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Skeptical.me

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 10, 2017
649
632
Australia
There are a few that continue to amaze me but I'd have to go with Calendar. I can make entries on any device - iPhone, iPad, MacBook etc. and they instantly appear on all the devices I own. Having had a lot of hospital appointments in the last 6 months, I feel safe knowing how reliable Calendar is.

There are few things I enjoy in life, but one thing I do really enjoy is that feeling I get when I find an app that is well developed, and practical, which I can use as a daily tool. There are so many Apps that are nicely developed but aren't very practical. More gimmick than useful. The iOS calendar is very useful and practical. While I use OmniFocus I also use Reminders and Calendar.
 

sean000

macrumors 68000
Jul 16, 2015
1,628
2,346
Bellingham, WA
If you have a dual lens iPhone you NEED focos.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple eventually bought this app and implemented it into their photos app.

Amazing

Thanks for the recommendation. I just tried it, and yup... it's amazing! I always thought Lytro cameras were cool, and with this app my iPhone X is basically a Lytro. I love how you can even change the aperture shape and other lens characteristics... not to mention the lens simulators. It's kind of like having a Lytro and a Lensbaby all in one!

I was struggling to come up with my choice of apps that have amazed me. I suppose the sky apps with AR like SkySafari and Sky Guide are really cool. Google Earth has been around for years, but I still think it's amazing and fun.

Most of my favorite apps aren't so much amazing as they are useful. I guess we get used to stuff and it gets harder to be amazed these days. When I think about how far handheld technology has come since the cell phones and Palm III I had in the 1990's, it's all pretty amazing. I remember being blown away by Safari on the iPhone 3G after having used the barely useful browser on a Blackberry and then on a Motorola Razr. More recently I have been impressed and occasionally amazed by AR and VR... but an app like Focos gives me the special feels because I'm an avid photographer. I shoot mostly with Olympus and Nikon kits, but the iPhone X has been a surprisingly useful and enjoyable photographic tool. This app will make it even more so.

Sean
 

Skeptical.me

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 10, 2017
649
632
Australia
Thanks for the recommendation. I just tried it, and yup... it's amazing! I always thought Lytro cameras were cool, and with this app my iPhone X is basically a Lytro. I love how you can even change the aperture shape and other lens characteristics... not to mention the lens simulators. It's kind of like having a Lytro and a Lensbaby all in one!

I was struggling to come up with my choice of apps that have amazed me. I suppose the sky apps with AR like SkySafari and Sky Guide are really cool. Google Earth has been around for years, but I still think it's amazing and fun.

Most of my favorite apps aren't so much amazing as they are useful. I guess we get used to stuff and it gets harder to be amazed these days. When I think about how far handheld technology has come since the cell phones and Palm III I had in the 1990's, it's all pretty amazing. I remember being blown away by Safari on the iPhone 3G after having used the barely useful browser on a Blackberry and then on a Motorola Razr. More recently I have been impressed and occasionally amazed by AR and VR... but an app like Focos gives me the special feels because I'm an avid photographer. I shoot mostly with Olympus and Nikon kits, but the iPhone X has been a surprisingly useful and enjoyable photographic tool. This app will make it even more so.

Sean

Yeah, the Focos App is quite amazing. I've been using it everyday since it was mentioned in this thread.

I know what you mean about the reduction in the feeling of amazement. When the iPhone was released we all had those feelings and with time I guess we become more use to new app technology. But I still have those moment when I find an app, like Focos.

I guess I asked the question because I love Apple Technology and the amazing Apps we have at our disposal. I'm in my 40's and grew up watching VHS, and listening to Audio Tapes and Vinyl records , playing Atari's etc so for me so much is still amazing about everything tech and Apple, I was just wondering if others shared that experience :)
 
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eyeseeyou

macrumors 68040
Feb 4, 2011
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Thanks for the recommendation. I just tried it, and yup... it's amazing! I always thought Lytro cameras were cool, and with this app my iPhone X is basically a Lytro. I love how you can even change the aperture shape and other lens characteristics... not to mention the lens simulators. It's kind of like having a Lytro and a Lensbaby all in one!

I was struggling to come up with my choice of apps that have amazed me. I suppose the sky apps with AR like SkySafari and Sky Guide are really cool. Google Earth has been around for years, but I still think it's amazing and fun.

Most of my favorite apps aren't so much amazing as they are useful. I guess we get used to stuff and it gets harder to be amazed these days. When I think about how far handheld technology has come since the cell phones and Palm III I had in the 1990's, it's all pretty amazing. I remember being blown away by Safari on the iPhone 3G after having used the barely useful browser on a Blackberry and then on a Motorola Razr. More recently I have been impressed and occasionally amazed by AR and VR... but an app like Focos gives me the special feels because I'm an avid photographer. I shoot mostly with Olympus and Nikon kits, but the iPhone X has been a surprisingly useful and enjoyable photographic tool. This app will make it even more so.

Sean

The focos app allllllmost convinced me that I didn’t really have any reason to keep this $4-500 g7x mark ii or even my old canon slr lol then I came to my senses. Its amazing and almost magical but doesn’t turn mobile phone pics into bigger sensor equipped quality images. It does do a really good job of faking it though. Better than the stock camera at least.
 

sean000

macrumors 68000
Jul 16, 2015
1,628
2,346
Bellingham, WA
The focos app allllllmost convinced me that I didn’t really have any reason to keep this $4-500 g7x mark ii or even my old canon slr lol then I came to my senses. Its amazing and almost magical but doesn’t turn mobile phone pics into bigger sensor equipped quality images. It does do a really good job of faking it though. Better than the stock camera at least.

Yeah... there are still reasons to own some dedicated camera gear, at least if you are a photography enthusiast. That said, it keeps getting easier than ever to leave the camera bag at home. Even with the iPhone 6 I felt naked unless I was carrying my camera plus a couple of lenses. The iPhone X can't replace my cameras and lenses in every situation, but for daily carry unexpected photo opportunities it does quite nicely. Apps like Focos make it an even more versatile tool. It's certainly fun to use, and the results are impressive.
[doublepost=1534979624][/doublepost]
Yeah, the Focos App is quite amazing. I've been using it everyday since it was mentioned in this thread.

I know what you mean about the reduction in the feeling of amazement. When the iPhone was released we all had those feelings and with time I guess we become more use to new app technology. But I still have those moment when I find an app, like Focos.

I guess I asked the question because I love Apple Technology and the amazing Apps we have at our disposal. I'm in my 40's and grew up watching VHS, and listening to Audio Tapes and Vinyl records , playing Atari's etc so for me so much is still amazing about everything tech and Apple, I was just wondering if others shared that experience :)

I'm 48 years old, so I experienced all of those things as well. When I was a kid I had an Atari and later a Coleco-vision. My neighbor had a Commodore 64, but outside of that I did not have much experience with computers until I went to college in 1989 and used both macs and PC's running DOS/windows 3.1. From there my interest in technology took off and I made a career out of it. It's crazy how quickly things progressed, and of course over time it has gotten harder to impress the masses with new technology. But it still happens. When people ask me what I like most about my career in IT, I tell them that after more than 20 years in the business (and using personal technology and gadgets) I still get amazed and excited about new developments. I also really like the fact that independent developers are finding new and amazing ways to utilize the hardware in the portable devices we are using. Threads like this are a nice way to learn about some of those amazing apps.
 

eyeseeyou

macrumors 68040
Feb 4, 2011
3,389
1,594
Yeah... there are still reasons to own some dedicated camera gear, at least if you are a photography enthusiast. That said, it keeps getting easier than ever to leave the camera bag at home. Even with the iPhone 6 I felt naked unless I was carrying my camera plus a couple of lenses. The iPhone X can't replace my cameras and lenses in every situation, but for daily carry unexpected photo opportunities it does quite nicely. Apps like Focos make it an even more versatile tool. It's certainly fun to use, and the results are impressive.

Ow my biggest issue is that my 64gb gets filled up quick
 
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Skeptical.me

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 10, 2017
649
632
Australia
Ow my biggest issue is that my 64gb gets filled up quick

Thats why I always buy the largest capacity iPhone. Sure you can optimize and have your photos sent to iCloud but I like the originals kept on the phone. I find there to be issues when you try to download a certain photo here and there ... eg the download just hangs for 5+ minutes, so annoying.
 
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eyeseeyou

macrumors 68040
Feb 4, 2011
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Thats why I always buy the largest capacity iPhone. Sure you can optimize and have your photos sent to iCloud but I like the originals kept on the phone. I find there to be issues when you try to download a certain photo here and there ... eg the download just hangs for 5+ minutes, so annoying.
I would’ve been perfectly fine with 128gb but the price jump was too high for me for 256gb lol.

Anyhow. Forces me to take some extra time to take a quality pic lol
 
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eyeseeyou

macrumors 68040
Feb 4, 2011
3,389
1,594
Affinity photo and affinity design on the iPad Pro are absolute game changers also.

The closest “pro” apps to be able to replace adobe photoshop and illustrator. As a creative these two apps really brought me closer to not needing to bring my macbook with me to create.

I hear really good things about Luma fusion in terms of a adobe premier replacement too.
 
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eyeseeyou

macrumors 68040
Feb 4, 2011
3,389
1,594
One other submission for an app is google translate.

It’s amazing!

It’s borderline a live translator with with conversation feature when it listens to what you say in English and actually speaks the translation out loud!

Plus you can download the translation languages so if you’re ever in an area with no signal in a foreign country it’ll still work.
 
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Skeptical.me

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 10, 2017
649
632
Australia
Affinity photo and affinity design on the iPad Pro are absolute game changers also.

The closest “pro” apps to be able to replace adobe photoshop and illustrator. As a creative these two apps really brought me closer to not needing to bring my macbook with me to create.

I hear really good things about Luma fusion in terms of a adobe premier replacement too.

If I could stretch my budget to include the Affinity Apps I would definitely get them, the reviews are all really positive.
[doublepost=1535124496][/doublepost]
One other submission for an app is google translate.

It’s amazing!

It’s borderline a live translator with with conversation feature when it listens to what you say in English and actually speaks the translation out loud!

Plus you can download the translation languages so if you’re ever in an area with no signal in a foreign country it’ll still work.

There are some Google Apps like Translator that continue to amaze me. Google's suite of iOS Apps are truly brilliant. Only problem is I can't stand their privacy policies. So I tend to avoid the services. Which is a shame as they really do have good app.
 
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Skeptical.me

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 10, 2017
649
632
Australia
Affinity photo and affinity design on the iPad Pro are absolute game changers also.

The closest “pro” apps to be able to replace adobe photoshop and illustrator. As a creative these two apps really brought me closer to not needing to bring my macbook with me to create.

I hear really good things about Luma fusion in terms of a adobe premier replacement too.

I checked out Affinity photo, and even tough it cost $31AUD I purchased it. It should go nicely with ProCam, and Focos for photo editing. There seems to be a lot of options which should keep me interested for some time. Photo editing beyond the basics usually confuses me a bit, so this should be an interesting experience.
 
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RecentlyConverted

macrumors 6502a
Oct 21, 2015
903
644
If I could stretch my budget to include the Affinity Apps I would definitely get them, the reviews are all really positive.
[doublepost=1535124496][/doublepost]

There are some Google Apps like Translator that continue to amaze me. Google's suite of iOS Apps are truly brilliant. Only problem is I can't stand their privacy policies. So I tend to avoid the services. Which is a shame as they really do have good app.
I find the Bing translator app better - more accurate, (though it doesn't have the cool word lens feature that Google has, it will translate pictures, just not in real time from the camera).
 
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Skeptical.me

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 10, 2017
649
632
Australia
I find the Bing translator app better - more accurate, (though it doesn't have the cool word lens feature that Google has, it will translate pictures, just not in real time from the camera).

I'd definitely use Google Translator, or MS Translator, but I advocate for internet privacy and end user privacy rights over their data. So I'm hesitant to use their services. I use the Open Source tracer blocker AdGuard Pro on my iDevices. Currently it has blocked 27K+ trackers on my iPhone alone. On my iMac I use Little Snitch and uMatix, and uBlock Origin (AutoDeleteCookies, Firefox Containers, and Temporary Containers). I'm still looking for a non Google translator.
 

RecentlyConverted

macrumors 6502a
Oct 21, 2015
903
644
I'd definitely use Google Translator, or MS Translator, but I advocate for internet privacy and end user privacy rights over their data. So I'm hesitant to use their services. I use the Open Source tracer blocker AdGuard Pro on my iDevices. Currently it has blocked 27K+ trackers on my iPhone alone. On my iMac I use Little Snitch and uMatix, and uBlock Origin (AutoDeleteCookies, Firefox Containers, and Temporary Containers). I'm still looking for a non Google translator.
I understand what you say. I do get amazed when Apple owners bang on about Apples privacy over Android, yet when you look they are using -

Google search in Safari (or Google Chrome)
Gmail
Google Docs (really?)
Youtube
Google Home etc.

I need translation services, Bing is very good. If I could pay for a good translation App I would, but even paid apps seem to be mining data!
 

Skeptical.me

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 10, 2017
649
632
Australia
I understand what you say. I do get amazed when Apple owners bang on about Apples privacy over Android, yet when you look they are using -

Google search in Safari (or Google Chrome)
Gmail
Google Docs (really?)
Youtube
Google Home etc.

I need translation services, Bing is very good. If I could pay for a good translation App I would, but even paid apps seem to be mining data!

Yeah, I wonder the same.

I wish there were more paid for services that don't mine your data. I don't mind paying a bit for better privacy. That's why I moved to ProtonMail.
 

TheSkywalker77

macrumors 68030
Sep 9, 2017
2,890
2,760
Hm, hard to say, on my Mac a few months ago I downloaded iStat Menus ($10 on the App Store) and I really enjoyed how detailed and customisable it was. Magnet is also one I enjoy using. Not sure on the iPhone though, I don't download many new apps on there.
 
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sartrekid

macrumors 6502a
Oct 30, 2014
531
512
Germany
For the iPhone it has to be Headspace, Duolingo, Pocket, Scanbot, and Google Maps.

For the iPad Pro it's Procreate, Google Earth, GoodNotes, and Notability.
 
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