Review: Kingdom Rush for iPhone

Kingdom Rush for iPhone

 
Overview:
The immensely popular tower defense flash game is now available for iPhone!  The goal in Kingdom Rush for iPhone is simple: Defend your kingdom against hordes of orcs, trolls, evil wizards, and other baddies in a medieval fantasy setting.

Enemies spawn and follow a path from their spawn to your kingdom.  As they travel down the road, the player is given the ability to create towers -- each with their own unique abilities -- to stop the enemy's efforts.

Pros:
Kingdom Rush features highly strategic gameplay.  Four basic towers, eight specialized towers, eighteen tower abilities, and over thirty tower customizations give the player plenty of options to create a very dynamic tower defense experience.

Game Center is fully integrated into Kingdom Rush, giving players the opportunity to earn plenty of achievements and vie for a position on the leader boards.  in a game like Kingdom Rush, achieving a high score and being competitive with others is half the fun.

Cons:
The app size is huge to achieve the gorgeous, fully illustrated levels.  Coming in at about 150MB, you will need a wifi connection in order to get Kingdom Rush up and running. 

Unlike the flash version, and iPad version for that matter, on the iPhone it can be hard to see the units and details of each map.  I found myself squinting and wanting to always zoom in in order to enjoy the experience.  The hectic nature of the later levels can also be frustrating on such a small screen.  This is not necessarily a fault of the game, rather the device, but it impacts this apps performance nonetheless.




Average User Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Blog Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Kingdom Rush for iPhone is easily one of the best tower defense games out there.  The production quality has always been phenomenal, and the ease of which it has been translated to the iPhone makes it the perfect app to play whenever you have those few spare moments between a class (or during!), waiting for an appointment, or simply wanting to have some great tower defense fun.

-Doug

ABINE: Stop trackers!

Most people don't realize that many sites can continue to monitor their internet activity, even if they are no longer logged into the site. Abine is a browser add-on that will permit you to stop the trackers!

Price: Free

Located: Windows 7 and 8

Pro:

• The pro of this app are:
• Prevent peering.
• Keep private your information
• Keep your search history private

Cons:

Maybe you want to be track. You want that the sites and company know more and more on you, until they can target you with products that could be tailored on you!


Average User Rating: 4 out of 5

Blog Rating: 4 out of 5

Similar browser add-on that will help you to stop tracker are Ghostery, Chrome Disconnect  and 

Evidon.

Bye,

Giglio

Lookout

Price: Free

Located: Android

Overview:

First things first:you need an antivirus!

The crime is more than ever on-line and we need to protect our data at the best. This is the reason why I've start speaking of an antivirus application such as Lookout. It was the first application that I have installed in my Android smart phone.

Pro:

It's a free application.

It's a leader on the market, as consequence it has more resources to have an apps updated with the most recent Threats.

PC Magazine:Slick, intuitive interface. Unobtrusive. Excellent antivirus protection, according to AV-Test.org. Mom-friendly. As far as security companies go, Lookout has perhaps the best grasp of its Android user base by creating a simple, effective, intuitive app that you'll hardly notice running in the background.

Con:

Because is so popular there is the risk that any serious Hacker could test the effectiveness of his creation on Lookout before use it. Something comparable with the leading antivrius products for Windows. Also, with the fact that is free, only a minority of users is willing to pay the price of a full protection and that keep the app not at is best.

PC Magazine:No alerts if SIM card is changed. Annoying screamer.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Blog Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Download Lookout and please up grade for $29.99 just to be sure. And if you don't want Lookout evaluate Norton, Kaspersky or McAfee Mobile Security.

Bye
Giglio

App Review: Viggle

Viggle

Price: Free

Located: iOS, Android

Overview: Viggle is an app which offers you gift cards, coupons, electronics, and more for watching TV and/or clicking in-app ads.  Simply download the app, register an account, and check in to a featured show using a simple check-in button.  Your device's mic will automatically detect that you are watching the show and begin to give you points.

Pros:
Unlike most rewards programs, Viggle actually pays out quickly.  During the two weeks of the Olympics I was able to earn over $20 off various video game downloads as well as gift cards for restaurants. 

Once you check in, you can ignore your device completely and Viggle will assume you have watched the entire show; If you check into a different show, Viggle will prorate your earnings.  If the show you're watching happens to be a featured show for Viggle Live, you can earn points for participating in surveys, answering questions about ads, or correctly answering trivia about the show you are watching.

One of the best features of Viggle is that it recognizes and credits you for watching DVR'ed or recorded content up to one day after the show to earn the bonus points and 1pt/minute.  Note: I have been able to check in to shows roughly two days later and it still works.

Cons:
Some of the shows Viggle wants you to watch aren't necessarily shows you'll always want to watch. I'm not jumping at the opportunity to watch Project Runway or the Democratic National Convention, but I can always check in quickly tonight and turn to something I would rather be watching.

During periods of heavy use, Viggle can get bogged down and not show you your point updates for several hours to a day.  There is also a point limit, and a general consensus that you shouldn't check in to more than 12 hours of shows per day or you risk Viggle banning you for unusual activity.

Average User Rating: 4 out of 5

Blog Rating: 5 out of 5

For the effort this app requires (next to none), the rewards are simply too good to pass up for regular TV-watchers.  Viggle is quick to use and rewards you for essentially doing what you're already going to do anyway.  Allowing you to earn additional points for interacting with your favorite show or ads can actually be a lot of fun.

The rewards are amazing.  I've earned over $100 on iTunes, $50 on Amazon, restaurant coupons, free video games, and enough Red Box rentals to last me until I graduate.  You're leaving money on the table if you don't use Viggle.

Viggle.com


-Doug

AllTrails

Price: 
Free

Located: 
Android and Apple Stores

Overview:
AllTrails App is one of the leading apps for outdoor enthusiasts across the nation. Over 1 million people use AllTrails information and tools monthly to discover/research top trails near them. Created in 2010, AllTrails has partnered with major players such as: National Geographic, The Clymb, and others to provide nature enthusiasts with information for hiking trails, skiing routes, and others.

Pro:
My wife and I recently visited the North Rim of the Grand Canyon over Labor Day weekend. Besides the picturesque overlook neither one of us knew which of the 20+ hikes were popular and which ones weren't. We downloaded the first app that would give reviews and details and it happened to be the AllTrails App. It is very easy to use and can determine hikes for you based on location, skill, and environment.

Con:
Although the app is very helpful for areas that you are unfamiliar with, it doesn't allow you to search for specific trails that you know of. It also allows you to download everything in your state; however, if I was planning a trip to Arches National Park I would have to wait until I got there to find the trails near me. In other words you can't search by park or canyon.

Rating:
3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Blog Rating:
3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

The idea of the app is really cool and applicable to outdoor enthusiasts. The compass, weather, and lists of trails near you is very helpful. The major setbacks are the navigating through the app to find trails and the inability to help you plan for trips in advance.