Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

Atari's Greatest Hits

| FREE | Atari, Inc.

Apps Rush: Fantasy Safari, D&AD, Atari Greatest Hits and more | Technology | guardian.co.uk - Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

A collection of 12 apps for you today: Even the biggest games publishers aren't immune to the freemium bug on Apple's App Store. Electronic Arts' new game Fantasy Safari is free to play and funded by in-app purchases of virtual items. The gameplay involves building and running a safari park where the creatures are mythical: unicorns, dragons, phoenixes and the like. Creative industry awards D&AD has its own iPad app, offering details, images and videos of more than 650 entries, as well as extra content on news, events and educational schemes.iPad Already available for iPhone, Atari's greatest hits collection has made the leap to Android, with Missile Command preloaded free, and 99 other classics available to buy in-app as four-game packs, or all at once. Asteroids, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Pong and more...Android Digital music firm 7digital has updated its Android app to a universal build that includes a version specifically for tablets running the Android 3.0 Honeycomb software. It's a digital music store with recommendations, browsing and preview features, and access to 7digital's cloud features to download previously purchased songs.Android There are plenty of digital music apps for iPhone, but this app focuses on physical music: CDs, vinyl and even tapes. It's for building a catalogue of your music collection, using a mixture of barcode scanning, database search and manual barcode entry. The catalogue is then stored online and accessible from various devices. There is even a feature to keep tabs on who you've lent albums to.iPhone Artfinder is pretty much a Shazam for art: it enables people to take photos of artworks that they encounter in galleries and get more information on them using image recognition technology.iPhone Voice control app Vlingo isn't new for BlackBerry smartphones, but it's newly free. The app is the latest to benefit from Research In Read More

Meporter Local News Desk

| FREE | Meporter

Apps Rush: Dr. Seuss, Disney Princess, Evri, ChannelCaster and more | Technology | guardian.co.uk - Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

A selection of 7 apps for you today: The latest Dr. Seuss book-app isn't based on a real book. Instead, The Bippolo Seed is based on seven Dr. Seuss stories originally published in magazines in the 1930s, according to publisher Oceanhouse Media, which promises they give a glimpse at characters and themes that would pop up again later in his famous books. Disney's latest iPad book-app focuses on Princess Rapunzel, with a storyline based around planning a right royal knees-up. That includes mini-games to bake cupcakes, create a crown and colour in various Disney princess characters.iPad Evri claims to be "the world's first topic-based newsreader", letting you dig into more than 2.3 million topics from 15,000 websites to follow the latest news on whatever your interests are. The iPad app then presents the feeds that you're following, or jumbles them all together in a Now Following tab.iPad Nokia hasn't released a Windows Phone yet, but it does appear to have released a Windows Phone app. Engadget reports that Top Apps promises to help WP users "find the latest and hottest applications" - there are lots of app-aggregation apps for iOS, and a fair few for Android, but it looks like Nokia is bringing the idea to Windows Phone too.Windows Phone ChannelCaster is the latest news aggregation app, starting on Android. In some ways, it's similar to Taptu again, encouraging you to "curate, mash and share dynamically-updated Channels based on your areas of interest". It works across smartphones, tablets and the web, and includes Facebook news feed integration too.Android Local news app Meporter has been out on iPhone for a while, but now has an Android version too. The idea: it helps citizen journalists buzz around writing, photographing and filming news in their area, then uploading it for the world (or the Read More

Life is Crime

| FREE | Red Robot Labs

Apps rush: FIFA Superstars, Jessie J, Toshiba Places, Alex James and more | Technology | guardian.co.uk - Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

A burst of 24 apps for your consideration EA has launched an iPhone version of its Facebook game FIFA Superstars, getting players to build a squad of top-tier football stars to take on the world.iPhone New company Red Robot Labs is picking up lots of buzz in the US for its new Android location-based game Life is Crime. It's all about completing missions to loot virtual versions of real-life buildings, with players able to add their own to ensure their surroundings have stuff to do.Android R.E.M. have got an official app, filed under Entertainment rather than Music in the App Store, interestingly. It includes standard features like news, tour dates and audio clips of songs, throwing in full music videos for good measure. Meanwhile, fans are invited to upload their own photos and videos, from gigs or simply when listening to a favourite song.iPhone At the time of writing, this official Jessie J app is only available for iPhone in the US – there's already an official app in the UK. What's new for American fans? It uses the Mobile Backstage community, so there is an emphasis on fans contributing their own comments, photos and videos.iPhone EA has released its annual version of its Madden NFL American football game for iPhone (an iPad version is also available). Multiple modes, beefy graphics and impressive tactical depth are, as ever, on the menu.iPhone / iPad Much-loved fairy tale gets a new iOS spin thanks to a troupe of bean-bag characters. Mumdomono's book-app uses a 3D game engine – something that's increasingly common in the new wave of book-apps.iPhone / iPad Vogue's Fashion's Night Out event has an official iPhone app, promising news on special events, exclusive products and discounts, and a map of participating stores in London.iPhone Bassist, man about town, cheese farmer... Read More

Zappar

| FREE | Zappar Ltd.

Apps rush: Fish Fight, Adobe CreatePDF, Edinburgh Fringe and more | Technology | guardian.co.uk - Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

A burst of 17 apps for your consideration Celebri-chef Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall has worked with Channel 4 on Fish Fight, an app designed to help people buy and cook sustainable fish. It includes more than 50 recipes, with Selfridges and the Marine Conservation Society also involved, while the app was developed by KEO digital. Adobe has released a PDF-creating application for Android smartphones and tablets, using the same technology found in its Acrobat software. It can convert a variety of file formats to PDF, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint docs and a range of image formats.Android Augmented reality firm Zappar has released a preview version of its app for Android, showcasing the company's technology. For now it's fairly basic in terms of features, but more features and content are promised for the coming months.Android Dorling Kindersley has released its latest travel app for iPad, and this time Rome is the city in focus. It has offline maps, lists of sights and attractions, and DK's signature cutaway illustrations for key buildings.iPad There are three official apps for this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe: for iPhone, iPad and Android. The mobile apps offer listings (including half-price ticket discounts), and the ability to buy tickets from the phone. Meanwhile, the iPad app has the full Fringe programme, and also the daily guide publication.iPhone / iPad / Android Buzzed-about Japanese developer Kairosoft – of Game Dev Story fame – has released its latest iPhone game Mega Mall Story. It's all about building the biggest and best shopping centre, with hints of popular iOS game Tiny Tower.iPhone The New Yorker magazine has launched a culture and tourism app for its hometown, offering events listings and recommendations from its team of critics, as well as restaurant reviews and audio tours.iPhone Music videos service Vevo is already available for iOS, Read More

PLAY by AOL Music

| FREE | AOL

30 new music apps for iPhone, Android and iPad | Technology | guardian.co.uk - Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

There's something of an explosion in music apps happening on iPhone and Android at the moment, from official artist apps that look to go beyond pure news and audio samples, through to social location services aimed at gig-goers. Here's a list of 30 apps that have launched in the past few months, from big stars and startup developers alike. It offers a glimpse at the trends and technologies that make apps as potentially habit-changing for music fans as they are for gamers and TV viewers. Note, this list is focused on apps that involve listening to or interacting around music, rather than actually creating it. Not because the latter isn't just as interesting – there is a similar boom in innovative music-making apps – but because, well, those apps will sit better in their own list. Meanwhile, the focus on recently launched apps is why the likes of Spotify, Pandora Radio, Last.fm and others are not included. They're still innovative and important, but this piece is about new contenders in 2011. This sits alongside The Elements as one of the iPad apps showing that tablet book-apps can be far more than a scanned-in PDF with a bit of extra video. The History of Jazz offers an interactive timeline tracing the chronological history of jazz, with music samples, videos and curated playlists to dive into featured artists' catalogues. This is less of a timeline, and more of a flowchart plotting connections between artists whose music is broadly similar. Discovr gets you to type in an artist, then tap your way through the chart of related bands, double-tapping to bring up biographies, videos and blogposts. Two apps that both have the same aim – to turn online storage service DropBox into a fully functioning cloud music service. Both MusicDrop and BoxyTunes stream music Read More

Talking Tom Cat

| $0.99 | Outfit7

The best apps for toddlers | Life and style | guardian.co.uk - Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

Resistance is futile. Today's digital tots are destined to spend more time swiping a screen than turning the pages of a book. But it isn't all bad news, as in the right hands touch technology can provide more scope for interaction, and dare we say learning, than paper. Here's our pick of the best apps for toddlers around right now, measured according to how difficult it was to wrestle our devices back when we needed them. Feel free to comment and suggest your preferred alternatives in the thread below. Screen wipes at the ready. When kids talk to Tom he'll repeat whatever they say, albeit in a slightly more silly-sounding voice. If they ignore him he'll yawn nonchalantly at them, which may prompt them to pull his tail or poke him in the head, belly or feet. iPhone, iPad, £1.19 Based on the beautiful artwork of Eric Carle (of The Very Hungry Caterpillar fame) My Very First App has three levels of difficulty. Easy involves matching colours to objects of the same colour, medium is a memory game where kids turn over cards to pair colours, and hard combines the two, with a memory game where colours must match the objects. iPhone, iPad, 59p, Android, 62p Though more of a freestyle interpretation than true representation of the nursery rhyme from which it takes its name, the Wheels on the Bus is nonetheless a superbly animated and highly interactive app. From spinning the wheels to swishing the wipers, there is plenty for children to poke and slide and they'll love the music, almost as much as you'll hate it. iPhone, iPad, 59p, Android, 62p Unlike its sister app, Make me a Princess (the digital equivalent of dressing up a Barbie doll), this app empowers little boys and girls by letting them dream Read More

How To Videos from Howcast.com

| FREE | Howcast

Top 50 Android apps | LG Talking Technology | guardian.co.uk - Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

HOWCASTYou can learn anything from a video tutorial these days and Howcast covers everything from "how to hide big ears" to "how to fall asleep faster". Very useful. Free POCKET EMPIRESOne of the best Android games, Pocket Empires is a medieval multiplayer online game in which you'll need to grow crops and build a small city to succeed. Extremely addictive. FreeHOCCERHoccer allows you to share things like contacts and photos through gestures like dragging, snatching and throwing your handset. Saves fiddling around. FreeTRIPITEmail that impenetrable airline confirmation to TripIt and it plots the key details on a simple itinerary. Phone numbers and maps are a click away and it even works offline. Free KINDLEThis app makes hundreds of thousands of books, many of which are free, accessible on your phone, and you don't need to own a Kindle to use it. Free QIK VIDEO CAMERAHandy video app for recording, saving and sharing clips across YouTube and Facebook, as well as storing them on Qik.com for easy playback. Free LOCALE AUTO SYNCSets your phone to switch to silent in school or remind you to charge when you get home. FreeSPEAKING UNIVERSAL TRANSLATORTranslates in real time. Supports English, Spanish, French and Italian, so far. £1.29Search hundreds of UK campsites by location, availability, facilities and local attractions. Price TBC RECORDOID DICTAPHONETurn your phone into a dictaphone, add notes and then send your audio by email. FreeLAYAR REALITY BROWSERAugmented reality browser which layers information over your surroundings. Free TRANSLATE FOR ANIMALSHold you phone next to you dog/cat/tortoise and it will translate what they "say". FreeMAPS NAVIGATIONLayers data such as traffic updates, street views and business information over a Google map. FreeBLUETOOTH BARCODE SCANNERScan QR codes to buy apps and retail barcodes to search and buy online. 60pEARTHQUAKEFor the neurotic traveller, Google developer Reto Meier has built an Read More