News and reviews of iPod-related software for the Mac

Review: FaceFighter for iPhone

Tim Mercer — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:05:00 -0800

With great graphics, cool kung fu sounds, and a multi-player mode, FaceFighter is really entertaining. Add in the ability to create custom foes, and hilarity quickly ensues.

Review: The Deep Pinball for iPhone

Ben Boychuk — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:30:00 -0800

OOO Gameprom returns with another pinball adventure, this one set in a watery underworld. It's a fun game, with the 1.1 update improving upon the original release.

Review: SketchBook Mobile for iPhone

John Brandon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:31:00 -0800

Autodesk's app is one of the better painting and drawing apps on the iPhone. It's the rare app that appeals to both novices and professionals.

Review: AudioBoo for iPhone

James Savage — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:54:00 -0800

This app, which provides a quick, easy way to share audio recordings on the Internet, shows a lot of potential. Recording and publishing is a snap, but more robust in-app browsing is needed.

Review: 9 The Mobile Game for iPhone

John Brandon — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:51:00 -0800

The animated motion picture 9 may have come and gone from theaters, but its iPhone game remains. Unfortunately, this platform game misses the mark because of simple gameplay and weak graphics.

Review: Alive 4-Ever for iPhone

Tim Mercer — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:52:00 -0800

Everything about this zombie survival game is highly polished, from the music and effects to the controls. Alive 4-Ever is the king of its genre.

Review: Memeo Share for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:13:00 -0800

While it suffers from some oversights -- you can't upload multiple photos at once, for example -- this mobile image-sharing app is well-suited for viewing photos that you and your buddies share. You'll need to consider if the accompanying online service meets your needs, though.

Review: Battery Go for iPhone

John Brandon — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:55:00 -0800

This app won't tell you exactly how much battery life you have left on your iPhone or iPod touch, but then it doesn't claim to do that. Rather, Battery Go gives you a pretty good estimate for how much juice you'll need to perform tasks on your mobile device. Large icons and a slider make this simple app easy to use.

Chorus for iPhone suggests apps based on pals' advice

Lex Friedman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

Chorus, a new free iPhone app, aims to recommend iPhone applications for you, based on your history—and your pals' suggestions.

Review: BuzzVoice Talks and Tick Talk for iPhone

Ben Boychuk — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:13:00 -0800

We look at a pair of apps that read the news to you. BuzzVoice Talks is a thankfully-renamed update to PimpMyNews that adds more options for users. Tick Talk is more of an alarm clock that wakes you up with the morning's headlines.

Is Spotify the future of music listening?

Kirk McElhearn — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:03:00 -0800

Spotify, hoping to make its way to the U.S. soon, lets you stream music to your computer or iPhone/iPod touch. Will it be worth the wait?

Review: CNN Mobile for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:03:00 -0800

News junkies won't go wrong with CNN Mobile. It's the deepest and most complete news app for iPhone and iPod touch.

Review: Depth of field iPhone apps

Dale Gardner — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:20:00 -0800

A number of iPhone apps promise to help tame the sometimes complex calculations needed for success when attempting to control depth of field. We look at three, each focused on satisfying different types of photographers.

Hands On: iPhone and iPod touch remote controls

Christopher Breen — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:09:00 -0700

Christopher Breen takes a look at iPhone and iPod touch remote controls that you can use with your multimedia Mac.

Review: CBS Sports: College for iPhone

Beau Colburn — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:27:00 -0700

With scores and stats for teams ranked in the Top 25, this app offers some value for college football fans (as well as college hoops fans once that season starts). Throw in exclusive CBS video content -- including a live stream of the SEC game of the week -- and you've got a must-have app for fans of college sports.

Review: Toy Bot games for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:38:00 -0700

The Toy Bot Diaries series improves sequel-by-sequel, but Iugo Mobile Entertainment really gets the gameplay right with Spy Bot Chronicles, a spinoff from the physics-based platform game.

Review: Words With Friends for iPhone

Ben Boychuk — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:25:00 -0700

Words With Friends is a two-person crossword challenge that takes advantage of the networking capabilities of the iPhone and iPod touch to help you take on far-flung opponents in a Scrabble-esque word showdown.

Review: AppBox Pro for iPhone

Brian Beam — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:45:00 -0700

This collection of 21 utilities isn't slick, but that doesn't detract from its usefulness. Bundling nearly two dozen apps into one package means you'll get good value out of AppBox Pro, even if you wind up using just a few of its utilities.

Babelshot makes your iPhone's camera a translator

Lex Friedman — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:17:00 -0700

New software uses your iPhone's camera and OCR technology to translate the text you photograph.

Review: FIFA 10 for iPhone

Chris Holt — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:25:00 -0700

This soccer game offers engrossing competition and graphics that far out-pace what we've seen on the iPhone and iPod touch. Now if only Electronic Arts could do something about FIFA 10's wonky artificial intelligence.

iPhone and iPod touch remote controls

Christopher Breen — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:15:00 -0700

Getting up from your couch to “change the channel” on your Mac-based media center is so 1970s. iPhone and iPod touch apps can help you control your media center using your home network.

Review: FanGraphs Baseball for iPhone

Brendan Wilhide — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:51:00 -0700

With a wealth of baseball data available with just a few taps, FanGraphs Baseball is a must-have app for any fans who wants to learn more about the game they love.

Review: HDR Camera for iPhone

Beau Colburn — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:33:00 -0700

This image-editing app uses filters to give photos stored on your iPhone or iPod touch an HDR look. Some may find the effects worthwhile, but it takes some effort to get a pleasing result.

Review: myBatteryLife for iPhone

Ben Boychuk — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:11:00 -0700

This app, which shows how much battery life you have remaining, is a simple tool of somewhat debatable utility.

Review: Medieval for iPhone

Tim Mercer — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:59:00 -0700

The App Store features plenty of castle defense games. Medieval is one of the more stellar offerings.

Review: Zagat to Go '09 for iPhone

Brendan Wilhide — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:30:00 -0700

This mobile restaurant guide is a must-own application for any traveler or anyone interested in finding the top rated eateries around the world. If you're looking for a great out of the way place or the hottest new spot in town, Zagat To Go '09 makes finding that information both easy and enjoyable.

Review: Moonlights for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:55:00 -0700

With challenging levels and spacey visuals, this tower-building puzzle game is a fine addition to the iPhone. The ability to create your own levels and play levels created by other users, though, pushes Moonlights toward greatness.

Review: Paint matching apps for iPhone

Jeffery Battersby — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:50:00 -0700

Both Ben Color Capture from Benjamin Moore and ColorSnap from Sherwin-Williams take similar approaches when it comes to using your iPhone or iPod touch to help pick the right color of paint.

Review: Must Eat Birds for iPhone

Tim Mercer — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:26:00 -0700

This original game offers a good challenge and even some laughs, as you try to keep birds from devouring your delectable desserts.

Review: iBookshelf for iPhone

Ben Boychuk — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:56:00 -0700

This relatively modest database app for keeping track of your books has a few annoyances. But if a simple, easy-to-use library app is what you seek, iBookshelf isn't a bad way to go.

Halloween games for the iPhone

Lex Friedman — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:57:00 -0700

We take a look at a trio of iPhone games with a Halloween twist. Zombie Pizza delivers ghoulish fun, Halloween Chicktionary is an enjoyable word game (though its holiday trappings feel tacked on), and Scarecrow falls short.

Review: Rock Band for iPhone

Chris Holt — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:49:00 -0700

It's not that this iPhone version of the console sensation is a bad game -- it's just disappointing. Instead of pushing the genre forward, Electronic Arts has delivered a game that's not all that different from the many other tapping-interface apps you'll find in the App Store.

Review: Sports Cards for iPhone

Roman Loyola — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:37:00 -0700

This set of 60 sports-themed frames lets you turn give your mobile photos a trading card look. Unfortunately, there are limits on what you can and can't customize.

Earthworm Jim hits iPhone

John Davison — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Earthworm Jim, originally released on the Sega Genesis 15 years ago, has made its iPhone debut courtesy of Gameloft.

Review: Crazy Machines for iPhone

Tim Mercer — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:58:00 -0700

This physics-based puzzle game requires you to build elaborate machines out of all kinds of objects. Crazy Machines offers loads of challenging puzzles that put your problem solving skills and creativity to the test.

EyeTV update arrives in App Store

Philip Michaels — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:17:00 -0700

In addition to some bug fixes and general stability improvements, EyeTV 1.0.1 also removes some stray code that would have let users stream TV over the 3G network. That code caused the app to disappear briefly from the App Store over the weekend.

Review: Birdbrain for iPhone

Beau Colburn — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:09:00 -0700

When it comes to viewing stats on who's following you on the Twitter microblogging service, Birdbrain is in a class by itself.

Review: Toy Story Mania for iPhone

Philip Michaels — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:32:00 -0700

If you've been to Disney's California Adventure or Hollywood Studios theme parks recently, you've doubtlessly seen the Toy Story Midway Mania ride. This game delivers a lot of the carnival-style fun of that attraction to your iPhone or iPod touch.

In-app feature could keep more apps on iPhone

Jacqueline Emigh — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

While Apple's new in-app purchase feature for iPhones is being widely touted as an antipiracy measure, Apple's more overarching motive seems to be that of keeping the iPhone at the development forefront for the coolest new apps for mobile users.

EyeTV app pulled from App Store for ability to stream over 3G

Philip Michaels — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:18:00 -0700

EyeTV featured some test code that enabled users to stream live TV over the cellular network -- a no-no as far as Apple and AT&T are concerned. So the TV streaming app has been removed from the App Store.

Review: Pastie for iPhone

Brian Beam — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:03:00 -0700

This app makes it easy to send short messages from your iPhone or iPod touch by storing canned text for later use in e-mails or SMS messages.

Review: iPhone Halloween apps

Lex Friedman — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:35:00 -0700

Looking to get revved up for October 31? The App Store offers plenty of Halloween-themed apps aimed at appealing to your inner ghost or goblin. But which ones are worth your time? Lex Friedman sorts through half-a-dozen apps to separate the tricks from the treats.

ZenNews adds some weight to RSS news feeds

Philip Michaels — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:54:00 -0700

The newly released iPhone news aggregating app from Zensify not only delivers headlines but analyzes them to highlight the ones that are likely are most importance to users.

Review: Word War for iPhone

Ben Boychuk — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:35:00 -0700

This game lets you flex your command of English as you and an opponent build words, letter-by-letter, until you can't build anymore. And who knows -- the game just might have some educational value too.

Review: TiltShift for iPhone

Beau Colburn — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:56:00 -0700

This image-editing app provides a number of tools to simulate common tilt-shift photography effects on the images you've got stored on your iPhone or iPod touch.

Ace Combat XI coming to iPhone

John Davison — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:13:00 -0700

Namco is using its Facebook fan page to communicate more and more about its upcoming titles these days, with a post this week promoting the upcoming release of Ace Combat XI for the iPhone.

Review: Runner's World Shoe Shop for iPhone

Jeff Merron — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:30:00 -0700

Much of the information found in this free running shoe-shopping app can be found elsewhere. But Runner's World Shoe Shop does a better job at presenting data and providing ways to drill down to the crucial information.

Red Alert has an October surprise for iPhone gamers

Chris Holt — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:46:00 -0700

Electronic Arts plans to bring the Cold War-themed Command and Conquer: Red Alert to the iPhone and iPod touch later this month -- October 23 to be precise.

Review: Inkvaders for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:42:00 -0700

If you're in the mood for a cathartic alien annihilation, you can't really go wrong with this side-scrolling shoot-'em-up from Chillingo.

Review: More iPhone cocktail apps

Ben Boychuk — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:04:00 -0700

In our latest round-up of cocktail recipe apps, Mixologist errs on the side of quantity over quality, while Drinks and Cocktails provides a more reasonable selection (albeit one with a few visual quirks). But Top Shelf Drinks -- a welcome update to the app formerly known as Drinks -- should win a prize for the most refined cocktail application for the iPhone and iPod touch.