This is a great game to play if you’re bored. You will have a very hard time putting this game down once you start playing! Currently there are 8 boxes, each containing 25 levels. There is over 200 levels total to play. Updates with more boxes and levels come out often. Each box will need to be unlocked to play but if you get stuck on a level, you can always skip it and come back later (however you can’t leave the box). If the candy touches a bubble it will float up instead of falling down. Socks and Hats act as teleporters (sic). However, the candy has to be in one whole piece to use a teleporter (sic) (on the harder levels the start off in two pieces).

A great feature of this game are the multi-touch capabilities, you can cut two ropes at once, cut a rope and pop a bubble or preform a variety of other touch gestures to control the game. Cut the Rope uses Crystal for leaderboards and achievements.

We love the fact that this game has the option to reset it! So if you want to play it again or someone else that has access to your device wants to its really simple! They also have 4 languages to choose from: English, Russian, German, and French. We really like the fact that the developer consistently provides updates and adds additional boxes. Since the developer is owned by Electronic Arts, we know that they definitely have the funds and dedications to continue to update the app.

Overall, we would like to give Cut the Rope a perfect 5/5 stars! I would definitely recommend buying this app! As of August 2011, Cut the Rope costs $1.01 for Android, $0.99 for iPhone/iPod and $1.99 for iPad!

Editors Note: If you’d like watch Jacob’s video review, please click here. Please check out the gallery after the break!

The very first time My Daily Journal is launched, it will ask the user to set up a password so that journal entries can be kept secure. This (optional) feature is the first of many great features included in My Daily Journal, and it’s a must have given the personal nature of many people’s journals. From there My Daily Journal will prompt you to choose the look and feel of your journal. Different settings can be chosen for the cover, font and paper. Optionally, you can use your own camera roll photo for your paper. Thankfully, My Daily Journal adds it as a watermark so that text is still readable. My Daily Journal makes it easy to go back in time to write a journal for any past date. Or you can make one for a future date as well as make multiple entries per day.

For the serious writers with concerns about somehow losing all of your journal entries, don’t worry. My Daily Journal has you covered. With backup/restore functionality via a Dropbox account, you can have peace of mind knowing your entries are safe. My Daily Journal also has several options to quickly share your entries. Entries can be sent via email (as text or PDF), as well as Facebook or Twitter. Just in case you’re worried, this can be disabled in the settings to prevent the accidental sharing of your deep thoughts.

JL Software Co included many other great features, such as a search function that indexes all entries, a nice calendar view, and a character counter for those of you who plan to tweet your entries. Also, the developer seems committed to the app with regular updates, which is always a big plus. We found that the app ran very well. Its fast, crash free in our tests, and the journaling experience was great.  On the off chance it does crash for you, the app automatically saves after every keystroke so you don’t need to worry about losing anything. JL Software clearly put a lot of thought into everything, and it pays off. There was only one thing that irked me, and that was the cancel button is at the top of the sharing menu. This goes against what one would expect on iOS as well as the rest of the app’s UI, where cancel is usually listed at the bottom. Also, the date selection screen feels a little crowded, but it works.

My Daily Journal takes mobile journaling a step further with great features like password protection, a variety of exporting options, backup/restore functionality and more with a great interface to go with it. TeenCastic gives My Daily Journal 4 stars. We highly recommend this if you are interested in journaling, and if you aren’t, try it out anyways. You may discover you enjoy journaling. It can be found in the app store here for $1.99.

My Daily Journal is a universal app, so it will run on your iPad too. We have not tested the iPad version, though we would expect a pleasant experience on the iPad as well. 

Check out Josiah’s Screenshots of My Daily Journal in the gallery, after the break!

The Magic Charger is really great because it actually seems magical, since it charges the Magic Mouse through inductive charging. The Magic Charger comes with a charging station, rechargeable battery pack, and a USB cable to power the charging station.

Appearance

If the Magic Charger base station were made of aluminum, instead of plastic, we would think that this was actually a product made by Apple. However, as you know, it’s not. Mobee turned an amazing idea into a great product with a very pleasing design and appearance.

Measuring at 4.64 in x 2.55 in x 0.35 in, this is a very sleek product. The base station is at the perfect width and length to hold the Magic Mouse and its actually quite light too. The base station weighs less than 2 oz. With a unit so light, you’d expect it to be very flimsy but to our amazement, it’s not flimsy at all.

The battery pack that comes with The Magic Charger is a perfect fit on the Magic Mouse. After putting the battery pack into the Magic Mouse, you’ll be ready to go. Just connect a USB cable between your computer and Magic Charger and you should be ready to charge. There are no driver installations required, at all. Just plug and charge!

Performance

It takes about 6 hours to fully charge the rechargeable battery pack on the charging base. When using the mouse extensively, we saw the battery in the Magic Mouse last for nearly a week. When only occasionally using the Magic Mouse, we had the battery last up to nearly ten days. We usually just put the Magic Mouse on the base station every night, so we don’t have to worry about running out of charge the next day. This is good because of the convenience of knowing that your battery won’t run out but on the same note, it’s bad because the battery pack is supposed to have a total life of 500 charge cycles.

Final Thoughts

If you’re an avid user of your Magic Mouse, you should get this product. This product does come in on the pricier side – retailing for $49.99 at the Apple Retail Store. You may be able to get a slightly better price on Amazon or other retailers but it’s still going to cost a bit. This is a good product to keep your Magic Mouse charged but at nearly 3/4th the cost of the Magic Mouse alone – it does cost quite a bit. We also considered that this battery pack would give you about 500 charge cycles, which does make $50 a good investment.

While The Magic Charger is a great alternative to using standard alkaline AA batteries, our cost cautious readers might want to look into buying a pack of rechargeable AA batteries instead.

Check out the gallery after the break!

You can learn more about the Magic Charger from Mobee by visiting them on their website. You can find The Magic Mouse on Amazon.com and the Apple Store.

76MWHYEP3HLN   YKNH9E9JNTAL    6MWLK4R33N4E    KEN337JWYHX4

Design

This is an amazing looking external hard drive. In comparison to just about every other external hard drive I’ve used from any other company, this sets the bar for the best industrial design. The drive perfectly complements any computer, however this drive is setup right out of the box to work with Macs and it appears that they had the design of the Mac Pro and MacBook Pro in mind when designing this drive.

Performance

Right on the box the stated speed for FireWire 800 is “up to 75MB/s.” Whereas I’m used to experiencing half of the speed that’s usually advertised on a product, I was very surprised to see the Read/ Write Speeds of this drive very close to the stated amounts.

I tested this drive using AJA System Test. Again, I was really surprised to see the speeds so close to par. The average write speed for a 8GB file was 74.1 MB/s and the average read speed for a 8GB file was 81.2 MB/s using FireWire 800. The average write speed was 30.6 MB/s and read speed was 36.2 MB/s via USB 2.0. All of these tests were done on my 2011 Quad-Core MacBook Pro.

This drive utilizes an Oxford 934 Chipset, which not only allows it to have such a wide assortment of ports (USB 2.0, eSATA, FireWire 800) but also reduces the necessary CPU utilization on your computer through its internal ARM processor. This is particularly beneficial for professionals, in the media industry, because CPU usage can instead be dedicated to other tasks like rendering.

Other Thoughts

One thing I really liked about this drive is the fact that it has a built-in heat sink. Over the course of using this drive for nearly 3 hours, the temperature not once went above room temperature. The heat sink dissipates all of the heat from the drive really well.

Hitachi calls this a “Professional External Hard Drive” and thus its price-point passes consumer hard drives from other companies. While you can buy other comparable (in terms of storage capacity) drives from competing manufacturers – they will likely lag in performance and durability.

This drive isn’t for everyone. The great performance of this drive and the assortment of data ports are great features but not everyone needs them. This drive is aimed (and marketed) towards the professional and pro-sumer market. While this definitely has the capabilities to store movies, Time Machine backups, and a music library – I think it’s a bit overkill for these simple purposes.

If you’re looking for a quality hard drive that performs very well and complements the appeal of your Mac – this is the drive for you. If you’re looking for a budget hard drive to back up photos or hold your music, I think other hard drives will meet your needs just as well as this drive while saving you a lot of money too.

The aesthetic of the snowball is unique as the microphone is completely round and, when not resting on its stand, will roll around on your desk. It’s exterior is made of a durable plastic that, although it rolled off my desk a few times, managed to survive with no aesthetic or audio quality damage. The metal stand, which threads into the bottom of the Snowball is sturdy and well built. The stand has a 3 legged base and an extendable post that allows you to adjust the height of the microphone minutely. Even fully extended, the stand did not hold the microphone at a suitable height for voice recordings. Without the stand the microphone is easy to hold up to your mouth for audio recordings and for use with software like Macspeech Dictate. The one challenge with using the microphone handheld was the constant need to plug in the cord, as it fell out frequently. The Snowball is quirky, and that’s make makes it a hit for people who need quality audio, but also feel the need to prove their hipsterness.

The Yeti, on the other hand, feels as if it was made in the Himalayas by the Yeti himself. It’s hefty body, and metal case makes it not only durable but stylish with a professional feel. The microphone, although only $50 more than its counterpart the Snowball is the only THX certified USB microphone. The Yeti comes on a detachable base, that weighs almost as much as the microphone itself. When on the baseplate, the microphone can swing on one axes to adjust the direction making it significantly easier for vocal use than the Snowball for taller people at a desk. The large head of the microphone, the quality base and the stylish dials make the Yeti a great microphone for the budding musician, or the avid Skype user.

The Snowball has three setting on the back of the microphone that control the pickup pattern and the gain. The pickup pattern defines what portions of the microphone head picks up audio. For example, a shotgun microphone which is commonly used in field recordings picks up audio from only the tip of the microphone as pictured. The gain defines how loud the microphone picks up the audio. The first setting picks up audio from only the front of the microphone for podcasting and other vocals. The second setting is used for live concert recording, or anything that is loud: it records with a significantly lower gain so loud noises don’t cause clipping. The third setting allows recording from many directions, instead of just from the front. The three setting, although they are not as versatile as the Yeti’s settings all provide a good use although I found myself only using the first setting.

The Yeti on the other hand has 5 unique settings that make it the most useful USB microphone in its class for choir recordings to podcasting. The 5 settings feature stereo recording, cardioid recording, omnidirectional recording, and bidirectional recording for interviews. It has two ridged knobs on the back, one for gain control and another to select the pickup pattern. The front of the microphone has a control for muting the audio, and a volume control for the headphone output located alongside the USB jack on the bottom. The Yeti has all of the control that almost all users could use or need.

The Yeti, in all categories outperformed the Snowball. Unless you fall in love with the smooth design of the Snowball, the Yeti is worth the extra change.

The speaker itself is about the size of a toddler’s fist; fairly small. Included with the speaker balloon is the audio cable (necessary to connect the speakers to the your MP3 player or computer), a USB cable to charge the speakers, a Japanese/English operating manual, and a small orange bag to hold the speakers when you aren’t using them. The speaker charges via USB from your computer and takes about 2 hours to reach a full charge. Once charged the speakers last about 5 hours. The speaker automatically turns on once connected to the audio cable. The design is practical and adorable. I’ve received  many compliments about the intriguing design.

One major disappointment is that if you leave the audio cable plugged into the speaker when the speaker is not in use the battery will drain. Another annoyance is the flimsy audio cord; it’s thin and seems as if it could easily break under stress.

The volume is loud enough and can be changed manually on your audio player. The sound would probably carry well within a group 4-5 people (think small), but is definitely not intended for party use.

The sound quality itself is surprising for such a small device. Sometimes if tilted at the wrong angle, the volume becomes very low or slightly muted, which can be very annoying, nonetheless, the speakers produce sounds clearly and vibrantly.

I would highly recommend these speakers if you are traveling with a small group of friends or maybe when mingling with buddies at a small gathering. They’ll be  impressed by the looks and maybe by the sound quality.

[rating:77/100]

The speaker will set you back $40 and is available at New People World in San Francisco and on their website.

Hard Candy Bubble Sleeve

The Bubble Case is a nice addition to our arsenal of iPad cases because it is good for things like travel, although it is not as versatile as other iPad cases. The design of this case is similar to that of a hard sleeve but instead of having a flat exterior it has large bubbles the exterior. The case is sturdy enough for you to let your iPad tumble around inside your bag. The iPad is secured by 4 removable rubber grips to hold it securely, protecting the screen from cracks. The bumpers that hold the iPad squeeze the device to secure it in place which makes it challenging to put the iPad in the case quickly. Another challenge is differentiating the top and the bottom of the case. When I carelessly unzipped the case, I ended up dropping my iPad. If you are a traveler I suggest this case because of the tumble your iPad might encounter during your travels. The case will set you back $50, but it may be worth it to protect your $500 iPad. Buy on Amazon

Tuff-Luv Leather iPad Case

This is a substantial leather case that protects your valued iPad. The Tuff-Luv case attaches to the device and similarly to the Apple case, you can prop the case on its side. The Tuff-Luv case is made of pure leather. While this case adds significant weight to your device, the versatility makes it worth while. The iPad can be positioned landscape at many angles, from almost flat to almost 90º while using this case. The range of angles provides for an awesome viewing experience whether watching a movie or writing a novel. The leather is thick, so when the iPad is flat on a table a slim portion of the bottom of the screen is not visible. Although the options of landscape positioning are limitless, using the device in portrait can be a challenge because stability. This case is durable and versatile, but it will cost you $60. In any case, this case has got you covered. Buy on Amazon

WaterGuard Plus Waterproof Case

The WaterGuard iPad case arrived at a great time, after an exhausting day of school. I was ready for a bath and a book. Fortunately this is the twenty first century, and a bath and a book for me means a bath an iPad and an awesome padded WaterGuard waterproof case. The case has 3 layers of waterproofing. Two super sealed ziplocks and a few button closures ensure that no water touches your iPad. The case is made of thick padded plastic, making using the iPad a little more challenging, but still usable. Regardless, if you are only using the iPad for reading a book or a magazine near or in water, the case works fine. I would not recommend the WaterGuard case for everyday use. The case serves its purpose: the iPad doesn’t get wet. It’s much more challenging to use the iPad in the case, especially underwater. For only $20 the case is a bargain. Buy on Amazon

Equipped with a case that holds your iPad when traveling, a case that keep your iPad alive underwater and a case that’s for everyday use you’re ready to explore what the world has to offer. With an iPad by your side (or in your hand) there’s nothing you can’t do!

This unique laptop case is unlike most other laptop cases. Instead of being made of boring polyester or nylon, it’s made of bright orange felt. It uses a thick felt which will protect your computer from the smaller bumps that it will inevitably get. Although the felt is good at absorbing small bumps and protecting the computer from being scratched, the Red Maloo case does not protect the corners of the computer.

This is an area of concern, especially with the aluminum unibody computers. Although it’s a pretty good case, an excellent case should protect all of the computer and protect it more where it needs it. Apple could have almost designed this case—yes, its that Apple-like. Remember those really nice iPod boxes that Apple used to use?

Those ones which were like origami? This case works like that. This elegant and secure method of ‘latching’ the case by folding it up and securing velcro works well and starts conversations whenever it is opened or closed. This well designed case has one one flaw—the exposed corners, but other than that, this case is surprisingly functional and it looks really good. I’d suggest this to any person who’s looking for a case that protects from minor bumps and scratches and wants a unique, good looking case.

• Fix the names of songs you import from a CD
• Add album art to songs without it
• Show videos by the band you are currently playing
• View the band’s bio from freebase
• Recommend albums and songs to you from via amazon
• Notify you of upcoming performances the artists in your library
• View news about the artists via google news
• Purchase merchandize, tickets, and music from the band through ebay

It fixes names of songs almost always accurately. Although it utilizes 3rd party resources to identify songs, it seamlessly integrates into TuneUp, making it easy to clean up your library. It does not automatically identify songs that need a TuneUp, which is a pain because with a large music library it is hard to quickly find the songs that are not complete.

Tune-Up Album Art

Adding album art is a breeze with TuneUp, it identifies albums that need art then quickly downloads all of the covers. It does not automatically add them however, you need to approve the album art. The album art for me, has always been accurate. It does not have album art for a lot of small bands.

Tune Up is a great tool for a music guru, but not for a casual iTunes user. If you are looking for an easy user interface, with a small set of necessary features SongGenie is for you.

Pros: Mostly accurate, attaches to the itunes UI. Has a lot of useful features.

Cons: Pricey, other alternatives are better. Can be confusing to use.