The Best iPhone Apps Of The Week

The AppAdvice iPhone App(s) Of The Week: Pages, Numbers and Keynote Each app updated May 31 ($9.99 each, universal); article In a press release that hit the Web moments ago, Apple announced the availability of iWork for iPhone. Now, the company's iWork for iPad suite has been updated, and the three apps - Pages, Numbers and Keynote - are universal. Currently, each app is available to download for $9.99 each. As outlined in the press release:

“Now you can use Keynote, Pages and Numbers on iPhone and iPod touch to create amazing presentations, documents and spreadsheets right in the palm of your hand,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The incredible Retina display, revolutionary Multi-Touch interface and our powerful software make it easy to create, edit, organize and share all of your documents from iPhone 4 or iPod touch.”

For a while now, we've been expecting an iPhone version of Apple's iWork applications to hit the App Store. We first heard about this as early as last June, though the update has taken a year to become available. For more information, be sure to check out our reviews on each of these apps: Keynote, Numbers, and Pages. New Releases Monster Hunter Dynamic Hunting Released June 1 ($4.99); article Capcom has surprised everyone on the iDevice gaming scene when Monster Hunter Dynamic Hunting showed up on the App Store today. In our preview, we speculated that the launch date would be sometime in June, as that was what the reports suggested. How does it stack up to the other offerings the series is known for? When compared to the series as a whole, this game appears to be a simpler experience and more focused on combat; however, don't lose hope just yet. Monster Hunter Dynamic Hunting appears to be a solid game and isn't just an Infinity Blade clone. Monster Hunter series fans, and newbies alike should at least give it a try. Tank Hero Released June 1 ($.99); article A new arcade shooter has hit the App Store, it's called Tank Hero and it offers gorgeous 3D visuals. This is a tank-based action game that has been ported from the Android platform to the iPhone. What makes Tank Hero stand out from many other iDevice shooters is the variety of weapons you have at your disposal. You can make your tank fire over walls and obstacles with some of the weapons; allowing you to hit enemy tanks from afar. Examples of the types of weapons you will be using are: cannons, heat seekers, grenades, and howitzers. The graphics and overall presentation are also the title's strong points. As you may be able to tell, Tank Hero offers 3D top-down visuals. You can see the whole level layout and where enemy tanks are positioned as you play. The graphics have been created using the OpenGL engine and utilize realtime shadows along with dynamic lighting. Velocispider Released June 1 ($.99, universal); article A new arcade shooter has hit both iDevices in universal app form, it's called Velocispider. The game is an arcade shooter from a fixed and top-down perspective. You can't move the Velocispider outside his 2D plane on the ground. Movement is done by tilting your device. When enemies fly overhead above Velocispider, he can fire up at them as well as shoot straight up. He has no control of his turret so you have to move left and right a lot so as to not have Velocispider shoot himself. Feed Me Oil Released June 2 ($.99); article Feed Me Oil, along with the iPad version called Feed Me Oil HD, have just hit the App Store. This is really a beautiful-looking puzzle game with a far out art style -- far out in a good sense. The visual style is just surreal. Each creature seems like it was designed with their own character. The game may appear similar to World of Goo in terms of some of the visuals, and it is also a puzzler. However, don't let that fool you. X-Men Released June 2 ($2.99, universal); article If you were a gamer back in the mid 90s, you probably have played the X-Men arcade game. This game seemed to appear at every arcade and there were always many gamers teaming up to take on Magneto. Konami has just ported this beat-em-up classic to the App Store. This is a port of the 1992 original hit and looks to offer the same kind of adrenaline-fueled action. There will be multiple X-Men characters for players to choose from that include: Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler. The game is a standard beat-em-up affair with the player, or multiple players together, fighting through hordes of enemies until they reach the boss fight at the end of each level. Then they will have to do it again through a harder level and boss until they get to Magneto. Ben the Bodyguard Released June 3 ($4.99); article Ben the Bodyguard is a recently released app that can keep photos, contacts, passwords and other "sensitive" information on your iPhone safe and secure. Currently, the app is available to download for $4.99. If you're looking to apply extreme protection to your iPhone or iPod touch, Ben the Bodyguard looks to be the perfect app for you. Besides offering complex encryption, the application also features a fun, cartoon-style design, as you can see in the above screenshot. Updated 100 Cameras in 1 Updated May 29 ($.99); article 100 Cameras in 1 has recently been updated. Now, users of the app can export images directly to Instagram from within the app, which is a great feature! Interestingly, 100 Cameras in 1 is the very first app to gain this kind of Instagram integration. Because of the feature, Instagram fans can now add 100 new effects to their images. As outlined in the application's release notes, new features added in the latest version of 100 Cameras in 1 (3.1 and 1.1) include:

Instagram integration! First camera app to enable export-to-instagram... now add 100 new effects to your Instagram photos!
Switched Twitter export to use OAuth
Speed improvements, memory fixes, other awesome little things...

Both versions of the application (paid and free) have received the update, however users are the free app can still only access 20 effects. For the full 100, Apple fans have to shell out a dollar and "go pro" with the paid version of 100 Cameras in 1. Megan and the Giant Updated May 31 ($.99); article Do you enjoy adventure games with pixel-based retro graphics and exploration? Do you want to play hide-and-seek on the streets of London in a family-friendly setting? If you answered yes to any of the above, you should check out Megan and the Giant on the App Store. This is a fun adventure game based on line drawing for movement control. There are various items and characters to interact with as well. Megan and the Giant is a stealth game at its core though. You have to help Megan outsmart and outmaneuver pursuers in order for her to find a friend. Chirpy for Twitter direct messages Updated June 2 ($.99); article If you're the kind of Twitter user who sends many private, direct messages to friends and co-workers every day, then Chirpy ($0.99) is the application for you. Importantly, the application has recently received an update (2.0), adding a more personal feel to Chirpy, along with support for the Retina display and many more features. As outlined in the application's release notes, "Chirpy lets you use Twitter direct messages instead of text messages." With support for push notifications, users are never out of touch with their all-important Twitter DMs, and Chirpy's support for "multiple accounts" means that the app has the ability to integrate perfectly within your Twitter-based lifestyle. Gourmet Live Updated June 4 (free, universal); article The Gourmet Live app, that debuted first on the iPad, is now universal and will work on the iPhone/iPod touch too. Offering the same delicious recipes and foodie news as its iPad version, the app is another sign the Gourmet moniker is alive and well. A stable on newsstands since 1941, the paper version of Gourmet magazine ceased production in early 2009. However, despite its publication’s demise, Condé Nast continued using the Gourmet name on a website of the same name. What do you think of our picks? Leave your comments below. The Best iPhone Apps Of The Week is published each weekend; a companion piece, The Best iPad Apps Of The Week, is published separately.