Updates to iOS Apps: Adobe Reader, Kickstarter, Quotebook, and Vintique
AMITIAE - Sunday 10 March 2013
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Updates to iOS Apps: Adobe Reader, Kickstarter, Quotebook, and Vintique |
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By Graham K. Rogers
Adobe Reader
Although there are a number of other apps that will allow a user to view PDF documents, Adobe's app has a number of specific features that some may prefer, including synchronisation between devices using Acrobat.com, an online subscription service from Adobe.
The iOS app, Adobe Reader, which works on iPhone and iPad, has now been updated to version 10.5.0 has a number of improvements and enhancements. Adobe reports that there is now VoiceOver integration for Accessibility; and the last location in a document can be synchronised using Acrobat.com. Additional features include a Go To Page ability, Smart Zoom, Night Mode and a Brightness lock. The Freehand Annotation tool now has an Undo feature. As well as the usual bug fixes, there are improvements in Form handling, plus FormsCentral PDF validation. There are also reported to be performance improvements on "newer devices".
Kickstarter for iPhone
With the arrival of the Mobi-Lens system that I had invested in, like thousands of others using the Kickstarter system, I was interested to see a couple of weeks ago the release of a Kickstarter app, which I reviewed then. An update to the app has now been released bringing it to version 1.1.1 and there are some minor improvements.
The text on the iTunes app store page for Kickstarter for iPhone reports two improvements to go with bug fixes: it is now easier to browse by sub-categories; and users may now use a pull-to-refresh feature for comments and the for creator dashboard. In addition some Facebook login problems have been fixed as well as some app crash problems that some users experienced with the profile tab.
Quotebook - A Notebook for Quotes
I downloaded the app, Quotebook - A Notebook for Quotes, a while back and did not immediately warm to it. I had hoped for this to be full of content, but it was a blank slate on which users may enter there own data. Nonetheless, it is popular and has been steadily improved - for example with iCloud synching - and the latest update to version 2.1.3 has a number of fixes. A problem that had appeared with quotes added via Auto-detect with no dates has now been fixed. Dates will appear. Quotebook settings can also be backed up via iCloud and the settings can be mailed to the user in case the device is lost, or the user is locked out of the iCloud account.
Vintique
Although I did not write a review for Vintique, it is a beautifully made app that I have been using for several months. It is like a lot of the popular photographic apps that work with filters on the iPhone, but is rather well made and at one time was shown as one of the top downloads in the iTunes Store for Thailand. While it comes with some nice filters, there are in-app purchases for more at $0.99 each.
The app comes with 32 filters and 17 retro filters and there are a number of adjustments possible (e.g. brightness, contrast, temperature, exposure, et al). In addition with frames and messaging, output can be made in countless ways. Export of images up to 2448 x 2448) may be to Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter; and images may be handled by email or other apps on the iOS device. Some issues that have been addressed in the 2.0.1 update include a fix to the issue of Album/Camera buttons not working in iOS 5; the app now supports "all" aspect ratios of photographs; there is a new Extra filter pack containing 17 more filters.
Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs. |
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