App Funda

Nokia Asha 501 announced, to be sold at $99

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:51:00 +0000

The Asha series gets a refresh.

Nokia just announced the new Nokia Asha 501. The Nokia Asha 501 has to be the most stunning phone in the Asha series, featuring a touchscreen and bright colour options. Nokia has redesigned the S40 interface it uses in the Asha's to look a bit more like the Meego on the N9. The user interface is all swipe gesture based, which is easy to use, and perfect for a smaller screen.

"The Nokia Asha 501 is the first device to run on the new Asha platform", as stated on Nokia's website, so we can expect more phones in the Asha series with similar Lumia style design language and software.

The Nokia Asha 501 has a scratch resistant display, a removable back cover. It is a simple and easy to use phone, featuring only a back button in the front. Nokia has also introduced Fastlane, a feature in the previous N9 running Meego, which is a list of the top 50 apps used frequently by you. This helps in intelligent multitasking.

Nokia Asha 501 features popular and essential apps like CNN, WhatsApp, eBuddy, ESPN, Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn, The Weather Channel, Twitter, WeChat, and games from known companies like Electronic Arts, Gameloft and Namco-Bandai. It will be available in single SIM and dual SIM options. It will support 2G Networks, Wi-fi and Bluetooth. 3G has been left out sadly, but Nokia is aiming the lower market here, so the absence of 3G is not a huge factor.

Specifications:

- Dimensions: 99.2 x 58 x 12.1 mm; 98 grams

-3 inch scratch-resistant screen
- 3.2 MP camera without flash
- Single SIM standby time: up to 48 days
- Dual SIM standby time: up to 26 days
- Talk time: up to 17 hours
- 4GB Memory card included in box, expandable up to 32GB
- 40 free EA Games downloadable from Nokia Store
- Available in Bright Red, Bright Green, Cyan, Yellow, White and Black

Nokia has done a great job with the Asha 501. A great looking phone, with a touchscreen, good battery life, intuitive interface and great app support. The price, $99 before taxes, is amazing, and will prove to be a huge selling factor. This is Nokia's first step into the modern budget phone category. People in developing countries want a smartphone like phone, within their budget. Nokia has delivered it well, with many more phones to come.

Nokia Asha 501 will be available next month in June 2013.

Source: Nokia and Nokia Conversations.

Pictures Surface Of What Could Be Motorola's X-Phone

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Mon, 06 May 2013 01:19:00 +0000

@evleaks, the notorious leaker of all things mobile, has posted pictures on Twitter of what could be, Motorola's X-Phone.

The phone has been blackboxed, which is the black plastic case covering the phone, to avoid any leaks of the design. It definitely does not look like a phablet, more like 4.7 inch screen device which it is rumored to be.

The pictures look a lot similar to the pictures of the X-Phone that were leaked last month on a Vietnamese website.

In the pictures the phone is running on the AT&T network. The the three pictures the phones are connected to a cable on the top, with two of them having L and R on them.

The circle around the Motorola's 'M' logo is different in the three photos, and even in the fourth one, which was leaked last month. You can have a closer look at the photos and see for yourself above.

The notification bar shows the logo of Jelly Bean. This was disappointing for people expecting 5.0 Key Lime Pie, but it is rumored that Google will announce 4.3 Jelly Bean this Google I/O Developer Conference, and this could be that.

Along with the front, the back was leaked too. The photo isn't clearly focused at the phone (sigh at today's technology). It does display "Model: XFON ATT", which clearly means the X-Phone on AT&T's network, and likely will be locked to carrier. The back seems a lot different from the leaks last month. It seems that the X-Phone has got a new texturized back, and not a plain back one as pictured below. Camera module remains the same.

It's interesting to see Motorola has made some developments on the X-Phone. Now all that remains is releasing the phone.

This was App Funda's take on Motorola's X-Phone leaks. Like us on Facebook!

Jelly Bean users rise to 28.4%, Gingerbread users fall to 38.5% and more in Android Users Charts

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:36:00 +0000

The Android developers have released details about the percentage of users having the different versions of Android OS on their devices.

As you can see, Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean are leading in the table. Jell y Bean has risen to 28.4%, Ice Cream Sandwich too has increased to 27.5%, whereas Gingerbread still manages to lead at 38.5%, but by only a small margin. That margin is decreasing every month.

Android developers have also mentioned that from April 2013, they are using data collected from each device when the user visits the Google Play Store to make the charts. Previously, data was collected when users checked-in to Google servers with their device. This aims to give a more accurate representation in charts.

And for those 0.1% of users still holding on to their Donut 1.6 devices, hats off to you.

Hands on with the new Google Play Store update.

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:33:00 +0000

The Google Play Store (formerly known as the Android Market) has been updated to version 4.0, bringing in a clean new interface and useful features.

Apps, Games, Movies, Books (as well as Magazines and Music, which are not available in my country currently) are stacked together for easy access. The interface is fresh, clean and beautiful. Bright and colourful, text and visuals, the Play Store definitely stands out from the crowd.

Apps, games, books, movies, all of the Play services are stacked under categories, which can be accessed by swiping to the left. Keep swiping to the right to see certain categories like Top Paid/Free apps and games, trending, Top New Paid/Free apps and games.

While the interface looks beautiful, the amount of apps displayed on the screen have reduced, as compared to the previous. You will need to scroll down further to have a look at more apps.

When you click on an app, you'll notice the main interface seems similar, but it has been "beautified". Pictures, app icons have been given great importance, which is a good thing, since it brings a lot of visualization about the app in the users mind.

When you searching for something specific, Play Store's update helps you find it out, whether an app or a game or a book.

Overall, it is a great update. Minimalistic is what Google aims for, and it has achieved it well. Since it's new, it'll take time for the general public to get used to it, but they'll catch on eventually.

The new Google Play Store 4.0 update is available to devices running Android 2.2 (Froyo) and above.

Google Now available for iPhone and iPad as update in Google Search app

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:10:00 +0000

Google Now, meet iOS

Google has announced Google Now, a popular feature in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and above which displays the "right information at the right time", for iPhone and iPad. This is a moment of celebration for iOS users since Google Now is really useful and was limited to the small percentage of people using Jelly Bean.

Google Now will come within an update in the App Store. It's very easy to use. Just swipe up and Google Now will display. Since iOS is a closed OS, it will not have all the features of Google Now which are present in Android. Cards on iPhone will display the way they do in Android, and on the iPad there will be two columns of cards, utilizing screen estate efficiently.

Click on the video below to have a look at Google Now.

Google Search:

iOS, Android- Cut The Rope: Time Travel Review

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 03:19:00 +0000

History meets Cut The Rope.

Cut the Rope: Time Travel (is the latest game by ZeptoLabs for iOS and Android. The game takes a whole new turn on rope cutting, introduces new obstacles, and overall is a fun game to play. It is quite easy too.

Om nom, the cute green character, goes back in time, to get some more candy. He meets some other Om noms of the past, eager to get some candy too. Cutting the ropes in the precise order, you have to ensure that both the Om noms get candy. Don't disappoint them.

The game travels from prehistoric ages to Renaissance ages, spanning 6 stages, with 15 levels in each. The innovation is amazing. Cut the Rope: Time travel hosts a lot of new fun obstacles, which test your agility and well as your ability to get all three stars. Not only are their ropes, but chains too, which cannot be cut by the finger and require a special blade to be cut.

Freeze time, bombs, mimicking flying candy, portals, turning platforms, rotating clocks to change the position of objects are the other new obstacles introduced.

There are toons which you can watch once you complete a stage. A new toon comes out in every two weeks. There are several achievements which can be unlocked easily.

Verdict:

Cut the Rope: Time Travel is definitely excels. ZeptoLabs has changed the history of candy feeding by well, going in history. The obstacles are fresh, and are fun to play with.

The game is really easy. I was able to complete all six stages with 3 stars in each level, all within 45 minutes. I had noticed the same with Pudding Monsters while reviewing it, but it was updated with a new stage which wasn't so easy. Cut the Rope: Time Travel could be getting one too, sooner or later.

Cut the Rope: Time Travel gets:
★★★★☆
4/5

iPhone ($0.99) Android (Free) iPad ($2.99)

Android- Facebook Home Review

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 01:49:00 +0000

Android Revolution or just a Gimmick?

Facebook Home's been in the news for a while now. Along with the HTC First, it was smart of Facebook to make every Android phone a Facebook Phone, but the Facebook Home comes with some serious limitations.

What is Facebook Home? Facebook Home takes over your Android and makes it a Facebook Phone. It replaces the current Android skin with their custom built UI. It is free, and can be installed by downloading from the Play Store. Currently, it supports Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy Note II and the HTC One X/X+ only, with support for more devices like the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 promised in the future.

As soon as you wake your phone, you are greeted by Cover Feed. A neat and simple layout of what's happening with your friends. It is your News Feed, essentially. The interface is beautiful, whether text or pictures. Facebook Home is heavily integrated with your Facebook friends on Instagram.

Facebook has done a neat job with visualization. On the front, the Cover Feed shows the persons name and profile picture and the text, along with the option to like and comment on it. If the post is about a photo, the photo is displayed behind the text, and the photo moves, like in a slide show. If you want to view the photo as a whole, tab and hold. For text post, it takes the cover photo from the person's Timeline and displays it behind.

You can like the post by clicking on the like button on the bottom left or by double tapping the post. A big Like icon displays confirming that you have liked the post.

A single tap and your profile photo appears in a circle at the bottom. As you press it, you get three options to go to: the Facebook Messenger app, your App Launcher and the last app you had used. The Messenger app needs to be downloaded separately. It's fun bouncing your head around. Musical tones ring when you hover it over an option. Try moving your finger in a circle, round and round.

The App Launcher is a drawer that displays your favourite apps, much like the homescreen on normal Android UI. It is meant for those apps which you use the most, so it is easy to find them. For the rest of the apps, there is a vertical scrolling app list, in which apps are arranged in the alphabetical order. If you miss your old Android UI, you can just scroll down the list and click on More.

Chatheads is possibly the best feature in Facebook Home. If a Facebook friend sends you a message or you receive a text, it displays a circular pop up, no matter what app you're using. It's fun bouncing your friends around too. You don't need to switch apps to reply to them, just tap on the Chathead and reply. The app you're using remains unharmed. If you do not want to reply back, swipe that friend away, though I'm not sure why you would want to do that.. Be good to friends.. Facebook has also brought Chatheads to iPhone and iPad, but since Apple puts forward limitations, the Chatheads are limited to the Facebook app, unlike Android where they can pop up while doing anything.

Notifications too has been revamped . Gone is the Notification Bar on the top, in is the central notifications. They are displayed at the centre, so that you don't miss them out. These aren't only Facebook notifications. You also get notifications on calls, downloads, etc. You have the option to swipe them out.

Verdict:
Time to bully Facebook Home now. Facebook supports only 4 phones. Now I know the S3, Note II and One X are quite popular and have sold in millions, but there is still a majority of people not having them. The Nexus 4 was left out in the list.

The concept of being able to add more drawers to the App Launcher seems useless. An average person uses 5-6 apps daily. Creating more drawers and adding apps to it is just time consuming.

However, the main question that remains is: Is so much Facebook healthy? I can understand being close to friends and family, but this is just ridiculous. There is no practical use of Facebook Home. It's great if you want to try it out for a few days. After that it's time do uninstall it. The algorithm which decides what to display on the Cover Feed seems messed up as well. I was seeing posts on the Cover Feed about the smallest of things. The posts were old, irrelevant to me. Facebook needs to work on the algorithm.

Facebook has promised to deliver monthly updates to Facebook Home. Let's hope they bring more features that convince us to use it. Chatheads are simple but useful, every messaging app should have Chatheads!

Facebook Home gets:

★★☆☆☆
2/5

Windows 8-Official Twitter App Review

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:47:00 +0000

It's finally here, and it's great.

The official Twitter app for Windows 8 was a much-needed app. Twitter took their own sweet time to introduce their app for Windows 8 but is finally here. I'm pleased to say Twitter takes full advantage of Windows 8's new capabilities, and works flawlessly.

You are greeted by a layout common on all mobile Twitter apps. Home, Connect, Discover and Me on the left together, and the tweets in the centre. The interface is clean and simple. Nothing fancy here. You scroll down to read more tweets. Refreshing is a bit weird. If you have a touchscreen, you just have to pull your finger down touching at the top of the screen. But if you have the traditional mouse, you have to click on the scroll bar and move it upwards, till you're you get the message "Release To Refresh." A refresh button somewhere on the top would have been appreciated.

When you click on a tweet, you get the option to Favourite it, Retweet it or reply to the Twitter user. Tweets with links display a picture and a small paragraph of text to give a basic overview of the website the link is linking to.

If you check out the Discover tab, you'll notice a list of trends and popular tweets by people. There is horizontal scrolling here, and it looks amazing.

The Me tab looks even better, displaying not only your profile photo but also your cover photo. Other Twitter user's profiles are displayed the same way too. Twitter has done a great job with utilizing horizonal scrolling here.

I did notice the app was buggy. Few problems I noticed were constant crashes, slow loading, tweets weren't refreshing even if I tried a few times. The app still requires finishing touches here and there. There is no option for Quote Tweet. I certainly miss that.

Twitter has utilized notifications and live tiles well. The notifications come quickly and are very helpful. Live tiles act as a good storage of notifications. The only complaint I have is that information is not clearly shown on live tiles. The username of the person takes so much space you have no room left for the rest of the notification. You don't get to know if the person has favourited one of your tweets or retweeted you. It might not be Twitters fault, but I'll be great if they could come up with a solution.

Verdict:

Twitter is no doubt an excellent app. It is clean, simple and easy to use. I do have some complaints, but they don't make using the app unbearable. Twitter for Windows 8 definitely deserves a:

★★★★☆
4/5

App of the Week: Fruit Ninja - Get it for free

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 19:15:00 +0000

Time to unleash the hidden Ninja inside you.. to cut fruits.

If there's only one app you get to download this week, it has to be Fruit Ninja. Fruit Ninja is one of the most popular and most downloaded games on iOS, and will be free this whole week, being the App of the Week. Previous App of the Week's have been amazing too. From Angry Birds Seasons to Cut the Rope: Experiments.

If you've already purchased it, it's not really an interesting news for you, but if you're like me, downloading only free apps on their $600+ devices, this is a great offer. So hurry up and get it now, before the week ends!

The game is Fruit Ninja for iPhone users and Fruit Ninja HD for iPad users. Both get the game free.

Windows 8-Pegs n' Holes Review

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:44:00 +0000

A deceptively simple game. Don't get fooled.

Don't get fooled by the name. "Ah, Pegs 'n Holes. You have them in Golf too. What could possibly be so difficult?" It is, and it's ridiculously difficult. Pegs n' Holes is by JBen Software, and they will mess up your mind. I had a go with Pegs n' Holes, and I'm blown.

All you have to do is "Fill all of the holes with pegs." You initially start off with a 4x4 board. As you progress you can move to a bigger board.

The goal is to determine the correct order of moving the board's pegs such that all of the board's holes are filled. You have to make sure each peg goes into a hole of the same colour. To move a peg you just have to click/tap on it. The pegs with a white border indicate that it can be moved. A peg can only be moved if it has a straight and unblocked path to the hole with the same colour. If you move a peg to a hole, and it turns out to be a wrong choice, you will be left with open holes. You will have to restart eventually.

On completing a level you can choose to play a new game with the same board size or move on to a bigger one. You can also view stats and complete with other players online to solve boards. The quicker you solve, the higher the ranking. You can also change the shape of the pegs to make solving easier.

The 8x8 board is just brutal. I spent 15 minutes trying to crack it, but all my efforts were in vain. Completing the level was more difficult for me than preparing for SAT's.

If you haven't found Pegs n' Holes challenging yet, you can purchase the ExtraLevels pack which adds 12 more board sizes and removes advertisements for only $1.99. It'll be crazy solving them!

Verdict:
Pegs n' Holes is certainly a challenging game. Even the smartest, sharpest of people will be pressing that restart button often. It isn't impossible, but it is tough. Pegs n' Holes clearly deserves a:

★★★★☆
4/5

3 X-Box Games Free on Windows 8 for a Limited Time

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:42:00 +0000

Free stuff!

Here's a great deal that will brighten people up. 3 great X-Box games on Windows 8 for free. This offer is for a limited time, so you might want to hurry.

The three games are :

Gravity Guy
iStunt 2
Monster Island

To get them, all you have to do is go to Store, and scroll to the games section. There will be a til displaying the offer. Just click on it.

These are great games, and I might just review them soon. In the mean time, enjoy these three new games.

Editorial: 10 Things Today's Smartphones And Tablets Have Killed

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:48:00 +0000

Lost and Not Found.

Welcome to the first Editorial of App Funda. Hope you will enjoy.

40 years ago, the phone was designed to serve as a device for communication between people. It was big, bulky and ugly. Fast forward to 2013, phones have become bigger, thinner, faster, better. Smartphones have taken over the world. iPhone, Android are common household names now! Everyone is ditching their old phone and moving on to smartphones, why? Because of their functionality, and apps. A smartphone is an all-in-one device. When one device itself can so do many things, why get individual items? Tablets have entered the space too, and is equally chomping these things.

Here's the 10 things that are no longer/hardly used by people now.

1) Calculator

Calculator, an essential device for Maths, is no longer used. We hardly use a calculator. Why? Because the calculator app is excellent and we don't need anything else. MC, MR, MRC, M+, M. We don't even know what they do and we never came across them too, then why use it?

2) Point and shoot cameras

HTC One: Ultrapixel. iPhone 5: 8 Megapixels. Nokia Lumia 920: 8.7 Megapixels. Sony Xperia Z: 13 Megapixels. Nokia 808 Pureview: 41 holy Megapixels! 1080p Full HD recording, crisp and clear photos, image stabilization,. If there's one department in smartphones that's rapidly advancing, that has to be cameras. They're just getting better and better. Facebook, Instagram have changed the way we share photos. Point and shoot cameras are now a thing of the past. They're just not worth buying in today's age.

3) Portable music players

iPod, Walkman, Zune. These were some of the popular portable music players back in the days. They were cool, they were colourful, they were portable. The main reason why they were popular was due to their portability. Smartphones come with their own music player app which eliminates the need of a music player. They are much better and efficient in handling music. HTC's One range of phones with Beats Audio, which have excellent sound quality.

4) Alarm Clock

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. It's 6:30AM. You're alarm clock is buzzing like hell. You want to sleep more, restricted by the fact that you have to go to school/office. We snooze and snooze, and regret it when we get late. Smartphones are so much better in waking you up. There are apps that ring the alarm at a low volume, and then slowly increase, so that you aren't woken up abruptly. There are wristbands like Jawbone UP! which wake you up gently.

5) Torch/Flashlight

You're at home and he electricity suddenly goes out. What do you do? You use your smartphone's screen or flash to look in the dark. Phones are generally near us and they're fast and simple to use. Besides, don't you need some light to find the torch anyway?

6) GPS/Sat Nav and Maps

Let's drive to a place. How about Thiruvananthapuram? But you don't know the way. What do you do? Do you buy a Rs.10,000 satellite navigation system or do you act smart and download the free Google Maps app on your smartphone? GPS systems have reduced drastically, and manufacturers too have switched to apps. Conventional paper maps too are now obsolete. They're used to make paper planes these days.

7) Alphanumeric keypad

Remember the beloved Nokia 3310? It had the abc, def, ghi, jkl, mno, pqrs, tuv, wxyz keypad. That was the alphanumeric keypad. We've used it for years, but it's time to depart. We've replaced it with the QWERTY keyboard. QWERTY is a pain on smaller screens, but if you have a smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, you're lucky.

8) Watches

Who wears watches anymore? If we want to check the time we just slip the phone out of the pocket and check. Watches are just not cool anymore. You can't even check the time with analog watches in the night! Time is always accurate on a smartphone, thanks to the smartphone gods in the sky :). You don't have to worry about getting the battery changed and adjusting the time in case the battery dies. There have been rumors about Apple, Google and Samsung creating their "smartwatches". There's still time for them, so for now, watches are dead.

9) Calling and Texting

Phones were designed for calling, and then the alphanumeric keypad was added for texting. Come 2013, and no one calls or texts. Today it's messaged through Whatsapp and calling through Viber. Why? Because it's free (Whatsapp is free for the first year). They also have a lot more functionality than the traditional calling and "SMS'ing."

10) Spelling

First of all, Kudos to Apple, Google, Swiftkey and other keyboard makers. It's amazing how they're able to decipher what we're typing. Frankly speaking, I make a lot of mistakes, no matter what device I'm using. From the 3 inch touchscreen on my LG Cookie Zip to the 9.7 inch screen on the iPad. They correct small errors like "Beleiving" to "Believing" and big errors like "Hellko Wordl" to "Hello World." But doing so has destroyed our ability of spelling. Auto correct won't help us when we're writing, or when we're typing on a physical keyboard. We need to correct ourselves, something which we might not be able to do in the coming years.

I hope you enjoyed the first ever Editorial on App Funda. This is just the start. Many more are to come, with an equal amount of humor and possibly better grammar. Like us on Facebook!

LEAKED Super Mario Bros for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 8 and Blackberry 10!

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:55:00 +0000

The Mario Bros Enter Mobile World Level 1-1. #MarioOnMobile

Nintendo has been running losses for months straight. Their gaming systems are not selling, their games have lost the old touch. No one buys any Nintendo thing anymore. After months of declining to move towards smartphones, Nintendo has finally brought forward Super Mario Bros, our all time favourite, to iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 8, Blackberry 10 and even the Ubuntu Touch! Scroll down for download links. App Funda is the first website on the whole wide internet to report the leak!

This might seem like the end of the world, but it isn't. Nintendo is finally moving on from their motion and 3D "gimmicks" to only software development. Super Mario Bros on smartphones is the start of a new era. Gone are the Angry Birds days, gone are the Temple Run days. Mario is here to stay forever.

Fans have been giving positive feedback to the leak on Twitter, using the hashtag #MarioOnMobile to spread their opinion.

People have taken over streets to celebrate. They all seem so happy. Finally their prayers have come true.

The experience will completely remains the same irrespective of the device you use. Fair and square for all the smartphones. The game is completely same as it was on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The controls magically appear/disappear on the screen. The shortcuts/tricks are still there. World 1-2, Underground, if you remember ;)

Here are some screenshots:

Enthusiasts can downloaded the leaked game for their smartphone from here:

Click Here to get Super Mario Bros for iPhone. (iTunes)
Click Here to get Super Mario Bros for Android. (Google Play)
Click Here to get Super Mario Bros for Windows Phone 8. (Windows Phone Store)
Click Here to get Super Mario Bros for Blackberry 10. (Blackberry World)

Cheers.

We're back! + Guest Post Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:34:00 +0000

Burn all the notes!

My exams are finally over, and it's celebration time! Those board papers were really intense. Studying, sleeping, sleeping way too much in fact. Many of my exams went well, others didn't. Giving board exams was a unique experience.

Now that they're over, App Funda will go overdrive. We'll be going through a major overhaul. Rewamping the site, possibly including mobiles as a niche. Reviewing will be done, in excess quantities.

We're looking for guest posts! If you feel you're capable of writing a great review of an app you can send it in to appfunda@gmail.com. It'll be a pleasure posting your reviews. You get 2 backlinks in return along with your name and Social Media details. :D

This is just the beginning. The real deal starts now. Probably after my results. Hoping for the best.

Like Us On Facebook!

Going On a Break

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:09:00 +0000

Yeah, I don't like it either..

Yes, App Funda will go on a break. All these rumors are true, if there were any rumors, but you must have guessed by the frequency of reviews these days. My board exams are really near, and I have to start working hard.

"That's so not fair!"

True, I hate it too. Away from apps, away from technology. It's like removing one of your kidneys!

"How long will this break be?"

Well, it's gonna be pretty long. Brace yourselves. My board exams start on 27th February 2013, and they will last almost a month. Plus a month right now. So yes, 2 months. That's really long. I don't want to stop, not so soon, but i'm helpless.

"This is really sad! What will we do?"

Well, you can read the reviews I've written previously. Temple Run 2 review is doing particularly good. You can comment your positive/negative opinions. I'll have a look at them, and reply to all, after 2 months... No spam please. Spam is bad.

"Who writes all these amazing and full of humor reviews? He's amazing!"

Really? Thank you :). I, Sid Bandhu, Editor of App Funda, write all the reviews. If you want to know me better you can follow me on Google+ or on Twitter. No Facebook here. Sorry.

"I love App Funda!"
Thank you. Means alot. :)

If you feel like making a contribution to App Funda, you can email us your review to appfunda@gmail.com. If it's really good, i'll definitely post it. Don't forget to add pictures.

Another thing, as soon as I get back, I'm thinking on implementing some changes. Rating apps out of 5 stars is widely used, as noticed on the Apple App Store and Android Play Store. Ratings might change to out of 5 stars in the future, to keep up with the standards.

A new look might be on the way too. App Funda definitely looks amazing currently, but i'll try to make it even more awesome (Awesomer, if that's a word). A Twitter account for App Funda might come too. I was definitely looking forward to it too. How's @AppFunda?

One last thing, do make sure to like our Facebook page. CLICK HERE to visit. Please share with your friends. Sharing is caring.

Windows 8- Forismatic Review

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:45:00 +0000

Restoring faith in humanity..

Whether you're sad or happy, depressed or not depressed, motivated or not motivated, Forismatic by Coppertino Inc. is one app to check out. Forismatic delivers quotes everyday in a beautiful and simple way. Forismatic is a great app whether on a touch or non-touch Windows 8 device.

You get quotes from popular people everyday. They are beautifully presented on a black background and white text, which is Night Mode.

You can change to Day mode within Settings in the Charms bar to invert the color scheme.

There are 2 modes. One is Inspire Me. All you have to do is click or swipe to see a new inspiring quote. The other is Relax Mode. Sit back and relax. The app will display new quotes on its own.

You can copy the quote to Clipboard and if you're interested in knowing more about the author you can see their Wiki. Neat addition.

A quite neglected feature is the ability to search quotes. You can search quotes by typing in the author name. Another handy addition, but it shows a negative point about the app: Less quotes. There are thousands of quotes from thousands of famous people, but on Forismatic there are just a handful. Big names like Mahatma Gandhi and his inspirational quotes were left out.

The live tile of the app shows quotes which change continuously. Blue background and white text, another good looking combination.

Rating:
In my opinion, Forismatic is a beautiful app. The quotes really motivate the mind and body. The only concern is less quotes. Otherwise I see no reason why anyone should have complains. Forismatic gets:

★★★★★★★★☆☆

8/10

Windows 8- Cut The Rope Review

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:26:00 +0000

So much candy you'll become diabetic..

Cut The Rope is an already popular game on iOS and Android, but it has made it's entry to Windows 8 too. Cut The Rope was developed by Zepto Labs and the main objective of the game is to, well, cut the rope.

Cut The Rope stars the cute character Om Nom. By cutting ropes in a sequential manner, you have to feed him candy. If you miss, he makes a really cute "Aww" sound and make a cute expression, which will make you feel guilty for the rest of your life. Along with ropes, there are other items too which you must use properly. One wrong step and you make Om Nom sad.

While feeding candy to Om Nom, you have to collect the 3 stars by moving the candy around. The more stars you collect, the more stages, known as boxes in the game, you can unlock. There are 11 boxes, and each box has 25 levels. This means you can ~~waste~~ utilize a lot of time playing the game.

The live tile of the app displays the number of stars you have collected. I have only collected 36 stars so far.

The app is initially free, but you get to try only 6 levels from the first 2 boxes. If you want to play any further you need to buy an in-app purchase to be able to play the other levels. The price of the in-app purchase is a steep $4.99, which is comparatively much higher. iOS and Android versions are only a dollar. Some people might find the price too much, but in my opinion Zepto Labs has done a really good job porting the game to Windows 8, taking good advantage of the horizontal screen, and definitely deserve each and every cent of the $4.99, except what Microsoft takes away from each app.

Review:

Zepto Labs has done a great job porting the game on to Windows 8. Some people might find the in-app purchase high, but it's not their fault too. We're really used to the $0.99 price point for such kind of games. Cut The Rope gets:

★★★★★★★★★☆

9/10

iOS- Temple Run 2 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 14:51:00 +0000

New game. Same aim..

Temple Run 2 is the brand new game by Imangi Studios. Temple Run as we all know was a fun way to pass time, running from a mutant chimpanzee (I'm not sure that's correct) and jumping, ducking and turning left and right. It's pretty much the same in Temple Run 2.

In Temple Run 2, you are welcomed with a new temple landscape, set high above in the sky, surrounded by fluffy white clouds. This is certainly different from the ground landscape back in Temple Run.

You still have a mutant chimpanzee, and you're still running from him. Jumping and ducking obstacles is still there, so is turning left and right and tilting the screen. Graphics have been refreshed, and the game looks great on the Retina Display, in fact better than Temple Run. Instead of a straight path, there are bends small inclinations. There is a green bar on the top left of the screen. It fills up as you collect coins. Once it fills up you see a green shield, which protects you from obstacles for a certain period of time.

Even though the gameplay feels similar, there are quite some noticeable changes in the game. For instance, there are levels now. You reach a new level by completing objectives. Instead of a big list, where you can complete any objective, there are only 3 objectives at a time.

One of the new items in Temple Run 2 are Gems. You can collect gems while playing, or buy more. If you fall or crash into an obstacle, for a brief moment it displays whether you want to save the character. You get to play the game from the same spot from where you "died". This costs 1 gem. If you "die" again, and you want to "resuscitate" him again, it will cost 2 gems. This goes on and on till you decide you don't want to continue any further.

Another new addition is mines. You enter a cave, driving a mine cart. To survive you have to make sure you tilt to the correct side. I've been in the mine 9 times till now, died all the 9 times in the mine. Never saw the daylight. I'm not sure if the mine is difficult or that i'm a novice player, I guess it's the former.

If you get bored of the current character you can always buy new ones. There are only four characters currently. You can buy them by spending coins. What's surprising is that Scarlett Fox looks like Taylor Swift.

I tried the game on the iPad 3, and I did feel constant lag. The game does not go as smoothly as Temple Run did. I'm hearing that people with iPod Touch 4 are experiencing quite some lag too. The lag hampers with the gameplay, and in the end it gets really irritating when you've just broken your high score and want to set a bigger score. I've experienced it. In the end, it's still Version 1.0, so some bugs are still expected.

Temple Run 2 is definitely a new game, but there weren't any new power ups. This was disappointing.

Where's the Android version? The Android version is missing. Temple Run did come on Android after quite some time, but Imangi Studios should have brought it to Android at the same time . Even Windows Phone users would get happy if a port could be made to Windows Phone 8.

Rating:

In the end, Temple Run 2 is a good successor to the famous Temple Run 2. Graphics department has certainly done a good job. Temple Run 2 is definitely more challenging, and levels is a nice addition. Lag is still an issue, and Temple Run 2 feels just a bit too similar to Temple Run. Some new power ups would have been a good addition. Android is missing. It gets a:

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

7/10

Windows 8-Comic Director Review

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 14:13:00 +0000

Marvel And DC are in trouble.

Comic Director is one of the best funnest apps i've used on Windows 8. With an easy to use interface, lots of editing options, you could really be challenging Marvel and DC Comics. You can make your comic and share with your friends. If the comic is really good you could get featured in the popular section too.

Creating a comic is easy. Clicking on Create A New Comic opens up the option of selecting the template. If you don't like any, don't worry, there are more coming soon. Once you're done with that you have to enter all the photos and start editing.

You can add clip art, images, text and even draw. Comic Director is the perfect app to unleash the artist in you. There's no limit in creativity here. Don't forget to name your comic though.

Draw has lots of options and you can use pens, highlighters, markers to make your cartoons awesome. There are lots of color options. Even Clip Art has alot of stickers to make your cartoons come alive.

I in fact had a great time trying out the app. I too made a comic. As you can see above Harry Potter has found his long lost brother. I even made his scar visible.

Funny language has been used in the app overall. It's still the start, and has alot more coming. But for now, more templates, and easier re-sizing with the mouse would be a great addition. Stuff can get difficult with mice sometimes.

Rating:

Creativity has no boundaries, neither do comics. Comic Director is a great app whether you're an amateur or a professional. It doesn't matter if you can draw or not. It gets a:

★★★★★★★★☆☆

8/10

iOS, Android- Pudding Monsters Review

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 13:44:00 +0000

Delicious, but just not enough pudding.

Pudding Monsters is another great game from ZeptoLab, makers of the popular Cut The Rope. ZeptoLab makes some really cute characters, no exception here too.

Pudding Monsters starts with puddings in well, a fridge. Game play is simple, you have to move around puddings, join them together strategically so that in the end all the puddings are joint and they are on the Star platform. You move them by sliding them around. But they need an object in their path or else they'll just slide off the screen and the level will restart.

The main puddings are the red ones. As you play more, you're gonna meet new Green pudding leave a sticky path as they move, which is used to stop other puddings from sliding off the table.
Purple puddings are hypnotized. If you move any one purple pudding, all the other purple puddings will move in that direction. If you combine the purple or green pudding with another pudding they become normal.

There are quite many obstacles too. Ice blocks, ramps, pudding multiplying tunnels and many more. There are separate eyes too. If you move them to a red paint drop like thing they automatically become puddings.

Overall game play is really fun. The puddings are really cute. So cute that i'd be a monster if i'd even think of eating them. They speak in a funny way too.

Currently there are 3 stages: Fridge, House, and Neighbourhood. Each stage consists of 24 levels. But as you complete a stage, you unlock the 25th level. The game is really easy. You can easily complete the game in two hours. Even your kid could complete the game in two hours. Once you've completed all the levels, you have to earn a "Crown" for each level. You can earn a crown by getting 0 stars, 1 star, 2 stars and 3 stars to get a crown. That's when the game gets a little tough. Still, it lacks more levels. The game feels useless after completing it.

Pudding Monsters is available on iOS (iPhone and iPad) and Android. While the iOS app is $0.99, there is a free version of Pudding Monsters and a $0.99 paid HD ad-free version on Android. We tried the game on a Samsung Galaxy S3, and we were using the free version. Graphics were brilliant and ads did not interfere much during game play. So it's sensible to go for the Ad-free version right now.

Rating:
More levels is what Pudding Monsters need. Otherwise, it's a brilliant game with a brilliant concept. Pudding Monsters gets a tasty:

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

7/10

New Android Phones Announced At CES 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:34:00 +0000

Mobile Madness.

Not too long ago, if we wanted to go for a high end Android smartphones, we would generally look at Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2, HTC One X, Sony Xperia S and SL and probably Nexus 4, but it's hardly available. The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2013 began on January 8 and ends on January 11. During this time we've seen some major phone launches by the most unexpected mobile manufacturers. I have to say, the Mobile Section at CES 2013 is impressive. Android is certainly going to do well with so many contenders bringing their phones to the Top-end Android Market. Let's have a quick look at the phones announced.

1) ZTE Grand S

Image Credit: ZTE

ZTE really pumped up the competition with the Grand S. Like the name suggests, the phone is Grand. A five inch, full HD (1080p) display, Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.7 GHz Quad Core Processor, 13 megapixel camera capable of shooting 1080p videos. What's jaw-dropping is in fact its thickness- a staggering 6.9 mm. That is really thin.

2) Sony Xperia Z

Image Credit: Sony

Sony has finally come with a smartphone which can be considered their best. Sony Xperia Z is water resistant (your toilet buddy) and dust resistant (try dropping it in the Sahara desert) up to really high levels. Along with it comes a 5 inch 1080 x 1920p full HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, a 13 megapixel camera with Exmor RS for mobile, the world’s first image sensor with HDR video for smartphones and a 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 Quad Core Processor. These are quite some specs.

3)Huawei Ascend Mate

Image Credit: Huawei

Huawei too has raised the bar with the Ascend Mate. Ascend Mate comes with an ridiculously huge 6.1 inch HD 720p display, an enormous 4050 mAh battery, promising up to 2 days of normal use on a single charge, which is impressive. Along with it comes a 1.5 GHz Quad Core processor, 8 megapixel camera and lots of other bits and bytes in the software. This phone is just ridiculously huge at 6.1 inches. Manufacturers need to stop at this size. Any bigger and it's a tablet.

4) Lenovo IdeaPhone K900

Lenovo had the most interesting launch with the IdeaPhone K900. Why it's interesting is that it runs on Intel Atom Z2580 Dual Core Processor. That's a Clove Trail Processor. Lenovo IdeaPhone is just 6.9 mm thick, with a 1080p Full HD Display and a 13 megapixel camera.

What we see here is that Android smartphones are getting larger, better, thinner. Full HD displays and 13 megapixel cameras are the new standard, along with quad core processors. At this pace, the future of Android really seems exciting. Future of iPhone? Not so much.

The Growing Mobile OS Market

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:35:00 +0000

Mobile OS Market Is Exploding. Are we ready??

Mobile computing as we know it, has radically changed in the past few years. We've gone from fat and big phones to thin and small phones to thin and large smartphones. Touchscreen is the new everything on smartphones now. People gave up their phones to move to Android, iOS, why? Because of their apps. The Apple AppStore has 650000+ apps, whereas Android Play Store has 700000+ apps. Apps are everything. That's why we made App Funda here. Even desktops are switching to apps, with the Mac AppStore and Windows 8 Store.

If we want to buy a smartphone, we generally look at 3 operating systems. One is Apple's iOS on iPhone, the other is Google's Android OS running on 4000+ different kinds of devices. The third is Microsoft's Windows Phone, running on a few devices and just launched last year. Right now these are our three OS choices while going for a smartphone. Each is great in it's own way.

Now come 2013 and we are looking at 4 major new OS releases. Jolla will be introducing Sailfish OS, Samsung is expected to release phones with Tizen OS. Blackberry's revamping themselves with BlackBerry 10 OS, and Ubuntu's introducing Ubuntu for Mobile. I had a good look at all the four , and I was impressed. All four have such sleek and clean OS's, all are amazing at multitasking, all look beautiful. People are loving the looks of the OS. Many are determined at buying phones with these OS as soon as they are launched. But these phones lack apps, so will be move on to them?

We initially gave up our old phones, PDA's and other handhelds, why? Because we wanted new age apps. There's an app for almost anything today, and it's still getting innovative. While everyone seems enthusiastic about them, the possibility of them expanding is still low.

People aren't ready to explore the waters of Windows Phone. Windows Phone has been here for quite some time now, and it still seems like a stranger to us. It's a beautiful OS, and the live tiles are really innovative, but Windows Phone 8 is having a tough time getting noticed by people, why? Because it does not have the amount of apps iOS and Android has. We're not ready to explore Windows Phone, will we be ready to explore Sailfish OS, Tizen, BB10 and Ubuntu?

Only time will tell now..

Update: Mozilla's Firefox OS for mobiles is there too. Surprised how we skipped it .

Windows 8-Play Guitar! Review

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 17:45:00 +0000

Let's forget physical instruments.

Play Guitar! is a great app by Davilovick. Playing a guitar in real life is quite difficult. Pressing the strings on one side and strumming on the other can get quite difficult. Not everyone's a Jimi Hendrix over here now. I myself used to learn how to play the guitar, it was never easy for me too. I have really soft fingers, and it hurts me a lot in the fingers. Play Guitar! makes it effortless.

Play Guitar! can be used on a Windows 8 tablet with the touch-screen or a Windows 8 computer using the mouse, though overall the experience is much better with a touch-screen.

You are greeted by a classic acoustic guitar with intricate designs. From the guitar to the strumming, everything looks life-like.

You can add chords: Major, Minor or 7th to your list. If you want to play a song dragging the chords required to the list makes it easy to access them, without any mess.

If you do not feel like playing any chords you can switch to the free play mode. Play Guitar! however lacks an electric guitar mode right now. That would have been a neat addition and would have pumped up the ratings.

Rating:

Play Guitar! is one of the best guitar apps on Windows 8. If you have a touch-screen, it makes it better for you.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

8/10

Link to the App.

Happy New Year From App Funda

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:16:00 +0000

Friday the 13th on 2013? It's gonna be a bad day.

Happy New Year! It's 2013. It might just be another year, but we'll make sure we'll keep it special.

We might move to a .com domain soon. So accessing the site becomes easy. We will definitely post more reviews. Alot more.

Unfortunately, exams are around, so initially there will be a few reviews.

Windows 8- To-Dos Review

noreply@blogger.com (Sid Bandhu) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 11:01:00 +0000

Never forget anything again..

To-Dos is a useful app. It's basically a to-do list, but it's pretty neat. You can, well, add stuff to your to do list. We have a great to-do list for you. :)

Once you finish a task in your list, you have to click on the square box to strike it off. The interface is quite flashy. Yellow is the only colour and it cannot be changed. It is kinda obvious, Post Its too come mainly in white. The app isn't limited to this, you can snap it on the side and use the other side with any other app.

Not only this, but it displays your to-do list as a live tile on your Start Screen too, another neat addition. This proves to be quite useful and quite handy.

Rating:

To-Dos is a good app, it really takes the advantage of all the new features of Windows 8. It gets a:

★★★★★★★★☆☆

8/10