IMDb

Oft nachgefragt: ein Beitrags-Update über meine ‘Homescreens‘. Seit März 2011, als die letzte Aktualisierung dieser Artikel-Serie erfolgte, hat sich die eine oder andere App verschoben, geändert und aussortiert. Der derzeit aktuellen Stand ist an dieser Stelle festgehalten. Vielleicht finden an diesem Montag ja speziell frische 4S-Käufer, die einen ersten Grundbedarf an Software benötigen, die eine oder andere Anregung. Ich persönlich ziehe jede individuelle Empfehlungen allen generischen ‘Hitlisten’ vor. Genau deshalb soll mein privater Einblick auch nicht alleine bleiben: Wer Screenshots oder Tipps von seinen verwendeten Apps in den Kommentaren kundtun möchte, ist dazu herzlich eingeladen. Zwei Anmerkungen noch: Die zwei benutzten Hintergrundbilder gibt es hier und hier. Auf meinem Standby-Screen befinden sich dieses und dieses Bild. Außerdem führe ich zwei Ordner mit ‘Review’-Software, die ich mir für dieses Blog noch genauer anschauen möchte. Da diese Programme (noch) keine Empfehlungen sind, verbleiben sie für diesen Artikel ohne Erwähnung. Außerdem verstecken sich in den iPhone-Ordnern: Delivery Status touch (3.99 €); Dropbox (kostenlos); eBay (kostenlos); iCab Mobile (1.59 €); Skype (kostenlos); WeatherPro (2.99 €); Tumblr (kostenlos); Verbs (0.79 €); WhatsApp (kostenlos); PayPal (kostenlos); Analytics Pro (4.99 €); Boxcar (kostenlos); Articles (2.39 €); Instapaper (3.99 €); Facebook (kostenlos); Kicktipp (kostenlos); Flickit Pro (3.99 €); 360 Panorama (0.79 €); Lab (0.79 €); Halftone (0.79 €); Instagram (kostenlos); Finnish English (2.39 €); Evernote (kostenlos); Reeder (2.39 €); CrashPlan (kostenlos); Meine Freunde suchen (kostenlos); Shazam (kostenlos); Synonymwörterbuch (19.99 €); iSSH (7.99 €); Handoff (1.59 €); Screens (15.99 €); Google+ (kostenlos) und AirPort Dienstprogramm (kostenlos). Außerdem verstecken sich in den Ordnern: Evernote (kostenlos); iOutBank (9.99 €); Pages (7.99 €); iSSH (7.99 €); Dropbox (kostenlos); iMovie (3.99 €); Skype (kostenlos); Numbers (7.99 €); Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery (3.99 €); Bumpy Road (2.39 €); Cut the Rope (1.59 €); Emberwind HD (1.59 €); Groove Coaster (2.39 €); The Last Rocket (2.39 €); Contre Jour HD (2.39 €); ShadowGun (3.99 €); Comic Zeal (5.99 €); Flipboard (kostenlos); Kindle (kostenlos); Tagesschau (kostenlos); Wired (2.99 €); Zeit Online (kostenlos); Big Picture (2.39 €); Color Splash (1.59 €); Instagallery (1.59 €); Instamap (1.59 €); PhotoSync (1.59 €); Remote (kostenlos); Boxee (kostenlos); iCab Mobile (1.59 €); Simplenote (kostenlos); Air Display (7.99 €) und PDF Expert (7.99 €). * Alle Affiliate-Links (Danke!) führen direkt in den App Store. Read More

Apple gießt seine Webseite für Film-Trailer in eine eigenständige App und stellt diese in den US-Store zum Download (Link) – kostenlos, aber regional begrenzt. Warum dem so ist, bleibt Hollywoods Irrsinn Geheimnis. Nicht, das man einen Mangel an Trailer-Apps beklagen könnte*, aber der Versuch von IP-Schranken ist schon lange nicht mehr zeitgemäß (wenn er es überhaupt jemals war). Ich frage mich erschreckend regelmäßig, wie viele Dauerkarten man wohl für US-Serien in Originalsprache hierzulande verkaufen würde, wenn man sie nur anbieten würde!? Laut einer aktuellen Meldung verhandelt Apple weiterhin mit der Filmindustrie um Streaming-(Redownload-)Rechte für mobile Gerät. Wahrscheinlich ein äußerst frustrierendes Unterfangen… Representatives of the iPhone and iPad maker have been meeting with studios to finalize deals that would allow consumers to buy movies through iTunes and access them on any Apple device, according to knowledgeable people who requested anonymity because the discussions are private. The service is expected to launch in late 2011 or early 2012. * beispielsweise MovieQuest Pro (2.39 €; universal App Store-Link) oder IMDb (kostenlos; universal; App Store-Link) Read More

If you have recently bought a new iPad I have some “must have” apps you should start out with. Of course, some apps you may wonder why they are so “must have” and argue that you don’t need them. Ok, you just might not. This is my list and there may be more that you would suggest (please do so in the comments). This is the first 5 and I will post more in chunks of 5 in the future. For what it’s worth, here’s my list: This is the app, next to Google, that will teach you pretty much anything. Wikipedia is very accurate and way more up to date than the Encyclopedia you have on your book shelf. There are things that may contain errors but it’s just as accurate as a traditional Encyclopedia. Here’s a article and links to studies on it. Anyway, I like it and it’s a great way to solve arguments or have ready to teach your kids when they have those repeating “Why?” moments. Price: Free . I love this app. Yes, it is simple. A lot like the stock notes app. What’s great about this app is it syncs between other iPads, iPhones, iPod touches and even a web browser app. Price: Free If you’re using the previously mentioned app, Wikipanion, to search for a actor, tv show or movie and just can’t get all the info you want, you need the IMDb app. IMDb stands for Internet Movie Database. The app connects you to their website with loads of info on TV shows, movies, actors, and a lot more. It’s free and it’s great to have while sitting on the couch when you’re trying to figure out an actor’s name or what other movies they’ve been in. The best Twitter app is, of course, from Twitter themselves. Originally called Tweetie, Twitter bought them and hired their original developer. It’s a smooth flowing app and supports multiple accounts. The in app browser is full featured and again, this app is free! Read More

I am a pretty major film buff. I even wrote a book on a sixties movie producer. So I was pretty excited to hear of Spott, an app that uses augmented reality and your iPhone GPS to find the nearby locations where films and TV shows were shot. It's a great idea for an app. You can enter Al Pacino and see where his movies were filmed. You can also search by title. You can even get a map that will point you to locations anywhere in the world. Alas, the app is pretty thin in the data department. While there are lots of movies listed, there is an awful lot missing. Here in Southern Arizona, endless westerns were produced. Tombstone, Gunfight at the OK Corral, The Trial of Billy Jack, Easy Rider. The list goes on and on. What does Spott list for this area? Nothing. Nada. Utah is completely empty, and Utah has been the home of hundreds of films. As I said, this is a great idea for an app. The developers let you sign up and add data that is missing, and even submit photos of yourself at movie locations but frankly, it's not my job to do that. Even though movie locations are not the main purpose of the IMDB app, you can get that information from there, but it's not designed to let you search by location in the iOS versions. I would say Spott is a good start, but at US $2.99 I'd like a more complete database, and more images. Spott bills itself as the 'ultimate tool for film fans' but it still has a way to go to meet that description. I'm hoping the developers will step it up a bit and make Spott all that it could be. Spott runs as a universal app on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and requires iOS 3.1.3 or greater. Read More

A friend just picked up a shiny new iPad and asked me for my app recommendations.   Obviously, we get similar questions often, so I drew up a list of the apps that I use often that most any iPad user might consider. Wundermap: Appshopper: Find new, free, and price-reduced apps.    Pulse:  Innovative news/RSS reader.     Flipboard:  An alternative to Pulse.       Wikibot:  Wikipedia reader with read-ahead, etc.        Noteability:  Take notes with optional linked audio recording.       Simplenote:  Simple text note-taker with sync to other devices and the Web.       Goodreader:  Sync and view documents and other media.       eFax:  Send/receive faxes.       neu.Annotate:  Annotate/sign PDFs.           ABC Player:  Watch full episodes of ABC shows.       IMDB:  Access the Internet Movie Database.      iMyAddress:  Use GPS to find the nearest street address.   Got any other suggestions?  Leave them in the comments below. Read More

By Kevin Stout on June 29th, 2011 In this week's Favorite Four, we list our favorite reference apps. Using the iPhone and iPad as a tool to quickly lookup something (often to settle a bet!) is an often under-appreciated and useful feature (it’s even the biggest folder on our homescreen for some of us!). While one can argue that a Wikipedia app or just using the browser is sufficient for looking up everything, a dedicated and specific reference app can’t be beat in its category. So this week lists our favorite four reference apps. iBartender This app (which is surprisingly the #7 top paid iPhone reference app) is the ultimate companion for a bartender. iBartender is a simple enough app to explain, it’s one of those books that can be found behind a bar listing all kinds of alcoholic drinks no one knew existed. iBartender trumps all of those bar books with an easily browsable encyclopedia of drinks, a search feature, and the ability to save specific drinks as favorites. This app is a must-have for anyone, not just bartenders, looking to find and try out new drinks. $0.99 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Released: 2008-07-31 :: Category: Reference FREE! iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Released: 2008-08-19 :: Category: Reference FREE! iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad Released: 2010-04-01 :: Category: Reference FREE! iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad Released: 2011-04-19 :: Category: Reference FREE! + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Released: 2009-12-07 :: Category: Entertainment Read More

By Rene Ritchie, Monday, May 23, 2011 | TiPb’s developer spotlights are like DVD/iTunes Extras for the App Store — a weekly look behind the scenes at the programers and designers that bring you the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps and games you love. This week Rene talks with the team at NAVIGON. What are your names Bernd, Andreas, Eva, Bernd, Christian, Andreas, Andrej What company are you all with? NAVIGON Where are you located? Wuerzburg, Germany What’s your Twitter name? @NAVIGON_US What apps, other than your own, are currently among your favorites? Shazam, WeatherPro, IMDB, Tiny Wings How long have you been a developer? NAVIGON was founded in 1991 and this year we celebrate our 20th anniversary. We’ve developed many industry firsts, including the first navigation system for Pocket PC, the first dynamic traffic information service, and the first realistic display of highway interchanges and exits (Reality View), among many other features. How long have you been an iOS developer? We started developing for iOS in 2009. Do you develop for any other platform in addition to iOS? If so, which one(s)? NAVIGON develops navigation solutions for most major smartphone platforms, including Android, Windows Phone 7, Bada, Windows Mobile, and Symbian. What primary computer setup do you use for your iOS development? Our iOS team mainly uses various iMacs and MacBook Pros. A Mac Pro serves as our buildserver. What iOS device(s) do you personally use most often? We mostly use the iPhone 4 and iPad 2. What mobile devices, other than iOS, do you currently use? We use 99.9% iOS devices. What’s your favorite thing about developing for iOS? The SDK is very thought through and intuitive. Also, the overall structure of iOS and the App Store environment is very stable and reliable. What’s your least favorite thing about developing for iOS? We partially miss API access to system functions. What feature would you most like Apple to add to the iOS 5 SDK? We would like to see the integration of app content into the spotlight search. Since most content is saved within apps, this would make it much easier to find stuff. We would also really like to be able to only partially update our app with smaller changes like bug fixes, for example. Right now, users always need to download the full application no matter how big the update is. It would be great if Read More

Posted 04/04/2011 at 11:00am | by Seamus Bellamy While we've been busy cranking out Wi-Fi hotspots, sending music and video to our Apple TVs and generally living it up wirelessly with our iOS devices, developers have been busy coding their fingers down to the bone to bring AirPlay compatibility to their applications. What's that you say? You've been too busy to check in with the iTunes App Store lately? Don't worry: Like always, Mac|Life has your back. To make sure that AirPlay becomes a part of your glorious Mac lifestyle, we've put together a selection of seven of our favorite AirPlay compatible applications for you to use, peruse and enjoy. Having iMovie on your iPad is awesome. Sending iMovie content from your iPad to your Apple TV is, well, more awesome. Thanks to AirPlay, anyone can thrill their friends with their video masterpieces/monstrosities on any Apple TV-connected widescreen television. We found that the video looked great, even when it was put together using raw footage from an iPhone 3GS camera, and synced up to our TV just as fast as content we’ve downloaded from iTunes does. Nice! Your guests need some snacks to go with that homemade epic. Fortunately, Martha Stewart Makes Cookies can walk you through a wide number of delicious recipes, the tools you’ll need to make them and a healthy serving of AirPlay compatible how-to videos featuring Martha and a cadre of cookie commandos to make sure your baking turns out for the best. FitnessClass has a wide variety of work outs for all fitness levels, FitnessClass is a first-class iPad application for helping you kick start those New Years resolutions--in April. From high-impact cardio to kettle-ball basics, this one’s got it all. Sadly, while the application itself is free, you’ll have to pay for the AirPlay compatible video fitness sessions it contains. If you’d rather mellow out and tone your muscles with some yoga instead of the high-impact fare offered by FitnessClass, Authentic Yoga with Deepak Chopra for iPad has you covered. Offering the ability to build your own yoga routines from the large number of Airplay compatible videos baked into the application, as well as some interesting commentary from Deepak Chopra on the history and philosophy of yoga, this one’s a steal at $1.99.  Even if you never plan on trying out any of the poses illustrated by the app, it provides a fascinating look at Read More

IMDb has updated its iOS app to version 2.1. The new release has a few nice features added, along with the usual bug fixes and performance improvements. You can now create and maintain a Watchlist, to which you can add movies and TV shows that interest you. The aptly-named 'magical search' behaves in the way Google Instant does, showing results while you type. There's also added support for viewing trailers via AirPlay, and IMDB is one of the first apps to take advantage of the third-party AirPlay support built into iOS 4.3. It lets you wirelessly send video from your iDevice to your Apple TV or a compatible third-party app like Banana TV. In this case, you can view trailers on your TV with one tap. Showtime listings have been improved, and you can now search for listings based on distance from your current location. IMDb 2.1 for iOS also lets you purchase movie tickets from within the app if you're in the U.S., U.K., Canada or Spain. The app now lets you access your IMDb ratings history, viewing all the movies and TV shows you've ever rated on IMDb. And finally, there's a new Entertainment News module inside the app, which allows you to keep up with celebrities, and delivers information on the newest movies and TV shows. Read More

Although third-party AirPlay support debuted as part of the recent 4.3, apps that offer that support are now trickling in. AirPlay allows you to beam video from your iOS device to an Apple TV or to a third-party application, like Banana TV, without cables. The newly updated IMDB application (version 2.1) offers Watchlist (a way to keep track of movies that you want to watch), enhanced showtimes and ticket purchasing, and AirPlay support for trailers. Unfortunately, you cannot use the new AirPlay features to watch Hulu or Amazon Instant Video the way that you can on desktop browsers. Update: Looks like the Fandango app also supports AirPlay for trailers. Neato! Read More