Free Apps

The uChek urine analyzer app for iOS devices has come under fire from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has sent a letter to BioSense Technologies asking why their app hasn't been cleared with the agency. The uCheck app allows users to check their glucose and other analyte properties by using the iPhone's camera to read urine strips.

This is the first time a medical app has drawn the attention of the FDA, according to Bloomberg. The FDA says uCheck requires additional approval because it reads test strips made by Siemens AG (SIE) and Bayer AG (BAYN). The agency also believes there needs to be stricter rules for apps that replace existing medical devices, or that directly diagnose medical conditions.

“We intend to finalize the guidance this year,” Synim Rivers, an agency spokeswoman, said yesterday in an e-mail. “The FDA has proposed a regulatory approach that limits its immediate oversight to a specific, small subset of mobile medical applications that are medical devices and present the greatest risk to patient safety if they don’t work as intended.”

Universal Uclick's GoComics app brings the Sunday funnies to your iOS, Android or mobile Windows device. The app is updated daily with the world's most popular comic strips, and offers a vast collection of back issues so you'll never be short on reading material. The app also features all the standard social media sharing options, and a comics blog so you can stay updated on the latest news.

The "New Comics" section highlights upcoming cartoonists like Geoff Grogan (Plastic Babyheads from Outer Space), and the "Popular Comics" section features such classics as Calvin and Hobbes and Dilbert. You can even use the calendar option to jump back in time to see how comics like The Boondocks became a cult classic.

Flipboard version 2.0 has been released for iOS devices (Android users will have to wait another month). The upgrade allows users to save their favorite articles, photos, audio and video in folders called "Magazines". Users can keep their magazines private or share them with family and friends via Twitter or email.

Creating a magazine is easy: Just tap the + button at the bottom of any article and write a title and description for your magazine. Your magazine and saved articles will then be stored under the "My Flipboard" panel in the Options Menu. To share a magazine, just tap its cover under the "My Magazines" section, and select share. This is a great tool for saving articles you don't have time to read or finish reading.

The file sharing app Bump now allows you to transfer videos, documents and photos directly to your computer. The app also allows users to transfer contact info or files to other smartphones by simply bumping them together.

Moving images to your computer using bump is fun and easy: Just install the free Bump app on your iOS device, select the image you want to move, go to http://bu.mp on your computer's web browser, and bump the spacebar with your device. The image will upload to Bump's servers so you can download it to your computer.

Pokémon fans may never get an official iOS game, but the Pokémon Company has just delivered the next best thing... Pokémon TV!

Pokémon TV is a free iOS and Android app which allows you to watch Pokémon episodes for free. The best part is the app features no banner ads or in-app purchases, and it supports AirPlay on iOS. The app also includes trailers and movie event news so fans can keep updated on the Pokémon universe.

The app doesn't include every episode from all fifteen seasons, but the videos are supposed to be updated every week. Currently there are episodes from Season 2, 4, 7, 12, 14 and the trailer for Pokémon BW: Adventures in Unova.