This Week in iPad Episode 40

Cold Open
Coming up, Andrea has a review of Deadspace for iOS, plus Jacob likes BOTH of his apps in Planet of the Apps, on This Week in iPad.

Twitter!
If you're not yet, you can always follow the show on Twitter @TWiiPad, also you can follow Andrea on twitter @AndreaRene and you can follow Jacob @JacobBurch. You can also email the show at iPad@thisweekin.com.

StormOnDemand


One of the reasons you can enjoy fine programming like This Week in iPad is because of the support of Storm on Demand. For all your cloud computing needs, please visit them at StormOnDemand.com.

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Vopium is a great way to call internationally without paying high fees to do so. How it works is, you make a call to Vopium's local number, and Vopium will route the call for you so you can talk to your friends abroad for as little as a tenth of what it would cost normally. Vopium is available on the Apple App store, the Android market, the Ovi Store, and Blackberry app world. You'll get 15 minutes free and 15 free text messages, and after that's it's pay as you go.

iPad Game of the Week

(Before we get into this week's game, Andrea featured the Fling game controller.)

This week's game of the week is Dead Space. The best way to experience this game is to use a set of headphones. The game's sound effects really immerse you in the universe. The game is $9.99 so you can get a sample of Dead Space without committing $60 for the console game.

News

No News
Last thursday marked the one year anniversary of the iPad's initial announcement by Apple and as of yet, there's no date set for the release of iPad 2.

News Corp Sets Date for the Daily
"The Daily", an iPad only news app will premiere on February 2 according to PCMAG. The announcement will also herald official iOS support for subscriptions, something the publishing industry has wanted since the iPad was introduced last year.

Adobe to Update Packager with iPad Support
Adobe has released an update to it's Packager software to give Flash developers access to several iOS gestures, most notably the "pinch". Jacob has no idea why any Flash developer would need that feature. If you know of a Flash app using pinch, tweet us @TWiiPad.

Planet of the Apps!

Lifestyle apps

Van Gogh HD
Andrea's first app this week is Van Gogh HD. This is a virtual gallery of the painter's most famous works. The app is currently on sale for $1.99. The developer also has several other artists available as well.

AppStart
Jacob's first app this week is AppStart. Jacob wanted to hate this app but once he got it, he was impressed. The app allows users to find the apps(insert Xzibit joke here). It's a beautiful app and well worth the $0.99.

Find A Pint
Andrea's next app is Find A Pint. This app allows users to find bars in their local area. The only downside to the app is that the library is being generated by users so the app is a bit lean on info for now.

CraigsPro
Jaco's final app this week is CraigsPro. This app takes the Craigslist database and makes it easy to search. The functionality of the app is very good but the integration is a bit off. The price ranking could be better and the app goes against the simplicity inherent in the design of the site.

Winner: This week the hosts are split. Andrea thinks that CraigsPro won while Jacob thinks that AppStart was the best this week.

We leave you with this great video of a guy playing the theme from Zelda on his iPad. See you next week!

This week in iPad episode 40

Cold Open
Coming up, we have the creator of SychPad, we're talking about Apple's massive first quarter, and it's all about reference on Planet of the Apps.

Twitter
As always you can follow Andrea on twitter @AndreaRene and you can follow Jacob @JacobBurch. Also you can follow the show @TWiiPad. You can also email the show at iPad@thisweekin.com.

TakeTake

TakeTake is a startup that lets you post reviews about your favorite products, and see what your friends say as well. For example, if you own an iPad, you can create a profile on TakeTake, and say all the reasons why you love your iPad. If you'd like an invite for when they launch, you can request one at www.taketake.com, just give them your email address, and they'll send you all the info.

SychPad
Today, we have developer, and creator of SycnPad, Davide Di Cello.

News

Apple Crushes Expectations
Apple released their first quarter financial report this week and exceeded analysts expectations by more than $2Billion. This news actually overshadowed Steve Jobs' announcement that he was taking a medical leave for an undetermined amount of time. As Jacob pointed out, the timing of the announcement could have been a factor.

ShopKeep
A company called ShopKeep has developed an iPad based cash register that features AirPrint and even rings when a sale is processed. Here's a video demonstrating it in a coffee shop inside Grand Central Station in New York City.



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Vopium is a great way to call internationally without paying high fees to do so. How it works is, you make a call to Vopium's local number, and Vopium will route the call for you so you can talk to your friends abroad for about a tenth of what it would cost normally. Vopium is available on the Apple App store, the Android market, the Ovi Store, and Blackberry app world. You'll get 15 minutes free and 15 free text messages, and after that's it's pay as you go.

Planet of the Apps!

Dream Guide
Andrea's first app this week is Dream Guide. It's a catalog of dreams. While Andrea does appreciate that it's free, it looks like a text document. Better to avoid this one.

Oxford American Dictionary
Jacob's first app this week is the Oxford American Dictionary. It's $14.99 but despite the cost, Jacob thinks it's worth it if you're into word discovery. If not, just use dictionary.com or another free resource.

101 Language Learning Tips
Andrea's next app this week is 101 Language Learning Tips, another list style app. The app is just a text document that has been ported to the iPad.

Articles
Jacob's last app this week is Articles. This app is a Wikipedia browser that's a great way to browse the site. The app also wins Planet of the Apps this week.

Thanks to Davide Di Cello. See you next week!

This Week in iPad iTunes Giveaway

Cold Open
Today on This Week in iPad, we have our very first iPad games showcase, plus we're going to show you how to win a $10,000 iTunes card.

Special Guest
Today, Jacob is sitting in the "dunce" chair because we have a special guest, Wall E. Wailbaecher from Mahalo games.

Follow us!
As always you can follow the show on Twitter @TWiiPad and you can follow Andrea @AndreaRene and Jacob @JacobBurch. You can also email us at ipad@thisweekin.com. If you enjoy the show, why not subscribe? You can do that at youtube.com/thisweekin.

iPad Games Showcase
Rather than pick one game per week, there's so many that we decided to have a showcase of the best this week. To help us we have Wall E. Wailbaecher, head of iPad games at Mahalo.

Spirits For iPad
First up is Spirits For iPad a puzzle game much like Lemmings. It's unique and at $4.99 is a great deal.

N.O.V.A. 2
Next is N.O.V.A. 2 a game that is a bit of a Halo clone. It has great graphics, and while the controls are a bit too sensitive, you can get used to it fairly quickly. Despite that, it's a great game and well worth the $6.99.

World of Goo
Last, is World Of Goo", a physics based game where you use little goo-guys to build a tower. The game really integrates well with the touch interface and is a lot of fun. Also, the game has been receiving so much attention that the developer has cut the price in half from $9.99 to $4.99.

To find out more about Mahalo video games, including walkthroughs and tips, go to their channel at youtube.com/MahaloVideoGames. Also their website is MahaloGaming.com, and you can follow them on twitter @VideoGames.

News

iOS 4.3 seeded to developers
This week, Apple released the first version of iOS 4.3 to developers. Reports indicate it will feature increased AirPlay support, multitouch gestures for iPad, and enabling mobile WiFi hotspots on capable devices.

Download the 10 Billionth app, get $10,000
Apple has been selling apps at an unbelievable pace since the launch of the App store, so much so that they're closing in on 10 billion and counting. When someone purchases the10 Billionth app, Apple will be giving the lucky iTunes account a $10,000 gift card.

Apple nixes free subscriptions for print customers
According to cnet on April 1, Apple will no longer allow companies to offer free magazine apps for people who have magazine subscriptions.

Planet of the Apps
Entertainment and Media apps

E! LIve From the Red Carpet
First up this week, Andrea takes a look at Live From the Red Carpet. The app features live coverage from all the awards shows coming up, as well as news and movie openings. It's also free.

CNN
Jacob's first app this week is the CNN app for iPad. His question when downloading the app was "What does this offer that the website doesn't?" The app is well designed and while the website is good, the app makes use of the iPad screen size and offers rich media the site doesn't. It's free as well.

CBS Sports
Next, Andrea is a huge football fan, so naturally she wanted to try CBS Sports Pro Football. There are a lot of football apps out there but this is easy to read, free, and gives you content without having to pay for it. If you are a fantasy player this app has integration. A problem with the app is the video is not in HD.

msnbc featuring Rachel Maddow
Jacob's last app this week is msnbc featuring Rachel Maddow. You can follow along with the show using the app. The app is good, but the blog integration needs to be better. It uses a simple web kit browser now and Jacob thinks it takes away from the app experience.

Winner: Wall E. thinks the best app this week is CNN!

Thank you


We'd like to thank Storm On Demand for all their support. For all your cloud computing needs, visit them at Stormondemand.com.

See you next week!

This week in iPad CES special

Cold Open
We're going guerrilla style with Guerrilla Bob in the iPad game review, plus we've got Amanda Coolong from This Week in Cloud Computing live from CES on This Week in iPad.

Twitter
You can follow the show on twitter @TWiiPad. You can also follow Andrea @andrearene and Jacob @jacobburch. You can also email the show ipad@thisweekin.com. Plus we have two chatrooms you can join in. The first is at youtube.com/thiweekin and the second is at ustream.tv/thisweekin. Please join us. We'd love to hear from you.

iPad Game of the Week!
For this week's game Andrea chose Guerrilla Bob HD. Normally, Andrea goes with the hottest game of the week. This week she chose a game that isn't necessarily wildly popular, but it's fun. The gameplay is good for a joystick shooter on a touchscreen and there's multiple levels to conquer. Best of all, the game is only $0.99, cheaper than the iPhone version.

CES 2011
This week, thousands of companies displayed new and upcoming products at the Consumer Electronics Show. Amanda Coolong was among the visitors and called the show to share some what's coming in electronics.

Planet of the Apps
Fitness Apps
We've covered fitness apps before but we wanted to come back to the category because of the new year.

Dotti's Food Score
Andrea's first app this week is Dotti's Food Score. It allows you to look up foods on the fly. You can find nutritional info and weightwatchers points of any food you have.

LIVESTRONG Calorie Tracker
Jacob's first app this week is the LIVESTRONG Calorie Tracker. The app seems poorly designed and clunky and unless you're a heavy livestrong.com user, Jacob says avoid it because there are apps that are free that do the same thing as this and are free. Andrea mentioned this as an example.

FitnessClass
Next, Andrea reviews FitnessClass. The app allows users to scroll through several workout and fitness programs although they aren't free.

Dreambot
Jacob's final app this week is Dreambot. Jacob used to be a bit overweight and the number one thing he attributes to his weight loss was quitting caffeine and getting a full nights sleep. This app plays ambient noise to help you get to sleep. Although you can fade the screen, the ads don't go away and if you lock the screen, the app stops working. That said, it's free so why not?

Winner: Jacob and Andrea think that Dotti's is the best app this week.

Thank you

We'd like to thank Storm On Demand for all their support. For all your cloud computing needs, visit them at Stormondemand.com.

See you next week at our NEW TIME, every Friday at 4PM Pacific, 7PM Eastern. See you then!