This week at 148Apps.com things got a little bizarre, as Jennifer Allen spotlighted the various iOS projects that have risen since Bizarre Creations was disbanded: “In January 2011, British games developer Bizarre Creations was closed by Activision. Looking through the games that Bizarre were responsible for, it’s no surprise that many fans were hugely disappointed to see its closure. Racing titles such as the Project Gotham Racing series were seen by many as the pinnacle of racing games, with similar successes coming from the retro shooter Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved and the cartoony Fur Fighters. Unfortunately, despite the release of arcade racer Blur and James Bond 007: Blood Stone in 2010, it wasn’t enough and Bizarre Creations was dissolved.

What happened next, though? And why am I talking about console games on 148Apps? Because a number of new gaming studios rose from Bizarre’s flames, many of them iOS focused. Recently, I got the chance to see how things are progressing for a few of them.

Want to know more? Read the full article at 148Apps.

$0.99

David Haye's Knockout

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-06-10 :: Category: Games

GiggleApps.com got all mathematical on us this week with a review of Squeebles Fractions. Writer Amy Solomon says, “Squeebles Fractions is an interesting app to help children to understand fractions, creating a bright, colorful world in which to practice their math skills. I admire the cake theme found throughout this app, as players are able to, within the first section of this app, serve pieces of a cake to waiting monster-like Squeebles characters which correspond to a fraction seen on the screen, really helping children visualize the fractions they are working with.”

Read the full review at GiggleApps.

$1.99

Squeebles Fractions

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-09-09 :: Category: Education

And on AndroidRundown.com, Joseph Bertolini focused his KickStarter spotlight on iMpulse Game Controller. He writes, “Welcome, iMpulse, a tiny rectangular controller that is small enough to comfortably fit on any keychain. iMpulse was specifically designed to go onto keychains because they are with the player constantly. Anytime they leave the house their keys must go with them along with the phone; meaning that at anytime, gaming with a controller is possible. At about the width of an average palm iMpulse is small but it does not seem too small where it would be frustrating or unusable. Oh, and did I mention that it will help locate lost keys? For me, as forgetful as they come, this is almost more than worth the price of the whole device, gaming notwithstanding.”

Read more about this new device on AndroidRundown.

With that, we’re done with this week’s wrap-up. Join us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news, reviews and contests, and check out this post every week for a recap of the stuff you need to know. Ciao!

Reminding us that the iPad can be a great educational tool comes the rather impressively titled The Fun Way to Learn Algebra – FREE – Hands-On Equations 1 Lite.

The app, part of a series of educational tools from Hands On Equations, introduces the concept of algebraic concepts to children from the age of 8 upwards.

We’ve all experienced the difficulty of figuring out algebraic formulas at one time or another, while growing up. The Fun Way to Learn Algebra – FREE – Hands-On Equations 1 Lite hopes to make it fun!

An introductory video explains that users can move game pieces around a scale to represent the two sides of an equation, eventually simplifying and deciphering what’s going on. It’s a simple visual aid that should help those students who are struggling to understand it all.

The Fun Way to Learn Algebra – FREE – Hands-On Equations 1 Lite is free to download and use, while other products by the developer build upon the taster session. All are out now and priced between $3.99-$4.99. A small price to pay for unravelling the conundrum of algebra!

FREE!

The Fun Way to Learn Algebra - FREE - Hands-On Equations 1 Lite

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2012-08-07 :: Category: Education

$4.99

Hands-On Equations 1 - The Fun Way to Learn Algebra

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2012-03-04 :: Category: Education

$3.99

Hands-On Equations 2 - The Fun Way to Learn Algebra

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2012-04-25 :: Category: Education

$3.99

Hands-On Equations 3 - The Fun Way to Learn Algebra

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2012-07-14 :: Category: Education

This week at 148Apps.com, we gave the Editor’s Choice award to Organ Trail: Director’s Cut. Reviewer Rob Rich had this to say about the game: “There’s something timeless about The Oregon Trail. Gearing up and heading west across the country in order to settle in some promising new territory, braving all manner of hardships and diseases along the way, it’s a game that just about everyone loves. Wait a second, the “E” is missing. It’s not Oregon Trail? It’s actually Organ Trail? Well I don’t see what the big difference-OHMYGOD ZOMBIES!!!

Organ Trail: Director’s Cut is a throwback to the classic era of computer gaming. Back when we had to load these things using floppy disks, and in-game sounds consisted entirely of varying forms of *BOOP*. Much like its pioneer era inspiration, the game tasks players with preparing for a cross-country road trip and naming party members after friends in order to make them feel bad when they inevitably die in horrible ways. Only this time it’s during a modern zombie apocalypse, and instead of hunting for food and fording rivers they’ll be scrounging for meager supplies while fending off the walking dead and creeping through zombie hordes.”

Want more of this Editor’s Choice review? Find it at 148Apps.

$2.99

Organ Trail: Director's Cut

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-08-09 :: Category: Games

Everything was about back to school at GiggleApps.com, where reviewer Amy Solomon had this to say about Murky Reef 1st-2nd Grade Reading, Science and Math: “Parents will appreciate how this app incorporates the Common Core standards for Grades 1 and 2 while keeping children engaged and entertained, especially as children prepare for school to start again soon and need to begin to get back to the business of focusing on school work.

Murky Reef is a collection of 22 interactive games which teach a great deal about the animals of the coral reef as well as include math, logic and language exercises.”

Dive into Murky Reef at GiggleApps.

$4.99

Murky Reef : 1st - 2nd Grade Reading, Science & Math

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-09-30 :: Category: Education

Finally, on 148Apps.biz, Carter Dotson reported on the rise of the app developer middle class, saying, “While there’s often much pessimism among developers as far as the challenges of money making on mobile apps goes, analytics firm Flurry’s latest report discusses how the revenue among mobile apps is being distributed. With it, there’s evidence that an app developer ‘middle class’ is forming, as with more revenue being spent on mobile apps, developers do not need to reach the kind of high ranks that they did in the past to make the same kind of revenue. As well, the ‘long tail’ of revenue is getting longer.”

Want more of this report? Head to 148Apps.biz.

Another week down, but a new one is just around the corner. Join us on Facebook or Twitter to get the jump on the latest news, reviews and contests. Until then, get back to class.

Anyone looking for a mentally challenging and head-scratching experience on iOS need look no farther than The Fourth Dimension. The Fourth Dimension is a 30-page interactive book that attempts to explain to all of us non-mathematicians what exactly a 4D world and tesseracts are. The app made it to the top five in the App Store in Education shortly after its release.

Despite the serious and intellectual nature of the app, the developers obviously have a sense of humor. They describe the app as “hand-crafted from fine Corinthian ones and zeros” and “probably safe for children.”

Instead of being a simple book with text and pictures, the app actually lets users interact with a 3D environment to help them understand the fourth dimension. The text is obviously important as well. Users will get to see more of that nerd humor in the text as well as easy to understand metaphors to help readers grasp the 4D world.

The Fourth Dimension is a universal app and is available for $2.99.

$2.99

The Fourth Dimension

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-03-19 :: Category: Education

Art and math are two very distinct things – art being a typically right-brained activity, and math being very much a left-brained activity, and never the twain shall meet. However, developer John Miller has brought the two together, with his app Geom-e-Tree. A universal app for iPhone and iPad, you use the multitouch interface to change the angle and number of branches on the tree you’re given to create increasingly complex trees and designs. Reading the in-game help screen or watching the tutorial video embedded below are a huge help for understanding how the app works beyond just creating crazy geometric designs. You could just randomly move fingers around and hope to get crazy designs, or you could follow the instructions, use the techniques provided to create something a bit less nonsensical than random pinching and dragging will get you. If you get a design that you like, you can save it to your arboretum to call it back up, email it to someone, or save it to your Photo Library. As well as the $1.99 Geom-e-Tree app, there’s a simpler version for kids entitled Geom-e-Twee, that’s currently available for free.

$0.99

Geom-e-Tree

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-03-22 :: Category: Education

FREE!

Geom-e-Twee

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-04-01 :: Category: Education