App Store Apps

Dustoff Vietnam puts you in the pilot seat of a rescue chopper

Flying simulation games can be loads of fun because you are tasked at figuring out how to lift off, adjust altitude, and land without crashing. As much fun as it can be learning to fly, it is just as much fun watching your aircraft explode in a fiery ball.

Dustoff Vietnam puts you in the cockpit of a Minecraft-style rescue helicopter as you head into the battlefield to save stolen cargo, hostages, and wounded soldiers in mission after mission. No one ever said war was easy.

One List is a simple list maker

Around this time of the year, I’m all over the place with my many lists. I’ve got parties to plan, cookies to make, presents to buy, and all of that has to revolve around my normal busy schedule.

One List is a simple to-do list maker with very little extras so you don’t get distracted by too many options. Make a list, complete a task, and mark it off. Plus, you can see your top three to-do tasks right on your Lock screen with the Notification Center extension.

Apps of the week: Tomb Raider II, Game of Thrones, Dragon Quest III, and more

This sure was a big week for games. We got our hands on some classic ports and were able to check out new titles that scratched our puzzle-loving itch. We got to play around with cool new keyboards, and even downloaded some premium games at a freebie price.

This weekend, if you are still looking for that perfect title to occupy your time while you stand in long lines for holiday shopping, we’ve got a list of apps and games to keep you busy.

IGN names ‘Kingdom Rush Frontiers’ its free Game of the Month

Good news gamers, IGN has named Ironhide Game Studio's ‘Kingdom Rush Frontiers’ its Free Game of the Month for December. The game is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars in the App Store, from over 5,000 reviews, and it typically retails for $2.99.

For those unfamiliar with the title, Kingdom Rush Frontiers is the second installment in Ironhide's highly regarded tower defense series. In it, players are tasked with defending their buildings in exotic lands from dragons and other enemies.

Nintype keyboard takes typing and swiping to the next level

 

Now that third-party keyboards are allowed as defaults in iOS 8, developers are flooding the App Store with amazing typing features we iPhone owners never thought possible. If you thought swiping to type was awesome, just wait till you hear about this keyboard.

Nintype takes the swipe-type function to a whole new level by making it possible for you to use both hands, add taps, and adjust the keys on the screen to give you the most comfortable typing experience around.

Fantastical 2 can now change days in Today widget and more

Flexibits' calendar and reminders application, Fantastical, has received a small update today in both iPhone and iPad edition which has brought out an enhanced search feature and the ability to change days in its Today widget on iOS 8.

Moreover, the team has fixed an issue when snoozing Exchange alerts and you'll also notice that the app now handles latitude and longitude coordinates for event locations better than before.

Bounce On Back review: roll along with this tilting platformer

I’ll be the first to admit that I am not the biggest fan of tilt-based games. I am of the opinion that video games started out as stationary cabinets and we are messing with the formula when we add different control mechanisms.

Bounce On Back is a tilt-based platformer game, but it is way more fun than I thought it would be. Plus, if you really hate the controls, you can opt for a D-pad instead. We’ve got a complete game review of Bounce on Back for you today.

Square Enix’s Dragon Quest III launches worldwide

Fans of the classic RPG ‘Dragon Quest III’ will be happy to hear that Square Enix has delivered on its promise to launch an English version of the game. After spending a few months in Japan, the title is now available in the US App Store.

Dragon Quest III is the third installment in Square Enix's popular turn-based RPG series from the early 90s. And as with other ports, the iOS version of DQ III features the same great gameplay as the original, with updated touch controls.

App Recap: app-packed Thursday

Welcome to this action-packed edition of App Recap, iDownloadBlog's daily column which highlights some of the best new apps, games, updates, media and other digital goodies found on iTunes. Most developers release major new apps on Thursdays and today was no exception.

From noteworthy discounts and Facebook's Slingshot update to Square's food ordering app, a new and fully-themable iOS 8 keyboard, Tomb Raider II, the official Game of Thrones game and more, App Recap helps you make sense of it all via an easily digestible form so you don't need to waste your precious time finding that needle in the haystack in the App Store.

Starbucks launches ‘Mobile Order & Pay’ in Oregon, national rollout planned for 2015

Starbucks has announced that it's launched a new "Mobile Order & Pay" service that will allow customers to place an order using the Starbucks app on their iPhone and schedule it for pickup. The service, which we first heard about in July, is available now at stores in Portland, Oregon, and will rollout to other locations in 2015.

The whole thing works like you'd expect it to. You can place an order for both food and beverages, and drinks are completely customizable down to the size, dairy and espresso additives, and more. Once you've selected all of your items, you choose the closest participating store for pickup and pay in-app with your Starbucks card.

Facebook’s Slingshot goes 2.0, hopes you’ll use it

Remember Slingshot? Yeah, me neither. If it's been a while since you last fired up Facebook's app that many folks deem pointless, you may want to give it another try as the social networking giant on Thursday pushed a major 2.0 update, bringing out half a dozen new features.

The app's been rebuilt from the ground up to be “simpler, faster and more fun to share life as it happens”, bringing out private reactions, photo filters, drawings and emojis.

There are also instant notifications on a per-contact basis and you can now share fav shots out to other apps, among other new additions.

Apple names excellent God of Light puzzler its new Free App of the Week

God of Light, an addictive and unique physics puzzler by Playmous Games, has gone free until next Thursday week courtesy of Apple's ongoing Free App of the Week promotion, marking the first time the game's gone free since its February 2014 debut.

This attractive puzzler employs a simple concept where you use mirrors, prisms, splitters, collectors, black holes and filters to control rays of light energy that must be projected through the darkness in order to light up crystals.

I wholeheartedly recommend taking advantage of the discount because God of Light is packed with addictive levels and definitely worth its normal asking price of $1.99.