GeekSugar

iPhone App You Need Now: Black Friday

GeekSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:05:02 -0800

In case you missed it, it's November, which means Thanksgiving is right around the corner, Christmas will soon arrive and before you can shout "Happy New Year," it'll be 2010. Not to put the pressure on you, but November doesn't just mean turkey and stuffing - it means Black Friday. I predict that this year, good deals and sales will be more important than ever to get people in the stores to shop for gifts, so be on top of it all with the Dealnews Black Friday app.

This app is great because it gives you details on the best sales around right now, as well as confirmed and leaked Black Friday deals from all across the web and on store shelves. Plus, it even counts down the days until November 27 so you know exactly how long you have to plan your in-store shopping strategy. Keeping with the penny-pinching theme, the Black Friday app is totally free.

Virgin Atlantic Eases Flying Fears With a New App

GeekSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:33:59 -0800

I wouldn't go as far to say that I'm one of those people with a fear of flying, but when I hear a weird sound under the wing, or there's a loud clunking noise right before take off, I can't say I easily shake it off.

During a family trip once, my dad ended up sitting beside a woman who was beyond terrified to fly. She was not only crying uncontrollably, but she also clenched both of my dad's hands during takeoff. . .a relaxing way to start the trip for him! Well Virgin's Richard Branson has decided it's high time (ha ha, get it?!) that he fixes this anxiety to fly problem and in doing so, Virgin has just launched a new Flying Without Fear app. The app costs $5, but it's said to include relaxation exercises and fear therapy, and a customized program to prepare you for future flights. It also comes with a fear attack button for emergencies and you get 2,000 bonus Virgin points, just for signing-up!

I'm a bit of a skeptic, but for $5 it's worth taking for a test flight. I can just see it now - everyone being calm and collected until the flight attendant says, "You must now turn off all wireless devices, including iPod Touches and iPhones." Yikes!

Geek Tip: Learn Language Basics With an App

GeekSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:30:06 -0700

You already know that you can brush up on a language by changing the settings on your gadgets, but what if you need to start from the beginning and learn the basics of a new language? The good news is you don't have to drop a fortune on one of those learn-at-home courses, but instead, you can download the Byki app for your iPhone and study up on the basics of 15 languages so you can be prepared for your next trip abroad.

Using flash cards, quizzes, phrasebooks, and a Perfect Recall program that tracks which words you're having trouble with, then gives you those words more often, you're sure to impress the next time you visit a foreign country. Did I mention Byki is free? That's sure to put a smile on your face.

Five Free Foodie Apps For iPhone

GeekSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:05:16 -0700

What do you want to eat? It's an easy question, but sometimes finding the answer is tough. Check out five of my favorite free apps for finding recipes and restaurants, shopping for food, scoring a reservation, and more!

Source

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Apple Allows Purchases in Free iPhone Apps

GeekSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:28:26 -0700

Ever wish you could try out a paid iPhone app before you bought it? You may be able to soon! Apple recently sent an email to developers stating in-app purchases would be allowed in free apps. While the structure will vary by application, this means that developers will be able to release a free version of their application, and later charge more for a premium download including more content or features.

The only downside I can think of is that this may encourage developers who would have released free applications to begin to charge for premium content. The upside: you'll be able to try before you buy - and maybe even score some apps that you previously deemed too costly.

What's the Wildest App You've Ever Seen?

GeekSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:15:48 -0700

On the heels of the Amp Up Before You Score App from Pepsi prompting a sort-of apology, I haven't been able to stop thinking about crazy iPhone apps.

I've already talked about the 10 craziest iPhone apps I've seen - seriously, Poo Log? - but the Amp Up app really upped the ante on craziness. Even with all the news of Apple's strict app-review policies, it's hard to believe some of these could have slipped through the approval process. Have you seen any apps that made you do a double-take? What's the wildest one you've ever seen?

Will You Use the New Photoshop App?

GeekSugar — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:16:08 -0700

There's no shortage of photo editing software programs or cool iPhone camera apps, but Photoshop is arguably one of the best around. The free (yes, free!) app lets you perform basic photo editing tasks: crop and rotate, adjust colors, add tint or switch to black and white, and add filters or effects like vignette blur and warm vintage. Creating an account on photoshop.com and store up to 2G of photos that you can access anytime straight from your phone.

You can download the Photoshop app from the App Store.

Geek Tip: Find an App For That

GeekSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:50:14 -0700

With over 85,000 applications in Apple's App Store, it's tricky to browse by category if you're not certain exactly what you're looking for. I often find myself frustrated, thinking, "I bet there is an app for that, Apple, but where is it?" OK, I'll admit it, I may know a little too much about some apps.

To aid in your search, Apple introduced a helpful new section on the iPhone area of its website: Apps for Everything. Broken down into common categories, each section has a selection of featured applications plus the top 10 most popular paid and top 10 most popular free apps. To check out the categories, read more.

Categories include:

CNN's New iPhone App Allows Easy Customization, iReporting

GeekSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:32:33 -0700

CNN launched its new iPhone application this morning, featuring breaking news, video, personalization options, and, most notably, an interactive iReport feature.

The application allows you to search for and follow topics of interest to create a personalized "MyCNN" news feed - from breaking stories about your home state to gossip about your favorite celebrity. Tapping any news story from the main screen leads to two summary bullet points, the main story, and any relevant video. An additional tap on the share button allows you to email the story, choose to follow the topic, or save it to read later. The app also pinpoints your current location to provide weather, traffic, and breaking news near you.

Its most interesting and unique feature is the iReport function, based on CNN's popular citizen journalism feature. Users are encouraged to capture photos and video of breaking news and upload it to CNN directly from the application.

The app is available now at CNN.com, and the iTunes App Store for $2. And if you were to ask me, it's well worth the $2.

10 Crazy iPhone Apps

GeekSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:50:11 -0700

Let me start off by saying, there's an iPhone application for everything. Since Apple does reject the odd app here and there, you can be sure that every app goes through a rigorous approval process before making its way to the iTunes store. But there are those that slip through the cracks, like these 10 outrageous, naughty, hilarious - and some all of the above - apps.

A big thanks to TrèsSugar for the story inspiration!

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