iPad App of the Day - Dexigner

Dexigner
Dexigner, 0.8 mb, Free

Dexigner is THE essential app for anyone interested in art, design, fashion, architecture, and related fields.

This wonderful, yet simple app gives you the latest news, local events, competitions and directory of related businesses and organizations wherever you need. Most of the content is short text and some colorful pics, all pulled in from their resources at dexigner.com. The info is always update, as users may share via Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, email. All free, with very little storage on your iPad.

iPad App of the Day - Free Wi-Fi Finder

Free Wi-Fi Finder 
JiWire Inc., 3.5 mb, FREE
(iphone version also available)

This app is essential to all travelers and nomadic folk. This, for the main reason that a 145,000+ database of locations can be stored for offline use and searched by zip code. Free Wi-Fi Finder comes in very handy when seeking an emergency spot to Tweet, Facebook, email, upload, ping and poke. In the online mode, a handy map comes up, which can very useful when that library closes, or the Starbucks gets too rowdy. Overall, the app is very easy and simple to use. Even better, Wi-Fi Finder is also free and low on storage space.

iPad App of the Day - Ruler for the iPad

Ruler for iPad or iPhone
Jonathan Walz, 7.4 mb, FREE
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Just a simple, free ruler for the iPad. Measure real things and stuff on it or with it. This app has the inches and centimeters switching option, a grid, line plotting, six different visual styles. Not bad for the price of free. There are ads, of which you can pay within the app to remove. You can also save and email (!) your measurements. The Ruler is a handy, low space solution for school and posting descriptions for selling eBay items or whatever else online.

Yeah, today's app is short and simple. It's the end of the work week; go out and enjoy some fresh air.

New iPad App - The Disney Store

Disney Store
Disney, 5.0 mb, FREE

Just released yesterday, your answer to the latest and best Disney merchandising obsessions. Plenty of toys, clothes, collectibles to gawk and swipe, direct from the house of the Mouse. The available products displays the full detail, a color picture of two, and the options to buy and ship. The app also helps to amuse small children as they can navigate endlessly at pics of Disney Princesses stuff or whatever (good Marvel Comics stuff too!). 

Seriously, this is how store catalogs on the iPad should be; not just copies of matching store web sites. The entire app is quick and easy. Go through simple categories, nice colorful pics, scrollable details and all that you need to check out after the same touch. The "Find-a-Store" feature is a nice touch for those looking to do more physical browsing. My personal favorite is the "Sale" section..lots of products there for more than 50% off retail. 

Overall, the Disney Store app serves it's purpose and for me brings back the excitement of toy catalogs. Worth a look, especially for the child in all of us.

Free and Wonderful - Snapseed (for a limited time)

Snapseed (for the iPad)
Nik Software, 15 mb, $4.99 FREE until 9/23!
(iPhone version also available)

For shutterbugs who love uploading and editing pics on the iPad, get this app right now. For just a few days, Snapseed is now free. That is no cost, a wonderful price for something this useful.

What makes this app wonderful and necessary are its uncommon photo enhancing techniques to the iPad, unavailable on most similar photo editing apps. "Autocorrect" and "Tune Image" are nice, almost cheating ways to quickly adjust the clarity, light and color of images. The "Selective Adjust" feature allows it's user to place points upon the picture than change that particular area. Other features include adding effects to pictures such as vintage fades, blurs, and borders. Most features are customizable, and easy to use. Pics can then be directly shared online or saved to the iPad.

Snapseed should be no replacement for other useful editing apps like Photoshop Express, but an additional tool to what's available. For photo editors who understand the iPads limitations on advanced photo editing, users should keep as many options available as possible among the many apps available. As a digital photo sharing and editing enthusiast, I will compile and share my personal list of these photo editing essentials soon. In the meantime, please share your favorite apps or techniques in the comments below.

Free iPad Games Apps fer Speak Like a Pirate Day!

ARRRR! Fer this day, it be International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Let's look at ye buried treasure, that be on the iPad today at no cost.

Lil Pirates
Capcom Interactive, 53.8 mb, FREE
Silly cartoon style scurvy pirate a ruckas. Customize 'n build ye ship. Battle 'n recruit through Facebook or rotten Apple's Game Center.

Pirates Life
Dreamix Studio, 47.1 mb, FREE
A more simplistic, yet frantic touch 'n swipe battle. 'tis one crude detailed ship vs. th' other from a birds-eye view, in a classic early 80's style 'o fight. Great fer them seekin' casual a ruckas.

Crimson Steam Pirates
Bungie Aerospace Corporation, 142 mb, FREE
Scurvy pirate warfare, turn based strategy wit' a steampunk edge. Fantastic a ruckas fer th' more hardcore tabletop thinker. Also, lust th' epic 'n familiar music. Highly recommended!

Pirates
GreenRobot LLC, 11.7 mb, FREE
A multiplayer, extra detailed battle 'o th' scurvy pirate life. Sadly th' iPad version kept crashin'. woefully, such troubles gunna be fixed. In th' meantime, worth a download 'n a woe they gunna fix.

Scurvy pirate translation assistance provided by postlikeapirate.com. Gift it a give a go' if ye be knowin' whats good fer ye.

iPad App of the Day - PR Newswire

PR Newswire
International Business Media, 1.3 MB, FREE

PR Newswire is essential to all news publishers, business bloggers and information junkies. This fantastic app connects users (after registration) online to hundreds of fresh, daily public relation releases; all direct by companies and organizations from over 170 countries. Categories, customizable searches and alerts help users sort through the information overload and retain the most important breaking information about their industrial fields. 

The iPad integration is perfect for constantly on the go. Information is delivered quickly via the app in scrollable, easy to swipe and switch subscreens.. Text size, dual language (English, Spanish for now), caching and Twitter feeds are also welcome options. The best features are within each release at the the push of finger to the title. Print, email, blogging and more social media options become available, easing productivity as the iPad should. 

Also included are videos (oddly not very up to date), and PR marketing news and industry roundups. But, here's hoping the app will undergo new updates towards expanded options and increased performance. I would welcome less app crashing, direct access to product images, and text, background changing options. Still, for its price and usefulness, PR Newswire is worth having.

Free and Wonderful: How To Spend It Magazine

How To Spend It Magazine
Financial Times Ltd. 10.4 MB FREE

For those looking to live a lavish, glamorous lifestyle of high fashion and fancy cars should look into this app for the iPad. Now more than 60 issues worth of its magazine are free to you, with more content on the way. All of its content are placed in helpful categories, with features viewable in a familiar full color, high quality magazine style.

All much worth a look, but even more interesting is this publisher's radically different approach on the iPad. Read this recent article on Foliomag.com about how Financial Times recent troubles on using Apple's pay subscription model and ad-supported direction changed its business strategy. Hopefully, other magazine publishers will release material of this quality and format based on web access. With success, perhaps more of the Internet share will flock back to the beauty of magazine style formats via e-readers and tablets, especially in a world of declining newsstands.

9/12 Today on Sale, Free iPad Apps!

Free Apple Apps for the iPad that are worth checking out!


Mindjet
A simple idea mapping manager. Choosing colors as you continuously expand is a nice touch. Hard to resist at merely 2.6 MB and worth checking out. $8.99 FREE!

Archivme 
Yet another bill organizer.However, Archivme alllows ever-handy Dropbox cloud syncing and file intergration allowing PDF and image importing. Well worth checking out. $4.99 FREE!

Battery Go! Plus
A simple app that examines your iPad lithium battery in much better detail, breaking it down by activity. Handy for excessive cordless users and campers. Personally, I use Systeminfo with less battery information but handy with other looks at processes. Still, at a mere 10.8 MB, it's worth including. $1.99 FREE!

American McGee Presents Akaniero: A Red Riding Hood Tale
A highly interactive storybook that offers a different and darker take on the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Set in feudal Japan, this is interesting eye candy for us older adults hungering for imagination. $1.99 FREE!
 
BioPocket
Supposedly, this can be used to predict your mental, physical, emotional, and mental peak in yourself and others. Can't say I understand biorhythms. But, this may be an interesting and helpful way to understand them. Worth a try for its price. $4.99 FREE!

Dolphin Browser HD
Just released today is this radically different alternative to the Safari iPad standard. The quick swiping interface for book marks and tabs combined with its convenient touch control options makes the Dolphin a must try for those seeking alternatives and easier browsing. FREE!