The NVIDIA Shield tablet is a solid gaming-centric device that has racked up some solid PC-port games since release. Now NVIDIA has returned at GDC with the announcement of a ‘set top gaming box’ that will be the world’s first 4K Android TV consumer product when it’s released, and also be loaded with great gaming features.
I loved Machines at War 3 for both Mac and iPad from Isotope 244, an indie developer known for making classic real-time strategy games for desktop and mobile. That game followed Land Air Sea Warfare, which was the sequel to Machines at War. LASW released for computers and iPad in 2010, and is now coming to Android on March 11!
I use my Chromecast nearly every day to watch YouTube videos and more. The one thing that has not been as easy as I would like has been watching my own videos. That has now changed with Toshiba’s new Canvio Aerocast wireless hard drive, which has very good Chromecast support. Now you can watch almost any video on your Chromecast.
Real Time Strategy games continue to be popular on the PC, but they are about to open up to a whole new fan base with the upcoming alternate reality game Timelines: Assault On America Mobile. Timelines is launching on February 17th on iOS and Android, more than a year after it released on Mac & PC.
Surprisingly based on overlapping demographics, video games have not featured widely in Super Bowl commercials in years past – maybe because the big franchises launch in late summer through the fall, maybe they were unwilling to spend the big money on the ad space, or something? But this year three ‘freemium’ mobile games spent big – but was it worth it?
I loved Duke Nukem 3D from the moment it was released for the PC in MS-DOS, which was 19 years ago this week. Since then I have played it on Mac, Windows, OS X, iOS, Android, the Nintendo GBA version, and most recently the Playstation Vita. VoidPoint has acquired the rights and is publishing a ‘Hail to the Chief’ collection!
Yesterday we invited everyone to join us on the Outlook Mobile App Challenge, which seemed like a fun way to put this new ‘universal inbox’ app to the test. Since then some significant security concerns have been identified that makes this an app that we cannot recommend using right now. As a result, we’re stopping the challenge immediately.
Yesterday I wrote about the new Outlook app for iOS/Android, calling it a truly universal inbox that aggregates emails from all of the popular webmail services – Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo!, Hotmail, and Outlook – into a single unified Inbox. I am settled in my dual Mail/Mailbox routine, so Wayne challenged me to try Microsoft Outlook only for a week. Are you in?
Last week I reviewed ‘Satellina’, the puzzle in motion game I called a rare ‘simple to learn but constantly challenging’ experience that is well worth the $1.99 cost. This week as promised Moon Kid has released the game for Android on the Google Play store, and has also unleashed a free download from the game’s unique soundtrack! Check it out!
If you use the Internet even sparingly, you’re bound to know that smart wallets are the next big change in the way that we make purchases. Swyp is the latest product that wants to combine all of your credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, and loyalty cards into one credit card-sized package. Swyp is now up for preorder for $49.
Don’t let “Deflategate” take the wind out of your Super Bowl XLIX (49) fun! Fans can get great experiences from various media, apps and more to celebrate the National Football League’s deciding game. Take a look at more “super” options and ways to get authentic gear.
I have already noted that IK Multimedia hinted at their full-on onslaught of Android music-making at NAMM, and they are delivering. They announced one of the key items this week – iRig UA, allowing users of nearly any Android device to plug in their guitar and make awesome music using a compatible app. Time for Android users to rock out!
Over the last several years card-based role-playing games have matured and branched out beyond just a few archetypes. While doing so they have also wrapped fully immersive games around the card-battle mechanic, making it easy to forget that there is even a card battle there! Honorbound has been a successful genre game, and is now expanding! Check it out!
As I wrote about during CES week, IK Multimedia is making major advancements on the Android platform for making music. They have been working on their ‘zero latency’ initiative, and the latest output of that is the availability of Groovemaker 2 for Android. Groove maker 2 brings the beat-making and remix app to nearly all capable Android devices.
Since smartphones are the most popular cameras (because they go with us pretty much everywhere), it makes sense that as their image capture technology improves, so would the tools available for editing and sharing. Today Adobe announced that they were bringing their critically acclaimed photo editing platform to Android phones, and they are releasing Adobe Lightroom Mobile for Android!
Mobile and tablet email application CloudMagic today introduces CloudMagic Pro for $4.99/mo or $44.99/year. For the money, you’ll expand the number of email accounts supported from 5 (free version) to unlimited. The pro version also offers extra options and email configuration sync across all your devices including tablets.
2014 was another strange year of simultaneously explosive growth and entrenched maturation; where most of the biggest apps solidified control in their areas, yet tons of new apps appeared and a few were hugely successful. It is a reminder that fast moving trends dominate all of the app stores, and how maturity is now more about equal choices amongst stores.
Puzzle games are like art or jokes in some ways – you either get it or you don’t, if you do it is addictive and if you don’t there is no sense trying to explain. Indie developer Moon Kid is preparing to launch Satellina, a simple color matching game that is anything but simple because it is a ‘puzzle in motion’.
Let’s be honest – I have been harshly critical of Android as a non-functional platform for making music. And while Android as a whole isn’t suddenly becoming a viable music platform, the programming hooks for low-latency audio are finally being fully exploited by developers! At NAMM later this month IK Multimedia will be demonstrating zero latency audio apps for Android.
I wrote about Wellograph when it was first announced in September, and have had one since they were first available. The rate of improvements has been incredible, so when I heard about the new stuff announced at CES, I thought ‘of course’, without surprise. The new functionality is definitely worth noting if you have considered buying a Wellograph.
I have been a LiveScribe fan since I first saw (and immediately bought) the Pulse, and today my LiveScribe 3 smartpen and notebook are with me everywhere I go. When I switched phones back to Android last year I sorely missed the LiveScribe 3 support, so it is great news that LiveScribe Android support is coming this spring!