Our AppSmile Team is suffering from the winter blues here in icy Detroit. So when we can pick up our iPhones and enjoy the virtual sunshine while racing wave runners, we’re all over that! And that’s the whole point of Aqua Moto Racing. Resolution Interactive launched Aqua Moto Racing into the iTunes App Store on February 21, 2009 and it’s been selling well ever since.
This games is all about customization, web connectivity, and full-throttle racing!
Customization
Users are presented with a choice of up to 5 Profiles to customize. The Profile screen displays that user’s number of Trophies Collected as well as his or her total progress in the game. You can also choose your Appearance (Rider color and Vehicle Color).
Under the Options tab on the Main Menu, players can vary the Master Volume, SFX Volume, Music Volume, and Input Sensitivity.
Web Connectivity
When you create a new Profile, you can create an account with Resolution Interactive. Then you can choose if you want your stats uploaded to their server and displayed on the Rankings tab of the Main Menu – pretty cool. Resolution has also informed AppSmile that they are seriously looking into a Wi-Fi multiplayer feature. Hopefully they will have this done by the next AMR upgrade. Cool!
Full-Throttle Racing
All right, now to the good stuff – Racing! Races take place in Championships and Time Trials. There are 6 Championships that test your skill from Beginner Stock (easy) to Pro Open (hard). Within each Championship are a number of race courses. You need to get first place in one Championship in order to unlock the next. Championship wins gain you points that can be used for tuning you watercraft. Once you successfully complete a Championship, those courses are also unlock and available to race in the Time Trial section.
Steering is accomplished through the accelerometer and your watercraft’s acceleration is controlled automatically. You’ll need to get steering down pat as buoys have to be passed on the left and right to guide you through the course. Sharper turns can be made by touching the screen’s left side (brake). Push the right side of the screen to boost your watercraft past opponents. Raise your Boost levels by properly passing buoys. Another way is by performing mid-air tricks. Just quickly tilt the iPhone up when jumping to activate Stunt Mode. There are six different stunts you can perform. Tap the bottom of the iPhone screen to get a rear view. Don’t hold this too long or you’ll get disoriented. Just hold it long enough to see where the other racers are behind you. This comes in handy since AMR doesn’t display a overview map.
The reaction of your watercraft while racing as amazing. You’ll think you’re actually on the water. The graphics are also outstanding. Resolution dotted all the i’s when they designed in water reflections, waves, splash effects, and virtual buoyancy. The racer interaction also deserves another “well done.”
The iPhone is quickly becoming the mobile gamers’ device of choice. And that’s because of games like Aqua Moto Racing.
AppSmile Favorite Features:
One of the few water racing games for the iPhone OS
Realistic game play
Superb graphics
Lots of options and customization
Future updates coming…
Great Music
AppSmile Recommended Improvements:
Cannot override game music with iTunes music
Include multiple watercraft types to choose from like stand-up Jet Skis
For more AppSmile.com Reviews click Here: Upcoming iPhone Games
For other iPhone news visit: iPhone games
It’s been 15 years since IBM released the Simon, the world’s first smartphone, to the public. Smartphones have since evolved into bona fide pocket computers with lots of processing power and slick user interfaces. And they’re not just for business users anymore, with recreational users flocking to Apple’s iPhone and Nokia’s recent Nseries releases.
With these shifts in the smartphone market, the terminology used to classify these phones is becoming insufficient, and possibly inaccurate. There is certainly debate about whether the iPhone is a smartphone or glorified iPod with a built-in phone. mobile technology
A similar shift is occurring in the feature phone category as the traditionally low-end phones are beefed up to appeal to consumers who want more than voice and text functionality in their handsets. There appears to be a new battleground forming, where feature phones and smartphones are competing for the same customers.
DEFINING THE SMARTPHONE
The definition of a smartphone is changing. Early models like the Simon were sold as phones with built-in PDA and modem functionality. Even now, Sprint’s Web site segregates “PDA/Smartphone” handsets. But industry analysts says it’s the smartphone’s operating system (OS), allowing users to run third-party applications, that sets it apart.
Analyst Neil Strother of Forrester Research sees the ability to access the Web and download apps, a large storage capacity and a qwerty keyboard as other features common to a lot of smartphones.
And it is exactly these features that are becoming more common in the feature phone market. The LG Voyager and Motorola Krave have Web and e-mail access, touch screens with qwerty keyboards (the Krave’s is virtual) and microSD card slots capable of storing 8 GB.
According to John Jackson, vice president of research at CCS Insight, there may be a proliferation of these types of feature phones. “Smartphones are generally more expensive and in today’s economy, when people have smaller budgets, they will look for a phone that walks like a smartphone and talks like a smartphone, but has a lower price tag.”
In fact, Jackson believes that the term smartphone is already redundant. “Do you really care [if you are buying a smartphone]? As long as you can update your Facebook status.” So what naming conventions will be used? “There may be an entirely different lexicon. Product names could reflect the utility that it supports.” Anyone for a Facebook phone?
Ira Frimere, Nseries project manager at Nokia, puts an emphasis on the need for smartphone features to be integrated with services. Nokia’s mechanism for this service is Ovi.com, which allows users to share photos, buy music, view maps and back up contacts directly from their phone. “There will always be a market for voice-only, text-only or even Web-only phones, but we think that the convergence of features with services is popular with our customers, so we’re moving in that direction.” buy cell phone
White Noise was released by TMSoft on September 7th, 2008 and has received quite a few updates since then.
If you’re like us here at AppSmile you love seeing that little “Updates Available” notification show up on your App Store icon. We have seen that a lot with White Noise.
Basically the App is a relaxation tool. It provides 41 sounds that will lull you to sleep or get you through a bad day.
The main screen displays your 8 top (or favorite) sounds, Volume (separate from the iPhone volume), and Timer. You can also access the Sounds menu and the Controls menu.
The Sounds menu displays all of the sounds that are available (and it seems that TMSoft updates this quite regularly). Here you can rearrange the sounds to edit which ones will display on your main screen.
The Controls menu gives you the option to change the Volume, Balance (left and right speakers), and Pitch (of the sound). You also can change the Timer Settings like fading the sound out or alarming you when the timers is up.
The Sounds are very realistic and provide a professional experience – as if you bought a stand alone sound maker at Bed Bath and Beyond.
White Noise has a simple interface and a fair amount of customization that we like here at AppSmile.
Biplane: Wings of Raccoon is a Biplane race game for the iPhone OS. It was released on February 16th, 2009 by GameResort. After spending some time with Biplane: Wings of Raccoon, we at AppSmile found ourselves left wanting.
The game puts you in control of a Biplane piloted by a cartoon raccoon. The majority of the game takes place over water and the reflection graphics are kind of fun. Your enemies are battle ships that fire ammunition at you from the ocean below. During game play You are challenged to collect crates (which appear once an enemy is destroyed) and drop from on friendly target boats.
The game has 2 modes; Arcade and Race
Arcade Mode
This mode is made up of 10 waves of difficulty (but only 1 board level here). Defeat as many enemies as you can in each wave and collect crates for bonuses.
Race Mode
Nine race challenges (all nearly identical) make up this mode. The goal is to complete 3 laps in each race by flying through hoops. Collect crates and shoot balloons for time bonuses.
AppSmile’s list of Top Features:
* Pretty good Theme Song but…(see recommended improvements)
* OK Graphics (look 80% professional)
* Character that has development potential
AppSmile’s Recommended Improvements:
* Only one song throughout the entire game!?
* All the levels are basically the same
* Fonts used in the game are very generic and cheap looking
BiPlane: Wings of Raccoon does have some nice cartoony graphics and we think the character has development potential. But GameResort jumped the gun on releasing to the App Store. We think you should definitely wait for updates to this app that include a multi-song soundtrack, unique levels, and better menus.
For more AppSmile.com Reviews click Here: Upcoming iPhone Games
For other iPhone news visit: iPhone games
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AppSmile.com review of the iPhone App Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D
Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D was released for the iPhone OS by Vivendi Games on September 25th, 2008. As of this writing it has received no updates and is still at release 0.7.6.
Nitro Kart is one of the earliest released racing games for the iPhone OS. Overall it gives a proper kart racing experience in the spirit of the Mario Kart series for Nintendo.
The game presents you with 12 race tracks that are unlocked according to your success as you progress through the game. You can also unlock characters to race with. The tracks offer good features (items/weapons and obstacles) and get more difficult the farther along you are in the game. We found the racing to provide an adequate amount of difficulty that will guarantee your interest in returning to the game after your initial download.
All steering controls are handled by the iPhone’s accelerometer and you can brake and throw your car into reverse by touching at the bottom of the screen. Jumping over obstacles is accomplished by taping the upper right of left side of the screen. Touching the lower right screen will activate any items you’ve collected.
As you race on each track (or circuit) you can collect items placed throughout the course. Items can be used against opponents and include TNT, Missiles, Speed Boost, Trophy Clock, Bombs, Shield, Kart Jacking (switches your position with the car in front of you), Cursed Candle, Aku-Aku (Speed Boost), Oil Can, and C.R.A.S.H. Letters which give you bonus points. We think Vivendi did a great job providing so many variables to enhance the games experience in the Items category. This is probably the closest feature Crash Bandicoot shares with Mario Kart.
Once you have completed the 12 circuits in the Cup mode of racing, you should check out the Story mode. It provides some extended game play by challenging you to drive the same tracks, but this time trying to foil the evil plans of Oxide and Dr. Cortex (Crash’s Arch Enemies).
Here is a list of what we like and dislike about Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D.
Nitro Kart Features We Like:
* Bright and colorful graphics
* Responsive controls
* Mario Kart like experience
* Collectable items/weapons
* Over-all game play speed
* 3 Modes (Cup, Story, and Time Trial)
* Pretty good and memorable music
Nitro Kart Features Needing Improvement:
* No updates since release
* With no touch-to-accelerate controls, screen will auto-dim during game play
* Characters have expressionless faces
* Only 3 Cups (12 tracks)
* Other iPhone games are displaying better graphics
* Cannot listen to iTunes while playing
* Long splash screen at game start-up
* Ugly Mini Map during race
We think you’ll like the experience provided with Nitro Kart. The graphics are bright and happy and the characters are pretty cool. Vivendi also included some memorable music and other great features. We wish that Vivendi would release some updates to the games (maybe new tracks or better character animations), but as it is you should get some satisfying play time from this title.
For more AppSmile.com Reviews click Here: Upcoming iPhone Games
For other iPhone news visit: iPhone App Reviews
This is the AppSmile review of the game Bounce On for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Super Mario fans gather around.
If you have been looking for a side-scrolling platformer game for your iPhone or iPod Touch, you should be very happy with Bounce On!
Team Phobic released Bounce On to the iTunes App Store on December 20th, 2008. While the initial release left a lot to be desired, Team Phobic has been loyally updating the game ever since. With these frequent updates, Bounce On is quickly becoming one of our favorite iPhone games here at AppSmile headquarters.
So what’s the game all about?
You play as a bouncy ball that has gotten lost after falling out of a pocket. Your goal is to make it through 30 Levels (so far) and find your home safely.
Bounce On makes your trip home quite a bit of fun. You will encounter well-designed enemies, power-ups, and free lives along the way. Collect diamonds throughout each level to gage your skill. Team Phobic has also provided a thumping soundtrack. The music is good and shuffles between 2 songs in each world. We hope more are on the way. It would be nice if Team Phobic included a unique song for each level.
Game control is intuitive and responsive. The accelerometer is used to move left, right, up, and down and touching the screen makes the character jump. We love that the developers allowed the jump height to be controlled by how long you touch the screen. Great feature. Jump to avoid enemies and advance through different stages of the board. You can also jump on enemies to defeat them.
With a lack of worthwhile platform-type game in the App Store, Bounce On will instantly be compared to the current king Rolando. Actually, we think Bounce On gives Rolando a run for it’s money. While Roland gives a more professional graphic experience, Bounce On stays truer to a side-scroller and you might find the controls less frustrating.
Let’s run down our favorite features…
Great Features:
* 4-song soundtrack is polished
* Pleasing graphics and Over World
* Lots of power-ups and additional lives well placed throughout boards
* 2 15-level Worlds and more to come!
* Well designed characters
* Excellent controls
* Addictive game play
* Lots of updates from Team Phobic
Weaknesses:
* Only 4 Songs
* When active your main character is expressionless
* Only a handful of sound effects
* No points for defeating enemies
* Lack of big bosses at the end of each World
When Team Phobic released Bounce On they offered 15 levels in one world. Soon World 2 was available as a free update providing 15 additional levels. Now the developers are promising World 3 sometime in March. We can’t wait!
For more AppSmile.com Reviews click Here: ipod touch games
For other iPhone news visit: iPhone Game Reviews
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Sway is a new kind of iphone game. If you’re a gamer like us and you’re looking for something new, you should definitely consider this game.
After much anticipation, Illusion Labs released Sway into the iTunes App Store on February 25th, 2009.
The story’s main character is Lizzy the Lizard, a resident of a fictional place called…you guessed it, Sway! The evil character, Wiz, has destroyed the land and now your job is to help Lizzy find her friends somewhere in the Galaxy. Once you save Lizzy’s friends (such as Ninja Man, Stitches, Box Boy, and more…) they become unlocked and then can join in the swaying.
Here at AppSmile, we haven’t seen any other game for the iPhone that has controls like this. Illusion Labs takes a chance by introducing a new type of game control. Hopefully, it’s not to polarizing for their casual gaming audience. Character movement is accomplished by swiping your thumbs across the screen. This swings the character around as you progress through each level. Don’t let go of the screen too long or you could fall to your doom! Admittedly, there is a learning curve to the control scheme. If you don’t have the patience to learn it, you’ll get frustrated quickly. But the controls can be learned rather easily and then it’s up to you to master them and save your buds. If you need help, a tutorial video is included.
The game’s replay capability is enhanced by the addition of medals which gauge how you did in each board. Is it worth it to collect all the stars for a higher metal, or just manage to make it through the board? You decide. Either way, Sway provides you with an opportunity to go back and do better next time.
Interestingly, Illusion Labs has altered the finger swipe reaction of each character, so its worth is to unlock and try them out.
It’s clear that these developers spent a lot of time and effort on the graphics and movement of the game (more so than the storyline). The characters are very doll-like and it’s as if you can almost feel them in your hands. The textures are well implemented creating a handsome experience.
If you want an iphone game that will show off your prowess to your friends, Sway sounds up your ally.
Here’s a run-down of what we like and dislike about the game…
AppSmile Favorite Features:
* Control experience like no other on the iPhone
* Amazing animation of character movement
* Music matches character and overall game feeling of cuteness
* Multiple characters to unlock and control
* Wonderful menu UI design
What AppSmile wants fixed:
* We would like to see a broader soundtrack (so far one song spread across all levels)
* Better character development (these guys look great but it would be nice to know them a little better)
* No enemies during game play – only obstacles
* More levels please
Check out more at AppSmile.com here: upcoming iphone games
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Some of you reading this may remember something called the Sony Walkman.
Or, if you aren’t old enough to recall what those are, just ask your parents or an older brother or sister; and you’ll see this kind of pleasant, reflective smile cross their face.
In the early 1980’s, the Sony Walkman was really popular And if you had the fortune (or maybe the misfortune – really big hair was in back then) of living back then, you almost certainly owned one of these devices.
Everyone had one – Wherever you went you would see them.
Heck, even in cars you’d see kids in the back listening to their own thing, while the parents rocked out to the soothing, mellow driving tones of Perry Como or Dean Martin (which many kids at the time found intolerable; many still do).
The Walkman was beyond a phenomenon; because that term implies that something is here today, then gone tomorrow. The Walkman was a mainstay; a staple of the society in which it was introduced.
Without exaggeration, if a Time Capsule was created for the 1980s, it would simply have to have a Walkman in it; to neglect this item would be like discussing technology in the 21st century and failing to note that strange little thing called the Internet.
So why trip down memory lane to talk about the Walkman? Well, don’t worry; we aren’t just waxing nostalgic for our own amusement.
We’re setting the stage for the next generation of personal entertainment devices; an innovation and invention that is sure to become the Walkman of our time.
We’re talking, of course, about the iPod.
By now, you must have heard of the iPod. Everyone has heard of them.
And it’s not just kids who walk around with those two little white wires protruding from their ears and into something that kind of looks like something dental floss might come out of.
The iPod, like all truly amazing inventions, has crossed demographic consumer lines. People of all ages are sporting these things; from teachers to senior citizens; from athletes to Generation Y skater types who somehow manage to keep those earplugs in place despite flying through the air (and sometimes crashing to the ground).
Now, if you haven’t yet entered iPod country yourself, then please don’t feel intimidated or worse, obsolete.
Though iPods are incredibly popular, there are still enough people out there who haven’t yet tried one on. And furthermore, there are also a growing number of people who have an iPod, but haven’t really taken it out of first gear. Why is this?
A lot of older people think that technology can be confusing. The iPod definitely isn’t confusing.
Apple, which makes the iPod, has built a reputation on simplicity of use; and the iPod most definitely reflects this approach. As such, the iPod is as easy to use as a DVD player; even easier, perhaps.
If you’re interested in an iPod, you can purchase one from Affordable Electronics or view the directory at Electronics Directory.
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