PEEKABOO, I SEE YOU! [TOUCHPAD] – REVIEW (70%)

Peekaboo, I see you! is an interactive game from toddlers released by Baby First.

This is a hard application to review, as it is really dull and boring if you approach this application using an adult viewpoint. However, it is not made for adults but for toddlers. When I put on my parents head and look at the application though my childrens eyes I can see the merits.

The idea behind the game is simple, the baby will walk onto a screen containing three objects. He will wave and then teleport behind one of the items. You can then tap on the items to see if the baby is hiding behind. If you do not tap, the baby will wave his arm behind the item. Once the baby is discovered it comes out with a Peekaboo and then disappears off the screen. The objects will move off the screen and it all repeats again.

To add to the experience I found myself talking to my daughter about the objects on the screen, their names and colour etc.

The controls are simple, just tap the object you believe the baby is hiding behind.

The graphics are nice with a hand drawn feel to it.

On the upside:

• Great for kids under 3.
• Very cute baby.

On the downside:

• Very limited functionality.
• Objects take a little too long leaving the screen.

Overall, this a great little application for toddlers and parents. You can sit with your child and they do not become bored, despite the limited functionality of the app. Talking about the onjects the baby is hiding behind adds to your childs education.

Rating: 70%

Size: 44.5 MB

Price (at time of review): Free

Link: Peekaboo, I see you! – BabyFirst

 

LITTLE PRINCESS [IOS] – REVIEW (72%)

Little Princess is a selection of mini games released by Jick Jack Ltd.

Help Little Princess with some of her favourite activities around the castle.

This application contains a group of mini games, these are as follow:

• Dress Up – Explore Little Princess’s wardrobe and play dress up with her : 71%
• Bath Time – Help Little Princess clean Puss and Scruff : 60%
• Bunny Bop – Those naughty bunnies are messing around with Puss and Scruff! : 69%
• Pairs – All of Little Princess’s friends are hiding behind the cards : 65%  

The mini games all play well and have their own merits, however, I really would have liked to have seen some options or difficulty levels on the Bunny Bop and Pairs mini games.

Other games for children like this normally have some type of prizes for playing the games to extend longevity like giving stickers or virtual gifts. The Little Princess does not give anything like this, only a best time/score to beat.

The games are easy to be controlled by simply tapping on the game you require and then selecting any of the options for the game, such as difficulty or timed.

The graphics and sound are very good. Fans of the Little Princess cartoon will be happy that the visuals and sounds match those of the cartoon.

On the upside:

• Good use of the Little Princess license
• Very nice mini games for younger children to play

On the downside:

• Lack of Longevity.
• No “gifts” or difficulty levels.

Overall, I found this to be a nice and entertaining game for my children. My daughter likes Little Princess a lot, but even she bored after a few goes at the mini games. There is nothing outstanding any of the mini games and with the lack of unlocks there is nothing to keep you coming back. I hope that the developers can add something to the game to give it extra life. 

Rating: 72%

Size: 18.1 MB

Price (at time of review): £1.99

Link: Little Princess – I want to Play! – Jick Jack Ltd

 

NEWS FROM THE LAST 7 DAYS (JULY 31 2011)

Here are some of the headline that grabbed the attention this week.

Apple News:

• Apple become the biggest smartphone vendor.
• iOS 4.3.5 released to close more security holes.
• Apple makes the book applications like Kobo and Kindle remove the link to their online stores.
• Apples new iPad advert plugs Lion too.
• Rumour: New version of iTunes in September built from the ground up.
• Rumour: Apple evaluating Solar Panels for future devices.
• Rumour: Next version of iPod touch to get 3G?
• Rumour: Office 2011 will soon have Lion features.
• Several more schools have replaced textbooks with iPads.
• Siegecraft by Crescent Moon – coming soon to iOS.
• EA CEO says Consoles are now only 40% of the games industry (iPad is growing very fast)

In other tech news:

• Nintendo slashes price of the 3DS under pressure from iOS and Android gamers.
• Motorola Xoom sales remain low and looking like it will be 1.25m for the year.

 

ADVANCED BROWSER FOR WEBOS [TOUCHPAD] – REVIEW (82%)

Advanced Browser is an alternative browser for the Touchpad released by MaKleSoft.

It is really difficult to review a browser for a device, as it looks at the web and you want it to help and not get in the way.

First off I have to say that I find the Touchpad browser good with a few minor issues and with the standard problems of a webkit browser.

Advanced Browser is really a skin on top of this, but what it adds makes the browser much more usable. The big features are as follows:

• Start page with bookmarks. (set your favorite sites here)
• Remembering and auto filling login names and passwords (you can save these within the browser)
• Searching within webpages (search for words within the website text)
• Tabs (requires webOS 3.0.2) 
• Instapaper integration (via Paper Mache)
• Twitter integration (via Spaz HD)

Another feature of the application is that it links to SecuStore 2 if you have the application installed. You can click on the web icon within the password details screen, and this will open the selected web page and will have a pop-up with the username and password available to click over the login form when it appears.

The user interface is very nice, all the usual options are there and you will not be confused finding things, you will just see the additional options.

On the upside:

• Nice User Interface
• Great integration with SecuStore 2 and other third party apps.
• Browser works the same as the standard one (you will access no more/no less than the standard one)

On the downside:

• Would have like to be able to re-organise favorite bookmarks.
• Waiting for HP to release the OTA update so we can get all the features.

Overall, this is an excellent alternative browser to the one supplied with the Touchpad. We will have to wait for the OTA for this application to shine with the addition of tabs. However, the features already available make it a must have especially if you already own SecuStore 2.

Rating: 82%

Size: 8.3 MB

Price (at time of review): £1.59

Link: Advanced Browser for WebOS – MaKleSoft

 

DOGFIGHT [UNIVERSAL IOS] – REVIEW (80%)

Dogfight is an AirFix combat flight combat game released by Sabec Limited.

Take to the skies in a range of classic Airfix model planes. You can fly a 3D house in everything from vintage WW1 fighters to modern superjets.

The basic ideas of the game is you select for one of several AirFix planes and then fly around a 3D house environment, completing missions, dodging flak from the ground and engaging in deadly dogfights with enemy pilots.

The game you select from one of the two planes available (Spitfire or Jump Jet) and then you can try the tutorial which I found a little long (10 minutes) and had a target under the table that seemed to have a collision bug that I need to replay the tutorial twice to complete it.

At the end of each mission you are award stars and can unlock more planes (it looks like 11 planes will be available). At the moment there are only five missions, but more are promised in future updates.

The gameplay is fun and thing play very well. You need to remember that this is an arcade style combat based flying game and not a flight sim, after all you are flying Airfix planes around a house. The missions are game and have some replayability.

The game is controlled (default) by a virtual joystick with an engine button that is used to launch and to give some extra speed in game. You will also have other buttons appear depending on weapons and the mission. You can alternatively use tilt controls if you wish.

The graphics and sound are good. The 3D house looks good, if a little low res. There are a few odd things around the house, like the strangely slopped window in the downstairs hallway. 

On the upside:

• Fun to play
• Some interesting missions.

On the downside:

• Collision detection is not perfect at times.
• A few bugs (ran out of film on the recon mission, and still managed to photo 111% of a base.)
• Occasional video stutter on older devices.
• Longevity will be an issue until expanded in future updates.

Overall, I found this a fun little game. It is great fun flying the planes around the house and it is fun trying missions with the different classic planes you unlock. There are a few bugs and issues with the game, but these could all be ironed out in future releases and none of them seemed to stop me enjoying the game. I would have loved to have seen a multiplayer dogfight via bluetooth or Wi-Fi, I think that was my only real disappointment. 

Rating: 80%

Size: 81.3 MB

Price (at time of review): £0.69

Link: Dogfight – Sabec Limited