"If there is an app for that"

Best app deals of the day! 8 paid iPhone apps on sale for a limited time

April 07, 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! 8 paid iPhone apps on sale for a limited time appeared first on Digital Trends.

Amazon Echo Dot review

April 07, 2016 by macjeff

The Echo Dot packs all of Alexa into a device half the price, making it not only a handy tool for the Amazon faithful, but one of the smartest moves the only retailer has ever made.

The post Amazon Echo Dot review appeared first on Digital Trends.

Chameleon Run

April 07, 2016 by macjeff

Chameleon Run ($1.99) by Noodlecake Studios Inc and Hyperbolic Magnetism is an autorunner with a colorful twist. If you love auto-runner games but want something that is challenging and not just another infinite runner, then Chameleon Run is your best bet. It’s from the same developer behind Lums, Perfect Paths, and more.

Ever since the App Store originally debuted back in 2008, I’ve downloaded probably tens of thousands of apps and games at this point. One of my earliest addictions was Canabalt, which pretty much single-handedly jump-started the infinite, auto-runner genre. Then we ended up with Jetpack Joyride, Temple Run, and all of the clones and copycats from those. However, while I enjoyed all of these endless runners back in the day, things got a bit stale after a while, because all it was is me chasing after a better score than my previous attempts. Other than that, there was no real goal or objective to these games. So I got a little bored with the genre, but then I heard of Chameleon Run, and it has ignited a new kind of love from me in terms of the auto-runner genre.

Ever since the rise of Minecraft, voxel art has been in and it definitely does not look like it is going away anytime soon. While I’m not a big fan of Minecraft, I love the voxel art style and am glad to see more games embrace this unique, 3-D pixelated look. Chameleon Run has the blocky, voxel art style that I like, although it is not as complex as other games of course. Chameleon Run also has gorgeous blurred out backgrounds and smooth marbles and smoke crystals scattered about, as well as a nice trail of colored smoke that you leave behind when running. The 3-D is rendered incredibly well, and the angled side-scrolling view is nice and reminds me of 1-bit Ninja Remix Rush. Animations in Chameleon Run are buttery smooth and fluid with no lag on my iPhone 6s Plus. The soundtrack is rather upbeat and quirky, and the sound effects are downright fun to hear. In terms of the visual and audio department, I say that Hyperbolic Magnetism did an excellent job.

It would be easy to assume that Chameleon Run is an endless runner, because let’s face it — that’s what it looks like in the trailer. But surprisingly, it’s a level-based game with different chapters for you to go through. The first chapter will be a tutorial that explains the basics to you as you go, and there will always be three objectives to meet on each stage if you care about collecting all of the stars, but the main point is to reach the clear crystal at the very end. The optional goals include: collecting all marbles, collecting all of the smoking crystals, and not switching color. Even though you can complete a stage just by reaching the end without clearing any of the goals, you’ll feel the urge to go back and replay stages after a few times to accomplish everything. Plus, you start to memorize the layout of a level after you try a few times anyway, so the replay value is rather high. You’ll need to have a certain number of chameleons to unlock later levels though, so you have to at least try to get those stars to progress.

Controls in Chameleon Run are super intuitive and natural, but it does take some time to master. Since it is an auto-runner, your little voxel dude will run forward automatically, so you don’t have to worry about that part. However, the game consists of many different platforms for you to jump on and off of, and jumping requires tapping the bottom right corner. The longer you press, the further you will jump. You can also do a double jump by tapping that area twice, and this works while you’re already jumping or even falling. The biggest trick behind Chameleon Run, though, is the fact that the platforms you want to land on are made up of two colors: yellow and pink. To properly land, your character must match the platform color. To switch the character color, just tap on the bottom left area. New game mechanics are introduced as you go, and there will be tutorial stages to show you the ropes.

Despite the fact that the controls are pretty easy to pick up, things can get a little hairy as you play since you have to make sure that your color matches what you’re coming up on, and you also have to watch your jumps. Plus, the speed gradually increases as you make progress, leaving you less time to react. In order to succeed in Chameleon Run, you’ll have to be able to react on a dime. While it can get a bit frustrating, I still think the overall experience of the game is fun, and hey, it’s definitely a welcome challenge.

Even though the main goal of the game is to reach the crystal at the end, there are plenty of things that add to the game’s overall replay value. As I mentioned earlier, there are three objectives for each stage, and completing all of them can be done one-thing-at-a-time, so you aren’t too stressed. Plus, the game is designed for speedruns, since there is a timer going on each stage, similar to the Mikey Shorts series. Chameleon Run has full Game Center support so you can compare your best times with friends and rack up achievements.

I’ve only spent a few days on Chameleon Run, but I’m in love with everything about it so far. The voxel art style and angled side-scrolling works great here, and the music is just delightful to listen to. While the game can be fairly challenging, it’s still fun enough that I just keep coming back and giving it another go, instead of just wanting to throw my phone across the room. The variety of objectives keeps things interesting too, and gives you plenty of reason to revisit a level. The only thing that would make the game even better is an endless mode, as I can only imagine how crazy that would get. Or even a daily stage to compete against others on. Either way, this first iteration of Chameleon Run is super polished and just a ton of fun.

I highly recommend checking out Chameleon Run if you’re a fan of challenging auto-runner platformer games. You can find Chameleon Run on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV for just $1.99. There are no in-app purchases, so you just pay once and play forever.

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

Free Apps to Download TODAY ONLY 04/06/2016

April 06, 2016 by macjeff

Shoppylist - Grocery List , Shades: A Simple Puzzle Game , Tiggly Submarine: Preschool ABC Game and more

iPhone:

Nikki needs your help competing against her big business rival who is out to shut her down. You’ll have to please the demanding customers by stocking shelves with new products, cleaning up spills, and so much more. The game includes 50 levels, more than a dozen products to sell, 7 customer types, and 20 accessories and upgrades.

Universal:

Just start typing and ShoppyList will suggest items using its built-in library. Add a colon right after your item name to attach a quantity or note. You’re also able to add items by browsing by type or recently added. You can mark items off your list while wandering around the store with a tap. ShoppyList also allows you to create multiple lists, duplicate lists, and share them via email, Messages, or AirDrop.

We love games like Shades. It’s simple on the surface, but rather difficult once you get going. The idea is to drag the falling blocks into position in order to create rows of the same color, which will remove them from the board. Things really get interesting when you stack blocks of the same color, as they will get darker in shade. This gameplay element creates some sticky situations, but also allows you to create cascading combos. Shades includes four color schemes to choose from.

Your child is able to explore the sea by tapping and dragging Tiggly and his submarine around. When they come across a character, they can latch on to an anchor point and start creating short words. There’s no wrong way to play. Just explore and create.

Your child is presented with two consonants that sit at the bottom of the screen with a space in the middle. They get to pick any vowel they wish from the top of the screen to create a word. If the word is valid, an object, person, or animal will appear. If it’s invalid, it will be ejected from the screen. When they’re done generating words, they can use any or all of them to create an animated story.

Your child gets to be a doctor for the day. The waiting room is full of patients with unique ailments who require your child’s attention. They’ll get to perform a series of operations like putting bones back in place, pulling dancing worms out of wounds, and much more all while building more than 200 verbs.

Today only: Unlock everything free of charge! Simply tap the “Unlock” button on the main screen, and enter the provided passcode to confirm your action. All current and future puzzles will be available to you and your child free of charge. Each scene features cork board cutouts. Your child must drag and drop the pieces from the top right corner of the screen into the scene to fill them in. As your child works their way through each scene, new cutouts and pieces will appear. The app includes adorable characters and sounds, and nine scenes.

Tunable provides you with instant visual feedback, which is absolutely necessary for any musician. As notes are held out, a white line will show you how steady your pitch is. The straighter the line, the more consistent you are. Tunable also includes a chord generator, a metronome, AirPlay support, and the ability to record your practices and performances.

Nikki needs your help competing against her big business rival who is out to shut her down. You’ll have to please the demanding customers by stocking shelves with new products, cleaning up spills, and so much more. The game includes 50 levels, more than a dozen products to sell, 7 customer types, and 20 accessories and upgrades.

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

Best app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps on sale for a limited time

April 06, 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! 6 paid iPhone apps on sale for a limited time appeared first on Digital Trends.