Like it or not, it looks as though the direction and future of computer storage will be in the cloud. Dropbox has nearly replaced the internal Documents folder on my Mac, and more than half of the music I listen to is streamed from Rdio.com. Apple has also upped the ante with its new iOS 5 iCloud and Photo Stream features and services.

Photo Stream automatically uploads all of the photos you take using your iPhone or iPad camera to your Apple-enabled account, and then syncs those photos to your other Apple supported devices, including iPhoto and Aperture on your Mac. But a newly released app and service called Everpix takes off where Photo Stream stands still.

Everpix App

The Everpix app, developed by 33cube, Inc. uploads and syncs all of your photos from your iPhone camera roll to your online Everpix account where they are chronologically organized. The upload process automatically takes place after you launch the app. You don’t have to tap and open the camera roll inside the app in order for pictures to be synced.

Unlike Photo Stream, Everpix provides you with an online gallery for your photos. You’re not limited to viewing your synced photos in iPhoto or other Apple devices.

Everpix also actually removes individual photos from your online account that you delete from your iPhone camera roll. With Photo Stream, deleting individual photos is not yet possible. You have to disable the feature in order to clear all photos from your iOS device, and then re-enable it to start using it again.

Everpix also goes further than Photo Stream by allowing you to post photos to your Facebook account – but not your Twitter account – from within the app.

Though the upload and syncing process automatically takes place, it would useful if you could take photos directly from within the app rather than having to launch the app to start the process. Also, after you delete photos from your iOS camera roll they automatically get removed from your Everpix account. There doesn’t seem to be a way to tell the service to keep selected photos in your online Everpix account, though they are removed from say your iPhone camera.

Mac Uploader

In addition to being a useful mobile app, Everpix also provides a desktop client, Mac Uploader, which enables you to upload photos from anywhere on your Mac, including your iPhoto and Aperture libraries. These uploads of course get automatically synced to the Everpix app on your iOS device(s), similar to how its done with Photo Stream.

However, though Everpix provides unlimited storage space for uploading all your photos, you can’t selectively choose which photos or albums you want directly uploaded from your photo libraries.

If enabled, Everpix will automatically upload all the photos from the sources you check. It will even do the same if enabled for all the photos added to your desktop or Pictures folder. This can be a useful option, but it appears that online storage space will be limited once the app and service get beyond the beta stage.

Everpix Online

Your online Everpix account includes additional features for syncing and sharing photos with Instagram, Flickr, and Picasa accounts. You can also set up and confirm Everpix to pull all the photos sent in your designated email account. Again, however, it appears as though Everpix syncs all your photos from the account you connect it to. This was was certainly the case when it synced all the photos in my Instagram account.

While this full account sync may be a good way to have your photos in one place, it might not fare well for those who have several hundred or even thousands of photos on a designated account, if ultimately there will be limitations with Everpix storage.

More Sharing Features

By default, when you upload photos to Everpix they are set to private. You can of course select individual photos or a collection of photos and make them public. Only the people who receive the link to your selected photos will be able to view them. These public links features are similar to other online photo sharing sites, but Everpix has added something unique.

Everpix includes an experimental featured called Assisted Curation that will detect and hide poorly shot photos that you upload–e.g. ones that are blurry or too dark or blown out. This process is not done automatically. You have to activate and apply the Assisted Curation which is done with a single pass through one or more of your open photos to see if any should be hidden. I tested it on two blurry photos and it did indeed work.

You can also manually select and hide (and unhide) photos in a batch before making the rest public.

These unique features, plus the online gallery puts Everpix a cut above Apple’s Photo Stream, especially because Apple’s Photo Stream doesn’t provide an online gallery as part of your iCloud account.

I did however experience problems with Everpix when I first used it. The app kept crashing after I used it a few times. I ended up deleting and reinstalling it on my iPhone. Since the second installation I haven’t experienced crashing. During my initial testing the Everpix site was sometimes very slow to upload my photos. By the time this review is published, the developers may have worked out these problems.

I like Everpix as an alternative to Photo Stream, though I wish I could open the iPhone camera from within the app. But let me know what you think of this, or similar ones like it.

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There are a fair few news reader apps available for iOS and Android already, and no shortage of quality either. A previous cross-platform favourite was Feedly, but recently my most used app has been Pulse. Much like Feedly, Pulse provides a slick, attractive interface from which to read Google Reader and a huge variety of news sites and blogs. Best of all it’s available for both iPhone and iPad on iOS and Android smartphones too.

We’ve previously checked out the Android version of Pulse on a tablet, so now it’s time to take a look at how Pulse for iPhone handles things.

Your New Favourite Reader

Reading on small mobile devices can at times be a drag, especially when it comes to the web. Unlike tablets which are great for complex magazine layouts or broad-sheet style news presentation, smartphones and their smaller screens have to be carefully catered for. Safari’s Reader view which was added in iOS5 formats the page beautifully but isn’t always available, and still relies on webpages for content.

This is where your news reader app comes in. It should provide perfect page formatting, an intuitive and customizable interface, lots of content and stupidly simple sharing. This is what Pulse does, and it does it well.

The UI is intuitive, with sources added to vertical columns which you can name. Each source appears as a horizontally scrolling timeline and once a story has been read its entry on the timeline is dimmed. There are never more than three sources on-screen at once, which doesn’t overwhelm the reader or make the screen feel too busy.

While reading an article swiping right-to-left displays the next article (vice versa) and there are a variety of sharing options in the bottom right of the screen. Nothing gets in the way of the reading experience and thumb-proof navigation – even URLs open within Pulse, which is far less frustrating than Safari stealing focus (at least on iOS).

Pulse also offers a registration which will appeal to users with multiple devices as it’s a handy way of keeping everything in sync. Registration also allows you to save stories to read later, either using the mobile app or via this handy bookmarklet when browsing the web from your computer. You can even send these saved stories to other services, including Instapaper and Evernote. Syncing works both ways, so if you “star” something when you’re out it will be waiting on your Pulse.me profile next time you sit down at your desk.

Impulsive Behaviour

In addition to the usual news and blogs, Pulse also comfortably chews through other content including stories shared by your Facebook friends, YouTube’s current popular videos (without opening the terrible iPhone YouTube app), Reddit, Flickr, Readability and more.

Adding this content is as simple as hitting the cog icon at the top left, which allows you to add or remove services, re-order sources and rename columns. Hitting the “+” icon at the bottom of each column displays the catalog, which is split by subject matter. With all this good-to-go content it’s really very easy to create a personalised digital edition in very little time at all.

If you’re a fan of Google Reader for your news reading then Pulse allows you to log in, peruse your subscriptions and add them as separate news sources (meaning you can put each one wherever you like, ordered however you like). Comparatively, Google Reader on a smartphone doesn’t provide a bad reading experience, but remains a webpage and just can’t beat the presentation or ease of use that Pulse provides (screenshot below).

If a particular website is not listed then hitting the magnifying glass in the top left allows you to search the web for a feed. One tip from trying to find a few sites – if you’re not having any luck try the bulk of the URL – I was trying to find a blog called “Sad and Useless” which wasn’t giving me much luck. A second search for “sadanduseless” as per the web address yielded the result I was looking for.

Very rarely are news reader apps limited to solely reading the news, and as you’d expect Pulse comes with its own social connectivity. Log in and allow access to Twitter and Facebook for super fast sharing to your followers in just two taps. Similarly, sharing via email has been kept simple and opens within Pulse, rather than launching Mail (iPhone, Android may differ).

Conclusion

So how does it compare to Feedly? I can’t help but feel Pulse makes better use of screen real estate, is a lot easier to customize and creates a news experience that’s tailored to you. The ability to connect more personal services like YouTube subscriptions would be nice, mainly because it’s better than the iOS YouTube app for such a purpose.

As it stands Pulse News is a must-try mobile app  that works like a charm.

Download: Pulse News for iPhone or Pulse News for iPad @ App Store
Download: Pulse News for Android (2.1+) @ Android Market

What do you think of Pulse? Any other readers you prefer? Have you tried Feedly too? Have your say in the comments, below.

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Magic: The Gathering is, in my opinion, the single best card game ever created. In many ways, they are the game that popularized collectable card games (or CCGs), and they are still running the show today. Sadly, I have not been able to play much Magic in the past 6 months, and writing this article is reminding me of how much fun that game is. I still have a solid collection of thousands of cards, and I think it might be time to pull them out and get back to playing.

Anyway, the point of this article is not for me to reminisce about the days of playing Magic, it is to tell you about the official Wizards of the Coast application called Magic: The Gathering Toolbox. It is the one stop shop for all things Magic on your iPhone. It takes all the features that some of the Magic apps out there have and combines them. Moreover, because it is the official app, you know all the information contained is valid and accurate.

Life Counter

Any Magic app needs a life counter. When things get intense and you are planning three and four turns ahead, remembering your life can be impossible. Many players use dice to remember their life, but this is 2012, and we have the technology to make life a hell of a lot easier. The life counter in this app is as feature packed as any one I have seen. You can tap settings to set your counter for a standard two player game, a tournament game (just make sure having your phone out is okay with the judges and your opponent) and for commander.

You can also tap on the sword beside each player’s name to add additional features. You can change the background to various colors and even some beautiful card art. You can also roll a d6, flip a coin, roll a d20 and even tap “Who’s First” to have the app tell you who gets to play first.

You can also tap “players” to change the information of the people in the game. Lastly, you can tap “Trackers” to add other counters such as Poison, Deck Size, Times Commander Cast, Commander Damage and storm count. This is the one and only life counter you will need while playing Magic: The Gathering.

Deck Builder

Another awesome feature of this app is the deck builder. You start by choosing the format for the deck. For my example, I choose Legacy. From the deck builder screen you search for the cards you would like to have in your deck, and then click if you want to add them to your main deck, or sideboard.

Once you have completed your deck, you can use the tools in the app to draw a sample hand and analyze the deck. It is a great way to get a feel for how your deck will play. After all the fine tuning and tweaking, you can share your new deck on Facebook or via email.

Card Search

Obviously, Wizards of the Coast has access to the entire database of Magic: The Gathering cards, so it makes sense that they would include a card search in their app. The search is extensive, allowing you to simply type in a cards name, or browse based on all kinds of parameters. You can limit by color, rules, expansion, type, subtype and so many more. It allows you to find the cards you know, and learn about cards that you may not have heard of before.

Other Features

The app also features a quick way to view the latest news from the official Magic: The Gathering blog. It is a cool way to keep up with the latest happenings in the Magic world. You can also use the search function at the top of the blog to find articles about a specific topic. The official blog is great for news, but they also feature some amazing strategy posts that will help new players step up their game.

They also have an events feature that allows hardcore magic players to keep up with the important things happening in the world of Magic. If you are looking to make your way into the high-level magic scene, you can use this feature to find out what is going on.

An added bonus is the store locator. It takes you out of the app and links you to the store locator section of the official Magic: The Gathering website. If you are looking for a place to attend a prerelease or a Friday Night Magic, this is the feature you need to check out.

Conclusion

This app is necessary for Magic: The Gathering players. It has everything a Magic player could want. Best of all, it is free! If you always wanted to have Magic at your fingertips, go download this application. I promise, you will not regret it.

iTunes Link

I would love to hear how you enjoy this application or some great stories from fellow Magic players. Share in the comments!

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At Apple’s recent live event at the Guggenheim in New York to launch its most recent application, iBooks Author, the company also used the occasion to introduce another education related iOS 5 app and iTunes service called iTunes U.

For several years now, colleges and universities have posted for free academic courses via iTunes podcasts. But now in iTunes U, Apple is expanding the service by providing access to complete courses from leading universities and other schools.

For now the courses are completely free–requiring only your time to work through the lectures and assignments.

iTunes App

The iTunes U app can be used on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. When you subscribe to a coure all the core material for the course will be automatically downloaded to the app on your device.

Links to supplemental material will also be provided for download from the App Store, the iBookstore, and the iTunes Music Store. While the supplemental material may come at a cost, most of the video lectures and PDF document handouts seem to be available for free.

The beauty of iTunes U is how it packages core material into one application. A downloaded course typically includes a brief overview, a detailed course outline of lectures and assignments, a built-in Notepad, and links to course materials. The interface and setup is similar to how you might organize an analog three-ring binder.

Though courses are best viewed on the iPad, you can sync your notes and course information between your iOS devices. Unfortunately, however, Apple has not created a Mac client for iTunes U. Nor has it done so for its iBooks 2 textbook reader.

You can access and view all the courses in iTunes U either through the iTunes U application itself, or in iTunes on your Mac or PC. iTunes U already includes several dozen courses on a wide range of topics—from Basics of Culinary, Beginners Chinese, Masters of Photography, to Stanford University’s highly rated iPad and iPhone App Development course.

Standford CS193p

The Stanford apps development course, for example, includes 19 actual live lectures, slide show presentations, in course assignments.

Even better, the course doesn’t require you to purchase any additional supplemental material. And if you’re running OS X Lion you can download Apple’s app developers application Xcode for free from the App Store. All that is required on your part for this course is your time.

Copyright Course

Another interesting though lightweight course, titled Rights, Remixes, and Respect, is a five part series about the differences between creative inspiration, appropriation, copyright and fair use.

Kirby Ferguson, the developer for this course, provides short definitions of copyright related terms, and then presents excellent song and movie examples about sampling and remixing and creative productions. His video presentations are are linked to a website which means you don’t have to download those files to your device.

You can work through the course in less than a week, and it even ends with a couple of short quiz reviews. The course also requires a few paid download of songs from the iTunes Music Store.

Notepad

Another useful and practical tool in the iTunes U app is a built-in notepad. If you want to do pretty much all your work within your mobile device, this notepad will come in quite handy. It works similarly to to the default Notepad app in Apple’s mobile devices.

While iTunes U will never be as popular as the iTunes Music Store or the App Store, it’s a great opportunity and resource for self-motivated learning. And because courses are free, you learn as much as you like without taking out a student loan.

Let us know what you think of iTunes U.

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Looking for an apartment can be hard work. You need to find a place that is affordable, in a good area, nice looking and so many other things, that it can be overwhelming. Sure, a million websites show you the prices for apartments, but sometimes you want to look at apartments while out and about using a dedicated application for your iPhone. What if you are at the apartment and you want to see if the place stacks up to the description?

Fear not, apartment shopper, because with these three US-based iPhone apps, you will be ready to hit the apartment market with your best foot forward and armed with as much knowledge on what is available as possible. Each of these three apps has some great features, and because they are all free, there really is no reason not to download them all! Between the three, it is nearly impossible not to find what you need.

Apartment Guide

This is a great application for finding your next place to live. When you first boot it up, it will ask you to allow it to use your location, if you say yes it will be able to find apartments near you. At first, you can simply tap the “Search Nearby” button, and it will show you the apartments close to you. From the search nearby screen, you can tap refine to narrow the results by price, bedrooms, bathrooms and other parameters.

Clicking any result will bring you to the screen for more details on the apartment. You can quickly click “Call now” to call the place and set up an appointment to see the units. You will also be able to see a detailed description of the units, as well as a breakdown of different models and their prices. They also show amenities, pet policies, community features and special features.

You can also used the advanced search to limit the results it shows you to only ones that meet specific requirements. Of course, if you are not looking for an apartment near you, you can also type in a zip code to search anywhere. Another cool feature is that the app will remember places you have viewed recently as well as those you have called. It also allows you to store any place as a favorite for easy access later.

Trulia

Trulia is a full featured real estate iPhone application that does everything from finding houses for sale, houses that are sold, places that have been reduced in price, open houses and of course apartments for rent. To view the places available for rent, simply tap “For Rent” from the main screen. By default, the application will show you an aerial map view of all the places available in your proximity. You can tap any of them for a more detailed view.

If you do not enjoy looking at a map, you can tap the list button on the bottom right of the screen to view the apartments in an easy to read format. You can also tap the magnifying glass symbol to search using location,  minimum and maximum rent, the number of bedrooms, bathrooms and other things that are important in your search.

You can add places to favorites, but you must create a free account with Trulia. The nice thing about this is that you can get access to your favorites from another device or computer. Trulia, while not as easy to navigate as some apps, is your one stop real estate iPhone application.

MyApartmentMap

This app is incredibly streamlined and easy to navigate. It launches a simple screen that asks, “Where do you want your apartment?” The front page also features any places you have saved on the bottom. To start your search, simply enter a zip code or city into the box and click “Search!”

The results will start with a list, showing you all the apartments for rent in the area. You can scroll through these to find the one you like. At the top of the screen is where you can customize how you view the results. You can click “Map,” which, you guessed it, shows the results on a map. You can also click “Data,” which is an awesome feature that shows averages for the apartments in your results. You can see the average rents based on size and other data about the places you are looking for. You can also view deals on apartments in your area by clicking on the “Deals” tab.

On the top left of the screen you can click “Filter” to tweak the results. Do you need an apartment that will let you keep your dog? Do you need a place that is under $1,000 a month? Well from this screen, you can customize all that and more.

Conclusion

With these three applications, you will be ready to find the perfect place to live, for the right price and in a great location. They make finding an apartment as simple and painless as possible. The best part is; you can take them with you while looking at the places, to make sure they stack up to their description.

Image Credit: ShutterStock

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Ordering food online is by far one of the most convenient ways of securing a meal, and using an app on your iPhone is even simpler. Waiting in line or being put on hold on the phone are a thing of the past with more and more restaurants becoming online-order-friendly every day.

The apps featured in this article are tried and tested methods of ordering your favourite pizza with minimum fuss. Of course some are designed to order all kinds of take-away, so if you’re craving Indian, Chinese, Mexican or something else entirely you’ll only be limited by your local selection. I can tell I’m going to be hungry by the time I’ve finished this.

Pizza Hut (US & AU)

Regardless of what you think of Pizza Hut food, there’s no arguing that they’ve got one of the best mobile apps, at least in the US anyway. Not only do they let you order food and locate restaurants but they also provide a bit of fun, allowing you to construct your meal from scratch as part of the process (or use the app in demo mode without ordering).

Don’t worry, there are quick ways of ordering too (favourites and previous orders) so if you’re in a hurry there’s no messing around.

Currently Pizza Hut have US and Australian apps, though the US edition is better kitted out at the moment. I’d also expect the UK and other parts of Europe to get a similar app before long. US residents can see the full line-up of apps (including Android, iPad and Windows Phone 7 versions) here.

Download: Pizza Hut US @ App Store
Download: Pizza Hut Australia @ App Store

GrubHub (US)

If you’re lucky to live in one of the 19 supported US cities then your pizza and other take-away needs will be satisfied with the official GrubHub app. Featuring more than 20,000 eateries from Los Angeles to Miami to New York, this app will serve up all kinds of food based on the local selections.

The app is loaded with features including GPS location detection, multiple address storage, the ability to quickly order past purchases with a few taps and the ability to save payment information for an even quicker checkout process. GrubHub also has an Android app which can be found here.

Download: GrubHub @ App Store

Snapfinger (US)

Snapfinger isn’t just another restaurant ordering and delivery app, but a listing for pretty much every restaurant local to you. What this means is that though you can’t order from all of the restaurants featured on the service, you do get fairly quick access to menus, phone numbers, prices and the full local selection when choosing where and what to eat.

Ideally this should help you make a more informed decision, even if you have to make a phone call to get what you want. That said, it’s easy to order from those restaurants that are compatible with the service, and of course you can search by cuisine in order to get your pizza fix. The app features more than 500,000 restaurant listings, local eatery discovery and handy features like repeat ordering and directions.

Download: Snapfinger @ AppStore

Menulog (AU & NZ)

I’m currently living in Melbourne, Victoria and have found this service incredibly useful over the past few months. Menulog makes it really easy to order a pizza from the finest local participating restaurants. By now I’ve found my favourite places and meals so ordering takes no time at all. Unfortunately the app is only available on the Australian app store, so my UK account is useless.

Never mind because it plugs into the same great service, providing the same selection depending on where you are. SMS confirmations are usually here within a minute or two, and new businesses are added each week. Now, if only the app were available internationally – for some reason the New Zealand edition is…

Download: Menulog (Home Delivery and Takeaway) @ App Store

HungryHouse (UK)

Unfortunately the UK’s selection of food ordering apps is a bit disappointing at the moment. There are great services like Just-Eat, which sets up many independent businesses with a way to make money online but no iPhone app. Step in HungryHouse, a mobile version of the popular website that features restaurants and deliveries from all over the country.

The service is still growing and at present operates best in large urban areas including London, the Midlands and the North West (Liverpool and Manchester). View more than 3,500 menus, filter by cuisine or simply use your iPhone’s GPS to find nearby restaurants. Even if the service isn’t up and running near you yet it might be worth keeping an eye on it.

Download: HungryHouse @ App Store

Domino’s (US, UK & AU)

Last but not least (or is it?) comes Domino’s, featuring 3 separate apps for 3 separate territories – the US, Britain and Australia. Domino’s Pizza is an entirely subjective experience, so if you like it you’re bound to enjoy being able to order it from your phone. The US version (pictured) appears to exhibit the best design, with the recently launched Aussie version looking considerably better than its British cousin.

Of course all of the apps allow you to order pizza, sides and whatever else you want from Domino’s. That’s the point here, though the UK version does seem to be poorly designed and inferior to the other two.

Download: Domino’s Pizza USA @ App Store
Download: Domino’s UK @ App Store
Download: Domino’s Australia @ App Store

Conclusion

If you thought ordering food in your web browser was easy then your iPhone will delight you. The ability to order anywhere you like, choose delivery times or simply plan ahead is great. Of course this could all have been accomplished with a simple phone call, but that’s no fun now is it?

Hopefully more and more services will launch mobile apps (especially in the UK, which already has some leading online ordering services – but few apps) in the near future to provide an even better selection than we’ve got now.

Do you know of any great apps for ordering pizza? How about web services? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Image credit: Shutterstock

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Every now and then you come across an application that blows you away. Recently, I wrote an article about applications for skiers and snowboarders, and this one flew under my radar. Recently, I decided to spend the $0.99 to try it out, and I must say that Ski Tracks completely blew me away. This application offers so much for skiers that it is staggering. I just got into skiing this season, and I absolutely love it. As if it were not fun enough, this application actually finds a way to make it better.

The purpose of this app is to keep track of your stats while skiing. I hate to quote a line from an infomercial, but with this application, you really just need to “set it and forget it”.  It sits in your pocket while you ski or snowboard and keeps track of everything you do, from your speed, to your slope and everything in between. If there was anything you were curious about in your performance while on the slopes, chances are great that this app will have you covered.

How It Works

Ski Tracks uses GPS to keep track of your statistical information while skiing. It is able to find your location using the phone’s built in location service. The thing that is incredible is that you do not need to manage it manually. It knows when you are on a chairlift. This means it is able to start a new run automatically. You do not have to pull your phone out and fuss with it each time you ride to the bottom of the mountain. It is incredibly impressive.

Since Ski Tracks uses GPS, it can also track where you are on the mountain. This is awesome if you need to see what runs you have missed. In all honesty, the fact this app works as well as it does seems like some sort of voodoo magic to me. I am certainly not complaining, because it has made skiing even better.

Stat Tracking

This application’s main selling point is its ability to keep track of your performance on the mountain. To get it to track your stats, you simply need to open the application on your iOS device and click the start button on the bottom right corner of the screen. From there, you can just throw your phone into your pocket and it will keep track of everything automatically.

I suppose saying it keeps track of “everything” is a little broad and perhaps I should narrow it down. To start with, it keeps track of speed, which was the statistic about which I was most excited. It tracks your top speed throughout the day as well as your average.

Another of my favorites is distance. It lets you know how far you have skied and how far you have ridden on the lift. This gives you an amazing feel for how much ground you have covered throughout the day.

The complete list of stats the app tracks is as follows:

• Speed
• Distance
• Ski Vertical
• Altitude
• Number of runs
• Slope
• Duration

It will also break all of this information down run by run, so you can see how you compared on each run down the mountain. It is impressive just how much this application can tell you about your ski day.

Social Features

After you finish skiing, click the ski icon on the top right corner of the screen to edit the name of your day and give it some information such as the current weather and the snow conditions. Click “save” and the track will be locked in.

After you save the track, you can click the share button on the bottom right of the screen to email it to a friend, upload it to Facebook or send it to your computer with iTunes document sharing. This is an awesome way to show you friends how well you killed it on the slopes on your last trip.

The app will create an album in your Facebook photos and add all of the images there. It will add your charts, maps and any photos you took during that ski trip for all of your friends to see.

Of course, you can also access your ski tracks at any time from the application. This way, if you wanted to see how you did last time at a particular mountain, you can do so quickly and easily.

Other Features

Ski Tracks has iPod controls built right in. You can control your tunes while on the slopes without ever exiting the app. It also features a camera, so you can quickly take photos from the mountain.

They also added a proximity sensor that works similarly to using the phone. It will automatically turn the screen on when you remove the phone from your pocket and turn it off when you place it back. The app has surprisingly low battery drain. I was able to have it running for about 7 hours straight before my phone died. That is impressive considering it is constantly using location services.

On top of these cool features, you can also choose to have the app measure in metric or imperial units, depending on where you live.

Conclusion

This is without question the best ski application I have ever used. It keeps very accurate stats that make skiing a lot more fun. For example, you can try to beat your best speeds or cover a greater distance that you did on a previous trip. This app allows you to take the act of skiing and make it into a competition with yourself. The data it provides is awesome, and it is so useful for any skier or snowboarder.

iTunes Download Link

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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Every now and then you come across an application that blows you away. Recently, I wrote an article about applications for skiers and snowboarders, and this one flew under my radar. Recently, I decided to spend the $0.99 to try it out, and I must say that Ski Tracks completely blew me away. This application offers so much for skiers that it is staggering. I just got into skiing this season, and I absolutely love it. As if it were not fun enough, this application actually finds a way to make it better.

The purpose of this app is to keep track of your stats while skiing. I hate to quote a line from an infomercial, but with this application, you really just need to “set it and forget it”.  It sits in your pocket while you ski or snowboard and keeps track of everything you do, from your speed, to your slope and everything in between. If there was anything you were curious about in your performance while on the slopes, chances are great that this app will have you covered.

How It Works

Ski Tracks uses GPS to keep track of your statistical information while skiing. It is able to find your location using the phone’s built in location service. The thing that is incredible is that you do not need to manage it manually. It knows when you are on a chairlift. This means it is able to start a new run automatically. You do not have to pull your phone out and fuss with it each time you ride to the bottom of the mountain. It is incredibly impressive.

Since Ski Tracks uses GPS, it can also track where you are on the mountain. This is awesome if you need to see what runs you have missed. In all honesty, the fact this app works as well as it does seems like some sort of voodoo magic to me. I am certainly not complaining, because it has made skiing even better.

Stat Tracking

This application’s main selling point is its ability to keep track of your performance on the mountain. To get it to track your stats, you simply need to open the application on your iOS device and click the start button on the bottom right corner of the screen. From there, you can just throw your phone into your pocket and it will keep track of everything automatically.

I suppose saying it keeps track of “everything” is a little broad and perhaps I should narrow it down. To start with, it keeps track of speed, which was the statistic about which I was most excited. It tracks your top speed throughout the day as well as your average.

Another of my favorites is distance. It lets you know how far you have skied and how far you have ridden on the lift. This gives you an amazing feel for how much ground you have covered throughout the day.

The complete list of stats the app tracks is as follows:

• Speed
• Distance
• Ski Vertical
• Altitude
• Number of runs
• Slope
• Duration

It will also break all of this information down run by run, so you can see how you compared on each run down the mountain. It is impressive just how much this application can tell you about your ski day.

Social Features

After you finish skiing, click the ski icon on the top right corner of the screen to edit the name of your day and give it some information such as the current weather and the snow conditions. Click “save” and the track will be locked in.

After you save the track, you can click the share button on the bottom right of the screen to email it to a friend, upload it to Facebook or send it to your computer with iTunes document sharing. This is an awesome way to show you friends how well you killed it on the slopes on your last trip.

The app will create an album in your Facebook photos and add all of the images there. It will add your charts, maps and any photos you took during that ski trip for all of your friends to see.

Of course, you can also access your ski tracks at any time from the application. This way, if you wanted to see how you did last time at a particular mountain, you can do so quickly and easily.

Other Features

Ski Tracks has iPod controls built right in. You can control your tunes while on the slopes without ever exiting the app. It also features a camera, so you can quickly take photos from the mountain.

They also added a proximity sensor that works similarly to using the phone. It will automatically turn the screen on when you remove the phone from your pocket and turn it off when you place it back. The app has surprisingly low battery drain. I was able to have it running for about 7 hours straight before my phone died. That is impressive considering it is constantly using location services.

On top of these cool features, you can also choose to have the app measure in metric or imperial units, depending on where you live.

Conclusion

This is without question the best ski application I have ever used. It keeps very accurate stats that make skiing a lot more fun. For example, you can try to beat your best speeds or cover a greater distance that you did on a previous trip. This app allows you to take the act of skiing and make it into a competition with yourself. The data it provides is awesome, and it is so useful for any skier or snowboarder.

iTunes Download Link

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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Have you ever wished you could do more with the pictures you take on your iPhone? The iPhone, especially the 4S, has a good camera, but it does not offer any kind of editing and enhancing by default. As they say on the iPhone commercials, “there’s an app for that.” It really is getting to the point where there is an app for everything, and in the cases of photography, there are around a million apps. How do you decide which ones are worth your time, and which ones are garbage?

I have two applications that make your pictures on the iPhone truly something awesome to behold. If you need to give your photos a little more dramatic flair, these are the applications for you. Best of all, they are both available free in the iTunes app store, so you will be able to improve your photos, and not open your wallet!

PicYou

PicYou is a great app for giving your photos some cool effects and sharing them on social networks. When you first log in, the application will ask you to create an account or log in with your Facebook account. If you do this, you can share the photos you create quickly and easily.

To create a new photo, simply click on the camera icon on the bottom of the screen. To take your picture, click on the standard “take photo” button at the bottom. If you want to add an effect to a photo you already have, click gallery at the bottom of the screen.

Once you have your photo chosen, you can add all kinds of cool effects to it. The effects will do things like change the colors and hue of the picture and alter the border to give it a personal touch. It definitely goes a long way towards making your photos more unique looking.

You can also customize your profile to give other users more information about you with this application. Click on the Profile tab and you will see all the options available. You can find friends that already use PicYou and invite new ones. From this page, you will be able to link to your Twitter and Facebook accounts, so you can share your pictures with all your friends.

An important part of this app is following and viewing other users’ photos. You can click the popular tab to view the most viewed images. You can also click activity to see a timeline of the images posted and shared by your friends.

Pho.to Lab

This application is not as robust in the social aspect, but much more robust in the types of effects. Whereas PicYou is more about giving your images some artistic flare, Pho.to Lab is all about making your pictures crazy. They have effects such as putting a picture in a Santa Claus costume, on magazine covers and all kinds of other crazy effects.

The application will launch right into the effects selection. Some of them are not available in the free version and must be purchased. However, there are lots in the free version, so you can make a lot of this application without spending a dime (the app is ad-supported).

The effects are divided into categories. There are all kinds to choose from such as monsters, photo filters, cartoons, magazine covers and more. Once you decide on a category, click it to view the effects. It will show you a preview of what the effect will look like. Click one to select it. The app will then ask if you want to use a picture from your gallery or take a new one.

After you choose an image, Pho.to Lab will process it and show it to you. Click the share button at the bottom of that screen to share it to SMS, email, Twitter, Facebook or simply to copy the link to share it manually. You can also click the download button to store it in your device for later access.

This is an awesome application if you want to make some cool and funny photos. Instead of downloading one of the hundreds of applications that alter your images in funny ways, you can download only Pho.to Lab and let it handle everything.

Conclusion

With these two iPhone applications, you will be ready to make some of the best photos. They make adding effects easy, even if you are not technologically advanced. If you cannot be bothered with spending hours laboring in Photoshop, these are the applications for you.

Have you tried these apps? Or do you know of a better one? Post a link to some of your cool photos and apps in the comments!

Image Credit: Shutterstock

View full post on MakeUseOf

Have you ever wished you could do more with the pictures you take on your iPhone? The iPhone, especially the 4S, has a good camera, but it does not offer any kind of editing and enhancing by default. As they say on the iPhone commercials, “there’s an app for that.” It really is getting to the point where there is an app for everything, and in the cases of photography, there are around a million apps. How do you decide which ones are worth your time, and which ones are garbage?

I have two applications that make your pictures on the iPhone truly something awesome to behold. If you need to give your photos a little more dramatic flair, these are the applications for you. Best of all, they are both available free in the iTunes app store, so you will be able to improve your photos, and not open your wallet!

PicYou

PicYou is a great app for giving your photos some cool effects and sharing them on social networks. When you first log in, the application will ask you to create an account or log in with your Facebook account. If you do this, you can share the photos you create quickly and easily.

To create a new photo, simply click on the camera icon on the bottom of the screen. To take your picture, click on the standard “take photo” button at the bottom. If you want to add an effect to a photo you already have, click gallery at the bottom of the screen.

Once you have your photo chosen, you can add all kinds of cool effects to it. The effects will do things like change the colors and hue of the picture and alter the border to give it a personal touch. It definitely goes a long way towards making your photos more unique looking.

You can also customize your profile to give other users more information about you with this application. Click on the Profile tab and you will see all the options available. You can find friends that already use PicYou and invite new ones. From this page, you will be able to link to your Twitter and Facebook accounts, so you can share your pictures with all your friends.

An important part of this app is following and viewing other users’ photos. You can click the popular tab to view the most viewed images. You can also click activity to see a timeline of the images posted and shared by your friends.

Pho.to Lab

This application is not as robust in the social aspect, but much more robust in the types of effects. Whereas PicYou is more about giving your images some artistic flare, Pho.to Lab is all about making your pictures crazy. They have effects such as putting a picture in a Santa Claus costume, on magazine covers and all kinds of other crazy effects.

The application will launch right into the effects selection. Some of them are not available in the free version and must be purchased. However, there are lots in the free version, so you can make a lot of this application without spending a dime (the app is ad-supported).

The effects are divided into categories. There are all kinds to choose from such as monsters, photo filters, cartoons, magazine covers and more. Once you decide on a category, click it to view the effects. It will show you a preview of what the effect will look like. Click one to select it. The app will then ask if you want to use a picture from your gallery or take a new one.

After you choose an image, Pho.to Lab will process it and show it to you. Click the share button at the bottom of that screen to share it to SMS, email, Twitter, Facebook or simply to copy the link to share it manually. You can also click the download button to store it in your device for later access.

This is an awesome application if you want to make some cool and funny photos. Instead of downloading one of the hundreds of applications that alter your images in funny ways, you can download only Pho.to Lab and let it handle everything.

Conclusion

With these two iPhone applications, you will be ready to make some of the best photos. They make adding effects easy, even if you are not technologically advanced. If you cannot be bothered with spending hours laboring in Photoshop, these are the applications for you.

Have you tried these apps? Or do you know of a better one? Post a link to some of your cool photos and apps in the comments!

Image Credit: Shutterstock

View full post on MakeUseOf

Have you ever wished you could do more with the pictures you take on your iPhone? The iPhone, especially the 4S, has a good camera, but it does not offer any kind of editing and enhancing by default. As they say on the iPhone commercials, “there’s an app for that.” It really is getting to the point where there is an app for everything, and in the cases of photography, there are around a million apps. How do you decide which ones are worth your time, and which ones are garbage?

I have two applications that make your pictures on the iPhone truly something awesome to behold. If you need to give your photos a little more dramatic flair, these are the applications for you. Best of all, they are both available free in the iTunes app store, so you will be able to improve your photos, and not open your wallet!

PicYou

PicYou is a great app for giving your photos some cool effects and sharing them on social networks. When you first log in, the application will ask you to create an account or log in with your Facebook account. If you do this, you can share the photos you create quickly and easily.

To create a new photo, simply click on the camera icon on the bottom of the screen. To take your picture, click on the standard “take photo” button at the bottom. If you want to add an effect to a photo you already have, click gallery at the bottom of the screen.

Once you have your photo chosen, you can add all kinds of cool effects to it. The effects will do things like change the colors and hue of the picture and alter the border to give it a personal touch. It definitely goes a long way towards making your photos more unique looking.

You can also customize your profile to give other users more information about you with this application. Click on the Profile tab and you will see all the options available. You can find friends that already use PicYou and invite new ones. From this page, you will be able to link to your Twitter and Facebook accounts, so you can share your pictures with all your friends.

An important part of this app is following and viewing other users’ photos. You can click the popular tab to view the most viewed images. You can also click activity to see a timeline of the images posted and shared by your friends.

Pho.to Lab

This application is not as robust in the social aspect, but much more robust in the types of effects. Whereas PicYou is more about giving your images some artistic flare, Pho.to Lab is all about making your pictures crazy. They have effects such as putting a picture in a Santa Claus costume, on magazine covers and all kinds of other crazy effects.

The application will launch right into the effects selection. Some of them are not available in the free version and must be purchased. However, there are lots in the free version, so you can make a lot of this application without spending a dime (the app is ad-supported).

The effects are divided into categories. There are all kinds to choose from such as monsters, photo filters, cartoons, magazine covers and more. Once you decide on a category, click it to view the effects. It will show you a preview of what the effect will look like. Click one to select it. The app will then ask if you want to use a picture from your gallery or take a new one.

After you choose an image, Pho.to Lab will process it and show it to you. Click the share button at the bottom of that screen to share it to SMS, email, Twitter, Facebook or simply to copy the link to share it manually. You can also click the download button to store it in your device for later access.

This is an awesome application if you want to make some cool and funny photos. Instead of downloading one of the hundreds of applications that alter your images in funny ways, you can download only Pho.to Lab and let it handle everything.

Conclusion

With these two iPhone applications, you will be ready to make some of the best photos. They make adding effects easy, even if you are not technologically advanced. If you cannot be bothered with spending hours laboring in Photoshop, these are the applications for you.

Have you tried these apps? Or do you know of a better one? Post a link to some of your cool photos and apps in the comments!

Image Credit: Shutterstock

View full post on MakeUseOf

One of the hardest things about writing is coming up with a topic. For me, once I know the topic I am going to write about, the words just begin to flow. Sometimes, I spend more time trying to decide what I am going to write about than I actually spend writing the piece itself. This is even worse for writers of stories and personal experiences because the breadth of topics available to them is so large.

Giving you ideas to write about is the main reason StoryTree exists. They have many topics available to help you come up with cool stuff to write about. They make it easy to get your brain flowing in a creative direction with all kinds of topics. What you, as the writer, choose to do with those topics is completely up to you, but they move you in the right direction. They also let you share your creations with people close to you, if you should so choose.

Set Up

As with any iPhone app, you need to go the iTunes store and download it. You can click this handy link, or simply go directly on your device and search for “storytree” to download the free application to your device.

StoryTree greets you with a beautiful starting screen that gives a quick explanation of what it is. Then it will ask you to create a free account. You will need to provide your name, an email address (no verification required) and the name of your story tree. Once finished click submit, and you will be taken to the StoryTree main page.

This page features a sample post from story tree with a video attached. You can watch that video if you think you want to learn more about the app, or click the “+” to start your own story.

Writing a Story

When you open up the page to start a new story you will be given a few options. The first is the “Don’t know what to say” option. Clicking on this will provide you with a bunch of questions that will get you thinking. The next option is to take a video or photo and write about it. Pictures are worth a thousand words, and they can be a great place to find some inspiration.

They also give you the option of recording a voice note and choosing some media that already exists on your device. All of the options provide some great ways to get the creative juices flowing.

If you select the “Don’t know what to say” option, you can also choose to come up with your own question. If you know what you want to write about, you should choose this option.

Once you find an option you like, click it and the app will take you to a screen that allows you to add a photo and write the story itself. You can take a new photo or choose an existing one. The next screen will be where you can select which tree you would like to share it to (if you have more than one) and whether or not you want it to be private or shared on Twitter and Facebook.

The steps for writing something based on a picture, video or voice note are the same, but you need to provide a title for the story.

Invites

You can invite other users into your story tree so they can easily see your stories. They need to have a StoryTree account for this to work. If they do not, you can use the link on the top left corner of the screen and invite them directly from your address book.

If they choose to join, they will be able to share your stories and view them whenever they choose.

Conclusion

This is a great app for sharing photos and thoughts, and a great way to get the creative juices flowing. It has a great set of features for anyone who likes to share. If you are stuck with a bad case of writers block, you should check out StoryTree and see if it breaks you out of the slump!

Did StoryTree inspire you to write? Did you write something you want to share? Let us know in the comments!

Image Credit: ShutterStock

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These days, everyone uses Twitter. It has made its way in to the very heart of our society. Every major celebrity, every athlete and almost every average person seems to have a Twitter account. Part of the reason Twitter is beloved is because of how easy it is to use. With the launch of Apples iOS 5, Twitter is more ingrained in all of us, because it is literally built right into the phone’s operating system. However, what if you are at work or school and you cannot pull up the Twitter app for fear of getting in trouble?

That is where Covert Chirp comes into play. It is designed to keep your Twitter habits on the down low and keep you from getting into trouble if you should not be tweeting. Of course, we do not condone tweeting when you should be doing other things, but if you should choose to do so, then you will certainly want to check out Covert Chirp.

Installation & Set Up

The first step is downloading the free Twitter client from the iTunes app store. Simply click here, or search for Covert Chirp directly from your device.

When you first boot up the app, it will take you through a brief tutorial that will explain the basics of how to use it. It is quick and painless, and it lets you see what each of the buttons do so you can get in, do what you need to do and get out.

After the tutorial, you will need to authorize the application to get access to your Twitter account by entering your user name and password. The app will provide you with a code and ask you to enter it for verification. Click the box on the top of the screen between “Cancel” and “Sign in” and type the numbers.

Features

Covert Chirp is designed to look like the iPhone Notepad. This way, it looks as if you are reading or taking important notes, instead of checking your Twitter feed for the latest news on Kim Kardashian.

Once you have everything authorized, the app will show some random technical stuff on the screen that certainly looks like notes, even if I have no idea what they are talking about. Click on your user name from the “Notes” screen to view your Twitter timeline.

This will bring up your friends tweets on a screen that still looks like a bunch of notes. If someone happened to look over your shoulder, there is no reason that anyone would think you are browsing Twitter. The top of the screen even says “Action Items” to further create the illusion of being some notes for work or school.

If you feel concerned that someone may still be looking, you can quickly tap the garbage can icon on the bottom of the screen to bring up that technical jargon we mentioned earlier. You can click the small “@” symbol on the bottom of the screen to reach your interactions and the envelope will bring you to your direct messages.

You can have multiple Twitter accounts on this client. Simply click “Notes” to go back to the account screen and click the “+.” You will have to repeat the process I outlined earlier to add more accounts.

Obviously, posting a new Tweet is an important part of using Twitter, and you can do that with ease. Simply click on the “+” from your timeline and you will be taken to a screen labeled “New Notes” where you can create your tweet.

Conclusion

This application does everything you would expect from a Twitter client, only it does it in stealth. Honestly, I like the look and feel of the application enough that I am using it along with the default Twitter app when I need a change of pace, even if I am not concerned with being discrete. This is an app I recommend checking out if you are looking for something different.

Are you stealth tweeting like it is going out of style? Are you morally opposed to tweeting on the down low? Let us know in the comments!

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Some people are just not quick witted. Coming up with things to talk about while with people can be a real chore for them. There is nothing worse than being in a social setting and drawing a complete blank on topics of conversation. This leads to awkward silence, and no one enjoys that moment of frantically trying to say something. When this happens, you can assume that whatever you come up with will probably be dumb, and will stand to make things even worse.

Thankfully, technology can help to rectify the situation. With these three iPhone conversation applications, you will be a conversation guru. They will come up with the topics for you. All you have to do is use your brain to keep the conversation flowing. If that does not work, you can just use the apps to find a new topic and start over from square one. If you still cannot make conversation, even with these apps, maybe you should just not communicate with others.

Hypotheticals

As the name implies, this application creates hypothetical situations for discussion. For example, would you rather kill your mom, or be killed by your mom? Another example is would you rather always feel like you have to pee, but really don’t have to, or never know when you have to go?

Obviously, these are extreme situations, but they make for some interesting conversation.

The free version of this application comes with two packs, the base pack and the WTF pack (the example about killing your mom is from the WTF pack). You can get a bonus pack by linking the application to your Facebook account. Linking the application also allows it to post hypothetical situations to your wall, which can make for some interesting comments from your friends.

To choose a set, simply click on it from the main screen. Once you are done with a situation, simply swipe your finger over it to move on to the next one.

If you see a situation you like, you can easily click the favorite button on the bottom right of the screen. These are accessible from the main screen of the application after all the different packs. There are numerous other packs available for purchase, if you want to expand your hypothetical fun.

What If?

This application is similar to Hypotheticals, but it is a little simpler. It simply asks you a question and you can hit random, next or previous in order to move on to a different question. An example of a question from What If? is: If you had to choose one of your friends as a bodyguard, who would you choose?

These types of questions make for some interesting conversation. That example of the friends as bodyguards could be funny if you were with those friends when using the app. A friend may think they are the toughest, but you might choose someone else.

While this app lacks some of the extra features of Hypotheticals, it still does the job of helping you come up with funny and interesting things to talk about, and that is what we are looking for.

Conversation Shaker

This application is a little more serious than the other two. Instead of being all about crazy situations, this app is about showing you some more normal topics of conversation. It is fun to talk about biting a cat or being bit by one, but in some situations that will not work.

This app organizes their topics into categories. The categories are generally based on where you would be having the conversation, such as on a date or at a dinner party. With the free version, each category has 10 topics, and there are 10 categories. A quick tabulation tells me that there are 100 conversation topics in the free version. If you are looking for more, you can pay $0.99 to upgrade to the premium version. This adds 900 more topics, spread across the various categories.

The app allows you to share any topic on Twitter, or via email. You can also store them in your favorites, so you can access them quickly if you are in a situation where you need a good topic. If you are looking for some more serious conversation starters, this app is the way to go.

Conclusion

If you are a little socially awkward, or maybe you just draw a blank sometimes, these application will help you out. Simply pretend you received an important message or email, pull up one of these apps, and become the king of conversation starting.

Have you tried these iPhone conversation apps? Are you the coolest of your friends? Let us know in the comments!

Image Credit: ShutterStock

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/shutterstock_47033620.jpg?323f2c" alt="app to split bills" />Nothing can spoil a great group lunch or dinner than having to spend quality time calculating the cost of splitting the bill. Sure it’s easy when you split the cost between yourself and your girlfriend or boyfriend, but what happens when you have more than five people in the group?

You could use a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/variety-calculator-apps-basic-advanced-calculations-ipad/">calculator or the old pen and paper method, but if you have a iPhone or other iOS device, there are apps that make splitting up expenses less of a chore and are even more accurate than the mental calculations we perform. There are several such apps in the iTunes Store.

href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tip-calculator-free/id330270120?mt=8">Tip Calculator Free

Tip Calculator Free not only manages the splitting of the bill, but will also figure out the waiter’s and waitress’s tip as well. While this can be easily done on an iPhone calculator, Tip Calculator does it faster, and is better to look at.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/bill_splitter_app_5.jpg?323f2c" alt="app to split bills" width="580" height="428" border="0" />

To use the app, all you have to do is input the Check Amount, select the number of people to split the payment, and then select the quality of the service you receive from the waiter or waitress.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/bill_splitter_app_1.jpg?323f2c" alt="app to split the bill" width="580" height="431" border="0" />

The service quality feature means that your tip can be based on 5 to 50% of the bill. Tip Calculator allows you to split the bill between up to 50 people, or you can select no split and use it simply for tip calculation.

href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/trip-splitter-lite/id417029244?mt=8">Trip Splitter

If you’re needing to split expenses for a trip you take with two or more people, Trip Splitter Lite is an app you should give a try.

With Trip Splitter, you have presets for dividing up lodging, gas, transportation, food, entertainment, supplies, and your own set of custom expenses.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/bill_splitter_app_21.jpg?323f2c" alt="app to split the bill" width="580" height="369" border="0" />

To use the app, you set up a name for a new trip, and then add the names of the people you will be splitting expenses with. Next, you add an expense item, such as gas, and either calculate the amount for each time you purchase gas or for the total amount of gas expenses. Tip Splitter also allows you to keep tabs on who paid, and even how they paid – e.g. cash, credit, debit.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/bill_splitter_app_3.jpg?323f2c" alt="app to split bills" width="580" height="379" border="0" />

Expenses are categorized into items and days, and each person and item gets color-coded for easy visual reading. The href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/trip-splitter/id374395458?mt=8">paid version ($1.99) of the app allows you to handle up to six people. The free version allows for two people.

href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spotme-payments/id443369076?mt=8">SpotMe Payments

The newest app in this personal finance category is SpotMe Payments. It’s geared toward groups of people that you may share expenses with on a regular basis, such as roommates, family, co-workers, and close friends.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/bill_splitter_app_4.jpg?323f2c" alt="app to split bills" width="580" height="426" border="0" />

With SpotMe, you set up groups for sharing expenses, and then add individuals – including their phone number or email, and photo – from your Address Book, Facebook and Twitter account

SpotMe enables you to split and track bills, lend and borrow money, and send out regular reminders. It is fairly easy and straightforward to use.

Let us know that you think about these and other bill splitting apps. Do you have a favorite one on your iPhone that you use?

Image Credit: href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=47033620" rel="nofollow">Shutterstock

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/skyrimlogo.jpg?323f2c" alt="" />Skyrim is, without question, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-reasons-gamers-play-elder-scrolls-skyrim-muo-gaming/">one of the best video games ever released. I just finished the main story a few days ago, and I am around seventy hours in. There is so much to do. Between the main quest, all the guild stuff, and the hundreds of side quests, it is easy to lose a large portion of your life playing Skyrim. The bottom line is this; if you call yourself a gamer, you need to play Skyrim. If you want a game that has a ton of content, pick your platform, and get the game.

As you begin to play Skyrim, you might come to realize that the volume of content is hard to manage. It can be hard to remember where you had that epic dragon fight, or where you found that amazing new armor you are wearing with pride. This is where Dragon Shout comes in. It is your Skyrim travel companion, and it is available right on your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Dragon Shout will help you keep track of all your memories in the world of Skyrim.

Set up

The obvious first step is to head to the href="http://itunes.apple.com/app/dragon-shout/id483488468?mt=8">iTunes App Store and download the free application. You can do this by clicking href="http://itunes.apple.com/app/dragon-shout/id483488468?mt=8">here, or searching for Dragon Shout in the app store.

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Next, you will need to make a free account. This takes just a few seconds, and only requires you to choose a user name, password and provide an email address. Creating an account allows the application to synchronize your markers so you can access them anytime from any device.

Features

The main feature of Dragon Shout is the ability to place markers on the map for all kinds of occurrences in Skyrim. You can set markers for pretty much anything great that happens while you are playing, so you can find it again later. Maybe you want to remember which town has two blacksmiths so you can create some more dragon armor. Perhaps there is an area you need for a quest. All of these things and more can be logged on the map.

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To log something on the map, simply tap the location one time, and the new journal screen will pop up. You can type in notes about the marker, and choose what kind of marker it is. You can also choose whether to share the marker publicly. The public sharing feature will be available with the next update. For now, you can select the option for the future.

class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/dragonshout1-e1324577311142.jpg?323f2c" alt="" width="580" height="386" />

Once you have created a marker it will appear on the map, and you can click it at any time to see what information it contains. The icon on the map is different depending on what type of journal entry you choose. If you choose a quest marker, it will appear as a dotted line with an “X,” if you choose a battle, it will show the hilt of a sword, and so on. This way, you will be able to tell what kind of entry it is quickly and easily.

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The application has two types of maps. They can be accessed via the settings button on the top right of the screen (it looks like two gears). The first map is emptier, and allows you to put more emphasis on your markers. The second map is pre-populated with much more of the icons from the actual in game map. This way, you can see all the locations at a glance.

Future Updates

The developer actually issued an update that added chat and sharing of markers with friends, but there was an error, so at this point you can only use the app solo. The update will add an in-application purchase that allows you to view other users icons. This will help if you need some tips from the Skyrim community. The application is great, but with this update, it will be spectacular.

Conclusion

This is an incredibly useful application for someone who wants to make the most of their Skyrim experience without resorting to the use of guides and FAQs. You would not go on a real life adventure without a compass and a map, and Dragon Shout is like that, but for the game. It is a free application that is certainly worth checking out.

Have you tried this app? Did it help you make the most of Skyrim? Let us know in the comments.

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