The Thread Wherein We Discuss iPhone Apps

[Ookii]

Hello sirs and madams, I have iPhone on the brain.  Specifically iPhone Apps, and I realized we did not have a proper place to discuss them.  So here we are - a glorious thread that will one day teem with juicy posts of iPhone AppStore goodness.

 

AppName: WritingPad
Price: Free bitches
Rating: 

I will start with WritingPad, this thing is awesome.  Basically it's an enhanced version of the Notes App that comes with the iPhone that allows you to input yer werds much more fluidly.  It has a onscreen keyboard similar to the regular one, but instead of tapping the letters individually you slide across them.  If I wanted to type 'Monkey' I would just slide from m to o to n and so on until I ended on y.  After you lift up WritingPad types the word in for you, and if there are different words that follow a similar pattern it lists them above the keyboard.  If your word isn't recognize you can add it by tapping it out, so no problem there.

Recommended!

[Oban]

AppName: Clock
Price: Free

Rating: 

Clock is awesome and I think every phone should have this from now on as part of a standard feature set.  I have only used two of the features, World Clock and Alarm, but I am sure that Stopwatch and Timer are equally as innovative.  World Clock allows me to see the time in up to *four* cities at one time with the ability to scroll up and down to see more cities using the innovative multi-touch interface.  Perhaps the most useful added UI element here is the colour of the clock face.  That's right, the clock face will be white if it is "daytime" and black if it is "nighttime" in the chosen city.  Simply amazing.

The other selection, Alarm, can be setup for a single alarm or setup for a repeatable alarm.  The best part of this is that it does away with the now standard "repeat everyday function" and asks you to select which one of the seven days of the week you would like the alarm.  So, for instance, if you wanted to have a daily alarm to wake you up in the morning, you would tap each one of the seven days.  Clearly this is part of Apple's "think different" mantra since it is very easy to select only six days instead of seven.  Hearty laughs can be had all around when you do not wake up on time while traveling due to this design decision. 

[eldaec]

AppName : Telephone
Price : $199 + subscription + per minute usage fees.

Rating:   

Awesome MMOG that allows you to talk to other 'Telephone' players even when they are not in the room.

Each copy of Telephone comes with a free unique 'phone id', it is an eleven digit number, you type in the eleven digit code of the other player you want to speak to,  and 'Telephone' connects you by audio link for reals.

Possible uses include telling Mr Watson to come here, because you need him. The grind is usually manageable, however, the 'Telephone' developers have learned a thing or two from AoC's interesting choices on differences between male/female characters - in 'Telephone' giving your eleven digit code to a female avatar can introduce uncontrollable time sinks, in the form of very long unskippable sequences of trivia and descriptions of what Alice said that Charlie told Erin about Alice - no not that Alice the other Alice, also this mechanic is used to deliver mandatory quest instructions. 'Telephone' is cross-platform, and mark my words, this will challenge WoW for subscription numbers.

[schild]

Oh man, are you telling me that Apple thought friend codes were a good idea? 

[Trippy]

Oh man, are you telling me that Apple thought friend codes were a good idea? 

Yes but fortunately you really only have to enter in the code once and then you can store in on the phone under a more easily remembered identifier.

[Oban]

Yes but fortunately you really only have to enter in the code once and then you can store in on the phone under a more easily remembered identifier.

You forgot about the fully customizable avatars that users can either generate on the device itself or load from a remote database.

[Tale]

random echidna vs iphone video

[Venkman]

Nothing but the games have been really all that great compared to what had been available through jailbreak, and even most of the games haven't been much but ripoffs (or outright) versions of the same games on everything else that has launched. The only standout I've found was a Mahjongg solitaire game that made full use of the iPhone to manipulate the display in full 3D.

[sigil]

I"m surprised no one had mentioned the sad/funny/amazing chronicle of Aurora Feint.  I'll give it a crack if no one else has by tomorrow.

[Venkman]

I've played Bejeweled already. 7 years ago. Definitely worth checking out as a freebie (which Aurora is), but you've likely played it before too.

[sigil]

I like the use of the orientation to  work with different perspectives. You haven't  really played until you start playing it device  held upside down :)

[Ookii]

There is an RSS feed for new apps that Apple has, here are some from the past two days:

Apache Lander
Category: Games
Released: Jul 29, 2008
Price: Free

Description:
Simple, addictive and free chopper fun! Use the accelerometer to land your helicopter safely on the heli-pad before you run out of fuel. Challenge your friends for the High Score! Thank you Apple for your support! www.posimotion.com

Graal Zone
from Recently Added iPhone Applications - Pinch Media
Category: Games
Released: Jul 28, 2008
Price: Free

Description:
Graal Zone is the first massively multiplayer arcade battle game for Iphone/Ipod. Play alone or with a team and enter battlefield joining hundreds of other player for an unique game play experience. Graal Zone is the free to play version of the game and allow you to use numerous futuristic weapons such as laser guns, pistols, grenades to overthrow your enemy. To get more you can buy Graal Zone+ from the Apple Store. With Graal Zone+ you will start with powerful weapons, be able to drive vehicles such as hover bikes and get access to special maps and other specials reserved to + version of the game.


I haven't had a chance to try either yet, if anyone else is bored give 'em a whirl.

[Jeff Kelly]

What really sucks, though is that there are different stores for different countries. So no Popcap-Games for us Euros at the moment.

[eldaec]

Blender

Price : $59.99

Rating: 

[eldaec]

iAmRich

Price: $1000

Rating: 

Software does nothing except costs $1000 and puts an icon on your phone demonstrating that you can afford to spend $1000 on said icon. This excellent applet serves as a moneysink for appltards, once they are all transported to the poor house, internet message boards everywhere will be free of daft threads full of people getting overexcited about the latest hairball Steve Jobs has coughed up. IF YOU HAVE AN IPHONE BUY IT NOW, THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE.

This is not a joke entry.

[Trippy]

Apple took it down. The guy still made $5600 on it, though (sold 8 copies, and Apple took their 30% cut).

[eldaec]

lulz.

[Jeff Kelly]

short form: "I am stupid and out 1000 dollars, please protect me from myself"

[Samwise]

God forbid the store software put up some sort of prompt for purchases above a certain "pocket change" threshold.

[schild]

I'm wondering what the app was.

[Samwise]

I'm guessing it puts up a prompt saying "Wow, really?  Thanks!"

[Krakrok]

Apple took it down. The guy still made $5600 on it, though (sold 8 copies, and Apple took their 30% cut).

The guy is my hero.

[Venkman]

Thus goes the fear that Apple is too heavy handed in their approvals process.

[KallDrexx]

I'm wondering what the app was.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/11/technology/11apple.html

[naum]

Thus goes the fear that Apple is too heavy handed in their approvals process.

The hilarious thing is this "I Am Rich" app, along with of a bunch of other silly ones (a bunch prefixed with "AAA_" or special characters) that really are a waste of bandwidth got easily greenlighted while others were rejected because a tab bar was placed at the top and not the bottom of the UI display… …it seems the "review" process consists more of verifying technical UI adherence than actual application content.

Another application, NetShare got yanked — it is one I was ready to pay for (once I upgrade to 3G) — it lets you tether your 3G net connection to your laptop… …with flat rate data plan, I guess AT&T no want you to have that…

[Ookii]

If ye have an Iphone I declare ye shall download Kitten Jump and post your high score.

[Morfiend]

What RSS read do most of you use? I have been using "Feeds" but it seems to crash every 10 minutes or so, and its driving me crazy.

Also, Mobile Photos is a great app if you are a flickr person.

[Prospero]

Google Reader. It's a web app, but it works quite well for my needs.

[Ookii]

Download Seadragon Mobile!

[trotski]

How has the Lightsaber not been mentioned in this thread yet?

AppName: Lightsaber
Price: Free
Rating:     

Makes lightsaber noise!....and that's about it.

AppName: iBeer!
Price: Free
Rating: 

It makes for a cool party trick when your friends are really wasted.

[naum]

Stanza - cool e-book reader, like Kindle for your iPhone/iPod, has a free desktop app you can use to convert HTML/PDF and sync wireless, does landscape/portrait and you can set to any font (from the possible array on device), text & background color, and it's FREE

Radiolicious - streaming radio on your iPhone. Or for $9.99, RadioShift (I have the desktop app, but have not plunked down for RadioShift.

Google Earth - can install as an iPhone app as well as access via Google Maps

[Oban]

Google Earth - can install as an iPhone app as well as access via Google Maps

Amazing application, just do not ever use it while roaming.

[Ookii]

It's all about fucking SeaDragon.

[Viin]

Necro-somewhat.

I heard that a local IGDA member won the best Mobile Indy Game award or whatever it is, at the GDC. As such, he is having a sale of his game for only $1.

It's called GalCon and you use your spaceships to defeat the enemy by taking over neutral and hostile planets. It's easy and fun. Worth $1 for sure.