Over the past decade or so I’ve become a strong believer in paying for media that I consume — not surprisingly this coincides with my ability to afford to buy stuff. In the spirit of promoting the concept of paying back those who provide us with great software, I give you my Top 4 iPod Touch Applications that I’ve actually purchased.
1Password
1Password is a password manager for MacOS X which late last year released a version of their application which works with the iPhone and iPod touch. Both the desktop and handheld versions of the application are brilliant and provide a great credential management service for those running the appropriate devices. If you’re a slider like many of us are starting to become, it may not be the solution for you since there’s no version of 1Password available for Windows or any flavour of Linux.
Crayon Physics
Again coming from desktop-based roots Crayon Physics is a simplistic looking game for the iPod Touch. The goal is simple, draw the tools you need to get the ball to the goal. The trick is you need to be able to anticipate how those tools will react to gravity, friction and impacts with other objects. Give Crayon Physics a try if you want a game that’s challenging enough to make you think, but easy enough to actually complete.
Note: the desktop version was licensed by Kloonigames to Hudson Soft, so they’re technically not related.
iShoot
iShoot is a great replication of games that were super-popular in the early 1990s like Worms and my favourite Scorched Earth. Battle it out with the computer or up to three other human players in a tank-on-tank-on-tank-on-tank battle with weird and wonderful weapons of all kinds. A recent release of the game also includes the ability to define your own rules, terrains and weapons making it a truly personalized experience.
SpaceTrader
Modelled after games with the same name on other platforms, and of course loosely based on Wing Commander: Privateer, SpaceTrader allows you to fly from planet to planet as a trader in an effort to make as much money as possible. This game is the only 3D entry on the list with a fairly rich 3D environment that you can walk around and explore. I had some memory issues with this game early on, but working with the developer and sending in some crash logs a newer release seems to have licked that problem. Give this a try as a neat alternative to the 2D side scrollers.
Which applications have you purchased? Or are you more of a JailBreak type? Party in the comments…