March Madness: when being a work-from-home blogger pays off. Here are the apps that will help you squeeze every last drop of goodness from the NCAA Tournament, along with the week's other app highlights.
Madness '09: There are a flood of bracket tracking apps, most of which are horribly ugly and hastily constructed. Madness '09 is one of the few that's actually nice to look at, and it also pipes in live scores, stats and game previews/recaps from ESPN.com. Well worth the buck.
ESPN Tournament Edition Cameraman: There is still no Photo Hunt app that's erotic enough for my liking, but in honor of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, the Cameraman folks have released a college-hoops-themed Photo Hunt with ESPN. Well, I guess Larry Bird's legs were kind of erotic in his Sycamore days. $1
FanFinder Sports Bar Locator: This app ties into the database of sports bars maintained by Sports Fan Live to help you find the local alumni haunts for your favorite tournament teams. Because it's always more fun to get wasted with the home team fans while you watch. Free.
Boxee Remote: If you use the media center software Boxee on a home theater PC, this free remote app will be handy for text input and navigating menus without having to figure out a mouse/keyboard setup. Useful for Apple TV folks too, I imagine, since text input with the Apple Remote is a bitch. Free.
Locavore: There is no larger trend in food than "eating local" right now, but since its main tenets are increased deliciousness at a lower price (and enviro impact), it's a trend that I have a hard time being cynical about. This app will not only help you find nearby farmers' markets, but judging from your location, will tell you which fruits and vegetables are currently in season in your area. Cool. $3
How To Text a Girl: If there's one thing a girl will love, it's a canned, slightly suggestive SMS sent from an iPhone app. Trust me. $1
This Week's App News On Giz:
• How To: Fake the iPhone 3.0 OS On Your iPhone Today
• Click here to read Hands On: Metal Gear Solid Touch iPhone App
• iPhone's First Turn-by-Turn Navigation App XROAD G-Map Yanked from App Store
• Boxee Gets iPhone App Remote Control With Funky Trackpad Interface
• Why iPhone In-App Transactions Could Be a Disaster
• First iPhone 3.0 Apps Show Off New Functionality
• iPhone App Store Revamped For Content Subscriptions, Game Add-Ons, In-App Purchases
• Sound Curtain Noise Masking iPhone App Hands On
• Pin Up Weather For iPhone Delivers Sexytime Forecasts Rated PG-13
This list is in no way definitive. If you've spotted a great app that hit the store this week, give us a heads up or, better yet, your firsthand impressions in the comments. And for even more apps: see our previous weekly roundups here, and check out our Favorite iPhone Apps Directory and our original iPhone App Review Marathon. Have a good weekend everybody.