Apple iPhone Apps | Gear Diary

Health and Fitness July 5, 2013

RoadID Debuts Companion iPhone App

I am sure I sound like a broken record, but everyone who is even moderately active should have a Road ID product. These simple bracelets and tags let you keep emergency contact and health information on your wrist, shoe, or around your neck so that, if something were to happen to you and you are unable to communicate, first responders have information to help assist you. The products are inexpensive but offer an immeasurable value and, more importantly, safety. Road ID is now taking their protective ideas to a new level now with an iPhone app that offers its own safety-minded…

Gear Bits June 28, 2013

Evernote Turns Five- When Did You Subscribe?

Evernote is five years old and its growth sees no time of slowing any time soon. The company’s iOS app was one of my most important productivity apps early on. And, since then, Evernote’s various apps have become increasingly powerful. (I love capturing handwritten pages with the new Page Camera!) The other day they sent out emails to all Evernote subscribers thanking them for their support and indicating what number subscriber each was. Here’s the text of Mike’s email and his number. Yes, there are 65 million Evernote users and Mike is below 100,000. Not bad! Judie, however has been using…

Game Diary June 27, 2013

Massively Multiplayer RPG Murim Wars Shutting Down July 1st!

Last December I wrote about the promising online RPG Murim Wars, an innovative game that sought to push boundaries by bringing the online gaming experience across PC, iOS and Android. After it launched I played a bit, but the game was really not in a style that captured my interest. This must have been true for many others as well. The game is getting shut down on July 1st and the process has already begun- when I went to install the game it showed up as ‘not available in your country’ already! Here is what the notice says: With a…

Reviews June 22, 2013

Eye-Fi Mobi Memory Card Review – Your Camera Wants One Now!

One of the big selling points of the Sony NEX-6 I recently purchased was the built-in WiFi that allows for wireless on-the-go transfers from the camera to an iOS device. (Yeah, I like the small size, awesome picture quality and interchangeable lenses too but this WiFi thing really caught my eye!) Fortunately you don’t need to go out and buy a new camera in order to get wireless on-the-go transfers of images from your camera to you mobile device. Eye-Fi’s new mobi SD card lets anyone add the functionality to just about any camera. And with an 8GB card running…

Game Diary, Reviews June 21, 2013

Pilot Brothers 2 HD for iPad Review – Hit that Hint Button!

I have to confess that I didn’t really ‘get’ the original Pilot Brothers game, but by the end I enjoyed myself and was able to recommend the game to others. I still never really followed what was going on, or the reasoning behind the different capabilities for each brother, but the charm of the presentation and the overall fun and challenge won me over. Now that Pilot Brothers 2 is out, will I enjoy it as much?

Editorials, Game Diary June 20, 2013

Why I Want a $60 Game for My iPad … and Why You Should Too

Way back in 2009, I was lamenting the insulting cheapness of App Store games, and also the destructive ‘race for the bottom’ in terms of mobile game pricing. At the time we were seeing big game companies struggle due to the large budgets of ‘AAA’ games requiring massive sales volumes, and that dictating choices made in terms of franchises to pursue and so on. Over the last few years, Indie games have exploded, and they have shown that for a much smaller budget a game can still deliver a high-quality experience. And yet on the iPad we are still getting an…

Editorials, Game Diary June 17, 2013

Has Gaming Changed with Our New Mobile Devices?

Since the Atari 2600 days, I have loved to play games. I went through the different versions of Nintendo systems and PlayStations, amazed at how each release became so real and advanced. Many hours were spent trying to defeat Legend of Zelda or unlock all of the cars in Gran Tourismo or getting my playbook just right in NCAA Football. Not sure hardcore gamer would ever be one of my labels, but I did have my niche in the gaming world and loved to play. My gaming habits have changed so much as of late. Of course, some of that…

Music Diary, Reviews June 13, 2013

AmpliTube Gets New ‘Studio’ Interface in Major Update – Hands-On Review

Along with the original iRig, IK Multimedia delivered AmpliTube, a high quality guitar amplifier and effects chain simulator. It all started simply enough, with a few effects and amp simulators and a solid sound that made it a great ‘practice amp’ in much the way the RockMan worked for musicians in the early 80s. Since then IK Multimedia has improved and refined and added loads of features – and now introduces the new ‘Studio’ interface as part of the version 3.0 update. Which is free to all existing customers. Let’s take a look!

Game Diary, Reviews June 13, 2013

Righteous Kill Movie Game for the Mac Review

Have you ever seen the film Righteous Kill? I never did, and consulting RottenTomatoes tells me I didn’t miss much – I did try to stream it, but it wasn’t freely available so I requested it from Goozex, but I wasn’t able to get it before doing this review. Turns out it doesn’t matter, since this game is more ‘based on’ the movie then actually tied to the film. Based on what I hear, that is a good thing. As for the game itself – let’s take a look!

Game Diary, Reviews June 12, 2013

Sky Gamblers Storm Raiders Review

Throughout my career as a student and teacher, World War II has always been my favorite subject to study. I have looked at the war through all sides’ eyes and studies all aspects of the weaponry. The advancement of the air war has always intrigued me, and in my opinion it is what brought WWII into modern warfare. From fast fighter planes to huge bombers, the world was forever changed by the idea of air superiority. During college, I spent a lot of time writing papers and studying planes from the USAF, RAF and German Luftwaffe. When I saw Sky…

Reviews June 9, 2013

Pixuru Turns Your Digital Photos into Works of Art

Between my iPhone 5, my Sony NE-6 and my iPad mini I take more pictures than ever. You probably do too. The actual process of taking pictures is fun, but the question of what to do with the pictures once they are taken is often hard to answer. Pixuru has a great suggestion for what to do with your digital pictures. More accurately, Pixuru has a series of answers to the question of what to do with your digital photographs.The service made it possible for me to check out three of their offerings and I am happy to say I’m…

Game Diary, Reviews June 7, 2013

Scurvy Scallywags for iOS Review

Puzzle Quest is one of my all-time favorite casual RPG games. With a cool story, integrated RPG level-up mechanics and fun match-3 gameplay you were always challenged but in a way that worked for quick-hit gaming on the go. It is a formula that many have attempted to imitate with varying degrees of success. The latest game making the attempt is Scurvy Scallywags, which has the distinction of having some major names at the helm. Let’s take a look and see how they did!

Game Diary, Gear Bits, News & Features June 7, 2013

Deus Ex: The Fall Announced, Bringing Classic Franchise to iOS Devices!

The history of the Deus Ex goes back to the PC-only release of the 2000 cyberpunk story-based action-RPG shooter hybrid from Warren Spector and ION Storm (a PS2 port came in 2002). To say that the game was groundbreaking doesn’t begin to cover it … the combination of elements from various genres were each done extremely well – so shooter fans loved it, RPG fans loved it, adventure-story fans loved it, graphics fans loved it and so on. In fact:

Game Diary, Reviews June 6, 2013

G5 Releases Where Angels Cry (Mac Version) Review

I have noted that G5 Entertainment continues doing a great job bringing games to a variety of platforms including iOS and Android, but also Mac, PC, Kindle Fire, Nook, Windows Phone and so on. Most games are cross-platform ports, but that means that gamers get a chance to check out these great games on their preferred platform. I reviewed and enjoyed Where Angels Cry HD on the iPad, but now that it is out for the Mac, let’s take a look and see how it made the port! Type of app: Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (HOPA) Platform/where to buy: Mac…

Game Diary, News & Features June 1, 2013

The Shadow Sun Gets New Screens as Release Approaches!

Back in the early Fall of 2010, Ossian Studios released the first screens and information for their in-progress iOS RPG called ‘The Shadow Sun’. Ossian was already known to RPG fans as the studio formed by ex-Bioware producer Alan Miranda, which had created some of the best third-party content for Neverwinter Nights and Neverwinter Nights 2. In short, these guys know their stuff, and they put forth their mission – the “ultimate goal of creating a top-quality PC/console RPG experience on iOS.” Since then there has been little news other than delays and removal of a specific time frame for…

News & Features May 31, 2013

Super Stickman Golf 2 Update on the Horizon!

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve spent many hours hitting the links on Super Stickman Golf 2. I have played countless, and I mean that literally, countless multiplayer matches. I’ve completed all courses, found almost all of the golf bux (just one alludes me!), and collected 27 out of the 30 hats. Just as I’m about to complete all that SSG2 has to offer, I was thrilled to hear that Noodlecake Studios has announced an upcoming update for my favorite game. The developers have listened to player feedback and have come up with a list of new content that…

Game Diary, Reviews May 30, 2013

Build It Miami Beach Resort HD for iPad Review

When you read a title and see a quick game description, it is easy to make assumptions about what to expect. That is certainly the case with Build It Miami Beach Resort, which immediately made me think of the Build-a-Lot series we’ve reviewed here several times. However, while there are certain similarities, the games are distinct – and Build It Miami Beach Resort stands on its own quite solidly as something worth checking out!

Editorials May 29, 2013

Happify Is Stressing Me Out!

Most people have some sort of stress or anxiety in their life that they would love to address – things like coping with stress, appreciating what we have, doing better with our relationships, managing our time, and more. That is the basis behind Happify, a new site and service that seeks to use research findings stating that ‘happiness is a skill’ to help guide people to a more balanced and happy life. Take a look: So … how does it work?

Reviews May 28, 2013

Tetris Blitz for iPhone Review

The other day, my students and I were discussing how far computers have come, especially with gaming. I was telling them how my friends and I always played Tetris back in the 90’s when there was finally color and good audio on our school computers. We would play the game for hours, often surviving until the levels moved so fast we could barely see the shapes. The Russian themed backgrounds and music were so epic coming from the Apple IIe days. The kids were amused, not by the change in technology, but in the simplicity of the game. One told…

Editorials May 28, 2013

It May Seem Obvious, but App Updates Are Awesome!

Last week I noticed that the excellent Pocket Informant had been updated, and when checking out the update I knew I needed to capture that screen – I mean, just LOOK at the image above to see some of what was updated! This is version 3.0, which introduced major interface changes as well as integration with other apps and so on. It is an app I bought early on in the App Store days, and one that AT MOST would have cost $15 (I think I got it on an early sale for $6.99, but can’t recall). This is an…

Secret Society Game Tweaks Your Dopamine Reward System

Game Diary, Reviews May 25, 2013

The Secret Society from G5 Tweaks Your Dopamine Reward System to the Max!

The most ‘addictive’ games are the ones that activate your ‘dopamine reward system’, which is your brains way of dealing with things that feel good. It is the system that makes any positive achievement feel so great and send a ‘rush of good feelings’ over you in those moments. For the new generation of mobile games fueled by in-app purchases, ‘dopamine management’ is a critical factor to keeping gamers on the hook and paying up. Several months ago G5 Entertainment introduced The Secret Society, and have been updating it ever since. I started playing a week or so ago, and…