Right now, there are two huge trends in app development: weather apps and email apps. I get more emails about weather apps and email apps than I know what to do with. I’m not complaining, though. These developers are often making really impressive apps but, apart from great user interfaces, I fail to see what they’re really putting their tech-savvy skills to use with. Interfaces are great, but they could be outdone anytime Apple decides to update their own Weather or Mail apps. Sometimes, these apps are a little short on features.
Cloze is the exact opposite. It’s a free universal app for iPhone and iPad that combines email and social media updates into one centralized feed. What really excites me is that Cloze doesn’t think the problem lies within the communication’s interfaces but rather within the interface’s management of communication. Combining email and social feeds has been tried before by a few other developers, but I’ve never felt it’s been executed well. Let’s face it, making an app like this is tough. Does Cloze have the technical knowhow and design skills to make their app user-friendly and feature-filled? Let’s find out.
I have reviewed a number of freemium apps during my time here at iPad.AppStorm, and have come to notice that this particular revenue model tends to polarize opinion, with people either strongly for or strongly against it. I fall into the former camp, and firmly believe that the freemium model is a worthwhile addition to the App Store. Want to know why? Hit the jump to find out!
Keyboard cases for the iPad are becoming increasingly more popular with plenty of models to choose from. Of course, Apple designed the iPad to make typing on it fairly seamless (especially with the optional Smart Cover) however some people feel that typing on an iPad still feels a little cramped and they prefer an external keyboard instead.
This week, we’ve got a debate coming up between two writers on precisely this topic – should you buy an external keyboard? – but before they lock horns it’s over to you as the reader: do you use an external keyboard with your iPad? This could be Apple’s standard default offering or one from a third-party manufacturer (Logitech, for example). There’s even a handy Mac app, 1Keyboard, which allows you to hook your Mac up to your iPad via Bluetooth and use your Mac’s keyboard as an external Bluetooth keyboard for your iPad.
Whatever option you use, please feel free to vote in this week’s poll on the right! And of course, stay tuned for this week’s debate on the subject of keyboard cases – it’ll be a good one!
Sony’s revealing of the PlayStation 4 left more questions than answers. For starters, what’s the launch date? How much does it cost? And what does it actually look like? Almost every single facet of Sony’s presentation was positively Lost-ian, answering questions with more mysteries and dropping clues which seemed to go absolutely nowhere. I wonder if they’re simply out to beat Microsoft to the punch by announcing an unfinished product to the masses just so they can say they were first.
One area that Sony does seem sold on is making sure that the PS4 is cloud-based and mobile. Their branding is a little confusing, but I know they really want me to buy a PS Vita with my PS4 so I can play games on the go. I also know that they’ll eventually be supporting the iPad, but they haven’t exactly clarified how yet. And in what seems like typical Sony launching fanfare, they haven’t shown off the interface either — they only teased it. What we’re left with are important questions: What will the iPad do when we pair it with a PS4? And most importantly, will it work?
Is this a good idea? Let’s find out.
Jurassic Park is a pretty iconic book and movie franchise as well as a box office success. The story goes that a billionaire creates the story’s namesake, a theme park full of dinosaurs, from DNA extracted from a fossilised insect found in prehistoric amber.
Jurassic Park Builder brings that storyline into the modern day as a game that allows players to build their own theme park, turning extracted DNA into eggs, nurturing them to life and making sure to preserve their continuing life to offer a constant attraction to visitors. Think Zoo Tycoon with a prehistoric feel.
Question: What do building-block fortresses, the great and powerful Oz, Greek gods, mini ninjas and rolling boulders have in common? The answer: Nothing! Except that they’re all in this week’s roundup of iPad games.
Until someone creates a game that involves all five of those things, you can take them on one at a time with the following. Click “more” to get started.
A little less than a year ago, I wrote an article about how the iPad could become that college student’s perfect machine. A little less than a year ago is a very long time for a product’s development life-cycle when it comes to Apple products. Even nowadays, I am constantly asked on campus by my colleges the same question, “Should I get an iPad or a laptop?” Luckily, Apple has made the answer to this question a little less black and white with the introduction of the iPad mini.
Has the last year made it easier for students to supplement their long-lived tradition of buying a laptop for an iPad? Is the iPad mini a better choice now that the power of Apple’s second generation iPad has been packed into a miniaturized form factor? Let’s find out. (more…)
In the world of desktop image editing, there is only one name that springs to mind in front of all others – Photoshop. But when it comes to the iPad, the choice isn’t so clear, despite Adobe’s presence in the App Store.
With this in mind, I approached this review of Photogene with the hope of discovering a more heavyweight alternative. Mobile Pond, the developer of Photogene, is hardly a household name – they only have this one iPad product in the App Store – but this is an app which is slowly gaining popularity. At $2.99, it’s certainly a cheaper alternative to the products produced by the software giants, but when it comes to serious editing, is it a better alternative?
The biggest problem with Apple’s products is that they keep people within a walled garden. There’s a lot of benefits to the walled garden in some cases — namely security — but there can also be annoying detractions. One example is the DRM in the iBooks app that makes it altogether impossible to read anything you purchased on anything other than an iPad (I’d love it if Apple used .mobi instead so I could put anything I purchase from them on my Kindle).
But then there are some walls in Apple’s garden that nobody likes, like Newsstand. Newsstand is one of those apps that Apple let get away. Not only are most of the magazines in Newsstand difficult to search for in its Store (Apple really needs to merge the Newsstand with the iBooks Store), but they’re also merely digital scans of paper-based media with a few hyperlinks thrown in for good measure. Newsstand’s proprietary format and wooden shelves have driven a lot of people away from the app and towards its only clear, cross-platform alternative: Zinio. (more…)
Designing a successful adventure puzzler must be akin to perfecting an art form. If the game’s too difficult, then it becomes frustrating and the player immediately sets it aside. If the game’s too easy then the player whizzes through it and never gives it another thought. So, how do developers get it just right?
I’m not sure what magic formula the team at Colibri Games is using, but they are blazing a trail for others to follow. The Tiny Bang Story HD is a perfectly challenging adventure game featuring beautiful hand-drawn illustrations, five different chapters, dozens of mini brain teasers and an immersive storyline about a Tiny Planet that fell apart after being hit by a meteor. As you solve each puzzle, you’ll help rebuild the planet. Just remember: it won’t be easy.
Click “more” to take an in-depth look.
