Archive for the ‘ Ipad Apps ’ Category

The tools you need to develop your own iPad apps

Monday, July 5th, 2010

When you were a kid playing video games in the living room, you always imagined what it would be like to create your own game. And not only to create the game but have it become popular as well. With the introduction of the IPad, the dream that you had as a kid can become a reality. Just like in the early days of computers when a single person could create a game and have it become popular, the same thing is happening to the IPad. All of the tools are there so that you can create your own applications and have them ready to be distributed to millions people around the world. We will go over all that you need to have your own app ready and waiting in the app store for someone to come buy it.

The first thing that you are going to need to do to create your own app is to make sure that you have a computer that is able to run Mac Os X. You need this so that you are able to download the SDK that you need to create the application of your choice. After that is downloaded and installed, you are going to have to get gritty and learn how to manipulate the computer by programming in Objective-c. Many people are scared off when they think about programming but it is really not that hard. Once you have the basics down then all that it takes is to learn the libraries that you will need to make your game come to life. Libraries are special pieces of code that will do some functionality that is used all of the time. For example, you may have a maths library that you can use so you do not have to rewrite simple maths functions yourself.  As we said earlier, programming is not hard but there are a lot of rules to learn. Learning these rules will take more time than anything else that you have to do. The language that you will be creating the app with is called objective-C and you will be using the Cocoa framework.

Once you get the basic ideal of programming, there are several tools that you can use to get your ideals onto the computer. You are going to need a good text editor or IDE. Two of the most highly recommended are XCode and TextMate. Once you have these two then you are ready to start creating. You might also need an image editor as well. If you want to create your own graphics then a tool like Photoshop is what you are going to need to get the job done.

If this sounds like that it might be too much work for you, then you could always go another route. You can come up with the ideal and pay someone to create it for you. There are a lot of apps in the app store that are made this way. If you already have another full time job then you might not have the time to learn how to create your own app. If this is the case, pay someone, it will be a lot quicker and easier.

As you can see, creating your own app can be a lot of work. But it can be alot fun and rewarding as well.

Apps that will make the IPad the best musical device

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Since the iPad has been released, many people have come up with some creative ways to use the device. A lot more creative than I’m sure that even the people at Apple imagined they would. Some of the software that has been released to the app store is also very imaginative. If you have ever thought about a utility that you would like to see on the iPad, there is a good chance that it is probably already on there. With so many developers that have targeted both it and the iPhone, there is a lot of brain power at work. Some of the most creative apps that you will see on the iPad are the musical apps. With so many musical apps, you can turn the device into a DJ booth or a production studio. In this article we will show you some of the things that you can do with a little help from the apps in the iTunes store.

One of the most impressive apps that we have seen when it comes to creating music on the iPad is the Sonoma’s StudioTrack. This app allows you to create, mix and record your own music on the device. It has a very pretty user interface and it allows you to really feel as if you are in a real music studio. Sure, you do not have the drunken engineer besides you but everything else is all that you would need to create your own music. Of course this is not the only musical production app on the IPad.

Sonoma’s StudioTrack ipad

Another competitor is called Groovemaker. It allows you to create music by using preset loops in the device. It is the IPad equivalent to the ever popular fruity loops musical program. You take the loops and mix and mash them into you have a song that is all your own. Another application in the app store that is just like this one is called Looptastic. It has pretty much the same abilities as Groovemaker but the interface is not quite as good.

Groovemaker

groovemaker

Besides musical production apps on the IPad, you can also get DJ apps as well. There are several that are available and they will allow you to DJ a party as if you had two turntables available to you. One of the more popular DJing apps is called Mixr. Another one is called PadDeck X and both of these applications will give you the real feel of being in a DJ booth.

mixr for ipad

If you are less into making our own music on the ipad and instead want to enjoy the music of others, then the iPad is still a great device to use for this. One of the more popular musical apps for the iPad is one from Pandora. It allows you to stream music to your IPad and over time it will start to learn your likes and dislikes. People have given the Pandora app rave reviews.

No matter how you like to enjoy your music on the iPad, there is an application for you to use. Whether it is creating your own music, DJing a party, or just listening to your favorite songs, the iPad is the perfect device for that.

Two great free ipad Apps for UK owners

Monday, June 7th, 2010

The Guardian Eyewitness

Fantastic free app if your into photography, a single photo a day, which looks amazing on the ipad, you also get a pro tip, from the photographer that took the picture.

London Traffic HD
If your based in London or travelling in and around London, this app is useful, sitting in traffic is the worst
The app can locate the nearest jamcam to the iPad’s current location.