iPhone App Reviews

Todew

Tony Mei | Mar 23, 2010 Productivity

User rating: (9 votes, average: 3.56 out of 5)

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Face it: most of the to-do apps that run rampant in the App Store are filled with clutter and difficult to navigate, making them useless. It’s not fun having to spend more time organizing your day’s events then actually doing your day’s events. Todew, in the words of its developer SomanticContact, is a “no-frills, yet powerful to-do app that won’t waste your time”, is sounds like exactly what the App Store needs.

Todew’s interface is fast, sleek and simple. No unnecessary buttons to fumble around with. No option panels to get lost in. Adding the day’s events is super efficient and easy. Press a button. Make a title. Pick a day and a color. Done. My biggest gripe with the built-in iPod Touch/iPhone Calendar is that it coerces you to make a time for your event, or else use the generic ‘All-Day’ feature. Thankfully, Todew takes care of this by only sorting the events into different days, which makes for a more simple and efficient process.

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Tags: $.99, Productivity, to do

Killbo

Michael E. | Mar 10, 2010 Games

User rating: (6 votes, average: 3.17 out of 5)

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I just love a good word game.  So much so that I will effortlessly bypass an adventure, puzzle, or board game app that has great graphics and scores of 5 star ratings in favor of a word game that I believe to be original and offers a good challenge.  And if that word game has an online multiplayer element, then so much the better.

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Tags: $.99

NewsAlert

Michael E. | Mar 6, 2010 News, Uncategorized

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

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I don’t consider myself a newshound, but I do like to be in the know.  I keep an eye on Wiki trends, Twitter trends and get weather and breaking news updates by SMS.   

Anytime a story about the iPhone or BlackBerry comes out, I want to know.  Plus, there are artists, authors, and actors I’m a little ashamed to say I know more about than I probably should. 

RSS feeds are a good way to stay on top of those tidbits and I have three such apps that I rotate among depending on the features included in their latest updates.  But as good as RSS is, it’s a pain to have to mine through 1000+ articles to find that small handful of gems worth my time to read.  

That’s where NewsAlert can be a handy app to have.

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Tags: $.99

Doodle Frog: The Defense os Lost Castle

Michael E. | Feb 28, 2010 Games

User rating: (6 votes, average: 3.17 out of 5)

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A long time ago in a land far, far away, an evil witch turned an arrogant young prince into a frog. 

The frog prince, of course, wanted to become human again, but only a fairy could help him.  Unfortunately, the fairy resided high in the sky, far above the lily pad land of the prince, though it was rumored that she had sprinkled the sky with special stars that could be followed to find her.

The Frog Prince had a special ability.  Not only could he hop lilies, he could also hop the stars.  Or at least magical ones, anyway.  So it set out on a quest to find the good fairy.

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Tags: $.99

Reiner Knizia’s Robot Master

James | Feb 19, 2010 Games

User rating: (5 votes, average: 3.40 out of 5)

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Reiner Knizia and Conlan Rios are at it again with Robot Master. Unlike Reiner Knizia’s Monumental, Robot Master was actually based on a real life card game. Basically, that means the card game was good enough to port over to the iPhone and iPod Touch. I’m here to back that up and to even suggest that this version is superior to it’s predecessor. How could that be? Read on, my friends.

Robot Master is a puzzle/card game with several twists. You start out with a deck of cards numbered 0 to 5. You have six of each number and you proceed to lay these cards down one by one on a 5×5 grid. The totals for each row and column are added up as you go and are always displayed in their respective location. The first twist is that when you have two of the same number in the same row or column, the score of that number is doubled for that row or column. And when you have three of the same number, the score is increased by 100 points for that row or column. As you play, these individual scores seem to increase like crazy. This is where the final twist comes into play. Your final score is the row or column with the lowest score. Inevitably, one or two rows or columns will be neglected throughout the game so even if you have amazing scores for 9 of your rows and columns, your lowest score is what matters. This can be frustrating as well as addicting. Seeing some of the high scores for other people made me want to vomit. My highest score so far is a mere 41 points!

There are a few more game modes that give Robot Master loads more replayability. Easy mode allows you to skip one card per turn, giving you another chance for that perfect row. You are not able to post your scores online in this mode, though. Tournament mode is pretty much your standard game and you could end up on the high score table if you’re freaking awesome. Versus mode puts you up against either a friend or the computer. You take turns placing cards the same way you normally would except that one player is the rows and one player is columns. The lowest score on any of these loses the game. Pretty cool idea and drastically changes the game.

You probably still want to know why I think this version would be better than the original card game. Well, it’s because there would be way too much math in this game for my tastes. I like all my math behind the scenes where it belongs. Alright, so that’s kind of a lame reason but it’s all I’ve got. Reiner Knizia’s Robot Master has earned a permanent place on my phone and I suggest you check it out.

iTunes Link – Reiner Knizia’s Robot Master
Version 1.2
Reviewed on iPhone 3GS OS 3.1.3

Tags: $.99, Games

Make Dice

James | Feb 18, 2010 Utilities

User rating: (9 votes, average: 3.56 out of 5)

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Sometimes the easy decisions are the hardest to make. Sometimes the hard decisions are even harder to make. That’s why sometimes, you need dice.  Complete and utter randomness can make a daunting task into a relatively simple one. That’s right, there is no need for you to worry your pretty little head over these things. Let the dice decide for you.  The problem is that nobody, with very few exceptions, carries dice around in their pocket at all times. If you’re looking at this site though, you probably carry around an iPhone or iPod touch at all times. The developer hnm has created an excellent, simple application that will make the rest of your decisions for you.

Kidding aside, this application really does have a ton of uses. It allows you to bust out a set of dice at any time. Did you lose the dice for your favorite board game? Of course you did, everybody has. Well, pull out this handy app and you’re set. You can choose between black, white and wooden six sided dice.  The dice are easy to add to the board as well as take away. Give the device a shake and the dice tumble about the screen using realistic physics. If you get tired of shaking the device, you can just press a button instead.  My only real gripe would be that you can only roll three dice at a time.  At this point, I can’t think of a reason to roll more, but I’d like to think that I could.  The background table that the dice roll around on can change colors or be set to a picture from your photo album. They even make little clattering noises as they roll around like real dice but you can turn this off if you want. Make Dice is very customizable.

The biggest customization would be the ability to “make” your own dice. You can literally type whatever you want onto the sides of a die, save it and then roll to your heart’s content. This process is simple and fun. This feature makes it easy for us to decide who will go pick up the dry cleaning, what we’re having for dinner or what movie we’re going to watch.  The best part is, nobody can really be upset by the result, because it’s random. Well, I suppose they could still be upset, but they’re just sore losers.

It is a simple app, but it works great.  Make those old broken board games work again. Make better (or at least more fun) decisions. Make randomness a part of your life.  Make Dice.

iTunes Link – Make Dice
Version 1.0
Reviewed on iPhone 3GS OS 3.1.3

Tags: $.99, Utilities

WikiTrend

Michael E. | Feb 14, 2010 News, Uncategorized

User rating: (7 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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I once read that in the lobby of Google’s Corporate Headquarters (the so-called Googleplex) are a series of projector screens that show real time aggregated data on active Google searches around the world.  That struck me as an interesting concept, one I thought- for the briefest of moments- would be kind of cool to see in person.

Although the average person may never set eyes on the Googleplex (beyond those exaggerated pics we’ve all gotten via email), we do have resources available that will allow us to see what people all over the world are reading and searching for on the web.

That’s where WikiTrend, from Oooo Software, comes in.  WikiTrend is an app that will allow you to track trend information on Wikipedia.  It will provide a listing of the top recent Wiki hits as well as the top recent Wiki movers. 

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Tags: $.99, trends

The Day I Was Born

Michael E. | Feb 13, 2010 Lifestyle, Uncategorized

User rating: (7 votes, average: 3.29 out of 5)

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History is made one moment at a time, day by day.  And for every person born, there is a unique history surrounding their birthdate.  I believe that we are all curious to learn more about our birthdates.  We want to see how many other cool people were born the same day we were and whether anything notable happened that day.  Ruslan Morozov’s The Day I Was Born answers that question by unlocking and allowing us to remember that history.

Here’s how it works: the application requests a birthdate: day, month, and year.  Once it has that information, The Day I Was Born generates even more information associated with the supplied date of birth.

What kind of information?  How about Western Zodiac, Chinese Zodiac, Earth elements and stones associated with your birthdate?  Not enough, you say?  Add in numerological elements including life path and destiny, historical accounts of your birthdate across time, births and deaths, and any holidays coinciding with the supplied date.  That’s a lot of stuff, right?

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Tags: $.99

Angry Birds

Tony Mei | Feb 13, 2010 App Sale Alert, Games

User rating: (8 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)

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Edit: Angry Birds is on sale for $0.99, normally $1.99.

Private Snowball: Commander, these birds are angry.

Commander Napoleon: What? Why?

Private Snowball: It could possibly be because we stole their eggs to make Sunday Brunch.

Commander Napoleon: No, that can’t be it. We reimbursed them by giving them DDT-infused worms. What’s the worst these angry birds can do?

Private Snowball: Sir, it appears they are launching themselves at our headquarters using a giant slingshot.

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Tags: $.99, $0.99, casual, Games

Flash of Genius: SAT Vocab

Michael E. | Feb 12, 2010 Education

User rating: (31 votes, average: 3.03 out of 5)

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As surely as fall gives way to winter and winter gives way to spring, spring gives way to standardized tests, whether placement or college entry.  One of the biggest, most important standardized tests of all is the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, with its math, critical reading, and writing sections.  I always felt that if math was a strength for you, the chances were fairly good that you could work your way from problem to a reasonable estimation of the correct solution.  Or at least enough to where the odds of guessing the right answer were significantly higher.

The verbal section- as it was known back in my day- was a bit trickier, though.  Especially analogies and vocabulary.  Either you knew the meaning of the word or you didn’t and no amount of staring at it would change that painful fact.  I remember studying vocabulary words as though my life depended on it because I was so terrified I was going to encounter a word I’d never seen or even heard of before.  And in spite of all my studying, I did.  Although it’s been a while since I took the GRE and even longer since I took the SAT, I wish I had Flash of Genius: SAT Vocab back then.  Unfortunately, all I had was a few stacks of well-worn index cards. 

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Tags: $.99, SAT, study tool

Ghosts’n Zombies

Brad H | Feb 11, 2010 Games

User rating: (7 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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What do you do when your chapel is overrun with ghosts, zombies, vampires, demons and rats. Well you call on Father Smith the shotgun wielding holy man, that’s what you do. TipCat Mobile brings us this shooter that had me at the opening sequence.

The game play is simple, you tilt the phone left or right to move Father Smith and tap/shoot all the baddies that come on the screen. When you kill something gems fall to the ground, when you walk over them you get more ammo. Better gems giving more ammo drop when you kill multiple monsters with a single shot. Gems also raise your special meter that grant you the big guns. If you get hit by a monster  you loose ammo and when the ammo is gone Game Over so you better make each shot count because a single shot is six bullets.

There are three different modes.

Tutorial: Here is where you learn the ropes. It consists of four stages with simple tasks that teach you all the mechanics of the game.

Story Mode: Consisting of nine levels that you can unlock by completing the previous level. Each level has six timed battles that you have to get through. To pass a battle you need to kill a certain number of monsters that come your way. As you progress through the game you are gradually introduced to different game mechanics. Monsters that are faster and more difficult to kill, different environment elements like ice on the floor. I like the way this is implemented because each level has something new that you must master.

Survival Mode: With six different levels to unlock. This is where you do like the name implies and try to survive.

I was impressed with everything in this game. The graphics are top notch, the game play keeps me coming back for more and the soundtrack is spooky. At a $.99 release sale I would highly recommend you get this game.

This game uses open feint for achievements and leader boards.

iTunes Link – Ghosts’n Zombies

Version 1.1

Reviewed on iPhone 3G OS 3.1.3

Tags: $.99, fun, Games

iTalk to God

Michael E. | Feb 8, 2010 Reference

User rating: (11 votes, average: 1.82 out of 5)

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Everyone needs encouragement.  We all could use a word of advice or guidance when we’re facing a trial and aren’t sure who or what to turn to in our time of need.  Now there’s an answer: WorldLink’s iTalk to God.  It’s an app that you can use as an aid to facilitate conversations between you and God and it’s very easy to use.

Depending on how you feel, select the corresponding emotion on iTalk to God’s menu.  Its menu contains over 70 different emotions, so it’s almost impossible to have a feeling that you won’t find in iTalk.  Angry?  It’s in there.  Doubtful?  It’s in there.  Tempted? It’s-

I’m sure you get my point:  there are a lot of emotions covered by the Bible and iTalk to God.

The goal of the app is to remind the viewer that, regardless of what we feel, God is always there and always capable of helping us to make it through whatever circumstance we’re dealing with.  Based on the emotion you select, iTalk to God will supply you with a relevant verse of Biblical scripture that will address your emotion.  It will also provide a brief encouragement regarding your emotion and a commentary on the scripture.  There is also the ability to email verses to friends if you think they could benefit from a scripture as well.

There are multiple translations of iTalk to God, too, everything from the tried and true King James to the Korean Bible.

I do have a few ideas for this app.  For example, I think giving it a diary- or journal-like capability would be interesting.  The user could provide a brief description of the cause of their feeling, the verse they found helpful, and even tag people or circumstances if they wished.  With such a feature, iTalk could record emotions and scriptures of encouragement over the course of a week, month, or even year, and pull them up whenever they wanted.  A Verse of the Day feature would be nice, too, and adding the ability to share scripture on Facebook or Twitter would be features I’m sure would probably be welcomed as well.

I liked iTalk and even if nothing more was done with it, it would be a good reference to have at your fingertips in a time of need, one that would strengthen your faith and relationship with God.

iTunes Link- iTalk to God

Version 2.1

Tested on iPod Touch 3.1.3

Tags: $.99