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If you love audiobooks then you’ll have probably come across Audible. Today, we’re looking at the recent addition of an iPad client to their range of listening possibilities. Since Audible is owned by such a large enterprise (it’s an Amazon company) then we should expect a well-presented app of the highest quality that caters for audiobook-loving people everywhere.
In many respects, this is what we get with Audible for the iPad. It includes bookmark synchronisation across e-books and audio streams and also contains a huge back-catalogue of audiobook titles. The app looks the part and for this review, we’ll take it on the road with some in-depth testing to see if it has substance beneath all that gloss, or if it’s simply all for show (after all, you shouldn’t judge an audiobook by its cover!). Read on to find out what we encountered.
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Right now, there are two huge trends in app development: weather apps and email apps. I get more emails about weather apps and email apps than I know what to do with. I’m not complaining, though. These developers are often making really impressive apps but, apart from great user interfaces, I fail to see what they’re really putting their tech-savvy skills to use with. Interfaces are great, but they could be outdone anytime Apple decides to update their own Weather or Mail apps. Sometimes, these apps are a little short on features.
Cloze is the exact opposite. It’s a free universal app for iPhone and iPad that combines email and social media updates into one centralized feed. What really excites me is that Cloze doesn’t think the problem lies within the communication’s interfaces but rather within the interface’s management of communication. Combining email and social feeds has been tried before by a few other developers, but I’ve never felt it’s been executed well. Let’s face it, making an app like this is tough. Does Cloze have the technical knowhow and design skills to make their app user-friendly and feature-filled? Let’s find out.
The biggest problem with Apple’s products is that they keep people within a walled garden. There’s a lot of benefits to the walled garden in some cases — namely security — but there can also be annoying detractions. One example is the DRM in the iBooks app that makes it altogether impossible to read anything you purchased on anything other than an iPad (I’d love it if Apple used .mobi instead so I could put anything I purchase from them on my Kindle).
But then there are some walls in Apple’s garden that nobody likes, like Newsstand. Newsstand is one of those apps that Apple let get away. Not only are most of the magazines in Newsstand difficult to search for in its Store (Apple really needs to merge the Newsstand with the iBooks Store), but they’re also merely digital scans of paper-based media with a few hyperlinks thrown in for good measure. Newsstand’s proprietary format and wooden shelves have driven a lot of people away from the app and towards its only clear, cross-platform alternative: Zinio. (more…)
Have you ever found yourself between flights in a foreign city with several hours to explore but no idea what to do? It’s easy to be overwhelmed and end up wasting hours standing in line with thousands of other tourists. Avoid the lines and explore the city like a local using Travel Channel Layover Guide with Anthony Bourdain’s favorite places to eat, drink and stay. This engaging app is full of videos, photos, maps and contact information to inspire you and help you plan. Don’t just stand on the sidelines and watch – create your own layover itinerary by adding timelines, photos, notes and mapped locations.
Don’t waste precious time on the touristy destinations during your next layover. Read on to learn more about making every second in a foreign city count with Travel Channel Layover Guide. (more…)
Kobo is a Toronto-based company that makes devices and apps to improve your reading experience. The company holds a significant market share in the eReaders space and is already ahead of Amazon in many countries. It builds four different kinds of eReader devices and also maintains its own Kobo app which is supported in many different devices and platforms.
Indeed, Kobo has probably one of the best (or the best) eBook reader apps in the iOS marketplace. In this article, Let’s take a look at the iPad version of the Kobo app. (more…)
One of the merits of mobile technology is its ability to be used as a source of information, no matter where you are or what you’re doing. In the era of mobile technology we currently find ourselves in, there’s so much information to digest that it becomes rather overwhelming. Lucky for us then, that there are some very intelligent app developers that create methods in which to control the information overflow.
Between Reeder, Instapaper and Flipboard, it’s easy to find an content delivery app that’s best suited to your personality. Another option to consider is Google Currents, which was introduced in September 2011. The app has been a somewhat popular choice amongst iPad users (currently the 81st most popular free News app in the App Store), but a recent update to version 2.0 aims to bring Google Currents on par with the aforementioned apps. Hit to jump to learn if Google Currents is now in fact one of the best news consumption apps for the iPad. (more…)
With the current state of the economy, I’ve been surveying the real estate market in my area to see if I can find a great bargain. The problem is as a first time home buyer I’ve come to find that the process is way more complicated than it should be. Trying to research and compare homes across numerous websites can be a total time killer, not to mention quite the chore. On top of that, I often found myself trying to memorize addresses of houses I saw on that market so I could look them up on the computer when I got home.
So, when I came across HomeSnap Real Estate and saw that it so casually declared, “Just snap a photo of any home, nationwide, to identify it and find out how much it’s worth,” I was intrigued. Part of me was skeptical at first, but there were enough good reviews to keep me interested (and it doesn’t hurt that it’s free).
Before we get into the nitty gritty of how it works and if it’s worth your time there’s one thing I should mention. HomeSnap is only currently available for users in the United States. If I’ve still got your attention, then read on to discover if this app is for you! (more…)
I’m going to level with you here: I get most of my news from Facebook and Twitter. That’s not to say I don’t use legitiment news sources; I follow CNN, Breaking News, NY Post and USA Today, and will visit BBC News when I’m fed up with all of those. What I’m saying is I don’t use apps or regularly visit websites to read the news. However, when I’m using my iPad, my news source of choice is the beautifully redesigned USA Today for iPad app.
Let’s find out more after the break. (more…)
If you’ve ever used the Internet and like movies, I’m sure you’ve heard of IMDb. Since it’s launch in 1990, IMDb has been the de facto place to go when you’re trying to figure out where you’ve seen that one actor before (tip, it’s always Spaceballs). When smartphones became a thing, IMDb was a must have bookmark so you could also settle debates with your friends on the go. In short, IMDb is simply part of the small percentage of websites that’s ingrained into society.
One of the few shortcomings of IMDb’s iPad app in the past is a lack of user friendliness. When you launch the app, there’s simply a lot of noise to overcome and it takes more than a few seconds to figure out the navigation setup. But the developers behind IMDb’s iPad app looked to rectify this issue with the release of version 3.0, which offers up a complete redesign. So, does this mean that IMDb now offers up a great service in an easy-to-use package? Hit to jump to find this answer and more! (more…)
When it comes to buying things online, there are definitely a lot of options. One of the most popular websites to purchase new swag, without a doubt, is eBay. There are people that spend most of their day combing the online auction website (even when they’re supposed to be working), trying to place the winning bid, while trying to avoid those pesky snipers. With the popularity of the iPad, it comes as no surprise that an online seller of goods would want to provide their service in the form of an app.
EBay for iPad has been around since August 2010, and since it’s release the app has been able to maintain a four star rating (out of five) with over 35,000 ratings, which is no small feat when it comes to App Store reviews. With such high praise from users, it’s high time that eBay for iPad received the AppStorm treatment. All you need to do is hit the jump. (more…)
