iPad

Jul 22 2010

Streaks Seinfeld-esque time management app for iPhone

themes Streaks Seinfeld esque time management app for iPhoneI love to sleep in. I sleep in so long I waste away weekends. It’s a problem and I seriously need to solve it. My goal is to get myself out of bed at 6am every morning. Yes, 6am! It’s going to be tough, but if I can get momentum, I know I can make this my routine.

That’s why I was glad when I came across Streaks – Motivational Calendar in the iPhone Apps Store. It works on the same motivational principle as Jerry Seinfeld uses to be a better comic; he writes every day and keeps tabs of his progress on a calendar. Then, after several days of consecutive productivity, if he feels a bit lazy and wants to slack off that day, a glance over at the calendar motivates him to write in order to not break the streak. The more days that are marked off on the calendar, the more of a let down it would be if you had to break that streak.

Streaks – Motivational Calendar by Fanzter is a light-weight answer to this call for your iPhone and iPod touch (and iPad if you like the zoom-mode). It provides multiple calendars to track all your goals, be they “Exercise,” “Write in My Journal,” or in my case “Get Up At 6am.” Fantzer has outfitted Streaks with four themes for your calendars (unfortunately, you must choose one theme that will be for all your calendars) and a numerical icon badge that shows you the current streak your on with the first calendar in your list.

Get a handle on your goals; download Streaks for US$1.99

What goal do you want to achieve? Please let me know in the comments…maybe we can start an accountability group icon wink Streaks Seinfeld esque time management app for iPhone

By RickMacMerc • apps, iPad, iPhone, iPod, productivity • 0 • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jul 11 2010

Secrets Revealed: Amaze your friends with magic on your iDevices

Any of you who know me, know I’m a closet magician. I’m pathetic at it actually, but the few times that I can pull a trick off and actually fool someone, it makes me feel awesome. Even the times I do an effect and the people pretend to be fooled can be pretty fun.

I’m going to show you a few ways to amaze and delight your friends with magic using a few apps but I’m also going to pull back the curtain a bit and show you quite a few professional effects used by real magicians.

Are you ready?1

abra 150x150 Secrets Revealed: Amaze your friends with magic on your iDevices

Abracadabra

by MacEnvy.com (iPhone, iPod touch)

Abracadabra2 is the first of a series. It consists of a collection of instructional videos that are easy to learn and geared at the beginner level. Each trick includes a performance of the trick as well as step by step instructions by Angelo Oddo. The videos aren’t of the highest quality but the magic and the teaching are solid—better than I’ve seen on other apps of this type.

For US99¢ you’re getting a great deal with Abracadabra.

cardtrick 150x150 Secrets Revealed: Amaze your friends with magic on your iDevices

Magic Card

by Renditions Design (iPhone, iPod touch and iPad)

Though it’s a bit pricey in the iPhone App Store marketplace at US$2.99, I like Magic Card because the effects it allows you to perform are simple and take advantage of the particular device you’re using. You buy it once and get three versions of the same effect (find the chosen card) geared especially for each device. The iPhone version is the most amazing to me in that it allows you to take a photo of the face down chosen card and the iPhone will magically transform that photo to show the card face up revealing its secret identity.

invisible 150x150 Secrets Revealed: Amaze your friends with magic on your iDevices

Invisible Deck

by Ellusionist (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)

The original, physical Invisible Deck is the trick I recommend to anyone getting into magic… now Ellusionist has taken that effect and made “an app for that”.

The effect is classic. The participant takes an imaginary, invisible deck of cards, shuffles them, takes the top card, looks at it3 , remembers the card and places it face up in the middle of the face down pack. The participant then puts the imaginary cards in their imaginary box and tosses it to you, the magician. You catch the cards in your iPhone—trapping them there. Does the participant remember the card? The participant names the card they chose. Magically, you show that the cards on the iDevice can still be moved with the touch of a finger. You hand the iDevice to the participant and invite them to drag the cards around…dealing them out to the edge of the screen. Then the participant comes to one card that is face down in the face up pack…the card won’t leave the screen. You tell the participant to double-tap the card…it flips over…it’s their chosen card.

The Invisible Deck app sells for US$2.99 from the iPhone App Store.

Crack the Government Conspiracy

from Scam School (iPhone… or any phone for that matter)

This is a great mentalism effect where you get the participant to choose a card and then you phone someone who then inexplicably tells them the card they chose. As host Brian Brushwood ( @shwood ) explains, your patter4 is that you have a friend who works at the FBI or you can pull out all the stops and just tell your friends you’re calling God. Whatever your explanation, you just need to come up with an entertaining reason why someone on the other end of the phone knows the card your participant chose freely.

The price on Crack the Government Conspiracy is free, just watch the video, check out the sponsors and use the coupon codes when you can.

Interested in magic?»

iKnow Secrets Revealed: Amaze your friends with magic on your iDevices

by Jason Palter (any current iPod)

This one can use pretty much any iPod. It might be a bit clumsy on the iPad and, in fact, this might be the only effect on the list where a standard click-wheel iPod will be the best choice.

The effect is simple: the participant dials through the songs on your iPod and listens to a few—they’re all different…they put the iPod behind their back and they dial through the list up and down until they couldn’t know where they are on the playlist…they stop on one song and listen to it5 …when they’re ready, they stop the song…and “just from the reverberations on the song running inside their minds” you begin humming and then identify the exact song they were listening to.

This is not an app, it’s instructions and performance tips on DVD and iKnow will set you back about US$19

Digital Conviction Secrets Revealed: Amaze your friends with magic on your iDevices

by Robert Smith (iPhone or any camera phone…in fact, it’s best if it isn’t even your phone!)

This is mind freaking, Criss Angel-caliber stuff. You have the participant choose a card at random. It’s lost in the deck. The joker from the deck is marked with the participant’s initials. You borrow a camera phone from the participant or an audience member and snap a picture of the initials on the joker. The joker is then magically transformed into the participant’s chosen card (cool) with their initials on it (very cool) and then after you give the participant a moment to let that sink in, you remind them of the photo you snapped. They check their phone, and the photo has now changed into that of the chosen card with their initials on it (freaking awesome). The photo of the joker is nowhere to be found.

Digital Conviction sells for about US$25 and is not an easy trick to pull off. It requires some skilled card manipulation and a lot of practice.

Performance by Chris Ballinger

Ghost Vision Secrets Revealed: Amaze your friends with magic on your iDevices

by Andrew Mayne (another one that works with a borrowed camera phone…might as well be an iPhone though)

This is a creepy one that would be good for a Halloween party or if you’re with a group of friends at a historic site somewhere and want to freak them out. The effect is that with a borrowed camera phone, you take a picture that seems perfectly normal as you take it. But when viewed on the phone, the image shows a ghostly human shadow that wasn’t there before.

Ghost Vision Secrets Revealed: Amaze your friends with magic on your iDevices sells for about US$15.

…if you have and perform Ghost Vision, you might also investigate Ghost Vision Reload Secrets Revealed: Amaze your friends with magic on your iDevices (US$7)

iPhoneTrick.com

by Andrew Mayne (your victim’s iPhone)

As we all know, there can be few things more dangerous than a friend who thinks he knows the best way you should be using your technology. Mayne plays upon this fear by offering a bunch of ways for you to make it look like you’ve done unthinkable things to your friend’s iPhone right from iPhoneTrick.com. Here’s a video Andrew made to explain his pranks.

One of the tricks is really disturbing and is also right on iPhoneTrick.com. It’s called Spirit Photography and using your friend’s iPhone and some American money, you’re going to give them a haunting little scare. Check out this video for Andrew’s explanation…

iDeck Secrets Revealed: Amaze your friends with magic on your iDevices

by Noel Qualter (…this one doesn’t need anything)

The previously mentioned iKnow is basically a card trick done with songs…iDeck is a song trick done with cards. An iPod-like deck of cards is produced with 52 songs printed on each card. A song is freely and secretly chosen and lost in the deck. You bring out a set of magnetic earbuds and hit the play button on the box of cards. Magically a song starts playing and, sure enough, it’s the card the participant chose.

Because it is a big deck of technology in and of itself, iDeck doesn’t come cheap…US$74.

Rap it up…

That’s my list. I warn you, magic takes practice. The more money you spend on an effect sometimes, the more time you need to spend on practicing it. So before you spend a bunch of money on any of these professional tricks, make sure you’re committed to practicing, performing and making them awesome. Magic is made to be performed in front of live people—not YouTube.

And if you do buy one of these effects and you find out the secret is something really “silly” and “stupid”—don’t give up. Remember, before you knew what the secret was, you though the effect was pretty darn cool…and so will your audiences.

What do you think? Are you impressed with the selection of magic that is out their for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad? Did I miss anything? Did I include anything you think is absolute crap? Leave me a comment and let’s discuss.

  1. why does Criss Angel say this? If someone said “no,” would he wait? [↩]
  2. though the app is called “Abracadabra” on its splash screen and in the videos, it’s listed as “Magic!” in the iPhone Apps Store. So just follow my link. [↩]
  3. this is all imagined, you realize [↩]
  4. magicians call the stuff they say to build up an effect and give it context “patter” [↩]
  5. you can be out of the room for this [↩]
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By RickMacMerc • Featured, gadgets, ideas, iOS, iPad, iPhone, News • 2 • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jul 7 2010

9 iPad cases made to get attention

I only got my iPad a few short weeks ago and when I used it in public at coffee shops or while driving down the highway, eating a sandwich and talking on my cell phone, I turned heads.

“Ooooh!! Is that the new iPad?” they asked excitedly.

Now, the iPad is already old hat. If anything it seems it’s played out.

“Jeez, is that another freakin’ iPad…pffft!” they say to each other as if I can’t hear.

Well, I’ll show them. We can all show them! With the iPad cases I’m about to show you, you will once again have people’s attention as you pull out your technology in public.

il fullxfull.136179438 150x150 9 iPad cases made to get attentioniPad Bacon Case – Let’s start this off with the obligatory mention of bacon. The iPad Bacon Case sells of Etsy for US$59 and is handmade by @filzstueck of wool felt. It, along with the next item on our list has garnered much press for the creativity in its design. I can only hope that part of the process of making the Bacon Case involves adding that rich hickory-smoked aroma. Maybe  that can be offered as an option at time of purchase!

il fullxfull.137364333 150x150 9 iPad cases made to get attentioniMaxi – We all knew this was coming. The iPad/Sanitary Pad jokes started even before the device was officially announced, so once the name was uttered by Steve and entered into the Book of iDevices, we knew somewhere someone was scrambling to make an iPad case that would further imprint those maxi-pad jokes on the minds of the tech using public. That case exists and it is called the iMaxi and sells for US$30.

Screen shot 2010 07 07 at 6.59.15 PM 150x150 9 iPad cases made to get attentioniBallz – Though it’s not exactly a case, the makers of the US$19.95 iBallz 9 iPad cases made to get attention do promise it will protect your iPad from spills, sticky surfaces and drops “without adding weight, blocking buttons and adapters or sacrificing style.” The four balls of the iBallz are placed on the corners of your iPad and the cord running through them is cinched and locked to keep them in place. With practice, iBallz may also double as a set of bolas for capturing prey if thrown just right. They come in six colors and can be repurposed to protect other devices.

94 GelaSkins KeepCalm 500 white 150x150 9 iPad cases made to get attentionGelaSkins – Again, not strictly speaking a “case”, GelaSkins are extremely eye-catching and do protect your iPad from minor scratches and dings. You can choose from a vast selection of styles selling for US$29.95 or you can choose make your own for US$—simply upload your own images or choose something from one of GeleSkins’ many collaberators.

temple leather ipad case110X 150x150 9 iPad cases made to get attentionTemple Bags iPad case — “Throw me the iPad! I’ll throw you the whip!” If that phrase doesn’t bring up images of Indiana Jones, the iPad case from Temple Bags certainly should. It’s not cheap at US$149, but it looks beautiful. It’s a brown leather & military re-purposed iPad case that features both vertical and horizontal viewing stand options, a padded shoulder strap, and an internal pocket.

This is the iPad case I’d expect Dr. Jones to use… though I just can’t imagine him using an iPad.

a 150x150 9 iPad cases made to get attentionSwitchEasy RibCage – This H. R. Gigeresque sleeve is made from faux leather1 and looks morbid and creepifying for a modest US$34.99. The SwitchEasy RibCage is available in either black or white and its shock dissipating ribcage design protects the iPad’s screen while also drawing curious looks from everyone around you.

book 150x150 9 iPad cases made to get attentionBOOK for iPad – Our next two cases were designed to look like books and this one is simply named just that: BOOK for iPad. BOOK is a hand made hard cover book jacket on the outside, with an iPad sleeve on the inside. When you’re ready to put away your iPad, simply shelve it! BOOK sells for US$89 and you can even add custom text for and additional $15 or custom text and a logo for another $25.

lgphoto05 150x150 9 iPad cases made to get attentionDODOcase — This is the first iPad case I bought… and I’m still waiting for it. To me, the DODOcase looks like a large Moleskine notebook. I happen to be a little addicted to Moleskine notebooks, so the purchase was unavoidable. Made from faux leather and constructed using traditional book binding techniques, DODOcase covers are designed to fold back so you can stand your iPad. An elastic strap keeps your iPad sealed tight when you are on the go. The DODOcase will set you back US$59.952

Important update: Since posting this story, my DODOcase arrived in the mail. The level of quality is not what you see in the photos and videos on the DODOcase website; the corners are poorly covered (sharply angled and not rounded), the piece has rubber cement and who knows what else all over it, the little “dedicated to” label inside was peeling off when I first opened it and worse, get this, it doesn’t hold the iPad!! In the video» Patrick at DODOcase shows the case being shaken upside down and the iPad being held firm. My case can’t even be turned sideways without the iPad falling out.

962f44f4fb06b7221a8e408ceb9d8e8138e3a38a0 150x150 9 iPad cases made to get attentionClamCase – I’m not sure if the ClamCase is really for those of us who want to show off our tech or not—it makes your iPad look like a laptop! It may work better as a form of camouflage in a busy café dotted with people working on laptops. It sports a built in Bluetooth keyboard and the ability to twist the screen backwards and close the case. It basically makes your iPad act as a tablet PC. Nifty idea… but there is one catch right now.

The ClamCase isn’t even available yet3 but is promised to arrive in the fall of 2010. They haven’t even set a price point yet, but they did post a nifty video showing a CGI version twirling around looking awesome.

There you have it…

So that’s my list of attention-grabbing iPad cases. Any one of these should get you a few interested looks as you’re out iPadding around town. What do you think? Was there one I missed? Let me know in the comments.

  1. I guess I should have mentioned that the Bacon Case was made from faux bacon [↩]
  2. though those of us who ordered the first edition paid a bit less—ouch!! [↩]
  3. some say it will never make it to market [↩]

By RickMacMerc • Featured, gadgets, iPad, News • 8 • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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