It’s not a secret that finding the right applications for you in the crowded App Store is sometimes very, very hard. Maybe it’s because of the inner structure of the App Store (top grossing apps are more likely to show up in the charts), maybe it’s because of Apple’s policy and sometimes it’s due to a lack of marketing creativity from the developers themselves but the fact is - a small percentage of users really find what they’re exactly looking for. And so came Apple related blogs like MacStories to do the job of talking about less known apps worth a look. Now, even if a blog like MacStories mentions 10 new apps a week, it’s still impossible to actually mention every single app that gets published or updated. The App Store is huge, there are thousands of developers and the App Store should be updated to a more organized structure. This is the real problem at the end of the day.
So what? Could there be a better way to discover applications you’d like to have? Like, recommendations? Sure there is. Let me talk about AppSaurus.
Remember when Apple announced Genius for music? Genius is a smart algorithm that, basing on the songs you have in your iTunes library, gives you a list of songs, albums and artists you should find interesting. It works great, though it goes crazy sometimes and presents some artists you shouldn’t even know. Like hindi music while listening to Springsteen, for example. But that’s just my case , I hope. However, could this system work for iPhone applications too? A system that recommends you stuff you could install and possibly buy?
AppSaurus is a recently released app that scans your iPhone, checks the apps you’re using and gives you a list of other noteworthy applications. Basically, that’s how it works. Delving deeper, AppSaurus is way more powerful and feature rich than other similar recommendations engines out there. First, AppSaurus comes with some built-in “filters” (searches) which help a lot in finding applications based on some criteria like “Free Apps” or “Non Game Apps”. You can also create your own custom searches too: AppSaurus supports categories, different price ranges and keywords. So, I set up a filter called “Ticci” (yeah, I’m an innovative guy) which contains non-game apps from $0.99 to $7.99 price tag.
All the custom searches are available in the the Custom tab in the bottom toolbar.
But how does the whole discovering things actually work? Simple as Spotlight, I’d say. The application presents you a list of 5 apps you could like: if you like any, tap on it and you go to the next screen, containing other apps. If you don’t like any of them, tap on “Nothing Good”.
As you tap on an app, AppSaurus stores your choice in its memory for future reference. And by future reference I mean the algorithm, which is very similar to Genius. You can also an application’s detailed view: tap on the arrow next to its name and you’ll see the same page you can see in the App Store, with the only difference that you can favorite or “bury” an app. Faved applications go into the Favorites tab, buried apps..go to hell, I guess.
So what’s the real deal about AppSaurus? That it actually works. Any complaints? Not really, the app works just as advertised and I found it smooth and stable.
If you’re looking for an easy way to discover new stuff in the App Store and get fed with stuff that matters to you, you can go buy AppSaurus right now at $0.99 in the App Store. [iTunes Link]
