App Store Apps

Sega puts Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2 on sale

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 29, 2014

Games maker Sega last week switched its iPhone and iPad kart racing game, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, from paid to freemium and now the company has put a pair of other Sonic titles on sale.

Both Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 are now available on sale for 99 cents each, but for a limited time only. These games were previously available for $2.99 each so the combined downloads could save you four bucks right off the bat.

If you ask me, this is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to pick up these remastered for mobile classic titles at really low prices...

Fleksy Keyboard for iOS refreshed with revamped UI, six new themes and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 29, 2014

As you know, Apple has not yet opened up the iPhone's virtual keyboard to developers so you can't just go into the App Store and replace the stock iOS keyboard with a custom one, like on Android.

But where some see failures, others like Fleksy see opportunities. For those unfamiliar with Fleksy, it's the first alternate keyboard with gestures available to third-party developers across the entire iOS ecosystem.

Also available on Android, Fleksy Keyboard has seen over a million cumulative downloads across platforms, with about half of the downloads coming from iOS.

Following a 2.0 release on Android earlier this year, today Fleksy Keyboard has been bumped to version 3.1, featuring a completely revamped user interface, six new UI themes and more...

Clear to-do app gains Reminders and sound packs

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Keeping true to its promise, the popular Clear to-do app for iOS and OS X by Realmac Software has received a nice little update today, bringing out a pair of new features you're going to love.

The first is the anticipated Reminders capability which lets you set up alerts that go off across all your Mac and iOS devices, similar to Apple's stock Reminders app in iOS and OS X.

And to go with Reminders, the team has added another much-requested feature: custom sound packs. Both the iOS and OS X edition have been updated with these features and are now live in the App Store, available free to existing users...

Facebook open sources animation engine behind Paper for iOS

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Facebook has open sourced the Pop animation engine that drives its Paper app, now available in a listing on GitHub.

The Pop engine supports basic static animations, and also has spring and decay dynamic animations for building realistic, physics-based interactions. The Paper app has been praised for its design, and now developers will be able to access the same engine that drives it for their own iOS and OS X apps.

Facebook updates Messenger with video sharing, improved search and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 28, 2014

Social networking giant Facebook today has refreshed its iOS Messenger application, redesigned from the ground up last November, with a few new features you should know about.

The biggest news in Facebook Messenger 5.0, available free for the iPhone, is its newly added ability to exchange video messages from your library with other Messenger users. Previously, you could only share photos and short voice recordings using the app.

Other enhancements worth mentioning include easier photo sharing, improvements to the search feature, a tweaked user interface making it easier to send photos, voice messages and more...

Acompli is a one-stop shop for all your productivity needs

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

When it comes to email apps, we love the ones that are simple, efficient, and fast. Getting to the elusive “inbox zero” is not an easy task. Especially when, for many of us, email is tied to a myriad of other productivity activities, like scheduling meetings and sharing files.

Acompli is a new productivity app that incorporates email, contacts, file sharing, and calendar events into one. The best part is that the app supports Microsoft Exchange. You’ll never have to switch apps to take care of business again…

The best expense tracking apps for iPhone

Lory Gil ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

When you are self-employed, run your own business, or get sent out of town for work, keeping track of what you spend is very important. If you don’t report how much money you spent on a cup of coffee to keep you awake during that presentation, you won’t be reimbursed for it later.

Whether you file a 1099 each year, are a member of the Frequent Flier Club, or only travel once or twice per year, we’ve got a list of the best expense tracking apps for iPhone that are perfect for work-related travel and business-related finance...

ComiXology launches new read-only app following Amazon acquisition

Cody Lee ∙ April 26, 2014

ComiXology, the leading digital comics platform, has launched a new application for iOS today. The company sent out an email to customers this morning announcing that the old app is being retired, and a new one is now available. The biggest difference between the two, it seems, is that the new app does't allow in-app purchases.

The change is noteworthy, as the ComiXology app has long been one of the top-grossing iPad titles in the App Store, and it comes shortly after Amazon acquired the comics platform. It's not surprising though, as it's the same strategy the e-commerce giant takes with its Kindle iOS app, in an effort to circumvent Apple's 30% cut...

Leo’s Fortune is the best platformer we’ve played in a while

Lory Gil ∙ April 26, 2014

Ah, the platformer, a genre that has stood the test of time for generations. Once Mario and his brother graced our living room screens, we were hooked on the run-and-jump adventure that platformers offer. After so many decades, it is starting to get hard to tell titles apart. It seems like anyone can make a platform game, but not everyone can make it good.

Leo’s Fortune is a platform game that is visually attractive, mechanically exciting, and filled with complex puzzles that keep you coming back for more…

Tiny Dice Dungeon puts a unique twist on the RPG genre

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

By now, it may have become clear that I am a fan of good old-fashioned role-playing games. Give me a dungeon crawl over a physics-based game, any day of the week. As much as I love the genre, games can seem a bit redundant over time when you’ve played so many of them.

Tiny Dice Dungeon is a unique twist on the RPG genre that mixes dungeon crawl gameplay with dice throwing mechanics. Role doubles for twice the damage. Role a one and lose your turn…

Apps of the week: Up Next, Third Eye Crime, birdStepper, and more

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Some pretty awesome apps came out this week. I’m excited to spend my weekend testing out all of the cool games that made their way into the App Store after Thursday’s big launch. I’ll bet many of you are still stuck in Hitman Go mode, unwilling to come up for air until every last level is completed. I don’t blame you.

However, if you are looking for something new this weekend, we’ve got a list of apps and games that are sure to occupy your hands and your brains. Who’s going to mow the lawn…

Yomi is a battle card game that delivers on the action

Lory Gil ∙ Updated September 28, 2016

On my many regular trips to my local board game store, I’ve seen this battle card game called “Yomi.” It looks really fun, but it costs $100 new. Ouch! It is one of those games I’d like to try before I buy. Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone who owns a copy, so I didn’t know if I’d like it, until now.

Sirlin Games recently developed an iPad version of Yomi that is an online, cross-platform adaptation of the card game I’ve longed for, but never invested in. After a few days of testing, it looks like my board game budget will be depleted, once again…