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Part of PadGadget’s continuing series Get Cooking with iPad
So far our cooking series has included apps full of recipes for you to prepare using your iPad in the kitchen, but today we’ve decided to switch gears and take a look at some of our favorite cooking game apps for kids. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Part of PadGadget’s continuing series Get Cooking with iPad
It’s Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer, and what better way to celebrate with friends and family than with some good ol’ southern barbecue? Well, Time Home Entertainment recently released its app version of Southern Living Big Book of BBQ and as part of our Get Cooking with iPad series, I’m going to give you my take on it.
I’ve been a Southern Living Magazine subscriber for years and one of the things I appreciate in every monthly issue is the beautiful spread of decorating and recipe photos. The Big Book of BBQ app does not disappoint, delivering a nice collection of barbecue and recipe related photos. Viewable in both portrait and landscape mode, a swipe of a finger will take you from preparing the grill to cooking dessert and everything in between.
The end of last year I reviewed the PopOut! version of Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit and found it to be one of the most original book adaptations I’d seen for the iPad. Now, six months later, the second book in the PopOut! series from Loud Crow Interactive hits the App Store and this time it’s PopOut! The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin that combines Potter’s traditional story and illustrations with modern day interactive capabilities.
When little Nutkin, his brother Twinkleberry and all the other little squirrels journey to Owl Island in search of nuts, they meet an owl named Old Brown. As the rest of the squirrels collect nuts over a period of six days, Nutkin taunts Old Brown with riddles, songs and singing. Kids will love exploring the interactive features of this tale as they pull tabs, spin wheels and play with different elements on pages throughout this book. Objects will literally pop-out onto the pages of the book when tapped and can be moved by tilting your iPad back and forth or dragging them around the screen with a finger. Readers will follow along, participate in the adventure and discover little Nutkin’s fate in this unique interactive experience!
If you’re a fan of Trident’s Aegis case for the iPad and you’ve been waiting for the iPad 2 version to hit the shelves, you’re in luck. I recently received our PadGadget review unit and after several days of using it, I’m pleased with what it has to offer.
The updated Aegis case protects your iPad 2 on a number of fronts. A two part system includes a hard polycarbonate shell exterior and a flexible silicone interior to protect your device during everyday use. The black silicone insert fits snugly around your device to cushion and prevent scratches. A hard exterior shell (available in five color choices) follows, providing an additional layer of protection. All buttons are covered, while the headphone jack and silent/screen rotation lock switch have silicone tabs to open and close as necessary. The front and back facing cameras, as well as the docking port, are readily accessible via cutouts in the case. Worried about sound quality? The sound won’t be impeded by this case. Small holes were visible in the silicone lining during my installation and a series of slots in the shell help maintain the quality of sound output.
So you’ve got your iPad 2 and now you’re wondering which accessories to purchase to protect your shiny new device. If you are interested in a screen protector, UK based Expert Shield has a couple of great choices available to protect your screen from scratches. The iPad 2 Screen Protector and Anti-glare Screen Protector are designed to be the longest lasting screen protectors on the market, with the company boasting, “you’ll probably need to replace your device before you replace one of our protectors!”
iPad 2 Crystal Clear Screen Protector
Made from the company’s own three-ply Japanese Optical Grade CrystalFilm, each screen protector is custom cut and easy to install. A scratch resistant surface polymer forms the first layer, followed by a hardened protective mask to prevent deep cuts and finally a patented silicone gel creates a vacuum insuring the film securely “clings” to your iPad 2 touch screen.
Part of PadGadget’s continuing series Get Cooking With iPad
I started cooking with my kids as soon as they were old enough to stand on a stool and dump a few ingredients into a bowl. We enjoy spending time together in the kitchen and were excited to give the Kung Fu Panda 2 Interactive Cookbook a try after watching the latest Kung Fu Panda movie this weekend.
Nineteen character inspired recipes greet cooks on the pages of this interactive cookbook and each one includes a brief description, list of ingredients and clear preparation instructions.
Users can “read” the cookbook in a variety of ways. Tap the play button at the bottom of the screen and the description and instructions are read aloud, with each word highlighted for users to follow as they go. The menu bar at the bottom of the screen offers a number of additional helpful features. Readers can select the chef’s hat and shake their iPad to see recipes at random, automatically adjust the ingredient list based on serving size with the calculator option, set a cooking timer, bookmark your favorites, create shopping lists and more.
For today’s Daily Deal we’ve found eight great apps to add to your iPad collection. We have five productivity apps, two entertainment apps and one game app in today’s bundle.
We used our PadGadget Apps Tracker to find these great deals and we’ll continue to look for the best app deals as they pop-up. Some of these apps are up to 60% off, one’s even free, so be sure to check them out because they are on sale for a limited time.
Award winning children’s app developer Duck Duck Moose launched its latest iPad app last week and it didn’t take long for Word Wagon HD to find itself in the New and Noteworthy section of the App Store. The iPhone version of Word Wagon recently won the Children’s Technology Review Editor’s Choice Award and the iPad version is poised to follow in its proverbial footsteps.
Word Wagon introduces children in preschool through first grade to letters, phonics, and spelling. Together with Mozzarella the mouse and Coco the bird, kids learn to recognize letters, pronounce their sounds and spell words.
Kids love interactive stories on the iPad and Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island offers boys and girls hours of fun. In this interactive adventure from Australian based Treasure Bound Books, kids get to choose the progression of their own story, creating an unique adventure every time they play.
Kai hunts for gold as he takes off on a treasure hunt in this first book of a three part series. The young adventurer begins his search as he drifts off to sleep and dreams of treasure chests, clues and gold. Kids help Treasure Kai find the gold by tapping chests at the bottom of the screen. As the contents of each chest are revealed, users receive clues and move one step closer to discovering the gold. Kids may get lucky and find the gold in the first chest they open or may need to tap several before they find the loot, but each time they play a different adventure awaits.
According to the latest Millennial Media report Apple’s iOS ecosystem makes up just 28% of the total smartphone market share but remarkably generated over 50% of all app revenue.
Millennial Media’s April Mobile Device Index released earlier today showed Apple was behind Android in terms of smartphone impression share for the fifth consecutive month. Android captured a 53% impression share while Apple lingered behind with a 28% share. But counting ad impressions doesn’t tell the whole story.
One of the best selling points of tablets are their big, beautiful touch screens. With the tap or swipe of a finger you can access email, read a book, play a game, the list goes on and on. There may, however, be instances when you feel a more precise instrument is necessary. Maybe you prefer to handwrite notes during class or sketch a picture using any number of the artistic apps available in the App Store and feel using your finger is a bit awkward. If that sounds like you, you might want to consider using a stylus like the Duo Stylus from Metix.
Oceanhouse Media and Hay House have long been partners and today they’ve launched their 100th app with the release of The Belly Fat Cure Sugar and Carb Counter. Based on Jorge Cruise’s #1 New York Times Bestseller, The Belly Fat Cure, helps users track the foods they eat and maintain their daily sugar and carb budget.
If you are looking to lose a few pounds, this app might be just the tool to help you out. “Having this app on your Apple device makes it extremely easy to follow the simple Belly Fat plan for weight loss and smart eating while you’re grocery shopping or eating out,” said Michel Kripalani, founder and president of Oceanhouse Media.
David McKee’s brightly colored patchwork elephant named Elmer has been a children’s favorite ever since the first book debuted in 1989 and now Oceanhouse Media brings the colorful creature to the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Elmer’s Special Day hit the App Store last week bringing this international favorite to the digital age.
In Oceanhouse Media’s first Elmer book release, Elmer and the other elephants are preparing for the annual parade. When the other jungle animals become upset because of the noise level, Elmer invites every animal from the jungle to join in the fun. Discover the surprise they have in store for Elmer as you and your kids read this colorful tale.
If you’ve got the Apple Smart Cover to shield your iPad 2′s screen, but remain concerned about its case, then the Hard Shell Back Cover from Proporta might be just what you’ve been looking for. This new case is designed to work alone or in conjunction with Apple’s Smart Cover to safeguard your device.
Made of hard wearing polycarbonate, this cover hugs the back of the iPad 2, protecting it from wear and tear during normal use. Users can access cameras, ports and buttons through various cutouts around the case. Those same cutouts allow the Smart Cover to easily attach to the side of the device too.
Not long ago, we hosted a promo code giveaway for the iPad version of Forgotten Places – Lost Circus HD and today we are giving you another chance to win a copy of this fun hidden object app. This time around our contest is for the universal version, so you can use it on your iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.
If you enjoy searching for hidden objects and solving puzzles, this app is a great option. Lots of challenges, plus two levels of difficulty equals hours of fun for kids and adults. Forgotten Places – Lost Circus has been featured in the App Store’s New and Noteworthy section and is available now for a limited time for $2.99. Or, you can enter our contest and win a free app code.
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