All Posts Tagged ‘iPad’
Boston’s home to many of the top colleges and universities in the world. And since this city’s got well over 250,000 students shuffling into classes each year, we thought we’d give them a hand and suggest some handy apps to install on their smartphones and iPads.
The college years are some of the most formative years in one’s life. It’s the time to make new friends, prepare for a career, start a business or even experiment (we’ll leave it at that). Today’s students, however, have more and more to juggle. Fortunately, technology can be their best friend. With most kids rocking iPhones, Blackberrys, Android devices, and some even iPads, there are apps out there to make everyday college life more productive and fun.
College kids, here are ten apps to help you be smarter and more efficient with your studies so there’s more time for dollar drafts, creating the next Facebook, three dollar tequila shots or whatever it is you do for fun:
(more…)
Tags: Android, apps, College, iPad, iPhone
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Local devs from Appearian showcase a new app
Last night saw the fifth stallment of the always-fun DrinksOnTap, organized by our friends at Brookline-based RaizLabs. Held at its regular home at the Asgard in Cambridge, the event brought together local developers, entrepreneurs, and mobile enthusiasts.
The topic of the night was Apple’s new operating system, iOS4, and all the new capabilities developers can tap into for both iPhone and iPad. Tons of local devs came prepared to share their newest creations.
DrinksOnTap happens every few months, and the event draws some serious pros from the local mobile development scene, and it’s super casual and laid back. If you like beer and are into learning about the cutting edge of iPhone and iPad Apps, it’s definitely an event worth attending.
On to the demos and presentations! (more…)
Tags: Apple, drinksontap, Edu, iAd, iPad, iPhone, photos, Raizlabs, Skyhook Wireless
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This week, Waltham-based EveryScape.com announced the launch of a new iPhone App and companion website: Everyscape Eats! Boston.
The new application allows users to take first-person virtual tours of the interiors of over 500 Boston restaurants as well as providing menus, reviews, directions, and contact information for each location.
I had the opportunity to play with Everyscape Eats! Boston and was impressed by the quality of the experience. The virtual tour aspect of the product adds significantly to the search experience and the expected features (menu information, reviews, and location data) were well-executed and clearly presented. Compared to a typical experience with comparable products, I found Everyscape Eats! to be notably better.
Here’s a quick review of each of the two experience options for EveryScape Eats! Boston: (more…)
Tags: Company News, EveryScape, iPad, Product Reviews
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While the title of the event was ambitious: Everything You Need to Know About iPad Advertising, the experts were able to live up to it as much as possible, mainly because there is so much mystery surrounding about this exciting new device. The event, held Wednesday night, was hosted by the Massachusetts Information & Technology Exchange (MITX) and a sub-organization of MITX, the Boston Interactive Media Association (BIMA).
With so little data available on ad effectiveness — Apple’s iPad has only been around for two months, after all — the talk of metrics was light and mostly forward-looking. However, one major insight was addressed by all of the panelists: Forget ROI, and focus on branding and innovation.
If advertisers and brands are looking for a consistent sales return from the iPad apps and ads, they won’t get it yet. What they can do, though, is make a name for themselves with an immersive and unique experience on a thrilling new device.
iPad Apps are currently about being hot and cutting edge, not about finding reliable returns. That’s still coming.
Along this same idea, the other major touch point all of the panelists agreed on was not rushing to get your brand onto the iPad. It is not yet important enough that you can’t afford to not be there. If you rush to get a presence on the iPad you will only hurt yourself because your product will not be up to the incredibly high standards of most applications to date. (more…)
Tags: Apple, BIMA, iPad, MITX
Posted in Around the Hub, Mobile | View Comments
The Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX) seems to have a lot of love for the iPad. Tuesday’s “iPad App Strategies” panel discussion was one of two great iPad-themed events they’ve thrown in just the past couple of days. (These were just the first of many more mobile events and discussions to hit the Boston area over the next few weeks). As usual, MITX gathered a lively panel of mobile entrepreneurs, app developers, and experts on all things iPad on Tuesday.
Discussions centered around best practices for creating great apps for the new platform, pricing models, working within Apple’s walled garden, and more. The panel of four included our friends Greg Raiz of Raizlabs and Aaron White of DoInk and also featured Brett Martin of AppFund and Brad Rosen of Drync. Each of them shared unique insights around their experiences with creating content for the iPad and why the device truly is a game-changer.
Moderator Gene Landley, Chair of the Technology Business Group at the law firm of Ruberto, Israel & Weiner, kicked things off by providing some interesting statistics and recent developments regarding Apple, iPad, and the mobile industry in general. To begin with, iPads are selling like hotcakes – it’s projected that 8 million will be purchased within the first year and current sales of the device are beating out Macs by an impressive 70%. Also, he mentioned some recent industry shakeups such as high-profile exec exits within Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices Division and also HP’s acquisition of Palm. Oh, and iPads are now banned from Yankee Stadium – which I couldn’t care less about unless that trend spreads to Fenway. (But, c’mon, would you really want an iPad at a ballgame anyway?) (more…)
Tags: AppFund, Apple, DoInk, Drync, iPad, iPad app, MITX, Raizlabs
Posted in Around the Hub, Mobile | View Comments
BeatBox Pad is joined by only one other drum app in the iPad App store
Developing an iPad app after one college class in mobile applications is tough to do, but 21-year-old Brian Schachter took on the challenge with his iPad App BeatBox Pad. One of the first iPad applications to hit the App store, BeatBox Pad combines Schachter’s love for music with his talent as a developer. BeatBox Pad was released before the iPad hit stores.
How did Schachter develop an app for a device he’d never seen before?
It came down to a lot of thinking, drawing and executing. The only experience Schachter had in mobile app development was from a class he took at New England Institute of Art in Brookline, Mass., where he’s a full-time student. By the end of class all of the students had produced iPhone applications, and that’s where Shachter’s inspiration for BeatBox Pad came from.
BeatBox Pad turns your iPad into a musical instrument; with over 25 sounds BeatBox Pad is simple, yet perfectly brain numbing. Check out the short demo below:
(more…)
Tags: Company Profiles, iPad, iPad app, music, New England Institute of Art
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This Locally-produced Indie Game Rocks!
The video game industry is a serious business. Locked away in bunker-like buildings and watched over by anxious executives, developers sit in silence working at their craft, shaping and honing their visions of the future, the past, or ensuring that at the very least it is possible to score a goal in a soccer simulation.
Enjoyment in building something creative has been replaced by the desire to ensure that the average gamer will spend all of his or her free time battling the forces of evil and then play it again on a higher difficulty setting.
This is not the way at Dejobaan Games. This is a games development company that believes that the gaming experience is about fun, from the start of game development to when the gamer finishes the last level.
“We just love having fun writing games, games are just all about fun,” enthuses Ichiro Lambe, founder and president of a company that has received a significant amount of publicity in recent months when they debuted the irreverent base jumping game AAaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! — A Reckless Disregard for Gravity, or “Aaaaa!” for short. The game was nominated for Excellence in Design in the 2010 Independent Games Festival and although they didn’t win, the name is enough to grab the attention even if the full death-defying experience of a controlled descent is only available in virtual form. (more…)
Tags: Aaaaa!, Apple, base-jumping, Company Profiles, Dejobaan Games, Doom, Edu, harmonix, Ichiro Lambe, iPad, Rock Band, Turbine
Posted in Edu, Gaming | View Comments
Editor’s Note: For more great early iPad apps developed in Boston, see the comments section.
Boston developers take on the iPad
All the iPad apps currently available were developed for a product designers had never seen before. Labor and time was poured into app development for something companies didn’t know would resonate with consumers.
On April 3, 2010, Boston iPad developers experienced the tablet for the first time along with everyone else, but compared to the average customer they had more at stake in betting on iPad– investment in a mobile application that will either sink or swim.
Since Boston has some of the best mobile talent in the country (and arguably, the world) Boston developers have already created an impactful list of iPad applications despite the risk. We’ve rounded up all of those. Here they are, in no particular order — plus one BONUS app by a company whose U.S. headquarters is in the area:
SketchPad HD- The most famous iPad application from Boston is SketchPad HD; developed by Raizlabs, SketchPad HD has gotten press mentions from The Boston Globe, Engadget, and PC World. SketchPad HD is a note taking app that also lets you draw and doodle. Price: $0.99 (more…)
Tags: Apple, iPad, Lists, Mobile, Raizlabs
Posted in Around the Hub, Mobile | View Comments
Just a couple days after the launch of Apple’s iPad, local developers show off their latest creations for the new tablet device. The fourth installment of DrinksOnTap kicked off Monday night at The Asgard Irish Pub in Cambridge. The informal event brought together some of the leading developers and mobile thinkers in the area to share projects, talk tech, network, and enjoy some frosty brews.
DrinksOnTap is a Boston area iPhone (and now also iPad) developers’ meetup organized by Brookline’s Raizlabs. Monday night’s gathering featured the same free-style drinking and socializing that DrinksOnTap is known for, but this time it was all about the iPad. After people attending had a chance to share some job opportunities and mingle, Raizlabs kicked off the demos by showing off two of their already-released apps for the iPad, Ploid and SketchPad HD. Many others then followed suit and shared their stuff with the crowd.
Below are some of the awesome apps featured by our local talent that night:
(more…)
Tags: iPad, Product Reviews, Raizlabs
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SketchPad HD makes your iPad into a virtual notepad.
On Saturday when the iPad launched, iPad users downloaded 1 million apps from Apple’s App Store and Boston company, Raizlabs’ app SketchPad HD has made it onto Apple’s Top 30 Paid Apps list already. Released on April 1st, the $0.99 Sketchpad download is climbing the App Store’s charts quickly.
SketchPad HD lets you draw and take notes on your iPad. With different types of “papers,” a full-color pallet, an Email share feature, and the ability to type while you sketch or write notes makes this app an awesome virtual notepad. Engadget is already calling it “iPad’s built-in Notes app on steroids.” The press didn’t stop at Engadget — founder and CEO Greg Raiz was already contacted by CNN to talk about the success of SketchPad HD. (more…)
Tags: Apple Store, Company News, iPad, Raizlabs, SketchPad
Posted in Mobile | View Comments
Fans rep'd BostInnovation!
They started queuing at midnight on Boylston Street — those who pre-ordered the iPad (along with many who did not) were committed to getting this sweet new accessory the second it was available. The chance to be the first in Boston to be ushered into the Apple Store and presented with the opportunity to purchase the latest piece of must-have gadgetry was enough to ensure that sleep could be missed for one night.
For those that have been hiding under a rock since January, today, April 3rd 2010, was the day that the iPad was introduced to the consumer. Many in line believe the iPad to be the future of media consumption. Of course, it was only introduced in the USA today. The Rest of the World must wait for their chance to lovingly scroll through its bright, shiny applications and for those who need a 3G version….well, it’s on the way. (more…)
Tags: Apple, Company News, iPad
Posted in Around the Hub, Mobile | View Comments
Bring on the dev talent, Boston!
Steve Jobs unveiled Apple’s latest creation – the iPad – a month ago to mixed reviews from the public.
There was much excitement and speculation leading up to the launch. Would it feature multitasking? A crazy, new UI? Perhaps something magical?
It’s safe to say that many of the folks (including me) expecting something radically different were disappointed to find the iPad to essentially be a 9.7inch iPod Touch. Why would I want that? Well, the answer is simple: New Apps.
Apple made their big pitch already. Now they’re looking for developers to close the sale by showing us what they’re capable of… How will Boston answer? Time will tell. (more…)
Tags: Apple, iPad, Op-Ed
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Boston’s home to many of the top colleges and universities in the world. And since this city’s got well over 250,000 students shuffling into classes each year, we thought we’d give them a hand and suggest some handy apps to install on their smartphones and iPads.
