Tag: New year »

Ubisoft's new runner, Monkey King Escape, tells the story of the Monkey King as he races to escape the Jade Emperor's armies. The story is based on the classic Chinese novel, Journey to the West.

You'll be flying, dashing, and jumping your way through the mythical world of Chinese mythology. You can also connect with your friends online to compare scores and see who is the most agile Monkey King of them all. In celebration of the Chinese New Year, there will be two special in-game powers for a limited time. You'll be able to decrease your speed by changing into a sheep or increase your running distance by performing the Lion dance.

You can download Monkey King Escape for free on the App Store now.

It's that time of the year where many of us make plans on how to improve life for the next 12 months. In my case, my resolutions are based around learning new skills and remembering to relax and take some time out every now and then. Like with any resolution, though, we all need motivation and regular reminders to keep at it. There are plenty of apps that can help you in a multitude of ways, but we've rounded up our four favorites, each hopefully making life a little more successful!

WishLab
Visualization is a vital key to keeping strong and working towards your goals, even when times get tricky. WishLab is an app that encourages precisely that, by offering a place to write about wishes and aims, as well as allowing for time frames to be set, and progress to be tracked. Users can write about how they're feeling about their goals, as well as be inspired by others through social features. The app will even remind users to keep going via push notifications or email alerts. Once the goal has been achieved, there's an attractive section within the app to look back at how things went and feel good about oneself.

The Habit Factor
Habit building is an important part of completing goals and ambitions. The Habit Factor encourages such sensibilities by tracking everything imaginable, from drinking water regularly to remembering to complete a certain number of exercise repetitions each day. It's a little pricier than other tools, but its great user interface, color coding and note taking facilities should boost anyone's motivation to achieve their goals.

Fitocracy
One of the most popular New Year's resolutions each year is to exercise more frequently. While Fitocracy can't force anyone to get moving, it can give them great reason to persevere. Using a leveling up system, the app challenges users to compete with their friends, unlock achievements and complete quests. It effectively turns exercise into a game, which is something that many people can relate to and be motivated by. Plus, it's fun to look back on progress as they steadily improve.

Roller Journal
A mixture of useful tools, Roller Journal both provides a simple way of keeping a journal, while also encouraging users to reflect on the past year and plan ahead for the coming months. This is done through it asking the user a series of questions, creating the perfect foundations to a high quality journal to look back on. Simply writing about what you've accomplished that day can do wonders to your productivity levels and Roller Journal appreciates that.

This week at 148Apps.com, everything was about end of the year wrap-ups and countdowns. Carter Dotson compiled an extremely helpful multi-part 148Apps Top Apps of 2012, and he also gave us his Favorite Things of 2012: "In particular, Super Crate Box and Super Hexagon both left me in states of constant desire, wanting to get that high score while tackling the immense difficulty both games presented. Yet there was one consistent thread in both: failure was usually my fault, the factor of poor execution rather than random chance. It makes success feel all that more empowering. The byproduct of it is constant failure, and frequent profanity usage."

Oprah has nothing on Carter. Read his full list of Favorite Things on 148Apps.

What's a New Year's celebration without pizza? Is it any wonder, then, that Amy Solomon at GiggleApps.com reviewed Bamba Pizza: "This is the fourth year my son will receive play food as a large part of his holiday and birthday gifts from my husband and me. Although he has different hobbies as well that are demonstrated in the other toys he plays with, not a day goes by that it isn’t a birthday for a doll or stuffed animal where pizza is always served, along with cake, cookies and many other selections.

Although I would never expect Bamba Pizza or other apps like it to take the place of playing with toys in the real world, my son also enjoys playing with these types of apps when away from the house or when lying in bed before or after a full night’s sleep, when play food items are not welcome."

Read all of Amy's review at GiggleApps.

The holidays also present endless opportunities for taking photos. AndroidRundown.com reviewer Tre Lawrence showcases a venerable iOS photo app, now making the transition to Android: "There was a time, not all that long ago, when cameras on phones were not too hot. The hardware was rudimentary, and the accompanying software bordered on the silly. Pictures were not that great.
Since then, it has gotten better… much better. So much so, that for many people, their smartphone cameras are the cameras for everyday use.

Snapseed (from Nik Software) is an app that looks to perfect the picture-taking experience. It is a photo-editing title that incorporates a lot of the features people have come to expect with apps of this type. Being chock-full of fan favorite filters definitely makes it an interesting offering."

Read Tre's full review at AndroidRundown.

By this time next week, we will be in 2013, so all of us at 148Apps would like to take this moment to thank you for your constant readership throughout 2012. Without you, loyal reader, we simply wouldn't exist! Thank you, and Happy New Year from 148Apps!

Whether your New Year's resolution is to lose weight, have more energy, or just take better care of yourself, the iOS App Store has lots of fitness and health apps to help. We've taken a closer look at the best from Apple's own New Year, New You list to help you pick the ones right for you.

P90X - By Beachbody, LLC
The P90X can be a punishing workout. Use this app to keep on track and keep the muscles burning with a schedule, track and sync progression with the P90X website, and purchase P90X workout bundles with video and audio guides.

Gorilla Workout : Athletic Fitness Training on a Budget - By Heckr LLC
Working out is great, but unless a substantial in-home gym is available, it usually requires a trip to the gym. However, this app will instruct users on tons of different workouts at 4 different levels that require no equipment at all. A great way to get fit on a budget.

Pocket Yoga - By Rainfrog, LLC
Yoga is a great way to workout out at home, but unless a trained yoga instructor is handy it can be hard to do it right. This app will guide users through various yoga workouts with voice instructions and illustrated instructions. Airplay can also be used to play on a larger screen.

There are even more fitness apps, after the break.

Happy New Year to all of our readers! We had a great end to 2011 across all of the 148Apps sites. At our flagship 148Apps.com site, writers Rob LeFebvre and Carter Dotson posted a series of articles counting down the "Favorite 50" apps and games of 2011. The lists cover every genre and type imaginable, but if you want to cut to the quick, take a look at the top five apps or the top five games. Whether you agree or disagree with our decisions, we feel sure you'll discover a few new apps along the way.

Over at GiggleApps, writer Amy Solomon continued her mission to review the best new apps for children by reviewing Kids Food Adventure. Solomon writes, "Kids Food Adventure is a very nice universal app that is geared towards encouraging children to try new foods.

The foods included in the application can be searched by season, as one can look at a calendar where each month of the year has seven foods that are in season, and I like how one can pre-select an area of the world – be it North America or Europe – to make the food selections offered, which are accurate in terms of seasonal availability."

Read the full review on GiggleApps.

Finally, on AndroidRundown, Carter Dotson commented on why Android phones currently have OnLive, while iOS users are still out in the cold. Dotson says, "So, here we are, two weeks later, and OnLive is still only on Android. It was announced to be released for iOS along with the Android version, but no real reason has been given as to the delay of the iOS version, beyond that Apple is still examining it for approval.
Without firsthand knowledge of the process, I can only assume that Apple is not likely to approve it because it will not fit their policies. See, OnLive’s client is all cloud-based; even the interface and menus to choose games are streamed from their servers. This also means that buying new games comes from operations occuring on their servers."

Read Carter Dotson's full commentary on AndroidRundown.

So here's to a fantastic 2012 for everyone. We'll stay with you throughout the year, covering all of the latest iOS news, reviews, sales and more. If you want to stay on top of all the happening, plus get plugged into giveaways, follow us on our Twitter and our Facebook streams. Happy New Year!

App Entertainment is celebrating the new year by offering all of their apps for $0.99 between January 8-10. This includes their flagship app, FaceFighter, which lets you create virtual sparring partners using pictures of your friends. Good times! FaceFighter received a favorable review from us back in June, and is currently nominated for 2009 BestAppEver in the categories of Best Productivity Killer and Best Use of Bluetooth.

The other titles on sale are the light-hearted puzzle game Zombie Pizza, and Appy Newz - Scandal Maker!, which has also been for BestAppEver in the Best Photo Manipulation App category.

Lets face it, everyone likes a sale - and I imagine even more so when this said sale involves grabbing a bunch of pretty great iPhone apps for almost next to nothing! For the second year running, Minnesota based indie developers Howling Moon Software have rounded up some well loved developers to bring a snatching of seriously cool App Store titles at awesome discounts!

Starting December 31st 2009 and ending January 1st 2010, each of the included titles will be discounted from their normal price, allowing you to snap up the dev(s) hard work at a pittance, and with titles such as Retro Dreamer's ghoulish Eyegore's Blast, Chaotic Box's bubble popping frenzy Pinch n' Pop, Howling Moon's physics-filled Crayon Ball and Exosyphen Studios' roller coaster offering Rail Adventures, there's something for everyone!

Here's a full list of the applications set to go on sale:

Twilight Golf - $1.99 (was $2.99)
Crayon Ball - $1.99 (was $2.99)
Eyegore's Eye Blast- $0.99 (was $1.99)
Pinch 'n Pop! - $0.99 (was $1.99)
Pollywog - $0.99 (was $1.99)
Smiles Zen - $0.99 (was $1.99)
Smiles - $1.99 (was $2.99)
Train Conductor - $1.99 (was $3.99)
iTweetReply - $0.99 (was $1.99)
CatTaTa - $0.99 (was $1.99)
RocketFuse - $0.99 (was $1.99)
Rail Adventures - $0.99 (was $1.99)
SpaceDuel! - $0.99 (was $1.99)
Ringo - $0.99 (was $1.99)
Screw the Dealer - $0.99 (was $1.99)
CashMachine - $0.99 (was $1.99)
Outnumbered - Free! (was $0.99)
iHurt - $0.99 (was $1.99)
Dragon Eye - Free! (was $0.99)
iType2Go - $0.99 (was $1.99)
Tap-Fu - $0.99 (was $1.99)
Rogueship - $1.99 (was $2.99)
Hi, How Are You - $0.99 (was $1.99)
3D Wizard Wand - $0.99 (was $1.99)

Showcasing 25 iPhone applications of all description and size, this yearly "App Blowout" sale is described as being a unique way for independent developers targeting the App Store and Apple's iPhone and iPod touch to promote their software to the masses, and of course offer a little something special moving into the new year.

So, Where is all this going down? I hear you ask. Well, simply slide on over to: newyearappblowout.com. There, starting December 31st all the prices changes listed above will come into effect, and we're told by Andy of Howling Moon Software that the applications will be discounted for 48 hours - and so advice is to get in quick!

I know for sure that I'll be keeping an eye on how this one plays out, and as I'm sure you'll agree, there are some great title reductions up there this year!

The new year just recently passed, it's only been a few weeks, but you might find yourself faltering a little on your new years resolutions. Now is the time to re-commit to your resolutions, before it's too late. And maybe the iPhone can help.

Some of the most common resolutions have to do with health, money, and organization. Three things that the iPhone can help you track and organize. We're going to share some of the best applications for this, hoping to help you stick to those resolutions.