EACH WEEK, WE highlight five apps that are worth downloading for your smartphone and tablet. There are a lot of apps released on a daily basis, but not all of them are worth paying attention to.
This week includes the return of a classic adventure series, a new way to protect your Android device, and a twist on the classic Buzz Off games.
Broken Sword 5 – The Serpent’s Curse
For: iOS (Android version in the works)
Cost: €4.49
- Point and click games are going through a renaissance of sorts recently. Sam & Max, Tales of Monkey Island and Back to the Future have brought the genre to smartphones and tablets. Now you can add the latest Broken Sword game to the list.
- Fans of the series will be glad to know The Serpent’s Curse is a welcome return to form since The Angel of Death in 2006.
- For those not familiar with the series, it’s famed for its witty script and smart puzzles. Also, it’s old-school game so for new players, it may take a bit of time to get used to, but it’s worth it..
- So far, Episode one is only available, but the second will be released before the end of March. Android users should get it soon.
- While it’s not the strongest entry in the series (mainly down to it splitting up the game into episodes), it’s an enjoyable adventure and you’ll be left waiting for episode two.
(Video: TouchGameplay/YouTube)
On The Line
For: iOS
Cost: €0.89
- Remember Buzz Off, the game where you guided a metal hoop through a small course? Well, there’s a smartphone version.
- On The Line follows the same format, except the metal hoop in question is your finger.
- Keep your finger on the screen and make sure you don’t hit the edges. Simple to start off but as the speed increases and the obstacles become more varied, you’ll be doing well to reach 200cm.
- Randomly generated tracks means you’re not going to get the same experience twice.
- Handy for dipping in and out of, but it does require a lot more concentration than you would expect.
TimePIN
For: Android
Cost: Free (€1.69 for full version)
- Normal PINs are useful for protecting a device but if you’re worried that your fingerprints will give your PIN away, there’s an alternative.
- TimePIN sets your pin to your 12 or 24 hour clock so it changes every minute (e.g.: if the time was 10:43, your PIN code is 1043).
- In case that’s too easy, you can set mirror, reverse, double and offset PIN codes, giving it an extra layer of security.
- You keep your default PIN as a failsafe, so don’t forget what it is in case you need it.
- For those who like an extra layer of security for their phones, it’s worth playing around with.
(Video: Justin Case/YouTube)
Snapdragon Glance (Beta)
For: Android
Cost: Free
- There are quite a number of custom lock screens on Android, you may have noticed that if you regularly explore the app store, but few of them are worth considering.
- Snapdragon Glance is an intelligent lock screen that launches anytime you turn on your smartphone or tablet.
- Basically, it alerts you to any new notifications you have on your phone immediately, and launch any relevant apps quickly.
- You still have access to your regular home screen should you want to view homescreen widgets instead.
- Only thing you need is Snapdragon Battery Guru installed first for it to work, but that’s free too so it’s not a sacrifice.
FlipMag BETA
For: Windows Phone
Cost: Free
- It’s not like there’s a shortage of readers on Windows Phone (see last week’s roundup for example), but any alternatives to Flipboard are always welcome.
- FlipMag combines both RSS and curated articles that’s very visual and breaks up articles into topics and publications.
- Its layout is similar to Windows Phone’s home screen, tiles you can resize and rearrange as you wish.
- It also nicely animated, moving between articles and topics is smooth (for the most part) and articles are broken up into segments which you flip through.
- The BETA tag tells you there’s still a lot of work to do, but what’s there already is promising.
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