Utilities: App of the Day -- Dragon Dictation

Everyone who has a smartphone has been in a situation where a speech-to-text app was necessary, whether it be to safely text while driving, or to make a note in a timely manner. Until now, there was no great way to do this. There were various apps that existed that would do part of the job but had no way to directly send the text in an SMS message, or the apps had poor voice recognition. The wait is finally over. Dragon Dictation is by far the best app for speech-to-text.

Upon opening the app, Dragon Dictation will ask if you want all of your address book information to be added into the built-in vocabulary. By allowing this, Dragon Dictation will be able to understand names, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers from your address book easily. After selecting this option, you will be presented with a very simple blank page. At the bottom, there are only three buttons. Clicking the center button will record any text you dictate to it. Simply hit done to finish recording.

The recording feature is very well implemented.

After recording, you will see your text. If you would like to make manual adjustments to your text, you can simply tap the keyboard button at the bottom left corner of the app. This brings up the classic iPhone keyboard, allowing you to make changes to your previously recorded text.

A built-in keyboard editing option is handy for quick edits.

Once finished with all of the necessary editing (which is usually very minimal), simply click on the bottom right button to choose where to send your newly dictated text. Dragon Dictation allows you to export your text via SMS, e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter. It also allows you to simply copy the text and paste it where you want. In addition to these great links, you can also change your settings from this menu.

Export to a variety of links.

Dragon Dictation is truly a great tool. From importing all of your address book information, to having excellent speech recognition, this app takes the cake when it comes to speech-to-text apps. The best news of all is that Dragon Dictation can be yours in the iOS App Store for FREE!

Games: App of the Day -- Cro-Mag Rally

When you're looking for an out of the ordinary racing app from the iOS App Store, look no further than Cro-Mag Rally. Rather than sporting fancy cars with 22 inch rims, Cro-Mag Rally takes players back to the times of the cavemen where they must battle using vehicles from the unusual Bone Buggy to the classic Chariot.

The "Bone Buggy" vehicle.

The "Chariot" vehicle.

After picking a vehicle from the list, players are prompted to choose a level. The level choice is very diverse, ranging from the "Desert" level to "Atlantis." Once in the game, players will find themselves using the iOS device's accelerometer to steer, while holding down the F or R on the left side to go forward or reverse. Players will soon find out that they must master these controls in order to avoid objects both naturally occurring and player created.

Avoiding tornadoes and player thrown bones is just the beginning. The game has a very Mario Kart-esque feel to it. In addition to picking up bones to throw at other players, the game offers other weapons such as oil. All of the items in the game are not meant to harm other players. Picking up the spring item will make the suspension of your vehicle better while picking up the tire item will increase your traction, allowing you to steer more clearly. The lightning bolt, which some might argue is the best power up of all, grants you a speed boost for a few seconds.

Avoid the tornadoes!

If you are able to avoid all of these obstacles while picking up the correct power ups for three levels, all while staying in first place, you're on your way to making yourself #1 of the Cro-Mag Rally leaderboards.

The app is available now from the iOS App Store for just $0.99. Want this game on your iPad without paying an extra fee? You're in luck! The developers have made the application iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad universal, so all you have to do is buy it once and sync it to all of your devices.

Happy apping!

Number of Game Center Games Tops 1,000

It's official. The total number of games on the app store that are compatible and working with Game Center have reached a huge milestone. There are now 1,021 apps that work with Apple's new gaming app.

If you haven't yet had the chance to try out Game Center, now is the perfect time. A good amount of the apps working with Game Center are free. This means you have no upfront commitment to try them out. In addition, some of your past favorite iOS games are now compatible with Game Center. Cut the Rope and Angry Birds are both extremely popular games that are compatible with Game Center. 

What Apple has done with Game Center so far is fantastic. The app provides a centralized hub to view your friends, achievements, and compatible games. In addition, it is also used to connect with other people through the multiplayer feature. This means there will always be someone to play with as long as the game you are trying to play has the multiplayer feature built in. In addition to the plethora of achievements available, players can also see how they rank compare to others using the game. In order to find out what rank you are, simply launch the game center app and tap on the "Games" category. Then select whatever game you're curious about to see what rank you hold, both with your friends and in the world.

Simply click on "Leaderboards" to see your rank.

All of these great features, combined with the 1,000+ games that are compatible with the app, make Game Center a success for Apple. With continued support from developers and a rapidly growing list of games, the Game Center might just become the Xbox Live of iOS.

Productivity: App of the Day -- Instapaper

Having access to the internet on your smartphone is great, assuming you're not 30,000 feet in the air. It's one of traveling's downsides--not being able to access your 3G network while on an airplane. Instapaper solves this problem, if reading articles or browsing websites is what you want to do when you're 6 miles above the ground.

Instapaper works by installing a simple plugin in your Safari browser on your iPhone and downloading the Instapaper app. After it is installed, you can save pages to the app through Safari. This saves a copy of the webpage in the app allowing you to view them later, even while offline.

Screenshots from Instapaper's iOS App Store page.

This great feature allows for offline browsing both during travel, and while you may not have 3G network access. Although not completely necessary for casual travelers, it is a huge convenience for frequent-fliers of the sky.

Instapaper is available now for $4.99 in the iOS App Store. If you're looking to try before you buy, check out the free version of Instapaper here.

Games: App of the Day -- Cut the Rope

Ropes. Scissors. Balloons. Bubbles. Spiders. Spikes. Electricity. Candy. Om Nom. What do all of these things have in common? They make up ZeptoLabs' new hit game on the iOS App Store, Cut the Rope. Combining amazing physics with attractive graphics and smooth-as-butter touch controls, Cut the Rope challenges players to cut, swing, and spin ropes in a manner to collect stars and feed the "Om Nom".

Although you can finish a level without collecting all of the stars by feeding the Om Nom the piece of candy, it takes 75 stars to move on to the next box where the Om Nom is living. In addition, collecting all 300 stars from the entire game can get you a shiny new achievement in the Game Center.

One of the levels in the "foil box."

One of the levels in the "gift box."

Overall, Cut the Rope offers 100 levels (25 in each box) in its current state. It can be yours for the low price of $0.99 in the iOS App Store. Looking for a bigger version? Cut the Rope HD has hit the iPad App Store for just a dollar more at $1.99.

Note: The Android version of Cut the Rope is said to be "coming soon."

Welcome to AddictingApps!

AddictingApps is a new blog dedicated to helping you get the most out of your smartphone by showing you new apps! Apps will be showcased from all different categories. Included in every review will be a link to buy that app on your smartphone!

Welcome and happy apping!