Readers’ App Reviews – May 2016

White Noise and Deep Sleep Sounds to Help You and Your Baby Sleep Better

Sometimes it can be a little too quiet. This can make it hard to sleep or concentrate for some of us. This app is here to help.

White Noise or background sound can help us sleep and help us focus. It works a couple of different ways. Blocking out distracting noises while also forming sound associations. Perhaps a nice coffee shop background helps you work while rain fall helps you sleep.

This app features all sorts of sounds from household to nature. You can listen to a vacuum cleaner or a hairdryer. There are nature sounds like rain, thunder, or ocean waves. Or you can listen to various white noise or other color based noises.

All the sounds are seamlessly looped and the app supports background audio so you can listen anytime. Airplay is supported if you want to blast it outside of your headphones. Or you can even use your Apple TV to play the sound!

• Author: Huxley Seidman
• Most useful tutorial: How to Make Game Music for Beginners
• App Store Link: Check it out!

Scala Architectural and Engineering Scale

We all need a ruler from time to time. But for some, its a necessary tool to get the job done, and not all rulers are created equal.

Scala Architectural and Engineering Scale is an advanced measurement app that will allow you to precisely measure drawings at any scale at your desk or on the go. The app supports both fixed scales if you already know the scale of your diagrams or variable scales if the drawing you’re working with is unknown. In that case you can simple adjust the scale based on any known elements and the app will lock it in allowing you to measure other relative elements.

Scala Architectural and Engineering Scale supports a variety of scales and units covering common architectural, engineering, and general metric needs. It can also easily convert between units and scales as needed.

The app is free with a variety of larger scales to try. An in app purchase unlocks the smaller, more precise scales you’ll likely use on professional work. Scala Architectural and Engineering Scale is a must have app for architects, engineers, or any professional that needs precise measurements anywhere.

• Author: Noerah Alvi @steeltreelabs
• Most useful tutorial: The iOS Apprentice
• App Store Link: Check it out!

Miss D

Miss D is a different kind of translating app. It translates one word at a time, beautifully and completely.

Miss D will translate any word into up to 10 different languages from French to Japanese. It take in 90+ languages for the input. The output however is high quality. It includes both written and spoken translations with audio recordings for the 10 different output languages.

Miss D has a few great tricks up it’s sleeve though that make it really unique. In addition to looking great and focusing on multiple translations for a single word. Miss D also pulls Wikipedia content for input words. This can solve a few problems. It can help point out names and places if you weren’t sure what you were translating. It can also help define slang words or multiple meaning words. I found it helpful, I can’t imagine how helpful it could be to a non native speaker.

Miss D also throws in a bit of whimsy matching emoji as well! Translate happy and in addition to feliz and felice (Spanish and Italian) you’ll get a range of happy emoji. I doubt you’ll be using Miss D as an emoji searcher but its a very nice touch that adds some character to an already unique translation app.

• Author: William Peroche
• Most useful tutorial: iOS App Extension video tutorial series
• App Store Link: Check it out!

Quest for King’s Underpants

We’ve probably all had it happen to us. We’re getting ready for the day and we realize we’ve misplaced our favorite underpants!

In this game, this time it’s the King’s underpants and he’s relying on you to help find them. There is of course a royal reward awaiting you if you should return with the underpants alive.

To succeed in your quest, you’ll need to explore 75 rooms across 3 floors of the castle. There are enemies to be fought and treasures to be found. You’ll need to talk with the locals for clues on where the underpants might be.

Quest for the King’s Underpants has nostalgically retro 8 bit graphics. There are simple swipe controls to move around the room fighting and collecting. And of course no retro game would be complete without great music and sound effects!

• Author: Gino Preti @LagMacStudio
• Most useful tutorial: Sprite Kit Animations and Texture Atlases in Swift
• App Store Link: Check it out!

Honorable Mentions

Every month I get way more submissions than I have time to write about. I download every app to try them out, but only have time to review a select few. I love seeing our readers through the apps submitted to me every month.

It’s not a popularity contest or even a favorite picking contest — I just try to share a snapshot of the community through your submissions. Please take a moment and try these other fantastic apps from readers like you.

Go Robo Run (ios)
Editable File
Blox 3D Junior
Biker Buddies
Sub Zero
Experimentum
Jumpox
Oh My Plane
Space Patrol 2016
Esquío: Pro workout creation, execution and sharing

Where To Go From Here?

If you saw an app your liked, hop to the App Store and leave a review! A good review always makes a dev’s day. And make sure you tell them you’re from raywenderlich.com; this is a community of makers.

If you’ve never made an app, this is the month! Check out our free tutorials to become an iOS star. What are you waiting for – I want to see your app next month.