(Bookworm for iPhone Forum Review by cjvitek For more Forum Reviews, see the TiPb iPhone App Store Forum Review Index!)

I have said it before, I will take it again, I am not a huge fan or word games. But occasionally one will come along that captures my attention. Bookworm [$2.99 - iTunes link] is just such a game.

The premise is simple - you are presented with a field of letter tiles. You need to go through spelling words with connecting tiles. As words are spelled, those tiles vanish, and new tiles fall from the top to replace them. Throw in features like bonus works, green tiles (for more points), red tiles (that “burn” through the others to the bottom) and you have the game Bookworm.

You progress through each level, getting points for spelling longer and more difficult words. As you go, you can collected various accomplishments (words types, such as body parts). There are two modes of play - classic (just a never ending puzzle) and timed (where fire blocks appear and start burning as time progresses). Unfortunately, there is no multiplayer option although to be honest with you I am not sure how it would be incorporated.

There is an area which keeps track of your stats, but unfortunately, it is limited to the highest score. I wish it also kept track of things like the longest word. You also have your library to see different types of words (like the previously mentioned body parts) you have found. The word library does add something of a long term goal to the game, as you can try to collect as many words as possible in the various libraries. One nice thing to see was that the game saves you progress, even if you exit.

All in all, if someone is a big fan of word game, they probably will enjoy this. As I said, even though I am not a big fan, I still found it fun. However, I found the game a little limiting. With only two play modes, both based on the same play time, I am not sure if I feel I could play the game long term. But for people who like games like Muddle and Scrabble may feel differently. At $2.99, the game is not that pricey and could easily be worth the expense.

Pros:

• Challenging word game
• Easy to play

Cons:

• No multiplayer
• Limited game modes

TiPb Review Rating

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

App Review: Bookworm for iPhone

Bla1ze over at CrackBerry.com has posted up a video by Salomondrin that shows off and explains the BlackBerry Storm 2’s new “piezo electric” screen technology. In a nutshell, when the Storm 2 is off, the screen is hard just like an iPhone. When the Storm 2 is on, however, it becomes like a sponge beneath a screen coating, so a user can “push” into it to register a click, double-click, or multi-clicks.

Looks nifty, and it will likely make the Storm 2 much more palatable than the Storm 1 to die-hard QUERTY CrackBerrians. iPhone users? Well, I like tapping, swiping, pinching, etc. so I’m not click dependent, and at the end of the day, it’s the OS behind the input method(s) that Apple’s nailed oh-so-elegantly for me.

Only time, hands-on, and perhaps this year’s Round Robin will tell!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

The Competition: BlackBerry Storm 2 - Piezo-Electric Boogaloo!

I love Facebook and this is a preview of the hotly anticipated  Facebook for iPhone 3.0, coming soon to the iTunes App Store for iPhone and iPod touch.

Where to begin? When I first installed the app, I was frozen with anticipation. I have seen some sneak peeks on Facebook’s app page, but that was it. Now with it in my hands… Let’s begin by looking at the basics.

Home Screen

Facebook 3.0 has a brand-new redesigned home screen (see above). From here, you have access your fundamental Facebook actions such as your News Feed, Profile, Friends, Inbox, Chat, Requests, Events, Photos, Notes and Search. Notifications have been relocated to a very accessible location on the bottom of the screen that tells you the last notification you have received and the total number of new notifications. Tapping this bar brings up a notification list that is practically identical to the notifications list you have on the Web Browser. You can also tap the title bar at the top of the page to return home any time. For example, if you are commenting on a post and you are done, you can tap the word “Comments” at the top of the page and it will return you to the home screen. Tap again, and it takes you back to your comment. Nice.

New Feed

The News Feed has several new features. For starters you can now “like” posts! Yes, you now have the ability to comment and like a post on Facebook for iPhone (you can also unlike too). You can also add a video (with a 3GS) and record and upload directly to Facebook from your iPhone. If a post has a Web link in it, the link will now open within Facebook to view the Web Page. You no longer have to leave the app to go to Safari, through this is an option if you want.

If you separate your friends and paged into different lists, these have also carried over into Facebook 3.0. You can easily and quick access your News Feed, Links, Pages and more from one spot.

Profile

Your Facebook Profile is now here in it’s entirety! Profile pages are divided into three sections : Wall, Info and Photos. Wall remains relativity unchanged, however, Info gives you a lot of information now. For instance,  when viewing another persons profile, you can see how many friends you have in common, their number of total friends and what Pages they are a fan of. Clicking on any of these choices will take you to that list. From their profile you can also send them a message, Poke them and add as a favorite on your home screen! That is right, the home screen can also be customized with your favorite friends or pages!

Friends

This section contains your typical listing of friends, but now if they have their phone number in Facebook, you are given an icon to tap next to their name. When tapped, it will display quick links for their numbers. Example: Land, Mobile, SMS. Very nice if you don’t have every single friend in your address book, this is an excellent replacement! You also have your Pages here too. This is a great, quick way to access the pages you are a fan of.

Inbox

The Inbox remains relatively unchanged except for the added option of Updates for your pages. If a Page uses this feature and you have it activated, you will see your favorite Page updates in the Inbox too under its own section.

Chat

Chat is another section that has not altered too much from Facebook 2.0. One of the new feature is the Online/Idle icons next to your friends so you know their status.

Requests

Not much here, any pending friend requests you have will appear on this button of the home screen with the red badge number of pending requests.

Events

New to Facebook 3.0, events have a simple scrolling list of upcoming and past events. When you tap on an event, you enter your RSVP and see a guest list broken down into Confirmed, Maybe, Declined and Awaiting. Very nice. Do you also enjoy the Birthday feature of Facebook on your desktop that shows you when your friends have a Birthday? Well, Birthdays have been added to Events as well! Click on the Events tab and you have a whole list of your friends Birthdays divided by month.

Photos

Photos in Facebook 3.0 have had a big change. First, when you tap an album, you get a page of thumbnails like the Photos app on the iPhone. This makes it a lot easier to find photos or get an overview of an album. You can now very easily show or hide tags. Previously, it seemed that tags would appear randomly, now it is much easier. You can Like and make a photo a profile picture right from Photos!

Notes

New to the mix of Facebook 3.0 apps is Notes. When you tap on Notes, you get a listing of all of your notes on Facebook. You can edit notes and create new ones. I was curious about the note creation process on the iPhone and decided to enter some basic HTML to format my note, just like on the desktop. Know what? IT WORKED! That is right, you can add basic HTML tags to your notes and it will format the note accordingly. The only thing missing is the ability to attach a photo to your note. This new feature has me debating whether I should bother with my own traditional personal blogging and just blog from within Facebook… we are almost there…

Search

Searching from the home screen gives you a few filters. You can search for Friends, Everyone or Pages. Typing in a name for Friends and Everyone behaves as you would expect, but the new ability to add pages is really awesome. I am using Facebook more and more for product, news and general “fan” updates. This new feature is really convenient.

Posting

Posting has one of my biggest grips addressed from the previous version of Facebook; the “Send” button (renamed to Share) has been moved to the TOP of the screen so I no longer post accidentally while typing!

Add a Favorite

Lastly, from the home screen you can add your favorite friends and pages to the home screen. You can flick to the left just like the iPhone home screen and have quick access to you the people you care about the most.

Issues and Conclusion

This is one phenomenal update to Facebook for iPhone, however, it is not without its shortcomings. To name a few, you receive an error message when you try to play a video that has been uploaded to Facebook. The error reads “Facebook Video cannot yet be played on this device”. Not sure what that means, but it tells me that it will be coming in s future update. If you have posted a YouTube video to Facebook though, it will open YouTube’s site in the Facebook app and you can watch the video.

I have also encountered the infamous ”Error, Your comment could not be posted at this time” message. I had thought this was resolved in the last version of Facebook. I have not seen this error for quite some time.

Overall, I could not be happier. This version of Facebook is leaps and bounds better then version 2.0. The developer, Joe Hewitt, deserves kudos for his work her. Joe has also promised push notifications and other enhancements for 3.1 to be released later this year.

The promise of the iPhone is to have a mobile computer in your pocket. The iPhone is able to deliver on this promise because there are developers out there like Joe Hewitt that keep making apps better and better. Thank you Joe.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

App Preview: Facebook 3.0 for iPhone

Every week a few of us from team TiPb, bloggers and forum crew alike, will bring you our current favorite, funnest, most useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone (or iPod touch) related, they’re fair game.

So who’s on deck this week and what are our picks? Find out after the break!

Chris’s Pick: Snood

I am out in the field right now (yes Rene, another trip!). Since my hotel room TV has only three stations, I need some other entertainment. I downloaded Snood, remembering the game from when I was a grad student. Short games, story mode, multiplayer - this game has lots of different options and has kept me entertained so far. Give it a shot for only… [$3.99 - iTunes link]

James’ Pick: Dailyburn

am forgetful. When I am at the gym, I need help in organizing my workout since I can never remember what I should be doing. Dailyburn helps me keep track of my workouts, but that’s not all it does. I can track my weight, target weight and calorie intake as well. Dailyburn also syncs with dailyburn.com so you hve an online backup of all of your data. A must for anyone who works out…and nest of all it’s free! [Free - iTunes link]

Josh’s Pick: Tap Tap Revenge: Dave Matthews Band

Tap Tap Revenge: Dave Matthews Band is a themed spin off of the popular iPhone game Tap Tap Revenge 2. The game is $4.99 in the app store but well worth the money with over 10 DMB tracks including 1 of their newest hits. Can’t seem to stop playing this game. is a themed spin off of the popular iPhone game Tap Tap Revenge 2. The game is $4.99 in the app store but well worth the money with over 10 DMB tracks including 1 of their newest hits. Can’t seem to stop playing this game. [$4.99 - iTunes link]

Matt’s Pick #1: Hitchcock

Filmmakers rejoice! Hitchcock is the first iPhone app of its kind - a storyboard creation app! The app utilizes the iPhone’s built in camera to take pictures as a basic background, then you add in the camera & subject movement (you can even add stand-ins) and viola you have a storyboard! I was very surprised at the ease of use and the fluid motion of adjusting objects in the app. Another thing that is super cool about it is that you can add audio & even play back your storyboard in “motion” & you have the ability to export to PDF, cool huh? [$19.99 - iTunes link]

Matt’s Pick #2: DailyBurn

DailyBurn is the companion app to DailyBurn.com which is a nutrition & fitness tracking site. If you are one of those people that tracks their nutritional or fitness, then give DailyBurn a try. This app makes it more convenient to track your daily food intake and also allows you to track your workouts offline as you do them (in case your gym has poor reception). Best of all the whole thing is FREE (app & DailyBurn.com account.) [Free - iTunes link

]

Rene’s Pick: Plantronics Voyager PRO

I can’t get over this headset. Again, I have ears battered and worn through years of abuse and almost no BT headsets actually stay on them. This one does, and it looks so badass every time I slip it on I feel like barking “bring the rain!” The size and boom might mean it’s not for everyone. But it’s for me. And it’s my pick. So there. Actually, here — [$89.95 - TiPb Store link]

Your Pick?

You’re part of team TiPb too, so what’s your pick? What app was your absolute fav last week? Let us — and everyone — know in the comments!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Snood, Dailyburn, Tap Tap Revenge: Dave Matthews Band, Hitchcock, Plantronics Voyager PRO — TiPb Picks of the Week

GrooveMaker Forum Review by msbaylor. For more Forum Reviews, see the TiPb iPhone App Store Forum Review Index!

The GrooveMaker Apps are a new way of creating great music on the go. Intermediate users of electronic music creation will find this app on top of their best music creation apps for the iPhone.

NOTE: This review is a blanket review for all the apps in the GrooveMaker series, having beta tested them all, they all operate in the same basic way (the main difference is the sound loops included in each version). Current versions include:

• GrooveMaker FREE [Free - iTunes link]
• GrooveMaker Club [$4.99 - iTunes link]
• GrooveMaker House [$9.99 - iTunes link]
• GrooveMaker Hip-Hop [$9.99 - iTunes link]

Buttons & Using the Interface:

The interface is quite intuitive and unique. When you open the app, you can choose from a set of songs. On the initial load, the song will take some time to unpack. After this is done, you will not have to do this again for that song. In the main interface you have pads in the middle, below that is a waveform. Tap on a pad and it displays the waveform for that loop, this will help you introduce loops on the beats you want especially if you are performing live.

The buttons of the right side are randomization buttons. These four buttons allow you to randomize the loops depending on the button you tap on - A - D. This is really a nice touch especially if you are just brainstorming to find your new groove.

Below these buttons is the Tempo button. By tapping on it 3 times, the app averages the beat and sets the new tempo. If you want to be more precise, you can hold down the tempo button until a set of buttons appear (about 2 seconds). You can utilize the tack wheel to speed up/down the tempo or you can even be more precise by tapping the “+” & “-” buttons. By holding down the tempo button again the tempo setting disappear. The only thing I really didn’t like about this was the fact that it actually changes the pitch of the loops, that’s not exactly something I like happening, I’d rather change them interdependently.

On the opposite side of the screen you have the interactive help. The interactive help is very neat as it…well… let’s you interact with the app & helps you get to know how to use the application very quickly. The other buttons are your preferences - allowing you to set which pads are randomized via the randomization buttons. While I found this nice, I didn’t fully enjoy it as I couldn’t pick pads out of order, rather I had to choose 2-5 or 2-7, etc. The next button allows you to go back to the song menu. Next is the sequencer, more on that later, lastly, the master button, this controls the master volume for your song.

In the middle of the bottom side of the screen you have 4 very important buttons. The far right one allows you to pull up a loops list and select a loop for the pad. Tapping on the Track button pulls up another set of buttons. The one on the left coordinate the pads on screen allowing you to empty, lock, solo, and/or mute the pads. The ones ones the right side of the screen allow you to control the volume of the pad/loop and it’s pan. Of course to remove the buttons you simply tap on the track button again. The play button is what gets your groove on (pun intended). Lastly, the Groove snap button, this is explained in the next section.

Music Creation:

I really loved how easy it was to create songs. You simply get the pads going the way you want to, then tap the “Groove Snap” button and this saves the “groove” you have created into the sequencer. Before I continue I must explain some terminology - A “Pad” contains a loop. A “Groove” contains a mixture of up to 8 pads playing at once within an 8 Bar/32 beat groove. The “sequencer” allows you to put multiple grooves together to create your song. With me so far? I hope so.

Continuing on… Once you have your pads in place you tap the Groove snap button, this saves you pads and whether they are on or not, you then can change the pads and press the Groove Snap button again to save another groove. These set of actions is what make Groovemaker so unique, you don’t have to turn off the music to save a piece of your music. Once you feel you have saved all the grooves you want, tap on the sequence button on the right side of the screen.

All the buttons will be replaced by the sequencer except for the buttons on the right. The sequencer is separated into four portions - the top one contains all the grooves you’ve saved, the second one (from the top) is your sequence, the third section displays where you are listening to in your sequence and the very bottom are buttons allowing you to empty you sequencer, place certain grooves into the sequencer, play the sequence, mix browser (allows you to save you song/sequence to edit later) and finally the almighty Export button - you’ll need WiFi for that.

The main thing that happens here is - you drag saved grooves (first row) into the sequencer (the second row). While I found this very easy to do, I wasn’t a fan of being limited to only 15 grooves in my sequencer… it broke my groove. I suppose a way around this is to export the first 15 grooves, create a new set, then export and so on.

If you are wanting longer song exports and more control in-between groove changes, I’d recommend exporting your grooves independently, then mixing them on another sequencer. Hopefully in one of their next updates they will allow this to occur.

Performing Live:

Live performances are possible however depending on how you are soloing & muting buttons, it can easily get confusing to which pad is actually playing. However, you can select multiple pads and press the solo/mute buttons. The main issue here is you have to "hold" down one pad while tapping on other pads to select multiple pads at once.

Overall:

I found this app quite nice and easy to use I’d recommend this to anyone interested in creating music in their spare time, but for anyone that likes making their trance (for instance) songs longer that 3.5 minutes or creating sudden changes in the song rather than over a 32 beat section, this might not be the best application for you.

Check out this MP3 I created using the app LIVE with the Hip-Hop version!

I simply plugged a stereo cable from my iPhone into my computer and recorded it live in Audacity. Nothing else was edited on the song.

Pros:

• Easy to learn UI
• Export your song via WiFi (as a *.wav file)
• Multiple song pack per app
• A lot of loops per app (about 70-100 loops per song)
• Loops stay on beat - no attempting to match the beat
• Tempo modifier (& pitch)
• Loads quickly (after initial load)
• Intuitive & Interactive Help
• Save songs/layouts

Cons:

• Song created is limited to approximately 3.5 minutes/ 15 grooves per sequence
• No fading between grooves
• No filters
• Changing tempo also changes the pitch

TiPb Review Rating

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

App Review: Groovemaker Music Creation for iPhone