RE-REVIEW OF RETUNE & VIDEOCATCHER DELUXE

Here are two application that have been updated since our original review and have been improved.

Retune : 80% (up from 70%)

This application acts as a remote control to iTunes on your computer. Since our original review the application has been improved and has added several features that were missing from the review version. You can now remote control all elemenents of iTune including the Movie and TV sections, which makes this a far more useful application. The user interface has been tweaked and I must say that this really is a match for the official Apple remote application. If you like iTunes this is a must have application.

Video PodCatcher Deluxe : Now 85% (up from 82%)

This application allows you to subscribe to podcasts (video and audio) direct from the Touchpad. When it was first released it had several of its features limited by the webOS restriction, but now over time, as the restrictions have been removed the application has become as it was originally planned. You can now stream video directly to the application and watch the video within the application. You can still download podcasts for watching offline later if you wish. There are even suggested podcasts when you come to add new feeds, which makes discovery a little easier.

 

FREE APP ROUND-UP (MAR 30 2012) [TOUCHPAD]

Another two application get the round up treatment.

Lyrix : 68%

This application allows you to search for a song via artist, song name or lyrics and then once located click on the song and see the lyrics of the song in a pop up window. The Navigation could do with a few tweaks, like having the search box available at all times, as it only appears on the main screen. You have the preferences to search via a country, so the top lyrix list is changed if you select a different country. It is a shame you cannot copy and paste out lyrics. The application is powered by http://www.musixmatch.com and does not have all the features of the site, but if you are looking for song lyrics this is a get little application to have to had, and can sort out some disagreements with your mates.

Film City : 35%

This App does not get off to a great start, with a pop up message reading “Trouble Getting Feed” as soon as it is loaded. You click the OK box and the message does not go away. However, click on the side bar that has loaded and the message will disappear and you can use the application. Basically it works a little like the IMDB website with information on upcoming films including reviews, cast lists and information about the film. There are links to view trailers and photo, however, they do not work at this time. So all in all, this could be a good application when it working, but at the moment a disappointment.  

 

SNAKE SLIDER [TOUCHPAD] – REVIEW (83%)

Snake Slider is a slider puzzle game released by BdR Games.

“Snake Slider for “webOS” is a highly addictive new puzzle game. The goal is to slide the green snake to the exit. This sounds easy but only the most clever players can solve the 100 increasingly difficult puzzles.”

The idea of the game is to navigate a green snake out of the basket in the minimum moves possible. However, its way is blocked by yellow snakes and the design of the basket. Things are complicated more by mushrooms that make a snake shrink by one and an apple that will make it grow by one. Depending on the number of moves etc you take to solve the puzzle you will be awarded up to three coins, these are used to unlock the following basket.

Each basket has a colour and contains 25 puzzles. As you gain more coins in the game you will be able to uplock the next basket along (another set of 25 puzzles). There are currently 5 baskets, making a total of 125 puzzles.

Gameplay wise, the puzzle will appear which is a maze like area, with the green snake towards the base of the screen and then yellow snakes blocking your progress up. You will see a moves target at the base of the screen, do the puzzle in that number of moves and you will get the maximum 3 coins. Depending on the number of moves etc you take to solve the puzzle you will be awarded up to three coins. Luckily, if you are not able to solve the puzzle you do have the option to skip a puzzle, but clearly this will get you no closer to unlocking the next basket.

You will really need to get at least one stars per basket to progress well in the game.

I personally found several of the puzzles very tough to solve and I even needed to skip several of them during the first two baskets.

The game is controlled by moving the snakes, this is done by either pulling the head or tail towards gaps in the maze.

The graphics and sound are good, but nothing outstanding.

On the upside:

• Well designed puzzles.
• Lots of levels to play through.

On the downside:

• Lots of tough levels, that I could just not figure out.
• Repetitive gameplay, but good in short doses.

Overall, this is a great slider puzzle game that really tests you mind and problem solving abilities. As I said when I reviewed the demo this really is not the type of puzzle game I like, but I did not find it as annoying as other similar titles, and I did find myself having fun at times, which says something for the game. If you like this type of puzzle game it is a must have. The lite version is available on the App Catalog if you are still not sure.

Rating: 83%

Size: 24.1 MB

Price (at time of review): £0.79

Link: Snake Slider – BdR Games

 

MADCOASTER [IOS] – REVIEW (80%)

Madcoaster is a “run” and jump game released by Chillingo Ltd.

“Please keep arms and legs inside the car at all times… Get ready for the roller coaster ride of your life with MadCoaster. Speed through various environments, collecting coins along the way as you try to beat your latest high score!”

The game is controlled by simply tapping the screen to make the roller coaster jump into the air, the longer you hold the higher the jump.

The main gameplay consists of trying to achieve obectives while getting as far as you can in the game. You collect coins for points and smash birds and creatures on the tracks to get points. Every 1000m their will be a coin filled cave and then you switch to a new theme background which changes the creatures on the tracks.

During gameplay, you really need to just focus on not falling down the gaps in the track, everything else in the game needs to be hit, coins to collection them and birds etc to smash them.

Along the way, you will hit power ups which give you about 20 seconds of extra abilities, like a coin or bird magnet, jetpack or extra speed.

The game has dozens of in-game objective and achievements to complete, to add to the interest.

You do collect coins in the game, but you can not do anything with them, in other games of this type you can buy different costumes and equipment, but on this one the roller coaster cars are upgraded automatically, and may become a colour you hate, this could have easily been mixed into the coin system.

There is a store for in-app purchases, but this gives you more lives which is pretty pointless and to unlock more themes. You can unlock these by playing the game for distances over 10,000m, but this will be fairly tough. With only 4 themes it is silly locking away others via in-app.

The graphics and sound are both good, but nothing outstanding.

On the upside:

• Fast and furious gameplay.
• Universal Application

On the downside:

• Repetitive gameplay.
• Lack of really useful power ups (bar coin magnet and jetpack).

Overall, this is an excellent game for the casual game, and even a hard core gamer will enjoy this one for a while. The objectives will keep you coming back for sometime as well as the fairly addictive gameplay. If it had made more of the coin collection and not focused up in-app for silly things, like for example, Jetpack Joyride, it would have been a better game, but it is not a bad alternative especially at 69p.

Rating: 80%

Size: 16.1 MB

Price (at time of review): £0.69

Link: Madcoaster – Chillingo Ltd

 

FREE APP ROUND-UP (MAR 28 2012) [TOUCHPAD]

Another two application get the round up treatment.

Italian Audio Dictionary HD Lite : 60%

This application is very much an advertisement for the paid application with most of the screen taken up with an advert from the paid application. You can look at the dictionary areas of the application and find that the Italian A-Z section is open in the demo. This section is fairly complete, and you can see what the Italian is in English and here the italian being read to you. Not bad for a free application, but does not give you a true feel of what you will be getting in the full application, you need to watch the YouTube click on the paid application to learn that. 

American Sign Language Lite : 58%

This is a demo version of the full application, that teachs you American Sign Language. It is a very cut down version of the full release with only one catagory left open and even the search is disabled. The application can over be used in portrait mode. As far as a learning tool you can see an image of the hand movement with a description of the movement once you tap on the image. Most of the time the description is clear, but sometimes a little bit confusing. You can save your favorite words to a My Words list. You will not get much from this demo, but you will see what is on offer in the full application.