Gear Patrol

In the age of smartphones, data plans are a mobile provider’s ticket to profits and margins. It works because we sign up for generic buckets of bits, without a clue about how much bandwidth we actually blow through in a month. Onavo Extend originally launched back in 2011 for iOS users with the promise of…

Need a floor plan? Well, you could mooch off your architect friend, track down the original contractor (good luck), or heaven forbid, grab a tape measure and do it yourself. Or you could just whip out your iOS device and download MagicPlan (Free), a clever augmented reality app from Sensopia, which leverages the camera on your…

Addressing every last shred of your right brain, the new Adobe Creative Suite 6 is the definitive collection of creative apps applications. Whether you design, code for the Web, cut video, sketch, or crop-stitch-and-sharpen photos for your blog, the 14 applications that make up CS6 leave nary a creative stone unturned. The flagship, of course,…

Interval training is a widely used fitness technique that has generated measurable benefits for many dedicated enthusiasts. While the concept is simple (intermittent bursts of high-intensity work followed by low-intensity work), the resulting workout session is anything but. Apart from a large towel and a CPR kit (you never know!), the most effective tool for…

Bean counting has never been our strong suit, which is why we studied our 12c and TI instruction manuals like a boss back in the day. As technology progressed, we thought our math skills on the iPhone were still pretty snappy, until we came across the Rechner Calculator. The uber-sleek design is what draws users…

Your bracket is filled. Your jersey is washed. You’ve grafted a Camelback onto your spine to counterbalance the upcoming spike in weekday drinking. It’s March Madness time and the NCAA’s March Madness Live service is the best way to catch literally all of the action. Ponying up for the $3.99 subscription gets you access to…

A new season of baseball is upon us and with it comes the latest update to one of our all time favorite apps. In its latest iteration, MLB.com At Bat 12 delivers the avalanche of baseball stat goodness you’ve come to expect, but is now available on the iPhone, iPad, Android and Kindle — seriously,…

Steve Jobs always said the iPad was magical. We didn’t think our shiny tablets deserved that level of praise, though, until we laid eyes on the 360-degree interactive rotating meat cuts found in Pat LaFrieda’s Big App for Meat ($7). As a modern day manual for carnivores of all strips, the app contains detailed information…

Android owners continually get the short end of the stick compared to their iPhone counterparts when it comes to the accessory world. Pioneer’s new App Radio 2 does its part to remedy the situation, by adding support for MHL capable Android handsets, in addition to the iPhone 4/4S compatibility the of the original version. That…

The game that changed the gaming industry and inflamed parents across the globe thanks to its unabashed encouragement of senseless violence recently turned 10. To celebrate, Rockstar has re-released the classic for newer iOS (iPhone & iPad) and Android devices for a shocking price of $5. Essentially it’s the same experience most will remember, just…

Question: what does over one million dollars worth of app production and development entirely for the celebration of iconic classic cars look like? Answer: Road Inc. ($10). From the Murciélago to the Mulliner Fastback Bentley Continental R, the original Model T to the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, Road is quite possibly one of the most…

MoviePass is a brand new startup hoping to revolutionize the way film addicts get their regular dose o’ big screen. For $50 bucks a month, clients can enjoy an unlimited number of movies. Everything works via an app, which is available for both Android and iOS users. Through it, users can reserve seats and simply…

When you were a young boy, you could eat eight hot dogs at dinner, sleep two hours, run around for 12 hours without stopping, break your arm and heal in about fifteen minutes. As we mature that changes, and we are introduced to words like metabolism, prostate, ROTH IRA and hypertension. And in this culture…

The glossy spawn of iMovie and Final Cut Pro, Apple’s new Final Cut Pro X ($300) is completely rebuilt from the ground up with an all-new interface, 64-bit fully parallel processing, raw video tagging, built-in color correction and a cool new editing method called Magnetic Timeline. Of course, the revolutionary software won’t transform your scripts…

Agent Smith: “Do you hear that sound Mr. Anderson? … that is the sound of inevitability”. And pictured right is also an inevitability. Merging the infinite possibilities of apps and the relenteless frustration of putting, Ping has developed the iPing App (free), and a corresponding cradle ($30). When combined the two serve as a bona…

IPhone and iPad owners lucked out when Apple made the find my iPhone application free. But what about other laptops or phones you might have? Recently, a company called Hidden made a big splash in the media world for helping an Oakland resident find his stolen laptop — but we prefer Prey. Why? Well, you…

The speculation started long before today, but now the folks in Cupertino have officially released iCloud, a new service designed to help consumers effortlessly store and access digital assets in Apple’s freshly-minted data centers. iCloud is free to all, and will launch in full with iOS 5 this fall — presumably to coincide with a…

The GarageBand app for the iPad 2 showcases the power of Apple’s darling of gadgetdom like few other apps. No matter how visually pleasing, or “delightful” the UI is, though, tapping out beats or virtual picking still just doesn’t feel right to practiced musicians. That’s where Pix and Stixs ($16) can help. Each pack includes…

Imagine walking into your favorite dive bar, opening an app, and viewing all of the photos you’ve taken within 150 ft of that location with your buddies over the years, along with shots snapped by other patrons who were willing to share. Now imagine if you could see that kind of photographic record everywhere you…

The savior of magazines the iPad may not be, but that doesn’t mean social magazines aren’t incredible or addicting. If you’ve had a chance to use the Flipboard or Flud apps then you’ll know what we’re talking about. Better late than never, Tweetmag ($5) is the creation of design and usability firm Teehan+Lax. As you’d…

Android users can continue to laugh at the whole situation, but for Apple fanboys, the recently launched Skyfire Web Browser ($2.99) is a partial bridge to getting the “full web experience” on your favorite pocket companion. Translation: using it will allow you to play some Flash video on your iPhone. We say some because according…

The iPad may not be a magical savior of magazines, but the fact that it’s the best-selling gadget of all time makes it an undeniable game changer that can’t be ignored. Esquire, known for embracing new technologies, has been curiously quiet (GQ has had an iPad app for a better part of this year) but…

iPhones, iPods, and all manner of other portable music players have certainly made it easier for us to constantly admire our music collection. There is a downside to everyone having headphones in their ears though. The fact is, when you’re focused on Ke$ha blabbing in your ear it’s easy to tune out that Escalade gunning…

Men’s fashion expert Alan Flusser, author of Style and the Man aims to help men make the most of their wardrobe. The BeSpeak (Free, iTunes), takes things digital. It works by first creating a personal profile based on information you submit about your skin tone, hair, eye color, body size and shape, face shape, and…

With music being the fundamental push behind the iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android becoming a core workout accessory, all the major sports brands are looking to push the envelope with various workout companion apps. All with a focus to motivate and help track performance. Sometimes through old-fashioned techniques like, well, yelling. Nike Boom is a…

Just because you use a Mac or PC and rock an Android doesn’t mean you have to settle for second rate players or ease of use. DoubleTwist Player (Free) for Android is a sleek, dare we say sexy, music/video player that syncs music, playlists, podcasts, and ratings from iTunes. Using the mightily handy doubleTwist desktop…

You may not be able to design the next great iPhone app on it (per Steve himself), but if you can stomach for the price tag, Adobe Creative Suite 5: Master Collection ($870 Upgrade, $2,599 Full) will reward you with a veritable blitzkrieg of creative tools. Likely, more than you’ll ever know what do with….

Back in January, you might have noticed a flurry of online chatter related to the category-bucking Sony Dash. After reviewing the product’s specs and features announced in the device’s initial press release, we were slightly disappointed to learn that the Dash seemed to be positioned really as a jack of all tech trades but master…

As part of my 1/2 marathon training, I’ve enlisted the help of RunKeeper to act as my virtual coach and running companion. While tracking time is all well and good, the RunKeeper Pro App utilizes the iPhone’s GPS to measure distance, speed, and average pace. It will even give you verbal updates on each metric…

Ticket buying, especially from the secondary market (e.g. scalpers) is rarely a pleasant experience. Since we know there’s a limited quantity, we automatically assume that the closer it gets to go time, the more expensive attending becomes. Though in general terms of supply and demand, this logic is sound, the people behind SeatGeek.com are here…