iPhone app - Dog Tricks & Bark Machine

Back in early February, I was given a promo code for the iPhone app Dog Tricks & Bark Machine (website) I have been having so much fun with this app that I forgot to write a review :-)

This is two applications in one - Tricks and Bark Machine. This app works on both the iPhone and the iPod Touch.

Bark Machine

This is the part of the app that I have been having the most fun with. There are eight different sounds (woof, meow, doorbell, fire truck, click, squeaky, high frequency whistle, and door knock) Playing with these can drive my dog nuts, and cause me great amusement! There can be a training aspect to the sounds as well - my dog is very reactive to a knock on the door, so I have been able to start to desensitize her to the sound with this app!




Tricks

Tricks is a dog training app, that gives you a bunch of basic commands, as well as some games and tricks you can teach your dog. There are also sections for advice on behaviour issues, and some useful tricks/games specifically for puppies. The developers have added some fluff in the application as well - some cute photos and a mini encyclopedia of common dog breeds.

You can choose "All Tricks" for an alphabetical listing of all the information available in the Tricks part of the app, or you can choose "Random" and shake your iPhone to randomly pick a trick with a Bark Machine sound. There is also a "Search" button if you know the name of the command you are looking for.

Each command is first shown as a couple of clear photos, and then you can press "info" for the step by step text instructions. I found the instructions were pretty clear and easy to follow.

Overall, I think this is a great little app, and is well worth $2.99 (although according to the website it is currently free for a limited time). While I recommend seeking out a professional dog trainer if you are new to having dogs or if you are having issues with your dog, I think this app is a great addition to your training package!

Weird podcast issue on my iPhone

I have encountered a weird issue on my iPhone. I listen to a bunch of regular podcasts, and have iTunes set to send the 5 most recent unplayed episodes to my phone when synching. Sometimes this means that older ‘casts are on my phone, and if they are news ‘casts, then not so relevant anymore and I want to fast forward through them so the phone marks them as completed.

So as the unwanted podcast is playing, I tap the screen to bring up the slider, move the little dot all the way to the right, podcast is marked as completed, all is well in my world. Unless I am listening to the Xbox 360 Fanboy podcast. Seriously, this is the only ‘cast this won’t work for. I move the slider, there is a slight pause, and then the podcast resumes playing from where it was. Or it jumps to some random location. Sometimes I can get away with moving the slider a tiny bit each time and it will eventually work, but not always. What the hell? Why does this happen with only this podcast?! Yeah, I could hold down the fast forward button, but that takes way too long for a ‘cast that is over an hour long.

Suggestions? Comments? Conspiracy? User error?

iPhone shortcut - deleting email from Inbox

Here's a quick iPhone tip for you - to delete email without opening it, swipe horizontally across the message in your Inbox, and a red Delete button will appear.

iPhone shortcut - taking a screen shot

Here's a quick iPhone tip for you - to take a screen shot of your current display, simultaneously press and release the wake/sleep button and the home button. The screen will briefly turn white and the image will be stored on your Camera Roll.

iPhone shortcut - scroll to top of screen

Here's a quick iPhone tip for you - if you are trying to get to the top of a long list, just double-tap on the title bar and you will jump back to the top.