Best Iphone Apps Review

So We Meet Again: HiBye Revisited is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Price: Free     Score: 8/10     By A. Papachristos

The iTunes App Store is chock full of options.  No matter what you’re looking for, there truly is an app for that.  And, with so many developers creating similar apps, all trying to fill the same needs, their greatest task is to attract attention, making their product the one you simply cannot function without.  For those who are truly confident in what their product has to offer, the ideal (and easiest) way to attract new buyers is to offer a free sampling.

HiBye Free by shani hajbi, like its paid version ($0.99), is designed to help you organize your temporary contacts list so you do not accidentally delete important phone numbers from your already jumbled call list, allowing users to save numbers they may need to reference later, complete with timer and note functions.

With the timer function, users can add a temporary contact to their list, setting a specific expiration date for that contact.  This will ensure that these mainly extraneous phone numbers, email address and various other bits of information will not remain on your list too long and clutter the rest of your official contact list because, conveniently, HiBye Free syncs directly with the rest of your contacts.  When the life span of the contact is just about up, the timer will alert you so you can choose to permanently delete the contact or extend its life span.

Upon startup, users will see that the main screen is also the ‘Contacts’ tab, where they can find the list of all those temporary contacts they have added.  This is also the very place they can add more contacts to their list by using the ‘+’ icon in the top right corner.  When entering a new contact, users can enter the same types of information they normally do under the general contacts list on their device.  HiBye Free recommends adding a note so you always remember exactly why a given contact was saved to your temporary list.

In the top left corner, users will find the ‘Settings’ button.  Here, users can set their timer specifications.  With HiBye Free, users can only assign a timer of up to a week, while they can save a contact for up to a year with the full version.  However, this gives users a nice taste of HiBye’s capabilities.  Users may also enable the HiBye Dummy, which shows up in your regular contacts list.  Using the dummy, users can enter temporary contact information right from their contacts list, never having to launch HiBye Free to do so.

When contacts are about to expire, users will find their information under the ‘TimeOut’ tab, where they will be able determine the contact’s fate.  HiBye Free suits the iPhone user best because iPod Touch users would need to juggle two devices to maximize the app’s usefulness, inputting the information manually instead of extracting it directly from your log.

Users may access all these conveniences within the paid application, as well as advanced services including: setting the timer for up to one year; archiving your contacts with the ability to restore them with one click; creating custom contact categories.  However, HiBye Free does a great job of supplementing the main characteristic of the paid version, while dangling the appealing traits of the full version within a tempting distance of the consumer’s nose.

To view my original review of HiBye (paid edition), click here.

HiBye Free requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch. A small expedite fee was paid by the developer to speed up the publication of this review.

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BoxBattle Lite Requires Much Patience and Skill is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Price: Free   Score: 6/10   By A. Papachristos

For over 40 years, the Quarks and Tulans have been at war and you have just been recruited as a gunner whose mission, should you choose to accept it, is to use the Quark’s cannons to destroy the Tulan barricades and save the devastated planet.

The premise of BoxBattle Lite by MaxNick puts users in the middle of this fictitious war, requiring them to utilize the Quarks’ artillery to destroy as many green boxes as possible, while avoiding red boxes and conserving ammunition at the same time.  Users must develop their own strategies for demolishing the barricades, completing the specific level’s goal, all while using the least amount of ammunition possible, for running out will cause you to have to repeat the process because cannonballs are limited and will cost you points in the long run.

Upon startup, users are asked if they would like to enable OpenFeint, an Internet leaderboard that allows you to compare your scores to the scores of other players from all over the world.  You will also be able to track your own personal statistics within BoxBattle Lite in order to review your progress at any time.  After this, users will then have free reign of this application’s Lite version, which provides 12 free levels to give users a taste of what BoxBattle has to offer.  (Those who love what they say can simply upgrade to the paid version within the application, providing over 120 new levels of game play.)

In general, BoxBattle Lite offers a great sampling of what the full, paid version promises.  As you proceed, you can unlock achievements, receive medals and weapons upgrades, accumulating points along the way that not only help you advance levels, but also help you on your journey toward the ultimate rank – First Cannoneer of the Quark Empire.

Though the concept is simple, BoxBattle Lite provides not only a comprehensive ‘Help’ section, but users will also find a guide right within the ‘Help’ portion that provides a visual aid as to how users should maneuver their weapons, what each icon means and the different types of ammunition available.

However, when it comes to playing games on a small device, such as the iPhone or iPod Touch, the tiny screen does not lend itself well to precision and patience.  With BoxBattle Lite, users must develop a careful technique, combining aim and force on a playing field that is extremely sensitive to the touch.  To move the cannon up and down on its track, users should use two fingers to drag the weapon.  Then, to shoot, users use one finger to aim at the boxes, pulling back further and further to increase the force of the cannonball.  But, as one pulls back, the cannon’s touch sensitivity causes the aim to shift, leaving your cannonball falling in the wrong direction, completely missing your target.  This leads to wasted ammunition, making even Level One a tricky task for the impatient or unskilled.

With such a small screen, even users with the smallest fingers will find this sensitivity and need for precision a challenge all on its own.  And, assuming that Level One is supposed to represent the easiest level difficulty of them all, perhaps users should be greeted with a slightly less daunting test in order to draw them in quicker, because anyone who becomes discouraged after the first level will surely never make it through the 12 free levels, longing for the paid version and more game play.

For a YouTube video demonstration of what BoxBattle has to offer, click here.

BoxBattle requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch. A small fee was paid by the developer to speed up the publication of this review.

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Pinch Pulls Together Many Modern Social Networking Trends is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Price: $.99   Score: 6/10   By A. Papachristos

As technology continues to advance, life gets more and more complicated.  The programs and gadgets designed to lighten our load have become a burden themselves, causing the general public to have to constantly learn new methods and advance at the same rapid pace.  But then there are programs – in this case, applications – that attempt to ease this problem by combining everything in hopes of making the all-in-one concept seem simple and more enticing to the crowd.

Yet, when it comes to social networking, we fail to realize that half the tasks we take on are completely unnecessary.  However, Pinch – iMessenger, iContacts & iLocation Sense by Affle Pte Ltd takes a plethora of these pointless actions and combines them into a single application that may or may not put your mind into overdrive depending on how much information you can take in at one time.

While Pinch most definitely does a decent job of combining multiple types of social networking and mobile communication into one application, one also has to account for the fact that such an application will only work to the fullest extent if all your friends are using the app as well.  Luckily, Pinch features cross platforms messaging support, meaning iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Blackberry, Android, Symbian, Windows Mobile, Web and Facebook users can access the same services, slightly increasing your chances of finding friends who use the application.  Otherwise, once you create your account, be prepared to send a lot of invitations.

Upon startup, all users will first need to access the Profile tab, which will allow existing users to log in and new users to register.  While users can either create a new account or sign in using their Facebook account, all will have to provide their mobile telephone number and email address in order to proceed.  Pinch promises that such information is confidential and used to simply provide users with their messages and archived information, for Pinch offers free unlimited storage of your message history.

With the iMessenger component, Pinch hopes to redefine texting by ridding users of roaming or data charges.  Their idea is to eliminate the need to pay for SMS and MMS messaging and data by taking advantage of your device’s Wi-Fi capabilities.  Users can also customize their messaging layout with personalized themes and wallpapers available under Preferences.  To compile all your contacts in one place, the iContacts portion works to organize and auto-discover your friends from your phone’s contact list, Twitter and Facebook (assuming you give Pinch the permission to connect to your accounts).

However, the most unnecessary (and unsafe) aspect of Pinch would have to be the iLocation Sense aspect.  Acting as a built-in stalking system, more or less, iLocation will find fellow Pinch friends and users nearby, while also sharing your location and tracking your personal journey with directions and miles traveled.  To encourage check-ins, points are awarded every time you inform the world of your location.  These points can then be used in Pinch’s leaderboard contests, including their current iPad giveaways.  Of course, I do know that users can control who sees their location, but encouraging such forms of social networking is irresponsible considering the potential dangers sharing such information may lead to when in the wrong hands.

But, if you are truly into such forms of social networking, then you best get to work on inviting all your friends (anyone with a Smartphone, that is) so they can join you on your journey to make Pinch semi-practical in a world run by Facebook, Twitter, Four-square and all those other social networking sites that have come to control our daily activities already.

Pinch requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch.  A small expedite fee was paid by the developer to speed up the publication of this review.

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Produce Pal is Right for the Picking! is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Price: $2.99   Score: 9/10    By A. Papachristos

Whether you frequent your local supermarket, the small corner store down the street, or your favorite stand at the Farmer’s Market, picking the proper produce can cause quite the predicament.  Everyone has his or her own methods of picking out the ripest melon or the freshest lettuce, but are they truly the right way to find fruits and vegetables that will taste great and stay fresh until they make it to your table?

With Produce Pal by Silton Solutions LLC constantly at hand, shoppers need not fear this conundrum ever again.  Produce Pal features a database of over 70 different types of fruits and vegetables, each with its own set of criteria for what makes the product ideal.  Plus, users are not only provided with instructions on how to pick their produce, but also on how to store their items once they get home.

When starting up Produce Pal, simply choose the category you are interested by using the ‘Fruits’ and ‘Vegetables’ tabs in the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen.  Each category is alphabetized, from Apple to Watermelon and Artichoke to Zucchini, making it easy to find the correct item quickly.  For each product, Produce Pal offers a description of what to look for when buying the item, how to store the item at home, the product’s nutritional value, and a few fun facts that may impress your friends and guests.

Though Produce Pal presents a simple, useful concept with an equally simple and useful application, users truly need nothing more than what this minimalist application offers.  All the necessary information is laid out right in front of you in a clear, concise manner, making it an easily accessible tool that will in fact help you save money in the long run simply by providing tips on how to keep your produce fresher longer.

Plus, if you happen to discover a fruit or vegetable that is not already part of the database, simply contact Silton Solutions LLC and they will add the item in their next update.  You can access their website right within the application itself, on the second page as you swipe through their ‘About’ tab.  Here, users can also peruse a list of other apps by Silton Solutions LLC as they continue to swipe through the pages of the ‘About’ tab., including Silly Stories, After Shock, and Chalk A Lot.

So get ready to start munching because for anyone who loves fruits and vegetables, loves eating healthy, and loves saving money (and who doesn’t?), Produce Pal will surely become your new grocery-shopping buddy.

Produce Pal requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch. A small expedite fee was paid by the developers of this app to speed up the publication of this review.

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FitClick Easily Tracks Workout and Diet Habits is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Price: $3.99   Score: 9/10    By A. Papachristos

Diets and workouts are a growing part of our society today.  With gyms popping up left and right, and men and women all over hopping on the fad diet bandwagon, we can see that the desire to be fit and healthy is not something that will likely fade any time soon.  However, keeping track of your habits, progress and commitment involves a mental workout that may just cause some to lose more confidence than weight as they attempt to keep on task.

But, with FitClick Diet & Workout Tracker by Genesant Technologies, Inc, users can easily track their diet and workout habits in a single, easy to comprehend application for the iPhone and iPod Touch.  All one needs is their device, an Internet connection (iPod Touch users must have access to Wi-Fi), and a goal to get started.

To begin, users must register with FitClick.com, or login if they already have an account.  When creating an account, users will need to provide a username, email address, password, their age and gender, current weight, goal weight and height.  (Don’t worry; the registration page will open in a Safari window, but will direct you back to the FitClick app upon completion.)  For the next step, users will need to choose a workout setup from the potential choices, including: Track My Exercise Only, FitClick Walking Plan, Beginner Circuit Training, Combo Cardio Plan and numerous others.  Once you tap submit, you will then need to choose your diet setup: Track Food & Nutrients Only, Good Carb Diet, Healthy Lifestyle Diet, Slim & Trim Diet, and Carb Reduction Diet.

Once you have finally set up your account, you will be directed back to the FitClick app where you may login.  The home screen also acts as the main menu, displaying the necessary tools needed to optimize you experience, as well as simple features such as the ‘Change Current Date’ button, or the ‘Help’ page, which will clear up any confusion that may arise when entering your information into the system.

Under the ‘Calorie Balance’ category, users will find their calculated target caloric intake for the day.  By tracking the number of calories eaten and the number of calories burned, this section also presents users with the figure for their daily net calories.  For this to be possible, users must also utilize the ‘Diet Tracker’ section, which allows users to enter the food they’ve eaten for breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner.  Their database of over 110,000 foods makes logging your intake simple and helps users automatically calculate their caloric intake for that given meal.

The ‘Workout Tracker’ helps guide users with a list of suggested exercises based on their chosen workout plan, though users may add other exercises if they choose.  Underneath each exercise is the suggested reps.  Once the user has completed the exercise, they can then tap the specific exercise to indicate it has been completed and to record how many reps were done.  However, the ‘Exercise Demonstrations’ may be FitClick’s greatest asset.  With 799 listed exercises (covering abdominals, back, biceps, calves, cardio, chest, forearms, lower back, shoulders, thighs, trapezius and triceps), users receive not only a written step-by-step instruction on how to carry out the exercise, but also a video demonstration, as if they have their own personal trainer right within their portable device.

Plus, users also gain free access to FitClick.com after registration, unleashing many other attractive, useful characteristics.  With this comes access to their calorie counter and food journal, 7,000 custom diet plans, 10,000 custom workout routines, the ability to create and share your own diet and workout plans with other users, over 11,000 recipes, weight loss groups, custom grocery lists and so much more.

How ironic that an app dedicated to helping people get fit can be so fat with attractive qualities… Wonderful!

FitClick requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch.

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Teach Me Sushi Tackles the Task to the Tail End is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Price: $4.99   Score: 10/10   By A. Papachristos

Sushi is an acquired taste: you either love it, hate it, or come to love it.  Thankfully, in my case, my rebellious taste buds eventually kicked into gear and I’ve even come to crave sushi at the most unpredictable moments.  And now, with Teach Me Sushi by Teach Me Sushi, I can quell those craving in the comfort of my own home!

With Teach Me Sushi, users have access to 13 instructional videos, equaling 45 minutes of footage, dedicated to teaching them how to make delectable sushi right in their own kitchen.  Users will find everything from lists of the necessary equipment and ingredients, to step-by-step visual aids on how to make some of the most well known types of rolls.

When you start up Teach Me Sushi for the first time, you will find the Sushi Menu, which features a list of all topics covered within the application.  Simply tap on whichever category you wish and you will be taken to a separate page.  The Introduction, Equipment and How to Choose Your Fish sections all feature a simple video that adequately guides you through everything from the basics of sushi, to what makes certain fish perfect for your sushi creations.

The second tab in the bottom navigation bar (labeled What You Need) expands upon the Equipment section with an detailed list of not only what equipment this endeavor will require, but also a list of the ingredients necessary to make your sushi dreams become a reality.  Here, users will also find the exceptionally convenient Where to Buy tab, which will use your device’s location detection capabilities to narrow down the nearest Japanese supermarkets in your area using Google maps.  This way, users can easily map out their route and get directions.

Under ‘Cooking the Rice,’ users will find the instructions become more in-depth as the actual cooking process begins.  Here, users will not only find a video demonstration, but also a written step-by-step guide on how to prepare your sushi rice, as well as a sort of “about me” tab that describes the nature of sushi rice as a grain.  Plus, as the third tab in the bottom navigation bar, the Rice Timer takes the rice cooking lesson one step further by helping you cook your rice for the perfect amount of time with its 12 minute countdown clock timer.

Next, users will want to proceed to the ‘Preparing Your Vegetables’ section, where they will find a video as well as a step-by-step guide to preparing the necessary ingredients.  Users will also find a third tab, like in the rice section, which provides users with basic information about the given item.  For each section that you find broken down in this manner, the tabs will read as follows: Video, Step by Step, and About this Sushi.

After you learn how to prepare your vegetables, it is time to get down to business and make your rolls!  The remaining sections detail the process of how to create varying types of sushi rolls, such as: Maki, Inside Out Roll, Futo Maki, Hand Roll, Nigiri, Rainbow Roll, Sashimi, and Fashion Sandwich.

While everyone’s learning style differs, I highly recommend using the videos as a precursor, watching to gain a decent overview of the process.  Then, when you attempt to make the sushi yourself, use the step-by-step guide as if it were a cookbook.  The videos will always be there as backup in case you do not understand a step, but reading the instructions seems to be more conducive to completing the task at hand, for you can proceed at your own pace.  And, if you still cannot master the joy of sushi making, Teach Me Sushi offers classes to eligible participants as a way to personally instruct one or more people at a time in the ways of preparing ingredients and building the roll itself.  (You can learn more by tapping ‘Book a Lesson’ under the More tab in the bottom navigation bar.)

And now, thanks to the fact that I have typed the word “sushi” so many times, I must bid you farewell, for the craving has risen to the surface once again!  I’m thinking I could go for some tuna maki… Where’s the nearest Japanese supermarket again?

Teach Me Sushi requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch. A small expedite fee was paid by the developer to speed up the publication of this review.

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Schoolhouse – iPhone App Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Schoolhouse (Basic App is Free; $1 in app purchases for subjects)

Version 2.1

Review – A great way to help your kids brush up on their educational skills!

Looking for an iPhone / iPod Touch app to help your child work on their educational requirements? If so you may be interested in Schoolhouse.

Schoolhouse, developed by BizzyTime Inc. is a child – specific application that includes Math, Spelling, Time, US Currency and Word pronunciation practice. The basic app comes with a limited usability of each although you can purchase upgrades to add more features to the subjects that you are more interested in.

According to the developer’s information, this app is geared towards children from Kindergarten through the 5th grade.

The free app allows your child to play in the practice mode although you can purchase Custom, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Expert. Unfortunately Practice mode will only let you guess the right answer .. so if by chance you don’t know the answer you just have to keep guessing until you get it right, or just back out and start over.

Let’s take a look at the different subjects ..

Math

The math section offers up a series of math problems on the screen and your child has to decide what the correct answer is. The free app contains addition only, however you can purchase subtraction, division, multiplication, and negative answers.

Spelling

In the spelling section you are given a word and then you have to spell it correctly. The free app is limited to practice mode only as well. My frustration with this section is that it’s apparently case sensitive so if you don’t have it cased exactly as the app does it won’t except your answer. You get a sound and vibration instead, and if you are not paying attention you have no idea why it’s doing that.

Time

This section shows a clock at the top and based on the time showing on it you have to determine the numerical equivalent. The free app is limited to only even hour increments although I hope that it gets more complicated with the in app purchases.

Money

This section shows money on the screen and your child needs to decide what it’s seeing. Since I’m only playing with the free version of this app I cannot comment on how complicated this section gets. On the free version it shows one coin on the screen and you decide whether it’s a nickel, penny, quarter, or dime. Needless to say after a few tries the coin starts repeating.

Word Pronunciation

In this section the app shows a word on the screen and your child is to say the word outloud. This gives them a good means to practice both reading and speaking words.

Overall this app appears to have potential to be a very beneficial educational tool, however to do so it will require many in app purchases. While it gives you a good preview of the app, almost all of the functions are locked down without spending money.

Some of the features that can be purchased are:

- different difficulty levels for each subject

- correct answers only

- allowing hints

- time limts

- randomizing

- repeating problems

In addition the app includes the ability to set up a profile for each user, track your progress, your best times, and give your child an opportunity to make or break their goals.

This app seems to be a very good educational tool to get your kids on top of their education. It covers many different subjects, is a very clean and well laid out app, and is progressive so that it can be used for different years and grade levels. I suggest grabbing the basic app and letting your child give it a good test run. You may find that this app is exactly what you were looking for!!

- Christina G

© 2010, iPhone and iPad app reviews. All rights reserved. An expedite fee may have been paid for some reviews. We work diligently to ensure that this does not affect the content of the review and strive to keep the journalistic integrity intact. All reviews are the personal opinion of the reviewer.

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