Apps Of Note As We Head Into Christmas

Tap Tap Revenge 3 [iTunes link] is now FREE if you ever wanted it and $.99 was just too much for you. Being a Tap Tap Revenge veteran I was a little disappointed. On my iPhone 3G, there was a HUGE performance hit. Also, the game has changed so much I sometimes couldn't tell if I was getting it right. Rock Band surely has spoiled me.


If you like search apps, especially VOICE search apps, look no further than Dragon Search [iTunes link]. It is FREE and it is as good, if not better, than its competitiors Google [iTunes link] and Bing [iTunes link] . The voice recognition is top-notch. You can search over Google, Bing or Yahoo!, YouTube, Twitter, iTunes and Wikipedia.

I'm a little wary of buying Need For Speed: Shift [iTunes link]. I feel like I got burned with Need For Speed: Undercover as it was less of a racing game and more of a Grand Theft Auto wannabe. Shift looks like the pure racing game. But, I'm happy right now with Asphalt 5 and Gameloft racing games are more to my liking. Also, a lot of people say there's a huge performance hit if you're not using a 3GS. Asphalt 5 is borderline. I tried to play with the free version of NBA Live and that was unplayable. Ah... to wait for the new iPhone. Shift is selling for $6.99.

Space Ace on the iPhone was tons of fun and a great port of a game that still looks impressive to this day. Now, there is the granddaddy laserdisc game of them all in the App Store - Dragon's Lair [iTunes link]. It has a decent price of $4.99. But, I have SO many games that I still need to play, so I can wait patiently for a price drop. Great nostalgic walk down memory lane, though.

But, the game that's been on my mind is Paperboy [iTunes link]. Loved the original arcade game. I would be happy if it was an exact port. The screenshots, however, look less than enticing. If this was a Gameloft game, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. I'll wait for a price drop and review it later.

Two Awesome New Gameloft Games!

Gameloft is doing it again. Being one of the best iPhone game developers on the planet. Two new games are out this week that are getting rave reviews on iTunes.

James Cameron's Avatar [iTunes link] - $9.99

Based on the movie of the same name, Avatar is essentially the next step in gameplay that Hero Of Sparta nearly perfected. Gameloft makes the only games with virtual controls that I love using. I'll wait for a price drop on this one, and by that time this movie could be the next epic blockbuster.

N.O.V.A. - Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance [iTunes link] - $6.99

People are calling this HALO for the iPhone. Many say it is better than Eliminate. Now, I'm not a first-person shooter fanatic. But, I did buy another Gameloft FPS Brothers In Arms and that was okay. This one look TONS better.

Mophie Juice Pack Air - RED!

Because there is no removable battery, iPhone users can always use more battery life when they're on the go. I had been using the iGo system with rechargeable batteries to recharge my iPhone for the last year and a half. However, when I'm in the middle of recharging there is a large and very heavy dongle attached to my iPhone. Also, I have to recharge the batteries separately.

On my trip to Oregon, I used my sister's Mophie Juice Pack Air and it worked GREAT! So, when I found out there was the new RED color for the Mophie Juice Pack Air I jumped at the chance to get it.

The Mophie Juice Pack Air is $79.95 with free shipping from the Mophie website.

It comes with a mini-USB cable to recharge the battery in the case. You also use it to sync your iPhone so you don't have to take it out of the case.

On the back of the case there are four blue LED lights to let you know how charged up your case is. When you're charging the case, the lights tell you how much more you have to charge it up.

When your iPhone battery is going low all you have to do is flick a switch and it is recharging. So, you can recharge while using your iPhone. The Mophie Juice Pack Air nearly doubles the life of your battery. So, while the price is steep it certainly can be a lifesaver when you don't have access to a USB port or outlet.

The red case is special because it has a soft, matted feel to it. It feels VERY luxurious! All of the other colors have glossy, plastic cases. The look of it is also very close to my red Incase Slider.

The Mophie Juice Pack Air is a great gift for the avid iPhone user. I highly recommend it if you have problems keeping the juice in your iPhone.

Live Streaming Video App Finally In App Store!

The Ustream Live Broadcaster [iTunes link] is now in the Apple App Store and it gives 3G & 3G S users the ability to stream live video from your iPhone! You can also use it to upload your video to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

It's a free app but I do have one big qualm about it.

I've recorded two videos so far and each one of them has video and audio breakup at the beginning. My first test was outside and on the 3G network:



And here's my second test using Wi-Fi:



Compare that to the quality of the jailbroken Qik app:



I did notice that the overall sound on the Ustream app was better, though.

You can connect your Ustream app with Twitter on your iPhone but to connect it with Facebook and YouTube, you have to go to the actual site which is a little inconvenient. But, once you have it set it should be okay.

Another great feature of the Ustream app is the ability to record video straight to your iPhone - a feature that the iPhone 3G has NEVER had until now (without jailbreaking). However, the videos appear to be only playable through the Ustream app. Still, that's better than nothing.

It looks like Apple is finally caving in to giving ALL iPhone the ability to record video without jailbreaking. It seems that Qik has also resubmitted its app for live streaming so I'm sure we'll be seeing that very soon.

Are YOU T-Pain? You CAN BE!

Just got I Am T-Pain [iTunes link] for the low price of $.99 over the Thanksgiving weekend. I am not even a T-Pain fan but I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. I have to say it's a pretty interesting program.

Here's a link to a Christmas song I sung using the Auto-Tune feature in the app. Unfortunately, I'm not well-versed in many T-Pain songs. But, E_Diddy_84 on Twitter is a PRO at using the app!

Check out the video he made to enter in the Smule I Am T-Pain contest!



The popular iPhone app even made the Jimmy Kimmel Show:

And other artists got a chance to use I Am T-Pain. I love Akon's response. :)