Real Zen stone gardens are fun. I received a small desktop garden as a gift once, complete with a mini rake. It was soothing and enjoyable – until a sequence of unfortunate incidents left me no choice but to donate it to charity with a note attached. “Not for use in homes with children or pets, or at offices with clumsy co-workers.” I can only hope it has found a happy home. Thankfully, I’ve moved on to a less messy and nearly as pleasing Zen garden – on my iPad. iZen Garden delivers indulgence from the very moment the screen opens. It is (for the most part) very well-executed and thoughtfully designed, and is perfectly suited for the iPad’s touch-screen. Continue reading iZen Garden for iPad: Rake your Way to Calm

It’s frustrating when a good idea is poorly executed. I can tell this iPad app is a labor of love for the developers– great care has gone into the details of the chess interface and overall game play. But it’s just not ready for prime time yet. Painfully so. The thing is, I’m kind of a cheese ball and I love a good comeback story. So I’m challenging the developers of WarChess HD: create a new skin. Add a few features. And you might just have a winner! Continue reading iPad’s WarChess HD: A (Free) Conundrum

The first iPad app from Adobe is free (for now). While Adobe Ideas is far from perfect, it shows great promise as a tool for mobile producers. I’ll tell you why – but first let’s set the stage for Adobe’s grand entrance. Cue the music, maestro!

Designers are a fickle but largely loyal bunch, and the iPad is a perfect marriage of all the stereotypes we’ve come to know them by. (I design interfaces for a living; I am the stereotype). iPads combine the product design we’ve come to expect from Apple, with the feel of a Wacom tablet. No, I can’t picture any of my colleagues switching to an iPad full-time yet, but apps like Adobe Ideas are helpful for off-site client meetings, brainstorming sessions, design critiques, and napkin-sketches. Continue reading Adobe Ideas for iPad: Not CS5 – But Not too Shabby Either