Real Racing 3 (exploit)

Real Racing 3 which launched last night in the United States has an exploit where you do not have to wait for repair times if you turn on Airplane mode then adjust the Time and Date settings and set your clock however many hours ahead that the repair time is needed. This exploit will work on all iOS devices. You can also turn WiFi off if you choose but I find turning Airplane mode on to be faster. The video above will explain how it works and how to accomplish this exploit. EA may decide to update the game but currently this works on this current version of Real Racing 3.

Real Racing 3 is free to download in the iOS App Store: http://j.mp/Y1FVF8

Have a question or comment about this? Try me on Twitter @iCrizzo.

Total iPad on Google Currents

Not sure if you noticed or not, on the front page of totalipad.com you will see a banner saying we are now available on Google Currents. If you are using Currents on your iOS or Android device you can easily add Total iPad to your Currents app by clicking that banner (must be logged in with your Google account). Currents has been updated recently and is now has a much better user experience from previous versions of the application.

If you do not want to click that banner, you can find a direct link to add Total iPad to your Currents subscription here: http://goo.gl/fTWAM

Currents is free to download: Google Currents - Google, Inc.

Real Racing 3 - Now Available

Last night Real Racing 3 launched for the iPad and iPhone. I will have a review of this game up by tomorrow, just need to play it some more to get a better understanding of how the game works. Unlike Real Racing 1&2 this is a free to download game but it being an EA game it is heavily supported by In-App Purchases.

Download link: http://j.mp/Y1FVF8

Total iPad Interview - Bojan

This past weekend I sat down and talked with Bojan Djordjevic of Alpha Efficiency and we discussed many topics about getting things done not only on an iPad but also OS X, iPhone, and even our past/present experiences with Android.

We discussed some of our favorite iOS and OS X applications and how we use those apps to increase productivity. One top that came out was "jailbreaking" and the reason he jail-broke his current iPhone to have access to some features found in Siri but not available in his country. If you are a reader of Total iPad then you might have read my post asking if you "jailbreak" your iOS devices, Bojan's answer was excellent and proves that sometimes "jailbreaking" a device is needed. I honestly didn't know that some features of iOS are unavailable to people who live outside of the U.S.A. I will probably do a follow up on that article with af few things I have learned from talking with Bojan.

Even though we jumped from topic to topic I think it was an overall great discussion about the ways we use our devices in our day to day life. I look forward to doing some follow up podcast with Bojan in the future.

You can follow or even ask Bojan a question about any of the topics we discussed on the following sites:
Bojan Djordjevic
Alpha Efficiency
Tumblr
Twitter
Google+
Facebook
Blogger


Power Users Guide To Launch Center Pro Workflow




Remember you can subscribe to the Total iPad feed in iTunes. You will get all the podcast episodes as well as any video reviews that I upload on Total iPad:
Total iPad in iTunes

Do you jailbreak your iOS devices?

This is just a short video on if you Jailbreak your iOS devices or not? I recently did but I am honestly not seeing any compelling reason to have done so. Is it nice to take total control over a device I purchased? Yes. Is it something I would recommend to others? No.

I am interested in hearing why you Jailbreak your devices, what JB apps do you like or recommend?

If you don't Jailbreak I'd like to know why not? Are you against it? Don't want to void a warranty?

Please comment on my YouTube page where I have this video uploaded: LINK HERE.

If you do not use YouTube then let me know on Twitter @iCrizzo.

 

 

 

How to get videos from GoodReader to your camera roll

A few days I uploaded a video showing you how to download videos onto your iPad using Safari and the GoodReader application. After uploading it to YouTube I had a comment about how to save those videos from the GoodReader application to the iPad, well it can be done but it cannot be done using GoodReader. I am sure the GoodReader developers could easily add the feature to save the videos to your camera roll on your iPad but sadly that option does not exist.

Here is the step by step how-to on getting videos from the GoodReader application to your camera roll or you could just watch the video above. I am assuming you have already downloaded your videos to the GoodReader app? If not see the link below on how to download videos on your iPad.

1. Locate your video in the GoodReader app


2. Press and hold down the video until you see the Manage File window appear on the right side of GoodReader


3. Click on the Open In menu


4. Select - Open in Box


5. The Box app will open and your video will begin importing, after import select your video


6. With your video selected, tap the 3 dot button on the top right


7. Choose "Save to Library"


8. Open your camera roll and you should now see your video saved to your iPad

Now that you have your videos saved to your camera roll you can easily launch any video editing application and make edits to your video then upload them to your favorite supported video hosting site such as Vimeo or YouTube.

 

How to download videos onto your iPad: http://totalipad.com/how-to-download-videos-to-your-ipad/

 

Download Box app free in the App Store: Box for iPhone and iPad - Box, Inc.

MLB At Bat (updated)

Today the MLB.com At Bat application was updated for the 2013 season. The update brings several new features:

- Batting, pitching, and fielding stats
- Classic games library
- Re-architected navigations
- Universal support for At Bat '13 subscribers
- Multi-platform live audio access for At Bat '13 subscribers

The Batting, pitching, and fielding statistics is a welcomed feature, the At Bat iPhone version had these stats last year and they were absent from the iPad app. I am glad they have finally updated the iPad to includes these stats. In the release notes it says that "additional features are coming Opening Day" so I am not sure what they are going to add but I can't wait to find out.



You can download MLB At Bat for fee in the App Store:
MLB.com At Bat - MLB.com

** Please note, to unlock all the features of the application you must be an MLB.tv subscriber. You can find out more about MLB.tv:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/subscriptions/index.jsp

Tetris for iPad

Did you grow up in the NES or Gameboy days? Did you grow up playing Tetris and Dr. Mario? I did and now I can relive some of those memories with Tetris for iPad. Tetris for iPad is from EA Games but it still plays like the original Tetris but with a couple additional gameplay modes.

The game modes are as follows:

• ONE-TOUCH
  
• MARATHON
  
• GALAXY
  

If you grew up playing Tetris then you will probably want to reminisce with the Marathon mode as it reminds me the most of how I played Tetris as a kid. The One-Touch mode seems like it is geared towards either kids or first time Tetris players. Galaxy is like Tetris with a twist.

How the modes play:

• Marathon: The object of Marathon is the same as the traditional way you might have played Tetris in the past. You need to form horizontal lines in the Matrix. When a line is completed it will disappear, if you clear multiple lines you will earn scoring bonuses. You do not want your Tetrimino (blocks) to reach the top of the Matrix blocking new a new Tetrimino from entering the Matrix. You move blocks left to right or right to left by swiping on the screen, you can rotate blocks by tapping on the screen.
  

• One-Touch: This mode is the exact same as the Marathon mode except you do not move the block from right to left or left to right, you are given several choices of where you would like your blocked to be placed before it starts to drop. You can also hold blocks or cycle them for new Tetriminos (blocks). You have a timer that is ticking down that must choose before reaches 0 or the block will fall directly in the middle of the Matrix board. The further you get the faster the clock ticks.
  

• Galaxy: The object of the game is to reach the core of the planets by clearing Strata lines. Each time you clear a line you are rewarded with T-Coins. The few Tetriminos (blocks) used to reach the core the higher your Star Rank will be.
  

Tetris for iPad also features some In-App purchases for T-Coins, these coins can be used to purchase music in the game. As an example the original 8-bit Tetris theme music can be had for 3000 T-Coins. You don't need to purchase coins to buy theme music you can earn the coins in-game, but if you don't want to wait to purchase your theme music you are given the options of In-App purchase for T-Coins. My opinion is to avoid paying real money and just earn the coins in the game!

Overall this is a fantastic game, the controls take a little bit of getting used to, especially when you reach the higher levels. The game play is much faster and sometimes swiping on the iPad is tad more difficult than using the D-Pad of a handheld controller. Maybe not difficult but using a controller seemed much easier! If I had a scoring system I would give this game a 9 out of 10!

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You can download Tetris in the App Store for only $2.99:
TETRIS® for iPad - Electronic Arts



Tetris is also available on the iPhone:
TETRIS® - Electronic Arts

iPad update bug fix

This is not really a bug fix so to speak but just something that I happened to notice tonight while trying to update an iPad. The iPad in question was still running iOS 6.0 and in settings it was showing that the update available was 6.1 when actually the latest version of iOS available is 6.1.2.



I wasn't paying attention to the iOS update version number and every time I would try to update I would get the message as shown in the image above that I was not connected to the Internet. I tried to close Settings and relaunch it and it still would not find the updated version of iOS. I made sure to check that I indeed had Internet access and tried to install again, the same message appeared.

The fix to this issue is easy, reboot the iPad. To reboot the iPad just power it off by holding the power button until you see the slide to power off option, after it powers down turn the iPad back on and now open settings. For me it immediately started searching for the latest version of iOS and I was able to install the current version of iOS 6.1.2.

I have never noticed this before, mostly because I always update my devices as soon as an OS update is available. I know I have seen a lot of people on the Apple Forums and Twitter complaining that their iOS devices are not showing the latest update as available and I would be willing to bet they are running into the same problem as I was.

Have an iPad related question or a comment on this? Try me on Twitter @iCrizzo

How to download videos onto your iPad

This is an iPad video tip on how to download videos from YouTube, Vimeo, or any HTML5 video online onto your iPad. I seen a post yesterday on Macstories about a YouTube downloader 'hack' that looked like an interesting way to grab videos. In the article Mr. Viticci mentions that he was using GoodReader with this method of downloading videos. Well GoodReader already has the ability to download movies from sites like YouTube built right into the application, well not built into the app but a way to add a Safari shortcut that works similar to what was written on Macstories.

Who knows how long before this stops working or maybe even Apple will force GoodReader to remove this from the app? I hope not as I use all the time but mostly just for my own videos I have uploaded on YouTube. I have a lot of personal family videos videos that I keep private and sometimes I like to mashup those videos using vjay on my iPad.

Don't own GoodReader on your iPad? You can grab it from the iOS App Store for $4.99:
GoodReader for iPad - Good.iWare Ltd.

Works great on the iPhone as well:
GoodReader for iPhone - Good.iWare Ltd.

(If video will not play you can watch it on YouTube)

Have any other cool GoodReader tips? Let me know on Twitter @iCrizzo.

Vinyl Tap Review

Vinyl Tap is a music playing app that gives the visual of playing your music on your iPad on a turntable, or record player.

As of this writing, it was on sale at half off  in the U.S. App Store for $1.99.

I can say that after trying this app out for about a half hour, $2 is the right price, as anything higher would seem too expensive for what this app does.

Though for the price, it is kind of fun to play with.  It does give you a sense of how people listened to music back before CD's and Internet streaming.

The app comes with 7 turntables.  However, 5 of those turntables are the same model but with different colored backgrounds.  The other 2 are completely different models and seemed to be named after the 2 different models of terminators found in "Terminator 2: Judgement Day", the T-800 and the T-1000.

Though they all have different looks, they all play the same.  The turntables will play your music stored on your iPad as if they were tracks on a record.

If you have albums from iTunes or ones you made yourself, it will create a record with all the songs and split them into A-side and B-Side accordingly.  The visuals on the virtual records look authentic too with the music being shown as the rough part and spaces between each song shown too, just like a real vinyl record does.

You have the ability to play the records at 33.5 rpms or 45 rpms, so you can speed up or slow down the record, depending on what the app chooses based on the music I am guessing.

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You do get to control the needle of the turntable, placing it anywhere on the record.  It will give the little popping sounds like most records give when you place the needle at the outer edge of the record, therefore playing the first song.  It will give a small scratching sound when you pull the needle off the record in the middle of a song.  You cannot use this app to do scratching as you cannot spin the record back and forth or drag the needle across the record like you can with the real version.

You cannot play random songs like you can on the iPod.  Its focus is to give the idea that this is a record of albums, like they used to be played way back when.  The app will list all the music that is on your iPad, but it cannot play DRM music.  If your albums have cover art, the app will take that image, cut off the corners to apply it to the virtual record that you can watch spin around.

As I said you cannot make a random mix out of multiple albums or artists.  You could create an album with the same title or same artist, like changing Madonna's name to Twisted Sister for the song "Crazy for You", but that is too much work and then you have to change it back to play it correctly on your Music app. You can change songs to different albums and artists, but it will make a whole new record.

The song selection is kind of limited and over-whelming.  You are given the option to sort by album names in order of A-Z or by artist from A-Z.  There is no method to jump to a specific letter, so if you wanted to find something in the T's, you have to scroll all the way down.  There is no search function.  If your albums or artists do not have cover art, a generic punch tape with the name of the album and artist will be made.

Once you have picked what you want to listen to, you go to another screen that will show the songs from that album or artist and splits them into the A-Side and B-side of the record.  You are also given a choice of 6 colors that you want to have the record as.  Once you pick your color, the record is loaded onto the turntable of your choice.  You pick up the needle and place it on the record and hit the play button.  The T-800 and T-1000 models have the ability to move the needle automatically.

What more can I say about this app?  It's a virtual record player.  It would have been nice to be able to do scratching on the player like the real thing.  The menu to pick albums needs to be greatly improved and there needs to be more different models of turntables.  All-in-all it is a fun novelty app.  It will not replace the built in Music app by a long shot, but it is something that can be of great discussion with your parents or grandparents or if you want to get a feeling of nostalgia when you used to listen to music on a turntable.

Just realize that real vinyl records are not completely extinct.  I have actually seen modern albums being sold on vinyl.  I would not be surprised if a vinyl album of "Gangnam Style" by Psy exists.

If you want to experience the awesomeness of Vinyl Tap it is currently on sale for only $1.99 in the iOS App Store. Vinyl Grab this terrific iPad application today:


[box type='info']INFO: If you are using iTunes Match you must download the music you want to play onto your iPad first. Vinyl Tap can not play music stored in iTunes Match. Vinyl Tap 1.5 requires iOS 6.0 or greater. [/box]

Developers Website