Where do these people get this kind of money? Are these things really worth that much, or is that just the price they put on them because they know rich people do stupid things too? Who knows. But here at MakeUseOf we’ll keep our extravagant spending somewhat useful. Let’s take a look at the Most Expensive iOS apps available to those with caviar dreams and champagne wishes.

Keep in mind, most of the really expensive iOS apps are related to the medical field, since knowledge is obviously so valuable. I’m going to avoid those apps and look at the ones that are a little more extravagant.

10.  Sexy Finger Print Test HD ($99.99)

The author claims that this app has had a million downloads in just 180 days. If my math is correct, that would mean his revenue has been about… $99 million dollars. Somehow I don’t think this is an accurate claim. That and the fact that an iPad or iPhone can’t use their touch screen to scan anything tells me this guy is full of it. Or is he? Maybe it does work. Maybe I am sexier than I thought and my finger print can tell me, in HD nonetheless! Maybe… but at $99 we’ll never know.

9. Water Globe ($219.99)

I’m beginning to think that iOS app developers think everybody has way too much money and not enough brains. Ubiquitous Muffin offers you the chance to have a snowglobe on your screen that you can stir up either by shaking your phone or using your finger. Whoopitty doo! What may be even more sad is that they also offer some very basic games like Boingg Pachinko and Clownbop for the same fantastic price of $219.99. Seriously?

8. BizjetMobile ($249.99)

Now we’re getting something cool and potentially worth the money. BizjetMobile allows people to connect their iPhone or iPad to an aircraft’s satellite phone and data link. On some smaller aircraft, they may have a satellite data link that goes relatively unused in terms of bandwidth. By connecting an iPad with this application on it to the airplane’s satellite link controller, other BizjetMobile enabled devices can connect to the SLC via Bluetooth.

This makes voice calling and SMS messaging a reality without investing in super expensive phone equipment. This could be ideal for the small charter operator to offer to their jet-set clients.

7. SafeSession Voice Encryption ($299.99)

While you’re jetting around and chatting on BizjetMobile, you may want to secure your conversation so no one can get your corporate secrets. If that’s the case then SafeSession Voice Encryption is for you. However you have to make sure that your confidants also have the software installed. Personally, I think it’s worth the money just to say to my wife on the end that we’re ‘Going Secure’. Spy-factor coolness included at no extra charge. If you’re not a high-paid spy, maybe you can opt for the Android version of cellular security.

6. Barcelona vs Madrid ($349.99)

I’m just as much of a soccer fan as the next Canadian, so maybe I’m missing something when I see that I can play a soccer game, with only two team choices, for $350. From the screen shots, it looks like a nice game and I’m sure it’s fun. But I could just about buy a ticket to a Barcelona vs Madrid game for that kind of coin. Or at least to an Edmonton Oiler’s game. This one must be for people far richer and more football savvy than I am.

5. Tap Menu ($399.99)

Now this one appeals to the epicurean in me! I’ve been known to drop as much as $50 in a restaurant including free soda refills, so you know I’m a player! But seriously though, sometimes a great meal is worth the price no matter what. I think Air Vision is definitely on to something here with their iPad menu system. Imagine having a classy high-end restaurant where the specials really are special and the menu may change nightly. You walk in with your beautiful arm-candy date, the garcon shows you to your table and instead of ratty paper menus he places iPads in your hands. Wow factor guaranteed! I’d go eat at a place that had this, just for this reason.

4. Mighty Brace Pro ($499)

If you’ve ever bought braces for your children, you know that they really are a luxury item. Or at least they are priced like a luxury item. But what wouldn’t we do for our children? Mighty Mouth has developed the Mighty Brace Pro to aid kids in knowing how to take care of the expensive gear in their mouths. It’s intended for dentists and orthodontists to buy to share with their patients. So at $499 plus the free Mighty Brace Home App that kids can download to keep kids engaged in taking care of their braces and oral hygiene. Yes, this a medical app, but it’s also a luxury that can really pay off in a perfect smile for years to come. I think this one is worth the money.

3. Preebs ($799.99)

The description for this app is a bit confusing, but if I have it right, Preebs is a location-aware billboard advertising small-screen extension. So you pay $800 bucks for this app and if you happen to walk by a billboard that is also participating in the Preebs program… “something” might happen. It might present you with an interactive game, a coupon or messages from other Preebers who have gone this way also. I can see the point in this kind of application, I just can see even rich people spending $800 to get advertised to, even more. I don’t think they care about coupons. If you do, maybe you want to check out Roximity - it’s free.

2. Alpha Trader ($799.99)

Who typifies big money in modern media more than the Gordon Gecko wannabe stock trader? Nobody, that’s who. Now here’s an app that can make your dream of big stock payouts and roller coaster rides on the Nikkei a reality. Alpha Trader has more options than Warren Buffet. Or not. I really don’t know a whole lot about the stock market, but this application seems to have built in market intelligence to assist in turning difficult guesses into easy decisions for the experienced trader. I can actually see that maybe $800 is a small investment for a tool like this to the stock trader. Maybe by investing in this app and learning to time the market, you could make enough to afford (and enjoy) the number one most expensive app.

1. VIP Black ($999.99)

Ever heard of American Express’s Black Card? Maybe you have, but chances are you and I will never get one. Invitation only my fellow pedestrian friend. Privilege has its privileges.  The Black Card is the easy way for celebrities and tycoons to drop down a card and pay for a helicopter ride, or a helicopter itself.

VIP Black is playing to that crowd with its mega-rich concierge service. Concierge is a wonderful French word for someone who will do anything you ask, if you have the money. Normally, I don’t like large quotes, but I just can’t say it better than they can:

VIP treatment allows members to geo-locate partner venues and receive extra-special experiences through surprise gifts, welcome packages, complimentary room upgrades, exclusive rates, priority access, and other unique privileges. For premium members VIP treatment is available across our global range of luxury partners.

Partners include Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, Virgin Limited Edition (Necker Island, The Lodge Verbier, and more.), Firmdale Hotels, and many other premium brands, venues and services around the world. Membership covers all aspects of the luxury lifestyle including butlers, theatres, personal trainers, private jets, a concierge, casinos, personal styling… And much more.

Now don’t think you can just scrape up $1000 and get the VIP App and access all this wonderful luxury. No, there will be verification that you are a High Net Worth Individual with income in excess of One Million Pounds!

Is it really worth $1000? If the lottery pays out this weekend, I’ll let you know.

The Take Away

Like everything else in life, you can spend as little or as much as you want on iOS apps. If you happen to have expensive tastes and a thick bankroll, then this is just the tip of the iceberg for your high-rolling ways. Maybe you want to have your iPhone bejewelled as well.

What do you think of these expensive iOS apps? Would they be worth the money to you if you can afford them? What’s the most expensive app you’ve bought? Was it worth the money? Let us know in the comments below.

The post iPaid A Lot: The 10 Most Expensive iOS App Store Downloads appeared first on MakeUseOf.

These mobile app updates mirror the makeover features of Pinterest’s Web platform. Now both mobile apps include a notifications list of activities related to your board, such as recent followers, re-pinned items, and comments made on your pins. Push Notifications are also included, if you enable them on your device.

Similar to the tagging feature in Twitter and Google+, the new notifications feature allows you to mention and notify Pinterest users you’re following in comments. To mention users, type the @ key followed by the first a few letters of a person’s Pinterest username, and then select that name in the pop-up. A notification will be sent to each of the people you mention.

Pinterest has also enhanced its mobile search feature. As you begin to type a keyword, a list of suggested terms will appear, starting with terms related to content on your boards. The list will also include recent terms you have searched for. This feature also syncs between your devices, so that if you search for an item on your computer, that same term will show up in a suggested list when you search for it on your mobile device.

Download: Pinterest for iOS, Pinterest for Android

If you’re an avid Pinterest user, these updates should make the mobile apps even better to use. Do you like them new features?

Source: Pinterest Blog

The post Pinterest Adds Notifications, People Mentions & Improved Search in Mobile Apps [Updates] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

Amazon Cloud Drive provides users with 5GB of free storage space, which Amazon says is enough to store up to 2,000 photos. Your cloud account allows you to access and browse your photos on your supporting devices, including the latest generation of Kindle Fire. Extra storage is fairly priced, with 20GB available for $10 a year, 50GB for $25, and 100GB for $50 a year.

Cloud Drive also includes an auto-save feature, which, if enabled, automatically uploads copies of your new and existing photos from your iPhone or Android to your Amazon Cloud Drive account upon launching the app. The upload works in the background, but unfortunately does not currently include automatic upload of videos. You can also upload photos manually by tapping each one individually.

Cloud Drive apps maintain the album structure of your mobile devices, and you can delete, as well as share photos to Facebook, Twitter, or email. In the app’s settings, you can view the available storage in your Drive account, enable or disable auto-save, or choose whether or not to only upload photos when connected to Wi-Fi.

Like similar cloud-storage services and mobile apps, Amazon Cloud Drive is a great way to preserve your photos while on the go, and can be done automatically by simply launching the app on your mobile device.

Source: Mashable

The post Amazon Releases Cloud Drive Photos App For iPhone [Updates] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

Both Android and iOS have a number of great chat messengers – like Kakao, WhatsApp, or even Viber – which are mostly used as text message replacements that can be used over WiFi without paying a cent. Yes, Phonon provides text chat functionality, but its main selling point is that it is also a voice messenger. Intrigued? You should be. Join me as I explore this awesome new messenger app.

The first thing you’ll notice is that Phonon is highly integrated with Facebook – so integrated, in fact, that you need an active Facebook account in order to use Phonon. Phonon is nothing without Facebook, so if you’re trying to avoid Facebook, then I’ll just tell you straight away that this isn’t the messenger you’re looking for.

Phonon will ask you to log in using your Facebook credentials, which you’ll have to confirm by a code that Facebook sends you (thank you, Facebook privacy). Then, Phonon will ask you for a username. Just pick one and you’ll be shown through a brief introductory slideshow tour describing all of its features and what each of the buttons mean. Honestly, it’s straightforward and that’s one reason why Phonon has a fair chance at success: it’s really easy to pick up.

So the main selling point of Phonon Voice Messenger is that it can leave messages for other users to read when it’s most convenient for them. The chat message feature is simple to figure out – it’s just like leaving a comment. You type up a message and they can read it at their leisure.

But the cooler option is to leave a voice message. By tapping one of the microphone buttons, the app enters into recording mode. In this mode, you can speak into your device like any other microphone and it’ll begin to record your message. The app lets you know how long you’ve been recording, and when you’re done all you have to do is hit the send arrow. Think of it as a voice comment. Unfortunately, there’s no way that I know of to listen to or alter your recording before submitting it.

Phonon has two other big features that are central to the app’s philosophy. First, birthday tracking. There’s a gift box icon along the top bar which has a number counter on it – the number of friends whose birthday is today. When you tap on it, a list of those friends will come up and you’ll be able to leave birthday messages for them. This is a nice touch since voice is more real and intimate than simple text.

The second feature is group messaging. Invite a bunch of your friends into a group chat and you can all leave chat and voice messages for each other. I think this is the coolest feature in this app, mostly because I don’t care all too much about Facebook status updates and photo albums. However, leaving behind voice messages for a group of friends? That’s something I could really get behind.

I have to say that I really like Phonon’s layout. It’s not the most polished or most beautiful interface I’ve ever seen, but it does do a lot of things well enough that it doesn’t feel clunky, sloppy, or cluttered. Sometimes not being bad is just as effective as being innovative.

The first big eye-catcher is the similarity of its layout to most Facebook apps on Android. There’s the traditional navigation bar at the top with Home, Contacts, and Inbox. Then you have the feed interface that shows the latest activity of your friends. The next eye-catcher is the relatively huge size of the buttons for leaving messages. I think it’s great that these buttons are so large because that’s the main focus of the app, after all. These messages can be left on status updates, photo albums, and privately user-to-user.

Phonon is available on Android as well as iOS. Yes, if your friends want to be able to read/listen to the messages you leave, they’ll need Phonon, but fortunately it’s pretty widely available. Give it a try and let us know what you think of it!

The post Phonon: A New Way to Chat on Facebook With Text and Voice [Android & iOS] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

These days you don’t have to get your hands dirty with photo chemicals and paper in order to enhance your images. There are several relatively easy to use photo enhancement iOS apps that require little or no prior knowledge about photo processing in order to produce quality images. One such app for the iPhone and iPad (among other iOS image editors) is Nik Software’s Snapseed, which is listed on our Best iPad Apps page, and is a free universal app that works on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

Basic Features

With a few simple taps and finger movements, you can enhance your digital images in Snapseed and get similar impressive results to what would take three or four times as long to bring about in Photoshop. Snapseed consists of over a dozen image processing and enhancement tools that you can selectively apply to improve your photos.

The app starts you off with a sample photo which you can use to learn and explore all of the features. Snapseed is not a destructive photo editor, which means that it doesn’t affect your original images. It makes a copy of the images you select to process, and you save the changes applied to the copied photo back to your iPad or iPhone Photo Library. The app even has access to the iOS camera which allows you to shoot photos and open them directly in the app for processing.

If you don’t know where to start, you can begin with the simple Auto Correct tool to see if you get results that you like. This tool basically adds contrast and auto-corrects the white balance of the selected image.

With a processing tool selected, simply move your index finger to the left or right to adjust the level of enhancement or move your finger up and down to select an enhancement feature. Tapping the tiny Help ”?” button in the top-right hand side of the app presents illustrated instructions that teach you how to use each of the selected tools.

One of the most useful menu items is the Compare button, which you can tap to view the difference between your original image and the applied enhancements. When you are satisfied with an enhancement, simply tap the Apply button in the menu bar (be sure to tap that button long enough for the processing to begin).

While you can undo and redo selected enhancements while you’re in the editor, once you tap the Apply button, the enhancements are permanent. The only way to get rid of them is to tap the Revert button, which will take you back to your original image. Unfortunately, you can’t selectively undo or delete individual enhancements or layers as you can in Photoshop.

Tools and Filters

In addition to the Auto Correct tool, Snapseed includes over a dozen tools and filters, including Crop, Straighten & Rotate, Black & White, Vintage Films, Drama, Grunge, Tilt-Shift, and Frames.

Since using these filters and tools doesn’t require you to understand layers and other complicated controls, you can simply explore them without needing a special manual for how they work.

The cropping and sharpening tools (the latter of which is found within the Details tool) provide two basic enhancements that will improve most images. The Auto Correct tool should handle most of the contrast enhancements you need to make, but you might also try using the Selective Adjust tool for correcting exposure problems.

The Vintage Films, Drama, Retrolux, and Grunge tools apply more artistic filters to your images. The Center Focus and Tilt-Shift tools can be useful for changing the depth of field in your images, or selectively softening the foreground or background of your photos.

After you’re done with all your enhancements, you can save the photo to your Photo Library, or you can share it to your Google+ photo gallery, Facebook or Twitter, Email, as well as copy or print the image directly from the app.

Snapseed is a relatively easy photo processing app to use, but it includes advanced features and tools for making complex image enhancements. It is the perfect application for those who want to do more with the simple point-and-shoot images captured with an iPad or iPhone camera.

Download: Snapseed for iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad (Free)

Let us know what you think of Snapseed, or share similar apps that you have found useful by leaving a comment, below.

The post Snapseed For the iPad and Phone Makes Photo Editing Easy [iOS] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

One such app that produces fantastic results with relatively little skill is Crossfader, an app from DJZ that launched on the App Store at the beginning of April and has been “free for a limited time” ever since. If you’re a fan of the Kinect, Wii and natural interfaces in general then Crossfader it bound to put a silly grin on your face.

You’ll also look very silly, but that’s all part of the fun.

Twist & Mix

The first time I saw Crossfader in the App Store I completely overlooked it. At the time (and still to this day) I was besotted with iOS music apps, having discovered gems like NanoStudio and the expansive AudioBus with which I can compose music using nothing more than an iPhone and some earphones. Crossfader markets itself to everyone – not just DJs, or those with an interest in music apps. For that reason I discounted it as a toy and figured it would be full of in-app purchases for terrible music I didn’t like.

That was a mistake, and I’m glad I gave the app another go. This was cemented by the fact that I played with it for a straight hour on first launch, plugged it into my stereo amp and turned the volume up to levels that surely made me unfavourable with the neighbours. When my girlfriend arrived home from work, I was none the wiser until she was stood behind me wondering what I was doing and why I looked like I’d developed a physical disability in an afternoon.

After reassuring her I was simply blossoming into the musical prodigy I’d promised all along, I took a step back and reassessed my initial thoughts about Crossfader. To put it bluntly: it’s bloody brilliant. Why? Because it relies on your movement for nearly every control you have over the resultant music.

Tilting left and right controls the main crossfader, as you’d see on any mixer or other DJ app. Tilting forwards and backwards applies effects (upwards being a beat-splicing gate and downwards adding a touch of high-pass). The further you go with either of these tilts, the more radical the effect and sudden the change. Jerking your phone left and right will also play a sample while simultaneously switching tracks.

The only thing you’ll need your fingers for is flicking the red or blue tiles – which are essentially your “decks” – to change tracks. A quick double-tap brings up a complete list of included music, which you can re-order if you do so wish. There’s a pause button in the top left, and a record button in the top right for exporting your mix which can then be uploaded to SoundCloud. Oh, and it helps to have a good latency-free AirPlay connection, though I’ve been using a stereo cable with enough slack not to damage anything which also does the trick.

Superstar DJs… Here We Go!

The music is a mix of modern dance, commercial, dubstep and other club hits with the odd a capella and breaks tracks in there for good measure. At present (and I counted) there are 48 tracks included, of roughly 30 seconds each. Most contain a break and a drop, though as mentioned others are simply vocals or drum accompaniments, in particular the Amen Break has been included which spruces up any tired old club hit.

Some of the music left me disappointed, but this is subjective. I’m not a massive fan of club hits or commercial dubstep from the likes of Skrillex, of which there is plenty in the app. That said, there is enough music to placate most crowds, and adding more really shouldn’t be a problem for the developers thanks to the rather clever implementation.

By providing only short 30-second clips akin to an iTunes preview, DJZ have potentially solved the issue of requiring in-app purchase packs. They’ve also made this music very easy to mix by sorting out tempo, pitch and beat looping for you. Music builds and drops as it’s meant to, and the results are limited but professional-sounding transitions. Limited for the lack of musical variation and two sole effects, professional because it only requires a small amount of practice before you can produce seamless transitions and start to look very silly indeed.

There’s something about controlling music with physical movement that makes me want to move the rest of me as well. This isn’t a new thing, in fact there are apps like the rather expensive multi-touch synth TC-11 ($29.99) which uses movement to modify parameters, but nothing that provides such a user-friendly implementation. That said, the app is definitely best for creating mini-mixes in its current state.

A Few Final Thoughts 

After playing with Crossfader I soon realised that I’d seen this sort of thing before in the MIDI Fighter 3D, a MIDI controller for DJs and live electronic music performers. The MIDI Fighter range takes the robustness of arcade controllers and applies it to MIDI music-making, allowing you to trigger samples, effects and tracks with a punch of a button. The MIDI Fighter 3D builds on this with accelerometers and the like to build a controller you can twist and tilt. Crossfader takes this use of natural movement and puts it into an app (with admittedly far less scope) that anyone can enjoy.

The app has still not had an update beyond its initial release. In fact at the time of writing, it’s never even had a price. With that in mind there is plenty of room for improvement here, including the possibility of adding your own loops, changing which effects and samples are triggered and even adding a tilt-reactive video output for sending to a TV or projector. Above you will find a quick mix I threw together for the purpose of this review – it’s not exactly tight but it shows off the various functions and loops.

In its current state it’s a fun toy that tires slightly sooner than it should do. The developers are pushing the “DJ your own party” angle, and for that it needs to be updated with more music and customisation options. Grab it!

Download: Crossfader for iPhone & iPod Touch (Free)

Have you played with Crossfader? Are there any other similar apps you enjoy? Let us know what you think in the comments, below.

The post DJ App Crossfader for iPhone Uses Movement To Mix Music [iOS] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

As you may remember, I own an old, first generation iPad. Being an old device, it’s pretty set in its ways, and did not really take to me trying to shuffle things around. It decided to completely die on me, forcing me to restore it and start from scratch. This was not exactly according to plan that night, and I ended up working very late to make up for it.

It was at that point that I desperately wanted something that could clean up my iPad for me, preferably without me having to actually delete or uninstall any of my precious apps or photos. Unfortunately, such options are usually kind of sketchy, and while I do want to free up some room, I definitely don’t want to lose content or for my device to stop working.

It is in the line of duty that I’ve decided to subject my iPad to one of these programs, namely, iMobie’s PhoneClean 2. PhoneClean is a free program that claims to free space on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch by deleting files that should be useless to you, such as temporary files, cached and offline files, cookies, script files, and media files that failed to sync properly. On paper, this should be quite useful, especially if you own a 8GB or 16GB iDevice. But does it really work?

Setting Up A PhoneClean Scan

Despite this somewhat bombastic headline, there’s really not much to getting PhoneClean to scan your iDevice. Assuming you already have iTunes installed (it must be installed on your computer for PhoneClean to work), all that’s left to do is head over to iMobie and download PhoneClean 2.

PhoneClean is available for Windows XP and later or for Mac OS X 10.6 and later. Despite what you might expect, the program does not try to force you into installing any junk toolbars or third-party programs — installation is quick and straightforward. Once done, it’s time to plug in your iDevice and submit it to a PhoneClean scan. Only slightly worried, this is exactly what I did.

Scanning With PhoneClean: Did My iPad Survive?

As you can see from the screenshot above, my iPad is no longer completely full. After that night mentioned in the intro, I never re-installed all my apps and synced back all my media files. This was almost a year ago, so I didn’t expect my iPad to have a lot of junk on it, although I have to admit that I’m not in the habit of taking very good care of it.

Before you start the scan, you get to choose what you want to scan for. I chose to scan for everything, but if you’re worried about losing log-in information and such, you could exclude cookies and script files.

When I started the experiment, my iPad had 5.86 GB of free space according to PhoneClean, and 5.65 GB of free space according to iTunes. It was time to see how much space was taken by “junk”.

Right off the bat, I noticed that PhoneClean did not feel like a scam. It didn’t try to push anything on me, and the interface is actually quite fetching. Scanning my iPad’s 9 GB of data took around 7 minutes, during which I could still use my iPad to watch videos or play games (you have to keep entertained while the scan goes on, after all). After 7 minutes, PhoneClean informed me that I could save 1.02 GB by deleting all kinds of files it had found.

Note that most, if not all of PhoneClean’s findings on my device came from cache and offline files, but this will change from device to device, naturally. PhoneClean 2 lets you bore down into its findings, and exclude any files you don’t want erased, or more accurately, exclude apps you don’t want it to touch.

I chose to exclude nothing, as I wanted to see exactly what would happen to my apps after cleaning them up with PhoneClean. It’s time to clean up! Did my iPad survive?

The Results

Clean-up was surprisingly quick, and after less than 5 minutes, PhoneClean was done and presented the following screen.

This was the only time PhoneClean asked anything in return, and it was done in a pretty agreeable way. It did not feel spammy or seedy. But what happened to my iPad? Surprisingly, not much. Aside from having 1 GB extra of free space, that is, which is quite significant in a 16GB device.

My Kindle books stayed synced to the same pages, apps such as Pulse, Skype, Pinterest, and Dropbox were still logged in, and even my Safari and Dolphin tabs and browsing history remained untouched. A Solitaire game I was playing while PhoneClean was scanning was saved exactly where I left off before the clean. All this remained even after restarting my iPad. These results may differ from device to device and from app to app, so if some of your apps do get logged out after the clean up, don’t be too surprised.

I’ll remind you again that my iPad runs iOS 5.1 (it’s not supported by iOS 6), and PhoneClean still worked without a hitch. All in all, I couldn’t find anything really negative to say about this program, despite viewing it with a pretty critical eye. The only option I would like to see added is a way to back up your files just in case the program deletes something that does cause damage. You can, however, do this easily using iTunes, so it’s not a big deal.

Don’t own an iDevice? No worries, here are some useful tips on how to free up space on your Android device.

Are you convinced, or will you still be wary when trying out PhoneClean? Perhaps you’re still too scared to subject your iDevice to a clean? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post PhoneClean 2 Promises To Free Up Space on Your iOS Device, But Does It Work? appeared first on MakeUseOf.

The hardest part about these projects is to remember to actually take some videos. Pulling out your phone, bringing up the camera, switching to video – it’s all quite laborious. Hopefully, Google Glass will fix all that, but for now phones will have to do. I’ll be honest here: my life is fairly boring, and I’m pretty bad at remembering to do things. So I missed a lot exciting events, and didn’t do this every day. There’s also an issue of privacy of course; I don’t think it’s always appropriate to just whip it out (a camera, that is) and start filming!

Still, the process is the same, and hopefully the results are somewhat interesting.

1 Second Everyday ($0.99)

This is the dedicated iPhone app that kicked the whole cultural phenomenon off, which Bakari wrote about before. It began life on Kickstarter, after this stunning TED talk.

Usage

Take a video in-app or choose one from your camera roll, but the clip MUST be taken on the right day or you can’t add it – there’s no cheating, so no saying that cool video from yesterday is your pick for today instead. When video is available, the day glows orange, meaning you can go ahead and pick 1 second of footage. The editing interface is easy enough – scrub back and forward until you find just the right second, then tap in the top right to accept that and add it to the timeline.

The interface is slow but pretty; the main view shows thumbnails for days where footage has been assigned.

To create a compilation video, click the create button; you can then choose either predefined month, year, or custom. Tap finish, and your videos will be “mashed up”. You’ll be shown a preview, and can instantly share either to Facebook, YouTube, or simply save the video the device.

If this is the first time you’re connecting, you’ll need to grant permissions, but you need only ever do that once.

Here’s what I could come up with, exported directly to YouTube. Yes, it’s pretty much all chickens, the dog and the ferret. And a fox. What else were you expecting?

Limitations

• Unfortunately, the app doesn’t work with the regular photo and movie library; only the camera roll. This means that if you import the videos to your computer before importing them into the app, it will no longer be available. This is a deal breaker for me, and I ended up missing a few clips because of this silly bug.
• You’re also limited to just one second; this is pretty harsh, and I personally think it’s just too short, which results in a video that’s too disjointed. It would be nice to have the option of using 2 seconds by default.
• You can’t add music unless you do your own editing.
• The interface is obnoxiously locked into landscape, particularly annoying when entering video descriptions and titles with the on-screen keyboard.
• Interface is slow, and the “loading your memories” screen is all too frequent.

FrameBlast (Free)

FrameBlast is a more automated solution that provides more professional results. It doesn’t have any strict restrictions as such, but each style of video uses a different length of clip, different cut and filter. You can also add any music from your library, or use some presets. The app is also completely free – there aren’t even any in-app purchases.

Usage

It’s incredibly easy to use – just add clips, and hit go. You can adjust the sequence of clips using an innovative spinner selection, but there’s no real need.

Once you’ve picked a filter style that you like, hit Save Blast to export the finished file. It’s a nice, speedy interface overall, and the completed percentage is a nice touch beyond the usual progress bar.

Vimeo, YouTube, Tumblr and Facebook share options were provided, so again, I uploaded to YouTube and was required to authorise access to my account first. One nice touch is that the uploading is done in the background, so you can continue to use the app in the meantime if you have other “Blasts” to produce.

Here’s what I made (sorry to Canadians and Germans, UMG blocked the video in your country for my choice of music):

Note: HD isn’t enabled by default, so be sure to turn that on first. And make sure you have a lot of room on your device – these things aren’t small.

Limitations

• There’s no way to select which bits of clips are used, and it refuses to import trimmed video – so if you’ve taken a long video, it’s not going to be particularly useful unless the whole thing is interesting.
• Projects aren’t saved, so if you want to adjust the theme or clips after exporting a blast, you’ll need to re-select all the clips.

One Second Epic (Free)

An obvious knock-off of 1SE, this app is actually better in some ways. Again, you can either capture through the app, but you also have access to your full video library, though sadly this crashed the app for me. The interface is far more responsive too.

You can create a number of “epics” at the same time. These are projects which you can save at any point, edit and add clips to – you’re not limited to simply exporting time periods. This means you can easily separate videos of your kids from everything else, for instance, until you’re ready to export.

Fundamentally then, it’s like 1SecondEveryday, only with less restrictions, a better interface, and free. The concept is somewhat different though, so if you’re actually interested in the arbitrary restrictions placed by the original 1SE, then this app isn’t for you.

Limitations

• I actually couldn’t get it work on my iPhone 4 or iPad 3 – previewing compilations which I’d imported videos into crashed the app. With video taken immediately, it worked fine, but I don’t have enough interesting things around the house to demo that.
• Direct uploading is only supported to Facebook, no YouTube or Vimeo, so you’ll need to export to the camera roll and share from there.

The Winner

FrameBlast gets my vote; for ease of use, automatic handling of video clips and the ability to use your own tunes and existing iOS video library. 1SecondEveryday is an interesting project to take on and perhaps will cause you to examine your life everyday in a new light, but the videos it produces aren’t actually that compelling and getting content into the app is just too difficult in my opinion.

How about you? Have you had a go at documenting your life in video? Post some links in the comments and let us take a look!

The post Document Your Life With Moving Images: How to Make a Video Diary [iOS] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

If you love riding your bike, this list of applications will be incredibly helpful for you. We’ve found four of the best applications for cyclists of all kinds, whether street, mountain, or beyond. Download the following applications to your iPhone and you will be ready to make the most of your cycling experience.

Strava Cycling (Free)

This is the best cyclist iPhone app on the App Store. It is sitting on a 5-star rating on the US App Store with over 7000 reviews, so it’s clear that the cycling community has responded very well to the features offered in the application. So what are those awesome features? The better question is: what features doesn’t it have?

The app comes with all the GPS tracking you could ever want for keeping track of your rides. It also has the ability to upload your rides so you can share them with friends. You can earn achievements for your runs, which could help motivate some riders to push harder on future excursions. Strava Cycling also has a social aspect where you can follow your friends to keep up on their performance.

Did I mention that this app is free? Download it, and you will be glad to have it installed on your iOS device.

Map My Ride (Free)

This is the GPS application every hardcore biker should have installed on their iOS device. It gives you a ton of features right in your pocket, which will allow you to make the most of your trips, at least in terms of statistics. It allows you to track your route, speed, distance, calories burned, and time. It makes it easy for hardcore bike riders to be able to go back and see how they did on their last run, and whether they’ve made any improvements.

Map My Ride has an easy to use interface, so jumping in and using it to keep track of stats is a breeze. It has so many features that it would take a whole article for me to get them all out. The app is free but comes with a paid option which removes adverts, adds a GPS camera, and offers built-in iPod controls. Download this one on your phone and you will be one happy cyclist.

Bike Repair ($3.99)

While this app is a little more expensive than the others on the list, the features it offers are critical for anyone who plans to bike fairly great distances. It comes with 64 detailed guides designed to help you through the process of fixing anything that goes wrong with your bike. Each guide has plenty of photos so you can get a visual representation of what you need to do to fix your ride.

In addition to repair guides, Bike Repair also comes with features that to help track replaced parts and a maintenance history for your bike. This will come in handy if you ever want to sell your bicycle, or if you just want to go back see what you have done. The app is potentially very useful in preventing you from getting stranded with a bike problem, and it might even save you some money when you don’t have to pay someone to do the repairs for you.

Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker by MyFitnessPal (Free)

If you really want to take your cycling to the next level, you are going to want to be in the best shape possible. This means dieting and exercising. If you cycle enough, that should be your exercise, but you might still want to keep track of what you are eating to make sure your diet is optimized. MyFitnessPal is the perfect application for keeping track of your diet and exercise, which is necessary for any cyclist. Have a look at our full review of MyFitnessPal to see why we like it so much.

Conclusion

With these four cyclist iPhone apps you will be ready to take your cycling game to the next level. Each one offers some powerful features to track performance, perform maintenance and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Serious cyclists should have these installed on their device without question, so grab them now – you won’t regret it.

Have you tried these applications? Do you have another cyclist iPhone app that you recommend? Hit the comments section below and let us know!

Images: Cyclist driving through a curve (Shutterstock)

The post 4 Must-Have iPhone Apps For Cyclists [iOS] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

We know.

But let’s be real. The Facebook app of today isn’t the same app it was when it was first released. It’s a new kind of monster with extra features and a sexier design. Yes, it has the same basic functions that Facebook (and the original app) has always offered, but over time, it’s been redone almost as many times as my ex-girlfriend’s MySpace page.

I also know that some of you might just now be getting into the world of smartphones (yep, some people don’t yet have one – take it from us). You may have even found this article because you visited our Best iPhone Apps list. With that said, Facebook for iPhone is a great place to start.

Let’s take a look.

The Features

Let’s get this out of the way. You know what Facebook does, but how about a quick reminder of what the iPhone app is capable of, too?

• Post status updates
• Like and share items
• Comment on links and updates
• Receive friend requests and notifications
• Send and read messages
• Check-in at locations
• View and respond to events
• Check out nearby locations
• Communicate with groups
• Open games in-app
• View news feed (in chronological order or by top stories)
• Free calling
• View profiles
• View pages

In short, Facebook for iPhone does exactly what the desktop version does. These are the raw social features that you would likely use on a typical basis, but there are few extra minor ones too. For example there’s the introduction of Chat Heads, which are little circles featuring your friends’ profile pictures that can be placed anywhere on the screen for you to click on and carry on a conversation.

By all appearances, having those images on your screen seems as if it would be annoying, but I personally believe that the feature isn’t very intrusive at all. You can also add “stickers” in the conversation in the form of fancy smiley faces that add some flavor to your messages.

One major issue that users have with the iPhone’s Facebook app is the fact that you can’t delete posts that you have made. Seeing that this is the device most people would use to publicly share their thoughts about their boss while under the influence, this could be a potential problem for some users. While you can still use your desktop to delete those embarrassing updates, you can’t do it while on the go.

The Layout

Facebook’s latest layout is very dynamic compared to most apps, and all of its touch features are very fluid. If you drag your finger from the left side of the screen, you’ll find a basic app directory that includes your events, pages, groups, games and more. Doing a similar move on the right side of the screen will bring you to all of your conversations. Touching the top of the screen will take you to the top of your news feed, and as already mentioned, you can drag your Chat Heads anywhere you like – pulling them to the bottom of the screen gets rid of them, though.

The text is clear, usually presented as black on a white background. Without going into too much detail, everything you see on this app is designed to match Facebook’s brand. This is the official mobile app, so the fact that it looks like the website is a given.

Overall, the layout is feature heavy, but it doesn’t present things in a complicated way. Everything is accessible, and all of your actions will likely be rather instinctive. Generally speaking, it would be very difficult to get confused or lost while using the Facebook app for iPhone.

The Functionality

If you want the full experience of social networking, Facebook for iPhone is a must-have. Then again if you’d rather not get bogged-down with all the extra features, you may want to give Facebook Messenger a shot instead.

Messenger gets rid of your news feed, notifications, and all the other features that Facebook packs in and leaves you only with the messaging function. For people like myself, it’s good to have both. Sometimes I just want to sift through my messages like email. Other times I want to read up on the latest local news.

For the most part, Facebook for iPhone is an app that will help you stay connected while on the go. It’s a must-have for your iPhone, and if you don’t have it by now, get it.

Download: Facebook for iPhone at the App Store (Free)

Do you like using Facebook for iPhone? Or do you stick with derivative apps like Facebook Messenger instead? Let us know in the comments.

The post Facebook For iPhone: The Review We Should Have Written By Now [iOS] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

Google Now makes use of users’ search history, as well as other criteria like location, to deliver relevant information such as traffic conditions, weather and favorite sports team results. In order to use the smarter “passive” suggestions from Google Now, users must enable search history on their accounts, something many will have turned off last year due to privacy concerns regarding the storage of such data.

Information on Google Now is displayed in the form of cards, accessed by swiping up from the app’s main search interface. Dismiss a card by swiping left or right and Now will start to learn what information you value and what you’d like to see less of. Location information is gathered in order to show weather conditions but also quick access to Google Translate, currency conversion and time differences while abroad.

For users who have search history enabled, Google Now will serve up some interesting suggestions. It can help you find your way home according to traffic conditions, check the status of your upcoming flight or get news updates for stories you’ve already read — all without requiring any action on your part. According to Google, the more you use Now the better it gets, and from experience, if you don’t have search history enabled, the feature is far less useful.

Some users are reporting that due to a reliance on GPS, the app is causing excessive battery drain on iOS devices, though turning off Location Reporting under the app’s settings (accessed via the cog icon) apparently solves this by restricting GPS usage to only when the app is active.

The update unifies Google’s iOS Search line-up which already includes Goggles for searching using your device’s camera, voice searching similar to Siri, and quick access to some of Google’s most oft-used services in a couple of taps. It’s already live on the App Store, so update or download the app now.

Download: Google Search for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch @ App Store (Free)

Source: Official Google Blog

The post Google Search For iOS Updates, Brings Google Now To Your iPhone, iPad, Or iPod Touch [Updates] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

Using your iPhone as a remote webcam might be useful for home surveillance, if you need to monitor a baby in another room, temporarily watch your front or backyard, or because you need an alternative external webcam to use with Skype, Google+, Windows Live Messenger, AIM, or other messaging applications.

Simon has already come up with a wireless webcam solution for Android, this is for iPhone and the iOS platform. And Joel Lee shared three fun tools to get more out of your webcam.

FaceTime as a Webcam

If you are a Mac user you can use the built-in FaceTime application (why by the way can be used over cellular by AT&T users) as a webcam which comes installed on your iPhone and Mac. To use FaceTime on your iPhone to connect with FaceTime on your Mac, you need to make sure they are not using the same contact number or email address on both devices, a relatively easy set-up.

Open the Settings app on your iPhone and scroll down to the FaceTime button (FaceTime on the iPhone is not a separate app), and where it says “You can be reached by FaceTime at:” be sure just your phone number is checked, which is probably how most people will connect with you on FaceTime anyway. You can also choose an email address instead of your phone number.

Next, on your Mac, launch the FaceTime application and click FaceTime > Preferences in the menu bar and select a different contact email than the one on your iPhone. The purpose of doing this is to make sure that when you use FaceTime with either device you won’t get a busy signal. If need be, you can also add another unique email address for FaceTime on your Mac.

To use your iPhone as a webcam—for example to monitor activity on your front porch—locate your name in your Contacts on your iPhone, scroll down and tap on the FaceTime button and select the email address you entered for your FaceTime connection on your Mac.

Mobiola WebCamera ($4.99)

Of all the third-party apps I tested for the iPhone, Mobiola WebCamera ($4.99) works the best on my Mac. As an iPhone app it connects to your Mac or PC using a Wi-Fi connection, though you will need to download connect to the desktop client viewer in order to use it.

Both the app and web client connect automatically, but when you first launch the Mobiola WebCamera app, the camera resolution is set to low. If you want and need a higher resolution, you will have to tap on the Settings button at the bottom of the screen and change the capture quality to High.

In Settings, you’ll notice that Mobiola WebCamera also includes a flashlight, speaker, and mic. However, the latter two features never worked for me. The app also includes video and snapshot capture, but using the former feature caused the app to crash several times in my test. It worked better when I changed the camera resolution to Medium. All of your WebCamera captures are saved by default to your Movies and Pictures folder on your Mac.

The Mobiola is not good as using FaceTime, but it’s a good option if you don’t want to tie up your iPhone when using it as a webcam.

PocketCam (Free)

PocketCam is the best free webcam app that worked in my tests. The free lite version provides only black and white resolution, while the paid version ($4.99) supports full color and audio.

As with Mobiola WebCamera, you can adjust the video resolution and compression rates to low or high, and you will need to download and install the Windows or Mac software client to use as the viewer.

You can also change the webcam position in PocketCam, including the ability to flip the screen vertically and horizontally.

The Bottom Line

While you will never use your iPhone as a dedicated webcam, FaceTime and these third-party apps are handy to use and cheaper than buying a more expensive web camera. Let us know how these apps work for you, and if you have a better solution, please share your recommendation.

Do you use your iPhone as a wireless webcam? What apps are best for you? Share your thoughts with us in the comments at the end of this post.

The post Use Your iPhone as a Webcam: Here’s How [iOS] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

As a result of the update, iPhone users will now be able to purchase more texts, calls, and groups without leaving the app. In an effort to promote the new feature, SendHub is offering a special deal: $9.99/month for unlimited texts, 150 voice minutes, and 10 groups of 100 contacts. For the record, that’s a pretty good price, and you can check your profile settings for this upgrade.

In addition to this update, you will also be able to take advantage of new sound notifications. Whenever you a receive a new text on your PC, you’ll get a sound to let you know that you have a message waiting on you.

Those of you who already use SendHub may appreciate its features for your business. Some of you may have even taken advantage of the free account if offers to individual users. At any rate, this is a great update for avid users and a perfect one for those just getting started.

What do you think of these new features? Will they convince you to give SendHub a try?

Source: SendHub Blog

The post SendHub Adds In-App Purchasing And Sound Notifications For iPhone [Updates] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

On the iOS front, the application now supports the sharing of blog posts to other social media sites, and sports a brand new template for sharing posts over email. Posts can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, and other popular social networks directly from within the app. The app also supports saving blog posts for later using Instapaper, Pocket, and other similar services. App navigation has also been tweaked: you can swipe up and down to close photos, and scrolling through the following list is smoother.

A slight improvement has been made to GIF support on iOS. Now, GIFs will continue to animate as you scroll through the post, which streamlines viewing them a bit. However, this feature will not work on older iOS devices, so if you are using an original iPad, iPod touch older than fifth generation, or an iPhone 4 or older, you will not have access to this feature.

For Windows Phone users, this is the first release of an official Tumblr app. Tumblr for Windows Phone brings all the features you’ve come to expect, including the ability to post anything you’d like, and an integration with the phone’s voice assistant which should let you post using your voice.

Download the new version of Tumblr for iOS from iTunes. Download Tumblr for Windows Phone from the Windows Phone Store.

Source: PCMag

The post Tumblr Comes To Windows Phone 8, Updates iOS App To Boot [Updates] appeared first on MakeUseOf.

Skyscanner is a free iOS application designed to help you maximize your savings so you can have as much money as possible to spend while on your vacation. If you only have a certain amount of money to spend on your trip, saving money on the flight can leave you with more spending money. Before you book your next flight, download Skyscanner, and you just might find the best best deals on flights and travel deals you’ve ever seen.

Using the App

Like many travel applications, the ultimate goal of Skyscanner is to find you the best deal possible on flights to anywhere in the world. What separates it from the competition is the incredibly useful feature set it brings to the table. The app exists in a very crowded marketplace for such applications, but its features absolutely make it worth a second look.

When you first launch the app, it will take you to a screen where you can search for flights. You can be as wide or as narrow as you want in your search query. So, if you want to look for all flights from everywhere in the world to anywhere else, you can do that. You can choose specific dates, or you can leave that field blank and see what flights are available on various days.

My favorite part of the app is the charts that show up when you search. You can see which days of the week are the cheapest to travel, so if you are flexible you can save some serious money.

When you pick the departure and return flight, you can choose to book it right from the application but that’s not really anything special. What makes it interesting is the watch feature. With this, you can save the journey to the application, so you can go back to it and see if the price drops before you ultimately pull the trigger and book your trip. This is the feature that really makes the application stand tall above the competition, and it’s what allows you to get the best possible deals on flights.

The application comes with a handy drawer that contains all of the options for the app. From here you can start a new search,  view booked trips and any journeys you are watching, recall searches you have saved to your favorites and access application settings.

If you click Watched Journeys in the menu you will be able to see any of the journeys previously saved. Right next to the price you will see any changes that have occurred since you began watching. It’s almost like trading stocks – and SkyScanner wants you to get the flight at the lowest price possible.

Another really cool feature is the map that lets you see the airports in the area in which you are searching. If you want to fly to Los Angeles International, but the price is a little too high for you, this option will allow you to see the other airports in the area, which may be cheaper.

Any flight can be shared via social media, so you can let your friends know where and when you are traveling. If you are planning a trip with others, sharing the flight with them can be useful, so you can all make sure to get on the same flight at the same time.

The settings section of the application allows you to change a few preferences including the currency shown, language as well as the option to store your personal information to make booking flights in the future an even quicker process.

Conclusion

If you are looking to save some money on your next trip, make sure the download Skyscanner from the App Store. It is filled with useful features, all of which are designed to help you save as much money as possible, so you can embark on your journey with the maximum amount of spending money.

Download: SkyScanner at the App Store

Have you used SkyScanner? Any other apps or services that can land the best deals on flights? Share your secrets with us in the comments, below.

The post Use Skyscanner To Get The Best Deals On Flights [iOS] appeared first on MakeUseOf.