Category: App Reviews

Another Masterpiece in Boynton’s Barnyard Dance – iPad App Review

By Jillian | October 27, 2011 | No comment yet

Barnyard Dance - Boynton Long before I ever had an iPad, my children and I had a shelf full of books by Sandra Boynton. Boynton’s vibrant and clever board books are cherished by children and enjoyed by parents. I never get tired of reading them to my family which is something I can’t say about any other titles.

Knowing this, you can imagine my delight when I found my first Boynton-themed iPad app. I am just as delighted today as I evaluate and review the latest addition to her iOS library: Barnyard Dance.

By Lory | October 26, 2011 | No comment yet

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Independent comic book publisher 215 Ink has teamed up with Australian digital comic book publisher Cloud 9 to deliver the former’s entire catalog of books to the iPad. The world of digital comics has just gotten bigger.

The comic company 215 Ink offers a wide variety of comics from creators all over the world. Stories ranging from giant monsters to rock ‘n’ roll mayhem. The app includes 215 Ink’s entire catalog that can be viewed and purchased in a comic store style design. Many titles offer the first issue as a free download to give readers the opportunity to find out about new stories.

By Colin | October 26, 2011 | No comment yet

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First things first. If you think that this is going to be a children’s game like I did, think again. Word Lubbers is a very fast paced word game that will stretch the limits of your vocabulary and your typing skills.

Not only does the game incorporate a constant barrage of spelling, but it also incorporates serious strategy. Players have to choose when to attack and when to defend, and it is a struggle to maintain a good balance no matter which game mode you’re playing.

By Jillian | October 26, 2011 | No comment yet

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A Princess Tale: An Interactive Book A Princess Tale advertises itself as being an app that is created by parents for parents with kids. Whether your child is the prince or the princess, this app is entertainment with an opportunity for learning.

There are three fair maidens to choose from, each one being told by the narrator that they must first tidy their room and do their chores before they can go to the ball. Whether your child helps to put toys on the shelves and toy-box or cleans the flowers by placing them in the vase, the story begins by teaching children that fun things can happen after their work is done.

By Jillian | October 26, 2011 | No comment yet

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Kids Song Machine 2 - Around the World HD From the moment you first load this app, your senses will be in happiness-overload. Dynamic music will fill the air, colorful graphics animate in front of your eyes and an interactive menu lets you choose from a variety of worldwide locations to travel with your imagination.

Each song takes place in a different part of the world. Once you make your first menu selection and the song loads you will be greeted with colorful and themed animations as the music plays. As the animations on the screen play through, you can interact with them as well. This means you can pop balloons as they fly by, send helicopters flying off into the horizon or play peek-a-boo with characters in windows found in the buildings across the backgrounds.

By Juli | October 25, 2011 | No comment yet

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In this interactive book, children will join Ms. Frizzle for a ride on the Magic School Bus, where they will explore all kinds of dinosaurs, sharpen reading skills, and learn plenty of fun facts.

Each and every page in this story features an activity or interaction for children to take part in. There are dinosaur digs to discover fossils, dinosaur assemblies, and even an added multi-level game to play after the story is finished.

By Jillian | October 25, 2011 | No comment yet

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Mousey Howsee and the Rescuers Mousey Howsee is the kind of interactive storybook that has the potential to blow your mind. When you first begin they ask you to use location services to determine your location, which will actually serve to customize the book storyline based on the time of day or your current local weather.

The story also teaches a lesson, as Mousey Howsee begins by hopping into a boat and heading out onto the water when she knows she shouldn’t (she didn’t have permission and had no supervision). This kind of book helps us as parents to teach causality and consequences in an illustrated way that children can more easily understand. This is very helpful when you are dealing with a small child that doesn’t understand the word dangerous and needs to be shown.

By Emily | October 24, 2011 | No comment yet

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This past September 24 marked 20 years since Nirvana released Nevermind, the album that became the grunge movement’s sonic template. A little over two years later the band’s leader, Kurt Cobain would be dead from a self-inflicted gun shot wound. Kurt Cobain: The Graphic Novel covers Cobain’s short life from his disjointed childhood to his rise to fame and finally, his seemingly inevitable descent into depression, drugs and death.

This app is definitely not appropriate for anyone under the age of 17, or for any reader who is squeamish or easily distraught. There are frequent drug references and profane language and the subject matter is unquestionably “adult” in its tone. However reading about the details of Cobain’s lonely and emotionally bankrupt childhood was actually more difficult to tolerate than any of the story’s coarser subject matter. Cobain is sympathetic, yet lost, throughout this tal. Even his enduring love for music is not strong enough to keep him safe from the “white noise” to which he ultimately succumbs.

By Lory | October 24, 2011 | No comment yet

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For today’s Weekly App Series we’ve found 8 great apps to add to your iPad collection. We have included 8 spooky apps for Halloween in this week’s bundle. Our editorial team goes through the data, picks the best and most interesting apps and then brings them to you on a regular basis.

We used our PadGadget Apps Tracker to find these great apps and we’ll continue to look for the best apps on a weekly basis. Be sure to check them out because these apps might just be what you’re looking for.

By Emily | October 23, 2011 | No comment yet

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Counting With the Very Hungry Caterpillar offers five levels of play to entice fans of Eric Carle’s classic storybook. The game, created by Night & Day Studios is aimed at toddlers who are just learning how to count.

Pre-schoolers can fill their bellies with one slice of salami, one slice of swiss cheese, and one slice of chocolate cake — just like their beloved caterpillar — with no worries about a stomachache, since all of the treats in this app are digital.

By Juli | October 22, 2011 | No comment yet

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Your favorite apple-pureeing, banana-slicing, orange-juicing, plum-dicing game is back, with a new edition featuring Puss in Boots and an all new challenge mode. Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots HD is the same game that you love, with some fun enhancements and additions.

The slick swashbuckler Puss in Boots is on a search for his Magic Beans, which can be found among the familiar fruit we’ve spent month after month slicing and dicing. And one new fruit… the long awaited tomato! Read More »

Get Your Child into a Spooky Mood with Halloween Coloring Book – iPad App Review

By Jillian | October 22, 2011 | No comment yet

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The developers at Portegno Apps understand how to make apps for young children and the Halloween Coloring Book is no exception. The reality is that all children love coloring, especially when it means they get to play with mom or dad’s iPad! The beauty for us as parents is there is no mess and no waste.

Better yet, they can keep coming back to try a different color scheme or technique and get a lot of use out of this app.

By Lory | October 21, 2011 | No comment yet

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Believe it or not, the Holiday season is creeping up on us at a very fast pace. While the pumpkins and ghosts may still be on department store shelves, you can be sure that your little one is already mapping out plans to be a good boy or girl for the next few months.

Traditional Christmas stories are tried and true, but sometimes a new story will come along and shake things up or create new traditions. Kundersanterbleebin is that story.

By Juli | October 21, 2011 | No comment yet

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If you’re new to owning an iPad, and even if you’re not, there’s a good chance that you may have missed out on some great games that have been in the App Store for quite some time.

Braveheart HD, a solid action/RPG, may be one of those games. Originally introduced in 2010, Braveheart HD features unique controls, endless waves of enemies, and plenty of blood and guts.

By Juli | October 21, 2011 | 2 comments

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If you’ve been reading PadGadget for some time, you may have noticed that we already did a review of FX Photo Studio HD. In the original review, we thought it was a great app, but recently, some changes have been added to turn that great app into an amazing app, which we just had to revisit and share with you.

FX Photo Studio is one of our favorite photo editing apps for the iPad, with tons of pre-made photo filters (194), easy photo sharing, color splash ability, and the newly added paint with effects feature that allows you to add effects exactly where you want them, for endless possibilities.