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.

… [finish reading this app review]

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. … [finish reading this app review]

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. … [finish reading this app review]

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. … [finish reading this app review]

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. … [finish reading this app review]

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. … [finish reading this app review]

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. … [finish reading this app review]

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. … [finish reading this app review]

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. … [finish reading this app review]

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. … [finish reading this app review]

app_name: Alien Glyphs
rating: 8/10