In science class you’re led to believe that chemistry is tricky, and that particles with differing charges are constantly crashing into each other and swapping electrons in a delicate dance that basically keeps the universe from melting into goo. Particle Panic has a simpler approach, where you must match up opposing particles to fuse them together and advance to the next stage. While the science may be a bit more simplistic, that doesn’t mean the game is easy. In fact, Particle Panic’s complexity is both its most interesting feature as well as its biggest liability.

The game starts off simply by asking players to match “quarks” of different colors in order to set off a reaction. Things get a bit tricky right off the bat as only certain hues may be paired, so you have to keep an eye out for the perfect atom to match with another onscreen. As the game progresses things get even more complicated, as extra factors such as polarity and spin get added into the equation, and now not only do you have to worry about colors, but other factors as well.

While the game tries to introduce new gimmicks at a steady rate they quickly become overwhelming, and it isn’t long before your brain simply locks up while trying to keep track of it all. The fact that the initial colors that form the basis of the game aren’t easily identifiable at a glance (green and yellow look very similar, and who though matching red to cyan would be wise?), mean that pairing particles with the correct mate is hard enough to start with, not even taking into account all the other factors that come up later. By the time you’re trying to find mates for the double-positive charged atom with an upward spin it’s all a little too much. The game could really use a Zen mode or some other less-stressful version where you could take out some of the more complicated mechanics and just focus on the core gameplay.

Though the game may grow a bit too complex too quickly it’s still rather enjoyable, and fans of fast-paced puzzle games may get quite a kick out of it. The app also boasts an impressive soundtrack, so if nothing else the game is good for kicking back with some cool tunes. This is a fairly decent game for a specific niche of fans, but it’s likely too complex and difficult to really appeal to the mass market.

[ Particle Panic Review is a post from 148Apps ]

America’s favorite news program has a new digital home, as CBS has announced that the 60 Minutes app is now available for the iPad. The digital edition will feature all non rights-restricted segments from each week’s show, as well as special bonus content and online extras from 60 Minutes Overtime. But is this the right app for the right market? Or is CBS merely hoping to catch the wave of the iPad’s popularity?

“It is an exciting new way to watch our stories. I love everything about it—the way the app looks, the way the stories play, and the fact that viewers can watch them anytime they want,” said 60 Minutes Executive Producer Jeff Fager. “The 60 Minutes app takes full advantage of the generous screen size and unique features of the iPad, including high quality video,” added Rob Gelick, Senior Vice President and General Manager, CBS Mobile. “The app allows fans to extend their engagement with 60 Minutes on a format that is easy to navigate and highly visual.”

In addition to content from the current edition of the show, app users will also be able to run back through the 60 Minutes archive to pick up old stories and segments they may want to watch again. Content can be sorted through categories such as Newsmakers, Politics, Health & Science, Business, Sports, and Entertainment, or via correspondent name if you happen to have a favorite reporter.

It will be interesting to see how the app performs given that 60 Minutes tends to skew towards an older audience yet the iPad is a device typically used by younger consumers. Still, the tablet has worked hard to appeal to all age groups, so this might prove to be an immensely popular app for the tech-savvy older market set. After all, the show itself is incredibly popular, so there’s a good chance that the app will be just as well-received.

$4.99

60 Minutes for iPad

iPad Only App – Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-11-16 :: Category: News

[ 60 Minutes App Now Available for iPad is a post from 148Apps ]

Last month, I highlighted the impressive, unexpectedly high download figures of magazine applications from published Condé Nast – 3.8 million to be precise. Since then, The Times have joined the wagon with Eureka, a digital version of the The Times’ monthly science magazine that uses the power of the iPad to present information in an interactive, enjoyable way.

Eureka embraces interactivity right from the get-go. Just like swiping to unlock, the application requires that you swipe to enter, after which you are greeted with a navigation and content video revealing the true extent of the information that Eureka holds. In this edition, How Science Is Changing The Human Race, there are five main categories, each with a plethora of subsets containing information that’ll amaze you as much as the application itself. Each category, subcategory and page hosts its own unique design and interactive integration, from audio and video to landscape mode and swiping. For the purposes of this review, I’ll focus on one category – Engineering.

Tapping the Engineering molecule once opens an introductory page, where six main headings are listed as well as an audio recording of Matthew Syed’s engineering comments. Heading one, an archive slideshow, is required to be viewed in landscape mode, with a graphic alerting users when this is the case. One rotation later a full Big Picture-style collection of images is presented, presented not only in high quality but with a morsel of information regarding each picture. Heading three is more magazine based content, where focus is placed equally on images and text. Again, the interface is very elegantly designed the only underlying trait between each section between Eureka’s trademark two blue parallel lines that give pages colour and separate images. In addition, pre-downloaded audio is accessible in a single tap.

Moving on, heading four reveals Formula One’s knock-on effect on car safety, allowing readers to take apart an F1 car and understand the complex steering wheels that go with each vehicle, all through tapping different parts of the screen. It’s such a beautiful, seamless interface. The designers haven’t thought outside the box, they’ve changed what the box should be: everything feels right.

Suffice it to say, I’m impressed with Eureka, even though there are one or two problems. The constant changing between landscape and portrait mode – and lack of ability to view content in both (only one or the other) – does mean that you are constantly moving the iPad about in your hands, which doesn’t make the user experience as enjoyable as it should be. In addition, the initial download is painfully large and the application looms over most others when it comes to installed size: over 500MB, because of pre-downloaded audio and video. Options to stream these, or download category by category, would be much preferred.

Nonetheless, Eureka pushes the boundary forward when it comes to magazine applications. It makes the iPad feel special and unique in a technological world where competition is fierce. And for that, Eureka deserves every bit of its 4.5 stars.

[ Times Eureka Review is a post from 148Apps ]

We all know that CPR is a staple of hospital dramas and medical mysteries on television, but how many of us actually know and understand the science behind what is going on?  For that matter, do you know how to perform it properly?  Personally, I know that the process involves applying pressure to someone’s chest repeatedly, while simultaneously providing them with oxygen, but as for how to properly perform the potentially lifesaving measures, I am completely in the dark.

However, for those that understand the process of CPR assisted resuscitation, they know that not only is this a difficult and often physically draining process, but it also requires attention to a wide variety of body cues as well as strict attention to timing.  It is difficult enough to try to keeps ones head clear under such tremendous pressure to begin with, so why not make the process a little easier with the help of the breakthrough new app CPR PRO from Ivor Medical.

Through a series of visual and auditory cues, the program will aid rescuers in trying to make the most of a chaotic situation.  How does it actually work, you ask?  Ivor Medical breaks it down like this:

• Visual and audio prompts
• Metronome to pace chest compressions
• Rate detection of actual compressions
• Detection of number of compressions
• Prompts to give two rescue breaths over 1 second, after the detection of 30 chest compressions
• Prompts to pace ventilation, when the airway is secured (10/minute)
• Stopwatch running continuously, helping you to keep track of time (regularly reassess the victim, deliver defibrillation and drugs, change rescuer roles, etc.)
• Two modes of operation, 30:2 and PRO – to be used when the airway is secured or if unwilling/unable to provide mouth-to-mouth ventilations
• Elegant and soothing design
• Designed to work with CPR PRO cradle for iPhone by Ivor Medical
• Basic Life Support algorithm with photos
• Complete Instructions for Use

When you combine use of the application with the patent pending, new CPR PRO Cradle, not only will you see the benefits of the program itself, but it will also help to protect your body against fatigue during this tiring process.

“Rescuers grasp the two sides of the device with their palms, so that their hands are in line with their shoulders. Due to this natural hand position, it takes less power to perform accurate compressions and rescuers get tired less quickly.” — via CPR PRO Cradle product description

There is one important thing to note when using a app of this nature: though it offers basic on-screen instructions to the resuscitation process, CPR PRO is no replacement for formal CPR training.  For a mere $1.99, this is a download that could literally be a lifesaver.

$1.99

$2.99

CPR PRO

iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-09-17 :: Category: Medical

[ CPR PRO is a Real Lifesaver is a post from 148Apps ]