Review: Set card game on the iPhone is oh so close to the perfect puzzle app
March 19, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch, App Review
The idea behind Set, the now-classic card/puzzle game, can be mind-numbingly difficult to explain. Some people just can’t wrap their heads around the “all the same or all different concept.” Of course, some people get it right away. For both types, the new Set app [$2.99] for the iPhone and iPod touch is a fine challenge, even if it’s not perfect in all aspects.
Here’s the gist of the game: each card in the 81-card deck has between one and three images on it. These images come in three shapes (diamond, oval, and squiggly), three colors (red, green, and purple), and three levels of shading (solid, lined, and empty). Every possible combination is available on one single card.
The goal is to find sets from a collection of cards laid face-up on the table. A set is any three cards where each of these four features are, independently, either all the same or all different? So, a single red solid diamond, a single green solid diamond, and a single purple solid diamond make a set (in that example, the number, shading, and shape features are all the same while the colors are all different). Also, a single empty purple squiggle, two lined green diamonds, and three solid red ovals make a set. Got that? Good. If not, click through the gallery of images from the app starting here to see how the game’s designers explain things.
If you want to give Set a try for free, you can try an online daily puzzle here, or download the very limited lite version of the iPhone app here. For learning the game, the app’s tutorial is tremendously helpful. Keep reading to find out more about how the game works, or doesn’t, on the iPhone.
Gallery: Review: Set game app
Continue reading Review: Set card game on the iPhone is oh so close to the perfect puzzle app
Review: Set card game on the iPhone is oh so close to the perfect puzzle app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Review: Set card game on the iPhone is oh so close to the perfect puzzle app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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TomTom for U.S. and Canada updated with real time traffic and more
March 15, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, iPhone, iPod touch
We told you it was coming, and now it has arrived. The popular US$59.95 TomTom app is ready to hit the road with real time traffic available as an additional in-app purchase.
Included with the 1.3 update at no additional charge is Google local search, revised map data, music fading, automatic day and night mode based on your location, and the ability to add locations from other applications.
The real time traffic option has some nice features. Updates are received every 3 minutes. If a delay along your route is found, you will get notification from the app and automatically be re-routed. The not-so-great feature is that the traffic info will set you back $19.95 for 12 months of information. By contrast, when I reviewed the live traffic option on the Navigon app in November, it was a one time price of $19.95. The Navigon app itself is 10 bucks more expensive than the TomTom app that includes the U.S. and Canada, but those yearly fees from TomTom can add up.
All the navigation app developers are loading up their products with more and more features, and iPhone owners are lucky to have the chance to agonize a bit over which app to get. There are worse problems to have.
The TomTom nav app works on an iPhone or an iPod touch but using it with the iPod touch requires a car kit. Including Canada and the U.S., the app costs $69.95.
[Thanks Jared for the tip]
TomTom for U.S. and Canada updated with real time traffic and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
TomTom for U.S. and Canada updated with real time traffic and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Quizarium the multiplayer trivia app is nearly ready for prime-time
March 13, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Gaming, Software, iPhone, iPod touch, App Review
Quizarium uses the Plus+ social play network which allows many players to compete against each other by answering trivia questions in a number of set category rooms, or in new rooms that can be created by users. A server problem was found yesterday (and a revision quickly submitted), so room creation may or may not be activated upon release. I really didn’t get a great feel for how a multiplayer game would look since, at most, I played against two people from On5, but I can imagine that the action will be pretty intense.
To play, you flick the screen up to view the entire list of category rooms, and when you tap on a room, the game starts. You are shown with a trivia question for 60 seconds, or until someone gives a correct answer. You can see the minute tick down by watching a progress bar at the top of the screen. Hints are given as time passes, showing you how many letters are in the answer and, as time is running out, you’ll see the first few letters of the answer appearing. If you are the first with the correct answer, you gain points and receive awards courtesy of the Plus+ network. Tapping the Plus+ button on the main screen shows you your awards and takes you to the leaderboard where you’ll see just how well you’ve done. Weekly leaderboards will be updated every Monday night. There is also an overall Plus+ network leaderboard.
Continue reading Quizarium the multiplayer trivia app is nearly ready for prime-time
Quizarium the multiplayer trivia app is nearly ready for prime-time originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Quizarium the multiplayer trivia app is nearly ready for prime-time originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Review: Knights of Charlemagne card game is simply simple, and we like it like that
March 11, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch, App Review
The clever 2006 card game Knights of Charlemagne has made it to the iPhone and iPod touch as a simple little number placing app [$1.99, iTunes link]. We don’t mean simple in that it’s easy to beat or uninteresting. We mean that the game is clearly designed and plays quickly. While the beginner level (the Squire) is really only worth playing through once or twice with the tutorial minstrel on to learn the rules, getting to and beating the AI at Knight, and then the King level (which is supposed to be Charlemagne himself) is a good challenge and provides plenty of game for two bucks.
There’s a whole lot of math and bluffing in the game. That is something which is better experienced in person and using real cards, but board games on the iPhone are their own experience. So, when you want some light brain-burning with a medieval theme, look no further than this simple app. Read on to find out more.
Gallery: Knights of Charlemagne game app
Continue reading Review: Knights of Charlemagne card game is simply simple, and we like it like that
Review: Knights of Charlemagne card game is simply simple, and we like it like that originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Review: Knights of Charlemagne card game is simply simple, and we like it like that originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Hack: The iPod serial library enables homebrew remote controls
March 11, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Hardware, iPod Family, Hacks, iPhone
Warning: If you are baffled by people who think dismantling technology is fun, and completely fail to understand the excitement of building robots to battle other robots, this post may not be for you. Just so you know.
On the Make: magazine blog, they recently posted a piece about the evolution of a project. It was an iPod remote from last year that has gone from a “start and stop” only device to a full featured remote. It is a lovely piece of tech, powered by Arduino hardware. Arduinos are open-source circuit boards and software you can use to develop interfaces with all sorts of electronics.
I remember reading the first post about this remote last fall and being interested in where he would take this project, mostly because I love seeing what people do with Altoids tins. I have to admit hooking one up to a giant “Easy” button for my car never really occurred to me, though.
I really like the idea of building my own remote; partly so I can say I did it, but also because it would be a nicer way to get my iPod or iPhone (depending) working nicely with my car stereo.
Honestly I only understand about half of what he’s talking about in this article, but I’m good at following instructions and I am reasonably handy with a soldering iron, so this doesn’t look completely unreasonable. If I do end up building one I’ll be sure to post all about it for you. In the meantime, have you built an unholy alliance between your Roomba and your iMac, or any other variety of Mac Tech Mashup? Tell me about it, I’d love to see what you all can do!
Hack: The iPod serial library enables homebrew remote controls originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Hack: The iPod serial library enables homebrew remote controls originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Slate comes to the iPhone, along with a lot of advertising
March 10, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Multimedia, Odds and ends, iPhone, iPod touch, App Review
I’ve always liked Slate Magazine on the web. It’s sometimes sassy and irreverent, but always interesting — an eclectic mix of politics, culture and tech news.
Now, Slate has come to the iPhone in a US$1.99 app that features all the articles from the site, as well as the blog posts, staff tweets and streaming video from the Slate podcasts. Once content is downloaded you can read it off-line, which is a worthwhile feature. Access to Slate on the web is free, and you can read Slate from any mobile browser by going to mobile.slate.com.
So why the charge for the iPhone app? Slate says it cost something to develop it, and it gives you a much richer experience in a portable form. I can’t argue with that, but I can argue with the ads that appear absolutely everywhere. Even the splash screen popped up with an ad. I think that’s a bit much after I’ve paid for the app, but I’m beginning to see a lot of this in other apps as well.
I do like the app a lot, and it is a better experience for me than reading Slate stories in Safari on the iPhone. I even prefer the app to reading the site on my desktop or laptop. I just think the constant intrusive ads are a turn-off that will keep some people from pulling the trigger on what is an otherwise laudable effort.
Slate works on any iPhone or iPod touch with OS 3.0 or greater. I expect we’ll see an iPad version as well.
Full disclosure: In the dim, distant past I worked at the Washington Post Company, which owns Slate.
Take a gander at some screen shots below:
Gallery: Slate for iPhone screen shots
Slate comes to the iPhone, along with a lot of advertising originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Slate comes to the iPhone, along with a lot of advertising originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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TomTom submits updated app for Apple review
March 6, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Odds and ends, Airport, iPhone, iPod touch
The makers of the TomTom app for the iPhone have let us know that they’ve submitted an updated version that adds real-time traffic information, Google local search, and even some secret features the company isn’t talking about yet.
The TomTom app was eagerly sought out last year, but of late has fallen a bit behind market leader Navigon. This new release, with real-time info and Google local, will give both apps rough feature parity.
The current TomTom app is on sale for U.S. $49.99 at the app store (U.S. maps only) and it includes a “free update to the new version as soon as its available.” That would indicate that some or all of the new features will be an extra charge for current owners.
Version 1.3 will be available as soon as it passes through the App Store vetting process.
[Thanks to Steve H. for the tip]
TomTom submits updated app for Apple review originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
TomTom submits updated app for Apple review originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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