All posts by Eric at Ebscer

Hockey Scores app now on iOS

shapeitappThe Hockey Scores app is now available on iOS. This app provides a simple and quick way to get the day’s NHL scores.

This new iOS version of Hockey Scores contains all of the same features as the BlackBerry version of the app.

About Hockey Scores

In addition to showing the scores of each game, the app also shows the game time, shot counts, hits, faceoff percentages, and a full list of all of the game’s goal scorers.

A one time in-app purchase can be used to remove all advertising from the app.

Links & Information

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Hockey Scores, iOS

More levels for Starbeams

phoneStarbeams has been updated to version 2.3 with 10 new levels added. This brings the total number of levels in the game up to 230.

About Starbeams

The object of the game is to assign colors to each star in order to ensure that none of the stars are connected to another star of the same color. The game starts off easy, but quickly gets more complex, adding more colors and seven pointed stars that can not be changed.

Starbeams can be downloaded for free for Windows Phone, Windows 8, Windows 10, and BlackBerry 10 devices. A one time in-app purchase is required in order to play past level 25.

Links & Information

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BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Starbeams, Windows

Xploding Boxes expanded with another 10 levels

z10Version 5.8 of Xploding Boxes has been released, bringing the total number of levels in the game up to 540. This newest version of the game is available in Google Play, the Amazon App Store, BlackBerry AppWorld, Windows 10/Windows Phone App Store.

Starting with this release, the minimum supported OS version for Android has been increased to 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).

About Xploding Boxes

Xploding Boxes is a strategy game where the goal is to start a chain reaction that will explode all of the boxes on the screen. Each level presents a different look and number of touches, requiring a different strategy to solve.

The game itself, and the first 25 levels are available for free, while a one time in-app purchase can be used to access the rest of the levels for just $2.99 while still maintaining your progress from the free levels.

Links & Information

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Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Windows, Xploding Boxes

Black Out updated for Android

The game Black Out has been updated to version 1.4.2 in Google Play, and the Amazon App Store.

How to Play

The goal to Black Out is to tap the tiles, so that they all get ‘blacked out’. This is complicated because whenever you tap to flip a tile, it also flips all of the tiles surrounding it. As such it requires a well laid out strategy.

In order to accommodate different difficulties, the game supports board sizes from 3×3 all the way up to a 10×10 grid. Furthermore, there is also a hint button in case you find yourself in need of help.

Links & Information

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Android, Black Out

BlackBerry 10 OS distribution steady for almost a year

There has been little to no change in the distribution of OS versions used on BlackBerry 10 phones for the past year. Of course a large part of this is that BlackBerry abandoned their OS a bit over a year ago, but with every device eligible to run the newest version of the OS there are still roughly 10% of users on some variation of OS 10.2.

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This data was collected by BlackBerry World for downloads of the free strategy game Pixelated and the free checklist app Stuff I Need. Data shown on the chart is from the beginning of October 2015 through the end of October 2016.

BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Statistics

The iOS password field is a mess of bad design

img_0028For such a simple element, Apple has really fallen behind when it comes to password fields in iOS 10.

First of all there is no option to show/hide the password that is being entered. With a virtual keyboard this is important to avoid mistakes in a complex password. This has been implemented by Android, Windows, and BlackBerry but is still lacking in iOS.

Additionally the keyboard ignores the “Character Preview” setting whenever you are entering a password. Furthermore the keyboard does not use the BlackBerry 10 trick of showing an additional row of numerical keys on password fields. Making the number keys easier to access encourages the use of stronger passwords by making it possible to quickly enter more complex passwords.

None of these are major problems by themselves, but overall you would really have hoped that Apple would be able to put to together a better UX by the tenth version of their operating system.

iOS

New York State Canal apps released for iOS

shapeitappApps for the Erie Canal, Cayuga-Seneca Canal, Oswego Canal, and Champlain Canal have been released in the iOS app store. These apps give you the ability to see the locations of all locks, boat launches, lift bridges, and guard gates along the canals.

The primary view of the apps shows a list of all the landmarks along the canal, with their distance along the canal along with a phone number that the app can dial in order to contact the marinas, and locks on the route. In addition to this, there is also a map view that precisely shows the location of everything along the canal’s path. An options page allows you to filter out the types of landmarks that the app shows (on both the list and the map).

Links & Information

Erie Canal

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Cayuga-Seneca Canal

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Oswego Canal

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Champlain Canal

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Canal, iOS

Buffalo Metro Rail app updated

iphoneThe Buffalo Metro Rail app has been updated to version 1.3. This update makes use of the new data format that is being used by the NFTA, and also adds support for iphones and iPads.

About the Buffalo Metro Rail app

This app shows the departure times for trains along Buffalo’s Metro route. The app automatically selects the proper schedule for the day, allows for sorting options, and also shows a map of the full light rail line. Additionally the app only needs to be synced once a month, and can otherwise be used without an active internet connection.

Links & Information

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Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, iOS, Metro Rail

Division of BlackBerry 10 OS versions unchanged

September has once again seen almost no change in the distribution of BlackBerry 10 OS versions. Roughly 90% of all BlackBerry 10 users are running a variation of OS 10.3 on their phones.

2016sep-pixelated-bb10osversions

2016sep-stuffineed-bb10osversions

This data was collected by BlackBerry World for downloads of the free strategy game Pixelated and the free checklist app Stuff I Need. Data shown on the chart is from the beginning of September 2015 through the end of September 2016.

BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Statistics

Projectile Physics Calculator released for iPhones

img_0012The Projectile Physics app has been released for iOS. This app makes it easy to solve two dimensional projectile motion equations by entering the measurements you do have, and seeing the rest get automatically calculated.

About Projectile Physics

This app is a projectile physics calculator designed to solve for all of the components of a typical projectile motion problem. The app solves for both the vertical and horizontal components of the distance traveled, the constant acceleration, the initial and final velocity, as well as the time. These factors are solved for in real time in order to help you get back the factors of the equation quicker.

Links & Information

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iOS, Projectile Physics

Update for the Hockey Scores app

Z10The Hockey Scores app has been updated to version 4.1 for the upcoming NHL season. This update also adjusts the start times for games by always showing them in the local time zone.

About Hockey Scores

This application provides the day’s hockey scores is an intuitive and easy to use format. It also includes additional game statistics such as start times, goal scorers, shots on net, hits, faceoff percentage, and a list of the goal scorers. The application supports all phones running BlackBerry OS6, BlackBerry OS7, and BlackBerry 10.

Links & Information

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BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Hockey Scores

Weather Beautiful app released for iOS

shapeitappThe Weather Beautiful app has been released for iOS in the Apple app store. This release of the weather app is on par with the Android and BlackBerry versions.

About Weather Beautiful

Weather Beautiful is a simple weather app that displays stunning photography of your surrounding area. In addition to the current temperature and weather conditions, the app also allows you to scroll for a full weekly forecast. While temperatures are shown in Fahrenheit by default, there is an option to switch to Celsius.

Links & Information

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iOS, Weather Beautiful

Niagara Border Crossing app released for iPhone

img_20160927_172242The Niagara Border Crossing app has been released for iPhones in the iTunes app store This app shows wait times for border crossings over the Niagara River between the United States and Canada, and is also available for Android, BlackBerry, and Windows users.

Wait times are shown for all four of the bridges between Western New York and Southern Ontario. These include the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, the Rainbow Bridge, and the Peace Bridge. Separate times are shown for cars, trucks, and also for those using the Nexus lanes.

Links & Information

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iOS, Niagara Border Crossing