I have to admire the imagination of some developers when they come up with their plot lines. Take Krashlander, a fascinating physics-based puzzle game where you are asked to... ski down a mountain and crash into some evil, yet horrifically immobile, robots. Love it. Plot aside, does Krashlander make as good a game as it would a script for Doctor Who?
There has always been a place for games with very basic controls, especially in the mobile gaming space. The "one button" game is almost a genre in itself, where you have a character running from something, and have to time the press of that button to get out the way of the obstacles in time. Tsotsi is definitely in that genre, but it doubles the complexity on offer to the user. It has two buttons!
In essence, IMDb is something of a must-have for almost every Windows Phone user, in my opinion, even in this early version. Browsing through linked movie and TV info, through bios and trivia databases, designed originally for hypertext World Wide Web, they're a pretty darned good fit for Metro UI on Windows Phone too...
The great thing about social networks, now that people understand the basics, is that you can apply them to any subject. If you can find a strong niche that provides value to users and can start income streams for you as a company, then you have a winner. Which is where Foodspotting comes in, as I load it onto my Windows Phone.
Sometimes it's the average games that you love, even though on a clinical review of a game you might pass it over. Hasta La Muerte is one of those games. And while I'm not quite at the "love" stage, for me this death-tinged game has an appeal to me that is perhaps more than you would expect given its nature.
Following on from its successful iOS and Android applications, Edinburgh-based Skyscanner has launched a Windows Phone version of its popular flight booking service. The premise is simple - you tell Skyscanner where and when you want to travel, and it will go scouting round the internet, finding you the best deal for that airline flight. It's a win all round!
Another Xbox Live title, but Shuffle Party is a bit special - it's free. That means only 50 gamer points, and not the expected 200 points, but there's enough sliding puck action here to make it worthwhile. But can a free Xbox Live title be as good as a full priced one? You'll probably download it because of the free tag, but will you be playing it after a week?
In part 2a of our Nokia Lumia 800 review, I looked in detail at its stills camera, concluding that it's decent, but with a few software issues and quality that's ultimately a step down from the Nokia N8 and iPhone 4S. In this, part 2b, I look at its video capture capabilities and quirks in equal detail, finding that the Lumia 800 makes a rather good video phone, with just a little room for improvement in future updates. See also Rafe's comprehensive part 1, looking at the Lumia 800 hardware and background.
Once you've taken a picture on your Windows Phone, is it perfect? Probably not, but you might need to tweak the framing or touch up the colour slightly. If you're taking pictures for friends and fun (say on Facebook), then you'll want to add some life to them and make them look pretty, or perhpas you have to get them to an editor for a serious article and you need to get the framing just right. Pictures Lab is one of many photo toolboxes for your smartphone, but it's the one that I enjoy using the most.
When I reviewed "Chess by Post" in November, I mentioned in the comments that the idea of playing with people around the world one move at a time and then waiting for the reply, would be great for a Scrabble type game. Of course, developer Jeff Cole now has another "...by Post" game: "Words by Post". I said then it would go on the reviews list, and since that moment, I've not stopped playing.
