FREE iOS, tvOS AND macOS SOFTWARE 03/2017

I have been maintaining a list of free software for iOS, tvOS and OS X. You may find some of these programs of interest. I have also attempted to mark which Apple OS the title is targeted at (iOS, OS X, tvOS) as well as the category of the App.

This is NOT a curated list. All I know about these titles is what you see below. None have been tried or tested by me.

March 2017

1. iOS/Education – PlayToddlers is pleased to announce the release of Sweet Home Stories 1.0, a cozy and fully interactive play house game where children can join a family of 6 lovely characters and role play, to create their own stories in a household with 7 different rooms. It has been specifically designed to be played safely by children from 2 years of age, but detailed enough to captivate and amuse children up to 8 years. Sweet Home Stories 1.0 was released on February 25, 2017. It is a free app and available worldwide through the App Store in the Education (Kids) category. A paid version is also available. Download from iTunes
2. iOS/Productivity – CPF Concepts, LLC launches a powerful new feature, Dot Options to our decision assistant technology. Now you can add up to six options on a Dot. How does it work? Example, Where should we grab dinner tonight? List six potential options, rate the Dot yourself and share the Dot with the people you’re grabbing dinner with for the evening.  MyndDot 1.0.62 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Productivity category.  Download from iTunes
3. iOS/Games – Rapid Turtle Games today is pleased to announce the release and immediate availability of Drop Files 1.0, a simple, yet addictive but so challenging game for iOS devices. It’s a perfect time waster on a one-minute launch break. The game is available for free on the Apple’s App Store. Drop Files 1.0 is available for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad as a universal application for free worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category.  Download from iTunes
4. iOS/Music – Just Kodding today is proud to announce the release of Socket 1.0, the first application for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices to access Plug DJ’s music communities, and listen to music and chat with friends… on the go. Plug DJ is a breakthrough interactive social music streaming website, where users can actively participate into music rooms dedicated to genres, artists or themes. Socket is free and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Music category. Users can purchase a premium extension for $2.99 USD (or an equivalent amount in other currencies) via a convenient in-app purchase to add advanced features. Download from iTunes
5. iOS/Education – LastThink is proud to announce the release of Offline English to Chinese Language Dictionary 1.5, the important update to their highly customizable dictionary application developed for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. Users can seek and find any word’s translation and synonyms anytime and anywhere from their Apple devices.  Offline English to Chinese Language Dictionary 1.5 is free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Education category. Download from iTunes
6. iOS/Books – Stela LLC, providers of premium graphic novels and illustrated books native to mobile, today announced its new Stela Unlimited App for iOS and Android. Delivering a curated library of original visual content created by award-winning artists and storytellers, including graphic novels, comics, illustrated novels and other rich visual media, Stela is the only subscription based app that features content created specifically for mobile reading. Stela Unlimited 0.7.9 is free to download, with a great assortment of free and preview content available to try. It is available worldwide through the App Store in the Books category. Subscriptions are available for $9.99/month, which unlocks Stela’s entire premium content library for unlimited reading and enjoyment. Download from iTunes
7. iOS/Social Networking – Tweetypad.com LLC is proud to announce the release of Tweetypad 1.0.1 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. Tweetypad is an app that is designed to allow users to post an unlimited Tweet beyond Twitter’s 140-character limit. Tweetypad 1.0.1 is free, and is available worldwide through the App Store in the Social Networking category.  Download from iTunes
8. iOS/Travel – NIX Solutions Ltd. is proud to announce the release of uPackingList 1.1.0, the important update to their travel packing list app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. People are travelling for various reasons and it is necessary in today’s competitive world. Someone keeps a list of things in his head, someone writes on a leaflet, and someone uses the app on his mobile device. Since 2009 uPackingList app has become popular among avid travelers. It is impossible to overstate the importance of time and no one wants to spend a lot of time on creating a packing list but at the same time everyone understands that the trip can be screwed up easily if you miss out some important documents or things. uPackinglist 1.1.0 is free and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Travel category. Download from iTunes
9. iOS/Games – Indie game studio, GanaLila presents C.U.B.I.P.L.E.X. 2.0, a significant update with new gameplay and multiplayer mode. The game involves teaching a C.U.B.I. (Cool Unit of Bot Intelligence) words using a 3D word grid. The word grid consists of 3D cubes that have letters on its 6 faces. 3D letter cubes give players plenty of exploration room to find words of their choice.  C.U.B.I.P.L.E.X. 2.0 is Free with in-app purchases. The game is available worldwide on the App Store in the Games category.  Download from iTunes
10. iOS/Social Networking – MaximumSoft Corp. today is proud to announce the release of iSaveFbook 1.1, their social networking app developed for iPhone and iPad. iSaveFbook was specifically developed to help make copies of favorite Facebook posts, eliminating the need to search for posts that you saw and liked before. Saved posts will be stored on your device, and you can access them anytime, anywhere, even offline. iSaveFbook HD 1.1 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Social Networking category.  Download from iTunes
11. iOS/Games – Kuyi Mobile, an independent game development company, today is pleased to announce the release of Pocket Arcade 1.0.2, their new game title developed exclusively for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. Colorful, simple, and whimsically fun, Pocket Arcade brings the physical arcade experience to your fingertips! With beloved and popular mini-games reinvented for the small screen, experience your favourite arcade games whenever you wish. Pocket Arcade includes four riveting and delightful mini-games to test players’ arcade skills and prowess. Pocket Arcade 1.0.2 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category.  Download from iTunes
12. iOS/Games – Endless Arcade, a new independent games company, today is pleased to announce the worldwide release of Pizza Milk 1.0 for iOS, their second endless arcade game this year. Dunking pizza in milk? It’s the latest food craze that hit the internet this week when a college student posted a photo of it to Twitter. People everywhere are reposting and trying it themselves-with the likes of Huffington Post, Mashable and Buzzfeed all talking about it, as well as radio and TV show hosts including Jimmy Kimmel and Nick Grimshaw. Pizza Milk 1.0 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category.  Download from iTunes
13. iOS/Utilities – Coradine today is proud to announce the release of LogTen Pro X: The Pilot Logbook 7.4, the major update to its professional pilot logbook software for pilots of all levels on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. LogTen Pro X Cadet now features the logbook industry’s first ‘Night Mode’, enabling pilots to manually or automatically switch to a color scheme carefully chosen to protect night vision when they need it most. LogTen Pro X: The Pilot Logbook 7.4 is free, and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Utilities category. Download from iTunes
14. iOS/Finance – Keslo Dev is proud to announce the release of BitChart – Interactive Bitcoin Price Tracker 1.6 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. BitChart is a sleek and interactive way to visualize the bitcoin price index. Always be up to date on the current spot price and the daily change. Utilize real time alerts to keep an eye on price shifts. Analyze historical trends with the swipe of a finger. Easy access to the current spot price with the BitChart Notification Center widget. BitChart 1.6 is Free and available exclusively through the App Store in the Finance category. Download from iTunes
15. iOS/Finance – Distillery is proud to announce the release of Netvest 1.1.1 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices, the latest in a long line of successful mobile apps. Netvest puts a stable of expert investors in your pocket. Netvest 1.1.1 is free, and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Finance category. Download from iTunes
16. iOS/Games – At the end of the year 2016, game developer Haypi Co., Ltd released their Q-style free-to-play tower defense game, Guardians: Royal Journey. After releasing, this cute tower defense game won a lot of attentions by players who are fond of strategy skills and cute stuffs. After a long break of Chinese Spring Festival, recently they have released the new version v1.0.5 for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android devices.  Guardians: Royal Journey – Free Tower Defense Game 1.0.5 is free, and is available worldwide through the App Store in the Games category. Download from iTunes
17. iOS/Games – Game studio On5 is proud to announce it is preparing a new title “Catomic” for launch on March 15. It’s a free to play game about cats whose ambition is conquering the outer space and who are building their space program. Catomic: Space Cats and Atomic Owls! 1.2.6 is free, and will be available March 15 worldwide through the App Store in the Games category.  Download from iTunes
18. iOS/Games – Indie developer, SeriousBrothers is pleased to announce the official worldwide release of Running Ma Star 1.1.4, an update to their running action game developed for iOS and Android devices. Running Ma Star features a storyline built around beautiful imaginative constellations. Running Ma Star 1.1.4 is Free and available worldwide through the App Store in the Games category. Download from iTunes
19. iOS/Games – ShEk Tech today is proud to announce the release of Missiles and Planes 1.0, a new game for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android devices. Missiles and Planes was designed to entertain casual as well as other gamers and all age groups can play and enjoy. Missiles and Planes consists of beautiful graphics and smooth game play. The player controls an aircraft and the goal is to complete a mission. A variety of missiles follow the aircraft and make every mission a challenge. The challenge is to steer the plane to complete a mission. Player can use power-ups during flight and unlock new planes as they increase their rank in Air Force. Missiles and Planes 1.0 is free and available worldwide through the App Store in the Games category. Missiles and Planes 1.0
20. iOS/Entertainment – Hell Tap Entertainment LTD today is pleased to announce the release of Post Brutal 1.2, an important update to their post-apocalyptic RPG available for iOS and Android platforms. Enter the quarantine of City Zero and band together with other survivors struggling to survive in the aftermath of The Event, the cataclysm that drove over half the city’s population into a feral frenzy. Version 1.2 receives the first of many planned free content updates, with Covert Missions: a new, stealth focused game mode, and free to all players. With a mature age rating, Post Brutal 1.2 is Free and available now worldwide through the App Store in the Entertainment category.  Download From iTunes
21. iOS/Photo & Video – ZRL Alliance today is pleased to announce the release and immediate availability of Baby Studio Pro 1.1, the company’s photo sharing app developed for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. The nine months from pregnancy to delivery are full of special moments and milestones that are amplified once the baby is born. The birth of a baby and their growing years are a treasure trove every parent wants to keep in their heart. Baby Studio Pro 1.1 is free to download and offers in-app purchases to download from the iTunes Store in Photo & Video Category. Download from iTunes
22. macOS/Health & Fitness – Dejal Systems, LLC today is proud to announce the release and immediate availability of Time Out 2.2, an important update to their popular break reminder app for macOS. This free app sits in the background tracking the last time the user took a break. At regular intervals, it reminds users to take a short respite from their current tasks. Users can take the time to stand, stretch, and move around a bit, in order to refresh themselves. They can also schedule both long and short breaks, offering flexibility for the user’s own personal preferences. Time Out 2.2 is free, and is available worldwide through the Mac App Store in the Health and Fitness category, as well as the Dejal website. Advanced features are available via easy in-app donations. Download from the Mac App Store
23. tvOS/Entertainment – Eltima Software has just released Elmedia Player for tvOS – free player for Apple TV – version 1.0.1. Elmedia Player ensures easy access to videos, music, and images stored on your computer directly on Apple TV without any additional conversion. Once your computer is connected to Apple TV through WiFi, you can access your media files on big screen. The number of supported file types is huge and even includes uncommon ones. Elmedia Player is available worldwide through the App Store for Apple TV in Entertainment category. Purchase and Download (App Store on Apple TV)
24. iOS, macOS/Tutorials – Noteboom Productions, Ltd. today is proud to announce Pay What You Want Pricing for their membership site, Noteboom Tutorials. Noteboom Tutorials has over 50 tutorials with over 1,500 easy-to-follow video lessons on the Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch designed to give users a better understanding of how to effectively use Apple devices. Membership is subscription based and includes instant access to all the tutorials. Users decide what they want to pay for membership. Membership also includes 14-day free trial. Pay What You Want Pricing
25. iOS/Navigation – Follow Inc. announces today the launch of the Follow app, a new mobile app for iOS and Android phones that lets drivers follow each other on trips or for work purposes. The unique navigation app allows the creation of a “leader” and “follower” role, built into an intuitive mapping system so that groups will not get lost during a trip, even if the leader changes the destination or has to pull off the road. Follow 1.0 is Free (with in-app purchase) and available worldwide through the App Store in the Navigation category. Download from iTunes
26. iOS/Games – Independent developer FreneticGamez today is proud to announce the release and immediate availability of Epic Draw – Physics Puzzle 1.0, their physics-based puzzler for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Android, and Amazon Fire devices. The game challenges players to complete each level by collecting all the blue jewels on the level by simply drawing a line for their ball to roll on. It’s easy at first, but after a few levels, even the most strategic player will be challenged. Epic Draw – Physics Puzzle 1.0 is free and is available worldwide through the App Store in the Games category. Download from iTunes
27. iOS/Games – You need 2-8 players to play Who Can’t Draw. The first player selects one word from one of the categories. Examples of categories include Star Wars, Christmas, and Animal Kingdom. The player is given one chance to swap the word to another word, if they choose. After selecting the secret word and selecting start, the player creates a drawing of the secret word on the phone or tablet screen, and is given 15 seconds to do so. The next player then sees the previous player’s drawing and tries to figure out what the secret word is. That player then has 15 seconds to draw, trying to communicate to the next player what they believe the secret word to be. Free on the iTunes Store Download from iTunes
28. iOS/Games – Not all games are created equally. Some games are geared towards more aged folk while other games are perfect for the little ones. Some games just go on and on and on. If you are looking for a game that is simple, fun and easy to play, but does not require much time commitment on your part, then you’ve got to download 9 Moves. 9 Moves is a ball board game that is similar to a puzzle but a bit more complicated. The aim of the game is to move 9 balls from one side of the playing field, which looks very much so like a grid, to the other side – with one catch – you can’t get hit. Available for free from the iTunes Store. Download from iTunes
29. iOS/Sports – Goooooool!!! If you love futbol or football [Soccer to those in the States], then Live Football Stats and Scores is the app to download. It keeps you on track with what’s happening in matches all around the world. A free download, this app takes you straight to all matches that are currently in play and lets you select those matches that are your favorites. Once you download the app, you go straight to the In Play screen. Here you’ll find a list of games that are currently going on, organized by leagues, for an easy find. Leagues hail from over 35 different countries, allowing the app to serve up over 250 games a day. Free from the iTunes Store. Download from iTunes
30. iOS/Games – AppVant Garde Studios, an indie game studio, today is proud to announce the release of Jumping Jack’s Skydive 1.0, its second game title for iPhone and iPad. Jumping Jack’s Skydive is a 50 level skydiving adventure game, complete with crazy obstacles, elaborate designs, incredible art, challenging gameplay and seriously fun crash landings. Jumping Jack’s Skydive 1.0 is Free and now available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category.  Download from iTunes
31. iOS/Games – Haypi Co., Ltd is proud to announce the release of Guardians:Royal Journey-Free Tower Defense Game 1.0.5 a new free-to-play tower defense game for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android devices. Haypi Co., Ltd is also the developer of Haypi Kingdom, Haypi Dragon and Haypi Monster. The game combines a joyful gaming experience with strategy.  Guardians:Royal Journey-Free Tower Defense Game 1.0.5 is free, and is available worldwide through the App Store. Download from iTunes
32. iOS/Education – LastThink is proud to announce the release of Offline English to Spanish Translator Dictionary 1.5, the important update to their highly customizable dictionary application developed for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. Users can seek and find any word’s translation and synonyms anytime and anywhere from their Apple devices.  Offline English to Spanish Translator Dictionary 1.5 is free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Education category. Download from iTunes
33. iOS/Health & fitness – Mevolife is proud to announced the release of Mevo – Weight Loss & Fitness 2.1, their weight-loss and fitness app for iPhone, iPod touch, and Android devices. Mevo is an all encompassing weight-loss and fitness app that combines several health aspects to create an app that not only focuses on weight loss, but also motivates users to achieve complete fitness through easy to access information spanning nutrition, exercise and health goals.  Mevo 3.1 is Free (with in-app purchases) and available worldwide through the App Store in the Health & Fitness category. Download from iTunes
34. iOS/Education – Bel Math Apps, an independent educational company, is proud to announce the release of Perimeter and Area 1.0, its new iPad application. Perimeter and Area is an important addition to company’s popular set of 8 educational iPhone and iPad apps. The app provides quizzes for calculating the perimeter and area of plane figures, including triangles, rectangles, trapezoids and parallelograms. Perimeter and Area content is aligned with CCSS Mathematics Standards and with Singapore Math Practice. Perimeter and Area 1.0 is free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Education category.  Perimeter and Area 1.0
35. macOS/Utilities – Alien Orb Software today is proud to announce the release of Screen Commander 1.0, a new utility application for Mac, which is now available for immediate download on the Mac App Store. Screen Commander is a simple utility application geared toward users with multiple displays connected to their Macs. It enables users to quickly and effortlessly blank other displays while watching a movie, playing a game, or focusing on some work on a particular screen. Available in the iTunes Store in the Utilities category. Download from Mac App Store
36. iOS/Books – App experiences differ from gaming to artistic entertainment, from brain challenges to social media. Every so often, you will find an app that offers more for minds that want to grow through imagination and exploration. Rich Shapero’s TooFar Media: Immersive Story Experience is for folks who seek to escape the everyday and submerge themselves in an experience that transforms. The app comes preloaded with one story. There are three more you can download, so be sure to have proper internet connectivity beforehand. Rich Shapero’s stories, Arms from the Sea, The Hope We Seek, Too Far, and Wild Animus plunge readers into unseen worlds. His projects—all available inside of this app—combine fiction, music and visual art. The App is available for Free download. Download from the iTunes App Store
37. iOS/Social Networking – MaximumSoft Corp. today announces the release of iSaveTweets 1.0, their new social networking app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. The app helps to make copies of favorite Twitter tweets and pictures and eliminates a need to search for tweets that you saw and liked before. iSaveTweets 1.0 is free and is available worldwide through the App Store in the Social Networking category.  Direct Download Link (App Store)
38. iOS/Photo & Video – G-Power is proud to announce the release of KaKa Camera 1.0, the company’s new selfie and filter cam developed exclusively for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. Photo shooting and editing for iOS is essential in the world of Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and many different social media apps. With just a few simple taps, KaKa Camera features more than 500 free, ready-to-use filters that make your photo-shooting experience full of surprise. KaKa Camera 1.0 is Free and available worldwide through the App Store in the Photo & Video category. KaKa Camera 1.0
39. iOS/Productivity – Open Screen Ltd. today is proud to announce the release and immediate availability of Archisketch 2.5, a major update to its scale-aware sketching app on iPad. Providing architects and designers more efficient and granular user control than ever before, Archisketch 2.5 customers can now pan and zoom simultaneously in the drawing environment, plus duplicate projects with email sharing, modify and move entire groups of shapes, and much more. Archisketch 2.5 is available immediately from the App Store as a free download for use with up to 30 shapes in two projects, with an in-app purchase for unlimited shapes and projects for an introductory price of $9.99 USD (regularly $14.99).  Download from iTunes
40. iOS/Business – Swipe CRM LLC is pleased to announce the release of Swipe CRM: Visual Sales 1.0, the first Apple iPad(R) app for creating, managing, and sharing visually stunning sales deals. Unlike existing, plain text-based CRM Sales apps, Swipe CRM: Visual Sales emphasizes the use of pictures to manage sales deals. Users can add photos directly from the iPad camera or link pictures from the internet to any sales deal. Organizing the photos, notes, and tasks takes only a swipe of a finger. Swipe CRM: Visual Sales 1.0 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Business category. A paid Premium Edition is planned for mid-2017.  Download from iTunes
41. iOS/Utilities – Coding Corner LLP is proud to announce the release of iFont – Install custom typefaces 2.0 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. Import favorite typefaces into iFont to use throughout the system. Just open each file (either .ttf or .otf) in iFont to import it and use in other apps. Now font enthusiasts can also import fonts straight from popular cloud storage services, streamlining their workflow. iFont makes it easy to compose the next leaflet or presentation in a unique typeface, right from the palm of the hand. iFont – Install custom typefaces 2.0 is free, and is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Utilities category. A convenient in-app purchase is available for $0.99 USD to remove advertisements and enable the option for a blue theme. Download from iTunes
42. iOS/Books – Audasy is proud to announce the release of Audasy Audiobooks 1.1.2 for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android devices. With Audasy Audiobooks App, users can discover and enjoy hundreds of romantic and erotic audiobooks for free specially curated for women. The Audasy audiobooks library is updated every week with curated content that will refresh the users-be it romance, fantasy or love, Audasy gives you exactly what you need to make your fantasies comes to life. The app comes in an easy-to-use format, allowing users to navigate between titles with ease.  Audasy Audiobooks 1.1.2 is free and is available worldwide through the App Store in the Books category. Convenient in-app purchases are available. Download from iTunes
43. iOS/Games – Independent developer Nexx Studio today is proud to announce the release and immediate availability of Temple Jump 1.0, their challenging retro-look game for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android devices. Temple Jump is set in a lava-filled temple of doom, where players must jump from platform to collapsing platform collecting precious gems, all the while avoiding killer fireballs and pointy spikes. Miss a jump, and it’s back to the start to try again. Temple Jump 1.0 is free and is available worldwide through the App Store in the Games category. In-app Purchases are available to remove advertisements ($1.99) and to buy in-game currency that can be used to help unlock 33 gameplay characters ($0.99 – $3.99).Download from iTunes
44. iOS/Games – Sun And Moon Apps is pleased to announce the release of Hero! 1.0, their new must-play game title for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. In the game you are the hero of your choice. Decide from a range of different characters as you journey through the unknown. You must find the key to unlock the dungeon door and escape. Along your way you must battle different types of enemies that can jump and shoot. The better you get with your sling blade the better your chances of escaping the dungeon alive. You are the hero! Now you must escape. Hero! 1.0 is Free, requires a 64-bit iOS device to play, and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category.  Download from iTunes
45. iOS/Entertainment – GreenTomatoMedia today is proud to announce the release of 101 Fitness 1.3, an update to their personal workout trainer developed for iOS and Android devices. 101 Fitness is a tailored program offering over 200 sessions and recipes, featuring illustrated videos and pictures of healthy food. The app offers an effective way to lose weight, gain muscles and get fit, including both sports training and diet monitoring. 101 Fitness is made up of 2 parts: Nutrition And Fitness. 101 Fitneess 1.3 is Free (with In-App Purchases) and available worldwide through the App Store in the Entertainment category. Download from iTunes
46. macOS/Video – MacVideo Promo, a promotion company that offers exclusive deals on tools for Mac video editors, announces the free immediate availability of Media 100 Suite v2.1.8, professional and easy-to-use video editing software for macOS. Media 100 Suite is available for free download from the Media 100 website. It runs under macOS Sierra (version 10.12), Mac OS X 10.11 (“El Capitan”), Mac OS X 10.10 (“Yosemite”), and Mac OS X 10.9 (“Mavericks”). Expert advice and assistance is available from an enthusiastic community of Media 100 editors on Creative COW’s Media 100 Forum as well as the Media 100 Facebook Group. Free Media 100 Suite Download
47. macOS/Utilities – 508 Software has release Duplicate File Finder & Remover for the Mac. Find and remove duplicate files and folders on your drives and cloud storages fast and safely. It is available for free from the Mac App Store. View in Mac App Store
48. iOS/Games – Full Fat, a leading games developer for mobile devices, today is pleased to announce the worldwide release of Blocky Baseball v1.0, a sports arcade game for iOS and Android devices. Blocky Baseball is a batting game everyone can play with a focus on fun and humor, the latest in Full Fat’s library of Blocky Sports games. Hit curveballs, fastballs, bounce balls and screwballs in a frantic batting game, being careful to dodge the paint bombs.  Blocky Baseball 1.0 is free to play, available worldwide on the App Store in the Games, Sports and Arcade categories. Download from iTunes
49. iOS/Education – Memorytrix Innovations Private Limited today is proud to announce the release of Memorytrix 2.2, their vocabulary preparation app developed for iOS and Android devices. Language overcomes barriers and a strong vocabulary is the first step to succeeding in any endeavor worldwide, especially as the world gets connected digitally through the World Wide Web supported by the universal language-English. However, often non-native English speakers find it hard to improve their vocabulary beyond a certain level, either due to lack of resources, efficient teachers or they simply find it complex to learn and remember new words. Memorytrix – Vocabulary Preparation 2.2 is currently available for Free with in-app purchases and is available on both iTunes App Store in the Education category. Download from iTunes

Today is “World Backup Day”

If you have an electronic device (computer, phone, tablet), chances are that it can be backed up. Today, World Backup Day, serves as a reminder that you should be backing up those devices on a routine basis.

Backing up your data means making a second (and a third copy is recommended) of all of the data on your device. The 3-2-1 strategy is best – always three copies of your data, data stored on two different media, and one copy off-site.

You should backup because loosing data is not as uncommon as you might think. Devices can be lost or stolen. Or they may simply suffer a hardware failure. Increasingly too there is the threat of the data on your device being held for ransom.

Start a habit today of making routine backups. You can even go to the World Backup Day website and take the pledge to back up your data.

macOS New App Release – Screen Commander

Product Announcement –  Alien Orb Software of New York, New York has released Screen Commander 1.0, a new utility application for Mac. Screen Commander is a simple utility application geared toward users with multiple displays connected to their Macs. It enables users to quickly and effortlessly blank other displays while watching a movie, playing a game, or focusing on some work on a particular screen.

Screen Commander lives in the menubar as a small icon and provides screen blanking options at the click of the mouse. Blank out other screens when they are not needed and quickly unblank them again on demand.

Features:

• Blank/unblank the current screen
• Blank/unblank other screens (while leaving the current one as is)
• Blank/unbank all screens at once
• Use a convenient popup menu on any blanked screen to access the same commands available in the menubar

System Requirements:

• macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or later
• 64-bit processor
• 5.5 MB

Screen Commander 1.0 is freeware and is available exclusively through the Mac App Store in the Utilities category.

Review of “Storm Dreams”

Book Reviews – “Storm Dreams” eBook was published in 2016 and was written by Jeb R. Sherrill. This is Mr. Sherrill’s first publication.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Situations. The story is set on Earth during World War I and in another universe made up of dreams. The primary character is pilot John Cassidy.

Cassidy is ‘rescued’ by the crew of the Zeppelin Nubigena. Cassidy and the crew of the Nubigena are in one scrape after another as they weave their flight between the real world and the surrealistic universe of dreams. German World War I Ace, Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Barron), is also a major character in their adventures.

I thought the not quite 7 hours I spent reading this 284 page Fantasy novel were interesting. The book was well written and I liked the characters, but frankly it was on the strange side. I’m glad I finished it, but I’m not sure that I liked it. There was a lot of action, but I’m not sure what the point of the story was. The conclusion just seemed to be an end of the story. The cover art is appropriate, giving the impression of the Zepplin emerging from storm clouds, which it often did in the story. I give this novel a 3.4 (rounded down to a 3) out of 5.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Bulletproof Coffee

I like coffee, so when I saw an article on Bulletproof Coffee it intrigued me. I haven’t tried adding butter to my coffee yet, but one of these mornings I’ll get adventurous and try it. Not sure about the “Bulletproof Upgraded Coffee Beans” and “Brain Octane Oil” though. Making Bulletproof Coffee with these ingredients is claimed to give improved IQ and cognitive function.

Dave Asprey (the ‘Bulletproof’ founder) also recommends using a French Press or Pour Over Method. He likes taking the time to slowly pour his hot water over the grounds in the Pour Over Method. I’m not sure I want to suffer that delay getting to my first cup of the morning.

I see that Picnik, both a Restaurant and Food Truck here in Austin, serves Bulletproof coffee. Perhaps I’ll try it there first before committing to the process myself.

Have you tried it? What do you think?

macOS New App Release – Airy

Product Announcement – Eltima has released Airy. Most all of us watch videos. Sometimes you come across a video that you know you’ll want to watch again or you will want to share with others. Sometimes those videos are each to find when you go to look them up again, and sometimes they are not. Now you can rely on Airy to keep those clips and movies, so you don’t have to look for another video again. The best part is once saved, they stay with you; you don’t need the internet to watch them because they will be on your Mac.

Airy is a YouTube video downloader for the Mac. Airy can be integrated in your browser to catch YouTube downloads directly from web. It supports all popular browsers like Safari, Chrome, Firefox, or Opera. Videos can be saved in MP4, FLV, and 3GP formats in your chosen resolution.

Airy comes in both a Free and a paid ($19.95) version. The free YouTube downloader for Mac in its trial version doesn’t feature adding multiple links at a time and will download first two items of a YouTube playlist or channel.

You Only Need 5 Email Folders

I am constantly reading articles that make suggestion for improving productivity. I came across the article “The Only Five Email Folders Your Inbox Will Ever Need” a few weeks ago and have been trying (not too successfully) to follow the advice given.

The essence of this article is that you should create four new folders into which you sort your email leaving your inbox empty. The five folders are:

1. Inbox – the existing folder where all new email is placed
2. Today – stuff that needs to be handled today
3. This Week – stuff that needs to be handled this week
4. This Month (or This Quarter) – stuff that needs to be handled this month
5. FYI – information stuff that I might want to refer to later

So I have created those additional four folders (Actually, my FYI folder has subfolders for specific subject areas as well). So how have I fared with this approach?

I look at my new mail 2-3 times a day. If it is something I can deal with in 5 minutes or less, I do that immediately (generally). I try to sort the remainder into the folders suggested. Even after weeks of trying this, today was the first day I actually completely processed my Today folder. I guess “out-of-sight-out-of-mind” comes into play.

I have also found that my initial sorting has not always been correct. I have too often placed email in the Today folder when it should have been in This Week or even This Month.

This approach does require changing your habits so that processing these folders becomes an automatic routine. The FYI folder I find useful as I had been saving email in a number of separate folders. I moved those to the FYI folder and now have that reference information in one spot.

Is this a process that will work for you?

macOS New App Release – Elmedia 6.7.1

Product Announcement – Eltima Software has released Elmedia 6.7.1, a video and audio player that will play virtually any file you throw at it, be it FLV, MP4, AVI, and MOV.

Elmedia reaches beyond what QuickTime can do and exceeds expectations. It is offered as two versions. The free download allows playing media of certain formats. If you want to expand on that, let’s say, to include YouTube and other media malls, then make the one time in-app purchase to upgrade Elmedia. With the upgrade, you can manage playback settings and capture frames from videos.

Details on what you can do in the free version include:

• Play a variety of file formats: SWF, FLV, DAT, XAP and more
• Internet surfing
• Media organization tools
• Adjust viewing quality: brightness, contrast, sharpness, volume
• Adjust image layout, define custom presets

 

Details on the Elmedia Pro:

• Fine tune playbacks by setting your outputs and defining channels, so you can get to specific content directly
• Capture and save images
• Enhance internet surfing, allowing you to easily find and save what you want with a simple tap

Elmedia can be purchased for $9.99 through the Mac App Store. The free version can be downloaded from the website.

Trailer for “Wonder Woman”

Trailers – This trailer for the upcoming “Wonder Woman” movie looks interesting. This clip is suppose to give you an idea as to her origin. In case you are not familiar with the whole Wonder Woman story, the official synopsis says: “Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers … and her true destiny.”

With five granddaughters I am glad to see that more heroines are being depicted in action movies: “Rogue One”, “The Force Awakens” and now “Wonder Woman”. This looks to be a good movie to begin the summer with when it opens June 2.

Review of “The First Victory”

Book Review – WWII – “The First Victory” eBook was published in 2016 and was written by Andrew Stewart. Mr. Stewart has published 8 books.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in East Africa during the period 1939-42. This is the non-fiction account of the defeat of the Italians by the British in East Africa.

As expected for Non-Fiction, this book is full of names, dates and facts. Some chapters have more than 100 footnote references. The last 26% of the book is reference material. I thought that the 9+ hours I spent reading this 328 page book were interesting, but dry. I have read quite a bit about the history of WWII, but never this aspect of it. The cover art is reasonable for the topic. I give this book a 3.6 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).