News and reviews of iPod-related software for the Mac

Review: Read It Later for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:28:00 -0700

Both the paid and free versions of this app do an adequate job of letting you save Web articles for offline reading. But a few flaws keep Read It Later from being a superlative experience.

Review: HuffingtonPost.com for iPhone

Ben Boychuk — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:48:00 -0700

This app looks and feels a lot like the left-leaning news and opinion Web site. But the app suffers from a number of technical glitches that make it an unreliable mobile news companion.

Review: Tiki Golf 3D for iPhone

Chris Barylick — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:34:00 -0700

Aside from a few bugs, this golf game is energetic fun and a good way to kill 10 to 15 minutes at a time.

Review: MobileStudio for iPhone

John Fuller — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:21:00 -0700

This excellent and powerful application for managing files is not necessarily for the average user. But power users with a lot of file-management demands will find that MobileStudio fits the bill nicely.

Review: 2XL Supercross for iPhone

Tim Mercer — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:41:00 -0700

The high-end graphics in 2XL Supercross make it one of the best-looking racing games for the iPhone and iPod touch. In fact, everything about this game is visually pleasing.

Review: HP 12C Financial Calculator for iPhone

Rob Griffiths — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:04:00 -0700

A 100-percent functional picture-perfect clone of the financial tool of choice for many finance professionals, this iPhone app can easily be used in place of the physical calculator. Even though it doesn't include much in the way of added iPhone-specific features, HP 12C Financial Calculator is still very useful.

Mac News Briefs: Omni Group releases OmniGraphSketcher

Macworld Staff — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:37:00 -0700

The Omni Group on Wednesday released OmniGraphSketcher, a new graph creation tool. There were also updates to iPod Access, Cocktail, and Mystical Tint Tone and Color.

Review: PhotoMarkr for iPhone

Brian Beam — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:24:00 -0700

This watermarking utility simple, effective and easy to use. If you like to share photos and are concerned about their proper attribution, then you shouldn’t do without PhotoMarkr.

Review: Wheel of Fortune for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:45:00 -0700

This faithful and fun recreation of the long-running TV game show has a few imperfections, but they won't spoil your puzzle-solving fun.

Review: iVideo Cocktails

Ben Boychuk — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:13:00 -0700

If you have any doubts about how to make a drink or you just want to see how professional barmen ply their trade, the video lessons in iVideo Cocktails will not disappoint.

Review: Clue for iPhone

Chris Barylick — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:44:00 -0700

There's a lot to like about the mobile version of Clue, the classic whodunnit board game. But some of the elements take a little of the fun out of solving the mystery.

Review: PicCard for iPhone

Beau Colburn — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:36:00 -0700

The overall look and feel of PicCard could use a little fine tuning, and the PayPal integration is a bit clunky. But the concept behind this app -- take pictures from your iPhone and turn them into postcards you can mail -- is a solid one.

Review: President for iPhone

Ben Boychuk — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:28:00 -0700

Part who's-who, part search tool, part news app, President gives activists, journalists and interested citizens a one-stop shop of vital data on the current presidential administration.

Review: FeX for iPhone

Brendan Wilhide — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:40:00 -0700

This simple utility allows you to sync two pieces of data -- and just two -- between Facebook and your contacts list—birthdays and profile pictures. While the app is somewhat limited by Facebook's terms of service, it's still a handy way to add information with minimal effort.

Review: Flickit for iPhone

Jeff Phillips — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:38:00 -0700

Uploading photos to the Flickr photo-sharing service from your iPhone or iPod touch should be simple. Flickit gets it right.

Review: Space Ace for iPhone

Chris Barylick — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:05:00 -0700

This faithful recreation of the 1983 arcade classic is a nostalgic trip to the past. But the developers did a good job adapting Space Ace for the iPhone and iPod touch, even if the game doesn't offer a lot of replay value.

Review: Postino and HazelMail for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:10:00 -0700

These two apps let you turn images stored on your iPhone or iPod touch into physical postcards. But which one handles the job better?

Review: MyWebClip for iPhone

John Fuller — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:56:00 -0700

Avid users of iPhone web apps will find a welcome home in MyWebClip, which keeps Web Clips from getting lost in the clutter of your home screen.

Review: PoliticoTracker for iPhone

Ben Boychuk — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:08:00 -0700

The promising politicoTracker lets you sort news and information about your favorite (or least favorite) politicians. And a companion app keeps tabs on their posts to the Twitter microblogging service.

iFighter for iPhone

Tim Mercer — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:13:00 -0700

This scrolling shooter game will take you back to the classic arcade action of games like 1942. iFighter is a fun and challenging take on old-school flying shooter games.

Review: 4 Ingredients for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:16:00 -0700

This recipe database offers more than 400 recipes, each with four ingredients or fewer. But some categories are too broad, searching is not terribly easy, and the results are pretty hit-or-miss.

Review: Emergency Radio for iPhone

Brendan Wilhide — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:13:00 -0700

By delivering hundreds of live streaming police, fire, and EMS radio channels to your mobile device, Emergency Radio essentially allows you to carry a police scanner with you at all times.

Review: Brushes for iPhone

Tim Mercer — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:28:00 -0700

You'll be impressed with what you can do with Brushes, a $5 mobile studio in your pocket that lets you sketch or paint anywhere, anytime. The app sports a number of impressive features wrapped up in a really simple and efficient interface.

Review: CardStar for iPhone

Brian Beam — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:38:00 -0700

CardStar promises to take those membership and rewards cards cluttering up your wallet or purse and put them on your iPhone. It's an intriguing idea that produced mixed results when we put it to the test in the real world.

Review: World Cup Ping Pong for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:18:00 -0700

Packed with features, this 3-D table-tennis simulator looks great. Unfortunately, it's not a lot of fun to play.

Vibration for iPhone

James Savage — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:06:00 -0700

Not everyone will need this app, which uses the built-in accelerometer to turn your iPhone or iPod touch into a vibration spectrum analyzer. But if you're an engineer, mechanic, or software developer, Vibration gives you an accurate, easy-to-use tool.

Review: Tiki+ for iPhone

Ben Boychuk — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:22:00 -0700

A companion app to Skorpiotech's indispensable Cocktails+, this tiki-themed database of drink recipes mixes stellar content with social networking features.

Review: Y! Fan for iPhone

Brendan Wilhide — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:14:00 -0700

If you're a fantasy sports player, the paid version of Y! Fan is a dream come true. Not only does it allow you to follow the progress of your Yahoo.com fantasy teams, you can also adjust your lineup, add or drop players, and propose trades with ease.

iPhone 3.0 opens up new features for developers

Macworld Staff — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:11:00 -0700

Apps that take advantage of the new developer tools in the iPhone 3.0 OS are beginning to appear in the App Store. Here are a few that caught our eye.

Review: Wake on Oui 1.1 for iPhone

Dan Frakes — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:11:00 -0700

One of several iPhone apps that lets you send a Magic Packet to wake up a sleeping computer, Wake on Oui stands out thanks to its simple interface, ease of use, and low price.

Review: Foursquare for iPhone

Beau Colburn — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:58:00 -0700

Time will tell if Foursquare, a game where you're encouraged to explore your city and connect with friends, is the next social networking phenomenon. But this iPhone app makes it easy to join in the fun thanks to a good design.

WikiHow for iPhone

John Brandon — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:05:00 -0700

This app, which puts the WikiHow how-to manual at your fingertips, is easy to recommend, thanks to its wealth of information and helpful multimedia.

First Look: TweetDeck organizes Twitter on the iPhone

David Chartier — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:52:00 -0700

TweetDeck made a name for itself as a desktop client that brings some organizational method to Twitter's madness. Now TweetDeck comes in a bite-sized iPhone OS version, and its best feature made the cut.

Review: Flight Control for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:43:00 -0700

Flight Control takes seconds to learn, and mere minutes to play. And yet, you'll find yourself clamoring to play this addictive, entertaining game again and again.

Review: Gas Cubby for iPhone

Kyle Baxter — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:23:00 -0700

The real strength of this app for tracking mileage, gas costs, and car maintenance is that it’s as powerful as you want it to be. Gas Cubby is a great tool for users who need to track everything about their car, but just as useful if the only data point you care about begins and ends with miles per gallon.

Review: Finger Memo for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:57:00 -0700

Some really clever niceties make the note-taking and drawing app pretty powerful. But the lack of a keyboard option limits its overall usefulness.

How I use iPhone 3.0's Spotlight search

Rob Griffiths — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:10:00 -0700

Rob Griffiths explains how he uses searching on the iPhone, using Spotlight in iPhone OS 3.0.

Hands on with iPhone 3.0's Spotlight

Dan Frakes — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:10:00 -0700

The new iPhone software adds enhanced search tools. Dan Frakes shows you how iPhone 3.0 makes it easier to find information and content on your mobile device.

Apple releases iPhone 3.0 software update

Philip Michaels — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:13:00 -0700

First unveiled in March, the iPhone 3.0 software is now available for download, delivering 100 new features and enhancements to iPhone and iPod touch users.

Review: MeterRead for iPhone

Tony Craine — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:57:00 -0700

This app, which records and tracks electricity meter readings, tells you at a glance whether your energy-saving activities are on track.

Review: Myst for iPhone

Tim Mercer — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:29:00 -0700

The puzzle-based adventure game has made it to the iPhone and iPod touch, and it's a successful transition. If you like playing at your own speed while solving puzzles and riddles, then you're sure to enjoy Myst

Review: Car Jack Streets for iPhone

Tim Mercer — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:41:00 -0700

This game owes a lot to Grand Theft Auto. But it's still an immersive experience with clever graphics, easy-to-use controls, and nice touches. Car Jack Streets offers endless hours of gameplay.

PCalc calculator app ready for iPhone 3.0

Philip Michaels — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:12:00 -0700

PCalc 1.6, arriving on the App Store Monday, has been built for this week's iPhone 3.0 update, adding support for copy and paste to the calculator app.

Review: More iPhone wine apps

Ben Boychuk — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:27:00 -0700

We follow up on our March round-up of wine apps with a look at a trio of programs that can tell you what wine goes with what entree. And we top it off with a fourth app that aims to educate novice oenophiles.

Review: iPhorest for iPhone

Beau Colburn — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:33:00 -0700

iPhorest lets you grow a virtual tree on your iPhone. While there's not much to the app itself, the more important aspect is that developer iPhactory works with The Conservation Fund to plant a real tree for each version of iPhorest sold.

Review: GazoPa for iPhone

John Brandon — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:38:00 -0700

If you're on the lookout for Web-based images, GazoPa can use a photo or drawing to look for matches. But at this point, the iPhone app lacks reliability and good filters to be truly dependable.

Review: FriendFreak for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:51:00 -0700

This quiz app, which tests you on how well you know your Facebook friends, is cute to play, briefly. But the appeal turns out to be limited.

Review: Mariner Calc 1.2 for iPhone

Rob Griffiths — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:07:00 -0700

An update to MarinerCalc has improved the Excel compatibility of the iPhone and iPod touch spreadsheet app, while adding new features.

Review: Touch Poet for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:40:00 -0700

Touch Poet may draw its inspiration from Magnetic Poetry -- those refrigerator magnets that let you compose poems. But the app's look-and-feel are smarty implemented, making this app a delight to play with.

Review: Baseball Pitch Count for iPhone

Philip Michaels — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:06:00 -0700

Despite a few flaws, this is a useful app for tracking balls, strikes, and pitch counts if you're a baseball coach.