Android – Iphone – Applications

Virtual notepad apps have become something of a rage on the iPad recently, and with good reason. Why carry around all of your notes in binders, notebooks and legal pads when you can consolidate all of them in one place? Flip Note for the iPad is the latest entry in this burgeoning category, and while it does several things many competitors do not, it still could use some serious tweaking before it becomes my go-to note-taking app.

Even if you’ve never tried out a notepad app, you can surmise easily what to expect; after all, a notepad is just a series of blank pages, right? Wrong. Apps like Flip Note allow for drawing (either freehand or pre-selected shapes), writing (either by finger or via a stylus), and typing. Once notes are entered, they are saved, and it’s a simple matter to change the page to start new notes at any point. Want to find a note quickly? Just pull up the search box and type in a word or phrase you’re looking for. The built-in search function will locate all pages containing that word or phrase.

It’s a good thing Flip Note contains such a good search feature, since you only get one notebook to work with. This, unfortunately, is a bad design choice. Where I might want separate notebooks for each of several different topics or subject areas, Flip Note forces me to include everything in one. The ability to search everything quickly alleviates this somewhat, but I’d much rather have a system like the one available in PenUltimate, the app which Flip Note will invariably be compared to.

In terms of additional features, it’s worth pointing out that Flip Note allows you to export your pages to email, to a photo or to a text file, and that there is a useful undo feature built into the editor. However, you cannot control font size or pen (ink?) color as you can in PenUltimate, nor can you change from traditional lined paper to graph paper.

Flip Note has pros and cons, and it depends on what you need as to which note-taking app is best for you. I like Flip Note for the ability to add both handwritten and typed notes, but the placement of all notes in one notebook is a deal breaker. If your needs are such that you like keeping everything in one place, you may find Flip Notes to be the best choice.

[ Flip Note for iPad Review is a post from 148Apps ]

written by tmunzke \\ tags: $1.99, change-the-page, editor, epsilon, freehand-or-pre, ipad, ipad productivity, note taking, notes, overall-rating, pad, rating, search, word-or-phrase

iA Writer. is another drop-box enabled text editor for the iPad, however the developers have done an extraordinary amount of work to ensure that it works by letting you focus on what is important, your text. There are no fancy display options, no settings (other than the Drop Box enabling) and just a single document for instructions. It adds a little, but offers a lot, for a simple Text Editor.

The theory behind being able to quickly and effectively write is that you can stay focused. What iA Writer does is create an environment where you simply focus on what you’re typing. The “Focus Mode” fades everything but the last few sentences you wrote into the background so you can work on what you’re doing at that one moment. The feature that I enjoyed most is that it disables all the cut/copy/paste popups and spelling correction popups so that you won’t get distracted while you’re trying to write.

The second thing I most liked about this App is the additional keys given to the top-row of the keyboard which include an automatic previous/next word and single character cursor movement buttons and all the extra punctuation keys not usually on the main iPad Keyboard (I especially appreciate the parentheses because these are particularly hard to flip back and forth to get, twice within a short period of time).

Once you set up your Drop Box account you can sync all the documents on your iPad. I’m so delighted that this is quickly becoming a default feature of text editors, becuase at this point I simply wouldn’t use one that didn’t have it, I’ve come to rely on it so much. However, I wish that the integration in Writer was a bit better. Firstly, you need to manually sync your dropbox whenever you want to upload or change a new edit. I’m not a big fan of having to manually sync — though as there is no ’save’ option, I see how implementing autosync could get tricky.

While I appreciate the thought and research that went into choosing the typeface, size and spacing for the App’s actual look, I do wish that I had an option to edit the font display size. While it’s big and clear, I find it’s maybe a bit too big for me personally.

Overall, I do have to say that I enjoy the focused feel of this App, and I’m going to try and use it for all my mobile writing for the time being. The devs have gone out of their way to try to make writing easier, and I think they’ve at least succeeded at creating a decent, useful Text Editor – and those who will use and like this App will probably have a hard time going back to another.

[ iA Writer. iPad App Review is a post from 148Apps ]

written by simonivan \\ tags: information architects, ipad, ipad productivity, overall-rating, parentheses, review, text editor, writer, writing

Prompterous is one of those apps you’ll never know you need….until you actually need it. It is an app that is both simple in execution and design, yet what it does it does very, very well.

It should come as no surprise that Prompterous HD is, in fact, a piece of software for transforming your iPad into a full-fledged teleprompter. My first reaction to this was, “Great! But why do I need it? I don’t do any broadcasting.” The beauty of Pompterous HD is that it is a fully portable teleprompter, able to travel with you when giving a speech or sermon, teaching a lesson, delivering a speech or recording a podcast.

While you can type your speech and/or notes directly into Prompterous HD, that may double your work if you’ve already typed up what you need to say in another program. Fortunately, the developers of Prompterous HD have thought of this, and they provide a handy email address just for this purpose. Simply locate the document you want converted into the Prompterous format, then email it to the provided email address. When file conversion is complete (a matter of minutes at most), you are notified by email. Then, you simply have to open Prompterous HD and pull up your newly-converted file. If this seems like a few too many steps to convert a file, perhaps it is, but it does get around several stumbling blocks, not the least of which is the iPad’s still-clunky method of transferring documents.

Once imported, you can edit (add and/or delete text) your presentation and control the speed of the teleprompter, but that’s about it. Prompterous HD does not contain a full-featured word processor, but you should find enough tools to customize the display to your liking.

For such a simple little app, Prompterous HD shows a great deal of polish. I can certainly see using it as a lecture aid when teaching my classes or for similar tasks, particularly since importing already-composed notes is relatively painless. It’s a genuinely helpful app for anyone who has to make any sort of presentation.

[ Prompterous HD for iPad Review is a post from 148Apps ]

written by janyton \\ tags: $2.99, developers, device-reviewed, ipad, ipad apps and games, ipad productivity, podcast, prompterous, rating, since-importing, speech, teleprompter, work

The iWork suite, host to Pages and Numbers, includes Keynote – Apple’s premium presentation software built to offer an alternative to Microsoft’s PowerPoint. And now that it’s available for iPad, presentations can be created and viewed straight from your latest device.

In Keynote, Apple followed the same design ethic found in their other iWork for iPad suite of applications, with a familiar library of presentations visible when opening the application. Tapping the plus icon at the bottom centre is where you get started (and can duplicate a presentation just in case you’re prone to, like me, break things irreversibly). Twelve templates are there to choose from when starting a presentation, with a myriad of customization options available – more on this shortly. Interestingly, unlike Pages and Numbers, Keynote only works in landscape mode.

Keynote has a smart design to it. A fixed slides column along the left hand side gives you a (very) small preview of what each slide looks like, along with the ability to create new slides. There are eight templates: picture and title, title and subtitle, title and bullet points, title, bullet points and picture, title and blank space, picture, bullet points and, finally, a blank option. Everything can be moved and resized and rejigged, meaning it’s not a case of “which slide do I settle with?” but “which one looks the most like the one I’m after?” With a touch of customization, things will look just the way you want them to.

The editing process is seamless. Apple offers a Getting Started presentation with 20 slides in it, explaining how to get the most out of Keynote as well as showing off the transition effects available. There are four customization buttons along the top that, once mastered, will make presentations appear seamless and professional. The first is the all-familiar information “i,” which iWork and iLife users will know changes depending on what you’ve selected. If it’s text, options to choose the font, alignment and color exist; whereas if it’s a chart you get a myriad of charting settings. Speaking of charts, Apple includes a built in mini-Numbers application into Keynote, with a basic spreadsheet to allow you to create charts on-the-go. The interface is very simple: one spreadsheet and one keypad only.

The picture icon to the right of the informational “i” is where the iPad talks to the Photos application to retrieve saved photo albums and pictures as well as the ability to insert tables, charts and a variety of shapes. Again, each of these contain a large number of different color schemes and fully customizable layouts. To the right of that is the ever-popular effects button, allowing you to jazz up your presentation. The process is relatively simple: tap a slide, choose the effect, done. Apple has kindly included a transition time (up to 5 seconds) and delay time (up to 10 seconds) setting, as well as the ability to specify where the transition effect enters the screen from. In addition, transitions aren’t just limited to tapping on the screen, with Apple having included an “After Previous Transition” option to satisfy those who wish to leave the iPad to do all the work. For reference, there are 20 different transition types and also a “Magic Move” feature, enabling objects from one slide to move onto the next slide in line. Another neat touch.

The Tools section reveals a search function, which also includes a find and replace feature. Guide options are at your fingertips to ensure that objects are aligned properly, and slide numbers can be added to each slide too. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way for viewers to see how many slides there are actually are; the slide counter is merely a number “x” rather than “x/y,” y being the total number of slides. Lastly, a spell check is there which, thankfully, can be turned off. There’s nothing more annoying than a squiggly line underneath every proper name, right?

That’s all there is to the actual presentation side of Keynote. I am impressed with how easy it is to use, especially given the depth of some of the settings and options. Like other Apple applications, you seem to just know automatically where everything is. Even if you manage to screw things up, undo and redo facilities exist. What makes Keynote so special is that it’s just so usable.

Of course, sharing is a critical feature that deserves attention also. Apple has provided a variety of ways in which presentations can be imported, exported and published. You can send a document via Mail, share it via Apple’s premier iWork.com service, and also export presentations ready for iTunes File Sharing whenever you plug your iPad in to your computer. This final method provides the ability to save the document in Keynote format (.keynote) and PDF (.pdf) Presentations can also be imported through iTunes File Sharing and through the iPad’s Mail application.

Apple has struck the right chords with Keynote, just as with the other iWork applications for the iPad. Its presentation is chic yet functional, and the application remains snappy to use even while creating more image-intensive slides and transitions. It’s hard to tell where it falls short, because it offers so much. The only thing that I can think of is the presentation’s resolution – unlike the Mac version of Keynote, you can’t specify what resolution the presentation will be built in. Nonetheless, Keynote is absolutely worth the money if you make use out of it. It might not have all the themes and options that the Mac version has, which can make importing some presentations a not-very-nice experience, but for quick creation and a decent amount of editing, Keynote for iPad does exactly what it should do. And it does it seamlessly.

[ Keynote Review is a post from 148Apps ]

written by pietro842 \\ tags: ability, Apple, ipad productivity, microsoft, numbers, power, powerpoint, presentation, price, review, sharing, usability

The spreadsheet application of the iWork Suite, known as Numbers, is Apple’s take on Microsoft’s Excel. Spreadsheet users will be relieved to hear that Apple’s take on the application is identical in terms of function to Excel, it only differs in form. For instance, the cell formulae like =SUM and =AVG are still the same in Numbers, as are all other formulae, and the spreadsheet even looks the same (but let’s be honest – how could it look much different), but Apple’s design leaves Microsoft Excel looking like a tool from the past. And now that Numbers is on the iPad, well, things just changed entirely. Again.

As with Pages, Apple offers fifteen preset templates (including a blank sheet, of course) in Numbers for iPad. Although the list is not as expansive as Numbers for Mac, the ability to customize each sheet in detail means that if you’re ever stuck for choice and know what you want, you can choose the sheet that looks the least dissimilar to your wants and edit it accordingly. Getting started with Numbers is an easy process, even if you’re new to spreadsheets. Apple includes a ten-point spreadsheet example to get you started.

Users of Apple’s iLife and iWork suite for Mac will be familiar with the “i” information tool that Numbers makes so much use out of. The “i” button is dynamic, meanings its function changes depending on what you’ve selected. If its a chart, the “i” provides a number of different colour schemes and options like the ability to include a title, whether or not valued labels should be inside or outside of the chart and an ability to turn the legend on and off. If you click in a cell, the “i” provides a number of options regarding cells (text and fill colour, alignment etc), formatting in the form of cell type (currency, percentage, number, checkbox and so on), and headers and tables settings. The list continues with every new type of object you tap. Numbers will recognize what is selected and offer a specific set of settings accordingly. The other buttons are identical to that of Apple’s Pages:

The picture icon to the right of information offers the ability to insert all of these features: pictures in the iPad’s Photo Albums; tables and charts (of which there are six different styled versions to choose from, all of which are customizable) and a number of shapes. Thankfully, the much-needed option to insert a text-box can be found in the ‘Shapes’ section also.

Finally, a ‘Tools’ icon is also to be found, providing the ability to … search the document and turn on/off edge guides and spelling check. Noting edge guides in particular, this feature automatically aligns text and images against other parts of the document, to create a seamless and professional-looking piece of work. It works well. Saving the most important feature to last comes in the form of undo and redo facilities, which are again essential tools that Apple have integrated well. One tap to undo, tap and hold to redo.

Numbers is beautifully easy to use for both beginner and professional, with no loss of customization along the way. The application automatically detects what type of cell format your data is related to. For example, by entering £20 Numbers will automatically format the cell to currency, providing only two decimals after, to create £20.00.

The list of functions is generous and – as any good spreadsheet user knows – almost limitless once you begin to customize functions to your own preference. Apple includes a preset of ten function categories to get you started, with the most popular (and some less well known) functions already there. The categories are: Date and Time, Duration, Engineering, Financial, Logical and Information, Numeric, Reference, Statistical, Text and Trigonometric.

For those not familiar with functions, think of a spreadsheet as one large, unconventional calculator. If you enter in a list of numbers, and in a new cell type =SUM(x), with x being all of the cells you selected, it calculates the sum total of those cells. =AVG finds the average and so on. In part, this is why I find the preset templates so alluring, as these spreadsheets are already formatted accordingly, and linked to graphs already designed and ready to go. Apple’s templates are easy to understand and even easier to customize.

Noteworthy is the new keyboard that Apple has designed exclusively for Numbers. A number of calculator functions like addition, subtraction, brackets and division are found on the left hand side; a numpad in the middle; and a number of “hot buttons” on the right hand side. These buttons include: the list of aforementioned function categories, entering text, adding the date, and dictating whether a cell is marked “true” or “false” if necessary. In addition, when entering a stream of data, Apple provides two return keys: one to go across to the next cell and one to go down to the next. Given the iPad’s touch screen interface this is a welcome addition, providing a quick and easy way to navigate exactly to the cell you wish to edit.

Apple provides a number of options in which to share spreadsheets to and from the iPad. iTunes File Sharing allows spreadsheets to be locally transferred back and forth between the iPad and your computer (in .numbers and .pdf format). In addition, Apple’s new iWork.com service allows spreadsheets to be published online, although strangely there is no apparent way to retrieve spreadsheets from the web onto your iPad, even via iWork. Spreadsheets can be both sent by and opened through the iPad’s Mail application.

The only real flaw that I found throughout using Numbers is not a fault of Numbers itself, but rather the iPad’s screen. Although it is easier to move and re-organize documents with the iPad’s touch display, I did find it more difficult for creation and inputting. Of course, with the ability to pair a wireless keyboard the iPad, this problem can be overcome.

In conclusion, Numbers is everything that it should be, and Apple has designed it in a way that somehow keeps all of the features there, but makes it so much easier to use than its rivals. It feels like a real Apple application, and that is very refreshing indeed.

[ Numbers Review is a post from 148Apps ]

written by pietro842 \\ tags: Apple, Application, data, document, financial, ipad productivity, numbers, price, rating, reference, sharing