Great apps off the beaten path. Unusual but cool, useful or just plain entertaining!
#1 Augmented Driving
A great app that will make you feel you are in a spaceship. It will measure the distance to cars in the freeway, identify safety distance to them and record speed and acceleration or slowing down rate. A great HUD and a view into the future of the features that cars will have standard in the XXII century. It takes a bit long to calibrate but it is worth it. Very cool and unusual! $2.99
Find it in iTunes Store
Find it in iTunes Store
#2 Meteorize It!
A great way to blow steam when the lady at the grocery store takes 20 minute to use her coupons or you have to put up with a 4 hour Opera performance. Point the camera at the annoying event, select your tool (Meteor in a close shot, wide shot, Grenade or Lightning) and send as many as needed until you feel better. The animations are spectacular. I recently used at a grocery store line and I ended up sharing the iPhone and app with others as group therapy. The lady with the 123 coupons did not even feel the pain of 1,208 Meteor impacts, but we all felt much better! $0.99
Find it in iTunes Store
Find it in iTunes Store
#3 123D Catch
Cool app. It takes a bit to master using it, but the results are jaw dropping. You take several photos of an object using your iPhone camera and the application creates a 3D Model that you can then rotate, zoom in and out, change perspective... you get the drill.
Modeling will not be as perfect as the one an expert can do in a 3D modeling software in a desktop computer, but it will allow you to impress some friends and show perspective of cool objects to people that did not have the chance to see those live! Free
Find it in iTunes Store
Modeling will not be as perfect as the one an expert can do in a 3D modeling software in a desktop computer, but it will allow you to impress some friends and show perspective of cool objects to people that did not have the chance to see those live! Free
Find it in iTunes Store
#4 iFish iPond HD
One of the first apps I can remember has been evolving. New features. Always relaxing. Kind of a Zen Garden with live creatures. It will not allow you kill, destroy, steal or drive at high speeds, but it will relax you and entertain you... at least for a while. $2.99
Find it in iTunes Store
Find it in iTunes Store
#5 Voodoo Fun
I cannot stop laughing at the screams of these dolls when you put the pins in. The game is a personalized Voodoo doll that you can choose from different characters to fit your needs: teacher, police officer, bride, boss (male and female), and others.
You have the option to add a picture to add a final realistic detail and make them reflect your object of rage. Simple, but effective. The best, the variety of characters and the sound of the dolls. $0.99
Find it in iTunes Store
You have the option to add a picture to add a final realistic detail and make them reflect your object of rage. Simple, but effective. The best, the variety of characters and the sound of the dolls. $0.99
Find it in iTunes Store
#6 Island Tribe!
It is a game of fun and strategy. Nice graphics and rich without getting too complex. I don't see myself playing it for years, but it has stolen some of my time in the train, taxis and airplanes. I like the variety of seasons and the smooth graphics. $1.99
Find it in iTunes Store
Find it in iTunes Store
#7 Splashtop
Maybe it is not completely off the beaten path, but I cannot say enough about this game. It has helped me fix some friend's computers remotely, it has allowed me to give tutorials and show how to do graphics and work programs to friends half way around the world. I like that it works fast and, when in the same local Wifi network, you can even use it to watch Hulu in your iPad while playing in your desktop. You have to try the $2.99 version. The most expensive version will allow you to connect with desktops out of your local Wifi network. It is a bit slower when using internet for connections, but I consider it part of my essential tool shed now. $2.99 and annual subscription for remote connections through internet.
Find it in iTunes Store
Find it in iTunes Store
#8 Parking
I cannot believe how simple, yet how addictive this game is. I guess it is because it looks like may other puzzle games, but the way to play it is exactly the opposite than most games. In this case, you need to direct traffic into parking lanes choosing where your next car will NOT go into. It twists your braincells! I bought it when it came down in price, and it is worth it, but if you want the iPad version with better graphics, you will need to buy it separately. The iPhone version sufficed for me. $0.99
Find it in iTunes Store
Find it in iTunes Store
#9 AR Invaders
Another augmented reality game where you defend Earth from an alien attack. This time, though, they are attacking your neighborhood! Having a real background adds fun and a new element. If you don't like the game, at least it will be cool to combine real images from your camera with alien artifacts flying and attacking while you shoot around making the place a mess. $1.99
Find it in iTunes Store
Find it in iTunes Store
#10 Moonwalking
What can I say? I like augmented reality, especially when the cameras are high resolution and the animations work smooth as silk. This app is very close to it. This will give you the opportunity of becoming the spectator of the arrival of the man to the Moon in your own backyard. It will give you an idea of how much terrain the astronauts cover, too. It is cool, really cool. I don't know if I will play it more than 10 times, but it is worth the money and the face of your friends when they see it. $0.99
Find in iTunes Store
Find in iTunes Store