As of today, some users will be able make free calls (VOIP) to the US and Canada within their Gmail accounts.   If you didn’t get the pop-up yet, don’t worry, it seems to be rolling out rather slowly.  Only a few people on our team at GeekBeat.TV have received the “call” feature, me being one of them.

The new feature appears as a phone icon within the chat/contacts section in Gmail. There’s a requirement to install the Google Voice & Video plug-in before you get chatting but it only takes a few seconds.

Canadians, you haven’t been left out this time despite the huge shaft on Google Voice, we won’t be able to receive calls in Gmail but at least it’s something right?

International users ( and Canadians according to the blog ) will have to wait.  “If you’re not a U.S. based user—or if you’re using Google Apps for your school or business—then you won’t see it quite yet” – Google Blog

If you already have a Google voice number, it will output the GV # when you make a call and you’ll be able to receive calls within Gmail.

From the dial pad, users can select the country and input a phone number to call.  The user you call doesn’t need to have Gmail, it’s calling their phone directly.   The call quality isn’t 100% but I’m not about to look this gift horse in the mouth, it’s for the most part really cheap — for now.

Pricing

Calls to the US and Canada are free until the end of 2010, that’s all we have heard from Google on North American calling.

International calls are dirt cheap, U.K, France, Germany, China, Japan (to name a few) at $0.02 per minute. Prices seem to vary from country to country as well as from mobile to landline.  International prices may change after 2010.

(Source Engadget, The Google Blog)

Android Geeks,

I’ve just posted a list of 10 must-have apps for Android, you can check it out at GeekBeat.TV

Looking for an upgrade to your Android’s stock camera app? Want to track the processes running on your device? This list should have you covered =)

Hey Geeks,

This post is a few weeks late but I wanted to let everyone know the exciting new things I’ve been up to  ( in case you don’t follow me on Twitter / Facebook ).

For those of you who weren’t aware, Cali Lewis, formally the host of GeekBrief.TV launched a new site & show called GeekBeat.TV, an awesome place to find current gadgets, tech news and anything compelling to geeks.

Cali’s new show is part of the Revision3 network,  a television network for the web that has brought us sweet shows like Diggnation and Tekzilla.

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve recently joined the GeekBeat.TV team.   I’ve been a fan of Cali for a long time so it’s a huge honour to have been picked.  Check out the entire GeekBeat.TV team , they’re a hella fun group.

Cali has now launched a free mobile app (itunes link), so users can keep up to date with GeekBeat.TV episodes on the go. Users who upgrade will receive behind the scenes videos, the past episode catalog, TV appearances, mobile wallpapers and push notifications.

Come hang out with me at GeekBeat.TV and check out my latest GeekBeat.TV posts.

You can also check out my ‘hot app’ articles at The Globe and Mail.

Moving Tales brings The Pedlar Lady of Gushing Cross to the iPad in a stunning revival of an old tale.

What is like to be a kid in 2010?

We started Moving Tales to expand and explore storytelling on the iPad platform. Not just any stories, but tales with rich legacies, many of which have been told for millennia. We are taking these stories for a walk – rephrasing and reframing them in a way that is compelling and appropriate to this new platform. Although they have aspects of books, animated films, storytelling and interactive media, the result is greater than the sum of its parts. Our very bold intention is to develop the first great iPad storybook app. –Matthew Talbot-Kelly, Founder, Producer and Director of Moving Tales

Highlights

* sophisticated 3D animation on every page
* original music, voice over and sound effects
* animate the text using the iPad’s accelerometer
* Cover Flow-like navigation
* page swipe or tap for page turning
* auto page turning option
* sound effects only sound option
* compelling narrative
* randomly selected alternate views and extras to ensure no two viewings alike
* sophisticated and dynamic typographic layout
* evocative poetic language
* Spanish option—choose to hear and display the story in Spanish as well as English

Get it ! (iTunes ) $4.99

( via Moving Tales )

Check out more cool books for the iPad

This does not make me feel better about flying.

Metaio the company that launched the Junaio AR browser last November, have recently made a few very interesting announcements — image recognition, tracking and a mobile development kit.

This has just been made possible on the iPhone with the release of the iPhone’s new OS, developers now have access to the camera’s API and live camera data opening the gates of possibility for things like 3D animations overlaid in your augmented reality browser.

Previously, using this type of reality browser (with only GPS data), you’d typically see information in form of an icon overlaid on the screen. As a quick example, if you were viewing a monument and fired up your AR browser, you’d likely see the Wikipedia icon pop-up on the screen with an option to “read more” on Wikipedia.

With Junaio’s new update, the experience has gotten far richer than interactive icons, with their implementation of image recognition and 3D.

For business owners this means your products, signs or posters could trigger an enriched multi-media experience ( on a mobile device ) like promotional videos, 3D animations of your product and can be used outdoors and indoors should you want to add augmented reality elements inside your store or business.

There are a few ways developers can use Junaio to implement the AR experience for their customers; using their Unifeye Mobile SDK ( licensed product ) or by creating a channel within the browser –only basic programming knowledge required. By creating a channel you’re able to access a free API and use “glue” to create an AR experience for clients or customers with no cost to you. Nice!

The folks at Metaio have created a demo of a 3D animation using their “Glue demo Channel” and it may just blow your mind. Not to ruin the surprise but this truly impressive feature will allow the animation to pop out of your devices screen.

Here’s a Video I shot

Seems I stretched out the video, sorry about that.

Here’s How You Do It

Get it in the app store and Android Market

Look at this image through Junaio’s browser

If you already have the Junaio app, you’ll need to ensure you’ve updated prior to attempting the demo.

In addition to these exciting updates, Junaio 2.0 will find you points of interest (POI’s) to find nearby locations such as restaurants, banks, recommendations and as mentioned earlier you can view channels which overlay GPS data “icons” from popular services like YouTube.

Use Metaio’s Unifeye Mobile SDK to develop an AR app like this one…

Develop a Channel

Create a channel (within Junaio’s browser ) and use Glue to create a sweet AR experience for your customers or clients in the real world–it’s free http://www.junaio.com/publisher/junaioglue

Junaio is available in the app store and Android Market.

Note: Using the Nexus One I had issues getting Junaio 2.0 to launch while Junaio 2.0 works perfect on the iPhone.

Check out more iPhone stuff on Geeklish or read my weekly column Apps We Love in The Globe and Mail.

Let’s have a look at my iPad toy box

Apple iPad Case

Not protecting your iPad with a case means possible scratches, nothing to absorb the shock of a fall and unless you purchase a stand, there’s nothing to prop it up on an angle but your own makeshift program.

The soft microfiber and reinforced panels covers your iPad similar to a book cover, defending the screen with a front flap.  And yes,  the front of the case sports the Apple logo as you’d expect.

Nicely the front flap can be folded over into a slot located on the back of the case. This will support the iPad on an angle — ideal for media junkies.

The headphone jack, dock connector port, power and volume buttons are accessible through holes in the case.

Cons:
The only drawback of the microfiber is it seems to smudge up rather quickly. Sure wiping it down with a damp cloth cleans it without causing damage but for someone like me that spends so much time keeping the device itself clean, the case shouldn’t require the same treatment. Like a typical Apple fan I like the aesthetics of the microfiber enough to warrant the flaw.

Overall, it’s a win in both style, feel and design.

Retails for $45.00 (U.S) at Apple.com

Apple Camera Connection Kit

This kit includes two adapters; SD to iPad port and usb to iPad port. The accessory does what the name implies, it connects your digital camera to the iPad and imports photos (standard photo formats + jpeg, raw) — but that isn’t the only thing it can do for you.

Lets face it, the iPad should have usb and an SD card slot but until that happens you can use this accessory to solve the problem and import from a usb drive, SD card or iPhone.

Sadly I don’t have an endless amount of external hard drives and keyboards to test but our friends at MacWorld claim they had success connecting several usb keyboards, usb headsets and usb audio accessories . MacWorld also mentioned that keyboards that require a lot of power were hit or miss…

USB keyboards that provide higher-power USB ports for charging and syncing iPods and iPhones—including Apple’s own aluminum models—require more power than the iPad’s dock-connector port will provide. -MacWorld

I have however tried plugging in iPhone to iPad. It imported all of the images and videos from my iPhone, it just requires you to open the Photos app and hit import. Importing from the SD card worked fine for me as well.  Keep in mind videos need to be converted to H.264 format to play on the iPad.

The biggest benefit of this accessory is plugging it in to a USB keyboard while the iPad is docked–mighty sweet! (Although it didn’t work for me using an official Apple keyboard from the iMac).

I don’t have a usb stick on hand to test but I’ve included a video below of someone who’s done it. It just requires some formatting.

Cons:
When you import images or videos it places the videos in the photos rather than videos which is a bit of a bummer. Though this accessory wasn’t intended to do such a thing, hooking up an external drive sounds awesome– a task I’ve yet to make happen.

Retails for $35 (U.S) at Apple.com

Apple Dock Connector to VGA

Using this accessory you’re able to connect a monitor or TV to the iPad in order to view media on a bigger screen. This could be highly useful in classrooms, meetings or any event where the iPad screen isn’t ideal. It could replace the need to use a projector in a few ways; presentations and media however… the limitations might be kinda brutal.

Using Keynote (iPad app) + the VGA adapter you can put on a pretty impressive presentation, a good reason alone to get this accessory if presentations are something you do.

Cons:
Not all videos will play depending on copyright/DRM as pointed out in the video above.

It doesn’t display the iPad on the monitor similar to the experience of using VNC software instead it solely works with a limited number of apps that support this type of output.   Twit Pad, YouTube, iPod, Keynote, ABC and Photos are some of the few apps that work.

Retails for $35 (U.S) at Apple.com

Apple iPad Dock

The small design of the dock is superb, taking up about as much space on your desk as a deck of cards. The iPad plugs into the iPad port allowing it to sit upright in portrait mode and has a non slip surface on the bottom– no sliding. On the back of the dock Apple has included an audio line out and another iPad port.

Using the dock you can sync, charge and as mentioned earlier you’re able to use the dock with the camera connection kit and the VGA adapter should you want to plug-in a supported keyboard or monitor while the iPad is docked.

Connects to VGA + Camera Connection Kit, plugs into computer, stereo, speakers and the 10W USB power charger.

Cons:

There’s no denying that this is a great solution to charge or sync and overall it’s an ideal place to store the iPad but watching media in portrait mode kinda really bugs me. Doing my best Shatner.. ” Whyyyyyy??”

Retails for $35 (U.S) at Apple.com

Apple iPad 10W USB Power Adapter

This iPad peripheral offers a 6 foot cord to power your iPad. In addition to giving you a second charger, the long cord is awesome for those of use who have inconveniently placed outlets –making lying back on the couch with the iPad or iPhone during a charge possible.  I’ve never been able to do that due to the placement of my electrical–finally I can finish a game with a wall charger.

Works with the iPad, iPhone, all iPod touch models, iPad Dock and the iPad Keyboard Dock.

Cons:
None that I can think of. It’s fantastic.

Retails for $35 (U.S) at Apple.com

Check out more iPad stuff on Geeklish or read my weekly column Apps We Love in The Globe and Mail.

Reference of MacWorld: Camera Connection Kit + Keyboard test.

HTC, the manufacturer that brought us the first Android device, aims to dazzle us once again with one very sexy device — The Legend.

I’ve been test driving the Legend for a few weeks and the experience so far has been sweet.

Look At That Body!

The Legend sports a solid aluminum unibody design, a style similar to the very sexy unibody MacBook pro.  Media, apps & widgets look beautiful on the 3.2” HVGA AMOLTED display with 7 revolving home screens.

The soft, smooth and boxy casing with a slight curvature (flipped) at the bottom, feels great to hold.  The screen on the Legend is a tad smaller than the Nexus One which has a longer body and a sort of rounded feel on the edges.

The solid piece of aluminum covers the entire front & back and  doesn’t have the usual large battery slot accessed by removing the backing of the phone.  Instead the battery, MicroSD and SIM sit under a small rubber slot which provides a rubber groove on the backing offering a struggle-free removal.  Nice touch.  The camera, located on the back of the device (no front facing camera) is protected by the same soft rubber used to support the battery at the base of the device.

Power & Storage
The Legend has a Qualcomm 600 Mhz processor, 512 MB of ROM and 384 MB of RAM.  It supports MicroSD (SD 2.0 compatible) up to 32 GB.  Moving through apps is crazy snappy, no lags that I’ve experienced.

Optical Joystick :
Onscreen navigation can be achieved with the optical joystick / track ball which has a flat surface unlike the rolling trackball found on the Nexus One.  I’ve never been a fan of the rolling trackball, accidentally selecting an option (using the rolling trackball) is a common problem,  for me anyways.  Upon putting it to the test, the newly designed optical joystick was a great deal more accurate.

Taking Pics: Camera
Moving on to the Legend’s camera which in my humble opinion is pretty darn sweet.  The cam shoots up to 5 megapixels and has auto focus, LCD flash and a powerful zoom.  Prior to taking a shot you’re able to adjust image properties & effects such as contrast, saturation, sharpness, grayscale, sepia, negative and exposure.  Additional tweaking within the settings;  ISO, white balance, quality, geo-tags, self-timer, grid, shutter sound, metering mode and flickr adjustments.

Shooting Video: Camcorder
Filming will bring up some additional video options not seen while using the still cam; record with or without audio, limit the length of a clip, encode in MPEG4 / h.263 and resolution variations: VGA (640×480) CIF (352×288) QVGA (320×240).  Adjusting things such as brightness, contrast, colour and zoom are all possible but need to be done prior to shooting. Records in: .3gp

Here’s an example of video I shot using “out of the box” settings.

HTC SENSE
The Legend’s UI HTC Sense (built on Android OS) has some excellent features & benefits.

A few highlights I thought were worthy of noting…

At first glance I really liked the curved dock located at the bottom of the screen.  Within this easy-to-see dock you can easily ‘add items to the home screen’ (widgets, apps, shortcuts, folders), ‘make a call’ or ‘view all apps’.  For you tactile keyboard fans they’ve included a keyboard with vibration feedback and it works in both portrait and landscape modes.  Coming from a Nexus One and iPhone 3Gs, I found the keyboard a bit wee. The buttons are very slender (in portrait mode) even for the smallest of hands, this is the sacrifice of having a smaller device in your pocket.

Web Browser:
Not the snappiest browser I’ve ever used but it does support multi touch, bookmarks and the ability to run multiple windows.

Oh and…  it supports flash ! Yes, it allows you to watch flash videos & animations  however it could use some work.  It’s a bit choppy at times but it’s honestly hard to complain about it considering my other devices don’t support it.  Who’s to know who’s to blame about the erratic behaviour of flash.  This may not be HTC’s problem.  Could be Adobe’s problem.

YouTube
In short, media looks fantastic on the AMOLTED screen.  The native YouTube app is very snappy playing vids smoothly.

Scenes
There’s a new menu option called ‘Scenes’ which gives users a themed experience to the UI with theme-specific wallpapers and widgets. As an example, one of the Scene options titled “Social” fills up your home screens with social widgets; mail, Friend Stream and contact favourites.  Your additional scenery options; HTC, social, work, play, travel, clean slate, default and custom.

Leap: Mobile Expose?
Pinching ( pinch to zoom ) on a home screen  will achieve an experience similar to hitting the hot key in OSX called Leap.  The expose-like view of your home screens is nothing short of awesome.

Friend Stream
HTC has integrated social networking on the Legend with its new build in Friend Stream widget.  From your home screen you’re able to post updates while receiving broadcasts from your friends on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr.  This large social hub widget with its slightly transparent background looks gorgeous on the screen.  Touching “selecting” a status update will bring you to the full screen app, like most social clients, its options include ; all updates, Status updates, photos and links.   Commenting,  Liking and accessing your @’s, DMs, Favourites and viewing contacts from Twitter can all be achieved with Friend Stream.  Overall a pretty cool app to ship with a mobile device.

Visual Location Journal
HTC FootPrints assists you in creating a journal of an event or anything you’d like to document or remember.  Journals can be organized by pre-set event-types.  This app has a nice UI and with its attachment of location data on Google maps it could be very useful for documenting the address of a product you’ve found, stores, restaurants or whatever you might want a pic+address of.

Improving on Android Music Players
The UI of the native music player has uber-sexy animated song turns when your browsing to a new song.  Sharing a song via bluetooth and viewing detailed track information can both be accessed from the song menu.  And of course widgets for this app can be added so you’ll be able to access music from your home screen.

Peeps, Friends and Home Boyz
People ( address book ) has social integration so you’ll conveniently be able to view, organize and interact with your friends a few different ways.  You’re able to browse your friend’s profiles on Flickr, Facebook and Twitter or engage their posts ( like, comment, reply ) all within the contacts. You can additionally add a company directory (exchange activesync account).  Engagement of your social networks is possible by selecting a contact.  Facebook fans can view a friends’ wall, comment and like. Same deal with Twitter and Flickr.  I’m a fan of the network division rather than lumping everyone together.  Pretty neat.

Peep
Twitter fans can use the always-on Twitter app Peep to connect with tweeple from the home screen.  Two Twitter widgets are available.

Picture Gallery
The image & video albums are quite pretty and very social.   After feeding the app your log-in details for Facebook and Flickr, you’ll be able to view your friends albums sorted by contacts, similar to a mobile address book contact list.  Photos can of course also be shared or set as contact icons, wallpaper, lock screen, favourite or save as a  footprint (journal). Video supported formats: Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv

Text Selection:
Selecting / highlighting a piece of text provides a handy menu of options;  copy to clip board, share and search.  When sharing text, it shortens the url prior to allowing you to send it to Friend Stream, Mail, Messages or additional social apps you have installed.
The truly fantastic search option, gives users the ability to translate their text selection into 23 different languages but keep in mind the word count length of your selection will drastically increase the time it takes to process the translation.  From the translation screen the option to search on Wikipedia and Google’s dictionary is conveniently possible.

Verdict:
I love this phone.  The design is sweet and the HTC Sense’s UI seems to be more intuitive for Android newbies.  After handing the phone to friend who’s a hardcore iPhone fanboy (Android virgin), he easily grasped the UI — not the case with past Android devices I’ve passed to noobs.

I’ll be the first to admit that trading in my iPhone for an Android was inconceivable to me prior to getting my hands on the Nexus One and Legend.  While the Android Market has a ways to go in the app department (I want the hot titles) before I’d ever do that, the open nature of the Android OS and the devices themselves are moving closer and closer to winning over smartphone fans.  The Legend is one super sexy gadget if you’re in the market for an Android.  The ability to view flash.. priceless.

Specs:

Physical	Weight: 126 grams (4.44 ounces) w/ battery Length: 112mm Wide: 56.3 mm From The Side: 11.5 mm
Display	AMOLED touch screen with pinch-to-zoom capability 3.2 " screen Resolution: 320 X 480 HVGA
CPU, Power & Battery	CPU Processing: 600 MHz Talk time: WCDMA: Up to 440 mins and GSM: Up to 490 mins Standby time: WCDMA: Up to 560 hours and GSM: Up to 440 hours Battery: Rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer or Lithium-ion battery Capacity: 1300 mAh
Platform	Android 2.1 (Éclair) with HTC Sense
Internet	3G: Up to 7.2 Mbps download speed Up to 2 Mbps upload speed GPRS: Up to 114 kbps downloading EDGE: Up to 560 kbps downloading Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g
Tethering	Internet sharing through USB
Blue tooth	Bluetooth® 2.1 with Enhanced Data Rate A2DP for wireless stereo headsets FTP and OPP for file transfer Other supported profiles: AVRCP, GAP, GOEP, HFP, HSP, PBAP, SPP, Service Discovery Application Profile
Camera	5 megapixel Auto focus and flash Widescreen photo capture Geotagging
Sensors	G-Sensor Digital compass Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor
Widgets	Bookmarks, Calendar, Clock, Footprints, Friend Stream, Mail, Messages, Music, News, People, Photo Album, Photo Frame, Search, Settings, Stocks, Twitter, Weather and Downloadable widgets
Storage	ROM: 512 MB RAM: 384 MB Expansion slot: microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible) Supports up to 32 GB
MultiMedia	View Audio & Video FM Radio Audio supported formats:.aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma Records in: .amr Video supported formats: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv Records in: .3gp
Location	Internal GPS antenna Google Maps HTC Footprints (journal with location data)
Network Bands	Europe: HSPA/WCDMA: 900/2100 MHz GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz Asia Pacific:HSPA/WCDMA:900/2100 MHz GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

I’ll be following this post with a head to head of Nexus One v Legend.



Marty Martin (director) and Flakjakt (musician) shot their new video “Cascades” solely on the iPhone 4.
This video looks amazing and will no doubt inspire more artists to take their lead. Digital Trends mentioned Final Cut Pro was used to edit, clearly they’ve applied some filters and tweaks to achieve the stylized appearance but the clarity of the iPhone 4′s camera is impressive none the less.

article via Digital Trends

When I was a child in the 80’s, I was a huge fan of pop-up books. I thought they were very impressive at the time. I presumed that by now interactive holograms would walk and talk across the pages. The iPad doesn’t quite pull that feat off yet, but it has impressed me considerably and is the closest kids will get for now.

With what it can do, there are endless possibilities to keep children amused and reading. Sadly when compiling this list I waded through a large amount of disappointing rush to market apps/ebooks.  Here’s the best I’ve seen so far…

Alice in Wonderland is one of those apps that you buy the iPad for.  Definitely one of the ones you use to demo the iPad for your friends. The infamous classic comes alive with interactive art. This app doesn’t feel like it’s “just” for kids, the artwork is themed like the book, kinda dark and Tim Burton-ish. Objects on the page are effected by touch and by tilting and turning the iPad.  A must-have app on the iPad. 52 pages of fun.  All ages.

Cost: $8.99
Get it (iTunes Link)

Shrek Forever After -Kids Book HD is themed in the fun-loving world of the green ogre, Shrek. If your kids are fans of the Shrek movies, they’ll likely get a kick out of this interactive book. The interactive elements are limited to short audio clips but are offered on every page. Kids can get Shrek to roar and grunt by touching him but it fails to utilize the accelerometer or the ability to move and drag objects. Children can play (listen) to the book while watching the words being highlighted as they’re read. The artwork is top notch.

Cost: .99
Get it (iTunes Link)

Toy Story-Read Along includes both a book & activity games.  It has incorporated short clips from the movie in the book – -highly engaging for children.  While children read along/listen the words spoken pop off the screen. You have the option to either use the original narrator or record your own reading. In addition to movie clips, the artwork is activated by touch. You can’t move any objects around but you can hear audio clips of characters (by touching objects) on almost every page. This book also comes with a colouring book of Toy Story themed pages, 2 games and music from the movie. Lots of value here for kids. Toy Story 2 and 3 ebook apps are available at the cost of $8.99, this short review is of the free version.  Read the full review at The G&M.

Cost: FREE
Get it (iTunes Link)

Monkey Business-Zoo You Later! is a super cute book about a few cheeky monkeys that have escaped from the zoo. The story is great and the graphics are humorous. Parents have the option to play (listen) to the book by the narrator supplied or record themselves instead. Every page can be coloured within the app by selecting the paint can icon. The in-app colouring feature can also import artwork back into the book when the child is finished.   A cool feature but you lose the interactive objects when you view the book with the pages you’ve coloured.   While viewing the book with the original artwork, kids can do some pretty fun things with the pages, like making monkeys fly across the iPad screen.  One of its best attributes is revealed by “double-tapping” a word.  The narrator will spell out the word letter by letter. Helpful for newbie readers.  Read the full review at The G&M.

Cost: $4.99
Get it (iTunes Link)

How To Train Your Dragon- Kids Book HD transports young readers into the fantasy world of vikings and dragons. Another book based upon a popular family movie and a sure-fire way to know if your children will be into the title. While the story and artwork are great it lacks the fun element of interacting with objects– no audio clips or flying monkeys here. This app will let children read with or without the narrator and offers the common feature of highlighting the words as they’re read.

Cost: $2.99
Get it (iTunes Link)

The Marvelous Toy is a song book for children ages 4-8. Children listen to the song and read along karaoke style. The artwork is gorgeous, the song is cute and provides a fun experience for kids with the extra benefit of hidden surprises within the pages. Kids can find multiple animations and sounds on every page.

Cost: $1.99
Get it (iTunes Link)

Mandy and Andy Seasons HD is geared to young readers. This book won’t appeal to an older audience, trust me, I tried it on my five year old nephew. It is however perfect for the child under 5. In this book little ones learn about the seasons of the year and play games with Mandy and Andy (2 cuddly cats). Kids can select different objects on the pages to activate movement and audio and it’s offered in 5 languages.The mini-games “tasks” promote learning and memory skills. Children can listen to the book or read quietly. A win for toddlers and pre-schooler newbies. Available in English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese.

Cost: $1.99
Get it (iTunes Link)

Story Kit isn’t an interactive book but an app to create your own book with your child. International Children’s Digital Library is offering this app for free. Nice! It was designed for the iPhone but works fine using the iPad. Create the title, import pictures (maybe of your child), draw on the pages using brushes, add audio and write some text. When the book is completed you’ll be able to save and flip through in the order you created. Pages and layout can be re-ordered if a mistake happens during the process. A great way to get creative with your kids, enjoy the experience=)

Cost: FREE
Get it (iTunes Link)

I’ll continue adding to this list, please contact me if you know of an iPad Children’s book that should make the list.