claw marks in the frozen peas

iOS Apps to Consider Part Three

I’m skipping more hardcore games from this list, because I think most of you who play those games already know about them. This list is for casual gamers who want something to fiddle with.

Bumpy Road
There are a lot of endless travel games made for the iphone. Most of them are great, but this one is my favorite thanks to its art design, music, and adorable story. If this doesn’t do it for you, then you can also check out Jetpack Joyride, Whale Trail, Wind-Up Knight, or Tiny Wings.

Helsing’s Fire
You play as Dr. Helsing, and you must use his torch and collection of tonics to vanquish the world of Dracula and his evil horde of evil things. This game uses colored light as its puzzle mechanic. The light is dynamic, which means you can use barriers to block the light or mirrors to reflect the light. I have a lot of games for iOS, but this is the first game that I can say that I finished. Helsing’s Fire is quite addicting and fun.

Quarrel Deluxe
This game combines Scrabble with the basic premise of Risk. You dominate your way through a map by spelling words in battle. The length of your word is limited to the number of soldiers you have within any zone. Make sense? Sound fun? Because it is.

Scribblenauts Remix
The original Scribblenauts was made for the Nintendo DS, which tasked you with solving puzzles by thinking of words. The Super Scribblenauts sequel that came later added adjectives to the formula. This iOS version is a combination of the two games, and it’s great for all ages.

Ticket to Ride Pocket / Ticket to Ride
This is the iOS adaptation of the Ticket to Ride board game. The Pocket edition for iphone is limited to use the United States map, but includes single play, pass and play, and local wireless play modes. The ipad version includes all of the expansion packs in addition to the various play modes.

Where’s My Water
This is a surprisingly good game published by Disney. Each level is a puzzle where you’re trying to figure out how to get the water to Swampy, the sewer alligator who just wants to take a nice bath.

part one / part two

iOS Apps to Consider Part Two

Camera+
I prefer to use the basic camera app, but if you need to do on the fly exposure and focus, then this is the app for you. The app also comes with all of the photo manipulation tools you expect like crop, adjust, white balance, color filters, and framing.

Diptic
I wish I had reason to use this app more than I do. Diptic helps you make diptychs, triptychs, and whatever comes after 3-photo collages. The app comes with different adjustable layouts, and you can export to your favorite social app.

Filterstorm
Filterstorm might be the closest thing there is to having Photoshop on your phone. Go check out the app description and you can see that it’s quite robust with features. If you need more than simple cropping and color manipulation, then this is the app for you.

Instagram
I didn’t want to include this on the list, but here it is. I prefer the social aspect of this app more than anything else. Although, the color manipulation has gotten better with the last update. Pro tip: If you’re using this app, be sure to go into the System Settings and turn on the ability to save an original copy of the photo.

Snapseed
If Filterstorm isn’t your type of photo editing app, then you should check out Snapseed. This app includes all of the crop, rotate, and framing tools that you expect. It also includes photo manipulation tools with intuitive swipe gestures.

part one / part three

iOS Apps to Consider Part One

Did you get a new iphone, ipad, or ipod touch for Christmas? Here are some apps I think you should consider:

Dropbox
This service provides 2gb of free cloud storage, and up to 10gb through referrals. This app simply gives you the ability to access your files on the go, and you can even upload to your account too. I like to use my Dropbox to keep a secure copy of my resume, various photos, and other documents.

Evernote
The best way to maximize this app is to also download the free desktop app. You can use this to keep track of shopping lists, thoughts, quotes, bookmarks, and recipes.

Flipboard
This is a great magazine-style news reader. You can subscribe to your favorite social sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and even Instagram. There are other curated channels, like food, fashion, or news, that you can add to your feed.

Instapaper
Did you come across a web article that you’d like to read later? Use Instapaper to save the page to your account, and you can either read it later using the web client, or you can use this app to read it on the go.

1Password for iphone / 1Password Pro
The only other paid app on my list, this is great for keeping track of passwords, account information, and just about any bit of data that you would prefer to keep secure. Basic rule of passwords: If you can remember your password, then you’re doing it wrong. The best way to use this app is to also have the desktop client, which can generate random passwords based on your criteria. Oh, and you can sync your database with your Dropbox. Synergy!

ShopSavvy
Use this app to scan a barcode with your iDevice’s camera and it will show you the lowest price, both locally and online. And in some cases, you can even order the item through the app.

Waze GPS & Traffic
This is a great free app that is uses crowd sourced (this means you) data to help guide you on your travels.

Yelp
I’ve tried nearly all of the discovery apps on the iphone, and I always find myself coming back to Yelp. It’s not a perfect app, but it’s the best at helping you find restaurants and other places.

part two / part three