Tarah's Digital Voice

Out of the iPhone apps, I suggest checking out Precorder and PBS, as well as Time Shutter if you're a SF enthusiast.

All of the iPad apps look pretty cool, but I don't use TiVo and am not a graphic designer, so I'd say don't miss World of Goo and AirView (video below) is pretty incredible, especially for a free app.

This Week's Best Apps

In this week's thank-goodness-it's-the-end-of-the-week app roundup: Goo, sculpted; TiVo, controlled; places to eat, discovered; Twitter, relaxed; history, revisited; PBS, appreciated, and much, much more.

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We are so crazy about apps right now you wouldn't believe it. If you have recommendations, tips, or just want to let us know about your own app, drop a note in the comments or shoot me an email.

The author of this post can be contacted at tips@gizmodo.com

About 20 hours ago Amy-Mae Elliott via mashable.com

iPhone games are wicked. iPad games are wicked. Wanna know what’s even better? Controlling iPad games with your iPhone.

Yes, that’s right. Such wonders of human technical achievement do exist. We’ve taken a look at three of the most interesting iPad games that pair up with Apple’s phone for some wondrous results.

Whether you want to use your iPhone as a steering wheel, a Scrabble () tile rack or even to control a frickin’ helicopter, there are games out there that make it possible.

Have a read through our three selections of tag-teamed gaming. Let us know in the comments about your experiences with these games, or if you haven’t tried them, which ones you’d like to.

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1. PadRacer

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Cost: PadRacer iPad App: $4.99, Pad Racer iPhone Controller: Free

PadRacer is an old school, top-view racing game that can link up with not one, not two, but four iPhones (or iPod touches) as controllers.

Best of all, the iPhone controller app is free, so you only need to buy one version of the game on the iPad and three of your buddies can bundle in on the fun for free.

Reminiscent of the likes of Super Cars on the Amiga, the gameplay is simple (steer your car around the track, try not to crash, try to win), which leaves you to concentrate on the fun of using your iPhone as a steering wheel.

The controller itself looks like an old-fashioned racing car. Touchscreen controls are made up of the accelerator in the form of a “go” button and a “boost” option that you can employ by swiping your finger down the left hand side of the display.

While the game isn’t going to challenge anyone used to playing modern racing games on consoles, it’s engaging — there’s a choice of four tracks and it has a few fun features (like the ability to add oil slicks to the track, and modify and save tracks for others to race on) that help add interest.

 

 

 

The game shines when two or more players get racing, but if it’s just you, your iPad and iPhone then you can “ghost race” other gamers from the worldwide leaderboard, which lets you race against previous performances.

As far as the iPhone-as-controller goes, connection is pain-free and the iPhone is responsive. The only downside is that you have to hold the iPhone at an angle (i.e., not flat) so the accelerometer works correctly, which, if you’re looking down at the iPad can be a bit of a pain.

Finally, if you happen to have two iPads on hand, then PadRacer offers a special track that you can hook up two iPads to play on with four iPhones. Mind-boggling! Here’s a video from the dev that shows the process:

 

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2. Scrabble

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Cost: Scrabble for iPad: $9.99, Scrabble Tile Rack: Free

This virtual version of the ever-popular board game isn’t cheap, but if you’re a fan of Scrabble, we’re confident in calling this a must-have app, despite the price tag.

Playing Scrabble on the iPad’s roomy screen is a pleasure and with the ability to network play, pass and play, as well as play up to 25 multiplayer games at one time, you’re not going to be short of options.

However, our favorite option is the one that lets you use your iPhone or iPod touch as a tile rack, with support for two to four players, called “Party Play.”

Using the iPhone as a tile rack makes the game more engaging and feel much, much more like the original board game. Classy touches, such as flicking the tiles from your rack to the main iPad board, work really well.

Bonus iPhone features include the option to shake your phone to shuffle up the letters and the ability to access the dictionary, so you can check your word before you hit up the board.

Here’s a quick demo video showing the different aspects of the app, including that cool “Party Play” functionality.

 

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3. Chopper 2

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Cost: Chopper 2 iPad App: $4.99, Chopper 2 iPhone App: $4.99 (or free if you’ve already paid for the iPad app)

Chopper 2 is a helicopter-themed side-scroller that uses the accelerometer of an iOS device to control the game with movement and the touchscreen to take care of the likes of firing guns and dropping bombs. It is a sequel to the iPhone game of the same name.

Boasting 36 missions over 12 different locations as varied as the desert, countryside and cityscapes, it’s a great example of an iPhone game writ large, and as such, works really well on the iPad.

However, controlling it on the iPad (by moving and tilting the iPad) doesn’t offer the best gameplay experience. It essentially just uses the iPhone or iPod touch as the controller as you watch the action on your larger screen or even on a big screen TV.

Chopper 2 costs $4.99 for the iPad and the iPhone, however, you don’t need to buy the game for both devices. Just buy the iPad game and then on your iPhone or iPod touch go through the process to buy the game again and you’ll get a prompt saying you’ve already purchased this item and you can download it for free.

Once you’ve got the game loaded up on both devices, it’s just a matter of setting up the remote control options in the settings for each game and then you’re ready to start flying.

The smaller iPhone works well as a handheld motion controller, and the option to calibrate is a welcome one. In easy gameplay you just use the iPhone to manage the helicopter’s movement, while as things get more advanced, you also use the touchscreen to shoot at targets. Alternatively, you can control movement on the touchscreen, but we preferred the movement option.

To get an idea of the action, here’s a promotional clip for the app that shows off the gameplay and controller options rather well.

 

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More iPad Resources from Mashable

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- 10 iPad Games Worth Paying For
- 5 Extremely Addicting iPad Games
- 5 Unusual Ways to Use Apple’s iPad [VIDEOS]
- 10 Awesome Apple iPad Cases
- 10 Best Apple iPad Stands

Catan

The first Island

There is hardly a board game award that the "Settlers of Catan" game, created by Klaus Teuber, has not won. This classic has a global fan community and has been translated into 30 languages over its last 14 successful years. More

• Original "Settlers of Catan" rule set
• Hot-Seat-Multiplayer mode
• Smart computer opponents with individual strategies
• Scrollable game board including zoom option
• Freely combinable game settings
• Situation-related music and sound effects

More

While I don't find the game's story the most compelling, I think the implications of this technology are immensely exciting. I also recognize the value in launching with a game that uses a child as the protagonist, as it makes intuitive sense to the player that they need to train this character - the process that actually molds his artificial intelligence. It might not be as organic if we were training an adult. In addition, this game could appeal to both children and adults; the former, through identification, and the latter, through the parental desire to guide this boy to a successful and happy life.

If this works well, the storytelling opportunities are boundless. I can't wait to try out the game where you are controlling an international spy, area professional race-car driver, and, for my single friends, pursuing the adventures of the modern day Leisure Suit Larry.

There also seem to be valuable opportunities for education, training and fitness. This could take the Wii Fit to a whole new level. Imagine learning how to make business pitches, negotiate, argue your case in court, counsel a disturbed client through their psychiatric challenges. It seems that the professional and lifestyle arenas could benefit greatly from such a social and deeply immersive system.

I'm certainly going to keep an eye on this and try it out as soon as I can. This is the type of thinking that could make Microsoft truly relevant again.