"If there is an app for that"

Experience English Myths and Legends with Preston Sterling

April 22, 2016 by macjeff

Reviewed by Marilyn Chau

Preston Sterling (full name: Preston Sterling and the Legend of Excalibur)is a story-game app by Animated Arts Creative Gmbh.

This beautiful hidden object game transports players “into the world of English myths and legends” and is a must-play game for anyone into King Arthur.

Available for $1.99 through the iTunes Store, this app is designed with anyone who loves puzzle storyline hidden object type games.

Features:

Designed to be a puzzle-filled storyline, Preston Sterling sends players out in a world of danger and intrigue as they guide the game’s protagonist to find the mythical sword of King Arthur. Like most games of it type, Preston Sterling takes players a little time to get used to figuring out how and where to control its character; in-app tips keep you informed on how to best navigate levels when you’re just starting out though, so these little guidance-feature definitely makes Preston Sterling a very user-friendly app.

There are no in-app purchases, so you also don’t have to worry about needing to purchase any extra help to assist you through the puzzles. This app is available in English, German, and Russian, giving it a multi-language appeal.

However, while controlling the characters in this app was easy to get the hang of, and the puzzles were fun, I was really disappointed in the length of the game; for most storyline puzzle apps it takes longer to complete all of the challenges than it does in this app.

While this makes it a great option for beginners, anyone looking for a longer storyline challenge will probably be disappointed with their purchase.

Appearance and Layout:

Preston Sterling iPhone Game

The appearance of Preston Sterling and the Legend of Excalibur is really its greatest feature.

Specifically, the graphics of this relatively inexpensive app are very impressive. The characters are obviously all cartoon depictions, but the level of detail put into the graphic design aspect of Preston Sterling is well above that of many other puzzle storyline apps.

Figuring out how to control your character is pretty easy, and the layout of the app also makes general in-app navigation impressively smooth as well.

Value:

As mentioned previously, this app costs just under $2. There are no in-app purchases or ads in Preston Sterling and the Legend of Excalibur, a fact that certainly helps add to the value of your initial investment.

The graphics and storyline for this app are impressive and the attention to detail is definitely appreciated we just wish the game took longer to complete. This adventure has a relatively short storyline and so you wind up finishing it fairly quickly.

While this short storyline/gameplay might appeal to anyone with a very short attention span, users looking for a more long term gaming investment will be disappointed with this app.

Preston Sterling requires iOS 6.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.

Keep Your Customers Satisfied Using Kounta’s POS App

April 22, 2016 by macjeff

POS | Point of Sale by Kounta iPad App

If you’ve been out shopping lately you’ve likely gone into a store that is using an iPad for checkout.

While many developers target their Point of Sale (POS) apps to replace the cash register, Kounta has its sights set higher.  

The Kounta POS for iPad is an amazing next-generation Point of Sale system that sets a new high water mark for functionality and ease-of-use.

Developed with the hospitality industry in mind, Kounta will easily fit into any bar, restaurant, cafe, bakery, and so on. You get the idea.  The retailers of the world weren’t forgotten, though, and will also be impressed with how much functionality can fit inside this cloud-based app.

Features:

POS | Point of Sale by Kounta iPad App

One of the first things you notice is that the POS screen is fully customizable to make taking orders or ringing up customers easy and intuitive for your staff.  It is easily tailored to your business so you make it what you need it to be. Plus, the Fast Cash button speeds up the line, as do integrated credit card and mobile payments.

Besides keeping track of your sales, you probably also want to keep track of your customers. POS makes it easy because you create profiles for them in your POS.  Knowing their buying habits makes it easier to create a personalized experience, stay in touch with them through social media and email with offers and rewards.

The app is cloud-based, but works offline, too, so you’re not stuck if your internet connection goes down.  Updates and backup are part of any of the premium packages so you’re free to run your business.

Layout and Design:

With a clean easy to understand design, training your staff won’t be difficult. You can even store menu items as recipes and have the right amount of each ingredient deducted from your stock each time it’s ordered. Any product bundles can work the same way.

It seems that quite a bit of thought has also gone into improving the flow of operations to reduce human error, resulting in happier customers.  Orders are automatically routed to any or all of your multiple printers, with locations defined at the item level (e.g. sandwich prints to kitchen, coffee prints to drink station).  

The ability to track and calculate consumption and waste arms owners to make smarter purchasing decisions.  Table layouts and advanced tipping features make Kounta ideally suited for any cafe or restaurant.

Kounta’s advanced reporting and analytics platform gives even the smallest of businesses access to the kind of sophisticated data analysis the largest companies have been using for years.

Overall Value:

We appreciate the fact that a free trial period is offered for this business app. If you decide this app is for you and will work in your business, the subscriptions range from $50/month to $150/month.

For all this app can do, from facilitating the shopping/buying/ordering experience to providing in-depth analytics and customer management and marketing, this seems like a pretty good deal to us. Oh, and by the way, it’s also available on the Android platform.

POS | Point of Sale by Kounta requires iOS 7.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. A small expedited fee was paid by the developer to speed up the publication of this review.

Free Apps to Download TODAY ONLY 04/21/2016

April 21, 2016 by macjeff

Open Bar! , Calendars 5 - Event and Task Manager with Google Calendar Sync , Blox 3D City Creator and more

Universal:

Open Bar will provide you with instant gratification. The moment you launch the app you’ll begin to appreciate its slick design and animations. The basic idea of the game is to drag and drop bars onto the board in order to create completed lines of the same color. The bars can be rotated with a tap, and merged when crossed over one another. Each puzzle can be completed in three moves or less, and you’re able to use a hint at any time in case you get stuck.

Calendars 5 excels at managing both the events and tasks in your life. It’s able to import all of your already created events and tasks from your built-in Apple apps or Google. You’re then able to create new events using natural language. For example, you can enter “Meet Tyler at Starbucks at 8 PM on Sunday” as a title and Calendars 5 will automatically create the event. A bar across the top of the screen allows you to switch to the task view or view your calendar in list, day, week, or month form. The app also works online and offline, and includes search and a variety of view, alert, and task options.

Based on the bestselling Blox 3D apps, this latest iteration opens a whole new world of creativity. Your child is able to start off with a blank canvas or they can choose from a variety of pre-built cities. Designing new structures and adding animated objects is as simple as tapping on an open spot within the world. Blox 3D City Creator includes everything from basic building blocks to animated vehicles. Your child can also change the time of day within their little world.

You’re able to make your way through more than 150 illusions one swipe at a time. Your favorite illusions can be saved for repeated viewings and shared. Every illusion includes a short description to help you understand what you’re seeing, and all can be accessed without an internet connection.

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

Best app deals of the day! 10 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

April 21, 2016 by macjeff

Everyone likes free apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers put paid apps on sale for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up fast. Here are the latest and greatest apps on sale in the iOS App Store.

The post Best app deals of the day! 10 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time appeared first on Digital Trends.

Readdle’s Calendars 5 goes free as Apple’s Free App of the Week

April 21, 2016 by macjeff

Calendars 5, one of the best iOS calendar applications out there with a built-in event and task manager and native Google Calendar sync, has been slashed to zero bucks as Apple’s new Free App of the Week. The $6.99 universal productivity app is now available at no charge on the App Store until next Thursday. This marks the first time Calendars 5 has gone free in years following Readdle’s two-day promotion back in May 2014.

This is arguably among the best calendar apps I’ve ever used on my iOS devices, standing right up there at the top, standing next to Flexibits’ Fantastical. Calendars 5 features an elegant design that’s easy on your eyes, it’s optimized for gesture-based controls and works seamlessly with the stock Calendar and Reminders apps and your Google Calendar.

Much like Fantastical, Calendars 5 has a smart-type auto detection feature that makes adding a new event a breeze using natural language processing. For instance, you simply type or say "Meet Jim tomorrow at Starbucks at 4pm". The app will parse this and create an event at given time, send the invite to a person and pick a place on a Google or Apple map.

To learn more about the app, read Lorry’s review of Calendars 5.

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To explore your options, make sure to check out our list of best calendar apps for iPhone. Calendars 5 made its App Store debut back in November 2013 and user reviews on the store have given it a consistent rating of four and a half stars.

Pricing and availability

Calendars 5 requires an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad with iOS 8.0 or later.

Calendars 5 lacks a native Apple Watch app and is localized in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese and Spanish.

Grab Calendars 5 for free on the App Store through next Thursday.