Apps

Apps of the Week: Final Fantasy VI, Paper, Modern Command, and more

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

February has begun, which means it is no longer the start of the New Year. Are you sticking to your resolutions? So far, I’m doing pretty good with mine. Not great, but pretty good. Hey, we’ve got 11 more months to get it together, right?

This weekend, if you are planning on staying in with epic video games sessions on your iPhone, want to catch up on your Facebook news reading, or forgot to order flowers for you mom because you were playing videos games too long, we’ve got a list of apps and game to give you something to do this weekend…

Sega adds MFi controller support to Sonic titles

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

It got off to a rocky start, but things are looking up for Apple's MFi controller platform. We're starting to see more (and cheaper) controller options become available for iOS devices, and developers are adding MFi support to their games daily.

Case in point, Sega just updated 2 of its most popular Sonic iOS titles with MFi controller support. Now in addition to Sonic the Hedgehog 2, both the original Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic CD are compatible with the new breed of gamepads...

Mega iOS app updated with photo sync, passcode lock and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Popular cloud storage service Mega has pushed an update for its iPhone client today, bringing the app to version 1.1. The update puts the client more on par with Dropbox and other cloud clients by adding photo sync, a passcode option and more.

The biggest new feature for me is the passcode lock, as it allows you to set a four-digit passcode that would be required every time you launch the app. But I'm sure many folks will find the new automatic cloud-photo-syncing feature just as handy...

Snapchat vulnerability opens up iPhone users to DoS attacks

Cody Lee ∙ February 7, 2014

According to a new report from cyber security researcher Jamie Sanchez, the Snapchat app contains a vulnerability that makes it possible for hackers to launch a denial-of-service (DoS) attack that can temporarily freezes a user's iPhone.

Sanchez and a fellow research discovered a flaw in the app's system that allows a hacker to send thousands of messages to a Snapchat user in seconds, which can cause crashes. And often times, these crashes can only be fixed with a reset...

On the Line review: let your fingers do the running

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

There are hundreds, if not thousands of “endless runner” games in the App Store. So many now that, when I see the term, I usually groan and pass it by. However, from time to time, a unique take on the game will come along and surprise me.

On the Line is one of those little surprises. It is called an endless runner, and I suppose in its most technical terms, it is, but this game is anything but typical. There are no coins, no bonus items, and no character. Your finger is the runner…

NAS video downloads and other new features now live in Infuse in 2.2

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

Infuse, the versatile iOS media player by jailbreak developer FireCore best-known for its aTV Flash Black software for the Apple TV, is getting a nice update with new features later today.

Infuse 2.2 is a pretty big update that comes with a number of additional features the team has been working on for awhile, as well as some of the top user-requested features. One of my favorite additions is the ability to browse network shares and download files for offline playback.

I'm loving it because no longer do I have to transfer my media to Infuse through iTunes, WebDAV or other clunky methods. Infuse 2.2 will be available as a free download in the App Store later today...

Rocket Robo review: help a lonely robot reach the stars

Lory Gil ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Gaming on mobile devices has gotten better over the past few years. Things have really heated up since the launch of the iPhone 5s and the iPad Air. Graphics and performance have improved greatly, making it possible for mobile game makers to create some fairly incredible titles.

Rocket Robo is a puzzle game that features great graphics, unique movement mechanics and a sprinkling of arcade action...

Kids driving game Toca Cars is Apple’s new Free App of the Week

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

I hope you have downloaded the excellent Spark Camera which was made temporarily free thanks to Apple's ongoing Free App of the Week promotion. Every Thursday a new paid app picked by Apple's editors goes free for a limited time in the App Store as Apple's way of thanking fans for their loyalty.

As Spark Camera today returns to its original $1.99 price, a new app has gone free until next Thursday, Toca Cars. Originally released last September and normally costing $2.99, this charming kids driving game from Toca Boca (a studio that makes digital toys for kids) has a 4.5-star rating and was never free, until today.

I wholeheartedly recommend you grab Toca Cars in the App Store now...

Threes mixes matching and math for a minimalistic strategy game

Lory Gil ∙ February 6, 2014

Sudoku intimidates me. It’s not that I don’t like math. It’s just that puzzle games based on numbers reminds me of middle school. I feel like some unseen teacher is hovering over me, judging my abilities.

Threes is a minimalistic matching game that doesn’t require you to solve any kind of puzzle, so you can get your math fix without feeling like you have to show your work…

Classic iPhone game Eliss gets remade for 2014

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Avid gamers among you who owned the original iPhone surely remember Eliss. Created by Steph Thirion and released in March 2009, Eliss was one of the first iPhone puzzlers that wouldn't implement multitouch controls as an afterthought. It went on to win numerous awards and was called by many a multitouch masterpiece. Eliss challenged you to move around a bunch of planets and split/combine them with other planets of the same size/color.

On paper, the concept doesn't sound terribly revolutionary or exciting. But once you picked it up, however, there was no putting Eliss down - it was that addictive. Unfortunately, the creator stopped updating the game just three months following its release: the last refresh was in June 2009.

Turns out other projects have kept Steph occupied - among them a brand new and polished remake of the original Eliss game...

Apple pulls Bitcoin wallet app Blockchain from App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Apple on Thursday pulled from its App Store the last remaining Bitcoin wallet app that allowed transactions. Blockchain, the only Bitcoin trading and storage iOS app, has been downloaded 120,000 times. It can no longer be found on the App Store following the removal over an "unresolved issue".

Nicolas Cary, the CEO of London-based Blockchain.info which developed the app, told Bloomberg he didn't understand Apple's reasoning as his app's been on the App Store for two years.

Apple previously pulled Bitcoin-compatible apps from the App Store or asked their developers to remove the transfer feature because it's illegal in some countries...

Track your progress as you learn something new with Better Every Time app

Lory Gil ∙ February 6, 2014

I am big on crafting and do-it-yourself projects. If there is one think I’ve learned from my many attempts to create handmade stuff, it is that practice is the key to getting better. I fail nearly every time I try something new. However, by the third or fourth attempt, I’ve improved greatly.

Better Every Time is a journaling app that makes it easy for you to track your progress when attempting to get better at something. As you work at it, record what happens so that you will know what not to do the next time around…