reghardware - Mobile: Apps
From the lab to the living room
SoundBrush
Paint me a tune
iOS App of the Week After happily tapping away with Figure just recently, I decided to try and find some other simple apps that might be fun for musically challenged people like me. SoundBrush is well named, as its clever interface allows you to doodle with sound in the same way that you would sketch with a simple painting app.…
Posted on 17 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
Lost Winds 2: Winter of the Melodias
Blow job?
iGamer With his Chibi proportions and boyish looks, Toku cuts an extremely familiar figure, as do most of the things around him: talking animals, impish sprites and elemental deities. So pervasive is Nintendo's influence throughout Winter of the Melodias, in fact, that neither the land of Mistralis nor its diminutive hero would seem out of place in a Mario or Zelda game.…
Posted on 16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
IMDb
Film fan's feast
Android App of the Week If you're a fan of the movies then this app should be right up your aisle. Not only can IMDb tell you just about everything you could ever wish to know about just about every film ever made, but it has all the information you need to plan your movie-going night out too.…
Posted on 15 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
Rovio flies away from Angry Birds for all-new puzzler
No pigs or birds this time
With Rovio's Angry Birds hitting the billion-download mark recently, the Finnish developer has turned its attention to its next mobile game, revealed this week as Amazing Alex.…
Posted on 11 May 2012 | 5:06 pm
Microsoft SkyDrive
Sync'n'store more
iOS App of the Week I looked at SkyDrive back in early 2011 and was impressed by the 25GB of free cloud storage that it offered. Unfortunately, it also suffered from the Microsoft’s traditional ‘designed by committee’ syndrome, and lacked the simplicity of rivals such as Dropbox and, more recently, Apple’s iCloud.…
Posted on 10 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
Keep out of the Olympics' way, earn a haircut from TfL app
Coupons to make Londoners ditch the train for trainers
In the race to get London's road and tube network ready for the Olympics, Transport for London has endorsed a new app called re:route: a map app with reward vouchers.…
Posted on 10 May 2012 | 12:16 pm
National Rail Enquiries
The train now arriving on Platform 3...
Android App of the Week I should use local trains more often, but there are several reasons why I don’t. One is I’ve no idea where most of my local stations are, let alone the ones dotted further afield around Manchester. Secondly, I can’t be bothered picking up timetables.…
Posted on 8 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
Man sues pr0n starlet after Twitter rejection
Follow me or face the judge
When you follow someone on Twitter, only for them to not return the favour, are you left with a feeling of rejection? Does it rile you up into a vengeful fit of rage?…
Posted on 3 May 2012 | 3:54 pm
SnapGuide
RTFM? WTFM!
iOS App of the Week There are zillions of ‘how to’ apps that provide expert – or not-so-expert – advice on pretty much any topic you care to name. However, SnapGuide is a free app that puts you in the driving seat and allows you to share your know-how and wisdom with the rest of the world.…
Posted on 3 May 2012 | 8:00 am
EA unplugs Rock Band for iOS
The day the music dies is May 31
The iOS version of Rock Band will go out of tune forever on May 31.…
Posted on 3 May 2012 | 2:19 am
Spotify dances onto iPad
Slatest hits
Spotify has pushed its music platform onto Apple's iPad. The new app, specifically designed for tablet use, takes things up a notch from what is currently available through the iPhone and other smartphone versions.…
Posted on 2 May 2012 | 4:47 pm
Total War Battles: Shogun
Play it again, Samurai
iGamer For fans of the PC series, the first hour of Total War Battles: Shogun - on iOS but coming soon to Android - will be defined purely by what's missing.…
Posted on 2 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
Textgram
The Post-it note de nos jours?
Android App of the Week Textgram is another app designed to differentiate your digital self from the masses, in this case by letting you send graphically enhanced missives as MMS messages, or as pictures to your social network.…
Posted on 1 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
CloudOn
Microsoft Office on your iPad, courtesy of the cloud
iOS App of the Week There have been a lot of rumours recently about Microsoft launching a version of Office for the iPad. I doubt it - it would amount to a pre-admission of the failure of Windows 8 on tablets.…
Posted on 26 April 2012 | 1:00 pm
Google Currents
Go with the flow
Android App of the Week When Google’s Currents news and magazine reader was released late last year, I thought it one of the most visually attractive apps ever to come out of Mountain View.…
Posted on 24 April 2012 | 1:00 pm
Propellerhead Figure
Finger-tapping music-making fun
iOS App of the Week Propellerhead’s ReBirth app brought some powerful sequencer tools to iOS last year, but made a fatal mistake by simply transplanting the complex interface of the original PC software onto the smaller screen of the iPhone and iPad.…
Posted on 19 April 2012 | 1:00 pm
PlayStation Suite SDK beta opens today
Sony calls for content
Sony's PlayStation Suite software development kit has been launched in beta form, opening doors for developers to craft games for PlayStation-certified devices.…
Posted on 19 April 2012 | 11:55 am
Dad sues Apple for pushing cash-draining 'free' games at kids
Rugrats ran up bill with in-app purchases
An iPhone-owner whose daughter downloaded $200 (£125) worth of "Zombie Toxin" and "Gems" through in-app purchases on his iPhone has been allowed to pursue a class action suit against Apple for compensation of up to $5m (£3.1m).…
Posted on 17 April 2012 | 6:02 pm
A picture tells 1000 words 140 characters
Android App of the Week At last, the much vaunted iPhone picture blogging app has arrived on Android and, judging by the one million downloads it saw on the day of release, it’s been eagerly awaited.…
Posted on 17 April 2012 | 11:00 am
Max Payne shoots onto mobiles
Slow-mo phone blows
Bullet-time fans twiddling thumbs in anticipation of next month's Max Payne 3 might like to get practice in on their smartphones first, as the original version has just launched on iOS devices.…
Posted on 12 April 2012 | 4:36 pm
Wondershare PowerCam
Powerful photo effects with no editing
iOS App of the Week I thought that the recent one-two punch of Adobe's Photoshop Touch and Apple's iPhoto would have knocked out most of the competition from other photo apps, but Wondershare’s PowerCam shows that the big-name boys don’t have a monopoly on good ideas.…
Posted on 12 April 2012 | 1:00 pm
Android spanking iOS in world's BIGGEST mobile market
Google OS wins up to 70 per cent of China's mobile market
Android is absolutely creaming iOS in the world’s biggest mobile phone market, according to new stats from Beijing-based Analysys International, which estimate the Google platform now accounts for nearly 70 per cent of Chinese smartphones.…
Posted on 11 April 2012 | 8:37 am
MS Office coming for Symbian
Dying platform gets more productive
The Microsoft/Nokia tie-up just got weirder, if that's possible, with the launch of Office for Symbian, developed by Microsoft.…
Posted on 11 April 2012 | 7:31 am
TED
Mental giants toss their orbs... on vid
Android App of the Week TED - or Technology, Entertainment and Design - is a series of conferences run by a private not-for-profit organisation called the Sapling Foundation. In its own words, it was formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading".…
Posted on 10 April 2012 | 1:49 pm
Zanther Taposé
Ill-fated MS tablet tech comes to iPad
iOS App of the Week Oh the irony. Microsoft cancelled plans for its Courier tablet when Apple launched the iPad, but the Courier’s two-screen design has now found a home on the very device that killed it off, courtesy of Taposé from developer Zanther.…
Posted on 5 April 2012 | 11:00 am
Phonedeck pushes out web 'n' mobe app for Android
Reach into the cloud to get to your pocket
Phonedeck's promises to integrate an Android phone with a desktop computer though PIM synchronisation could yet prove its downfall.…
Posted on 3 April 2012 | 5:33 pm
Runtastic Push Up
Push, fat boy, push
Android App of the Week Those of you with six-packs, biceps of iron and a physique from a eugenicist’s wet dream can stop reading now. For the rest of us, who have been planning to “get fit” next week, next month or next year, Runtastic’s Push Up app may be just what’s needed to whet our blunted purpose.…
Posted on 3 April 2012 | 11:00 am
TopWrite
Messaging made (really) easy
iOS App of the Week There’s no end of messaging apps available for the iPhone and iPad, not to mention the built-in email and SMS/IM apps included in iOS itself. But that over-abundance of apps can actually be something of a problem: you can often find yourself fiddling with multiple apps and services when all you want to do is fire off a quick message with the minimum of fuss.…
Posted on 29 March 2012 | 1:00 pm
Angry Birds Space
High jinks in low gee
iGamer Such was the original's stellar success it's no wonder resisting the pull of Angry Birds Space is proving more difficult than escaping an event horizon. Ask the ten million or so folk who've apparently downloaded it since last Friday, and they'll tell you. You simply can't mess with universal laws - you're going to get sucked in, no matter what.…
Posted on 28 March 2012 | 1:00 pm
Dijit
Remote control app plus Griffin Beacon IR blaster
Android App of the Week It’s two-for-one this week as I take a look at the Dijit remote control app and Griffin Technologies' Beacon accessory, which connects to your phone over Bluetooth and then operates your home entertainment kit.…
Posted on 27 March 2012 | 1:00 pm
Angry Birds Space flings 10 MILLION downloads in 3 days
Fanbois and fandroids flock to zero-grav game
The latest outing of Angry Birds - this time in spaaaace - has been downloaded 10 million times since it launched three days ago. The catapult-pinging galactic avian game was unveiled amid huge publicity on Friday. Rovio announced the expectation-smashing numbers on its Twitter feed this morning.…
Posted on 26 March 2012 | 5:01 pm
Apple iPhoto
Touch up your snaps. Literally
iOS App of the Week Apple’s iPhoto has a relatively modest set of editing tools but – as you might expect from Apple – wraps them up in an attractive and easy-to-use interface that leaves most other photo-editing apps looking positively antiquated.…
Posted on 22 March 2012 | 1:00 pm
Samsung chirps Angry Birds Space exclusive
Clucking hell, game's on iTunes too
You'd have throught World+Dog was thoroughly fed up of flinging cartoon birds at cartoon piggies, but Samsung doesn't. It hopes Angry Birds fans will flock to its Galaxy Note tabphone now it's associated the latest version of the game.…
Posted on 22 March 2012 | 10:54 am
N7Player
Got music covered
Android App of the Week It’s not often that I come across an application that displaces a default choice on my phone within minutes of me downloading it, but the N7Player music player is just one such. I think it’s brilliant.…
Posted on 20 March 2012 | 1:00 pm
Blizzard ponders World of Warcraft for iPad
MMO to go mobile?
Blizzard has hinted it may bring World of Warcraft to smartphones and tablets, saying it believes a developer would be "foolish" not to be planning such a move.…
Posted on 20 March 2012 | 12:04 pm
Free apps suck your power: researchers
Angry Birds, user tracking, advertising and flat batteries
As you tap away at your free copy of Angry Birds and sneer at those who pay for games, consider this: how much is it costing you in battery life?…
Posted on 19 March 2012 | 11:06 pm
China’s handset-makers plan home-grown platforms
Apple, Android takedown on the cards as 4G roll-out looms
Analysis China’s mobile phone market is about to hit an epic milestone of one billion users, but experts are split over whether the country’s 4G plans will succeed, while opportunities for non-local tech companies could become increasingly limited in the region as homegrown mobile platform players emerge.…
Posted on 19 March 2012 | 7:16 am
Adobe Photoshop Touch
The Mac’s killer app finally comes to the iPad
iOS App of the Week Annoyingly for us iOS fans, Photoshop Touch actually made its debut on Android, late last year. You can download it from Google Play. However, it has now arrived on the iPad 2 and the ‘new iPad’ – but not the first-generation iPad or any other iOS device – just in time to bump pixels with Apple’s own iPhoto.…
Posted on 15 March 2012 | 11:00 am
Waking Mars
Cerebral sci-fi gaming
iGamer An exquisitely mature and thought-provoking iOS adventure, Waking Mars is a love letter to late-1970s and early-1980s sci-fi films such as Silent Running, Solaris and Alien.…
Posted on 14 March 2012 | 11:00 am
TuneIn Radio Pro
Radio killed the video star
Android App of the Week I stumbled across TuneIn while reviewing the Archos 35 Home Connect - it’s preinstalled as that device’s main radio portal - and since that chance encounter it has ended up on all my Android devices.…
Posted on 13 March 2012 | 11:00 am
iPhone tethering app uses HTML5 to defeat Apple's censors
Pushing web language to the limit
A Wi-Fi tethering application for the iPhone has managed to bypass Apple's restrictions on such apps by doing the whole thing in HTML5 - and charging for it too.…
Posted on 12 March 2012 | 2:38 pm
Virgin TiVo iPad app out in September
Long gestation
Virgin Media will finally release its long-promised TiVo-tapping app for the iPad in September, the cableco's CEO has revealed.…
Posted on 8 March 2012 | 1:30 pm
Sky excludes Android with F1 app
'Not significant enough'
Sky has risked the wrath of F1 fans by revealing there are no plans to launch an Android version of its forthcoming Formula 1 iPad app.…
Posted on 8 March 2012 | 12:13 pm
PlayStation Suite gets sweetener
Sony touts SDK to devs
Those with PlayStation certified Android devices will be pleased to know Sony has launched an SDK for developers to bring more PS games to the mobile platform.…
Posted on 7 March 2012 | 5:35 pm
Google ups max Android app size to 4GB
Capacity to play with
Google has increased the capacity of its Android app packaging tech, giving developers up to 4GB in which to cram their smartphone and tablet software and associated resources.…
Posted on 6 March 2012 | 12:47 pm
'We don't know if Google is operating outside EU law'
Plus: 'It's within our lifetime. It's going to happen'
Quotw This was the week in which Mobile World Congress landed in Barcelona, producing reams of smartphone and fondleslab news, views and shiny gadgets - including waterproof mobes, which are of particular use to Brits since apparently nearly one in ten punters take their phone into the shower.…
Posted on 2 March 2012 | 12:10 pm
Apple: We never said Siri would actually work in the UK
Ad watchdog says punter's expectations too high
The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has quashed a complaint from a fanboi disappointed by Siri's lack of UK knowledge - and said the punter had above-average expectations compared with what it would expect from the "average Brit".…
Posted on 2 March 2012 | 11:54 am
Windows 7 squeezed into Android tablets
Google out, MS in - virtually
OnLive may be better known for its cloud gaming service, but the advantage of running a heap of virtual Windows PCs on a server farm somewhere is that you can run Windows desktops on them as well as games.…
Posted on 2 March 2012 | 11:37 am