Category: App Lists

The 10 Most Epic iPad Games for 2013 (With Video Examples of Gameplay)

Casual games are a dime a dozen in the App Store, but what about huge epic games with gorgeous graphics and dozens of hours of gameplay? With actual hardware game controllers coming to the iPhone/iPad in iOS 7, you know epic games are going to be in more demand soon. Well, here are the 10 Most Epic Games for the iPad that will soon have you reaching for those game controllers.

[iframe src=”https://artoftheiphone.com/wp-content/uploads/Hype/EpiciPadGames/EpiciPadGames.html” width=”100%” height=”600″]

Be sure to check out more of our App Lists for more great app ideas.

10 Best iPad Cooking Apps (for Recipes and Instructions)

One of the best uses for an iPad is for cooking— prop it up anywhere in the kitchen and follow along to the infinite amount of recipes and videos you can find on the Internet. Below are my handpicked 10 Best iPad Apps for Cooking.

[iframe src=”https://artoftheiphone.com/wp-content/uploads/Hype/iPadCookingApps/iPadCookingApps.html” width=”100%” height=”700″]

Be sure to check out more of our Art of the iPhone tips.

8 iPad Apps That Stream Free Full Episodes of TV Shows (Part 2)

SURVIVOR: CARAMOAN - FANS VS. FAVORITES

Below is a list of 8 apps that deliver free, full episodes from TV networks in the US (make sure to check out Part 1 here). Most of the apps below deliver only a few episodes of a handful of shows from a specific network—thus, the apps aren’t replacements for watching your favorite shows on cable TV or over-the-air television. But they may be good for discovering new shows or watching the latest of your favorites. And hey, they’re free, so no complaining.

1. CBS

CBS iPad app screenshot

The CBS app (free) is one of the best iPad TV apps because it offers a lot of free content from some of its best shows; in fact, there is a least one episode for just about all of their shows. And yes, there are full episodes, with commercials interspersed throughout. Shows currently streaming as of this writing are:

  • The Amazing Race
  • Survivor
  • NCIS
  • Elementary
  • David Letterman
  • The Good Wife
  • Rules of Engagement
  • How I Met Your Mother
  • And more…

2. History Channel

History Channel app

The History Channel (free) is another app with a ton of content inside. The History Channel may not feature much actual history anymore, but its shows are still pretty entertaining. As of this writing, there are 59 episodes of Axe Man available in the app (wow!). Other shows don’t feature quite so many, but most offer 4-6 episodes for streaming inside the app. Other shows with full episodes currently available in the app are:

  • Vikings
  • Pawn Stars
  • American Restoration
  • Only in America With Larry the Cable Guy
  • Counting Cars
  • Swamp People
  • American Pickers

3. A&E

A and E iPad App

A&E (free) also offers several shows with free full episodes. Storage Wars, for example, features 12 full episodes for your viewing pleasure (as of this writing—it could change week to week). Other shows with full episodes available inside the app are:

  • Bates Hotel
  • American Hogger
  • Duck Dynasty
  • Hoarders
  • Intervention

4. LifeTime

LifeTime iPad App

LifeTime (free) has a good amount of free episodes available, but it varies from show to show. For example, Client List only features the latest episode, but The New Adventures of Old Christine has 5 full episodes available for streaming. There are also a few Lifetime made-for-TV movies available to watch in the app. Shows offering free full episodes are:

  • Preacher’s Daughters
  • Project Runners
  • Dance Moms
  • How I Met Your Mother

5. Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel HD app

Discovery Channel HD (free) offers only a few free episodes in the app. There are tons of video clips from shows, but few episodes. In fact, there are currently only 5 free episodes total from the following three shows:

  • Pot Cops
  • Bering Sea Gold
  • Weed Country

6. TLC

TLC iPad app

TLC (free) has tons of clips from popular shows like Honey Boo Boo, but sadly there is currently only 1 free full episode in the app, and it’s from the show Welcome to Myrtle Manor. Of course, many of these apps add and remove content periodically, so perhaps this is just a dry spell, but as of this writing, there’s very little full-episode content in the TLC app.

7. Animal Planet

Animal Planet for iPad

Animal Planet (free) currently offers full episodes from 3 different shows. My Cat From Hell even has 6 episodes available to watch. All available shows (as of this writing) are shown below.

  • My Cat From Hell
  • North Woods Law
  • Gator Boys

8. Adult Swim

Adult Swim

Adult Swim (free) offers a mix of free full episodes and “gold” content which is only available by signing in via your cable provider. The good news is that there is a ton of free episodes available for streaming in the app. Shows currently available for streaming in the app are:

  • The Venture Bros
  • Aqua Teen Hunger Force
  • Metalocalypse
  • The Boondocks

10 More Essential iPad Apps for Music Creation (With Video Examples)

Make sure to check out Part 1 here. Musicians are quickly discovering that iPad apps are some of the best values in music creation tools today. Where it can costs hundreds of dollars for a real-life hardware synthesizer, the iPad’s multitouch screen can recreate all the knobs, switches, and other features without the cost of manufacturing, leading to ultra-cheap apps that deliver nearly identical sound—hook up a MIDI keyboard and you get the same playing experience as well. The iPad is a pretty amazing revolution in music creation and recording tools. Check out my list of 10 More Essential iPad Music-Creation apps below to get an idea of some of the best apps available.

[iframe src=”https://artoftheiphone.com/wp-content/uploads/Hype/MoreiPadMusicApps/MoreiPadMusicApps.html” width=”100%” height=”600″]

10 Essential iPad Music-Creation Apps (With Video Examples)

Also check out Part 2 here with 10 more apps. Musicians are quickly discovering that iPad apps that help create music are an incredible value in the world of professional music making. Never before has it been so cheap to own professional-quality software tools, and it’s all thanks to the miracle device known as the iPad. Below are my picks for the 10 Best and most useful apps for creating music on the iPad, with video examples.

[iframe src=”https://artoftheiphone.com/wp-content/uploads/Hype/iPadMusicApps/iPadMusicApps.html” width=”100%” height=”600″]

My 20 Most-Used iPhone Apps of 2012

Agenda Calendar app icon

Way too often I fall for the hype over the latest and greatest iPhone apps—apps that make me go Wow, that’s the coolest thing ever!, and then…I never use them again. Their icons sit untouched, clogging up my home screen. That’s why the following is not a “best of iPhone in 2012 apps” list. This list is composed solely of the iPhone apps I used the most in 2012, and therefore have been the most useful to me. I’ve excluded some obvious apps, like Mail, Safari, etc.

1. MyFitnessPal (free). This calorie tracker is simply the most powerful iPhone app you can have to improve your overall health. A huge database of foods means you’ll always know exactly how many calories, grams of fat, etc, you are putting in your body. You can track calories burned from exercise, then see what your daily +/- for calorie intake is. Losing weight is simply burning more calories than you consume, and this app makes it easy to see that you are doing just that. I seldom use this app everyday (as I’m currently not overweight), but rather to check up on my eating habits over time and know when to scale back on the french fries.

2. RunKeeper (free). I’m a runner, and I’ve used this app for the past few years to track my runs. What’s cool about any of these run-tracker apps is that you can run unfamiliar routes and still know the exact mileage you’ve run. For example, I can go on a vacation in Hawaii, take a run along the beach in the morning, and still adhere to a training regimen where I need to run X number of miles.

3. GymBuddy ($2.99). This app makes it a snap to track how much weight you lifted in the gym, so the next time, you can try to do just a little bit better—the key to adding muscle. The app also has a built-in countdown timer that will start immediately after you enter in your weight/reps and make a dinging sound when it finishes, so you’ll know when you’ve rested enough to do your next set—this can be a huge timesaver as it prevents you from waiting too long between sets. I also love just having a list of exercises to do in the gym—without this app, I’d frequently forget to do certain ones. You can also add your own exercises into the app, and create different lifting routines, adding and subtracting new exercises. When you bring an old exercise back into your routine, you can see where you left off. I reviewed this app a few years ago, and, yes, it is ugly as sin and hasn’t been updated in years, but is still the best app I’ve seen for use in the gym.

4. Reeder ($2.99). This app lets me follow my favorite RSS feeds (I use it with my Google Reader account). While it has been replaced my Mr. Reader on my iPad, Reeder is still one of the better RSS readers for the iPhone. It’s easy to read, easy to use, and just works. What else do you need?

5. News360 (free). I’m a fan of Google News and its thousands of news sources, and this app is basically Google News, except better. This app lets you quickly browse through the day’s headlines from thousands of sources. You can customize the topics you see down to very specific things (like, news stories about knitting or the iPhone 5). It also has a ton of other subtle features, like a Reader view that strips away the ads. I also love the swipable image at the top of news stories that brings up more relevant images from other news sources.

6. Instapaper ($3.99). There is way, way too much interesting stuff to read on the Internet, and I often come across it at inopportune times where I can’t read more than just the headline. Instapaper is a way to save that stuff to read later. You come back later, and the articles are organized all in one place, stripped of ads and annoying formating, and placed in a highly readable format. Instapaper is a free service that you don’t necessarily need an iPhone/iPad app to use, but the app is where it really shines.

7. Grocery IQ (free) is simply the best way to maintain a grocery list. It makes creating a list a snap through autocompletion tools and maintaining a history of past items. It also has “cloud” sharing where you can maintain a single master grocery list amongst several people (perfect for husband/wife shared grocery lists).

8. TV Guide Mobile (free). Quick and easy TV listings. Simply enter in your local TV provider (cable, satellite, over-the-air) and it will show you what’s on now and later. It has some other tools, like push notifications for your favorite shows, but I mainly use it to for the quick-and-easy TV listings.

9. The Weather Channel (free). It seems like every other week there is some new fancy weather app with a sparse interface or other tricks. This app has been my main weather app since forever, and I’ve never seen a reason to change.

10. Agenda Calendar ($0.99). Sometimes an app that’s best on the iPhone isn’t necessarily the best on an iPad. Agenda Calendar is my favorite calendar app for the iPhone. What I like about Agenda is that it has the quickest and easiest user interface for browsing through a long range of dates on your calendar. The weekly view is my favorite. Swipe up or down for a superfast, scrolling, 7-day view of your calendar. You can quickly maneuver between month, week, and day view by swiping right or left.

11. McTube Pro ($1.99). This app saves YouTube videos to the iPhone/iPad for offline viewing. Initially, I used it for music videos, but then I found all sorts of uses. For example, saving how-to videos for cooking, weight-lifting, and other odds and ends. Why re-stream a video every time you want to view it (especially if you want to view Gangnam Style 15 times)? The app lets you stream saved videos via AirPlay and to the AppleTV.

12. Brownees ($1.99). Here’s another app that saves YouTube videos to the iPhone, but this one saves only the audio from videos. Brownees focuses on collecting music—basically, it’s a way to collect tons of free music from YouTube as audio files for offline playback. Download songs for free and play them back almost as if you bought them from iTunes. I bet Apple and the music industry love that! Ah, who cares.

13. Figure ($0.99). I dabble in making music, and Figure is my favorite iPhone app to whip out a quick tune on the go (for the iPad, I like more complicated apps like Animoog and GarageBand). You can quickly create a beat, bass line, and lead melody, and save it or export it to flesh it out in another app. Figure is more of a music idea app that a way to create full songs, but it’s a lot of fun and simple enough that anyone can use it.

14. MLB At Bat (free). I’m a Cincinnati Reds baseball fan who lives in Chicago, so in order to follow my favorite team, I subscribe to MLB.tv. While I usually watch streaming video of baseball games on my AppleTV, I use this app to listen to the radio coverage when I’m not at home (the MLB.tv subscriptions comes with access to radio coverage of every MLB game. Basically, this app is indispensible for baseball fans who no longer live where their favorite team plays.

15. Spotify (free) recently added Pandora-like radio functionality to this app where you can vote songs thumbs up or thumbs down, and the station learns your tastes over time and plays more of the type of music you like. The audio quality of Spotify is second to none (make sure you choose higher quality audio in the settings), and it has an impressive song list. Spotify is known for its premium all-you-can-eat music service that costs about $10 a month, but I mainly use it for the free customizable radio.

16. Pandora (free) is the popular free radio service that customizes its music streams to your tastes. Not many people know that it also offers comedy, my current favorite use for the app.

17. TuneIn Radio Pro ($0.99). Simply the best radio app for local radio stations on the iPhone. I use it to listen to some local Chicago stations (specifically, ESPN Chicago). The Pro version of the app lets you record live radio, but the free version works just fine as well.

18. TripIt (free). This app puts all your travel details in one central place. It will really revolutionize your traveling (and save you tons of stress). You simply forward any travel-related confirmation emails (flights, Priceline wins, hotel arrangements) to your special TripIt email address, and the info will be stripped out and gathered in once central place for easy and quick viewing. TripIt is an indispensible, powerful tool for any modern traveler. This is what the iPhone is all about, people!

19. TripAdvisor (free) is a review site for travelers, but it’s not just reviews of hotels. It includes restaurants, sightseeing tours, etc. I even use it when I’m not traveling, as I find the reviews better than Yelp.

20. ScoreCenter from ESPN (free). This app was recently did an update that leaves it with an average 1.5-star review, basically because it dramatically changed the interface. I don’t think it’s that bad, and I continue to use it. The update added a better way to read ESPN news inside the app as well.

The 5 Best iPad Pinball Apps

Zen Pinball for iOS icon

Pinball is one of the best genre of games to play on the iPad. The style fits perfectly on the iPad’s touchscreen—there are no complicated controls, just tap on either side of the screen to use the flippers. The shape of pinball tables in general (long rectangles) matches well with the iPad and iPhone’s long screens. I love playing pinball on my iPad, and below are my picks for the 5 Best Pinball Apps for the iPad.

1. Zen Pinball

Avengers Table in Zen Pinball

Epic Quest table in Zen Pinball

1. Zen Pinball (free + in-app purchases) is by far the best pinball iPad app in the App Store. It has the best tables, with the best designs, best gameplay, and best graphics. There are currently 14 tables available in the app, and it comes with 1 free table (called Sorcerer’s Lair, which is just an average table, so don’t judge the app on the free table). The in-app-purchase tables are just awesome, including what I think is the best overall on iOS, called Epic Quest, ($1.99 in-app purchase). Epic Quest is a fun (and funny) table that has really deep gameplay that guarantees dozens and dozens of hours of play. It’s classic pinball, but with RPG elements where you take on monsters, hit ramps to do damage and/or defend, and collect EQ over multiple games. The table is just amazingly designed, with funny sound effects and voice acting (but a bit complicated, table guides are in our forums here).

But the hits don’t stop there. There are several other amazing tables available as in-app purchases. For example, the tables based on Marvel Comics are incredible. My favorite is the Avengers table, but the World War Hulk and Captain America tables are awesome as well. The Tesla table is really unique. In fact, just about all the tables available in Zen Pinball are a cut above what’s available elsewhere. That’s because the pinball design studio behind the app, Zen Studios, is the best out there right now for creating digital pinball games. Their Zen Pinball tables are bestsellers on other consoles and mobile devices as well, including Xbox Live Arcade. The company keeps things grounded in classic pinball but adds just the right amount of computer/digital pinache (for example, animations like Thor throwing hammers across the table and Iron Man flying around, which couldn’t happen on a real pinball table). If you want the best-designed tables and the best pinball app, it’s Zen Pinball.

The only bad thing I can say about this app is that the tables are so detailed and intricate, you’ll need to play them on a Retina iPad first to get the best experience. But once you learn the ins and outs of the table, they’ll play on the iPhone just fine.

2. Pinball Arcade

Medieval Madness in Pinball Arcade

Theater of Magic Pinball

2. Pinball Arcade ($0.99 + in-app purchases) faithfully recreates the best real-life pinball tables of all time. This is a game for true pinball lovers looking to relive their best pinball experiences from the arcade days. Pinball Arcade is created and maintained by pinball enthusiasts, so no detail is too small. One table in the app, Medieval Madness ($2.99), is, according to pinball-enthusiast website Pinsinde, the #1 ranked pinball table of all time as voted by the site’s readers. To understand what’s so great about Medieval Madness, check out this video of the real-life table.

Pinball Arcade has 19 total tables currently available with more coming every month, the developers even use Kickstarter to finance their porting of the greatest real-life tables to digital form. Again, the developers are more like pinball historians. For the initial $0.99 price, you get 1 table, Arabian Nights.

If there is a complaint for this near-perfect app, it’s that not every “best ever” classic pinball table translates into a “best ever” iPad pinball table. Some special effects that dazzle on a real table fall a bit flat on the iPad. But deep, challenging, strategic gameplay knows no boundaries, and every table in this app has it.

3. Pinball HD Collection

AC DC pinball

Arcade Pinball Table

3. Pinball HD Collection (free) comes with 1 free table, Wild West, with 10 other tables available for in-app purchase. The developer, Gameprom, created one of the first pinball games for the iPhone, so they’ve had time to perfect the art of pinball on iOS. Their experience shows in the pinball physics and how great the tables look on the iPad/iPhone’s screen. Some of my favorite tables are the Navy Seals, Slayer, AC/DC, and Arcade tables. Snow Pinball, a winter-themed table, is fun to play during Christmas time. My only complaint is that the tables lack some of the depth and challenge of our top two picks—the tables dont’t feel quite as epic. The developers also confuse their customers by offering several different apps, some are standalone single-table apps, others offer multiple tables already included in this one. But what really matters is the pinball, and there is some good pinball inside this app.

4. Pinball Crystal Caliburn II

Crystal Caliburn II iPad pinball

4. Pinball Crystal Caliburn II ($3.99) is a single-table app that was a classic pinball game for the Mac. The best thing about the table is that it feels like real pinball. Add to that deep strategic gameplay where you’ll love to reach the table’s various goals, like activating Merlin’s spells, achieving accolades for your knights, and ultimately possessing the Holy Grail. The graphics are beautiful and Retina-sharp, and the table has nice lighting effects and subtle details like reflections. This is one of those tables where you can spend dozens and dozens of hours unraveling the various goals and achievements of the table and enjoy every second of it.

5. Real Pinball HD – Vampire

Real Pinball HD Vampire

5. Real Pinball HD – Vampire ($1.99) is a single-table app with a great pinball physics engine. It’s another app that nails the feel of a real pinball table. I also love how the pinball has a graphic on it so that the actual spin of the ball is visible as it moves around the table–a detail I wish other pinball apps would copy. Vampire has a goth/vampire theme and features some deep and challenging gameplay. I wouldn’t say it’s perfect—the frame rate feels a bit stuttery, and the sound effects aren’t that great. But overall, the table is a joy to play with a sweet realistic feel.

Honorable Mentions

Our number 1 & 2 picks in the list above are clear winners, and after that, the competition gets really close. Here are a few more noteworthy pinball apps that I enjoyed playing.

Pinball Maniacs: Cartoon Pinball Adventure (free) is a pinball with freemium gameplay, meaning its free to play, but includes in-app purchases to help you progress. Like its name implies, the pinball has a whimsical cartoony feel, this is not the game for realistic pinball, even though the game mechanics are based on classic pinball. Here you collect coins, destroy moving monsters by hitting them with your ball, and achieve various goals to progress the game and switch up the table environment. Overall, it’s fun because there is a feeling of progression that most pinball lacks.

Art of Pinball – Table Pack ($2.99) features old-school pinball that you might have found at a truck stop in the ’50s. The tables may be simple by today’s standards, but the action is fast and fun. And the tables won’t take you days to unravel like some other tables in our list. The Table Pack version comes with 6 pinball tables, but the individual tables are available as seperate apps in the App Store.

Monster Pinball HD ($1.99) is a strange (strange in a good way) twist on pinball with deep gameplay and a monster/alien theme. There are over 500 goals to achieve in the game, so you’ll get your money’s worth out of this one. And although it’s a single game (without in-app purchases), there are actually multiple tables you’ll visit as your pinball hits different spots in the game. There are also beautiful Retina graphics and bizarre sound effects that keeps things interesting. My only complaint is that the table lacks a narrative (a clear story) to follow, or at least, it’s not easily unraveled from early gameplay.

The 20 Best Games That Fill Out the iPhone 5’s Bigger Screen

Order and Chaos Online game for iPhone and iPad

1. Order & Chaos Online ($6.99) is the most popular massively multiplayer RPG on the iOS platform, and it beautifully fills out all 4-inches of the iPhone 5 screen. Not only that, but the iPhone 5’s LTE means you can now play World of Warcraft, oops, I mean Order & Chaos, practically anywhere. Quest, trade, and collect equipment, join guilds—explore the huge world and grind your way to a powerful character.

Order and Chaos Online for iPhone 5

Galaxy on Fire 2 HD app icon

2. Galaxy on Fire 2 HD ($4.99) is a space-adventure game that beautifully fills out the iPhone 5’s screen like few others. The game is equal parts fast-paced flight combat and slow-paced strategy and spaceship building and management. A truly massive world to explore with deep gameplay, iCloud support, and professional voice-acting.

Galaxy on Fire 2 HD iPhone 5 Game

3. Phoenix HD (free) is a spaceship-on-rails bullet dodger that delivers 60 frames per second of beautiful chaos. I admit, I don’t know what the hell is going on half the time in this game. The object is not so much to avoid all bullets but to fly where there aren’t so many. Being free is a nice touch, although there are some in-app purchases as well.

Phoenix HD iPhone game

Pinball Crystal Caliburn II for iPhone 5

4. Pinball Crystal Caliburn II ($3.99) is a realistic pinball machine with three dimensional ramps. It’s pinball at its finest—learn the board, hit the sweet spots, make love to the multi-ball. Rack up a high score on this beautiful pinball simulator.

Pinball Crystal Caliburn II iPhone 5 screenshot

Dark Knight Rises icon

5. The Dark Knight Rises’ ($6.99) storyline is based on the 3rd and final installment of Christopher Nolan’s excellent trilogy, but its gameplay style borrows heavily from the popular Batman Arkham console game (I guess you could say its developer, Gameloft, is the Samsung of iOS gaming). Beat up thugs, discover a vast array of Batman tool ands weapons, and utilize the dark of the night to sneak up on your enemies. A beautiful game that stays true to the modern Batman aesthetic.

Dark Knight Rises iPhone 5 Game screenshot

Wild Blood iphone game icon

6. Wild Blood ($6.99) uses the Unreal Engine to create a stunning medieval RPG/hack-and-slash game. The story revolves around a battle between Sir Lancelot and a jealous King Arthur. It seems ol’ Lancelot has been pimpin on Queen Guinevere. You control Lancelot as he hacks his way to save her. Collect gold and upgrade your weapons. This one even features online multiplayer. Push your iPhone 5’s graphics to the limits and watch it explode!

Wild Blood iPhone 5 Game screenshot

The Amazining Spider-Man iPhone icon

7. The Amazing Spider-Man ($6.99) is a fighting adventure game that follows the storyline of the 2012 hit movie. A combination of free roaming, structured quests, and RPG elements keep the game compelling from beginning to end. And the end is where you’ll meet the Lizard. Can you save that blonde hottie Gwen Stacy? I know I can, if you know what I mean. Bow wow wow!

The Amazing Spider-Man iPhone 5 game screenshot

Asphalt 7 icon

8. Asphalt 7 ($0.99) is a racing game with stunning sharp graphics. Race on 15 tracks based in real-world locations like Hawaii, Paris, London, Miami and Rio. Unlock and race 60 brand-name cars. Go online for multiplayer that supports up to 5 racers at a time. Here’s another game that pushes the iPhone 5’s graphics to its limits.

Asphalt 7 iPhone 5 game screen

Temple Run iPhone Game

9. Temple Run (free) is an endless running game that is quite addictive. And quite popular too. How long can you leap, slide, and juke your way along the neverending stone path? This game, with its pursuing apes, makes no sense to me, but it’s fun. And it’s free.

Temple Run on iPhone 5

God of Blades

10. God of Blades ($2.99) is a hack-and-slash game with stunning visuals and themes that harken back to the covers of fantasy novels from the 70’s. Sword slashing is the name of the game here. Upgrade your blades to take on more powerful villains. Drink in the gorgeous world and the beautiful soundtrack.

Untitled 19

Sky Gamblers iPhone icon

11. Sky Gamblers ($2.99) is a air combat game with a realistic look but an arcade dogfighting style. Play through the campaign or test your skills in Dogfight Missions, Survival mode, Free for All, etc. There’s even online multiplayer to establish whether your Maverick, the Ice Man, or Kelly McGillis.

Slingshot Racing Game

12. Slingshot Racing ($0.99) is a unique racing game designed exclusively for the iPhone’s touchscreen. Use your car’s grappling hook to swing around corners and pick up speed. Play through career mode and 80 different races, or go online to test out your driving skills against random strangers.

Slingshot racing iPhone 5 game screenshot

Final Freeway 2R game icon

13. Final Freeway 2R ($0.99) is a homage to the classic arcade racer Outrun. Race your red convertible through 13 different environments. Just don’t crash, else you’ll flip the car and spill the hot blonde riding shotgun. An inexpensive yet addictive game that fills out the iPhone 5’s screen with retro racing goodness.

Final Freeway 2R iPhone Game

Bards Tale iPhone icon

14. The Bard’s Tale ($4.99) is the classic humorous RPG game ported onto the iPhone platform. This game is huge, it weighs in at 1.3 GB in size! Bard’s Tale features a funny storyline that keeps things interesting throughout the entire game. It even features voice-acting from the actor who played Westley in Princess Bride (Cary Elwes).

Bards Tale iPhone 5 game screenshot

Blast Away iPhone game icon

15. Blast Away ($4.99) is a physics 3D puzzler. Guide your robots to the exits using various bombs as your tools. A clever and unique game.

Blast Away iPhone 5 game screenshot

Paper Monsters iPhone icon

16. Paper Monsters ($2.99) is one of the best platformers for the iPhone/iPad, unabashedly borrowing a lot from the world of Super Mario. And it’s a gorgeous game to boot.

Paper Monsters iPhone 5 screenshot

Beast Boxing iPhone icon

17. Beast Boxing 3D ($0.99) is a boxing game with controls friendly to the iPhone platform. You play a human who sneaks into a beasts-only boxing league. Fight your way through 8 opponents, each with their own unique style (think classic Mike Tyson/Nintendo boxing style). This game’s got some really good graphics and animations as well.

Beast Boxing screenshot from iPhone 5

Doodle Jump iPhone game

18. Doodle Jump ($0.99) is the iPhone classic stretched to filled out the iPhone 5’s screen. Jump ever upward and use the various boosts to quicken your journey. How high can you go?

Doodle Jump iPhone 5

Vs Racing 2

19. Vs. Racing 2 ($0.99) is a top-down racing game with a straightforward arcade racing style. Progress through 36 tracks and 3 different cars, each with unique handling, upgrades and pimping.

Vs Racing 2 game screenshot

Squids Wild West iPhone game icon

20. Squids Wild West ($1.99) is a unique game where you sling around squids and other various underwater creatures by their tentacles, taking out bad guys in a wild-west setting under the sea. Cute, relaxing, yet challenging. And it fills up the iPhone 5’s screen, and that’s the whole damn point of this list.

Squids Wild West iPhone 5 game

A Complete List of iPhone Passbook Apps

Starbucks iPhone app icon

Starbucks (free) app lets you add your Starbucks Card to Passbook. With Passbook, you can pay for drinks and scan in your Starbucks Rewards account at the register. Starbucks is changing the rewards program on October 16, 2012, so no more free syrups and milk, but say hello to free drinks and food on your birthday and free refills in-store.
Discover iPhone app

Discover (free) is the official app for the credit card with all the requisite account features. It also lets you add reward eCertificates to Passbook, which you can redeem in stores, rent cars, etc.
Target App Icon

Target (free) features a weekly coupon that’s good for several deals in Target stores. You can send the coupon into Passbook, where it can be scanned at the register. You can read my review of using the Target Passbook coupon here.
Fandango iPhone app icon

Fandango (free) allows you to send movie tickets into Passbook, which theaters can then scan to confirm your ticket purchase. Few theaters currently support Passbook, however. You can read my rant about this here.
Walgreens iPhone app icon

Walgreens (free) app lets you connect your Walgreens Balance Rewards card to Passbook. You can even sign up inside this app then quickly add your new Walgreens rewards card to Passbook. It even works with your prescriptions, so scan the Passbook barcode and get instant refills on all your drugs!
Sephora to Go iPhone app icon

Sephora to Go (free) lets you add your Beauty Inside card to Passbook. Earn points with your purchase by scanning the Passbook barcode at purchase, then redeem your rewards points using this app. You even get a free iPhone sleeve by downloading the app and making an online purchase.
Ticketmaster iPhone app icon

TicketMaster (free) lets you send your Ticketmaster tickets into Passbook. The Passbook tickets can then be scanned to get into events, but only select venues support the feature. Select venues, got it? No whining because you thought Passbook would get you into the Justin Bieber concert.
MLB At Bat iPhone app

Mlb.com At Bat (free) lets you send your MLB tickets into Passbook, where they can be scanned for entrance to the ballpark. The feature was only supported by 4 teams, the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Kansas City Royals, in the 2012 season. Hopefully by the time 2013 rolls around, more teams will support Passbook.
Lufthansa iPhone app icon

Lufthansa (free) app lets you send your mobile boarding passes into Passbook, where it can be scanned to board the plane. Scan it mach schnell!
American Airlines iPhone app icon

American Airlines (free) allows you to add your mobile boarding pass into Passbook. An alert will automatically appear on the iPhone’s lock screen close to departure time. Tap the info button on the ticket to show departure date, duration of the flight, and Wi-Fi flight availability. Passbook ticket automatically updates with changes in flight times. The Passbook ticket can be scanned to board the plane. Sweet.
United Airlines iphone app icon

United Airlines (free) lets you add your United airline to ticket to Passbook, which can be scanned for entrance to the plane. Unfortunately, TSA will probably still want to pat down your naughty spots.
Gyft iPhone app icon

Gyft (free) lets you add your gift cards to major US retailers into Passbook, where they can be scanned at the register for redeeming. Leave your wallet at home. You have to sign up with a Gyft account first, though, to be able to send cards into Passbook. But when you do sign up, you get a free $5 gift card from Gyft! Tight.
WallaBee iPhone app icon

WallaBee (free) is the first iPhone game to utilize Passbook. WallaBee is a scavenger-hunt game that uses GPS where players travel to certain locations and check-in to collect virtual items. They’ve recently added branded items to the game, and you can use Passbook coupons with branded items and earn prizes.
Valpak Local Savings iPhone App

ValPack Local Savings (free) automatically finds local coupons for restaurants, stores, etc, near you. You can then add those coupons into Passbook and scan them for discounts. (Tap the small arrow in the bottom left, next to the coupon, to add it in Passbook).
AirBNB iPhone app icon

AirBNB (free) app lets you send your upcoming reservations to Passbook (go into the upcoming tab to add).
Expedia Hotels iPhone app icon

Expedia Hotels (free) helps you find and book hotels at bargain prices. The lastest update lets you add your hotel reservations into Passbook so you can keep all your bookings in one place.
Jetsetter Hotels iPhone app icon

Jetsetters Hotels and Exclusive Travel Deals (free) is a service that provides special deals on 5-star hotels and other classy vacation packages. The app lets you add your hotel check-in info into Passbook, and the pass will then pop up when you arrive at your destination, making check-in a snap.
Living Social iPhone app icon

Living Social (free) is the Groupon clone that offers daily deals in your area. The app allows you to send your purchased deals into Passbook, so your vouchers can be accessed lickity split when you arrive at the business.
AMC Theater App icon

AMC Theaters’ (free) Passbook integration is for their AMC Stubs card, which is a rewards card. It’s not for tickets (you’ll need the Fandango app for that). Still, spend $100 and get a $10 AMC gift using AMC Stubs. Not bad.
Apple Store app icon

Apple Store (free) app (Apple’s official app, in case you’re wondering) recently added the ability to buy and gift Apple gift cards inside the app. The cards can then be added to Passbook for easy access when buying things at an Apple Store. Buy a new iPhone using your old iPhone and bathe in the sun-soaked warmth of optimistic progress.


Non-Apps That Work With PassBook:

  • American Express and AmexPassbook.com. View your balance and be notified of recent purchases in Passbook.
  • Coupons.com. Visit the site on your iPhone & iPad and add coupons to your Passbook.

More Passbook Apps in our forum thread here!

To make your own Passbook coupons, check out the website Passdock.

6 Fantasy Football iPhone & iPad Apps to Manage Your Fantasy Team

Want to manage your fantasy football team on the go? Thankfully, all the major fantasy football services offer an iPhone app with basic management tools (add/drop players, trades, etc). However, when it comes to drafting your teams, only one lets you draft via app (the MyFantasyLeague.com app). Without further ado, below are 6 apps for the major online fantasy football services.


Yahoo Fantasy Football

Yahoo Fantasy Football (free) has slowly improved the interface of their app over the years, and it now runs smoother and is much easier on the eyes. They’ve also added iPad support, so it’s a universal app. Yahoo just updated the app with new features, including improved waiver-wire management. With app you can now:

  • Claim players off the waiver wire
  • Make trades, including proposing, rejecting, vetoing, and allowing trades
  • View league activity (waiver-wire adds, drops, trades).
  • View pending adds and trades.
  • Manage your player watchlist.
  • Read Roto Arcade articles.

There are some downsides. The app is useless until after you draft your team, and you can’t draft using the app. And if you’re a commish, there are no commish tools in the app. Essentially, it’s still a limited app, but useful enough that it can save your butt more than once during a season.

iPhone screenshots:

Yahoo Fantasy Football app iPhone Screenshots

iPad screenshots:

Yahoo Fantasy Football iPad app screenshots


ESPN Fantasy Football

ESPN Fantasy Football (free, iPhone, iPad) has all the basics to let you manage your ESPN teams, and yes, you can manage multiple teams across multiple leagues. It even has a few nice tricks like push notifications for injuries. Some of the app’s features are:

  • View FantasyCast real-time scoring
  • Manage your line-up (start and substitute players)
  • Add and drop players from waiver wire
  • Propose, access, or reject trades
  • Read fantasy news, watch videos, and read tweets from ESPN fantasy columnists
  • View and post to league message boards

Some of the app’s downsides are no iPad version (of course, you can run the iPhone version in 2x mode), no drafting of teams via the app, and no league management tools for commissioners.

iPhone screenshots:

ESPN Fantasy Football iPhone app screenshots


NFL.com Fantasy Football

NFL.com Fantasy Football app icon for iPhone and iPad

NFL.com Fantasy Football (free) is another app that lets you take care of the basic management duties of your team. Developers are promising that the app will see significant updates before the season starts. One of app’s strengths is access to official news and injury updates, which NFL.com excels at. Overall, the app lets you:

  • Manage your lineup (sit, bench players)
  • Add and drop players to the waive wire
  • Access player rankings
  • Make and accept trades
  • Manage multiple teams across multiple leagues

Some of the limitations of the NFL.com Fantasy Football app are that it can’t be used for your draft, there is no iPad-optimized version, and the are no commish tools available.

iPhone screenshots:

NFL Fantasy Football iPhone app screenshots


CBS Sports Pro Football for iPad

CBS Sports Pro Football for iPad

CBS Sports Pro Football for iPad (free:, iPhone, iPad) is more of a NFL news app with CBS fantasy football manager built into it. That doesn’t mean you can’t get the job done with it, though. And, there is a separate iPad version, too. Some of the app’s features are:

  • Live fantasy scores
  • Line-up management (add, drop, start, bench players)
  • Fantasy football news and opinion
  • CBSSports.com projections, roster trends, and player stats
  • Live NFL Gametracker with play by play and box scores
  • Exclusive RapidReports with inside info on all 32 NFL teams.
  • Live, on-demand video for CBS’s Fantasy Football Today

iPhone screenshots:

CBS Pro Football Fantasy iPhone app screenshots

iPad screenshots:

CBS Pro Football fantasy football app screenshots


Fantasy Football ’12 for Yahoo/ESPN/NFL.com

Fantasy Football 12 app icon

Fantasy Football ’12 for Yahoo/ESPN/NFL.com ($2.99) is not an official app from any of the online fantasy football services. But the app does allow you to manage multiple teams across all the multiple services (Yahoo, ESPN, and NFL.com). Some advice though: if you’re willing to shell out the $2.99 for this version, you may want to consider Fantasy Monster Pro ($4.99) from the same developer, as it also lets you access fantasy baseball, basketball, and hockey teams as well. I’ve used that app for years, and while it’s not perfect, it removes a lot of hassle of switching between apps. Features for this Football-specific app are:

  • Drag and drop to quickly edit your lineups
  • Use Auto-complete to limit typing when finding players
  • Add, drop, and trade players
  • Check scores of weekly matchups and NFL game scores
  • Read and post to the message board
  • View latest transactions
  • View standings and rosters
  • Check player news and injury reports

iPhone screenshots:

Fantasy Football for Yahoo, ESPN, and NFL.com


MyFantasyLeague.com

My Fantasy League iPhone app icon

MyFantasyLeague.com ($2.99) is a paid fantasy sports service and is used primarily by serious fantasy gamers. Basic leagues cost $85 and deluxe leagues $185. It’s a highly customizable service and worth checking out if you want to take your fantasy game up a notch. The app, which is iPhone & iPad compatible, indeed takes things up a notch by being the only fantasy app that has draft support, and also the only one with commissioner support. Features include:

  • Full draft support with integrated ADP rankings and quick filtering
  • Add, drop, and trade players
  • Edit starting lineup (iPad version has projected scores and ‘Who Should I Start?’ recommendations)
  • Player News
  • League Polls
  • UI customization lets you reorder features throughout the season
  • Commissioner login
  • Live scoring for both teams and players, now with bench and optimal views due to high demand!
  • Player injury news
  • League standings
  • Message board reading and smack-talk posting with HTML content display
  • Full weekly results including bench and optimal reports
  • Manage multiple leagues
  • Positional Point Differential (PPD) shows you what positions are helping and hurting every single team in your league
  • Top adds, drops, owns and starts across MyFantasyLeague.com

iPhone screenshots:

iPad screenshots:

MyFantasyLeague.com football iPad app screenshots