Posts Tagged ‘toys’

Where To? GPS Points of Interest v1.1 | Published by Sophia Teutschler | Via App Store | $2.99 | Released: 9-10-08

Overview

Anytime an app promotes itself as sporting a “gorgeous user interface,” I get a little nervous. However, it was quirky enough when I loaded it up that I wondered if the meat was as good as the plate it was served on.

Where To? GPS Points of Interest seeks to help you identify, well, places of interest near your current location using the iPhone’s GPS abilities. It allows you to “dial” into all kinds of different places ranging from schools, entertainment, gas stations, and doctors’ offices or hospitals.

Functionality

When the app loads up, you’ll be presented with what looks like an old-fashioned rotary phone icon. Although you don’t dial it (which took some of the fun out of it), you are given a veritable smorgasbord of choices.

It utilizes the Google Maps to find anything and simply puts the key word you’ve selected into the Google Maps search. In a search for anything you are given the following options: Continue Reading

Gesture v1.0 | Published by Big Stone Phone | Via App Store | $4.99 | Released: 9-17-08

Overview

Contrary to what the developer may believe, Gesture is not a tool for creating “digital paintings from your photos.” What it does let you do is smudge and pointilize them… for $4.99. Overall, it’s a simple app that is very overpriced.

Functionality

Gesture is flexible in the way that it allows you to smudge your photographs.

Users can change the size of the “paint brush,” zoom in for detailed smudging and can even undo an unlimited amount of prior smudges (although there is no redo feature and pointilizations cannot be undone unless the “undo all” option is selected).

To begin creating a masterpiece, users can load an image from their iPhone photo library, or can choose to snap a photo without leaving the app. I initially opted for the latter, framing up a prized Los Angeles Dodgers bobblehead doll for my first attempt. Continue Reading

VirtualDeck v1.6 | Published by Quickdecay | Via App Store | $5.99 | Released: 9-2-08

Overview

While VirtualDeck lets you scratch, loop and distort audio samples, it doesn’t offer much more than that and is actually pretty overpriced and unexciting. Unless you’re looking for a virtual turntable for live performances, there is little added value from this app.

Functionality

VirtualDeck functions like a basic turntable, sans mixer. Users can speed up or slow down samples, adjust effects like cut off and resonance and can scratch. That is pretty much it.

The turntable responds well to touch and records can be slowed down, sped up and scratched with the drag of a finger. While the app succeeds in executing these functions well, there is no way to move the pickup arm to another part of the track (probably because it would be near impossible not to move it unintentionally). This means that there is no way for skipping ahead or backtracking in a track or sample, other than by twirling your finger like crazy. Continue Reading

Comic Touch v1.0.1 | Published by Plasq LLC | Via App Store | $4.99 | Released: 8-03-08

Overview

Are you ready to laugh? This simple photo app is probably one of the most enjoyable apps available today on the iPhone! Take a picture or access one from your Photo Library and then have fun adding comic bubbles, effects, and sharing it with friends.

Functionality

Comic Touch is extremely easy to use, but its icons are a little confusing. I had to try each one to discover what they do.

The interaction screen has buttons across the top first. Here’s what they do: Continue Reading

Kineo v1.0.2 | Published by Ollie Wagner and Geoff Pado | Via App Store | $4.99 | Released: 8-21-08

Flipbook v1.0.2 | Published by Josh Anon | Via App Store | $9.99 | Released: 8-11-08

Overview

Flipbook and Kineo (the app formerly known as Flickbook… hmmm… let’s party like it’s 1999…) are two apps that we take head-to-head. Both take the fun of doodling on a pad’s edge and flipping the paper edges for cartoon motion to the digital age.

We’ll look at Kineo first.

Functionality

The first thing you’re presented when Kineo launches is… white. It’s really blank. You’ve got icons at the top left to go to the files view, a play triangle on the top right, and a black square underneath the menu line which is your color palette.

The fun thing about Kineo is that you just start drawing. With your finger. Continue Reading

Endless Walls v1.0.4 | Published by Motacore, LLC | Via App Store | $1.99 | Released: 8-26-08

Overview

Want a new wallpaper image, but feel too lazy to search the web? Endless Walls offers a random slideshow of thousands of good-quality photos that can be set as your iPhone’s background image. It can be convenient, but it’s limiting, unresponsive and should not cost $1.99.

Functionality

Endless Walls will stream a slideshow of photos to your phone that can be downloaded and used as your wallpaper image.

There is no order to this random assortment of photos and no way of narrowing down the category or type of image displayed, other than adjusting an option for NSFW (not safe for work) photos that can be changed in your iPhone’s settings.

Continue Reading

Jokes v1.0 | Published by BigBoss, Bernstein and BigDaveyJ | Via BigBoss Source | Free

Overview

From the publisher’s site: “Jokes lets you install joke packs and enjoy a variety of styles of comedy.”

Review

I’m going to split this review into two parts: the Jokes platform and the content therein.  Later in the review, I think the reason for the separation will become clear, but to sum up: the platform is fine, but the jokes suck.  Like, really really suck.

Continue Reading