App Review

Retro review: Shadowgun

Sergio Velasquez ∙ August 31, 2019

I remember Shadowgun as one of the first games on the iPhone that used 3D models. For me, it was ground-breaking at the time and it made me think of the possibilities for mobile gaming in the future. It was one of my favorite games back in the day, and I wasn't the only one. When the game was released in 2011, it got so many positive reviews it was featured in the App Store Essentials Hall of Fame.

Currently, the game has created its own universe, with sequels like Shadowgun Deadzone, Shadowgun Legends and an upcoming game titled Shadowgun War Games.

Shadowgun was great back then, but is it great now? Should you spend $4.99 for it, or you're better off with the more recent, free-to-play sequel? That's what we'll cover in today's retro review.

Dockey review: a simple app to customize your Mac’s Dock

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ November 20, 2018

The Dock is an important part of your Mac. It holds the applications you use most often so that you can open them with a click. It can also contain those you currently have open, display badge icons for app notifications, and let you move things to the Trash easily.

So, configuring the Dock to your preference is a key piece to its effectiveness.

You can make some adjustments to the Dock in your System Preferences like location of the Dock, animations for minimizing windows, and changing the size of the icons.

But, if you would like to do just a little bit more with your Dock without having to toy with Terminal, then take a look at Dockey. Dockey is an application that lets you customize your Dock quickly and here’s what it has to offer.

iCab Mobile review: a different web browser for your iOS device

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ November 8, 2018

If you’re tired of the same old web browsers on your device; Safari, Firefox, Chrome, maybe it’s time for something new.

You may want more flexibility with your browser interface, more options with your settings, or just something you can completely customize. If so, the iCab Mobile web browser is one option you might want to check out. The app isn’t new on the scene, but after a reader suggested it, we had to give it a try. Here’s what we found.

The best apps for translating text on iOS

Ian Fuchs ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Communicating in different languages shouldn't be a barrier. In a diverse world, being able to understand or make sense of different languages can be important. Thankfully, our smartphones have enough power, always-on internet access, and some powerful apps for helping bridge the language gap.

Whether it's translating a text message, website, street sign, or menu, we've found some of the best apps for translating text, speech, and the world around you into something you can understand.

Tinyclouds is a beautiful, mesmerizing weather app for iOS

Ian Fuchs ∙ April 28, 2018

What do you get when you mix the seemingly endless desire for weather apps with the adorable, quirky, and Minecraft-like style of design and animation? If you guessed Tinyclouds, the adorable weather app for iOS, you'd be spot on!

Review: Alto’s Odyssey—a worthy follow up to a classic?

Andrew O'Hara ∙ February 23, 2018

Today, the endless sandboarding journey from Alto's Adventure creators launched for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV a day early. We've had the last few weeks to test it out and while a lot of the mechanics the same, we found it a thoroughly satisfying follow-up to a classic.

UniChar uses Machine Learning to make finding special characters easier

Ian Fuchs ∙ Updated October 13, 2023

Back in 2014, we covered UniChar, a cool third-party keyboard that offered access to the wide world of Unicode characters and symbols. While the keyboard functionality of the app has remained mostly unchanged, a recent update leverages Apple's CoreML and Vision to introduce a new way to find for the perfect pictograph.

MiniCast brings podcasts to Apple Watch

Ian Fuchs ∙ December 20, 2017

The Apple Watch is a great companion device for exercise, tracking your activity, and with watchOS 4, provides access to Apple Music. For people that prefer listening to podcasts while they work out, the Apple Watch is less ideal due to the lack of podcast app, either Apple's own Podcast app or third-party apps. A new Apple Watch app called MiniCast is looking to fill that gap and bring podcasts to your wrist.

MiniCast, available for free in the App Store (with $3.99 In-App Purchase), is a simple iPhone extension and Apple Watch app that allows uses to send podcasts from Apple's Podcasts app, Overcast, Castro, or PocketCast to their watch.

Canva lets you create beautiful graphics with ease on iPhone or iPad

Samuel Rentz ∙ November 13, 2017

With the introduction of more powerful devices, iOS is truly hitting its stride as an undoubtedly useful platform for casual creativity. This maturation is primarily aided by the introduction of new powerful apps that are more interesting than ever. Canva is part of this class of apps that are fascinating for casual creatives on iOS.

Runners Map lets you easily share and discover running routes

Steffen Reich ∙ October 20, 2017

Tracking and mapping your runs to a T is something most of us runners do, mainly because it provides valuable insights into your training progress. At the same time, there is something to be said about archiving runs for posterity and having the ability to review and show off older running tracks. The likes of Nike+ or Runtastic - i.e. the big players in the game - have recognised the immense potential of route tracking years ago and beefed up their apps accordingly.

Sudoku Master Edition is a cleanly designed option for puzzle fans

Samuel Rentz ∙ October 9, 2017

Sudoku has been a favorite puzzle pastime for many people for a long time. There is no shortage of Sudoku apps on the App Store, but many of them feature clunky designs that are not very aesthetically pleasing.

Robinhood simplifies investing and brings it to the masses

Samuel Rentz ∙ October 3, 2017

Stock exchanges have been a core component of the world economy for a long time now, but they are not exactly easily approachable for novices. Robinhood’s goal is to make investment easy even for those who are not experienced Wall Street aficionados.