An American designer once said, “Eventually everything connects – people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se.” I bet this game was derived from Charles Eames’ quote. Quite frankly, you don’t have to figure it out because the game speaks for itself.

 What the heck?

As simple as it gets, Betaworks One’s Dots brings you a minimalist addiction that could occasionally urge players to connect more dots beyond a sixty-second gameplay. This freemium app is available for iPhone and iPod touch and optimized for iPhone 5.

How does it work?

There’s only one rule in the game: Connect the dots. Yes! Simply connect the colorful dots on a clean and minimalist interface within a limited time.

Once you launched the app, Charles Eames’ quote pops up, giving you an idea on how to play the game. “Everything connects.” From there, you’ll be given basic tutorials on how to draw a line between similar dots.

Players must draw a line between matching color dots with two or more connections, clearing them from the screen in just sixty seconds. The goal is to connect many dots as possible, handing them out as points and beat your previous high score.

Players can form a square from any of the matching dots. The drawback is you can’t connect matching dots diagonally; either you match them vertically or horizontally.

Dots app is a freemium game, offering in-app purchases for power-ups and add-ons to unlock other modes such as Shrinkers and Expanders; starting from $0.99 to $4.99.

How’s the app?

Honestly, there’s nothing much remarkable in this game. While it bears a simple idea, it has a potential to stimulate “just one more go” mentality that works well in brief and logic-based mobile games.

Dots for iPhone was recently launched on App Store, it may take awhile to gain popularity in the iOS community, but it looks quite promising. You can download it via iTunes direct link.

This article, App Review: Dots for iPhone Connects Everything, was originally published at simonblog.com.

There are a lot of reasons why iOS users would want to see their social media history. It could be because there was an important phone number got deleted but is stored in social media history or just to see what the previous conversation was about (it’s a busy, fast-moving world and forgetting what you talked about the other day isn’t a surprise).

iOS users would appreciate the app that goes by the name TimeHop. It provides them a seamless way of keeping up with their history on social media networks. There’s a capsule created for all the content that you created while talking over the past years. The latest version of the app has added Dropbox, showcasing users what they uploaded before and allowing them to upload and save their new photos.

The interface is usually appealing with a yellow bar at the top. After downloading and installing the app, you won’t need to create a separate account and it just requires linking your social media accounts which includes Foursquare, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flicker.

The feed of the app will also show the photos from Dropbox folder on the feed and can also present the photos taken on the previous day if you give it permissions to access your camera roll.

Head over to the second window through a right swipe on the screen. This is where you can invite Friends to the app’s network and also see those who’re already using the app. The history can be made public as well, which will allow others to see it.

The main page will have all the content from the past and the social site it was posted on as well as details such as the time, date an year. You’ll be presented with a Dropbox upload, a tweet, a FourSquare check-in; it can be anything.

The push notification presented by the app will let you see the capsule of each day. There’s also a small icon at the top left corner of the screen, which can be used to access the native notification system of the app.

TimeHop works on iOS 5 and above. It has been optimized for iPhone 5 as well. You can download TimeHop for free from App Store. Let us know if you give it a try.

This article, TimeHop App Creates Time Capsules Of Your Social Media History, was originally published at simonblog.com.

I’m a fan of photo collage editor apps. I got excited when I stumbled upon this Instagram-like icon on the App Store recently and downloaded it to see how it works.

What the heck?

From the creators of PicsPlay Pro, JellyBus Inc. brings you this functional all-in-one photo editor enabling you to create a masterpiece of pic collage that you can share via social media networks. The hobby of iPhoneography has gone viral, and Moldiv is just one of the apps I use to create collages.

How does it work?

Frankly, I am used to frames and stitches. I’ve been reviewing similar apps before. However, something remarkable caught my attention while testing Moldiv – it’s almost complete with professional photo editing tools.

The app lets you combine and edit multiple photos in a single collage and offers awesome photo effects, stamps, creative frames, and tools for professional photo editing.

It’s a combo of the current apps I used – Aviary – Fuzel – FotoRus – Pic Collage – Jusgramm – Vintique – Instaquote – kind of app. For a newbie, the options might seem a bit intimidating, but for those who have been using the above-mentioned apps for a while, it’ll save you more disk space by ditching the others and sticking to this app.

It works similar with other photo editor, but it has its own intuitive controls for frame aspect ratios from 1:2 to 2:1 and direct options for stitches. Users can adjust the roundness, shadow, margin, and spacing. It features text captions inclusive of more than 250 fonts, 99 swatches and patterns, color palette, 34 labels, 14 styles, and more.

How’s the app?

The app was seriously developed for photo-enthusiasts and iPhoneography hobbyists. There’s only one drawback: the app could only support up to 9 photos in a single frame, just like any photo editor on the App Store. I was expectant to see 12 or more. Hopefully, the next update could support up to 15 photos.

For newbies, you can access a quick video tutorial via YouTube.

Overall, available as freemium app, Moldiv is worth it. Frankly, it’s better than InstaFrame and PicCollage. You can download it via iTunes direct link.

This article, App Review: Moldiv Photo Collage Editor for iPhone and iPad, was originally published at simonblog.com.

Would you like to travel with Chin?

Rise to the highest pole with Chin Up game featuring the nimble construction worker Mr. Chin. Let’s see if this fast-pace-touch-arcade game is worth it.

What the heck?

Touch Village Inc. brings you a fast-pace arcade game dubbed Chin Up. Currently, the app has bragging rights of 4.5 stars in 90 ratings (all versions) and 4 stars in 12 ratings with the current version.

How does it work?

Basically, players must help Mr. Chin to reach the top of the construction site by balancing him on a bamboo platform in various key places around the world while avoiding some dangerous falling objects.

Once you launch the game, you’ll be greeted with a heartwarming oriental music with Mr. Chin’s up balancing himself on a bamboo platform.

The game includes in-app purchases for power-ups but you can start playing on level 1 (Wuhan) and collect some of the essential items and slots that Mr. Chin needs to reach the top without falling.

Mr. Chin is under the siege of torrential downpour of bizarre objects like construction tools, various food products such as dumplings, rice bowls, sushi; living creatures like cats, fishes, dogs, and parts of living creatures such as brains, heads and many more.

The secret to keep him from falling is to shift the bamboo from left to right, tilt it from different angles to avoid the falling objects and dispatch the debris and other items. However, Mr. Chin must also catch the essential power-ups such as sauces and shields.

And it takes skillful fingers to shift from the other side to another. Just take control of the bamboo platform, but not Mr. Chin or you’ll dump him. Get a hold of the balloons so it?ll save him from falling before he gets mad at you.

How’s the app?

Frankly, players must be focus on tilting the platform while Mr. Chin heads skyward. I must say the mechanics of the game are simple, and mostly the objects are the same in each level; they’re predictable in the long run and it lacks depth and uniqueness. It’s an entertaining game for teens and arcade enthusiasts though. You can download Chin Up for free via this direct iTunes link.

This article, App Review: Chin Up App for iPhone, iPod and iPad, was originally published at simonblog.com.

The iPhone is a great tool for doing a lot of things, such as browsing the internet, reading the mail, playing awesome games and taking pictures. Speaking of pictures, if you enjoy capturing every moment of your surroundings, then why not make earn something in return?

Sure, posting them on Facebook will probably get a lot of likes and comments but did you know that you can actually make a lot of money by selling them? If you convert your image into a stock photo you can greatly boost your incomes.

If you own an iPhone, then you should definitely try Clashot, a gorgeous free app which allows you to take photos, edit them and then submit your preferred images to photo marketplace. You can find it here:
https://itunes.apple.com/app/clashot/id572266787

After downloading and installing the app you’ll need to set up an account and then you are done.

The app works extremely simple: you take some photos with your iPhone or upload them into your phone and you submit them into their Photobank. Don’t forget that creativity matters so the better the pictures, the higher the chances to being noticed. Also, when you upload an image it will instantly become visible to the entire community so that’s a great opportunity to receive ratings, comments and suggestions by your friends or any other member.

Every time your images are purchased you will receive a 44% commission from the actual payment so you can imagine that if you have a couple of dozen pictures uploaded to the marketplace, you could earn a lot of money. Transferring your founds is easy because you only need a PayPal or WebMoney account but note that any withdraw takes up to 7 days, so scheduled them wisely.

What I love the most about this idea is that Clashot is not only a great marketplace from which you can earn money but also a great community with people from around the world from which you can learn a lot of tips and tricks.

Clashot.com is the main website of this application so head over if you want to find out more information.

What I love the most:
* A huge network of photographers
* Making money with your pictures
* Easy to use interface

What I don’t like:
* A little bit laggy on iPhone 4 (yeah I know that this is an old phone)
* I couldn’t find a way to remove some unconstructive critics from my images.

Overall I believe that Clashot is an interesting application which helps even an amateur photographer to earn money with his images.

This article, Shoot Photos With Your iPhone And Earn Money Using Clashot, was originally published at simonblog.com.

Do you want more physics-based games?

Aside from the addictive Benji Bananas, here’s Fingersoft’s Hill Climb Racing app. From the name itself, you’re in for a challenging uphill race.

What’s the app?

Hill Climb Racing is a free entertaining physics-based driving game brought to you by Fingersoft. Currently, it has bragging rights of 4.5 stars out of 595 ratings and offers in-app purchases for power ups.

How does it work?

Hill Climb Racing is easy to play with. No frills but full of thrills as you meet Newton Bill, the young aspiring uphill racer.

Once launched, the screen shows you the Main Menu, including the vehicle you wish to drive along the journey. You can navigate the sound settings found at the upper right corner of the main menu.

The Jeep is available for the first part of the game. Basically, this ride will help you gain more coins for engine upgrades and unlock other vehicles and levels. The Countryside setting is the best place to start with until you progress from easy to the most difficult uphill race. Your goal is to reach 600 meters.

Apparently, Hill Climb Racing features 11 stages with levels you can play with. You’ll receive bonuses when Newton gets one of the following: neck flip, airtime, flips, or back flips.

Mainly, tap the gas and start your journey. You can monitor your ride’s RPM and boost. Plus, make sure you use the brake wisely to bumpy climbs.

Physics-based games require timing and precision when it comes to the controls. Newton can’t drive too fast or else the jeep will get stuck vertically, but you can tap the brake button to get it back on track.

Players should use the gas and break pedals instantaneously to balance the movement of the jeep. Aside from racing uphill, you must get the coins and gasoline along the way.

For a better race, you can always upgrade your engine, suspension, tires, and 4WD to help you on steep climbs.

How’s the app?

The mechanics of the game is simple, yet it’s entertaining and addictive. It requires the timing of each control. Ironically, in its simplicity, the uphill race is challenging as I progress from level 1 to level 4.

The steeper the hill, the harder it gets to drive the jeep upward. Most of the time, Newton gets back flips and neck flips, and the jeep runs out of gas.

Personally, this game is highly recommended. I gave this app a 5-star rating on the App Store. You can download the game for free via this direct iTunes link.

This article, App Review: Hill Climb Racing for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, was originally published at simonblog.com.

While iOS users have access to plenty of apps, some of those offering useful functionality such as monitoring of signal strength are limited in functionality. Usually, apps first make way on the App Store before they’re released for Android’s Google Play, but in case of OpenSignal, the opposite is true. It has been available on Android for a while, but not iOS. However, iOS users can finally use it as well as the developers have released an App Store version after a long wait.

The app helps users to find out the Wi-Fi networks present near their location, and allows them to see the carrier network providing the best coverage.

After downloading and installing the app, users are presented with the Dashboard where details of the current network are displayed, along with the total number of Wi-Fi hotspots present nearby.

The interface of the Dashboard contains three round dials. The first one at the left displays the name of the carrier; the second one displays the direction from where signals are being received while the third one displays the strength of the contention.

There’s also a ‘Show Network’ option at the bottom right, which shows the nearby hotspots. The connections that are displayed are both open and secured ones.

The Speedtest section can be used to see the speedometer, which displays download, upload and latency speed.

Apart from the Wi-Fi statistics, the app also displays network and coverage statistics. The coverage section will display the coverage map of a carrier, and the network whether it’s 4G, 3G or 2G. The information is displayed with a graph, but the user can also request figures. The Settings menu also contains tracking options, which can be enabled to make better use of the app.

OpenSignal is a free download in the App Store and is useful for checking the best coverage and Wi-Fi hotspots nearby. It works on iOS 5 and above. Let us know if you try it out.

This article, OpenSignal App: Check The Best Network Coverage and Wi-Fi Hotspots Nearby, was originally published at simonblog.com.

I’m a self-confessed Instagram addict.

More photos, filters, shots, and captivating moments – I ended up with this stellar Instagram viewer for iPad dubbed Padgram.

What the heck?

Wuhan Pinssible Netcom sells this functional Instagram viewer for iPad. Aside from browsing your feed, this app allows you to browse photos by category or on a Map view. Subscribe to interesting tags and post comments on your friends’ wall with Emoji symbols too.

This app bags 4.5 stars in 312 ratings on its current version.

How does it work?

Once you launch the app, you will be prompted to log in your Instagram log in information and invoke authorization for access. You can browse in landscape or portrait mode.

Basically, once your Instagram account is connected, you can access the images under “My Feed, My Likes, My Photos, and Photos on a Map (Premium version), Tags and Subscribers.”

Tap the button on the upper-left corner and access your Instagram profile.

The mechanisms of taps and interface are somewhat similar to Pinterest. It?s easier to browse other profiles and images in various categories, and you can view them in full size using the swipe mode. Stay close to your friends or events by subscribing to a tag you’re interested in. You can subscribe to 3 users/tags (free version).

Interestingly, this app has extensive sharing options. Guess how many social networks you can use to share your photos?

Seven ? Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Pocket, Evernote, Tumblr, Sina Weibo – it sure is a social media-friendly platform. Promote yourself and get more followers and likes using the Promote option. This feature makes a beautiful collage of pictures mostly liked by your followers/users.

How’s the app?

There’s only one drawback I found in this app. It doesn’t support image upload. The developers were honest on their description page on App Store. Mainly, this app is for browsing, liking, and commenting on Instagram profiles using the iPad.

Personally, I prefer using this app when I’m browsing my friends’ photos instead of the stock Instagram API. The photos are optimized in retina display, and it loads faster.

I’m giving Padgram 4.5 stars.

Get this app via direct link from App Store for free (in-app purchases to get rid of ads and enjoy other features).

This article, App Review: Padgram Instagram Viewer for iPad, was originally published at simonblog.com.

Can’t get enough of the multiplayer games? Well, you might want to add this new app dubbed Fruit Blast in your list.

Candy Crush wasn’t enough for me though. Let’s unbox this promising freemium social game app derived from the riffs of old school PC games.

What the heck?

From the makers of Bubble Mania and Jewel Mania, Team Lava brings you an addictive game app that you could play for hours, whether offline or online. Blast the delicious fruits and free the little mice by exploding like-colored blocks off the grid.

How does it work?

The mechanics of the game is quite similar to Bubble Mania and Jewel Mania, but there’s a twist. The object of the game is not to clear the playing field per se; instead, you need to free the little mice caught between fruit blocks.

Tapping the groupings of two or more colors of the same fruit remove them from the playing board. More tiles yield high scores, and as level progress, more tiles are revealed in larger areas. You need to follow the instructions of the chubby blue mouse (found at the upper corner) on each level until you reach the downward-scrolling puzzles.

Each objective is different depending on the levels, including collecting a single fruit or color block to properly juice it. Mainly, the goal is not to clear the board but to free the small varmints from the blocks. As you progress, the challenges are turn-limited. For example, you need to free 3 mice in 25 moves only (Level 9).

As expected, there are power ups (for in-app items) and large bonuses for your sweet babies. You can easily earn coins and gems to help you progress and get keys to unlock the mysteries. Since this is a social app as well, you can invite your friends via FB and challenge them to beat your highest score.

Players are allowed to repeat the same level if they fail to complete the mission. They are given five energy; and if that’s not enough, they have to wait for more than an hour and a half to refill again or buy an in-app purchase for 22 gems ($0.99).

The initial setup of the game requires an Internet connection to activate the multiplayer feature via Facebook or Email.

How’s the app?

The game is definitely compelling! You know how multiplayer games work via Facebook, so there?s nothing more I can say. Probably, you’ll be a fruit maniac for wee hours of playing it. It deserves a 5-star rating.

Fruit Blast Mania is a universal app on App Store. Get it for free via direct link.

This article, App Review: Fruit Blast Mania for iPad and iPhone, was originally published at simonblog.com.

What do you think should you prioritize: the most important or the urgent? While there are numerous productivity and time-management apps that you’ll find on the App Store, let me share to you this interesting app – an all-in-one virtual organizer that helps you manage your daily tasks, appointments, and projects. I call it my “lifeline dashboard.”

What the heck?

Light Arrow’s LifeTopix is a productivity tool for iOS devices that allows you to organize your schedule, agenda, to-do list and everything else in a single platform and tracks all the information in your life.

Life­Topix is a com­plete life orga­ni­za­tion app designed from the ground up to rede­fine pro­duc­tiv­ity very dif­fer­ently from the same old daily plan­ners, per­sonal orga­niz­ers, to-do lists and cal­en­dars, with nat­ural con­nec­tions and reuse across top­ics and data.

How does it work?

For first-time users, you might be intimidated with all the topics and data on “My Topics” tab. Fear not. I advise you to take one step at a time browsing all tabs and topics on the dashboard. Honestly, it took me a few days to master its features. Nonetheless, this is one of the most astounding productivity apps I have ever reviewed.

Life­Topix covers 12 topics (areas of life) of an individual. To help you identify them easily, here is the chart from the official website.

These 12 topics were intentionally (and intelligently) designed to help users manage projects and tasks, track services and service providers, health activities, events and appointments, shopping lists, to-do lists, and many more.

It functions like a Swiss knife – everything you need is already there – but it doesn’t require you to use all of them. You may use two or three topics for a good start.

Under My Apps tab, you can integrate your Dropbox, Evernote, Facebook, Pinterest, Safari, and Twitter accounts. What’s more, it will prompt you to back up everything via iCloud or any of the cloud services you prefer.

How’s the app?

LifeTopix is a large application in terms of its internal explorations. It may be intimidating for first-time users, but the “Engage” tab or Help Center will guide you along the way. It takes a few days before you get used to its functions, but if you are in dire need of organizing and managing your activities in the long run, this app is worth downloading.

It’s available on App Store via direct link for $4.99.

This article, App Review: LifeTopix Helps You Organize Everything, was originally published at simonblog.com.

When users open their iPhone no matter which one you may have, the first screen you will encounter is the LockScreen. This can be one of the best places to add your favorite apps, customized wallpapers, sliders, and much more. We are going to share how to Build The Ultimate Lockscreen.

Users will need a few different downloads to make this lockscreen build successful. This does require a jailbroken device and Cydia tweaks

• ClockBuilder – App Store App $0.99
• Winterboard
• ClockHide – Cydia Tweak(Free)
• LockLauncher – Cydia Tweak($1.99)
• FaceSliderZ 2 – Cydia Tweak ($2.99)

Step 1: Open Clock Builder and tap list in bottom left side of screen. This will allow you to add the items you want to your lockscreen such as weather, time, date, and more. These are self preferences and no set way to do or add. Have fun with it. You can modify the weather settings, text, and more under the settings menu on Clock Builder. Tap the gears icon to add or change the wallpaper for lockscreen. Please know after you save the settings you have chosen this will be how it appears on your Lockscreen.

Step 2: After you are satisfied with the items on the lockscreen you must enable it under using Winterboard. The most recent saved Lockscreen theme can be enabled by putting a check mark beside TypoClockBuilder inside WinterBoard.

Step 3: Enable LockLauncher under the settings app. From here you can choose the number of icons to have on the lockscreen and where you wish to have them positioned on the screen.

Step 4: Enable FaceSliderZ 2 This tweak adds an icon to the springboard so all settings will be configured from the icon. Create a unique slider from your photos album, search the web, or choose from some of the preinstalled sliders which come with the tweak.

Putting these different Cydia tweaks and app together can create such a lockscreen as seen in the photo below.

What do you think about this customization? Feel free to leave me comment and share your thought.

This is a guest post contributed by Mitch Stevens. Mitch currently resides in London, Ky with his dashound, Shaybelle. He enjoys anything Apple related and helping others learn to use their device. Find out more about him on www.iphonecaptain.com where he writes daily about Cydia Tweak reviews and App reviews.

This article, How to Build the Ultimate Customized iPhone Lockscreen using ClockBuilder and Cydia Hacks, was originally published at simonblog.com.

There aren’t many iOS apps that allow users to apply live filters to images. Although apps like PopAGraph can be used to create a 3D frame, the filter effects are a whole different ball game, available in a limited quantity. However, a new app has made way onto the App Store that allows users to apply real-time filters, but that’s the only thing it offers. It goes by the name Text Camera.

With this app, users can place text, quotes and doodles in real time over the image being captured. The images can be shared through the app, which is going to unlock more effects.

After downloading and installing the app on the device, users are presented with the interface from where; they can apply a live filter before taking an image, with a simple swipe across the display.

Some effects are available for free, while users can get their hands on the effects that have a price tag by gaining app points. The app points requires the sharing of the images created through the app on social media, which won’t be much of a hassle, considering the trend of iOS users sharing their creative work on social platforms.

There’s a pencil icon that’s colored blue. It’s there at the bottom left and by tapping it; the user gets access to the text and doodles effects. If text is selected, the size, font and color can be customized. Doodles can be placed into different categories.

Once typing in the desired text, the snippet that’s created can be placed on a new position by dragging it to the desired place.

For accessing the quotes, the quotes icon that’s the second one on the left side bar can be tapped. The selected quotes can be placed in a desired area just like texts are placed.

There’s a location icon present as well, which allows the placement of the location and time for the captured image. For shooting images, the camera icon at the mid bottom can be selected.

The taken images are saved to the stock album as well as the app’s own album. They can be shared on Facebook and Twitter.

Text Camera does have limitations. There is no way to apply effects to existing images, since there is no separate image customizable viewer featured in the app.

Nevertheless, it’s interesting, and offers real-time filters that are almost abundant in other apps. Text Camera is a free download on the App Store. Let us know if you try it out.

This article, Text Camera: Apply Filter Effects, Doodles, Text and Quotes On Photos In Real-Time, was originally published at simonblog.com.

Do you want to increase your productivity?

There are numerous ways on how to hack your activities for the day. If you’re a writer like me, one of our greatest challenges is how to manage our time effectively. Whether you’re working at home, at the office, or outside, this app I recently discovered will help you get things done as quickly as possible.

What the heck?

Onev’s Den Pomodoro Do – a powerful time management tool – is a productivity app that was derived from the science of Pomodoro technique developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980′s. This app is compatible with iPhone 5 running in iOS 6.

How does it work?

You’ll find a number of Pomodoro apps on App Store, so don’t be surprised if you’ll get more search results. The goal of Pomodoro Do is to help you manage your time effectively. This practice allows you to focus on a project or activity for 25 minutes.

Similar to its origin, it uses a timer to break down the periods of working in 25-minute intervals (called Pomodori, from the Italian word tomatoes) and 5-minute breaks.

This method is based on the idea that having frequent breaks improves mental agility, thus helping you to finish more tasks.

Once you launch this app, here’s what you should do:

1. Decide what task or activity needs to be done
2. Set the timer to 25 minutes (default time under Settings option)
3. Start working until the timer rings, showing a record with an (X)
4. Stop for awhile and take the 5-minutes break
5. Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break (10-30 minutes)

The app features a quote or motto for inspiration (before you activate the timer) and inner peace while working, and you can share it via Facebook, Twitter, and Weibo.

You can also integrate a To-Do list to help you manage your future tasks. You can follow your own schedule and pattern, resulting to more finished projects and activities for clients and business partners.

How’s the app?

This app has helped me a lot when it comes to managing my writing projects. Based on my observation, whenever I use it, I tend to finish more tasks than before.

The practice is simply amazing, but the developer must improve the app and get rid of the bugs. I cannot use this app on landscape mode. Though that wouldn’t be much of a problem, but I could have given this app 5-star rating.

But for now, the current version deserves 4-star rating.  Pomo Do is available in two versions: Pomodoro Do Lite and Pomo Do ($0.99).

Let me know if you find this app helpful.

This article, App Review: Pomo Do Increases Your Productivity, was originally published at simonblog.com.

Augmented reality has really taken off in recent times, with projects like Google Glass gaining attention from tech enthusiasts. There’s good news for iOS users as they can experience augmented reality directly on the screen of their device with OBOTO, an iOS app that brings a robot that does different actions such as dancing, squirting blank ink and shooting laser beams. Sounds cool doesn’t it?

The robot that the app brings is named OGGIE. Any object can be placed on the homescreen of the iDevice and the robot can be placed directly on it, where it will perform actions that can be captured in the form of images and videos.

It’s not difficult to operate the app as it might seem initially. Upon downloading, there’s a welcome screen that’s presented to the user. Swiping the welcome screen in any direction will determine how the robot is performing to touch gestures.

Two bars are also going to appear while the user tries to place the robot in an appropriate position. The left bar contains the options that can be used for recording the robot’s activity, while the bottom bar will make it perform different actions. There are also options to make OGGIE smaller or large, as well as reposition him.

To make OGGIE dance, do a spin or shoot laser, the options will be available in the bottom bar, and tapping them will let the robot perform the action. To make the robot blast anything and get angry, tap the option that appears at the most left of the bottom screen.

All the actions performed by OGGIE can be posted on YouTube and Facebook directly from OBOTO.

OBOTO is a free download on the App Store. However, not every iOS user can enjoy it as it works on A5 devices, and A4 device owners can’t enjoy OGGIE.

Feel free to leave comments.

This article, OBOTO App Brings a Friendly Robot to iOS Homescreen, was originally published at simonblog.com.

Distimo recently published a report examining and analyzing the business models and revenues per download on App Store. Interestingly, in-app purchases now account for an overwhelming 76% of App Store revenue as of February 2013.

Loving these in-app purchases? It looks like they are going to stay.

Do you think $0.99 worth of app with in-app purchases is better than $9.99 that won’t require future purchases? A lot has changed when it comes to consumers? buying habits – IAPs are becoming unstoppable according to the study.

Photo: Flickr

In-app purchases (IAP) now generate the majority of the revenue in the app stores. This has been the case for some time now, and it continues to rise as displayed in the graph below. In-app purchases generated only 53% of revenue in the Apple App Store for iPhone in January 2012 in the U.S., but generated a record 76% in February 2013 clearly demonstrating the success of this monetization method.

The report shows the average revenue per download (ARP) indicating that the average for free app offering IAP came in $0.93 per app. Examining the business model, the ARP of straightforward paid apps came in $2.25, while paid apps with in-app purchases came around $2.40. Regardless of the business model, the ARPD for iPhone apps is $0.99.

It is also interesting to compare the ARPD between countries. Similar to the analyses above, we analyzed the total revenues divided by the total downloads of the top 250 apps in February released since January 2012 in several countries in the Apple App Store for iPhone. The graph shows that while the ARPD in Germany, UK and U.S. are quite similar, it is much higher in Japan.

You can read the full report at Distimo. As much as you want to avoid these in-app purchases, they are deemed to play a major role in app developments and future mobile venture.

How frequent do you buy IAPs?

Source: Distimo

This article, In-app Purchases Account 76% of App Store Revenue, was originally published at simonblog.com.

The integration of mobile applications is not limited to gadgets anymore as BMW adapts Apple genius into its Apple-enabled cars with its ConnectedDrive initiative.

BMW, also known as Bayerische Motoren Werke AG features a special option called Apps, integrating iOS software from third party applications for a luxurious entertainment and driving experience.

BMW today announced four new partners to provide BMW Approved Apps for BMW Apps option for Apple iPhone. The latest BMW Approved Apps include Audible (downloadable audio books and other spoken-word content), Glympse (location sharing), Rhapsody (subscription music service) and TuneIn (Internet radio).

The Apps platform supports model year 2011 and later vehicles that is fully controlled by BMW Connected App. A total of four iOS apps were integrated and have been confirmed.

Just like the other BMW Apps-enabled software, these four iOS programs interact with the vehicle’s entertainment system and the iDrive controller. The previous BMW Apps feature software that locates the vehicle, remote car locking/unlocking, finding place via Google Maps and more.

Here’s what you’ll see on your car?s main display once the Apps are activated:

Integrating access to digital spoken-word content from Audible was the next logical way to expand audio entertainment for drivers. The ability to use the Glympse app from the existing vehicle controls enables drivers to share their whereabouts and ETA in a much safer way.

Previews are already offered for media guests at the New York International Auto Show on the BMW since yesterday and still available until today, March 28.

The drivers are provided with both hands-free and eyes-free experience, allowing them to interact with Siri by activating the Siri button installed in selected cars.

What do you think of these developments? Let us know your thoughts on comments.

This article, BMW Announces App Integration with Audible, Glympse, Rhapsody and TuneIn, was originally published at simonblog.com.

Facebook announced its improvements to mobile app ad, allowing the developers to target their ads with more degree. It was just a few weeks ago, when the social networking giant rolled out the new design for news feed showing richer and bigger pieces of content. It also shows its aggressive move to its mobile strategy.

These ads run in Facebook’s news feed, and when clicked on, they open the download page in the Apple App Store and Google Play marketplace. The company says that by using these ads, Poshmark has seen a 3x increase in ROI compared to other advertising channels and its user acquisition cost on Facebook has gone down 30 percent.

The new targeting capabilities target the mobile users who are connected to Wi-Fi zones. The approach is deemed sensible because it targets the desirable audience since these users have a bigger bandwidth to download applications.

The ad create tool is an easy way to design ad campaigns.  Just like you create ad campaigns for sponsored stories and Page like ads, you can now use the ad create tool to get a mobile app install ad campaign up and running in minutes.

Facebook aims to help businesses to create effective marketing efforts specifically designed for mobile campaigns, and the tool is available in English version.

Developers can now target based on operating system as well – not just iOS vs. Android (which was possible before), but also, say, iOS 6 specifically.

If you’re a developer, this is an opportunity to build features that could maximize the full capabilities of the update, a time to assess the changes (if you have built features already), and to leverage on the trends that are anchored with mobile development.

For more information, you can also read the recent panel discussion hosted by Facebook.

This article, Developers Can Now Target Facebook Mobile App Ads To Wi-Fi Users, was originally published at simonblog.com.

It appears that photo filters and editing options are now anchored to social networking sites. It’s not surprising anymore if Google adapts these features, which are now officially integrated in to the Google Plus iOS application.

Google Plus version 4.3.0 comes with new photo editing features, filters, and crop options. The update rolled out on the 25^th of March, including a new profile design, notifications tray, set-up flow for new users, and many more.

For the first time, the app provides the users basic photo editing features and can be downloaded from the App Store.

The app complements the usual filters that you see on Instagram, giving the user’s photos a tough of retro in high-resolution images. You know, this is how it goes ? keeping up with other social networks and the vintage image filters.

The current version features (via App Store):

• New photo editing features; add filters, rotate, and crop
• New profile design
• New notifications tray
• New set-up flow for new users
• Control the volume of posts that you see in your stream from individual circles/communities
• Filter search results by best or most recent
• Tell your friends about the community (by sharing it or sending an invitation)
• Re-share posts to communities
• Display counts for unread messages in your communities
• Additional community moderation features

What’s interesting about the update is the filter. Each button filter has four variants, giving you that touch of retro by simply tapping the button again and again.

That option was uniquely designed. I?m just wondering if this could also be deployed on Instagram. While I?m not an avid Google Plus user, I think the photo filters are somehow enticing.

Alongside this update, Snapseed also received some updates for bug fixes and integration of pinch/zoom gesture to adjust the width of the frame.

Let us know what you think about it.

This article, Google+ App Updated with Filters and Photo Editing Features, was originally published at simonblog.com.

Walmart announces its expansion to the Scan and Go pilot program, allowing the shoppers to scan and pay items at self-checkout counters using the iPhone to more than 200 stores.

The Scan & Go program, which commenced near Walmart’s home office of Bentonville, Ark., last year, currently runs in about 70 stores across the United States. The coming year will see the program expanded to more than 200 stores, though that is still only a fraction of the retailer’s more than 4,000 U.S. stores, according to Reuters.

The Scan and Go program only supports Apple iOS devices as of this moment. However, Walmart representatives say an Android version should be available soon.

The program helps customers to scan bar codes on items they want to buy while shopping via iOS application, which is available on App Store and compatible with the iPhone, iPad, and iPods.

Aside from the scan feature, it also tracks future purchases and total costs – a functional feature that?ll help shoppers track their planned items. Instead of paying to the traditional register, shoppers go directly to the self-checkout lane.

The app currently provides users with both an electronic receipt and a paper one. Users still pay in the usual manner, with cash or a credit card, and Walmart has declined to comment on the possibility of mobile payment integration.

Scan and Go pilot program will roll out into a dozen more markets: Denver, Colorado; Phoenix, Arizona; Omaha, Nebraska; Dallas and Austin, Texas; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Wyoming; Bozeman, Montana; Seattle, Washington; San Jose, California; and Portland, Oregon. Overall, it will come to more than 200 stores.

If you live in the above-mentioned states, you can download the Walmart app from the App Store via direct link.

How does mobile payments shape your buying habits? Give us a shout out on comments below.

Source: Apple Insider

This article, Walmart’s Scan and Go Pilot Program Available to 12 More Markets, was originally published at simonblog.com.

What if a classic game meets the famous Gangnam character? Appcoda just introduces Brain Power to test your memory in Gangnam style. Brain Power is a classic game to test your memory skill. Gamers simply memorize the sequence played by the game and repeat it. The faster you tap the sequence, the higher is your scores.

Have you ever noticed that people always complain about their memories but almost never about their minds? Memory plays a great role in our life and sometimes it is more important than intellect. Good memory will not only simplify studying some foreign language or science but will also serve you in everyday life. It will help you to avoid unpleasant situations when you forgot about some important event or cannot recollect the necessary phone number.

Some people were born with phenomenal memory and others can train it and achieve great results. There is no bad memory we just do not train it. So here is a simple and classic game to test and train your memory skill. Brain Power simply shows you a sequence that takes place on the game scene (4×4 squares). What you have to do is memorize the pattern and repeat it. The faster you tap the sequence, the higher is your scores. The game supports game center. You can challenge your friends and climb yourself up the leaderboard.

The game is an universal app that supports iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Brain Power is originally sold at $0.99 but is now free for download (limited time only). So don’t wait, go ahead to download the game and test your memory!

This article, Brain Power: Test Your Memory in Gangnam Style, was originally published at simonblog.com.

Unfortunately, Google announced last week that it would be shutting down its functional RSS feed this July. It’s not the end of the world though. Luckily, there are good alternatives you can find across the Internet.

One of the perks of having an RSS feed is that it keeps you updated on the latest scoops. Zite is just one of the few popular news magazine apps announcing that there’s a new alternative for Google Reader.

Here’s what you’ll read on Zite’s blog:

We at Zite were sad to hear about Google Reader’s impending demise. Google Reader and Zite have always been complementary products: GR providing news from sources you’ve subscribed to manually and Zite giving you news algorithmically targeted from the whole web.”

Since Google Reader is dying, we created a replacement in Zite that doesn’t depend on Google’s infrastructure. From start to finish, in six hours.

I’ve been using top-rated RSS feeders or news feeders from the App Store. Pulse is also a functional app if you want more tech-related updates straight from your device.

With Zite, it’s a different approach. It’s more specific and helps you sort out the topics and would recommend top stories for you quickly.

Let’s assume it’s your first time to use Zite app:

1. Create an account and link your Google Reader account. You can check other topics according to your preferences. Zite will suggest topics for you anyway.
2. You’ll find Google Reader feeds. Keep topics you visit frequently in Quicklist for easy access.

For those who have been using Zite for a while, here’s what Zite said:

1. Google Reader has always been part of Zite ? users have always had the option of adding their Google Reader account to tell our personalization algorithms which sources they prefer and what types of stories they like to read.
2. Zite ingests millions of articles each day from hundreds of thousands of sources.
3. Zite has deep personalization technology that can analyze user-reading habits and pick the best stories from their Google Reader instead of getting inundated with hundreds of articles. No prominent count of unread articles (just kidding, this is a feature!).

Zite app offers basic feeding only. Though there are some limitations, the team honestly confessed that there’s a lot more to improve in this application and would be adding more features in the future.

What do you think? Do you know other alternatives for Google Reader?

Let us know your thoughts.

This article, A New Alternative for Google Reader, was originally published at simonblog.com.

Theo Rowland-Fry, an eight-year old boy, goes in spotlight as he accidentally racks up £1,000 using the family iPad from the in-app purchases. His parents thought he was just playing the Simpsons game – until a recent bank statement showed the credit card charges.

Few weeks ago, a five-year-old kid in Britain accidentally splurged on in-app purchases in just ten minutes. The incident was discovered after his parents received an unexpected iTunes bill. Now, little Theo-Rowland is on the spotlight. It looks like kids from the UK have this kid-buy syndrome on App Store.

Image credit: DailyMail UK

Is this a contest to see who racks up the most pounds?

Another child has racked up a big bill on his parents’ iPad. Theo Rowland-Fry, eight, spent almost £1,000 downloading extra software to help him play a Simpsons game on the Apple tablet. His parents, Nick and Lisa, only discovered their son’s purchases when they noticed their bank balance was very low.

Fortunately, the Rowland-Frys received a refund of £980, but they expressed their concern that this might happen to others.

“Theo is only just eight and has no real concept of the monetary value attached,” he told The Post. “As far as he was concerned he was just buying doughnuts. “We know others caught out by the same thing.

As of this moment, Apple has no ?Kids Mode? native feature on its current devices to avoid such unauthorized transaction. However, it?s common sense that parents have the responsibility to set passwords or implement restrictions on in-app purchases under Settings app via Generals > Restrictions, though Apple is also deemed accountable on this incident.

“I appreciate children are their target audience but it is not right and there needs to be specific controls in place to stop this from happening.?

An Apple spokesperson declined to comment but referred the company’s information on parental controls.

Do you have suggestions on how to safeguard in-app purchases?

Source: The Belfast Telegraph

This article, Belfast Kid Racks Up Almost £1,000 iPad Bill, was originally published at simonblog.com.

Twitter acquired the music discovery service We Are Hunted last year. New reports say the social networking site is preparing to roll out a standalone music app built on its recent acquisition.

The app, to be called Twitter Music, could be released on iOS by the end of this month, according to a person familiar with the matter. Twitter Music suggests artists and songs to listen to based on a variety of signals, and is personalized based on which accounts a user follows on Twitter. Songs are streamed to the app via SoundCloud.

Could this be a strategic move of Twitter in the wake of Facebook’s notable changes on the News Feed?

Its key competitor made changes in the news feed that features rich content and detailed view of the activities using the third-party apps.

The music app is set to target the younger mainstream users. Currently, the Twitter Music account has 2.3 million followers – not bad for a startup music application.

Twitter is taking new steps in becoming a full-pledge media company. Last January, the company rolled out Vine, the video-sharing app enabling users to record and post six-second videos and has helped various brands create new ways to promote their products and services.

Twitter Music uses four main tabs. ‘Suggested’ recommends songs and artists based on a user’s follower graph — artists they are following, and artists that other people they follow are following. #NowPlaying brings in links to songs tweeted by people you follow who tweet using that hashtag.

Unlike Vine, the Twitter Music carries the Twitter branding. CNET said, “The app’s icon consists of a silver “play” button with the familiar blue Twitter bird looking down on it from the corner.”

It remains a mystery whether Twitter can overtake the existing music discovery channels like Spotify and Pandora. Though the brand is well known, it?s harder to compete against full-featured music apps.

Can Twitter Music stand a chance?

Let us know your thoughts on comments below.

Source: CNET

This article, Rumor: Twitter to Roll Out a Standalone Music App for iOS, was originally published at simonblog.com.

PayPal launches its next generation developer tools and support for mobile payments at the SXSW (South by Southwest, Inc.) 2013, featuring a new mobile SDK to make it easier for developers to accept payments in iOS apps.

Customers won’t be forced to leave the iOS app in order to complete a transaction since developers will integrate more payment options including in-app purchases and the card.io technology.

In a blog post, Hill Ferguson, Vice President of Global Product announced the company’s acquisition of the card.io that provides technology for developers to capture an image of a credit card by using the smartphone’s camera.

Image Credit: YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/GettyImages

This will ease the transactions for online payments and a big step for improvements. CTO of PayPal, James Barrese has admitted in a blog post that the company was left behind its by its competitors. The company asked the developers to take another look at what PayPal can offer and to have the freedom to focus on innovating for their customers.

PayPal is now doubling down its developer programs and has announced the integration of JavaScript PayPal buttons allowing developers to copy and paste five lines of code into their website, QR code or shopping cart.

In addition, PayPal also introduced a new API for US-based developers allowing them to use the service on REST, OAuth and JSON. These versions are available in beta to make it easier and faster for developers to integrate PayPal into their experience.

In the new REST APIs, tokenization, a key feature on its new APIs tokenizes credit cards aiming to reduce the PCI compliance responsibilities. Secondly, PayPal also launched its developers’ website, a hub for sandbox, tools, documentation and  all the resources they need to develop the applications.

The PayPal app is available on App Store for free and you can download it via direct link.

Do you have any suggestions for improvements to the iOS version? Give us a shout out below.

Source: PayPal Blog

This article, PayPal Rolls Out New Mobile SDK for iOS Featuring In-app Purchases and New Payment Methods, was originally published at simonblog.com.

If you’re a professional who needs a mobile scanner for receipts and expense reports, you might be interested to check this functional iPhone and iPad application. Instead of pinning all your receipts on the wooden holder, Piikki organizes all of them on your smartphone and syncs them to your Evernote, Dropbox, and Google Drive.

What the heck?

From the developers of DocScanner, Photo Revival, and Real World ASCII, Haave Oy brings you Piikki, an expense report, receipt scanner, and management application suitable for professionals that scans, saves, sends, and syncs the reports and receipts using the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

How does it work?

I have tried some receipt scanners on App Store, and frankly, I find Piikki app interesting and useful for my daily transactions. Once you launch the app, the scanner camera is already set to scan a report or receipt.

It uses the same image-processing feature I found on DocScanner, but this one is more precise and direct when capturing images.

Once you tap the scan button, the app provides you an array of options such as whether to save or discard the image or edit it using its crop option.

On the left side of the screen, you will see more detailed options that lets you organize the scanned document, either to sync it (via Evernote, Dropbox, or Google Drive) or label it according to your desired categories, tags, and folders.

If you edit the image, the app provides a preview option to show the cropped images.

After saving the scanned image, Piikki shows you its dashboard where you’ll find all your scanned images arranged from A-Z. Its dashboard lets you organize all your files, whether to file an image under Expense or Archived. You can also create a new document as you wish or upload it for backup and syncing.

You can choose the format of your document, either JPEG or PDF file. The good thing about Piikki is the Passcode feature that protects your files once you enable it.

How’s the app?

Piikki provides a neat and user-friendly interface and functional features suitable for professionals. Whether you’re into sales, freelance, business, or any type of industry, this app should be included in your must-have productivity apps on your iOS device.

On a more detailed note, Piikki provides a preview of the last scanned image when capturing a new document. What’s more, when cropping an image, it also provides a detailed view of the pixels, which is very helpful before cropping the image.

Is it recommendable? Yes. It deserves two-thumbs up. The Evernote and Dropbox integration is praiseworthy.

You can download Piikki for a modest fee of $1.99 from App Store via direct link.

This article, Use Your iPhone as Receipt Scanner with Piikki App, was originally published at simonblog.com.