Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Appiphilia: reviews of iPhone applications that make fake calls, inventory your closet, navigate L.A. and record voice

Those of us with appiphilia -- an irresistible urge to download iPhone applications -- need some help sorting through what's worthwhile in Apple's App Store. Because iPhone apps seem to multiply with every click, we're starting this new weekly series, Appiphilia, to highlight and review a few that catch our fancy. We'll tell you which are the must-haves or the must-be-kiddings or those that fall somewhere in between.

In this first installment, we're looking at four apps that help with getting dressed, getting around, getting out of a sticky situation and getting it on the record.

Carrie's Closet SATC Carrie's Closet (free)

What it is: This is one of the few apps pegged to a movie  -- in this case a DVD debut. (The Dark Knight app launched when the newest Batman film hit theaters and let you adorn photos in true Joker style.) Carrie's Closet launched shortly after the recent release of the girls' guilty pleasure "Sex and the City" in take-home version. 

What sizzles: First of all, the ability to photograph, categorize and catalog what's in your closet. Are you kidding me? That's a dream. It's a bit like what Cher had in "Clueless," except in your hand. I added all of my shoes, purses and glasses. The ability to send that list of potential outfits to friends before a big date makes getting feedback from numerous trusted fashion sources a bit more civilized. Of course, it's wrapped inside a promotion for the movie. But most of us have learned to look beyond product placements.

You do need good lighting to snap photos of the items that are of much use. Remember, you're doing it with your iPhone camera. (My snapshots looked a bit fuzzy and the color was a tad drab.)

What fizzles: I get that this is a marketing tool that happens to do something for users. But really, the theme music that blasted every time I launched the app initially is not cute. (You can turn it off by going into the Settings for your iPhone and finding the app. But that shuts off all music, including the music clips from the movie that come with the app.) Man, was that annoying. Every time I opened the closet, I was outed as tapping something not related to work and specifically something "Sex and the City" related. Again, maybe great in theory for marketing purposes, but, free or not, it could cause a person to delete the app just to get the music to stop. 

Read more: latimes.com

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