I Phone Review

Puzzles are simply loved by all and if they have to be played with great visual effects that can be enjoyed on an iPhone then you will love it more. There over hundreds and maybe even thousands of iPhone games that you can pick from the iTunes Store, some of which come free some that come at a price; and amongst all this there are loads of puzzle games to be found. Take a look at some of these.

Mouse

This game is reminiscent of those days when you plugged games onto a TV set and rallied around with a joystick or even of those handheld games of the eighties. In Mouse, you simply have to direct the mice to their homes using the cheese, through a maze. Sounds simple but isn't as you have to use a fair amount of strategy to get the game going to its proper conclusion.

The Frog Puzzle

This game may look real easy but it really isn't. You need to get the yellow and the green frogs to the opposite side each, by jumping over one frog at a time in as few moves as possible, and remember to think laterally. Try getting your friends to break your record!

Triazzle

This game is simple enough to play but when you start it you need to give a bit of logic and thinking. In this colourful game there are triangular tiles and insects of frogs on each of them that are arranged around a large triangle. You need to fit in the triangles properly to match the pictures to finish the level. It's better than a jigsaw puzzle!

Brain Scrambler

It's like the name suggests! This mind boggling game has nine squares tiles in it with pictures on them. You need to match the pictures on them so they need to be arranged correctly; and you can be rest assured that this is one game you will continue to play until you get it right! Different images can be chosen from but that will affect the difficulty.

But how come this happened? Did Apple go and do something in specific -- something they're still doing -- that keeps them so incredibly dominant? No one has managed to hit the quality control Apple has (but the Palm Pre has made a good effort). We've gathered together the 5 most likely reasons why.

#5: Planning ahead always works

There are several phone manufacturers who really have no sense of where their company is going (think of Motorola), and they are always stuck listening to the carriers, who drive the way phones get made. Apple stuck to a really solid roadmap, forcing their carriers to accept the phone on their own terms, and knowing they'd say yes because of how good it was.

#4: It's just all about the damn developers

Since there is already an extremely healthy, motivated, and design-conscious community of developers out there doing work for OSX (and who have been working with macs for a long time), it means that apple's development kits are very good, and there are already a lot of people who know how to write great software. A lot of these people are now working on the iPhone, too.

#3: The iPhone's operating system is easily the best

No rocket science here, really -- if you can control your hardware well enough, and make the software, too, your quality should automatically go up, especially when your QA standards are as high as Apple's. No huge range of phones or clones to run the software, and you avoid all those pitfalls that come with every other mobile OS out there.

#2: The underdog role suited them extremely well

People still make a lot of crazy predictions about how this or that Apple product will fail, and the iPhone was seen as the biggest gamble (and potential disaster) of them all. When it came to the app store, things were even more grim -- until it surpassed a billion downloads and everyone just kinda shut up and said "wow."

#1: Their high standards come from the top

Hey, I'm not saying every single app in the store is wonderful, or even particularly well-designed, but when you've got the main company and its hardware at such a high aesthetic and design level, it automatically makes you -- if, say, you're a developer -- try a whole lot harder. Apple keeps its standards up and we reap the benefits.

Thanks to their just-announced upgrade to the iPod touch, Steve Jobs and Apple have really made their priorities clear -- they're out to get the Nintendo DS and Sony's PSP. Sure, the iPhone and the Touch aren't made specifically for messing around with games, but they do contain a ton of them, and Apple's most recent television commercials reflect this fact.

We thus give you 5 great reasons Apple's platform is going to take over the handheld gaming world.

#5: That Damn App Store is Just Huge.

Although selling your games through traditional brick-and-mortar retail stores can get you a lot of profit, doing it through the App store is easier, involves far less overhead, and means anyone can download and buy your game within seconds.

A better straight-download system has yet to be invented, and publishers know this.

#4: A New List Means the Big Games Are Seen More Often.

Apple just introduced a 'most profitable' list, which allows some of the more high end games that exist to get proper billing in the store. Developers were concerned that previous lists only highlighted all the $0.99 offerings, but now serious, big games (including ones that might be offered for $30 or more) are going to get some press.

This is good.

#3: All the Top Developers are Doing iPhone Stuff Now.

With two obvious omissions (being Sony and Nintendo), you've got nearly every other big company currently doing stuff for Apple's platform -- Rockstar, Sega, and the like. This is only going to keep getting better.

It seems like daily we've got a new developer happily announcing an original or a high-profile port to the App store platform, and this is only going to increase in the future.

#2: Innovative Controls Ensure Innovative Games, Too.

While it lacks a traditional method of touch-control due to its screen, the platform has already forced the invention of dozens of other types of games. Heard of Flight Control?

That style of control is entirely unique to the iPhone (the Nintendo DS has some similar games), and nobody knows what incredible innovations that take advantage of the iPhone's unique setup are in the pipeline.

#1: Big Numbers Mean Big Games.

Once the iPhone platform hits a kind of 'critical' level (this has already happened, to an extent), there are massive games that are going to come out. Developers and publishers are realizing the potential of the device in terms of distribution, and we're reaping the benefits.

The App store is continuously expanding in size and capacity, just recently hitting 2 billion downloads, and with Apple's rigorous standards, things are only going to get better.

In our attempt to bring you the best iPhone game reviews, the AppSmile Team has come across one gem that should not be overlooked. Aera, the much-anticipated, side-scrolling, casual flight simulator game from iChromo, has finally hit the app store and it does not disappoint. Beautiful graphics, fluid animation, and terrific controls combine to create an enjoyable experience, whether you are shooting down aircraft or simply taking a scenic flight.

Aera contains four planes (three unlockable) with which to traverse the skies over three locations (two unlockable). You can fly your plane in any of several missions: Aerobatic/Solo, Dog Fight, Race, or Free Flight. Aerobatic/Solo tasks you to fly the plane while collecting a specified number of floating objects within a pre-determined amount of time. You'll need to be quick and accurate as you fly through rings and avoid hovering mines as you follow the path of balls to success. Dog Fight pits you against another plane. Shoot him down before he shoots you down. To help you accomplish this, you have guns with unlimited ammunition, as well as a limited stock of rockets. A destroyed enemy will rain bonus boxes upon the land. Snag these boxes to pick up points, rockets, and the like. Race, as you might have guessed, is a timed flight mission where you'll need to avoid the mines if you want to survive. If you prefer to just enjoy the controls or check out the scenery, you can also choose Free Flight to get your fix. You can either play in Campaign mode or Quick Play, choosing from Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulty levels.

The 3D game graphics are very polished and help give depth to the 2D gameplay. Sounds are appropriate, with realistic propeller effects and accurate-sounding crashes/explosions. There is no background music, but the game doesn't feel as though it's lacking, given its goal of pseudo-simulation rather than full-on arcade. The controls are outstanding. Most of the plane controls are handled through the accelerometer, tilting the device to change the plane's attitude. A sharp shake of the device will cause a 180-degree flip. On-screen buttons control throttle, boost (necessary when making steep ascents), firing guns/rockets, and changing camera angles. The placement of the buttons leaves the interface feeling uncluttered, though all possible needs are at your quick disposal. Aera includes detailed tutorial explanations, as well as a walkthrough requiring you to complete certain tasks in order to move on.

Aera sports some interesting features that make it standout. One is the "TimeBack" function, activated when you crash your rig into an object. This freezes time, rewinds several seconds, and allows you to continue from moments before the crash, correcting whatever misstep led to your plane's demise. This is great, as you get to avoid returning to the start of the level and having to play through several minutes of gameplay to attempt a successful pass at the area in which you previously crashed. We found this extremely helpful. You can also check out a video replay of your mission upon completion, allowing you to evaluate you flight and find areas that need correcting for the next time. Local wi-fi multiplayer is the closest you'll get to online play. You can either play Duel or Capture the Flag in this mode. The Config menu allows you to adjust sensitivities, as well as invert controls and turn on/off the Prediction line, a path of arrows that indicate your current trajectory based on your altitude and speed.

Aera perfectly marries a flight simulator, side scroller, and arcade flier like no other app in the App Store. We had great fun in especially with Dog Fight mode. If you're goal oriented, you might just like Solo mode the best. in fact, excellent game presentation exists in any mode. Our team can remember too many iPhone game reviews that brought us as much fun. Its obvious that the Aera developers at iChromo spent a lot of time in the details. We will be playing this gem for a long time due to the smooth and entertaining gameplay. Plus, doing so will earn several Achievements such as the aforementioned unlockable aircraft and locations. With a price of $0.99, picking up Aera is a no-brainer for any iPhone game fan.

If you should need hands free calling, iPhone Bluetooth headsets are a great tool. These are considered add ons or accessories for your phone and you will need to purchase a Bluetooth earpiece separately. There are hundreds of Bluetooth earphones that can be used but some are better than others. It is important to try the Bluetooth earpieces out because you may find the sales pitch or marketing message to be a bit of an over statement.

An excellent iPhone Bluetooth earphone is the Aliph Jawbone noise shield. The company claims that the noise canceling used is military grade and the most advanced of those that available. Now I have no idea if you would need military grade noise canceling but it can be useful. This earphone was created by the Defense Advanced research Projects Agency. It is available in a few different colors and is reasonably priced at less than $100.

Another excellent choice is the Plantronics discovery 655 Bluetooth headsets. When found on sale this headset is very affordable and it can be found at less than $100. This is the top of the Plantronics earphone range and the Plantronics Voyager 510 Bluetooth earpiece is also a good Bluetooth earphone for your iPhone. The only drawback is that it is quite small and could easily be lost.

The Latte Raspberry Mocha Pink Bluetooth earpiece is a great name and comes in a bright pink color. This iPhone Bluetooth headset has a great battery and lasts for 7 hours when talking on the phone. It can also last on standby for over 170 hours. The sound quality is quite good though possibly not up to the crystal clear marketing claim. This is a very comfortable headset as it was designed to comfortably fit in your ear and stay comfortable for a long time.

A lovely addition to the Bluetooth earphone is a strap so that you can actually take it off when you are not using it. The Sony Ericsson HBH-PV705 comes with a strap and has some of the best sound quality in a Bluetooth earpiece. Being from Sony this is a very reliable earphone and is very light. If you want a earphone that will last then Sony makes excellent products.

While most iPhone Bluetooth headsets will work with the latest 3G iPhone some Bluetooth earphones are designed specifically for this latest version of iPhone. This is not the best for noise cancellation but the sound quality is excellent. The Aliph has created a new version of Bluetooth headset that comes with a Noise Assassin. This jawbone model has an excellent ability to cancel out ambient noise.

Apple has created its own Bluetooth earpiece for the iPhone though it is quite expensive when compared to other available headsets. You can charge this earphone directly through your iPhone or by connecting it up to another USB port.

The ear piece is very comfortable and the directional microphone picks up sound very well. However those that have used it find that there is a lot of interferences and your microwave, radio, cordless phone or internet can cause problems.

For those who love to add new and funky apps on their iPhones, iTunes is nothing less than a virtual haven of sorts. With the amount of new apps being added everyday it is only impossible to keep a track of them and pick the coolest. The truth is that you can find just about anything that you need because every single day, new apps get added to the App Store. Take a brief look at some them listed below.

Bubble Wrap Pics

Remember all those fights when you were a child, fighting with your sibling over who gets to pop the bubble from the bubble wrap? Now's your chance to pop as many bubbles as you may like with the Bubble Wrap Pics app on your iPhone. And to add to the fun, once you've popped al the bubbles, there's a surprise picture waiting for you behind it all. It's a nice way to spend your time!

iClay

Imagine the fun, your precious iPhone turning into a block of clay? Okay that would be disastrous and be rest assured impossible! But imagine if your screen turned into virtual clay? You can move it up and down, sculpt it, pull at it, anything you liked doing with clay, only your hands are safe from being messy! It's totally authentic looking with colours and the 3D effects.

Stupidity Test

Well, there have been IQ tests before and those that measure how clever or smart you are, but a stupidity test? That's new. So, download this app and see for yourself exactly how stupid you are. Actually, that's being a bit harsh. The tests on this app actually measure how well you can think under stress or in situations that call for typical out of the box thinking.

Excuses for Work and School

So you don't feel like getting up in the morning today? But you've run out of your usual gamut of excuses and don't know what you could possibly tell the people at office or school. Look up the Excuse app on your iPhone and be inspired. Some of them are outlandish actually and will make you laugh and others are there with a wicked sense of humor. Try them out; who knows, they might just work if your boss doesn't have the same app on his iPhone of course!

The App Store at iTunes recently turned one and the team there have listed the all time favorite apps that have always occupied top slot in terms of downloading history. Some of these apps are just fun to have and some have interesting uses. Whether or not you use them on a daily basis, these apps are sure to increase the coolness quotient of your iPhone. So, here's a quick look at some of these apps that have made it to the featured list.

Wikipanion

If Wikipedia is where you go to for all your answers then you know that sometimes it's hard to get to this website on your iPhone browser. To face such trouble you should download the Wikipanion app for your iPhone. Wikipedia lover would have to agree that this is truly the best companion to have on your phone. Everything is easier on this app and is streamlined in a manner that makes searching just a snap. Wikipanion is a free app and you can learn more about it, at:

AP Mobile

A much favored app for news lovers is the AP Mobile app. This one from the Associated Press stable is a fantastic coming together of comprehensive news, both local and global. It allows you to choose your news preferences be it sports, entertainment or finance and everything is at the tip of your fingertips. No matter where you are, you will be kept updated with the latest news as it takes place. What could be better than that for news junkies?

Weatherbug Elite

Let's face it, the weather is unpredictable and knowing just how the weather is going to be is a compulsion we all seem to have. Not just that, the weather does play a significant role in our everyday lives. Good weather makes the success of most or maybe even all of our events; so would it not be cool to have access to live weather reports no matter where you are? iPhone users can depend on the Weatherbug Elite app to get live updates that are accurate. This real time weather updates app has plenty of other useful features worth the 99 cents that it costs.

Stanza

Mobile reading of books is so common today that now it is these readers who are targeted. But apart from the tiny things that fit on your mobile screens you can also read regular books on your phone by downloading them as eBooks. This very cool Stanza app lets you convert your iPhone into an awesome eBook reader and so you can download the latest bestsellers onto your iPhone. It's real easy to use and users can skip to different sections without nay hassle at all. Pretty soon, you could actually be reading the Twilight series or The Da Vinci Code in your very iPhone.