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Pi Cubed – iPhone App, Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

Posted by admin on June 11th, 2010

Pi Cubed isn’t really a calculator; it’s much better! The chalkboard-style interface is conducive to building equations, and it easily beats out other scientific calculators. Just don’t expect it to replace your graphing calculator.

The built-in calculator for the iPhone is great, sure, but…let’s be honest. Even with its scientific functions, any serious math or science student knows that it won’t be replacing their TI-83 any time soon. Third-party apps, meanwhile, always seem to be a bit too cluttered.

Pi Cubed is another attempt at a calculator application, and thankfully, it does some things very well. It’s by no means perfect, and I experienced some instability, but it’s still a good replacement for a scientific calculator and a decent complement to a TI-83.

The first thing you’ll notice upon opening Pi Cubed is its interface. Gone are traditional line-by-line displays that spit out unintelligible strings of data in mimicry of real-world calculators. Instead, Pi Cubed opts for an easier to read, intuitive interface that can best be likened to a chalkboard. Equations are displayed in their full form, and you can pinch and zoom to focus on part or another.

Initially, you begin with a blank box on the left, an equals sign, and a question mark on the right. Tapping the box allows you to enter items, and this is where the genius of Pi Cubed is revealed. Mathematical items are sorted into categories: numbers (0-9, a negative sign, and a decimal point), operations (addition, subtraction, etc.), exponents (roots, exponents, logarithms, etc.) and so on. Using these items, you can visually build equations on the screen. Being able to see equations as you build them is a huge boon, and it makes even complex equations easy to transfer to the app.

One of the best features of Pi Cubed is the ability to set variables. When you click on the category marked “x,” it gives you the options of “x,” pi, and “e.” (e, of course, is the mathematical constant.) When you select “x,” Pi Cubed inserts an x into the equation. However, if you tap the edit button (a pencil-like icon), you can change the variable to any character on your keyboard and add annotations to it. Furthermore, if you later add another variable with the same “name” (i.e., another “n” if your first variable was an “n”), they will be linked. You can tap on one of them, replace it with a numerical value, and the other will update accordingly. You can also do some funny things with this; I used an Emoji as a variable!

Problems.
While Pi Cubed can do a lot, it isn’t perfect just yet. I’ve encountered numerous crashes, usually after I’ve been fumbling frantically to undo a mistake. When Pi Cubed crashes, it resets to the last time you opened it; if you were working on a new equation, it’s likely gone. It’s annoying to say the least. I recommend “saving” from time to time; hitting the home button essentially freezes the app’s state and should protect you from crashes.

Also, using Pi Cubed isn’t always intuitive. While there’s ample in-app documentation available, actually using the app isn’t always easy. For example, when I select the addition operation, an addition sign with a new, empty box is appended to my equation. However, this new box isn’t auto selected, and if you type something, it affects the old selection. So, if I were to hit “3; addition sign; 2? I would get “2 + __ = ?”

This is something that would be extremely easy to fix, and I hope that the dev at least provides us with that option! Also, it would be helpful if I could drag a box around a portion of an equation to select it. While the current selection method is fairly functional, it could still use some work. And lastly, here’s one of my pet peeves: a setting located in the Settings app. In order to change from Radians to Degrees, or vice versa, you have to go into Settings.app. That’s just plain annoying!

I’ve mentioned the chalkboard-like style of Pi Cubed many times, but there’s one thing missing that would make it a true chalkboard: the ability to write. Yes, I realize that the iPhone doesn’t have a stylus. Shush. How about the ability to add annotations wherever I want? A little icon in the corner that could be dragged down to add a simple, typed annotation is all that I’d need, and it would really be helpful for jotting down notes about problems.

All in all, though, Pi Cubed is a handy little application. For the same price, you could buy your own bulky scientific calculator at Rite Aid, but I like the interface and the equations database. The ability to create your own specialized equations is a real boon, and it can even be used as a reference guide. Pi Cubed won’t be replacing your TI-89 or even a TI-83, but it’s still a useful alternative to the built-in scientific calculator. And it has one thing on conventional calculators: an active developer. Updates continue to add more equations to the built-in library as well as other updates, so Pi Cubed should become even better as time goes on!

The new iPhone 4 and iOS4

Posted by admin on June 11th, 2010

Early Monday morning, Steve Jobs got on stage at the WWDC 2010 conference in San Francisco and announced the new iPhone 4. Previously in April, Steve also unveiled iPhone OS 4.0 at the 4.0 Sneak Preview Event, newly named iOS 4. The new hardware brought many suspected features, including:

• All new design
• Front facing camera
• Dual mics for noise cancelatino
• MicroSIM
• 5 megapixel, 1.75 micron camera
• LED flash for the back camera
• 720p video at 30fps (HD video recording)
• Stainless steel rings and gaps which is the antennae
• Very thin design (Thinnest smartphone on the market today)
• Optical quality, scratch-resistant glass
• Retina display – 960×640 at 3.5” rendering 326dpi, 800:1 contrast ratio. IPS for wide-angle viewing
• A4 chipset
• 40% bigger battery: 7 hrs 3G talk, 6 hrs 3G browsing, 10 hrs Wi-Fi browsing, 10 hrs video, 40 hrs music, 300 hrs standby
• 16 and 32 GB flash data
• 802.11n Wi-Fi
• Gyroscope for better precision as along with the original Accelerometer

I still don’t know why they didn’t call it iPhone HD, because these, I think, are HD quality features.

The new firmware iOS4 will be available June 21, 2010 for certain iPhones and iPod Touches. The iPad version is going to be released in the Fall. Not all iPhones or iPod touches will be able to get the new firmware, or at least all of it. iOS4 is available for iPhone 3G, 3GS, iPhone 4, and 2nd and 3rd generation iPod touches. The iPhone 2G and 1st gen. iPod touch will not be upgraded due to hardware issues (mainly lack of RAM). Now, Multitasking, custom wallpaper, and Bluetooth keyboard support are only available for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and the 3rd generation iPod touch, leaving the iPhone 3G in the dust of the new fashionable upgrades.

Looking at iOS4 at a glance actually makes one realize all the new features the new firmware will actually have. System-wide spell check and text replace (instead of just cut, copy, and paste) is an upgrade to the OS in little, but useful ways which make the device a little more magical than before.

One of the key “tent-poles” (as said in the Keynote in April) in the new firmware is the ability to Multitask. Now remember, just as cut, copy, and paste were around before Apple put it on their device, and Apple “did it right” for their OS, in the same way, they believe they’ve done multitasking – the “right” (Apple) way. Explaining how it works will be for another post though, being that there is so much to explain!

Folders are a new feature that will be very welcomed by iPhone users. A folder is a grouped icon that holds up to 12 other icons inside it. You simply drag an app on top of another app, and it will make the two of those apps into a folder. Click the folder will allow you to see the apps inside, and click one to launch.

iAd is another feature in the new iOS. Apple is only allowing high quality, interesting Ads. No annoying Ads like Google. Obviously these Ads will be in HTML5, eliminating the need for Adobe Flash, once again. The Ad will appear as a banner in the app, and tapping the ad will pull up another screen inside the app (eliminating annoying trips to Safari). An exit button is on the top left so users can quit the Ad at any time.

Game Center is Apple’s entry into the social network realm (Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo’s wake up call?) With Game Center one will be able to invite friend’s (thru notifications) to play games and make matchmaking challenges.

And lastly, iBooks plans to come to iOS 4 for iPhone (already on iPad) to allow purchasing of iBooks to read on your iPhone.

Steve promised us an A+ upgrade this summer. Did he follow through? Or did he completely miss what we were looking for. Tell us what you think in the comments!

iPad Review – What does iPad do?

Posted by admin on June 11th, 2010

So the cat’s out of the bag: there is no iPhone Macro. I indeed purchased an iPad. Here is my review after having used it for the last few days.

iPad Models

There are six models to choose from, but the only factors of differentiation are memory size (16GB, 32GB, 64GB) and whether or not it has WiFi or WiFi + 3G. 3G just refers to the ability to connect to the internet when you are not in the range of a wireless network. Here are the prices in the US:

It should also be pointed out that if you want to take advantage of 3G services, you have to subscribe to a plan. Currently the only plans available are $14.99/month for 250MB of data or $29.99/month for unlimited data (this is through AT&T, the only service provider in the States). There are no contracts and you can activate the service right from your iPad – no need to call anyone or go into a store – and you can cancel anytime. Realistically, I can’t imagine these price points and non-contract feature will trickle through to Canada, but the Canadian pricing has not been officially released yet.

Do you need 3G service?

In my opinion, no. Think of it this way: do you have a laptop with wifi? It does the trick, right? Right. No need for the monthly costs. Stick with a WiFi only model and save some money now and forever. There are apps available that allow you to cache web pages for future offline browsing.

Do you even need an iPad, period?

Funny that you ask. Just yesterday I ran into an old colleague and he said he was due for a new desktop and laptop computer and was trying to figure out if he needed a laptop now that the iPad was available. After playing with the iPad he realized that it was capable of doing about 95% of what he needed a laptop to do while he wasn’t using his desktop. It would also be about 50-65% of the price of the laptop he was looking at getting. So to him, it makes sense. If you already have a laptop and desktop, you don’t need an iPad – it would be just for cool factor and nothing more.

What does an iPad do?

Where to begin. The entire interface is built on a touch screen which encompasses the entire front of the device. It really is just like a giant iTouch (aka iPod Touch). The main difference is that it’s much bigger which makes for a great experience. Any app you have for your iPhone or iPod Touch will migrate over once you plug it into your iTunes account, but the apps appear just as they do on your iPhone (i.e. small). You can double the size of these apps to use up the screen real estate, but they become pixelated. There is nothing different about them. The new iPad specific apps are gorgeous though, with much more functionality (hovering toolbars and pop-up windows).

One of the central apps will be the iBookstore application which is Apple’s ebook reader app. It is not available to Canadians yet (it’s turned off for Canadian iTunes accounts so far). However, you can download the Amazon Kindle app where apparently, the same books are cheaper anyways.

You can also plug it into your TV to watch movies and TV show you download from iTunes.

What doesn’t an iPad do?

Lots. And it was probably designed that way to get a lot of recycled sales for the 2nd gen models to follow.

It does not have a camera – so no video conferencing.

It does not have USB ports.

It does not work as a phone (out of the box anyways). You can simply get the Skype app and use it as a phone, but only as a speakerphone. I have a Skype Out account so I can make unlimited calls to computers and phone in North America for a whopping $2.95/month. But since Skype In accounts are not available in Canada, you can only receive calls from computers, not landlines. The iPad has become our new home phone line and we don’t have regular home phone service anymore.

So what’s the verdict on the iPad?

If you are looking for a new laptop and you already have a desktop for the heavy lifting applications, I recommend it. It’s pretty rare that someone needs a full laptop and a full desktop.

If you don’t want a desktop and are wondering about laptop versus iPad: get the laptop.

It wouldn’t replace a smartphone because it is too cumbersome, and isn’t a real, fully functional phone.

So essentially, it’s a cool gadget but you don’t need one. Having said that, it is a dream to use and to surf the web with. It’s very intuitive and the ingenuity of the app designers is pretty much unlimited these days. I’ve been using it for meetings for presenting powerpoint presentations to small groups of people, or individuals – and it is very useful in this capacity. It turns on instantly and you can pull up a presentation and have it running in literally 5 seconds.

The Iron Horse – iPad review

Posted by admin on June 6th, 2010

Now, don’t get too excited… this is not an action game featuring a horse in a super battle suit!

Similarly, don’t too skeptical when I tell you this is a game about trains. A subject that will put even the msot hardened insomniac to sleep. Because, at it’s core, The Iron Horse is a solid reaction game that begs to be replayed again and again.

The premise is as simple as it gets. You begin with a locomotive engine, and as you move along the tracks you must connect carriage cars lying stationary in a siding. As you move past the carriage a broken link appears on both the end of your engine, and the front of the carriage. To connect the two you must tap the screen when the two icons align. It’s not necessary to have a perfect connection to successfully connect the two together, but the closer you get, the higher the score.

The train begins slowly, but as it’s length grows so does it’s speed. Each level has a length requirement, and once that is complete you move on to the next challenge, which is generally a longer and faster requirement of your reactions.

Played as an arcade experience, you only get three misses per game, so use those up and it’s game over. Regardless of how far you reached you must start right back at square one. The game does reward you though if you create perfect connections. Do this three times in a row at any time in the game, and you are rewarded a free pass. This gives you a guaranteed connection when used. You can stack up as many free passes as you like, so strategically you should build these up in the early levels and use them later when your reactions are stretched to their limits.

Finally there is a bonus mode. Every two levels, you enter this mode which gives you an endless length. Each carriage you add gives you points. However, if you miss just once you lose all the points. You are given the option to end your length of torsion at any time and take the points, by tapping on the end carriage which appears after each successful connection. So it becomes a gamble with your own reactionary ability… take the points and run? Or risk it all on one more go!

Despite the games simplicity, I was surprised at the level of detail. The developer AppStar could have easily created a basic train design for all levels. Instead, they have lovingly recreated historic locomotives through the ages, from stream through to diesel and electric. Presented in 2D, the trains zip past parallax landscapes giving a good impression of depth, and I particularly like the 3D like effect as each carriage moves from the siding and connects to the train. The music and sound are good too, with suitable music for each era of train, as well as sound effects of the various engines. I’m sure much of this detail is lost on most, myself included, so no doubt train buffs we’d really geek out on this.

The Iron Horse then is a solid little game with a big heart. In it’s current form it doesn’t offer much more than a quick pick up and play. But it does have an addictive side to it, calling you back fro one more play. I would like to see it developed further with more modes. Including a non arcade mode, that saves your progress, allowing you to continue on where you failed, and a standalone version of the bonus mode which could be called endless mode, which let’s you play for points with any train type… as this is undoubtably the most fun part of the game.

source: www.touchgen.com By Nigel Wood, UK

7 new Gameloft games coming to iPad

Posted by admin on June 6th, 2010

With the release of the iPad hitting stores around the world this Friday, expect things to start hotting up for games releases.

Gameloft have got the ball rolling by adding 7 new games to their iPad roster. These include Blokus, GT Racing: Motor Academy HD, Real Football 2010 HD, Chess Classics, Brain Challenge, Gangstar : West Coast Hustle HD and Real Tennis HD. These will be released early June and range from £2.99 to £5.99. Look out for impressions of these games as they hit.

“The iPad is the most user-friendly portable game platform available that will once again transform your experience with digital and downloadable games. We’ve supported the iPad since its launch in the U.S. in early April with titles that have garnered critical acclaim. We’re eager to expand our selection of games for the launch of the iPad in these new territories,” commented Michel Guillemot, president and founder of Gameloft.

Source: www.touchgen.com by Nigel Wood, UK

The iPad Review For The Rest of Us

Posted by admin on June 4th, 2010

The first thing I notice about the iPad is that it’s wicked fast. Everything happens in a snap. Apps fly open. They close even faster. Web surfing is lickety-split, especially on a fast Wi-Fi connection. Netflix movies load almost immediately, and scrubbing through them is quick and painless.

I marvel at how seamless it is. Turning the pages of Winnie The Pooh is so gorgeous, I spend five minutes just turning and returning the pages.

Some new email
comes in. Everything’s synced: email, address book, calendars, music and movies — all thanks to a two-minute setup in iTunes. I dash off a quick reply, and am pleased how easy it is to type on this thing. Woah — this is one slick gadget!

I know what you’re thinking. Should I get one for the kids instead of a nasty netbook? Can we replace our old PowerBook with it? Should I take it to a confernece next month instead of my heavy MacBook?

Read on…
For easing reading, here’s CoM’s review in an easy-to-read Q&A format with lots of pix.

Is it well-built? What’s the quality like?
The iPad is a beautifully-made product. The aluminum and glass construction is top notch. It’s tough and durable. I haven’t thrown it on the floor of course, but it feels like it’ll take some lumps. As iFixit noted in a teardown, the chips are superglued to the motherboard.

Is it heavy?
It’s no featherweight. Weighing 1.5lbs, the iPad has got some heft. In fact, it borders on heavy, especially if you’re holding it in one hand for any length of time. It’s definitely a gadget that benefits from an arm or leg rest. And the glass screen makes it top heavy, especially when typing it portrait mode.

What’s the screen like?
The 9.7-inch screen is really bright and beautiful. It has a resolution of 1024 x 768, and great viewing angles. However, the glossy finish can cause reflection issues.

What’s battery life like?
It’s got seriously great battery life. We bashed on the iPad all day — a full 12 hours of more or less non-stop usage — and it’s still got 17% charge. When hibernating it loses charge at a very slow trickle.

How fast is it?
Very fast. Everything flies. Even slow-poke apps like Google Maps and Google Earth have almost no lag.

But where’s the USB and SD Card slots?
My wife is incredulous it doesn’t have a SD Card slot for her camera. What’s the point of having it if you can’t upload photos to it she says? She’s got a good point. There is an adapter but the lack of slots serves as a reminder that this first version isn’t yet a laptop/desktop replacement.

How is typing?
It’s OK for hunting and pecking, but the keyboard needs work. It’s difficult to type in portrait mode. In landscape the keyboard dominates the screen. Typing might be a deal breaker for some, but as this video shows, it is possible to type quickly.

Can you work on it?
Yes and no. You can make spreadsheets in Numbers and write in Pages, but the biggest hitch is the inability to export iWork files using standard Microsoft Office file extensions. This is a big setback if any work environment where everybody else uses Windows, which is most of the working world. Also, I think the keyboard will prevent users from using iWork on iPad for creating files. Without the optional keyboard, it’s better suited to light editing and twaeking files made on other machines. Until Microsoft Office comes to the iPad, it will not be taken seriously by corporate America. Maybe Microsoft Office for the Web will fill this gap?

Does it work out of the box?
Unfortunately no. You must initially set up the iPad through iTunes on a tethered computer. For some, this is a big disappointment. It shows the iPad isn’t yet a PC replacement but a complementary product.

Can you print on the iPad?
Printing isn’t built in but you can print with third-party apps like ActivePrint.

Is the absence of multitasking a problem?
Because apps return to the same state you left them when you quit, the lack of multitasking isn’t such a huge problem. Plus, third party multi-tasking will come probably with iPhone OS 4.0.

What about the lack of Flash?
The lack of Flash is definitely a pain point. One of the first sites we visited (the BBC for the Cambridge/Oxford boat race report) had no video. But Flash is a dying technology. Its only saving grace is Hulu.

What’s the set-up process like?
Initial set-up was easy but the sync process was slower than expected. It took forever and I thought it had crashed. However, after about 40 minutes it had transfered 30GBs of music, movies, TV shows and apps, plus all my contacts, calendars, a couple of photo galleries and so on. Syncing is now set to happen automatically via MobileMe.

How is it watching movies in your lap?
The Netflix app for iPad looks just like the website, which is awesome. No need to learn a new way to do things. Not only can you stream content, you can reorder your queue through the app. Streaming is super fast (of course this depends on your WI-FI connection) and very smooth. I used Angels and Demons for this quick test. This app acts just like the website version of the Netflix Player. Bravo Zulu to Netflix for this awesome app. Now get hot on a version for the iPhone!

Is it really as great as they say for reading newspapers?
The NY Times Editors Choice app is very easy to navigate and of course features content from some of the best journalists in the world. This particular NY Times app shows the promise of the NY Times in the iPad format. However, it’s quite disappointing that the NY Times isn’t ready to handle a subscription-based app — especially after their awesome showcase at the iPad keynote address. Let’s hope they learn from the mistakes the Wall Street Journal is making in pricing their online version higher than their print version. If I could get the full daily edition at a rate of about $10 a month, they would have another subscriber for life (or at least the life of the iPad).

How about comics?
I have not purchased comics since I was in middle school but had to check out the Marvel Comics app. I downloaded some of the free comics to try it out. Not blown away but it is an ideal way to read comics, as long as you are not into the collecting community and want to just “read” the comics. I hope comics stick around — but the end of the age of comic collecting may be upon us.

How buggy are the apps?
Some apps still have bugs due to lack of hardware availability to developers. Simulators can only do so much. Expect a firmware upgrade soon as well as many app updates. The lack of simple weather, calculator and stock apps is a shame. Sure, there are 3rd party apps for that, but Apple seems to have glossed over some of these details.

Isn’t the iPad locked down? Can you customize it?
I just loved being able to customize the wallpaper of the iPad. Just one more way to show that this one is mine. Being able to put six apps in the dock is awesome. Many features like this and the custom wallpaper need to make it to the iPhone.

Is it good for games?
Heck, yeah. It’s awesome for games. The kids fought tooth and nail about who got to play with the iPad, especially Flight Control HD (in 3D). We eventually had to take it away. The bigger screen make it much better for gaming than the iPhone or iPod touch. For a start, your fingers don’t get in the way as much. The accelerometer works great as a control mechanism.

It might be good for kids, but what about the older generation?
We had to take it away from my mother too.

Does the screen get all greasy?
Oh yeah. But it cleans up easily with a good wipe of your t-shirt.

What’s the email app like?
The email app is well-designed. The emphasis is on the message bodies rather than subject lines, a good design choice that makes it very easy to read quickly and efficiently. Typing a lengthy email on your lap is surprisingly efficient. I’m a piss poor typist and make a lot of mistakes. But if I just power on, the system’s autocorrection takes care of most typos and missing punctuation.

How about Web surfing?
Web surfing is awesome. Mobile Safari is super quick. The bookmarks bar is very nice. Web browsing is one of the main reasons many people will buy an iPad. Safari for iPad is designed for quick and easy browsing whether your are on a ferry headed to Seattle or are sitting at home on your couch. Sites load up very quickly and new tabs open instantly. While visiting many tech blogs, I noticed that it was very easy to read the text even without zooming in to the two left columns as most blogs have a three column layout. It will be interesting if Apple approves the Opera Mini browser for the iPhone OS as that will open up a whole new way to browse on the iPad.

How is it as an iPod?
The iPod layout is very clear and useable. Again, the bigger screen makes it much easier to navigate than an iPhone.

How about productivity apps?
Setting up your email, contacts and calendar is as easy as it is on the iPhone. A note to Google users: Google Sync is not supported on the iPad. At least, that’s what it says when you visit m.google.com/sync on Safari on your iPad. However, if you then go visit that same site on an iPhone after you try it on the iPad you will see iPad as one of your devices. Strange!

Google Contacts works great as well as Gmail through the Mail app or through Safari. The calendar is gorgeous in the week or day format.

What does the App Store look like?
Apple needs to work on the iPad App Store in iTunes too make it blindingly obvious what apps are for what device. At the moment, it’s not easy to see what apps for the iPad and what are for the iPhone. A simple tab called “iPad App Store” in iTunes would solve this problem. Browsing the App Store on the iPad is not as clean as I thought it would be. Loading more titles in the top paid or top free apps is clunky and in need of a Coverflow-style scrolling option. You cannot simply just look at a page of the top paid iPad apps. You have to look at the top paid and top free iPad apps side-by-side, which makes for constant scrolling. I would hate to have an app at the bottom of the list — it takes a lot of scrolling for users to see your app.

But should I buy one?
The iPad is a good product that will become an awesome product when more apps are written and optimized for it. A firmware update is needed to work out some bugs. At the moment it’s perfect for relaxing at home or on a plane. It’s not quite ready for the working world. The iWork suite just not quite good enough. But that soon too will change. Version of two of the iPad will be much better, but why wait? We say experience the future now.