This week we look at GTranslate, a ludicrously simple front-end for Google Translate on the iPhone and Tumblr,*the popular blogging site's official iPhone app.
GTranslate
GTranslate is really nothing more than an iPhone-optimized interface for Google Translate (that hilariously unreliable robotic translation service you love using). Essentially, it's best feature is it's Messages-style interface - that is, when you fire up the app, you just type in your translation request (pre-determined by which language you last left the app in) and within the second, the translated version is returned.
GTranslate's most likeable feature is it's simplicity. Apart from a swap function and favourites button you haven't got much to do in the app other than type in your translation, choose your language and see a few recent translations. That's pretty handy, because the time you're going to most use an app like GTranslate is when you're in a foreign country - someone's just thrown a line that makes no sense to you, and you need to reply in that same language. Unfortunately (yet predictably) GTranslate requires an active internet connection to give you translations, so if you're going to use your local SIM card, check the global roaming fees first to avoid some very nasty surprises on your bill.
The simplicity of GTranslate is also it's biggest downfall - the user interface feels very under done and worst of all, way too basic to be fully functional. The biggest glitch is the complete lack of auto-correction. It's a feature iPhone users are so used to and considering you'll spend most of the time typing while using the app, it's a huge thing to miss. Animations feel jolty and forced, while the favourites menu seems to randomly delete items that you only just placed in the app. To date, I haven't been able to save a single message or thread for use again - and while it's slightly unrelated, it should be noted that Apple has notoriously rejected apps that supposedly confuse the user between their own apps, and from the screenshots alone it's obvious that GTranslate mimics the Messages app (as mentioned before). This by no means the developers fault, but Apple really needs to develop some clear user interface standards here.
Is GTranslate a perfect travel companion when you pack your bags and head to a foreign language country? No, it certainly isn't (it's not even close). As a very quick and somewhat rudimentary iPhone front for Google Translate, it's certainly got potential and worth downloading to try for yourself. The developer has kept it free for a few weeks while their next update goes through Apple's black hole review process, although I presume that it's taken longer than usual because of the user interface. We shall see what happens (and what's really been improved) when more GTranslate news gets out.
Version reviewed: 1.1
Price: Free
Developer: Lothink
App Store
Tumblr
If you haven't already heard of it, Tumblr is just a super simple blogging site (I like to think of this way - if Apple made a blogging platform, this would be it). Like just about every other cool web app in the universe, they've got themselves an iPhone app, with most of the features of the full website, and as I wrote for my review of Facebook about a month ago, if you've got an iPhone and you're a Tumblr user, you're probably going to have the Tumblr app already - so I guess the purpose of this review will be to discuss Tumblr as a website rather than specifically as an app.
The Tumblr app interface is very similar to the website. Clean, uncluttered and stylish with a focus on ease-of-use. When you first download the Tumblr app, you feel right at home already. Login and you're presented with the same posting options as the website - post a link, photo, audio clip, video, quote, conversation or just a text post. Once you select one of those options, just write it up, hit post and within seconds it's up on your blog for all to see (or not, depending on the advanced options menu that gives you a few privacy settings to play with).
My major gripe with Tumblr is that most of the formatting options (basic text features such as bold, italic, underlining and others) aren't present in the app. That's understandable but makes posting a bit of a pain when you have to go back to the full website on a computer to finish it off. Aside from that, Tumblr is, just like the website, a very enjoyable user experience all around. I've had a blog over there for a couple of weeks now and so far, I've had very few hitches with the service (and the app) at all. While it doesn't have all the blogging features a user might be used to (heads up: custom URLs can be a huge pain to configure) it does have a very nice set of features and if you're thinking of getting your own blog onto the internet, I would certainly think about taking a look at Tumblr with WordPress, Blogspot, TypePad and all the other blog platforms that are out there today.
Version reviewed: 1.1
Price: Free
Developer: Tumblr
App Store
iPhone App Reviews - GTranslate, Tumblr