The Free App Store Review VI: Saturday, July 26th, 2008

by Eric March on July 25, 2008 at 11:32 pm

Well, it’s been two weeks since the introduction of the App Store, and things have showed no signs of slowing down. Releases have remained pretty much the same sort of mixed bag of good and bad, but most importantly, the rate of free apps being released hasn’t slowed down appreciably if at all. This edition’s batch is no different, and as seems to be the case between each edition there always seems to be at least one or two freebies that end up being keepers.

Let’s have a look, then. And please pay attention, there will be a quiz later.

App name: YouNote
Developer: Sophiacom
Category: Productivity
Hey, this thing ain’t half bad. In fact, I’d venture to say it’s pretty damn good! YouNote is a note taking app — but before you crack that yawn, read up. YouNote is designed to allow you to take notes 6 different ways: AudioNote lets you take voice notes; PicNote lets you snap photos with the camera; DrawNote lets you draw notes with your fingers (maps, diagrams, etc.); WebNote lets you capture a web page and store it as a note; and TextNote, of course, lets you type your note out. There’s also MultiNote, which lets you combine these different methods into one. What’s more is that you add arbitrary search and sort criteria to your notes — tags, colour coding, geolocation, or whatever, which will make finding your notes much easier. Note that this is, after a fashion, something in the manner of a demo. It is fully functional, but this first version is the only version that will be free; subsequent versions will be released as pay apps, so grab it while you can!

App name: Sudoku (Free)
Developer: Mighty Mighty Good Games
Category: Games
Yeah, Sudoku has pretty much jumped the shark by now, but that doesn’t mean people have stopped playing it. Just that it has gone beyond its initial shiny new fad craze and into the realm of just another puzzle game. In the spirit of this newfound mediocrity, here’s just another Sudoku app. Or rather, a scaled down quasi-demo of the paid version of this Sudoku app. This one features mulitple colour schemes, puzzle types (symmetrical, asymmetrical, patterned), four skill levels, hints, high score table (best times), and state saving so you can quit and return to your previous game later. Curiously, not even the full version — which features more colour schemes and over 200 puzzles — doesn’t use the usual mathematical formula to dynamically generate puzzles, instead opting to make each of the boards hand-crafted. I suppose that adds an interesting personal touch, but it does ultimately limit potential gameplay. Not that I care. I hate Sudoku.

App name: PointsCalc
Developer: Ization Technologies, LLC
Category: Health & Fitness
PointsCalc is a local app that allows you to enter the nutritional info on packaged foods you find at the supermarket (calories per serving, grams of fat and fiber) and will then estimate their point values. (I am assuming here that this is referring to the Weight Watchers nutrtitional point system) If you’re on a Weight Watchers (or similar) diet and can’t access the web from within your supermarket to check point values — or don’t want to — then this app should come in handy for you.

App name: City Guide
Developer: Washingtonpost.com
Category: Lifestyle
Here’s another geo-targeted app. You Americans in the D.C. area (including MD and VA) should find this useful: City Guide is your one stop guide to the latest information on over 2,000 restaurants, bars and clubs around the region. Read up on editorials and reviews from Washington Post’s gustatory experts, see what establishments are in your immediate area wherever you are, get maps and directions to establishments, search by the name of the place, the type of cuisine you’re jonesing for, the neighbourhood you’re in, or let the Post’s editor offer his picks, bookmark favourites — even quick dial the joint you’re heading to and make reservations. Not a bad little app for those of you living in and around the nation’s capitol — or those heading there in the near future.

App name: Barcode
Developer: Stefan Hafeneger
Category: Utilities
I was wondering if and when we were going to see one of these. I’ve already seen apps like this for Android, but not for the iPhone — until now. Barcode is, at least at the moment, a very simple reader and encoder of DataMatrix two-dimensional bar codes. No other bar codes are supported at this time, though the author does have plans to add more as time goes on. Nevertheless this is a good start.

App name: Remote Remote GH
Developer: Generally Helpful Software
Category: Entertainment
Remote Remote GH is a remote remote for the open open source MythTV media media center center center. Remote. Yeah. Anyway, MythTV is basically a homebrew PVR application for Linux or Mac that can view live TV or record programs and catalog them like any good PVR should. Remote Remote GH can control control … uh, sorry … can control MythTV via the Network Control Interface. Play LiveTV, rifle through your catalog of recorded programs, play DVDs, fast forward and rewind, the usual stuff. There are context-specific remotes for playing DVDs or PVR material. If you’ve got a MythTV box or were thinking of building one, then you will probably find this app generally helpful. Not really helpful — I mean, it’s not going to make you popcorn or get your beer. It’s more like that mediocre employee who does his job and never really stands out so no one really remembers him. Maybe that’s why it’s named twice.

App name: WhosHere
Developer: myRete
Category: Social Networking
Another location-aware social networking app, though this one seems targeted more at casual dating or something. The idea here is that you create a profile with your vitals and particulars, likes and dislikes, and what age and gender you’re looking for, and WhosHere will search for someone in your area matching your interests, gender and age range who may or may not really end up being a balding 52-year-old with eczema and a creepy leer.

App name: Units Converter
Developer: Yuchao Zhou
Category: Utilities
Yes, it’s a unit converter — but it’s plural, just to remind you that it will, in fact, convert more than one unit. It’s got the usual assortment of units available — temperature, weights, measures, et cetera. Basic interface utilizing OS widgets for unit selection and such. That’s about it, really.

App name: ABA Journal
Developer: ABA Journal
Category: News
Here’s one for all you legal beagles out there: The ABA Journal is the United States’ premiere legal news magazine covering news, people and finances of the legal profession. Now you can read the ABA Journal from the comfort of your own iPhone or iPod Touch with the ABA Journal news app. Catch breaking news or read the mag section by section. The presentation here is pretty staid, but that doesn’t diminish its content.

App name: Bubble Wrap
Developer: Orsome
Category: Entertianment
Admit it. You love bubble wrap. Everybody loves bubble wrap. Even Weird Al loves bubble wrap. So how ’bout some virtual bubble wrap? This one does kinda try and pass itself off as a game, featuring a time limit and “trick” bubbles — but that doesn’t matter, because it’s still bubble wrap. Everybody loves bubble wrap. Pop pop!

App name: iGuide
Developer: Craig Perera
Category: Lifestyle
The opening line of the description says, “iGuide provides daily Oracle guidance helping you to get more in touch with your spirit guides and true path.” My spiritual guide is C’thulu. He keeps trying to guide me into his betentacled maw. I do not want his guidance. Nevertheless, iGuide is evidently based on the 22 major arcana cards in the standard tarot deck. It gives you images of the cards and descriptions of each one, and can keep track of your draw history for the past 15, 30 or 60 days. Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn!

App name: Fonts
Developer: AppEngines
Category: Utilities
Fonts displays a list of all of the fonts installed on your device. It lists the font families, and allows you to view the family to see all of its members (normal, bold, italic, etc). No, it won’t change your system fonts, nor will it let you install new ones. It’s strictly a viewer, so, kind of limited appeal here, but it’s free, and great if you want to see all of the available fonts in detail.

App name: Editer
Developer: RubyRazzi
Category: Photography
Yeah, that’s right. Editer. With two Es and no O. Because it’s that badass. You got a problem with that? Huh? Because Editer will kick your ass! Well, it’ll draw a mustache, goatee and a chef’s hat on your face, then stick a bit fat stogie in your mouth, anyway, because the screenshots — all four of them, one of which is duplicated — all show people with a drawn mustache, goatee, cigar, and chef’s hat. Because that’s what this app does. It takes your pictures and lets you put a fake mustache, goatee and chef’s hat on people. So, I guess if you want to make everyone look like a younger Paul Prudhomme then, y’know… go nuts. Also, this is the first version, which is version 4.8, because 1.0 is for nerds. The author helpfully points out that 5.0 will be coming soon which will allow you to save your mustachioed masterpieces and add more props, like maybe big red kissy lips or a fat L you can put on people’s foreheads or a written apology.

App name: CellSpin
Developer: CellSpin Soft, Inc.
Category: Social Networking
CellSpin is a multipurpose blogging app that lets you post voice notes, pictures, and/or text to a variety of social networking sites, blogs and photo sites, including MySpace, Facebook, Flickr, Google Blogger, WordPress, LiveJournal, Live Spaces, Typepad, Twitter, Pownce, CellSpin’s own community blog, and … eBay? Well, yes, apparently, eBay. I’m not sure how that works. Nevertheless, record voice notes, interviews, podcasts or whathaveyou, snap photos, or write text and post them wherever your corner of the blogosphere happens to be. It seems interesting for you social butterflies, even though it can’t seem to decide what it wants to be, but there you are. And it’s free.

App name: iChoose
Developer: Talee Talee
Category: Entertainment
Your virtual random decision maker. Pick random yes/no decisions, flip a coin, roll a die, or flip a card and let the fates decide. Yeah, that’s pretty much it — but at least it presents itself nicely, so points for that.

And so we come to the end of another broadcast day. Now go to bed. It’s late.