It did feel a little strange at first, like looking through a peephole at something I shouldn’t be. I mean, voyeurism is not exactly a crime, but it’s not a nice thing to do either, is it? But once I got over the initial guilt pangs, I was absorbed into the writing and actually completed the first appisode in one sitting. No, I did not misspell ‘appisode’ there. That is how the developers of Treehouse/Appisode 1 prefer to call the four segments that make up the e-mail love affair of Jackson and Treehouse.

In 2008, Joe Wachs of First Fifteen chanced upon numerous e-mails exchanged between a couple when the internet was in its early stages. The time frame is from February to August 1996. Treehouse Appisode is their love story restored and reproduced on the iPhone for us to read. The application has been designed by FORMation and published by First Fifteen. Obviously both parties are skilled at what they do, for Treehouse is an awesome piece of work.

Treehouse is easy to read, which is the main objective here. We can read the e-mails either according to subject or timeline, and simply scroll up or down to select them. A tap on the right side of the screen opens up the e-mail for us to read. Once the e-mail is open, we can either continue to the next e-mail or return to the browser with a tap on the upper right and left sides of the screen respectively.

I guess the original credit goes to the two lovers for their poignant writing. It is surprisingly and thankfully not cheesy like I feared it might be. It even gives us an idea of how the internet was like back some 13 years ago, and how chatting on AOL was a herculean task.

The first appisode comes for free, but we will have to purchase the other three at $0.99 each. This one ended at a really crucial twist in the story, so I can’t wait to get my hands the second appisode. The application also has a recommended soundtrack that has been chosen keeping in mind the e-mails’ contents.

Treehouse/Appisode 1 has an attractive interface, and even better content. I haven’t read the last appisode so I don’t know what happened to the lovers, but it sure is one interesting story to read.

• App Name: Treehouse / Appisode 1
• Price: Free
• App Category: Books
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• Developer: FORMation
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