Free App Friday: Attack of the Knock-Offs Pt. 1

In the shadow of the dearly departed Skyview Drive-In Theater, Santa Cruz's weekend flea market was another bit of my youth's paradise. Between all of the horrendous and delicious fried foods, and the empty promises of a vegetable chopper destined to make your life more convenient, the true prize would always lay between plastic, cardboard and twist-ties. Some would call them Hero Rangers, Adventure Turtles, or even Chopper Rats from Pluto, but despite their off-paint jobsm they often could provide as much enjoyment as their copy-written cousins. Knock-offs are what make budget-conscious world go round, and the iOS eco-system is hardly different.

The tattered remains of a Changetron. Photo courtesy of Cody Swanson.

Determining what a quality derivative work in the iOS store is can be a challenge-- let's face it, there are only so many Zombie Mine Auto-Runner Social Networks we can all handle.  However, every once in a while a game can wear its influences on its sleeve and be surprising. Bombcats is an Angry Birds inspired active puzzle game that requires you to fling explosive felines to rescue miniature explosive kittens from cage orbs. Isn't the internet wonderful? The gameplay is certainly familiar, but fortunately the physics feel right, and the felines are adorable.

Click here to download Bombcats from iTunes.


Antithetically, sometimes the copycat can surpass the original concept. No one would dispute that Airbnb is now the king of the short-term private rental services. Was it a case of being at the right place at the right time? Probably, but veteran rental service HomeAway has taken the torch right back, and provided even better refinement of amenity searches. With a database that spans a longer period of time than their upstart competitors, this is a case where going with the original smooth can prove beneficial-- even if their app is totally a knock-off.

Click here to download HomeAway Vacation Rentals from iTunes.

Always curious is the case of an industry where many competing services can co-exist and all thrive. In the world of online food delivery there are a number of services out there, and while each of them provides a wrinkle of their own, they cover relatively the same ground. While Seamless has the longest history and the biggest foothold in many cities, Eat24 happens to be my personal favorite. Between their tireless weekly promotions, ribald attitude, the handsome app, and their lightning-fast customer service, it's hard not to side with San Bruno-based company. Whoever writes their copy and runs their social networking also happens to be a comedic genius.

Click here to download Eat24 from iTunes.

Do you have any suggestions for some of the great copycats of the App Store? Be a true "Hero-Man of the Spider" and reply in the comments, tweet me @Octillus, or drop a line at nycardarelli@gmail.com.