5 (Free) iPhone Apps Every Parent Should Have

One of the best things we can do as tech-saavy parents is get our kids acclimated early to the wonders of a digital life. I’m not saying kids can’t be kids, but I think it’s pretty darned cool that my 4 year old is the only kid in her class who knows how to work an iPod Touch or bring up web-based games in Safari. At the end of the day, growing up around technology could really give kids a leg up when they get out into the real world. And so, with that in mind, MacApper is proud to suggest five free apps that every parent should share with their kids.

Buddy the Bus offers up a 21st century take on the book-and-record sets we used to get as kids. Back then you’d dig out your Fisher-Price turntable and listen to the narrator read along with the story. Now that we live in “the future,” both audio and book are magically transported as one package in this totally free app. Your kids can pop in their headphones and listen along as Buddy the Bus takes his passengers all over the town.

Baby Flash Cards is, to no ones suprise, exactly what it sounds like. Flash cards are considered by many to be a great way to stimulate a child’s mind. But why shell out $5-$10 for a set of real cards when you can get a fantastic free set right here? The free set included in Baby Flash Cards features a variety of real world objects and animals paired up with their matching words. Cards can be explored alphabetically or randomly, and you can set it so that all the info is on the card at once or the words are hidden until you touch them.

SimpleDraw proves one solid universal truth: kids LOVE coloring. It’s timeless. Give a kid in 12th century Mongolia a crayon and he’ll know what to do with it in seconds. So it should come as no surprise that the one app my 2 year old is always trying to wrestle away my iPod for is the one she calls “COLOR!!” SimpleDraw’s name couldn’t be more accurate. You can select from a handful of colors and brush thicknesses, but asides from that things are kept alarmingly minimalist. Your little one can just put a finger on the screen and go to town.

[via MacApper]

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Panasonic DMC-ZS3 hands-on and review

Panasonic DMC-ZS3 hands-on and review

We've seen a lot of innovation in the consumer point-and-shoot market over the past year or so, from capturing homemade action sequences at 1000fps to shooting 720p video underwater. Many of these innovations are borderline overkill, like 12 megapixel sensors wedged in behind cheap lenses, so we're happy to report that, despite its impressive specs, the latest superzoom shooter from Panasonic is respectable all the way through. The DMC-ZS3 doesn't offer any crazy features that are completely unheard of elsewhere, nor does it suffer from any rock and roll-style excesses for the sake of arbitrary 'world's greatest' claims. It's just a solid camera, but at $400 is it the sort of thing you want in your pocket, capturing your family's precious moments this summer?

Continue reading Panasonic DMC-ZS3 hands-on and review

(Via Engadget.)

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Leaked Olympus E-P1 Micro Four Thirds compact has us hot, bothered (updated)

Leaked Olympus E-P1 Micro Four Thirds compact has us hot, bothered (updated)

It's not scheduled to be announced until tomorrow, but it looks like Olympus' Micro Four Thirds tribute to the classic rangefinder has leaked out onto these here Internets looking every bit as handsome as the top-side leak seen earlier. Remember, we're talking about a DSLR-sized sensor stuffed inside that retro compact body. Judging by the pics of E-P1, we're looking at a stock, 17mm lens with an interchangeable 14-42mm (3x) zoom lens available at launch. One more day and we'll have prices, ship dates, and full spec-sheet to share -- can you wait? 3x lens and few more color variations in the gallery below.

Update: Possible specs accompanying authentic looking images have now entered the rumor mill. Said specs have the camera measuring in at 120 x 70 x 35mm (about the size of a Sigma DP2 or slightly larger than mainstream point-and-shoots) snapping 13 megapixel RAW images and 1280 x 720 pixel video to SD card, ISO 6400 sensitivity, 11-point AF, electronic anti-shake, and 3-inch LCD if we're reading the machine translated text correctly. It's expected to ship in July with prices starting at about $900 -- though it's unclear what you get at that price point.

Gallery: Olympus E-P1 Micro Four Thirds leak has us hot, bothered

[Via 43rumors]

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