App Store Apps

Flexibits teases Fantastical for iPad coming

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

My daily productivity depends on a powerful and flexible personal information management system and Flexibits' Fantastical for iPhone has quickly become an indispensable part of that workflow.

I use this versatile app to save reminders for upcoming stories and industry events, create calendar entries for meetings and daily schedules, organize my weekly/monthly planning and lots more.

It's fast, has powerful search, looks business and lets me safely paste passages of text knowing its intelligent natural-language processing will automatically parse entries like 'conference call with Seb next Monday at 1PM PT' to create related events.

My only gripe with Fantastical stems not from the app itself, but from the iPhone's four-inch screen as I often find myself squinting rows and columns of small text.

I guess you could say that until Apple delivers a rumored large-screened iPhone, I'll be left yearning for the Fantastical experience on the iPad's 9.7-inch screen. But not for long, it seems. Tuesday, developers posted a new page teasing the upcoming edition of Fantastical for iPad...

Twitterrific 5 takes the freemium route, demands in-app purchases for advanced features

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 25, 2014

Iconfactory has just issued a new version of Twitterrific in the App Store. Previously a $2.99 download, the new Twitterrific version 5.7 has changed the business model from paid to free. Sort of.

The iPhone and iPad application, now supported by revenue from Deck Network ads displayed at the top of the timeline, is available free of charge for new customers, but some of the more advanced features like push notifications, Today view, ad removal and tweet translation are hidden behind a one-time in-app purchase.

That's an interesting change for Iconfactory, but what about Twitter-imposed token limits? Developer Sean Heber ensures customers that Iconfactory has grandfathered a whole lot of tokens so going free should not be a concern. Besides, they can always switch from the freemium model back to the paid one...

Braveland is a turn-based game inspired by old-school strategies

Lory Gil ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

I recently watched an adventure movie from 2008 called “In the Name of the King.” It told the story of a farmer who didn’t want to get involved in any kind of battle, but found himself fighting against an enemy who invaded his land, burned his village, and destroyed his way of life (I don’t recommend it).

Braveland reminds me of that movie, only with better dialogue, more exciting battles, and a more interesting storyline (sorry to fans of the movie). It is also a turn-based strategy game with elements of board game mechanics, which is right up my alley…

Roku for iPhone gets facelift, introduces content search and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 24, 2014

Roku has finally updated its companion iPhone app for the company's set-top box with a brand new design, ability to search through your content and a few bug fixes and other enhancements.

The new look, a radical departure from the previous design, feels more at home with iOS 7's flatness and is easier to use thanks to streamlined navigation.

As for search, you can sift through your content by entering a movie, show, actor or director information.

"When you settle on something to watch, choose from the available services and jump right into the Channel, ready to watch," Roku writes in iTunes release notes accompanying the 3.5MB download.

The freshly updated app is now live in the App Store...

Twitter pulls #music app from the App Store ahead of April 18 shutdown

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Twitter will discontinue its #music app on Friday, April 18. Conveniently, April 18 marks the app's first (and obviously last) anniversary. Yup, Twitter #music is officially dead. As part of the move, the micro-blogging startup has already pulled the free iPhone and iPad application from the App Store.

Whenever a piece of software gets removed from the App Store, it becomes unavailable for download or re-download so folks who plan on continuing to use the music discovery app have better backed it up in their iTunes library on their computer.

If you only keep Twitter #music on your iOS device, transfer it to desktop iTunes by connecting your device to a computer and choose the Transfer Purchases option nested under iTunes' File > Devices menu...

New Google app: Photowall for Chromecast

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

The Internet giant Google on Monday released a brand new iPhone and iPad application, Photowall for Chromecast.

Conceived as a collaborative photo sharing “Chrome experiment,” the software uses your iOS device and Google's inexpensive $35 Chromecast HDMI dongle to allow anyone to beam their photos to a Photowall on your Chromecast-equipped TV, creating an interactive collage of memories.

What's more, YouTube will automatically generate a video of your Photowall to show off to friends who don't own a Chromecast. The app is now live in the App Store...

Devious Dungeon offers simple platform RPG fun for the casual adventurer

Lory Gil ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

Ravenous Games have made a name for themselves with such titles as League of Evil, Beat Down, and Random Heroes (check out our review of Random Heroes 2). They’ve single-handedly made a retro style version of practically every genre in the App Store.

Devious Dungeon is the developer’s most recent addition to its pixelated collection of games. This dungeon crawler is a platform style game that is a lot like the Random Heroes franchise, but with knights and goblins instead of gun toting mercenaries…

Apps of the Week: MobileFamilyTree 7, Checkmark 2, Shin Megami Tensei, and more…

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Very few things make me as happy as a good week for new apps and games. Make fun of me all you want, but I’ve figured out a way to make a living playing video games. I’m not ashamed of that.

If you are as big of a fan of cool new apps and games as I am, this list will give you something to smile about this weekend…

Astro Mined mixes minesweeper and Sokoban into one

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

Minesweeper is a puzzle game where players must avoid landing on mines by selecting a square on a grid and determining the mines’ whereabouts based on the revealed number of adjacent mines that appear when a square is selected.

Sokoban is a puzzle game where players must get through a labyrinth by moving boxes around to push them out of the way. Boxes can’t be pulled, so players must use strategy to determine the best way to clear the path without getting boxes stuck in the way.

Astro Minded: Galactic Bombsquad is a puzzle game that includes both minesweeper and Sokoban. Good luck with that…

First Strike Game review: start a nuclear war from your iPad

Lory Gil ∙ March 21, 2014

At risk starting a political debate amongst our readers, this past year or so has triggered a fear of nuclear attack that I haven’t really felt since the dying throes of the Cold War in the late 1980s. Ever since I watched Red Dawn (the original) I’ve wondered what a nuclear war would be like.

First Strike Game is a real-time strategy game that lets you act as the government power in charge of a nation that is either determined to overthrow the world, or just wants to protect the country from a nuclear attack…

Avadon 2: The Corruption HD review – the role-playing adventure continues

Lory Gil ∙ March 21, 2014

Spiderweb Software makes amazing role-playing adventure games that let players follow deep storylines and utilize teams of fighters in order to complete missions and destroy bad guys.

Avadon: The Black Fortress HD first launched in mid-2011, back when companies were not as interested in putting expansive, explorative games on the iPad. Today, there are plenty of team-based RPGs to satisfy my love of the genre, but Avadon holds a special place in my heart.

Two-and-a-half years after the first story made it to the iPad, Spiderweb Software has finally launched its sequel, Avadon 2: The Corruption HD, in the App Store…

Medium launches read-only iPhone app

Cody Lee ∙ March 20, 2014

After somewhat of a brief delay, Medium's app finally landed in the App Store today. It's for the iPhone only, and has a focus on reading and recommending stories. In fact, that's about all it's capable of doing right now, as there's no way to write using the app.

"It’s a simple app because every week, thousands of people come to Medium to write," says Medium's founder Ev Williams in a blog post. "They share their stories, their ideas, their dreams and visions. That’s the hard part. We’re just helping amplify their voices."