Welcome to our weekly installment of Picks of the Week at iSource where we provide our expanded coverage of Apple accessories and applications. Here we will promote our favorite iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac and Apple TV related items, as well as bring you occasional tips and tricks. Hopefully many of our favorite items will also be of interest to you. Please feel free to comment on our selections, and suggest picks of your own. Check out this week’s picks after the break.
Checkmark [ v 1.0.1 ]
Picked by: Thomas
Checkmark is my pick for this week. I wrote a quick post about the app when it first came out, but it took a little while to convince myself that I’d have a use for it.
Now that I’ve thrown a few reminders into Checkmark I can say, first hand, that it really is more accurate than the Reminders app when it comes to geo-fenced alerts. I’m getting consistent pop-ups for shopping tasks whenever I near the Eaton Centre, and Checkmark makes it so much easier to specify locations. The Reminders app, in comparison, really only makes it easy to mark tasks for Home or Work, and not much else in between.
The great thing about Checkmark is that it’s one of those apps that reminds you to use it. I can set a task, forget about it, and trust that I’ll receive a prompt to “Buy some bloody milk!” when I near the Supermarket. Very cool.
$2.99 [ iTunes ]
Sun
Picked by: Alex Jordan
My pick this week is a free, online weather service called Sun. It reminds me of Degreees.com, but with more features, which is amazing considering the app is built entirely with HTML5. Instillation of the app is easy. Just visit pattern.dk/sun/on your iOS device and save the link to your home screen. From there, you can select locations, different themes, and other preferences, just like you would with a native app. The design aesthetic is very much to my taste, and for a web app, it’s very responsive. Lastly, this app will work on either an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, and of course requires an internet connection.
Sun is free, works well, and looks great. It’s totally worth giving it a try. Especially if you’re always searching for a good weather app as I am.
Free [ Link ]
Weather HD 2 [ v 2.0.0 ]
Picked by: PatrickJ
I’ll take Alex’s pick and raise it by 80 degrees – and Lord knows we’ve easily got that to spare here in Texas in August.
Weather HD has been the most beautiful weather app for the iPad and iPhone for a long while. Now it’s had a massive update to Version 2 and it’s got a wealth of nice new features to go along with its lovely UI.
New features include some very striking 3D weather maps, the ability to add forecast information from two additonal sources (AccuWeather and MeteoGroup) via In-App purchase, an excellent QuickView mode that lets you see mutlitple locations at once, and some fun social elements for sharing your current weather status with friends.
$0.99 [ iTunes ]
AirCurve Window Mount
Picked by: Renkman
The Griffin AirCurve Window Mount is part of the Hands-FreeDrive Safe Solutions line of accessories. The AirCurve is a cross between Griffin’s Window Mount, and their AirCurve Play acoustic amplifier, allowing for increased sound that measures up to 25 decibels louder than what you typically get from your iPhone speaker. This is achieved by taking a simple concept of channeling the sound from your iPhone and amplifying it in a built-in curved waveguide, projecting the sound out into your car. The result is a dramatically louder interpretation of what is playing over your iPhone.
The iPhone speakers have improved with each new iteration, but they have always been a personal device and never sufficient for sharing music with others. With the AirCurve, Griffin has changed this line of thinking–at least in your vehicle.
There are two ways to mount your iPhone in your car. One way utilizes a cling base that holds directly onto your window surface and the other uses a dashboard/console mounting base that uses an adhesive to keep in place. Once the base has been stabilized/installed the AirCurve is snapped into place via a socket that receives the swivel mounting arm. Then the whole apparatus is slid into the mounting base that you affixed to the window or dashboard. Then you’re ready to go.
- Amplify your iPhone for handsfree calls
- No batteries or cables required
- Clings safely, securely to window or dash
- Works like a megaphone for your iPhone
- Part of our DriveSafe initiative
Overall, I like the AirCurve Window Mount. It works on both an iPhone 4 & 4S as advertised, even with my iPhone case installed. This is possible because there are flexible hinged brackets that hold the iPhone in place, and there is enough play in the hinges to allow for the extra width a thin case will add. However, I found that with my iPhone case installed, my overall decibel results may vary more easily because it is harder to achieve a tight fit with the rubber seals that come into contact with the bottom of the case. I also wished that Griffin had designed the AirCurve to tunnel the amplified sound around both sides of the case. I think it would not only look better, but equally dividing the sound might make the sound quality equal for individuals on either side of where it is installed.
The Griffin AirCurve Window Mount was provided for review on iSource.com by MaxBorgesAgency. For further information regarding our site’s review policies, please see the “About” page.
$39.99 [ Link ]
There you have it! Hope you enjoyed this week’s installment of Picks of the week. Please let us know what you think, and share with us some of your favorites in the comments section below.
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