FreedomMind Blog

My iPhone Apps 2

I’ve made some changes since the original My iPhone Apps post. Here’s a summary of the apps I’ve added and removed.

Purchased Apps

CubicMan Deluxe ($4.99) - an excellent but simple game in which you roll a box shape to reach a target point without falling over the edge. I like this one because it doesn’t require quick movement. Some of the stages require more logical analysis than others. I first tried the Lite version for free and enjoyed it enough to throw down for the Deluxe version.

Spore Origins ($9.99) - the iPhone version of the full-sized Spore game from Electronic Arts. The graphics in the game are amazing, so much so that just creating the appearance of your creature is fun by itself. The stages of the game are incrementally challenging and I look forward to wasting a lot of time as I evolve.

Trism ($2.99) - a very well-developed spatial game that combines logic, timing, and tilting to create combinations of triangular prisms (trisms). Scores can be shared online with other players. I just recently purchased this and I’ve already spent a good bit of time with it.

Free Apps

Air Sharing ($6.99) - This allows the iPhone to be mounted as an wireless storage device. As nice as this is, I haven’t really used it yet. It may come in handy at some point in the future. It could prove to be more convenient than transferring via email or flash drive. Note that this app now costs $6.99. I’m glad I got it for free!

Audi A4 Driving Challenge - a clever little accelerometer-based driving game from my favorite auto manufacturer. I haven’t played it much, but it’s free, so it’s worth having for the occasional fun.

Constitution for iPhone - a handy replacement for my CATO pocket version of the U.S. Constitution. I can’t wait to settle my first political argument by looking up an issue!

Cube Runner - accelerometer-based movement game. It’s good for a few minutes of distraction. I’ve also used it as a way to demonstrate the accelerometer when showing off the iPhone.

IM+ - an all-in-one instant messenger client, sort of like Adium or Trillian. This works well, but the interface is very basic.

Kaleidoscope - a visual novelty that generates a dynamic kaleidoscopic image based on selected photographs. Its value is limited, but it is cute. The motion is influenced by dragging and the accelerometer.

Meet Bubble -a cute level. I wouldn’t build anything based on its accuracy, but it might be nice for quick judgements.

Nearby - allows you to read and post location-based notes. I’ve looked at this, but haven’t used it productively yet. It might be good once users (including me) begin to post more notes. I’ll hold onto it and see how it develops.

Palringo - an all-in-one instant messenger client, sort of like Adium or Trillian. I’m torn between this and IM+. Currently I use Palringo, but if I had to do it over again, I would have chosen IM+ to avoid having to create a Palringo account.

Pandora Radio - streams custom musical playlists. The playlists are generated by a patented algorithm that selects songs that are similar to the one you begin with. You can have multiple playlists that are like your very own commercial-free radio stations.

Remote Desktop Lite - provides RDP services to desktop PCs. I haven’t used this productively yet, but I can imagine it might come in handy. I’m certain that this would be a must-have for tech support or networking specialists.

SolarQuest Lite - a basic accelerometer-based space game, similar to the old Defender game from the arcades.

TanZen Lite - a puzzle game that I haven’t spent much time in. It involves assembling shapes to complete a target composite. It might be a way to fill time with a logical, spatial challenge.

Toy Bot Diaries Free - a dynamic game that involves combining touching, dragging, and tilting to move a robot over, under, and around obstacles. I think there are other challenges and techniques, but I haven’t gotten far enough to encounter them, partly because the responsiveness is awkward.

Tris - a version of the old favorite Tetris or, as Lexie considers it, my iHeroin. I have spent more time with this game than any other feature of the iPhone, including web browsing, email, and the phone. I need this game to be removed but I won’t be the one to do it.

UniCon - a straightforward unit converter. While I haven’t used it yet, it’s one of those utilities that will certainly come in handy at some point. The interface is simple and clear.

WordPress - an iPhone client for managing WordPress blogs. I just downloaded this and haven’t used it yet. It’s probably easier than using browser-based interface on the iPhone.