Category Archives: 9.99

GTA: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad Review

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GTA: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Rockstar Games
Price: $9.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0
Device Reviewed On: iPad

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

For those of you that might be new to the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad gaming scene, there are several games that simply stand above the rest in terms of quality, features, and overall design. Games like Chaos Rings from Square-Enix, Real Racing from Firemint, and Plants vs. Zombies from Popcap Games all elevate the standards that other companies should strive to meet. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars fits into this category as well, and arguably stands as the perfect blend of touch features, game play, and overall enjoyment.

The first thing that stands out when playing GTA: Chinatown Wars, especially when playing the HD version, is the graphics. This version of GTA returned to the old top down style of game play that existed in the first versions of GTA. The comparison below shows that the top down graphics have progressed leaps and bounds from the original titles (Pictures of GTA 2 taken directly from Rockstar’s website).

Game play in Chinatown Wars meets the quality that we’ve come to expect from GTA games. The world is completely open, with various shops and side missions, mixed in with guided missions to progress the story line. As the story progresses, new side missions, additional artillery, and new vehicles become available to the player.

The iPad version of Chinatown Wars offers much the same play style as its smaller version. While there is no additional content in the HD version, there are some noticeable upgrades. The graphics are just beautiful when maximized on the iPad. Increased polygon counts on specific models combined with enhanced lighting explosion effects really add a level of depth to the aesthetics of the game. Having the game maximized to 1024 by 768 really is a well deserved enhancement, and fits the iPad perfectly.

The only difficulty I found was in the control structure. I wouldn’t even call it a game specific problem, but with the increased real estate on the iPad I found myself missing buttons in high activity events. This was specifically troubling after I stole a vehicle and was in the midst of a getaway, and I missed the steering button, running headfirst into a building.

It isn’t Rockstar’s well established GTA style that really sets this title apart from other app store offerings, however. It’s the amazing way that this gaming elite company integrated touch screen features into the title. From hot wiring a car to building your own explosives, touch specific mini-games (for lack of a better word) are scattered throughout the game and in good numbers as well. These features are extremely impressive, easy to learn, and a lot of fun to use.

Usually a company establishes something that works and they overpopulate a game with that feature, creating a feeling of repetitiveness by the end of the game. Rockstar not only avoided this completely, but they designed the game in such a way that I was always excited to reach another mini-game. Rather than design one single way to hotwire a car, there are several. Some cars have advanced security systems that need to be connected to a PDA, and the code entered to hotwire. Others can be hotwired using the electrical system, where the player takes the lines, puts them together, twists them, and starts the car all by using the touch screen capabilities.

The story is typical of a GTA title, but open world games such as this aren’t known for being heavily appreciated for their story. Instead, game play usually outshines any need for a cohesive, linear story. That said, Rockstar has put together a storyline that offers just enough to keep the game interesting, even if some of the “cliff hangers” and “big reveals” are fairly easy to guess way before they are ever brought to the surface.

From a technical stand point, there were three separate times when the game crashed on me. This typically wouldn’t be a major issue but there also seems to be an issue with the auto-save system. Auto-save is something that, IMO, is a MUST for portable games, and should be active after each activity. After my iPad crashed, I found that certain side quest achievements I had completed were no longer, well, achieved. I was still in the same place in the main story, but had lost about $3,000.00. Again, this is merely an annoying error that will ultimately be patched up in a bug fix I’m sure, but it’s something that frustrated me enough to make mention of it here.

Despite this small frustration, GTA: Chinatown Wars HD is every bit the game its other versions is, and I would argue this stands above the rest as the best way to currently play Chinatown Wars. Graphically the game is great. The main story combined with a healthy dose of side missions and mini games keeps the game fun through the very end. A large open world leaves much of the direction of the game in the control of the players.

If you’ve never played a GTA game, I must caution you. This is very much a 17+ game. Given the amount of press that Rockstar has received in recent years, I don’t imagine this is news to anyone, even if you aren’t familiar with the game at all. Don’t be fooled by Apple’s overly strict policies though. There are a plethora of suggestive themes, bad language, and blood and guts. Just my kind of game, but not the kind of game your 2nd grader should be enjoying.

For veterans of the series, if you haven’t played this specific volume yet, shame on you. You should either go out and purchase this game immediately, or turn in your gamer card immediately. You can check out GTA: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad, or GTA: Chinatown Wars (iPhone), for $9.99. While you won’t get any new content for upgrading to the HD version, it’s so pretty I can’t see why you wouldn’t. If you’re even remotely considering it, you’re a true fan of the series and I wouldn’t give it a second thought. In fact, why are you still reading this? No really. Go buy it now!

[ GTA: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad Review is a post from 148Apps ]


GTA: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad Review

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GTA: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Rockstar Games
Price: $9.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0
Device Reviewed On: iPad

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

For those of you that might be new to the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad gaming scene, there are several games that simply stand above the rest in terms of quality, features, and overall design. Games like Chaos Rings from Square-Enix, Real Racing from Firemint, and Plants vs. Zombies from Popcap Games all elevate the standards that other companies should strive to meet. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars fits into this category as well, and arguably stands as the perfect blend of touch features, game play, and overall enjoyment.

The first thing that stands out when playing GTA: Chinatown Wars, especially when playing the HD version, is the graphics. This version of GTA returned to the old top down style of game play that existed in the first versions of GTA. The comparison below shows that the top down graphics have progressed leaps and bounds from the original titles (Pictures of GTA 2 taken directly from Rockstar’s website).

Game play in Chinatown Wars meets the quality that we’ve come to expect from GTA games. The world is completely open, with various shops and side missions, mixed in with guided missions to progress the story line. As the story progresses, new side missions, additional artillery, and new vehicles become available to the player.

The iPad version of Chinatown Wars offers much the same play style as its smaller version. While there is no additional content in the HD version, there are some noticeable upgrades. The graphics are just beautiful when maximized on the iPad. Increased polygon counts on specific models combined with enhanced lighting explosion effects really add a level of depth to the aesthetics of the game. Having the game maximized to 1024 by 768 really is a well deserved enhancement, and fits the iPad perfectly.

The only difficulty I found was in the control structure. I wouldn’t even call it a game specific problem, but with the increased real estate on the iPad I found myself missing buttons in high activity events. This was specifically troubling after I stole a vehicle and was in the midst of a getaway, and I missed the steering button, running headfirst into a building.

It isn’t Rockstar’s well established GTA style that really sets this title apart from other app store offerings, however. It’s the amazing way that this gaming elite company integrated touch screen features into the title. From hot wiring a car to building your own explosives, touch specific mini-games (for lack of a better word) are scattered throughout the game and in good numbers as well. These features are extremely impressive, easy to learn, and a lot of fun to use.

Usually a company establishes something that works and they overpopulate a game with that feature, creating a feeling of repetitiveness by the end of the game. Rockstar not only avoided this completely, but they designed the game in such a way that I was always excited to reach another mini-game. Rather than design one single way to hotwire a car, there are several. Some cars have advanced security systems that need to be connected to a PDA, and the code entered to hotwire. Others can be hotwired using the electrical system, where the player takes the lines, puts them together, twists them, and starts the car all by using the touch screen capabilities.

The story is typical of a GTA title, but open world games such as this aren’t known for being heavily appreciated for their story. Instead, game play usually outshines any need for a cohesive, linear story. That said, Rockstar has put together a storyline that offers just enough to keep the game interesting, even if some of the “cliff hangers” and “big reveals” are fairly easy to guess way before they are ever brought to the surface.

From a technical stand point, there were three separate times when the game crashed on me. This typically wouldn’t be a major issue but there also seems to be an issue with the auto-save system. Auto-save is something that, IMO, is a MUST for portable games, and should be active after each activity. After my iPad crashed, I found that certain side quest achievements I had completed were no longer, well, achieved. I was still in the same place in the main story, but had lost about $3,000.00. Again, this is merely an annoying error that will ultimately be patched up in a bug fix I’m sure, but it’s something that frustrated me enough to make mention of it here.

Despite this small frustration, GTA: Chinatown Wars HD is every bit the game its other versions is, and I would argue this stands above the rest as the best way to currently play Chinatown Wars. Graphically the game is great. The main story combined with a healthy dose of side missions and mini games keeps the game fun through the very end. A large open world leaves much of the direction of the game in the control of the players.

If you’ve never played a GTA game, I must caution you. This is very much a 17+ game. Given the amount of press that Rockstar has received in recent years, I don’t imagine this is news to anyone, even if you aren’t familiar with the game at all. Don’t be fooled by Apple’s overly strict policies though. There are a plethora of suggestive themes, bad language, and blood and guts. Just my kind of game, but not the kind of game your 2nd grader should be enjoying.

For veterans of the series, if you haven’t played this specific volume yet, shame on you. You should either go out and purchase this game immediately, or turn in your gamer card immediately. You can check out GTA: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad, or GTA: Chinatown Wars (iPhone), for $9.99. While you won’t get any new content for upgrading to the HD version, it’s so pretty I can’t see why you wouldn’t. If you’re even remotely considering it, you’re a true fan of the series and I wouldn’t give it a second thought. In fact, why are you still reading this? No really. Go buy it now!

[ GTA: Chinatown Wars HD for iPad Review is a post from 148Apps ]


Keynote Review

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Keynote Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Apple Inc.
Price: $9.99
Version: 1.1

Design Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Features Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Integration Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Usability Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

The iWork suite, host to Pages and Numbers, includes Keynote – Apple’s premium presentation software built to offer an alternative to Microsoft’s PowerPoint. And now that it’s available for iPad, presentations can be created and viewed straight from your latest device.

In Keynote, Apple followed the same design ethic found in their other iWork for iPad suite of applications, with a familiar library of presentations visible when opening the application. Tapping the plus icon at the bottom centre is where you get started (and can duplicate a presentation just in case you’re prone to, like me, break things irreversibly). Twelve templates are there to choose from when starting a presentation, with a myriad of customization options available – more on this shortly. Interestingly, unlike Pages and Numbers, Keynote only works in landscape mode.

Keynote has a smart design to it. A fixed slides column along the left hand side gives you a (very) small preview of what each slide looks like, along with the ability to create new slides. There are eight templates: picture and title, title and subtitle, title and bullet points, title, bullet points and picture, title and blank space, picture, bullet points and, finally, a blank option. Everything can be moved and resized and rejigged, meaning it’s not a case of “which slide do I settle with?” but “which one looks the most like the one I’m after?” With a touch of customization, things will look just the way you want them to.

The editing process is seamless. Apple offers a Getting Started presentation with 20 slides in it, explaining how to get the most out of Keynote as well as showing off the transition effects available. There are four customization buttons along the top that, once mastered, will make presentations appear seamless and professional. The first is the all-familiar information “i,” which iWork and iLife users will know changes depending on what you’ve selected. If it’s text, options to choose the font, alignment and color exist; whereas if it’s a chart you get a myriad of charting settings. Speaking of charts, Apple includes a built in mini-Numbers application into Keynote, with a basic spreadsheet to allow you to create charts on-the-go. The interface is very simple: one spreadsheet and one keypad only.

The picture icon to the right of the informational “i” is where the iPad talks to the Photos application to retrieve saved photo albums and pictures as well as the ability to insert tables, charts and a variety of shapes. Again, each of these contain a large number of different color schemes and fully customizable layouts. To the right of that is the ever-popular effects button, allowing you to jazz up your presentation. The process is relatively simple: tap a slide, choose the effect, done. Apple has kindly included a transition time (up to 5 seconds) and delay time (up to 10 seconds) setting, as well as the ability to specify where the transition effect enters the screen from. In addition, transitions aren’t just limited to tapping on the screen, with Apple having included an “After Previous Transition” option to satisfy those who wish to leave the iPad to do all the work. For reference, there are 20 different transition types and also a “Magic Move” feature, enabling objects from one slide to move onto the next slide in line. Another neat touch.

The Tools section reveals a search function, which also includes a find and replace feature. Guide options are at your fingertips to ensure that objects are aligned properly, and slide numbers can be added to each slide too. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way for viewers to see how many slides there are actually are; the slide counter is merely a number “x” rather than “x/y,” y being the total number of slides. Lastly, a spell check is there which, thankfully, can be turned off. There’s nothing more annoying than a squiggly line underneath every proper name, right?

That’s all there is to the actual presentation side of Keynote. I am impressed with how easy it is to use, especially given the depth of some of the settings and options. Like other Apple applications, you seem to just know automatically where everything is. Even if you manage to screw things up, undo and redo facilities exist. What makes Keynote so special is that it’s just so usable.

Of course, sharing is a critical feature that deserves attention also. Apple has provided a variety of ways in which presentations can be imported, exported and published. You can send a document via Mail, share it via Apple’s premier iWork.com service, and also export presentations ready for iTunes File Sharing whenever you plug your iPad in to your computer. This final method provides the ability to save the document in Keynote format (.keynote) and PDF (.pdf) Presentations can also be imported through iTunes File Sharing and through the iPad’s Mail application.

Apple has struck the right chords with Keynote, just as with the other iWork applications for the iPad. Its presentation is chic yet functional, and the application remains snappy to use even while creating more image-intensive slides and transitions. It’s hard to tell where it falls short, because it offers so much. The only thing that I can think of is the presentation’s resolution – unlike the Mac version of Keynote, you can’t specify what resolution the presentation will be built in. Nonetheless, Keynote is absolutely worth the money if you make use out of it. It might not have all the themes and options that the Mac version has, which can make importing some presentations a not-very-nice experience, but for quick creation and a decent amount of editing, Keynote for iPad does exactly what it should do. And it does it seamlessly.

[ Keynote Review is a post from 148Apps ]


Rockstar Announces ‘Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD’

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Rockstar Announces ‘Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD’ is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Moments before the Apple keynote is scheduled to start today, Rockstar announced Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD for the iPad. The game sounds like it will feature the same content of the existing iPhone version of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the iPhone, with HD graphics and modified controls like most HD-ized games.

Chinatown Wars will be available on September 9th for $9.99. For more information on the iPhone version of the game, buzz on over to our comprehensive review from when it originally was released. During keynotes, Apple has historically shown gameplay footage of yet to be released big name titles from large publishers like EA and Gameloft. If we're lucky, maybe we'll see Grand Theft Auto on the iPad today.


Numbers Review

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Numbers Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Apple Inc.
Price: $9.99
Version: 1.1

Design Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Features Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Integration Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Usability Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

The spreadsheet application of the iWork Suite, known as Numbers, is Apple’s take on Microsoft’s Excel. Spreadsheet users will be relieved to hear that Apple’s take on the application is identical in terms of function to Excel, it only differs in form. For instance, the cell formulae like =SUM and =AVG are still the same in Numbers, as are all other formulae, and the spreadsheet even looks the same (but let’s be honest – how could it look much different), but Apple’s design leaves Microsoft Excel looking like a tool from the past. And now that Numbers is on the iPad, well, things just changed entirely. Again.

As with Pages, Apple offers fifteen preset templates (including a blank sheet, of course) in Numbers for iPad. Although the list is not as expansive as Numbers for Mac, the ability to customize each sheet in detail means that if you’re ever stuck for choice and know what you want, you can choose the sheet that looks the least dissimilar to your wants and edit it accordingly. Getting started with Numbers is an easy process, even if you’re new to spreadsheets. Apple includes a ten-point spreadsheet example to get you started.

Users of Apple’s iLife and iWork suite for Mac will be familiar with the “i” information tool that Numbers makes so much use out of. The “i” button is dynamic, meanings its function changes depending on what you’ve selected. If its a chart, the “i” provides a number of different colour schemes and options like the ability to include a title, whether or not valued labels should be inside or outside of the chart and an ability to turn the legend on and off. If you click in a cell, the “i” provides a number of options regarding cells (text and fill colour, alignment etc), formatting in the form of cell type (currency, percentage, number, checkbox and so on), and headers and tables settings. The list continues with every new type of object you tap. Numbers will recognize what is selected and offer a specific set of settings accordingly. The other buttons are identical to that of Apple’s Pages:

The picture icon to the right of information offers the ability to insert all of these features: pictures in the iPad’s Photo Albums; tables and charts (of which there are six different styled versions to choose from, all of which are customizable) and a number of shapes. Thankfully, the much-needed option to insert a text-box can be found in the ‘Shapes’ section also.

Finally, a ‘Tools’ icon is also to be found, providing the ability to … search the document and turn on/off edge guides and spelling check. Noting edge guides in particular, this feature automatically aligns text and images against other parts of the document, to create a seamless and professional-looking piece of work. It works well. Saving the most important feature to last comes in the form of undo and redo facilities, which are again essential tools that Apple have integrated well. One tap to undo, tap and hold to redo.

Numbers is beautifully easy to use for both beginner and professional, with no loss of customization along the way. The application automatically detects what type of cell format your data is related to. For example, by entering £20 Numbers will automatically format the cell to currency, providing only two decimals after, to create £20.00.

The list of functions is generous and – as any good spreadsheet user knows – almost limitless once you begin to customize functions to your own preference. Apple includes a preset of ten function categories to get you started, with the most popular (and some less well known) functions already there. The categories are: Date and Time, Duration, Engineering, Financial, Logical and Information, Numeric, Reference, Statistical, Text and Trigonometric.

For those not familiar with functions, think of a spreadsheet as one large, unconventional calculator. If you enter in a list of numbers, and in a new cell type =SUM(x), with x being all of the cells you selected, it calculates the sum total of those cells. =AVG finds the average and so on. In part, this is why I find the preset templates so alluring, as these spreadsheets are already formatted accordingly, and linked to graphs already designed and ready to go. Apple’s templates are easy to understand and even easier to customize.

Noteworthy is the new keyboard that Apple has designed exclusively for Numbers. A number of calculator functions like addition, subtraction, brackets and division are found on the left hand side; a numpad in the middle; and a number of “hot buttons” on the right hand side. These buttons include: the list of aforementioned function categories, entering text, adding the date, and dictating whether a cell is marked “true” or “false” if necessary. In addition, when entering a stream of data, Apple provides two return keys: one to go across to the next cell and one to go down to the next. Given the iPad’s touch screen interface this is a welcome addition, providing a quick and easy way to navigate exactly to the cell you wish to edit.

Apple provides a number of options in which to share spreadsheets to and from the iPad. iTunes File Sharing allows spreadsheets to be locally transferred back and forth between the iPad and your computer (in .numbers and .pdf format). In addition, Apple’s new iWork.com service allows spreadsheets to be published online, although strangely there is no apparent way to retrieve spreadsheets from the web onto your iPad, even via iWork. Spreadsheets can be both sent by and opened through the iPad’s Mail application.

The only real flaw that I found throughout using Numbers is not a fault of Numbers itself, but rather the iPad’s screen. Although it is easier to move and re-organize documents with the iPad’s touch display, I did find it more difficult for creation and inputting. Of course, with the ability to pair a wireless keyboard the iPad, this problem can be overcome.

In conclusion, Numbers is everything that it should be, and Apple has designed it in a way that somehow keeps all of the features there, but makes it so much easier to use than its rivals. It feels like a real Apple application, and that is very refreshing indeed.

[ Numbers Review is a post from 148Apps ]


Pages Review

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Pages Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Apple Inc.
Price: $9.99
Version: 1.1

Design Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Features Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Integration Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Usability Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.88 out of 5 stars

Contrary to popular belief, the iPad is not just an output device. Yes, it provides games and entertainment and music and browsing. Yes, it is a book reader. But with the right applications, the iPad is transformed into an input device: one that allows for creation. Pages for iPad is one of these applications. My expectations were high, especially seeing as I am long time user of the iWork suite for Mac. My expectations were exceeded.

When opening Pages, you are greeted with a personal directory of documents. To get started, tap the plus icon at the bottom centre of the screen, where a list of built-for-iPad templates are provided. There are sixteen all-in-all, less than the Mac equivalent but more than enough for even the most customizable of users. If you use Pages for Mac, you’ll be able to add all your documents onto the iPad through iTunes’ File Sharing feature.

Once you’re in a document, the power of Pages is revealed. Up top you’ll find a woodgrain-themed menu bar offering a significant number of features to advance your work. The first icon – information – is denoted by the familiar “i” symbol featured across the iWork suite. And, like its Mac counterpart, the “i” changes depending on what you have selected. If it is text, the “i” provides the ability to style it in a number of pre-defined ways: you can transform text into a list and adjust the layout in the form of alignment, number of columns and size of line-spacing. If selected on a table, the “i” the provides options to choose the style of the table in a number of intricate ways including which lines to show and whether colour should be applied to alternate rows, as well as more basic features like what the text font and size should be. Equally, the list goes on for charting, shapes and images.

The picture icon to the right of information offers the ability to insert all of these features: pictures in the iPad’s Photo Albums, tables and charts (of which there are six different styled versions to choose from, all of which are customizable), and a number of shapes. Thankfully, the much-used option to insert a text-box can be found in the ‘Shapes’ section also.

Finally, a ‘Tools’ icon is also to be found, providing the ability to edit the document’s setup (header, footer etc), search the document, and turn on/off edge guides and spelling check. Noting edge guides in particular, this feature automatically aligns text and images against other parts of the document, to create a seamless and professional-looking piece of work. It works well. Saving the most important feature to last comes in the form of undo and redo facilities, which are again essential tools that Apple have integrated well. One tap to undo, tap and hold to redo.

Now to talk about actually using Pages for creating documents. The impressive array of features is only as good as Apple’s integration and ease of use is! As a personal test, I began using Pages without reading the Getting Started tutorial, and yet I knew where everything was within just a few taps. Apple has an uncanny way of thinking, a method that isn’t outside of the box but rather what the box should be in the first place. Not once was I left thinking “why is that there?” or “this would be better over there.” Instead, my thoughts were “well this feature must be here” and almost always it was. The pre-written templates are a big advantage, even for basic document creation, as only a little bit of rework and customizing is needed to suit a wide variety of document styles and personal tastes.

Even when it came to less common features like integrating pictures and charts and tables to my documents, it was always just a few taps away from what I wanted it to look like. Finger gestures, like two-fingers to rotate, tap and hold to move and one finger to bring up a list of options, became second nature instantly, and the provided edge guides coupled with x and y-axis positioning ensure that everything is accurately placed.

Of course, sharing is a critical feature that deserves attention also. Apple have provided a generous variety of ways in which documents can be imported, exported and published. You can send a document via Mail, share it via Apple’s premier iWork.com service, and also export the document ready for iTunes File Sharing whenever you plug your iPad in to your computer. This final method provides the ability to save the document in Pages format (.pages), PDF (.pdf) and Microsoft Word (.doc). Documents also be imported through iTunes File Sharing and through the iPad’s Mail application.

Pages does fall short in some areas. Paper size can only be A4 or US Letter size, meaning larger documents like A3 cannot be created natively. In addition, the lack of an ability to add new words to the Dictionary directly through Pages becomes frustrating when inserting names of people or places: a squiggly red line constantly reminds you that the word you’ve entered does not actually exist. Furthermore, despite the iPad’s powerful A4 processor, Pages remained concerningly slow on image-heavy documents. Whenever I began to enter text on a document with eight images on a single page (see screenshots) the text input was surprisingly sluggish. Text styles can’t be edited either.

Unfortunately, importing documents brought about the most concerning problem of Pages. Even in Apple .pages format imports, frequent errors came up with regards to margin sizes and formatting, sometimes skewing documents up to the point of unreadability. Hopefully future fixes will address these issues in general and this issue in specific. Finally, documents can’t be saved as a template for future documents.

Despite these flaws, Pages has transformed the iPad to the point of redefining it. No longer is it only an output device for pleasure, but an input device for creation as well. Even with its problems, Pages is impressive, succinct and very easy to use – even though it houses a number of intricate features and options. For document creators, to say it is worth $9.99 is an understatement.

[ Pages Review is a post from 148Apps ]


Knights of the Phantom Castle Review

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Knights of the Phantom Castle Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Hudson Soft
Price: $9.99
Version Reviewed: 1.2.0

Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.4 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.41 out of 5 stars

After thoroughly enjoying the fantastic game, The War of Eustrath, I was excited to get my hands on another strategy game. I tried my best to wash away any expectations that I may have had with the genre, but with the $9.99 price tag sitting on Knights of the Phantom Castle, I was definitely expecting something epic.

Instead, I got a game that feels a bit clunky. It’s a game that definitely reminds me of some of the long and arduous games that haunted my NES playing childhood, and not in a good way.

Knights of the Phantom Castle (KPC) plays a lot like an RTS, but with clunky game mechanics and some strange controls. Each level starts you with a selection of a certain amount of units, picked by yourself, to complete the level ahead. Once you equip your troops with various treasures that you receive throughout the game, you go into the game itself.

Most of the levels boil down to killing all the enemies on the screen. Some levels have other quests, but they also tend to boil down to killing everything on the screen. Just forget what the game tells you and then kill everything on the screen; you’ll be much happier that way.

Each troop has a main combat move, a tap move, a hold move, and a drag move (each move is performed by the synonymous action). Tap moves and hold moves are easy enough to perform, but the rest is a bit of a crap shoot. The problem with the game is that moving requires you to touch and drag, and so does the normal attack, and the drag attack. The moving and attacking mechanism works well enough (although it gets tricky with ranged attackers), but the drag attack takes 4-5 tries to actually be performed. Sometimes you will accidentally perform a drag attack on accident and you’ll hurt your own units. It’s really a pain.

My biggest problem with the game is the lack of a real story. While other games in the genre try to grip you with their characters, KPC provides a weak story and a handful of nameless soldiers. Sure, the game goes on forever and a day, but never do you really get attached to anything enough to play on. Your continued gameplay hinges only on your love for the combat system, and let me tell you, it won’t hold you for long.

If you do like the combat system though, and you are impressed by the admittedly high difficulty, you may really enjoy KPC. There was definitely some work put into the game, but its control system and lack of gripping characters leaves me wanting more.

[ Knights of the Phantom Castle Review is a post from 148Apps ]


Crosscheck Review

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Crosscheck Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Wolter Group
Price: $9.99
Version: 1.0.1

Design Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Features Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Integration Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.33 out of 5 stars

The productivity section of the App Store holds a surprisingly small percentage of total applications available – a mere 2.34% at last count. Nonetheless, to-do and other productivity-based applications are becoming more and more popular not only within the business community, but within personal usage as well. The developers at Wolter Group New York are one of the latest to satisfy this new demand with Crosscheck, an iPad-only “super-simple” productivity application for iPad.

At first glance, Crosscheck appears like a more GUI-friendly version of TaskPaper (an application that received a worthy 4.5 stars). The interface is clean and intuitive, resembling applications made for iPad by Apple.

Crosscheck uses tags and specific filters like #, @, ! and [ ] to organize content. Whilst this may seem obscure initially, it improves time and customization, as well as being quicker than going into drop-down boxes and checklists. For reference, a hash tag is used to tag certain words (think Twitter), allowing you to group certain tasks together. They can be used for time (#urgent and #quick), importance (#high and #low) or really anything you wish. @ is used for names, for example @Mark or @Stacy. ! is used to gauge the priority of a task – the more exclamation marks, the higher priority the task is. Finally, square brackets [ ] are used for dates. Crosscheck automatically configures dates into words like Tomorrow and Next Thursday depending on the date you type within the brackets, eg. [19 August 2010] transforms into Thursday. To get started, add new groups for your tasks. You can have as many as you like, and each are colour coded for quick viewing.

The portrait mode interface is refreshingly simple, with almost all of the iPad’s generous display being taken up by the content you have created. This content can be sorted manually, by priority – the number of exclamation marks, when it was created, when it is due – the date within square brackets or by an auto-sort feature, which keeps all tasks in their respective groups, but then orders it by priority within each group. Up top is the ability to create a new task, to export all tasks via e-mail and to synchronize shared items. Despite the initial $9.99 purchase, it appears that you need to buy an additional $9.99 subscription to make use of this synchronizing feature. The year’s subscription package also provides TLS encryption for document safe-keeping, and an unlimited API access – allowing other applications to link into Crosscheck.

The landscape mode of Crosscheck is where the application really feels like an official Apple app. A fixed Groups column on the lefthand side of the screen (also available by tapping ‘Groups’ in portrait mode) provides the ability to search and filter content by their group, as well as filtering by the @ and ! tags. The number of tasks within each group and filter are also visible, as well as the ability to see all upcoming items.

The interface in creating a new task is also intuitive and simple. Choose what group the task should be in and type away. An always-updating list of filters is present, specifically ones that you have created, meaning there is no need to type them in manually if you have written them before. In addition, # @ and [ ] are always present, however the priority filter – an exclamation mark – is missing. Nonetheless, the existence of these keys significantly reduces time spent typing, particularly seeing as the iPad’s keyboard requires an extra tap just to get to a non-alphabet character keyboard layout. Whenever an application is marked as done, it is crossed out with a strikethru.

The time spent learning Crosscheck is minimal – important for a productivity application. There is no excess to the application; a good use of space and focus on content is provided. The heavy use of official Apple integration in Crosscheck through the iPad SDK – for example the way to sort content or mail all tasks – gives the application an official feel to it. In other words, if you know how to use an iPad, you know how to use Crosscheck. I am impressed that it has been able to retain its simplicity and ease of use with the features that it has.

However, there are a few drawbacks. First of all, despite all of my searching, I couldn’t find a way to delete a specific task (it can only be marked as complete). Even after marking a task as complete and quitting the application, it remains there when you next open Crosscheck. In addition, Crosscheck lacks password protection – even though this may not concern mainstream users, those who are looking for local security for their private content will not be able to find it here. Even a basic level of local encryption would be a welcome addition to an otherwise impressive application.

Somewhat disappointing is the need to buy a subscription even after you’ve purchased the application to make use of the advanced features (you need a subscription if you want to collaborate with others by sharing groups and to-do items). However, a major flaw is the syncing capability itself. With no desktop app coupling the iPad version, the only form of syncing that can be done without an additional subscription is not a sync at all: merely an e-mail. However, if you do opt for the subscription package, Crosscheck syncs with a number of calendars with to-do capabilities, including Apple’s iCal and Google’s own calendar. Microsoft Outlook is also supported. Data can be exported manually through an XML document that “describes all your groups and to-do items” and the subscription package even provides an RSS Activity feed of all your tasks.

In conclusion, Crosscheck is a productivity application with an edge. The smart design coupled with excellent integration makes it a contender for one of the best designed to-do applications out there. If you’re prepared to shell out a bit more for the subscription package to enjoy full syncing, this might just be what you’ve been looking for. When used in conjunction with a productivity application on your Mac or PC, Crosscheck suddenly makes sense.

[ Crosscheck Review is a post from 148Apps ]


iAnnotatePDF Review

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iAnnotatePDF Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Wolter Group
Price: $9.99
Version: 1.2

Design Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Features Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Integration Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Whenever Apple launched iWork for iPad earlier this year, it redefined the capabilities of the iPad. No longer is the iPad an output device that provides content – it is now an input device that allows for content to be created easily and seamlessly. iAnnotatePDF aims to take this a step further. And they have.

To get started – you’ll need some PDFs. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of ways in which iAnnotatePDF can acquire PDF files – be it through iTunes file sharing, the official Aji PDF service, DropBox or even by searching on the web. An in-built browser allows you to search for any document you need, and iAnnotatePDF will work in the background downloading the PDF as soon as you tap on it.

A directory of PDFs is provided with a plethora of ways to search and sort (see screenshots attached). Multiple documents can be opened at once through in-built tabs like a browser, and all documents can be exported via mail and iTunes – fresh with any annotations you may have added.

The annotation tools are equally impressive. The sidebar on the right deals with the main tools: adding a box of text; a pencil for free highlighting; a ruler for addings straight lines; a highlighter for highlighting specific lines of text; and underlining and strikethru options also exist. All are color customizable with a tap. The menu bar on the bottom provides a search; the ability to add a bookmark (useful for longer documents); scrolling between pages; clipboard for copying; and a width-locker which keeps the document at a certain width whenever enabled.

These bars are customizable with some thirty different buttons, as well as custom levels of transparency and overall size. See the screenshots attached for all tools available. One feature worth pointing out is that whenever you select a tool, it will remain selected indefinitely, with a little graphic at the top left hand side of your iPad screen where you can close it. Scrolling is done by two fingers whenever a tool is selected.

The application’s only real drawback is its integration. Although the tools themselves work fine, the application feels very third-party. To me, it is like the application was designed and then ported over to the iPad, rather than being designed specifically for

Nonetheless, iAnnotatePDF is an excellent application. Whilst you may not use it every day, when you do you’ll remember exactly why you bought it. It’s simple to use and has more than enough annotation tools. And we weren’t the only ones impressed with it – Stanford School of Medicine have just acquired it.

[ iAnnotatePDF Review is a post from 148Apps ]