By Tim Barker
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
So I’m back in the office after spending a week at home, working on turning my attic into something more than a place to store junk.
Just before I left, one of the big stories in the tech world revolved around Apple’s curious decision to include an app in its store that made light of shaken babies.
Not something that really appealed to me, but I have to say this is one of the few times I’ve wondered if I wouldn’t have been happier with an iPhone instead of my Blackberry. Apple users get to have more fun with their phones – choosing from thousands upon thousands of applications in the Apple store.
Most won’t offend anyone. But there are some that surely skirt the edges of good taste. And really, what’s wrong with that?
Suzanne Choney at MSNBC, has compiled a list of offensive apps (www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30522704/) – some that can be found at Apple’s store and some that were rejected. Among them:
– “Car Jack Streets: This $4.99 game recently landed in the App Store, and not a moment too soon for gamers very excited about its arrival. ‘Car Jack Streets,’ with its you’re-on-the-run-from-the-mob theme, was created by a group that describes themselves as ‘members of the original creative team behind “Grand Theft Auto,”‘ a game that over the years has drawn criticism for its violence.
– “Slasher: ‘Slasher’ and ‘Baby Shaker’ share a common trait: They hit a huge public nerve. ‘Slasher’ showed a large image of a kitchen knife and emitted a horror-movie like sound when the iPhone was shaken in a stabbing motion. ‘Slasher’ was briefly in, then out, of the App Store last summer, a time ‘when concern about knife crime hit an all-time high following dozens of high-profile deaths on the streets of the U.K.,’ said a story in The Daily Telegraph.
– “iRevolver: ‘Have you always wanted to play with guns but were afraid to get hurt? iRevolver is your answer!’ proclaims Peekabui, the developer of ‘iRevolver,’ which it bills as the ‘most realistic revolver simulator for the iPhone.’ But wait, there’s more: ‘Are you and your friends up for a daring and unnerving game of Russian roulette but don’t want to get hurt? Load some bullets into the gun, swipe your finger across the cylinder to spin and pull the trigger to test your luck!’
– “SoftServe Poop Machine: ‘It is what you think it is’ is Ziconic’s message to those considering the 99-cent app that debuted in the App Store in March. ‘Create the perfect soft-serve dessert by adjusting its curvature, length and thickness.’ And, indeed – it is what you think it is.”
I just don’t see any apps like these being offered for my Blackberry Curve anytime soon.
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St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Tim Barker looks at how technology changes the way we socialize, work and play at www.stltoday.com/blogzone/life-tech/