The possibility of awesomeness that your iPhone and iPad have all depends on the apps.  Here are my top five used apps.  Enjoy.

  5. KINDLE APP – I mainly use my iPad to read books and I prefer the Kindle App over iBooks.  The Kindle App let’s you change the background color from white to black.  My eyes are happier when I read with the background black.  Also, Amazon updated the app recently to where you can e-mail all of your books, pdfs, etc.  to the e-mail address that Amazon assigns you (to find the address click on lowercase “i” on your book selection screen).  If you e-mail your books, it will let you sync your books, which it does automatically if you bought the book from Amazon. (Free)

  4. DROPBOX – I keep almost all of my files in Dropbox.  It is amazing to be able to have all of your files with you in your pocket at all times.  Dropbox gives you 2 Gigs for free, but you can add more by inviting your friends to join and Dropbox will double that if you have a .edu e-mail account (even if it is a alum address). (Free)

  3. TUNEIN RADIO – If you want a radio on your phone this is the app.  It has 50,000 stations and let’s you listen to your local stations, national, and international stations.  I’ve added NPR, K-love, Car Talk, Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me…, Fresh Air, and podcasts of the hourly NPR news updates.  There’s also an easy to use car User Interface with bigger buttons and bare bones interaction.  Awesome! (Free)

  2. CAMERA+ – This is my favorite photo editing app that I’ve used.  It has awesome integration with the iOS’s Photo app so you can take pictures with the double click on the home button from the lock screen, then with one tap import it into Camera+.  After you’re done editing, you can export it back into Photos with one tap as well.  You can crop, add tons of effects, and borders very easily.  ($1.99)

  1. CINEXPLAYER (iPAD Only) – This is my favorite movie and TV show playing app.  iTunes is a difficult app to watch movies and TV shows on unless you purchase it from iTunes.  You can rip DVDs using handbrake and then add those files to your iPad via iTunes.  I currently have three seasons and six movies I haven’t seen yet waiting for me on my iPad so I can watch them when I’m on the train, plane, or waiting room. ($3.99)

What are your favorite apps?  Why?  I’d love to hear about some new apps.  Thanks.

Many friends and people are buying their first Macs as of late and have asked me for advice on being a “New Mac Owner.”  Here’s what I do with a new Mac in chronological order.

Please add any other suggestions/ideas in the comments below!

SYSTEM PREFERENCES

• RIGHT CLICK HEAVEN - System Preferences > Trackpad > Point & Click > Check Secondary Click (Click or tap with two fingers)

• OLD FASHIONED SCROLLING - System Preferences > Trackpad > Scroll & Zoom > Uncheck Scroll direction: natural

 DOWNLOADS

• download CHROME - I prefer Chrome more than Safari or Firefox, but I usually have all three opened.  Chrome let’s you google by typing directly into the URL unlike Safari & Firefox.  Additionally, you can sign into Chrome with your Gmail Account which will sync your bookmarks and settings on all PCs with Chrome installed.
• download DROPBOX – All of my files that are not too large I keep in my Dropbox.
• download LASTPASS – LastPass is the best password manager that can be installed on each browser you use.  It requires one password to remember all passwords.
• download FLASH PLAYER – Chrome has it built-in, but you’ll need it for Firefox & Safari
• download DIVX - DivX let’s you play (.avi and .mkv) video files
• download FLIP4MAC WMV – play Windows Media Files in QuickTime
• download GROWL – Growl is a notification tool that is useful – the newest version cost $, I just have the free version 1.2.2
• download MACFUSE – MACFUSE allows you to open and write on different file formats – NFTS
• download PERIAN – Perian makes every video file format work with QuickTime

MAC HOTKEYS