I have never been a huge fan of the “put some clip-art in this picture, and now it’s funny” movement. This app, however, did both surprise and disgust me all at the same time. Moustache King (free in the App Store) by Scott Shebby — for iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad running iOS 4.1 or later — opened my mind to the idea that pasting some clip art on people might just be fun. It also showed me that this app could have been made so much better. I guess that’s free for you. If you’re wondering where the ad is, I wouldn’t worry. You will, most certainly, find it.
The app is simple: Take a picture, or choose one from your library, and then select a ‘stache. Match the ‘stache to the face in size, and tilt, and you’re all done. There’s nothing more to it, and that is why this app is such a tragedy. If you’re going to make an app that only has one simple function, do it right! With so much potential, you wonder how it could have all gone wrong.
The ad for this app is on the top of the screen throughout most of the app, including the mustache selection page. On this page, the ad actually sits on top of the menu of mustaches covering up the top one so it isn’t selectable. Really? You’re going to put an ad over the top of a menu within the app? It would have been so easy to put it on the bottom.
Now that I’ve shared my largest frustration, I’ll move on to the lesser of the two evils. There are not nearly enough mustaches to choose from, and none of them is named. I can just see the better version of this app out there that has a much wider selection, and just a bit of creativity. It’s too bad, because Moustache King is a great name. Give it a try, if you’re dying to waste five minutes. It’s free, but in the end it feels like you’re paying.
