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Dale Culp

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Hailing from the backwoods of Pennsylvania, Dale has been a blogger and game critic for more than 10 years. He's an avid collector of vintage consoles and computers. He also plays keyboard in an electronic band and composes music on his iPhone, iPod Touch and Mac.

Connect with Dale:
Game Center: Gus-Gus
Twitter: @daleculp

Skyriders Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Dale Culp on November 2nd, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: FAST AND FANTASTIC
High-speed thrill seekers will have plenty of fun with this one. Race through 40 challenging tracks filled with obstacles, gaps and other hazards.
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Consmr Review

Posted by Dale Culp on October 19th, 2012
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad

Developer: Consmr
Price: Free
Version: 1.3
App Reviewed on: iPhone 4

iOS Integration Rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar
User Interface Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar
Re-use / Re-play Value Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar

[rating:overall]

It's great to have choices, especially when it comes to shopping for a product that's just right, but sometimes it can be tough to choose. Consmr aims to take the guesswork out of shopping and make it easier to buy the right thing.

At its core, Consmr is a social network of people who like to review and compare products. Each member might have their own motivations, such as determining whether a product is safe, healthy, or if a cheaper, generic brand exists, but they all unite under the same drive to improve the shopping experience.

To start, a user simply scans the barcode of a product they're thinking of purchasing. The app quickly brings up all available information on the product, including reviews, ratings, better buys and nutritional information (if applicable.) There's even an option to see where the product might be on sale for less, though it doesn't always work. From the same screen, a user can rate the product themselves, even writing up a review if they choose. They can also save the product to a list of favorite products, share it on other social networks or pin it to their Pinterest account.

Where Consmr really shines is under the "Better Buys" tab, where they can see a list of other products along with descriptors such as, "Higher Rated," "Less Fat," "Fewer Calories," or "Trending." These selections allow the user to make a more informed opinion about the product they're currently thinking of buying.

If there's one failing, it's that Consmr doesn't have a complete list of every product under the sun. A lot of products come up in the database, but don't have reviews because no one has reviewed them yet. There's also a "Discover" section that brings other products to users' attention, but doesn't seem to be based on any reason for doing so. I think it would be more useful if the app based suggestions on other products I scan and shop for. Meanwhile, it does show me what friends are looking at, which lends a little more weight to what I'm shopping for as I'll often consider my friends' opinions over those of a total stranger.

Finally, the Search option is a great way to go shopping for new or existing products while filtering for items that are gluten free, have no preservatives or inclue other features a user might be searching for.

Right now, Consmr seems limited to products most likely to be found at a grocery store, and I think that's a fine scope to be limited to. However, I could easily see the scope expanded to include any number of products, from consumer electronics to vehicles and toys. As mentioned, this app has become my best friend on recent trips to the grocery store. It's exactly the kind of thing I've wanted for a long while.

True Skate Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Dale Culp on October 18th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: TOTALLY RADICAL
True Skate successfully recreates the open-ended fun of freely skating in an empty skate park.
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Mirrorgram Review

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Dale Culp on October 17th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: SIMPLY SYMMETRICAL
Mirrorgram offers a slightly new, innovative way to take pictures of your food.
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Death Dome Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Dale Culp on October 12th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: STUNNING VISUALS
In a city ravaged by a plague known as the "M-Virus," one woman must stand against The Behemoths, defeating them in her quest to win freedom from The Death Dome.
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Snail Bob Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Dale Culp on October 8th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: A CHARMING CHALLENGE
Snail Bob is a cute puzzle game with plenty of charm and wit. Tough challenges lie ahead as Snail Bob goes on his many adventures.
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Stunt Star: The Hollywood Years Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Dale Culp on October 4th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: SPECTACULAR STUNTS
Stunt Star: The Hollywood Years gives players the chance to follow in the footsteps of Evel Knievel and Super Dave Osbourne with ridiculously over-the-top, Hollywood stunt action.
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Bad Piggies Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Dale Culp on October 3rd, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarstar :: EXTREMELY CRAFTY
Rovio puts players in the "bad guy" shoes, unleashing their inner Wile E. Coyotes in order to help the bad piggies steal the angry birds' eggs. And it's a lot of fun!
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Find the Way Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Dale Culp on September 28th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar :: GETS A BIT LOST
Find the Way is a short maze game that pits players against a clock as they race to find a way out.
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Castle Raid Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Dale Culp on September 24th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar :: REAL-TIME FUN
Castle Raid is a fun, easy to play, real-time strategy game with a medieval theme that features local multiplayer on the same device.
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Instatag Review

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Dale Culp on September 17th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: EASY AND USEFUL
Instatag is a neat little app designed to streamline and take some of the guesswork out of adding tags to photos on Instagram, and it works pretty well.
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LAD Review

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Dale Culp on September 14th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar :: CLUNKY PHYSICS
LAD's dark and moody atmosphere creates plenty of tension, but problematic physics quickly ruin the experience.
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FireJumpers Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Dale Culp on September 7th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar :: HOT ON CONCEPT
Players must act quickly to save buildings and wayward hikers as a forest quickly burns to ash in this exciting real-time strategy game.
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Diskobolos Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Dale Culp on September 5th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: CHALLENGING AND ADDICTIVE
Diskobolos will have players bouncing off the walls as they fight a continuous onslaught of bad, electronic bugs.
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Ordet Review

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Dale Culp on August 29th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: ELEGANT BUT DULL
Ordet is a simple word game with finely detailed graphics. But are good looks all it has going for it?
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