Tag: Memory »

Rules!, the fast and adorable puzzle game by TheCodingMonkeys, has updated to include a lot of new stuff.

The game now has Beginner and Timeless modes so that players have more options if they'd prefer a more relaxing game, and has instituted leader boards so you can see where you stand on your puzzle-solving abilities. The user interface has gotten an upgrade too, with a more visible flash when rules change, improved shake detection, faster screen transitions and, faster transition to bats.

You can check out all the new stuff for Rules! on the app store for $1.99.

We can all do with a better memory. Only a daily basis, we all need to remember various dates and events, sequences of numbers, and more. Memorize IDi is an app that helps users train themselves to expand their memory's capacity by training with the app.

Memorize IDi is a mnemonic calculator that helps turn number sequences into simple images to help expand and extend the capacity of one's memory. IDi Creative claims that the app will turn "any user into a number memorization prodigy."

The app is based on a method created by French mathematician, Pierre Herigone, in 1644. His methods are still used in memory training techniques and by "memory prodigies" that compete in world championships. The developers claim that the method hasn't become as widespread in the last few centuries because of its difficulty to carry out. iOS devices provide a perfect platform for this method and therefore, Memorize IDi will help spread these techniques with the training in its app.

The app is avaible in both iPhone ($2.99) and iPad ($3.99) versions.

Able to remember names in a personal or professional setting? Yeah, neither can I. I've said it time and time again that I'm horrible at remembering names. There is nothing more awkward than trying to introduce someone I just met and then drawing a blank when trying to say their name. Apparently, I'm not alone. Namerick, ideated by Jeremy Van Fleet, just launched in the App Store and it's free for three days.

Jeremy, who was part of the three-day app building contest hosted by BeMyApp, was first inspired to create the app because he needed to remember his girlfriend's overwhelmingly large extended family. After completing the app over the weekend with a group of colleagues, the app is expected to do more than just remember family names. It might be one of the most powerful networking tools professionals can bring to a mixer.

As Dale Carnegie pointed out in his book "How to Win Friends and Influence People," remembering a person's name is the most important thing one could do to win them over. Namerick is an iPhone app that improves memory of people's names using repetition and mnemonics modeled from memory professionals and studies of the human memory.

Basically, it helps with the "three R's of memory" including recording notes, dates and categories, retaining new names and reminders and lastly, retrieving names, keywords and notes. The app will even send you notifications on a specific schedule to help you remember the names of people you just met. The name memory app is available now for free during its initial three days, then moves to $.99 thereafter.

Fruit Memory HD is, in my opinion, one of the nicest Memory-type games available on the app store, and is one that my daughters and I have a ton of fun with on a regular basis.

The thing that first caught my eye with Fruit Memory was its very clean and attractive art style that really stands out on the app store in comparison to other apps of its type. That, plus, it was all of a dollar. And because of the price, I didn't have huge expectations as all I wanted was a simple, attractive memory game. But once I loaded it up and started playing it with my daughters, I realized very quickly that every now and then a dollar provides a lot more than a dollar's worth of fun and entertainment.

When you start up Fruit Memory you're presented with an selection page that contains quite a few options, but is incredibly easy to navigate. The game can start with as few as 12 cards or as many as 40, scaling the cards in size to accommodate.

The next option allows for the selection of players. You can play on your own and keep a local leader board of how long it took to complete as well as how many moves it takes. There are separate entries for 12, 28 and 40 cards, and there are unique fruits to be found even at the 40 card level.

Once you start everything up, you get to pick your character, avatar, however you want to describe it. There are 16 options and, wouldn't you know it my twins always argue about which character they want to pick. The character designs don't seem like they make much of an impact, but they really do. The faces are made up of various internet emoticons (>.<, o.O, ^_^, T_T) and so on. Very, very cute.

The options make it really easy for even younger children who are not able to read to start up the game. The buttons are large, and very clearly marked, making it very easy for even a 2 year old to set up a game.

After you're done and you jump into the game, the layout is, simply, perfect. Each person has a tab at the bottom of the screen showing their avatar and their score. If you get a match in a turn, you can go again, otherwise it moves to the next player. It's designed nicely for a tabletop mode, and when you have 4 players it becomes 2 on 2, just great for families. One thing that I absolutely love is that each time you guess right, your avatar jumps up and down in happiness. Again, it's a simple touch, but it adds to the attractiveness of the app.

The card backs are, as the title suggests, fruits. The shapes are easy to recognize and differentiate and are very colorful. There will be no issues if your child is color-blind, either, as there is no repetition based on fruit color.

I've had my hands on quite a few other memory apps, some that are much more expensive or much fancier, just out of curiosity to see if they improve upon Fruit Memory and, at this point, I've yet to find one that I would pick in its place. The clean, simple and very visually pleasing aesthetic of the app combined with the attractive sound effects and adorable "characters" is something that is a huge hit with my whole family and, without a doubt, will be for yours too. Heck, it's a buck! You can't go wrong!