CRM News: Reviews

MenuTab Keeps Facebook Nicely Widgetized
May 15, 2012

Facebook's march toward its IPO has put a harsh spotlight on the social network's shortcomings, and one of the primary worries among prospective investors is that Facebook doesn't have very sharp mobile chops. There are a million things it could be doing in mobile to draw in more revenue, they say, but it's still an area in which the network moves painfully slowly.

SynchroCam Sorely Disappoints
May 14, 2012

I very much prefer to write reviews only of apps and products that I appreciate, that I find useful, interesting, or just plain awesome. This is not one of those reviews. And the app? It's not one of those apps, either. The makers of some products sometimes try hard to make them appear to be things they really are not.

AK-7 MIDI Keyboard Knows the Music but Mumbles the Words
May 08, 2012

Apple's Garage Band for Mac is loaded with an array of virtual instruments. The application is capable of imitating brass, strings, winds and percussion, as well as a whole stable of fully synthesized noises with names like "Synchro Nice" and "Future Flute."

Camping App a Powerful Cure for Cabin Fever
May 07, 2012

As winter finally releases its clammy grip around my house, I'm getting cabin fever something fierce. I've got an eclectic travel schedule, hitting hotels for business then heading off to some dive campground near an outdoor activity ... or planning a backpacking trip, which usually requires a base camp before you head off into the mountains.

Flight+: Planespotting Made Easy
May 01, 2012

I've been experiencing a good luck streak lately when it comes to air travel. There's been no lost luggage, no security incidents, only short delays and some pretty easy itineraries. I realize that I've jinxed it all to hell by writing this, but it was great while it lasted. Even when air travel goes smoothly, though, there are sometimes hectic moments.

Pocket Will Have You Grabbing Content by the Handful
April 30, 2012

I've been playing around with Pocket, a not-so-new app which may have undergone one of the smartest name changes in the history of the App Store -- previously Pocket was known as "Read It Later." The app basically lets you snag content that you find online and store it in a handy way for reading or viewing at some point in the future.

'Soulcaliber': A Beautiful Mashy-Slashy Mess
April 24, 2012

Action games can be tricky to pull off on iOS. Everything's done through a touchscreen, so you don't have as much tactile feedback -- there are no buttons under your fingertips to let you feel exactly where you need to touch at precisely the right moment, while your eyes are busy with the screen.

Schlepping Files Got You Down? Enter the DragonDrop
April 23, 2012

I'm a highly visual guy, and while there are all sorts of ways to work with files on my Mac, I still love cluttering up my desktop with folders, links, documents and photos. I treat my desktop like a table surface, and I have elaborate stacks and sections of folders and files.

Harmony Link Makes the iPad a Less-Than-Ideal Remote
April 17, 2012

There are several apps for iOS that can turn your iPad or iPhone into a remote control. Most of these are special-purpose apps -- they control just one device. Whether the app controls your DVR like Xfinity's application, your PC's cursor or iTunes, you're hooked up to a single device, usually through WiFi.

Printer Pro Gets Docs From iPad to Printer, Though It's Not Always a Direct Flight
April 16, 2012

I don't know why, but printing is still -- after all of these years -- rife with pain, agony and confusion. Usually, I like buying new electronic gadgets, but when it comes to printers, it's painful. There's the cost of ink to consider, all the byzantine methods of connecting to printers, setting them up, updating the drivers and trying to troubleshoot WiFi connectivity vs. direct USB.

'Arkham City Lockdown': The Bat Is Broken
April 10, 2012

Typically when I review an iOS or Mac application, I'll give it a rating somewhere between one and five stars. Star ratings tell you nothing about the concept behind the app, how well it's executed, or how practical it is. They're just shorthand for "good," "meh" and "digital sewage."

'Bike Baron' Is Massively Addictive Daredevil Dynamite
April 09, 2012

I'm far from a huge gamer on iOS, but occasionally a great game will catch my attention in a cosmic crash of serendipity. In this case, I stumbled upon actor Nathan Fillion's Twitter feed. He wrote: "My latest game addiction? Download 'Bike Baron.' Thank me later." I'm guessing the guy has some downtime on the set of the show.

Tapose Is a Good Idea Gone Bad
April 06, 2012

Tapose is a great idea for a tablet app that was pushed out the door too soon. After four months in the Apple review process, the journal software arrived at the App Store recently, but it still doesn't seem ready for prime time. On a first-generation iPad, it's often unresponsive, buggy and prone to frequent crashes.

Appinator Makes a Very Easy Task Ever So Slightly Easier
April 03, 2012

Recent Mac converts who've used Windows machines for years sometimes undergo a slight learning curve as they figure out how to accomplish certain tasks that were second nature on PCs. Often these Mac mysteries can be solved with a single well-put Google search, or perhaps a quick and inexpensive trip to the Mac App Store.

National Geographic Adventure Thoroughly Thrills
April 02, 2012

I'm a fan of National Geographic and their society, though certainly not a rabid fan, so when I saw that the adventurous explorers had created a new app, I paused -- was this just more of what I've already seen, perhaps repurposed for the iPad? Or was it new? Compelling? Was it awesomeness wrapped up in an adrenaline sandwich just waiting for me to tear into it? Yes.

'Angry Birds Space HD' Soars Into Orbit
March 27, 2012

The "Angry Birds" franchise is one of the App Store's biggest success stories. When it debuted almost two and a half years ago, its developers hit on a potent formula for casual gaming profits. Make it colorful, make it work nicely with a touchscreen, and make it really easy to figure out.

New Camera+ Packs Great Features but Still No Video
March 26, 2012

Somehow, some way, I've avoided using the amazingly popular Camera+ photo shooting and editing app. My only excuse? I'm pretty rigorous about which apps I bother to download, play with and use. An apptrocious phone packed with gobs of apps tends to annoy me, so I have a habit of sticking with solid performers rather than clutter my mind with options.

Photoshop Beta Pops With New Features, New Look
March 23, 2012

It's not often that Adobe offers the public a free preview of its flagship product, Photoshop, but that's what it's doing with the next version of the photo editing software. Adobe announced Thursday that a beta release of Photoshop CS6 for both PCs and Macs is available from the company's website. Although the CS6 download is free, you have to create a user account before you can install it on your computer.