iPhone App Reviews

myTtuner

Michael E. | Jan 30, 2010 Music

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

 Loading ...

In the days before Pandora, Sirius, and Napster, radio ruled the world.  If you didn’t own the album, CD, or cassette, the only way to hear your favorite tunes was the radio.  Your yearning for the latest from Michael Jackson, Nirvana, Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers or U2 could only be satisfied by a radio DJ.    

Sometimes you might flip on the radio and catch your favorite song halfway through.  That wasn’t so bad.  Sometimes you only caught the last few seconds of it.  That was bad.

Every now and then, if you were lucky- really lucky- you’d enter a kind of musical zone.  In the zone, you could flip on the radio, catch your favorite song as it was starting and listen to it all the way through.  If you were really in the zone, you could change stations after the song had ended and catch it again, right at the very beginning.

Good times.  I don’t miss them one bit.

Gianluca Falasca’s MyTtuner- The Ultimate Radio operates under the principle that somewhere on the world’s wide web, an internet station is playing a song or an artist you like.  With MyTtuner, you tell it who or what you want to hear (you can enter up to 6 choices) and when the app finds that song or artist, it will let you know (as long as you’re still in the app, of course).  Then, just tap your screen and enjoy on-demand music old school style, minus those pesky subscription fees.  If you really like a station, you can select it as a favorite and listen to it whenever you want.  Do you have favorite artists or groups?  Great!   Save them and the next time the app is opened, you can quickly search for their music.

MyTtuner will also generate a listing of every artist being played at the moment and  update every 60 seconds. 

Sweet, right?  Unfortunately, MyTtuner initially had some serious issues with stability; it crashed every time I used it, even after an update designed to eliminate them.  Each crash would erase my saved searches, my saved webcast stations, and music history.  As you can imagine, that was a pretty big disappointment, especially for an app with a $2.99 sale price. 

These past couple days though, it seems to be running better.  When it works, it’s great.  When it works, I start to think about terminating my Rhapsody subscription.  But when it doesn’t, it’s quite frustrating.

My only suggestion for improvement- beyond stability- would be MyTtuner’s appearance.  It’s a little dull and could benefit from a colorful makeover.

With a couple more updates and a bigger pool of internet stations to find the music and artists I like, I might just stop feeding my money to Rhapsody and use those monthly fees to buy more apps…

myTtuner

Version 1.1.1

Reviewed on iPod Touch 3.1.2

Tags: $2.99, Music, radio

GQ | Feb 2010

Brad H | Jan 30, 2010 Entertainment

User rating: (8 votes, average: 2.25 out of 5)

 Loading ...

With the announcement of the iPad comes all the speculation on how we will consume media like newspapers, magazines, and books. As far as books go the format is pretty much fleshed out with digital versions of books available on many devices. Magazines on the other hand are few and far between. Condé Nast Digital has brought GQ magazine to the iPhone and iPod touch. I personally love a good magazine but no longer subscribe to any because I find it to be a lot of hassle in the digital world we live in today. My biggest question has been ” The magazine is made on a computer then printed onto paper so why cant I just get a digital copy page for page on my computer or mobile device.”

The GQ app doesn’t go so far as to deliver a magazine that I can flip through page by page but its a great start. All the content from the magazine is present; Cover page, articles, and pictures it’s all there. The main app menu is split up into sections of relevant articles. The articles are easy to read and have a font re-sizer to adjust the text to be bigger or smaller. If the article has pictures that go along with it, and pretty much all of them do, there is a button you can push to view the media as a slide show.Some of the articles are on the web site but with the app purchase you are given full access to all the articles as well as app only pictures that aren’t on the site. Here’s to you Miranda Kerr, nice photo set.

As far as who is this app for, I would say the casual reader of GQ. If your buying your magazine off the rack your going to save $1.50 by getting the app. If your a subscriber of GQ your going to spend three times as much for the app after a year. If you are a first time reader the app does give you a link to subscribe to the print magazine for a year at a dollar a piece.

With all that said, here are some things I would hope for the future not only with Condé Nast but all publications. I want the actual magazine on my device just as it is in print. I also would like to see a digital subscription, and don’t get me wrong I’m sure things on Apples side need to change for this to happen. All in all I am excited for the future of magazines in digital form and for the GQ app blazing the trail in this open frontier.

EDIT: It has come to my attention that when you go into landscape mode you get the page for page magazine to flip through, ads and all, just what I wanted.

iTunes Link – GQ | Feb 2010

Version 1.0

Reviewed on iPhone 3G OS 3.1.2

Tags: $2.99, Entertainment

Momento

Michael E. | Jan 25, 2010 Lifestyle

User rating: (7 votes, average: 3.86 out of 5)

 Loading ...

If you’ve ever thought about starting a journal or diary, but failed to because you just didn’t have the time, I have got the perfect app for you:  d3i’s Momento.  Do you have a FaceBook account?  Do you tweet?  Listen to Last.fm?  Upload pictures to Flickr?  Even better!  Momento will import your FaceBook and Twitter updates, any Last.fm tracks you choose to favorite (I know I violated a grammar rule or two just then), and Flickr pics into its daily logs so that you have a nice, on-the-go mobile journal or diary without doing anything more than what you’re probably already doing.

Of course, if you’re feeling a little more wordy, your journal or diary does not have to be limited to online status updates or tweets.  You can write more lengthy entries with Momento.  And you can rate your entries, create tags and mark moments, people and places as memorable so that you can quickly search and browse through them later.

Momento is an ingenious app and you can clearly tell that the developers put a great deal of time and thought into its details.  It looks great and works beautifully.  If you don’t want to import one or more of your online personas into the app, you do not have to.  For example, though I have a Flickr account, I’m not much of a photo guy.  If I were, the ability to import my pics through Flickr would be a valuable ability, one that would bring color and variety to my entries. 

d3i says that there will be some exciting updates in the near future.  I can’t wait to see what they are and begin using them.  There isn’t much I could think to add to this brilliant app, but a few enhancements do come to mind.  For example, the ability to write entries in landscape mode, ability to choose font size, or to import either links to or full texts of personal blogs would make this an even more outstanding app.

2010 is a brand new year and the beginning of a whole new decade.  Why not begin to record those special moments as they unfold with Momento?

Momento

Version 1.0.2

Reviewed on iPod Touch 3.1.2

Tags: $2.99, journal/diary writing, Lifestyle

Asland

James | Jan 13, 2010 Games

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

 Loading ...

It’s hard to remember how I ended up in Pine City.  Everything before the “Crash” seems like someone else’s life.  People call it the “Crash” because they’re afraid of what it really is.  Like just saying the words “zombie invasion” makes it real.  Well, it is real.  I’m scared too, but we need to face facts here.

It’s been at least a month, but again, it gets hard to remember.  I spent some time in a department store with some good people, but they’re all dead now.  When the zombie hoard broke through our barriers, I was the only one to escape.  I holed up in the Pine City gun shop.  Seemed pretty safe.  That’s where I met Asland.  He broke through my barricade looking for supplies.  He was putting a force together to escape the city and he needed my help.  I agreed.

We searched the city for supplies during the day and held off the zombies at night.  I quickly learned how to shoot, although I wasn’t as quick or as accurate as Asland.  We found another survivor who was killed the very same night during our stand.  Asland didn’t even blink, he just kept shooting.  So did I.  We didn’t even know his name.  I started wondering who were the real monsters.

One night, the zombies broke our barricade down and I ran for it, again.  I left Asland there to fight alone.  I’ll never know if he made it, but I’m fine with that.  He never knew my name either.

———

Asland is a game about shooting zombies, searching buildings, shooting zombies, repairing barricades and shooting zombies.  You can find new guns, survivors who help you in your fight, and traps that you can place on the field.  You can outfit your survivors with the new guns that you find or keep them for yourself.  The ideas here are great.

That being said, Asland is  hard.  I’m not sure if the controls are unresponsive or I’m just really awful at killing the undead.  Perhaps it’s a mix of the two.  That hasn’t stopped me from trying and enjoying the process.

If you couldn’t tell, I love the zombie theme.  It seems to be “done to death” recently (sorry…) but my thirst for zombies is unquenchable.  Keep it up Colorme(Beijing)Info Tech Co.,Ltd.

iTunes Link – Asland
Version 1.0
Reviewed on iPhone 3GS OS 3.1.2

Tags: $2.99, Games, shooter

Theme Park Madness

Sara | Jan 9, 2010 Games

User rating: (3 votes, average: 2.67 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Every summer, I would go to my local theme park and see tons of teenagers controlling the rides. I often wondered what it would be like to be a ride operator.

This game by Movile finally gave me a chance to become a ride operator. Okay…I didn’t actually get to control a real roller coaster and get paid, but this game is still fun! There are two simple controls: touch the left part of the screen to deccelerate and touch the right side of the screen to accelerate. You get to travel around the world and can earn achievements for each roller coaster.

When I first tried this game, I thought, “How hard can this be? All I have to do is hold down the accelerate and watch the graphics of the ride!:D ” I was wrong. These roller coasters have sharp drops, sudden hills, and lots of loops. I would find myself going at a nice speed, and suddenly I would find a sharp drop. BOOM!!! Next thing I know, I see my passengers have deployed their parachutes (apparently, the theme parks I work at give all passengers parachutes) and are safely floating to the ground.

I found this game very addictive and very fun. One of my favorite parts was the achievements. Some of the achievements are Speed Demon, Grabbing Air Time, and No Brakes! No Brakes was the hardest to earn because you can’t deccelerate at all, or else you don’t get the achievement. I  liked the backgrounds for each city because they represented each city very accurately (I loved Washington D.C. because the roller coaster passed the White House:-) ).  At $2.99, I found this game a bit pricey, but there are 18 levels, so I guess that justifies the price.

Overall, this is a fun game to play on your coffee break or during lunch. Get this app and see if you are a good ride operator or not. I know I’m not. :lol:

iTunes Link – Theme Park Madness

Reviewed on iPhone 3GS OS 3.1.2

Version 1.1

Tags: $2.99, fun, Games

Outside

Michael E. | Jan 9, 2010 Weather

User rating: (5 votes, average: 4.20 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Let’s face it- there are a ton of free and premium weather apps available in the App Store.  The sheer amount of information they manage to cram onto a screen can be absolutely mind-numbing.  And some of them are a little…um…dare I say it?  Unattractive.

Don’t get me wrong, all those weather details are nice to know, but they aren’t especially important to me most of the time.  Personally, there are only three questions I have about the weather at any given moment:

• What is the current temperature?
• What can I expect for the day to bring, weather and/or temperature-wise?
• What can I expect for the next few days to bring weather and/or temperature-wise? 

Outside is a weather application that successfully manages to combine simplicity and utility while answering those three basic questions.  No more, no less.  Plus, it’s pretty.  So pretty that you’ll find yourself checking the weather far more than you usually do, just to admire its attractiveness.  I sure did.

But Robocat’s Outside is more than a pretty face.  You can swipe through current weather and future forecasts, each offering a distinct ‘out of a window’ visual graphic of what the conditions are at the moment or soon will be outside.  Outside also includes many of the details we love to see in a weather app, including humidity, cloud cover, wind direction, UV index, and sunup/sundown times.

You can set push notifications (30 days of push notifications provided free, additional 90-day blocks available through .99 cent subscriptions per notification type) for a variety of conditions such as rain, high UV, cold weather, and t-shirt weather.  The notifications are customizable, meaning that you are able to set temperature and time of day criteria for your alerts. 

You certainly don’t need the notification alerts to use Outside, but they do enhance it.  Keep in mind that there is an added cost to receive notifications beyond the initial 30-day offering.  Additionally, you cannot set or receive severe weather alerts and it does not offer radar maps, animated or otherwise.  Perhaps those features will be offered in future updates. 

Outside is a welcome addition to the weather app world, though the $2.99 price tag is a little steep.  Nevertheless, this app will help you to make the most of the weather no matter what it throws at you.

It’s also very pretty to look at.

iTunes Link – Outside

Version 1.0

Reviewed on iPod Touch 3.1.2

Tags: $2.99

Family Feud

Sara | Jan 8, 2010 Games

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

 Loading ...

It’s time to play Family Feud!!!!! I have always loved watching this show on Saturday mornings. The unique game play, funny answers, and catchy theme song just drew me in. Naturally, I had to review this Ludia app based on the game.

This game did not disappoint. It is set up where you have 12 families to beat in single player mode, and in party mode, you get to play human vs. human instead of human vs. computer (party mode actually seems to be only two player mode, not really a party mode).

The set up of the game is just like the actual show. You are presented with a survey question and can buzz in to answer. The game is somewhat easier because you get to type your answer, and as you type, it presents you with suggestions (if your answer isn’t a suggestion, it most likely isn’t on the board). I found the choice of survey questions to be large. After playing for several hours, I hadn’t found any repeat questions.

I really like the graphics for this game. The stage for the game is exactly like the one on the tv. You get to customize your character too; as you advance through the game, you unlock more clothes for your character. I loved the clothes choices because I was able to make a character that looked exactly like me :D .

The only problem I had with the game was that it crashed a few times and froze. I know that this can be common with apps and games, so this didn’t bother me that much.

Overall, this game has everything: enough questions, great graphics, fun gameplay, and great clothes for customizing your character. This game only costs $2.99, and I highly recommend it.

iTunes Link – Family Feud

Reviewed on iPhone 3GS OS 3.1.2

Version 1.0.1

Tags: $2.99, fun, Games, interesting

Parcel Panic – Post Car Racer 3D

Brad H | Jan 1, 2010 Games

User rating: (3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Welcome to Tapiti Island, home of Tapu City. This is where you get your big break in the delivery business. In your trusty pick up truck you drive around town picking up and delivering parcels, but don’t start lolly-gagging around because there is a time limit on each delivery. Starting out can be rough, with a truck called the snail, but things can only get better. With big dreams and hard work one day even you can drive the illustrious Falcon.

I was supposed to spend the day driving across California to buy myself a pick up truck but when that fell through I picked up this gem of a game and satiated my truck desires. Parcel Panic is way funner than a drive over the grape vine. Mad Processor hit the mark with this one. Just in the loading and menu screen alone the quality of this game shines through. Even though the game is graphically intensive it ran smooth on my iPhone 3G.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: $2.99, arcade, Games

Where’s Waldo? The Fantastic Journey

Sara | Jan 1, 2010 Games

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

 Loading ...

Imagine a game with pictures straight out of your favorite childhood picture finding book. Now combine that with the technology of an iPhone and the great game play from Ludia. Add some cute music, bundle it all together and you get  Where’s Waldo? The Fantastic Journey.

This app is a Where’s Waldo book with some extras. The game is set up as an adventure game where you follow Waldo, Whitebeard the Wizard, Wendy, and other characters through a journey to collect the 12 mystical scrolls. When you collect all 12 scrolls, Whitebeard the Wizard will reveal to Waldo an important secret that Waldo has been searching for. At the start you can choose normal game play or kids. The kids version is noticeably easier as it will make sure the item/person you are looking for is always in the area it brings you (in other words, you don’t have to move the screen view around).

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: $2.99, fun, game, good for kids, sale

POV: mPassport Paris

Michael (Admin) | Dec 16, 2009 POV, Travel

User rating: (No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

* “POV” (Point of View) is a new feature that we’re testing out *

mPassport Paris is on sale for free – normally $2.99

HTH Worldwide’s rating: 9.0
IAR’s rating: 9.0

I’ve done some traveling in my day, and when you don’t speak the local language it can be pretty hard to get what you need! Luckily I’ve only needed food, bars, and bathrooms for the most part so the language barrier wasn’t really a huge concern, but I imagine I’d be singing a different tune if I needed to be inspected by a doctor or locate some drugs of the legal variety.

mPassport Paris is designed for exactly that situation… whether you need a dentist, a shrink, a pharmacy, or pretty much any other medical service, this app will find it for you if you’re in The City of Light or, as most Americans know it,  The City of Hot Lovin’.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: $2.99, translator

Home Sweet Home

Michael (Admin) | Dec 4, 2009 Games

User rating: (3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

I’m a single guy who vacuums once a year and survives mainly on beer and pizza, so it’s no wonder that interior design isn’t my thing… not in real life, anyway. Still, even for me, Home Sweet Home is a pretty fun game that combines a fairly relaxed version of the time management genre with problem solving and creativity as you try to furnish rooms that meet the needs of some really weird clients.

Big Blue Bubble’s port of this PC franchise turns you into an interior designer trying to meet the needs of clients whose tastes and requirements are all over the place, and apparently being clear about their needs ain’t how they roll. Each client’s demands are conveyed through increasingly cryptic riddles, and it’s up to you to figure out just what the hell it is that they want.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: $2.99, time management games

POV: Cell War

Swain Valasek | Nov 13, 2009 Games, POV

User rating: (1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

* “POV” (Point of View) is a new feature that we’re testing out *

TipCat Mobile’s rating: 8.0
IAR’s rating: 8.0

TipCat Mobile (a CWC company) has certainly made a splash with their first action game for the iPhone called Cell War.  It’s an arcade shooter, a horizontal shmup to be exact (and we’re all about exact here at IAR).  There’s no shortage of these babies in the app store so does it carve out a niche or simply step to the back of the line?  TipCat tells us it’s the former and I tend to agree…read on for their capsule review followed by the comments of yours truly in the name of all that’s honest and fair.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: $2.99, shmup, side scroller, Swain Valasek