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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 an old-school shoot-em-up, a way to ensure you never lose anything you type ever again, and a tranquil adventure.
R-Type II
For: iOS, Android
Cost: €1.79
- Anyone who had an Amiga during the early 90s surely had one game from the R-Type series.
- For those unfamiliar with it, R-Type is an old-school shoot-em-up that’s hard. Not impossible but it does require a lot of concentration.
- It’s frantic from the word go. If you’re looking for a laid-back and easy game, you may want to look elsewhere. You have the option of choosing unlimited lives, but that defeats the purpose of the game.
- Touch controls and auto-fire mode are there to compromise for the small screen, and you may need them if you’ve never played it before.
- A refreshing change from the casual and freemium games that currently flood the app stores.
(Video: TouchGameplay/YouTube)
Bing Health & Fitness
For: Windows Phone
Cost: Free
- We’re finally arrived at March and while it’s still rather chilly and wet, the evenings are getting longer so chances are you’ll be more likely to exercise as a result.
- Bing Health and Fitness enters a crowded market, but its aim is to be your sole resource for everything fitness related. To its credit, it does a great job.
- The calorie tool lets you set goals for what you eat and has over 300,000 foods on its database.
- On top of that, it has the usual fitness functions, GPS tracker, workout suggestions, tutorials and even info on possible health conditions, although we’d be hopeful you won’t have to rely on that.
- If you’re not already using a fitness app like Endomondo or MyFitnessPal, you should try this out first.
(Image: Bing Health & Fitness/Windows Phone)
Telegram
For: iOS, Android, Windows Phone (unofficial version)
Cost: Free
- Telegram has received a lot of attention in the last week. It was downloaded over 8 million times in the space of four days and for good reason.
- The focus is on speed and security, allowing you to send messages fast without having to worry about your messages being intercepted or used for third-party purposes.
- Alongside the usual multimedia features associated with messaging, you can share videos as large as 1GB, which gives you a lot of leeway with photos as well.
- If you want, you can create group chats that have 100 people involved. Again, you probably won’t need it, but it gives you an idea of what the service is capable of.
- The only caveat is a messaging app is only useful if all of your friends are there, but those who download it will discover a clean, and quick app that’s deserves the praise it’s received.
(Image: Telegram/Google Play)
Type Machine
For: Android
Cost: €1.49
- Ever type something and accidentally delete it or the app you were using crashed without warning, wiping out everything you’ve written?
- Type Machine keeps track of everything you’ve written on your phone. Find the app you were using and everything you’ve typed is found there.
- Every native Android app is supported, and if you don’t want text from certain apps saved, you can blacklist them so they don’t appear.
- Passwords aren’t logged in and you can set it so it deletes all info every day, or during a set period.
- If you use your smartphone or tablet to write more than one word responses, it will save you a lot of hassle.
(Image: Type Machine/Google Play)
Temgani
For: iOS
Cost: €4.49
- A lot of smartphone games put a lot of time and focus on 3D graphics, which while it shows what your phone’s hardware is capable of
-It’s been said about other games here, but Temgani is a beautiful game. The origami-style visuals and pop-up book setting is frankly stunning. It’s preferable if you play it on an iPad as you’ll appreciate the level of detail on a larger screen.
- It’s an adventure game that is slow and peaceful, a simple interface and the pop-up mechanics leads to some relaxing gameplay.
- The score playing in the background is also worth a mention, adding atmosphere to a tranquil game.
- If R-Type (mentioned above) doesn’t appeal to you, this will be right up your alley.
(Video: TouchGameplay/YouTube)
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sad times…
Well it’s just aswell your man in the picture had the app open!
There was a Pokemon on the roof of his bejaysusing car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very sad that people have to chase a cartoon for entertainment. It’s bad enough walking into these zombies on Facebook and texting without this crap. Not far away from a population of hunched over pale and blank faced people now!
Bejaysusing! What a word!
Thankfully, I’m unaware how this game works. Is it GPS reliant? If so, the creators could include software which would mean the game freezes when the user is travelling over 10km per hour.
Have you not got the memo? Corporations have no social responsibility apparently.
Why should they be responsible for stupid people ? I thought humans supposed to be the superior species …not.
It does for its predecessor Ingress, where you can go about 20kmh before the gps lags behind. The developers don’t encourage driving, or using any faster transport than a bicycle for these sort of games. They also say at the start of the app to keep an eye out of your surroundings, which sadly too many eejits aren’t doing and giving the games a bad rap.
People play as car passengers or on trains/buses etc.
Telling people interferes with the natural selection whereby the stupid people kill themselves off and only the clever people continue the species. Unfortunately, with so much health and safety about we are top heavy with dopes !
Is that to improve Gardai chances of catching ‘em all?
Some adult needs to be warned not to play this while driving, says it all really!!!
A friend was passing through town during the week, called in to see me, had two of his sons with him.
I answered the door, the two teenagers shot past me, checked out every room in the house, out to the garden the garage, hopped over the wall, came back 20 minutes later after checking the neighbourhood.
For Pokemon monsters.
I wanted to give the two of them a good slap…and I know by the look on my mate’s face that he would have been happy if I had…but I didn’t.
It’s becoming a stupid obsession.
Someone has your house completely mapped out so….talk about a data collecting tool and when you download the app you are giving them complete access to everything on your phone, including your emails.
It’s almost like they were in an alternate reality while there.
You know…as if teenagers aren’t annoying enough already.
I remember you been equally freaked and posting online here in the 70′s about the Hula Hoop – and look at it now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WJNFYumRQ0
LOL, this part of the comment – “the crowds were in awe as his hoop swung , flipped and flopped. Johnny , your the man !!! ” under that video is gold
Chewy I wish I could give you a thousand thumbs up
Steady on.
I was driving through the Phoenix park and caught a Michael D Higgins and I wasn’t even using my phone !!!! Cool or what.
These days I’m more surprised when I see someone not using their phone while driving.
Miriam
Total rubbish. Reading click bait is bad enough but posting it very sad.
god help us all when Mario Car Go is released, it will be chaos on the roads
Cant wait for gta go
The missus issued me a similar warning about extramarital sex, apparently ‘gotta catch em all’ is not a good reply when asked about my STD status.
Solid Advice
People have been warned not to vote FG but they still do it.
Wish they would lead by example
Ahh Pokemon go… Aiding natural selection since July 2016 …
If a law was passed to make phone manufacturers, service providers, app developers etc… concurrently liable for accidents caused by people on their phone while driving – I guarantee there would be a workable solution to stop people using them within a month.
If an idiot walks into traffic, off a cliff, into a tree it’s because they are an idiot not because the game made them do it. They make their own decisions. I’ve no time for this game it’s basically train spotting for the modern generation but the game didn’t make people stupid and plenty of screen shots show a warning telling players to pay attention.
This is the biggest load of shiteeeeee I’ve ever seen. Society become even more idiotic, and more dumbed down. Sad state of affairs. Pfffffffff
Yeah remeber when we all used to go into a big building and talk to an imaginary being so that it wouldnt send us to an imaginary place when we died
At least all the virgins are getting some sun on their greasy spotty necks. Might dry them out a bit.
Seriously, are people that stupid that they need to be “reminded” no to play a game on their phones while driving?
No shiz sherlock!
My tax paying money won’t be used on those shower of wasters chasing virtual characters shame they don’t care about the real Irish wildlife
So we should go into the contryside and throw balls at foxs and badgers ?
Obviously not it went straight over your head dermot
But isn’t that speed that kills?
I think not looking where you are going does too..
@Free – I really need to start using #sarcasm so that people will cop on.
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