SPOTLIGHTm

GoodGuide for iPhone

What is it?

GoodGuide capitalizes on the “green” movement that has been sweeping the world these days by giving users access to a database of products that have been ranked and rated by their impact on your health, the environment, and social causes. The iPhone application is an extension of the GoodGuide website that has been met with great fanfare within the tech industry, despite the fact that websites like this already exist in places like Greener One.

How much does it cost?

Free.

Who is it good for?

Environmentally conscious shoppers who want to purchase products that either “do good” or “do the least bad” for the planet. This is not a bargain shopping application or one with the traditional type of “reviews” that we’ve come to expect from product applications, but rather, it’s for users who want to review their own effect on the environment and make changes based on their purchases.

Summary

GoodGuide is still early, so you won’t find every product that you use in your house inside the database, but the database will likely continue to grow. While we like what GoodGuide is doing, we do have some annoyances with the iPhone product - the load time of the first screen, immediately seeing a “featured products”-type page after loading the app instead of going straight to search, and the inability to use some of the features without registering on the site (and not being able to register through the app and being forced to do so via Safari). If you take the steps to register on GoodGuide, the application becomes much more useful for those of us who are trying to do less “bad” on the environment. Regardless, we like what the application is doing and the parts that are accessible work well for the basics of what it is trying to accomplish.

Keep it or Delete it?

Keep it.

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WikiTap for iPhone

What is it?

Available for iPhone and T-Mobile’s Android-Powered G1, WikiTap allows users to quickly search for articles on Wikipedia and contribute to articles by adding photos and videos (YouTube-powered) directly from their phones.

How much does it cost?

Free.

Who is it good for?

Anyone who uses Wikipedia (is that everyone at this point?). People who like to quickly search for information to win arguments. People who go to pub trivia and like to cheat. Pretty much anyone looking for information that doesn’t want to go through the hassle of filtering through a Google search.

Summary

We can’t see why anyone wouldn’t want to have an app like this one their phones. There are a wealth of people-powered, Wikipedia based applications out there, but considering WikiTap is free, stable, and completely functional, this is one of our favorite applications on iPhone since the application’s release earlier this month. The predictive search function is great and the ability to have user-generated relevant videos and photos adds to the experience - making it a little entertaining amidst a whole lot of functional. We’d almost say that WikiTap is a “must have” application.

Keep it or Delete it?

Keep it.

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HairstyleLite for iPhone

What is it?

HairstyleLite gives users six different (female) hairstyles that they can attach to an uploaded picture so that they can see what they would potentially look like with a new ‘do. HairstyleLite is the free version of Hairstyle ($2.99), which upgrades users to choose from sixty different hairstyles. For each ‘do, hair colors can be customized to resemble your current look or experiment with different colors. Both applications are extensions (get it?) of subscription-based hair site TheHairStyler.com.

How much does it cost?

Free.

Who is it good for?

Females looking to try out a new hairstyle. People looking to take a funny “Yearbook Yourself”-like look for various avatars and profile pictures. People who like to take fun pictures of themselves and their friends.

Summary

It’s a fun application, especially for the target demo, who will get a kick out of not only putting together new hairstyles for themselves, but their friends as well. However, with only six looks, the novelty will likely wear off, ultimately turning the application into one that just takes up space. If users are really looking to make a dramatic hair change, they’ll get to see the chosen hairstyle on their head after just one use, after which they won’t really have to use the application.

Keep it or Delete it?

Delete it.

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AroundMe for iPhone

What is it?

AroundMe helps you find contact information for nearby (deep breath) Apple retail stores, banks, bars, coffee, gas stations, hospitals, hotels, movie theaters, sight seeing locations, parking, pharmacies, pubs, restaurants, supermarkets, taxis, and theaters. By providing addresses, maps, directions, and phone numbers, AroundMe is another one of those applications that help you never feel lost, wherever you may be.

How much does it cost?

Free.

Who is it good for?

People who love to explore new places or heavy travelers. Anyone who is on the go and doesn’t feel the need to frequent the same places, but feels the need to frequent the closest places. Bar hoppers (for the taxi finder) and people with bad senses of direction who forget how to get places that are really close to them. And of course, anyone looking to get to know their local area a little better.

Summary

AroundMe is another one of those simple applications that works. It’s in direct competition with an application like Yelp, amongst others, because of its focus on local business near you. However, AroundMe is just about finding places, not reviews, photos, or additional information. It’s kind of like a more personal Yellow Pages (remember those?), just with maps and directions. We tested it in Los Angeles, but inevitably, there are going to be some cities where some information is missing (like Yelp) for the time being. It’s not going to be failproof, but it would still likely prove useful for most.

Keep it or Delete it?

Keep it.

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Sportacular for iPhone

What is it?

With an American sports focus, the Sportacular iPhone application keeps fans informed on scores, stats, and standings from MLB, NFL, College Football, NBA, College Basketball, NHL, MLS, PGA and LPGA. While its golf coverage has some news stories, it’s primarily useful for getting statistics from the various leagues.

How much does it cost?

Free.

Who is it good for?

Sports fans, especially sports statistic fanatics, fantasy sports players, people who already have an interest in particular sports or players.

Summary

While lacking a lot of the multimedia functions that you find on other popular applications, Sportacular does a good job of having detailed statistics for each of the sports that it covers. Like PlusMo, Sportacular is lacking individual statistics for College Football, but the application is otherwise throughout and straightforward in presenting game and individual player stats and team standings. One of the coolest features is the ability to track your own custom fantasy team on the application, which can save you some time when trying to track your team’s numbers that day.

Keep it or Delete it?

Keep it (if you’re a sports fan)

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