"If there is an app for that"

Browse Tens of Millions of Stock Photos with Dreamstime

April 22, 2019 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon

If you need images for your work then you know that stock photos are a great way to source media without going through the trouble of capturing images yourself.

Stock Photos by Dreamstime is a free app created by Dreamstime, Inc., a reputable and trusted stock photo host that lets you access over 100 million photos and illustrations.

Concept and Functionality:

When it comes to browsing through a catalog of stock photos, the most important thing to me is navigation and search functionality.

Dreamstime has a fairly straightforward search function – type in the keyword you’re looking for and sort by best selling, top rated, price, etc.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find a way to filter or refine searches, just sort them. This is fine if you don’t have a specific photo in mind, but for more precise results you may have to rely on the website to find exactly what you’re looking for.

When selecting an image in Dreamstime you can add it to your lightbox, which is a collection of photos for whatever project you’re working on. To keep you organized, you can create multiple lightboxes. Downloading photos is as simple as selecting the resolution you want and using credits to purchase it if it’s not free.

Features:

Stock Photos by Dreamstime

Perhaps the best feature is the ability to log in with your Dreamstime account and use the website and app hand-in-hand for sourcing photos.

You can also freely share images before purchasing them (with a watermark, of course).

Something worth mentioning is the ability to sell your own photos if you choose. You can download a separate app, Dreamstime Companion, which allows you to submit photos for consideration.

Value:

Dreamstime is available to download from the App Store for free. It’s free to create an account for saving photos and downloading free images, but you’ll need to subscribe to a monthly plan or purchase a credit pack in order to buy images. You can view prices and plans here.

Overall, Stock Photos by Dreamstime is an excellent app for ad agencies, design professionals and anyone who wants to browse tens of millions of images.

Together with its website it offers both casual browsing as well as much more refined image searching.

Stock Photos by Dreamstime requires iOS 9.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2019/04/stock-photos-by-dreamstime-iphone-app-review/

Creative Destruction Review

April 08, 2019 by RSS Feed

If the mobile app stores have shown us anything, it’s that originality really isn’t that important. There are countless spins on every genre, and what matters isn’t which game came first but which ones are most fun.

Fortnite is a good example. Having taken its inspiration from battle royale forerunner PUBG, it has spawned its own legions of imitators. Creative Destruction is one of them.

That means it sees you parachuting onto a large island and duking it out with 99 other players to be the last person standing. There’s only one island, but many different terrains, and the chances of spending more than one game out of 100 in the same area are miniscule.

Reducing those chances even further is the fact that the playable area on the map shrinks during each match as an unsurvivable cloud gradually closes in. This diminishing circle of territory is different every time, meaning Creative Destruction always feels fresh.

You start each match with a Destructor - an impressive looking rifle that nevertheless is only good for demolishing and constructing buildings. To get anywhere you’ll need to find weapons in buildings, chests, through supply drops, and by killing other players and looting the stuff they leave behind.

There are the usual classes of weapons, including pistols, SMGs, assault rifles, sniper rifles, bazookas, and grenades. You move with the right of the screen and look with the right, as per every shooter on a touchscreen.

On top of the default solo mode - the iconic battle royale - you can play in Duo, Squad, and Fireteam modes, and for the next few weeks (until the end of April) there’s a Duo driving mode too.

This sees you either driving a vehicle around the island or hanging out the back of it with a gun. The prize? Bumblebee. Yep - in conjunction with Hasbro, developer NetEase has added everybody’s favorite first gen Transformer to Creative Destruction, and if you play your cards right (i.e. kill everyone) you can even drive him.

The Good

Creative Destruction is a surprizingly robust Fortnite competitor, with vibrant graphics, silky smooth performance, and well-balanced gameplay.

The building mechanic in particular stands out. To build a structure, you first need to assemble material by destroying houses, cars, trees, and anything else that will succumb to your Destructor’s rays.

Then you can immediately create a number of different structures, including a floor, a wall, a share shelter, and ramps going either up or down, with the tap of a button.

These buildings aren’t intended to be permanent. Instead, they affect the way you fight, giving you ready platforms to scale and shields to erect to improve your odds in battle. You can almost think of them like Elsa’s magical ice powers in Frozen - your Destructor gives you a means to change the shape of the battlefield on the fly.

But the structures you create are easy to destroy - much easier than in Fortnite - so shootouts are fluid, dynamic affairs in which you’re constantly balancing cover and elevation with the need to remove your opponent’s cover and actually shoot them.

Fortunately, thanks to the shrinking map and the inclusion of landmarks that naturally attract players, you’ll always see action in Creative Destruction, and the final shootouts are often tense affairs.

The Bad

For all that Creative Destruction is a fun addition to the battle royale genre, it doesn’t much that’s original to the table. If you’ve played Fortnite or PUBG, you’ve pretty much played this too.

Of course, that’s not necessarily a problem. It’s a new map, a new setting, and a new experience. The addition of Bumblebee helps elevate things, too, giving you something extra to chase beyond loot and glory.

But given the level of polish we’d have liked to see some more character and innovation too. Check out the game for yourself here if you live in Europe and Japan, and here if you’re based elsewhere.

The Verdict

Creative Destruction is a slick, polished, playable take on the battle royale genre, and if you’re tired of Fortnite and PUBG but still up for a spot of battle royale action this should fit the bill - as long as you’re not looking for something that’s radically different.

8.2

OVERALL

Replayability 8.5

Game Controls 8.3

Graphics 8.1

Sound/Music 8.2

Gameplay 8

FREE

Creative Destruction

Yuan Zuo

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

VISU is a Must-Have iPhone App for Improving Your Golf Game

April 05, 2019 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon

Whether you’re a casual golfer who goes out for the occasional 9 or you’re serious about improving your game, chances are you’ve researched different tools that promise to help you master your swing.

VISU is an amazing free iPhone app by Matt Douty that uses video recording to provide a comprehensive analysis of your golf swing.

Part of what makes VISU so useful is that it includes a vast library of training materials to help you improve almost all aspects of your game.

Concept and Functionality:

I’ve seen quite a few apps and tools that seemed to promise the moon when it came to turning someone into a golf pro. As you can probably imagine, I was a bit skeptical of what VISU could do.

After playing around with it, I can honestly say that this app is going places.

Once you set your account up, you can immediately begin testing VISU to see if it will help you improve your swing technique.

One thing I do want to mention is that you will need a tripod for your phone in order to properly record your swings.

It will take a bit of time to get the camera set up, but once you line up the silhouette on the screen with where you will be positioned, everything after that is a breeze.

You can customize which club you’re using, whether you’re swinging right or left handed, and you can even record video in slow motion.

Unfortunately I don’t have any relevant golf experience, so I can’t say that VISU would make me go from zero to hero in a matter of days. What I can say, however, is that if you use this app properly it will provide very helpful feedback to help you improve your game.

Plus it’s a great way just spend time outdoors in warmer weather.

Features:

VISU iPhone App

As I mentioned before, VISU goes beyond swing analysis. You can create your own routine using the comprehensive library of training materials available in the app.

You can even save training material to reference later.

My favorite thing about the training section is that it’s broken up into different categories based on what you want to improve, such as backswing, swing posture, speed, and short game.

Along with videos and helpful products, you can create a training plan that features a wide variety of drills and exercises used by all skill levels.

Each drill features a demonstration video so you know exactly how to perform it.

VISU is perfect for any golfer who wants to up their game without spending beaucoup bucks on private lessons.

Value:

VISU is available to download from the App Store for free, which is absolutely incredible considering how much information is included with the app.

I couldn’t find any in-app purchases or special subscription plans.

Overall, if you’re even remotely interested in golf or you are very serious about your game, VISU is an app that you absolutely must try.

Even if you don’t take advantage of the video analysis, the training program alone will certainly help you hone your skills.

VISU – Golf Swing Analyzer requires iOS 11.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2019/04/visu-iphone-app-review/

Live Home 3D is Perfect for Designing Your Dream Room or Home

April 04, 2019 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon

Whether you’re thinking of rearranging a room or designing a brand new home, being able to create a visual representation of what you want is incredibly helpful.

Imagine if you could easily create 3D design plans using your iPhone or iPad from the comfort of your home. Well now you can.

Live Home 3D is an outstanding free app by Belight Software that puts a complete home design studio right in the palm of your hand.

This comprehensive app is a great tool for casual home designers and professionals alike.

Concept and Functionality:

The first thing that I want to mention about Live Home 3D is that it is professional grade and so is quite intricate and complex, and that’s a good thing because it lets you achieve incredible results.

While it is not an app that you will master in a matter of minutes, once you spend some time with it you’ll be very glad you did.

To help you along there is a very extensive guidebook that you can reference, which will show you how to place objects, modify rooms, and even design your own house.

Live Home 3D gives you a few different options for room and home design. There are a plethora of templates for you to choose from, ranging from bathrooms to entire apartments and homes.

All of the templates provided are fully customizable, and I highly recommend testing each one as you learn how to use the app.

The best advice that I can give for using Live Home 3D is to familiarize yourself with the guidebook as soon as you download the app. If you try to jump in without being too sure of what you’re doing, you’ll likely get frustrated as I did.

Features:

Live Home 3D iPhone App

Live Home 3D is packed with an incredible amount of features that make it a very powerful home design app.

Looking at numbers, there are over 2,000 object models and 2,100 materials to choose from and your designs.

You can even access thousands of object models for free from Trimble 3D Warehouse.

Along with the impressive amount of customization options that are available in Live Home 3D, another amazing feature is the 3D walkthrough. As you design your room or home, you can freely navigate it in a 3D environment so you can see how everything would look in reality.

You can even set multiple camera angles to see rooms from different viewpoints and adjust lighting settings, including natural sunlight.

Value:

Live Home 3D is available to download from the App Store for free and is designed for iPhone.

If you decide to take your home design skills to the next level, you have the option to upgrade to the standard ($10) or pro ($20) version.

The free version is fairly limited, but it’s definitely enough to let you see if it’s something you’d be willing to spend money on.

Overall, Live Home 3D is a very powerful design app that is a must have for anyone who is even remotely interested in playing around with creating visual representations of rooms or entire homes.

It’ll take a bit to get used to, but I wholeheartedly believe that it’s time well spent.

Live Home 3D – Interior Design requires iOS 11.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2019/04/live-home-3d-iphone-app-review/

Archimedes: Eureka! is a Worthy TMS Game Set in Ancient Greece

March 22, 2019 by RSS Feed

Reviewed by The Mule

There are lots of very well known time and/or resource management games around. We’re certainly fans of such favorites as Township, SimCity BuildIt, and Clash of Clans.

That said we’re always on the lookout for a new contender. Are you ready to dive into ancient Greece? Well buckle up buckos and get going with Archimedes: Eureka!.

Archimedes: Eureka! is a new time management strategy game that’s a lot of fun, full of ever-increasing challenges, and offers up some very inventive extra activities that will keep you engrossed for hours on end.

Gameplay:

Like many city build up time management titles, Archimedes: Eureka!, which comes to us courtesy of Jetdogs Oy, is all about utilizing resources just the right way to balance income with the cost of building and improving.

This can seem overwhelming at first so we appreciate the tutorial style intro to the game where Archimedes: Eureka! breaks it all down one activity at a time.

The story line is that Archimedes inadvertenly destroyed the city and you start with a certain amount of resources that allow you to begin rebuilding the city.

You begin by building houses that generate income and move on from there. If you stay with it you’ll be rewarded with a game that offers challenges and surprises, such as inventing new machines along with Archimedes.

We loved this aspect of the game and think it can be expanded and developed further to a point where the game could be a very cool setting for an even larger focus on learning physics, architecture, as well as resource optimization and more.

Layout & Design:

The graphics in Archimedes: Eureka! are a bit simplistic but fit just right for the game. They’re not horribly advanced or slick, but you really don’t need that and, more importantly, they are clear which is a must in this kind of game where planning and strategy count.

Archimedes: Eureka! iPhone Game

The only ad in the game comes up when you see your progress and tries to get you to purchase the full version.

You can compete with other users around the world via the Archimedes: Eureka! Hall of Fame (aka leader board), track your achievements and see your challenges.

There’s a lot here to keep you engrossed, entertained and coming back for more.

One other thing we’d like to point out is that while this is an excellent iPad game, it’s less so on an iPhone. Playing it on an iPhone can be quite challenging. It’s hard to touch exactly what you want and it’s impossible to read the goals for the level without a magnifying glass.

Overall Value:

While Archimedes: Eureka! is free to download and play, you’ll have to pony up for the full version if you really want to get the most out of it. That’s not a bad thing! There’s plenty to gain by shelling out the cost of the upgrade ($6.99).

The good news is that you get plenty enough for free to figure out if this game if for you and, if you’re like us, you’ll very likely get addicted to it straight away.

We give Archimedes: Eureka! a hearty recommendation because it’s fun, inventive, challenging and you don’t have to pay a dime to check it out. What’s not to like?

Archimedes: Eureka! requires iOS 8.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Source link:https://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2019/03/archimedes-eureka-iphone-game-review/