Readers’ App Reviews – June 2012
This is a post by Reader’s Apps Reviewer Ryan Poolos, an iOS Developer and founder of Frozen Fire Studios. Checkout his latest game, Cyborg Livestock. Checkout his latest website, iHelp. Guess what – it’s time to check out another great batch of games and apps from fellow readers! I enjoyed playing with every single one […] By Ryan Poolos.
Read about some great apps made by fellow readers!
Read about some great apps made by fellow readers!
This is a post by Reader’s Apps Reviewer Ryan Poolos, an iOS Developer and founder of Frozen Fire Studios. Checkout his latest game, Cyborg Livestock. Checkout his latest website, iHelp.
Guess what – it’s time to check out another great batch of games and apps from fellow readers!
I enjoyed playing with every single one of your submissions this month. There were some really unique games this month as well as some very useful apps. It was difficult to decide which ones to review, since we only have limited space.
In the end priority was given to active readers and forum members. This column isn’t a ranking or contest. We only highlight the apps to point out our readers, who have put in a lot of hard work on these apps – and it shows! Be sure to check out the honorable mentions to see the rest of the awesome apps!
Read on to see some awesome apps from the RW community!
Pocket MUD Pro
Most of us love playing games on our iPhones and iPads, but for some there are just too many pixels. What happened to the good ole days where the pixels were in your imagination and the text was on the screen?
Gasp! Theres an app for that! Pocket MUD Pro is a fully featured MUD client for iOS with everything you need to MUD on the go. Its blazing fast and has super crisp text rendering.
One of the coolest parts is Brandon has integrated LUA scripting into the app to allow massive customization of buttons, aliases, and triggers for each server. To learn how to make these, you can check out the official docs.
Of if you’re curious about the “behind the scenes” of how Brandon implemented this, check out this great article on his blog with more details!
- Author: Brandon Trebitowski @brandontreb
- Most useful tutorial: How To Make a Multiplayer iPhone Game Hosted on your Own Server Part 1
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Bee Leader
You’ve finally done it, you’re top dog! Uh, I mean Bee.
You’ve got to lead your pollen junkies around the planet while avoiding all sorts of obstacles from cobras to storm clouds. Collect as much pollen as you can before nightfall.
One of the coolest parts of Bee Leader is the controls. There are tons of options from simple touch, to tilting, to remote joystick using another iPhone.
- Author: Greg Harding @flightlessnz
- Most useful tutorial: How To Debug Memory Leaks with XCode and Instruments Tutorial
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Geometry3D
I really could have used an app like this in school.
Geometry3D takes simple measurements like length, height, radius, etc and converts them into surfaces, perimeters, volumes, and more. It can handle both 2D and 3D shapes. It knows the formulas for regular shapes and irregular shapes from squares to Lozenges.
I didn’t know what a Lozenge was either until I downloaded Geometry3D! :] One more reason you need this app.
- Author: Hugo Hajaali
- Most useful tutorial: User Interface Customization in iOS 5
- App Store Link: Check it out!
A Bird’s Journey
The crowd grows silent and the curtains draw back. Its just you… the sky… and a giant whale!
With oldschool tap to fly controls and some awesome paper cutout style graphics, A Bird’s Journey is sure to be a hit on the stage and your iPad or iPhone.
Flap your way through several scenes, leveling up along the way to gain the extra edge each round. Look for the giant whale of hope signaling you made it to the end of a scene. Watch out for the boats in trying to keep you down.
- Author: Yannick Gerometta
- Most useful tutorial: How To Debug Memory Leaks with XCode and Instruments Tutorial
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Metro to-do
Did you wake up this morning feeling like you need a little more metro in your life? Are you jealous of your friends Windows phone always looking so minimal?
Look no further than Metro to-do. Mohammed does a great job replicating the crisp Metro feel on iOS. Its one of the cleanest to-do apps I’ve seen with a unique charm. Well unique to iOS, I assume all you Windows phone users are pretty used to it haha.
If you’re looking for a to-do app that lets you get in and out quick without visual distractions this ones for you.
- Author: Mohammed Alolofi
- Most useful tutorial: UIView Animation Tutorial: Practical Recipes
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Abductionary
Abductionary is a simple word building game just like all the others you’ve played. Psych!
An evil alien race wants to learn our our language and has sent the Language Extractor 6000 to do it. It takes random letters from abducted humans minds. Your job is to put them together into words.
Since the Language Extractor 6000 is inferior alien technology not build by us awesome humans it can overheat easily if you miss to many letters, so you’ve got to be quick.
- Author: Rafael Gaino @rgaino
- Most useful tutorial: How To Use Animations and Sprite Sheets in Cocos2D
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Chalkmaze
Cruel fate has trapped you in a chalkboard and your only hope is to safely navigate your way through a chalky prison.
Using natural accelerometer controls guide your smiley face through all the obstacles while hunting down the cosmic doorways to the great unknown. Collect all stars along the way if you want that 1337 status. And stay away from all the spikes or you won’t be smiling for long.
- Author: Ben Halden @benhalden
- Most useful tutorial: How To Use Box2D for Just Collision Detection
- App Store Link: Check it out!
GradeBook Pro
Gradebook Pro is a powerful app for teachers designed to make common tasks like keeping attendance and grades a breeze.
Gradebook Pro can keep track of multiple classes each with its own set of students, assignments, and settings. Awesome features include dropbox database backups, PDF generators for students or classes, and really quick sharing otions to email or save reports.
This app is certainly a welcome tool for a lot of teachers.
- Author: Eric Lombardo @GradeBookPro
- Most useful tutorial: How To Create a PDF with Quartz2D in iOS 5 Tutorial Part 1
- App Store Link: Check it out!