This week we look at Convertbot, a very stylish unit converter, and Tweetie, a wonderful way to become aquatinted with Twitter.
Convertbot
Reviewed by Rémy
There's no shortage of unit conversion apps on the App Store (a simple search in iTunes returns dozens of results) but like many utility apps, it's hard to differentiate them from each other. Having used a few over the past couple of months, I find that they all compromise greatly when it comes to usability. It's not easy to develop an app that combines a series of complex conversion calculators with a quick and sleek user interface, but the folks at Tapbots have certainly delivered when it comes to Convertbot.
Upon first entering the app, you are shown through a short demonstration as to how it works - something I found to be very useful, especially since certain non-obvious app features can often be missed by casual users. Shortly after that guided tour, the unit conversion wheel appears with values and rates displayed up top (tapping on those allows you to change the value input), and the big blue button in the middle switches the units around. Tapping on the info button down in the bottom right takes you to a preferences window where other units can be enabled (and added to the wheel) for all your converting needs.
The app is quite obviously inspired by the similarly wonderful Weightbot (another Tapbots app), a weight-tracking application for iPhone users who wish, of course, to lose weight. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to enjoy the user interface of Weightbot, I have no desire to lose any weight whatsoever, eliminating any need to purchase it. Convertbot, on the other hand, didn't just attract my attention when it was first released, but has now replaced my previous unit converter and two other utilities: an ad-laden currency app and a data size converter web app from pre-App Store days.
Convertbot's very capable developers have designed such a lovely user interface (which also includes some very awesome 'tap feedback' sound effects) that it actually makes the rather dull task of unit conversion an enjoyable experience, and something I will look forward to doing in the future. At the (currently) very low price of free $1.19, ConvertBot is an essential addition to your iPhone or iPod touch.
Version reviewed: 1.3.1
Price: Free $1.19
Developer: Tapbots
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Tweetie
Reviewed by Rémy
Over the last few weeks or so I've found myself to be Tweeting more often, so it made sense for me to check out the Twitter apps I've been hearing about so often on the weekend. The first that came to mind was Tweetie, the rather lovely looking client I'd been using on my Mac for a while (after reading John Gruber's rather positive review of the first release). Knowing of course that the developers had first created an iPhone client by the same name, I decided to visit the App Store and check it out. An iPhone Twitter client with a $3.99 price tag seemed at first to be a little expensive for something that could be done for free with Safari, but after using Tweetie for just a few days, I now agree with countless others that Tweetie truly is the sleekest, fastest and richest way to enjoy Twitter.
With the timeline presented upon first launch, browsing through tweets is a seamless experience. A quick swipe of the screen lets you reply or visit the profile of that particular user or add the tweet to your favourites list.*Along the menu bar are your mentions, messages and favourites list, displayed in the same way as the timeline. Photos (from sites like Twitpic) are shown through an in-app photo browser. The 'more' menu can conduct a Twitter search, visit your own profile, find a user, see the latest trends and even display nearby tweets (using the iPhone's location services) with a very cool "locating" radar. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, new tweets can be written yourself by tapping the compose icon in the top right corner - and in those tweets you can also include a photo and your current location.
If you happen to know or be one of those people who still likes describing Twitter as a service used almost exclusively by people broadcasting what they are eating for breakfast, then it's time for you (or your Twitter hating friends) to get Tweetie, and I guarantee that you will be an addict in less than one week. By no means should you let the price put you off - it's worth every penny 5˘*coin you have.
Version reviewed: 1.3.2
Price: $3.99
Developer: atebits LLC
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Updates
Newsstand
Version reviewed: 2.0
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Sporting a smoother interface and much-requested Google Reader sync, Newsstand was updated on the App Store this week - with most of my initial criticism accounted for and improved upon. In-app email is present, plus*Instapaper sharing has been added in the 2.0 update with several speed improvements to make a very slick app even better. I'm not sure if I really love the new interface, but right now the addition of image saving, cut, copy & paste support plus article search are keeping me very happy.
iPhone App Reviews - Convertbot, Tweetie