App Name: 1Password – Password Manager and Secure Wallet

Cost: $18.99 USD

Developer: AgileBits Inc.

Market: iTunes

Description: Have you ever forgotten a password? 1Password can remember them all for you and keep them secured behind your Master Password. You remember your Master Password and 1Password will remember the rest. 1Password automatically synchronizes your data across all your devices and allows you to store your credit cards, secure notes, passports, bank accounts, and much more on 1Password.

Reviews:

Review: 1Password for iOS keeps your digital life safe – Macworld.com

1Password: The Best Password Manager Just Got Better – Appstorm.net

1Password iPhone App Review (video) – AppVee

App Review Central.

It was only recent when Apple released another update for their mobile devices—iOS 6.1.4. This news was quite unexpected and it seems that it is only applicable to iPhone 5. So why did Apple created this update? Apparently, iOS 6.1.4 was specifically designed to improve the speakerphone.

Yes, you got that right folks. It is a minuscule modification but still a significant one most especially to those who want to get the best out of their “audio profile” experience. This minor improvement is certainly good news particularly for audiophiles. The company has practically changed the speakerphone so that iPhone 5 can produce that perfect sound.

Because of this slight update, this device is by far, the best FM transmitter for iPhone. Instead of having to endure a crackling and inconsistent sound, its new speakerphone provides a seamless audio output that can be very hard to beat. So if you are using iPhone 5 and you still haven’t updated, you might want to do it now so you can fully maximize your mobile experience.

For those of you who are still undecided if you’re going to get an iPhone or an android device, you can take a look of the following features so you can have an informed decision that can truly give you your money’s worth.

iPhone 5 features include:

• It has a four-inch Retina Display screen at 1136 x 640 pixels. Who said you can’t watch your favorite HD movies via mobile? Clearly, you can.
• It uses the most innovated Apple A6 processor, which provides a faster mobile experience.
• It has a 4G LTE networking support, which makes your Internet connection the fastest one yet. Also supports DC-HSDPA networks.
• It is a dual-band 802.11n WIFI that supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks.
• You can finally enjoy panoramic images.
• Lightning doc connector is supported, just like in the latest versions of MacBook. This one has a smaller reversible dock.

Being aware of these features can certainly assist you in selecting the right mobile device that you can happily use because you have something to compare it with. As for those who are already using an iPhone 5, do you know about its hidden features? Yes, there is a couple that not all people are aware of. These are:

• You could take a snapshot picture of yourself or of anyone while taking a video at the same time.
• If you’re having a really bad reception, not a problem because you can quickly solve this by enabling LTE to blast you with super-fast speed.
• This device has a “Do Not Disturb” feature, which is an easy way to not get distracted by incoming texts and calls, without having to worry about not being able to receive important messages.
• LED alerts for incoming messages and calls. You just have to turn this feature on in your settings so that every time someone calls you, your iPhone 5 will notify you through flashing your LED light.
• GPS integrated maps that will direct you in every turn.
• Face time.
• Easy Facebook integration.

These are the things that you might want to consider before buying. You can either compare this to other devices or if you are already satisfied with these features, by all means go buy one. The point is, it is always important that everything that you need in a mobile device is provided.

About the Author: Cier is a life-loving girl, likes fresh things, and works in New York. She is blogs, she likes to focus apple products, especially the  iPhone 5.

App Review Central.

App Name: Wunderlist – To-do & Task

Developer: 6 Wunderkinder GmbH

Cost: Free / Pro $4.99 USD/mo

Market: Google, iTunes

Review:

Now that Astrid is gone, what app or service should you use to manage your tasks or to-do-lists? There are a ton of them out there and my recommendation is to try them first. Most are free, so you can see the features each has and how they fit your needs. After playing around with a few of them, I decided to use Wunderlist. To be honest, I wish I had used them from the get go.

For me I needed a task management setup that had the following requirements:

• Free
• Has a web interface (Chrome plugin a bonus)
• Android and iOS apps that sync to the website
• Ability to create folders or groupings based
• Ability to print tasks

Wunderlist has all of these and more, and it only took me a few minutes to setup my account and organize my tasks. I used Wunderlist to organize my app reviews, web projects, and even my scouting activities. I create a folder for each set of tasks (Android app reviews, iOS app reviews, Press releases, etc.) and then create a specific task for each app I need to cover.

You can set due dates, priorities, sub tasks, reminders for each item. It is very easy to reorganize your lists and task and when one is done, just cross it off the list.  If you need print your tasks,  you can and they are printed out  grouped by folder. I never could get Astrid to do that.

The interface of the Wunderlist website is nice and clean and very easy to use. Both the Android and iOS apps look great, sync easily with the site, and have all the same functionality as the web site.

For those that need more, there is a pro version of the service. With the pro version, you can assign tasks, have unlimited sub tasks, attach files (coming soon) and have some other background images.

Check out the video below and if you are looking for a great mobile app to help you keep track of your tasks and to-do-lists, give Wunderlist a try.

Larry (683 Posts)

Larry has been writing Android and iOS app reviews for about 2 years. In addition to app reviews, he conducts developer interviews, reports on new apps, and general mobile news. In addition to his own blog, App Review Central, Larry is a contributor to numerous other Android and iOS app review sites.

App Review Central Rating:

App Review Central.

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App Review Central.

Paris – May 16, 2013
Building on the success of their platformer game Kung Fu Rabbit, cTools Studio, alongside Cazap and BulkyPix, is back in the spotlight with Little Amazon.

Halfway between a platformer and a running game, Little Amazon plunges you into a lively and colorful universe that promises hours of fun and magic.

For centuries, life in the forest was peaceful and magical creatures lived in harmony – until one day when the forest’s protector, The Fairy King, fell into a deep sleep. With the forest defenseless, the evil Grûûl arrived with his army, intent on absorbing the forest’s energy and spreading terror amongst its denizens.

Join Lily, a little Amazon, and help her free the forest from Grûûl’s hold. Assisted by an assortment of magical creatures you’ll befriend during the game, your job is to destroy Grûûl’s evil servants by using super powers such as “The Attack of the Clones”, “The Flying Cloud” and ”Meteor Rain”. Earn new abilities and powers by collecting coins, saving animals, undertaking mini-quests and winning trophies. Upgrade your Amazon powers and your jumping ability in order to conquer obstacles and enemies that will become more powerful and more numerous as the game progresses.

Are you Amazon enough to thwart the plans of the evil Grûûl? Discover this brand-new game from cTools, a young, talented studio: beautiful graphics, lots of humor, hours of engrossing gameplay and easy controls are what Little Amazon is all about!

Download at Google Play

ABOUT BulkyPix:

Created in 2008, BulkyPix, based just outside Paris and in San Francisco, is a developer and  publisher of videogames and applications. With its catalog featuring more than 140 games, including such hits as MyBrute, Babel Rising, Aby Escape, The Sandbox or Autumn Dynasty, BulkyPix has quickly become one of the established players in the development of videogames for smartphones and tablet PCs (iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry), as well as for connected TVs and digital distribution platforms (Sony Entertainment Network, Nintendo eShop, PC/Mac). BulkyPix has also set up BulkyApps, a B2B department intended to develop, produce and publish applications and games for major brands (Véolia, Orange, Marmiton, Breitling, Samsung, Hachette, Siemens, Lagardère, …), communications agencies (Marcel – Groupe Publicis, Havas Worldwide…), license holders (Les Editions Albert René, Adventure Line Productions, Téléimage, Fremantle, Effervescence, Imav, Alphanim, …), broadcasters (TF1, France Télévisions, M6, …), as well as public and cultural institutions, and associations (Le Louvre, Le Clos Lucé, Musée Fabre, la Fondation Charles de Gaulles…).

cTools:
cTools is composed of three strong experienced people Before teaming up, each of us has shipped different types of games (Beat’em all, Reflexion, MMO, Point&Click, Social, Action, Casual) on various platforms (PC, DS, iPhone, PS2, iPad, Android, XBLA and Wii), including a dozen games for smartphones.

Cazap:
Cazap is a French game development studio founded in 2007. With titles such as Kung Fu Rabbit or Little
Amazon, the company focuses on producing and publishing independent video games on all digital platforms, as well as developing casual applications for professionals. Cazap also provides guidance for studios seeking a better understanding of the market, and helps organize their productions to release the games in the best
possible conditions.

App Review Central.

As the name implies, you are a merchant living in Medieval Europe. You goal is to become the biggest, richest merchant. The game is set in the Hanseatic League.

The Hanseatic League was a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and their market towns that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe. It stretched from the Baltic to the North Sea and inland during the Late Middle Ages and early modern period. (Wikipedia page)

Medieval Merchants is a turn based trading game where you are competing against the computer or other humans. When playing against the AI, you have 3 others competitors and when playing a multi-player game, you can have 1-3 opponents. You can save multiple in-progress games, so each of your kids can play their own .

Within the game there are 18 different cities you will be trading with and a total of 16 different goods. You start off in the city of Lubeck with one small ship. The game comes with a tutorial that will give you the basics, but there is no real manual or help section. Now you can click on each item in the menu bar  for more information on that item. It took me a little bit of time to find where everything is located in the game.but once you have gone through a few turns, you should get the hang of it.

This is a trading game-you purchase goods in one city and then find a city to sell them where you will maximize your profits. Now you are sailing on a ship, so it takes time to go from one city to another. All the while, your competition is doing the same thing. In addition is simply purchasing/selling goods, there are quests that come available you can do. The first player to finish the quest, get the extra prize.

As you move forward in the game, you will earn gold of course but also prestige. As your prestige improves so does your rank (such as monger, merchant, honorable merchant, etc.) Can you reach the ultimate goal?

The city of Lubeck is your base and there you can visit numerous locations to help you become the best merchant. They are:

• The Shipyard-where you can purchase and upgrade your fleet.
• The Warehouse-where you trade and store good.
• The School-will help you improve your nautical knowledge.
• The Townhall-where you can see how your competition is doing.
• The Church-where you can earn prestige points.
• Fortifications-where you can earn reputation.

If you are looking to blow up aliens or destroy whole planets, this game is not for you. Medieval Merchants by RapidRabbit is a game for those who want to test their business savvy and see how profitable they can become. The game is built around trading and selling but the addition of random pirate attacks, occasional free-for-all quests, earning and buying prestige and reputation make the game very enjoyable.  This is a great casual game to sit and play for a while, save your progress, and then come back to it later. So if you are ready to see if you can  work your way up to mayor of Lubeck, give Medieval Merchants a try.

Screenshots Medieval Merchants - A historical trading simulation for iPad

Larry (683 Posts)

Larry has been writing Android and iOS app reviews for about 2 years. In addition to app reviews, he conducts developer interviews, reports on new apps, and general mobile news. In addition to his own blog, App Review Central, Larry is a contributor to numerous other Android and iOS app review sites.

App Review Central Rating:

App Review Central.

Today we get to speak with Planet Toccer, the company behind the Android and iOS game Space Sports. We reviewed the game yesterday and today we are excited to learn a little bit more about the company. I really enjoy speaking with developers and hearing about their side of the app market. Appreciate the time today!

Q. So tell us a little about Plant Toccer?

A. Planet Toccer Inc. is an innovative and rapidly growing full-service IT consulting and new media firm based in Los Angeles. Planet Toccer Holding Ltd., founded by a former international sportsman, Mark Thomas, has teamed up with animated film and gaming industry leaders to launch the new 3D mobile games app Space Sports.

Q. How did you come up with the idea of Space Sports?

A. The genesis of Space Sports was initially from the development of an animated cartoon series where I had characterized the sports and the sports equipment into characters themselves to make sports more appealing to children. By giving the sports themselves a voice and the fun characters it allows the kids to embrace and learn a fun healthy lifestyle and all the great things sports offers at a young age.

Given the explosion of mobile devices and the app world we felt its best future was online and we decided to make it mobile and provide a new sports universe with great games and characters set in the ZaZa galaxy with the sports academy headed by Admiral Tomo, the sports champ of the universe.

Q. Any future plans such as upgrades, expansions?

A. We will constantly upgrade our games and GOALY MOLEY has its next upgrade coming out shortly with new gear catalogue and power up features to enhance the game experience. This will be an ongoing upgrade across all our games coming out. Our avatar creator is being upgraded weekly with new enhancements and the team will constantly be providing ongoing upgrades and improvements.

Q. Any other games coming down the road?

A. We have a slate of new fun and engaging games across all sports for development and our next release is TRUNKER DUNKER, a basketball game set with great alien characters and obstacles to overcome to become champ. ASTRO BAT for baseball and also for NASCAR and Formula 1 fans worldwide we have the COSMIC GP in development. TRUNKER DUNKER is to be released in June and then in the Fall, our really big game, BALL SPRAWL will be released. This is an exciting fun game covering all ball sports and is like nothing you have ever seen.

All these games are tied into our cross media strategy of developing the Space Sports brand with the development of our animated cartoon series based around our amazing characters. This all ties into our branding strategy for physical toys and games for the kids.

We also have our movie, THE LEGEND OF THE ZAZA GALAXY, the script of which is currently in development and the story boards are being designed.

Q. As a developer with a game on both platforms (Android and iOS) is one platform easier to work with than another?

A. Android is definitely the easier version and more versatile. Not only is Android’s market share far exceeding Apple in the smartphone arena but there are spin offs for other manufacturers such as Amazon (Kindle) and Blackberry (Z10 and Playbook) as well. These alternate hardware manufacturers can re wrap the android sdk and developers do not have to develop from scratch. Apple also takes 7-10 business days to process the submission to the app store. Android is 2-24 hours. The difference is pretty clear there.

Q. Where do you guys see mobile gaming going in the next few years?

Functionality and processing power of mobile devices far surpasses the original consoles. With this fact the mobile will evolve to a point where it will double as a mobile console. I think there will be more accessories per device to incorporate a more full game experience. There are already developers putting kinect type technology into mobile dev as an example. Another would be Google glasses type devices. The mobile device is truly that. Its mobile and will allow the user to step into the natural world and use it as the game scene. There will be a step into scene, real and virtual world overlap.

Again thanks for the time and appreciate your insight. Please make sure to keep AppReviewCentral in the loop with your future games.

App Review Central.

So set yourself free from taxi booking hassles and try our free App, We are confident you will never go back to dialing a radio taxi company number.

App Review Central.

Gimbal offers a new way of reading the city. Choose a city – anywhere in the world – and be transported to it by its fiction. Traverse its precincts. Map your way through its quarters or arrondissements. The Gimbal navigates as it narrates. With it you can travel by train, tram, metro, bus or indeed on foot, experiencing each new landscape through the eyes of a fictional character.

Designed with the commuter in mind, the Gimbal enables you to escape the tedium of your everyday ‘known journey’ and take an alternative route, a more scenic, imaginary one across the face of an unknown city. Choose a story according to the city you wish to visit, or the length of time you have to spare, and the ‘LISTEN’ function will lead you across an interactive map of that city accompanied by an audio reading.

THE CITIES, STORIES AND AUTHORS

Athens – Amanda Michaelopoulou – The Four Hundred Pleats – trans. Karen Emmerich
Alexandria* – Francesc Seres – The Route – trans. Anna Crowe
Baghdad – Hassan Blasim – The Reality and the Record – trans. Jonathan Wright
Barcelona* – Iman Hamid – Waiting for the Rain – trans. Alice Guthrie
Beijing – Xu Zechen – Wheels Are Round – trans. Eric Abrahamsen
Berlin – Sean O’Brien – Kiss Me Deadly on the Museum Island
Bremen – Claudia Parman – Midday Mania – trans. Rebecca Braun
Brussels* – Inga Zolude – Tramline 94 – trans. Ieva Lesinska
Dubai – Fadwa al-Qasem – The Week Before the Wife Arrived
Gdansk – Pawel Huelle – Bicycle Express – trans. Antonia Lloyd-Jones
Hong Kong – Ho Sin Tung – Square Moon – trans. Petula Parris-Huang
Istanbul* – Jana Šrámková – Possibility I – trans. Alexandra Buchler
Leeds – Martyn Bedford – Letters Home
Liverpool – Margaret Murphy – False Light
London – Alison MacLeod – The Heart of Denis Noble
Newcastle – Sean O’Brien – Not in Gateshead Anymore
New York – Arnon Grunberg – The Melon – trans. Ron de Klerk & Lisa Friedman
Manchester* – Roman Simic – The Boy Knew No Fear – trans. Tomislav Kuzmanovic
Naples – Valeria Parella – Right In The Eyes – trans. C.D. Rose
Paris – David Constantine – A Paris Tale
Prague* – Nermin Yildririm – Untitled – trans. Hande Eagle
Reykjavik – Agust Borgthor Sverrisson – The First Day of the Fourth Week – trans. Vera Juliusdottir
Riga* – Koen Peeters – Tramline 11 – trans. Brian Doyle
Riyadh – Yousef al-Mohaimeed – There’s No Room for a Lover in this City – trans. Anthony Calderbank
Salford – David Constantine – Beginning
Sarajevo – Zoe Lambert – The War Tour
Södertälje – Mirja Unge – It Was Just, Yesterday – trans. Kari Dickson
Venice – Christine Poulson – Don’t You Hate Having Two Heads?
Zagreb* – Michelle Green – In Zero Gravity – (Croatian trans. Andrea Rozic)
Zurich – Pawel Huelle – Franz Carl Weber – trans. Antonia Lloyd-Jones

(The stories marked with a ** symbol were specially commissioned for the ‘Tramlines’ residency project.)

(Stories read by Penny MacDonald and Ryan Greaves, With additional readings by the authors Agust Borghthor Sverrison, Michelle Green, Roman Simic and others.)

Screenshots Gimbal

App Review Central.

App Name: File Expert HD

Developer: GeekSoft

Cost: Free

Market: Google Play

Review:

Smartphones are pretty much mini computers and thus a smart owner needs to know and understands his device. The one thing that I find most smartphones do not do well is a file management system. I have tried many different file managment apps and some are better than others. As the Android OS has improved, the apps have gotten better. I recently tried File Expert HD from Geeksoft and must say I came away pretty impressed with the app.

There are 2 versions of File Expert: regular and HD ( Android 4.0+) Both are free but you can purchase a pro key which will unlock a number of different features in the app.  With the pro key you can get features like root explorer support, memory manager support, safebox support, Silent Install support, Silent Uninstall support and more.  For most users, the free app should do the trick.

The app has a very nice and clean interface. The menu structure is nicely done so it does not take up a lot of screen space. The color scheme also works very well. The big thing about this file management app is that is does a whole more than just list the files on your Android device.

When you first turn it on, you will find 3 tabs setup: My Files, Folders, and My Tools. The My Files section has a number of premade shortcuts that make it easy and convenient to access such items as your gallery, vidoes, apk files, etc.  The folder tab lists all of the folders such as your sd card. The My Tools has a number of tools such as a cache cleaner, memory manager, and messaging.

You can create your own tabs, create shortcuts to the different tools/items onto the desktop.  At the bottom of the screen, you can easily see the amount of space you have left and what is using what.

In the top right corner you can access the settings and help sections.  The help section takes you to a web page. When I accessed it, it pulled up the page Chinese; was not sure how to get it in English.

Within the settings section you can modify or set  a number of different items such as show hidden folders, view mode , info mode, thumbnail display, notifications, and more.  Head over to the Google Play page to see a nice long list of features and options.

File Expert HD is a very nicely done app that provides a lot of functionality and convenience for Android 4.0+ devices. The app makes it easy to find and mange all types of files on your phone. I had no problem figuring out how the app was setup and worked. If you are looking for a file management tool for your Android phone, give File Expert or File Expert HD a try. Since there is no cost, there is no reason not to.

Larry (683 Posts)

Larry has been writing Android and iOS app reviews for about 2 years. In addition to app reviews, he conducts developer interviews, reports on new apps, and general mobile news. In addition to his own blog, App Review Central, Larry is a contributor to numerous other Android and iOS app review sites.

App Review Central Rating:

App Review Central.