MarcForrest.com

Tag: App Store

  • Garageband for the iPad Rocks !

    One of the announcement at the iPad 2 launch a few weeks ago was that Apple would be releasing 2 new Apple iPad apps, GarageBand & iMovie. I have used Mac GarageBand briefly on the Mac a few times, but never actually given it too much time. So I wasn’t in a rush to get the new iPad Garageband when it released on Friday, but after seeing a few tweets about how cool the app was, I decided to drop the measly $5 for the app. And what a good decision. Actually, I think I have probably used the app so much this weekend, I would have easily spent $50 for the app. Seriously :)

    GarageBand turns your iPad into a collection of Touch Instruments and a full-featured recording studio — so you can make music anywhere you go. Use Multi-Touch gestures to play pianos, organs, guitars, drums, and basses on your iPad. They sound and play like their counterparts, but let you do things you could never do on a real instrument. Enjoy a full range of Smart Instruments that make you sound like a pro — even if you’ve never played a note before. Plug an electric guitar into your iPad and play through classic amps and stompbox effects. Use the built-in microphone or a guitar to record, or capture any performance. Then mix up to eight tracks to create a song you can share.

    As you can see from the app store description above, the app is full of features. The Smart Instruments for me is amazing. You select your type of instrument, (Piano, Guitar or Drums) and it almost teaches you about the instrument. You can then record your tune into a track, and mix it with other effects. I have always been a fan of drums, but never got round to playing them (apart from the pots in the kitchen & annoying my wife) and now with Garageband, it is so simple.

    I have been playing quite a bit, and put a few tracks together. I honestly have a bit of a dull ear when it comes to music, so this track below, self titled “House” might sound a bit out of sync, but you will see how simple it is to get something like this going. This track probably took me around half an hour to do with all the tweaking. To get it off the iPad, you can either email it, or send to iTunes. You can also save the files as a GarageBand file for the Mac & edit on the Mac afterwards.

    House Mix from Garageband iPad by MarcForrest

    If you own an iPad, I highly recommend you download GarageBand for the iPad from the iTunes store. At $5, it is a steal ! I am also thinking of putting up a few tutorials about how to use GarageBand and some of the features it offers.

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  • NAVV GPS South Africa iPhone App Review

    You may remember just over a year ago, I did a post on the NDrive iPhone GPS app. The app was one of the first, and possibly one of the better iPhone GPS apps I have reviewed here. I found the app to have up to date maps, and loads of POI’s. But, it seems that, for some reason, NDrive South Africa, has been pulled from the app store, and  a new app, which uses the NDrive “framework” called (iTunes Link) has been released. The app is available on both the SA & US app store for a ridiculously low price (for a full blown GPS app) of only $24.99. CHEAP !

    The , is almost identical to the NDrive app (bar a colour change), and the layout and functionality stays the same. The key feature here is the larger buttons which makes things easier when driving. The maps are up to date and the point of interests have also been updated to include the newest POI’s as well as up to date speed cameras.The app info display while driving is pretty informative, and you can choose what displays you would like to show while driving. The app also has 3D buildings included in the app, which is handy when driving through large cities and you looking for a

    The app offers a whole host of languages, including Zulu & Afrikaans for South African users. The settings in the app are pretty simple, and offer a variety of options to customize the app to your liking.

    Here are some of the features of the app:

    NAVIGATION
    ? Turn-by-turn navigation for driving
    ? Voice instructions for accuracy
    ? Speeding alerts for safety
    ? 3D landmarks for making maps more realistic
    ? And more features!

    ADVENTURE
    ? Compass
    ? Geo coordinates
    ? Multiple waypoints
    ? And more features!

    POIs
    ? Cafes, gas stations, etc. – built-in
    ? Favorites with categories – customizable
    ? Google for more POIs – embedded
    ? And more – available!

    MAPS AND LANGUAGES
    ? You can NAVV in English, Zulu, Afrikaans, German, Dutch, Arabic – in total, in 22 languages
    ? NAVV maps are provided by NAVTEQ (September 2010)
    ? NAVV South Africa includes maps of South Africa

    The only thing I would change on this app, would be the fact that the keyboard provided in the app is not the standard iPhone keyboard. This can be sometimes confusing , and rather frustrating given how used one becomes to the standard keyboard. But, given the low price of the app ($24.99) this can easily be forgotten. All round, a fantastic app, and if you looking for an entry level GPS app, then this is a no brainer.

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