This week at 148Apps.com, everything was hopping in celebration of Easter weekend. We started with Jennifer Allen’s Five for Friday feature, showcasing an array of Easter-themed apps. Allen writes, “Happy Easter folks. No matter how you may celebrate it, and whether you do or not, we’ve got some fun Easter themed apps and games to cover in this week’s Five For Friday. Much like the event itself, the apps are a little geared towards families but there’s still fun to be had for all.”
Meanwhile, Amy Solomon from GiggleApps reviewed a new interactive children’s book – Nedi the Yeti. Solomon says, “Nedi the Yeti would make a great first app for babies and toddlers as the animals are friendly looking and engaging as well as not so well hidden that children of all ages could not find these creatures with ease, as a drag of a finger will coax these animals from their hiding places and a tap will trigger a speech bubble and a fun animal sound, be it either cartoony or realistic as is the case of the included bird or owl sounds found within.”
iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2012-02-13 :: Category: Books
Finally, 148Apps.biz writer Kevin Stout explored ways for developers to acquire new users for their apps. Stout says, “Getting recognition and acquiring new users for mobile apps has gotten harder and harder as the app ecosystem has grown. This week, at the VentureBeat Mobile Summit 2012, strategy was discussed about the rising cost of user acquisition by three people close to the issue: Gabriel Leydon, chief executive of Machine Zone (free MMO developer of iMob and Original Gangstaz), Maria Alegre, CEO of Chartboost (app promotion solution), and Chris Akhavan, VP and GM of Strategic Partnerships at Tapjoy (app discovery and sharing platform).”
Thanks for another great week! If you want to keep track of the latest reviews, news and contests, there’s a great way to do it – just follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. It’s just that easy – promise! See you next week, law-abiding citizen!
The App Store never likes to miss an opportunity to have a big old sale, and that’s exactly what’s happened this Easter. All manners of apps and games are on offer this time round. As always, we’ll be tracking the best of the sale apps and games across the weekend so remember to check in regularly for new updates. Prices change fast so download it while you see it. It might not be on offer later!
And don’t forget, you can keep track of the latest and greatest app price drops on the Price Drops page and RSS feed.
Happy Easter folks. No matter how you may celebrate it, and whether you do or not, we’ve got some fun Easter themed apps and games to cover in this week’s Five For Friday. Much like the event itself, the apps are a little geared towards families but there’s still fun to be had for all.
Easter Candy Recipes
Particularly for the non-religious, Easter has become all about eating plenty of chocolate and other good food with the family. Easter Candy Recipes offers plenty of Easter themed recipes to satisfy people’s urge for candy and other treats. Cakes and candies are available here, all through well laid out recipes and some tantalizing photos of the results.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-03-27 :: Category:
What would happen if the Easter Bunny got sick?
An app for the little ones in the family, What would happen if the Easter Bunny got sick? deals with the terrifying proposition of if the Easter Bunny got sick and couldn’t deliver all the Easter Eggs! Fortunately, Lucy Goosey comes to the rescue and the story is cute and charming. There’s a coloring book included within the app, too.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-04-03 :: Category: Books
Easter Bunny Scanner
The Easter Bunny is smart, much like Santa Claus, so he knows how to figure out if a kid has been naughty or nice. This app helps parents keep a check on things by providing a “magic” way of scanning their kids. Parents can, of course, choose what result they want but it’s a neat idea to encourage kids.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-03-12 :: Category: Entertainment
Color Me !!! Easter Edition
One more app that’s ideal for kids and adults in need of regressing – Color Me is a digital coloring book with an Easter theme. There are Easter eggs and bunnies to color in, as well as other Easter based things like smiling eggs. Simple yet cute. Adults might find it quite calming to color in and relax, too!
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-03-04 :: Category: Games
Easter Egg Invaders
One for older children and adults, Easter Egg Invaders is an example of what happens when good eggs go bad. It’s an action packed shoot em up that’s a little reminiscent of arcade shoot em ups of old. Easter Eggs from space have come down and need to be defeated across 30 levels of explosions. It’s as crazy as it sounds!
Loud Crow Interactive just released its fourth installment of the PopOut! series, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny. Just in time for Easter, this story follows Peter Rabbit and his cousin, Benjamin Bunny, as they get into all kinds of trouble. For this story, they take off on a quest through Mr. McGregor’s dangerous garden to get back Peter’s lost clothes. Peter and his cousin, Benjamin, need to constantly look out for the dangerous pet cat that Mr. McGregor roams his garden with.
The PopOut! series is a series of interactive “pop-out” books for iOS. Touching and dragging objects in the storybooks make them come to life and perform various actions. The books are accompanied by music and sound effects, this one with a classical piano soundtrack. The even feature a “Read to Me” function that narrates the book while highlighting the words for children just learning to read.
First published in 1940 by Dorothy Kunhardt the touch-and-feel board book, Pat the Bunny is a nursery library staple. On April first Random House, publishers of the Pat the Bunny book app, are releasing an update to the beloved classic. It will be free for those who own the app, and a seasonal incentive for parents to get the award-winner for their kids as their parents may have shared the classic print version with them.
Aimed at toddlers through pre-schoolers the universal digibook already features 14 interactive pages with tons to touch and swipe as little ones play hide and seek with the bunny. There is a fun paint mode, and on devices with front facing cameras kids can see their own reflection, like in a book with a tinfoil mirror. The app has everything except the soft patches of fur.
Soon kids will see an Easter themed design and be able to join an Easter egg hunt. Once located, the eggs will yield surprises that should delight the youngest iOS users. The update will be available for a limited time only, so if there is a household with cute and chubby fingers that is without a copy this would be a good time to get it, and if it’s already a favorite don’t forget to watch for the update on the App Store to enjoy the holiday treat.
There’s something a little sinister about receiving an email that starts with the line “What do you get when you pour boiling water down rabbit holes?” Fortunately, the answer is Hot Cross Bunnies, a really rather sweet Easter themed game that’s just been launched on the App Store.
Someone’s been stealing the Easter Bunny’s treats and he’s not happy by any means. So starts the war of the Hot Cross Bunnies against the Yellow chicks. Very Eastery indeed. Gameplay consists of firing hot cross buns at the chicks’ balloons using an improvised catapult. Pop the balloons to retrieve the treats and gain points.
It’s a simple little game but ideal, cutesy fun for the Easter season. The iPhone and iPad versions are now available at $0.99 each. While you make up your mind, take a look at the footage below and the image gallery. Also, do go munch a hot cross bun, they’re delicious.
In the world of the App Store, any kind of holiday is a great reason for developers and publishers to hold a sale, and Easter is no exception. Sega’s taking part in the festivities with an Easter sale of their own, with four titles taking part in the festivities.
Chu Chu Rocket! HD: The iPad version of this revival of the Dreamcast classic is on sale for $2.99, down from $4.99. If you’re spending time with the family this Easter, you’ll enjoy the single-device multiplayer for up to 4 players on 1 iPad. It sure beats having awkward family conversations. If you’re alone this Easter, then online multiplayer is available as well.
iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-10-28 :: Category: Games
Super Monkey Ball: One of the very first iPhone games, released back in August 2008, it’s still a leader in the “rolling around monkeys encased in plastic balls” genre, and is on sale for $0.99.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2008-07-11 :: Category: Games
Super Monkey Ball 2: Have you mastered the art of the monkey ball in the first Super Monkey Ball? Do you not play games that aren’t sequels? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you’ll be glad to know that Super Monkey Ball 2 is also on sale for $0.99!
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-12-01 :: Category: Games
Altered Beast: All I’m gonna say about this original Sega Genesis beat ‘em up going on sale for $0.99 is that someone at Sega has a sense of humor. [To find out what he means, bug the author on Twitter: @wondroushippo -- Ed.]
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-12-16 :: Category: Games
All these games are only on sale until April 25th, when they will rise back up to their original prices, so act quick to take advantage of this sale while you can.
Despite the fact that they are hard at work on the upcoming update to Angry Bird Rio, Rovio managed to squeeze a little time into their development schedule to release a new Easter themed expansion to Angry Birds Seasons, complete with bunny ears aplenty. Featuring fifteen new levels of swine assaulting fun, the addition also includes a few new GameCenter achievements, as well as several new and very seasonally appropriate golden eggs.
So now that we have seen St. Paddy’s Day and now Easter updates, what would be next on the hitlist for a fowl fighting frenzy? Let us know what your prediction is in the comments, but my money is on Cinco De Mayo. After all, they have already tackled one alcohol bathed holiday, why not embrace a similar flavor south of the border? Here is to many more nights spent destroying the dreams of maniacal pigs everywhere!
With a game name like Egg vs. Chicken, it is hard to pinpoint what kind of game you should be expecting. Then, after taking a look at the 148Apps review archive, it was brought to my attention that not only is the game good, but it has also landed our highly coveted Editor’s Choice Award. This match three/tower defense hybrid was strong enough to stand on its own two feet, but the developer PlayFirst Inc. isn’t just content to rest on a high rating. They have a new update in the pipeline for the rapidly approaching Easter holiday.
A new Easter egg hunting mechanic has been added to the game’s 36 stages, which upon completion unlock a dozen new levels. As an added incentive for those that complete these new stages, players will get another special surprise with Egg vs. Chicken next updates. There is no word when this post holiday update will be landing, but in the meantime this additional carton of egg themed updates should keep you more than occupied.
101 eggs to inspire you in this handy Martha Stewart app. Get ready for Easter by breaking out the food dye and turning those eggs into some fun crafts!
Doodle Jump used to be one of the App Store’s juggernauts, and still has over 2 million players on its Game Center leaderboards. A simple, captivating game, Doodle Jump featured an alien-like “doodle” in his quest to jump from platform to platform unto infinity. Now, Doodle Jump developers Lima Sky have partnered with Universal Studios to promote the upcoming movie, HOP.
The new amalgamation is named “Doodle Jump: HOP The Movie” and stars E.B., the Easter Bunny’s son, who needs to hone his jumping skills before he can take over his father’s job. This new game concludes that the best tutor is, naturally, “Doodle the Doodler” from Doodle Jump. I didn’t know that our green, long-nosed friend had a name, but there you go. Doodle Jump: HOP plays out much like the original Doodle Jump, with tilt-based controls and ever-ascending platforms. However, unlike Doodle Jump, HOP is divided into levels, which increase in difficulty as you go:
Hop your way through the Easter Bunny’s top-secret candy factory. Save Easter from a chick revolt led by Carlos and his fellow fluffy workers and earn the privilege of becoming a true Easter Bunny by completing all 25 levels. Unlock a new level every day leading up to the film release as you spring up to towering heights and gather different Easter eggs.
Unsurprisingly, the game has also received an Easter-themed graphical skin to match the new theme.
Doodle Jump’s partnership with HOP comes almost concurrently with Angry Birds Rio, another famous iPhone app / new movie promo game. The difference is that Angry Birds Rio seems to have added some significant changes, whereas other than the graphical update and addition of levels, Doodle Jump: HOP remains faithful to its original. Whether or not that’s a plus is entirely subjective, but I think it’s an interesting decision.
On the other hand, since Doodle Jump: HOP is a promotional game, it’s also free—so there’s no reason for fans of the original not to try this new version out. Doodle Jump: HOP The Movie is available in the App Store now.
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. [...]
Loud Crow Interactive just released its fourth installment of the PopOut! series, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny. Just in time for Easter, this story follows Peter Rabbit and his cousin, Benjamin Bunny, as they get into all kinds of trouble. For this story, they take off on a quest through Mr. McGregor’s dangerous garden to get back Peter’s lost clothes. Peter and his cousin, Benjamin, need to constantly look out for the dangerous pet cat that Mr. McGregor roams his garden with.
First published in 1940 by Dorothy Kunhardt the touch-and-feel board book, Pat the Bunny is a nursery library staple. On April first Random House, publishers of the Pat the Bunny book app, are releasing an update to the beloved classic. It will be free for those who own the app, and a seasonal incentive for parents to get the award-winner for their kids as their parents may have shared the classic print version with them.
:: EGGSCELLENT
There’s something a little sinister about receiving an email that starts with the line “What do you get when you pour boiling water down rabbit holes?” Fortunately, the answer is Hot Cross Bunnies, a really rather sweet Easter themed game that’s just been launched on the App Store. 
In the world of the App Store, any kind of holiday is a great reason for developers and publishers to hold a sale, and Easter is no exception. Sega’s taking part in the festivities with an Easter sale of their own, with four titles taking part in the festivities.
Despite the fact that they are hard at work on the upcoming update to 
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