Sound Uncovered
Price: free
Ratings: 4.5/5
The
material is easy to read and gives you a good general overview
Just how much does your brain functionality
affect what you hear? You’ll discover answers to such questions in Sound
Uncovered, an iPad app from the Exploratorium, a hands-on science museum in San
Francisco.
This gorgeous app features article, videos,
sounds (of course), and interactive experiments to help users of all ages engage
with sound, science, and how to two intersect. It’s easy to navigate, and
includes lots of high-res photography and interactive images. At launch, Sound
Uncovered comes with 12 chapters, but the Exploratorium plans to add more in
the future. The first chapter, for example, features a circular keyboard that
you can play with your finger. Another chapter has an audio recorder that lets
you record your voice and play it backward or forward. You can click a link for
more information no what’s going on in each experiment, video, or article.
The material is easy to read and gives you
a good general overview, but for in-depth information you’ll probably want to
go online and do your own research. And that’s exactly what the Exploratorium
wants – to pique your interest just enough to spur you into action.
Spaceteam
Price: Free
Ratings: 4.5/5
The
premise of this challenging iOS game is that you and up to three friends is
manning the bridge of a spaceship trying to outrun impending doom
The premise of this challenging iOS game is
that you and up to three friends is manning the bridge of a spaceship trying to
outrun impending doom. In each round, you’re presented with a control panel and
a readout telling you what command you need to execute and how much time you have
to do it. The catch: The command may appear only on another player’s screen.as
you progress, time gets tighter. At the end of the game, you get an award and a
list of your accomplishments.
Because the game is multiplayer only, you
must connect to your companions via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and those connections
can be finicky. Spaceteam’s level of challenge varies immensely, depending on
the skills of your buddies. What I like best about the game, though, is that –
unlike so many games that force you and your fellow players to silently stare
at your screens – Spaceteam actually engages you with your friends.
Mailbox
Price: free
Ratings: 4.5/5
Mailbox
is an iPhone-only app that makes managing your email a delight
Mailbox is an iPhone-only app that makes managing
your email a delight. As you navigate your inbox, you can swipe a message to
the right to archive it’ swipe a little further and it turns red, ready for
deleting. A “snooze” feature lets you temporarily hide a message and specify a
more convenient time when you’d like it to reappear – a system that works much
better than simply letting unread messages pile up in your inbox. You can also
tap, hold, and then drag messages in your list to reorder them. This excellent,
intuitive app has replaced Mail in my iPhone’s dock. I just wish I could use it
on all my devices, and with more than Gmail accounts.
eBay for iOS
Price: Free
Ratings: 4.5/4
The
app lets you track items you’re watching, bidding on, or selling
With eBay’s app, you don’t ever have to
worry about missing an auction. The app lets you track items you’re watching,
bidding on, or selling. If you’re a buyer, you can review and submit best
offers, bid on items at the last minute, and send messages and questions to
sellers. If you’re a seller, you can review best offers, track sold and unsold
items, list new items, create and schedule auctions, and more. You can search
for an item using keywords or by scanning a UPC, EAN, or QR codet. This app is
reliable and ultra-compatible with eBay’s auction service, which means you can
use it to place a critical last-minute bid.
Flickr 2.0
Price: free
Ratings: 3.5/5
Flickr
2.0 is quick, efficient, and intuitive
After letting its photo-sharing app
languish for years, Yahoo has given Flickr a fresh, modern interface. Overall,
I’m impressed: Flickr 2.0 is quick, efficient, and intuitive. But it’s largely
playing catch-up with the competition, rather than offering innovations of its
own. Plus, it has some key drawbacks. It’s optimized for the iPhone only, and
it doesn’t handle video. Social networking is, of course, built into every
shot. As you swipe through the images, you can tap the star to indicate a
favorite, and comment. And a Share button lets you send a photo to Facebook,
Twitter, or Tumblr, or email it – though I was surprised that Flickr 2.0 didn’t
automatically hook into my email contacts.
FreshBooks
Price: free
Ratings: 3.5/5
FreshBooks
is a free cloud-based accounting app that helps you manage clients and
projects, send invoices, and track time, expenses, and estimates
FreshBooks is a free cloud-based accounting
app that helps you manage clients and projects, send invoices, and track time,
expenses, and estimates. The app is compatible with devices running iOS 4.3 or
later. Perhaps the most useful feature for small business owners is the
expenses feature. You can label your expenses by category, vendor, and date,
and attach a picture of the associated receipt. You can also assign expenses to
a client and convert expense reports into invoices for billing a client
directly. FreshBooks is a convenient accounting app, especially if your
business happens to be the right fit for what the app offers. While you can
pick and choose specific parts of the app to suit your need, FreshBooks really works
best if you’re running a business in which you have specific projects for
different clients that involve billable hours. The first three clients are
free; after that it costs $20 for 25 clients, and $30 for unlimited clients per
month.
