148 Apps on Facebook 148 Apps on Twitter

All posts by Melinda Landon

Posts :: Feed

Melinda Landon

| 148Apps

Connect with Melinda:

Baby Piano Review

Posted by Melinda Landon on June 25th, 2010
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad

"Baby Piano" is great way for babies and toddlers to explore music. The cute and colorful animals are attractive and eye catching. There are two options to choose from; when touching the note it can either be an animal sound or piano note sound. It's fun to switch back and forth. There are two different ways your child can play music - he/she can touch any key and play their own little song or play along with a nursery rhyme. There are a total of eight songs children can learn to play. The key will light up and the child can easily follow along and play the song. Also, there is a record and playback option to capture their very own music creation and a lock slide to cover the function buttons at the top of the screen in case you want your little one just to play the notes. This app is certain to become a favorite, and your child will request to play it over-and-over. The price may be higher than some, however it's well worth the money.

Jam Packed! Review

Posted by Melinda Landon on June 16th, 2010
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad

The application "Jam Packed!" is a clever puzzle game with the theme of packing. The object of the game is to find a perfect place for each object so each box is completely jam-packed with items. The game contains three categories - Black Box, Jewelry Box, and Lunch Box - with each getting progressively more difficult as the levels progress. Each category has 15 levels, and the tricky part is that each level is locked until you have accomplished the level prior. Trust me - it's harder than you think to pack things so they all fit! After each sub level is completed, there is a rewarding comment displayed. The graphics and illustrations of items to be packed are realistic and the sound effects are somewhat satisfying. There isn't any music, but there are dragging sounds when shapes are moved. "Jam Packed!" is great to help kids develop critical thinking and problem solving skills and the game is geared for toddlers to age 10. This is a superior app, a great purchase, and there's a whole lot of puzzle fun jammed packed in this game!

123 Color Talking Coloring Book Review

Posted by Melinda Landon on June 12th, 2010
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad

"123 Color" follows the “color-by-numbers” concept used in early childhood education and introduces letters, numbers, and colors to Preschoolers . The main menu has four categories from which to choose. When you touch the book at the top of the page, coloring pages will appear, then you choose the page and begin coloring. At the bottom of the coloring page are the color choices to match up with a number or letter. Touch a color, then match the number or letter in the picture and the color will appear. When the picture is colored correctly, musical notes will float across the screen and play a little jingle. If musical notes are not heard or seen, the colors or matches are incorrect. "123 Color" allows children to keep trying until all numbers or letters match correctly. It's offered in a number of languages, including English, Spanish, French, and German, and a combo of English-Spanish. The app is well-done, bright, and colorful. The coloring pages are fantastic, and there are many choices within the app. I do hope the publisher decides to add new pages with every update. "123 Color" is also available for the HD iPad

Long Division Review

Posted by Melinda Landon on June 9th, 2010
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

My Second and Third Graders needed extra help understanding the concepts of long division and I found the perfect solution; "Long Division" is like a tutor in your pocket! There are several things that make this app special. First, it can be customize to the child's level of learning needs. You can choose between 1 or 2 divisor digits, or 3,4,5 dividend digits. You can customize the theme colored background to black, white, or gold, and the animation can be changed from slow to fast. You also have a lot of choices, like creating your own problems or solving the ones displayed, and choosing if you want remainders or decimals. The biggest challenge when working with division problems for early learners is keeping the numbers in the correct columns and, of course, remembering multiplication facts. What's great is this app highlights the column that needs to be solved. At the bottom of the screen are the answers and when you choose the right answer to the step, it will float to the correct position in the problem. If the wrong number is chosen, it will inform you that you've made the incorrect choice. The app allows the user a chance to keep trying until the problem is solved. Long division is difficult for some students and I like this app because it makes the experience very simple. This simple approach does not overwhelm the learner and that's just what a child needs to be successful at practicing long division. Problem Solved!

Animal Memory

Posted by Melinda Landon on June 5th, 2010
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad

"Animal Memory" is an educational animal match game that is loads of fun. Within the game there are four choices of animals to choose from including farm, jungle, marine, and insect categories. Each game is timed and the object is to improve your time with each successive game. There are four levels; easy, with two matching pairs, medium, with four matching pairs, hard, with eight matching pairs, and expert, with twelve matching pairs. The graphics are of storybook quality, bright, and colorful, and the musical soundtrack has a pleasant, child-friendly quality. "Animal Memory" is a fantastic game to improve short and long term memory skills. Your kids will love the fact that they can chose an animal category. The perfect age group for this app is from toddler to age 8. Two thumbs up for this game!

Spelling Bubble Lite

Posted by Melinda Landon on May 29th, 2010
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad

For "Spelling Bubble", you tap on bubbles to spell a Word. There are 3 game modes - Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire, and 12 word categories. When you spell 12 words correctly, you earn a gem stone. Collect 12 gem stones and you will be rewarded with a stamp for your colorful score card. The Ruby level has the word and the definition on the screen to help the child learn the word; when he/she is confident enough, there is an option to remove the word with the definition remaining and a question mark indicating how many letters. The Emerald and Sapphire Gem levels are a bit more challenging and fewer hints are available. The fun part is trying to spell the word while the bubbles are moving and earning a stamp for the score card. I find the picture graphics and the music pleasant and calming. This spelling app is awesome because it encourages children to sound out the words. My 3rd and 4th grade children have given me the silent seal of approval by playing it over and over again, and this makes me smile because they're learning.

Memory Block

Posted by Melinda Landon on May 27th, 2010
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

HOW GOOD IS YOUR MEMORY? This game will test just that! Train your brain while you play by watching the computer carefully as it creates sequences for you to repeat. If you make a mistake in the sequence, the game goes back to the beginning. There are four speed modes - normal, fast, faster, and fastest. There are also four sounds to choose from - original, piano, digital, and silent. The silent mode is good to train your brain on visual memorization, however if you combine the sound with the images, you benefit from both visual and audio memorization. "Memory Block" offers excellent early learning skills for new readers. The shape of the computer buttons are colorful and pleasing, and large enough for the littlest fingers. This is a keeper of a game because it has learning benefits for every age. It helps the young ones to develop future skills for reading, and helps the older ones to sharpen memory skills. Remember - our brain is a muscle, so keep working it while having fun!

Find the Differences Pro

Posted by Melinda Landon on May 25th, 2010
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad

Can you find the differences between two pictures? Each set of pictures has 5 "differences" and the object of the game is to find them as quickly as you can. The quicker the differences are found, the more points the player will earn. The player has the option to use hints if they get stuck and 3 hints are available per game. The game gives the player 10 chances to guess incorrectly before time runs out. Find the difference, touch it, and a green circle will appear. If the player guesses incorrectly they will lose time points. If time runs out and the differences were not found, red circles will appear to inform the player where the differences are located. The nice part about this game is that the picture will appear again and again until the player successfully finds all five differences. This is a visual brain game; some of the pictures can be tricky and challenging. Luckily - if you're stuck on a picture - you can use the magnifying glass to get a hint. The pictures are appealing and an exciting part of the game is wondering what the next picture will be. It could be anything from a child in a snow storm to a scuba diver in the sea. With each new update more more photos are added. "Find the Differences PRO" is never ending fun and a visual brain workout. What a fantastic app for elementary age children!

Hair Style

Posted by Melinda Landon on May 22nd, 2010
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad

Ok, it’s time to get a little selfish.... here is an app for Moms. Have you ever been frustrated with your hair and wanted to change either the style or color but were too chicken? Have you ever cut your hair all off and regretted it? Well, I did. I cut my hair off to a short hair-style after the birth of my third child. It was easier to take care for but I didn't like the style and I cried for days. If I only had this app! “Hair Style” is a risk-free way to see what you would look like with a change of style or color. Within the app you take a photo of yourself, line it up and choose a style length - short, medium, or long. There are 45 different choices per length. You have several options on color but the quality is a little off and the tones are not realistic. It does give a good general idea of the shade you may want, though. Save the picture with and bring it to your salon. Touch the “about” button on the style choice and all the information is there for your stylist to achieve the look - the hair type , face shape, styling products used, styling technique, and styling time. I have tried this app out on friends and we were laughing in moments and found new styles for everyone. There are styles for men as well. If you want to see what your man or yourself would look like in a different hairdo then I recommend the app.

Lets Tans 8-in-1

Posted by Melinda Landon on May 20th, 2010
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad

A classy classic puzzle game that never gets old. It has been around for centuries and is still used in our educational systems today. "Lets Tans..." is a visual spatial puzzle game that makes people of all ages use the ole' brain. This app has 3 different puzzle modes - Classic, Replica, and Arcade. There are 7 brightly colored shapes called tiles and they fit together to make a perfect square “the basic Tangram.” The 7 shapes assembled can form thousands of different shapes. There are 110 different shapes to form in the “Classic” puzzle mode. Drag the shapes inside the large shape, tap once to turn the shape in the direction you want it to go or tap twice to flip the shape to it’s other side. After each shape is assembled, the player is rewarded with an applause or some type of celebratory sound and then on to the next puzzle. Whether you're in the car, waiting room, restaurant, or just hanging out and your child has their head buried in your iPhone playing "Let Tans..." - RELAX... they're learning!

Pocket Pond HD

Posted by Melinda Landon on May 18th, 2010
iPad App - Designed for iPad

Do you want a pond in your pocket? First reaction would be, well nooo, however you might change your mind. The graphics for "Pocket Pond HD" are picture perfect and watching the fish swim around will relax just about anyone. The "real nature" sound effects are great and best heard in stereo with headphones. What I like most about this app is touching the water, the sound effects are very realistic and my finger is not even wet! If you tap twice on the screen, a little piece of fish food will appear and the fish will swim by and eat it. The fish can be played with, you can scare them or watch their schooling behavior. The fish pond can be customized simply by adding Lilly Pads and Dragon Flies. My middle child (10) was all worked up by her brother and I sat her down and handed her my iPhone with "Pocket Pond"; I asked her to look at this app and play with the fish while I deal with her brother. She huffed and puffed and complained. Magically, a little fish pond and the sounds of nature put her in a calm state. She was a different person in such a short time! She really enjoyed playing with the fish, feeding them and swirling the water around. The "Pocket Pond HD" app is very refreshing and is a great escape for everyone from a toddler to a parent. There is an upgrade option in the app for iFish Pond where you can catch fish, play with frogs, and hear a thunderstorm for $1.99. See ya... gone fishin'!