Apps That
Went Free on
2014-12-25

Calculator³ is actually three calculators in one: scientific, graphing, and programmer. You’re able to access the three different calculators by swiping left and right across the screen. The scientific calculator supports decimal and negative non-integer factorials, decimal combinations and permutations, and parenthesis. The graphing calculator supports all of the features in the scientific calculator while providing a workspace for manually inputting and evaluating math equations. It’s also able to plot 2-D graphs using adaptive sampling routine. The programmer calculator supports 64-bit bitwise calculations, Unicode and ASCII characters, and DEC, OCT, and HEX number systems. The app is able to operate in portrait or landscape orientation as well.

You’re able to create a list of your favorite locations around the world and view their times as a color-coded list. Tap on a location to view more detailed information like its time zone, time interval and distance from you, coordinates, and even weather. You’re also able to change the time in one location and see the changes in all of your other locations. The app includes support for up to 64 custom location-based alarms, imperial and metric support, two sorting options, and 12- and 24-hour formats.

Nozoku Rush is one intense matching game. Numbered tiles will stream in from the top of the screen and settle in at the bottom. It’s your job to swipe across the numbered tiles in order to get them to subtract down to zero. Select two matching tiles to earn a zero tile, which can basically be used as a wild card to string together huge combos. Including five or more tiles in a swipe will allow you to clear large swaths of tiles at once. Special tiles will also appear, allowing you to remove entire rows all at once or delay the dropping of new tiles. The game includes two modes, each with an extreme version to really put your math skills to the test. It also includes leaderboards via Game Center.

Shift allows you to tap into your inner artist. Take a photo from within the app or import one from your camera roll. You’re then able to drag the three points on the screen to adjust the filter, pinch and pull to focus on different points, and dial in the color and intensity via sliders. If you like what you see, tap the favorite button to save the filter for later use. There’s no limit on the number of filters or the looks you can create. There’s also a shuffle button in case you’re having troubles coming up with something on your own.

You’re immediately thrown into the beautiful hand-drawn world without any explanation of what’s going on. You absolutely will not find any hand-holding here. There’s no discernible dialogue and no instructions. You must simply work your way through room after room with a swipe in search of your purpose. Just enjoy the experience and be persistent. The game includes 2.5-D graphics by illustrator Rekka Bellum, an ominous soundtrack, and loads of mini-puzzles.

To help the ghost get from room to room, your child will need to collect numbers and build equations to solve problems. Along the way they’ll earn talking portraits to add to their gallery. The portraits have different stories to tell through colorful characters. The game includes eight themed museums, support for multiple user accounts, bonus challenges and unique rewards, and customizable skills.

There’s just so much to do in Tiny Dentist Christmas. It includes a vast number of colorful characters in need of some serious dental help. Your child can scroll through all of the tools at the bottom of the screen and tap on the ones that want to use like an extractor, brush, bleach, x-ray, and braces. They can also snap pictures of their patient during or after the procedure and share them on Facebook.