I can remember when I was handed my first business card. I always thought they were used as a means of saying: “Hey, look at me! I’m sooooo important, I have a special card to handout to people, showing how important I am!”

Yesterday As I grew up and entered the professional world, I realized that these cards were actually useful, but were a total pain in the expletive. Currently, my organizer has a section devoted to storing/displaying business cards and I’ve amassed quite a few, but I don’t know who’s where, offering what at whatever phone number/email address. I might as well just use them for kindle; at least I would know where they’re not.

Furthermore, I don’t carry my organizer with me everywhere I go:

Not Me: “Hey Jason, let’s go play a pick-up game of two-on-two!”

Me: “Okay, let me just grab my organizer in case anyone we play has a business card they want to show off/give me,”

OR

Not Me: “Hey Jason, let’s go graffiti the side of the tattoo shop!”

Me: “Okay, let me just grab my organizer, in case one of the cops wants to network with me.”

When I acquired my iPhone, however, all that changed. It replaced my organizer and is always with me. And if someone wants to give me a business card, regardless of the time, location, cell block, etc., there is now “an app for that.” Actually, there are several apps, but I’ll focus this review comparison on three:

In reviewing these apps, I’m specifically looking for (in no particular order):

1. Menu interface/Aesthetics
2. Image quality
3. Scanning accuracy/data recognition technology capabilities using the app’s built-in camera features
4. Scanning accuracy/data recognition technology capabilities using a pre-selected image
5. iPhone Contacts integration
6. Storage features
7. Stand-out/Special features

Continue reading Business Card Readers: A Comparison of Three »

If there’s one thing I love, it’s a good mystery. As an adult a child, I read every single Nancy Drew Hardy Boys book. Twice. Encyclopedia Brown and McGurk had nothing on me. Now, as the parent of an audacious 11-year old, my house is a swirling vortex of mystery and intrigue: Who ate these cookies? Who tracked mud all over the floor? Who spray-painted the hamster? I could go on, but I digress…

I also love iPhone games and, upon learning of 99Games Online’s upcoming mystery/puzzle game, The Jim and Frank Mysteries: The Blood River Files, I must admit: I can’t wait to get my hands on this game:

The Jim and Frank Mysteries: The Blood River Files centers around mysterious happenings in the town of Tinyville and leads its main characters, Jim and Frank, on an adventure-filled quest to uncover the mystery that is Blood River. In order to solve the mystery, players will be challenged to solve a series of challenging visual and analytical puzzles while advancing in the game.

The game features:

The Jim and Frank Mysteries: The Blood River Files appears to be a promising title in a relatively neglected genre. Look for it to hit the app store soon!

Screenshots:

After years of waiting, Digg.com’s much anticipated native iPhone application is now available in the app store: And it’s FREE.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Digg, it’s a user-driven news/information site that features online content from well-known, popular sites, to obscure blogs, posted and voted on by its users (users “digg” stories they like, thus determining the “value” of the site’s content). As a result, only the most popular content (stories with the most “diggs”) makes it to Digg’s front page. Click HERE for more info on Digg.com.

Speculation regarding the app turned to fervor, when Kevin Rose, Digg’s founder, mentioned it in an October 2009 interview (Slippsies!):

After downloading the app, I was relieved to find it a very good port of what Digg.com offers. It doesn’t offer everything the website does, (customization, video/photo categories, etc.) but it’s an awesome start!

[via Mashable The Social Media Guide]

FREE!

Digg

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2010-03-24 :: Category: News

I remember going to video game arcades in the 80’s and feeding all of my hard-earned allowance into the mouths of select, unassuming coin-operated, wood-encased predators.

While the majority of arcades all died off in the mid-to-late 80’s, there are developers who still work to bring us back to those beloved, nostalgic days of soda-soaked fingers and greasy joystick bliss, only without the joysticks.

One of my favorite games was Data East’s arcade classic, Karate Champ, which, in addition to providing me with hundreds of hours of entertainment, played an integral role in teaching me Karate moves I would later need to fiend off bullies, thugs and arcade employees.

Imagine my delight when I learned Revolutionary Concepts is working to bring the original fighting game that started it all to the iPhone! Karate Champ’s controls consisted mainly of two joysticks and only those players with expert timing, intuition and the satisfaction of knowing Chuck Norris would be proud were declared winner.

Karate Champ will include:

Look for it in April!

[via Finger Gaming]

3bot, a 3D action/puzzle game for the iPad, iPhone and iTouch, developed by DevKid, in cooperation with PIXELFEDERATION, is gearing up for it’s app store debut!

3bot is shaping up to look like an exciting, unique, 3D puzzle/action game. Game play previews feature a tripedal “bot” traversing a dynamic, multi-colored polygonal game board, set within a retro, 50′s-60′s-style cosmic universe reminiscent of a puzzle version of Q-bert set in the 50′s space-age.

According to the game’s developers, 3bot is a robot with 3 feet that thinks in three’s. Game play centers around 3bot moving and coloring 3D patterns, navigating its way around a 3D environment set in outer space.

3bot’s cosmic puzzle/action unfolds throughout 3 worlds containing 45 different levels and features multi-touch controls, global score sharing and an authentic, “retro” 50s-60s sci-fi genre atmosphere.

Features:

1. 3+3+3+3+3 levels in 3 worlds = 45 levels.
2. New features added into levels to keep players “on their toes.”
3. Global Score-sharing.
4. Simple, intuitive touch controls.
5. Multiple player profiles.

3bot was developed by DevKid, in cooperation with Pixelfederation and looks like it’s shaping up to be a unique game play experience. You can follow 3bot on Facebook.

Hit the jump for some more screen shots of 3bot.
Continue reading 3bot for iPad, iPhone and iTouch coming soon! »