MacWorld Expo 2010: Abvio Fitness iPhone Apps

I thought Abvio’s Runmeter, Cyclemeter, and Walkmeter iPhone apps deserved Beatweek’s Best of Show Award at MacWorld Expo 2010 for their innovative way of motivating individuals to exercise. I simply loved the features they integrated in the 2.0 versions.

Are you a fitness enthusiast? If you enjoy running, cycling, or going for a walk, try out Abvio’s new line of fitness apps — Runmeter, Cyclemeter, and Walkmeter. These exercise apps use the iPhone’s GPS to track and visualize exercise activities as well as help improve athletic performance and health. Each of these apps are similar to one another except for the fact that they come pre-customized to suit the needs of its user — the walker, runner, or cyclist.

Some of the great features of Runmeter, Cyclemeter, and Walkmeter are:

• An iPhone-centric approach, no Web site accounts, passwords, or ads required.
• Ghost racing against previous runs, walks, and rides along a route.
• On-device calendar of all runs, rides, and walks.
• On-device graphs of pace and elevation.
• On-device manual entry of runs, walks, and rides.
• Exceptional battery conservation.

Some of the new features that were demonstrated to me at MacWorld were pretty innovative! The features in the 2.0 versions include:

• The first apps to support use of the iPhone’s earphone remote to start and stop the stopwatch.
• The first apps on the iPhone to speak Twitter replies using text-to-speech technology.
• The first GPS apps to include a Twitter client for reading and composing tweets.
• The first GPS apps to share runs, walks, and rides using Google Maps, with links as simple as http://j.mp/5ouyIC
• The first GPS apps to use fuzzy logic to filter GPS locations for more accurate GPS location reporting.
• The only apps among our competition to allow full export of all your data.

If you would like more information about Runmeter, Cyclemeter, and Walkmeter, see their official website at Abvio.com

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)
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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)
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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% [?]

TouchPetsDogs – 3 Pups!

I’ve been playing Touch Pets Dogs for the iPhone for a long time now — every since it was released in the iTunes App store. But this is the first time I ran into this bug. I actually LIKE this bug though! Usually you can only play with at most two dogs at the same time. I somehow got three on the screen. :)

I was finishing up one of the careers that needed a Crimefighting Dog. So I clicked on partner dog and selected a crimefighting one. Then I found out I didn’t have enough money to buy the career tool, so I hit cancel. And somehow, all three dogs — two are mine, and one was a friend’s (crimefighting dog) — appeared on my screen. I was able to move and play with each one of them!

Anyhow, here’s my pet Gizmo’s career status. He’s almost done with Crime Fighting school… I’m waiting for the Alien career to be added next.

And here’s my Plus+ status for TouchPetDogs. I’m an Advanced Mega Superstar Owner… I already maxed out on the achievements. heh

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: 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% [?]

Bargain iPhone Apps

The holidays are fast approaching and sales are all around us! I’ve been watching the “App” Market and seeing a lot of prices drop. So where can you spend your iTunes gift card and get the best bang for your buck? Here is a list of some iphone / iPod Touch apps that I thought were noteworthy and worth your time and money:

General Games

Ramp Champ, originally $1.99, is now Free for a limited time! Overall, it’s a skee-ball app with a lot of personality! Play with various ramps and discover hidden Easter eggs. Win tickets and redeem them for virtual prizes. Beautiful graphics and the music reminds me of the good old carnival days. (iTunes | Full review)

TouchPetsDogs is an adorable virtual pet game that’s perfect for the whole family. Adopt a puppy or two and teach them tricks, dress them up, and even take them on playdates with your friends’ dogs. It’s a great social game every animal lover will enjoy. TouchPetsDogs 10 was 99 cents, but is currently free. This version comes with 10 (plus an extra 8) bowls of food for the dog and is the best bargain out of all the TouchPetsDogs versions. (iTunes | Full review)

Nut Chuckin’ is an adorable game starring squirrels. This game features original artwork, unique gameplay and custom music. Help Risoo the squirrel hop up the ladder of branches as he dodge nuts chucked at him from a few trouble-making squirrels! New Lite version is available. Full version is only 99 cents. (iTunes)

South Park Mega Millionaire Originally $2.99, this little treat is now only 99 cents. It’s a great game for any South Park fan. The South Park boys are on a Japanese game show where they have to rollerskate their way to win millions. Filled with bleeped out profanity, this game may be offensive to some and hilarious to others. (iTunes)

Cro-Mag Rally Featured in Apple TV ads and in the Apple store, this app and all of Pangea Software apps have been dropped in price to only $1.99 cents (originally $2.99). If you like Mario Kart and other racing apps, try this pre-historic version of the game! It reminds me of the Flintstones. (iTunes)

Eliminate Pro allows you to play head-to-head combat with friends! It’s a first person shooter game that has the feel of Doom. You can play can play against anyone with the iPhone app installed. It’s real-time and a Plus+ Network account is needed (free). There are also in-app purchases, but they’re not necessary to have fun! The game is 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)

Puzzle Games

Arctic Shuffle 2 is a cute little puzzler featuring cuddly penguins. Slide them across the ice, bump them off of glaciers, and make one land safely on the target to collect points. Great quick and casual game. In-App purchases include plenty of levels to keep you busy. It’s currently $1.99 in the App store, but a Lite version is also available for free. (iTunes: Full | Lite)

Finger Physics is really cute! There’s a bunch of physics-related mini games with adorable graphics. Games include creating a stable contraption with various shapes, eliminating pieces to make an egg roll to a specific destination, and many more. It’s worth a lot more than it’s 99 cent price tag. A lite version is also available for free to try out. (iTunes: Full | Lite)

Zombie Pizza combines my two favorite types of games into one — puzzle and time management game. It gets your brains racking.. and on pizzas! Add hearts, brains, and other disgusting body parts onto pizzas to feed zombies before they eat you! It’s currently $1.99 in the iTunes App store. (iTunes: Full | Lite)

Frogger is great if you like the classic arcade games. Toggle between classic and new graphics. Hop your frogs to safety to the other side of the pond and get rewarded. This game requires good timing skills and just fast thinking! This game was $7.99 when it was first in the app store. Now it’s only for 99 cents! (iTunes)

Flipside is a fast-action puzzle game with various modes to play with. This game is a combination of Tetris and Match 3 games. Beautiful graphics and hilarious sounds. There’s also a ton of levels that makes the price of $2.99 well-worth it. Just a warning, this game can be quite addictive. I’ll see you on the Flipside! (iTunes)

Collapse Chaos is one of my old favorites! I use to play this all the time. Tap matching gems and combine them to earn big points. Usually $1.99, now only 99 cents. It’s a very good game if you’re standing in line or something. (iTunes)
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Educational

Little Cook. Got a little one who loves working in the kitchen? Let them try out Little Cook and cook up their own tasty treats (without the mess!) They can select one of 7 dishes to make and a put their cooking to the test with the young critic. Create a tasty treat, and the critic will be happy and give lots of compliments. Create a disastrous meal and the critic will ask you if this was your first time cooking. I find the comments hilarious, and it’s such a great educational game for your little one. This game is aimed at ages 4-7 and is available in the iTunes App store for just 99 cents. (iTunes)

Brain Quest Blast Off! comes in various levels and are educational games in fields of math, science, and more. Originally $14.99, each grade level app is now only 99 cents. Learning has never been so much fun!
(iTunes: Grade 2 – Grade 3 – Grade 4 – Grade 5 – Grade 6 – Grade 7)

Graphics

Photoshop.com Mobile is one of my favorite image editing apps on the iPhone. There are not as many options like the desktop version of Photoshop, but it’s just enough to make editing your photos on the go, easy. Brightening and cropping photos is a cinch. I also like the effects available. My favorite is the Vignette Blur effect. Best of all, it’s free! (iTunes)

SketchBookX is a great professional on-the-go artist tool. If you ever want to doodle while you’re out, this is the app to have. All of your artist tools are available; just use your finger or a special stylist to start drawing. This is the free version of SketchBook Mobile. (iTunes)

I hope you were able to discover some great new apps for your iPhone/iPod touch. I spend a lot of time testing out apps, so you don’t have to! :) Let me know if you like these kinds of mini-review posts.

So, what are your favorite iPhone / iPod Touch Apps?

Popularity: 2% [?]

iPhone App Review: TouchPetsDogs

Name: Touch Pets Dogs (iTunes Link)
Written By: Ngmoco Inc
Category: Games
Price: Free

Size: 50.3 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.1
Rate: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Who can resist adopting a cute and cuddly virtual pet? Now you can have one right in your iPhone / iPod Touch with the Touch Pets Dogs app. With the power of the Plus Network, you can share your little puppy with all your friends too!

Touch Pets Dogs is a very well-written and polish iPhone app that’s enjoyable for the whole family. Adopt a puppy from one of 7 loveable breeds — Labrador, Portuguese Water Dog, West Highland Terrier, German Shepherd, Jack Russell, Dachshund, and even Robot Dog!

After you adopt your puppy, take good care of it by pampering it with clothes and showering it with plenty of accessories and toys. Don’t forget to train and educate your little pup as well. There are five career paths that your dog can take part in — Crimefighting, Rescue Dog, Scientist, Celebrity, and Politician. Be the ultimate dog and complete all 5!

You can also level your puppy in three categories: Caretaker Level, Trainer Level, and Social Level. To earn points in Caretaker level, take care of your puppy by feeding it, taking it out, and cleaning it daily. To earn points in Trainer category, be sure to play with your pup so it gets some exercise as well as teach it new tricks. For the social level, be sure to take it out on playdates to meet other dogs. Adopting another dog also helps with this as well. The maximum level for each category is 1000 and the higher the points you earn in each level, the more items you unlock that can be bought in the pet store.

Also earn puppy bucks by taking good care of your pup and keeping them happy. These puppy bucks can be traded in the pet store for food, clothes, career items, etc.

The winning aspect of this game is the social connection using the Plus+ network. The ability to take your puppy on a playdate with a friend’s dog is just a lot of fun! Just like with people in real life, dogs can build relationships with other dogs over time. If you want two dogs to fall in love, take them on plenty of playdates and keep them happy on those dates. Dogs tend to fight if you don’t watch them closely, and some just want to be friends. Each dog comes with its own personality and you get to figure out what works best for each dog.

There are currently five versions of Touch Pets Dogs — Touch Pets Dogs (Free), Touch Pets Dogs 10 (Free, usually 99 cents), Touch Pets Dogs 20 ($1.99), Touch Pets Dogs 120 ($9.99), and Touch Pets Dogs 400 ($29.99). The difference between these versions is the price and the amount of food available for your puppy. Your last bowl of food will get recharged every 15 minutes, or 1/10th every 1 and a half minutes. The advantage of buying a more expensive app is earning puppy bucks faster. 15 Bowls of food is equal to 20,000 puppy bucks. So you get to decorate your puppy without having to play as long. Your best choice right now is to get “Touch Pets Dogs 10″ since it is free right now plus you get 10 (plus 8) extra bowls of food. You can also purchase additional food later.

The game is near perfect, but it does have some small glitches. Sometimes, when training your pup with the agility ball, your dog will hop on it and get stuck in midair. You can remove the ball and the puppy would be floating. A way to clear this is by switching the environment.

Another drawback to the game is that you need internet connection in order to play. Your dog’s data and profiles are stored online so they can interact with other dogs on the Plus+ Network. I think a better way of doing this is to have some temporary data storage on the iPhone / iPod Touch for point keeping, and disable options like playdates when no internet connection is available. Maybe this can be added in a future release.

Also, when the game was first released, many complained that their dogs were always hungry and tired. This was quickly fixed and the food is recharged every 15 minutes now instead of 2 hours. Ngmoco Inc. did a great job listening to the community feedback.

So what are you waiting for? Download Touch Pets Dogs and raise your puppy now! For more information, see the official Touch Pets Dogs website.

This article was originally in iProng Magazine’s #55 issue.

Let’s socialize! Want our Touch Pets Dogs to connect? Just add me on the Plus+ network. Look for “daynah.”

Game Trailer

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AppShopper: Find Apps for your iPhone/iPod Touch

AppShopper.com is my favorite website for finding new and interesting apps. It’s updated frequently as new apps are added/update in the iTunes App Store. And now they just made it really easy for me to share my list of favorite iPhone apps! I’ll be updating this list as I find some cool apps to play with. You can sign up for an account and make your own list as well. I also have a wishlist of iPhone apps that I may purchase in the future once their price drops a bit. Yes.. all I want for Christmas are iTunes gift certificates. :)

Here are some tips on how to use the website:

• There are many ways to sort apps on the website. Use them all! :)
• If you’re looking for free bargains, select “Free” and “Price Changes”. This way, you will get see all the free apps that recently reduced their prices.
• See an app you like but don’t want to pay full price for it yet? Add it to your wishlist and select “Notify me of price drops by e-mail.
• There are a ton of apps in the iTunes App store. Create a list and share the apps you think are worth using. This will help you and others discover new apps as you contribute to the community.

If you have an AppShopper iPhone apps list, please share them in the comment box below!

Popularity: 2% [?]

iPhone App Review: Pac-Man Remix

Name: Pac-Man Remix (iTunes Link)
Written By: Namco Networks America
Category: Games
Price: $5.99 $4.99
Size: 11.3 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.0.0
Rate: 4 out of 5 Stars

Pac-Man fans will greatly enjoy the newly released Pac-Man Remix game for the iPhone and iPod touch! The object of the game hasn’t changed much. Pac-Man still eats dots, power pellets, and ghosts when they turn blue. He still also gets chased by the ghosts when they’re not blue and loses a life if they catch him. The addition of the 3D graphics and fun animations adds a whole new dimension to the game. As an added twist, the Remix version has exclusive features like boss battles, stage-specific gadgets, and power-up items!

Pac-Man is stranded on an island full of ghostly enemies — big and small. The island is divided into 6 different sections. Within each section are 5 different levels, which means there are 30 different levels altogether. The last level of each island section is the big boss battle. Before playing each level, a short colorful clip shows you the challenges you will face in the next stage. Although, with only 30 levels, gameplay seems a bit short.
Read more

Popularity: 2% [?]

iPhone App Review: Rolando 2

Name: Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid (iTunes Link)
Written By: ngmoco, Inc.
Category: Games
Price: $9.99
Size: 56.1 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch / (iPhone OS 2.2.1 and later)
Version: 1.1
Rate: 5 Stars

The sequel to one of the best iPhone games has arrived, jammed packed with even more fun than ever before! “Rolando 2: The Quest for the Golden Orchid” takes us back to the days of pirates and their quest leads us through tropical beaches, ancient ruins, volcanic caverns, and jungles. The new cast of characters in this adventure/puzzle game will surely make you smile!

As the story goes, Sir Richard Buttons-Smthe, a brave young Rolando, returns home to the Kingdom of Rolando to report of his adventures to the King and Queen. As he tells the Sages of his adventures, they suddenly fall ill, showing symptoms of the Kilgorean Flu. Sir Richard mentions that the only cure for it is the “fabled Golden Orchid, atop the great Mount on the Isle of Fontanis.” So the King sends him back to the boat, along with a new team of Rolandos and that’s how their adventure begin.
Read more

Popularity: 2% [?]

iPhone App Review: Kindle for iPhone

Name: Kindle for iPhone (iTunes Link)
Written By: Amazon.com
Category: Books
Price: Free
Size: 3.9 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.1
Rate: 4.5 Stars

Do you enjoy reading books? Well now you can on your iPhone! If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, download and install the Kindle iPhone app. Once it’s installed, click on the little (i) on the lower right, then click on “Register this device.” Log in with your Amazon account, then click “Register.”

Read more

Popularity: 4% [?]

iPhone App Review: Cooking Mama

Name: Cooking Mama (iTunes Link)
Written By: Taito Corporation
Category: Games
Price: $6.99
Size: 8.8 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.0
Rate: 4 Stars

Learning to cook on the go is now even simpler with the “Cooking Mama” iPhone/iPod Touch game! It made it’s first appearance on the Nintendo DS, and then the Wii, capturing audiences of all ages.

“Cooking Mama” is a quirky culinary game where you follow a series of recipes to make a nice meal as the end result. Dishes are prepared by manipulating the utensils with your finger. This includes chopping, flipping, kneading, slicing, dicing, stirring, peeling, and more. Mama rates you on your performance at each step of the way. The better you do each task, the happier Mama gets. However, if you don’t finish the task within a certain amount of time, she gets mad! The better you prepare the dishes, the more recipes you can unlock.

Read more

Popularity: 7% [?]

Favorite Free iPhone Games

iPhone game apps are so much fun! I love playing a quick game while standing in line at the store or waiting for my food at a restaurant. I’ve stopped playing with my Nintendo DS ever since I got my iPod touch. Oops.

I really love the lite versions of games because of the “try and buy” factor. Here are a few iPhone games available in the iTunes store for free. Remember, if you enjoy it, consider purchasing the full versions!

Note: Clicking on the links below will take you to the iTunes store.

Puzzle Games

• Rolando Lite – adorable puzzle role-playing game. Lots of levels for a free version.
• Dizzy Bee Free – very adorable and one of my favorites.
• Block Classic – always a classic!
• Flood-It! – turn pixel boxes into one color in under 22 moves.

Match 3 Games

• Chop Sushi Lite – highly recommended. Cute graphics, fun, and challenging match 3 game. Full game is worth every penny.
• ChocChoc Pop Lite – for the chocolate lovers!
• Fruit Juice Tycoon Lite – nice graphics, match fruits to make drinks
• Colordrops – match color or ball number to earn points

Role-Playing Games

• Mini Golf 99 Holes Theme Park Free – try out your golfing skills.
• I Love Katamari Lite – roll around the game, collecting objects into a ball. Full version is on the expensive side.
• Chocolate Shop Frenzy (Free Version) – perform a series of tasks to create and sell chocolate
• Supermarket Mania – perform a series of tasks to keep a supermarket running
• Diner Dash Lite – perform a series of tasks to keep a diner running and its customers happy
• Rhinoball – Bolt’s friend rolls around in a ball, collecting stars. Makes good use of the accelerometer
• de Blob Lite – color a city by splashing paint on buildings and walls
• Tower Bloxx Deluxe 3D – stack apartment floors on top of each other to build the highest building.
• Spore origins LE – a cellular creature that swims around the deep ocean, constantly evolving.
• Diamond Island Free – collect diamonds

Other:

• Topple – stack block on top of one another to pass a specific goal line.
• Pacman Lite – a classic game
• Crazy Penguin Catapult – catapult penguins, saving creatures at each level.
• Gold Miner – mine for gold
• Tap Tap Revenge 2 – similar to guitar hero, but for your fingers
• Tiki Towers Lite – build paths for the monkeys to reach the bananas
• Paper Football – play football with a triangle piece of paper

These are some of my favorite free iPhone game apps. What are yours?

Popularity: 10% [?]

iPhone App Review: I Love Katamari

Name: I Love Katamari (iTunes Link)
Written By: Namco Networks America Inc.
Category: Games
Price: $7.99
Size: 84.0 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch

“I Love Katamari” is a fun and addictive puzzle game created by Namco. It can also be found on various gaming platforms, but the version for the iPhone and iPod touch brings you an experience you can’t find anywhere else.

As the story goes, “The King of All Cosmos has accidentally knocked all the stars out of the sky during a crazy night out. It is up to the pint-sized Prince to put the twinkle back in the heavens.” You play the role of the young prince who’s undying wish is to please his father. The King of All Cosmos sends the young prince to Earth to bring back his requested object.

The object of the game is to roll a katamari (a very adhesive ball) around various locations to collect interesting objects such as pencils, push pins, sushi, and more! Larger objects can be rolled up in your katamari as its diameter increases. I know this sounds very weird, but it’s also highly addictive and you’ll find yourself tiling your iPhone/iPod touch in all directions.

Keep in mind that rolling the desired object is the goal and not rolling everything in sight. The game features a few play modes: Story Mode (find and roll-up the King’s requested object), Time Attack Mode (roll up as much as possible in a limited time), Exact Size Challenge Mode (match exactly a requested katamari size), and Eternal Mode (roll at your own pace without any time or size limit). Finishing the challenge in Story Modes opens up new adventures for you though.

The graphics of the game are fun and the music is entertaining. My only concern is the speed of the animation, but hopefully that will be fixed in the next update. Try out “I Love Katamari Lite” (iTunes Link) to get the feel of the game, which includes the first level.

This was originally published and featured in iProng Magazine Issue #36.

Popularity: 11% [?]

iPhone App Review: Rolando

Name: Rolando (iTunes Link)
Written By: ngmcoc, Inc.
Category: Games
Price: $4.99
Size: 25.1 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch

Enter the storybook kingdom of Rolandoland and meet the cute little Rolandos. Each one has its own unique personality that you’re sure to love. Rolandos come in three types — royalty, spikey, and regular. Royalty Rolandos need a lot help and protection. Spikey ones can stick and roll onto any surface, including walls and ceilings! Regular Rolandos are hard-working critters who have the ability to roll and jump.

This fairytale land has been invaded by pesky enemies and your help is needed to save them! Tilt, tap, use multi-touch controls, and the laws of physics to solve various puzzles and guide each Rolando to safety!

Within each level, there are also three different types of bonuses: save all the Rolandos, collect all the gems, and beat the challenge time. Beating the challenge time proves to be the most difficult.

Rolando also has a nice feature called iSave. When you press the home button to turn the game off, it saves your place, not matter where you are in the level. This comes in quite handy when you take a call or need a short break.

The graphics are beautifully done. The 3D display of the Rolandoland map is quite impressive. Even selecting a level to play is fun in itself. The music is quite catchy, but you can turn it off and listen to your own music instead.

With 36 levels to play, the challenges and puzzles will prove to have plenty of replay value. If you’re interested in trying the game, download Rolando Lite (iTunes link) for free. You can purchase the full version for $4.99.

This article was originally published on page 27 of iProng Magazine’s 35th issue and was a featured article.

Rolando Video Trailer

Popularity: 10% [?]

iPhone App Review: Amazon Mobile

Name: Amazon Mobile (iTunes Link)
Written By: Amazon.com
Category: Lifestyle
Price: Free
Size: 0.9 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch

Amazon just created a new iPhone app that makes shopping on their website much easier. Just enter a search term, and it’ll find the item for you.

If you have an Amazon account, you can log in and add items to your cart and wishlist. You can also track your packages, view/cancel orders, update your wishlist, and change your account preferences.

There’s also an experimental area where you can upload a photo and Amazon will try to find that item you’re looking for. I uploaded a photo of Ash and I holding Pikachu, but unfortunately, Amazon couldn’t find it. I guess that’s why it’s called Experimental! Ideally, you would take a photo of an item with your iphone, and upload that photo. Amazon would try to find the item and send you back a link on where you can purchase it. That’s pretty awesome, in theory. ;) I just need to find an item that works! Let me know if you’ve been successful with this part! Happy shopping!

Popularity: 20% [?]

iPhone App Review: Dizzy Bee

Name: Dizzy Bee
Written By: Igloo Games
Category: Games
Price: $2.99
Size: 8.4 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch

My absolute favorite iphone app game is Dizzy Bee. I first downloaded the free version (iTunes link) and loved it. After beating all of the levels, I had to get the full version (iTunes link).

The concept of the game is very simple. You’re a bee who wants to rescue his fruit friends from the terrible monsters. To do so, you must help your friends and yourself escape through a portal hole on each level.

You can move your bee-self around by tilting your iPhone or iPod Touch. Be sure to strategize, so you don’t get eaten by a monster!

Challenges are quick, so you can play a game with you have a spare minute or two. It’s also great for people who have short attention spans like me!

Some Screenshots

Dizzy Bee Video Trailer

Popularity: 8% [?]

Tip: iPhone/iTouch Screen Capture

I just learned this new feature for the iPhone/iTouch from Cali.

There’s a way for your to screen capture in your iPhone/iTouch.

Step 1: Hold down the Home button.
Step 2: Tap the Power button.

You’ll see the screen flash, and your screen shot was taken. So easy!

To access your new image, click on the Photos button and all your photo albums will show up. Your image should be in the Saved Photos album.

Then you can easily add these new images online through your Facebook, Myspace, or other apps.

Unfortunately, the iPod Touch doesn’t have a built-in camera, which would be something I would love. So all my mobile uploads to Facebook will screen captures for now. lol

Popularity: 12% [?]