Recent Articles
Fleksy gets update, price drops to free forever
While iOS’ autocorrect feature is fairly competent, there are undoubtedly times when users have wished that its text prediction was much improved. Enter Fleksy, the iOS app released last year where the developers called it the “most powerful text prediction engine out there”, has been embraced by thousands of users who are able to type on their iPhones and iPads without having to even look at the keyboard. The app was after all designed with the visually impair in mind. With its most recent update (new gestures, new menu and increased accuracy), the devs have also announced that the app has gone free (the full version was previously $4.99) – now and forever.
Splashtop 2 – Remote Desktop for iPad now Free for a limited time
Splashtop 2, the popular remote desktop app for the iPad (there’s an iPhone version as well), has gone free on the App Store for the very first time. For the uninitiated, the app lets you control your PC/Mac remotely right from the comforts of your iDevice. Once connected into your home/work computer, you’ll then be able to view your files, work on your Word/Excel documents, watch a movie that’s been stored locally and much more.
Mushroom Wars in Review: Spores Are Fungis Too
I’ve always been partial to turn based strategy games because I tend to have difficulties processing everything that’s going on all at once when the action is real time. However, I began taking an interest in the real time side of things again when I was introduced to what I call “strategy lite” games where you basically have one screen full of stuff to deal with and the action is mostly relegated to simply trying to take over your opponents’ structures. With no resource management, no complex troop management and advanced quests providing fun but unnecessary diversions, games like Mushroom Wars still provide a decent level of strategy but supply it in a nice pick up and go package.
Glove.ly touchscreen gloves in Review – Don’t let a snow storm stop you from using your iPhone
If you’ve ever been out in the bitter cold and wanted to use your iPhone (or smartphone in general), then you already know just how much it sucks to do so as your fingers feel like they’re about to fall off. Thankfully, there’s a solution to this and it involves non other than a pair of touchscreen compatible gloves. Some simply have cutout holes at the fingertips, while others are actually made with conductive fabric and no digits need to be exposed. One such pair is the Glove.ly touchscreen gloves, and they’re designed where the entire glove can interact with the iPhone’s display. They’re smartly designed, look great and even have two magnetic points that help keep the gloves together.
iOS 6.1 Security Hole Found: Access phone module from locked screen
Remember the major security hole found in iOS 4.1 from a few years back that would allow someone to access your contacts even though the phone was locked with a passcode? Well it appears someone has figured out another way to exploit a serious flaw in iOS 6.1 that would enable them to have access to your phone module – where they can then view/edit contacts and make calls. As per Gizmodo:
First you have to pretend to turn the phone off, then make an aborted emergency call, then a quick bit of off button and cancel pressing. That boots you into the full phone app where you can pretty much call or message anyone you like.
Until Apple patches this in a future update, your safest best is to keep your iPhone close by 24/7. Check out the video on how the hack is done after the break.
Infographic: Pixel People by the numbers
To celebrate both the successful launch of Pixel People and Valentine’s Day, Chillingo and LambdaMu Games have released a fact-filled Pixel People Infographic. The highly addictive town building sim (which Eric touched on in the recent New Games roundup) is the latest on the block to drain the iOS population of their productivity. If you’re already deep into the game, you’ll appreciate the numbers found within, like how in the past 2 weeks, 232 years were spent playing Pixel People, or 19,680,022 clones were spliced. And as a V-Day’s special, all in-game Utopium prices have been slashed for a limited time. If you’ve yet to check it out, you have nothing to lose (other than your time) as the sim builder is completely free to play.
音茶楽 Flat4-楓 Ocharaku Flat4-KAEDE earphone in review
I have a hunch that Mr. Yamagishi, the former Sony headphone and speaker designer behind Ocharaku was drinking tea before he ever sipped into the idea of the Tornado Equaliser. That singular technology has since revolutionised the upgrade earphone market among price-conscious portable audiophiles in Japan. And with the introduction of Flat-4 SUI – and TE’s successor, TEE – in 2011, the technology has found itself in a new, better pot. Twin Equalised Elements (TEE) is the new leaf that Mr. Yamagishi turned over to create SUI and now KAEDE. If you’re interested in a few different views of KAEDE, check out Ω image’s KAEDE post.
10 New App Store Games To Watch [February 4 - 10]
One of my favorite titles released this week is actually a fairly straightforward port of an almost 15 year old game. Metal Slug 2 hit the App Store with guns blazing, and just like its predecessor proved that you don’t need 3D to enjoy lots of things blowing up. The action is intense, the visuals are quite detailed and turning into a zombie temporarily never gets old. For the puzzle aficionados we have Stick To It!, a game about knowing when to hold it and when to let go. Instead of swiping or launching or otherwise interacting to get your character from point A to its mother’s arms you simply touch the screen to make him stick and let go to let him roll. If you prefer your action in the sky instead of on the ground you should give After Burner Climax a try. This is a port of a 2006 game whose roots go back to the late 1980’s, and gives you the chance to pilot one of three sleek jets as you take on tons of enemies across more than 20 different landscapes.
The Lifehacker Mac Bundle: 9 Mac apps for $49.99
Users looking to get more out of their iMacs and Macbooks will find plenty to love about the Lifehack Mac Bundle, where 9 handy Mac apps are now on sale for just $49.99 (a $310 retail value). Apps that are part of this bundle include Mac Pilot 5 (easily enable and disable hundreds of hidden features in Mac OS X, among other things), TechTool Pro 6 (complete diagnostic checks, drive repair and data recovery) and one of my favorites, TextExpander 4 (create custom keyboard shortcuts for “expanding” user-defined text). To take advantage of this great bundle, head over to Stacksocial (deal ends in 18 days) to add some or all of these apps to your desktop workflow. And if you’re feeling lucky, several Giveaways are still ongoing, including 2 iPad minis, a Dropbox Pro account for life and The Omni Group bundle.
TMA Giveaway: Win 1 of 10 digital magazine subscriptions from Zinio [Closed]
Zinio, one of the world’s largest digital newsstands around, has teamed up with TouchMyApps to giveaway 10 free magazine subscriptions to share with our readers. With over 5,000 digital magazines and readers in over 200 countries, Zinio delivered more than 70 million issues in 2012. Subscriptions can be read and enjoyed on multiple platforms, including the iPad, iPhone, Android mobile phones and tablets, laptop and desktop. You’ll find most (if not all) of your favorite magazines here, like Esquire, Mac World, National Geographic, Maxim, Wired and much more. Full details on how you can enter this giveaway after the break.
