LeftoverApple

On Hiatus

RJ McCollam — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:37:14 +0000

It is with sad hands that I type this, but it is time for a break. LeftoverApple has become the one thing that I need to take a break from to restore some sanity to my life. Having a full time job, running a freelance business, and having a wife and daughter means that my time is limited and choices like this need to be made. This is somewhat bittersweet as the main reason I am having to go on vacation from this site is because business for WeDoDev has been up and keeping me really busy.

Another sign that I needed to take a break was because this site started to feel like a job. Instead of that excitement I got when reading through the Apple folder of my RSS feeds, I mostly looked at articles like “Oh I should write about that”. It’s time to become a just a fan again, and I am happy to say that that excitement has already returned.

Note the title on this, it says hiatus, not goodbye. LeftoverApple will remain up and there are plans to resurrect it, but when I resume writing it will be with a solid plan and with knowing the lessons that round 1 taught me. Thank you to all who have visited the site (especially those that returned) and thank you to the group of guys that helped contribute to the site.

See ya soon…

Favorite iOS Photo Apps

David Wegley — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:32:18 +0000

Seems like all the photographers I know are doing things like Photo-a-day or Project 52 to help them to be more createive in 2012. I decided to start one this year but with a bit of a twist. Project 52: Mobile. You have to take the photo in the week of the theme and you have to edit it on the phone. It’s made me really look at photo apps on my iPhone and here are my favorites currently.

Snapseed ($4.99, Link)

This app has become my favorite hard core editing app. I truly believe this is the closest to Photoshop on iOS. Ironically, Adobe makes a Photoshop app and it’s basically useless. It does so little that it is a bit of a joke in some circles. Snapseed has really broken into a new interface scheme for selecting tools and adjusting photos. Touch and hold and drag up and down to select tool. The slide left and right to adjust selected tool.

Camera+ ($.99, Link)

This app is my close second in favorite apps. This one uses more filters than a granular editing tool like Snapseed. One of the features that I absolutely love is the clarity filter. It is almost a HDR filter for your photos but does more. It allows you to crop and straighten the photos and add a border. Works well for a super quick edit.

Instagram (Free, Link)

I won’t go into great detail as it seems like everyone under the sun that has an iOS device has signed up to use this app. They are doing multiple photo uploads a second these days. It is a great app and easy to share a quick photo in seconds with your social media world. It is the Polaroid of today!

Diptic ($.99, Link)

This app simple in its purpose. It allows you to crop and meld two or three photos together into one super photo! It’s fun way to make your photos look different.

These apps are really showing the power of the iOS in photography like its big brother, the Macintosh. These apps work really well in conjuction with each other and can make some very unique and fun looks to your photos. Go and download a few today!

Apple Holding Education Event On January 19th

RJ McCollam — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:37:57 +0000

The rumors last week were not false. Apple has sent out invited for a education announcement in the Big Apple on January 19th. We have known for awhile that Apple has wanted to revolutionize the education sector and with the release of the iPad they are off to a great start. You can bet that this announcement will most likely be focused on a new textbook delivery system on the iPad just for schools.

You can also bet that we will be covering it when it happens so stay tuned!

Siri and Your Car

David Wegley — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:36:39 +0000

I don’t drive much because I work from home, so I’ve got it easy. I used to do the 30 to 40 minute commute thing and it was horrible. I don’t know how people do it or put up with driving in that stuff everyday, but I digress. I have become frustrated with my car stereo system and have started looking for an aftermarket solution to work with my iPhone 4s.

I have a 2007 Ford Fusion – You know, the one that came out the year before they had it as an option to put Ford’s SYNC tech in - yes that one. I like my car and I like that it runs well, but I want a better system for my car than it has presently. So I looked to Ford first…nothing. No options for anything older that 2008 models which I understand. They want you to buy the latest and greatest.

I’ve looked at a few other aftermarket devices like the Pioneer AVIC-Z130BT and they are OK, but they still leave me wanting more. Then it occurred to me that Apple has started down the path with this already with Siri. Siri is very much in it’s infancy. It doesn’t do much right now but Apple is working hard on giving more functionality to it. Also Apple is releasing some hooks into Siri for developers to create apps that work with Siri.

What I envision for an aftermarket solution would be a dash mountable 7 inch display that allows you to have your iPhone plugged in via dock connector and allows you to speak to Siri. The display is for GPS navigation and general display purposes. Siri would also allow you to start up any number of audio streaming apps like Pandora, Slacker, Spotify, Rdio, NPR, etc. This would also then be displayed on the screen.

Anyone looking for a Kickstarter project to start? You have my permission. Go forth and make this.

WTF?! I wanted an iPhone!

RJ McCollam — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:22:42 +0000

Due to the language in this video it may not be safe for work

I know that this is a little late since Christmas was a couple of weeks ago, but this is still something worth sharing. YouTuber Jon Hendren decided for one of his “song a day” videos that he would put together tweets of those who felt they should have gotten an iPhone for Christmas and that their parents suck.

There are a couple of real gems in there so make sure to pay attention to the video above and try not to become to mad at the entitled state that our youth has fallen into to.

Web Based iPhone 4 created with CSS3

RJ McCollam — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 02:27:57 +0000

When I’m not writing for LeftoverApple I am handling my day job as a web developer, and stories like this always catch my eye and deserve sharing. TJRus has done something very cool in creating an iPhone 4 completely using CSS3. Everything from the phone frame to the screen and icons are all built with CSS and the coolest part is that there is even some functionality like turning the phone on and off or sliding to unlock.

You can check out the awesomeness here.

Apple to Hold Media Event in New York This Month

RJ McCollam — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 02:15:11 +0000

Early this week there was a rumor floating around that Apple would be planning a media event towards the end of January and that it would be held in New York. Sources from different tech outlets like AllThingsD were quick to point out not to expect new devices like the iPad 3 or a new AppleTV because this event would be focused possibly around iBooks.

The now iCloud exec, Eddie Cue, is reported to be there and that helps give us an idea of what the event will be like since he was the Apple employee there to help announce the first iPad only newspaper, The Daily.

TechCrunch was quick to help shed some light on more specifics about the event and that it would be focused more around publishing and eBooks and possibly even education, something you know Apple is dying to revolutionize with their iPad.

EA & Gameloft’s Having A Huge Holiday $0.99 App Sale

RJ McCollam — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 02:37:30 +0000

Two huge iOS game developers have started their holiday app sale. Both Electronic Arts and Gameloft have all of their iPhone and iPad apps on sale for just $0.99…yep that’s right only $0.99. Chances are if you dabble in gaming on your iOS device you have already played a game from one of these companies and now that the quality for the most part is very high.

One downside to the way that each company markets their games is that they have separate apps for the iPhone and iPad meaning that you need to purchase them both if you want to be able to play on both devices. That is what makes this sale so awesome though is that you can get a great game on both your iPhone and iPad for only $2 instead of possibly $15 or more. This is a great way to spend some of those iTunes gift certificates you will be getting for Christmas and get the most bang for your buck.

Below is a list of games on sale with a link to each of them in the App Store:

Electronic Arts Holiday Sale (via SlashGear)

iPad:

Battlefield: Bad Company
Battleship
Boggle
Bop It!
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Dead Space
FIFA 12
Madden NFL 12
Mirror’s Edge
Monopoly
Monopoly Here & Now
NBA Jam
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit
Pictureka!
RISK
SimCity Deluxe
Tetris
The Game of Life
Transformers: Dark of the Moon HD
Trenches II
Trivial Pursuit Master Edition
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
Yahtzee HD

iPhone:

Battlefield: Bad Company
Battleship
Boggle
Bop It!
Clue
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Connect 4
Dead Space
FIFA 12
Fight Night Champion
Madden NFL 12
Mirror’s Edge
MMA
Monopoly
Monopoly Here & Now
NBA Jam
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit
Need for Speed Undercover
Pictureka!
RISK
SimCity Deluxe
The Simpsons Arcade
The Sims Ambitions
The Sims 3 World Adventures
Skate It
Spore Creatures
Tetris
The Game of Life
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Trenches II
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
Yahtzee Adventures

Gameloft Holiday Sale (via TouchArcade)

[via 9to5mac]

Order Today from Apple.com and Get Your Order by Christmas

RJ McCollam — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:05:21 +0000

Alright all you last minute shoppers, Apple has your back this holiday season. Apple is offering free express shipping on all orders placed on apple.com if placed today (December 21st). This means that if you place your order today than you can still get that awesome gift by Christmas.

You can also use the new option of placing an order online and pick up at your local Apple Retail Store.

Apple Posts New Santa Using Siri Commercial

RJ McCollam — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:54:11 +0000

I could only imagine what a stressful job it would be to be Santa Clause. Sure the rest of your year is pretty laid back, but on the night of December 24th you have a lot of places to be. Luckily this year it looks like Santa has an iPhone 4S with Siri to help him out. Apple has posted a new commercial for the holidays highlighting how Siri is helping Santa deliver presents to 3.7 billion people.