Karen Freeman

The iPad is a fantastic reading device. There are a number of stand alone apps designed especially for reading media rich children books. This AppList will explore some of the best ones of the bunch.

Both the iPhone and the latest iPod touch have great little video cameras on board. There are many apps out there to enhance the iDevice videography experience. Edit video right on your iDevice with professional looking results. Get creative with special effects, vintage video or stop motion video. You can even pull still photos from video you have shot. Read on for some of the best and most interesting ones we have found.

Do you like to get creative and little bit silly with pictures? Serious photographers and iPhoneographers will want to take a look at different AppLists, such as Photographer's Kit. But if you just want to do some fun things with your photos, this list contains a sampling of the many, many cool photography apps out there for that. This AppList was first written last year, but the apps just keep coming, so we have included some of our favorite new fun iPhone photo apps for you to enjoy.

We've updated some of our popular AppLists to reflect reader suggestions and changes in the app store. Read on to find out more.

By now, everyone probably knows that the App Store is nearing its ten billionth download. In honor of that milestone, the App Store is giving away a $10,000 iTunes gift card. Meanwhile, MacPhun LLC has decided to offer their own prize to the person that downloads that ten billionth app.

Instant Heart Rate is a real heart rate monitor, not one of the joke or trick apps that abound in the app store. It works on the same principle as a medical pulse oximeter that is used in hospitals. Simply place your finger on the camera lens and get your heart rate in about 10 seconds. Read on to find out how to win a copy.

Turn your photos into dreamy art on your iPad with MobileMonet HD! This app makes creating art easy, even for those of us that are not really artistically inclined. Read on for your chance to win a copy.

And now, for something totally different. Flying in the face of the “retro”/”analog” iphoneography trend, this app explores a whole new digital world. Instead of making your photos look older or more filmlike, this app pixelates and decimates your photos in a bizarre, futuristic, and interesting way.

Now you can selectively color photos on your iPad with ColorBlast! HD. Take advantage of the iPad's larger screen to easily lend your creative touch to photos. East Coast Pixels, the creators of ColorBlast! for iPhone, which we reviewed back in October, have come out with an iPad version. Read on to enter to win a copy.

The native camera on the iPhone is pretty decent, but not exactly feature-rich. The iPod Touch 4’s camera leaves even more to be desired. Here is a collection of apps to replace your native camera with something better. Some of them also have some nice editing features, but this AppGuide is really all about taking higher quality and more interesting photographs.

By popular request, we have revised two AppLists and an AppGuide this week. Read on to check out what improvements we made!

Who doesn’t love a good game of solitaire? Klondike solitaire, or Patience, is the classic card game we all grew up playing on a computer or with an actual deck of cards. It’s been a popular time-passer for many generations - so it’s only natural that it would be so successful on the iOS platform. Several of the following apps have a number of different kinds of solitaire card games in one app for you to enjoy. Some people like their solitaire very simple, while others like more bells and whistles, but every iDevice needs a good solitaire game or two. This guide will help you pick the solitaire that’s just right for you.

When I got an email offering a free iPhone case from Sephora, I just had to investigate. A free case for either the iPhone 3G/S or the iPhone 4? Entirely free, no strings attached? Could it really be?

Tap Forms HD lets you create a customized database for just about anything with photos, text, access to your address book, web addresses that display the page right in Tap Forms, and more. You can share the data in a variety of ways, and even email data as a CSV file.

Keeping track of your diet and calories can be tricky sometimes. The iPad can be a great tool to stay on top of your diet. This AppGuide will help guide you through some of the best ones...

Christmas is just around the corner, so here is a list of iPad and universal apps to get you into the holiday spirit. Write to Santa, create Christmas cookies and cards, make a gift list, and read Christmas stories both classic and new. Search the skies for Santa Claus and track the weather, all with the help of your iPad.

PhotoPal is a great photo editing app for the iPad. The folks that brought you Perfect Photo for iPhone have created PhotoPal to do much the same thing on the iPad. And, PhotoPal is on sale, 75% off, this week only, to celebrate their newest update.

Retro Camera Plus is the perfect way to explore the world of retro photography without spending a dime. Surely you’ve heard of app store darling Hipstamatic. Well, now you can check out Retro Camera Plus, which is similar, except that it’s free. Some might call it a knock-off, but I see it as a different app entirely, since each of the effects are different. In fact, I believe they complement each other quite nicely - it would not be a waste of space to own both.

Say What You See: The Collection is a punny puzzle app for you. Like a combination of Where’s Waldo, a rebus puzzle, and visual puns, Say What You See is a feast for the eyes and the brain.

ProCamera has a great new update! It was already an award-winning app, having received Gizmodo's gold medal for best iOS photo app, Apple’s Staff Favorite, and the 2nd place prize for best iOS development at the iPhone DevCon in Cologne, Germany. Now, it’s even better than it was when we reviewed it. With a more attractive and intuitive user interface and loads of new features, this is an app you’ll want to check out if you haven’t done so already.

Dr. Suess Camera - The Grinch Edition is an adorable app that lets you put yourself into the Dr. Suess classic, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. Now you can pull such a great Grinchy trick. With this app and an iPhone, you’ll look just like the Grinch!

Snow and Ski Report by REI is a must for skiers, snowboarders, and winter sports enthusiasts. This free app gives you all the latest information on your favorite ski resorts.

Sweater Booth - Christmas Cheer Maker is a fun little app that lets you put a tacky Christmas sweater on the people in your pictures. Are the guests at your party dressed a little too tastefully? Slap silly sweaters on them to spice up your photos. Have you been fantasizing about getting that family photo where everyone wears a matching sweater but can’t get the fam to comply? Now you can simply paint the same sweater onto each and every person, even the family pets.