@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@ ---- -:format: :textile -:title: "iPhone App store: one month on" -:published_on: Tue Aug 12 13:01:00 UTC 2008 ---- +--- +:format: :textile +:title: "iPhone App store: one month on" +:published_on: Tue Aug 12 13:01:00 UTC 2008 +--- The iPhone 3G and the app store launched about a month ago now and I think it's been somewhat of a mixed bag: there is a plethora of shit on there which makes it hard to spot some of the gems. When Apple announced the $99 fee for the developer program, there was an initial feeling that this would help reduce the number of people with little interest in writing original/interesting/quality apps. Unfortunately it hasn't; a cursory browse through the app store reveals more tip calculators, fuel/expense trackers, note-taking apps, todo lists, Sudoku, and converters than you could shake a shit-covered stick at. And then there is the really pointless crap: flashlights, novelty apps, "fucking candles":http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=285755136&mt=8 (and they even have the audacity to charge for this rubbish), not to mention the people who don't have a clue what user interface guidelines are all about and what makes a good UI (yes, I'm talking about you "Stevens Creek Software":http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=283449658 - you're apps are an abomination). @@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ h3. Texas Hold'em Poker (Apple) OK, if you don't play poker and your eyes are already glazing over, you might as well skip this one. This app is developed by Apple themselves and it shows. The game is straightforward: compete over a number of venues from your garage though Las Vegas all the way up to Dubai with the stakes and difficulty increasing as you progress. -The AI isn't exactly brilliant and there will be times where the game is just plain frustrating: you're heads up and you put your opponent all-in with your KQ suited and he/she calls with 10-2 off-suit, only for the flop to come down 10-10-2. It's probably a good thing that this isn't for real money, lest you through your phone out of the nearest window. However, the AI is "good enough" for a fun game of poker and it makes a the daily commute slightly less tedious. +The AI isn't exactly brilliant and there will be times where the game is just plain frustrating: you're heads up and you put your opponent all-in with your KQ suited and he/she calls with 10-2 off-suit, only for the flop to come down 10-10-2. It's probably a good thing that this isn't for real money, lest you throw your phone out of the nearest window. However, the AI is "good enough" for a fun game of poker and it makes a the daily commute slightly less tedious. Where this app really shines and makes it so obviously an Apple product is the near-perfect use of the iPhone's touchscreen gesture support to provide an intuitive and fun user interface; cards can be folded by flicking them into the middle of the table; chips and be pushed into into the pot to go all-in; checking is as simple as tapping the table. You can also switch between a virtual-table mode (where you can see the players as the look at their cards and place their bets) and a more traditional racetrack mode (familiar to anybody who has played online poker) by simply changing the phone's orientation. "Texas Hold'em App Store link":http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=284602850&mt=8 047-iphone-app-store-one-month-on.textile bb36ad6823df3a8cb4ab6c149b829ec684c40555 Luke Redpath contact@lukeredpath.co.uk http://github.com/lukeredpath/blogdata/commit/306a947edc3bcd024a58aad70531e30779d1b648 306a947edc3bcd024a58aad70531e30779d1b648 2009-04-20T01:58:42-07:00 2009-04-20T01:58:42-07:00 Fixed typo 5a0d28f0ad825c0a9557183bf90d86ffcaaaa27a Luke Redpath contact@lukeredpath.co.uk