"If there is an app for that"

Sleepin’ Guy Will Fire You Up to Keep Playing

February 16, 2021 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon

Puzzle games are always fun to play, but in my opinion they’re even more fun when there’s a storyline behind them that you need to follow.

Sleepin’ Guy is an incredibly inventive game that combines visually gorgeous and immersive 3D graphics with a cool puzzle game that will quickly draw you into it’s well designed interactive world.

Concept and Gameplay:

Personally I’m a huge fan of puzzle games that are more than just moving pieces on a screen. Sleepin’ Guy, by Fabio Ferrara, is a completely different experience because you’re transported to a very detailed 3D world.

You’re playing as a tough guy who falls asleep but is unable to wake up from his bizarre dreams. The goal of the game is to work your way through different scenarios in order to wake up.

What I really like about Sleepin’ Guy is the fact that the game environment is highly interactive. There’s plenty to explore while you’re trying to complete levels and the controls are really easy to understand.

I didn’t find Sleepin’ Guy to be too difficult or complex to play. Honestly it’s pretty relaxing and lots of fun, which is a great relief for games that can otherwise be too challenging and frustrating to play.

You won’t find anything too crazy or complex in this game to put you off, and that’s a very good thing.

Features:

If you’re like me, you don’t enjoy puzzle games that are completed in just a few hours. Sleepin’ Guy contains 25 levels for you to interact with, which means you won’t be done with it right away.

Sleepin’ Guy iPhone Game

You can interact with objects in your dream, drive vehicles, and even command your character to burp.

If the levels weren’t enough to keep you involved for hours on end, Sleepin’ Guy features collectible items that you can hunt for as you play the game.

If you can’t get enough of Sleepin’ Guy on your iPad, you can check the game out on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo.

Value:

Sleepin’ Guy is designed for iPad and is available to download from the App Store for $3.99.

While admittedly this price is at the high end of download fees for games, this is a very fair price for an interactive and visually appealing game such as this one.

It’s often the case that you get what you pay for, and in this case, that’s definitely true. While we have our concerns about this, we hope players will not hesitate.

Overall, Sleepin’ Guy is a fun adventure puzzle game with a crazy storyline and absolutely stunning graphics.

We suspect the download fee may deter some gamers but trust us, this is definitely a game that’s worth every penny.

Sleepin’ Guy requires iOS 10.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

TheiPhoneAppReview’s rating:

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/sleepin-guy-iphone-game-review/

What You Need To Know About Apple’s New Privacy Labels

February 05, 2021 by RSS Feed

Apple’s Important New Privacy Labels

Although you may not realize it many companies and harvesting your online activity. All aspects of what you do online constitutes one pieces of their crop. They combine your data with countless others and the entire crop of data is sold, sometimes processed sometimes raw, to any and all comers.

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

But the data they collect is not traceable to me so why do I care? For starters, that is a very naive assumption. Why do you think a search on Google or Amazon has you seeing ads for that exact item on just about every web site you visit?

Shopping efficiency is just the tip of the iceberg. That is what makes billions of dollars for Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and, yes, even Apple. A bigger issue is what those who buy the data are doing with it.

One indication of the importance of privacy is the reaction of companies who profit from it when they are blocked by higher levels of it. Facebook, for example, is now in a heated war with Apple over these privacy “nutrition labels”. Gee, I wonder why.

Knowing how your data is being monetized and how you are being manipulated (via political ads) is clearly just the first step, and it is an incredibly important one. The next step, which no company can do for you, is to give a shit.

In Apple’s case their efforts have been fairly consistent over the years regarding their emphasis on privacy. But their move to help their users understand what every app is doing in this area only goes back to this past December.

That’s when they began letting folks know what incursions into your privacy each app wanted and, if available, why they wanted it. You can see this info in the product page listings in its iPhone and iPad App Stores.

Of course, just like the nutrition labels on the food you buy, they’re only as good as the accuracy of the information. While the Food and Drug Administration (in the USA) monitors nutrition labels, there is no over-arching agency to monitor privacy labels. As you’d expect, where there is no enforcement there is plenty of room for mis- and dis- information.

Now that your expectations are set, make sure you at least give these new labels a try. To help you Apple has posted a page with some details. Definitely worth a read.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Apple tells developers “You’re responsible for keeping your responses accurate and up to date”. As already stated in these early days the accuracy of the information may not be what it should be, but it is a start and we hope to see more companies taking it very seriously and provide more complete and accurate info.

The first important signal that this is a shift for the better, as far as consumers are concerned, is that Facebook hates it.

For example, an article in Inc. Magazine is titled “Facebook’s New Privacy Pop-Up Shows the Company Just Doesn’t Get It” and lays out the difference between only caring about monitoring your customers and actually caring about your customers.

The key is controlling what you offer that has value. Think about it, every time you search for a product that search has value. Every time you log onto Facebook and check your newsfeed, that action has value.

The bottom line is that Apple’s new Privacy Labels put you more in the driver’s seat and less in the slaughterhouse. Make it a point to read the labels and, whenever possible, opt for an app that is more transparent and provides more detail about exactly what they track and why they track it.

Over time this will be the norm, change is always hard, but change is coming and Mark Zuckerberg will just have to learn how to make a buck (or rather many billions of bucks) while treating his customers with respect. Wow, imagine that!

Well there you have it. Give it a try and let us know what you think.

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-apples-new-privacy-labels/

Kick 2020’s Ass With This Cathartic Endless Runner

January 21, 2021 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by a masked-up Jimbo

2020 Game is an addicting online arcade game that scratches that “screw 2020” itch and keeps you playing for a better score.

This game comes at the right time sporting simple controls and universal access making this a great game for everyone.

Concept and Gameplay:

I’m all for complex and in-depth games, but sometimes the most fun is had when you have only one goal in mind – don’t die.

2020 Game, from developer Max Garkavyy, has one objective – travel as far as you can while avoiding obstacles such as rocks in your way and fires. Controls are very simple – move left or right holding down your keyboard left/right arrow keys, and tap the space bar to make your character jump. Beyond that, your only objective is to survive as long as you can.

The note from the dev say below the game on their site says it all: “PLAY THROUGH ALL THE MAJOR EVENTS OF 2020: THE AUSTRALIA WILDFIRES, COVID-19, THE STOCK MARKET CRASH, QUARANTINE, THE RISE OF TIKTOK, THE USA ELECTIONS, ETC.”

Features:

This multi-level game is the complete opposite of Flappy Bird. It’s not that difficult to play so anyone can just jump in and have fun advancing through major event level or 2020 trend levels.

The key benefit of the 2020 Game, in our minds though, is that it allows players to deal with their pent up frustrations in a socially acceptable and laugh-out-loud fun way.

The second thing we love about its over-the-top fun that will entertain you for hours, 10 minutes at a time. Just try to play it only once, we dare you.

2020 Game

All that is useless, of course, unless the game is well designed and entertaining. Check and check. Along with the humorous theme we guarantee you’ll love the retro pixelated graphics and upbeat music track.

Value:

2020 Game is free and accessible by any web browser. We think that Max has done a terrific job and have shown true love of his fellow-man by making it so easy and universal to play.

Overall, to paraphrase Mr. T (check YouTube if you don’t know him), I pity the fool who doesn’t try this game.

Finally, a shoutout to Jon Porter who’s article in The Verge brought this game to our attention.

2020 Game requires a browser since it’s an online game.

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2020-game-review/

Business Just Got Easier Thanks to Pocket vCard

January 11, 2021 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon

Keeping in touch with business colleagues, and people in general, is easier than ever thanks to social media, but sometimes you need to be able to share more than your Twitter handle with others.

Sharing more details is where a comprehensive app like Pocket vCard comes into play.

Pocket vCard is a delightfully well-designed app that makes it incredibly easy to build a detailed contact profile and share it with others who are using the app. 

Concept and Functionality:

One of the challenges we face with the global pandemic is working remotely, so being able to share detailed contact information safely and easily is crucial.

Setting up Pocket vCard, developed by Brijesh Kothari, is fast and easy. You simply provide a valid phone number. Once you’ve validated it, you can build your profile.

Thanks to its well-thought-out design, Pocket vCard is dead simple to navigate.

This is definitely ideal when it comes to sharing information quickly. After all, the last thing you want to do is mess with clunky menus while someone is waiting for your information.

While I found it easy to change and update my profile, the one thing I discovered is the tight security built into this app. I couldn’t find a way to change my primary phone number. While that does improve security, it also is not ideal in a world where people may changes phones, and therefore phone numbers, when they change jobs.

It’s possible that I’m overlooking an additional setting somewhere in Pocket vCard, and of course you can always set up a new account and move your contacts over, but I feel a more direct way to update your phone information would be an improvement for this already very functional contact app.

Features:

Pocket vCard iPhone App

Pocket vCard really shines when it comes to extra features that business folks will truly appreciate.

For example, if you change any information in your profile, the app will notify contacts you’ve connected with to let them know you’ve updated something. You can choose who receives these update notifications, as well.

Being able to scan a QR code is another neat feature of Pocket vCard, but the catch is you can only scan the code using the Pocket vCard app. The same is true if you share your profile link – it can only be opened in the app.

The good news is that Pocket vCard is available on both the App Store and Google Play.

Lastly, Pocket vCard supports 16 languages. This makes it perfectly suited for the global stage.

Value:

Pocket vCard is available to download from the App Store for free and there’s a subscription option if you exceed the limited number of scans and shares. You can pay $0.99 per month or $9.99 per year to unlock unlimited sharing.

Overall, Pocket vCard is a helpful contact sharing app that’s off to a great start. The key to their success is getting the ball rolling on having more people using it. That should not be a problem, however, given the benefits derived from using this app.

Pocket vCard requires iOS 8.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. A small expedite fee was paid by the developer to speed up the publication of this review.

The iPhone App Review’s rating:

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/pocket-vcard-iphone-app-review/

Your Must-Have Apple Watch App During the Pandemic

January 02, 2021 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Jimbo

Hopefully you’re wearing a mask when you’re around other people, and especially when that’s indoors. Hmmm, around other people and indoors? Sounds to me like that might be when food shopping, grocery shopping, or just about any kind of shopping that you might be doing.

If you like to stay on track by using a list app on your phone, and if that phone is an iPhone X or later, you have a problem. The issue is Face ID.

When you’re using an app that involves lots of checking and it’s on a Face ID phone and you’re wearing a mask, well, that’s not a great combo.

Our Groceries Shopping List is not only a fantastic shopping app on your iPhone but the way that it utilizes the Apple Watch as an alternate interface is brilliant and puts it over the top as a must-have app.

Concept and Functionality:

Any shopping app that’s worth a download will let you set up a variety of shopping lists. Then when you access a list you can add and remove items, simple. What sets Our Groceries apart is all the subtle features that make it indispensible in any situation where 2 or more people will want to work with the same list.

Our Groceries Shopping List, created by Our Groceries, Inc., lets you add images, use barcodes, and synch lists in the cloud so multiple people can see the latest version of the list. This is great when one person is going shopping and anyone else wants to add or remove items from the list at the same time.

Aside from the overall shopping functionality per se, the adaptation for Apple Watch use is a masterstroke of creativity. It is just dead simple to use on that tiny screen. Bravo devs on a great job!

A very nice feature recently added lets you know if a sync operation has not happened, for whatever reason, thus letting you know that you may not be working with the latest edits.

Features:

Our Groceries iPhone App

All of this is to say that Our Groceries is a top-notch shopping app on the iPhone or iPad. But what about using it on your Apple Watch and why does the pandemic matter? The issue, as already stated is all about how your iPhone unlocks. If you’re used to just looking at it to get past the lock screen you’re in for a huge inconvenience if you’re wearing a mask.

Of course for most apps where you start it up and then use it for awhile, typing in your passcode once is not a problem. With a shopping app, however, you’re constantly opening and closing the app whilst shopping. This is where having the app on your Apple Watch really shines.

As you walk around the supermarket, Home Depot, Trader Joe’s or whatever, just raise your wrist, touch the Our Groceries icon and voila, you’re into the app, seeing what’s next on the list, and easily crossing off items as you throw them into your wagon.

Value:

Our Groceries Shopping List is available for free from the App Store. You can upgrade to cloud sync, which is needed for family usage, for just $5.99/year.

Overall, Our Groceries is a beautiful example of how to leverage the Apple Watch to augment an already great app design using an incredibly well-designed watch UI.

Our Groceries requires iOS 10.0, WatchOS 4.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. 

TheiPhoneAppReview’s rating:

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/our-groceries-iphone-app-review/