Date night is always exciting and usually a bit nerve-racking. Whether you're on your very first date or you're planning to pop the question, you want every detail to be perfect. Although you're capable of coming up with the perfect idea yourself; it does not hurt to have a little help with the planning. Everyone can use a little help once in a while. Add these five date night apps to your arsenal to ensure you look your best for the big date. 
 

1. Yelp! (free)

The first step to being a date night hero is choosing the right venue. Whether it is a quiet romantic date or a wild day at the amusement park, Yelp has you covered. This popular app lets you read other people's reviews to get a feeling of the pros and cons of any given venue. 

2. 301 Date Ideas (free)

This app is pretty self explanatory, which is why it is so great. If you are having trouble coming up with a unique idea for a date (not that you would), there are 301 ideas just waiting for you on your iPhone. Ideas range from a simple picnic to some really creative ideas like drawing each other. 

3. 2 For Couples (free)

This is a great app for couples all around, but is great for the company who likes staying in for dates.  When you open the app the first tab is call 2day and has a ton of news and stories about couples around the world.  If you are running short on ideas for a gift this iPhone app has you covered with interesting gift ideas for him and her.  What will really make you a date night hero is all of the wonderful suggestions that you will find under the date night tab.  There is three different sections titles EAT, WATCH, and DO.  Instead of telling you where your local Chinese place is, the EAT tab actually gives thoughtful suggestions on cooking at home as well as some ideas on checking out local venues.  Again, unlike other apps the Watch app does not just tell you what is playing in theaters this week, it has a few of those mixed with some older movies that are perfect for a romantic evening in.  The DO tab is packed with some really fun ideas both in and outside of the house. 

4. PearHaven (free)

PearHaven is a little like the Foursquare of dating apps.  This innovative app allows to you read others reviews and even see pictures of their dates to help choose your next date.  Beyond that it allows to you record your date and unlock badges as well as earn points towards prizes. 

5. Poynt (Free)

When it comes to being a date night hero nothing will get you there faster than Poynt.  Much like Yelp! Poynt has reviews on local businesses so you are not walking blindly.  What makes Poynt unique is the fact that it uses location services to tell you where everything is around you.  Movie got sold out before you got there? Poynt will tell you where other theaters or events are in your neighborhood.  Took a wrong turn on the way home and you are low on gas?  Poynt will point you toward the closes gas station.  Poynt will even tell you if there are any special offers or coupons in your area.  What is really nice about Poynt is its beautiful and easy to navigate interface.

The conversation went something like this: "I'm gonna kill ya. God Bless yah, I'm gonna kill ya."

The whole thing might have been humorous had the man uttering these words not been blocking our path in the streets of Oakland, Calif., wielding a large stick. But I was amazingly calm. I have no special skills, I'm no undercover karate master or self-defense guru, and at 5'2" and under 95 pounds, I can't even physically intimidate a second grader. But what I lacked in physicality I made up for in ingenuity. I had downloaded and subscribed to StreetSafe ($19.99 per month) and my finger was on the app's trigger. I knew that if it came to it, police assistance was just a finger's flick away, which enabled me to speak calmly with "stick man," apologize for whatever indiscretion we had been accused of (I don't think we ever got clarification as to what exactly we had done) and safely pass. Crisis averted. 

Why is this important? Let's say the situation had escalated. I wasn't in a position where pulling out my cell phone and dialing 9-1-1 was reasonable or even safe. The man could have stolen my phone, knocked it out of my hand with the stick, or become so agitated that he attacked me with the stick. Not to mention, I was on a work trip, and while I knew I was in Oakland, the street name I was on was a complete mystery. How could I have possibly gotten the help I needed in a timely manner? 

About a year ago, Coolstream made a splash with its Bluetooth receiver that plugged into iPhone docks. Since Bluetooth is a standard data transmission method, this allowed any Bluetooth streaming device to send music directly to the dock, keeping people rocking out to their favorite tunes.

Fast-forward one year, and Coolstream is at it again: this time with the BTS201 ($59.99), a highly portable Bluetooth speaker system.

Physically, the BTS201 is fairly small, about the size of an SLR camera (around 7x4x3 inches). Tacky rubber feet keep it stable and free from sliding around. Real metal speaker grills prevent damage to the drivers and cones and the perforations are tiny enough to keep debris out, down to about the size of a grain of sand. The enclosure is decidedly NOT waterproof (though it worked surprisingly well in a ziplock for splash protection by the pool). Control buttons and indicator lights on the top of the device are a bit hard to see from the front of the unit, but simply picking it up, adjusting as necessary, and then putting it back down again solves that handily.

The built-in, non-serviceable lithium polymer 1000mAH battery can be charged in two hours, and will provide around four hours of run-time. One thing to be aware of is that the BTS201 has no auto-power-off, so if you stop listening to music you have to remember to turn it off or you’re going to have a dead battery and be a very sad panda the next time you go to use it.

Any Bluetooth receiver has to do Bluetooth and do it well.  Coolstream's experience in this area has given them the ability to produce a solid, intuitive solution.  The BTS201 uses Bluetooth version 2.1 with Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) for faster data transfer and lower duty cycles which reduce power consumption.  Profiles supported in the BTS201 are A2DP (for increased audio bandwidth/quality), AVRCP (for remote control of players), and HFP (allowing telephone control).

Pairing up the BTS201 with both Android (Jelly Bean) and iOS (6.1) devices was simple, quick, and easy.  In neither case was entering a pairing password (in this case, 0000) necessary to successfully bond the devices—just turn on Bluetooth and then turn on the BT201.  Within a few seconds the device is recognized, the indicator LED on the top of the BTS201 changes color to steady blue, and you’re ready to rock and roll!

Bluetooth range was respectable, easily reaching across well over 30' in line of sight, but as always your results may vary depending on player hardware (in this case, a Samsung Galaxy 4s and an iPhone 4s).  Coolstream suggests using higher player volume settings and then reducing output at the BTS201 via the top panel buttons in order to reduce background noise, but I didn’t think it was necessary to do that with my hardware.

Due to the implementation of AVRCP, player transport controls for play/pause/next/previous can also be done through the top panel buttons. I noticed a bit of a delay when using this feature but it wasn't an issue—just don't press the buttons too quickly without letting your player "catch up."

One very handy feature is possible with the inclusion of a built-in microphone: the BTS201 can become a hands-free speakerphone! I spend a huge amount of time on the phone, so I was naturally pretty jazzed about this feature. Since the device supports the HFP Bluetooth profile, pressing the phone button while an incoming call is received automatically pauses the music, takes the receiver "off hook," and enables the speaker and microphone.  Call quality is quite good--far better than using the speakerphone option built into the phone itself.  Plus it can mean not having to get up from your chair!

CoolStream could have stopped there, but they went on to include three more inputs!

The first is a USB host, which means your old thumb drives can be used once again.   Just drag and drop your files to your drive, plug it into the BTS201, and select the USB mode with the mode selector. The second input is an SD card, which works the same way.

In both cases, the top panel buttons (pause/play/next/previous) can be used to navigate the library or seek within a particular track.  There is no shuffle mode, nor can you browse to an arbitrary file or folder (which would be very difficult anyway as the BTS201 has no display): the songs will play in alphabetical order by file by folder one after another, and will globally repeat at the end of the list.

The last input is a good old-fashioned 1/8” TRS phone plug.  What’s so cool about this is that ANYTHING that has a headphone jack now becomes a signal source for the BTS201.  When I tested it with an old Sansa Clip mp3 player I had laying around from back in the dark ages, it performed flawlessly, as well as with an old iPod.  One thing to keep in mind is that the analog input is pretty sensitive (600mV/THD10%) so if you turn up your device’s volume too much you’ll get some distortion.  When that happens, turn up the volume on the BT201 and turn down the volume on the player and you’re good to go.  Of course this depends highly on your hardware as well as the type of music you’re playing.

Another benefit of using the analog input is that power consumption on your device can be reduced when compared to the Bluetooth connection, since you can disable your Bluetooth radio. However, this will also disable the other features of the BTS201 such as speakerphone and player transport buttons, but the choice is nice to have.

Sound quality is surprisingly good.  Two 4 ohm, 52mm neodymium magnet drivers are driven by a 3 watt per channel amplifier.  Frequency response is 80Hz - 20kHz.  Stereo separation is a bit restricted by virtue of the small size of the single enclosure, but that is part of the price of this level of portability.

The thing I like the most about this product is how competitively priced it is: it will be available starting Aug. 4, 2013, from Coolstream and amazon.com for $59.95. For such a rich feature set, awesome construction, reliability, and fantastic sound quality from a tiny, portable package, it’s a steal! 

I give the CoolStream BTS201 a rating of five out of five stars!

Do you have an idea for an app but lack the programming knowledge to begin building it? In this weekly blog series, I will take you, the non-programmer, step by step through the process of creating apps for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Join me each week on this adventure, and you will experience how much fun turning your ideas into reality can be! This is Part 17 of the series. If you are just getting started now, check out the beginning of the series here.

In my previous post, you learned how to generate Objective-C classes from entities in a data model and you were introduced to the mmBusinessObject class, which provides an easy-to-use wrapper for Core Data classes. In this week's post, we're going to create our app's custom business controllers and take them for a test drive!

In order to perform the steps outlined in this post, you can get the latest version of the iAppsReview project at this link. I recommend following the steps in this post yourself, but if you get stuck, you can get the finished app at this link.

Creating Business Controllers

By way of reminder, Figure 1 shows the three business controllers we need to create for the app, and all three will be subclasses of the ABusinessObject class.

Figure 1 - The business controller classes are subclasses of ABusinessObject.

Creating the Review Business Controller

First, let's create a Review business controller object.

1. Open the iAppsReview project in Xcode;

2. In the Project Navigator, right click the ABusinessObject.m file (so the new files are added directly below ABusinessObject.m), and select New File... from the popup menu;

3. On the left side of the New File dialog under the iOS section, select Cocoa Touch. On the right side of the dialog, select the Objective-C class template, and then click the Next button (Figure 2);

Figure 2 - Create a new Objective-C class.

4. In the next step of the dialog, set the Class to Review and set Subclass of to ABusinessObject as shown in Figure 3;

Figure 3 - Create a Review class subclassed from ABusinessObject.

5. Click the Next button to launch the Save File dialog. Click the Create button, which adds the new Review classes to the Project Navigator as shown in Figure 4;

Figure 4 - The newly added Review class files

6. Now let's add an init method to the Review class that allows us to specify the name of the associated entity class.

In the Project Navigator, select the Review.m file and add an empty line between the @implementation and @end declarations;

7. Type the init keyword to bring up the Code Completion popup (Figure 5);

Figure 5 - The init Code Completion popup

8. Press return to add the init code template to the file as shown in Figure 6;

Figure 6 - The init code template

9. Replace the initializations placeholder with the code shown in Figure 7 (you can just start typing to replace it).

Figure 7 - Set the entityClassName property.

This code sets ReviewEntity as the default entity class associated with the business controller. This allows you to avoid typing the entity class name every time you want to create, retrieve, update, or delete a ReviewEntity.

Creating the AppCategory Business Controller

Now let's create an AppCategory business controller. The instructions are very similar to those in the previous section, so I'll abbreviate them a bit. 

1. Right-click the ReviewEntity.m file in the Project Navigator (so the new files are added directly below it), and select New File... from the popup menu;

2. On the left side of the New File dialog under the iOS section, select Cocoa Touch. On the right side of the dialog, select the Objective-C class template, and then click the Next button;

3. In the next step of the dialog, set the Class to AppCategory and set Subclass of to ABusinessObject (it should already default to ABusinessObject since this dialog remembers the last value you specified);

4. Click the Next button to launch the Save File dialog. Click the Create button to add the new AppCategory class files to the Project Navigator as shown in Figure 8;

Figure 8 - The new AppCategory class files

5. Now let's add an init method to the AppCategory class. Select the AppCategory.m file in the Project Navigator, and add an empty line between the @implementation and @end declarations;

6. Type the init keyword to bring up the Code Completion popup, and then press return to add the init template code to the file;

7. Replace the initializations placeholder with the code shown in Figure 9.

Figure 9 - Set the entityClassName property of the AppCategory class.

Again, this specifies the name of the entity class associated with the business controller.

Creating the User Business Controller

Now let's create our final class, the User business controller.

1. Right-click the iAppsReview.xcdatamodeld file in the Project Navigator (so the new files are added directly below it), and select New File... from the popup menu;

2. On the left side of the New File dialog under the iOS section, select Cocoa Touch. On the right side of the dialog, select the Objective-C class template, and then click the Next button;

3. In the next step of the dialog, set the Class to User and set Subclass of to ABusinessObject;

4. Click the Next button to launch the Save File dialog. Click the Create button to add the new User class files to the Project Navigator as shown in Figure 10;

Figure 10 - The new User class files

5. Now let's add an init method to the User class. Select the User file in the Project Navigator, and add an empty line between the @implementation and @end declarations;

6. Type the init keyword to bring up the Code Completion popup, and then press return to add the init template code to the file;

7. Replace the initializations placeholder with the code shown in Figure 11.

Figure 11 - Set the entityClassName property of the User class.

This specifies that UserEntity is the name of the entity class associated with the business controller.

Using Business Controllers with View Controllers

When you place all of your entity manipulation code in business controllers, you create an app architecture that is easier to conceive, create, and maintain. In order to use the code within these business controllers, you need to instantiate them from within your app's view controllers and pass messages to them that create, retrieve, update, and delete entities.

Figure 12 shows the collaboration between view controllers and business controllers.

Figure 12 - View controllers can call on the services of business controllers to manipulate entities.

The grouping of view controllers and business controllers you see in this figure is actually what you are going to set up in this post and upcoming posts. Note that although the diagram only shows one business controller referenced from each view controller, a single view controller can work with multiple business controllers.

Setting Up the App Category Scene

As promised earlier in this blog series, we are going to take the iAppsReview prototype app and turn it into a real app. We'll start with the App Category scene since it's an easy one.

Currently, the App Category scene contains a hard-coded list of categories that you added when you first created the project (Figure 13).

Figure 13 - The App Category scene

Rather than having a hard-coded list of categories, we want to change this scene so the categories are populated from a list of CategoryEntity objects stored in the database and dynamically retrieved at run time. This allows us to add new categories to the list in the future without changing the app. Let's get started!

1. In the Project Navigator, select the MainStoryboard file and then scroll the storyboard so you can see the App Category scene;

2. As shown in Figure 13, this scene has a table view that contains nine prototype cells that all have the same formatting. We only need one cell that will be used as a prototype for all cells in this table, so let's delete the last eight cells in the table view.

To do this, click the second cell in the table view to select it, hold down the shift key and click on the third through ninth cells to select them too;

3. With these cells selected, press the delete key to delete the cells and leave the first cell remaining as shown in Figure 14;

Figure 14 - Delete all but the first App Category cell.

4. In the App Category scene, click in the gray area below the table view. Go to the Attributes Inspector (third button from the right in the Inspector toolbar) and change the Content attribute from Static Cells to Dynamic Prototypes. Doing this adds a Prototype Cells header label above the table view (Figure 15).

Figure 15 - Set the table view's Content to Dynamic Prototypes.

Header labels are used to describe the contents of a table view, but since the navigation bar already contains the text App Category, there's no need to use the header label. You can simply ignore the header label and it won't appear at run time;

5. Click on the Entertainment table view cell to select it, and then go to the Attributes Inspector and set the cell's Identifier to CategoryCell (Figure 16).

Figure 16 - Set the cell's Identifier to CategoryCell.

This identifier allows you to reference this specific cell from code within your view controller, which we will create next.

Creating an AppCategoryViewController

Now we need to create a table view controller for the App Category scene. This table view controller will create an instance of the AppCategory business controller and fill the table view with AppCategoryEntity objects.

1. Right-click the iAppsReview group folder in the Project Navigator, and select New File... from the shortcut menu;

2. On the left side of the New File dialog under the iOS section, select Cocoa Touch. On the right side of the dialog, select the Objective-C class template, and then click Next;

3. In the next step of the dialog, set the Class name to AppCategoryViewController, and set the Subclass of to UITableViewController (Figure 17);

Figure 17 - Create AppCategoryViewController as a subclass of UITableViewController.

4. Click the Next button to display the Save File dialog, and then click Create to add the new AppCategoryViewController class files to the project (Figure 18);

Figure 18 - The new AppCategoryViewController class files

5. Whenever you create a new view controller for a particular scene, it's a good idea to immediately go to that scene and associate it with the scene. 

To do this, go to the Project Navigator, select the Mainstoryboard file and then click the status bar at the top of the App Category scene to select the table view controller. You will know you have selected it properly when a blue highlight appears around the scene as shown in Figure 19. Next, go to the Identity Inspector (third button from the left in the Inspector toolbar) and change the class to the new AppCategoryViewController;

Figure 19 - Set the App Category view controller's class to AppCategoryViewController.

6. Let's go back and set up the AppCategoryViewController class. Select AppCategoryViewController.m in the Project Navigator, and add the import statements shown in Figure 20 to the top of the file.

Figure 20 - Add import statements to the AppCategoryViewController.m file.

These import statements allow you to create an instance of the AppCategory business controller and work with its associated AppCategoryEntity objects;

7. Next, add the instance variable declarations shown in Figure 21 below the @implementation declaration (don't forget to add the curly braces).

Figure 21 - Add instance variables to the class.

The appCategory variable will be used to hold a reference to the AppCategory business controller object, and the appCategoryList array will be used to hold the AppCategoryEntity objects returned from the business controller;

8. In the view controller's viewDidLoad method, delete all of the existing comment lines (the lines in green) and add the code shown in Figure 22 in its place.

Figure 22 - Add code that creates an AppCategory object and retrieves a list of AppCategoryEntity objects

This code creates an instance of the AppCategory business controller class, and then sends a getAllEntities message to it, storing the resulting entities into the appCategoryList array. As its name suggests, this method returns all entities of a particular type. The AppCategory class (as well as all of your other business controller classes) inherits the getAllEntities method from the mmBusinessObject class. Rather than having to type several lines of code (as you would have to do with out-of-the-box Core Data), you only need one line of code to retrieve the CategoryEntity objects. This is the beauty of object-oriented inheritance and encapsulation!

9. Now it's time to change the methods of the table view controller that are used to fill the associated table view in the App Category scene. In a future post I'll discuss table view controllers in greater detail, but for now I'll just give you the information you need to know to understand the basics.

Scroll down to the numberOfSectionsInTableView: method. This method is used to specify the number of sections in the table view. Delete the line that begins with #warning. Since this table view only has one section, change the method to return 1 as shown in Figure 23;

Figure 23 - The numberOfSectionsInTableView: method specifies the number of sections in the table view.

10. Scroll down to the numberOfRowsInSection: method. This method specifies the number of rows in a particular section of the table view. Delete the #warning line and change the return statement to the code shown in Figure 24.

Figure 24 - The tableView:numberOfRowsInSection: method specifies the number of rows in a section of the table view.

Since there is only one section in this table view, we don't have to check the section number that is passed to this method. The code you have added returns the number of AppCategoryEntity objects in the appCategoryList array. This causes the table view to create one row for each entity object in the array;

11. Now scroll down to the tableView:cellForRowIndexPath: method. Change the code in this method to the code shown in Figure 24.

Figure 24 - tableView:cellForRowAtIndexPath configures the rows in the table view

This method gets called once for every AppCategoryEntity in the appCategoryList array. The first few lines of code send a message to the table view asking it for a cell with the CategoryCell identifier. This is the identifier you specified for the remaining cell in the App Category scene earlier in this post. The table view returns the prototype cell with that identifier.

Next, this code gets the AppCategoryEntity in the appCategoryList with the specified row number. In Objective-C, collections are numbered starting with zero. So, a collection with 10 items would be numbered 0 through 9. The first time this method is called, a zero value is passed in as the row number. That zero value is then passed in the objectAtIndex: message call to the appCategoryList and the first  AppCategoryEntity object in that array is returned. The next time the method is called, a 1 is passed in the objectAtIndex: message call and the second AppCategoryEntity in the list is returned, and so on.

After an entity is retrieved, its name value is stored in the cell's main text label, and the cell is returned from the method;

12. Now that the setup of the App Category scene is complete, it's time to run the App to see what it looks like at run time. To do this, click the Run button in Xcode. When the app appears in the Simulator, select Write a Review and then in the Write Review scene, click the App Category row and you will see the App Category scene shown in Figure 25.

Figure 25 - The App Category scene is empty!

You may be surprised to see that there aren't any rows in the table view! That's because we never created a database and added any records to it. 

Conclusion

When your app first tries to access a database, if it doesn't exist, Core Data automatically creates an empty database for you. In next week's post, we'll take a close look at this database, and then we will add CategoryEntity objects to it and see how they fill the list at run time!

I have to say, I am a big Kinivo fan because of all of its never-ending stream of innovative gadgets. This time, it's the Kinivo ZX100 Mini Portable Speaker ($18.99) with a rechargeable battery and enhanced bass resonator.

Not only is it top quality for a speaker of its size, but the price is amazing, at only $18.99. You could easily pay three times this amount for a comparable speaker. It’s stylish too and comes in green-grey, green-white, and grey-blue combinations. You can get one on Amazon here.

It works with all iOS devices along with any other output devices with a 3.5mm jack. My only complaint is that it lacks Bluetooth for wireless connectivity, which may explain the extremely low price.

Very portable, it comes with a carrying bag and a dual male 3.5mm cable. To set it in motion, you just plug it in and give it a twist to extend the top.

If you are looking for a good portable speaker at a very reasonable price, the new Kinivo fills the bill in every respect, but alas, no Bluetooth.

This weekend, football fans will be salivating with the official beginning of the preseason of the National Football League! The festivities begin with the induction ceremonies at the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and conclude with the first preseason tilt Monday night. Here are a couple of apps for you to get your gridiron love in gear.

1) NFL Mobile 1.0 (free)

NFL Mobile 1.0 is an app created by Verizon Wireless strictly for the passionate football fan. Coverage
of every game from the first snap of the preseason right through to the Super Bowl is available. For
premium users, this comes with full streaming live video. Quick note: this app also gives you live
video on your iPad as well, but those non-Verizon customers won't have that little perk on theirs.

2) NFL '13 (free)

This app comes to the public as an official product of the NFL and is an all-around wonder. You can
check out your favorite team and all news concerning their player roster, season schedules and
even link up with their Twitter accounts. There's real-time game reporting and scoring updates
available. In down time, catch a podcast or two featuring NFL Network personalities. And if you
get the itch to catch an upcoming game, NFL '13 will also help you get tickets.

3) NFL Sunday Ticket MAX (free)

For those who have DirecTV, the NFL Sunday Ticket is nothing short of manna from above on
Sundays. And now, they've got an app that can make that experience better. This app gives
you the ability to watch every NFL game live with full video streaming in connection with your
television package. And that can be anywhere you go with your iOS device. NFL Sunday Ticket
MAX also gets you NFL RedZone access, which is a boon for the fantasy football aficionado.

There's a chance you've heard of the iPhone app IFTTT (free). It's pronounced like "gift" but without the g and stands for "If This Then That." This app does so much that at first glance, you probably found it overwhelming and wrote it off. I'm going to ask you to give it another chance. 

If you subscribe to any of these services (these are just a small sample of the 65 apps it currently supports), then IFTTT can help streamline your time online by automating tasks. 

Inside the IFTTT app, users can create "recipes" for their automation. For example: 

• If I'm tagged in a Facebook photo, save a copy of it to my Dropbox.
   
• If I share a photo to Instagram, then also share it to my Facebook fan page. 
   
• If I check in using Foursquare, then add my location to my Google calendar.
   
• If I take notes in a Google doc, then add those notes to my Evernote app.
   
• If ESPN reports about the 49ers, send me a text message.

The possibilities, it seems, are endless. Don't be intimidated by creating your own recipes, though–the IFTTT app and website have thousands of pre-made recipes for you to choose from to get you going. 

Why do you need the IFTTT app?

1. Stay up to date with important contacts by receiving text message alerts when they post to their social networks. This is a great way to keep track of what your child is posting on their social networks. 

2. Keep tabs on sales! You can choose to be alerted by text message or email if certain iPhone apps go on sale. You can easily do the same with Groupons and other deal sites. 

3. Automate your social media and save time. Whether you're thanking someone who retweeted something of yours on Twitter or sharing a favorite blogger's posts on your Facebook page, IFTTT can save you time! 

Have you tried IFTTT yet? Where can you see a need for it in your life?

As new iOS apps flood the App Store every day—recently topping 900,000—we know it’s tough to tell which ones are worth their salt. But thanks to our Weekly Scoop, you can have the best for free! Here you’ll find a weekly roundup of the coolest apps free or at a discount for a limited-time only. Each week features the best and brightest from websites like Free App Report, AppsGoneFree, appsfire, and more.

Hurry! Get 'em while they’re hot!

    
1. All-in Tracker: Running, Cycling, Walking, Jogging ($1.99 from $2.99)

Whether your activity du jour is running, biking, or cycling, this app will help bring your exercise tracking and analysis to a whole new level. With All-in Tracker you can record your time, location, distance, elevation, speed, pace, and heart rate. Plus, you can see your results on easy-to-understand and well-designed maps, calendars, and graphs.
 

    
2. Focus and Concentration Self Hypnosis (FREE from $3.99)

If you’d like to strengthen your focus and concentration, organize your thoughts, and remember details better, this app is here to help you!  Learn how to develop control over your mind through self-hypnosis to break down the barriers that stand between you and success at home, school, and work!
 

 
3. Daily Goals - Simple Habit Tracking ($0.99 from $2.99)

So many of us struggle to tackle and eliminate habits that make us unhappy. From smoking and nail biting to midnight snacking, this app will help you track your habits no matter what they are as you fight to overcome them. Use it to help you see your patterns and get feedback on your progress.

This is the official announcement of the iPhone life Biweekly Giveaway! Be sure to enter the giveaway at iphoneLife.com/giveaways to win prizes, which we'll announce August 12th! We are raffling off tons of great apps and accessories for FREE.

Here's how it works: Every other Friday we will announce the prizes we're giving away through iphonelife.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. To enter the giveaway, go to iphoneLife.com/giveaways. On the following Monday morning, we will randomly select the winners. If you win an app, we will email you the promo code to redeem the app for free. If you win an accessory, send us your address we will mail it to you.

This week's featured items are:

1. Speck's CandyShell Case for iPhone 5: Retail Price $34.95

Customized with your favorite iPhone Life magazine logo, this toddy is multi-functional! It eliminates dirt, dust and smudges from iPhones, iPads, iPods, Androids, tablets, and even eyeglasses or camera lenses. Made from 100 percent premium microfiber for scratch free cleaning it doesn't need any messy liquids or sprays that can harm your screen and it's antimicrobial coating helps prevent the build up of mold and mildew.

2. Aura Deluxe Folio with typing & viewing stand for iPad: Retail Price $99.99

The Acrobatic Typer - aura2 flips into action by gracefully transforming into a typing stand for iPad and featuring a clever privacy shield that also helps to block out glare from surrounding lights. Switch between display and typing mode with care and with ease.

A Display of Affection - When it comes to showing it's stuff, the aura2 is pure talent. Featuring three angle positions, the aura2 quickly converts to a display stand for your iPad—ideal for showing videos, movies and presentations.

3. iPhone Life Toddy Cloth: Retail Price $9.99

Customized with your favorite iPhone Life magazine logo, this toddy is multi-functional! It eliminates dirt, dust and smudges from iPhones, iPads, iPods, Androids, tablets, and even eyeglasses or camera lenses. Made from 100% premium microfiber for scratch free cleaning it doesn't need any messy liquids or sprays that can harm your screen and it's antimicrobial coating helps prevent the build up of mold and mildew.

Welcome to today's iPhoneography workflow titled "Textured Landscape." I will guide you through the steps I have taken to turn a landscape photo into textured artwork. 

I took this shot while on a walk with my family. It's a simple landscape that just caught my eye. I used Camera+ ($1.99) to capture the photo and used the Auto Focus feature. I did this because I wanted to get a clear shot of the whole scene, not focus on just one area. I also used this app for starting my editing process. After taking the shot, I used the Clarity option at 100 percent. Next, I went to the Vibrant feature and used put it to 100 percent also. Then, I saved to Camera Roll. 

Next, I brought the photo into Adobe Photoshop Express (free). I used the De-noise feature and adjusted to my liking. I then used the Sharpen feature and adjusted that to my liking. Note: be as precise as you can, so as not to over edit your photo. De-noise will filter out any distortion that may have occurred while taking the photo. I love the Sharpen feature, because it cleans up and adds a crisp look to your photo.

After saving to Camera Roll once again, I brought my photo into Distressed FX ($0.99). I really like this app for its Birds feature. I went to the Birds option and added the Alfred setting, which adds a nice group of birds flying. I added the birds, then saved to Camera Roll.

Next, I brought the photo into Camera Awesome (free). This is a very cool app with tons of great filters, textures, etc. I only used the Textures feature here. There are a lot of cool options, but I chose the Cotton texture and applied before saving to Camera Roll.

Next, into one of my personal favorite apps, LensLight ($1.99). I wanted to add a little sun to this cool landscape. This app has tons of great light effects for your photos. It's a must-have for great iPhoneography. I used the Sun Beam option. I adjusted the brightness after I placed it to my liking. It's important to use your adjustments on all of your apps.

Lastly, I brought the photo into iWatermark ($1.99). I use this app at the end of every editing process to add my name. There are tons of fonts, colors, etc. I added my watermark, and saved to Camera Roll. 

I want to thank the iPhoneography community for visiting my workflow. I hope you find some useful tips here.

When you have a brand new iPhone, the first thing you’ll want to do is protect it from any possible accidents or knocks—there’s nothing worse than scratching the screen a few days after buying it. There are literally thousands of different styles of iPhone cases on the market, from colorful geometric patterns to retro printed hard shells to soft leather sleeves. It can be hard to decide which one is for you. To make that decision a little bit easier, we’ve compiled a list of our five top favorites.

1. The Retro Look

If you’re into everything vintage and retro, you’re going to love The iPhone Rangefinder by Photojojo.com ($55). More than just an iPhone case, this is a complete iPhoneography system comprising a shutter button, tripod mount, viewfinder, and magnetic lenses to completely transform your photographic experiences with your iPhone. Along with having the appearance of an old-school style camera, the Rangefinder protects your iPhone from scrapes and scratches and manages to combine practicality with an aesthetically pleasing retro design.

2. Eco-friendly

While a lot of iPhone cases are made of plastic and are shipped from overseas, if you’re keen to help the environment, you can find a few alternative options. The Grove Bamboo Case for the iPhone 4/4s ($79) is made entirely from renewable bamboo and is manufactured from start to finish in Portland, Ore. Sanded by hand and rubbed with citrus oil, these artisan phone cases manage to be both beautiful and eco-friendly and are available either embellished with Artist Series engravings or simply left plain.

3. The Classic

If you love classic, high-quality design, then you’ll find the perfect iPhone case at Mulberry – the leaders in timeless, sleek leather accessory design. The Oak Natural Leather iPhone Cover ($140) is simplicity at its best, combining the traditional embossed Mulberry tree logo with beautiful, hard-wearing leather, to give you an iPhone case that will stand the test of time.

4. Recycled

If you’re keen to recycle as much as possible and like to limit your consumption levels, then you’ll love the Case-Mate rPet 100% Recycled Plastic Case ($15). Available in four different colors, each case is made from one plastic bottle’s worth of recycled material and keeps that extra little bit of rubbish out of the landfill. The translucent material allows you to see more of your iPhone, while the hard-wearing plastic shell prevents any knocks or scrapes, all while helping to reduce wastage.

5. Functional

While most iPhone cases are simply designed to keep your iPhone safe—and perhaps make it look more colorful or sleek— the ReadyCase Multifunctional iPhone case ($40) takes accessorizing to the next level. Featuring an amazing array of extras, such as the removable multi-tool, 4GB or 8GB USB drive, kickstand with three settings, and headphone clip, the ReadyCase turns your iPhone into a helpful tool you can use in any situation.

I'm a skeptic by nature, so I wasn't sure what to expect with the HeartMath InnerBalance sensor for iOS ($99). The device clips to your earlobe and detects your emotional signals, transmitting them to your iOS device. Well guess what... the darn thing works! I was surprised to see that as my breathing, pulse, and emotions changed, the app registered those changes. There is something to this, and physicians, therapists, and researchers need to take note!

The sensor is more comfortable than I thought it would be... I thought it would pinch, but it just sort of sits on your earlobe. A wire tethers the sensor to your iOS device with a 30-pin connector. If you have devices with Lightning connectors, you'll need an Apple adaptor. The connection is a bit tricky, and it took me a few tries to get everything plugged in just right. I would prefer a wireless solution, but it does work.

The real magic is in the Inner Balance app. The colorful app, designed for both iPhone and iPad, tracks your emotional states, and if you are so inclined, lets you share your data with social media.

The rainbow-centric interface is easy to use and helps you stay on track emotionally. At nearly $100 for the gadget (the app is free), it is a little on the high end, but can you really put a price in your emotional wellbeing? And if it saves a trip to the therapist, maybe that's a small price to pay!

If you need to charge multiple devices at the same time without a lot of clutter, the Griffin PowerDock 5 ($99.99) is for you. The charging station also serves as a handy place to store all of your digital devices such as your iPhone, iPod, and iPad.

As you can see from the photograph, there are slots for as many as five devices. The unit does not come with any cables. You have to supply your own, which is fine, assuming you have your own USB cables.

While it says on the box that it’s intended for charging iOS devices, it will actually work with any USB chargeable device.

A nice consideration is that it is case friendly. The slots are wide enough to accommodate most cases so you don't have to go to the trouble of removing the case before charging in the cradle.

It automatically senses your power needs and will deliver up to 10 watts of power.

The suggested retail price is $99.99. You can get one here. 

Sharp focus is one of the key aspects of capturing a great photograph. Focus and exposure are probably the two most critical technical areas photographers need to understand, and my last post, "Rules of iPhoneography: Capture Every Detail with These Exposure Tricks," looked at exposure in some detail. For my second post, I want to focus on focus (really sorry, couldn't help myself).

The iPhone, like all phone camera technology I'm aware of, gives us very little scope to play with focus at the point of capture. This is because the relationship between its optics and its sensor is such that typically the vast majority of the scene will be in focus, or almost in focus, even if we just point and click. We would describe this as a large depth of field or depth of focus.

'Depth of field' refers to the range of distance that appears acceptably sharp.

Really, an image is either in focus or out of focus when captured. It is possible to play around with sharpening and clarity processes to get the best out of a slightly out of focus shot, but what is captured is captured. This article therefore looks in more detail at depth of field as applied to iPhoneography.

Mentioned Apps:

• ProCamera ($2.99)
• 6x6 ($0.99)
• Filterstorm ($3.99)
• 100CamerasIn1 ($0.99)

Key Apps:

• AfterFocus ($0.99)
• Big Lens ($0.99)

Focus/Depth of Field Options

1. At the point of capture

At the point of capture we can use the iPhone as a simple point and click and allow the auto-focus to take care of the scene. For many typical scenes this will be more than adequate. Alternatively, we can manually set the focal point by dragging the square box in ProCamera (or equivalent in other apps) over the subject of interest. This will ensure the sharpest focus. Once the box stops blinking the focal point is locked.

Setting the focal point manually is not only best practice but it is absolutely essential when capturing images close to the iPhone. This is because at close range the 'depth of field' becomes shallow and as such only a small proportion of the image will be focused. It should be noted whilst the focal point can be controlled, there is no way to control 'depth of field' at capture on iPhone. The 'depth of field' is controlled in traditional camera technology by the aperture and in the case of iPhone5 this is fixed at F2.4. These 2 images of a tape measure highlight this point:

This example uses ProCamera (left to right):

• Image One: Screen shot shows the blue square focus point between 1" and 2".
• Image Two: The resulting image shows a very narrow 'depth of field' with roughly the area between 2" and 3" in focus.
• Image Three: Screen shot shows the blue square focus point between 7" and 8".
• Image Four: The resulting image shows how the area of focus has changed from image two. It is also worth noting that as we focused further away the 'depth of field' increased.

This is all very nice for Macro style shots. Getting close to small objects it is possible to make them stand out from the background using focus alone. No post processing required here. The challenge comes when we have a more typical scene and we want to really draw attention to a subject. A photographer using a typical camera would possibly set the camera up to achieve a shallow 'depth of field' via the aperture. Blurring the foreground and background and drawing the subject sharply in to focus. iPhoneographers don't have that option. For us, we have to set about simulating the effect using apps in post processing.

2. Post processing to simulate shallow depth of field

The iPhoneography image at the head of this article is a reasonably typical night scene. Very often photographers like to work with a wide aperture at night for 2 main reasons:

• Unless a long exposure shot is planned a wide aperture lets in more light and therefore reduces shutter speed reducing motion blur.
• A wide aperture gives a shallow 'depth of field' helping the subject stand out but also generating some amazing 'bokeh'.

'Bokeh' has multiple definitions but for the purposes of this article I'm using it to refer to how out of focus specs of light are distorted to create a beautiful background 'canvas'.

The following images show how the shallow 'depth of field' and bokeh transformed an initially promising capture into an image with beautiful 'bokeh':

(left to right)

• Image One: Captured on 6x6 app on iPhone4 through a bar window at roughly midnight. The image is noisy due to the low light levels but it can be seen that almost the entire scene is in focus (although there is some blur due to the shutter speed).
• Image Two: The image was cropped and resized (Filterstorm).
• Image Three: The magic app to generate 'depth of field' is AfterFocus. As an alternative an app called Big Lens can also be used. The focal area is manually masked and then blur levels, aperture shapes and 'bokeh' turned on. The result is that the masked foreground remains focused but other background areas become blurred. Additionally, the light points generate the traditional circular out of focus 'bokeh'.

It is this 'bokeh' that sets apps like AfterFocus and Big Lens apart from apps that simply blur an image. 'Bokeh' gives a much more realistic out of focus effect. We therefore create an illusion of 'depth of field'.

An additional filter was also applied via 100CamerasIn1 to further enhance the image.

Other focus techniques

Traditional photography provides the ability to distort the focal plane resulting in some great effects. Images generated by lens-baby, tilt and shift processes (known as tilt-shift but separate techniques) and freelensing can all be simulated in iPhoneography post processing. I'll leave that for a future article.

Thank you very much for reading and I hope it proves useful.

As a product reviewer who gets to try out all the latest gadgets and accessories, I should be grateful and should not be jealous. But one gadget I don't get to use often is skins. I try new cases all the time, and having a skin on my iPhone would get in the way.

Nevertheless, I daydream about carrying my iPhone 5 without a case. A skin would be a nice compromise, affording protection for the glass back without adding bulk. I also am partial to the real wooden backs and skins several vendors have released. I love the juxtaposition of natural materials against high-tech glass and aluminum.

Fortunately, the good folks at kubxlab (originally iWatchz), have unveiled an extensive line of stylish, ultra thin cases ($29.95). 

I have been using the wooden and crocodile leather models for some time, and they add negligible bulk or weight and offer basic protection. Also, I can easily detect which side is the front or back of my iPhone by feeling it, something that was difficult with a naked, all glass backed iPhone.

kubxlab offers exhaustive options, with 10 different materials, colors, and styles (even three variations of snakes!), and you could easily choose a different one for each day of the week! Plus, the cases only add 5 grams and 0.39mm of thickness!

I'm no longer jealous of folks who use skins on their iPhones, as my kubxlab cases are removable and they offer more protection!

That Ogio produces functional, high quality cases and backpacks is beyond dispute. I have reviewed several of them now, and it’s always a pleasure. This time we’ll be taking a look at the new laptop backpack, the GAMBIT 17 ($100).

A fairly large pack, the Gambit 17 measures 19 x 17 inches. Not surprisingly, it is fraught with compartments and pockets galore. I think the major problem with this pack will be remembering where I've stowed things. It could drive you crazy searching in every little cubby hole for what you are seeking. And of course, it will always be in the last place you look.

There's plenty of room to turn this pack into a portable office or briefcase. Let’s start with the large compartment at the top. This cavernous space is large enough to accommodate the largest laptop with total padded protection. It also sports two pockets for papers, files, or perhaps another smaller laptop. 

At the very top of the pack you have two carrying handles, one padded, one not. There also is a zippered compartment that has a velvety lining with a divider. It is big enough to hold a couple pairs of glasses or other goodies.

Just below the top lip of the large compartment is another zippered pocket that you could also use for glasses, but it has two webbed pockets for business cards or credit cards among other things.

On the very front of the pack there is a compartment with two webbed pockets and a zippered pocket. There are four narrow pockets for holding pens and other long, narrow objects such as styli and laser pointers. You could also put books or magazines in here as well.

Behind this pocket is another larger one designed for tablets or small notebooks or laptops such as a Chromebook. On the back, there is a large, padded pocket perfect for an iPad. In the front is a deep, zippered pocket.

On the right side of the pack at the top, there is a narrow zippered receptacle that would accommodate a pair of glasses or other miscellaneous objects such as an iPhone. Beneath this pocket is a webbed one enclosed by a zipper. It appears that it is intended for use with a water bottle.

On the left side, there is the same arrangement except that the bottom pocket has an elastic lanyard that I believe is intended for tethering a water bottle.

As you can see, there are ample stowage places with lots of room for everything you might want to take with you to make you a veritable road warrior.

The shoulder straps are padded and extremely comfortable. There is also webbed padding at the top and bottom of the pack for back comfort and ventilation. There is a little zipper compartment on one of the straps and elastic loops on both straps for sticking stuff temporarily.

With all this stowage space, I’m afraid I could get this pack to weigh a couple hundred pounds, no problem. Then I would need a wheelbarrow to transport it. Maybe I should invent a wheelbarrow to transport digital equipment and get it funded on Kickstarter.

Anyway, as backpacks go, it seems that this one, with all its comfort, style, and functionality, is reasonably priced at $100.

My hometown of Rochester, NY, is a golfing town. Despite its smaller size, Rochester has hosted the 1995 Ryder Cup, the 2003 and 2013 PGA Championships, the Senior PGA Championship, and the annual Wegmans LPGA event, and even the Xerox Classic. With a number of world class courses, such as Oak Hill and Locust Hill, residents squeeze in as much playing time as they can, given the harsh winters, and are thrilled to welcome professionals with regularity.

To help you enjoy the PGA Championship experience taking place this weekend, I've tried to compile a list of Rochester and golfing related apps and websites. But first, I'll give you more details about the town hosting this year's event.

Oak Hill is the only course to have hosted all six championships, specifically The Ryder Cup (1995), The PGA Championship (1980, 2003 and 2013), The Senior PGA Championship, The US Open Championship (1956, 1968 and 1989), The US Amateur Championship (1949 and 1998), and The US Senior Open Championship (1984)! I don't think we're eligible for the British Open, but you never know...

Golf is really big here. Everywhere you look, vehicles are plastered with the official PGA logo. Many residents rent out their homes to players. In fact, I think one of the golfers is taking up residence on my street. We even have street names like Ryder Cup Circle. Every available parking lot has been converted to a shuttle parking lot. My dad is a volunteer Marshall, and I even tried to volunteer for the technology staff, but I was too late. They already had too many applicants! Like I said, golf is big here.

We even have a Golf Balls On Parade exhibit, with statues of golf balls on a tee as rendered by a variety of local artists. Check them out at GolfballsOnParade.com.

Tiger Woods has been here several times, including last week to size up the greens at Oak Hill. He took a vacation from Rochester to win a tournament last weekend, and he'll be back at this week's PGA. As if you didn't already know, Tiger is on a whole different level. When he was here in 2003 for the previous Rochester-based PGA Championship, the whole northeast lost power during a major outage in the nation's power grid. But at his temporary residence, the lights were still on, thanks to a backup generator!

1. The Weather Channel (free)

In Rochester, they say, "If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes." It's no joke—the weather can change quickly, so you will want a reliable weather app handy.  Weather.com's app offers forecasts with animated weather maps, which is very handy.

2. PGA Championship (free)

A good sports broadcasting app is a must, and there's no better place to start than with the official app of the PGA Championship! ESPN ScoreCenter (free) or Golf Channel (free) are worthy apps to consider as well.

3. WROC News 8 (free)

You might want to get some local flavor. The PGA Championship will broadcast on TNT and CBS, so the local CBS channel's app (WROC News 8) should be on your iPhone. The local newspaper, The Democrat & Chronicle, will have plenty of coverage, in print and online.

Also, the local Golf Week Rochester paper is dedicated just to golf, and a great source of commentary.

4. Golf New York (free)

Feeling inspired to "play a round" at one of Rochester's courses?  There's an app for that, too! Want to play golf on your iPad? Electronic Arts has you covered with Tiger Woods PGA Tour ($0.99). Speaking of having you covered, you will want to dress for success, so check out Bobby Jones' clothing line, from local longtime men's fashion icon, Hickey Freeman!

5. Wegmans (free)

Finally, no visit to Rochester is complete without a trip to Wegmans! Wegmans is like a supermarket on steroids! It has expanded beyond the Rochester market, but this is where it got its start, so check out the original location in Pittsford, or its newest flagship, on East Avenue (the same street as Oak Hill Country Club) for the best experience! And of course, Wegmans has an app!

The Skullcandy Navigator ($99.95) is a pair of compact and stylish on-ear headphones that won't break the bank and is completely compatible with your iPhone. Like all of Skullcandy’s products, sound quality takes top billing, but design is every bit as important. These headphones pay tribute to the classic aviator headphones, which pilots have used generation after generation.

Sound:

These low profile, on-ear headphones combine the classic styling of traditional aviator headphones with the latest in audio technology to deliver a great auditory experience.

Generally speaking, the Navigator's deliver really good sound, particularly at lower to medium volume levels. I did notice that when I cranked up the volume, the Navigator's took on a somewhat tinny, brassy quality, especially with bass heavy music. I felt they could have benefited from a slightly more powerful bass range and a more robust and capable mid-range and treble. Tempering the inconsistency of the higher frequency registers would go a long way to making these headphones virtually flawless! Hopefully in the next iteration of these headphones, Skullcandy will do what they do so well and dial in the sound on these beauties just a bit more and tweak them to acoustic perfection.

I'd like to note, any inconsistency in sound at high volumes is hard to detect when listening to genres other than hip hop or dubstep. The Navigator's shone most when playing music that wasn't overly heavy at any particular end of the sound spectrum (Rock 'n' Roll, Classical, Country, and New Age artists for example). Phone calls and podcasts also sounded great in these super sleek headphones.

Design:

Skullcandy is a company that is well regarded for crafting some of the best and most affordable headphones on the market right now. The Navigator’s feature a utilitarian and practical design, with modern accents that are reminiscent of the current Steampunk craze. These headphones feature a low profile, yet flashy design that shows off the inner circuitry of the headphones. They have a compact, lightweight construction which collapses and folds into a tiny package less than half the size of them when they are unfolded. For a pair of headphones, these are ultra portable and so easy and convenient to carry with you anywhere and everywhere, you just might find them serving as your go-to headphones for all your adventures.

The Navigator's have a detachable, tangle free, flat style headphone cable that has Skullcandy’s patented and Apple certified Mic3 inline mic and playback control built into it. With the Mic3 system you can control your iPhone remotely as if it were actually in your hand, skipping tracks, adjusting volumes and managing phone calls.

Their comfort factor is top quality, fitting lightly and snugly over the ears without excessive head clamp. Even though I wouldn't consider these true “Noise isolating” headphones I could help but notice how well they naturally filter out extraneous sounds with ear cushions that have an almost suction-like cupping action over your ear. The memory foam inside the ear cups ensures a precise fit and the leather covering the foam is supple and stylishly cut to feature the Skullcandy logo subtly over the speaker driver.

The Skullcandy Navigator is a hip pair of headphones, no doubt about it, one I'd say would be appropriate for a wide range of users, with its feather-light form factor and a style and color selection that will suit most tastes. The Navigator has taken a classic occupational headphone style and turned it into a sharp looking headphone accessory that has been met with rave reviews and hot sales in some of the trendiest shops in the country.

Pros:

• Size, and portability. Weighing in at 7.5 oz these are some compact, travel-ready headphones!

• The design of this pair of headphones is based on a classic and recognizable style, and yet they manage to convey a unique flair with Skullcandy’s aesthetic influence.

• Excellent quality at an affordable price.

• These are some versatile cans! You could gift these on-ear headphones to just about anyone who would enjoy a pair of on-ear headphones and they will definitely be stoked.

• The Mic3 feature allowing you to control the iPhone hands-free is a much appreciated perk.

Cons:

• The only con to speak of is the sound quality at loud volumes. I'd like to see Skullcandy address the inconsistent frequency response and audio integrity of the Navigator at high volumes. Granted, listening to music that loud isn't so great for the old ear drums after awhile, but we all know there are times when it just has to be played LOUD!

I review a lot of iOS games, and as a side effect, it takes a really good game (one with unique features and captivating gameplay) to impress me. The latest game to blow me away is called Bloodmasque ($6.99), by award-winning developer Square Enix. Bloodmasque is a complex and layered game, set in the 1800s in Paris. It follows the tale of an elite and ancient group of half-breed Vampire hunters as they endeavor to rid the world of the darkness and tyranny of the powerful Vampire clan. This game is not just another hack’n’slash a la Infinity Blade II. Rather, Bloodmasque is a legitimate contender for 2013's iOS Game of the Year in my opinion, bringing to the table a rich, well-told story, beautifully rendered visuals, diverse graphic styles, and gameplay that is deep and interesting. It's not too complex for a casual gamer, nor is it oversimplified for hardcore gamers. Read on to learn more about this great new iOS game and to find out one of this game’s most unique and surprising features!

Yes, that's really me, in the virtual world of Bloodmasque.

As the name alludes to, Bloodmasque lets you customize your avatar’s appearance. That in and of itself is nothing new in the world of RPGs. What is exceptional is that Bloodmasque is the first game I know of that actually lets you put your own face onto the body of your character. Yes, I said, your face. You have to see this game to believe it, and I have to give props to the developers at Square Enix, because they pulled off this special effect masterfully!

When you start the game for the first time, you’re prompted to take a series of three different pictures of your face, one with a content expression, the second with a pleased expression, and the third with an angry expression. The app does the rest, allowing you to fully customize skin tones and lighting to achieve the most seamless effect possible. And I LOVE it! I think it's totally cool that there I am, battling exotic Parisian vampires in Old World France. Too cool!

If you can't see the embedded video above, click HERE.

Once you've customized your character’s appearance, it’s on to the game. Bloodmasque is filled with both artfully done narrative cut scenes, and also fully rendered, animated scenes which effectively build an enthralling, multi-layered plot. The storyline is detailed, as is the gameplay. As a half-Vampire, half-human Vampire Hunter heading off to looming battle, you’ll select your clan, weapons, and armor based on the Vampire’s you have to dispatch. Challenges will put you against progressively more powerful human Vampire attendants as well the evil Vampire’s themselves.

You'll start your battles against elegant and creepy looking Bloodsuckers, but once you kill their "human" form, that just means you are about to take on their even more powerful Vampire form, which looks like a cross between a human and a bloodied Gargoyle. The clan you select before you begin to fight also effects how well you fare against your enemy, as certain clans are more inclined to overpower others.

Through a combination of battling and the exploration of vividly rendered environments, you amass wealth and equipment. It’s also through battle engagements that you get Blood Credits, which are extracted from the Undead Ones as their blood flies from their bodies in the throes of death and collected in your stake. Your earnings can be used to buy such things as weapons and armor and better stakes for the Vampire killing as well as chronographs to extend the time allotted you to vanquish your foes and Healing Salves for rejuvenation is needed.

Bloodmasque has an interesting social gaming element to it, whereby you can strategically select comrades based on other real-world gamers whom you choose to bring into battle with you. After a successful battle campaign, you are able to share the blood harvested and form a siphon bond and bestow accolades to that player. It does get intricate, as is Square Enix’s modus operendi, and the depth of this game is guaranteed to appeal to serious gamers.

Gameplay is similar to other games of the popular hack’n’slash genre, but all of the extra elements of open world exploration and movie caliber storyline really set this modern epic apart from the crowd. Not to mention the fact that this is the only game I know of that literally puts you (or at least your likeness) right into the very heart of this first person RPG.

This new iOS game has really raised the bar as far as what we can expect from iOS when it comes to serious console quality gaming on a touchscreen. From its orchestral soundtrack to its jaw-dropping graphics to its compelling storyline, Bloodmasque is truly the herald for a the next generation of iOS 7 RPGs. While it runs on both iPad and iPhone, I can't imagine playing this stunning game, powered by the infamous Unreal Engine, on anything smaller than an iPad mini. There is just so much detail and action, the iPhone or iPod Touch seem too small to capture the gory majesty of this amazing game. I expect Bloodmasque will become quite the App Store smash hit, and I have a feeling I’ll be covering this game more later in the year when I do my annual round up of the Best Games of 2013! Stay tuned...

Digital photo filters can change the look of your photos, and it's easy to create your own using Hipstamatic ($1.99)! To put together a collection, use the Hipstamatic app to photograph a blank sheet of paper (or any flat surface to get an interesting texture). Vary the combination of lenses and film with Hipstamatic to create different images.

You have many possibilites as shown by this random collection of nine filters.

To apply a filter to photos in your Camera Roll, open an image in any app that allows blending of layers. Image Blender ($2.99) is a great app for this. Add one or more of the digital filters on top of your photograph, and adjust the blending mode until you get the desired effect.

The nine filters above produced these variations of one images, shown below.

And here's a closer look at the finished image where three of the filters were added for a unique blend.  

I would love to see what you create. If you upload to Instagram, please tag me @gericentonze. Have fun!