Author Archive for dag

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Pocket Frogs for iPad – First Look

By dag | September 17, 2010 | 1 comment

Pocket Frogs is an interesting social game: unlike most social games out there where the goal is to farm or to defend an empire, Pocket Frogs‘ goal is to collect and take care of frogs. Frogs need to be tamed, bred and cataloged, and more than 10,000 possible unique frogs can be bred through the game.

Frogs need to be taken care of, and placed in various habitats, in order to grow from tadpoles to adulthood. Breeding frogs together will give you new colors and types, and the goal of the game is to find as many new frogs as possible, which in turn will allow you to earn experience and level up.

Beyond raising and breeding frogs, Pocket Frogs also allows you to take your frogs off to the pond, to actually play a separate game, where the goal is to jump from lilypad to lilypad, while eating dragonflies flying around. The extra game may sound simplistic, but is actually quite fun, as catching dragonflies while hopping around the pond is not as easy as it seems. If you reach specific targets, you will be given gifts and even new frogs, which in turn will allow you to increase your flock of frogs, and improve their habitats.

Like most social games, managing your money is key, and farming/selling frogs will allow you to make more money to upgrade your frogs’ habitats, get new types of frogs, etc… Also, if you want to fast-track your progress, you can actually buy – with real dollars – stamps, that will allow you to receive gifts instantly, as well as potions, designed to help you raise your frogs faster.

Pocket Frogs is available in the App Store, and is free.

High Hats HD – A Fun Free App for your iPad

By dag | September 16, 2010 | No comment yet

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High Hats HD is one of these little games that quickly become addictive. The goal is very simple: move your character left and right in order to catch sombreros falling from the sky.

The hats pile up on top of your character’s head, and eventually form a tower that will make catching additional hats more and more difficult, as the tower becomes less and less manageable as it grows.

When the tower reaches the top of the iPad’s screen, the tower of hats collapses into a single “super hat”, which will help you collect more points. You can also collect group of hats of the same color in order to create combos and boost your score even more.

High Hats HD is absolutely silly, but is quite fun to play. Best of all, the game is free.

iOS 4.2 for iPad – Videos

By dag | September 16, 2010 | 1 comment

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Since the release of the beta version of iOS 4.2 for iPad, YouTube has been flooded with videos featuring the new OS. Here is a selection of the best videos/demos of the OS we have seen so far.

Multitasking, Game Center

As you must know by now, iOS 4.2 brings multitasking to the iPad. The first video featured below shows multiple apps running simultaneously, including the Pandora app, that keeps delivering music in the background while the user plays with other apps. The video also shows the new Game Center for iPad.

By dag | September 15, 2010 | 5 comments

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CNET reported earlier today that developers who were given early releases of iOS 4.2 for testing purposes, found a couple interesting changes to the iPad’s basic controls.

For instance, the screen orientation lock slider on the side of the iPad morphed into a mute button, similarly to the iPhone. Some people will likely love it, but the team at PadGadget is not that excited about it, as the iPad is not an iPhone, and the screen lock button can be extremely useful when reading a book or a web page while on the go. Note that the screen orientation lock function did not disappear completely, as users can still lock their screens by pulling up the new iOS 4.2 multitasking bar.

Another basic change seems to be around the screen brightness: the iOS 4.2 beta allows users to adjust the brightness of their iPad’s screen on the fly, instead of having to exit apps and having to adjust the brightness via the iPad’s settings – an improvement that should be welcomed by most iPad owners.

iOS 4.2 for iPad: easy access to screen brightness, and screen orientation lock

Note that since iOS 4.2 is still in a beta stage, these functional changes may not be included in the final release, scheduled to be out in November.

Apple About to Offer iPad Newspaper Subscriptions

By dag | September 15, 2010 | No comment yet

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Apple is finally getting close to announcing its plan to bring newspaper subscriptions to the iPad, according to a report released earlier today by The San Jose Mercury News.

Despite the lack of a well defined subscription service between Apple and publishers such as News Corp. or Time Inc., a myriad of newspapers and magazines such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal released their own dedicated iPad apps weeks after the launch of the iPad, but so far users were forced to buy issues individually, a rather clunky and expensive way of enjoying their favorite newspapers. The new service would allow subscribers to receive their newspaper issues automatically, without having to buy them individually.

The launch date for the subscriptions service is still unclear, as Apple and publishers haven’t come to a complete agreement just yet. Apple has been driving a hard bargain with regard to the revenue it expects from these subscriptions: no less than 30 percent for the subscriptions sold through its App Store, and about 40 percent of the advertising revenue generated by the newspaper apps (see this article for more details). Most publishing companies are fighting back as Apple’s expectations are too high in their opinion, and have been trying to convince the Cupertino-based company to accept a flat fee rather than a cut of the subscription and advertising revenue. As a result, the San Jose Mercury News stresses that the deal still has a good chance to fail.

Ultimately, if publishing companies buckle and agree with Apple’s terms, newspaper and magazine subscriptions could very well end up costing more than need be, at the expense of iPad users.

New Touch Panel Supplier Brought In to Increase iPad Production

By dag | September 15, 2010 | No comment yet

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To keep up with the high demand for the iPad, Apple keeps reaching out to new suppliers to help the company build more devices. We reported earlier that Apple was able to deliver about 2 million iPads a month, and is trying to actually ramp the production up to 3 million per month, to get ready for the holiday season.

According to DigiTimes, the bottleneck seems to have moved from LCD screen suppliers to touch panel sensor suppliers, as Apple seems to need an additional 1 million parts per month to reach its production goals. The newly selected supplier, Taiwan-based AU Optronics, will start shipping iPad touch sensors by the end of the month.

Since its launch, the iPad has been plagued by production bottlenecks, as the demand for the device far exceeded Apple’s sales forecast. From screens to touch panels, Apple has been reaching out to a large number of partners in order to quickly increase production output. As a result, wait times to get a new iPad were cut from weeks to 24 hours recently – but Apple still needs to push its suppliers to build more iPads to keep up with the expected holiday season sales boost.

Battle Bears Go for iPad – Free Today

By dag | September 15, 2010 | No comment yet

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Battle Bears Go, a dual stick shooter similar to the old school arcade game Smash TV, is free today. The goal of the game is simple, your character needs to survive as long as possible.

The main character, a bear, is stuck in some kind of maze composed of multiple rooms, and waves of enemies are thrown at him, up to you to find your way out and try to keep him alive in the process. Note that not all rooms are the same, as some rooms feature extra deadly machinery such as turrets and holes in the floor.

Battle Bears Go is fun to play, as you will quickly realize that exterminating stuffed bears trying to kill you is actually quite entertaining. The game can be a bit repetitive, but since it is free, it is hard to complain.

Battle Bears Go is free until tonight, so grab your copy while it lasts.

Pebble Jump HD – Free for a Limited Time

By dag | September 14, 2010 | No comment yet

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Pebble Jump HD, a nice puzzler for the iPad, is now free. If you’ve never heard about Pebble Jump HD, the goal is to clear the boards offered by the game by jumping over pieces, in a similar fashion to checkers. To complete each level, you will need to clear your screen and land the last jump on a specific location, identified by a star.

The game seems simple, but it can quickly get very addictive, as most levels will require a good dose of strategy in order to clear your board and have your last pebble land on the right slot.

Pebble Jump HD is available in the App Store, and is free for a limited time, so get your copy while it lasts.

40 Million iOS Gamers in the U.S., and Counting

By dag | September 14, 2010 | No comment yet

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NewZoo released late last week its yearly International Gamers Survey survey, which provides a complete view of the worldwide gaming landscape. Interestingly enough, one of the report’s highlight is about the current shift to iOS devices when it comes to mobile gaming, as according to NewZoo, over half of the 77 million Americans mobile gamers actually use a device like the iPad, the iPhone, or the iPod Touch, to play while on the go.

In other words, iOS devices have “entered the major league of the portable gaming market”, and Apple is on tracks to take over the top spot in the U.S. mobile gaming industry, as it should soon have an U.S. installed base larger than giants such as Nintendo – for instance, the DS/DSi gamers were about 41 million, and iOS gamers were about 40 million, as of June 2010. Note that other mobile gaming giants such as Sony are already way behind, as Sony can only claim about 19 million U.S. gamers.

However, Apple should not rejoice too much, as Nintendo and Sony gamers are still willing to spend more money to play, mostly due to the fact that only large gaming firms such as Electronic Arts or Square-Enix publish games to the DS and the PSP. When it comes to iOS, the eco-system is very different, it allows free games, and the strong competition between numerous small gaming firms leads to lower prices. As a result, Apple “only” managed to get about one-fifth of the total portable game software revenue in the U.S. in 2009.

Gaming is at the center of Apple’s strategy, and Apple’s share of the mobile gaming market will likely keep increasing, as more and more quality games are coming to iOS. For example, Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD for the iPad last week, and the port is by far the best version of the game, all platforms combined (PSP and DS included).

iOS 4.2 for iPad Almost Ready, Early Releases Under Testing

By dag | September 13, 2010 | No comment yet

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As noted by MacRumors earlier today, some iOS developers seem to already have access to early releases of iOS 4.2 for the iPad. For example, Epic Games, the creator of the impressive Epic Citadel demo, released an update of the app over the weekend, and the notes coming with the new version contain an interesting tidbit:

Fixed performance issues on iPad devices running iOS 4 or later.

Given that iOS 4 will not land on the iPad until November, it is clear that some “select” developers have been working closely with Apple’s iOS development team and gained access to early versions of iOS 4.2 for the iPad, in order to test the OS, and make sure their apps are compatible with it. Since Epic was featured during the Apple keynote earlier this month, it is very likely that Apple provided early iOS 4.2 builds to Epic to support its efforts to demo its Unreal Engine for iOS, weeks before the OS is actually pushed to the general developer program.

This preferential treatment is not unusual, and is traditionally limited to developers featured in Apple media events. But this also means that testing builds of iOS 4.2 will likely be released to the developers community very soon, as it seems mature enough to be used by apps like Epic Citadel.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad – Game Review

By dag | September 13, 2010 | 2 comments

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After months of waiting, one of the best handheld game ever made finally landed on the iPad: Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars HD was released last week, and the game rocks.

Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars HD allows you to follow the adventures of Huang Lee, the spoiled son of a recently killed Triad boss, on a mission to solve the murder of his father. Throughout the game’s 70+ missions and its myriad of side quests, your job is to earn cash by completing jobs ranging from petty street crime, all the way up to drug dealing and assassination.

We couldn’t help thinking “wow” the first time we fired up the game, as Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars HD is extremely polished, and makes you feel like you’re using an Xbox instead of an iPad. The game has been rebuilt from the ground up specifically for the iPad, and thanks to an updated 3D engine, Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars HD features stunning graphics that take advantage of the extra real estate offered by the iPad. The gameplay has also been improved when compared to other versions, and even though it may take a little while to perfectly master the controls in order to drive around Liberty City’s streets with ease, the game is a blast to play.

By dag | September 12, 2010 | No comment yet

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Geared, a cool puzzler for the iPad, is now free. If you’ve never heard about Geared, the game relies on a simple concept: a set of gears is given to you, and it is up to you to connect them properly to move forward in the game.

Each of the 150 levels featured in the game features a spinning gear and a stationary gear, and your goal is to use additional gears coming in five different sizes to eventually get the stationary gear to turn.

Even though gears come in multiple size, they come in limited quantities, so Geared requires a good dose of thinking in order to complete each level. The game’s concept may sound simple, but some levels will simply drive you nuts!

Geared is available in the App Store, and is free until tonight (September 12th).

NFL Sunday Ticket for iPad Just Released

By dag | September 11, 2010 | No comment yet

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If you happen to be a fan of football and a DirecTV customer, you’re in luck: the satellite company just released its NFL Sunday Ticket™ app for the iPad, and the app rocks.

Whether you’re a Cowboys fan living in Colorado, a displaced Steelers fan in Syracuse or a member of the Raider Nation in Raleigh, the app lets you follow your favorite team no matter where you live. With your DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket™ To-Go subscription, you can use the app to watch every game every Sunday no matter where you are – and no need for a TV, all you need is your iPad.

NFL Sunday Ticket™ includes:
- Live Streaming Videos, including HD (NFL Sunday Ticket™ game, plus the Red Zone Channel®)
- Highlights, to relive the big moments you may have missed
- Scores, Status, and Schedule
- Instant Stats, a fantasy footballers favorite

NFL Sunday Ticket™ is available in the App Store and is free, as long as you are a DirecTV customer. Note that some extra features will require a DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket™ To-Go subscription. Alternatively, if you are not a DirecTV customer, and are looking for a completely free app – albeit much less fancy – you can try CBS’s Sports Pro Football for iPad, a nice football news/stats app released recently as well.

The Hero HD for iPad Just Released

By dag | September 10, 2010 | No comment yet

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The latest Chillingo game, The Hero HD, was released yesterday. The Hero, an anonymous super-hero who could very well be Mr. Incredible’s hidden twin, is in charge of protecting the city from an evil genius known as Dr. Hubbub.

The aim of the game is to fly around the city deflecting missiles and destroying enemy helicopters. The Hero HD looks very much like the old school hit Rampage, the main difference being that your character is actually a good guy able to fly.

The Hero HD looks good, is fun and simple to play, and is a great value given its price. The game is available in the App Store for $1.99.

Apple About to Ditch Intel/Infineon for Next-Gen iPad and iPhone

By dag | September 10, 2010 | 3 comments

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About 2 weeks ago, Intel instantly became an iPhone and iPad chip supplier by announcing its acquisition of the wireless unit of Infineon, the exclusive supplier of the iPad and the iPhone’s 3G chips.

However, Apple may have decided to distance itself from Infineon, and may have selected its rival Qualcomm as the wireless chip supplier for the next-gen iPad and iPhone, according to an article published earlier today in the China Times. In other words, Intel’s presence in iOS devices may be short lived.

To keep costs under control, Apple has traditionally used a single vendor for the 3G chips inside the entire iOS family, and currently buys millions of chips from Infineon to keep up with the high demand for iPads and iPhones. The move from Intel/Infineon to Qualcomm could significantly impact Intel’s wireless revenue, and would make the recent purchase of Infineon a lot more sour than expected.

In the meantime, the potential move to Qualcomm is already fueling rumors around the release of a potential Verizon iPhone and/or iPad, as besides being a chip supplier for GSM/UMTS devices, Qualcomm is also the inventor of the technology currently used by Verizon for its 3G CDMA network, and is the main supplier for CDMA chips inside the devices compatible with Verizon’s network. It’s not much of a stretch to imagine that Qualcomm may have offered to build a line of “interchangeable” or “hybrid” chips that would make Apple’s life much easier when it comes to building devices able to run on different networks, such as at&t and Verizon.