All you fans of microcomputing god Raspberry Pi, it is time to cheer some more because new Raspberry is now in town. Raspberry Pi 2 is a massively upgraded machine. It is up to six times faster than its predecessor. It includes a 900MHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU, 1GB LPDDR2 SDRAM, and it is completely compatible with Raspberry Pi 1. And the best part is that it is in same price tag as before, USD $ 35.

According to Raspberry, they have been working closely with Microsoft for the past six months in order to introduce Windows 10 to the new machine. More news and updates in this regard will keep on coming in the near future, but one thing has been announced that Raspberry Pi 2 compatible version of Windows 10 will be free for the buyers of Raspberry Pi 2. You can visit Windowsondevices.com today and join the Windows Developer Program for IoT and receive updates as they become available.

The old models of Raspberry PI will not be discontinued and will still be available at the same price tags.

Source: Raspberry

Image Source: Raspberry

Battlefield Hardline is one of the most talked about game right now. And in order to add to the hype, makers of Battlefield Hardline have made online multiplayer beta available for its fans between February 3 and February 8. The opening/closing time will vary from region to region. The beta will be available to all players worldwide on PC via Origin, PlayStation4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360. The final version is set to be released on March 17. According to Visceral Games, the makers behind Battlefield Hardline, it is a completely new talk on Battlefield, built on strategy, speed and story in single player and multiplayer, delivering a complete first person shooter experience.

In this beta you will be able to enjoy hands on experience of three different maps and modes. First off, Hotwire mode in which criminals attempt to steal a list of marked cars which the cops try to repossess them. This mode will be available on two maps, Downtown and Dust Bowl.

The desert town of Dust Bowl known for its drug trafficking problems will be playable on Conquest mode, allowing a maximum of 64 players to join the fun. Finally there’s the Bank Job map where you get to experience the Heist mode. The criminals will try to break into a bank vault, while cops will try their best to stop them.

To top it off, one player on each side can help his/her team through Hacker mode, having access and control over security cameras, with ability to spot enemies and specify areas on the map for their respective team to attack or defend. Hacker mode will be available on all modes in the beta.

All those players who will be participating in the Battlefield Hardline beta will receive an extra perk: the Hardline Dog Tag.

It is an open beta and there is no need to fill any registration form of any sort. The download size on PC, Xbox One and PS4 will be around 10-11 Gb. Whereas that on PS3 and Xbox 360 will be slightly under 4GB.

There is no level cap during the beta, the users can experience the game’s full progression system during this short span of 6 days.

So if you haven’t downloaded or experienced Battlefield Hardline beta, stop wasting your time and start downloading!

Source: Battlefield

If Dropbox is an integral part of your tech arsenal, we might have some bad news. Dropbox recently announced that its Space Race promo is going to expire as of March 4, 2015.

Students of participating schools, who had taken part in the Space Race challenge received additional storage space for their Dropbox accounts for Free. The amount of storage space depended on how many students participated and completed Dropbox’s Space Race Challenge per university and could go up to 25Gb.

In their email Dropbox has advised users to make sure that they have sufficient free space left after the promo space is gone to ensure proper operation. Users who are over quota would not be able to add new data to their accounts.

For users looking to continue using more than their allotted storage space Dropbox has recommended upgrading to Dropbox Pro.

Dropbox Pro is a subscription based service that provides 1TB space for $99/year or $9.99/month. Features include:

• 1 TB (1,000 GB) of space to keep files safe
• Expiration dates or passwords when sharing
• View-only shared folder permissions
• Remote wipe for lost devices
• Priority support

As an incentive if you decide to upgrade to Dropbox Pro before the March 4th Deadline you can receive a discount of 30% for the first year which will set you back about $70 after a saving of roughly $30.

As an alternative to paying $70-100 for Dropbox, users can make the switch to Google Drive which offers cheaper subscription rates. As their support for education Google announced that students can now enjoy unlimited Google Drive storage space (5TB per file size limit) which is quite amazing.

Personally, I really like the seamless app integration Dropbox has to offer. It is a breeze to configure mobile apps save data onto dropbox and services to sync your information onto Dropbox. Its intuitive interface and nifty apps for mobile devices surely put you to at ease to access data from anywhere. While most other services have only caught up to allow automatic photo upload, Dropbox has already partnered with Microsoft to allow users to let them save their Microsoft Office documents onto Dropbox. So it allows users to put their data in place with the surety that it will be available when they need it.

If you are one of the affected Space Race users, what would be your game plan?

The list of breached retail, banking, entertainment and tech industry companies sadly got bigger with the recent intrusion of Anthem; America’s second largest health insurance provider. Shocking as it may seem there are estimates that data for about 80 million customers has fallen into wrong hands.

Anthem’s CEO Joseph Swedish in a statement also available the company website has said that “Anthem was the target of a very sophisticated external cyber attack,” According to him sensitive data including names, birthdays, medical IDs, Social Security numbers, street addresses, e-mail addresses and employment information and income data.

Although this attack did not give hackers access to credit card information, it surely provided them access to Social Security information which is a major concern since it can wreck havoc. The last thing people want it identity theft and since getting new Social Security numbers is very difficult the repercussions of this breach are very intimidating.

Later today Bloomberg reported that law enforcement agencies have narrowed down perpetrators be backed by Chinese authorities which is dumbfounding although not something unheard of.

To put things in perspective, reports of US involvement have repeatedly surfaced in the past with evidence strongly hinting spying activities being conducted on various countries by means of infiltrating their cyber networks. To follow is the strong US statement/response to North Korea after allegedly breaching Sony Pictures, does put the whole cyber attack issue into limelight. So are countries now being forced into a new type of race? Will cyber dominance now translate into the latest form of power struggle?

At the moment though the whole hacking fiasco paints a very dismal picture and privacy seems to be becoming a luxury rather than a necessity.

If you are using WhatsApp on your iPhone you might have noticed a nice call button next to the profile picture of the user. Yes finally developers at WhatsApp have rolled out a new update with call feature. Even though they didn’t mention anything about this in the update change log.

At the moment the call button uses the carrier to make calls but hopefully in the near future we can see call over internet. Currently it uses the dial-pad of the phone instead of a separate one.

Earlier in the week, a Reddit user had reported that he was able to use the calling feature on his Nexus 5 running Android Lollipop. The screenshots suggested that there would be separate screens for dialing a voice call to WhatsApp contacts, call logs and ongoing calls.

He had also said (citing the person who sent him the invite) that voice calling will not be activated for all and users will only be able to get the voice calling feature if someone who has it enabled calls them through WhatsApp similar to an invite system.

In case you haven’t got the call feature, it is ok. Because WhatsApp is still testing this feature by enabling it for a select users.

Who in their right mind doesn’t like candies? Right! Team Lava has ingeniously used this to their advantage and brought their own confectionary to the mix, teasing your sweet tooth and taking candy addiction to a whole new level!

A sugar laden world awaits you, seeking your puzzle solving skills to rid it from the evil gummy bear and his cronies. Your adventure may seem easy at first but watch it become perilous as you progress.

What sets Candy Blast Mania apart are the awesome graphics always refreshing to look at and the animations are exactly how you would want them to be! The game works flawlessly with minimal intrusions from popups that usually ruin the experience. Candy Mania follows the tried and tested method of awarding stars for each level cleared and limits play through energy power ups. Fully charged you get 5 energy points to play. If a level is successfully cleared you earn an energy point or in other words you don’t lose any but if you fail, every restart would cost you one. Unlike other puzzle games there is no need to pool stars to unlock the next one, the only requirement is to clear the last one be it one star or three. The goal is to clear the level in the allotted number of moves which fluctuate with each level and also get less forgiving as you progress.

What annoys however is the hour long wait time to gain one energy point which can be really cumbersome and hinders long plays. Obviously that is where real money comes in. If you are an impatient adventurer you can go ahead and purchase energy and other power ups such as getting more than the allowed moves per level.

Candy Mania offers a new challenge with each new level keeping players engaged and putting their problem solving skills to the test. There are all sorts of obstacles such as frozen candies (candy goop), gobblers, cannons etc. If that doesn’t slow you down, after roughly every 5 levels players find themselves face to face with the Gummy Bear King who would keep on throwing random obstacles your way and taunt them. Though they can get back by generating combos and temporarily stunning him.

I have now spent a couple of days on the game and managed to reach level 127, still a long way to go. If the developers could add cutscenes to the mix it would be awesome, creating a more story like feel. Given the amazing work they have done with the graphics I am confident they’d do a splendid job. Overall I would recommend you to give it a shot and add it to your daily gaming routine while you are waiting for energy on other games.

Download below from iTunes:

 

 

Description:

Match and collect candies in this amazingly delicious puzzle adventure guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth! A new flavor of Match-3 game from the makers of hit apps Jewel Mania™ and Bubble Mania™! Match candies to collect them, and sweeten the value of neighboring candies. Easy to learn but challenging to master! The Gummy Bear King and his candied cronies are looking to spoil the Candy Kingdom. Will you and your friends stop the gummied grouch before it’s too late? - PLAY through over 400 levels of candy collecting craziness! Stock up on Lemon Drops, Jelly Beans and gummies that look good enough to eat! - FIND big matches to create Sweet Spots for explosive combos and big bonuses! - BATTLE the tyrannical Gummy Bear King in the exciting Battle Mode. Stun the evil King with big matches before he Goops up your candies! - EARN Boosts like the Candy Wand or Candy Scoop, which clear obstacles and recharge for FREE! - COMPETE against your Facebook friends for the top score in every level! - JOURNEY through a whole new world of fantastic flavors, including Cake Canyon, the Forest of Fudge, and more! - FREE to play with FREE updates including new levels, obstacles, candies, and more every week! Candy Blast Mania is the BEST puzzle adventure game on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. And just like the other best things in life, it’s FREE! Please note that Candy Blast Mania is free to play, but you can purchase in-app items with real money. To delete this feature, on your device go to Settings Menu -> General -> Restrictions option. You can then simply turn off In-App Purchases under “Allowed Content”. In addition, Candy Blast Mania may link to social media services such as Facebook, and TeamLava will have access to your information through such services.

Show Full Description & Screenshots

 

Release Notes:

- Bug fixes
- Performance improvements

 

 

App Details:

 

iPhone Screenshots:

 

iPad Screenshots:

 

Free! - View in App Store

 

by 72021 users

 

 

Free!

 

The awesome team at Ketchapp are back with their latest masterpiece; Zig Zag another very simple yet highly addictive game that would absorb you for hours if you dare have a go at it!

Since last year Ketchapp has mobile gamers hooked onto 2 Cars which is a test of multitasking skills, endurance, concentration and more importantly holding the device steady for extended periods of time. We wouldn’t be surprised if it made players ambidextrous after a few months.

So what does Zig Zag have to offer? you might ask! Simply put Zig Zag extends Ketchapp’s clean and simple design elements to offer players another unique and fun way to test their reflexes. Players are entrusted to guide a rolling ball through a very jagged narrow patch collecting rubies along the way for extra points. The idea is to keep going for as long as you can set the highest score for others to beat. Scoring is done on the basis of distance travelled and rubies collected. Each Ruby collected adds an additional 2 points to the total score helping you accumulate points quicker.

Zig Zag is more of a hand eye coordination test which requires you to tap quickly to prevent the ball from rolling off but its not all just quick tapping. Players have to be careful and carefully watch the random pathway, there isn’t a set pattern that one can follow or get attuned to! Each run is different and requires precision.

To make matters interesting as if it already wasn’t challenging enough, the pathway keeps changing color which is a big distraction. It confuses your mind, forcing it to process both ends of the spectrum, try maintaing concentration as colors change from bright yellow to shocking pink.

Our verdict: Zig Zag is a highly addictive, unique and well crafted title. It should have no difficulty keeping players engaged as it offers the perfect amount of challenge.

Download now from iTunes:

 

 

Description:

Stay on the wall and do as many zigzags as you can! Just tap the screen to change the direction of the ball. Try not to fall off the edges! How far can you go?

Show Full Description & Screenshots

 

Release Notes:

Optimizations.

 

 

App Details:

 

iPhone Screenshots:

 

iPad Screenshots:

 

Free! - View in App Store

 

by 400 users

 

 

Free!

 

Warid in order to boost its user-base has recently launched LTE MiFi device. The MiFi device works almost exactly like the PTCL cloud. It is a portable wireless router which can allow users to connect up to 10 devices. Users will be able to access Warid’s LTE services on the go in the areas of LTE coverage.

I think it is very nice move by Warid and they might take first movers advantage on this. Given the horrible services of PTCL, people don’t have many options when it comes to Internet. If they can provide some nice data packages, I wouldn’t mind buying one as a backup or even as the primary internet.

As of right now Warid is charging PKR 9,999 for the MiFi device with an LTE enable SIM, and 35GB of internet data per month for three months. The customers can opt for Smart (PKR 1,500/month), Extra (PKR 2,000/month) or Ultra (PKR 3,000/month) tariff plans which offer 15GB, 20GB, and 35GB of data, respectively.

If you have had the opportunity to use Warid’s MiFi device please do share your reviews with us.

Source: Warid

The government has recently decided to go ahead with the introduction of smart meters in order to curb the electricity theft. This electricity theft is blamed for the high electricity bills and at times even the circular debt. These will be prepaid meters. So you will have to load your meter with the desired amount before you are able to get any electricity. It will be just like prepaid mobile phones. You will be able to purchase your electricity prepaid card and load it into your meter. Once your card runs out so will the electricity supply.

According to Younas Dagha, Secretary for Water & Electricity, the government plans to start implementing this system of smart meters from March 2015. The smart meter system will be completed within 2-3 years.

Do you think it is a smart move by the government? Or is it just another shot in the dark to get temporary publicity and then do nothing about it like many electricity projects which the current government had promised to complete months ago.

Note: Image used is not the actual meter. It is an image taken from the internet. And is for illustration purpose only.

Source: Dunya News

Image Source: IPF

If you are one of those players that fancies overly challenging titles, we have a treat for you! MadGoat Studios has recently released a game that reeks of flappy bird difficulty level, aptly named “Impossible Path”. The game makes use of simple shapes to create a perilous path asking players to avoid sliding blocks while they make their way up and score points.

It may sound like a simple challenge then but once you start playing you find yourself focusing hard trying to time your moves but end up crashing. In comparison to flappy bird, I feel that Impossible Path is well designed and does not lack in the functionality department. The physics feel more realistic and gives you a sense that the game is playable.

To increase player engagement the developers at MadGoat Studio have cleverly added unlock-able skins which can be had by redeeming points collected during gameplay, so users don’t find themselves needlessly collecting points. In total Impossible Path provides 10 achievements that can be unlocked and offers 16 skins that are waiting for your hard earned points.

We feel that the graphics could use some more work since solid bricks on an off white background can get boring after a little while and same goes for sound, maybe add some more sound effects and the ability to choose a softer soundtrack. Secondly,  what would make this game interesting is when your friends start playing adding that aspect of added challenge of scoring the most points.

Overall we like Impossible Path and think that it provides just the right amount of challenge to keep you engaged and keep playing but beware frustration can escalate pretty quickly!

As of right now the game is available for Android devices only. You can download it directly from the Play Store by clicking here.

In a recent update Instagram has updated both its Android and iOS apps to offer auto replay functionality; a feature boasted by Vine. However, it is interesting to note that these looping videos would not impact data usage every time a video replays, so users with limited data plans can browse through posts without worry. The autoplay functionality surely does increase user engagement since a video you might not have played otherwise might entice you into watching, maybe if caught a 2 second glimpse. Though to get the full experience a user needs to tap the video which would then enable sound, another nifty feature that allows for discrete browsing. Surely a welcome addition for all the video advertisers out there!

As the drive towards increasing user engagement heightens, both Facebook and Twitter are diversifying themselves through offering new features or through acquiring other unique services. We see a lot of Facebook’s recent focus shift towards videos as is evident through video suggestions through out Facebook  and now with an update to their Instagram video playback feature. It seems that videos might be a good driver or traffic and Facebook wants to match Twitter’s Vine offerings through its own Instagram App.

The Hardest Flight, a game by Chillingo Ltd, isn’t as hard or challenging as the name might suggest but it will certainly require you to be real good at multitasking.

In the game you have control of a ship which needs to pass through various color barriers. And in order to do so the color of the ship must match the color of the barrier. By default the color of ship is purple.

Hold finger on the left of the screen to turn the color blue and hold finger on the right of the screen to turn it into pink. And you can move your ship left or right by tilting your phone. It can become difficult if you are not good at multitasking. Because you need to make sure the color matches and the same time pass your ship through the barrier.

Initially you might not be able to process all this information and end up scoring low scores. But once you get hang of it, you will be able to score decent scores. And one of the good things about the game is that restarting game isn’t that cumbersome. The restarts are fairly speedy encouraging the user to continue playing again and again.

It currently lacks a colorblind mode, and it is stormed with ads but still it is a game worth trying.

 

 

Description:

Fly as far as you can in The Hardest Flight! You may restrict in-app purchasing using your device settings. Ascend to the stars as you navigate a ship through endless colored barriers. Think fast, change color quickly, and try to climb the leaderboards and become the Sky Master in one of the most challenging games on the App Store! [How to play] • Tilt your device to navigate your ship through colored barriers • Tap and hold either left or right to match your shield color to the barrier to pass through it • Hold left for Blue, hold right for Pink, and release for Purple • Log into Facebook and brag about your high scores with your friends! Visit the Chillingo room on the App Store to see more of our great games: appstore.com/chillingo Important Consumer Information. This app: Requires acceptance of EA's Privacy & Cookie Policy, TOS and EULA. Collects data through third party ad serving and analytics technology (see Privacy & Cookie Policy for details). Contains direct links to the Internet and social networking sites intended for an audience over 13. Allows players to communicate via Facebook notifications and gifting. To disable see the settings in-game. Visit the Chillingo room on the App Store to see more of our great games: appstore.com/chillingo Terms of Service : http://www.ea.com/terms-of-service Privacy & Cookie Policy : http://www.ea.com/privacy-policy EULA : http://tos.ea.com/legalapp/mobileeula/US/en/OTHER/ Visit http://www.chillingo.com/about/game-faqs/ for assistance or inquiries. EA may retire online features and services after 30 days notice posted on www.ea.com/1/service-updates

Show Full Description & Screenshots

 

 

App Details:

 

iPhone Screenshots:

 

iPad Screenshots:

 

Free! - View in App Store

 

by 88 users

 

 

Free!

 

Microsoft Office Online, the web version of the famous productivity suite, comprises of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote. In response to the valuable feedback shared by its users, the Office team is rolling out updates in response and improving the Reading View, File Management & Editing Experience.

The quick rundown of recent improvements is as follows:

• Easier to  Edit – It is now easier to navigate through most recent documents from the device or OneDrive, and it is now even faster to open a blank document or a template. The experience is now more in line with the desktop or mobile versions of the software.
• Add files to OneDrive from toolbar – You can now make copies of documents that are view-only (can’t edit) that will get saved to your OneDrive with a new command available in the toolbar.
• More options to save and manage files – The Save As option has been updated allowing users to save a copy to their OneDrive, Rename, Download a Copy or Download as PDF.
• Enhanced Reading Experience – In Reading View, users can easily navigate on the toolbar for commands such as Edit, Print, Share and Comment.
• Improved Proofreading Tools – Highlighted word count feature has been added. The proofreading service has also been improved.

Source: Office Blog

Tiny Car is an upcoming iOS endless runner by Super Rock Games, a UK based developer that adds yet another unique flavor to the genre. The objective of the game is to navigate your Tiny car through crowded intersections without crashing. Each successful pass earns you points which can be used to purchase donuts required to unlock 8 different vehicles. Like many other games, players looking for a shortcut can buy donuts using real cash for quicker unlocks.

Interestingly, instead of tapping to make the car move or stop, the developers have adopted an unconventional approach by demanding players to tap and hold to make the car stop. Unhindered, the car will keep going unless it crashes which contributes to the overall challenge and enhances gameplay. If that isn’t enough players also need to be mindful of the fuel gauge so that fuel doesn’t run out. Swift moves would insure that you collect fuel available on intersections to keep going. What gives Tiny Car an even bigger edge is making use of a well crafted theme to which players can relate to. Its not like a ball you have to bounce off walls or make a square jump through a circle which make things boring after a little while.

Graphics look promising as the promo video boasts lego like objects and good color scheming. We think that adding limited fuel to the mix is a great idea but would like to see the fuel gauge to have a bit more emphasis and same goes for the fuel icon on intersections .The game could use a backing soundtrack and perhaps a little more variation in sound effects

All in all we think that the game looks promising and is surely worth a try and something to challenge your friends to!

Watch the official promo below:

The game is set to release on February 12, 2015. Once available you can use the iTunes link below to download:

 

 

Description:

Tiny Car - Endless Traffic Crosser. Touch and hold to stop your car. Release to go. AVOID. OTHER. CARS.!!!!

Show Full Description & Screenshots

 

 

App Details:

 

iPhone Screenshots:

 

iPad Screenshots:

 

Free! - View in App Store

 

Too few ratings for this version.

 

 

Free!

 

Microsoft has come forward and formally announced that it has acquired Sunrise, a calendar application that the company hopes will boost its user’s productivity. Rajesh Jha, Corporate Vice President Outlook and Office 365, said “We are making this acquisition because we believe a reinvention in the way people use calendars on mobile devices is long overdue. Our goal is to better help people manage and make the most of their time in a mobile-first, cloud-first world”.

Already downloaded by millions of users the app already has a huge following and it is this popularity which attracted Microsoft. Microsoft is currently on a buying spree to build a portfolio of best applications.

The Sunrise app will accelerate Microsoft’s path to the future of calendaring. By connecting your calendar with range of services,  it provides a far more comprehensive view of your day, week or month ahead. It has a simple and beautiful design across devices for a reliable, consistent experience.

After the acquisition, the Sunrise app will remain in the market for free. It will continue to support a wide range of third-party apps and calendar services.

If you haven’t already tried out the app click here to download it.

Source: Microsoft Blog

Dropbox one of the premiere cloud storage services has released a nifty extension for Chrome which tends to integrate Dropbox functionality into Gmail. Now users can easily add Dropbox files to their Gmail accounts. With ever mounting pressure from competing services like Box, Google Drive and a dozen others, the battle for market capitalization is fierce. Users look for stability, security, affordability with decisions eventually boiling down to features offered.

Just like adding any other Chrome extension, Installation is pretty straight forward. The extension does not show up next to the address bar and runs in the background causing no change in your browsing experience.

Although, still in Beta the extension seems to be stable and works flawlessly.

However, once installed it neatly adds a Dropbox icon to your compose message window next to all the other action icons. This new addition definitely gives a boost to overall productivity and makes file sharing hassle free especially if you are an avid Dropbox user. Since attachments in Gmail are capped to 25Mb per message users either had to upload files to Google Drive or use an alternate service such as WeTransfer to send stuff so this would save Dropbox users an additional step!

Click to install the Dropbox for Chrome Beta Extension from the Chrome Web Store

The launch of Samsung Galaxy S6 is just round the corner. Like last year, Samsung will be announcing its new device on Mobile World Congress. For this Samsung already released a teaser saying “What’s Next”.

The launch dates of the phone have not been announced officially. But people are PhoneArena have managed to get the holiday blackout dates. Samsung enthuses: “Exciting things are just around the corner!” and warns “do not submit a time off request for these dates as it will be declined.” The dates in question are March 22nd-30th and April 19th-27th. Last year, Mobile World Congress happened in February and the phone was put on sale approximately 7 weeks after the event. So keeping that in view, April 19th-27th might just be the dates when the Samsung Galaxy S6 is put out for sale. It is likely that phone will be available to South Korean and European markets before it hits the USA market, like in the past.

Now lets shed some light on what the phone will look like and what will be available under the hood. According to Bloomberg, there will be two versions of the phone. This story is corroborated by the accidentally leaked support documents on the Samsung website. Even though no pictures were released but documents were enough to indicate that there will be two versions,Galaxy S6 (SM-G920X) and the S6 Edge (SM-G925X). According to sources with Bloomberg, one version of the phone will have a display that curves down both sides of the screen. The other version will have a front-facing display only. Earlier, Samsung launched Galaxy Note Edge which had curved down screen on one side (right side). That screen is used for interacting with app shortcuts and app notifications at a different angle.

The Galaxy S6 smartphones are expected to have 3GB RAM, a 20-megapixel camera, up to 128GB of storage and a 2K display.

Last year, Samsung integrated powerful 16-megapixel rear camera along with 2-megapixel front-facing camera in the Galaxy S5 so we can expect some improvements in the camera specs. According to some reliable sources with SamMobile.com, Galaxy S6 is likely to be fitted with a 20-megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilization and a 5-megapixel front camera.

There is a lot riding on the Samsung Galaxy S6 as long as the Samsung’s financials are concerned. Recently Apple has posted its most profitable ever quarter for Q1 2015, while Samsung’s saw 36 percent drop in companywide operating profit from a year earlier, to $4.9 billion. Samsung and Apple sold nearly the same number of smartphones in the quarter, but Apple’s gross margins are much higher at 39%.

Source: Forbes.com Cnet.com

Image Source: Samsung

I am not someone who falls in love with a game that easily. Especially if it revolves around the concept of my other favorite game. But Gang Nations, by Playdemic, doesn’t seem to follow this rule because I absolutely loved it! Some might argue that it is another clone of Clash of Clans but I wouldn’t agree. Playdemic has taken the concept to another level. Made so many subtle changes that it is hard to even put them in same basket while trying to compare.

This game has amazing graphics. The color selection is just perfect. It really catches your attention. The objective is to build a town of your own and protect it against attack from other gangs. As the name suggests, you are running a gang so people on your side are no saints either, they are thieves, convicts, etc.

The currencies used in the game are cash and juice. You need these to upgrade you defenses, unlock troops, etc. And you will have to keep updating your production facilities as well as storage facilities to make more room for the loot from raids.

You can unlock and upgrade your troops at the Juice bar. Don’t get confused between the two names. One is Juice bar and the other is Juice factory. And if you did, you aren’t the only one. So did I initially. Once you start establishing your town, you will have to upgrade your juice bar(like other buildings) in order to increase capacity (increase crew size) and hit points.

What’s slightly different is that Gang Nations incorporates tower defense style elements in terms of building up your defenses. You can redirect where enemies go, channeling them down areas that you have set up as particularly strong, through barricades and sniper towers. It’s a small touch but one that adds some level of strategy to proceedings.

Gang Nations new combat system means that players no longer wait around to recruit troops for each raid but instead can deploy their troops live in battle. Players are no longer restricted to a method of employing a ‘single load-out’ and finding a base to match but can instead respond to battles in real time placing the number and type of troops. You can even compete against your friend in the multiplayer, a feature which most of the other games of similar genre lack.

Gang Nation’s adjustable road system also enables players to rearrange the paths around their base along which the enemy must travel, giving them the ability to increase defenses and funnel invaders through corridors of death manned by artillery, snipers and machine gunners and adding more challenge and fun to the game.

Even though game has a wonderful tutorial which guides you initially how to play the game but once the tutorial was over I had problem conducting my first raid. I went to raid twice but whenever I clicked on the screen I could only see blue clouds being formed. It was only after the second attempt I realized that I needed energy juice (blue bottle) in order to deploy each troop. So if you are having hard luck like me attacking, please make sure you have enough juice. Each troop takes different amount of juice to be deployed. The amount is written underneath the troop image during the raid to assist you on that so you don’t have to remember.

I would highly recommend saving your gems and using them to unlock builders. Since it can take some time to upgrade buildings as you progress it would be nice to have extra builders to keep your game progress going in a smooth way.

The game also employs mechanism to check if you are inactive, in which case it will log you out. So you can’t leave your game in active for long. And hey would you want to? It is an awesome game! So if you haven’t tried it so far please do!

Heres is some action from the launch trailer:

 

 

Description:

Gang Nations is a stunning blend of tower defence and combat strategy set in a unique urban environment. Recruit a gang of Hoodlums, Thieves, Convicts and many more to rage a turf war around the globe, fight for territory and build your criminal empire. Gang Nations is a fantastic mix of exciting single-player missions and ferocious multiplayer battles, combining city building with fierce combat. Become the Boss of the neighborhood! ** This game is compatible with devices on iOS 6.0 and above. Play across all supported devices – iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 plus, iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Mini and iPod 5. ** REVIEWS: 5/5 "AMAZING!" Gang Nations features and gameplay: • FREE TO PLAY • Build an amazing urban city and make it impenetrable to enemy attacks. • Battle other online players to increase your reputation. • Create your own gang with other online players and friends. • 10 unique troops with several upgrades and abilities to master. • Fight your way through a thrilling criminal underworld campaign. • Login with Facebook to save your city progress. • Amazing high resolution graphics. • Gang wars - coming soon. Please note that Gang Nations is completely free to play, but some items such as gems can be purchased for real money. If you don’t want to use this feature, you can disable in-app purchases in your device’s settings. Note: A network connection is required to play. Privacy Policy: www.playdemic.com/privacy_policy.php Support: http://playdemic.helpshift.com/a/gang-nations/?p=ios

Show Full Description & Screenshots

 

Release Notes:

What’s New in the Hood! (Version 1.45)

This update we’ve added a host of new features as well as even more visual upgrades and gameplay improvements!

Introducing instant troop recruitment!
- No more troop Recruitment Queues! Plan the perfect attack by selecting the best troops for battle during your raid!
- Troops can now be unlocked and recruited instantly, allowing for faster and more frequent raiding!

Fight your friends
- Find out who’s the ultimate Gang Boss by battling your friends for honor and bragging rights.
- Keep track of your progress with the new Friend vs Friend leaderboard.

Other improvements
- New battle effects and death animations.
- Gang Nations is now available in 10 languages.
- New maintenance alerts will let you know exactly when we’re going offline for updates!

This update sees a ton of gang management and chat functions as well as even more visual upgrades and gameplay improvements!

Gangs and in-game communication features. Now you can:

- Record and share your own in game raids. Go on show the world you’re the baddest in the hood!
- Friend other players so you can see how you stack up.
- Create and join custom chatrooms and invite your friends to chat – what’s the best strategy? Who’s the toughest recruit?
- Check out the Top Friends leaderboard, compare your progress with other friends and see movement in the rankings.
- Gang Leaders and Recruiters can send a mail to the rest of the gang. So you’ll know who’s the boss!

Graphical and Gameplay updates:
- Bulldozers appear in your line up sooner so you can get their awesome destructive power into play even quicker. And they're looking more powerful than ever!
- Your barricades now look even more formidable
- Don’t forget to repair your traps after you’ve been raided.
- Graphical overhaul to surrounding hoods – no more grey inner cities!

 

 

App Details:

 

iPhone Screenshots:

 

iPad Screenshots:

 

Free! - View in App Store

 

by 92 users

 

 

Free!

 

Everyone hates those annoying ads during their favorite game. Especially when it is World Cup, every ball counts. No one wants to lose ball of every first over to some stupid advertisement. As a result viewers keep on switching to different channels to try to find one which is low on advertisement boost. However, this time PTCL has come up with a solution to all these problems. PTCL is bringing advertisement free World Cup 2015 for cricket lovers nationwide. In order to facilitate the enthusiastic fans, PTCL has unveiled a new SmartTV application that will provide uninterrupted World Cup experience on mobile phones, tablets and laptops.

The SmartTV application comes with the ‘Time Shift TV’ and ‘Pause and Rewind’ in-app features enabling viewers to double their fun by being able to catch every exciting moment of the match. In addition to these features, PTCL subscribers will also get access to 150 digital quality TV channels.

The service is available at Rs. 500 for the entire World Cup. And even though it is written in the FAQ’s that the service will be available for free for 4Mbps, 8Mbps, & Charji customers. But don’t fall for that. We called and confirmed that it is a mistake on PTCL’s behalf and they will be removing this shortly.

Source: PTCL
Image Source: PTCL

If you are a fan of physical keyboards dismayed by the lack of options out there for all your modern touch screen touting devices, you are in for a treat!

First lets discuss the lack of desirability for onscreen keyboards. The issue stems from the lack the physical keys which are quick, comfortable, easy and most importantly accurate to type on. Although with practice you might be able to build up those WPMs but would often find yourself squinting onscreen to see if you hit the right keys. Users who go the other route and consider aftermarket solutions have to bear with bulky attachments that ruins the overall device feel and user experience.

Now however, the gurus at Tactus Technology have developed an ingenious solution dubbed “World’s First Morphing Touchscreen Case” which allows you flick a switch on the back and literally have a physical keyboard morph on your touch screen. Carefully laid out to match the soft keyboard PHORM’s keyboard integrates seamlessly with your device.

On their website Tactus explains their technology as follows:

Tactus’ technology readily integrates with capacitive touchscreens. The Tactile Layer replaces the top-most layer in the optical stack, often referred to as the window or cover lens. The thickness is designed to match the layer that it replaces. The Tactus layer is compatible with all type of touchscreen stack-ups.

Currently, PHORM is available as a pre-order only for iPad mini at an introductory price of $99 and $149 at launch. For those who have an iPhone 6+ they can add their email address to the waitlist. Phorm has plans to start shipping its first batch of iPad mini cases later in 2015.

Image & Video source: www.getphorm.com