We’ve collected the top five reviews, roundups and how-to articles from across the AppStorm network in April. Whether you’re interested in Mac, iPhone, or Web apps, there’s bound to be something you didn’t spot over the course of the month.
Now would be a good time to explore a part of the AppStorm Network you’ve never seen before!
Best of iPhone.AppStorm
iTunes Ping: Social Music Revolution or Complete Flop?
Last week Apple released a music-based social network called Ping. Steve Jobs described Ping as “sort of like Facebook and Twitter meet iTunes” and lauded it as an amazing new way to discover new music.
So is Ping the next great social network? What does this mean for MySpace Music and other music-related social sites like Last.fm? Today we’ll discuss these questions and more as we walk you through Ping’s basic functionality.
Should You Buy an iPad Instead of a MacBook?
The iPad has been notoriously labeled an oversized iPod Touch by countless skeptics, reviewers and even owners since its first day on the market. Despite its high success rate, I still encounter people daily who don’t even understand why the iPad exists or who it’s targeted toward.
Today we’ll discuss why the iPad is flying off shelves, who should consider getting one and why it beats a MacBook for many consumers.
80+ Superb iPhone Apps for Sports Fans
Hey there sports fans. It’s time to fill your iPhone up with the latest and greatest apps to feed your addiction to the NFL, NHL, MLB and whatever else you’re into!
Below we’ve compiled over eighty of the best sports apps on the app store. Whether you’re a player, a fan, a gamer or all of the above there are plenty of apps to keep you occupied all season.
iPad 2 Predictions
With the recent upgrade of Apple’s line of iPods, the Mac rumor mills have been buzzing about the likelihood that we’ll see a new iPad soon.
What will the new iPad be like? What will the killer new features be? When will it be announced? At this point the answers are anyone’s guess but below I’ll give my own predictions.
Better Note Syncing Between Your Mac and iPhone
Today we’re going to look at how to create an awesome digital note system that automatically syncs between your Mac and iOS device.
If you’re using the default iPhone notes app, you’ll definitely want to read this and check out our suggested upgrade. It’s completely free, works across any number of computers and is much more robust than those plain old iPhone notes.
Best of Web.AppStorm
50 Great Web Alternatives to Desktop Software
Even without the help of the ground breaking features in HTML5, web apps have come of age. While not all web apps rival their desktop counterparts, some clearly do. One solid example being online To-do apps with invoicing and project management apps also competent enough for a neck to neck fight.
We’ve compiled a list of 50 worthy web app alternatives to standalone desktop apps. Let’s take a look!
25 Tips for Killer Facebook Marketing
Getting your brand a Facebook page is like getting a shop at the prime location of the newest mall in town. Footfalls come in automatically without making much of an effort. People of all age groups, ethnicities, income groups, etc are on Facebook. So are their friends, family and acquaintances.
The chances of your marketing campaign going viral and gaining a word of mouth momentum are immense with this mammoth audience. At the same time, even a small slip will derail the campaign and people notice that too. So what are the right ways and key steps that make a marketing campaign on Facebook a success?
15 Awesome & Funny Web Comics
Who doesn’t love a funny comic strip? From those with the attention span of a Cocker Spaniel to the members of the Jane Austin book club, everyone has a couple of minutes to spare for a good comic. Born on newspapers, comic strips have featured largely mainstream topics due to the shackles of censorship.
But on the web it’s a riot. Niche after niche, every possible topic of interest is being made fun at by talented people. True, a lot of them tend not to be kid friendly or controversy free, but so is literature. We’ve put together a list of awesome web comics created by some truly brilliant people online. Care to join us?
Sexy Real-Time Analytics with Reinvigorate
To best serve your website’s audience, you need to understand them as best you can. The best way to do that? Analytics. There’s a few ways to track your website’s traffic, though Google Analytics is probably the most popular due to its price — free.
However, Google Analytics has several important features missing that other analytics providers offer; namely real-time stats and heatmaps. Reinvigorate is one of those providers, which we’ll take a look at today.
Build a Facebook Fanpage in 3 Simple Steps
Whether you’re a successful businessman, a starving blogger, or a world renounced singer, using Facebook fan pages can help you reach out and expose yourself to the millions of people on Facebook. With over 500 million users on Facebook (and quickly growing), just imagine the number of potential customers you could dig up!
In today’s How-to, I’ll guide you through the steps of creating and customizing your own Facebook fan page. Get ready to get some fans!
Best of Mac.AppStorm
Mac Freeware All-Stars: Our 10 Best in Category Picks
Recently we posted an enormous roundup of 100 free Mac applications. These types of articles are awesome for a quick overview of everything that’s available, but sometimes you just want to know what the best free app is in a given genre.
Today we’ll answer this question by presenting our top picks for free applications across various categories. Below we’ll take a look at the best of the best in free software and then give you the chance to join the discussion and cast your vote.
Automatically Backing Up Flash-Drives With SilverKeeper
With the use of tiny USB flash-drives becoming increasingly common in our lives, it is scary how heavily we rely on these not so reliable storage devices. They can go missing, get stolen, or just pack it in and die. And if you haven’t backed up all your files from it, then this can be really devastating.
But few people remember to regularly backup so here’s an easy tutorial on how to get your computer to automatically backup your flash-drive for you. Following this, you should be able to rest assured that everything is safe. This how-to uses SilverKeeper, a free backup application made by Lacie.
10 Tips for Getting the Most Out of TweetDeck
In recent years, countless Mac Twitter applications have sprung up seemingly in an instant and died just as quickly. One app that has stayed strong ever since the beginning of the Twitter application revolution is TweetDeck. Its powerful feature set and intense multi-column format, though hated by some, is still a favorite among many power users.
Today we’ll go over ten simple tips that will help new and advanced users alike get the most out of using TweetDeck as the ultimate social media application.
Afloat: Supercharge Your Mac Interface
When I first started this review of Afloat, I seriously wondered what on earth it was good for. An app that can let you keep windows stay on top of others or make them semi-transparent? Why? You see, I usually work on a 21? iMac with an additional 24? HD screen attached and – for work reasons – I am switching to a 27? iMac. Screen estate really isn’t an issue for me!
But then I whipped out my 13? Macbook I had an epiphany. All of a sudden, the ability to stack windows became useful. And then I discovered some more awesome features that I never suspected this little app could hold. Interested? Then keep on reading!
8 Awesome Alternatives to Mail.App on Your Mac
One of the best things about your Mac is that it comes pre-loaded with tons of software goodness, right out of the box. Apps like Mail, Preview, iCal, and the iLife suite are all very functional, but sometimes they lack a little piece of extra functionality that more in-depth users need. That’s where more “pro” apps like Aperture, Adobe Reader and Photoshop come in.
Mail.app is not excluded from this situation, as it has had it’s reported share of problems and limitations. Even though most are not very significant, over time they can become annoying and sometimes switching to another application is the best solution. If you’ve had any problems with Mail.app, or if you have just grown tired of it, you should check out our eight alternatives below!
Share Your Ideas
Is there something in particular you’d like to see on the site next month? We’d absolutely love to hear your suggestions for articles, topics and giveaways – just let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading AppStorm!