Most football fans will be forced to spend at least part of the weekend away from televised Super Bowl coverage. For those not willing to endure that sort of pain, the N.F.L. this week released three apps to help. The Super Bowl XLVI Guide (free on Apple and Android), the Super Bowl XLVI Commemorative App ($3 on Apple and Android) and the Super Bowl XLVI Official NFL Game Program (free for iPad) are, on balance, worth the download – especially if you are a Giants or Patriots fan. The Super Bowl XLVI Guide is probably best for those who will watch the game live, as it includes an interactive map of Indianapolis and the Lucas Oil Stadium and a slate of area events. More interesting for fans watching at home, though, is the “huddle” feature, showing tweets about players and the game. For avid fans who own iPads, the Super Bowl XLVI Commemorative App is worth purchasing. It features excellent photography and interesting features, like all-star teams, game stats and Super Bowl history. The app is also available on Android, but on a limited number of devices. (Popular devices like the Motorola Droid Razr, the Droid2, Sprint’s Nexus4G and the Galaxy Tabs, for instance, are not included.) The Super Bowl XLVI Official N.F.L. Game Program is another must-have app for Giants and Patriots fans. It features video highlights of the teams’ journey to the big game, and an up-close view of the rings given to past Super Bowl winners, among other interesting editorial features. Depending on the game’s outcome, these apps might even be worth keeping on the device. Read More
Photoshop may be the most powerful photo touch-up software, but it isn’t the simplest to use. And the simplest ones? They’re not so powerful. But photo-software makers are releasing products that fall between the two. Some are stand-alone versions of programs most often used to add features to Photoshop, called plug-ins. Others are upgraded versions of phone or tablet photo apps. Among the most recent releases are two higher-powered versions of well-known phone and tablet apps, CameraBag and Snapseed. CameraBag became best known as an app that adds visual effects to smartphone photos, like making a picture look as though it had been taken with a Holga toy camera. But a desktop version called CameraBag 2 for the Mac and PC does a lot more using similar controls. Instead of just adding effects, it lets you customize those effects and even simplifies color and exposure corrections. For beginners, the simple way to use CameraBag 2 is “Quicklooks,” which shows examples of how the photo you took will look if you use the more than 100 filters and controls, like exposure and contrast, as well as more advanced controls like luminance curves. Once you have used one of the controls or effects, a box appears under the picture with the name of each filter or control you’ve used. That way you can remove anything in a single step, or go back and further adjust that step. You can finish your work off with a border, such as one that makes your photo look as if it were a 35 mm slide in a white paper mount. The program isn’t quite as easy as it might be. There are a lot of different ways you can get to the same effects panel, which can make it confusing to remember how you got there. It Read More
Last week’s App Smart column highlighted a pair of apps for new parents, WebMD Baby (free on Apple) and Baby Connect ($5 on Apple and Android). Given WebMD Baby’s pedigree, it’s little surprise that the app offers a deep well of medically related information. For Apple owners who want medical information that will see their baby through adolescence, though, a very good option awaits. The Portable Pediatrician ($10 on iTunes) is based on the popular book by the medical specialists William Sears, Martha Sears, Robert Sears, James Sears and Peter Sears. The app is generally well designed. You can enter keywords and phrases like “canker sores” or “asthma symptoms,” and the app returns the relevant information. You can also scroll through a long list of topics that are presented alphabetically. The Portable Pediatrician includes other useful features, like a growth chart and a guide to supplying your medicine cabinet properly. Some of the app’s users have complained that they cannot scroll down past the first page on a given topic, but the text scrolls horizontally from page to page rather than vertically. (The publisher so far provides no arrows to suggest which way to scroll the text.) That’s more of a design oddity than a bug, however. And it’s definitely not enough of an issue to keep the Portable Pediatrician from occupying a prominent place on my device. Read More
Is it as good as Morris Lessmore? No. Is it worth $6? Yes, if you have children under age 10. Like Morris, Numberlys is heavy on video — this time with a distinctly retro vibe. Numberlys is cut stylistically from the cloth of Metropolis and the original King Kong, all gray and black, with lots of art deco lines set against an urban backdrop. The animation is nothing short of arresting. As a piece of storytelling, though, the app is uneven. It focuses on five cute, whimsical characters, called Numberlys, who build the alphabet one letter at a time. Readers help the characters build roughly 20 letters, and at those moments the narrative incorporates simple games. On one page, for instance, you slide a cursor along the bottom of the screen (a la Pong) to deflect falling letters. The letters ricochet and chip away at a gear that eventually becomes the letter “G.” There’s a blush of character-based drama at the midpoint of the story (involving the smallest character), but otherwise the tale fails to achieve much emotional depth as it vacillates between game and narrative. This was my only quibble with the app. Had Moonbot Studios failed to do such deeply empathetic work in Morris Lessmore, maybe I’d have felt less disappointed. But for younger children especially, the story is a playful and satisfying romp through the alphabet. The narrator introduces each letter with words that beg parental explanation (“Gallantry! Gusto!”), so Numberlys leaves room for parents in the nighttime reading experience. Some will balk at the $6 price, but for 30 minutes of entertainment and activity that children will want to experience repeatedly, $6 may well be a bargain. Read More
Here are four storage solutions designed to make your iPhone-size devices more toddler-friendly. HappiTaps (shown, $20; infantino.com) is by far the most innovative approach. It turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a cheerful bear’s face. Slip it inside this plush holder; download a free app called Beary Happi and presto, you have a square-headed rattle that you can clip to your belt or stroller. It now talks, tells silly jokes, and knows when it is being swung around. The app is well designed, with hidden controls that let you customize the bear’s personality. Additional stories, songs and features are sold as an in-app purchase. Laugh and Learn Apptivity Case ($15; fisher-price.com) is the most durable of the bunch. The hard plastic case is designed to appeal to a teething baby especially eager to bite your iPhone or iPod Touch. After you start your app of choice, you lock your device inside the case. The screen and home button are now protected behind a drool-proof clear plastic shield. To change an app — or take a call from your boss — you have to undo a quarter-size screw on the back. The easy-to-grasp handles have four loops, and there is a mirror on the back. Ages 6-36 months. Woogie 2 ($20, Griffin Technologies; griffintechnology.com) is a five-legged, plush smartphone holder that can work with an iPhone device or Android phone, and makes no effort to block the home button. Unlike the original Woogie, there is no internal speaker, so a pair of headphones may be required, especially when it is used in a car. The five legs bend easily and are weighted with pellets, making the screen easy to prop up for watching a movie. The accompanying app, called Sesame Street Sampler turns the Woogie into a narrated storybook reader, with Read More
Just as the 10 best Android apps can hold their own against the 10 best iPhone apps of 2011, so can the better Android games hold their own against their iPhone counterparts. Here are my picks for the best new Android games of the year. Air Attack HD ($3) Engage in high stakes air combat with this small-screen thriller. Air Attack is especially good on tablets, but even on phones the game will bring an adrenaline rush to mobile warriors. Apparatus ($2.45) An extremely cool problem-solver. Arrange shapes into various objects (or not), then use your geometric creation to transport marbles to a goal. A free “Lite” version is also available. Bug Village (free) Inhabit a world of ants, bees and other critters in this cute, engaging game. Good for children, fun for adults. Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation ($7) The newest entrant in the first-person shooter category, Modern Combat is a beast of a game, with state-of-the-art graphics. (Check the reviews, as users of some Android phones say the game isn’t yet ready for their devices.) Cordy (free) A breakaway hit of 2011, Cordy puts you at the controls of a robot as he navigates a beautifully whimsical landscape. The first levels are free; after you’re hooked, you’ll pay for more. Tower Raiders 2 Gold ($5) The second installment in the popular tower defense franchise, Tower Raiders Gold 2 combines nimble game play with enough depth to keep players busy for days. For those unwilling to spend that much cash on a tower defense game, try Defender, which is good, and free. Words With Friends (free) One of the giants of online gaming, Words With Friends finally made it to Android in 2011. The early bugs have been largely worked out, so longtime Words fans can breathe easy. World of Read More
I love video games as much as the next guy, as long as the next guy doesn’t spend hours a day grinding through the upper levels of Call of Duty or the latest Super Mario creation. So for casual mobile gamers, as promised in this week’s App Smart column, here’s a list of my top 10 new iPhone gaming apps for 2011. Scribblenauts Remix ($1) A beautifully-designed cartoon adventure game for children, Scribblenauts Remix is the mobile version of the popular Nintendo DS title. (For ages 9 and older.) Where’s My Water? ($1) A charming, light game in which you help an alligator find water in increasingly complicated conditions. (For ages 4 and older.) Tiny Tower (free) Build a tower within the limits of your ever-changing virtual budget. It’s creative problem solving, wrapped in graphically cute packaging. (For ages 4 and older.) Tiny Wings ($1) An adorable, seductively simple and addictive game involving a hungry bird who must fly at varying trajectories to thrive. (For ages 4 and older.) TouchGrind BMX ($5) Cool graphics, fun and immersive gameplay that puts you at the controls of a stunt bike. Worth the price, especially because you won’t spend more money on in-game purchases. (For ages 4 and older.) W.E.L.D.E.R. ($2) An addictive and innovative word game, for nerds and casual gamers alike. (For ages 4 and older.) Jetpack Joyride (free) A jetpack-bearing warrior battles robots from above. Fun graphics with brisk, challenging gameplay. (For ages 9 and older.) Minecraft — Pocket Edition ($7, with a free Lite version) A mobile version of the popular world-building game that’s slightly stripped down, but it will still engage fans of the original. (For ages 4 and older.) Infiniti Blade II ($7) Stunning graphics and immersive storylines in a fantasy battle epic.(For ages 9 and up.) Modern Read More
Giving your child an iPad or iPod Touch as a gift this year? Preload it with some quality apps before you wrap it. That way you’ll increase your chances for a positive first impression. Here’s a fresh batch of suggestions, arranged from young to old. Bizzy Bear on the Farm ($4) is full of clever talking animals and barnyard jobs that include gathering eggs, herding sheep and riding a horse. Every page has hidden surprises that support the story. Ages 2-4. DoodleCast for Kids ($2) captures your child’s doodles and voice at the same time, for instant playback. The process is automated and the products make wonderful digital snapshots of your child’s development. Keep the file for a dozen years and you’ll have an excellent mechanism for embarrassing your high school graduate. An active YouTube account is needed for the sharing. Ages 2-8. Nighty Night! HD ($1, shown above). If there ever was such a thing as a nap app, this is it. Seven bucolic barnyard scenes have a hidden light switch. Once touched, the scene darkens and the animals settle into bed. The sheep snuggles into a bed of straw, the chicks huddle under their mother’s soft wing. Once in bed the animals stir when touched, but they stay in bed. Clearly this app was designed by an experienced parent. Ages 1-3. Noodle Words ($3) turns 18 action words like spin and sparkle into action-related toys. Touch the word “pump” and it grows fatter. Touch again (what child wouldn’t) and the word grows some more, until it can’t take any more pressure and it starts zipping around the screen, giving children fun way to experiment with word meanings. For ages 4-7. Puzzle Pop ($1) is a set of 27 timed jigsaw puzzles that start easy and get harder. The animated Read More
You might expect folks who make iPhone Santa apps to be filled with the holiday spirit, but after testing some of their wares, I’ve concluded they might be some of the Scroogiest people around. I tried some apps similar to one I liked last year, “Talking Santa,” which let me record a message and make it appear to come from an animated Santa. I thought it would be a fun way for parents to send a message from Santa to their children. Most apps I tried this year are fun enough, but served as a platform for selling add-ons. And these are apps you largely have paid to own. It’s the kind of greed I’d expect from old Ebenezer himself. Here are my findings: Singing Santa ( Free for iPhone; $4.99 for iPad ) This excellent animation features a hybrid disco-hip-hop Santa, which sets your words to Christmas music using auto-tune-type software. In fact, it was better to just speak the lyrics and let the app make it musical. You can then save your resulting singing animation and share it by e-mail, message or Facebook. There are other little surprises, like if you touch Santa’s head he reacts as if being punched in the face, which is exactly what I wanted to do each time he tried to sell me upgrades. But I have to give Singing Santa a bye. Even though the button to see “Santa’s List” offers to sell “One Favorite Carols Style Pack” for $3, eight more dance moves for Santa for $2 and additional still frame electronic postcards for $1, that is only on the free version. On the $5 iPad version, it’s all included. In all, still better than a fruitcake. An adorably rotund cartoon child dresses as Santa. The app’s instructions say to talk to Read More
Kayak, the plane-booking service, released an upgrade on Tuesday for its iPad app, adding car reservation and trip-planning tools while introducing a brand-new design. The app, available as a free download in Apple’s App Store, allows users to book cars through popular rental services like Alamo and Avis. For planning trips, the Kayak app includes an itinerary manager for adding flight departure and arrival details, as well as lodging locations and check-in times. The trip planner had previously been exclusive to the iPhone version of the Kayak app, but with Tuesday’s update, the app has now been unified so that the same features are available on both the iPhone and iPad versions. Begun in 2005, Kayak is an online travel-booking service allowing customers to search for deals on plane tickets, rental cars and hotels offered by a wide range of companies. Read More
