The Weather Channel iPhone and iPod App Review

There's no shortage of applications to give you weather info on the iPhone and iPod Touch. But look out lightweights, here comes one of the most well-known names in the weather biz. Enter There's no shortage of applications to give you weather info on the iPhone and iPod Touch. But look out lightweights, here comes one of the most well-known names in the weather biz. Enter The Weather Channel App for the iPhone.

This app, and the Weatherbug app are the top of the heap for weather apps, although both serve slightly different purposes. The Weather Channel app is focused on weather forecasting, while Weatherbug is far superior at telling you weather conditions (wind speed, rain, temp, live webcams, etc.) 

My favorite Weather Channel feature is the most recent video forecast for your city. If you get a local video forecast on the Weather Channel, now you can see it on your iPhone as well.

So if you're looking for more weather info than the included Apple weather app supplies, The Weather Channel offers a solid option:

ABC News App for the iPhone and iPod Touch

There are plenty of ways to get local and national news on your iPhone. Kudos to ABC News for their ABC News iPhone App. Sure, it gives you headlines like most news/RSS sites, but the real advantage to this application is the video capability. Same day clips are available from several ABC shows, and I'm partial to the Tech Bytes segments. The app also gives you local weather and news/emergency alerts. Take a look:

Crazy Tanks for the iPhone and iPod Touch Review

If you remember the classic "Combat" game that shipped with millions of Atari 2600's, then you'll already know the basic idea behind Crazy Tanks. You pilot a tank, and have to shoot enemy tanks and gun positions. Tapping anywhere on the screen allows you to fire, while the radar in the bottom right corner shows the relative positions of enemies, as well as health bonuses, multi-shot upgrades, etc.

Unfortunately, you never see much of that battleground at any given time, and the lack of visibility makes the game more frustrating than it would be otherwise. There are worse ways to spend 99 cents in the app store, and with just a few tweaks, this could be a top game in my book. Don't take my word for it, try it for yourself.

Fake Calls for iPhone (and iPod Touch, Actually)

I suppose in an ideal world, we wouldn't need an app like Fake Calls. After all, what good can come from lying to others about getting a phone call. And if you're like me, you'll be so anxious to show your friends how it works, they'll never believe you really have a phone call in the future.

The premise is simple. You select a contact from your contacts list, or a phone number. Then select a time up to one hour in the future, and the ringtone you'd like to use for your "call." The ringtones include the iPhone standard rings (except for the alarm, which is one I actually use) which adds authenticity to the experience.

I've had the most fun having people call me while they're sitting in front of me. I sell it as a mind-over-matter exercise. Of course with this blog post, the jig will be up.

For $0.99, you could do worse as iPhone apps go, and it might just get you out of tight spot someday. Oh and a bonus for iPod Touch owners: I haven't tested it, but reports are it will work with the iPod Touch as well. Voila! an instant fake iPhone in your hand!

Platypus for iPhone and iPod Touch Review

So what does it take to bring new life to a side scrolling game on the iPhone? Well, a fun twist on a space shoot-em-up, and a retro soundtrack are a great start. Platypus for the iPhone and iPod gives you a modern-day Defender, but with a twist: All of the ships (and landscapes) are made of clay. It's amazing how much such a seemingly small change makes the game play more fun. Combined with a retro 8bit-ish soundtrack Platypus proves to be one of the most addictive iPhone games we've tried yet. Take a look, then give it a download.