GeekSugar

The Dos and Don'ts of HDR iPhone Photography

Anna Monette Roberts — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 06:21:49 PDT

Each iPhone 4S camera is equipped with a really cool HDR setting that can dramatically improve your photos. HDR stands for high dynamic range, and it essentially takes a series of images, each shot with a different exposure from darkest to lightest. HDR combines the best parts of the three overexposed, underexposed, and balanced shots to create a dramatic image with beautiful shadowing and highlights.

Do: use HDR for close-ups and outdoor portraits.

Compare the normal photo of ice cream on the left with the HDR image on the right. Oftentimes, HDR images look crisper, and colors appear much richer than the normal photo. Try HDR for close-ups and outdoor portraits, especially if the subject and the background have a harsh lightening difference. Click here to read more about HDR.

Geek Tip: Beam Photos Between iPhones

Kelly Schwarze — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:31:38 PDT

Sending a picture to a friend is now as easy as a beam between iPhones, no email or Facebook login required. First step in getting the WiFi wavelengths to work their magic is to have both Apple devices, whether it's an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch upgradde to iOS 5.1. Once the latest operating system is in gear, download the new iPhoto app for iOS ($5) to both gadgets. If you're transferring photos between your own iPhone and iPad, the app should be loaded on to both devices, granted the same iTunes account is used with each.

Once in iPhoto, select the Gear icon to change the settings and turn Wireless Beaming on within both phones. Both devices need to be on the same wireless network and have iPhoto open. Tap the image you want to send, then hit the Share icon. The Share screen will appear with a number of ways to send photos; since we're beaming a photo, select the Beam icon. Again, you'll be asked to select the image or images to share. Then, find your friend's iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch listed in the iOS Devices Found menu. Tap their device's name, and once they accept the transfer, your photos will wirelessly beam to their Apple product, as seamlessly as if you were aboard a Star Trek Transporter.

8 Classic Kids' Books That Have Made the App Transition

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:21:16 PDT

Modern times call for modern toys, and your lil one's books are making the jump into the tech age. From classic tales like Peter Rabbit and Pat the Bunny to more recent additions on the bookshelf, tots' favorite tales are transitioning from the traditional book to mama's phone and iPad. Check out which of our favorite stories have successfully moved into the digital age.

Jet-Set Family: 10 Apps For Families Going on Spring Break

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:04:19 PST

Hit the road without hitting rock bottom! Spring break is prime time for travel – be it for a trip to grandma's house or on a vacation – but getting there isn't always half the fun. Eliminate mad dashes through the airport in search of a toilet and road trip boredom with a few apps designed to make the air, roads, and rails just a wee bit friendlier!

Do Tablets Have a Place at Your Family's Dinner Table?

LilSugar — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:45:10 PST

Any parent who's ever wrangled their kids into a restaurant has faced the dilemma - teach them table manners or surrender to the power of the iPhone, iPad, or other tablet of your choice. According to Nielsen, in tablet-owning households with kids under the age of 12, 70 percent of children use the device. Of those parents, 41 percent say that they use their tablets to keep their kids entertained at restaurants. We want to know - do you bring the tablet to the dinner table, or do you encourage your kids to partake in conversation?

12 Free Apps That Will Cut Your Monthly Bills

Emily Co — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:33:17 PST

Apps, apps, and more apps - everyone loves apps, especially if they're free. Check out these apps that will save you money and won't cost you a cent. Now that's what I call a real deal.

Scribble This! 5 Drawing iPad Apps For Budding Artists

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:04:38 PST

If mama's iPad has become your lil one's plaything of choice, it's time to load it up with tot-friendly apps that do more than fling birds into grimacing pigs. While paper and crayons have a traditional place at the table, the iPad is quickly becoming the drawing apparatus of choice for kiddies everywhere. We've rounded up a handful of drawing apps that do more than just put lines on the screen, and best of all, they eliminate any worry about crayon marks on the walls.

Organize Your Life: 5 Apps For Family Organization

Kate Stahl — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:04:01 PST

Today's busy families need smart solutions to stay organized, and the first place we most often turn to is: our phones! You'll find a plethora of apps designed to help keep your life in check by tracking appointments and daily chores, and syncing grocery lists and family calendars with your spouse's and kids' phones. Keep reading for our five must-have apps (four of them are free!) to keep your family organized, and start downloading your way to a smoother schedule!

5 Supportive Apps for Breastfeeding Mamas

Natasha Dantzig — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:41:26 PST

Go with the flow! While breastfeeding may be the most natural of acts, it's not without challenges! Given that nursing tends to commence in the exhausting post-delivery new mom bleariness phase of parenting, new mamas can use all the help they can get. Check out the following five apps that support new moms and their hardworking breasts.

Ga Ga or Gag: iPhone Cases For Toddlers

Nicole Abbott — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:43:27 PST

This is a tech world! Our kiddos are growing up in the digital age, where everything in our lives is digitized - and the truth is that many toddlers are able to manage technology with much more ease than their grandparents. And what is a toddler's coveted tech toy of choice? Mama's iPhone.

Since tots love iPhones so much, many companies have jumped at the lucrative opportunity to manufacture tech products that cater to both moms and tots - case in point, iPhone cases for toddlers. The Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Apptivity Case ($20), Infantino's HappiTaps Beary Happi Character Cover ($20), and Woogie 2 ($20) also have toddler iPhone apps to go along with the smartphone cases. While the lovable Stitch iPhone case ($20) makes a cute hard cover that protects your phone from the trenches of toddlerhood.

We want to know what you think about this new tech trend. Will you be rushing out to get one, or do you think iPhone cases for toddlers are a waste of money?