Episode 075 - Cubes vs Spheres

In this episode of thePadcast we take a look at Cubes vs.Spheres from ShockPanda Games. You are the sphere and your mission is simple, destroy the cubes! This is a fast and furious game that will keep your sweating for hours. Use your finger to flick the spheres far and wide to destroy the cubes before that get to close. Don't let the simple graphics fool you, this game is action packed and has some great power ups as well as other surprises. A bit of staggery as well as fast reflexes is required if you are going to advance in this game. Cubes vs Spheres was nominated for "Most Innovative Game of the Year" in the 2011 Best App Ever Awards. $0.99 puts this universal app on your iPad and iPhone.

Link to the Cubes vs Spheres iTunes web page.

Episode 074 - Five-O

In this episode of thePadcast we take a look at Five-O from Curt Stein. According to Curt "Five-O is your favorite word game, minus the words" If you like Scrabble and numbers then this game is for you. Play with people on line, against the computer or use the unique "pass and play" option to play Five-O with friends in the room. The rules are simple, you need to place tiles so that they add up to multiples of 5 (5, 10, 15, 20, you get the idea) and no "word" can be more then five tiles long. The game is simple and challenging at the same time. $1.99 puts this universal app on your iPhone and iPad

Link to the Five-O iTunes web page.

Episode 073 - Tap Dragon Drop

In this episode of thePadcast we take a look at a fun puzzle gamed called Tap Dragon Drop from PikPok. This game lets you play as Toothless and Hiccup from the land of Berk and your goal is to save all the sheep that have wondered off after a storm. Use different Dragon abilities on each level to solve the puzzle in the required amount of turns. There is more then one way to solve each puzzle and you can choose which of Toothless abilities to use to get the job done. The graphics are great, the puzzles are fun and with over 40 levels of play, this app will keep you entertained for hours. Don't forget to look for the scattered Viking treasures to unlock secret hero levels.

Episode 072 - Text Expander

In this episode of thePadcast we take a look at TextExpander from SmileOnMyMac. This utility app will save you hundreds of keystrokes over time. Create abbreviations to represent shot phrases or entire letters. There are over 130 app that work with textExpander and that list is growing all the time. $4,99 puts this universal app on your iPhone and iPad.

Episode 071 - Letterbox

In this episode of thePadcast we take a look at Letterbox from ShockPanda Games. This 3D word puzzle game has excellent graphics, is easy to play and with it's 3 different play modes will keep you entertained for hours. Make words forwards or backwards, around corners, inside-out and upside-down. Spin the word cube to find words and if you feel like a real challenge, play the game in panic mode. This universal app is $1.99 and plays well on both your iPhone and iPad

Link to the Letterbox iTunes webpage.

Episode 070 - Cargo-Bot

In this episode of thePadcast we take a look at Cargo-Bot from the developer Two Lives Left. This app is the first app made completely on an iPad. The app was created using Codea and if you think of yourself as a logical thinker, then this puzzle game is a must-try. Use step-by-step instructions to get the robot arm to move the boxes from point A to point B. The instructions you can use vary from puzzle to puzzle and it is not as easy as you think. Imagination as well as methodical thinking is required to solve each puzzle in as few steps as possible. Compare your scores with others, learn new tips and tricks and see if you have the knack for programming. The app is free, is iPad only and will keep you thinking for hours.

Episode 069 - SayHi Translate

In this episode of thePadcast we take a look at SayHi Translate from SayHi. This app, which uses Nuance, will translate 34 languages and dialects quickly and accurately. The app is simple to use and it is an universal app, which means for $0.99 (sale price) you get this app on your iPhone and iPad. You can speak or type what you want translated, and can also copy or share the translated conversation into email, a text message or on social media sites. You will need to have an internet connection for the app to work. For now this is as close as it gets to having a Star Trek like universal translator on your iOS device. Pick it up now before the price goes back to is normal $2.99.

iTunes Page Link

Episode 068 - TrafficWonder HD

On this episode of thePadcast we take a look at Traffic Wonder HD from YoAmbulante. This unique puzzle game uses a traffic metaphor that will challenge you at each level. You don't just solve each puzzle, you need to solve it using the most efficient solution. Try not to waste fuel or have an accident as you set the destinations for different cars and trucks. Different vehicles travel at different rates and all slow down to make turns, which adds to the challenge. The game starts off easy, but the difficulty steadily increases and with 60 levels, their is plenty of puzzles to keep you thinking. Make sure you get packages, and drive to the upgrades and use other tips and tricks for maximum scores. This $0.99 universal app has nice graphics, is easy to learn and with the leaderboard you can see how your score compares with others.

Episode 067 - OCR Pro

In this episode of thePadcast we take a look at OCR Pro from iBrad. After scanning in your document, this app will convert the scanned text into editable text. Copy the text into the notes app, Pages or any of your favorite iPad note taking or text editing apps. Save time typing by taking a picture of a document, a page from a magazine or newspaper, a business card or any thing else you can think of. OCR Plus will also let you get items from your photo library so can you OCR screenshots from the web or anything else you have scanned in. The app is easy to use and the files are simple to manage and rename. $1.99 gets this universal app on your iPad and iPhone so you can OCR whenever you want, wherever you are.

Episode 066 - VideoScribe HD

In this episode of thePadcast we take a look at VideoScribe HD from Sparkol. This is a amazing app that lets you create hand drawn animations for presentations, story telling, selling a product, invitations or anything else you can think of. Use the hundreds of included images or import your own (not the easiest workflow, but it will get better in future updates). Add royalty free music which is included in the app, put in your own soundtrack or even use a voice over to narrate your presentation. The app is fairly easy to use, and you will have a useful and unique presentation up and running in a very short time. We did a little demo of the app just to see how simple and powerful it is. The only complaint is you can not save the presentations to your camera roll, something which is pretty standard for an iPad app. $3.99 gets this unique app on your iPad.

Episode 065 - Beautiful Clock Radio - Dolphin Alarm Clock

In this episode of thePadcast we review Beautiful Clock Radio Alarm for iPad with Spotify and Dolphin Alarm Clock from the folks over at "I Hate my Clock Radio" Beautiful Clock is truly that, a clock radio who ever changing interface reflects the current time and weather conditions. The radio has five programmable buttons and you can choose from over 30,000 radio stations or music from your own music library. Setting the alarm is straight forward and is a breeze to use. Dolphin Alarm Clock is an unique clock that features friendly dolphins to help get you out of bed. This fun app will make people take a second and third look at your iPad as dolphin sights and sounds entertain you. If you are a fan of dolphins (and who isn't?) consider giving this simple to use alarm clock a try. Links to the iTunes pages are below.

Beautiful Clock Radio Alarm for iPad with Spotify
Dolphin Alarm Clock

Episode 064 - Dabble

In this episode of thePadcast we take a look at a great word game called Dabble - The Fast Thinking Word Game from INI, LLC. This game takes seconds to learn but is challenging enough to keep you entertained and thinking for days. Rearrange word tiles to create five word in five minutes. Not as easy as it sounds sounds as you have to create one two, three, letter, four, five and six letter words. For $0.99 cents in the iTunes store, this app will keep the word nerd in you entertained for a long time.

Episode 063 - 8mm HD

In this episode of thePadcast we take a look at 8mm HD from Nexvio Inc. This is a great app to modify your videos to give them the look and feel of old school vintage movies. Easy to use, lighting fast and has many combinations and effects to choose from. Save your movies to your photo roll, email them, or share on YouTube and Facebook. Record 720p movies with retro effects in real time or apply effects to existing videos up to 720p. For $1.99, this app is amazing, a lot of fun to use and can give your videos a unique look.

Episode 062 - Neo Circuit

In this episode of thePadcast we take a look at Neo Circuit from Rough Sea Games. This defense/assault strategy game has some great game play and even though the graphics are a bit on the simple side, the unique game pieces which include CPU's, GPU's, Nodes and RAM make for a great challenge. Each of the pieces has unique characteristics and as you can not move them, how you connect the components together is crucial. Planning is key for this tron like game. You get the first 12 levels of this addictive app free and the rest of the game is only $1.99. The app is universal and will provide hours of entertainment. Check it out!

Episode 061 - Daedalus Touch

In this episode of thePadcast we take a look at Daedalus Touch for the iPad from The Soulmen. This minimalist editor has a few great tricks up its sleeve. Instead of using files and folders, the app uses a "sheets and stacks" metaphor to keep pages organized. It is a novel idea that works great. You can also customize the toolbar above the keyboard to save you time and keystrokes. The app is dropbox compatible, has a built in web browser for searching the web and Wikipedia and is very smooth to use. For $4.99, this is a great text editor that will help keep your attention on your creation and will save time organizing your files in sheets and stacks.

Episode 060 - Flight Control Rocket

In this episode of thePadcast we look at Flight Control Rocket from Electronic Arts. It's basically air traffic control in space using a ship instead of runways. The graphics are fun, and game play is good, but unfortunately it's nothing new. With some extra time and effort EA could of made something really special, something to take better advantage of the sci-fi or space theme. For $0.99 you can put this app on both your iPad and iPhone.

Episode 059 - Fancy Pants

In this episode of thePadcast we take a look at The Fancy Pants Adventures from Chillingo Ltd. This great side scrolling game with its sleek graphics and smooth game play is a lot of fun. Help Mr. Fancy Pants rescue his little sister, Cutie Pants, from pirates. Collect the squiggles and stars spread throughout each stage and use them to unlock new awards, costumes and accessories. Collect weapons, run, jump and slide your way to victory with this great universal game from Chillingo for only $0.99

Episode 058 - Unboxing the new iPad

In this episode we unbox the new iPad from Apple. The 3rd generation iPad has a new Retina Display, 4G LTE, 5MP iSight camera and much more. We take the iPad out of the box, show you some of the setup screens, take a couple of close up shots of the Retina display and the iPad 2 display with a macro lens on a iPhone4S to show you the difference and give a quick demo of the new voice dictation. The 3rd generation iPad is the best iPad yet. Hope you enjoy the video.

Episode 057 - Letris 2

In this episode of thePadcast we take a look at Letris 2: Word puzzle game from Ivanovich Games. If Scrabble and Tetris got together, this would be their love child. Make words as quickly as you can as the blocks of letters fall from the top of the screen. the split screen mode allows two to play on the same iPad for some great fun. Letris 2 has a clean look, is easy to learn and has several different modes of play to choose from, including Wordmatrix mode, where can try to create long words without any pressure. Letris2 is a free universal app that will provide any word lover hours of fun.

Episode 056 - iConvert Scanner

In this episode of thePadcast we take a look at the iConvert scanner from Brookstone. This easy to use scanner will help you get that pile of documents turned into digital documents. Scan documents, photos, business cards and just about anything else. All the scans go right into your photo library on your ipad where you can sync them back to your computer or convert them into PDF's for emailing. We show you how to use Pages to create a PDF and a great app called Photo to PDF from Tipirneni Software LLC to do the same. The iConvert scanner is $149 at Brookstone store and you download the free app to run the scanner.