The updated version of the Christmas Carols by iChristmas iPhone app did resolve some of the problems with the earlier version such as crashing. However, the app still needs more work before it is purchase-worthy.
Christmas Carols by iChristmas has three functions. The first and primary use is the app plays well-known Christmas songs, and you can read the lyrics onscreen. The other two functions are more simplistic. You can display a picture of mistletoe, or you can pull up a picture of red jingle bells that make a jingling sound effect when you shake your device.
Most of the 75 songs sound like good examples of the type of electronic music created with computers. However, there are some, including “Silent Night, Holy Night,” which are performed by musician Kevin MacLeod. These tracks are a welcome addition and pleasant to listen to. But the songs performed by MacLeod are not notated in the alphabetical list of carols and are, therefore, difficult to locate.
I like the idea of this iPhone app, including the music with the lyrics. Unfortunately, often the music does not mesh with the lyrics. So when you try to sing along it does not work. In addition, there are more lyrics provided than there is music to sing along with, another example of how the music and lyrics are not synchronized.
Another disappointing aspect of the music function is the lack of a feature to continuously play the musical numbers randomly in case you, for example, wanted to run it in the background at a party.
The main function of the Christmas Carols by iChristmas iPhone app, the Christmas carols themselves, leave much to be desired. If the music and lyrics were synchronized for real time caroling, that would be a big improvement. Adding the ability to continuously play a mix of songs is also a necessity before I would recommend adding this iPhone app to your holiday shopping list.
