Apps

Apps of the week: Dragon Quest II, Find the Line, Zombie Highway 2

Lory Gil ∙ Updated May 24, 2023

This was another big week for the tech world as Apple officially announced its next media event on Oct. 16. I’m a huge fan of the iPad and am looking forward to finding out what’s next for the tablet line. However, I’m also hoping against hope that the next generation of Apple TV will finally be ready. Mine is getting kind of old.

If you are hyper-focused on next week’s big announcement, you may need a bit of distraction this weekend. We’ve got a list of apps and games, which just launched recently that we think you will enjoy. Check them out and let us know what you think of them in the comments below.

ORBB planetary puzzle game takes you out of this world

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Relaxing puzzle games can come in all forms. I’ve played games that are minimalistic, atmospheric, nature-based. It doesn’t matter what the theme is, as long as the mechanics don’t make you want to throw your iPhone at a wall. ORBB is a tranquil puzzle adventure that takes place in the vast reaches of outer space. If you can’t find peace in the never-ending vacuum of space, you’ll never find it.

Activity by LogYourRun helps you visualize the intensity of your activity

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

I'm not a slug but I'm also far from being a health freak. You won't find me at the gym, and if you ever see me running, then call 911 because it means something went terribly wrong. Yet, with the introduction of the M7 coprocessor in the iPhone 5s which helps you keep track of how many steps you made in a given day, I became more aware of little things I could do to maintain my health. I quickly established a daily goal of 6,000 steps, which I usually track with Pedometer++, a beautifully simple step tracker.

Federico Viticci of Mac Stories recently introduced me to a similar application called Activity by LogYourRun. Just like Pedometer++, Activity tracks your steps but it also helps you visualize the intensity of your activity in a very original way.

Swarm now lets you check in from your Lock screen with iOS 8 Notification Center widget

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 10, 2014

Swarm, a dedicated check-in app by Foursquare, has received a tremendously useful update Friday which makes it dead simple to check in to your favorite locations right from your Lock screen without even opening the app, thanks to a brand new Notification Center widget available on iOS 8 devices.

The Swarm widget in the 1.3 update also gives you an at-a-glance view of a few of your friends who are especially close, helping you get a sense of who’s around.

Cinamatic gains iPhone 6 support, iOS 8 manual camera controls and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 10, 2014

Cinamatic, a nicely done and versatile video capture and editing app that Apple named its Free App of the Week back in July, on Friday received an update bringing the full range of manual camera controls available to third-party iPhone photography apps in iOS 8.

In addition to native support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus display sizes, the new version soups up your device by enabling manual adjustment of the focus, exposure, white balance, shutter speed and ISO, while you're shooting video.

And if you own an iPhone 5s, 6 or 6 Plus, you'll enjoy Time-lapse capture at three, six and nine frames per second speeds and silky smooth slow-motion video at 120 and 240 frames per second. Jump past the break for additional enhancements.

Readability updated with iPhone 6 support and iOS 8 extension

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

Good news, Readability fans! Your favorite read-later service on Thursday received a refresh enabling native display support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus so you can see more article contents with less scrolling.

This is a big deal for mobile apps that focus on content consumption: as you know, iOS 8 blows up non-optimized apps to fill the new screen sizes, resulting in fuzzy appearance and enlarged content as opposed to seeing more of it.

The app, available free of charge, has also been optimized for iOS 8 with the Share sheet extension and other features outlined below.

‘Jellies!’ goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Cody Lee ∙ October 9, 2014

Apple this afternoon named popular color-matching puzzler 'Jellies!' 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 $1 discount from its normal price tag.

In Jellies!, you join Bob the Fisherman as he makes his way through the ocean on a [fairly odd] mission to find his fingers that the wicked Jellies have apparently bitten off. Your goal in each level is to help him catch as many Jellies as possible in 60 seconds.

Blink Keyboard should make typing on your gigantic iPhone 6 easier

Lory Gil ∙ October 9, 2014

I am one of a handful of people that did not upgrade to the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus specifically because of the size. My hands are small and I’ve gotten used to the width of the iPhone 5. I can type and play games with one hand without feeling like I’m having to stretch too far.

Blink Keyboard is a third-party keyboard app that helps iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users that are used to one-handed typing but are having trouble with the larger screen size. The app shifts the keyboard to the left or right so you can reach all the letters.

Zynga releases ‘New Words With Friends’ with new design and features

Cody Lee ∙ October 9, 2014

Celebrating its 5-year anniversary, Zynga has released a revamped version of its hit word game called 'New Words With Friends.' It's an all-new app, but users won't be forced to upgrade, and those who do will not see any kind of interruption in their gameplay.

The game is essentially a sleeker, more robust version of the massive hit that first debuted in 2009. There are some definite design changes here, with flatter UI elements and more streamlined menus, and a host of new features including a new offline solo mode.

Skype for Mac 7.0 now available with revamped chat experience

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 9, 2014

Microsoft on Thursday issued a major new update to Skype for Mac alongside a new preview for Windows desktop. Available as a free download, Skype for Mac 7.0 brings out mobile-inspired look with a revamped chat experience, ahead of OS X Yosemite release later this month.

The richer chat experience allows you to chat and call simultaneously with one click and keep the conversation going across devices.

You'll also appreciate improvements to the free group video calling feature and the fact that the overall appearance of the app fits right in with OS X Yosemite.

Weebly releases website-creation app for iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 9, 2014

To think they used to say that one couldn't do real work or create content on the iPad... Enter Weebly for iPad, a native application by the popular web-hosting service which allows users to create websites in minutes by dragging and dropping various elements in its web interface.

Although it's been available on iOS since May 2012, Weebly was iPhone-only until todays update which has brought out native iPad interface with full editing capabilities, unlike the iPhone and iPod touch version.

Weebly is available free of charge in the App Store.

Spirits of Spring is a story-driven game with deep, emotional value

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

Mindless video games where players shoot at everything in sight and don’t look back are loads of fun, but games that have a subtle message can be just as fun if they are done right.

Spirits of Spring is an adventure game that explores the notion of loyalty, friendship, and understanding. It also points out just how terrible bullying can be and how it affects victims. We’ve got a game review of Spirits of Spring for you today.