"If there is an app for that"

Clubhouse Sounds Awesome But Tread Carefully

March 07, 2021 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Jimbo

Apps have made it incredibly easy to connect with those you care about. Remember actually going places to engage with people? Wow, how old are we? LOL!

That’s all behind us now, just open an app and you can hang out and chat with people who you never would have had the chance to meet.

Clubhouse is a well-designed and easy-to-use app whose focus is drop-in audio conversations with friends and others around the world.

What’s so cool about this app, and why it’s taking off like a rocket, is that you can drop-in to a session just to listen to someone you follow and hear what he or she, and the whole group, is talking about.

Concept and Functionality:

Signing up for Clubhouse, a free app by Alpha Exploration Co., is incredibly easy – although in these days of privacy concern having to provide a phone number is a bit of a red flag.

Most people don’t mind this but they also require access to your contact list. All told this aspect of the app is something we’d like to see come up to speed with other social apps that are more sensitive to those who want to opt in to more privacy.

As far as the actual audio conversation or listening-in experience goes, we like the fact that Clubhouse covers new ground by moving users away from texting or just dropping comments, images and videos for others to see and waiting for feedback.

In a world of emojis, it’s actually quite refreshing to hear actual voices expressing actual emotions.

It seems like a strange concept at first, but being able to just drop-in an listen in on an ongoing discussion hosted by someone you’re interested in, is really pretty cool.

One thing to be aware of, though, is that the app is in its early days so don’t expect much in the way of content generally considered to be offensive being moderated out. When it comes to hateful speech or spreading known false conspiracies, it’s caveat emptor.

Features:

What seems to make Clubhouse click is that once you’re in a room you can see who’s on stage and who is speaking. It can be a challenge when the number of people increases but overall we like how it’s set up.

As you listen to different people speaking their avatars increase in size indicating they are the one speaking. Expect to do some scrolling though in a crowded session.

Unfortunately right now it’s invitation only so you may or may not be able to set up an account. That said, this is a smart move that makes it seem a bit exotic and probably helps them figure out what people like, don’t like, and make sure their tech is spot on to handle big user loads.

Value:

Clubhouse is available to download for free from the App Store. There are no ads or in-app purchases, which makes this a completely free app to use and enjoy. No subscription fees, no paid extras, and no nonsense.

Overall it’s a worthwhile download and, if you can create an account, an interesting experience that we think you’ll find quite compelling. However, we hope the devs will pay more attention to user privacy and moderating extreme content.

Clubhouse: Drop-in audio chat requires iOS 13.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/clubhouse-phone-app-review/

Kitty Letter is the Perfect Game for Your Spare Time

February 26, 2021 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Jimbo

Word games are great for whiling away the hours. Not only for a challenge against ‘enemies’, but also for pure enjoyment and maybe to boost your vocabulary.

Kitty Letter is an exceptional game designed for iPad that has taken off with word-game gamers and could easily be the best word game of 2021.

Developed by Exploding Kittens, Kitty Letter is one word game you absolutely must try if you’re looking for an alternative to Words With Friends and other uninspiring games.

Concept and Gameplay:

The first thing that you’ll notice when you start playing Kitty Letter is that it sports a unique gaming mode. If you’re expecting Boggle, the popular game that requires you to make as many words as you can with the letters you’re given, think again.

Kitty Letter isn’t difficult to figure out at all, but it’s definitely fun to play. The goal of the game is to avoid being overrun by exploding cats – but don’t worry, no real cats are harmed in the course of playing this delightful game ;-)

The simplicity of the game is touted by the developers as one of its key strengths. They tell you flat out that there are “no collecting cards, coins, or leveling up anything. Just play the game”.

In order to create words you must tap letters using your enchanted language vortex from the multiverse of infinite vocabularinities.

One nit we do want to pick is that the input play controls need some improvement. As we, along with a number of player who posted reviews noticed, it can be difficult to select the letter you want and unselecting is a pain.

Features:

Kitty Letter iPhone Game

Kitty Letter features online and local gameplay options so you can play it wherever and whenever you like. Playing solo is a great way to practice and hone your skills so you can later crush your real-life opponents.

The creativity of the game is outstanding and we just hope the UI folks are paying attention.

Value:

Kitty Letter is available to download from the App Store for free and is designed for iPad but is universally compatible with iPhone and iPad.

There are some in-app purchases but it’s all frivolous stuff, you don’t have to buy coins to advance past difficult situations. We’re looking at you Candy Crush.

Overall, Kitty Letter is a fun game with a creatively theme that is the perfect game for both solo and online players alike.

Kitty Letter requires iOS 10.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/kitty-letter-ipad-game-review/

Pouces Will Amplify Your Typing Efficiency

February 26, 2021 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon

Being able to find a keyboard that suits your typing style can be an invaluable improvement for anyone, especially if you frequently use your iPhone to communicate.

Even if the only typing you do on your iPhone is with iMessage, think about how much time you spend composing messages. Wouldn’t a more efficient keyboard be a huge help?

Pouces is an ingenious keyboard app that has a unique layout specifically designed for speed and efficiency.

While it may be unlike anything you’ve used before, if you’re willing to go through a bit of a learning curve, this app could be perfect for you.

Concept and Functionality:

Experimenting with keyboards is something that took me a bit of time to try, mainly because I’m one of those iPhone users who isn’t a fan of change.

However, imagine easily typing a text message with one finger or being able to compose a lengthy email in a just matter of a couple minutes. That’s the benefit to using the right keyboard.

Pouces, created by Charles Clement, features a keyboard layout you’ve likely never seen before.

Just about every keyboard app, including Apple’s default keyboard, uses the QWERTY format that was created when keyboards were part of clunky physical typewriters and typing had to be intentionally slowed down.

Unlike QWERTY keyboards, Pouces was designed specifically to make typing faster and easier. This was done by redesigning how the keyboard is organized, which is why it’s divided into six different zones with a vowel in the middle of each zone.

In order to type, you tap on the middle of a zone and swipe in the direction of the letter you want to enter. Instead of making broad sweeping motions like you normally would when using a swipe gesture keyboard, you’re making many tiny motions to type out what you need.

Pouces iPhone App

Perhaps the steepest learning curve comes with figuring out where letters are on the keyboard. The only pattern I can find is a location of a vowel in the middle of each zone. There is seemingly no rhyme or reason as to where other letters and symbols are placed on the keyboard.

Features:

Along with a brand-new layout, Pouces helps soften the learning curve by guiding new users through a very comprehensive tutorial that covers nearly everything you need to know about the keyboard.

This tutorial is incredibly helpful and I definitely recommend going through it a few times.

Pouces also includes fast access to accented letters and numbers, which is especially helpful if you frequently type in other languages besides English.

There’s also support for text replacement and switching back to your previous keyboard layout if you need to.

Value:

Pouces is available to download on the App Store for $1.99, making it a bit pricey for a keyboard app.

If I could make one recommendation, it would be to either offer a free demo version of Pouces so users can see if it’s something they could use or offer an in-app purchase to unlock the full version of the keyboard.

With Pouces being as complex as it is, new users might be fearful of investing in an app they may not enjoy using.

Overall, Pouces is an iPhone keyboard app with plenty of potential benefits for users who stick with it.

However, it will take plenty of patience to master, so don’t expect to start using it like a pro right away.

If you’re looking for a better typing experience and are willing to learn a completely new keyboard layout then it’s definitely worth a try.

Pouces requires iOS 12.4 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/pouces-iphone-app-review/

Sleepin’ Guy Will Fire You Up to Keep Playing

February 16, 2021 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon

Puzzle games are always fun to play, but in my opinion they’re even more fun when there’s a storyline behind them that you need to follow.

Sleepin’ Guy is an incredibly inventive game that combines visually gorgeous and immersive 3D graphics with a cool puzzle game that will quickly draw you into it’s well designed interactive world.

Concept and Gameplay:

Personally I’m a huge fan of puzzle games that are more than just moving pieces on a screen. Sleepin’ Guy, by Fabio Ferrara, is a completely different experience because you’re transported to a very detailed 3D world.

You’re playing as a tough guy who falls asleep but is unable to wake up from his bizarre dreams. The goal of the game is to work your way through different scenarios in order to wake up.

What I really like about Sleepin’ Guy is the fact that the game environment is highly interactive. There’s plenty to explore while you’re trying to complete levels and the controls are really easy to understand.

I didn’t find Sleepin’ Guy to be too difficult or complex to play. Honestly it’s pretty relaxing and lots of fun, which is a great relief for games that can otherwise be too challenging and frustrating to play.

You won’t find anything too crazy or complex in this game to put you off, and that’s a very good thing.

Features:

If you’re like me, you don’t enjoy puzzle games that are completed in just a few hours. Sleepin’ Guy contains 25 levels for you to interact with, which means you won’t be done with it right away.

Sleepin’ Guy iPhone Game

You can interact with objects in your dream, drive vehicles, and even command your character to burp.

If the levels weren’t enough to keep you involved for hours on end, Sleepin’ Guy features collectible items that you can hunt for as you play the game.

If you can’t get enough of Sleepin’ Guy on your iPad, you can check the game out on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo.

Value:

Sleepin’ Guy is designed for iPad and is available to download from the App Store for $3.99.

While admittedly this price is at the high end of download fees for games, this is a very fair price for an interactive and visually appealing game such as this one.

It’s often the case that you get what you pay for, and in this case, that’s definitely true. While we have our concerns about this, we hope players will not hesitate.

Overall, Sleepin’ Guy is a fun adventure puzzle game with a crazy storyline and absolutely stunning graphics.

We suspect the download fee may deter some gamers but trust us, this is definitely a game that’s worth every penny.

Sleepin’ Guy requires iOS 10.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

TheiPhoneAppReview’s rating:

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/sleepin-guy-iphone-game-review/

What You Need To Know About Apple’s New Privacy Labels

February 05, 2021 by RSS Feed

Apple’s Important New Privacy Labels

Although you may not realize it many companies and harvesting your online activity. All aspects of what you do online constitutes one pieces of their crop. They combine your data with countless others and the entire crop of data is sold, sometimes processed sometimes raw, to any and all comers.

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

But the data they collect is not traceable to me so why do I care? For starters, that is a very naive assumption. Why do you think a search on Google or Amazon has you seeing ads for that exact item on just about every web site you visit?

Shopping efficiency is just the tip of the iceberg. That is what makes billions of dollars for Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and, yes, even Apple. A bigger issue is what those who buy the data are doing with it.

One indication of the importance of privacy is the reaction of companies who profit from it when they are blocked by higher levels of it. Facebook, for example, is now in a heated war with Apple over these privacy “nutrition labels”. Gee, I wonder why.

Knowing how your data is being monetized and how you are being manipulated (via political ads) is clearly just the first step, and it is an incredibly important one. The next step, which no company can do for you, is to give a shit.

In Apple’s case their efforts have been fairly consistent over the years regarding their emphasis on privacy. But their move to help their users understand what every app is doing in this area only goes back to this past December.

That’s when they began letting folks know what incursions into your privacy each app wanted and, if available, why they wanted it. You can see this info in the product page listings in its iPhone and iPad App Stores.

Of course, just like the nutrition labels on the food you buy, they’re only as good as the accuracy of the information. While the Food and Drug Administration (in the USA) monitors nutrition labels, there is no over-arching agency to monitor privacy labels. As you’d expect, where there is no enforcement there is plenty of room for mis- and dis- information.

Now that your expectations are set, make sure you at least give these new labels a try. To help you Apple has posted a page with some details. Definitely worth a read.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Apple tells developers “You’re responsible for keeping your responses accurate and up to date”. As already stated in these early days the accuracy of the information may not be what it should be, but it is a start and we hope to see more companies taking it very seriously and provide more complete and accurate info.

The first important signal that this is a shift for the better, as far as consumers are concerned, is that Facebook hates it.

For example, an article in Inc. Magazine is titled “Facebook’s New Privacy Pop-Up Shows the Company Just Doesn’t Get It” and lays out the difference between only caring about monitoring your customers and actually caring about your customers.

The key is controlling what you offer that has value. Think about it, every time you search for a product that search has value. Every time you log onto Facebook and check your newsfeed, that action has value.

The bottom line is that Apple’s new Privacy Labels put you more in the driver’s seat and less in the slaughterhouse. Make it a point to read the labels and, whenever possible, opt for an app that is more transparent and provides more detail about exactly what they track and why they track it.

Over time this will be the norm, change is always hard, but change is coming and Mark Zuckerberg will just have to learn how to make a buck (or rather many billions of bucks) while treating his customers with respect. Wow, imagine that!

Well there you have it. Give it a try and let us know what you think.

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-apples-new-privacy-labels/