APP DEALS

I felt as though I was a kid in a candy store yesterday while app shopping. Many of the apps that I have wanting all went to $0.99. I blogged about Need for Speed Hot Pursuit a few days ago. I paid $9.99 for it (which really wasn't worth that much) but it is now $0.99. If you are a sports fan...here are some that I found last night:

Madden 11 - $0.99 in HD on ipad

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit - $0.99

Need for Speed Shift - $0.99

NBA Elite (for iphone) -$0.99

Fifa 11 (for iphone) - $0.99...watch out because it is $9.99 in HD for the ipad

NHL2K11 (for iphone) - $0.99

Tiger Woods PGA Tour (for iphone) - $0.99

Reckless Racing - $0.99 in HD on ipad

Drift Mania - $0.99 in HD (one of the only games I have tried and the graphics aren't good)

Deer Hunter 3D - $0.99 for ipad or iphone

Deer Hunter African Safari for ipad - $0.99

2XL Trophylite rally - $0.99 for ipad or iphone (off road truck racing)

Boggle for ipad - $0.99

Sim City Delux for ipadin HD or iphone - $0.99

Game of Life $0.99 for iphone...here is another one to watch out for because it is $6.99 for ipad

Just a quick list of apps I will probably do a little blog about in the near future. Enjoy the list.

Grinchmas!

I have not tried this one yet but it came highly recommended. After reading about the app, it was supposedly the #1 kids game in 2009.

★ 2009 Best App Ever Awards nominee - Best Just for Kids App
★ Top-8 Paid App and #1 Kids Game - Dec 2009
★ "Grinchmas is highly recommended for kids of all ages." - AppModo
★ "A fun and graphically beautiful game" (5 out of 5 stars) - TouchReviews
★ "You probably can’t go far wrong with this!" - IntoMobile.com
★ "Highly recommended" - FamilyGamerOnline

Grinchmas is a fun, casual game of skill and accuracy. Assume the role of The Grinch perched on Mt. Crumpit. Swipe the screen to throw either snowballs or presents down to Who-ville, depending on whether you feel “mean” or “merry.” Accuracy and speed determine your score.

Features two gameplay modes:
"Mean Grinch" - The Whos down in "Who-ville" are making too much Christmas NOISE, NOISE, NOISE! Splat each noisy Who house with snowballs to silence them. How long can you last before the noise overwhelms you?

"Merry Grinch" - The Grinch has had a change of heart and must deliver matching colored presents to the Who houses. How many presents can you deliver, to grow the Grinch's heart bigger, before time runs out?

Link to App info above

Link to Picture 1

Link to Picture 2

Dictionary.com

This app was highly recommended by a teacher in my school.

"Features:
• Dictionary and Thesaurus
• English and Spanish Word of the Day
• Nearly 1,000,000 words and definitions in our Dictionary
• More than 90,000 synonyms and antonyms in our Thesaurus
• Alphabetical indexing
• Similarly spelled words
• Phonetic and audio pronunciation
• Example sentences
• Non-standard uses
• Word origin and history
• Editable recent word look-up
• Shake device to see a randomly-selected word
• No Internet connection required for Dictionary and Thesaurus
• Internet connection required for Word of the Day, audio pronunciations and similarly spelled words"

Link to app info

Link to picture 2

Link to picture 1

BOOK APPS (Nook, Kobo, Google Book)

With so many online book apps, which is the right one to choose. I did some research and found these three tonight. The Barnes and Noble Nook and the Kobo both state that they have over one million free books online. Google Books tops them by claiming they have over two millions books online. By reading reviews, none of them really stand out as the app you want. Many complaints about each of them. Kobo and Google Books both have 2 1/2 stars out of 5 where the Nook have 3 stars.

Out of the 604 who have reviewed Google Books (which came out on Dec 6th), 227 gave only 1 star. People complain that there is no bookmarking, no highlighting, no dictionary, no note taking, etc.

With Kobo, a new version came out so it only had 7 giving it 5 stars and 4 giving it 1. With the old version, 24, 043 reviewed it and averaged with 2 1/2 stars. People complain that they can't find the free books, difficult to search and buy books, requires internet connection,etc.

Lastly, the Nook. with 1,787 people rating this app, it received 599 at 5 stars BUT 629 at 1 star. People complain that they cannot get their elibrary with the app, no large fonts, step backwards from the B&N eReader, and would assist with etextbook, but they found that you need Nookstudy instead.

Well, out of all of these, I don't know what to recommend. I have tried Kobo and I was not a fan. I also could not find any free books and I wasn't willing to spend money. From everything I was reading, I would pick the Nook as the top of the three. The REALLY good thing is that they are all FREE so you can try them yourself and keep the best.

Link to Nook app info

Link to Kobo app info

Link to Google Book app info

Link to Nook picture

Link to Kobo picture

Link to Google Book picture

Hot Pursuit (Need For Speed)

All right, the reason I haven't added an app was because I have been addicted to this new game, Hot Pursuit. If you are a fan of racing, then you will enjoy this game. The only downfall is the price. It costs $9.99. This is the most expensive app I have purchased but it is much better than Shrek Karting which I haven't played much after purchasing. In this game, you are the police officer and need to catch the bad guys. In some games, you race other police cars, in other games you need to crash 3 to 5 cars in 3 minutes. As you complete different missions, you earn Bounty money that accumulates. When you earn the required bounty amounts, you open different police cars. Some of the cars you can earn are a Nissan 370Z, Lancer, Impreza, Shelby, many different Porsches, BMW, Corvette, Viper, Ford GT, Lamborghini, Koenigsegg and a Bugatti Veyron. I have only had the game for a few days but my family is really enjoying it. My son gave this game a 10 out of 10. He said, "I love it dad. It is the best game ever"! If you decide to spend the money, hopefully you enjoy it as much as we do.

Link to app info

App review on YouTube

Link to picture

Talking Santa

Since my kids LOVE Talking Tom, I thought I would try Talking Santa. Looking at prices, the iphone app is $1.99 where the ipad app is $4.99. I will admit that I cheated and purchased the iphone app for my ipad and just increased the size. Sure, it is not HD quality but I was not willing to risk the money. Talking Santa is cute but Tom is better. You can click on the milk in the bottom corner which will make him eat the cooking and Talking Tom pops on to steal the milk. You can click on the snowball on the bottom and a huge snowball will run Santa over. Click on his bag and he will pull out a wrapped present. Click on the present and it will show you a surprise. Just like Talking Tom, you can beat up Santa but if you punch him, he will take out a gift, jump on it and kick it off the screen. The only real down fall is the voice. My wife thinks he sounds scary.

Link to app info

Link to picture

Angry Birds Seasons

I purchased this app, thinking it was a Halloween app, only to have it change for Christmas. Well worth the money. This is the same app I reviewed a month ago but since it is changing per season...I thought it was ok to post again. This app is $0.99!

Link to app info

Link to picture

Mental Case Classroom

Looking for more education apps, a colleague of mine recommended this one. This app is free!

"This edition of Mental Case is designed specifically for use in a classroom setting. A paid edition is available for iPhone and iPad.

Mental Case is the premium flashcard application for Mac, iPhone, and iPod touch. Use it to learn a language, memorize trivia, or study for an exam.

With the classroom edition, a teacher or other educator can prepare flash cards and distribute them to students via a web server or other online storage solution.

Those looking for an application to use for individual study should download the full edition of Mental Case, which has more features than the classroom edition."

Link to app info

Link for 1st picture

Link to 2nd picture

iBomber Defense

If you are a fan of strategy games, then you might be interested in iBomber Defense. You need to create a defense using the weapons supplied and the money you have to protect your building. When I started to play, I was a little bored but it soon became more challenging, especially when aircraft come and blow up my weapons. This app costs $2.99.

Link to app info

Link to picture

Caring Bridge App

This is so helpful. As the number of people we know with cancer keeps increasing, following along with there daily encounters is valuable. This app is your mobile connection!

Link to app info

Link to picture

Let's Golf 2 HD

This app costs $4.99. It costs a lot but has really nice graphics!

"We've listened to the fans of Let’s Golf! and given them what they want: a faster, more colorful and fun golf experience!
That's why this newest edition to the popular series is just the thing to satisfy your need for an exciting golf adventure!"

According to the review...it says that there are 108 different holes.

Link to above info

Link to first picture

Link to second picture

ENDI Tank

FREE APP!!

"Take the opportunity to play a funny arcade-oriented fighting game in a full toyish 3D environment:

- Drive various types of tanks in many surprising environments that will remind you of your childhood;
- Fight enemies with various personalities, specific strengths and weaknesses;
- Complete 30 missions with specific goals;"

Link to above app info

Link to picture

Pocket Drums

This app is $1.99 .

"The MOST features of any drum app, including 21 high-quality stereo drum kits, multi-track recording, over 2 dozen unique drum loops to play along to, variable pitch control, drum rolls, double bass drumming, play to your favorite iPod music from within Pocket Drums, variable metronome with over a dozen unique sounds, 4 different drum layouts, and much more!"

Link to the above app info with much more

Link to picture

Pocket Guitar

For only $0.99, you can have your own pocket guitar to play where ever you go.

"PocketGuitar turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a virtual guitar. You can press and strum strings, just like a real guitar.

Along with several guitar sounds, you can also play Electric Bass and Ukulele in this app. You can also create various sounds by using effects such as Distortion, Chorus, Delay and Wah."

Link to app info

Link to picture

Potty Panic HD

Not the typical app. That is why I am sharing! $0.99

"Potty Panic is a ridiculously fun and incredibly addicting game with a strong sense of humor and a matching obnoxious soundtrack. You are put in charge of EVERYONE that has to go potty and you need to navigate ALL of them in and out of the potty area without making even one mistake.

Men, women, girls, boys and people in wheelchairs are all in play during this intense exercise to avoid potty disaster. If anyone in your Potty Patrol hits in to one another, then YOU LOSE! Also, if anyone in your Potty Patrol can't get to the potty fast enough to relieve themselves, then YOU LOSE!"

Link to the above info

Link to Publisher's description

Link to first picture

Link to second picture

Geo Walk HD - 3d World Factbook ($2.99)

This app was recommended by a co-worker of mine.

"Concise Encyclopedia of Surprising Facts at Hand! Discover the world around you with simple and educational app that collects amazing and fun facts about all the most interesting things of our planet.

Geo Walk is a concise, easy-to-use and information packed encyclopedia for iPhone/iPod Touch that contains only the most interesting and valuable information about our multifaceted world. It suits both adults and children curious about far away places, great people, and the most amazing living creatures. Geo Walk can become a convenient companion for inveterate travelers who are always on the go.

Geo Walk app features only the most amazing and unusual articles that are gathered in one place. Spin the globe to choose the most interesting place and read all there's worth to know about it! The application has 3 main categories to browse through: Places, Flora and Fauna, People. All entries are provided with colorful pictures that can be viewed in a cover-flow or chosen object mode. "

Link to above info

Youtube Link on how to use

Link to first picture

Link to second picture

NPR (free)

There is an NPR app for the iphone and ipad. After reading all of the reviews, they suggest using the iphone app since it has been updated and you can listen while doing other things. They said the ipad has yet to be updated.

"NPR for iPad: Experience NPR in magazine style with a focus on News, Arts & Life, and Music content that’s broad, deep, and timely. It’s NPR like you’ve never seen us before. The app also replicates popular features of the NPR News iPhone app, including playlist, hourly newscasts,station finder, and sharing. And, we are already working on future enhancements for our next release.

Navigation
- Sliding “tapes” for News, Arts & Life, and Music and dozens more topics, providing fast access to NPR stories
- Same-screen popovers for Topics, Programs & Stations

Read
- Read stories while listening to live stations or on demand audio
- Download stories for offline reading

Listen
- Access hundreds of NPR stories, and stations’ live and on-demand streams
- Persistent audio bar for story or stream currently playing, even while navigating throughout the app.
- Save favorite stories to playlist for immediate or future listening.

Stations
- Bookmark your favorite station(s)
- Find stations by location (GPS) or zip code
- Find station broadcast frequencies while traveling"

Link to above info

Link to picture

eclicker (response system)

We have been waiting for this for a long time. The host app is $9.99 but the individual ones that the students will need are free. There are two seperate apps that are needed.

"eClicker is a personal response system that allows teachers to poll their class during a lesson. It provides teachers with the real-time feedback they need to be sure their messages are being received. Developed for smartphones and laptops, eClicker leverages the hardware already in the hands of many students providing a low cost polling solution for the classroom. All you need to get started is the eClicker Host app running on an iOS device, a Wi-Fi network, and students with internet-enabled devices to participate.

Features
● Wi-Fi based classroom response system for up to 64 clients*
● Students can participate with any internet-enabled device
● Edit questions on your computer or iOS device
● Add images to questions or draw your own
● Share question sets with other teachers via Bluetooth**
● Poll questions one-at-a-time or back-to-back
● Review historical polling data and email reports"

Link to info (above)

Link to picture

Christmas Countdown HD

Know exactly how long you have before Christmas with the Christmas Countdown HD. This is a free app for the ipad but it costs $0.99 for the iphone. Choose between two scenes and then, add snow and music. The kids enjoy seeing the count down. Has all high ratings in itunes. Enjoy.

Link to info about app

Link to picture

Second picture

Thanksgiving Card Match

For this week, I was trying to find either a nice Thanksgiving app or a Black Friday app but every Black Friday app I looked at had awful reviews. So...this is the only worth while Thanksgiving app I could find. For $0.99, you need to match the Thanksgiving items. All "5" people who reviewed this app gave it high marks. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Drive Safe!!

Link to app info

Link to picture

Power Arrow

Here is a bow and arrow game that is more for kids. My two children love this and it has become a family competition game. The idea is to pull back the arrow and as the screen scrolls to the right, you need to let the arrow go in time to hit the target in the middle. The closer to the bullseye the more points you receive. This will cost you $0.99.

Link to game info

Link to picture

Bowmaster

Are you a bow hunter...maybe this is for you. You can practice shooting at targets or compete against the computer and try to shoot moving animal decoys. Once you get the hang of how to hold and shoot the bow, it gets much easier. This app will cost you $0.99.

Link to app review

Link to picture

Real Trophy Hunt

Since it is hunting season...here is an app to play out in the woods! This app lets you choose between a 7mm rifle, 300 Mag rifle, 44 Magnum Pistol or a Compound Bow. I am not a hunter so this is as close to shooting and elk, moose, sheep or bear as I will get. This app will cost you $2.99.

Link to game info

Link to picture

Medieval

One of my principals introduced this to me the other day and after trying the free version for a few hours I quickly purchased the full version for $0.99. I will have to admit that I am addicted to it. In two days I am already on level 42. Just remember to keep upgrading your weapons!! In this game you need to stop the archers, knights, catapults, flying balloons, etc. before they take down your castle or steal your flag. According to the review...it is going to go up in price shortly! Enjoy!!

Info about the game

Picture from here

Rainbow Music Notes

Do you know someone who is just beginning to learn their notes on the staff? This is a fun way to learn for only $0.99 and you get 4 different games. An explanation of the game follows:

"Beautifully designed, and Fun to play!

A must-have for young children to learn piano notes, Rainbow Music Notes creatively associates colors with notes to help beginners to recognize and remember them while playing! At the end of each game, a fun score card is given to encourage players for more practice. Learning music notes has never been so much fun until Rainbow Music Notes!"

Picture and quote from http://www.speakipad.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/b924642f41133329.jpg.jpg

MATH RACER

Here is a great app for practicing math facts. The students can choose which math operation they would like to practice and then the number of problems (10, 20, 50 or 100). You can have your students take turns practicing and it will keep track of the number correct with the amount of time it took them. The scores are stored by the student’s initials. The app did cost $3.99 so it is a more expensive app (if $4.00 is considered expensive!) but I have not found any problems with it.

Pictures from http://www.i4software.com/iphone/mathracer/

History Tools

Here is another app recommended by a collegue of mine. History Tools is a free app that shares information that occured on a specific day in history. It also shares some births and deaths of each specific day too.

Picture from http://www.appscout.com/images/HistoryTools%201.jpg

Smurfs' Village

If you are a fan of the 1980's Smurfs, then this app is for you. Plant gardens, build houses, etc with the smurfs. According to the app store, "It is up to you to build a new village that the smurfs can call home." This app is free so give it a try.

Picture from http://www.appsforipad.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/smurfs-village-ipad-app.jpg

Pandora

Today I am writing about something I have had on my ipad but have yet to use. Pandora radio was recommended to me a few months ago and I quickly added the app to my app library. I am sad to say that I have yet to use it. Today though, a student recommended this app so I thought I needed to post it and make sure I give it a try. The student said that this is what kids are listening to now days. So, AWTTW (a word to the wise), JIC (just in case) you want to be as "hip" as the kids...now you know what the kids are using.

Text Dictionary = http://www.netlingo.com/acronyms.php

Picture from http://static.product-reviews.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/pandora-app.jpg

Mani Golf

Another golf game!! This comes in a free LITE version or $1.99 for the full HD version. Pull the club back and try for a hole in one. Some holes are in the strangest places. This app was recommended by one of my co-workers. I have only tried a few holes but it seems challenging.

UPDATE...I played this game last night an finished all of the 9 free holes with gold coins. I am hoping the pay version is a little more challenging!

Pictures from http://appstick.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ManiGolfIPAiPhone.jpg and http://www.iphonelife.com/sites/iphonelife.com/files/images/review-mani-golf-1.jpg

AirportMania: First Flight

I started with the lite version and my son and I loved it so much I paid the $1.99 for the full version. You are in charge of landing planes and have it unload at the correct color gate. Some planes will need to refuel while others need repair. You can add extra gates, extra runways and others. You can repaint planes, serve food or show a movie. The object is to be fast and keep the planes happy. The faster you are, the more money you receive, the more upgrades you can do. This game looks childish but will keep you on your toes.

Picture from http://www.touchmyapps.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/airportmania2.jpg

App Share Day #2

The second app share day will be this coming Thursday at 7am in our school library. Come to share a cool app you are using or listen for one you may be interested in. I hope to you see many District Employee this Thursday!!

Angry Birds Halloween addition

After paying $4.99 for my Angry Birds HD a few months ago, I decided I would not get suckered into buying another Angry Birds...just to have the Halloween decorations added in. Well, I caved yesterday when I saw that they dropped the price to $1.99. I know Halloween is over but they have added hanging lanters, pumpkins and a larger red bird that bounces when it hits things. With the added features...it was well worth the price.

Picture from http://laughingsquid.com/angry-birds-halloween/

App Tracker

Are you in need of more apps and you don't have any money? Then Free App Tracker is here to help. This app will share with you many apps that are free or that have gone free.

picture from http://stuckpixelstudios.com/2010/06/21/free-app-tracker/

PaintMee

PaintMee is another photo app but this one can take your picture and make it look as though it was oil painted. This app comes in a Free lite version and a $2.99 version for the itouch/phone but I purchased the $4.99 ipad HD version and am loving it. In my spare time, which at this point in time I don't have any, I enjoy painting and have always wanted to learn how to paint people. This app will do it for me now so I don't have to learn. Wonderful paintings for my children for years to come.

picture from http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/paintmee-lite/id329847306?mt=8

10 PinShuffle

This app comes both free or for $3.99. The Lite or free version is only the 10 Pin Poker game. Every strike gives you two cards, every spare gives you one card. Whoever has the best hand out of 10 frames wins. When you upgrade, which I had to because I enjoyed it so much, you get regular bowling and shuffle board too. We play this as a family many times a week. Both for the ipad and itouch.

Picture from http://boomnews.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/75e4f45037420-90.jpg.jpg

Dizzypad HD

Are you a fan of Pocket Frogs? If so you will be excited to have Dizzypad HD. This free app has one game to play for free. You would need to upgrade for the other three. The Dizzypad game has one frog on a spinning lillypad. You need to jump the frog at the right time to land on the next lillypad. If you miss, you lose a flower, if you can jump past a lillypad, you can earn a flower.

picture from http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/artwork/imgthumbs/na-celm/iphone-dizzypad-1.jpg

Mad Libs (Free)

This free app has many great reviews. Just like the books your probably used...you need to fill in the blanks with the necesary parts of speech. There are also many bad reviews on this app because there are only a few different stories to do. If you want more stories...there is a $3.99 charge.

Picture from http://www.appshouter.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Mad-Libs-2-300x200.jpg

Police Siren

Another free app. I know what you are thinking, "Why would he post this?" but it is fun for the kids. The lights are not as cool as they could be but the flashing lights and many siren sounds together make this another fun app for kids to play with.

picture from http://a1.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/024/Purple/54/14/c4/mzl.vwgmqvmw.480x480-75.jpg

Appshopper

App Shopper (appshopper) and http//:appshopper.com are two places to go if you would like cheap or free apps. This app is free and has come in handy with many of my co-workers when looking for new apps for there itouches and ipads.

pictures from http://crenk.com/appshopper-the-best-iphone-and-ipod-touch-applications-directory-in-town/ and http://adorr.net/