The search for new and interesting iPhone apps is a never-ending one for me. I’m definitely in the ‘Addicted To Checking Installer’ club, and I’m always on the lookout for great new web apps too.
So I was happy to get news of the Clever Hippo launch this morning. Clever Hippo is a new search and ratings engine for web applications and widgets (including things like Facebook and Open Social / social networking apps). The main site is at http://www.cleverhippo.org, and of course there is an iPhone optimized version, which you can find at:
Here are some of Clever Hippo’s features:
- Get Specific – narrow results by using advanced search techniques such as OR, NOT, wild-card, or boost queries
- Preview apps – a popup screenshot gives you a quick glimse of the app’s interface
- Rate apps – A simple voting mechanism allows users to rate apps and to refine searches by popularity
There’s a lot of competition out there now in terms of iPhone web apps directories – with Apple’s own site, and other well-known ones like Applists and Appleopolis already well established.
One difference with Clever Hippo (compared to Applists and Appleopolis) is that it does not require you to register or login. I’m not sure whether this is a plus or a minus as yet – I like not having to bother with registration / login, but since it offers the ability to rate applications, I might want to be able to jump back in and see my favorites or highest rated in a separate listing if the app remembered me, or even review them in a desktop browser if I feel like it.
I like Clever Hippo’s Preview feature – although I can see a (often larger) preview at the Apple Web Apps directory, so it’s not a killer feature by any means.
A couple little quirks I noticed with Clever Hippo are: the way the rating system works is that if you click the ‘Clever’ link next to an app summary, you’ve given it a rating vote (which did not leap out at me at first), and when you click an application’s title / name, you’re taken to that application’s Apple Web Apps page – that just seems odd to me, as I could just as easily start at the Apple page. The developers have told me this has been raised by a few people now, and is something they will look at changing, so that you go straight to the application’s page. That would make more sense to me.
I’ve bookmarked Clever Hippo, and I’ll look forward to seeing how this one develops. As always, would love to hear what you all think if you decide to give it a try …
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