Apps of the Week, July 19th, 2010
July 19th, 2010
With all of the excitement last week over Apple’s press conference, we postponed the Apps of the Week post a few days. So without further ado…
In this edition of Apps of the Week, we play the world’s biggest multiplayer game of intergalactic basketball, get “hooked” on a new way to map out where we’ve been, and do the WikiShuffle timewaster on our iPhones.
Magnetic Shaving Derby
Price: $0.99
The graphics in this game are completely absurd, as illustrated above, but are also delightfully retro enough to bring out the kid in you. Remember the toy you could buy at the drugstore, the one that let you use a magnetic pen to “draw” whiskers on Harry to give him a beard? Yeah, that’s not this game. Carefully maneuver your magnet by tilting or touching your iPhone screen to draw the razor in the correct direction to mow down the face’s whiskers. This game is ridiculously fun, but watch out for those tricky pimples.
StarDunk
Price: $0.99
This actual gameplay in StarDunk is so basic that it would be somewhat useless to just provide a screenshot here for you (hence the video trailer above, you’re welcome). The game is a lite basketball game, as you race the clock to shoot hoops with as much accuracy as possible. You get scored based on how well you got the ball in the basket. But the really amazing thing about the game app is the massive multiplayer component that pits you against anyone and everyone playing the game at the same time. When you turn on the online setting, you have two minutes to beat any player online at the moment, and then you see a results page. The more people download this app, the more fun it will be. Hop on, folks.
Firefox Home
Price: FREE
I often find myself rushing out the door to head to work after a morning of web surfing, and I always wish I had kept track of the tabs open in my browser so I could pick up where I left off when I reach the office. Now with Firefox Home, I can easily sync what’s open in Firefox on my laptop to my iPhone, including tabs, bookmarks, and predicting search. The app isn’t a web browser itself, but it’s helpful to use in conjunction with your iPhone browser when you’re on-the-go.
Mole Checker
Price: $2.99
Yes, it may be somewhat of a downer of a topic, but with everyone out getting some major sun exposure this summer at festivals and at the beach, it’s an important thing to keep in mind: skin protection. If you have a somewhat suspicious beauty mark that’s not quite beautiful, use this app to educate yourself on what may be worth getting checked out by a pro. The pictures are rather disgusting, but they may make you think twice about passing on a checkup soon.
Rush
Price: $2.99
Rush fans: It’s now safe to come out. You will not be harmed.
Everyone’s favorite Canadian rockers from the ’70s and ’80s is back with one retro-tastic iPhone app. Along with the usual suspects (features)–tour itineraries, news, Rush radio–the app includes 30 wallpapers and a fun interactive game with a few of the members that includes rare audio clips.
Gizmodo
Price: $0.99
Though I first balked a bit at the $0.99 price tag on this one–EverythingiCafe’s app is FREE–the Gizmodo app really is a great, fully-functioning tech news app to have handy. Not to mention, Gizmodo is just a fun site and a leading source on all-things-tech that you should be keeping up with anyway.
WikiShuffle
Price: $0.99
Everyone’s been caught in that trap that’s known as Wikipedia’s Shuffle function at least once–an hours-long black hole of information that sends you on a trip ’round Wikipedia to learn about everything from dinosaurs to Queen Elizabeth. Since it’s surprisingly not a feature that’s included in the free Wikipedia app, this is a good alternative for when you just want to expand your cranium on the bus ride home but don’t really want to go through the effort of actually searching for anything.
MapHook
Price: FREE
MapHook basically takes the idea of placing pins on a Google Map to a whole new level by adding a social networking component that is actually easy and useful to use. Place a “hook” pin anywhere on a map, then add your own photos, brief comments/tips/journal entry about your visit to this place, then share with your friends, your family, or the world (you choose how public you want the entry to be). You can open MapHook and view other users’s Hooks wherever you are to get tips while traveling or just to see some fun photos.
Docent NYC
Price: FREE
Simplicity is the name of the game for this app, though it could be an out-of-this-world app instead of just a cool one if more components were added. When in New York City, use your GPS in this app to provide you with some cool historical and pop culture facts about specific landmarks in your area. Get notes whenever you’re close to a house a celebrity grew up in or near a location used in a movie in the Big Apple.
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