App of the Week: Make A Zombie 2

Image credit: Skunk Brothers

App Name: Make A Zombie 2

Price: Free

Available Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. This app requires iOS 4.3 or later.

What does this app do? Blood down the side of the mouth, pale and sallow skin, dark circles like inverted half moons under the eyes, maybe even a knife protruding out from a crusty, worm-eaten cheek—really, when you sit down and imagine what makes a zombie look like a zombie, you have a grab bag of options. And now, app developers Skunk Brothers provide even more possibilities for you to design your idea of this walking-dead monster with their latest release of a mix and match app called Make a Zombie 2.

For those of you that missed the previous release, Make A Zombie, this new version, released earlier this month, allows you to create your own zombie by selecting from a variety of features and outfits.

At the start screen, the app presents your canvas–a squat, wide-eyed character against a plain backdrop ready for zombifying. From your iPhone or iPod Touch, tap the arrow on the top right of the screen to peruse outfits and features. Select the icon for hair, for example, and a second row of tiles below displays a handful of choices—long and stringy to short and nubby. You can change the background by tapping on the square tile in the top row of buttons, and then choosing between several colors and textures presented in the second row.

Once you’ve outfitted your zombie, name and save it, tweet it or post it to Facebook by tapping on a button on the bottom left. The app also allows you to save your zombie to a gallery, wherein you can see all of your brains-eating creations displayed in glass jars. For additional features, you can purchase “zombie packs” from the in-app store, such as the Halloween Pack, or the Pirate Zombie Pack, by selecting the shopping cart icon.

Is it easy to set up? Yes, download it from the App Store, but keep in mind it is optimized for iOS 5.

Should I try it? This is all fun. You won’t be challenged, you won’t learn a new word, and you won’t score points or excel to another level. You will, however, get into the Halloween spirit and enjoy designing your very own zombies, maybe even legions of them! The two drawbacks to this app were the ads displayed at the bottom of the screen, and, unlike the previous Make A Zombie version, this one is not available yet for Android.

Let us know if you have any app of the week suggestions on Twitter at @TechThisOutABC.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

App of the Week: SportStream

App Name:  SportStream

Price: Free

Available Platforms: iOS, Windows, Desktop

What does this app do?  The Yankees are playing the Blue Jays this weekend and the Red Sox are up against the Orioles. For football fans, the Patriots are playing the Bills and the Jets are playing the 49ers. Pepper in some college football and there’s a lot to keep up with, and likely you are going to do some of that on Facebook or Twitter.

That is where an app like SportStream becomes intriguing. The San Francisco-based company launched its social media app this week for the iPhone, and aims to be the go-to second screen experience for game lovers who want to chat, see stats, follow commentary or tweet their own.  The app allows you to follow several games at once on your phone, tablet or desktop.

Log in with your Facebook or Twitter account and you will see a list of games being played on a given day. Tap on a specific game to follow, such as the Dolphins game against the Cardinals, choose to follow it and the app will display real-time, dynamically updated tweets and posts.

But here’s where SportStream aims to differentiate itself from just your average aggregator:  the app uses a custom-built data engine to cull from a variety of leading contributors, such as journalists, fans, bloggers, and players in order to deliver relevant, meaningful content to users. SportStream CEO Bob Morgan, who worked with his development team to create this tool, sees connecting fans with rich media as an important piece to the app’s success. “We’re excited to see the quality of information and how low-latency it is.”

As you scroll through the conversations, you can reply to a post, retweet, or mark it as a favorite. Select the Chat button at the bottom of the screen and jump into a specific game’s chat room, or tap the Stats button to see scores and play-by-play information, too.

Is it easy to set up? Download the app from the iTunes store and log in with your Facebook or Twitter account. You can also log on by going to their website and navigating from your desktop.

Should I try it?   SportStream elegantly integrates real-time updates on games as well as relevant conversations — a must for those who love to participate through social media.

However, the app has some hefty competition. For example, ESPN ScoreCenter and MLB.com At Bat are also available for Android users and both offer video.

Still, SportStream’s ability to curate and filter quality editorial content and conversations make it watching the game of your choice a fun, smart experience.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

App of the Week: RetailMeNot

App Name: RetailMeNot

Price: Free

Available Platforms: iOS (iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone), Android

What does this app do?

You’re out and about on a Saturday and wander by Barnes & Noble. You think to yourself, “I hear people are really into that book ’50 Shades of Grey.’ You want to read it to find out what everyone is talking about, but you don’t want to pay retail price.

Hey! Here’s an idea — pop open the RetailMeNot app and see if Barnes & Noble is offering a coupon.

RetailMeNot, owned by WhaleShark Media, Inc., released a version of its popular coupon saving site for Android last week, adding to its available application platforms. The online coupon site lets shoppers browse, save, and share coupons for everything from clothing and entertainment to health and automotive products.

The home screen gives users the option to browse coupons by category, or swipe through a carousel of daily deals. You can tap on a coupon to get more detail about an offer, such as the expiration date, as well as share it with friends through email, Facebook, and Twitter. You can save deals for later, or claim them for online or in-store use. A tab at the bottom of the home screen allows you to search deals by top-rated coupons, popular stores, and your saved coupons, too.

Though the interface is simple to use, there are other coupon apps out there RetailMeNot will have to compete with, such as The Coupons App, Coupon Clipper, and the local deal site Groupon. One advantage these apps have over RetailMeNot: it’s easier to find local deals based on your ZIP code.

Is it easy to set up? Download and go!

Should I try it? The interface is simple, with a carousel of tiles allowing you to flip through the top daily deals easily. However, RetailMeNot primarily offers deals for large chain stores, so if you’re interested in deals in your neighborhood, like fitness classes at your favorite boutique gym, you may be out of luck.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

App Of the Week: ooVoo

Image credit: ooVoo

App Name: ooVoo

Price: App is free; $2.99 per month for premium service.

Available Platforms: iOS (iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone), Android

What does this app do?
Video chat may seem as commonplace as email or text messaging with applications like Skype, Facetime and Fring, but instant messaging and video chat site ooVoo recently kicked it up a notch with an updated app allowing its users to take advantage of a 4-way video display. The app supports up to 12-way video chats and up to four video displays on your mobile screen at once.

ooVoo’s app lets users sync their contacts. One tab lets you see your ooVoo contacts, another your Facebook contacts, and a third tab displays them all in one list. Within the application, double click a contact to make a call. By tapping on the Facebook tab and double clicking on a contact, ooVoo will send a link to your contact’s Facebook account inviting them to call you through Facebook — not seamless, but getting there.

Some handier features include text chatting while simultaneously video chatting, as well as the ability to share links. Push notifications, too, for mobile users, allow people to see if they’ve missed a call or message even when the app is closed. You can also invite friends to join through Facebook, twitter, or an email.

Is it easy to set up? Once you download the free app, you can sign in using your Facebook login and password, or sign up through the ooVoo site.

Should I try it? The app’s strength, apart from its four-way video display and contacts integration, is in its versatility — it works across Mac and PC operating systems as well as multiple mobile devices including approximately 250 Android phones and tablets. This is a good option if you are looking for a multi-party video chatting solution.

Let us know if you have any app of the week suggestions on Twitter at@TechThisOutABC.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

App of the Week: Pinterest for iOS and Android

Image credit: Pinterest

App Name:  Pinterest

Price: Free

Available Platforms: iOS (iPad and iPhone), Android

What does it do?  This image-based sharing app allows users to select, or “pin,” visual items and place them into virtual bulletin boards, a perfect way to categorize your favorite things,  such as artists you like, or all those muscle cars you dream of owning one day,  and then share them with friends. The iPad, iPhone, and Android apps launched a week ago and  gives you the flexibility to pin from anywhere you are whenever you wish.

The layout is simple, displaying tiled images that cascade in columns down the screen. You can swipe from left to right as you browse, and a menu button on the top left-hand corner provides you with categories of pins from which to choose, such as architecture, food and drink, and animals. When you tap on an image, you can like it, “repin” it to one of your own boards, or share it with others using your Facebook, Twitter or email account. You an also surf the web within the app and use the “Pin” button to post original items.

The iPhone app provides a two-column layout allowing you to see more as you navigate, and the iPad app allows you to resume browsing the site after viewing a board. The much anticipated Android app is optimized for all sizes and speeds of Android’s phones and tablets and is available at the Google Play Store and the Amazon App Store for the Kindle Fire.

Is it easy to set up? Yes. As simple as simple gets. Log in with your email, Facebook or Twitter account. Signing up for the service is easiest via the website though.

Should I try it? The easy-to-use layout and flexibility of this app lets you keep collecting and sharing images of things you like, make you laugh or make you think while sitting at home, or out and about on the town. So, yes, you should try it.

Let us know if you have any app of the week suggestions on Twitter at@TechThisOutABC.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com