Monday Morning App HQ

[caption id="attachment_21260" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Picture shamelessly stolen from JustJared.com.. they made the list too!"]

[/caption]Ariel Foxman = Awesome
If you haven't heard yet, Ariel Foxman, the Editor in Chief of InStyle Magazine, put out a list of his 6 favorite websites in the November issue of the magazine. Shockingly, 148apps was on the list, making Ariel Foxman my new favorite person in the fashion world. I was quite partial to the Victoria's Secret models before, but none of them have ever done anything for me. Thanks Ariel! (Ariel, if you are reading this, I'd love to do a short little interview about your favorite apps... a celebrity app advice article would be amazing!)

Thanksgiving
Whether you are stuck with your in-laws or are in for an entire day with that crazy uncle, turkey day is upon us. My family started fairly early this year and, in true Texan style, fried up a turkey with Creole butter marinade last night. It was oh so good, but I have a strange blackout headache from it now.... quite unfortunate.

While I love the traditional Thanksgiving day food (for those of you that aren't in the US, we spend the whole day eating turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, some kind of green vegetable casserole, and about every pie conceivable), there is far too much extended family interaction for me. Besides the annual football games and the random hour after dinner running around trying not to pass out from a tryptophan overdose (Wikipedia tries to blame the 'after food coma' on carbohydrates and alcohol... fools), most of us are stuck. Fortunately, being an iPhone owner, I can escape into my little world of apps. The great American eating festival brings with it the greatest shopping day on Earth, black Friday, where everything goes on sale... and if last year was any indicator, even iPhone apps. Yay! We'll have a running post on Friday for apps that are on sale/free, so be sure to check in throughout the day for some great deals.

iTunes Store Problem
Having a vested interest in the App Store (it is directly tied to my employment), I would really like it if Apple put a bit more into app promotion. I mean, they've done some great things to make the App Store as big as it is, but they need to go a bit bigger. What they need is to put some apps on the iTunes Store front page. Why can't the recent launch of Call Of Duty: World At War: Zombies (come on Activision, let's shoot for a shorter name next time) be next to the frightening picture of Rihanna trying to scare me into buying her newest album? What makes the newest single of the week, "Death To All But Metal" by Steel Panther (awesome!) better than the also free Eliminate Pro? It's a pretty big deal to make the front page of the App Store, but it would be entirely different to make the front page of the iTunes Store.

Let's get on this Apple.

Great Idea of the Week
On a whim, I downloaded Touch Tone Hero yesterday and the feeling of nostalgia sort of blew me away. It's basically a rhythm based game, much like Rock Band and DDR, but it uses a touch tone dialer for the music. Instead of seeing buttons fly down the screen, you see numbers that you have to dial. The best thing about it though is that it makes no attempt at being polished or anything, it just makes the regular touch tone sound when you hit the numbers. The only problem that I have with the app is that it uses an image of a candy bar style phone as your dialer and screen. Since I am using a phone already, why not let me play with the iPhone phone interface? With a more polished app image and a more iPhone-like interface (making it look like a native app), this one would be a must have, if only for the gag value. Regardless, it is funny, so try it out if you're looking for some quick entertainment.

This Weeks Sign of the Apocolypse
Nothing in the world makes me throw up in my mouth quite like an unholy combination of an app, a washed up rapper (don't tell him I said that!), and an athletic beverage. Well kids, it happened. Moderati Inc. (of Soulja Boy Tell 'Em Romplr: Remix fame) put out the "50 Cent "Baby By Me" sound lab" that is littered with Vitamin Water advertisements. I know it's free, but someone should really be paying me for being exposed to this crap. The best part is that it's on the front page of the App Store in the New and Noteworthy section. Good job Apple.

Poor Will Raskin
Although the Cowboys won yesterday, it was a tough game to watch. You know it's bad when I'm up for a beer run in the middle of the 3rd quarter. Maybe they'll play better on Thanksgiving... maybe.