Thursday, March 3, 2011

148Apps Main

148Apps Main

JOYSTICK-IT Hardware Review

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 11:04 AM PST

Virtual d-pads and joysticks are one of the most ballyhooed subjects on iOS, as they are often cited as one of the biggest slights against touch screen gaming. One of the first solutions to attempt to improve controls on touch screens, especially tablet devices, is the JOYSTICK-IT from ThinkGeek. The JOYSTICK-IT works by having a single suction cup on the bottom in the center that attaches to the screen, and then you tilt that around on the touch screen to simulate a real joystick. Now, the JOYSTICK-IT comes with some basic instructions printed on the box that it comes with, but there are two that it should come with. One, the joysticks will not work properly with floating controls that readjust themselves based on where you put your finger down. Due to the design, they cannot create a center point for these floating controls, and they will mess up and be inaccurate. Second, your screen needs to be as clean as possible. Using a moist microfiber cloth on both your screen and the suction cups of the joysticks should do the trick. Otherwise, the joysticks will easily come off and slide around the screen. Just a word of warning – these will technically work with the iPhone/iPod touch, but they obscure so much screen space that it’s not practical usage.

Games with fixed firing joysticks work wonderfully with the JOYSTICK-IT. Games like Gun Bros., Etolis Arena, and Infinity Field feel remarkably natural with the the joystick, and you will notice an accuracy improvement while playing the game. Games with fixed digital joysticks also work well, such as Namco’s various Pac-Man games. Sega’s Genesis games running in 2X mode work really well with the JOYSTICK-IT; the best part is that the d-pad in 2X mode is just slightly larger than the footprint of the JOYSTICK-IT, so you can see in which direction you’re specifically pushing in.

The problem with the JOYSTICK-IT is its limited utility. Because it only works well with non-analog inputs, this means that you can only use it on a particular subset of games. If you like playing dual-stick shooters with floating joysticks, this won’t work for them, because the joystick cannot define a center point. For example, Max Adventure only works if you place the joysticks down after you start playing and only if you can manage to keep an end of a joystick down all the time, otherwise you’ll lose the center point, and the next time you press down, your firing or movement will be inaccurate, as it will define a new center point based in where you touched.

There’s just too many ifs, ands, and buts to properly recommend the JOYSTICK-IT, because of its design limiting the number of games it works with. For games with simulated digital inputs or 360 degree firing controls, you will notice an accuracy increase that for serious gamers, it may be worth picking up a single JOYSTICK-IT to check it out, though casual gamers will likely not find this to be a worthwhile investment. If you have any games that you’re curious to see how they work with the JOYSTICK-IT, leave a comment or send me an email and I will let you know how it works.

The JOYSTICK-IT is available from ThinkGeek for $24.99 for one, and $39.99 for two.

[ JOYSTICK-IT Hardware Review is a post from 148Apps ]

Apps mentioned in this post: Etolis: Arena, Gun Bros, Max Adventure, Ms. PAC-MAN for iPad

Favorite 4 – Note Taking Apps

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 10:30 AM PST

Simpler than Simplenote.

Simplenote – Simplenote, for one reason or another, is always a crowd favorite for simple note taking. Ridding itself of all the bells and whistles, Simplenote does a great job of creating searchable lists very quickly, with an added bonus of having instant syncing between your notes on your device and the internet. Also exciting is that Simplenote syncs with a few different desktop apps, which allows users to pick and choose the desktop interface they like best. Some people will be turned off by the lack of an official desktop app, but the WinAmp generation of PC’s past will appreciate the option to choose something different. There are limitations to Simplenote that users should be aware of, though. Unlike the rest of the feature-packed note apps, Simplenote doesn’t allow drawing or images of any kind. No handwriting recognition, PDF support, JPEG – nothing.

I like it though, and you will too. Think of it as the app version of a Smart Car: tiny but irresistible.


Simplenote


Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Buy Now: FREE
Our Rating: ★★★½☆ :: MINIMALIST
Read Our Full Review >>
Released: 2008-09-08 :: Category: Productivity

Evernote – Evernote is like the BFG of the simple note taking apps. It does everything that Simplenote does, but adds support for just about everything you could ever want. It accepts PDF’s, images, audio, and even has an official app in the Mac App Store. The coolest feature of all, though, according to me at least, is the ability to search through text within a picture. For example, let’s say that you took a picture of an ad in a magazine for a Honda Insight. After importing the picture into Evernote, the company servers turn the words on the page into searchable terms. Six months later, when you finally get around to buying a car, you can hop into Evernote and type in any word that would’ve been in the ad: Honda, MSRP, Insight, anything. It’s all very cool.

The only knock on Evernote, and this tends to come from the Simplenote camp, is that the interface is fairly chunky. There’s a lot going on, and when you just want to type in a simple note, sometimes Evernote just feels like too much. If you are a Swiss Army Knife kind of person, Evernote is definitely the app to download.


Evernote


Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Buy Now: FREE
Our Rating: ★★★★★ :: MOBILE RESEARCH
Read Our Full Review >>
Released: 2008-07-11 :: Category: Productivity

Notepad Pro for iPad – While Evernote and Simplenote are great for standard note taking, Notepad Pro steps out of the box a little bit by adding a nifty drawing feature that works great for the larger iPad screen. You can go nuts with all sorts of pen sizes and colors, or you can just draw standard pictures in plain ol’ black and white. Don’t forget to speak up either, as Notepad Pro lets you record audio while you are busy with your finger painting (I recommend a stylus). There’s no iPhone app (yet), and no online system to sync with, but people that want to use their iPads like they would a spiral notebook will be very happy with Notepad Pro.


NotePad Pro for iPad


iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Buy Now: $2.99
Released: 2010-07-15 :: Category: Productivity

PhatPad – Really, another note taking app? Well yes, but this one is a bit different. PhatPad, unlike any of the apps above, converts your handwritten text into digital text. The recognition system isn’t perfect and won’t read complete slop, but if you have decent handwriting, the recognition system is a dream. Add in support for images, maps, and syncing via Dropbox and you have yourself a handy dandy little note taking system. I do wish that it had an Evernote style Mac app, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers. If you have legible handwriting, PhatPad may be the one for you.


PhatPad


iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Buy Now: $7.99
Released: 2010-12-15 :: Category: Productivity

At the end of the day though, when I’m falling asleep and need to get one last thought down before bed though, I still find myself opening up the default note taking app. It’s not at all feature filled and doesn’t seem to sync well with anything, but I literally just can’t delete it. It’s like the app equivalent of fast food; I know it’s bad for me, but I keep finding myself in line. Speaking of fast food, In-N-Out is calling my name. Loudly.

[ Favorite 4 – Note Taking Apps is a post from 148Apps ]

Apps mentioned in this post: Evernote, NotePad Pro for iPad, PhatPad, Simplenote

Tapatalk Forum App Review

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 09:04 AM PST

Tapatalk Forum App Review

By Jason Fanguy on March 2nd, 2011
Our Rating: ★★★★☆ :: NO BRAINER
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

Tapatalk is a comprehensive, all-inclusive alternative to the standard, Safari website forum browsing struggle many of us face daily. Easy to use and as feature-rich as it needs to be, without compromising its effectiveness, Tapatalk should be the de facto standard for iDevice users when accessing their favorite web forums. If website owners/admin take advantage of the Tapatalk opportunity, they’ll make life MUCH easier for the forum-registered masses.

 

Developer: Quoord Systems Limited
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.10

iPhone Integration Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 3.83 out of 5 stars

Have you ever visited a forum using Safari on your iPhone? If you haven’t, good; keep it that way. If you have, you know it’s an anti-aesthetical, layout-logistics nightmare, resulting in a frustrating, hurried exercise in swiping, pinching, zooming, scrolling and throwing. Thanks to apps like Tapatalk, the number of flying-iphone related injuries should be significantly down everywhere.

According to Tapatalk, it currently houses 11,529 public forums (over 12,000 according to its developer, Quoord Systems Limited, with 300 added every week), spanning 12 total categories, ranging from Aquarium and Animals to Technology. There are enough sub-categories within these, such as Watch (that’s right, watches, like the kind you wear on your wrist), Cigarette and Pipe, Blues Brother Central and Rupert Grint Forum, for those of us who just can’t get enough of Rupert Grint, to appeal to even the most eclectic users.

There are hundreds of public forums listings within each category; enough to satisfy your curiosity, but most are generally obscure and known only to those die-hard Rupert Grint fans who visit the site/forum regularly. Diversity is a good thing and once well-known web destinations become familiar with Tapatalk and how easy it is to use, they’ll undoubtedly realize it’s a great tool to boost their traffic and forum memberships.

Tapatalk’s main, introductory screen consists of a collective display of the newer forums taking advantage of the Tapatalk plug-in. From this screen, users can browse these new entries, the entire collection of forums by Category, or Search for a particular forum.

Thanks to its speed and streamlined interface, using Tapatalk on the iDevice is even EASIER than participating in forums using a regular web browser. It contains most, if not all, of the features and capabilities offered by a browser, but in a compact, easy-to-use, no frills manner. Users lose very little, if anything, in the way of features and control; quite the opposite. Members can also easily see who else is online, view Board Statistics and their user profile. Users can even rearrange/re-configure their menu bar items.

Reviewing Tapatalk is different from reviewing other apps for the iDevice, because it’s one of only a small handful of similar apps. While there are several apps dedicated to specific forums, only a few, from what I found in the app store, allow users to competently access a multitude of different forums.

That said, I’ve been waiting for an app like Tapatalk. I’m registered with so many forums, I was forced to purchase a secure, personal data app to keep track with my plethora of usernames and registration info.

Overall, Tapatalk is fast, convenient, easy-to-use and works just as advertised. Once more (hopefully) web site forums jump on its bandwagon, it will truly be, as stated in its App Store description: “one of those applications that you didn’t know you needed until you had it and then you couldn’t do without it!”

Website owners/administrators, PLEASE add Tapatalk to the Tapatalk of your list of things to do!

[ Tapatalk Forum App Review is a post from 148Apps ]


Tapatalk Forum App


iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Buy Now: $2.99
Our Rating: ★★★★☆ :: NO BRAINER
Read Our Full Review >>
Released: 2009-06-10 :: Category: Social Networking

Apps mentioned in this post: Tapatalk Forum App

Ning Brings Social App Mogwee to iOS

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 08:30 AM PST

On Monday night Ning launched its social Mogwee app for iOS. The app is a brand new product from the social network-focused company and has nothing to do with its online community service.

Mogwee essentially provides an alternative platform for chatting with friends either on an individual or group basis. This is a free app that runs on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad and will eventually be available for the Droid platform as well as accessible online through a web version on the app’s website.

You create a username and then different “hangouts,” which act more or less like chat rooms. The experience isn’t unlike communicating via text messages. So, if you’re looking for a text message-like experience in a group setting, Mogwee is for you.

In addition to being able to chat, you can also share images and videos. What’s more, you can also give gifts to each other, such as a burger or cake. And you can perform silly actions like throwing sheep and even zombie sheep.

All around, it’s an interesting social tool that goes out of its way to add more fun to chat. Will it make a splash? Hard to say. But you can check it out for yourself for free on the iTunes App Store.

[ Ning Brings Social App Mogwee to iOS is a post from 148Apps ]

Can Knockdown 2 Review

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 08:04 AM PST

Can Knockdown 2 Review

By Jennifer Allen on March 2nd, 2011
Our Rating: ★★★½☆ :: ADDICTIVE
Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Can Knockdown 2 might be a simple idea but it’s very well implemented.

 

Developer: Infinite Dreams
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.01
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4

Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.69 out of 5 stars

Can Knockdown 2 is an incredibly simple idea. It’s so simple that when you’re browsing through the App Store, you might find yourself overlooking it. That would be a little unfair though. Sure Can Knockdown 2 does exactly what it says in the title but there’s no denying that there’s something compelling about it.

Offering 3 different modes, Can Knockdown 2 is predictably all about knocking down cans by throwing balls at them. There’s the classic mode where you have to knock down an ever larger pile of cans with as few balls as possible. This feels like a carnival game in a way although I don’t remember any carnival I’ve been to throwing in explosive cans that can be used rather strategically. The more set of cans that you knock down quickly with only one ball, the bigger the score multiplier gets. It’s simple but satisfying. A similar tale when it comes to the target based mode.

This time round you have a time limit to adhere to and targets drop from the top of the screen. You have to hit as many targets as possible within 60 seconds. Bonus points are awarded if you hit the center of each target and a multiplier builds up the more times you do this in a row. Cans also appear to reward you with bonus time. It’s another terrific example of simple gameplay that’s still fun to delve into.

The final mode is much harder than the previous two. This time round, cans are fired into the air and you have to shoot them as they fall. Trying to ascertain the best time to throw is tough and I’ll admit I didn’t find it as immediately enjoyable as the previous two modes. If you like a challenge though, this is ideal.

Can Knockdown 2 is incredibly simple but that’s to its benefit. It’s not trying too hard to be something quirky. There are Game Center achievements to acquire as well as leaderboards to keep an eye on but ultimately you’ll be playing this simply to pass those dull 5-10 minutes that occur throughout the day. It serves this purpose perfectly.

[ Can Knockdown 2 Review is a post from 148Apps ]


Can Knockdown 2


Buy Now: $0.99
Our Rating: ★★★½☆ :: ADDICTIVE
Read Our Full Review >>
Released: 2011-03-01 :: Category: Games

Apps mentioned in this post: Can Knockdown 2

Albert Review

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 07:04 AM PST

Albert Review

By Chris Hall on March 2nd, 2011
Our Rating: ★★★★☆ :: PRETTY
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

The mini-games in Albert are about as strange as they get, but fans of creative graphics and innovative gameplay will be pleased with this indy gem.

 

Developer: Fingerlab
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.1

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.65 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.99 out of 5 stars

There’s definitely something to be said about a game that is made entirely of cardboard cutouts (1,000 of them in fact) that have been “sliced, glued, photographed and animated by hand.” 3D graphics are nifty and all, but handmade craftsmanship in the app world certainly does go a long way. Tack in some craft holographic effects (tilt the iPhone and the background moves independently of the foreground) and you have something that looks really special.

Past the wonderful graphics that were made with so much love, Albert is really a simple game comprised of a few well designed mini-games that make up the odd life of Albert. The mini-games range from turning off a vast array of alarm clocks by touching them so that Albert can sleep, to jumping over oncoming traffic with your odd car that has feet instead of tires (it’s truly odd), to calling to your dog via the iPhone microphone so that he doesn’t fall into the river, to using the accelerometer to tilt the soap into Albert’s morning bath. The mini-games are all over the place, and while they are usually quite fun, only a few are truly memorable. More levels are said to be on the way (assuming there is support for the game), so in time the truly memorable games could multiply.

If mini-games and truly creative graphics and gameplay are your thing, don’t hesitate to give this indy developer some love in the App Store. Albert has a charm that is rarely matched in on this device, and while it doesn’t necessarily seem to have the staying power of an Angry Birds or Cut The Rope, it will entertain you just the same.

[ Albert Review is a post from 148Apps ]


Albert


iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Buy Now: $0.99
Our Rating: ★★★★☆ :: PRETTY
Read Our Full Review >>
Released: 2011-02-08 :: Category: Games / Family

Apps mentioned in this post: Albert

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Coming to iPhone this Spring

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 06:04 AM PST

Sega today announced Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The app is scheduled to release in the iTunes App Store this spring.

The game puts you on the race track and in control of some of Sega’s most popular characters. Sega has not announced how many characters will be in iOS version, but we do know that some choices include Sonic, AiAi and Dr. Eggman. What’s more, each character features his or her own vehicle.

Sega said that there will be numerous different single-player modes, as well as local multiplayer race and battle modes via Bluetooh and Wi-Fi.

The console versions of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing released last week to good reviews. The Wii version, for instance, has a score of 78 on Metacritic. Assuming the iOS version is similar to the console versions – which, based on screenshots, seems to be the case – Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is best compared to Nintendo’s Mario Kart series.

Look for the iPhone version on the App Store this spring.

[ Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Coming to iPhone this Spring is a post from 148Apps ]
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