"If there is an app for that"

Free Apps to Download TODAY ONLY 07/22/2016

July 22, 2016 by macjeff

Angry Birds HD , Angry Birds , Smart Cycle Alarm PRO and more

iPhone:

Angry Birds ( $0.99 → FREE )

The scheming pigs have stolen the Angry Birds’ eggs. It’s up to you to dish out revenge by destroying their defenses. Pull back on the launcher and release to send a bird flying through the air and create massive pig-crushing chain reactions to earn extra points. Each bird has its own unique ability, so make sure to use them wisely. The game is absolutely bursting with content, featuring 11 worlds with hundreds upon hundreds of levels.

Universal:

Smart Cycle Alarm PRO ( $0.99 → FREE )

Spin the dial to set your desired wakeup window. Smart Cycle Alarm will monitor your sleep patterns and wake you up in the lightest possible sleep state, which will leave you feeling refreshed. The app includes a customizable wakeup phase of 10 to 90 minutes. Your sleep data can be viewed on a graph and exported as a CSV file, and it can be sent to the built-in Health app.

Jigsaw Wonder Polar Bears for Kids ( $1.99 → FREE )

You won’t be able to resist the charm of this jigsaw puzzle game. Each of the 33 jigsaw puzzles features a polar bear photo to reconstruct. The jigsaw puzzles can be broken up into as few as four pieces and as many as 24. You’re also able to choose whether or not you want a colored background and outline hints. What more could you ask for?

NodeBeat - Playful Music for All ( $1.99 → FREE )

Drag different nodes all around the screen and connect them to each other to create pulsing sounds. There’s no wrong way to go about it, so just have fun. The app includes a variety of customization options like the ability to add gravity to nodes, adjustable pulse rate and beat sync, and echo volume. It also includes 20 musical scales, a seven octave range, all 12 musical key signatures, and the ability to record and send your tunes via email.

Loan Calculator — What If? ( → $0.99 )

With Loan Calculator, you don’t need to have a bunch of reference help files or documentation. Finding out how much your monthly payments will be is as easy as filling out three open fields. Loan Calculator provides you with the option to add additional monthly and yearly payments, helping determine how much faster your loan can be paid off and how much money you’ll save. The total lifetime cost of your loan including interest is calculated as well.

Angry Birds HD ( $2.99 → FREE )

The scheming pigs have stolen the Angry Birds’ eggs. It’s up to you to dish out revenge by destroying their defenses. Pull back on the launcher and release to send a bird flying through the air and create massive pig-crushing chain reactions to earn extra points. Each bird has its own unique ability, so make sure to use them wisely. The game is absolutely bursting with content, featuring 11 worlds with hundreds upon hundreds of levels.

Source link: http://appadvice.com/apps-gone-free

New Security Threat Targets OS X, iOS through Graphics (UPDATED)

July 22, 2016 by macjeff

There’s a new security threat for OS X and iOS that could let attackers remotely control your device or install malware by sending you an image file. The threat is fairly serious, although so far it’s still just a proof of concept, and Apple patched the flaw in OS X 10.11.6 and iOS 9.3.3. Cisco’s Talos team discovered the flaw and created a proof of concept that works via Web browser on the Mac. It works by taking advantage of the operating system’s built in tools for automatically rendering images in apps such as Messages and Web browsers, and in certain cases doesn’t require any user action. According to Talos, the exploit takes advantage of file properties in TIFF, OpenEXR, DAE, and BMP images. TIFF, however, is the most dangerous in this case because the exploit can be triggered by simply receiving an image. The Talos team said, This vulnerability is especially concerning as it can be triggered in any application that makes use of the Apple Image I/O API when rendering tiled TIFF images. This means that an attacker could deliver a payload that successfully exploits this vulnerability using a wide range of potential attack vectors including iMessages, malicious web pages, MMS messages, or other malicious file attachments opened by any application that makes use of the Apple Image I/O API for rendering these types of files. The team also said the exploit affects OS X 10.11.5 and earlier, as well as iOS 9.3.2 and earlier. Updating to OS X 10.11.6 and iOS 9.3.3 addresses the issue, and Security Update 2016-004 patches the flaw for OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 and OS X Yosemite 10.10.5. This security flaw is being compared to Stagefright, a serious text message-based exploit for Android device users. While there are similarities in that they can both use MMS as a target vector, it also underscores one of Android’s big weaknesses: software updates. Apple and Google both released patches for the respective exploits, but millions of Android users are still at risk because they can’t get the updates. Where Apple controls all updates for its devices, Google is often at the mercy of service providers who decide when—or if—Android device users will get updates. Apple device users tend to update quickly, too, which helps cut down on potential malicious attacks. The good news is that Apple did patch the image exploit before it had a chance to become more than a proof of concept, and the Talos crew waited until the patch was out to publish their findings. OS X El Capitan users who haven’t updated to version 10.11.6 yet should hop to it, and OS X Mavericks and Yosemite users need to install the 2016-004 security update, too. And iOS users need to get the 9.3.3 update installed right away. Sorry, Android users, you’re on your own. Source link: http://www.macobserver.com/news/new-security-threat-targets-os-x-ios-graphics/

Selfie Request Is Social Networking in 99 Seconds or Less

July 22, 2016 by macjeff

To say that we live in a fast-paced and ever-changing world is quite an understatement. We spend so much time dwelling on the past and worrying about the future that it makes it difficult to focus on the present moment.

Selfie Request is lots of fun to use and makes it easy to stay in touch with friends and family through selfies and brief text messages.

Concept and Functionality:

Getting started with Selfie Request, an iPhone app by MediaOne International, LLC, is pretty simple.

You have the option of signing up with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or email address. It’s worth noting that you also have to provide a phone number in order to receive a confirmation text so you can create your account.

The idea behind Selfie Request is to send and receive requests on the fly. The app is designed to require a maximum of 99 seconds for you to respond to a request with a photo and a brief text message that describes what you’re doing.

The goal is to keep your friends updated without worrying about composing the perfect photo, and Selfie Request gets the job done making it easy to connect with friends and family.

While I really like the idea behind Selfie Request, I had a hard time justifying the use of the app over other apps like iMessage and Snapchat. The limited response time is neat but you probably won’t always be able to send a response because you’re busy doing something else.

Features:

Selfie Request is off to a good start when it comes to being a social networking photo app, but there are quite a few important features that seem to be missing.

For example, even though you create a username, it seems like the app can only connect with people in your iPhone address book. This makes it incredibly complicated for people like me who don’t want to give apps permission to import contacts data. I think it would be much better if we could connect with each other via username.

If you’re concerned about privacy, the developers of Selfie Request state that once a selfie is viewed by a user and subsequently closed, the image is deleted forever.

Naturally this can be circumvented with screenshots and so on, so you definitely don’t want to send anything you wouldn’t want your mother to see.

Value:

Selfie Request is available to download from the App Store for free and is designed for iPhone.

Users don’t have to worry about in-app purchases, which is definitely good news, although I would really like to see expanded contact options like adding people by phone number or username.

Overall, Selfie Request is a great app for living in the now and letting your friends know you’re thinking about them.

Selfie Request requires iOS 8.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

TheiPhoneAppReview’s rating:

Be an Elite Mercenary and Take Out the Beasts in Dead Shell

July 21, 2016 by macjeff

Dead Shell: Roguelike RPG ($2.99) by HeroCraft Ltd. is a challenging labyrinth dungeon crawler that will keep you busy for a long time thanks to completely random procedurally generated dungeons. If you enjoy dark sci-fi themes and like a challenging RPG with some roguelike elements, then look no further than Dead Shell.

As an avid gamer mostly since my high school days, I found that one of my favorite genres of games were RPGs. I loved in-depth storylines, character development, and surprising plot twists. But as I grew older, I started to realize that lack of time with a busy schedule contributed to dwindling interest in most RPGs, though I still pick up a few that I’m really interested in. But then roguelikes became a popular thing several years ago, and once I discovered them, I was hooked. These let me sate my RPG craving without requiring hours and hours of my life poured into them, and yet I was still having a ton of fun. They’re perfect for pint-sized gaming sessions, and that’s why I had to check out Dead Shell: Roguelike RPG when I saw it hit the App Store.

In terms of visuals, Dead Shell is a great blast from the past. I grew up with all of those pixelated 8-bit and 16-bit games, so I’m loving the art style of Dead Shell, even though it doesn’t quite match up with the game’s non-pixelated icon. Despite the style, I found all of the character models used in the game to be highly detailed and distinctive enough from each other that you can easily tell what everything is, rather than get confused by similar-looking monsters. The varying environments of this post-apocalyptic world are filled with great detail and textures, and the bright colors of various machinery, items, and other objects contrast nicely with the dark and gloomy setting. Animations are fairly smooth and fluid, and there is a captivating, atmospheric soundtrack and the game is complete with chiptune sound effects. In terms of the visual and audio department, I say HeroCraft has a winner.

Dead Shell features a post-apocalyptic environment that becomes the battlegrounds of a group of assault mercenaries and hellish beasts. The main objective is to help get the mercenaries to Plutonia, which is a human settlement on a Doom–4 class planet, though it has been a week since the mercenaries last heard anything from them. This means that the game is level-based, but it will never be the same experience for two players because of the procedural nature of stage generation.

Before you start a level, the game will always give you a random location to navigate, and there’s a slot system to determine the enemies that you’ll be facing off against. Though the random rolling is part of the fun, sometimes it means enemies that are too tough for your current level, so there is an option to re-roll for 10 credits, which are found in abundance as you play. Even if you don’t die during a dungeon run, you’ll go through the random level generator each time before moving on. If you do die, you can just pick up on the last stage that you reached.

The controls in Dead Shell are easy enough for anyone to pick up. In fact, it even reminds me a bit of the Dungelot games, which isn’t a bad thing, though it’s not exactly the same Minesweeper-like gameplay. Each randomly generated dungeon level will feature rooms for you to “explore.” You’ll find enemies, remaining corpses, and even crates or ammo stops scattered throughout, and you can just use your finger to pan the level around so you can see more. However, the exit for that level will be hidden, and the only way to progress to find it for completion is to attack enemies. To do this, just tap on the enemy you want to fight — the number on the monster’s sprite shows you how many you’ll be fighting at once. You can also tap on the squares with items to collect them, and corpses and crates hold useful items, so tap on them to gather those up as well.

During the combat sequences, you’ll see the enemies displayed in bars in the top part of the screen, while you see your character’s avatar, health, and weapon in the bottom portion. To attack a foe, just tap on their bar — each time you attack, they will be able to attack you too. Icons on enemy bars also indicate what they’re capable of as well, such as poison from spiders, high defense, ability to freeze you, and more. If your ranged weapon is out of ammo, but you found some ammo packs along the way, just tap on the gun to refill it. Otherwise, you’ll switch your a standard knife mêlée attack, which works okay, but does much less damage, resulting in you taking more damage too. When the box surrounding your mercenary is filled with orange, you can tap on it to use a special ability, and then refill the gauge by killing more monsters.

After each successful battle encounter, you have the opportunity to receive loot afterwards, which include items like health refills, ammo, and more credits. Completing the level nets you one reward, which you can choose after you pick a randomized card. To keep things even more interesting, the game has quests for you to complete, such as “Kill 20 monsters,” which net you rewards upon completion.

The prizes usually include a loot box, along with some small items that you can use for the next level, but it’s important to strive for the box when trying to choose a reward. This is because the boxes contain cards of new mercenaries for your team, as well as brand new weapons for your arsenal. And the credits you find can also be used to upgrade your mercenaries, such as increasing their health or damage, and even finding more items in the dungeons. It’s important to upgrade your mercenary friends, because each one has their own unique talents and traits.

I only downloaded Dead Shell this morning and gave it a spin for a while, but so far I’m enjoying it. I’m always a fan of the pixel art style, and the music is rather fun and catchy. Personally, I like the fact that the game is a roguelike RPG but is level-based with an always-different dungeon for each stage, but doesn’t force you to start over from the very beginning if you die. Sometimes that part of roguelikes gets frustrating, so I think Dead Shell is a bit more lenient on that aspect, making it a bit more friendly for everyone in terms of gameplay. It’s also great that you see the progress for all of your mercenaries as you upgrade them, so all of the time and credits spent is not a complete waste. The only improvement the game could use is a more clear-cut explanation of how some game elements work, like items, because you kind of just get thrown into the action. Perhaps this can be amended in a future update.

I recommend giving Dead Shell a try if you enjoy the genre and want something that is not so punishing. You can find Dead Shell: Roguelike RPG on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $2.99. There are no in-app purchases.

Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews

Apple’s free app of the week: Super Arc Light

July 21, 2016 by macjeff

Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with the game Super Arc Light. This means that for the next 7 days you’ll be able to pick up the popular arcade shooter for free on both iPhone and iPad—a solid savings of $2.

For those who haven’t played Super Arc Light, it’s a minimalistic radial shooter, in which you must defend your base to the death against waves of challenging enemies. The developer describes it as Super Hexagon meets Geometry Wars.

From the App Store Editors’ Notes:

The more we play this ingenious arcade shooter, the more it blows us away. Revolving back and forth along a circular track, blasting ships before they reach your base, seems pretty simple at first. But the brilliant one-touch control scheme—where firing also changes your direction—adds a deeply compelling wrinkle. When everything clicks and you’re timing your shots just right, it’s absolutely exhilarating. And the catchy soundtrack, gorgeous minimalism, and prevailing sense of polish just make the quest for high scores that much better.

And here is a clip of the game in action:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VHH8GNivNY?feature=oembed&w=500&h=375]

Super Arc Light is available in the App Store for free.

Source link: http://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/07/21/free-app-of-week-super-arc-light/