Superhero Apps

Which Superhero Are You (Free. iOS and Android) I'd like to first point out that the Android and Apple versions do the same ting but are from different companies. The Android version has better graphics and includes villains. What you can do is pick a superhero in your head, answer questions, and see if it guesses correctly. The other use is to answer the questions about yourself and see what superhero (or villain) you are most like. It's cute and appropriate for all ages.

Super Hero Photo Quiz (Free. iOS only) If you are a comic book, anime, and manga master this is the app for you. It shows a picture of a character and you try to answer their name. You can get help but it costs coins, which you are awarded with correct answers, watch ads, write a review of the app, share on Facebook, or purchase. Users might get frustrated and give up quickly or they will really like it.

Comic Book Trivia (Free. Android Only). Test your knowledge of comic book characters. Multiple choice questions that have varying degrees of difficulty. Many reviewers complain that it focuses too heavily on DC and Marvel.

POW (Free. iOS only) A cute app that makes silly superhero sounds (think 60's Batman) when you punch your phone in the air. It can be a quick workout, relieve stress, or in my case annoy the coworkers in the cubicle next to you. Little kids may find it fun and funny. They app was glitch and froze a couple times, so it has some flaws.

Superhero Comic Book Maker ($1.99 iOS only) Create your own digital comics by using pre-made characters, effects, backgrounds, and speech bubbles. You can record your own voice, use 29 different crayons, and animate panels. It seems really aimed at 6 - 12 year old kids. http://www.duckduckmoose.com/educational-iphone-itouch-apps-for-kids/superhero-comic-book-maker/

Comic Strip It! (Free or $1.99 pro version Android only) Create your own comic strips, comic books, memes, story boards, and quick how-to directions. You can share quickly with social media or save your creation. The Pro version gives a lot more tools / options and allows exporting as a digital comic book format.

Free Toddler Apps

This week my son Gracen turned 2 so I thought that I would focus on "Apps for Toddlers". Recently I picked up a Fischer Price iPad case recently that was on Clearance so I was able to have Gracen test these apps out. I have to say that I was really disappointed in the lack of free apps for toddlers, some articles and lists for free apps were out of date and the apps ended up costing .99 - 3.99 now. So many of the free Toddler Apps on the market have "in-app purchases" which takes them to a confirmation screen that they can't get out of or it will stop game play and tell them that if they want to play more they have to buy the full version. Let me tell you that either of those will cause a screaming crying toddler and in my case a very unhappy wife.

So this list may be shorter than my usual lists but these have all been vetted by an actual two-year old and a Dad who watched him happily play, or in the case of the apps that didn't make the list cause a melt down.

Laugh & Learn learning letters - this Fischer price app is super simple and gets redundant quick but toddlers don't care: bright colors, clean graphics (same as other Fischer Price toys), and cheerful music. It says a letter and they tap the screen to see the next one.

Laugh & Learn shapes & colors - same thing but it teaches colors and shapes, I should mention one of the great things about the Fischer Price apps is that their is the option to lock the child into the activity or story and not be able to go to the home screen to change

                                          settings or do something else they shouldn't.

Laugh & Learn storytime - two story rhymes: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe and Itsy Bitsy Spider; you can read along or sing and play for each story

Endless 123 - extremely cute with amazing illustrations, it teaches numbers and some basic math but the child may not understand all of it. Beautiful app, the company has another app that costs money called "Endless Alphabet" that has been on some best apps for                   

                  Children lists in different publications.

Balls - there are colored balls that leave a trail and make different musical sounds as they collide with each other or the sides of the screen. The child can change the direction of the balls by tapping on the screen.

Peekabooyou - barn animals - this was my son's favorite (mine too) it is very simple peek a boo with different farm animals but for the face of the farmer you use a picture of your child's face. My son would laugh and giggle every time he saw himself.

For older toddlers and maybe older kids (because there are ads that younger toddlers will accidentally touch sending them to a website):

Chalkboard - it's exactly what it sounds like

Wheels On the Bus - it has a lot of great games, songs, an activities the only problem was it kept having prompts to buy the full version

Puzzingo - lots of great puzzles, similar problem ads that send you to websites or the app store for in-app purchases

If you find a great Toddler App that is free let me know. I found a few more to look at but I can honestly say there were a lot of duds that I looked at that websites said were good.

Is there a topic or type of app that you'd like me to review, I am looking for suggestions.