Mike Schramm

Editor

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Mike has worked in the Joystiq Network since 2006, as lead blogger and senior editor on WoW.com and one of the founding editors on Massively.com. Currently, he is a contributing editor on Joystiq, and also writes and podcasts for various outlets, including The Unofficial Apple Weblog.

Mike Schramm's Latest Posts

Daily iPad App: Sid Meier's Ace Patrol is an excellent game sold badly

by Mike Schramm (May 14th 2013 8:00PM)

My birthday was last week on May 6, and Firaxis must have heard about that because in recent weeks they've released not one, but two great turn-based strategy games. First, Haunted Hollow was released as a great, original free-to-play title, and now the legendary Sid Meier (of Civilization and ...

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Finger Tied Jr. coming next week

by Mike Schramm (May 14th 2013 7:00PM)

Finger Tied is an iPad app that arrived late last year. It's put together by developer Owen Goss, and he says that a lot of users have asked him to create an iPhone version of the app, but given that it's a game that uses the iPad's big screen for lots of finger-swiping space, he didn't want to ...

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The Inteliscope connects your iPhone to an actual firearm

by Mike Schramm (May 14th 2013 4:00PM)

We've talked before about how the iPhone can do a lot of things for you, but can it serve as a scope on a tactical rifle? That's the idea behind the Inteliscope, a new accessory that connects your iPhone to an actual tactical firearm. You just clip your iPhone 5 (or 4S or iPod touch) to the ...

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Siri update prompts users to be brief

by Mike Schramm (May 14th 2013 2:30PM)

Apple's voice interaction system Siri has been updated, this time specifically to ask users to keep it short. Siri's system doesn't deal well with longer user queries, so if you happen to ask something that's just too long for Siri to deal with, she'll interrupt you, giving you a quote from a ...

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Heroes and Castles updated to version 3.0

by Mike Schramm (May 13th 2013 9:00PM)

Foursaken Media's Heroes and Castles has been updated yet again, with lots of new content to play. The game, which allows you to level up a hero by defending a town and its various resources against an army of invading minions, has been popular for Foursaken already, and the team told me during ...

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GungHo reports Puzzle and Dragons is earning $3.75 million a day

by Mike Schramm (May 13th 2013 6:30PM)

GungHo Entertainment is a game publisher based in Japan, and the company has just released some really wild financial numbers. According to the latest numbers, GungHo made US$118 million this past April alone, most of it from one game: Puzzle and Dragons, currently available on iOS. Puzzle and ...

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MIT makes a smartphone-controlled bartender

by Mike Schramm (May 13th 2013 5:00PM)

We've seen beer-pouring robots before, but MIT has recently put together a smartphone-controlled robot bartender, with three robot arms that can pour and mix up to 100 different alcoholic and non-alcoholic flavors. The Makr Shakr lets you order up a drink directly from your iPhone, and then it ...

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Road Not Taken is coming soon from Triple Town's creators

by Mike Schramm (May 13th 2013 3:30PM)

Triple Town is one of my favorite games on iOS over the past few years -- it's a puzzle game with a simple ruleset and a whole lot of complexity. The creator of that game, called Spry Fox, has announced a new title in development called Road Not Taken, and you can now see some concept art from it ...

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Carmageddon free, The Incident and more on sale

by Mike Schramm (May 10th 2013 7:00PM)

Just in time for the weekend, here's a few apps that have dropped their (already cheap) prices even lower, meaning that you've got plenty to play here for just a few bucks' worth (all prices USD). The PC classic turned iOS port Carmageddon has gone completely free for today only. The ...

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Pixbits announces Junk Jack X, coming later this year

by Mike Schramm (May 10th 2013 6:00PM)

There are quite a few "sandbox" games available on iOS, including the uber-popular Minecraft, and Majic Jungle's great Blockheads. But my favorite so far is Junk Jack, a 2D sandbox title put together by Pixbits. It's excellent -- its little square tiles are perfect for the iPhone's interface, ...

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