Thank You KRAPPS’ Sponsors

We would like to take a brief timeout to thank our valued sponsors. Without their support, there would be no KRAPPS (uh, that doesn’t sound right). All these peeps are solid folks, have quality products and we’re proud to be aligned with them. So support KRAPPS, show our sponsors some love … you’ll become a better person.

Be Seen With KRAPPS
KRAPPS is the only web site dedicated to iPhone humor and fun. Take advantage of our unique niche by advertising on KRAPPS. We offer four different sponsorship packages to ensure participation at a variety of budget levels. Contact us at info@KRAPPS.com to receive our media kit, rate card and to secure your advertising placement.

ThankYouPres

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AppyNewzThankYou2 Appy Newz
A unique app which allows you to create custom tabloid-style magazine covers directly on your iPhone. Appy Newz is an extremely high quality app at a more than fair price point. It allows you to create custom covers for a variety of purposes (practical jokes, humor, greeting cards, awards, etc.) and provides endless entertainment. Click here to read our Appy Newz and find our why we adore this app or
click here to purchase from the App Store.

100soundsThankYou 100sounds
There’s a reason 100sounds is the #1 soundboard app … cuz it rocks! This app not only provides hundreds of high quality originally recorded sound effects, but also includes loop and delay effects for all your comedic purposes. Plus you can get hundreds of ringtones emailed to you, automatically, at no extra charge! 100sounds was already a bargain at $0.99, so this enhancement makes it a great deal! Click here to view web site, be sure to check out the hysterical user-submitted videos.

VoiceForge VoiceForge: We Build Voices® –
We Make the Internet Talk®
Attention iPhone developers – VoiceForge is an online Text-to-Speech service. They’ve made TTS fast, affordable, and scalable! Tap a huge variety of 60 voices in 5 languages. Using their SOAP based API, simply send text, indicate the voice, and receive back a MP3 or URL. And it’s fast – just 200 milliseconds for audio to be returned. Big fish no problem; our capacity exceeds 100 million synthesis per day. Consumers love personalization – why not "pimp your app" by letting users pick the voice they like? Click here to receive more info, try the demo, or sign up for a free developer’s kit.

BinaryGameThankYou2 Binary Game
Simply put, this app makes you smarter! Binary Game gets your brain juices flowing and is a ton of fun. It’s an original game of binary math which is simple to play and highly addictive. The worldwide leader board satisfies the most uber-competitive gamer, while the Facebook Connect feature pleases those social types. Click here to read our review or click here to purchase from the App Store, click here.

iFightThankYou iFight Pro
This app is a blast! To really appreciate iFight Pro, click here and take a quick look at a demonstration video – it’s really cool. Combine a handgun, rifle, shotgun, slap, whip, gong, sword or punch with one of the eight background music tracks – and you’ll be awarded with a pure quality, enormously fun iPhone app.

May 3, 2009 | Filed Under anti-KRAPPS, News | Leave a Comment 

Exercise Your Brain With Binary Game

EinsteinBinaryGame Back in February, we profiled the Binary Game iPhone application and declared it 100% anti-KRAPPS certified. Binary Game is a simple, yet highly addictive original game of binary math. It makes you think while having a ton of fun. Click here to read our original Binary Game review. In March, Binary Game was included in the first “phase” of Facebook Connect apps, which allowed users to post their scores directly to their Facebook feed.

We’ve been huge fans of Binary Game since its inception as the game is unique, challenging and loads of fun. Plus we noticed something really cool since we began playing Binary Game … we became SMARTER! Something about getting your brain juices flowing during game play must have had a positive impact on our noggin’, cuz seriously … we are SMARTER!

bg-daily Binary Game had a recent update, so we thought we would pass along the info. There has been a complete redesign with new graphics and interface … we like, it’s tight! There is a new element to the game … the Daily Challenge mode. This new mode is the most competitive to date. It plays like Speed Mode (where you must complete 15 consecutive rounds as fast as possible), but can be played only once per day. You have one shot per day to chest-thump your superiority over other Binary Game players … no re-do’s or starting over. Freaking intense! So now, along with the Online Leader Board, there is also a Daily Mode Scoreboard.

And saving the best for last … Binary Game is now half off! Click here to purchase Binary Game now for only 99 cents … price should go back to it’s original $1.99 this weekend. Kind of a no-brainer … as we’d rather spend 99 cents to become SMARTER than drop for 9 bucks on some hair care app that promises healthier hair, LOL.

April 29, 2009 | Filed Under anti-KRAPPS, Games | 24 Comments 

Rogue Touch Rocks

By demand, KRAPPS will periodically review “legit” apps thru a network of guest authors.
written by guest author Tim Giron (follow on Twitter @timgiron)

RogueTouchLogo Breathing new life into a 30 year old game, the recently released Rogue Touch (by ChronoSoft) is a port of the venerable game of Rogue to the iPhone/iPod Touch. Rogue was one of the first graphical computer games and has a storied past of being ported to just about every platform since its release in 1980. The goal of the game is to descend 26 levels into a dungeon to retrieve an amulet and then return to the surface. No walk in the park, you will confront a menacing array of monsters along the way.

Rogue Touch utilizes the same style of dungeon layout as the original, while offering many new and updated features. Movement in the game is via touching the sides of the screen or by calling up a virtual arrow pad. I started playing in the touch mode, since that is the default, but once I switched to the D-pad, I found that I actually liked that interface better.

RogueTouch1    RogueTouch2

The graphics have an old school feel, an homage to the great graphical games of the past. My favorite of the monsters that I have encountered is the skeleton, even though I haven’t yet been able to get past it. Also high on the list of bad things to run into are the slimes. If you don’t make quick work of a slime, you will soon find yourself surrounded by them as the split and multiply quickly. The only graphic that I found out of place was the dungeon walls, which have crenellations atop them, only really appropriate for an above ground structure.

The music in Rogue Touch is quite good. A rousing introduction gives way to a great set of ambient sounds, which appeared to change based on the monsters that were present. If you tire of the damp, drippy dungeon sounds, you can always play your own iPod music and turn off the music/sound in the game. The settings are presented within the Settings application, so make sure you get everything set up before loading up the game.

RogueTouch4    RogueTouch3

To date, I’ve only survived into level six. Since the dungeon layout is randomized each time you start a new game, you can’t rely on previous knowledge to guide you. Sometimes the next set of stairs down is nearby and sometimes it is not. In the later levels, you will find rooms that are shrouded in darkness, so you might miss treasure or a monster if you don’t fully explore. Often, you will catch a monster napping. If you are lucky, they won’t wake up and you can scoot by them.

During one of my games I descended into a room with only one door that led to a dead-end hallway. I crawled every inch looking for a hidden door, but was unable to find one. Not sure if it was a program bug, or if I just happened to miss the correct square to search.

Some of the updates that are specific to this port are additional monsters, an auto-map that comes in very handy when trying to figure out where the last room on a level is, and in later levels, the ability to uncover additional character types to play (I have yet to find myself worthy).

 

All in all, Rogue Touch is a worthwhile addition to the iPhone. A nostalgic game  with plenty of updates that take advantage of the premier mobile gaming device.
Click here Anti-Krapps-Seal-v2GIF to purchase Rogue Touch ($2.99) from the App Store now.

EDITOR’S NOTE: yeah – what Tim said! we love well made, high quality old school tribute games … and Rogue Touch does total justice to the original 1980 ASCII version. Oh – and make sure you check out the Worldwide Leaderboard and dedicated Discussion Forums. Rogue Touch rocks and is absolutely
100% anti-KRAPPS Certified.

April 25, 2009 | Filed Under anti-KRAPPS, Games, Guest Authors | 6 Comments 

Appy Newz Cover Contest

AppyNewzIcon Contests are cool! We love ‘em and judging by our past promotions, you love ‘em as well. So KRAPPS has teamed up with Appy Entertainment to present our viewers the Appy Newz Cover Contest – a fun, unique and easy-to-enter competition for some really awesome prizes. Click here for more information about Appy Newz in our anti-KRAPPS article.

Entry Dates:
Now through Wednesday, April 29, 2009

How To Enter:
Create a custom cover using your Appy Newz iPhone app (click here if you need to purchase). Each individual can submit up to 3 covers. Email covers to info@KRAPPS.com

A celebrity panel (including Fake Steve Jobs and Appy) will judge covers by a variety of factors: originality, creativity, humor and more. Please note, covers do not have to necessarily be a strict tabloid magazine cover … could be a Mother’s Day Card or maybe a Party Invitation … use your imagination, get creative, win a prize

For your viewing pleasure, all entries will be displayed at Appy’s Flickr page

KRAPPS_Shirt Prizes:
Grand Prize – Be The App and KRAPPS T-Shirt
What is this Be The App??? … talk about unique … you will become part of Appy Newz … either as a permanent face or a background object. yes – you will Be The App and immortalized forever in Appy Newz. Be advised, immortality is complex and not an overnight slam dunk … rest assured, the grand prize winner will indeed Be The App, but factoring in production schedules and Apple’s approval process, immortality might take a bit of time.

Second Place – Autographed Appy Newz Logo Print and KRAPPS T-Shirt
Appy memorabilia rocks … receive a high quality color print of the Appy Newz logo signed by everyone at Appy Entertainment who was responsible for its launch.

Third Place – Autographed Appy Character Print and $12 Starbucks Gift Card
More rockin’ Appy memorabilia … receive a high quality color print of the Appy character signed by its creator/artist Farzad. and yes, not a typo … $12 Starbucks card … why? – cuz we’re just weird like that.

Fourth Place – Autographed Appy Character Print and $8 Starbucks Gift Card

Fifth Place – Autographed Appy Character Print

So start your creative engines and get movin’ … good luck to all!

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April 22, 2009 | Filed Under anti-KRAPPS, News | 4 Comments 

Appy Newz – The Wind Beneath Our Wings

Free Appy Newz app giveaway – see end of article for details

We can only take so much KRAPPS. Sometimes we need an escape. Today we take a KRAPPS break … today we look for sunshine in the App Store.

AppyNewzIcon Last Friday, Appy Entertainment released their first iPhone app –
Appy Newz – enabling users to create custom tabloid-style magazine covers as described below:

Step 1: Select an image (typically a face) to customize from either pre-loaded images or from your iPhone’s camera roll. Customize face with choice of 22 Masks, 31 Hair-types and 17 Facial features.
Step 2: Drag customized face into the tabloid cover where you can choose from 42 poses.
Step 3: Choose from 38 tabloid backgrounds or import your own background from images saved to your iPhone’s camera roll.
Step 4: Choose from 35 different objects to include in your tabloid cover.
Step 5: Enter your choice of copy in three text box areas.
Step 6: Preview and save image to app’s Cover Gallery and iPhone’s camera roll.

AppyStepsLarge

The entire creation process takes just minutes or if you’re in a panic, simply tap the “Shake It To Make It” button and Appy Newz will spit out a custom cover in 2.37 seconds.

But strange things happen every time we use Appy Newz … the letters Q-C-E-V keep popping into our head. This “QCEV Syndrome” freaked us out, so we consulted Madame Scarabego who revealed QCEV = Quality – Creativity – Entertainment – Value.

QUALITY
AppySleepAwake Sort of like garlic – Appy Newz reeks of quality. From the moment the app is launched, the user is rewarded with phenomenal build and attention to details. The launch screen loads with an eyes shut/sleeping Appy … once the app completes loading, Appy wakes up and opens its eyes. Another example is when you complete your tabloid cover a cheering crowd sound effect plays as if to congratulate you on your new creation. Such details are abundant and well polished throughout the app.

The build is flawless … swiping through customized selections (hair, backgrounds, objects, etc.) is smooth and never stalls. No crashes. The user interface is easy to navigate and very intuitive. Our fave feature is scaling images … WOW … pinch, expand, rotate, move left or right, etc … all image scaling is absolute perfection!

CREATIVITY
The foundation of Appy Newz is customization … which in turn breeds creativity. This app will exercise the right side of your brain … and not just the snarky brain cells (as their video projects) – but also the kinder, gentler cells.

Mother’s Day – flowers suck, give mom the gift of Appy Newz, printed and framed.
Did you piss her off – Appy Newz to the rescue.

AppyMom  AppySorry

The possibilities with Appy Newz are endless. Take your digital file to CafePress and see what you can create (within reason due to iPhone’s resolution), buttons? a coffee mug?

ENTERTAINMENT
This one is obvious – Appy Newz will keep you coming back for more … 100% Pure Entertainment. Watch the video to see what we’re talking about.

 

VALUE
So considering all of the above and then seeing the $1.99 price tag, you have to think these Appy folks are dumbasses. Heck, we’d charge 2x, 3x, 4x even 5x the $1.99 price. Who knows how long this pricing error will last – but don’t even give it a second thought, just jump on it now. CLICK HERE to purchase Appy Newz. Check their web site for more info.

So in conclusion, we found sunshine in the App Store … they had us at “hello” … we found 100% anti-KRAPPS Certified Appy Newz … the wind beneath our wings.

AppyantiKRAPPS

FREE Appy Newz To KRAPPS Viewers!
Appy Entertainment was kind enough to provide codes which will allow KRAPPS viewers to download Appy Newz for FREE. Through Sat, Apr 18 at 11:59pm PST, tweet the message below on Twitter and be entered into the Appy Newz drawing. Good luck!

got iPhone? read the Appy Newz review on @KRAPPS – it’s 100% anti-KRAPPS Certified http://krapps.com/?p=2196

April 17, 2009 | Filed Under anti-KRAPPS, Entertainment | 12 Comments 

Appy Newz Launched!

AppyNewzGirl Congrats to the folks at Appy Entertainment on the launch of their first iPhone application – Appy Newz – born April 10, 2009 at 1:35am. We’ll have a complete review of Appy Newz in a few days (we’re having too much fun playing around with it to stop and write an article) … but for now our initial impression can be summed up in two words – IT ROCKS! Trust us, for a $1.99 (cheaper than a latte) it’s beyond a solid value. So honestly, to heck with our review, CLICK HERE to buy it now. We promise you’ll love it – unless your whack or something. If you need more convincing, CLICK HERE to view their entertaining web site – or just check out their awesome video below. 

 

April 11, 2009 | Filed Under anti-KRAPPS, Entertainment, News | Leave a Comment 

Citi Mobile App

By demand, KRAPPS will periodically review “legit” apps thru a network of guest authors.

Title: Citi Mobile
Category: Finance
Guest Author: John

What is KRAPPS? Well, I don’t know that I can define it, but I know it when I see it. And the U.S. Banking industry is definitely KRAPPS. Think about it: anyone who bought a fart app may embarrass a few of the more stodgy types, and end up poorer by $0.99, but at least they get some sophomoric laughter out of the deal. But the U.S. banking industry has cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars, put thousands of people out of work, and made thousands more homeless, without providing even a chuckle!

724680 Citibank has received over $20 Billion and counting of bailout money. And what do we get for our money? Well, an iPhone app, for one! Called Citi Mobile, the app is (mercifully) free. A pleasant “Citi” logo marks their app, and when you run it for the first time, you have to register your iPhone via text message. You also have to enter your PIN every time you run the application. These basic security measures are, of course, necessary. Unfortunately, there’s nothing in the app to prevent you from entering your PIN on the “Notes” app so you won’t forget it.

I don’t use many financial apps on my iPhone, mainly because all of my money is tied up in groceries. I have used the Paypal app and I’ve used the mobile web site for another bank. After you enter your PIN to log into the Citibank app, you get a list of your open accounts. I have one savings account and two credit card accounts (I opened up the savings account because they had a deal where 1% of everything I buy on the credit cards gets credited to the savings account, even if I pay my bill off every month!). The last 3 digits of each account number is shown, not the full account number, again for security. You also see the balance of each of the accounts, and you can select “Recent Activity” and “Search Activity” for the savings account. The activity functions are very useful features, and I’m not sure why they’re not available for the credit cards. It would be very nice to be able to check up and see exactly how much that sleazy retailer charged to your credit card while you’re on the way out the door. The activity is available from their web site, and the iPhone app has it for the savings account, so why not for the credit cards?

In addition to looking up your accounts, there are buttons for Payments, Transfers, Locations, and Services. While I don’t use my Citi account for bill paying, I see how it would be useful to have it available on the iPhone. I could see using the Bill Pay or Transfer features if you’re out and about and suddenly remember that you forgot to pay a bill or cover your checking account. The Locations function is nice, in that it uses the GPS to find ATMs and branches in your area (you can also enter a Zip Code or address if you don’t want to use the current location). The Services button allows you to change the app settings or easily call their Customer Service.

All in all, it’s a quite useful app and worth it if you have a Citi account, and while I don’t think that I’d choose them as my bank because of the app, some people might. I just wish the app said “I bailed out Citibank for $20 Billion and all I got was this lousy iPhone app.”

April 5, 2009 | Filed Under anti-KRAPPS, Finance, Guest Authors | 9 Comments 

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