Apple has turned iPhone/iPod Touch users crazy with literally thousands of apps available to download. Whether it’s free or a hundred bucks, people are going nuts over apps.  Ever since I got my new iPod Touch for my birthday, I have been going “app crazy” too.  I can’t help it.  I have apps for games, social media, emails, coupons, recipes and even apps for everything in New York City.   The list can go on and on.  The best apps are the ones that are free because if you don’t like the app, you can simply delete them without any worries that you spent your hard-earned cash for a useless app.

I remember before getting my iPod Touch, I was kind of jealous of all those cool apps that everyone was getting and playing with.  I absolutely loved the Apple commercial where you see someone playing the roller coaster game.  I kept telling my husband, I’ve got to have that! Like the commercial you see on TV; “there’s an app for that”, I truly believe there is an app for almost anything. I’m excited to share my top 5 apps that I think will be useful, easy to navigate and that are 100% free for all the New York City tourists and locals as well.

1. NYC Way – My most favorite app for New York City.  It’s perfect for tourists and residents because it’s based on where you are. You get more than thirty apps in one and it includes places to eat, nearby movie theaters, local news, nearest WiFi spot, tourism, recreations and lots more.
2. Time Out New York (TONY) – Another great app.  This has a “locate me”, sort of like a GPS so it can find what you’re looking for based on where you are.  You can easily search through neighborhoods such as Astoria, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Chinatown or Coney Island.  Any neighborhood in the five boroughs is in one app!  You can also follow them on Twitter.
3. BeeLoop: New York City at a Glance – This app is great for those of you who want to find New York City, at a glance.  It’s simple and to the point. You can search for NYC’s history and culture, night life, lodging, things to see and of course, eat.  It includes over a hundred places and lets you view the address, phone number and information on the venue as well.
4. UpNext – It’s a virtual city right in the palm of your hands.  You can view neighborhoods such as the Meatpacking District, Chelsea, Soho, Tribeca, Upper West & East side and lots more.  You can also zoom in to view each building and find out what’s inside when you double tap your screen.  It even allows you to add a business if there is a new store that just opened up.
5. Scene Seeker – New York City – Have you ever visited a place and wonder where a scene was filmed?  I am a movie guru especially when it comes to movies that were filmed in the streets of New York City – I guess that stems from being a New Yorker for over thirty years.  This app contains complete address information, interactive map, pictures and information about the film locations of movies and TV shows.  If you ever wanted to know a certain scene that was filmed on Sex in the City, this app will take you right to the exact same spot!

Check out my friend Corine, another NYMetropolista writer, who has other fabulous apps you don’t want to miss. I guess you can call us both “apps crazy”!

Photo credit: Apple.com

As per  Eliot Mizrachi of MarketWire, “Since their inception in 1994, the ESRB ratings have become a trusted resource for parents when choosing computer and video games. In April 2007, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a report(1) which found that nine in ten parents are aware of the ESRB ratings, 87% expressed satisfaction, and nearly three quarters use them regularly when choosing games for their children.”

I am very pleased that ESRB has released this application for the iPhone. I actually find myself, more and more, going to the ESRB site or using the ESRB widget to look up game ratings. The app offers instant access to ESRB’s Ratings Guide and access to the over 18, 000 reviewed game titles. Which means, if you want to make certain that a game is age appropriate – you can quickly search for the game and get back ESRB ratings results. This is also helpful when you are not certain what the game Content Descriptors mean – for example “Comic Mischief” or “Lyrics.”

ESRB is not forgetting about those dads/parents who do not have iPhone’s. If you happen to fall into that category then you can access ESRB mobile from your web enabled phone - m.esrb.org.

The interface is what you would expect from ESRB – clean and simple. You have three options:

1. Search
2. Home
3. Ratings Guide

Moving between screens is a bit slow but let’s just blame the appalling AT&T network, for that one. I have a couple of concerns with the user interface (UI) – text is small and some of the buttons are small and too close to each other. There appears to be enough real estate so the text and buttons could be larger. This would make the UI more user-friendly. Honestly, these concerns are superficial and I have been recommending, to all my iPhone carrying dads, that they need to get this (free) app, sooner than later.

Photo credit: New York Times