We recently started a series of Best 5 iPhone Apps from various categories, we are doing it to help the users find the must have apps for their iPhones. We have already written about Top 5 Poker iPhone Apps, Top 5 Apps for Health and Fitness, and Top 5 Apps for Social Networking.

Today we will be covering Top 5 Apps from the weather category. Though there are lots of options available when it comes to weather apps, not all of them are fairly useful. We will try to list out the best 5 apps which work perfectly as a weather app. Below is our pick for best 5 iPhone Weather apps, in no particular order.

1) Weather Underground

Most weather apps can tell you the temperature in your city, but where in your city? Weather Underground lets you pick from more than 22,000 weather stations for a super localized forecast. This application not only provides the normal weather reports, it also provides the users with a virtual map to show them the movement of weather by using an animated weather indicator or radar. One can also avail the weather forecast on hourly basis, or can watch videos of weather coverage of an area.

Weather Underground (Free)

2) AccuWeather

AccuWeather is one of the most accurate weather prediction providing apps on iPhone, and so it can be considered one of the best weather applications for iPhone.

AccuWeather has some weather radar and maps with features like weather forecast, video showing weather coverage and also a Google map where you can get the weather coverage of the people or area by placing their contacts.

AccuWeather (Free)

3) Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit is a very clever little weather app. Rather that use the push notification counter to tell you that there’s been “1” or “2” updates to the forecast since you last checked, you’ll see something like “35” or “73” plastered in the corner of the icon as it rests on your app screen.
Once you open the app you’ll see plenty of other information, too. The current conditions, humidity, pressure and dew points to name just a few.

Fahrenheit ($0.99)

4) Outside

Outside is a visual weather forecast with custom push notifications like you’ve never seen before. Undoubtedly, this app has best weather app graphics. Great looking interface. Not so detailed as the other weather apps, but great looking. Outside combines current weather and local forecasts with custom push notifications. Look out the window and see what the weather is like through stunning visuals. Swipe the days to see the forecasts, or setup and receive alerts when the weather is just right.

Outside – Visual Weather Forecast ($2.99)

5) Living Earth HD

Living earth HD gives a “bigger picture” look at the weather, Zoom all the way out to space to check on the live cloud cover present in this app. Enjoy a stunning live 3D simulation of our planet at our current moment in time with global weather, forecasts and world clock for cities around the world. View live global cloud patterns along with the most realistic 3D rendering of our planet available.

Living Earth HD ($0.99)

There you had it, our pick for the Top 5 iPhone apps. If you have any favorite weather app that you believe should be part of our list, let us know in comments below. Also, if you have any iPhone app development requirement, you can contact us on info@techaheadcorp.com for a free quote.

Credits: Appolicious.com

More and more rumors are suggesting towards March launch of iPad 3(March 7 to be precise if reports are to be believed). Going by trends, it is very much likely that these rumors will come true. It is not just the launch date which is keeping people excited, there is a great amount of excitement over what to expect from iPad 3, what all features it will boast off.

In this post we will have a look at what to expect from iPad 3 – at least in terms of generic specs and hardware. Let’s get started.

Processor

Apple is expected to include Quad-core ARM based A6 processor in iPad 3. Quad-core designs are coming from various ARM partners and the Tegra 3 has already been launched by Nvidia, as well as the Snapdragon S4 from Qualcomm. 9to5mac has also reported to have found code references to quad-core.

Design and Display

Most experts are suggesting towards 2048×1536 Retina display on iPad 3, it may cause iPad to be little thicker. Apple is not expected to make much changes to its 10.1″ iPad otherwise. Analyst Ezra Gottheil, with Technology Business Research (TBR), told Computerworld that he expects the next iPad to have a higher-resolution display—one it’s likely to call a “Retina display,” whether that’s quite accurate or not. “That’s important to them because it means the iPad will work well in their home theater play, since it will display full HD,” he said. “And it’s an important differentiator going forward.”

4G LTE Technology

iPad 3 may also feature LTE support. Though it is more likely to be a US only version, as UK still doesn’t have LTE connectivity. CNET believes that the new iPad may feature a Qualcomm 4G LTE Gobi 4000 chip.

Operating System

iPad 3 might be the first device to carry iOS 5.1. According to reports, Apple will launch the iPad 3 and iOS 5.1 together.

More Storage

The iPad 2 has the familiar 16/32/64GB storage options. A 128GB option for the iPad 3 is expected by many.

Better Cameras

Rumors from iLounge have included better cameras, either a 5 or 8 megapixel rear camera and a FaceTime HD front camera. The current VGA quality set-up on the iPad 2 is really unsatisfactory. That’d be a massive improvement and it would also bring Apple’s slate inline with the competition.

Siri

Siri at the moment is an exclusive feature of iPhone 4S. Apple put in a lot of money in Siri, and it was one of the most talked about feature in iPhone 4S. No doubt, Apple is interested in Siri for long term. We expect Apple to make Siri available for iPad, and all future iPhones, iPad 3 is a good contender for that as well. Going forward, Siri will no doubt be a staple feature of all Apple’s mobile-oriented devices

Near Field Communication

According to a report on Cult of Mac, Apple is expected to build NFC chips directly inside its iPhone 5 and iPad 3 devices. ‘Apple appears to be gearing up for a NFC revolution. It has made a lot of NFC hires, including a leading NFC expert and has patented a lot of NFC technology.’

There you had it, our predictions for iPad 3 features. Let us know if you believe that there are more features which will be part of iPad 3. Apple is known to surprise tech world with something that nobody thought about, will it happen this time? Only time will tell.

References and Image Credit: TechRadar.com, Image Credit : Geek.com

The post was originally published on ToolsJournal

We recently started series of Top 5 iPhone Apps from particular categories. We have already written about Top 5 Poker iPhone Apps, and  Top 5 iPhone Apps for Health and Fitness. In this post we will talk about Top 5 Apps for Social Networking.

Social Networking is the new buzz word. You will find more people communicating over Social Networking sites as compared to other methods of communication like SMS, Voice calls or even face to face. Networking over web is considered really convenient, what makes it more convenient is being able to do social networking on the go. Smartphones enable you to do that (and lot more). Almost every social networking site has a dedicated application for all mobile platforms, iPhone is usually the first one to get it. In the abundance of apps which allow you to do Social Networking, it might be hard to find the best ones. That’s why we are creating this type of lists, to help you find the best iPhone apps. These are the apps you must have if you are interested in apps from a particular category. Lets get started.

1) Facebook

Facebook is the current leader of Social Networking sites. The Facebook App for iPhone is equally famous, specially after recent updates. The App now supports your Facebook timeline as well. This iPhone app provides access to your complete Facebook world. From reading the latest news feed, status updates, uploading pictures from your phone to chatting with your buddies, this application lets you do it all.

Facebook (Free)

2) Skype

Skype is actually a well known messenger to have a free calls and also free video chatting with all your friends around the world that also using Skype too, who hasn’t heard of Skype? Skype application for iPhone can do everything that its desktop counterpart does. You can make free calls to your Skype contacts or you can use it to make cheap calls to landline/mobile numbers.

Skype (Free)

3) Twitter

Twitter is one of the largest social networking websites that so many people in this world use. Twitter has made a lot of improvement since buying at as Tweetie and changing its name to Twitter. iOS 4 and above has inbuilt integration of Twitter and it is a must have app for all Twitter users.

Twitter (Free)

4) WhatsApp

This app is similar to Skype in a way that you can send free SMS to anyone who is using WhatsApp application. The app though costs $0.99 on iPhone App Store, it is free for 1 year on other major platforms. The application is available for most of the platforms and this is one of the major reason behind this app’s popularity. You can send multimedia messages using this app and the interface is very simple, and experience of using it is great.

WhatsApp ($0.99)

5) Vtok

Google Talk’s equivalent for iPhone, Vtok is a simple application which allows you to make video call, voice call or chat with anybody in your Google contacts list. The app runs in the background and will send push notifications if someone tries to start a video chat with a user that’s logged in. Users that are signed in and receive call requests can choose to speak either by voice or video. Calls can be made or received on both Wi-Fi and 3G networks.

Vtok (Free)

These five were our picks for Top 5 iPhone Apps for Social Networking. If you believe that there is another app which should be part of this list, let us know in comments below.

If you have any iPhone App Development requirement, you can contact us on info@techaheadcorp.com for a free quote.

iPhone is used for more than just calling. iPhone is not just another smartphone, it is the best selling phone with large variety of features. It can be your personal digital assistant, your window to the world of social media, your gateway to connecting with your unscheduled office meet when you are on a vacation, your game arcade, movies, music or entertainment medium, what ever you want it to be. Even your personal health and fitness trainer on the go!

We recently started a series of posts where we be listing Top 5 iPhone apps from a particular category. We last posted about Top 5 Poker iPhone apps, today we will be talking about iPhone apps for Health and Fitness.

If you’re trying to get in better shape and just live healthier overall, your iPhone can be an immensely helpful tool. Below is our pick for Top 5 iPhone apps that can help you stay fit, healthy and in turn happier.

1) Run Keeper

RunKeeper is a great iPhone app that will track your runs and give you plenty of feedback. It uses your iPhone’s GPS to track where you’ve gone. This is great for those times when you find a really great route and want to repeat it, plus it gives you a lot of neat data to play with. If you split your running between the outdoors and the gym, RunKeeper will let you enter manual data (such as a treadmill run) so no run goes untracked. Once your activity is completed, the data is synced to the RunKeeper website (www.runkeeper.com) where you can view a history of all of your activities, and cumulative totals of all of your vital stats. You can also share your progress with friends by posting your activities to Facebook and Twitter, and creating a profile page that allows people to view all of your public activities.

Run Keeper (Free)

2) GAIN Fitness

The GAIN Fitness iPhone app creates custom workouts for you using personal trainers’ expertise along with exercise science principles. The app contains more than 700 individual exercises, meaning there are millions of unique exercise routines that can be crafted to fit your needs. If a personal trainer isn’t in your budget, the GAIN Fitness iPhone app might be a great substitute for you. Among other great features, the app can be tailored for complete gym workouts or at-home exercising, where you’re likely to have less workout equipment.

GAIN Fitness (Free)

3) Ab Workouts+

This iPhone app features over 32 Flat Stomach Exercises and more are added with each update. According to description, these exercises are proven for building a strong core, flat stomach, and hot body. Application has videos of Exercises. It allows you to learn a new video exercise every day with step by step directions. The application is packed with all new weight loss tips, easy, do it at home, exercises that target belly fat first.

Ab Workouts+ ($0.99)

4) Fooducate

If you want to know more about a packaged food that interests you, just used Fooducate to scan the barcode and it’ll provide you with both a quick overview of that food’s nutritional value and health rating as well as in-depth information on the product in question. Fooducate can even help you compare two products if you’re not sure which one is a better choice for you. It can be an enormously helpful app when grocery shopping and it costs absolutely nothing.

Fooducate (Free)

5) BeatBurn Treadmill/Outdoor Trainer

BeatBurn Treadmill has been featured by Apple as a Fitness Essential app. The applications use a really impressive beat-sync technology, that changes the beat of your iPhone’s music to match your pace perfectly! The Beat-sync technology calculates the BPM (Beats Per Minute) of your music, selects the best songs from your iPhone playlist to fit the intensity of your workout, and then changes the beats on the fly, keeping up with the pace of your feet while on the treadmill or on the road.

BeatBurn Treadmill/Outdoor Trainer ($3.99)

There you had it, our pick for the best 5 iPhone Apps. We know that there are many more but we chose to list only 5 apps, if you think there is an app that should be part of our list, let us know in comments below.

If you have any iPhone application development requirement, you can contact us for a free quote on info@techaheadcorp.com

Credits: LifeHacker | PhoneArenaIndia

iPhones are increasing in number rapidly, so are iPhone apps. While it is kinda easy to find Top 10 or even Top 50 iPhone apps (we wrote about Top 10 iPhone apps recently as well), it is hard to find best apps if you are looking for a particular category. For e.g. You might be a medical student and would like to check out the best iPhone apps that exist for medicine field, or you might be an entrepreneur and would like to check out apps that exist for small businesses.

Starting today, we will be covering best apps from specific categories so it will be easier for people who are looking for such apps.

We will be covering apps from Poker today. Poker is ridiculously popular nowadays, online as well as in huge livepoker tournaments and small private home games. Without further ado, here is our pick for Top 5 poker apps, in no particular order.

1) Poker by Zynga

The Zynga iPhone app has received a lot of positive critical acclaim in the iPhone app community. “poker by Zynga” is definitely one of the top picks. If you’ve played online poker before you will feel right at home with this game, as the interface seems like it’s taken from any random online poker room.

Features:

- Play Zynga Poker LIVE against your friends or over 6 million daily Facebook players
- Compete over 3G Network or WIFI
- Locate your online friends and join them at their poker table with a simple click of a button
- Chat with others at your poker table or celebrate a great hand by buying a round of drinks for everyone
- Choose from 5 or 9 person tables and change tables with ease
- Invite your friends to join you

Poker by Zynga (Free)

2) Poker Update

Daily breaking news, weekly roundups, as well as in-depth features and interviews.

Grouped by categories such as Networks & Rooms, Business & Finance, Law & Legislation, The Full Tilt Saga.

The PokerUpdate app offers:

- Breaking poker news
- Weekly roundups
- In-depth features
- Interviews
- Share stories on Twitter & Facebook
- The ability to comment on articles, and view what others are saying
- The ability to send a story straight to PokerUpdate
- Adjust article font size you your liking

Poker Update (Free)

3) THTouch – Texas Holdem Poker

If you don’t require multiplayer functionality but rather a more solitaire-style approach to waste some time with on the bus, THTouch (as in Texas Holdem Touch I would guess) is a nice alternative.

Features:

- play against up to 9 computer controlled players
- swipe your way to the golden poker chip
- bets are made in a most natural way, by actually building stacks of chips (again, using easy swipes or simple taps)
- look up the winning order of hands at any time
- resume your game at any time (autosaving)
- enjoy awesome graphics and animations
- get a hint of your own chances to win a hand

THTouch – Texas Holdem Poker (Free)

4) Poker By PlayScreen

PlayScreen Poker allows you, the player, to defy the odds and create a path that leads your poker career to the very top. Go from a brand new amateur player, with nothing, to living the lifestyle of the rich and famous as the best poker player in the world. Your skills will allow you to live the good life with luxurious cars and jets, mansions, yachts, and even your own entourage. But it’s not going to be easy! There are plenty of other players that will be coming after you for that very spot.

Poker By PlayScreen (Free)

5) Mega Poker Online Texas Holdem

MegaPoker iPhone app, in addition to being highly flexible, also plays like a game of online poker. This means that if you’ve ever played online poker before, you’ll enjoy what this iPhone app has to offer. It has full multiplayer functionality and lets you play online via Wi-Fi/3G/EDGE. You get to choose between the no limit and fixed limit holdem varieties in tournament form as well as the less common pot limit betting structure.

Mega Poker Online Texas Holdem (Free)

There you had it, our pick for top 5 Poker iPhone apps. You think we missed a good one ? Let us know in comments below. Also, if you have any iPhone app development requirement, you can contact us on info@techaheadcorp.com for a free quote.

If you want to provide a ravishing user experience, your mobile app should have a sophisticated design, and yet easy to use. It should have an attractive color scheme and a smooth navigation between different UI screens.

In short, your app should have a great user experience. In this post, we outline 7 most important tips that any tech product or app you are developing should follow to have the potential of being the Next Big Thing in marketplace.

1. Elegant UI

A great user experience isn’t just about the user interface, but it helps a lot. You need a wide variety of icons, from a launcher icon to icons in menus, dialogs, tabs, the status bar, and lists in different size, color and shading.

You should help user while taking inputs and showing outputs, so that the effort is minimum to pull out something valuable within seconds. Simple yet expressive icons can be used to let the user select the optimum inputs for an action. One good example of this is social app- Path. If user really like an item he can choose a heart icon. There are other options: a winky face, a surprised face, a smiling face and a sad face. A thumbs up and a thumbs down icon to chose.

2. Addictive

A nice design is one thing, but you also need to see value in it. It must either solve a problem for you, or be a pleasurable distraction. In other words, it must be addictive. It can be achieved through the concept of a completely visual user experience.

3. Fast Start

The Kindle Fire as a product might not be as aesthetically pleasing as the iPad 2; but what the Kindle Fire does far better than the iPad is getting the user started – and hooked – straight out of the box. With the iPad, you need to connect to iTunes to get things started, which can often be a time consuming and awkward experience for beginners. But the Kindle Fire comes pre-loaded with your Amazon profile, which enables most users to start downloading content as soon as they switch the device on for the first time.

4. Feels Lighter

Most developers save data to the internal memory which is a known problem for early Android phones with little internal memory resources, and may cause the most annoying OutOfMemoryError.

Saving the app data to SD card would be preferable when possible, then default to internal memory when no card/full card is detected. If your app uses a loads of data from server such as multiple images at a time, you should always save them to SD card at run time. In such a scenario app should not start if an SD card is not inserted on to the device. Saving small bits of information like settings, configuration or session states on internal memory is fine.

5. Customer is King

The application should treat the user as an inborn baby, who know nothing on how to use, and make the best out of the app. Therefore it is necessary to provide user the help guide or FAQ page to know about the app.

If app requires a sign in, always provide the user to make remember option for next time he/she opens the application. A ‘change password’ option is recommended as well.

Assume that users do not care for waiting on your app in any way. Benchmark your app in the testing life cycle for speed.
You should also listen to your customers complaints in the Android Market as well. Some complaints may even lead you to great feature enhancements that propel your app ahead of your competition.

6. Seamless

With so many Internet-connected devices and screens nowadays, it’s important to have a consistent experience. One recent example of this is the online music app Rdio. You will be immediately impressed by the consistent user interface between Rdio’s iPhone app and the desktop app.

Rdio takes that seamlessness a step further though, in allowing you to download whole albums onto your mobile device so that you can listen to them offline. It’s easy to get that functionality wrong, for example by enabling download on 3G and giving you a huge cellphone bill. But by default, Rdio only downloads songs onto your mobile phone using WiFi (you can turn on 3G download if you think you can afford it). It’s the little details like that which make a great user experience.

7. It Changes You

Arguably the most outstanding tech products are ones that revolutionize the way we do things. The iPhone and iPad are two high profile examples from recent years. Twitter is another. These are products that create a brand new user experience, or change old habits in a good way.
Having an overall great user experience is difficult to pull off. Some of the products mentioned above only get part of it right, for example Kindle Fire and Rdio.

At TechAhead, we get feedback from our clients who are not only satisfied by our development but are often excited with the product they got, app not only works but looks great as well. If you have any mobile app development requirement, contact us for a free quote on info@techaheadcorp.com

Credits: readwriteweb.com