Besides being the best iPhone app name ever, the ingenious app makes measuring nuts, bolts and washers simple for both US and metric sizes. I can use an iPhone to measure my nuts and bolts? Count me in! Developer Robert Soliday, has gone to great lengths to design an extremely simple utility app that makes me laugh out loud every time I use at my Home Depot store. Since it first launched, Nut Sizer has been updated to allow users to turn the sound on and off along with the animation. I found the inclusion of washer identifications for both ID (inner diameter) and OD (outer diameter) to be really useful. If you handle nuts on a daily basis, I'm pretty sure you'll find this app a welcomed addition to your your iPhone toolbox. Nut Sizer also contains a handy ruler on board to make measuring other mission critical parts just as easy. It takes more than just a quality product to get noticed, it takes a huge set of great marketing ideas and a clever name to rise above the rest. After eyeballing a handful of other nuts and bolts apps, Nut Sizer still remains my pick for the most functional app of its kind in the App Store. Although I would suggest using care if you don't employ some kind of screen protection. It's not a game people. It's a real tool for real men. How big are your nuts? Read More
Those of us who are chronic Girl Scout Cookie fanatics understand the real value behind an app that can help locate several boxes of Thin Mints or mind-blowing Samoas on a moments notice. is a free app that allows iPhone users to employ GPS to find those delectable, seasonal cookies by ZIP code, city, or state. There's something incredibly magical about seeing a bunch of Samoas pop up on a street map. This clever app also includes Cookie Personality Profiles along with dozens of cookie inspired recipes like Thin Mint Brownies or even their Tagaongs Shake which looks delicious. When signing up for "Alerts", this app will notify users by phone or email when there is a Girl Scout Cookie booth selling in the immediate area. Bingo! Now that cookie selling season is almost upon us, it just doesn't get any better than this. [Little Brownie Bakers] *also available for Android users Read More
The latest “Year of the Dragon,” update has launched on , as Rovio tosses in a new holiday for 2012 by celebrating the Chinese New Year which officially kicks off on January 23rd. Die hard fans will be getting some welcomed help from a fearsome Mighty Dragon – who does a stellar job replacing the infamous Mighty Eagle to keep the gameplay fresh. The entire Angry Birds landscape is transformed here with the addition of Chinese lanterns, teapots and fireworks lighting up the sky. The disgruntled flock are even treated to traditional sounds of Chinese music which makes an ideal backdrop for unleashing chaos and destruction upon the piggish ones who can be spotted wearing Chinese-style conical hats. Rovio has done a bang-up job designing a strong ethnic flair to this eccentric new version, dwarfing their 2011 "Moon Festival" theme that in my opinion fell short of being truly fabulous. “Year of The Dragon” is definitely pushing this angry little franchise in the right direction. Maybe this year the Rovio team will launch their own brand of Angry Fireworks. What do you think? [ Read More
Creating amazing finger art has been a wildly popular internet meme that's finally made its way onto iPhone with . This app could instantly add a wicked new twist to the fun of "sexting". I killed the better part of an hour turning a prune-skinned finger into a terrified bald guy (below). The opportunity to design your own unique finger art seems endless here with all of the attachable body parts guns, and other accessories required to build a masterpiece. It's possible that there's a new form of iPhoneography about to emerge here. You can upgrade this clever app with more faces, hair and effects for a $1.99 in-app purchase, which also removes the annoying banner ads. Developers might get more upgrade activity if they actually let users preview what's included with their Full-Feature Pack. One of my favorite pieces of finger art is (below) by Chris Zombieking. I can't wait to add a little paint to my next bit of flesh-art and then give my friends the finger on Twitter. If you want to email me your own Cool Finger Faces, I'll definitely post them. But send finger art only people. No other body parts are allowed. Read More
is reminiscent of classic 2D platformers that require the player to navigate from one side of the map to the other while collecting items used to unlock levels and additional worlds along the way. Staying alive as you kill enemies and find secret collectibles is both addicting and challenging. You then spend these items on unlocking bonus levels or new worlds. This game has great replay value because of the three unique difficulty levels and multiple collectibles that keep gameplay interesting. The game has you playing as Allen, the incarnation of a "small nightmare", but he isn't as scary as the ones that keep you up at night. You guide Allen through the levels with different items and abilities, trying to collect everything you can. The pixel art graphics and music here are notable, especially the layered backgrounds that blend with the environment. Each world looks and sounds better than the last. What I like most about this game is the retro-platformer feel that is reinforced by finding secret areas and collectibles, and by the simplicity of its controls. Playing levels multiple times for 100% completion never gets old. For only a buck, Terra Noctis is a game that anyone who loves Mario or other classic platformers should definitely pick up. It's a beautiful game on both the iPhone and the iPad that gives you hours of classic side-scrolling gameplay. Guest post by Jordan Schmidt - @JSchmidty Read More
PayPal is now live on the Fandango iPhone app. It's about time! Fandango has finally added a PayPal option with their recent 4.5.1 update which lets users login to their PayPal account and purchase movie tickets without leaving the app. Since I keep a reasonable running balance in my PayPal account I was as giddy as a school girl to hear that the Fandango gang finally brought PayPal on board. Although the free for iPhone launched back in 2009, paying with a credit card was the only option to snag mobile movie tickets. The wildly popular app offers ticket sales for some 16,000 movie screens and makes viewing trailers and fan ratings a snap on the go. Fandango has just added one more reason to love this highly functional app. Read More
So rather than having a second beer tonight what would you think about donating that $5 bucks to a charity instead? Or how about going without that third Starbucks latte for a good cause? A Texas-based non-profit behind the micro-donation app , is encouraging millions of iPhone users "to live within or below their means in order to give to the charity of their choice." And they want you to Tweet about it when you do. I found Instead to be a simple but incredibly well designed app that infuses "social" into charitable giving, while making the process easy to manage. Dial up the consumable luxury you intend to give up and then add a specific dollar amount to it. The next step is choosing a non-profit from Instead's huge list of charities. I liked the idea of seeing Trending non-profit organizations at the top of a scrollable, alphabetized list. The app even includes a Suggest button that lets each user inform the Instead team about the kind of charities they're passionate about supporting. When I dug into their Twitter stream, it became obvious that a non-profit like , had already been adopted into the app's list of charities as a result of user input. Another notable item here is donation transparency. The app makes it clear that 95% of all donations that go to Instead, Inc. are redistributed to each non-profit with 5% being set aside for the company to cover only mission critical operating costs. If this mobile give more and take less brand of social philanthropy catches on, it's possible that could quickly become the of charitable giving overnight with enough dedicated iPhone fingers leading the charge. But is our gadget crazed, consumer driven culture ready and willing to set aside a small part of their own appetites Read More
After the Steeler's heartbreaking 29 to 23 loss to the Denver Broncos on the first play of their sudden death overtime playoff game, I'm sure there's thousands of hardcore Pittsburgh fans who would like punch quarterback Tim Tebow square in the face. Now you can... because there's an app for that. The free iPhone app called , may be a bittersweet consolation for upset Steeler fans, but for now that's all they've got. This one is a perfectly dumb novelty app that let's you punch the bejesus out of Tim Tebow with rapid fire smacks in the face. You'll also be agitated by the app with various taunts designed to keep your manly aggression high. While it would be nice to see some epic bruising and few knocked out teeth left behind on Tebow's mug, this app simply counts your punches and let's you share your rage on Facebook. I'm certain Pittsburgh fans will be down on one knee (praying) with great faith that the Broncos get pummeled by the New England Patriots next week. Maybe you should download the free for that. It's Tebow time! Read More
So you got a new iPhone? It's time to dig deeper into Apple's native Maps app to uncover some of the amazing functions right at your finger tips. iPhone Maps can be utilized for much more than simply finding directions. While Siri can perform many of these same searches with iPhone 4S, I'm going to focus on the seek and find method to include other models. Before launching the app you'll need to ensure that Locations Services is set to (ON). Do this by selecting your Settings App > Locations Services > ensure Location Services is (ON) > then turn Maps (ON). Close app. To enable Traffic Conditions, launch the Maps app, then tap the icon on the bottom right which will reveal options. Select Show Traffic. Your map routes should light up almost instantly, although it may take a bit longer when using a 3G connection. The color codes identify traffic conditions and become even more visible when zooming in on your iPhone. Apple states in their that traffic conditions aren't available in all areas. When I compared an AT&T iPhone to a Verizon iPhone, the Verizon handset did not display traffic conditions. If you don't see traffic conditions immediately, check with your carrier before losing your mind attempting to activate this feature. is a Free premium app that Verizon customers can download access local traffic conditions, directions and turn-by-turn, voice-guided navigation. Navigation requires purchasing a $4.99 monthly subscription. (Premium features included in this app will not work for those on other carriers). Now let's use Maps to find a local Home Depot or even a Denny's Restaurant. After opening Maps tap the search field above to bring up the keyboard. Type in the name of a business, like Denny's, then tap Search. You should see a number of red pins drop, locating the closest Denny's. Tap the head of Read More
Many of us have spent countless hours flinging birds at buildings trying to kill pigs, and plenty of developers have attempted to create a game as addicting as Angry Birds, but almost all have failed. truly stands out in a crowd of games with similarities to the ever-popular Angry Birds by making the gameplay unique but still nicely familiar. Siege Hero is based off of a popular iOS app and Flash physics puzzle game which involves throwing some sort of projectile at structures to kill the evil armies inside. When you touch your finger to the area you want to destroy, a rock or some other destructive item, gets chucked at the tower-like structures. Your goal is to annihilate all the bad guys with as few strategic throws as possible. Instead of using a slingshot to catapult birds, Siege Hero uses a first person view as you toss rocks and bombs at various towers to destroy the pint size inhabitants. Unfortunately, in the first sets of levels many of the items you throw act like the birds in Angry Birds. As you progress through the game Siege Hero does begin to add new destructive tools, but I feel that the game would stand out more from Angry Birds with even more deadly things to hurl at the evil ones. One welcomed difference from Angry Birds is that some levels require you to also save villagers while destroying the structures, offering a nice change of pace from previous levels. As it is, is a seriously fun game and people who love Angry Birds should love this one, but some (like myself) may be left wanting a little bit more out of the gameplay. Even though I think this game could be improved with added weaponry and more level variations, is updating Read More
