Tag Archives: iPad

App review: HD Marine Life

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Marine HD is chock full of information about the sea. Unfortunately, none of that information is new or original. Every entry appears to be lifted word-for-word from Wikipedia pages, which are free to anyone with a web browser. What’s more, the app actually makes it more difficult to get information available online. Marine HD presents the information as huge blocks of text that are very difficult to read. The little text that’s not lifted from the free web encyclopedia is littered with misspelled words and sentences that, frankly, make no sense.

For example, the sentence that greets you upon opening the app begins, “Life is not merely around us, there is life even in the most inospitos of our beautiful planet earth, as marine life, a world in which there is also an ecosystem, evolution, biology…” You get the point. If you want Wikipedia pages, don’t pay for the pretty background and information that won’t be updated. Just open a web browser.

Read more at Common Sense Media

Don’t have Hulu-Plus? Get a taste anyway

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Hulu Plus is still in its limited preview mode, but if you can’t get an invite – and you just can’t wait watch Hulu on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, there’s now a way to do so. 

Hulu is inviting people to download the free Hulu Plus app to help them test the experience – meaning a limited number of show episodes and clips are viewable by anyone with an iDevice.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

Apple near deal for TV show rentals?

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Rumors started last month that Apple was making a hard push to begin offering streaming rentals of recent television programming for 99 cents. Now those whispers are beginning to solidify a bit. 

Bloomberg reports that the Cupertino-based company is in advanced talks with News Corp. for 99-cent rentals – and CBS and Disney are engaged in similar discussions with Apple.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

App review: Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy

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Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy is one of the first apps for kids to take the needs of deaf users in mind. The ASL interpretation of the book is well done, with plenty of expression on the interpreter’s face relaying the impact of the author’s words. It is, however, much less interactive than other children’s storybook apps, which is a wasted opportunity. And often the entire page’s dialogue isn’t shown at once, so kids choosing to read without narration may inadvertently skip parts of the story by finger swiping between pages instead of using the arrow keys on screen.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App review: Highborn HD

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Strategy games are hard to make for a mass audience, but Jet Set Games has found the formula in Highborn HD. By blending tactical decision making with a good dash of humor and entertaining characters, it’s accessible to mild fans of the genre, but core fans will find plenty to enjoy as well. The game’s a good looking one, too. It wisely sticks with a 2-D model when you’re moving your forces around the map, but goes into a cartoon-like 3-D during battles.  The game has a lengthy solo campaign consisting of eight parts (and another “chapter” on the way) as well as a rich multiplayer element.

Read more at Common Sense Media


App review: Hungry Shark – Part 2

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For a low-priced app, there’s not a lot to complain about with Hungry Shark 2, but it’s not a game that’s going to wind up on your most-played list. It’s a fun diversion for older kids, but the gameplay gets repetitive quickly — boiling down to keep eating or you die. The graphics are nice and the sound effects that accompany each kill are fine, but even those get old after time. It might be a fair price for two games (the first Hungry Shark comes bundled with purchase), but ultimately Hungry Shark 2 is a one-trick pony.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App review: Friendly – Facebook Browser

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Since Facebook itself hasn’t come out with an iPad app, you have to applaud Friendly – Facebook Browser for making the effort. This is the best way for Facebook fans to interact with the social network site via the device. The app’s use of large fonts make it easy to browse — and eliminate the need for pinching and zooming the page. The layout is very natural, as well, making it easy to find the area of the site you’re looking for. But there are some standard Facebook features that are noticeably absent. You’re unable to upload any photos via this app and you won’t be able to play any Facebook games, which could be distressing to FarmVille fanatics. The page also doesn’t automatically refresh, meaning if you want to see new updates, you’ll have to click on another tab, then back to your news feed.

Read more at Common Sense Media

Tablet tech takes TV live

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Technology is keeping Hollywood on its toes: Just when studios have gotten used to Netflix reinventing the homevideo biz and are flirting with becoming a major player in the pay-TV biz, it’s time for networks to face a very near future when Apple’s iPad and rival tablet computers steal more eyes away from TV sets.

Verizon is about to offer up the latest carrot for consumers, with the telco giant announcing plans Wednesday for an upcoming app that will let its FiOS TV customers stream television and on-demand programming to the iPad.

Read more at Daily Variety

Verizon, the iPad and Google

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Verizon has big plans for the tablet marketplace – maybe bigger than they’re willing to talk about right now.

The telecom giant held a press conference Wednesday showing off an app that would stream live television and on-demand programming to the iPad for FiOS customers. The application, which also allows customers to see which shows are most popular with viewers in real-time, is expected to be available next year.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

App review: Little Things

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While there’s nothing new about hidden object games, Little Things brings a sense of freshness to the genre by tucking those objects inside clever collages. The hundreds of tiny objects on screen will force you to slow down and be methodical in your search, though you’re rewarded for speed with puzzle pieces that unlock new collages. It’s a fun combination of incentives. What’s best about the game, though, is it is infinitely replayable. There are a limited number of collages, but the search list is randomly generated and each collage is made up of so many items that you may never run out of puzzles.

Read more at Common Sense Media