Android – Iphone – Applications

Command and Conquer: Red Alert is the latest blockbuster game to be ported to the App Store, landing in the somewhat lacking RTS genre. But does it transfer well?

One of the best parts about Red Alert is the great story line that is likely familiar to many. The game is set in an alternate reality in which Einstein has invented a time machine and gone back in time to kill Hitler, thus preventing the rise of Nazi Germany. However, without the Nazis to keep them in check, the Soviets begin taking over the entire continent and escalating a huge war between Soviets and Allies. The implementation of the story into the game is sub-par, however. Cut-scenes are noticeably absent and the dialogue in campaign mode hardly advances the story. As for the gameplay, Red Alert is a classic RTS through and through. There is construction of buildings such as factories and radars, all of which you can place anywhere, and construction of units, which vary depending on which faction you’re playing with and can be moved individually or in a group. The goal of the game is to strategically build up units and resources and infiltrate the opponent’s headquarters. Unfortunately, there aren’t as many elements as say, the PC version, and there are a limited number of units and special abilities. I fear this game will fall in between being a casual RTS like Robocalypse and something that hardcore players crave. That’s not to say that it’s not a fun game, but will likely be either too easy or too frustrating for the majority of players.

When it comes to content, $9.99 doesn’t get you a lot. There are five campaign levels for each faction (Allied or Soviet) and two skirmish maps. Tragically, there is no semblance of online multiplayer. There is one DLC expansion pack in the initial release that gives you six skirmish maps for $.99, essentially half the content of the main game for 1/10 of the price.

The controls work surprisingly well. Building units and the like is handled through touch-enabled menus, and moving is as easy as selecting a unit and then tapping a spot. To select multiple units, you touch the box icon and then drag a box around your desired units. I had doubts about this system, but it works surprisingly well. You can additionally zoom in and out using the standard iPhone pinch gestures. The interface is a bit overly-bulky, as it is situated on either side of the screen, though it gets the job done.

The graphics are high quality and fully 3D, and though they are blocky in some places, overall they’re pretty impressive. I do have a bone to pick with the animations however. First, they are frequently choppy. In addition, the movement of units’ legs is oddly disjointed and makes it look like you are moving action figures around. Be warned that the app crashes regularly, though progressive saving somewhat alleviates this. The music is great, as is to be expected, and the voice acting is pretty good.

If you were to strip the “Command and Conquer” label off of this game, it’d just be a good, but excessively priced RTS. I’d still recommend it to fans of the genre, but be wary. There are only a few games that earn their $9.99 price tag, and Red Alert is not one of them.

Popularity: unranked [?]

written by Duy Phong \\ tags: App, Game, Iphone, Mac

ngmoco:)’s hotly anticipated titles, Touch Pets: Dogs and Eliminate, have finally made their way past Apple’s approval process. For those who don’t know, Touch Pets is a pet sim that focuses on raising and training “the ultimate puppy” and also includes a wide array of social features. Eliminate, meanwhile, is a multiplayer online first person shooter. Both games will be free (yes, you read that right!) but will feature In-App Purchases. Note that IAP’s won’t be necessary to play the game; you’ll just need them to unlock extras. With Eliminate, for example, you get to play a certain number of games per day before your “energy” runs out; you can play without energy but you won’t be able to earn any in-game credits.

While both apps are approved, don’t get too excited: ngmoco is doing a Canada-only release first, to make sure that “all Eliminate systems are online and all puppies are house broken before unleashing upon the world,” according to their tweet. It’s an interesting strategy that will have non-Canadian fans grumbling, but given that ngmoco is releasing two extremely hyped games with heavy online components at once, it makes sense. Once the games make their USA debut, we’ll post our reviews; for now, you can check out our preview coverage from earlier this month.

Update: Eliminate is now out worldwide. Make sure you grab it! It generally takes a few hours for new apps to show up in the App Store, so don’t worry if you can’t see it yet.

Canadians can get Touch Pets here, though the rest of the world is still waiting.

Popularity: unranked [?]

written by Duy Phong \\ tags: App, Apple, Free, Game, ITunes, OS, Unlock

By far the most fascinating application I’ve reviewed in a while, QuickReader is designed to improve your reading speed. I was cautiously skeptical at first, but after a few sessions with the app, I can actually feel myself improving. Anyone willing to invest the time in developing their speed-reading skills should grab this app immediately.

As one iTunes store reviewer put it, QuickReader is like a metronome for reading. By default, the app is set to 3 “stops” per line and 300 words per minute. A “stop” is essentially a highlighted portion of the text; it’s the digital equivalent to traditional methods like using a pen to track your progress. The highlight steadily moves across the page according to the pace you set, and you’re supposed to follow along with it. It’s supposed to allow you to focus on groups of words and to read properly from side to side, because your eye focuses naturally on movement.

If it sounds simple, that’s because it is. I can’t explain the science behind it myself, but after using it for just a few days, I can see a marked improvement in my speed. There’s a speed test included with the application, and I was reading around 325 words per minute at the beginning; now, I’m hovering between 585 and 608. I have to put forth a conscious effort to read quickly, but it feels comfortable. What shocked me most was that I was able to retain what I had read, at nearly double the speed—and I haven’t even been using QuickReader for a week! Granted, that speed hasn’t quite translated into the offscreen world, but if I focus, I can approach similar speeds.

There are three modes within the application: Guided Reading, Normal Reading, and Speed Test. I recommend taking a Speed Test prior to starting with the app, so that you can nudge the words per minute rate just a little higher than your current speed. Normal Reading is good if you just want to read the bundled classics. Thankfully, you can switch freely through the modes mid-read without having to navigate back to the menu. You can also fully customize font and color schemes, which makes QuickReader a solid eBook reader as well as a reading-improvement device. Both landscape and portrait reading modes are supported.

The application comes with 21 classic eBooks for you to practice with. I’m working with Sherlock Holmes, which might account for my speed; though a classic, it’s hardly as dense as, say, a textbook. The developers apparently have plans to incorporate an eBook store in the future, but I’d love to be able to upload my own eBooks into the reader—I have quite a few sitting around on my hard drive.

I suspect that your mileage may vary with QuickReader. I was already a relatively fast reader (a little over a page per minute with a real book?), and I adapted to the methods used here quickly. Others may struggle. Still, for me, it’s an incredibly useful tool, and I’m glad that I downloaded it. If you’re a frequent reader, you should definitely give this application a try; even if the price makes you hesitate, you need to check out the lite version. The effects are nothing short of magical.

Popularity: unranked [?]

written by Duy Phong \\ tags: App, Application, Download, Free, Iphone, ITunes, OS

Push notifications are lovely things; I just wished that all of the services I used supported them! Enter Boxcar: a so-called “Free+” app and one of the best Push notification solutions for Facebook, Twitter, and email. It’s by far the simplest, most intuitive notification app I’ve used so far, and the fact that you get one service for free makes it a steal.

Boxcar offers a number of services: Facebook notifications, email alerts, or Twitter alerts. I’m going to go through a brief explanation of how each service works:

1. Facebook
This is what I use Boxcar primarily for, since I’m not too active on Twitter. Facebook Connect logs you into your account, and then you’re set; all of your notifications get pushed without any problems at all. I love this for a somewhat silly reason: my Scrabble games. Finally, I don’t have to keep re-opening apps to check and see if it’s my turn to move!

Note that Push notifications are supposedly coming in the next official version of the Facebook app, so this function may become obsolete. For now, however, Boxcar delivers a much-needed service that the official app can’t match.

2. Email
Boxcar’s method of email notifications is somewhat unique, and it’s very different from how applications like GPush handle things. You’re given a Boxcar email address, and then you have to set up email forwarding to that address. In gmail, this is a cinch to do, but I’m not sure about other email clients. Either way, it’s well worth the effort. Boxcar says that they don’t store the emails, and with this method, you never have to reveal your password.

3. Twitter
Boxcar has quite a few delectable options for Twitter users. Not only can you get @replies and DMs pushed to your iPhone, but you can also get you’re whole timeline pushed out. Now, I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re following more than a handful of people, but it’s a nice option. (And, thankfully, it is optional.) The best part, however, is that Boxcar will connect with your Twitter client, and you can chose to automatically open that app instead of Boxcar when you get a new notification. (Popular ones on the list: Tweetie 2, Twitteriffic, and Echofon.)

Okay, so there’s the functionality of Boxcar in a nutshell. The real joy, however, is found in the execution. Notifications are sent relatively quickly; my Facebook ones are nearly instant. Then there are the levels of customization: choosing different sounds per service, setting how to open each push notification (Facebook mobile? Gmail.com? Boxcar?), and being able to turn certain portions of each service or off at the flick of a switch. There are many other great features: the way that new notifications are stored within the app itself, for example, and the option to have generic, “private” alerts that simply read, “You have a new message on Twitter!”

There are some features I’d like to see: the ability to set a “quiet time” when notifications aren’t sent or a giant “silence switch” would be fantastic. But all told, Boxcar pulls of everything with flair and ease. The interface is slick, the services work wonderfully, and I love getting my notifications. And then there’s the fact that it’s free—well, for the first service, anyway. You’ll have to pay $0.99 for extra ones. But honestly, Boxcar is by far the best Push notification app I’ve used, and it just works.

So. Go on. Download it already!

Popularity: unranked [?]

written by Duy Phong \\ tags: App, Application, Download, Free, Game, Iphone, OS

Ok, Halloween’s over but it’s still ok to use your iPhone to go hunting for ghosts, right?? “AR” stands for Augmented Reality.

iTunes Link – AR Ghost

On deck: AR Ghost, part II (Entertainment)

Popularity: unranked [?]

written by Duy Phong \\ tags: App, Apple, Free, Iphone, ITunes, OS