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Jeff Scott of 148 Apps has announced the winners for the Best App Ever for 2011, and you can review at the official site right now. Jetpack Joyride from Halfbrick was the overall winner in the iOS devision (which is a great app, but probably also benefited from actually promoting the Best App Ever vote inside the app itself). There are several other winners across various categories like Most Innovative (Codea), Most Useful (Amazon Mobile) and Best Time Killer (Tiny Wings). Scott tells us that 148 Apps received a record 1.5 million votes this year, which is three times the total of last year's choices. Before voting began, there were 287,643 nominations across 7,243 apps. This year also featured Android winners in many categories, but Scott says that iOS topped the Android votes by a factor of 10:1. The Best App Ever awards are always an excellent check of what's available on the App Store, so review the list and find some great new apps. Congratulations to all of the winners, and thanks to 148 Apps for putting the whole thing together. Read More

Welcome to our weekly installment of Picks of the Week at iSource where we provide our expanded coverage of Apple accessories and applications Here we will promote our favorite iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac and Apple TV related items, as well as bring you occasional tips and tricks. Hopefully many of our favorite items will also be of interest to you. Please feel free to comment on our selections, and suggest picks of your own. Check out this week’s picks after the break. Amazon Mobile  [v1.8.0] Picked by: Jay This week is a “see one, get one free” for my Pick! With the state of the American economy in such fluctuation, I am always seeking the best prices for things I need and want. Over the holiday shopping season Amazon has two apps that have become my pocket saviors while shopping. By having direct access to my Amazon.com account, the online site becomes a shopping competitor while on-the-go. For Amazon.com-only information, Amazon Mobile has become my staple. If I want to know what the reviews of a certain Nintendo DS game happens to be, I can scan the barcode which takes me to see the price and its reviews at Amazon. If I don’t see the box with a barcode, I could use “Snap It” to take a picture of an item on the store shelf and within seconds, the app looks up what the item is, and off I go to the product page. And having access to my Amazon.com account means I can also save these product searches to Wish Lists I’ve already set up. Price Check  [v1.2.1] Amazon also offers a less-powerful app, Price Check, to price compare among Amazon.com and its online merchants where you can enter the price you see at the brick-and-mortar vendor (“this helps ensure our prices remain competitive”). For example, at a local Barnes and Noble, I found the BookBook iPhone 4/4S case for $59.99; using Price Check, I found it for $31.99 (already expired) from an Amazon’s Featured Merchant. Whether you’re finishing you last minute shopping, or preparing for the clearance items after Christmas, give both of these free apps a worthy look to help save money! Tweetdeck by Twitter  [v1.1.1] My Pick this week is a recommendation for the new Tweetdeck for desktop. This app replaces the Adobe Air version which I’ve used for YEARS, so needless to say I was at first reluctant to make the switch. When the Twitter gods Read More

by Amazon updated its Kindle app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch Wednesday, giving users access to their periodical subscriptions and cloud-stored documents for the first time. Previously, users could only use the Kindle app to read — and, before Apple changed its guidelines, buy — ebooks on those devices. Having access to documents stored on Amazon is handy, but iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch owners will find little reason to begin reading their newspapers and magazines through the Kindle app [iTunes link]. That’s because: 1) They’re likely already paying to get access to their favorite newspapers and magazines on those devices, or getting them for free as part of their print subscriptions, and therefore have no incentive to pay for a second subscription through Amazon. 2) Most major magazines already have designated apps for the iPhone and iPad, and those apps (in most cases) offer a superior user experience. They’re optimized for both screen sizes, and come with a host of bells and whistles — links, slideshows, audio interviews, interactive graphics — that aren’t available in the Kindle app version. Take a look at The Atlantic on the Kindle iPhone app, for instance, which has no navigation and virtually no formatting. Leading images sometimes bleed into the text of the previous story, and bullet points, italics and font sizes aren’t rendered at all: And here’s Popular Mechanics on its iPad app (left two images) and on the Kindle iPad app (right image). Note how the story has been divided into two pages on the magazine’s iPad app (left) to make it easier to read: The update will be useful to one very small subset of users: Those who already subscribe to newspapers and magazines through the Kindle Store, and would like to have their periodicals synced between their Kindle device and their Apple devices. Those users can now take in a few pages on their iPhones in line for lunch, and pick up at the same place on their Kindle Fires at home, for the price of two subscriptions. Of course, this is not to say that Amazon won’t ever be able to build a useful newsstand on for iOS devices, or that magazine publishers won’t wise up and start bundling all of their digital subscriptions together, including those offered through the Kindle Store. But for now, there’s nothing for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch owners to get too Read More

posted by Jacob Penderworth on Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 10:02 am.   Amazon has updated their Kindle for iOS app with a new design for reading magazines on the iPad, along with the capability to “[r]ead print replica textbooks” with support for rich text formatting and for notes, highlights, zoom and pan, and a linked table of contents. The addition of magazine reading for iPad gives users access to over 400 magazines and newspapers right on their iPad, similar to what iOS’ integrated Newsstand offers — and it’s even under the same name. The magazines included range from Food Network Magazine to Popular Science. If you’d like to take a look at the available choices, then head over to Amazon’s official store page here. More coverage on this app update is available after the break. If you’re not an iPad user, then you’re not left out with today’s update because Amazon has included some new features for iPod touch and iPhone users as well. (Please take note that the following features are also available on iPad and are not limited to the iPod touch and iPhone.) First up, you can now email documents to your Send-to-Kindle email address and Amazon will deliver them to your iOS device automatically. Kindle for iOS has also gained support for reading PDF files from the Mail or Safari apps, those transferred from iTunes, and even emailed documents using the aforementioned method of Send-to-Kindle. Kindle for iOS’ PDF reader sports a table of contents and thumbnail navigation to allow for swift page moving throughout the file. Lastly, Kindle for iOS has received a new library organization feature that allows you to manage your Kindle Books, Newsstand and Documents easily within the app. Sadly, there is still no integrated store in the app, which leaves things far too difficult to purchase a book when it should only be one or two taps. It is hoped that this will be added in a future update. Kindle for iOS version 2.9 is available free in the App Store here, so go grab it now or check for updates if you already have it. The official list of changes is available after directly below. iPad: iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch: Read More

Amazon updated the Kindle app for iOS today, giving iPad users the ability to access publications from the Kindle Newsstand. Amazon's Newsstand offers over 400 full-color publications to Kindle Fire users. Apple's own Newsstand offers more app-like experiences from many of the same publishers. In addition to the 400 magazines and newspapers, the iPad app can also now display "print replica textbooks," which are more like giant PDFs than interactive applications. All iOS devices, not just the iPad, now support the Send-to-Kindle feature, allowing users to send documents to the device by email. They can also open PDFs from email or the browser in the Kindle app. The Kindle Fire itself is off to a good start, at least in terms of sales. It's the fastest growing tablet since the iPad. Amazon has also released the first over-the-air update for that device, fixing some of the performance problems. The Verge has a nice hands-on review of the new Kindle Fire update with photos and video. It's a compromised device, and it's positioned as a service, not a dedicated hardware product like the iPad. Rather than making money off the device, Amazon wants to put the device into as many hands as possible in order to make money on the content. The Kindle app for iOS is Amazon's extension of that service onto Apple's platform. Apple's own Newsstand has given publishers a major bump since the launch of iOS 5 in October. The Kindle app is popular on the iPad for e-books, though, and Amazon hopes to divert some attention away from Apple's Newsstand with today's update. Download Kindle for iOS from the iTunes Store. Do you read on a tablet? Which one do you use? Read More

The Kindle app for iPhone and iPad (free, universal) has been updated to version 2.9, giving iPad users access to the Kindle Fire's collection of more than 400 magazines and newspapers. You can buy individual issues or subscriptions, which will be delivered to the device when available. Note that the magazines and newspapers are limited to the iPad. That doesn't mean there's nothing new for iPhone and iPod touch owners. You folks will be able to email documents to the app via a special email address and open PDFs from Mail or Safari. The free update is available now. Have at it! Read More

Today’s consumer culture faces constant temptation and visual stimulation. Therefore, it’s important to stay efficient and savvy when it comes to shopping. Whether you’re looking for the best deal or want a better way to organize your grocery lists, these iPhone apps aim to make your purchasing life easier. Triggered by voice activation, barcode scan or snapshot, the apps make finding the best deals around town incredibly simple. Best of all? They’re all free! Read More

Amazon has recently updated its Kindle app for Android with few important features. Perhaps most notably is the support for PDF documents, allowing users to have a single app for all their reading needs. But wait – it’s not that cool actually. You see, when you read PDF file in the Kindle app, you can’t use bookmarks, highlitghts or make notes like you would in ebooks bought from Amazon. We hope that will change (improve) in the future releases and in the meantime there are other dedicated PDF readers you could use (like ezPDF for instance). In addition, Kindle’s Android client now supports Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich phones, which at this moment means only Galaxy Nexus. Plus, there’s a new option to control margins and line spacing when reading a book on your smartphone. Finally, several bugs have been fixed to make the app even more stable… Kindle remains the free app and you can download it from a link below. Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis. Read More

Amazon's recent update to its Kindle for Android app brings an important change by allowing native support for reading PDF documents. Unfortunately, PDF support, as it currently stands, is fairly barebones. Aside from being able to view PDF documents, zoom, and turn pages, the app does not have any other features. Indeed, unlike ordinary ebooks, the PDF portion of the app does not support bookmarks, highlights or the ability to make notes. The 3.3 update ties in nicely with yesterday's announcement from PDF software maker Foxit that Amazon had made an investment in the company. Although Kindle devices natively supported PDF documents since 2009, reading them has always been a little cumbersome. Hopefully, Amazon's investment is an indicator that better support is on its way. The update also brings support for Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) devices and customization options, including new margin and line spacing control.    Head on over to the Market to update or download the app: Kindle Read More

Illustration by Michael ByersNavigating an app store can be tricky, with vague descriptions, dubious user reviews, and sometimes buggy apps. We searched for the best apps available. Locale$1 Locale lets you create location-based tasks. For example, you can have your phone turn on Wi-Fi when you get home, or have the phone silence itself when you get to work. It’s a great way to automate minor tasks, saving you a few extra minutes—and the embarrassment of having an overly noisy ringtone go off in the middle of a meeting. Head to Locale. SpringpadFree Create notes and reminders about movies you’d like to see, books you’d like to buy, or just events you’d like to remember. Springpad is also great for putting together shopping lists: You can quickly create checklists and scan barcodes to keep track of items you’ll need in the future. (Also optimized for tablets.) Head to Springpad. WunderlistWunderlist for AndroidFree Wunderlist syncs your to-do lists across all your devices, so you al­­ways have your tasks with you. Wunderlist will also email you when you are close to a deadline, in case you don’t check the app every day. (Also optimized for tablets.) Head to Wunderlist. Minecraft Pocket Edition$7  When you need to kill time on the go, you’ll find no better game to play than Minecraft Pocket Edition. Al­­though the app lacks the Survival Mode found in the desktop version, its Create Mode lets you mine and build to your heart’s content. (Also optimized for tablets.) Head to Minecraft Pocket Edition. Reckless Racing$3 Reckless Racing is one of the best-looking racing games available for mo­­bile devices, and it has dozens of courses to choose from, some with hidden shortcuts (a huge advantage if you know them). Then, once you’ve sharpened your skills, you can challenge friends and strangers to online multiplayer contests to find out who really is the most reckless racer. Head to Reckless Racing. StumbleUponFree StumbleUpon lets you “channel surf” the Web to find things that are relevant to your tastes. You list the topics that you’re interested in, and the app will recommend websites to match. On Android devices, it will even recommend other apps based on what you have already installed. (Also optimized for tablets.) Head to StumbleUpon. Toddler LockFree Warning: Eventually your toddler is going to get hold of your phone and wreak havoc upon it. Solution: Toddler Lock can keep the little one entertained but out of your phone’s precious contents. It lets your Read More