Freebie Friday! (For 3/12/2010)

There’s just so many apps in the iTunes App store… so where do you start? Here’s a list of wonderful apps I personally tried this week and greatly enjoyed. Click on their icons to take you straight to the iPhone / iPod Touch app download. If you have suggestions yourself, please let me know! Just leave a comment below.

PlayFirst’s Diner Dash 2 Lite | Free iPhone Download | Full Version ($2.99)
A fun time management game where you play a waitress named Flo. In the game, you work in a diner and you get to serve up some food to your customers. Prepare dishes, sandwiches, drinks, and desserts! Do it as quickly as you can and pick up tips from your customers. Along with an iPhone app, you can also try it on a PC/MAC/xBox/Mobile for 1 Hour for free!

Jane’s Hotel Free | Free iPhone Download | Full Version ($2.99)
Running a hotel is never easy. You give out the keys to your guests at the reception desk and show them to their rooms. You also get to take care of lobby — call out the maid to water the plants and clean out the rooms. And of course, keep your guests happy by bringing them the newspaper, tea, or something they request. If you’re a fan of time management games, this is another great one! Try out the first 3 levels for free with the lite version!

Makeout Mania | Free iPhone Download (Full Version!) (Limited Time Only)
Makeout Mania is a cute puzzle game that reminds me of high school! Make students fall in love with each other, but watch out for those teachers! Rack up points as you score combos (perfect matches). If this is your first time playing, be sure to start off in puzzle mode (second link) and read the yearbook to see who likes who. This will ensure that you’ll get more points for the perfect kiss! And when you’re ready, play the super fast Mania mode. You’ll find yourself tapping a lot!

Supermarket Management Free | Free iPhone Download | Full Version ($2.99)
Working in a supermarket is not easy. You’re constantly trying to multitask — fill up empty shelves, help customers find items they’re looking for, cut up the different meats, make sure there’s enough shopping carts, run the cash register, and much, much more! This is a fun time management game where you play the store manager and do all of the above tasks. Very fun, especially if you enjoy time management games or just love grocery shopping! :)

SpongeBob Diner Dash | Free iPhone Download | Full Version ($4.99)
This is a great game for fans of Sponge Bob or the Diner Dash series. You get to play Sponge Bob and work as a waiter, serving people who enter the restaurant. Seat them, take their order, and bring out their food. The faster you do this, the more tip you get. I find the graphics for this game a bit too small (much smaller than the Diner Dash series), so I think they can improve that part. There’s fun music you’ll recognize from the cartoon. Try out the lite version first to see how you like it. There are 5 free levels in the lite version.

TouchPetsDogs SpringFree iPhone Download
Normally 99 cents, this app will give you 10 extra bowls of food for your virtual dog as well as the Mad Hatter watch for your collar. If you downloaded “Touch Pets Dogs Go” for free last week, you’ll have enough bowls of good to trade in for a lot of puppy bucks! Trade in puppy bucks for clothes and toys for your puppy! My review of the original game.

TuneRunner | Free iPhone Download
Here’s a excellent game to play with your own music playlists! No extra music downloads necessary. The app populates itself with your music and the robot will dance to your tunes! Draw the shapes in front of him so he doesn’t trip. Draw them a few times before he touches them for extra points! There are some ads, but you can upgrade with in-app purchases for their removal for just 99 cents.

FoodSpotting | Free iPhone Download
FoodSpotting is a fun social network for foodies all around the world. They recently released an official version of their iPhone app that allows you to view pictures of foods taken in your area. If you decide to join the social network, you can also upload your own photos, add friends and see what they’re eating, as well as follow restaurants (not just people). It’s definitely a fun app if you love food! Here is my personal FoodSpotting website! You can make one too with this app!

Be sure to check out last week’s Freebie Friday if you missed it!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Freebie Friday! (For 3/5/2010)

Alrighty, it’s Freebie Friday, and for the first one, I’d like to give you a few links to my favorite free iPhone apps and music downloads for this week. Also, I’m thinking about starting an iPhone Apps mailing list. Would you be interested in joining it if I do? The content will be somewhat similar to this post! Enjoy all the freebies and happy un-birthday! I threw in some Alice in Wonderland apps since Tim Burton’s movie is out today!

Coolibah is a very fun digital scrapbooking app! It was $12.99, but is now free! (with some limitations). There’s are a lot of beautiful scrapbook kits to choose from, made by professional designers. I personally love this app, especially when I’m on vacation. I can instantly create scrapbook pages and share them with my friends on social networks. My Review | iTunes

Wordcrasher Lite – play 4 levels for free! Make words out of the falling letters in the game. I like how the game pieces are like candies in a box. There’s great use of physics in this game. Full version is only 99 cents and well worth it. The developer has already started working on an iPad version with very beautiful graphics. My Review | iTunes

Angry Birds Lite – It’s a nice casual game where these angry birds get back at the pigs who stole their eggs. Catapult the birds and knock over all the pigs to advance to the next level. It’s a very simple concept, and very addicting as well. Lite version has 6 levels, and the full version has a ton of levels and is well worth the 99 cents!
My Review | iTunes | Full .99 cents

2Do Lite: A Stunning To Do List is an amazingly lovely task/to do list app. The user interface is simply beautiful. The lite version has a lot of capabilities. The full version is a bit expensive, but comes with more themes, calendars, colors, and backup.
iTunes

Alien Glyphs – A great puzzle-arcade game that tests how well your hand and eye coordination are. Match fast moving hieroglyphs to your given puzzle pieces. Great training for your eyes and shape recognition. (Free for limited time)
iTunes

Scoops – In honor of their release of a new game called Dizzypad, Scoops is free! Who doesn’t want to catch ice cream scoops in their cone? Catch as many as you can, but watch out for onions. You don’t want that on your ice cream! Also many other themes you can purchase in-app. Free for a limited time! iTunes

Touch Pets Dogs Go – is the best virtual pet app out there. Create, train, and feed your puppy! If you’ve played it before, this version will give you give you free puppy bucks, free 10 bowls of food, and also a White Rabbit Watch from the Alice in Wonderland collection!
My Review | iTunes

Alice in Wonderland Storybook — Enjoy the story of Alice in Wonderland in full color! The font is a bit small, but I love the classic illustrations in the app. The app is normally 99 cents, but is free until March 8, 2010.
iTunes

Alice Free Fall Lite – fall down, down the rabbit hole and catch some roses and powerups. But be aware of the falling cards and other obstacles! Try out the lite version for free. The full version is $2.99.
iTunes | Full $2.99

Alice in Wonderland – An Adventure Beyond The Mirror – is absolutely a fun adventure game, especially if you’re a big Alice! Journey with Alice and meet all your favorite characters from the story! Each one has their own special power that can help you finish the level. I’d recommend trying the lite version first before buying the full version for $4.99.
iTunes | iTunes ($4.99)

Alice in Wonderland Theme Song

Get the theme song from Alice in Wonderland by Danny Elfman for free! Available on Amazon, but US only.

Kina Grannis – Valentine — Kina’s Stairwells album released this week has already hit the billboard charts! She’s also making her hit single, Valentine, available for download on her website for free! Download now.

Popularity: 1% [?]

iPhone App Review: TumbleDrop

Written By: Starfruit Games
Category: Games
Price: $1.99 | Free:

Size: 14.2 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.0.3
Rate: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

TumbleDrop is a sweet and adorable physics-based puzzle game that have you smiling when you start playing! The gameplay is easy, simply tap on the yellow shapes to make the pink star fall safely on the ground. Be careful though, one wrong move and your star can tumble down into the water.

The animation and graphics in this game are simply beautiful. Although the graphics seems simple, the attention to detail is what makes this game so great. Notice the facial expressions of all the shapes, especially the pink star. The music in the game reminds me a soothing children’s lullaby. Another small detail that makes the game very pleasant to play.

For every level you beat, you unlock another level in that set. There are currently 3 sets in the full version — beginner, medium, and hard. There are also 20 puzzles in each set, totaling 60 puzzles altogether. The developer promised to add more puzzles future updates for free.

The simple game concept, gentle music, and adorable graphics makes the gameplay very calm and relaxing. There are no ticking clocks, so take your time to solve the various puzzles. Once you finish all of the puzzles, you can go back and challenge yourself by only removing 2 or 3 shapes to earn a gold star medals. You can also earn pink heart medals by removing lots of shapes.

In the full version, there is also a Quick Play mode. The objective is to complete as many random levels as you can without failing (having the pink star fall in the water). If you do fail, the score starts over and you continue with another random puzzle.

A lite version of TumbleDrop is also available in the iTunes app store for free. 10 puzzles of various stages are available for you to try out in this version. Upgrade to the full version for 60+ puzzles and a quick play survival mode.

You can purchase TumbleDrop in the iTunes app store for $1.99, or try out the lite version for free. For more information on TumbleDrop, see their official website.

This article was originally published in Beatweek Magazine.

Game Trailer

Dr. Seuss iPhone Apps now 99 cents!

In honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday and NEA’s Read Across America Day, Oceanhouse Media is dropping all Dr. Seuss iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad apps to $0.99! Grab your favorite Dr. Seuss classic ebooks or camera apps. But hurry, this offer will last for one day only — today — Tuesday, March 2, 2010!

Dr. Seuss’s ABC (iTunes)

Have your child learn the ABC’s with this favorite classic book. It’s full of beautiful and colorful pages as well as fun animations.

The Cat In The Hat (iTunes)

Get the classic “That Cat in the Hat” ebook. Enjoy the beautiful artwork and animation as the book reads to you right on your iPhone / iPod Touch. It’s perfect for the little ones.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas (iTunes)

Of all the Dr. Seuss apps available now, this is definitely my favorite! I just absolutely love the story and it can be enjoyed by both kids and adults. The narrator is wonderful and the animation and illustration is just lovely. I highly recommend it. Full Review..

Grinchmas! (iTunes)

Would you like to be Mr. Nice Grinch, or Mr. Mean Grinch? Here’s a fun game to either toss presents at the Who’s houses or snowballs at them instead! Full Review..

Dr. Suess’ Camera: The Cat in The Hat Edition (iTunes)

Take photos of your friends and disguise them as the mischievous cat in the hat! A fun app to make you smile with your favorite Cat in the Hat illustrations!

Dr. Seuss Camera: The Grinch Edition (iTunes)

Take photos and insert your favorite Grinch frames on your friends! You can be Mr. Nice Grinch, or a Mean one, or even one of the Who’s. Full Review..

Read more about Oceanhouse Media’s Dr. Seuss iPhone / iPod Touch apps!

Popularity: 1% [?]

iPhone App Review: Riddim Ribbon

Name: Riddim Ribbon
Written By: Tapulous
Category: Games
Price: $1.99 (iTunes)

Size: 45.4 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.0.3
Rate: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

From the makers of Tap Tap Revenge comes the hit new iPhone/iPod Touch game, Riddim Ribbon! it’s like Tap Tap Revenge and your favorite race car game all rolled into one! Riddim Ribbon is a fast and upbeat game that any music lover would enjoy.

So let’s get this party started! You’re the DJ and the controls for the music mix are right in your hands! Tilt your device left, right, and up to the tunes of Black Eyed Peas, Tiësto, Benny Benassi, (and many more artists to be added soon) as you race down a curvy ribbon, gathering pebbles and hoops for points. When you reach a fork in your track, make a decision to go left or right for a different mix of the song. Jump over ramps to the effects level and give your song a more unique sound. Glide along the track, but be sure to stay away from obstacles that can slow you down!

Don’t be too intimidated playing this game the first few times. The game is easy to learn, but difficult to master at first. Once you get the hang of when to tilt the device during the curvy turns and jumps, it’s a lot of fun. Plus, the narrator is quite encouraging!

Each game is about 4-5 minutes, depending on what song you pick. The game comes with 3 great Black Eyed Peas tracks, including mixes of Boom Boom Pow, I Gotta Feeling, and Meet Me Halfway. For a limited time only, you can also get the mashup of “Imma Be/Rock That Body” for free with purchase. For each song, there are 2-3 mixes that can be played in your race to the finish line. At the end of the game, you can view your total points, your achievements, your top scores and dates of when you played, and how you compare to the global leaderboard. You can also share your score via email with your friends.

In-app purchases for 99 cents include various mixes of:
- Tiësto’s Louder Than Boom and Escape Me
- Benny Benassi’s Satisfaction

The game comes in three levels of difficulty — Easy, Medium, and Hard. You must mix up the previous level with an accuracy of 75% or better to unlock the next level. Harder levels include more twists, turns, jumps, and obstacles, both on and off the track.

One option I’d like added to the game is the ability to view the world-wide leaderboard at any time. Currently, you can only view it after you play the game. I personally like to see the scores I need to beat before playing the game. It’s just makes me more competitive.

Overall, the game is a lot of fun, especially if you love The Black Eyed Peas and racing games. The graphics and animation are great and makes you feel as if you are mixing the song. One note, your right hand may sometimes cover the speakers on your iPhone when playing. That’s not good since this game is music-based. I suggest picking up a game wheel accessory or a gamer’s case to enhance your gaming experience with Riddim Ribbon. Have fun, and happy dj-ing!

Riddim Ribbon is currently on sale for $1.99 in the iTunes App Store.

Video Trailer

Popularity: 1% [?]

iPhone App Review: WordCrasher

Written By: Kevin Ng
Category: Games
Price: $0.99 | Free:

Size: 9.1 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.2
Rate: 5 out of 5 Stars

WordCrasher is one of the most addictive word games in the iTunes App store. Whether you love word games or not, you’ll fall in love with this one instantly.

The gameplay is quite simple. Colorful button-like game pieces with letters on them will fall into view. Simply tap on the game pieces to make words. If you make a mistake, tap on the orange X to clear the word or swipe to the left to clear one letter. If you make a word, tap on the green checkmark. You can also swipe downward to make letters fall faster. There are also two types of powerup — Time Freeze and Bomb. The “time freeze” powerup is helpful when you need a little more time to think about the words you’re creating and the “Bomb” is helpful when you need to clear the screen. You can create words using UK, International and US English spellings. Score big by making longer words or words with rare letters like “z” and “q.” Make as many words as you can before the screen fills up!

What’s magical about this game are the beautiful and colorful graphics as well as the realistic way the pieces fall and move in the game. Tilt the iPhone / iPod Touch and game pieces will fall and move around.

Two game modes are available in the full version — marathon and flood panic. In marathon mode, you make words with the game pieces falling down. When the screen fills up, the game is over. In flood panic, water and buoyancy are added to the equation. Game pieces are still falling down, but will float in water. The objective is to make longer words to lower the water level. Once the game pieces reach the top of the screen, the game is over.

WordCrasher uses the OpenFeint social gaming network to keep track of your scores and the leaderboard. Earn achievements and compete with your friends as well as gamers worldwide! Scoring categories include Flood Panic, Vocabulary, Marathon, and Word Score. You can even brag about your scores on Twitter and Facebook.

Overall, WordCrasher is very easy to play, fun, and can be quite addictive. The well-polished graphics and physics in the game also makes it really stand out. The best part is, Kevin Ng, the game developer, has already started working on an iPad version of his game. With the faster processor and higher resolution of the iPad, he can use more realistic and detailed graphics without cluttering the game. Read his blog for more details.

For more information about WordCrasher, see their official website. The full version is on sale for only 99 cents. A lite version is also available which allows you to play four levels of marathon mode. Happy word-crashing!

This article was originally published in Beatweek Magazine.

Screenshots

Video Trailer

iPhone App Review: Toy Story Mania

Name: Toy Story Mania
Written By: Walt Disney
Category: Games
Price: $4.99

Size: 50.5 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.0.0
Rate: 4 out of 5 Stars

Come one, come all. Step right up and play the Disney-inspired game called Toy Story Mania! If you’re an avid Disney fan, you have probably already been on the Toy Story Mania ride at Disney’s California Adventure (Anaheim) or Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Orlando). Now imagine all that fun packed right in the palm of your hands.

Just like the theme park ride, you’re taken to mini-games that are represented by their respective characters. Instead of pulling a string on a cannon, you swipe, shoot, flick, pop, and toss things at targets and gain points. Altogether, there are five mini games which include: Hammin’ Eggs, Buzz Lightyears’ Flying Tossers, Bo Pee’s Baaa-loon Pop, Green Army Men Shoot Camp, and Woody’s Rootin’ Tootin’ Shootin’ Gallery.

Choose a mini game by clicking on a toy. Each mini game has 12 stages. The stages are broken into levels of difficulty — easy, normal, and hard. Play each difficulty level in Challenge mode to unlock the next level up. There are two modes of gameplay — Challenge and Free Play. However, only levels you unlocked in Challenge Mode will be playable. Each difficulty level has 5 stages, where one is a bonus stage which unlocks a special item that you can purchase with tickets afterward. Each of these stages have their own unique challenge that you must complete to move onto the next stage.

Here is how the mini-games are played:

- Hammin’ Eggs: slingshot green eggs to hit moving targets on the farm.
- Buzz Lightyears’ Flying Tossers: flick rings to capture rockets and aliens!
- Bo Pee’s Baaa-loon Pop: tap and pop balloons. You have 5 darts, when you’re out of amo, shake to reload.
- Green Army Men Shoot Camp – position the cross-hair target on the plates, and tap to fire.
- Woody’s Rootin’ Tootin’ Shootin’ Gallery – tap on targets to fire suction-cup arrows at them. You’ll need to reload once you fire all 6 arrows.

You also collect tickets while playing the mini games. Trade them in for extra boosts in the mini games. For example, for the Hammin’ Eggs mini-game, you can get a slingshot that fires 3 eggs at one time.

As an added bonus, if you visit the Toy Story Mania attraction at Disney’s California Adventure or Hollywood Studios, the Toy Story wallpapers will unlock and you can save them to your device. This is the only part that would not work well with an iPod Touch since there is no wifi connection available.

The graphics and animation are excellent and will sure bring you back to those Disney memories. The controls on some of the mini games are a bit difficult, especially aiming for the much smaller targets. But then again, those are the ones that are worth the most points.

Overall, this game is well-worth the higher price tag. It packs a lot of games, fun, and action into a nice little app. I highly recommend it if you enjoy carnival games.

Toy Story Mania is available in the iTunes app store for $4.99.

Screenshots

Popularity: 1% [?]

Valentine iPhone Apps

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. What better way to celebrate with your sweetheart than with iPhone apps? ;) Here is my top 5 Valentine iPhone App list:

Makeout Mania – fun game where you play a mischievous cupid and fire arrows at high school kids to make them kiss and fall in love with one another. There’s also a yearbook that you can read to figure out who likes who (for more points). It’s quite a funny game and is such a bargain at 99 cents. (iTunes)

Sweethearts – send your sweet a special treat, a special virtual treat that is. Necco is promoting their new sweetheart candy flavors, and what better way to do it than in a very adorable app? Create a box of 5 candies that you can tweet to your sweet. The app is free but requires a Twitter account to share your boxes of candy. (Full Review | iTunes)

Valentine’s Daymation (Special Edition Daymation Lite) — is a special day-to-day calendar with a countdown to Valentine’s day. You can leave little sticky notes in an assortment of colors. You can even put notes in the desk. This app is free in the iTunes App Store. (iTunes)
.

StickerJam Hearts – add cute hearts and valentine stickers to your photos. The user interface can be improved, but it’s a nice app to use to decorate your photos. (iTunes)
.
.

Love Poem Generator – Are you having writer’s block? Do you want to write a love poem, but just don’t know where to start? No worries, the Love Poem Generator can help you get started. Put together a love poem and email it to your sweet within a few minutes. (iTunes)

Popularity: 2% [?]

iPhone App Review: Sweethearts

Want to send a special treat to your sweet? Do it right from your iPhone or iPod Touch with the Sweethearts app. Sweethearts are the traditional conversation heart candies from Necco. Now they a fun app that promotes their new candy flavors and their new “Tweet Me” heart.

You start by customizing up to 5 candy hearts to give away. Tap on the candy to edit the text. Add another by tapping on the plus sign. Remove it by dropping it on the trash icon. When you’re happy with your box of candy, you can tweet it, DM (direct message) it to someone, or email them. You must login into Twitter before sharing the box of candy though. Your friend(s) will then get a unique link to the box of candy you made for them. It’s simple and is a fun way to say you care.

There is also an option to browse and view other boxes of candy created worldwide, boxes created by people you are following on Twitter, as well as a retweet option.

What I would like added to this app is the ability to add more than candy hearts in a box as well as pick a song for the candies. Other than that, it’s a simple app to bring a smile to anyone’s face.

Here is an example of what the link will take you to. The box of candy will open up for your friend and the candies will be displayed for them to play with.

You can read more about the Sweethearts app on their official website: MySweethearts.com and follow their Twitter account: @my_sweethearts. The app is free and available for download in iTunes App Store.

Popularity: 1% [?]

iPhone App Review: Super Monkey Ball 2

Name: Super Monkey Ball 2 (iTunes)
Written By: Sega
Category: Games
Price: $9.99 $4.99

Size: 74.8 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.1
Rate: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Last December, Sega launched Super Monkey Ball 2 for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It’s an amazing followup to the popular original game! If you’re a Super Monkey Ball fan, you’ll be happy to know that SMB 2 has some significant improvements over first version of the game. The graphics are highly impressive. The rolling monkeys are now truly in 3D. And the tilt-meter is much more accurate to the movement and position of the iPhone/iPod Touch, which makes controlling your monkey character much easier.

The concept of the game is very simple. Tilt your iPhone/iPod touch to guide your monkey to the goal. Collect bananas along the way and keep your monkey from falling off the edge of the track. The tracks are are challenging as before, but there’s much greater control with you and the accelerator. There are 115 tracks to play, so the game can keep you occupied for quite some time.

In the main game, you have a few modes to choose from — Single Player, Multiplayer, and Practice. In practice mode, a random track will be chosen for you to play. In Single Player mode, collect bananas and rack up points to unlock new tracks. Multiplayer mode is a fun way to play with your friends! Go head-to-head using a wifi connection. Players take turns selecting up to 5 tracks to compete in. Player with the most points wins.

While you are playing, you may also notice a small video icon on the lower left corner. This option allows you to record and save your gameplays. You can save up to 10 of these videos and can view them in the “View Replays” option. It’s a very cool feature, and I hope there’s a way to export the videos in the future.

There is also a mini game called “Monkey Bowling” where you can take turns rolling the monkeys to knock over pins. Multiplayer mode is also available, but only one iPhone/iPod Touch device is needed. Two other mini games — Monkey Golf and Monkey Target — will be available in the near future as a free update.

Overall, the controls are smooth and accurately reflect the player’s movement. Super Monkey Ball 2 is really fun and entertaining, and will keep you occupied for hours and hours. Take the monkeys — Aiai, Baby, Meemee, Gongon — out for a spin!

Learn more about Super Monkey Ball 2 for iPhone and iPod touch in the App Store.

This article was originally published in iProng Magazine.

Popularity: 1% [?]

iPhone App Review: Talking Carl

Talking Carl is a very simple iPhone / iPod Touch app that stars Carl, a cute and cuddly square blob that repeats everything you say.. I mean everything! Touch him and see his funny reactions. You can poke his eyes, tickle his tummy, and even make him burp. This is a great little app for parties and young kids.

See Chris Pirillo’s video demo of the app below. If that doesn’t make you want to buy the app, I don’t know what would. :) It’s nicely priced at only 99 cents.

Note: iPod Touch users must use earphones with a mic for this app to work.

You can purchase it in the iTunes app store.

Video Demo with Chris Pirillo

Popularity: 1% [?]

iPhone App Review: Qik Live

Name: Qik Live (iTunes)
Written By: Qik.com
Category: Photography
Price: Free

Size: 3.3 MB
Requirements: iPhone
Version: 4.40
Rate: 4 out of 5 Stars

It’s been a long wait, but now it’s finally available in the iTunes app store! Qik Live debuted on December 24th, 2009 – just in time to capture those special holiday moments! Qik Live is a live video streaming app that allows you to share pieces of everyday life experiences with your friends and family as they happen via your cellphone / iPhone.

Creating a video is quite easy. If you’re a first time Qik user, a short registration page will show up when you launch the app. It’ll ask you to create a new username, password, and if you want your location to show when you stream. The latter option can be changed when you start streaming or in the settings options.

Once you fill out the form, you’re ready to start streaming live video! Click on the red button at the bottom and your video is live! You can also record an offline video if you like. And the video will be uploaded when your toggle the online button. The Qik app has two parts to it. The top display is what’s being recorded in your video. The bottom display is where your live audience can chat with you.

To change the video options, tap on the video display. Options include Mute, Toggle chat, Set permissions (Public or Private video), Edit video details, Share Video, and Send email.

In the “Share Video” option, you can post your video onto various social networks including Facebook, Twitter, 12seconds.tv, Brightcove, YouTube, Tumblr, or your contacts. To activate these social networks, you must first log onto Qik.com and add in the credentials. The newest share option is the ability to “add contact.” You can select contacts from your addressbook and an email will be sent to your friends/families telling them where the link to your Qik video is.

More options are available when you log into the Qik.com website. You can update your settings and add additional social network options to your account. For example, you can set your account to send an automatic tweet when you start streaming, or have your video uploaded to 12seconds, or YouTube by default.

The user interface is beautifully done and the app is very user-friendly. The are a few minor improvements that I’d like to see on the Qik Live iPhone app though. I would love a landscape mode where the chat overlays the video and the record button is on the side. Holding the iPhone sideways seems more natural to me because it’s similar to holding a camera.

In addition to the mobile app on various mobile platforms, Qik also comes to the desktop called Qik-in-Touch. Qik-in-Touch is a desktop air app that will notify people of when live videos happen. It’s very fun to see what your family and friends are up to, the moment it happens, right on your desktop!

Although Qik Live is new to the iTunes App Store, it has been supported on various phones. See the supported phones page for more information.

Some things to remember before using Qik are:

1. Recording videos with the app uses up a lot of battery power.
2. Set your privacy settings accordingly.
3. You can connect with your audience and talk to them over Qik.
4. There are multiple ways of using Qik – have fun, be creative, and enjoy!

Overall, Qik is a great app that lets you experience what your friends and family are doing no matter where you are. That way you never miss an important moment again. Qik Live for the iPhone is freely available in the iTunes App Store.

Screenshots

Popularity: 1% [?]

iPhone App Review: Coolibah

Name: Coolibah
Written By: Coolibah.me
Category: Lifestyle
Price: $4.99 FREE

Size: 16.5 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.0
Rate: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

If you love scrapbooking, you’ll definitely love the iPhone/iPod touch app called Coolibah. It’s a premium digital scrapbooking app for all your iPhone and iPod Touch photos.

Creating a new scrapbook is very simple and only takes seconds! There’s a free kit that’s pre-installed when you purchase the app. Start a new page by picking a background for your layout. Then add a photo, a few embellishments, and maybe some text. Then viola, you’re done creating your first digital iPhone scrapbook page! Now repeat the steps by adding another page to it and another, and before you know it, you’ll have an entire book documenting your vacation or subject!

Once you’re done, export the book and the pages will be added into your Photo roll. If you like, these can be easily used to print great 4×6 prints as well, or be uploaded to various social networks.

To me, browsing the gallery is one of my favorite things to do in the app. The gallery includes beautiful kits with embellishments created by premium designers. Kits are free or costs about 99 cents each. This is denoted by a gift icon (free) or a dollar sign. You can even browse the elements in the kits before purchasing them.

Some editing features include adding one or more photos to pages, resizing, rotating, and adding shadow to embellishments, as well as sending elements to the foreground or background. There is also the undo, redo, and delete options. When selecting an element to edit, it will be highlighted in yellow. Use one finger to move it on the page, two-finger pinch to resize it, and three fingers to rotate the embellishment. You can personalize your page even further by adding text in a variety of fonts and colors.

Some features I’d like to see in future builds would be:

• Ability to view new kits in the gallery on any type of connection (currently viewable on only wifi)
• Ability to reorder the pages in a scrapbook
• Ability to combine pages indifferent scrapbooks

Overall, this app is a fabulous solution on how to organize and dress up your iPhone photos, or fill in that scrapbooking itch while on the road! It’s a lot of fun, especially when you’re on vacation. It only takes a few seconds to create a fun postcard to email or post! For more tips, tutorials, and information, see the official website or the App Store.

Screenshots

CES 2010: OnStar Experience iPhone App

If you’re a proud owner of a GM Chevrolet Volt, you’ll be happy to know that an amazing iPhone app has recently been released at CES 2010 show! OnStar launched an iPhone app that will make taking care of your Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle a snap!

OnStar Experience allows a seamless connection to you and your Chevrolet VOLT vehicle data. You can even perform commands remotely to your car by simply clicking on buttons in the app. Never again do you have to worry if you’re car is out of charge, or is unlocked, etc. It’s all right in the app!

Some of the features that OnStar Experience provides are:

• Vehicle State of Charge
• Vehicle Electric Range
• Vehicle MPG
• Vehicle Charging Settings and Control
• Lock / Unlock Doors
• Honk Horn and Flash Lights

It’s just amazing how much you can control your car in just the palm of your hands! Check out OnStar Experience today. Note, if you do not have a Chevy Volt, you can still interact with the app in demo-mode.

Video Demo at CES 2010

Popularity: 1% [?]

Video: Touch Pets Dogs

I just love playing Touch Pets Dogs! It’s quite fun and addicting! My puppies need care every day. This game is like an advanced version of the old tamagotchi pets. I’ve already maxed out on all the levels –> Advanced Mega Superstar Owner — so now all there’s left to do is earn puppy bucks and buy lots of doggie clothes and accessories. :)

If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, you can download the app for free (iTunes Link). Then once you sign up for the Plus+ network (mobile game social network), you can add me as a friend – daynah. The social part is really something. If you have a playdate with my dog, my phone will bark. :)

Popularity: 1% [?]

Fun Holiday iPhone Apps

Get into the holiday spirit with all these fun winter iPhone / iPod Touch apps! These are just a handful I tried out. Feel free to let me know what holiday apps are your favorite so I can try them too! :)

Snow Brawlin. Risoo the squirrel needs your help! A group of rogue rodents have taken over his area. And with the season’s nut shortage, there’s only one way to settle this. Snowball fight! It’s a fun game that will get your quick fingers tapping and heart laughing. The game is free but you can purchase in-app extra three lives for 99 cents. The pro version comes with the extra lives. (iTunes: Pro Version | Free)

Arctic Shuffle 2 is a cute and cuddly penguin puzzler that’s perfect if you enjoy short casual games. Object is to aim penguins to land on a target by bouncing off ice and other things. Earn loads of points and post them on the leaderboard. It’s available for only 99 cents in the iTunes App store. (iTunes: Full | Lite | Full Review)

Touch Pets Dogs 10 Food Grr is another version of Touch Pets Dogs, but it gives you 10 free bowls of food for your virtual puppy! Dress your little pup in the cutest winter clothes as you run around a winter wonderland! Lots a wonderful suprises int he game, as well as daily offers for free stuff. The game has amazing graphics and is fun for the whole family. Best of all, it’s free! (iTunes | Full Review)

Prep & Landing. Disney’s Prep & Landing takes you through the Kringle Academy to earn your place in the elite unit of elves that prepare homes for Santa on Christmas eve! There are three mini games — Deployment, Sparkle Ball Practice, and Ski Jump. Fun and worth the 99 cents! (iTunes | Full Review)

Grinchmas let’s you play the part of Mr. Grinch on Christmas Day. If you’re feeling like a mean grinch, you can throw snowballs at the houses in Who-ville. If you’re feeling like Mr. Nice Grinch, you can shower the houses with gifts! Great fun for the whole family. App is on sale now for just 99 cents! (iTunes | Full Review)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! – Dr. Seuss is the first official Dr. Seuss ebook and it’s tons of fun! You have the option of the book reading to you, or reading it yourself. The pages are filled with the original book artwork and the animation is just spectacular. It’s perfect for young children learning how to read, and big kids who loved this book as a child. Definitely a must-buy for any Grinch fan! Currently $3.99 but well-worth it. (iTunes | Full Review)

Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition is a fun way to add some whimsical Grinch-graphics to your photos. Just select a Grinch card and snap a photo! It’s really fun on unsuspecting people when you snap their photo and it turns out green! There are 23 different frames in all. The app is currently $1.99 in the app store, was $2.99. (iTunes | Full Review)

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a lot of fun, especially if you enjoy the movie! Help Scrat collect acorns while avoiding dangerous obstacles and enemies along the way! Game features characters like Prehistoric pals Manny, Ellie, Diego, Sid and Scratte join Scrat throughout game play. Usually $4.99, this game is on sale for Christmas for only 99 cents! (iTunes)

Elf Jumpers. Help guide the elves to land on chimneys! Avoid dangerous obstacles and get all those presents to the good boys and girls. The audio sounds are just hilarious. The app is currently Free in the app store. (iTunes)
.

Coca-Cola Virtual Christmas Lights is a nice way to add some sparkle to your holiday photos! Add lights, holiday symbols and more with this app. You can also post it and share with the world your photo. It’s currently in the iTunes app store for free. (iTunes)
.

Holiday Smash. If you enjoy bouncing ping pong balls off of a launch pad, you’ll love this! Smash the lights as fast as you can. For this holiday edition, the lights are in the shape of Santa, Snowman, Christmas Tree, Snowflake, Fireplace, Candy Canes, and more! Currently Free in the iTunes app store! (iTunes)

Triazzle Holiday. A great little puzzler to tickle your brain cells during the holiday season. Move triangle puzzle pieces around to match up the ornaments, dradles, light bulbs, nut crackers, and more! Great sounds and animation to brighten your day. Triazzle Holiday is available in the iTunes App store for just 99 cents. (iTunes)

Santa Rush. Digital Chocolate makes a lot of fun rollercoaster games, and this one is just as fun as the others. Your rollercoaster-ride is Santa and he’s taking a few elves with him in the other carts. Guide the rollercoaster carts to safety without losing anyone to advance to the next level! Fun and free! (iTunes)

Crazy Penguin Christmas is the holiday version of Crazy Penguin Catapult 1 and 2. Help save Santa and the elves from mean polar bears by catapulting penguins to the rescue. The app is currently 99 cents, but I suggest trying the Lite version first to see if you like it.
(iTunes: Full | Lite)

Naughty or Nice? Christmas Detective is a simple app that scans a person’s photo and determines if they’re naughty or nice! Once the photo is analyzed, a “naughty” or “nice” banner is placed on the photo. There is also the option of posting the photo on Facebook and/or Twitter! This app may be a handy tool during the holidays. It’s currently on sale for 99 cents. (iTunes)

Scrooge’s Tip Calculator. Of course you should tip generously to your server(s), but this app makes it a lot of fun. What would Scrooge tip if he was eating with you? There are four levels of tipping – from a generous Christmas Spirit to a Scroogey mood. This app is currently in the iTunes app store for Free! (iTunes)

Santa’s Sack. Angry animals have stolen all of Santa’s presents! Help Santa get them all back by tiling the iPhone / iPod Touch and catching all the present in his big red sack! It’s a silly game with fun music. Available in the app store for free! (iTunes)
.

Popularity: 1% [?]

iPhone App Review: I Am T-Pain

Written by: Al Morita

I’m a big fan when it comes to music apps, especially ones that let you be creative. “I am T-Pain” has two modes – one lets you sing like T-Pain on his songs and a freestyle mode that is worth the $2.99 alone. When connected to a speaker, the freestyle mode lets you use the app like an auto-tune machine. You have the option to have the auto-tune setting set to T-Pain or you can customize the tuning to major, minor, and even chromatic scales. This app works great for non-singers and singers alike as it automatically adjusts your voice to the nearest note in real-time.

The “I am T-Pain” app includes 14 songs to sing along with. Five of them are instrumental versions of T-Pain songs including the hits “Bartender” and “Dreamgirl.” Three are Christmas karaoke songs, and the other six are T-Pain beats you can freestyle with. You can also purchase additional T-Pain songs in the app for $0.99 – $1.99. None of the songs are installed by default, so you might spend some time downloading the songs if you have a slow connection. I found the karaoke interface to be very good with easy-to-read lyrics on the screen. If you mess up, you can easily restart the song. By default, all your songs are recorded onto your device so you can listen to them later. You can also upload your audio track to the Smule server and also add an audio player with your songs to MySpace and Facebook. They also updated the app so you can sing along to any song in your iTunes library, which is a cool feature. The only limitation in this mode is that you can’t upload it to the server.

This app has many hours worth of entertainment with the auto-tune feature and a good list of songs to sing along with. I applaud Smule for updating the app with new features and songs. They made an excellent product even better. The possibilities are endless, who knows – you might see someone using the “I am T-Pain” app at your next karaoke party. I know I will.

Pros:

• Excellent auto-tune feature in real-time
• Good selection of songs with app
• Share your songs via the upload feature
• Ability to sing to any song in your iTunes library
• Solid karaoke mode
• Good recording quality

Cons:

• Needs vocal recording level option

Learn more about the I Am T-Pain app in the App Store

Popularity: 1% [?]

iPhone App Review: Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition

Name: Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition (iTunes Link)
Written By: Oceanhouse Media
Category: Photography
Price: $2.99 $1.99

Size: 6.8 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.1
Rate: 5 out of 5 Stars

Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition is a fun way to add some whimsical Grinch-graphics to your photos. Just select a Grinch card and snap a photo! It’s especially fun when you take photos of people and show them a green grinch-like version of themselves!

With 23 different frames to choose from, creating greeting cards have never been so easy and fun! Choose from various Grinch frames, Cindy-Lou Who, Max and more. Cards can be easily emailed and saved to your photo library.

Features include:
- Over 20 cards to choose from. Grinchmas cards are based on original artwork by Dr. Seuss.
- Add your photo in character face cutouts or stand along side them.
- Camera timer can be set to 2 or 10 seconds
- Edit and add whimsical borders and stamps to your cards
- Add fun stamps to further customize your cards. Stamps can be moved, rotated, and deleted.
- Cards can be saved to your photo library and emailed to your family and friends.
- Load photos from your library and edit. Drag, resize, and rotate to make the right fit.

For a Grinchy fun time in Who-ville, take along your Dr. Seuss Camera and snap away! The “Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition” is available in the iTunes app store for $2.99 $1.99.

This review was originally published in iProng Magazine issue #56.

Disclaimer: I’ve received a promo code for “Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition” iPhone app from Oceanhouse Media in exchange for a review.

Screenshots

Popularity: 1% [?]

iPhone App Review: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Name: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (iTunes Link)
Written By: Oceanhouse Media
Category: Books
Price: $3.99

Size: 9.6 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.0.1
Rate: 5 out of 5 Stars

The holiday season wouldn’t be complete without the Grinch. If you haven’t read the book yet, there’s a fabulous app that will read it to you! And if you have read it, you’ll love all the memories this app brings to you and your little ones.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” is the first official Dr. Seuss ebook and it’s tons of fun! You have the option of the book reading to you, or reading it yourself. The pages are filled with the original book artwork and the animation is just spectacular. It’s perfect for young children learning how to read, and big kids who loved this book as a child.

In the “Read to me” mode, the book will read to you. As it reads, the words are highlighted in red.

In the “Read it myself” mode, the audio is turned off. If you would like to hear the audio, simply tap on the text and the app will start reading that phrase.

There is also another fun and interactive element in the app. If you tap on the page’s illustrations, the object or item’s name will appear in big red letters, and a voice will say what it is. This app is a great reading tool for children just learning how to read as well as big kids like you and me! It’s definitely a must-have for any Grinch fan. The iPhone/iPod Touch app is currently on sale for $3.99 and well-worth it.

This review was originally published in iProng Magazine issue #56.

Disclaimer: I’ve received a promo code for “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” iPhone app from Oceanhouse Media in exchange for a review.

Screenshot

Popularity: 1% [?]

iPhone App Review: Arctic Shuffle 2

Name: Arctic Shuffle 2 (iTunes: Full Version | Free Lite Version)
Written By: Zinc Roe Design
Category: Games
Price: 99 cents, with option for in-app purchases for 99 cents each. (two are available)

Size: 10.2 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.2
Rate: 5 out of 5 Stars

Arctic Shuffle 2 is a cute and exciting puzzle game that will have you playing for hours! Chill out with the cuddly penguins as you aim and slide them across the ice to land on the target! Be sure to watch out for obstacles that can hurt your precious penguin.

The game has 10 stages in each level of difficulty – beginner, easy, medium, hard, expert — that’s 50 different puzzles to solve! In addition, there are also two optional add-on packs for 99 cents, which include 24 extra stage each.

The scoring system for each stage is based on three parts — difficulty, penguins survived, and time bonus. Your total score are tallied up and added into the online leaderboard using AGON Online service. Compare scores with all players, people near you, and your friends. There’s even an option to post your scores on Twitter and Facebook.

The challenges and adorable graphics in Arctic Shuffle 2 keeps you coming back for more! Try it Arctic Shuffle 2 Lite for free. It comes with 10 levels. If you enjoy it purchase Arctic Shuffle 2 in the iTunes app store for only 99 cents.

This article was originally published and featured in iProng Magazine.

Disclaimer: I’ve received a promo code for “Arctic Shuffle 2″ iPhone app from Zinc Roe Design in exchange for a review.

Screenshots

Popularity: 1% [?]

Next Page »