This is a brand new app I came across last week via Smashing Magazine. Essentially the app allows you to create and store colour palettes, however the bits I really like are the ability to do this using the built in colour schema or by using a photo from your local library. Granted there are identical tools available on the web, Kuler being one of my favourites, the speed and convenience of Color Stream make it worthy of a mention.
Before the days of the iPad, we’d turn up to meetings with our trusty note pads ready to franticly scribble down notes and sketch out ideas. iMockups has changed all that; by letting us put together wireframe mock-ups of ideas then sculpt them right in front of you. Whilst it certainly carries an above average price tag, I’ve found it an invaluable tool for visualising ideas on the fly.
Instapaper is quite a straightforward app but is incredibly useful. It works by letting you tag pages from websites via your computer, which are then synced to your iPhone/iPod ready for offline viewing. Since starting at Big Dot, I’ve signed up to countless blogs which add up to a lot of reading, so Instapaper lets me make a bit more sense of it all. For sheer simplicity and convenience, it’s a great little app.
Think of Dropbox as a replacement for your USB pen, with the added bonus that you can’t accidentally send it for a trip through the washing machine! It works in conjunction with sister applications installed on your main computer whereby a shared folder is automatically synced with any other machine you have Dropbox installed on. Compatibility wise it’s faultless – I have it installed on my Mac at home, PC at work and also have this app running on my iPod. Everything syncs perfectly and does so without any effort required on my part. Well worth a download if you’re as dedicated as me and take your work home.
Small but mighty is the best way to describe this app. At the touch of the icon you’re immediately given every sort of website statistic imaginable from keyword information and Adword campaigns to event tracking and visitor locality. It’s another one of those handy apps for use in meetings to give clients up to date information about their site and its SEO performance.
Angry Birds – without doubt the most successful app of all time! I’ll set the scene; you’re an angry bird, locked in battle with green pigs (that largely look completely depressed throughout the game) who have stolen your eggs and locked themselves away in their near impenetrable castles. Your task is to slingshot your way to victory, wiping out the pigs and causing as much devastation as possible. I’ve had this app since it was released in February and I still find myself going back to it, trying to hunt out more golden eggs and acing all of the levels with 3 stars. What’s more, the developers continually pump out updates containing new levels and different types of birds. If you haven’t got it, buy it. If you have got it, brace yourself for the next update!
Another overly addictive game involving little a little guy called Doodle who has been given the never ending task of jumping up an array of platforms, picking up everything from spring loaded boots to jet packs. What’s more is that the poor little guy has to do all this whilst fighting off aliens and dodging black holes. It’s all controlled by the iPhones motion sensor which makes for some really interactive game play and it also links up with your Facebook account so you can trade high scores with friends. All this in itself is quite a challenge, but if you really want to push yourself, try playing it in the car (passengers only!).
When the iPad arrived at the office, this was one of the games we all found ourselves getting completely immersed in. The focus of the game is to guide your small mote particle through 72 visually stunning levels, absorbing smaller motes that cause you to grow in size. Every time you propel yourself however, your own matter is ejected, meaning you must strike a balance between moving and growing. Up until recently it was only available on the iPad, but after months of anticipation I finally saw today that it had been released for the iPhone/iPod Touch! I immediately downloaded it and have been playing it all day. Without doubt my favourite app of late. Download it.Company news
Facebook App Store – What do I need to know? - May 2012
Earlier this week, Aaron Brady from the Facebook Developer Team took great pleasure in announcing to the world Facebook’s latest venture – Facebook App Store. Sorry; Facebook App Center. Another company has already staked their claim on the term ‘App Store’, much to the annoyance of Mark Zuckerberg, no doubt. Without revealing too much about [...]
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Why Facebook Like-Gates are dead - May 2012
Well, not exactly “dead”. They’re still massively used by brands on Facebook. The reason for this is simple – brands; just like the majority of people, see Facebook as a popularity contest. The more friends/likes you have, the more popular/successful you are: Enter Facebook Like-Gates. Using like-gates as a metric though, is becoming increasingly outdated. [...]
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Brands Using Social Media Without Engagement – Isn’t That Just Traditional Advertising? - May 2012
Brands Using Social Media Without Engagement… The social media landscape evolves on almost a daily basis, but two things it seems are certain: Content is the King, and user engagement is its’ Queen. What happens though, when the Queen is ignored? Is it possible for brands using social media without engagement to still succeed? The [...]
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