Category Archives: PlayBook

Xploding Boxes reaches 500 levels

Z10Xploding Boxes has been expanded to a total of 500 levels. Version 5.4 in now available in BlackBerry World, Google Play, the Amazon app store, the Nook app store, the Windows 8 app store, and the Windows Phone app store. In addition to the new levels, this update also improves the touch sensitivity on BlackBerry 10 phones, and adds additional menu options to the game play screen on Windows Phone.

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

icon

Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Nook, PlayBook, Windows, Xploding Boxes

Xploding Boxes updated with Windows Phone support

wp_ss_20150324_0002Xploding Boxes has been updated to version 5.3 in BlackBerry World, Google Play, the Amazon app store, the Nook app store, the Windows 8 app store, and the Windows Phone app store. This update adds 10 new levels to the game, and also adds support for Windows Phones for the first time.

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

Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Nook, PlayBook, Windows, Xploding Boxes

Xploding Boxes gets another 10 levels

IMG_20150206_175129_cropXploding Boxes has been updated to version 5.2 with ten additional levels. This brings the total number of levels in the game up to 480.

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

Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Nook, PlayBook, Windows, Xploding Boxes

Version 1.4 of Pixelated Shapes released

ShapeItAppPixelated Shapes has been updated to version 1.4 in BlackBerry World, Google Play, the Amazon App Store, and the Windows 8 App Store. This new version reduces the minimum width required on Windows 8, improves the back up options on BlackBerry 10, and supports the newest version of Google Play on Android.

About Pixelated Shapes

Pixelated Shapes is a twist on the classic version of Pixelated that replaces the familiar squares with triangles and hexagons. The object of the game is to get the screen a single color by slowly growing a blob out of the upper left hand corner by matching it to the colors of the surrounding shapes. This is done repeatedly until either the game is won, or you run out of moves. Under the default settings you must clear the screen in 29 moves or less in order to win. A one time in-app upgrade can allow you to adjust the difficult, switch color schemes, change to different game modes, and get an indicator giving you the number of remaining moves.

Links & Information

150

Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Pixelated, PlayBook, Windows

More levels for Xploding Boxes

Nexus4Xploding Boxes has been updated to version 5.1 with 10 all new levels. In addition to the new levels, this update includes some bug fixes for the Android and BlackBerry 10 versions of the app, custom highlight colors on BlackBerry 10.3, official support for the Amazon Fire TV Stick, as well as updating to the newest in-app purchase API’s for the Google Play store. The app also continues to support classic BBOS, Windows 8.1, and the Barnes and Noble Nook.

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

Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Nook, PlayBook, Windows, Xploding Boxes

Another 10 levels for Runaway Trains

The Runaway Trains game has been updated to version 2.8 in BlackBerry World and the Google Play Store. This update adds ten new levels, and ensures that the BlackBerry version of the game is now compatible OS 10.3.1 which is expected to be released within the next month.

IMG_00000047

About Runaway Trains

Runaway Trains is a colorful strategy game for all ages where you must route the trains to the proper station. Each level progresses in difficulty and presents an unique puzzle which you must solve by finding a way to guide the coloured trains causing a collision or running out of track.

This is done by touching the intersections to toggle the open path of the tracks. If at any time the trains crash or end up at the wrong station, you will have lost and have to try again.

Links & Information

icon160

Android app on Google Play
Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, PlayBook, Runaway Trains

Xploding Boxes all new in version 5

Z10Version 5.0 of Xploding Boxes adds new levels and new features and can be downloaded for BlackBerry, Android, Nook, and Windows 8. This is the first major revision of this app in over two years, and includes a ground-up rewrite of the BlackBerry 10 version of the app, newly added support for the Amazon Fire TV, and ten brand new levels.

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.

New for BlackBerry 10

The app has received a complete rewrite for BlackBerry 10 phones, and is now a fully native app written in BlackBerry Cascades. Meanwhile the gameplay screen has been redone in OpenGL to maintain a resolution independent experience that looks great on high-resolution phones such as the BlackBerry Passport. In addition to the Passport, this new version of the game also supports the newly available P’9983 and the soon to be launched BlackBerry Classic.

Xploding Boxes version 5 also automatically syncs all of your game progress to your BlackBerryID so that going forward you can switch to a new BlackBerry or reinstall the app without having to worry about backups.

New for Windows 8.1

In addition to the new levels, users of the app on Windows 8.1 will find the game to be reoptimized for their OS, with greatly improved support for split screen views.

Xploding Boxes on Amazon Fire TV

In addition to the phones and tablets, Xploding Boxes is also now available on the Amazon Fire TV where it can be played with the remote.

Links & Information

Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Nook, PlayBook, Xploding Boxes

Pixelated Shapes updated to version 1.2

Pixelated_ShapesPixelated Shapes has been updated to version 1.2 in BlackBerry World, Google Play, Windows Store, and Amazon App Store. This new version consists of bug fixes and includes a 3.5% reduction in the file size of the BlackBerry 10 app.

About Pixelated Shapes

Pixelated Shapes is a twist on the classic version of Pixelated that replaces the familiar squares with triangles and hexagons. The object of the game is to get the screen a single color by slowly growing a blob out of the upper left hand corner by matching it to the colors of the surrounding shapes. This is done repeatedly until either the game is won, or you run out of moves. Under the default settings you must clear the screen in 29 moves or less in order to win. A one time in-app upgrade can allow you to adjust the difficult, switch color schemes, change to different game modes, and get an indicator giving you the number of remaining moves.

Links & Information

150

Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Pixelated, PlayBook, Windows

Who is still using the PlayBook?

The BlackBerry PlayBook has been largely abandoned since the update to OS 2.1 in October 2012, but there still remains a sizable number of users on the platform. Following last week’s release of version 4.9 of Xploding Boxes, I looked at downloads of the app by PlayBook users to get a feel for who is still using this tablet.

There was quite a bit of a shift in the user base from a year ago, when I last looked at the data.

PlayBookCountries

The majority of users (53.2%) are from the United States and Canada, with a plurality of users from the Great White North. The PlayBook has had outsized popularity in Canada since day one, so this is no surprise.

The one demographic that has increased significantly since last year is the number of users from Latin America. The region accounted for 16.5% of all users with Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil all individually exceeding 1% of the user base.

These statistics are generated from PlayBook downloads of the popular strategy game Xploding Boxes, from March 17th, through March 23rd. Data was collected by BlackBerry World at the time of download.

BlackBerry, PlayBook, Statistics

10 new levels for Xploding Boxes

Nexus4It has been a few months since the last update, but Xploding Boxes has been updated to version 4.7 in order to bring the total number of levels up to 410.

About Xploding Boxes

Xploding Boxes is a strategy game for BlackBerry, Android, Nook, Windows 8, and BlackBerry 10 where the goal of the game is to start a chain reaction that will explode all of the boxes on the screen. Each level gives you a different number of touches, and requires 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 maintaining your progress from the free levels.

Links & Information

Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Nook, PlayBook, Windows, Xploding Boxes

Pixelated Shapes updated

IMG_00000135Pixelated Shapes has been updated to version 1.1 in BlackBerry World, Google Play, and the Amazon Appstore. This new version adds a new neon color scheme option, as well as improving the way that the graphics are generated, and BlackBerry 10 users also get access to a new HDMI out mode that transforms the game when connected to an external screen.

New features

The BlackBerry 10 version of the app now has an instal size that is 49% smaller than before, and also starts up 30% quicker. In addition to these improvements, the app also now has an HDMI mode like that which was recently added to the classic version of Pixelated. Additionally the display of the app was also improved on Android devices that now appear better over a greater number of different screen resolutions.
IMG_00000136

About Pixelated Shapes

Pixelated Shapes is a twist on the classic version of Pixelated that replaces the familiar squares with triangles and hexagons. The object of the game is to get the screen a single color by slowly growing a blob out of the upper left hand corner by matching it to the colors of the surrounding shapes. This is done repeatedly until either the game is won, or you run out of moves. Under the default settings you must clear the screen in 29 moves or less in order to win. A one time in-app upgrade can allow you to adjust the difficult or change to different game modes.

Links & Information

114

Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Pixelated, PlayBook

Pixelated upgraded to version 3.5

IMG_00000218_edit

Pixelated and Pixelated Plus have been upgraded to version 3.5 for BlackBerry, Nook, Windows Phone, and Windows 8. All platforms now support a new neon color scheme that is available to users who have purchased the paid version of the app. The Windows Phone, Windows 8, and BlackBerry OS versions of the app all have a reduced footprint. Additionally the Windows Phone version has been given better support for users running a bright theme on their device.

New for BlackBerry 10

The BlackBerry 10 version of the game now starts up 12% quicker, and also has a new HDMI mode. This new feature (demonstrated in the video below) allows you to use your phone as a remote controller for the game which will be displayed on an external screen. Once the screen is disconnected the game can resume on your phone like normal.

How to Play Pixelated

Pixelated is an addictive puzzle based strategy game that requires a mixture of skill and luck in order to accomplish. The object of the game is to change the colour of the squares until the entire screen is a single solid colour. Starting with the square in the upper left corner you can change the colour of the blocks in order to match that of the surrounding squares. This is done repeatedly until the entire screen is a single colour. The object of the game is to clear the screen in as few moves as possible. Under the default settings you must do so in under 22 moves in order to win. The game is controlled by the large colored blocks at the bottom of the screen.

Links & Information

YouHaveWon

BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Nook, Pixelated, PlayBook, Video, Windows

Pixelated Shapes released

IMG_00000102Pixelated Shapes has been released for BlackBerry 10, PlayBook, and Android. The game is a twist on the classic version of Pixelated that replaces the familiar squares with triangles and hexagons.

Additional Features

In addition to the standard triangle grid, you can also play the game with hexagons, or a micro sized grid of triangles or hexagons after paying for a one time in-app upgrade of $2.99 USD. This single upgrade also unlocks the the full range of option in the game such as the ability to adjust the difficulty level or to change the color scheme of the game. Purchasing the upgrade also allows you to display a full range of statistics (such as win percentages), and to see the number of remaining moves that you have on the top of the main game screen.

How to Play

Pixelated_ShapesStarting with the shape in the upper left corner you can change the colour of this pixels in order to match that of the surrounding shapes. The color of the upper left shape is set by using the controls on the bottom of the screen. This is done repeatedly allowing the block to grow, until eventually the entire screen is a single colour. The object of the game is to get to this state in as few moves as possible. Under the default settings you must clear the screen in under 29 moves in order to win. If you wish to play until you clear the board you can adjust the ‘end game condition’ dropdown on the options page.

If you have any feedback feel free to contact me at eric@ebscer.com

Links & Information

114

Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Pixelated, PlayBook