LifeCast - iPhone/iPod Touch App
LifeCast is a new app for the iPhone/iPod Touch created by SleepyDog Ltd. It is, essentially what is says it is in the name, a blogging and journaling application that will allow you to keep a running journal on your life’s events, or publish them for the world to see on a WordPress, Tumblr, or Blogger blog. Seeing this as an opportunity to try a new method for posting to this blog, I decided to give it a try. My post on November 25th was my first test with the application.
The program is described by the vender as:
LifeCast is the latest offering from Sleepydog Ltd, who were the ideas factory behind the BAFTA-winning Buzz! on PS2.
LifeCast is a blogging and journaling application you can carry in your pocket. Record your daily events and activities in photos and text, time-stamped and geo-located. Set up a connection to your blog and post your entries online.• Create multiple LifeCast timelines : one for work, one for home, another for a special event or maybe a vacation tour.
• Optionally connect each LifeCast with a blog. You can have a different blog set up for each LifeCast.
• Enter text entries with a title and body text
• Take a photo, or choose one from your library, and give it a title
• Fix the location of any text or photo entry. View the locations of past entries using the Maps application.
• Post your entries to your blog* Choose which entries to post and which to keep to yourself.
The current version is compatible with Blogger in text only, Tumblr with text and pictures, and WordPress. The web site does not describe any limitations for WordPress, however I stumbled into one possible limit/bug, but more on that in a bit.
I have an iPod Touch and will not be getting an iPhone anytime soon (I am on a gadget diet until after Christmas at the earliest) so I did not know how well this program would work for me. The first screen when starting the application is where you select which Lifecast you want to use.
This screen is very straight forward. If you have alredy setup your LifeCast, you would select it here or click on the plus sign to add your information. The information you need is fairly straight forward when setting up the LifeCast. You have to name it, decide on a photo size, turn on or off Auto-Locate., which I REALLY recommend for the iPod Touch unless the location finding via wireless access points works better for you than it does me., and if you want your LifeCast posted to a blog. If you don’t select a posting option, your info is on your phone/iPod only and the program becomes a basic journal. Choosing a blog type, however does require an internet connection, so make sure the wireless is on when you try unless you’re on the iPhone. A couple of interesting aggravations to note at this point. If you exit the program during a LifeCast setup, it will be created anyway rather than discarding the info and starting over. That;s OK, I guess, if you can figure out how to edit the settings of a LifeCast after it is setup. It took me a couple of tries to find the edit settings button, and no it isn’t the button on any page labels edit. Also,make sure you test your blog connection as it took me a second try to get that right. It’s not hard, just not as intuitive as I would like to see.
All in all, it is a pretty good application for the price (free at the time this was written), but I am not sure it will become my iPhone App of choice for posting to my blog. I will keep it and use it for some personal journalling for now and as the app matures, see what features the Developers add to it over time. I recommend it, if for nothing else than it’s ability to be a decent Diary/Journal with the option of posting if you want to do so. Plus, I doubt you’ll find a better free option in the App Store. Overall, I’d rate it a 3 out of 5 point scale.
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