This Week at 148Apps: June 13-17

Posted by Kyle Flanigan on June 20th, 2011

This week, June 13-17, 148Apps announced that is will be one of this year's Muther of All Hackathons media sponsors. "148Apps is proud to be a media sponsor of the Muther of All Hackathons coming up next weekend in Mountain View, CA. The goal of this hackathon is quite ambitious, they hope to develop 100 mobile applications in just 24 hours!" writes 148Apps Founder Jeff Scott. And, as part of a special promotion to mark the occasion, we'll be giving away ten free passes to the Hackathon. Click here for all the details.

In other news, with Father's Day looming ever closer, Namco have slashed their prices across over twenty applications, including PAC-MAN and Isaac Newton's Gravity. "If there is one thing that everyone loves about Father’s Day it is spending a little quality time with their parents, right?" quips Blake Grundman, contributor at 148Apps. "Okay, so maybe some of us may not be as eager to spend quality time bonding with our parental units, so why not give your Dad a game or two instead?" The full list, available here, represents a temporary price cut that will be reversed after the big day - so grab your copies now!


On the application front, the Editor's Choice badge was awarded to Vice President Al Gore's interactive book, Our Choice. "This app will not only inform, but also help readers become proactive in the fight to save Earth. Eco-warriors, tech junkies, and readers alike should celebrate Our Choice, it’s interactive reading as never before seen on iOS" writes Lisa Caplan, who awarded the application five stars for its flawless user interface and iPhone integration. Our Choice is available for $4.99, and can be downloaded by following the link below.

With SEGA's announcement to move their console titles Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing to the iOS platform, Blake Grundman had a hands-on with upcoming application. "If what I played was any indication, players will want everything you can snag. Oh, and did I mention multiplayer? There will be both local and online multiplayer available at launch that will accommodate for matches between folks on both iPad and iPhone." Coming soon.

Favorite Four took a turn to board games this week, as Kevin Stout examines the most enjoyable turn-based games available to download. RISK, Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne and Game Table all made it to the mix. See the full run-down here. Remember that iOS 5 will bring Game Center support to turn-based games, meaning the titles above, and others of the same concept, can be played through Apple's official social gaming network.

Finally, Episode 89 of The Portable Podcast is now available to download, featuring special guests Colin Walsh of Celsius Game Studios, Gavin Bowman of Retro Dreamer and Peter Bibey of Strapped to a Meteor Studies. Host Carter Dotson discusses iOS 5 and the future of development on the platform.

That's it for this week - be sure to check back soon for all your latest iOS news!