Record Run (Free)

Harmonix, the company behind the smash video game platform hits Rock Band and Dance Central, has recently made their entry into the world of mobile gaming with Record Run, a gaming app that the company terms a "'rhythm runner."

The game begins by asking you to use headphones, then takes you to a scene outside a record store where your character loses his box of records due to a near run-in with a car. In order to retrieve the records and gain entry into the club, you have to successfully avoid all the obstacles on your run throughout the city scene in time with the beat of the song you pick. This is done by swiping up, left, right, and down on your screen at key points. Your score then determines the amount of stars you'll be awarded for the song as well as if you'll get any backstage passes, which serve as valued currency to progress through the game.

Record Run comes equipped with five songs created specifically for the game. You also have the option to add your own music which will align with the game's interface on every run. All in all, there's 20 different missions found here. And you can utilize four different boosts to maximize your performance and a store where you can change outfits or even change characters as the game goes on.

Record Run is entertaining to play when you first get into it. Your character is really responsive to the beat of the song, and if you get past a number of obstacles perfectly, you wind up in a trippy bonus round where everything doubles. You will get caught up in the gameplay at first. However, there are a couple of things that may dim the appeal of the game after a while. The first thing is the touch swipe control. You have to swipe exactly a certain way; any slight difference can register the opposite movement and cause you to lose a life. Also, when you re-spawn, you're still in play during the process so you can mess up without realizing it. Another quirky element found is that you can't use any songs purchased from the iTunes Store due to the DRM-locked files. If that's the bulk of your music library on your phon,e it doesn't leave you many options. It can also be a bit tough to get more than two stars on a song at first, which can take away from whatever record currency you've earned. And you will need to use headphones or turn your phone volume up loud. Play it silently at your own risk. For Harmonix's first attempt, Record Run is a neat little game that has a couple of snags that may not warrant extended play for some users. But overall it's an entertaining game that's worth a spin.

3 out of 5 stars

Late last year, Facebook introduced auto-play for videos on the social network. Perhaps the most obnoxious part about it is that every time a video ad starts playing in your News Feed, you are essentially paying with your precious data or battery power for them to advertise to you. Fortunately it's easy to disable this feature.

Go to Settings>Facebook>Settings>Auto-play.

To save data, select Wi-Fi. To save data and battery power, select Off.

Top image credit: Twin Design / Shutterstock.com

If there’s one thing the digital age has helped, it’s access to media—particularly music. If you’re anything like me, you carry your tunes with you on your iPhone so you can rock out whenever the need strikes. While it’s easy and convenient to just put all of your music on your phone, if you want it to sound awesome, you need to have awesome speakers. That’s the catch-22 of listening on a smartphone: Users want a pocket sized package, but speaker efficiency and fidelity demands bigger packages. Up to this point in time, we basically had three options:

• Live with the low volume of the built-in speakers
• Get a set of headphones
• Connect the phone to some sort of active amplifier and speaker system

Each has its pros and cons. Obviously option one doesn’t get any improvement in volume, but it’s also convenient, ultra portable, allows you to listen to ambient noises, and doesn’t require staying close to an amplifier/speaker. Option two gives you very good quality sound, but at the expense of reducing ambient noise. Option three is an excellent choice for a stationary situation such as an office or kitchen; but lugging around even the smallest external amp/speaker is not something you’d want to do on a daily basis, and naturally they also need a power source, either via battery or a wall outlet.

The fine folks at XL4D have been subject to the same tradeoffs as the rest of us, but they decided to do something about it: armed with a 3D printer, they designed a suite of plastic cases and stands that take the built-in speaker and make it better.

If you’ve ever gone to a concert venue and taken a look at the sound reinforcement, you’ve undoubtedly seen a horn speaker. These look just like the bell of a horn, and what they do is focus the sound energy directionally while also greatly improving efficiency. “Horn-loaded” drivers can basically do more with less, which is exactly what XL4D has done with their ingenious designs.

All of the available products from XL4D are completely passive, and made of one piece of 3D printed plastic. The company claims that the designs are complex enough to make the traditional injection molding process problematic, and that using 3D printers allows them the flexibility they need. I can definitely say that there’s high quality and accuracy—they feel solid and very tough, and fit my iPhone 5s case perfectly.

There are two different stand designs. The first is the Lotus 5 ($26.99) which holds the phone in a portrait orientation, while its counterpart the ToneStand 5 ($55) is for landscape. It’s unfortunate that you have to choose which one you want, but each is optimized for that particular orientation. I found the landscape version slightly more versatile, but portrait would be perfect if you spend a lot of time using your phone for FaceTime or other video conferencing.

Of course, they make excellent stands in and of themselves, holding the phone at an angle that's convenient for viewing, but what makes them cool is the integral horn that's molded in. The entrance of the horn is positioned right over the phone's built-in speaker and channels the sound waves out to the front of the phone.

The final design I was sent to review is the ToneCase 5 ($39.95). Which is more like a traditional phone case instead of a stand. Similar to the two stands it also has an integral horn built in, but it is a lot less bulky and is designed to be left on the phone 24/7. As far as cases go, the strength of the plastic seems like it would serve well to protect the phone from impact, but it does not have a screen protector so you'll have to use your own to guard against scratches on the face. It is relatively compact and only adds a small amount of bulk. In fact I found the phone easier to hold with my hand or my shoulder during a call.

There are two versions of the case-style product: the Voice and the Omni. The Voice has a small “funnel” for the phone's microphone that increases its directionality and focuses it towards your mouth as you hold the phone to your ear. This reduces background noise and improves the voice quality for your caller. The Omni version doesn't have this feature, because that directionality is pointing the wrong way for picking up audio via movies! So if you find yourself frequently whipping out your phone and capturing videos, you'd probably want to go for the version without the microphone horn. It'll work either way, but each one is optimized for a different use, so keep that in mind.

Let me tell you—these cases work! The effect of the horn is immediately noticeable. With all three designs, instead of the sound coming out of the side (or bottom in portrait orientation), it projects right towards your face as you look at the phone screen. It is definitely louder and more focused, and works particularly well with voices.

Since I was sent the case with the microphone horn, I did two tests to see if it made a difference, and with the case on it made a small but noticeable improvement in the ability of the person on the other end of the line to hear me over background noise (I used a TV). I also took a short video and the mic still picked up the subject, but in this situation it was a bit of a problem. Of course you can quickly remove the case if the audio is that important!

All three cases are simple, one-piece designs with no moving parts and they require absolutely no additional power to use. They are inherently waterproof (though your phone certainly isn't), compact, and serve multiple purposes: protection, convenience, and sound reinforcement.

I give all three cases five out of five stars. They do what they are meant to do and they do it well.

Verizon's LTE network was already pretty speedy, and now the company has rolled out XLTE in 250 cities in 44 states, which delivers faster peak data speeds and a minimum of doublethe bandwidth. Wow, this is what I like to hear. 

Click here to see the full list of cities. Nearly all the devices that Verizon sells can take advantage of XLTE, including the iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPad Air, and iPad mini with retina display. So how is it possible for them to make this jump? Last year the FCC approved Verizon's purchase of Advanced Wireless Service (AWS) spectrum, which has now been activated. A post on MacRumors compares it to opening up an additional lane on a congested freeway. If you're living in a city where Verizon has activated AWS, your device will automatically take advantage of it. 

If you have a legacy device that's not compatible with the new AWS spectrum, you'll likely also benefit. This is because when newer devices take advantage of XLTE and shift to the new AWS spectrum, that helps to ease congestion on the 700 Mhz spectrum used by older devices. 

In addition to the announcement, Verizon has created a short commercial for XLTE: 

[Update 5/27/14]: Video has been pulled down

Apple's WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) is less than a week away, and while most of the anticipation is around the rumored Beats acquisition, Apple may have "one more thing" to surprise us with. Apple TV is due for an update; and rather than focus just on entertainment, according to the Financial Times via MacRumors, it looks like Apple is working on a Smart Home platform, and the Apple TV could be one component of that. TV-based competitors like Time Warner offer "Intelligent Home" that lets customers control smart devices such as lights, thermostats, and webcams from apps. Apple already has a section on its online store labeled "Connected Home."

Apple's largest competitor, Google, purchased Nest for $3.2 billion, ironically the same dollar amount Apple is rumored to be paying for Beats. Nest makes intelligent (and attractive) smart home appliances like their thermostat and more recently their Protect smoke alarm. The Protect is on hold while they work on an issue that demonstrates the law of unintended consequences. Users can wave their arms to silence the Protect but apparently such arm motions could prevent it from making an alert in the first place. This demonstrates how important it is to create these smart devices properly. It's one thing if your lighting doesn't turn on or turns off at the wrong time. Imagine a smart door lock that could lock you out or let the wrong people in.

This explains why Apple is likely to create a certification program, similar to "Made for iPhone" which lets customers know that Apple has verified the vendor's product. This is another reason why WWDC would be the right time to launch such a solution, as Apple will need to provide a whole new level of training to software and hardware developers.

Lately I've been writing a lot about the rumored acquisition of Beats by Apple. In fact, I'm one of the few pundits who has focused specifically on the nature of Apple possibly joining forces with Dr. Dre. If Apple expected anything other than controversy from the good Doctor then I can only suggest that perhaps they did not fully vet their candidate for their executive board. In any case, Apple executives are said to be hot under the collar about Dr. Dre's release of a celebratory video in which he and actor Tyrese are toasting to the Apple acquisition and Dre's status as hip hop's first billionaire. This flies blatantly in the face of Apple's notoriously tight-lipped, and understandably controlling policies on disclosure. Now the same Internet that was all abuzz just days ago about the impending buyout, is all abuzz with rumors that the delay in an official announcement could signal that the deal (or at least Dre's part in it) is in serious jeopardy.

In a song featuring internationally best-selling rap artist Eminem (who happens to be one of many award-winning artists produced by Dre), Eminem sings the chorus "motherf*****s act like they forgot about Dre", in other words, don't you all remember who Dre is, or have you forgotten? It's worth mentioning, and it's important to be able to discuss openly who Dre is and what he represents, because if Apple actually buys Beats and even perhaps, goes so far as to place Dre on the executive board, then they are making a deep statement, essentially endorsing one of today's most controversial superstars. One thing for sure, Dre's not the puritanical, conservative, politically correct type. Note to Apple: Don't be surprised if Dre doesn't fit the traditional concept of an Apple employee, or if he follows his own rules of conduct or crosses some lines of etiquette and behavior.

Personally, I find it all rather amusing! I'm mean, seriously, what did Apple expect? This whole saga is pure fodder for late night stand up commentary. Put the weed-smoking, Heineken-drinking gangsta in the spotlight, and overnight the weed-smoking, Heineken-drinking gangsta becomes your most recognizable, popular, and presumably troublesome representative and public persona. Dre has made no secret about who he is, so I'd imagine that even as a potential member of the Apple executive board, Dre will likely continue to do what he does. He certainly doesn't need Apple for success, nor has he ever been the type to be swayed by public sentiment or socially acceptable norms.

I said it before, Apple would be pushing the envelope to hire Dre, but I've also said it before; Apple could use an injection of "Think Different," and Dre might be just what the doctor ordered. I certainly don't think that the apparent delay in an official announcement means that the Apple/Beats deal won't happen, but if it does happen, it's happening in a way that is likely provoking Apple's worry or ire. Obviously there are many cultural and sociological elements at play if Dre is in the mix which are beyond Apple's control. Then again, as Walt Mossberg points out, perhaps this deal was never for Dre at all but rather for Jimmy Iovine and Beats music. Perhaps Dre is a distraction and a minor part of the equation from Apple's point of view; though Beats Inc. would not be the success story and premium product that it is without Dr. Dre on board. I hope the deal goes down. I think it would be good for Apple, it would get their creative juices flowing, and it would also help make Apple more appealing to black Americans, 71 percent of whom own a smartphone with 73 percent of black smartphone users currently preferring Android over iOS. Whatever unfolds over the next days, stay tuned here to iPhone Life and we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news.

Apple has switched processors before. Apple switched Macs from the original Motorola 68000 series of CPUs (Central Processing Unit) to the PowerPC RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing) chip codeveloped by IBM and Motorola, and later to the Intel x86 family made popular by Windows PCs. But it was not without controversy, and they had compelling reasons to do so, such as performance and availability. As if by clockwork, there is another rumor that Apple might do it again, this time with the ARM chip used in their iOS product line. Apparently, according to Apple Insider, Apple is testing a MacBook Air type device running with an ARM chipset.

There are some reasons to make this plausible. One chipset could be easier to develop for. If iOS and Mac OS are ever to merge (or if Mac OS is phased out) then a universal hardware platform would be helpful. The ARM chips are more battery friendly, and now that they support 64-bit processing, they can do most of what the Intel chips do, though perhaps not as much in terms of graphics.

On the other hand, switching away from Intel could cause problems. Macs can run Windows natively, via Boot Camp, or as a virtual machine thanks to Parallels, VMware, Virtual Box and other mechanisms. Many have said that Apple makes the best Windows PCs in fact! This compatibility advantage could go away with a new CPU. Speaking as an app developer, porting apps to a new chip could be a hassle. Apple's App Store could make the process easier, much the way users can search for iPad apps versus iPhone  Apple could have a filter for ARM vs Intel apps.Apple might not want to alienate Intel, either who is a partner with technology like Thunderbolt. Hitching Apple's wagon to a single CPU also limits their options, if the ARM chip can't keep up with Intel in the future.

Ultimately, options may be exactly the point. By testing ARM-based Macs, Apple keeps their options on the table. It ensures Intel has to keep delivering and offers Tim Cook flexibility in the future  Perhaps Intel could be reserved for desktop iMacs and Mac Pro devices, but future MacBook Airs could be ARM based. Since Apple controls the Mac OS App Store, it would be easier to restrict such a MacBook Pro to only run apps from that store, similar to Microsoft's Surface Pro and Surface RT. Maybe the device being tested is ultimately going to be an iPad Pro, with a clamshell keyboard plus touchscreen design?

We can't give too much credence to these rumors. When I worked at Sun Microsystems in the 1980s and 1990s, we built lots of prototypes to test concepts and many went pretty far along, but never shipped as a commercial product. It's good to see Apple experimenting and indeed, the real surprise would be if they didn't have such a skunkworks project!

Panoramic photos are great for capturing an expanded view of a beautiful landscape by moving your iPhone from left to right or right to left as you take the photo in Pano mode. But what about when you want to capture a really tall building like the Eiffel Tower or a sky-scraping landscape feature? Did you know that you can take vertically oriented panoramic photos with your iPhone?

To take a vertical panoramic photo, hold your phone horizontally and tap on the yellow line to choose whether you will move your phone up or down as you take the picture.

Eiffel Tower, image credit Valerie Potapova/Shutterstock.com

Turret Arch, image credit spirit of america/Shutterstock.com

Well, it’s time for another review of a G5 hidden object game. Don’t worry, though, because this won’t sound just like the last few that I wrote. It’s not that I didn’t like The Ghost Archives: Haunting Of Shady Valley HD(Free with $6.99 unlock), because I am enjoying it so far. Compared to a number of their other releases in the last couple of years, however, this one is fairly average when it comes to game play. There was also an odd bug that I ran into that did not make me very happy, but more on that later.

In this game you belong to something called S.O.U.L., though you’re sort of thrust into the middle of things with no explanation as to why you do what you do. Your task is to try to set the minds of several departed residents at ease so they can migrate to their final resting place. Your guide is a deceased miner named Norman Macabre, and you’ll meet several other interesting characters along the way. I like the idea that you’re actually trying to help ghosts instead of capture them, but in the end it really feels just like you’re helping humans, especially since there is nothing in the town besides the ghosts. I think it would have been a much more interesting dynamic had the game mixed the worlds of the living and the dead.

I’ll forego hidden object games 101 this time around, because this one plays pretty much like all the other ones out there. One thing I like about the game is that there is plenty to do. The problem is that much of that “plenty to do” comes from “find 6 of this or 10 of that.” So rather than having to find a bunch of unique items to solve many puzzles, a lot of your searching is to find a bunch of similar objects so you can magically fix something to move on to the next quest. There is also a LOT of traipsing back and forth, which gets to be extremely annoying when you know you’ll need a certain object but the game won’t let you pick it up because you haven’t been told you need it yet. The number of hidden object scenes seems decent enough, but the fact that you have to visit some of them three or more times is a bit much. The most well balanced part of The Ghost Archives seems to be the mini-games which are comprised of a nice mix of old favorites and new additions that work well in the context of the game.

Normally I don’t mention bugs, or if I do it’s just sort of in passing, but this time there was an odd problem that ended up really setting me back. There is a point in act 1 where you’re exploring a barn, and somehow during that investigation I tapped something that transported me to a desolate downtown. I proceeded to solve all the puzzles in the downtown, and suddenly found myself back at the bus stop with the sign to start act 3. The problem was that since I hadn’t actually completed act 1, it wouldn’t let me proceed to act 3. This meant I had to start the game completely over. On some games I wouldn’t mind so much, but certain parts of this one were pretty tedious playing through completely a second time. Moral of the story: be careful where you tap in the barn, unless they find and squash this bug.

For the most part I really like the visuals as everything is well drawn and extremely detailed. The ghosts look really cool, though I’m not quite sure they fit with the overall graphical presentation, but in the few cases where they try to do quick fly-bys and such for what I assume is supposed to be a “jumpy moment” it doesn’t really work. The combination of music and ambient background noises do a better job of providing a creepy atmosphere, but sadly there’s never anything really scary about the aesthetics. Of course for all I know maybe there wasn’t supposed to be. One thing I would have appreciated is voiceovers for the ghosts.

Despite a lot of grumbling, I’m still plugging away at this game, and I’m definitely interested in finding out what happened to the town of Shady Valley. I just think we’re starting to reach a point where the typical hidden object game format is getting a bit stagnant; so if a developer chooses not to veer from that format, the game has to be completely polished—which The Ghost Archives unfortunately isn’t. The game suffers from too much repetitiveness, which I got a double dose of when I had to start over. This isn’t a bad offering, but in the end I could easily list a bunch of other G5 offerings that I’d much rather play.

Overall Score: 3 stars out of 5

As my fellow blogger Todd Bernhard discussed in this post, there was a report out Monday from The Financial Times saying that Apple will be announcing a new Smart Home platform during next Monday's keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Apple has been working on an integrated home system for at least several years, with a number of patent applications indicating what they have in mind. In this post from January of 2012, for example, I pointed to a patent application that described a single device that would automatically detect appliances available for it to control. This would include TV, video disk player, stereo, computer, and home device controls, such as security, lighting, thermostat, and a wide range of other devices that are now Internet connected, such as the intelligent thermostat from Nest and smart light bulbs from Hue.

The problem is that while there are now many networked devices that have apps that let you control them with your iPhone or iPad, there is no common interface or standard. Apple's vision, as I understand it, is to create a common platform so that setting up and controlling these devices would be easy and intuitive. And of course, any new platform requires the participation of developers. So WWDC is exactly the sort of venue to introduce this new platform, show them how it works, and get them excited about it.

The Financial Times says that Apple has been talking to companies that make smart home products. If they make them compatible with Apple's new platform, then Apple will certify the devices and sell them in their retail stores. The report says that the certification would be similar to Apple's "Made for iPhone" label that it gives to accessories, but with new branding and a new logo.

Apple is famous for the effective integration of its ecosystem of devices and apps and cloud, such that everything "just works." Imagine that ecosystem extending to include all manner of devices that are now part of the new "Internet of things"—everything from light bulbs and basketballs and thermostats, to refrigerators and toilets.

Further evidence that Apple will be introducing a new platform was noted by Computerworld, which pointed to the fact that the schedule for next week's conference has given veiled titles for dozens and dozens of WWDC sessions, such as, "No comment,""This one is sealed,""To be announced,""Shhh, can't tell you," and "You'll never guess."

It's also rumored that iOS 8 will include a focus on health and fitness and a new Healthbook app. If this is true, this could also be a new platform that Apple will introduce. I can't wait to see what they announce. Clearly we have a lot to look forward to from Apple. Now that I think about it, this seems like an obvious next step for this amazing, innovative company.

Image credit: Brian A. Jackson/Shutterstock.com

Apple has announced it will televise its WWDC Keynote, which will take place at 10 a.m. Pacific time on Monday. Specifically, the announcement will stream to Apple TV users via a channel that will appear Monday morning. And visitors to Apple.com can watch it using recent versions of Safari on a Mac or iOS device, or Quicktime 7 on Windows. If you have the WWDC app and an iOS or Mac OS developer account, you should have access the keynote as well as all the videos of the conference sessions, once they are posted. 

I've attended a couple of WWDC conferences and it's nearly impossible to see every session you want, live. There are simultaneous talks throughout the conference. Any Apple developer will struggle to choose which one to attend and which to skip. That's why the videos are such a great resource. The keynote however is the only show in town at that hour. Unfortunately, to attend it, and get a decent seat, you have to line up the night before. Seriously, it's like Black Friday meets a new iPhone! I've done it twice, and it was great to see Steve Jobs in person, but I'll stick to the video feed this time. You end up being exhausted when you need to be sharp, to get the most out of the sessions.

The real advantage to attending in person is the one-to-one sessions with Apple's experts. You can get direct feedback and technical answers from user interface gurus and SDK programmers. I've met with the man in charge of Apple's Text-To-Speech voices at several events, and that was invaluable to making my apps better. These are not interns but the actual people building iOS and Mac OS.

It's too late to get tickets to WWDC, so the next best thing is to watch the stream, at 10 a.m. Pacific time on Monday, June 2. And look for our simultaneous live blog postings here at iPhoneLife.com!

I'm always on the lookout for quality headphones, and since I'm also a huge Star Wars fan, when I saw the SMS Street by 50 Star Wars line ($199.95) at the Consumer Electronics Show, I was very excited, and snapped a photo! 50 stands for 50 Cent, the rapper turned branding sensation, and he is apparently a Star Wars fan, too. At CES, he was paired up with a couple of Stormtroopers to announce these new headphones. The phones are available in Light or Dark Sides, with Vader, Stormtrooper, Rebel Alliance, or Boba Fett variations.

As cool as the headphones look, they have to perform to be worth their $200 asking price. Fortunately, I was very pleased with the quality, features and sound from the 40mm drivers. The SMS Street by 50 headphones look great, and fold nicely into the included matching case. There is a removable headphone cord which makes it easy to replace if that is ever needed. This all makes it easy to transport as well.

The sound is great, and compared to Beats, there is less overwhelming bass which can annoy those around you. These aren't exactly active noise-canceling phones, because there are no special electronics included for that. However, they offer what they call "Passive noise cancelation" and do a great job of keeping outside noise out and music in. Perhaps it's because they intentionally designed the earcups to be oval and not a perfect circle. SMS uses leather and memory foam to retain their shape. While a circle is common on such headphones, your ear is more of an oval, so these headphones fit nicely and are comfortable for long sessions. My daughter even sleeps with them on, all night!

The Star Wars packaging is a nice touch, and you get a collectible box, stickers, and more. I chose the Boba Fett styling because, before there was 50 Cent, Boba Fett was the original gangsta! Plus, it's a little more subtle and only true fans will recognize the symbology. Whichever you choose, may the force be with you!

Well, I knew it had to happen sooner or later. As they say, “All good things come to an end" and "when one door closes, another is opened.”  After years of loyal devotion to iA Writer ($4.99), which is an absolutely excellent app for writing, my new primary writing tool is Matcha ($4.99). Matcha is a new, feature-rich writing app designed to make your work flow as smoothly as silk. Matcha (formerly Wisdom Writer) takes the best elements of iA Writer and combines them with some of the best attributes of other top writing apps to create my new favorite streamlined composition app available on iOS.

Whether you are keeping notes for yourself, writing that novel, composing an email, or preparing a blog post, Matcha offers a finely tuned interface that puts everything you might need conveniently at your finger tips. With its useful extra row of keys, you'll have a plethora of formatting options within quick and easy reach. This app is all you'll need to get your text prepared in just about any way you see fit, for whatever your purpose. It's a versatile and practical writing app, and I've been very impressed with all the well though out customization that it offers, all without sacrificing its intuitiveness and ease of use.

Sometimes I pick up a new writing app to test out and within days, if not hours I know it's not for me. With Matcha it was precisely the opposite; as soon as I opened the app and got past the introductory prompts, I was impressed with everything about this app, from its feature-rich layout, to its ease of connectivity with Dropbox and iCloud. For someone like me, who spends hours and hours a day writing on his iPad or iPhone, Matcha is just the app I was looking for!

Pros:

• Easy to view word count

• Markdown text processor

• Convenient sharing options, including reliable Dropbox sync

• Full text search capability

• Flesky keyboard integration.

• 12 color themes and 5 typefaces.

• Inserting hyperlinks couldn't be easier.

• Smart keys make scrolling through symbols such as quotations, parentheses etc., a snap.

• Day and night modes with light and dark backgrounds.

Cons:

• My only complaint about Matcha has to do with the iPhone version specifically. The fact that I don't have cursor arrows in landscape mode on the iPhone is a mild frustration, as I do use those keys often enough. The cursor keys are available on the iPhone in portrait mode and on the iPad in both portrait as well as landscape modes. I'd love to see the developers fix this one minor inconsistency with this stellar app in an upcoming update.

Verdict:

While I have tried innumerable writing apps, and have stuck with a small handful for over a month or longer, very few earn my long-term allegiance, much less with the speed that Matcha seems to have earned it. If you, like me, prefer to have one primary writing app, then I highly recommend Matcha.

This excellent writing app gets 5 out of 5 Stars from me.

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article called "iPad Reading Apps: Kindle vs. iBooks" which received a lot of reads and comments. And I thank the many people who not only read the article but who took the time to respond. I enjoyed your many comments. Since that time, I have learned some new things about reading eBooks on the iPad.

First of all, there is no reason that I can see to limit yourself to one eBook reading app for your iPad. When I was using a Kindle reading device, I didn't have any options other than purchasing eBooks from Amazon. But with the iPad, I do. Let's look further. 

First, all prices are not created equal. 

You might think that Apple's iBooks would have the highest priced eBooks thanks to Steve Jobs' pricing model. I discovered that this is not always true. I was searching for an eBook recently and saw that the price for the book was $10.99 on the Nook and $12.99 for both Amazon's Kindle and Apple's iBooks. Another book was $2.99 on iBooks and Kindle but $10.99 on the Nook. My recommendation: download all three apps, set up an account for each and then when you are searching for a book, shop all three and buy where you get the best deal.

All have:

• Different font size options

• Various font types

• Three background colors

• The ability to highlight words or phrases

• Dictionaries (iBooks offers 14, Kindle offers 11, and Nook offers 6, although English is all I need)

However, there are subtle differences between the reading apps.   

For example, as Ben Sweetser commented on my prior post, with iBooks you can actually see how many pages you have left in the chapter. I doubt that Ben and I are the only ones who, when reading a print book, would look to see how many pages were left until the end of the chapter. For some unexplainable reason, the Kindle and Nook reading apps don't offer this. In my opinion, Apple got this right.

What the Kindle and Nook reading apps do that Apple doesn't do with iBooks is to have special one day only offers. If you follow @AmazonKindle or @nookBN, you can find out what their book of the day offers are. I wasn't able to see that @iBooks does this. Now to be sure, I've only come across a couple of "today only" books that I wanted to buy, but that's not Amazon and Barnes & Nobles' fault (or is it...?)

Now, it's your turn...

Do you have all three reading apps on your iPad?  Do you look for the best deal or are you brand loyal?

What are your favorite features of each of the reading apps you use?

Let's have a lively conversation.  Perhaps we can all learn from each other.

Top image credit: Ignacio Salaverrio/Shutterstock.com

If you constantly find yourself squinting at your iPhone screen and you're tired of always pinching and zooming in and out, you probably can't wait for the rumored bigger screen of the upcoming iPhone 6. In the mean time try turning on your iPhone's Zoom setting for easy zooming.

Go to Settings>General>Accessibility>Zoom and toggle Zoom on.

Now you can use three fingers to double-tap the screen wherever you want to zoom.

Use your three fingers to move around the screen.

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It's probably snowing in Hades right now. The rumors turned out to be true; Apple has purchased Beats for $3 billion dollars, and they are about to officially place one of the most popular and profane rappers of the genre on their executive board. As Apple's Tim Cook said in an interview with the New York Times; Dre and his partner Jimmy Iovine (who was also hired in this deal) are "really unique" and that it's "like finding the precise grain of sand on the beach. They're rare and very hard to find."

If you are a Black American, or any other color American who happens to like hip hop, then you already know Dre epitomizes the high-rolling gangsta life of excess and violence. Anyone who knows about Dre likely already knows about his fondness for marijuana and his involvement in not only some of the most popular hip hop productions ever. This is Tim Cook's new employee, and he has immediately become perhaps the most famous and infamous Apple employee (next to Jobs) thus far.

I suspect this will make waves in numerous communities. Because Beats is so popular with the younger generation, the company's acquisition brings with it droves of brand-loyal, fashion-conscious young fans. Dre's popularity in the black community will draw people from a demographic that at present, largely favors Android—a whopping 73 percent of African-American smartphone users choosing Android. And of course, anyone who loves hip hop probably grew up with either Dre or one of his partners, like 50 Cent, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, or the late Tupac Shakur. For millions of rap fans of all ages and around the world, Dre joining forces with Apple might rank even higher than Obama being elected president.

Apple's Jimmy Iovine, Tim Cook, Dr. Dre, and Eddy Cue.

Seeing Dre and Apple's Tim Cook laughing it up like old homies on the Cupertino campus, well, it's just something this writer never thought he'd see. With Dre and his partner, music-industry insider Jimmy Iovine, Apple not only gets a massive head start in the wearable audio gear sector, they also acquire two bright and creative minds who will help Apple explore new ways to be creative and tap into even larger shares of a market still trying to figure out how to keep up with the tech giant without ripping them off.

Without going into details, Tim Cook went on to say, Dre will be working "on products you haven't thought of yet, and seeing around the next corner to articulate the way to take music to an even higher level than it is now." I expect we'll hear more in-depth details, including Dre and Iovine's official titles, at WWDC. It's there that Tim Cook is expected to formally introduce Apple's newest employees to the world. I believe we shall see renewed inventiveness as well as some great new products come out of this mega-merger.

I've been a big fan of booq's bags for a long time now. In my experience, booq's products are both well constructed and stylishly designed, and their newly released Boa Flow Graphite ($225.00) backpack is certainly no exception. Read on for my full review of one of the best backpacks I've come across this year.

The new Graphite Boa flow backpack ($225) is a beast of a pack, more than capable of handling a wide range of environments and circumstances. With its large capacity and ingeniously designed, ergonomic form factor, the Boa flow is an ideal bag for many purposes. Its sleek and professional look make it a classy bag for the business person looking for a comfortable way to carry their belongings. Its optional hard frame makes the Boa flow a great choice for the photographer in need of a sturdy pack with protection for their expensive gear. Its rugged build makes the Boa flow perfectly suited to the person who wants a bag that will last for many years and hold up under a wide range of stressors. As evidence of its extreme-duty intentions, the Boa flow has super tough zippers, is water resistant, and even comes with a rain cover to shield it from adverse weather conditions. This bag really is a great expression of rugged durability fused with excellence of design to create a multifunctional backpack that shows it's quality when you study the details.

Details:

The Boa flow features cutting edge fabrics and reinforced stitching, virtually assuring years of steady use. It's also assembled in such a way as to achieve maximum accessibility and practicality. I was particularly impressed with the organization and forethought that the Boa flow conveys. When using this backpack, I always felt like it magically anticipated the many ways I'd access my pack, or the ways I'd want to store my various items. It's a spacious pack, even with the hard panel protective camera insert installed. Granted, you loose storage space when the camera box is set up, but in my trials I found that I was still able to tote around several large books, my drink, a snack, my headphones (using the nifty built-in headphone strap) my laptop, tablet, and iPhone, a light jacket as well as my DSLR camera stashed in the camera carrying space.

Structurally the Boa flow has all kinds of bells and whistles, with many pockets and sleeves, including of course, a very well-padded, dedicated laptop compartment. This bag makes it not only easy, but fun to be organized! And when it comes to carrying a load, the Boa flow makes it as comfortable as possible. Its plush padding is designed for breathability and optimal weight distribution; along with a chest strap it also has a padded waist strap (which hides a tiny, discreet, zippered stash pocket) to allow your hips to bear some of the load. I'm a big fan of quality, multipurpose gear, and the Graphite Boa Flow certainly fits that definition, with its style, functionality, and integrity. This classy pack has certainly got an elegant flavor all it's own.

Pros:

• Ergonomic design, with Airmesh back padding to reduce heat build up.

• Terralinq lost and found service included.

• A headphone strap at the interior top to keep your headphones safe and handy. What other bag manufacturer thinks of that?

• Abundant space. The Graphite Boa flow can carry your laptop (up to 17-inches), DSLR camera, iPad, iPhone, headphones, water bottles, books, and jacket, plus a whole lot more.

• Extremely heavy-duty, water-resistant 1680 denier ballistic nylon exterior, with velvety soft interior lining.

• Plenty of pockets for organization.

• Detachable key clip.

• Waterproof YKK zippers.

• Reflective rain cover.

• As close to a perfect backpack as you're likely to find.

Cons:

• The waist strap should either come off entirely, or allow the user to tuck it away within a pocket. Not everyone likes using waist straps and one shouldn't be forced to have the bulk of the waist strap if they don't want it.

• Lack of color choices.

Verdict:

I would whole-heartedly recommend this backpack. If you are looking for a carry-all that can keep up with all the challenges you throw at it, whether in the course of daily life or off on exceptional adventures, the booq Graphite Boa fFlow is an excellent choice. It's a reliable, rugged, and well-designed pack that will allow you to tote large, heavy, and fragile loads with comfort, security, and style. I give the Graphite Boa Flow 5 out of 5 Stars.

The worst-kept secret in Apple's recent history (post iPhone 4 leak) has been the multi-billion dollar acquisition of Beats by Dre. It finally was announced, yesterday, just days before Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference. This gave the newest Apple employees, Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, a chance to participate in the Re/code conference. Iovine spoke with his new boss, Apple's Eddy Cue, on a range of topics.

Some analysts (other than those of us at iPhone Life) have been confused by the deal because they couldn't see why Apple was buying Beats. Was it for the overpriced headphones? The brand? The people (Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine)? Or the Beat Music streaming service? Perhaps any one of those reasons wouldn't justify Apple's largest acquisition to date. But for all of the above, it's a steal at $3 billion (less than the originally discussed $3.2 billion.)

Apple, and Steve Jobs, had been working with Iovine for years, so this is not a spontaneous act. Eddy Cue said "This isn’t something that just happened overnight. Jimmy and I have talked about working together for a decade." Eddy went on to insist that they were not trying to "buy cool" and indeed Apple is already one of the most respected and recognized and, dare I say, "cool" brands.  

Apple TV was another subject of discussion. While Iovine insisted his focus was on music and not TV, he did lament the state of movie selection. Iovine said "I’ve got an enormous job with music. I’m not going anywhere near TV. But, that said, my bigger problem is with movies. I wanted to watch a movie the other day with my girlfriend. Too hard to pick a movie. We need curation."

Apple TV needs an update. Roku, Amazon, and Google all have released smart TV products or updates that make the current Apple model look stale. However, it turns out the so-called Apple hobby generates $1 billion a year with 20 million units sold. Cue promised more enhancements as part of Apple's best product line in 25 years, so WWDC should be interesting!

Home button or Sleep/Wake button not working properly? (Maybe you had some kind of iPhone misfortune involving water or a drop?) You're probably planning to take your phone in to get fixed; but in the mean time,  Assistive Touch is a great work around to this problem:

To turn on Assistive Touch go to Settings>General>Accessibility>Assistive Touch and toggle Assistive Touch on.

A virtual Home button will now appear on your screen at all times. Press this button and you will bring up a screen like this:

Tapping Favorites will allow you to create your own custom gestures. 

Tap Siri to use your phone's digital assistant.

Tap Home to return to the Homescreen.

And tap Device to bring up a whole new menu of options that allow yout to lock the screen orientation, rotate the screen, adjust the volume, mute or unmute your ringer:

Tapping More will bring up another menu that let you shake to undo, take a screenshot, bring up the multitasking bar, or use gestures.

Don't forget to enter this weekend's Giveaway Contest! 

Here's how it works: Every other weekend we raffle off tons of great apps and accessories for FREE then announce the winners through iphonelife.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. To enter, go to iPhoneLife.com/giveaways. If you win an app, we will email you the promo code. If you win an accessory, we will ask you for your mailing address.

This weeks featured items are:

1. Nu: Stylus by Mobile Tail: Retail Price $25.99

2013 red dot design award winner! The world's lightest stylus pen—Lighter than a piece of A4 paper (weight : 4g). The material is 7001 aluminum alloy (duralumin—for aircraft structural technology). 

2. NoiseHush NX85 Stereo 3.5mm Headset with Mic: Retail Price $69.99

The ergonomically-designed NoiseHush NX85 stereo headset delivers superior sound for phone calls and music through mobile phones, tablets, MP3 players, and laptops. It features a patented bass system and high-grade 10mm driver unit, to reproduce high definition, bass-driven sound without the need for batteries. Its in-line microphone is acoustically tuned to filter out external noise, ensuring that callers hear you clearly even in the noisiest environments; and the one-touch track/talk remote button makes it easy to switch between music and phone calls. The snug- fitting in-ear gel isolates external noise, and provides maximum comfort for hours of enjoyment.

3. LifeCharge iPhone 5/5S Battery Case: Retail Price $79.99

LifeCHARGE Battery Case's sleek, streamlined design naturally fits to the form of your phone, allowing portability of your original iPhone 5/5s. Never run out of power again with the built-in 2300mAh lithium-Polymer battery. It offers up to eight hours of added time on a 3G network, 10 hours of Internet use on Wi-Fi, 40 hours of Audio playback time or 10 hours of video playback time. Eye-catching LED indicators inform you what energy level you're currently operating under.

Questions or comments? Email Brian@iphonelife.com. Good luck and remember to visit iphonelife.com/giveaways to enter! Also check out our other contests at iphonelife.com/contests. The next contest drawing is June 2nd!