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TenYears: Unexpected Success Stories »
It’s almost January 1st, 2010 and we’ve been mulling over our favorites of 2009 – and the previous decade. Here we present another installment in our “Of the Decade” lists. Winner: Apple iPod and the iTunes Store No matter how you feel about Apple products, there’s no denying that the original iPod – released in October 2001 – made a huge impact on the digital music world. Before the iPod, MP3 players were clunky, had atrocious interfaces, and awful battery life. Geeks like us had the early models from Archos and Diamond but you’d never see a common luddite carrying one around. Then came this stark white, minimalist music player with – GASP! – a wheel? And a program called iTunes that made it easy to transfer music? Add to that 10-hour battery life, capacities of 5GB or 10GB, and an interface that was easy enough for regular people to use, and you’ve got the beginning of the end for CDs. Then consider the iTunes Store, which hit the scene in 2003. A digital music store that ONLY worked with the iPod and charged people 99 cents per DRM-encrypted song. Guess what? People bought into it because it was easy, quick, and well organized. Fast forward to the end of the century and iTunes makes up “70% of worldwide online digital music sales” and is currently the largest music retailer in the world. Runners Up Microsoft’s Console Gaming Initiative Console gaming really took off in the 80’s with Nintendo and Sega – two Japanese companies. Then a third Japanese company, Sony, entered the fray and upped the ante with the PlayStation. Sega eventually died off, its last gasp being the Saturn console, discontinued in 1999. So which Japanese company would come along to fill the void left by Sega? Microsoft? Whaaaa? The first Xbox console weighed 700 pounds, ran hot and loud, and featured a controller the size of a Buick. But it was basically a computer beefed up to play video games – Pentium III CPU, NVIDIA graphics, and a hard drive (which hadn’t been done before). The games looked gorgeous and were, perhaps more importantly, fun. Microsoft, a company known for making operating systems, came out swinging and secured its spot in the gaming community. Blogging Blogging is not a tangible product, no. But the fact that most of us here at CrunchGear make a full living from a concept that started out as little more than online diaries written by crazy people is, in and of itself, crazy. And while blogging didn’t start in this decade, it sure took off in this decade. We don’t need to get into the whole mainstream journalism versus blogging debate, except to say that the line between mainstream journalism and blogging keeps getting blurrier all the time. Simpler Devices You’d think that in an advanced society like ours, as technology gets faster, more powerful, and more complicated that we, in turn, would adapt to being able to use more complicated interfaces and features. Instead, we’ve seen a return to simplicity. The iPhone has one main button, Flip camcorders plug right into your computer, and netbooks offer little more than casual web browsing and word processing. And while you can find more fully featured devices than the Flip, the iPhone, and netbooks for far less money, casual consumers snatch these things up in droves if not for the very fact that they’re actually easy to use. The simplicity movement started off slowly in the beginning of the decade, but it’s sure ramping up to full speed nowadays. In the future, expect a nice blend of both features and simplicity with less of a tradeoff between the two. Our Take Devin: The Wii. With that name? I still can’t believe how many consoles Nintendo has sold. It’s not that there aren’t good games, but I just never thought it would pick up the way it has. Good for them, though. Greg: Me as a blogger. Does that count? No? Alright. I’ll go with the Halo series. It gets announced at Macworld of all places, then gets bought by friggin’ Microsoft. Mind you, this is all happening in 2000, when the only games Microsoft was known for were Solitaire and Flight Simulator. Matt: Anyone remember the Moto RAZR? Of course you do because sometime within the last 10 years, every single person on Earth owned one. I still have the one I paid $500 for somewhere in a junk drawer. But I doubt anyone ever saw the still-ultra thin clamshell becoming just so popular. I have $10 that says that you know five people that are still using one. Nicholas: I’m going to be lazy and say I largely agree with this list. I think I voted for Microsoft barging its way into the video game console business having little to no previous presence (the Dreamcast did feature Windows CE as an option for developers). Though I guess it’s not all that surprising when you consider that Microsoft merely broke out the chequebook and bought its way into our living rooms. I don’t know if I’d say the iTunes Store was a surprise. By the time it debuted, we were basically just waiting for someone, anyone to launch a music download store. That Apple, creator of the iPod, which was already something of a success by the time the store launched, was the first to create a store isn’t all too surprising. You might even say it was expected! Biggest surprise of all-time, though, was Hulk Hogan joining the nWo in 1996. Dave: I’m going to say netbooks. Who knew that a underpowered computer with a tiny screen and a crappy keyboard would turn into such a commodity item. It really goes against the industry standard of “more power” and Moore’s Law, and came out of left field. I don’t know how long the netbook craze will last, but for now Acer and MSI seem to be riding high.
Bag Week Review Round-up »
Wow, we just burned through 14 bags over the last seven days. We looked at dual-purpose bags , weather-proof backpacks , camera satchels , and even went hands-on with a bag worthy of Batman. Hopefully you were introduced to a few new options. There is no reason why you should still be using that laptop briefcase you uncle gave you for graduation. The whole collection has been conveniently condensed into one giant list after the jump. Also, we’re currently exploring more potential review week topics. Drop any suggestions you might have in the comments below the Bag Week Review Round-up after the jump. Kata CS-17 Camera Satchel • Messenger bag • Dual purpose camera/notebook bag • $140 MSRP • From the review : ”It effectively holds both a notebook and a DSLR at the same time.” Booq Boa Squeeze • Small Backpack • Perfect size for an ultra-portable notebook • $99 MSRP • From the review : ”This bag can be summed up in the amount of pockets it has: 27.” Crumpler 8 Million Dollar Home • Satchel bag • Dual purpose camera/notebook bag • $170 MSRP • From the review : ”The 8MDH might not be for everyone due to its large size, but it will hold a ton of camera gear as well as your laptop.” Booq Boa Flow XL • Huge backpack • Triple purpose camera / notebook / everything bag • $199 MSRP • From the review : ”You could pack for a multi-week European vacation in the bag.” Sumo Messenger Bag • Messenger bag • Nothing fancy, just a low-cost bag • $79 MSRP • From the review : ”So far the Sumo Messenger Laptop Bag has taken a beating and kept on carrying, although there is plenty of bulking in evidence.” Kata Digital Bag DB-453 • Camera bag • Holds both a DSLR and a 11-inch notebook • $50 MSRP • From the review : ”Sure, the bag is $50, which is somewhat steep for a smaller bag. But because it holds my DSLR and 11-inch notebook in such perfect harmony, it has my vote.” Chrome Bags Corsair & Vega • Messenger and Satchel bags • Weather-proof utility bags • $80 MSRP • From the review : ”What I like the best about both of them is that they are lined with a rubber material which should keep the bag’s contents safe from weather.” Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 • Messenger bag • TSA-friendly • $120 MSRP • From the review : ”For my dollar, the Commute 2.0 is an ideal messenger bag.” Crumpler King Single • Backpack • Comfy to wear • $155 MSRP • From the review : ”I wouldn’t have any issue recommending it to someone looking for a decent laptop backpack that will last pretty much forever.” Chrome Bags Soyuz • Backpack • Listed as weather-proof, but could pass for water-proof • $180 MSRP • From the review : ”Weather-proof, comfortable, roomy, and understated, it’s the best backpack I’ve used for years.” Chrome Bags Buran • A true messenger bag • Lots of storage space, but few organizational pockets • $140 MSRP • From the review : ”The construction and materials are top-notch. I bet this bag will out-last me.” Booq Mamba Shift • Backpack • Batman’s computer bag • $149 MSRP • From the review : ”Made with the technophile in mind. Lots of space, lots of padding,” Kata 3N1-33 • A backpack/sling • Tons of camera storage • $145 MSRP • From the review : ”You could probably fit a whole Ritz Camera store in it and still have room for a sack lunch.”
Japan’s Red Cross uses Augmented Reality to get geeks to donate blood (video) »
This is one of the reasons why I live in Japan and nowhere else: In order to get more people to donate blood, the Japanese Red Cross Society decided to skip juice and cookies and to go high-tech by using augmented reality-powered digital signage systems [JP] and cute anime characters. In cooperation with Japan’s Digital Signage Consortium, several digital signage systems made by NEC were set up around Akihabara station (where else?) from December 17-19. Every time passers-by appeared on the screen, they would see their heads and bodies superimposed with the hair of mega-popular virtual idol Miku Hatsune and a sexy nurse outfit. I’m not really sure if that’s the way to go to actually get people to donate blood, but the whole thing was designed to be a special PR campaign. And it did get a lot of coverage on Japanese otaku blogs over the weekend (too bad I myself couldn’t go). But here are two videos that show the digital signage systems in action at Akihabara station: Via Asiajin
Giveaway: Olive No 4 Hi-Fi Digital Stereo »
You like music, right? How about CDs? Do you still have CDs? Don’t have any cash this week? Did you spend a lot of money on presents for the kids already? Do you want one of these Olive No 4 Hi-Fi ? Am I asking too many questions? Yes? No? Well today we have one of the coolest prizes to come over the transom in a while. It’s the Olive No 4 Hi-Fi. How do you win? You need to convince us your current music system sucks in comments. We’ll pick the saddest of the sad sacks. Extra points if you include a link to an image of your sad, sad stereo. Here are some specs: –Storage capacity of up to 1,500 CDs in hi-fi digital instantly gets rid of CD clutter and ensures crystal clear sound quality –Full-color touchscreen display makes it easy for users to find the music they want –Multi-room music streaming and the ability to import music from a computer (wired or wireless) allow easy access to all your digital music sources in every room of your home –Seamless integration with existing hi-fi systems and a high resolution DAC deliver the best possible hi-fi audio experience (unlike any MP3 player) –Fine-grade aluminum and distinctive graphics provide an elegant design Roll out the comments and we’ll pick a winner on Friday.
Review: Digital Foci Photo Book »
Short version : The concept of the “digital photo frame” finally goes mobile with the Digital Foci Photo Book. Its sleek 8″ screen offers 800
iTunes Rewind Highlights The Best Apps Of 2009 »
With Christmas looming, the post-holiday spike of app sales is just weeks away. As new iPhone owners find their way into the App Store for the first time, they’ll be looking for the best of the best to throw their money at – and Apple’s ready to cash in. Earlier today Apple released “iTunes Rewind 2009″, a list of the top selling and most loved applications of the year. They’ve broken things down in four ways: Best of Games, Best of Apps, Top Selling Games, and Top Selling Apps. The “Best of” categories appear to be staff picks, rather than a list of the apps with the best user ratings – which, considering that the ratings system is endlessly being gamed , is probably a good thing. Here’s how it all worked out: Best Selling Games of 2009: The Sims, EA The Oregon Trail, Gameloft Need For Speed, EA Madden NFL 10, EA Tiger Woods PGA Tour, EA Assassins Creed, Gameloft Flight Control, Firemint Cooking Mama, Taito Civilization Revolution, 2k Games Wheel Of Fortune, Sony Peggle, Popcap Sonic The Hedgehog, Sega Let’s Golf, Gameloft 2XL Supercross, 2XL Games Real Racing, Firemint Sally’s Spa, Games Cafe Stick Wars, John E. Hartzog Ragdoll Blaster, Backflip Studios Deer Hunter 3d, Glu Fast & Furious, I-Play Metal Gear Solid, Konami F.A.S.T, SGN Zenonia, Gaemvil 3d Brick Breaker, Digital Chocolate Bookworm, Popcap Modern Combat: Sandstorm, Gameloft Doom Resurrection, id As you can tell by looking at the top of the list, EA and Gameloft absolutely dominated the App Store this year. Few other developers have more than one item in the top sellers; EA and Gameloft both have 4. Best Selling Apps of 2009: MobileNavigator North America, Navigon MBL.com at Bat, MLB Textfree, Pinger TomTom US & Canada, TomTom Golfshot, Shotzoom Slingplayer Mobile ColorSplash, Pocket Pixels PocketGod, Bolt Creative Quickoffice Mobile Office Suite, Quickoffice The Moron Test, DistinctDev I Am T-Pain, Smule Red Laser, Occipital Camera Zoom 2, Kenditech AppBox Pro, ALLABOUTAPPS iBird Explorer, Mitch Waite Documents To Go, DataViz ViewTi Golf, ViewTi Emoji Icons, SpiceLoop AIM, AOL Weather Channel Max, Weather Channel Interactive Wolfenstein 3d, ID PicFree, Pinger Proloquo 2 Go, AssistiveWare CNN Mobile, CNN Camera Genius, CodeGoo MotionX GPS Drive, MotionX FlightTrack Pro, Ben Kazez Family Guy, Fox Mobile iSoda, Hottrix ESPN Radio, ESPN Unlike the Top Games list, there aren’t any repeat winners here. It appears that we’re looking at the top grossing apps, not necessarily the apps that sold the most units. Note the appearance of Proloquo2Go, a $190 text-to-speech system for people who have difficulty speaking. Best Games of 2009: Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor, Tiger Style Real Racing, Firemint ZENONIA, Gamevil Ravensword: The Fallen King, Chillingo Earth Vs. Moon, Low Five Games Sally’s Spa, Games Cafe Ragdoll Blaster, Backflip Studios Canabalt, Semi Secret Blades of Fury, Gameloft Doom Classic, iD Sway, Illusion Labs geoDefense, Critical Thought Flight Control, Firemint Alive 4-ever, meridian Fantastic Contraption, inXile Samurai: Way of the Warrior, Mad Finger Games Backbreaker Football, NaturalMotion Meteor Blitz, Alley Labs Rolando 2, ngmoco Star Hogs, IUGO Paper Toss, Backflip Boost 3d, Jonathan Lanis Doodle Jump, Lima Sky Zen Bound, Chillingo Stick Wars, John E. Hartzog Eliminate Pro, ngmoco Tap Tap Revenge, Tapulous Call Of Duty: World At War: Zombies, Activision iBomber, Cobra Mobile Jet Car Stunts, True Axis The contrast in Apple’s favorites vs. the top sellers is interesting. Where as Gameloft and EA dominate the top sales lists, only Gameloft even shows up here, with Blades Of Fury. It seems like Apple made it a point to highlight the smaller dev teams as much as possible. Best Apps Of 2009: ReelDirector, Nexvio Magellan Roadmate 2010 North America, Magellan Jamie Oliver’s 20 minute meals, Zolmo I Am T-Pain, Smule CBS Sports: Live College Games, CBS Sketchbook Mobile, Autodesk Star Walk, Vito Technology Convertbot, Tapbots Leaf Trombone: World Stage, Smule Pano, Debacle Software Color Splash, Pocket Pixels (SHAZAM)Red, Shazam Entertainment SmackTalk!, Marcus Satellite Awesome Note, BRID Mathemagics – Mental Math Tricks, Blue Lightning Labs Tweetie 2, atebits Musée du Louvre, Musée du Louvre Flight Update Pro, Silverware Software CNBC Real Time, NBC Universal ESPN ScoreCenter, ESPN Vintage Video Maker, MacPhun Storyboard Composer, Cinemek Fandango Movie, Fandango Beejive IM with Push, Beejive Zipcar, Zipcar Credit Card Terminal, Inner Fence NBA League Pass Mobile, MobiTV NearestWiki, acrossair Golfshot, Shotzoom Mover, Infinite Labs What do you think – any apps on the top lists that you wouldn’t have expected? Any that you expected to see that didn’t make it? Crunch Network : TechCrunch obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies
Guest Post: App Developers, Get Ready For The Post-Christmas Rush »
[This guest post was written by Peter Farago, VP Of Marketing at Flurry. Flurry is an analytics platform that has been weaved into over 3,000 applications across the iPhone, BlackBerry, JavaME, and Android platforms, allowing developers to track and research usage and sales trends. You can read more of Flurry's findings over at the Flurry Blog .] Consumer spending during the holiday retail season, beginning with Black Friday, is among the most important predictors of U.S. economic health. Since the late 90s, tracking online sales of websites like amazon.com on the first Monday after Thanksgiving, Cyber Monday, has become a second important barometer. The National Retail Federation, the world’s leading retail trade group, extrapolated that total spending for this year’s Black Friday “weekend,” Thursday-to-Sunday, was up 0.5% from a year ago. Additionally, Lazard Capital reported Cyber Monday sales were up strongly over last year, by 35%. As we enter the holiday season, downloads in the iPhone App Store can also serve as an indicator of consumer spending. While App Store sales are small relative to online and retail, Apple’s September announcement that the App Store surpassed two billion downloads demonstrates how quickly this digital market is growing, having doubled in just the last four months. Further, according to Admob, the App Store is already generating over one billion USD in annual sales. Finally, the iPhone OS installed base, which sold more than 12 million units world-wide for the quarter ending September 2009, is reaching meaningful critical mass. Flurry estimates that, life-to-date, more than 34 million iPhone and iPod Touch devices have been sold in the U.S. through the end of September 2009. This equates to roughly 10% of the U.S. population. Monitoring application downloads tracked by Flurry over the last six months, we observe strong patterns of seasonality and an aggressive ramp toward the holiday season. Note that because the iPhone installed base grew so dramatically between last year and this year, we have selected a time series trend analysis versus a year-over-year comparison. The chart below reveals three phases: first, strong summer downloads; second, a dip in September Flurry attributes to back-to-school; and third, strong growth over October and November leading up to the holidays. Specifically, October downloads exceeded September by 30%, and November further grew over October by an additional 16%. Historically, the week after Christmas has been the strongest for data downloads to mobile phones, since consumers load up after receiving new handsets as holiday gifts. With download growth at its current rate, Flurry predicts that December downloads will exceed November by at least 20%, making it a strong season for Apple. Crunch Network : CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
Yamaha Japan announces new digital sound projector for home theater systems »
Yamaha Japan today announced the YSP-5100 [JP], a digital sound projector for your home theater. Sized at 1,200×90×212mm and weighing 11kg, Yamaha says the device is suitable for 50-inch TVs or video projectors. It supports 7.1 surround sound and is compatible with dts-HD, dts ES and Dolby TruHD/Digital Plus/Digital/ Digital EX/Pro Logic and Pro LogicⅡ/x. The 120W（2W×40＋20W×2) projector sports five HDMI interfaces, an iPod port and an additional sub woofer connection. It will be out at the end of this month in Japan (price: $2,280). The projector has both Japanese and English menus so we can expect it to hit international markets soon, too.
Video: Watch Me Swipe The Time Inc. Tablet »
Earlier today, I got a look at Time Inc’s new digital magazine concept. While I was there I captured some of the demo on video. Actually, Sports Illustrated editor Terry McDonnell was kind enough to shoot the video above while I played with a prototype version of the tablet mag showing an SI issue on an HP tablet computer with a touchscreen. You can see how quickly the digital magazine lets me swipe through pages and photo slides, and get a general idea about some of the navigation elements. When you tap on a page, a navigation wheel pops up with different sharing options and ways to call up additional information, live stats, photos, and videos. The voice explaining the features belongs to David Link of the Wonderfactory, who did much of the conceptual design.
Apps of the Month: Best iPhone Apps of November »
Last month we launched Apps of the Month: a series dedicated to profiling iPhone apps that you should actually buy, instead of the ones that simply got the most hype. This is a tough task, given the 100,000+ apps on the store and the fact that discovery is an absurdly difficult task, even for those who spend as much time as we do playing with iPhone apps. Of course, we scoured our inboxes and the App Store in search of fun, interesting and useful applications. Some will tickle your fancy and others won’t be your cup of tea, but regardless, it’s better to have some recommendations than none. Enjoy. Best Apps of November is our second edition of this series. Admittedly, we still don’t have as many indie apps as we would like, so we’re going to provide every developer with a way to get on the list. To submit an app for our “Apps of the Month” list, send details of your app (and, preferably, a review code) to gaganATcrunchgearDOTcom, and I’ll check them out. To be fair to you, I promise to download and test every app I get. In the meantime, hit the jump to check out this month’s list: Eliminate Pro iTunes Link : Free This is my iPhone Game of the Month. Perhaps the biggest launch of the month was Eliminate Pro by ngmoco , a major iPhone game publisher funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers’ iFund . Within just 2 days, Eliminate Pro was downloaded 500,000 times , which is absolutely absurd. The game is ground-breaking in many ways: it is one of the biggest free apps ever released on the iPhone. A major publisher, ngmoco, has bet on in-app purchases for free games, just months after Apple announced the feature. Finally, the game is addictive and an impressive feat of technology for the iPhone. It is a online multiplayer first-person shooter. The controls are intuitive and fairly precise. Overall, it’s a fantastic value on the iPhone and proves yet again how powerful this device can be. The downside is simple: though the app is free, you can only play for a limited amount of time. You start off with enough energy to play roughly 4 games for the first hour, and then it takes another 3 hours before you can play the game again. Personally, this didn’t bother me since I usually play iPhone games for short bursts. However, there was a torrent of criticism regarding this on the App Store – in fact, 15,000 out of 50,000 ratings are for 1 star. And the reason is clear: there are hundreds of reviews on the store like this: “They really nickle and dime you for this.” Obviously, many App Store customers are not quite ready for the pay-to-play model. Asphalt 5 iTunes Link : $6.99 I’ve said this before , but the iPhone is the perfect device for racing games, especially with accelerometer controls and powerful graphics. Gameloft’s Asphalt 5 takes full advantage, and brings a powerful arcade-style racer to the iPhone. With slick 3D graphics and awesome gameplay, this racing game will undoubtedly leave you satisfied with your purchase. The game features a vast array of cars, from the Lamborghinis to Corvettes to Ducati motorcycles. There are also a variety of game modes, including time trial, cop chase (where you try to force as many opponents as possible to crash), and traditional races. Add the fact that you can race in Las Vegas, San Francisco, Hawaii and Rio de Janeiro, and you’ve got a hand-held bucket of racing goodness. Judgment Day War iTunes link : $0.99 Judgment Day War by G5 Entertainment is like a real-time version of Risk, the classic board game where you try to dominate the world. In Judgment Day, you control an army of either tanks, helicopters or both, and your goal is to destroy the enemy’s troops. It is extremely simple when you play it: you get a certain number of troops on each of your territories, and your opponent has the same. Furthermore, there are blank territories with unaligned troops that you can conquer. More territories means your troops replenish faster and certain territories have stronger defenses to fend off enemies. I picked this game up and didn’t stop playing it until I was done. Took me a short 2 days, which is definitely the only downside to the game. But when the worst part of a $1 game is that you wish they made more levels, you know it’s more worthy of your Washington than a McDouble. TouchPets Dogs iTunes Link : Free Another virtual goods-powered game from ngmoco, Touch Pets Dogs is like a modern Tamagotchi . It is a handheld virtual pet; you choose from one of many varieties of dogs and you name, dress, feed and bathe the pet. Honestly, I’m not much of a virtual pet person – I had a Tamagatchi when I was younger but that was more to be like the other kids in school than it was out of personal interest. That said, this app is extremely well done and I definitely think it’s perfect for girls ( a commenter on last month’s Apps of the Month requested more apps for women). You can do pretty much anything to your pet, including playing ball (or fetch), giving it a bath, feeding it, dressing it, etc. The only time you pay is if you want your pet to live, in which case you’ll have to buy food to feed it. Fantasy Warrior: Good & Evil iTunes Link : $0.99 Fantasy Warrior: Good & Evil is kind of an iPhone version of Zelda. It’s an RPG but with graphics that still look like they’re from the Gameboy days. Naturally, I was skeptical of the game – and honestly it was hit or miss from me in the beginning. That said, it is extremely deep and for $1 it is a great buy for RPG fans or people who are just bored and want a cheap, long game to dig their heels into. Made by Digital Chocolate, Fantasy Warrior doesn’t have the flair of a Gameloft or ngmoco game. The fight scenes are a joke – you move in 2D and slash your sword at the enemy with awkward battle mechanics. However, the RPG nature really keeps you hooked: the game is challenging enough that it keeps you involved and easy enough that you don’t find yourself trying to beat a boss more than three times before succeeding. Zosh iTunes link : $2.99 This app simply isn’t for everyone, but for those of us who need to sign or edit documents regularly, it’s a clear winner. Zosh is an app that lets you take PDF’s (only format supported for now) and sign them or write on them via your iPhone. If you get a form for work or from a doctor/lawyer that you need to sign, you forward the e-mail to mydocs@zosh.com and then bring up the app on your iPhone. Zosh automatically downloads the document for you, and you can tap anywhere on the document to sign or write on it. If you want to sign, it uses the iPhone in landscape mode and lets you sign as the screen moves. You have to try it to really understand, but essentially you sign your name on your iPhone while the “paper” you’re writing on moves so you can fit your entire signature on the small iPhone screen. Anyways, it’s extremely well done and this app provides solid utility for anyone who’s on the go often or simply doesn’t want to physically print and sign documents. Rogue Planet iTunes link : $4.99 I got two real-time strategy games in my inbox this month: Command and Conquer Red Alert [ iTunes Link ] by EA and The Settlers [ iTunes Link ] by Gameloft. Both were impressive and I enjoyed my time with them, but neither made the list. Perhaps it was because I think the control scheme for a Real-Time Strategy game on the iPhone has yet to be mastered. Or maybe it’s just because Rogue Planet, a Turn-Based Strategy, developed by Agharta Studios, was far more compelling. Published by Gameloft, Rogue Planet is a sweet mix of hot graphics and addictive gameplay. It is a solid buy for fans of Advance Wars for Gameboy or Reign of Swords [ iTunes Link ]. The only complaint I have is that though the storyline was interesting, it was shoved down your throat a bit too much: I hate tapping through cut scenes without any way of skipping them entirely. That’s our list for this month. Tune in next month for the best of December 2009, and don’t forget to e-mail us with submissions. Oh, and feel free to rave (or rant) about my choices in the comments. And if I missed an app, feel free to sound off. Crunch Network : CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors