Move over Nike+ Runstar is here. Runstar takes a different approach to tracking your runs by plotting your GPS location over time. When you’re done with your workout you can even see your results plotted on the map. Runstar also allows your to set goals, track your times, track your speed and even track your elevation. The UI looks to be borrowed from the iPhone and we have no gripes with that, it looks great. The best part of Runstar? it’s completely free.
If you haven’t heard of Steam then you don’t play games. Steam is one of the original gamer market places that lets you sample and buy some of the latest games. Steam also hooks you up to their massive multiplayer community to go head to head with your enemies. Coming in April, Steam’s library will be available for Mac users. This is huge news. Games like Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and Half-Life will be released for the gaming minority. When April comes around try not to lose all productivity.
Google Buzz is Google’s answer to Twitter, and we can say that this actually looks useable. Buzz uses location based status updates that allow you to see what’s going on in your area. The best part is that it will work right in Google Maps. Let’s say there’s a local concert that you didn’t know about, well just fire up Google Maps and look at the buzz in your area. You can also reply to strangers buzz to ask them about what’s going on. This is something we could actually picture ourselves using and we’re not even tweenage girls. This is a great idea that only Google could pull off. It’s totally free and available now for Android 2.0+ and iPhone. Don’t worry Blackberry and WinMo users, it’s coming.
Inklet($25) by Ten One design did something pretty refreshing. They took a multitouch track pad and turned it into a pressure sensitive sketch area. Watch the video above to see how it works. Inklet is used in conjunction with Pogo Sketch($15) to enable you to sketch in photoshop or use OSX’s built in hand writing recognition software. The interface looks pretty slick and intuitive. Hats off to Ten One for pulling this off.
No matter how hard we try, our iTunes music library is pretty much a mess. Untagged songs, no cover art, misspelled/labeled and pretty much missing information all together. If you are anything like us and have been collecting songs since way back when during the Napster days, then you’ll know it’s pretty difficult to have your iTunes music library all neat and organized. Unless you have OCD and a lot of time on your hands. In any case, TuneUp Digital Music Management and Music Discovery for iTunes sets out to help you accomplish just that. TuneUp grabs your library’s metadata and gets missing info from Gracenote’s Global Media Database. Then it provides you with the appropriate album art, song titles and even a contextually aware suggestion tab giving you music videos, band info and concerts in your local area. Trust us we’ve tried manually cleaning up our libraries but it’s nearly impossible. TuneUp’s an awesome way to get your iTunes collection in order. You can try a free trial version, $20 annually, or $30 for a lifetime license.
Let’s just say you’re one of the few without an iPod or iPhone, but you want to use iTunes to manage and sync your music to your device? Well Double Twist($FREE) can help you out. Double Twist works with iTunes and almost any portable media device on the market. If you’re already an iTunes user and want to use Double Twist there’s no transferring or any complicated processes that you will need to do. Simply download Double Twist for your PC or Mac, install it on your machine, and open it. Double Twist actually reads in your existing iTunes library and allows you to create playlists and simply drag and drop them to your device of choice. Double Twist also looks almost identical to iTunes so learning how to use it is incredibly easy.
Alright guys, listen up. This little guy right here will take your creeping to a whole new level. Insert this USB device in any PC for about 5 seconds and it will grab everything you need to know about whoever you’re spying on. Everything the target does is covertly recorded with an undetectable spying tool that can get past all firewalls, virus detectors, and even spybot. It can store up to 10,000 screenshots and a virtually unlimited amount of documents. This tool even records keystrokes entered including passwords and surfing history. Basically it records each and every activity performed on the machine. To use simply insert iBot into a victims USB port, and in about 5 seconds the Nano Bot will attach itself to the operating system and begin the monitoring process. Next, remove the iBot and walk away. When you are ready to harvest the information simply re-insert the iBot into the machine and wait for the download. Creep on creepers.
The original BioShock was one of the best games of 2007, but it had a flaw. There was no multiplayer mode. BioShock 2($60) changes this with some interesting twists. There’s a “Capture the Sister” mode where players must work together to capture Little Sisters protected by the massive diver suit wearing drill handed Big Daddies. In addition there are also different modes that allow you to earn plasmids for victories to help evolve your character’s strengths. The game’s single player mode takes place right before civil war errupts in Rapture. You are placed in the shoes of a Big Daddy and must protect your own assigned Little Sister. Bioshock 2 is set to be released in February 2010, but you can pre order it now.
Slacker Radio($FREE) is an awesome internet radio application that can be accessed from quite a few places. Slacker has developed software for BlackBerry, iPhone, and your typical web browser. Using Slacker is straightforward, users simply open the app or go to the website and choose the music genre that they want to listen to. If you want to have Slacker create a station for you, then search for an artist or song and they will create a play list that matches your search. You can also create custom stations and download the play list to your device if you are going to be somewhere without cell service (like a flight). There are some commercials here and there, but they can be taken out by signing up for their subscription service. If you’re looking to make the time go by at work then Slacker can help.
Adobe’s Photoshop.com Mobile ($0) lets iPhone/iPod Touch users quickly and easily edit and share their photos while on the move. The cool thing about this app is that it connects to your entire online photo library so you don’t waste any space on your device. Stand out features include Basics: Crop, Rotate, and Flip. Color: Exposure, Saturation, Tint. Filters: Sketch, Soft Focus. Effects: Vibrant, Pop, Glow. Not too shabby for free.
