I first caught wind of Cognescens app “TipToe” through another website, touting it as a better alternative to the iPhone’s built-in Safari browser. While I typically do not do any “hard core” internet searches from my iPhone, there is the occasional browsing that I may do if I’m sitting in a waiting room or need to look something up while I’m sitting at the park with my daughter. But I was curious to see exactly what made TipToe a better browser than Safari. Looking at the screen shots, it didn’t seem to have much to it, and I was wondering exactly what it had to offer.
One of it’s selling points is that it keeps your privacy. Most of us know by now that Google and other search engines index what their visitors are searching. For me, I could honestly care less. I’m not trying to search “how to make a bomb,” “starting my own meth lab,” or “how to murder a family member.” I have nothing to hide. But I know there are a number of individuals out there who are very protective about what they are doing while online, and I respect that. So does TipToe. If you want to keep your searches private, TipToe vows to do this. How this is actually determined (if it is indeed occurring) is not actually defined or explained, so I suppose unless I see some proof as to searches not being indexed, I would still feel untrustworthy. But again, I’m not worried about anyone storing my search info.
When using it, it is a basic, bland app. I understand that it is supposed to be an easy-to-use search application, but an interesting design or layout wouldn’t hurt, either. When you start the app, you have a blank screen with a search box, and that’s it.
One nice thing is that the searches are automatically set up to remove server farm displays, and there are no ads or anything else distracting. TipToe heavily utilizes Bing as it’s search engine, which will provide different results than those found on Google. Having an ad free search is a nice change of pace, I will admit.
I think what really sells TipToe, however, is the ability to share easily on a social network. No matter what website you land on, you will have the option to share the link with a few clicks on Twitter, Facebook, Tumbler, or choose from a list of other social networking services to share. In addition, you can also email the link, or open the link in Safari if you’d like. But having gone to a link on Safari before and wanting to share it, I know the importance of easily being able to connect to a social networking site and post a link for all your friends and colleagues to enjoy.
TipToe is £0.61 from the App Store, which I believe is a fair price for it. As much as I love a free app, I am typically happy with the lower-end apps as well, as I know the developers need to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads, just like everyone else. But I think for the extra £0.61, it wouldn’t hurt for them to put a little effort into making it aesthetically pleasing, even if it is intended to be a simple search and browser app. A little design work on an iPhone app can go a long way.
Overall, I was honestly not too impressed by TipToe. If I was worried about my privacy, I guess it would be a nice browser to use, but otherwise, the only feature I utilize within the TipToe app is the ability to quickly and easily share the content on my social networking avenues. Other than that, I don’t see a long partnership with me and this app in the near future unless some major updates and offerings are included within the app itself.
Sara Haley is an avid writer and self-proclaimed iPhone junkie that writes and reviews apps for Tech on the Go, as well as HappyApping.com.
