You may have noticed that as you download more and more apps onto your iOS devices, your battery seems to last for increasingly shorter amounts of time. This is because all those little apps on your device─which are programs, remember─start to tax your devices’ battery supplies in order to function to full capacity.

But there are some good iOS battery tips that can keep your iOS device up and running before you get that final, distressing powering-down in the middle of some important task. Here are the top five.

Top Five iOS Battery Tips

1. Disable Push Email Notification

If left unchecked, your phone or tablet will constantly try to update your email deliveries, even if there are none to report. All of this requires energy on the part of your device. Unless you have a necessity to be updated at all times, you can disable the Push notification, manually check for messages, or you can select to have a scheduler check for messages at regular intervals.

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The non-profit organization Orangutans Outreach is collecting iPad donations for a pilot program at the Milwaukee Zoo that will soon be implemented in other zoos throughout North American so that orangutans from different zoos can do a little Skyping. It may sound like the opening scene to a new Planet of the Apes movie, but it seems that humans are not the only ones captivated by the digital tablets.

Apes for Apes

The saying goes that given enough time, a monkey pounding on typewriter keys will eventually compose something as refined as a Shakespearean sonnet. Orangutan Outreach director Richard Zimmerman may not be looking for something more lovely and more temperate than the 18th sonnet, but perhaps just a glimpse into the minds of this majestic creature.

The Apps for Apes project came about rather serendipitously when one of the gorilla keepers at the Milwaukee Zoo saw a joke on Facebook about a gorilla using iPads. That got the zoo keeper thinking, so they put the word out for iPads. A volunteer then spotted the request and donated one.

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Big Nate Stays Old School in a Digital World

Lincoln Pierce may be the most reluctant success in comic book history.

Ok, so he may not be so reluctant as an artist and writer; Pierce is the creator of “Big Nate”, the comic book franchise that first arrived on the syndicate two decades ago. Big Nate hit the big time in the mid-90s, and since then the strip has gone from being a newspaper favourite to a “Big Nate” book series that spent a year on the New York Times bestseller list, selling more than 3.5 million copies.  It also became part of the wildly popular Poptropica site as “Big Nate Island”, debuting on the site on Valentine’s Day 2009. (It promptly crashed the site’s server after millions of readers flocked to the site).

A year ago, Pierce’s book publisher approached the artist about creating his first app.  And when the publisher had a developer follow that up by developing iterations of the app, there was one small problem. Pierce was incredibly low tech. He had neither the knowledge nor the technology to view the new creations.

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Cellphones on a Plane — More Dangerous Than Snakes

Frequent travelers know that while arriving at your destination might be the beginning of a great adventure, the getting there part can be, well, a drag (no aeronautical pun intended). Sure, there is a small TV screen wedged into the back of chair facing you that you can fiddle with, but the novelty wears off quickly. The earphones that are dished out—even if they come without a fee—lead you to prerecorded radio and television, which can be quite repetitive on a longer flight. Oh, wait, that’s right! You brought your own entertainment. Think again.

You have your iPad, smartphone, and Kindle packed in your carry-on luggage—and they are just calling out to you. There is one minor problem: in-flight crews ask you to shut down every gadget and gismo you have in your possession for the takeoff and landing of the aircraft. But really, is all this fuss necessary?

Well, the short answer is yes. But not for the reasons you may think.

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Apple for the Teacher

Thursday, January 19^th, Apple hit “The Big Apple” with a Guggenheim Museum presentation of revolutionary new educational apps.  It wasn’t that many years ago that electronics were forbidden in the classroom.  Now – if Apple has anything to say about it – they’ll be a requirement and a way to enhance the average student’s educational experience.

Apple’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, Phil Schiller, unveiled three, new, free apps:  the iTunes U, iBooks Author, and iBooks 2.  Each one of these applications promises to take a big step toward revolutionizing education – a vision that was important to Apple’s late co-founder and chairman, Steve Jobs.

The iTunes U platform could be the best “apple” ever given to a teacher, allowing educators the ability to share course materials, resources, and other information with ease never before known.  Change the date of a test, share a link to a website that ties into course material, add an assignment – it’s all handled instantly and easily, with students receiving all the information on their iPads.  iTunes U even allows teachers to upload books from iBooks Author – the next app on Schiller’s educational agenda.

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Launch Center iOS Now Available 

When developer App Cubby initially submitted its Launch Center app it was rejected by Apple. At the time Apple cited what it described as inappropriate use of the Notification Center. The developed subsequently removed integration features and resubmitted the app which now has been accepted by Apple. Integration would  allow users to add shortcuts directly to Notification Center, a feature that is common in jailbroken devices. The news of Apple approval and availability comes a time when Apple has been cracking down on launcher apps. The Cupertino based company pulled similar app Quick Pick which had integration features even though it was initially approved and available in the Appstore.

These moves tend to reinforce the narrative that Apple is against competition. It also provides ammunition for those who say that Apple is primarily concerned with maintaining its walled ecosystem of apps and content with a heavily locked-down device. Attention will now be focused on other launcher apps for iOS to see if developers fall in line with Apple’s  ruling or attempt creative workarounds.

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Tweet Speaker a Bargain For Twitter Users

Tweet Speaker, the app by App Cubby that lets you listen to your tweets is now on sale for a limited time on the App Store.  The app was originally released last October for $2.99 but is now available for just 99 cents.

Do you remember what an answering machine is?  It was a device that you connected to your archaic house phone. You came home pressed the play button and it replayed all the calls you would have otherwise missed while you were out.  Tweet Speaker takes that basic concept and builds on it to create an app that Twitter addicts will surely love.

Tweet Speakers does not simply read out your tweets. It gives you a variety of tools to customize the experience. You can choose to create what amounts to a custom podcast or you can use the smartly designed timeline dial to simply play back all your content.

Tweet Speaker Packed With Perfect Features

The app has a slick feel to it. Its design is well done and the interface is very intuitive. At the bottom there are three main buttons:  “Voice,” “Play,” and “Airplay.” Above that there is a classic radio dial style depiction of your timeline. You can use this dial to move back and forward in your timeline and choose a starting point for Tweet Speaker. Above your timeline dial you will find your tweet stream.

You can choose any of your lists, or you can choose to start at any point in your  overall timeline and then press play. Tweet Speaker will then read out your tweets in a human sounding voice. The app is specifically designed for Twitter and understands its jargon. It will for example know that RT means “re-tweet.”  It will also recognize and read out links that are embedded. Various options (including the ability to change the speech rate) round out a very well-designed offering. The app also has integration features allowing you to link it to other twitter clients. That feature allows Tweet Speaker to pick up where you left off so you don’t have to listen to tweets you have already read.

One Tweet Deal

Tweet Speaker is one of those apps that just seem to work. If you are heavy Twitter user you should definitely give it a try.  Available for 99 cents at the App Store, for iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.

Iconia Tab A700 Debuts at 2012 CES

After a week of leaks, suggestions, rumors, and speculations, Acer is finally showing off its Iconia Tab A700 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet at CES. This is not your average tablet, be assured. It is a sexy beast that sports a full-HD, 10.1-inch screen and the brawn of a quad-core Tegra 3 processor.

Full HD is a rare feature in mobile devices. Even industry leader Apple does not have it on the iPad 2, which only has 1024 x 768 display. The Iconia Tab A700 features a screen that boasts a resolution of 1920 x 1200. That’s even higher than the 1920 x 1080 needed to qualify. In order to make full use of such a display, a device would need a behemoth of a processor. Acer delivers with a Tegra 3 quad-core powerhouse that is rated at 1.3 Ghz. Rounding off this fit-for-a-king meal is a serving of Ice Cream Sandwich as the shipping OS.

The Iconia Tab A700 will get its juice from a 9800 mAh battery that will be good for about 10 hours of video playback. The new tab will also support Bluetooth and has a HDMI port as well as the now standard microSD. You will be covered in the camera department by a 5 MP HD rear camera as well as a front camera that is said to be capable of 720p. Coming in at 9.8 millimeters and 1.43 pounds, it is not the most svelte tablet on the market. But with its extra HD and Tegra 3, it is sure to make up for an extra millimeter or two around the waist. This device is a serious step up from Acer’s A200, which is already on sale in the UK for around $462.

It seems that in the few short years since the iPad hit the market, tablets have captured the collective psyche of gadget geeks and the general consumer alike. Tablets are also shining at this year’s CES. What this points to is a continued period of growth and development for tablet divisions at all the major computer houses. We ain’t seen nothing yet. Indeed, the promise of such remarkable innovations is more than worth the double negative.

The Acer Iconia A700 is expected to go on sale during the second quarter of 2012. There is no official word yet on pricing.

Kinectimals Show iOS Some Love

Kinectimals, the virtual interactive pet simulator from Microsoft has been released for iOS devices. The game was a favorite on Microsoft’s Xbox console and originally used the popular Kinect add-on to interact with on-screen animals. The iOS version of Kinectimals, which is available for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, now uses touch-based controls. The new control scheme is at once more personal and intuitive and gives a genuine sense of connection and immersion.

At the start of Kinectimals, you are presented with an option to choose one of five pet types: African Lion and Leopard, Royal Bengal Tiger, Cheetah, and Black Panther. The game has multiple save slots so you can choose to pick one or all five animals if you like, saving each choice separately. There is also an unlockable animal that you get as an option after completing various tasks and achievements.

The gameplay consists of two “modes.” You can play with your animal in a non-competitive setting, or you can participate in games. There are a number of challenges that initially function as a tutorial, but the difficulty increases over time. Completing challenges will enable you to level-up your pet and will earn you money and rewards. You use money earned to purchase food and other items for your animal. The games in Kinectimals are increasingly competitive in nature. You gain experience for high scores and can advance through 20 levels.

Kinectimals is a visually-appealing game, the graphics being among the best for any iOS title. The soundtrack is light and child-like, but it suits the game well. The game AI is adaptive and makes for some pleasant surprises. Ignore your pet, for example, and it will try to entice you to play in various cute ways. The title has high production values and has a certain slickness about it. Though a bit light in depth, the game is a joy to play; anyone who enjoys this genre will want to pick it up.

Coming in at about 178 MB, Kinectimals is not a lightweight title, and those with space concerns will need to consider the size of the download when deciding whether or not to pick up this title. Another thing to keep in mind is that the game makes use of location tracking. It does prominently state, however, that your information will not be shared. Location tracking can be disabled under Settings. You can also simply deny the initial request when it is presented to you at the start of the game.

Kinectimals is available now for $2.99 at the App store.

Cloud Storage on the Go — SkyDrive is Here For iOS

If you’re a fan of Microsoft’s famous file-storage service, Windows Live SkyDrive, you’ll be happy to know that you can now order it — to go!  There is now an iOS app on offer that lets you access your files from your mobile device as well as your PC.

Heaven on earth?  Absolutely — if you know what it’s all about. The new information mobility means people can choose to store their files in the clouds instead of their PCs, and that makes understanding the nature of your cloud more crucial.

A Quick Comparison

A search can give you more than 70 cloud storage options, most of which appear able to manage basic documents, photos, and videos.

One difference is in how much free storage space provided. Of the two most well known cloud products, Windows Live Skydrive has 25GB free storage, while iCloud offers 5GB free (but purchased music, apps, books, and TV shows won’t count in that measure.)

Another is in integration.  Windows Live Skydrive integrates with hotmail, Bing, and Live Groups (5 GB shared space with members.) iCloud users get a free me.com account for email integration.

The biggest difference in the two clouds seems to be what you can do with them. The Live Skydrive supports collaboration, in that multiple users can edit the same document stored in the cloud. iCloud celebrates access to everything everywhere, which means all files are relayed to all linked devices; ‘No syncing required. No management required.’ If device individualization is not necessary to a user, that service may be a terrific timesaver.

So whether you think heaven is being able to collaborate on the go, have access to all your music, books and photos on all your devices, or other potential mobile efficiency applications, now is a great time to get your head in the cloud.

You can download Windows Live SkyDrive for free, at iTunes.