Reviews by The Church of Apple

Kanex meDrive

Posted on March 24, 2013 by joe Posted in Product Review Leave a comment

The Kanex meDrive is small device that you can plug into your router, connect a USB flash drive and use it as a file server accessible to all devices, including iOS devices, a technology worth mentioning. It can be used for as many devices have the capabilities of seeing it and that have the credentials to log in. The Kanex meDrive is available from Kanex for $99.00.

Form

The looks of this device aren’t nearly as important as how it performs but there are a few things to mention. First, this device is very small and compact. This device may be able to fit in tight corners. The wires included are short so the device needs to be close to the router. Of course, you can get a longer cable and your meDrive will have more space to move about the cabin. There is a little light on the device that let’s you become aware of when the device is on or not, transferring files or not. The device reminds me of the Time Capsule that Apple sells or at least the looks anyways. In a device where the looks don’t really matter, it at least passes this category.

Function

The idea behind this product is a great idea. A simple file server that you can connect to your router and is accessible not only to computers like all file servers are but also iOS devices as well, providing a massive cloud service if you use massive hard drive (I tried a 1TB hard drive with it). Unfortunately, this is where the complimenting ends. This device does not work with Mac-formatted hard drives. Therefore, I can not use my hard drive with this device and then use it with my Mac right after, they don’t go hand in hand. Since I only own Macs, that’s a big problem. In addition, this device needs to be driven by a USB port. I have a USB port on my router thankfully but if I didn’t, I may have had to buy a USB wall outlet adapter just to use it. Adding to that, the USB cable may not be long enough so you may want to find an additional, longer cable. Therefore, with that said, this device is not wireless. There are two, possibly three wires involved. Power, Ethernet (to the router) and a cord to a portable hard drive if you have one. Once you have it set up, the struggles continue. Sometimes, my devices can’t recognize the meDrive at all. Sometimes, my device can recognize it but it appears as though there is nothing in my drive when there is and the best days are when it does recognize something but takes a few minutes to show up. It shouldn’t take long for it to recognize it at all. I know it wasn’t my device because A I have a 2012 computer and B it was right next to the meDrive. When I did get a 500 GB external HDD to work, it took a long time to show it’s contents. So long, I lost count of time and moved on with something else equally as boring. The same goes for my iOS devices. I rather just save my files onto the hard drive then take the hard drive to where I want the files and download it there. There is a good thing to say about the iOS app though, when it works, it is intuitive. Of course, all this is not to say that it never works. In fact it works sometimes, but when it does, it’s slow and it’s results are wildly unpredictable. When we had problems however, he had no help. The instructions and manual are useless for troubleshooting so that leaves contacting the company the only option for help and some people just don’t want to do that. From my perspective, the device has too many problems to recommend.

Conclusion

Pros

-Looks nice
-Lights provide some knowledge about what’s going on
-Provided cables
-iOS app, unlike the rest of the whole process, is intuitive

Cons

-Unreliable
-Unpredictable
-Needs to be tethered
-Does not work with Mac formatted drives
-When it works, it takes way too long to do anything useful with it
-Instructions are vague and worthless for troubleshooting

Ways to Improve

Besides a need to fix it’s compatibility issues, it needs to be more stable so we can have better access to the USB device attached to the meDrive. A faster connection with the router needs to be established. The company needs to consider wireless solutions to a second rendition of the product. Perhaps, they could add wireless connections to the router and wireless power such as a battery. In addition, some improvements to the instructions and troubleshooting should be considered.

The meDrive has too many problems for me to recommend it. The device was limited in it’s abilities and unstable. It is clear that Kanex has some kinks to work out before they have a stable, finished product. This product receives 2 stars from me.

Thanks for reading,

Joe

App Review: Logoist

Posted on November 11, 2012 by joe Posted in App Review Leave a comment

Logoist is an Mac app that allows you to design your own icons, logos, title art, website banners, buttons, iBooks Authors titles, collages, desktop background and more. It is available on the Mac App Store for $19.99. As a matter of fact, we would like to thank the people at Synium Software for allowing us to use the star rating system we use here at the Church of Apple. The different stars were made on the Logoist.

Form

I decided not to go with the standard Form/Function/Conclusion format since this app, despite how nicely designed it is, is not an app to review based on it’s aesthetics. This app shall be based solely on it’s performance, and boy does it perform well.

Through the app, I have been easily able to create different art pieces and buttons that I could use for our website-in one case I have been using. As I mentioned, the nice star rating system was created on Logoist.

The app has a lot of stunning fonts to choose from, lots of templates to choose from, thousands of clipart images for use and more. Everything in Logoist is done with detail. The app has everything in a moments reach so you don’t need to search for a certain template or picture in the app for very long. The things included in the app to make the thing your making better include layers which you can add rectangles, ellipses, text, and other shapes in order to create your basic image. After you create your basic image you can enhance it with shaders that allow you to add metallic, glossy, glass or plastic looks. There are over 100 different preset shaders included. You can also add effects to your images which include shadow, glow, blur and borders and layers. You can use just one preset or multiple at the same time. Also, you can customize these effects by changing the brightness of the effect, the color of the effect and the effect on the viewer, whether you want it to be obvious or just added for a little design flair. There is also clipart. The app includes over 3,000 clipart pieces but you can add your own from the web as well. These images can have effects and shaders applied to them as well. The app also includes patterns which allow you to fill a layer with a pattern, perhaps for a background. To me, I’ve noticed the stock patterns could be more colorful but of course, the colors can be changed anyways. One thing that is cool about the app that apps like Photoshop have is the ruler ability. If you have to layout multiple objects in a row and they have to be spaced evenly, the app will lock the objects into place so you aren’t off by millimeters, you are off by 0. Also, you can transform word art into different shapes and different formats. Paths allows you to create your own shapes, combining the custom shapes will lead to your own unique logo or icon. Paths is quite a bit difficult to use and requires a lot of thinking, but works well once you get the hang of it. I have found that the customer service of the app is most helpful and the help section answered most of my questions when they arose. You can also use gestures in OS X (used for rotating objects) and you can export them to wherever they need to go (just like I had to export my stars into the website).

I do have a few issues with the app though. I have found this app to be more for people who are not professional designers, like me. This app is a great tool for those who are not great at designing but want a simple logo, design or image for use in a PowerPoint, blog or other consumer type thing. This is not for professionals, I have talked to professionals in the field about this app and they say that they would not recommend it to other designers but would recommend it to the ordinary person. I own multiple computers and I have the app on multiple computers. The app, at least that I can see, does not have iCloud support to transport, wirelessly, the different projects I create on the different computers. Despite the fact that the app has great customer service, I felt that there is a learning curve. The app talks about how to do certain things well, but it doesn’t teach you how to build from the ground up. Of course, this can be done by trial and error and just playing with the app, which I actually found to be enjoyable but others may disagree with me though. Despite these flaws however, the app is nothing short of being Photo Shop when it comes to designing things for use on websites, advertisements, among other things. It is worth the $20.

Conclusion

Pros

-Allows consumers to design logos, images and more
-Layers allow you to design your basic image
-Shaders, effects and fillers allow you to design the image even better
-Customize the effects
-Comes with clip-art and you can add your own images
-Patterns allow you to fill a background with a pattern
-Objects lock into place
-Photoshop equivalent in terms of designing certain things such as banners and icons

Cons

-Not for professionals
-Lacks iCloud integration
-Paths are a bit difficult to use
-Instructions are clear, but don’t provide the user with instruction from the ground up.

This app, for the money, is definitely worth it. The app is high in power and functionality and low in cost, providing you with a functional, low-cost logo/image designer that you can use at home or on the go. It is the designers equivalent of designer’s Photo Shop (yes, I realize Photoshop is not a designers app itself but it is like a designers version of it). I’m sure the developer will be pleased to learn that he has received 4 stars designed on his own app.

Thanks for reading,

Joe

App Review: iProcrastinate by Craig Otis

Posted on September 7, 2012 by joe Posted in App Review Leave a comment

iProcrastinate (4.5/5) is an app that is available for iPhone/iPod touch and Mac with an iPad version coming soon. The app is advertised as “the ideal task manager for anyone who doesn’t want their todo list to get in the wayof actually getting things done… [it is] great for anyone who is looking for a mobile, easy-to-use task manager (not just for students)”. The app allows you to add anything into it whether it be school related or not. The app allows you to make high priority tasks, such as an assignment that is due the next day or low priority tasks for a workout that repeats every Monday and Thursday. You can use preset groups such as “Due Today”, “Overdue” or “Upcoming” to manage tasks. You can star items for quick access to certain tasks. If you are a Mac user, you can download the free iProcrastinate app to accompany your iOS devices.

School-Related or not:

Non-School Related stuff

While people that are not in school can use iProcrastinate, I feel that the app is very centered around students. The tabs that you can put tasks under are labeled as “Subjects”. It is advertised that you can add just about anything to the app, and while that is true, I feel a student will get a thousand times more benefit than one that is not a student. That is not to say that it won’t help you. For example, let’s say you are a parent and you have a busy, hectic schedule ahead of you. You can make a subject titled “Work Stuff” and you can put meetings, things to remember to do etc. Then once you get out of work, you have kids to take to places. You can put in other subjects such as a subject for each of your kids. Therefore, a example of that would be Lizzie’s stuff, Jake’s stuff etc. You can add events to each subject with a few touches of the screen. Say Lizzie has a piano recital you must attend in a few days, just a few touches and it’s added to your calendar. If it’s high priority, you can add it to the starred section and you also can give it the rating of “high priority” which will color code it to red, signaling you should work on that first, then work on yellow coded (medium) or green coded (not urgent). Let’s say that the teacher is sick that day and reschedules it in a week, it is even simpler to change it than it was to create it. Of course, as I mentioned before, the app is even more useful if you are a student, no matter the grade (though as you move along through school, high school and college students will use it the most, however I can easily see elementary and middle school students using it as well).

School-Related Stuff

As I said before the app is very centered around students and allow me to explain why. Students can lose track very easily as to what homework they have. Most students have iPhones or iPod touches they bring to school everyday and now if you are using it for school purposes you can use them in class. From experience, I know students don’t like the book planners and paper planners that schools give them or that parents buy for them. They much rather use something intuitive and readable (sometimes I’ve written things on a calendar and I had no idea what I put). They would much rather have one that is electronic and is on something they carry around everyday. One on their phone would be best. An app that would allow them to keep track, class by class, what assignments they are working on, what and when homework is due, keep track of projects and be able to record the steps they need to complete that assignment or homework. That’s right. You can add steps to the different tasks you add, probably the easiest thing to do in the app. The app also has the tab “Due Today” which allows you to see the assignments or things you have to do “today”. You can add other tabs too, such as “Due Tomorrow” (my favorite) and Upcoming (tasks happening/due within a few weeks). Again, it also has the starred tab which allow you to quickly view assignments you starred. You can mark assignments and homework by priority making it easier for you to decide which homework you should do first. As you can see, this app is centric to students more so than everybody else, however both students and non-students will enjoy this app.

Features

Students and non-students aside, the app has very distinctive features about it. First, it is simple to use. While I am not saying that other apps are not as simple as this one, this app has the features people would want out of apps such as these without being complicated, which they did an excellent job of combining those elements. Second, Mac users you’re going to love this, iProcrastinate has a Mac version available for free that accompanies the two sister apps. You can sync your tasks between iOS and Mac. It has all the same features as the iOS version AND you can add files to your tasks, so lets say you need to save some pictures for your history project, you can add photos that you may use later for the project. How cool is that?! No more looking for files on your computer for the picture you need for a project. Third, it warns you when it is past due or due that day. Fourth, it allows you to organize tasks by priority, due date or name. Fifth, the app allows you to email yourself a list of tasks and you can even print the task list right from the app. Sixth, you can add subjects, tasks or steps with a breeze and you can mark things as Starred or Complete just as easily. Last, I appreciate the fact that I can repeat tasks certain days of the week, like if I need to go to the gym every other day, it will automatically put it in for me after I set it to do that. You can stop the repeat anytime you like.

More features I would like to see

Everything has room for improvement. I would like to see a Windows and Android app developed for them only because Apple is not the only platform out there and this developer would get a whole lot more buyers. I would also like to see the Mac sync with the iOS devices with me having to tell it to sync. I have an iPod touch, an iMac and a MacBook Air. I would like it if these devices were synced with each other without me having to tell the MBA to sync with the iPod and then the iMac, perhaps an iCloud-like feature is what I am going for here. I would like it to be able to change the color code as time moves on. For example, I like to set things that I need to do in a week or so, as orange, so it’s something that’s not urgent but something I shouldn’t forget. Let’s say it is now 2-3 days before that event or assignment is due, I would like the app to automatically color code it to red. I would also like Notification Center support so it can send me a notification when something is due or close to being due (the Calendar app does this, you can set it to give you warnings about upcoming things). Other than that I can’t think of anything else I would want to add to it, the developer has done an excellent job with the app.

This app is a great app for anyone who wants to keep their busy life in check whether you’re a student or not. While I would more strongly recommend the app to students, I believe it is a great addition to anyone with a busy schedule. If you have a Mac and an iPod touch or iPhone, you have it made when it comes to this app and with Lion’s/Mountain Lion’s full screen feature, you can keep the app full screen so you have a distraction-free, get-your-work-done kind of environment. I have tried other apps similar to this one and I have yet to find a better one. This app fulfills my needs and will fulfill your needs and any students needs. And for 99 cents, you definitely can not go wrong. This app deserves a 9/10. Great job Craig Otis, you did great! See down below for more pictures of the app.

Thanks for reading the first app review of the CoA,

Joe

The screen you see when you go to a specific subject. Red next to the task is color coded for a high priority.

The screen you get when adding a task to the page. You can Name it, put a note to go along with it, star it, mark it as complete, put level of urgency, due date, and whether or not you want to to repeat or not. Down below at the bottom you can see that you can add steps to the task. You will get this screen in two situations, one, when you add a new task, and two when you touch a task you have already added so you can update it.

This is the screen you get when you want to sync with other devices with the app (i.e Mac). If you rare on the same network as the device you’re syncing with, I would prefer to use Local Device, but if not, you can also try syncing it with DropBox

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