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

Daily iPad App: Frozen Synapse simulates some very impressive turn-based strategy

by Mike Schramm (May 23rd, 2013)

Frozen Synapse has been a successful title on Steam for a while now -- it's a turn-based strategy game, with the twist being that you're a sort of tactical AI, running these battles on simulations and hardware rather than in real life. As a result, the big draw of Frozen Synapse is that while, ...

Turn your photos into a comic book with Halftone 2

by Mel Martin (May 23rd, 2013)

We looked at the original Halftone app for iOS a couple of years ago and were impressed. The app has been completely rewritten and is more touch-oriented, supporting vector graphics for smooth insertion of picture elements. Halftone 2, which is iPad-only and was released today, lets you import ...

Daily iPad App: Sun by Discover Kids is a star-studded look at our Sun

by Kelly Hodgkins (May 22nd, 2013)

The sun is one of the most important stars in our galaxy. It gives us light, enables the growth of plants, is a source of energy and is the cornerstone of our calendar. To learn more about this spectacular star, you should check out the Sun By Kids Discover app. The iPad app features interactive ...

Daily iPhone App: Las Vegas! brings Ravensburger's dice game to the iPad

by Mike Schramm (May 22nd, 2013)

Las Vegas! is a popular dice game that Ravensburger put together last year. It's not exactly the most complicated board game on the block (you roll dice, and then can place them into certain numbered slots that represent stakes in money-making casinos), but it's fun for families especially, and ...

Just about everything you'll want to know about Beethoven's 9th on your iPad

by Mel Martin (May 21st, 2013)

Beethoven's 9th Symphony (free plus in-app purchases) is an epic iPad app that lets you explore one of the greatest symphonies ever written in a unique, compelling way. Classical music lovers will definitely want to check it out. Beethoven's 9th Symphony uses every trick in the multimedia tool ...

Daily iPhone App: Blendoku has you lining up colors to match

by Mike Schramm (May 21st, 2013)

Blendoku is based on a crazy idea, made even crazier by the fact that it works. I am just plain terrible at colors. When I was working retail, I spent an entire day learning to lay out merchandise according to color. I was so bad at it, the trainer sent me right back to customer service. That's ...

Free VIEW Magazine is filled with intriguing photography

by Mel Martin (May 20th, 2013)

View Magazine is a nicely put-together coffee table ebook for the iPad or iPhone that contains photos that are interesting and certainly not run-of-the-mill sunsets and flowers. A variety of photographers have combined to submit some of their favorite work, and they offer some commentary about the ...

Share between devices painlessly with Instashare

by Shawn "Doc" Boyd (May 18th, 2013)

There will come a time when you would like to simply transfer a file from one iOS device to another or to a Mac; it's inevitable. When the time arises, you will discover as most of us already have that the process is not as straightforward as one would think, considering how powerful these devices ...

Daily iPhone App -- Zoombies: Animales de la Muerte is cute, arcade fun

by Mike Schramm (May 17th, 2013)

Zoombies is a fascinating little game. It's made by a company called High Voltage that is probably best known for the Conduit shooter series, though they've been making licensed games for years (I remember visiting the studio for a tour back when I lived in Chicago -- they were based out in the ...

Daily iPad App: NASA's Earth As Art shows us our beautiful planet

by Kelly Hodgkins (May 17th, 2013)

NASA has a series of excellent educational iOS apps that appeal to adults and kids alike. Most have a strong scientific bent, but if you lean more towards art than science, NASA has an iPad app for you, too. Mixing a little bit of earth and planetary science with a keen eye for art, NASA has ...

Daily iPhone App: Mosaique is an original and inventive puzzle game

by Mike Schramm (May 16th, 2013)

Mosiaque is a very original puzzle game that I haven't quite figured out yet. It appeared on the App Store a little while ago from a company called Winning Blimp, and the core idea of the app is that you need to clear the screen of colored squares by firing them in from the sides. The issue, ...

iOS Review: BrightNest makes finding a start to spring cleaning a breeze

by John-Michael Bond (May 16th, 2013)

I'm not an organizational wizard. Neither is my wife. We've got busy schedules, artistic personalities, and cleaning is often the last thing on our minds. Worst of all, when we do finally find time to clean things have usually gotten so bad we don't know where to start. Enter ...

Daily iPad App: Use Moldiv to quickly create a collage

by Kelly Hodgkins (May 16th, 2013)

JellyBus, the makers of popular iOS image-editing software PicsPlayPro, recently launched a collage-making app, Moldiv, and packed it full of features that'll appeal to creative types who are looking to throw together a beautiful collage. The first thing you notice about Modiv is the large number ...

Chills and thrills for your iPad with Haunting Melissa

by Michael Rose (May 16th, 2013)

A teenage girl alone in a remote farmhouse, an absent father, a boyfriend off at college... and a locked door that conceals a tragic secret. These are the creepy, chilling tropes on display in Haunting Melissa, a serialized video horror story delivered in the form of an iOS app available today on ...

Daily iPhone App: Steve Jackson's Sorcery is interactive e-book bliss

by Mike Schramm (May 15th, 2013)

I have to say -- the iPad is a terrific platform for interactive e-books, but so far, I haven't been very impressed by the options out there. I do use my iPad for reading a lot, but the vast majority of my reading is done in either iBooks or a comic book reader. It's very rare that I will pick ...