App Dude

iPad vs. iPad2: Should you upgrade?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:36:00 +0000

Jailbreaking the iPod Touch 1st Gen

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

First off, Jailbreaking your iOS device (iPhone/iTouch) is LEGAL to do via the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. So by doing so, this is considered legal "fair use."

I decided to Jailbreak my 1st Gen iTouch since I wasn't really using it anymore after getting my 2nd Gen, and later my 4th Gen.

Here's some steps in which I did to achieve this:
1. Researched on how to Jailbreak the iPhone/iTouch from many websites. Didn't want the hassle, so figured I'd try the jailbreakme.com site. This proved to be the easiest process for me. This was easy, because supposedly, you would just go to the website and the rest would be done automatically.
2. Went to the Jailbreak.me site and found out that my device firmware was too old to do this process.
3. Upgraded my iOS 2.1 to iOS 3.2. After doing so, and going back to the website, I was able to Jailbreak the device. Thus, your device must be running at least iOS 3.0.
You follow prompts and it took less than 30 minutes to do the entire process.

Check out one of the videos that I've watched that illustrates how simple this is:

Charlie Sheen Soundboard for Android

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 22:00:00 +0000

For laughs, I decided to install the Charlie Sheen Soundboard for my Android phone. It was great for some quick laughs around the office.

This app is basicially a soundboard which contains over 180 snippets from his various interviews that he's gained attention from.

You can save the sounds as either a rintone, notification, or an alarm for some laughs.
It has all the popular quotes for winning, warlock, adonis dna, and drugs.
Rating: 3/5

Likes: Funny! Great for a laugh with your friends or at the office. Can save sounds and apply it as a ringtone, notification or alarm.
Dislikes: Gets boring quite fast. Good for just a download to play with, then an uninstall when it gets old/boring.

Apple iPad 2 Screen Defects?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 19:28:00 +0000

Now that everyone had their chance to test out their new iPads, what's your take on this screen bleeding issue? Any of you affected by it?

Pow-Word for iPhone/iTouch

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:45:00 +0000

Pow-Word is a word game that I found as a suggestion from iTunes Genius. I generally like word games, so I thought I'd give this a try. What are my impressions of this game?
Challenging! I can honestly say that this game challenges me! This game is really straightforward. You are given 6 letters and have to make as many words out of them as possible. You're given a time limit, and if you aren't finished with filling in all the possibilities, the game is over. If you do complete all the possibilities, you get to move on to the next round. It's a fun game to pass some quick time away. I usually play this on my lunch break and generally 2 games are enough to satisfy me. I will admit, though, that this game does get boring rather quick. There are other instances of this game out in the iTunes store that use the similar premise.

Like: Simple game concept

Dislikes: Game gets boring really fast

Rating:

Cost	Free
Category	Games
Size	3.0 MB
Developer	Vaibhav Electronics Pvt Ltd

MXYTQX6TUV6F

Pandora for iPhone/iTouch and Android

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 17:45:00 +0000

Pandora is one of the best music applications that I have used. What is Pandora? Pandora is a streaming "radio" application that's available on your iPhone/iTouch. It's also available on the web. I think the makers of Pandora have translated this app from the web to the iPhone/iTouch very well. How does it work?
Pandora works by you first selecting a genre or song title or an artist that you want to listen to. You can type in this genre, artist, or song title. It then plays songs based on 400 different attributes of what you typed in. As a song plays, you can tell Pandora if you like it by either clicking a thumb up or thumb down. Based on this, Pandora figures what your music taste is and adjusts accordingly. You can create as many of your own stations as you like and listen to mixes from them. It's called their "quick mix(es)."

When you hear a song playing, you can "bookmark" and favorite the song. You can view a list of the songs you made as your favorite and later purchase them online.

I like Pandora because it has introduced me to many new artists and genres that I would have never listened to before finding Pandora. The music quality is excellent.

Likes: Excellent streaming music quality; variety of music; unlimited play lists (quick mixes)

Dislikes: None!

Rating: : RECOMMENDED

Paper Toss App for iPhone/iTouch

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 22:00:00 +0000

Paper Toss is another game to pass time away when you have nothing better to do. Basically, the object is very simple. See how many crumpled paper balls you can toss into the garbage pail. The game tracks a count of how many you successfully tossed. When you miss, that number resets and you start over again.

The game has different levels consisting of Easy, Medium, and Hard in which you're tossing the paper in an office setting. There are also other scenes such as the airport, basement, restroom, pub or a street. The location of where the garbage pail is in the different scenes can be a challenge when combined with the wind speed of the fan. Oh, that's another thing. The fan. There's a fan blowing with a speed number and arrow direction. Using the wind speed and direction, you need to adjust how you "toss" the paper to land a basket. Quite challending at times.

Rating: 4/5

Likes: simple game to play; varied levels & scenes so it doesn't get boring.

Dislikes: maybe more scenes, other than that, nothing to dislike.

Download it at the iTunes store here.

Convertbot for iPhone/iTouch

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 17:45:00 +0000

Convertbot is a unit conversion utility that everyone should add to their app library. This app (in my opininion) is easy to use and should be the only unit conversion app to have.
Some units that can be converted are: Angle, Area, Currency, Data Rate, Data Size, Density, Force, Fuel, Illuminance, Length, Mass, Power, Pressure, Radioactivity, SI, Speed, Temperature, Time, Typography, Volume, Volumetric Flow, and Work.

As I said earlier, this app is very easy to use, and it's so useful that you'll find someething to convert and use it for. The interface is slick and innovative. Take a look at more about this app here.

Likes: Straightforward and easy to use interface; enough units to convert to satisfy everyone.

Dislikes: Scrolling through all the possible conversion measures takes too long sometimes, have to scroll further to find what you need.

Rating: : RECOMMENDED

Cost	$1.99
Category	Utilities
Size	4.4 MB
Developer	Tapbots

Facebook App for iPhone/iTouch

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:45:00 +0000

Here's my short review of the Facebook app for the iPhone/iTouch. I've tested this app and compared it to the app that's made for the Android, and have found this version to be more polished and overall a better user experience.

Everyone is one Facebook............everyone! I just love how they integrated this app into what you see with the Desktop version. Almost everything (except the game apps) is included in the app. They even included "places" with the updated app. Not sure why Facebook wanted to get into this when there are specific apps like Yelp and Foursquare which allow you to do the same thing and is more streamlined with what they do. Overall, the Facebook app is really good. There's not much that I can't do on this app when compared with my desktop. They even included options to adjust your privacy settings within the app itself. If you're still not on Facebook, I'd register and give it a try. I've connected with many old friends and met new ones. Not to mention how invaluable this app is if you are a business. This app is a must for promoting your company and getting the word out about your products and services.

Likes: Slick and usable user interface; ability to do almost the same things as the desktop verson

Dislikes: None!

Rating: : RECOMMENDED

Cost	Free
Category	Social Networking
Size	4.0 MB
Developer	Facebook, Inc.

Yelp App for iPhone/iTouch & Android

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:00:00 +0000

If you're not Yelping.......then what are you doing?! Yelp is a travel app that allows you to look for places you are near and look at reviews to make your decision or whether you want to use that businesses services. Yelp is available via the web, and translated to this app on Android and on the iOS. With the mobile app, you can "check-in" to places. It is similar to that of Foursquare in which you check in to places to say you were there, and if you eventually frequent that place many times, become either the Duke/Mayor of that location. It's rather fun to check in to places! Plus, if your friends are all on Yelp, you can see their check-in activity feed.

I enjoy this app and find it very useful because I actually use it to make decisions on places to eat based on user reviews. On a recent trip, I've used it to determine restaurants that were close to me. I looked at the reviews and how many stars a places had, then made my decision.

Yelp is not just restaurants. There are other businesses and professional services that are also reviewed, too. There are gas stations, restaurants, doctors, shopping, etc. all on Yelp. If a location is not listed, you can always add it.

Rating: 5/5 (for iOS); 4/5 (for Android)

Likes: Easy to use; ability to bookmark locations; check-in's are really neat; user reviews and ratings are fun and interesting to read

Dislikes: Can only "draft" a review from the app. You need to complete and finish the review on the Yelp website for it to be posted and available to others.

Cost: Free

Category: Travel

Size: 12 MB

Developer: Yelp, Inc.

Sky Burger Game for iPhone/iTouch

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:45:00 +0000

I've played games from NimbleBit before and loved them. Sky Burger is a simple game to waste some time.

Sky Burger is what I call a "stacking" game. Many games out there in the app store use this simple premise with different object(s) to stack. In this situation, ingredients to make a burger. The game starts off by giving you an order that you have to create. Such as (5) tomatoes, (10) pickles, (3) cheese, etc. The game will start and ingredients fall from the sky. After you complete the order, you can finish by topping it off with a bun. At the end, you are given money for what you have created. It doesn't seem that you're penalized for adding extras to the burger, just as long as you include the required amount of ingredients prior to you finishing the burger and topping it off with the top bun. This game is rather fun, but after playing for awhile, gets kind of boring.

Likes: Super simple and easy to play

Dislikes: Redundant and gets boring after awhile.

Rating:

Cost	Free
Category	Games
Size	4.4 MB
Developer	NimbleBit

BustIt! App for iPhone/iTouch

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 17:45:00 +0000

BustIt! is a game for the iOS that's really fun. I discovered this game when trying to find puzzle games. I stumbled upon this and decided to give it a try.

BustIt! is a puzzle game that you can spin and flip to get diferent views of the puzzle. The object is to pop all the balls until you end up with none. You have to pop the balls that are grouped together by the same color. The more balls that are joined together of the same color, the more you eliminate. Try this game! I'm sure you'll like it!

Rating: 4/5 : RECOMMENDED

Download this game at the iTunes store here.

Easy Relax for iPhone/iTouch

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 17:45:00 +0000

Sometimes people have a hard time trying to fall asleep. There are those nights where I find it hard to just sleep and stop thinking about what needs to be done the next day. I found Easy Relax in the iTunes store and gave it a try. This is one of the best apps I have found.

Easy Relax comes loaded with some great background noises that sound really great. I've heard other apps that just don't sound good. Easy Relax does not disappoint. You can choose from a variety of background noises like these entitled: Into the West, Hawaii Vacation, Jungle, Fishing Time, Rainy Day, Blossoms from India, and more!

A great feature about Easy Relax is the ability for you to create your own background noises from an abundance of what they include. Some of these include wind, rain, waterfall, creek, city background, air, bubbles, beach waves, and more. You can select up to 3 backgrounds in your own mix. From them, you can individually tweak the volume settings and the interval for other sounds that you can include in them such as an owl hoot or a thunder clap. You can name your mix, put a description, and get to relaxing or sleeping. There's a sleep timer in which you can set how long you want your mix to play and lull you to sleep. After the timer is done, the background mix slowly fades out and shuts off.

I found this app to really work. I set the interval for an hour and a half since I do take awhile to sleep. I wake up the next morning with my earphones still in my ear and my iPod off. Works like a charm. Business travelers will love this for helping them get to bed easier.

Likes: Easy to use interface; ability to create your own background mix; works!

Dislikes: None!

Rating: : RECOMMENDED

Cost	$0.99
Category	Healthcare/Fitness
Size	26.7 MB
Developer	http://www.rockifone.com/

Echofon App for iPhone/iTouch

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:45:00 +0000

The Echofon Twitter App is the app that I use the most when tweeting. Sure, there are other "flashy" Twitter apps out there, but I just love this one. Been using it for quite some time, tried others, but always see myself moving back to this one. Here's why.....

This app is so simple to use! Here's a brief description of the screens and what you can do.

The Home feed has nicer icons on the bottom of the screen compared to some other clients. It's very simple with the "home," "mentions," "messages," "lists," and "search" icons. It's pretty straightforward. One thing I don't like is the ads that show up on the top of the screen. Minor, but still a nuisance. Also to note, the red numbered circles next to the main icons. This shows you how many messages you have not read.

A new tweet is created by clicking on the square with a pencil in it which is on the top of nearly every page. There aren't as many options to choose from when comparing it to the official Twitter app that I reviewed earlier. You can geotag your location, insert a picture from your photo library and also reference an @ by choosing someone that you are following. Or if you already created a tweet but haven't sent it yet, you can always use the trash can to delete the message and start again.

An @ reply is exactly the same as shown.

Then mentions screen shows all of you @ mentions. I like the way it's laid out because you can click on a mention you want to reply to, and choose from the following:

You can reply or retweet to your mentions or any tweet that you saw from your Home screen. When you press on "more," you are allowed to do the following:

You can choose to either email the tweet or send the originator a direct message.

The next icon selection is the Messages icon. Here, you can see all of your DM's. You can scroll up and down to view all of the messages you have. A gray cirle with a number in it means a DM that you have not read yet. When you click on the DM, you can actually see the entire thread of your conversation as follows:

As you can see, the entire convo is scrollable. I really like this feature a lot. I can review what I said and also what the other person said. Really comes in handy if the conversation spreads out for a longer period of time and you need to review what was said earlier.

The fourth selection is the "lists" option. Here you can view the lists you have created.

The last tab is the "search" tab. Here you can search keywords and tweets. You can also search by nearby tweets. I don't really use this option, but you can see what people are tweeting near you. Some may find it handy. You can also see what is trending worldwide. By clicking on the question mark, you can further get a description of that trending topic. Here's an example:

And that's the Echofon app. I really like this app due to how simple it is to use. It's straightforward and I use it every day.

Likes: Able to see how many tweets, direct messages and mentions you have missed since the last time you logged in; nice search feature for tweets happening around your area; great trending topic description pop-up; easy to create and add people you follow/followers to lists you create.

Dislikes: None! There's a reason why this is my Twitter app of choice and why I use it everyday.

Rating: : RECOMMENDED

Cost: Free
Category: Social Networking
Size: 4.9 MB
Developer: naan studio, Inc.

Twitter App for iPhone/iTouch

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 03:48:00 +0000

THE official Twitter App for the iPhone/iTouch! I downloaded it and got up and running in no time. Read more for a brief overview of this app.

This is the standard timeline view. You'll see that there's 5 icons at a dock below the timeline. This included your main timeline, all your @ replies, direct messages, search & trending topics, and settings & options. The view that you are in is indicated by a triangle nub that points upward. Thus, you'll see that we're in the timeline view where all the tweets are displayed. If you have any @ or direct messages, you'll see a blue orb (as indicated above with the @ messages). This will let you know to check them. You can also search your timeline for tweets.

The next view is your @ view. All your @ messages will be displayed here. You can also search your mentions with the search above.

The third tab is your direct messages or DM tab. All DM's you receive are here. Twitter groups all the DM's into one place so your conversations via DM are long. This is good, though if you want to review all your DM's for that specific person.

The fourth tab is the search tab. Here you can search for a topic or a name. You can also scroll through what topics are trending. I'm not too enthusiastic about this screen, but it does serve a simple purpose. There are other apps out there that will display a lot more information on searches and what is trending along
with a description.

Composing a new tweet is very easy. Just click on the square with the pencil (which is on practically every screen) and tweet what you desire. I like that the character count is displayed above the keyboard. I like to know how much characters I have left when tweeting. To note, however is the down arrow next to the character count. You can tap on this to bring up more options in your tweet.

After clicking on the down arrow, you get this screen. You can click on "camera" and this will activate your camera to take a picture. Clicking on "photo library" will take you to your photo gallery where you can insert an image. "Geotag" will tag your location. The "Usernames" will bring up a search list where you can search who you follow and can select their name from here. The "hashtags" will automatically create a # in front of what you specify for your hashtag. Lastly, the "shrink URLs" will shrink URL links in your tweet with the service for your choice.

The last tab is the services tab. Here you will find options to change your image and video service and choosing a URL shortener. And that's Twitter's office app in a nutshell. I do like this app, though I do use Echofon as my app of choice for Twitter.

Likes: Easy to use; many options to choose from when composing a tweet; ability to choose optional service providers for videos, images, etc.

Dislikes: Not really fond of the bottom icons and it doesn't include how many tweets, messages and direct messages you have or have missed.

Rating:

Cost: Free
Category: Social Networking
Size: 5.7 MB
Developer: Twitter, Inc.