App Review: Jot! Whiteboard

Product: Jot! Whiteboard

iTunes Link: Jot! Whiteboard

Cost:  $4.99 - Limited Free Version available ($0.99 In-App Purchase)  

Category:  Productivity

Platform: iOS

Device: iPad

Rating: 3/5

Review: 

Description: 

Jot! Whiteboard is pretty much exactly what it advertises to be.  It creates a whiteboard for doodling, taking notes, mapping (cruder version of iThoughts).  Jot! has a free version however, you are limited to one canvas.  While an In-App purchase of $0.99 allows for live sharing (a great feature for students), we feel that the $4.99 version provides more options.  Besides having unlimited canvas, there is the option of importing Jots from other users.  Exporting is available on both versions.  There is also no iPhone version, this app is for iPad only.  

Pros: 

From offering a canvas with various art tools to allowing live sharing, we find that this is a useful app for most students. 

Cons: 

The mind mapping tools on this software are very rudimentary.  Also not having an iPhone version makes this app a little unfinished in our eyes.  A bonus would be having a desktop app to view Jots on a bigger screen. 

Bottom Line: 

So so! We feel that this app is great for some users.  If you are a student and have an iPad that you can use at your college then this is a great app.  Beyond that the note taking, doodling and mind mapping features are ok.  

App Review: Disney Story

Product: Disney Story

iTunes Link: Disney Story

Cost:  Free

Category:  Photography

Platform: iOS

Device: iPhone

Rating: 5/5

Review:

Description:

Story App by Disney may not be unique but it is executed very well.  The app provides you with a “Digital” photo book that you can share with your friends and family.  When you launch the app it allows you to create a story by inserting pictures or videos from your phone.  You can then add comments and text before sharing it with your friends and family 

The stories can be shared via Facebook or email. 

Note that there are limits to how much you can share per story.  20 pictures and 2 videos are max per story.  Also note that the videos can be at max 1 minute long. 

You do have themes that you can choose from and you can add unlimited pages of text to each of your stories.    

Pros:

This free app allows you to share bits of your life in a story format.  From your child’s first steps to successful Thanksgiving dinner; you can choose a moment of your life and make a story out of it.

Cons:

Limits on the number of photos and video length are areas the app can improve on.  1 minute videos are typically hard to convey the intended message.  Although we suspect with editing it can be done.  But you can’t download the video, edit it and use it in the app as only media on your iOS device can be used for Story App.

Bottom Line:

Get It.  Story App by Disney is great way of sharing a moment of your life in a stylish manner. 

App Review: Pic Collage

Product: Pic Collage

iTunes Link: Pic Collage

Cost:  Free

Category:  Photography

Platform: iOS

Device: iPhone / iPad

Rating: 5/5

Review:

Description:

Often at an event you might take quite a few photos.  Then when it comes to sharing them, you might want one or two photos that capture the whole evening.  It might be tough to pick one or two pictures out, but a photo collage can be a very handy tool.

Pic Collage by Cardinal Blue offers a great app for your iPhone and iPad.  When you launch the program you just have to tap an open area to start your collage. Then you simply tap anywhere on the screen to add pictures.  The sources of your pictures can be from the Camera Roll, the web or even take pictures from the camera option.  You can then choose the collage design of your choice.

The app offers some “In-App” purchases that offer stickers of various designs and themes.  These stickers are from $0.99-$1.99. 

Once you are done with your collage you can then share your masterpiece at various social sites: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or Instagram.  You can also save to your library, Send Postcard or by Email.

Pros:

The app is designed very well, and is easy to navigate.  Also you have many options for your collage so you can fit various pictures. 

Cons:

Having a home button during your collage design process would be a great feature.  The app allows you to use the back arrow to go back a step, but a home button would be easier to navigate back and forth.  

Bottom Line:

Get It.  As far as Photo Collage Apps are considered – this is one of the better apps out there.  

App Review: Google Field Trip

Product: Google Field Trip

iTunes Link: Google Field Trip

Cost:  Free

Category:  Lifestyle

Platform: iOS

Device: iPhone

Rating: 3/5

Review:

Description:

One of the joys of traveling is to see new things, experience something unique and taste foods that are specialty of the region; however, finding such things maybe harder to coordinate.  You may ask friends about places to go visit or eat at.  Or you can do some online searches before going on the trip.  

But Google Field Trip tries to make finding places a little easier.  The app will use your location to identify places of interest near you.  

The content is sourced from several sites which allows the aggregation of data be more useful to the user.

Pros:

Finding interesting places is hard to do; with this app it gets a little easier.  The great thing about this app is that places that have deals near you are also included which means that if you are traveling on a budget you can save a few dollars exploring nearby venues.

Cons:

The app runs on your GPS chip; which drains a lot of your battery life. When you close the app it does not automatically shut down, which means you have to do a hard shut down of the app.  

Bottom Line:

Get the app only during travel time!  The app needs some refinement on  how it is activated and shutsdown.  

App Review: How to Write a Business Plan

Product: How to Write a Business Plan 

iTunes Link: How to Write a Business Plan

Cost:  Free 

Category:  Business

Platform: iOS

Device: iPhone 

Rating: 4/5

Review: 

Description: 

With the start of a new year you may be planning on launching your own business.  Whether it is a full time gig or just something on the side, you do need a plan to make sure your launch your business the right way.  How to Write a Business Plan App will help you get there. 

There are five chapters into writing your business plans, and each chapter provides several video tutorials as well as resources you can use to write and execute your plan. 

Pros: 

Writing a business plan is a daunting task but the makers of this app provide you with enough introductory videos and resources to get you started on the right foot.  Additional research will be necessary and some tasks (such as raising funds) may sound simple in the video, but the reality is that there will parts of launching a business that will always be tough.  Just remember this is a first step. 

Cons: 

To take advantage of this app you really do need to know something about starting a business.  If this is your first attempt, a lot of the content will require additional research.  If there was a website attached to this app with additional resources, or links to sites that the speakers were mentioning it would have made it a more complete tool. 

Bottom Line: 

Get it!  Launching a new venture is a daunting task, but this app at least gets the frame work ready for you.