"If there is an app for that"

The Absolute Best Photography App for Your iPhone 12

December 30, 2020 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Jimbo

Halide Mark II – Pro Camera is a stunning achievement in camera that is packaged as an iPhone app. It delivers an impressive range of features and is perfect for your new iPhone 12.

Available to download for free through the iTunes Store, this app, by Lux Optics, Inc., sets a very high bar for any photo apps claiming to be for ‘pro’ level users.

Features:

As indicated by its name, Halide Mark II – Pro Camera is an app that enables users to use their iOS device’s camera to an all new level of capability.

Specifically, its features include everything anyone who takes photography seriously would want in an app. From manual control over your picture taking, including shutter speed, ISO, and white balance adjustments, to powerful tools like a Focus Loupe and Focus Peaking.

But this app is not just about total control, it’s also very much about ease of use of these very capable controls. For example, there’s an incredible swipe interface that lets you manage all the key settings with gestures and it does a great job of this even is you’re just using just one hand.

This is also one of the first apps to take excellent advantage of new iPhone capabilities. The latest version, 2.1, lets ProRAW-capable iPhones shoot ProRAW+, ProRAW, RAW+, and RAW.

Of course, as with any photography app, the photos you take through it will only be as good as your device’s camera itself; therefore, Halide can be best enjoyed on newer iPhones, especially the 12 Pro and the 12 Pro Max.

All of this and the app is available in 10 different languages.

Appearance and Layout:

Halide Mark II – Pro Camera iPhone app

Since Halide Mark II has so many different functions, compacting them all into one clean interface would be an impressive task.

Fortunately for this app’s users, the designers have really built a terrific UI so while it does take an investment of your time to get to know it, the learning curse is about as quick and painless as it can possibly be.

These designers definitely used a minimalistic approach to incorporating a maximum number of features, however, and while this approach makes for a clean interface, it does make navigating through all the app’s many features quickly something that does take a bit of effort.

Overall, while getting around the app takes a bit of getting used to, the appearance and layout of this app are quite impressive.

Value:

As mentioned previously, Halide Mark II is currently available for a free 7-day trial period. After that you have to select either an annual plan ($11.99) or a one time lifetime purchase ($39.99).

We love the fact that they give users 7 days with full functionality to decide if the app is right for them. Then, even if you’re only half-convinced, you can opt for the one year plan and you’re only out twelve bucks.

Although definitely pricier than the many highly rated photography apps on the iTunes Store today, we think this is the best app for those who pride themselves on the quality of their iPhone photography.

Halide Mark II – Pro Camera requires iOS 13.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. 

TheiPhoneAppReview’s rating:

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/halide-mark-ii-pro-camera-iphone-app-review/

The Best Apple Watch App of 2020

December 26, 2020 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Jimbo

Here at TheiPhoneAppReview we’ve featured plenty of cool apps for iPhones and iPads. But of course there’s more to the Apple ecosystem than that. Do you have an Apple watch? With the prices of the less-then-latest generation versions being as low as they are, there’s not much standing in your way.

The best news is that all this volume is driving developers to take the Apple Watch seriously when they plan the rollout of their apps.

Night Sky is a stellar (pun intended) example of a great iPhone app having an amazing interface that has been perfectly adapted for the reduced screen size of the Apple Watch.

If you ever wonder what’s that star, planet, or light in the sky, this app’s for you.

Concept and Functionality:

One of the first things we look for when reviewing watch app is how well it is represented on the 40mm or 44mm screen size. Is it just an iPhone screen shrunk down or has it been designed just for the its intended stage?

Night Sky, created by iCandy Apps Ltd., looks great on the small screen and, in fact, seems to be even more functional since it’s always just a flip of the wrist away.

When it comes to navigation, Night Sky is pretty spot on and easy to figure out and the built-in compass adds to the completeness of the functionality as it greatly helps in making the process a one-app solution. You don’t have to leave the app to figure out what direction you’re facing and, therefore, where you have to turn to see that rising planet or star.

Features:

Night Sky Apple Watch App

If you’re an active amateur astronomer, someone whose dabbled with it on occasion or even a complete newcomer to stargazing, this app really has you covered. There are literally billions of stars and other sky items in its database. But what good would that be if  you got frustrated trying to find them?

Night Sky never forgets that it’s all about ease-of-use and for sky watching there is nothing better to get you up and running quickly and moving from function to function easily.

We especially like the Quick Find capability and the ability to know when Starlink satellites are flying overhead.

Value:

Night Sky is able to be downloaded from the App Store for free and is universally compatible with iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. We strongly suggest that you try it on all screen sizes as each one has it strong points.

Overall, Night Sky is a definite Best of 2020 Apple Watch app for its brilliant feature set and incredibly well-designed UI.

Night Sky requires iOS 12.0, MacOS 10.15, WatchOS 4.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple TV. 

TheiPhoneAppReview’s rating:

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/the-best-apple-watch-app-of-2020/

Phone Buddy Review

December 25, 2020 by RSS Feed

It’s quite common for users to misplace their smartphones. Perhaps you’ve got distracted and left it behind, or a theft decides to lift your phone from the restaurant table.

Whatever the situation, losing your device can cause a lot of hassle and headache. So Phone Buddy – Phone Lost Alert is a lifesaver A notifier app for Apple Watch, it alerts you when the Bluetooth connection between your watch and device has been lost.

The app features can alert you when you accidentally leave your iPhone behind or if you misplace it. Phone Buddy is very effective in preventing the loss of your iPhone because you will more or less be immediately alerted when your phone isn’t in range.

The Good

We tested the app on a Series 2 Apple Watch and even though it’s an older model the app works perfectly every single time.

And it was more than a few times, as we forget where our iPhone is at least 3 times a day - and each time we received a ping.

Setting up Phone Buddy is easy too. After downloading the app to your iPhone you have to install the app onto your watch by opening the “watch app” on your iPhone. Scroll until you find Phone Buddy and then press install next to it. You can tweak some of the features on the watch, but the iPhone app is where you control most of the settings. You’ll need to established a connection between your watch and iPhone, and this is done through Bluetooth. The app walks you through the steps too, and it couldn’t be much easier to set up.

We used the Phone Buddy for a good amount of time, and ran into no faults or tech issues. Once connected to the Apple Watch you are able to set a distance alert, and this is where the iPhone app shows the current signal strength between your phone and watch.

You can set a distance alert - for example if the signal strength goes below 30% - then you get notified. You are also able to choose how long below that signal strength before you’re alerted.

The app can also keep an eye on your watch battery and alert you when it gets low. For such a simple app it’s packed with features, as you can turn the “watch left behind alert” on and off.

You can set the alert sound to a loud siren or a subtler alarm too, and if you happen to lose your iPhone you can get an alert as soon as you come in range of it. There’s a battery full alert, and you can turn off the alerts easily when charging.

The app even has a hugely useful mapping system so you can visually see where you are and the location of your iPhone. Not only does Phone Buddy alert you that you’ve left your iPhone behind, it also sends an alert to your phone should you leave your watch.

The app certainly rivals Apple “Find My”, because that’s not able to instantly notify you about leaving your phone behind - unlike the Phone Buddy. Because the app requires constant Bluetooth connection it could be considered a battery killer - but we were able to run our Watch and iPhone all day with it connected. That’s about nine hours, and we still had between 20-35% battery life remaining.

The Bad

If you turn off the Apple Watch, the Active Mode will be disabled. When you turn on the Apple Watch again, you have to make sure to open the Phone Buddy app to re-enable the full functionality. If you still experience unreliable Bluetooth connection between Apple Watch and iPhone though, you can restart the watch.

It would also be useful to have a Bluetooth issue alert, as when this happens you. The Bluetooth signal strength can also vary due to a number of different factors and other devices around you.

This really has nothing to do with the app itself though, and down to radio waves that are our of our control. You can use the “Custom Threshold mode” to update your signal according to your environment though, and that negates the issue.

The verdict

At just, $4.99, the Phone Buddy Lost Alert is a nice investment. Once installed you’re far less likely to leave your iPhone behind, and then running back to the cafe in a panic (for example).

From using the app, it’s clear the developer has put a lot of effort in to make sure the user interface and usability are perfect. We wouldn’t be surprised to see Phone Buddy featured in Apple’s top ten paid apps fairly soon.

8.8

OVERALL

User Interface 9.2

Lasting appeal 8.7

iPhone Integration 8.8

Is engaging 8.5

Does it well 8.9

$4.99

Phone Buddy - Phone Lost Alert

FRE STUDIOS LLC

Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews

Popple Keeps You Connected To Those Who Matter

December 23, 2020 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon

If you’re like me, keeping up with friends and family can be a challenge when life gets busy. It’s easy to lose track of texts and phone calls when days go by quickly. 

Facebook and Twitter, the typical go-to apps for connecting with people, are not the answer. They frequently inundate you with needless content distracting you from what you really went online to do.

Popple – Stay Connected is a very well-designed app that focuses on you. It will gently remind you to keep in touch with those who matter.

Whether it’s those who are close to you, customers, or anyone else, this is a great way to make sure you don’t lose touch with anyone you care about.

Concept and Functionality:

Popple, from Circles Manager, is incredibly easy to set up once you’ve downloaded the app. All you have to do is grant permissions for the app to access your contacts. Once that’s completed, simply choose which contacts you’d like to add to your notification group. 

Once you’ve selected your contacts, you can add them to a circle to help keep everything sorted and organized. Then choose your preferred contact method: text, phone call, or email. Finally, set how often you’d like to be reminded to reach out to your contact.

The layout of Popple is very clean and easy to use, which means your list of contacts won’t get cluttered and disorganized even if you’ve added many contacts to keep up with. The main screen sorts contacts by when you need to reach out, too.

Popple was obviously designed by folks frustrated by the apps currently available and with a passion to improve how we connect.

Features:

Popple iPhone App

Popple is a pretty simple app to use, but that doesn’t mean it’s not clean and refined. There are a few extra features worth highlighting, mainly little things you didn’t think would be important but certainly help.

For example, you can even add birthday information and special event notes to a contact so you can be reminded to send them a greeting or give them a call on days that truly matter. Talk about winning extra points!

You can also quickly contact people through the app using message shortcuts or make a note that you’ve contacted a person outside of Popple, therefore resetting your notification schedule.

It’s also worth noting that you don’t have to set up an account with Popple in order to use the app – everything stays local to your device for added privacy and security. Bravo!

Value:

Popple is available to download from the App Store for free and currently does not include any in-app purchases. However, the developer has noted that a previous version of the app is possibly arriving in the future. 

Overall, Popple is a fantastic tool for keeping in touch with the people who matter to you. This can be especially challenging when it’s so easy to lose track of time, but with Popple you’ll never fall out of touch or forget important events.

Popple requires iOS 12.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

TheiPhoneAppReview’s rating:

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/popple-iphone-app-review/

Wakeout! is Apple’s App of the Year 2020

December 06, 2020 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Jimbo

We’ve all had our spurts of trying to be good to our health, be that regarding our diet, exercise, mental state or any combination of the three. Plus, we’ve all seen our best intentions fade over time, much to our chagrin.

Is there any hope?

Wakeout! is an incredibly well designed app that assists us just enough to be totally useful in encouraging us to achieve our goals. 

Concept and Functionality:

Staying fit is pretty important when it comes to being healthy and doing things you love. This is especially true if you’re working at home. Wakeout!, from Andres Canella, helps you keep on track and feel good about doing it.

Ease of use is key if you’re going to stay with it, and Wakeout! won’t slow you down.

In a true testament to Wakeout!’s overall high quality and effective UI design, all options and features are easy to find, and the layout is visually beautiful. No wonder this app is at the top of the list.

While playing around with Wakeout! I noticed that I was enjoying using it and a big part of that is that it’s designed for easy viewing.

Features:

A showcase feature of Wakeout! is the ability to initiate “Quick Breaks” that encompass 4 movements and take just a minute. Sweet.

Wakeout! iPhone App

Perhaps one of my favorite things about Wakeout! is that the app is not only so easy to use, but the way it breaks down staying fit you know that you can do it. There’s no major mountain climbing effort, just little things that you can easily do.

For most of us staying fit is hard, we get lazy, we get distracted, we do anything but what we know we should be doing.

The creators of this app are psychology masters, they make it as easy as possible for anyone to start on the road to building positive, even life changing, habits.

Value:

Wakeout! is available to download from the App Store for free and, as I mentioned above, you can choose to stick with the free version or select an IAP for additional features. 

When it comes to using Wakeout! as a free app, you can’t go wrong with so much that it has to offer.

I definitely recommend downloading it to see if it can help you begin forming positive habits that will stay with you long after Covid is in the rearview mirror.

Wakeout! requires iOS 13.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

TheiPhoneAppReview’s rating:

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/wakeout-is-apples-app-of-the-year-2020/