FaceCall, a new photo-based dialer for iPhone, is a neat enough concept. The app adds direct-dial photo icons to your home screen. And, unlike the scores of one-tap dialers in the past, FaceCall will add as many speed dial icons as you want.

The dialing  scheme works and while some might find it convenient, if your goal is to save time the app falls short for price.

The purpose of FaceCall is to create photo icons on your home menu for one touch dialing (or emailing). I can see the benefit of having a photo icon stored amongst the apps on your iPhone home screen for frequently called or emailed people, especially if your contacts list and favorites is inundated with names.

Setting up and using FaceCall is simple. Once installed, you simply open the app, select a name from your contacts, choose either a phone number or email address, and then assign a photo. You can use one already assigned or take a new one.

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Ever been in a foreign country and needed help reading the street signs, a menu, or other simple text? Babelshot (photo translator) is an app for iPhone that is designed to allow users to upload a picture of text in one language and translate it to your native tongue. Seems like an ideal helper if you’re on a multi-country cruise or visiting a foreign place for the first time and don’t know the language. Plus, you could ditch the conversion dictionary in certain instances and appear less “touristy.”

Hearing the description, Babelshot appears, for all intents and purposes, to be the ideal iPhone app for translating languages. However, it has its flaws if you’re not using the right equipment.

Let me explain. Read the rest of this entry »

If you just look at the picture, Omini Stones might be mistaken for another drop in the popular match-three bucket. But that, dear AppCravers, is why you should never judge an app by it’s cover.

Omini Stones is a different kind of puzzle altogether. The developers call it a “classic swap-and-match puzzle.” They may be right, but I’ve never played anything like it. Thankfully, the app includes a good video tutorial which explains how to play pretty quickly.

Once I understood the details, the puzzle seemed like simple gameplay. Slide plain stones of contrasting colors but matching shapes to create Omini Stones. The Omini Stones can then be cleared from the board by being nudged over to another matching Omini. Clear enough from the board and move onto the next level.

Simple! At least for the first 5 levels or so. Read the rest of this entry »

Over time, the App Store has grown exponentially with an array of personal finance utilities for tracking expenses and budgeting. I’ve always been a firm believer that it is difficult to find a one-size-fits-all expense tracker because of the different styles of budgeting and organizing expenses. Much to my surprise, Cash Trails – Expense Tracker, by Vasyl Smyrnov, is pretty close to a one-size-fits-all deal.

With Cash Trails, users can easily add expense items with a single tap. Further customize your entries with the ability to assign groups, tags, and even make notes. Users can also quickly view expense history, by daily, weekly, or monthly filtering and you can export expense data over wifi. There are several features that make Cash Trails an excellent option for a variety of users, including support of different currencies, password protection, and the ability to track separate expenses for work, home, and hobbies. Read the rest of this entry »

The arcade/puzzle genre of match and break brick games is inundated with titles ranging from classic games like Tetris and Break Out to newer games with modern twists. If this genre appeals to you, check out Storm Attack, one of the more recent games available from developer Rhock & Rholl Studios, LLC. Not only is Storm Attack well designed, it has a few innovative features that breathe new life into the block-breaking game model.

Storm Attack gives players a simple goal – score as many points as possible before the blocks stack up to the top of the screen. Points are scored by connecting blocks of the same color and tapping to eliminate groups of ten or higher. The more blocks connected in a group, the more points you score. If you eliminate groups of fewer than six blocks, you lose ammo and if your ammo gets too low, you can’t destroy any blocks. You can drag blocks to anywhere on the screen to maximize point opportunities, but don’t let any one column stack up too high or it could be game over.

This premise alone would make Storm Attack another mundane match and destroy block game, but the addition of features like a storm that rains down blocks at lightening speed every minute, plus the ability to accomplish and track achievement awards, shake to create mini-storms and compare high scores with friends through AGON integration make Storm Attack anything but mundane. Easy to follow onscreen instructions guide new players through the first few levels and it couldn’t be simpler. Read the rest of this entry »