WordsWorth is a clever word game with some nice features. Compelling gameplay and options will make this game appealing to wordsmiths and Scrabble players alike.

App Store Insider: August Trometer Part 2

Finishing up our interview with August, I ask him about what it is like being an iPhone developer in the lime-light, or Celebrity Developer. He talks about how much fun it has been to break out of the traditional role from time to time, and how it has really helped out his programming business.

I also get his opinions on Apple’s filing to have jailbreaking iPhones judged illegal, what that means to the development community, and how jailbreaking is actually beneficial to the App Store and making the iPhone a popular development platform. August also tells us why he has avoided it.

Most importantly, August gives us the breaking story about the soon to be released app, YOWZA!!, and how it will change the way you shop and use your iPhone.

Listen to how August met Greg Grunberg (Matt Parkman on Heroes) on Twitter, and joined forces with Rick Yaeger from MacMerc, to create a whole new business model for an iPhone app, and how they have tackled the problems of turning your iPhone into a money-saving shopping tool! And it’s going to be FREE!

Here is a little taste from Greg himself.

Enjoy!

You can check out August’s digital book, Optimizing Your Website for Mobile Safari on your Kindle from Amazon, or buy it in PDF format here.

App Store Insider: August Trometer Part 1

In Part 1 of the interview, August recalls the launch of the App Store and working on Loan Shark, his first app submission. He also describes his observations on the App Stores pricing “paradox” and his experiments with the pricing of his own apps to increase sales.

We discuss August’s history as a Mac software developer and how that led to his programming for the iPhone, which he felt was a logical step. August also explains his “mantra” for developing software, which involves making it easy to use for everyone, and relates his experiences with programs that are popular, yet have difficult to use interfaces.

Lastly, we discuss August’s popular software for the Mac, and his reasons for not developing a version for the iPhone. We get some insight on what it is to deal with Apple when they are the “800 pound gorilla” in the room and discouraging others from infringing on their domain, plus the economic factors involved.

In Part 2, we discuss August’s latest project, Yowza! and the unusual circumstances that brought him together with his business partners. He also describes how this project is much different from past iPhone projects.

Links to all of August’s apps are below. Let us know what you think of the interview and any feedback for August on the apps.

Enjoy!

Loan Shark

Category: Finance
Released: 2008-07-30
Price: $2.99

Lightastic!

Category: Entertainment / Educational
Released: 2008-11-23
Price: $1.99

App Store Insider: Corey Johnson

This is the start of a new series here on 148Apps. A series where we interview people from all areas of the app development process. From developers, to designers, even management. Looking to help others gain insight into what works, and what doesn’t work in app development and sales. – Editor

Corey tells us how he made the transition to developing for the iPhone, and tells some stories about the pitfalls of working within Apple’s strict guidelines. Overall he has been enjoying the experience, and relates that Apple’s tools and services for developers keeps getting better. Corey comments that Apple still has a ways to go toward helping the programmers communicate with their users and get useful feedback.

Lastly, he tells us about some of the apps he has in the AppStore and how he came to create them. His app, Movie Brain, required some lateral thinking to get his app to be a self-contained, searchable database of all movies. He also introduces a new app coming soon, just in time for Oscar season. The app is called “And The Award Goes To…Oscar Edition” and will be able to display past Oscar winners as well as the nominees for the upcoming Oscars. In addition, the app will allow you to cast votes for you favorite movies and compare them to the votes of other users of the app. Corey hopes this will be the basis for other interactive apps he has planned for later.

Links to all of Corey’s apps are below. Let us know what you think of the interview and any feedback for Corey on the apps.

Enjoy!

Awards: Oscars Edition

Category: Entertainment
Released: 2009-02-01
Price: $0.99

Mustache

Category: Entertainment / Simulation
Released: 2008-10-24
Price: $0.99 ON SALE: FREE

Movie Brain

Our Rating: :: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Category: Entertainment
Released: 2008-12-16
Price: $2.99

NeuroSnack

Category: Games / Puzzle
Released: 2009-11-14
Price: $3.99

Movie Brain is like having IMDB in your pocket, but better because it doesn’t require the internet! A must-have for movie buffs.

Macworld Expo Toolkit for iPhone

If you are coming to Macworld, you will be in the heart of San Francisco. Whether you have been here before or not, there are some essential apps you should load on your iPhone for worry-free navigation of the Expo and the city.

iMacworld

Category: Reference
Released: 2008-12-13
Price: FREE

Without question, the #1 app you should have is iMacworld. The latest update adds Session info and detailed maps of the Halls, plus an easy to search directory of vendors and products. My only wish is that this app had been around for previous Expos.

Handshake

Our Rating: :: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Category: Social Networking
Released: 2008-10-22
Price: FREE

For you elbow-rubbing and social networking types, download a copy of Handshake. Handshake will allow you to easily exchange your contact info with other iPhone users without worrying about loosing those pesky business cards that fall to the bottom of your goodie bags.

Easy Wi-Fi for AT&T iPhones

Category: Utilities
Released: 2008-11-29
Price: $2.99

There are a TON of Starbucks in San Francisco. To log on to get your free iPhone wifi connection from AT&T, download Easy Wi-Fi for AT&T. It costs $0.99, but it is totally worth it for speeding up your connection to hotspots to check your voluminous email, or to download one of the apps you just read about in this article.

Routesy Bay Area San Francisco Muni and BART

Our Rating: :: RECOMMENDED

Category: Navigation
Released: 2008-07-11
Price: $3.99

If you are combining your Expo trip with your vacation plans, or hope to explore the city a bit, Routesy can provide you with all the local MUNI transit information and schedules. If you don’t want to spend the $2.99 for Routesy, there are also two Web 2.0 apps available that you can use with Safari for free.

NextBus (www.nextmuni.com)

MUNI Time (sf.munitime.com)

iBART (Free)

Category: Navigation
Released: 2008-08-22
Price: FREE

If you are flying into the San Francisco or Oakland airports, and don’t plan on renting a car, you will need to take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). To get BART schedules and maps of stops, download iBART. There is a BART train that goes directly from SFO to downtown, just blocks from Moscone. Trips from the Oakland airport require a short $3 shuttlebus trip to the BART station before continuing to San Francisco.

Yelp

Our Rating: :: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Category: Travel
Released: 2008-07-11
Price: FREE

The mobile version of Yelp is great at helping to find eateries and night spots in the city during your Macworld stay. The only problem might be that there are too many great spots to visit making it hard to choose. Yelp is especially handy since there aren’t a lot of places right around Moscone, and the ones that are will probably be packed with Expo-goers. Wear some comfortable shoes and hike to some of the more out of the way spots.

twiddlerSF

Category: Travel
Released: 2008-12-07
Price: $1.99

Finally, if you are looking for something to do outside of the Expo venue, try twiddlerSF which is a great app that can randomly choose a place to go in the city or an event, based on your “mood” and how far you want to travel. It also had a cool spinner interface.

iTree is a nicely done, interactive Christmas card app that allows you to send a customized postcard to friends and family via email, directly from your iPhone.

Apple’s 2008 in-ear headphones

Yes, I bought the new headphones. I was ready to buy them when Steve Jobs announced them in…what…November? I had bought some 3rd party in-ear, iPhone headphones that served me well and were very affordable. After only a few months, however, the control button stopped working and I found out the company’s headphone division had been sold off, but nobody was offering support. Weak. Other in-ear headphones that promised better quality and service were out of my price range, so I have been using the standard “bud” headphones that came with my 2G iPhone and hurt my ears. When Apple said they would offer a pair for $79, I was eager to get my hands on a set. While I wish Apple made a set in black, their button controls seem superior to the others I have looked at, so I’m willing to live with the “he’s got an iPod/iPhone!” recognition factor.

Continue reading Apple’s 2008 in-ear headphones »

Handshake provides the suspiciously missing option of contact sharing with a simple, easy to use interface.

MotionX Poker Quest pushes the original game them forward slightly, but is pretty much the same, solid game.

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Arcade style basketball scoring game has good graphics but moderate replay value.

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Counter app offers useful array of time and item tracking options.

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