming costs low.”

Read on for more information and screenshots!

Screenshots

mobiEXPLORE Italy

About the App

Here are the top five features you can expect to see in the latest version:

• rich content
• free app
• most content is available offline (initial download is required)
• real-time booking engine

Requirements: iOS 4 or above
Price: Free
Developer: Mobiexplore

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The mixture of touchscreen technology with features like GPS and impressive on-board cameras makes the iPhone a virtual playground for clever developers with a novel idea.

Today we’ve compiled five crazy things you can do with your iPhone using various apps. Several of these apps seem too good to be true but they all work exactly as advertised. Intrigued? Read on!

Monitor Your Heart Rate

I was sure that this app was completely bogus when I first saw it, but after a quick trial run, it seems pretty convincing. The Heart Fitness app claims that it can effectively monitor your heart rate using only your iPhone. How in the world is that possible?

Heart Fitness

To accomplish this feat, the app takes advantage of both the camera and the bright LED on the back of your iPhone 4. First, you cover the light and the camera with your index finger. The light then illuminates your finger so that the camera reads that reddish color that results when you stick a flashlight up to your finger.

Here’s where the magic happens. As blood is pumped into your finger, the hue pulses. The camera reads this pulse and uses it to measure your heart rate! Pure voodoo right? Perhaps not. I tested the app on myself a few times and consistently came up with a measurement around 70BPM, which I confirmed by taking my own pulse manually. Then I got up and ran around for a while and used the app again, over 100BPM this time. As crazy as it sounds, it seems to work!

Now, many commenters note that they can get readings from every day items such as ketchup bottles, but this doesn’t prove anything. If you consider that the app reads pulses in color, pointing your camera at something red combined with camera-shake would produce a similar result. This proves that you can trick the app, but not that it doesn’t do what it claims.

Scan Documents

You know that your iPhone has a camera on it, so it’s no surprise that it can take a photo of a document right? The problem with this though is that a handheld camera is a far cry from a flatbed scanner. Holding your phone perfectly level isn’t easy, even if you can pull it off, it’s still a hassle.

Enter Genius Scan. With this app you can quickly snap a shot of any document without really thinking about how properly aligned it is on your screen.

Genius Scan will automatically detect the edges of the document and allow you to quickly skew the perspective so that you get a perfect shot every time.

Genius Scan

You can save your documents as a PDF or JPG and even share them over Wifi for quick access from any computer.

Measure Almost Anything

You’ve seen measuring apps that simply place a ruler on your screen, which are great if you need to measure anything less than a few inches, but what if you want to measure an entire person or even a tree? For this feat you’ll need something more.

Aim@ is a $0.99 application that pulls this seemingly impossible task off pretty well. By telling the app how tall you are and holding your phone at arm’s length, you can use your phone’s camera and a series of taps at strategic points to make approximate measurements.

Aim@

I’ll warn you in advance, this app does work, but it’s a little quirky. If you’re not good at following directions, you’ll never get it to work. If you are reasonably patient, the app walks you through the specific processes for taking the height and width of an object, or even the distance from you to it. In my tests, when I didn’t screw up, I usually came within an inch or two of the actual size of the object.

Take 3D Photos

This is another app that sounds like it’s more gimmick than reality, but it actually works! In fact, the technology really isn’t that amazing if you think about it. Your two eyes work together to help you perceive depth. By taking two photographs at slightly different positions, you can mimic this functionality.

3D Camera does exactly that. You take one photo, move over a few inches, snap another, then combine them to create a three-dimensional illusion.

3D Camera

3D Camera gives you three different options for viewing the resulting 3D image. The first is an anaglyph, which you can view with your typical cheap pair of red/cyan 3D glasses, a stereogram, which works just like the old Magic Eye images (no glasses necessary), and a wigglegram, which simply changes from one image to the next quickly to simulate a 3D effect.

If you’re still confused and/or skeptical, check out the online gallery of images.

Spy On Your Spouse

Tracking someone’s every move is a myth taken straight from spy movies right? Today’s modern GPS technology actually makes it quite easy. In fact, I recently showed my wife how to keep track of me when I’m out. Luckily I’m a pretty trustworthy guy!

Apple’s Find My iPhone app allows you to track the location of any iOS device using a web browser, another iPhone or even an iPad. So if I take too long at the grocery store, my worrisome wife can pull my position (or at least that of my phone) up on our iPad to see if I’m lying dead in a ditch or merely made a pit stop at the Apple Store yet again.

Find My iPhone

Setting up Find My iPhone can be a little tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing, be sure to check out our step-by-step tutorial.

What Crazy Things Can iPhone Do?

The crazy apps above help you do everything from monitor your heart rate to snap a 3D photo. It’s truly amazing how much functionality can be crammed into one pocket-sized device.

Leave a comment below and tell us about apps that you’ve tried with impressive functionality. If you’re a developer with a unique app, feel free to leave a link so we can check it out!

Earlier this week Apple debuted the iPad 2 (check out our coverage here), and it’s a beauty. Two cameras, a dual core A5 chip (translation: much faster) and a slimmer, lighter design all make this one hard to resist product! Not to mention that amazing Smart Cover.

However, critics can still point to a few potential disappointments. No Thunderbolt support, retina display or an SD card slot. Further, several techies, like the folks over at Gizmodo, aren’t that impressed by the new specs in comparison to other tablet products like the Motorola Xoom.

So our question today is, what do you think? The single best way to state your opinion of the new iPad is with your wallet so we want to know whether or not it’s good enough for you to drop five hundred bucks on come March 11th. Vote in the poll to tell us whether or not you plan on getting one, then leave a comment below explaining your answer.