Another day, another cool trick makes it to the iPhone/iPod touch. Today it's the Missing Card [App Store Link] for US $0.99.

The effect is that a small group of picture cards are displayed on the iPhone. You are asked to think of one, but not indicate which one you have chosen, and no tapping on the card on the iPhone screen so people don't think that is the secret. There is some nice animation as the cards flip over and one is removed. All the cards are face down. You are asked to reveal your card, and all the cards are turned over but one. Your card is no longer in the group.

It's a nice trick, and an old one. It's generally knows as the Princess Card trick, and after years of being a mainstay for magicians it made it to the web and was widely seen in a number of variations.

This is a nice version of the effect, and the animation is smooth and attractive. My only criticisms are that the magician gets no credit for the trick. it appears that the phone is doing all the heavy lifting. Also, the card left over, the face down one, can't be revealed. I think there are some ways to deal with that if the developer takes the trouble to work it out.

For people who have not seen the trick, it will be a stunner. It's a good little diversion to try in a bar or a party. If you think the secret is too widespread, this is not the trick for you. If the description seems fresh, give it a try on your friends or co-workers.

Over the last few months I've reviewed a few magic tricks (here and here) that work on the iPhone and iPod touch. They were quite diverting, and can help you bring some joy to the office and take people's minds off the layoffs and other bad economic news.

Now, Magician Andrew Mayne has come up with some clever tricks that work great and are, drum roll, free. Just the tonic for the recession.

All these effects take a bit of preparation, and these are not the kinds of tricks experienced professionals would do, but of you have been hankering to try some magic and fool your friends these free effects are just the ticket.

The first trick is called EZ Money. You show a collection of currency on your phone, then pull one bill literally right off the screen and the real thing appears in your hand.

Weapon X works on the iPhone, iPod touch, and even the iPod Nano. You run the iPhone along your arm, and you see an X-ray, but there is something strangely wrong with it.

Spirit Photography is a bit weird. Have someone choose any bill from their wallet, take an image with it using your iPhone and the image will be strangely haunting. It's a good effect, and has enough little traps to keep your audience guessing.

Again, no one is going to confuse you with David Copperfield, but all these tricks are free and all but Weapon X are not likely to be easily figured out. Weapon X is more a novelty than a trick, so I'm not giving the set any demerits.

Andrew creates professional illusions for Penn and Teller and David Blaine. His iPhone tricks are a fun diversion for him and probably will be for you too. You can see video demonstrations and explanations of all three tricks here. You'll also find some links to some iPhone gags. Enjoy.

The tricks just keep on comin' for the iPhone. Magicard [App Store link] is a good head scratcher that is always ready to perform. Have your assistant cut the cards a few times and select a card. (The method to do this is provided with a built-in tutorial video.) You keep the selected card face down, and place it on top of the iPhone screen. When the card is removed, a mirror image of the card is on the screen. The card can be any number or suit.

The app normally starts up with a screen that includes a clickable link to a video tutorial that shows how the trick works. It wouldn't be good for people to see that, so in your iPhone settings menu you can tell the Magicard not to display any of that information when you are about to perform.

Magicard also lets you select a plain black background for the trick, or you can use something from your photo roll. You can even snap a picture with the iPhone camera and use that. Unfortunately, this menu comes up every time you try the trick, and it is an annoyance. You should be able to set the background from the settings menu and forget it until you want to change it.

The trick does not require a lot of skill, but you will need to do one common thing magicians know how to do. If you don't know how, the video tutorial will walk you through the simple steps. I don't think David Blaine will lose any sleep over you performing this trick around town, but it is worth the US $0.99 asking price to see some surprised faces on your friends when you pull this little effect out.

Note: This trick is iPhone only. It will not work on the iPod touch. You can see some videos of the trick in action at the developer web site, along with some variations on the basic trick.

Well, my earlier prediction turned out right. I said in my last review that more tricks would be on the way, and this afternoon 3 more hit my in box. Maybe there is something to magic after all.

These three apps for the iPhone and iPod touch are from Instant Download Magic and Mentalism in the U.K. I lived in London for 4 years, and I can attest that magic is very hot there. Even some of the pubs have regular magic shows, and one of the oldest magic stores in the world, Davenports, is still in operation serving the magic community.

Here's an overview of the tricks, which are three separate downloads from the App Store;

First, is Magic Match [App Store link}. You show the spectator your iPhone, and there is a match box. You open it (digitally) and show a match inside. You can move the match by dragging it around with your finger. In a flash, the match vanishes from the on screen box and a real match appears in your hand. Doing this involves some help from the iPhone, and a quick sleight of hand move. It's pretty stunning to watch it performed, and full instructions are available from within the app and on the instant download website;

Next up is iThought Receiver. [App Store link] Basically, you ask your assistant to chose a color from 3 shown on screen, and to press a button to reveal the answer. The iPhone gets it right, and your assistant could be amazed. This is another class of trick entirely, and rather than involving any magician moves, it is a clever use of the principle of the magicians 'force' to get the right result.

Finally, ESP Vision, [App Store link] where someone picks a number at random on screen, then uses the number to select an ESP symbol, and when you remove the phone from your hand the symbol they selected actually appears on your hand written in ashes or a marker. It's a bit of a stunner when seen for the first time. This effect too, relies on some well established magic methods, and is not hard to learn.

All the apps are very well rendered, and have some impressive animation. There are further instructions and downloads of PDF files you can print out after you buy these tricks. The tricks are $1.99US except ESP Vision which is $2.99US. You could be the life of the holiday party, but it could be a bummer if someone tries to call your iPhone in the middle of your performance.

It seems to be a bull market in magic applications for the iPhone. Earlier this week I reviewed Magic Show, which performs a pretty neat trick you can play on your friends and office mates.

Now, new in the app store we have Pocket Magic, [App Store link] which presents a 'mind reading' effect you can spring on the unsuspecting.

The trick presents a colorful screen and asks you to select one of the many numbers that appear, and indicate what color it is. After some nice animation, you are asked to find your number again among the many on screen, and again indicate what color the number is again. At that point, the app can usually guess what number you selected. It also successfully predicts a magic color that appeared at the beginning of the trick. For many, this will be baffling, for others, not so much.

For assistance in learning the trick, there is an apprentice mode, which walks you through the simple steps to pulling the trick off, although most of the heavy lifting is done by the application.

One suggestion for the developers is that when choosing the numbers the ball selected should animate or glow so you are sure you made the right choice.

It's interesting how the iPhone seems to be a good platform for magic tricks, and many effects are coming out. It may be a good fit because there is something whimsical about the iPhone itself, coupled with the fact that one of the iPhone's strengths is that is really an entertainment device, as well as a cell phone, web browser and email mini computer.

I wouldn't be surprised to see increasingly sophisticated tricks appearing on the App Store shelves in the near future.