iPhone App Reviews

Way back in November of last year I reviewed KDR Software’s original version of 3D Fireworks and it was pretty good! They’re back with this new version that incorporates a city skyline and a whole mess of settings to play with, one of the coolest being the ability to set the “auto-launch rate” which controls how often stuff explodes in the sky. You also get to choose what types of fireworks are shown and you can even throw in a UFO if multicolored explosions just aren’t enough for you.

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Another round of untested free stuff hunted down by Eric! This one is a little heavier on corporate names than in the past but hey, you gotta eat and it usually helps to have a job.

RunKeeper Free by FitnessKeeper: Eric recently ran a marathon so I’m not surprised to see this app included! This app uses GPS to track your distance, path, etc. and is ad supported. Hate ads? Pay $9.99 for the non-free version.

Jobs by Careerbuilder.com: Get a job, iPhones ain’t free!

Whole Foods Market Recipes by Whole Foods Market: I prefer frozen burritos but if I ever decide to make something natural & organic I’ll be all over this one

Wild West Pinball by OOO Gameprom: To quote from this app’s App Store page: JUST PINBALL EVER

Stoneloops! of Jurassica Lite by PlayCreek: Swain loves this game!

AP Mobile by The Associated Press: Stay current with what’s happening in the world or be forever mocked by your friends, assuming you have some

This coming Sunday, we will celebrate the third anniversary of my 39th birthday - please, no gifts, unless they come in small blue boxes tied with white ribbon.  But more importantly to most, on Saturday we will celebrate the 233rd anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

In honor of this occasion, the gang at Core Coders Ltd. have created July 4th - Independence Day, a patriotic little application that entertains and informs us on this most American of holidays.

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I was planning to review a song lyrics app a while ago but it suddenly disappeared from the iTunes App Store and the developer never told me why! Oh well, no loss… Lyrics+ is far from perfect but it’s still pretty handy and has a lot of potential to become an “every day” app.

That other lyrics app was pretty run of the mill in that it would allow for searching by artist or song title. The thing that makes Lyrics+ so much more promising is that it will find, or at least try to find, the “now playing” song! There have been numerous times when I’ve been listening intently to Eminem rag on his mother but still couldn’t understand exactly how or why he wants to kill her, and I truly wished I could launch an app that would just show me the lyrics while the song is playing. That’s what this app does, and it takes just a couple of taps which is super cool.

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What seemed a total gimmic when first announced has proven itself to be the real deal.  After putting the 3GS through its paces for about a week now and the 3G still fresh in my mind, there’s no doubt Apple’s new ‘oil-fearing’  coating on the 3GS is a marvel.  I had to always carry around a quality microfiber cloth to truly get my 3G screen clean (which I had a screen protector on) as anything else really didn’t do much but move the smudges around to other parts of the screen.  In contrast, the 3GS (with no screen protector) not only just stays cleaner longer in general but a wipe on the shirt or pants actually does clean it up nicely…impressive!

Archon from React Games is a faithful remake of the absolutely iconic 1983 8-bit classic from that bygone era when Atari and Commodore computers were bonafide ’high end’ gaming machines.  I played Archon and Archon II obsessively on my beloved Commodore 64 and the reward today is vivid memories of solidly trouncing my friends that’s simply priceless…truly the Golden Age of game design back in the old 80’s.  Archon’s foundation is the ancient game of Chess but really it takes the concept into some wild space far beyond.  In fact, Archon is so cool, another of it’s influences was the scene from Star Wars where R2-D2 and Chewie are playing a holographic chess-like battle game on the Falcon and what kid didn’t just love that scene back in ‘77???

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AT&T Navigator is one of the first apps to fill a HUGE gap in the iPhone’s app catalog: Turn by Turn GPS navigation. This app, which is “powered by Telenav“, is one of the first apps that I know of that does not bill directly through the iTunes App Store. Instead, the monthly charge of $9.99 will appear on your AT&T bill.

Voice guided turn by turn directions are finally here!  No more hitting the “next” arrow on the Maps app while you rear-end the car in front of you.  So what is the deal with this app?  Does it deliver?  What is the experience like?  Are the directions solid?  What about the business listing database?  Real-time traffic?  How can you use this as a GPS device without multitasking (background running apps)?   Read on for the full review. Continue reading →

Ah, to be young and full of hope.  I remember being like that, before I got cynical and exhausted.

But three young college grads in Michigan are still hopeful, and they’ve created DoGood, their first iPhone app under their collective moniker of Mobil33t LLC.  Now, normally on a free app, I’d give you a few sentences about it and go on with my weekend.  But DoGood has inspired me to put in a bit more effort in the hopes that a few more of you will try out the app and be motivated to pay it forward, so to speak. 

The app is pretty simple.  Every day there is a suggested “do good” task, like thanking a teacher, or use less water.  If you need some inspiration to do the “do good,” read short posts from others around the world who have done it.  If you do it, great!  Share how it made you feel or what you did, and get a running tally of all the “do goods” you do.  You can even post them to your twitter account, automatically.

It’s a simple idea, but it does reinforce the notion of one small gesture a day making a difference in the world.  And, with it right there in the palm of my hand, staring me in the face, I have to admit, I felt a little guilty if I didn’t at least try to do the daily “do good.” 

If I had to make one suggestion to the Wolverines, I’d have some way to screen the feedback.  Some of it was downright raunchy (see the comments on the ‘do something you love’ DoGood), from losers who think it’s a joke.  I’d definitely rethink your “appropriate for 4+” rating until you have this filter in place. 

Other than that, bravo, my fine young chaps.  I hope you change the world, one iPhone user at a time.

You know those annoying pop-up ads that you had to get a pop-up blocker to eliminate, and those stupid quizzes that make you say “no” to a zillion free offers for magazines and tanning cream before you can get to the quiz?

Well some bozo put them all into an iPhone application called Free Stuff App. 

If you like being bombarded with this kind of crap, great - this is the app for you.  If you’re like the other 99.999% of us, stay away; stay FAR away. 

I can’t believe I’ve wasted this much time reviewing this.

The backstory is that for the last 6 months aliens from the parallel dimension known as ‘kaon space’ have been invading Earth and several other ‘offworld’ human colonies, apparently locking onto the free energy signatures of kaon crystals we’ve been using (for what purpose you don’t yet know).  You take the role of Bionic Surfer, who wakes up with a bad case of who/what/where and a mysterious figure known only as ‘The General’ inhabiting his subconscious and directing him to save humanity.

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