The Coming Appocalypse

It's a dreary day outside, but I'm enjoying my Friday nonetheless. It's been a productive day so far, and I'm currently taking a break to sip some coffee and see what the new records of the week are. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my iPod light up; it is the siren song of someone playing a word in Words With Friends, one of my favourite little time wasters. I got the iPod free when I bought my MacBook last summer, and it's been a great device. Super sleek and trim, it slips into a pocket with ease, and provides musical accompaniment wherever I go. The functionality doesn't stop there though; ever since I got it, the various apps have hooked me. Sure the App Store is full of a lot of junk, but there are also a lot of quality programs on there-- and a lot of the time, they are free. Let's take a look at some of my favourites!


Words With Friends
It's basically Scrabble. You play with a friend (or stranger, if you don't have any real friends!) and compete for point dominance. The beauty of it is the way it works: there's no time pressure in making a move, and you can play your word whenever you get a spare moment. The game is thus always going, and you don't have to sit down and commit to playing it. Best of all, it's free, so go and snag it up.

QRANK
A daily trivia game where you are presented with a set of various very topical questions. It then ranks you against local players as well as players in your state/province, country, and the world. Very slick presentation, and totally addictive. This one's free too, so if you are a trivia buff, it's a must-have.

Remote App
This app basically turns your iPod into a remote to control your Mac. Control your music, movies, volume, etc. without having to get up. A lazy person's dream! This one's free too, so there's nothing stopping you now from your slovenly ways.

Canabalt
There is some sort of loose premise in this game that goes like the world is ending and you are running for your life. With that little exposition, you start the game running and with a tap of the screen, you control the character's jump. Avoid obstacles to see how long a run you can make before your inevitable demise. It's pick-up-and-play arcade-style fun that anyone can enjoy because of the simple controls. It's extremely addictive trying to get a high score. This one will cost you $2.99, but it is worth it.

MovieCat
This is a movie trivia game that is super well produced, and features great questions and question types. There's a lot of variety here, and the charming intro video alone makes me love it. Movie buffs will eat it up. I downloading it when it was on sale for the low low price of free, but it looks like that was a limited time only thing, and it's back at it's usual $1.99 price now. You can make a judgment on this one: if you like movie trivia, you can't do much better.

Street Fighter IV
Street Fighter IV is a great iteration in Capcom's classic fighting game franchise. I paid fifty bucks for the Playstation 3 version, and have put a lot of leisure hours into it. The iPod version usually retails for $9.99, but is on sale currently for 99 cents. I figured at that price, I couldn't lose either way. I'm surprised actually how well it all works with the touch screen controls. It's a fully-featured product, and it is just as fun as its console cousin version. For 99 cents, this is a steal, and I heartily recommend it! Heck, buy one for a friend at that price as well and fight it out on the go.

Those are just a few of the apps that I've enjoyed. If you've got an iPod or iPhone and haven't checked out the App Store, make sure you do so; you're not getting the full potential out of your device otherwise! That's it for now folks, but feel free to write about your favourite apps and let me know what I'm missing!