The Best iPad Apps Of The Week, August 7-13, 2011
August 14, 2011
The AppAdvice Best iPad App Of The Week:
Shift 2 Unleashed for iPad, $6.99, Released August 4
Need For Speed Shift Follow-Up Now Available On App Store
If you are a fan of the Electronic Arts title, Need for Speed Shift (which appears to be pulled for now), you may want to check out the follow-up sequel that recently hit the App Store. This second game is called Shift 2 Unleashed, and for iPad owners, Shift 2 Unleashed for iPad.
Need for Speed Shift is a series of racing titles mostly set in city landscapes. The games are quite different from other arcade-intense racing titles from EA -- like Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. The Shift series games are more like sims than pure arcade action. Precise turning and steering is required in the Shift titles.
New Releases
Boxee for iPad, Free, Released August 9
Boxee For iPad Arrives
Boxee has announced the immediate availability of its first iPad app. Boxee for iPad allows users to view and share videos from social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. The app’s biggest strength, however, is that it lets you stream video directly from your computer regardless of video format.
Perfect RSS Reader, $1.99, Released August 11
Perfect RSS Reader Is A Winner With Google Reader
Perfect RSS Reader by Connect Technology Co., Ltd adds more functionality to your standard Google Reader feed.
Being used to using Reeder on my iPad, I wondered if there was any room for one more RSS reader. As it turns out, Perfect RSS lives up to its name. I’ve even considered using it as my primary app for RSS. So what did it for me?
The interface is the main thing I liked about this app. The design has a paper feel to it, as if you were actually looking at a book.
Photo 365 - Remember Your Year One Photo at a Time, $.99 & Universal, Released August 11
Remember Your Year In Photos With Photo 365
Photo 365 - Remember Your Year One Photo at a Time by Benny Hsu is an app to help you remember your year, one photo at a time.
I'm sure by now that everyone knows what a Project 365 is, right? If not, allow me to elaborate for you -- it's essentially a photo a day, every day, for a year. So the end result is 365 photos (unless it's a leap year, of course).
Having your own Project 365 is fun but definitely a challenge. Sometimes it may be hard to remember to take the photo of the day -- believe me, I know. That's why this app can help you out with it.
Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim, $2.99 & Universal, Released August 12
Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim Hits The App Store As A Universal App
A fantasy-based, classic game has recently hit the App Store as a universal app and it's called: Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim. The game was originally released on the PC in 2000 and not long ago it was ported to Android. This is a fantasy-RPG, real-time strategy, and sim hybrid with gameplay that offers indirect control of units. You have to influence your people, instead of directly ordering them where to go or what to do.
"There are a lot of heroes in your lands: valiant warriors and warlike barbarians, powerful wizards and grim necromancers, industrious dwarves and skilful elves plus many more. But all of them live their own lives and decide for themselves what to do at any moment," the app description states.
Updated
Rdio, Free & Universal, Updated August 4
Rdio For iPad Is Impressive, Not Quite Perfect
Last week, Rdio upgraded its popular iPhone/iPod touch app making it universal. Today, we offer our first look at this impressive product.
What is Rdio?
Rdio was founded in 2010 and currently offers unlimited music streaming for a little as $4.99 per month. The service currently offers between nine and ten million songs for streaming.
When the Rdio app went universal, it became just the second of the larger streaming music providers to offer a native iPad app. Slacker Radio was the first.
Although Rdio costs just $4.99 for web and Rdio desktop use, it actually costs $9.99 monthly to use the service on an iDevice. However, for that price, you also have the ability to save music for offline use, which is an important option for many users.
This price compares with similar plans offered by Spotify, MOG, Rhapsody, and Slacker.
Bjork: Biophilia, Free & Universal, Updated August 8
"Biophilia" App Comes To iTunes, Seeks To Redefine Digital Music Potential
Bjork, the Icelandic musician and performer, has a new app on iTunes that serves to promote her new album while attempting to reinvent the very way digital music is distributed. Dubbed Biophilia, the so-called "app album" (which shares its name with the album proper) is, for all intents and purposes, an envelope containing Bjork's latest musical tracks presented in beat-based, interactive app form.
MyPad + - Facebook & Twitter, Free, Updated August 12
MyPad Receives Major Update: Adds New Features, Makes Improvements And Bug Fixes
Great news, social networking fans: The popular iPad app, MyPad, has recently received a major update, adding new features and a variety of all-important bug fixes. Among the changes are a Twitter timeline feature, the ability to close windows with a gesture and a new photo slideshow feature.
As outlined in the app's release notes, changes made in the latest version of MyPad (2.0.5) include:
- Twitter Timeline
- Close windows! (two-finger swipe down, or double tap)
- All-new photo slideshow
- Many bug fixes