iPhone Apps

The bright, touch-sensitive screen of the iPhone and iPod touch almost calls out to be filled with a pool table (well, maybe just to me). Perhaps this is why Killer Pool is the latest in a string of billiards games that have appeared in the App Store. There is certainly many to choose from — with Midnight Pool being one of the best. Killer Pool bests that app in many respects, yet still has some room to grow.

Killer Pool’s strength is its emphasis on attempting to create a realistic pool experience. The developers clearly honed in on trying to create a high degree of control for the player in order to give Killer Pool the same type of scenarios and actions that would occur in a real-life game of pool.

In Killer Pool you have control over where to hit the cue ball, along with whether or...

Chess Club iPhone app by Visionary Bits is an online chess game that allows you to play chess from your iPhone against anyone around the world. The company states that they have more than 13,000 members. I enjoy a good game of chess but I don’t often play on computers, online or my iPhone. I’m fortunate enough to have friends nearby that I play regularly so I can usually get a game or two in.

I played quite a few games on the free version of the Chess Club app and found it to be fairly enjoyable and even challenging at times. It comes with a number features allowing you to personalize your chess game including a customizable chessboard layout, real-time clock and resign or draw features.

The paid version, at a cost of $3...

Yes, it’s true, Dr. Awesome by ngmoco is in fact awesome. Playing as Dr. Awesome, Microsurgeon M.D, you get to awesomely save your friends from killer viruses and deadly bacterium with just a few flips of the wrist.

When Dr. Awesome opens it asks you for permission to use your contacts to make the game more personal. Like it says in the little disclaimer, your information won’t be used for anything other than patient names. This way you get to kill or cure your friends and as simple as this might seem, using your contacts really does make the game that much more amusing and fun to play. Along the same lines of inclusion, Dr. Awesome has a link to email your victorious results to friends with a pre-written email that is chock full of awesomeness.

In Dr...

I have a love/hate relationship with external speakers. Cheap speakers aren’t much better than what’s included with your device — computer, iPod, iPhone, etc. High end speakers are, well, they’re high end which often translates as expensive and difficult to set up. And regardless of your price bracket, there always seems to be a mess of cords that tangle their way from speaker to speaker.

What I really want is a medium-priced speaker that works with my (ancient) iPod, my (newer) iPhone and doesn’t try to strangle the cat. When I had the chance to test the Eos wireless speaker system it seemed like a Christmas wish come true.

Setting up the Eos speaker system is a breeze. Unpack, plug and play. Seriously. The base station has one power cord; plug it into the wall...

ACTCurrency (Universal Currency Converter) by Houdah Software is a new on-the-go international currency converter for your iPhone or iPod touch. With thirty-three different foreign currencies to choose from, ACTCurrency makes any international business a breeze.

Before you can really get started you should be sure to go to Setup and set your Master Currency — he currency which all the other currencies will be compared to — and whatever other currency you will be working with.

After you do this, go back to the Converter, the screen that ACTCurrency opens with. Here you can instantly convert any currency from one to the other — all of which can be chosen from the Currencies section. One nice feature here is that, as demonstrated in the image to the left, if you type in $56...

Your mind is a terrible thing to waste. Your money is a terrible thing to waste. When you waste both at the same time, you’re really a loser. I know this from experience.

The App Store features several apps that pump binaural audio waves into your head that supposedly will help you self hypnotize, feel weightless, get high, meditate, sleep and go crazy (seriously).

The idea is that if you play two different pulsating frequencies — one in each ear — they will produce a third frequency or binaural wave. Your brain tunes into this third frequency, causing it to change its state of arousal or consciousness. Hey, I’m not making this up. I read it on the Internet, so it must be true.

I decided to take a listen to four of these binaural beat boxes: Attractor, Beta Pack, iBrainWave and min...

Adding yet another app to the classic snake game category, the release of Boa Constrictor by Excelltech Mobile has at least proven there is always a way to put a spin on a tried and true game. There’s always a risk when messing with a classic and I’m not convinced it paid off with Boa Constrictor. If you’ve enjoyed other versions of the game but feel they’ve been done to death in the same old way, Boa Constrictor may be worth a look.

First off, the premise is the same as all the others — snake eats, snake grows, don’t touch anything but food or die. What’s different about the Boa Constrictor version is twofold. First of all, the graphics are 3D. On that front, it’s actually pretty nice. There’s a nice range of shading and they’re pretty crisp.

The second difference is t...

Crazy Snowboard 2.0 is an app with multiple personalities. On the one hand it is one of the better designed games around for the iPhone or iPod touch — probably due to the reworking the developer recently did. However, its weakness is monotonous game play that keeps it from being a truly great offering.

The aim of Crazy Snowboard is to show your mad snowboard skills by performing tricks on a snow-covered course. The more aerial fireworks you do, the more challenges you can unlock for additional game play. Also, more snowboarders and snowboards become available for a more customized experience.

Should you wish to get a quick tutorial on how to play, the game offers an excellent description of the game’s options along with photos of action...

It’s hard to imagine that something as simple as an app that speeds your dialing, emailing and texting could be fun, but that’s what Smallrock Software’s Gesture Dial is.

Here’s how it works: Assign a unique gesture — by swiping your iPhone’s screen — to each person in your contacts list. You can use different gestures for speed dialing, emailing, texting and Web pages. With a flick of the finger and an “abracadabra,” for effect, the iPhone is at your command.

For example, you can assign a corner-to-corner gesture for Mom, a side-to-side one for Dad and a wiggle-waggle for your significant other.

What I found fun was coming up with gestures that represented the people I telephoned most often...

The Dark Knight: Batmobile Game is the latest marketing tool to get you excited about the hit movie. It is not as cool as the flick, but it should give you a few rounds of fun before it becomes a bit repetitive.

In the game you control the Batmobile in a race through the streets of Gotham. The graphics are pretty sweet, especially the detail on the Batmobile. Tap the screen to fire up the afterburners and shoot enemies. Shake your phone to start the ignition.

Unfortunately The Dark Knight: Batmobile Game doesn’t take full advantage of the iPhone’s accelerometer. You can’t steer the car the same way you do in games like Crash Bandikoot. The only time you control the Batmobile’s movements are when you take a couple of jumps from one building to another...