Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition For iPad – Win Promocodes At Apptudes.com

• Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Genre: Board Game, Family Game
• Platform: iPad 
• Price: $9.99 
• SAHGeekMom Rating: 4 Stars
• Pump gives it 4.5 Pump’s Up
• Recommended Age: 6+
• To win a PROMOCODE visit my new app and game review site Apptudes and follow the direction on the original post there.

MONOPOLY Here & Now: The World Edition for iPad, by Electronic Arts has just been released and if the original Monopoly appeals, this is the same game you know and love but, with an international twist, gorgeous animations, and a lot of customizability.

In 2008 Hasbro decided Monopoly, a game about making money by acquiring real estate needed a 21st century international edition and Monopoly – Here & Now was born.

EA has long had classic Monopoly for iPad and released an iPhone version of Here & Now in December ’08, but never adapted it to the big screen – until now. If you have an iPad 2 and love the game it’s a must-have.

Gameplay is the same, but instead of the familiar Pennsylvania Aves and Park Places, an open vote put my very own Montreal in the money spot, along with international capitals and places you might need Google Earth to help you find to fill out the rest of the actual board.

There also a change of currency, which raises salaries and property costs, but maintains the original profit ratios. And, Here & Now has factlets about the various places on the board on the “flip side” of every Chance and Community Chest card.

So, why buy this if you have the classic on iPad or own this version on iPhone? Well, if you have an original iPad, maybe now isn’t the time, but for iPad 2 owners, EA has given the GUI a gorgeous makeover and four distinct gameplay modes.

There is the familiar “Play Now” option, where players go up against one or several human and AI foes and “Teacher Mode”, which is a single payer against an AI opponent with guidance to introduce the game concepts.

There is also a local multiplayer option, which works via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Up to four players can compete, on individual devices.

But the biggest change – and the best selling point – is the “Tabletop Mode.” You can play with up to three friends, exactly as you would with the physical game. Players take turns playing on a board that, like a cardboard one, works in every position and both orientations naturally so there’s no passing and twisting the iPad.

What appeals to me most is the degree of customizability in the game. Almost every household I know has their own rules for “Free Parking”, or what to do if a player lands directly on “Go”. All of these options, and more to increase or decrease both the difficulty and the duration of the game are tweakable.

I tested the game on iPad 2 was impressed by how smooth everything was, and how vibrant and fresh the game looked. When I went to test the local multiplayer features, however, I broke out my original iPad and understood the complaints I was seeing on the App Store. On original iPads the game crashes and the animation is choppy.

But, that brings up an interesting issue. Is a game company’s obligation to make a game that works equally well on all devices, or should they use the latest technology to push the boundaries of what their games can do?

What follows in my opinion, and I invite debate in the comments:

Apple’s mobile devices, unlike, say, PCs, are uniform and there is only a single new model introduced each year. iOS users are spoiled – we have come to expect all products to work on all devices, even two generations old, despite the fact it’s common knowledge that tech toys at all pricing points have intentional built-in obsolescence.

There are so many Android devices that the Market is full of apps and games that only work on some – but we seem not just to expect, but demand and complain vociferously about backward compatibility.

This is neither realistic nor fair. The iPad 2 is into its second quarter in a life span of four, and as someone who paid good money for the faster processor and other advancements I want companies to take advantage of what this puppy can do before the iPad 3 rolls out.

EA should absolutely clarify that the game is iPad 2 optimized, or offer a mode that doesn’t use some of the advanced features if they continue to market to the entire iPad market. And being that they are EA, and deeply invested in iOS, they will likely update and perhaps lower the framerate of the rich animations or something comparable.

But if we don’t let the big players use new technologies to their maximum advantage, across all platforms, gaming and gamers suffer. Does anyone else see the inherent absurdity in asking for a downgrade in an update?

MONOPOLY Here & Now: The World Edition for iPad, takes a classic that was already modernized and uses the latest iOS technology to brilliant advantage.

On iPad 2 the fluidity is amazing, the multiple game table environments are rich, the pieces on the board are animated flawlessly and even with humor, and there are enough variations in gameplay from modes and settings, to make this the most replayable Monopoly since Parker Brothers first brought out the game. If you have the latest iPad and love board games, don’t pass Go, don’t collect 200 dollars, just download it and start having fun today.

Or… head over to Apptudes.com and win a promocode! See details here and Good Luck!

Happy App Hunting

The 

AppTudes is Live – Best Apps For Dads and Giveaway!

This is a reprint from apptudes.com- to win you must comment on the original post here -Good luck and Happy Father’s Day!

Welcome to AppTudes!

To celebrate our Father’s Day launch we have something extra special for you. You will often find shopping guides here for all occasions, but in the spirit of our week-long Swag-a-Thon, many of the paid apps on this list are yours to win!

So be sure to read carefully to see if the app is up for grabs, and, be sure to check back every day this week for more amazing chances to win.

Here’s how this huge  giveaway is going to work. The first thing you must to do to enter is leave a comment on this post  (on AppTudes.com, not here at SAHGeekMom) specifying which app you are interested in and what device you have, i.e. iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. You can only enter for one of these apps, but you can earn two extra entires to increase your odds of winning it. Remember, not every app on the list is tied to a giveaway so please read carefully. Sorry Scrabble fans, EA didn’t give us any codes. But, if you keep coming back, maybe in the future they will. 😉

After you leave a comment you can earn one entry by tweeting THAT post (Click Here)!

You can also go to our Facebook page here, like it, and leave a comment on the day-one giveaway post, just letting us know you entered. A simple “I left a comment under the name of John Smith” is enough, but we are really eager for feedback so please feel free to also share your opinions here or on Facebook about which apps you think are the coolest on this list and which apps for dad you would recommend. We have a list for grads coming soon, we had to save a few essentials for that one too!

In total you can earn up to three entires, and a random draw for each app will be held June 20, at 9:00pm PDT. The winners will be contacted by email privately within 24 hours with the code. Good luck.

So, Happy Father’s Day! If you were a really a good dad this year, maybe you unwrapped a shiny new iPhone 4 or iPad 2 with your burned toast and coffee in bed. Or, maybe your dad already has an iDevice, but you want to help him fill it with amazing new apps to mark the occassion.

Well, whether your pops is a sports fan, a gamer, a family man, a work-a-holic, or just wants only the best of iOS we have compiled some amazing choices for fathers and grandfathers of every age, and by the way, most of these are pretty awesome for moms, kids, and everyone else too.

Psst! Just click on the app icon to go right to the App Store.

ESPN iScore Baseball Scorekeeper (sold separately for iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch)
By ESPN, $9.99 both versions

Summer’s here, professional hockey and basketball have wrapped up their seasons, NFL football is still months away so what sporting dad doesn’t turn to baseball for his summer team-sport fix? Whether you are a devoted followed of the Major Leagues or you want to keep track of your own neighborhood softball or Little League, ESPN has the perfect score card solution for you.

ESPN iScore Baseball Scorekeeper is a simple and fun way to track baseball or softball stats, and is a critic’s darling having not only received raves from appolicious.com and almost every other iOS site, but also hailed by the mainstream press.

Check out our complete review here and don’t wait to pick this up for any National Pastime fan in your home. Or, maybe wait just a little bit, because we have promo codes for this amazing app! So if you want it for free, be sure to read the rules up top, leave your comment here, on Twitter and on Facebook and check back tonight to see if you are a lucky winner! P.S. you can earn a fouth entry for this app by leaving a relevant comment on the full review.

Zite Personalized Magazine (iPad only)
By Zite, Inc., Free

Is your papa a news junkie? If he is and he has an iPad, you have to show him Zite.

There are as many ways to get news on iOS, as there are games on the App Store. I don’t mean there are as many news apps as games, but with Twitter clients, Google readers, network-news apps, news aggregators and of course a web browser, you can pretty much have your news served up any way you like.

If you want to see a comprehensive look at the best (and worst) news apps for iPhone and many for iPad please click here, but if you have to start somewhere on iPad, start with Zite.

Zite allows you to select topics in any possible area of interest from hard news and politics to entertainment, sports, tech, travel, family life – if it’s on the Internet, Zite will help you find it. Pick a few basic categories to start, or dive in and fully customize the app right away, either way, Zite will create a beautiful digital magazine just for you.

And, Zite also adapts to your tastes over time and helps you discover new news sources and even new areas of interest. Beside each article you can like or dislike the piece, ask for more from the site or author, or request additional coverage on any of the major topics that article covers.

If, for example you found an AppTudes review of an Android and iPhone app, you could choose to see more from us, and/or more about iPhone, iOS or Android.

You can also add your Google Reader and Twitter feeds to make it 100 percent your own.

This app would be well worth paying a premium for, just because the GUI is so gorgeous and the reading experience so pleasant, but since Zite pulls content available freely on the web, it is also completely free of charge. It is iPad only, however, so don’t forget to check out this list for universal and iPhone options too!

iMuscle – (NOVA Series) – iPad edition (available for iPhone/iPod touch separately)
By 3D4Medical.com, LLC, $4.99, $1.99 for iPhone

Does your dad work out, or does he need to? You can help him help himself with iMuscle. It’s is a mobile workout aid that allows users to target a body part or specific muscle, and see it rendered beautifully in 3D. Then after studying the make-up you can access videos in-app (no online connection needed) of muscle building and rehabilitation exercises targeting that part of the body. You can check out a demo video here.

The best thing about the iMuscle is that it supports multiple users, so dad, mom, kids, everyone can keep track of their fitness progress. Professional trainers can use it to track multiple clients and it’s a great tool for physiotherapists too. This is a high-quality, professional-grade, but user-friendly app that will help you not just work out, but do so with maximum effectiveness and minimal injury.

We have codes for this one too, aren’t our sponsor’s amazing? You can see almost all of them here, and most of the apps you can win this week, but we didn’t put up everything, we have a few surprises left up our sleeves. =D But, remember if you want iMuscle, leave a comment, tweet and visit us on Facebook!

SCRABBLE (sold separately for iPad)
By Electronic Arts, $2.99 or $9.99 iPad

Tip: With all EA games, unless you really need it now, never pay full price. Several times a year, right around major holidays, EA dramatically reduced all their prices, in order to climb to the top of the charts, so new iDevice owners will see their titles easily from the App Store home page. They may or may not have a Father’s Day sale, but certainly they will have one before back-to-school. The staff at AppTudes know all the little App Store secrets, and we’ll be putting up a special AppStalker Guide soon, you can see an older version of that guide here.

The name Scrabble pretty much sums it up. EA has brought the beloved board game to life on iPhone and iPad and dads young and old, as well as every word nut, will enjoy the true-to-the original gameplay.

Aside from being able to play against a computer opponent, you can play with up to four people in your home, (and if players have their own iDevice they can hold their tiles and connect seamless with the free Scrabble Tile Rack companion app.) You can also invite anyone from your iPhone’s phone book to play, connect using Facebook or your our network, or have the app connect you to random players from around the world.

Scrabble is a must-have game for dad and grads of all ages. (p.s. a list for grads with lots of giveaways coming soon!)

Nascar Junkie for iPad (sold separately for iPhone/iPod touch)
By EZ Apps, Inc., $1.99 (both versions)

Did we say baseball was the only summer sporting past time? Well Nascar fans will beg to differ and if your dad is a fan, Nascar Junkie is a fantastic way to stay up to date on all things Nascar.

The app aggregates all the best Nascar websites and blogs from around the racing world and puts them into a fun, simple interface so you are always up-to-date on everything from winners, to upcoming events, to Nascar news. A bonus for the die-hard fan, both versions now have push notifications (which will be enhanced when iOS 5 makes its debut with a whole new Notification Center later this summer) so dad never misses a thing. Social network integration makes this the best app for fans not only to keep up to date, but also to share Nascar news with fellow fanatics.

Yet again, we have codes from our incredible sponsors – you know what to do (or if you don’t check out the detail up top) – good luck!

Hop on Pop (universal)
By Oceanhouse Media, $3.99

Father’s day is about more than saying thanks to dad, it’s about bonding with dads. And, at no time is father-to-child bonding more important than the first years of life.

Who better to make the experience fun than the inimitable Dr. Seuss? Oceanhouse Media has been serving up Seuss and other amazing children’s authors on iOS for about as long as I’ve known iOS, and no one does kid-lit apps better.

Hop On Pop is just one of the amazing titles in their catalog, but it’s ideally suited to Father’s Day, and the folks at Oceanhouse have graciously decided to give one father or grandfather a chance to share the classic rhyming book with the little people without whom there would be nothing to celebrate.

All Oceanhouse Media books use a clean, perfected interface with just the right blend of interactivity to promote early reading, and all the right Seuss, er stuff, to make the text as pure as it was when dad first had it read to him when he was a little boy too.

By the way if you are looking for the best iPad and iPhone kid’s books please check out some Stay at Home GeekMom lists here and  here, and soon you’ll be able to win this amazing book, Auryn’s The Little Mermaid, too: check it out here.

We’ll be migrating all this content over to AppTudes ASAP and will be giving away amazing kid books from Oceanhouse, Auryn and may others all week so stayed tuned.

And yup, we have just a single copy of Hop On Pop for you right now, and someone out there is going to win it so don’t forget to comment, visit us on Facebook and tweet tweet tweet!

and speaking of tweets…

Twitter (universal)
By Twitter, Inc, Free

If your dad isn’t connected to the social media world yet, it’s time he was. And, if he is already a networking maven, he will need a way to stay on top of things from his new iPad or iPhone.

Facebook makes a free app for iPhone and is slated to release an iPad version in a few months, but Facebook is actually declining in popularity in North America, perhaps in part due to Zuckerberg’s reticence to work with huge players like Google and in some cases, Apple. The why is speculation, but the fact is the social network that continues to grow worldwide and serve new functions almost daily, is Twitter.

Aside from being a way to keep in touch with friends, share photos and celebrity gossip, Twitter is also is an incredible news reader, and it’s becoming one the most indispensible business and marketing tools around.

There are myriad Twitter apps you can download, some free, some paid. If your dad is already a power-user you might want to opt for an app with lots of bells and whistles, but for general users, Twitter’s own app, completely free, is the best choice. So install it for dad, set him up with an account and get him tweeting… appropriately.

Packing Pro (universal)
By Quinn Genzel, $2.99

Travelling this summer? Or does dad travel a lot for business? Wherever you are going, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic and iOS sites, TUAW, iLounge and my own 148apps.com all call Packing Pro the must-have travel app.

Mom’s will love and need it too – it’s indispensible for single travellers, but if you’re packing for several you simply must get this app.

The interface is not just easy, it’s fun, so much so, you may fail to notice Quinn Genzel has packed in a ton of features.

There is expert list assistance which is essentially several packing templates for both genders and different ages. Users have the ability to create up to eight lists at once, the app has tons of themes to make it your own, and includes suggested lists for everyone from campers to business travellers. There is also a master list of over 400 items and of course, you can add your own.

The best part, the app syncs across devices, so you can create lists for everyone in your party and share them easily.

If you plan on leaving home this summer for more than a few hours, the first thing you need to pack is Packing Pro, right onto your iDevice. Then, happy, stress-lite travels! What? You’re still stressed? Well how about a free copy of the app? We’ve got them, comment and socialize to win!

Quickoffice® Pro (available for iPhone and iPad, sold separately)
By Quickoffice, Inc., $9.99 iPhone $14.99 iPad

Ah, what do you do with a work-a-holic in summer time? If dad can’t take a break, the beauty of a mobile device is he can take the work on the go with him. And, so can students, writers and everyone else who relies on Microsoft Office products.

Apple offers appified versions of its iWorks suite on the App Store, now also available for iPhone, if your pops uses Microsoft products at work or home there is no perfect solution on iOS.

But, there are a few good apps that allow you to create, import, edit and export docs in popular MS formats like .docx .xls etc. as well as PDF’s.

QuickOffice Pro is the best of them and was picked by the NY times as a top 10 Must-Have App for the iPhone and it was Best of Show Winner – Macworld 2010.

You can create docs with the app, and also edit existing ones, share them easily, and even use Air Play to view your files on a TV which is  a great way to show a Powerpoint presentation in particular. It has the most robust formatting tools in its class and is suited to both  power and personal use.

Grim Joggers (universal)
By 10Tons LTD, $1.99

If your old man prefers getting his fitness virtually, or is a just a gamer, Grim Joggers is on of the best endless runner games available for iOS.

You lead a pack of fitness-fanatics on a run through treacherous terrain, using a simple touch control to jump and avoid obstacles. Like all endless runners, the goal is to stay alive for as long as you can, but aside from the clever theme, Grim Joggers stands out as an iOS perma-favorite because you are not only trying to keep yourself alive, but lead your fellow joggers to safety too, which add a whole new dimension to gameplay.

We have a complete review coming later today with an extra chance to win, we’ll post the link as soon as it goes live, later today.

And, if you love this or any of 10Ton’s amazing games stay turned, we have promo codes to give away! In fact the amazing game-lovers at 10tons have given us tons of codes so check back daily, we have 10 tons of their best titles!

Everyday Golf Coach HD (sold separately for iPhone/iPod touch)
By Perish the Thought Golf, $6.99 HD $5.99 iPhone

Summer, for dads around the world, often means just one thing – golf. Its pretty hot with moms too and lately even kids are getting into the act.

There are dozens of apps to help you track your golf balls, keep score, and improve your game. If improvement is what you’re after, Everyday Golf Coach is a superlative choice.

PGA Pro Noel Rousseau created 32 “highly acclaimed” videos just for this app. Since I’m not a golfer, here’s how Perish the Thought Golf describes themselves:

From tee shots to sloping lies, shots from the rough and an array of short game skills. No gloss, no cheap tips, just a brilliantly executed package that will ultimately improve your game. Now with the addition of the swing analyzer this gives you the complete golf coaching app.

A lot of apps that use videos require an Internet connection. What’s great about Everyday Golf Coach is the videos reside in-app. With new carrier bandwidth caps this means you can take your pocket coach right onto the back nine with you, and not use up any of that precious data plan.

Beginners and seasoned golfers will benefit from the instruction, and as an app, the GUI shines. Check it out! We have it, so be sure to comment if you want it and spread the word on Facebook and Twitter.

Nightstand Central – Music Alarm Clock with Weather, Sleep Timer, and Flashlight (available for iPad and iPhone/iPod touch separately)
By Thomas Huntington, $1.99 iPhone $2.99 iPad

OK, so no one loves an alarm clock. Its function is to interrupt you when you least want to be bothered, but we all need one and if you must have one, why not have the best and most beautiful.

Nightstand Central is one of several popular app options that allows you to customize your clock face, get your weather, and select not only from pre-set sounds, but also your iTunes library.

It’s a standout, however, because it brings in the best features of all the other apps out there. It let’s you choose from beautiful backgrounds or import your own, you can fine tune the look of the clock, and create different playlists and multiple alarms. It even doubles as a flashlight app.

If your dad has to wake up early this summer, Nightstand Central, popped into a speaker dock, or propped on a hotel night table, is the way to go.

Fahrenheit – Weather and Temperature on your Home Screen (Universal)
By International Travel Weather, $.99

Weather. Whether dad stays in and plays Scrabble, or takes his new iPad out golfing, it pretty much all comes down to weather.

And, there are as many way of checking the weather on your iDevice, as there are ways to read news. You can get it from the web, from the iPhone App that comes preloaded, in 3D, from space, so how do you choose?

Well, if it’s function you are after, look no further than Fahrenheit (or if you use the metric system its sister app, Celsius)

The app brings you weather from home and around the world, including extended 10-day forecasts in an attractive spartan GUI, and provides more than enough information for all but the most weather-obsessed.

The standout feature that makes the app indispensible is it is the only app on the app store that has a badge on it showing you your local forecast in almost real time, without having to so much as tap.

It would seem like an updating icon would be a no-brainer, but it took until 2011 for someone to do it without jailbreaking. Now that International Travel Weather has, this is the essential weather app for iPhone and iPad.

Bloomberg (available for iPad and iPhone separately)
by By Bloomberg Finance LP, Free

If your padre is a money-guy, he’s going to want to stay up to date with the latest stock news, and there is no more respected source, nor a better iOS interface for market news, than that made by Bloomberg.

There isn’t much to say, if you need the best and latest stock market news and analysis this is the app to get. It’s available for both iPhone and iPad and is completely free.

Weber’s On The Grill (sold separately for iPad and iPhone)
By Weber-Stephen Products Co., $4.99 (both versions)

Mmm’ summer’s here and it’s time to break out the grill and start barbequing. Whether you own a Weber grill or a Habachi, their app is a must have for dads who love to tend the flames.

The app contains 280 ”Weber Original” recipes and an additional 40 for rubs, marinades, and sauces.

The app is more than a cookbook however; it is a reference tool with a pretty sophisticated navigation system, a grocery list manager, even a grill timer! There are also 100 grilling tips and instructional videos by celebrity chef and author, Jamie Purlance. Even the photos are mouthwatering. Get this for the grill master in your yard today.

We love this app so much that even though we weren’t able to reach Weber-Stephens, AppTudes will give a gift copy of this app, that can be earned the same way as promo codes. But, please note: iTunes gift apps and gift cards can only be redeemed in the US or Canadian app stores. If you win one, be sure to let us know which store you use. Remember, tweeting and Facebook visits, increase your odds of winning!

And that’s all we have for you right now, but the App Store is overflowing with great apps, for dads and everyone else. If you think we missed a great one, please share it with our readers in the comments, and check back often, we will be populating the site with reviews we have written elsewhere and fresh reviews daily so that we can become your one-stop app-shopping guide soon!

Good luck, and thanks for welcoming Tudey and AppTudes! We look forward to see you soon!

New Facebook Page – New Chances To Win iTunes Cards From AppTudes and SAHGeekMom

We JUST set up a Facebook Fanpage here. While we figure it all out, we have special prizes just for those who take the time to visit and like.

When we hit 100 likes we will give out a $10 iTunes Gift Card. When we hit 200 we will give out a $20 iTunes gift card. If we happen to hit any other multiple of 100 we will give out $25 iTunes cards at each milestone.

But act fast, the contest closes Friday June 17, 9:00pm EDT!

Good luck and thanks for checking us out. Don’t forget to follow @apptudes to be the first to know about all the freebies and great reviews and lists coming your way soon!

To see just some of what you can win suring our launch week swag-a-thon click here.

Happy App Hunting

The 

Win iTunes Gift Cards Now With Tweet – Huge App & Game Promo Code Giveaway Coming Soon!

UPDATE June 16, 2011, 10:45pm EST

New chance to win June 17, 2011 9:00pm EST – this time the prize is a $15 tunes card, but you will have to work for it. This is NOT a random draw, the more attention you bring to us, the better you chnaces of winning! Random chances at iTunes cards and even early free apps, are available by liking our Facebook Fan Page here! When we hit 200 likes someone will win a $15 iTunes card, at 300 a $20 card etc. – details here.

We also have a twitter party planned for Tuesday, June 21, from 6-8pm EST – Click Here For Details

Win extra goodies just use the hashtag #swagathon starting at 6:00pm EASTERN time and for two hours we will be giving away extra swag and answering your questions about apps and the new site – please join us!

Did that make no sense? I know right, I went to my first about a week ago – it’s simple copy and paste #swagathon into twitter’s search bar when it’s time and you will automatically see everything everyone is saying and be able to reply. You can ask us questions and win big!

If you want to win you need to be following @apptudes and we have to follow you back so we can DM (direct private message) you with the code for the app you win!

Note:

We awarded the first iTunes card for Tweeters tonight, June 16, 2011, at 9:00PM EST. The prize was a $10 iTunes card for following and tweeting this and anything else that gets apptudes.com and @apptudes or our Facebook fanpage (where you can win ever more, click here) and I even gave an extra prize to someone who has been tweeting so hard for @sahgeekmom. Since we are all the same, it seemed only fair =D

Also visit and like our Facebook page to win free app promo codes starting NOW! And more chances to win Itunes gift cards! No limit to how often or how many you can win!

ORIGINAL POST:

Do you want a chance to win some of the best bet apps and games on iOS, Mac and Android?

What about free iTunes gift cards? Free subscriptions to premium online services?

Then mark the date: Father’s Day, June 19, 2011 and start following @apptudes on twitter!

Below are just some of the AppTudes launch week Swag-A-Thon sponsors.

All the apps you see below and mnay more will be yours to win, along with other amazing prizes.

To promote this event you can WIN iTunes Gift Cards starting right NOW!

Just tweet this page once a day between now and launch (we will be updating it constantly) and we will start picking winners on Thursday, June 16 from those who are doing the best job of spreading the word.

Be sure to follow me too, @sahgeekmom to keep up to date!

Check out our press release here to learn more about apptudes.com, the freshest site in iOS, Mac and Android Apps, and look forward to more great giveaways added daily

You Can Win These great iOS, OS X Apps and their PC and Android cousins too – new apps and games are coming in so fast this is only a partial list and will be updated as often as possible. These are some of the top apps, we have award winners, and we don’t review or giveaway anything we don’t absolutely love ourselves. You really don’t want to miss out on these!

                                                     

Here are some of our amazingly generous Swag-a-Thon sponsors. they are giing out iTunes gift cards, premium memberships (think Slacker Radio!) and unique prizes.

Apps:

• ESPN iScore Baseball
• Nascar Junkie for iPad
• Martha Stewart Cocktails
• How to Cook Everything – All Version!
• Slacker Radio (Premium Subscriptions)
• Procreate
• Auryn Ink
• iQuarium
• Pimp Your Screen
• Radio By Spreaker (Premium Subscriptions)
• Writing Prompts
• Packing Pro (as featured on CNN)
• iMuscle (Nova) iPad
• Comic Life for Mac and iOS
• Dramatic Music App Plus
• Debt Payoff Pro
• Let’s Create! Pottery
• Let’s Create! Pottery HD
• Autopainter HD
• Autopainter II
• Autopainter Express for Mac
• Dynamic Autopainter for PC
• Wig Booth
• Everyday Golf Coach HD
• 1-2-3 Draw
• Make-A-Monster
• Overdamped Artists Series – giving away a TON of their huge catalog!
• Album App
• LitterBug
• Talking 3D Lab Mat
• Green Genie
• Max and Molly

Games:

• Dress Up Rush HD (released today, June 17, 2011)
• Grim Joggers
• Cavemean (Lemmings!)
• Snuggle Truck
• Smuggle Truck
• Azkend
• Crux (Crosswords – the best!)
• Jack Of All Tribes HD
• AR (Augmented Reality) Misslie -(iPhone and iPad 2)
• SwipeTapTap
• Sparkle the Game
• Royal Envoy
• Robot City
• Heros of Kalevala
• Sailboats Champions Pro HD
• Teddy’s Playground
• ColorFlys
• Egg Drop Soup
• Doggie Day Spa
• Joining Hands

For Kids:

• Hop On Pop
• Auryn’s Little Mermaid
• Stack the States
• Oh, The Places You’ll Go
• Nosy’s Crow’s Three Little Pigs
• My Word Wall
• Grimm’s Rapunzel – 3D Interactive Pop-up Book
• Once Upon a Potty: Boy
• Bunny Fun
• Enchanted Tales: Snow White
• Ansel and Claire’s Adventures in Africa
• Teddy’s Day
• Roxie’s A-MAZZE-ing Vacation Adventures
• Teddy’s Night
• Stack the Countries
• Aesop in Rhyme Series from Auryn
• Toddler Email
• Alpha Books
• Toddler Toy Factory

Please take a moment to visit out amazing sponsors below and tweet now to start winning!

                OVERDAMPED ARTIST SERIES           v   

Handholding Has Its Logic: 10Tons’s Joining Hands

Handholding Has Its Logic: Win Joining Hands From 10Tons

CONTEST CLOSED Winner was notifed privately by email Tweet

• Developer: 10Tons
• Genre: Logic Game, Puzzle Game, Casual Game, Educational, Family
• Platform: Universal
• Price: $2.99
• SAHGeekMom Rating: 4.5 Stars
• Pump gives it: 4.25 Pump’s Up
• Recommended Age: 6+

Hey did you hear? The Stay at Home GeekMom is now with 148apps.com! Click here for details.The Whispering Woods are home to the Peablins, stars of the new logic puzzle, Joining Hands, by 10tons of Azkend and Grim Joggers fame, and they need your help to make them happy.

Making the cute Peablins content is simple; as the game title suggests it’s all about holding hands.

The object is to place unhappy Peablins, how many and what kind are based on the level’s difficulty, onto a game grid, adjacent to others in order to lock hands.

Each character has a set number of hands, you need to connect them all to make them smile and progress to the next level.

The graphics are rich on both the iPhone’s retina display and the big screen (iPad), and the game mechanics are simple and fluid.

Just drag and drop Peablins where you think they ought to go. Hands will connect to available hands automatically. You can make one chain or several smaller chains on the game board, as long as you make everyone happy.

There are six tutorial levels and another five worlds with 12 levels each and the promise of more to come. Successful completion of one unlocks the next.

There are several varieties of Peablins, each with it’s own rules: some can join hands in any direction, others are fixed, and some are just plain hard to please. There are also obstacles, score boosters and power-ups.

Since several gamers on the toucharcade.com forums reported both concern that the game may be too complex (it’s actually quite simple, but it’s hard to tell from the iTunes description) and general confusion over how it all works, 10Tons made this gameplay video to help clarity:

Each time a new element comes into play an instruction screen tells you its function, limitation or strategic use, so the learning curve is not very steep.

Joining Hands is distinct in that is really is a pure logic game. It takes trial and error and patience too. But, it’s a challenge and on the App Store, bursting at the seems with physics, matching and action puzzlers, this is a novel treat.

The game’s fairytale like setting gives it kid-appeal and young gamers may be more familiar with the premise as many board games aimed at children offer similar, but simplified puzzles.

Pump’s Point: I really like this one for when I’m clamed down. It’s like Zoologic, but with monsters and ghosts and it gets really hard. I think kids will love the ghosts and fat guys and parents will like making everyone smarter.

While the characters and some levels are kid-friendly, this game is not child’s play. The difficulty increases rapidly and while you won’t be pulling out your hair in frustration, the game does require a fair amount of mental gymnastics.

There are no leaderboards or achievements as yet, nor any gaming network integration, and some users feel the pricing point, $2.99, is a bit high for this type of game. It is, however, universal and in line with 10Tons other games.

The gameplay is virtually flawless and the concept is fresh and habit forming. New levels from easy to brain busting are in the works. Joining Hands is sure to please any clever puzzle-lovers. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Still not sure? Well here’s your chance to try it for free. I have one promo code. You can win it by either tweeting this review or leaving a relevant comment. You can enter once by each method.

Contest Closes: Saturday, June 11, 6:00PDT. Good luck!

I’ll be here and on 148apps.com again soon! In the mean time here are some of my recent reviews and most popular lists for you to enjoy:

• The Best Interactive Books (Book-Apps) For iPad And iPad2
• Watch Out Pandora: Slacker Radio Updates iOS App For iPad And It’s A Game Changer.
• SAHGeekMom’s iPad Game Of The Month: Casey’s Contraptions – May 2011
• Web-Slinging Meets Rope Cutting in Chillingo’s New Spider Jack
• Virtual History – The Last Supper: A New Bar In Interactive iPad Books. Win With Comment Or Tweet
  
• Creative iPad Scrap-Booking Fans Of All Ages: Enter Scrap It Contest! Chance To Win Part Of $120 In iTunes Gift Cards
• Best iPad Apps For Artists (and Photographers) – Extended Edition iPad and iPad 2 Tested
• Best Apps for News Junkies – iPhone (Most Free!)
• Stay At Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best Puzzlers For Teens and Everyone Else Part one
  
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best Puzzler’s For Teens and Everyone Else Part two
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad and iPhone games for kids 5-12 part one
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best ipad and iPhone Games for kids 5-12 part two
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad Books for Toddlers through Grade 3 part one
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad Books for Toddlers through Grade 3 part two

Happy App Hunting

The 

The Best Interactive Books (Book-Apps) For iPad And iPad2

Edited 6/8/11

The iPad is a great ebook reader, but it also offers a unique platform for a growing number of book-app hybrids that are pushing the limits of digital publishing. We have seen these interactive iPad books featured prominently in the New and Noteworthy and Staff Favorite sections on the App Store home page, and the titles are often amongst the top-grossing iPad apps around.

A lot of that has to doing with their pricing points, these are also some of the more expensive offerings on the App Store. And, while often featured by Apple, I noticed it is pretty hard to find a lot of user or critical reviews of these book-apps.

So, I have collected some of the best non-fiction offerings right here for you. Whether you love history, science, music, art, space travel or just love the digitally enhanced written word, there’s a book-app just for you.

Remember please that lists, unlike guides, are in no particular order, these are all great choices, depending on your interests. If I forgot your favourite, please leave a note in the comments too, I would love to discover more of this sort of App Store fare.

The Elements: A Visual Exploration

by Element Collection, Inc $13.99

If you’ve seen the original iPad ads, you’ve already met The Elements the first in a series three books (The Planets and Gems and Jewels being the others) from this publisher. They all seem to use essentially the same user-interface (UI). This original title covers the periodic table of elements, in a way that will engage even the least scientific of readers.

From the opening song listing the elements to the ever-catchy tune of “A Modern Major General” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, to the optional 3D specs you can purchase from the publisher to see each of the building blocks that make up our world pop before your eyes, this app puts the entertainment into edu-tainment in a serious way.

There isn’t a text per se; the data is pulled from superlative science search engine WolframAlpha, but that’s a plus since their information is the best. While this app  can’t replace a chemistry textbook, it will certainly get you through a good part of your chem 101 final in a more pleasant way than the dry tome you will likely pay $75 for in September.

Virtual History – Roma

by Mondadori.it $9.99

The first of a series of interactive books for iPad from Italian publishing giant Mondadori, Roma (read full review here) is simply astonishing. I picked this title only because it may have a more broad-base appeal than it’s equally mesmerizing sibling,Virtual History – The Last Supper, (read full review here.) Both set the bar in digital publishing for iOS.

Using a proprietary technology to incorporate a feature they call a “Bubble Viewer,” the reader can immerse themselves in a fully three-dimensional environment, by rotating the iPad as you would rotate your head to view a surrounding.

Whether it’s the Roman baths or the market at Pompeii the experience is one of seeing everything, from all sides, up and down, in rich detail, and combined with features like interactive timelines, 3D objects to rotate, overlays and more the book-app will enthral; the use of new technologies alone makes this app well worth the $10 investment.

How does it read? Remarkably well, Roma is not an academic title, but the prose is fluent and the breath, from pre-Roman Italy to the rise of the empire-toppling “barbarians” is outstanding. Whether you like art and history, gladiators, architecture or mythology, if it happened in Ancient Rome, Roma has it covered in an insightful new way.

Expect new titles from Mondadori coming soon and only The Stay at Home GeekMom will bring them to you first!

Our Choice

by Push Pop Press, Inc. $4.99

Al Gore has transitioned from yet another former Vice President on the Wally World ribbon-cutting circuit, to being one of, if not the, preeminent spokesman for the Global Warning movement. Seriously, he is at least as well known for his books and speeches on the subject as for anything he did in office.

The Vice President greets readers of this book-app with a video explaining the importance of the subject matter, and then you can swipe through the visual table of contents and pop open a page with a tap.

The app is based on the apparently text-richer book by the name title, and is loaded with videos, of course. The unfolding photos and photo commentary are standout features. If you care about the subject matter or want to see how non-fiction can exploit the digital publishing landscape you should definietely check this one out.

The History of Jazz – an interactive timeline

by 955 Dreams $9.99

 

Music lovers have a plethora of great book-apps to choose from. The History of Jazz is one of the best and most popular. The publishers call it an “interactive timeline” which aptly sums up what this book-app offers. Music is meant to be heard and performances watched, not read, so the app is a tad text-light, but very video-rich.

Using a navigation menu that look like construction paper piano keys, you can explore this uniquely American musical genre from its birth in the 1890’s through to the present day. The History of Jazz is crammed full of YouTube-hosted videos showing performances by everyone from the great Scott Joplin and Jelly Roll Morton, to Joshua Redmond, the African-American, Jewish, Berkley-based saxophonist, whose “Molten Soul” music is leading Jazz in daring new directions.

Ragtime, New Orleans Classic, Dixieland, Chicago, “Jazz Age” Big Band, swing, bebop, cool jazz, slow fusion, acid jazz, even vocal jazz, it’s all here, in a simple engaging format. Don’t plan on enjoying the app offline though, it requires an internet connection to stream the videos. But, Jazz fans and the uninitiated will learn from the minimalist, but informative text, and performances by Kenny G, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington and almost every other Jazz great. It’s treat for the eyes and the ears.

Man In Space

by Bristol Magazines Limited $4.99

Man In Space is a digital rendition of the 50th anniversary edition of “Sky at Night Magazine”. While not a book, per se, both the print issue and the iOS version have much more to say than many of the “books” on this list.

The app traces the history of space travel from Yuri Gagarin’s first spaceflight in 1961 to the International Space Station and into the future. This BBC (Bristol, the publishers, are the BBC’s magazine division) pack this book-app with cool videos and interactive features. It contains everything in the print addition; this app is not an abridged text as are many others here.

The GUI is wonderful. The menu system is intuitive, the images are crisp and the text is well-integrated with the digital features. The 3D images are a standout. Man In Space, unlike others on this list like Woodstock or The History of Jazz, contain all the videos embedded within the app.

This is great for off-line reading, as the other books require an internet connection to stream from Youtube, but it does mean the book will use a lot of memory on your iPad. If you like outer space it’s well worth the iPad space.

Kings and Queens by David Starkey
by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd $6.99

If you are love British history, and you don’t know David Starkey it’s time to get yourself acquainted with the masterful author and BBC documentarian. His scholarship on the topic of England’s monarchies is irreproachable. He also has knack for bringing potentially dry and academic, but actually bulging-with-intrigue, stories of the great northern European island kingdom and it’s most salacious characters, to life in vivid colour.

This book-app brings you some of Starkey’s best writing, with a host of interactive features including of course, videos from the TV persona himself, but also timelines, detailed family trees, and the abridged version of the text book.

It’s too late to see it now, but a neat feature was the live in-app coverage by Sky-news, of the Royal Wedding last month. But if you are a fan of Wills and Kate, the archive is well stocked with great information and the videos too. A must-have for any history buff, Phillipa Gregory reader, or fan of TV show The Tudors.

On the Way to Woodstock

by 955 Dreams $9.99

On the Way to Woodstock, is another “interactive timeline” book, by the same publisher as History of Jazz which was updated literally the moment this list was being written, to address some broken video links, and technical glitches. But, it already had over 120 almost-perfect ratings from users, so you know the content is great: app-buyers, especially at this pricing point, are not usually so forgiving of technical mishaps. But, I get it. I also would have given even the flawed version a 4.5 star rating too, it’s really cool.

The book-app follows the tried-and-true format and essentially uses the same GUI as Jazz, but turns it attention instead to the American experience in the 1950’s and 1960’s. It was that idealized, baby-boominh American era when everything seemed possible, but a time in which any given day seemed like the most important and potentially the last on Earth. (Sound familiar? Those who don’t study history…)

Videos and text take you from the idealized 1950’s through the social, cultural and political upheaval of the 1960’s and only then delves into the Woodstock music festival, which in many ways was the culmination of the epoch.

Whether you wore tie-die and watched Jimmy Hendrix shred the Star Spangled banner live, you went to a revival festival, or you are just intrigued by this most American of times, this digital book and its grooves, can’t be beat.

Shakespeare In Bits: Macbeth iPad Edition

by Mindconnex Learning Ltd. $14.99

There is also a Romeo and Julietversion of this unusual and wholly unique offering from Mindconnex. It’s a clever new approach to studying the Bard’s works, and it’s so much fun I hope to see Hamlet, King Lear, A Midsummer’s Nights Dream and the rest of the complete works severed up in the same GUI soon.

Shakespeare In Bits offers a fully-animated and voiced study edition of the play, dynamic text features, easy-to-access modern language translations, and a complete study guide in an easy on the eyes and the brain package. The voice-actors are wonderful, speaking in a cadence to promote understudying, but with inflection and appropriate accents.

Because it’s animated doesn’t mean they dumb it down; this isn’t a Cliff Notes-style app. The full text is presented and spoken, just made more engaging, especially for young people. Whether you a Shakespeare-lover, a willing college student, or a high-schooler being force-fed Macbeth in a dry, formulaic and uninspired way, you have to check out this app and this series. iPhone version sold separately.

Andrew Zuckerman: Music

by PQ Blackwell Limited $9.99

This app is a rockers dream and has been teasing me for a long time by making frequent appearances on Staff Favourites, so I had to check it out for this list. It’s a full-course feast for music lovers, and while it’s not the newest app in digital publishing it holds up well.

It will appeal to a braod cross-section of rock lovers as there seems to be no genre barrier for Zuckerman, who has published a paper book with the same title. This book-app features over 50 musicians, from across popular genres, who “provide their perspectives on one of the most universal and yet unexplainable art forms.”

Expect portraits and videos of each included musician with extra goodies like interviews and more short films. Sorting is simple, sharing irresistible and the app links to iTunes if you want to purchase the music you hear. A no-brainer for an old groovesters and young ‘uns into the latest alike.

Ansel Adams

by Hatchet Book Group Inc, $13.00

If art and photography are more up your alley, iconic American landscape photographer Ansel Adams has a coffee-table book of some of his works out on iPad that is a treat for fans of his work.

This book-app contains 40 high-resolution photos highlighting some of his best works taking full advantage of the iPad beautiful display. This is a paring down author Andrea Stillman’s 400-piece collection in print, and focuses largely on his shots of the Sierra Nevada mountains, one of several place he called home.

You can pinch-to-zoom into the breathtaking shots or listen to the captions read aloud. The app includes a section on “Letters and Images,” “Ansel’s postcards” and a collection of three short videos featuring the genius himself. Its sumptuous eye candy for photography lovers, and those who want to see how art can shine on iPad and iPad 2.

Here On Earth

by Arcade Sunshine Media, LLC., $11.99

I first picked this title as an ideal choice for my Earth Day App List, and it still stands as a great choice for the science-minded looking for more serious fare. Or anyone interested in evolution, and all the sociological and scientific issues that attend.

Tim Flannery’s book about Darwin, Dawkins, evolution, and how to reshape our thinking on those matters, is amazing and meaty. The multimedia version of the bestselling work, “traces the history of the planet, the history of humanity, and the impact that we have had on our planet.” Before you balk at the price, the text iBook is only a dollar less; in print, it’s more. Here the text is accompanied by 25 Interviews with the author, videos from award-winning filmmakers, social network integration, even Air Play support.

It’s not for the intellectually timid, but the special features make the app much more accessible than the text-only book. Another benchmark for digital publishing.

War in the Pacific
by Gameloft, 4.99

What an unexpected surprise to find game powerhouse Gameloft teaming up with Carlson to bring great interactive books to iPad. The result of pairing a gamehouse with a publishing house of their respective statures is what you would expect: fantastic. 

And if you like this offering look for War Planes slated for release next week. Like Here on Earth, this is a serious non-fction book, by author and WWII history scholar, Richard Overy, and the app faithfully renders the text.

Features added by Gameoft to the digital version include a foreword by Dale Dye, Senior Military Advisor to HBO’s The Pacific and Band of Brothers, which engages the reader from word one, by clearly delineating the experiences specific to soldiers in the Pacific theatre, along with archival documentaries from 1945, animated maps and some really interesting facsimile documents.

Even if you didn’t catch the mini-series, and you’re not a war votary, there’s a lot in Overy’s fluid prose for any reader to connect with. This one should not be missed by anyone looking to enhance their understanding of the Second World War.

Of course there are many other great choices, I can’t cover them all, but if I missed your fave please leave a note in the comments.

I’ll be back later with some really big news, and of course have fresh reviews, contests and other fun stuff for you later this week. For now, please enjoy some of my most recent and most popular reviews and guides from the list below.

• Watch Out Pandora: Slacker Radio Updates iOS App For iPad And It’s A Game Changer.
• Welcome AppTudes! A Brand New Venture In App Reviews for iOS, OS X And Android Coming Soon From SAHGeekMom & Technopink
• Virtual History – The Last Supper: A New Bar In Interactive iPad Books. Win With Comment Or Tweet
• Creative iPad Scrap-Booking Fans Of All Ages: Enter Scrap It Contest! Chance To Win Part Of $120 In iTunes Gift Cards
• Best iPad Apps For Artists (and Photographers) – Extended Edition iPad and iPad 2 Tested
• Best Apps for News Junkies – iPhone (Most Free!)
• Stay At Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best Puzzlers For Teens and Everyone Else Part one
  
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best Puzzler’s For Teens and Everyone Else Part two
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad and iPhone games for kids 5-12 part one
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best ipad and iPhone Games for kids 5-12 part two
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad Books for Toddlers through Grade 3 part one
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad Books for Toddlers through Grade 3 part two

Happy App Hunting

The 

 

Welcome AppTudes! A Brand New Site For App Reviews: iOS Mac And Android Coming Soon

Happy June! The Stay at GeekMom is proud to announce:

Tweet

Please welcome AppTudes: New attitudes about apps!

Watch for www.apptudes.com, going live: Father’s Day, June 19, 2011.

Our team of experienced writers will bring you side-by-side app reviews, exclusive contests, App Store shopping tips, insider looks at hot apps before they launch, and breaking mobile-tech news. Look for side-by-side Android vs. iOS match-ups too.

What is apptudes.com?

What sets apptudes.com apart from other review sites, is our attitude towards apps and games on iOS and Android devices – we love them!

We are super-jazzed about bringing them to you in a new format of side-by-side reviews from two or more experienced writers at one time.

You may get an “Android vs iOS match-up”, a “he said – she said,” or “home user vs. small business vs. power user” review, depending on the app in question. We will give you multiple viewpoints to help you spend your budget wisely on the apps best suited to you. We are an opinionated group, so expect lively debate!

If it’s hot, we’ll have it. Our staff of writers will look at chart-topping or buzzworthy games (tons of games) and apps, with a “10-tudes” multi-angle rating system that will steer you to just the right apps and games for your Apple iDevices, and coming soon, Android devices.

Jailbreak apps on the Cydia Store will be covered too.

Keep your eyes peeled for “break it down for me” guides that will look at apps in a single category and tell you which ones you need, and which ones to stay away from. We’ll help you navigate through the App Stores’ chaos, and provide laughs along the way.

Swag-a-Thon Sponsor

Stay tuned for more developments coming soon! Be sure to follow Sue (@technopinksue) and Lisa (@sahgeekmom) on Twitter for what’s coming up and to get access to promo codes, iTunes gift cards, special contests, giveaways and swag.

You can add @apptudes now too, so you’ll be the first to catch our huge launch-week swag-a-thon full of giveaways and contests.

Here’s just a sneak peek at what’s coming you way from our Father’s Day Launch Week Swag-a-Thon sponsors:

            

• Free premium online and multi-mobile platform radio subscriptions from the best music discovery and custom station provider, Slacker Radio (www.slacker.com)
• Overdamped Artist Series (Van Gogh HD, Monet HD, Vermerr HD, Da Vinci HD etc. huge catalog) mega-promocode slam
• Free app and game promo codes from Nosy Crow, MochiBits, Dreamix Studios and many more
• Quick-Contest giveaways on Twitter (coming soon to Facebook)
• iTunes gift card contest sponsored by Kid’s Corner and My Scrap Life developer Dirk Bost
• Something very special from developers Owlchemy Labs, creators of the smash game Smuggle, er Snuggle Truck!.

And, those are just some of our upcoming prize offerings; you’ll have to follow us to catch them all!

Thank you in advance for your support and follows. We are passionate about mobile devices, apps, and developers. We can’t wait to bring you great information on how to get the most out of your iDevice.

Please direct press and general inquiries to info@apptudes.com and we will see that it gets to the right person for a speedy reply.

Advertise on our site! Amazing monthly and annual deals for launch day sponsors: info@apptudes.com

Developers, writers, and job seekers please click here for more information on our dev corner and dedicated forum, as well as a list of open positions for experienced applicants and student/novice internship options.

We can’t wait for you to see our new attitude towards apps, coming soon: www.apptudes.com

Happy app hunting, stayed tuned for more info coming soon!

The 

p.s. Sue and Lisa are still proud members of the best iOS site on the web, www.appadvice.com. Watch for our reviews there and be sure to get our top-30 app here, to help you find the best of iOS for your device, right on your device!

Virtual History – The Last Supper: A New Bar In Interactive iPad Books.

Virtual History – The Last Supper

Also known as: Virtual History – Ultima Cena outside the US.

• Publisher: Mondadori It
• Genre: interactive book, art book, education, travel
• Platform: iPad Only
• Price: $9.99
• SAHGeekMom Rating: 5 Stars
• Recommended Age: All Ages (not aimed at young children)

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED– winners were notified privately by email and DM.

Mondadori’s new series of educational book-apps are changing the face of digital publishing on iOS. One of the primary inspirations for my blog was the January publication of A Virtual History – Roma (released as Rome – A Virtual History, I believe) by the European publishing giant.

Mondadori HQ

Apple was featuring it prominently on the App Store, but I couldn’t find any reviews. I bought it and my jaw almost hit the floor. Stay at Home GeekMom was born a few days later, in part to fill that void. I don’t mind paying $10 for a good book, but it’s a lot to risk blind.

So I wrote about it, but never in my wildest dreams did I think that a public company the size and with the reputation of Mondadori would care.

I wrote it for you. I didn’t contact them or even send them a link (rookie mistake), but it became my most popular post and the one most often referred here by major search engines, so I keep it up to date. You can read it here.

Last week, when I saw that they had a second offering in the same vein, Virtual History – The Last Supper, about Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece, from multiple thematic, historical and artistic perspectives, I didn’t think about the cost. I dropped the $9.99 and sat back to enjoy.

If you happen to have a passion for art, books, and apps, you’ve stumbled onto the trifecta.

I was pleased with the prose and equally impressed with the perfect balance of information and interactivity, a tightrope act for anyone on a foray into this market.

I was going to review, and rave about it; I didn’t need anything, but wrote Mondadori as a fan, even if I did use the press link. And, since I am heir to the chutzpah throne, I dared to pitch a giveaway.

I am thrilled; the folks at Mondadori are open and generous. I’m sure they will appreciate the publicity on appadvice.com, but someone like me is not going to impact the bottom line for a company that is the third largest magazine publisher in France. They own a 27 percent market share of all print books in Italy and they team up with Hearst to publish “Cosmo.” They really don’t need help from ‘lil ol’ me.

Seriously, I am so flattered to have received a reply much less codes to share with you.

But, aside from showing that Mondadori people are good people, it let me know the company is fully invested in iOS development, no matter how small a percentage of their overall endeavours it currently is.

From your perspective, it means that if there are glitches, I didn’t find a single one, but if there are, they will be fixed and if Mondadori can enhance the experience, they will.

And, it bodes well for more of this sort of app-fare to follow. That’s my ulterior motive; I want this app to sell big, so Mondadori and other world-class publishers flood the app store with more, more, and more.

To say you could not get this much for less in print is an understatement. If there is such a thing as a dollar-to-feature ratio, this app is a steal.

Mondadori teamed up with and uses Applix’s- patent pending technology for the standout feature: a 360 degree panoramic 3D immersion into images based on many of the most interesting areas of discussion. It’s called a “Bubble Viewer.” which, if you look at the pic on the right up there, you’ll see is apt. You feel like you are in the painting (or room, or courtyard,) not just looking up close.

Their first title, Rome, had the same viewer, but it was a bit clunky on my iPad. An update improved it, but I tested this new offering on my iPad 2 and it’s spectacular.

Here’s a short promotional video:

You can lift your iPad and turn it to view, for example, Milan’s Santa Maria Delle Grazie Refectory, and explore it as you would in real life, by looking (holding the pad) up, down, and all around.

I thought I’d seen this before, but wow! It’s so fluid and the environments are so graphic and detail rich. I reacted with the same excitement and wonder as I did before writing about apps became my trade, not just my passion.

It is worth the $10 even if you have absolutely no interest in the subject matter, just to see how it all works.

Other interactive features include progressive timelines, overlays, three-dimensional objects to rotate and more. They are extremely polished and hiccup free.

The written content is solid. It’s not dense, you can get through it quickly, but the breadth is outstanding.

The prose, I am assuming a translation from Italian, is neither pedantic nor patronizing. They don’t dumb it down. It’s not a scholarly work, you can read the text in an hour, but the writing is very good, and they don’t shy away from polysyllabic words when appropriate.

The features, however, make the app accessible to all. Even my energizer-bunny of a kid stopped and stared for a few minutes although he is more into Roma, because of the 3D gladiators.

There is an introduction and five chapters with various subcategories:

• Inside the Last Supper
• History and Studies
• A Brilliant Project
• The Mysteries of the Code (which will appeal to fans and haters of Dan Brown’s bestseller and the major motion picture, The Da Vinci Code)
• From Da Vinci to Today

The introduction includes a tutorial worth checking out, but the GUI is intuitive; you’ll find everything if you tap around.

“Inside the Last Supper” is the biggest section, filled with information about the artistic innovations, the “protagonists” of the work,  (le mot juste) and details like what is (and isn’t) on the table.

Most pages are accompanied by one of the features discussed above.

The other chapters are smaller, but go into greater detail on specific areas. And the special effects are present, but not excessive. If the text says it all, they let it do so.

The digital elements are chosen carefully to enhance the reader’s understanding of the subject matter, and, it seems, the areas of focus were chosen to show off the features. It’s a perfect blend and makes the reading experience pleasurable.

The app is not about the controversies surrounding the art. Its primary focus is on the fresco, as it should be.

Where they do address Brown’s book, however, they politely, but cheerfully, debunk his theories one by one with brief, scholarly facts.

I’m no expert on Renaissance art or politics, nor do I know much about conspiracies, so I’m not going to editorialize.

But, the book doesn’t seem to have an agenda, just an interest in pointing out that there are simple and viable explanations for the mysteries. Call it an Occam’s razor approach.

The developers must have done research on the comments about other pricier App Store offerings that are image-rich.

One of the most common complaints is deftly avoided; you can minimize the text box on any page, to fully explore the image below. It’s the type of small touch that makes the app shine.

I would have used a bookmark feature, had there been one, for review purposes. And, these old eyes would love scalable fonts or a pinch-to-zoom feature for the smallish text. But, these are small matters, as this is still hands down the best book-app I’ve seen.

I poked around on Mondadori’s website and found their mission statement:

The company’s mission has always been to encourage the broadest possible dissemination of culture and ideas, with a product range that covers all genres and reaches all readers, combining a love of culture and editorial quality with market rules and a capacity to identify and anticipate change while respecting and protecting the values that underlie the publisher’s role in civil society

To that end, Virtual History – The Last Supper (Ultima Cena in some App Stores) is a complete success.

If you want to peek at the future of digital publishing you have to get Virtual History – The Last Supper. It’s a must-have for iPad and iPad 2 owners; few apps will make your device look this good.

Want to win a copy? You can enter a draw for two codes on my review on appadvice.com, but I have one saved just for my loyal readers.

Leave a comment about why you want this, how you would use it, what you think of their other title, Virtual History – Rome, or anything relevant, and frankly for this one I’m going to pick the reply I like the best. This is not just a freebie, it’s gift I hope you will treasure, and I want it in loving hands.

Added 5/28/11: You can earn an entry into a separate RANDOM draw. Just use the share button below or the Tweet link on top to share this review on Twitter. tweet and retweet it yourself and you’re in. Remember to include @sahgeekmom so I can find you!

Contest Closes Tuesday, June 1, 2011, 9:00pm PDT. Good Luck!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend to my US friends and family. I’ll be back with a complete list of the best interactive books for iPad here and on appadvice.com. And, mark your calendars and add @apptudes to your twitter feed to be the first to know about an exciting new venture in app reviews! http://www.apptudes.com,  launching 19 June, 2011!

Mondadori HQ

In the meantime, don’t forget to enter the Scrap It Contest for a chance to win one of three iTunes gift Cards, up to $50 value, click here. And here are some of my recent and most popular reviews and lists to keep you busy.

• Creative iPad Scrap-Booking Fans Of All Ages: Enter Scrap It Contest! Chance To Win Part Of $120 In iTunes Gift Cards
• Stay at Home GeekMom’s Game Of The Month: Casey’s Contraptions.
• The Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad Apps For Artists (and Photographers) – Extended Edition iPad and iPad 2 Tested
• Web-Slinging Meets Rope Cutting in Chillingo’s New Spider Jack
• Stay At Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best Apps for News Junkies – iPhone (Most Free!)
• Burn it All is Smoking Hot! 
• Get AutoTalent With AutoPainter, AutoPainter HD and AutoPainter Express
• If It Walks Like A Lemming and Talks Like  a Lemming It Must Be Caveman HD
• Stay At Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best Puzzlers For Teens and Everyone Else Part 1
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best Puzzler’s For Teens and Everyone Else Part
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad and iPhone games for kids 5-12 part one (3/19)
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best ipad and iPhone Games for kids 5-12 part two (3/20)
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad Books for Toddlers through Grade 3 part one (2/5)
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad Books for Toddlers through Grade 3 part two (2/6)

Happy App Hunting

The 

iPad Scrapbooking Fans Of All Ages: My Scrap LIfe

UPDATE: June 19, 2011: My Scrap Life and Kid’s Corner had to be pulled from the App Store over a Copyright disagreement. The Contest is Closed.

My Scrap Life and Kids Corner

• By: Dirk Bost
• Genre: scrapbooking, creative app, children’s creative app, photo fun
• Platform: iPad 
• Price: $.99 (both apps, sold separately)
• SAHGeekMom Rating: 4.75 Stars
• Pump gives it 4.5 Pump’s up!
• Recommended Age: Kids Corner Ages 3-11, My Scrap Life All Ages

 

Do you love to make scrapbooks on your iPad? What about your kids, do they have a creative side and enjoy playing with pictures?

If so, you are going to want to read this article and enter this contest brought to you exclusively by developer Dirk Bost, The Stay ay Home GeekMom and appadvice.com.

I brought you a review of Kids Corner, a scrapbooking app masquerading as just plain kid photo fun, back when it was new. It’s a great creative and educational app for kids. You can read about it here.

It was recently updated, and Dirk did a bang-up job.

There are tons of new elements to play with, and the interface, which was always simple, is now perfect for a child, even a pre-reader to interact with. It’s fast, fluid and the results are so much fun.

Pump, you know him by now, my seven-year-old son and co-reviewer, is a serious shutterbug.

And, he enjoys playing with photo editors, but if I actually said the words “scrap” and “book” to him in one sentence, he’d run for the hills. (Or his “secret” fort in the neighbor’s yard anyway.)

I am trying to raise-a-reader and artsy-type, but I seem, instead, to be raising a giant ball of mud that zooms in, empties my fridge, and zips back out leaving a trail of grimy footprints and me with a muck-encrusted kiss-mark if I’m lucky.

He’s getting ready to visit his Auntie Loo Loo (yes, we have funny names in my family) and his cousins Noa and Kaya in New York, all by himself soon.

So we went ahead and created a little project to send to them, to let them know how excited he is.

It took us under 15 minutes to make this, and when I say “us”, all I did was hand over the iPad and then save the project. He even takes his own screenshots now. (See gallery below.)

I don’t want to dwell on Kid’s Corner, you have my review, and it’s been much improved since I raved about it here and on appadvice.com.

Pump loved making himself into a pirate and exploring outer space when we first tried it out; these screenshots are from the original review.

 

But, I have to tell you about My Scrap Life, Dirk’s new app for all scrapbook fans, before we can get to the contest, so let’s check that one out. I’ll start by saying both apps, at only $.99 are a steal.

With My Scrap Life you don’t have to spend hours fine tuning a project, you get amazing looking results with an incredible degree of customizability, in no time at all. But you might get lost for hours, there are so many designs to play with.

I will be doing list of the best scrapbook making apps here and on appadvice and this is one of my top picks, and certainly the best deal in its class on the App Store.

There are no in-app purchases, and as the update to the kid version shows, you will be getting new content rolled out in stages.

Speaking of the content, many scrap-apps I have tried are cutesy. My Scrap Life has plenty of cute, if that’s your thing, but there is an artistic feel to everything from the cartoons to the word art. The elements look (beautifully) hand-drawn.

It has the same retooled sleek GUI as Kid’s Corner, and the same lightning speed (I added about 10 elements at once, like tap tap tap tap… and no problems or crashes on either iPad model.)

You get borders, backgrounds, word art, letter sets, (a nice touch, only minimally available in Kids Corner) pictures and clip-art, a text tool, easy saving, and sharing by email from within the app.

It is simple to scale, resize, rotate, duplicate and move items to the fore and background with a single tap.

Of course you can import photos from the iPad library, but you can also use something like Clipish, or just a Google’s image search, to get more backgrounds and items.

I don’t take a lot of art-quality flower photographs, I just got inspired from some My Scrap Lifr clip-art, opened Clippish Pro, did a search and ta-da.

(I believe I’ve mentioned my lack of talent before, so please, judge the app, not my creations. I look forward to seeing yours.)

I was so pleased to find all the same intuitive features of Kids Corner, but with a whole slew of new, more stylish graphic elements. The apps work alike, but are tailored for totally different markets.

I recognize a few borders from Kid’s Corner, but the content in this app is fresh, not recycled, and not geared towards younger kids.

It is, however, geared in part towards moms and dads, grandmas, teachers, and others who love to show off the kids in their world.

So you do find elements related to kids, but also to nature, parties, high school, art, even skulls and tattoos, and for all kinds of events.

The app has elements geared towards creating ecards and invitations, and has a full-functioning text tool for entering the details.

I’m still keeping my fingers crossed for Facebook integration, so I can torture more of my friends, but for now here’s something better.

EDIT JUNE !(, @)!!: Conest Closed, App No Longer For SAle

Purchase My Scrap Life and/or Kids Corner app for iPad. (Click on the icons up at the top, to go right to the app in iTunes)

• Come up with your most creative scrap page.
• Use the My Scrap Life or Kids Corner email feature and submit your work to ipadscrapbook@gmail.com
• One $30 iTunes gift card winner will be selected for the My Scrap Life submissions.
• One $30 iTunes gift card winner will be selected for Kids Corner submissions. (Creations from kids under 12 only please, moms and dads.)
• The winner of each will receive iTunes gift cards, emailed from the developer, Dirk Bost, to the email address used to submit the scrap page.
• There will also be one mega-winner of a $50 iTunes gift card for the best scrap page from both pools.
• Winner’s scrap page will be featured on the My Scrap Life and Kids Corner website too.

Please, while not required, I’d love links to works in the comments, so readers can voice opinions and help Dirk pick the winners.

Look for more info, coming soon to appadvice.com, and start creating now.

Limit one entry per user, so be sure to send you very best.

The contest closes on 06/25/11 at 11:59 p.m. Winners will be notified by no later than 06/30/2011.

Please note, as you can read on my contest page, this is a contest I am happily helping to promote, but I will not be involved in the prize distribution.

I will be back tomorrow with something I’m very excoted to bring you. One of my most popular reviews, and my favorite interactive educational books on the App Store, Rome – A Virtual History (review here) has a new baby brother!

Mondadori Publishing has released Virtual History – The Last Supper. It’s simply incredible, but it’s not cheap. So read about it here and who knows, if you all keep clicking, I might just keep on giving.

More reviews and a new app list coming soon. For now please enjoy these recent reviews, lists and WeekEnd Editions. All previous contests are closed.

• Stay at Home GeekMom’s Game Of The Month: Casey’s Contraptions.
• The Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad Apps For Artists (and Photographers) – Extended Edition iPad and iPad 2 Tested
• Web-Slinging Meets Rope Cutting in Chillingo’s New Spider Jack
• Stay At Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best Apps for News Junkies – iPhone (Most Free!)
• Burn it All is Smoking Hot! 
• Hack-N-Slash Meets Tower Defence In Chillingo’s Vampire Rush And Vampire Rush HD
• Get AutoTalent With AutoPainter, AutoPainter HD and AutoPainter Express
• If It Walks Like A Lemming and Talks Like  a Lemming It Must Be Caveman HD
• Stay At Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best Puzzlers For Teens and Everyone Else Part 1
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best Puzzler’s For Teens and Everyone Else Part
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad and iPhone games for kids 5-12 part one (3/19)
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best ipad and iPhone Games for kids 5-12 part two (3/20)
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad Books for Toddlers through Grade 3 part one (2/5)
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad Books for Toddlers through Grade 3 part two (2/6)

Happy App Hunting

The 

SAHGeekMom’s iPad Game Of The Month: Casey’s Contraptions – May 2011

• By: Snappy Touch & Mystery Coconut
• Genre: puzzle game, physics puzzle, Rube Goldberg machines
• Platform: iPad (iPhone coming soon)
• Price: $2.99
• SAHGeekMom Rating: 5 Stars
• Pump gives it 4.75 Pump’s up!
• Recommended Age: 7+
• EDU-APP NO-BRAINER!

Contest Note: This is a comprehensive look at Casey’s Contraptions, including words from the developers and Pump’s Point for kids. If you want the short version be sure to check out my review on appadvice.com.

But, if you like what you see, and you will because this game is killer, then be sure to come back. You  can only win the promo code by leaving a comment here or tweeting this review. Good luck!

Incredible Machine 1992

Casey’s Contraptions, by Snappy Touch (actually co-developed by both Snappy Touch and Mystery Coconut) is the 1992 classic game The Incredible Machine re-imagined for a new new millennium of devices and gamers.

It maintains the premise of creating Rube Goldberg-like mechanisms, but adds a realistic physics engine, touch screen controls, gorgeous GUI and unique sharing capabilities. The net result: Casey’s Contraptions is the best new physics puzzler of the year to date.

Eight-year-old Casey guides you through three environments: the classroom, the backyard and his bedroom. (I’m not touching that……)

He helps you build an amazing assortment of contraptions using his toys, (cars, slingshots, balls etc.) and other items like boxes, books, balloons, pipes and scissors. You try to create chain reactions to achieve simple goals like getting a ball into a basket or popping balloons.

Collect stars and complete levels as fast as possible to max your score.

It’s simple (and necessary) to stop and restart each of the included 72 levels. An additional two worlds are coming, and an iPhone release is in the works too.

While the setting is imaginative and child-like, the game is not child’s play by a long shot. The challenges are fresh and often daunting. The physics engine is superb and the interface is super-responsive and clean.

Check out the trailer:

If you knew me when I started this blog, or you are one of my many developer friends, you know one of my missions is to bring you the best of what indie devs are making for iOS.

I’m all about indie everything. But, because I have had good fortune with my reviews, I now get to see the hottest new titles from big-name publishers too, and I need to cover those for obvious reasons, and because a great game is a great game.

When a game gets a much buzz as Casey’s Contraptions, and you see a huge banner in the App Store it’s easy to assume it’s there because it’s backed by some big corporate entity like EA.

I disagree, however, with those who say the process is completely rigged. It’s true the power-houses know how to manipulate sales and releases and press to propel their apps to prominence, but there is more too it.

I have no idea what makes Apple pick their picks, but because many of the apps I have covered that were very small and very indie have been featured,  I think Apple is pretty fair and follows user trends heavily in deciding what to feature.

Casey’s Contraption’s is a case-in-point. The buzz it has is because the game-gurus who saw it at GDC 11 in February were wowed.

I have no idea if they were offered a publishing deal, but I don’t see a big name here, I see a two-man team who made something stellar. So reviewing this brings me back to my roots, while still being about as relevant as any game review can be.

I was lucky to reach Noel, co-creater of this amazing new game, and I want to share what he told me about development with you.

Casey’s Contraptions was made as a collaboration between two people: Noel Llopis (creator of Flower Garden [a long-time favorite of mine]), and Miguel Ángel Friginal (creator of Pip).

I [Noel] did the programming, Miguel did the art, and we did the design together. We spent eight months working full-time on the game, [it shows] which is quite long by iOS development standards, but we wanted to make sure the game provided the experience we had in mind. We’re very proud of the final result.

One of the aspects of the game that we spent considerable amount of time on was the user interaction. We designed item manipulation so players would interact with them in a very direct and intuitive way. We also made sure the game ran at 60fps so movement was always smooth.

The attention to detail shows at every turn and critics and users alike are raving.

Frankly, I’m proud to have been given the honour of getting to hear from Noel, and to test-drive this great game not just for appadvice, but here on my blog.

While Casey’s Contraptions follows the same somewhat overdone progression formula you see in Chillingo-like puzzlers, Snappy Touch and Mystery Coconut add some cool twists.

As usual there are multiple levels in multiple environments, with successful completion of one unlocking the next. And, course you can earn up to three stars per level.

But, you only need to complete a few of each sub-set to unlock more, and you accumulate a set number of stars to open new worlds. What this means in a nutshell, is don’t worry about getting stuck; there are several ways to progress through the game.

The game also features a level editor and you can share your homemade challenges with Game Center friends. It’s great for this sort of game and almost a requisite feature, but level editors are not new.

(I found a link on their Facebook Fan page to a bunch of cool user-submitted levels. Check them out here.)

But, Casey’s Contraptions uses Game Center in a novel way.  You can share solutions with your friends and peek at theirs. Since there is no right or wrong way to solve the puzzles, it’s fascinating to see what others come up with.

Don’t have any  friends who have the answers? Of course you do! Casey is always there for you and he’ll share his perfect plan. It’s hard to cheat though, whomever’s solution you see.

Replicating someone’s exact item placement (there’s no grid, anything can go anywhere and items rotate a full 360 degrees) is likely more time consuming and certainly less fun than finding your own solve, (she wrote, not admitting she knows this from experience…)

Like I said, this is not a child’s game. I think kids younger than my co-reviewer and son, who will be eight sooner than I care to think about, would get easily frustrated with the complex physics aspects of the game.

That said, it will appeal to little ones because of the toy-theme, and the cute, cartoonish, and vibrant graphics.

But, if you have a gifted young puzzler like I do, this is one of the rare games that won’t cause guilt over screen-time. It’s genuinely educational and creative, and a great way to get young users into the whole Rube Goldberg thing. That is always cool. If you have a clever Lego, Kinnex or other building toy fan, this is sure to please.

Pump’s Point: The game is not easy like my other new ones. [They are “his” now, because he officially co-opted my old iPad, although he’s been kind enough to let me borrow it back when I need a jailbreak app.] It’s kinda hard, just not bad hard. I like figuring out how to make the toys do different things.

I tied my mom and dad and my way was better. Evan [his best friend] will love it too, and so will your kids, except if they don’t like to think a lot like after homework and stuff. And Casey has a cool robot, I am going to make one with boxes too.

In my last game review that I put up on Friday (Spider Jack) I said, and maintain, that I am not a fan of pure physics puzzlers.

That doesn’t mean that with a collection of well over 5000 apps and games, and having tested and/or reviewed  hundreds of iOS offerings, that I can’t cover a game that’s isn’t my cup of tea. But, if I’m talking about Angry Birds or Cut the Rope, I can see the merit without enjoying the games themselves very much.

But, I have always loved Rube Goldberg machines, more for looking than making, but they fascinate me.

Because Casey’s Contraptions has so many different types of puzzles, and because it’s so easy to skip levels or sneak a peek at a solution, this is the rare pure puzzler I plan to keep on my iPad 2. (I don’t alliterate on purpose; I can’t seem to stop myself!)

This and World of Goo are likely to stay alone in a very small folder, but even for me, Casey is a keeper.

It’s no surprise that Apple has a Casey’s Contraptions banner on the App Store homepage, and TUAW picked it as the Game of the Day; it’s definitely The Stay at Home GeekMom’s Game of the Month too. I am willing to put money on its presence in the December ’11 year-end round-ups. I believe it will maintain its position at the top of the charts, even as the buzz and hype fade, or passes to the next must-have.

In an App Store and year replete with new and innovative iPad games, Casey’s Contraptions stands out as the best physics-puzzler on the App Store for 2011. Don’t forget to watch for its release on iPhone If you have an iPad, buy it now.

Or… enter to win a promo code only on http://www.sahgeekmom.com. Check out my contest page for additional ways to earn entries.

The enter just leave a relevant comment here, or tweet this review (make sure to mention @sahgeekmom so I can find you) and a winner will be chosen at random. This time, since I have a code, the contest is open to all.

Contest Closes Tuesday, May 24, 9:00pm EDT. Good Luck!

It’s still not to late to enter to my giveaway of Chillingo’s new smash Spider Jack, I’m making up for lost time!

And please check out and bookmark my brand new comprehensive list of the very best (and a few of the worst) apps for artists and photographers of all levels for iPad and iPad 2. I take you through the hottest 23, yes 23, apps for painting, sketching, photo editing and everything in between, tested on both iPad models, and take a look at all three of Adobe’s new CS 5 companion apps.

Here’s a massive gallery of screenshots for you, I can’t select individual ones using the wordpress.com template I have, sorry for the overabundance, but this game had me snapping away:

The Incredible Machine, 1992

If you are looking for more to read, here are some of my most popular reviews and Weekend Edition round-ups for you and don’t forget to look for my reviews, contests App List and App Guides on appadvice.com.

• The Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad Apps For Artists (and Photographers) – Extended Edition iPad and iPad 2 Tested
• Web-Slinging Meets Rope Cutting in Chillingo’s New Spider Jack – Win A Copy With A Comment Or Tweet!
• Stay At Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best Apps for News Junkies Part One – iPhone (Most Free!)
• Burn it All is Smoking Hot! 
• Hack-N-Slash Meets Tower Defence In Chillingo’s Vampire Rush And Vampire Rush HD
• BookYap: Good Book Suggestions, But Where’s The Yap?
• Get AutoTalent With AutoPainter, AutoPainter HD and AutoPainter Express – Giveaway Coming Soon!
• If It Walks Like A Lemming and Talks Like  a Lemming It Must Be Caveman HD
• Stay At Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best Puzzlers For Teens and Everyone Else Part 1
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best Puzzler’s For Teens and Everyone Else Part
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad and iPhone games for kids 5-12 part one (3/19)
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best ipad and iPhone Games for kids 5-12 part two (3/20)
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad Books for Toddlers through Grade 3 part one (2/5)
• Stay at Home GeekMom Weekend Edition: Best iPad Books for Toddlers through Grade 3 part two (2/6)

Happy App Hunting

The