An Entrepreneur's apology

I've lived for nearly 30 years and in that time I've only regretted 3 decisions I've made. The other two are at this point irrelevant(I can't change what happen as a result of my actions) The third occurred today. The last time I played poker was when the great entrepreneur Jason Calacanis came to town for the World Series of Poker. During that session I was patient, I played well and I had a read for the table In the 4 odd hours we played I managed a profit of nearly $400. To put that in perspective, that's 200x the big blind, or a week's earnings. This time, I wasn't so lucky. I only needed an our or so to lose all the profits I'd made in the last week. I've learned my lesson. I will never again gamble until my new project is earning the kind of income that'll allow me to gamble like that. Mark my words. The events that took place tonight will not have been in vain. I've learned my lesson. In order to launch the site I can't have any fuck up's like today. So it was written, so it shall be done. Have a great night. JM.

This Week in iPad episode 44

Cold Open:
Today on This Week in iPad, Andrea reviews Infinity field, we're taking a look at free apps in Planet of the Apps, and we have the CEO of YMedia Labs.

Interview
This week, Andrea and Jacob interview the CEO of YMedia Labs, Ashish Toshniwal. They created Alpha Writer.

Game of the Week!
This week's game of the week is Infinity Field. Andrea loves this game since it's very similar to Geometry Wars and its from Chillingo, makers of Angry Birds and Cut the rope.

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Planet of the Apps
Free apps

HotelPal
Jacob's first app this week is HotelPal. This app is surprisingly well designed and provides a great discovery experience for finding hotels when you're traveling.

The Cut on the Runway
Andrea's first app this week is The Cut on the Runway. This was fashion week in New York and New York Media created an official app for the experience. This app allows you to find all sorts of events, runways and after parties that happen during the event. You can also view high quality video that's much better than anything on YouTube. Andrea really likes this app and it's free so why not?

Sand Slides
Next up, Jacob reviews a GAME!!! It's called Sand Slides and he really likes the fact that the game integrates the iPad interface well, rather than trying to force non-native gameplay onto the iPad. The game is challenging and as with everything else this week, it's free.

Marvel Comics
Andrea wanted to celebrate Marvel Vs Capcom coming out this week( for the episode of This Week in Video Games click here), Andrea looked at Marvel Comics. There's also a DC Comics app as well.

Follow Us
As always you can follow the show on Twitter @TWiiPad, you can follow Andrea @AndreaRene, Jacob @JacobBurch and you can email the show iPad@thisweekin.com. You can also subscribe to our channel on YouTube at youtube.com/thisweekin and you can like us on FaceBook at facebook.com/twiipad.

See you next week!

My new iPad or the importance of getting what you want

I remember January 27 2010 very well. During this time I was coming in late to work in order to call international clients and as a side bonus, I was able to use a wifi connection that let me stream video to my phone. But this wasn't the usual YouTube or podcast night, this night something special was available. Earlier that day, Apple INC had announced a revolutionary new tablet computer called the iPad. I'd followed the announcement via liveblog that morning but I wanted to see it myself. So when I went to work I started downloading the file. About an hour later, I started watching and it was amazing. Steve Jobs was at the top of his form introducing the iPad to the world. But it wasn't until I watched him and Phil Schiller use it that I realized it's potential. This was a complete shift in the way that people interact with computers. And I immediately wanted one. That feeling never subsided through all the trials and tribulations of the last year. It wasn't simply a desire to own the latest Apple device, though I admit that was a part of it. The fact is that I wanted an iPad because I am convinced that in 10 years we will look back on it with the reverence a historic product like it deserves. Another key factor in my desire for an iPad was the fact that I've never owned a new computer before. These factors combined to maintain a level of admiration for the iPad that I've never had prior to it, and thus far haven't had since. A year passes since the announcement and I still haven't been able to buy one when the stars align to allow me to make one of the most important purchases of my life. First, after 7 months of struggling, I finally secure a job. Second I get a home based job I can work on the side for extra income. Third and most importantly, I get my tax refund. While I'm technically able to purchase an iPad, I'm hesitant to do so. The reason is that I have been broke for so long that I've become used to scraping by and I'm not in a hurry to go back to that. And frankly, I probably shouldn't have made the purchase but I had a unique set of circumstances come in to play that allowed me to finally make my purchase without remorse. First was my side job. Frankly it doesn't pay too well but that isn't the the point. The point is that I have a way outside my job of earning money. Second and much more important was that I finally purchased a wifi router for my house. Ever since I started online I'd always needed to go somewhere to access the Internet. Now, I had a cellular wifi router I could take anywhere so the "it's neat but I can't use it at home" rebuttal went away. Finally, the same "being broke for 75% of 2010" issue that had held me back now was motivating me to get what I wanted. So I decided to challenge myself. I'd get the iPad and then I'd use my side job to pay myself back. But of course while it would've made an interesting thought experiment, I knew myself well enough to know that if I didn't actually get it, I'd lose the motivation I had to work and pay myself back. Several years back I read "Rich Dad Poor Dad" and one of the lessons I took from the book was that poor people will say "I can't afford it" and shut their mind down while rich people ask "how can I afford it" and use their imaginations to find a solution that allows them to have the things they desire. I'm putting that theory to the ultimate test. While I had the ability to purchase my iPad it wasn't a tremendously good idea to do so without having a way to pay it back. The fact is that I'm not a terribly materialistically motivated person. I don't often have the drive to get things the way I did with my iPad. But in order to achieve my long term goals, I have to change how I look at earning money. This was the first step. Stay tuned. I'll be posting updates occasionally about the progress I've made to pay myself back. 2011 is going to be a fun year. Because I'm goin' up! :) $$

This Week in iPad Valentines day special

Cold Open
Today on This Week in iPad, we're looking at Battleheart in the iPad game of the week, is iPad 3 coming out this fall, and Andrea and Jacob are feeling the love in a Valentine's day Planet of the Apps, coming up this week.

iPad Game of the Week!
This week's game is challenging but in a fun way. It's called Battleheart and it's from Mika Mobile. It's fun, it integrates the iPad user interface well, and it's cute. What else do you need?

News

Qualcomm and CAA Backing Mobile Apps
According to TechCrunch, talent agency CAA and technology company Qualcomm are teaming up to bring new characters and franchises to multiple platforms. The intent is not to licence existing material but to create new characters like the Angry Birds.

iPad 3!!!!!!!!!(?)
Noted blogger John Gruber recently posted a number of reasons why he thinks the iPad 3 will be coming this fall.(He's been remarkably accurate in the past about these things.) He says that the April release cycle that the iPad is on now made sense while there wasn't any competition in the touchscreen tablet market, but now that RIM and Android are developing serious competitors, the iPad needs to be on a schedule that can compete. That said, Apple doesn't want to go a year and a half without a new release so they're going to update the iPad the same way they updated the iPhone 3G to the 3GS. After that, they'll release a new version in September and stick to a fall release schedule from now on. Jacob's not sure it makes sense, but he's going to wait until the iPad 2 is unveiled to pass any judgement on the validity of this rumor.

Planet Of the Apps!

Valentine's Day Apps

Andrea's first app this week is Valentine's Day Hidden Objects. This app challenges users to find several objects hidden in Valentine's day scenes. There's no time limit and no prize. and unfortunately no reason to buy this app. Skip it.

Love Scanometer
Andrea picked Jacob's apps this week and the first one is Love Scanometer, a lovely little app that allows users to determine their compatibility using their iOS device(The app works on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad). That said, it's free so don't expect a lot from the app.

ScrapPad
Andrea's next app this week is ScrapPad - Valentine's Day,, an adaptation of the popular ScrapPad app from Album Art LLC. You can use this app to create Valentine's cards on your iPad.

Be Mine
Jacobs final app this week is just like ScrapPad, except it's horrible. Be Mine scares Jacob. It's cheesy and you should avoid it.

Winner: Jacob and Andrea both think that ScrapPad wins this week.

Contact us
As always you can follow the show @TWiiPad, you can follow Andrea @AndreaRene, Jacob @JacobBurch and you can email the show at ipad@thisweekin.com.


See you next week!

This Week in iPad episode 42

Cold Open
Today on This Week in iPad, we have another great game of the week, we're discussing the update to the App Store, and it's all about travel in Planet of the apps.

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.

iPad Game of the week!
Our iPad game of the week this week is Hysteria project 2, a game that Andrea really wanted to like given the recent success of games like Dead Space. The game has a VERY long intro that you can't skip, and you never get hints until after you've died.

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News

iPad App Store Updated
The App store for iPad received several updates this week including the ability to filter search results by Category, Release Date, Rating, Price, and Device. There's no need to look for the update, the next time you launch the App store, the update will be pushed to your device.

The Daily Launches
The Daily, a news application from Rupert Murdoch's News Corp has launched after months of anticipation. Verizon Wireless is providing free service for two weeks to everyone who downloads the app. Once the subscription does kick in, the costs will be $0.99 per week or $39.99 per year.

Apple Rejects Sony App
Sony's E-Reader app was rejected this week on the basis that the app doesn't use the in-app purchase model Apple requires. Normally, any app that features the ability to purchase additional media must use this channel, but the Kindle, Borders, and nook app all use other methods. It should be fun to see how Apple handles this in the weeks to come.

Planet of the Apps
Travel Apps

Direction Known
Andrea's first app this week is Direction Known. It's a cute app, and it's free but it's not terribly useful. Also, you sometimes(as we saw this week) have to reorient the compass by waving the device around and that just looks silly.

Kayak
Jacob's first app this week is Kayak. This app takes the features of the site uses the touch interface very well. The app is free and in Jacob's opinion, everyone should have it.

allTransit
Next up, Andrea takes a look at allTransit. This is a collection of the subway maps all around the world. The maps download directly to your device so it doesn't need to be connected to the internet. They're also easy to read and the app features a great selection.

FlightBoard
Jacob's final app this week is FlightBoard. The app lists departure and arrival times in real time. Also if you have the Flight Track Pro app, the two work together to allow you to find a track flights in real time.

Winner
Andrea and Jacob both agree that the best app this week was Kayak.

Thank you
Thank you again to our sponsors this week, Vopium.

See you next week!