By Eric Bauer
Boston.com Staff

Reviewing: Ad Hawk
By: Sunlight Foundation
Price: Free
Platforms: Android, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
Should you get it?: Only if you're not already turned off by politics

We're all sick of campaign ads.

But let's face it, for the next few weeks you won't be able to avoid them unless you disconnect your TV, radio, computer, and phone. Your best defense against this political blitzkrieg is to be aware and informed.

Or so believe the makers of Ad Hawk, a free app that identifies the campaign ad you're listening to and tells you who's behind it, where their money comes from, and where they stand politically.

It relies on technology similar to Shazam, the hall of fame app that identifies the song you're listening to, and using it couldn't be simpler.

By Damon Kiesow
Boston.com Staff

Reviewing: NBC Olympics Live Extra
Company: NBC
Price: Free
Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android
Tested on: iPhone 4G / iPad 3
Should you get it? Maybe, if you are a cable TV subscriber.

As stories of #NBCFail bounce around Twitter, it is fair to point out that the broadcaster is at least trying to provide comprehensive live coverage of the Olympics.

While the evening broadcasts are tape-delayed, many of the daytime events are either broadcast on NBC's cable stations, or streamed to the Web and mobile devices (iOS and Android).

The good news: if you want to watch the "Men's Skeet Final" live on your tablet or smartphone, you can with the NBC Olympics Live Extra app. In fact, this morning I counted 20 different live streams available on my iPad - from basketball to volleyball and everything in-between.

By Zuri Berry
Boston.com Staff

Reviewing: Socialcam
Creator: Justin.tv
Device(s): iPhone
Price: Free
Should you get it? Depends on your level of voyeurism or how much you like to track B-list celebrities.

Of the standard apps that come with any iPhone or iPad (think Google Maps, Calendar, Reminders, etc.), there are ten-fold of that which try to improve upon the idea behind each.

Whether it's MapQuest, Google Calendar, or Remember the Milk (tasks), a good quantity of the apps vying for your attention are often some variation of those that already come with the device. For goodness sake, you can bypass your regular joe-blow mail client and get the GMail app you've always wanted nowadays. There are apps up the gazoo that do anything and everything the standard apps do - sometimes for better, and sometimes for worse.

But the thing is, a lot of these apps don't necessarily build off a social experience while at the same time challenging a heavyweight in the app store ring. That's where Socialcam comes in. Socialcam is a free video-sharing app built for the iPhone that is slowing eating away at the YouTube market, thanks to its mobile-only approach.