Jules Review

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Jules Review

By Jason Wadsworth on July 15th, 2011
Our Rating: :: HIGH ROLLER
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

This game has so much charm that it would make Prince Charming look like a jerk, and rolling around its amazingly crafted environments won’t disappoint.

 

Developer: FromPïx

Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 3GS

Graphics / Sound Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.31 out of 5 stars

It’s a common nightmare. Waking up one day to find everyone you know trapped inside of wooden boxes. Alright, so maybe that isn’t a very common nightmare. Still, it would be pretty freaky. Regardless of whether anyone has actually ever woken up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat fearing a boxed future, this game is a refreshing taste of a more surreal side of gaming.

Jules is a cute, fox-like creature that awakes one day to find his family — and everyone in the world in fact — has been trapped in large crates. Jules gets around the world by twisting himself up around his trusty green ball and rolling around. He can free everyone that is trapped by rolling into the boxes that imprison them and breaking them open. The game is broken up into stages, and each stage takes place in a different everyday locale. Jules finds himself rolling through these locales and breaking boxes in places like his home, the park, the beach, and the soccer field. In his travels, Jules must also avoid the blocky minions who have busily been boxing the world’s population. If he is touched by any of these enemies, he will be boxed himself and unable to continue his rescue mission.

Players control Jules and guide him around the environments by tilting the device back and forth, much as one would roll a marble back and forth in a shoebox. One of the smartest features in this game is the ability for players to pause the game at any time and adjust the stationary state. This means that the player can position themselves in the most comfortable position for playing the game with no need to contort themselves to level their device in a particular way.

The painterly, surreal environments of this game are simply spectacular. The gameplay may not be incredibly innovative, but the visuals keep this game fresh in a way that innovative gameplay by itself couldn’t. To bring an added degree of interest to the visuals, there is a point of view built into the top down view that shifts slightly as the player tilts the device. The result is an absolutely genius faux 3D perspective that changes dynamically as the game is played. Some lifetime value is also added to the game with the inclusion of four additional gameplay modes outside of the story mode for players to explore.

For players looking for a delightful departure from the normal and mundane, this game is a must.

Jules

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Buy Now: $0.99

Our Rating: :: HIGH ROLLER
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-07-07 :: Category: Games

Apps mentioned in this post: Jules


About: Jules Review is a post from 148Apps

Jason Wadsworth 16 Jul, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/jules-review/
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Google Owned Photovine Comes to the iPhone

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Google owned company, Slide, is currently in public beta testing for a new photo sharing app, Photovine. The app released yesterday, and is available on the App Store, though users will need a beta invite to actually use it. Interestingly enough, the app is not available for Google’s own Android operating system.

Photovine distinguishes itself from similar photo sharing apps like Instagram with themed sharing albums, called vines. In the video below, one user takes a photo of a pomeranian puppy, titles it “warm and fuzzy,” and passes it on to a friend. Other friends pick up on the theme and send along various photos to enrich it, including a big, friendly guy with a hairy chest in a speedo swimsuit. Check it out:

Heading to the app home page, users currently see a basic splash page with a button to request an invite, the teaser video, and a privacy policy page that shows the company’s Google connection. The tagline, “plant a photo, watch it grow,” is also clearly visible. Support is currently only an email address.

Photovine

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Buy Now: FREE
Released: 2011-07-13 :: Category: Social Networking

[Source: LA Times]

Apps mentioned in this post: Instagram, Photovine


About: Google Owned Photovine Comes to the iPhone is a post from 148Apps

Rob LeFebvre 15 Jul, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/news/google-owned-photovine-iphone/
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Spotify for iPhone Review

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Spotify for iPhone Review

By Chris Kirby on July 15th, 2011
Our Rating: :: Spot-on
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

Are you Spotified yet? It’s worth more than a quick look.

 

Developer: Spotify Ltd
Price: FREE to download; $9.99/month for Premium
Version Reviewed: 04.14
Device Reviewed On: iPhone

iPhone Integration Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Re-use Value Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.42 out of 5 stars

The Holy Grail of streaming music services has finally appeared in the US, though it is still rolling out slowly to users. Spotify, that once mythical, hard-to-obtain mash-up of iTunes, RDIO, Pandora and more is at last a (legal) reality in the United States. Is it worth the wait? Read on…

There’s really two parts of Spotify – the desktop client for PC and Mac and the mobile client (sorry, but there’s no browser-based version). If you’ve never tried Spotify before, you may be surprised at how much like iTunes the desktop software looks and feels, though Spotify is much, much peppier. In Apple’s parlance, “It just works.” Part of that is because it is dedicated to music and music only. Don’t expect videos, movies, podcasts or anything else. Spotify is a jukebox loaded with literally millions of songs, and the great part about the desktop client is that a free account grants access to the full spectrum of music on the service, as well as the ability to create playlists, plus listen to local iTunes tracks. The downside is that all of this free content is ad-supported, so expect some annoying pop-up ads for Coke and other products, as well as some odd song snippets in your playlists. Apparently, Spotify is trying to sell new music by exposing users to it in their streams, but the effect is more jarring than persuasive.

There’s not much to be said about the iPhone app for Spotify unless users shell out the $9.99 a month for their premium service. Premium service grants unlimited streaming of all of their content, offline syncing of Spotify music, on-the-fly playlist creation and the ability to sync and play an iTunes library through the app. In this way, it’s not terribly different from Rdio. The main difference between the two is in the details.

Spotify on the iPhone has, hands down, a cleaner, quicker, more elegant interface. Music is available quickly over WiFi or 3G, and it has that ineffable “feel” of an Apple product. It works and it works well. What’s more, it feels good to use. Rdio, on the other hand, is not as slick and it has a decidedly barebones appearance to it, both on the desktop and on iOS. However, my experience indicates that Rdio currently has more content relevant to US listeners. For example, Adele’s album “21″ is available on Rdio. Not so on Spotify. The same goes for other high profile, newer albums. Obviously, this can be a deal breaker. If I want a particular song or album on Spotify and it’s not there, I’ll definitely think twice before renewing my monthly premium membership.

Spotify also offers tight integration with Facebook, so sharing music or playlists with friends, is, at least theoretically, as simple as dragging and dropping a track on a friends’ name. I say “theoretically” because, as it stands right now, there are not many people on Spotify due to their “invitation-only” membership policy. It will be interesting to see how the partnership with Facebook will pan out over the coming days, weeks and months.

With Apple’s iCloud service in the wings, plus healthy competition from Rdio, MOG and Rhapsody, Spotify is not the dominating presence it could have been had it launched in the US years ago. Still, it’s a strong, elegant piece of software that’s hard to ignore.

Spotify

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Buy Now: FREE

Our Rating: :: Spot-on
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-07-14 :: Category: Music

Apps mentioned in this post: Rdio, Spotify


About: Spotify for iPhone Review is a post from 148Apps

Chris Kirby 15 Jul, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/spotify-iphone-review/
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Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure Review

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Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure Review

By Jennifer Allen on July 15th, 2011
Our Rating: :: SWEET
iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad

An adorable game for young children and their parents to discover together.

 

Developer: Untold Entertainment
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.94 out of 5 stars

Sometimes despite all the cynicism in the world, one can’t help but stare at one cutesy thing and evaporate into a puddle of ‘awwww’ type goo. That’s exactly what happens to all but the most cold hearted of people when they come across Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure.

It’s a title that might already be familiar to some, having previously been a free to play flash game. It’s been quite a phenomenon since being conceived in one weekend by a father and his 5 year old daughter. All the hand drawn illustrations and voices have been contributed by 5 year old Cassie and it’s pretty adorable indeed.

In terms of gameplay, Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure is a short but sweet point and click adventure. It only actually takes around 10-15 minutes to complete but that’s not the point. The purpose is that not only does it offer some charming, childlike humor but it’s clearly an ideal game to play alongside young children. Understandably, it’s aimed right at their level. The story focuses on Sissy’s efforts to collect ponycorns (a cross between a pony and a unicorn) in jars. It’s more innocent than that sounds, simply a tale of a child collecting up exciting and imaginative creatures.

Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure doesn’t really offer any great reason to replay it but much like a storybook, it feels like the kind of tale that kids will want to rediscover over and over again. Some of the lines that young Sissy says are distinctly memorable. Who could deny that lemons are evil after all? Or that ponycorns are the best thing in the world? The innocence is wonderful and downright heartwarming.

While players could just stick with the flash game, the iPad version feels more intimate and ideal for snuggling on the sofa with a fascinated child. For this quality time, $2.99 is a small price to pay for this quirky and adorable game.

Sissy's Magical Ponycorn Adventure

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Buy Now: $2.99

Our Rating: :: SWEET
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-07-01 :: Category: Games

Apps mentioned in this post: Sissy's Magical Ponycorn Adventure


About: Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure Review is a post from 148Apps

Jennifer Allen 15 Jul, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/sissys-magical-ponycorn-adventure-review/
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500,000 Apps Interview Series: Rob Murray, Flight Control

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A common theme that I'm noticing as I talk to these incredibly talented developers is that they are recognizing an inevitable merger between desktop and mobile computing that is happening sooner rather than later. Rob Murray agrees, and adds that this awareness is what lead him and his company, founded in 1999, to start developing programs for mobile platforms. "People will choose the mobile because it's convenient, portable, and it's personal." He sees the steady, predictable advancement of computing power creating a natural progression leading up to a point where we will have all the technology we need in the palm of our hands.

"Desktops overtook mainframes, Walkmans and iPods washed away home hi-fis," he says. The last frontier left is the "big screen" of home television viewing, but even that barrier has been smashed with the most recent update to Real Racing 2 HD. It's designed to connect directly to your HDMI-compliant TV and display the view from the driver's seat in 1080p resolution while simultaneously showing your track position, lap time and speed on your iPad 2. This dual-screen experience takes multiuser racing to a whole new level, and once iOS 5 comes out this fall, the whole system will be able to run wirelessly over AirPlay. As Rob puts it, "we wanted Firemint to be the defining creative powerhouse in this evolution of gaming, the next generation of digital entertainment."

Firemint's large team (over 60 people) works together closely over multiple projects, which helps forge good relationships and working harmony. Everyone is encouraged to participate in the creative process. "You never know where a great idea is going to come from," says Rob.

I switched the conversation topic over to hardware – I'm always curious as to what kind of equipment developers use in their daily lives. Rob says he has an iPad and an iPhone, and uses them both, a lot. He prefers the iPad to browse the web with, but likes gaming on either device. For regular work, he uses a MacBook Pro with both Windows 7 and OS X installed. (Rob is the first iOS developer who has admitted to me that he has anything that runs Windows in his office!)

So what can we look forward to from Firemint? It looks the team is taking a break from controlling air traffic and racing cars and instead bringing us… secret agent mice? Absolutely. Rob calls Firemint's latest project, "an epic adventure featuring the irresistibly debonair and super sneaky Agent Squeak." The game, called SPY mouse, is set to debut this summer on iPhone and preliminary feedback has been extremely positive. Rob enthusiastically encourages everyone to try it out once it’s available.

I'm curious if any of our 148Apps.com readers have played Real Racing 2 HD, hooked up to their TV. If you have, what do you think? If the video below  is any indication, it looks extremely engaging and a blast to play.

About: 500,000 Apps Interview Series: Rob Murray, Flight Control is a post from 148Apps

Gianna LaPin 15 Jul, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/news/500000-apps-interview-series-rob-murray-flight-control/
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