New apps for travel, games and entertainment
Some of them provide streaming music
Last updated:
3 MIN READ
A bumper selection of 19 new and notable apps for you today:
- Pete the Cat: School Jam — HarperCollins takes its popular Pete the Cat series of books to iOS, with this musical adventure. Children follow Pete as he looks for his guitar through a series of hidden-object scenes, before unlocking a Guitar Hero-style rhythm game. Plus there's an augmented reality feature to pop up a virtual Pete when the camera is pointing at one of his physical books.iPhone / iPad
- National Rail Enquiries — UK travel website National Rail Enquiries has launched a free iPhone and Android app, providing timetables, live departures data, journey planner and push notifications for disruptions.Android / iPhone
- PayPal Here — PayPal's latest Android app is pitched as "the simple way to accept credit and debit cards, PayPal and checks" for merchants, teamed with a physical card reader. For now, the service is invitation-only for small businesses. Android
- Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 — Warner Bros has already released one Lego Harry Potter game for iOS, covering years 1-4 of his Hogwarts adventures. This follow-up finishes the job in characterfully blocky style.iPhone / iPad
- Vixely — This is interesting: an all-new magazine for women making its debut as an iPad app rather than a print publication.
- The Amazing Spider-Man AR — Sony Pictures has launched an augmented reality app for Spider-Man, which unlocks Spidey animations. The link above is for Android, but here's the iPhone version.Android / iPhone
- we7 Free Music Radio — British streaming music firm we7 has been turning itself into a Pandora-style personal radio service, and this iPhone app is part of the pivot. iPhone
- Spotify for iOS 4 — Spotify's latest iOS app which includes the new iPad version requires iOS 5 to work. What if you're happy on iOS 4? The streaming music service is heading off any protests with a dedicated app for the older version of Apple's OS.iPhone
- Rdio — While we're on the subject of streaming music services, Rdio has just quietly launched in the UK, meaning Brits get a chance to see how it stacks up against Spotify, Deezer and others. A full range of apps is available too, with a 9.99 monthly subscription.Android / BlackBerry / iPhone / iPad / Windows Phone 7
- Pac-Man Kart Rally — Because every much-loved game character gets stuck in a kart at some point for the purposes of brand extension. Pac-Man's new Windows Phone game takes Pac and friends onto the roads, Mario Kart-style.Windows Phone
- The Thames: London's Crown Jewel — River Art Productions and the Thames Diamond Jubilee Foundation have teamed up for this app celebrating London's iconic river with 50 per cent of the profits going to charity. iPad
- Elizabeth: A Personal Portrait of Her Majesty The Queen — More royal action: Trinity Mirror Media has launched its latest one-shot app for iPad: a celebration of the Queen, just in time for her diamond jubilee. iPad
- Dino Life — Japanese social games giant GREE has big ambitions for the West, and they include new Android-exclusive game Dino Life. The genre is familiar village-building, prehistoric. Android
- Brainsss — Here's a neat twist on the tower defence genre: you play the horde of zombies rather than the human defenders. "Build a massive swarm of zombies and trash the human defences..." iPhone / iPad
- MyCityWay — MyCityWay is an extremely polished-looking travel guide for BlackBerry PlayBook, offering information on nightspots, shops, utilities and tourist destinations. Currently it supports New York, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle and Chicago, with 68 more cities to come.BlackBerry PlayBook
- Little Riding Hood (Woogi World Story Shaper Series) — Here's a fun idea: Little Red Riding Hood reinvented as a multiple-choice story for children. "Little Green Riding Hood meets a robot on the way to her grandmother's house in the swamp? Little Yellow Riding Hood calls to the ninja for help? You choose..." iPhone / iPad
- Trucks by Duck Duck Moose — Talented kid-apps developer Duck Duck Moose is back with its latest iOS effort, focusing on trucks. Children can play with various virtual trucks, accompanied by a number of popular nursery rhymes. iPhone / iPad
- Adobe Tutorial Player for Photoshop — Adobe has brought its Photoshop software to tablets, but this is more of a companion app for the desktop version. It "keeps track of your progress as you work in Photoshop and helps you when you are stuck". iPad
- Pocket Films — Indian short-films distributor 1takemedia has launched an iOS app to give its content a wider airing: short films and documentaries made in India, streamed to the phone. iPhone / iPad
— Guardian News & Media Ltd
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