Feedly
People say RSS Feeds are dying. Lies. RSS is still the best way to keep up with the latest news, your favorite websites, job offers, or whatever other functionality you can think of.
Nevertheless, Google recently announced that their RSS reader, Google Reader, is going down July 1st 2013. Bad news to an incredible amount of avid feeds readers, me included.
So we all started looking for replacements, and after a few weeks of experimenting, here is the one that will be taking Google Reader’s place:
Feedly was already well-known, due to its integration with Google Reader and useful interface. It was also fun, as it adopted the “magazine” concept (remember Flipboard?) – if you choose to.
Also, Feedly staff already came out after Google’s announcement and said that whoever is using Feedly to read their connected Google feeds will be automatically migrated to their system. No work required. Score!
For both iPhone and iPad, this app will cover all your RSS needs. You can also (as I said before) use it in magazine mode, where it will try to sort out and organize your feeds into a magazine look, making it that much more appealing. However, if that’s too much fuss for you, there is a classic view mode, and a few others that you can explore.
Particularly I use the classic mode for news and the magazine mode for my photography category. It does work, believe you in me.
So if you want a highly customizable application for RSS Feeds, I believe you did find it. Also, they have their own web platform, so you can continue using it over your PC, as well on your iOS devices. Can’t go wrong here.
This awesome app is Universal, FREE and ready to use. Get it before July 1st to have your account migrated and don’t skip a beat!
If you’re having doubts, check the video below.
runtastic SitUps Pro
From time to time, Runtastic gets up and gives us a gift.
This time, the chosen app is runtastic SitUps Pro, and it’s FREE for a very limited time!
This awesome app will keep runtastic’s tradition of trying to make you healthy, and this time sit-ups are in order.
Just start it, login, select your training program and lay down on the floor. Now sit. Down. Sit. Down. Rinse, repeat.
To use it properly just hold your device in landscape mode close to your chest and start your sit-ups. The device will recognize the movement and will start counting your series, providing a beep for every sit-up.
The app provides great reports and is visually appealing. And since it’a free (for a limited time), why not give it a try?
StarTracker for iPhone 4S
This one is for you, star-gazers!
StarTracker for iPhone 4S [HD] by Shen Ji Pan has just gone free for a limited time! At least the iPhone 4s version of it.
If you’re into our galaxy, or just a curious, this will get you drooling for a while.
This app uses the augmented reality concept to show you the real location of identified planets, stars and constellations, using your device’s gyroscope. Just grab it and move it around to check your surroundings.
Well, not YOUR surroundings. Our planet’s, I mean.
With this awesome tool, you can find the location of Venus so you can look smart to your soul mate in a romantic evening. Score!
The graphics are amazing and it runs smoothly (60 fps ahoy!), making it a pleasure to fiddle around for a bit.
The iPad version is also awesome, but it’s not at the price of null, so it’s up to you to figure out how badly do you want to show her Jupiter… I’m just saying.
Grab the iPhone version, it’s free. If you like it, consider the HD version, it’s worth it.
StarTracker for iPhone 4S on the AppStore
StarTracker on the AppStore (for iPhone 4)
Nike+ Running
Who’s up for a quick run?
Today you can get this popular and awesome Nike+ Running for FREE to help you keep in shape.
Personally, I tend to keep my round shape, but maybe this is the push I needed to start sweating a little bit.
The app is very easy to use and it will get you going in no time. Insert your personal data (weight, height, gender), and you should be ready to go.
Additionally, you can login to Facebook and create an account in Nike+ network, to publish your workouts and get cheered.
We all could use a little cheering, our ego also appreciates a little exercise.
In the app, you can choose from different types of running, and even set new goals to push you further.
It has a media player embedded so you keep that rhythmic pace going on, and look great doing it.
This is one of the most used fitness apps for iPhone and since it’s free for a limited time, you should try it.
Teach Me Sushi
According to the Wikipedia, “sushi” means “with rice”, but in our hearts, we all know that its meaning goes a few miles further.
It means awesomeness for your mouth, raw or not, with or without rice, and sometimes it doesn’t even have to include fish. For me, sushi means “creative oriental cuisine”, and I must say that even the “oriental” bit is going away, as more and more people start experimenting with it and creating delicious awesome recipes for our delight.
In this spirit, Jake Davidow, a great sushi mad scientist, created this brilliant app Teach Me Sushi [Expert] [iPad (Basic + Expert)], that as you can see has 3 different versions:
The basic version is for iPhone and has the following features:
• 13 action packed videos (over 45 minutes) that cover the basics of making sushi all the way through to advanced rolls
• Visual step by step guides on how to make the different sushi rolls
• A built in timer to make sure your rice comes out perfect every time
• A shopping list of what ingredients to get and what equipment you will need to have
• A map based on your gps position of the nearest Japanese Supermarkets in order for you to buy your ingredients from
The Expert version (also for iPhone) needs the Basic features and adds:
•8 Tutorial videos teaching you how to make advanced sushi rolls step by step
•Visual step by step photo guides on how to make the different rolls
•A shopping list calculator that will tell you how much of each ingredient you need to buy depending on how many people you are making sushi for
•An equipment list to make sure you have everything you need before you get started
•A built in rice timer that will time how long you need to cook your rice for and then how long to steam it for. Giving you perfect rice every time
•A map based on your GPS position that will show you where you nearest Japanese Supermarket is for you to buy your ingredients from
•An FAQ video in which we answer 4 of the most frequently asked questions from the first Teach Me Sushi app
The iPad version has everything that the Basic and Expert version have, plus it’s formatted beautifully for iPad
This app is really awesome and Jake is an excellent teacher, so you should be preparing your own sushi in no time.
I know it because all I can do in the kitchen is popcorn and scrambled eggs, but after trying out this app, I was able to prepare good-looking rolls and – most importantly – delicious temakis.
If you have interest in sushi, this is a great opportunity to learn how to prepare it, and look good.
Enjoy your home-made Sushi!
AppStart for iPad (2012 Edition)
Now that the new iPad is out there, it is likely that we have lots of iOS newbies, eager to know which apps to install first.
To welcome those new users, AppStart for iPad (2012 Edition) by AppAdvice.com is free for a limited time.
This app is a great guide to start using your device, separated in different categories to help you sorting your stuff out.
This could be used even if you’re an experienced user. There is always that sneaky app that you don’t know about and makes all the difference.
As it’s free, I suggest you test it. If you don’t like it, just delete the darned thing. No harm done.
There is also an iPhone version of the app, but it’s not free.
AppStart for iPad (2012 Edition) on the AppStore
AppStart for iPhone on the AppStore
Vocre Free Translator
Going abroad to that exotic country? Worried that maybe the natives won’t understand you? Unless you’re going to one of those African tribes that speak with their throats clicking and whistling, I may be of some help to you.
Vocre Free Translator by myLanguage is an amazing app that translates speech on the go – for free!
What surprised me most is that not only the app have a wide variety of languages, but also it has variations of the same language (Portuguese from Brazil and Portugal, 3 variations of Spanish, etc).
Check the full list:
Supported Languages/Countries:
• Chinese Cantonese – Hong Kong
• Chinese Mandarin – China
• Chinese Taiwanese – Taiwan
• Danish – Denmark
• Dutch – Netherlands
• English – Australian
• English – United Kingdom
• English – United States
• French – Canada
• French – France
• German – Germany
• Italian – Italy
• Japanese – Japan
• Korean – Korea
• Norwegian Nynorsk – Norway
• Polish – Poland
• Portuguese – Brazil
• Portuguese – Portugal
• Russian – Russia
• Spanish – Mexico
• Spanish – Spain
• Spanish – United States
• Swedish – Sweden
Vocre can be used in two modes:
Hand-Held
Quick translation mode, to make simple requests that don’t need an answer from the other part. Speak to the mic, tilt the iPhone and it will reproduce the translation. Use it, for example, to make an order on a restaurant or to buy tickets to a concert.
Table-Top
This mode is used on conversations, where both sides have something to say. Select both languages to be used. The iPad/iPhone screen will be divided in two, each half dedicated to its own language. Turn your language to you. Also, each side will have a “record” button. Speak what you want to say, revise the text (you can edit it at your will), and tap “translate”. The text will be translated and the iPhone will also read it in the translated language.
This app works wonders and it’s Universal and free, much to my surprise.
Check the video below to see it in action and install it. You never know when it will come in handy.
“Just friends!”
Pedometer Ultimate GPS + [Promocodes]
Get up and start hiking! Walking! Running! Skiing! Something! Give some work to that blood pump! Put the fork down!
To help you get started, Pedometer Ultimate GPS + by Arawella Corporation is out and ready to aid you in each step of the way, literally.
This app is very well put together and has lots of good information to help you keep healthy and also a few tips to losing some weight. By the end of the tips there is a list of products that you should avoid in order to lose weight. If I were to eliminate all of those, I would have to empty my kitchen cabinets and do some serious feeding re-education processes.
The main objective of this app is (as the name says) to keep track of your steps, counting them and translating it to a map. But it does a lot more than that.
To use it properly, start by creating your own profile and set your parameters; gender, age and height.
This will auto-fill a few presets, such as walking, jogging and running step dimensions. If you care to measure your own and find it different from the app, you can manually edit those.
Then you must conquer the shame and tell the app your measurements. Measure your chest, waist, hip sizes, followed by your own weight (it will start tracking each parameter after the second measurement).
This will give you your BMI, and will present you with your ideal values. Don’t lie to the app, it won’t judge you.
With all your data inserted, it’s time to do the hard bit: start sweating.
You can set daily goals (distance, calories, or activity time).
You can also define a new route, lap and share it. After each exercise, you may also want to add specific details about it, such as notes, weather, how do you feel, additional weights you may be carrying, type of track and heart rate.
In addition to all that, you may also post your laps details on Facebook, Twitter, Dailymile, share it via SMS or e-mail.
The app includes a music player with playlist capabilities to keep you company during your workouts.
The dashboard is very informative and customizable, and you can move stuff around, change the display information, and make it useful for you.
By now I think it’s pretty clear that this is a very complete application, and it will encourage you to start exercising more often, just for the pleasure of messing around with it.
This app is also compatible with a few different fitness devices, such as the Wahoo Fitness Receivers, the 60beat heart rate monitors, or the Runalyzer adaptor.
DID YOU MENTION PROMOCODES?
Oh, you’ve noticed… yes, we did.
Here is the thing:
Pedometer Ultimate GPS + is free, but it has some limitations:
- Ads
- History limited to 72 hours
- No daily goals
- No Data, route and map export
- No Advanced Map
- No voice announcements
- No external sensor support
Of course, you can live without those, but you just don’t want to. To have those, you must purchase the PRO pack from within the app. And we from TheAppFreak want to make you happy, so here’s what we found out.
Since we can’t provide a promocode for an in-app purchase, we can provide a promocode for Pedometer PRO GPS +, an earlier version of Pedometer Ultimate GPS +
“But I don’t want an old Pedometer version!”
And right you are, once again! But it so happens that you can migrate from Pedometer PRO to Pedometer Ultimate, and by doing it, the PRO pack will be migrated as well! So basically by the end of it, you’ll have the Pedometer Ultimate GPS + with the PRO pack! Good deal, I tell you!
So, if you get the promocodes, these are the steps to follow:
- Redeem the promocode for Pedometer PRO
- Install Pedometer PRO on your iPhone/iPod
- Tap “More”, then under “Free migration” tap “Migrate to Ultimate”
- Follow the migration steps
- …
- Profit!
How to enter the promocode giveaway
To be elegible for the promocodes, drop a comment on this review (make sure you provide your real e-mail address, it will be used to send you the promocode). This step is mandatory.
If you want to increase your odds (optional), click
- Here (if you have facebook)
- Here (if you have twitter)
This giveaway will be active until Friday (Feb 20th)
Meanwhile, feel free to download this great app for free and test out its capabilities.
Upcoming – Tap Alarm Clock
Well, this might be interesting.
It seems AppAnnex may have something cool in the oven for the near January 19th. I’m talking about Tap Alarm Clock, an app that will make it easy for you to set up an alarm on your iPhone/iPod or iPad.
Here’s what they have to say about it:
Next Thursday, January 19, our company is planning to release a new app iPhone/iPad compatible product called the Tap Alarm Clock.
We worked really hard to make this app to stand out from the crowd, and finally, we came up with very stylish and slick product that simplifies setting an alarm down with just a couple of taps and swipes!With super stylish touch wheel you can easily set up alarm. And you can always see alarm status without opening the app. What is more useful is that unique snooze interface lets you see how long it will take for alarm to sound again and lets you deactivate alarm during the snooze.
I usually have no problems with the native iPhone alarm system, but I can agree to the fact that it can be improved. Sometimes I still fumble a little bit with my iPhone to turn off the darned thing, so a big button can come in handy.
Also, I’m intrigued by this new way to set up an alarm using gestures and only a virtual dial to accomplish it.
You have my attention, AppAnnex.
It will be a universal app, so I’m guessing this would be also interesting to test out on the iPad. I don’t usually have it near my bed, but we can give it a go and see what gives, right?
This “one-button-app-for-a-one-button-device” concept makes me curious, and if you are too, keep your eyes open for its release on the 19th.
Do you already use a different alarm app, or do you prefer to stick to the native iOS one? Will you try this one out?
Heart Fitness
Dear Reader,
How are you today? I hope you are feeling good. I also hope you are in no pain of any kind, and I wish you to remain in that state (that I like to call “living”) for quite some time.
However, if you have any doubts or feel a little weird (maybe you ate one olive too much for lunch), it helps to have diagnostics instruments around.
Hey, look at that! What do you know, today’s post is about Heart Fitness, by Senscare, a heart monitor application for your iPhone!
If you are puzzled about how can an iPhone measure your pulse, I can explain, it’s quite simple:
You put your finger in front of the camera lens (if you have an iPhone 4 or 4S is even better, because of the flash) in a bright place (the more light, the better), and wait for the camera to detect the small alterations in your finger’s color, as the blood pumps through.
After it gets a steady measurement, it will start a 30 seconds countdown to get your average pulse.
After it’s done, it will present you with a table of standards, including your results in it.
If you wish to have a history of measurements in graphical display, the freemium part of the app kicks in and you’ll have to pay $0.99 to have access to it.
You can personalize your own profile with your Gender, Birth Date, Height, Weight, smoking habits, Diabetes, and lifestyle.
This app was developed by the laboratory of Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in France, and has been validated against FDA-approved instruments in clinical conditions.
This is a great app to have around and keep track of your little ticker from time to time.
It is free for now, but it may go up soon.
