@app-review Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Daily iPhone App: This Could Hurt dodges danger with ease

by Mike Schramm (May 14th, 2012)

I first saw Chillingo's latest title, This Could Hurt, at GDC earlier this year, and back then I didn't really get into it. It's a one-button title that I thought looked a little too simple. But after giving it a longer try post-release, there's actually a lot of surprising depth here. Yes, ...

AutoDesk provides impressive 3D captures on an iPad with a free app

by Mel Martin (May 14th, 2012)

I'm always looking for impressive free apps to show what the iPad can accomplish, and I've done that this week with 123D Catch from AutoDesk. This iPad app (iPad 2 and new iPad only) allows you to use the iPad camera to photograph any object from a number of angles and elevations. Then the app ...

Daily iPhone App: Swordigo hacks and slashes in 2D

by Mike Schramm (May 11th, 2012)

Swordigo is a really impressive venture on iOS. It's a 2D-action platformer with a lot of nice RPG elements. In other words, it's a 2D Legend of Zelda title, and it lives up to that comparison quite well. There are a few weak points. The graphics aren't exactly impressive though they do get ...

Daily iPhone App: Off the Leash provides chaotic canine fun

by Mike Schramm (May 10th, 2012)

Off the Leash is a game that arrived a little while ago on the iPhone, but it's gotten a few updates since I first played it, and it just so happens to be free on May 10. It's an endless runner, but instead of a side-scroller, it runs from the top down, and it's got a few new elements to this ...

Juggernaut: Revenge of Sovering first look

by Erica Sadun (May 10th, 2012)

Today, I got to try out Juggernaut: Revenge of Sovering (Free) from Mail.ru. A freemium-style RPG game, it offers a polished feel and good production values, especially in the audio track. In the short time I have had with the app, game play mostly consists of bashing enemies and using spells ...

Animated Color Messages pops your Messages text

by Erica Sadun (May 10th, 2012)

For a buck, Animated Color Messages from SSA Mobile can add a certain flair to your iOS Messages conversation. It's a simple app to use. You choose a font, a text color or background pattern, or even a typing animation, and the app constructs a gif for you, pastes it into the system keyboard, ...

Daily iPhone App: Consmr makes grocery comparisons easy

by Mike Schramm (May 9th, 2012)

Consmr is another barcode scanner app that just released on the App Store that's targeted at groceries and pharmacy products. There are lots of barcode apps out there: ShopSavvy is one of the more popular, and we've covered RedLaser before, and all of these work pretty much the same: Aim your ...

Grocery iQ for iOS adds speech recognition

by Mel Martin (May 9th, 2012)

There's no shortage of grocery lists apps for the iPhone and iPad. One of the more popular apps is the free Grocery iQ, which has added speech recognition from Nuance in an update available today. That addition hoists Grocery iQ a bit above the average list-maker. You can add items to your ...

Garmin Fit for iOS adds Live Track to broadcast your status

by Mel Martin (May 9th, 2012)

Garmin Fit is a US$0.99 iPhone app that is used as a training tool for walking or cycling. The app uses GPS to keep track of your exercise stats, like speed, distance traveled, route traveled and an estimate of calories burned. This data can be uploaded to GarminConnect, a web-based service. The ...

Daily iPhone App: 100 Rogues is no-frills RPG fun

by Mike Schramm (May 8th, 2012)

I've already written about how much Junk Jack helped me out on my multiple flights back from Europe recently, and the other iOS game that really kept me moving from airport to airport on that trip was 100 Rogues, a roguelike RPG that arrived on the App Store a while ago. It just recently got an ...

Daily iPhone App: Escape from Age of Monsters runs on

by Mike Schramm (May 7th, 2012)

You may remember Age of Monsters -- it was a really simple game put together by developers working with artist Jeff Matsuda, featuring some really gnarly art and some rock/paper/scissors game mechanics. Now, Matsuda and his team have come back to iOS for a second title, this time called Escape ...

Daily iPhone App: Junk Jack builds something special

by Mike Schramm (May 3rd, 2012)

I have flown over 6,000 miles in the last two days -- on Monday, I left Prague to fly back to London, and then yesterday, I jumped on a plane to come back home to Los Angeles. And through it all, Junk Jack was there for me. The game has been out for a while now, and you might have passed over ...

Apple may not market "4G" iPad in the UK

by Kelly Hodgkins (May 1st, 2012)

In Australia, Sweden and, now, the UK, Apple is facing opposition over its use of 4G in the iPad name. According to GigaOM, The UK Advertising Standards Authority will release an adjudication on Wednesday that could lead to a new investigation into whether Apple is misleading customers when it ...

PhotoFunia creates seamless Special FX on your iPhone

by Mel Martin (Apr 29th, 2012)

PhotoFunia is a clever and free novelty app for iPhone camera buffs. It will allow you to create a variety of special effects that would take quite awhile in something like Photoshop. Here are some examples: Using face detection, it can take a photo of a friend and cleanly insert the face over ...

Apple lets kids play with iPads rather than iMacs

by Dave Caolo (Apr 27th, 2012)

Apple's retail stores have featured a "kids table" since the first one opened in 2001. It's low to the ground with soft seats and Apple hardware running kid-friendly software. Up until now, the hardware for the kids tables has been the iMac -- but it seems Apple is switching to iPads. Rene ...