This review originally appeared within iLounge’s iOS Gems series within the compilation article, iPhone Gems: All 30 Tip Calculators + Meal Splitters, Reviewed. Additional details may be found in the original article.
Tip Master ($1) from Mobile Logic is an interesting tip calculator and meal splitting app, which eschews the common formula of more user control and options for a system of tipping scenarios, each offering its own range of tip percentages. The app’s main interface is dominated by a large faux receipt box that serves no function and should have either been integrated into the navigation bar or left off altogether. A text field allows for entry of the total bill amount, and a slider lets the user rate the level of service, which in turn adjusts the tip percentage. Tapping the scenarios button in the upper right corner brings the user to a page of different settings, ranging from a restaurant or taxi to furniture delivery and coatroom attendant. An edit button on this screen allows users to reorder and remove existing settings or add a new one of their own. Back on the home screen, a group button in the lower left-hand corner lets the user select a party size and displays the resulting split amount; the split amount is not carried back into the main screen.
While the idea of having different tip percentages for different scenarios is not necessarily flawed, forcing the user to dig though a separate menu to find the correct setting seems a less ideal solution than simply including a text box with tipping guidelines for different scenarios and more user control over the tip percentage. It’s a nice try, but we feel that Tip Master would do well do rethink its approach, give more control back to the user and make better use of the space provided on its main screen. iLounge Rating: C-.
Our Rating
Company and Price
Company: Mobile Logic
Website: www.mobile-logic.net
Title: Tip Master
Price: $1
Compatible: iPhones, iPod touches