You love gadgets, so why wouldn't your pet, right?

Our CBS colleagues in the US went to the Global Pet Expo in Orlando, Florida and "pawed" through some 3000 new gizmos from over 800 pet product exhibitors. Here's a video of some of the items that caught their eye.

Just out of curiosity - let us know if your dog needs a treadmill or if you'd ever bake tuna PetCakes for your cat.

• EyePet
• My Pet Speaker for dogs with discerning playlists
• EyePet: Move Edition
• Fujifilm FinePix JZ500

Welcome to the Friday App Wrap, where we'll share with you some of the standout new mobile phone apps we findeach week. If you're one of the very keen and are getting your hands on a new iPad today, you'll want to check out our round up of 10 apps optimised for the iPad 2. See all kinds of apps for other platforms below.

To see the apps highlighted in previous weeks, flick back via the date tab navigation at the bottom of the app list.

• Formula1.com 2011

  

  This is an essential app for Formula One fans, as it streams real-time data direct from F1 Management's Technical Centre at the race track. It displays the same information supplied to the teams from every session of the weekend, instantly putting you right into the action. It will run for one Grand Prix weekend without the need for registration, but to use it afterward you'll have to register on Formula1.com.

  Platform: Android, iPhone and BlackBerry

  Price: Free

• eBuddy XMS

  

  If you're tired of paying for text messages, eBuddy XMS sends real-time free SMS text messages and emoticons from smartphone to smartphone. It uses your phone's internet connection, which means you can easily share unlimited messages with your XMS contacts. It works for both Android and iPhone users, with a BlackBerry version due out soon. The only catch to get the free service is that your contacts must have the eBuddy XMS app as well, but it's a simple matter to add and invite friends. Once that's sorted, the carriers won't be able to sock you $.25+ per text again.

  Platform: iPhone and Android

  Price: Free

• Turbo Grannies

  

  Turbo Granny has busted out of the nursing home and is raising hell on her motorised scooter. This racing game lets you race the leather-clad granny on mountain, suburban and desert tracks. She flies through the air using your phone's accelerometer technology, but if you don't lean into her turn, Granny will crash and break a hip.

  Platform: Android and iPhone

  Price: $AU1.19

• artwhatson

  

  Love going to art galleries? This location-driven app helps you find what's on near you, and is full of Australian gallery information including maps, directions and opening times. You can browse hundreds of exhibitions around the country and sort by gallery, location or days till end. There is a recommended feature for shows you won't want to miss, and you can customise which galleries appear as your favourites.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: Free

• Dining Out

  

  Can't figure out where to go for dinner? This app helps you find a restaurant near your current location, search for table availability and make your booking instantly over the phone. There are 500 active restaurant partners involved, but most of the restaurants currently on tap are located in Melbourne's CBD where the program was launched. There are, however, quite a few well-known eateries in Sydney and Brisbane signed-up as well, and more to come around Australia. Check the website bookarestaurant.com for the complete listing.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: Free

• Spiderman: Total Mayhem HD

  

  Games on the Ovi Store are seeing a major upgrade in recent times, and Spiderman is a great example. Web-sling your way around the city and do battle with the usual array of mutant miscreants in this great mobile game. We're not sure if what we've seen warrants the HD title tag, but it sure is a lot of fun.

  Platform: Symbian 3

  Price: $4.00

• Big Screen

  

  Another fantastic app coming out of Nokia's own Ovi Labs, Big Screen detects when your HDMI-compatible handset is connected to a TV and it automatically launches a very impressively designed media hub. Better still, the screen of your smartphone doesn't mirror this image; instead it is transformed into a touchscreen remote control.

  Platform: Symbian 3

  Price: Free

• Gdocs

  

  It's one thing to have a great mobile Office experience on Windows Phone 7, but it means little unless you can access your documents wherever they are. Gdocs syncs with your Google account and give you clean, easy access to any documents you have saved to the cloud.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: Free

• Official HSBC Sevens World Series

  

  While it's not the next best thing to attending the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament, this app does provide you with live game scores, all-time records, squads, standings, pools and detailed tournament information, as well as results for all Sevens World Series events in 2011 - from Dubai to Murrayfield.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$5.99

• Garage Sale Trail

  

  Sunday April 10 is will see the 2nd annual national Garage Sale Trail, a community initiative that promotes recycling and sustainability through the simultaneous launch of hundreds of garage sales across the country on one big day. To get you to hit as many of the garage sales in your locale as possible, Vodafone has come on-board as the official mobile partner, developing the Vodafone Compass Garage Sale Trail App. The app extension includes real 3D mapping, location tracking and voice-guided directions to pinpoint hundreds of registered garage sales across the country, as well as other handy things like restaurants, bars and ATMs.

  Note: While there is no charge for the Garage Sale Trail extension, Vodafone Compass, which essentially turns your mobile into a GPS navigator, is free only for the first month to all new Vodafone Compass customers; charges are then $8 per month on plans or $16 per month on prepaid.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: Free

• Pro Evolution Soccer 2011

  

  Matching EA in the mobile space, Konami's well-loved football sim Pro Evolution Soccer has made its way to smartphones. Featuring good 3D graphics, fast-paced gameplay and extras like the option to save replays, PES 2011 earns its asking price. The onscreen controls can be a bit tricky, but this is standard for smartphone gaming in general.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7 Price: $6.50

  Platform: Android Price: $2.99

• TrueLocal

  

  Location-based apps are all the rage these days, but they don't always work that well. Now the Aussie-focused site TrueLocal.com.au has updated its iPhone app, enabling you to search all types of businesses and sort the results according to proximity, popularity or name. It now also allows lets you post your own reviews from your phone using your TrueLocal or Facebook log-in.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: Free

• Shop Ethical! 2011

  

  Here's a socially conscious app with the low-down on the environmental and social record of the companies behind common brands you buy in Australian supermarkets. It lists over 2,800 products with related company information so you can make an informed and ethical decision whenever you shop.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Australian Grand Prix

  

  Rev up with this app that gives you the full Grand Prix schedule, an interactive map of each event, news, photos and results from both the Formula 1 and V8 events from the 24th - 27th of March.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: Free

• Toby's Estate

  

  If you're a lover of coffee - and particularly Toby's Estate - then this little app will come in handy. It features an augmented reality display that will show you the nearest Toby's Estate outlet or cafe and bring you the latest news from the store (as well as specials available to app users).

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: Free

• Shush! Ringer Restorer

  

  Have you ever put your phone in silent mode, then forgotten to turn it back on again? You won't be able to use that excuse for missed calls if you have an app like Shush, as it automatically turns your phone back on at the time you specify when you turn your ringer off.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• OnTrack Diabetes

  

  OnTrack is designed to provide diabetics with a tool to better manage their diabetes by tracking their glucose, exercise, food, medication, blood pressure, pulse and weight. It provides a variety of detailed graphs and reports that you can share with your doctor and it will activate notifications to remind you to test yourself two hours after eating.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• FatBooth

  

  Want to know what you and your friends would look like with a few extra kilos? Here's a way to instantly supersize faces using either photos taken on your phone or uploaded from a file. Shake your handset to see before and after views, but take note that the app works best with front face photos.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• Puzzle Quest 2

  

  Matching three of a kind gems is so last week. If you're a demon for Bejewelled but you're looking for a twist to the formula, Puzzle Quest is for you. A novel mix of RPG fantasy and gem-matching puzzle solving, your character duels with the evil creatures of the land using your eagle-eye observation to find the matching trios on the game-board. Matches earn attack power to defeat your enemies.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$9.00

• FasterNote

  

  A first-party Evernote app is still notably absent from the Zune Marketplace, so our pick of the better Evernote syncing tools is FasterNote. You can view notes saved to your current Evernote account and create new ones (even using images from your camera roll). You can also share your notes via email or SMS.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$1.30

• TM World Clock & Widget

  

  This easy-to-use world clock application lets you quickly search for the time in other locations and it supports display of multiple clocks.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• Samba Filesharing

  

  Want to access your Android device over WiFi as a Windows shared folder? With your phone visible to Windows computers on your network, you can copy files and folders to and from it using drag and drop.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• Qik Connect Plus

  

  If you take video on your phone and want to share it, you'll like the upgraded capabilities in Qik Connect Plus. This new version includes special features like real-time effects, video editing and the ability to upload and share true HD videos. Of course you can still use it for video chat, instant video messaging, and as a dead easy way to share your videos on social networks. Read more on it here.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Liqua Pop

  

  OK, you're helping a frog get to the top of a leaf and you do this by dragging matching colour droplets together until they burst, but this is a graphically eye-popping game that incorporates liquid simulation features to hook you in.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Angry Birds Seasons

  

  Yes, pigs in leprechaun hats. Rovio just rolled out a St Patrick's Day-themed update to Angry Birds Seasons with 15 new levels, two Golden Eggs, a "St Paddy's Day surprise" and St Patrick's Day greeting cards, which you can send to friends via Facebook. And as with the Valentine's Day version, you can unlock three bonus levels just by "liking" the game on Facebook too.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: the update is free, to purchase in iTunes it's AU$2.49

• Steven Tyler Appsolewdly

  

  Aerosmith singer and American Idol judge Steven Tyler's mobile app is billed as a way for fans to have "access to exclusive, unpredictable and uncensored content, including self-made videos, never-before-seen photos and other noises from his head, including a digital sound box filled with his most outrageous and funny 'Tylerisms'".

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Dropbox

  

  Dropbox syncs your files between your computers and your mobile devices. It makes it easy to share links to files, save photos and video from your camera to your computer(s), as well as open documents and presentations using the apps you have on your phone.

  You must have a Dropbox account, but if you don't already have one, the app will allow you to create one for free.

  Platform: Android, BlackBerry, iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• Future Music Festival app

  

  The Future Music Festival is on in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide this weekend. The app will help you plan your day to catch all the acts you want to see with its schedule and map, view artists bios and listen to tracks, as well as check to find your friends at the event. You can also point your phone at any stage to see who's playing using its augmented reality feature.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Ancestry

  

  This helps you build multi-generational family trees complete with images of original family records and photos. It's been designed for the iPad, although a scaled down version for the iPhone and iPod Touch includes features for navigating a family tree and viewing records already attached to a tree.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Realestate.com.au mobile

  

  This app has been updated with three new features, including the ability to search multiple suburbs, search recent suburbs and sort recent property searches based on relevance, price, suburb or listing date.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Arc Publications

  

  UNSW students can get campus news and uni event info from this app, which pulls from popular sections of Arc Publications including Blitz, Tharunka, Student Cookbook and UNSWeetened.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• Layar

  

  New to the Symbian platform, this browser has already made inroads on iPhone and Android handsets. Layar uses Augmented Reality (AR) technology, to display digital information called "layers" into your smartphone's field of vision. There is a catalogue of over 1500 layers that range from Architecture 3D, Tweeps (Twitter pop-ups) to Arcade 3D games.

  Platform: Nokia Ovi/Symbian

  Price: free

• Museum Victoria's Field Guide to Victorian Fauna

  

  This lets nature-lovers discover more about Victoria's biodiversity. It's filled with detailed descriptions of animals, maps of distribution and the endangered status of over 700 native species encompassing birds, fishes, frogs, lizards, snakes, mammals, freshwater, terrestrial and marine invertebrates, spiders, and insects including butterflies.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Fight Night Champion

  

  If the traditional game developers have seemed a bit cautious about mobile gaming, then EA is breaking the mould with a solid iPhone tie-in for its latest Fight Night boxing sim release. The iPhone version of the game is, of course, simpler, but its intuitive controls are among the best we've seen for the small touchscreens of smartphones.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$5.99

• TileStorm HD

  

  One-part Wall-E and one-part frustrating car parking puzzle, TileStorm HD takes a simple game concept to the next level with charming 3D graphics and a silky smooth frame rate.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$4.00 Android Market, AU$4.99 iTunes

• Stupid Zombies

  

  Rovio has been hard at work on Angry Birds Seasons for St Patrick's Day, but if you need another fix of physics fun, we suggest you take a look at Stupid Zombies. It's not quite as slick as Angry Birds, but the puzzles are just as much fun to master.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$1.19/free (with ads)

• Ultimate SoundBox

  

  We brought you Android's Motion Fart a few weeks back, and not to be outdone, we found the Ultimate SoundBox on iPhone this week. Yes, it makes fart noises, but there are lots of others as well, including a whip, cash register, cow, machine gun, fire siren, train and air horn.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Hangman

  

  An oldie, but a goodie - there are 500 words loaded that can hang you; or in two-player mode, you can enter words and have your opponent try to guess them.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• AFL Live Scores

  

  Footy season is upon us, so here's a way to get AFL Scores live to your Android phone. iPhone users may want to try AFL Aussie Rules Live 2011.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Amazon Kindle

  

  As Amazon continues its conquering of our mobile devices, the Kindle app finally arrives on Windows Phone. Though it's long been available on iPhone and Android, the Windows Phone version is perhaps the most attractive, with Amazon making the most of Microsoft's Metro design template.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free

• Bike Share

  

  Want a bike to ride but don't want to fork out big bucks to own one? Aussies in Melbourne and Brisbane can take advantage of an excellent bike-sharing scheme and can use this great WP7 app to track the location and availability of bikes across the city.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$1.30

• Sculpture!

  

  Those in WA heading to Cottesloe Beach to take in Sculpture by the Sea might want to grab this slideshow of stunning sculpted works of art from around the world as inspiration. The images, shot by well known photographers including Vincent Desjardins and Guillaume Millet, can be saved for use as wallpaper on your phone.

  Platform: Android; iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: US$1.50 from Android Market, AU$3.99 from iTunes

• OutScout Sydney

  

  OutScout Sydney, a guide to gay venues and events, will be particularly handy now for its full list of events for Mardi Gras 2011.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: Free

• Pulse News Reader

  

  Pulse is an RSS feed that delivers your news utilising graphically powerful mosaic tiles. Each feed gets its own row. The app will poll for new articles at whatever interval you choose, placing the latest info on the left-hand side of the screen. Tapping a headline brings up the article and options to share, open in web browser, adjust font and more.

  Whether in portrait or landscape mode, the articles fill the screen with enough space left over to navigate other posts and feeds. What might look like information overload the first time you run Pulse, quickly becomes intuitive and never feels cluttered.

  Pulse has been recently updated for faster image loading, particularly on Android with Honeycomb tablets in mind.

  Platform: Android and iPad

  Price: free

• Getmusic

  

  Microsoft Australia has teamed up with Universal Music Australia to launch a music download service. With Getmusic, those with Windows Phone 7 can buy music from artists such as Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, U2, Eminem, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Bon Jovi, Washington and Cut Copy. The app also sells merchandise, offers news and competitions to win gig tickets.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free

• Words With Friends

  

  Addictive crossword game with a turn-based design that lets you play up to 20 games simultaneously. Push notifications tell you when it's your turn and you can use in-game chat while you play with your friends or match-make instantly with a random opponent.

  Platform: Android; iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Poker Invaders

  

  The developers describe this games as the love child of Space Invaders, Tetris and poker. Basically, you have to protect your cows from alien abduction with the strength of your poker hands. Yup, you just need to flick or drag your cards up in strong poker combinations to explode the attacking spacecraft and defend your prize-winning herd. No poker face or experience is required, just quick reactions and a bit of strategic thinking.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$1.19

• Qtv

  

  If you're looking forward to a quiet night at home on the couch, then Qtv is your new best friend. Featuring TV listings from all Metro, Regional and Subscription TV services, Qtv will tell you exactly when and which channel is showing the next episode of Futurama.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free

• Basichords

  

  Learn to strum with this chord dictionary for guitar, ukulele, banjo, bouzouki/mandolin, cavaquinho. The app has 5700+ finger positions and auto playback. (BTW, we had to Google "cavaquinho" too.)

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• ABC Foodi

  

  Here's a free app that beautifully presents 120 recipes from more than 40 chefs who have worked on ABC shows, including well-known foodies like Maggie Beer, Matt Moran, Poh Ling Yeow and Bill Granger. It includes shopping lists and step-by-step instructions for each recipe. Video segments from the shows are a handy inclusion as is the voice control option that keeps the iPad touchscreen clean from sticky hands and fingers while you cook.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Foxtel TV Guide

  

  Now available for Android, the Foxtel TV Guide lets you browse program listings up to 14 days in advance, plus you can remote record to your Foxtel iQ or iQHD. You can also set up alerts to remind you of shows you want to watch 15 minutes before they start. This app has previously been released for iPhone and Windows Phone 7 users.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• mHITs

  

  mHITs is a free payment service that lets you send and receive payments by SMS to anyone with an Australian mobile. Ideal for making small payments, you can use mHITs for sending money to friends, IOUs, collecting payments for group events, sending gifts or buying from an mHITs venue. You will need to have an mHITs account before you can make a payment using mHITs, but registration is free.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• PewPew

  

  With four game modes, this multi-directional first-person shooter will delight gamers with its retro graphics. And besides, what a great name for a shoot-em-up.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Salary Checker

  

  Think you're due for a raise? Collect more ammunition by checking out how your current pay scale stacks up to what your role is worth in other countries. Robert Walters is a global recruitment consultancy and its Salary Checker app allows you to compare how much you're earning compared to similar roles in Australia and across markets in over 20 other countries where it's conducted salary surveys.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Jedi Light Saber

  

  An oldie but a goodie, Jedi Light Saber's been updated with five new hilts and a Stop Music button. You can still change the colour of the blade by choosing from one of five crystal colours, and hear different sounds from your lightsaber and play five songs from Star Wars in the background. May the Force be with you, or at least your phone.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• The West End, London Audio Tour - Lonely Planet

  

  Lonely Planet has launched a new series of Audio Walking Tours that take listeners on a recommended route that features reviews by Lonely Planet's expert authors and historical audio commentary from the BBC Archive. The apps provide detailed information for travellers to explore at their own pace, with a location-aware map that allows the user to stop and start their journey or skip ahead to any of the selected stops. The tours also work offline, so roaming charges for international users can be avoided.

  The first tours available are for five iconic walks in central London: Covent Garden, Southbank, Spitalfields, the City and the West End. Audio walking tours of Paris are scheduled to be released soon.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Motion Fart

  

  You know this one's going to be so popular with those who like fart humour. Yes, really you can fart at will by lifting your leg - just put your phone in your back pants pocket and the app uses the phone's motion sensor to sound off with your standard selection of fart sounds.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Ow My Balls!

  

  If you like kicked-in-the-crotch humour, this is the app for you. The object of the game is to kick Joe the Juggler from a ledge and then try to rack his balls on as many targets as you can. You can ignite fart jet-packs to gain altitude and hit more targets. There are four gameplay modes, 13 achievements to complete and 16 videos to unlock, as well as a bonus character, "Lil' Baller".

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• Tiny Wings

  

  No Angry Birds slingshots here - in Tiny Wings, there's just one bird and all he wants to do is fly. It's your job to help him, but your only "control" is your finger, which you tap and hold when he's sliding down a hill and release on the upturn. Time it right and Tiny Wings soars skyward, but if you tap and hold while he's airborne, he instantly gets "heavy" and plummets back toward the ground. The idea is to time it so he plummets right onto a downward slope, which in turn gives him more speed for the next jump to send him flying higher and farther. It takes a bit till you get the hang of the flight mechanic and then you'll be propelling your birdie over the hills and valleys of the various islands that serve as the game's levels.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$1.19

• Honeymoonfund - Wedding Cash Gift Registry

  

  This one took a bit for us to wrap our heads around, but it's an iPhone app for an online wedding gift registry for the bride and groom who simply want cash!? Yes, promoted as an online wishing well service for weddings, this helps couples set up their own bridal registry page, send out invitations and watch their wedding/honeymoon funds grow as guests' payment transactions roll in. They can also use the app to view all their withdrawals and redemption transactions.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• Androidify

  

  Love the little green robot on your phone? Here's a way you can carry your affection to a new level by customising the Android's look.

  Androidify lets you turn the logo-bot into all kinds of caricatures, with choices including spiky hair, body types, beards, glasses, wardrobes and accessories like hats, watches and even a parrot. The cartoonish avatars can be saved as user pics and shared with friends.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Rugby Coach Pro

  

  The rugby season is upon us, and for all of you putting your hands up to help coach, Rugby Coach Pro offers a play editor, practice designer and team management app. You can design and save plays and drills, store your rosters and present your work on external displays, projectors or full screen on your device. Who needs a white board, when you can write and save notes right on your phone's formations templates?

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Rugby Fans Australia

  

  If you're more of the spectator than coaching variety, this app has the latest schedules, standings, news and video for fans of rugby league and rugby union.

  Don't worry Kiwi readers, there's a New Zealand version as well.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Green Eggs and Ham

  

  "Would you eat them in a box? Would you eat them with a fox?"

  There are three ways to read this officially licensed Dr Seuss book for Android phones. Children can pick "Read to Me" to listen to the narrated story with words highlighted as they are read; "Read it Myself" to read the book in its traditional form; or "Auto Play" which plays like a movie, automatically reading and turning pages. To promote reading in young children, individual words are highlighted as the story is read and words zoom up when pictures are touched.

  Other Dr Seuss titles recently released include The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, One Fish, Two Fish, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

  These books have been available for Apple devices for about six months, but they will cost you AU$4.99 through iTunes.

  Platform: Android

  Price: AU$3.99

• Join.me

  

  Brought to you by remote access specialists LogMeIn, Join.me lets you connect to remote meetings or screen-sharing sessions for free. It's perfect for those times when you're stuck in a cab or airport and can't make the meeting you're supposed to be attending.

  To web conference on your phone, whoever is hosting the meeting has to download and run a small client program, then share with attendees the link or numeric code generated by the client.

  Those wanting to join do not have to install anything or even register. They click the link or enter the code and straight-away can see what the presenter sees. They can zoom in and out as needed, and can participate in chat sessions via the provided list of all the meeting attendees.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• Dilbert Mobile

  

  Take your favourite office cube comic characters with you on your phone. This gives you immediate access to the daily Dilbert comic, as well as the more than 20-year archive of the entire Dilbert collection.

  Platform: Nokia Ovi

  Price: free

• Poker Swap

  

  Poker Swap is a mix of poker and puzzle gameplay. Five rows of five cards are dealt face-up. You then swap any card with any other on the board to score points for all horizontal or vertical poker hands you complete. There are four different game modes based on the length of session time you want to play.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free or US$0.99 for Pro version (without ads)

• AmpliTube Fender

  

  AmpliTube Fender is a full-featured Fender Tone guitar rig with built-in recording and practising studio. You can use the AmpliTube iRig interface adapter to connect your guitar to an iPhone or iPad and you're ready to practice, play and record with Famous Fender tones anywhere you happen to be.

  It includes a SpeedTrainer, which provides the ability to slow down imported backing tracks (-50 per cent) to learn complex riffs, or speed them up (+200 per cent) for practising playing skills. Songs and backing tracks or loops can be easily loaded into the apps directly from your iPod library on the iOS device or from the computer.

  Also, you can record your entire band, or produce full songs and compositions directly in AmpliTube Fender with its built-in single track recorder with re-amping ability, expandable to a full-featured four-track recorder on iPhone or an eight-track Recorder on iPad, both with the master effects' section. Those quickly captured performances that can be shared by exporting high quality audio files or M4As.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$17.99

• 50in1 Piano

  

  Another music app, but aimed more for those wanting to learn piano skills, there's 50in1 Piano. It combines a piano keyboard, 50 studio-quality instruments, 120 piano lessons, real-time effects and 100 beat loops to help you learn to play the piano, create your own songs and even sing along to your compositions.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Go Somewhere Special

  

  Here's an app built on a coffee brand's ad campaign - you know the one, "Moccona is for lovers". It lets you apply augmented reality to gradually reveal a mystery location when you ask someone out on a date. You start by choosing a starting point and a destination, and then the Go Somewhere Special app plots a trail of on-screen candles for your date to follow. It also sends them a candle-lit invitation. They will end up at the surprise destination you've specified, where you will presumably join them for a romantic rendezvous. (And drink instant coffee?)

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• Career Chronicles

  

  Can't face the year ahead stuck in your current job? This career guide provides an introduction to 23 jobs in healthcare, architecture, the law, financial services, education, the social sciences, information technology, sales, media and more. Although it's a US-based ebook, it offers the history and background of the different professions, current status of the field, statistics on employment levels, education required and average salaries, plus insights/pros and cons from more than 750 professionals.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$3.99

• St Kilda festival

  

  This weekend is the big finish to the St Kilda festival, and this handy app condenses the schedule for Festival Sunday (13 February), listing each event and activity, so all you'll need to do is scroll through the timetable and use its maps to decide where you want to go next.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• Swan Taxis

  

  Calling a cab in Perth just got a little easier with this updated Swan Taxi app. You can book from your current location and the taxi will come to the pick-up address indicated by the GPS. Also once the call has been made and a taxi has accepted the job, you can watch the taxi's progress on a Google Map. Then, when it gets to within 250m of the pick-up address, two "honks" will sound on your iPhone and you'll also know what the car's ID number is. There is also a taxi rank finder, a fare estimator and even a button you can hit to hail a cab with an electronic whistle.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad, with Android and Windows versions coming soon.

  Price: free

• Cricket World Cup 2011

  

  If you can't be there in person, you can stay updated with live matches, scores and news as it happens. You can follow your favourite players on their Twitter feeds and dive into a complete database of players, team and venue stats, records and trivia.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Catholic Confessional

  

  This one's stirring up a controversy, today prompting the Sydney Catholic Archdiocese to come out with a statement clarifying that this app is not a substitute to confession with an actual human priest. What it does do, however, is offer a step-by-step guide to the sacrament for Catholics to prepare for the Rite of Penance. The Church is also hoping that those who have been away from the sacrament for some time will find the app to be a tool to bring them back into the fold.

  It creates password-protected profiles and then takes you through a series of soul-searching questions related to the Ten Commandments. The app displays sins along with a written act of contrition for the penitent. It also lets you log "custom sins" and create "custom examinations of conscience". Prayers stored in the app include the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed and Hail Mary.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$2.49

• Angry Birds

  

  Hogs And Kisses, the Valentine's Day version of Angry Birds is here. The newly updated Seasons features 15 lovey-dovey levels, complete with a romantic new theme song and pink, heart-filled settings. This update includes the previous Halloween- and Christmas-themed levels.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$1.19 iPhone, free on Android

• Google Translate

  

  We see lots of popular iPhone apps coming out now on the Android platform, but here's an example of one moving the other way. Google Translate, a popular Android app, is now available to iPhone users. You can use it to translate words and phrases between more than 57 languages. For 15 major languages, you can speak your phrases and hear the corresponding translations. For others, say Azerbaijani, Swahili and Welsh, you need to input text, but fortunately, if you're trying to translate non-Latin script languages, it will phonetically read characters you input (eg, Pinyin, Romaji).

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• AC/DC Ringtone

  

  Updated this week, this app lets you indulge your Acadaca worship. The same developer has also put out an Android app for Wolfmother Ringtones as well.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Comedytube local

  

  This app provides an easy way of accessing funny YouTube links, sorted by country. In addition to Australia, supported countries include Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, France, UK, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Taiwan and South Africa.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Monty Python's Cow Tossing

  

  Last week we had Cover Orange, and now this week's Angry Birds-style knock-off game is based on the cult movie classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The flinging involved here includes French cows and five other barnyard animals at King Arthur and his knights. The knights (targets) are piled atop a battering ram that slowly creeps toward your stronghold. If it gets there, you lose the level. There are 80 levels, some sprinkled with clips from the movie that you can unlock.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$1.19

• SPB TV

  

  Australia may never see true, local mobile TV broadcasts, but this doesn't stop us enjoying hundreds of feeds from overseas. SPB TV is a free window to the world, streaming broadcasts from over 150 different global sources.

  Platform: Ovi for Nokia

  Price: free

• 3D Brick Breaker Revolution

  

  If there's one thing to turn BlackBerry fanatics against their favourite brand, it's a new and improved version of Brick Breaker for Windows Phone. In truth, this third dimension doesn't add much to gameplay, but we still the love this mobile gaming classic.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$4.00

• Loop

  

  Kind of like Fruity Loops for your Nokia smartphone, Loop is a simple, cool musical sample sequencer that comes with a bunch of preloaded basslines and the ability to record new samples using your phone's microphone.

  Platform: Ovi for Nokia

  Price: free

• Blogger

  

  The Google-owned Blogger network has released an app designed to enable people who have built their blogs on the Blogger platform to easily update them from their Android smartphones.

  It lets you bang out copy and take photos with your phone and then either publish their words and images straight-away or save a draft for later. Posts and drafts can be viewed directly in the app or, by way of a quickly accessible menu, in a browser.

  Users can also select their location and include that information with their post, switch between different accounts and blogs and select photos from their gallery for uploading.

  Blogger said it's working on bringing the app to non-Android gadgets as well, but for now the program is available only for Android devices.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Cover Orange

  

  If you're looking for the next Angry Birds, Cover Orange might be it. The name derives from the simple game premise that you must literally cover exposed oranges to save them from a dangerous cloud of poison rain.

  To accomplish this, you're given one or more tools (it varies from level to level) to drop strategically. In an early, easy level, for example, you simply have to drop a box so it lands directly over the orange. Later on, you'll work with things like wagon wheels, dropping them on windmills to make them spin and fling your orange to a safe spot.

  Dropping/placing your last tool triggers the cloud, and there's no going back - your set-up either worked or failed. Fortunately, there's a restart icon right in the corner for quick (and unlimited) do-overs.

  The surviving oranges reward you with adoring shouts and cheers if you complete the task. Yup, we've got a feeling this one could be addictive.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$1.19

• HappyCow VeginOut

  

  This app finds vegetarian, vegan, veg-friendly restaurants and health food stores near your location or wherever you enter manually. In addition to supporting maps and search for Australia and New Zealand, vegetarian restaurants are listed in over 90 other countries.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Home Delivery & Takeaway

  

  Continuing on a restaurant theme, this app brings home delivery from over 1200 restaurants Australia-wide. You can choose from menus covering Italian, Thai, Indian, Chinese, vegetarian and more. Unfortunately, the service is limited to metro areas only.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Fish Navigator

  

  This is not a game, but an app that provides fishermen with information such as the latest fishing reports, tides charts, hotspots, weather reports, the current moon phase and more.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Bearing + Distance

  

  Designed for private pilots, this app lets you enter a destination or waypoint and get bearing (true + magnetic) and distance information using your GPS navigation coordinates. It features an aviation compass w/ADF, a robust trip system, map view, "nearest" and "custom" destinations, and track recording to KML files. It includes 3611 destinations, including 1150 airports in Australia and New Zealand.

  Platform: Android

  Price: AU$6.49

• Love Calculator

  

  This app is probably about as accurate as a Magic 8 Ball to determine who you might be compatible with, but nonetheless with Valentine's Day coming on, it might be worth a go. You just enter the names of two people and see what the calculator has to say about the match.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$0.99

• TV & Movie Guide Australia

  

  Check out what's on TV now or later, and look up the latest session times in cinemas across Australia.

  Platform: Android

  Price: AU$2.49

• Eleven TV

  

  If you don't want to pay for an overview of all TV content as per the app above, you can opt for apps for specific channels. Channel 10 has its own app, and now that its new Channel 11 is up and running, it's got its own app too. There are schedules and listings, photo galleries, videos and polls, plus you can set reminders for what you want to watch.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• TinkerBox

  

  Though created primarily to "spark teens' interest in mechanical engineering", TinkerBox offers machine-building fun for all ages.

  The physics puzzle game/simulator starts with a dozen training levels, which teach you to place, use and tweak the various tools at your disposal: buttons, conveyor belts, levers and so on. Of course, different puzzles have different tools available; it's your job to figure out where they go, how they interconnect, and so on.

  It has just two levels - "The Lab" and "Steel Mill" - with a combined total of 13 puzzles. It also comes with a slick builder for creating your own inventions, which you can then email to friends. Plus, if you point your iPad's browser to Autodesk's Tinkerbox site, you can download inventions shared by other users.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Optus live streams Australian Open

  

  It's getting to the serious end of the Australian Open, but tennis fans out and about can watch the finals streamed live through this Optus mobile app. It provides free access to live streaming of Channel Seven's Australian Open 2011 match coverage along with live scores of men's and women's singles matches, results and video highlights.

  Optus customers can access other free and paid for content through this TV and video app; however, the Australian Open coverage is free and available to those connecting within a 3G network coverage area or through Wi-Fi.

  Platform: Android and iPhone

  Price: free

• St George Bank Car Finder

  

  A new addition to the St George mobile banking app is a Car Finder tool that makes it easier for customers to find the nearest dealers with St George-approved finance. The app uses GPS technology to find the closest car dealers or you can also search for dealers who stock the type of cars you're interested in.

  If you're already using the St George app, you have to download this update, and then you'll find it in the Calculators & Tools section from the home screen.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch

  Price: free

• Adobe Photoshop Express update

  

  In addition to its simple editing and enhancement tools, Photoshop Express 1.5 brings a couple of much-needed features to the year-old app and a couple of minor improvements. It now lets you capture photos right within the app and it supports rapid-fire shooting, saving snaps almost as quickly as you can tap the shutter button. As with the stock Camera app, you spot-focus by tapping on the screen.

  Another long-overdue addition is multitasking. When you hop out of Photoshop Express to do something else, then run it again, the app returns you to whatever you were doing. Likewise, it offers background uploading of photos to your Facebook or Photoshop.com account.

  Finally, Photoshop Express now supports Retina displays, so everything looks extra-sharp on the iPhone 4 and fourth-gen iPod Touch. (It works on the iPad, too, but obviously without the camera functions - yet.)

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• City Of Sydney - Chinese New Year 2011

  

  The City of Sydney produces the biggest celebration of the Lunar New Year outside Asia. This app is the complete guide to the 2011 Sydney Chinese New Year Festival, which features more than 50 cultural events including food, entertainment, visual art, film, workshops, talks and tours.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Chinese New Year SMS Wishes

  

  Chinese New Year SMS wishes is a simple app that contains 70 popular Chinese New Year greetings pre-written. All you have to do is just pick the sample you like and send it out as an SMS. As a February bonus, it is being updated with Valentine SMS wishes ready to go.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Strange Rain

  

  Strange Rain is pretty hard to describe but it's essentially an interactive storytelling app. The primary function of the app is to give you a break from your hectic life by displaying a mesmerising scene of rain falling from the sky. The iPhone screen acts as a skylight, so you're looking straight up as raindrops fall and hit the screen. You can slightly affect the raindrops as they fall by touching the screen and moving your iPhone, and tinkly music from a haunting melody plays amid soothing storm sounds, every time you touch it.

  It is not just a rain simulator, though. It has three different modes to play with, including the Wordless mode that simply displays the drops falling from the sky and lets you touch the screen and move your iPhone to affect their trajectory. Whisper Mode is mostly the same, but sometimes when you touch the screen you'll see rain-related words spelled out. The third and most interesting mode is Story Mode, in which a story plays out through the thoughts of a protagonist, which are printed on-screen in bits and pieces. The more you touch the screen, the more of the story you'll learn as the rain continues to fall from the sky.

  The other interesting thing about Strange Rain is that it gets incrementally weirder after each play-through of the haunting melody - aeroplanes will fly overhead, clouds will change formations, and more. If ever you want to reset to the beginning, you can touch the screen repeatedly with all your fingers causing a falling-through-the-sky effect.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• GeoRing

  

  GeoRing will tag your phone calls with music and location information. You can use it to instantly turn your iTunes music library into ringtones, withou syncing with iTunes. Essentially, it creates a ringtone playlist, and then it randomly picks a song from your playlist when your phone rings.

  It will also log the duration of each of your calls and using GPS, identify where you got each call from with a geotag. Note: GeoRing works only with iPhone 4 and 3GS.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$1.19

• BEP360

  

  The Black Eyed Peas frontman, will.i.am, has made headlines spruiking for BlackBerry, but now he's changed horses by launching a music video for Apple devices through iTunes. Supposedly the world's first 360-degree view music video, "The Time 360", has a unique perspective that changes its point of view as you swing your iPhone or iPad around a 360-degree axis.

  As soon as you point your device onto the cover artwork of the album, a virtual 3D avatar appears and dances as the music starts. It also features an aggregated Twitter feed from all Black Eyed Peas band members and a Peas-inspired puzzle game.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$1.19

• Andy-83, Andy-86

  

  We've found two calculator emulators for your Android phone. Andy-93 emulates the TI-83 graphing calculator, which is great for statistics and trigonometry. It lets you graph and compare functions, perform data plotting and analysis, and write programs in TI-BASIC.

  Andy-86 emulates the TI-86 graphing calculator, which is skewed for engineering and calculus. It also lets you graph and compare functions, perform bit manipulation and convert between numeric bases, solve differential equations, plot vector fields and write programs in TI-BASIC.

  Platform: Android Andy-83, Andy-86

  Price: free

• Bored Room Bingo

  

  Pass the time during those less than exciting meetings without completely tuning out. Listen for your co-workers to say the buzz words on your bingo grid as you work your way to five words in a row. Bingo!

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• Big Day Out

  

  This is the official app for Big Day Out Summer 2011. It features the complete line-up and location of where the bands are playing. You can add filters by location to drill down to what you want to see to build your own custom schedule. There are lots of links for news and tickets, plus the artist info contains full bios and links to artists' websites, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and iTunes.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Discovr

  

  Developed by Australians, this music app builds an interactive map of millions of bands and artists. It lets you see how the music you love is connected, and makes it easy to discover new bands and artists that are similar to what you like.

  Bands that are similar are connected by lines to show their relationships. Just tap on one you like and the map will grow organically to show other similar artists. You can double tap on a band to see more info about them. You can watch their videos, check out their bio or read the latest reviews and blogs articles about their music. When you find a band or artist you like you can also share it with your friends via Twitter and Facebook or save it to your favourites.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Poynt

  

  Newly released for Australia, Poynt is a local search app that has four search verticals (businesses, restaurants, movies and the weather). Once you conduct your search you can then click-to-call, click-to-browse, find a map location and email results to a friend without exiting the application.

  The Android version takes advantage of the unique capabilities of Android devices through the integration of a top 10 movie widget and voice-activated search. The Windows Phone 7 version uses the pivot feature to ensure that you can access all your local search information quickly.

  Platform: Android, Windows Phone 7 and BlackBerry

  Price: free

• realestate.com.au

  

  Torn between spending Saturday trawling property listings or going to the beach? Well, you can do both with this mobile app from realestate.com.au, which includes both for sale and rental listings. It can search based on your current location (so you can search for a new crib by the beach). It has an auto-suggest feature for faster searches and it remembers previous search criteria so all the important information is accessible the next time you want to use it. You can view photos without leaving the property details page, plus you can email or phone an agent directly at the click of a button.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• TripView

  

  Long popular on iPhone, there is now a beta version of TripView for Android. It displays Sydney train/bus/ferry timetables. All info is stored locally on your phone, including a full timetable viewer with a scrolling CityRail-style display. It includes trackwork/service interruption information and maps. As a plus, you can download timetable updates from within the app.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Temporary Gallery

  

  Australian lovers of both the visual and performing arts can find new exhibitions and shows and generally keep updated with the art scene through Temporary Gallery. It's a place for creative types to showcase their work and promote upcoming events. This is a new platform and seems a bit thin on the ground as yet, but the idea is good (and the app is free). Artists wanting to get involve must pay to be included.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• War in the Pacific

  

  War in the Pacific is based on an eponymous coffee-table book published early last year. The ebook's 20 chapters fill five main sections spanning the years between 1941 and 1945. Each beautifully illustrated page includes supplemental materials such as photos, secret documents, archival videos and profiles of historical figures.

  In other words, imagine a typical historical tome, but with photos you can zoom in on, a timeline you can view and hide at will, the occasional video corresponding to a passage in the text, a search function, and so on.

  It has two other noteworthy features: animated, narrated maps of each of the five sections and a three-dimensional scrolling wall of all the photos contained in the book. The latter is pretty cool, though the photos themselves don't zoom to fill the screen - perhaps because many of them are a bit soft to begin with.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: AU$12.99

• Lookout Mobile Security

  

  Lookout Mobile Security has become a darling of the Android app world, although the hype isn't without good reason. Even if the antivirus and malware threats haven't fully materialised quite yet for the mobile operating system - and there are some indications that's changing - Lookout offers enough solid security features to make it a must-have app. It comes with a free phone locator service that can be upgraded to include remote wipe and remote lock options, as well as online backup for your contacts and anti-malware scans. Here is a full review on our sister site, Download.com

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• FitnessClass

  

  If you're one of the many whose New Year's resolutions included something like "lose weight" or "get in shape", here's an iPad app that serves up more than 230 workout videos. No trips to the gym, just on-demand streamed classes for just about any kind of workout you want: fat burning, core strengthening, arm toning, and so on.

  In fact, you can search for video classes based on your goal (weight loss, strength, etc), the time you have available (from 10 to 90 minutes), the instructor you want and even equipment (dumbbells, Swiss ball, etc).

  There are seven free classes to get you started. Additional videos cost between AU$1.19 and AU$29.99 a piece, but it varies on whether you're going for a 30-day rental or full purchase. (For now, purchased classes - like rented ones - must be streamed, but a download option is in the works.) Thankfully, you can preview any class before buying or renting it.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Tetris Evolution

  

  Though not an official Tetris application, this new 3D puzzle game features smooth blocks movement and nice animation. You have to slide/rotate blocks to form full lines and get the screen cleared and prevent the top of the screen from being filled with bricks. It's got haptic feedback and lots of ways to customise your gameplay.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• CamCard

  

  CamCard is a business card reader based on OCR technologies, which means it can turn piles of business cards into your phone Contacts with just several clicks. What you only need to do is provide clear card photos either by built-in camera or album.

  Snap and click and all info on the business card will be automatically recognised and categorised. It also provides a Card Holder to save all the business card images. After the card is recognised and saved in Card Holder, you can make calls, send SMS/email, search in Linkedin, visit the home page, and locate the address on Google Maps right from the Card Holder.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• This Day in Led Zeppelin

  

  This Day in Led Zeppelin is the first in a series of apps that chronicle the biggest names in music, including unique audio-visual elements. Among other things, it lists every gig the band ever played, including set lists, recordings, gigs and TV performances. It has an On This Day Zeppelin calendar, and Zeppelin quizzes with hundreds of interactive quiz questions, scored out of 10, with unique score sound clips.

  Furthermore, it includes a detailed critique of every studio track and every Zeppelin album with a unique link to play any Zeppelin track contained in your own iTunes library within the app. Or, it will link you to instantly buy the track to complete your library via iTunes.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Due Today

  

  Due Today is designed to help you get organised. You can use it to create tasks and assign them to projects and contexts. You can also set reminders to help you remember important things. You can even be reminded daily about things you didn't do yesterday.

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$2.99 or free Lite version

• CNET Australia Exposure

  

  Forgive us for starting the year with some blatant self-promotion, but our tech gurus have built an app that beautifully showcases the work of the amateur and professional photographers from our CNET Exposure series. Designed specifically for the iPad, you can easily see our entire collection of Exposure photo galleries by swiping the screen, plus it includes captions, exposure data and biographies of the photographers for an insight into their photographic processes.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Sydney Festival 2011

  

  Sydney Festival offers a rich program of around 80 events involving upwards of 500 artists from Australia and abroad covering dance, theatre, music, visual arts, cross media and forums. The 2011 Festival App includes fully searchable listings of Festival events and artists, quick access to Festival Blog and Twitter feeds, a full list and special menus from all restaurants with festival tie-ins, and more. There are also lots of information for visitors to Sydney.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: free

• Official Australian Open 2011 Program

  

  It's January, which means in Australia our sporting attention turns to Grand Slam tennis. IBM has long provided the tech behind the Melbourne event, and it's collaborated to develop an iPad app that provides real-time access to match, tournament and venue information, as well as an electronic version of the Official Australian Open Program.

  In addition to the latest news, scores, schedules, weather updates, ticket information and video highlights, fans can also follow comments from the tennis stars via Twitter and Facebook. It has an Autograph feature, where players and other celebrities can sign the iPad with their fingertips, which can then be saved to Scrapbook and emailed to friends. Scrapbook lets users personalise their Australian Open 2011 experience by capturing specific information being streamed through the application on a particular day. Items that can be stored include attendance numbers, autographs, scores, weather, time, tweets, top players by continent and countdown clocks.

  A free Australian Open iPhone app is also available, which provides the same basic info without the bells and whistles.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: AU$4.99

• Fox Sports

  

  Fox Sports has launched a sports video app for the iPad called Fox Sports View. It offers live 24/7 streaming of the Fox Sports News Channel. This includes extended highlights (typically six to 10 minutes) packages of selected sports matches of the week, including coverage of the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash season, Super Rugby season, the AFC Asian Cup 2011, Hyundai A League and major cricket events as well as Fox Sports news clips.

  You can turn off the stream of videos for any sport that doesn't interest you and its "Watch Later" functionality lets you bookmark content for later (subject to expiry).

  Note: due to rights issues, this app is only available in the Australian store and content can only be viewed in Australia. You will incur data costs in addition to the 31-day subscription fee; however, there are no pre-roll ads to interrupt your viewing.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: AU$5.99 for a 31-day subscription service

• Drink Sydney

  

  Several weeks ago we showcased the EAT Sydney app by Deck of Secrets. If that app whet your appetite, then you'll love this bar-hopping edition.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$5.00

• Australian Cricket News

  

  Considering the summer Ozzie cricket's had so far, we're not too sure how popular this one will be, but perhaps it's for people who like watching train wrecks. Anyway, you'll find all the latest headlines about Australian Cricket here.

  Platform: Nokia Ovi

  Price: free

• Google Translate (update)

  

  Although it's not the most feature-packed translator for Android, Google Translate offers a simple way to translate basic words and phrases among dozens of languages. It also includes spoken translations and Romanisation of non-Roman scripts. Although sentences may come out kind of wonky depending on the structure, it definitely works in a pinch.

  Now Google has released an update that aims to make the interface easier to navigate and the program more user-friendly. Among the changes: a more responsive input box, improved drop-down boxes for selecting languages to translate between and a cleaner layout.

  Google Translate is also introducing an experimental feature called Conversation Mode. The idea with this mode is to allow you to communicate fluidly with someone nearby who is speaking another language. With the press of a button, the app will record your piece of the conversation; it will then translate your speech and read it aloud to the other person. At launch, Conversation Mode is only available between English and Spanish, and while it is in alpha, factors like background noise and regional dialects are expected to interfere somewhat with the functionality.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Top Gear games

  

  BBC Worldwide has launched two new games based on Top Gear: Top Gear: Where's Stig and Top Gear: Stunt School.

  Top Gear: Where's Stig brings the popular Where's Stig book to life, and allows players to follow Stig to the farthest corners of the globe in an attempt to locate the faceless hero, as well as some of his most famous friends.

  Top Gear: Stunt School provides the player extreme challenges to complete by modifying their car with ridiculous extras such as jet engines, huge wheels and hang-glider wings. There are over 2 billion different combinations of add-ons and modifications, which players can also use to try and beat a lap time set by the Stig around the infamous Top Gear test track.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: Top Gear: Where's Stig AU$3.99, Top Gear: Stunt School AU$4.99

• Mobiscope

  

  In real time, Mobiscope streams popular webcams from all around the globe in full screen. All webcams are organised by categories like Beaches, Animals, Cities, Harbours, Hotels, Landscapes, Mountains, Rivers, Sights, Sports, etc. World places have links to Wikipedia articles.

  Besides viewing public cameras, you can configure and watch at your own IP cameras. You can also view a group of cameras simultaneously.

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$1.99

• Zombies!!!

  

  Microsoft Game Studio has recreated one of our favourite table-top games of all time. Zombies!!! (that's right, three exclamation points!!!) is a turn-based survival game and worth every penny you'll pay.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$6.50 (no ads)

• Pinball Ride

  

  A 3D pinball sim that showcases the graphic capabilities of Android, Pinball Ride is fast and fun. Not one for low-end Android phones though, check out the compatibility list before you hand over your dollar.

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$1.00

• Cut Rope

  

  Yet another iPhone favourite that has come home to Android. Cut Rope is a simple puzzle game that is way more challenging than it looks.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Phoney

  

  Do you find yourself stuck in incredibly boring meetings? Or perhaps you've got a dull, long-winded friend? If you need an excuse to break away, Phoney was designed so you can fake a call to yourself. You'll just have to practice your "I've really gotta take this" face.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$2.99

• Google Maps (update)

  

  This Google Maps update offers 3D capability, which lets you see a simulated skyline for more than 100 cities around the world. And thanks to the use of vectors, you can get a different perspective by tilting the map forward for an angled view. To get there, just drag two fingers downward across the display. The same multi-touch feature allows pinch-to-zoom and the ability to rotate maps by turning two fingers.

  Along similar lines, you can enter compass mode by tapping the compass icon in the top right corner. The map will enter 3D mode and continually rotate to point in the direction the user is headed.

  The other enhancement to Google Maps 5.0 is the ability to cache maps locally to the handset. Maps load quickly and take up very little space, which allows for a seamless experience even if you move into an area where mobile coverage is not available. What's more, should you travel into a dead spot, the app will still dynamically render parts of the map, keeping travellers on the right path.

  Maps are autocached whenever the phone is connected to Wi-Fi. The same feature is expected to roll out to the Maps Navigation Beta portion of the app over the next couple of weeks, along with offline rerouting.

  Note: Google Earth has been updated this week as well, with performance improvements and bug fixes.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• iGiftWise

  

  This application is for forgetful people. It keeps information on what gifts you've given your contacts previously, what days you should be giving them a present, as well as their sizes (ring, dress/suit, shoe, shirt/blouse, pant/skirt) and favourite things (flowers, candy, birthstone, colours, restaurants). It also lets you store ideas for potential gifts (price, store and images from your phone's photo album). Could shopping really be that simple?

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• Glowstick

  

  Summer fireworks and outdoor events mean the kids will be begging you to buy glowsticks. Beat them to the punch by having this app on your phone. You can create custom colours or select from a group of preset colours.

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$0.99

• Trainz Simulator

  

  How would you like to build and operate the railroad of your dreams? With Trainz, you can do everything from driving the trains to laying tracks, customising routes, networks and terrains, as well as manage the schedule.

  Trainz has been out on PCs for 10 years, so while the iPad touchscreen platform is new, the simulator is not. An Android Trainz app is apparently on the way shortly.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: AU$14.99

• Classic Hits Network

  

  The Classic Hits app delivers music from WSFM Sydney, Gold 104.3 Melbourne and 4KQ Brisbane, all from within the application.

  Platform: Nokia Ovi

  Price: free

• Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time

  

  This action puzzle adventure turns you into an intrepid traveller through time and space as the last of the powerful Time Lords. Play as the Doctor, armed only with your incredible intelligence and sonic screwdriver or as his human companion, Amy Pond and race to save an innocent family attacked by a rogue Dalek and hurtled into the depths of history.

  Your journey will take you from ancient Incan temples, to the frozen tombs of Telos and a stunning finale on a Dalek ship. Defeat your favourite enemies, solve over 100 devious puzzles and restore peace throughout time!

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$4.99

• Flick Buddies

  

  Flick Buddies is an action game that supports up to four players at once and includes a single player mode against a challenging AI opponent for when friends are scarce. Players have a choice of four themes of nutty characters and environments, spread over 12 unlockable levels. The physics-based gameplay will have you bouncing off walls, teleporting to unknown dimensions or getting sucked into vortexes of death.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$0.99 Flick Buddies iPhone, AU$2.49 Flick Buddies HD iPad

• Basketball Australia News

  

  Keep up-to-date with the latest headlines about basketball in Australia with this sports newsfeed from Feedzilla.

  Platform: Nokia Ovi

  Price: free

• National Geographic Australia

  

  This gives you access to the National Geographic Australia television channel on your phone. It includes clips from the best shows, downloadable wallpapers and ringtones, plus a comprehensive TV schedule.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• IM+

  

  This instant messaging chat app pulls all your friends from all accounts (pick from Skype, Facebook, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo, Google Talk and MySpace IM) into one buddy list with no pre-registration required. There is no cost per message, as it doesn't use SMS to send messages.

  It has recently been upgraded to include group chats, support for multiple accounts of the same network, geo-status, and the ability to send chat history via email.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free or US$4.95 (no ads)

• A-League Buddy

  

  We may not be getting the FIFA World Cup, but there's still the A-League. The free version of this app has its match schedules, team standings, news and updates. An in-app paid subscription can be activated if you want to get the latest scores, standings and matches reports.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: free

• taste.com.au Christmas Cooking

  

  It's getting just close enough now to start seriously thinking about the Christmas menu and this app has over 140 recipes focused on festive feasts. In addition to step-by-step recipe instructions, it has 11 how-to videos ranging from stuffing a turkey to perfecting your Pavlova. There's also a built-in shopping list function, a kitchen timer integrated within the recipes, temperature converters, and measurement and serving calculators.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Labor/Liberal/Greens News

  

  Political junkies who are suffering from withdrawal now that parliament's in recess may want to subscribe to these apps, which provide quick access to the latest news, tweets, TV and multimedia content from the party/parties of their choice. Pick from:

  Australian Labor Party News
  Australian Liberal News
  The Greens News

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$0.99 each

• The Daily Show

  

  If you prefer your politics served with a dash of Jon Stewart humour, The Daily Show app may be more your style. You won't get full episodes, but it does offer up a shareable quote of the day (and accompanying show segment) for roughly the last eight weeks' worth of shows.

  Tap the Topics button and you'll see a spinning word cloud (or an alphabetical list if you switch views), with each item leading to handfuls - if not buckets - of clips related to that topic. These appear to date back as far as December 2009 - not the full archives by any stretch, but still plenty of stuff to watch.

  Finally, there's the Tweets button, which shows not only #TheDailyShow and #JonStewart hashtags, but also the tweets for the show itself and four correspondents (Aasif Mandvi, Olivia Munn, John Hodgman and Kristen Schaal).

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$1.99

• Astral Commander

  

  Similar to Air Control, this is a simple drawing game where you take on the role of Astral Commander, charged with directing high-tech robots to collect resources for base construction on alien planets. Of course, you'll need to open fire on all enemies when things get serious.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free for lite version, US$2.04 for full version

• Hero of Sparta

  

  A game that has already won fans on iOS and Android, Gameloft's Hero of Sparta is now available for owners of Symbian^3 phones. A classic hack 'n' slash, this game delivers an impressive 3D adventure to the small screen.

  Platform: Ovi

  Price: AU$4.00

• Fuzzies HD

  

  If you're old enough to remember Lemmings then you'll probably love this cute strategy title. The Fuzzies are a colourful but dim race of meerkat-like creatures who need your help just to stay alive.

  Platform: Ovi

  Price: AU$2.00

• Star Wars: Cantina

  

  Even creatures in a wretched hive of scum and villainy need a drink from time to time. Based on the popular Diner Dash series, Star Wars: Cantina has you whipping up meals and serving drinks to customers in the most famous diner in the Star Wars universe.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$4.00

• New Weird Australia

  

  New Weird Australia is a podcast from a show on FBi radio that supports new eclectic and experimental Australian music. It features selected interviews and exclusive, in-studio recordings, as well as live performances from events and video interviews.

  You can stream the latest episodes or download directly into the app, with recent episodes automatically updated in-app.

  Platform: new to Android, but it's been on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad for a few months.

  Price: AU$1.99 for Android, AU$2.49 for Apple

• BreezyPrint

  

  While iPhone and iPad users are using AirPrint to wirelessly print documents for free, Windows Phone customers will need a tiny subscription to perform a similar task. The key difference between AirPrint and BreezyPrint though, is that BreezyPrint can send a document to a printer anywhere in the world, not just print to a printer on your LAN.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free, but requires a subscription of US$5.00/month

• ABC iView

  

  Fans of the ABC's iView service will love that Aunty has now released an iView app customised for Apple's iPad. It will offer its catch-up TV service with more than 160 programs from all four ABC channels - ABC1, ABC2, ABC3 and ABC for Kids. Several UK comedy specials have been included for the iPad launch as well: Fawlty Towers, Little Britain, The Catherine Tate Show, Saxondale, Nighty Night and People Like Us. It also offers live streaming over Wi-Fi of ABC News 24, but note that data usage won't be unmetered, even on ISPs which offer the desktop version of iView unmetered, because of the iPad's lack of Adobe Flash support.

  Something new on the iPad application that's not yet available from its online counterpart is the Watchlist feature. Watchlist allows users to bookmark favourite shows and series, and then it sends push notification alerts when new episodes become available.

  The ABC says that iView apps will be available for iPhone and Android next year; however, iView works directly from the website when viewed on Android-based devices because they already support Flash.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Angry Birds Seasons

  

  The Angry Birds phenomenon continues with this festive update. This new download will eventually include 25 new levels, but in a cute twist: these levels will be revealed once a day until the 25th - like a virtual advent calendar.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Cricket T20 Fever HD

  

  As recommended by @theashes, T20 Fever is the perfect game to bring fans closer to this summer's cricket action. The game features some great graphics matched with good touchscreen controls, making it well worth the two bucks.

  Platform: Nokia

  Price: AU$2.00

• SketchBook Mobile

  

  Want to draw on your 'droid? Autodesk SketchBook Mobile is a professional-grade paint and drawing application that offers a full set of sketching tools and a streamlined user interface. It's been out on iPhone for a while, but now it's in on the Android act.

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$0.99

• Motörhead Remixer

  

  The Motörhead Remixer allows you to remix some of the band's greatest hits and share your new mix on Facebook. There are two banks of samples with loops and punches, and you can add effects to your mixes such as Flanger and Echo.

  Songs available for free with the app are Ace of Spades, Killed by Death, (We Are) The Road Crew and Stay Clean. Tracks available to purchase in-app include Love Me Like a Reptile, Iron Fist, Jailbait, Bomber and Overkill.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$9.99

• Weather AU

  

  For some smartphone users, just knowing a five-day forecast isn't enough. If you want a more detailed weather map, this app provides data from a number of sources including the Bureau of Meteorology.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$3.00

  Attention BlackBerry users: the Weather Channel has launched an app this week for you too: The Weather Channel Australia. Price AU$3.35

• Headliners

  

  Headliners allows you to easily generate and edit playlists based on the line-up of your favourite festival or gig - past, present or future.

  Miss Woodstock in 1969? The Headliners database has a large back catalogue of past setlists so you can relive a past gig from start to finish. Or you can use it to generate playlists from upcoming music festival line-ups like Good Vibrations, Field Day and The Big Day Out to give you a taste of what's coming.

  While it utilises the music collection on your device, it will also suggest new songs that you can purchase directly through the iTunes Store.

  You can rearrange, delete and replace songs with the swipe of a finger to edit your playlists on the fly. Once you're happy with your playlist, you can share it with your friends via Facebook and email.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$1.19

• Sydney Transit

  

  Every smartphone platform needs a local transit timetable, and for Symbian-swinging Sydneysiders that app is Sydney Transit. A free download, this app lists train times as you'd expect to see them at the station, clearly listing the next available trains along the route you select.

  Platform: Nokia

  Price: free

• Swype

  

  While Swype is available only on select Android handsets, Nokia is giving it away for free to anyone with a compatible Symbian phone. Swype is a keyboard replacement that replaces the hen-pecking of on-screen keyboards with a slick swiping gesture that speeds up typing immensely.

  Platform: Nokia

  Price: free

• Google Reader

  

  Perhaps this is just something tech journos care about, but we've been looking for a great Google Reader app since the very first time we used Android. Lo and behold, the best may have landed and it comes from the minds of the engineers at Google itself. This app is simple, clean and reasonably fast.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Cascade - The Brewer's Nose

  

  Hot on the heels of the Beer Lovers Guide to Australia that we featured three weeks ago, comes the Cascade Brewer's Nose which has tasting notes on over 500 Australian and international brews compiled by Tasmanian chef Rodney Dunn of the Agrarian Kitchen. He also serves up suggestions on how to match your food menu with the most appropriate beer.

  The app uses GPS technology too to help beer-lovers search for their favourite stores, pubs and bars that stock Cascade, as well as helping you keep tally of the brews that you've tried to date. Those behind its marketing efforts are claiming that it's a little like Foursquare for beer.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• Cocktail Flow

  

  Cocktail recipes apps are a dime-a-dozen, but few are as attractively designed as Cocktail Flow. This app mixes a huge menu of drinks with the ability to build lists of the stock in your bar and shopping lists for your next trip to Dan Murphy's.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$4.00

• OzSun UV Alert

  

  With the rain easing up occasionally, we're grabbing the sunshine as much as we can, but how much is safe?

  This is an Australian-specific app which displays and rates the current UV levels based on information provided by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

  OzSun UV Alert currently covers nine Australian cities: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Kingston, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Sydney and Townsville, but more should be made available in future.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: Free (until December 2010)

• Doom Live Wallpaper

  

  If you ever needed evidence that Android was a geeky platform, look no further than the Doom Live Wallpaper. A randomly generating animation, this wallpaper pits the Doom space marine against unending hordes of hell's demons behind your software shortcuts and Facebook updates. Awesome.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• Australia Post

  

  Ever needed to know someone's postcode and spent long minutes thumbing through the White Pages? The Australia Post app includes handy information just like this, with all of Australia's postcodes, a postage cost calculator and parcel tracking.

  Platform: Windows Phone

  Price: Free

• The Economist

  

  The Economist free app includes a weekly sample of must-read articles chosen by the editor, but the full issue of The Economist is available through In App Purchase each week using your iTunes account.

  Digital and print subscribers can receive full and unrestricted access to The Economist on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch as well as The Economist online by using their print or online subscription credentials.

  Once downloaded, each issue of The Economist is stored on the user's device, making it possible to read the newspaper in full without an internet connection. Each issue also features the full audio edition, with all articles read by newscasters.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: App is Free, Full issues are AU$7.99

• Scuba Exam

  

  Scuba Exam has been designed as an introduction to scuba diving for anyone planning on taking an Open Water Diver course. It also gives anyone who already has a dive certificate a chance to easily test and refresh their knowledge.

  The app includes a Scuba Quiz with 250 illustrated questions complete with detailed results and educational explanations, an extensive and easily navigated section with basic scuba diving theory and a searchable diving glossary.

  Platform: Lite version: Free

• Ski Maps

  

  Instead of diving, perhaps you're heading to colder climes to get some skiing in?

  This app provides maps for most ski resorts around the world and uses your phone's GPS to show you where you are, what direction you're skiing in, your speed and the route that you've skied so far. You can then upload the route to your computer and map it on Google Earth. The track is exported in the GPX format and contains speed and elevation. You can also quickly navigate back to fixed points such as where you parked your car or your favourite spot for lunch by marking the map.

  Maps are based on openpistemap.org.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: AU$3.99

• Flee

  

  Let us take you back to a simpler time, when phone calls where taken in the parlour and video games were sold as their very own handheld. Flee emulates the game'n'watch handheld experience we all loved back in the 80's, even goes so far as to replicate the way the old LCD screens reacted when you pressed on them.

  Platform: Android

  Price: AU$1.41

• Doodle God

  

  You know that fire and water make steam and that water and earth make mud, but how would you go about making vodka? Doodle God is a fantastic mind-boggler that has you trying to combine two options at a time to discover all the hidden elements on offer - which in turn you use to create even more. Android owners can find a similar game by searching for "Alchemy".

  Platform: Windows

  Price: AU$4.00

• Shazam

  

  Love that song, but you don't know the artist or the name of it? Now available on Blackberry, Shazam will detect the tune and give you all the information you need.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: Free

• gStrings

  

  Despite the PG-rated name this is a very good, and free, instrument tuner for Android. The interface is clean and easy to read, and musicians from bedroom guitarists through to concert violinists should be able to pick it up and use it straight away.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• Hexetera

  

  Developed by Aussies, Hexetera is a puzzle game with the aim of manoeuvring Primaries - pieces in a triangular grid - to form single colour hexagonal and diagonal formations. Formations explode on creation, causing Primaries above them to fall. The game goes into second gear with Secondaries, falling pieces that help or hinder you. Power up with Reward Buttons when you make formations and rise through the levels. Diagonal formations are fun and score the most points, but are the most challenging to make.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$1.99

• Culinary Fundamentals

  

  Suffering from reality TV cooking show withdrawal? This app contains instructional cookery videos created by professional chefs and is supposedly used by cooking schools around the world.

  With seven categories including: precision cuts, meat preparation, seafood preparation, poultry preparation, fruit preparation, vegetable preparation and basic cooking knowledge, it includes over 260 skills videos covering techniques such as knife skills, filleting fish, shellfish preparation, trussing poultry and more.

  All videos are native to the application so there's no need for a wireless connection to watch them. There are also suggested menu applications for each culinary technique.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$5.99

• Sydney Photos

  

  This app has hundreds of photos of Sydney - architecture, lifestyle, landscapes, monuments - that you can save on your phone, set as wallpaper or share via Gmail and Facebook. We could not find its equivalent for any other Australian cities, but developer Citypic did launch Stockholm Pics this week too.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• U'Sober?

  

  We see how this app has its limitations, but hey, it may be handy given Christmas party season is upon us. It prompts you to walk in a straight line for five seconds, then the little green droid dude passes judgment on whether you're sober or drunk. The developer does post the caveat that "this test is only an indication of your state of inebriation".

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• Browser Plus

  

  Windows Phone Internet Explorer browser is a huge improvement over previous versions, but it's still a bit limited in usability. Browser Plus adds a few key features essential to any good browser, including tabbed browsing, a text-only "reader view" and Google search by default for those who want to shrug off Microsoft's railroading of users towards Bing.

  Platform: Windows

  Price: AU$1.30

• EAT. Sydney

  

  Last week we found the best coffee in Melbourne, this week it's dining out in Sydney. EAT Sydney is an app catering to Sydney's most eager eaters, digging up the best dining options from high-class restaurants to cheap-eats cafes. Whether your palate is akin to Matt Preston or Elvis Presley, this app should be able to point you in the right direction.

  Platform: Windows Phone

  Price: AU$5.00

• EveryLock

  

  Do you have things you'd like to keep confidential on your phone? EveryLock can password protect your native and third-party applications, emails (either singly or by contact), whole folders or individual files, as well as received and sent SMS and MMS messages.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$1.99

• Beer Lovers Guide to Australia

  

  The Beer Lovers Guide to Australia is a showcase of 567 Australian beers, 100 bars and 124 breweries. The snapshot of each of the beers includes alcohol percentage, beer style and the brewers description. You can make your own tasting notes and start a list of favourites.

  Details for each beer-serving venue includes its description, events, functions and tastings, contact details, trading hours and a map to get you there.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Where is My Phone

  

  If you lose your BlackBerry, this app lets you use another phone to send a text message using a keyword you've set up that will cause your handset to make a sound, even if it is in silent mode.

  You can also set it up to send a reply to the phone you sent the prompt from, which will include the GPS location of your phone in latitude and longitude as well as a link to Google maps so you can also get directions to it.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$1.99

• Appsfire

  

  This could run us out of business, but Appsfire is a new app-finding app. It claims to serve up recommendations based on your installed apps and geography. You can also share and send apps, create apps lists, move apps to your SD card or uninstall them with a single click.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• New Zealand Newspapers

  

  Want to keep track of what's happening in Aotearoa? This newly updated app lists major New Zealand newspapers and news sites online. You can find news from the New Zealand Herald, Stuff, Dominion Post, The Press, Auckland, The Nelson Mail, Manawatu Standard, Marlborough Express, Southland Times, TVNZ, Scoop etc. News read more often will go up on your list.

  There's a local version too, Australian Newspapers, that covers a mix of Australian news content.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• ABC for Kids

  

  This updated app is free, but it links you to a host of children's content at ABC For Kids iTunes catalogue. As a special offer on the launch this week, you get included selected music tracks and videos from The Wiggles and Justine Clark.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• Melbourne Coffee Review

  

  Most Melbournites probably think they have a pretty good grasp on where to find the best coffee in their neighbourhood, but you never can tell when you're going to be stuck in the back of the boondocks craving a decent cup of java. The Melbourne Coffee Review app will point you in the right direction, rating cafes on service, atmosphere and, of course, the coffee.

  Platform: Windows Phone

  Price: free

• SMS Reader

  

  This updated app reads incoming text messages to you. It also announces the caller name of incoming calls. Apps like these are handy when you're driving and there's a widget to quickly enable/disable reading.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• The Australian Women's Weekly Cookbooks

  

  This recipe sampler lets you taste-test a selection of Triple-Tested recipes from the Australian Women's Weekly test kitchen. From the cookbook Slow Cooker, the recipes include soups, stews, casseroles and curries, pot roasts and a selection of desserts.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Ultimate Spirit Level

  

  Need to put up a shelf, hang a door or maybe you're just compulsive about straightening crooked photos on the wall? Try this spirit level app, which works the much as a "real" level - when the bubble is centred in the "targets" you know it's level on that side.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free version and US$1.09 fancy version

• Flowersbyphone

  

  Send flowers anywhere in Australia and select your order by flower type, occasion or price range.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• Kebab Manager Deluxe

  

  BlackBerry users are business types right? And we could bring you another new app this week to keep up with your share portfolio called myStocks, but you've probably already got that covered, right?

  Instead, how about a game that you play to become the most powerful kebab vendor in the city? To build up your restaurant, you have to combine the right ingredients, hire skilled staff and satisfy the needs of your customers. That'll test your business skills.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$4.99

• BigScreen

  

  One of the increasingly popular genre of smartphone apps are tools that let you remotely control TVs and media servers. BigScreen turns your new Windows Phone into a Windows Media Centre remote, with functionality that allows you to schedule recordings as well as control playback. It's a bit pricey, but for those who use Windows Media Centre as their central home cinema PVR, it is money well spent.

  Platform: Windows Phone

  Price: AU$6.50

• Mobile banking with St George

  

  Android users who bank with St George will be happy to know that they can now securely access a range of services through their phone including checking balances, transferring funds, paying bills and more. The app also provides information on banking products and it can locate the nearest St George ATM or branch via GPS.

  St George claims that its iPhone and iPad mobile banking apps are already used by 600,000 customers every month. The bank also says an application for the new BlackBerry Torch will be available soon.

  Platform: Android (new) iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• BlackBerry Maps for Australia and New Zealand

  

  BlackBerry Maps is a mapping application that provides a visual map, route and instructions. The interactive map allows you to pan, rotate and zoom in all directions. You can then send yor map via email and open BlackBerry Maps from other applications such as your contact list, where you can view your contact's addresses on a map.

  You can also enhance your maps via a GPS-enabled BlackBerry device or an external Bluetooth-enabled GPS receiver to view your current location with even greater accuracy and track your route to your target destination.

  If your BlackBerry has a handset code of 4.2 or later, BlackBerry Maps does not have to be downloaded but will be pushed out to your BlackBerry within the next 30 days. Users with pre-4.2 handset code need to click here to download this app. BlackBerry Device Software v4.1 or later is also required.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• iBooks

  

  Note that this app is not new, but given that until this week there have been precious few titles in the Australian iBookstore, there has previously been no real reason to get it. But this week Apple announced local partnerships with six publishers - Macmillan, Hachette Book Group, Hardie Grant, HarperCollins Publishers, Murdoch Publishers and Wiley - so it may be time to get this app and take a look.

  There has been a fair bit of criticism about the publishers and titles that still aren't available, and the prices of the ebooks if you do find one you want to read, but at least the app itself is free, and no doubt the iBookstore will keep growing over time.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• Tip calculator

  

  Thinking of splurging on a US trip to take advantage of the high Aussie dollar? Remember you'll have to tip stateside, so this app helps add a tip per cent on to the main bill amount. Even if you're not tipping, you can also use it to calculate the amount that each person at the table will need to contribute towards a bill.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• OutFront

  

  With OutFront, fitness enthusiasts can measure their performance in detail, keep track of their training and share it with friends, family and followers via Map My Tracks, which is an outdoor social network for sports enthusiasts. Users can get second-by-second stats of their performance and through its integration with the Map My Tracks website they can sync their activities live online for others to follow if they choose.

  The site has Street View integrated into the activity viewer so you can get a first-person view of the ride or activity people carry out while they do it, which is great for tracking folks you've sponsored at charity fitness events.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: Free version and AU$5.99 version

• Happy Snapper

  

  Happy Snapper is an app that helps you make fun of your friends. What's not to like? It features a selection of editable stickers that you can put on any picture you've taken and then further modify it with your own message. "I'm with stupid" seems popular, but you're only limited by your wit and imagination.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$1.19

• Bye Bye Brain

  

  Tower defence games are a dime-a-dozen on iPhone and Android, so it's a real pleasure to showcase a game in this genre that is oozing with style. Bye Bye Brain pits you and your growing army against wave after wave of hungry undead. The game is in full 3D with pinch-to-zoom for close ups of the gory action.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$3.00

• Twozaic

  

  Like Bye Bye Brain, Twozaic is yet another example of an app that we see everyday of the week, the Twitter client, but with a twist. Twozaic gives Twitter a 3D skew, displaying your most recent messages in randomly-sized fragments for higher impact.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$3.00

• Referee Aid

  

  This one's for referees and maybe anal soccer parents on the side lines. It has a scoreboard and timer, tallies yellow card and red card registration and even features a whistle.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• iTunes Live: ARIA Awards Concert Series 2010

  

  As a lead up to this year's ARIA Awards, there will be five outdoor concerts at the Sydney Harbour Foreshore from 1 November through 5 November featuring different artists and key nominees each night, including John Butler, Washington, Guy Sebastian, Sia and Angus & Julia Stone. If you can't be there in person, Australians can watch these performances streamed live with this app. The performances will also be recorded and available to watch for free for seven days after the concert.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• MetroView Australia Turn-By-Turn Navigation

  

  With this locally developed navigation software, users can hear typical Australian streets and suburbs pronounced in an Australian-accented male or female voice! MetroView's full GPS functionality can be operated while other applications are running in the background.

  It includes SpeedAlert, which confirms current speed limits with visual and audible warnings, plus it cautions drivers if the vehicle is exceeding the speed limit. Map data is stored on the iPhone so there are no download costs for mapping or navigation. Frequent updates are available with no ongoing subscription costs.

  MetroView also has iPod music control, contacts search and places of interest (POI) using Google Local Search, as well as familiar map design, analog and digital speedometer views, and walking mode with compass functionality on the iPhone 3GS.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$24.99

• Accident Help

  

  Accident Help by Aussie law firm Trilby Misso is designed to provide assistance in gathering necessary information at the time of a traffic accident.

  It is broken down into eight steps to allow you to methodically gather the information you need such as the other vehicle, passenger and witness information, photos of the damage to vehicle and property/items inside the vehicle, as well as accident location, time and date. You can preload your own personal, vehicle and insurance information. Saved reports can be edited at any time.

  Once your report is saved you can email it to any email of your choice and to Trilby Misso Lawyers Client Care Centre to inquire about your legal rights.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• Winamp

  

  Winamp is now available in beta on Android. It offers a complete media management solution by seamlessly syncing with the Winamp desktop library. In addition to high quality playback and persistent player controls, Winamp for Android offers wireless desktop sync with your Winamp desktop application (USB or Wi-Fi). Other features include play queue, scrobbling, playlist shortcuts, lock screen and a widget player.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• TripAdvisor

  

  TripAdvisor's been updated. Now you can browse over 40 million reviews and opinions on the best places to eat, sleep and play, and get advice in travel forums. You can view photos and see what's nearby with the Near Me Now feature. Unfortunately, it doesn't cache pages you've visited and it does require internet access, so don't use it travelling where you'll be hit with high roaming charges.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Jam11

  

  If your music is locked in iTunes on your PC or Mac, but you carry a BlackBerry, this could be the answer to your syncing and storage problems, as Jam11 lets you listen to your iTunes music on BlackBerry phones without ever having to sync.

  After it's installed and you register your BlackBerry, you'll be emailed a link to Jam11Connect software, which you can download and run on the PC or Mac that has iTunes on it. In a few minutes all your playlists, album, artists and song data will appear on your phone and you can listen to any song or podcast anytime from your home computer as long as its connected to the internet.

  In addition to your local music, the Jam11 music player also lets you search and listen to 40,000+ SHOUTcast internet radios from all over the world.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• Picasa Viewer

  

  This app is great for people who prefer Google's Picasa online photo hub to Microsoft's default SkyDrive service for uploading their most recent pics.

  Picasa Viewer logs you into your Picasa account and pulls down all of your galleries so you can view them on your Windows Phone. For an extra AU$3 you can upgrade to the premium version, which allows you to save your pics to the phone or upload new photos you've taken.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free/AU$3 for premium

• AsciiCamera

  

  This one is for the closet geek in all of us. Choose a photo from your camera roll or take a new shot, then sit back and let this app mutate your memories into jagged ASCII art. The results are always good for a laugh.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free

• Citysearch Australia

  

  Citysearch from Sensis provides info on the best places to eat, drink and get a culture fix in eight Australian cities: Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Darwin and Canberra. Users can also add their own reviews and share that info with their friends.

  It incorporates an augmented reality (AR) function that lets you literally see where the best places are in proximity to where you're standing. It also lets you find nearby friends via Facebook Connect.

  The app is free to browse (unmetered) for Telstra Next G customers; however, charges may apply when you interact with third-party sites like Facebook, depending on your phone plan.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: free

• Melbourne Museum "Please Touch the Exhibit"

  

  As part of its 10th birthday celebrations, the Melbourne Museum is launching an iPad app that takes users on a virtual tour through 10 of its most iconic exhibits. It's a new way of getting "inside" the display cases to interact with Phar Lap, Australia's most famous horse and the museum's massive blue whale skeleton. Other popular museum experiences featured include Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, the Forest Gallery, the Melbourne Story exhibition and some of the new exhibitions in the Science and Life Gallery.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Themes in Motion: Horse Racing

  

  For those seriously into the Spring Racing season, this app will customise all icons and backgrounds on your BlackBerry with an animated horse racing theme. Bring on the Melbourne Cup!

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$1.99

• TweetDeck

  

  One of desktop computing's most popular Twitter clients has finally been released to the public on Android. TweetDeck isn’t just Twitter though, it's capable of aggregating your Facebook, Google Buzz and Foursquare activity too.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• How to Get Through the Working DayWithout Actually Doing Any Work

  

  This is a great one for a Friday! This ebook is billed as "the slacker’s handbook". It includes slacker slogans and a quiz to evaluate your slacking potential.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• My Shit-List!

  

  The name is pretty self-explanatory - if you've got one of these lists, here's a way to keep track of it on your phone.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Reckless Racing

  

  One part Micro-Machines and one part Mario Kart, Reckless Racing is all about screaming around the track and not sliding off. It is also championing multiplayer gaming on Android with a few online race modes.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Australian Slang

  

  Dating someone from overseas who can't understand what you're talking about? Got overseas visitors arriving? Give them this slang translator to help them cope.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Aperture Clock Widget

  

  This one's for photographers - the app shows aperture values on the clock dial instead of the hours. The aperture on the clock dial also opens and closes over time (but it updates only every 30 minutes to save battery life).

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$1.05

• Melbourne Literary

  

  A guide to the city's bookshops, writers, publishers, literary events, literary locations, and literary-themed cafes, bars and public art. It includes 161 entries about books, writers, publishers, bookshops, locales to visit and links to online bookshops where you can buy all titles mentioned. Each entry includes a slideshow and descriptive text.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: $3.99

• Good Food Guide 2011

  

  This app combines the popular restaurant guides from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age and contains reviews of fine-dining restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne as well as key restaurants in other states. All can be read without connection to a mobile network. You can also advise other app users of your personal experience by providing your own rating for restaurants featured in the app.

  Platform: BlackBerry, iPhone

  Price: $14.45 (BlackBerry) $9.99 (iPhone)

• Gibson Learn & Master

  

  This one's not new, but it did win the Billboard Music App Awards (didn't know there was such a thing, but there you go). The app features as a "professional quality chromatic tuner, alternate tuning settings, a standard mode tuner, an accurate metronome with multiple time signatures, a chord library and access to free, full-length guitar lessons". It's nearing 2 million downloads on iTunes and is soon to be available for Android.

  Platform: iPhone, Android coming soon

  Price: free

• Poo Log HD

  

  We've got to say it - this is a crap app. Based on the book What's your poo telling you? by Josh Richman and Anish Sheth, MD this app features a digital timer and journal for recording, studying and tracking your daily digestive workings, as well as bathroom humour and medical information.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: $2.49

• Jetlag Travel Guides

  

  This is an e-guide to 16 totally fictional countries - think "Phoney Planet".

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free Lite version (one country); full 16-country version $2.49

• BBC Listener

  

  Aussies can now get the best of BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service including programs such as Desert Island Discs, In Our Time, Americana and Crossing Continents.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: $3.99 a month subscription service for 20 new programs per week. Free 30-day trial.

• HTC Magic
• HTC Tattoo
• LG GW620
• Motorola Quench

Welcome to the Friday App Wrap, the place where we share with you some of the standouts from the new mobile phone apps we find each week. In addition to the apps we touch on below, click through here to see an in-depth video on Apple's new and amazing GarageBand for iPad app.

To see the applications highlighted in previous weeks, flick back via the date tab navigation at the bottom after the last app listed.

• TrueLocal

  

  Location-based apps are all the rage these days, but they don't always work that well. Now the Aussie-focused site TrueLocal.com.au has updated its iPhone app, enabling you to search all types of businesses and sort the results according to proximity, popularity or name. It now also allows lets you post your own reviews from your phone using your TrueLocal or Facebook log-in.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: Free

• Shop Ethical! 2011

  

  Here's a socially conscious app with the low-down on the environmental and social record of the companies behind common brands you buy in Australian supermarkets. It lists over 2,800 products with related company information so you can make an informed and ethical decision whenever you shop.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Australian Grand Prix

  

  Rev up with this app that gives you the full Grand Prix schedule, an interactive map of each event, news, photos and results from both the Formula 1 and V8 events from the 24th - 27th of March.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: Free

• Toby's Estate

  

  If you're a lover of coffee - and particularly Toby's Estate - then this little app will come in handy. It features an augmented reality display that will show you the nearest Toby's Estate outlet or cafe and bring you the latest news from the store (as well as specials available to app users).

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: Free

• Shush! Ringer Restorer

  

  Have you ever put your phone in silent mode, then forgotten to turn it back on again? You won't be able to use that excuse for missed calls if you have an app like Shush, as it automatically turns your phone back on at the time you specify when you turn your ringer off.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• OnTrack Diabetes

  

  OnTrack is designed to provide diabetics with a tool to better manage their diabetes by tracking their glucose, exercise, food, medication, blood pressure, pulse and weight. It provides a variety of detailed graphs and reports that you can share with your doctor and it will activate notifications to remind you to test yourself two hours after eating.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• FatBooth

  

  Want to know what you and your friends would look like with a few extra kilos? Here's a way to instantly supersize faces using either photos taken on your phone or uploaded from a file. Shake your handset to see before and after views, but take note that the app works best with front face photos.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• Puzzle Quest 2

  

  Matching three of a kind gems is so last week. If you're a demon for Bejewelled but you're looking for a twist to the formula, Puzzle Quest is for you. A novel mix of RPG fantasy and gem-matching puzzle solving, your character duels with the evil creatures of the land using your eagle-eye observation to find the matching trios on the game-board. Matches earn attack power to defeat your enemies.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$9.00

• FasterNote

  

  A first-party Evernote app is still notably absent from the Zune Marketplace, so our pick of the better Evernote syncing tools is FasterNote. You can view notes saved to your current Evernote account and create new ones (even using images from your camera roll). You can also share your notes via email or SMS.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$1.30

• TM World Clock & Widget

  

  This easy-to-use world clock application lets you quickly search for the time in other locations and it supports display of multiple clocks.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• Samba Filesharing

  

  Want to access your Android device over WiFi as a Windows shared folder? With your phone visible to Windows computers on your network, you can copy files and folders to and from it using drag and drop.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• Qik Connect Plus

  

  If you take video on your phone and want to share it, you'll like the upgraded capabilities in Qik Connect Plus. This new version includes special features like real-time effects, video editing and the ability to upload and share true HD videos. Of course you can still use it for video chat, instant video messaging, and as a dead easy way to share your videos on social networks. Read more on it here.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Liqua Pop

  

  OK, you're helping a frog get to the top of a leaf and you do this by dragging matching colour droplets together until they burst, but this is a graphically eye-popping game that incorporates liquid simulation features to hook you in.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Angry Birds Seasons

  

  Yes, pigs in leprechaun hats. Rovio just rolled out a St Patrick's Day-themed update to Angry Birds Seasons with 15 new levels, two Golden Eggs, a "St Paddy's Day surprise" and St Patrick's Day greeting cards, which you can send to friends via Facebook. And as with the Valentine's Day version, you can unlock three bonus levels just by "liking" the game on Facebook too.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: the update is free, to purchase in iTunes it's AU$2.49

• Steven Tyler Appsolewdly

  

  Aerosmith singer and American Idol judge Steven Tyler's mobile app is billed as a way for fans to have "access to exclusive, unpredictable and uncensored content, including self-made videos, never-before-seen photos and other noises from his head, including a digital sound box filled with his most outrageous and funny 'Tylerisms'".

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Dropbox

  

  Dropbox syncs your files between your computers and your mobile devices. It makes it easy to share links to files, save photos and video from your camera to your computer(s), as well as open documents and presentations using the apps you have on your phone.

  You must have a Dropbox account, but if you don't already have one, the app will allow you to create one for free.

  Platform: Android, BlackBerry, iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• Future Music Festival app

  

  The Future Music Festival is on in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide this weekend. The app will help you plan your day to catch all the acts you want to see with its schedule and map, view artists bios and listen to tracks, as well as check to find your friends at the event. You can also point your phone at any stage to see who's playing using its augmented reality feature.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Ancestry

  

  This helps you build multi-generational family trees complete with images of original family records and photos. It's been designed for the iPad, although a scaled down version for the iPhone and iPod Touch includes features for navigating a family tree and viewing records already attached to a tree.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Realestate.com.au mobile

  

  This app has been updated with three new features, including the ability to search multiple suburbs, search recent suburbs and sort recent property searches based on relevance, price, suburb or listing date.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Arc Publications

  

  UNSW students can get campus news and uni event info from this app, which pulls from popular sections of Arc Publications including Blitz, Tharunka, Student Cookbook and UNSWeetened.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• Layar

  

  New to the Symbian platform, this browser has already made inroads on iPhone and Android handsets. Layar uses Augmented Reality (AR) technology, to display digital information called "layers" into your smartphone's field of vision. There is a catalogue of over 1500 layers that range from Architecture 3D, Tweeps (Twitter pop-ups) to Arcade 3D games.

  Platform: Nokia Ovi/Symbian

  Price: free

• Museum Victoria's Field Guide to Victorian Fauna

  

  This lets nature-lovers discover more about Victoria's biodiversity. It's filled with detailed descriptions of animals, maps of distribution and the endangered status of over 700 native species encompassing birds, fishes, frogs, lizards, snakes, mammals, freshwater, terrestrial and marine invertebrates, spiders, and insects including butterflies.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Fight Night Champion

  

  If the traditional game developers have seemed a bit cautious about mobile gaming, then EA is breaking the mould with a solid iPhone tie-in for its latest Fight Night boxing sim release. The iPhone version of the game is, of course, simpler, but its intuitive controls are among the best we've seen for the small touchscreens of smartphones.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$5.99

• TileStorm HD

  

  One-part Wall-E and one-part frustrating car parking puzzle, TileStorm HD takes a simple game concept to the next level with charming 3D graphics and a silky smooth frame rate.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$4.00 Android Market, AU$4.99 iTunes

• Stupid Zombies

  

  Rovio has been hard at work on Angry Birds Seasons for St Patrick's Day, but if you need another fix of physics fun, we suggest you take a look at Stupid Zombies. It's not quite as slick as Angry Birds, but the puzzles are just as much fun to master.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$1.19/free (with ads)

• Ultimate SoundBox

  

  We brought you Android's Motion Fart a few weeks back, and not to be outdone, we found the Ultimate SoundBox on iPhone this week. Yes, it makes fart noises, but there are lots of others as well, including a whip, cash register, cow, machine gun, fire siren, train and air horn.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Hangman

  

  An oldie, but a goodie - there are 500 words loaded that can hang you; or in two-player mode, you can enter words and have your opponent try to guess them.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• AFL Live Scores

  

  Footy season is upon us, so here's a way to get AFL Scores live to your Android phone. iPhone users may want to try AFL Aussie Rules Live 2011.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Amazon Kindle

  

  As Amazon continues its conquering of our mobile devices, the Kindle app finally arrives on Windows Phone. Though it's long been available on iPhone and Android, the Windows Phone version is perhaps the most attractive, with Amazon making the most of Microsoft's Metro design template.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free

• Bike Share

  

  Want a bike to ride but don't want to fork out big bucks to own one? Aussies in Melbourne and Brisbane can take advantage of an excellent bike-sharing scheme and can use this great WP7 app to track the location and availability of bikes across the city.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$1.30

• Sculpture!

  

  Those in WA heading to Cottesloe Beach to take in Sculpture by the Sea might want to grab this slideshow of stunning sculpted works of art from around the world as inspiration. The images, shot by well known photographers including Vincent Desjardins and Guillaume Millet, can be saved for use as wallpaper on your phone.

  Platform: Android; iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: US$1.50 from Android Market, AU$3.99 from iTunes

• OutScout Sydney

  

  OutScout Sydney, a guide to gay venues and events, will be particularly handy now for its full list of events for Mardi Gras 2011.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: Free

• Pulse News Reader

  

  Pulse is an RSS feed that delivers your news utilising graphically powerful mosaic tiles. Each feed gets its own row. The app will poll for new articles at whatever interval you choose, placing the latest info on the left-hand side of the screen. Tapping a headline brings up the article and options to share, open in web browser, adjust font and more.

  Whether in portrait or landscape mode, the articles fill the screen with enough space left over to navigate other posts and feeds. What might look like information overload the first time you run Pulse, quickly becomes intuitive and never feels cluttered.

  Pulse has been recently updated for faster image loading, particularly on Android with Honeycomb tablets in mind.

  Platform: Android and iPad

  Price: free

• Getmusic

  

  Microsoft Australia has teamed up with Universal Music Australia to launch a music download service. With Getmusic, those with Windows Phone 7 can buy music from artists such as Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, U2, Eminem, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Bon Jovi, Washington and Cut Copy. The app also sells merchandise, offers news and competitions to win gig tickets.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free

• Words With Friends

  

  Addictive crossword game with a turn-based design that lets you play up to 20 games simultaneously. Push notifications tell you when it's your turn and you can use in-game chat while you play with your friends or match-make instantly with a random opponent.

  Platform: Android; iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Poker Invaders

  

  The developers describe this games as the love child of Space Invaders, Tetris and poker. Basically, you have to protect your cows from alien abduction with the strength of your poker hands. Yup, you just need to flick or drag your cards up in strong poker combinations to explode the attacking spacecraft and defend your prize-winning herd. No poker face or experience is required, just quick reactions and a bit of strategic thinking.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$1.19

• Qtv

  

  If you're looking forward to a quiet night at home on the couch, then Qtv is your new best friend. Featuring TV listings from all Metro, Regional and Subscription TV services, Qtv will tell you exactly when and which channel is showing the next episode of Futurama.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free

• Basichords

  

  Learn to strum with this chord dictionary for guitar, ukulele, banjo, bouzouki/mandolin, cavaquinho. The app has 5700+ finger positions and auto playback. (BTW, we had to Google "cavaquinho" too.)

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• ABC Foodi

  

  Here's a free app that beautifully presents 120 recipes from more than 40 chefs who have worked on ABC shows, including well-known foodies like Maggie Beer, Matt Moran, Poh Ling Yeow and Bill Granger. It includes shopping lists and step-by-step instructions for each recipe. Video segments from the shows are a handy inclusion as is the voice control option that keeps the iPad touchscreen clean from sticky hands and fingers while you cook.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Foxtel TV Guide

  

  Now available for Android, the Foxtel TV Guide lets you browse program listings up to 14 days in advance, plus you can remote record to your Foxtel iQ or iQHD. You can also set up alerts to remind you of shows you want to watch 15 minutes before they start. This app has previously been released for iPhone and Windows Phone 7 users.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• mHITs

  

  mHITs is a free payment service that lets you send and receive payments by SMS to anyone with an Australian mobile. Ideal for making small payments, you can use mHITs for sending money to friends, IOUs, collecting payments for group events, sending gifts or buying from an mHITs venue. You will need to have an mHITs account before you can make a payment using mHITs, but registration is free.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• PewPew

  

  With four game modes, this multi-directional first-person shooter will delight gamers with its retro graphics. And besides, what a great name for a shoot-em-up.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Salary Checker

  

  Think you're due for a raise? Collect more ammunition by checking out how your current pay scale stacks up to what your role is worth in other countries. Robert Walters is a global recruitment consultancy and its Salary Checker app allows you to compare how much you're earning compared to similar roles in Australia and across markets in over 20 other countries where it's conducted salary surveys.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Jedi Light Saber

  

  An oldie but a goodie, Jedi Light Saber's been updated with five new hilts and a Stop Music button. You can still change the colour of the blade by choosing from one of five crystal colours, and hear different sounds from your lightsaber and play five songs from Star Wars in the background. May the Force be with you, or at least your phone.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• The West End, London Audio Tour - Lonely Planet

  

  Lonely Planet has launched a new series of Audio Walking Tours that take listeners on a recommended route that features reviews by Lonely Planet's expert authors and historical audio commentary from the BBC Archive. The apps provide detailed information for travellers to explore at their own pace, with a location-aware map that allows the user to stop and start their journey or skip ahead to any of the selected stops. The tours also work offline, so roaming charges for international users can be avoided.

  The first tours available are for five iconic walks in central London: Covent Garden, Southbank, Spitalfields, the City and the West End. Audio walking tours of Paris are scheduled to be released soon.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Motion Fart

  

  You know this one's going to be so popular with those who like fart humour. Yes, really you can fart at will by lifting your leg - just put your phone in your back pants pocket and the app uses the phone's motion sensor to sound off with your standard selection of fart sounds.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Ow My Balls!

  

  If you like kicked-in-the-crotch humour, this is the app for you. The object of the game is to kick Joe the Juggler from a ledge and then try to rack his balls on as many targets as you can. You can ignite fart jet-packs to gain altitude and hit more targets. There are four gameplay modes, 13 achievements to complete and 16 videos to unlock, as well as a bonus character, "Lil' Baller".

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• Tiny Wings

  

  No Angry Birds slingshots here - in Tiny Wings, there's just one bird and all he wants to do is fly. It's your job to help him, but your only "control" is your finger, which you tap and hold when he's sliding down a hill and release on the upturn. Time it right and Tiny Wings soars skyward, but if you tap and hold while he's airborne, he instantly gets "heavy" and plummets back toward the ground. The idea is to time it so he plummets right onto a downward slope, which in turn gives him more speed for the next jump to send him flying higher and farther. It takes a bit till you get the hang of the flight mechanic and then you'll be propelling your birdie over the hills and valleys of the various islands that serve as the game's levels.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$1.19

• Honeymoonfund - Wedding Cash Gift Registry

  

  This one took a bit for us to wrap our heads around, but it's an iPhone app for an online wedding gift registry for the bride and groom who simply want cash!? Yes, promoted as an online wishing well service for weddings, this helps couples set up their own bridal registry page, send out invitations and watch their wedding/honeymoon funds grow as guests' payment transactions roll in. They can also use the app to view all their withdrawals and redemption transactions.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• Androidify

  

  Love the little green robot on your phone? Here's a way you can carry your affection to a new level by customising the Android's look.

  Androidify lets you turn the logo-bot into all kinds of caricatures, with choices including spiky hair, body types, beards, glasses, wardrobes and accessories like hats, watches and even a parrot. The cartoonish avatars can be saved as user pics and shared with friends.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Rugby Coach Pro

  

  The rugby season is upon us, and for all of you putting your hands up to help coach, Rugby Coach Pro offers a play editor, practice designer and team management app. You can design and save plays and drills, store your rosters and present your work on external displays, projectors or full screen on your device. Who needs a white board, when you can write and save notes right on your phone's formations templates?

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Rugby Fans Australia

  

  If you're more of the spectator than coaching variety, this app has the latest schedules, standings, news and video for fans of rugby league and rugby union.

  Don't worry Kiwi readers, there's a New Zealand version as well.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Green Eggs and Ham

  

  "Would you eat them in a box? Would you eat them with a fox?"

  There are three ways to read this officially licensed Dr Seuss book for Android phones. Children can pick "Read to Me" to listen to the narrated story with words highlighted as they are read; "Read it Myself" to read the book in its traditional form; or "Auto Play" which plays like a movie, automatically reading and turning pages. To promote reading in young children, individual words are highlighted as the story is read and words zoom up when pictures are touched.

  Other Dr Seuss titles recently released include The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, One Fish, Two Fish, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

  These books have been available for Apple devices for about six months, but they will cost you AU$4.99 through iTunes.

  Platform: Android

  Price: AU$3.99

• Join.me

  

  Brought to you by remote access specialists LogMeIn, Join.me lets you connect to remote meetings or screen-sharing sessions for free. It's perfect for those times when you're stuck in a cab or airport and can't make the meeting you're supposed to be attending.

  To web conference on your phone, whoever is hosting the meeting has to download and run a small client program, then share with attendees the link or numeric code generated by the client.

  Those wanting to join do not have to install anything or even register. They click the link or enter the code and straight-away can see what the presenter sees. They can zoom in and out as needed, and can participate in chat sessions via the provided list of all the meeting attendees.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• Dilbert Mobile

  

  Take your favourite office cube comic characters with you on your phone. This gives you immediate access to the daily Dilbert comic, as well as the more than 20-year archive of the entire Dilbert collection.

  Platform: Nokia Ovi

  Price: free

• Poker Swap

  

  Poker Swap is a mix of poker and puzzle gameplay. Five rows of five cards are dealt face-up. You then swap any card with any other on the board to score points for all horizontal or vertical poker hands you complete. There are four different game modes based on the length of session time you want to play.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free or US$0.99 for Pro version (without ads)

• AmpliTube Fender

  

  AmpliTube Fender is a full-featured Fender Tone guitar rig with built-in recording and practising studio. You can use the AmpliTube iRig interface adapter to connect your guitar to an iPhone or iPad and you're ready to practice, play and record with Famous Fender tones anywhere you happen to be.

  It includes a SpeedTrainer, which provides the ability to slow down imported backing tracks (-50 per cent) to learn complex riffs, or speed them up (+200 per cent) for practising playing skills. Songs and backing tracks or loops can be easily loaded into the apps directly from your iPod library on the iOS device or from the computer.

  Also, you can record your entire band, or produce full songs and compositions directly in AmpliTube Fender with its built-in single track recorder with re-amping ability, expandable to a full-featured four-track recorder on iPhone or an eight-track Recorder on iPad, both with the master effects' section. Those quickly captured performances that can be shared by exporting high quality audio files or M4As.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$17.99

• 50in1 Piano

  

  Another music app, but aimed more for those wanting to learn piano skills, there's 50in1 Piano. It combines a piano keyboard, 50 studio-quality instruments, 120 piano lessons, real-time effects and 100 beat loops to help you learn to play the piano, create your own songs and even sing along to your compositions.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Go Somewhere Special

  

  Here's an app built on a coffee brand's ad campaign - you know the one, "Moccona is for lovers". It lets you apply augmented reality to gradually reveal a mystery location when you ask someone out on a date. You start by choosing a starting point and a destination, and then the Go Somewhere Special app plots a trail of on-screen candles for your date to follow. It also sends them a candle-lit invitation. They will end up at the surprise destination you've specified, where you will presumably join them for a romantic rendezvous. (And drink instant coffee?)

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• Career Chronicles

  

  Can't face the year ahead stuck in your current job? This career guide provides an introduction to 23 jobs in healthcare, architecture, the law, financial services, education, the social sciences, information technology, sales, media and more. Although it's a US-based ebook, it offers the history and background of the different professions, current status of the field, statistics on employment levels, education required and average salaries, plus insights/pros and cons from more than 750 professionals.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$3.99

• St Kilda festival

  

  This weekend is the big finish to the St Kilda festival, and this handy app condenses the schedule for Festival Sunday (13 February), listing each event and activity, so all you'll need to do is scroll through the timetable and use its maps to decide where you want to go next.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• Swan Taxis

  

  Calling a cab in Perth just got a little easier with this updated Swan Taxi app. You can book from your current location and the taxi will come to the pick-up address indicated by the GPS. Also once the call has been made and a taxi has accepted the job, you can watch the taxi's progress on a Google Map. Then, when it gets to within 250m of the pick-up address, two "honks" will sound on your iPhone and you'll also know what the car's ID number is. There is also a taxi rank finder, a fare estimator and even a button you can hit to hail a cab with an electronic whistle.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad, with Android and Windows versions coming soon.

  Price: free

• Cricket World Cup 2011

  

  If you can't be there in person, you can stay updated with live matches, scores and news as it happens. You can follow your favourite players on their Twitter feeds and dive into a complete database of players, team and venue stats, records and trivia.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Catholic Confessional

  

  This one's stirring up a controversy, today prompting the Sydney Catholic Archdiocese to come out with a statement clarifying that this app is not a substitute to confession with an actual human priest. What it does do, however, is offer a step-by-step guide to the sacrament for Catholics to prepare for the Rite of Penance. The Church is also hoping that those who have been away from the sacrament for some time will find the app to be a tool to bring them back into the fold.

  It creates password-protected profiles and then takes you through a series of soul-searching questions related to the Ten Commandments. The app displays sins along with a written act of contrition for the penitent. It also lets you log "custom sins" and create "custom examinations of conscience". Prayers stored in the app include the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed and Hail Mary.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$2.49

• Angry Birds

  

  Hogs And Kisses, the Valentine's Day version of Angry Birds is here. The newly updated Seasons features 15 lovey-dovey levels, complete with a romantic new theme song and pink, heart-filled settings. This update includes the previous Halloween- and Christmas-themed levels.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$1.19 iPhone, free on Android

• Google Translate

  

  We see lots of popular iPhone apps coming out now on the Android platform, but here's an example of one moving the other way. Google Translate, a popular Android app, is now available to iPhone users. You can use it to translate words and phrases between more than 57 languages. For 15 major languages, you can speak your phrases and hear the corresponding translations. For others, say Azerbaijani, Swahili and Welsh, you need to input text, but fortunately, if you're trying to translate non-Latin script languages, it will phonetically read characters you input (eg, Pinyin, Romaji).

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• AC/DC Ringtone

  

  Updated this week, this app lets you indulge your Acadaca worship. The same developer has also put out an Android app for Wolfmother Ringtones as well.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Comedytube local

  

  This app provides an easy way of accessing funny YouTube links, sorted by country. In addition to Australia, supported countries include Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, France, UK, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Taiwan and South Africa.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Monty Python's Cow Tossing

  

  Last week we had Cover Orange, and now this week's Angry Birds-style knock-off game is based on the cult movie classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The flinging involved here includes French cows and five other barnyard animals at King Arthur and his knights. The knights (targets) are piled atop a battering ram that slowly creeps toward your stronghold. If it gets there, you lose the level. There are 80 levels, some sprinkled with clips from the movie that you can unlock.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$1.19

• SPB TV

  

  Australia may never see true, local mobile TV broadcasts, but this doesn't stop us enjoying hundreds of feeds from overseas. SPB TV is a free window to the world, streaming broadcasts from over 150 different global sources.

  Platform: Ovi for Nokia

  Price: free

• 3D Brick Breaker Revolution

  

  If there's one thing to turn BlackBerry fanatics against their favourite brand, it's a new and improved version of Brick Breaker for Windows Phone. In truth, this third dimension doesn't add much to gameplay, but we still the love this mobile gaming classic.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$4.00

• Loop

  

  Kind of like Fruity Loops for your Nokia smartphone, Loop is a simple, cool musical sample sequencer that comes with a bunch of preloaded basslines and the ability to record new samples using your phone's microphone.

  Platform: Ovi for Nokia

  Price: free

• Blogger

  

  The Google-owned Blogger network has released an app designed to enable people who have built their blogs on the Blogger platform to easily update them from their Android smartphones.

  It lets you bang out copy and take photos with your phone and then either publish their words and images straight-away or save a draft for later. Posts and drafts can be viewed directly in the app or, by way of a quickly accessible menu, in a browser.

  Users can also select their location and include that information with their post, switch between different accounts and blogs and select photos from their gallery for uploading.

  Blogger said it's working on bringing the app to non-Android gadgets as well, but for now the program is available only for Android devices.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Cover Orange

  

  If you're looking for the next Angry Birds, Cover Orange might be it. The name derives from the simple game premise that you must literally cover exposed oranges to save them from a dangerous cloud of poison rain.

  To accomplish this, you're given one or more tools (it varies from level to level) to drop strategically. In an early, easy level, for example, you simply have to drop a box so it lands directly over the orange. Later on, you'll work with things like wagon wheels, dropping them on windmills to make them spin and fling your orange to a safe spot.

  Dropping/placing your last tool triggers the cloud, and there's no going back - your set-up either worked or failed. Fortunately, there's a restart icon right in the corner for quick (and unlimited) do-overs.

  The surviving oranges reward you with adoring shouts and cheers if you complete the task. Yup, we've got a feeling this one could be addictive.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$1.19

• HappyCow VeginOut

  

  This app finds vegetarian, vegan, veg-friendly restaurants and health food stores near your location or wherever you enter manually. In addition to supporting maps and search for Australia and New Zealand, vegetarian restaurants are listed in over 90 other countries.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Home Delivery & Takeaway

  

  Continuing on a restaurant theme, this app brings home delivery from over 1200 restaurants Australia-wide. You can choose from menus covering Italian, Thai, Indian, Chinese, vegetarian and more. Unfortunately, the service is limited to metro areas only.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Fish Navigator

  

  This is not a game, but an app that provides fishermen with information such as the latest fishing reports, tides charts, hotspots, weather reports, the current moon phase and more.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Bearing + Distance

  

  Designed for private pilots, this app lets you enter a destination or waypoint and get bearing (true + magnetic) and distance information using your GPS navigation coordinates. It features an aviation compass w/ADF, a robust trip system, map view, "nearest" and "custom" destinations, and track recording to KML files. It includes 3611 destinations, including 1150 airports in Australia and New Zealand.

  Platform: Android

  Price: AU$6.49

• Love Calculator

  

  This app is probably about as accurate as a Magic 8 Ball to determine who you might be compatible with, but nonetheless with Valentine's Day coming on, it might be worth a go. You just enter the names of two people and see what the calculator has to say about the match.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$0.99

• TV & Movie Guide Australia

  

  Check out what's on TV now or later, and look up the latest session times in cinemas across Australia.

  Platform: Android

  Price: AU$2.49

• Eleven TV

  

  If you don't want to pay for an overview of all TV content as per the app above, you can opt for apps for specific channels. Channel 10 has its own app, and now that its new Channel 11 is up and running, it's got its own app too. There are schedules and listings, photo galleries, videos and polls, plus you can set reminders for what you want to watch.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• TinkerBox

  

  Though created primarily to "spark teens' interest in mechanical engineering", TinkerBox offers machine-building fun for all ages.

  The physics puzzle game/simulator starts with a dozen training levels, which teach you to place, use and tweak the various tools at your disposal: buttons, conveyor belts, levers and so on. Of course, different puzzles have different tools available; it's your job to figure out where they go, how they interconnect, and so on.

  It has just two levels - "The Lab" and "Steel Mill" - with a combined total of 13 puzzles. It also comes with a slick builder for creating your own inventions, which you can then email to friends. Plus, if you point your iPad's browser to Autodesk's Tinkerbox site, you can download inventions shared by other users.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Optus live streams Australian Open

  

  It's getting to the serious end of the Australian Open, but tennis fans out and about can watch the finals streamed live through this Optus mobile app. It provides free access to live streaming of Channel Seven's Australian Open 2011 match coverage along with live scores of men's and women's singles matches, results and video highlights.

  Optus customers can access other free and paid for content through this TV and video app; however, the Australian Open coverage is free and available to those connecting within a 3G network coverage area or through Wi-Fi.

  Platform: Android and iPhone

  Price: free

• St George Bank Car Finder

  

  A new addition to the St George mobile banking app is a Car Finder tool that makes it easier for customers to find the nearest dealers with St George-approved finance. The app uses GPS technology to find the closest car dealers or you can also search for dealers who stock the type of cars you're interested in.

  If you're already using the St George app, you have to download this update, and then you'll find it in the Calculators & Tools section from the home screen.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch

  Price: free

• Adobe Photoshop Express update

  

  In addition to its simple editing and enhancement tools, Photoshop Express 1.5 brings a couple of much-needed features to the year-old app and a couple of minor improvements. It now lets you capture photos right within the app and it supports rapid-fire shooting, saving snaps almost as quickly as you can tap the shutter button. As with the stock Camera app, you spot-focus by tapping on the screen.

  Another long-overdue addition is multitasking. When you hop out of Photoshop Express to do something else, then run it again, the app returns you to whatever you were doing. Likewise, it offers background uploading of photos to your Facebook or Photoshop.com account.

  Finally, Photoshop Express now supports Retina displays, so everything looks extra-sharp on the iPhone 4 and fourth-gen iPod Touch. (It works on the iPad, too, but obviously without the camera functions - yet.)

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• City Of Sydney - Chinese New Year 2011

  

  The City of Sydney produces the biggest celebration of the Lunar New Year outside Asia. This app is the complete guide to the 2011 Sydney Chinese New Year Festival, which features more than 50 cultural events including food, entertainment, visual art, film, workshops, talks and tours.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Chinese New Year SMS Wishes

  

  Chinese New Year SMS wishes is a simple app that contains 70 popular Chinese New Year greetings pre-written. All you have to do is just pick the sample you like and send it out as an SMS. As a February bonus, it is being updated with Valentine SMS wishes ready to go.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Strange Rain

  

  Strange Rain is pretty hard to describe but it's essentially an interactive storytelling app. The primary function of the app is to give you a break from your hectic life by displaying a mesmerising scene of rain falling from the sky. The iPhone screen acts as a skylight, so you're looking straight up as raindrops fall and hit the screen. You can slightly affect the raindrops as they fall by touching the screen and moving your iPhone, and tinkly music from a haunting melody plays amid soothing storm sounds, every time you touch it.

  It is not just a rain simulator, though. It has three different modes to play with, including the Wordless mode that simply displays the drops falling from the sky and lets you touch the screen and move your iPhone to affect their trajectory. Whisper Mode is mostly the same, but sometimes when you touch the screen you'll see rain-related words spelled out. The third and most interesting mode is Story Mode, in which a story plays out through the thoughts of a protagonist, which are printed on-screen in bits and pieces. The more you touch the screen, the more of the story you'll learn as the rain continues to fall from the sky.

  The other interesting thing about Strange Rain is that it gets incrementally weirder after each play-through of the haunting melody - aeroplanes will fly overhead, clouds will change formations, and more. If ever you want to reset to the beginning, you can touch the screen repeatedly with all your fingers causing a falling-through-the-sky effect.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• GeoRing

  

  GeoRing will tag your phone calls with music and location information. You can use it to instantly turn your iTunes music library into ringtones, withou syncing with iTunes. Essentially, it creates a ringtone playlist, and then it randomly picks a song from your playlist when your phone rings.

  It will also log the duration of each of your calls and using GPS, identify where you got each call from with a geotag. Note: GeoRing works only with iPhone 4 and 3GS.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$1.19

• BEP360

  

  The Black Eyed Peas frontman, will.i.am, has made headlines spruiking for BlackBerry, but now he's changed horses by launching a music video for Apple devices through iTunes. Supposedly the world's first 360-degree view music video, "The Time 360", has a unique perspective that changes its point of view as you swing your iPhone or iPad around a 360-degree axis.

  As soon as you point your device onto the cover artwork of the album, a virtual 3D avatar appears and dances as the music starts. It also features an aggregated Twitter feed from all Black Eyed Peas band members and a Peas-inspired puzzle game.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$1.19

• Andy-83, Andy-86

  

  We've found two calculator emulators for your Android phone. Andy-93 emulates the TI-83 graphing calculator, which is great for statistics and trigonometry. It lets you graph and compare functions, perform data plotting and analysis, and write programs in TI-BASIC.

  Andy-86 emulates the TI-86 graphing calculator, which is skewed for engineering and calculus. It also lets you graph and compare functions, perform bit manipulation and convert between numeric bases, solve differential equations, plot vector fields and write programs in TI-BASIC.

  Platform: Android Andy-83, Andy-86

  Price: free

• Bored Room Bingo

  

  Pass the time during those less than exciting meetings without completely tuning out. Listen for your co-workers to say the buzz words on your bingo grid as you work your way to five words in a row. Bingo!

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• Big Day Out

  

  This is the official app for Big Day Out Summer 2011. It features the complete line-up and location of where the bands are playing. You can add filters by location to drill down to what you want to see to build your own custom schedule. There are lots of links for news and tickets, plus the artist info contains full bios and links to artists' websites, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and iTunes.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Discovr

  

  Developed by Australians, this music app builds an interactive map of millions of bands and artists. It lets you see how the music you love is connected, and makes it easy to discover new bands and artists that are similar to what you like.

  Bands that are similar are connected by lines to show their relationships. Just tap on one you like and the map will grow organically to show other similar artists. You can double tap on a band to see more info about them. You can watch their videos, check out their bio or read the latest reviews and blogs articles about their music. When you find a band or artist you like you can also share it with your friends via Twitter and Facebook or save it to your favourites.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Poynt

  

  Newly released for Australia, Poynt is a local search app that has four search verticals (businesses, restaurants, movies and the weather). Once you conduct your search you can then click-to-call, click-to-browse, find a map location and email results to a friend without exiting the application.

  The Android version takes advantage of the unique capabilities of Android devices through the integration of a top 10 movie widget and voice-activated search. The Windows Phone 7 version uses the pivot feature to ensure that you can access all your local search information quickly.

  Platform: Android, Windows Phone 7 and BlackBerry

  Price: free

• realestate.com.au

  

  Torn between spending Saturday trawling property listings or going to the beach? Well, you can do both with this mobile app from realestate.com.au, which includes both for sale and rental listings. It can search based on your current location (so you can search for a new crib by the beach). It has an auto-suggest feature for faster searches and it remembers previous search criteria so all the important information is accessible the next time you want to use it. You can view photos without leaving the property details page, plus you can email or phone an agent directly at the click of a button.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• TripView

  

  Long popular on iPhone, there is now a beta version of TripView for Android. It displays Sydney train/bus/ferry timetables. All info is stored locally on your phone, including a full timetable viewer with a scrolling CityRail-style display. It includes trackwork/service interruption information and maps. As a plus, you can download timetable updates from within the app.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Temporary Gallery

  

  Australian lovers of both the visual and performing arts can find new exhibitions and shows and generally keep updated with the art scene through Temporary Gallery. It's a place for creative types to showcase their work and promote upcoming events. This is a new platform and seems a bit thin on the ground as yet, but the idea is good (and the app is free). Artists wanting to get involve must pay to be included.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• War in the Pacific

  

  War in the Pacific is based on an eponymous coffee-table book published early last year. The ebook's 20 chapters fill five main sections spanning the years between 1941 and 1945. Each beautifully illustrated page includes supplemental materials such as photos, secret documents, archival videos and profiles of historical figures.

  In other words, imagine a typical historical tome, but with photos you can zoom in on, a timeline you can view and hide at will, the occasional video corresponding to a passage in the text, a search function, and so on.

  It has two other noteworthy features: animated, narrated maps of each of the five sections and a three-dimensional scrolling wall of all the photos contained in the book. The latter is pretty cool, though the photos themselves don't zoom to fill the screen - perhaps because many of them are a bit soft to begin with.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: AU$12.99

• Lookout Mobile Security

  

  Lookout Mobile Security has become a darling of the Android app world, although the hype isn't without good reason. Even if the antivirus and malware threats haven't fully materialised quite yet for the mobile operating system - and there are some indications that's changing - Lookout offers enough solid security features to make it a must-have app. It comes with a free phone locator service that can be upgraded to include remote wipe and remote lock options, as well as online backup for your contacts and anti-malware scans. Here is a full review on our sister site, Download.com

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• FitnessClass

  

  If you're one of the many whose New Year's resolutions included something like "lose weight" or "get in shape", here's an iPad app that serves up more than 230 workout videos. No trips to the gym, just on-demand streamed classes for just about any kind of workout you want: fat burning, core strengthening, arm toning, and so on.

  In fact, you can search for video classes based on your goal (weight loss, strength, etc), the time you have available (from 10 to 90 minutes), the instructor you want and even equipment (dumbbells, Swiss ball, etc).

  There are seven free classes to get you started. Additional videos cost between AU$1.19 and AU$29.99 a piece, but it varies on whether you're going for a 30-day rental or full purchase. (For now, purchased classes - like rented ones - must be streamed, but a download option is in the works.) Thankfully, you can preview any class before buying or renting it.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Tetris Evolution

  

  Though not an official Tetris application, this new 3D puzzle game features smooth blocks movement and nice animation. You have to slide/rotate blocks to form full lines and get the screen cleared and prevent the top of the screen from being filled with bricks. It's got haptic feedback and lots of ways to customise your gameplay.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• CamCard

  

  CamCard is a business card reader based on OCR technologies, which means it can turn piles of business cards into your phone Contacts with just several clicks. What you only need to do is provide clear card photos either by built-in camera or album.

  Snap and click and all info on the business card will be automatically recognised and categorised. It also provides a Card Holder to save all the business card images. After the card is recognised and saved in Card Holder, you can make calls, send SMS/email, search in Linkedin, visit the home page, and locate the address on Google Maps right from the Card Holder.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• This Day in Led Zeppelin

  

  This Day in Led Zeppelin is the first in a series of apps that chronicle the biggest names in music, including unique audio-visual elements. Among other things, it lists every gig the band ever played, including set lists, recordings, gigs and TV performances. It has an On This Day Zeppelin calendar, and Zeppelin quizzes with hundreds of interactive quiz questions, scored out of 10, with unique score sound clips.

  Furthermore, it includes a detailed critique of every studio track and every Zeppelin album with a unique link to play any Zeppelin track contained in your own iTunes library within the app. Or, it will link you to instantly buy the track to complete your library via iTunes.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Due Today

  

  Due Today is designed to help you get organised. You can use it to create tasks and assign them to projects and contexts. You can also set reminders to help you remember important things. You can even be reminded daily about things you didn't do yesterday.

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$2.99 or free Lite version

• CNET Australia Exposure

  

  Forgive us for starting the year with some blatant self-promotion, but our tech gurus have built an app that beautifully showcases the work of the amateur and professional photographers from our CNET Exposure series. Designed specifically for the iPad, you can easily see our entire collection of Exposure photo galleries by swiping the screen, plus it includes captions, exposure data and biographies of the photographers for an insight into their photographic processes.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Sydney Festival 2011

  

  Sydney Festival offers a rich program of around 80 events involving upwards of 500 artists from Australia and abroad covering dance, theatre, music, visual arts, cross media and forums. The 2011 Festival App includes fully searchable listings of Festival events and artists, quick access to Festival Blog and Twitter feeds, a full list and special menus from all restaurants with festival tie-ins, and more. There are also lots of information for visitors to Sydney.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: free

• Official Australian Open 2011 Program

  

  It's January, which means in Australia our sporting attention turns to Grand Slam tennis. IBM has long provided the tech behind the Melbourne event, and it's collaborated to develop an iPad app that provides real-time access to match, tournament and venue information, as well as an electronic version of the Official Australian Open Program.

  In addition to the latest news, scores, schedules, weather updates, ticket information and video highlights, fans can also follow comments from the tennis stars via Twitter and Facebook. It has an Autograph feature, where players and other celebrities can sign the iPad with their fingertips, which can then be saved to Scrapbook and emailed to friends. Scrapbook lets users personalise their Australian Open 2011 experience by capturing specific information being streamed through the application on a particular day. Items that can be stored include attendance numbers, autographs, scores, weather, time, tweets, top players by continent and countdown clocks.

  A free Australian Open iPhone app is also available, which provides the same basic info without the bells and whistles.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: AU$4.99

• Fox Sports

  

  Fox Sports has launched a sports video app for the iPad called Fox Sports View. It offers live 24/7 streaming of the Fox Sports News Channel. This includes extended highlights (typically six to 10 minutes) packages of selected sports matches of the week, including coverage of the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash season, Super Rugby season, the AFC Asian Cup 2011, Hyundai A League and major cricket events as well as Fox Sports news clips.

  You can turn off the stream of videos for any sport that doesn't interest you and its "Watch Later" functionality lets you bookmark content for later (subject to expiry).

  Note: due to rights issues, this app is only available in the Australian store and content can only be viewed in Australia. You will incur data costs in addition to the 31-day subscription fee; however, there are no pre-roll ads to interrupt your viewing.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: AU$5.99 for a 31-day subscription service

• Drink Sydney

  

  Several weeks ago we showcased the EAT Sydney app by Deck of Secrets. If that app whet your appetite, then you'll love this bar-hopping edition.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$5.00

• Australian Cricket News

  

  Considering the summer Ozzie cricket's had so far, we're not too sure how popular this one will be, but perhaps it's for people who like watching train wrecks. Anyway, you'll find all the latest headlines about Australian Cricket here.

  Platform: Nokia Ovi

  Price: free

• Google Translate (update)

  

  Although it's not the most feature-packed translator for Android, Google Translate offers a simple way to translate basic words and phrases among dozens of languages. It also includes spoken translations and Romanisation of non-Roman scripts. Although sentences may come out kind of wonky depending on the structure, it definitely works in a pinch.

  Now Google has released an update that aims to make the interface easier to navigate and the program more user-friendly. Among the changes: a more responsive input box, improved drop-down boxes for selecting languages to translate between and a cleaner layout.

  Google Translate is also introducing an experimental feature called Conversation Mode. The idea with this mode is to allow you to communicate fluidly with someone nearby who is speaking another language. With the press of a button, the app will record your piece of the conversation; it will then translate your speech and read it aloud to the other person. At launch, Conversation Mode is only available between English and Spanish, and while it is in alpha, factors like background noise and regional dialects are expected to interfere somewhat with the functionality.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Top Gear games

  

  BBC Worldwide has launched two new games based on Top Gear: Top Gear: Where's Stig and Top Gear: Stunt School.

  Top Gear: Where's Stig brings the popular Where's Stig book to life, and allows players to follow Stig to the farthest corners of the globe in an attempt to locate the faceless hero, as well as some of his most famous friends.

  Top Gear: Stunt School provides the player extreme challenges to complete by modifying their car with ridiculous extras such as jet engines, huge wheels and hang-glider wings. There are over 2 billion different combinations of add-ons and modifications, which players can also use to try and beat a lap time set by the Stig around the infamous Top Gear test track.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: Top Gear: Where's Stig AU$3.99, Top Gear: Stunt School AU$4.99

• Mobiscope

  

  In real time, Mobiscope streams popular webcams from all around the globe in full screen. All webcams are organised by categories like Beaches, Animals, Cities, Harbours, Hotels, Landscapes, Mountains, Rivers, Sights, Sports, etc. World places have links to Wikipedia articles.

  Besides viewing public cameras, you can configure and watch at your own IP cameras. You can also view a group of cameras simultaneously.

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$1.99

• Zombies!!!

  

  Microsoft Game Studio has recreated one of our favourite table-top games of all time. Zombies!!! (that's right, three exclamation points!!!) is a turn-based survival game and worth every penny you'll pay.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$6.50 (no ads)

• Pinball Ride

  

  A 3D pinball sim that showcases the graphic capabilities of Android, Pinball Ride is fast and fun. Not one for low-end Android phones though, check out the compatibility list before you hand over your dollar.

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$1.00

• Cut Rope

  

  Yet another iPhone favourite that has come home to Android. Cut Rope is a simple puzzle game that is way more challenging than it looks.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Phoney

  

  Do you find yourself stuck in incredibly boring meetings? Or perhaps you've got a dull, long-winded friend? If you need an excuse to break away, Phoney was designed so you can fake a call to yourself. You'll just have to practice your "I've really gotta take this" face.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$2.99

• Google Maps (update)

  

  This Google Maps update offers 3D capability, which lets you see a simulated skyline for more than 100 cities around the world. And thanks to the use of vectors, you can get a different perspective by tilting the map forward for an angled view. To get there, just drag two fingers downward across the display. The same multi-touch feature allows pinch-to-zoom and the ability to rotate maps by turning two fingers.

  Along similar lines, you can enter compass mode by tapping the compass icon in the top right corner. The map will enter 3D mode and continually rotate to point in the direction the user is headed.

  The other enhancement to Google Maps 5.0 is the ability to cache maps locally to the handset. Maps load quickly and take up very little space, which allows for a seamless experience even if you move into an area where mobile coverage is not available. What's more, should you travel into a dead spot, the app will still dynamically render parts of the map, keeping travellers on the right path.

  Maps are autocached whenever the phone is connected to Wi-Fi. The same feature is expected to roll out to the Maps Navigation Beta portion of the app over the next couple of weeks, along with offline rerouting.

  Note: Google Earth has been updated this week as well, with performance improvements and bug fixes.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• iGiftWise

  

  This application is for forgetful people. It keeps information on what gifts you've given your contacts previously, what days you should be giving them a present, as well as their sizes (ring, dress/suit, shoe, shirt/blouse, pant/skirt) and favourite things (flowers, candy, birthstone, colours, restaurants). It also lets you store ideas for potential gifts (price, store and images from your phone's photo album). Could shopping really be that simple?

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• Glowstick

  

  Summer fireworks and outdoor events mean the kids will be begging you to buy glowsticks. Beat them to the punch by having this app on your phone. You can create custom colours or select from a group of preset colours.

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$0.99

• Trainz Simulator

  

  How would you like to build and operate the railroad of your dreams? With Trainz, you can do everything from driving the trains to laying tracks, customising routes, networks and terrains, as well as manage the schedule.

  Trainz has been out on PCs for 10 years, so while the iPad touchscreen platform is new, the simulator is not. An Android Trainz app is apparently on the way shortly.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: AU$14.99

• Classic Hits Network

  

  The Classic Hits app delivers music from WSFM Sydney, Gold 104.3 Melbourne and 4KQ Brisbane, all from within the application.

  Platform: Nokia Ovi

  Price: free

• Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time

  

  This action puzzle adventure turns you into an intrepid traveller through time and space as the last of the powerful Time Lords. Play as the Doctor, armed only with your incredible intelligence and sonic screwdriver or as his human companion, Amy Pond and race to save an innocent family attacked by a rogue Dalek and hurtled into the depths of history.

  Your journey will take you from ancient Incan temples, to the frozen tombs of Telos and a stunning finale on a Dalek ship. Defeat your favourite enemies, solve over 100 devious puzzles and restore peace throughout time!

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$4.99

• Flick Buddies

  

  Flick Buddies is an action game that supports up to four players at once and includes a single player mode against a challenging AI opponent for when friends are scarce. Players have a choice of four themes of nutty characters and environments, spread over 12 unlockable levels. The physics-based gameplay will have you bouncing off walls, teleporting to unknown dimensions or getting sucked into vortexes of death.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$0.99 Flick Buddies iPhone, AU$2.49 Flick Buddies HD iPad

• Basketball Australia News

  

  Keep up-to-date with the latest headlines about basketball in Australia with this sports newsfeed from Feedzilla.

  Platform: Nokia Ovi

  Price: free

• National Geographic Australia

  

  This gives you access to the National Geographic Australia television channel on your phone. It includes clips from the best shows, downloadable wallpapers and ringtones, plus a comprehensive TV schedule.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• IM+

  

  This instant messaging chat app pulls all your friends from all accounts (pick from Skype, Facebook, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo, Google Talk and MySpace IM) into one buddy list with no pre-registration required. There is no cost per message, as it doesn't use SMS to send messages.

  It has recently been upgraded to include group chats, support for multiple accounts of the same network, geo-status, and the ability to send chat history via email.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free or US$4.95 (no ads)

• A-League Buddy

  

  We may not be getting the FIFA World Cup, but there's still the A-League. The free version of this app has its match schedules, team standings, news and updates. An in-app paid subscription can be activated if you want to get the latest scores, standings and matches reports.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: free

• taste.com.au Christmas Cooking

  

  It's getting just close enough now to start seriously thinking about the Christmas menu and this app has over 140 recipes focused on festive feasts. In addition to step-by-step recipe instructions, it has 11 how-to videos ranging from stuffing a turkey to perfecting your Pavlova. There's also a built-in shopping list function, a kitchen timer integrated within the recipes, temperature converters, and measurement and serving calculators.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Labor/Liberal/Greens News

  

  Political junkies who are suffering from withdrawal now that parliament's in recess may want to subscribe to these apps, which provide quick access to the latest news, tweets, TV and multimedia content from the party/parties of their choice. Pick from:

  Australian Labor Party News
  Australian Liberal News
  The Greens News

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$0.99 each

• The Daily Show

  

  If you prefer your politics served with a dash of Jon Stewart humour, The Daily Show app may be more your style. You won't get full episodes, but it does offer up a shareable quote of the day (and accompanying show segment) for roughly the last eight weeks' worth of shows.

  Tap the Topics button and you'll see a spinning word cloud (or an alphabetical list if you switch views), with each item leading to handfuls - if not buckets - of clips related to that topic. These appear to date back as far as December 2009 - not the full archives by any stretch, but still plenty of stuff to watch.

  Finally, there's the Tweets button, which shows not only #TheDailyShow and #JonStewart hashtags, but also the tweets for the show itself and four correspondents (Aasif Mandvi, Olivia Munn, John Hodgman and Kristen Schaal).

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$1.99

• Astral Commander

  

  Similar to Air Control, this is a simple drawing game where you take on the role of Astral Commander, charged with directing high-tech robots to collect resources for base construction on alien planets. Of course, you'll need to open fire on all enemies when things get serious.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free for lite version, US$2.04 for full version

• Hero of Sparta

  

  A game that has already won fans on iOS and Android, Gameloft's Hero of Sparta is now available for owners of Symbian^3 phones. A classic hack 'n' slash, this game delivers an impressive 3D adventure to the small screen.

  Platform: Ovi

  Price: AU$4.00

• Fuzzies HD

  

  If you're old enough to remember Lemmings then you'll probably love this cute strategy title. The Fuzzies are a colourful but dim race of meerkat-like creatures who need your help just to stay alive.

  Platform: Ovi

  Price: AU$2.00

• Star Wars: Cantina

  

  Even creatures in a wretched hive of scum and villainy need a drink from time to time. Based on the popular Diner Dash series, Star Wars: Cantina has you whipping up meals and serving drinks to customers in the most famous diner in the Star Wars universe.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$4.00

• New Weird Australia

  

  New Weird Australia is a podcast from a show on FBi radio that supports new eclectic and experimental Australian music. It features selected interviews and exclusive, in-studio recordings, as well as live performances from events and video interviews.

  You can stream the latest episodes or download directly into the app, with recent episodes automatically updated in-app.

  Platform: new to Android, but it's been on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad for a few months.

  Price: AU$1.99 for Android, AU$2.49 for Apple

• BreezyPrint

  

  While iPhone and iPad users are using AirPrint to wirelessly print documents for free, Windows Phone customers will need a tiny subscription to perform a similar task. The key difference between AirPrint and BreezyPrint though, is that BreezyPrint can send a document to a printer anywhere in the world, not just print to a printer on your LAN.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free, but requires a subscription of US$5.00/month

• ABC iView

  

  Fans of the ABC's iView service will love that Aunty has now released an iView app customised for Apple's iPad. It will offer its catch-up TV service with more than 160 programs from all four ABC channels - ABC1, ABC2, ABC3 and ABC for Kids. Several UK comedy specials have been included for the iPad launch as well: Fawlty Towers, Little Britain, The Catherine Tate Show, Saxondale, Nighty Night and People Like Us. It also offers live streaming over Wi-Fi of ABC News 24, but note that data usage won't be unmetered, even on ISPs which offer the desktop version of iView unmetered, because of the iPad's lack of Adobe Flash support.

  Something new on the iPad application that's not yet available from its online counterpart is the Watchlist feature. Watchlist allows users to bookmark favourite shows and series, and then it sends push notification alerts when new episodes become available.

  The ABC says that iView apps will be available for iPhone and Android next year; however, iView works directly from the website when viewed on Android-based devices because they already support Flash.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Angry Birds Seasons

  

  The Angry Birds phenomenon continues with this festive update. This new download will eventually include 25 new levels, but in a cute twist: these levels will be revealed once a day until the 25th - like a virtual advent calendar.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Cricket T20 Fever HD

  

  As recommended by @theashes, T20 Fever is the perfect game to bring fans closer to this summer's cricket action. The game features some great graphics matched with good touchscreen controls, making it well worth the two bucks.

  Platform: Nokia

  Price: AU$2.00

• SketchBook Mobile

  

  Want to draw on your 'droid? Autodesk SketchBook Mobile is a professional-grade paint and drawing application that offers a full set of sketching tools and a streamlined user interface. It's been out on iPhone for a while, but now it's in on the Android act.

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$0.99

• Motörhead Remixer

  

  The Motörhead Remixer allows you to remix some of the band's greatest hits and share your new mix on Facebook. There are two banks of samples with loops and punches, and you can add effects to your mixes such as Flanger and Echo.

  Songs available for free with the app are Ace of Spades, Killed by Death, (We Are) The Road Crew and Stay Clean. Tracks available to purchase in-app include Love Me Like a Reptile, Iron Fist, Jailbait, Bomber and Overkill.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$9.99

• Weather AU

  

  For some smartphone users, just knowing a five-day forecast isn't enough. If you want a more detailed weather map, this app provides data from a number of sources including the Bureau of Meteorology.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$3.00

  Attention BlackBerry users: the Weather Channel has launched an app this week for you too: The Weather Channel Australia. Price AU$3.35

• Headliners

  

  Headliners allows you to easily generate and edit playlists based on the line-up of your favourite festival or gig - past, present or future.

  Miss Woodstock in 1969? The Headliners database has a large back catalogue of past setlists so you can relive a past gig from start to finish. Or you can use it to generate playlists from upcoming music festival line-ups like Good Vibrations, Field Day and The Big Day Out to give you a taste of what's coming.

  While it utilises the music collection on your device, it will also suggest new songs that you can purchase directly through the iTunes Store.

  You can rearrange, delete and replace songs with the swipe of a finger to edit your playlists on the fly. Once you're happy with your playlist, you can share it with your friends via Facebook and email.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$1.19

• Sydney Transit

  

  Every smartphone platform needs a local transit timetable, and for Symbian-swinging Sydneysiders that app is Sydney Transit. A free download, this app lists train times as you'd expect to see them at the station, clearly listing the next available trains along the route you select.

  Platform: Nokia

  Price: free

• Swype

  

  While Swype is available only on select Android handsets, Nokia is giving it away for free to anyone with a compatible Symbian phone. Swype is a keyboard replacement that replaces the hen-pecking of on-screen keyboards with a slick swiping gesture that speeds up typing immensely.

  Platform: Nokia

  Price: free

• Google Reader

  

  Perhaps this is just something tech journos care about, but we've been looking for a great Google Reader app since the very first time we used Android. Lo and behold, the best may have landed and it comes from the minds of the engineers at Google itself. This app is simple, clean and reasonably fast.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Cascade - The Brewer's Nose

  

  Hot on the heels of the Beer Lovers Guide to Australia that we featured three weeks ago, comes the Cascade Brewer's Nose which has tasting notes on over 500 Australian and international brews compiled by Tasmanian chef Rodney Dunn of the Agrarian Kitchen. He also serves up suggestions on how to match your food menu with the most appropriate beer.

  The app uses GPS technology too to help beer-lovers search for their favourite stores, pubs and bars that stock Cascade, as well as helping you keep tally of the brews that you've tried to date. Those behind its marketing efforts are claiming that it's a little like Foursquare for beer.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• Cocktail Flow

  

  Cocktail recipes apps are a dime-a-dozen, but few are as attractively designed as Cocktail Flow. This app mixes a huge menu of drinks with the ability to build lists of the stock in your bar and shopping lists for your next trip to Dan Murphy's.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$4.00

• OzSun UV Alert

  

  With the rain easing up occasionally, we're grabbing the sunshine as much as we can, but how much is safe?

  This is an Australian-specific app which displays and rates the current UV levels based on information provided by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

  OzSun UV Alert currently covers nine Australian cities: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Kingston, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Sydney and Townsville, but more should be made available in future.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: Free (until December 2010)

• Doom Live Wallpaper

  

  If you ever needed evidence that Android was a geeky platform, look no further than the Doom Live Wallpaper. A randomly generating animation, this wallpaper pits the Doom space marine against unending hordes of hell's demons behind your software shortcuts and Facebook updates. Awesome.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• Australia Post

  

  Ever needed to know someone's postcode and spent long minutes thumbing through the White Pages? The Australia Post app includes handy information just like this, with all of Australia's postcodes, a postage cost calculator and parcel tracking.

  Platform: Windows Phone

  Price: Free

• The Economist

  

  The Economist free app includes a weekly sample of must-read articles chosen by the editor, but the full issue of The Economist is available through In App Purchase each week using your iTunes account.

  Digital and print subscribers can receive full and unrestricted access to The Economist on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch as well as The Economist online by using their print or online subscription credentials.

  Once downloaded, each issue of The Economist is stored on the user's device, making it possible to read the newspaper in full without an internet connection. Each issue also features the full audio edition, with all articles read by newscasters.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: App is Free, Full issues are AU$7.99

• Scuba Exam

  

  Scuba Exam has been designed as an introduction to scuba diving for anyone planning on taking an Open Water Diver course. It also gives anyone who already has a dive certificate a chance to easily test and refresh their knowledge.

  The app includes a Scuba Quiz with 250 illustrated questions complete with detailed results and educational explanations, an extensive and easily navigated section with basic scuba diving theory and a searchable diving glossary.

  Platform: Lite version: Free

• Ski Maps

  

  Instead of diving, perhaps you're heading to colder climes to get some skiing in?

  This app provides maps for most ski resorts around the world and uses your phone's GPS to show you where you are, what direction you're skiing in, your speed and the route that you've skied so far. You can then upload the route to your computer and map it on Google Earth. The track is exported in the GPX format and contains speed and elevation. You can also quickly navigate back to fixed points such as where you parked your car or your favourite spot for lunch by marking the map.

  Maps are based on openpistemap.org.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: AU$3.99

• Flee

  

  Let us take you back to a simpler time, when phone calls where taken in the parlour and video games were sold as their very own handheld. Flee emulates the game'n'watch handheld experience we all loved back in the 80's, even goes so far as to replicate the way the old LCD screens reacted when you pressed on them.

  Platform: Android

  Price: AU$1.41

• Doodle God

  

  You know that fire and water make steam and that water and earth make mud, but how would you go about making vodka? Doodle God is a fantastic mind-boggler that has you trying to combine two options at a time to discover all the hidden elements on offer - which in turn you use to create even more. Android owners can find a similar game by searching for "Alchemy".

  Platform: Windows

  Price: AU$4.00

• Shazam

  

  Love that song, but you don't know the artist or the name of it? Now available on Blackberry, Shazam will detect the tune and give you all the information you need.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: Free

• gStrings

  

  Despite the PG-rated name this is a very good, and free, instrument tuner for Android. The interface is clean and easy to read, and musicians from bedroom guitarists through to concert violinists should be able to pick it up and use it straight away.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• Hexetera

  

  Developed by Aussies, Hexetera is a puzzle game with the aim of manoeuvring Primaries - pieces in a triangular grid - to form single colour hexagonal and diagonal formations. Formations explode on creation, causing Primaries above them to fall. The game goes into second gear with Secondaries, falling pieces that help or hinder you. Power up with Reward Buttons when you make formations and rise through the levels. Diagonal formations are fun and score the most points, but are the most challenging to make.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$1.99

• Culinary Fundamentals

  

  Suffering from reality TV cooking show withdrawal? This app contains instructional cookery videos created by professional chefs and is supposedly used by cooking schools around the world.

  With seven categories including: precision cuts, meat preparation, seafood preparation, poultry preparation, fruit preparation, vegetable preparation and basic cooking knowledge, it includes over 260 skills videos covering techniques such as knife skills, filleting fish, shellfish preparation, trussing poultry and more.

  All videos are native to the application so there's no need for a wireless connection to watch them. There are also suggested menu applications for each culinary technique.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$5.99

• Sydney Photos

  

  This app has hundreds of photos of Sydney - architecture, lifestyle, landscapes, monuments - that you can save on your phone, set as wallpaper or share via Gmail and Facebook. We could not find its equivalent for any other Australian cities, but developer Citypic did launch Stockholm Pics this week too.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• U'Sober?

  

  We see how this app has its limitations, but hey, it may be handy given Christmas party season is upon us. It prompts you to walk in a straight line for five seconds, then the little green droid dude passes judgment on whether you're sober or drunk. The developer does post the caveat that "this test is only an indication of your state of inebriation".

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• Browser Plus

  

  Windows Phone Internet Explorer browser is a huge improvement over previous versions, but it's still a bit limited in usability. Browser Plus adds a few key features essential to any good browser, including tabbed browsing, a text-only "reader view" and Google search by default for those who want to shrug off Microsoft's railroading of users towards Bing.

  Platform: Windows

  Price: AU$1.30

• EAT. Sydney

  

  Last week we found the best coffee in Melbourne, this week it's dining out in Sydney. EAT Sydney is an app catering to Sydney's most eager eaters, digging up the best dining options from high-class restaurants to cheap-eats cafes. Whether your palate is akin to Matt Preston or Elvis Presley, this app should be able to point you in the right direction.

  Platform: Windows Phone

  Price: AU$5.00

• EveryLock

  

  Do you have things you'd like to keep confidential on your phone? EveryLock can password protect your native and third-party applications, emails (either singly or by contact), whole folders or individual files, as well as received and sent SMS and MMS messages.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$1.99

• Beer Lovers Guide to Australia

  

  The Beer Lovers Guide to Australia is a showcase of 567 Australian beers, 100 bars and 124 breweries. The snapshot of each of the beers includes alcohol percentage, beer style and the brewers description. You can make your own tasting notes and start a list of favourites.

  Details for each beer-serving venue includes its description, events, functions and tastings, contact details, trading hours and a map to get you there.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Where is My Phone

  

  If you lose your BlackBerry, this app lets you use another phone to send a text message using a keyword you've set up that will cause your handset to make a sound, even if it is in silent mode.

  You can also set it up to send a reply to the phone you sent the prompt from, which will include the GPS location of your phone in latitude and longitude as well as a link to Google maps so you can also get directions to it.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$1.99

• Appsfire

  

  This could run us out of business, but Appsfire is a new app-finding app. It claims to serve up recommendations based on your installed apps and geography. You can also share and send apps, create apps lists, move apps to your SD card or uninstall them with a single click.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• New Zealand Newspapers

  

  Want to keep track of what's happening in Aotearoa? This newly updated app lists major New Zealand newspapers and news sites online. You can find news from the New Zealand Herald, Stuff, Dominion Post, The Press, Auckland, The Nelson Mail, Manawatu Standard, Marlborough Express, Southland Times, TVNZ, Scoop etc. News read more often will go up on your list.

  There's a local version too, Australian Newspapers, that covers a mix of Australian news content.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• ABC for Kids

  

  This updated app is free, but it links you to a host of children's content at ABC For Kids iTunes catalogue. As a special offer on the launch this week, you get included selected music tracks and videos from The Wiggles and Justine Clark.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• Melbourne Coffee Review

  

  Most Melbournites probably think they have a pretty good grasp on where to find the best coffee in their neighbourhood, but you never can tell when you're going to be stuck in the back of the boondocks craving a decent cup of java. The Melbourne Coffee Review app will point you in the right direction, rating cafes on service, atmosphere and, of course, the coffee.

  Platform: Windows Phone

  Price: free

• SMS Reader

  

  This updated app reads incoming text messages to you. It also announces the caller name of incoming calls. Apps like these are handy when you're driving and there's a widget to quickly enable/disable reading.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• The Australian Women's Weekly Cookbooks

  

  This recipe sampler lets you taste-test a selection of Triple-Tested recipes from the Australian Women's Weekly test kitchen. From the cookbook Slow Cooker, the recipes include soups, stews, casseroles and curries, pot roasts and a selection of desserts.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Ultimate Spirit Level

  

  Need to put up a shelf, hang a door or maybe you're just compulsive about straightening crooked photos on the wall? Try this spirit level app, which works the much as a "real" level - when the bubble is centred in the "targets" you know it's level on that side.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free version and US$1.09 fancy version

• Flowersbyphone

  

  Send flowers anywhere in Australia and select your order by flower type, occasion or price range.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• Kebab Manager Deluxe

  

  BlackBerry users are business types right? And we could bring you another new app this week to keep up with your share portfolio called myStocks, but you've probably already got that covered, right?

  Instead, how about a game that you play to become the most powerful kebab vendor in the city? To build up your restaurant, you have to combine the right ingredients, hire skilled staff and satisfy the needs of your customers. That'll test your business skills.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$4.99

• BigScreen

  

  One of the increasingly popular genre of smartphone apps are tools that let you remotely control TVs and media servers. BigScreen turns your new Windows Phone into a Windows Media Centre remote, with functionality that allows you to schedule recordings as well as control playback. It's a bit pricey, but for those who use Windows Media Centre as their central home cinema PVR, it is money well spent.

  Platform: Windows Phone

  Price: AU$6.50

• Mobile banking with St George

  

  Android users who bank with St George will be happy to know that they can now securely access a range of services through their phone including checking balances, transferring funds, paying bills and more. The app also provides information on banking products and it can locate the nearest St George ATM or branch via GPS.

  St George claims that its iPhone and iPad mobile banking apps are already used by 600,000 customers every month. The bank also says an application for the new BlackBerry Torch will be available soon.

  Platform: Android (new) iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• BlackBerry Maps for Australia and New Zealand

  

  BlackBerry Maps is a mapping application that provides a visual map, route and instructions. The interactive map allows you to pan, rotate and zoom in all directions. You can then send yor map via email and open BlackBerry Maps from other applications such as your contact list, where you can view your contact's addresses on a map.

  You can also enhance your maps via a GPS-enabled BlackBerry device or an external Bluetooth-enabled GPS receiver to view your current location with even greater accuracy and track your route to your target destination.

  If your BlackBerry has a handset code of 4.2 or later, BlackBerry Maps does not have to be downloaded but will be pushed out to your BlackBerry within the next 30 days. Users with pre-4.2 handset code need to click here to download this app. BlackBerry Device Software v4.1 or later is also required.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• iBooks

  

  Note that this app is not new, but given that until this week there have been precious few titles in the Australian iBookstore, there has previously been no real reason to get it. But this week Apple announced local partnerships with six publishers - Macmillan, Hachette Book Group, Hardie Grant, HarperCollins Publishers, Murdoch Publishers and Wiley - so it may be time to get this app and take a look.

  There has been a fair bit of criticism about the publishers and titles that still aren't available, and the prices of the ebooks if you do find one you want to read, but at least the app itself is free, and no doubt the iBookstore will keep growing over time.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• Tip calculator

  

  Thinking of splurging on a US trip to take advantage of the high Aussie dollar? Remember you'll have to tip stateside, so this app helps add a tip per cent on to the main bill amount. Even if you're not tipping, you can also use it to calculate the amount that each person at the table will need to contribute towards a bill.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• OutFront

  

  With OutFront, fitness enthusiasts can measure their performance in detail, keep track of their training and share it with friends, family and followers via Map My Tracks, which is an outdoor social network for sports enthusiasts. Users can get second-by-second stats of their performance and through its integration with the Map My Tracks website they can sync their activities live online for others to follow if they choose.

  The site has Street View integrated into the activity viewer so you can get a first-person view of the ride or activity people carry out while they do it, which is great for tracking folks you've sponsored at charity fitness events.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: Free version and AU$5.99 version

• Happy Snapper

  

  Happy Snapper is an app that helps you make fun of your friends. What's not to like? It features a selection of editable stickers that you can put on any picture you've taken and then further modify it with your own message. "I'm with stupid" seems popular, but you're only limited by your wit and imagination.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$1.19

• Bye Bye Brain

  

  Tower defence games are a dime-a-dozen on iPhone and Android, so it's a real pleasure to showcase a game in this genre that is oozing with style. Bye Bye Brain pits you and your growing army against wave after wave of hungry undead. The game is in full 3D with pinch-to-zoom for close ups of the gory action.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$3.00

• Twozaic

  

  Like Bye Bye Brain, Twozaic is yet another example of an app that we see everyday of the week, the Twitter client, but with a twist. Twozaic gives Twitter a 3D skew, displaying your most recent messages in randomly-sized fragments for higher impact.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$3.00

• Referee Aid

  

  This one's for referees and maybe anal soccer parents on the side lines. It has a scoreboard and timer, tallies yellow card and red card registration and even features a whistle.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• iTunes Live: ARIA Awards Concert Series 2010

  

  As a lead up to this year's ARIA Awards, there will be five outdoor concerts at the Sydney Harbour Foreshore from 1 November through 5 November featuring different artists and key nominees each night, including John Butler, Washington, Guy Sebastian, Sia and Angus & Julia Stone. If you can't be there in person, Australians can watch these performances streamed live with this app. The performances will also be recorded and available to watch for free for seven days after the concert.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• MetroView Australia Turn-By-Turn Navigation

  

  With this locally developed navigation software, users can hear typical Australian streets and suburbs pronounced in an Australian-accented male or female voice! MetroView's full GPS functionality can be operated while other applications are running in the background.

  It includes SpeedAlert, which confirms current speed limits with visual and audible warnings, plus it cautions drivers if the vehicle is exceeding the speed limit. Map data is stored on the iPhone so there are no download costs for mapping or navigation. Frequent updates are available with no ongoing subscription costs.

  MetroView also has iPod music control, contacts search and places of interest (POI) using Google Local Search, as well as familiar map design, analog and digital speedometer views, and walking mode with compass functionality on the iPhone 3GS.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$24.99

• Accident Help

  

  Accident Help by Aussie law firm Trilby Misso is designed to provide assistance in gathering necessary information at the time of a traffic accident.

  It is broken down into eight steps to allow you to methodically gather the information you need such as the other vehicle, passenger and witness information, photos of the damage to vehicle and property/items inside the vehicle, as well as accident location, time and date. You can preload your own personal, vehicle and insurance information. Saved reports can be edited at any time.

  Once your report is saved you can email it to any email of your choice and to Trilby Misso Lawyers Client Care Centre to inquire about your legal rights.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• Winamp

  

  Winamp is now available in beta on Android. It offers a complete media management solution by seamlessly syncing with the Winamp desktop library. In addition to high quality playback and persistent player controls, Winamp for Android offers wireless desktop sync with your Winamp desktop application (USB or Wi-Fi). Other features include play queue, scrobbling, playlist shortcuts, lock screen and a widget player.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• TripAdvisor

  

  TripAdvisor's been updated. Now you can browse over 40 million reviews and opinions on the best places to eat, sleep and play, and get advice in travel forums. You can view photos and see what's nearby with the Near Me Now feature. Unfortunately, it doesn't cache pages you've visited and it does require internet access, so don't use it travelling where you'll be hit with high roaming charges.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Jam11

  

  If your music is locked in iTunes on your PC or Mac, but you carry a BlackBerry, this could be the answer to your syncing and storage problems, as Jam11 lets you listen to your iTunes music on BlackBerry phones without ever having to sync.

  After it's installed and you register your BlackBerry, you'll be emailed a link to Jam11Connect software, which you can download and run on the PC or Mac that has iTunes on it. In a few minutes all your playlists, album, artists and song data will appear on your phone and you can listen to any song or podcast anytime from your home computer as long as its connected to the internet.

  In addition to your local music, the Jam11 music player also lets you search and listen to 40,000+ SHOUTcast internet radios from all over the world.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• Picasa Viewer

  

  This app is great for people who prefer Google's Picasa online photo hub to Microsoft's default SkyDrive service for uploading their most recent pics.

  Picasa Viewer logs you into your Picasa account and pulls down all of your galleries so you can view them on your Windows Phone. For an extra AU$3 you can upgrade to the premium version, which allows you to save your pics to the phone or upload new photos you've taken.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free/AU$3 for premium

• AsciiCamera

  

  This one is for the closet geek in all of us. Choose a photo from your camera roll or take a new shot, then sit back and let this app mutate your memories into jagged ASCII art. The results are always good for a laugh.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free

• Citysearch Australia

  

  Citysearch from Sensis provides info on the best places to eat, drink and get a culture fix in eight Australian cities: Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Darwin and Canberra. Users can also add their own reviews and share that info with their friends.

  It incorporates an augmented reality (AR) function that lets you literally see where the best places are in proximity to where you're standing. It also lets you find nearby friends via Facebook Connect.

  The app is free to browse (unmetered) for Telstra Next G customers; however, charges may apply when you interact with third-party sites like Facebook, depending on your phone plan.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: free

• Melbourne Museum "Please Touch the Exhibit"

  

  As part of its 10th birthday celebrations, the Melbourne Museum is launching an iPad app that takes users on a virtual tour through 10 of its most iconic exhibits. It's a new way of getting "inside" the display cases to interact with Phar Lap, Australia's most famous horse and the museum's massive blue whale skeleton. Other popular museum experiences featured include Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, the Forest Gallery, the Melbourne Story exhibition and some of the new exhibitions in the Science and Life Gallery.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Themes in Motion: Horse Racing

  

  For those seriously into the Spring Racing season, this app will customise all icons and backgrounds on your BlackBerry with an animated horse racing theme. Bring on the Melbourne Cup!

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$1.99

• TweetDeck

  

  One of desktop computing's most popular Twitter clients has finally been released to the public on Android. TweetDeck isn’t just Twitter though, it's capable of aggregating your Facebook, Google Buzz and Foursquare activity too.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• How to Get Through the Working DayWithout Actually Doing Any Work

  

  This is a great one for a Friday! This ebook is billed as "the slacker’s handbook". It includes slacker slogans and a quiz to evaluate your slacking potential.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• My Shit-List!

  

  The name is pretty self-explanatory - if you've got one of these lists, here's a way to keep track of it on your phone.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Reckless Racing

  

  One part Micro-Machines and one part Mario Kart, Reckless Racing is all about screaming around the track and not sliding off. It is also championing multiplayer gaming on Android with a few online race modes.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Australian Slang

  

  Dating someone from overseas who can't understand what you're talking about? Got overseas visitors arriving? Give them this slang translator to help them cope.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Aperture Clock Widget

  

  This one's for photographers - the app shows aperture values on the clock dial instead of the hours. The aperture on the clock dial also opens and closes over time (but it updates only every 30 minutes to save battery life).

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$1.05

• Melbourne Literary

  

  A guide to the city's bookshops, writers, publishers, literary events, literary locations, and literary-themed cafes, bars and public art. It includes 161 entries about books, writers, publishers, bookshops, locales to visit and links to online bookshops where you can buy all titles mentioned. Each entry includes a slideshow and descriptive text.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: $3.99

• Good Food Guide 2011

  

  This app combines the popular restaurant guides from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age and contains reviews of fine-dining restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne as well as key restaurants in other states. All can be read without connection to a mobile network. You can also advise other app users of your personal experience by providing your own rating for restaurants featured in the app.

  Platform: BlackBerry, iPhone

  Price: $14.45 (BlackBerry) $9.99 (iPhone)

• Gibson Learn & Master

  

  This one's not new, but it did win the Billboard Music App Awards (didn't know there was such a thing, but there you go). The app features as a "professional quality chromatic tuner, alternate tuning settings, a standard mode tuner, an accurate metronome with multiple time signatures, a chord library and access to free, full-length guitar lessons". It's nearing 2 million downloads on iTunes and is soon to be available for Android.

  Platform: iPhone, Android coming soon

  Price: free

• Poo Log HD

  

  We've got to say it - this is a crap app. Based on the book What's your poo telling you? by Josh Richman and Anish Sheth, MD this app features a digital timer and journal for recording, studying and tracking your daily digestive workings, as well as bathroom humour and medical information.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: $2.49

• Jetlag Travel Guides

  

  This is an e-guide to 16 totally fictional countries - think "Phoney Planet".

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free Lite version (one country); full 16-country version $2.49

• BBC Listener

  

  Aussies can now get the best of BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service including programs such as Desert Island Discs, In Our Time, Americana and Crossing Continents.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: $3.99 a month subscription service for 20 new programs per week. Free 30-day trial.

• HTC Magic
• HTC Tattoo
• LG GW620
• Motorola Quench

Welcome to the Friday App Wrap, the place where we share with you some of the standouts from the new mobile phone apps we find each week. There is a good mix of practical and fun apps this week and as you'll notice from the first two images, top hats seem to be popular.

To see the applications highlighted in previous weeks, flick back via the date tab navigation at the bottom after the last app listed.

• Angry Birds Seasons

  

  Yes, pigs in leprechaun hats. Rovio just rolled out a St Patrick's Day-themed update to Angry Birds Seasons with 15 new levels, two Golden Eggs, a "St Paddy's Day surprise" and St Patrick's Day greeting cards, which you can send to friends via Facebook. And as with the Valentine's Day version, you can unlock three bonus levels just by "liking" the game on Facebook too.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: the update is free, to purchase in iTunes it's AU$2.49

• Steven Tyler Appsolewdly

  

  Aerosmith singer and American Idol judge Steven Tyler's mobile app is billed as a way for fans to have "access to exclusive, unpredictable and uncensored content, including self-made videos, never-before-seen photos and other noises from his head, including a digital sound box filled with his most outrageous and funny 'Tylerisms'".

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Dropbox

  

  Dropbox syncs your files between your computers and your mobile devices. It makes it easy to share links to files, save photos and video from your camera to your computer(s), as well as open documents and presentations using the apps you have on your phone.

  You must have a Dropbox account, but if you don't already have one, the app will allow you to create one for free.

  Platform: Android, BlackBerry, iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• Future Music Festival app

  

  The Future Music Festival is on in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide this weekend. The app will help you plan your day to catch all the acts you want to see with its schedule and map, view artists bios and listen to tracks, as well as check to find your friends at the event. You can also point your phone at any stage to see who's playing using its augmented reality feature.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Ancestry

  

  This helps you build multi-generational family trees complete with images of original family records and photos. It's been designed for the iPad, although a scaled down version for the iPhone and iPod Touch includes features for navigating a family tree and viewing records already attached to a tree.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Realestate.com.au mobile

  

  This app has been updated with three new features, including the ability to search multiple suburbs, search recent suburbs and sort recent property searches based on relevance, price, suburb or listing date.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Arc Publications

  

  UNSW students can get campus news and uni event info from this app, which pulls from popular sections of Arc Publications including Blitz, Tharunka, Student Cookbook and UNSWeetened.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• Layar

  

  New to the Symbian platform, this browser has already made inroads on iPhone and Android handsets. Layar uses Augmented Reality (AR) technology, to display digital information called "layers" into your smartphone's field of vision. There is a catalogue of over 1500 layers that range from Architecture 3D, Tweeps (Twitter pop-ups) to Arcade 3D games.

  Platform: Nokia Ovi/Symbian

  Price: free

• Museum Victoria's Field Guide to Victorian Fauna

  

  This lets nature-lovers discover more about Victoria's biodiversity. It's filled with detailed descriptions of animals, maps of distribution and the endangered status of over 700 native species encompassing birds, fishes, frogs, lizards, snakes, mammals, freshwater, terrestrial and marine invertebrates, spiders, and insects including butterflies.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Fight Night Champion

  

  If the traditional game developers have seemed a bit cautious about mobile gaming, then EA is breaking the mould with a solid iPhone tie-in for its latest Fight Night boxing sim release. The iPhone version of the game is, of course, simpler, but its intuitive controls are among the best we've seen for the small touchscreens of smartphones.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$5.99

• TileStorm HD

  

  One-part Wall-E and one-part frustrating car parking puzzle, TileStorm HD takes a simple game concept to the next level with charming 3D graphics and a silky smooth frame rate.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$4.00 Android Market, AU$4.99 iTunes

• Stupid Zombies

  

  Rovio has been hard at work on Angry Birds Seasons for St Patrick's Day, but if you need another fix of physics fun, we suggest you take a look at Stupid Zombies. It's not quite as slick as Angry Birds, but the puzzles are just as much fun to master.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$1.19/free (with ads)

• Ultimate SoundBox

  

  We brought you Android's Motion Fart a few weeks back, and not to be outdone, we found the Ultimate SoundBox on iPhone this week. Yes, it makes fart noises, but there are lots of others as well, including a whip, cash register, cow, machine gun, fire siren, train and air horn.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Hangman

  

  An oldie, but a goodie - there are 500 words loaded that can hang you; or in two-player mode, you can enter words and have your opponent try to guess them.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• AFL Live Scores

  

  Footy season is upon us, so here's a way to get AFL Scores live to your Android phone. iPhone users may want to try AFL Aussie Rules Live 2011.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Amazon Kindle

  

  As Amazon continues its conquering of our mobile devices, the Kindle app finally arrives on Windows Phone. Though it's long been available on iPhone and Android, the Windows Phone version is perhaps the most attractive, with Amazon making the most of Microsoft's Metro design template.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free

• Bike Share

  

  Want a bike to ride but don't want to fork out big bucks to own one? Aussies in Melbourne and Brisbane can take advantage of an excellent bike-sharing scheme and can use this great WP7 app to track the location and availability of bikes across the city.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$1.30

• Sculpture!

  

  Those in WA heading to Cottesloe Beach to take in Sculpture by the Sea might want to grab this slideshow of stunning sculpted works of art from around the world as inspiration. The images, shot by well known photographers including Vincent Desjardins and Guillaume Millet, can be saved for use as wallpaper on your phone.

  Platform: Android; iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: US$1.50 from Android Market, AU$3.99 from iTunes

• OutScout Sydney

  

  OutScout Sydney, a guide to gay venues and events, will be particularly handy now for its full list of events for Mardi Gras 2011.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: Free

• Pulse News Reader

  

  Pulse is an RSS feed that delivers your news utilising graphically powerful mosaic tiles. Each feed gets its own row. The app will poll for new articles at whatever interval you choose, placing the latest info on the left-hand side of the screen. Tapping a headline brings up the article and options to share, open in web browser, adjust font and more.

  Whether in portrait or landscape mode, the articles fill the screen with enough space left over to navigate other posts and feeds. What might look like information overload the first time you run Pulse, quickly becomes intuitive and never feels cluttered.

  Pulse has been recently updated for faster image loading, particularly on Android with Honeycomb tablets in mind.

  Platform: Android and iPad

  Price: free

• Getmusic

  

  Microsoft Australia has teamed up with Universal Music Australia to launch a music download service. With Getmusic, those with Windows Phone 7 can buy music from artists such as Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, U2, Eminem, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Bon Jovi, Washington and Cut Copy. The app also sells merchandise, offers news and competitions to win gig tickets.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free

• Words With Friends

  

  Addictive crossword game with a turn-based design that lets you play up to 20 games simultaneously. Push notifications tell you when it's your turn and you can use in-game chat while you play with your friends or match-make instantly with a random opponent.

  Platform: Android; iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Poker Invaders

  

  The developers describe this games as the love child of Space Invaders, Tetris and poker. Basically, you have to protect your cows from alien abduction with the strength of your poker hands. Yup, you just need to flick or drag your cards up in strong poker combinations to explode the attacking spacecraft and defend your prize-winning herd. No poker face or experience is required, just quick reactions and a bit of strategic thinking.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$1.19

• Qtv

  

  If you're looking forward to a quiet night at home on the couch, then Qtv is your new best friend. Featuring TV listings from all Metro, Regional and Subscription TV services, Qtv will tell you exactly when and which channel is showing the next episode of Futurama.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free

• Basichords

  

  Learn to strum with this chord dictionary for guitar, ukulele, banjo, bouzouki/mandolin, cavaquinho. The app has 5700+ finger positions and auto playback. (BTW, we had to Google "cavaquinho" too.)

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• ABC Foodi

  

  Here's a free app that beautifully presents 120 recipes from more than 40 chefs who have worked on ABC shows, including well-known foodies like Maggie Beer, Matt Moran, Poh Ling Yeow and Bill Granger. It includes shopping lists and step-by-step instructions for each recipe. Video segments from the shows are a handy inclusion as is the voice control option that keeps the iPad touchscreen clean from sticky hands and fingers while you cook.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Foxtel TV Guide

  

  Now available for Android, the Foxtel TV Guide lets you browse program listings up to 14 days in advance, plus you can remote record to your Foxtel iQ or iQHD. You can also set up alerts to remind you of shows you want to watch 15 minutes before they start. This app has previously been released for iPhone and Windows Phone 7 users.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• mHITs

  

  mHITs is a free payment service that lets you send and receive payments by SMS to anyone with an Australian mobile. Ideal for making small payments, you can use mHITs for sending money to friends, IOUs, collecting payments for group events, sending gifts or buying from an mHITs venue. You will need to have an mHITs account before you can make a payment using mHITs, but registration is free.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• PewPew

  

  With four game modes, this multi-directional first-person shooter will delight gamers with its retro graphics. And besides, what a great name for a shoot-em-up.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Salary Checker

  

  Think you're due for a raise? Collect more ammunition by checking out how your current pay scale stacks up to what your role is worth in other countries. Robert Walters is a global recruitment consultancy and its Salary Checker app allows you to compare how much you're earning compared to similar roles in Australia and across markets in over 20 other countries where it's conducted salary surveys.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Jedi Light Saber

  

  An oldie but a goodie, Jedi Light Saber's been updated with five new hilts and a Stop Music button. You can still change the colour of the blade by choosing from one of five crystal colours, and hear different sounds from your lightsaber and play five songs from Star Wars in the background. May the Force be with you, or at least your phone.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• The West End, London Audio Tour - Lonely Planet

  

  Lonely Planet has launched a new series of Audio Walking Tours that take listeners on a recommended route that features reviews by Lonely Planet's expert authors and historical audio commentary from the BBC Archive. The apps provide detailed information for travellers to explore at their own pace, with a location-aware map that allows the user to stop and start their journey or skip ahead to any of the selected stops. The tours also work offline, so roaming charges for international users can be avoided.

  The first tours available are for five iconic walks in central London: Covent Garden, Southbank, Spitalfields, the City and the West End. Audio walking tours of Paris are scheduled to be released soon.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Motion Fart

  

  You know this one's going to be so popular with those who like fart humour. Yes, really you can fart at will by lifting your leg - just put your phone in your back pants pocket and the app uses the phone's motion sensor to sound off with your standard selection of fart sounds.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Ow My Balls!

  

  If you like kicked-in-the-crotch humour, this is the app for you. The object of the game is to kick Joe the Juggler from a ledge and then try to rack his balls on as many targets as you can. You can ignite fart jet-packs to gain altitude and hit more targets. There are four gameplay modes, 13 achievements to complete and 16 videos to unlock, as well as a bonus character, "Lil' Baller".

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• Tiny Birds

  

  No Angry Birds slingshots here - in Tiny Wings, there's just one bird and all he wants to do is fly. It's your job to help him, but your only "control" is your finger, which you tap and hold when he's sliding down a hill and release on the upturn. Time it right and Tiny Wings soars skyward, but if you tap and hold while he's airborne, he instantly gets "heavy" and plummets back toward the ground. The idea is to time it so he plummets right onto a downward slope, which in turn gives him more speed for the next jump to send him flying higher and farther. It takes a bit till you get the hang of the flight mechanic and then you'll be propelling your birdie over the hills and valleys of the various islands that serve as the game's levels.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$1.19

• Honeymoonfund - Wedding Cash Gift Registry

  

  This one took a bit for us to wrap our heads around, but it's an iPhone app for an online wedding gift registry for the bride and groom who simply want cash!? Yes, promoted as an online wishing well service for weddings, this helps couples set up their own bridal registry page, send out invitations and watch their wedding/honeymoon funds grow as guests' payment transactions roll in. They can also use the app to view all their withdrawals and redemption transactions.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• Androidify

  

  Love the little green robot on your phone? Here's a way you can carry your affection to a new level by customising the Android's look.

  Androidify lets you turn the logo-bot into all kinds of caricatures, with choices including spiky hair, body types, beards, glasses, wardrobes and accessories like hats, watches and even a parrot. The cartoonish avatars can be saved as user pics and shared with friends.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Rugby Coach Pro

  

  The rugby season is upon us, and for all of you putting your hands up to help coach, Rugby Coach Pro offers a play editor, practice designer and team management app. You can design and save plays and drills, store your rosters and present your work on external displays, projectors or full screen on your device. Who needs a white board, when you can write and save notes right on your phone's formations templates?

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Rugby Fans Australia

  

  If you're more of the spectator than coaching variety, this app has the latest schedules, standings, news and video for fans of rugby league and rugby union.

  Don't worry Kiwi readers, there's a New Zealand version as well.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Green Eggs and Ham

  

  "Would you eat them in a box? Would you eat them with a fox?"

  There are three ways to read this officially licensed Dr Seuss book for Android phones. Children can pick "Read to Me" to listen to the narrated story with words highlighted as they are read; "Read it Myself" to read the book in its traditional form; or "Auto Play" which plays like a movie, automatically reading and turning pages. To promote reading in young children, individual words are highlighted as the story is read and words zoom up when pictures are touched.

  Other Dr Seuss titles recently released include The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, One Fish, Two Fish, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

  These books have been available for Apple devices for about six months, but they will cost you AU$4.99 through iTunes.

  Platform: Android

  Price: AU$3.99

• Join.me

  

  Brought to you by remote access specialists LogMeIn, Join.me lets you connect to remote meetings or screen-sharing sessions for free. It's perfect for those times when you're stuck in a cab or airport and can't make the meeting you're supposed to be attending.

  To web conference on your phone, whoever is hosting the meeting has to download and run a small client program, then share with attendees the link or numeric code generated by the client.

  Those wanting to join do not have to install anything or even register. They click the link or enter the code and straight-away can see what the presenter sees. They can zoom in and out as needed, and can participate in chat sessions via the provided list of all the meeting attendees.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• Dilbert Mobile

  

  Take your favourite office cube comic characters with you on your phone. This gives you immediate access to the daily Dilbert comic, as well as the more than 20-year archive of the entire Dilbert collection.

  Platform: Nokia Ovi

  Price: free

• Poker Swap

  

  Poker Swap is a mix of poker and puzzle gameplay. Five rows of five cards are dealt face-up. You then swap any card with any other on the board to score points for all horizontal or vertical poker hands you complete. There are four different game modes based on the length of session time you want to play.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free or US$0.99 for Pro version (without ads)

• AmpliTube Fender

  

  AmpliTube Fender is a full-featured Fender Tone guitar rig with built-in recording and practising studio. You can use the AmpliTube iRig interface adapter to connect your guitar to an iPhone or iPad and you're ready to practice, play and record with Famous Fender tones anywhere you happen to be.

  It includes a SpeedTrainer, which provides the ability to slow down imported backing tracks (-50 per cent) to learn complex riffs, or speed them up (+200 per cent) for practising playing skills. Songs and backing tracks or loops can be easily loaded into the apps directly from your iPod library on the iOS device or from the computer.

  Also, you can record your entire band, or produce full songs and compositions directly in AmpliTube Fender with its built-in single track recorder with re-amping ability, expandable to a full-featured four-track recorder on iPhone or an eight-track Recorder on iPad, both with the master effects' section. Those quickly captured performances that can be shared by exporting high quality audio files or M4As.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$17.99

• 50in1 Piano

  

  Another music app, but aimed more for those wanting to learn piano skills, there's 50in1 Piano. It combines a piano keyboard, 50 studio-quality instruments, 120 piano lessons, real-time effects and 100 beat loops to help you learn to play the piano, create your own songs and even sing along to your compositions.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Go Somewhere Special

  

  Here's an app built on a coffee brand's ad campaign - you know the one, "Moccona is for lovers". It lets you apply augmented reality to gradually reveal a mystery location when you ask someone out on a date. You start by choosing a starting point and a destination, and then the Go Somewhere Special app plots a trail of on-screen candles for your date to follow. It also sends them a candle-lit invitation. They will end up at the surprise destination you've specified, where you will presumably join them for a romantic rendezvous. (And drink instant coffee?)

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• Career Chronicles

  

  Can't face the year ahead stuck in your current job? This career guide provides an introduction to 23 jobs in healthcare, architecture, the law, financial services, education, the social sciences, information technology, sales, media and more. Although it's a US-based ebook, it offers the history and background of the different professions, current status of the field, statistics on employment levels, education required and average salaries, plus insights/pros and cons from more than 750 professionals.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$3.99

• St Kilda festival

  

  This weekend is the big finish to the St Kilda festival, and this handy app condenses the schedule for Festival Sunday (13 February), listing each event and activity, so all you'll need to do is scroll through the timetable and use its maps to decide where you want to go next.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• Swan Taxis

  

  Calling a cab in Perth just got a little easier with this updated Swan Taxi app. You can book from your current location and the taxi will come to the pick-up address indicated by the GPS. Also once the call has been made and a taxi has accepted the job, you can watch the taxi's progress on a Google Map. Then, when it gets to within 250m of the pick-up address, two "honks" will sound on your iPhone and you'll also know what the car's ID number is. There is also a taxi rank finder, a fare estimator and even a button you can hit to hail a cab with an electronic whistle.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad, with Android and Windows versions coming soon.

  Price: free

• Cricket World Cup 2011

  

  If you can't be there in person, you can stay updated with live matches, scores and news as it happens. You can follow your favourite players on their Twitter feeds and dive into a complete database of players, team and venue stats, records and trivia.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Catholic Confessional

  

  This one's stirring up a controversy, today prompting the Sydney Catholic Archdiocese to come out with a statement clarifying that this app is not a substitute to confession with an actual human priest. What it does do, however, is offer a step-by-step guide to the sacrament for Catholics to prepare for the Rite of Penance. The Church is also hoping that those who have been away from the sacrament for some time will find the app to be a tool to bring them back into the fold.

  It creates password-protected profiles and then takes you through a series of soul-searching questions related to the Ten Commandments. The app displays sins along with a written act of contrition for the penitent. It also lets you log "custom sins" and create "custom examinations of conscience". Prayers stored in the app include the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed and Hail Mary.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$2.49

• Angry Birds

  

  Hogs And Kisses, the Valentine's Day version of Angry Birds is here. The newly updated Seasons features 15 lovey-dovey levels, complete with a romantic new theme song and pink, heart-filled settings. This update includes the previous Halloween- and Christmas-themed levels.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$1.19 iPhone, free on Android

• Google Translate

  

  We see lots of popular iPhone apps coming out now on the Android platform, but here's an example of one moving the other way. Google Translate, a popular Android app, is now available to iPhone users. You can use it to translate words and phrases between more than 57 languages. For 15 major languages, you can speak your phrases and hear the corresponding translations. For others, say Azerbaijani, Swahili and Welsh, you need to input text, but fortunately, if you're trying to translate non-Latin script languages, it will phonetically read characters you input (eg, Pinyin, Romaji).

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• AC/DC Ringtone

  

  Updated this week, this app lets you indulge your Acadaca worship. The same developer has also put out an Android app for Wolfmother Ringtones as well.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Comedytube local

  

  This app provides an easy way of accessing funny YouTube links, sorted by country. In addition to Australia, supported countries include Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, France, UK, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Taiwan and South Africa.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Monty Python's Cow Tossing

  

  Last week we had Cover Orange, and now this week's Angry Birds-style knock-off game is based on the cult movie classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The flinging involved here includes French cows and five other barnyard animals at King Arthur and his knights. The knights (targets) are piled atop a battering ram that slowly creeps toward your stronghold. If it gets there, you lose the level. There are 80 levels, some sprinkled with clips from the movie that you can unlock.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$1.19

• SPB TV

  

  Australia may never see true, local mobile TV broadcasts, but this doesn't stop us enjoying hundreds of feeds from overseas. SPB TV is a free window to the world, streaming broadcasts from over 150 different global sources.

  Platform: Ovi for Nokia

  Price: free

• 3D Brick Breaker Revolution

  

  If there's one thing to turn BlackBerry fanatics against their favourite brand, it's a new and improved version of Brick Breaker for Windows Phone. In truth, this third dimension doesn't add much to gameplay, but we still the love this mobile gaming classic.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$4.00

• Loop

  

  Kind of like Fruity Loops for your Nokia smartphone, Loop is a simple, cool musical sample sequencer that comes with a bunch of preloaded basslines and the ability to record new samples using your phone's microphone.

  Platform: Ovi for Nokia

  Price: free

• Blogger

  

  The Google-owned Blogger network has released an app designed to enable people who have built their blogs on the Blogger platform to easily update them from their Android smartphones.

  It lets you bang out copy and take photos with your phone and then either publish their words and images straight-away or save a draft for later. Posts and drafts can be viewed directly in the app or, by way of a quickly accessible menu, in a browser.

  Users can also select their location and include that information with their post, switch between different accounts and blogs and select photos from their gallery for uploading.

  Blogger said it's working on bringing the app to non-Android gadgets as well, but for now the program is available only for Android devices.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Cover Orange

  

  If you're looking for the next Angry Birds, Cover Orange might be it. The name derives from the simple game premise that you must literally cover exposed oranges to save them from a dangerous cloud of poison rain.

  To accomplish this, you're given one or more tools (it varies from level to level) to drop strategically. In an early, easy level, for example, you simply have to drop a box so it lands directly over the orange. Later on, you'll work with things like wagon wheels, dropping them on windmills to make them spin and fling your orange to a safe spot.

  Dropping/placing your last tool triggers the cloud, and there's no going back - your set-up either worked or failed. Fortunately, there's a restart icon right in the corner for quick (and unlimited) do-overs.

  The surviving oranges reward you with adoring shouts and cheers if you complete the task. Yup, we've got a feeling this one could be addictive.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$1.19

• HappyCow VeginOut

  

  This app finds vegetarian, vegan, veg-friendly restaurants and health food stores near your location or wherever you enter manually. In addition to supporting maps and search for Australia and New Zealand, vegetarian restaurants are listed in over 90 other countries.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Home Delivery & Takeaway

  

  Continuing on a restaurant theme, this app brings home delivery from over 1200 restaurants Australia-wide. You can choose from menus covering Italian, Thai, Indian, Chinese, vegetarian and more. Unfortunately, the service is limited to metro areas only.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Fish Navigator

  

  This is not a game, but an app that provides fishermen with information such as the latest fishing reports, tides charts, hotspots, weather reports, the current moon phase and more.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Bearing + Distance

  

  Designed for private pilots, this app lets you enter a destination or waypoint and get bearing (true + magnetic) and distance information using your GPS navigation coordinates. It features an aviation compass w/ADF, a robust trip system, map view, "nearest" and "custom" destinations, and track recording to KML files. It includes 3611 destinations, including 1150 airports in Australia and New Zealand.

  Platform: Android

  Price: AU$6.49

• Love Calculator

  

  This app is probably about as accurate as a Magic 8 Ball to determine who you might be compatible with, but nonetheless with Valentine's Day coming on, it might be worth a go. You just enter the names of two people and see what the calculator has to say about the match.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$0.99

• TV & Movie Guide Australia

  

  Check out what's on TV now or later, and look up the latest session times in cinemas across Australia.

  Platform: Android

  Price: AU$2.49

• Eleven TV

  

  If you don't want to pay for an overview of all TV content as per the app above, you can opt for apps for specific channels. Channel 10 has its own app, and now that its new Channel 11 is up and running, it's got its own app too. There are schedules and listings, photo galleries, videos and polls, plus you can set reminders for what you want to watch.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• TinkerBox

  

  Though created primarily to "spark teens' interest in mechanical engineering", TinkerBox offers machine-building fun for all ages.

  The physics puzzle game/simulator starts with a dozen training levels, which teach you to place, use and tweak the various tools at your disposal: buttons, conveyor belts, levers and so on. Of course, different puzzles have different tools available; it's your job to figure out where they go, how they interconnect, and so on.

  It has just two levels - "The Lab" and "Steel Mill" - with a combined total of 13 puzzles. It also comes with a slick builder for creating your own inventions, which you can then email to friends. Plus, if you point your iPad's browser to Autodesk's Tinkerbox site, you can download inventions shared by other users.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Optus live streams Australian Open

  

  It's getting to the serious end of the Australian Open, but tennis fans out and about can watch the finals streamed live through this Optus mobile app. It provides free access to live streaming of Channel Seven's Australian Open 2011 match coverage along with live scores of men's and women's singles matches, results and video highlights.

  Optus customers can access other free and paid for content through this TV and video app; however, the Australian Open coverage is free and available to those connecting within a 3G network coverage area or through Wi-Fi.

  Platform: Android and iPhone

  Price: free

• St George Bank Car Finder

  

  A new addition to the St George mobile banking app is a Car Finder tool that makes it easier for customers to find the nearest dealers with St George-approved finance. The app uses GPS technology to find the closest car dealers or you can also search for dealers who stock the type of cars you're interested in.

  If you're already using the St George app, you have to download this update, and then you'll find it in the Calculators & Tools section from the home screen.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch

  Price: free

• Adobe Photoshop Express update

  

  In addition to its simple editing and enhancement tools, Photoshop Express 1.5 brings a couple of much-needed features to the year-old app and a couple of minor improvements. It now lets you capture photos right within the app and it supports rapid-fire shooting, saving snaps almost as quickly as you can tap the shutter button. As with the stock Camera app, you spot-focus by tapping on the screen.

  Another long-overdue addition is multitasking. When you hop out of Photoshop Express to do something else, then run it again, the app returns you to whatever you were doing. Likewise, it offers background uploading of photos to your Facebook or Photoshop.com account.

  Finally, Photoshop Express now supports Retina displays, so everything looks extra-sharp on the iPhone 4 and fourth-gen iPod Touch. (It works on the iPad, too, but obviously without the camera functions - yet.)

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• City Of Sydney - Chinese New Year 2011

  

  The City of Sydney produces the biggest celebration of the Lunar New Year outside Asia. This app is the complete guide to the 2011 Sydney Chinese New Year Festival, which features more than 50 cultural events including food, entertainment, visual art, film, workshops, talks and tours.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Chinese New Year SMS Wishes

  

  Chinese New Year SMS wishes is a simple app that contains 70 popular Chinese New Year greetings pre-written. All you have to do is just pick the sample you like and send it out as an SMS. As a February bonus, it is being updated with Valentine SMS wishes ready to go.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Strange Rain

  

  Strange Rain is pretty hard to describe but it's essentially an interactive storytelling app. The primary function of the app is to give you a break from your hectic life by displaying a mesmerising scene of rain falling from the sky. The iPhone screen acts as a skylight, so you're looking straight up as raindrops fall and hit the screen. You can slightly affect the raindrops as they fall by touching the screen and moving your iPhone, and tinkly music from a haunting melody plays amid soothing storm sounds, every time you touch it.

  It is not just a rain simulator, though. It has three different modes to play with, including the Wordless mode that simply displays the drops falling from the sky and lets you touch the screen and move your iPhone to affect their trajectory. Whisper Mode is mostly the same, but sometimes when you touch the screen you'll see rain-related words spelled out. The third and most interesting mode is Story Mode, in which a story plays out through the thoughts of a protagonist, which are printed on-screen in bits and pieces. The more you touch the screen, the more of the story you'll learn as the rain continues to fall from the sky.

  The other interesting thing about Strange Rain is that it gets incrementally weirder after each play-through of the haunting melody - aeroplanes will fly overhead, clouds will change formations, and more. If ever you want to reset to the beginning, you can touch the screen repeatedly with all your fingers causing a falling-through-the-sky effect.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• GeoRing

  

  GeoRing will tag your phone calls with music and location information. You can use it to instantly turn your iTunes music library into ringtones, withou syncing with iTunes. Essentially, it creates a ringtone playlist, and then it randomly picks a song from your playlist when your phone rings.

  It will also log the duration of each of your calls and using GPS, identify where you got each call from with a geotag. Note: GeoRing works only with iPhone 4 and 3GS.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$1.19

• BEP360

  

  The Black Eyed Peas frontman, will.i.am, has made headlines spruiking for BlackBerry, but now he's changed horses by launching a music video for Apple devices through iTunes. Supposedly the world's first 360-degree view music video, "The Time 360", has a unique perspective that changes its point of view as you swing your iPhone or iPad around a 360-degree axis.

  As soon as you point your device onto the cover artwork of the album, a virtual 3D avatar appears and dances as the music starts. It also features an aggregated Twitter feed from all Black Eyed Peas band members and a Peas-inspired puzzle game.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$1.19

• Andy-83, Andy-86

  

  We've found two calculator emulators for your Android phone. Andy-93 emulates the TI-83 graphing calculator, which is great for statistics and trigonometry. It lets you graph and compare functions, perform data plotting and analysis, and write programs in TI-BASIC.

  Andy-86 emulates the TI-86 graphing calculator, which is skewed for engineering and calculus. It also lets you graph and compare functions, perform bit manipulation and convert between numeric bases, solve differential equations, plot vector fields and write programs in TI-BASIC.

  Platform: Android Andy-83, Andy-86

  Price: free

• Bored Room Bingo

  

  Pass the time during those less than exciting meetings without completely tuning out. Listen for your co-workers to say the buzz words on your bingo grid as you work your way to five words in a row. Bingo!

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• Big Day Out

  

  This is the official app for Big Day Out Summer 2011. It features the complete line-up and location of where the bands are playing. You can add filters by location to drill down to what you want to see to build your own custom schedule. There are lots of links for news and tickets, plus the artist info contains full bios and links to artists' websites, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and iTunes.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Discovr

  

  Developed by Australians, this music app builds an interactive map of millions of bands and artists. It lets you see how the music you love is connected, and makes it easy to discover new bands and artists that are similar to what you like.

  Bands that are similar are connected by lines to show their relationships. Just tap on one you like and the map will grow organically to show other similar artists. You can double tap on a band to see more info about them. You can watch their videos, check out their bio or read the latest reviews and blogs articles about their music. When you find a band or artist you like you can also share it with your friends via Twitter and Facebook or save it to your favourites.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Poynt

  

  Newly released for Australia, Poynt is a local search app that has four search verticals (businesses, restaurants, movies and the weather). Once you conduct your search you can then click-to-call, click-to-browse, find a map location and email results to a friend without exiting the application.

  The Android version takes advantage of the unique capabilities of Android devices through the integration of a top 10 movie widget and voice-activated search. The Windows Phone 7 version uses the pivot feature to ensure that you can access all your local search information quickly.

  Platform: Android, Windows Phone 7 and BlackBerry

  Price: free

• realestate.com.au

  

  Torn between spending Saturday trawling property listings or going to the beach? Well, you can do both with this mobile app from realestate.com.au, which includes both for sale and rental listings. It can search based on your current location (so you can search for a new crib by the beach). It has an auto-suggest feature for faster searches and it remembers previous search criteria so all the important information is accessible the next time you want to use it. You can view photos without leaving the property details page, plus you can email or phone an agent directly at the click of a button.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• TripView

  

  Long popular on iPhone, there is now a beta version of TripView for Android. It displays Sydney train/bus/ferry timetables. All info is stored locally on your phone, including a full timetable viewer with a scrolling CityRail-style display. It includes trackwork/service interruption information and maps. As a plus, you can download timetable updates from within the app.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Temporary Gallery

  

  Australian lovers of both the visual and performing arts can find new exhibitions and shows and generally keep updated with the art scene through Temporary Gallery. It's a place for creative types to showcase their work and promote upcoming events. This is a new platform and seems a bit thin on the ground as yet, but the idea is good (and the app is free). Artists wanting to get involve must pay to be included.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• War in the Pacific

  

  War in the Pacific is based on an eponymous coffee-table book published early last year. The ebook's 20 chapters fill five main sections spanning the years between 1941 and 1945. Each beautifully illustrated page includes supplemental materials such as photos, secret documents, archival videos and profiles of historical figures.

  In other words, imagine a typical historical tome, but with photos you can zoom in on, a timeline you can view and hide at will, the occasional video corresponding to a passage in the text, a search function, and so on.

  It has two other noteworthy features: animated, narrated maps of each of the five sections and a three-dimensional scrolling wall of all the photos contained in the book. The latter is pretty cool, though the photos themselves don't zoom to fill the screen - perhaps because many of them are a bit soft to begin with.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: AU$12.99

• Lookout Mobile Security

  

  Lookout Mobile Security has become a darling of the Android app world, although the hype isn't without good reason. Even if the antivirus and malware threats haven't fully materialised quite yet for the mobile operating system - and there are some indications that's changing - Lookout offers enough solid security features to make it a must-have app. It comes with a free phone locator service that can be upgraded to include remote wipe and remote lock options, as well as online backup for your contacts and anti-malware scans. Here is a full review on our sister site, Download.com

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• FitnessClass

  

  If you're one of the many whose New Year's resolutions included something like "lose weight" or "get in shape", here's an iPad app that serves up more than 230 workout videos. No trips to the gym, just on-demand streamed classes for just about any kind of workout you want: fat burning, core strengthening, arm toning, and so on.

  In fact, you can search for video classes based on your goal (weight loss, strength, etc), the time you have available (from 10 to 90 minutes), the instructor you want and even equipment (dumbbells, Swiss ball, etc).

  There are seven free classes to get you started. Additional videos cost between AU$1.19 and AU$29.99 a piece, but it varies on whether you're going for a 30-day rental or full purchase. (For now, purchased classes - like rented ones - must be streamed, but a download option is in the works.) Thankfully, you can preview any class before buying or renting it.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Tetris Evolution

  

  Though not an official Tetris application, this new 3D puzzle game features smooth blocks movement and nice animation. You have to slide/rotate blocks to form full lines and get the screen cleared and prevent the top of the screen from being filled with bricks. It's got haptic feedback and lots of ways to customise your gameplay.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• CamCard

  

  CamCard is a business card reader based on OCR technologies, which means it can turn piles of business cards into your phone Contacts with just several clicks. What you only need to do is provide clear card photos either by built-in camera or album.

  Snap and click and all info on the business card will be automatically recognised and categorised. It also provides a Card Holder to save all the business card images. After the card is recognised and saved in Card Holder, you can make calls, send SMS/email, search in Linkedin, visit the home page, and locate the address on Google Maps right from the Card Holder.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• This Day in Led Zeppelin

  

  This Day in Led Zeppelin is the first in a series of apps that chronicle the biggest names in music, including unique audio-visual elements. Among other things, it lists every gig the band ever played, including set lists, recordings, gigs and TV performances. It has an On This Day Zeppelin calendar, and Zeppelin quizzes with hundreds of interactive quiz questions, scored out of 10, with unique score sound clips.

  Furthermore, it includes a detailed critique of every studio track and every Zeppelin album with a unique link to play any Zeppelin track contained in your own iTunes library within the app. Or, it will link you to instantly buy the track to complete your library via iTunes.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Due Today

  

  Due Today is designed to help you get organised. You can use it to create tasks and assign them to projects and contexts. You can also set reminders to help you remember important things. You can even be reminded daily about things you didn't do yesterday.

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$2.99 or free Lite version

• CNET Australia Exposure

  

  Forgive us for starting the year with some blatant self-promotion, but our tech gurus have built an app that beautifully showcases the work of the amateur and professional photographers from our CNET Exposure series. Designed specifically for the iPad, you can easily see our entire collection of Exposure photo galleries by swiping the screen, plus it includes captions, exposure data and biographies of the photographers for an insight into their photographic processes.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Sydney Festival 2011

  

  Sydney Festival offers a rich program of around 80 events involving upwards of 500 artists from Australia and abroad covering dance, theatre, music, visual arts, cross media and forums. The 2011 Festival App includes fully searchable listings of Festival events and artists, quick access to Festival Blog and Twitter feeds, a full list and special menus from all restaurants with festival tie-ins, and more. There are also lots of information for visitors to Sydney.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: free

• Official Australian Open 2011 Program

  

  It's January, which means in Australia our sporting attention turns to Grand Slam tennis. IBM has long provided the tech behind the Melbourne event, and it's collaborated to develop an iPad app that provides real-time access to match, tournament and venue information, as well as an electronic version of the Official Australian Open Program.

  In addition to the latest news, scores, schedules, weather updates, ticket information and video highlights, fans can also follow comments from the tennis stars via Twitter and Facebook. It has an Autograph feature, where players and other celebrities can sign the iPad with their fingertips, which can then be saved to Scrapbook and emailed to friends. Scrapbook lets users personalise their Australian Open 2011 experience by capturing specific information being streamed through the application on a particular day. Items that can be stored include attendance numbers, autographs, scores, weather, time, tweets, top players by continent and countdown clocks.

  A free Australian Open iPhone app is also available, which provides the same basic info without the bells and whistles.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: AU$4.99

• Fox Sports

  

  Fox Sports has launched a sports video app for the iPad called Fox Sports View. It offers live 24/7 streaming of the Fox Sports News Channel. This includes extended highlights (typically six to 10 minutes) packages of selected sports matches of the week, including coverage of the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash season, Super Rugby season, the AFC Asian Cup 2011, Hyundai A League and major cricket events as well as Fox Sports news clips.

  You can turn off the stream of videos for any sport that doesn't interest you and its "Watch Later" functionality lets you bookmark content for later (subject to expiry).

  Note: due to rights issues, this app is only available in the Australian store and content can only be viewed in Australia. You will incur data costs in addition to the 31-day subscription fee; however, there are no pre-roll ads to interrupt your viewing.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: AU$5.99 for a 31-day subscription service

• Drink Sydney

  

  Several weeks ago we showcased the EAT Sydney app by Deck of Secrets. If that app whet your appetite, then you'll love this bar-hopping edition.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$5.00

• Australian Cricket News

  

  Considering the summer Ozzie cricket's had so far, we're not too sure how popular this one will be, but perhaps it's for people who like watching train wrecks. Anyway, you'll find all the latest headlines about Australian Cricket here.

  Platform: Nokia Ovi

  Price: free

• Google Translate (update)

  

  Although it's not the most feature-packed translator for Android, Google Translate offers a simple way to translate basic words and phrases among dozens of languages. It also includes spoken translations and Romanisation of non-Roman scripts. Although sentences may come out kind of wonky depending on the structure, it definitely works in a pinch.

  Now Google has released an update that aims to make the interface easier to navigate and the program more user-friendly. Among the changes: a more responsive input box, improved drop-down boxes for selecting languages to translate between and a cleaner layout.

  Google Translate is also introducing an experimental feature called Conversation Mode. The idea with this mode is to allow you to communicate fluidly with someone nearby who is speaking another language. With the press of a button, the app will record your piece of the conversation; it will then translate your speech and read it aloud to the other person. At launch, Conversation Mode is only available between English and Spanish, and while it is in alpha, factors like background noise and regional dialects are expected to interfere somewhat with the functionality.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Top Gear games

  

  BBC Worldwide has launched two new games based on Top Gear: Top Gear: Where's Stig and Top Gear: Stunt School.

  Top Gear: Where's Stig brings the popular Where's Stig book to life, and allows players to follow Stig to the farthest corners of the globe in an attempt to locate the faceless hero, as well as some of his most famous friends.

  Top Gear: Stunt School provides the player extreme challenges to complete by modifying their car with ridiculous extras such as jet engines, huge wheels and hang-glider wings. There are over 2 billion different combinations of add-ons and modifications, which players can also use to try and beat a lap time set by the Stig around the infamous Top Gear test track.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: Top Gear: Where's Stig AU$3.99, Top Gear: Stunt School AU$4.99

• Mobiscope

  

  In real time, Mobiscope streams popular webcams from all around the globe in full screen. All webcams are organised by categories like Beaches, Animals, Cities, Harbours, Hotels, Landscapes, Mountains, Rivers, Sights, Sports, etc. World places have links to Wikipedia articles.

  Besides viewing public cameras, you can configure and watch at your own IP cameras. You can also view a group of cameras simultaneously.

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$1.99

• Zombies!!!

  

  Microsoft Game Studio has recreated one of our favourite table-top games of all time. Zombies!!! (that's right, three exclamation points!!!) is a turn-based survival game and worth every penny you'll pay.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$6.50 (no ads)

• Pinball Ride

  

  A 3D pinball sim that showcases the graphic capabilities of Android, Pinball Ride is fast and fun. Not one for low-end Android phones though, check out the compatibility list before you hand over your dollar.

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$1.00

• Cut Rope

  

  Yet another iPhone favourite that has come home to Android. Cut Rope is a simple puzzle game that is way more challenging than it looks.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Phoney

  

  Do you find yourself stuck in incredibly boring meetings? Or perhaps you've got a dull, long-winded friend? If you need an excuse to break away, Phoney was designed so you can fake a call to yourself. You'll just have to practice your "I've really gotta take this" face.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$2.99

• Google Maps (update)

  

  This Google Maps update offers 3D capability, which lets you see a simulated skyline for more than 100 cities around the world. And thanks to the use of vectors, you can get a different perspective by tilting the map forward for an angled view. To get there, just drag two fingers downward across the display. The same multi-touch feature allows pinch-to-zoom and the ability to rotate maps by turning two fingers.

  Along similar lines, you can enter compass mode by tapping the compass icon in the top right corner. The map will enter 3D mode and continually rotate to point in the direction the user is headed.

  The other enhancement to Google Maps 5.0 is the ability to cache maps locally to the handset. Maps load quickly and take up very little space, which allows for a seamless experience even if you move into an area where mobile coverage is not available. What's more, should you travel into a dead spot, the app will still dynamically render parts of the map, keeping travellers on the right path.

  Maps are autocached whenever the phone is connected to Wi-Fi. The same feature is expected to roll out to the Maps Navigation Beta portion of the app over the next couple of weeks, along with offline rerouting.

  Note: Google Earth has been updated this week as well, with performance improvements and bug fixes.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• iGiftWise

  

  This application is for forgetful people. It keeps information on what gifts you've given your contacts previously, what days you should be giving them a present, as well as their sizes (ring, dress/suit, shoe, shirt/blouse, pant/skirt) and favourite things (flowers, candy, birthstone, colours, restaurants). It also lets you store ideas for potential gifts (price, store and images from your phone's photo album). Could shopping really be that simple?

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• Glowstick

  

  Summer fireworks and outdoor events mean the kids will be begging you to buy glowsticks. Beat them to the punch by having this app on your phone. You can create custom colours or select from a group of preset colours.

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$0.99

• Trainz Simulator

  

  How would you like to build and operate the railroad of your dreams? With Trainz, you can do everything from driving the trains to laying tracks, customising routes, networks and terrains, as well as manage the schedule.

  Trainz has been out on PCs for 10 years, so while the iPad touchscreen platform is new, the simulator is not. An Android Trainz app is apparently on the way shortly.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: AU$14.99

• Classic Hits Network

  

  The Classic Hits app delivers music from WSFM Sydney, Gold 104.3 Melbourne and 4KQ Brisbane, all from within the application.

  Platform: Nokia Ovi

  Price: free

• Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time

  

  This action puzzle adventure turns you into an intrepid traveller through time and space as the last of the powerful Time Lords. Play as the Doctor, armed only with your incredible intelligence and sonic screwdriver or as his human companion, Amy Pond and race to save an innocent family attacked by a rogue Dalek and hurtled into the depths of history.

  Your journey will take you from ancient Incan temples, to the frozen tombs of Telos and a stunning finale on a Dalek ship. Defeat your favourite enemies, solve over 100 devious puzzles and restore peace throughout time!

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$4.99

• Flick Buddies

  

  Flick Buddies is an action game that supports up to four players at once and includes a single player mode against a challenging AI opponent for when friends are scarce. Players have a choice of four themes of nutty characters and environments, spread over 12 unlockable levels. The physics-based gameplay will have you bouncing off walls, teleporting to unknown dimensions or getting sucked into vortexes of death.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$0.99 Flick Buddies iPhone, AU$2.49 Flick Buddies HD iPad

• Basketball Australia News

  

  Keep up-to-date with the latest headlines about basketball in Australia with this sports newsfeed from Feedzilla.

  Platform: Nokia Ovi

  Price: free

• National Geographic Australia

  

  This gives you access to the National Geographic Australia television channel on your phone. It includes clips from the best shows, downloadable wallpapers and ringtones, plus a comprehensive TV schedule.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• IM+

  

  This instant messaging chat app pulls all your friends from all accounts (pick from Skype, Facebook, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo, Google Talk and MySpace IM) into one buddy list with no pre-registration required. There is no cost per message, as it doesn't use SMS to send messages.

  It has recently been upgraded to include group chats, support for multiple accounts of the same network, geo-status, and the ability to send chat history via email.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free or US$4.95 (no ads)

• A-League Buddy

  

  We may not be getting the FIFA World Cup, but there's still the A-League. The free version of this app has its match schedules, team standings, news and updates. An in-app paid subscription can be activated if you want to get the latest scores, standings and matches reports.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: free

• taste.com.au Christmas Cooking

  

  It's getting just close enough now to start seriously thinking about the Christmas menu and this app has over 140 recipes focused on festive feasts. In addition to step-by-step recipe instructions, it has 11 how-to videos ranging from stuffing a turkey to perfecting your Pavlova. There's also a built-in shopping list function, a kitchen timer integrated within the recipes, temperature converters, and measurement and serving calculators.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Labor/Liberal/Greens News

  

  Political junkies who are suffering from withdrawal now that parliament's in recess may want to subscribe to these apps, which provide quick access to the latest news, tweets, TV and multimedia content from the party/parties of their choice. Pick from:

  Australian Labor Party News
  Australian Liberal News
  The Greens News

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$0.99 each

• The Daily Show

  

  If you prefer your politics served with a dash of Jon Stewart humour, The Daily Show app may be more your style. You won't get full episodes, but it does offer up a shareable quote of the day (and accompanying show segment) for roughly the last eight weeks' worth of shows.

  Tap the Topics button and you'll see a spinning word cloud (or an alphabetical list if you switch views), with each item leading to handfuls - if not buckets - of clips related to that topic. These appear to date back as far as December 2009 - not the full archives by any stretch, but still plenty of stuff to watch.

  Finally, there's the Tweets button, which shows not only #TheDailyShow and #JonStewart hashtags, but also the tweets for the show itself and four correspondents (Aasif Mandvi, Olivia Munn, John Hodgman and Kristen Schaal).

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$1.99

• Astral Commander

  

  Similar to Air Control, this is a simple drawing game where you take on the role of Astral Commander, charged with directing high-tech robots to collect resources for base construction on alien planets. Of course, you'll need to open fire on all enemies when things get serious.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free for lite version, US$2.04 for full version

• Hero of Sparta

  

  A game that has already won fans on iOS and Android, Gameloft's Hero of Sparta is now available for owners of Symbian^3 phones. A classic hack 'n' slash, this game delivers an impressive 3D adventure to the small screen.

  Platform: Ovi

  Price: AU$4.00

• Fuzzies HD

  

  If you're old enough to remember Lemmings then you'll probably love this cute strategy title. The Fuzzies are a colourful but dim race of meerkat-like creatures who need your help just to stay alive.

  Platform: Ovi

  Price: AU$2.00

• Star Wars: Cantina

  

  Even creatures in a wretched hive of scum and villainy need a drink from time to time. Based on the popular Diner Dash series, Star Wars: Cantina has you whipping up meals and serving drinks to customers in the most famous diner in the Star Wars universe.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$4.00

• New Weird Australia

  

  New Weird Australia is a podcast from a show on FBi radio that supports new eclectic and experimental Australian music. It features selected interviews and exclusive, in-studio recordings, as well as live performances from events and video interviews.

  You can stream the latest episodes or download directly into the app, with recent episodes automatically updated in-app.

  Platform: new to Android, but it's been on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad for a few months.

  Price: AU$1.99 for Android, AU$2.49 for Apple

• BreezyPrint

  

  While iPhone and iPad users are using AirPrint to wirelessly print documents for free, Windows Phone customers will need a tiny subscription to perform a similar task. The key difference between AirPrint and BreezyPrint though, is that BreezyPrint can send a document to a printer anywhere in the world, not just print to a printer on your LAN.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free, but requires a subscription of US$5.00/month

• ABC iView

  

  Fans of the ABC's iView service will love that Aunty has now released an iView app customised for Apple's iPad. It will offer its catch-up TV service with more than 160 programs from all four ABC channels - ABC1, ABC2, ABC3 and ABC for Kids. Several UK comedy specials have been included for the iPad launch as well: Fawlty Towers, Little Britain, The Catherine Tate Show, Saxondale, Nighty Night and People Like Us. It also offers live streaming over Wi-Fi of ABC News 24, but note that data usage won't be unmetered, even on ISPs which offer the desktop version of iView unmetered, because of the iPad's lack of Adobe Flash support.

  Something new on the iPad application that's not yet available from its online counterpart is the Watchlist feature. Watchlist allows users to bookmark favourite shows and series, and then it sends push notification alerts when new episodes become available.

  The ABC says that iView apps will be available for iPhone and Android next year; however, iView works directly from the website when viewed on Android-based devices because they already support Flash.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Angry Birds Seasons

  

  The Angry Birds phenomenon continues with this festive update. This new download will eventually include 25 new levels, but in a cute twist: these levels will be revealed once a day until the 25th - like a virtual advent calendar.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Cricket T20 Fever HD

  

  As recommended by @theashes, T20 Fever is the perfect game to bring fans closer to this summer's cricket action. The game features some great graphics matched with good touchscreen controls, making it well worth the two bucks.

  Platform: Nokia

  Price: AU$2.00

• SketchBook Mobile

  

  Want to draw on your 'droid? Autodesk SketchBook Mobile is a professional-grade paint and drawing application that offers a full set of sketching tools and a streamlined user interface. It's been out on iPhone for a while, but now it's in on the Android act.

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$0.99

• Motörhead Remixer

  

  The Motörhead Remixer allows you to remix some of the band's greatest hits and share your new mix on Facebook. There are two banks of samples with loops and punches, and you can add effects to your mixes such as Flanger and Echo.

  Songs available for free with the app are Ace of Spades, Killed by Death, (We Are) The Road Crew and Stay Clean. Tracks available to purchase in-app include Love Me Like a Reptile, Iron Fist, Jailbait, Bomber and Overkill.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$9.99

• Weather AU

  

  For some smartphone users, just knowing a five-day forecast isn't enough. If you want a more detailed weather map, this app provides data from a number of sources including the Bureau of Meteorology.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$3.00

  Attention BlackBerry users: the Weather Channel has launched an app this week for you too: The Weather Channel Australia. Price AU$3.35

• Headliners

  

  Headliners allows you to easily generate and edit playlists based on the line-up of your favourite festival or gig - past, present or future.

  Miss Woodstock in 1969? The Headliners database has a large back catalogue of past setlists so you can relive a past gig from start to finish. Or you can use it to generate playlists from upcoming music festival line-ups like Good Vibrations, Field Day and The Big Day Out to give you a taste of what's coming.

  While it utilises the music collection on your device, it will also suggest new songs that you can purchase directly through the iTunes Store.

  You can rearrange, delete and replace songs with the swipe of a finger to edit your playlists on the fly. Once you're happy with your playlist, you can share it with your friends via Facebook and email.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$1.19

• Sydney Transit

  

  Every smartphone platform needs a local transit timetable, and for Symbian-swinging Sydneysiders that app is Sydney Transit. A free download, this app lists train times as you'd expect to see them at the station, clearly listing the next available trains along the route you select.

  Platform: Nokia

  Price: free

• Swype

  

  While Swype is available only on select Android handsets, Nokia is giving it away for free to anyone with a compatible Symbian phone. Swype is a keyboard replacement that replaces the hen-pecking of on-screen keyboards with a slick swiping gesture that speeds up typing immensely.

  Platform: Nokia

  Price: free

• Google Reader

  

  Perhaps this is just something tech journos care about, but we've been looking for a great Google Reader app since the very first time we used Android. Lo and behold, the best may have landed and it comes from the minds of the engineers at Google itself. This app is simple, clean and reasonably fast.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Cascade - The Brewer's Nose

  

  Hot on the heels of the Beer Lovers Guide to Australia that we featured three weeks ago, comes the Cascade Brewer's Nose which has tasting notes on over 500 Australian and international brews compiled by Tasmanian chef Rodney Dunn of the Agrarian Kitchen. He also serves up suggestions on how to match your food menu with the most appropriate beer.

  The app uses GPS technology too to help beer-lovers search for their favourite stores, pubs and bars that stock Cascade, as well as helping you keep tally of the brews that you've tried to date. Those behind its marketing efforts are claiming that it's a little like Foursquare for beer.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• Cocktail Flow

  

  Cocktail recipes apps are a dime-a-dozen, but few are as attractively designed as Cocktail Flow. This app mixes a huge menu of drinks with the ability to build lists of the stock in your bar and shopping lists for your next trip to Dan Murphy's.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$4.00

• OzSun UV Alert

  

  With the rain easing up occasionally, we're grabbing the sunshine as much as we can, but how much is safe?

  This is an Australian-specific app which displays and rates the current UV levels based on information provided by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

  OzSun UV Alert currently covers nine Australian cities: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Kingston, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Sydney and Townsville, but more should be made available in future.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: Free (until December 2010)

• Doom Live Wallpaper

  

  If you ever needed evidence that Android was a geeky platform, look no further than the Doom Live Wallpaper. A randomly generating animation, this wallpaper pits the Doom space marine against unending hordes of hell's demons behind your software shortcuts and Facebook updates. Awesome.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• Australia Post

  

  Ever needed to know someone's postcode and spent long minutes thumbing through the White Pages? The Australia Post app includes handy information just like this, with all of Australia's postcodes, a postage cost calculator and parcel tracking.

  Platform: Windows Phone

  Price: Free

• The Economist

  

  The Economist free app includes a weekly sample of must-read articles chosen by the editor, but the full issue of The Economist is available through In App Purchase each week using your iTunes account.

  Digital and print subscribers can receive full and unrestricted access to The Economist on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch as well as The Economist online by using their print or online subscription credentials.

  Once downloaded, each issue of The Economist is stored on the user's device, making it possible to read the newspaper in full without an internet connection. Each issue also features the full audio edition, with all articles read by newscasters.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: App is Free, Full issues are AU$7.99

• Scuba Exam

  

  Scuba Exam has been designed as an introduction to scuba diving for anyone planning on taking an Open Water Diver course. It also gives anyone who already has a dive certificate a chance to easily test and refresh their knowledge.

  The app includes a Scuba Quiz with 250 illustrated questions complete with detailed results and educational explanations, an extensive and easily navigated section with basic scuba diving theory and a searchable diving glossary.

  Platform: Lite version: Free

• Ski Maps

  

  Instead of diving, perhaps you're heading to colder climes to get some skiing in?

  This app provides maps for most ski resorts around the world and uses your phone's GPS to show you where you are, what direction you're skiing in, your speed and the route that you've skied so far. You can then upload the route to your computer and map it on Google Earth. The track is exported in the GPX format and contains speed and elevation. You can also quickly navigate back to fixed points such as where you parked your car or your favourite spot for lunch by marking the map.

  Maps are based on openpistemap.org.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: AU$3.99

• Flee

  

  Let us take you back to a simpler time, when phone calls where taken in the parlour and video games were sold as their very own handheld. Flee emulates the game'n'watch handheld experience we all loved back in the 80's, even goes so far as to replicate the way the old LCD screens reacted when you pressed on them.

  Platform: Android

  Price: AU$1.41

• Doodle God

  

  You know that fire and water make steam and that water and earth make mud, but how would you go about making vodka? Doodle God is a fantastic mind-boggler that has you trying to combine two options at a time to discover all the hidden elements on offer - which in turn you use to create even more. Android owners can find a similar game by searching for "Alchemy".

  Platform: Windows

  Price: AU$4.00

• Shazam

  

  Love that song, but you don't know the artist or the name of it? Now available on Blackberry, Shazam will detect the tune and give you all the information you need.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: Free

• gStrings

  

  Despite the PG-rated name this is a very good, and free, instrument tuner for Android. The interface is clean and easy to read, and musicians from bedroom guitarists through to concert violinists should be able to pick it up and use it straight away.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• Hexetera

  

  Developed by Aussies, Hexetera is a puzzle game with the aim of manoeuvring Primaries - pieces in a triangular grid - to form single colour hexagonal and diagonal formations. Formations explode on creation, causing Primaries above them to fall. The game goes into second gear with Secondaries, falling pieces that help or hinder you. Power up with Reward Buttons when you make formations and rise through the levels. Diagonal formations are fun and score the most points, but are the most challenging to make.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: AU$1.99

• Culinary Fundamentals

  

  Suffering from reality TV cooking show withdrawal? This app contains instructional cookery videos created by professional chefs and is supposedly used by cooking schools around the world.

  With seven categories including: precision cuts, meat preparation, seafood preparation, poultry preparation, fruit preparation, vegetable preparation and basic cooking knowledge, it includes over 260 skills videos covering techniques such as knife skills, filleting fish, shellfish preparation, trussing poultry and more.

  All videos are native to the application so there's no need for a wireless connection to watch them. There are also suggested menu applications for each culinary technique.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$5.99

• Sydney Photos

  

  This app has hundreds of photos of Sydney - architecture, lifestyle, landscapes, monuments - that you can save on your phone, set as wallpaper or share via Gmail and Facebook. We could not find its equivalent for any other Australian cities, but developer Citypic did launch Stockholm Pics this week too.

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• U'Sober?

  

  We see how this app has its limitations, but hey, it may be handy given Christmas party season is upon us. It prompts you to walk in a straight line for five seconds, then the little green droid dude passes judgment on whether you're sober or drunk. The developer does post the caveat that "this test is only an indication of your state of inebriation".

  Platform: Android

  Price: Free

• Browser Plus

  

  Windows Phone Internet Explorer browser is a huge improvement over previous versions, but it's still a bit limited in usability. Browser Plus adds a few key features essential to any good browser, including tabbed browsing, a text-only "reader view" and Google search by default for those who want to shrug off Microsoft's railroading of users towards Bing.

  Platform: Windows

  Price: AU$1.30

• EAT. Sydney

  

  Last week we found the best coffee in Melbourne, this week it's dining out in Sydney. EAT Sydney is an app catering to Sydney's most eager eaters, digging up the best dining options from high-class restaurants to cheap-eats cafes. Whether your palate is akin to Matt Preston or Elvis Presley, this app should be able to point you in the right direction.

  Platform: Windows Phone

  Price: AU$5.00

• EveryLock

  

  Do you have things you'd like to keep confidential on your phone? EveryLock can password protect your native and third-party applications, emails (either singly or by contact), whole folders or individual files, as well as received and sent SMS and MMS messages.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$1.99

• Beer Lovers Guide to Australia

  

  The Beer Lovers Guide to Australia is a showcase of 567 Australian beers, 100 bars and 124 breweries. The snapshot of each of the beers includes alcohol percentage, beer style and the brewers description. You can make your own tasting notes and start a list of favourites.

  Details for each beer-serving venue includes its description, events, functions and tastings, contact details, trading hours and a map to get you there.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$3.99

• Where is My Phone

  

  If you lose your BlackBerry, this app lets you use another phone to send a text message using a keyword you've set up that will cause your handset to make a sound, even if it is in silent mode.

  You can also set it up to send a reply to the phone you sent the prompt from, which will include the GPS location of your phone in latitude and longitude as well as a link to Google maps so you can also get directions to it.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$1.99

• Appsfire

  

  This could run us out of business, but Appsfire is a new app-finding app. It claims to serve up recommendations based on your installed apps and geography. You can also share and send apps, create apps lists, move apps to your SD card or uninstall them with a single click.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• New Zealand Newspapers

  

  Want to keep track of what's happening in Aotearoa? This newly updated app lists major New Zealand newspapers and news sites online. You can find news from the New Zealand Herald, Stuff, Dominion Post, The Press, Auckland, The Nelson Mail, Manawatu Standard, Marlborough Express, Southland Times, TVNZ, Scoop etc. News read more often will go up on your list.

  There's a local version too, Australian Newspapers, that covers a mix of Australian news content.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• ABC for Kids

  

  This updated app is free, but it links you to a host of children's content at ABC For Kids iTunes catalogue. As a special offer on the launch this week, you get included selected music tracks and videos from The Wiggles and Justine Clark.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• Melbourne Coffee Review

  

  Most Melbournites probably think they have a pretty good grasp on where to find the best coffee in their neighbourhood, but you never can tell when you're going to be stuck in the back of the boondocks craving a decent cup of java. The Melbourne Coffee Review app will point you in the right direction, rating cafes on service, atmosphere and, of course, the coffee.

  Platform: Windows Phone

  Price: free

• SMS Reader

  

  This updated app reads incoming text messages to you. It also announces the caller name of incoming calls. Apps like these are handy when you're driving and there's a widget to quickly enable/disable reading.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• The Australian Women's Weekly Cookbooks

  

  This recipe sampler lets you taste-test a selection of Triple-Tested recipes from the Australian Women's Weekly test kitchen. From the cookbook Slow Cooker, the recipes include soups, stews, casseroles and curries, pot roasts and a selection of desserts.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Ultimate Spirit Level

  

  Need to put up a shelf, hang a door or maybe you're just compulsive about straightening crooked photos on the wall? Try this spirit level app, which works the much as a "real" level - when the bubble is centred in the "targets" you know it's level on that side.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free version and US$1.09 fancy version

• Flowersbyphone

  

  Send flowers anywhere in Australia and select your order by flower type, occasion or price range.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• Kebab Manager Deluxe

  

  BlackBerry users are business types right? And we could bring you another new app this week to keep up with your share portfolio called myStocks, but you've probably already got that covered, right?

  Instead, how about a game that you play to become the most powerful kebab vendor in the city? To build up your restaurant, you have to combine the right ingredients, hire skilled staff and satisfy the needs of your customers. That'll test your business skills.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$4.99

• BigScreen

  

  One of the increasingly popular genre of smartphone apps are tools that let you remotely control TVs and media servers. BigScreen turns your new Windows Phone into a Windows Media Centre remote, with functionality that allows you to schedule recordings as well as control playback. It's a bit pricey, but for those who use Windows Media Centre as their central home cinema PVR, it is money well spent.

  Platform: Windows Phone

  Price: AU$6.50

• Mobile banking with St George

  

  Android users who bank with St George will be happy to know that they can now securely access a range of services through their phone including checking balances, transferring funds, paying bills and more. The app also provides information on banking products and it can locate the nearest St George ATM or branch via GPS.

  St George claims that its iPhone and iPad mobile banking apps are already used by 600,000 customers every month. The bank also says an application for the new BlackBerry Torch will be available soon.

  Platform: Android (new) iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• BlackBerry Maps for Australia and New Zealand

  

  BlackBerry Maps is a mapping application that provides a visual map, route and instructions. The interactive map allows you to pan, rotate and zoom in all directions. You can then send yor map via email and open BlackBerry Maps from other applications such as your contact list, where you can view your contact's addresses on a map.

  You can also enhance your maps via a GPS-enabled BlackBerry device or an external Bluetooth-enabled GPS receiver to view your current location with even greater accuracy and track your route to your target destination.

  If your BlackBerry has a handset code of 4.2 or later, BlackBerry Maps does not have to be downloaded but will be pushed out to your BlackBerry within the next 30 days. Users with pre-4.2 handset code need to click here to download this app. BlackBerry Device Software v4.1 or later is also required.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• iBooks

  

  Note that this app is not new, but given that until this week there have been precious few titles in the Australian iBookstore, there has previously been no real reason to get it. But this week Apple announced local partnerships with six publishers - Macmillan, Hachette Book Group, Hardie Grant, HarperCollins Publishers, Murdoch Publishers and Wiley - so it may be time to get this app and take a look.

  There has been a fair bit of criticism about the publishers and titles that still aren't available, and the prices of the ebooks if you do find one you want to read, but at least the app itself is free, and no doubt the iBookstore will keep growing over time.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• Tip calculator

  

  Thinking of splurging on a US trip to take advantage of the high Aussie dollar? Remember you'll have to tip stateside, so this app helps add a tip per cent on to the main bill amount. Even if you're not tipping, you can also use it to calculate the amount that each person at the table will need to contribute towards a bill.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• OutFront

  

  With OutFront, fitness enthusiasts can measure their performance in detail, keep track of their training and share it with friends, family and followers via Map My Tracks, which is an outdoor social network for sports enthusiasts. Users can get second-by-second stats of their performance and through its integration with the Map My Tracks website they can sync their activities live online for others to follow if they choose.

  The site has Street View integrated into the activity viewer so you can get a first-person view of the ride or activity people carry out while they do it, which is great for tracking folks you've sponsored at charity fitness events.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: Free version and AU$5.99 version

• Happy Snapper

  

  Happy Snapper is an app that helps you make fun of your friends. What's not to like? It features a selection of editable stickers that you can put on any picture you've taken and then further modify it with your own message. "I'm with stupid" seems popular, but you're only limited by your wit and imagination.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$1.19

• Bye Bye Brain

  

  Tower defence games are a dime-a-dozen on iPhone and Android, so it's a real pleasure to showcase a game in this genre that is oozing with style. Bye Bye Brain pits you and your growing army against wave after wave of hungry undead. The game is in full 3D with pinch-to-zoom for close ups of the gory action.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$3.00

• Twozaic

  

  Like Bye Bye Brain, Twozaic is yet another example of an app that we see everyday of the week, the Twitter client, but with a twist. Twozaic gives Twitter a 3D skew, displaying your most recent messages in randomly-sized fragments for higher impact.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$3.00

• Referee Aid

  

  This one's for referees and maybe anal soccer parents on the side lines. It has a scoreboard and timer, tallies yellow card and red card registration and even features a whistle.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• iTunes Live: ARIA Awards Concert Series 2010

  

  As a lead up to this year's ARIA Awards, there will be five outdoor concerts at the Sydney Harbour Foreshore from 1 November through 5 November featuring different artists and key nominees each night, including John Butler, Washington, Guy Sebastian, Sia and Angus & Julia Stone. If you can't be there in person, Australians can watch these performances streamed live with this app. The performances will also be recorded and available to watch for free for seven days after the concert.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• MetroView Australia Turn-By-Turn Navigation

  

  With this locally developed navigation software, users can hear typical Australian streets and suburbs pronounced in an Australian-accented male or female voice! MetroView's full GPS functionality can be operated while other applications are running in the background.

  It includes SpeedAlert, which confirms current speed limits with visual and audible warnings, plus it cautions drivers if the vehicle is exceeding the speed limit. Map data is stored on the iPhone so there are no download costs for mapping or navigation. Frequent updates are available with no ongoing subscription costs.

  MetroView also has iPod music control, contacts search and places of interest (POI) using Google Local Search, as well as familiar map design, analog and digital speedometer views, and walking mode with compass functionality on the iPhone 3GS.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$24.99

• Accident Help

  

  Accident Help by Aussie law firm Trilby Misso is designed to provide assistance in gathering necessary information at the time of a traffic accident.

  It is broken down into eight steps to allow you to methodically gather the information you need such as the other vehicle, passenger and witness information, photos of the damage to vehicle and property/items inside the vehicle, as well as accident location, time and date. You can preload your own personal, vehicle and insurance information. Saved reports can be edited at any time.

  Once your report is saved you can email it to any email of your choice and to Trilby Misso Lawyers Client Care Centre to inquire about your legal rights.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• Winamp

  

  Winamp is now available in beta on Android. It offers a complete media management solution by seamlessly syncing with the Winamp desktop library. In addition to high quality playback and persistent player controls, Winamp for Android offers wireless desktop sync with your Winamp desktop application (USB or Wi-Fi). Other features include play queue, scrobbling, playlist shortcuts, lock screen and a widget player.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• TripAdvisor

  

  TripAdvisor's been updated. Now you can browse over 40 million reviews and opinions on the best places to eat, sleep and play, and get advice in travel forums. You can view photos and see what's nearby with the Near Me Now feature. Unfortunately, it doesn't cache pages you've visited and it does require internet access, so don't use it travelling where you'll be hit with high roaming charges.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Jam11

  

  If your music is locked in iTunes on your PC or Mac, but you carry a BlackBerry, this could be the answer to your syncing and storage problems, as Jam11 lets you listen to your iTunes music on BlackBerry phones without ever having to sync.

  After it's installed and you register your BlackBerry, you'll be emailed a link to Jam11Connect software, which you can download and run on the PC or Mac that has iTunes on it. In a few minutes all your playlists, album, artists and song data will appear on your phone and you can listen to any song or podcast anytime from your home computer as long as its connected to the internet.

  In addition to your local music, the Jam11 music player also lets you search and listen to 40,000+ SHOUTcast internet radios from all over the world.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• Picasa Viewer

  

  This app is great for people who prefer Google's Picasa online photo hub to Microsoft's default SkyDrive service for uploading their most recent pics.

  Picasa Viewer logs you into your Picasa account and pulls down all of your galleries so you can view them on your Windows Phone. For an extra AU$3 you can upgrade to the premium version, which allows you to save your pics to the phone or upload new photos you've taken.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free/AU$3 for premium

• AsciiCamera

  

  This one is for the closet geek in all of us. Choose a photo from your camera roll or take a new shot, then sit back and let this app mutate your memories into jagged ASCII art. The results are always good for a laugh.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free

• Citysearch Australia

  

  Citysearch from Sensis provides info on the best places to eat, drink and get a culture fix in eight Australian cities: Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Darwin and Canberra. Users can also add their own reviews and share that info with their friends.

  It incorporates an augmented reality (AR) function that lets you literally see where the best places are in proximity to where you're standing. It also lets you find nearby friends via Facebook Connect.

  The app is free to browse (unmetered) for Telstra Next G customers; however, charges may apply when you interact with third-party sites like Facebook, depending on your phone plan.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: free

• Melbourne Museum "Please Touch the Exhibit"

  

  As part of its 10th birthday celebrations, the Melbourne Museum is launching an iPad app that takes users on a virtual tour through 10 of its most iconic exhibits. It's a new way of getting "inside" the display cases to interact with Phar Lap, Australia's most famous horse and the museum's massive blue whale skeleton. Other popular museum experiences featured include Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, the Forest Gallery, the Melbourne Story exhibition and some of the new exhibitions in the Science and Life Gallery.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Themes in Motion: Horse Racing

  

  For those seriously into the Spring Racing season, this app will customise all icons and backgrounds on your BlackBerry with an animated horse racing theme. Bring on the Melbourne Cup!

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$1.99

• TweetDeck

  

  One of desktop computing's most popular Twitter clients has finally been released to the public on Android. TweetDeck isn’t just Twitter though, it's capable of aggregating your Facebook, Google Buzz and Foursquare activity too.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• How to Get Through the Working DayWithout Actually Doing Any Work

  

  This is a great one for a Friday! This ebook is billed as "the slacker’s handbook". It includes slacker slogans and a quiz to evaluate your slacking potential.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free

• My Shit-List!

  

  The name is pretty self-explanatory - if you've got one of these lists, here's a way to keep track of it on your phone.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Reckless Racing

  

  One part Micro-Machines and one part Mario Kart, Reckless Racing is all about screaming around the track and not sliding off. It is also championing multiplayer gaming on Android with a few online race modes.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Australian Slang

  

  Dating someone from overseas who can't understand what you're talking about? Got overseas visitors arriving? Give them this slang translator to help them cope.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Aperture Clock Widget

  

  This one's for photographers - the app shows aperture values on the clock dial instead of the hours. The aperture on the clock dial also opens and closes over time (but it updates only every 30 minutes to save battery life).

  Platform: Android

  Price: US$1.05

• Melbourne Literary

  

  A guide to the city's bookshops, writers, publishers, literary events, literary locations, and literary-themed cafes, bars and public art. It includes 161 entries about books, writers, publishers, bookshops, locales to visit and links to online bookshops where you can buy all titles mentioned. Each entry includes a slideshow and descriptive text.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: $3.99

• Good Food Guide 2011

  

  This app combines the popular restaurant guides from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age and contains reviews of fine-dining restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne as well as key restaurants in other states. All can be read without connection to a mobile network. You can also advise other app users of your personal experience by providing your own rating for restaurants featured in the app.

  Platform: BlackBerry, iPhone

  Price: $14.45 (BlackBerry) $9.99 (iPhone)

• Gibson Learn & Master

  

  This one's not new, but it did win the Billboard Music App Awards (didn't know there was such a thing, but there you go). The app features as a "professional quality chromatic tuner, alternate tuning settings, a standard mode tuner, an accurate metronome with multiple time signatures, a chord library and access to free, full-length guitar lessons". It's nearing 2 million downloads on iTunes and is soon to be available for Android.

  Platform: iPhone, Android coming soon

  Price: free

• Poo Log HD

  

  We've got to say it - this is a crap app. Based on the book What's your poo telling you? by Josh Richman and Anish Sheth, MD this app features a digital timer and journal for recording, studying and tracking your daily digestive workings, as well as bathroom humour and medical information.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: $2.49

• Jetlag Travel Guides

  

  This is an e-guide to 16 totally fictional countries - think "Phoney Planet".

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free Lite version (one country); full 16-country version $2.49

• BBC Listener

  

  Aussies can now get the best of BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service including programs such as Desert Island Discs, In Our Time, Americana and Crossing Continents.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: $3.99 a month subscription service for 20 new programs per week. Free 30-day trial.

• HTC Magic
• HTC Tattoo
• LG GW620
• Motorola Quench

Are you among the rapidly growing throng screaming "Enough already - go away Charlie Sheen"? (Those of you following him on Twitter need not read further.)

Help is at hand. Following the path of the Shave Bieber tool that blocks all references to teen heartthrob Justin Bieber, there's now a browser plug-in called Tinted Sheen that simply blocks all mentions of the Tigerblood-fuelled out-of-control actor.

Available for both Firefox and Chrome browsers, the add-on only takes a few seconds to install. From then on, wherever you are on the web, his name will be blocked with coloured bars. If you relent, or only want to read about him from specific sources, you can designate particular sites to be allowed through the filter.

Surely the demand for this kind of spare-me-the-over-exposed-celebrity blocking would be huge. Who else do you think warrants browser blocking?

• Bye, bye Bieber
• Google Chrome 4
• Tetris Party Deluxe
• Castle Crashers

Welcome to the Friday App Wrap, the place where we share with you some of the standouts from the new mobile phone apps we find each week. There is the usual mix of useful apps for iPhone and Android users, but at the request of some readers, we sought out a few more this week for Windows Phone 7 users as well.

To see the applications highlighted in previous weeks, flick back via the date tab navigation at the bottom after the last app listed.

• AFL Live Scores

  

  Footy season is upon us, so here's a way to get AFL Scores live to your Android phone. iPhone users may want to try AFL Aussie Rules Live 2011.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Amazon Kindle

  

  As Amazon continues its conquering of our mobile devices, the Kindle app finally arrives on Windows Phone. Though it's long been available on iPhone and Android, the Windows Phone version is perhaps the most attractive, with Amazon making the most of Microsoft's Metro design template.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free

• Bike Share

  

  Want a bike to ride but don't want to fork out big bucks to own one? Aussies in Melbourne and Brisbane can take advantage of an excellent bike-sharing scheme and can use this great WP7 app to track the location and availability of bikes across the city.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$1.30

• Sculpture!

  

  Those in WA heading to Cottesloe Beach to take in Sculpture by the Sea might want to grab this slideshow of stunning sculpted works of art from around the world as inspiration. The images, shot by well known photographers including Vincent Desjardins and Guillaume Millet, can be saved for use as wallpaper on your phone.

  Platform: Android; iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: US$1.50 from Android Market, AU$3.99 from iTunes

• OutScout Sydney

  

  OutScout Sydney, a guide to gay venues and events, will be particularly handy now for its full list of events for Mardi Gras 2011.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: Free

• Pulse News Reader

  

  Pulse is an RSS feed that delivers your news utilising graphically powerful mosaic tiles. Each feed gets its own row. The app will poll for new articles at whatever interval you choose, placing the latest info on the left-hand side of the screen. Tapping a headline brings up the article and options to share, open in web browser, adjust font and more.

  Whether in portrait or landscape mode, the articles fill the screen with enough space left over to navigate other posts and feeds. What might look like information overload the first time you run Pulse, quickly becomes intuitive and never feels cluttered.

  Pulse has been recently updated for faster image loading, particularly on Android with Honeycomb tablets in mind.

  Platform: Android and iPad

  Price: free

• Getmusic

  

  Microsoft Australia has teamed up with Universal Music Australia to launch a music download service. With Getmusic, those with Windows Phone 7 can buy music from artists such as Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, U2, Eminem, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Bon Jovi, Washington and Cut Copy. The app also sells merchandise, offers news and competitions to win gig tickets.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free

• Words With Friends

  

  Addictive crossword game with a turn-based design that lets you play up to 20 games simultaneously. Push notifications tell you when it's your turn and you can use in-game chat while you play with your friends or match-make instantly with a random opponent.

  Platform: Android; iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Poker Invaders

  

  The developers describe this games as the love child of Space Invaders, Tetris and poker. Basically, you have to protect your cows from alien abduction with the strength of your poker hands. Yup, you just need to flick or drag your cards up in strong poker combinations to explode the attacking spacecraft and defend your prize-winning herd. No poker face or experience is required, just quick reactions and a bit of strategic thinking.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$1.19

• Qtv

  

  If you're looking forward to a quiet night at home on the couch, then Qtv is your new best friend. Featuring TV listings from all Metro, Regional and Subscription TV services, Qtv will tell you exactly when and which channel is showing the next episode of Futurama.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: free

• Basichords

  

  Learn to strum with this chord dictionary for guitar, ukulele, banjo, bouzouki/mandolin, cavaquinho. The app has 5700+ finger positions and auto playback. (BTW, we had to Google "cavaquinho" too.)

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• ABC Foodi

  

  Here's a free app that beautifully presents 120 recipes from more than 40 chefs who have worked on ABC shows, including well-known foodies like Maggie Beer, Matt Moran, Poh Ling Yeow and Bill Granger. It includes shopping lists and step-by-step instructions for each recipe. Video segments from the shows are a handy inclusion as is the voice control option that keeps the iPad touchscreen clean from sticky hands and fingers while you cook.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Foxtel TV Guide

  

  Now available for Android, the Foxtel TV Guide lets you browse program listings up to 14 days in advance, plus you can remote record to your Foxtel iQ or iQHD. You can also set up alerts to remind you of shows you want to watch 15 minutes before they start. This app has previously been released for iPhone and Windows Phone 7 users.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• mHITs

  

  mHITs is a free payment service that lets you send and receive payments by SMS to anyone with an Australian mobile. Ideal for making small payments, you can use mHITs for sending money to friends, IOUs, collecting payments for group events, sending gifts or buying from an mHITs venue. You will need to have an mHITs account before you can make a payment using mHITs, but registration is free.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• PewPew

  

  With four game modes, this multi-directional first-person shooter will delight gamers with its retro graphics. And besides, what a great name for a shoot-em-up.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Salary Checker

  

  Think you're due for a raise? Collect more ammunition by checking out how your current pay scale stacks up to what your role is worth in other countries. Robert Walters is a global recruitment consultancy and its Salary Checker app allows you to compare how much you're earning compared to similar roles in Australia and across markets in over 20 other countries where it's conducted salary surveys.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Jedi Light Saber

  

  An oldie but a goodie, Jedi Light Saber's been updated with five new hilts and a Stop Music button. You can still change the colour of the blade by choosing from one of five crystal colours, and hear different sounds from your lightsaber and play five songs from Star Wars in the background. May the Force be with you, or at least your phone.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• The West End, London Audio Tour - Lonely Planet

  

  Lonely Planet has launched a new series of Audio Walking Tours that take listeners on a recommended route that features reviews by Lonely Planet's expert authors and historical audio commentary from the BBC Archive. The apps provide detailed information for travellers to explore at their own pace, with a location-aware map that allows the user to stop and start their journey or skip ahead to any of the selected stops. The tours also work offline, so roaming charges for international users can be avoided.

  The first tours available are for five iconic walks in central London: Covent Garden, Southbank, Spitalfields, the City and the West End. Audio walking tours of Paris are scheduled to be released soon.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Motion Fart

  

  You know this one's going to be so popular with those who like fart humour. Yes, really you can fart at will by lifting your leg - just put your phone in your back pants pocket and the app uses the phone's motion sensor to sound off with your standard selection of fart sounds.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Ow My Balls!

  

  If you like kicked-in-the-crotch humour, this is the app for you. The object of the game is to kick Joe the Juggler from a ledge and then try to rack his balls on as many targets as you can. You can ignite fart jet-packs to gain altitude and hit more targets. There are four gameplay modes, 13 achievements to complete and 16 videos to unlock, as well as a bonus character, "Lil' Baller".

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• Tiny Birds

  

  No Angry Birds slingshots here - in Tiny Wings, there's just one bird and all he wants to do is fly. It's your job to help him, but your only "control" is your finger, which you tap and hold when he's sliding down a hill and release on the upturn. Time it right and Tiny Wings soars skyward, but if you tap and hold while he's airborne, he instantly gets "heavy" and plummets back toward the ground. The idea is to time it so he plummets right onto a downward slope, which in turn gives him more speed for the next jump to send him flying higher and farther. It takes a bit till you get the hang of the flight mechanic and then you'll be propelling your birdie over the hills and valleys of the various islands that serve as the game's levels.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$1.19

• Honeymoonfund - Wedding Cash Gift Registry

  

  This one took a bit for us to wrap our heads around, but it's an iPhone app for an online wedding gift registry for the bride and groom who simply want cash!? Yes, promoted as an online wishing well service for weddings, this helps couples set up their own bridal registry page, send out invitations and watch their wedding/honeymoon funds grow as guests' payment transactions roll in. They can also use the app to view all their withdrawals and redemption transactions.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• Androidify

  

  Love the little green robot on your phone? Here's a way you can carry your affection to a new level by customising the Android's look.

  Androidify lets you turn the logo-bot into all kinds of caricatures, with choices including spiky hair, body types, beards, glasses, wardrobes and accessories like hats, watches and even a parrot. The cartoonish avatars can be saved as user pics and shared with friends.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Rugby Coach Pro

  

  The rugby season is upon us, and for all of you putting your hands up to help coach, Rugby Coach Pro offers a play editor, practice designer and team management app. You can design and save plays and drills, store your rosters and present your work on external displays, projectors or full screen on your device. Who needs a white board, when you can write and save notes right on your phone's formations templates?

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Rugby Fans Australia

  

  If you're more of the spectator than coaching variety, this app has the latest schedules, standings, news and video for fans of rugby league and rugby union.

  Don't worry Kiwi readers, there's a New Zealand version as well.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Green Eggs and Ham

  

  "Would you eat them in a box? Would you eat them with a fox?"

  There are three ways to read this officially licensed Dr Seuss book for Android phones. Children can pick "Read to Me" to listen to the narrated story with words highlighted as they are read; "Read it Myself" to read the book in its traditional form; or "Auto Play" which plays like a movie, automatically reading and turning pages. To promote reading in young children, individual words are highlighted as the story is read and words zoom up when pictures are touched.

  Other Dr Seuss titles recently released include The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, One Fish, Two Fish, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

  These books have been available for Apple devices for about six months, but they will cost you AU$4.99 through iTunes.

  Platform: Android

  Price: AU$3.99

• Join.me

  

  Brought to you by remote access specialists LogMeIn, Join.me lets you connect to remote meetings or screen-sharing sessions for free. It's perfect for those times when you're stuck in a cab or airport and can't make the meeting you're supposed to be attending.

  To web conference on your phone, whoever is hosting the meeting has to download and run a small client program, then share with attendees the link or numeric code generated by the client.

  Those wanting to join do not have to install anything or even register. They click the link or enter the code and straight-away can see what the presenter sees. They can zoom in and out as needed, and can participate in chat sessions via the provided list of all the meeting attendees.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• Dilbert Mobile

  

  Take your favourite office cube comic characters with you on your phone. This gives you immediate access to the daily Dilbert comic, as well as the more than 20-year archive of the entire Dilbert collection.

  Platform: Nokia Ovi

  Price: free

• Poker Swap

  

  Poker Swap is a mix of poker and puzzle gameplay. Five rows of five cards are dealt face-up. You then swap any card with any other on the board to score points for all horizontal or vertical poker hands you complete. There are four different game modes based on the length of session time you want to play.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free or US$0.99 for Pro version (without ads)

• AmpliTube Fender

  

  AmpliTube Fender is a full-featured Fender Tone guitar rig with built-in recording and practising studio. You can use the AmpliTube iRig interface adapter to connect your guitar to an iPhone or iPad and you're ready to practice, play and record with Famous Fender tones anywhere you happen to be.

  It includes a SpeedTrainer, which provides the ability to slow down imported backing tracks (-50 per cent) to learn complex riffs, or speed them up (+200 per cent) for practising playing skills. Songs and backing tracks or loops can be easily loaded into the apps directly from your iPod library on the iOS device or from the computer.

  Also, you can record your entire band, or produce full songs and compositions directly in AmpliTube Fender with its built-in single track recorder with re-amping ability, expandable to a full-featured four-track recorder on iPhone or an eight-track Recorder on iPad, both with the master effects' section. Those quickly captured performances that can be shared by exporting high quality audio files or M4As.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$17.99

• 50in1 Piano

  

  Another music app, but aimed more for those wanting to learn piano skills, there's 50in1 Piano. It combines a piano keyboard, 50 studio-quality instruments, 120 piano lessons, real-time effects and 100 beat loops to help you learn to play the piano, create your own songs and even sing along to your compositions.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• Go Somewhere Special

  

  Here's an app built on a coffee brand's ad campaign - you know the one, "Moccona is for lovers". It lets you apply augmented reality to gradually reveal a mystery location when you ask someone out on a date. You start by choosing a starting point and a destination, and then the Go Somewhere Special app plots a trail of on-screen candles for your date to follow. It also sends them a candle-lit invitation. They will end up at the surprise destination you've specified, where you will presumably join them for a romantic rendezvous. (And drink instant coffee?)

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: free

• Career Chronicles

  

  Can't face the year ahead stuck in your current job? This career guide provides an introduction to 23 jobs in healthcare, architecture, the law, financial services, education, the social sciences, information technology, sales, media and more. Although it's a US-based ebook, it offers the history and background of the different professions, current status of the field, statistics on employment levels, education required and average salaries, plus insights/pros and cons from more than 750 professionals.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$3.99

• St Kilda festival

  

  This weekend is the big finish to the St Kilda festival, and this handy app condenses the schedule for Festival Sunday (13 February), listing each event and activity, so all you'll need to do is scroll through the timetable and use its maps to decide where you want to go next.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• Swan Taxis

  

  Calling a cab in Perth just got a little easier with this updated Swan Taxi app. You can book from your current location and the taxi will come to the pick-up address indicated by the GPS. Also once the call has been made and a taxi has accepted the job, you can watch the taxi's progress on a Google Map. Then, when it gets to within 250m of the pick-up address, two "honks" will sound on your iPhone and you'll also know what the car's ID number is. There is also a taxi rank finder, a fare estimator and even a button you can hit to hail a cab with an electronic whistle.

  Platform: iPhone, iPad, with Android and Windows versions coming soon.

  Price: free

• Cricket World Cup 2011

  

  If you can't be there in person, you can stay updated with live matches, scores and news as it happens. You can follow your favourite players on their Twitter feeds and dive into a complete database of players, team and venue stats, records and trivia.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Catholic Confessional

  

  This one's stirring up a controversy, today prompting the Sydney Catholic Archdiocese to come out with a statement clarifying that this app is not a substitute to confession with an actual human priest. What it does do, however, is offer a step-by-step guide to the sacrament for Catholics to prepare for the Rite of Penance. The Church is also hoping that those who have been away from the sacrament for some time will find the app to be a tool to bring them back into the fold.

  It creates password-protected profiles and then takes you through a series of soul-searching questions related to the Ten Commandments. The app displays sins along with a written act of contrition for the penitent. It also lets you log "custom sins" and create "custom examinations of conscience". Prayers stored in the app include the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed and Hail Mary.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$2.49

• Angry Birds

  

  Hogs And Kisses, the Valentine's Day version of Angry Birds is here. The newly updated Seasons features 15 lovey-dovey levels, complete with a romantic new theme song and pink, heart-filled settings. This update includes the previous Halloween- and Christmas-themed levels.

  Platform: Android, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$1.19 iPhone, free on Android

• Google Translate

  

  We see lots of popular iPhone apps coming out now on the Android platform, but here's an example of one moving the other way. Google Translate, a popular Android app, is now available to iPhone users. You can use it to translate words and phrases between more than 57 languages. For 15 major languages, you can speak your phrases and hear the corresponding translations. For others, say Azerbaijani, Swahili and Welsh, you need to input text, but fortunately, if you're trying to translate non-Latin script languages, it will phonetically read characters you input (eg, Pinyin, Romaji).

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• AC/DC Ringtone

  

  Updated this week, this app lets you indulge your Acadaca worship. The same developer has also put out an Android app for Wolfmother Ringtones as well.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Comedytube local

  

  This app provides an easy way of accessing funny YouTube links, sorted by country. In addition to Australia, supported countries include Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, France, UK, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Taiwan and South Africa.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Monty Python's Cow Tossing

  

  Last week we had Cover Orange, and now this week's Angry Birds-style knock-off game is based on the cult movie classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The flinging involved here includes French cows and five other barnyard animals at King Arthur and his knights. The knights (targets) are piled atop a battering ram that slowly creeps toward your stronghold. If it gets there, you lose the level. There are 80 levels, some sprinkled with clips from the movie that you can unlock.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$1.19

• SPB TV

  

  Australia may never see true, local mobile TV broadcasts, but this doesn't stop us enjoying hundreds of feeds from overseas. SPB TV is a free window to the world, streaming broadcasts from over 150 different global sources.

  Platform: Ovi for Nokia

  Price: free

• 3D Brick Breaker Revolution

  

  If there's one thing to turn BlackBerry fanatics against their favourite brand, it's a new and improved version of Brick Breaker for Windows Phone. In truth, this third dimension doesn't add much to gameplay, but we still the love this mobile gaming classic.

  Platform: Windows Phone 7

  Price: AU$4.00

• Loop

  

  Kind of like Fruity Loops for your Nokia smartphone, Loop is a simple, cool musical sample sequencer that comes with a bunch of preloaded basslines and the ability to record new samples using your phone's microphone.

  Platform: Ovi for Nokia

  Price: free

• Blogger

  

  The Google-owned Blogger network has released an app designed to enable people who have built their blogs on the Blogger platform to easily update them from their Android smartphones.

  It lets you bang out copy and take photos with your phone and then either publish their words and images straight-away or save a draft for later. Posts and drafts can be viewed directly in the app or, by way of a quickly accessible menu, in a browser.

  Users can also select their location and include that information with their post, switch between different accounts and blogs and select photos from their gallery for uploading.

  Blogger said it's working on bringing the app to non-Android gadgets as well, but for now the program is available only for Android devices.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Cover Orange

  

  If you're looking for the next Angry Birds, Cover Orange might be it. The name derives from the simple game premise that you must literally cover exposed oranges to save them from a dangerous cloud of poison rain.

  To accomplish this, you're given one or more tools (it varies from level to level) to drop strategically. In an early, easy level, for example, you simply have to drop a box so it lands directly over the orange. Later on, you'll work with things like wagon wheels, dropping them on windmills to make them spin and fling your orange to a safe spot.

  Dropping/placing your last tool triggers the cloud, and there's no going back - your set-up either worked or failed. Fortunately, there's a restart icon right in the corner for quick (and unlimited) do-overs.

  The surviving oranges reward you with adoring shouts and cheers if you complete the task. Yup, we've got a feeling this one could be addictive.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: AU$1.19

• HappyCow VeginOut

  

  This app finds vegetarian, vegan, veg-friendly restaurants and health food stores near your location or wherever you enter manually. In addition to supporting maps and search for Australia and New Zealand, vegetarian restaurants are listed in over 90 other countries.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Home Delivery & Takeaway

  

  Continuing on a restaurant theme, this app brings home delivery from over 1200 restaurants Australia-wide. You can choose from menus covering Italian, Thai, Indian, Chinese, vegetarian and more. Unfortunately, the service is limited to metro areas only.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Fish Navigator

  

  This is not a game, but an app that provides fishermen with information such as the latest fishing reports, tides charts, hotspots, weather reports, the current moon phase and more.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Bearing + Distance

  

  Designed for private pilots, this app lets you enter a destination or waypoint and get bearing (true + magnetic) and distance information using your GPS navigation coordinates. It features an aviation compass w/ADF, a robust trip system, map view, "nearest" and "custom" destinations, and track recording to KML files. It includes 3611 destinations, including 1150 airports in Australia and New Zealand.

  Platform: Android

  Price: AU$6.49

• Love Calculator

  

  This app is probably about as accurate as a Magic 8 Ball to determine who you might be compatible with, but nonetheless with Valentine's Day coming on, it might be worth a go. You just enter the names of two people and see what the calculator has to say about the match.

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: US$0.99

• TV & Movie Guide Australia

  

  Check out what's on TV now or later, and look up the latest session times in cinemas across Australia.

  Platform: Android

  Price: AU$2.49

• Eleven TV

  

  If you don't want to pay for an overview of all TV content as per the app above, you can opt for apps for specific channels. Channel 10 has its own app, and now that its new Channel 11 is up and running, it's got its own app too. There are schedules and listings, photo galleries, videos and polls, plus you can set reminders for what you want to watch.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

  Price: free

• TinkerBox

  

  Though created primarily to "spark teens' interest in mechanical engineering", TinkerBox offers machine-building fun for all ages.

  The physics puzzle game/simulator starts with a dozen training levels, which teach you to place, use and tweak the various tools at your disposal: buttons, conveyor belts, levers and so on. Of course, different puzzles have different tools available; it's your job to figure out where they go, how they interconnect, and so on.

  It has just two levels - "The Lab" and "Steel Mill" - with a combined total of 13 puzzles. It also comes with a slick builder for creating your own inventions, which you can then email to friends. Plus, if you point your iPad's browser to Autodesk's Tinkerbox site, you can download inventions shared by other users.

  Platform: iPad

  Price: free

• Optus live streams Australian Open

  

  It's getting to the serious end of the Australian Open, but tennis fans out and about can watch the finals streamed live through this Optus mobile app. It provides free access to live streaming of Channel Seven's Australian Open 2011 match coverage along with live scores of men's and women's singles matches, results and video highlights.

  Optus customers can access other free and paid for content through this TV and video app; however, the Australian Open coverage is free and available to those connecting within a 3G network coverage area or through Wi-Fi.

  Platform: Android and iPhone

  Price: free

• St George Bank Car Finder

  

  A new addition to the St George mobile banking app is a Car Finder tool that makes it easier for customers to find the nearest dealers with St George-approved finance. The app uses GPS technology to find the closest car dealers or you can also search for dealers who stock the type of cars you're interested in.

  If you're already using the St George app, you have to download this update, and then you'll find it in the Calculators & Tools section from the home screen.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch

  Price: free

• Adobe Photoshop Express update

  

  In addition to its simple editing and enhancement tools, Photoshop Express 1.5 brings a couple of much-needed features to the year-old app and a couple of minor improvements. It now lets you capture photos right within the app and it supports rapid-fire shooting, saving snaps almost as quickly as you can tap the shutter button. As with the stock Camera app, you spot-focus by tapping on the screen.

  Another long-overdue addition is multitasking. When you hop out of Photoshop Express to do something else, then run it again, the app returns you to whatever you were doing. Likewise, it offers background uploading of photos to your Facebook or Photoshop.com account.

  Finally, Photoshop Express now supports Retina displays, so everything looks extra-sharp on the iPhone 4 and fourth-gen iPod Touch. (It works on the iPad, too, but obviously without the camera functions - yet.)

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: free

• City Of Sydney - Chinese New Year 2011

  

  The City of Sydney produces the biggest celebration of the Lunar New Year outside Asia. This app is the complete guide to the 2011 Sydney Chinese New Year Festival, which features more than 50 cultural events including food, entertainment, visual art, film, workshops, talks and tours.

  Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

  Price: free

• Chinese New Year SMS Wishes

  

  Chinese New Year SMS wishes is a simple app that contains 70 popular Chinese New Year greetings pre-written. All you have to do is just pick the sample you like and send it out as an SMS. As a February bonus, it is being updated with Valentine SMS wishes ready to go.

  Platform: Android

  Price: free

• Strange Rain

  

  Strange Rain is pretty hard to describe but it's essentially an interactive storytelling app. The primary function of the app is to give you a break from your hectic life by displaying a mesmerising scene of rain falling from the sky. The iPhone screen acts as a skylight, so you're looking straight up as raindrops fall and hit the screen. You can slightly affect the raindrops as they fall by touching the screen and moving your iPhone, and tinkly music from a haunting melody plays amid soothing storm sounds, every time you touch it.

  It is not just a rain simulator, though. It has three different modes to play with, including the Wordless mode that simply displays the drops falling from the sky and lets you touch the screen and move your iPhone to affect their trajectory. Whisper Mode is mostly the same, but sometimes when you touch the screen you'll see rain-related words spelled out. The third and most interesting mode is Story Mode, in which a story plays out through the thoughts of a protagonist, which are printed on-screen in bits and pieces. The more you touch the screen, the more of the story you'll learn as the rain continues to fall from the sky.

  The other interesting thing about Strange Rain is that it gets incrementally weirder after each play-through of the haunting melody - aeroplanes will fly overhead, clouds will change formations, and more. If ever you want to reset to the beginning, you can touch the screen repeatedly with all your fingers causing a falling-through-the-sky effect.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$2.49

• GeoRing

  

  GeoRing will tag your phone calls with music and location information. You can use it to instantly turn your iTunes music library into ringtones, withou syncing with iTunes. Essentially, it creates a ringtone playlist, and then it randomly picks a song from your playlist when your phone rings.

  It will also log the duration of each of your calls and using GPS, identify where you got each call from with a geotag. Note: GeoRing works only with iPhone 4 and 3GS.

  Platform: iPhone

  Price: AU$1.19

• BEP360

  

  The Black Eyed Peas frontman, will.i.am, has made headlines spruiking for BlackBerry, but now he's changed horses by launching a music video for Apple devices through iTunes. Supposedly the world's first 360-degree view music video, "The Time 360", has a unique perspective that changes its point of view as you swing your iPhone or iPad around a 360-degree axis.

  As soon as you point your device onto the cover artwork of the album, a virtual 3D avatar appears and dances as the music starts. It also features an aggregated Twitter feed from all Black Eyed Peas band members and a Peas-inspired puzzle game.

  Platform: iPhone and iPad

  Price: AU$1.19

• Andy-83, Andy-86

  

  We've found two calculator emulators for your Android phone. Andy-93 emulates the TI-83 graphing calculator, which is great for statistics and trigonometry. It lets you graph and compare functions, perform data plotting and analysis, and write programs in TI-BASIC.

  Andy-86 emulates the TI-86 graphing calculator, which is skewed for engineering and calculus. It also lets you graph and compare functions, perform bit manipulation and convert between numeric bases, solve differential equations, plot vector fields and write programs in TI-BASIC.

  Platform: Android Andy-83, Andy-86

  Price: free

• Bored Room Bingo

  

  Pass the time during those less than exciting meetings without completely tuning out. Listen for your co-workers to say the buzz words on your bingo grid as you work your way to five words in a row. Bingo!

  Platform: BlackBerry

  Price: free