iPhone App Reviews

Q&F: Mover

Michael (Admin) | Aug 28, 2009 Entertainment, Quick & Free

User rating: (No Ratings Yet)

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Wheeee this is fun

It *almost* works just like you’ve seen in the iPhone commercials… Mover lets you move photos and contacts from one device to another via either wifi or bluetooth, and they get automatically saved which is a really nice feature.

I say “almost” because sometimes the transfer is smooth and instant like the commercial, and sometimes it takes a few seconds for the receiving iPhone/iPod to get what you just slid over. And sometimes it just hangs and you’re not sure what Mover’s doing, and then the transfer happens much later than you were expecting.

For the most part it works and it’s fun to do, so for the low, low price of Free it’s worth grabbing, if for no other reason than to try it out and wow (or possibly disappoint) the crowd gathered around you. There’s also a paid version of Mover called Mover+ which I haven’t tried, but for $2 hopefully Infinite Labs was able to make it more stable than this freebie.

iTunes Link – Mover
Version 1.0.2
Reviewed on iPhone 3G OS3.0.1

Tags: contacts, free, photo sharing

Q&F: Tic Tac Toe and Tiles Classic

Michael (Admin) | Aug 17, 2009 Games, Quick & Free

User rating: (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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These games from GameStudio9 aren’t the most exciting things you’ll ever see, but they’re old classics and they’re free and they’re well done.

Tic Tac Toe allows you to play vs. another iPhone via bluetooth and it comes with easy/hard skill settings. Yes, it’s tic tac freakin’ toe, how much can the AI change between easy and hard? I dunno, just shut up and play!

Tiles Classic comes with 24 photos to unscramble, and you can set the difficulty from 3×3 up to 5×5. It’ll give you a “hint” by showing you where the tiles belong for a quick second, but other than that you’re on your own. Sorry, you can’t import  your own pics but when the price is zero there shall be no complaining!

GameStudio9 did a good job on both these ad-supported games and it’ll be interesting to see what they come up with when they actually want to make some moolah.

iTunes Link – Tic Tac Toe: GS9
iTunes Link – Tiles Classic: GS9
Version 1.0 (for both)
Reviewed on iPhone 3G OS3.0.1

Tags: traditional

Q&F: Taco Bell Why Pay More! Shaker

Michael (Admin) | Jul 21, 2009 Entertainment, Quick & Free

User rating: (4 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)

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This is another one of those apps that newspaper reporter is asking for feedback on (see Knock on Wood)… not sure why because the Taco Bell Why Pay More! Shaker doesn’t seem all that odd to me, and it’s actually kind of useful if you’re broke as hell and looking for some grub.

What you do is input how much cash (or pocket change) you have on hand, hit Submit, and then give your iPhone a good shake. After a couple seconds the Taco Bell slot machine thingy will present you with meal options that fall within your budget and it even counts how much change you’ll have left. What it doesn’t count is sales tax, but I think that could be chalked up to the app’s assumption that you know if you live in a state where food is taxed. After all, you’re just poor, not stupid!

This is brand-marketing at its finest and since it’s well-executed I really don’t mind it at all. The Hyperfactory Ltd. did a nice job on the app and now, once again, you have a chance to make yourself heard in the comment box! Remember, an actual newspaper reporter is reading this. Go on, try the app and be as witty as you can be.

iTunes Link
Version:  1.1
Reviewed on: iPhone 3G

Tags: free

Q&F: Knock on Wood

Michael (Admin) | Jul 21, 2009 Entertainment, Quick & Free

User rating: (3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)

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Knock on glass, I mean wood

If you’re ridiculously superstitious you might actually like this “app”. Notice that I put “app” in quotations… it’s only an iPhone app in the sense that you can download it from the iTunes App Store and put it on your iPhone! Oh yeah, and it was also one of the first apps available when it was released nearly a year ago on July 27th, 2008.

When you launch Knock on Wood, you see a photo of a piece of wood. Tap the wood and you get a nice knocking sound, kind of like you just knocked on wood in order to double-jinx whatever stupid jinxy thing you just said, ie: “gee I hope I don’t get mowed down by a bus today.”

The only reason I’m writing about this hilariously stupid “app” is that a newspaper reporter asked me if I could help her round up some opinions on this and several other oddball App Store entries. If you’re game, please try it out and post your thoughts in the comment box! Who knows, you might even get quoted in the article. Come on you fame whores, you know you want to!

iTunes Link
Version 1.0
Reviewed on: iPhone 3G

Tags: free, useless

Q&F: Vampires Bloodlust

T.J. Brumfield | Jul 15, 2009 Games, Quick & Free

User rating: (3 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)

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Zynga’s Vampires Bloodlust follows a familiar formula already established by Mafia Wars and the like. You perform missions to earn experience and currency, which in this case is blood. And proving that the only thing deadlier than predators is a society of predators, you can turn against your fellow undead and attack other players. Gameplay isn’t anything new or particularly exciting. That being said, I felt this game deserved some discussion.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Games, Q&F, T. J. Brumfield, zynga

Q&F: DoGood

Chrisa | Jun 27, 2009 Lifestyle, Quick & Free, Social Networking

User rating: (6 votes, average: 4.17 out of 5)

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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.

Tags: Lifestyle, Q&F, social networking

Q&F: Free Stuff App

Chrisa | Jun 27, 2009 Quick & Free, Random Freebies

User rating: (5 votes, average: 2.40 out of 5)

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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.

Tags: freebies, Q&F

Q&F: MyGovernment

Chris J. | Jun 24, 2009 Quick & Free, Reference

User rating: (3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)

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Here are two quick questions to help you decide if you should download this app: Are you an American citizen? Do you vote? If you answered yes to these two questions then you have every reason to download this app immediately. MyGovernment is all about keeping you informed on what is happening in the government and giving you the tools to make your voice heard.

As far as I can tell there is no partisan bias in this app to speak of, unless you find any in the news articles that the app may link to. This app simply gives you the straight story on what’s going on in Congress. It also give you the tools to contact your local representative or state senator so you can make your voice heard. That’s what Democracy is all about right?

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Chris J., free

App Sale: Falling Gems

Michael (Admin) | Jun 8, 2009 App Sale Alert, Games, Quick & Free

User rating: (9 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)

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Rocha Software says that Falling Gems is “FREE for a few days only!” There are a ton of crappy games out there making the same claim as an ongoing sales gimmick, but in this case I kind of believe that the price may actually go up because this one has the makings of a pretty good match 3 app.

In Falling Gems you slide the gems one space at a time to try and get at least three like-colored gems to touch. Make that happen and they disappear which earns you more time on the clock, but more gems fall in to take their place. That’s all there is to this game, but if Rocha could fit in some flashy powerups, global scoring, and maybe some extra game modes (ie: time attack or at least easy/medium/hard) then this would easily be worth a buck or two.

For the time being, though, Falling Gems is a mind-numbingly simple game with nice shiny-looking graphics. You can’t beat the price and, who knows, some upgrades may eventually make this game a contender in the genre.

Creepy emo soundtrack not included!

Tags: free, match 3

Q&F: Star Trek Phaser

Michael (Admin) | Jun 2, 2009 Entertainment, Quick & Free

User rating: (1 votes, average: 1.00 out of 5)

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If Leonard Nimoy were writing this review he’d say that releasing this piece of crap is highly illogical. I’ve seriously been more entertained by watching Captain Kirk’s Priceline.com commercials than firing the “phaser” in this sad excuse for a movie companion app.

There are other Star Trek apps out there, most notably the game from Electronic Arts which probably kicks ass because they always make good stuff, but Star Trek Phaser is a waste of space. In “freeplay” mode you just touch the screen to fire the phaser, and in “game” mode (and I use that term very loosely) you’re trying to hit a target that moves back and forth across the top of the screen. The phaser is stationary and you have to fire when the target is at dead center. Snore.

The phaser itself is nicely rendered, but I think you’d have to be a radically hardcore Trekkie to find any joy in this app. Come on Paramount! You can do better than this.

Tags: free

Q&F: Fishing Frenzy

Michael (Admin) | May 30, 2009 Games, Quick & Free

User rating: (4 votes, average: 2.00 out of 5)

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Near as I can tell, there are two main reasons that Fishing Frenzy has earned a crappy 2-star rating in the iTunes App Store:

1. Instructions on how to play are nearly non-existent and it seems a lot of people can’t figure out how to play it
2. The game has only 12 levels, so the fun is pretty short-lived

Here’s the answer to #1: Tilt the iPhone left and right to move the boat around the water, and tilt it backwards and forwards to move your fishing line up and down to hook the passing fish. When you get a fish on the line, it’ll jump out of the water and you have to catch it in your boat in order to score any points. As for #2… uh… can’t help you there!

This game isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty decent for being free even if you’ll have it beat in one sitting. Kind of reminds me of Cannon Challenge… nice gameplay, but just not enough of it.

Tintash Ltd. claims the “free” price is a “special introductory offer”, but at this point the game has over 7,000 App Store reviews and it’s still free so I wouldn’t take that line too seriously. In its current form, Fishing Frenzy feels like a good Lite version, but I’d only be willing to pay for it if a lot more levels and various types of challenges are added.

Tags: free

Q&F: FantasyLens

Michael (Admin) | May 28, 2009 Photo & Video, Quick & Free

User rating: (2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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There must be a zillion apps that let you stick photos behind silly templates, so why did I pick FantasyLens? I dunno… I guess I liked the icon? Plus I wanted something simple to mess around with on Memorial Day at my dad’s house.

Widgetize provides 24 templates with face cutouts to fuel your need for photo wackiness. Most of them look like old paintings that I’m guessing were chosen for their ‘public domain’ status (ie: the dev didn’t need to pay for them) but that shouldn’t stop you from giving the app a try. You have to take a new photo with every new pic you want to make… no choosing from the camera roll here… but if you can get the camera angle and distance just right it’s possible to produce a pretty seamless photo fake.

The seamlessness is courtesy of several controls for adjusting image settings like brightness, contrast, and saturation, and it’s also possible to undo/redo/reset/save. These features are a big part of why FantasyLens is worth downloading; the app is by no means perfect…  app rotating/resizing is more or less absent… but if you just wanna goof off there’s no harm in trying this one out.

For the record, the kids at my dad’s house LOVED FantasyLens. Their parents didn’t give a crap but the 8-year-olds just went ga-ga for it, just in case you (a) don’t mind them passing around your iPhone, and (b) need to keep them occupied for a while.

Tags: free, funny, photo editing