Shooting and strategy seem to be the two key themes in this weeks FREEday. I honestly didn’t plan it that way, it just sort of happened. Although I suppose it’s not that bad. They are two incredibly popular kinds of games for iOS devices these days. Then again, just about anything that lends itself to quick bursts of playtime do quite well for themselves, too. No matter the intention, here’s a list of free games. Enjoy.

Farmkill – Zombie survival games. Yessir. But before writing off Farmkill as just another shambler slaughter consider this: players can raise volatile (literally) animals to fight off the horde. In addition to the expected defenses and numerous firearms. I have to admit, it’s an interesting idea. Although now I keep thinking about chicken nuggets for some reason…

FREE!

Farmkill

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-05 :: Category: Games

Battlefield 3: Aftershock – iOS users seem to enjoy multiplayer first-person shooters, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that EA decided to bring what is arguably their biggest FPS of 2011 to Apple devices. What does come as a surprise is that it’s a free-to-play multiplayer first-person shooter. Allow me to repeat that: it’s a free multiplayer first-person shooter derived from one of EA’s largest 2011 releases. Let the downloading commence.

FREE!

Battlefield 3™: Aftershock

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-08 :: Category: Games

Robot Troopers – Robot Troopers takes the idea of task-management and robots it up a notch. Or two. Players will be taking control of an assembly line, cranking out an army of autonomous forces while simultaneously training the new recruits. A robot foreman’s work is never done.

FREE!

Robot Troopers

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-02-08 :: Category: Games

Suitor Shooter – Protect the princess from the unworthy while getting the prince(s) to the castle. In essence, players are bombarding a horde of “evil,” flower-toting fiends with delusions of dating from a dirigible. While not bombarding the good guys, of course. It’s an unorthodox approach to dating to be sure, but it sure makes for an interesting game.

FREE!

Suitor Shooter

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-08 :: Category: Games

Smartphones are changing how we see the world. With the cameras on them becoming more and more powerful, phones are now able to see our reality and present it back to us in an augmented form. It may ultimately just be an advertisement for their “Shake it Up” campaign, but Tic Tac mints’ new Tic Tic Viewr app still shows off how novel augmented reality can be.

Using their phone’s camera, users can scan Tic Tac boxes and ads to reveal hidden content. Users will find funny and inspirational “Shake it Up” tips as well as 20 “Shake It Up” microgames providing extra fun after the scanning is over. Imagine getting a new game just by scanning a random Tic Tac ad at a bus stop. It’s as easy as taking candy, in this case mints, from a baby.

Tic Tac Viewr is currently available for free on the App Store. Uses can also download it by texting “MINTS” to 313131.

FREE!

Tic Tac Viewr

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-02-05 :: Category: Games

Regardless of the location, there’s bound to be something interesting going on somewhere. AroundNow seeks to provide an easy way of seeing exactly what’s going on locally at any time.

Using Twitter as a notification system, AroundNow offers news of interest depending on the area the user happens to reside in at the time. That news can range from all manners of things from entertainment events such as concerts or celebrity spottings to parties or demonstrations. Traffic information such as road works or traffic jams can also be provided as well as something as regular as a good sale in a local store.

As it’s partly a social networking app, AroundNow relies upon user participation to truly be great but it’s an excellent idea. In a busy and bustling city, it’s easy to miss out on something exciting so this app could be the ideal way to get involved in local events.

AroundNow is out now and it’s a free download.

FREE!

AroundNow - tweets & news near you right now

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-01-14 :: Category: Lifestyle

It’s the most wonderful time of year – tax season. Thankfully, TaxCaster from TurboTax is here to help users figure out whether to expect to be cutting a check to the IRS, or if Uncle Sam will be sending some money their way. TaxCaster is a universal iOS app that lets users plug in their vital financial information and get an estimated refund amount. Income, tax withholding, donations, deductions, dependents; these can all be plugged into the app and the app will give an estimate of how much the user can expect as far as payments or refunds in taxes will go. The app is very easy to use, with various sliders for adjusting income, and it just requires the user to have the information to put in. This is not an application for actually filing and submitting one’s taxes, it is just for estimation, but it makes it very easy for users to help get a clue on what they can expect from the process.

FREE!

TaxCaster by TurboTax – Free tax refund calculator to estimate your taxes

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-12-17 :: Category: Finance

With Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace being re-released in theaters with post-processed 3D, LucasArts has released an app called Darth Maul Me. Do note that the name is not an invitation for a Sith Lord to come and maul the user, but an app for turning the user into Darth Maul, Sith apprentice in the first prequel episode of the Star Wars series. Users can either import or take a photo of their face, zoom in and out to line up the eyes and get their head in frame. Then, they adjust the area of their face, and select from one of three Darth Maul effects, from the full-on makeup and horns look to just the crazy Sith eyes. Then, the image processes and the user is ready to go out and share to the world that they are a Sith, and proud of it, and there’s Facebook connectivity to help prove it. The Dark Side will only truly win if they receive enough likes on Facebook.

FREE!

Darth Maul Me

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-01-27 :: Category: Entertainment

Call me crazy, but I felt compelled to make this week’s list of freebies a little bigger than usual. Maybe it’s because there were more to pick from. Maybe there was a larger number of legitimately interesting titles. Or maybe I was just on a roll and went with it. No matter the reason, there’s a nice big list of iOS games down there that can all be acquired without the use of money. Why not take a look?

GHOST TRICK: Phantom Detective – It seems like Capcom has started to compulsively port their DS games to iOS. Not that I mind, because most of their DS games are utterly fantastic. GHOST TRICK: Phantom Detective is most likely no exception. The dead private eye who continues to solve cases as a spirit while possessing various items in order to freak out nearby living folks might be a tad eccentric for some, but it’s right up my alley. I can only assume it’s right up other peoples’ alleys as well.

FREE!

GHOST TRICK: Phantom Detective

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Our Rating: :: TRICKY
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2012-02-02 :: Category: Games

Rock the Vegas for iPhone – People love to build their own cities in a virtual environment. A lot of people also love to gamble. Rock the Vegas offers both of those things. For free! With no broken thumbs!

FREE!

Rock The Vegas for iPhone

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-01-30 :: Category: Games

Brand Name Space Game – Okay, so there’s no shortage of top-down SHMUPs on the App Store. But how many of them feature semi-satirical names? And look pretty? And are free? Yeah, okay. I kind of backed myself into a corner with this one. Still, it’s free so why not take a look?

FREE!

Brand Name Space Game

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-01-31 :: Category: Games

Range – Range might be a game. Then again it might not. Either way, it’s intriguing: it attempts to subconsciously teach players another language through the use of audio cues and platformer-style gameplay. I don’t know if it really works or not, but it’s a pretty cool idea. And I’ve always wanted to start learning Japanese…

FREE!

Range

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-01-31 :: Category: Games

Epic Tic Tac Toe Pro – I like to think that anyone who’s been reading my stuff since I’ve started at 148apps is aware of my natural inclination towards completely weird stuff. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’ve managed to find a game that makes tic-tac-toe look like an 8-bit empire building sim. Admit it, this sounds interesting.

$0.99

Epic Tic Tac Toe Pro

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-01-31 :: Category: Games

Spice Invaders – I’d be ashamed if I failed to mention what I’d consider this week’s best free-to-play release. Sure the multiplayer is rather borked, but that can be fixed. Besides, this tower defense game is totally worth the free download for the campaign. And it’s got a ton of unlockable content to keep players occupied.

FREE!

Spice Invaders

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Our Rating: :: CONTROL THE SPICE
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2012-02-02 :: Category: Games

When I first played Terra Noctis, I came away with an incredibly positive opinion. Sure it had its share of problems. In fact, it had a ton of small ones. However it was still a cool platformer that was well worth the somewhat hefty (comparably) price of $2.99 at the time. The cost has dropped down to $0.99 since then, but even that might be “too much” some some frugal shoppers. Which is why BulkyPix has brought in Everyplay Interactive to adapt a special free-to-play edition they’re calling Terra Noctis: Free Dreaming.

Free Dreaming is more or less the exact same game, albeit with a few noticeable adjustments (and a lot that aren’t so noticeable). It is, of course, free. Players can enjoy the same level of content found in the original, purchase power-ups in the shop, unlock levels with red fairies, etc… The freemium content is there, mostly in the form of purchasable fairies, but refusing to pay doesn’t gate off content so much as evenly pace its distribution. With the exception of a “Fairy Cloner” that permanently doubles the amount of fairies earned, it can all be acquired normally with a bit of patience.

In addition to the new payment (or lack thereof) model, as well as some stylish hats, there have been a number of small improvements that add up to make this the version to own. The Pumpkin Shop is accessible from anywhere, even mid-level. The shop’s interface is much easier to navigate. Virtually all of the tiny bugs and crashes have been squashed.

This definitive edition of one of the App Store’s best (and prettiest) platformers is available right now. And as I’ve already said it’s completely free. No more excuses, people.

FREE!

Terra Noctis: Free Dreaming

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-02 :: Category: Games

Word games are fun. Any sane person can appreciate that, right? So, how about checking out Mega Multilingual Word Find? It is indeed quite a long name for a game but it’s a fun concept.

From the makers of Word Lubbers, Mega Multilingual Word Find is a wordsearch game that’s not only fun, it’s potentially educational!

Mega Multilingual Word Find offers numerous different categories, catering for all interests. Categories include athletics, body parts, clothing, colors, crime, feelings, food, mammals, science, travel, weather and numerous others. There’s also the option to unlock additional languages comprising of Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish.

To further add to the educational benefits, players can choose different puzzle and word list languages so that the player can learn as they search.

Mega Multilingual Word Find is out now and it’s a free download. To unlock all the languages, there’s an in-app purchase priced at $4.99 or users can unlock one language at a time for $0.99.

FREE!

Mega Multilingual Word Find by Accio

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-01 :: Category: Games

Having grown up in a household of educators and now with numerous friends who teach, I’ve quickly learnt the importance of educating students in new and exciting ways. It keeps information interesting and relevant rather than becoming potentially stuffy and staid.

There are numerous ways to ensure this but one of the latest and most exciting ways is that of Rover from iSwifter.

Rover provides cloud-based streaming through iSwifter’s technology, enabling iPads to stream Flash content alongside other useful education tools. Free to download, it’s targeted towards the K-12 education sector having partnered with education brands such as Discovery Education, Mathletics and Funbrain. Partnering with such brands immediately makes Rover an immensely useful resource of offering both fun and knowledge without the child even realising how much they are learning.

Fundamentally, it means that children can use a classroom iPad to access such content rather than be restricted to the PC.

The app is easy to set up and offers a firewall-friendly solution to work around existing IT systems in schools while still maintaining the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). It is worth mentioning that a Wi-Fi connection is required to use Rover even for those with 3G iPads. It’s a small requirement, however, for an immensely useful educational tool.

Using the app is similarly easy to get to grips with thanks to digital textbook controls including a D-Pad, visual feedback for finger taps and support for a split keyboard form of control. Rover can even be paired with SMART board interactive whiteboards for added functionality. Each cross section of schooling is viewable separately from Elementary School to Middle and High School.

With increasing numbers of teachers using iPads within the classroom environment, Rover ensures that children have the best tools to learn with and in a fun and safe environment, too.

Rover is available now for the iPad and it’s free to download.

FREE!

Rover

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-12-12 :: Category: Education

Whether it’s in real life or in a video game, navigating a maze can be pretty challenging. However, the satisfaction of making it to the end can make the whole experience worth it. Elements+ Maze is the “world’s first multi-floor maze game” and it’s hoping that it’s extra challenge leads to extra satisfaction.

Each maze has a fire level and an ice level. To reach the end of the labyrinth, players will have to guide their character in between them both, adding depth and height to the typically flat maze genre. Friends can compete to see who can finish a maze faster and mazes are randomly generated meaning the content is theoretically limitless. Playing on harder difficulties earns more coins for one to spend on things like character customization. Players can also elect to just buy more coins with real money.

Fortunately, with there being so many in-app purchase options, the initial download is free. Elements+ Maze is available now on the App Store.

FREE!

Elements+ Maze

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-12-22 :: Category: Games

Being on trend is very important business for the fashion conscious. This is where Luster has iOS users covered. It’s an app that makes browsing through the newest, most lusted after and nearest fashion finds wherever the user is.

Using an interactive map, users can see precisely what’s trending in their area and even browse through local boutiques to see what they offer. Users can search according to brand, piece or even occasion, resulting in the ability to save a compilation of things that interest.

Somewhat like a social networking tool, the user can even follow other fashion fans whose interests and loves most closely match theirs. They can even take photos of the different outfits and share likes and comments about them.

It’s an ideal companion app for those keen to know what’s popular near them at any given time.

As part of Luster‘s launch, there’s also a competition. To enter, users must take a photo of a fashion find they love and tag it with the relevant store and #fw hashtag. The person whose photo has the most Lusts from other users on the app by February 27th, will win the item in their winning picture up to a value of $1000! Not too shabby at all.

2nd and 3rd place photos win items up to a value of $500. Full details are available on the Luster website.

Luster is out now and it’s free to download.

FREE!

Luster

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-01-25 :: Category: Lifestyle

Valentine’s Day is a mere two weeks away which means only two weeks to figure out the best way to declare one’s love to someone.

Back in the day, one great and very cute way of doing it was to create a loved one a mix tape full of songs that made them think of romantic memories. Tapes may be long gone but Herd.fm modernizes the process.

Using Herd.fm, the user can select up to five songs from their iTunes catalogue then send them to a loved one with the tap of a few buttons. The loved one can then stream the songs in full from SoundCloud or YouTube and appreciate the sentiment behind choosing each track.

Of course, it’s an idea that can be used just as well between friends for the single iOS device user. Plus, Herd.fm makes music recommendations based on the music shared!

Herd.fm is out now and it’s free to download.

FREE!

Herd.fm

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-02-28 :: Category: Utilities

Word puzzles have captivated millions throughout history and one company that is pushing the genre in a new direction is Outplay Entertainment with its Word Trick puzzle that rewards players through newly created green “Trick Tiles.” Sure, players can still score big with double word, double letter, triple word and triple letter bonus tiles, but the new green tiles offer even bigger points. For instance, if the user matches four green tiles their score is multiplied by three and if they match five it’s multiplied by four.

After they are used the green tiles turn into yellow tiles so opponents can’t steal points. The game is available now on Facebook for free and is coming to iOS soon. Players are also allowed to compete with up to three others and in as many as 21 games at a time. The game also includes chat features, move histories and reminders via email or Facebook.

Regular users of public transport know that it’s a bit of a maze to navigate through. It’s all too easy to stick with the tried and tested routes while still not really knowing anything else about travelling around a city. HopStop sets out to help in such matters by offering detailed public transit, walking, taxi and biking directions for dozens of cities throughout the US, Canada and Europe.

A free app, HopStop offers directions from the user’s current location, the ability to find nearby subway stations or bus stops along with estimates for taxi costs ensuring there are plenty of options.

High quality transit maps are available for NYC, LIRR, Metro North and San Francisco, with updates for NYC transit advisory services. Further biking directions are available for cities such as NYC, Washington DC, Chicago and San Francisco.

For the disabled users, it’s easy to see what services are wheelchair accessible, plus calorie consumption and carbon emissions are calculated for the health and environment conscious.

HopStop is out now and set to solve everyone’s travelling woes in both new and familiar cities.

FREE!

HopStop for iPad

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2012-01-20 :: Category: Navigation

With the likes of contactless payment changing the way that people can pay for their goods, it’s surely only a matter of time before cash and even credit or debit cards are eradicated. Card.io payments goes some way to bridging this gap by using the iOS camera to enable card payments.

Card.io payments is simple to use. Just hold a credit card in front of the camera and all relevant information is scanned automatically with the payment processed shortly afterwards. The company behind the app, Lumber Labs, promises that everything is safe and secure thanks to no information being stored and any communication is protected with high-grade encryption.

No setup fees are required or monthly subscriptions. Instead pricing is 3.5% of plus 30 cents per transaction, with earnings paid out on a 7 day rolling basis. It’s simple and effective to use, whether that be with a small transaction between friends or with something more substantial.

The Card.io payments app is available now for free with fees applying when used.

FREE!

card.io payments

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-01-13 :: Category: Finance