News and reviews of iPod-related software for the Mac

Review: iPhone Thanksgiving apps

Philip Michaels — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:25:00 -0800

Stressed about Turkey Day? The App Store has many offerings that aim to help you plan and prepare a meal. We'll help you find the worthwhile apps while staying away from the real turkeys.

Review: Geared for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:19:00 -0800

In spite of some flaws -- it can be hard to position pieces and the game is a little picky about when you're allowed to move things -- Geared is a perfectly fine puzzler that satisfies after its too-easy early stages.

Review: Mini Golf Wacky Worlds for iPhone

Tim Mercer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:25:00 -0800

This fun miniature golf game lives up to its wacky moniker. More important, with five courses and three modes of play to chose from, there's plenty of replay value to be found.

iPhone to drive mobile game adoption

Macworld UK staff — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:23:00 -0800

Apple will drive the game market with the iPhone, according to a survey of 8,000 gamers in North America, Europe and Australia.

Review: Photo geotagging apps for iPhone

Dale Gardner — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:14:00 -0800

Geotagging -- adding data to a photo that reveals the location it was taken -- brings a new dimension to enjoying and sharing photography. Several apps let you start tagging your photos with GPS data. We'll help you find the one that's right for your needs.

iPhone apps run background checks on your date

Brad Reed — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:25:00 -0800

PeopleFinders has created iPhone apps that let users perform background checks on potential dates.

Review: Print Magic for iPhone

Jeff Merron — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:52:00 -0800

This app, which aims to let you print from your iPhone to a printer on your network, has a lot of promise. Unfortunately, the current version commits too many unpredictable errors to be worth your download.

CatPaint iPhone app adds cats to any photo

Lex Friedman — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:45:00 -0800

CatPaint lets you add cats to your photos. For some reason.

Review: 10 Pin Shuffle for iPhone

Tim Mercer — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:08:00 -0800

Gorgeous graphics make this mobile version of the sports bar classic a fun addition to your iPhone or iPod touch.

Copy music off your iPod

Kirk McElhearn — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:19:00 -0800

There's nothing worse than losing your iTunes library to a hard drive crash. If you have music on your iPod, you can at least get it back with the right tools.

Review: NASA app for iPhone

Sue Voelkel — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:04:00 -0800

With this app from the U.S. space agency, you can get info on NASA missions, view images from space, access NASA TV videos, and follow NASA Twitter feeds -- all for free.

Review: WritePad Pro for iPhone

Ben Boychuk — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0800

Apart from some quibbles and a few trade-offs, the feature-rich WritePad Pro is a very fine personal organizational tool.

Call of Duty now on iPhone

John Davison — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:39:00 -0800

Activision has just released the first official iPhone game in the franchise in the shape of Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies.

Review: JunoWallet GiftCards for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:36:00 -0800

This app aims to help you keep track of all those plastic gift cards you accumulate. Unfortunately, it has a way to go before it's a truly useful option.

Review: Archmage Defense for iPhone

Chris Holt — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:36:00 -0800

Archmage Defense is a darkly humorous, clever, addictive, and beautiful tower-defense game that puts you in the shoes of an evil necromancer. An in-app purchase option ratchets up the difficulty and the fun.

Apple reverses decision, approves iPhone political caricature app

Lex Friedman — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:50:00 -0800

Apple has now approved an application that provides contact information for every representative in Congress in addition to bobble-head caricatures of them.

Review: iSing for iPhone

Jeffery Battersby — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:10:00 -0800

A combination of "American Idol" and a karoke bar, the slick iSing lets you compete in a global talent show.

Storm8 says phone-number lawsuit lacks merit

Lex Friedman — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:58:00 -0800

The company claims legacy code meant to identify iPhones mistakenly used phone numbers instead of device codes.

Review: Food IQ for iPhone

Tony Craine — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:36:00 -0800

Not only this app allow you to keep a log of every morsel you eat and a detailed nutritional breakdown of those morsels, it also lets you track your exercise, your weight, your blood glucose level, and even your medications. Recent updates have improved the interface, making it a solid health tracker for the data-obsessed.

Review: Earthworm Jim for the iPhone

Chris Holt — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:41:00 -0800

Gameloft has resurrected this lovable '90s video game character for the iPhone and iPod touch. It's a strong effort that preserves the look-and-feel of the original while adding some iPhone-specific touches.

Review: FlickTunes for iPhone

Ben Boychuk — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:47:00 -0800

This app, which makes use of your handheld's full screen for control music playback, is the ideal music manager for for drivers, joggers and multi-taskers.

Review: Gangstar for iPhone

Tim Mercer — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:44:00 -0800

It may be an imitation of Grand Theft Auto, but Gangstar delivers intuitive controls, sophisticated graphics, and the kind of quality gaming you'd expect from a console, not a mobile app.

Review: The Secret of Monkey Island for iPhone

John Brandon — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:18:00 -0800

Whether you embrace this iPhone version of the classic adventure game depends on how you feel about adventure games in general and Monkey Island in particular. If you love both, this game will feel like discovering pirate treasure. If you're not a fan, you'll find this occasionally dull pirate's life is not for you.

Wallace and Gromit comes to iPhone, iPod touch

Nick Spence — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:05:00 -0800

A range of comics celebrates the 20th anniversary of the first-ever screening of Wallace and Gromit.

Review: Family Guy for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:10:00 -0800

The main video clips in this app for the Fox animated series are funny enough, but the incessant advertising in a paid app will drive you to distraction.

Accessory and app combo bring HD Radio to iPhone

Aayush Arya — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:44:00 -0800

Gigaware’s latest hardware accessory and companion app add HD radio capabilities to the iPhone and iPod touch.

Review: Brain Train Unotan for iPhone

Chris Holt — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:28:00 -0800

This iPhone version of SoftBank Selection's popular brainteasing games entertains your noggin while also attempting to improve your memory and concentration. It's unlikely to stay on your iPhone or iPod touch for long, but while it's there, it's an entertaining enough diversion for quick-play sessions.

Apple rejects app because of politician caricatures

Lex Friedman — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:26:00 -0800

A Mad Magazine artist's app has been rejected for including caricatures of Congressional representatives.

Lawsuit claims iPhone games stole phone numbers

Lex Friedman — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:24:00 -0800

Storm8 is accused of gathering phone numbers from any iPhone where its free games were installed.

Review: WorldVoice Radio for iPhone

James Savage — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:35:00 -0800

There is a lot of potential with this app, which lets you create and upload podcasts to share on the Web. But there are some shortcomings, particularly when it comes to the app's browser-based experience.

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.