We’ve had the opportunity to review Cohdoo Highlight from Cohdoo LLC. The Cohdoo Highlight takes the basic recording features of Voice Memos and expands them by adding numerous additional features that make the app significantly more useful compared to Voice Memos. One of my favorite features from Highlight is the fact that it has Dropbox integration – which lets all of your recordings sync with your Dropbox account. Additionally, if you’re on an iPhone or iPad 3G, you’ll even be able to pinpoint where each recording was made. Of course, the main feature of this app is the ability to “highlight” parts of your recordings while listening or taking notes in real time! Just press the highlight button while the app is recording and once you’re done, you can go right back there.

Cohdoo Highlight’s best feature, as it’s name describes, is the highlighting feature. All you have to do is press the button and the app will readily take you right back there when you’re reviewing your recording. In the settings, you can set the app to take you back 2, 5, or 10 seconds from when you pressed highlight – so you can catch up to where you wanted to leave off. Additionally, if you’re going over the entire recording later, you can more highlights while listening to it. I tried to share the file with my Dropbox account and it worked like a charm. You can also use multitasking on iOS 4+ to record while you’re using other apps but you need to be in the app in order to make highlights. The file is saved as a “.caf” file on Dropbox and opens with Quicktime – however you don’t have the ability to use the highlights when listening on the computer (we didn’t quite expect it either). You also have the option to email recordings through the app.

We really enjoyed having the ability to highlight important parts of each recording. While listening to a lecture, we took written notes while using the Cohdoo Highlight to record the lecture. As the instructor emphasized on important points, we highlighted those parts and noted the highlight number on our notes for our future reference when cramming. Compared to Voice Memos this app definitely has significantly better features which make the app absolutely a charm to use when recording and especially when listening to recorded content. After using this app we didn’t find anything that the app is lacking, in order to fulfill everything it’s intended for. We also loved the fact that we could utilize iTunes Sharing in order to download the recordings without having to use Dropbox.

Cohdoo Highlight costs $4.99 at the App Store, so it’s a little more pricey than the average apps that we’re used to. However, if you’re a student, this $4.99 investment may end up saving you hours of having to go through recordings to find the simple parts you’re looking for (and possibly help you maintain your sanity). This app is definitely a must have for those who take courses which have a lot of lecturing and note taking. We wholeheartedly recommend that anyone who takes recordings more than very occasionally. We definitely give this app a perfect 5 out of 5 rating!

Please check out our screenshots of Cohdoo Highlight after the break!

It seems though in the midst of all this AT&T along with Apple are beginning to “grow up” and now allow VOIP services such as Google Voice and Skype to enter the mobile phone networking arena which means Google Voice should be suiting up their iPhone App for the App Store battle soon.

This remains unclear what will happen to Google Voice or Apples relation with the FCC and Google in future meetings to come, but for now we remain voiceless for us GV fanatics.

iPhone Integration Rating: 5
User Interface: 5
Reuse/Replay Value: 3

Overall: 4.3

BeastFace Photo Mashup is a really cool application that allows you to let out the animal in you and your friends! BeastFace lets you customize your photos by adding beasts into your photos, customizing and fitting your chosen beast, and lets you change the brightness, contrast, hue, and other aspects of your photo. In a way, BeastFace is a wild and modern version of PhotoShop for iPhone! Some of the application’s main features are the touch screen and multi touch usage, the many beasts included, and the amazing User Interface.

Like I said, BeastFace features an awesome UI. The few buttons make it easy to navigate through the app, and make it easy for a newbie to learn how to use it. Another reason why I like this app is because it is very stable, with no glitches in the time I tested it. One thing that I think was missing was a text editor, where you could comment on the picture, or title it. My personal experience with BeastFace was pretty good, although I have an iTouch, and didn’t have pictures of myself to Beast up:( I have included some screenshots of the User Interface below.

Overall, BeastFace Photo Mashup is a pretty remarkable app. Costing just two bucks, and having an awesome UI, you cannot go wrong selecting this application to let out the beast inside of you!

The Logo

A beast in another app!

User Interface

iPhone Integration: 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 5 stars
Re-use/Replay Value: 5 stars
Overall Rating: 5 stars!

ComicZeal is an innovative, amazing comic book reader for the iPhone/iPod Touch.

The application has a beautiful interface and in my opinion it is very well thought out.
Your comics are presented on appealing wooden shelves with the cover of your comic. If you have 2 or more comics
that belong to the same series then they are placed into boxes. Once your finished reading your comic a plastic sleeve is placed on it giving you that
authentic comic book collector feeling.If you need to exit the app for some reason and you were in the middle of reading your comic book it leaves a bookmark
there and lets you go back to where you left off the next time you start the app. Incase you don’t want any of these cool graphics you can turn them off in
the Settings appication (I don’t know why you would though).
Tap the comic and it will begin the viewer.

Now the viewer is well designed you can either use this toolbar to scroll through pages or flick them yourself. You can zoom in and out
aswell the standard iPhone way.
I was very excited when I got this app because I really wanted to read my comic book collection on my iPhone and luckily for me
this app has free software to accomodate with it called ComicZeal Sync which allows you to sync your very own CBR, CBZ, PDF and many other
comic book formats to your iPhone/iPod Touch.The sync literally is completed in seconds and you can begin reading your very own comics straight away!

Well that sums up about everything and all I can say is that this is THE best comic book reader I have used so far on the iPhone it contains everything an app should have
a beautiful interface, easy and convineant controls and a high replay value. You could probably never get tired of this app if you have a large comic book
collection like me. It’s worth the price and totally awesome.

Catch @freeiphoneapps on twitter for ComicZeal Promocodes!!!

iPhone Integration Rating: 3.5
User Interface Rating: 4
Reuse/Replay Value: 4

Overall: 4

Chess Pro is an intuitive application that allows you to play chess on your iPhone. With a realistic gameplay, hints for beginners, and 2-player mode, it’s a must-have for chess lovers.

The UI on this game was pretty good, but the menu wouldn’t respond for a few seconds sometimes when I was testing it out, which can get annoying. My personal experience with the game was pretty good, thanks to the hints, but I still lost. The two player mode is good, with a cool spin animation when its another player’s turn. I would highly recommend that 99Games adds a wi-fi 2 player feature.

The Reuse/Replay Value is high not necessarily because the app is good, but because chess is really fun. Obviously, this app is not too appealing for people who don’t know how to play yet or are just starting as it is priced a bit high. It is good for intermediate players as there are hints at your service.

Overall, Chess Pro is a good application. $2.99 is somewhat a high price, so I would recommend it for people who know how to play already, and for beginners, a lite version of a chess app is a good way to start off.

iPhone Integration Rating: 3
User Interface Rating: 4
Reuse/Replay Value: 5

Overall: 4

Hell’s Kitchen is an game application emulating the famous show Hell’s Kitchen. It features multiple account possibility on one iPhone, a great gameplay, and a great imitation of the show.

The iPhone Integration Rating on this application could use some work. In restaurant mode, you touch where you want the waiter to go, but I think use of the accelerometer to control the waiter would be a lot better suited for an iPhone.

The User Interface is pretty good, no major problems. There are ways to incorporate the accelerometer, but this would change the whole gameplay. There is an arcade mode and career mode. I personally tested the career mode, as that is the funner one, and the most advanced one. Also featured in Hell’s Kitchen: some really cool 3D animations that add realism and fun to the overall game. UI is above average, but not amazing, so it got 4 stars. The reuse/replay value is very good on this game as the career mode is long but entertaining, and you can always play the arcade mode.

Overall, Hell’s Kitchen is a very good application. Five dollars is a bit high, so you might want to try Hell’s Kitchen Lite first (it doesn’t have career mode). A stunning gameplay and good user interface is showcased in this app, though, as well as many modes and multiple-account possibility, which is why I would recommend this to anyone. It’s great fun and a great imitation of the hit show.

iPhone to Mac Integration Rating: 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 5 stars
Re-use/Replay Value Rating: 5 stars
Overall Rating: 5 stars

General:

“Things” is a task manager for the Mac & iPhone. There are several other task managers that I have tried out, but “Things” is special because the application is really focused and really intuitive. For instance, it has a List called “Someday” for to-dos you want to do eventually. I have a lot of invention ideas that I want to make into prototypes, but I don’t have a specific due date for it and I don’t want it clogging up my inbox, so I can put it into the “Someday” list.

iPhone:

The user interface of “Things” on the iPhone is really sophisticated. The icons, labels, and buttons look perfect and are positioned exactly where you want them to be. The layout is so simple, even an idiot can figure out how to use it (that’s right, an idiot!). The bottom bar always has one button in the bottom left hand corner of the screen; the “New [task]” button. The rest of the buttons in the bottom bar change depending on what list you are looking at. Adding a new task is really easy and simple: just click on the “New [task]” button and type in your new to do.

At $10, “Things” for the iPhone is expensive, but with it’s amazing interface and simple but powerful layout, $10 is a bargain for this app, and I definitely recommend that you buy it.

Things (App Store Link)

Mac:

The Mac client is better than the iPhone client if you can believe it. The interface is elegant, and the Mac app is very complete (there isn’t anything left out). The best part is the sync feature which lets you sync your to-dos seamlessly with the iPhone & Mac client. One thing that should be added is an icon in the menu bar on the top right corner (you know, where the date, time, and volume controls are). Then you can quickly add a to-do without having to go the whole application.

Mac Client of Things

Overall:

With a Mac and iPhone client which are both excellent, Cultured Code is not joking around when they say that “Things” offers the perfect balance between ease of use and powerful features. The Mac version costs $49.95, and the iPhone version costs $9.99. At $60 for the whole shebang, it is a little expensive, but it is well worth it. Luckily, since the first non-beta version of “Things” is being released at MacWorld, the developer, Cultured Code, has a sale going on that lowers the price of the mac version to $39.99, making the Mac + iPhone bundle less expensive at $49.95. You must us the code:

THINGSPRESALE20 coupon valid through January 15th, 2009

GET A FREE COPY OF THINGS!!!
If you follow us on Twitter, we will be giving a free copy of Things away on January 6, 2009.

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/teencast
Contact Us at: teencast@me.com
Visit Cultured Code at MacWorld.

1. Go to the Teencast twitter feed.
2. Enter the code into iTunes Click here to try the code ( or click redeem under Quick Links in iTunes)
3. Remember that we only have one code, so the first person the enter it into iTunes wins it.
4. Don’t Cheat (I’m not sure how you would… just don’t)

iPhone Integration Rating: 5
User Interface Rating: 3.5
Re-use/Replay Value Rating: 5
Overall Rating: 4.5 

I’ve been hearing about GPS devices and how they work with Google Earth and how fun they are for geocaching or even tracking a bike ride. When I got my iPhone 3G, one of the first apps that I looked for was a good GPS application, but I didn’t find one.
This application emulates a physical GPS unit by using the A-GPS reciever that’s built in to the iPhone 3G. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to test MotionX GPS on the original iPhone or an iPod Touch (Fullpower’s website says that it only works on the iPhone 3G). It’s main features are the ability to give you your location (latitude and longitude) as well as guide you to a location that you specify. It’s also great as a general trip tracker.

The interface is initially confusing, but it gets easier to understand as you use it. I still get lost sometimes, but it’s usually easy to find where the functions you want are. For my test, I tracked a trip in a car. I noticed that the GPS doesn’t get an accurate signal if it doesn’t have a line of sight to the sky, although it’s a hardware issue, not a software one. The application located me accurately within a yard or two. The ‘compass’ in the application requires that you are moving so that it can calculate your direction. If you’re geocaching or using the GPS while walking slowly, you might be frustrated by the inability to see which direction you’re going all the time. Despite the iPhone’s limitations that hindered the accuracy, I really liked the application and I highly suggest it to those who want to track their physical activity (running, biking, etc.), geocachers, and other people who want a GPS with them at all times.

MotionX GPS is an awesome application for those who like GPS units, but don’t want to carry a full size one. At only $2.99 (versus $300 for buying a separate GPS), it’s great for anyone who has travels/hikes a lot. If you try geocaching, definitely get this inexpensive app to help you with your locating.

iPhone Integration Rating: 4 stars
User Interface Rating: 5 stars
Re-use/Replay Value Rating: 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.5 stars

One thing I love about my iPhone is how there are so many educational apps on the appstore, so I decided to review a program called Units.  Units is a unit converter that acts like a calculator.  It has a number pad like a calculator, but it has 4 buttons along the top: mode, from, to, and setting.  There are even three user-swappable buttons on the side for your favorite conversions.  The picture below explains what I’m saying.

Overall, Units is a pretty awesome app.  Costing only 99 cents, Units is a must have for students. Period.

Check out the developers website at: crossroad solutions – iPhone – Units