Reviewing some iPhone apps (and getting some thumb exercise)

So I have been checking out some of the neat free apps on the app store and found some pretty delightful stuff, and along that journey of app-discovery I also stumbled upon some general iPhone usage tricks for multitasking and ease of use. Before I give details of the apps, here’s a snapshot of the orientation lock button which can be accessed by pressing the home button twice.

This is particularly useful when you’re lying down on one side and don’t want to tilt your phone in an awkward position to use it. By the way, all these snapshots can be taken by pressing the home and lock buttons simultaneously (forgive me if I sound like a noob).

And as for the multitasking part, I never knew that the iPhone was capable of something like it till I felt a slowing down in overall usage. Googling my problem I found out that just pressing the home button doesn’t close an app, but the double tap home button shows which apps are running at the moment, which you can close off properly by doing a press hold over any app till the red minus sign comes up, at which point you can kill the unwanted apps by just pressing the minus sign.

Some of the apps that I had been running before making the aforementioned discovery include some interested music composing apps, a few of them a pure visual and auditory treat. Soundprism is one app which lets you play (and record in the pro version) synthesised sounds on a kind of keyboard the keys for which you can press as a group by selecting the shape of the area that you need to use to press them. Sounds a bit confusing, and I haven’t got the hand of it yet, but just pressing those keys and listening to the soothing sounds is enough to keep you entertained on a lazy Sunday night.

Another interesting app among many is the PatternMusic app which is exactly like the Koan X Platinum software I used on the PC a long time ago. Panning “instrument” icons over the space allows you to adjust their volume and panning, and you can configure each instruments tune and melody in a a separate interface. Again, you need to pay money to be able to save anything, and I am not sure if anyone would do so much work in this just to have their creations not saved.

TurboViewer allows me to view wireframes of DWG files of almost any size with ease. Standard punch zoom and orbit operations can be done to review the wireframe models. I don’t see too much utility for this app, but with superior markup options thus would definitely be a must have for CAD managers and designers on the move.

And then I tried out the WordFued app, which had me hooked for quite some time. Apart from the mildly annoying ads after every move you make, this is a neat app for casual multiplayer play, and definitely gives you a chance to exercise those neurone while you’re lounging on your couch.

Finally, a snapshot from another cute app which serves a noble purpose; to put the sleepless ones to sleep. The monotonous snore of this little red guy floating on a cloud will definitely send anyone to where he is. A little nudge to his cloud moves him around the screen, and a more violent shake can disturb him, but he never wakes up!

Should be enough app review for now. Just realised that my right thumbs aching after writing such a long post on a teeny weeny screen. Until next time.