One Game, One Price – Say Goodbye to In-App Purchases with These Games

Two weeks ago, Apple's featured a spot in it's app store solely dedicated to showing off games with no in app purchases attached to them. There is a reason why the highest grossing apps on the app store are "free" games. Clash of Clans ranks right there at number one in total gross income due to its sale of in game currency like gems that help the player advance through the game more quickly. Candy Crush Saga is within the top five highest grossing games through the sale of extra moves, extra lives, and in game currency. The idea behind in game purchases is not a new concept - games on a number of platforms from Xbox to Playstation to PC have offered similar in-game purchases but no other platform has mastered in-game purchases quite like mobile apps have.

When I see a game on the app store that looks fun to me, I immediately check to see if it has in-app purchases. If it does and these purchases look anything like "bag of gems - $.99", I immediately start my search for a different game. In my app store travels I have found quite a few very fun apps that offer no in-app purchases and below are a few of my favorites.

Super Hexagon [Price: $2.99]

[Download on iOS]
[Download on Android]

Super Hexagon is one of the most difficult yet addicting games I have played on any platform. In Super Hexagon, you play as a geometric shape that must move around a hexagon in order to avoid being hit by the walls. Tap right to rotate clockwise and tap left to rotate counter-clockwise to avoid lines that move inward, trying to hit your shape. The game has six game modes: hexagon(hard), hexagoner(harder), hexagonest(hardest), and "hyper" modes for each that make the walls move inward faster. Last a minute on each level to unlock the next - a feat that sounds easier than it is. The game has an intense and fun soundtrack coupled with vibrant colors and is sure to leave you playing for hours trying to beat your own high score.

League of Evil [Price: $1.99 (iOS) or $0.99(Android)]

[Download on Android]
[Download on iOS]

If you love Super Mario then you will love League of Evil. It's a platform game in which you play as
a secret agent who must punch an evil scientist in the face. Navigate through obstacles by jumping, tumbling, punching, and running. Collect briefcases in each level and try for a fast level-clear for an added challenge. What I like most about League of Evil is the pixel artwork. It has sort of a vintage feel to it that reminds me of old games for the NES. If you like League of Evil, be sure to check out its sequels, League of Evil 2 and League of Evil 3 as well for more levels!

Ridiculous Fishing [Price: $2.99]

[Download on iOS]
[Download on Android]

It's cold out here in the mid-west, which means no fishing unless it's of the ice variety. So why not enjoy a little bit of virtual fishing? Billy the fisherman drops his lure into the water and you must control the lure by tilting your phone from side to side. avoid hitting fish with the lure for as long as you can. Once you do inevitably collide with a fish, you will begin to ascend back out of the water. While ascending, collect as many fish as possible. After you reach the surface, this is where things get ridiculous. The fish that you collected will fly out into the sky and you must shoot them with shotguns, uzis, rocket launchers and other forms of weaponry. After each round you gain money which can be used to purchase other power ups, weapons, and accessories.

Solitaire [Price: FREE]

[Download on iOS]
[Download on Android]

It's just Solitaire... What more do you need to know? Kill time with this classic card game made into an app by MobilityWare.

The New YouTube App Just for Kids

Now available on both Android and iOS devices, the new YouTube Kids App brings a softer user interface and a brighter, more playful design to your phone or tablet making it easier for children to navigate. Aside from just the looks of the app, Google implemented a number of built in parental controls to give parents a say as to what their child is allowed to see or hear within the app. Parents have the ability to set a timer which limits their child's viewing, a sound option which allows parents to cut off music or sound effects, and the ability to disable the search function so that only the videos on the YouTube Kids home screen are view-able. There is also a feedback submission form that allows parents to send in their recommendations and thoughts on the app.

The app is advertised as the "first Google product built from the ground up with the little ones in mind.”, and why not? children are a growing demographic on YouTube with child-focused videos being published every day. The goal of the app is to provide kids with a safe environment to watch their favorite shows and videos from Thomas and Friends to Sesame Street and other online hits that originated on YouTube like TuTiTu, and Super Simple Songs. The YouTube Kid's app is the perfect way for kids to stay busy while still allowing parent's to monitor and regulate usage.

Below is the release video from Google:
Download from the Google Play Store Download from iTunes

Organizational Apps – Best Apps to Increase Your Productivity

I am a list person; grocery lists, to-do lists, no fly lists – okay so maybe not that last one, but lists are an important part of my life and without them I would be an absolute mess trying to remember everything I need to purchase from the store or what assignments I need to complete for class and by when. This is a blog based around mobile apps, and if by chance you missed the title of this post you might be wondering “what do apps have to do with lists?” There are several hundreds of applications on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store dedicated to increasing productivity, many of those through the use of lists. I am here to tell you which apps I find the most useful and pleasing to use.

1. Sunrise Calendar [Available on iOS, Android, and Desktop] [Cost: Free]

Ever wish you could hire a personal assistant who could keep track of every appointment, every meeting, every event in your life and make sure you remember to attend them? With Sunrise's incredibly affordable cost of “free” you won't have to worry about paying some assistant, just head over to your app store of choice and press “install”! Sunrise is the what the stock iOS and Android calendar app could be if they were on steroids. What makes Sunrise great is the ability to connect a multitude of different accounts across the web to your calendar. Gmail, Evernote (which is mentioned later in this blog), LinkedIn, Facebook, and many other web services. Linking these accounts helps to automatically create events as they occur. The developers are constantly implementing additional services to the app with every update. This combined with the beautiful user interface makes it my favorite calendar app. Sunrise was recently purchased by Microsoft which is quite the endorsement.

2. myHomework [Available on iOS, Android, and Desktop] [Cost: Free w/ In-App Purchases]

Many colleges around the United States including UNI are now finishing up their fifth week of classes. If you are a college student and are anything like me, now is the time when assignments are starting to pile on and it can be a little overwhelming to remember which assignments are due for which class. MyHomework is an application that acts as a digital student planner. MyHomework allows you to enter in which classes you are currently taking and then log what has been assigned in which class. The app allows you to enter when an assignment is due, the priority this assignment has in your school life, and allows you to set a reminder alert to go off at a time determined by you. MyHomework is a fantastic way to stay on top of your schoolwork and get that much closer to a 4.0!

3. Evernote [Available on iOS, Android, and Desktop] [Cost: Free w/ Optional Premium Membership]

Now that we've talked about linking Evernote with Sunrise and using myHomework as a way to keep track of assignments due in your classes, it's time we talked about Evernote and how it can help you keep notes in those classes. Throw away the pencil and paper and move into the digital age with Evernote's sophisticated note taking technology. Evernote allows you to take notes on one device and sync it across several other devices instantly. Like Sunrise, the user interface is what really jumps out to me with Evernote. It is simple to use and looks incredible as well. Evernote will help you take better notes and keep better track of those notes and just be more productive in general.

4. Clear [Available on iOS] [Cost: $4.99 w/ In-App Purchases]

In this day and age, simplicity is key, and the developers behind Clear have created possibly the simplest to do list app in the app market. Available exclusively on iOS, Clear uses a gesture based design that allows users to input any list that they need to remember. Be it a shopping list or to do list, Clear has got you covered. Swipe down on your screen to create an item, swipe to the right once you have completed that item or swipe left to delete it, tap and hold to move an item up or down on the priority scale. What makes Clear unique is that because of this gesture based interface, there are no buttons which makes for a very unique but fun user experience.

An App a Day Keeps the Boredom Away!

Welcome to my blog, An App a Day! In this blog I hope to cover a variety of topics as they relate to mobile and web apps. As a twenty-one year old college student, I am obsessed with my cell phone and have a strong interest in the use of apps specifically. I love learning about new apps on the market, learning what apps my friends are using and how they are using them, and really just mobile technology in general. We are fortunate enough to be living in an age where people have access to terabytes upon terabytes of information at their fingertips at all hours of the day through the use of smartphones. Both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store are constantly updated with application after application with developers hoping theirs will be the next big thing. I will cover these apps in this blog through reviews and posts about the mobile application world. Be sure to check back every once in a while!