Cargo Bot is the first program coded straight from the iPad using Codea

Today’s Productivity app is a game. Really? Well, not really. The game is a strategy game, so it tunes your mind, but whats so special about this app it it’s the first one that has been coded straight from the iPad.

Cargo Bot for iPad

Cargo Bot is the game. It’s a strategy game that has you moving boxes from one platform to the next. You have to program the machine with instructions. The least amount of instruction to put the boxes in proper order wins the round.

Codea Coding on iPad

Program an iPad app using Codea

Cargo Bot was coded using a program called Codea. Codea uses a vector graphics and imaging engine that can let you make anything from boxes to bugs. Characters for your brick busting game, or your 3rd person adventure game.

Codea also has a forum, filled with other coders putting together iPad apps. You can grab open source projects to make your own programs, or just learn the software. Codea is built on the Lua programming language. More important, you don’t need a Mac to create programs. All you need is an iPad.

The program cannot accept certain things like photos, JSON or XML just yet. Future releases could support these functions, to make it a really powerful creation engine.

Codea is $9.99 in the app store. It’s brought to you by Two Lives Left

Octa iPad Whale Tail Vacuum Dock Suction Cup Stand

Octa Whale Tail Vacuum Cup Stand

I also show off a different type of stand. Octa Whale Tail is a suction cup stand that can affix to your iPad or a case (if it’s not porous). Put the base on, then push the button to add suction. In using the iPad this way, I felt this was more ergonomic and I could hold it a lot longer.

However, if you remove the rubber cap, and put on the Whale tail, you have a really nice iPad stand. Best part – when I was sitting on the couch, I positioned the tail on my leg, and the iPad was setting upright more. That way, I could read, or watch a video without having to hold the tablet, and relax more.

Octa does more than just iPad. It can work with any tablet on a non-porous surface. Try this – Suction the Vacuum dock to a wall, then use the tail to hold the iPad.

You can get Octa Whale Tail on Amazon for $49.95.

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Check out the previous iPad episode – Best LED Machine Signage App

Best LED Machine for iPad

I have 2 LED signs behind me on the show, but with this app, I could easily change it up. Best LED Machine is an app that turns your iPad into an LED signage. The free version will program one line, however the pro version will let you set up multiple lines of text.

You can change the colors of the text, and the color of the background, too. You can have square LED dots, circular, or line LED dots. Choose to scroll, move up, drop down, and more. Change the font, change the scroll speed, and change the size of the text.

I might just change out the old LED signs for an iPad on my wall.

Best LED Machine works for iPhone and iPad and is only .99¢

MLB at Bat for iPad

We look at an app for all you sporting and baseball fans. The MLB at Bat app is for iPad and iPhone, and keeps you up to date with scores, and schedules. While the game is being played, you can watch the play by play action from the app. For a fee, you can watch your favorite teams games right on the iPad. You can listen to the audio of the game if it’s on.

For the statistician, you can get all your player information in one place. The box score gives you all the hits, runs, RBI, and AVG of the players. Head over to the highlights to see what happened during the game.

The coolest feature is the at bat graphic. Watch as the ball gets thrown, the graphic shows where the ball ended up, what type of pitch it was and how fast it went.

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Check out the previous iPad episode – Kickstarter Project Etcher

MLB at bat

Kickstarter iPad Projects

Today, we look at Kickstarter programs that you can back. Of course, Kickstarter is a website where projects can get funded so they can be created. Bands can get money for albums, and directors can get funds to make movies. We look at the technology aspect of this system, with 5 different projects you can back to help in the iPad.

Pressure Pen

I like the idea of a stylus for iPad, however, for artists, you need to have one that can add pressure so you can have thicker brush strokes. That is what pressure pen is for. The company tried for funding once, but didn’t make their goal. They are trying a second time to get the funding to put this pen into production.

Brydge iPad mount 

Imagine taking your iPad and turning it into a laptop no bigger than a Macbook Air. While it doesn’t give you a Lion OS, the iPad will feel more like a laptop. Perfect for those people who really need a smaller computer when they are moving around. Brydge has a patent pending hinge dock system that allows you to attach the iPad securely.

LeviSync Arm for iMac

LeviSync for iMac

LeviSync is an arm you attach to your iMac, which lets you set your iPad level to your monitor. Add in a desktop monitor extension software, and you can turn your iPad into another monitor. The arm can be on the left side or the right, and is also a 4-port USB hub.

Töd GPS for iPad, iPhone

It’s a little disc you can put into your pocket, and it will track you via your iPhone or iPad. You could put it in your kids’ pocket and know where he or she is. Put it around a collar, and you can track your dog. The disc is small, so it could be incorporated into items like computers, which the beacon code can be tracked from almost anywhere. The device takes little power, the CR 2032 battery will last for a long time.

Etcher: Etch a Sketch Enclosure for iPad

Etcher: Etch a Sketch for iPad

A few weeks back, I said it would be great if someone was making a Bluetooth enclosure that turned your iPad into an Etch a Sketch. Well, I guess someone was already working on that. After many prototypes, the final enclosure is ready to produce. The enclosure contains two knobs, which work exactly like the original Etch a Sketch. The case also can be used as a regular iPad case.

The adjoining software allows you to create images though a single line. You can even shake the iPad to erase the image!

Etcher is created by Ari Krupnik, Maarten Dinger, Alex Gutierrez and Lee Felsenstein. Of course, the original Etch a Sketch is trademarked by the Ohio Art company, which the group has a license to produce this new version of iPad case.

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Check out the previous iPad episode – Music Apps of iPad

iheartradio for iPad

iHeartRadio

iHeartRadio is a great way to get your radio stations when you are not in the vicinity of the signal. iHeartRadio connects to your Facebook, and you can program your own radio station, so you get exactly what you want for music. iHeartRadio is a Clear Channel company, with over 800 stations coast to coast. So if you are in Houston, you can still listen to your home station in Wisconsin.

iHeartRadio is an app for iPhone and iPad. You can also get the app for Android, Blackberry, XBox, and Windows phone.

Stitcher

Stitcher for iPad

Stitcher Internet Radio is an app for not only podcasters, but also live radio stations. Stitcher just upgraded their app to bring a social aspect to their site. You can connect to Facebook and find out what your friends are listening to. Of course, you can also set your favorite shows, so you can go from one show to the next.

Stitcher is available for iPad, iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and WebOS.

Spotify

The hit music service that came from the UK this last year finally gets an iPad app. Spotify is a music service that works on PC, iPhone, or iPad. You can listen for free (limited), or with a subscription. Connect up to Facebook so everyone knows what you are listening to.

Shazam

You might not think of this as a music service, but with Shazam, you can not only find out who the artist is, you can get their music for your collection. Watch the tag stream to find out what songs are popular. Or just see who is tagging what.

With recommendations, you could find some new music by your favorite artists. Shazam is also available for Android, Nokia, Blackberry, and Windows Phone 7.

JamUp for iPad

Positive Grid created this dongle that you connect to an iPad, and it will let you connect your guitar for $19.99. That is a very useful connector. There is a lot more to this, though. It’s part of an iPad app called JamUp.

The JamUp Lite and JamUp Pro is a digital amp and effects processor.  24 hybrid amps/effects, 16 user presets, sound-on-sound phrase sampler, iTunes player and more. Perfect for studio work, or just a good practice.

You can choose from 6 amp models and convolution cab simulator, spring and digital reverb, tangy modulations, tape and digital delays, classic and fuzzy distortions, filters, compressors, noise gate and other essentials. JamUp also has “play along” capabilities. Capture loops and riffs and create sound-on-sound overdubs.

You can also use the dongle to connect to other software. For instance, you can use this connector for Garage band – Just select the amp and effects in Garage band, and record your licks.

JamUp Lite is free, and JamUp Pro is $9.99. You can get additional pedals and amps for in-app purchases.

Montezuma Stone game for iPad

We have a challenging marble game for today’s iPad365. Montezuma Stone is a game where you shoot a colored marble onto the playing area. If it hits the same color marble before it gets to the other end, both marbles are removed. If not, that marble comes into play.

The goal is to clear the board of all marbles. Each level gets progressively harder. You will also get special stones to shoot at. They will freeze the stones, change them all to the same color, or increase the value of the shots.

The app races against time for a better score, so the quicker you finish, the better your score will be.

Montezuma Stone is free to level 10. There are 80 levels, which you can unlock for .99¢

Brainscape Flash Cards for iPad

I remember being in school, cramming for a test. I would have this bunch of flash cards that I would reference – Question on one side, answer on the other. Cards that I didn’t get right away would go into a side pile until I memorized them.

Brainscape is those flash cards for the iPad.

With Branscape, I can create my own set of cards, or choose from popular titles. I can rank the cards on how well I know the answer (1 to 5). That way, I can see what I know for sure, what I don’t know, and what I would second guess. Then, I would continue until I got all the answers right.

This is a great way to teach a sales person the important parts of a business. If you started in a new department, you can use the cards to familiarize yourself of the terms.

I even created a flash card system for iPad365.

Brainscape is free, with in-app purchases of card topics. Everything from Spanish, to Geography, Food, Vocabulary, and more.

Why Can’t you just get one WiFi package?

First of all, remember the Wifi in the airport is not the same WiFi in the plane. Most of the time, they are two different companies. Therefore, you might have bought the “Day package”, but you can only use in airports that have that type of WiFi.

Boingo Wireless Hotspot

Boingo is a  company that brings wireless hotspots to many airports, along with other areas. Prices starting at $4.95 a month, it will connect 2 devices to airport Wifi. They do have partnerships with other WiFi companies, like AT&T, so you may be able to log on to those accounts and not have to pay for WiFi in the airport.

Free WiFi Airports

There are a bevvy of airports that offer free WiFi service. McCarren International airport in Las Vegas is one of them. Some ask for email addresses, others give you choices, like filling out surveys or watching a quick video. To find the list of free WiFi, check out this list at WiFi Free Hotspot.

Keep in mind – Some of these airports are large, and if an airline has it’s own wing, they might just not have the free WiFi with it.

WiFi on a Plane

So a lot of planes are starting to get satellite Wifi on the plane. This is great for the daily flier, because they can check their email, and do business without having to wait to touch ground to connect. Of course, the WiFi is controlled via satellite, and works best above 10,000 feet (because there are few obstructions, and a lot less radio interference).

It doesn’t mean you are going to get 50 down/ 50 up speed. In fact, I did a few speed tests, and you will be lucky to get 1 MB download speed during your flight.

Don’t Expect to Watch Netflix on the Flight

The internet speeds barely hit 1 MB. Cloud interference could slow the connection. Finally, the amount of people using the wireless on the plane will also contribute to bad speeds. One part of internet speed you don’t normally look at is the time it takes to send a packet of information. All tests I did showed a very slow response time for sending and receiving.

So in return – getting your email works well. Basic surfing of web pages is ok. YouTube takes forever. It would be best to pre-download movies to watch on the plane.

How to get Free Wifi on a Plane

You most likely will have Gogo Internet on your plane. AirTran, Alaska Air, American, Delta, Frontier, United, US Airways, and Virgin all use this service. Over 1,500 planes have the service, and it doesn’t matter how far you go, they will offer service (pro-rated). You can purchase a 24 hour pass for $12.95 if you are in the plane all day.

The best part about Gogo, though, is they offer free service to certain websites. For example, you could shop on Amazon.com without having to pay for the gogo service. You could also get certain news, and see where your plane is, how high you are in the air, how fast you are going, and the forcast for your destination.

They also offer free service promotions from time to time. When I was flying from Austin, I got a free 30 minutes by just giving them my email address. There is currently a promotion where Blackberry users on United flights get a deal.

Paper 53 for iPad

If you are an artist, you might have a sketch journal. This is a book filled with blank pages, which you use to make a sketch. The idea is that your doodles become inspiration for other projects.

For instance, the lamps at the Hilton Inn Boise/Eagle (where I am staying) is a nice mimmic to a chinese lantern. I would make a sketch of that to put in my book. In a few weeks, I may be drawing something, and want to put that lamp into my drawing or painting. I can then reference that page in my journal. I can also use those drawings as examples in a portfolio.

Paper FiftyThree is that journal. It’s one of the best drawing iPad apps out there. I have been able to draw on the iPad and give it feeling and character.

You start with 1 pen and one eraser for drawing and deleting. Additional pens are in-app purchases for $1.99, but for $7.99, you can get them all. They include 2 marker styles, pencil, and paint brush (water color style).

You can delete things two ways in Paper Fifty Three – through the eraser pen, and through the rewind option. Hold two fingers on the iPad and make a counter-clockwise motion. I am not too keen on this way to undo a mistake. I would rather just see an undo button.

To get back to the journal, simply pinch the picture. Pinch it again if you have multiple journals to choose from.

There are some other issues with Paper 53, which make it a little more difficult to use. If you can get past the little “need to fix” quirks, this is a very useful app. Check out the drawings I made below.

Paper 53 works a lot better with a stylus pen. Get a Stylus Pen on Amazon

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Check out yesterdays iPad app – Twitter apps for iPad

Lamp Drawn using Paper 53Camera drawn using Paper 53

Camera drawn using Paper 53

Super Chicken Game for ipad

Today’s game is called Super Chicken. It’s a game where you have a chicken on a perch. Eggs are floating on the screen. Your job is to get the chicken to each egg, so it goes in the nest. Then land safely on the nest as to not break the eggs.

Levels get harder as you go, branches and other objects get in the way. Every time you flap the chicken wings, you loose gold coins. It requires you to be able to tap the screen and tilt it to navigate the bird to the nest. If you only cover some of the eggs, the covered eggs will hatch.

A fun game, but it might need a bit of tweaking. Sometimes it takes 2 fingers to get the chicken to actually start to fly.

Ducky Maker for iPad

There are a lot of photo stickerbook apps out there, but how many let you make up a duck? Only one that I know of.

Ducky Maker is an app where you can dress up a rubber duck, put a background to it, and send off to your friends. If you want, you can also add your own picture to it, and dress that up, too.

Send to Facebook, or via email to your friends. You can also print your creation, to hang on a wall. Put it in the Duck gallery to get seen by many others.

San Fran Explore app for iPad

Since I was in San Francisco all week, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about a couple apps I downloaded before the trip. The first one is an app that helps you get around, while the second one shows a bit of the history of this city.

The first one will help you get around the city. The San Francisco Exploration App tells you about all the attractions in your vicinity. There are photos to peruse, a deals section to help your shopping experience, and even a place to comment on certain attractions.

This app is free, with a $2.99 purchase to get offline content.

San Francisco for iPad

To get a bit of the SF history, you might want to check out San Francisco by Byss. This app has 10 really nice panoramic views of the city right before the gold rush. You can see some great drawings in panoramic, with 2500% zoom. This will give you an idea of San Frans’ history.

123d sculpt for ipad

It’s amazing what we can do with the iPad. Not only can we look at 3D models, but we can also make changes, and create new items.

123D Sculpt is one of those programs. It’s an iPad app by Autodesk – a company that focuses on 3D modeling projects. We talked about another product a while back in Sketchbook Pro.

In Sculpt, you get a 3D model. Put that into the work area, and you can pinch, smooth, widen, and even paint your model. You can zoom in, spin around, and get your creation in the right position to make the crucial adjustment.

When you are done, simply copy the work to your photo library. You can also send off your creations for others to enjoy.

123D Sculpt is free, with in-app purchases of different sculpting shapes.

Opus Domini for iPad

If you were like me, you had a day planner to do your business. With a calendar, spaces to put cards and more, the day planner was a very useful device. However, in the last few years, the day planner has pretty much been replaced. However, we don’t need the design to be replaced. That is where Opus Domini comes in – to give you that day planner look.

You can manage tasks and events, even create recurring events. Set goals and missions, so you can get your work done. The iPad will remind you.

Opus Domini has a free, and a paid version. You can also get Opus Domini for Mac.

We also look at the iPad case that has shown up. The Neverending Story iPad case makes your tablet look like an old storybook. The case is actually for Kindle, but the owner says for an extra fee, they will make one for the iPad.

Dosecast for iPad

Six months ago, I started taking medications for my high blood pressure. I have also used my iPad to help remind me to take said medications.

Using DoseCast, I can be reminded at a specific time to take the meds. With Dosecast, you can enter in the medication(s) and what time you want to be reminded. You can set the app to send a push notification.

If you have already taken the medication, when you are reminded, you can choose the time you already medicated.

This is also a great app if you have a loved one that needs to take a medication. That way, you don’t forget.

Legendary Heroes for iPad

If you are into Strategy RPG games, we have one for you. Legendary heroes is a game where you attack their towers, and defend your own. You can take on new challenges, or soon go into multiplayer mode.

You control up to 3 different players in the match. Use the minions to the best of their ability so your health doesn’t get too low. As you go, you get special skills you can use to attack and retreat.

This game does have in-app upgrades to get to new levels. Legendary Heroes is brought to you by Maya, and is available for iPad and iPhone. www.legendaryheroesgame.com

One Note iPad

If you are a user of Microsoft products, and have an iPad, you are one that wishes Office had a better presence on this device. As we work toward a Cloud based world, we see many opportunities for this to be reality. For example, last week we talked about OnLive Desktop.

If you can’t use a virtual desktop, and want an app, then give OneNote a try. It’s part of the Office 2010 software to create notes. Everything from to-do lists, to directions, and more.

OneNote lets you create searchable notes, using text, pictures, and bullets. Use SkyDrive to store and sync the notes with your desktop. The free version lets you create up to 500 notes. An in-app purchase allows you to increase the notes.

Crack and Break it for iPad

I know you want to do it. Just give that iPad a good whack in frustration. However, you don’t want to do that to a $500 (or more) computer. So we have to find virtual ways to break the iPad screen.

That is where Crack & Break it comes in. With Crack and Break it, you can smash your iPad screen just by tapping it. Put on a custom picture, and break it to the point the screen falls to pieces. If you want to break other types of glass, Crack and Break it also has glass blocks, lightbulbs, florescent bulbs to break. For an in-app fee, you can get more items to break.

With the lightbulbs, I make a game out of it. See how fast I can break the lit bulbs. If the designer could put a timer in the game, it would bring a challenge to the app.

The app is free and works with iPad and iPhone. Crack & Break it comes with a 3 1/2 star rating. The app is by Giorgi Otiashvili.

Popcorn Flix for iPad

You might have Netflix. You might have Amazon. But when those sites don’t have anything to watch, you start to look at alternatives. That is what Popcorn Flix is all about.

With Popcorn Flix, you can watch hundreds of movies online. It is a commercial based movie service, but if you can get past that, you can watch a great drama, action flick, comedy, and more. These are all full-length movies for iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.

Popcorn Flix is brought to you by Screen Media Ventures, LLC – one of the largest independent distributors of motion pictures. So download the app, grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy a movie tonight, on Popcorn Flix.

You can find out more at www.popcornflix.com

OnLive Desktop for ipad

Dipping back in the mailbag - This week, we learned a little more about OnLive Desktop. This is a service that loads up a virtual windows box for you. Complete with Office 2010, and a couple other Windows programs.

OnLive Desktop is a service you sign up for. There is a free service, with 2 GB to use, then plans starting at $4.99 a month. Best part about this – you can use this on iPad or Android.

You can sign in on your computer to upload files to be used. For instance, I could upload power point presentations, then use the iPad to present. All you need is an internet connection.

You might wonder how OnLive can do this. There was a licensing issue with Windows 7, so to keep in compliance, it has switched to Windows Server 2008 R2. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but add a Bluetooth keyboard, and you could really get some Word documents written.

Goto www.onlive.com to find out more.

Photo Toaster for iPad

On Monday, Facebook announced the 1 billion dollar acquisition of Facebook. Although the two companies state that Instagram will be run separate, there are still a lot of people leaving the photo sharing software because they don’t want any part of Facebook. Still, over 5 million downloaded the app for their mobile device.

If you decide to leave Instagram, you want another alternative. Best part is there are many different alternatives for your iPhone and iPad. Ones like Photo Toaster. This is an iPad app that lets you change the way you picture looks. Contrast, brightness, change the color, and more.

Additional options are to add borders, and customize the picture a little more. So if you want to desaturate, instead of B&W, you can. When you are done, you can then send to Facebook, Twitter, or send to your pictures.

Fing for iPad

As an IT admin, I have always wanted to keep track of who is on my networks. Especially if a rogue machine was to get connected, causing an IP conflict. That is what Fing helps me do. I can find out what computers are on my network, and record that information, so if there are any discrepancies, I can see them right on my iPad.

With this app, you can find MAC addresses and PC names, Customize names, Wake machines on the LAN, share details, translate IP addresses to domain names, and more. This can work with many different networks, and can also sort by IP, MAC, name, vendor or more. So this is a perfect tool if you have to maintain IP addresses in remote locations.

Fing is free and also works on iPhone

We also look at the Merkury Innovations 360 Rotating stand for iPad. It gives your iPad a solid stand to set into. The rotating face lets you go from landscape to portrait by turning it.

The only downfall of the stand is you have to take your case off to connect into the 360. It’s perfect for those iPads that are stationary – like a Kiosk, or a register iPad.

Get the Merkury Innovations 360 iPad stand on Amazon

Universal Movie Tycoon for iPad

There are many Sim games out there for the iPad. But how many of them let you make movies like Uncle Buck, Biloxi Blues, Despicable Me, or the big Lebowski?

The game Universal Movie Tycoon lets you build a studio to create the movie of your dreams.You start with an empty lot, in which you build sets upon. The first set will let you make the first movie, which is Uncle Buck. Choose the director and actor, then you are off and running.

As you continue, you build more sets, movie prop houses, makeup trailers, and more. You expand the set, then add roads and greenery. As each movie is complete, you get rewarded with cash. Use the “Movie Magic” to move your creations along, and level up.

Just like most other sim games, you can purchase in-store credit for more movie magic or other items. Collect from each building at the end of the day to get more money to make more movies. You can also choose to purchase and watch the movies before you make them.

Universal Movie Tycoon is free, and has a 3 1/2 star rating