While it won't replace a bouquet of roses or a candlelit dinner, a new Valentine's Day app for iPad unwraps 14 love-themed apps to the person you gift it to.
And thrifty romantics will like the price, too, as this App Store download is completely free.
Aptly named Valentine's Day 2012: 14 best free apps for your love, this app asks you to tap on one of the gold hearts to discover a free, handpicked app to download.
The first one offered was NaturalMotion's My Horse, an app that features a realistic-looking horse to groom, feed, train and compete. You'll get a preview of each recommended app, with a blurb on why it's romantic, and if you want to download it you'll touch the green arrow.
Alternatively, you can tap the blue arrow to share the app with friends on Facebook, Twitter or via email.
The more you download these digital presents, the more your "love thermometer" will rise. Once the mercury is at its peak you will receive a bonus gift, indicated by a shiny gem, which unlocks something for you. This could be heart-themed wallpaper to use on your digital device or a new song to listen to. Shake the iPad, iPhone or iPod touch to hear a new track.
The second app it recommended was Jamie Oliver's Cooking Recipes, which makes sense, but the thir app was another game, PlayMesh's Valor, a multiplayer city building simulation. Um, not sure how this is a "romantic" game, mind you, but at least it's a highly-rated one with an average user score of 4.5 stars out of 5.
If you try to tap on a gem before it's time, you might get a message that says "Trying to cheat? You have to earn bonuses before you can open them! Open more hearts on the main page and come back." If you go back to the main page and tap on a heart without waiting until the next day you might see a pop-up window like "Hold on a minute…you'll have to wait a bit longer to see what's in this one!" You get the idea.
The free Valentine's Day 2012 is a fun way to get more free apps. The one-a-day giveaway is a clever idea, as is the bonus content, all wrapped in a romantic theme.
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