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Available In: App Store |  |
Price: $1.99 |
“Pronto? Buongiorno. Arrivederci!” This was a typical conversation between my wife and me during the weeks leading up to our honeymoon trip to Italy. Neither of us had any experience speaking Italian, so we downloaded a few podcasts and began practicing as much as we could. I also downloaded a free app that used Google’s translation dictionary to fill in during emergencies. What I really wish we had had was something more visual, something that could help us with pronunciation, and something that could be quicker and less cumbersome than a big dictionary. [Read more…]
I was late to the Facebook game, and although I do enjoy a good status update every now and then, I am definitely not a FB addict. One of the things I constantly hear from other friends who are self described addicts is how much time they spend playing games online. We’re not talking huge video games like Quake or Call of Duty, but rather simple ones like Boggle or Poker. One of the most popular games was Scrabulous, a Scrabble knockoff that got some interesting press a few months ago when Hasbro decided that they wanted to make some money on their game title. Well, the popular word game (now named Lexulous) has arrived to the iPhone in the form of a native app. 
I was on the bus to work when it occurred to me that I might be able to get my Exchange account back. You see, I have become very attached to Google calendar and more recently Google contacts. When GoogleSync was released, I was very excited to have the push capabilities of Calendar and Contacts. With ease, I set up and was able to push my calendar, along with my wife’s and our joint calendars. Although the initial sync of contacts was a bit frustrating (I relied on MS Outlook for a long time), I was pleased with the overall results. The one downside was the fact that GoogleSync used the Exchange Account, and the iPhone frustratingly only allows you to use one Exchange account. Thus, I was unable to link my work email to my iPhone and instead had to rely on a bookmark and a much more cumbersome web based interface. With the release of iPhone OS 3.0, CalDAV support was included, and after I read a bit more about this, the wheels started rolling. 
I’m not a huge business card user. In fact, I carry a few of them mostly so I can throw them into a fishbowl in order to win a free lunch at a restaurant. However, I can imagine how useful it would be to have an application that would take business cards and effortlessly import their information into your contacts list. CardSnap attempts to address this by using a proprietary method similar to OCR but not really (or so says the app’s description). 
Growing up, I used to love those little number puzzles that you’d get in “goody-bags” where you would try to position little plastic number pieces in the correct order on a plastic square. When I received the application SlideRules by AntHill Games, I initially thought that this game would be similar to those nostalgic games. After playing with the app, I learned that SlideRules actually offered more than just a one time opportunity to have fun. 
One of the reasons I bought a Wii was so that I could run, jump, ski, and hula hoop all in the comforts of my home. The Wii and corresponding Wii Fit have revolutionized the gaming industry, and I suspect that Apple has taken some notes and plan to do the same with portable gaming. Honestly, I didn’t expect to experience anything close to the same with my iPhone, but the folks at Naquatic, the makers of Touch Ski 3D, attempt to prove me wrong with their newly updated game. 
I’ll admit to not being much of an avid gamer, even less so on the iPhone. However, I do appreciate it when a game takes advantage of unique controls. I bought a Wii because it was different, and I enjoy learning new ways to become more interactive with games as opposed to those that increasingly use more buttons or different combination of keypad controls. On the iPhone, the use of the touch screen has opened up another genre of gaming, and Sway attempts to “tap” into this area. 
As a former SlingPlayer user on my Windows Mobile Samsung i730 and i760, I was anxiously awaiting the release of the live television streaming application for the iPhone. For nearly a year now, I have been without the live feed of my Slingbox (recently upgraded to a SB Solo due to a change in cable service) on my mobile phone. There have been a few wedding receptions, baby showers, and dull meetings where I could have benefited from catching some live sports coverage on my iPhone. After months of rumors leading up to the eventual release in the App Store this past Wednesday, the moment has finally arrived. Thanks to Brooke and the folks at Sling Media, I got a chance to play with the pricey app on my iPhone. Now, let’s get this out there right away: SlingPlayer only works on WiFi. No 3G, no EDGE, only WiFi. You can read about why and why people are mad about this, but I’m going to hold SlingMedia free from blame for this, and instead, I’m only going to judge the application on its performance under these conditions. 
Upon browsing the App Store one day, I remember stumbling upon Air Sharing, a file storage solution and document viewer for the iPhone. Since it was being offered for free as a promotion, I downloaded it, but didn’t really explore the program until a few weeks later. Since that time, I have reviewed two other similar programs for AppleiPhoneSchool: 
As a math and science teacher, I do a fair share of tutoring to make some additional income. I often carry my trusty TI-83 Plus (special edition blue, baby!) with me, but there have been several times when all I had was my iPhone. I will admit that the included iPhone calculator makes for a pretty decent substitute, and I get my scientific calculator functions when I rotate to landscape mode. However, there remained some functionality that was to be desired, and having a one-line display seems to remind me of the difference between a TI-30 and its bigger cousin, TI-83. 
One of the first apps I downloaded was Apple’s very own Remote app, and though I don’t use it very much, I was definitely impressed with its ease of use and functionality. It was cool to be able to control my iTunes library on my home computer with my phone. With the success of the Remote app, I wondered what else I could control with my iPhone: my T.V, my lights, or my thermostat? With Nam’s Remote, I don’t get to do any of these things, but I do get access to a few interesting features. 
Two of my favorite party games have always been Taboo and Catch Phrase. With the electronic version of Catch Phrase, it was easy to take a portable version of this easy to learn game. Car games were no longer needed as hours of time were suddenly filled. I must admit that during my early thoughts of “I could be an iPhone Apps developer”, I considered making a Catch Phrase type game. Well, the folks behind Buzzword Frenzy beat me to the punch. 
I don’t play video games much, but when I do, I often go straight to the sports simulation games. Madden Football, NBA Live, Earl Weaver Baseball (OK, I’m dating myself now…) Thus, I was excited to give X’s and O’s Football a test drive after seeing some decent reviews in the app store. 
I was never really good at Arkanoid. For some reason, versions of this game often are quick to be reproduced and released on portable gaming platforms. I’m sure I have a free version of this game on my iPhone somewhere. Fortunately for me, Ballsy (let’s get over the name fast, since I’ll be using it several times in this review, shall we?) offers a different type of game from Arkanoid that makes it more easily playable and potentially more enjoyable.
If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you’ve come to know me as a person who’s very interested in being organized and a big believer in Getting Things Done. As mentioned in my recent review of 
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