While physics-based puzzlers are perhaps the most popular variety of mobile games, a certain army of tower defense fans may have a case to refute such a claim. From Fieldrunners to Bloons TD, there are perhaps hundreds of these addictive strategy titles available on the App Store, but few have reached the level of popularity of Plants Vs. Zombies. Today, the sequel to the original, which has naturally been entitled Plants Vs. Zombies 2, has become available at the Australian and New Zealand App Stores, and although the U.S. / worldwide rollouts tend to follow shortly thereafter, it looks as though the rest of us won't be seeing the game just yet.
As many of you will be aware by now, the latest iteration of Apple's mobile software was released yesterday, iOS 7 beta 3. Unlike the past betas we've seen released by Apple, beta 1 and beta 2, this version comes without many huge feature additions and vast changes. Most of the goodness within iOS 7 beta 3 stems from the back end, such as improved stability and fluidity.
So here we are. Right on schedule, Apple unleashed iOS 7 beta 3 upon the world, and it was good. Well, better than beta 2 was at least, but we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Twitter today went on the update offensive, with both its mobile and desktop apps receiving new version numbers. Not content with giving the Mac version of its app some new features, Twitter has also seen fit to update both its iOS and Android apps also. Twitter on the web is also on the receiving end this time around.
iOS 7 Beta 3 download has just been seeded for iPhone 5, 4S, 4, iPad, iPad mini and iPod touch 5 by Apple, allowing those signed up to the company's dev program to check on the progress the Cupertino company has made over the past couple of weeks.
Having the ability to natively share an internet connection from mobile to other personal devices for free is definitely a beneficial feature that comes in handy at differing times. However, as handy as the feature is, some users often find themselves infuriated when they realize that their carriers have either disabled the feature or want to charge a premium on top of their current plan to use it.
Technology, and more specifically mobile technology, seems to develop incredibly quickly. As things change in the smartphone space, bigger screens and larger handsets seem to be on trend whilst durability and device toughness never seem to get a look-in on the frontline features of new devices. As such, a case is a must have on many of today's flagship smartphones, and the iPhone 5 is no exception. Whilst the aluminum build of the iPhone 5 provides a very strong base, the glass on the back and screen are all too easily broken.
iOS 7, even in its current beta stage, has drawn its fair share of criticism from those who've interacted with it, and although there have been some crumbs of positivity, plenty have stepped out to question some of the alterations from iOS 6. A clip recently posted to YouTube rather humorously magnifies some of these shortcomings, with a baby confidently using iOS 6 before looking at another device running iOS 7 with a degree of confusion.
When it comes to photo sharing, no entity can boast the level of following of Instagram, and the iOS version of the app has just been dealt a fairly significant update. Having been acquired by Facebook last year, Instagram has seen plenty of changes over the past twelve months, and with Zuck and his team having been hell-bent on improving the already successful app, this App Store update brings both landscape support and Cinema functionality to the front-facing camera.
The use of animations and transitions is possibly one of the least talked about, but possibly most obvious additions to iOS 7, and one of the first things you notice when testing the beta versions out having come from iOS 6. When used correctly, animations can make a smartphone feel alive, but when used incorrectly they can make it feel cheap and gimmicky.
