cheer

Cheers: The world's happiest iPhone app

The Cheers app for iPhone is definitely a morning person. It's the kind of app that hops out of bed, says hello to the singing bluebirds at the window, and then goes for a jog to pick up a mocha at a favorite local coffee shop.

There are heaps of social-media apps that let you check in at restaurants or recommend businesses to your friends. Cheers follows that example, but flings the door wide open and encourages you to share your love for people, places, and things.

Cheers is positioning itself as a positivity app. You build up your "cheerfluence" rating as you go.

That may mean sending out cheers for a mother who made you soup while you were sick, a deli sandwich that rocked your lunchtime, or a book that made you cry--in a good way.… Read more

Just sit right there

WhoopieCushion is a free and extremely simple app that attempts to replicate the classic, red-rubber toy of the same name. Like the original toy itself, there are countless competing imitations--offering everything from timers to motion sensors--so shop around to find the right flatulence simulator for you. WhoopieCushion stands out because of its price (it is free) and its clean interface: you just tap the photo of the "Whoopee Cushion" on your iPhone or iPod Touch screen, and the app will randomly produce one of a handful of "Bronx cheer" noises. No similar app--this one included--can quite … Read more

Next-gen pranks with the Soundbomb

No, the Soundbomb isn't a lo-fi, post-modern iPod speaker. And no, you definitely don't want to leave one under a bridge in Boston. But if you're an artist or a prankster, you may want to get on the waiting list for one.

The idea is simple: record the sound of your choice to the Soundbomb, hide it somewhere, and enjoy as the motion detector-based Soundbomb greets/annoys/scares the crap out of passersby by blaring your audio recording.

Imagine recording ghost noises to it and hiding it in a dark basement, using it as a stolen-beer alarm … Read more