Noble Nutlings is Quirky Fun

January 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Noble Nutlings carries the subtle influence of Angry Birds into its clever use of physics and zany characters. The game puts players in control of a a group of legless squirrels piloting bath tubs and other unusual modes of transportation. Noble Nutlings is the work of Boomlagoon, a new gaming studio created by three former Rovio developers.

Players must tilt their iOS device (sorry Android gamers) to zip the squirrels through a variety of obstacles and airborne adventures. Noble Nutlings succeeds by offering customization and original characters in a very playable game.  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Action, Games, iPad, iPhone, Physics-based, Reviews

Press 1.1 Improves Elegant Android RSS App

January 19, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Press, the best RSS reader for Android, is out with an update which enhances what is already a great reading experience. The new version makes the performance quicker and adds some features that will be helpful for power users who want to blast through a large number of articles.

Unsatisfied with the current state of RSS readers on Android, developers Jordan Beck and Jay Ohms created an app that demonstrates how design is quickly improving on Android. It is another sign that since Jelly Bean many Android developers are stepping up their game to make the platform rival iOS when it comes to polish and beauty. To navigate through articles, users can swipe forward and back to quickly view an article and return to the list. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, App Updates, News, News, Reviews

Facebook Pages Manager for Android Finally Arrives

January 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Facebook page owners can finally control and manage their social network presence with a dedicated app on Android.

The Facebook Pages Manager app nearly matches the iOS version when it comes to features and speed. Page owners can post, comment, manage settings and view other data about their page’s performance.

This is, of course, not the only next big thing happening with Facebook. The company also announced its social graph search component at its headquarters today.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, New Apps, News, Posts, Reviews, Social Media

Duo Gamer Controller Review

January 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

If a new iPad was under your tree, you may have wondered if some of those first-person shooters could be better served with a controller.

Fortunately, the answer is “yes.” Fresh off of a discount, the Duo Gamer controller offers a well-built controller for navigating through Modern Combat or other games created by Gameloft.

Many of the initial reviews balked at its original price of $79.99, which was entirely too high. Gameloft appears to have heard this concern, recently dropping the price almost in half to $39.99.

Outside of feeling a little bulky with its awkward shape, the Gameloft DUO Controller is a great tool. It includes a stand that, while also a little large, does a good job at propping up the screen so it is at eye level.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Hardware, iPad, Reviews Tagged With: ,

Chat With Your Main Squeeze in Pair

January 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment

If one of your New Year’s Resolutions is to rekindle some romance, consider Pair. The app for Android and iPhone is designed to be a communication tool just for couples. It has a strong suite of communication tools, such as instant messaging, photos, videos, real-time drawing and a super-cute feature called thumb kiss.

In fact, everything about Pair screams “cute.” But don’t let that stop you if cute isn’t your thing. Pair adds some fun and creativity to communicating with your significant other. For example, a couple can share a doodle space in real time, sharing their love (or other emotions) with drawings when words just won’t do. Many others have come up with some rather well-crafted creations. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, iPhone, Reviews, Social Media

Super Dragon Review: Kid-Friendly Fun

January 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

For those looking for a solid game to hold the attention of a child or child-like adult, give a glance to Super Dragon. It includes many of the elements that work very well in mobile games; physics-based play, gestures, a fun character, and lots of gimmicky noises and zany gameplay.

The aim is to get Super Dragon’s teeth back. Do this by launching him into the air through a Jenga-like collection of obstacles. By blasting through the refrigerators, washing machines, and other items Super Dragon can get his chompers to fall harmlessly back to earth and into his mouth.

The challenge accelerates given the larger number of obstacles that separate Super Dragon from his teeth. If not careful, they will knock him senseless, ending the game. There are a number of protective devices, such as an umbrella or helment, which players can acquire in order to protect the happy dragon. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Games, iPad, iPhone, Physics-based, Posts, Reviews

MightyText Comes to Android Tablets

December 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

MightyText has shown that one doesn’t have to be locked into a proprietary messaging network in order to have a great, cross-platform tool.

MightyText, which has already created a great web app for keeping your SMS conversations synced between the web and an Android phone, now has a dedicated app for Android tablets.

This means if you have the MightyText Android app installed on your phone, you can send and reply to messages from your tablet, such as a Nexus 7 or Nexus 10.

Unlike iMessage, which only works with iOS devices, MightyText uses SMS to enable messaging to any mobile phone. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, Messaging, Posts, Reviews

Orc Vengeance Update Improves Controls

December 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

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One of the best games of the year has a significant new improvement to its control scheme. Orc: Vengeance, my favorite game to hit iOS in 2012, now has a virtual control stick and on-screen button layout that greatly improves the gaming experience. I found one can quickly attack enemies and maneuver through the game with much greater ease.

I find it more natural to play with the joystick, as the previous method of tapping where you wanted to go to become a little tiring over time. The new controls are positions so one can easily hold the iPad with two hands, much like a game controller. [Read more...]

Filed Under: App Updates, iPad, News, Reviews, RPG Tagged With: , ,

Referly Aims to Improve Product Recommendations

December 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Referly wants to change the way you refer products and services to your friends, offering an attractive iPhone app and web site for doing so. It has rapidly added interactive features and a great app since its beta release a few months ago.

The best component on the web site is the real-time feed, which offers an elegant scrolling list of products. It made me want to reach out and swipe through them – until remembering I was on my MacBook and not my iPad or Nexus 7 (insert subtle bragging about owning multiple tablets). [Read more...]

Filed Under: iPhone, Posts, Reviews, Shopping

Applorer Finds Free Android Games

December 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

While iOS gamers have Game Center and other third-party gaming community apps, the scene has been far more scarce on Android. Applorer wants to change this, churning out an update to its free game recommendation app.

Applorer wants to harness the power of your group of friends to find more games, using a player’s history, reviews, and what other friends have spent time playing.

The interface certainly takes inspiration from Google+, with friends added to circles and creative use of white space. Slide from the left to reveal groups. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, Games, New Apps, News, Posts, Reviews

Twitter, Instagram Battle Over Filters

December 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

What began as a cool, share-able feature that brought everyone together has now become the key component in a mobile war: photo filters.

The battle accelerated yesterday when Twitter rolled out its own filters to its native Android and iOS apps. Those on Twitter will get Vignette, Black & White, Warm, Cool, Vintage, Cinematic, Happy and Gritty. Instagram also added the new filter, Willow, in its iOS and Android updates yesterday.

This changes comes just one day after Instagram dropped support for viewing images in the Twitter stream. To see the Instagram picture of someone you follow on Twitter, it now requires clicking a link and exiting the Twitter app. Previously, the image would appear on a “card” directly in that user’s stream. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, iPad, iPhone, Photography, Posts, Reviews

Flicpost Seeks to Simplify Ordering Prints

December 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The new iPhone app flicpost wants to make it extremely simple to order a print with just a few taps. The app is launching with a focused feature set but some heavy ambitions. Users can get a photo ordered and delivered to a ridiculous number of countries worldwide.

By connecting social accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Flickr, users can gain access to images they may have shared elsewhere. For example, printing and deliver of one photo to the United States, UK, Mexico, India, Jamaica, or Thailand is 69 cents. The additional countries included is rather impressive, such as South Sudan, Sri Lanka, and Qatar. There is a moderate increase to 99 cents for these and other nations.

An additional ordered print is 20 cents each, with a limit of up to 12 at one time.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: iPhone, Photography, Posts, Reviews

Outlook.com For Android is Messy Debut

November 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Microsoft launched Outlook.com for Android, looking to provide users of its new email service with a connected experience on mobile devices. While it delivers at syncing one’s email, contacts, and calendar from an Outlook.com account to Android, the interface and functionality are vastly outdated, especially on a device running Jelly Bean.

The goal, according to the description on Google Play, is, “easy access to Oulook.com [sic].” This portion it does well, as by entering your login credentials you are prompted to sync your email as well as contact and calendar details. The only downside here is if you have linked your Facebook account with Outlook.com, several messenges will begin to come through about Facebook friends’ upcoming birthdays.  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, Productivity, Reviews

QatQi is Word Challenge for iOS

November 27, 2012 by 2 Comments

While much of the wordplay universe is being dominated by Letterpress or Words with Friends, there is a lesser known entry by the name of QatQi that offers a good challenge on iOS.

QatQi (pronounced cat-key) excels just as much in presentation as it does in gameplay. It is an elegantly designed word puzzle that slowly morphs its way with vibrant and flying colors against a dark background.

To play, you have a given set of letters that must be placed throughout a puzzle to form proper words. You then must use the letters in your hand to fill out the puzzle, much as one would do with Scrabble. However, the play moves more with experimentation instead of setting a word to score points against a challenger. Effective play involves making use of a series of undos, where letters can be returned in order to make a more effective play later. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Games, iPad, iPhone, Reviews

Best Apps for Black Friday

November 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The annual shopping nightmare known as Black Friday is upon us. Much of the action this year will be happening before Friday, with stores such as Target and Walmart opening on Thanksgiving night. Many retailers are also offering a number of specials all week, so the deal shopping can begin right away.

To prepare yourself for some serious power shopping load up your smartphone with the best mobile apps. Included here is a list of some of the best apps for finding deals, comparing items, and

Links to download each of the apps are included at the end of the description. All are free, with most available for both Android and iPhone.

Black Friday Coupons: Created by the shopping app Shopular, this app is built just for finding ads and other specials promoted for Black Friday. For iOS, the deals are worked into the standalone Shopular app.  (Google Play, App Store) [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, iPad, iPhone, Posts, Reviews, Shopping Tagged With:

iRig Stomp Review

November 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

IK Multimedia, the company behind the iRig line, has been busy cranking out high-quality music devices that work with the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Anyone who is serious about music and wants to pair up an iOS device with their garage studio should seriously consider iRig Stomp.

The latest device is the iRig Stomp, which is a compact stompbox that integrates with the company’s line of apps for iOS. While it is smaller than a traditional stompbox, it is surprisingly durable and works with the company’s family of apps. It also will work with an existing petalboard or amp.

A great combination is to use iRig Stomp with AmpliTube for general music making or AmpliTube Slash for toying around with famous songs from the legendary rocker. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hardware, iPad, iPhone, Posts

New imo messenger Update Strengthens Social App

November 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

With a revamped look, imo messenger looks to be the default messaging and voice app on your mobile phone. The image retooling and other improvements keep imo messenger in the top tier of social apps for Android and iOS devices.

While Android owners have a solid Google Talk client, keeping up with multiple accounts can be a pain. The same situation exists on the iPhone; not to mention those who use both platforms.

If you have achieved any level of geekdom, you may have an account from Google Talk, Facebook, Yahoo Messenger, or a myriad of other services (somewhere in my Gmail archive is the credentials for an  ICQ account). Jumping between five different apps to continue multiple conversations is a pain.

So far imo messenger is the best cross-platform messaging app I have used. It works very well with iOS 6, the iPhone 5 screen size, and Android 4.2. To begin either create an imo.im account or sign in to an existing service. Connect as many as you wish – imo instant messener will remember your credentials.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, iPad, iPhone, Messaging, Reviews

Six3 Video Share Simplifies Messaging

November 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Messaging is a very busy space in mobile, so it is not surprising for another entrant to come in with a new app. Six3 Video Share focuses on video messages, making a refreshingly different entry by creating an easy way to share such communication.

Generally video or face-to-face messages is not my preferred method of sharing, but I came to like the way Six3 Video Share was set up. Like other great apps, it takes a function that may seem intimidating and makes it far simpler.

Six3 CEO and cofounder Tim Grimsditch said the app is seeing a lot of use from those who find it more convenient to use the app than live, face-to-face messaging.

“People with friends and family living abroad find Six3 easier than pre-arranging Skype or phone calls,” he said. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, iPhone, Messaging, Posts, Reviews

CNET Android App Improves

November 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The CNET Android app is one of an increasing number of applications getting parity with its iOS counterpart.

With version 2.0, the app now has much of the same interface and performance found in the iPhone app, which makes it far more enjoyable to use. The previous version was rather rudimentary and had a significant amount of wasted space.

With the new CNET Android app, featured articles get large play at the top of the screen, with five main options to swipe through. Scroll through article posts, and of course share them with the excellent Android sharing tool.  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, App Updates, News, News, Posts, Reviews Tagged With:

Angry Birds Star Wars Review

November 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The Force has combined with the Angry Birds for another instantly popular game. Despite some skepticism that it was a gratuitous use of a commercialized Star Wars, I was genuinely delighted with Angry Birds Star Wars and recommend it as the best game yet in the series.

This isn’t just Angry Birds with a Star Wars wrapper. The game has been completely built around maximizing the integration of the Star Wars universe. The sound effects are straight out of the movies, with the iconic music and laser blasts. Both birds and pigs are reworked as Stormtroopers, Jedi, and other easily recognizable characters.  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Action, Android, Games, iPad, iPhone, Reviews Tagged With:
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