Car Camera DVR - App Review

Here's an App that offers to do only one thing; record HD definition videos while driving.

Now for the ACIDS test:

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You'll need some way to get your iOS device affixed to your windscreen (there are plenty of cost-effective solutions). From then, all you need do is press the large Rec button and (optionally) set the focus lock. That's all there is to it, which makes it very easy to use.

There are a number of parameters that can be set (please make sure you do this before setting off:

Audio recording (on or off)
Resolution (640x480, 1280x720, 1920x1080)
Compression (low, medium, high)
Time (display on or off) - this is almost certainly best left on
Available memory - there is a neat page showing usage and availability on your iOS device.

Cost
The App Costs $4.

Indispensability
It's a bit like an insurance policy; you don't need it until you do and then, hope that you are covered. Clearly this would help your case if you were involved in an accident (hopefully at least).

Dependability
The App works very well, just ensure that the device is properly affixed.

Security
The App is self-contained, so no concerns on this front, although obviously you will need to manage recordings otherwise your memory will become saturated.

ACIDS Test Rating:

If you don't have it, you'll wish you did.

To find out how the ACIDS Test works, click here.

You can get Car Camera DVR here and support for the App here.

Image to Excel - App Review

Now you might be wondering why you would want an App to add an image to Excel... the App's full moniker is actually 'Image to Excel Converter - OCR - Convert photos of tables and spreadsheets to Excel documents - Excel Scanner'. A bit much of a mouthful but, more accurately reflects what this App is all about.

Now for the ACIDS test:

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The basic screen is simplicity personified; choose between Camera and Photos and (once you have taken a photo or imported one, a list of files.

Pick a file and you will see your image as a table, then go to Share at the bottom left of the screen and pick Copy to Excel..

Your photo now appears as a fully editable Excel spreadsheet, ready for you to do whatever you want with it.

It's as easy as that.

Cost
The App is absolutely Free. In order to remove the delay in conversion, you can upgrade for $10.

Indispensability
If you are an avid Excel user and frequently need to manually enter data that is already in tabular format, this App will save you many hours of time-consuming copy typing.

There are also many instances where you could obtain tabulated data and then be able to manipulate it in Excel (screen grab being a very obvious one... and not necessarily your screen).

Dependability
The App definitely works best when handling tabular information, although will also handle more haphazard layouts. The quality of the OCR is amazingly good.

Security
The App needs access to your camera, and/or photos, as well as an Internet connection to carry out the conversion.

ACIDS Test Rating:

Image to Excel without pain.

To find out how the ACIDS Test works, click here.

You can get Image to Excel here and support for the App here.

Red Dot Camera - App Review

We're all getting so used to just pointing and clicking (or touching) to get a photo that the art (and science) of photography is rapidly disappearing.

This App enables you to set parameters as in the good old days (and with click wheels at that) so that the photograph you take is defined before you hit the shutter, and not touched up afterwards (although you could still do that).

Now for the ACIDS test:

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Apart from the click wheels (we'll come back to those shortly), the other obvious area on your iOS device are a couple of rectangular boxes. theses represent the equivalent of what your shot would look like using a 35/28 mm lens; you can also, optionally, hide these lines, which you probably will after a bit of use.

The click wheels allow you to set the ISO (30-1,600) so as to compensate for different levels of lighting, shutter speed (1/4 TO 1/8,000) to allow you to be especially creative where there are moving objects (or even people), and exposure compensation (-3 TO +3) to ensure colours are well defined (only available if at least one of the other wheels is set to automatic).

You also have access to a timer (2, 10, and 309 seconds), as well as flash on/off/automatic.

The chosen settings are beautifully confirmed at the bottom of the screen.

Cost
The App Costs $3.

Indispensability
Of course, it's your call, as your iOS device already has a camera but, it's worth a bit of effort.

Dependability
It's great to be able to see the effect that changing settings will have on the exposure; very much the best of both worlds.

Security
In order to get the full benefit of the App, it needs to have access to your photos and location.

ACIDS Test Rating:

Control photos before taking them.

To find out how the ACIDS Test works, click here.

You can get Red Dot Camera here and support for the App here.

MetaMoji Note - App Review

Oh no, another note taking App... yes but this one is nothing like the iOS bundled 'Notes'. If you're looking for something with more oomph then, this might be just what you've been waiting for.... but if all you want is just to type in a bit of text then, this would be overkill.

Now for the ACIDS test:

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The first thing to note is that the developers have kindly stored some samples in a folder titled 'Sample for iOS'. Take a look at some of the documents that have been created and you will immediately appreciate that this is much more than another simple note taking App.

If you tap the '+' and start to create your first note, the first choice is the type of paper. Once you have got that you are in possession of a 'plain' sheet on which you can enter text (or not).

Each item of text is individual and can be moved around the page, as well as defining the font, size, colour, bold, underline, and even strikethrough.... and can then be erased just as in the traditional way.

There is also a freehand drawing tool where you can choose colour and thickness, as well as a very evocative pen/brush stroke.

Your note can, of course, be shared in many ways including (most unusually),as a preview of a PDF document.

Cost
The App Costs $8, although there is also a 'lite' version.

Indispensability
A note taking App is absolutely indispensable. Only you know what it is that you need.

Dependability
The App simply works, just as you would expect.

Security
In order to get started you need to create a free account that will necessitate you giving a valid e-mail address (so that you can validate the address).

ACIDS Test Rating:

Comprehensive note taker and idea grabber.

To find out how the ACIDS Test works, click here.

You can get MetaMoji Note here and support for the App here.

GoMark - App Review

Having fairly recently reviewed an App which allowed you to remove information embedded in your photos, here's one that does exactly the opposite (it's horses for courses after all).

This App allows you to add location, weather, date, time, and altitude, all with some style.

Now for the ACIDS test:

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When you point your iOS device as a camera you will see a number of icons at the top of the screen. These allow you to choose to include weather conditions, location, time, date, altitude, and each of these with a variety of options to make it even more personalised.

Cost
The App Costs $0.

Indispensability
Your camera is probably indispensable but the additional information probably isn't... at least until you have a particular point to make about your exact shot (like snow with a high temperature...).

Dependability
The edit function allows you to change the location.

Security
The App needs to access your location and camera so that it can add relevant information.

ACIDS Test Rating:

Same photo, more info.

To find out how the ACIDS Test works, click here.

You can get GoMark here and support for the App here.