Pray for Alabama and the Southeast

I'm going to depart from my usual "what you can do with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch" type of post this time.  When I wrote my last post, I knew severe weather was coming here to Alabama the next day.  I just had no idea it would be this bad.  Last night Alabama experienced a historical and deadly tornado outbreak.  It included an EF-4 or EF-5 tornado that traveled across the state from Mississippi and into Georgia, killing many and destroying property.  Hard hit were Tuscaloosa and Birmingham.  Yesterday was tragic for much of the Southeast United States.

Pray for Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia, especially for those who have lost loved ones, who have had homes destroyed, or who are injured.  Please also consider giving or volunteering to help those who are hurting.  It will be a long recovery for some.

Weather and iOS: Why Are You Still Using the Built-in Weather App?

I'm not quite a weather geek but I'm interested in severe weather.  I like to know when its coming for safety reasons but also find it interesting to track in general.  Whatever your motivation, if your still using the built-in Weather app for iOS on your iPhone or iPod Touch you are really missing out on a lot of information.  If you have an iPad, it didn't even come with a weather app.

Identify That Song...or TV Program

In 2008, Apple did a commercial that featured Shazam, an app that will identify a song simply by listening to it for a few seconds through your iPhone's microphone (a process called "tagging").  What it can do is very useful when you're out and about and hear a song you like but don't know what it is.  It will even link to the song on iTunes if you decide you like it and want to buy it.

Kid-proofing the iPod Touch or iPhone

The iPod Touch is a great gaming device for kids compared to the Nintendo DS and the Playstation Portable (PSP) because the games are so much more affordable.  Many kid-friendly games are free or $0.99 while top-rated titles tend to be no more than $9.99, but often much less.  Also, sales on games are very common.  That's not to mention that the iPod Touch is great for video, music, web surfing, etc.  But with all these capabilities, you need to protect your kid and yourself from things unwanted.

Making the Most of iOS Audio: The Car

In my last post, Making the Most of iOS Audio: The Bedroom, I talked to you about the best way to listen to audio, sans headphones, in the bedroom.  But what about driving?  Wearing headphones, unless you have the volume low enough, is dangerous when driving and is even illegal in some states.  But driving is the best time to listen to music, podcasts, audio books, and even internet radio.  What are your options?

Making the Most of iOS Audio: The Bedroom

The iPhone and iPod touch are great audio devices for listening to music, radio, ambient sound, or audio books.  The headphones that come with these devices actually sound pretty good, especially if you are a non-audiophile, like me.  However, in your bedroom, wearing headphones is inconvenient when you are getting ready in the morning and want to listen to music, catching a podcast while changing out of work clothes, or listening to a gentle rain in Naturespace as you drift off to sleep at night.  (See my Ambient Sound post for more information about that last one.)