Barefoot World Atlas is like Google Earth... for kids! No, it won’t give them directions and a satellite view of their Pen Pal’s house in Switzerland, but it will give them a fun and fascinating view of the world we live in. And we love it!

    Just like Google Earth, you can spin, rotate and zoom in on the planet, which has hundreds of gorgeous, animated illustrations. Each one represents something unique about that location. Tap on an illustration to find out more about it, view a real photo and (when available) explore 3D objects!

    You can also tap on flags to discover facts about that nation, like climate, population, currency and more! All this can be seriously addicting.

    Looking for something specific? The app allows you to browse regions and countries, or look up features. If you like something, you can add it to your favorites.

    Overall, we love Barefoot World Atlas’ charming graphics, sound effects and narrations. Your kids won’t be able to put it down!... and neither will you. It’s an educational tool definitely worth the 8 dollar price tag!

Taking family photos just got easy

    Taking group photos isn’t always a piece of cake-- especially when comes to getting little ones to sit still! Thankfully, GroupShot is an app that makes it painless! Here’s how it works:

     When photographing a group, take several shots. Then, import the set into GroupShot... After the app finishes analyzing it, you can edit away!

    Select a photo that has the most smiles... If someone doesn’t look too happy, highlight their face with your finger... and then choose their best facial expression from the other photos. Now let GroupShot work it’s magic and -- voila! Everyone’s having a blast!

    Of course, the app gives you the option to save or upload your perfect photo to Facebook and Twitter.

    Overall, we are really impressed by what GroupShot can do! Obviously, the more still everyone is and the more precise you are with highlighting, the better the results... Even with a little movement, the app does an astoundingly good job concealing any cut and paste lines.

    So, if  little Timmy won’t sit still, the dog gets distracted by a squirrel or grandma keeps nodding off, GroupShot is a MUST for your iPhone or iPad. Did we mention, it’s only a buck?

    At last! Apple’s iPhoto has finally been ported to the iPhone and iPad! Let’s take it for a spin:

    On the main screen, iPhoto organizes your snaps into albums. In each album, view photos as thumbnails and tap one to view it larger. If the album is huge, the app makes it easy to filter through pictures.

    Use the tools at the bottom of the screen if you want to edit a photo. You can crop... expose... and adjust color... There are also a variety of touch-up brushes.... and cool photo effects!
-- It’s no Instagram, but there are lots to choose from and you can adjust their intensities to your liking. 

    When you add photos to a Journal, it creates a stylized album. You can customize the look... arrange photo sizes, position... even add captions! When you’re done, you can share it to your iCloud, iTunes or play a slide show. -- we only wish there were more themes!
    iPhoto automatically creates Events, which categorize your snaps by date, when you sync your photos from iTunes or import them using the iPad Camera Connection Kit.

    Another awesome feature lets you “beam” photos to the app from any iDevice! This is handy if, let’s say you took a photo with your iPhone and wanted to edit it right away, on your iPad. Brilliant!

    For 5 bucks, iPhoto is user-friendly and has a lovely interface. It’s also become our go-to app for creating impressive slideshows! However, iPhoto is not as advanced as Adobe’s Photoshop Touch. Its no-brainer editing tools and plethora of sharing options are what really make the app shine.

Say goodbye to bulky dictionaries

Exploring a foreign country is exciting!-- but it also helps to speak the language. Thankfully, there are lots of language apps for your iPhone, so you can ditch the bulky dictionary!  Here are our top 3 picks:

    Lingibli let’s you jump right in! Just choose a language and the app will download a list of words and phrases. Tap on a word to hear how it’s pronounced...((SOT)) and how it’s used in a sentence....((SOT)). One cool feature lets you print labels so you can stick them to objects around your house, which is a neat way to reinforce what you just learned! Use the app to scan the labels and get a translation. Cool! The full version of Lingibli is 5 bucks and free to try.

    If you want to pick up a new language during your commute, check out Byki Apps! Each language app offers 10 lessons called “Quick Starts” which introduce you to some basic vocabulary. In each lesson, swipe through virtual flash cards to familiarize yourself with new words and hear how they sound. You can even slow down the app’s pronunciation...  After you complete each “Quick Start,” you can move on to more challenging lessons where you’ll learn common phrases. What’s great is that the app encourages you to keep going by logging your progress. For 7 bucks, we love Byki apps! 

    Taking a spontaneous trip abroad? Lonely Planet offers a series of Offline Translator and Phrase book apps! Offline Translators translate any word or phrase instantly! Type... or speak anything and the app reads back the translation to you! Like, “Where is the shoe store?”...  For the most part, it’s pretty accurate. Phrase books simply offer common phrases organized by category. Tap on a phrase to see the translation and it’s phonetics. Tap the audio button to hear the translation. Prices vary for all of Lonely Planet’s Offline Translator and Phrase book apps, but are excellent, quick and dirty translation tools!

    So ditch that bulky translation dictionary and download Lingibli, Byki, and Lonely Planet’s offline translators and phrase books!

Our top 3 apps for rising and shining

    Wakey! Wakey! Not a morning person? Check out our top 3 alarm clock apps that are a cut above the iPhone’s native app.

    TimeTuner has been around for a while, but it’s a tried and true alarm app for the iPhone. Like most, you can set as many alarms as you want. You can customize each one to repeat, choose a wake-up noise or song and set snooze times. A nifty feature lets you assign up to 4 music presets so you can wake-up to your favorite web radio station or personal playlist. There’s even a sleep timer, which plays music and fades after you’ve fallen asleep. When you’re ready to turn in, just tap the clock to hide the controls and dim the display. For a buck, we love TimeTuner’s clean and simple design.

    The makers of iHome stereo docks have a series of apps, including iHome+Sleep that can be used alone or with your iDevice to give your wake-up call a MEGA BOOST! To use the app, slide the bar to turn the alarm “ON” and when it’s time to wake-up, slide the bar again to turn it “OFF.” What’s interesting is that the app logs your sleeping habits so you know you’re getting enough rest. When you set an alarm, you can also set repeats, snooze time, sounds and reminders!-- Even create a sleep and wake-up playlist! If you’re a social network junkie, a nifty feature links your accounts so you’ll get over-night updates when you wake up! For a free app, iHome+Sleep has a gorgeous interface and very useful. 

    Now for our top pick: Alarm Clock HD lets you totally customize the way you wake up. It displays the time, date and weather... all on one screen! It can even stream updates from your Facebook, Twitter and Google Reader accounts! -- you know, for those sleepless nights and getting the morning 411. Of course, you can always hide these extra bells and whistles. To set alarms, go into settings... like the others you can schedule them to repeat as needed, create a wake-up playlist and set a sleep timer.... even customize the color of the clock’s digits. What’s nice is that the app makes it easy to brighten or dim the display by dragging your finger horizontally across the screen and has a flash light button in case you have to get up in the middle of the night! For a buck, this app doesn’t miss a thing!

    So, if you think the iPhone’s clock app is a snooze, check out TimeTuner, iHome+Sleep and our top pick, Alarm Clock HD.

Makes mobile photo editing a dream

It was only a matter of time before Adobe gave us a more professional Photoshop app for the iPad... but unlike their freebies, Photoshop Touch comes with a hefty price tag. Let’s see if it’s worth it for 10 bucks:

As the title suggests, Photoshop Touch relies on gestures... which will be a bummer for veteran Photoshop users who have to learn a whole new way of working with the interface... But don’t worry, there are several interactive tutorials that teach you how to let your fingers do the walking. The good news: you can do practically anything you’d be able to do using the desktop version like working with layers, touch-ups, adding effects, filters, text and more! It’s amazing how much Adobe was able to cram in!

On the main menu, view and manage your projects.... Tap the “plus” button to start a new project or import a photo.... The app allows you to import snaps from anywhere, including Adobe’s Creative Cloud service... and Google!

The interface is very comprehensive and include most of your Photoshop favorites! On the right side of the screen you’ll find tools like marquee, lasso, wand, brush, clone stamp and more! Just like the desktop version, you can tap and hold tool buttons to view more options.
At the top of the screen are selection tools, color adjustments and effects-- lots of essentials and fun ones to boot, which you can fine tune to your liking. What’s great is if your screen gets too cluttered, you can hide these menus at any time!

OK, the app lacks certain advanced features like actions, presets and plug-ins... But for ten bucks, Photoshop Touch has A LOT to offer. Adobe did an excellent job porting this state-of-the-art program for the iPad and the way we see it, it’s the mobile photo-editor’s dream come true!

    Spring is right around the corner! Time to get in shape? Here are our top 3 favorite fitness apps to get you motivated:


    Strava Run is a clean and simple app that packs a lot of motivation! Just set up an account, push the play button and start running! For each new run, the app tracks your time, distance and pace. When you’re done, your results are saved to your feed... and added to your profile stats.
The app’s “segments” feature helps motivate you by checking out running routes created by other app users. Check out how well they did, and then challenge yourself to do better.
Strava also has a version of this app for cyclists. For a free app, you surely can’t go wrong with Strava Run.

     Runmeter, Cyclemeter and Walkmeter are by the same developer and do the same thing. So pick your poison! When you’re ready for a workout, create a route and choose an activity. What’s great is that you can totally customize the stopwatch feature. By default, it tracks the basics like your time, distance and pace... but you can swap these out to track something else while you’re on the move, like elevation, fastest pace, heart-rate and more! We should mention to track heart rate, you’ll need to purchase the ‘Wahoo Fitness A.N.T. Plus System”. The app also maps you’re routes and logs your workouts on the built-in calendar. Tap an entry to view all your stats, maps and graphs. for 3 bucks RunMeter, CycleMeter and WalkMeter have alot to offer someone determined to get in shape.

    And finally, for those looking to burn off 4 seasons of Battlestar Galactica, check out Zombies, Run!...The fitness app that turns your workout into a post-apocalyptic zombie adventure! How?... It tells a story and each time you go for a run, another part of the story unfolds... The sound effects alone will definitely get your heart pumping! The app also motivates you by setting goals... arrive at checkpoints to collect supplies like food, batteries and other zombie invasion essentials!  For a whopping 8 bucks, Zombies, Run! might not be for all-- but it’s one of the most original ideas for a fitness app we’ve seen, with the promise of story-line updates. If the thought of zombies eating your brains doesn’t get you off your butt... we don’t know what else will!

Create your own stop motion adventures

Fans of Gumby, Wallace and Gromit, and other stop motion adventures can easily make their own... with the iPhone! There are several apps that let you do this. Some are free and all pretty much do the same thing. However, Stop Motion Studio Pro is topping the charts this week and it goes for a buck. Let’s see if it’s worth the splurge!

The app’s main menu, which looks like a less cheesy version of iMovie. Tap a thumbnail to play or edit your animations... or tap the “plus” to start a new one. Now the fun begins!

Focus your iPhone’s camera on the object you want to animate... and then tap the “record” button to shoot one frame... now, move the object ever so slightly... and hit “record” again to shoot another frame. Keep doing this until the object has completed the action you want. 

Of course, the steadier you hold your iPhone, the better the results. A mini tripod can help, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry. In settings there’s an “overlay” and “grid” feature, which can help you make sure the next shot aligns with the previous one. You can also use the timer feature so you don’t have to keep hitting the record button. 

When you’re done, you can add audio and music-- just like iMovie! The app also lets you save your masterpiece to your camera roll, e-mail it or upload it to your favorite social network

While there are several free options, we love Stop Motion Studio Pro’s easy-to-use interface. For a buck, with a little creativity and a lot of patience, there’s much fun to be had with this app! Check it out.

Turn your iPad into a netbook

If you wish your iPad had a keyboard, you’re probably kicking yourself for not getting a netbook! Fortunately, there are gadgets out there that promise to let you enjoy the best of both worlds... but many of them suck! Adonit’s Writer Plus for the iPad 2 is new to the game and goes for 109 bucks-- this would be an investment, so let’s see how well it works:

OK, the Writer Plus doubles the iPad’s thickness and adds weight to an already heavy device. However, once you snap your iPad into the case, it looks and feels just like a real netbook! The keys are nicely spaced so you can type comfortably and Adonit included keys like a “home” button, so you rarely have to touch the screen. More importantly, it works!-- Without any lags between key strokes.

Before you can use the Writer Plus, make sure it’s charged and turned ON-- the power switch is underneath the keyboard and you’ll need a pen or something sharp to switch it ON.

To connect the devices, navigate to Bluetooth settings on your iPad. Then hold down the “+” button on the keyboard until the iPad says that you’re connected. Now you should be good to go! If this is your first time using Writer Plus, you’ll have to enter a code.

Overall, we love the Writer Plus. It’s the best we’ve seen of it’s kind! If you have giant fingers, compose lengthy e-mails or writing a novel on your iPad, the Writer Plus will definitely come in handy. Visit Adonit.net for more info.

3 new games grammar buffs

Letris 2 is just like Tetris... but with words! Play alone, with a friend, online or schedule a tournament! In Letris mode, create words as letters fall. Keep doing this before they fill up the screen!... in Acronymus (Acronym-us) mode, create real words from acronyms... and in Word Matrix, clear the board by finding as many words as you can. For a free app, Letris 2 never gets old. You can buy additional levels for a buck.

Word Solitaire HD turns the classic card game into a word game! Cards are arranged just like Klondike Solitaire, but instead of numbers, the cards have letters on them. To play, drag letters onto each other to create words. Flip over cards to reveal more letters and keep doing this until you’ve used up all the cards in the deck. If you’re stumped, you can get rid of 3 cards. Word Solitaire HD is an addicting brain twister ... and yes, it’s free!

Finally, if you want to have a little fun brushing up on your grammar. Check out WordWit and PhraseWit... In WordWit, spin the wheel to generate 2 words, that are often confused with each other. Tap each word to get a definition, then play a game to master them. Fill in the blank by tapping the correct word... PhraseWit has the same idea, except it helps you master common phrases. Both apps are educational, fun and we love the graphics! For 2 bucks a pop WordWit and PhraseWit are great for students.

So get wordy with Letris 2, Word Solitaire HD, PhraseWit and WordWit!