1st Impressions

Seqqarah is a new series of puzzle games for the iPhone.  The goal of the  $0.99 Temple of Thot (pictured) is to match colored gems so that each of the sections of the game screen consists of a single color.  You do this by switching any two adjacent gems.  The logic behind Temple of Thot remindeds me a lot of those old sliding games where you had to line up the numbers one through fifteen.  Once the game level is complete, you can move on to the next level without any cost.  In other words, you can skip a tough level, but it costs you in points.

In the $0.99 Temple of Isis, the game play is much like Bejeweled except with a twist.  While you can make lines of three or more gems disappear, the ultimate goal is to make squares or triangles of the same colored gems so that it turns the background of the section that they define from black to red.  I found this style of game mechanics to be more relaxing than Temple of Thot.  My one complaint in both of these games though is that you play against a timer.  While I like that as an option, I also like the ability to take my time and not feel rushed depending on my level of mental alertness.  I wish an option were available where you could play without the timer even if the trade-off was that your scores were not saved or something.

I really enjoyed the new game play of these games, particularly Temple of Isis.  And the graphics are absolutely incredible.  They look a much more expensive than a $0.99 game.  Ultimately the entire series is promised to have 500 different levels.  My hope though is that developers continue to offer more levels for each of the different “temples” so that if you have a particular favorite game style, additional levels will be available.  I also hope a generic and light/free Saqqarah version is in the works with a taste of each of the different puzzle types so that they can be attempted prior to the purchase.  With several different game play mechanics in the works, I’m looking forward to seeing what the next “temples” will bring.

Sometimes, you just need some gratuitous violence as a release.  Yeti Sports 1 offers just that.  If the screen shot looks familiar, it should.  It’s the $2.99  iPhone version of the old Flash game that has been a huge internet hit for as long as Flash has been around.  

Game play is simple.  Launch the penguin from the top of the cliff, and smack him with the bat to send him as far as possible.  Think “home run” here.  Where this game differs from the PC version is that you can tilt your iPhone to adjust the penguins “flight path”.  The object is to have it land in the wind current at a shallow enough angle so that the wind can help carry it along.  Along the way, you can bounce off of flying birds and pick up fish.  The first gives you longer time aloft, which the second gives you more points.  

While ultimately I found the game very entertaining (in a gratuitous kind of way), I wish there was an option for a bit of gore.  I mean if you are going to be a Yeti and launch a penguin a thousand feet with a club, wouldn’t you expect at least a bit of bruising?  Also, at $2.99, I think it is priced a bit high.  Sooner or later, you are going to want more than just bashing some penguins.  At that price point, there are games out there that offer a lot more challenge and expected game play.  The fact that the app title is “Yeti Sports 1″ makes me hope that the number indicates future updates.

I couldn’t do a review of Castle Smasher without following it up with it’s opposite.  In case you have not seen StickWars, it is a $0.99 hit at the iTunes store.  A light version is available for free.  

In the app, you play the defender of the castle.  You can capture guys and turn them into archers, repairmen, and “wizards”.  They can help you repel the attacks.  While Castle Smasher requires some thought, this game is primarily about reaction.  No thought necessary. 

The game has options for sound, music, level of blood (screen shot has it on high), and so forth.  To defend your castle, you can “flick” the little stick guys up in the air high enough so that the fall kills them.  Of course the archers do a good job of eliminating as well.  And, if you have wizards, they can launch meteors down on them.  If you have enough prisoners caught, you can even send them out with bombs on a kamikaze mission.  

Overall, the game play is very similar to the game that is supposed to have started this genre, Defend Your Castle.  While it is at the same price point, and I have purchased and tried both, I find StickWars to be much more intuitive and configurable of the two.  If you are only going to get one, make this one your pick.  Because of the price point and the unlimited nature of game play, this one gets added to my Must Have list.

Castle is a new game that is only $0.99 for a limited time.  The premise is simple.  Use your catapult to knock down the castle(s).  It is a simple game to figure out, so unlike my last review of “G”, is perfect for kids.  The only controls are angle and power of the “launch”.  It is the perfect kind of game to play for a couple of minutes while in the check-out line.  I wish there was more I could say about it, but it really is that simple.

G is a rather nice game from a new group of Christian developers. Just because they are new though (or Christian for that matter) does not mean that the game lacks in quality though. It’s graphics and game play rival anything you would see from the deep-pocket guys. In the hope that a quality product should be rewarded, I hope this and future apps in the works give these developers deep pockets as well.

“G” stands for gravity in this game. It is almost as if Gravity is a somewhat predictable opponant in that sometimes you seem to fight it. But it helps you too. Game play reminds me of one of those artillary games taken to a whole new level. As in those games, you control angle, burn length, and propulsion of the rocket. What takes this to a whole new level seems to be inspired by Apollo 11 and their use of the moon’s gravity to change trajectory. In the game, you use the gravity of some objects in order to change your rocket’s path so that you get close enough to “ping” all the targets on the screen in as few attempts as possible.

This is not as easy as it sounds. In fact, these puzzles can become quite a challenge. While it doesn’t require a rocket scientist, it is probably going to be more than a child can handle. That is OK though, there are plenty of bodily noises apps in the store for them. If you want something more mature though, check out this game.

I am not normally a crossword fan. I do, however, like puzzles in particular, so I thought I would try one. So, while this is the only one I tried on the iPhone, it was chosen based on it’s full feature list and the iTunes Store comments on competitimg products.

In short, this app is a dream come true for crossword fans. It gives you virtually unlimited puzzles downloaded daily from the wide selection of newspapers. Game play is very intuitive. Tap a square and the clue is displayed right by the keyboard. If both an across and down clue applies, tap the clue to switch from one to the other. There is even a separate screen that just shows all the tips and squares.

If you get stuck, like me, you can go with pencil mode over pen mode. You can also have it flag bad entries on the fly so you can immediately address a problem instead of building on it. Hints are also available.  The program can display a letter, a whole word, or the whole puzzle. It even can look up the clue and your partially filled response in a source to suggest possible options. You can basically tap the proposed solution and have it brought back into the puzzle for you.

In short, while this app does not make my own Must-Have list, if you are a crossword lover, I would not me surprised to see it in yours.

Aroma Coffee is one of those time and resource management games. Think Diner Dash or Hospital Havoc if you don’t know what I mean. The concept is pretty simple. Take orders, properly mix the coffee orders, deliver them to the proper customer, take their money, and throw away their trash. The online help illustrates most of this very well. What I could not figure out though was the recipe for the different orders. Wish the help was a bit more clear on that.

Game progress allows you to not only spend profits on new items for the menu, but also branch out into new locations. While I like these kinds of games, ultimately I feel unfulfilled when there is no real obtainable goal or level/campaign that I can complete. If you are a fan of this genre of game though, the graphics on this version are very good, game play is smooth, and it is worth checking out.

If the iPhone is not your first trip around the PDA block, you need no intruduction to QuickOffice. And the version for the iPhone does not disappoint. It lives up to every expectation. The ability to have Word documents and Excel spreadsheets on the iPhone is great. I uploaded a 60-page document and a 1MB spreadsheet with thousands of formulas in it, and it handled it with no problem.

While it doesn’t natively sync to your documents folder, there is a really slick web browser interface for uploading and downloading files over Wi-Fi. You can also email local or remote files, drag and drop files to your iPhone as a mounted drive, and access what you have on MobileMe.

I’ve only scratched the surface of what this app will do. It is a $20 app and I recommend a visit to the QuickOffice.com web site for all the details.

Pro Camera has been a review that was a long time in coming.  But, as they say, good things come to those that wait.  In short, this app is a Must-Have if you use your iPhone camera much.  Like other of my Must Have apps, this is how Apple SHOULD have done it.

Pro Camera has some awesome features.  First, it cleans up your memory to speed up performance if you are running low on memory.  Once the application starts, the first thing you notice is the “level” indicator in the middle of the screen that uses the tilt sensor of the iPhone to show you when your shot is lined up level.  Can’t tell you how many recent vacation photos had to be edited because my other digital camera (definitely not the photographer!) took crooked photos.  Pro Camera fixes that problem.

You can quickly take a photo by tapping anywhere on the screen.  Once taken, a preview is shown and you can choose to save it or discard it.  If you choose to save it, it becomes a background process and you can continue to take another photo.   If that were not all, it also has an image stabilazation feature.  Touch that icon and as soon as your iPhone’s accelerometer shows no movement, it snaps the photo.  The included self-portrait mode lets you get into the photo as well.

All in all, it is a wonderful app.  Definitely worth the $2.99 price tag considering all it does.

The Livio Internet Radio with Pandora isn’t really iPhone related (but hey, that is what that “Other” category is for, right?), although there is a tie-in.  It allows you to play the same custom Pandora stations that you listen to on your PC and iPhone.  It’s AWESOME!  You are not limited to whatever custom Pandora stations you create and customize (on the radio, PC, and/or iPhone) and your Pandora Quick Mix, but there is a directory of internet stations that exceeds just about any other internet radio directory that I’ve seen.  Once you locate a station by genre, location, or both, you can easily add it to your list of favorites on the device.  That is a nice feature as the station options seem endless at times.  For example, there are over 800 different “Oldies” stations  The small remote also comes with five preset for favorites that you can call up with a single button press.

I’m getting ahead of myself though.  The unit got my attention because while other options allowed you to listen to your Pandora stations, this one allows you to “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” from both the unit itself as well as the remote.  Since the strength of Pandora lies in its customization, this was a must-have for any kind of Pandora radio.  Setup is very simple.  All you have to do is enter the serial number and registration number from the radio’s setup menu at the manufacturer’s site along with your Pandora account info and the “link” is made between your radio and your Pandora account.  Of course this occurs after you have either connected the radio to your internet connection with the included eithernet cable or via Wi-Fi.  If you choose the Wi-Fi option, available connections show up.  If you have a WEP key, you can enter it with the dial on the unit.  Once it is set up with your Wi-Fi info and linked to your Pandora account, a simple re-boot by unplugging the unit and re-powering it is all that is needed.

The back-lit screen displays the station name, the bitrate of the stream (if it is an internet station), the time (automatically set), and the Wi-Fi signal strength.  Status messages come up to tell you when a station is first buffering and when you give a Pandora song a thumbs-up or thumbs-down.  When the unit is off, a large digital clock is displayed (as is the alarm time if you have one set).  When you turn the unit back on, it auto-starts whatever station you were listening to when you powered it off.  This includes when the alarm goes off.  It also seems to come on at the same volume level.  

The small credit-card sized remote allows you to do everything you can do from the main unit.  As I said, it also includes five presets for favorite stations.  Holding down a numbers preset button (or the general “Fav” button) will assign the current station.  It takes about ten seconds to switch from one preset station to another.  When you consider that it is switching to a different stream URL and buffering it, that isn’t bad.  You can set both Pandora and regular Internet stations to presets, but the “up” and “down” buttons on the remote both pull up your Pandora stations by default (that is unless you are already in a menu or favorites list), so unless you have tons of Pandora stations, you may want to save your station presets for the Internet stations as they can take an extra button pushes to get to.   And while you can find new stations (or create new Pandora ones) with the little remote, it is much easier to do using the knob on the front of the radio.  This knob serves dual purpose.  In regular play mode, it acts like a volume mode.  In any input mode though, you use it to scroll through available options and then select them by pushing the knob.

The unit comes with an eithernet cable, as I mentioned, so you’ve probably already figured out that it has an eithernet port.  It also comes with a headphone jack on the front, and both a line in and line out jack on the back.  The included 1/8″ to RCA adapter will allow you to us that line out to connect it to a home stereo system.  Auxiliary input is selected from the main menu just like you would Pandora or Internet Radio.  

As much as I am impressed with this radio, nothing is perfect.  For example, the online user manual tells you how to set up your Pandora stations before telling you how to connect via Wi-Fi.  It also says, in a big shaded area to get your attention, to go to “www.LivioRadio.com/Pandora” to set up the link, but that URL does not work.  The proper one is in all lower case, which is supplied in the following paragraph.  This could cause some real confusion with the non-techie.  In other words, it seems that much more thought and work went into the unit itself than in documentation.  Luckily, it is very intuitive and once you get connected, the manual is pretty much un-necessary.  One big thing missing form the user manual is the fact that the station database is an online one at Reciva.com.  By registering there and linking your radio (same way you did with Pandora setup), you can browse and listed to the same stations from you PC, as well as update your Favorites list – which immediately syncs to your radio.  Options for podcasts and streams do not currently work, but I’m hoping that is on a future firmware update.

My only other suggestions would be that the Pandora stations do not indicate if the currently playing song is already marked with a thumbs-up or not.  This leads you to not know if you need to “thumb” a song or not.  I’d also love to see a “sleep” timer option and the ability to select which favorite station you want to wake to with the alarm.  Hopefully future firmware updates (yes, it does those) will add these features.  

Overall though, I am very impressed and pleased with this radio.  If you like radio, I’d recommend it.