Talking Tom Cat. Kids Love it… one of the Most Addictive Android Apps!
by Paul Wilks
Jun 18, 2011 8:38 AM –
Install
If you haven’t heard of Talking Tom Cat you must have been living in a cave, either that or a major allergy to felines. Talking Tom Cat is a cute app in which a cat will listen carefully to what you say before repeating it in a silly voice. There is absolutely no end to the range of possibilities and entertainment value. My kids absolutely adore Talking Tom, and with Father’s Day coming up this is a great app to download.
Price: Free, $0.99
Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Cool graphics.
- Lots of cool sound effects.
- Great repetition of voices/noises.
- Ability to save and share Talking Tom Cat videos.
- Extra interactive behaviours: poke, stroke, grab his tail, pour milk for him, watch him scratch the screen!
Cons
- Child’s persistent requests for you to let them play with the app can be annoying!
Features:
Talking Tom Cat is a simple application that presents you with a friendly looking cartoon cat who is ready to listen carefully to anything you say. When you have finished he will repeat it back to you in a slightly silly voice. It’s not rocket science but it’s incredibly entertaining. He is mostly very attentive and usually captures most of what you say, responding immediately to when you start talking. You do have to be a little careful if you pause in your sentence because Tom will unfortunately just start repeating what you said back to you. But once you get the hang of the timing, the app is fun, functional and easy to use.
Additionally you can interact with Tom: stroking him, poking him, pouring him milk and getting him to perform a few other tricks. Each of these actions has different funny outcomes. The app is amusing for a while even to adults but it is in the realm of children Tom is entertainment king. I have been made to read stories to my children using Tom, talk on the phone to them using Tom, ask them to do things using Tom… the list goes on. Soon enough the children will want to play with Tom themselves, poking him until he falls over, watching him scratch the screen and say then getting him to say certain words you didn’t even know they knew. :/ The most important aspect of this, especially on a long journey, or in a Doctors waiting room, or the dentists, on a train, etc. is that it pretty much guarantees to keep them quiet, and if not quiet, still and well behaved. It’s like cat-nip for children, they absolutely adore Tom’s responsiveness and extra functions.
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Talking Tom Cat – Scratching the screen
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Talking Tom Cat – Milk
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Talking Tom Cat – Mid-yawn
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Talking Tom Cat – Listening
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Talking Tom Cat – Just a cool cat.
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Talking Tom Cat – He doesn’t like his tail being touched.
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Talking Tom Cat – he can be cruelly poked in the face however.
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Talking Tom Cat – Eat the birdie!
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Talking Tom Cat – Cymbals
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Talking Tom Cat – Breaking wind.
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Talking Tom Cat – Thrown cake!
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Talking Tom Cat – Recording and sharing options
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Talking Tom Cat – How to play with Tom
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Talking Tom Cat – Settings
Usefulness:
For an adult it contributes very very little. However for children Talking Tom is hours of unbridled joy and entertainment. For keeping those little ones behaved on journeys, etc. the game is priceless.
Ease of Use:
Tom is essentially voice activated, it’s very easy to use. Besides this feature there are simple button to press for him to perform various actions. You can also press the screen to stroke/poke etc.
Frequently Used:
If you have this app as a lone adult you will use it occasionally, for quirky fun with friends for a laugh. If you have children however this could easily become the most used app on your phone!
Interface:
The interface is a huge cat on your screen. Touch him to interact or just talk for him to listen and repeat. Everything is quite smooth although occasionally Tom will interpret a pause as you have finished talking and start repeating back to you. A bit annoying, but you’ll get the hang of it soon enough.