app of the day

It’s no secret that I’m an apple addict. We’ve got … lemmee think here … an iPad 2, three macbooks, four iPhones (three of them are still working), and several antique iPods. My proudest moment was the day I realized we’d converted my geekoid husband. It’ss rather impressive considering his Computer Science education – he’s currently wrapping up his Doctoral Thesis in Information Technoology. I promise I won’t bash your PC’s, whatever color or flavor they might be, I’ve worked on all kinds and each one works just fine. But, man. Apple knows how to win over a Product Designer’s heart for life. It’s not just the physical attributes, it’s the user experience. Apple has the fundamentals down pat.

So. I think I’ll start sharing some of my favorite techie bits of info – mostly apps. They’ll always be kid-friendly and/or mom-friendly. Though I much prefer real toys – non-mechanized, battery-less ones – if we want our kids to keep up, then tech needs its place too. Let’s get started shall we?

I didn’t expect to be so enamored of Puzzld ($.99). It’s just so simple – wooden puzzles. But the woodgrain, the illustrations, the attention to detail, and the lovely music (different for each puzzle) puts it over the top. What astounds me most is watching Birdie play this app for 15 minutes and more, without my help. Though there are only 6 puzzles, never underestimate the power of repetition with a young kid. You can also test out the different difficulty settings for the older kiddos – they’re actually kind of tough. Better yet, it’s only $0.99.

If you have an iPhone and an iPad – make sure to get the Puzzld app for both. Though they use the same graphics, the game play is diffeent. The iPhone version lets you finish the puzzles of individual characters, where the iPad focuses on the full puzzle instead. Then – nab the free Puzzld iPhone wallpapers to add that lovely rough-hewn woodgrain all over the place.

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