Temple Run was one of those unlikely successes – a simple ‘endless runner’ game that has you continuously running and trying to collect as many coins as possible before dying. It was the simplicity and easy charm that made the game quick to pick up and hard to put down. Now the game has passed 1 BILLION downloads!
Just about a year ago, I reviewed Scurvy Scallywags for iOS systems, and summed it up as a “great game, great fun, great price”. The game is an innovative Match-3 / RPG Mash-Up designed by game industry veterans Ron Gilbert and Clayton Kauzlaric, and has just released on the Google Play store as a free game with in-app purchases.
Online link and content saver Pocket (formerly Read It Later) today unveiled a paid version for $5/mo or $44.99 / year which could be of interest to anyone who frequently saves web content for later review. Unlike the unpaid app version, the paid edition will automatically download linked pages and create permanent versions of content of links you’ve saved.
Evernote just topped 100 million users; that’s pretty impressive. Even more impressive is the fact that those 100 million users can be found in any of 190 different countries. Taken together, the two numbers speak to the fact that the popular and powerful service meets a truly international need; this milestone reminded me that many of us were early subscribers.
Are you a CardMunch user? Dan and I were for ages; I liked how CardMunch made it so easy to request a LinkedIn connection after scanning business cards. But as time went on, and I got tired of seeing my scanned cards sitting in purgatory pending, I started using Evernote as my card scanner. Now LinkedIn is using Evernote, too.
My HTC One M8 is a very tall phone. 90% of the time it doesn’t bother me, but sometimes if I am using it one-handed, hitting the top power button to lock it is a stretch. I resigned myself to just dealing with it, but then I discovered a simple utility, the aptly named Screen Off and Lock!
The HTC One M8 camera is actually a twofer-there’s the main lens and then a secondary one, designed to allow for depth of field and other fun editing tricks. The result is that the right photo can go from nice to WOW in just a few clicks!
After purchasing my Galaxy Note 3, I did what most people do — I loaded all of my favorite Android apps. One of these was the paid app Weatherbug Elite, which I had originally bought for the G1. Unfortunately, it is no longer supported or in the Play Store — the only available version is the unpaid (and ad-riddled) version.
FarFaria is a children’s book app that has been called “Netflix for Kids.” It has a ton of awesome features, most of which you can read about in my previous post. Today is an exciting day for FarFaria, as they’ve just announced that FarFaria is now available on the Android platform. You can download it from Google Play today!
Yesterday Facebook announced the conscious uncoupling of their messaging feature from its core app. Some exceptions exist – such as if you use Paper (both of you) or some third world variant of their app. However this announcement started me thinking. Disbanding Facebook Messenger from the Facebook app as a whole is a completely absolutely brilliant move. Here’s why.
My new favorite iOS game is an auto-runner where you throw pinballs at glass obstacles to see how long you can last before you run out of balls. In the iOS/Android freebie, Smash Hit, you float through a gorgeously futuristic and ever-changing landscape trying to survive the ever-present threat of obstacles getting in your way while enjoying beautifully synchronized music.
I have a wide range of audio devices from which to choose. The one I use most? My Sonos system. (Check out our Setting Up Sonos video here.) Sonos has expanded their speaker offerings but the iOS and Android apps have remains mostly unchanged. Until now. New apps are on the way and they promise more music enjoyment than ever.
Flow is a task and collaboration app which previously had been available online or via an iPhone app. Flow introduced an iPad version in October 2012. Now in March 2014 comes Flow for Android. The application itself has undergone a re-design since its launch in 2011.
If you are a recreational tennis player, chances are you wish you could improve your game but lack the time and/or money to join a club and get a coach. But now with MyTennisCam, you can simply mount a camera, switch it on and start playing! This IndieGoGo project promises to provide feedback and analytics to help you play better. Simply place MyTennisCam on the pole of the net and start playing. Three built in high-speed cameras and sensors track your movement and the trajectory of the ball in real-time. All of the game’s data and your stats are automatically…
Google’s ubiquitous social network Google+ gets a picture editing update which allows for adding high dynamic range (HDR) effects to a single image, with a single click. HDR Scape is currently available in the Snapseed apps for Android and iOS and today you can use it in Google+ by editing a photo and clicking HDR SCAPE in the right corner.
Candy Crush Saga developer King made waves recently by trademarking the word “candy” in Europe. Yes, it’s just as ridiculous as it sounds. Several European game developers have banded together in a protest of sorts called Candy Jam, in which they are writing games involving the word “candy” for two weeks. You can read more about it here.
The UE BOOM from Logitech is one of the standout portable Bluetooth speakers we have had the chance to review. The $199.99 speaker looks great, is tough as nails and, best of all, sounds awesome. Check out our review here and update news here. Just in time for Valentines Day you can customize the speaker.
After some initial bumps in the launch road where their application was unavailable for a little while, Beats Music appears to be back to accepting new members. The initial free trial period is 7 days though AT&T customers can obtain a 30 day or 3 month trial at no cost provided the fee is billed to your AT&T account.
My iPhone-shopping brother-in-law wrote, “I think I know the answer, but is 32GB enough capacity for normal users? I do not have tremendous amounts of data and generally don’t store much in the way of videos.” iPhone storage capacity is a potential issue, but it is one that’s easily resolved thanks to the SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive.
The other day the local youth bureau called asking if my kids could help an older person set up a universal remote for multiple devices – and they declined because I was the only one in our house who knew our system! This is true for millions, making it great news as Blumoo Home Audio Remote Debuts at CES 2014!
Back in 2011 Wadjet Eye Games released Gemini Rue for PC, a sci-fi dystopian adventure with intriguing story and characters. Earlier this year they released the game for iOS devices to acclaim, and now it is available for Android through newly launched Humble Bundle 8! Loved it on iOS, and it remains one of the best mobile games this year! Type of app: Sci-Fi Adventure game Platform/where to buy: Android version in the new Humble Bundle; Also available in the Google Play Store and iTunes App Store Developer: Wadjet Eye Games Description: Gemini Rue has loads of content, including: *…