Update
A little while ago Time Warner updated their iPad App with some much needed features. They actually did this a few weeks ago and I've been meaning to do an update on it but I'm just now getting a chance to do it. They added three features for this update, all of which are a big deal. The biggest (for me) is remote DVR manager, but they have also expanded their programming offering, and added an interactive program guide. These are features that I have been asking for since they launched this App, so I'm excited to see them!
Control Your DVR
With version 2.0 you can now control your DVR right from your iPad. You can add, delete, control the start and end time, as well as control how long to save the show. All of the controls that you find on your set top box minus the series manager control. Still this is a huge improvement over not having any control at all.
Additional Programs!
This is almost as important to me as DVR control. Time Warner has added a bunch of new channels bringing the total to well over 100! I wasn't unhappy with the channel offering before but there should be something for everyone!
Interactive Programming Guide
This is a two part upgrade. First they have added the ability to see (up to) 7 days worth of programming on the guide. This is much better than the previous 2 hours ahead. Secondly, it is now interactive so you can actually tap a show in the future to record it on your DVR. When you select a show in the future you have the option to record just that show or the entire series. This is a really nice upgrade and feels like it should have all along.
Jailbreak Workaround
The only downside to this updated version of the App is that Time Warner has blocked access to jailbroken devices. I'm assuming that they did this to try to prevent jailbreak developers from allowing access to the content outside of the home network. Luckily there is a workaround for it. You guys know me, all of my devices are Jailbroken so I had to find a way around this restriction or I wasn't going to use the App. Go here to find the step by step guide for bypassing the restriction.
Update:
The day after I wrote this, Time Warner released version 2.0.1. There aren't any new features with this update just bug fixes and improvements. The Jailbreak workaround still works.
You can download the Time Warner App for the iPad from the iTunes store for free here 
A few days ago I did a review of MonoPhix an App designed to do black and white conversions on your iOS device. Of course a couple of days later they did a major update. Enough of an update that I felt it warranted it's very own post to tell you guys all about it. There were a bunch of bug fixes and performance enhancements, but there were two major additions to the App that have made it a whole lot better. (Note: this update was only for the iPhone version. The iPad version is still the same)
Color Filters!
The first and most exciting thing that I noticed when I got the update notification for MonoPhix was the addition of color filters. Color filters are a thing from film days that would produce a desired color effect on an image. With the addition of the color filters on MonoPhix you can mimic the effects. You may be thinking "but if it's black and white why would I need a color filter?" Well, color filters when used on black and white photographs will lighten certain colors and darken others depending on what hues are most prevalent in the image. For example if you use the Green filter effect, it will lighten foliage and (somewhat) darken skies. Try them all out and see what you think! After all this is a digital image we're working with and it's non destructive so you can always undo what you just did and choose another filter color! Under the Adjust tab you will see the different color options appear. If you choose a color filter and decide that you don't want to use any filters at all, tap the far left button with the single line through it to revert to a non filtered black and white image.
Vignette Control!
This was the second thing that I noticed when checking out the update was the improved vignetting control. Version 3.1 changed the way the vignette is applied to the image. The vignette is now applied in a lighter version and as you slide the slider to the right the vignette is increased. This is really nice because I thought that the vignetting was a little heavy handed before. If only they would add feathering and shape control to the vignetting I would make this my go to App for vignetting. Almost there! One thing that they did add was a slider to adjust the preview. Sometimes before when a vignette was added to an image it would have lines through it and would look a little pixelated. This slider is the fix for that. If you get the lines through your image when you add a vignette you can now adjust the preview slider until these lines are gone. It's a really nice addition.
All of the Rest
The rest of the additions are bug fixes and minor adjustments. They are doing a really good job with this App and have stated that they intend to constantly improve upon it. It's definitely worth the price and worth watching!
You can get MonoPhix for the iPhone from the iTunes store for $.99 here
You can get MonoPhix for the iPad from the iTunes store for $1.99 here
I've enjoyed the TiVo App since day one on my iPad. However, it came at a price. In order to use the original TiVo App you had to not only have an iPad, but also a TiVo Premiere (Series 4) box. I bit the bullet and upgraded to a TiVo Premiere XL, but many loyal TiVo customers were quite ticked off that their perfectly working TiVo HD Series 3 boxes weren't supported. Also it was kind of a pain not to enjoy some of this TiVo remote love on the iPhone/iPod touch.
TiVo aims to make almost everyone happy this time around
TiVo not only updated their App making it a universal App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, but they also added limited support for TiVo Series 3 boxes. The first question I had was "what are the limitations on the iPhone and TiVo HD boxes? Since I have an iPad and a TiVo Premiere I can use all of the functions of the App. However, I do also plan to use this on my iPhone and I still have a couple of TiVo HDs. Here's what you can and can't do:
If you have a TiVo Series 3 or 4 you will be able to see your programming guide, schedule recordings , and control your TiVo remotely while on your WiFi network. However, if you have a TiVo Premiere (series 4) you'll also be able to access your Season Pass manager, ToDo List and browse the list of recorded shows. iPhone users will not be able to start the playback of shows via the remote.
While it would be nice to have all the features on all platforms, it's nice to at least have some functionality for almost everyone.
You can get the TiVo App for Free here from the
Adobe has updated its 3 Photoshop Touch Companion Apps for Adobe Photoshop CS 5. The New versions take advantage of the iPad 2's camera as well as other ways to work with the images on your iPad and send them over to Photoshop on the desktop. Russell Brown is here to show us the new features.
You can get Adobe Nav for iPad for $1.99 here from the
You can get Adobe Eazel for iPad for $2.99 here from the
You can get Adobe Color Lava for iPad for $2.99 here from the
For the past couple of years the top two Navigation Apps on iOS have been from Navigon and TomTom. Sure you may have your favorite and it may not be either of those two, but the reality is those two have been the most full featured Apps in this category, offering built-in Maps, updates on a regular basis and several options for the serious turn-by-turn navigator. In this latest update Magellan has come back strong with the kinds of features that I LOVE. First off Version 2.0 provides LIFETIME Map Updates. That's right, you pay for the App ONCE and never have to pay for a Map update again, no subscription fees, no other costs of any kind. If that's not enough, you also get LIFETIME Traffic Updates (something that the competition either offers as separate in-app purchase or not at all).
Going beyond the basics
Let's skip past the basics that they all have. With any decent App in this category you can enter an address and have voice turn-by-turn GPS based directions to that address. Also if the App has built-in Maps like Magellan, TomTom and Navigon then you are NOT required to have an internet connection and use up a data plan just to navigate from point A to B. Any decent App is going to have a good selection of POIs (Points of Interests). All of the Apps I use have these things and I wouldn't use an App that didn't. So how do you distinguish yourself from the competition? USER INTERFACE and MORE OPTIONS! That's exactly what Magellan concentrated on in 2.0. I like to use known POIs whenever possible. The reason is that it simply saves time in the drudgery of manually entering an address. However, I don't want to have to download a weekly or monthly update of the App just to get NEW or updated POIs. Therefore Magellan integrated both Google and Yelp searching. Of course in order to use these two services you do need a data connection at that time. However, once you find the address you want it's just a tap away to start navigating to it and then you won't need the data connection anymore. As a matter of fact you could do all of your searching/route planing even before you leave the house/office while you're on WiFi. While having these two rock, I also noticed that they seemed to have nailed general POI searching via their built-in Map. I tapped Airport and it used my current location and simply found all of the Airports around me. Same goes for Coffee shops, etc. Where possible it uses the branded logo of the business and of course the name, address and distance away. You can not only do nearby, but also at your destination or along your route. Lastly the App is FAST! Very responsive on my iPhone 4.
The Bottom Line
While no Navigation App is perfect and there is always room for improvement, Magellan has proven with RoadMate 2.0 that they are serious about this category and will continue to apply pressure to competitors. I would now happily recommend this App as a choice when it comes to turn-by-turn navigation on iPhone or iPod touch. I already use their Car Kit exclusively as it is the best designed one out there. Lastly, Magellan can we now get some iPad love? 
As much as I never batted an eye when I 1st saw native iPad navigation Apps, I realized the benefits of using one while in Europe as I could use my iPad for navigation without sucking down the battery of my iPhone since I didn't have a charger with me in the rental car. Having the big screen was also a joy.
Well done Magallan!
You can get Magellan RoadMate USA for $34.99 here from the
You can get Magellan RoadMate North America for $39.99 (BEST DEAL as it included Canada) here from the
You can get Magellan RoadMate Canada & Alaska for $34.99 here from the
Square gets Reworked
This week Square announced some improvements to it's iPad App that are a welcome addition. They have added "shelves" and different customizable "sizes" for each product. These additions might not sound like much, but they can make your life a lot easier, especially if you're selling multiple products or multiple levels of service for through Square.
Shelves
Shelves are something that I've been hoping for since day one with Square. Before, you were able to add items to your App that you sold over and over again. The problem was, you couldn't effectively group your items in any way. Shelves has fixed that. Now when you add items to Square that you use on a repetitive basis, you are given the option to add to a new or existing shelve. For me this means that I can add prints on one shelve, and photo sessions on a separate shelve. Or a bakery can add all of the breads on one shelve, and all the different muffins on a different shelve. The possibilities are endless.
Different Sizes
Before if you wanted to add the same item but in different sizes or price points, you would have to add two separate items. Now Square offers the ability to have three prices under each item. We'll use the bakery example again. If you have a sandwich that you offer in three different lengths, you can now place the small, medium, and large prices all under one item on your shelve.
Great for Us
The new shelves, different sizes, coupled with the ability to add images to each item makes square a real competitor, and viable option to replace traditional registers for many businesses. Try out the new options for Square, they're sure to make charging for items and services easier.
You can get Square for the iPad from the iTunes store for free here:
You can get Square for the iPhone from the iTunes store for free here:
I have said it a lot. Terry has said it a lot. TripIt [http://www.bestappsite.com/2010/07/19/tripit-manage-your-travel-itineraries/] is hands down the best service for keeping track of your travel itinerary. The best part of the service is that it is free! Yep, you heard me right, using TripIt doesn’t cost you anything at all (unless you opt for their pro version with more features).
Almost a year ago, TripIt rolled out their own iPhone application which was great in many ways and let you keep track of your itineraries in a very smart and straightforward way. What has been missing for all this time is a native app for the iPad. Wait no more. TripIt is now on the iPad.
In the latest update to the TripIt application, it became a universal binary which means that it runs natively on the iPad as well as the iPhone and iPod Touch. The interface on the iPad is pretty similar to that of the iPhone, except it is using all the extra real-estate of the iPad very well.
Using the TripIt app in portrait orientation is a bit clunky, considering you have to open the pop-out bar in order to go to a trip and then again for the trip details. I would prefer if it stayed open when selecting my trip so that I could easily check the details as I want.
A major missing feature on TripIt for the iPad is the ability to edit and add plans like you now can on the iPhone. Sure the implementation on the iPhone is just taking you to their mobile version of the service in an embedded browser, but it is still easy and painless to add and update the itinerary. On the iPad? Impossible!
If you are traveling a whole lot or just once in a while doesn’t really matter. TripIt is one of these must haves if you do travel. The account is free and the app is free (ad-supported unless you are a pro member, or pay for the app).
Get TripIt for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch:
One of the Apps that I've been waiting for for iOS is finally here! I participate and give presentation over the web via Adobe Connect Pro all the time. However, in order to really participate in those meetings up till now I've had to do so on my MacBook Pro or desktop computer. In a pinch I could participate via the older iPhone version, but the screen was just too small at times to see some of the slides. Now that Adobe Connect Mobile 1.5 for iOS has become a Universal App and has support for the iPhone's retina display, viewing live meetings will be much much easier on iPads, iPhones and iPod touch devices. With the 2-Way Video Feed Support you can even share your video/audio feed from your iOS device including iPad 2.
See it in action here:
Adobe offers regular webinars and internet presentations on Creative Suite. I usually do a couple of "Ask a CS Evangelist" sessions a quarter as well. Now you'll be able to check those out on your iPad in all of it's 10.1" display glory. To find out when the next Creative Suite session is, follow the Creative Suite Twitter account here or check us out on Facebook here.
Learn more about how you can get your own Adobe Connect Pro Online Meeting Room here.
You can get Adobe Connect Mobile 1.5 for FREE here from the
FileMaker Pro is hands down the best database application on the desktop! While both FileMaker Go and Bento remain tops in their respective categories on iOS, the good folks over at FileMaker have not stopped or rested on their laurels. The lastet update to FileMaker Go (1.2) for both iPhone/iPod touch and iPad has added three great features. The first one is probably the one that makes the most sense on a touch device. FileMaker Go can now capture signatures right on your device. This is going to be GREAT! You could now have people digitally sign those workorders, contracts, etc. right on the spot and have them saved either locally on the device or remotely via your FileMaker Pro Server running on the desktop.
The next new feature allows for live graphing right on the device. As you update the data in your records your graphs and pie charts will update right before your eyes. Great for reporting on the go and checking in on the go to see how the business is running. I'm a visual guy, so this is awesome!
Lastly and probably one of the ones that will mean a lot to a lot of people. While AirPrint support is great, when it comes to FileMaker AirPrint alone may not be enough. With a FileMaker Pro database your reports are data driven and often times the printing will change based on the layouts and the calculations. A screen dump is not enough. FileMaker Go 1.2 does native printing via AirPrint as well as the ability to print to PDF natively. This update is free to existing FileMaker Go users.
You can get FileMaker Go for iPad here
You can get FileMkaer Go for iPhone/iPod touch here
My favorite Turn-byTurn Voice GPS Navigation App for iOS just keeps getting better! In this latest (free) update they not only updated the maps & fixed bugs, but they also added a cool "Reality Scan" augmented reality feature. Once you tap the Reality Scan button your iPhone's camera will activate and while it shows you what the camera sees the app will overlay surrounding Points of Interest. This is very cool! While it works at any point I would probably see this as more useful when you're walking rather than driving. I can also see switching to it once you're in the area where you've navigated to and you want to see what's around you in addition to the place you're going. It relies on the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 Compass and updates in real-time as you turn around.
Now I want this in my glasses 
Navigon North America (USA & Canada)
Navigon USA Only
Lower Cost Region Specific Apps:
East (AL, CT, DE, FL, GA, IN, KY, MA, ME, MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VT, VA, WV)
Central (AL, AR, CO, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NE, NM, ND, OH, OK, SD, TN, TX, WI, WY)
West (AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY)
Navigon makes several apps for just about every region around the world. Find yours here: 
