The Best New And Updated iPhone Apps Of The Week, November 13-19, 2011
November 20, 2011
The AppAdvice iPhone App Of The Week:
Ticket to Ride Pocket, Released November 16, $.99
Ticket to Ride Pocket Comes To iPhone
Ticket to Ride Pocket, the iPhone and iPod Touch version of the hit board game, is available now in the App Store. The title supports solo play, local pass-and-play and local Wi-Fi/Bluetooth.
Created by Days Of Wonder, Ticket to Ride first arrived exclusively on the iPad in May. Almost immediately, the game became a top-seller, both in its category and in the App Store in general.
New Releases
Starbucks Cup Magic, Released November 15, Free
Starbucks Launches New Holiday App For iPhone
In time for the holidays, Starbucks has released its new Starbucks Cup Magic app for the iPhone/iPod touch. The free app lets users find holiday characters that come to life via the app.
Making use of augmented reality, the Starbucks Cup Magic app’s central purpose is to make you smile and naturally, encourage you to buy a Latte or two. To do so, it encourages Starbucks customers to find each of five Starbucks Holiday Characters on Red Cups, Christmas Blend bags, in-store and more.
There’s No Place Like Space!: All About Our Solar System, Released November 16, $3.99 & Universal
There's No Place Like Space Is The First The Cat In The Hat Learning Library Title To Turn OmBook
Targeted at young readers who've conquered the basics and yearn to feed greater curiosity, Random House Children’s Books' The Cat in the Hat Learning Library is a great series that is headed to your iDevice thanks to the folks at Oceanhouse Media. The first title of the collection to make it into the App Store is There’s No Place Like Space!: All About Our Solar System.
“This marks a continuation of our terrific partnership with Oceanhouse Media,” said Susan Brandt, President of Dr. Seuss Enterprises. “As they’ve done with the original Dr. Seuss books, Oceanhouse Media has taken this collection and developed apps that promote education and encourage children to be curious about the world around them, all in the spirit of Dr. Seuss.”
Designed for ages five through eight, The Cat in the Hat Learning Library books make attaining new information fun by integrating it into the classically zany Dr. Seuss writing style. This particular series of the franchise trades moral lessons for scientific exploration and discovery of real life objects, concepts, and more.
NFL Flick Quarterback, Released November 17, $2.99
NFL Flick Quarterback Launches On iPhone
NFL Flick Quarterback has arrived in the App Store. The iPhone/iPod touch uses flick and after-touch controls similar to those in Flick Golf and Flick Soccer.
Created by Full Fat, the $2.99 game includes all 32 official NFL teams where you are the star quarterback.
Updated
Spotify, Updated November 15, Free
The Latest Spotify Update Adds Privacy Options And Further Lock Screen Integration
A little earlier today, the Spotify iPhone app was updated with a few new features that make the experience less clumsy. The app also added a little privacy.
The introduction of the background audio feature in previous iOS versions made it possible to listen to songs through third-party music apps, get driving directions from navigation apps, and so on without needing to worry about keeping that specific app active. In addition, users had access to basic playback controls but one thing was still missing when using third-party music apps versus the iPod app: currently playing song information and cover art. Thankfully, this limitation has been lifted with the introduction of iOS 5.
TUAW, Updated November 15, Free
The TUAW App Has Been Updated
We are happy to announce that TUAW has finally updated their app for full iOS 5 compatibility and has added some much needed new features.
If you enjoy TUAW, as many of us do, you'll be glad to know that their site's official app that brings all of their content to iOS is now better than ever. On top of fixing the bugs that allow it to finally work with iOS 5 properly, the app now integrates with various "read later" services such as Instapaper or Evernote.
AIM, Updated November 16, $2.99
AIM For iPhone Receives A Brand New Look
Today, AIM for iPhone (both the free and paid versions) received a significant update. On its iTunes page description, AOL claims that "AIM has evolved." Has it?
For those interested in a behind-the-scenes look at AppAdvice, here's an insider secret: we use AIM for our office communications. As such, I was particularly interested in how the updated AIM stacked up to the older version. Please note that AIM for iPad has not yet received today's update. Therefore, I was able to compare the old version on the iPad and the new version on the iPhone.
Camera+, Updated November 16, $.99
Tap Tap Tap Announces The Triumphant Return Of VolumeSnap For Camera+
Today's update to Camera+ marks the end of one wild ride for Tap Tap Tap and some of their dearest fans. After more than a year of fighting, the VolumeSnap feature returns once more, and this time it should be for good.
What is VolumeSnap? It's the option of using the volume buttons on your iPhone to activate the camera shutter instead of the virtual button. The choice was meant to allow a more traditional control and make it much easier to perform stable photography in certain situations. It really does seem like an obvious feature. However, VolumeSnap was an idea too far ahead of its time in regard to the iOS realm.
It all began back in June 2010 when Tap Tap Tap blogged about the submission of Camera+ v1.0, which was rejected by Apple's review team because of the VolumeSnap feature and its violation of iPhone app guidelines. Still disgruntled about Apple's decision, Tap Tap Tap later submitted an update with VolumeSnap, only to be denied a second time. It was on this occasion, the developer chose to fight for a change in policy with some help from consumers.
In a move that would ultimately backfire, a dark secret quickly spread across the blogosphere and discussion forums about how to enable the feature that Tap Tap Tap apparently stashed away as an alternate offense. Of course, the explosive coverage resulted in the removal of Camera+ from the App Store virtual shelves.
Fanhattan for iPhone, Updated November 16, Free
Fanhattan Launches On iPhone/iPod touch
Fanhattan, the entertainment discovery service, today announced the launch of Fanhattan for iPhone.
Originally offered only on the iPad, Fanhattan for iPhone allows users to discover and watch on-demand entertainment anytime and anywhere. As such, it includes tie-ins to some of the most popular video streaming services of the day including Netflix, Hulu Plus, and iTunes. More services will be added throughout the year providing access to yet more content.
CoinKeeper: Budget and expense tracking, Updated November 17, $2.99
CoinKeeper Adds A New Twist To Budgeting
CoinKeeper: Budget and expense tracking by i-Free is a different way to look at budgeting.
There are many finance apps out there to help you keep track of your spending, but just how many of them make budgeting (dare I say it) fun? Well, CoinKeeper does just that – it’s budgeting with a piggy bank feel and gaming elements, such as levels and achievements. It supports most of the popular currencies, so you should be covered, no matter where you are.
When you launch CoinKeeper, you’ll be asked to enter in a set amount for every month. Then there’s a neat little feature when it comes to setting up the budgets. You can either do it manually, or you can have CoinKeeper do “smart budgeting.” This option allows the app to automatically calculate a recommended budget in each of the default categories, depending on the amount you entered. Of course, with smart budgeting, the app will know to give you more money to go for groceries rather than something else, like clothes.
NAVIGON North America, Updated November 17, $39.99 & Universal (Other Versions Available)
Navigon MobileNavigator Goes Through A Facelift And Slims Down In Today's Big v2.0 Update
The Navigon MobileNavigator apps turned v2.0 today, and it's safe to say that the apps have matured greatly. Included in the changes are a revamped main user interface, new menu groupings, a new MyMaps feature, and a new FreshMaps subscription.
The Best iPhone Apps Of The Week is published each weekend; a companion piece, The Best iPad Apps Of The Week, is published separately.
Attention developers: If you would like your app to be considered for one of our “Best Of” lists, please me know by sending me a tweet @bryanmwolfe. Note: Your app must have been new or updated in the last week to make the current list.