As the school summer holidays stretch out into the distance across the United Kingdom, parents might be looking for something to make the days pass a little bit quicker. As another long seven weeks come to a close in Edinburgh (this city runs about four weeks ahead of the rest of the country), can I recommend Origami HD?
With a sumptuous 3D environment, TV-style pocket cameras, spin/swerve control and full online multiplayer mode, Pool Pro Online has a lot to recommend it. The limitations of Windows Phone's resolution do rather work against really precise gameplay though, and the built-in AI for offline games is poor in the extreme. Still, my favourite pool simulation yet on the platform.
Here's one of those applications that's practical without screaming out that it's a 'must have' when you stumble over it in the Marketplace. Parking Pal UK will help you find a car park anywhere in the British Isles, along with details on the cost, capacity, and in some cases provide you real time information on how many free spaces are available.
Back in my day we all used to buy music on CD (legal). Back in the following generation's day (early 2000s), the thing to do was to pirate music from file sharing sites (illegal). One phenomenon I've observed in the current day (2010 onwards) is that youngsters, rather than even bother to pirate music, simply play the appropriate YouTube video and, often, leave it running in the background on their device (legal but awkward). Yes, bandwidth really has become that plentiful, it seems. Mp3Tube is a utility that tried to take the same idea but makes it one step more efficient by downloading the music from that source (a legally very grey area!) - an approach which kind of works but which isn't without massive caveats.
Triple Defense markets itself as a Tower Defense game with lighting, particles, and geometry. I'm not quite sure what they mean by the last part of that descriptive triplet, but with a global high score tables, a variety of enemies and tower types, all the elements of the game are here. And then Triple Defense shows you why it is different.
Even if you are not a member of Qype, it's likely that you'll have benefited from the European based service when searching the web for local customer reviews of shops, cafés, etc. With the mobile app, you can look up reviews of locations in your area, as well as checking in at and reviewing places you've just visited. Fortunately, Qype is available on all major mobile platforms, including Windows Phone.
Why is it that the modern smartphone seems to let the side down a little bit on the humble To-Do list? While calendars and contacts are the common currency of clouds and social networks, the 'big list of things that must be done' seems to be left behind for the third party developers to pick up the slack with various levels of success. Still, when that gives you something as flexible as Wunderlist I can just about live with the omission.
Gameloft's long running street racing franchise Asphalt Urban GT power slides onto Xbox Love with Asphalt 5. Unfortunately, the gaming world has left the start line and is a couple of laps ahead of this tired title that needs to be quietly pulled aside and retired from the race.
While it might not be as ubiquitous as Facebook or Twitter, the business-focussed social network LinkedIn is a vital part of the online life of many people. If you're looking for a more advanced interface than their mobile website (or the basic integration the service has inside the People Hub), then the LinkedIn Windows Phone client is going to be an application you will spend a lot of time with.
It's another freemium Xbox Live title from Glu Mobile. Contract Killer has you earning money on the fringes of society, but the developers also hope you'll download the title for free and spend your own money to buy better equipment and advance in the game. Like any freemium title, it needs a careful balance, and Glu Mobile haven't quite hit the target with this one.
