The podcast app Instacast has been updated with significant improvements. Updated features include episode archiving, sleep timer, chapter navigation, improved auto-download management, support for Atom Feeds, VoiceOver support, ability to pause and cancel downloads, and more. There is also an in-app purchase for additional features.

About the App

Instacast is a great way of keeping up with podcasts on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. The iPhone version costs 99 cents and can be downloaded from the App Store.

To see the full wallpapers click on the link below.

Notes and Linked at

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

I downloaded the Read It Later paid version one time when it was on-sale and decided that it would have been worth the full cost. It is certainly worth downloading now that it has been renamed Pocket and is available for free.

What it does

Pocket lets you save articles, images, and videos that can be viewed at a future date. Its offline functionality makes it perfect for people with wifi only devices or who want to limit their G3 usage.

While I have only spent a few minutes with the current version the updated interface appears to be even more user-friendly than the older version. I prefer the list format, but there is also an option to view the stories in a format more like a magazine. The app allows users to create tags so that if you are looking for an article you read about iPhones you do not have to scroll past articles you saved about baseball or cleaning solutions. You can also filter articles by articles, videos, and images.

In list view to edit the tag, mark the article as starred, trash it, or add it to your favorites click once on the article. If you are in magazine format put your finger on the article and swipe it from right to left. Pocket also has a large number of options for sharing including Facebook, Twitter, Box.net, Evernote, Pinboard, and Tumblr.

Pocket is a universal app.

As stated in my “About” page, I have no affiliation with this app.

Useful Links about the updated version

• Official Site
• Download Pocket from iTunes

Major League Baseball’s regular season starts this week. Below are some apps and websites to help you keep up with your favorite team or the league as a whole.

iPhone and iPad apps

• MLB 2012 At the Bat. At the Bat is a free download, but more extensive features such as audio for games and video highlights cost $14.99 per season or $2.99 per month. Please check blackout information before purchasing MLB.TV. I posted more information in this entry.
  
• ESPN ScoreCenter has scores, push alerts, news, and the ability to set your favorite teams. The app is free, but not universal.
• Bill James Baseball IQ This is a jewel of statistics apps. It has everything from match-ups to hit zone to plate discipline to pitch profile. Free app for iPhone.
• MLB Trade Rumors app An app with push notifications for one of the best sources of baseball news.
• FanGraphs App This app includes the graphs, but not the articles on Fangraphs. It is sized for iPhones and $2.99.
• iScorekeeper This app lets you keep score and looks nice, but some may hesitate at the $9.99 price.
• GameChanger Baseball Scorekeeping/Softball Scorekeeping This free universal app is geared for coaches, but works for anyone who wants to keep score.

Baseball on the Web

• MLB Each team also has its own extensive site.
• Baseball Reference
• Fangraphs
• MLB Trade Rumors

Linked at

Picture from Wikimedia Commons

Why all the updates?

The new iPad has a retina display. To make their apps look good with the retina display many app developers have released updates to their apps. The improved graphics will not be relevant for the rest of us, but in some cases the update also includes improvements and bug fixes for the app.

Depending on how many apps you have that are being updated it might be a good idea to plug in your iPhone or iPad while downloading the updates.

Possible slow download explanation

The higher resolution graphics to look good on an iPad with retina display mean that in many cases app sizes are increasing. There is no “different version of the app for older iPads/iPhones” so even if you be be using the app on an older iPad or a universal app on an iPhone you will still need to download the larger app.

The iPhone picture is from Tuts plus

• Words with Friends $0.99
• Word with Friends HD (iPad) $0.99
• 2Do: Tasks Done in Style (universal) $0.99 (list price $9.99)

Sales can end at any time so check the price before buying. As stated on the about page, I have no affiliation with these apps.

Taming the App Store

Wonderful as Apple’s app store is, it can be overwhelming. One of the areas where users particularly could use some help is with finding apps that are on-sale. The apps listed below include ways to find not only when apps you know you want are on-sale, but interesting and useful apps you did not know existed.

AppShopper

AppShopper makes it easy to find apps that are on-sale. There are options for viewing free apps, paid apps, or both. You can also search by category. If you want new apps you can use the “What’s New” tab. There is an option for an app wish list and the ability to keep track of your current apps. There are reviews from third-party sources. Push notification options are included. This is a universal app. AppShopper also has a website.

Appbzr

Appbzr is a good app for finding price drops on apps. Like AppShopper it includes a wish list with push notifications. There are options to find popular apps and new apps. While I use this app I have found that it often finds fewer apps than some of the other options. Unlike many free apps this app does not have ads. More information can be found on the official website.

Free App Tracker

As the name makes clear Free App Tracker is a free app that allows you to track other apps are free (or discounted). This app has several sorting options including by the time the price changed or by the popularity of the app. As with other apps there is a wish list option. This is a universal app.

Chomp

Chomp was recently acquired by Apple and significant changes are expected. In contrast to the minimalism of some of the other apps, Chomp is more graphics intensive. It also lets you search not only by the categories in the app store, but by intuitive ones. There is a search function and this app excels at giving more information about the app. This app is for the iPhone only, but the site Chomp is an option for iPad users. You can not only search apps by title, but by subject (ie “Font apps”, “baseball apps”, “Free TV apps”, “Bible apps”, etc)

The iPhone picture is from Tuts plus

Linked at

• Freestyle Friday

Terms of Use

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Notes about wallpapers

• Wallpapers were made with my own photographs using Photoshop and/or various iPhone photo apps.
• TOU translated: Yes, you can use the wallpapers, share the wallpapers with friends, post them to Tumblr, Pinterest, etc, but link back to this post and do not sell them or use them in commercial products.
• These wallpapers are 640 X 960 pixels and sized for the retina display on the iPhone 4 and 4S.

• Review: RedLaser iPhone App
• Review: ESPN ScoreCenter App
• Review: Genius Scan App
  
• Review: Pandora App
• Review: 123D Sculpt App
• Review: Wikibot App
• Review: Halftone App
• Review: MiLB App
• Review: Bill James Baseball IQ App
• Review: Mahjong Towers for iPad

App Lists and Comparisons

• Free eBook Reader Apps
• Comparing NFL, NHL, MLB, MiLB, and MLS Apps
• Keeping Up with the Hot Stove League on an iPhone and/or iPad

iPhone and iPad wallpapers

eBook related Posts

The paid version of MLB At the Bat 12 includes news, schedules, scores, Gameday, live radio, stats, live Game of the Day (blackout restrictions apply), Lookins, and in-game highlights. From a iPhone you can access a video archive that is searchable by player, team, or keyword. (For keyword I’d suggest “oddities” which brings up some plays that are, well, odd).

Additional functionality will be added before opening day.

Cost information

The lite version is free and includes scores. If you want more functionality there are in-app purchase options for a $14.99 fee for 12 months or you can pay by month at $2.99 per month. If you have MLB.TV Premium the app is free.

Unlike last year the app is universal and can be used on both an iPhone and iPad.

Link to iTunes

iTunes MLB at the Bat 12