There are many reasons why this app reigns supreme over some of the other competitors in the App Store. First and foremost,  iHandy Flashlight Free has made use of the iPhone 4’s built in LED camera light so you can now use the device as an actual source of shining light (*note this is only an iPhone 4 feature). It’s pretty bright and serves as the perfect utility if you’re in the dark and need to shed some light on a subject. In addition to this, one other feature that really stood out was the ability to activate the LED light as well as the screen light by simply shaking the iPhone 4. This makes for a quick and intuitive experience if you need some light fast, a simple shake and LET THERE BE LIGHT!

The main menu in iHandy Flashlight Free is a simple grid with 12 boxes: 9 boxes contain a different light, then you’ve got one box that promotes the paid Pro version, an info box for basic user control settings and instructions, and finally an iHandy Widgets box for promoting more apps created by the developer. Each light box has a cool blue/glowing icon followed by the name of each light. Pick from Lights, Strobe, Trippy, S.O.S, Emergency, Motion Control, Spiral, Glow Sticks, and Neon. Tap the box and you will get a quick preview. You can actually preview all of them at once if you slide your finger across each icon. The box flips around, displaying a preview of the light in action.

Once you have picked a light you have a few user controls. Hold your finger on the screen, then drag up or down to adjust the brightness of the light. You can also tap the custom color icon below and create any color you wish, then save it. Swipe or hit the arrow buttons left/right to pull up different colors and lighting patterns. The S.O.S light or the Emergency light may actually have some serious use, while the Trippy, Glow Sticks, and Spiral lights are more for fun. The regular white light is pretty bright, though you will get even more out of the screen light by making sure your brightness setting is turned up all the way in the iPhone’s Settings menu. Honestly though, you’ll be using the back LED light as your main lighting source. The screen light can be used to create a softer, more subdued ambiance.

While the free version is a great tool, you do have to deal with the ads, but there is a Pro version that gets rid of that. The developers also have thrown in over 60 more lights to select from if in fact you do want to upgrade to the paid version. The Pro addition includes some pretty cool new lights like a candle, lighter, Incandescent & Energy Saving light bulbs, more neon signs, and finally some additional skins for the glow sticks. All this at the $0.99 price-point is a good bargain. iHandy Flashlight Free is definitely a recommended utility app as well as the Pro version. With so many different utility apps to select from it’s important to make sure you have the right tool for the job and I think iHandy Flashlight Free is the most versatile and functional one.

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Created by Stefan Granqvist, CalcAdva includes pretty much every thing you need to perform complex calculations quickly and easily.  Designed to meet the needs of scientists and programmers, CalcAdva houses a comprehensive inventory of variable calculations (97 variables) that functions as a searchable, one-touch quick calculation and reference guide.  In addition to the inclusive list, you can also enter in your own variables!

Recognizing that people can make mistakes while entering hard core equations, CalcAdva offers a few really nice to have features that’ll make your complex calculating life much easier.  For starters the calculator works with full expressions, meaning if you enter in a complex calculation (ex. 5*14+3-1/5+14*2+3) it won’t incrementally solve the problem each time you enter a new sign, instead it waits to begin solving until you’ve pressed the “=” button.  Additionally, CalcAdva automatically keeps a running history of calculations performed.  If you later realize that you may have accidentally entered a typo in a previous calculation, you can simply search your history for the calculation, update it, and recalculate in a matter of seconds!

I must admit, I’m neither a scientist or a programmer, however from what I can tell CalcAdva is a great alternative to the traditionally expensive and rather large hand held scientific calculators.  It’s a fraction of the cost, offers a plethora of handy and specialized features, and for the every day scientist, programmer, or technical/engineering focussed individual provides a convenient alternative to lugging around a bulky calculator.

Pros:

• Inexpensive alternative to traditional scientific/programming calculators
• Auto saves previously performed calculations for easy updating/retrieval
• Provides searchable/interactive/comprehensive list of commonly used variables
• Ability to add your own variables

Cons:

• Less practical for non-scientist/programming/engineering individuals

Version Reviewed: 2.0

Requirements: iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad; iPhone OS 3.1.3 or later

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You initiate a download or a large file/folder transfer on your computer. After a few minutes you realize that you are all finished with your other work and cannot go any further till this transfer or download is finished. But the dialogue box on the screen says its going to be an hour or more. You could get something else done, like some house cleaning, yard work, or lunch with a coworker. The Bar is here to help.

Just fire up the app and use it to take a picture of the progress bar on your computer with your iPhone camera. The app overlays a little box around the progress bar.  When it does this just adjust the box so it fits perfectly around the progress bar (see above). Then wait a little awhile and take another picture with the app, repeating the process, only this time you move the “Bar size” slider, which is the red line in the shot above, so that it covers the current progress bar length. The result is that it can compare how far the progress bar has advanced from picture one to picture two. It estimates how long the transfer or download has left and you can go off and do something else. It will notify when it is finished. You will have to set the time (see the image below).

If you get a call, don’t worry. It still keeps track of the time in the background. You might come back and notice that the app’s reported time remaining is off what the computer says. You can go back and “recalibrate” it which is essentially repeating the second measurement.

The Bar currently doesn’t run in the background with the new iOS4 background support. However, if you switch to another app and return to The Bar it will update the information.

So after testing I uncovered a couple of problems with this app. First, it doesn’t appear to be very accurate. I tested it with a 2.7 GB folder of pictures. On my initial test The Bar reported the transfer would finish in an hour vs. what my computer which said it would take fifty minutes. Initially I figured a ten minute difference isn’t all that bad, but I quickly changed my mind.  After recalibrating a couple of times I noticed that the app started reporting much longer transfer times than my computer. In the end my computer finished the transfer and the app said it still had more than an hour left to go.

The second issue I found was that manipulating the little box that overlays the progress bar indicator is so sensitive on the iPhone 4 that it is hard to make it fit accurately. My box was either a tenth of a centimeter too big or too small for the first five or six tries on each end. I finally was able to get it right, but it took repeated steps.

Finally, is this type of app really necessary for everybody? My thoughts are probably not.  Although, I guess if you frequently download and transfer large files (music, video, images, etc.) you’d probably want an app of this nature.  If it is something that you would use, perhaps you’ll have a better run with it then I had.  Personally I’d need the accuracy to be significantly improved before I could find the app useful.

With all that said, The Bar is likely to be an attractive app for all you big file transferers and downloaders out there. Performance wise the app was solid; it never crashed or froze on me once.  Support for the app seems fairly abundant.  On the app’s website you can find a lot of support related and how to information.  I especially felt the demonstration video (shown below) was a great tool to orient the user to this unique utilities app. Finally, the app itself is very creative. I never would have even thought about a tool like this. But as the Apple ads say, “There’s an app for that.”

Update: August 18th, 2010 – Goal Moon has recently brought out a new exciting release of The Bar.

The full list of improvements includes:

• Progress bar reading position auto lock. Hold the tap for a while moments and the application will lock your position to avoid error in reading when you remove your finger. By halting the position you’ll see icons of padlocks on all four corners of the app screen.
• Inclusion of transparency in the frame’s bar, which measures the progress bar.
• Improved recalibration process. A new algorithm ensures greater accuracy in this process.
• The persistence process is adapted to iOS4.
• Inclusion of a method that calls the user to review the app after a few times using it.
• Two new buttons on the info pages: Tell-a-Friend and Review The Bar

Internal code optimizations.

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The app launches with a 4 columned numeric lock system, making for 10,000 possible security combinations. Upon selecting a 4 digit password, you gain access to the main menu. One of the handy security features keeps track of incorrect password attempts. After 8 unsuccessful attempts all internal information is automatically deleted. Another bit of added security is the Extra or Light option in the settings menu. The Extra setting enables a password prompt when ANY data is accessed in the application. The Light setting password prompts only when the app is opened. There’s also a Timeout option that re-locks the app when unattended; choice from 1 to 5  minute durations.

Security Organizer does a great job of  menu organization so you can find your data in an instant; no fumbling though multiple menu layouts or cumbersome navigation controls. Easy-to-follow color coded  tab placement on the right side makes for convenient access to six categories: Banking, Retirement, Business, Personal, Security, and Vehicles. It pretty much has all the major categories covered, though if by chance you wanted to add an additional category you are unable to do so. My only complain regarding the menu is the home button placement in the upper right corner. It was quite small and seemed forced in with the other tabs. An upper or lower position in the center of the page may be a better place and easier to access.

Each category has preset sections for you to store information (for example Banking has a Bank Account, Check Book, Foreign Account, and Debit/Credit Card section). These predetermined sub categories are great for adding in information fast – no setup required! But again, there is no option to add a custom category to the list. This is a missing feature that would come in handy, especially for miscellaneous passwords you’d like to log in the Personal category.

Having one portable place to store valuable passwords and other information does come in handy from time to time, especially if you have tons of passwords to deal with like i do. Security Organizer really shines in overall layout. It has a convenient menu design and great graphics, but what really stands out is the ease of use and speedy access to logging and/or retrieving information.  The $3.99 price-point puts it somewhere in the middle of the pack if your looking for a “password protection” application. One big plus is Security Organizer does NOT charge for monthly fees like some of the other apps in this field. What would make this app supreme is the ability to customize/add new categories and sub-categories, though even without this feature it still stands out as one of the better password security apps out on the market. If you need quick access to private information, stay organized by keeping all passwords in one place and check out Security Organizer.

PRO’S:

Great graphics & overall theme – Cool “retro feel”

Convenient color-coded tab menu for quick access and easy organization

Multiple methods of security features

No monthly fees

CONS:

Unable to create new categories or custom sub-categories

Home button is small & in an awkward position.

No direct access to websites (cant automatically log in)

FEATURES

•Automatic log out if device is left unattended
•Apples internal keychain security
•Pick your numeric password, 10,000 possible combinations
•Add unlimited password entries
•Copy and paste long passwords and IDs directly from app
•Information automatically deleted after 8 failed login attempts. Keep hackers out.
•Toggle between “extra” and “lite” security
•Basic color-coded folders and fields already created, no wasting time on setup
•No hidden fees for updates or syncing
•Quick login. Get to your information in less than 6 seconds. No compromising speed for security.
•Don’t pay double the price for useless features that slow down and crash your app.
•Use app on iPhone, iPod Touch, don’t pay more to use on both devices

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Clock Pro opens to a dashboard style view where you have 12 different types of clocks and timers to choose from.  My favorite of all of them is Nature Times.  That one is really handy because it provides you with one-touch access to the sunrise time, mid day time (when the sun is at it’s peak), sunset time, you’re current latitude/longitude, and when low and high tide are going to occur.  It’s perfect for active people who need quick access to that kind of information.

Overall Clock Pro is pretty decent app.  I can see it being really handy for the time sensitive individual, and people that like to cook a lot.  You can use it to set multiple different staggered alarms so it’s really easy to keep track of a lot of different items cooking simultaneously.  I’d love to see the interface updated a little bit though.  It was a little confusing to me how to set the Alarm Clock.  Why?  Well, there’s an icon for the Alarm Clock, but you can’t actually set the time for the alarm clock there.  You’ve got to go to the Set Alarms icon, and set the alarm up seperately from that page.   Even after doing that it still wasn’t exactly clear to me that the alarm I set would be for the Alarm Clock.  I had to test it out to be certain.  I like the idea of being able to setup multiple alarms, which Clock Pro allows you to do, but I think it may be nice if you can set alarms from each individual icon and then could use the Set Alarms page to update or turn on/off multiple different alarms (ex. Alarm Clock, Sleep Timer, Egg Timer, Chess Timer, etc.) at once.

Pros:

• 12 clocks & timers in 1 (Alarm Clock, Sleep Timer, Stop Watch, Count Down, Chess Clock, Metronome, Project Clock, World Clock, Nature Times, Analog Clock, & Egg Timer)
• Push Notification so you don’t need to have the app open to know when time is up

Cons:

• Interface could be easier; setting the Alarm Clock was slightly confusing to me

Version Reviewed: 1.2

Requirements: iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad; iPhone OS 3.0 or later

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Wake Up Now? – Alarm Clock is really really easy to use.  First things first, it works best on an iPhone because it requires an external mic (unless you feel like sleeping with headphones on).  To get started all you have to do is fire up the app, go to the Settings page, and choose your preference.  You can adjust the listening sensitivity so it hears you better, which if you’re trying it for the first time on a work or school night I’d recommend setting it to the most sensitive setting.   You can choose to have the app announce the time, countdown (how much time you have left to sleep), or both.  Personally I like hearing just the time because it’s short and sweet and I know when I’ve got to get up.  Announcing both is a little too long for my taste.  And finally you can choose your alarm sound.  Because I can’t stand alarms I like to mix it up with my favorite tunes, but there’s a decent selection of alarm sounds included so you can choose whatever works for you.  Once setup you can test it out from the settings page or you can scoot straight to the alarm page to set your alarm.

Setting the alarm is easy enough a monkey could do it.  It’s a scroll wheel, just spin to your chosen wake up time.  From there, make sure to plug your iPhone in so it doesn’t run out of charge in the middle of the night and whatever you do don’t manually press the sleep button.  Just let the iPhone fall asleep on it’s own.  For whatever reason pressing the sleep button causes the app not to work.

Overall I felt like Wake Up Now? – Alarm Clock is a great idea, a pretty decent app, and workes like a charm aside from a few minor caveats.   If you snore, you definitely don’t want to get this app, unless you like waking up every two seconds.  The flip side is however, if you think you don’t snore, I guess it could be a good way to find out if you do.  Additionally I found that if you get a phone call while the alarm is set it disables the app.  So if this happens you’ve got to remember to reset your alarm.  We wouldn’t have to worry about this if the iPhone could run apps in the background!  I digress.  A future update that I’d love to see is the ability to say ”Snooze” to set the app to snooze.  Pressing the snooze button isn’t bad, but since it’s a voice responsive app, let’s get the snooze in there.

Pros:

• Super easy to use & works perfect
• Can set you alarm as your favorite tunes on your iPod

Cons:

• If you make a lot of noise while sleeping then it’ll tell you the time all night
• If you receive a phone call it disables the alarm and you need to reset it

Version Reviewed: 1.01

Requirements: iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad; iPhone OS version 3.0 or later

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As you can see from the image, Touch Mouse isn’t really a looker.  It’s a very plain Jane looking app, but functionality wise it works like a charm.  Getting setup with Touch Mouse is really easy.  All you have to do is download the app from the App Store and download the server app to your computer from the Logitech website.  Once the server app is installed, just fire up the app and you’ll instantly see your computer(s) name show up on the main menu.  Just touch it and you’re ready to rock.

Touch Mouse has all of the standard features of a mouse and functions exactly like a MacBook trackpad.  As you can see there’s a right and left click button.  The center button pulls up any widgets you’ve got on your computer.  You can scroll up and down pages by holding one finger down on the screen and moving a second finger up and down the screen.  To activate the keyboard, just touch the keyboard button in the bottom left of the screen (landscape mode supported).

Overall I was pretty impressed with Touch Mouse.  If you’re like me you prefer to use a mouse over a laptop trackpad, but rarely do because it’s of a pain to break it out everytime you use your laptop.  I found Touch Mouse to be a good alternative to my Bluetooth mouse, mainly because I have my iPhone on me at all times.  Well that and my Bluetooth mouse doesn’t look as cool in my pocket.

Pros:

• Works great
• Works for every computer in your house (after server is installed on each)
• It’s free

Cons:

• Two step process to install
• No password protection to prevent others from connecting
• Very plain looking, could use some more pizazz

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At first I thought to myself that this app has to be a dud.  I played with it for a couple of minutes in front of a mirror and couldn’t read a word I was waiving.  I decided that maybe I just wasn’t doing it right, so I tinkered around with it a little more and discovered the Audio Feedback feature.  When on, it basically ticks like a clock giving you the exact timing you need to effectively waive your message.  After getting the hang of it I was able to waive messages like a rock star!

SwingWords really works well.  I spelled out short words and long words and was able to read them with no problem.  It has some great features that help you practice until perfect, like the Audio Feedback feature I mentioned, and a mirror feature so you can read your messages clearly while practicing in front of a mirror.  SwingWords also has every option you need to waive messages the way you want to waive them.  You can waive them one word at a time or all together using the Link Words option.  You can also choose the Double Sided option so you words are spelled continuously as you waive your iPhone or iPod Touch back and forth (see how this works in the video below).

SwingWords has a short list of included messages that you can choose from, but also lets you create custom messages.  You can write whatever you want and can customize the size and color of the letters.  One thing is for sure, once you’ve gotten the hang of it, it makes for a pretty cool and fun way to say whatcha gotta say!

Pros:

• Works really well once you get the hang of it
• It’s a fun way to communicate

Cons:

• Requires a really dark place for best results
• The textbox where you create custom messages is hard to find because it’s too dark

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Aside from its significantly larger display, using Full Screen Browser is no different than Safari or any other iPhone app browser.  As you’d expect you can set it to open to your favorite homepage, Google search, email links, save bookmarks, etc.  It also includes a few unique options like switching pages to display the mobile version, a “What Time Is It?” pop up that tells you the current time, a translate page button that converts the current page language to a language of your choice (you can choose between English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, French, and Nederlands), and an Open in Safari button launches the web-page you’re currently viewing in a new Safari window.

Key Features of Full Screen Browser:

• 20%-40% more viewing space than Safari
• Page translation (6 different languages)
• Screen rotation on/off switch
• Easily switch to mobile formatting (10 times faster page loading)
• Page remembering that reopens to last viewed page
• Bookmarks
• Homepage support
• Pinch to zoom, scrolling, etc. like Safari

Overall, I found Full Screen Browser’s larger display to be helpful, unfortunately the other aspects and features of the app left little to be desired.  In my opinion, Full Screen browser falls short of Safari in multiple critical areas such as speed, stability, presentment, and features.  Excluding mobile formatted pages, I found Full Screen Browser to be much slower than Safari.   A few times it got hung up while rendering a page, and on more than one occasion the app crashed and closed out.  Regarding presentment, the display appeared to be slightly off and noticeably less crisp than Safari (ex. the Google search box has a crooked line at the top).  I also had a couple instances where the translate feature didn’t work properly.  One instance it looked like an in-app error, the second instance appeared to be a Google Translate error.  Combine those things with the inability to open multiple web page sessions, and the inability to save more than 5 bookmarks and  you’ve got some pretty compelling reasons as to why you may not elect to use Full Screen Browser as your primary iPhone browser.

All that being said, the fact remains that Full Screen Browser does provide you with a significantly larger viewing area (up to 40% more in landscape mode), meaning that if you’re rocking the coke bottle glasses, an old school monocle, or just have a hard time reading the tiny font on your iPhone or iPod Touch using Safari, you’ll probably see great value in having the larger display.

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Two words can be used to sum up ZenTap Pro: Excellent app!  If you’re anything like me, and use your iPhone to write and respond to literally all of your emails then ZenTap Pro, created by ZenBrains, is a must have app.  As good as the iPhone’s built in dictionary and autocorrection technology is, I still continue to send out email after email with often embarrussing spelling and functuation errors (see what I mean).  This is fine and good when you’re emailing your friends, but when you’re trying to make a serious point for work and you send out a horribly botched email with what looks like 3rd grade spelling errors and in some cases words that inadvertently resemble curse words (guilty as charged), you kinda put yourself in an awkward position.  Wouldn’t it be cool to have a super-sick text editor app that can solve all of these problems?!?!  Well now there is, and it’s called ZenTap Pro!

ZenTap Pro increases productivity and eliminates inadvertent misspellings entirely!  With its top notch text edititing capabilities including an uber-intelligent text prediction system (helps you type 2-5 strokes faster than without it), spell-checking, templates system, customized buttons that allow you to define shortcuts for special characters (big plus), ability to change font size, the ability to save what you’ve typed so you can come back to it later, and the ability to export what you’ve typed directly into email, SMS, and Safari, ZenTap Pro is the real deal!

I tell you what!  I love ZenTap Pro.  It is without a doubt one of the best, if not THE best, text editor apps available in the App Store today.  I didn’t experience a single bug or crash during testing.  I loved how easy it is to type, review, and correct text.  Having the option to save and come back later, create my own shortcut keys, and easy export into email were just the icing on the cake.  I can honestly say ZenTap Pro is iPhone homepage quality.  It’d make an excellent companion right next to your email and SMS icons.

There are two versions of ZenTap available in the App Store, a free slimmed down version and the full featured ZenTap Pro.  I recommend you go Pro, but if you’d like a free test drive go snatch ZenTap ASAP.  One thing’s for sure, if you’re in the market for a text editor app then there’s no need to look any further.  Go get the goods!  Download ZenTap Pro today!

Watch the video to ZenTap Pro in action!

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