App review

BrainyApp

You don’t have to be a brainiac to use BrainyApp, but you might just become a bit smarter. This app from Alzheimer’s Australia and health fund Bupa is designed to help you improve your brain health and may just help stave off Alzheimer’s. It provides information for better brain and body health, helps you rate and track your progress through a brain health survey and includes brain games to stimulate your grey matter. The app is free, so it’s a no-brainer. CC issue Jan/Feb 2012.

MelApp

Price: $1.99
Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

Despite, or perhaps because of, the vast amount of health-related information now available to anybody with a web browser, doctors tend to frown on self-diagnosis. But tools that help alert users to possible health problems are increasingly popular. Take MelApp, for example, this clever app uses the iPhone camera and sophisticated pattern recognition software to provide a potential early warning system against skin cancer. Just take a pic of a skin mole or suspect spot and upload it for analysis to receive a risk assessment only seconds later. Of course, this handy freckle checker makes no medical claims but it may prompt you to see a specialist and that might just be a lifesaver. CC issue Sept/Oct 2011.

Travel

Link

Price: $2.49
Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. 

If you live in NSW and use public transport Link is indispensable. This interactive guide to buses, trains and ferries can help you plan a multi-stage trip to almost anywhere efficiently, including walking time. And if you tend to nod off on public transport, it can even wake you before your stop. The free Link Express version lacks search history and favourites. For Sydney commuters only, there’s also the invaluable TripView ($2.49) which is a commuters’ dream. It shows train, bus and ferry timetables and lets you plan point-to-point trips. The free TripView Lite version doesn’t save your trips for future reference but is otherwise fully featured. CC issue July/Aug 2011.

Remember the Milk

Price: Free or $25/year pro version
Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, Pad, Android

There’s no shortage of reminder and to-do apps on smartphones and tablets, but the Australian-developed app Remember The Milk (RTM) is not only one of the best, it’s the first to incorporate the iPhone 4S personal assistant, Siri, for adding reminders. RTM also works in with a web account and Gmail, Outlook, Twitter, Google Calendar and ties in with BlackBerry’s inbuilt Tasks program. CC issue Jan/Feb 2012.

Join.me

Price: Free.
Platform: iPhone, iPad, Android

If a picture's worth a thousand words, then the ability to quickly view anybody's computer screen remotely via your iPad must be worth a million. The join.me Viewer app lets you view somebody's screen, whether Mac or Windows, and collaborate from just about anywhere in real time over Wi-Fi or 3G connection. A desktop user “hosts” a meeting by going to join.me to start the connection and multiple users can join in. It's quick, simple and free. An optional Pro account provides extra services. Join.me is made by LogMeIn, makers of the easy-to-use remote viewing and control software for Mac, Windows and iOS devices. CC issue Nov/Dec 2011.

iWork

Price: $10.99
Platform: iPhone (including 3GS), iPod Touch (gen 3 and 4), iPad

Apple’s own productivity suite was a hit on the iPad and now it’s available for iPhone and iPod Touch as well. iWork, comprising Pages (word processing), Numbers (spreadsheets) and Keynote (presentations) are universal apps, so if you’ve already bought them for the iPad, they’re available as a free update for the smaller iOS devices – and surprisingly usable at that size. All three programs have benefitted from the recent iTunes price drop, losing a couple of dollars, and all come with Apple-designed themes and templates. CC issue Sept/Oct 2011.

Awesome Files

Price: $1.19
Platform: iPhone, iPad

Carrying many gigabytes of music, photos and files around with you on your iPhone or iPad is easy, but finding what you want when you need it requires a system. Awesome Files helps organise everything. Create and save files, folders, pictures, web clippings, downloads, notes and almost anything else you gather. You can also zip and unzip file archives and open files into other apps, as well as access and save files to online servers such as Dropbox, MobileMe, Box.net, Google Docs and WebDav servers. Files can also be swapped to and from your computer via USB and via Wi-Fi, with the free Awesome Files Connect for Mac or PC. CC issue July/Aug 2011.

Springpad

Price: $2.49
Platform: iPhone, Android

Springpad aims to be the ultimate organiser. Use it as a central repository for all the different bits of information we tend to collect each day: memos, notes, pictures … almost anything at all. It can help find information on movies, books, products and more, and is great for creating various checklists. You can easily share your information with friends via Facebook and Twitter. And unlike Evernote (evernote.com) which also collects and organises information, Springpad also lets you set reminders for tasks and events – a big plus. All information is synchronised online and also accessible from any computer via a personalised web page. CC issue July/Aug 2011.

Education

SmartGardenWatering

Price: Free
Platform: iPhone

If you’re looking to keep your plants and veggies happy this summer, this app will help you water them just the right amount for optimum results. It tells you how often to water and for how long, for your particular location and garden type. 

It also shows local rainfall history to help with programming sprinkler systems – great for when water restrictions hit. CC issue Jan/Feb 2012.

Learner Driver Recorder

Price: $2.99
Platform: iPhone

Every kilometre counts to a learner driver trying to get up the 120 hours needed (in Victoria and NSW) to gain a full licence, but keeping a manual logbook that takes into account all those extra little trips can be a pain. The LDR app helps track and record every driving second and even maps where you’ve been. It’s not an official replacement for the written logbook yet, but it’s a step down that road. An Android version is in the works, too. CC issue Jan/Feb 2012.

Reference

PickAQuote

Price: Free

Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

Need to get some work done around the home? Don't reach for the Yellow Pages, grab your iPhone and download the free PickAQuote app. It lets you post the details of your job for tradesman and business, to help you find competitive quotes to do the work. The clever built-in PhotoMeasure tool uses the iPhone's camera help you measure up for any building work. If, on the other hand, you're a tradesman or business you can use PickAQuote to bid for jobs listed once you've registered with the site and been checked out as qualified. CC issue Sept/Oct 2011.

Navigation

NavFree Live Australia and New Zealand

Price: Free
Platform: iPhone 3G/3GS/4 and iPad/2

If you’ve been waiting for a free iPhone GPS app, NavFree Live Australia & New Zealand now offers totally free turnby-turn navigation, though you will have to pay for in-app extras such as $5 for the ad-free version. Other promised in-app purchases include speed camera locations, local petrol prices and traffic information. The app includes full maps stored on the phone, so you don’t have to rely on mobile network coverage. A Social Location feature lets users navigate to each other and share their position via SMS, Email, Twitter and Facebook. Community-based map updates are also free. More info at www.navmii.com. CC issue May/June 2011.

Utilities

DisplayPad

Price: $2.99
Platform: iPad

Based on the ideal that you can never have too much screen space, DisplayPad lets you turn your iPad into an extra screen for your desktop or laptop computer, using your Wi-Fi connection. DisplayPad extends your computer desktop area so you can simply drag windows from your main screen to the iPad. It works in portrait or landscape mode and also lets you use the iPad's touch display for selection and data entry. DisplayPad is a cheaper alternative to other display-extension apps such as Air Display and MaxiVista (both about $10) but all require a small program to run on your Mac or Windows computer. CC issue Nov/Dec 2011.