This is easily one of my favorite times of the year, don’t get me wrong there are things I like about most times of the year, but the excitement right about now brings back a lot of happiness that is lost from the dreary days of winters. This excitement to which I am referring is generated by the start of Baseball Season (which is quickly approaching) as well as (now as of the past couple of years) the impending release of the latest iPad (which I am sure to get!
Archive for the ‘Apps-iPad’ Category
MLB At Bat 2012?
21
Feb
Baseball fans rejoice, the official start of Spring Training (with the first spring training game in 9 days) is almost here with the start of the new season shortly behind that. And for those of you who are MLB.tv subscribers it just got a bit better this year. In past years to view regular games on the go you needed: MLB At Bat (iPhone) and maybe even MLB At Bat (iPad) and a subscription to MLB.tv Premium. Each MLB At Bat app ran you $15 plus $119 for the annual subscription. This would allow you to watch unlimited, non-blackedout, games and archived games as well as unlimited audio from either your iPhone or iPad. If you were like me, you probably found a use for both devices as they both have their ups and downs but this means you pay $150 per year to get all of this.
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Review: Air PlayIt
25
Jan
Air PlayIt (iPhoGame Dev, inc., FREE)
Air PlayIt is a FREE media client and server for streaming both music and video over your local network as well as over the Internet. There are currently several apps that do either part or all of what this app offers, but none of the free apps in the app store offer both the functionality as well as quality that this app offers. There are though still a few issues that will prevent me from using this as my primary video application, I will outline them below. However for a free app, they do a good job of delivering what they say they can deliver. This is not a universal app, but both the iPhone and iPad version are available for free in the app store and both function in the same way other than general lay out.
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iOS Tips: How to cheat at iOS games
17
Dec
I really don’t see any moral issue when it comes to cheating on iOS games. Now beware, this could spoil your fun at playing the game. But in a lot of cases, the best parts of the game only come once you advance so far. So this tip can assist you in getting to the higher levels of the game if done correctly. If you mess up, no worries, worst case scenario you can delete the game and reinstall. This technique will also allow you to backup your game status (in case of deletion) and even share it across devices as long as the multiple devices all use the same binary. This trick does *NOT* work with every iOS app/game. But it never hurts to try and see if it does work. Some save data using binary files or even core data which will make it harder for you to get to. But the games that store the data in flat files will work with this method.
Netflix updates iOS Apps
15
Dec
Netflix has released an update to their iOS apps, as a Universal App this update applies to both the iPhone and iPad apps although it primarily affect the iPad app. Besides making the iOS apps now availalbe in Latin American countries which represents an expansion for Netflix’s streaing service, this update also provides us with a completely re-designed iPad app.
I have heard many complaints in the past regarding the iPad app which closely resembled the iPhone app in a larger form. I too have not been a huge fan of the format they used. Now with this update they have fixed a lot of the usability issues that users have had as well as giving us a nice new design. You can view recently watched shows up top as well as recommended shows by category. Or navigation through the browser or your Instant Queue. They have done a great job with this update providing us with a better user experience.
I have seen a few complaints online that they left out the ability to use AirPlay with this version of the app, while this is true I do not see it as a valid complaint given that AirPlay only works (currently) with an TV which already has a Netflix app on it. I fail therefore to see the need to have an AirPlay option available.
Here are the notes from Netflix regarding this update:
New in Netflix v 2.0
1. Netflix now available in Latin America for iPhone and iPad
2. New iPad UI for all regions – US, Canada, Latin America – requires upgrade to iOS 5
3. Addressed stability issues
4. For support questions please contact us at mobilesupport@netflix.com
A lot of goodies coming out today!
12
Oct
With the release of iOS 5, there are a lot of goodies that Apple is planning (or already has) to release today. I will keep this list updated as more becomes available:
Be sure to upgrade to iOS 5.0 prior to installing these as most (if not all) require iOS 5.
- iOS 5 *Now Available! Update via iTunes 10.5
- iTunes 10.5
- iCloud
- Find My Friends (iPad and iPhone)
- iOS Airport Utility (iPad and iPhone)
- Cards
- TV Update for iOS 5 *Now Available Update via your TV
iOS 5 compatible apps begin to trickle into App Store
07
Oct
As the release of iOS 5 gets closer (October 12, 2011) we are now beginning to see iOS 5 compatible updates trickle into the app store. After the announcement last week of the release of iOS 5 as well as the new iPhone 4S Apple sent an email to developers asking them to submit their iOS 5 compatible apps now. These apps are now beginning to be approved and are already showing up ready for download. Some of these actually take advantage of new iOS 5 features as Enigmo 2 indicates below adding in the new “true” HD quality mirroring that is offered in 1080p with iOS 5. While other apps are merely offering fixes to their existing app due to changes in either the APIs or the way iOS works with this update. In the case of Audible below, they are moving the audio files out of the apps root document directory which is now going to be backed up to iCloud. Having the files in the documents directory would result in a lot of your precious 5 GB of free space being taken up with backups of files that don’t need to be. I am certainly welcoming this update as others are as well I am sure. Over the next few days and leading up to October 12, I suspect there will be a lot of apps released fixing minor issues currently outstanding in iOS 5.
Review: Infinity Blade (Universal App)
07
Sep
Infinity Blade(Chair Entertainment Group, LLC $5.99) Universal App)
We are soon approaching the year mark since this app was released. Last year at about this time when the makers of Infinity Blade announced its coming by also releasing a free preview, they stunned iOS users with impressive graphics and an incredible use of that which makes iDevices great. This app was released around Christmas of last year and was definitely a favorite. Since its release, the app developers have continued to add to this app, improving it and giving back to those who purchased it with a lot of freebies. They have continued to deliver free, regular updates to the app adding on additional features and even reaching out into the multiplayer world. This app works on both the iPad and the iPhone and is identical in both environments, although obviously game play is a much better experience on the larger screen. Unfortunately however, there is no way at present to sync the two devices (other than a manual process that requires some technical experience.)
Review: Ticket to Ride (iPad)
25
Aug
Ticket to Ride (Days of Wonder, Inc., $6.99)
As far as iPad games go, this is a fun game to get especially if you like board games. The problem is (like a lot of iPad games) it can get old playing it, and so even though it is at the top of my list now, give it some time and it may be gone. Nonetheless it is a great game to play, a lot of fun, easy to learn (if you are new to it) and with many multi-player options you can keep it exciting for a while. I looked at the reviews for quite a while before deciding (finally) to purchase it, but made the decision to go ahead and do so in part based on various high ratings online as well as reviews indicating that it took no time at all to learn the rules and get up and running. After purchasing it, I can indeed confirm that it takes no time at all to learn and it is definitely a lot of fun to play. Sorry folks, this game is iPad only.
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Review: Catan HD (iPad)
19
Aug
Catan HD (USM, $4.99)
One of the things the iPad has turned out to be really good at is porting over board games. It turns out that this is the perfect environment for such games, whether through pass and play modes or multiplayer online mode or even a solo, play against the computer mode. Catan HD, the iPad version of Settlers of Catan is no exception. The makers of this app did a great job of incorporating it into an iPad app and creating a quite pleasant user experience for anyone playing this game. There are however a few issues with the game, such as problems that I have with pass and play mode and unfortunately no online modes that make this game less useable than a lot of others in the app store and for that reason, at this time I can only give it 3 stars. However, if in the future they fix these issues, this is easily a 5 star app. This app is iPad only.