I want to hate this app. I really do. Somehow, however, it’s winning me over.
But can the parrot use Google Talk?
This app is full of win when it comes to Truth In Appvertising. (I just made that up!) This app is called “Parrot” and that is exactly what it is. A picture of a parrot with four parrot sounds. Nothing more, nothing less.
I'm ready for my close-up. And my cracker.
One might wonder about the utility of this app. It comes with no instructions or opening splash screen, so we’re left to figure that out for ourselves. Is it for mocking the parrots at the pet store? For irritating your neighbors when your real parrot is away on business? Perhaps the meaning lies in its own meaninglessness, like a zen kōan.
What is the nature of the Buddha?
Parrot iPhone app.
A cynic might suggest that this app, like most apps, is a rip-off. For example, I am pretty sure that is a public domain parrot photo, and the sound clips come from freebie site soundboard.com. Here’s one, which I found after about eight seconds of searching.
Additionally, this app actually does do more than just assault you with its stoic parrotitude. (I also just made that up!) Wait for it:
It delivers ads! In Spanish! And in English sometimes, but I’m too lazy to wait around and take another screen shot when the next ad pops up .
This app is designed to deliver ads to your screen while you listen to a probably long-dead parrot squawk for its cracker. The developer has produced several more apps that all offer a similar end-user experience: Jaguar, Wolf, Lions, Dolphin, and my favorite, Fire Trucks. It’s all basically just a craven attempt to squeeze as many possible fractions of pennies from hapless advertisers trying to break into that hot new mobile computing market they keep hearing about on Wired.com.
But how can I be mad at Parrot? It asks so little and gives so much. It provides me with literally seconds of free entertainment, not to mention a weird sound effect I can use to break up boring meetings with the web developers at work. Ha ha, did you hear that? IT’S A PARROT. ON MY IPHONE. A PARROT!
