Archive for June, 2010

Review: Fat Booth & Aging Booth – How Would You Look Fat, Old, Or Both?

Untitled 31 Review: Fat Booth & Aging Booth   How Would You Look Fat, Old, Or Both?

Overview

Fat Booth and Aging Booth are made by the same people, and are practically the same app with one making you look fat, and the other old. They’re similar enough to review together. You begin by taking a picture with your iPhone camera or selecting one from your camera roll.
IMG 0103 200x300 Review: Fat Booth & Aging Booth   How Would You Look Fat, Old, Or Both?
Then the app detects the face, and you align markers to the eyes and mouth plus the chin in Fat Booth. Then a few second later you will have a fat or old version of you, your friends or anyone you have a picture of.

Features

The app let’s you share the morphed photos via e-mail, Twitter, or Facebook. After the photo is transformed you can simply shake to switch between the before and after. Note that these are two separate apps for $0.99 each and not one that makes you fat and old.

Untitled1 Review: Fat Booth & Aging Booth   How Would You Look Fat, Old, Or Both?

The Good

Fat Booth is funny there is no doubt about that. Whether it’s your own picture, a friend’s, a family member or anyone it’s hilarious to see them obese. Though I must add it’s much more humorous when the person is thin.
IMG 0105 200x300 Review: Fat Booth & Aging Booth   How Would You Look Fat, Old, Or Both?
The app is super simple to use, and it can be done at any time with no internet connection required. It can also be done on any photo, so you don’t even need a camera. You can even take celebrity photos, and morph them too.

The app detects the face well, and then it’s super simple to place the eyes, mouth, and chin markers. It only takes a few seconds to get the finished product, and then you can shake to switch from the after to the before.

Aging Booth isn’t as funny because it makes you look so terrible. It’s made exactly the same though, but it even has less use than fat booth which is already limited. Aging Booth can really help against people you don’t like though.
IMG 0116 200x300 Review: Fat Booth & Aging Booth   How Would You Look Fat, Old, Or Both?
Both apps will bring a smile to your face a couple times, but it’s up to you if it’s worth actually paying for a couple smiles and not a whole bunch of smiles like other apps. The more photos you’re willing to do this with the more enjoyable it can be especially if you have the person right there to laugh at it, and they’re a willing participant.

The best aspect is that these morphs look pretty realistic, and the mechanism works quite well. I would have to say that changing a picture to be fat, and then using the fat picture in aging booth to make you look fat and old is the best. Fat and old of the same pic makes it look the most authentic of time passing.

Untitled 26 Review: Fat Booth & Aging Booth   How Would You Look Fat, Old, Or Both?

IMG 00731 200x300 Review: Fat Booth & Aging Booth   How Would You Look Fat, Old, Or Both?

The Bad

Both apps suffer from the same fate which is that they’re overly simplistic. Once you morph a couple pictures you get the gist of the app, and really get bored with it. You tell right away it just stretches the image so no matter which person it is they end up looking the same whether you make them fat or old.

When you have a picture of someone, and they’re by any kind of lines like door frames and such you can see how the image is stretched. It really looks poor when you see the lines behind a person suddenly curved around their head in the before and after shot. Another problem is that you need a front facing shot without too much smile or hair in the eyes or otherwise it will look blocky in parts.
IMG 0114 200x300 Review: Fat Booth & Aging Booth   How Would You Look Fat, Old, Or Both?
Aging Booth isn’t nearly as fun as fat booth because it’s not a traditional aging mechanic. You look absolutely horrible as though you’re some heavy drug user, and it’s simply not fun to share your own image, or morph someone else’s. Aging Booth gets repetitive even quicker as every person looks just as terrible.

If you know fat and/or old people this app will not be funny at all to them so there is somewhat limited use. The sharing options are a little buggy with mail sometimes not working on iOS 4, and the keyboard doesn’t appear when logging into Twitter unless you tap on password before username.

Untitled 5 Review: Fat Booth & Aging Booth   How Would You Look Fat, Old, Or Both?

The Verdict

Fat Booth and Aging Booth are fun little gimmick apps. They’re amusing once or twice through, but get very stale very fast. You can only change so many pictures especially when no matter who the person is they look practically the same fat or old.

Both apps should be free, and are definitely not worth $0.99 each. At most they should be one $0.99 app making you fat or old or even both.

obama1 Review: Fat Booth & Aging Booth   How Would You Look Fat, Old, Or Both?

President Obama through the stress of being President

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Ninjatown: Trees Of Doom! Gets A Timed Mode, More Awards

ninjatown timed Ninjatown: Trees Of Doom! Gets A Timed Mode, More Awards

It’s time to strap on your ninja gear — or anti-ninja gear for those who have obtained it — and get back to tree climbing, because Venan Entertainment has just released an update to Ninjatown: Trees of Doom! that adds an entirely new mode of play and even more awards for you to try to earn.

ninjatown awards 200x300 Ninjatown: Trees Of Doom! Gets A Timed Mode, More AwardsThe brand new timed mode will have you climbing up the trunks of the trees as fast as possible, which is a huge departure from the more careful and plodding method that is required for classic mode.

In this new mode you start off with 25 seconds and the moment you touch a tree the timer starts counting down.  Every 100 meters that you are able to climb, 15 seconds is added to your timer.  You still have to be at least a little careful when climbing, however, because if you run into an obstacle or enemy, you will lose five valuable seconds.  If you are unable to get to the next checkpoint before time expires, the game is over.

To compliment the new mode, Venan has also added 11 new Plus+ awards to earn.

Now that the developers have gotten the new mode out of the way, hopefully the iPad version is next to hit the App Store.  You can learn more about the iPad version of Ninjatown and find out what else is in store by checking out our post-E3 preview article.

Ninjatown: Trees of Doom! is available in the App Store for $1.99.

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Apple Looking To Hire Some Antenna Engineers?

apple1 642x321 Apple Looking To Hire Some Antenna Engineers?

No folks, it’s not a joke; Apple has just posted an ad on their job opening board. They are looking for what seems like an entire team of antenna engineers for the iPhone and iPad. Seriously! A bit late you might think? I guess I’m not the only one. At least they’re doing something about it.

Unrelated you think? Or should I put this in the humor category?

[via Engadget]

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Humor: Steve Jobs & Bill Gates On The iPhone 4

 Humor: Steve Jobs & Bill Gates On The iPhone 4

Apple’s misfortune is always an amazing source of inspiration for humor. This one, made by lolBoom and inspired by the very public antenna issues of the iPhone 4 will please you with both its simplicity and power.

It’s a good one, isnt’ it?

[via 9to5mac]

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Facebook Update Adds Fast App Switching, High-Resolution Icons

facebook retina Facebook Update Adds Fast App Switching, High Resolution Icons

Facebook has just been given the update treatment, acquiring the now fairly common fast app switching ability and high-resolution icons that will definitely be a treat for all of you iPhone 4 users out there.

Fast app switching will finally allow you to pop out of Facebook to do other tasks and bounce right back in without losing your place, even if you were in the middle of composing a message.  The app has also been updated to support the iPhone 4’s high-resolution display, sporting crystal clear icons.  We took a before and after shot just so you could see the difference.

Facebook v3.1.4 includes Russian and Korean localizations, as well as a few bug fixes.

Without Joe Hewitt at the helm, updates seem to be taking much longer than many of us would prefer, but later is better than never.  Now how about the iPad optimization, Facebook?

[Thanks to Frankguido for the tip!]

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There’s A New Flashlight In Town

iphone4ledflashlight Theres A New Flashlight In Town

We’ve seen quite a few utility apps appear in the App Store, everything from measuring and conversion tools to those that monitor and estimate our iDevice battery level. One of those subcategories is flashlight apps. The concept of making your phone’s screen a completely white pallet to use as illumination is basic but useful. The setbacks are using your phone’s battery and having an unfocused light source, but that all changed with iPhone 4.

One of the new features of the iPhone 4 is a bright white LED to assist in low light photography and video recording. What some of us iPhone 4 users noticed is this LED is really quite bright, so why not use it for general illumination? At least two developers have decided to pursue that idea with updated flashlight apps just for iPhone 4. Dazzling Flashlight 4g and iLit have an option to light up your iPhone 4’s display, as usual, but also let you easily activate the LED flash on the rear of your iPhone 4.

These and similar apps have been submitted for Apple’s approval but some wonder if they’ll pass. Why? It’s unclear if these developers are using private APIs or some other unofficial means to access the LED enable and disable function. Steve Jobs said that the three top reasons for iPhone rejections and removals from the App Store were the app not providing the functions as described, crashing or use of private APIs.

The method to use the LED now is fairly tedious. Launch the Camera app, switch to video recording mode, and tap the flash icon (lightning bolt) to change the setting to on. Another problem is this seems to drastically use battery power. The camera always being on is likely another significant power drainer. Nonetheless, this is still a useful function for the new hardware feature.

I did some tests using the free Flashlight app, a regular 4.8 watt LED flashlight and my iPhone 4. My iPhone 4’s screen brightness was set to maximum. You can click on the photos below for a larger version.

LED flashlight, iPhone 4 LED, and iPhone 4 screen at about 1 foot
flashlighttest1ft Theres A New Flashlight In Town

LED flashlight, iPhone 4 LED, and iPhone 4 screen at about 3 feet
flashlighttest3ft Theres A New Flashlight In Town

LED flashlight and iPhone 4 LED at about 5 feet
flashlighttest5ft Theres A New Flashlight In Town

You’ll note the lack of an iPhone 4 screen at five feet. Why? The light was so dim that my 3GS couldn’t pick it up. The test was performed with my 3GS at the same level and distance from the light source. I used a glossy white painted wall to provide the best results I could. Please also note that the 3GS didn’t pick up the radial light, primarily the concentrated.

Despite the high battery drain, I’d still enjoy an app that would give me quick access to the LED for those brief and unprepared needs. Who else is with me?

[via TUAW]

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New AppList: iPad Apps for Showing Off

show off 21 New AppList: iPad Apps for Showing Off

As an early iPad adapter comes the privilege of being asked to show off this brand new device to those that have never seen an iPad. We’ve gone through and discovered those apps that demonstrate why the iPad is not a giant iPod touch.

iPad Apps for Showing Off

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Reception Issues? There’s A Wrap For That

etsy1 Reception Issues? Theres A Wrap For That

There’s an old saying about finding solutions that goes: “there’s more than one way to skin a cat.” When it comes to iPhone 4 reception problems, there is more than one way to skin that, too.

While Apple’s Bumper and its alternatives have been in the forefront, there is an even simpler and cheaper way. Many iPhone users are familiar with the clear protective films that protect the front and back of the iPhone against scratches and smudges. Now that reception issues have made the headlines, the same type of products are being created for the edge of the iPhone 4.

First up is website: “AWrapForThat.com” whose decals cost $9.99, shipping included, for your choice of 12 colors or 8 patterns. Unfortunately, they haven’t provided much in the way of examples of the product as of yet.

home Reception Issues? Theres A Wrap For ThatSecondly, on Etsy.com, seller “Lucky Labs” is offering your any 3 decals for $9.99 in your choice of ten colors. You can get 3 of the same or 3 different ones, all for the same price as one decal from the previous site. Lucky Labs also offers several sample shots of their product including the red one at the top of this post, and the pink one below:

etsy2 642x642 Reception Issues? Theres A Wrap For That

Both products are very new, so we haven’t had an opportunity to test them, but if skin contact is causing you to drop calls, this is could be your solution. If nothing else, these are a great way to customize your phone without adding bulk. At $9.99 or less each, they are likely the cheapest way to customize your phone too.

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Put Your Apps On Display With This Wooden Appshelf Wallpaper

woodenappshelf Put Your Apps On Display With This Wooden Appshelf Wallpaper

If you have been searching endlessly for a snazzy wallpaper for your iOS 4-enabled device, we may just have the one for you.  Designer Jeff Broderick has crafted a Retina-friendly wallpaper that puts your apps proudly on display within a wooden bookshelf.

The 960×640 wallpaper utilizes the now extremely popular — some may consider, overused — bookshelf metaphor to help you display your apps.  But this isn’t just any old bookshelf wallpaper, it also features spotlights shining down on each app, and enough space for your dock of apps to fit comfortably.   If you don’t have enough apps for every spot on your home screen, the spotlights don’t look that bad shining down on the shelf itself either.

If Broderick’s wallpaper looks like something that would be up your alley, you can download it right here.

Of course, this is just one of many, many options.  If you have a really cool wallpaper that you would like to share, please do so with a link to it in the comments section below.

[Dribbble via Gizmodo]

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iPhone & iPad App Review: SteamBalls – Match Three With Scales And Weights

Untitled 24 iPhone & iPad App Review: SteamBalls   Match Three With Scales And Weights

iPhone & iPad Version

Overview
SteamBalls is a new take on the match three genre that uses weights and scales to add to the required strategy. Your goal is to match at least three of the same color horizontally, but the board is constantly shifting depending how much weight is in a particular column. Each ball has a different weight one through nine, and there are eight columns with each pair of two acting as a scale.
IMG 09551 300x225 iPhone & iPad App Review: SteamBalls   Match Three With Scales And Weights
When one column weighs more than its pair that column shifts down, and the other column shifts up which changes the alignment of colored balls. The board is constantly shifting based on new balls you drop in, and matched balls that disappear. There is a steam punk style with the balls looking like billiard style.

Features
Matches of three make the balls disappear while match of five vertically collapse the balls into one very heavy ball combining the weight of the five matched balls. There are 14 different colored balls that appear as you progress from level to level. There are also 12 unique special balls that clear columns, bomb sectors, and make color matches. OpenFeint is included for online huh scores and achievements.
IMG 00681 200x300 iPhone & iPad App Review: SteamBalls   Match Three With Scales And Weights
Gameplay
SteamBalls adds a new element to the match three genre, and does enough to reinvigorate interest in match three games. SteamBalls adds a ton of strategy to the genre so every single move requires some thought of the greater board as a whole. Where ever you decide to drop a new ball the scales will shift, and the column you drop a ball on gives you the next color you have to use.

Of all eight columns there are two upcoming balls per column, and when you drop a ball in that column you get the next color which changes your next action. The game board is constantly shifting, and you can adjust it easily once you understand which columns are weighted together, and which weight is necessary to cause the scales to shift. As you advance there are more colors to deal with, and the columns will start stacking up towards the top, and it will make it very difficult to find matches.
IMG 00671 200x300 iPhone & iPad App Review: SteamBalls   Match Three With Scales And Weights
Luckily with the 12 different special balls you can clear a mass of unmatched balls, and you’ll be desperately wanting a special ball to be next in line. As you make matches you’ll build up your multiplier which is absolutely essential to increase your score quickly to be even somewhat close to the online leader boards. The best aspect of the game is that every move matters which is very rare in the match three game.

SteamBalls is no doubt a great looking game with the wood game board, and shifting gears in the background. Each ball is glistening, and nicely modeled to look very similar to a real billiard ball. The matches and special balls have glowing animations, and it’s nice to see the movie gears of the scales when weight is shifted.
IMG 0070 200x300 iPhone & iPad App Review: SteamBalls   Match Three With Scales And Weights
The game controls relatively well as you simply swipe left or right to move where you drop, and then swipe down to drop the ball. This does lead to errors from time to time, like not dropping a ball where you wanted it to go. The save system allows for you to pick-up the game right where you left off which is always worth pointing out.

After playing a couple times there is really no incentive to replay the game. The game is rather slow moving, but that’s so you can think about each and every one of your moves. The replay ability is dependent upon liking the challenge gameplay, and finding some replay from online high scores and achievements via OpenFeint.

The Verdict

IMG 00661 200x300 iPhone & iPad App Review: SteamBalls   Match Three With Scales And Weights
iPhone Version
SteamBalls is a top of the line match three game that provides enough innovation to provide brand new challenge for the somewhat stale genre. The game is nicely designed giving you great visuals and a great soundtrack. The best aspect is that every single move is intertwined requiring you to constantly think and be challenged.

For only $0.99 it’s definitely worth picking up even though there isn’t the greatest long term replayability.

iPad Version
SteamBalls HD is very similar to the iPhone version, and in this case that’s not the best. There seems to be so much wasted space on the iPad version as you still play with the same eight column game board which isn’t much bigger than the iPhone version. There is a wood panel surrounding the gameplay area, and though it looks great on the iPad the gameplay doesn’t take advantage of the added space.
IMG 0954 300x225 iPhone & iPad App Review: SteamBalls   Match Three With Scales And Weights
It would have been nice to see more columns or even taller columns or any type of change, but instead it’s exactly like the iPhone version. There is no innovation, and yet it costs $3.99 so I would suggest to buy the $0.99 iPhone version and play it on the iPad at double pixel. SteamBalls HD is not worth it simply by charging three more dollars for the same exact game with practically no differences.

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