This week produced a whole bunch of scary titles. I know that Halloween is over, but there is no reason not to continue the spooky celebration for a little while longer. If I could, I’d keep Halloween going all year long. My costume might get a little gross after the first few months, though. If you are holding onto that creepy feeling just a little bit longer, or maybe want some help with your finances, we’ve got a list of apps and games to get you through the weekend.
App Store Apps
Google optimizes Play Music for iPhone 6 screens
Another day, another high-profile app receives its iPhone 6 focused update. After Apple optimized the WWDC app for the bigger iPhone screens, the Internet giant Google on Friday refreshed its Play Music iOS client with native display support for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus screens. The refreshed application has additionally squashed several bugs and introduced “lots of little tweaks”.
Google Play Music is available free in the App Store.
Apple updates WWDC app with iPhone 6 support
Apple on Friday issued a small update to the official iPhone and iPad application for the Worldwide Developers Conference, its annual pilgrimage for developers which traditionally takes place each summer at San Francisco's Moscone West.
Now sitting at version 2.1.3, the updated software brings out support for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus screen sizes.
Furthermore, it resolves a bug that would crash the software at launch on devices running iOS 8 or later.
WWDC is available free in the App Store.
This app predicts when you will die
Want to know the exact day you'll die? There is an app for that!
Deadline is an application that was recently released that aims at predicting the exact date you will die. After giving it access to your health and fitness data by allowing it to tap into the Health app. Alternatively, if like me you barely have any data in the Health app, you can also answer a few simple questions about your sleeping habits, your stress level, your exercise routine, etc, that will help Deadline predict the day you'll die more accurately.
But how does it work?
Zero Age review: use blocks to build new paths to enlightenment
Puzzle games on the iPhone are no longer a casual affair. They’ve gone from relaxing to complex in just a few short years. With games like Monument Valley gracing our mobile screens, we are now forced to decide whether to solve the next puzzle, or finally go to work.
Zero Age is a puzzle game that on the surface seems simple enough. Move a block, climb it, move another. However, the devil is in the details. How can you get a block across three rows when it can only move along a single column? We’ve got a game review of Zero Age to help you understand the game a bit further.
‘PAC-MAN Friends’ goes free as Apple’s App of the Week
Apple has named BANDAI NAMCO's 'PAC-MAN Friends' its app of the week for this week. This means that from now through next Thursday, you'll be able to pick up the title for free in the App Store—a significant discount off its normal $4 price tag.
PAC-MAN Friends is exactly what it appears to be—a modern twist on an arcade classic. Using simple tilt controls, players are tasked with maneuvering PAC-MAN through progressively challenging mazes to rescue his friends from the Ghosts' Castle.
Apple changes its mind again, will allow calculator widgets in Notification Center after all
Yes. No. YES!
These three words sum up the situation of PCalc, a powerful calculator app that features a Notification Center widget, whose developer was asked by Apple yesterday to remove as it apparently wasn't in line with App Store rules.
Today, it appears that Apple has changed its mind (again), as TechCrunch reports that they've been "hearing that Apple is changing its course. The PCalc app and widget will remain in the App Store, and all calculator-type widgets will be allowed as well, an Apple spokesperson has confirmed to us."
So what gives?
Spotify for iPad overhauled with dark UI, gains Your Music feature
Spotify, the leading music-streaming service hailing from Sweden, gave its iPad app on Thursday a little love. For starters, the team has crafted Skype for iPad's user interface around an all-new dark look.
As a result, Spotify at last has consistent appearance on the iPad, iPhone and Mac — down to the same dark theme, precise typography and rounded iconography.
Moreover, the Your Music feature which debuted in the iPhone edition in April 2014 is now available on the iPad, too. Representing a better way to save, organize and browse your favorite songs, Your Music is a replacement to user-generated playlists. With Your Music, you can add tracks which sync across every device, without having to create playlists or use the starring feature that lumps all starred songs into a huge list.
Download Spotify free of charge in the App Store.
Skype for iPhone updated with avatar sync, ability to save and delete photos from chats and more
After updating Skype for Mac with Yosemite support earlier this morning, Microsoft on Thursday issued a new Skype for iPhone refresh. Now sitting at version 5.7, the app finally makes it easy to save and delete images from chats.
People who roam between devices and platforms will notice that chat avatars now stay in perfect sync when picking up on one device where they left on another.
You should also notice faster performance, especially when opening chats from a notification, and improvements to Skype's contact filters such as All Contacts, Skype and Online.
Skype for iPhone is available free in the App Store.
Tilt to Live: Gauntlet’s Revenge is harder than ever
The game development team at One Man Left is known for creating fast-pasted, action-packed arcade style games. You may be familiar with their previous titles, Tilt to Live and Tilt to Live 2: Redonkulous. Well, they are back with a new game for your cramped fingers to try out.
Tilt to Live: Gauntlet’s Revenge is the third installment in the series and is proving to be, if you can believe it, the hardest of them all. We’ve got a hands-on game review of Gauntlet’s Revenge for you today.
Flipboard 3.0 is out with design refresh, Zite-fueled ‘Topics’ feature and more
Flipboard today released version 3.0 of its iOS client, and as you can imagine, it's a significant update. The design of the app has been refreshed, and is now more magazine-like and elegant, complete with fresh typography and a new navigation bar for easier browsing.
Additionally, Flipboard has introduced a new 'Topics' feature, which is powered by Zite's technology and Flipboard's own curators. There are over 30,000 topics to follow, each featuring content by top publishers and websites, that can be both searched and explored.
Felllice turns cell life simulation into a minimalist affair
There is a handful of interesting games that involve production and duplication of cell-like organisms. Games like Osmos provide a relaxing arcade game that requires you to be ready to attack anything smaller than you, but lets you drift through life in a tranquil environment as well.
Felllice (yes, with three Ls) is similar to the cell generation game genre, but features a stark black-and-white minimalist design. Collide with cells that are smaller than yours to grow big and earn achievements.