Posts tagged App Reviews
App Review: Pulse
Jul 28th
If you’re anything like me, you keep up on the latest Android/Tech news by visiting a barrage of technology blogs and websites every day multiple times a day, this is where Pulse comes in. Pulse is a beautiful app that gives you access to RSS feeds and syncs up with Google Reader, nothing new except for the beautiful part especially in the Android Market where a ton of apps assume this role yet leave out the eye candy UI’s. Pulse however does it elegantly and makes something as simple as reading an article a joy to do so. It started as a highly regarded app for the iPad that Apple even gave some attention to at WWDC and then a month later was released to the iPhone and has had some great reviews. Now its live in the Android Market and I’ve been very impressed with it and even more impressed to find out that its a product of 3 Stanford grads who’ve managed to build an elegant application for 3 platforms in such a small window of time.
At first launch, Pulse already has a list of feeds setup for your reading pleasure, well maybe for your pleasure but not mine as I quickly deleted the ones I could careless to read about, clicked menu and logged in to my Google Reader account. What I really like is that, though it syncs with Google Reader, I don’t have to have feeds show up that I am subscribed to on Reader but rather ones I pick and choose. Once you’ve selected the feeds you wish it to pull you can now manage the order of the feeds in the Manage Sources option after a menu click. Sliding my favorite feeds (in my case, Droiddog, Engadget and Gizmodo) to the top of the list was an easy intuitive task and even deleting was as easy as clicking the “X”, which is nice as clicking Menu or long pressing isn’t always the most efficient way of doing things. Adding sources outside of what you’ve chosen from Google Reader is easy enough and Pulse has nice selection of “Featured Sources” if you just want to browse for a new feed that might interest you.
Once your all set up, the app loads all the feeds into a list thats both scrollable up and down and side to side. The app loads thumbnails horizontally so that when under say the “Engadget” feed, I can scroll side to side to see articles that may interest me as well their accompanying photo’s, which is nice compared to a lot of RSS Readers all text utilitarian UI. Right from the main page with no scrolling I can see my top 3 feed’s latest 3 post for a total of 9 articles in view, which is great, the most info for the least amount of scrolling, yep I’m lazy. Once selecting the article you’d like to read, your given an ad free clutterless presentation with main picture in tact. Find an amazing article you want to share with all your Android Fanboys and girls? Its as easy as a menu button click and your presented with option to “Tweet It”, “Facebook It”, “eMail Story” or if your into that sorta thing, “Open In Browser” ads and all. Getting to the next to the next story is an easy as swiping to the right or left and does so fairly smoothly and without lag. Below the article is an icon of the site your reading from which can be swiped up to reveal a similar side to side scroll bar of the other articles in the feed, again with thumbnails. Jumping back is done by the hardware back button which is easy enough but seeing the addition of an option to quick jump to another feed would be nice.
Overall the app is very nice and loads pretty quickly however does studder and become a little wonky while the articles are still loading. The app has a little room for improvement in performance and features but from an overall stand point, I find it to be pretty amazing for a 1.0 release. Pulse is $1.99 in the Android Market and is also available in Apple’s App Store for both the iPhone and iPad (if your into that sorta thing).
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Plunderland for iPhone- app review
Jul 27th
Plunderland is Apple’s App of the Week this week. Does it deserve it? Yes and no. Developer JohnnyTwoShoes has made a solid effort to bring pillaging across the sea in the hands of eager gamers.
The premise of Plunderland is you are a ghost with pirates that sail across the sea to attack and sink enemy ships, pillage tribes people and take money from their monuments then make it to the next port. Sounds fun? Well, get used to it because that is what you do over, and over, and over again with little variety. Call me a stinker, but I don’t see the allure with this game.
Sure, the water physics are nice. You tilt the iPhone left or right to make your boat move in that direction. When there is a storm, etc, the water behaves in a more erratic manor, making maneuvering more difficult. Once you are on the high seas, you come across your enemy; the British warships. You have a couple ways to take them out. First is to use your ships cannon. You have a nifty way of angling the cannon to shoot your targets, just move your finger along the bottom and you will get a reticule via a line that helps your aiming. Release your finger and you fire your cannonballs. Second, you can use the enemies cannonballs against themselves. Before the enemy launches an attack, the cannon will puff smoke, that is your cue to ready your finger and deflect the cannonball back upon the enemy ship and with luck, split it in two!
I know, I make it sound exhilarating, and it is the first two or three times you do it. Sadly, Plunderland does little to keep your attention. Future attacks add blimps and more, but the fun is gone by that point. The attacking villagers is a simple “tap, tap. tap” on the totems to get money and fling some villagers around in an effort to extract some more dough. Again… zzzz…
There is nice upgrade system though, you can upgrade your ship, cannons and bowsprits by earning said money above. The game has excellent promise. The controls, physics and graphical style all lend them selves to a success. However, the bland I really, really wanted to like this game, being highlighted on Apple’s App Store, but alas, mateys, I just can’t bring myself to recommend this lack-luster treasure.
[$2.99- iTunes Link]
UPDATE: I had a delightful Twitter chat with the developers. I explained that I had played 50% thorough the game and became unchallenged with the levels and objectives. They understood and are looking at a way to unlock the more exciting and complex levels earlier for more “hardcore” gamers. I also said that when I find the time to complete the game 100%, I would update this review to include my findings. I am hopeful that by the time I do this, they will have some new content available. You can follow the developer on Twitter here.
Pros
- Great graphics
- Solid frame-rate
- Good physics engine
- Upgrade system
Cons
- Very, very, very repetitive
- Takes a while to become a challenge (the end of the second chapter)
Plunderland for iPhone- app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Pottery HD for iPad- app review
Jul 26th
Pottery HD is a unique virtual clay pottery app that can really only be done on the iPad. It shows what an enterprising developer can do with a large multitouch interface. This game is fun and relaxing.
When the game first launches, I was caught a little off guard as I had no idea what to do. You have a “Create” button and that is it. So, I started to create, experimenting with the controls. You can make the clay taller and shorter, wider and thinner. That’s about it. So, I made a pot and fired it up in the kiln. When it was done, it gave me an option to sell it. I thought to myself, “Who is going to buy it?”. As it turns out, no one regretfully as it is all virtual. Once I sold my pottery I earned some virtual money. At the main menu a new feature appeared, “Shop”. Now I had access to paints and brushes. I had a new feature appear as well, “Inbox”. So it appears that as you play the game you are given different objectives; unique pieces of pottery to make. You can reference the photo given to you and once you make it, you can send it off to the virtual requestor. You can play Pottery HD independent of the virtual quests and just have fun adding lots of different pottery creations to your collection. If you like, you can even share these creations with friends via email.
I have had a lot of fun with this game, however, I left it me wanting so much more. For example, I would like a way to regulate the spinning of the pottery wheel; it stays at a constant speed. Also, you can’t add or remove clay either. It would be great to add globs of clay to truly make your pottery any size you want, but instead, you are limited by the vertical size of the screen. The biggest enhancement I would like to see is the ability to share online. The marketplace is limited to a virtual settings, you can’t see other users creations. This is such a wasted opportunity in my opinion.
Overall I really enjoyed Pottery HD, but it’s glaring lack of features and options lend me to recommending only for the most casual of users.
[$4.99- iTunes Link]
Pros
- Pottery looks beautiful
- Sensation of actually making pottery
- the Inbox adds hours of creative fun if you are stumped on what to make
Cons
- Not completely fleshed out with features (missing ability to control clay wheel rotation)
- No Internet- based way to trade with others
Pottery HD for iPad- app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Chain Link Pro for iPhone – App Review
Jul 24th
Chain Link is based on the concept of creating as many links as you can and dragging them into the vortex in the middle of the screen without disturbing any other types of links. The game starts off fairly easy and gets harder pretty quick. There’s also support for OpenFeint to share your scores with your friends and other Chain Link users. I found the game pretty addicting after a while. Hit the jump for more screens and a walkthrough.
When you first open Chain Link, you’ll be asked to choose a game mode. The differences are that in easy mode (static), the pieces won’t move by themselves. They stay in one spot, where in arcade mode, they’ll move around, making it harder to avoid collisions. Whenever pieces collide with another piece that isn’t a like kind, instead of creating a chain, the pieces that collide will shatter. You’ll also lose one of your lives. You get 3 lives. After your third collision, game over.
Besides having regular game play modes, you can also choose timed modes. The pieces will float up from the bottom and down from the top and you’ll have to try and coordinate chains as quickly as possible and drag them to the center.
All in all, Chain Link is a pretty decent game to kill time with. It gets hard pretty quickly and there’s tons of game play modes to keep you busy. There’s nothing more depressing than beating a game you like in a couple days and either having to wait for an update to add more levels or just retiring it altogether. Especially when it’s a game you enjoy. I don’t see this being the case with Chain Link. There’s a lot of different game play options to keep you busy for quite some time. I think adding a few more options and maybe more visually appealing menus could improve the user experience.
Pros
- Easy to play
- Lots of game play settings
- OpenFeint Support
Cons
- Some of the game play modes are a lot alike
- The addition of more shapes would be welcome in order to make game play just a bit more complex for expert players
- Main menu is somewhat cluttered
Chain Link Pro for iPhone – App Review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
StarDunk for iPhone- app review
Jul 21st
Once in a while there is a game that comes out that is simple, fun, addictive and priced for the masses. Ladies and gentleman I give you StarDunk!
StarDunk is brought to us by the fine folks at Gozilab that made iMoki. The premise behind StarDunk is to make baskets (as in basketball) with a ball and complete globally against other players. You have two basic game modes; offline and online. Offline is where you hone your skills and when ready you are ready, compete online.
The ball is positioned on the right side of the screen (there is a lefty mode) with the basket on the left. There is a limited guide that repositions itself on screen as you move your finger across for aiming of the ball. When you release, the ball shoots. There is more to the game than just making baskets. There are four vertical bars directly behind the basket, like a backboard. If you hit one before the ball goes in, it lights up. When all four are lit, you turn the bonus on. Bonuses range from a temporarily wider basket to three balls shooting at once for maximum scoring.
Each match lasts for a couple of minutes and to add to the drama, the last basket is in slow motion. After the match you are ranked on the specific contest you played as well as your global ranking. You can also view your scores against your own countrymen and friends on the Plus+ network.
I have a lot of fun with this title. I find no real flaws. It is a blast to play and is one of the ultimate pick-up and play titles.
[$0.99- iTunes Link]
Pros
- Quick fun
- Global multiplayer
- Plus+ integration
- Great techno music to keep the blood flowin’
Cons
- None!
StarDunk for iPhone- app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Camera+ for iPhone – app review
Jul 19th
Camera+ for iPhone is a photography application that allows you to take photos and edit them. tap tap tap claims Camera+ is “all about one thing – GREAT PHOTOS!” How does Camera+ hold up to this expectation? Follow along to find out.
When you launch Camera+, you will be looking at the back of camera with a view finder. Under the viewfinder, where there would normally be a screen on a digital camera, there are two options: take photos and Lightbox. Behind the camera, you can see a little of what your iPhone’s camera can see. Inside the viewfinder, you’ll see a very small version of exactly what your camera sees. Tap on the viewfinder or “take photos” to take a picture.
When taking a photo, there is a 3×3 grid to help line up your shot (optional). There is also a stabilizer which will not snap the picture until the iPhone is held still. This is great for low light situations or when you are zoomed in (up to 5x).
The Lightbox is where you go to view all the photos you’ve taken with Camera+. The Lightbox is designed with filmstrips containing 3 photos each and is very visually appealing. None of the photos save to your camera roll until you tell it to. This is great for keeping your camera roll clutter-free of photos you don’t want. Tapping a photo brings up options to edit, save, copy, or share. Double tapping a photo makes it larger and provides the same options.
There are 4 different ways to edit your photos: scenes, crops, effects, and borders. Scenes is similar to the different modes you might find on a digital point and shoot camera: auto, flash, sunset, night, backlit, portrait, beach, scenery, concert, food, and text. There are 9 different common crop ratios available. The 21 different effects are categorized as color, retro, and special. I am impressed with all the options and quality of these effects. They are fun and look great. There are 7 different borders to choose from. Most are very basic; the only “fun” one being “instant” which makes your photo look like it was taken with a polaroid camera.
Overall, I was impressed with Camera+. The plethora of good effects makes the app worth it alone. Camera+ does a great job of producing great photos.
[$1.99 - iTunes link]
Pros
- Unique UI
- 5x zoom, stabilizer, and grid available when taking photos
- Creatively designed Lightbox to scroll through pictures
- Many scene modes, crop ratios, borders, and effects
- Share to Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr
- Support for multitasking, Retina Display, flash, and front facing camera on iPhone 4
- Access photo library to edit photos not taken with Camera+
Cons
- Landscape only supported when taking and viewing photos
- Cannot view photos in full screen
- Saving a photo to camera roll removes it from the Lightbox
Camera+ for iPhone – app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Conquer Your Lists With Remember The Milk
Apr 5th
Keeping track of items throughout all aspects of life can be an overwhelming task. Whether those items be groceries that need to be picked up, bills that need to be paid, or gift ideas for those special people in your life, Remember the Milk can help you stay on top of it all.
If you already use Remember the Milk online then the transition to the Android app is incredibly easy. However, it will require a Pro account ($25/year) if you don’t already have one. Once you have a Pro account all you need to do is download the app from the Android Market and the first time you run the app it will sync up with your online tasks. Just like that, you’re ready to be organized on the go.
Adding locations, new lists, searching tasks and creating new smart lists are all functions available in the app. It seems you can do anything on the app that you would do through web. Some are easier to figure out how to do than others, but once you learn how to access the features you need regularly, navigating the app is a breeze.
There are three main reasons to invest in the Pro account so you can use the app to sync with the web. The first reason is widgets. A widget (there are a couple of sizes to choose from) can be placed on one of your home screens for easy tracking of list items. I like to have my personal tasks and shopping lists handy. When you tap on a widget it opens directly to that list so you don’t have to filter for the lists you use the most often.
Another advantage to having the Pro account is distinguished reminders. By distinguished I mean it isn’t tied into your SMS or Twitter notifications (RTM provides
reminder services through both of these methods). It does look like a calendar reminder, but that is more immediate than using socially oriented media that we sometimes ignore for important reminders.
The the most compelling reason to invest in a Pro account is the “nearby” feature. This is where the locations work their magic. If you have locations associated with your list items (like your grocery or shopping list items) you can set Remember the Milk to notify you when you are close to that location if you have an outstanding task. This does use GPS and so it can be a battery drain if used all of the time, but is perfect for making sure nothing is forgotten when you go out on a Saturday morning errand run.
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