Think – Write – Connect

I’m an iPhone application fanatic! With the iPhone applications appearing in the iTunes AppStore increasing on a daily basis, I figured it was best to start producing a regularly updated Top 5 list that gives real world input from a real user. In this month’s Top 5 list, I’ve selected 2 great games (free), a very cool simulator ($1.99), a “Halloween Treat” (.99), and a Freedom Enabler ($1.99).

(All links for download go directly to iTunes (phobos.apple.com) and may cause a browser warning to pop-up. Feel free to right click on the “Download” icon and copy the link to examine or open directly in iTunes)

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5
Proxy Pal	Halloween	Wings	Touch Hockey	iBowl

#1 Proxy Pal

Have you ever been at school, work, a client site, or a WiFi hot spot where an over zealous IT policy kept you from getting to sites you want to visit? Or sometimes do you simply want to check your personal email at work and without a permanent record of it sent to you from IT? Proxy Pal solves this problem in a real world way.

Internet Browser proxies are sites that allow you to surf the web from within their site with full autonomy and privacy. There are several challenges with these sites. The first is that IT administrators subscribe to Internet site filters that are constantly being updated and often include proxy sites. Second, the Internet sites that list the proxy sites are the first to be blocked by Internet administrators. With Proxy Pal on your iPhone, however, you use the AT&T 3G network to get the most up to date proxy lists outside of your locked down Internet connection. The application includes the ability to mark proxies as favorites or “lame” as well as submit proxies to the service so they can be shared with other Proxy Pal users.

Written by Bottle Rocket, this newly released iPhone application has proven to be easy to use and extremely stable.

#2 Halloween Experience

Halloween is one of the most exciting experiences of the year for young children. It combines the opportunity to experience a mixture of fantasy, fear, and treats. Traditionally parental activities have been along the lines of pumpkin carving, shopping for costumes, and a night of “trick or treat”. Halloween Experience brings the fun of Halloween into a creative application that allows children to create a pumpkin with a variety of faces and play classic games like Hangman with over 150 Halloween themed words. It also has a number of spooky sounds that can be invoked. The game fosters creativity, vocabulary building, and just plain fun. It might just be the idea creator for the actual design you use on your real pumpkin. This game is written by Energize Software.

#3 Wings

Wings is a flight simulator designed specifically for the iPhone that presents you with virtual worlds that have the extremely realistic terrains and environmental conditions. Unlike most flight simulators that “stress out” users with nerve racking alarms and the threat of fiery crashes, Wings is all about relaxation, exploration, and enjoying the scenery.

Wings allows the user to tailor their flying experience depending on their mood. You can also play your own music from your iPhone or choose one of the built-in tracks. Whether searching for distant valleys or the endless river, a big draw to the game is the way in that you can simply loose your self in relaxation. I actually wouldn’t call it a flight simulator; it is more like a personal flight escape.

The highlights in this Bottle Rocket produced application are the graphics, the approach to flying, and the overall stability of the app.

#4 Touch Hockey

No longer do you have to worry about bruised fingers, running out of quarters, or having to “keep it down” while playing the timeless classic game of air hockey. Touch Hockey brings it to the iPhone in an intuitive way fully utilizing the iPhone’s touch screen.

This application works best with smaller fingers when playing against another human. In terms of playing the computer, adult hands are just fine. Written by Flipside5 Inc., smooth graphics, accurate geometry, and application stability are all highlights of this application.

#5 iBowl

iBowl brings the fun of bowling home. Let’s face it — Going bowling is tough these days. Bowling alleys are not as plentiful as they used to be and getting lane times might require knowing someone. Whether it be entertainment on a long drive or something to keep the kids busy for 30 minutes, this game is well done and entertaining for all.

iBowl uses the iPhone’s motion sensors for the bowling action. The user actually “bowls” the iPhone to make the ball roll. You can bowl hard or slow. I watched a 5 year old playing this game and it was as much fun for the adults watching as it was for the 5 year old. Written by SGN, graphics, stability, and use of the iPhones advanced motion technologies are all highlights of this game.

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