eXtensions: AMITIAE

AMITIAE - Tuesday 26 March 2013

More Updates to iOS Apps (7): My Scans, Metronome, Thai Dictionary Free and Others

By Graham K. Rogers

Apps

Several updates to apps appeared in my list in the iTunes App Store this morning, and a couple of these are interesting.

Confessions: A Roman Catholic App

When I first saw this, I was intrigued as I had been talking about religion to one of my Thai students who is Catholic. MY original comments were on my old AMITIAE site (now gone) so I dug out the text and have update this. The entire review, Confession App: An Agnostic Examination (Revised and Updated) is now available with information on today's updates.

My Scans

I reviewed this last September and I saw it then as a useful alternative to the Genius Scan app I use most often. I was recently with a Samsung-owning friend and his scanning app was identical to the My Scans I have on the iPhone. I was suitably impressed with the way it also worked on that device.

Version 1.09 of My Scans has several changes, beginning with the ability to import multiple pages from the Photo Library. The information notes also that the 1.08 update provided localisation for some 22 languages.

DataAnalysis

This iPad graphing app became available a few months back. I reviewed DataAnalysis in December of last year and found it a straight forward graphing app that is easy to use and produces quite satisfying results.

The 1.14 update fixes a major bug with the Help Sytem and emailing of results. These bugs were introduced with the update to iOS 6 we are told

Metronome

I have this app on the iPhone and the iPad and it provides a useful digital version of the more familiar wooden clockwork devices that have been used by countless musicians for years. Digital technology has updated the metronome and made it more accurate. On the Mac I have a version of the device built into GarageBand. A search on iTunes reveals more than a hundred. One of these is Metronome: Tempo -- a $1.99 app that is available for the iPad and iPhone.

When I originally looked at this the interface was red on black. The latest update, to version 3.01 has changed the colour scheme totally to grey-white with blue. The rubric in iTunes indicates that the interface has been completely rewritten and there is a return to some of the older features as a result of user feedback.

Rambler-Maps

This is a Russian app that somehow found its way into the iTunes app store here. Rambler-Maps provided maps of Russia only and text was Cyrillic, so outside of the country it was rather limited although the 3D displays showed some features that are still not available in other well-know map apps (at least, not here).

The update to version 1.0.3209 is brief and total: "Rambler-Maps navigation will end its service on 15 of April."

Thai Dictionary Free

For a couple of years I used a Thai-English translation dictionary that True - a local carrier and media company - had developed. Late last year, it was changed and began to demand a True password before I could use it. I have several True accounts (phone, TV, ADSL) but was damned if I was going to waste time on such an exercise when all I want to do is look up a word in translation. If I wanted to buy an app, I would be happy to do that, but the intrusive nature of such passwords - which add to unnecessary data collection - had me delete the app right away.

Instead, I found an app called Thai Dictionary Free and this does all that I want: Thai to English, and English to Thai. Just switching the keyboard changes the language function so this is perfect for my occasional use with no jumping through hoops.

The update to version 7.9.2 has an important change in that the developer (Md. Mahmud Ahasan) reports that there is now an iPad version and that a flash card menu bug, when it would be hidden, has been fixed. With this, users can select different flash styles and orientations.

Bloomberg Businessweek

For anyone trying to keep track of what happens in the financial and business worlds, certain publications are more than useful. Examples might be Forbes, or The Economist. Bloomberg too has its finger on the pulse and the Bloomberg Businessweek iOS app has much useful information that can be downloaded as in-app purchases. Print subscribers have this content provided free as part of their subscription.

While a whole issue each week comes at a cost of $2.99, the latest update now makes a selection of articles available for free to interested users.

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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