1st Impressions

This game is a beautifully rendered version of that game folks my age played when we were kids…you know, back before mobile game devices. The premise is simple. Slide the pieces around until the numbers are in order. Once you solve it, a quick tap randomizes it again for more game play. There are other apps out there that do this, but it would be hard to find one that does it better.  The game is $0.99 in the iTunes store.

Special thanks to Jerad and The App Podcast for the promo code for this app.

I review a lot of games or apps that don’t even stay on my iPhone until the review is completed. This one is a keeper though. It is the easy to learn and hard to master puzzle formula that has made these peg games a success for generations. Pegged currently has 7 levels of increased difficulty and is available for $0.99 in the iTunes store.

Special thanks to Jerad and The App Podcast for the promo code for this app.

Suppose you threw a party and no one came. That’s my first impression of this free app. A social network only works if there are a lot of people on it. The fact that I was able to register with the login of my fairly common first name should have been a clue. Even if there were folks near me, the app seemed geared towards singles and “hooking up”. There wasn’t even a “married” option under marital status. I put this app in the dud category.

iRomance is one of a couple of games in the iTunes store with a goal of helping you and that special someone spice things up. The game as it currently exists is rated PG. This was a requirement to get past the Apple approval process. (It is kinda dumb to allow countless apps that make bodily noises but turn down one that mentions parts with such generic terms as “chest”, but that is the Apple world we live in.) Future versions of the game plan to add customized actions and locations, so that will solve Cupertino’s prudish attitudes. Right now though, the app contains 450 different phrases. If that isn’t enough to get you started, something is broke. . One nice feature is that timed events actually include a timer, as seen in my screenshot, but it only appears when needed.

My only negative about the game is that the font used for “her” turn was a bit hard for me to read. I’d also like some kind of progression in the actions over a pre-determined amount of game play. Customization with player names would be nice as well. Since this app is in current development, I would not be surprised to see these features in a future release.

iRomance is currently $0.99 in the app store and I think will ultimately offer much more than those dice games that compete with it. Check it out.

The App Podcast is basically a video version of what I try to do here. Short two to four minute video reviews of iPhone applications and games. Jerad Hill is fair, balanced, and always entertaining. The Podcast isn’t truly an application that I’d normally review, but I like Jerad’s podcast so well that I had to mention it. I think it really compliments my site here. In fact, I’m actually using free iPhone application promo codes that you receive from following TheAppPodcast on Twitter to get some of the apps that you see reviewed here. That’s right. If you follow TheAppPodcast on Twitter, you get tons of free promo codes that Jerad shares with his followers. I almost hate mentioning that because they are single-use codes and the more of you that follow him, the less likely it is that I’ll get a successful redemption using one, but there are probably plenty to go around, so I’ll spill the beans.

You can subscribe to The App Podcase in iTunes. You won’t regret it.

Today was Apple’s chance to shine.  They didn’t.  Basically, they took everything on my list of what they should do and didn’t…at least not yet…  If you want a souped-up game console though, you were in luck.  You can now do voice chat in games.  You can now buy things in games.  You can access your music library in games.  You can push-notify your friends to join you in a game.  See a trend here?  Instead of adding true functionality, they have concentrated on where their sales are in the iTunes store…games.  Their lame excuse that push technology is better than background processes just doesn’t withstand the laugh test.  If they can allow THEIR music player and alarm clock to play in the background, there is no reason why they can’t do the same for Pandora, Ambiance, and so forth.  Yet again, Apple has showed that they are in it for Apple, not their consumers.

UPDATE:  OK.  Maybe I spoke too soon.  Looks like Cut-and-paste made it in.   So did MMS.  Still think it is a game-centered release though.

In case you are an iPhone user living on another planet, Apple is having a big announcement on Tuesday, St. Patricks Day, about version 3.0 of the iPhone software.  I have no idea what they will say.  And I wouldn’t even try to predict it ahead of time.  Apple is just as unpredictable with hardware as they are with iStore admissions.  But I do know what they should do if they want the iPhone to still be considered a next-generation device.  Here is my list:

1. Global Cut-and-paste.  Failure on this point for this long is pure incompetence.
2. MMS – Having a phone that can take photos without letting you send them via a widely-accepted standard just shows that Apple pushed this thing out before it was quite ready.  Time to fix that.
3. Teathering.  I can understand not offering this when AT&T’s 3G network was still young, but come on guys, it’s time!
4. Background processes.  Without them, the iPhone will never meet its potential.  It’s time to turn apps like Pandora and alarm clocks loose and let them soar.   
5. Flash.  Need I say more?
6. In addition to background processes, if Apple was really smart and wanted to give users some real control over their devices, they would purchase  IntelliScreen, MyProfiles, and QuickGold and build them into the OS.  After using these, I’ll never go back to a non-jailbroken phone.
7. The iStore definately needs some work.  For one thing, it needs to stop telling me that there are updates when none are available.  Second, it needs a wish list.  It already tracks when purchased apps are updated.  It’s a lost sales opportunity to also let me know when an app I am interested in goes on sale or is updated.  As much as I love AppSniper, this needs to be build into the store itself.

Apple could make me a very happy camper with these mods.  Or, they could continue to offer a lot of unfulfilled promise.  Guess we’ll see….

Rock Your Phone is a brand-new iPhone store coming out to compete with the iStore monopoly.  I *love* competition!  Rock Your Phone has a nice web site, a desktop application, and a iPhone application.  There are only a few applications up on the site for now, but they really deserve to be checked out.  One free one does really nice email alert popups.  IntelliScreen is offered (and automatically recognizes if you already have it installed).  And, from the makers of IntelliScreen, is the absolutely wonderful MyProfiles.  It will get it’s own review a bit later, but it’s wonderful and, from what I can tell, the Rock Your Phone store is the only place it will be available.

The Rock Your Phone interface is, at least to me, a better one than the Cydia store.  Applications that are for sale have a ten-day trial period before a license is required (Apple missed the boat on that one).  Purchase of applications can be done via PayPal or credit card.  It couldn’t be any more painless.

Rock Your Phone requires your phone to be jailbroken – a requirement for *any* app that breaks the Apple monopoly.

In the same game genre as Diner Dash, Hospital Havoc is a wonderful time/resource management game. This latest and much anticipated version addressed all the memory issues that I had been having. The game loads quickly and game play is very addictive. Different patients require different cures, a nurse and ocassional powerups exist to assist you, and you will need every bit of that help. Extra points are given for cleanliness, but finding time for that is a challenge.

The game includes 20 career levels, 3 levels of difficulty, 17 different illnesses to deal with, and a customizable continuous mode. Hospital Havoc is on sale for &1.99 until March 15th. At that price, it’s a great buy.

MyWeather is absolutely the best weather app out there for the iPhone. The price just dropped to $4.99 and it is worth every penny. Weather for multiple cities is supported. Each city shows daily forecasts for a week, hourly temp & percipitation trends for the next 24 hours, and full-screen looping dopler radar. At this sale price, it definately makes my must-have list.