The dream of every design enthusiast out there is the idea of having your own, personalized icons. Up until recently, it was a pipe dream if you weren't willing to jailbreak your iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone -- but fortunately, things have changed. Thanks to a handy little app called
App Icons by Apalon Apps, you can now have the custom icons you desire, with zero of the risks associated with jailbreaking.
First, it's worth noting that this isn't exactly the same thing as replacing your app icons, but rather using new ones as shortcuts. This is because it's a workaround that allows you to get the effect you want, without having to sacrifice any stability or battery life. That doesn't, however, mean that it is completely drawback-free. In order to add your icon to your home screen, you technically have to keep the old icon for the app. This means that if you plan on using App Icons, you'll have to move all your old icons into folders where they'll be out of the way, but still technically on your iDevice.
The designs included are catchy, and we were particularly impressed with the amount of icons there were. The icons feel very well-designed, and include color-based themes, bottle caps, stickers, and even a eye-catching wooden icon design. We liked the idea of being able to bring a little uniformity to our icons to fit in well with our theme.
We liked the concept in theory, but because it adds a shortcut to the app, rather than replacing the app icon as a whole, it made our test device feel absolutely sluggish where it didn't before. We think that there are certainly a lot of people who would be very interested in this app, and several who wouldn't mind the few-seconds waiting time as the shortcut is redirected to the correct app, but we probably won't be doing this any time soon. App Icons is available for iPhone and iPad,
and currently costs $2.
Why you should grab App Icons:
If you don't mind the load time of each app, this is a great way to make your iPhone or iPad stand out from the rest of the crowd.
Why you shouldn't grab App Icons:
If you're not fussy about the way your app icons look, there's probably no real reason for you to worry about grabbing this one.
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