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The dog-days of summer are upon us and it's time for another installment of What's On My iOS Home Screens.
iPhone
1. One Touch Reveal (Free - Universal) - One Touch Reveal is a blood glucose monitoring system that works in conjunction with the One Touch Vario Sync testing meter. Glucose results are synchronized from the Vario to the iOS App via Bluetooth. The application maintains log book, shows your average Glucose numbers over a 14 day period, and allows for simple reporting of the aforementioned metrics. The app also allows for the entry of medicine (various insulin types), carbs, and a way to manually enter a glucose test if using another type of meter. This app has been invaluable in assisting me with managing my Diabetes. I would highly suggest taking a look at the One Touch Vario and the Reveal app if you have an iOS device. 2. MagiCam ($0.99 - iPhone) What can I say? This app is truly magic. From the makers of the wildly popular iOS camera app Camera+, TapTapTap has yet another winner on their hands. MagiCam is a simple camera app that applies image correction on-the-fly to make your pictures look outstanding each and every time. There are a limited number of post-pic filters that can be applied if necessary. Overall, the quality of the pictures is usually outstanding. MagiCam integrates with the standard iOS camera roll which makes things so convenient in terms of keeping all your photos in one place. I have take some really nice shots with MagiCam and it has earned a place on my main home screen. For .99, you should definitely give it a shot (no pun intended). iPad 1. Notes Plus ($3.99 - iPad) - A full-featured note taking app for the iPad. Support for the Adonit BT Touch/Script has been added only for the iPad 3 and later. The app offers a very clean UI and offers sync with Dropbox. Handwriting recognition is offered via an in-app purchase. Overall, Notes Plus has become my default handwriting note app on my iPad.
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I have become a slim Ninja. One of the most annoying things is having a thick wallet, packed with cash (not a bad thing mind you), cards, papers, etc and sitting down and feeling that thickness jam up against your derrière. Most wallets are designed to be functional with regards to the amount of items that can be stored but not many really take into account efficient use of storage space while minimizing the thickness of the overall wallet. This is where Bellroy comes in. For a long while, I have known that Bellroy was a company that has advertised their wallet products as smartly designed to minimize the bulk in carrying around your day-to-day items in your back pocket, front pocket, or whereever you choose to carry your wallet. One day while reading a sponsored link for Bellroy on Daring Fireball, I decided to check out the selection over on their website. I pulled the trigger and ordered the Note Sleeve Wallet. Boy, am I glad I did.  The Note Sleeve is one of Bellroy's flat bill type of wallets which means that paper currency can be stored without folding. Currency can quickly be put in and pulled out from the top of the wallet. Opening the wallet you have access to left and right sections to frequently accessed cards. Lesser used cards can be accessed quickly by a pull-tab system that extracts several cards at once. When you put a card back in the tab is pushed back into the wallet and your cards are ready once more to be extracted. The system works pretty well and is very convenient for those times you need to access those particular cards. In terms of cards storage, wait there's more. Cards can also be stored in the area on both the right and left hand side of the bills storage area. The Note Sleeve can hold from 4 - 11 cards comfortably and thru the magic of their design, it feels a heck of a lot slimmer than my previous wallet. The quality of the Note Sleeve is very nice. The leather is supple and soft. Bellroy offers several colors to accommodate many tastes. I ordered it in Java.
The Note Sleeve "specs" are as follows:
Bellroy Note Sleeve Wallet - $89.95 Summer is almost here and it's time for another installment of What's On My iOS Home Screens. There's been some changes in my iPhone home screen apps and the iPad has been updated to include applications for work purposes.
iPhone
1. GoodTask ($4.99 Universal) - A very clean UI that manages tasks and interfaces with native iOS Reminders. If you complete a task in GoodTask it will be marked as complete in Reminders and any other application that interfaces with the iOS Reminders database. Likewise, updates in other apps for reminders show up in GoodTask. GoodTask also shows a calendar view that allows you to select to display Calendar events as well, although in a read only mode. While I don't use GoodTask to enter reminders often (I primarily use Siri or use location based, more below), it does offer a better UI for task entry and updates than Apple's Reminders app. 2. Checkmark 2 ($5.99 iPhone) - Yet another task manager app for iOS. However, this particular one does something magnitudes better than Apple's Reminders or any other task manager app, location based reminders. By far the most accurate location based reminder app that I have used. In Checkmark, you can define various locations and set reminders to provide a push notification when you either arrive or depart the location. If you need to be reminded to do something based on a location, Checkmark 2 is the app to have. 3. Dark Sky ($3.99 - Universal) - The quintessential rain-alert weather app has finally landed a spot on my home screen, on the dock nonetheless! The precipitation push notifications and precise location identification have been spot on with when it will rain in the area I am located. iPad 1. Good (Free - Universal) - The corporate email standard has finally made its way onto my iPad home screen. The larger iPad screen and split screen view within the application make email reading and composure a breeze. 2. GoodNotes 4 ($5.99 - Universal) - A very good and full-featured note taking application that specializes primarily on handwritten notes. GoodNotes is certified to work with the Jot Script stylus, which I have picked up to be my daily driver for note taking at work. The application works very smoothly with the Jot Script and takes note writing and digital whiteboarding to the next level on the iPad. Notes are saved to iCloud and can be backed up using DropBox. Winter is far from over, but there's been a couple of noticeable changes on my iOS iPhone and iPad home screens. Aside from my background color switch on the iPhone from red to blue and on the iPad from blue to red, there have been a couple of app changes.
iPhone
I have long been a fan of the Tweetbot application, a full featured and powerful Twitter client for the iOS platform. The application has basically everything I want in a twitter application: push notifications, position and message read status sync, mute filters, and UI that just won't quit. Well, that last part is really what is bothering me. The iPhone version of Tweetbot was given an iOS 7 redesign during the latter half of 2013. It is truly a sweet looking application. Unfortunately, Tapbots have been really lagging in getting the iPad version of the app up to iOS 7 standards. Since I use Tweetbot on the iPhone, iPad, and the Mac, I prefer the experience to be top notch on each device. I can excuse an updated UI on the Mac since I spend very little time using Twitter on the desktop. However on the iPad, which I do use daily, the old style iOS 6 design of Tweetbot is wearing on me. It's annoying enough that I will cease to use it on the iPhone and iPad and will be replaced with IconFactory's Twitterrific 5. Waiting for that Tweetbot elusive iPad update....... Update: Twitterrific has stopped working over LTE for me and I am unable to send or receive tweets. The app works when on wifi. I will have to delete this app on the iPhone until the Iconfactory has a solution to get it working again. I have tried force quitting the app and deleting and re-installing it. Update 2: Finally figured it out. The cellular data setting was turned off for Twitterrific which was causing the app to not retrieve or send data over my LTE connection. Once I flipped the switch to enable data, the app worked like a charm. Tweetbot for iOS ( iPhone (L), iPad (R) )
My wife knows me so well and gave me a little tech love in the form of an iPhone themed Valentines day card. Also, TechMusings turns 1 year old today, not bad for a little hobby of mine.
If you have ever wondered how Apple fanboys react during a typical Apple Keynote, here's a little video that shows the exuberance, wonder, amazement, and yes, even disappointment that every fanboy goes thru. Guilty as charged. Hilarious. If the worlds thinnest iPhone 5 case is what you are looking for, look no further than the Caudabe Veil. When I say it's thin, it's THIN (.35mm). Probably the thinnest case I have ever used on an iPhone. In fact, I would have to say that the Veil is so thin, it's more like applying a matte skin to the iPhone rather than a hardshell case. The products highlights on the product packaging are:
The feel of the Veil is very similar to the Ghost Armor Matte skins that I have used in the past (review link). The matte plastic feels very nice and resists fingerprints which absolutely drive me batty when I constantly have to wipe down a case to remove them. There are specific cutouts for each volume button and the mute switch. I have always preferred cases that have individual button cutouts as I feel they add to the overall look of the case. The bottom of the Veil is completely open similar to most other snap on cases. However, the Veil differs a bit from other snap-ons by providing full protection, aside from a power button cutout, on the top of the phone. What more is there to say? This is the absolute thinnest case you will find on the market. The Caudabe Veil is basically the un-case case. Obviously, the drop protection with the Veil is minimum to none, but will suffice in protecting your iPhone from scratching which is an accomplishment given how paper thin this case is. Full credit goes to Caudabe in getting their manufacturing process to produce such a high quality product for the iPhone. Much thanks goes out to Caudabe for sending me a review sample! The Veil and the Wisp can be purchased on Caudabe's site for $14.99. When first released, there was so much demand for this case that Caudabe couldn't keep up. Apparently they are now back in stock. What are you waiting for? Go grab one and experience the magic of the Veil! Pros
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Caudabe Veil - $14.99 (Link)
Keeping the red theme going, I picked up an Elago S5 Breathe case for the iPhone. The snap on case is called Breathe due to the small holes around the case which gives it a distinct look. The case is a soft plastic with a special coating that Elago claims will resist dirt and smudges. The coating feels real nice in the hand and in combination with the holes gives the case a good grip. 
The Breathe comes in 12 different colors and can be purchased directly from the Elago site for $24.99. As with most cases, check Amazon for better pricing deals. A couple of nice purchases that I am really enjoying. Everdock Duo - $69.00 - A dual charging dock for mobile devices. Bose Soundlink Mini - $199.95 Mini Bluetooth speaker with amazing sound. Stay tuned for my further musings on these great products. 
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As an avid tech fan I look forward to sharing my tech experiences both personally and professionally with those that have similar interests and passion for technology.
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