iPhone App Reviews

Knot Guide

Swain Valasek | Jan 30, 2009 Utilities

User rating: (4 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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• My single beef is that the 1.6 version kept the buttons at the bottom ‘hot’ so you could always back out to the logical beginning no matter how far you were into a knot.  1.7 gave us favorites but also took away this ‘hot button’ behavior which IMO unstreamlined the app a bit.  I emailed the developer about it (who have been great and very responsive all around) and it looks like they agree!  So we might see this functionality returned in a nearby update.

Tags: $3.99, knot guide, knots, Sports, Swain Valasek

KamiCrazy

Swain Valasek | Jan 29, 2009 Games

User rating: (17 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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• When you don’t have enough KC’s to finish the level, the game doesn’t force you to quit (though you can always restart from the pause menu).  I like this as it lets you get in some extra practice to try and master the controls (more on controls later) before having another go.
• Excellent ‘toon-shaded’ graphics, sound fx and animations.  The background music track is very catchy but not well-suited to the jungle theme; a ’jungly’ track or 2 added to the mix would be welcome.
• You can go back at any time and play a level previously beaten so if you’re stuck on oh, L37, you can still get your gaming fix in by replaying some easier levels.

• Strange, infrequent bug where upon failing to complete a level it would throw up the summary screen but take me back to the level (but with no KamiCrazies so nothing to do) instead of letting me restart.  Only way out was to exit and restart the app as a double-tap wouldn’t bring up the pause menu.  I also experienced a level failing to load a few times, needing a full exit and restart to get going again.  Seems like a little extra stability could be achieved in a future release perhaps.
• Controls controls controls.  Later levels become maddeningly frustrating due to poor responsiveness to input, to the point where I knew the solution after the first couple runs but had to restart innumerable times after struggles with the controls left me in an unwinnable situation.   I often found myself having to viciously swipe to get my KC’s to switch direction or jump, often only to see my input ignored as they proceeded to ambulate directly into the nearest death trap.  A side effect of this mad swiping is it would often cause the pause menu to come up (at the most inopportune times).  Then the game would refuse to recognize that I was pushing (and subsequently repeatedly mashing) continue to get back to the action.  It was also often difficult to move entities (fans & trampolines) as the game sometimes just wouldn’t register that my finger was firmly planted on it.  It almost seemed like the more KC’s onscreen at once the less responsive the controls.  The developer noted the controls were already improved once in a prior version and while I still found them to be an issue, not enough so to ruin the fun factor, which is very high indeed. 

• More levels (planned), always a good thing in a game like this!
• A settings menu (under review).  I’m down with that, would be nice to have at least music & sound on or off toggles from within the game.
• A global high score table (started).  Currently the game does not keep any type of score which oddly enough, I didn’t even notice until it was pointed out.
• Game credits on the website (under review).

All said, this game is fun, addictive, takes good advantage of the iPhone’s strengths and is definitely worth the purchase price.  It’s another ’perfect for iPhone’ game as you can play in short satisfying bursts and later return to where you left off.  The developer is obviously devoted to ongoing improvement of the game so that only sweetens the deal further.  Even with the noted control issues it’s still two thumbs up for KamiCrazy!

Version reviewed – 1.8
Lite (demo) version available – yes (8 levels)
iTunes Music supported – yes

Tags: $3.99, Games, kamicrazy, lemmings, Swain Valasek

Ysearch

Michael (Admin) | Jan 7, 2009 Lifestyle

User rating: (2 votes, average: 1.50 out of 5)

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The little slogan at the top of this website says “honest reviews of the latest, greatest, and lamest iPhone apps” and luckily I don’t get too many that fall into the lamest category. YSearch, though… ehhhhh… I really really really hate ripping on small developers… but this app is not good. That’s my nice way of saying it’s BAD! Sorry Yeerp, but if I don’t say it then nobody will.

Your iPhone’s map function is already pretty good at finding stuff you want and mapping it out for you, and YSearch’s goal is apparently to kick that map’s ass and become your new go-to app when you’re on the prowl for pizza or booze or latex or whatever you’ve got a hankering for. Unfortunately there are two big issues standing in the way of this happening:

• YSearch isn’t good at finding your location
• The default iPhone map already does pretty much everything you need

I gave YSearch permission to use my current location and, after several tries, not only did it give me some odd location info (it said I was in Italy on a couple of occasions) but even when it knew I was in Chicago it couldn’t actually locate my exact position the way the iPhone map does almost every time.

Location problems can be fixed, but the second issue with my built-in map already doing what I need it to… that’s a lot harder for the developer to overcome. It’s like trying to build a better mousetrap when the one you’ve already got is great at murdering rodents 99.9% of the time.

The one positive thing I can say about YSearch is that I like the idea of having the option to view my search results as a list rather than a bunch of pins stuck on a map. Frankly I think the pins are more useful when I’m sitting in my car and wondering what my next move is, but I could see the list view being more practical when the map spits out a giant clump of pins that are hard to sort through.

There are other minor areas where YSearch falls short, but I really don’t see the need to kick this app in the balls any harder than I already have. Here’s my second and final attempt at saying something positive: maybe this app is awesome in Europe! I have no idea. But I live in the U.S. of A., and all I know is that YSearch doesn’t really bring anything new to my iPhone and it definitely isn’t worth the $3.99 price tag. Unless you live in Europe. Maybe.

Tags: $3.99

Ken Burns Slideshow

Clint McLeod | Dec 15, 2008 Photo & Video

User rating: (2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)

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What does the Civil War, Baseball and my last night at the local speakeasy have in common?  Ken Burns’ Slideshow effect helped make them better!

The Ken Burns Slidshow by BitWink is actually a cool little app for $3.99.  It equips your iphone with a very iphoto-esque slideshow viewer.  Unlike the built in slideshow, this one comes complete with captions and of course the glorious Ken Burns effect that always impresses your grandmother when you show off your digital pictures to her.

I thought the program was easy to navigate and very straightforward.  The really cool part is you can save your slideshows and basically have “playlists.”  This is great, especially if you use your iphone to display photos and hate flipping through scores of photos you wouldn’t necessarily want to show, like the time you had your photo taken with the roadie from Ratt.  

Two slight nitpicks would be that you can’t “flip” through pictures.  You have to use a forward and backwards buttons.  Also, the captions are limited to 25 characters. 

This program is for anyone who uses their iphone to show off photos on a somewhat regular basis.  It will make your photos look better and make your life a lot easier in organizing slideshows.  It’s also for anyone that loves Ken Burns.  I wouldn’t recommend this program to people who have filled their iphone with pictures of their animals in Halloween outfits.  Nobody wants to see that.  In fact, Ken Burns may come to your house if you use his technology in such a disastrous way.

Overall, I was quite impressed with BitWink’s first iphone app.

Tags: $3.99, Photo & Video

Lightastic!

Splash Jackson | Dec 13, 2008 Entertainment

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

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(UPDATE: Two things: first, I just want to say that my comment in my review about exporting a lightwork video was a little unjustified, because I was uninformed of the fact that Apple doesn’t allow third-party access to their video app. Second, FoggyNoggin Software has just released an update to Lightastic! which allows you to LOOP your lightwork animations! I tried it as soon as I updated, and let me tell you, this is one sweet update! Thanks FoggyNoggin!)

First there was Light Show, then came Bright Lights, and now entering into the pocket Lite-Brite arena is the fantastic Lightastic!

FoggyNoggin’s Lightastic! gets you all giddy and excited with just the name alone: Lightastic! (I say the name with two thumbs up and a cheesy talk-show host smile). Once I got past my excitement, it was time to see if the app lived up to its name as I created my first “lightwork” masterpiece.

When you initially open up Lightastic!, you expect the same run-of-the-mill peg coloring program. While exhibiting the same basic features of other light programs, Lightastic! takes this form of artistry to the next level! What you first notice after launching the app are the tools at the bottom of the page; more specifically the play, fast-forward, and rewind icons. This could only mean one thing: animation creation! My mind then began to swarm with all kinds of ideas I could animate to make my Lightastic blockbuster. Should I make a fourth Matrix? Ooo, the sequel to Glitter! No, wait, High School Musical 4: Being a Teen Mother while obtaining my GED… The possibilities are endless… that is if you can achieve your goals on what is a “low-res” light board. Lightastic! could benefit from adding various board resolution sizes to meet the needs of the more demanding light peg artist.

When you begin to embark upon the creation of your first frame, there is a slide-out menu of peg colors to choose from:

• White
• Red
• Green
• Blue
• Burnt Orange
• Purple
• Yellow
• Erase Peg (which leaves you with black, but no peg)

Needless to say, the lack of color variety is a bit disappointing. Nonetheless, a true artist will make the best of what he/she has to work with. When your finger touches the board for the first time, the “peg placement” is very satisfying. The colored peg sort of “pops” into place with a little “bleep” sound to let you know it has been inserted. You can also use two or more fingers to place pegs simultaneously AND you can slide your finger(s) across the board to fill in scenery in a flash!

When you arrive at the completion of your first frame, you then have the option to export your image into your photo library or create a duplicate of the current frame (so you have two frames). This allows you to make some minor tweaks to the duplicate frame in order to string an animation together. Repeat duplicate process, tweak next frame, duplicate, tweak, duplicate … until you have numerous frames that can then be played as a moving picture. Though my movie didn’t get past twenty frames, I did go duplicate-button crazy to see if you could exceed 100 frames (which you can). Rest assured, you can make some very intricate animations.

A word of warning: the camera button at the bottom of the tool bar is NOT the export to photo library button! It is the duplicate button. The export option is under the settings icon at the bottom-right corner of the tool bar. This left me cursing my iPod as I kept searching for my masterpieces in my photo library. On the plus side, when you open Lightastic! again, your work is saved from the previous session.

Once you have a good amount of frames in place, you can then press the play button. The screen will initiate a countdown (from 5) and then play your frames in order. The movie playback feature is really the key feature in Lightastic! and satisfying to all the aspiring Scorsese’s out there.

Lightastic! offers you a short but useful list of options and tools in order to create/erase, save, and export your work. There’s even a whole settings button dedicated to turning off the program sounds so it won’t interfere with your iPod music (yes, you can listen to the Grateful Dead while pegging away hypnotically). Lightastic! could, again, benefit from adding various board resolution sizes, especially when it comes to the animation aspect of the program. A few more colors would be greatly received as well.

At the time of review, Lightastic! cost $3.99, however, their app page in iTunes states, and I quote, “** Special Introductory Price! **”. Do they intend to charge more? In terms of comparison to the other Lite-Brite programs, Lightastic! is the most expensive, yet rightly so with its animation feature. The only deterrent to this high (or possibly higher) price tag is the fact that you cannot export your movies! If FoggyNoggin could in some way add this feature, then I would say yes to the $3.99 price tag. As it stands, $3.99 is a bit pricey, but the animation feature just may sway you to buy it. It’s a helluva lot cheaper than film school!

Tags: $3.99, animate, classic, good for kids, lightbright, lightwork

SmileDial Pro

Clint McLeod | Dec 10, 2008 Lifestyle

User rating: (3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)

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Finally someone has made a contacts list for people who despise reading!  SmileDial Pro by Dejal Systems has streamlined my contacts list into pictures!

SmileDial Pro allows you to use pictures, instead of text for your contacts.  Setup is painless as it takes your existing contacts and links it with a picture of your choice (although not all at once).  Then flip through the full screen pictures of your friends, co-workers and that elderly postal worker you befriended in the autumn of ’94.  Once you find who you’re looking for you’re given two choices: Tap the top half of the photo to text or the bottom half to call.  So simple, an ape or a physical education teacher can use it!

It’s easy to use and I really love sorting through the contacts by picture.  Seems like something Apple should have developed.  However, it does have a few limitations.  First, you can only have one number per contact to call.  So if you need to the ability to call the same person at different numbers, this may not be up your alley.  Also, the flipping tended to be slow at times, but not enough to ruin it.  

I’d use this instead of my favorites list, but it won’t replace my contacts list…yet.  If you hate reading or need a simple way to contact friends when you’re at a watering hole, this $3.99 app has serious potential and is worth a look.

Tags: $3.99, contacts

Byline

Michael (Admin) | Nov 7, 2008 News

User rating: (5 votes, average: 4.40 out of 5)

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Byline is an RSS reader built specifically for syncing your iPhone with your Google Reader account. If you’re a loyal Google Reader user then you’ll probably love Byline because it pulls everything onto your iPhone so that you can access your content even when there’s no network connection available, like on an underground subway train. If you get your RSS feeds through some other means, then you’ll have to convert to Google before Byline will do you any good.

I had to convert. I went and created a Google Reader account, added a few feeds including my own, and then I opened up Byline. Everything was there which was great, and Byline even provides a button for viewing individual feed items in their original state within the app, just like if you were viewing a webpage in Safari. Nice touch.

But then, like a dumbass, I started poking around to see if I could separate my feeds in the Folders section. What I didn’t realize was that Byline takes its job pretty literally, and that job is basically to sync and nothing more. Folder creation, and most other management-type activities, have to be done within your Google Reader account.

If you read something and then sync, that thing you just read will be removed from your iPhone. If you want to keep it around, you can ’star’ individual items which will file them in the “Starred Items” folder.

So do I like Byline? Yeah… I guess! I’m not a huge fan of Google Reader because, where RSS content is concerned, I have absolutely no interest in creating a profile and sharing crap and whatever else that account allows for. It all seems to contradict the idea of “really SIMPLE syndication”. Plus, I think Google is up to no good! Someday their computers will become self-aware and take over Skynet and will ultimately enslave mankind.

I’ll spare you the rest of my Google rant. As far as Byline goes, it’s a good app that works as promised, although I think Phantom Fish has it a little overpriced at $3.99. For hardcore Google Reader disciples it’s probably worth paying, but I’m a cheap bastard and I don’t think I’d want to pay more than $1-2 when there are several free RSS readers already in the iTunes App Store.

Tags: $3.99

ePokerHelper

Michael (Admin) | Oct 21, 2008 Games

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

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If you’ve ever watched Texas Hold ‘Em on TV you’ve probably seen those odds they put in the corner of the screen for each player’s chances of winning. The percentages change as the game progresses and each player’s hand unfolds, and with any luck Mike Matusow quits running his big mouth and gets knocked out of the game.

Aloum’s ePokerHelper, formerly called iPokerHelper until a recent naming conflict came up, does kind of the same thing as that fancy odds calculator on TV but it’s for your hand only.

When you launch the app you’re shown four full decks of cards, one for each suit. As you’re dealt cards in real-life (ie: in an online game), just drag the corresponding cards from each of the decks to the bottom of the screen to match your actual hand.

The very bottom edge of the screen shows your statistical chances of winning, along with a one-word recommendation, on a table with anywhere from 2 to 9 players. A crappy hand will earn you a big red NO!!, and middle of the road hand will tell you Hum, and a great hand will say GO!!

You can either build your poker hand card-by-card, as if you’re sitting at a poker table, or you can have the app deal you random cards. ePokerHelper can also point out some hands that can beat you, like when you’re about to bet hard with a high straight and forget all about the flush draw that’s quietly staring you in the face.

I like this app, but it’s probably best used as a learning tool rather than an actual betting advisor. I mean, there are certain things that you just can’t count on any app to do… such as helping you read the betting patterns of the other players, or considering your betting position at the table. Poker is more than just odds, and the best players are also masters at playing the head game that comes with every hand.

If you’re a beginner at Texas or just love poker so much that you want to be able to construct hypothetical hands, ePokerHelper is probably worth $3.99. If you’re playing online and can build your hands quickly in this app, it might even pay for itself by convincing you to fold those pocket aces when three hearts come up on the flop. More experienced players, though, are probably better off relying on their gut instincts.

Edit: I just tapped on one of the hyperlinked words (“Texas Hold’em” or “Poker”) on the info screen and was expecting it to open Safari… instead it opened an in-app Wiki search tool! Weird. So consider that a bonus. Get ePokerHelper, and get “Wapedia” too.

Wapedia is ad-supported with little text links, but it could come in handy if you don’t already have Wikipanion. If you tap “Texas Hold’em” it opens Wapedia in English, and if you tap “Poker” it opens Wapedia in French (you can change the language by tapping Home (Accueil) > Languages).

Tags: $3.99, casino

Tetravex

Michael (Admin) | Aug 14, 2008 Games

User rating: (3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)

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I am a complete moron, and I’m reminded of this every time I start playing this very slick and very challenging puzzle game! Tetravex is like something out of an IQ test… it could very well be, I don’t know… and if you’re like me and have the IQ of a doorknob it can be pretty tough depending on the difficulty level you’re tackling.

The object of Tetravex is to arrange a set of tiles so that each colored side of a tile is touching a like-colored side of another tile. Don’t try to get cute and put unmatching colors next to each other – your attempt will be met with a red X in your intended landing spot. Likewise, the game is also nice enough to display a welcoming green square when you’re in the process of making a legal move.

The very first time I played Tetravex I thought I was man enough to tackle the medium (4×4) level right away and, to put it mildly, I wasn’t! After staring blankly at all the pretty colors for a while, I messed around with the Simple and Easy levels (2×2, 3×3) to get a feel for how the puzzles are solved. After that little warmup, figuring out the 4×4 puzzle was still hard but it was also fun and addictive enough that I played for almost two hours straight. I even attempted the 5×5 but it made me cry and I don’t want to talk about it.

I tapped around every corner of Tetravex and the only issue that I ran into was some occasional difficulty in getting the tiles to cooperate, especially when moving them into the top row of the puzzle near the edge of the iPhone screen. This didn’t happen a lot and it certainly isn’t enough to disrupt the game, but hopefully it can be addressed in a future update. As long as you can see the green square that signals “yes, you can put that tile here” you should be fine.

Overall this game is impressive, not just in the gameplay and varying levels of difficulty but also in all the little details that are so telling of polished, high-quality game development. When you select your play level by swiping through a thumbnail carousel of each puzzle instead of just pushing a button, you know you’re playing a game created by professionals who don’t mess around and Futrell Software is clearly in that class.

The individual hi-score boards for each level, the cascading tile transitions, the cool little fireworks display when you win a game… it’s all top-notch and for just $3.99 I think Tetravex is worth buying, especially if you’re puzzle-crazy and need a new challenge for that big brain of yours.

edit: Something I forgot to address in this review is sound. Tetravex has none! Hopefully some sound effects will be added in a future update – still a great game though even if it’s silent.

Tags: $3.99, classic, puzzle