JumiMouse (Free Version)

by beltane January 20, 2010 |Comments (View)

jumi free icon

I’ve been having problems with a combination of carpel tunnel and now tennis elbow for awhile and I found a different way of dealing with the pain, by getting rid of the mouse, for most things. Now and then it’s easier to use the mouse but for the most part JumiMouse fills the space very well.

You’ve probably seen or even used other trackpad apps but of the ones I’ve tried this is by far the easiest to setup and use. (Did I mention it’s free?) Like the others you do need to install a server client on your PC, (Mac version coming someday) and you can password protect the access to keep out anyone else, or allow guests.

The trackpad is simple with 3 buttons, for left, right, and that little used third button. On the right is a strip for scrolling pages. Just tap the screen once to left click or twice and hold to drag objects.

screenshot

The scroll speed and cursor speed are adjustable by tapping the small cursor icon at left.

screenshot

But now we come to an added bonus that JumiMouse has over some other apps like this. Just tap the monitor icon at top left, and you can see the computer screen, including watching video. This takes no added setup and worked for me straight away.

screenshot

Pros: Smooth operation and easy setup. Quick start up. Free

Cons: It may be my monitor settings but the right part of the screen is cut off in the app viewer. Works on local wi-fi only. Moving video had some lag.

Also: There is a paid version that sells for $1.99 that allows connection from anywhere even over 3g and edge. It even has a built in full keyboard and can use the Iphone/Touch keyboard. It has some shortcut keys that might come in handy.

Get it:

JumiMouse - wireless touchpad for your PC

Score this: 4 Ghost mice  out of 5.

Jumitech has other apps along this line for web-cam viewing and game controlling as well as a Winamp controller.

Dedicated to our missing leader TRU

Beltane

A missing Tru

by thefrogman July 2, 2009 |Comments (View)

The fearless leader of THAR, trumcgowan, has been missing for 5 weeks now. No tweets, blogs, emails…nothing. His wakoopa even says that he hasn’t been online in all this time. As you can imagine, me and the fellow THAR contributors are quite worried about our space invader friend and hope that wherever he is, he is safe and sound. That said, if you know Tru “in real life” and have any information about what might have happened to him, please contact me at froggie@thefrogman.me

Or if you have any access to resources that might help us find out if he is okay, please feel free to email me as well.

I’m going to see about continuing on with some reviews in his absence. I’m super busy at the moment, but the THAR contributors and I think we should try to keep plugging on. Until we figure something out, we are going to be on a little hiatus.

Tru, I miss ya.

iHandy Level

by thefrogman May 29, 2009 |Comments (View)

Now I have never been one that concerns himself with things in his life being level. I always figured if something wasn’t level, well, that’s why the Flying Spaghetti Monster gave us bookends, duct tape, and velcro. Then I came across the iHandy Level app. This app is a perfect example of a developer seeing the potential of the iPhone and thinking outside the box to create something that is actually…very handy.


Level placed on my head. Hmm. That’s disconcerting.

The app itself is pretty basic. You open it, put your device on something, and if the bubble isn’t in the middle…you need to straighten that thing…or invest in bookends, duct tape and velcro.

Graphics: This app is actually quite beautiful. The animation of the bubble is smooth and the look and feel are top notch.

Sound: This app has no sound except every once in a while you’ll hear the sound of yourself saying, “Aww, crap. My shelf isn’t level.”

Drawbacks: This isn’t the be-all end-all of levels, I’m a afraid. The beveled edge of the Touch and iPhone can make it a little tricky to make sure you have it flush, and there is not enough surface area to get an accurate read on wider planes. If you see your contractor using iHandy Level instead of the real thing, well, you may be in trouble. But…I’d say for shelves, picture frames, and things that can often get nudged out of alignment, this is a very cool app.

Conclusion: Get this app. Not only is it great to have in your app arsenal for those occassional fits of attempted handiness, it is something that really impresses those without an iPhone. Grandmothers everywhere will think you are magic.

I give this app 4 out of 5 crooked shelves.



Price: Free

iHandy Level Free

thefrogman

by thefrogman May 28, 2009 |Comments (View)
Due to some very very minor technical difficulties, THAR will not be posting a review today. We plan to have the situation resolved and/or extinguished in time for tomorrow. We apologize for any conveniance.

Due to some very very minor technical difficulties, THAR will not be posting a review today. We plan to have the situation resolved and/or extinguished in time for tomorrow. We apologize for any conveniance.

Recorder

by thefrogman May 27, 2009 |Comments (View)



A while back Tru reviewed an audio recording app called Record. I needed an app to do the same thing, but I thought I would try something different so I could use it as a review. I took a gander at the options and decided to go with Recorder…because it is like Record…but with errr at the end.



This app couldn’t be simpler. A blind monkey with brain damage and one finger could use this app. You see that big red button that says “Record”? You press that to record. And then when you are done recording…you press “Stop”.



The options are again very simple. You can turn high quality recording on and off. High quality records at 705 kbps 44.1 kHz 16 bit mono in the aiff format. I’ve never used aifffff before, but the quality is very good and it converts well into mp3. Here is a sample I recorded, I think you will see the quality holds up well.



The low quality setting is 128 kbps 8 kHz 16 bit mono. This is much like telephone quality and is to be used for spoken memos and such. The low quality is clear enough to hear what is being said, and the file sizes are very reasonable, but I wouldn’t recommend using this mode for any kind of music recording. Here is a sample of low quality



You have two options to get the audio files off your device, both very easy. First you can do a wifi sync with your browser. It gives you an ip address to type in, you hit connect, and you go to a web page that shows all the files you recorded. Then you just download the ones you want, just like you would any other file on the internet.


The local web page for downloading files is actually very well designed and easy to use.

Your second option is email. You pick the file you want to send, upload it to Recorder’s server and then it automatically sends you a link to download it. This is not recommended for large files, as upload times could get ridiculous with a 30 megabyte file. High quality aiffffs are not small.

Graphics: Pretty good. They have a cool app icon and the UI is fairly slick. It’s one of the best red record buttons I’ve seen.

Verdict: This is a great app. It has no bells nor whistles, but it really doesn’t need them. It gets the job done and the sound quality is very good. I have no qualms recommending this.

I give this app 5 out of 5 old timey microphones.



Price: $0.99

Recorder

thefrogman

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