Since being involved in “social media” I have come to enjoy reading and providing cool quotes to others in social networking sites. I have found that people really dig quotes and comment back, like “I totally agree” or “thank you for your quote.” It almost makes me feel like I am an intellectual dude, when in reality I blog about iPhone apps. I have several iPhone “quote” apps on my iPhone, but I recently tested the MLQuote iPhone app developed by Mead Logic.

MLQuote is not sexy, not unordinary, and not worth a $0.99. This is not to be mean to the developers for all their hard work in creating this iPhone app , but this app is sub par. There are pages of “quote” apps in the iTunes App Store and this app just does not stand out, in fact it fails in several areas. There are several categories to choose quotes from, but most quotes came from people I have never heard of (so much for being intellectual) and most are dated before circa 1900.

But, that is not my biggest beef with this iPhone app. I like to share quotes, but this app in no way lets you share anything, unless you want to cut/copy and paste (pain in the side). Where is Facebook Connect, Twitter share, or even email sharing? MLQuotes is okay, but feels more like a FREE iPhone app than a $0.99 iPhone app. This app receives 3 CrazyMikes Heads, but just barely. CM

Cost: $0.99, Category: Lifestyle, Developer: Mead Logic

iphone app review

Longmont, Colorado – Media Lab Inc., premier provider of Photoshop plug-in website creation technologies, today is pleased to announce the release of SiteGrinder 3, its next generation web site development platform. In addition to over 300 new features, Media Lab SiteGrinder 3 supports two new optional add-ons, Commerce and Control.

The SiteGrinder 3 Commerce add-on builds web stores with a fully-integrated shopping cart from within Photoshop. Users can now easily create online stores with shopping carts from image galleries using simple Photoshop text and art layers. After publishing their store to the web, users can edit products, pricing, images and descriptions remotely using any web browser.

The SiteGrinder 3 Control add-on enables website content management from any Internet-connected computer through a web browser. The designer/developer (or client) can quickly change any site content including page additions, text, images and galleries remotely from any web browser, all without returning to Photoshop.

“SiteGrinder 3 is the best website development tool that I have ever used,” said Charles Hurst, Web Designer. “Its integration with Photoshop as a plug-in gives me a complete development platform from initial design all the way to a working published website. With the optional Commerce and Control add-ons, and the over 300 new features and functions in SiteGrinder 3, I have complete control over the design, deployment and remote management of my websites.”

Graphic designers, photographers, artists or anyone can easily transform their Photoshop designs into CSS and XHTML standards-compliant websites without writing a single line of code. For developers who want to improve their work flow, all code generated by SiteGrinder 3 is fully editable in Dreamweaver or any other CSS or HTML editor.

“We use SiteGrinder 3 as an integral part of our web application design and work flow.” said Chipp Walters, Shafer Walters Group, Inc. “In situations where the client needs a radical design change, the results can be implemented in hours instead of days. We particularly like the new features of SG3, including multiple column resizing and three state button support. Overall, SiteGrinder 3’s ROI for our client has been great!”

Key Features
* Generate web graphics without slicing
* Produce CSS web text straight from Photoshop (editable in the browser)
* Create dynamic pages with interactive buttons and animations
* Set up multi-level menus without programming
* Make custom image portfolios and galleries fast
* Add flash and other multimedia to your pages easily
* Create advanced, versatile page layout
* Provide forms for email, Google Map and more

“SiteGrinder 3 does not merely have more features than SiteGrinder 2, it is the next generation website development platform,” said Tom Summerall, co-founder, Media Lab, Inc. “It has a completely new architecture, workflow, and user interface. SiteGrinder 3’s new features and functionality radically improve the design experience and workflow making it easier than ever to design and manage the ultimate website.”

System Requirements:
On the PC, SiteGrinder 3 is compatible with Windows XP and later, including Windows 7. It requires Photoshop 7 or later, or Photoshop Elements 6, 7 and 8. SiteGrinder 3 is compatible with Mac OS X 10.1 or greater, Photoshop CS3 or CS4 (Mac OS X 10.4 or later for the Intel-based Mac), Photoshop Elements 6, 7 and 8. Visit Media Lab online for complete details and to download your copy of SiteGrinder 3.

Pricing and Availability:
SiteGrinder 3 will be released and generally available starting March 29, 2010, following Photoshop World Orlando. Media Lab has several special offers for SiteGrinder 2 customers and those who want to pre-purchase SiteGrinder 3. Pre-release orders will be downloadable on March 29, 2010.

* SiteGrinder 3 pre-release upgrade for SiteGrinder 2 Pro users just $99, a $300 savings
* SiteGrinder 2 Pro purchases since January 1, 2010 and new purchases prior to release will receive a free upgrade to SiteGrinder 3, a $399 savings
* Commerce or Control add-ons just $149, a $50 savings
* SiteGrinder 3 Bundles (includes SG3, Commerce* OR Control) just $399, a $200 savings
* SiteGrinder 3 Web Suite (includes SiteGrinder 3, Commerce* AND Control) just $499, a $300 savings

Suggested retail price for SiteGrinder 3 Web Suite is $799 (USD). SiteGrinder 3 is $399.00, Control add-on $199.00 and Commerce* add-on $199 if purchased separately. For more information please visit the SiteGrinder 3 Store.

Media Lab
SiteGrinder 3
Media Lab Store
Commerce Add-on
Control Add-on

For over a decade, Longmont, CO-based Media Lab, Inc. has specialized in creating interactive Photoshop tools that make it easy to bring amazing Web designs to life. Media Lab’s award-winning website creation tool, SiteGrinder 2, has enjoyed an array of favorable reviews and accolades since it debuted in April 2000 under the the name of Photowebber. Prior to the release of Photowebber, Media Lab’s innovative multimedia design tools, PhotoCaster, PSD2FLA, and AlphaMania, were used to create pioneering special effects seen at Disney World’s EPCOT Center in Florida, as well as in numerous popular music videos and motion pictures, such as “X-Men 2″, “Spiderman 2″, “Air Force One”, and “Armageddon”. For complete information on Media Lab, Inc. and its current products, visit Media Lab online.

There are plenty of greeting card iPhone apps on the market and http://www.crazymikesapps.com has reviewed several of these iPhone apps. Most of these apps are solid and basically have you “craftily” put together an eGreeting card that you can email to family, friends, or whoever. EasyGreetings iPhone app developed by Harmonya Ronit Amidan is by far the coolest eGreeting card I have ever used.

Once you open the app the user interface (UI) is very easy to navigate. There is a bottom navigation bar that has all of the separate areas you will need to construct your card (background, characters, accessories, greetings, options). Here is where it gets really cool, you just drag and drop the parts of your card onto the main screen and within about 5 seconds (maybe 20 for you creative types) you have an eGreeting card ready to be emailed to that someone special in your life.

I made two cards in under 3 minutes, easily even emailing them without any glitches. A few drawbacks I see to this app are as follows. First the content is somewhat limited as far as the “boiler plate” selection screens, but there is enough to suffice. The developer has a huge opening to provide more content for this app and have a hit on their hands. Second, I would like the ability to type a personal greeting, instead of only template greetings. This is another huge opening for the developer to exploit to make this app shine above other eGreeting card apps.

Summary, love the “drag n drop” eGreeting card creation method this app provides, but needs more content and personalized capabilities. EasyGreetings costs $0.99 and receives 4 CrazyMikes Head’s for cool “drag n drop” eGreeting creation UI. CM

Cost: $0.99, Category: Lifestyle, Developer: Harmonya Ronit Amidan

http://www.crazymikesapps.com

San Francisco, CA – Slide To Play, a leading Web site covering games for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch, has released GameFinder, a free app now available on the App Store. Due to the overwhelming success of the iPhone and iPod touch, there are more than 150,000 apps in the App Store, of which more than 30,000 are games. GameFinder is designed to help iPhone and iPod touch owners find their new favorite games in a variety of ways.

With GameFinder, gamers can check out games that were recently reviewed on Slide To Play, explore games by genre, or browse through exclusively programmed lists, such as STP Games of the Month, zombie-themed games, or great games under a dollar. GameFinder also treats gamers to price discount tracking, as well as a robust set of multimedia features. They can view screenshots for each game with GameFinder’s image browser, watch the latest game trailers, and see hands-on preview and review videos for the biggest releases.

“GameFinder is a ‘Must Have’ app for anyone who is serious about finding good iPhone games quickly and at the lowest prices,” said Andrew Podolsky, Editor in Chief of Slide To Play. “This app takes the wealth of available information about App Store games and breaks it down into easy-to-use categories like New Slide To Play Reviews, New Slide To Play Videos, Editors’ Lists, and specific genres like Match-3 puzzles or first-person shooters. Plus, a full mobile version of Slide To Play with all our latest news, previews, and features is just a tap away through GameFinder.”

“After publishing nearly 800 iPhone game reviews over the past 18 months, we’re thrilled to release our own App Store offering,” said Steve Palley, Founder and General Manager of Slide To Play. “GameFinder boils down all of Slide To Play’s highly regarded coverage into an easy-to-use, perfectly free app. Whether you’re a new iPhone or iTouch gamer or you have been playing as long as we have, GameFinder will help you pick out games you’re sure to love.”

Device Requirements:
* iPhone and iPod touch
* Requires iPhone OS 3.1.2 or later
* 0.8 MB

Pricing and Availability:
GameFinder 1.0.1 is free and available exclusively through the App Store in the Entertainment category.

Slide To Play
GameFinder 1.0.1
Download from iTunes
YouTube Video
Screenshot
App Icon

Slide To Play is a premiere Web source for iPhone game reviews, previews, news, features, and media. The site was founded by veterans of GameSpot and Yahoo! in September 2008, and aims to set the gold standard for professionalism and quality of content in this emerging space. Copyright (C) 2008-2010 Slide To Play. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Charlottesville, Virginia – Travis Allen, founder of iSchool Initiative and its president and CEO, knew the second hardest thing to creating a new company was successfully funding that company. The current economic situation made the dependence on donations an uncertain proposition, yet as a non-profit, iSchool Initiative must find ways to fund operations. Even if difficult to do, the need for an education-focused mobile app community is too much to ignore.

A freshman at Kennesaw State University, Mr. Allen knows what he is talking about because he literally lives and organizes his education around his iPhone. A prodigious user of iPhone and iPod touch applications, he is the perfect picture of the paperless student. However, it quickly became apparent by the many questions asked by his peers and teachers that, with the over 160,000 apps in the iTunes App Store, understanding which mobile apps are the best is not that easy to figure out. iSchool Initiative addresses this obvious need.

After creating iSchool Initiative, the next step was funding and building the community. This is where Mr. Allen’s chance meeting of Michael Niles, on Twitter, changed everything. Mr. Niles, president of the Niles Technology Group, saw iSchool Initiative and immediately got the concept. “The vision and the idea are clear as could be,” says Mr. Niles. “One thing about a great product is that it does not take but 15 seconds to understand it, and this took me about 10 seconds. I knew immediately that this is an organization that Niles Technology Group wanted to work with. Not only is iSchool Initiative directly addressing and educating our target audience, but it is adding a new dimension to mobile learning for students, teachers, and schools.”

Niles Technology Group is the creator of Achievers Writing Center, the already successful essay writing iPhone apps. As the only full-service mobile writing center available in the iTunes App Store, Achievers Writing Center teaches students how to write over 40 types of essays, and the apps can be purchased complete with a live writing assistant and professional editing services; all for one affordable price.

Niles Technology Group became iSchool Initiative’s first sponsor by donating a portion of sales of a set of iSchool Initiative-branded Achievers Writing Center apps. “My goal was rather simple. I recommended to Mr. Allen that iSchool Initiative be as independent as possible from donations, which are sporadic at best, and to develop revenue streams that have direct connections to the organization’s core vision, that being mobile education apps.

Niles Technology Group recently launched its affiliate program for secondary schools, colleges, universities, and non-profit organizations, and iSchool Initiative is a prime candidate to benefit from it.” Niles Technology Group donates all production costs and services to the development and management of the iSchool Initiative-branded apps. Upon sale of said apps, iSchool Initiative receives 15% of the gross revenue. It is a 100% turnkey solution with no out-of-pocket costs for iSchool Initiative or any other institution or organization in the affiliate program. With over 500 essay writing apps in the iTunes App Store, Niles Technology Group continues to demonstrate it effectively develops, produces, and manages a vast library of mobile apps. Schools and non-profit organizations interested in the affiliate program should contact Michael Niles.

To support iSchool Initiative with an essay writing app purchase, simply go to the iTunes App Store, and search “isi” to see the list of available iSchool Initiative-branded apps. The ultimate goal, according to Mr. Allen and Mr. Niles, is for iSchool Initiative to develop its own line of mobile applications that address specific student-oriented issues on college campuses and in high schools and middle schools. The education mobile app market is in its infancy, and iSchool Initiative and Niles Technology Group plan to enhance the education sector with unique, engaging, and useful education apps.

iSchool Initiative
iSchool Apps on iTunes
Media Assets

The iSchool Initiative’s mission is to advocate, support and implement technological advancement for students and educators in the 21st century. In order to accomplish this, we have three primary objectives: raising awareness for the technological needs of the classroom, providing collaborative research on the use of technology in the classroom, and guiding schools in the implementation of this technology. The iSchool Initiative was formed by Travis Allen, currently a freshman at Kennesaw State University, after discovering how technology such as the iPod touch could not only change his education but that of his fellow students. Upon sharing his iSchool Initiative idea with teachers and students, he realized its tremendous potential to transform today’s education system. Travis then took the concept of the iSchool Initiative and turned it into a non-profit organization, starting with the launch of his first YouTube Video, “The iSchool Initiative (Mobile Learning).” Copyright (C) 2010 iSchool Initiative Corp. All Rights Reserved. Copyright (C) 2007-2010 Niles Technology Group. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.

Hong Kong – Dsstyles, the innovator for putting flat back round Swarovski Crystals now brings customers with the new elements: Flat Back Square Swarovski Crystals on phone cases. The new Cubical series comes available in different patterns. The use of flat back square crystals brings new charm and new visual effect for your Swarovski Crystallized iPhone case.

This is the best news for ladies who love both round shape or square of crystals. The crystals effect has never been that sharp as the reflections between crystals becomes different. During the 2010 Oscar Awards, Swarovski crystals was the front and centre – its stage curtain sparkled in hues of white, platinum, brighter than those shiny teeth of Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock. This is exactly the surprise from combining the use of different crystals.

Customers who are looking for personalized patterns can also make a request directly with DSstyles. It would definitely be the perfect chose if you do not want anyone having the same piece as you do for your party. As recognized by Swarovski with Crystallized ID: 1522109, each DS. Crystal Hand Bag is featuring over 6000 pieces of Crystallized Swarovski Elements, each pieces of crystals is hand crafted by our experienced craftsman.

DSstyles
Cubical Series Swarovski Crystals iPhone Case

DSstyles, where our brand essence ‘DS’, inspired by the concept ‘Distinctive Style’, to provide fresh and inspiring designed mobile accessories, with a continued commitment to inspire, nurture, and celebrate great new designs. Embracing every customer’s daily life by our outstanding products, stylish designs and experiences that consumers crave is our ambition. Copyright (C) 2010 DSstyles. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Cost: $0.99, Category: Games, Developer: Yossi Malki

Portland, Oregon – Dejal Systems, LLC today is pleased to introduce Tweeps version 1.0 for the iPhone and iPod touch, with an iPad edition in the works. Tweeps is a Twitter companion app. It isn’t a full Twitter client – you can’t post tweets from it. Instead, it is a tool to manage your Twitter account. Edit your avatar, name, bio text, website URL and location, plus follow/unfollow people, see if someone follows you, block people, and find people.

Edit Your Account Information

Add multiple accounts to Tweeps, and easily edit them:
* Take a photo or choose one from your photo library to change your avatar picture
* Edit the name displayed for your account
* Change the biographical text – the description you write about yourself
* Edit the website URL, previewing it in an integrated web browser
* Set your current location using the device’s GPS, or type a less specific location, and preview on an integrated map view

View Information About Twitter People

Learn all about your own accounts and others:
* See the display name, username, how long they’ve been using Twitter, and their Twitter ID
* View the avatar picture, including full-sized, and copy it if desired
* FOLLOW or UNFOLLOW other people. The left button indicates whether or not you already follow them
* The right button indicates whether or not the displayed person follows you
* Tap the right button to display a BLOCK button; you can also optionally report them as a spammer
* Read the bio description text
* See the website URL, and tap to display it in an integrated web browser
* See the location, and tap to display it on an integrated map
* Read the most recent tweet (update), along with the total number of tweets that have been posted; tap to read any number of recent tweets
* See the number of people currently being followed (Following) and who follow the person (Followers); tap to list them and explore further
* When viewing your own account, you can also see lists of tweets that mention you and people you’re blocking
* Find other Twitter people by username, first/last name, company, or brand name

Delve Deeper

Read recent tweets from each person, or skim through the lists of people you’re following and who follow you, and see more information about them, including who they follow and who follows them. A great way to discover interesting new people to follow – and you don’t need to wonder if you already follow them or not, since it is shown right in the profile detail information.

Load newer updates simply by scrolling to the top, or automatically load more tweets or people by scrolling to the bottom. A nice feature is rotation support – Tweeps works in all orientations, like an iPad, plus displays a fun wobbling rotation lock button to stop it rotating when you want to read lying on your side.

iPad Edition Coming Soon! An edition of Tweeps optimized for the new iPad is in the works, and should be available soon after the iPad is released. Follow the Dejal Blog, or @dejal (main account) or @dejaltweeps (Tweeps account) on Twitter to learn when it is available.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone and iPod touch
* Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later
* 0.8 MB

Pricing and Availability:
For a limited time, Dejal Tweeps 1.0 is only $0.99 USD (Reg $1.99) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Social Networking category. See a demo video and more screenshots on the Tweeps website. For-review Promo Codes are available to the media; contact Dejal to receive one.

Dejal Systems
Dejal Tweeps 1.0
Purchase and Download
Screenshot
Demo Movie
App Icon

Founded by David Sinclair in 1991, Dejal Systems, LLC was originally established in New Zealand, and later moved to Portland, Oregon in 2001. With a sole focus on the Mac platform, Dejal specializes in user-friendly and flexible Cocoa-based utility software. Dejal is a long-established independent Mac software company, now also producing iPhone OS software. Copyright 2010 Dejal Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Dejal, the Dejal logo, and Tweeps are trademarks of Dejal Systems, LLC. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPod touch are registered trademarks of Apple Computer in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Dublin, California – TruffleSoft, Inc. today is pleased to introduce xSolve 1.0, their powerful new custom calculator utility for iPhone and iPod touch devices. Designed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone’s unique capabilities and touch interface, xSolve combines the power of a calculator with the simplicity of a purpose built application. Welcome to the xSolve revolution.

Perfect for professionals, hobbyists and casual users alike, xSolve features a comfortable and simple user interface which serves as a platform to make life easier. It lets users automatically create their own custom solutions. Simply enter a formula, set any desired optional settings and xSolve will dutifully create their own custom utility. The possibilities are endless.

Users can easily save results, load them back, and email them to colleagues. Easily find answers to everyday tasks, from simple math to complex equations. Calculate loan payments for business, check algebraic homework, and even write equations for hobby rockets and more. To help get users started, xSolve includes with several useful formulas out of the box:

* Tips
* Bill divider
* Gas mileage
* Loan calculations
* Bond pricing
* NPV
* Rocket equations
* Drake equations
* Volumes
* Medical calculations
* And much more

Supported Languages
* US English, Chinese, French, German and Japanese

Device Requirements:
* Compatible with iPhone and IPod touch
* Requires iPhone OS 3.1.2 or later
* 0.3 MB

Pricing and Availability:
xSolve 1.0 is only $0.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Utilities category. Review copies are available upon request.

TruffleSoft
xSolve 1.0
Purchase and Download
Splash Screen
Screenshot
App Icon

Located in Dublin, California, TruffleSoft, Inc. is a privately held Corporation established in 2009. Co-founders are Eddie Chen, John Masui and Todd Powers. Committed to providing the highest quality solutions, TruffleSoft offers a variety of software apps, each with a fitness to purpose and emotive design. Copyright (C) 2009-2010 TruffleSoft, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Cost: $0.99, Category: Games, Developer: Elevate Entertainment