Readers’ App Reviews – July 2015

It’s been a great July, filled with warm summer air and great apps made by fellow readers!

As always, my mission is to try em out and showcase a few to give a snapshot of the community each month.

July is no different. We’ve got some fantastic apps to show off this month:

• A messaging app for those who can’t wait
• Apps for taking notes
• A game testing your emoji prowess
• And of course, much more!

Keep reading to see a snapshot of what the fantastic RW community built this month.

Super Twenty – impossible puzzle game

Super Twenty is a super addicting tile addition game.

Super Twenty doesn’t have any special numbers to multiply; it merely increments tiles when matching numbers are combined. Combine 1’s to get a 2, combine 2’s to get a 3, and so forth.

Its extremely simple, but extremely fun. It doesn’t even lock you down to sliding the tiles in particular directions like similar games.

Being so simple is what makes Super Twenty so much more addictive that similar games. There is always another move you can make, you’re not left hunting. I could barely stop playing long enough to write this. ;]

• Author: Leonid Peancovschi @lpeancovschi
• Most useful tutorial: Top 5 iOS 7 Animations
• App Store Link: Check it out!

Mean Calculator

Mean Calculator is a fun new math game great for a little fun on the go.

Mean Calculator gives you a number and your goal is to tap out an equation to match. Each level will lock some of the calculator keys to make things a little extra challenging but most levels have multiple possible solutions. It might give you a 4 so you could do 1 + 3, 2 + 2, 2 * 2, etc. But maybe it blocks the multiplication button this level, leaving you to lowly addition.

Mean Calculator also gives great feedback remanent of your mean 1st grade teacher giving a loss enough extra sting you want to keep going to prove the calculator wrong.

• Author: Philip Covington @shedbraingames
• Most useful tutorial: Intro to Swift video tutorial series
• App Store Link: Check it out!

Quick Emoji

Quick Emoji is a unique game build entirely around our uncanny ability to memorize sequences.

Quick Emoji shows an emoji on the screen and gives you seconds or less to find it on the regular emoji keyboard. Its surprisingly easy for ones you use often yet surprisingly hard for ones you’ve never sent. You’ll remember where emoji are you didn’t know you had remembered.

Its quite fun to hunt down emoji at breakneck speed.

• Author: Hugo Ibanez @hugoib
• Most useful tutorial: Adaptive Layout video tutorial series
• App Store Link: Check it out!

Don’t Crack

Don’t Crack is a unique, fun game centered around not breaking vases as they come off the assembly line.

As the vases roll off the assembly line one at a time, you control the packing peanut release. Vases are in a crate and you must fill it with enough packing peanuts to make sure it won’t break during shipping. But you’ll have to be sparing, there are a limited amount of packing peanuts and you only get filled up every so often.

Timing is everything as each crate is slightly different sized with different shape vases. The physics make sure you’ll need to leave enough time for the light peanuts to fall.

GameCenter integration will ensure you can verify your bragging rights for your master packer status.

• Author: Geoff Gruetzmacher @gruetz
• Most useful tutorial: How to Create a Game Like Cut the Rope Using Sprite Kit
• App Store Link: Check it out!

Shuff

Shuff is a fun and powerful realtime messenger for your iPhone.

Shuff lets you see realtime messages from your friends, letter by letter. It has has a digital whiteboard where you can draw in realtime with your friends as well.

Shuff doesn’t save your messages as a history. They’re only available until you read them making it easier to keep them private.

Shuff also allows anonymous communication for even more privacy. You can even choose to shuffle the letters of messages making it harder for prying eyes to read.

• Author: Cyril Trosset @cyriltrosset
• Most useful tutorial: Swift by Tutorials
• App Store Link: Check it out!

Contacts Pad

We all have a favorites list for contacts on our phones, but what about connecting to them in other ways?

Contacts Pad will let you select your favorite contacts for quick access to a bunch of them from a single screen. But Contacts Pad is not just for calling. Contacts Pad lets you quickly connect over iMessage, SMS, Whats App, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and more.

Contacts Pad also has a Notification Center widget that makes starting a chat, call, or Facetime session even faster.

• Author: Bohdan Hernandez @thicodrel
• Most useful tutorial: iOS 8 by Tutorials
• App Store Link: Check it out!

ScratchTones

ScratchTones is a full featured, multitrack recording studio on the go!

ScratchTones supports up to four individual tracks with independent playback, volume, balance, and more. The mixer board will allow you to mix tracks, control effects like reverb, equalizers, and a master volume.

You can keep all your ScratchTones to review, trim, edit, playback, or even remix into new tones. You can also download professionally recorded clips, both free and paid, to augment your mixes.

ScratchTones even allows recordings to be uploaded to SoundCloud in addition to sharing on Twitter, Facebook, and more.

• Author: Charlie Cocchiaro @ccocco_gw
• Most useful tutorial: iOS 5 by Tutorials
• App Store Link: Check it out!

Alara

We all enjoy beautiful sunny days, but did you know too much exposure can be dangerous? UV overexposure can cause sunburns, blisters and even longer term problems like skin cancer and cataracts. Variables in weather and season can mean UV radiation changes constantly, even hourly.

Alara provides hourly forecast information for UV radiation for your current location and gives simple recommendations to protect yourself if you must be outside.

With Alara’s help and some thoughtful planning, you can enjoy your sun during the safe periods and relax inside when its a bit too much UV for comfort.

• Author: Lee Morgan @leemorgan
• Most useful tutorial: Swift Language Highlights: An Objective-C Developer’s Perspective
• App Store Link: Check it out!