"If there is an app for that"

Kick 2020’s Ass With This Cathartic Endless Runner

January 21, 2021 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by a masked-up Jimbo

2020 Game is an addicting online arcade game that scratches that “screw 2020” itch and keeps you playing for a better score.

This game comes at the right time sporting simple controls and universal access making this a great game for everyone.

Concept and Gameplay:

I’m all for complex and in-depth games, but sometimes the most fun is had when you have only one goal in mind – don’t die.

2020 Game, from developer Max Garkavyy, has one objective – travel as far as you can while avoiding obstacles such as rocks in your way and fires. Controls are very simple – move left or right holding down your keyboard left/right arrow keys, and tap the space bar to make your character jump. Beyond that, your only objective is to survive as long as you can.

The note from the dev say below the game on their site says it all: “PLAY THROUGH ALL THE MAJOR EVENTS OF 2020: THE AUSTRALIA WILDFIRES, COVID-19, THE STOCK MARKET CRASH, QUARANTINE, THE RISE OF TIKTOK, THE USA ELECTIONS, ETC.”

Features:

This multi-level game is the complete opposite of Flappy Bird. It’s not that difficult to play so anyone can just jump in and have fun advancing through major event level or 2020 trend levels.

The key benefit of the 2020 Game, in our minds though, is that it allows players to deal with their pent up frustrations in a socially acceptable and laugh-out-loud fun way.

The second thing we love about its over-the-top fun that will entertain you for hours, 10 minutes at a time. Just try to play it only once, we dare you.

2020 Game

All that is useless, of course, unless the game is well designed and entertaining. Check and check. Along with the humorous theme we guarantee you’ll love the retro pixelated graphics and upbeat music track.

Value:

2020 Game is free and accessible by any web browser. We think that Max has done a terrific job and have shown true love of his fellow-man by making it so easy and universal to play.

Overall, to paraphrase Mr. T (check YouTube if you don’t know him), I pity the fool who doesn’t try this game.

Finally, a shoutout to Jon Porter who’s article in The Verge brought this game to our attention.

2020 Game requires a browser since it’s an online game.

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2020-game-review/

Business Just Got Easier Thanks to Pocket vCard

January 11, 2021 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon

Keeping in touch with business colleagues, and people in general, is easier than ever thanks to social media, but sometimes you need to be able to share more than your Twitter handle with others.

Sharing more details is where a comprehensive app like Pocket vCard comes into play.

Pocket vCard is a delightfully well-designed app that makes it incredibly easy to build a detailed contact profile and share it with others who are using the app. 

Concept and Functionality:

One of the challenges we face with the global pandemic is working remotely, so being able to share detailed contact information safely and easily is crucial.

Setting up Pocket vCard, developed by Brijesh Kothari, is fast and easy. You simply provide a valid phone number. Once you’ve validated it, you can build your profile.

Thanks to its well-thought-out design, Pocket vCard is dead simple to navigate.

This is definitely ideal when it comes to sharing information quickly. After all, the last thing you want to do is mess with clunky menus while someone is waiting for your information.

While I found it easy to change and update my profile, the one thing I discovered is the tight security built into this app. I couldn’t find a way to change my primary phone number. While that does improve security, it also is not ideal in a world where people may changes phones, and therefore phone numbers, when they change jobs.

It’s possible that I’m overlooking an additional setting somewhere in Pocket vCard, and of course you can always set up a new account and move your contacts over, but I feel a more direct way to update your phone information would be an improvement for this already very functional contact app.

Features:

Pocket vCard iPhone App

Pocket vCard really shines when it comes to extra features that business folks will truly appreciate.

For example, if you change any information in your profile, the app will notify contacts you’ve connected with to let them know you’ve updated something. You can choose who receives these update notifications, as well.

Being able to scan a QR code is another neat feature of Pocket vCard, but the catch is you can only scan the code using the Pocket vCard app. The same is true if you share your profile link – it can only be opened in the app.

The good news is that Pocket vCard is available on both the App Store and Google Play.

Lastly, Pocket vCard supports 16 languages. This makes it perfectly suited for the global stage.

Value:

Pocket vCard is available to download from the App Store for free and there’s a subscription option if you exceed the limited number of scans and shares. You can pay $0.99 per month or $9.99 per year to unlock unlimited sharing.

Overall, Pocket vCard is a helpful contact sharing app that’s off to a great start. The key to their success is getting the ball rolling on having more people using it. That should not be a problem, however, given the benefits derived from using this app.

Pocket vCard requires iOS 8.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. A small expedite fee was paid by the developer to speed up the publication of this review.

The iPhone App Review’s rating:

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

Your Must-Have Apple Watch App During the Pandemic

January 02, 2021 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Jimbo

Hopefully you’re wearing a mask when you’re around other people, and especially when that’s indoors. Hmmm, around other people and indoors? Sounds to me like that might be when food shopping, grocery shopping, or just about any kind of shopping that you might be doing.

If you like to stay on track by using a list app on your phone, and if that phone is an iPhone X or later, you have a problem. The issue is Face ID.

When you’re using an app that involves lots of checking and it’s on a Face ID phone and you’re wearing a mask, well, that’s not a great combo.

Our Groceries Shopping List is not only a fantastic shopping app on your iPhone but the way that it utilizes the Apple Watch as an alternate interface is brilliant and puts it over the top as a must-have app.

Concept and Functionality:

Any shopping app that’s worth a download will let you set up a variety of shopping lists. Then when you access a list you can add and remove items, simple. What sets Our Groceries apart is all the subtle features that make it indispensible in any situation where 2 or more people will want to work with the same list.

Our Groceries Shopping List, created by Our Groceries, Inc., lets you add images, use barcodes, and synch lists in the cloud so multiple people can see the latest version of the list. This is great when one person is going shopping and anyone else wants to add or remove items from the list at the same time.

Aside from the overall shopping functionality per se, the adaptation for Apple Watch use is a masterstroke of creativity. It is just dead simple to use on that tiny screen. Bravo devs on a great job!

A very nice feature recently added lets you know if a sync operation has not happened, for whatever reason, thus letting you know that you may not be working with the latest edits.

Features:

Our Groceries iPhone App

All of this is to say that Our Groceries is a top-notch shopping app on the iPhone or iPad. But what about using it on your Apple Watch and why does the pandemic matter? The issue, as already stated is all about how your iPhone unlocks. If you’re used to just looking at it to get past the lock screen you’re in for a huge inconvenience if you’re wearing a mask.

Of course for most apps where you start it up and then use it for awhile, typing in your passcode once is not a problem. With a shopping app, however, you’re constantly opening and closing the app whilst shopping. This is where having the app on your Apple Watch really shines.

As you walk around the supermarket, Home Depot, Trader Joe’s or whatever, just raise your wrist, touch the Our Groceries icon and voila, you’re into the app, seeing what’s next on the list, and easily crossing off items as you throw them into your wagon.

Value:

Our Groceries Shopping List is available for free from the App Store. You can upgrade to cloud sync, which is needed for family usage, for just $5.99/year.

Overall, Our Groceries is a beautiful example of how to leverage the Apple Watch to augment an already great app design using an incredibly well-designed watch UI.

Our Groceries requires iOS 10.0, WatchOS 4.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. 

TheiPhoneAppReview’s rating:

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

The Absolute Best Photography App for Your iPhone 12

December 30, 2020 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Jimbo

Halide Mark II – Pro Camera is a stunning achievement in camera that is packaged as an iPhone app. It delivers an impressive range of features and is perfect for your new iPhone 12.

Available to download for free through the iTunes Store, this app, by Lux Optics, Inc., sets a very high bar for any photo apps claiming to be for ‘pro’ level users.

Features:

As indicated by its name, Halide Mark II – Pro Camera is an app that enables users to use their iOS device’s camera to an all new level of capability.

Specifically, its features include everything anyone who takes photography seriously would want in an app. From manual control over your picture taking, including shutter speed, ISO, and white balance adjustments, to powerful tools like a Focus Loupe and Focus Peaking.

But this app is not just about total control, it’s also very much about ease of use of these very capable controls. For example, there’s an incredible swipe interface that lets you manage all the key settings with gestures and it does a great job of this even is you’re just using just one hand.

This is also one of the first apps to take excellent advantage of new iPhone capabilities. The latest version, 2.1, lets ProRAW-capable iPhones shoot ProRAW+, ProRAW, RAW+, and RAW.

Of course, as with any photography app, the photos you take through it will only be as good as your device’s camera itself; therefore, Halide can be best enjoyed on newer iPhones, especially the 12 Pro and the 12 Pro Max.

All of this and the app is available in 10 different languages.

Appearance and Layout:

Halide Mark II – Pro Camera iPhone app

Since Halide Mark II has so many different functions, compacting them all into one clean interface would be an impressive task.

Fortunately for this app’s users, the designers have really built a terrific UI so while it does take an investment of your time to get to know it, the learning curse is about as quick and painless as it can possibly be.

These designers definitely used a minimalistic approach to incorporating a maximum number of features, however, and while this approach makes for a clean interface, it does make navigating through all the app’s many features quickly something that does take a bit of effort.

Overall, while getting around the app takes a bit of getting used to, the appearance and layout of this app are quite impressive.

Value:

As mentioned previously, Halide Mark II is currently available for a free 7-day trial period. After that you have to select either an annual plan ($11.99) or a one time lifetime purchase ($39.99).

We love the fact that they give users 7 days with full functionality to decide if the app is right for them. Then, even if you’re only half-convinced, you can opt for the one year plan and you’re only out twelve bucks.

Although definitely pricier than the many highly rated photography apps on the iTunes Store today, we think this is the best app for those who pride themselves on the quality of their iPhone photography.

Halide Mark II – Pro Camera requires iOS 13.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. 

TheiPhoneAppReview’s rating:

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/halide-mark-ii-pro-camera-iphone-app-review/

The Best Apple Watch App of 2020

December 26, 2020 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Jimbo

Here at TheiPhoneAppReview we’ve featured plenty of cool apps for iPhones and iPads. But of course there’s more to the Apple ecosystem than that. Do you have an Apple watch? With the prices of the less-then-latest generation versions being as low as they are, there’s not much standing in your way.

The best news is that all this volume is driving developers to take the Apple Watch seriously when they plan the rollout of their apps.

Night Sky is a stellar (pun intended) example of a great iPhone app having an amazing interface that has been perfectly adapted for the reduced screen size of the Apple Watch.

If you ever wonder what’s that star, planet, or light in the sky, this app’s for you.

Concept and Functionality:

One of the first things we look for when reviewing watch app is how well it is represented on the 40mm or 44mm screen size. Is it just an iPhone screen shrunk down or has it been designed just for the its intended stage?

Night Sky, created by iCandy Apps Ltd., looks great on the small screen and, in fact, seems to be even more functional since it’s always just a flip of the wrist away.

When it comes to navigation, Night Sky is pretty spot on and easy to figure out and the built-in compass adds to the completeness of the functionality as it greatly helps in making the process a one-app solution. You don’t have to leave the app to figure out what direction you’re facing and, therefore, where you have to turn to see that rising planet or star.

Features:

Night Sky Apple Watch App

If you’re an active amateur astronomer, someone whose dabbled with it on occasion or even a complete newcomer to stargazing, this app really has you covered. There are literally billions of stars and other sky items in its database. But what good would that be if  you got frustrated trying to find them?

Night Sky never forgets that it’s all about ease-of-use and for sky watching there is nothing better to get you up and running quickly and moving from function to function easily.

We especially like the Quick Find capability and the ability to know when Starlink satellites are flying overhead.

Value:

Night Sky is able to be downloaded from the App Store for free and is universally compatible with iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. We strongly suggest that you try it on all screen sizes as each one has it strong points.

Overall, Night Sky is a definite Best of 2020 Apple Watch app for its brilliant feature set and incredibly well-designed UI.

Night Sky requires iOS 12.0, MacOS 10.15, WatchOS 4.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple TV. 

TheiPhoneAppReview’s rating:

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/the-best-apple-watch-app-of-2020/