Thursday, 6 March 2014

Phlo - App Review



Information may well be king but, getting it and squeezing every last ounce out of it is a bit of an art... or a science, depends on your take on things.

Although 'Google' has morphed into a verb, synonymous with searching the web, it is definitively not the only place you might want to look.

Phlo enables you to look in many places, without having to start afresh (or copy and paste your search criteria).

Now for the ACIDS test:

Aesthetics
The left-hand two thirds of the screen is devoted to your search history (which will, of course, be empty when you start), and the right-hand third contains the search 'engines'.

The great thing is that the App comes pre loaded with 30 tools, from Amazon to Youtube, via Bing, Digg, Ebay, Facebook, Flicr, Pinterest, Ted, and many more.

All you need do is type your search criteria in the top box and choose your weapon. To get back to a listing of searches, simply press the X to the right of the search being currently viewed. Your search will be kept in the listing.

Cost
The App itself is free. For $2 you can have a Phlo Sync account which allows you to synchronise your search history across devices, as well as allowing you to add more search engines.

Indispensability
This really depends on the amount of searching you do, and of course if you are satisfied. Trying it could open your eyes to a whole new world.

Dependability
In testing, the App worked without crashing and found some information which would otherwise have been missed.

Security
Individual searches can be shared via Facebook and Twitter, as well as a text message.

ACIDS Test Rating:

Spend less time searching and find more.

To find out how the ACIDS Test works, click here.


You can get Phlo here and support for the App here.


1 comment:

  1. The developer advises:

    I am excited to share that a new update for our favorite app Phlo is available on the App Store, today.

    Often called the Kayak of web search, Phlo is a nifty tool that provides the quickest and most convenient way to find what you’re looking for on any search site. You can try your search query at Google, Wikipedia, Amazon, and over 30 other built-in services, all with a single tap and no re-typing your query over and over. It synchronizes your search history & newly added sites across all devices, so you can continue your search from one device to another. By consolidating search, it saves us information addicts a whole lot of time! Phlo really is the best way to search everywhere and find exactly what you need.
    Here’s what’s new in Phlo v3.1:

    Updated for iOS and designed for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
    Phlo v3.1 is especially designed to fit the larger screen sizes of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. With native support, Phlo is no longer zoomed in and is now able to display more search results on the bigger screen devices. Phlo will feel right at home on Apple’s new operating system.

    Shiny new app icon
    Phlo v3.1 sports a shiny new icon. The search loupe along with the colored stripes symbolize the essence of Phlo - when the user needs to find an answer, they shouldn’t be slowed down by the question of where to look for it. The new icon puts the search loupe in focus, is bright and is quickly spottable among other app icons on the iPhone or iPad screens. The new icon better reflects the philosophy and design principles that Cynapse lives by.

    Phlo is now paid
    With v3.1, we are moving Phlo out of being a hobby project to be a proper app business. To make sure we can keep making Phlo even better, Phlo is going paid this version onwards and is being priced at $3.99 or equivalent in other countries). All existing users will continue to use the app for free. And the in-app Phlo Sync service will continue to be a yearly purchase of $1.99.

    Useful Links:
    Blog post - http://cynapse.com/blog/beloved-phlo-now-updated-iphone-6-iphone-6-plus/

    ReplyDelete

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