Five for Friday: Week of June 17, 2011
iMuscle:
Cool. Hip. In-shape. These words accurately describe iPhone users. And if anyone disagrees, they're just jealous! To maintain their carefully-crafted physical appearances, iPhone users now have access to a massive library of 3D images of the human body, specifically focusing on the muscular system. iMuscle is a workout and learning aid that allows users to identify, zoom, and rotate views of any muscle in the body, complete with accurate anatomical labels and descriptions. Useful as a reference tool, learning aid, or, thanks to iMuscle's 450 animated stretches and exercises, the best workout buddy a health-conscious person could have!
Absolute Instant:
A shooter designed for the iPhone from the ground up? Yes, please! After the slow death of the arcade machine, shooting games ("shmups") took a backseat to games that were less... failure-oriented. Now, though, with portable gaming big and remarkably accessible, shooters are slowly coming back, using the iPhone's accelerometer and touch controls to really up the immersion. Tap and drag the control circle to move, blasting everything that dares enter the ship's path. Shake the device to drop a bomb, and tap the screen to teleport out of harm's way. Good level of challenge, great HD visuals, and enough shmupping action to keep anyone's eyes glued to their iPhone for hours.
Latin Grammar:
This probably isn't the most entertaining iPhone app in the world, and in fact, it might make many people shudder with fear. But for the select masses that can't get enough Latin, this is a one-stop resource for all things grammar geeky. Test skills in determining second-person plural imperfect subjunctive passive cases with simple multiple choice (or other style) quiz questions, then move on to forming tenses out of root words. Pick and choose which cases are part of the quizzes, how long the test will last, and fiddle with a few other options, all designed to make Cicero look like a grammar n00b.
Sleep Tracker:
A good night's sleep is a luxury many can't afford in the modern, busy world. Sleep Tracker is here to help. Chart, analyze, record and graph sleeping patterns automatically or with manual entries, then calculate averages to arrive at an estimated sleep debt. Set goals and have a timer alert when it's time for snoozing. Everyone spends so much time focusing on jobs, meetings, and tax returns, why not put some attention on something that really matters?
All News:
What's going on in the world? Why not find out? All News is a simple headlines app that allows users to to browse top news stories by map location, keyword cloud, or publication time. It's an excellent way to stay informed without having to resort to reading one of those ancient news devices made out of paper, and the ability to browse keywords is a surprisingly smart inclusion.