iPhone App Reviews

Q & F: Ben’s Virtues

Michael E. | Feb 22, 2010 Lifestyle

User rating: (6 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)

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Benjamin Franklin is widely regarded as one of America’s wisest and most innovative men.  He is credited with any number of inventions, is generally acknowledged as one of the nation’s Founding Fathers, and was a witty and insightful writer. 

In 1726, while Franklin was taking part in an 80-day ocean voyage, he developed a system of conduct focused on 13 virtuous qualities.  Ben believed that exemplifying these virtues in one’s everyday life would lead to a life of enviable conduct.  He even created a matrix that would help him to focus on one virtue each week for a period of 13 weeks. 

Ben’s Virtues is an app designed to help you benefit from Franklin’s 13 virtues.  I’d read about Franklin’s system a few years ago and was very excited to come across an app that incorporated them into a simple, easy-to-use format.  

If you’re interested in learning more, pick it up for FREE in the AppStore.  And who knows?  In 13 weeks, your life could be significantly better. 

iTunes Link – Ben’s Virtues 

Version 1.0.3 

Tested on an iPod Touch 3.1.3

Ben's chart of virtues

Tags: free

Music Catch

Tony Mei | Jan 28, 2010 App Sale Alert, Games

User rating: (6 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)

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Edit: It would seem Music Catch is on sale for free. Better get it quick, if you’re interested.

The Good: Music Catch is a fantastic, zen-like game made by Reflexive Entertainment. The game was an absolute favorite of mine on the computer (http://www.reflexive.com/index.php?PAGE=WebGamePlay&WGID=94), and I was super excited stumble upon it on the app store.  Game play is wonderfully calming: just move your fingers to collect shapes while beautiful ambient music plays in the background. Things like bonus multipliers and point-collecting vacuum cleaners add a bit of spice to the game play.  Frankly, enough apps are made about slashing enemies or shooting others, and it’s nice to wind down a hard day of violent gaming with a bit of Music Catch.

The Bad: Those seeking a more active game will get bored easily by the zen-like feel. I was hoping for some sort of online leaderboard or stat tracking – OpenFeint and the like. The replay value is inherently low (the game has four songs that each take a few minutes), but I did find myself drifting back to the game, even after I thought I was sick of it. After the first few rounds, Music Catch will only end up catching your attention for a few minutes before drifting away.

The Ugly: To be honest, I couldn’t find any glaring negative qualities about Music Catch. Again, this game would benefit from more development. Things like online integration, leader boards and more songs would make this already good app pretty darn great.

Tags: casual, free, game, Music, relax, sale

App Sale: Classics

Tony Mei | Jan 27, 2010 App Sale Alert, Books

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

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Classics is on sale for free – normally $2.99

Classics is an extremely impressive book library for your iPod Touch and iPhone.

Classics is streamlined, quick, and doesn’t lag, unlike many other book apps. The library to choose from is pretty unique, ranging from The Call of the Wild to The Art of War, and the selection is pretty beefy, clocking in about 20 full-length works.

The books are a joy to flip through, and the app has a set of rather neat features (bookmarks, reading multiple books at once) that set it apart from other mobile bookshelves.

Andrew Kaz and Phill Ryu created an impressive app that’s already a favorite in the app store, and is a fantastic deal right now.

Edit: Almost forgot this link again, but I caught myself. I’m learning.

iTunes Link – Classics

Tags: book, free, sale

Q&F: IMDb

Brad H | Jan 26, 2010 Entertainment, Quick & Free

User rating: (7 votes, average: 4.14 out of 5)

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“Remember that one movie with that one guy?” This actually came out of my mouth once. I like movies as much as the next guy but I just can’t remember important things like names and titles. Then there is the whole “He looks familiar what movie do I recognize him from?” No longer will these questions haunt me now that there is an IMDb app. Not only can you search IMDb you can check local show times, find out what movies are coming out soon, box office results, top 250 movies, a TV guide,  recaps of TV shows spoilers included, what stars were born that day, and more. So if your like me and your not a movie encyclopedia, do yourself a favor and get the IMDb app.

iTunes Link – IMDb

Version 1.0

Reiviewd on iPhone 3G OS3.1.2

Tags: Entertainment, free

App Sale: Heavy Crossbow II

Tony Mei | Jan 20, 2010 App Sale Alert, Games

User rating: (3 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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Heavy Crossbow II is on sale for free- normally more expensive
Heavy Crossbow II is a neat strategy game that combines castle defense, RPG – style weapon leveling, zombies, one of those iPhone gun apps, and firing a big freaking crossbow.

The main twist to the game comes from actually having to drag back the string on the crossbow or reload a shotgun, which, I suppose, is more work than actually pushing a ‘shoot’ button of some sort.

The controls occasionally get a bit wonky and unresponsive, but I can’t expect to shoot zombies without having my giant crossbow malfunction once and a while. Occasionally the controls would stiffen up, leading a parade of marauding zombies into the castle and me back to the beginning of the level.

For those who are a fan of  the castle defending style, ByGames provides some fresh nourishment and quite a bit of zombie-thrashing potential in this game.

iTunes Link – Heavy Crossbow II

(Guess who remembered to put this link in their post)

Tags: castle defense, free, Games, sale

Q&F: Cause World

Sara | Jan 18, 2010 Lifestyle, Quick & Free

User rating: (5 votes, average: 3.60 out of 5)

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As I sat in an Italian restaurant eating some fettuccine alfredo, I silently tapped on my iPhone. Within seconds, I had donated help to the Red Cross for the Haiti relief. How did I do it? I was using the ShopKick app called Cause World.

Cause World is similar to apps like My Town and Four Square where you “check-in” to various places around your town to gain points called karma. You get 10 karma per check-in. There are some differences between Cause World and My Town or Four Square. One is the time rules. You can’t just check into a place and check into another place; you have to wait five minutes between each check-in. Also, you can only check-in 10 times per day.

Now you are probably wondering what these karma points can be used for. Well, when you click the donate button, you get a list of everything your karma points can get you. You can donate your points to things ranging from offsetting your carbon footpring to feeding a chimp! Plus, you can also donate your karma to help the Red Cross help with the Haiti Relief.

 So if you want a cool app where you can help a charity without using your time/money/resources, check out Cause World.

iTunes Link – CauseWorld
Reviewed on iPhone 3GS OS 3.1.2
Version 1.01

Tags: free, interesting, Lifestyle

Q&F: Zlider

Sara | Jan 17, 2010 Games, Quick & Free

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

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This game by Moyo Studios is out of this world! You are trying to get the meteor to the black hole at the end of the level, but there are red and blue barriers in your way. On each side of the screen is an arrow that you slide up and down to move the opening of the barrier so that the meteor can go through.

You also try to collect the gems for bonus points. In some levels, your meteor splits into two meteors, and you have to get both through the holes.

 This free version has four levels that aren’t boring (they take some effort to figure out) and more can be purchased through in app purchases. You should check out this game today.

iTunes Link – Zlider

Reviewed on iPhone 3GS OS 3.1.2

Version 1.1

Tags: free, Games, interesting

Q&F: Downhill Fridge Challenge

Sara | Jan 17, 2010 Games, Quick & Free

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

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This is probably the strangest and most random game I’ve seen. You try to get a fridge that’s on a skateboard down a hill.  You tilt your  iPhone to control you speed. If you tilt the iPhone forward, you will speed up; tilt backwards to slow it down. Why you want to get a fridge down a hill on a skateboard I don’t know, but obviously random games are fun. :D

I found myself trying to get down the hill several times. When I finally succeeded, I was disappointed to see that you have to pay to unlock more levels.

The good news is: the graphics are awesome! I loved the comic-book-like design as it added to the uniqueness of the app.

If you want a free game by OutOfTheBit, check this game out!

iTunes Link – Downhill Fridge Challenge

Reviewed on iPhone 3GS OS 3.1.2

Version 1.0.0

Tags: free, Games, interesting

Q&F: Kideos

Brad H | Jan 7, 2010 Entertainment, Quick & Free

User rating: (3 votes, average: 1.00 out of 5)

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If you have little ones like I do then Kideos might be for you. Earlier Media brings the aggregation of kid videos to your device.

I don’t have the time to comb through YouTube for kid videos so I was hopeful for this app. The app does do just that, it just does it in a very poor way. The videos are supposed to be organized by age groups but every video seemed to have the tag for 0-2 and not every video was geared for a kid of that age. The categories tab has a large yet redundant list to choose from , and the Wiggles section has zero videos. So why have that as an option? To top it off I can’t ever seem to get through more than 3 videos without the app crashing.

Great concept, bad execution. I’ll keep the app until the next update in hope of some major bug fixes.

iTunes Link – Kideos

Version 1.0

Reviewed on iPhone 3G OS 3.1.2

Tags: free, good for kids

Q&F: My Attorney

Tony Mei | Jan 2, 2010 Quick & Free, Utilities

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

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Injured on your Caribbean vacation? Whip out that trusty iPhone if you don't remember what to do.

The My Attorney App supplies information and accident guideline checklists, all leading the wallets of prospective customers to the service of good lawyers.

I don’t have any immediate usage for this app (I don’t really hope I will need a lawyer any time soon), but the My Attorney App does provide a useful, everyday and free service. And, most importantly, the phone number of a lawyer (especially helpful after that long night at the bar).

My Attorney is on my cell phone – Is it on yours?

iTunes Link

Version 1.01

Reviewed on iPod Touch 3.1.2

Tags: free, law, lawyer, Utilities

Q&F: Hungry Dragon

Sara | Jan 1, 2010 Games

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

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Hungry Dragon is an Asian remake of the popular retro-game, Snake. In this game created by Secret Game Lab, you are a dragon trying to eat the green dots to grow and the red dots to obtain shields. You don’t have to worry about bumping into the walls, as they are barriers and won’t make you lose one of your three lives.

The game is divided up into levels where you have to eat all of the dots in the level before more appear. This makes the game more challenging than the original Snake. The only flaw to this otherwise fun game is the controls. You move your dragon by tapping the bottom left and right corners. You tap the middle to activate a shield. I often found myself accidentally activating the shield and would have rather had a D-Pad for movement and a button to activate the shield. Other than this minor flaw, Hungry Dragon is a great game.

iTunes Link – Hungry Dragon
Version 1.o
Reviewed on iPhone 3G OS 3.1.2

Tags: free, fun, Games

Q&F: Braineo

Sara | Jan 1, 2010 Games

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

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Recently, I downloaded the free app Braineo by Veriunique Productions, Inc. It is a fun memory game. The object seemed simple enough: study the picture, answer the questions, and get points. However, I soon learned it was harder than I thought. The questions were rather specific such as, “What color was the largest light bulb?” I aced the first couple of rounds, but my score started to go down the drain when I reached the more complex pictures. Every time I got a question wrong, a panda head would pop up and taunt me with phrases such as, “Your IQ is a negative integer.” After completing 18 questions, the panda prompts you to pay $.99 to have access to the other 11 levels. Although I would have liked the game to have a few more free levels, the game was fun and satisfactory.

iTunes Link – Braineo
Version 1.0
Reviewed on iPhone 3G OS 3.1.2

Tags: casual, free, fun, Games, lite version