Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Free iPhone App Review#2

The Impossible Test Review:

This is a quiz game where you will be asked to provide the answers to some tricky questions. You start off with a fix number of lives and every mistake you make subtracts 1 life point from your total. The questions range from simple motor skills test i.e. quickly tapping on a moving target to the really tricky ones where you can't help but make a mistake and lose a life point or two. Some of these questions make use of the gyroscope so when you are stuck, try to shake or rotate your phone.
Verdict: Recommended

Zombie Farm Review:

This is a combination of a farming game as popularized by the big names in Facebook and tower defense style game play involving zombies. The game starts off slow with very little excitement as you plant crops and harvest them to earn gold. You can also plant zombies which you can harvest later to become part of your army. When you have a large enough army, you can choose to invade and pester Old McDonnell's barn next door for more gold and brains.
Verdict: Recommended

Parachute NINJA FREE Review:

Parachute NINJA is a platformer with rubber-band style slinging, tap-activated parachutes and a good physics engine. The game requires you to get from start to the finish line while Defeat hovering enemies and avoiding obstacles. You also need to collect fireflies to increase your score as you embark on your flinging, flying adventure. I think there is enough content in this free version for you to get a feel of the game mechanics.
Verdict: Recommended

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Saturday, April 10, 2010

Iphone OS 4.0 Developer Preview Notes

Iphone OS 4.0 Developer Preview

To be released in the Summer for iPhone and in the Fall for the iPad

1500 new APIs for developers
- Calendar Access
- Photo Library
- in-app SMS
- Full access to still and video camera

100 new user features
- create playlists
- 5x digital zoom
- gift apps
- bluetooth keyboards

7 tentpole features
1) Multitasking
 - not the first but we will be the best just like cut and paste
 - easy to implement which will drain the battery life and slow the performance of the foreground app

How they added multitasking without preserving battery life and performance?
- from all the apps in the app store, they looked for the services that the apps need to multi-task in the background and they implemented the services themselves in a way that preserves battery life and performance. They provide the 7 services as APIs:
- Background audio
- Voice over IP
- Background location
- Push notifications
- Local notifications
- Task completion
- Fast app switching

2) Folders
DnD UI
intelligent naming
180 -> 2,160 apps

3) Enhanced Mail
- Unified inbox w/ multiple exchange accounts
- Fast inbox switching
- Organize by thread
- Open attachments with an app

4) iBooks
- ebook reader
- ibookstore
- buy once, read anywhere
- sync page and bookmarks
- free winnie the pooh

5) Enterprise
- Even better data protection
- Mobile Device Management
- Wireless app distribution
- Multiple exchange accounts
- exchange server 2010
- SSL VPN support

6) Game Center
- Social gaming network
- invite friends
- matchmaking
- leaderboard
- achievements

7) iAd: Mobile Advertising
- Emotion + interactivity
- Ads keep you in your app
- Built in to iPhone OS
- Apple sells & hosts the ads
- 60% revenue -> developer

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Saturday, April 03, 2010

Free iPhone App Review#1

Cooking Mama Lite Review:

This is a cooking action game which makes interesting use of the touch screen and the gyroscope. My only gripe is that it only has one recipe to cook, the hamburger stewed in tomato sauce. After you're done with it, there's nothing left to do in the game except purchase the full version.
Verdict: Not Recommended

Diner Dash Lite Review:

With this free version, you can experience 5 levels of frantic time management in a diner setting. You can help Flo grow her fledgeling diner into a five-star restaurant. I think there is enough content here to let the user experience the diner dash mechanics.
Verdict: Recommended

Tower Bloxx New York FREE Review:

This game lets you experience a wacky skyscraper construction and city building game that tests your speed, reflexes and puzzle skills. I don't think there is enough content in this free version for the user to get a feel of whether he/she will enjoy the full game or not.
Verdict: Not Recommended

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