1st Impressions

iRealSMS is what Apple should have included in the iPhone to begin with. When you get a text message, it pops up and allows you to respond without leaving your current application. If you need to contact someone while you are playing a game or something, you can’t launch the app with the volume up button. It searches your contacts as you start typing their name. Once you select one, you can choose to either send them a message or call them. It even counts down your remaining characters as you type out a message.

iRealSMS has its own message database that allows for searches and storage of messages in folders (including drafts and templates) as well as landscape mode. It also allows you to save a sender to your contacts. You can also select to use the default Apple app for messages if you prefer. An unread message count can be displayed in the status bar as well as the app icon. If you don’t need all the features of iRealSMS, there us a iRealQuickSMS version that just contains the QuickSend and QuickReply features. I’ve used both and believe both belong in the Must Have category. If I had one suggestion, it would be to add the character count to the QuickReply box like it is on the QuickSend box. I believe that to be scheduled in the next release though.

Both iRealSMS and iRealQuickSMS require a jailbroken phone. They are 9.99€ and 3.99€ respectively and are available via Cydia. The program also work in a demo mode. A full feature list and community forum can be found at irealsms.com.

The much anticipated Uniwar for the iPhone has now arrived. I am new to this genre of games, but really wanted to check this out. In short, a micro-review is not going to do this game justice. TouchArcade has a more lengthy review and active forum topic that might help convince you if I don’t.

UniWar is a turn-based multi-player online strategy game. If you have no one to play with or are not online, you can play against the computer. You can play solo or on a team, up to eight players per game, and you are not limited to playing a single game at a time. When playing against others, email alerts let you know when it is your turn. If you are online and playing live, an alert let’s you know so there is no delay in turns. Turn play is pretty simple. Keeping the domination goal in mind, select to move, build, and/or repair something and tap the check icon to complete the turn. This makes game play smooth and fairly quick. At least that is how it plays on a small map with a single enemy. I’m sure the more advanced you go with your options and more units you have to deal with, the more time it will take.

There is a ton to this game. Players choose one of three different races to play, and one of 50 different maps to play on. Initially I wished all of the maps were unlocked, but decided this is probably a good idea as it may help to match similarly skilled players.

Online documentation is scarce, but for us noobs, there is tutorial help if you start in single-player campaign mode.  A full blown FAQ in the game would be nice though. So would additional campaigns for when these run out. It would also be cool if clients existed on other platforms that you could play against as well.

The game is currently at $0.99 as an introductory price. It will eventually go up to $7.99. At the current price point though, this us one of the rare games that make my Must Have list. There is just too much there at a buck to pass up. So snatch it up while you can and look for djeaton online…as long as you are gentle with me.

This is a brand new game in the iTunes store. The description that it is a cross between a sniper game and Where’s Waldo is spot on. The object of the game us to locate and “take out” the bad dude pictured for you. The cartoonish characters are identified by clothing and hair style and color. In other words, something like blue shorts, green t-shirt, brown beard. Each bad guy comes with a reward. This reward is lowered with each missed shot. Hitting the wrong person also penalizes you. Do it too often and the game ends.

The game really isn’t a violent one. No blood or exploding heads. They don’t even fall down when hit. I can understand the need for something child-friendly, but there is more graphic violence in Road Runner than in this game. Made me wish it was a bit more realistic.

The targets are a challenge to hit. The people walk at different speeds and you have to take distance into account in your timing.. As the levels progress, you get larger, thicker crowds and more obsticles. The soundtrack is nice, but I would have preferred to be able to turn down the music while leaving the sound effects alone. Maybe that could be added in a future update.

I also found it odd that the game only seemed to depict white men of the middle-aged overweight variety. Adding different genders and nationalities into the mix may not be politically correct, but I would still love to see that. This W.A.S.P. for one is weary if always being the default bad guy.

Distant Assassin is normally $1.99, but is 50% off right now as an intruductory price. I personally enjoy relaxed puzzles and card games more than fast-paced arcade ones, but the game is definately worth a buck.

G-Maps US for the iPhone is such a large and complex/complete application that a short review posted from my iPhone would not do it justice.  When I say large, I’m talking about 585MB in size.  It’s HUGE!  And that is just the Eastern states.  But it’s also hugely useful.  Sometimes big things need big packages, and that is the case with G-Maps US.

I have to be honest here before I get started.  I don’t have (and have never really used) a GPS turn-by-turn direction system before.  Never needed one.  Back when I still drove, they were out of my price range.  Now that I’m disabled and don’t go anywhere, I don’t need one.  But the nice folks at G-Maps US were very prompt in responding to a request for a review copy, so I really want to do this fine piece of software some justice.

As I said, there is a lot to this app.  And as sparce as this overview is going to be, there is a TON of documentation, case studies, FAQ, Quick-start Guide, and so forth on the  G-Maps US web site.  If you want to skip my opinion and go straight there, you may be better off.

My first impression of this piece of software, once I deleted enough test/review apps to install it, was one of amazement.  I’d played with the iPhone GPS before, as well as the built-in Maps application, and was not overly impressed in it’s precision and detail.  The iPhone generally located me fairly close to where I was (usually indoors), but the maps didn’t even show my street.  To my amazement, G-Maps US not only had my street and address, but located me there with a precision of feet instead of miles.  Turn-by-turn directions without this level of precision was going to be an issue if the app didn’t pass this test, but it did so with flying colors.

G-Maps US answers some critical questions for the traveler…Where am I, How do I get there, and Where can I find X.  I’ve already mentioned the precision of “where am I”.  Searching for some destination could not be easier.  You can give it a city, search for a point of interest, give it a specific address, or just about anything you can think of.  You can even search by putting in the phone numbers of some businesses.  You can find local banks, ATMs, food, fuel, and so forth under the Emergency category of destinations.  Police and Hospital options are also available. Under general points of interest, you will find everything from attractions, grocery stores, restaurants by category, truck stops, and everything from Vets to Realtors.  I could find everything I could possibly think of except for one thing.  If I could add one suggestion in this area, it would be to also search for the closest free Wi-Fi.  There are so many options and categories there that I may have missed it, but if it is not included, I would think that it would be very helpful to have.

Once you locate your destination, the route info is where this application really shines.  You can follow along on the map as it tracks your progress (zooming in or out to the level of detail that you wish to see), , or even “play” the route in configurable speeds to watch how to get somewhere.  3D views of junctions in major cities are also available.  Routes can be saved and reversed as needed.  The app even calculates approximate travel times based on time of day, traffic or no traffic, and route preferences like avoiding toll roads or dirt roads or whatever.  There is even a “game” built into the app where a random local destination is chosen and you have to try to find it.  The app doesn’t talk to you yet, but that is expected to be added as soon as firmware 3.0 comes out this summer.

Other than adding Wi-Fi hotspots, my one major suggestion would be the ability to delete states that you don’t need.  I rarely travel more than 30 minutes from my home near Atlanta.  Having detialed maps of Detroit and all the businesses and points of interest of Chicago is just more than I need.  I’d love for there to be a way to delete states that you don’t need in order to free up space.  I’d also love to be able to see the directions printed out on the screen and the ability to email them.  Finally, if Apple allows it, I would love for there to be an option in the app to never lock the screen or to never lock it if the iPhone is being powered.

G-Maps US is available in a US-East and US-West version from the iTunes store.  It is $24.99, which sounds like a lot when compared to the $0.99 fart apps, but is a whole lot cheaper than having to purchase a separate GPS unit.  All in all, considering what you get, I believe it is a fair price and something that every traveler should consider.

This program does a great job of tracking illnesses and doctor visits for the specified person. You can enter pain level and temp for each day, but in this world of micro-managed medicice, I am not sure if this is frequent enough. And while there is a note field for each day, I think it really needs more when it comes to the patients overall medical condition prior to the current illness and how the curremt illness is impacting that. In other words, I see limited benefit for those with complex medical issues. I guess to me it send like overkill for those with rare things to track, but not complex enough for those documenting lots of issues that impact each other. It’s a great first start for those needing more complex medical event documentation though.

Like the cruise app I just reviewed, this app finds some of the cheapest airline fairs from your local aiport to different areas of the world. If you choose a port city, it would be nice to incorporate that in with cruise availability as well. Overall though, the app does a great job at what it does. Perhaps they could do something similar showing open seats on planes for those that travel stand-by and/or work for the airlines.

This app is perfect for finding the great cruise vacation at a great price. Tell it your party info, date of vacation, desired ports of call, days at sea, and so forth and it finds all the best deals from you. Adding in the functionality of acsuster app that does cheap airline tickets from your designatedvairpirt and you’d be all set. As you can see with thevexamples I posted, it wouldvtakeva lotmore rrffott to come to these fimdgs
Online without a lot of on-hold time with an agent whould findbyou the safe fairs. The nenefitbi see to this app isvrhat youncam call the travel agent and spend a lotbless time on them. I would love the ability to compare particular findings and have that sent by email. Overall though, the app does a very google job at delivering just what it promises

I have just deleted the other maze games off my iPhone. Why? Because the endless supply of generated first-person 3D levels of this game makes those others seem like something I could play on my Atari 25-years ago. It is just that good. When you start a level, you can select the size of the maze in which you will find yourself. They range from 5x5x5 to some obscene number like 10x10x25. Controls remind me of Doom or something similar. You can look up and down, turn around 360-degrees, and move forward and back. Moving forward while looking up or down a ladder takes you to a different level of the maze. Tilt controls can also be used, but I prefer the touch controls. Your progress is timed, and you can optionally add a compass and/or breadcrumbs to your screen, but it impacts your time. On the larger levels though, it is probably a necessity. RealMaze3D is a new $0.99 release in the iTunes store and is definately worth the buck. One word of warning though…don’t play this in a moving car without some dramamine.

This 40-level 3D version of those box-pushing games is a real piece of eye-candy. It may not have as many levels (yet) as some competing games in that genre, but the graphics make up for that. The zooming in and out is a really nice touch. And the puzzles are complex enough to last you for quite a while. If you are into the highest quality games of a particular type, you owe it to yourself to check this one out. This one is a keeper in my book.

Other than the background graphic, these two apps are virtually identical. Enter the baby name and due date, or the couple name and wedding date (and hopefully those dates are not the same), and it does a countdown for you. These are pretty significant and are difficult to forget, but I guess the countdown could be usefull if neither you or your partner were keeping track in your head. For me though, the app was too focused on a single event. I would have preferred a single app that kept track of birth dates, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and other events with appropriate backgrounds or user selected photos and titles. The ability to use the next event as your wallpaper would be a nice addition as well.