Big Big Cursor

For all of you people missing ‘that cursor feeling’ when using your touch devices, there is help: BIG BIG CURSOR.



(I couldn’t help but chuckle at this product idea. No, I won’t buy it, but it made me smile.)

MusicTandem: Pandora for your iPad

There’s a lot of great options for listening to music on your iPad, including Hunter and Aweditorium. They are now joined by one of the relatively new additions to the iTunes App store, MusicTandem.

Available for a limited time at the discounted price of $0.99, MusicTandem is certainly worth that and more. The iPad app allows you to create personalized music channels based on an artist, tag or genre, much like popular streaming services Pandora and Last.fm. The difference is, of course, that no matter where you are in the world, you can access MusicTandem. As long as you have an iPad.

MusicTandem plugs into YouTube, Last.fm and The Echo Nest to deliver music to the user, so you’re bound to find a wide variety, and pretty much any artist you’re looking for no matter how obscure. Of course, on the flip side, if you’re using a 3G connection, the app is going to be pretty data intensive.

To switch between selecting an artist, tag or genre channel, simply swipe the screen to bring up the different options. If you choose to listen to an Artist-based channel, you can choose whether or not to include music by other artists or not, which is a nice twist to how other similar services work.



Once you’ve settled on the channel of your choice, the music will start streaming. As they are playing, you can add each individual song to your favourites list, for easy access whenever you want to hear it. You can also share it using Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr, save it to Delicious, Instapaper or ReadItLater, or even open it in Safari, among other options.



The app also automatically saves all of your recently played channels, but you can selectively delete or clear the entire list if you choose.



As each song plays, you can look up the artist information, which includes a bio, similar artists, and a convenient button which will let you launch that artist’s channel.



MusicTandem also comes with AirPlay support, meaning you can keep up with your favourite music on Apple TV.

MusicTandem is a slick app which serves as a great alternative to services like Pandora which is limited to US residents. As far as actual playback is concerned, unfortunately the app doesn’t work in the background, which may be a dealbreaker for some, and if you consider yourself an audiophile, the sound quality from a YouTube video definitely won’t be up to scratch.

That said, with each channel we tested, the playlist accuracy was impressive. So if you want an easy way to turn your iPad into a personalized radio station, playing only the kind of music that you want to hear, MusicTandem is a great option.

Shuffler.fm teases forthcoming iPad app

Shuffler.fm, the popular music aggregation and discovery site, announced that they'll soon have an iPad app to allow music fans to channel-surf the thousands of blogs that shuffler.fm aggregates their music from. TechCrunch got an early look at the app and the overall impressions were quite positive. It notes that while the iPad app has more simplistic features and functions than the website, the shuffler.fm app gives users the 'ability to navigate through touches and swipes brings back a feeling reminiscent of flipping through album covers and tearing into liner notes.'


If you're a music fan and haven't heard of shuffler.fm, it's worth checking out before the iPad app hits. It works kind of like a StumbleUpon for music. The site scans thousands of music blogs and radio feeds, then separates all the songs by genre. When you select a genre channel on shuffler.fm, it sends you to the blog where the song is, thus promoting that blog's music. Don't like that song? Click the skip button to go to another song on a different blog. Though the artist and song will be different, the genre will be the same.


Shuffler.fm is a great concept, and I can't wait to get my hands on the iPad app, which the good people behind shuffler.fm says will be available within a few weeks, depending how long it takes to get through Apple's review process.

Daily iPad App: Storyist for iPad

I know what you're probably thinking: 'Steve's blogging about a writing tool and it's not even NaNoWriMo time yet!' As true as that may be, there's a version of the powerful Storyist writing app now available for iPad, and I just had to write about it whether or not November is near. Storyist for iPad (US$9.99) isn't as robust as the $59 Mac version, but I found that the app is perfect for my creative writing. If you're a novelist, a script writer, or just someone who wants to hammer out your own creative thoughts, Storyist for iPad is going to make your day.


Launching Storyist on your iPad brings up a My Projects page. To aid new users in the process of figuring out the app, Storyist includes a Getting Started document consisting of a 21-page guide, novel and screenplay example files, and a handful of images included in the examples.


Like its desktop sibling, Storyist for iPad provides a powerful outliner and an 'index card' feature for organizing your thoughts. There's an amazing amount of control over line indentation and paragraph and line spacing, and a full palette of fonts to choose from. Images can either be inserted into your document from the project folder or from your photo library.


The editor supports rich text, comments, footers, headers and style sheets. For manuscripts and screenplays, the text is automatically formatted into the generally accepted formats for submission. When working on a manuscript project, special pages for plot, character and setting descriptions are created for authors to reference when they've forgotten the details.


The app syncs with Dropbox with a tap, and the files are compatible with Storyist for Mac. Other import and export formats include RTF, Plain Text, and Final Draft v8. Since many writers would gag at the thought of having to crank out a novel or screenplay on a virtual keyboard, the app works seamlessly with Bluetooth wireless keyboards.


For doing updates to manuscripts and screenplays on the run, I can't think of a better writing tool, and for ten bucks Storyist for iPad is a bargain.

Intriguing Japanese Design That Turns Your Laptop into a Desktop

We recently received an interesting project from Japanese designer Masayuki Todate, called Desktop Chair. Here is the official description from the project developer: “While we enjoy the mobility of laptop, some of us still use desktops to work efficiently and comfortably. Hand made with fine natural basswood, Desktop Chair simply holds your Apple laptop and turns it into a desktop machine with an external display, a keyboard and a mouse (or trackpad). Desktop Chair fits virtually all Apple laptops with a height of 1.2″ (30mm) or less, regardless of the shape, with or without a cover, now and the future. And of course for tablets. Simply connect your Apple laptop with an external monitor, a keyboard and a mouse. Your laptop will run with the lid closed. Apple calls it “Closed Clamshell Mode” (cable adaptor may be needed). Now your laptop works as a desktop, allowing you to work comfortably by raising your eye level for better posture, less strain on your eyes, neck and back”. Find it useful?

Innovative Faucet Stand for iPad and iPhone from Nendo Elecom

The Nendo Elecom Faucet Stand for iPhone and iPad is the most interesting idea seen this week. An exploration into the world of versatile design and creative, functional ideas – the iPad and iPhone stand shaped like a faucet with water running down into a rippled base is both relaxing and exciting in equal measures. Made from polycarbonate plastic with ABS faucet parts, the stand draws attention like no other – its crisp design surpasses similar gadgets and fabricates a new path for creative iPad and iPhone stands. Clearly the one with the deepest impact is the faucet coloured in blue – it resembles water pouring out of the faucet so much that it can be successfully used as a freestanding decorative object that will become the centre of attention. Also available in black, white or clear, the faucet stand was designed for Elecom by Japanese studio Nendo. No information on the cost or date of release yet, but we’ll be waiting for this one.

Daily iPad App: NASA Visualization Explorer

The NASA Visualization app is your window into the world of NASA research. The app presents the latest NASA research news in an easy-to-digest format. Each article is written for the lay person and amateur scientist with images and video to complement the writing. Topics range from space-based exploration to climate change, another popular area of NASA research.


The app itself is pleasantly arranged and can be viewed in either portrait or landscape mode. Each article has a captivating headline image pulled from NASA's impressive photography library. Articles can be viewed by selecting from an index or browsing the headlines individually. Navigation among articles is a bit awkward if you use the arrows,but you can always use the more familiar swiping gestures. The arrows are large and easy to tap, once you get used to them, though.


The content is great. The articles are scientific enough to keep the amateur scientist interested, yet basic enough for the average person to understand. They are also topical and not obscure; you get to read about glaciers and solar flares! New articles appear every 2-3 days and a badge tells you how many new articles are available to read. Articles also include extra images and even video clips. The video supports Airplay so you can watch the clips on the big screen if you own an Apple TV. The NASA Visualization app also lets you share content via Facebook, Twitter, or email. You can copy the article's URL and even read it using Mobile Safari.


The NASA Visualization app is a must-have for the NASA fan or science buff looking for something to read in their spare time. The app is available for the iPad only and requires iOS 4.3 or later. You can download it for free from the App Store.

Daily iPad App: News360 2.0

I liked News360 when a reviewed it last April. It uses several sources for stories, and it was interesting to see the different takes on any single event. Of course News360 was also an excellent news discovery tool, scanning thousands of news sources to keep me up to date.


One of the issues with News360 is you had no control over the sources. The app was basically static, and you got what you got. That's all changed in version 2 of this free app, released today.


In a move toward personalization, News360 lets you input your Facebook, Twitter, Evernote and Google Reader accounts to seed the app with what news you are following and generate a unique mix of news that fits your interest. It's a good idea, and seems to work well. The more information it has about your reading habits, the better the presentation will be.


The downside of all this is that it requires you having these accounts. No Facebook or Twitter account, for example, no personalized news. I think it's a mistake to go that direction. Many people are getting tired of some social media, especially Facebook because of privacy issues. I would have much preferred a GUI that lets me enter my interests or keywords. Going even deeper, the app could monitor what stories I look at and learn a lot about what I like that way. That's what my favorite news discovery tool Zite does, and Pulse News and Flipboard allow you to link to social media like Facebook but don't require it. The developers say that in an upcoming version, the social media links will no longer be required, and that's a positive step.


This new version sports another excellent feature. Users can sync with news360.com and get their custom news without needing your iPad. Nice for office workers or others who want the benefits of the app and don't have or don't always carry an iPad.


The app has some nice customization features. You can look at what's called an interest graph and edit it, so if it is bringing in things you don't want, you can whisk them away with a few clicks. The app also automatically provides links for more information, and, with your permission, it can use your location to get local news.


I do like News360. It offers some fresh ideas for news aggregation, and the personalization is most welcome. I just wish it wasn't forcing me to to be on Facebook or some other system to find out what news I like. You don't have to personalize the app, and if you don't this version will work just like the older version, without user control of what you see.


News360 is also available on the iPhone, but that version won't get personalization until Fall.

Gallery: News 360 version 2.0

LucidChart web app brings diagramming prowess, collaboration to Mac and iPad

At one point in my career, I trained business analysts in the tools and techniques of their trade. One feature of business analysis methodologies is that they use a lot of diagrams to visually represent use cases, process flows, and relationships. During those classes I talked a lot about creating and sending diagrams to others, but I never dreamed that we'd be able to collaborate on them from just about any device. That's what the LucidChart HTML5 web app brings to the picture -- amazing diagramming tools and online collaboration.


A lot of the business analysts I know have refused to switch to Apple products due to a lack of one single application on the platform -- Microsoft Visio. Sure, the application can run on a virtual machine on a Mac, but a lot of these folks tell me that they don't want to run VMs. Here's some good news for those people; LucidChart lets you import Visio documents so you can wave goodbye to that anchor around your neck, and you can start doing your work on an iPad or Mac. Can you use LucidChart on an iPhone? Yes, but it's a painful experience on such a small screen.

Gallery: LucidChart Web App

I had a chance to try out LucidChart both on my Mac and an iPad, and I found it to be fast, full-featured, and easy to use. You can try out the web app for free, and then there are different subscription levels. An individual account with up to 5 collaborators and 100 MB of storage is US$4.95 a month or $39.95 per year. For those who want the premium features -- Microsoft Visio .vdx file import, wireframing/iPhone mockups, and revision history -- there's a professional account that costs $9.95 a month or $99.95 per year. That account is still for one user, but unlimited collaborators can work on the document and there's a full 1 GB of storage.


Teams and workgroups can have team accounts that start at $25 per month ($249 per year) for multiple users, unlimited collaborators, and storage starting at 5 GB. The team accounts have all of the professional account features plus shared templates and images. Educators can also get free accounts during 2011.


As this is a web app, there is no need to install software. You simply point your browser to LucidChart.com and log in. The site displays a clean interface showing documents, team, community, forums, account and referrals. The documents page (below) displays all documents that you have created and stored on the system. This is also where you can create subfolders to store project documents, import Visio files, or create new documents from scratch.

Clicking or tapping the big 'New Document' button displays a window showing templates for different types of categories. For instance, in the Drawings category are three different types of Venn Diagrams and in Flowcharts are templates for business, sales, and support processes. Need a powerful mind-mapping tool on your iPad? There's a Mind Map template. Creating network diagrams is a breeze with the template that is available, and TUAW readers who are busy with startups will love the org chart templates.

The Software/Web templates are quite useful. There are software/web templates, UI design templates, sample ERD and data flow templates, a site map template, and a tool for creating iPhone app mockups (see below). For those who are eloquent fans of the Unified Modeling Language (UML), there are templates for activity, sequence, class and state diagrams, as well as the ever-popular UML Use Case diagram. Are you a fan of swim lanes? Got 'em.

Just to get a feel for how easy or hard it is to use LucidChart on the Mac and iPad, I made a handful of charts and also created a mockup of a TUAW TV Live app (no, we're not actually doing one -- but it was a fun thing to try). What's very cool is that you can start a document on your Mac (or PC if you swing that way), then pick up your work on the iPad when you leave the office.

As you'd expect, the web app is very similar on both platforms. There are a few differences in terms of location of tool palettes when you're on the iPad, and of course you're navigating around the app with finger taps instead of mouse or trackpad clicks. Once you've learned how to use the app on one platform, you know how to use it on all platforms.

To share a document with others, there's a small share link at the bottom of the page on the desktop version. You can send a link to the document to your collaborators, and for others who happen to be on line, you can actually view the document and chat about it in real time. The share button is actually much more visible and easier to get to on the iPad being at the top of the screen, but there is no chat function on the tablet as far as I could see.

All in all, if you're a system analyst, developer, or anyone else who needs to easily make and edit diagrams, flow charts, and other such materials, be sure to take a look at LucidChart. The individual account is very competitive with other Apple-oriented diagramming and drawing applications. For example, the very capable OmniGraffle from OmniGroup runs $99 for the regular version ($199 for OmniGraffle Professional) and doesn't include the many collaborative features of LucidChart. The LucidChart license allows you to run the app on any of your devices; you'd need to buy a license for OmniGraffle for iPad (an additional $49) to be able to work on that device.

It's not all about costs, though. There are other tangible benefits, such as cloud storage of your documents and collaboration with others. The one negative with LucidChart is that it really does require an internet connection to be useful. Although I was able to use the app offline for a short while to make changes to drawings, it often locked up until the internet connection was re-established. However, for engineers or others who might need to work on documents in the field, LucidChart works very well with a 3G connection.

Be sure to take a look at the gallery to see some screenshots of LucidChart in action, and if you're intrigued, sign up for a free trial.

Hands on with Kindle Cloud Reader for iPad

Apple recently gave e-reader apps in the iOS App Store an ultimatum: Either sell your books through the company’s in-app purchasing system, providing Apple with a 30-percent cut of each sale, or remove any links to your own web-based stores. Obviously, that’s not ideal for e-book sellers. Which is likely why Amazon has decided to work around the App Store restrictions by introducing a new web-based app that works outside of Apple’s official software distribution channel.
Amazon introduced Kindle Cloud Reader on Wednesday, an HTML5-based web application that runs in mobile Safari on the iPad, Safari on the Mac and PC, and Chrome on the Mac and other desktop operating systems. Amazon has promised support for additional browsers and platforms soon, but the fact that the iPad is in the launch group of devices makes clear Amazon’s main goal with this endeavor, which is to provide its customers with a full Kindle experience on the Apple tablet, including access to the integrated Kindle Store.

So how does it work? Once you navigate to http://read.amazon.com in your iPad’s Safari browser, you’ll be greeted with an invitation to sign in with your Amazon/Kindle account. Signing in will bring you to a screen featuring your library of Kindle book purchases, as well as a prompt directing you to allow Safari to increase the size of the database permitted for the site. This is used for the offline cache Cloud Reader maintains for reading without an active internet connection. Kindle Cloud Reader lets you tap and hold books from your library to download them to local storage for offline reading, and also stores books you are currently reading offline automatically, so that your reading won’t be interrupted if you lose connection.

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Actually reading books in Cloud Reader is a pleasure, and you’d be hard-pressed to tell that you aren’t using a native app, especially if you place a shortcut to the web app on your iPad’s home screen, which launched the reader in a chrome-less, full-screen browser. You can change the font size and color of your books in Cloud Reader, and also view highlights, notes and bookmarks you’ve made on other devices. You can’t make new notes or highlights using the web app, but you can add new bookmarks just by tapping the upper right-hand corner of any page, even offline. It also works in both landscape and portrait orientations, as does the integrated store.

Some of the frills of the native app are missing, like page turn animations, access to Kindle periodicals, and the ability to search through a book for keywords. You also can’t look up terms in the dictionary the way you can in the full-fledged native Kindle app. But if you use those extra features sparingly, and go through books quickly, then Cloud Reader’s built-in bookstore might make up for those omissions.

The Kindle Store included in Cloud Reader makes browsing for books on your iPad a pleasure. You get a scrollable selection of recommendations at the top of the interface, and a list of best sellers and category navigation below that. You can search the store at any point, and navigate back and forward as you browse. The individual book listings actually provide you with more info at-a-glance in a more sensibly organized way than on the Kindle Store in the desktop browser, and you can try a sample of any book in the Amazon e-book library, which loads up right in the standard Cloud Reader reading interface. Unfortunately, it doesn’t remember where you were when you switch to your library; jumping back to the store brings you to the front page.

In the end, Kindle Cloud reader works, and works well, but purely for e-reading purposes, it doesn’t really match up to its native app counterpart. That said, the ability to shop for books and read them immediately might outweigh the disadvantages for some. For me, Kindle Cloud Reader will remain on my home screen, but I won’t be using it primarily for reading; I’ll be using it to buy. The iPad-optimized Kindle Store is a pleasure to shop, and thanks to iOS multitasking, I can pretty easily switch back and forth between the native and web-based Kindle apps. Even if I don’t use Cloud Reader as a native app replacement, it does prove one thing: Keeping integrated e-book stores out of native apps benefits no one but Apple.

Lean Your iPad or iPhone Against a Running Faucet With Gravity-Defying Stand

Leaning your iPhone or iPad against a running faucet is probably one of the last things you’d want to do, which is why this Elecom stand created by Japanese design firm Nendo may seem somewhat odd.

The “Jaguchi” (Japanese for “tap”) stand can hold just about any tablet or smartphone, making it look like your device is resting on a faucet with a frozen stream of water rippling out of it.

Elecom (in Japanese) says you can either lean your device against the virtually flowing faucet, or place this decorative sculpture against a wall for an even more-perplexing illusion when you’re using your tablet or smartphone.

Nendo‘s stands are shown in four colors and two sizes, but the Elecom site lists their price as “open.” Let’s hope the company imports these to the U.S., pronto.

Clear version

iPad, but any tablet will do

Comes in Blue

Rear view, smartphone version

Available in black

Front view

Milky white version

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[via Designboom, graphics courtesy Elecom]