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This Week at 148 Apps, November 21-25

Posted by Chris Kirby on November 26th, 2011

This week at 148Apps.com was all about the US celebration of Thanksgiving, and the inevitable retail aftermath known as Black Friday. Rather than fight the crowds, 148Apps founder Jeff Scott put together a comprehensive Black Friday app sale list that continues to grow, and grow and grow. Scott says, "App sales are nothing new, but the biggest of the year is here, and we’ll be tracking the best of the sale apps right here. Expect lots of updates over the weekend."

Take a look at the full list on 148Apps.

Jeff Scott also invited faithful 148Apps.biz readers to attend the upcoming AppNation III conference, saying, "Want to attend AppNation III? 148Apps network readers can get a 30% discount on the registration fee by using code 148APPS on the registration page."

Read more about the conference on 148Apps.biz.

Meanwhile, at AndroidRundown, site editor Rob LeFebvre celebrated the release of Disney interactive's Where's My Water? for the Android platform. LeFebvre writes, "Android has been part of the plan since the development of Where’s My Water? for the iPhone crowd. In fact, the game was originally developed with C++, to make it easier to port to Android. The challenge, he said, is making sure the game is the same high quality experience across the myriad devices represented by Google’s hip operating system."

Read the full story on AndroidRundown.

Finally, on our parent-friendly GiggleApps site, Amy Solomon reviewed Don't Let The Pigeon Run This App! Solomon writes, "I love these books. Pigeon can be cheeky, and my son has used pigeons’s one-liners, such as offering to “Give you five bucks” himself to try to stay up late. For this reason, some parents may feel that this pigeon is a bad influence on children, but I love the idea of my son practicing his ability to say “no” to this scheming pigeon as I want him to be prepared to stand his ground later in life when he is confronted by peer pressure, and I want him to recognize when he is being manipulated."

Read the full review on GiggleApps.

And that's a wrap for this Thanksgiving week! But don't forget to follow us on Twitter and "Like" us on Facebook to get the latest news, reviews and contests. See you next time!

This Week at 148Apps, October 31-November 4

Posted by Chris Kirby on November 7th, 2011

This week at 148Apps, once we were all finished with our Halloween and post-Halloween merriment, writer Lisa Caplan explored the vast landscape of camera replacement apps for the iPhone. Caplan writes, "Apple has done a lot to improve the native camera app with iOS 5 and lucky iPhone 4S owners are already taking the highest quality iPhone images ever. But, even with the tune up, many of the most requested features from manual adjustments to photo bursts, darkroom effects to more sharing options (Facebook anyone?) are still lacking. But, the app store is filled with alternatives so this week we look at our favorite four camera replacement apps."

Unlock your iPhone's photo potential by reading the full article on 148Apps.com.

Over at our kid's apps headquarters, GiggleApps, Amy Solomon took a closer look at an innovative 3D comic book called The Gwaii. Solomon states, "This app does have some 3D effects as well that are best seen as one moves the device, looking at the additional angles that this provides. The 3D here is effective but somewhat overly sensitive to touch and there have been moments that I wish I would have turned this element off, trying to keep my hand steady to minimize the screen movements. I think this effect may be a distraction for some children, while others may really enjoy this effect."

Read more about this new interactive storybook on GiggleApps.com.

Finally, AndroidRundown featured an article by Carter Dotson that attempted to address the iOS versus Android ongoing argument head-on. Dotson says, "The thing to remember, though, is that Android and iOS are different in their very natures. iOS is a piece of Apple software, following Apple principles; it is designed to run on specific hardware. That is a big part of why the experience is often smoother. Android is designed to run on many, many forms of hardware, not just what Google has intended for it to run on. Yes, Google has their stock devices that run a pure Android, but Android is meant to be something bigger, and not as something tailored to one set of hardware. That Android is on the caliber of Android is impressive."

Add your voice to the argument after reading the full article on AndroidRundown.com.

That is the week that was. What started with Halloween ended with the first onslaught of holiday commercials on television, so keep your eye on 148Apps.com and our Facebook and Twitter streams for the latest reviews and helpful hints to get you through the holiday season. See you next week, readers!

Girl With a Heart of - Fear the Light

Posted by Rob Rich on October 23rd, 2011

Girl With a Heart of (that's the full title, best make peace with it) tells the story of Raven, a young girl living in the dark city of Underfoot. A young girl with an artificial heart. When Underfoot is attacked by the Light's army, Raven will have to make use of her special "condition" to play a vital role in this war. What that means is a mystery (for now). How it all ends will depend on the player.

The concept behind Girl With a Heart of's world is what really caught my attention. I find the idea of a world where the presumed roles of light and darkness are reversed to be fascinating. I also enjoy a good interactive narrative, and I'm curious to see some of these choices and experience some of these "life-altering consequences" for myself. But to do that, I have to wait.

Girl With a Heart of is due out in the App Store next month (November 17th) and will carry a $2.99 price tag.

Apolline & Leon GiggleApps Review

Posted by Chris Kirby on August 11th, 2011
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Apolline & Leon is a lovely and fun interactive universal storybook app that kids and adults will enjoy. This app includes an impressive nine languages, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian,

Russian, Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese, making this an excellent app for bilingual families or for those who may want to expose their children to the sounds of a different language. One can listen to narration or choose not to, and I like that a summary of pages is also included – always a nice addition.

Read the full review at GiggleApps.

Be Ready for Anything (ANYTHING) With The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Posted by Rob Rich on August 11th, 2011

This fall, Douglas Adams nerds will have the granddaddy of all iOS apps to show off to their friends. Whether they actually care or not. Hothead Games, in a somewhat obvious attempt to prove that the entire planet owes them a drink, is making a "real" Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for the iPhone and iPad. I'm not talking about an e-book or movie companion or any of that mundane stuff, but a fully realized and interactive rendition of the iconic inter-stellar travel guide.

It's hard to come up with words to say about this news when my brain keeps going "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Pushing on, there's no definitive release date yet aside from "fall," but it should be out this year which is enough to make any Guide fan happy I'd think. Judging by the screen shots, it looks like a kind of mash-up of of the original concept from Adams' books and the slightly "modernized" one found in the 2005 film. As for the actual content, Hothead Producer Joel DeYoung had this to say:

We really focused on taking existing Guide entries and presenting them in a new, interactive way... We have so much respect for the original that we had to stay true to the style of Douglas Adams, and deliver an app that feels familiar to fans, but updated for today’s devices.

Sure it won't amount to much more than a fancy iOS toy, but oh what a toy! My inner (and outer) nerd can't wait to start flipping through entries, reading up on Babel Fish, towels and everything else I'm probably only interested in right now due to nostalgia. "Fall" can't get here soon enough, as far as I'm concerned.

Fierce Grey Mouse HD GiggleApps Review

Posted by Chris Kirby on August 9th, 2011

Fierce Grey Mouse HD is a delightful interactive story about a grey mouse who wants to be fierce like a wild animal. It is simply delightful to watch this mouse practice his fierceness – the roaring, and the pouncing, along with the exercising and healthy eating habits that it takes to grow big and strong. The only pitfall is that all grand, fierce gestures have scared his friends, and now there is nobody to play with. Rest assured; all ends well in this charming story that kids will enjoy, and maybe even relate to. Versions are available for both iPhone as well as iPad.

Read the full review at GiggleApps.

The Polyphonic Spree Release Song Via Interactive iPad App

Posted by Jennifer Allen on July 13th, 2011
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

The Polyphonic Spree haven't quite made it in the fair lands of Britannia, where I reside, but thanks to the wonders of the internet, I know they produce some interesting music indeed. Their latest song release is perhaps the most interesting yet, but not for conventional reasons.

This time round, The Polyphonic Spree have released their new song as part of an interactive iPad app. The new tune, Bullseye, can be listened to while creating sounds through the app as the user explores a mystical, neon forest environment. Users control You-Me, a small creature trying to find his way around the world. Plants and creatures can be brought to life as users interact with things around them. Plus of course there's the all important new song, Bullseye, which is available in Studio and Acoustic forms.

It's an interesting move for music promotion. While mostly an interactive music video, it's still a great step for a traditionally passive form of media. It'll be interesting to see if other bands promote their new music through an app before conventional iTunes based releases.

Bullseye by Polyphonic Spree is out now and priced at $1.99.

ParkBud Review

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Gianna LaPin on May 27th, 2011
Our rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar :: LIVES UP TO THE HYPE
ParkBud is proof that functional can also be beautiful. This well-designed parking app has been soaring to the #1 position on chart after chart, and quite frankly, it does not disappoint.
Read The Full Review »

TweetyPop

iPad App - Designed for iPad
By Kevin Stout on May 12th, 2011
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: COSMIC
TweetyPop presents tweets in an interesting and visually appealing way.
Read The Full Review »

Node Beat

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Gianna LaPin on May 4th, 2011
Our rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar :: RELAXING AND FUN
If you’re the sort who enjoys playing with meditative toys like tabletop Zen sand gardens, you’ll probably enjoy this relaxing and visually appealing sound app.
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Dracula HD on iPad Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Chantelle Joy Duxbury on September 30th, 2010
Our rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: INTERACTIVE INTRIGUE
A haunted tale of stately and vampiric proportions, told with atmospheric music and interactive style.
Read The Full Review »

UpNext 3D NYC

By Bonnie Eisenman on May 20th, 2009
Think of UpNext as a mash-up between a 3D version of Google Maps and Yelp, but it's only for NYC. Darn! It also displays subway routes, lets you bookmark locations, and more. If you're going to be in New York, this is definitely a utility worth looking at
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