It’s time for App Avalanche 14, and this week we’re taking a look at the Finance category in the App Store and at what’s Good, Better, Best, and, of course, the CrApp. If you are looking for some good finance apps, there are a load of apps in the App Store in this category. Unfortunately, there seem to be a ton of very mediocre apps (according to reviews left by App Store visitors), and it takes a bit of sifting through the coal dust to find some diamonds. Read on to learn about some Finance apps you may want to try for yourself!

Good

Accounts, by SVT Software,  is a fairly simple, straight-forward app for keeping track of your accounts, like checking, savings, etc. Reconciling your accounts is as easy as placing a check mark next to the item that has cleared your bank. You can export your data as a CSV file for backup, protect your accounts with a passcode, and add unlimited accounts. You can get it here for only $.99 cents.

Better

iXpenseIt, from FYI Mobileware, Inc., is an expense tracking app that is rich in features. It includes user customizability, graphical reports, full text search, mileage tracking, and even storing digital photos of your receipts by using the iPhone’s camera. Export your records as a CSV file. This app appears to be a great tool for the business person who must keep track of expenses and receipts. Get it here for $4.99.

Best

Bloomberg, from Bloomberg LP, is a free app for using the ever-popular Bloomberg financial tracking services. Create a customizable list of stocks to follow, news, company descriptions, market leaders, market trends analysis, and much more. It’s a free app to give you accurate, timely information about the world’s financial markets. Get it here for free!

CrApp

CreditTrak, from Venkatramanan Krishnamani, is an app for storing up to three credit cards (credit card information). The description is a bit misleading in that it advertises the ability to “activate” up to three credit cards, but this app in no way gives you any kind of electronic access to your credit card information. It promises that you can “build excellent credit faster than you can imagine.” Really? Hmmm. So basically if I use this app, enter my credit card information, then manage every single aspect of my credit card transactions, payments, balances, etc. myself, then I’ll have the credit score of my dreams. I have to pay a buck for all that self-help? If you feel inclined to try this app, do so at your own risk. It’s a bit stinky to me; like a bag of burning CrApp left on my doorstep on Halloween night. I’m just sayin’.

That’s it for App Avalanche 14. If you agree or disagree with what’s been designated Good, Better, Best, or CrApp, let your opinion be known! Leave a comment or two, visit the forum, and come back next week for more!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone App Avalanche 14: Accounts, iXpenseIt, Bloomberg Mobile and CreditTrak

It’s time for App Avalanche 13, and this week we’re taking a look at the Entertainment category in the App Store and at what’s Good, Better, Best, and, of course, the CrApp. There’s at least 26 (!) pages of Entertainment apps and counting. After exhaustive research by our highly-trained TiPb staff (please note: author taking massive liberties with the truth here; likely exaggerating), these apps have been hand-picked for YOU. Given that this is unlucky Avalanche 13, written on the 13th, I’m sure the author of the CrApp is feeling quite unlucky for being featured here! 

Good

Crazy Pumpkin, by Ezone.com, is just in time for Halloween. This is a fun and useful app with many features, including digital Jack-o-lantern, scary sound effects, multicolored flashlight, and even a pumpkin-carving design tool with more than a thousand face combinations. It’s a great way to get in the Halloween spirit and will certainly be a winner with kids and adults alike. Get it here for FREE! 

Better

iDaydream, from Brian Smith, is reminiscent of laying on your back and watching the puffy clouds float by. Swipe your finger across the virtual sky and create clouds that float by. Change the sky from blue to sunset and watch the clouds change with the lighting conditions. Sometimes you have to lean back in your office chair and watch the clouds go by — on your iPhone! Get it here for $.99 cents.

Best

i.TV, by i.TV, LLC, is a free movie and TV guide for the iPhone or iPod Touch. It allows you to quickly find your favorite TV show or movies playing anywhere in the U.S. and Canada. You can even view previews and movie trailers, detailed show descriptions, celebrity bios, and even write your own reviews and share them. It’s a media guide at your fingertips. Get it here for FREE!

CrApp

Babe-O-Meter, from Chillingo Ltd, stands for “Bogus Analytic Biometric Entertainment”-O-Meter. How cute. So basically, you shake your iPhone or iPod Touch for four seconds and see how “babe” you are. Wouldn’t you rather just consult your Magic 8-Ball for answers to the greater questions in life, like “should I drop $.99 cents for this CrApp?”  Put down your Magic 8-Ball and let me answer that one for you: No. Skip this charity app (charity for the developer, that is) and move on.

That’s it for App Avalanche 13. If you agree or disagree with what’s been designated Good, Better, Best, or CrApp, let your opinion be known! Leave a comment or two, visit the forum, and come back next week for more!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone App Avalanche 13: Crazy Pumpkin, iDayDream, i.TV and Babe-O-Meter!

It’s time for App Avalanche 12, and this week we’re taking a look at the Education category in the App Store and at what’s Good, Better, Best, and, of course, the CrApp. There’s an abundance of apps to choose from, and the Education category has pages and pages of good stuff (and some that isn’t so good). Here at TiPb, we’re all about culling through the mediocrity to see if we can deliver a few precious gems (and one piece of coal, of course!). Let’s get started after the break!

Good

Spacetime Converter, by Elliptics, Ltd., is an app that may have you looking at the world (and space) around you in a whole different way, and how you relate to it. It is a calculator that makes use of geometrized units (where speed of light is unity) and lets you conveniently convert between space and time. Instead of how many months until your next birthday, how about how many miles? A fun educational tool that weighs in at 4 1/2 stars and can be found here for $.99 cents.

Better

iSign, from Aaron Basil of iDev2, is an animated phrase book of 800 American Sign Language (ASL) gestures. Each phrase is fully animated by a 3D character, providing both a detailed view of hand position and motions and even some facial expressions. Apparently it’s a big file, but if you need a good ASL reference that you can take with you on your iPhone, this may be it. Users gave it a 4 1/2 star rating, and you can get it here for $8.99. 

Best

Elements: Flash Cards, by Lucas McGregor, is a flash card app for your iPhone or iPod Touch to help you learn the chemical elements. You can practice memorizing them in just a couple minutes a day and even do intense drills. Learn the elements by name, symbol, atomic number, or atomic weight. What a great idea! Wish this was around when I suffered through high school chemistry! Customers give this app 5 Stars! Get ithere for $.99 cents.

CrApp

aDriverTest, from Andrea Cantadori, is one of those apps that really makes you scratch your head and wonder who fell asleep at THIS wheel in Apple’s venerable app approval department, or were they RUI (reviewing under the influence)? It absolutely BEGS for a lawsuit. As far as I can tell, the purpose of the app is to measure driver response time (implying the driver is under the influence??). When running the app, you watch a green arrow on the screen and when it turns into a brake pedal, you tilt the iPhone forward to simulate depressing the brake. The better you are with response time, the more full your mug fills with beer (!?!). Clearly a drinking game. It gets better (or worse?) – the app description encourages you to try this behind the wheel (holy CrApp!), depressing the actual brake of your car each time the brake appears on your iPhone screen, as the iPhone’s accelerometer detects the motion. This is the part where all good (and even hack) personal injury lawyers begin licking their chops. I guess I should at least hand it to the developer for utilizing the accelerometer, right? I don’t even want to link this 1-star app. If you must look, then just use your iTunes search.

That’s it for App Avalanche 12. If you agree or disagree with what’s been designated Good, Better, Best, or CrApp, let your opinion be known! Leave a comment or two, visit the forum, and come back next week for more!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone App Avalanche 12: SpaceTime Converter, iSign, Elements: Flash Cards and aDriverTest!

It’s time for App Avalanche 11, and this week we’re shaking things up a bit over here at TiPb. Given the App Store is truly an avalanche of apps with more piling up each day, it’s just about impossible to keep up. Instead, we’ll present to you what’s Good, Better and Best in the App Store according to what reviewers have said — folks just like you and me who downloaded the app, tried it out, and gave it 1 to 5 stars. We’re also going to throw in a CrApp — an app that just seems to stink to high heaven. Let’s get started after the break!

Good

Thumbtacts, by Crimson Research, Inc., allows one-handed searching of your contacts. To find a contact, touch an option (letter or character string) and then look for matches. Coming in with a solid 4-star rating from reviewers, here are just a few of the comments: ricol says “nice, effective app, but interface needs improvement.” Jim Watson said, “Finally an easy way to access my contacts.” Get it here for free.

Better

TapeMe Voice Recorder, from Axel Wolf of Tausendstern Inc., allows you to easily record memos, meetings, reminders, or other audio on your iPhone. It offers a simple 3-button interface and was given a 4-star rating from reviews. Here are some comments: Seeyadude said, “Great little app and worth the price. Very simple to use on the run.” iTep says, “Love this application!” Get it here for $.99 cents.

Best

iExchange, from Thomas Garaio (www.garaio.com), is an app for viewing a colleague’s Microsoft Exchange based calendars from wherever you are. Check your colleague’s calendar to see when they are in the office, when they are available for meetings, etc. Reviewers gave it a 4 1/2 – star rating. Some comments: Bradley36 says, “Very handy app. Get’s the job done. No bugs or problems.” a odd person says, “Nice icon. Looks promising.” Get it here for $9.99.

CrApp

Aqua, from Alec Bellanca, is an app that simulates the flow of liquid as you tilt and touch your iPhone. See the icon here? That’s about as good as it gets. No, you probably don’t need glasses or need to change your prescription. Yes, it appears to be THAT bad. You may feel better about yourself giving your $.99 cents to charity. Then again, maybe the developer is seeking charity. The 2-star reviewer rating seems generous. If Apple exercises zero quality control in their App screening process and if some developers insist on submitting their CrApp and put their name on it, well… your CrApp just may end up here, for the world to see, with your name. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

That’s it for App Avalanche 11. If you agree or disagree with what’s been designated Good, Better, Best, or CrApp, let your opinion be known! Leave a comment or two, visit the forum, and come back next week for more!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone App Avalanche 11: Thumbtacts, TapeMe, iExchange, and Aqua

Not sure if you’ve checked lately, but the App Store is ever-growing! So far more than 100 apps have been featured on the App Avalanche, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Time to dive in for another app-stravaganza with iPhone App Avalanche 10!

New

Big Bang Board Games, from Freeverse, Inc., is a winner of multiple Apple Design Awards and is now available for your iPhone.  Includes classic games like Chess, Backgammon, Checkers, Mancala, Reversi, 4-In-A-Row, and Tic-Tac-Toe. Great 3-D graphics, auto saves your games, landscape and portrait mode, and more. Get it here for $7.99.

The Tag Show, by John Ellis of Dove Valley Apps, is a quick and fun way to view slide shows of public image feeds. Just specify what you are looking for in the “search” and this app will randomly find images from various photo sharing sites. Save images to your photo album and listen to your music while swiping your way through the images you find. Get it here for free. 

Jewel Quest II, from Digital Bridges Limited,  includes over 50 immersive puzzles to solve and an intriguing story line to follow. In the spirit of Bejeweled and Trism, this app offers similar puzzle-solving fun with features customized for use on the iPhone. Get it here for $8.99.

What’s Hot

Diner Dash, from PlayFirst, Inc., is an iPhone port of a popular PC game where the objective is to help Flo, a restauranteur, grow her business from small greasy spoon to 5-star restaurant by seating, serving, and clearing out customers to make room for more. The quicker you get customers to their tables, the more they will tip. The more money you earn, the more improvements you can make to the diner and even to the point of getting new properties. Get it here for $9.99.

Constitution for iPhone and iPod Touch, from Clint Bagwell Consulting, is a copy of the U.S. Constitution for convenient reference on your iPhone. When is the last time you read the U.S. Constitution? Now you can carry it on your iPhone wherever you go, accessing the Constitution via each Article, Amendment, and even a list of the Signers. Get it here for free.

Stitcher Radio, from Stitcher, Inc., gives you free streaming news and entertainment radio right to your iPhone. Choose a topic and Stitcher will “stitch” together the best, up-to-the-minute shows dealing with that topic. No worries if interrupted by a call; this app will resume where you left of. Get it here for free. 

Top Paid Apps

Line Rider iRide, by inXile Entertainment, is an iPhone port of the internet sensation, Line Rider! The concept is simple yet fun and addicting: draw the terrain with your simple pencil tool; including ramps and dips, or whatever you can think of; and send the boy on the sled down the track. Includes a community of users with track sharing so you can download tracks made by others and enjoy the fun on your iPhone. Get it here for $2.99.

Star Wars The Force Unleashed, from THQ, Inc., allows you to experience the Star Wars universe as never before – on your iPhone! Use the Force powers of Grip, Lightning, Jedi Mind Trick, and much more as you use the iPhone’s touchscreen to engage your enemies. Flick and swipe the touchscreen to activate the different powers of the Force. Enjoy a new and engaging story in the Star Wars universe. Get it here for $9.99.

iFish, from John Moffett, simulates the fun of fishing on your iPhone. Cast your line with the flick of your wrist. Feel your iPhone vibrate when you have a hit, pull back to hook it, and then reel it in with the swiping of your finger. Choose from 10 different locations to catch a dozen different kinds of fish. Includes beautiful scenery, life-like water sounds, and even a tracking feature to list the fish you’ve caught. Get it here for $.99 cents.

Top Free Apps

Goodrec, from Goodrec, Inc., is an easy way to make, find, and remember recommendations for restaurants, nightlife, books, movies and more from your friends and sources you trust. This app brings up an interactive map of your location with recommendations for restaurants and more. I simple “thumbs-up” or “thumbs-down” give you a quick look for fast decision-making. Make your own recommendations and include photos in seconds. Get it here for free.

iSlots, by Chris Miles, is a Vegas slot machine on your iPhone. Realistic graphics and sound effects give you the experience of playing a slot machine without the risk of losing your hard-earned cash. Your credits are saved for you, so when you return to the app, you can pick up where you left off. Get it here for free.

Earthscape, from Churchill Navigation, is a very unique app that lets you participate in an on-going 3-D rendering of a photorealistic planet Earth. Take pictures wherever you go your pictures will automatically appear on the virtual globe for everyone to enjoy. Get it here for free.

Thanks for stopping by once again for App Avalanche 10.  Keep your eyes open for next week’s Avalanche. Also, please comment on your favorite apps – why are they your favorite?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone App Avalanche 10

In the wake of new Apple stuff and the 2.1 update, it’s time to return our focus to what’s REALLY important — Apps at the App Store! If you’re at work, put the “back in 10 minutes” sticky note on your door (if you’re at home, you have no excuse) and have a look at this week’s App Avalanche 9!

New

Asthma-Charter, from Dr. Lee Konowe, Ph.D, is a peak flow measurement and medication recording tool for your iPhone. It is designed to assist you and your doctor in monitoring and logging your asthma treatment. It includes a doctor reporting feature so you can conveniently share your peak flow measurement information with your doctor. Get it here for $4.99. 

Wurdle, by Darrel Johnson of Semi Secret Software, is a fun, fast and flexible word game for your iPhone. The objective in the game is to find and trace as many words as you can on the game screen before time expires. If you run out of words, just shake your iPhone and the game board shakes up as well, giving you more possible combinations. Compare your score with others online. Get it here for $1.99.

Trulia Real Estate Search, from Trulia, Inc., is an iPhone version of the popular Trulia real estate search app. Find homes for sale in your area, Open Houses that you can plan on attending, scan through photos of homes, and even check out the area on the map feature. Customize your searches, save bookmarks of homes you like, and even email them to family and friends. Get it here for FREE.

What’s Hot

MetaSquares, from MetaTools, Inc., is a strategy game where you pit your will against your iPhone’s AI and battle it out on the game board to see if you can win the most squares. Capture all four corners of a square to win the square; the larger the square, the more points you earn. The first to score 150 points with at least a 15 point margin of victory wins! Get it here for $2.99.

Garf, by Mauvila Software, is an iPhone version of the old classic memory game. Exercise your memory by pressing the buttons in the proper sequence as shown. Like many video games, you get 3 lives in this game so you have a chance to repeat a sequence if you mess up. Multiple levels and high scores. Get it here for $1.99.

DataCase, from Aaron Kobayashi of Veiosoft, LLC, turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a wireless drive and file viewer. It works directly with Finder and Bonjour, allowing you the ease of drag-and-drop of your files to your iPhone as if it were a disk drive. Whether it’s a Mac or PC, as long as you have a wireless connection, you can save and view files on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Get it here for $6.99. 

Top Paid Apps

LED Football, by Catherine Eng of touchGove, is a hark back to yesteryear (the late 70’s, to be exact) and truly one of the first handheld electronic games. The original LED Football game is faithfully recreated on your iPhone. Press the virtual buttons on your screen, move your LED player up the field avoiding the LED opponents, and score a touchdown! Best of all, no plastic buttons to wear out after hours of playing. Get it here for only $.99 cents.

Spore Origins, from Electronic Arts Inc., is an iPhone version of the insanely-popular desktop game. Using your iPhone’s accelerometer for control, guide your tiny creature through the many perils of the primordial ooze, customizing your creature with better offensive and defensive features along the way. Swim, float and ooze through 30 levels. Get it here for $9.99.

Real Soccer 2009, from Gameloft, brings the excitement of soccer to your iPhone or iPod Touch. Perform amazing soccer moves with the help of your touchscreen. Includes 198 teams with real player names and great 3D graphics for a realistic experience. Throw the ball in by tilting your iPhone! Supports several different languages and includes 12 stadiums modeled in 3D. Get it here for $9.99. 

Top Free Apps

FlipBook Lite, from Josh Anon, is an app for making doodles come to life on your iPhone and share them with family and friends. Remember those stick figure flip cartoons you used to make? I sure do. Now, use your iPhone to make your own animations, including importing your photos to use in your animated feature movies! If you have made something you are proud of and want to share, upload your creation to flipbook.tv. The Lite version is limited, but the full-featured version is available for $9.99.

Air Sharing, by Avatron Software, Inc., is an easy way to take your documents on the go and view them on your iPhone. Mount your iPhone as a drive on your Mac, PC or Linux system, drag and drop your files that need viewing (several different formats are supported), and then view your documents wherever you go. Save time by downloading docs you need to read for reading later on the plane or commuter train. Usually $6.99, get it here for a limited time for FREE.

White Noise, from Todd Moore, is an app that provides looping background noises so you can tune everything else out so you can sleep or relax. Beach, rain, wind, chirping crickets, the sound of and air conditioner – just several of the sounds available. For a limited time, you can get this app here for FREE.

Thanks for stopping by once again for App Avalanche 9.  Keep your eyes open for next week’s Avalanche. Also, please comment on your favorite apps – why are they your favorite?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone App Avalanche 9