Sneak Peak at iPad App Store

If you were lucky and preordered an iPad before Apple ran out, you may be itching to see the App Store in action.  If so, maybe this will help you through the difficult wait until iPads arrive.

iPad Pictures and Pricing

Apple has released the official photos of the iPad and has put up a page for it on the Apple website.  The iPad will cost $499 for a 16 GB version with WiFi only, $599 for the 32GB WiFi-only version, and $699 for 64 GB WiFi-only version.  3G and WiFi versions will cost an extra $130, so the 16GB Wifi+3G version will $629 for example.  The WiFi only units will start shipping in March and the 3G and WiFi versions will start shipping in April.  This will also feature the iBooks store, which is Apple's eBook store, and it means Apple is going toe-to-toe with Amazon.

Favorite iPhone apps

This correspondent considers the iPhone to be that rare game-changer in the technology industry. While it is in some ways still a work in progress, the iPhone does for smart phones what the iPod did for music about 7 years ago. For one thing, unlike other smart phones (and certainly those more traditional ones), the iPhone really is a computer in your pocket. With faster 3G connectivity, it starts to work at reasonable speeds for computing, or surfing the internet (remember telephone modems- well, my 3G iPhone is faster than those were). But today I am going to focus on a different killer feature of the iPhone; namely, the app store. And below I am going to describe 2 of my favorite games, both available for the iPhone and iPod touch for $2.99.

First, QUORDY, a simple yet addictive word game. It consists of a 16 square grid, with games consisting of how many words you can make in either 1, 3 or five minutes (there is also an untimed game). Also variable is the minimum letter words that count, though I always go with the easier version of 3 word minimum (I mean, why make it harder than it already is?). The game is totally addictive, and even (so I tell myself) educational. The user interface is very smooth, and you spell words by dragging your finger over the letters. Each letter you use must be adjacent to the next letter, and letters may only be used once in each word. It is perfect for killing time when waiting on a line, or when you are otherwise with a few minutes to kill. (If I had this game during my LIRR commuting days, commuting may have been more fun. I might have even missed my stop-- pretty hard, considering I got off at the last stop!) For certain things, like longer letter words, more points, or badges are awarded. the game keeps track of your best games in points and percentages. Trying to get all the possible words is almost impossible particularly when plying in the all words no matter how obscure mode, but getting close is a fun effort. Oh yes, you also get a special badge for spelling QUORDY, a badge, I may add, that I have yet to earn.

Another game worth mentioning is Frenzic, a game involving the speed in which you are able to fill six circles (or pies) with the appropriate shaped pie pieces. Additional points are given for filling a pie with pieces of only one color, earning bonuses. The game is actually fairly simple, and there are only 3 colors and 6 pies at a time, but not surprisingly, the game starts to speed up, and it does get a bit frenetic. This one I have a harder time convincing myself is educational, but I guess it does test your reaction time. While I haven't played Frenzic in a while, it is a fun game, and like QUORDY, designed perfectly for the iPhone gaming platform.

In coming editions, I will discuss some other apps, including ones that are either educational or designed to help with various tasks. There are thousands out there!

And have I mentioned that it is also a phone?

Signing off, by The Trash Bin's Humble Pie correspondent.