Now I’m sold. Nothing else did it, but this did!

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

If you’re an app developer, here’s what you need to do:

1. Register for the event (but be sure to read the rules)
2. Submit a 30 second video of the app
3. Wait!

It’s simple. The judges will pick their favorites.  The apps with the top votes go on to win an iPad and a free advertising campaign.

Keep in mind that only apps that are not yet accepted in the App Store are eligible for this contest.

Winners will be announced at the 360iDev contest on April 12th in San Jose, CA.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Piracy is abundant in the digital world. People who grow up with the mindset that digital means free just won’t pay for your stuff even if it was $0.10. Free a concept to them, and they’ll get their hands on freebies with whatever it takes.

There’s another element to this. Jailbroken iPhones exist for a reason. People, including myself, feel limited with the current iPhone’s feature sets. Multitasking? Nope! Apple doesn’t give a damn to offer you such a nice benefit. I won’t jailbreak my iPod touch because I don’t want to break core functionality, despite the abundant availability in games everywhere under the sun, but the thought has crossed my mind more than once.

Apple products are pretty cheap. $0.99 for a great playable game? Check. But while I’d love to support the Apple economy, I’m sure I’m in a minority of Apple iPhone/iPod users who think that Apple has a sense of entitlement it doesn’t deserve. I think the fanboyism needs to stop. Apple is not receptive enough to respond to legitimate customer complaints because it feels like it’s above everyone else.

We’re seeing a digital transition in the interconnected online space. Customers expect companies to care about them. If they can’t take heed to suggestions and feedback, they might as well die out.

Apple’s choice of removing the only functionality I relied on on the iPod touch was the final straw. I’m no longer planning to support an Apple economy. Until they show me that they appreciate my financial investment in their products, I’m done. I bought a product with a set of expectations and Apple changed those expectations during the course of my ownership to further their own agenda.

Until Apple shows that they care about their customers, customers should do what they want to avoid supporting the Apple regime. And if you’re building Apple apps, as much as I’d love to continue supporting you, you’re shit out of luck anyway; the App store is too saturated for anyone to buy your apps. You should consider the Android platform which isn’t run by greedy bloodsucking money mongers.

I hate to encourage theft.  In fact, that’s not my typical philosphy.  I’m not explicitly endorsing it either.  This post serves to understand where the others are coming from.  Apple has a “holier than thou” attitude that compels people to defy.  Good for those people.  Apple needs to get off its throne and walk amongst the average man to understand where those folks come from.  Once someone turns to jailbreaking to enable necessary functionality, all is over for Apple when these customers realize the goldmine of “free” apps that are available outside the confines of Apple’s store.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

The game illustrated above is Sound Shaker, which is the closest one for my son’s age. The idea behind this game is that you choose one of the above six “sounds” and touch the screen and sounds are made. This teaches children and babies what noises to expect. The little balls of items roll across the screen so there’s an added element of fun. Anyone can play this game, and as my son simply moved his hands across the screen, he was able to hear the accompanying noises.

We’re starting to teach my son how to count, but Count Caddy was tried for good measure. The idea behind this game is that you drag little balls of yarn into the center piece and count the number of balls that have been collected. My son didn’t understand this but he definitely will in due time!

Sort Slider is a cute little matching game where you either drag an item to its match or you tilt the screen to let the item fall on its match. This is probably the farthest off for my son, but I can see it having utility in the future for any young child.

zinc Roe has a lot of great games and babies and toddlers and even older children will certainly benefit. They’re probably going to want to do something with your phone when they’re older, so you might as well be sure you’re equipped with entertainment for them when the time comes!

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

• List views.  You can access any list and view tweets just as you could from the Twitter web interface.
• Easy access to replies and direct messages.
• Tweets by geolocation where possible.
• Shared images on Tweets where possible.
• Threaded conversations.

These features will be explained in the screenshots I’ve included below.

First, we have the location of Tweets, thanks to location tracking (and hopefully bolstered by Twitter’s recent acquisition of Mixer Labs).

We also can see associated images based on TwitPic or yfrog:

And here’s my favorite part: threaded conversations.  If someone sends a tweet and you reply, wouldn’t you like to know what it’s in reference to?  This isn’t a native feature to Twitter, but Tweetie does such a good job at this that I think they should just build it out into the Twitter interface itself.

(Apologies for the expletive in the screenshot above.)

But wait, there’s more.  For those of you who handle multiple Twitter accounts, perhaps due to an identity crisis handling business-related Twitter accounts, Tweetie 2 makes it easy to maintain these identities separately. You simply tap on the name on the home screen and load the corresponding account, lists, tweets, and DMs.

You can also search through your Tweets, refresh the timeline quickly, preview short URLs, view Twitter in portrait or landscape mode, access Twitter in offline mode, translate your Tweets, and a whole lot more.

Tweetie 2 is like Twitter candy. It makes the experience sweet and you know you need to have more. But it’s one of those indulgences that you can enjoy all the time — and thus far, it’s been really great to me. You’d be silly not to check it out.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Christine called the design “crisp” and “imaginative.” That it is. And she’s absolutely right that Bed Bugs “uses the device in a way that makes us really get that adrenaline pumping through the manic gameplay.” Through each level, you need to really be cognizant of what and when you should (and shouldn’t) squish throughout the night. That’s right — timing and careful decision making is everything.

Bed Bugs comes from Igloo Games, who has brought greats to us in the form of Dizzy Bee and Dizzy Bee 2, two other addictive games we already reviewed, and this is no exception. Igloo Games brings a lot of well-designed and superbly-executed games to the table. It looks they’ve since released a fourth game, Flipside, which based on my experience with them is a game I am excited to try.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Currency Calculator can do hundreds of conversions — it has 226 currencies in its database. You can access regularly-referenced conversions on the top tab, and you can swap conversions at any time. There’s a breadth of information at your fingertips, and this app has it all. If you’re traveling abroad, it’s a must-use. I just wish I had it in March when I was in Israel.

Currency Calculator delivers function and utility in its extremely easy-to-use app, and no bells or whistles are really needed to polish this to make it better. It’s great as-is, and it would be an excellent addition to a traveler’s arsenal. Highly recommended.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

The game features five (only five?!) levels, which is a bit disappointing. If there were more levels, this game might possibly have potential. For now, though, it doesn’t seem to make sense to me that it’s contending with games that have hundreds of levels, including Blockban which recently had an amazing promotion.

Evolve does a semi decent job with Mach Ball, despite the fact that their English isn’t great as seen in the app’s description. Don’t let that get to you; the game play is pretty good and the graphics aren’t half bad (though I’m not a fan at all of the fonts they used). If there were more levels, this game would actually have a future. I’m just hoping that they plan on expanding upon the current version.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

This game reminds me of the early Adobe Flash games; I wouldn’t be surprised if I learned that this game was ported over from Flash. I personally think it would be better played via mouse than thumb. Having a good aim isn’t as easy as it seems, which can add to the challenge and can make this game more fun and exciting for some.

If your aim isn’t perfect, you’d appreciate the “laser” feature that helps you hone your skills. It’s definitely helpful and makes the game last longer, but you have to be careful; the cows run away and that laser aim might not help you much.

Personally, as much as I thought Slingshot Cowboy was a blast from the past, there are so many games in the App Store that I’ve reviewed and I’m not sure this really stands out as much of a game. That’s why I consider it a time waster — you can enjoy it while on a business call and still be able to focus on what’s being said — but there’s not much to it besides that. It’s still fun, but you’re not missing much if you don’t play. However, it just so happens to be a $0.99 version for free, so you might as well grab it while you have the chance and see for yourself if it’s worth it.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

If you use eBay, and I’m sure you do (for holiday shopping, perhaps), you’ll absolutely love using PicClick to make your product search a more tolerable one. With hundreds of images showing up on one single page, you don’t have to drill down to the deep hidden pages of eBay.com. Just go to PicClick and let it do the hard work for you.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

In any event, check out the Appvent Calendar and grab the freebies while they last. Remember, each game is only available for one day, so act quickly!

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

So far, we’ve discovered the following great sales:

• Defender Chronicles: Legend of the Desert King (regularly $3.99, now $0.99)
• Cocoto Kit for Kids (regularly $1.99, now $0.99)
• Secrets of the Mysterious Island (regularly $6.99, tomorrow $0.99)
• Super Shock Football (regularly $1.99, now free)
• Snood (regularly $2.99, now $1.99); read our review
• TETRIS (regularly $4.99, now $2.99)
• MONOPOLY (regularly $4.99, now $2.99)
• Surviving High School (regularly $2.99, now $1.99)
• Auditorium (regularly $2.99, now $1.99)
• Command and Conquer Red Alert (regularly $9.99, now $6.99)
• NBA Live (regularly $9.99, now $6.99)
• Rock Band (regularly $9.99, now $6.99)
• Mystery Mania (regularly $1.99, now $0.99)
• FIFA 10 (regularly $9.99, now $6.99)
• Madden NFL 10 (regularly $9.99, now $6.99)
• Boggle (regularly $2.99, now $0.99)
• Zombies & Me (regularly $1.99, now $0.99)
• Wolfenstein RPG (regularly $2.99, now $1.99)
• Mass Effect Galaxy (regularly $2.99, now $1.99)
• The Sims 3 (regularly $6.99, now $4.99)
• Anytime Pool (regularly $2.99, now $1.99)
• STAR TREK (regularly $1.99, now $0.99)
• American Idol (regularly $1.99, now $0.99)
• Need for Speed Undercover (regularly $4.99, now $2.99)
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour (regularly $4.99, now $2.99)
• Pandemonium (regularly $2.99, now $1.99)
• Trivial Pursuit (regularly $4.99, now $2.99)
• SimCity (regularly $4.99, now $2.99)
• MONOPOLY Here and Now (regularly $4.99, now $2.99)
• Spore: Origins (regularly $1.99, now $0.99)
• Scrabble (regularly $4.99, now $2.99)
• SUDOKU (regularly $1.99, now $0.99)

Grab them while they’re still hot!

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

First things first: before using this device, you need to get the right hardware for it. Your VGA video cards should definitely also be DVI compatible, and you should have a solid 24-pin DVI cable at the minimum (a 20-pin DVI cable won’t work on any KVM switches from my experience). Furthermore, you need to resolve to use either VGA mode or DVI mode, not both. Most likely, your video card manufacturer has set this limitation, so if you’re planning on testing out functionality like this, you’ll need to do a complete reboot to get full functionality.

Once you get the computers hooked up, though, you’re well on your way to becoming a multitasking guru. I was able to successfully connect a Linux machine using Fedora 11, a Windows XP desktop, a Windows XP laptop, and a Mac Pro to the KVM switch without a hitch, save for a few frustrations with the Linux box (see below). Further, and something I was especially appreciative about, I was able to connect USB devices that aren’t even recommended by their manufacturers, such as the Logitech MX Revolution mouse which is completely wireless. Even on Linux, the mouse just worked. (On Linux, it was actually the only thing that worked flawlessly.)

The Linux box was the only real issue, but if you’re using Windows and Mac, you should be fine. In the graphical user interface, I often ran into horrible blinking of the screen (on, off, on, off) which was not predictable at all. I’m not sure if it was isolated to the graphics card I had or the KVM, but in the end, I plugged the monitor directly into the graphics card and did not encounter the issue any longer. Occasionally, I encountered a “sticky keyboard” in the sense that when I typed on the keys as expected, the computer thought that the keys were still being pressed and I had to interrupt the inputs which would normally stop myself from writing “zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz” or “hhhhhhhhhh.” Again, I’m not sure if this was a KVM or keyboard issue, but it’d be interesting if the latter because I encountered two oddities with the setup.

I don’t have the KVM switch sitting right next to me, so while I can press the buttons to get to another terminal, StartTech has hotkeys that you can use to get access to the desired terminal. For example, to get to my Windows XP machine, which is specified as PC 1, I just needed to rapidly press ScrollLock+ScrollLock+1 (default) or Ctrl+Alt+1. These are user-defined through software, though, in case you have any interest in using an alternative configuration.

What if, say, you use your Linux box like I do, for a “server” rather than a regularly-used OS? When I’m playing music on my XP PC but want to switch over to Linux for some quick diagnostics, I don’t want the sound on my Linux box to take over. That’s fine — you can select a default computer for the music through the software to avoid losing that great song. (Of course, you can also just keep the speakers plugged into the main computer, but we’re talking about unleashing the potential of this StarView KVM switch here).

There are several useful hotkey configurations as well that can be done directly from the keyboard, so you may not need the extra software at all. To that end, the manual comes handy so that you can get familiar with the various options. Once you’ve set up the KVM switch to your desired settings, you no longer will need to use it anymore.

What did I think of output and inputs? As mentioned, it worked with everything except for a computer I use on the command line via SSH anyway. No image was distorted. In the end, the StarTech SV431DVIDDU 4 Port StarView Dual DVI USB KVM Switch with Audio was a solid performer for DVI and USB output across multiple devices — with a slight hiccup.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

There’s widespread consensus that the current race-to-the-bottom in App Store pricing discourages the development of deep, significant applications. If all anyone is buying are quick-hit apps, then all anyone will make are quick-hit apps. We can’t have it both ways, folks. By pricing the app at $50, Wolfram is clearly saying, “This app is significant.”

He’s right. But is the app significant? We took it for a test drive and we’re letting you know what we’ve found.

To answer the question, I’m inclined to say yes, Wolfram|Alpha is pretty darn significant. As a computational knowledge engine, they have a pretty lofty goal in an “ambitious, long-term project to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable by anyone. Enter your question or calculation and Wolfram|Alpha uses its built-in algorithms and a growing collection of data to compute the answer.” The app takes this online knowledge and presents it in a fashion that’s both fun and shareable (verbally, that is, and on Twitter). Compared to the web frontend itself (which is totally not optimized for mobile devices), the iPhone app presents data in an easy to read fashion, and you’re definitely asking for more.

Let’s take a look at a few of the queries that can be computed or discovered using Wolfram|Alpha. Can you tell which one was computed on the web interface? The app presentation is clearly much more powerful and aesthetically pleasing.

More than that, though, this app is great for knowledge discovery. I know I’m not done unleashing its potential. Thankfully, they even have a gallery to show me what I can potentially discover on the application.

So, is it worth the $50? That’s hard to say. In comparison with the pricing of the other apps in the store, it does sound like a bit much, especially since this information is mostly for knowledge enthusiasts but it’s not one of those apps or games you’d be using religiously. Truth be told, I don’t know how many people would buy it for such a high cost either. You can clearly tell that the significance of this app is there, though; there was a lot of hard work poured into the development of this application, but that’s not to say that other cheaper apps have had any lesser dedication put forth into their development. It’s a fun app to have, though, but unless you’re absolutely finding this data useful on a regular basis, it’s hard to justify the cost, at least right now in comparison to the other applications. If other app developers followed in Wolfram|Alpha LLC’s lead and raised the cost of their own applications, the cost of this app wouldn’t be so hard to swallow. Until then, though, it’s an expensive addition that might not provide more than an hour of utility — but that utility will be extremely powerful if taken advantage of.

That said, if you are a knowledge buff, BUY this app. You’ll absolutely love it. First, try out their search engine online and see what kind of potential it has (there’s a lot). Then see what you can harness in the palm of your hand. You’ll see how incredibly immersive it is to those of you knowledge aficionados. But if you’re not a knowledge buff, the web version (that is, on your computer, not your iPhone) will serve you just fine.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

The iCurfew app is limited to iPhone users only. iPod touch users cannot take advantage of the capabilities since GPS is needed. However, it’s a great way for parents to keep tabs on their kids without having to go through drastic measures and implant some kind of data board in their kid’s skulls (I used to think that when my son is older that I should invest in this sort of technology!) You kind of wonder how we survived when we were younger! iCurfew takes out the guesswork of locating your child since you can’t fake the location (and I can imagine that it’d be a lifesaver if you were lost, perhaps). The only thing that’d make this better is if it was a full-blown GPS tracker with a way to check in via website at your child’s location. However, Apple doesn’t allow multitasking on the iPhone, making that an impossibility for the time being. Plus, this application assumes that there’s some trust between parent and teenager, and it certainly does a great job.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

In each level, you’re faced with the worst enemies of your time: hungry zombies hunting after you. You must use the weapons available to you (a chainsaw, a gun, an axe pick, and even a banjo, among others) to hack them to death and progress to the next levels. All the while, you’ll run into more zombies and more challenges. And you’ll also see that you must multitask to survive; this is a two-hand game no matter how hard you try to get by without it.

As you may see, there are a good number of controls. Thankfully, the game features a very detailed tutorial that lets you acquaint yourself with the controls, which even change depending on the circumstances. And yes, you need to be familiar with all of them (and use them when necessary).

I already heard that Zombieland was a good movie. (I’m planning on seeing it.) I didn’t expect the game itself to be good too, but I was pleasantly surprised. Zombieland’s iPhone companion gives you an experience that keeps you entertained with progressively harder levels of attack, hack, and blasting fun.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

First, what I liked: choose a comic and the app will download it for you easily, provided that you are using an always-connected phone or that you have Wifi. The comic book reader is simple to use. Graphics are great, and the layout of the app is fantastic. It lets you auto-rotate, zoom in, and more. The variety of comics available are great; I’m not a big comic book fan but I’ve found a lot of good stuff here. Also, having a printed copy and being able to preview digital copies of comics is a must-have for the big comics fan.

Here’s what I didn’t like as much, but what could be fixed easily: I don’t know how many pages are left in any particular comic, and perhaps that would be something useful to add. Also, it’s not easy to delete comics you’ve downloaded. The ability to delete them is hidden in a Settings screen. That’s not a big deal, though, but I’d think that right-swipe should delete it from the listed comics screen.

Overall, though, it’s a great app, and comixology did a great job with it. They should do this with books too. There’s a lot of potential for this app. :)

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Here’s how it works: If you’re currently developing an iPhone application, don’t send it to Apple right away. Instead, create a 30-second video to demo the application, and submit this to the App Star website. Thirty apps will be preselected and a jury of 19 bloggers will then select their favorite app in three categories (games, entertainment, utilities/other). Winners in each category win $1500 and an ad campaign on partner sites, including Macgasm.

I’m pleased to announce that I have been selected to be on the jury with several other prestigious bloggers and avid iPhone users. If you are interested in knowing more, keep an eye on the App Star Awards page or sign up to receive a notification.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Run Run Sheep is not your typical puzzle game. You’re a shepherd, if you will, with a bunch of sheep that need to be brought to their goal. The thing is, these sheep aren’t the brightest. They only move around in a clockwise direction. It’s your job as their shepherd to put arrows on the board game so that they don’t run into potholes, get attacked by foxes, and the like.

You might think this is simple, but let me add this: you can’t put those arrows on the board game once the sheep start running. You need to take a look at the screen, envision what the sheep would do based on your knowledge of how they move around, and then put the arrows in the right place. For what it’s worth, once you lose or find out that you need to reset the board, you can start over with a little more knowledge than last time, but you can’t do that to boot. And there are over 100 levels so don’t expect to memorize every move. In other words, next time, you’ll probably have to start over again, though you might be a little smarter than the last!

This is a cute game. It reminds me of a game I used to play on the PalmOS called Super Slyder, one that I couldn’t put down. But Run Run Sheep adds awesome sound effects (those sheep will baa baa all day long), great graphics, and a good dose of fun.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

To Do List also lets you sort your tasks based on a variety of factors, including category, priority, due date, and title. Lists can be emailed or imported as a CSV (you can also export a CSV to the app). And you can even turn your device into a server so that you can easily access your tasks without worrying about extra files.

I like To Do List because it is a simple task manager without the bells and whistles. It lets you get things done, easily, and doesn’t let anything get in your way.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

This application is a great at-a-glance food intake tracker, as pictured. It predominantly focuses on fat and carb intake, whereas the secondary app, Muscle Gainer, focuses on protein and calories. (An application that would combine all of this would be extremely ideal.) Like its sister application, you can input food details or search for foods via a database with more than 80,000 food items. It also has a detailed restaurant search.

But if you eat, you better be exercising too. Tap & Track lets you input your exercise, be it skating and biking or some sort of gym fitness. Once you get to the specific workout you performed, it will tell you how many calories were burned in a specific time period. For example, did you know that playing Ping Pong for 7 hours straight under normal intensity burns 2308 calories? Neither did I – but that’s the kind of information you can get from Tap & Track, and it’s pretty useful.

Detailed statistics can be viewed via the Log option, which gives you a nice “Nutrition Info” label associated with each day, which does show you the total number of calories consumed, among everything else you’d expect of a nutrition label. (Again, having “calories” on the main screen would make this app stellar.) You can also see a breakdown of foods consumed in any day, or the exercise done that day. And if you want to generate reports, the app can do that too, be it a single day’s report (Today’s), a report for the last 7 days, or a custom report (any desired start/end day). And of course, no weight tracking application would be complete without a daily weight chart, and this app’s got that too.

All in all, Tap & Track is a comprehensive solution for those looking to discipline themselves and chart their carb and fat intake. There’s more potential for this app, but it’s pretty darn exhaustive as-is, and that’s important.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

There are over 200 levels in Glyph, and you’ll easily see that you’re up for hours of exciting fun. The graphics, too, are excellent. It’s a game you won’t bore from — at least I didn’t. And in the alternate mode (Action mode), you continuously have to remove groupings of jewels that appear from the bottom of your screen. It’s good for a pick-me-up and for some good fun. I’m surely going to be playing this one for a long time.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

If you’re on an uneven surface, fortunately, you can calibrate the iPod touch sensors, and doing so is as easy as pie. Put the device on a flat surface and hit the Settings button. You’ll see the bubble levels. Once the bubbles are centered on both the horizontal and vertical bubble levels, you’re ready to confirm and play the game.

One of the most amazing features of Labyrinth is really the fact that there are thousands of mazes to choose from. Become a master at one level? You have a few hundred more to beat. Labyrinth is powered by community; that is, there are people contributing different levels to the game, ensuring that you’ll never get too bored with the game — ever. There really are that many options available to you.

Further, you’re empowered as a maze creator. All you need to do is visit their website to create and edit your levels. You’ll have a unique ID to identify yourself as the creator. Once the maze is created, you simply download them and unleash the power in the palm of your hand.

You’d think a game like Labyrinth doesn’t need an iPhone app. Illusion Labs and Codify AB really have made a solid argument proving otherwise. The game is great, the interaction of the community was a brilliant idea, and you’re in for hours of challenging fun.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Here’s what I LOVE about this: unlike the iPhone (well, kinda), the iPod touch doesn’t work everywhere. I could easily mark a bunch of items as “Read Later” at the office, for example, and read them on the way home while listening to my music. Instapaper Pro formats the articles for optimal iPhone/iPod touch viewing, which is great.

Additionally, the pro version will also sync your favorite blogs or RSS feeds by default. An example of this is shown in the screenshot, featuring this blog. As you can see, Instapaper displays the articles in an easy-to-read format, and you can then click on the items on the list to see the article in text only (by default, graphics are turned off unless you opt-in).

Other features include the ability to Star items that you’ve read (up to 20 in the app), archive items, the ability to rotate and see the article in landscape view, and “dark” mode, featuring a black background instead of white.

Do I like Instapaper? The better word would be “love.” There are so many articles I want to “Read Later” but never get the chance to right away, so taking them in the palm of my hand is the best possible option. As such, Instapaper delivers a necessity.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

At first, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the game, and the game thus includes a helpful tutorial that replays itself so that you can see what options are afforded to you in each successive level. Then, you get to play that level and familiarize acquaint with a lot of the cool features.

I thought the game was very polished, and the color choices and multitude of features did make it fun to play. As a puzzle aficionado, I can see myself sitting with Critter Crunch for awhile. Even the sound effects are enjoyable.

If anything, the one thing that bothered me was that Biggs is always covered by my thumb, so I never actually get to see him. I know that some other people felt that this was a problem on the iPod touch/iPhone and that they’d prefer arrows to controls that make it hard to see the actual game character. However, this is hardly a big deal — it’s just a small gripe. Having other control options would be a nice touch to the game, though.

Despite this, I’m not done playing Critter Crunch. With so many variable levels, there’s a lot of appeal to this game.

Here’s some more of what you can experience once you get playing Critter Crunch:

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Once your factories are making the chocolates, your job is to travel to the available cities on six continents to meet new people interested in trying out your foods or being offered missions that can get you rich or give you an arsenal of hard-to-find recipes. You may have to travel to far-away places to find ingredients that are local to a specific region. All the while, you will meet people along the way who can give you pointers and make those trips enjoyable.

Each city has a marketplace where you can buy these ingredients. Some of the prices will be exorbitant. You have the opportunity to haggle with the store owner, though keep this at a minimum; sometimes you’ll upset them and your prices will shoot through the roof. If you really want those almonds and the price is bearable, just buy a bit. (Then haggle, maybe.) Of course, when you return to the same city, the prices are flexible once again. (However, bear in mind that every trip to another city costs money, sometimes in excess of $1,000, so you might not want to haggle at all.)

You will also amass great chocolates made by your character as you travel, just as long as your factories are running and you have adequate ingredients. You’ll find that you can sell these items for high prices. Take heed to the tips in certain cities that specific products are in high demand (or that specific ingredients’ prices have plummeted) to take advantage of the biggest and best opportunities.

As you travel, you’ll collect some great recipes, all of which are sure to make your wallet get bigger and bigger, as harder-to-find recipes often mean that you’re creating rarer delights. From chocolate bars to truffles to infusions, those higher-priced items are more expensive (additions to your factory are not cheap) but you’ll reap the benefits in the end when you find out that a case of a rare infusion exceeds $2,000. If you have hundreds of cases on hand, you’re sure to see a substantial profit.

Further, it’s a lot of fun to just go to a factory and race against the timer to create the perfect recipe. It’s not as easy as it looks, as you have to memorize the ingredients and make sure that they get added to the mix. If you miss, you can break the machine!

It’s really hard to say what’s wrong with Chocolatier. Two elements of gameplay — creating the chocolates and going on worldwide missions — make this game killer fun. I’ve been thoroughly impressed. You get hours of gameplay packed into a really fun application that was made for those of us with sweet teeth (sweet tooths?). I remember during the first part of this game, I went through 2 bags of Hershey’s Kisses. My advice: stay away from real-life chocolate when you play!

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

• Expenses are categorized into multiple categories, including Auto (which works together with application MPG, $3.99, Computer, Entertainment, Food/Dining, which works with CheckPlease $0.99, Food/Groceries, and Home).
• On the Transaction Register screen, you can also see your expenses by outlet (grocery stores, drug stores, restaurants, etc.) and see how the cost at the store deducted from the money in your account.
• Visualize your costs by looking at the pie charts to see what you’re spending.
• Set budgets.  In the bar graphs, showing your spending, if the colors are green, you’re in the clear.  If you’re red, you overspent.
• Budgets can be broken down into weekly budgets, monthly budgets, quarterly budgets, and yearly budgets, making it easy to see your spending habits at a glance.

As mentioned PocketMoney works with Check Please and MPG, two other applications I was able to try.  MPG is great for a car owner who wants to keep track of car maintenance.  With MPG, keep track of oil changes, maintenance, car washes, and length of trips.  Fill up the gas tank often?  Use the data to keep track of the deals you have at the gas stations you’ve visited (or to see how your car is handling gas mileage).  Once you input the your charges into MPG, it can be posted to PocketMoney.

Check Please is an easy-to-use tip calculator for when you’re dining out.  Unlike other tip apps out there, it deals with discounts and coupons, which makes this more appealing, and it also works in different currencies.  Of course, having Check Please post the cost to Pocket Money isn’t too shabby either.  If you’re going to be keeping track of your expenses on your iPhone, you might as well do it in one application, not several.

PocketMoney is also available in a free version (and Check Please has a free version as well) so that you can try it before you are ready to dive in.  The free version of PocketMoney is limited to two accounts. But if you’re someone who wants to keep an eye on all your accounts in the palm of your hand, the paid version is definitely worth the money.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Once the item is on your list, click on it and you’ll see what kind of store you can buy it at (e.g. the Grocery Store, of course, though you can add other stores — which become separate lists — as well) and the aisle you’ll likely find it in. There are also user inputs for quantity, unit price, description, and notes. If you find yourself buying the particular product regularly, you can add it to your favorites so that you can reuse the item on a new shopping list.

Access your Favorites on the bottom of the screen, and click on them to add them to the current shopping list. When the item is bought, click on it and then Check Out so it gets removed from your list. (You can also swipe and delete if you choose.)

Each screen features a detailed Help menu that lets you learn a little more about the features available to you, so working with this is a breeze.

I’m going to have to say that Grocery IQ is going to give Groceries a run for its money. In fact, it’s $4 cheaper and seems to be laden with features including a database of over 130,000 items and a graphical user interface that can’t be beat. I don’t think you can go wrong with the Grocery IQ application; it is truly the best in its class. If you don’t want to write down what you need to buy and want help with what you do feel that you need to purchase, the Grocery IQ application is excellent, and with an extremely detailed database, this application is definitely the answer to your prayers.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

As a word game enthusiast, I could play just about any type of word game, but I really enjoyed and appreciated the great graphics of this game. You can tell by Wordology’s polished look that the development team really took pride in making an aesthetically pleasing game to be enjoyed for hours. If it’s any indication by how much I really liked the game, it certainly delivered. Of course, the actual game itself was fun and addictive, and it’s one of those games one who loves word games won’t tire of. There are just so many opportunities to make great words and beat your high score.

How does one lose, then? You need to run out of all of your lives. This can be done by having the timer run out at any given time or by misspelling a word. But even 2 letter words are good to go here, so it’s hard to really mess up.

If there’s any gripe I had with this game, it’s probably trying to figure out how to rid myself of 20 lives once I had the letters D, X, and W on my game screen. There’s not much I can do with those, and it didn’t look like it was possible for me to end the game then and there. I had to wait until the timer ran out on every life before I got a “game over” screen. That’s not so much a big deal; I could have accelerated the process by faking words “W,” “X,” and “D,” all of which would have cost me a life. But there should be an option that says “end game” or something when it’s clear there are no move remaining.

But that gripe aside, Wordology is incredible fun, and at this point, it’s my favorite word game for the iPhone.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

If you’ve played this board game before, almost identical game play is afforded on the iPhone or iPod touch. And if you haven’t, don’t fret. The game mimics your “life,” in that you specify what kind of career or schooling choices you must make before retiring (hopefully as a rich person to live in Millionaire Estates). If you don’t choose a college path, for example, you might be a hairdresser with a $30,000 salary. On the other hand, if you actually spend that time going to school, you might see more appealing careers, like an accountant making $70,000 or a doctor making $100,000. Spin the wheel (it’s fun!) and make your moves, then decide what kinds of paths you want to take.

As you progress through the game board, you face several pay days (you get paid every time you pass one of these spots), get married, and if you choose, have kids. In one experience, I ended up with twin girls:

My opponent, on the other hand, didn’t care to have any children. He also didn’t have an as-fulfilling life as me and lost the game.

Here’s what I loved:

• The game is fast (when I used to play as a kid, the game would take 20 minutes to a half hour). You can enjoy this game in as little as a few minutes. There are options to play the game at normal speed and fast-forwarded speed, and to skip through to the next turn.
• You don’t always have to spin. You can also explore the game board and see what kinds of moves are available to you at any given time.
• Game graphics are elegant, and you can tell that EA Mobile did a phenomenal job polishing this application for hours of enjoyment. While the games themselves are short, once a game is over, you’re going to want to play again and try another career path (and even a family path).
• You can play against opponents, but at this point, there’s no wifi connectivity.  That’s fine — I don’t know if I’d trust someone to actually stay with me throughout the game if playing over wifi.  This is a viable alternative to having a game that has a lot of loose and small parts.

In other words, little goes wrong here. In fact, it’s a really great imitation of an incredibly solid and fun board game. I honestly can’t wait until my son grows up to play this with him. He’s got a few years, though.

If you’re a big fan of The Game of Life, you won’t be disappointed with this realistic representation. It’s still challenging, exciting, and a joy to play.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

iKidNY also features outdoor activities (primarily playgrounds), restaurants that are kid-friendly and public locations with changing tables, since you most likely will need to change your child if you choose to venture out into the streets of New York for a long fun-filled day. I also really appreciated the “subway elevators” feature, showing you exactly which subway stops are stroller-accessible. Let me put it this way: on Tuesday night, I’m going to have a real hard time going up the stairs with baby and stroller in tow. (There’s no alternative either.)

Each location features a map (using Google Maps, pinpointing your location and showing it in relation to the specific venue you’re seeking out) and lets you “favorite” frequently-visted items. You can also get directions, also using Google Maps.

I really like iKidNY. It’s usability is simple and it gives you clear-cut locations to choose from. It’s got no frills, just a ton of resourceful data, and is a real easy-to-use app.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

The game is self-explanatory. The introductory video is all you need to get on your way. The green button on the left is the D-pad that lets you move. The red button allows you to shoot your opponents. The blue button brings hooks so that you can jump on higher platforms. The green button on the right lets you jump.

If anything, the controls do take a bit of getting used to, especially for climbing up walls and the like. The hook can only attach itself to horizontal platforms, not vertical planks that hold them up. But once you understand this, you’ll be a strong player whether you play by yourself or with a team.

That’s right, three game options are available: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag. All are a lot of fun, whether you play by yourself or with an opponent. And even at late night hours, you’ll often find yourself playing with at least 2-3 people in the team, so there’s hours of fun to be had. Unfortunately, though, as a newbie, you won’t get that much time to practice, since an opponent is likely to trample on you right away. If anything, I feel like I haven’t perfected my moves and want to enjoy the game at my own pace, but I’m not really able to do so.

Otherwise, the game has a lot of good elements: graphics are superior, and the game is fun once you get the hang of it.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

If you’re uncertain, there are often demos for beginner levels to help you get on your way, but note: these are hints and cheats, and you only should try a demo if you’re really stuck! Demos also help you understand the goals of the game, so if you’re brand new to the experience, they’ll help you get on your way.

Moonlights boasts 91 extensive levels (and I’m sure there will be more), making this a fun game for a long time. The iPhone/iPod touch is a fantastic platform for this game, and it runs perfectly. You’ll have a ton of tun playing Moonlights; it’s one of those games that is simple, yet complex, and is clearly addictive.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

In Mahjong Epic, the lightly-shaded tiles are the ones you can play with at the present. The darker-shaded ones can be used when the other tiles are cleared. The game offers multiple boards to play with at first, and it also sports a nice editor that lets you create your own boards, making the possibilities for enjoyment endless.

The only thing I’d suggest is giving more options to the player: the background should be customized to our liking (blank, a photo from our album, for example), and we should see other style tiles. I’m a big fan of Mahjong and Shishen-sho (which, by the way, Kristanix Games should totally make) but as a player from non-Asian descent, the tiles are confusing to me and most look the same. I think a little variation — different tile boards — could make this game a real killer.

If you want to try it out beforehand, Mahjong Epic Lite is available for your perusal. I think you’ll agree that the paid version, though, is quite worth it.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Version 3.1.1 of the firmware broke a highly-important feature, as indicated in several different support threads. In short, when an application with sound effects is opened, you can no longer double-tap the home button to pull up the iPod controls. While this may seem like no big deal to most users of the iPhone, it’s a huge deal to iPod touch users, especially those of us with 1st generation devices. With applications that are extremely loud, some owners prefer to be able to lower the volume, and pulling up the iPod controls made them able to do this without exiting the application.

As for me, I’m one of those “game addicts” (which I guess is fair to say, given my reviews here, and is great for Apple, given its huge emphasis on how they hope Apple is supposed to change the gaming industry). But while I play my games, I want to dictate what I want to hear. Sometimes, I’m stuck playing a single game for hours on end, and listening to the same game’s 1-minute music clip is excruciating. Having no ability to intervene and let my music take priority has been the absolute worst “feature” Apple has introduced.

I’ve complained about the underlying problem in the past, emphasizing that I’d appreciate being able to prioritize my music over game sounds in the Settings of the iPod. (People have actually asked me to appeal to game developers, but doing that with hundreds would be unfair. It’s an easy change for Apple to integrate into its devices.) After all, the iPod touch is just one of the newer devices that comes in a large family of music players, and most people still see it as such a device (but now with games). Having the music emphasized should be a no-brainer.

Instead, Apple lost sight of that. They never introduced this feature throughout its several firmware updates, despite me complaining about it for over a year.

There was a workaround, though. If you opened the game app, you could double tap on the home button of your iPod device and get the iPod controls, thereby letting you manage your music from within the app. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked better than anything else I tried.

Then version 3.1.1 of the firmware came out. This workaround has effectively been terminated entirely. If you’re running an application with music, you can’t simply double tap the home button and get the controls. And while there are workarounds to this workaround, most of them don’t work at all with most games since music is being played.

I’m torn. I really appreciated 3.1.1′s app sorting feature since I need it in the worst way, but I lost one of the most important features contributing to the usability of the device. It’s as if I bricked my iPod touch despite the fact that it’s not jailbroken at all and there are thousands of dollars of apps on it. But Apple does not care.

For most of you, especially if you are dependent on this feature, don’t upgrade. You’ll lose an essential feature that Apple did not think was necessary. In fact, many of the people who contributed to the forum discussions downgraded back to v3.0.

Apple has always been a company that valued aesthetics over usability. I surely hope that Apple is not going to keep this feature locked out of subsequent versions of the firmware any longer. I look forward to actually updating this post to show that Apple has listened. But I’ve complained about the earlier issue for months and got no resolution, so I’m not holding my breath.

Here’s a video of the entire phenomenon. Please excuse the bad quality.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

As a big fan of turn-based games, this is one you shouldn’t miss. Plus, I have to say that I was really enthralled by the graphics and effects even on the menu; it brings you into a game that’s really that good.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

The free version of this game was one that I always liked playing when I needed to kill time rather quickly — it’s a 3 minute game at the longest, and it’s fun. The paid game is on sale (it’s normally $4.99) and it’s still a fun option for those who love playing BlackJack. Personally, I’m not sure the $4.99 price tag is worth it — the $0.99 option makes most sense.

Those using the free version of the game actually get most of the features. The paid version has multiple levels, which ultimately get much harder (in higher levels, the card configuration is different and you have to work with a faster clock or with cards already on the game board). The free version only lets you play Level 1. The paid version lets you specify how many rounds you can play per game (3 is the default), how many seconds are played per round (30 is default), how many cards you start with, and lets you specify if the rows are totaled. These options are not available in the free version at all.

Blackjack lovers will find this game fun, and I certainly did. Personally, though, I think you’ll enjoy the free version just as much as the paid version, but if you do want a little more uncertainty and more levels, pay the $0.99 for the game, since more options keep you busy for longer periods of time, and didn’t they say the iPhone was a time waster?

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Just like the game of the old days, Q*bert on the iPhone is all about the little dude, Q*bert, who must jump on every step before he gets crushed by an enemy. It’s rather difficult but fun and challenging all the same. In this game, you can play a “modern” version with improved graphics, or you can revisit the Atari old days with an 8-bit version that looks like the old video game days of yore. There’s also Jungle mode for more fun and excitement. Also, the cool thing about the game is that you can vote on themes for the next iteration of the app, making Q*bert a real fun and exciting treat.

There’s a lot of fun stuff happening for Q*bert, too. They have a blog at Q*bert where members of the community can contribute their thoughts. So far, there’s actually a lot of feedback. I know the development team is listening too.

If you miss this old game of your childhood, grab the game now. It’s a real enjoyable game. I’m especially looking forward to the new themes of this game — with the addition of the Jungle theme, we’re seeing a lot of great potential for this app.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Thankfully, Snood is not going away anytime soon. With the Snood ($3.99) application now available for the iPhone, I’m in love yet again. But this new version brings much more awesomeness: the graphics of the game (and the sound effects are brilliant). The one thing I miss is the “boing boing” sound I used to hear as I bounced the snoods off the wall (this game still has a “boing” sound, though it just isn’t the same), but boy, this game sure rocks. Plus, you can substitute your own iPod library in place of the game’s music.

Snood brings back the favorites of the desktop application, including levels (Child, Easy, Medium, Hard, Evil in Classic Mode, Time Attack Mode, and Puzzle Mode) and Story mode. But there’s a lot more here, including “wildcard” snoods that have special attributes once fired on the game board and sleeping snoods. This way, game play doesn’t get boring at all. Plus, with the graphic upgrade (the snoods have become enhanced!), you’re never frustrated with these little dudes.

Do I love Snood for the iPhone? You bet I do. It’s got everything the old versions of Snood had plus more. It’s well worth its price for Snood fans, and if you’ve never played the game before, you’re bound to become addicted.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

PlayFirst has made several “dash” type games — that is, chain-based action puzzles where you must do many different things at a time to keep your customers happy. Diner Dash (also $4.99) is another great game with similar elements. In both, you have to keep your customers happy or face losing points.

I own both games, and while the idea is similar in both, both alone are really fantastic and lengthy games to play, with several days (playing several hours a day) of game play to be enjoyed. I’m not bored owning both games at all. In comparison to Diner Dash, though, Wedding Dash seems like it could improve its graphics; the graphics of Diner Dash are much clearer in comparison. I personally sometimes had difficulty touching the second appetizer, and that would slow me down.

But the game is great. If you thought it is going to be easy, try it. I met the basic goals pretty easily, but the “expert goals” were another story. I’m definitely going to have to go back to the game to try to get higher scores on each level.

Not convinced that the game rocks? Give it a try. Wedding Dash Lite is a free game featuring some of the levels in the full-fledged game, but there’s so much more to enjoy with the full-blown copy. I guarantee that you’ll love the game.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Choose a color and draw to start. Or spin the canvas and then choose a color, drawing as the canvas spins and spins. The artwork you create is precious. You can save the resulting image to your photo library and are even encouraged to upload your creations to the app’s Flickr group at http://flickr.com/groups/spinart.

Fun game? You bet. I’m having a ton of fun drawing and spinning beautiful pictures, including the one associated with this post. My son’s a mere 3 months old, but I totally can see this being one of the first “games” I’ll let him play on my iPod. I’m sure he’ll enjoy it. I know I did.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

In Crazy Daisy, you need to rotate the flowers to align adjacent flower petals of the same colors. When you do this, they disappear. When you clear an entire flower’s petals, the entire flower regenerates and you start again. Eventually, you’ll level up enough that you’ll see flower petals of different color — orange, blue, and more. And you’ll need to do this before time runs out, a feat more difficult than it seems. When I first started playing, I barely leveled up at all.

Points are also awarded when you perform special combos, like a Daisy Chain and Flower Power, which occur when you align adjacent colors of more than two flowers. And just a tip to play longer: clear the flowers first; don’t always aim for point bonuses. You’ll prevent the timer from running out only after you actually clear an entire flower. Point bonuses can be had later; there are endless opportunities for that in the earlier points of the game (though it gets much more difficult as the flower petals start sprouting new colors!).

I’ve always liked this game, and I’m really glad I have it for the iPod touch. The only thing I’d point out that I prefer is a little more smoother graphic play (the flowers’ edges seem a little pixelated) especially on an Apple device. But that doesn’t really sacrifice game-play at all. It’s a fantastic addictive game, and if you give it a try, I bet you’ll say the same.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

CityTransit gives you 5 types of maps. The MTA subway map is featured by default. The application also works to give you details on the various MTA lines (1-2-3-4-5-6-7-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-J-L-M-N-Q-R-S-V-W-Z – yup, all of those) and gives you information about every stop along the way. You can also click on the “Service” feature to see if there are any service advisories for a particular subway line.

The “Locate” feature on the bottom of the screen has a lot of potential for Augmented Reality, but for now, you can click on “Locate,” let the app use your location, and watch as the application finds your nearest subway stops. I found this particularly cool given that I’m on an iPod touch and it was able to find a pretty darn accurate subway station (though not the one I live near given that a river kind of prevents me from accessing my “nearest station”, so that’s not the fault of the app at all).

The Maps feature is useful, providing you with (upon double click, though this is a bit hard to figure out) maps of the Metro North routes, the Manhattan bus, the Long Island Railroad, the MTA subway, and even an antique subway map. However, I’d recommend that the CityTransit guys make sure the most accurate map is in the application. As an example, the current application features a July 2007 Manhattan Bus map, but the current map on the MTA website is actually from July 2009. Also, I live in the Bronx. Any chance to cover the five boroughs?

All in all, though, this application is super great. I especially appreciate seeing an Antique Subway map. As the wife of a subway fan, I felt quite proud flaunting my new antique subway map in front of the hubby. I’m sure he appreciated that. :)

If you’re planning on making sure you keep to your course in the city and want your maps at your fingertips, look no further than CityTransit. It’s a great application and has potential to be even better. (Of course, if you want to expedite your trip, be sure to couple this purchase with previous reviewed Exit Strategy).

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Still, the fact that SplashShopper really has so much information already populated within its application, plus it gives you the ability to create new lists (paired with an icon of your choosing), makes it a very viable application for those looking to really organize their lives on their iPhone. The application also seamlessly synchronizes with your Mac or PC (though it requires the purchase of the desktop application).

I like SplashShopper. It’s a fun list and makes things a lot easier for those Type A personalities. Type Bs will probably like it too.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

The application also charts your weight in a graph and protein intake as well in a similarly featured graph. Additionally, you can export the data too.

The application boasts 30,000 common food items. Personally, I ran into a little trouble here, especially with some more common foods (Lactaid milk comes in varieties, but I believe the database only has one such Lactaid variation), but there really are lots and lots of food items (try typing “corn” and you’ll see). Additionally, to be fair, there are 40,000 restaurant menu items from 404 restaurants as well in the app. While I typically don’t eat restaurant food, it’s good to know that they are thinking of those who prefer prepared meals (since well, I do too!). But I’d love to see a community-contributed database of some sort so that I can pull data from the database (so that I wouldn’t have had to run into issues when getting data for my Lactaid milk intake). If not, it’d be cool to consider more foods as I’m definitely running into this issue often.

Despite this shortcoming, this app is exhaustive with features, and if you’re a fitness buff who wants to keep track of your food intake, especially to grow some muscle, this is a must-have application that really does give you a run for your money.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

Indeed, Assassin’s Creed is one of the most magnificent 3D iPhone/iPod touch games in the App Store. Throughout the game, in your quest to get the Chalice, you’ll find yourself jumping through obstacles (besides just your enemies). Altair must jump from wall to wall, avoid poisonous snakes, jump over knives that are coming out of the ground, and swing on ropes among other things to get to where he must be. And even though you might find that he’s a master at the sword, there are always enemies that are stronger than he is, so you must think of better strategies to proceed.

You’ll also find yourself wanting to kill more and more enemies, though my biggest initial frustration was when I tried to run through some seemingly tough obstacles (after orb 68 in the first stage, you might be stuck – hint: restart the mission). But despite the challenges, all of which make the game really fun to play (and much longer!), you’ll notice that Assassin’s Creed is a must-have with its realistic 3D graphics and easy to use controls.

Of course, if you want to try it before you buy it, give the free edition a whirl. But the lengthier one does steal the show.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

The game has five modes. Quick Race lets you enjoy a quick run through the track and is great for getting started. Career mode lets you improve upon your skills while ramping up points and unlocking new opportunities (tracks, cars, and more). Time Trial lets you race against the clock to get better than your last score. Play locally or online (via leagues) with friends.

The controls are great. Tilt your iPhone to go left or right; touch the bottom of the screen to brake, and touch the top to change the view of the driver. You’ll find that these controls beat out other racing games, as I found most of those a lot more difficult.

One of my favorite features is that you can listen to your own music from your iPod library instead of listening to the game’s music. But beyond this, there’s a pretty good music soundtrack as well.

I’ve never before played an iPhone game that actually makes you feel like you’re there. That all changed with Real Racing. It’s really that good.

Check out a video here:

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

In Space Ace, Ace and Kimberly are tasked with saving the world. Kimberly is immediately kidnapped by aliens, and Ace is left to save her and everyone else on Planet Earth. Game play is as simple as using your fingers to either energize/kill bad guys or use the arrow keys on the right hand side of the game board to make Ace move in certain directions.

In reality, though, it’s all about reaction time — at least in the Cadet level where it actually tells you which arrow keys or energizer buttons to press. And even when you progress to those higher levels, you’ll find that the mantra “you snooze, you lose” is really the truth. If you don’t get Ace to move in a certain direction in time or to suit up to energize himself, you lose a life. You only have so many of those.

Space Ace game play is great. The official game description says that it’s a sequel to Dragon’s Lair and that it’s a classic popular arcade game, but I did not know a thing about either game and I’m thoroughly enjoying what Space Ace and its fantastic visuals have to offer.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

The hard drive passed the many preliminary tests I performed, from dousing it to exposing it to heat (but not fire, though the picture below speaks thousands of words). It’s massive — it weighs 15 lbs (more than my 3 month old son!), but the assembly looks pretty sturdy and secure.

The hard drive itself wasn’t disappointing either. I got the 500GB model (there are also 1TB and 1.5TB versions) and determined that it is a Hitachi HDP72505GLA360 (7200rpm 500GB S-ATA2). Transfers to other hard drives in my system were over 12MB/sec.

If for whatever reason you get into a disaster and data is actually damaged, ioSafe promises a guarantee that your data will be recovered (valued up to $1,000). Hopefully, I’ll never need to use that, but it’s great to know that the opportunity is there.

If security is important to you and your data is precious, this is an affordable option to keep your data secure. If you want to mirror your Mac via Time Machine, this could keep a duplicate of your Mac HDD any day.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

It’s quite fun, but I’d call it sensory overload (and there’s not even music with this game!) However, you’ll find yourself itching for more once the gameplay is over — especially to beat your higher score.

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.