Catch all of the excitement of the 2010 Notre Dame college football season — wherever you are!

The Notre Dame Central app delivers all the best University of Notre Dame college football coverage from NBC Sports. Get live scores and video on your iPad!

Good news and bad news for fans of Notre Dame football.  The good news is the Notre Dame Central HD app will give you lots of coverage on your iPad.  The bad news – the app will give you lots of coverage of what’s likely to be another mediocre to poor ND team this year.

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Read the rest of Fighting Irish Football Fan? There’s an iPad App for That (142 words)

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad college football apps

PhotoArtistaHD – Oil is one of those apps that is just pure fun, with a little bit of wow factor thrown in for good measure.  It’s got a simple and fun purpose:

… portraiture & fine art app that turns a photo “alla prima” (at once) into an oil painting masterpiece with no work on your part.

It does this well too – and it’s big fun to see your photos transformed so they look like oil paintings after just a couple of taps.  You can likely achieve the same effect with a number of good photo editing apps for the iPad, but this app does all the work for you.

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad photo effects apps, PhotoArtistaHD - Oil

L’Escapadou is pleased to announce that Montessori Crosswords will be free on September 3rd, as part of Moms with Apps’ AppFriday. Based on the proven Montessori learning method, the app helps kids develop their writing/reading skills by building words from a set of pictures shown. The app provides 282 words and associated pictures sorted by their phonetic complexity. At the time of writing, Montessori Crosswords is ranked #22 in USA top paid iPad education App and its average rating is 4 stars.

Good stuff.  I haven’t actually tried this app, as my daughter is already an advanced reader and writer – but a big part of why she’s got to that level is her Montessori education from the age of 3 to 6.  Her Montessori school – this one in Austin, Texas – was a superb environment where she flourished academically and as a person. 

So needless to say I’m a big fan of Montessori methods, and this looks like a very nice little app for helping younger kids with their reading and writing skills.

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Read the rest of Montessori Crosswords for iPad – Free for Today Only (202 words)

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad educational apps, Montessori Crosswords for iPad

MG Siegler at TechCrunch, talking about the official Twitter app for iPhone and iPad:

But the one thing it has been lacking and that users knock it for is the lack of Push Notifications. Well, good news. They’re coming. Soon.

Ha.  We were just discussing this in the comments on my post with first impressions of Twitter for iPad.  My feeling was that there are already enough good 3rd party solutions providing notifications for Twitter (e.g Boxcar) – but I know many users prefer to have the feature included in their favorite Twitter app.

So this should be good news for lots of fans of the Twitter app on the iPhone and iPad.

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Post tags: push notifcations for Twitter app, Twitter for iPad

Twitter for iPad was released late last night.  This is of course the official app from Twitter themselves and, more importantly, the creation of Loren Brichter – the developer of the excellent Tweetie app, which was bought by Twitter.

Like many folks round the web – and seemingly 90% of the Twitterverse – I stayed up late last night once I heard it was going to be released, and played the patience-testing game of near constant App Store refreshing until I managed to download it. 

My tweet in the screenshot above was my very first impression of the app – well worth the staying up late and the wait.  Here’s some much better words, courtesy of @brandonsteili, that sum up what I was really thinking:

Seriously, @atebits has a mastery of the iOS SDK that just boggles the mind.  Incredible job on the iPad Twitter app.

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Read the rest of Twitter for iPad – First Impressions (558 words)

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad Twitter apps, iPad Twitter clients, Twitter for iPad

Terminology – the very cool dictionary + thesaurus + more combo app – is now on sale to celebrate the relsease of its new iPhone version, Terminology Ph.  The app has been ranked #1 in the iPad Reference category and #25 in the iPad Top Paid charts – as well as listed by Apple in the ‘New & Noteworthy’ and ‘What’s Hot’ sections.  Here’s its elevator pitch description:

Terminology is a browser for the English language. Both dictionary and thesaurus, Terminology is designed to make it easy to explore words and phrases, diving down to more and less specific terms — accessing the web for more detail.

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Read the rest of Terminology for iPad Price Drop – Down to $1.99 (33 words)

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad reference apps, Terminology, Terminology app for the iPad

Wired Magazine for iPad has had an update today, to Version 1.3.  This update offers some bug fixes and performance enhancements, but more importantly the new September issue is now available for download.

Like many others, I find the $3.99 per issue price way too high, but honestly Wired Magazine is by far and away my favorite iPad magazine thus far.  I think it is the best example of a leading print title really embracing what you can do on the iPad, and though I haven’t purchased every issue so far, I happily bought and downloaded the September issue today.

What are your thoughts on Wired’s iPad edition and some of the other leading magazines and newspapers that have come to the iPad?   Which are some of your favorites?

© patrickj for Just Another iPad Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Wired Magazine for iPad, Wired Magazine iPad Edition

Inkling is a new iPad app that sets out to provide ‘a new platform for interactive textbooks’. It looks terrific in its video demo – good enough to make you want to get back in school!

Inkling is a platform for interactive textbooks, built from the ground up for iPad. It turns paper-based textbooks books into engaging, interactive learning experiences while staying compatible with the print book for classroom use.

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Post tags: Inkling, iPad Apps, iPad textbook apps

Simplenote – one of the leading notes apps for the iOS platform for a long while – has just had a huge update last night, to Version 3.0.2.  As its name would suggest, one of Simplenote’s strongpoints has always been its simple and elegant look and UI.

With this new update, the app has managed to maintain that simple, elegant quality while adding a substantial amount of functionality and some lovely bells and whistles as well.

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Read the rest of Simplenote for iPad Gets a Major Update – Adds Tags, Sharing, Full Screen Mode, Lots More (476 words)

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad note taking apps, iPad notes apps, Simplenote

Shakespeare In Bits is one of the coolest ideas I’ve seen in a while.  It’s Shakespeare, in bits that are easy to digest – and it’s quite a bit more than that too.  My first introduction to this superb concept has been via the Shakespeare In Bits: Romeo & Juliet iPad Edition app.

The app is a wonderful rendering of the famous play – an ‘animated study edition of Romeo and Juliet featuring Kate Beckinsale and Michael Sheen’.

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Read the rest of Cool Things: Shakespeare in Bits – Romeo & Juliet iPad Edition (690 words)

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Post tags: iPad Shakespeare apps, Shakespeare In Bits for iPad, Shakespeare In Bits: Romeo & Juliet iPad Edition

Writepad for iPad – the iPad note taking app that converts handwriting into text – has been recently updated, to Version 4.2. The big new feature is Dropbox sync.  As I’ve mentioned before, I am a huge fan of Dropbox (for online file sync and backup), so it is always a big plus for me to see this feature added to any app.

Writepad is an interesting app – one I’ve kept around on my iPad and always intend to use more.  Its handwriting recognition – via fingers or stylus – is pretty good, though a little hard to get used to.  If I ever get over that hurdle, it may become a much more frequently used app for me.

You can find this latest version of Writepad for iPad in the App Store now, priced at $9.99.

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad note taking apps, iPad notes apps, WritePad for iPad

Rapidstats Football is an app that is built for keeping football team stats on the iPad.  It is said to be ‘field tested’ and its developers believe the iPad is the perfect device for keeping up with team stats.

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Read the rest of Tracking Football Stats on the iPad–There’s an App for That (218 words)

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad football apps, Rapidstats Football

The iPad was virtually built for browsing Tumblr, and Tumbleroo is the first iPad app for Tumblr. Tumbleroo brings a native feel to your Tumblr adventures that you’ll love. Big colorful photos, full-screen videos, and all the liking and reblogging you can handle.

That’s the opening slice of the App Store description for Tumbleroo. As you can see, they’re claiming to be the first Tumblr app for the iPad.  I can’t recall seeing another one, but then again I haven’t been looking for one either – so jump in the comments if you have spotted another one.

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Read the rest of Tumbleroo – First iPad App for Tumblr (234 words)

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad Tumblr apps, Tumbleroo

FOX Business for iPad is, as you might guess from the name, a new iPad app from the FOX Business Network.  Here’s the Intro blurb for it on its App Store page:

Stay connected to the business world wherever you are with FOX Business for iPad. Get the latest financial news and market updates from The Most Powerful Name in Business News™ – FOX! Track your stocks in My Money, stay on top of the markets with the FOX Business Minute, compare stocks’ performances, and more!

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Read the rest of FOX Business Network Now Has an iPad App (230 words)

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Post tags: FOX Business for iPad, iPad Apps, iPad business apps

Here’s a nice idea for this back-to-school time of year …

iAppsForStudents today announced a Back to School Sale containing steep discounts on software from the some of the best independent Mac, iPhone, and iPad developers. More than 50 independent developers are participating in the sale contributing over 100 applications with great discounts. The sale, which focuses on students and teachers but is open to anyone, runs from August 15th till September 1st.

The two indie publishers who have organized the sale are Random Accident, whose apps include Syllabus – as student organizer app for the Mac (which they’ve got reduced from $19 to $9 for the sale); and Blue Lightning Labs.

I had a quick browse around the iApps for Students site, and there are some good apps taking part in the sale.  I do wish they would add an ability to sort by category on the site though – so that those looking just for study / school related apps could find them more quickly.

If you’re in back-to-school apps search mode, or just after a little savings on apps from indie developers, you can follow the sale on Twitter or head over here to check out all the apps on sale:

http://www.iappsforstudents.com/

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Post tags: iAppsForStudents, iPad apps on sale

I posted yesterday about how buggy the initial release of Adobe’s Photoshop Express universal app for the iPad and iPhone was.  Happily, it looks like Adobe is trying to get on top of this quickly, as they’ve already released an update, to Version 1.3.1.

And here’s what the update promises:

Bug fixes, including landscape launch bug on iPad. Release also includes all improvements from 1.3.0:

I could not make Photoshop Express show any of the bugs other were reporting over the last couple days – so I’m not a test case for the new update at all.  I’d love to hear your results and reactions if you were amongst those having issues with the app.

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad photography apps, Photshop Express

It looks like Adobe’s shiny new universal version of Photoshop Express – for the iPad and iPhone – is not shining in its current release (Version 1.3).  This is a brand new release on the iPad and an update for iPhone users. 

As you can see in the screenshot above, the app’s ratings in the App Store are pretty terrible – a 2-star average for the current version – which is staggering for an app from a major, mainstream software company.

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Read the rest of Photoshop Express Buggy, Getting Slammed in App Store Ratings (163 words)

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad photography apps, Photoshop Express

Photoshop Express is a new, and free, app for the iPad that brings some Photoshopping goodness to your favorite magical, revolutionary iDevice.  It’s a companion app for the Photoshop.com site, that provides photo editing, sharing, and hosting.  Here are some of the app’s notable editing features:

• Basics: Crop, Straighten, Rotate, and Flip
• Color: Exposure, Saturation, Tint, Black and White, and Contrast
• Filters: Sketch, Soft Focus, and Sharpen
• Effects: Vibrant, Pop, Border, Vignette Blur, Warm Vintage, Rainbow, White Glow, and Soft Black and White
• Borders: Rectangle, Rounded, Oval, Soft Edge, Vignette, Rough Edge, Halftone, and Film Emulsion

You can find Photoshop in the App Store now, and it is a free app.

© patrickj for Just Another iPad Blog, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad photography apps, Photoshop Express

My colleague Thomas over at our lovely sister site tipped me off on this one.  The app is called SoundPrism and it’s an ultra impressive looking way to create music on the iPad.

I’m about as non-musical a person as you could hope to come across (a great listener though) and I still feel psyched to see what sorts of cool things people are going to come up with on this app.

SoundPrism has already been submitted to the App Store for approval, so if it does not hit any hiccups in the review process it should be out very soon – and it sounds like it will be priced in the neighborhood of $3.99.  You can follow its developers on Twitter for more news.

Thomas spotted this one via a post at Macstories.net

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad apps to create music, iPad music apps, SoundPrism

Two more Dr. Seuss eBook titles have hit the App Store over recent days – Yertle the Turtle and The Big Brag.  I’m not familiar with either of these, but the descriptions for them look as enticing as ever.  Here’s a slice on Yertle the Turtle:

Yertle the Turtle, the king of the pond, is unsatisfied with the small stone that serves as his throne. He commands the other turtles to stack themselves beneath him so that he can see further and expand his kingdom. As the stack of turtles get’s higher and higher, poor Mack, the turtle at the very bottom of the pile, is in great pain. Mack asks Yertle for a brief rest, but Yertle just tells him to be quiet. Finally fed up with Yertle’s abuse, the plain little turtle named Mack does something to upset the balance of power and free all the turtles.

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Read the rest of Two More Dr. Seuss Titles Hit the App Store (306 words)

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Post tags: Dr. Seuss eBooks for iPad, Dr. Seuss on the iPad, iPad Apps, iPad eBook apps

Little Things is the iPad App of the Week in the App Store.  It’s a fun looking search and find sort of game, that seems like one my daughter will enjoy – so I grabbed it this morning.

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Post tags: iPad App of the Week, iPad Apps, Little Things

OmniFocus – a powerful and popular task management app on the Mac and the iPhone – has now got an iPad version – OmniFocus for iPad.  Here’s a little slice of its App Store description:

OmniFocus for iPad combines the in-depth task management functionality of a desktop app with the advanced mobile experience of the iPad. With flexible viewing options, location-aware task lists, and on-the-fly task entry with voice notes and image attachments, OmniFocus for iPad is the trusted system you need for managing everything in your busy life.

Use OmniFocus for iPad on its own, or sync with OmniFocus for Mac and OmniFocus for iPhone. New to OmniFocus for iPad are task forecasting views, a streamlined built-in review mode, and a simplified Map feature for creating and viewing tasks based on current or assigned locations.

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Read the rest of OmniFocus for iPad Launched (212 words)

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad task management apps, OmniFocus for iPad

1Password can now sync automatically using Dropbox!

Also known as “syncing to the cloud”, this amazing feature allows you to keep your Mac, Windows, and iOS devices in sync at all times, even when they are running on different networks. (Yes, I did say Windows; 1Password for Windows is currently in beta testing)

Oh boy – this is some fantastic update news. 1Password Pro – the excellent password manager app for iPad, iPhone, and desktop – has been recently updated, and has added the ability to sync to ‘the cloud’ via Dropbox.

1Password and Dropbox are two of my most favorite and essential apps – across desktop, iPad, and iPhone.  Putting the two of them together is like a chocolate + peanut butter moment times 100. 

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Read the rest of 1Password Pro Updated – Adds Cloud Sync via Dropbox (257 words)

© patrickj for Just Another iPad Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 1Password, 1Password cloud sync, 1Password Pro, 1Password sync with Dropbox, Dropbox, iPad Apps, iPad password manager apps

You won’t believe me, but I swear that I bought Pulse, an app that displays RSS feeds in a horizontal/vertical graphic navigation, completely by accident.

No, it’s never happened before. I was innocently browsing around the iPad RSS reader apps in the store when, before I knew it, my finger had already clicked and clicked and I saw the familiar “purchasing…” message in iTunes. Hmm. Now that I had it, I might as well check it out. I then proceeded to purchase NewsRack, because of good reviews I’d read about it. Now was my chance to see how which app would feed my feed addiction (get it?) in a better way. The result is quite surprising.(...)
Read the rest of NewsRack vs Pulse News Reader: 2 RSS apps for iPad (275 words)

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Post tags: feed, feeds, iPad, newsrack, pulse news reader, reader, rss

WritePad for iPad has been updated, to Version 4.1.  The big new addition is …

Introducing twitter client: WritePad is the world’s first application to combine word processing functionality, handwriting recognition, and social networking in a single app.

I think the Twitter client wording is a pretty big exaggeration – it has added the ability to post to Twitter from within a note.  That’s nice, but it doesn’t make it a Twitter client in my view.

In any case, it’s a notable new feature.  I keep wanting to like WritePad better than I do – I’ve kept the app around for a while because I like the idea of its handwriting recognition, but I’ve found it hard to get the hang of it.

You can grab this latest version of WritePad for iPad in the App Store now, priced at $9.99.

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad notes apps, WritePad for iPad