Despite the fact that ebooks have taken off to the extent that Amazon's ebooks now sell more digital books than paper ones, I still feel that there is something missing with the format. It's just not the same as picking up a book and reading it from cover-to-cover. The ebook needs to deliver more to convince the rest of us non believers that it has something else to offer besides a kindle. And this iOS application could well be the kind of thing to convince me. Carmilla is a new app by DraculApps (yep, you heard it right) that not ... Read more
Do people still play real board games, I wonder. One thing's for sure, it's getting harder and harder to find a true toy store that sells these sort of games. The problem is, I guess, that with so many games now being transformed into games that can be played digitally there is a perception that if they ain't on your smartphone or tablet then they aren't worth playing. The introduction of the incredibly user-friendly iPad a few years back and the consequent rise of the tablet revolutionized the market even more and opened up all these games to a new ... Read more
You might have seen an item featured on both The Daily Show and the ABC News with Diane Sawyer programs recently that talked about the wild cost variations for hospital treatment in the US. In the case they cited - a young boy in need of a tonsillectomy - the family were given five different quotes from five different hospital locations for exactly the same treatment. Nothing unusual there, except for the fact that the lowest came in at US$2,800 and the highest was $21,000. Everyone involved agreed that there should be a 'price list' for treatments and somewhere they ... Read more
I think it was writer P.J. O'Rourke that once said that golf combines two of the favorite American pastimes - taking long walks and hitting things with a stick. What is certainly true is that, while it may be a very pleasant place to spend a few hours on a sunny afternoon, golfers take their sport very seriously. The thing that gets me though is the way they keep score. While TV scoreboards are filled with up to the date information,the humble golfer still mostly relies on the simple piece of paper to keep their score and has no idea ... Read more
It would be surprising to find out that a large company doesn't have an app attached to it these days. We have been told for the last two years that an online presence is essential in these internet crazy times. With the boom in smartphones hitting an all time high and people thirsting for new apps to put on them these large businesses have had a head start on smaller ones - primarily because of the cost factor but also because it was deemed to be hard work to put a native app together. ZeitConnect is a foot-in-the-door app creator ... Read more
Does anyone really know why games like Angry Birds take off to the extent they do? It certainly wasn't for its cutting edge graphics or for its scintillatingly complicated gameplay, that's for sure. Smashing Egg Tido is a new arcade-style game by developer JaiZee and Gamesutra that throws itself into the ring as the next fun and addictive game for iOS. Tido is a colorful animated egg character who spends his time finding ways of trying to prevent being turned into a tasty omelet by various chefs. Collect points, add power-ups, pick up items as you go and beat your ... Read more
So how do you think you'd go in the fashion stakes? Have you watched enough episodes of Project Runway and America's Next Top Model to know your silk from your satin and your alpaca from angora? Fashion Games is a new app for would-be fashionistas that offers a heap of fashion-related games to test your knowledge and shopping skills and sets you on a path to maybe turn you into the next Yves St Laurent or Vivian Westwood. This fun and entertaining set of games features various levels of difficulty in taking you to the top of the fashion tree. ... Read more
These are busy and stressful times and we probably don't take enough time in our crowded daily schedules for a moment of relaxation and meditation. We probably don't think we have the time to do it anyway - whether we have faith in relaxation techniques or not. MyRelax is a health and wellness app for Android and iOS, narrated by noted Italian author and meditation expert Carlo Boschi, that offers simple ways to take a moment out of your day and turn your mind off. Perfect for all ages, the app offers different methods of relaxation to reduce stress levels ... Read more
I guess many of us are getting to the point in our lives now where we could do with a pair of eye glasses to read much of the small print that is presented to us. My eyes are pretty good but in a dimly lit restaurant even I have a problem telling the difference between a spicy and a very very spicy Tom Yum soup in my local Thai restaurant - until it hits my mouth, of course. This Reading Glasses App for iPhone is perfect for reading the fine print on a menu when you have lost or ... Read more
Here is a health and fitness app that doesn't come with any weight loss guarantees. It doesn't magically transform you from overweight to lightweight overnight nor is it a mind expanding instant answer to your dieting problems. What it is, though, is a well thought out companion to your weight control program that can give you the same dietary help when you are on-the-go as when you are in the comfort of your own surroundings at home. UControlWeight helps you keep full track of the calorie content of the things that you eat during the day by parking itself on ... Read more