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10 Off-the-wall iPhone AppsInside this Article

1.Jared2.Email'n Walk 3.YO Mama Extreme Voice Edition4.Zit Picker

1: Jared

Screenshot by Peter MayJared

Jared is cute. Jared is yellow. Jared is also is a lousy singer. What's more, Jared's mouth does not appear to have any

relationship with the sounds (calling it music would be generous) he's emitting. Launch the app and Jared begins to "sing."A Guatemalan folk song, no less. Try as he might, singing is clearly not Jared's strong suit. He will sing for as long as youlet him, which in most cases is unlikely to be very long at all.

Despite his nearly complete lack of talent, the fact that Jared presses on, putting whatever small amount of skill he possesinto the song, is endearing. You may find yourself listening time and time again. On the other hand, you may not.

2: Email 'n Walk

5.Rotary Dialer6. Moop Sounds Funny7.iSteam8.Designated Dialer9.Sim Stapler10.Hold On!

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Screenshot by Peter May

Email 'n Walk

Sometimes an iPhone app comes along that seems crazy, but turns out to have redeeming values. This is just such acase. Email 'n Walk does something amazing. Using your iPhone's camera, it displays a live view of the world in front ofyou above a virtual keyboard. Now, in the spirit of walking and chewing gum, you can walk and send e -mails at the sametime, while reducing the risk of stepping into traffic or falling flat on your face.

As you walk and type, the text of your message appears in semi-opaque letters over the live video feed. When yourmessage is complete, click "send" and Email 'n Walk transfers the text to the iPhone e-mail app. Just choose therecipients and fire it off. Email 'n Walk takes multitasking to a new level.

3: Yo Mama Extreme Voice Edition

Screenshot by Peter MayYo Mama Extreme Voice Edition

Everyone loves a good "your mama" joke, with the possible exception of, well, your mama. It's all in good fun, though, andthat's certainly true of this app. It may surprise you to learn that there are several your mama apps vying for your attentionand, in some cases, your 99 cents in the App Store. Yo Mama Exteme Voice Edition sets itself apart by offering pre-recorded spoken renditions of more than 300 your mama jokes. There's also a free version to try before you buy.

The app includes an Internet mode that enables users to rank jokes, suggest new ones and send favorites to their friendsvia e-mail. New jokes are added to the site on a daily basis, so you need never fear not having a fresh yo mama joke atyour fingertips.

As mentioned, there are a lot of apps to choose from in this genre (the App Store lists 17 your mama applications), soyou'll want to spend some quality time selecting the best one to meet your insult requirements.

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4: Zit Picker

Screenshot by Peter MayZit Picker

And you thought Moop Sounds Funny was gross! Zit Picker is exactly what the name suggests. Here's how the gameworks: A face (Veronica, to be specific) appears on the screen and zits begin to sprout in various locations. Your job? Pop

as many of those suckers as you can in the allotted time. While this may sound easy, it takes a considerable amount oftime and practice to master the precise method required. Also, like a fine wine, you can pick no zit before it's time. There'sno popping allowed until the white head appears. They ripen quickly, however, so if you snooze, you lose and poorVeronica gets a blackhead.

If you tire of Veronica, or just want to add an additional layer of grossness to the game, take (or import) a photo of a friend,foe or unwilling foil and pop their zits to your heart's content. The app keeps track of your scores and allows the top fiveplayers to enter their initials. You can also save end-of-game faces to your photo album. You just knew someone had todo it.

5: Rotary Dialer

Screenshot by Peter MayRotary Dialer

Perhaps you've heard the expression "dial the phone" and wondered where it came from. Unless you are of a certain age,you may never have seen a phone with a rotary dial. Now, you can try your hand -- or finger -- at dialing numbers on theworld's most advanced telephone. Perhaps you could even imagine you're Humphrey Bogart grabbing a heavy blackphone from the desk and feverishly dialing a beautiful damsel, catching her just before she heads off to her demise.

Rotary Dialer enables you to experience the days when calling phone numbers containing mostly eights, nines and zeros

required patience, as you waited for the dial to return to its original position for each and every digit. Due to populardemand, however, you will not experience the frustration of starting over again if you dial a single incorrect digit. The latestversion of Rotary Dialer includes a backspace function. Of course, if you're a true phone -dialing aficionado, backspacesimply isn't your

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6: Moop Sounds Funny

There are tons of apps designed to make noises that are either appropriate to a given situation, or completely random.Choose the right app and your iPhone can moo, cry, make sad trombone sounds or, of course, fart. Moop Sounds Funny

makes our list because it goes most of the others one (or several) better. You want farts? You got 'em. No less than 16distinctive fart sounds will thrill your friends, assuming they like that sort of thing.

There are sound effects for almost any situation. A drum roll for the amazing feat or a rimshot to mark a funny line orcomeback. The obligatory "splat" is here; along with the sad trombone "wa-wa-wa-wa" which is useful for highlightingthose moments when someone fails rather badly. A very lifelike "ohh" is included for the three-foot putt that rings the cupthen hangs on the edge for a double bogey. You get the idea.

At $1.99, this app may seem a bit pricey for what it does, but can you really put a price on funny, odd and disgustingsounds? Ask yourself that question and let the answer be your guide.

7: iSteam

Screenshot by Peter MayiSteam

Although mostly crazy and a bit odd, this app is a great example of creative developers using the most advanced iPhonecapabilities to produce a unique experience. We've all written messages on a steamy shower mirror or a window frostedwith cool condensation. iSteam makes it possible to "steam up" your iPhone's screen and use your finger to createmessages or drawings. What's more, you can use any photo as a background, then steam up the screen and write aspecial message.

The coolest thing about this app is that, if you're running it on an iPhone, you can steam up the screen by blowing on it(actually on the microphone). A particularly cool application for this capability is to write an invisible message to someonespecial on the non-steamy screen, and then ask him or her to breathe on your phone. Assuming they don't think you'recrazy and move hastily away, the screen will fog and your message will appear right before their eyes.

8: Designated Dialer

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Screenshot by Peter May

Designated Dialer

There are times when we must be saved from ourselves. One of those times is when we're sharing a few drinks withfriends, armed with an iPhone that contains the phone numbers of dangerous people, such as ex-girlfriends, an arch-nemesis or an old boss. One too many beers and the next thing you know, you've got a dangerous character on the lineand you're giving him or her a piece of your rather drink-addled mind.

This problem can be eliminated with Designated Dialer and just a bit of forethought. Prior to your next night out, install theapp and select the contacts you determine you should avoid calling with less than a crystal-clear brain. Designated Dialerlocks those contacts and, should you decide to place a call to one of them, it will instead dial a special toll -free number atwhich you will receive a message reminding you of your wise pre-planning. After sleeping it off, simply launch the appagain and your contacts are unlocked and ready for sober, well-thought-out conversations.

Simple, yet highly effective, this is a crazy app that could save your life, or at least your dignity.

9: Sim StaplerWhat is it about office equipment that draws us to it and demands we interact with it in some way? The stapler is a perfectexample of this human trait. We've all found our hand suddenly resting atop a nearby stapler and felt the powerful urge topress down, despite the fact we have no need to attach papers to one another at the time.

Sim Stapler allows us to satisfy the urge to press without wasting staples. Put simply, the app makes a stapler simulationavailable 24 hours a day, seven days a week, right on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Now, whenever the urge to staplestrikes, a solution is at hand. In fact, the solution is in your hand.

The question is; where do the developers go from here? Can Sim Tape Dispenser be far behind?

10: Hold On!

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Screenshot by Peter May

Hold On!

Here's a game that requires no special knowledge, no finely honed hand-eye coordination and no strategic thinking skills.In fact, all you need to score big is a steady hand and a lot of free time. Hold On is the iPhone game for the rest of us. Fireup the app and an efficient, simple screen appears. In the center is a button that says "Hold On." Place the digit of yourchoice on the button and hold on for as long as you can.

As you hold the button, the app displays a timer that is accurate to a millisecond. The goal is to see how long you can holdthe button. Is it more difficult than it sounds? No. And that's the beauty of this unique gaming app. When you reach yourlimit, release the button and, if you wish, save your score for future reference. Given time, your scores are sure toincrease.

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