40Tech » Applications

App of the Week: Paper Camera [iOS, Android]

Evan Kline — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Both the iOS App Store and the Android Market offer an abundance of camera apps. There are so many, that it takes either great functionality or a unique twist for an app to stand out. One that does so is Paper Camera, available as both an Android and an iPhone/iPad app. Paper Camera lets you use your camera to output real time cartoon and painting effects that have to be seen to appreciated.

I’ve tried out Paper Camera on Android, so I can’t speak for the iOS version. On Android, the app takes a few seconds to start, but when it does you’re presented with a unique interface, that almost looks hand-sketched.

From that interface, you select the effects you want by scrolling through options. The effects include ones called Sketch Up (your image looks like a sketch), Comic Book (your image looks like it jumped off the pages of a comic book), Old Printer (your image will look pixelated, like it was printed with an old printer), Neon Cola (your image will have parts of it outlined in Neon), Pastel Perfect (your image will be shaded in pastel tones), and a few others.

You’re also presented with sliders to adjust the contrast, brightness, and lines, and buttons to zoom in and zoom out. There’s a button to take the photo, and one to go to your photo gallery. If you go to the gallery, you can select a photo, which will then be imported into the app. From there, you can apply the same effects that you can to photos taken from directly within the app.

There’s also a share button and an email button on the screen, but they’re not there to let you share your photos. Instead, they only let you share news of the app or email the developer, respectively.

Paper Camera is one of those apps that, when I’ve shown it to people, they’ll often pick up their phone, head to the App Store or Android Market, and download it. It’s currently $1.99 in the Android Market, and $0.99 in the App Store.

Paper Camera [iOS] [Android]

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What’s Your Favorite App – Ever? [Reader Feedback]

Evan Kline — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

In a recent TWiT podcast, one of the hosts mentioned WordPerfect 5.1 as an all-time great piece of software. That got my mind racing, trying to think of some great apps that I’ve used over the years. While those of us in the 40+ age bracket might have a longer timeline of app usage to draw from, we probably all have our favorite apps. What are yours?

To be honest, I had a hard time thinking back to the apps that I’ve used over the years. Some that came to mind were WordPerfect 5.1, Netscape Navigator, Dreamweaver, Eudora, and an old version of Paint Shop Pro that I used for many years. I also turned my mind to games, remembering fondly Zork and an early Ultima game, as well as Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights (which, along with its sequel, sustained me for years and also led me to meeting our senior editor, Bobby Travis). I’m sure some modern apps would have to be in the running, too. Evernote, Dropbox, and LastPass are such an integral part of my daily life, that they’d be hard to overlook

So, travel down memory lane with me. What apps would be on your list? If you had to pick a favorite, what would it be?

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Top 10 Mac App Store Apps I Can’t Live Without

Evan Kline — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Early in my Mac life, I looked at ten apps that were essential to me at the time. Looking at that list, I realize that my usage has changed a bit over time. Since then, the Mac App Store was born as well. A recent post by Dan Gold on Google+ inspired me to try to list my ten favorite App Store apps. It was hard narrowing that list down to just ten, and even harder ranking these from 1 to 10. Here’s what I came up with.

First, though, a disclaimer. Every app on this list is available in the App Store, although there are two on the list that I purchased outside the App Store as part of bundles. I’ll use an * to designate those.

1. TextExpander*

In my previous list, I wrote about TypeIt4Me, which is a great app and has been around a long time. Both TypeIt4Me and TextExpander are apps that allow you to create snippets of text, and then set up abbreviations to trigger the typing of those snippets. We’ve given you some examples of how this can be useful and make you more productive. TextExpander, though, was one of the apps that came in a bundle, and I switched to it because of the sheer number of iOS apps with built-in support for the iOS version of the app, and because of the ability to sync my text expansion snippets with a Windows text expansion app.

2. Sparrow

Sparrow is an IMAP email client, but where it really shines is in its support of Gmail. It handles labels better than any other desktop client that I’ve seen, and makes it quick and easy to blow through your email. For a longer look at Sparrow, check out our review.

3. Alfred

Okay, time for another disclaimer. I do love Alfred, but I’m currently kicking the tires on LaunchBar to see how I like it. Think of both as Spotlight on steroids, since they allow you to use keystrokes to find and launch apps, perform web searches, execute math calculations, and more. Alfred strikes me as more elegant and easy to use, while LaunchBar seems more powerful. Once I’ve put LaunchBar through the paces, I strongly suspect that I’ll be back to using Alfred.

4. MarsEdit

MarsEdit is a blogging app that I’ve previously written about. There’s not much more to say other than it is the best native Mac blogging app. If you blog, check it out.

5. Acorn

Acorn is an easy to use image editor. I have Pixelmator, too, but Acorn is the app that I always find myself using.

6. Reeder

Reeder is my RSS reader of choice, both on the iPad and on OS X. It’s slick and elegant, and, makes it easy to quickly browse feeds.

7. FileShredder

FileShredder adds a “secure shred” option to the context menu when right-clicking in Finder. I use it after downloading financial information to my desktop. FileShredder deletes it, and then securely overwrites it so that it can’t be recovered.

8. Littlesnapper

I use Littlesnapper to take screenshots when writing articles for 40Tech. It makes it easy to annotate those screenshots as well. I keep meaning to try Skitch, but I have Littlesnapper pretty much integrated into my workflow right now

9. Yoink

Yoink is another app that I’ve already written about. It adds a box to the side of your screen that only appears when you drag an image or file to it. That box acts as a holding area for the file while you swipe between windows. You can get to the app of your choice, and then drag that file into the app.

10.Fantastical*

This is my newest addition. Fantastical is an app that you really have to see to appreciate. It makes the entry of calendar items fun, believe it or not, as it recognizes natural language. It integrates with both iCal and BusyCal.

Honorable mentions:

For some other opinions, check out Dan’s thread on G+. What are your essential Mac App Store apps?

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App of the Week: Use AirDroid to Control Your Android Device From Your Desktop Web Browser

Evan Kline — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Regardless of some cool input tools, like Swype, entering text and controlling your mobile phone can still be cumbersome. On Android at least, you have the option of controlling your phone right from your computer, using AirDroid. AirDroid won’t let you do access all of your phone’s functions, but the list of available features is pretty impressive.

To control your phone, your computer and your phone must be on the same WiFi network. You then fire up the app from your phone, and it gives you a local IP address to type into your browser address bar, along with a password. All of the goodness then takes place in your browser.

Once you’re connected, you’re presented with a nice screen on your computer, with buttons for the various options available to you.

Here are the areas of your phone that you can access from the buttons, and what you can do:

Contacts – edit and delete
Call log – view lists of all, incoming, outgoing, and missed calls
Clipboard – copy contents to and from the device clipboard
Text messages – read and send
Apps – install and uninstall
Files – browse files on your device’s SD card, and rename, cut, copy, delete, and export them
Photos – browse, set as wallpaper, delete, and download
Music – export, delete, and set a selection as a ringtone (phone, alarm, and notification ringtones). There is also a “ringtone” button to access ringtones directly.

I’ve only had two minor glitches with the app. First, I’m still not sure what the export button does, as nothing happens when I click it. Perhaps that is user error on my part. Also, my connection from my MacBook Air to the phone did time out once, and I had to log in again. That just as easily could have been a network issue, though, as it could have been an issue with the app.

An app like this is something I could see myself using when I anticipate sending longer or frequent text messages, or when I want to tidy up my phone. How would you use this app? The app is currently free in the Android Market.

AirDroid [Android Market, via Lost in Technology]

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Which PC and Mac Browsers Are Fastest?

Evan Kline — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

If you want to squeeze every last ounce of speed out of your browsing experience, then check out the latest browser speed tests at Tom’s Hardware. The site takes a look at several browsers on both the PC and on a Mac, and offers results in several different categories. The site then crowned a winner on each platform, as well as overall.

On OS X, “Safari 5.1.2 simply owns on its native platform,” according to Tom’s Hardware and its results. On the PC, and overall, Firefox 9 was crowned the winner. That might be surprising to some Chrome users, as speed is often extolled as one of the virtues of Google’s browser. Check out the article at the source to really dive into the numbers.

Admittedly, speed isn’t the only consideration when picking a browser. For example, I tried . . . really really tried . . . to like Safari on my Mac. I used it for a month as my main browser, and never stopped hating it. I went back to Chrome, and thereafter went all the back to my first love, Firefox, which I’ve found has improved dramatically since I had first switched away from it.

What is your browser of choice, and on what platform? Why do you like it?

Web Browser Grand Prix VIII: Chrome 16, Firefox 9, And Mac OS X [Tom's Hardware]

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There’s An App for That – Get Charged Money When You Miss a Workout [iOS]

Evan Kline — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Now I’ve seen everything. Would you have more incentive to go to the gym if you knew that a missed workout was going to hit you where it counts – in the wallet? If so, check out the New York Times’ coverage of GymPact, an iPhone app that can provide this type of monetary incentive to working out.

GymPact, also coming for Android at some point, allows you to set a target number of workouts per week, and the penalty you’re willing to pay for missing your target. If you miss your target, your credit card will be charged the monetary amount. If you do hit your target, however, then you are rewarded monetarily, using the money collected from the slackers who didn’t hit their targets. How much you earn depends on the number of people who didn’t hit their targets.

The app uses your phone’s GPS, allowing you to check in when you get to a gym, and checking you out if you leave prior to the amount of time that you agreed to in your pact. GymPact does have a minimum requirement of at least one workout a week for 30 minutes, with a minimum penalty of $5 for every missed visit. You can change your pact at any time as long as you’re above the minimum.

Would an app like GymPact help you to work out regularly?

GymPact [via The New York Times]

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Redesign Your Living Space Online With Homestyler [App of the Week]

Bobby Travis — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:07:28 +0000

I stumbled across this completely by accident. I was looking at some very cool ideas for creating furniture from shipping pallets (my lovely wife’s new obsession), and I saw that one person had done a mock-up of what she wanted her living room to look like. Then I saw the little “Autodesk Homestyler” branding on the bottom of the image and gave an audible “Heyyyyyyyyyy!”

What followed wasn’t pretty. Picture me — or yourself, if you don’t happen to know what I look like — wandering about my house with a tape measure, measuring every wall, window, doorframe, article of furniture, you name it. I was approximating angles, imagining what changes I might like, and constantly running back to my laptop so I could re-create — and then improve upon — my living space. It was obsessive, it was zen-like, and it was surprisingly effective.

Sure, sure, there were a few little glitches, like, in the panoramic or high definition snapshot 3D rendering of my living room, dining room, and kitchen, things like tables and desks – and my stove — liked to turn invisible. There were conflicts with some of the models, too — my TV sitting inside my TV-stand, for example, or things just refusing to sit over or near each other, even when I had the placement rules disabled. Also, there is simply no way to change the dimensions of some of the models, or (most annoyingly) the height of the walls. (See images, below.)

These things created a need for that special sort of approximation creativity that we all sometimes have to draw on, but the end result was more than adequate for me to see what it would look like if my living room had a sectional couch, and maybe a mirror on the wall (the mirror even reflects when the panorama is rendered!). I now have a reasonable working model of my living space that I can go to and mess with before trying or buying anything — and it was all free! Free, dammit! Even if the entire app is in Flash, and there is no iPad app, I’m completely down with Homestyler. Once you try it, I bet you’ll love it too.

Here’s a few shots of me working on my place — all done within a few hours of mucking about:

And here’s a link to my panorama (no iframes hereabouts, sorry).

What are your thoughts on Autodesk Homestyler? If you know of anything comparable, tell us about it in the comments!

Autodesk Homestyler

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App of the Week: Use JavaRa to Update Java and Get Rid of Old Versions

Bobby Travis — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:20:56 +0000

Java is a bit tricky. A lot of applications use it, and many of them come bundled with their own version of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) — which they happily and oh-so-helpfully install on your system. This leads to multiple and redundant installs of Java on your computer, each of which may contain potential security threats, and may well leave you scratching your head as to whether you can or should delete them. Wonder no more… JavaRa is a free, light-weight utility that will clean up the redundant versions of the Java runtime, as well as update you to the latest version — and it has a few other tricks up its sleeves, besides.

There is no installation for JavaRa. It’s just a simple executable with some language options (English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Finnish). Just click and go — though you may want to run it in Administrator mode for Windows Vista and Windows 7. The buttons are fairly self-explanatory: Search for Updates will search for the latest Java version, and Remove Older Versions will clean up your system.

If you’re looking to do a little bit more, click on Additional Tasks. You’ll get a pop-up that allows you to remove startup entries, other useless Java bits like logs and temp files, as well as get rid of the Sun Download Manager, and a few other goodies.

JavaRa is a great little tool and can be found for free on SourceForge.

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Cast Your Vote for the 2011 App of the Year

Evan Kline — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 02:00:35 +0000

Last week, we asked for nominations to add to our list of contenders for 40Tech App of the Year. We received some good suggestions, and thought of several on our own. We did debate whether to include lesser-know submissions, and also whether the official apps for services like Facebook and Google+ constitute “apps.” In the end, we opened the floodgates, and added them all to the list. Cast your vote below for your choice of App of the Year. As with the nominations, the definition of “app of the year” is what you make of it. It could be an app that you found to be the most enjoyable, most helpful, most innovative – whatever you think made something your favorite in 2011.

The poll will remain open until noon EST on Tuesday, January 2. We’ll come back after that with the results. Here are the choices.

Take Our Poll

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App of the Week: Fantastical [Mac]

Evan Kline — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:00:00 +0000

Fantastical is a calendaring app for the Mac that makes entering appointments quick and easy. The idea behind Fantastical is that you can enter your appointments using natural language. Open up the entry dialog via either the toolbar or a key combination, and just type naturally. Fantastical takes care of the rest. For example, if you type “Meet with Joe at the office on Thursday at noon,” Fantastical will plug all of the appointment details into the correct slot in a calendar entry, using a slick user interface.

Fantastical acts as a front end to your choice of calendars, including iCal, BusyCal, Entourage, or Outlook. You can also use your iCloud, MobileMe, Google Calendar or Yahoo! Calendar accounts. That doesn’t mean that Fantastical doesn’t have a UI display of its own. If you click on the Fantastical icon in your menubar, you’re presented with a very attractive calendar, as you can see in the screenshot below.

You can customize the display to control the number of events that are displayed, and clicking on an event brings up details of that event. You can then click an “Edit” button, and easily modify the details of the event.

Fantastical also provides convenient search functionality, right from the menubar. I’ve tried it out with a search term that I knew had entries from over a year ago, and it found those almost instantly.

Fantastical currently sells for $19.99 on the developer’s website, or in the Mac App Store. That might seem to be a bit steep for a calendaring app, but Fantastical is one of those apps that has that special “something” when you start to use it.

What is your favorite calendaring app?