App Review: 3D Bookshelf by Ideal Binary

While we don’t review a lot of ebook apps around here (mostly games and utilities) we did have a change to examine and test drive 3D bookshelf by Ideal Binary. 3D Bookshelf is, like every other classical ebook reader, just that - an ebook reader for the common classic books like A Christmas Carol, Sheflock Holmes, Frankenstein and many others. However, 3D Bookshelf has taken the iPhone-ebook reader a step beyond many of the other classic book reader clones by adding a cool 3D interface.

As mentioned, the developers for 3D Bookshelf have built in several 3D animations. These cool animations include page turns and zooming in and out of the book and pages. 3D Bookshelf also has book scrolling just like that of cover flow in the iPod, allowing you to browse the many classic books that it has. Included with the animations are appropriate sounds (page turning) to add to the realistic experience.

While within a book you can add any number of bookmarks, a necessary function of any ebook reader app. Also, while reading, you have immediate access to the book’s table of contents to easily jump around from chapter to chapter. The app however, lacks font resizing and landscape reading for those that don’t like to read in portrait mode or who would like a smaller (or bigger) font.

3D Bookshelf is a decent and fun classic ebook reader for the iPhone. The interface is excellent and the app offers a great, wide selection of classic books that are right at your fingertips. We can easily recommend 3D Bookshelf for the classic book lovers out there that will appreciate the small animations added to enhance the reading experience.

What we liked: Cool 3D interface, decent classic book selection.
What we didn’t like: Needs more books?

[itunes-link]

App Review: Colorbind by Nonverbal

One of our favorite genres of apps around here are puzzle games. Colorbind is a rather simple puzzle game with a twist of weaving color strips that intertwine with each other with the primary goal to connect corresponding colored dots.

Perhaps Colorbind’s simplicity is also its strength. There’s something rather intriguing about raveling color strips around the screen over and under each other and over dots. Each level gets harder with either more dots to connect or another color strip to intertwine with.

There are three levels and each level has a set of puzzles that you must solve before moving on to harder level puzzles. However, at any given time there are seven puzzles that are unlocked. So, if you are on puzzle two under easy then puzzles two through eight are available. As you solve levels there are various achievements to earn as well.

We’re enjoying Colorbind and we’re having fun with it. Puzzles start off easy and gradually get more challenging and addicting. The game is well done and is an easy recommendation to anyone that likes puzzle games.

What we liked: Fun and interesting puzzles, progressively harder puzzles, lots of puzzles, clever puzzle game.
What we didn’t like: most puzzle games are .99 and this one is 1.99, lack of rules or definition provided (you’re left to figure it out), rather simple graphics and gameplay.

Developer Website: http://nonverbal.ch

AppChatter Podcast Ep. 3 Released, Now in iTunes!

AppChatter has released our third episode of the podcast! In this episode Erik, Lou and Jeff discuss the removal of the sex apps from the iTunes App Store, Slingplayer goes 3G and Jeff (a former Apple employee) joins the podcast. The podcast is also now available from iTunes for easy download from your i-gadget.

AppChatter Podcast Play Now!

Subscribe in iTunes!
Direct Download Links:
Episode 3
Episode 2
Episode 1

App Review: Project 72 by Dogtown Studios

I was browsing the App Store the other day (nothing new here) when I came across Project 72 (developed in 72 hours, hence the name) in the New/Featured section so I decided to give it a go. It had a few reviews on it, not much, so I kinda knew that I was taking a chance with my dollar purchase but hey, what’s a buck, right? The game installed in mere moments and I was ready to blast off (you pilot a rocket).

The whole premise of Project 72 is incredibly simple: stay alive as long as you can as you steer your rocket around asteroids and planets while trying to gather fuel and other power ups. That’s it, you just steer and hang on tight! The rocket goes faster and faster and there are more and more obstacles to avoid. Some power ups give you the ability to shoot and destroy obstacles (very important) while others just simply keep you alive (fuel). If you run out of fuel, well, you’re dead - game over. If you hit an astroid or two it will quickly take away from your life and it’ll be game over as well.

Each game lasts only a few minutes. At least, that was the case for me. Even less for my 5yo since his reaction time was soooo much slower (hey, they’re still developing, right?). Controls are simple. Tilt your device left or right to steer and touch the screen when you’d like to blast an asteroid. It doesn’t get much easier than that, really.

For the simplicity of this game it does have some minor addicting component to it. However, be warned that once you’ve played for a few minutes you’ve pretty much seen the entire game. It doesn’t change or progress beyond getting faster and the powerups you collect - hence the very short game duration. For a dollar that this costs then it may be worth a try, especially if anything I’ve mentioned above sounds appealing. Recommended for those with interest in space ship / flying games.

What we liked: Simple game play, short games for times when you don’t have a lot of time, nice graphics, easy controls.
What we didn’t like: Not enough change to keep interest, once played the game will lose interest from casual gamers, replayability/stickiness.

Developer Website: www.dogtownstudios.com

App Review: Angry Birds by ClickGamer

There’s something addicting about launching various bird types from a slingshot in an attempt to hit some green pigs. That is exactly what Angry Birds by ClickGamer is all about. The whole premise is that the green pigs have stolen their eggs (hence, they’re angry) so now it’s revenge time - but with your help.

Angry Birds consists of two worlds and more levels than most other puzzle or physics games in the App Store - more than enough to keep you busy for hours. The complexity of each level increases steadily but so does the capabilities of the angry birds that you propel at them. At first, you just launch a red bird that has not special powers, but later on you get a blue bird that when you tap the screen (while in flight) the bird splits into three. Then there’s the bomb bird, he’s black, which when you touch the screen he blows up. He’ll also blow up after he’s hit the ground. This guy is probably the most effective bird to launch (and the most fun) since he does the most damage to the pigs’ side.

As previously mentioned, the object here is to launch birds and the green pigs. If you hit a pig he pops, he’ll also pop when the surrounding debris hits him. You progress to the next level once all of the green pigs have been eliminated. You may need to get creative to ensure you can pop all the pigs before running out of birds to sling at them though. Also, you can restart any level at any time and as many times as it takes to pass it.

Angry Birds is a great, fun physics game similar to Ragdoll Blaster. We’ve been enjoying it for several days now and I find myself addicted to it. My 5yo son also really enjoys it and giggles and laughs as he plays it. If you’re a fan of physics style games (like Ragdoll Blaster) then this one is a must. Highly recommended.

What We Liked: Fun and addicting physics style game, price is right.
What We Didn’t Like: Some levels will take you many, many tries to clear it - this can get a little old and boring.

AppChatter Podcast Episode 2 (Released 2/15)

This week on the AppChatter Podcast - Episode 2: Google gives us Buzz, Shape Services gives us 80% off of IM+, and PopCap Games is about to give us Plants vs. Zombies! Also, Erik reviews Riddim Ribbon (featuring the Black Eyed Peas) and Rhythm Racer, and Lou reviews Gorilla Mobile and the NBC Olympics app.

AppChatter Podcast Play Now!

Subscribe in iTunes!
Direct Download Links:
Episode 3
Episode 2
Episode 1

App Review: Guerrilla Bob by Chillingo

From the same producers as Minigore, Chillingo has delivered another dual joystick, top down shooter - Guerrilla Bob. We’ve been a big fan of Minigore when it came out last year so when Chillingo released this game, which is very similar, we were eager to take a look. Guerrilla Bob, with enhanced graphics and story mode gameplay makes for a fun and enjoyable iPhone gaming experience, even if you beat the game in less than an hour.

The first thing you will notice when you install Guerrilla Bob is that the 3D graphics are awesome. You are presented with a rich, 3D world of what looks like some Mexican village (complete with clothes lines!). There is a path down the center for you to follow and walk along and as you do you will encounter various enemies. Some enemies hide behind bunkers while others will come charging right at you, so you have to be on your toes. You can also go exploring, to some extent, behind the small-town buildings where you will likely find power-ups, health restores, other weapons and even more enemies. However, you’ll want to explore as much as you can because there’s almost always some type of power-up to help you out.

As previously mentioned, controls are via two virtual joysticks. One for moving Guerrilla Bob (you) and the other for controlling your chosen weapon. The dual joystick games are great since you can walk in one direction while shooting in another - a much needed feature when getting chased by one of the many super-enemies at the end of each level. Also, if you missed it, you can collect three different weapons: machine gun, rocket launcher and flame thrower. Each of these has it’s own advantage in different scenarios such as the flame thrower for close fighting, the rocket launcher for hitting enemies in bunkers (you can’t hit them with the machine gun) or the machine gun for well, just mowing them down!

Each level ends with a larger, harder to beat enemy that you must defeat in order to progress. However no worries since you start the game with a whopping 10 lives and there are more lives that you can collect if you’re looking for them. If you beat the last level then you unlock endurance mode where it’s pretty much just an onslaught of enemies. There’s even a surprise at the end of the last level, which is significantly harder to beat than all of the others (so save those lives).

I really like Guerrilla Bob. As mentioned, the graphics are great and the controls are good and the gameplay if fun and addicting. Our only complaint is that the game is pretty easy to beat but yet the price seems a little high ($2.99). I was able to beat all of the levels in less than an hour of total gameplay, so it’s pretty fast. However, that aside it is very fun and if you’re a fan of Minigore or some of the other top-down shooters then we highly recommend you checkout Guerrilla Bob.

What we liked: Excellent Graphics, dual joystick controls.
What we didn’t like: Relatively short overall game to beat, sometimes seemed difficult to aim.

AppChatter Podcast Official Launch - Episode 1 Released

We here at AppChatter.com have been tossing around the whole podcast idea since the inception of AppChatter one year ago. Late last year we were approached by Erik from the Random Chatter Podcast Network asking whether AppChatter.com was interested in partnering with their team of podcasters to produce a show targeting apps and news for the iPhone/iPod platform. Since we were already interested in doing this ourselves we jumped on the opportunity to team up with them given their excellent track record and producing top quality podcasts.

This is our official launch of the AppChatter podcast, despite that there was a pilot that was released a few months ago. In this episode hosts Erik and Lou discuss the AppChatter.com relationship with Random Chatter and go on to discuss Spore Creatures by EA, Gorilla Bob by Chillingo, Google Voice web app, the new iPad announced by Apple last week, and much more.

AppChatter Podcast Play Now!

Subscribe in iTunes!
Direct Download Links:
Episode 3
Episode 2
Episode 1

We will be making the podcast available on iTunes in the very near future, look for it there! Available now!

App Review: Warheads by Pangea Software

From the makers of Enigmo, Enigmo 2, Cro-Mag Rally and many more great iPhone games Pangea has released Warheads to the iTunes App Store.  Warheads is a missile defense style game that we’ve been playing for the past couple of days and have been enjoying it.

As in most missile defense style games you must defend your base from incoming missiles by shooting them out of the sky.  You do this by touching the sky and your missile launcher will launch a missile to that location and explode.  It’s the explosion of your missile that will destroy the inbound warheads.  Warheads also has some slow falling bombs that are tied to parachutes, you must also take these out by hitting them with one of your SAM’s before they touch down as they pack a pretty big punch.

In one game you defend four base stations or sectors for which you rotate through on each wave of attacks.  As the waves progress, the attacks become harder and harder to defend against as they send more and more missiles, warheads or drop bombs faster and faster.  Furthermore, some of the incoming missiles start to seperate and turn into multiple missiles, making them that much harder to destroy before falling onto your base that you’re trying to defend.

Graphics are great with Warheads.  The entire UI feels very fluid like and the explosions of warheads (and you) are very well done.  Controls are simple, just touch the screen (sky) where you want one of your defensive missiles to strike and hopefully take out one or more incoming missiles or warheads.

Warheads is a fun game that keeps you rather panicked as you try, very quickly, to destroy the incoming missiles.  The games are usually kinda short (about 5 to 10 minutes) which is perfect for a mobile device and for when you have a few minutes to kill.  We recommend Warheads to anyone that likes shooter style games or missile defense style games or even for people looking for something that will give them some excitement for a short period of time.

What we liked: Fun and exciting game play, great graphics, simple controls, not a long duration game.
What we didn’t like: Some incoming missiles come in at an angle from the side of the screen - unless you are always watching that area these nearly always result in you losing one of your missile turrets.

Own it? Rate This Game:

Apple Introduces The iPad, Available in 60 Days

Apple’s Steve Jobs introduced the world to their latest creation during their “Latest Creation” event in California. “We call it the iPad,” said Steve Jobs. The iPad, is essentially a huge iPod Touch since it runs the iPhone OS and runs apps from the App Store. It is also the first device to use Apple’s own CPU for processing.

The iPad, which is meant to fit between the iPhone/iPod and the Macbook product lines, bridges the gap and provides consumers with one more mobile choice for Internet in the Apple mobile products lineup. Referred to as “magical” many times by Jobs during his keynote, the iPad is getting mixed reviews by many critiques - ourselves included.

The iPad, Apple’s latest creation, has several things going for it however, unfortunately it also has a few strikes against it. If you look at it for what it really is, it’s just an iPod Touch with a 9.7″ screen. However, that 9.7″ screen is said to be beautiful and will definitely enhance your online experience significantly. Since the iPad is based on the same OS as the iPhone/iPod it’s easy to land at that conclusion. Since the iPad is based on the iPhone OS, it will immediately have access to the 140,000 applications in the iTunes App Store.

Along with the iPad Jobs introduced iBooks - a direct competitor to Amazon’s Kindle.  The introduction of iBooks means that Apple is officially entering into the ebook business.  Much like iTunes or the App Store, iBooks will allow users to purchase and download ebooks directly to their iPad.  Apple even announced partnerships with about five major book publishers and ebooks are said to cost $12.99 or $14.99 each.  Whether the iPad will make a good ebook reader still remains to be seen, but if Apple does this part right it will revolutionize the publishing industry.  iBooks is said to bring a near-real experience to the reader as they read and turn pages.

The iPad does have a few pretty big let-downs.  For those that have not been following, the iPad is said to not support multi-tasking.  So no, you will not be able to listen to Pandora while doing your email or browsing the web.  Like the iPod Touch, only one application will run at any given time, with the exception of the iPod music function, email retrievals and notifications.  The lack of multi-tasking confuses many in the blog world, ourselves included.  For a device that competes head to head with netbooks and is a product bridge between the iPod and a Macbook, some are saying that the lack of multi-tasking in inexcusable.  Who knows, maybe one day they will add it.

The iPad also lacks Flash capabilities, just like the iPod and iPhone.  Once again, for a device that’s intending to give you the full internet experience on a larger screen, the lack of Flash seems to fly in the face of that vision.  Another complain the we have is that there is no onboard SD card slot and no USB host (no USB ports for that matter).  The omission of these is, in our eyes, rather laughable and will definitely turn many buyers away.  However, to combat this, Apple will offer a “camera connection kit” that will convert the 30 pin dock connector to either and SD card reader or a USB host - for cameras only.  So now you will need to unplug your charging cable, or the optional hardware keyboard in order to plug in you SD card reader or camera to pull pics in from.  Ouch.

Despite what we believe to be major drawback the device does have it’s appeal and there’s not doubt in our mind that with a $499.99 starting price these things will be flying off the shelves.  That’s right, starting price is $499.99 for the 16GB version, $599.99 for the 32GB version and $699.99 for the 64GB version.  Add $130 to each of those to add in 3G capability (AT&T) then $14.99 per month for 250mb of data or $29.99 per month for unlimited.  Not bad for 3G data pricing indeed.

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