App Reviews
Multifl0w for iPhone 4 (or 3GS…)
Aug 26th
Oh how iPhone users are just loving multi-tasking. Even though it was possible in iOS 3.1.3 with Cydia hack “Backgrounder”, the new native environment for multi-tasking is so clean. But now there is an even fancier method for multi tasking, and it is called Multifl0w.
Multifl0w is an Expose-like backgrounding interface for iOS 4 and iPhone 4 (also works with iPhone 3GS and iPad). Multifl0w allows for a graphical display of open applications down to the last screenshot of that app loaded onscreen. This brings the true Expose feel one might be accustomed to on a Mac straight to their iDevice on the go.
You can find Multifl0w in the Cydia store for $4.99. Let us know what you think!
[video via adampollack]
NHL 2K11 A Must Have For iPhone Users
Aug 25th
Hockey lovers who have been waiting for a solid, affordable NHL game for the iPhone can finally rejoice. NHL 2K11 is an incredibly entertaining game of hockey with enough bells and whistles to keep you playing all throughout the season. Perhaps the best part about it is the price – only $1.99 right now in the App Store. There is also a free “Lite” version, however it only allows you to play for 1 period, as either the Chicago Blackhawks or the Philadelphia Flyers.
The full version provides you with a surprisingly vast experience. You are able to play a Quick Game – jumping straight into an exhibition match as any of the 30 NHL teams with fairly updated rosters. You can also choose Shootout Mode, which is fairly straight forward. Free Skate mode, which is essentially a practice allowing your 5 players to skate around and try to score without any defensive opposition aside from the goalie. Lastly, there is Season mode, which is almost shockingly extensive. As you guide a team through the journey towards the Stanley Cup, you can adjust lines, change strategies and even trade players. There is a trade deadline and salary cap as well to give this the feel of a full console title.
Of course you can toggle almost any setting as you would in a normal game from penalties and offsides, to period length and difficulty. The menus flow naturally and the loading time is surprisingly quick. It definitely has the feel of a console hockey game from roughly 2-3 years ago which is certainly impressive for a mobile device.
To go along with the positives, there are some negatives. The graphics aren’t the smoothest to be seen on the iPhone, and the game has not yet been optimized for the retina display of the iPhone 4. The ice surface looks fantastic, but the players feel a little blocky and the crowd is very flat.
The controls are simple to pick up, with players being controlled by an on-screen joystick on the left side, with passing, shooting and speed boost in the right. After a couple of games it starts to feel “normal” like a console controller, however passing can be a bit tricky at times.
NHL 2K11 does work with multitasking, however there is no auto-pause when switching out of the app, so make sure to pause the game manually otherwise you may return to see the game completed. The game description boldly states that this is not compatible with 1st Gen iPhones, iPhone 3G’s, or original iPod Touch. So unfortunately if you don’t have an iPhone 3GS, 4, or a newer model iPod Touch you will not be able to play this game.
For the $1.99 price tag, NHL2K11 is literally worth every penny. All the teams, all the players, and a bevy of options will surely keep players on the ice as the NHL season rolls around.
Do You Tumbl?
Aug 17th
In the year 2010, if you don’t have a blog and a Twitter account, you are rapidly falling behind the times. One of the more recent, popular, blogging websites has been “Tumblr” which is what some have dubbed “The ADD of blog sites.”
In all honesty this is a fair description. Users tend to post much shorter blogs with a variety of different media. I have recently made the switch from standard blogging to “Tumbling” and I have enjoyed it quite a bit. One of the bigger positives for me was the ease in which you can post from your iPhone. The official Tumblr app is available in the App Store free of charge, and has all the options you would typically find on the website.
The Dashboard is also viewable, which means all of the other Tumblr blogs you follow are available in mobile view without having to launch Safari. The posts all load quickly and easily, and have the option to send a message to your Twitter account as well.
Most blogging apps on the iPhone are very minimalistic in design and leave much to be desired. Perhaps it is the initial simplicity of Tumblr that allows the app to be so well-rounded, but either way it is a great way to blog while you’re on the go.
Good Video Browser for BlackBerry
Aug 16th
If you’re the type of person who likes to record videos on your BlackBerry, you’re probably annoyed that the native video browser does not support thumbnail view. This has been fixed on the BlackBerry 6 OS, but most current BlackBerry devices will not be getting BlackBerry 6. It’s very annoying to have to open and view each video in order to find out what it is, unless you name each video as you record it but who actually does that? I was really turned off to the whole video thing on my BlackBerry until I came across ‘Good Video Browser’ by Almoko…
Good Video Browser for BlackBerry is exactly what it says it is. The app will retrieve your videos from your video folder, and also gives you the option to scan all folders for other videos that may be on your device. You can view thumbnails in a grid or list view with additional details. You also have the option to rename, delete, record and send videos directly from the app. Good Video Browser is what the native BlackBerry videos browser should have been.
Good Video Browser is available for the following devices:
8900 (Curve), 8910 (Curve), 8930 (Curve), 9000 (Bold), 9500 (Storm), 9530/9530T (Storm), 9550/9520 (Storm2), 9630 (Tour), 9650 (Bold), 9700 (Bold), 9800 (Torch)
Good Video Browser is currently on sale at Mobihand for $2.99, but I’m not sure how long that will last!
You can also pick it up here in App World but it’s listed at the regular price of $4.99.
Jailbreak App Review: MyWi Tethering App for iPhone
Jul 29th
Dashboard Image for MyWi
Need a Wifi Hotspot? Look no further, MyWi is here! Don’t you hate when you’re out for coffee and you want to get some work done, but the coffee shop you’re at doesn’t have a WiFi hotspot? You could try tethering, but it drains your notebook battery too quickly and who wants to deal with constant freezing and crashing.
If you’ve got a jailbroken iPhone and 3G signal, you can create your own Wifi Hotspot with MyWi.
For $9.99 multiple devices can connect to your MyWi signal including notebooks, iPads and other mobile devices at the same time. Want to make it a secure connection? Not to worry MyWi offers 40 & 104 bit WEP Security so you don’t have some dillhole using up all your data. An additional awesome feature is the blue up/down bandwidth usage bar that is located at the top of your screen.
PROS:
-MyWi is simple to use and doesn’t crash & freeze.
- Support is available for iPhone 2G/3G/3Gs running 3.1 and newer.
-10 day free trial is available if you just want to give it a test drive before you purchase.
-Blue status bar shows you the amount of bandwidth you’ve used.
-Create a WiFi Hotspot virtually anywhere
-Worth the $9.99 for this product.
CONS:
-The purchase process can be confusing if you’re not paying attention.
-Keep a wall or car charger handy for your iPhone. Battery life does suffer when using this app for long periods.
-If you don’t have a 5 or 6gig data plan then I wouldn’t suggest this app.
If I were to give MyWi a mark … I think it would be 4 out of 5. The pros way out weigh the cons on this app.
Review: iMovie-like Editing on a 3GS, Believe It!
Jun 28th
I’m not sure how I found ReelDirector or how much I paid for it at the time. With the release of iMovie for iPhone, which is only usable on iPhone 4, my memory was fired and I dropped ReelDirector on my phone (it had never been used prior). I immediately hit the application to see what it was capable of. My findings were surprising. While it lacks Apple polish, it’s certainly capable and the final versions of edited videos have more bang than anything that could be put together on other phones available (OK OK!, that was a cheap shot! I don’t mean it!). I even compiled a test video and compared it to the desktop iMovie.
Read the full review and see my comparison video…
Apple’s iMovie for iPhone
This application is a bit specialized. I have no frame of reference if mobile is kept in mind, except iMovie for iPhone 4, which I have not used. So, my comparisons will be drawn to desktop editing conventions and practices. ReelDirector’s draws a lot of inspiration from the desktop version of iMovie. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The latest version of desktop iMovie bases everything around clips, rather than a timeline. Individual functions on that clip are processed individually (go figure). These kinds of concepts work well on mobile, where screen size is limited.
iMovie and ReelDirector – cut from the same cloth
The application is not inherently simple to use. It does come with a sample video edit, preloaded with lots of useful information – take the time to watch it. I found myself getting the hang of it fairly quickly after messing around with it. Basically, the process works as follows:
- Create project – Here, predefined settings can be set for font, style, transitions, etc. If you’re doing a simple video, make changes here and they won’t have to be individually applied to each clip.
- Import photos or video – There’s a rapid fire mode for photos. Video must be compressed first.
- Hold on a clip and drag it around to re-order - à la iMovie.
- Apply text, transitions, or trim clips – Selecting a clip will bring up a pane that will give you individual control over clip behavior. Want to cross dissolve to start and fade to black at the end? Change clip volume? Want white text at the top? Make those changes now.
- Add music or recorded sounds – More on adding music in a bit.
- Finish everything by tapping “Render ” – This compiles your creation.
- Save to camera roll – For publishing and sharing.
The application doesn’t necessarily force you to do it this way, but jumping around, especially with a lot of clips, would be time consuming.
You’ve got options
I made a sample video with various plants in my Minneapolis neighborhood. I tried to specifically use combinations of photos, video and audio to really see how flexible the application was. The 1:20 video took me about 10-20 minutes (as a novice to the application) to put everything together and an additional 10 minutes to render. Rendering will pause if the application is closed, I expect background rendering to be added soon. I also made virtually the same compilation in iMovie (with no advanced effects like, stabilization). This took me about 6 minutes import and combine and an additional 3 minutes to render.
Sideloading music
I’d feel guilty if I didn’t disclose that I kinda cheated. Music, it can’t be loaded from the iPod application, it must be sideloaded. This can be accomplished by using the iTunes file sync (which is fabulous!) or using a companion application over wifi. The question is: if one is not aware that they will be putting a video together, then must wait to get home to add music, then why not edit it on the computer? I guess it’s possible that one could preload a bunch of movie ready songs with the anticipation that they might be used someday, but that’s pretty impractical. Still, music may not be necessary for every movie, but it’s worth mentioning.
Multiple project support + project options
We’re having some issues on our end getting embedded videos to display correctly. To see the completed project, you’ll have to click below:
It’s pretty obvious that the ReelDirector version butchers the sound (use headphones!). It’s crunchier than tap dancers on Chex Mix. Further, transitions and Ken Burns effects on still images are marred by grainy pixelation. These two factors on quality instantly kill any real application and demote it to “make quick videos to share with friends” status. I personally can’t tell if the actual video quality is any worse, but I wouldn’t be too surprised. Who would expect a wimpy iPhone app to beat a desktop video editor, though? Me. The quality should at least be similar. My iPhone already does everything, this shouldn’t be excused.
It’s poignant to note that making movies with ReelDirector is FUN. I had a blast creating something special on my phone, ready to share. There’s an sense of accomplishment when the project is finished. That being said, I would definitely not want to edit anything over 5 minutes. The tedium would be overwhelming, not to mention the rendering time. I actually have no recommendation, 3GS owners will have to take what I said and make their own decisions. For those that want their phones to literally do everything without upgrading to the latest version, check out ReelDirector. I believe the price was reduced to $3.99 from $6.99 to compete with iMovie for iPhone. That’s not a bad price at all for iPhone 3GS holdouts.
This application was paid for by GuruClark using ReelDirector version 3.0.1.
BlackBerry App Review: crunchSMS
Jun 11th
While many claim that the BlackBerry is the best messaging device on the market there is still something to be desired, especially on older, non OS 5.0 devices. SMS is decent on the BlackBerry and has been vastly improved in OS 5.0 with the inclusion of threaded messaging and conversation view which better matches the format that is commonly adopted by current devices. Still, those users without OS 5.0 have room to complain with their dated native SMS client. This is where the application crunchSMS steps in, bringing threaded messaging to OS 4.5 devices and up.
Setting up crunchSMS is really simple and completely replaces the native SMS application without causing duplicate notifications between the two applications. Just install crunchSMS on your BlackBerry and then go to options > security options > firewall > then check the SMS box and save your settings. This will block SMS messages from going into the SMS & MMS application but crunchSMS will still pick them up and handle them. From there just move crunchSMS’s icon to your home screen or a convenience key (if that’s what you fancy) and treat it like you would your normal SMS inbox.
Even though I currently have OS 5.0 on my Tour I am now using crunchSMS because it alleviates the problem with CDMA devices being limited to 160 characters per SMS message. I can type forever and crunchSMS will split it up so it can still send over the CDMA network eliminating the need for me to break them up manually.
There are some nice customization options built into crunchSMS too, like tweaking incoming/outgoing chat bubbles, chat background color, and font color. Users also have the option to add a signature just like the default SMS client. The most uplifting thing about crunchSMS for me is how often they update the application and the nice features and fixes they bring in each update. To see what I mean you check out the crunchSMS change log page here.
CrunchSMS is free, but after seven days of using the application a small banner ad will appear at the bottom of application. If you want to eliminate this banner you can fork up $4. The people at crunchSMS have some great features lined up for future builds including things like contact pictures, templates, groups, quick reply, MMS, and more so it was easy for me to pay the four dollars to help support future development.
You can get crunchSMS from App World or directly from their website. Give it a shot, you won’t be disappointed.
App Review: WhatsApp for iPhone!
Jun 11th
I love BlackBerry Messenger. I use it all day to talk to family and friends. But not all my friends have a BlackBerry. Just not talking to those people seems simple (and logical) enough, but I can’t do that, so what do I do?
Enter WhatsApp, the most potentially useful, cross-platform, communication app I’ve seen yet (not counting native messaging apps). WhatsApp looks like an early BBM build (see picture at bottom) and is flat-out QUICK.
The app sends SMS messages via your data plan. Setting up the app involves linking the app to your phone number and then using the app to communicate with your buddies. You can set your “Status” with one of the preset options, or create your own. It also imports/opens/makes available your native Contacts app, so there’s no strange-Google-Voice method to getting to them.
There is one downside, however: both people have to have the app in order to use it. Although the app is $2.99 in App World and $0.99 in iTunes (no Android love yet) I only know two other people who have this app, and I really only talk to one of them (also the person who helped me test this app). Luckily, he carries his BB every day, so this app still isn’t that useful to me. If more people had it, I’m sure I’d use it. It’s not that hard on battery (really saying something on a 9550) and doesn’t leak memory either.
All in all, it’s a great idea, just not popular enough to make it an everyday app.
<
App Review: Forward Reply & Edit for BlackBerry
Jun 10th
For some reason the BlackBerry OS still does not give you the freedom to edit original information when forwarding or replying from the native email application. Forward Reply & Edit makes these options available to you. Once installed and activated, you can just simply click the menu key when highlighting an email or from within the message, and select ‘Forward & Edit’ or ‘Reply & Edit’. It’s that simple. The app is free, but in order to activate it you will need to select a friend to recommend it to. Just another handy little app I use from day-to-day.
You can download Forward Reply & Edit OTA here or in App World
Mobimouse: Turn Your BlackBerry Into A Wireless Mouse & Keyboard
Jun 8th
Do you have a large computer monitor that you’d like to be able to control from a bit of a distance? Is your PC perhaps connected to your TV? Both of those questions are true in my case, which is why I’ve been using Mobimouse for about 2 years now. Mobimouse is an app that turns your BlackBerry into a wireless mouse and keyboard. I absolutely love laying in bed and controlling my PC from my BlackBerry. Sitting on my couch and controlling my PC while viewing it on my TV from afar, is wonderful as well. There are a few apps for BlackBerry that serve this purpose, but none of them can hold a candle to Mobimouse.
Mobimouse gives you the option to connect to your PC via WiFi, Bluetooth or USB. I always use the WiFi option, being that BlackBerry has some Bluetooth connectivity issues with some Windows platforms. The cursor movement is extremely smooth with trackpad and touchscreen BlackBerrys. Trackball BlackBerrys work great as well, but I find the texture of the BlackBerry trackball to cause the cursor to be slightly jittery. It’s not a problem with the app, as I find replacing the OEM trackball with a smoother rolling aftermarket trackball will alleviate this minor issue. When using Mobimouse, holding the alt key on your BlackBerry will give you scroll wheel capabilities and there is an option to control the cursor speed as well!
Not only can you control your cursor and type with your keyboard with Mobimouse, but you also have the option to customize your other BlackBerry buttons as shortcut keys to execute many Windows commands. You can customize your Send, Back, End, Mute and Volume buttons as well as your left and right Convenience Keys. If your BlackBerry has Rewind and Fast Forward buttons, (85xx for example) you can customize them as well. You can set the shortcut keys to execute Right Click, Tab, Page Up/Down, Volume Up/Down, some Alt & Ctrl Commands, and so much more.
I won’t bore you with the rest of the details. Instead go to http://www.mobimouse.mobi/ and download the Mobimouse 7 day free trial. Don’t forget, you need to download the app on your BlackBerry as well as your PC. Mobimouse works on all Windows platforms including 32bit & 64bit versions of Windows Vista & Windows 7. Have fun!
Interact With Us