Cut the Rope: Time Travel HD was launched last Thursday by Zeptolab, a UK based company, and has cut its way near the top of the charts. Nickelodeon’s action runner, which also debuted the same day as Cut the Rope, sits atop the No. 1 spot.

Halfbrick Studios, the developer of Fruit Ninja, just recently released Fish Out of Water and has swam its way to the 4^th position in the top paid iPad apps.

Below is the App Store Official Charts for the week ending April 22, 2013 courtesy of AppData:

Top Paid iPad Apps:

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rooftop Run (Nickelodeon)

2. Minecraft – Pocket Edition (Mojang)

3. Cut the Rope: Time Travel HD (ZeptoLab UK Limited)

4. Fish Out Of Water! (Halfbrick Studios)

5. Temple Run: Oz (Disney)

6. Block Fortress (Foursaken Media)

7. Plants vs. Zombies HD (PopCap)

8. Mr. Crab (Illusion Labs)

9. Pages (Apple)

10. Angry Birds Star Wars HD (Rovio Entertainment Ltd)

Top Free iPad Apps:

1. Candy Crush Saga (King.com Limited)

2. Dentist Office (Ninjafish Studios)

3. Draw Rider (Anton Vazhinsky)

4. Take It Easy (Ravensburger Digital GmbH)

5. YouTube (Google, Inc.)

6. Wedding Day Makeover, Ninjafish Studios)

7. Fruit Ninja (Halfbrick Studios)

8. Injustice: Gods Among Us (Warner Bros.)

9. CNN App for iPad (CNN Interactive Group, Inc.)

10. Talking Larry the Bird for iPad (Out Fit 7 Ltd.)

These are the top new apps for your tablet. Don’t have one as of now? Why not purchase new tablets in the UK here.

Image courtesy of cubedude27 on Flickr.

iPad App Review:

PDF Reader for iPad helps in viewing all types of document files and in storing various types of information. It can be used for studies, work or enjoyment by signing files or reading comic books.  Sharing and managing files on this app is easy, since it accepts and helps in reading all kinds of files such as PDF, MS Office documents, iWork, ePUB and comics.

Managing of files is a much important part of this app and the annotated features allow for much organized and better file sharing and accessing. It facilitates easy incoming and outgoing of important information. The navigating has been toned down and made much more user- friendly to facilitate greater usability. The procedures are simple – one can view much larger files because of the better interface. Extracting PDF files has become easier – a direct extraction can also help in converting these texts into any other format. The files can also be book marked, outlined or thumb nailed according to ones preference.

Reference sources in the form of text boxes or annotations which can be printed out on a wireless network can help with the management of details. Documents, forms and contracts can be filled out by themselves on the iPad itself, once they are downloaded from the built-in browser. PDF format files can also be filled out by hand, since they can help in reducing fraud or even breach in confidentiality. Forgery and crimes can be reduced, once the application identifies the handwriting.

Backing up files on iCloud is another safety feature which is a great help, since it can also share and transfer information through the wireless internet. The FTP client support is also a help and one can also scan almost anything into the iPad, such as document, business cards and notes, through the built-in camera and much work can thus, be scanned and printed out or stored. Images are also supported on the application which is a great boon for kids.

The touch facility makes the working of this app a dream, since it can clearly highlight, underline or strike through any important or useless information. Attaching sticky notes or extra information has never been easier, while the stamp tool can help any user identify the status of any particular document. The one major disadvantage of this app is that due to workload it can make it crash. I hope, this is a minor bug which will be fixed when a better version comes out.

Screenshots:

iTunes Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pdf-reader-ipad-edition/id367816156?mt=8

Price: $4.99

Seller: Kdan Mobile Software LTD © 2009-2012 Kdan Mobile Software Ltd.

Author bio: 

Steve August writes iPhone app reviews and features for AlphaDigits. This site also publishes Android app reviews.

If you’re a busy mom who wants to take full advantage of what your mobile device has to offer, this post is for you. Below you’ll find 5 essential apps that will get you on the road to organization bliss.

Evernote (Free and Upgrade Options)

-Available for just about any platform or device

Evernote is a must have for any mom on the go. It provides best-in-class note taking and it’s packed full of storage features, which makes it perfect for recording any information that you can’t fit in your head or want to save for future reference. Evernote is a cloud-based service so whatever device you’re using at the time — whether it’s your iPad, laptop, or smartphone — you can store and access your information. Practical uses for Evernote include capturing kids’ artwork via scanned images or photos; grocery lists; to-do lists; recipe lists; report cards; warranty information; items you wish to “scrapbook”; or PTA notes. You can also use the web clipper browser extension to capture things you like from web pages.

Dropbox (Free and Upgrade Options)

-Available for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Kindle Fire, Android, PC, and Mac

Imagine having access to your photos, documents, and videos from your PC wherever you go. With Dropbox, you can. This cloud-based service lets you access your files from your PC or mobile device — anywhere. Your files can be private or shared with invited users. Share your photos with friends from your iPad while watching your son at soccer practice. Work on that important report or blog post while your daughter is at a dental cleaning. With Dropbox, you can use these times to get things done — which might give you some extra time to relax after the kids go to bed.

And just a few weeks ago, Dropbox announced a major improvement. According to their blog, you can now view photos in a gallery format from your mobile phone’s browser at dropbox.com as easily as you would from your personal computer.

LifeTopix (Promotional Price .99 cents)

-Available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Managing the family calendar most often falls on mom’s plate. There are several apps for making to-do lists, adding appointments to calendars, managing your finances, or keeping track of nutrition and workouts. However, it’s difficult to find an app that allows you to do all of these things and more — all in one place and within context. LifeTopix is a complete life organization app that focuses on 12 life topics including Tasks + Projects, Shopping, Events, Travel + Places, People + Services, Health + Activity, Finances, Home + Assets, Education, Notes + Files, Media, and Bookmarks. What’s truly unique about LifeTopix is it is flexible enough to manage anything from a babysitter list to a full wedding. It also works with Dropbox, Google Drive/Docs, and Evernote — so you can associate items within LifeTopix to your notes and files that you’ve created by using those tools. If this isn’t enough, you can launch many other apps directly from LifeTopix so you don’t spend your valuable time searching for your apps.

RedLaser (Free)

-Available for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Windows Phones, and Android

Any mom can appreciate an app that helps them save money. RedLaser is a barcode scanner, shopping assistant, and QR code reader. Simply scan a product’s barcode, and it checks prices online and in retail stores in your area. With RedLaser, you can find the best prices on products because RedLaser searches across millions of products with price comparisons. It gives you a list of top deals, such as 25% off of diapers or $10.00 off of Lego purchases from many major retailers. You can also find related products to your favorite brands if you want to comparison shop. And, if someone in your family has a food allergy, you can get allergen information for products.

WebMD (Free)

-Available for iPhone, iPad, and Android

Keeping families healthy is always top of mind for moms. Getting sick or injured doesn’t always happen when you’re at home and near your computer. When you want to learn more about a condition or sickness before seeing a doctor, the WebMd app can be a very valuable source. With this app, you can use the symptom checker to enter symptoms and possibly identify the illness or other problem. You can also get first aid tips, browse local health listings, and find drug and treatment information.

About the Author:

Marilyn Rogers is a Marketing Director at LightArrow, Inc., the maker of LifeTopix, a complete productivity app for personal organization available on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. She is a regular contributor to the Life Blog from LightArrow, which is a blog dedicated to sharing tips and tricks about personal productivity, time management, organization, and getting things done.

iPad App Review:

The Heidi was originally written by the well-known author of children’s stories, Johanna Spyri. The story of Heidi was first introduced in the year 1880 and has lived long ever since. Generations after generations have grown up listening to Heidi’s tales. Although the original story was released around hundred and thirty years ago, but the magic of the story has ensured its long life more because, children and their parents have preferred it over other stories. Well, as time has changed, an adaptation to the modern world has been made to it by releasing it as an adaptation to the new iPad.

For someone grown up in Europe, he is sure to have listened to this collection of Heidi that goes something like, the protagonist of the story is a little charming girl and her beauty charms all those around her. The updated versions of the beautiful app that is based on a storybook, give stunning illustrations of the interesting story of a charming girl, Heidi. The app has been tried to keep close to the story as much as it could be done by its developers.

On having the application downloaded on your iPad, you have access to two versions of the story, Heidi. The first story has been written down from how Heidi saw the story’s facts, from her viewpoint. There is an option of highlighting the text of the story on being read. It is enhances the reading skills of the young ones. Relatively longer is the second version of the story and there is an option of narrating it which has been found to help older readers who are not really comfortable with reading it.

The stories have been made available in numerous languages such as German, English and Swiss-German. When tapped, the characters of the story speak in the voice of Professional voice acting people that has been made available for all of the speaking parts.

Besides all these facilities which make the story reading a lot interesting on the whole, there are other interactive elements present on every page which enables you in hearing the way goats, marmots and birds of the prey sound.  The toddlers can learn from these sounds.

Other extras added to the app include numerous quizzes that help teachers and parents in checking the comprehensive ability of their students and children, respectively. The readers could be asked question about the place where Heidi lives or something about the Swiss flowers, food and fauna that could sum up the rest of the things.

A little twist of fun facts and jokes has also been included into the story app which finally makes reading it, all the more interactive as well as enjoyable. You somehow do not expect to get this all from a normal book. The questions and quizzes are updated as newer versions come along, so the questions and fun facts do not remain the same forever. With updates, the interactivity with the story too gets a whole lot better.

Even after featuring so many positive benefits, the app lacks in an important characteristic. It does not have the option of tracking which can be difficult for parents, teachers and children to track back to where they left and in turn, waste a lot of time on searching the same.

There are many people who have not heard about the app and would somehow not want to download the app even if it is freely available. It is a Swiss story which has had a good circulation in Europe but in places like North America and Asia, you could leave that to a matter of chance.

Rating: 4/5

Screenshots:

iTunes Link: https://itunes.apple.com/app/heidi-story-collection-3-in-1/id554504867?l=en&mt=8

Price: $8.99

Seller: JustKidsApps – Katrin Draemann Barothy © 2012 JustKidsApps

Author bio: Steve August writes iPhone app reviews and features for AlphaDigits. This site also publishes Android app reviews.

iPad App Review:

Pose Base is an exhaustive collection of over 300 yoga poses. It covers a wide gamut of poses in yoga with detailed explanation on how to perform the poses. The poses are classified based on the level (Beginner, intermediate, Advanced and guru) and type. You can browse the list of poses to find the one you want and look at the photos and videos. The photos and videos provide a good description of the pose for you to understand it properly and perform the exercise correctly. All major poses also come with 3D muscle model to give you in depth understanding of how the pose impacts your muscles.

Quick Recipe mode can be accessed from My Programs on the main menu. It has many readymade programs. You can choose the programs you like and save them as favorites. This was you can access them easily the next time you want to start a yoga session. Each program comes with a defined duration and come with audio guide along with the photos for each pose. You can also see a countdown timer showing you the duration of the pose. If you are not sure about any pose, you can pause the program to read more about the pose and/ or even watch a video of the pose.

While quick recipes are great, you may not want a readymade program. You may have fixed goals and limited time to spend on yoga. In that case, you can tap into the professional support through the “Personal Yoga Teacher”. You need to provide your age, weight, goal, level, style and duration details and a program. The app will custom design a program to meet the goals and criteria you set.

Some advanced yoga practitioners may prefer to create their own yoga routine rather let the app decide what’s best for them. For such users, the All-in YOGA HD has a “Fast Mode”. This will give you a list of poses you want in your program. Select the poses you want and arrange them in the sequence you want. You can then set the duration for each pose and save the program. Once saved, you can access it to practice it as well as to edit it as needed. You can also add authentic yoga music to help you keep calm and relax through the entire yoga session. Besides, all your activities are also logged in a colorful calendar. You can get details about your progress and also get an inspiring quote to keep you going each day.

Some users found the details given for each pose to be limited for a beginner. While common poses have ample details for novices to practice, some of the complex ones are not explained well enough for new comers to practice easily.

Rating: 4.5/5

Screenshots:

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/all-in-yoga-hd-300-poses-yoga/id386277055?mt=8

Price: $0.99

Seller: ARAWELLA CORPORATION © 2009-2012 Viaden Mobile

Author bio: Steve August writes iPhone app reviews and features for AlphaDigits. This site also publishes Android app reviews.

NoteLedge is not a simple note taking app, it is loaded with features which make it a great tool for a wide range of uses. It has a folder view which displays all your notes. These notes are sorted based on the date they were created. You get a simple calendar on the top section of the screen – you can simply scroll to the date you want and look up the note.

Simple note taking apps allow you to type or handwrite notes on a blank page. NoteLedge takes this concept a bit further and allows you to add all kinds of multimedia to your note. You add anything from a simple picture clicked from your iPad camera to a proper video file which you can play whenever you want. It has a wide range of editing tools. You can start from blank or rule note template and then you pick the writing tool – crayon, pencil or three types of brushes. You can also adjust the thickness of the pencil and its opacity. If you do not want handwritten notes you can type them in too; you can vary the font size, type and color.

This app has some default settings of how your notes get entered, but then it offers you a host of features to customize them to meet your needs. For example, if you have a picture shot from your iPad camera, you can then add filters to it like change it from a color picture to a black and white one or enhance the colors further, etc. It also allows you to post your notes on Facebook or create .jpg or .pdf files in a matter of seconds so that you can email them to anyone. For more formal meetings you can also project your notes and display them in a slideshow. NoteLedge also connects to cloud networks like DropBox, Google Docs, etc. where you can store your creations for future reference.

However, I want to point out a downside here. Some users may find the file handling a bit confusing. Saving files and reloading them are not always an intuitive as some people would like – so you could end up deleting some files in error. It is a good practice to first create a series of test notes till you get a good grasp of this app. Once you have a decent command over it, you can do wonderful things with this app.

Rating: 4/5

Screenshots:

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/noteledge-for-ipad/id483101556?mt=8

Price: $ 1.99

Seller: Kdan Mobile Software LTD © 2011-2012 Kdan Mobile Software Ltd.

Author bio:

Steve August writes iPhone app reviews and features for AlphaDigits. This site also publishes Android app reviews.

Geared for ages 4 and up, Mix 2 Color introduces a fun way to teach your kids how to mix colors.

Basically, the app has two (2) available game modes, Draw a Picture and Color a Picture.

Draw a Picture gives your child a free canvas to work with. They can draw anything they want with the help of 3 types of brushes, 12 various colors and 11 amusing stamps. If the player makes an error, the game encourages using the undo button or a sponge to erase the mistake.

In Color a Picture, you have 18 pictures to bring to life with colors. The challenge is there are only 5 primary colors available (blue, red, yellow, white and black) and you have to mix and match those in a palette to get your desired color. If your kid failed to get the color right, a bell sound effect would be the alert.

Mix 2 Color has a lively music along with astounding sound effects. The user interface is very easy for your child to understand the game.

The iPad app stands out from the crowded field of kids’ education game with its goal to teach children how to mix colors and develop creative thinking.

You can download Mix 2 Color from the App Store for $0.99. Currently, it’s on sale and $0.99 is a bargain. Suggest you check it out now.

Pros

Mix 2 Color has strong attention to detail. The graphics is pretty neat. The music and sound effects are not annoying.

Cons

The iPad app is originally priced at $2.99 and it’s currently on sale now for $0.99.

Bottomline

Mix 2 Color provides a benefit for teachers who need to teach kids how to mix colors. The app uses a cool approach to learning how to blend colors the right way.

Screenshots

Compatibility

Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.

Seller

© Arsidian LLC [official website]

Price

$0.99 [iTunes Link]

YOGA Free is an iPad app that allows you to work out in you own living room and it’s not only women who want that. Aside from the fact that it is all pink, this app is well laid out and beautifully easy to use. The interface is smooth and the options are simple but not overbearing.

Allowing you to add whatever music you have on you iOS device to an in-app playlist is a good touch because not everyone, men for instance (!), will want to listen to the calming sounds of nature, although the aim of yoga is relax, that doesn’t always float everyone’s boat.

I like the way the programs are entirely customizable allowing poses to be used as many times and in as many different programs as you like. This is great if you want an early morning program, a lunch time program and an after dinner program. It also allows other people to use the app who perhaps don’t own a compatible device without interfering with your own workout regime.

Although there are videos and text on how to perform the moves, the best thing about this app is that you can hit play and let the yoga master talk you through everything you need to do. Every pose lasts for forty seconds and that is a nice time, not too long but not too short, it certainly makes you feel like you’ve worked out after a twenty minute program. You are able to pause, skip and finish at any time too and once a program is completed a motivational quote comes up, which adds a nice touch.

The only problem with this app being the fact that YOGA Free is entirely women focused. The homepage is pink, the yoga poses are demonstrated purely by women and although the exercise is mostly associated with the fairer sex it is unfair to assume that no men would like to download and use this app.

Good thing about this app is its ability to guide users on practicing new and more advanced techniques. Working your way up from beginner to ‘Guru’ is a definite challenge and brings a slightly competitive side to the app. With the ability to share with Facebook and Twitter also lets other people know how much you are advancing and should spark them into action if you are in competition!

So aside from the fact that this is totally aimed at women the actual app itself works very well, has no crashing as of yet, allows you to use your own music as well as completely customize your own programs to your level and ability. Very good!

Rating: 4/ 5

Screenshots:

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yoga-free-for-ipad/id391991796?mt=8 

Price: Free

Seller: ARAWELLA CORPORATION © 2009-2012 Viaden Mobile

Author bio:

Steve August writes iPhone app reviews and features for AlphaDigits. This site also publishes Android app reviews.

Firstly, some of the classic board games of our youth have been brought back to life for the whole family to enjoy. The Game Of Life, Monopoly, Risk and Scrabble are some of the most popular board games that have been digitalized and formatted for the iPad as an app. While many traditionalists may scoff at the idea of playing a board game without all it’s parts and pieces, the benefits are astounding. If we use the classic real estate game of Monopoly as an example, there are many reasons why it’s digital counterpart can be more enjoyable than it’s cardboard ancestor (and these reasons can be applied to all of these games).

Size does matter, and being able to transport the entire game on a device the size of an iPad is amazingly convenient for travelling and packing light. You don’t have to worry about loosing any of the parts; no using rocks as houses, or worrying about making new money to replace damaged or lost bills. Secondly it the digital format levels the playing field, and (bad news to your little brother) eliminates cheating and breaking of the rules, as the game designer’s program the rules into the game. Also gone are the days of arguing whether the dice were rolled fair or not.

However, all this fun is thanks to a device that needs to be protected, and at www.Puremobile.ca you can find all the protection and all the best ipad accessories you need. iPads are fairly durable, but passing one around between four people can get tricky if you’re not careful. A rigid case can alleviate any worries from accidental drops and a visor or shield will protect the screen from any scratches. There are stylus pens that allow you to delicately navigate around the screen, and extra battery options for those late night games when a power source isn’t available. By connecting your iPad to your T.V. with an additional cable, you can ensure that everyone participates in the game and can see the screen. While technological advancements can leave childhood memories in the dust, it’s good to know that a few accessories and an amazing piece of technology can conversely keep our childhood games alive.

Image courtesy of NASA Goddard Photo and Video on Flickr.

iPad App Review:

This is not your ordinary fly swatting game. FlySmacker starts with a tutorial on how to smack some flies. The objective of this iPad app is to preserve the food on the table and don’t let the flies get near as they will eat the food in 3 huge bites and the game will be over.

Gameplay

FlySmacker has 1 game mode in which flies will hover around the screen and you need to kill them by using the interactive flyswatter or your electrifying gloves. The electric current can be activated with the use of multi-touch controls.

This iPad app needs you to kill as many flies and preserve the food on the plate and fill the gauge on the upper right corner. Once the gauge is full you will move on to the next level.

You get a virtual trophy if you are able to preserve the food completely on the level.

FlySmacker will get you hooked with the gameplay. I assure you that the game is pretty addictive so we’re warning you.

Graphics

The graphics of this iPad app is very pleasing to the eyes. You will definitely notice the different kind of flies; the electric current is also bright. You will also love the cool artistic backgrounds.

Controls

Controls are fairly easy to master as presented in the tutorial. You just have to tap the screen to use the flyswatter to shoo or kill the flies. To use your electric gloves, you have to use 2 fingers to tap and hold. Remember that you can’t use your gloves all the time as you need to keep watch of the battery on the upper left corner of the screen.

Sound / Presentation

Even if the sounds are nice, I’m a little bit annoyed by the woo-hoo and yahoo sounds when you hit a combo (by killing 2 or more flies at the same time). I would suggest to toning it down a bit in the next update.

The app also has a Fly Files section wherein you can get to know more about your enemies’ strength and Achilles’ heel.

Value

I hope they do add some content in the future update and tone down the sounds a bit. Even with those weaknesses, I still believe it is definitely worth the $0.99 price tag. You can give this game a try with its free version, but there’s a banner ad on the top of the screen which might distract you.

Pros

Addictive gameplay

Crisp graphics

Cons

Annoying sounds

Crashes a couple of times

Bottomline

Overall, FlySmacker is one addicting game. This iPad app is hard to put down with its crisp graphics.

Screenshots

Compatibility

Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.

Seller

© Mindsmack LLC [official website]

Price

$0.99 [iTunes Link]

Free version with ads [iTunes Link]