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.
The rate at which Ebscer apps have been released has slowed way down over the past year, and that is mostly because I have been spending 40 hours a week writing other software. As a result it has become increasingly difficult to get new apps and updates released in a reasonable time frame. Hopefully I can get better at this.
When I first started publishing apps I was a full time student, and by the time sales started to take off I was working a full time job so this is not entirely new. However with finite time each week, dedicating forty hours elsewhere makes things hard.
Updates will continue. New apps will be released. New platforms will be supported. It just might be a bit slower than I would like…
The distribution of BlackBerry 10 OS usage remained flat over the past month. In fact it has been flat for a while with 10.3.0 stuck at 91% and 10.3.2 leveling off a bit below that. 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 February 2015 through the end of February 2016.
Use of OS 10.3.x was level for both users of Pixelated and Stuff I Need, near 91%. The biggest difference in January was that the use of OS 10.3.2 is up to 76.5% of Pixelated users, and 85.6% of Stuff I Need users.
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 January 2015 through the end of January 2016.
The Hockey Scores app has been updated so that it will continue to work. After an unexpected change to the API the app had stopped working, but this update restores the scores.
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 lists out the goal scorers.
OS Support
The app supports BlackBerry 10 phones running OS 10.1 or higher, and BBOS phones running OS 6.0 and higher. Support for BlackBerry 5 has been ended.
Starbeams has been updated to version 2.2 giving the game a total of 220 levels.
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.
Occasionally it is necessary to state the obvious. BlackBerry 10 has received no major OS upgrades in over a year, with none planned for the future. It has been eight months since the release of the last BlackBerry 10 phone, and 15 months since the release of the last flagship device with zero phones announced or rumored for the future. BlackBerry 10 also shut down all their developer programs and announced that “there are no plans to schedule releases of new SDKs and APIs.”
That such a platform is dead should go with out saying.
For those paying attention this has been crystal clear since last summer, with the final nail in the coffin coming with BlackBerry’s release of an Android phone.
Yet last week when BlackBerry announced that they only planned to launch Android phones in 2016 some people found this to be a surprise. The tech press (who should have been paying attention sooner) suddenly started releasing articles about how BlackBerry 10 was dead and abandoned, a good half year after BlackBerry 10 was dead and abandoned.
BlackBerry CEO John Chen then further confused things when he lied and wrote a blog post saying that the company was still committed to BlackBerry 10. Yet the post reiterated that they only planned to release Android phones and would only be supplying security updates to BlackBerry 10 devices.
So despite all the “news” nothing has changed. BlackBerry 10 is still dead.
For users of both Pixelated and Stuff I Need, December saw 91% running BlackBerry 10.3 on their phones.
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 December 2014 through the end of December 2015.
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
In the past month, upgrades of BlackBerry 10 operating systems have leveled off. The overall stats for November were remarkably similar to they were in October. Use of OS 10.3.x has leveled off close to 90% with close to 70% of users running the newest OS of 10.3.2.
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 November 2014 through the end of November 2015.
The app for the Buffalo Metro Rail has been updated to version 1.2 for both Android and BlackBerry 10. This new version involves a significant reduction in the app’s file size (93% reduction for BlackBerry, and 74% for Android). This results in an app that is also quicker to launch.
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.
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.
Xploding Boxes has been updated to version 5.7 with 10 new levels. The new version of the app has been updated in Google Play, the Amazon App Store, BlackBerry AppWorld, Windows 10/Windows Phone App Store.
