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August 31st, 2011 at 2:25 PM EST | by Kelly Kehoe
Cases are great, but if you really want to make a statement and completely personalize your iPad, then skins are the way to go. There are thousands of designs that exist on the internet today, and many companies have began offering “make your own” options, giving you full creative freedom over what goes on the back of your iPad. The following is a comparison between three top skins producers.
ZAGG Skins
Although ZAGG’s skins are the most expensive on this list, they are also the highest quality products. Prices range from $19.99 for the most basic options to over $54.99 for the sports leather
options. These skins come with ZAGG’s trademark invisibleSHIELD to protect the iPad’s screen and they even offer a 45 day money back guarantee if you’re not thrilled with your purchase (chances aren’t likely). You can either create your own designs or choose from their gallery of pleasing patterns or conceptual art pieces. They also offer what the other skins companies don’t offer: genuine leather skins
. These are high quality skins and look very classy on any Apple tablet. If you’re looking for something more unique, however, then the next option on this list might be a better option for you.
GelaSkins
Saving the best for last, GelaSkins offers one of the most extensive collection of iPad skin designs on the internet. There are hundreds of different designs available, from graffiti-type backgrounds to glossy animal photos or picturesque landscapes. Its site boasts over 100 artists, and if that’s not good enough, you even have the option of designing your own iPad skins using personal artwork or photography. Also, with high-tech, patented materials that guarantee easy cleaning and no scratches even after years of use, how can you go wrong? Prices range from $19.95 for back-only to $29.95 to front/back skins. GelaSkins is definitely a good option for anyone looking to go the customization route or get a few different skins without paying exorbitant prices for them. They also offer an extensive collection of skins for phones and laptops to match your iPad or iPad 2! Buy 3 skins, get one FREE!
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August 30th, 2011 at 11:00 AM EST | by Kelly Kehoe
iPads are useful for many things, though due to their discretionary nature, it may seem ironic that iPad owners are constantly looking for new ways to save money and organize their finances through apps. However, frugality apps have proven to be tremendously helpful for many families, and the following is a list of the most essential apps for anyone looking to cut back their spending using the iPad’s simple technology.
Family Friendly Frugality (Free)
Coming in at #1 is the only free app on the list. This user-friendly app is chock full of useful information (such as its “Frugal News” category) and has coupon deals right at your fingertips. The layout is easy on the eyes and overall, it is very easy to navigate. It is created for iPhones and compatible with iPads. So, whether you’re looking for hot deals (includes some daily deals sites), coupons, or even awesome freebies, you cannot be without Family Friendly Frugality.
My Coupons (Free and $0.99)
This is one of the top-rated paid iPad apps in the lifestyle category. At just $0.99 (there is a free version offered too), My Coupons is wondrously helpful for anyone looking to get organized, stop forgetting expiration dates on coupons, and save lots of money! It’s extremely easy to add, rearrange, and remove coupons from your queue and you can even star some as your favorites. The lite version contains ads, but regardless of what version you get, My Coupons is a must-have in order to stay on top of all your saving opportunities.
Track My Coupons (Free and $1.99)
This is another great couponing app, with both free and $1.99 versions available. It is a fantastic time saver for extreme couponers, allowing you to easily input all of the necessary information within seconds. There is a search option for filtering through coupons and it even offers an alert system for coupons that are about to expire. Whether you have nine or nine hundred coupons, this app will be a lifesaver.
PriceBook ($1.99)
At $1.99, you can’t go wrong with the iPhone-formatted, iPad-compatible PriceBook. It allows you to track past purchase prices at your favorite stores and compare prices on products between them. Everything can be sorted in multiple ways, from lowest purchase price to best value (greatest quantity for the price) and store preference. Whether you want to create shopping lists, use the calculator to make your own decisions, or just compare between stores, PriceBook is one of the best apps for the job.
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July 18th, 2011 at 11:50 AM EST | by Kelly Kehoe
According to the Humane Society of the United States, approximately two out of every five people own a dog, and one out of three own a cat. Birds, horses, and exotics aside, this equates to millions of pet owners across the country. Like any other aspect of life in the digital age, there are now several apps available to help pet owners better care for their beloved furry friends. The following is a guide to sifting through the latest and greatest pet-friendly apps available for your iPad.
Paw Card
This app may be in iPhone format, but it offers invaluable organization techniques for pet owners. It allows you to create a profile for your pet, including important information such as identifications, medications, medical history, and veterinarian records. It is easily exportable through email for your pet sitter, dog walker, veterinarian, and more. The price of keeping your pets’ lives in order? Free.
Pet Sitter
At just $1.99, the Pet Sitter app is extremely useful in distracting your pets while you’re away. As studies have shown, pets can in fact, feel lonely when left to themselves for long periods of time. To cope with this, they resort to barking or howling for the duration of their isolation. This app plays recordings of your voice or pre-recorded sounds to keep them stimulated (and quiet) while you are out of the home.
Another use for this could be teaching your bird to talk. By setting the app on replay while you’re gone, the repetition of the words or phrases will have your bird talking in no time!
Pet First Aid
Although this is another iPhone-formatted app (available for use on the iPad), Pet First Aid” for Your Dog, Cat, Puppy, or Kitten is a must-have for any responsible pet owner. There are countless articles and videos available to suit most major medical situations, and there is room to save all of your pets’ records as well. Whether you’re looking for information on how to deal with an emergency situation or just need some basic information on what’s normal for dogs and cats (pulse, breathing rate, appearance, etc.), this app is for you. $3.99 is a small price to pay for the potential of saving your pet’s life in case of an emergency.
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June 27th, 2011 at 9:09 AM EST | by Kelly Kehoe
The old method for learning a new language usually consisted of boring vocabulary lessons, complex grammar studies, and diving into dictionaries. With Chinese, this was especially difficult, making the learning process that much longer for those who bothered to stick with it. Today, however, there are many fantastic apps you can get on your iPad to make learning Chinese at least a little bit easier than sticking to the traditional ways. The following five apps are great for both beginning and intermediate learners of Chinese to get started on the road to fluency.
Chinese Essentials (AccelaStudy)
This is one of the most popular Chinese learning apps in the App Store, with both free and $9.99 versions available. Offering over 2,000 translations to help you get started, along with an audio trainer, dictionary for easy look-ups, digitalized flashcards, and quizzes to help track your progress. With Chinese Essentials, you not only learn the translations for each word, but the Chinese symbols and pronunciations are taught as well. You only learn words that are actually relevant in everyday conversations, such as colors, numbers, questions, transportation, etc. If you’re not sure if you want to pay $9.99 upfront, then try out the free version first.
KTdict Chinese-English Dictionary
A must for any digital-age learner hoping to cut their word-searching time in half, KTdict is a fabulous tool when trying to learn individual words and symbol meanings. It has over 70,000 entries in both traditional and simplified Chinese characters. There are free and $3.99 versions available (only difference is the paid one doesn’t have ads). To top it all off, it doesn’t require an internet connection, ensuring easy translations whenever and wherever you are.
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June 23rd, 2011 at 9:36 AM EST | by Kelly Kehoe
More than a year has passed since the original iPad was released, and there is still no official Facebook app optimized specifically for the iPad. While many users choose the option of using the enlarged Facebook app made for iPhone users or downloading one of the many third party Facebook apps available, presumably nothing beats having the official Facebook app that’s specifically formatted for iPad users.
Luckily, it appears that the wait is coming to an end, as Facebook insiders recently said that the official iPad app is set to release some time in the coming weeks. It has been in the designing, developing, and testing stages for several months, with reports saying that even the company chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg on board with the intricate detailing process.
It will be a free application, which will have many Facebook users – some of whom have been paying $0.99 for ad-free third party Facebook apps – sighing with relief. The move is expected to boost Facebook usage, which has been reported as slowing down in recent months. Analysts are also predicting that the new release could possibly entice more people to purchase iPad 2 over the alternative tablet options on the market today. Overall, it’s a win-win-win situation: for Facebook, for Apple, and for the consumers.
While most of the details have been carefully kept under the wraps, it has been said that it will be similar to the iPhone Facebook app, but with unique formatting and more advanced chatting options for iPad users. Also, iPad 2 users will be happy to know that they will easily be able to take, upload and tag high resolution pictures and videos right off of their devices.
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June 22nd, 2011 at 9:38 AM EST | by Kelly Kehoe
When the iPad was first released, there was once purpose that most people raved about: news reading capabilities. It had all the substance of a newspaper without the associated cost and excess paper usage. News companies quickly scrambled to keep up with the demand, and while there are hundreds of different news apps specifically formatted for the iPad, the following is a list of the top five apps to fill your news reading needs.
Pulse News for iPad
At the top of the list is Pulse, one of the highest rated news apps found in the App Store. At the incredibly low price of free, you get a truly one of a kind app (that is a member of the App Hall of Fame). Its features include: offline syncing (allows you to view your favorite news stories without an internet connection present), multiple news platforms (allowing you to view whatever you want in a clean, condensed format), easy sharing options, and more. If you’re a news junkie or an avid blog reader, you won’t want to miss this app.
BBC News
Offering news from around the world (not just the U.K.), BBC’s iPad app is incredible. With a user-friendly menu option with easy viewing of clean-cut articles (and there are also video reports as well), BBC definitely comes near the top of the list. It is a highly informative news source for any current events happening worldwide, and again, this one is free too.
USA Today
Another app with high reviews would be USA Today. With all the news, ranging from tech, markets, international, politics, life, economies, and even travel, USA Today’s free iPad app is a comprehensive news source for anyone looking to keep up on the latest events. It also offers a saving option for simple offline viewing, making news more portable than its ever been.
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