Senior Writer with the 148Apps Network since September 7, 2010
Jen lives in not so sunny Wales in the UK. She's been playing games of all kinds for the past 20 years. She's a freelance writer and would be utterly lost without her faithful iPhone.
The nostalgist in me is convinced that the WWE (or WWF as it was known back then) was at its finest during the 1990s. The days of The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Undertaker and “Macho Man” Randy Savage made for some fantastic wrestling action. Now, people like me get to relive those days through the latest wrestling game to come from THQ: WWE WrestleFest.
WWE WrestleFest is a 2D wrestling game, just like the good old days and offers a great mix within the roster of current generation WWE Superstars as well as the old greats of the 1990s.
What’s typical of the time is the 1990s style brawling action with match types comprising of Royal Rumble, Tag Team, Gauntlet and Steel Cage. A Road to WrestleMania mode continues that feeling with the ability to compete in a series of challenges, both single player and multiplayer based.
For the retro wrestling fan, it’s an ideal way of experiencing the fun of the arcade, all in one’s hands.
There’s a choice of three different versions to download. A restricted Lite version for free, the iPhone only version WrestleFest Premium for $2.99 and, finally, WrestleFest HD for the iPad owning WWE fans.
The vast majority of dogs need a lot of exercise and regular walks. It’s an ideal way for their human owner to get fitter and healthier, while having great fun with their beloved pooch. For those people, why not give MapMyDOGWALK a shot?
MapMyDOGWALK is from the makers of iMapMyFITNESS and offers a convenient way of logging dog walks while automatically tracking how many calories are being burned at the time.
It’s easy to set up with Twitter integration for the social side of things, plus iPod integration for those who want to listen to music at the same time. Throughout, mapping functionality keeps track of the route taken and synchronizes with the MapMyWalk.com server.
It even lets users know about any upcoming dog events in the local area that might be worth checking out.
MapMyDOGWALK is out now and it’s free to download. The ideal reason to get out and take the dog out for a different walk than usual!
Developers Mojo Bones, previously best known for dog based puzzle game Tongue Tied!, were kind enough to send us over a teaser trailer of their new game The Curse, set to be released soon.
The Curse is a story-driven puzzle game that Mojo Bones promise will be unlike any other. Players will have to solve the mystery of an ancient book in order to defeat the Master of Mischief himself: The Mannequin.
The game will offer 100 levels (or pages as the game prefers to call them), each with an unique puzzle, ranging from riddles to tests of logic and skill. A whole wealth of puzzle solving skills will be required in order to master the game and defeat the evil The Mannequin.
To continue the refreshing feeling, fans of jazz music (like myself) will be especially pleased to hear the swinging soundtrack inspired by 1930s jazz music.
We’ll be sure to keep up to date on all the latest The Curse information, as and when we get it.
FaceTime is great for casual video conferencing use but for more professional purposes, a dedicated solution is a better idea. That’s precisely where Fuze Meeting HD enters the equation.
Initially free, Fuze Meeting HD offers online meetings and audio conferencing between two participants. In-app purchases priced at $29.99 or $69.99 then unlocks the ability to communicate with more participants at once.
With the iPad 2, live video can be sent during a video conference with everything viewable in HD. PowerPoint and Keynote presentations can be added, along with Word documents, PDFs and images all possible to add to the Fuze Meeting content library. Meetings can all be simply arranged via the iPad address book for further useful functionality.
When in a call, it’s easy to zoom and pan in, and it’s especially handy to be able to close the app and open other apps without ending the meeting.
It’s a simple yet effective solution for business people in need of regular collaboration while on the move. Fuze Meeting HD is out now.
It’s getting to that time of year where many of us choose to go on holiday and explore new cities and surroundings. Wandering around aimlessly is all well and good but it’s nice to have some structure to a trip. This is where TripAdvisor City Guides hopes to help.
The new app offers a guide of all the best restaurants, attractions, hotels and other sights for 20 different cities. There’s plenty of variety with 9 cities in North America covered: Boston, Chicago, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, Orlando, San Francisco and Washington D.C. European cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Florence, London, Paris and Rome are catered for as well, plus three Asian cities and Sydney, Australia.
The app works offline so there’s no fear of expensive data roaming bills, and thousands of user reviews are available along with self-guided tours created by TripAdvisor members and destination experts.
TripAdvisor City Guides is available now and it’s that perfect price point of free.
I’m not quite at the wedding planning stage of life but I know plenty of people who are. It’s a stressful time but also a hugely enjoyable experience. One of the latest wedding apps to hit the app store, Vera Wang on Weddings, intends to hit the spot in both upping the excitement quota and reducing some stress.
Free to download, Vera Wang on Weddings offers Vera’s personal style advice for the occassion and the ability to select a dress from the Vera Wang Bridal Collection. Alongside that are tools in which the user can organize wedding guests including invitations, RSVPs and seating arrangements, along with the ability to manage contact details for everyone involved in the event.
A Wedding To-Do list as well as Inspiration Boards, allowing for new and creative designs as well as the option to view existing gallery images, completes the app.
For anyone planning a wedding at the moment, Vera Wang on Weddings is clearly worth a look.
Movies are great, right? How about free ones streamed directly to an iOS device? No, I’m not talking about a subscription service like NetFlix but an entirely free ad-supported service.
Popcornflix promises hundreds of free full length movies all at the tap of the screen. These films aren’t going to be huge blockbusters, but that’s not to say the quality is dire. Plenty of different tastes are catered for with the ability to browse according to genres such as Action/Thriller, Comedy, Romance, Horror and Family. All films are professionally mde and full of (sometimes vaguely) familiar stars.
In particular, I’d personally recommend quirky indie film Lymelife starring Alec Baldwin but there are sure to be other hidden gems out there. The makers of Popcornflix promise that at least one new movie is added every day so users should struggle to ever run out of options.
Popcornflix is out now, it’s an Univeral app and completely free to use.
It’s the end of the week already? The week and the year appear to be flying by, that or I’m getting old. As it’s Friday, again, it’s only right that I discuss five apps and games worth taking the time to look at this weekend and into next week. This week’s offerings are a little app heavy but there’s certainly fun to be had.
Graffiti Me!
Some may see it as unsightly but graffiti can look extremely impressive and artistic when drawn by someone with talent. Graffiti Me! takes that kind of style and offers the ability to turn photos into beautiful and cool graffiti art. Like all the best photo filter apps, it takes seconds to create the effect at the touch of one button, with further control stemming from adjustable parameters.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-02-15 :: Category: Photography
Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space Ep 2
The rabbit and dog detective duo, Sam & Max, have been popular for many years, offering sharp and witty humor and some very surreal storytelling. While Beyond Time and Space has been available on other systems in the past, it’s only now that iOS gamers get the chance to try out the series. This week marked the release of Episode 2, Moai Better Blues, and it’s one of the best of the season.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-16 :: Category: Games
WinZip
WinZip has been saving precious hard drive space for the past 20 years with its leading file compression technology. That technology has now reached iOS, offering users the ability to open and browse Zip files while on the move. Numerous zipped file types can also be previewed covering all the major file extensions.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-13 :: Category: Utilities
Pinmark
There are a ton of different journal apps out there. Pinmark does things a little differently, however, by automatically collecting and organizing the places the user visits as well as the photos they take and music they listen to, all alongside a note taking facility. All information is stored on the iPhone rather than on any remote server and it makes for a great way to look back at places visited to relive some memories of what happened back then.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-02-12 :: Category: Lifestyle
Fractal
Originally a PC and Mac title, Fractal is a puzzle game that will seem quite familiar, yet offers compelling gameplay. Players must manipulate fractals to a gloriously imaginative backdrop and memorable musical score. Think Bejewelled but with more style.
In life, everyone needs a moment of clarity and calm in their day, no matter how brief it may be. An Ordinary App: Ordinary Words ~ Extraordinary Power has recently been released in order to facilitate that.
For $2.99, users are given a fresh insight every day through the app. It’s simple philosophy but offers some great inspirational quotes that are worth paying attention to. As an added bonus, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the insight comes bundled with a link to an article or exercise that sets out to enhance a particular area of the user’s life.
On Saturdays, An Ordinary App: Ordinary Words ~ Extraordinary Power goes one step further by including a link to a short inspirational video that uses song, entertainment or commentary to help the user take in the moment of wisdom.
With a quote for each day of the year, plus 148 unique articles and 52 videos, it’s a satisfying inspirational package that will hopefully give its users some wise words across the rest of the year.
Doing for audio what many photo filter apps do for imagery, SpaceSampler is an audio convolution app that will intrigue both audiophiles and novices.
The app lets users record audio then apply many different filtersfrom real acoustic spaces, in order to add an original twist to things.
Numerous filters are available including a retro tape echo, 60s plate reverb noise, a warm room style sound, an emulation of an AM radio, and a stadium style delay. It’s a varied bunch comprising of 15 different effects, each offering a great way of mixing up an audio clip.
A recording browser makes it easy to manage numerous audio files while the integrated sampler makes it similarly simple to add the effects. Once created, it’s easy to share a file, either via e-mail, Dropbox or SoundCloud.
Even for an audio newbie such as myself, it’s exceptionally easy to create some great results with SpaceSampler.
Combining social networking with more conventional means of contact such as SMS messaging and phone calls is a shrewd move, one that PiCDial has successfully accomplished.
PiCDial links iPhone contacts to the individual’s Facebook and MySpace profiles, adding functionality to the entire experience. At its simplest, it means that each contact can have their Facebook or MySpace profile picture linked to it, so it’s always easy and relevant to see who’s calling. Another interesting feature is the ability to view status updates from Facebook and MySpace at the same time.
Everything is dynamically updated so within a few taps of the screen, it’s easy to see new pictures and status updates, all throguh the Favorites screen.
As a final useful feature, all contacts are securely stored on the PiCDial website, making it a useful backup tool.
PiCDial is out now, priced at $2.99.
Check out the demo video below for more information on how it works.
Given that it’s free, women in need of tracking their birth control medication may as well skip ahead and get downloading myPill™ – Birth Control Reminder immediately.
As the name suggests, myPill™ – Birth Control Reminder is an easy to use app that reminds women of when to take their next birth control pill. That’s useful enough in itself but the app goes one step further. Easily set up, myPill™ – Birth Control Reminder can help women plan their schedule up to six months in advance at the swipe of a finger. This means that the user can track exactly when to expect their periods so they can plan their life and any big plans accordingly.
A built in notes facility ensures that users with any concerns can track any unusual changes in their cycle, ready to inform their doctor or gynecologist at a later appointment. Other events such as missed pills can also be easily tracked.
Even SMS and e-mail reminders can be configured for those who don’t just want to be reminded by their iOS device.
myPill™ – Birth Control Reminder is an Universal app and available now.
There’s not enough cheer and positivity in the world today so new app Chee.rs has set out to change that.
Described by the developers as “the ‘like button’ for the world around you,” Chee.rs gives users the opportunity to express their satisfaction with people, places or things that they love.
Connecting up with friends via the app, the user can share all the great things going on in their life from a great restaurant visit to a new movie, or just someone that’s made life that bit more pleasant. Users can even take a photo of what they ‘like’ so much, to give an idea of what’s so great about it.
The more the app is used, the more Cheerfluence points can be gained to show which users influence the Chee.rs world so much. It’s a pretty neat idea with some great potential.
31 years after its initial launch and MTV continues to innovate when it comes to presenting all the latest news and gossip from the biggest music artists, thanks to MTV Music Meter
MTV Music Meter offers a daily list of artists currently trending right now. Information such as recent tweets about the acts, photos, news articles and biographies are available for each star, as well as 30 second audio samples of many of each act’s discography in order to get a taste of the performances.
Users also get the chance to search through over 1 million artists to find something that appeals to their taste in music. Throughout the app, it’s easy to use and browse, making it a great way of gaining bite sized snaps of the latest and greatest the music world has to offer at any time.
MTV Music Meter is out now and it’s free to download.
It’s a more lighthearted update this time round, though. Swampy’s present to his fans is the update ‘Hearts and Crafts’ which allows players to unlock a new level every day for the next 10 days starting February 14th.
Take a look at the screenshots below. Things are looking pretty darn cute this Valentine’s Day with plenty of heart-themed levels ahead.
The Where’s My Water? Valentine’s Day update is available now for existing owners of the app. Anyone else who hasn’t tried the game out yet (and why not?) can pick it up for $0.99.
Thanks to the ever steady growth of social networking, savvy users are keen to use specialist services. While those seeking work may look to LinkedIn, foodie types can revel in the wonders of DishPal.
DishPal allows users to share dishes and ideas with friends and other food fans, all from within the app. Offering Facebook style commenting services along with photo uploading capabilities, DishPal goes one step further with the ability to participate in themed parties in which people can share their preferences and tastes while learning new ideas connected to the theme. Tagging functionality also aids users in discovering new ways to cook and new friends.
Also offered is a magazine section that can be customized according to the user’s tastes, comprising of exactly what they enjoy most in the food world.
It’s all tantalizingly attractive and a great way to share new recipe ideas and creations.
Another week of the year down and so we look back at five of the best apps and games of the past seven days. This time round, we have a healthy dose of education and knowledge, alongside a new way to create animations and some fun with droids.
Cinemagram
Offering something a little like Kinotopic, Cinemagram gives users the tools to create their own mix of photo and video. Simply record a few seconds of video and apply relevant filters to create some startingly original pieces of photographic art.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-02-08 :: Category: Photography
Raid Leader
Combining RPG and RTS elements, players take the role of Raid Leader in the game of the same name. Three different character classes help the player through 15 encounters as players level up as they come across increasingly fearsome bosses. A casual yet challenging trip into genres that are normally less welcoming.
Fotopedia Women of the World
Women accomplish a lot in the world and now there’s an app that focuses on their efforts. Fotopedia Women of the World does precisely that, offering some stunning imagery from 75 different countries as well as visual stories and explanations of just what is being witnessed. There’s no reason not to download this. It’s free, after all.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-08 :: Category: Travel
Star Wars Pit Droids
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace divided many upon its initial release and understandably so. With the release of the film in 3D, so too do we get another chance of seeing what games come out of the Star Wars universe. Star Wars Pit Droids is one such title, offering a form of tower defense game set around the pit droids during Anakin Skywalker’s racing days.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-09 :: Category: Games
Celebrating Dickens
200 years ago, on February 7 1812, author Charles Dickens was born. Celebrating Dickens, developed by the University of Warwick, UK, looks at the life and times of the classic storyteller. Along the way is some fantastic academic insight into his work from A Christmas Carol to Bleak House, with podcasts explaining all.
On Twitter, it’s a dilemma that would be referred to as a ‘first world problem’ but it is sometimes difficult to decide which restaurant to go to for a meal. So many choices are out there and when it’s a decision that has to be made between many friends, things can get tricky. Enter Hngry, an app that may lack an ‘u’ but certainly doesn’t lack functionality.
At its most basic, Hngry lists all the restaurants that are nearby to the user’s location, along with the ability to add opening hours, all in an attractive manner. Users can then choose from the list and flick through the selection, gradually narrowing down the selection before coming to a decision. For those with iPhone owning friends, they can share lists directly on individual devices using the Hngry app. The app can even find menu details for any restaurant on the list if one is available on the internet.
Once a decision has been made, users can dial the restaurant directly from within the app then Hngry offers a place to store order details for that meal and any helpful notes required. For those with favourite dishes, it makes it all the easier to check what meals were so nice the last time the user visited a place.
There’s even the ability to take photos of a meal as a reminder of what was so tasty and Twitter integration ensures that sociable diners can share their choice.
Throughout, the app keeps track of how many times the user has visited a restaurant, making for an ideal guide at a glance as to what place is best for the user’s tastes.
For those who dine out regularly, Hngry is a great resource that combines many useful meal planning features.
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we’ve been focusing on the romantic aspects of the App store. Alongside reviewing Boy Loves Girl, the tale of a boy keen to woo the lady in his life, we had the opportunity to interview Dr Danny Pearce, Company Director for the game’s British developer, Grubby Hands.
One particular question that’s bound to be on everyone’s mind was just why the name Grubby Hands?!
“Grubby Hands is a name that came from some subconscious activity when thinking about gaming. I think it’s connected to the NES and SNES days when pad swapping was commonplace, like Mario or Street Fighter with friends,” said Pearce. “I always had a problem with getting a sweaty pad handed to me from a friend with ‘grubby hands’. I had a ritual that involved a five second wipe with my t-shirt before every round. I guess that image stuck and resurfaced 20 years later.” An experience that I’m sure all gamers can empathise with.
Moving onto just what a change of pace Boy Loves Girl is compared to David Haye’s Knockout, Pearce explained just what hook Boy Loves Girl offers: “Boy Loves Girl follows a young boy’s journey as he tries to impress a girl. I really wanted to make a game that was sweet and captures something truthful. Then the idea of a boy going to the end of the world for a girl and giving her the moon on a piece of string stuck and the game grew from there.”
As Pearce explains, “It starts off as a pleasant experience. Everything is calm and relaxing, while the player gets used to the game and the controls. It then gets progressively more challenging as the girl gets more demanding, to the point that it really requires a lot of skill, mental attention and physical accuracy to complete,” but fortunately that’s not all we should expect from Boy Loves Girl, with Pearce promising Game Center to be integrated ‘really soon.’
So, what’s next for Grubby Hands? Dr Pearce was understandably guarded as to exact details but there are discussions in terms of “either a sequel or a huge update to a ‘previous game’ in the near future.” Pearce also informed us that Grubby Hands is currently “prototyping something original and probably [our] most ambitious game yet.” Don’t get too excited yet, though, as he also went onto explain that it’s “easily the biggest game we’ve attempted to make, so will probably take until the end of the year to complete.”
On a final note, we thought it was only friendly to see just how the Grubby Hands guys are planning on spending Valentine’s Day. “We’ll start the day under a mild spring sun, listening to a calm stream, break the still to eat strawberries and cream and then proceed to whack the keyboard trying to finish off the next ‘Boy Loves Girl’ update!”
Given the cold and rainy spell that much of Britain is suffering from at the moment, here’s hoping that the 14th brings with it plenty of sun for Grubby Hands!
Many thanks to Dr. Danny Pearce for taking the time to answer our questions.
Twitter: 
The nostalgist in me is convinced that the WWE (or WWF as it was known back then) was at its finest during the 1990s. The days of The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Undertaker and “Macho Man” Randy Savage made for some fantastic wrestling action. Now, people like me get to relive those days through the latest wrestling game to come from THQ: WWE WrestleFest.
:: ENTERTAINING
The vast majority of dogs need a lot of exercise and regular walks. It’s an ideal way for their human owner to get fitter and healthier, while having great fun with their beloved pooch. For those people, why not give MapMyDOGWALK a shot?
Developers Mojo Bones, previously best known for dog based puzzle game 
FaceTime is great for casual video conferencing use but for more professional purposes, a dedicated solution is a better idea. That’s precisely where Fuze Meeting HD enters the equation.
It’s getting to that time of year where many of us choose to go on holiday and explore new cities and surroundings. Wandering around aimlessly is all well and good but it’s nice to have some structure to a trip. This is where TripAdvisor City Guides hopes to help.
I’m not quite at the wedding planning stage of life but I know plenty of people who are. It’s a stressful time but also a hugely enjoyable experience. One of the latest wedding apps to hit the app store, Vera Wang on Weddings, intends to hit the spot in both upping the excitement quota and reducing some stress. 
Movies are great, right? How about free ones streamed directly to an iOS device? No, I’m not talking about a subscription service like 
In life, everyone needs a moment of clarity and calm in their day, no matter how brief it may be. An Ordinary App: Ordinary Words ~ Extraordinary Power has recently been released in order to facilitate that. 
Doing for audio what many photo filter apps do for imagery, SpaceSampler is an audio convolution app that will intrigue both audiophiles and novices.
Combining social networking with more conventional means of contact such as SMS messaging and phone calls is a shrewd move, one that PiCDial has successfully accomplished. 
Given that it’s free, women in need of tracking their birth control medication may as well skip ahead and get downloading myPill™ – Birth Control Reminder immediately.
There’s not enough cheer and positivity in the world today so new app Chee.rs has set out to change that. 
31 years after its initial launch and MTV continues to innovate when it comes to presenting all the latest news and gossip from the biggest music artists, thanks to MTV Music Meter
It’s the season of love at the moment and Where’s My Water? has embraced that idea with a new Valentine’s Day themed update. 
Thanks to the ever steady growth of social networking, savvy users are keen to use specialist services. While those seeking work may look to LinkedIn, foodie types can revel in the wonders of DishPal. 
At its most basic, Hngry lists all the restaurants that are nearby to the user’s location, along with the ability to add opening hours, all in an attractive manner. Users can then choose from the list and flick through the selection, gradually narrowing down the selection before coming to a decision. For those with iPhone owning friends, they can share lists directly on individual devices using the Hngry app. The app can even find menu details for any restaurant on the list if one is available on the internet.
Moving onto just what a change of pace Boy Loves Girl is compared to David Haye’s Knockout, Pearce explained just what hook Boy Loves Girl offers: “Boy Loves Girl follows a young boy’s journey as he tries to impress a girl. I really wanted to make a game that was sweet and captures something truthful. Then the idea of a boy going to the end of the world for a girl and giving her the moon on a piece of string stuck and the game grew from there.”
So, what’s next for Grubby Hands? Dr Pearce was understandably guarded as to exact details but there are discussions in terms of “either a sequel or a huge update to a ‘previous game’ in the near future.” Pearce also informed us that Grubby Hands is currently “prototyping something original and probably [our] most ambitious game yet.” Don’t get too excited yet, though, as he also went onto explain that it’s “easily the biggest game we’ve attempted to make, so will probably take until the end of the year to complete.”
]
