Sally’s Spa- The best time management game for the iPhone (Diner Dash style)

My addiction to games includes an expensive addiction to time-management games. On my Mac, I own the first 3 Diner Dash games, Airport Mania, Dairy Dash, Cake Mania and Pet Shop Hop. Since I don’t really have my laptop with me at all times, I often miss these games. My solution is Sally’s Spa on the iPhone.

Since I already have Diner Dash on my laptop, I did not want to buy the same game on my iPhone. I downloaded the lite version of Sally’s Spa to test it, and I really enjoyed it! A sale on the game is what made me ultimately buy Sally’s Spa. I bought it for $0.99 and it currently retails for $2.99. Sally’s Spa is also a great game to have on your laptop, if you prefer larger visuals and find it difficult to play on your phone. I definitely recommend downloading the lite version first, to get a feel of the game. As compared to the $4.99 you have to pay for PlayFirst Diner Dash style games, Sally’s Spa is a good deal!

The game has 50 levels, spread out over 10 different spas across the world, which makes Sally’s Spa a game you will have a long time completing. You can also upgrade your spa constantly and earn and sell products. This keeps the game feeling new and it does not feel like you are doing the exact same thing for 50 levels. There are several different types of customers. The spa also offers several services including sauna, facials, manicures, pedicures and massages. Other than just shifting a customer from one service to another, you are also involved in actually performing the services, making for fun mini-games within the iPhone game.

Overall, I love playing Sally’s Spa! Even though I have completed all 50 levels, I have decided to go back and play the game from start to finish again because it is appropriately challenging and fun. The iPhone app also allows you to save several players so, if your friend wants to try out the game, you don’t have to worry about losing your progress.

Check out another review for Sally’s Spa iPhone app here.

Check out video reviews here.

Which is your favorite time management game on the iPhone?

Till next time!

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D- My favorite iPhone racing game

I use my iPhone as a gaming device very often. It is nearly impossible for me to sit down and doing nothing. Although game demos and free games satisfy my needs pretty well, I have ended up paying for two apps, Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D and Sally’s Spa.

I really love playing racing games. When I was younger I was obsessed with MotoRacer. On my Nintendo Wii I love playing Mario Kart. If you like Mario Kart, you would love Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D. It is basically the iPhone version of Mario Kart. If you play for the trophy in Crash Bandicoot, you can choose between 3 courses, each of which has 4 different courses within it, making it a total of 12 different tracks to choose from. There are also a variety of characters to choose from, which adds up to a total of 6 characters. There are certain parameters you have to fulfill to unlock each of the tracks and characters. This makes the game interesting because it takes a while for all the features of the game to be available to you. If you play on the story mode, there are 8 missions that you need to fulfill. Again, you can play as any of the 6 characters. I have not had the game for very long so I am yet to complete a mission. You can also practice and hone your skills by playing Time Trials. Just like Mario Kart, Crash Bandicoot depends on more than just going fast. By hitting a box with a question mark, you can obtain certain tricks, which allow you to move ahead faster or slow others down. Be warned, others can use these tricks against you, as well. For videos with demonstrations of the game click here. Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D currently retails for $2.99.

The only other racing game that comes close to Crash Bandicoot is Cro-Mag Rally. This game might be familiar to you from the iPod Touch commercials. It took me a while to decide which app to buy but this blog helped me choose between the two. While browsing through both earlier, Crash Bandicoot was cheaper; however, I just looked up the app right now, I found that Cro-Mag Rally is currently retailing for $0.99! I think I will probably buy this app soon and test it out. I will update my blog once I gain a better understanding of Cro-Mag Rally. I really can’t make compelling points against either game but if anyone has any strong opinions, please leave a comment below and help others make a good decision!

Are there any other racing games that you prefer?

Till next time!

My 4 favorite iPhone word games

I love word games. I grew up on word puzzle books, which I immersed myself in when I travelled. Word games are one of my favorite ways pass the time. I have tried several word games on the iPhone and have narrowed it down to my 4 favorite apps. A word of warning, I am not much of a crossword person so in case you want to check out reviews in relation to crossword apps on the iphone, you can check them out here. Free crosswords on the iPhone include “2 Across” and “Crossword Light.”

 

Scramble is one of my favorite iPhone apps. When I first downloaded it, I was absolutely obsessed!  The point of the game is to make as many words as possible within 3 minutes. The larger your words, the more points you score. You can connect letters that are connected to each other in any way possible. It takes a few plays to get used to this format but once you get the hang of it, it is absolutely addictive. There are many options to play this game. You can play solo and offline. Playing online is a lot of fun because you have the chance to compete against several other people. It encourages you to score higher because it constantly updates you on others’ scores. Other options are challenging people or the “play and pass” option. As all the apps that I recommend, it is absolutely FREE! You can also play Scramble on Facebook, in case you prefer to do that. For more information on Scramble go here.

 

This is a classic word game on the iPhone, which I used to play very often as a child. You are given a board and a list of words, which you have to find on the board. This game is also clocked and the sooner the finish, the better it contributes towards your statistics. You can also choose to switch off the timer. My only issue with this game is that there is no option to have a countdown timer, so it is not competitive. The earlier version of TKO Words was a little difficult to play because you had to drag an outline around the words. However, the new version has solved this problem because all you have to do is select the first and last letters in each of the words. Highlighting the words found in yellow is also effective because the letters may need to be re-used to form other words. TKO Words also updates once in a while so that words are changes. However, if you play this iPhone app often, you may find yourself repeating puzzles often.

 

Word Warp and Light Sextuple Word Challenge are basically the same game. In each of the games you are given six    letters and you have to form as many words as possible within the given time limit. You cannot move on to the next  round unless you form at least one 6-letter word. As long as you form this word, it does not matter how many other  words you form. I find this iPhone app word game appropriately challenging, which I really like. I have both the apps  on my iPhone because after playing one game for a while getting stuck on the 6 letter word, you can always switch to the  other app  and then return to the first app once you practice a little. I also found that it often helps to take a break because  every time I returned to the app, I immediately formed the 6 letter word that was required. A great online version of these  games is  Text Twist. I do not have this game on my iPhone because it is a paid app, whereas Word Warp and Sextuple   are free iPhone apps. You can check out Text Twist online here.

Do you have any word games that you like on the iPhone?

Till next time!

My first page on the iPhone

So I thought I would share the first page on my iPhone with everyone because I think it really says a lot about a person’s likes, dislikes and interests.

The obvious apps to have on the 1st page are “messages,” “contacts,” “calendar,” “photos,” “maps,” “notes,” “camera,” clock,” “app store,” “calculator,” and “settings.” I definitely recommend having “Maps” on the first page because you should be able to access it without any problems, especially if you are lost and everyone in the car is getting frustrated with one another!

Having already expressed my love for WhatsApp and Twitterrific, I have these apps on my first page.

I pushed the default Weather app to one of the latter pages because I definitely prefer using the Weather Channel app. It allows you to check the weather hourly, for 10 days or for the next 36 hours. It also tells you what the weather “feels like” as opposed to the actual weather. As a person who only checks the weather to decide  how I need to dress, knowing what the weather “feels like” is definitely more useful.

I am unable to delete the default apps on my phone, which is one of the only problems I have with the iPhone. I don’t want the weather app, nor do I want the stocks app. Does anyone know a way to delete these apps?Also, for some reason I have some words on my Weather app showing up in a foreign language. Notice the “Bedeckt” on the screen? I have no idea why the language suddenly changed, does anyone know how to change this back?

The Facebook app on the iPhone is pretty decent. It allows me to access all the information I regularly see on my computer. One of the only problems is the lack of access to Facebook applications. I do not really use these applications too much but for someone who is addicted to apps like “Farmville,’ this may pose a problem. Other than this, I like the app because it customizes the font size to the iPhone so that it is a comfortable view.

I get most of my information from Twitter, especially news stories, by following sources like CNN, NYTimes etc. However, I really like the NYTimes app, as well. You can classify the stories according to the different news categories. It also classifies stories in terms of the latest news stories. It also allows you to change the font size easily and makes articles comfortable to read.

Even though I have a ton of games on my iPhone, I stick to functional apps for my first page. These are apps I “need” to access regularly, as opposed to those I just like to. I definitely recommend organizing the apps on your phone because it makes access easier over time. It is also easier to position your app as soon as you download it, rather than trying to organize 5 pages of apps at the same time.

What are the apps on your 1st page?

Till next time!

My Favorite Twitter App for the iPhone

This is a hard one! There are so many Twitter apps available for the iPhone.

First of all, if you don’t already have Twitter, I completely advocate opening an account. Ever since I started using Twitter, I have gained an enormous amount of knowledge. Instead of being overwhelmed with information, I find myself thirsty for more in a completely healthy way. I always followed the news but my NEED to know what is going on in the world has been created by Twitter. I absolutely love it and I would suggest that you try it for at least a month before completely disregarding it. The power of Twitter is truly limitless.

Getting back to the main subject, there are several Twitter apps that are available for all devices. Personally, I use TweetDeck for my laptop (Macbook Pro) and Twitterrific on my iPhone. I am by no means an expert on the subject but both apps serve my purpose and I am very comfortable with them. Also, I refuse to pay for Twitter apps because I think there are good free ones out there already. Therefore, I am only reviewing the free Twitter apps that are available.

Twitterrific is a basic app that allows me to read tweets in an appropriate font size. It updates only when I log into the app, which I like because I do not want my phone to be buzzing every single time someone posts a tweet, especially since I follow over a hundred people!

It is also very easy to tweet from Twitterrific. You can easily  mention people in your tweets, re-tweet, add media and maps, search on the twitterverse and browse all the people who follow you and all those you follow. While going browsing the app right now, I also discovered the filter function. It allows you to filter tweets according to your tweets, mentions and personal messages. You can also mark tweets or choose favorites, which can show up in your filters. I use Twitterrific mainly to stay in touch to the twitterverse on the go and it more than fulfills my needs.

I have tried using TweetDeck for my iPhone but I just did not enjoy the interface on my mobile device.

Does anyone have a Twitter app that they prefer? Definitely let me know because I would love to try out some more.

Check out TweetDeck here http://www.tweetdeck.com/beta/

Check out Twitterrific here http://twitterrific.com/

Check out some more opinions on the best Twitter app at Mashable and Gizmodo

Till next time!

WhatsApp- BBMing app for the iPhone

Finally! You can now connect with iPhone users all over the world, just like all those Blackberry lovers!

WhatsApp is a free (only for a limited time, so download NOW) app for iPhone users, which allows you to message other iPhone users for free by using 3G or Wi-fi. The best part about WhatsApp is that you have the option of receiving push notifications so you don’t have to keep entering the app like a crazy person to see if you have any new messages. WhatsApp notifies you just like a text message does, down to having the same ringtone. If you put your phone on silent, WhatsApp notifies you of new messages just like your text message app does. I absolutely love it!

Plus, you do not have to go through the hassle of manually adding people to your “chat list.” WhatsApp automatically searched your address book, finds the people who have WhatsApp and then adds them to your list. I didn’t even know some people had iPhones until I saw their name on my list. iTouch users can also use WhatsApp, which is very cool!

I downloaded a competitor iPhone app called “Ping” a few weeks ago. It was free when I downloaded it but it was nowhere near as user-friendly. I definitely like What’sApp a lot more. WhatsApp also gives you the opportunity to ask your friends to download the app through a text or email. Remember, the person you message needs to have WhatsApp to receive your message.

I have been using WhatsApp for only a couple of days now but I am absolutely loving it! It’s an app that the iPhone really required. With this app, the iPhone can finally compete with the Blackberry in terms of “BBMing.” The app also connects to Facebook so that you can update your status through WhatsApp. I haven’t really found it super useful yet because I have the Facebook app but it does not hurt to have this feature available.

I also read on a forum that WhatsApp is planning to enable a feature, which allows Blackberry users and iPhone users to connect through WhatsApp. I think this would be a great feature and will really help bring smartphone users together from all over the world!

Download WhatsApp now before it becomes a paid app!!

Are there any other apps out there that you think function better than What’sApp?

Check out WhatsApp at  http://www.whatsapp.com/

Join the conversation on WhatsApp VS Ping here

Till next time!

AppBox – The Ultimate iPhone Toolbox

This app is absolutely wonderful! I have used this app so many times and each time, I am so glad I have it. Some of the features on this app include a currency converting calculator, unit convertors, a clinometer (like spirit levels), a tip calculator, loan calculator, “days until” and more!

The unit convertor is one of my favorite functions. As an Indian going to college in the US, I still think of units in terms of celsius, kilograms and kilometers. While I know most phones have unit convertors, this one is fast and very easy to use. It is classified into the different types of measurements like area, length, pressure etc. and you can choose from these to find the most accurate unit. Going over all the possible units, I am pretty sure that it surpasses the capability of phones that have the unit convertors pre-programmed.

The currency convertor is also great because it updates it the moment you open up the function and makes it faster and easier to find how much Rs.10,000 is equal to in US dollars, which is $215 approximately, by the way. However, a warning in advance, the currency convertor can only be applied to India, US, Europe, Canada, England, Japan, Mexico, China, Australia, Switzerland and South Korea. AppBox also has a pro version but I am not sure if that has more countries under the currency convertor.

Although it is easy to use the pre-existing calculator for tips, this function is easier because all you have to do is input your final bill amount and it will calculate the tip, in accordance with you pre-programmed preferences. You can also quickly input the number of people splitting the bill to calculate how much each person owes and how much tip they need to add. All just by putting in the bill amount- pretty cool! I find it especially useful after a great late night meal when everyone is way too tired to even think.

There are more functions in AppBox and you can definitely spend time checking it out. I have the free version but I have put in a picture of the pro version so that you know exactly what you can get from the app. AppBox Pro costs 99 cents and you can get a detailed review of it here before you go out and buy it.

I know there are some other tools out there but the issue is that each function comes as a separate iPhone app. Is there an app you prefer to AppBox?

Till next time!

Flixster- The Best Movie Listings App for the iPhone?

Of all the movie apps I have come across, I have grown the fondest of Flixster. When you start the app, it automatically informs you of the theaters near you. If you click on the theater, it gives you several options by giving you show times, the phone number of the theater and even restaurants nearby! My favorite features of flixster show up once you click on the movie you are interested in. The options it gives you includes adding your own ratings for the movie, getting showtimes, viewing related photos and even watching the trailer!!

I know the YouTube app on the iPhone provides the same trailers; however, having all the relevant information in one place is what makes flixster so awesome! It allows you to plan your whole day without having to go on any other resource. It fascinates me that it even gives you a list of restaurants that are close to the movie hall. I logged into my app right now and I couldn’t help clicking on the “2012″ trailer. This trailer really shows off the quality of the trailer because of the graphics involved and I am very impressed with the quality! It is almost as good as watching movies you buy for your iPod.

Whenever I have used this app though, I have the unrealistic desire to watch almost every movie playing in the hall. Even though this app is supposed to help me choose a movie, it makes it confusing at times because it provides you with the resources to check out every movie’s trailers and decide for yourself. It is very difficult to log out of the app too because I always get tempted to watch more trailers!  

Other features on the Flixster app are lists of upcoming movies and upcoming dvd releases. There is also a feature for you to make lists of the movies you want to see, the movies you have rated and the ones your friends have rated. You can also sync this with your Facebook, Flixster or Netflix accounts. This is particularly helpful if you are like me and always have a long long list of movies to watch!

Moreover, guess what, it’s FREE. So even if you like watching movies once in a while or even just watch movies at home, flixster is a great iPhone app to have. It is wonderfully functional and provides you with all the resources you need to make a decision.

Check out Flixster online to get a feel of what the app may be like at  http://www.flixster.com/

Does anyone have an app they prefer to use? Let me know because I will love to check it out!

Till next time!

LOLDogs

This is the image that greets you when you enter the LOLDogs app. How many times have you found yourself watching funny animal videos? Or laughing at funny animal pics online? Or reading emails with the funny animal pictures as forwards? If you know what I am talking about,  LOLDogs is a must-have app on your iPhone!

It is completely pointless, except it might brighten up your day just a little. I have always got positive feedback when I shared these pictures with those around me. My room mate does not even really like dogs, which completely baffles me but even she can’t help smiling at a few of the pictures.

The captions give the pictures more character and add to the already-comical situations caught on camera. This iPhone app is the wonderful version of “America’s Funniest Videos,” except it includes dogs and pictures. With a few pictures uploaded each day, LOLDogs promises to keep daily viewers entertained.

Another variation of LOLDogs is LOLCats free. LOLCats is also very entertaining but those who do not particularly like cats may not find this app as appealing as LOLDogs. Also, for some reason the dogs seem to be doing many more comical and well, just stupid things, as compared to cats. Cats don’t really look that silly sometimes.

Everybody has a few favorites on LOLDogs and the app allows you to save your favorites to your phone album or just to the favorites folder in the app itself. I have numerous photos in my app folder but there are some, which I save onto my phone because they make great wallpapers! Keeping favorites allows you to go back to the picture when you need a few laughs or even share it with others.

I absolutely love this app and can’t wait to get my own dog so I can post some pictures as well. Is it just me or are smart yet stupid dogs extremely appealing? Oh and in case you want to join in the fun, you can always go to the LOLDogs website and caption pictures or post your own at http://ihasahotdog.com/

Till next time!

Tap Tap Revenge 2

Tap Tap Revenge 2 is one of my favorites apps on the iPhone, which is why I am dedicating my first official app post to it!

I discovered Tap Tap Revenge on my friend’s iPhone first, and immediately fell in love with it. This was right after a failed attempt at playing Guitar Hero. Granted I was playing against someone who is much more musical than me, it still did not help my “I hate to lose” mentality. As expected, I was terrible with my first attempt at Tap Tap Revenge, as well. However, once you get a hang of it, it is ADDICTIVE! After constant practice I managed to beat him finally, well, at least at one of the songs.

Tap Tap Revenge 2 is a great update to Tap Tap Revenge. The fun graphics make the game more interesting. Interestingly, I also found that it is a great way to discover new music. I discovered Pitbull’s “I know you want me,” through the themed version on the phone.  Tap Tap Revenge 2 provides players with a number of options to choose from and its all free! My favorites are the Lady Gaga, Coldplay and Pitbull themes.

One of my favorite features of this fun iPhone App is the opportunity for a second player to join in. Be warned, you might want to find a flat surface like a table, to play on otherwise, you might face endless discussions of how the iPhone was tilted towards one person and it was all so unfair!

I know the new version of Tap Tap Revenge is out but it turns out it’s a paid app! It costs 99 cents but I would rather try to it on someone’s phone before giving up on my free version, which already satisfies me enough. Will let you know what I think about it once I get a chance to play it, though.

Till next time! Tap Tap Tap!