AppCraver

FaceCall Puts a Face to Contacts on iPhone’s Home Screen

Jennifer Beam — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:14:00 +0000

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.

FaceCall does not give you the option of selecting multiple numbers or a number and an email, so it is rather imperative that your photo contact only have one preferred method of contact. This isn’t a problem if your friends are always attached to a single phone, but if you find yourself dialing home, cell, work to hunt down your contacts, then FaceCall isn’t going to help solve your problem.

Regardless of how easy it is to create a photo contact icon on your home screen with FaceCall, there is one major draw back to its success. It is rather slow at accessing the contact once you tap the icon. There is a considerable delay in pulling up the number and another delay to initiate the call. In most cases, I would say it is faster to find the name and number through other means – whether through your contact list, your favorites, or speed dial.

For the $2.99 price, FaceCall falls a bit short of value. There are certainly people who could find it useful, especially for very frequently called numbers. However, because it ultimately has to access the information over the web via the created link before providing the information and initiating the call, it really it is faster to find and select a number from your contacts.

FaceCall starts off with a cool idea to put photo icons of your favorite people on your home screen, and it works pretty much as described. But with a $3 price tag, you’ll have to decide if it’s a feature that’s worth paying for.

rating: 6/10
app_name: FaceCall

Babelshot Takes Aim at Text Translation with Photos

Jennifer Beam — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:06:06 +0000

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.

The way the captured image text translation works is by using the iPhone’s camera to take a photo from within the Babelshot app. Note, you cannot use a previously captured image from your photo library or camera roll. Once the image is captured, a text box appears to crop the text to be recognized and translated. If it doesn’t recognize the text correctly, it asks you to manually edit the text to create the correct entry.

Babelshot’s photo translator works great if you have an iPhone 3GS, but use anything else and the images won’t be sharp enough for the optical character recognition system to work. If you want to use Babelshot with an iPhone 3G or earlier, you’ll need a way to improve the camera’s macro capabilities.

Even if you’re not blessed with an iPhone 3GS, you can still use Babelshot’s manual translation while you wait for your Clarifi case from Griffin Technology.

The other thing to remember is that the iPhone’s picture quality is limited in less than perfect lighting, so the efficiency of Babelshot may be compromised in low-light situations, such as in a restaurant, or if you need to translate a bus schedule at night.

Don’t let these warnings scare you. Babelshot is user-friendly, mostly accurate, and accepts quite a bit of text for translation. As long as you own the right phone or accessories, you’ll be pleased with the features of Babelshot. And, if you do have to type in your text for translation? Well, even if you only use it as a traditional text translator, Babelshot is still a bargain at $2.99.

There are dozens and dozens of languages supported: Danish, French, English, German, Hungarian, Swahilli, Turkish, Hebrew, Chinese, Greek, and Portuguese are but a sampling of the languages Babelshot supports.

rating: 7/10
app_name: Babelshot

Omini Stones: Fun and Frustration Rolled into One Strategic Puzzle

Barbara Holbrook — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:34:09 +0000

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. As the game progresses the stones, which start as triangles, begin to vary in shape — triangles, rectangles, circles. Remember, stones can only combine with another stone of the same shape. Pretty soon, it takes real strategy to slide the stones into right place. And another thing, some of the Omini are ticking bombs that must be cleared from the board before exploding.

Gamers that know how to plan ahead will be able to score extra points by destroying Omini clusters. Gathering 3 or 4 Omini Stones of the same color close enough to clear at the same time is a move that shows true mastery of the game. I managed it by accident, but it can also be done with intent.

Try tilting and turning your iDevice for maximum strategy points. As you slide the stones, the rest will fall into place according to gravity. It’s a nice feature and one of the reasons that Omini Stones is worth the slightly higher price tag.

My concentrating cranium was definitely got its weekly workout with this app! Unless you’re a hardcore puzzle-head, Omini Stones isn’t the type of game you’ll play in line at the bank. It requires more intense thought and deliberate strategy than a lot of the other casual gaming apps I’ve come across. It also provides more of a challenge.

Omini Stones is fresh and familiar at the same time. So, if you’re looking for a challenging game, that will comfort you with a sense of familiarity even while you bang your brain trying to break through to the next level, then Omini Stones from MiOmega might be just what you need.

Watch the Omini Stones video demo:

rating: 8/10
app_name: Omini Stones

Cash Trails – Expense Tracker is Hot on the Trail of Where Your Money Goes

Jennifer Beam — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:49:54 +0000

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.

Cash Trails allows you track expenses in contrast with income, but even if you prefer to track expenses only, you aren’t limited. By ignoring the + and – features, you can simply track your expenses and quickly see where your money is going. The user interface is friendly and allows you to quickly input notes for later clarification and you can go back and edit or delete entries at any time.

When I first gave Cash Trails a spin, I set it up to track holiday expenses. By assigning a budgeted amount from the beginning, I was able to enter expenses as I incurred them, make notes on what I had bought, and see how much I had left over. This is only one simple example of the expense tracking options available to Cash Trail users, but I’m finding it quite useful. What further impresses me is the option to first try the free version, Cash Trails Lite, which contains all the features of the paid version, but limits users to 30 entries. If you like the Cash Trails interface, simply purchase the full version and you’ll be able to import your expenses from Cash Trails Lite.

No doubt, personal finance and expense tracking apps aren’t for everyone, but if you have been looking for an expense tracker that allows you maximum control, ease of use, and the ability to separate expense categories, then Cash Trails is well worth a look. It may just help you revise your entire personal finance strategies and at the very least, it will help you see where your money goes.

rating: 9/10
app_name: Cash Trails – Expense Tracker

Storm Attack is Fast Paced Block Blasting Action

Jennifer Beam — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:00:51 +0000

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.

Storm Attack is responsive to touch screen control and is vibrant in color and appearance. The information panel across the top of the screen lets players know their score and counts down the time to the next storm of blocks. Through the setting options players can use the music from their library and adjust the sound levels of the background music and sound effects. You can also access your achievement awards and high scores from the main menu.

Seeing as how the iTunes Store has no shortage of these types of games available for iPhone, it’s nice to see new developers throwing users a bone by making trial versions available for free before you buy. Try Storm Attack Lite to get a taste of the game play and user interface. Storm Attack is well done and provides a solid replay value, with the full version you get a fun and slightly different block game that combines arcade and puzzle action, requires a bit of strategy, and is addictive gameplay.

rating: 8/10
app_name: Storm Attack

Globemaster: Offline travel guide is clever, polished and endlessly interesting

Barbara Holbrook — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:30:25 +0000

Recently updated, and looking quite snazzy, Globemaster: Offline Travel Guide & Utilities is ready when you are to make a winter escape. Whether you’re planning an exotic itinerary or just imagining a trip to foreign lands, this comprehensive travel app is a good place to start.

Tpo be clear, Globemaster is basically a clever repackaging of Wikinews, Wikitravel and Google Maps — all free resources used with permission. So, why pay for information you can get for free on the Internet? There are many reasons. (Editor’s note: Globemaster is on sale for $0.99 until the end of 2009.)

Globemaster is polished, easy to navigate and endlessly interesting. Even more, it passes my “airplane mode” test. All the information and functions (except for the ability to refresh news alerts) are available and work as expected even when your device is in airplane mode. This is one of my most important requirements for any travel app. You don’t want to get lost in a foreign country and find out your guidebook stops working when you don’t have a cell connection — especially when you’re using AT&T.

Other Globemaster features include:

an intuitive user interface
more than 260 countries and areas, and 1400 major cities and 4100 photos
satellite view by country/city using Google maps
information that is neatly categorized for quick access
tip calculator with one-tap access to customary tipping expectations of your currently selected country
currency converter with on-demand update
“favorites” for saving tip and currency presets
comprehensive information for each country including history, holidays, travel advice, reference information, weather, electrical requirements, languages, eating, staying safe, etc
“alerts” from Wikinews offer international news and maybe insight about which countries to avoid

One of Globemaster’s features — the “neatly categorized” part — is what makes this travel guide stand out from the pack. The app takes information from wikitravel.com and separates it into bite-size pieces so jet setters like you and me can quickly find just the information we need at any given moment. The categories make planning for your trip a breeze. Wondering what to see, where to sleep, how to show respect? It’s all just a tap away.

Keep in mind that wikis are community-edited resources. Although generally reliable, sometimes you may want to double-check the facts.

The developers, Ivan Kerpan & Evgeniy Lebed, have done an excellent job of wrapping an intuitive, user-friendly interface around a community-created information. With the addition of the currency converter and the tip calculator, Globemaster is a practical and useful travel app that globetrotters won’t want to leave home without.

rating: 8/10
app_name: Globemaster:

Doodle Clock – Clock-a-Doodle-do!

Jennifer Beam — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:58 +0000

Though there are several different clock apps available for iPhone, it’s actually kind of daunting to browse the app store for a useful alarm clock app. At least that has been my experience. After reading user-posted reviews of many of them, I simply gave up because none of them seemed quite right for me – until I came across this app. Doodle Clock is a nifty clock app that takes the practicality of a travel alarm clock, complete with the all-important “snooze” option, and merges it with a few creative options.

For some people, a creative option may not be on their list of things they want in a mobile alarm clock but it is definitely an interesting inclusion. The developer, Stephen Gray, claims to have incorporated the drawing engine into his clock app so he could take a little piece of his child’s doodled imagination with him when he travels away from home. Sweet as that inspiration must have been, I’m inclined to believe Stephen himself has a bit of a creative side, too.

The drawing engine implemented in Doodle Clock isn’t all that different from other drawing apps and though it is limited in some ways, you can still make some neat designs if you are patient and persistent. You can select from various transparencies, colors, shapes, and brush stroke sizes to doodle your own numbers 0-9, write the days of the week, and even customize those flashing dots between the numbers. Doodle Clock also allows you to customize your clock’s background. Doodle and color your own background or use a picture from your phone’s camera roll. You can create and save more than one theme and use them whenever you like.

If designing your own clock seems a bit over the top for you, there is a well-designed “sand” theme included or you can simply elect to use the default mode, which is your basic digital clock theme.

Other features in Doodle Clock include settings for 12- or 24-hour time, military time, time zones, and customization of the display format. The two biggest bonuses, in my opinion, are the ability to shut off autolock so your clock keeps ticking away, even while you sleep and the alarm with snooze function. There are only three alarm sound selections, which mimic traditional ringtone options more than alarm sounds, but they are audible and both the alarm and snooze functions work perfectly. There are on-screen instructions included that make the app easy to navigate and not at all confusing to set up or use.

If I have any complaints, it’s the inability to rotate pictures loaded into the app from the camera roll. The clock’s background is displayed in landscape mode so any pictures taken in portrait mode won’t display properly as the background. Aside from this oversight, I’m pretty sure this app is a keeper. With a launch price of just $0.99, Doodle Clock provides a great service and value. Your iPhone (or even iPod touch) becomes a working travel alarm clock as well as a creative outlet.

rating: 8/10
app_name: Doodle Clock

Paris 3D Presents a New Way to Discover the City of Lights

Barbara Holbrook — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:11:16 +0000

Paris 3D – It wasn’t that long ago that Google Earth enthralled users with the ability to anonymously explore the world. Across the street and across the planet, the zoom and deliver technology changed the way we viewed the landscape — and our expectations of what a map could deliver.

Paris 3D is part of this new generation of maps. Using the same aerial image technology — all new photos from 2009 — the travel app allows users to take a thorough exploration of Paris, France. Of course, if Paris 3D were just another map app, there wouldn’t be much to write home about.

The app combines the true-life images with the functions of a guide book. Armchair travelers will enjoy reading about the 2000 points of interest, all categorized by interest and location. Tourists actually visiting the City of Lights have even more options. You can plan a walkable route for getting around Paris and, if you veer off the beaten path, use the geo-location features to find your way back to the hotel.

In practical application, Paris 3D works better than expected. The app is a beast! It’s a huge download that should only be attempted when connected to your computer. This is actually a good thing because it means that all the information Paris 3D needs is stored on your device not on the Internet. You’ll be able to plan your itinerary on the flight overseas, and, even better, you won’t be tied in to a costly data plan while roaming about the city.

For an app with so much information, the map is surprisingly responsive. Screen redraw time is minimal — about the same or less as you would get using Google maps — and navigating from map to description and back again is a breeze.

Like any map-based app, you use your fingers to scroll and drag your way around. But, there’s one thing you really need to know if you want to get the most out of Paris 3D. The map starts out with a typical top-down view, if you want to get the full 3D view you’ll need to rotate your viewing perspective. Hold one finger down on the screen, this becomes your anchor point. Now, use the other to rotate the plane of view or to take a 360-degree gander around a building.

It took me a while to figure this out. But, it’s quite impressive once you get the hang of it.

As you browse the Paris streets, double tap any building for more information. The app will provide a list of attractions and points of interest based on your current location.

Paris 3D is the first of a series of city-exploration guidebooks from Mobile 3D City. As my grandpa might say, it’s amazing what they can do with technology these days. Of course, this map app is more than just an awesome showpiece, it’s a practical guidebook for discovering Paris on foot, in a car, or from your living room. I can’t wait to see what cities they do next!

app_name: Paris 3D
rating: 8/10

iPhone Developer: Michael D’Ulisse, More Blue Sky

Barbara Holbrook — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:32:43 +0000

AppCraver recently spoke with Michael D’Ulisse, Chief Marketing Officer of More Blu Sky, Incorporated. He shares his experiences developing for the iPhone and iPod touch.

When did you start developing apps for the iPhone? Did you have previous experience as a developer?

Me and my brother, Matt, started developing apps in february of this year. I had purchased a Macbook Pro with my bonus money from my day job and I surrendered the computer to my brother so that he could learn Objective-C As a Computer Engineer, Matt has written code for years.

Recently he had been more hands off with the code and was working as a IT Manager. Part of what made it so exciting for him to program iPhone apps was that he was back writing code, which is what he loves most.

I think for both of us it’s sort of a release from our day jobs. Matt is use to working on projects for months or years, and I’m use to having my ideas and designs molded by what the client wants. So iPhone apps gave me the ability to be creative on my own terms, and for my brother, it allows him to see the fruits of his labor at a faster pace then corporate life.

What / how many apps have you made so far?

We currently have five apps. Our first app was iPhaser & Tricorder. It was something we decided to do just to get acclimated to iPhone SDK. It actually turned into a moderate success and still is going strong 6 months after release.

Our second app is actually featured by Apple on the “What’s Hot” list. It’s called Ransom Letters. The app has gone through many name changes in an attempt to find something that works best for it in terms of marketings. First it was called Nabbed (and was reviewed on this site under that name) and after that it was called Crazy Letters. Now we have changed it yet again to Ransom Letters under the idea that calling it exactly what it is would be the best way to capture peoples attention. Currently, Ransom Letters is selling just shy of the top 100 list on the entire app store but we hope that soon it will make that list.

We also have a Halloween app called Costume Ideas – Halloween. It has over 2,000 costume ideas in it that cover everything from toddlers to adult costumes. It also helps you find the cheapest price for the costume.

We decided to follow the crazy of “sexy person” apps by making two apps. 25¢ Peep Show – Hot Girls and 25¢ Peep Show – Sexy Guys. We wanted to make a version for both guys and girls to enjoy. The idea was to turn something that was normally presented as a slide show, into something that was fully interactive and fit with the feature set of the iPhone.

What type of apps/games/software inspires you? Where do you get your ideas?

I get my ideas from every day life. Things that I see in my travels. Stuff people say. I talk to other developers and brain storm. I talk with my girlfriend and we come up with ideas. My brothers wife comes up with ideas. It’s funny…because it seems that everyone who knows that we develop iPhone apps wants to give us ideas. Some are good ideas, others not so much…but the best ones sort of just come to me while I’m not really searching for ideas. I guess it’s sort of like dating, if you don’t look for it, it will find you.

How do you settle on the price point for your apps?

As everyone knows, the price point that sells on the app store is 99 cents. Ransom Letters, for example, is something that we felt should maybe be priced at $1.99 but we wanted to keep it as an impulse buy. I guess the goal is to price it low so that you can get as high as possible in the charts. With some of the recent changes Apple has made in the App Store, our strategy might change, but for now, 99 cents is our price for all our apps.

What has been the best thing about designing for the iPhone?

The best thing is showing your apps to other people! It’s almost celebrity like. People can’t believe that they are talking to a real life iPhone developer. The first thing is always “let me see your apps” and the second thing is “Hey I have all these ideas I want to run past you”. It also feels good to know that something we created is out there being used by thousands of people!

What has been the biggest challenge about designing for the iPhone?

Time. Finding the time to do everything that we want to do. Both me and my brother work full time jobs. He has a family and a child. I have a girlfriend. We have a list of over 70 ideas. Some good, some not as good, but we have only had the time to fully develop five of those. So time is the enemy that we are always battling.

Is your company venture backed or privately held?

We are privately held. It’s just me and my brother but maybe eventually we might hire some programers so that we can work on two apps at once.

Do you have any other apps in the works?

We do have other apps in the works but recently we were approached by a large company to consult on their move into the mobile space. So we will be working on that app first and foremost before we get a chance to finish any apps that we personally have in progress.

What apps do you have on your iPhone?

I recently bought Canabalt. What a great game! The screen shots do it no justice. Everyone owes it to themselves to check out the flash version of the game at the very least.

What do you like to do when you’re not coding for the iPhone?

When Matt isn’t coding he is hanging out with his family or visiting our family. It’s pretty much the same for me. I hang out with my girlfriend every free moment I have. For the most part we spend the majority of our time at our day jobs or working late into the night on apps. It’s a tough life but the end product is worth it.

One Last Thing:

I would just like to ask everyone out there to at least take a look at Ransom Letters. We need your help to make it onto the top 100 list. We are so close and every single sale counts at this point! Thank you to everyone who has ever picked up one of our apps. The people who have written iTunes reviews or who have email us, those are the things that keep us working on these apps! Again…thank you all!

Alien Glyphs: Grab this Rising Star in Memory-based Puzzles

Barbara Holbrook — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:15:27 +0000

Alien Glyphs - Have you ever visited a foreign county where you did not know the language? Did you spend your days trying to decipher the encrypted codes on street signs and store-front windows? Imagine now, that your life depended on your ability to recognize these strange symbols, to somehow match the disparate shapes into pairs as you passed them on the street at an ever-increasing pace. This is the gist of Alien Glyphs.

Alien Glyphs, the puzzle-based arcade app from Viacheslav Klimon, is a fast-paced matching game. Glyphs — alien glyphs to be precise — slide into view at the top of the screen and you must find it’s mate from the control panel below. The control panel contains a dozen or more glyphs depending on which level your on. As you get deeper into the game, the glyphs also come faster and become more complex.

Most memory-matching games don’t require a whole lot of strategy. Alien Glyphs attempts to overcome the standard by adding in a variety of power ups and penalties. Certain events slow down or speed up the time, or trigger the glyphs to rearrange their position. Honestly, I had enough on my plate just trying to match the glyphs before the screen filled up and time ran out. However, serious gamers with better skills will appreciate the extra challenges.

Alien Glyphs has all the little extras that make a game truly polished: personal and worldwide high scores, OpenFeint integration, four different skins for customization, options for difficulty, a thorough tutorial, and an active developer dedicated to improvements and upgrades. In fact, this puzzle game has the feature set of apps well above it’s price point. It’s easy to see why the App Store reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

If someone told me that I would be testing out a memory app to train my brain and increase mental acuity, I’d have probably said “thanks, but no thanks.” Memory and concentration games sound more like work than fun. Alien Glyphs is slick enough that I’m more than happy to be proven wrong.

Watch the Alien Glyphs video demo for a taste of the action:

app_name: Alien Glyphs
rating: 8/10