I recently downloaded the Tempo iPhone App for $0.99. It has quite a few features for a little 99 cent app. When you first launch the app you see this screen:
First impression is not that pretty of a UI. Color scheme isn’t my favorite, not soft on the eyes. But they do present you with all the basic functionality you’d expect out of a click generator. You can set your time signature, beat type, volume controls and setting the tempo either through tapping or explicitly setting the BPM. The tapping feature seems a little sensitive, but after a while you can get the tempo average to mellow out and give you a decently accurate setting.
The only other screen available is the settings screen:
The Animate Meter Change is kind of a worthless setting. Just turns off a very brief animation when switching time signatures. Play mode is pretty cool. Overlay mode allows you to play a song from your iTunes library and run the App on top of it. So you can tap out a time to a song in your library. That’s pretty darn handy. Sound set just changes the audio that’s played for the click. Digital is the best sound they have I think. The bummer with the drum kit sound set is they don’t offset high-hat and snare based on the time sig. Both high hat and snare just play together on every beat. That’s not really what you want when using a drum kit click track. Tuner feature is kind of nice, just plays the note tone. Maybe in a pinch it could be handy. Would be much better if it read tones from the mic of course.
The biggest annoyance with the app is stability. You can make it crash every time if you start the click track, then navigate into settings and change some setting. So they have some work to do on bugs. Practically I think the best uses I see for it now is tapping out tempos in your library and having a portable click track for rehearsals and laying down scratch ideas. Here’s the final score based on a 5 point score, 5 being the best and 1 being the worst.
Appearance: 3
Features: 4
Usability: 4
Price: 4
Stability: 2
Overall: 3.4 / 5
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Hi, I’m the developer of this app. I would like to know more about the crashes you’re getting. Honestly, I’ve stress tested my app more extensively than anyone else, and I’ve never had it crash on me. I’m quite sure your case is pretty isolated, as I’ve sold thousands of copies, and this is only the second time I’ve heard about crashing. I am unable to reproduce your crash. Please check that you are using OS version 2.2.1 as this app is written only for that version. You are free to email me at feedback@frozenape.com to provide more details.
I am on 2.2.1 and the steps to reproduce the crash are in the post. Start the click, go into settings change some settings…crash.
I was puzzled by this review (I assume you were the one who also wrote a review on the iTunes store about crashing).
I bought it anyway since no one else mentioned that problem and other reviews were really good.
After getting the app, I’ve tried repeatedly to get it to crash and it just won’t.
I also don’t understand the color issue not being “easy on the eyes”. Personal taste maybe, but blue, unless used in combination with colors making reading difficult, is traditionally considered easy on the eyes. I happen to be particularly happy with the colors.
It does everything any metronome I’ve bought in the past 50 years and more! And is dead on accurate.
The tap feature did jump around some at first, but the new update has it settle down within a few taps as it gets a better average. I suspect any jumping around at first is more a failing of the user which we normally wouldn’t notice without a tool like this.
It’s like when I first got a metronome. I could swear the darn thing was changing speeds on me, but it was just my own habit of not holding a consistent tempo and the metronome revealed it.
My personal ratings would have to give stability a 5 (it never had a bit of a problem) and Appearance a 5 as well.
Maybe it is just your phone as far as the crashing is concerned.
DBK, I’m so happy you enjoy the app. [sarcasm] And you’re not at all related to the developer or the developer yourself right??? It sure doesn’t sound like it. [/sarcasm] That’s my favorite part about writing honest reviews on apps, when the developer’s posse comes by posing as just a passer by raving about the app. Look, I hope the app does well, I gave it a fair review. Good features, but it crashes. Not my fault it crashes. If it works for everyone else, than this review is the outlier and you won’t have a problem. Best of luck to ya.
Interesting response. I remind you that you made a specific claim that people could get the app to crash by taking certain steps – yet no matter how many times I try, it won’t crash. Nor did others report crashing in the reviews (I read them all before buying the app). So it seems you were wrong except for your own phone.
So you resort to using sarcasm to claim I’m part of the developer’s “posse” rather than just an ordinary user. For which you have approximately zero proof other than I happen to disagree with your review! The reality is simple. I’m a band director of over 30 years experience. I’ve used many metronomes going back around 50 years.
My connection to the developer is quite simple:
I bought his product.
I found two problems with it and contacted him via his website to point them out.
He wrote back to tell me he made the fixes.
I downloaded the update when it was released and the fixes were indeed made.
So, wow, I’m impressed with his responsiveness to users. You know, like I’m impressed with your response [SARCASM!].
Of course, you won’t believe the truth. Your assumptions rule your thinking process and thus you will always consider yourself to be right and just continue to tell yourself that I have some connection to the developer or am the developer himself.
Get over yourself.
Ugh, come on are you serious? I have no energy to argue over a dumb iPhone app. You win, it’s the best app I’ve ever used in my life.
Yep, I’m serious – always am when people make false accusation or insinuations about me.
I gave an honest report. I did not imply you were part of some competing App developers posse like you tried to say I was with this developer.
yeah kyle. get over yourself. you have to be the most hard-headed, arrogant, delusional, & retarded reviewer I’ve ever come across! [ahem... sarcasm] Man… i’m glad to say that I am in no way related to this reviewer [lie] nor am I the reviewer himself [ok. that's part is true].
Geez…
Hi, it’s me again, the same person who posted the first comment. I am not DBK. You can trace my IP address if you can. I reside in Singapore. DBK is from USA I believe. This isn’t about some dumb iPhone app anymore. This is about you slandering me without basis. My app isn’t perfect, I genuinely wanted to find out more about your problem so that I can fix it. DBK was just pointing out that he doesn’t experience the same problem that you did. What is the point of a comments thread if you can’t take comments incongruous with your opinion? This is your site, you can take all of these down. But a word of advice, be careful of what you write, I can take action against slander.
Frozenape:
Maybe things work differently in Singapore than here in the US but there’s nothing remotely slanderous in this post or anything I’ve ever written, so please take your ridiculous, childish threats elsewhere. It’s even stranger you’d threaten me when the review I gave was entirely fair and accurate, it’s your response to a customer issue that is preposterous. I suggest looking up what it takes for speech to be considered slanderous, because it’s not defined by a iPhone review rating of less than 5 stars oddly enough.
I’m going to give you some advice, totally free, take it and run with it or throw it away, whatever. But you probably don’t want to have anywhere in your Customer Service model threatening lawsuit against customers who have issues or don’t you give you a perfect rating.
Call me crazy but that’s probably not going to serve your best interests in the long run. Or at the very least don’t threaten in public, send me an anonymous email so at least you have plausible deniability when it’s made public. But you went and made it public yourself…strange tactic.
Word of advice. It is my full time, family of 5 supporting job to test, develop, release and support applications, including iPhone apps. Has been for many years, so maybe give my advice an ounce of credibility…but hey maybe not. I didn’t write this post for your benefit and you’ve certainly taken that intent and hammered it home.
Out of my benevolent heart I won’t update the post with a Customer Service rating. Cause it would be 0 and drive your score down further. Another thing I’ll do because I’m trying to act out of kindness and grace (God help me) is I’m closing the comments to this post, cause it’s old and tired and nobody cares, including myself.
Take care and good luck with your app.