LEGO Super Heroes Movie Maker is a free app (free! what a deal!) that gives you most of the tools you’ll need to make super-cute, super-cool, super-creative stop-motion movies on your iPhone. Check out this two minute video for a best case scenario look at what you can do. I say “best case scenario” because once you fool around with the app a bit, you’ll realize there’s no way the kid in the video made that little Batman vs. the Joker montage. At the very least, he’d need a tripod, the hands of a surgeon and unprecedented juvenile patience. Lacking super hero LEGO actors and a LEGO backdrop, I tested the app by making a short film of my pen moving across a sheet of paper. I positioned the pen, snapped a photo, repositioned the pen, snapped another, and repeated six times. Worked perfectly, and it was easy to add titles and cool music. Without a tripod though, you won’t be able to keep your frame perfectly straight (the sole advantage of the “flip the corners” method). A minor quibble, but important to point out.

Spielberg started with super 8. It’s not hard to imagine the blockbuster directors of tomorrow starting with the LEGO Super Heroes Movie Maker. Enjoy!

The article LEGO® Super Heroes Movie Maker appeared first on Appy Awards.

ThankYouPro will meet you halfway in your quest for the personal touch. Somewhat similar to the fairly basic Cards app by Apple, this app is also free, and lets you create high quality thank you notes, totally customizable on the front and inside. It costs $2.99 (or less) to have your card mailed anywhere in the world (in a professional envelope, first class, within 24 business hours). Very cool, very affordable and very easy. My favorite detail is adding your signature, which you create with your finger on the app’s blank signature screen. Just choose your ink color and sign away, a personal touch which the Cards app doesn’t offer. Love that! You can choose from among 20 or so template designs, or make the card truly unique with your own photos, or any image at all.

Whether or not it takes the same amount of time to just write out and mail a physical card is arguable, but with ThankYouPro, all the cards and postage are conveniently in your pocket, ready to be sent instantly, anytime, from anywhere. If this is as personal as the future allows, we could do a lot worse!

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Properly labeled recycling bins are provided throughout Manhattan, and the city has the largest, most ambitious recycling program in the nation. When I travel, it becomes much easier to give in to temptation by tossing unwanted items in the nearest receptacle. With TrashSmart – which isn’t fancy or trendy, just practical – you can quickly locate the best places to recycle any item within five miles (or up to 50 if you’re super-committed). You just use your current location or zip code, enter the name of the item you’d like to recycle (batteries, plastic shopping bags, toner cartridges, children’s toys, you name it), and you’ll see all the best and nearest locations, in map and list display. Each location comes with full info: address & phone number, directions, and a full list of everything the location will accept as a recyclable item.

I can’t guarantee I’ll stop wasting time downloading free apps destined for deletion, but one thing’s for sure. TrashSmart has a permanent home in my utilities folder.

The article TrashSmart by Clorox appeared first on Appy Awards.

I downloaded the free version of Poker Pals this morning, which contains unobtrusive ads. When you begin, a tutorial holds your hand throughout your first three turns, making it very simple to learn the basics of gameplay. Naturally, you have to understand the hierarchy of poker hands, but other than that, the app does an excellent job of explaining its crossword puzzle-like hook. At the start, three random cards appear on the grid-like playing surface (similar to Words With Friends). Each turn, you play cards in a single direction – either horizontally or vertically – and score points based on the strength of your hand. Things get cool when you try to make multiple poker hands in other directions, crossword-style. (In a neat touch, jokers at the corners of the board automatically turn into whatever card will score you the most points.)

To find opponents, you can use Facebook Connect, invite your Game Center contacts, choose random players, or reach out to your personal, poker-loving contacts. I lost my first game to automated “Easy Eddie,” 460-380, but I’m hoping it won’t be long before I’m winning with ease. After that, I’m sending invitations to my friends Ralph, Cheryl and Mike. They beat me at real poker all the time. Revenge will be SWEET!

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In comparing notes with most of the Atlantic reviewers on Apple, yes, I am indeed easy to please – my standards don’t seem to be as high as the average critic. The most common complaint is the app’s current inability upon closing to return on relaunch to where you left off, which for me – with what I consider a browsing app – is a non-issue. I understand the frustration, but I’d rather have more free content with a hard close, than less with a placeholder.

The main page gives you eight full-length stories considered “Top News,” all with full-page treatment, and easy to browse with an east-west swipe. The “Channels” cover everything you expect: politics, business, entertainment, technology, national, international and life. My favorite feature is the in-app video player, which is seamless and crisp. My advice? Manage your expectations, click “free” and enjoy.

The article Atlantic Magazine Digital Edition appeared first on Appy Awards.

Alaska Air’s iPhone app has everything you need to arrange your transportation. All the standard features you’d expect from a great travel app are present and accounted for: mobile boarding pass options, text & email flight alerts, gate & boarding time info, flight check-in, seat-changing options, etc. But the app also has handy & unique features, including a personal travel concierge who can set parking reminders, remember hotel & car confirmation codes, and remind you of specific day-of-travel resources to help you skip those long lines at the airport. And for peace of mind, all benefits of Alaska Air’s website are easily accessible.

Our 49th state is one of those distinctive places you have to make a special effort to see. Thanks to Alaska Air’s iPhone app, the special effort feels fairly effortless. But Alaska Airlines isn’t just all about the last frontier. As we just learned, they’re actually based out of Seattle, and are the U.S.’s 8th largest carrier with flights in and out of U.S., Canada, and Mexico. All aboard!

The article Alaska Air appeared first on Appy Awards.

With National Cinemedia’s “Movie Night Out” app, you can permanently remove “I don’t know, where do you want to go?” from your lame-o phrase repertoire. The app helps you plan an entire evening – romantic, casual, or anything in between – with plenty of backup options for changing your agenda on the fly. For starters, it’s terrific strictly as a movie-finding app. You can locate theaters, find show times, read reviews, watch clips, even purchase tickets. And all of your after-movie options (dinner, drinks, dancing, you name it) are conveniently displayed by proximity and preference.

Oh yeah: what app would be complete without social networking options? Movie Night Out allows you to share your experience with all your friends, followers and fellow mayors on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. (Though isn’t tweeting about what you’re eating passé? Or is that cool again? Sheesh, it’s so hard to keep up.)

The article Movie Night Out appeared first on Appy Awards.

The Cinderella animated picture book for iPad enables your child to play an active role in the story, without straying too far from the general plot.  There are no game elements – no scores to beat or baubles to collect – just active participation, as if your child is a featured character along for the ride.  They can help Cinderella tidy up the kitchen, select her clothing, and even control each character’s physical placement within a scene, like a digital storyboard artist.  Very cool.

Whether in “Read to Me,” “Read by Myself” or “Read & Play” mode, the app combines modern illustrations and animations with character-specific and scene-setting music.  In one of my favorite touches, your kids can insert their image into the story with the iPad’s built-in camera.  Not to spoil the ending again, but they’ll love seeing themselves live happily ever after.

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My youngest niece is now eight, so it’s been a while since I’ve racked my brain for baby-entertainment ideas. (Where were you when I needed you, Baby First?) Babies can actually choose the videos they’d like to watch based on icons that strike their fancy (that is, unless you guide their playlist with parental controls, though I’m not sure why you’d exercise that option – everything on the app is wholesome and cute). And once a video starts, it’ll play through – the baby won’t be able to accidentally stop it by touching the screen.

Pretty much everything you’d want your baby to get a head start on is represented: vocabulary, numbers, animals, colors, all within short, beautifully animated and live action videos. Lots of cute characters too, including Harry the Bunny, Bonnie Bear, and a zippy squirrel who loves hide-and-seek. Baby First really does put your baby first – kudos!

The article Baby First Mobile HD appeared first on Appy Awards.

The training workouts are layered and varied, allowing users to spice up runs with music and chart their routes via GPS to track distance and pace. A seamless integration with social media allows participants to share progress and encourage each other through Twitter and Facebook. And the app incorporates three different personal trainers (lithe ladies Constance & Billie, and no-nonsense Sergeant Block), each with their own motivational messages and advice. The trainers slowly increase the difficulty of the workouts as the runner progresses.

Individual training sessions last roughly 30 minutes, and the recommended program is three times a week for a total of nine weeks. As a neat bonus, after users complete the program, they’re eligible to receive discounts off select 5K race registrations in their area which they can conveniently register for through the app. Cheers to Couch-to-5K for removing every roadblock from getting in shape!

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