books

Every parent knows (or should know) the importance of reading to their kids. And when it comes to stories adults and toddlers alike can enjoy, it's hard to beat Dr. Seuss.

Of course, browse the aisles (real or virtual) of any bookstore and you'll see that your average Dr. Seuss hardcover can run $10-15. Ouch!

That's why I continue to be a big fan of Oceanhouse Media's Dr. Seuss e-book apps, which not only provide the complete Seuss experience (and then some), but also save you considerable coin.… Read more

We're happy to announce the return of our Always On tortured gadget sweepstakes! This time 'round, our severely beaten (but not entirely broken!) MacBook Pro 13-inch with Retina Display is up for grabs.

While it's not exactly "usable" as it stands now, the thing is a champion. After trying our absolute hardest to destroy it (i.e. dropping it out of a bulldozer, giving it a nice fountain shower, and smothering it with a 1,400-pound boulder), the fact that it even turns on makes it deserving of a new home. Preferably somewhere that's nowhere … Read more

Learning to drive can be a stressful experience that involves more than just learning the rules and understanding how to maneuver a car. Learner Log Book attempts to make the process easier by providing a timer and odometer tool to quickly track your hours in the car for the purpose of acquiring your license. While it is somewhat limited in scope, it might help new drivers focus more on actual driving instead of just tracking their time.

The app is very simple upon opening. There are minimal blocks -- one with the time, one showing your start and stop times, … Read more

If you've ever seen a hockey coach's playbook, you know that he's carrying around a lot of plays and notes on a relatively unsecure format -- paper. For that reason, there have been multiple attempts to take playbooks into the 21st century with a digital format. One of the most recent such attempts is iPlayBook Hockey Free. With numerous menus, pre-designed plays, recording features, and playback and share buttons, iPlayBook is a solid playbook app for the iPad, even if it is a little cluttered.

The app, itself, is straightforward, but the interface does have a lot … Read more

It's a sad occasion when a laptop is stolen. All that money, time, and personal data just disappear into the night. This is the Tumblr story of a boy and his stolen laptop. Dom Deltorto lives in London. In early February, he says, someone broke into his flat and made off with his MacBook Pro and his iPad.

Deltorto was prepared for just such an incident. He had installed Hidden App on his laptop, a program that tracks the laptop's location and sends back images of the thief. However, Hidden App still needs to be connected to the Internet to work. After more than a month of radio silence, Deltorto reports that his MacBook suddenly came online, but it wasn't in a place where he could just call the London police and have them recover it.… Read more

Football is arguably the most complex sport on the planet. It's often more like a 60-minute chess match than an active sport, with each coach trying to outmaneuver and outsmart their opponent. iPlaybook Football is designed to take the age-old art of playbooks and defensive/offensive play design and bring it into the 21st century with a dynamic, digital app.

The interface is on the cluttered side, largely due to the number of features and options, but that's also what makes it such a powerful tool for coaches. Although the app is fairly easy to use, you should … Read more

This cute, little app lets your kids color in their favorite Nickelodeon and Disney stars. Coloring Book - Cartoons doesn't have a lot of colors and can be difficult to control, but it might be fun if you have a stylus and a tablet.

This app comes in both free and paid versions. The paid version of the app costs $1.45 and nukes ads. The ads on the free version aren't that terrible, though. Though it features Spongebob, Mickey Mouse, and other iconic characters, it doesn't seem to be sponsored by any major company. Coloring in … Read more

Facebook is adding a new twist to status updates as of today. Any TV show, movie, or book that users mention in their status update will also contain an icon and link to the Facebook page of whatever's mentioned.

"For example, if you share that you're watching a movie like 'Jurassic Park,' your post will contain the movie icon and a link to the movie's page," Facebook wrote in a blog post today. "'Jurassic Park' will be added to the Movies section on your timeline."

In other words, those TV shows, movies, or … Read more

The iPad and coloring books are a match made in heaven. Coloring, which has kept children around the globe amused for generations, translates very well to the lap-size screen and finger-oriented interface. Coloring Book for Toddlers attempts to capitalize on that perfect fit and does so quite well in many ways, though not without some issues.

Coloring Book for Toddlers is exactly as it sounds. Open the app and you can choose from four coloring book categories. Only the first -- animals -- is unlocked in the free version, but there are quite a few pictures in each coloring book … Read more