iPhone / iTouch and iPad Application Reviews

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iPhone / iTouch and iPad Application Reviews

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I realised that I have been experimenting with the iPhone applications for a while but not reviewed any of them. I must admit that I have been erring on the side of the free applications for now but I have purchased a couple of apps too. I am sure that everyone has heard of the success of the idea. Since launch over 100 million applications have been downloaded to the the respective devices and over 1000 applications are now available. All of the following reviews are based on the 2.1 version of the OS on the device.

Here is the first review.
Apple Remote: This application lets you connect wirelessly to your computer and control your iTunes library. It is a very useful application especially if you are (like me) very lazy and not willing to get up to change a track on your computer. Apple themselves wrote this app and it is very slick. In terms of idea this is a five star app, in terms of execution it is also five star therefore 5s rating is well deserved.
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Re: iPhone / iTouch Application Reviews

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Net News Wire

Is by far my most used application on the iPhone. It allows you to track / sync and read your RSS news feeds whilst on the run. There is a desktop client and a Phone client that both sync with the central server between windows, mac osx and the phone. It helps me keep on top of interesting news around the world. The programme is very slick and responsive. It will allow you to open news web pages within the program without having to exit and open Safari (which would have been a bit of a pain!).

5s behaviour
As you may be able to tell I am starting at the best applications and working down. The best apps are the easiest to write about. :-D

Update!

This app is infrequently updated! It also needs an iPad version!
Mike
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Re: iPhone / iTouch Application Reviews

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Mobile Files

This application is currently free (though I suspect that they will eventually charge looking at the Quick Office Website). It is a designed to enable you to connect to Mobile Me iDisk on the move. Nice idea and feels more natural having to connect the internet and get my files than store them on the phone rather than having to need a physical or wireless contection to use some other file storage apps.

It will get 4s for style, idea and execution.

I want to see a quality 'Back to my Mac' program that enables me to access the computer at home. That would be the best becuase then I would not be amending a file on the internet, then replacing it on the mac and the phone etc. . . . I should try out some of these VPN programmes.

Edit: English! To properly explain my review!
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Re: iPhone / iTouch Application Reviews

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My Rail Lite

This gives you up to date timescales for trains. Phil put me on to the idea for this one and it is very good. The timings are very accurate - my train was supposed to be in at 7:57 in the app and at 7:57 I was rolling into the platform. Quality. Nice clean interface and very user friendly.

5S
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Re: iPhone / iTouch Application Reviews

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Stanza

Is an online book repository where you can download novels to your phone. Bit tricky to get used to the interface, you have to remember where you need to tap to bring you from the book to your library but a very good idea and a great way to pick up classic novels for free (ignoring the initial purchase price!).

5s idea.
3s in practice.
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Re: iPhone / iTouch Application Reviews

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Tipper

Is an application to help you split the bill. It allows you to enter the total bill, set the number of people and the amount of tip that you would like to leave. A very nice graphical interface comes with the app, the only downside is that you can only display the bill in $. Does not practically matter but it would be nice to have to option for a £ sign.

Overall 3s losing a single star for the lack of customisable options.
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Re: iPhone / iTouch Application Reviews

Post by stimpsonslostson »

Two words... mental arithmetic!Things only get difficult when splitting by what was ordered, dividing equally and adding tips is simple. (Nice idea tho).

On to my review.
Otterbox defender for iphone 3g.

you all know what I'm like with my gadgets... hard is one word for it. So I frequently put them in cases to protect them from the vagaries of my lifestyle. The iphone is no exception.
I bought an Otterbox just before I collected the handset and immediately put the phone into the case (and have never actually used it without the case).

Its a hard plastic shell encased in rubbery latex with a built in film protector on the screen. The iphone is completely encased, there are even filters on the mic and speakers to prevent dust getting in.
I rate this case very highly, its well designed and thought out. THe cover doesnt affect the use of the phone, even the membrane isn't noticable- all commands are picked up easily. (one of my colleagues teased me asking what the point was of the case if the screen wasnt protected too... until i pointed out the membrane :oops: ) so its invisible... ALMOST! The screen develops HELLISh watermarks, which are incredibly visible and annoying, easily fixed tho (you use a cloud of talc, wave the screen thru it and put it on... sounds stupid but its invisible and kills the sticking problem. Once done you never have the problem again!)

The only other criticisms are: It detracts from teh style of the phone and makes it bigger in the pocket.
Also you've no chance of it fitting on a dock (although the charger will work) without removing the case.

Overall, for me 4s I'm used to carrying a classic all day, so the size isn't an issue. I bought the phone for functionality not style, so thats not bothering me either! (It actually hides the fact that its an iphone, people assume its some sort of GPS/palm thingy- which could be good or bad depending on whether you like to be discreet or not). Its the charger thing which bothers me most, I have docks at home and work and can't be bothered removing the case (its a HASSLE- clips EVERYWHERE, which mean its REALLY secure). I've been using my line in cable instead at work and have left my classic docked at home. For a gadget which is designed to be with me constantly I'm really happy with this case.

p
HEY! HO! Lets go!
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Re: iPhone / iTouch Application Reviews

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iSlot Racer

A scaletrix type application which becomes quite simple after a few championships until they start to include pitstops and fuel. . . nice touches and quite entertaining. There are plenty of championships to go which is good to see. Not doing too well with the whole re-fueling at the moment but still enjoying.

4s
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Re: iPhone / iTouch Application Reviews

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Villagers 2

Think the Sims on an island with long boring parts trying to get sufficient tech points to advance your civilisation out of nappies and minimal food. Overall a moderately interseting game to start which quickly makes you loose interest. Do not download this game. Going to sleep would be more useful.

1S

Lemonade Tycoon

From the evil EA corporation comes a capitalist game that will send you from a pennyless street seller to being a super Lemonade Don selling to the crowds of punters in the EA Stadium. Overall the concept of this game is simple. Set your recipy, price and marketing budget. Buy your ingredients and have sufficient to get you through the day and serve customers quickly (before they get bored). Your life can be made easier by buying upgrades to your cardboard store and hiring staff.

It is quite a simple formula really once you have figured out the correct quantity of lemons, sugar and ice to make everyone happy. Hot days = high price, cold days = low price, newsflashes about how special events (such as loosing 6 home games at the EA Stadium) = high / low price depending on the news being good or bad. Throw into that the balence between selling shed loads of lemonade at a lower price or fewer at a higher price and you qickly amass a fortune and popularity.

Not bad for a free game, it is ad supported though so be prepared for some interuptions. All in all 4s.
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Re: iPhone / iTouch Application Reviews

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Nearest

Lizzie has been busy searching the online App store and has come up with this great litte app. It shows you where the nearest banks, fast food, coffee shops etc are in relation to you and your iPhone. It then gives you some details on the phone number and a small googlemap to guide you to the facility. The Free version is supported by some very discrete adverts. Very well done and it would have gained 5 stars if you could have broken down the 'fast food' into categories.

4S
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Re: iPhone / iTouch Application Reviews

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Civilization Revolution is now available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. I was initially dubious about this app because it was valued at £5.99 which is relatively high for an app. However, they have reduced the cost to £2.99 for a limited period and as a sucker for a 'bargin'; I bought it.

For those who don't know about Civilization, it is a turn based game based on world domination. Sort of like Monopoly but with armies. . . . just my cup of tea! :-D :lol:

I must say this is very addictive. I was always rather disappointed with pervious versions as they were difficult to control at times and always seemed a bit buggy; that said this version is very entertaining. I tried a campaign on 'Chieften' (easy) mode yesterday and kicked ass. It was a shock when I moved up a difficulty level on the next campaign and was well and truely kicked! :roll:

4S

Copilot UK - iPhone only (i think).
A GPS navigation app (sort of like Garmin & Tom Tom). This app is competitively priced at £25.99 which is very high for an app but when you compare to the TomTom app at £80 it is much more appealing. I personally did not know if the iPhone was going to be sufficiently powerful to do turn by turn navigation effectively so I went for the cheaper option (just in case).

The software is accurate and is able to cope with turn by turn navigation in a car. There are a couple of really nice points such as:
1) The ability to show you which lane you need to be in for Motorway junctions.
2) A 3D view of the road at complicated junctions and
3) The ability to customise what information is shown in the information bar.

The unfortunate thing is there are a couple of problems that I find very annoying.
1) This is the most annoying. They have a custom keyboard and have moved all the letters around when compared with the Apple version. This makes it very difficult to type in destination etc. If they fixed this then the app would get an additional star.
2) When you are exploring menus or make a mistake it is impossible to go back one screen. It kicks you right back to the map and you have to re-navigate though the complicated menu system. Frustraiting.
3) When trying to find country houses etc (which are not on an official road) the app refuses to find the address and you have to hope that the attraction is under their points of interest menu. The problem would be duplicated if your post code was relating to a house without a road - it makes it difficult to navigate to a spot on the map unless you are very, very sure you know where you destination should be on their custom map.
4) Volume is quite low and there are no options to increase - it is hard to hear when on the motorway.

Overall not a bad app and it has served us well.
3S (would have got 4 if the keyboard was not as annoying).
Mike
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Re: iPhone / iTouch Application Reviews

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Mike wrote:Net News Wire

Is by far my most used application on the iPhone. It allows you to track / sync and read your RSS news feeds whilst on the run. There is a desktop client and a Phone client that both sync with the central server between windows, mac osx and the phone. It helps me keep on top of interesting news around the world. The programme is very slick and responsive. It will allow you to open news web pages within the program without having to exit and open Safari (which would have been a bit of a pain!).

5s behaviour
As you may be able to tell I am starting at the best applications and working down. The best apps are the easiest to write about. :-D
Net News Wire has had some problems recently and I am going to have to downrate this app to a 1S following its repeated poor syncing and crashing.

On the plus side I have tried a new app called Newstand which is very good. The interface is clean and it seems to be very fast. The one down side is it will only seems to sync up to 100 of the most recent posts. That is a bit of a problem when some news sites actually generate over 150 per day. I means I will have to check them more recently. Overall I would say the first impression takes this to a 4s application.
Mike
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Re: iPhone / iTouch Application Reviews

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Mike wrote:Copilot UK - iPhone only (i think).

The unfortunate thing is there are a couple of problems that I find very annoying.
1) This is the most annoying. They have a custom keyboard and have moved all the letters around when compared with the Apple version. This makes it very difficult to type in destination etc. If they fixed this then the app would get an additional star.
I complained to the manufacturer (and I guess lots of others did too) and they now have an Apple keyboard interface. Thanks guys - now a 4s app!
Mike
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Re: iPhone / iTouch Application Reviews

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Lego Photos. It is an application that takes photographs and turns them into stylised Lego photos. See my facebook profile picture if you want to see an example. Frivalous and fun and free!
Mike
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Re: iPhone / iTouch Application Reviews

Post by Andy »

Mike wrote:Lego Photos. It is an application that takes photographs and turns them into stylised Lego photos. See my facebook profile
picture if you want to see an example. Frivalous and fun and free!
Just have - I like the app.
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