SandPictures
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TUAW's Daily iOS App: Sand Pictures
Sand Pictures is an interesting app -- it might not appeal to everyone, but I think there's an audience for it on the iPad nevertheless. It's from David Frampton, overseer of Majic Jungle Software, and creator of the popular Chopper series for iOS. But this is a much less violent affair than that series: it's basically a simulation app for those falling sand picture frames you sometimes see at gift stores. Despite its simplicity, there's a surprising amount of options to play with, from changing the background picture with just a two-finger swipe to changing the color of the sand, and flipping around the iPad to send the sand falling the other way. You can also play with the sand realistically, pushing it around, or holding a finger down on the screen to create some bubbles in the water. You can even save pictures, and send them off to services like Twitter or Facebook. If you think the whole thing is silly and frivolous, I can't say I'd argue. Still, there is a following for this type of thing (why else would those sand picture frames still be around?), and the launch price, at just US 99 cents, is cheap enough to grab the app even if you only get a bit of enjoyment out of it. I hope to see more games like Chopper 2 from Majic Jungle in the future, but Sand Pictures is a fun diversion.
