@app-review Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Instamatch turns Instagram into an engaging iOS game

by Steven Sande (Feb 22nd, 2012)

Are you a fan of Instagram? I often find myself taking snaps with the app, adding some special effects, and then posting them for close friends and complete strangers to enjoy. Now the folks at Tiny Hearts, the developers of the fun Pocket Zoo app I reviewed last year, have come up with Instamatch ...

Daily iPad App: Ziggurat adds new controls to the shooter tradition

by Mike Schramm (Feb 22nd, 2012)

Ziggurat is a fascinating little iPhone game. It's technically a shooter, but the controls are unlike any shooter I've ever seen. The idea is that the human race is almost over, and one lone figher stands atop a pyramid, under attack from robots on all sides. Playing as this solitary fighter, you ...

Daily iPhone App: App Deals helps you score an app while it's on sale

by Kelly Hodgkins (Feb 21st, 2012)

I'm always looking for apps that are on sale, but there are too many apps and too many sales for one person to reasonably browse without any help. While searching for a way to track sales, I found App Deals, an app that showcases daily deals on popular apps. App Deals is made by Appsfire, a ...

Daily iPad App: Pets vs. Orcs combines cuteness with battle

by Mike Schramm (Feb 21st, 2012)

Pets vs. Orcs (free) is a game that seems to have been designed for my gaming tastes. It's got a few flaws, but when I saw that screenshot heard it described as "a mix between Civilization and Warcraft 3," and I couldn't download it fast enough. Now that I've played Pets vs. Orcs, I'm disappointed ...

Kashoo iPad app: Business accounting on the go

by Steven Sande (Feb 20th, 2012)

Kashoo began existence as an online business accounting service. With the addition of a new free iPad app, business owners now have a powerful accounting tool at their fingertips at all times. In this review, I'll take you through a quick look at Kashoo and describe how it's helped one small ...

Daily Mac App: Osfoora is a sleek, no-frills Twitter client for OS X

by Kelly Hodgkins (Feb 20th, 2012)

If you're looking for a no-frills Twitter client with a pleasant UI, look no further than Osfoora for Twitter. The popular iOS Twitter client is now in the Mac App Store and is an excellent companion to the mobile title. Osfoora has a straight-forward UI that puts the necessary tweeting tools at ...

Daily iPad App: NPR Music is a treat for music fans

by Mike Schramm (Feb 17th, 2012)

Everyone knows about NPR's quality podcasts, or at least they should. All Things Considered, Car Talk and Whose Line is it Anyway routinely top the charts on iTunes. But I'm also a fan of NPR's music. They do a great series of podcasts called All Songs Considered, and they often release great live ...

Daily iPhone App: Streetquiz helps you learn your local roads

by Kelly Hodgkins (Feb 17th, 2012)

Streetquiz is part game, part navigation app that drills you about your local streets. The app uses your cellular connection and GPS position to pull down new questions about the streets on which you are walking or driving. It's meant to be a fun way to learn the roads in your neighborhood or ...

Daily iPad App: Cut the Buttons HD lets you play with scissors

by Mike Schramm (Feb 17th, 2012)

Some of the most compelling iOS games provide a perfectly-tuned example of an established genre. Other strive to create a completely new experience, with varying levels of success. The latter often stands out, if only for the bold attempt at doing something new. Cut the Buttons is a great example ...

Daily iPhone App: Dine-O-Matic chooses a restaurant for you

by Dave Caolo (Feb 16th, 2012)

Eating at a restaurant is fun but getting a consensus from a group of diners can be a hassle. Offload the responsibly to your iPhone with Dine-O-Matic from the Iconfactory (currently on sale for US$0.99), which is more than happy to choose a restaurant for the whole gang. The app combines retro ...

Daily iPhone App: Clear uses iPhone's intuitive interface to its advantage

by Megan Lavey-Heaton (Feb 15th, 2012)

We got a sneak peek at Clear last month, and fellow TUAW editor Steve Sande and I have been happily playing with the beta ever since. The collaboration between Realmac Software, Milen and Impending, Inc. has turned enough heads that it caused a knockoff to briefly appear in the App Store over the ...

Daily iPhone App: Cherish Kids saves your children's memories for a lifetime

by Kelly Hodgkins (Feb 14th, 2012)

Did you ever look at one your own baby photos and wonder how old you were when that photo was taken? Or perhaps, it's a grade school picture and you can't remember when you parents took you to Plimouth Plantation. If you're a parent there's no excuse for your kids to have these same questions when ...

Daily Mac App: Dropzone circles your life with shortcuts

by Kelly Hodgkins (Feb 14th, 2012)

We first looked at Dropzone a few years ago when it launched for OS X and the little utility app is growing up. Now at version 2.0, Dropzone has a fresh, new circular look that's inspired by Path. It also includes a bunch of small improvements that'll help you manage your apps and files. For ...

Daily iPad App: Numberlys uses clever animation to teach your kids their letters

by Kelly Hodgkins (Feb 14th, 2012)

It's not too often that I stumble on an app that's so well done that I can't help but say, "Wow, this is fantastic." Numberlys is one of those apps. It's a learning game for younger kids, but it's not what you would expect. Made by the Oscar-nominated Moonbot Studios, the game uses wonderful, ...

Daily iPad App: Ragdoll Blaster 3 goes in a new direction

by Mike Schramm (Feb 13th, 2012)

I first came across Backflip Studios' Julian Farrior back at GDC a few years ago. At the time, his company's biggest title was called Paper Toss, and he also had a game in the store called Ragdoll Blaster, a physics puzzler where you threw dummies out of a cannon. Back then, Farrior talked at ...