This week for our weekly installment of Picks of the Week we are changing things up a little bit. It’s hard to believe that we have been running the POTW post for 30 weeks now! So far our writers at iSource have highlighted almost 150 separate iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac and Apple TV related items. In the spirit of fun, and to give our hard-working writers a bye week, I thought it would be nice to take some of my favorite posts and create a “Best of” Picks of the Week post this week instead. Sorry for the one day delay, but it was harder than I thought to sort through nearly 150 posts form ten different contributors. Hope you like my selections. Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know some of your favorites you have seen on former POTW posts, or would like to see on future posts.
Pulse (v2.3.1)
Picked by: Thomas
Pulse is better known as an iPad app, but it’s also a great RSS iPhone app for the casual news reader. Pulse doesn’t tend to bother you with many unread counts, and instead, focuses on presenting you with thumbnails of articles from sources that you pick (or sync from your Google Reader account).
The app used to be quite limited with 20 sources and only one area to view them in, but with the recent 2.0 update, Pulse can now be sorted into several columns (I believe the number is five) and can support up to 60 sources. This extra ability to customize and sort your sources really brings the whole experience within Pulse to a new level, and I quite enjoyed playing around with it.
It won’t be replacing Reeder as my primary RSS app any time soon, though. Although the 2.0 update also vastly increased Pulse’s speed and performance, it still feels slower than using Reeder or the Google Reader web app, and the inability to “star” items for later viewing is a real letdown for me.
However, if you simply want to relax and catch up on the news once or twice a day, then Pulse for iPhone is a fantastic and free way to do it.
(Free) iTunes Link
Wunderlist Task Manager (v1.2.2)
Picked by: Renkman
I have been on the hunt for a good task manager app for quite some time now. I’ve tried at least a dozen different ones—free and paid. All I really need is a way to keep track of all my tasks in a clean, easy to set-up, cloud based system that isn’t filled with tons of other features I have no use for. I’ve found that that in itself is the hardest part sometimes. So many app developers now-a-days want to give us swiss-army knife apps, when all we might need is an app that does one thing really well. Thomas thoroughly reviewed Wunderlist when it first came out, and after the latest update at the end of December. Although he finds several short-comings with the first iteration of Wunderlist, he is quick to point out that the first update, released two weeks after the initial release, addresses some of his main concerns. I have found the newest version to be easy to embrace, easy on the eyes, and very good at keeping track of my tasks. Perhaps the big problem with Wunderlist vs some other task management apps is the fact that it really isn’t a task manager as much as it is a to-do list manager, and that’s alright with me. Either way, you can’t beat the price, so give the Wunderlist iPhone and desktop app a try and let me know what you think in the comments section below.
(Free) iTunes Link
Just Mobile Upstand for iPad
Picked by: Patrick
The UpStand feels solid and looks great on my desk. It’s ‘engineered from aluminum’ and goes very well with my MacBook Pro and of course with the iPad itself. It’s not too bulky either, so it’s easy to find good spots for it on the desk or elsewhere.
It holds the iPad well in horizontal or vertical positions, with no need for any adjustment or fiddling with the stand when swapping between orientations. It also happily holds the iPad while it’s in a good number of cases that are back-only or have a detachable front cover.
While in the UpStand, the iPad is at an ideal viewing height. Excellent for use as a side / additional display alongside a PC, and excellent for using with a Bluetooth keyboard.
I’m a big fan of iPad stand (possibly too big a fan) and this is my co-favorite, along with the Compass Mobile Stand for when I’m out and about with the iPad.
($49.95) Link
Carousel (v1.1)
Picked by: AliciaB
Another app that I’ve been checking out this week is Carousel, which deserves all the attention and praise it’s been getting in the past days. The devs tout it as “the best way to experience Instagram on your Mac”. It is indeed beautiful and stylishly simple. A vertical strip displaying your Instagram feed of choice, right on your desktop. Very welcome are available customizations – letting you set theme, rate of auto-refresh, or enlarge photos, as well as the ease of action in-app. Liking, commenting, browsing – all very smooth and fluid. One thing though. I’m surprised that you can drag and drop any photo to your desktop since this makes it quite easy for people to misuse your pics without you knowing about it. The Instagram iPhone app does not allow this. I wish the devs would give users at least the option of protecting their images. Also, I’m not convinced that the app is worth $4.99. After all, Instagram on iPhone is a free experience that is in itself very satisfying. Why pay for the same experience on desktop? I’m undecided at the moment, we’ll see after my 15-day trial is over. For the moment I’m pleased to see how Instagram is being re-born on other platforms.
($4.99) Mac App Store
Intellicast HD (v1.3.2)
Picked by: Joe Tomasone
Here in Florida, severe weather is a constant threat. It’s not enough to just be aware of the forecast, to be truly aware of what is coming your way, you must be familiar with interpreting weather radar. While that topic is a little beyond a Pick Of The Week post, here are two excellent apps for iPad that provide excellent (and free) access to high-quality radar imagery and analysis:
Intellicast HD for iPad is perhaps the best weather app for the iPad, period. The main “Map” screen shows not only local radar (looping optional), but also storm tracks, storm cells that may contain hail, and potential tornadic activity. The local conditions and a brief forecast are also presented. The “Forecast” screen offers very detailed forecast data, including hourly predicted temperatures and conditions and a 10-day forecast.
(free) iTunes Link
Jawbone Jambox
Picked by: Jay
My pick this week is the wireless bluetooth accessory, Jawbone’s Jambox. As a frequent traveler and presenter, I am often looking for ways to minimize the size of portable equipment while maximizing features. Jawbone’s bluetooth wireless speaker has an impressive sound (85 dB output) – including the bass – for its diminutive 151 x 57 x 40 mm size and 12 ounce weight. The bluetooth hooks up easily to the devices I’ve tried (iPhone, iPad, and Mac Book Pro), though I’ve experienced the occasion where a reconnect was required to the Mac Book Pro to get the correct playback sound, which feels more like a bluetooth issue than a device issue. The 3.5mm input jack also allows for direct connection, in my case a wireless microphone receiver, so broadcasting a speaker’s voice to an audience is also a convenience. As an added benefit, the Jambox can also act as a wireless headset with its built-in microphone so conference calls and chatting via online service are a breeze. Charging the Lithium-ion battery is either through USB, or the supplied A/C wall charger, and according to the Jawbone’s specs, can last up to 10 hours. Take a peek at a one-minute video here of the Jambox in action.
($179.99) Amazon / Jawbone Website
NavFree (v1.9.1)
Picked by: jhrogersii
If you are doing any traveling this Holiday season and don’t have a paid turn by turn navigation app, then you should definitely check out Navmii’s NavFree, which was recently released here in the US. While Waze and Skobbler are both free and are great in urban areas with good data service, they struggle in areas with weak signal, and become completely useless when you hit a dead spot since they stream map data from the Internet.
While Navfree uses the same OpenStreetMap project maps as Skobbler, it stores all of the map data on your phone. This gives Navfree a distinct advantage over its ad-supported and crowd-sourced competition. Now you can travel into the mountains or far off the beaten path and be confident that you can continue to find your way, even when you leave AT&T’s Edge service far behind. You will have to sacrifice 1.8GB of space for this app, but this is no different than the paid GPS apps in the App Store, and if you have the room, the added security is definitely worth it.
Bear in mind that Navfree is still a little rough around the edges. While the maps are stored on your phone, they are still open-source, so they aren’t perfect. Also, while it has some POIs and Google Search, the interface is a little clunky and some of the features are hard to access while driving. Despite its flaws, however, Navefree is a solid GPS app and should only get better with some more time and polish. Other than 1.8GB of space, what do you have to lose?
Grab it here in the App Store before you hit the road.
(Free) iTunes link
Tweetbot (v1.3)
Picked by: Brandon
My pick of the week is Tweetbot by the graphically amazing Tapbots. Does the world really need another Twitter client? Arguably, no we don’t need JUST another twitter client. But Tweetbot isn’t your run of the mill, thrown together to make a buck client. This app oozes sexy in all the ways I would expect a top iPhone application from the likes of Tapbots. It starts with a great icon and keeps right in going through the timeline and into every other aspect of the application. The animations are smooth, navigation is intuitive and the sound effects are cute without being obnoxious. You can pick up Tweetbot for an introductory price of $1.99. It’s not going to change your twitterverse, but it’ll definitely make the view out the window a heck of a lot better!
($1.99) iTunes Link
Modern Combat Domination (v1.0.1)
Picked by: Alex Jordan
Description: Just as I noted last week, I don’t have much time for gaming these days, but when I do sit down, I want to play something that I can pick up and put down quickly. Modern Combat Domination, fits that description nicely. It is a first person shooter, mainly focused on online play. There are five maps, and multiple match types, such as the classic deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture he flag, and more. It’s not to say that the game doesn’t have it’s problem. The AI isn’t the sharpest, there aren’t a huge number of online gamers playing it yet, and the the number of maps are limited. It’s essentially a knockoff of CounterStrike: Source, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. At any rate, it looks good, it plays good, and at $12.99, the price can’t be beat.
($12.99) iTunes Link
2Do: Tasks Done in Style for iPhone (v2.5.2)
Picked by: Killian Bell
My pick of the week, and one of my favorite iOS applications in the App Store, is a wonderful task management application called 2Do. It features a stunning, simple to use user interface that makes it a pleasure to manage your to-do list, tasks and projects on your device. It’s comprehensive list of features includes repeating to-dos, task sharing, support for voice notes, tabbed calendars, and a whole lot more to help you stay organized. The application syncs with Toodledo or MobileMe, so you have access to your todo list wherever you are, on any device. It’s also a universal app which means it features native support for both the iPhone and the iPad. 2Do is by far the best task management app I’ve come across in the App Store so far, and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
($6.99) iTunes link
There you have it! Hope you enjoyed this week’s installment of “Best of” Picks of the week. Please let us know what you think, and share with us some of your favorites.
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