Mel Martin

Now doing consulting and recently wrote a book on film producer Samuel Bronston who made El Cid and Fall of the Roman Empire. I also did the commentary on Fall of the Roman Empire with Bill Bronston, the son of the late producer. I'm an amateur astronomer, and take lots of high resolution photos of galaxies and nebula from my backyard observatory in Arizona.

Mel Martin's Latest Posts

Magellan linking GPS hardware to smartphones with SmartGPS

by Mel Martin (May 2nd 2013 8:00AM)

Magellan has announced the nationwide availability of its new SmartGPS device. The hardware GPS for cars mates with an iPhone or Android app to provide the in-car solution with several advantages, including content from Yelp and Foursquare that's based on the user location and planned route. Live ...

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Daily iPad App: Tipping Point Adventure for iPad is clever and engaging

by Mel Martin (May 1st 2013 8:00PM)

My experience as an adventure game player goes way back to the text-only Colossal Cave game, which then morphed into the classic Zork text games from Infocom (which, by the way, you can play even now on iOS with the Lost Treasures of Infocom app). Now, with speed and graphic power, games are a ...

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Nest updates iOS app and adds notifications

by Mel Martin (Apr 30th 2013 4:30PM)

The popular Nest Thermostat has updated its internal software to version 3.5, and pushed out a new iOS app to control it. Most people should have had their thermostats updated automatically at some point yesterday. The software is being billed as summer enhancements to the thermostat aimed at better ...

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Osito wants to be Google Now for iOS, a bit too late

by Mel Martin (Apr 29th 2013 5:00PM)

Osito is a free iPhone app that tries to do what Google Now has done for Android phones (and now the iPhone), which is provide a time- and location-aware app that supports your daily schedule with weather, traffic, travel news and more. [The previously launched Tempo calendar is another ...

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GateGuru for iPhone has been updated and greatly improved

by Mel Martin (Apr 26th 2013 4:00PM)

I've been a fan of GateGuru since I first tried it in 2010. It's a travel app for the iPhone that provides a plethora of information of flights, airlines and airports. It's great having all of that in your pocket. Version 4.0 fixes some problems and makes GateGuru even better. Version 3 was ...

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Horizon Calendar for iOS keeps improving with unique features

by Mel Martin (Apr 25th 2013 8:00PM)

The iOS Calendar app is pretty basic, but for a lot of people, it gets the job done. If you're left wanting more, take a look at Horizon Calendar, which is US$1.99 in the App Store. We've taken a look at an earlier version of the app before, and this next generation, released today, adds more ...

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Fotopedia Reporter for iPad lets you create and share your photo stories

by Mel Martin (Apr 25th 2013 3:00PM)

Fotopedia Reporter is a unique, free iPad app that I would describe as a socially aware, digital coffee table book that lets you see and share photos that tell stories. The stories can be travel photos, landscapes, a restaurant visit or a dive trip. Anything that would be of interest to others ...

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WebStart for Mac lets you create a customized home page

by Mel Martin (Apr 25th 2013 10:00AM)

WebStart is a US$0.99 utility in the Mac App Store that lets you customize a browser home page with frequently used links, like search engines, news or weather. Yes, you can just use standard bookmarks as you are already doing, but this simple app presents your preferred links on one ...

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DirecTV prepping voice search app for this summer

by Mel Martin (Apr 23rd 2013 3:30PM)

Help is on the way. DirecTV has been demoing a new app, due out in beta this summer, that will let you search using voice for your desired programs or movies. You can use an actor's name, a show title or just about anything that would identify a program. DirecTV has partnered with Nuance, the ...

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Chimani releasing new national park apps and an option for augmented reality

by Mel Martin (Apr 22nd 2013 8:00AM)

We've said good things about the Chimani apps before. With National Park Week starting today, Chimani has released additional free national park guides, including Grand Teton, Glacier, Olympic, Sequoia-Kings Canyon and Bryce Canyon National Parks. A new guide will be released every day this ...

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