Momento
Michael E. | Jan 25, 2010 Lifestyle
User rating: 
(7 votes, average: 3.86 out of 5)
(7 votes, average: 3.86 out of 5)
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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?
Version 1.0.2
Reviewed on iPod Touch 3.1.2
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- you can protect your entries with a passcode
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- import feeds from Facebook, Twitter, or Last.fm
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- The month at a glance
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- The week that was...
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- A day in the life
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- You can rate entries, tag people, places, import pictures, or create custom tags
Tags: $2.99, journal/diary writing, Lifestyle
Q&F: Cause World
Sara | Jan 18, 2010 Lifestyle, Quick & Free
User rating: (5 votes, average: 3.60 out of 5)
(5 votes, average: 3.60 out of 5) Loading ...
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.
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- title page
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- locating stores
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- some things you can donate to
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- Provide Relief for Haiti
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- I donated my karma
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- Thank you page
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- yay! promotion
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- live feed of who donated
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- other pages
iTunes Link – CauseWorld
Reviewed on iPhone 3GS OS 3.1.2
Version 1.01
Tags: free, interesting, Lifestyle
Dreamcatcher
Chrisa | Aug 13, 2009 Lifestyle, Uncategorized
User rating: (2 votes, average: 1.50 out of 5)
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Everyone dreams every night – you know that, right? But remembering your dreams is another story. Most everyone has had the dream where you show up to school totally naked, and most everyone I knew in college had the dream where you show up to take a final and realize you hadn’t attended class all semester. I’ve been having this reocurring dream where I’m in Sicily, stomping grapes a la Lucille Ball while a “little person” is hurling random fruit at my head and swearing at me in Pig Latin. I think it’s a result of my falling asleep while attempting to watch The Godfather twice last week. At least, I hope that’s what it is. And if you don’t understand my Lucille Ball reference, click here - then slap yourself for being under the age of 40.
Q&F: DoGood
Chrisa | Jun 27, 2009 Lifestyle, Quick & Free, Social Networking
User rating: (6 votes, average: 4.17 out of 5)
(6 votes, average: 4.17 out of 5) Loading ...
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.
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- Can I thank a young teacher?
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- Nice comments...
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- Statistics with graphs - better than my last monthly report.
Tags: Lifestyle, Q&F, social networking
Fashion Sense
Chrisa | Mar 30, 2009 Lifestyle, Reference
User rating: (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
I love Tim Gunn. I mean it. I have an unnatural facination with him. I don’t stalk him, or anything, but I do have a picture of him as my wallpaper (in my defense, it’s a picture I took at the Oscars), and I am addicted to Project Runway and Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style. So when I got word about Eighteen Twenty Consulting’s Fashion Sense, I thought it might be like having a little Tim Gunn at my fingertips and in my pocket. Yeah…..it’s not.
IQ Test
Chrisa | Mar 2, 2009 Entertainment, Lifestyle, Uncategorized
User rating: (6 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)
(6 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5) Loading ...
I like to think of myself as intelligent. I can read and write in more than one language, and my checkbook is balanced, after all. I’m pretty sure I’m smarter than a 5th grader, but I don’t know if I’m as smart as Geena Davis. So IQ Test by Max Voloshin gave me the opportunity to gauge just how smart I really am, versus just how smart I think I am.
This IQ test is different from others I’ve seen, in that it is based mainly on patterns, and the user’s ability to pick the next logical item to continue the pattern from a list of choices. According to the developer, it is based on Professor Hans Eysenck’s work and, since I’m not familiar with Prof. Eysenck, I looked him up on Wikipedia. After I read up, I realized anyone who’s taken Psych 101 is at least somewhat familiar with his work. Prof. Eysenck was a British psychologist who argued the genetics of intelligence and personality – and got famously punched in the nose debating this point. Gotta love a guy who’ll take it on the schnozz for his beliefs.
Whether this IQ test conforms to the good professor’s test or not, I can’t say. I can say that this test is timed – you get 40 minutes to complete the test, and I suggest you be sure you have 40 minutes to do it before you start, because you can’t start and stop and start from where you left off. I can also say that the graphics are well done, and you can have more than one person take the test and compare your scores.
If you’re interested in an IQ test, for $0.99, this isn’t a bad one. And I’m not just saying that because it pegged my IQ at 137. After all, according to the scoring scale, that makes me not as smart as Sharon Stone. At least I’m smarter than Mike Tyson.
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- Which circle to choose....
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- Damn you, Sharon Stone.
Tags: $0.99, Entertainment, Lifestyle
Sushipedia
Swain Valasek | Feb 8, 2009 Lifestyle, Uncategorized
User rating: (3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
I can remember a time when a sushi bar (literally a bar, no tables) was a niche destination (in my neck of the woods anyway) where the upscale and generally alternative crowd hung out. Nowadays of course, sushi is everywhere, from buffets to food courts to supermarkets and on everyone’s radar; it’s completely ubiquitous. However, despite this dilution into American culture, there has always been the ever-loving faithful who insist on doing sushi right.
Enter Sushipedia from Hussein Khalil. First of all, what this app is not: a list of Americanized sushi which is all rolls, mostly cooked or fried then drowned in soy sauce and wasabi (not saying that isn’t delicious mind you but it would offend the crap out of a real Japanese sushi chef). Thanfkully this is included to some degree (we Americans do love our sushi) but rather the focus here is on bringing you a guide to authentic sushi such as gooey sea urchin (uni), strips of raw fish (sashimi) and even the posionous puffer fish (fugu). The app lets you look for sushi by scanning a full index, by keyword search, by attribute search (raw, cooked etc) and by type (nigiri, temaki etc). Once you find the sushi you’re looking for you can enjoy an informative text description and a very detailed photograph. If you’re feeling brave, you can just tap ‘I’m feeling lucky’ and order whatever the app randomly chooses. A cool thing about the app is it sprinkles lots of interesting sushi lore and knowledge all around, including a ticker at the bottom of the main menu that will tell you cool things like ‘itamae’ is the proper word for a sushi chef and ‘sushi’ does not mean fish but instead refers to the traditional vinegared rice often served with it. Clearly a lot of time was put into this app as it’s big on content and personal touches.
On to the gripes then which are all about interface consistency and usability. First, a convention set forth at the onset is the ability to touch and hold any particular button to get help on it. This is quite necessary for those unfamiliar with the terms yet this feature is inconsistent throughout the app and in fact only works on the main menu and contents page. On top of that, touching and holding doesn’t just give you the blurb but whisks you off to that option automatically when all you want to do is read the blurb. Also, some (but inexplicably not all) definitions of categories are contained within the category listing itself which is very unintuitive and really should follow the already-established help convention above. I’d love to see more time spent cleaning up the help system and streamlining the interface in general. Also, if you drill down to say, the sashimi category, you’re presented with authentic names such as amaebi and hirame (along with japanese) which is great but you’d have no idea this is shrimp and flounder until you bring up the full listing. A simple convention of adding a simple english word as well would go a long way to making this app easier for us gringos to use. Not to totally nit-pick but all text should be run through a spell-checker as well. Also, worth noting is this app requires you to have the 2.2.1 iPhone update but I have no idea why. I had no intention of installing 2.2.1 and meant to jump straight to the next release and there are probably others just like me. Anyway I took 1 for the team to get this review out there for you all so you’re welcome! 
As far as suggestions, it might be neat to have an email function within the app so you could send someone a picture or description of a particluar sushi or just to cutely plant a bug in someone’s ear about what you want to do for dinner tonight. Also it would be great to have even more cool sushi info nuggets such as knives a real chef uses, what a ‘sushi bar’ in Japan is like and just general info about the traditions and origin of sushi.
So in summary I’d say what’s offered up here will help and educate you about sushi and that’s certainly the point. I’m also compelled to say Sushipedia feels a bit overpriced in its current state but with some polish and shine would definitely rise in value.
Version reviewed – 1.0
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- Consistent graphic theme throughout
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- All the ways you can pick your poison (literally if you're a fugu fan)
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- I found by category to be the most effective search method
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- Toro toro toro!!!
Tags: $2.99, food, Lifestyle, sushi, sushipedia, Swain Valasek
Q&F: Buzzillions Mobile
Swain Valasek | Feb 7, 2009 Lifestyle
User rating: (3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
Buzzillions Mobile from Power Reviews Inc has made the leap to the iPhone and I definitely like it. This app allows you to enter in keywords pertaining to a retail item and returns reviews to help you decide whether to lay down the jack for that fancy new brickabrack. It’s not perfect of course as reviews are culled from only a certain number of sources so you aren’t going to find everything. However, the site claims to have 2300 partner sites and the fortunate end result is you will find a LOT. 3G and Wifi are preferred of course but it’s such a streamlined interface it’s even usable over 2G for the most part (and how many apps can make that claim). I was able to find the relatively obscure LG universal holster I have for my iPhone as well as the Dirt Devil Detailer on my desk…not bad. My single gripe is interface-related. The app really needs a 1-touch way to cancel what’s in the search box so you can quickly enter new items; as it is now you have to backspace manually.
Power Reviews Inc makes some interesting statements about the service, check them out when you get a moment. They aren’t trying to sell you anything and they take steps to make their reviews better than the sites they pull from so they aren’t just regurgitating but trying to add value. This is a good thing for us consumers, no doubt.
For anybody who shops online or at a store (is that broad enough for ya), a review aggregator like this is a godsend and especially when it’s never any further away than your iPhone. Ya, you definitely want this app.
Version reviewed 1.01
Simple and efficient interface
Tags: buzzillions mobile, free, Lifestyle, reviews, Swain Valasek
Snowflakes
Swain Valasek | Jan 16, 2009 Lifestyle
User rating: (No Ratings Yet)
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It doesn’t snow where I live but hey now I can have snow anytime I want! Snowflakes from Peerium Inc allows you to enjoy watching snow fall on your iPhone until you are awash in joy. Tap once to create a snowflake, drag to create a stream of them then tilt to change the point of gravity as they fall…and that’s it. Much like Zen Garden, this app does exactly what’s advertised and nothing more. A little more effort could make this fun, for example allowing some snowflakes to stay on the screen and let a shake function like a snow globe. How about a mode where snow just continually falls to some relaxing music that we could zone out to? Heck I might just hang mine from the Christmas tree if it did that; be quite a conversation piece that’s for sure. What about a hi-res window frame with random snowfall so I can hang my iPhone on the wall and try to convince my kid that it’s a real window and it’s actually snowing outside? As with Zen Garden, I could only recommend this were it free.
Version reviewed – 1.0
iTunes music supported – yes
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- Here's how it works
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- No two are ever alike?
Tags: $0.99, casual, Lifestyle, relaxation, snowflakes, Swain Valasek
Zen Garden
Swain Valasek | Jan 16, 2009 Lifestyle
User rating: (No Ratings Yet)
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All those little sand gardens you see in cubicle farms the world over are a thing of the past, thanks to the magic of the iPhone! Well, sort of. Zen Garden from Peerium Inc allows you to get metaphysical in the sand with the best of them. You can draw with a finger, swipe with 2 to ‘rake’ or shake to clear. The graphics are realistic so it looks just like interacting with real sand. That’s unfortunately about it though and since there’s nothing else here to engage you and no configurable options, it’s more like etch-a-sketch than a transcendent experience.
Add an ambient music track, soothing sound fx, some rocks to arrange and maybe even a trickling fountain and you’ve got something neat that could compete with the likes of Koi Pond. That said, this app does exactly what’s advertised so I can’t fault it but as is, I could only recommend it were it free.
Version reviewed – 1.0
iTunes music supported – yes
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- That's right people, it's SAND
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- Free this app, it's trapped behind a dollar
Tags: $0.99, casual, Lifestyle, relaxation, Swain Valasek, zen garden
