This week we look at I Am T-Pain, the premier "Shawty got that super thing" app on the App Store, and GetPrice, a locally developed comparison shopping app.
I Am T-Pain
Reviewed by Rémy
I Am T-Pain is the latest app to come from the folks at Smule, pioneers of music-making apps in the App Store, and also responsible for this awesome Leaf Trombone*Keynote performance back in February. Their latest effort is a collaboration between Smule and T-Pain (for the uninitiated, Wikipedia is your friend). His name, by the way, is short for Tallahassee Pain - in case you were curious.
If you've ever heard a T-Pain track, you'll know he's the original rap master of auto-tune. It's kind of become a trademark of his music, and it's spawned a number of top ten charting hits. So, with the I Am T-Pain app for iPhone you're able to replicate this effect, against a bunch of instrumental tracks from Mr Pain himself (if you've never heard T-Pain's auto-tune talents, here's a great place to start). T-Pain went out and demoed the app to some other popular rap artists, and it's a great way to see how the app works.
Before you go and download the $4 app, it's a good idea to check your device's compatibility - because it relies on a good microphone, there are some issues with older iPhones and iPod touches. First of all, it's only compatible with the second generation touch, and you need to use the headset with mic or another compatible microphone. Smule recommends using a proper microphone rather than the built-in iPhone option, and requires you to have one if you're auto-tuning with your first generation iPhone.
Right now, the app comes with five tracks and three original instrumentals, with more to come via in-app purchases. Seriously disappointing is the fact that it doesn't come with "I'm On A Boat" yet - perhaps the best song T-Pain has ever been part of. Having said that, I Am T-Pain is definitely a fun app to have on your iPhone, and great to whip out when you're with T-Pain loving friends.
Version reviewed: 1.0
Price: $3.99
Developer: Smule
App Store
GetPrice
Reviewed by Rémy
GetPrice, the Australian online comparison shopping service, announced availability of it's very own free iPhone app just a few days ago. Boasting over one million shopping items available for Australian shoppers to compare and contrast, it's a fairly established site, and as with any useful free application, it's great to see it on the App Store. In terms of the database, it's pretty good (for a comparison site) and most of my test Apple-related searches came up with a variety of stores and prices. Some of Apple's less popular products, such as (for example) the In-Ear Headphones, did return outdated search results.
One of the most useful features of GetPrice is the integrated maps feature. For brick-and-mortar retailers, GetPrice includes in-app Google Maps (with on-screen directions) of the destination, where you can proceed to purchase your chosen product or service. It's a great implementation of the new APIs introduced back in February at the iPhone 3.0 Event, and while I'm sure it works well, I found it extremely difficult to find any physical retailers, even when browsing through Featured items. By the way, it should be noted that the app (like the website) is ad-supported.
You could say (as Lifehacker mentioned), that Safari is the only tool you need to access a site like GetPrice, and that's probably a fair argument. The Maps feature is the only to sufficiently distinguish itself from the website, and that's fine with me. The goal of apps like GetPrice is to provide an iPhone-optimized native application that, for them, increases brand exposure and traffic to their website. For us, it's a neat way to use a shopping comparison service on our iPhones, and any extra features are bonuses. While it's not a stellar app, there aren't any complaints from me.
Version reviewed: 1.0.0
Price: Free
Developer: Getprice.com.au
App Store
iPhone App Reviews - I Am T-Pain, GetPrice