I have said it before and I will say it again. What makes a great app is not the amount of features packed in by the developer. On the contrary, people like things they can understand easily. That is why the iPhone itself is so popular. If I open an app and it does not include a “How to Use this App” section, it better be obvious how to use it within 20 seconds or I close the app and most likely delete it from my device.

There are some apps that have the most basic of interfaces, lack any sort of feature set, yet somehow, they manage to stay on top of the charts. The reason this is is not despite the app’s simplicity that it enjoys such popularity, it is as a result of its simplicity. Cyberrunner for iPhone is the perfect example. The object of the game? To run! Yup, that is it. To run and to stay alive. Don’t be fooled though, it is a lot harder than you think, but I am getting ahead of myself here.

When you open the app, you are presented with four options; How to Play, Calibrate (spelled with two Ls in the app, is there another spelling I don’t know about?), Play, and Leaderboards. Let’s start with How to Play. When you select that option, the app says the following:

• “Tilt your device to move left/right”.
• “Tap to Jump”
• “Run as far as you can”

I love it! It could not be simpler than that. Pressing on the screen will bring you back to the previous screen. Pressing on Calibrate will do just that. It opens a screen telling you to hold your device straight then to tap. This of course ensures that your accelerometer knows when the device is straight, which is very important in the game itself. Opening Leaderboards opens a OpenFeint screen, which, I have to be honest, I have never signed up for, but I am sure that will change sometime soon.

Moving along, the actual game is truly addictive, entertaining, and thrilling. When you press Play, you can choose between tracks (although pressing Track 1 did not seem to do anything, so I might be missing something here), levels with easy, intermediate, and hard being your three options. Then, after you select your level, you can press start to begin running.

Here is where the game gets awesome (of course it is, this is where you start actually playing). The track is designed beautifully with amazing 3D graphics and you seriously feel like you are running. Along the way, you have to avoid obstacles such as walls and stay on top of the various tracks that prevent you from falling what seems to be an abyss. Once you fall, the game ends, which is something that I think needs improvement. This kind of game would have benefitted from some cool graphics on the way down to your death. Same goes for crashing into the wall…

The thing is, and I do not mean to sound like a complainer, the game is too hard. I always chose the easy level, and I could not run more than 200 or so meters, while most of the time I got out after like 50 meters. I think they need to make the Easy level a little easier.

In any case, the game is pure awesome, with amazing 3D graphics, fast paced music, and the ability to share your scores on Twitter (although I aint sharing my pathetic scores with anyone). The app is extremely easy to use and understand, which does not take away from its greatness, but rather in my opinion, adds to it. One thing I will say is, if you are afraid of heights, I am not sure this is the game for you.

Our Rating: 4/5

Download Link

Developer: Caweb

Plants vs. Zombies has been in top five app on the app chart with a perfect five star average review for many weeks now. I decided it was time to give in and drop the $2.99 to find out why people think this game is so great. The game is by PopCap, the successful company with popular titles such as Peggle and Bejeweled.

Check out Appboy’s first official video review! Subscribe to the AppboyBlog YouTube channel for more reviews to come.

Download Link

Developer: PopCap

If you’ve ever heard of a little game called Doodle Jump, you’ll more than likely also know that the highly popular 99 cent game was originally developed by two brothers, co-owning iPhone development studio Lima Sky.

A fun and quirky title, Doodle Jump takes on an art style all of its own, similar to that of a child’s drawing. In fact, so unique, that Doodle Jump has since tended to single handedly influence similar games within its genre. The game is pretty simple. You guide “The Doodler” — using, I have to say, some of the most subtle and accurate tilt controls in existence, on a springy journey up, up, up a sheet of graph paper, picking up jet packs, avoiding black holes, and blasting baddies with nose balls, along the way. The aim of the game is to see how long you can survive.

Now, anyone looking down upon the game for the first time and judging it’s replay value, would probably have the first impression of “This is just another one of those throw away 99 cent titles.” – but don’t be fooled. Published this morning the guys at Lima Sky (developers of Doodle Jump) announced the game has surpassed 3 Million sales. Normally this would be a feat in itself, but considering the game saw 1 Million downloads last December, this somehow amplifies this achievement for the indie studio. Launched in March 2009, the game has raked in a whopping $2.97 Million. According to MobileCrunch they reckon that Apple has seen roughly $891,000, and the two brothers themselves? Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re on a small beach somewhere in the Caribbean by now. After Apple’s 30%, Doodle Jump is estimated to have generated $2.08 Million. I make that 1.04 Million, each … and it doesn’t look like its going to stop anytime soon. With the two brothers releasing updates for the game regularly, they just keep shifting even more copies.

What’s interesting to note is that this is just sales data from just one of the more than 30 applications Lima Sky has in its App Store library. Who said iPhone development wasn’t highly profitable? Not me. Seems we all might be in the wrong business, eh?

Checkout this video below of Doodle Jump for iPhone in action!

Putting the name of the app aside (it is supposedly pronounced “Twitter” with a French accent), Touiteur is starting to close the gap between iPhone and Android Twitter apps. I was talking to a friend yesterday about her new Droid and she was telling me how she thought she was able to use iPhone apps on her Android phone. The reason she thought this was because she and her iPhone-owning friends seems to have what looked like the same apps on their phones.

I explained to her that the games she is talking about might be the same type of game, might even be the same developer, but the apps are for different platforms and are therefore not the same app. The important thing I took away from that conversation is that to a normal person (not a geek like me), the Android apps are really starting to catch up in terms of their look and feel to iPhone apps.

Now, let me say, I am using an Android 1.5 device with a relatively weak processor, so to me, the iPhone games still outperform the Android games by a lot. However, one of the most important apps on my iPod Touch if I am judging by the amount of time I spend with it open, is my Twitter app. Not going to get into which one I use because that is not the point. There are at least five Twitter iPhone apps that I can think of, which had no competition on the Android platform, until last month when Touiteur was released.

The interface of Touiteur is slick and streamlined with five icons along the bottom. There is Tweets, Mentions, Messages, Search, and Refresh. Sounds to me a lot like some iPhone apps I know and love. When you press on Tweets, a popup is displayed with a few options. You can tweet something by selecting New Tweet, view your Twitter lists, read the latest trends, and view your favorites. To be honest, it took me a few minutes to find these features and specifically the lists when I first opened the app. Not sure Tweets is the best place for it.

When pressing on a tweet, you can easily reply, view the links in the tweet, retweet, DM the person, view their profile, add it as a favorite, share it via email, or copy the tweet to the clipboard. The entire app works in landscape mode, which makes it a whole lot easier to use. When pressing on the phone’s Settings button, you can jump to the top, refresh the trends and lists, or adjust the app’s settings.

The Settings screen allows you to add multiple accounts, connect the app when the phone restarts, save your last list position, display usernames or full names, choose RT style, and many many more options. Other settings that can be configured are the notifications, the look and feel of the app, the URL shortening method, picture hosting, and the list continues…

The bottom line is, as nice as it is to have so many options with Touiteur, what gets me is the interface. It is much more similar to any iPhone Twitter app than apps like Twidroid or Seesmic (don’t get me wrong, both great apps). Touiteur is, in my opinion, the best Android Twitter app by far, and with a few slight improvements, I would go as far as to say, it can even compete with the best iPhone Twitter apps.

As usual, there is a free version and  a premium one, with the differences being minor, as of now. I would highly recommend Touiteur to any Android user who misses the smooth feeling of tweeting from an iPhone.

Our Rating: 4/5

Download Link

Developer: Level Up Studios

As a blogger who often writes about mobile matters both here and on other sites, I spend a lot of time in the various app stores/worlds/markets etc. I recently started using an N900, which has apps on Nokia’s OVI Store as well. All the above examples besides Apple’s App Store are a complete and utter mess. If we are taking the Android Market as an example, apps are mixed with add ons, widgets, skins, themes, language packs, and a lot of other “junk” that I do not want to see when I am looking for an app.

As you know, the Android Market is barely monitored if at all, which means almost anything can make its way onto Android devices. This of course has its pluses and minuses. On the positive side, developers who have been working on their app for months and sometimes years, are not met with a rejection on the part of Google. On the other hand, the Market is less user friendly and the apps are often not as high quality as in the App Store.

Without getting into the whole debate about open vs. closed, I will say that I can understand Apple’s standpoint on this matter. They have created a superior device/ecosystem that has revolutionized the mobile market, and they do not want consumers ruining the iPhone experience. This materializes in every aspect of the iPhone starting from the app approval process, to the lack of customization features, to the inability to add or modify the hardware of the phone in any way (I am referring of course to the lack of a replaceable battery or memory card slot).

On the other hand, I am of the opinion that Apple has taken it a little too far, and I am pretty sure all you iPhone developers out there know what I am talking about. I did not complain when Apple rejected Google Voice, since after all, enabling Google Voice on the iPhone would fundamentally change the way people use their iPhones. I did not yell and scream when Apple deleted all sexually oriented apps from the App Store, since after all, there are many kids browsing the App Store (although I am not sure why they could not have an age verification mechanism put in place). However, today, I am protesting the rejection of a game-changing app that notifies users of the level of radiation emitted from their phone, in this case, the iPhone (It is important to  note that radiation is not limited to the iPhone, in fact the 3Gs emits significantly less radiation that its primary competitors).

The name of the app is tawkon (as in Talk On) and the name the developers chose is not coincidental. The app is not intended to scare consumers, it is geared to raise awareness of the issue and address it responsibly. The only comparison that comes to mind is that of a car. We all know the dangers of driving, yet we all continue to drive. The reason we do this is because we have a speedometer, along with other tools, that help us drive carefully and responsibly. Apple rejecting tawkon is to me, like Honda rejecting speedometers from their cars.

The idea is, let us consumers make the choice and give us the opportunity to use our phones/cars responsibly. Right now, the issue is well known, radiation exists (at least according to most tests I have read), but it is ignored. Why is it ignored? Because people “need” to use their cellphones and they cannot do anything about the radiation. Well, tawkon lets you know at any given moment how much radiation you are exposed to, and based on that indication, you can enable Bluetooth, distance the phone from your face by using the speaker, or do another one of a collection of actions to minimize your exposure to radiation.

The thing is, Apple rejected tawkon, and that, in my opinion, is wrong on so many levels. It is wrong because Apple, like it or not, is an industry leader, who focuses a lot of energy and money to create “green” products. Apple clearly cares about the environment and does not ignore issues beyond how to make more money. I would expect a company like Apple to lead the way on the issue of phone radiation by not only accepting tawkon into the App Store, but by actively promoting it as well.

On a different note, the developers, who are serious “techies”, have spent a year and a half developing the highly advanced technology to ensure that the measurement of radiation is accurate. I can understand Apple rejecting useless and pointless apps, in fact I even thank them for that, but how does Apple justify the rejection of tawkon without admitting that they simply do not want users to know this crucial information?

In conclusion, I will say that Apple has reversed app rejections in the past, and this would be a classic example of when such a policy should be applied. I hope to review tawkon in the near future after I download it from the App Store. More importantly though, I hope Apple gives us consumers the respect to be exposed to this important information instead of being exposed to something a whole lot less pleasant. I think we can all agree that in today’s day and age, knowledge is a basic privilege that all people should have.

What do you think of Apple’s rejection of tawkon? Please let us know in the comments!

From day one of using Android 1.5 on a Samsung Galaxy, my main complaint was text input. Besides the obvious phone calls, the main ways I use my mobile phone is tweeting, texting, and the occasional Facebooking. If you’ll notice, all three of those have one thing in common; they all require typing. Coming from a BlackBerry Bold, which has in my opinion, the best keyboard on the market, to a Galaxy or better yet, Android 1.5, made it close to impossible for me to type a word without mistakes.

I am not talking about the fact that it has a virtual keyboard, I use an iPod Touch and I type pretty fast and accurately on it, I am referring to the size of the letters, the bundled corrective software, and the typing experience as a whole. I began searching for keyboard replacements, which by the way, would never fly in Apple Land. I loved it that I had options. The first replacement I came across was an app called “Better Keyboard”. It was good and I used it for some time, but I was still not satisfied.

Then I heard about Swype. Swype, as the title states, changed the name of the game. No more pressing one letter, lifting your finger, and typing the second letter. The developers of Swype thought there was a lot of wasted time there, and they were right. With Swype, you simply drag your finger from one letter to the other, and somehow miraculously (not really a miracle), the software knows what you are trying to type. I heard about it, read about it, watched a few YouTube videos, then decided to try it, thinking there is no way it would work as well as advertised.

I was wrong! Swype (Beta) is pure awesome! I type faster using Swype then I do on the iPod for sure, and I did not time myself, but I am inclined to think maybe even faster than on the BlackBerry. What is amazing about Swype is not that it offers an easy keyboard to type on, rather that it shows there is more room for innovation in the mobile market. When T9 came out, it was revolutionary and allowed people without QWERTY keyboards to type fast on their phones. Swype brings it to the next level. If I had a dime for every person that said that the mobile industry has nowhere else to go, that there is no more room for new technologies, I would be a rich man. Swype proves those people wrong. It is a completely new method of typing on your phone, it works well, and improves your speed and accuracy.

There is a slight learning curve when it comes to using Swype, like for example, how to type one letter twice, but once you learn the tricks, you will  be flying through those emails in no time.

As I was writing this review, I came across another company that does something very similar to Swype. It is called SlideIt, and it is pretty much the same concept. I am not sure which app was first to come up with this concept, but does it really matter? The bottom line is, the idea is great, the implementation is near flawless, and as a result, we can type a whole lot faster on our Android devices.

I would definitely recommend any Android users download Swype or SlideIt, decide which one you like better and use it as your default keyboard.

Our Rating: 4/5

Download Link

Developer: Swype

As a person who reviews mobile apps daily, there are very few apps that I download and keep forever. On the iPhone platform, there is endless storage and memory to handle hundreds of apps, but on the BlackBerry Bold or the Android device I use, the application memory is very limited. What this means for me and many other heavy mobile users is that if you are not using the app on a daily basis, you cannot afford to have it to take up your precious application memory, so even if you like an app, chances are you will delete it eventually.

BuzzMe was one of the first apps I installed on my BlackBerry and while many other apps have come and gone, BuzzMe is still hanging around. I originally got the app to solve the issue that the BlackBerry by default vibrates and only then rings. As a result of this weird annoyance, I was missing many calls. BuzzMe allowed me to set exactly how long the phone would vibrate for, and it enabled the phone to vibrate and ring simultaneously.

However, since those days when BuzzMe was in its early years, it has evolved a lot, and I recently installed the 2.5 premium version of BuzzMe. Let me tell you, not only is the app absolutely overflowing with features, it eats less battery than before, and has truly saved me on numerous occasions. Let me explain. Putting aside the whole vibrate and ring thing, the new BuzzMe premium, which costs $4.99 (the most I have ever spent on a mobile app, but totally worth it) comes with a list of features longer than anything I have seen on any other app.

So, what does BuzzMe Premium do? Let’s start with the basics. As mentioned, you can have the phone ring and vibrate at the same time, but you can also change the color of the LED notification light when the phone is ringing as opposed to getting an email or text message. The app includes the option to turn off all notifications when you are on a call, which I have done, since I am not going to be checking emails while talking to someone anyway, so why be bothered?

Another extremely cool feature is the ability to create a personalized color of your choice, which can then be applied to calls, any email account, or a whole list of other add ons, which we will get to a little later. You can create this color by mixing three basic colors or by inputting a HEX color value. The color of the LED can of course be changed for email, calls, and SMS messages as well.

Moving along, not only can you customize the color of the LED, the way the phone rings and vibrates, but you can also define how long you want the actual vibration to be. So, for example, if the phone is on vibrate in your pocket, and you are in a meeting, just by the vibration alone, you can know if it is a call, email, SMS, tweet, Facebook message, IM, and the list goes on and on.

Which brings me to my next and most significant point. The new Premium version has what’s referred to as “Add ons”. These are 3rd party apps for which Buzz Me allows you to customize the way the phone sends you notifications. The add on list consists of the following apps:

• BlackBerry Messenger
• Facebook
• MySpace
• Beejive
• Twitter
• UberTwitter

As I am sure you have gathered, the new BuzzMe Premium has all your needs covered. Just to add one more very useful feature, the paid versions of BuzzMe allow you to automatically start the app when the phone reboots. BuzzMe is the kind of app you need running all the time and I don’t know about you, but I would not remember to enable it every time I turn on my phone, so this is a very practical feature for me.

In conclusion, it has happened to me countless times that I was in a meeting and just by the color of the LED or the vibration type/length, I knew exactly what was going on without having to even look at my phone. The app is a must have, and if you do not trust me on this (you should), go download the free version, try it out, then imagine it ten times more useful and go buy the paid version. It comes in three versions, the free one, the Pro version, and the Premium version. You can read about the differences here. If you do not use all the add ons, the Pro is sufficient, but if like me, you are constantly tweeting, IMing, and Facebooking, then go shell out the $4.99, you will not regret it.

Our Rating: 5/5

Download Link

Developer: BigTinCan

I think we all agree that the internet is one of the top inventions of the last few decades, if not the century. We are all on it constantly, and very few things in our day to day lives cannot be done via the Web. What that means, and this is backed up with proven numbers, is that we are all spending more and more time on the interwebs. We do our shopping, research, education, and now socializing through various websites.

However, a problem arises when you become too dependent on the Web. Every one of the sites that most of us depend on, requires a username and password. This is a good thing. I am sure none of us want random people snooping around our bank or Facebook accounts. However, how does a Web junkie like myself remember all the tens of passwords he uses on a regular basis? Well, one approach is to have a single password for all your logins, but that is not very secure now, is it? Another approach is to depend on your browser to store your passwords so you do not need to type them in every time. Besides that being risky in terms of someone else accessing those sites, what happens when you lose that computer or it dies on you?

Password Caddy offers the perfect solution. You have one central password to access an interface that stores all your other passwords just in case you forget them. Pretty simple concept! The concept might be simplistic, but the interface of Password Caddy is far from boring. The color scheme of the app is a nice black and yellow and as soon as you access the app for the first time, you can be creating caddies within minutes. Caddies are simple storages each with a unique password. Within each caddy, there are numerous categories such as Computer Logins, Website Logins, Financial, Bills, Online Shopping, and Software Keys.

Each one of the app’s built in categories can be changed, but it is not recommended since each has a template to match the nature of the data you are storing. So, for example, the category Website Logins, when selected will give you a screen to name the key. Once you designated a name (perhaps the name of the site), you are given three fields to fill. There is the URL, the username, and the password.

Links from within the app are clickable so if for example, you are storing a Facebook password,  you can open Facebook by clicking the link in Password Caddy. The app also assists you with those sites that ask you for a password according to very strict standards. C’mon we’ve all seen em. Only make a password with two letters, three numbers, and four symbols. Well, Password Caddy will generate unique passwords for you, just in case your creative side isn’t working that day.

Other useful features in Password Caddy is the ability to copy the password to the clipboard to be pasted into the site/form itself. There is also the ability to backup all you caddies on a PC or Mac, just in case you are paranoid of losing your iPhone. As you can see, the developers of Password Caddy pretty much thought of everything when it comes to securing and storing your passwords for easy access. If you are like me, you are probably thinking “I will save the $1.99 and just remember my passwords”. Maybe not the biggest deal when it comes to your Facebook or Twitter accounts, but I wouldn’t recommend that approach when it comes to your online bank account, computer login, or even software key. At one point or another, you are going to need that information and you might just regret not downloading Password Caddy when you had the chance.

Our Rating: 5/5

Download Link

Developer: Trotz Software

The concept of the app is very simple, like most addictive games. You control a rag doll who is swinging by buildings with his rope. You may have seen this sort of thing in Spiderman.

Like the concept, the controls are basic and easy to understand. Just tap on the next building you want your rag doll to swing on, and it will launch a new rope and swing on it to get to the next building, and then you do the same thing again. This game may seem to be a cinch, but I assure you it is not. You have to keep in mind your height, building size, timing, and physics while playing this game. The top left of the screen has a pause button, which is always useful, as well as the time remaining. The top right of the screen shows your distance, which is equivalent to your points in the game.

The objective of the game is to get your rag doll as far as possible. Obviously, the game is over if your rag doll hits the ground and crashes.

Rope’n Fly 2 will always keep you entertained. It features Open Feint for high scores, as well as achievements/challenges that you get bonus points for. The game also boasts eleven different game modes, including the following:

• Free Style (easy)
• Free Style (normal)
• Free Style (hard)
• 30 second run
• 60 second run
• 500 meter time
• 1000 meter time
• 2000 meter time
• 1 rope, 1 jump
• 3 ropes only
• 10 ropes only

Free Style: The objective is to swing as far as you can. Easy means there will be tall buildings, normal means there will be medium sized buildings, and hard refers to small buildings. There is no time limit.

30/60 second run: You are given 30/60 seconds, and are expected to try to swing as far as possible within that time limit.

1 rope, 1 jump: You’re given one rope and are supposed to try to get as far as possible in one swing.

3/10 ropes only: You are given 3/10 ropes and are supposed to try to get as far as possible in 3/10 swings.

With all these game modes, it’s impossible to get bored of Rope’n Fly! Also, this is the second version of their app, obviously meaning it’s a refined version of their hit app. I find it extremely addicting and hard to pull away from once I start playing.

All in all, Rope’n Fly 2 is a great application, considering it’s 99 cents price point. It features Open Feint, a simple interface/concept, and is highly addictive, definitely perfect for any age! It’s worth a look, at only 99 cents. If you are still not convinced of the fact that it is definitely worth the money, you can always try out the lite version to get a feel for it.

Our Rating: 5/5

Download Link

Developer Link: HiB

Facebook has become notorious for many different things. It is by far the most popular social network today. It is also probably the most redesigned site on the entire Web with new Facebook designs launching almost monthly. As a result, it is also the most debated site when it comes to the design. Lastly, I find it to be one of the buggiest sites on the Web especially when it comes to uploading pictures and videos.

iLoader for iPhone is the perfect companion for your iPhone/iPod Touch and it completely changes the experience of uploading content to Facebook from the ground up. The concept of iLoader could not be simpler. It is an upload tool to enable you to quickly and easily share your iPhone pictures and videos with your friends on the go. The thing is, the app is so good, I might start using it when not on the go as well.

So, as I asked the developer yesterday before writing this review, what does iLoader offer that the highly popular Facebook app does not? The answer? A lot! For starters, just like on a computer, you can select as many photos as you want to upload, and in one action, upload them all. With iLoader, you can easily tag the photos, give them captions, as well as create an album or add pictures to an existing one.

Not only can you actually upload pictures easily, but using iLoader, you can notify whoever you want that you have uploaded a new album to Facebook. Well, that is not completely accurate… Unfortunately, the app does not integrate Twitter or email, so you cannot share this news with your followers or friends not on Facebook, but then again, it is a Facebook app.

Once you select your pictures to upload, iLoader retrieves your Facebook albums and asks you if you want to add the picture to an existing one or create a new one. After it uploads the picture and plays a nice and satisfying tune to let you know the upload is complete, the app gives you three options. You can either tell your Facebook friends about these new photos, view the pictures in the Facebook app (why not within iLoader?), or do nothing and close the app.

Other great features included in iLoader is the ability to view your photos in great detail before uploading them. You do that by using the well known multitouch zooming, all from within iLoader. You can also rotate the photo before sending it to Facebook. During the upload process, iLoader displays a status bar telling you exactly how far along you are, which I found to be much more convenient than doing it on Facebook itself.

Moving along, I tested this app on an iPod Touch, so no video (yet), but with the iPhone 3Gs, iLoader gets a whole lot more sophisticated. You can upload videos from your phone straight to Facebook, which is nothing short of a painful experience on the Facebook site. You can add titles and descriptions to your videos prior to upload, as well as perform basic video editing straight from within iLoader. Lastly, you can batch upload videos with this app, which is a feature that does not exist in the Facebook app or even on the site itself.

iLoader does not stop there… It also allows you to perform all your preupload processes while not even connected to the internet, and as soon as a connection is available, you can just flip the upload switch. This is yet another useful feature not available on Facebook itself.

As for the app itself, the interface is basic, which is what it should be, and you can slightly customize the theme and colors of iLoader, which is always a fun addition to apps. Like I said, the app includes awesome and entertaining sound effects when selecting and uploading pictures, yet another reason to use this and not Facebook itself.

In conclusion, this app, like the title states, is a must if you own an iPhone and are on Facebook. This takes the dreadful experience of uploading photos and video to Facebook and transforms it into a fun and easy experience.

Our Rating: 5/5

Download Link

Developer: Ky Vu