Walmart Expands Its iPhone Scan & Go Checkout Service
Walmart has expanded its iPhone Scan & Go checkout service to over 200 stores in a dozen different markets, according to Mac Rumors. Users of the app are able to scan their items by using their iPhone along with the Walmart app and then pay for their items without needing to scan them up front.
French Girls App Allows Users To Draw Randomly Received Photos of Others
French Girls is an anonymous photo drawing app that lets you draw pictures of photos that you’ll randomly receive each time you open the app. Also, you can take a photo of yourself and send it out for others to draw. Once someone has completed a drawing of your photo, you’ll be able to view their work.
Favorite Four: iOS Development Apps
Ever use an app and think "Wow, if I knew how to code, I'd be able to do something better than this?" I know I have! Which is why, of late, I've been slowly trying to pick up more knowledge about how to do exactly that. It's a slow process and, no, I'll never be a millionaire because of it, but it's an interesting hobby. There's a wide selection of iOS apps already out there, keen to make the process simpler for enthusiasts. Here are our favorite four.
Developer Cheat Sheet for iOS
Previously covered on the site earlier in the year, Developer Cheat Sheet for iOS is an immensely handy resource by one's side. Offering a mixture of tutorials and quick reference tools, the app covers a variety of useful skills and abilities in a simple to read format. It even offers source code for users to evaluate and learn from.
Objective-C Programming
For aspiring coders who already have some experience in the C Language, Objective-C Programming is a handy app, building upon that knowledge to get users up to scratch with Objective C, the language used by Xcode to develop apps. Approaching the subject from a different angle than most, the app offers a series of training videos to educate its viewers with over 12 hours of material and 30 lessons. Significantly, it keeps light hearted at all times so do expect some adult humor within.
iTunes U
Still one of the best kept secrets on iTunes, iTunes U is ideal for learning about pretty much anything imaginable. It's an app that offers many thousands of free courses, often from some of the best known Universities across the world, for anyone who's interested. Over 600,000 free lectures are available, with plenty of videos, slides and other information, too. Crucially, for the purposes of this feature, there are plenty of different lectures on learning Objective C as well as many other programming languages. It's a fantastic resource to consult.
Koder Code Editor
There isn't an Xcode client for iOS, unfortunately, but Koder should prove handy for those testing their skills while on the move. It's a code editor that works with a variety of web development languages, as well as C# and C++, both languages that are useful foundations for iOS development skills. No matter what kind of code you want to produce, while on the move, the simple and clear to use Koder has you covered.
Evernote Food Update Books Reservations Straight From App
Evernote Food keeps record of all your food experiences, but now also does much more. In this update, with OpenTable integration, you will no longer need to make phone calls or send texts in order to place reservations at your favorite restaurants, as you will now be able to make your reservations straight from the app. Also, you will be able to see venue ratings from Foursquare so that you know if you want to make that reservation or not. Additionally, you can now share recipes through social media and email along with adding recipes from Evernote to the My Cookbook section using specified notebook or tag options.
New Abducted Trailer - The Upcoming Episodic Adventure
Sun Side Games, the creators of Crow, have released the first trailer for their new episodic adventure title, Abducted. Sun Side Games plans to have you "Abducted" within the next three months at the game's release.
Grokr: Intelligent Search Update Adds Google Now Like Features to iOS
Tech Crunch reports that Grokr: Intelligent Search has received a complete and more simplified redesign while adding a number of changes in the latest update. The update includes the addition of more news sources and sports teams so that you may get all the updates from your favorite outlets and sports teams. Also, a new sports tile with a brag button. You will now be able to brag about your teams victory among other things sporting related. Additionally, you will now have access to a new local tile, recommended tile, events tile and even a beta tile for testing out new features. Grokr provides you with recommended local searches, the topics and stories you want to hear about and personalized notifications that fit your lifestyle.
The Portable Podcast, Episode 179
On This Episode:
- Carter talks to NoodleCake Games and musician Whitaker Trebella about their work on Super Stickman Golf 2, including the musician asking the programmers about elements of the game, and the programmers learning something about how the music for their game was created.
- Carter and John Dunbar talk about his new game Plasma Sky, along with discussing how this side effort fits in with his day job at Runic Games, known for Torchlight.
Episode Cast:
- Host: Carter Dotson
- Guests: Jordan Schidlowsky, Ty Bader, and Ryan Holowaty, NoodleCake Games
- Guest: Whitaker Trebella, independent developer and musician
- Guest: John Dunbar, Spike Pit Games
Music:
- "Beatnes7 (Theme to The Portable Podcast)" by The Eternal - Download on iTunes here:
- "Nanocarp" by The Eternal
- Selected tracks from Super Stickman Golf 2 by Whitaker Trebella
How to Listen:
- Click Here to Subscribe via RSS.
- Listen Here: [powerpress]
Apps From This Episode:
NightSky Review
Minecraft Realms - Hosted Worlds Coming To Mobile
Polygon reports that Mojang, the developers of Minecraft, is looking to release a new monthly service plan this summer to enable a more simplified gameplay experience for Minecraft players. Minecraft Realms will allow fans to easily create a permanent, private world on a server and have complete control of who may join them in their world. Currently, fans need to know technical knowledge on how to set up and rent their own server in order to have their own private world, but soon they will be able to instantly have a server up and running with one simple click of a button, thanks to the simplified Realms monthly service.
Mojang plans to launch Minecraft Realms on their mobile edition of the game, Pocket Edition, and even more interestingly have discussed the possibility of designing a way for PC and Mobile versions of Realms to communicate with each other, though it would be a difficult undertaking. The other topic of discussion is to eventually add the ability for players to form a network of servers by connecting to each other to create an even more social experience.
How To: Share To Twitter And Facebook Right On Your iOS Device
Thanks to the last two major iOS releases, iOS 5 and 6, sharing on social media has gotten a lot easier. It's now easy to tweet and post to Facebook from anywhere in iOS. Want to do this for yourself? Here's our how to guide on taking advantage of social media features on iOS.
First off, you need to log in to your social media accounts, which for most users will be the Twitter and Facebook support. Start by going to Settings. Scroll down to the Twitter and Facebook options. Now you will see a screen that will let you install that service's official app from the App Store, log in with an existing account, learn more about the service, or Create a New Account. If you don't have one, this is the quickest and easiest way to make one. Once you have an account, log in with it and let the fun begin!
For Twitter, you can log in to multiple accounts from this screen. Tapping on an account info will let you re-enter your password if you change it, to change the account's description in iOS, and to disable the "Find Me by Email" setting. Scrolling down to the bottom will allow you to Update Contacts with information from Twitter contacts, and to modify which apps can access data from your Twitter account.
For Facebook, it has many of the same options, but you can only log in to one account. However, you can configure the app's settings for alerts and HD video recording from here.
Now, time to take advantage of this. Bring down Notification Center by swiping from the top of the screen. You should now have Tap to Tweet and Tap to Post buttons. Each one will send a tweet or a post to Facebook. You can add your location, and the Twitter post box will replace the enter button with the @ and # symbols. You can enter a line break by hitting the 123 button and finding Enter there.
If you want to share a photo, you can do so by going to Photos, and tapping the Share arrow, and you will see options to post the photo to Twitter or Facebook. Twitter will automatically add the photo and subtract the characters for the link in your tweet without showing the actual link in it. Anything like this will be shown with a paper clip and a thumbnail of what is being sent.
Apps can tweet and post to Facebook, too. Try sending a link from Safari using the Share arrow. Some games will let you share your high scores, like Punch Quest does.
Apps like can request access to your Twitter or Facebook contacts to find new people to connect to, such as Vine supporting Twitter contacts, or Game Center letting you discover friends through Facebook.
Some apps can let you instantly log in to them with your registered Twitter or Facebook account, even third-party Twitter apps like Tweetbot. Finally, you can Like apps on the App Store by tapping the Reviews tab and then the Like button.
These tips cover the basics of how you can use the built-in social media connections to share from your iOS device. Note that not all apps use the built-in iOS connections, so you may still need to log in separately in some apps.
NCAA March Madness Live Bounces All The Action Into Your Hands
NCAA March Madness Live received an update preparing fans for the ensuing college basketball tournament. Fans will be able to watch every game from the tournament on their favorite device while also being able to check schedules, look up scores, fill out personal brackets, set game alerts and much more. Users will need to log in with their current TV provider to enjoy every game from the basketball tournament.
- Fully redesigned for the 2013 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament
- Fully redesigned Capital One NCAA® March Madness® Bracket Challenge
- Portrait and landscape support for most features, including watching live games, scores, stats, social content, and the tournament bracket (iPad only)
- Track Key Moments in real-time from every game, including the key video highlights, photos, and tweets based on social volume (iPad only)
Favorite Four: Card Games
Card games are one of the oldest methods of gaming out there, so it's no great surprise that they've converted well to modern technology such as our beloved iOS devices. The App Store is overflowing with different card games, ranging from typical solitaire games to trading card titles. We've taken a look at our four favorite card games out there, at the moment.
Fairway Solitaire
Fairway Solitaire is a modern interpretation of the classic card game of Solitaire. Free and backed up with some very tempting in-app purchases, it offers a huge number of different solitaire games, all based around the game of Golf Solitaire. There's even a glimpse of a story through a mischievous gopher out to cause havoc on the gold course. Even better, there's regular new content thanks to a new courses each day. It should keep both puzzle and card game fans happy for many, many hours.
Rage of Bahamut
It's far from the prettiest of card games out there, but Rage of Bahamut has proven to be quite the phenomenon. It's even hooked the site's Rob Rich since he reviewed it last year. A trading card game full of mystical creatures and magical items, there's a surprising amount of strategical depth to it. Just don't expect it to use iOS's graphical prowess to its full potential.
Assassin's Creed Recollection
Moving onto a card game that does use some of the graphical potential of iOS devices, Assassin's Creed Recollection is ideally suited for fans of the Assassin's Creed world. A war between the Templars and Assassins is brewing in this real-time card game, with plenty of information about the titles available to unlock. There's a story mode, too, offering hours of intriguing missions and political battles.
Full Deck Pro Solitaire
Returning to traditional card gaming, Full Deck Pro Solitaire is a solitaire game that dispenses with all the bells and whistles that Fairway Solitaire comes with, sticking to pure cards. A variety of different games are available within, such as Klondike 3 Card Pyramid, Spider, Golf and Freecell. There's an extra pack to buy, too, including my all time favorite variety: Grandfather's Clock. Those after the classic one player card game experience should revel in this.
This Week at 148Apps: March 11-15, 2013
We Are Your App Authority
Week-in and week-out, the 148Apps reviewers comb through the vast numbers of new apps out there, find the good ones, and write about them in depth. The ones we love become Editor’s Choice, standing out above the many good apps and games with something just a little bit more to offer. Want to see what we've been up to this week? Take a look below for a sampling of our latest reviews. And if you want more, be sure to hit our Reviews Archive.
Farsh
I never would have thought that carpet could be so much fun when incorporated into a game. This mind-bending puzzler may be one of the most innovative iOS games I’ve played in a long time. For those who don’t know, Farsh is persian for carpet. The game was created by award-winning indie game developer Mahdi Bahrami and it is port of the free PC version. Although it’s based off the PC game, there have been a few improvements to make it even better on iOS. --Angela LaFollette
Ridiculous Fishing
Ridiculous Fishing from Vlambeer, Zach Gage, and Greg Wohlwend as well has been on a long, strange journey to the App Store, with one major pratfall in particular: Gamenauts’ 2011 title Ninja Fishing, which Vlambeer describes as an outright clone of their original Radical Fishing Flash game. Being cloned it distressed Vlambeer enough that the studio considered shutting down at one point. However, a year and a half later, the studio’s own version is finally out, and it was worth the wait. --Carter Dotson
Incredimail
The in-built Mail app is useful but it’s far from essential or visually pleasing. It does the job and nothing more than that. This is where apps like Incredimail come swooping in, demonstrating how the experience can be so much better and, no doubt, saving the regular iPad user plenty of time. Things immediately start out well for Incredimail, thanks to its start up screen making it a breeze to set up. There are options for things such as Gmail, Yahoo! and AOL but it’s also possible to add any account, providing one knows the relevant IMAP settings. It takes a little while for the app to import all the emails, especially if there are plenty available, but it’s a one time thing. Future loading takes a lot less time. --Jennifer Allen
RockSteady XS
The RockSteady XS is a portable, micro Bluetooth speaker designed for use with any audio source that supports the Bluetooth 3.0 protocol, including iPads, iPhones, and other mobile or computing devices. It also includes a audio port for a line in, and a full-sized USB port for audio in and device charging, as well. There are a host of buttons on the front of the unit, which can be used to play, pause, forward, or reverse playback with many audio apps, like Pandora, Music, or Rdio. --Rob LeFebvre
Other 148Apps Network Sites
If you are looking for the best reviews of kids' apps and/or Android apps, just head right over to GiggleApps and AndroidRundown. Here are just some of the reviews these sites served up this week:
GiggleApps
The Adventures of Sophie the Sweater
The Adventures of Sophie the Sweater is a gem of an app, an interactive storybook which allows children to make choices that will affect the direction this tale takes, as this is the story of Sophie, a sweater who experiences many different lives with a varied group of people as they re-use and re-cycle her into other garments, craft ideas or other objects which illustrate how to use her material. I did enjoy a great deal the Choose Your Own Adventure or Which Way books as a child, and I have begun to read these titles to my son as well. I do love this app as I think it brings an intuitiveness to these kinds of books... --Amy Solomon
Bugs and Numbers
Bugs and Numbers is a delightful universal application – a collection of bug-themed mini-games that re-enforces beginner math concepts as well as other subjects such as understanding one’s left and right, shape matching, sorting, sequencing and tracing of numbers and shapes. Each one of these 18 mini-games includes a bright and engaging look, oftentimes including bug elements as well as an interesting dichotomy as some of these sections are quite beautiful to look at, while others include distressed qualities that show bugs in less than pristine conditions that children may also find interesting. --Amy Solomon
Fey Mouse
Fey Mouse is an interactive picture book based on the title of the same name, developed by Blue Quoll as the first in their series of Australian Vintage Picture Books, adapting out-of-print titles and making them accessible to children from around the world. Fey Mouse is the story of a cat born into a mouse family, misunderstood by distant relatives and living in the shadow of their successful lives. --Amy Solomon
AndroidRundown
Fitocracy
It’s a New Year. Resolutions abound. Fitocracy might just be the tool to help folks keep the ones related to healthier living. It’s an app that uniquely melds excessive with a competitive process that “rewards” completion of tasks. In doing this, it looks to avoid being just another fitness application, and to potentially become a full-fledged life coach. The app itself comes with a mature, clean look, with trademark purple hues making a starring appearance. The app is made up of three main pieces, accessible via the left side pane: Feed, Track and Your Profile. The Feed maintained my interactions with other “Fitocrats” all around. I could talk, encourage and request feedback from Fitocrats. --Tre Lawrence
Telepath Tactics
This is a special edition of our Kickstarter Spotlight column, because a promising turn-based strategy game that is planned to release on Android has just launched its Kickstarter campaign. Sinster Design’s Telepath Tactics is taking a second shot at getting funded on Kickstarter, and there’s plenty of reasons to care about this throwback to the days of 2D grid-based turn-based strategy games like Shining Force and Fire Emblem. The game has hopes to be a deep single- and multiplayer experience, but it needs the help of backers in order to reach its goal.
As the title intimates, telepathy plays a big part, as the game takes place in Sinister Design’s Telepath RPG series, full of characters with powerful mental abilities. These not only represent the standard magical ability tropes such as healing and ranged attacks, but it’s also possible to do things like push and pull enemies into water or lava, which will do damage to them. It’s also just funny to push an enemy into a fiery grave. It’s also possible to do things like build bridges (or destroy them), freeze water to walk across, and set traps to help keep enemies away, or to draw them in to a strategic disadvantage. --Joseph Bertolini
Slingshot Racing
Good racing games need not require the fastest, most realistic cars. Sometimes they don’t even require cars with engines at all. Meet Slingshot Racing from Bolt Creative and publisher Crescent Moon Games. These cars are propelled by slingshotting around grappling points spread throughout the tracks, trying to jostle with other cars, hit speed boosts aligned on the tracks, and just finish as quickly as possible. The controls are simple: tap and hold on the screen to latch on to the nearest grapple point, and release to let go. The controls work 99% of the time, though rarely a different grapple point will be hit than what the player expects, but it’s otherwise easy enough to pick up on. --Carter Dotson
Angry Birds Toons Launches This Weekend
The new Angry Birds Toons cartoon series premieres this weekend, March 17th, and you can watch it in all Angry Bird apps. Just download an update to your Angry Birds app and get them access on Sunday to a new in-game channel button. Angry Birds Toons will feature 52 episodes allowing us all to enjoy a new cartoon airing at the same time every weekend. Go update your apps and get ready to learn more about the Angry Birds and the Bad Piggies!