Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 24th, 2013 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
A new visual redesign has made its way to Rhapsody, putting artists front and center on the new home screen. It’s always nice to have easier access to the music you listen to as it provides a simpler way to browse new releases, popular artists, and featured albums. You can also check out enhanced album and artist pages that let you read reviews, shuffle tracks, and more.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 24th, 2013 iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
Bondsy – Trade with Friends is a new social network that lets friends trade items with one another. Take a photo, write a story, and add what it is you would like in return and then wait for a friend to tap grab and make their offer.
This means I can finally trade all my games and ask for only coffee in return!
Another great thing about Bondsy is that everything is private, meaning that you are only trading with friends and not having to deal with strangers.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 24th, 2013 iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
Wander Wheel takes you on a goal-based adventure that breaks up your everyday routine and expands your horizons. Wander Wheel sets you up with an itinerary that’s tailored to you, handing you a specific goal to accomplish. You can discover new things in your own back yard or in the city’s most popular locations, when traveling.
This sounds like a very interesting app if you’re feeling a bit spontaneous.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 24th, 2013 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Flick. lets you share documents, videos, and images between your iOS devices and computers by simply flicking the file to any other device that is also running the Flick app. To go along with the flicking fun, you can also send files to friends that auto destruct after a set amount of time. That could be entertaining.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 24th, 2013 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Guitar! by Smule has players strumming along to the music in an app that combines guitar songs paired with real vocals from Smule’s Sing! Karaoke app, which creates a unique feeling of playing alongside an actual singer. There are multiple songs to play along to, though there is also a freestyle mode for those who just want to play. Players will strum and pick while changing cords and creating vibrato by shaking the phone. Also, as players get better, they’ll be able to rock out even more by unlocking electric guitars.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 24th, 2013 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Pocket Gamer reports that endless racer, Redline Rush, is available to download for free through the weekend. Having only recently released, it’s no surprise that it’s already being offered for free as it acts like a free-to-play title with its push for in-app purchases. Still, it’s endless racing fun, so jump into the driver’s seat and start racking up your score!
It could have easily happened that my life would have taken me down the road of becoming a meteorologist. However, that didn’t happen and I found myself becoming a journalist instead. My passion for weather is still present and I have a good understanding of meteorology and tornadoes from my light studies of the subject in the past.
A friend of mine, a meteorologist himself, recently made me aware of RadarScope, a professional level app that is perfect for meteorologists and weather enthusiasts. I purchased it and started documenting the features of the app immediately; that’s how much I love weather.
Last weekend was primed for a significantly severe weather outbreak and I used the radar app to follow and track storms. On Monday, however, I decided to fully document some of the features and take multiple screen caps to showcase what the app could do. That led me to fully tracking the storm that eventually, and unfortunately, hit Moore, Oklahoma.
RadarScope provides native radar data rendered in its original radial form and allows you to view NEXRAD Level 3 radar data in great detail. That basically means it’s the best radar app you can possibly get for your iPhone or iPad.
I’m going to try and keep this as simple as possible, keeping it easy to read and understand without providing too much of a school lesson.
When tracking the storm that eventually hit the town of Moore, the first thing I looked for in the app was a hook echo that shows up on radar, a strong indicator that a tornado may be forming. A hook echo is a hook that forms on the southern part of the storm, indicating areas of rotation. Then, I took a look at the velocity within the storm to see if there was a confined area of motion with opposites that were touching each other (motion toward and away from the radar). That indicates rotation and a possible tornado.
I’m going to share images that show both of those indications. Radarscope provides local radars along with personal location data that can show you your exact location compared to the storm. It also provides storm tracks that can indicate what direction the storm is moving and a measuring tool that tells you how many miles away you are from the storm. You can also visit Base Velocity’s website to learn more about how the app works.
I had been following the storms as they developed, but here is the first radar image I took after a noticeable hook took shape.
Next is the velocity that indicates storm motion. You can see a bright red and green touching each other, indicating tight circulation.
After that, I took notice of what town or towns might be in the path of the storm and used the storm tracks tool along with the distance tool to mark it.
These snapshots were taken in real time; I had no idea just how much the storm was going to intensify and what the ensuing damage was going to be. The following images are in order and show the intensification of the storm.
Tornadoes are extremely fascinating and I love watching them, but only when they are in an open field. It’s a horrible feeling when you can visually see a storm intensify on radar and know it’s heading towards a town or city. That’s the moment when all meteorologists and storm chasers hold their breath and wait, hoping for the best possible outcome. It’s crushing and leaves nothing but heartache when you see a tornado completely destroy a town. The only thing left to do at that point is hope people are prepared, pay attention to their local meteorologists, have a weather radio or app that alerts them to the danger, and then do everything else you possibly can to help the recovery process.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 24th, 2013 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
There’s a popular video on YouTube about cute little dumb characters and the many ways the meet their demise, all set to a catchy, singable tune. Hello, demise! Well, the creators have made a video game that gives you the opportunity to save these dumb little guys in Dumb Ways to Die. You can tap, swipe, tilt, and blow your way through multiple mini-games while trying to prevent each character from a dumb death. It’s available for free, so go help these dumb guys survive!
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 23rd, 2013 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Evernote now comes with reminders to ensure that you never forget an important note. You can pin a note to the top of the list and add a due date to receive in-app and email notifications. It will also mark a note as done when you complete your task. Now we shall never forget to do anything…hopefully.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 23rd, 2013 iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
Clear received a new update that allows you to email your lists, one of the biggest requests from fans of the app. All you need to do is simply shake your phone (or do a quick dance and shake) to bring up the new email options.
Emails will then contain your to-do lists, which can be sent to other Clear users via email for them to open up in their own Clear app. If that didn’t shake you up enough, Clear will be coming soon to the iPad.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 23rd, 2013 iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
You can now freely travel into space! For a limited time, the space-themed Angry Birds game can be downloaded for free, reports Touch Arcade. Angry Birds Space has over 160 levels on different planets and in zero gravity, which creates unique gameplay that includes slow-motion puzzles and lightspeed destruction.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 23rd, 2013 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Mailbox has been optimized for iPad use in the popular inbox-zero app’s latest update.
“Mailbox‘s new way of doing things workflow represents a dramatic improvement in my workflow, and the delusionary satisfaction I get in saying that everything has been dealt with in a concrete way is a welcome feeling,” said Carter Dotson, in our review.
Posted by Rob LeFebvre on May 23rd, 2013 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Casual game mega-publisher Zynga has just released a new arcade hack ‘n’ slash game called Battlestone. You’ll get to swipe your way to victory, fighting off hordes of enemies in single player mode, while squaring up against others in PvP modes. Once you get into the game, you’ll collect characters, summoning and upgrading heroes to beat ever-more difficult enemies and environments. Get your swipe on today with this free-to-play game on your iPad or iPhone.
With its latest title, Can Knockdown 3, recently earning a coveted Editor’s Choice award here, I took the time to learn a bit more about Polish game developer, Infinite Dreams.
Who is Infinite Dreams?
Based in the Southern Polish city of Gliwice, Infinite Dreams is made up of around 15 members of staff, encompassing several developers, graphic artists, Quality Assurance workers, a game design guru and one marketing expert.
What is Infinite Dreams most famous for?
The team has worked on a plethora of memorable titles. Besides the popular Can Knockdown series, the team has also created Jelly Defense, Sailboat Championship PRO and Let’s Create! Pottery. Variety is clearly the spice of life for the team.
What’s next on the horizon?
PR and Marketing Manager Artur Starzyk answered this one for us: “At the moment we are working hard to release [a] new level pack for Can Knockdown 3. We are more than happy to receive positive feedback from the fans and we would like to meet their expectations. There is also [a] huge community gathered around Let’s Create! Pottery HD and they encourage us to release updates for that title too. Obviously, [a] new project is in the pipeline but I can’t reveal more info about it [yet].”
Anything else I should know about Infinite Dreams?
Artur had some more to say to us about things of interest.
148apps: What does the team enjoy most about iOS development? Artur: It’s the satisfaction of making good products in a short time. We are doing our best to release polished games and then…waiting for the media reviews and our fans’ opinions. We can release games more often on iOS than [the] AAA industry can, so the fun is much…better
148apps: Infinite Dreams offers quite a few different types of games. Is there a particular genre you’ve found most enjoyable to design? Artur: There is no any particular genre we like the most. We simply love to create new type of games (like Let’s Create! Pottery) or just redefine the existing genres (Jelly Defense) to surprise our fans. This is our way of thinking about the mobile games industry.
Where can I find out more about Infinite Dreams?
Infinite Dreams has embraced the social networking world, so there are plenty of places to learn more, besides here. There’s the website, Google+ page, Forums, Facebook page, Twitter and YouTube channel. We’ll be sure to keep you in the loop about the latest developments, too!
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 23rd, 2013 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Clash of Clans builds a new defensive unit that will burn all that dare get in the way. The new Inferno Tower is capable of destroying even the toughest of armors, though it is vulnerable against swarms of smaller enemies, reports Pocket Gamer. Town hall can be upgraded to level 10, which unlocks an additional cannon, archer tower, giant bomb, and dark elixir drill enhancements. That sounds like a lot of good firepower!
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 23rd, 2013 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Fans of Where’s My Perry? will be able to join Agent P as he enjoys summer on the beach in 12 all-new limited-time levels. Where’s My Summer? is available for free, featuring a summer theme with beach balls, cruise ships, sandcastles, laser waves, and more. Check out the summer time trailer below and don’t forget to pack the sun tan lotion!
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 23rd, 2013 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
New animal agents have arrived in the latest update to Where’s My Perry?, joining Agent P in over 60 additional levels. The update features familiar faces, such as Peter the Panda and Pinky The Chihuahua, among other animal agents, and has new obstacles and puzzles to solve. Check out the arrival of the agents in the video below!
Logitech has created a wired keyboard for the iPad which is the first one made specially for use in the classroom. The Logitech Wired Keyboard for iPad is designed for easy connectivity by simply plugging it in, making it easier on students and teachers, and has a key lifespan of more than five million strokes. With the wired keyboard, no longer will users need to put up with limited space on screen due to the touch screen keyboard, making it easy to type and read. I do like that!
“While tablets are enabling new ways of teaching and testing, there’s a challenge when a teacher needs to simultaneously pair multiple iPads with multiple wireless Bluetooth keyboards. We developed the Logitech Wired Keyboard for iPad to specifically solve this problem, so students can now simply plug it in and start typing.” said Mike Culver, VP and GM of mobility at Logitech, in a press release.
The keyboard is set to release in August for a retail price of $59.99.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 22nd, 2013 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Pocket Informant Pro has been updated to version 3.0. There is a brand new, completely redesigned interface that is beautiful and easy to use, along with a customizable event/task settings that allow you to see only the stuff you wish to see. You can even show yourself the weather in the Today, List, Week, and Month views by purchasing the option for $0.99 cents through in-app purchase.
Now go inform your informant of the upgrade by downloading it now.
Strategy game creator, Slitherine, unleashes Armageddon, its first Warhammer 40,000-based title. Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon is set during the Second War of Armageddon as players lead Imperial forces of the Armageddon Steel Legion, along with a few Space Marines, against Ghazghkull Thraka’s massive Ork Waaagh! invasion, says Pocket Gamer. The game will feature over 30 turn-based scenarios with over 100 different unit types to control.
Iain McNeil, Development Director of the Slitherine Group, said in a press release, “It is very exciting to see a game like this come alive – I just can’t wait to play it!” “It’s been almost 15 years since a turn-based strategy game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe has been released and we think it is now time to deliver that experience to all fans around the world”.
For those who enjoy a nice game of multiplayer, a separate set of maps designed and balanced specifically for multiplayer will be available. We still have to wait until sometime in 2014 before we can begin destroying some orks.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 22nd, 2013 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Pilots, ready your planes for World War II air-based combat as MMO World of Aircraft is now available to download for $0.99 cents. Pocket Gamer reports that World of Aircraft features multiple single-player missions, though PvP is the way to go as you compete against other players for total domination of the skies above. Check out the in-game footage below that showcases just a few of the 28 available aircraft.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 22nd, 2013 iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
Need some help with your stock market investments? Well, iBillionaire helps us regular folk make better decisions by providing us with ideas from financial billionaires. You can build your own portfolio and have iBillionaire analyze and compare it to actual billionaire’s portfolios, including Warren Buffett, John Paulson, Daniel Loeb, and more. It will give you insights and information on what you can do to improve your performance by comparing it to billionaires. It certainly sounds like an interesting way to invest by getting ideas from tracking actual holdings, purchases, and sales from the billion dollar dudes.
Greedy Grub, a fun simulation game based on the work of comic artist Laurel Duermael that will launch this week, released a new gameplay trailer that stars Grub, the adorable hero. Players will take the role of this wormy hero as it’s their job to rebuild a forest after a dreadful winter. There will be eight unique character-driven episodes with quests to complete, all while meeting a cast of lovable characters, collecting unique items, and cherishing nature. Check out the trailer below which is full of tree planting excitement.
The Omni Group has released OmniPresence, bringing automatic document syncing to OmniGraffle, OmniOutliner, and OmniGraphSketcher. OmniPresence is designed to work with any Mac app that supports OS X’s Auto Save and Versions. It also lets your Mac, iPad, and iPhone apps know when a document has been edited on another device and syncs the latest copy of any document to them. It supports document syncing for teams as well, ensuring the entire group always has the latest document available on all their devices.
Another nice featured noted in The Omni Group blog is that, while it can’t prevent conflicting edits, if a document is being edited at the same time from two different devices, it detects multiple edits and saves both versions so that no edits are lost. Check out the video for more.
gMusic: A Google Music player is in the process of being updated to support Google’s All Access streaming music service. The All Access subscription service isn’t currently available on iOS through any app, but the developer of gMusic has already submitted an update to Apple that will bring the service to the iPhone or iPad, reports Cult of Mac.
Apparently the developer had the all access subscription service available within an hour of the announcement at last week’s I/O conference, though needed to work on a new interface. You can purchase gMusic right now for $1.99 and listen to music that you’ve uploaded to Google music while waiting for the update to pass.
Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 21st, 2013 + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
A new update is available for Appy Geek – tech news, which adds fully optimized viewing for the iPad along with an enhanced design. Users can now customize the app, selecting topics of interest and adding them to their home page. There’s also the ability to set custom alerts on selected topics, keeping users up to date on the latest in tech news. Sound like fun? Check it out now in the App Store.
rymdkapsel made a bit of a splash when it was released on the PlayStation Vita a few weeks ago. And in another couple of months this excessively minimal and abstract strategic base building “sim” will be making its way on to the App Store for everyone’s enjoyment. Martin Jonasson, rymdkapsel’s creator, was kind enough to tell us a bit about where it all came from, as well as what it all means.
148Apps: First off, how in the heck to you pronounce “rymdkapsel?” And what does it mean/refer to? Martin Jonasson (MJ): When I started working on the game (unaware what I was getting myself into) I just named the project file “spaceblocks” because that felt nice and descriptive. But as the game grew it became clear that I would have to come up with something more interesting. I wanted something that sounded vaguely russian. I threw around a whole bunch of names before I finally settled on “rymdkapsel“. It’s the Swedish word for space capsule (rymd = space, kapsel = capsule). One thing I didn’t quite expect was how much of a hard time Americans would have with it. The Y seems to really throw people off. It’s pronounced “rimdcapsel”. Either way, I’m stuck with it now.
148Apps: So where did all of this come from? By which I mean the gameplay concept, abstract and simplified visuals, setting, and so on. MJ: I’m not quite sure where it all came from! I started working on the game right after GDC last year. I needed a bit of a break from what I was working on at the time and figured I’d take a week to knock out a quick prototype of this idea I had. The original idea also featured a space station, but the element that stood out in my mind was having your station be attacked, losing pressure containment and seeing your little space-station dudes get blown into space flailing helplessly. As I was fiddling with the mechanics of building the station I discovered that it was very pleasant to just build a nicely organized station. I knew from previous prototypes and plenty of Tetris playing that Tetrominoes are perhaps the most satisfying to build with, so I put those in early on and the building felt great. As the building parts felt so good I decided to focus in on that and put another week on the prototype. Those two weeks grew to a month, and then two months, and then all of a sudden I had a game.
The minimalism also comes from previous prototypes I’ve made. The concept of removing cruft [the leftovers] to expose the “core” of a game has proved very successful for me in the past, so digging deeper in that made a lot of sense. It also aligns very well with me being just a one-man team (arguably two with Niklas Ström on music), keeping the graphics minimal makes my work burden smaller.
148Apps: Was releasing on PSN before iOS a strategic decision or is that just sort of how it worked out? MJ: The game was originally made with the iPad in mind, and the first teaser trailer I released back in June last year is in fact filmed off of the screen of my iPad 1. After posting that I was contacted by Sony who asked if I would be interested in putting the game on their platform. The game has evolved a bit since then, but it’s definitely made with a touch screen in mind from the very beginning.
It also uses some magical technology to target all three platforms (Playstation Mobile, iOS, and Android) using essentially the same code base, so any improvements I make for one version will be easily brought over to the others.
148Apps: Please tell me you have future plans for rymdkapsel. More content/challenges, a sequel, SOMETHING. Pretty please? MJ: I’m not quite sure what my future plans for the game are at the moment. I agree that it’s ripe for expansion, but at the same time it’s hard to keep it aggressively minimalist and at the same time add a bunch of stuff. I’d say it depends quite a bit on how it does once it hits the bigger platforms. At the very least I hope to get Game Center support in there before releasing on iOS, but I haven’t had time to look into that yet so I’m not sure if I can make it in time.
Big thank you to Martin for answering all our questions, and especially for shedding some light on rymdkapsel’s pronunciation. You all should keep an eye out for it when it hits the App Store this July. No official price has been given but Martin promises it will be less than the current $5 going rate on the Vita.
Pocket Gamer reports that War Balloon has revealed plans for future updates to it’s space sim, Star Command. There will be a new hull indicator that keeps the player aware of the possibility of their ship exploding, should it take too much damage. Also, if fires go unattended, they will spread out and cause even more damage to your ship. Players will even get away teams to explore planets and invade enemy ships.
Carter and Kurt Bieg of Simple Machine talk about his studio’s new release, Tomb Breaker, how it spawned from a nearly-complete prototype of another game, and how it fits in with his other titles, Circadia and Twirdie.
A new visual redesign has made its way to Rhapsody, putting artists front and center on the new home screen. It’s always nice to have easier access to the music you listen to as it provides a simpler way to browse new releases, popular artists, and featured albums. You can also check out enhanced album [...]
Who is Infinite Dreams?
Anything else I should know about Infinite Dreams?
Strategy game creator, Slitherine, unleashes Armageddon, its first Warhammer 40,000-based title. Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon is set during the Second War of Armageddon as players lead Imperial forces of the Armageddon Steel Legion, along with a few Space Marines, against Ghazghkull Thraka’s massive Ork Waaagh! invasion, 
148Apps: First off, how in the heck to you pronounce “rymdkapsel?” And what does it mean/refer to?
148Apps: So where did all of this come from? By which I mean the gameplay concept, abstract and simplified visuals, setting, and so on.
148Apps: Was releasing on PSN before iOS a strategic decision or is that just sort of how it worked out?
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