What’s the apps?
In an attempt to keep folks up to date with my iPhone addiction, I’m going to regularly interject normal blogginess with some mini-review bits of apps. I realise this will alienate you Blackberry, Nokia & Android fans, but my stats say there’s more of you here from iPhones then other mobile platforms. So here we go…
First up is a new, and incredibly useful app by @fluter, or Philip Kirwan, which is his username in real life. It’s called Dublin bus Maps.
The app is basically a very well done UI for finding Dublin bus routes, times and information, which can then be displayed on a map which tracks a path of the bus route and drops pins at every stop. From there you can see the approximate time that the bus will arrive it. Knowing Dublin bus, it’s best to take the time the app gives, and add about 4 hours… because apparently bus’ in this godforsaken city travel to Mordor to melt a ring before picking up passengers.
Anyway, this is by far one of the best apps I’ve used… and it works fantastically over 3G, GPRS (I use vodafone, no edge for me) and obviously WiFi. For €2.79, you can’t go wrong. You’ll save long-term by not having to text bus text, which is unreliable at the best of times (I’ve sent texts to it and not received a reply until the bus actually arrived).
Click here for the iTunes link, or go to dublinbusapp.com…
Next up is a review I already did on Shoryuken. @Igiggles did a bit of handy code monkey work to create a brain-training type of app called Two Plus Two.
To quote my own review:
For 79c you get a lot of brain-curdling challenges, too. The whole object of the game is to guess a series of numbers that add up to a target, but within a timeframe (which, mercifully, can be changed from 10 seconds upwards). So, the game will give you a list of 12 numbers and a target number to reach. You must click the numbers to reach the target. So if the total required is 11 and you only have 2 tries to get the answer, you’ll select the numbers 7 and 4, for example.
That’s right, 79c. Can’t possibly go wrong with that.
The game is a lot of fun, if you’re into that sort of thing. For most of us this game will be a good teaser like Sudoku, rather then genuine blissful rapture. As I said in my other review, there’s no way a bit of brain training can do any of us any bad, so it’s worth it. Adding numbers in sequence like that at a bus stop will easily limber you up before any kind of interaction afterwards. Better then a coffee, and definitely cheaper. Do check it out!
See the Blue Aura Games site, or check out the iTunes listing.
Finally, I’m going to check out @craigdesign‘s Pocket Universe.
This is probably one of the most popular astronomy apps in the app store, and anyone with a 3GS can use the virtual reality compass control to look around the night sky.
This app is all kinds of great, with information as basic as what planets are over your head at that moment to the stardate (which is, apparently, a real thing… not just Star Trek rubbish! Who knew?!). Pinch and zoom your way through the sky to see what’s going on up in the big ocean of nothingness.
This app is entirely educational and really worth the €2.79 pricetag. Given it’s the year of astronomy this year, it’s well worth checking out and learning a bit about the sky above you. It’s worth knowing what’s there as you look up into the sky. You can sound like a real smart arse when you declare what the name of that star cluster is to your friends. Especially ones without iPhones…
Check the site out or go directly to iTunes!
So, why these apps? What ties ‘em all together? Well, first off they’re all awesome. Second, they’re all produced by Irish developers. I will look at other apps from different developers in future, but it’s worth supporting Irish development – especially new, young and exciting developers such as listed above. Give ‘em some of your money and help them make more great apps in future!
