App-tastic Tuesday: OnLive Desktop

Some of us just like our PCs. And, no matter how convenient, slick, and intuitive your iPad is, there are times that you wish you had an actual computer tucked up your tablet sleeve.

With OnLive Desktop, a free productivity app, you can use your iPad to do many of the basic tasks that you could perform on a Windows computer. You sign into the app and have access your virtual desktop, complete with PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Internet Explorer with Flash, and 2GB free cloud storage.

Visit their website or find them in the App Store.

And remember to download the Reeves Library app!

App-tastic Tuesday: YouVersion (a day late)

I'm running a day behind this week; I'll blame Labor Day for having me all discombobulated!

Today's featured app is a free Bible app that should come in handy for students taking religion classes or anyone just looking for a robust personal devotions tool.

YouVersion allows you to choose from many different translations and paraphrases of the Bible while you have an active internet connection; certain versions can also be downloaded to your iPad/iPhone/Android for offline access (mostly older translations that are in the public domain). Most translations also have an audio version that you can listen to while connected to the web.

You can navigate to specific passages, look up topics or keywords, pick a daily reading plan, or save your own notes and bookmarks. Some churches are also beginning to post sermon outlines to YouVersion's "Live Events," allowing you to access, add your own notes, and then save or email to yourself. 

YouVersion offers lots of non-English versions, as well. 

Visit the YouVersion website or find them in the App Store.

And, as always, don't forget to download the Reeves Library app!

App-tastic Tuesday: 270 to Win

In case you hadn't noticed, it's an election year. Political junkies and the apathetic alike will find something to enjoy about 270 to Win.

This fun little 99-cent app lets you view and manipulate election maps, both historical and projected. You can see which states voted red or blue, how long they've been voting that way, and how many electoral votes each one brings to the table.

There are state profiles showing history, voting tendencies, and how the state's electoral vote count has fluctuated over the years.

Of particular interest this year is the ability to start with a projection map and change states' decisions to see how each change would affect the presidential election's outcome. You can pick from a library of different projection maps and tweak to your heart's content.

Visit their website or find them in the App Store.

And, of course, don't forget to download the Reeves Library app!

App-tastic Tuesday: Explain Everything

This app is one that actually costs something. I usually avoid those, but I was so impressed by Explain Everything that I coughed up the $2.99

Explain Everything allows you to create, narrate, and mark up screencasts and slideshows. To see a video that I created with this app, click here and watch the library intro video.

I love this app because the audio and markups are tied to the "slide" that you're viewing. If I mess up when I'm talking or circling a link (anyone who's sat through a class with me teaching knows that this happens pretty often!), I can easily toss out that slide and re-record just that part without having to worry about scrubbers and such.

It's not as robust as ScreenFlow or some other options, but I feel like it's a sweet spot at the intersection of a good end product and being easy to use.

Visit the Explain Everything website or find it in the App Store.
And don't forget to download the Reeves Library app!

App-Tastic Tuesday: Peterson Birds of North America

This app is one of the ones that really utilizes the iPad's capabilities in intuitive and truly helpful ways. And it's on sale right now for 99 cents (down for the usual price of $14.99), so snap it up while you can!

Peterson Birds of North America

Anyone who's frequently used the traditional book version of the Peterson guides knows that they are chock full of information and accurate, clear drawings. This app has all of the usual content about habitat, migration patterns, habits, etc., but it also includes recordings of birdsongs and integrates birdwatching checklists. You can even report sightings. 

The Peterson guides have been standbys in libraries and in the home collections of outdoor enthusiasts for decades. Grab this reference "book" while the price is low!

And don't forget to download our free app while you're at it. 

App-Tastic Tuesday: Gaze HD

Finals are next week. Are you stressing a bit?

This app won't get your projects done any faster, but it might help you relax for a few minutes.

Gaze is a free app that puts beautiful HD scenes on your iPad. There are four different Gaze apps, and each one comes in a free version. Beautiful Views (icon pictured) and Fires and More can also be upgraded to show additional scenes for a couple of bucks.

The waterfalls cascade, the waves crash, the fire crackles, or the cherry blossoms tumble, with or without sound, and you can set the app to stay on your favorite scene or to shuffle through them all.

When I'm not using my iPad, I set up a Gaze scene and prop it beside my computer monitor with a radio app playing in the background. On dreary days, it's like a window to somewhere pretty.

Visit their website or find them in the App Store.
And, of course, don't forget to download the Reeves Library app! 

Introducing the library app!

Click here, search for seton hill library in the App Store, or scan here with your iPad's camera: