Slotz Racer for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

Ah, youth, how I miss thee. And that includes the slot car racing I did as a kid. Yeah, I had my own "modern" track (circa 1984), but the real challenge (and frustration) came from trying to use my brother's older track. It was a time when the cars were far more likely to slide off the track. When you needed skill and patience to master the hand grip accelerator.

Fortunately, Slotz Racer for the iPhone and iPod Touch falls somewhere between those two tracks of my youth. It takes a fair amount of skill with the accelerator, but at the same time, allows for some fast racing action. The set layouts (editable, by the way) are far longer and complex than most of us had as kids. And it gives a new generation a chance to experience slot car racing. (Yes, the tracks still exist but good luck finding them since most of the stores that sold them have closed.)

The variation of tracks, nighttime racing, pit stops, and car models (although more models would be great) keeps the game fresh. And for those of you who may have tried an earlier version, the dreaded competitor "Fruitbat" no longer wins every race you lose.

So kudos to Freeverse for taking a different perspective to racing on the iPhone and iPod touch. If you've never touched a slot car, you may find it frustrating at first, but that's just part of the realistic recreation of the real deal. Slotz Racer is currently $4.99.

Flick Sports Fishing iPhone and iPod Touch Review

It was only a matter of time before fishing made its way to the iPhone/iPod Touch. After all, the accelerometer and vibration/feedback from the phone lend themselves to simulating the casting and hooking of traditional fishing. Flick Sports Fishing uses both well, but it still feels like something's missing.

Players of Flick Fishing are limited by the game as to the direction and distance of their casts. However, the environments presented are each realistic, and sound great. Beyond the restrictions in casting, the game also tends to make hooking a fish too easy, as far more emphasis is placed on your ability to reel the fish in without breaking the line. Most of these issues could be addressed in a future update, so stay tuned:

Moto Racer for the iPhone and iPod Touch

It's not the same as a set of handlebars, but Freeverse's Moto Racer can still be fun... once you tweak some settings:

Product Review: Periscope for iSight

I don't know if it would ever catch a bona fide criminal, but Freeverse Software's Periscope brings a lot of unique features to your iSight, that will allow you to catch practical jokers, and play jokes of your own.

Essentially, Periscope turns your iSight or other Mac-compatible camera into a motion sensor. You can then instruct Periscope to automatically take a picture when motion is detected, and that picture can be sent to an email address, flickr account, iPhoto, or even an ftp server.

But enough with the words, here's the video review: