GadgetReview

Control is power and vice-versa.  Scarface would agree.  Those who have a Direct TV DVR and an iPhone will be happy to know that there is a new app out there that gives you full access to your account.

The app is FREE and will let you browse programs, stations and set new recordings from anywhere you have Internet access.  Does Tivo have this yet?

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Just in time for holiday shopping madness, Yowza!! brings some unexpected App cheer for those of us coupon users.  When out and about, Yowza!! shows you store coupons for up to 15 miles around from where you are shopping at.  Even the Bar Code is displayed for the cashier to scan, right off your phone!  How cool will you be?

Having been out since late August, the app has received about 3k reviews with an average of 2/5 stars.  Now is the time when this app will truly flex its muscles so give it a try and see if it works for you.  Free now in the App Store.

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Ahhh….Techie new parents are going to love this one.  A new iPhone application entitled The Cry Translator is on its way that will effectively tell you what your gurgling baby is crying about.

The app will listen to a whining child and determine through pitch, volume, tone, and inflection, what the deal is.  Ten seconds later that app will tell you whether the child is hungry, sleepy, stressed, annoyed, bored, or has to let go of a mean steamy (omit that).  From there the app offers advice as to what to do with the translation in order to appease your baby.

Developed by Biloop Technologic, they claim that through clinical testing these translations  are 96% accurate, and the age of the child does not waver the results.  On sale for $10 on November 11th.

But will it work with sputtering brain dead alcoholics?

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For those of you that subscribe to the NetFlix-esque video game rental service, the GameFly GameCenter app is now available for free in the App Store.  More than just access to your queue, the GameFly GameCenter has a news feed, tons of user reviews, and instantly accessible “most popular” games list.

I’d go as far as to say that that even if you don’t belong to GameFly (it’s hard to get new releases but buying used games is the cheapest around), the app is still a cool alternative to the IGN app in terms of user reviews and news.

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For those of you who live and die with your iPhone, now there’s a way for you to actually start your car with your smart phone of choice.  Viper has just announced their new iPhone app and vehicle module appropriately titled the Viper Smart Start.  From your iPhone you can start your car, turn on the heat, unlock doors and the trunk, and manage the alarm.  The app itself is not limited by any certain distance parameters as long as it receives a signal.  Sounds crazy right?

So while the App itself is free, the device that needs to be installed into your car is not.  Costing somewhere between $300-$500 depending on the make and model of your car, there’s also a annual fee of $30.  Available now at BestBuy.

Watch the fun informational video.

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Once again Apple has passed a significant landmark for their app store.  Today the company announced that over 2 billion apps have been downloaded from the 2 year old service.  According to Apple there are more than “85,000 apps available to the more than 50 million iPhone and iPod touch customers worldwide and over 125,000 developers in Apple’s iPhone Developer Program.”

Apparently a half a billion apps were downloaded this past quarter alone, which means Apple should hit the 3 billion mark sometime early next year.  Now I’d like to see some app developer earnings info.

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The auto-tuner effect was around way before T-Pain (think California Love), so I don’t understand why he gets to be the one famous for using it.  To whatever my disdain, the I Am T-Pain Auto Tuner App hit the App Store yesterday for $3 and so far the reviews are glowing.

Made by Smule, whose previous apps where Leaf Trombone and Ocarina, Auto-Tuner actually sounds like a lot of fun.  Letting you “sing” along karaoke style with already popularized tracks you can also make your own custom auto-tuned track without any companion music and then upload them to your FaceBook or MySpace page.

I’m getting close to actually buying this one.

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The TomTom North American “turn by turn” GPS navigation app is now available in the US App Store for $99.99.  There are currently 12 reviews up and the biggest complaint so far is that the app does not feature spoken street names.  For that much money it should say street names using Christopher Walken’s voice god dammit!  At any rate, the app uses a feature called “IQ Routes” which bases its directions off of the time of day and traffic conditions.  iPhone touch controls are intact and let you pinch, stretch, and double tap all you like.  Other implementations include the usage of your contact list to find locations as well as being able to use the phone while the app is still running.  The app requires the 3.0 update and covers 99.9% of North America.  This includes Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.  I really don’t see how this is worth the money.

[via Electronista]

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Trying to squeeze some more cash out of its shooting gallery, Metal Gear Solid Touch is on sale in the App Store for the next two days for only $3.  That’s a whole $5 off the standard price.  While complaints have been abound in regards to the game being unfinished and merely name recognition cash in, this may be the time to buy if you are a MGS die hard or have been curious about the game.  The graphics still look sweet but the core offering of what MGS fans are accustomed to as far as stealth action is concerned has been lost in translation.  Once Saturday the 15th gets here the game will return to it’s normal price at $8.

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The early 90’s “king of action” makes his presence known yet again with this newly released iPhone version of Duke Nukem 3D.  On sale for just today at a low price of $2.99, the games boasts a total play time of about 20 hours.  That’s huge in comparison to other high profile games that are more expensive and play much shorter.

Looking sharper than its old school counterparts such as Doom and Wolfenstein, the graphics still feel archaic at best and very 1991.  If you take a look at the video you will see that a new play mechanic has been developed, letting you use both sides of the screen to control your movements while you tap the screen where your aiming reticule is to shoot at the enemy.  Good idea.  Hopefully we’ll see this type of gameplay in future FPS conversions on the iPhone.  Here’s a synergistic idea:  Combine Ash from the Evil Dead franchise and Duke Nukem for a B-Movie style online co-op game!

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