Press Here: a supercool app giveaway

The kids have been seeing spots lately. Lots and lots of spots. I'm not worried—actually, I'm thrilled. It's because I got an app to review, Press Here, and Max and Sabrina are fascinated by all the cool and creative spotty stuff it does.

The app is based on the bestselling book Press Here, by Hervé Tullet, that's all about using your imagination. Kids pretend that the dots they're pressing, shaking and blowing move around. Of course, the dots actually do move in the app, though the concepts remain simple and imagination-sparking.

I like that the 15 games are not winning-driven—kids can explore, draw and just have fun with blinking, winking, multiplying and colliding dots. They help with hand-eye coordination and encourage pointing, a Good Thing if your kid has fine-motor control issues (or a fondness for iPhone apps so strong, she rolls out of bed and starts playing).

Max is mesmerized, despite the fact that there are no purple dots (still his only favorite color). He particularly enjoyed Studio (drawing with dots that bop around); Sabrina is all about Music Box (where you "compose" your own song by pressing various dots). "You can do whatever you want!" she says of the app. "There's so much stuff to do, it's not just one game." Press Here recently got a rave review from Gadgetwise on The New York Times.

You can get Press Here for your iPhone and iPod Touch (99 cents) or iPad ($1.00), and it's great for kids young and old—Tap Tap has become my go-to activity during my commute home from work.

Yes, I have a giveaway!

One winner will receive a copy of the Press Here book, a code for the iPhone app AND a code for the iPad app. Woo hoo!

There are two ways to enter:

• Check out the iPhone app on iTunes and leave a comment with your thoughts about it.
• Check out the iPad app on iTunes and leave a comment with your thoughts about it.

This giveaway is open to residents of U.S. and Canada until Wednesday, May 16 at 11:59 p.m.; I will randomly select the winner and alert you by email.

Note, you must leave your email if yours is not visible on your blog or your entry will be invalid.

UPDATE: The winner is L3Mom. Hope your kids enjoy the book and apps!