Lory Gil

Writer of all things app related, traveler of the space-time continuum, baker of really great cookies. Follow me @appaholik

Autumn Dynasty review: literally draw your plans to send troops into battle

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

Real-time strategy games on iOS are some of my favorites. They remind me of Risk, which I played regularly as a kid with my older brother, who was not the least bit merciful of my three less years on the earth than him. Maybe his take-no-prisoners attitude when playing strategy board games has led me to the life of a game reviewer. Maybe he was just a big old meany.

Autumn Dynasty – RTS is a strategy game that lets you draw where you want to send your troops by making circles and lines on the screen. Dragging your finger has never created so much destruction…

Apps of the Week: Dungeon Highway, Tengami, Astro Golf, and more…

Lory Gil ∙ Updated March 26, 2018

It is hard to believe that March is just around the corner. On my side of the U.S., we still haven’t had a decent amount of rainfall. The sun shines every day while the days start to get just a little bit longer. Where did my winter go?

If you are longing for cozy winter nights, or are sick of the snowfall in your neck of the woods, and want some apps and games to distract you, we’ve got a list for you to check out this weekend…

musx app makes for a truly social music experience

Lory Gil ∙ Updated February 14, 2018

When Beats launched its Music service, the company executives called their streaming music different because it added a human touch to the playlist element. Nothing is more human than having your friends tell you about new music. Even if your friends aren’t around, music recommendations shouldn’t be based on algorithms. They should be from real people.

musx is a streaming music app that is completely social. Find curated playlists from people just like you. Connect with your social networks to find out what your friends are listening to. Be the deejay and recommend music to others…

Superburst Camera is the fastest burst camera in the App Store

Lory Gil ∙ February 20, 2014

Before the iPhone 5s came out, there weren’t many ways to take bursts of pictures. Third-party camera apps like SnappyCam began popping up so you could take up to 14 frames per second with 8MPs. Since Apple included a burst feature in its native Camera app, the bar has been raised and app makers have to work harder to impress.

Superburst Camera is being touted as the fastest burst camera in the App Store, with more than twice the speed of the iPhone 5s’ Camera app. Take an average of 25 shots per second at 8MP, or go even further with 120 photos per second in Slow-Mo Shutter mode…

IQTELL lets you manage emails, contacts, tasks, projects and more in one place

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

IQTELL is a productivity company that offers one web-based service for email, address book, notes, calendar, to-do lists, and more. The company’s goal is to simplify your digital life, regardless of what operating system you work with.

IQTELL – Get Things Done (GDT) is a productivity app that combines actions, to-do items, email, and projects. No more switching from app to app to keep track of your daily tasks. With IQTELL, you’ll be able to take care of everything in one place…

Dungeon Highway review: merging 8-bit graphics with modern game mechanics

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

I may have mentioned this before, but I am not typically a fan of the endless runner category. I think its because I generally suck at it. I never get very far and end up frustrated at the lack of progression. However, I do appreciate games that offer an interesting twist on the genre.

Dungeon Highway is a heavily pixelated endless runner that features monsters, adventurers, and lots of blood. Grab the right power ups and your run might just be as close to endless as it gets…

Sector sequencer comes with its own probability drive

Lory Gil ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Step sequencers allow musicians to create loops using notes that are played in intervals with customized timing and duration parameters. Depending on what you are going for, they can be either complex or simple. Sequencer machines are usually somewhat heavy and take up a lot of space on a desk or tabletop.

Sector is a stochastic sample slice sequencer that offers the same variety in looping as a physical sequencer, but only takes up the amount of room your iPad does. Plus, this probability-based loop maker turns your notes into crazy mixed up sounds…

Radiohead launches PolyFauna, an experimental visual music app

Lory Gil ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

It was 1993, I had recently graduated from high school (I know, I’m outing my age right now), and “Creep” was the feel-sad hit of the summer. I may never have become an ultimate fan of the band, but Radiohead was fairly innovative and ahead of its time. They’ve always held a spot in my heart for that.

PolyFauna is an app that the band recently launched in collaboration with art design studio Universal Everything. This app was brought about as an inspiration to Radiohead’s 2011 release “Bloom” from “The King of Limbs” album…

Riot Runners races into the App Store

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

OK, so your Flappy Bird obsession has finally subsided. You’ve detoxed from the bird-themed simple game and no longer have an unquenchable desire to fly between two green pipes. Now what? How about another endless runner to get you hooked again?

Riot Runners is an endless runner game that will satisfy your craving for things that fly between pipes. Only these flying things are robotic-looking and the pipes are more like gears...

Catchr lets you find out if someone’s been snooping on your iPhone

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

Do you have a nosey mom? Is your significant other the jealous type and tends to read your text messages when you leave the room? Are you paranoid that the government has access to open apps on your iPhone?

Catchr is an app that monitors the activities that take place on your iPhone. If the device moves or if someone has opened an app, Catchr will know it and tell you. Now you’ll have proof if you think your mom is reading your emails when you are gone…

Apps of the Week: realMyst, R-Type II, The Wolf Among Us – Ep. 2, and more…

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

I love mid-February. It means we are just a little bit closer to spring. While this winter has felt more like spring than anything else in my neck of the woods, I still look forward to the long, sun-soaked summer days.

If you are ready for the springtime and don’t plan on doing anything but playing games or making music this weekend, we’ve got a list of apps and games we think are pretty cool…

The Gloss bookmarklet helps you highlight and save text on the web

Lory Gil ∙ Updated May 9, 2017

Sometimes the simple things are what make our lives a little better. Sure there are some very useful productivity tools for saving and sharing websites (Evernote being my preferred option). But sometimes, you just need something a little simpler.

Gloss is a Safari bookmarklet for OS X that lets you highlight and save one sentence at a time from any website. It may sound too simple, but read on to find out why it might be the right fit for you…