Don't have 3GS but want to record videos? No Problemo, amigos!

One of the many (yes, many, many, many) disadvantages not owning a 3GS is the inability to record videos on your iPhone. If you're still one of those people who have yet to migrate to a 3GS or iPhone 4, fret not, cos there're a few decent video-recording apps that you can download from the iTunes store. And I'll be covering three of them here....

1. Qik Video Camera Pro

This is a pretty decent video recorder app that is priced at USD 2.99. If you do a search for it in iTunes, you'll noticed that there are two versions of the app, the Qik Video Camera and the Qik Video Camera Pro  (UPDATE: Actually, as of 4 August 2010, the developer Qik Inc has updated the two apps to support IOS 4 and iPhone 4. Now, the Pro version is still priced at USD 2.99. However, the Original Qik Video Camera version is now priced at an astounding USD 119.99. I was like, WTF??? The developer actually explained on the app page why the price is so high, but it was lost on me. But, bottom line is, avoid this one, go for the Pro version).

The good thing about this app is that it gives you a few special effects to apply to your videos. Some notable effects include Avatar, Sepia, Xray and Black & White. Here's a sample video i took using the app...

2. iCamcorder

iCamcorder, developed by dw-c, is available for USD 1.99. Just like Qik Video camera Pro, you can zoom with this video recorder, plus recording at 15 frames per second. However, there are fewer effects you can choose for your video.

This app actually gives you the option to turn high-quality recording off so you get smoother video playback. Here's a sample video taken with this app...

3. iVideoCamera

iVideocamera, priced at USD 1.99, and developed by Laan Labs, is definitely my favourite video-recording app among the two, because it's video quality is consistently good, and there's a lot of different special effects you can choose.  You can even see some of these effects 'Live", while you're recording. This app is supported even on the first generation iPhone.

And here's a sample video taken with this app...

So there you have it...three different video-recording apps to choose from. WHat they have in common is that they all allow you to share your videos via Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Email as well as save to your camera rolls. Personally, I like iVideoRecorder because i think it offers the best value for money, with all things considered.

Know your malls with MyMall apps

I was quite surprised to find a few apps in the iTunes store that are developed by a local guy. You don't see that very often, although I have to say that the situation is changing slowly. Kudos to all our local apps developers! You are doing a great job! :)
The one that I came across, called MyMall, is actually a collection of apps  for iPhone with each dedicated to a major shopping mall in Malaysia. Developed by Pang Darren, these apps are actually quite useful and informative, and best of all, FREE!!! I wasted no time in downloading most of them.

These MyMall apps are very well designed. When you launch the app for the very first time, you will be prompted to sign up before you can start using it. Once that is done, you'll be presented with the main menu that is basically the same for every malls covered by the developer. Now I'm not sure why the developer didn't create a single app that cover all the major malls in the country, but I'm guessing this is probably a marketing-driven decision on his side.

As you can see here, the options offered on the main menu includes Floor Plan, where you can inspect the floor-by-floor layout for the mall, Event - for checking out the latest/upcoming activities and happenings at the mall, Promotion - for finding out all the ongoing sales by shops located in the mall, Directory - for finding specific outlet in the mall, and E-Coupon - which I have yet to see any.

You can search for shops by categories. Mmmm..very handy I'll say!

You can see a listing of all the shops in the mall by name, along with their floor location.

A floor plan to show you the exact location of the shop you are looking for.

You can also see a map that show you how to get to the mall.

See what events are taking place at the mall, and...

...for all you shopping beasts, check out the latest sales and promotions.

Bottom line, this is one very useful app for whenever you are on a shopping trip. Download them all today and never be lost in a mall ever again.

Covertbot to the rescue!

Tired of using your boring and bland calculator? Want to have a currency converter that really stands out? Or a measurement tool that is not only easy to use but looks good too? Well, look no further than Convertbot, the unit converter app that is developed by TapBots LLC.

 Priced at USD 1.99 in the App Store, Convertbot is a stylish little app that will let you time, currency, distance, mass, volume and more easily. The robotic interface is very appealing, with a click-wheel area in the centre for searching for the conversion method you want to use.

Currently, the app supports up to 440 units of conversion, as well as a calculator function. You can simply add or remove any conversion categories from the settings section. 

Get Framed! with Stop Motion Recorder

Stop motion animation, or  frame-by-frame technique employed in films of yesteryears before the advent of digital special effects, is a simple yet amusing way of injecting 'life' into inanimate objects. If you have ever watched the very first King Kong film, you'd know what this technique is all about.  Jerky animation that is made possible through stringing a whole sequence of frames together to create the illusion of motion. Ahhh..wouldn't you wish there's a simple way of re-creating the magic of stop motion animation? A way of telling your own story using the technique?
Well, now you can. Because a South Korean firm that goes by the name of 'graf' has released a stop motion recorder in the App Store. Called, rather aptly, the Stop Motion Recorder, the app simulate the way such animation is created, using your Iphone's camera as the medium to create 'frames'.

Priced at just USD 0.99, this app is a steal!! It is beautifully designed too, with the interface made to mimic a cardboard box slotted with a camera.

The whole interface is easy to navigate and use. Under the 'Setting' section, a user can set the interval between each frame, as well as the style of the animation. Music is not supported though, other wise, this would be a really awesome app.

Once you've decided the interval and the style, all you need to do is to touch on the 'Start' button to begin making your own stop motion movies.

Once you're done, you will be able to review your animation frame-by-frame, and delete any frame that you feel don't fit. Once you have completed that, the stop-motion animation will be saved in the 'List' section'. From here, you can choose to share your masterpiece with the world through email, Flickr, Twitter or Youtube.

I highly recommend this app, because it is extremely easy to use, and the end results are stunning. With a little bit of effort, you can really create something wonderful with everyday objects around you using this app.

Great apps to plan your trips & share your travel exploits

People who likes to travel and discover new places, listen up,  I have two great apps that will help you manage your excursions as well as let you share your travel exploits with family and friends. The TripDeck app, available for free from iTunes, is really useful for planning and managing every little aspects of your holidays.

Even though this app is free to download, to enjoy greater functionality such as Live Flight Status checking and Push Notification, you will need to make in-app purchases. 

This app allows you to create several new entries at the same time, you can plan ahead if you have more than one outings planned in the future. You can plan for hotel reservations, restaurants, meetings, flights and so on to ensure you don't forget any of them when the time comes for your to leave for the trip. it's so easy to use, and the interface is very nice too.

You can keep track of departure and arrival times, as well as make phone calls directly to hotels/restaurants where you have made reservations. 

In addition to these great features, the app also allows you to share your trip itinerary with others and geo-tag your destined locations through maps. How cool is that? Very.

Now,  there's another app called TripJournal that will let you share your travels waypoint-by-waypoint, and you can download it for USD 2.99. Let me assure you that this app is worth every dollar spent as it's been awarded as the number one travel application by Google, and has been featured in some major presses like NY Times, Businessweek and Mashables.

The first thing you'll notice about this app is how gorgeous it looks. It has the design and feel of an old journal, and it has tons of nice features packed inside too.

You can start a 'New Trip', where you can geo-tag your current locations, start GPS-route tracking, take and post photos, write notes, add videos and even set your own waypoints.

This is a great way to showcase your travel exploits with others, no doubt!

On top of that, you can also share your entries via Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Picasa and Youtube via the app. This app is designed for iPhone specifically due to its mapping functionality. For iPad users, they can still use this app, but will need to rely on wi-fi access if they want to geo-tag their locations.

With these two great apps, you trips will be really well-organized and made more memorable!