Tiki Totems for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

We've been on a bit of a cool, quick game drought on the iPhone app reviews, but today we come to an oasis with Tiki Totems. If you've ever played Topple, you might think this is a knockoff, but it is not. Think of it more as a reverse Jenga. Essentially, you remove stones strategically, with the simple, yet addicting goal of keeping the tiki from touching the ground, or going off the screen. Sure, the first few rounds are fairly easy, but in the second half of the first puzzle pack, things pick up.

You can only tap to remove gray blocks, the purple blocks break when they crash together as a result of the removal of a gray block, and black blocks always stay.

It's a quick, easy game to play for anyone of any skill level.

(iTunes link)

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Video Poker: Jacks or Better for the iPhone Video Review

I enjoy video poker, but I'm not a very good player, so casino trips can easily lead to disaster. Fortunately, there are more than a dozen video poker apps for the iPhone. Today, we're looking at Video Poker: Jacks or Better from Gee Logic.

As the name implies, this version of Video Poker offers the Jacks or Better variant, and that is the only version in this app: If you're looking for deuces wild or other variations, you'll need to look to a different app. Also, this app is limited in that each round is one 5 credit bet: there's no max bet or increased bet options. And finally, you start with a pot of 500 credits, and play until those are exhausted, or until you reset the game. This means there's no way to post a high score.

It's a very basic, more of a proof-of-concept poker game without any frills (or sound effects for that matter.) If you want to learn or, just want to play without any bells and whistles, you might enjoy this version, but if you're looking to simulate the actual casino experience, you'll want to be sure to check out the other Video Poker options.

(iTunes Link)

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Vintage Video Maker for the iPhone 3GS Video Review

It's easy to forget sometimes that there's some decent horsepower under the hood of the iPhone 3GS. An app like Vintage Video Maker reminds you, and brings a fun new feature to the phone at the same time. 

Vintage Video Maker allows you to add old-timey film effects to video shot on the iPhone 3GS. You can either take the video while using the app, or use a stored clip. Before selecting the clip.  you add the look of a 1920's or 1960''s era film, choose output format, and select to keep the clip's audio, or add an included sound track. (I would suggest always outputting to the highest setting). 

Next, the iPhone turns into a rendering machine, creating the new clip. This process takes 2 to 3 times the length of a clip. It's probably comparable to rendering video clips back in the day of the G3 chip.

As the processors in the iPhone get faster and faster, apps like this will become even more fun and easy to use. For now though, Vintage Video Maker, is a great on-the-go way to enhance the look of your iPhone videos.

(iTunes link)

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iSpy Cameras for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

I've always thought that the global network of webcams is one of the most under-utilized creations of our modern age. Put all the Big Brother fears aside for a minute, and consider the amaxing feat that we can be transported via video to almost anywhere on the planet. And now, we can even do it on the iPhone and iPod Touch thanks to iSpy Cameras.

The app is fast and fun, displaying a grid of 12 cameras from around the globe. But once you start flicking, you will see there are actually dozens of pages of these cameras. Tap on one and it fills the screen. The really incredible part is many of the camera are also controllable by you. By swiping the screen you can often pan left or right, or you can select from several presets. Sure you could do this in the past on a computer, but the packaging of so many cameras into a slick interface for the iPhone is really the selling point of iSpy Cameras.

The only downside is some particular areas of the world are not covered. TDL's home port of Philadelphia for example is not (currently) represented. All of this is subject to change with updates of course.

The locales that are available are varied and fascinating. From oceanside views, to indoor skate parks, they're all fascinating in their own way.

(iTunes link)

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Insulting Monk for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

Okay, before we all get too sappy in the holiday season, let's take a quick look at an app that reminds how cruel the world can be. I speak of Insulting Monk for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

While the monk has some (very) mildly amusing things to say, perhaps his biggest insult is managing to separate you from 99 of your hard-earned cents. The app looks nice, and has some pleasant sound  effects, but the monk himself doesn't have much to say, and when he does say something, it's usually not that funny. Unless curiosity has the best of you, you can probably pass on Insulting Monk.

(iTunes link)

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