Remote and Dictionary.com are a pair of apps that, if you haven’t downloaded them, you should immediately. They both have free versions and are great to have on your iOS device. More recently, they each have just received big updates to make them even more useful. We feature both today in our Fresh Apps list below, so check them out, then get downloading.
Remote update (iPhone, iPad) Free
Apple’s Remote app lets you turn your iOS device into a controller for iTunes on your computer using your home WiFi network. It formerly made it easy to skip around tracks and adjust volume on the software without having to be at your computer, but with a recent update and iOS 4.2’s AirPlay feature, Remote is good for a lot more functions.
Chiefly, Remote can now handle controlling video streams from your computer to Apple TV, a feature of AirPlay. You can also play rented movies and TV shows on iTunes with the app, and Apple has added a wealth of controls for Internet radio, as well. Best of all, the whole app is free and works with software you’re already using.
Dictionary.com update (iPhone, iPad) Free
One of the best reference apps available on iOS devices is Dictionary.com’s mobile app, which combines the online word search services you can get online at Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com. Any time you need to look up the word, as long as you have either a WiFi or 3G Internet connection, you can get the information you need.
The big recent update to both Dictionary.com’s ad-supported free version and the $2.99 premium version adds voice search to the app’s functions, taking away the need to type words into the app to search them. The entire user interface has been redesigned, and the app works in daily content like a word of the day. You can customize the look of the app and even share words you look up on Facebook and Twitter.
Fotopedia National Parks (iPhone, iPad) $4.99
Compiling more than 3,000 photos, Fotopedia lets you delve into national parks using your iOS device. The app starts out by letting you peruse a group of 1,500 photos divided by park, and once you find one you’d like to see more of, you can select the park and see more photos tagged by their location in the park.
Fotopedia lets you search through the photos for different landmarks and areas of the parks, and you can also set up slideshows of photos or shake your device to have the app find a random photo for you. Each landmark comes tagged with additional information about it, as well, so you can learn more about the parks as you navigate through images of them.
