Lifestyle
The concept is simple and it's not a new one. There are a few different Apps on the App Store that let you turn your iDevice photos into printed post cards that can also be mailed to just about anyone. All you have to do is build the card in the App and the service takes care of the printing and mailing. Apple has entered this arena with custom greeting Cards. The Cards App is simple you start with a category and then once you pick the card you like from a given category you are three steps away from having a custom greeting card sent to a friend, colleague or family member. If the card you choose allows for a picture on the outside or inside you'll get to choose one of the pics on your iDevice. Then you can edit the text on the inside and lastly address the envelope before placing your order. Thankfully the App let's you pull address from your Contacts to speed up the process. These Letterpress cards run $2.99 and that's complete with envelope and postage.
Nice but it could be better
First off I'm a little surprised that this isn't a Universal App for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. While it does work on all iOS devices it doesn't take advantage of the iPad's screen size. Portrait cards get no love in this App either. Everything is landscape. While landscape only cards aren't the end of the world, the designs are fairly basic too. Luckily some designs don't require a photo. While I love photos, not every card situation requires one. I'm also a bit surprised that Apple doesn't allow you to "sign" the card. After all you are on a touch device and a "handwritten" signature option would be a nice touch. Lastly, because the cards are mailed through the postal service as regular 1st Class Mail, you have no tracking info. Apple doesn't say where the cards are being mailed from, so you can't really guess about delivery times. Aside from these little things (I actually expected a little more from Apple), the App does work as advertised and it makes sending custom greeting cards pretty painless.
UPDATE – you do get a status Push Notification
I sent two cards out on two different days. The 1st one went out and got delivered yesterday and I had no idea about when it would be delivered. However, today low and behold I just got a push notification on my iPhone stating that the card arrived at the local post office and should be delivered today. Scratch that from my gripes 
You can get Cards for Free here from the 
A few weeks ago my Ex-wife gave me a stuffed mushroom recipe that I had always loved through the years and wanted very badly to make on my own. Of course she gave it to me on an index card (she's a non tech person) but I immediately wanted to put it into my iPad since I always have it with me in the kitchen or on vacation (where I would be making these little delights). My main cooking/recipe App to this point had been Epicurious but as I started looking through it to add my own "homemade" recipe I couldn't find an easy way to do it. After much searching I found that you can add your own recipes however you have to sign up with their online service etc. I decided that this was as good of a time as any to find a recipe App for you guys that lets you natively add your own recipes. I went through three or four before I settled on My Recipe Book. What I like about My Recipe Book is it's simple UI, yet powerful inner workings. Let me explain.
UI Is the Most Important
For those of you that have been following B.A.S for a while know that when it comes to Apps I'm always looking for the cleanest, simplest User Interface possible. I want the App to work, and work well but it needs to keep from having the extra buttons and things that aren't really necessary. Recipe Book does that. Recipe Book includes all of the things that you would expect from a top notch recipe App, but then adds a few more things to really make it great. While it includes a lot, it still manages to categorize and place those things in smart locations to really make it easy for the user.
Must Haves…
So I mentioned must haves. What are they? Here are a few things that this App has that I feel are necessities. Online source of recipes. It is important to have a place to search for recipes online. It is also important that the database of those recipes be very large and diverse. Recipe Book has accomplished this by making it possible to search several popular recipe websites and automatically importing recipes that you would like to have. Categories are a must. There must be a simple way to separate your recipes. Recipe Book does that. You are able to separate into the standard dish types as well as dietary needs categories. Another option is sorting your recipes by the ready times. And last but not not least is a grocery list. Select your recipe or recipes and move down to the grocery list tab. All of the ingredients will be shown with check boxes to the left to mark bought.
Two Features that Make this App Better…
I went looking for an App that allows me to add my own recipes. This App obviously has that, but the ease in which the recipes are added really makes it a joy to use. With intuitive, easy to use buttons it's really simple to add your own recipes to be filed away with your other favorites.
The next feature that I really enjoyed was the "surprise me" button. It does just what you would expect, surprises you. It will randomly pick a recipe from your collection. The more recipes your have in your collection, the better the chance that you will get a wonderful recipe that you will love.
Conclusion
When I set out, I wanted to find an App that I could add my own recipes to as well as download recipes from the internet. With My Recipe Book, I can do all of that and more.
You can get My Recipe Book for the iPad from the iTunes store for $2.99 here:
I love to cook; always have. Growing up, my mom, and grandmas let me spend countless hours following them around the kitchen cracking eggs, stirring pots, mixing deserts, but mostly getting in the way. While my brothers were watching sports, I was in the kitchen learning to prepare shrimp scampi, made from scratch lasagna, and something called “wiggly soup” (we won’t go there right now). At the time it didn’t seem like something that a teenage male would/should be doing but looking back learning to cook was an experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world. All of that to tell you that I love the Whole Foods App. I have been trying out quite a few different Apps both paid and free for cooking in the past few months, finally landing on this free but full featured recipe/shopping list App.
Cooking made easy
The very first thing that you will notice when launching this App is its simplicity. 5 tabs, that’s it. Search, on hand, favorites, locations, and shopping list; each doing something different; each very straight forward and to the point in what is contained within. Depending on how you cook you will either be in the “on hand” or “search” section most with this App. If you already have a bunch of ingredients, but don’t know what to make with them, on hand is for you. If however you’re the kind of person that picks out their dinner in the morning, and stops on their way home for the contents of that meal, the search is where you’ll reside. Personally I am a bit of both. Sometimes I just don’t feel like thinking so I open the fridge, see what I’ve got and slap it in the program to see what it makes for me. That’s when on hand is invaluable. Sometimes however I really feel the need to plan things out, this is my search time. I first figure out what my appetite is, and I search for a delicious looking entre. Either way is perfectly acceptable, and totally possible with Whole Foods.
One of the most useful things in this App for me is the special diet menu of the search tab. My friend and graphic designer is vegetarian. Jessica never expects anyone to go out their way to cook especially for her, but sometimes it’s nice to make someone feel special and cook something tailored to their needs. This App has you covered. Under the Search tab, there is a drill down menu called special diet. Within you have many options from dairy free, to high fiber, to vegetarian, and even vegan. When I want to cook a meal for my friend, I pop into the App, tab the vegetarian menu, select my course, and category as usual.
Each Recipe has what you would expect; pictures, serving size, ingredients, and nutrition. Something that I was pleasantly surprised with was the addition of the special diet icons above every photograph of every dish. Each icon tells what special diet concern that dish fulfills. If for example the dish is suitable for someone with a dairy free diet, there will be a small blue circle with a white D inside above the picture. This is helpful if you’re just browsing recipes without employing the Special Diet drill down. It takes a little back and forth to learn what all of the symbols mean as the only place to find out is actually under the special diet menu, but after you figure them out they are very helpful. If there was one thing that I would add to this App it would be a key inside of every recipe showing what each symbol stands for.
Why you should get it
Anyone that reads on a regular basis (I hope everyone), knows that I’m a sucker for universal binary (1 App for all platforms) so you can imagine how happy I was to see that this App is in fact a universal binary. Admittedly I usually use my iPad for cooking as it’s easier to read and the form factor is just better for recipes but in a pinch the iPhone version could be of use. Also it’s free! What do you have to lose from downloading a free App? Above all, the reason you should download and try out the Whole Foods App is its simplicity and UI. It really is easy, and fun to use. No clutter, strait to the point recipes. If you ever cook, even occasionally, this is the App for you.
You can get the Whole Foods Market Recipes App for free here from the
I have a confession to make. It’s about my obsession with iPhones, and how it all began. It all started with a burrito, more, my obsession with Chipotle burritos. You see I frequent Chipotle at least once a week, if not more. I go there so much that I have won 10 free burritos (at a time) no less than 6 times in the last year by dropping my business card in their “fish bowl”. Like any obsession I always look for ways to make my experience better, faster, smoother. Enter the Chipotle Ordering App. This App is THE reason I lusted after the iPhone (at first), and was the first App I downloaded before I left the AT&T store. Before my iPhone I had a Blackberry and no matter how many emails I sent, Chipotle was not planning on investing the time or effort into a Blackberry App so there was only one thing to do… Get an iPhone. All of that to say this; The Chipotle App is awesome! It makes ordering quick, and easy, and the food is ready when I get there.
Online ordering isn’t anything new. There are tons of restaurants out there that allow to-go ordering online (although most are pizza joints), but Chipotle added some really nice touches to this App to make it really great to use. Ordering is simple and intuitive. The App allows you to specify your pickup location either by entering the address or by letting it use your location and showing you the closest locations. Then you choose your “main course” first, be it a burrito, a bowl, salad, or tacos. You go on to add main ingredients, salsas, and so on. What makes it really nice is at the end of the ordering of your main item, you can assign a name to it. So for example if you are ordering for you and your family, they will write each person’s name on their particular item to help identify it when you get the order home. You can also add tortilla chips to go along with your meal, as well as a drink (although you can’t order an “adult beverage” through the App, you can certainly order them when you arrive). There is a running tally in the top corner of what’s in your “bag” so you can make sure that everyone is accounted for. The App gives you the option of placing the order immediately or scheduling it for a later time. Everything you would want from an App like this. There is one thing that really makes it a Best App for me (besides my Chipotle obsession). There is an option to save your favorite orders for future ordering. So if you order the same thing every time (like me) you can quickly load that order only needing to choose your pickup location, and the order time. For me it makes ordering 20-30 seconds instead of a few minutes.
They have really nailed it with this App. Normally I find things that can be improved upon, or items that I would like to see added, but with this App I can’t find a single thing that I would change or add. It does absolutely everything that I want, and does it well. If you’re a Chipotle fan, you need to stop by the App store and pick it up for your iPhone.
You can get the Chipotle ordering App for Free here from the
Believe it or not I had never finished a cup of coffee before 2010. I was just never a coffee drinker. At some point I ended up in a Starbucks with some friends and tried a "Skinny" Hazelnut Latte and now I'm addicted. Since I'm also addicted to technology I started checking out Starbuck's iOS Apps. They actually have a couple (I'm not sure why they can't be one App). The one that I use the most is the Starbucks Mobile Card. A Starbucks Card is like a refillable debit card for use to make your Starbucks purchases. You can buy/get one at most Starbucks and give them as gifts. Once the pre-loaded amount runs out you can actually go online, register and refill the card from any major credit card or PayPal. The App pretty much replaces the need to go online to refill your card(s). You can refill a card any time you want right from your iDevice.
Use your iPhone to Pay!
One of the more intriguing features of the App is the ability to use the onscreen barcode to actually pay for your purchase. The purchase amount is deducted from your card. Up until recently finding a location that actually had the necessary scanner/software to scan your display has been hit or miss (mostly miss). They did a pilot test with the Starbucks located in Target Stores and even then I was only able to get to work once. Even if you can't get ti to scan your electronic card and you have to use the plastic one, the App will still update your balance over the air. Starbucks recently began rolling out this technology to rest of their US based stores. This means that eventually I shouldn't have to carry the physical Starbucks card in my wallet any more.
The App also has a built-in Starbucks locator or you can just look on any and every corner of your downtown area You can also use the App to check your Starbucks Rewards Balance. With each purchase you're awarded a "star" after so many stars you get a free drink. While this is great it's the part of the app that annoys me the most! You can assign a 4 digit pin to protect the info in the App and I have. However, you also have a password for your online account and credit card info. That makes sense. What doesn't make sense is that while you can see your $$$ balance and make purchases after you enter your pin, you can't see your Rewards balance (the number of stars you have) until you also enter your password. Frankly, that's just dumb. I really don't care if anyone knows that I have 5 stars or 10. Why should we have to enter a password for this info every single time when all you need to make purchases (spend real money) is your 4 digit pin? Hopefully they will fix this with a preference in the next update! Otherwise if you're a Starbucks customer there is no reason not to have this App.
You can get the Starbucks Card Mobile for FREE here from the
While I was in college I worked at Best Buy installing remote starts, alarms etc. in cars. Since then I’ve always had a remote start in every vehicle that I’ve owned. Recently the unit that I had in my truck started acting up and needed to be replaced. I started looking in to the units available on the market now, and was sold when I found the Viper remote start with Smart Start. The remote start is essentially the same as the unit I had, the Smart Start is where it gets interesting. Smart Start is a separate box that allows full function of your remote start from your smart phone.
What it does
Smart Start allows you to perform every function with your iPhone that you can do with your traditional remote and more. Use your phone to lock or unlock your doors, pop your trunk, and most importantly start your vehicle. Why would you want to do this from your phone? Distance. With a traditional remote, you are limited to (roughly) ¼ of a mile. With Smart Start, you are able to do all of these functions from anywhere in the world that you have a cell signal. Here’s the scenario; you are heading out of town, sitting on the tarmac in your plane and suddenly you think to yourself, “Did I lock my doors?” With smart start all you have to do is touch the lock button within the App and you can rest assured. Conversely, you’re on your way back from a trip to somewhere tropical, at home there’s three feet of snow on the ground. As soon as your plane touches down, fire up your App and start your vehicle. By the time you get through baggage check, you’re car will be warm and ready to go. These are just examples, and I can think of a hundred more where the lack of distance restriction make this unit a must have with your remote start system.
More than just a remote start
Looking to make this more than just a distance extension for their units, DEI added some great features that really take this App/hardware combo over the top. Tapping on the “more” icon at the bottom of the home screen brings up an additional screen with some great features. Smart Park is a GPS assisted feature that stores your vehicle location every time you lock your door with the App. Additionally you can add take a picture of the location, and add notes. When you’re ready to return to your vehicle, the App gives you a map and walking directions back to your vehicle. Also built into the Smart Start App is parking meter. Park set your meter time in the App and it counts down for you. Never run out of time/money on your parking meter again.
eBay was founded in 1995 and quickly became one of the most popular destinations on the internet. I still rely on eBay any time I have gear to sell or I'm looking for a really good deal on some equipment. I saved over $1,000 buying my home theater sound system (new in the box) on eBay! Whether you're trying to sell something online or not or you're thinking of buying something, eBay is a great place to check prices and see what others are selling similar items for. Often times eBay can be a quick reality check for something you might think is worth a lot or worthless. The eBay Mobile App and the eBay for iPad App allows you to take the eBay experience with you wherever you go.
Price check in aisle three
With eBay Mobile on your iPhone you can use your iPhone's camera to scan the product barcode of an item you're holding to search eBay for that item. That feature alone is very handy and beats typing in text searches. Once the results are in you can look through everything, just auctions or just the ones offering a "Buy it Now" price. Buy it Now is great for shoppers that don't want to play the auction game and just want to buy what they find on the spot. The bar code scanning feature can also be used to help you quickly list your item for sale. When you scan the barcode it will bring in the title, category and stock photo. All you have to do is key in your description, set your price and length of auction and you're item is listed just that easily!
If you find a cool item that you want to share with others you can tweet it, post it to your Facebook wall or email it directly from within the App.
You can get eBay Mobile for iPhone/iPod touch for FREE here from the
eBay on the Big Screen
eBay for iPad is great too. This App was designed for the iPad from the ground up and offers nice big image displays and descriptions. The iPad version is more designed for browsing, shopping and account management than selling. I guess they figure since the iPad doesn't yet have a camera there's no real way for a user to easily get their auction photos together for setting up the auction. Nonetheless I use the iPad version to monitor the auctions for items I'm selling and things I'm bidding on. I also use it for responding to questions about my items.
I understand not having selling abilities due to the lack of a built-in camera, however I'm scratching my head as to why there are no sharing features like the eBay Mobile version has. The other minor thing I'd like to see added is a "Total" for the items I'm selling.
You can get eBay for iPad for FREE here from the
The Bottom Line
If you buy things or sell things you should always compare prices on eBay. I've saved thousands over the years and made a decent amount on selling my older gear too. Having these Apps with you makes it much easier to check things out and cast those last minute bids on the go.
Speaking of selling on eBay
Don't forget to check out the gear I'm selling on eBay this month here.
I shop at Amazon.com all the time and I've always really liked their original iPhone App. Even though they updated that original App to be a Universal App for all iOS devices, they saw fit to introduce a brand new App just for the iPad. Amazon's Windowshop App is a rewrite from the ground up and it's designed for the iPad. As the name implies the App is mostly geared towards browsing and visual discovery of items. Of course you can do searches as always. When you tap on an item you get a nice big display of that item. When you're zoomed in on a particular item they did a nice job with the side tabs for Photos, Details, Reviews and related items. Once you're signed into your account you can Add to your Wish List or buy the items you want on the spot.
The App is Beautiful, but…
I love the fact that this app is so "visual". Being a visual guy, pictures are very important to me. However, the one thing I absolutely don't like about this App is the two way scrolling. First off the App only works in landscape view. OK, no problem. However, in order to see more items you have to scroll both horizontally AND vertically. Once you start scrolling, you have no idea where you are anymore. I would like to see a pref that limits the scrolling to one direction or the other. Outside of that, this App rocks and if you shop Amazon and have an iPad there's no reason not to have it.
You can get the Amazon Windowshop App for Free here from the
Mobile Safari is good, but a dedicated App is better. I was very happily surprised to see the NEW B&H Photo App appear in the App Store. B&H is the place where I buy 95% of my photo and video equipment. They are amazing to work with and have FANTASTIC customer service.
The App
The allows you to do what you would expect to do. You can search the store, look up prices and see reviews. You can buy products directly within the App and you can log in with your current B&H credentials to check your order status. Unfortunately the order status page loads as full size web page in the App as opposed to an optimized mobile version. Other than that I have no complaints and this App will definitely be going into my shopping folder. Thanks again for making it that much easier now to do more impulse shopping 
You can get the B&H Photo App here from the
This is one of those Apps that I've been wondering about since Apple first opened the App Store! I even mentioned it as one of the Missing In Action Apps of 2009. Our wait is over! Apple has finally released an Apple Store App (seemingly a no-brainer). My vision for such an App was simple. You would be able to see where your closest Apple store was (especially when traveling), book appointments with the Genius Bar (classes, etc.) and maybe even buy products. Apple delivered just that yesterday. In typical Apple fashion the app is well designed and easy to navigate. The App also takes advantage of both Location Services and Push Notifications. You can even use it to reserve your shinny new iPhone 4 for pickup.
Read Customer Reviews, Check Prices and More
Although the App does a good job in letting you search the store and place orders right inside the App, it currently doesn't seem to support CTO orders where you might want to configure a system with your exact specifications. Not sure why since it seems to have everything else? However, you do get to see customer reviews and of course pricing right there in the App for comparison shipping. Besides not letting you do CTO (configure to order) systems, the only other thing that I was SHOCKED by was the fact that this NEW App is not a native iPad app. Does it work on the iPad? Yep! However, it doesn't take advantage of the iPad's screen size. I know that the good folks over at Apple Inc. are busy getting the iPhone 4 out the door, but it just seems odd that a NEW App (not an update) released in 2010 by the mothership wouldn't be iPad native. On the flip side of the argument, you could say that the iPad doesn't need this App. I was reminded by a buddy that surfing the Apple Store Online via the Safari Browser in the App is fine as is. I have to admit that he has a point. I completed one of my family member iPhone 4 orders completely on the iPad using Safari including ordering accessories and the only part of the process that was a little painful was changing the quantity in the quantity field for a couple of the items since the cursor doesn't want to go to the right of the number that's already there. Otherwise, Safari was great to access the Apple Store Online. Still seems a bit inconsistent since both iTunes and the App Store get nice big beautiful Apps for the iPad and also the fact that Apple touts how many native iPad apps there are now (10,000+).
The Apple Store App is FREE and if you buy Apple products there's no reason not to have it. Get it here: 
