Review of the New iPhone App, Cube Dog


As you probably know if you’re a regular reader I very recently switched from a Blackberry to the Verizon iPhone4. One of the main reasons I switched was the ability to make use of the extensive number of iPhone apps available in the iTunes app store. So far my favorite apps are social media and camera apps, but I was recently given the opportunity to review a unique new game called Cube Dog.

Cube Dog is reminiscent of a video game I got decades ago that allowed you to adopt a virtual pet, name it and take care of it. After than came the big Webkinz craze which I never knew much about since my kids were too young to care. Now my boys, at 3 and 6, are video game masters. Their dad has showed them how to play Angry Birds on his iPhone, so I figured I’d check out Cube Dog and let them play around with it.

What a fun game this is! We are big dog fans in the first place and my boys have vivid imaginations. I started with my 3 year old one afternoon while I was killing time enjoying a latte at my local coffee shop. Cube Dog is remarkably easy to download and get started with, creating up to three different and completely unique dogs to play with. With colorful and striking 3D graphics you can custom make your dog with different bodies, heads, eyes, ears and faces. Not to mention colors and names, my son’s favorite part.

After we created three dogs together, so easy and fun a 3 year old can do it, he named them Pepper (our real dog), Cocoa (no idea where that came from), and Alex (his name). Then you can pet them, tickle them, spin them around…all kinds of things. They react differently each time depending on your finger motions on the iPhone or iPod Touch. Then there are also buttons for specific tricks that your pet can do, which are downright hilarious.

Except for the one where the Cube Dog breaks out his iPhone and makes a phonecall. I have to say, when I had the volume cranked and my Alex was playing with it, all of the sudden I heard the loud sound of a phone speed dialing someone. I had a heart attack and flipped out, pouncing on the phone and hollering with everyone in the coffee shop watching. I seriously thought he had accidentally called someone. Turns out it was just the game making that sound. Then when I was driving somewhere and my older child was playing with it in the backseat I heard the sound again and AGAIN I flipped out, thinking it was dialing. I swear to you I have heard it now four times and each time it is quite startling.

The best trick is the Cube Dog ninja, who is adept with flying stars and nun-chucks. You can purchase extra parts and tricks for your Cube Dog within the app, but we haven’t done that yet.

Check out this introductory video.

You should know that Cube Dog is going to be running a fun contest on their Facebook page between June 13-17th! Just head over there and “Like” the page to see details.

While Cube Dog provided me with the app to review, the opinions I’ve expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint. Cube Dog, Clever Girls Collective and I promote Blog With Integrity.

Why Instagram is My New Addiction

My boys playing Angry Birds together

When I got my new Verizon iPhone a few months ago I expected to maybe enjoy playing Words With Friends. I knew from friends that if I downloaded Angry Birds I could get sucked in. What I never expected was to find a new social network I would love so much, almost as much as I love Twitter. And if you know me, you KNOW I love me some Twitter.

As a photographer I was thrilled to upgrade from a Blackberry to an iPhone4 with it’s really awesome camera. The first apps I looked for were camera apps, so I downloaded Chase Jarvis’ Best Camera and Instagram. It was super fun being able to snap pics with my phone, apply fun filters that made them look even cooler, and send them out to Twitter and Facebook instantly. But what I didn’t realize was Instagram is so much more. Here are ten reasons I am now totally addicted to Instagram.

1. Instagram is a NEW social network. Sure I can connect to my existing networks this way but what I’m finding is sometimes it’s more fun just getting to know a smaller group of people exclusively by way of my phone.

2. I love that it’s a much more select group of visually inclined, early adopters. I love that we can have short conversations around an image.

3. I’m connecting with people I know a little bit through Twitter or blogging, but not very well because I usually miss a lot of their tweets.

The lovely Alli Worthington

4. I’m connecting with people I don’t know! Just like through Twitter I get new followers that for unknown reasons are interested in my Instagram feed. It makes me curious and I can immediately check them out.

5. Instagram is so simple I can send a photo with comment on the fly. I can snap a shot and send it sometimes without the people I’m in front of even knowing it. I can do it in the car at a stop light.

Gorgeous color in a flash, with commentary.

6. It lets me capture moments in my kids lives a little more intentionally. I don’t always have my DSLR with me, and even when I do I have no way of making a note or comment about what’s going on. In a way this is like scrapbooking.

7. Snapping photos of yummy food I’m eating tends to help me appreciate them more. Being fully conscious and appreciative of what you eat is one way to avoid over-eating.

Making chicken fajitas!

8. Likewise it helps me be observant of the often unnoticed beauty around me. I’m more likely to see and appreciate detail and texture when I have someone to share it with visually. Anything that helps me live more intentionally is a win in my book.

9. Public API means lots more apps are springing up that interface with Instagram and make it even more useful. One I like is called Inkstagram, which allows me to view my Instagram photos and comments on my laptop via web browser. Another one that seems like it could be cool is Instaprint, which prints Instagrams tagged with a particular location, comments at all.

10. Did I mention it’s fun? Too bad you need to have an iPhone to use it. Score one for Apple.

So if you have an iPhone, what’s YOUR favorite app?

This post is linked up over at Oh Amanda’s Top Ten Tuesday!