E3 2014 EA Conference (Apps Plus Thoughts)

Recommendations of the Week: October 10th

Welcome back to more recommendations! Today we look at another great book from one of my favourite authors.





The Runner:

The Runner is the second book written by Christopher Reich and it came out back in 2000 and man is it ever a great read. If you've been with us for a while you'll have noticed that I recommended a few other books by Christopher Reich because they're all just so great. Reich writes espionage styled books and the Runner is set in Germany just after World War II when Germany is in ruins and the Americans, French, British, and Russians have taken control. I won't say any more so that I don't ruin anything- not that I could though, there are so many twists in this book that you never know what is going to happen, which is one of the things I really love in a book. So what are you waiting for? Go check it out.

You can find The Runner everywhere books are sold as well as here on Kobo.

App Bites #34: BBC News

I love my news, and I love my news apps. I've talked about one of my favourite apps called Pulse before which is a great app that puts all the articles from your favourite sources all in one spot. But for people who want perhaps what you could call a more "main stream" app for news, then I suggest checking out the BBC News app. The app is set up a lot like Pulse, the main difference being that the BBC is the source for the articles and as such there aren't as many articles. Pulse can tend to overwhelm you with articles to read, although that's not necessarily a bad thing, whereas BBC News is a little neater and split into categories a little bit better in my opinion. In Pulse you can only pick which sources you want articles from, and thus get every single article from that source. With BBC News you get all the articles, but they're split by category, as I mentioned. So if you want some news in one nice clean area and happen to love the BBC, then check out this app and pick it up for free over here in the Play Store.

Android Apps Galore

Remember when that good old saying "there's an app for that" came out and the only company that could actually say that and not be lying was Apple? Then Android popped out of no-where and slowly started amassing thousands of apps. And those apps grew exponentially in number. Apple's have too, but not quite at the same speed as with Google Play. Now, as of September 2012, Google Play has over 650 000 apps with over 25 billion downloads! Those figures are still lower then the App Store's 700 000 apps and 30 billion downloads. But the point here is that Android is getting close to Apple's iOS. Android already dominates the market as far as market share goes, and it will be only a couple more months now till Android dominates in apps too. The glory days are soon upon us.

Apps Plus Comms- Week 3 Recap

This week brought more advancements in our ongoing commentaries. The Cake Loving Artist takes on more rebels in epic TIE Fighter action. The Cake Loving Artist also joins Hatok for more Kingdom Hearts. What are the heartless up to this week? And the two of them join Lorl and me for more democratic Mass Effect. Miss anything? Don't worry, as always we've got you covered. Just click on the links below to find archives of all the commentaries from this week, and all the commentaries we've ever done.

Apps Plus on Blip: http://blip.tv/appsplus
Apps Plus on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/appsplusblog

 As always keep in mind that our videos come out on Blip first, then a week later on YouTube, so click the Blip link to get the most up-to-date videos.

Bad Piggies

Rovio's latest game is out! It's called Bad Piggies and for the first time it's the pigs from the massively popular Angry Birds that get their own game. And no you don't slingshot pigs at birds or anything like that. You actually help build things like carts for the pigs to ride in and collect different items throughout the level.
The game definitely looks like an Angry Birds game but plays like something else entirely which is great combo for success if you ask me. The game is actually a lot of fun, and it's a fresh feeling instead of just seeing yet another Angry Birds game. So I encourage you to check it out. It's available pretty well anywhere you can buy apps, so don't worry, you're not left out.

I'll have a full in-depth review for Bad Piggies coming out in the near future once I've had some time to play more of the game, in the meantime start building some contraptions! (At the end of most levels are explosive blocks, so if you still have a grudge like those angry birds against the pigs, then don't worry you can still beat the game and blow up all the pigs).

App Bites #33: Best of Cracked Vol. 1

Welcome back to another edition of App Bites. Let's begin.







Best of Cracked Vol. 1:

So I talked about the official Cracked app for Cracked.com (one of my favorite websites ever) a little while ago. In case you don't know what Cracked.com is, it's a humor site that has articles, and videos and more that are all extremely funny and definitely worth reading. And they have an official Android app which has some of their articles and whatnot all in one convenient place. But there are so many hundreds and thousands of things to read on Cracked.com so what if you only want to see the best. Well that is why they came out with Best of Cracked Vol. 1 the app which has the top 25 most viewed articles, videos, and photoplasties of 2011 all one quick and easy spot to access. It's a really great app, and trust me you will not be let down by the articles, they're absolutely hilarious.

You can grab the Android app right here.

Apps Plus Comms- Week 2 Recap

As the saying goes; another week another set of commentaries. If you missed out on any of them you can always check out the multiple links below to see our commentaries in a whole host of locations. Don't forget to click the link to the page "Commentaries" above for a full archive with links to all the commentaries we've ever done. This week our adventures in the likes of Mass Effect, Kingdom Hearts, and TIE Fighter all advanced further on so make sure you didn't miss a part.

Blip Page: http://blip.tv/appsplus
YouTube Page: http://www.youtube.com/appsplusblog

iPhone 5

So with the announcement of the iPhone 5 earlier this week, people have had some time to calm down and think about what is going on. So I figured today was a good time to for me sum up and voice my opinions about the latest iPhone.

First off since everyone was expecting the iPhone 5 last year, and then got the iPhone 4S instead, you'd imagine that people would come into this a little more critical then before. The iPhone 5 needs to be revolutionary beyond a doubt. If you've been reading my ongoing segment about iOS 6 (the operating system that the iPhone 5 runs on) or if you've done a little research yourself, you would know that iOS 6 alone is not very revolutionary and would not be enough itself to hold the iPhone up to its hype. So now the burden of revolutionizing the iPhone falls on aesthetics and core features in the hardware of the phone.

So what does the new iPhone have or do that is so different from the previous ones? Well since one of Apple's biggest obsessions is with its look and feel, let's begin by talking about the iPhone 5's design. The new screen is slightly bigger then its predecessors coming in at 4inches. This follows the trend of smartphone screens getting bigger and bigger each year. This is also one of the most dramatic changes to an iPhone since, well, ever. Notice how I said "one of the most" dramatic changes. There is actually an even more significant change to the look and that is that the bottom, where you plug that typical white cord connector has been re-done. Now you can no longer use the same connector that you've been using for the past 9 years, instead we have the "Lightning Connector" as it is called. The iPhone 5 is also thinner then before, and Apple even went so far as to call it the "thinnest phone ever" even though there actually are thinner phones. The rest of the look is pretty much the same.

On the inside the iPhone 5 runs on Apple's A6 chip which is said to use less power and is significantly smaller then previous chips. And the two cameras have been beefed up to include things like a 720p front facing camera which will make using FaceTime a lot better looking.

These are the most substantial changes, but if you want more details and specifics then hit up Google.

But let's talk a bit now about this whole thing. The way I see it is that Apple has 'done it again' so as to say they've captured the attention of millions, and somehow managed to impress a large group of people while also making a lot of people question if the new iPhone is really worth it, which going by stats, it really isn't. Of course try telling this to the die hard Apple fan, or the guy who just wants to look cool which he thinks an iPhone will do.

So as far as revolutionary goes, the iPhone is anything but. Yes it has a few nice new features but those are only nice in comparison to previous iPhones. If you look at a multitude of other phones out there you come quick to realize that the iPhone 5 shouldn't be able to compete. But analysts have been quick to say that it will compete, and it will compete well. Personally I'm still holding out for the day that more people realize that the iPhone isn't as great as the stigma around it makes it seem. This is slowly happening of course what with Android controlling a majority of the market share for smartphones and showing no sign of slowing down.

It will be interesting to see how everything plays out. Yes a ton of people will buy the iPhone 5, but the real question is how many people are going to love it, and how many people will be coming back for the iPhone 6.

New Kobo Tablets

Earlier this week Kobo formally showed off their three new eReaders/tablets: the Kobomini, Koboarc, and Koboglo. Being a huge fan of everything Kobo I immediately checked out the new tablets and they look awesome. But how do the stats compare? Well I'll let the facts talk for themselves.



Koboglo:

Size: 114 x 157 x 10mm
Weight: 185g
Processor: 1GHz
Display: 6'' E Ink XGA Pearl screen, 1024x768 resolution
Light: ComfortLight technology
Screen: Non-glass touchscreen
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Micro USB
Storage: 2GB built in, 32GB expandable with Micro SD card
Battery: Over 1 month (55 hours of continuous use)
Colours: Black Night, Pink Sunset, Blue Moon, Silver Star

Kobomini:

Size: 102 x 133 x 10mm
Weight: 134g
Processor: 800MHz
Display: 5'' E Ink touchscreen, Vizplex V110 display
Screen: Non-glass touchscreen
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Micro USB
Storage: 2GB
Battery: Over 2 weeks
Colours: Black or white

Koboarc:

Size: 189 x 120 x 11.5mm
Weight: 364g
Processor: 1.5 GHz dual-core, 1GB RAM
Display: 7'' IPS
Screen: 1280 x 800 HD resolution, 215 ppi
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Micro USB
Storage: 16GB, 32GB or 64GB
Battery: 10 hours of reading
Colours: Black or white

Audio: dual front-facing speakers and universal 3.5mm stereo headphone jack with SRS TruMedia sound
Camera: 720p HD front-facing camera (1.3MP)
Operating System: Android 4.0
Software: Tapestreis (Kobo's interface)
Media: Music Player, Photo Gallery, Video Player
Web-Browsing: Android 4.0 browser

Wii U Games List

With the formal announcement of the Wii U earlier this week, everyone has been talking about price points, release dates, the controller, etc. But I thought first I'd just show the list of game titles coming out on the Wii U at launch. So below is a list of the games coming out organised by company releasing them. Which one(s) interest you the most? Are you going to get a Wii U?

505 Games

Funky Barn

2K Sports

NBA 2K13

Activision Publishing, Inc.

007 Legends
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Transformers Prime
Wipeout 3
Skylanders Giants
Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013
Rapala Pro Bass Fishing

Capcom

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

D3Publisher

Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game

Disngey Interactive

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two

Electronic Arts

Mass Effect 3
Madden NFL 13
FIFA Soccer 13

Frozenbyte

Trine 2: Director's Cut

Gaijin Games

Bit. Trip Presents: Runner 2 Future Legend of Rhythm Alien

Majesco Entertainment

Zumba Fitness Core

Maxmimum Games

Jett Tailfin

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.

Tekken Tage Tournament 2
Tank! Tank! Tank!

Nintendo

Nintendo Land
New Super Mario Bros. U
Ninja Gaiden III: Razor's Edge
Sing Party
LEGO City Undercover
Wii Fit U
Game and Wario
Pikmin 3
The Wonderful 101

SEGA

Aliens: Colonial Marines
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Shin-en

Nano Assault Neo

Tecmo Koei American Corporation

Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper

THQ

Darksiders II
Wheel of Fortune
Jeopardy!

Two Tribes

Toki Tori 2

Ubisoft

Assassin's Creed III
Just Dance 4
Marvel's The Avengers: Battle for Earth
Rabbids Land
Sports Connection
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013
ZombiU
Rayman Legends

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Scribblenauts Unlimited
Game Party Champions
Batman: Arkham City- Armored Edition

Apps Plus Comms- Week 1 Recap

If you missed out on any of the offical Apps Plus commentaries that came out this week don't fret just follow these links and in a matter of minutes you'll be back in the loop and up-to-date.




Apps Plus Blip Page: http://blip.tv/appsplus
*Apps Plus YouTube Page: http://www.youtube.com/appsplusblog
New Blog: http://www.apps-plus.blogspot.ca/


*If you aren't seeing any videos on our YouTube page it's becuase our commentaries come out on our Blip page first, then on YouTube one week later. So since it's still the first week, there won't be any videos up on YouTube yet. But keep checking back becuase it won't be long.

App Bites #32: Drop Box

Welcome back to another App Bite. Today we look at the Android version of the official app for Drop Box.






Drop Box:

Most of you are well aware of Drop Box and its usefulness. Arguably one of  the best cloud storage options out there, Drop Box has been around keeping peoples things stored in the cloud since this month of 2008. There are Drop Box apps for pretty much every single operating system out there so you can use Drop Box on your computer, phone, tablet, or whatever. The Android version of the file hosting site is great. Its convenient if say you're running out of memory on your phone, just drop off all your photos and the like in Drop Box and you're good to go. And with that you don't even have to think about syncing your phone to your computer because you can just access your Drop Box account on your laptop or whatever you have and boom its right there. So for mobile situations, Drop Box can actually be very useful. If you want to grab it you can do so here in the Play Store for free.

Doodle Jump is Back Again Again

With another update in the bag for Doodle Jump earlier this week- and update that Lima Sky (the creator of Doodle Jump) claims is the biggest update ever for the game- I thought it would be a good time to talk a bit about Doodle Jump.

Doodle Jump is one of the biggest most well-known and popular apps ever, but in recent months, and years even, Doodle Jump has kind of fallen off the radar. Once a little thing called Angry Birds came out and gained momentum all of Doodle Jump's time in the spotlight seemed to be forgotten. The whole Doodle Jump craze died off almost over night only to see brief renewals of interest from time to time with minor updates came out or when the two other Doodle Jump spin-offs were released. Both of which garnered little attention unlike spin-offs of other games like Angry Birds who found massive success with their spin-offs games like Seasons, Rio, and Space. And the minor updates that did come out for Doodle Jump have been just that, minor. It used to be that Doodle jump got entire new levels and achievements and the like and those updates came out pretty well every month. Then as the games popularity waned so did the updates.

But Doodle Jump is back with the Ninja update. As I said above, this update is claimed to be the biggest. So what is it? Well there is now a new ninja themed level with brand new enemies and the completely new thing which is coins. There are coins now lying on random platforms and you use the coins that you collect to buy yourself upgrades from the Doodle Jump Store. These upgrades vary from new suits for your doodle to jump in to things that help you like a thing called resurrect which "saves you the next time you fall".

So this update is actually fairly substantial for a Doodle Jump update and is much needed to save this game. I have to say that it is a great idea and is fun to play and collect the coins, but I think it's a little to late to get me interested in the game again. But for new people who maybe never played this game over three years ago when it came out this might be enough to suck them in.

Doodle Jump is sitting in the top 50 again for paid apps in the App Store, a far cry from the number one spot where it sat comfortably for around a year. But top 50 is still extremely good considering how many apps are out there. So it will be interesting to see how this plays out, will it be enough to restore Doodle Jump to its former glory? What do you think? You can find Doodle Jump here if you're interested.

Welcome

Welcome everyone to the new Apps Plus blog! A new blog means new content as well as everything you've come to love. Brick Wars, app reviews, game reviews, news, recommendations and everything you're used to will still be here, but now there will be even more. Apps Plus now does gaming commentaries. You can see our commentaries starting soon over on our Blip page here or on our YouTube page here. We be letting you know more about what the new content is and what type of schedule you can expect soon so stay tuned. We are all extremely excited for everything that this new blog will mean. So keep checking back because great things are coming.