Dragon Dictation is an app for the iPad that allows you to speak into the iPad, and have the words automatically transcribed for you into text. It wouldn’t be correct to type this article then, would it?
So what you are reading has been completely and automatically transcribed by this application whilst I sat in cars, cafes, and coffee shops, chatting away to my iPad.
Embarrassing – yes. Enlightening – absolutely! Let me share with you what I found…
Hopefully the poll I’ve put together this week will give you some pause for thought; could you use the iPad as your only computer?
I’ve noticed more and more how many things I could do on my iPad if I had to, almost all the work I do is 100% achievable on the iPad – even if it would sometimes be more time consuming or fiddly. That’s the crux of the matter here, it’s not about whether you’d want to use the iPad as your only computer, but about whether you could – is it feasible?
For the sake of argument, I’ll allow you to have any iPad peripherals and accessories that you want – including external keyboards etc. – although it shouldn’t really make any difference. I want to know whether it’s possible for you to ditch your laptop or desktop completely, and just use the iPad from now on, I’m assuming it’s not easier – you’d be doing it already!
Feel free to get involved below and tell us what it is that would stop it from working out for you, or what you’d need for it to be possible!
While it’s all good and well looking up app reviews and reading roundups to find your next favourite app, sometimes the best thing is to get a solid recommendation from a friend. A few weeks back I asked the followers of iPad.AppStorm on Twitter what their most-used apps were; the apps that they open every single day, or even several times a day!
I’m just going to take a minute or two to look at the apps that AppStorm readers love and think about why they make such a difference, why they deserve a place on your home screen.
Three heads bent down facing three iPads. The only sound in the room comes from the crashing and cheering of the digital soldiers who have captured yet another castle. The tapping is furious on the glass screens, “reinforcements to the front lines!”
Shouts of “Defend the castle!” and “Take the tower!” sound out over the gameplay. Miniature hordes of soldiers, knights, and horsemen charge across the elegant landscape of the current map. It is victory and a trophy, this time…
What sort of game is this that challenges three roommates on a Saturday morning? With the fast-paced gameplay, challenging strategy and exquisite game art, Land Grabbers was the easy answer to my unspent $2.99. And it was well worth it! Combining classic elements of strategy, simulator, and resource management, this casual game brings much of the desktop experience to the iPad. If you’ve enjoyed the space-combat game Galcon, then you’ll find much to love about this Medieval take on a similar style.
One of my favorite genres of iPad apps and one that gets very little love, all things considered, is music creation apps. The large touch screen has the potential to be very useful in the studio, as well as a platform for unique instruments and creation interfaces that can’t necessarily be recreated elsewhere.
If you’re interested in electronic music, you’ve no doubt heard the name Moog, one of the most prolific names in synthesizers. Today I’m going to talk about the new synthesizer app that they designed specifically for iPad: Animoog. Animoog is built on the company’s new Anisotropic Synth Engine, which is designed (in contrast to ‘isotropic’) to allow you to construct fluidly dynamic soundscapes in a highly customizable X/Y environment. I could go on, but unless you’ve studied synthesizers in detail, this is probably a bunch of gobbledegook. Hit the jump to check out more of the good stuff!
Winners Announced
Thanks to everyone who took part in the giveaway this week, and special thanks to Sophia Teutschler! I’m excited to let you know that the winners have now been chosen. Congratulations are in order to:
@seaneble
@wisemanb
@charlestreece
@docziandras
Well done to the lucky winners, and we’ll be in touch soon. Sorry to those who missed out, be sure to check back for more great competitions!
Old Competition Post
10 days ago today we posted a review of the excellent Magical Weather, and today I’m excited to announce we have 4 promo codes available for you to get your hands on!
In my review of Magical Weather I commented how:
Magical Weather is a beautifully designed weather app for the iPad that manages to be both elegant and useful. Apple could hardly have done better…
Magical Weather is a simple, yet powerful, weather app that I believe exemplifies what looking up weather should be like on the iPad! Read on for your chance to win…
Autumn is beginning to set in and for anyone who’s still pursuing education in any form, now is the time that it begins to drag. In an effort to help all those at high school, and show the rest of us just how intriguing the iPad can be, I have compiled a list of excellent educational apps that will go a long way to enlivening your learning!
If you know anyone who is struggling to get engaged with their school work, or just needs a little boost, make sure they have an iPad (maybe buy them one) and then send them here…
Let’s dive into the depths of human knowledge and understanding!
I was surprised to find out how little I knew abut the iPad app market when I got my first iPad a couple of weeks ago. I spend a lot of time writing about Mac apps and searching for cool new iPhone apps, but once I got my iPad I just didn’t know exactly what I should do with it first; a feeling that is shared by many people who I’ve talked with.
The number of apps out there can be overwhelming; and if we are being honest, not every app that is out there on the App Store is going to be cool or worth your money, especially if it’s expensive. And so we come to the crux, how would you go about gathering new cool apps when you get a new device? How do you find those little app gems that “make” a device for some people? Let’s see how I did it.
Instapaper has gotten more than its share of love over here on iPad.AppStorm. Consistently rated among the most useful apps and best-of lists, Instapaper is an app and service that has made reading anything you find on the web a joy again.
With version 4.0, Instapaper has gone through some serious changes. The iPad version has changed the most of all, sporting a brand-new interface that utilizes all of the iPad’s large display.
With the sheer range of Twitter clients out there on the App Store, choosing a Twitter client for your brand shiny-new iPad can be a long-winded process. Your choice of Twitter client really depends, though, on what kind of Twitter user you are, and whether you use Twitter to simply keep up to date with the world or to keep the world up to date with your happenings.
No matter what kind of Twitter user you are, there’s an iPad Twitter client out there for you! Here’s a detailed look at the pros and cons of the 7 best Twitter clients in the App Store at the moment.
