You don’t have to just log future events, you can also log things such as quit smoking date, started xx diet, and things like that. The app will tell you how long you have not smoked in a beautiful and customized way. I’m planning on using mine for future book release dates. My calendars are getting clogged with all of them and I like the idea of keeping them all in Countdown+.

When creating your event, you can create your own custom icon or use one of the 40 presents in the app. Even choose your own image for the event presentation countdown. Create and assign custom tags so that you can keep all of your events nicely organized.

Some may not see the usefulness of this app, and if you’re one of them, move on. If you like to track special events in a beautiful and stylish way this app is for you. I love the idea of having all of the special events I look forward to in this app and watching the countdown.

A few reviews have been concerned about the inability to delete events once created. Although there is no specific button to delete the item, when you are viewing your item list, simply swipe towards the left and the delete button comes up. This is a little tip you should keep in mind for other apps as well!

Requirements and Information:
* Compatibility: iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires: iOS 3.1.3 or later
* Size: 3.6 MB
* Price: $0.99

Reviewed by Tina. Read more from her @ Tech Tools 4 Mom

This app is not an ebook, but more a video book. Listen the professional photographer offer her tips while showing you examples with real subjects. She shows you the difference between using the tips and not using the tips. Amazing some of the visual differences you see in the “right” and “wrong” demonstrations. Along with each video is a subtext that you can also read if you aren’t interested in watching -although, it is not word for word.

Pro Photography Secrets is composed of 13 different videos as well as a quiz section so that you can see what you’ve learned by watching the videos. I have to say, the tips are useful, but some of the subjects in the videos reminds me of 80′s in fashion and style. Maybe it’s just me, but that is what I saw when looking at some of the videos.

If you can get by the 80′s fashion, and could use some great photographer tips definitely check out Pro Photography Secrets in the App Store.

Requirements and Information:
* Compatibility: iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires: iOS 3.2.1 or later
* Size: 148 MB
* Price: $2.99

Reviewed by Tina. Read more from her @ Tech Tools 4 Mom

The app itself is really well done.  After you upload your picture it intregrates the picture you took and the video clip of Hope Dworaczyk rating you.  In other words it makes it seem like she’s actually looking at your pictures and giving you her honest feedback.

If seeing Playmate of the Year Hope Dworaczyk in various stages of undress and wearing sexy outfits while rating pictures is your thing, then this app is more then worth the $.99 price tag.

• Includes 100′s of HD pictures and videos of Hope Dworaczyk
• Ability to share the ratings via twitter, facebook and email
• Joke mode, so you can control how Hope rates specific pictures

The Evernote app is the leading organizational application available for iPhone and Andriod smartphones. With the app, you can capture notes and thoughts with voice recognition software or simply by using the keyboard. But recording your thoughts is just the beginning. The organizational features and functionality of Evernote are what truly set it apart and make it great.

Notebooks

With the Evernote app, you can create an unlimited number of notebooks. Then, in each notebook, you can create an unlimited number of notes. This works great for college students or professionals that are focused on gather information and research, stockmarket or forex traders keeping a trade journal, project managers who want to track projects, creatives who are constantly getting and refining new ideas, and anyone else who wants a centralized, organized location to keep track of information.

Web Clipper

This feature of the app is incredible. You can download a plugin for your web browser in just a matter of minutes. Then, any time you are surfing the web and find a piece of information you want to keep, simply highlight the part of the website you want, and click the plugin on your web browser. This will automatically create a new note for you in Evernote, and the information on the website will be stored for you. This is incredibly helpful if you are conducting research on a topic.

Accessibility

Evernote is not limited to one phone or PC. Instead, every mobile and PC device you use will be synced each time you use Evernote. This is a major benefit for people who use an office computer, personal computer, smartphone, and other computers throughout the day. All of that activity and information will be stored Evernote in a seamless fashion.

Snapshots

Perhaps the most cutting edge aspect of Evernote is its ability for you to take a snapshot of a whiteboard or notebook paper. You can then save the snapshot as a note, but that’s not the best part. All of the words that appear on the image are searchable. This is an incredible feature of technology. If your notes are on a specific topic, then when you search your Evernote app for that keyword, your
snapshot will pop up in the search results.

Critics argue that technology has made our lives more cluttered and busy, but that is only if we let it. Technological advancements like Evernote can make our lives significantly simpler by allowing us to streamline and organize our thoughts in much less time than in the past.

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Jason Hoerr is a writer for http://www.forextraders.com who uses the Evernote app for currency market analysis.

Choose between learning mode and game mode. In learning mode, you hear the Spanish word and see the word in English and Spanish. In game mode, you are asked to find something. You hear it and see it in Spanish. You can also elect to add tags and sounds in English in the app settings.

The thing that I think sets this app apart from most is the different options in learning. You are not just given the names in English and Spanish and hear how it is pronounced. You are given different ‘classrooms’ to learn in. When selecting Common Places, you can choose between cityscape, classroom, doctor’s office, house, restaurant, and supermarket. You can choose to learn words or common phrases associated with these places. When looking to learn everyday languages you can select animals, body anatomy, calendar, clothes, money, numbers, time, transportation and weather. Again, you can also choose words or phrases. Another ‘classroom’ you can learn in is the Family Album. In the family album, you can learn the different ways to address family members in Spanish.

Overall, this app is a must have if you are beginning to learn the Spanish language. The only problem I see with the app is when pronouncing Spanish phrases, there is no way to slow down the pronunciation. Granted, it is the way it is said in Spanish, but when learning a language, sometimes slowing it down a bit helps a lot.

Requirements and Information:
* Compatibility: iPad
* Requires: iOS 3.2.2 or later
* Size: 100
* Price: $3.99

Reviewed by Tina. Read more from her @ Tech Tools 4 Mom

SpeechTrans Ultimate, powered by Nuance has created an amazing app that allows you to translate your spoken or written word into English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Chinese, Korean, or Japanese. Speak a phrase in English, click on done and it will show your phrase written in English and the language you choose. You can then listen to that phrase in the chosen language.

This app is integrated with Facebook Chat so that you can chat with someone who doesn’t speak your language. Speech recognition is currently only available in English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Italian, and German. You have the option of using a male or female voice for all but Japanese, Chinese, and Korean -these are female only. The recording of your input is limited to 55 seconds.

The SpeechTrans Ultimate app is a wonderful resource if you do business, travel, or have personal contacts that speak a different language than you do. Although the speech recognition isn’t 100% it actually responded better than other applications I’ve used. The translation voice is one of the clearest electronic voices I’ve heard, but do not get this app to actually learn a language. It will help you communicate in a basic level, but you will not be able to get exact pronunciations down perfectly.

The only problem I had with the app was slow response when selecting my from/to languages. It wasn’t a long time, but definitely not an instant and smooth transition. One of the benefits of getting this app is that when future languages are released, the update will be free.

Requirements and Information:
* Compatibility: iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires: iOS 3.0 or later
* Size: 2.3 MB
* Price: $19.99

Reviewed by Tina. Read more from her @ Tech Tools 4 Mom

Use the app to track speed, distance, time, and more. SporTracker uses the GPS that is built in to the iPhone showing you realtime progress.

One of the features I like the most about this app is the emergency feature. When setting the app up, you can pre-program a phone number into the app for emergencies. If you are out running or walking in a remote location and something happens (fall, severe cramp) you can press the emergency button which will send your location to that number and also on Facebook and Twitter.

The app is built to be used with the M-SporTracker arm sensor, which is not yet available. One the arm band is available the app will be able to track more parameters than it does now. While working out you can also listen to your own music right from the app dashboard. The one thing I did not like about the app was how much of a battery drain it was. When it is not in use, make sure it is not running behind the scenes.

Requirements and Information:
* Compatibility: iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires: iOS 3.1.3 or later
* Size: 5.3 MB
* Price: $4.99

Reviewed by Tina. Read more from her @ Tech Tools 4 Mom

With Best Prompter Pro, you can type up your script using BBCode so that the formatting is easier on the eyes. Practicing your speech is made simple by the built in audio recorder. By using the recorder, you can listen to the speech to hear how it flows and make adjustments as necessary. Importing or exporting a script is easy by using iTunes file sharing.

I could definitely see myself using this if I were still working full-time. Giving presentations and training sessions used to be part of my job. I used to just work off of either a computer screen or handwritten notes. This app would have been definitely taken the place of those things!

To get the most out of this app, I would suggest downloading the user manual. Although the app is not too difficult to figure out, there are a lot of features and the manual will show you all of them.

Requirements and Information:
* Compatibility: iPad
* Requires: iOS 4.0 or later
* Size: 1.6 MB
* Price: $7.99

Reviewed by Tina. Read more from her @ Tech Tools 4 Mom

Each plant gives scientific and common names as well as habitat. In addition to the general information on each plant, you can dig further to find out about the fruit and seed it produces, growth information, foliage and flower. With pictures and diagrams throughout the app, it would be a perfect app for any student interested in plant life. But, definitely not just and educational app. Nature lovers will love going for walks to put a name to the plants they see.

Although I don’t home school, I plan on using this app in the Spring when I take my girls to the park. For families that do home school, I think it would be an excellent tool to use for natural science studies!

Requirements and Information:
* Compatibility: iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires: iOS 3.0 or later
* Size: 123 MB
* Price: $4.99

Reviewed by Tina. Read more from her @ Tech Tools 4 Mom

If you are a fan of JFK or want to learn more about him, The JFK Historymaker by Multieducator Inc. is something you’ll want to download. The app is filled with 250 photos, 200 documents, and 25 videos. You can learn about JFK’s childhood, his family, and everything leading up to his Presidency. If you were not alive during his presidency, you can relive his accomplishments and failures, and watch as the assassination unfolds and how it affected our Country.

The information within this app is incredibly in-depth, beautiful, and shows why this President is still loved to this day. If you are working on a JFK project for school, definitely get this app. You can export information, pictures, and videos from the app to email which makes for a great visual for the project.

Although I was not alive during JFK’s presidency, my parents were. Each of them remembers where they were when he was assassinated. I remember watching the videos of the assassination in school, watched the videos of Americans across the country reacting to it and it always brought tears to my eyes.

I would have liked to see more of a devil’s advocate side to this app. He had a tight-knit family, yes. They were powerful and rich, yes. But where did that power and money come from? The family wasn’t as ‘All American’ pure as some may think. I just think education should encompass all sides to a story, not just one side of the story.

Requirements and Information:
* Compatibility: iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires: iOS 3.1 or later
* Size: 444 MB
* Price: $4.99

Reviewed by Tina. Read more from her @ Tech Tools 4 Mom