The App Store Review

The Intua Beatmaker review is taking longer than expected.

Intua has just released an update which fixes a few naggling issues and adds very much needed new features. 

From the Intua forums:

What’s new in BeatMaker 1.0.1.1 :

• Record mode improved with new features:
• Directly append and remove recorded patterns from the song sequencer while recording
• Navigate through the song sequencer positions while recording
• Stopping record mode does not stop playback anymore
• Global volume
• Delete files and folders in the file browser
• Clear song option
• Auto-saving of project when quitting the application (saved in My Content/Last Session.bm)
• Now recovers playback after declining a phone call or stopping an alarm clock
• Faders in the effects view are now easier to handle
• Changing play position on timeline keeps the song playback in time
• Various small improvements and fixes

So basically, I’ll need a bit more time to go through this. Create Digital Music already has some good stuff on Beatmaker to check out.

In the meantime for a great introduction, check out this video by Henny of Tha Bizness on Vimeo
Hit it

Now Playing screen. Great album, by the way.

Nullriver is a company with much experience in the media streaming arena, having already developed the much loved Connect360 and Medialink media server software for OS X.  Being a Medialink fan myself (all my media is flawlessly streamed from my basement computer setup over to my HDTV, through the PS3) I noticed the Nullriver name and downloaded this internet radio app.

The application is dead simple to use and navigate, featuring only 4 different areas. Favorites, Genres, Top 500 and Search.  And really, what else do you need.

The “Genres” area contains an alphabetized list of all the stations they have cataloged, divided into the usual Shoutcast categories.  There are a lot of stations listed.  Hundreds and hundreds.

Performance wise it is quite solid.  I’ve had a few ‘Out of memory’ errors which seem to happen when switching stations.  The app doesn’t crash and pressing the play button resumes playback.  Even with a weak signal it seems to have a very decent buffering mechanism.  Your mileage may vary.  As with all streaming applications it all comes down to the server you are connecting to and the quality and speed of your WiFi, EDGE or 3g signal.

Clicking the visualization ‘flips it around’ to reveal a new color scheme.  Would have been cool to have other types of visualization, but oh well.  It’s not exactly an important feature and the smooth, mirrored graphic analyzer display is plenty of eye candy for me.

Additional features include the ability to tune in to unlisted stations by specifying the URL through the Search screen.

All an all a great app that works as advertised and appears to be well maintained (it was already updated twice).

Tuner
Nullriver
5.99$
4 out of 5 greasy screens.

Ever since the iPhone SDK has been announced I’ve been anxiously awaiting to see what an army of (mostly) independent developers would come up with. Being a software developer myself I am fascinated by the possibilities offered by the iPhone / iPod Touch as a portable platform and pretty much addicted to smooth delicious touchscreen grease.  Mmm.

Now that the App Store is up and running there’s a veritable truck-load of applications and games to go through; from serious to silly, useful to useless, mute to musical.

Since I’m going to try most of them anyways,  I figured…  and the App Store Review was born.  It’s still kind of being born.  It’s like in the birth canal.  Last time I conjure up that image, promise.

Here’s how it’s going to work

I’m going to review software from the App Store and give it some kind of rating. My criteria are strange and mysterious but I will tell you that they are related to usability, design, features and originality.  Basically what makes great software, according to me.  Additionally, I will keep a reader’s rating.

Price is something else. I’m kinda pissed off at this post.

I mean seriously. Do people think that these applications write themselves?  It takes a lot of time. It takes skill and patience and so on. Unless the price is obscenely high, it’s not something I consider very important to factor in as part of a rating / review.  Besides, most software on the App Store is below 10$. That’s really not that much.  You have a phone and/or mp3 player worth hundreds of dollars.  Come on, dude.

Up next

The first reviews will be of:

Nullriver Tuner
Intua Beatmaker
Sega Super Monkey Ball

And now I will go learn how to blog and come back tomorrow.