My Incredible Body

My Incredible Body – Guide to Learn About the Human Body for Children
By Visible Body

About the App

Wouldn’t it be mind-boggling to look inside the human body and see how the heart, lungs, muscles, and bones work? Wouldn’t it be astonishing to see what swallowing, breathing, and digesting look like from the inside? With My Incredible Body, both children and adults can learn all the pieces and parts of human anatomy in an incredibly fascinating human body guide.  Learning the parts of the human body becomes visually engaging with this uniquely precise virtual guide.

* Zoom inside the skeleton, muscles, organs, nerves, and blood vessels to learn where everything is and how all the parts of your body function!
* Take rocket rides through the human body to experience how blood flows, what lungs look like when breathing, and how the body does its swallowing and digesting. You can even stop and look around!
* Learn how the skull bones fit together, what the busiest muscle in your body is, and other cool science facts like how the iris got its name!
* Watch short movies that show you how your brain works, how your muscles work together, and how your heart functions!
* New in-app purchase features fun quiz questions so kids can test themselves on what they’ve learned!
* Hey parents and teachers: Need help starting the puberty conversation? We've added the Reproductive System as an in-app purchase. It shows basic male and female anatomy and introduces the concepts of puberty and human reproduction at just the right level.

Parents, here’s what you need to know:
My Incredible Body is designed to be both engaging and educational, appealing to the natural curiosity of kids. It’s designed for experimentation, experience, learning, and discovery. And best of all, it’s really fun to use! Medically accurate 3D models and animations of anatomical structures are the hallmark of My Incredible Body. Content includes coverage of the following:  brain and nerves, digestion, lungs and air, bones of the skeleton, kidneys and urine, seeing, swallowing, digesting, breathing, and smelling, muscles, circulation and the heart, puberty and human reproduction

Content is served in a variety of ways to help kids learn about the human body.
* Immersive 3D models allow kids to see inside the body, identify organs and other anatomical structures, and learn amazing anatomy facts about how the body works.
* Children can use their fingertips on their iPad or iPhone to virtually “dissect” 3D models. They can rotate and zoom in and out to see what their insides look like and how the structures work together.
* Children can read and hear fun science facts about each anatomical structure—either with or without a virtual guide for exploration.
* Children can virtually fly through the different body systems.
* Short animations provide educational explanations of the body’s functions.

You’ll be well on your way to becoming an anatomy rock star!

My Thoughts

I learned about My Incredible Body app this week.   Someone mentioned it to me because we will be studying the human body as part of our homeschool coop.    After checking it out, I was very impressed with the quality of it and decided to see if I could review it.    Visible Body agreed and within a day the app was installed on my iPad.

Right from the first time we looked at it, I knew this app was a gem.   Seriously, the kids kept looking at it, learning from the various systems inside our bodies and watching the videos included in it.   The 3D view as well as the videos as simply stunning and permitted them to visualize the various part of the body.   And the use of colors within the app help to better understand the way our body works.

 

 

The kids enjoy using the app to learn more about the human body – which is the theme for our next session for our homeschool coop in October.   In the meantime, they will have this app to explore as well as our weekly lessons on the human body which is part of our science curriculum this year.   I have mentioned that the app also uses videos as part of the learning process.   Well these videos are more like simulation on how the body works.  Let’s take the digestive system for example, the simulation will present you how a slice of pizza will travel through the digestive system.   You might think that it will a bit gross but not really.  Seeing the slice of pizza travel through the digestive system is a great way visualizing how food is digested.    

I am very impressed with the quality attached with this app.  If you are planning to study the human body with your child, this is definitively an app that you should consider purchasing on your device.   It is incredibly well done, contains precise information without going in too much details and will allow your child to visualize how his/her body works.   I am particularly please with the fact that when a specific part of a system is presented to the child, the part as well as its name is highlighted in blue. 

Two purchases can be made within the app itself.   The first one, would be the quizzes which will test the knowledge learn after watching the videos, learning how a specific system work and so on.  The second one is about the reproductive system – not all parents would like to have this included in the app without their knowledge so you have the option of adding it if you desire.   I have watched the information of the reproductive system.   The information contained in it is pretty clear.  Two videos explain the puberty for each boy and girl.  Another video also indicates how a baby is conceived (without going through too much details.   Both can be purchased for the price of 99 cents each.

My Incredible Body app is available for purchase on iTunes for the prices of 4.99$.   The app is also available for Android and Windows Touch.

If you have a child who studies in university and would need an anatomy app on his/her device, check out the other apps for college/university students that Visible Body offers.  They are stunning!   With a child who would like to become a doctor in the future, I will know where to look when comes the time for him to get a special app to learn more about the human physiology during his studies.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Visible Body for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Walt Disney World & More app

In my search for a versatile app that will help us to keep track of the places we will visit when we go to Orlando (hopefully in 2014), I have stumbled on Disney World Maps & More which includes maps from Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Downtown Disney, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Orlando International Airport, Universal Studios Orlando, Islands of Adventures, SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa, Polynesian Resort, Wilderness Lodge Resort, Beach and Yatch Club Resort, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Coronado Springs Resort, Swan and Dolphin Resort, Contemporary Resort, Port Orleans Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort, All-Star Sports/Movies/Music Resorts, Pop Century Resort, and Boardwalk Resort.

Each map is easy to navigate and will allow you to find where you would like to go in a matter of seconds. And the best part is that you can pinpoint the places you have visited so that when you go back another day, you know exactly what needs to be seen and experience.

 

How often when visiting theme parks, you end up with having to follow a map on paper and wondering where is the next attractions. This app will allow you to quickly search for attractions, restaurants and restrooms. The stores within the park are also marked down for a convenient shopping experience.

The major advantage in having the Disney World Maps & More on your iPod/iPhone/iPad is that you can quickly discover the wait times and the restaurant menus. It is definitively a handy-dandy app to own.

 

The app will allow you to search for places by alphabetical order, by category, or by location. You can prioritize the places you desire to visit by high, medium or low and quickly visualize your plan on the map. The app will also pinpoint your location on the map while using the GPS enabled iPhone. After all, it’s always nice to see visually where you are within the park compared to the place where you want to go. To be honest, I think this app will be a life saver for many reasons while we travel to Orlando and visit the Theme Parks. My only disappointment with it right now is the fact that it doesn’t display all the Theme Parks in Orlando (though it has more than just Disney). I would also like to have more places throughout Canada and the USA available with the app. For example, it would be nice to have the Toronto Zoo Map or Darien Lake.

The Disney World Maps & More from UPinPoint.com is available for purchase for the price of 1.99$ US at iTunes.

Best Road Trip Ever app

We are a family that loves to explore around while we are going on vacation.   To be honest, while we will enjoy going to the beach for a few hours, I don’t think we could last a whole day sitting in the sand, playing in the water and so on.  Mind you it could be different with kids (we have never went to the beach with them yet…) but deep down I think it’s better to plan how much time you want to spend in the sun.

As we are seriously considering next year as potentially the year of our road trip to Florida, I was pondering how I can make our future trips more fun and exciting.   Then it dawned on me… when traveling around, you always have offbeats attractions, folk art sites, sights and eateries to check out.   Thinking of that I remember visiting the Big Potato in OLeary (PE) ,the Big Violin in Matacquac (NB) and the Big Nickel in Sudbury (ON).   What other unconventional attractions can we find?

So this morning I was checking out iTunes and discovered this app – Best Road Trip Ever!.   My curiosity was picked…

I purchased it and decided to explore it.  In this out-of-the-ordinary app, you will find over 2500 attractions that will allow you to get out of the car and stretch your legs.   These attractions can be unusual architecture, a road side attraction like the world’s largest or smallest things as well as muffler men, odd memorials, natural attractions, offbeat museums and collections, unnatural wonders, cool signs, and relics.

Another fun thing you will find in the app is a list of over 3300 eateries.   Whether you are looking for the best place in town where the locals meet up, a Classic Diner, a BBQ Join or unique lodging for a snooze while traveling, this app has it all.

Finally, the app wouldn’t be complete is you couldn’t find the places where folk art can be seen.   You can find places where you have art galleries, where you can sit down and chat with an artist or even check our cute little museums and collections.

From the map view, you will get a multitude of green, red and blue icons.   Each represent something.  The green icons are primarily for the attractions you can find while driving.  The red ones represents the places where you can eat and/or sleep.  Finally, the blue ones are specifically for anything that is art related.  I can also explore a specific area – let say Florida for example – and map out the ones that I would like to check out when we visit it.  So while exploring Orlando, I discovered that you can check out the various orange groves around the city by climbing the Florida Citrus Tower.    One thing we like to do as a family is to experience various pick your own fruit/vegetable.  One of my dreams would be to be able to go pick my own oranges when we are in Florida.   Now I fully realize that it all depends on the time of the year… and if we plan a Spring trip chances are pretty slim to be able to pick some ourselves.  But to be able to view the groves from above that would be a fun experience I think.

I definitively plan to check out the various attractions, eateries and other fun things that can be done in Orlando and/or Florida.   This app will allow us to explore the area beyond the regular theme park attractions…  I already started making my list!  *grin*

My only disappointment is that there are no Canadian Road Side attractions, eateries or folk art listed in this app.   I think it would be interesting to incorporate the ones from Canada to make it more North Americanish if you see what I mean.

The app is available for purchase at iTunes for 99 cents.

Saving Memories Forever

As a member of the Mosaic Review team, I have been given the opportunity to review a special app that allows you to create audio recordings of your family history.   The idea was interesting and I was curious about it.    You could use it personally in order to leave a bit of history for your future grand-kids or use it with the older generation in order to record their memories from the past.    This app will allow you to record as many memories as you like, share them with whoever you want and create an audio family album for generations to come.

The App and website will allow you to record as many stories as you like, then share them with whomever you wish, as you create your own audio family album.   You will have numerous suggestions of possible recordings based on the age the person was when it happened.  Here’s the questions you will find in the app according to their age group.

• Childhood – ages 0-12:  Where and when were you born?, What did you enjoy doing?, Describe your mother and father,  Describe your siblings/aunts/uncles…, Describe your childhood home, What did you like about school?, Tell me about your friends, Tell me about your pets, Describe your early family adventures, What did you want to be when you grew up?, Other childhood memories
• Teenage Years – ages 13 to 19:  Describe your town,  What did you like about school?, Describe your best friends,  What was a typical school day?, What was it like to learn to drive?, Describe yourself as a teen, Any extra curricular activities?, Describe your first job, Describe your grandparents, What historical events do you remember?, Other teenage memories.
• Adult – ages 20-25: What was your first “real” job?, How would you describe your best friends?, Where did you live?, Did you date/marry?, Describe your family, What was your favorite saying? What technology did you use?, Describe your favorite trip.  What historical events do you remember?, Other memories from 20-25.
• Adult – ages 26-40: How has your life changed? Describe your town and home, Tell me about your friends?, Describe the most interesting place you visited, Describe your family, Births, Deaths, additions to the family?, What did you like to do?, What was your favorite car and why?, What historical events do you remember?  Other memories from 26-40
• Adult – ages 41-55: Who do you admire?, Describe the political environment, Describe your family, What did you like to do?, Describe your friends, Which vacation was the best?, What did you do for fun?, What do you wish you could change?, Describe your job, What historical events do you remember?, Other memories from 41 to 55
• Adult – ages 56+: Describe your family, Who do you like to do?, What are your happiest moments?, Describe a perfect day, where did you live?, What are your future plans?, What is the future you wish for your family?, Describe your life by decades, What is the best vacation you have had?, What historical event do you remember?, Other memories from 56 onward.
• Jokes:   What is the funniest joke you have heard?   What is the funniest thing you have seen, Other jokes you love to tell.
• Philosophy:  What would you want your children to know?,  What do you believe?,  What guided your decisions?,  Describe yourself, Other thoughts on philosophy?
• Religion:  Have your religious beliefs changed over time?,   How were you brought up?,   Other thoughts on religion?
• Other Stories and Songs:  What parts of your life would you change?,   What got you through stressful times?, What songs did you love? (Sign them)

As you can see you will have the possibility to talk about numerous things like the first time you met your spouse, the birth of your children, a letter your grandma wrote you, your favorite vacation, your sports achievements, the first car your purchased (mine was a NEON), as well as college/university days.   The premium service allows searching by tag words in order for you to find a story rapidly.   Once you have stories to share, you have the opportunity to let close or distant relatives listen to them via the internet.

Soon you’ll have an audio scrapbook that includes the memories of your extended family, told in everyone’s own words and voices, exactly as they remembered them. Listeners will get real insight about the character of each relative and learn more about them than they ever could from a family tree or statistic.

The app is very easy to use.   First you will have to download the app before you can start recording your family history.  Once the app is installed, you can access the categories and their questions rapidly and start recording.   Simply select the category and a question within that category and you will then obtain the recording screen.

The recording screen is very simple to use as well.   Click on the record button to start recording the memories of the person you are interviewing.   Saving Memories Forever  allows you to record someone speaking about a specific subjects and upload the story online on the website.    The website also allow you to save and store the recordings, some photos and family recipes as well.  

You can watch a presentation on how to use the app on the website.

The app is free to download on iTunes or Google Play.    However, if you decide to go ahead with the Premium subscription be aware that it will cost you a monthly fee of 3.99$ US.  It all depends of what you want for the service.   Below is a chart highlighting the features of both the FREE and PREMIUM package.

Come to think about it, I see tremendous advantages of this little app for history and genealogy purposes.    This little app and the website together allows you to make an audio scrapbook that can include not only your memories but the ones from extended family as well.  Everyone can share their memories on their own words and voices.   Then, in the future when you decide to listen to them you will be transported back in time and learn more about your ancestors.    Thinking of all this little app could do I almost wish my maternal grand-mother would still be alive today.  She died back in the 90s and she was born in 1904.   She had experience numerous events through her life – including the two world wars.   I wish I could sit down with her and record her memories for my kids to listen.    Below are pictures of her family (minus the sons she lost due to sickness) and the family house in Valcourt, QC.

I wish there was the possibility of adding new questions to the suggested one within the app.   I guess the reason for the Other memories suggestions is for such possibilities.  You will have to speak up the questions to know what it is related about.   The app is interesting and I am planning to experience with it a bit more hopefully in August as we will be attending a family reunion on my mother-in-law side.    All her brothers and sisters with their respective families (kids and grand-kids) are supposed to attend this get-together that will happen in Northern Ontario.   I never attended a family reunion so in a way it will be a first for me as well as my kids.   I am also thinking of letting my kids using this on their grand-parents when we visit them.   It would be nice to record some of their memories of when they were growing up.

Saving Memories Forever has numerous possibilities for your family if you want to keep a record of the events happening in your life.   It can also help the kids explore their genealogy when they interview their grand-parents and great-grand-mother.

Lego Friends Ultimate Stickers app

Lego Friends Ultimate Stickers app
From DK Canada

 

About the app

With more than 85 virtual stickers, DK’s LEGO® Friends Ultimate Stickers app lets kids use their imagination and create fun scenes from 8 amazing backdrops based on the LEGO Friends universe. They can match stickers to their shapes in 8 exciting sticker challenges and learn fun facts about the minidolls along the way. Once all the challenges have been completed, an exclusive LEGO Friends prize will be revealed. Children can also save photos of their scenes or print them out to share with friends and family. Designed for creative minds of all ages, the LEGO Friends Ultimate Stickers app
offers hours of LEGO fun.
Features:
● More than 85 amazing stickers
● 2 game modes to choose from: Sticker Challenge and Freeplay
● Sticker Challenge lets players choose from 8 topics so children can learn all about the Friends and what they get up to in Heartlake City
● Adjust difficulty level to reduce or increase the amount of stickers in the carousel for the sticker challenges
● Tapping on an empty sticker slot provides a clue to the minidoll’s identity
● A successful sticker match reveals a unique sound and fact about each minidoll
● Completing all the challenges unlocks a special LEGO Friends reward
● 8 freeplay scenes include Heartlake Stables, the Flying School, Andrea’s stage, and the Riding Camp
● Freeplay mode allows users to decorate their own scenes with stickers. The stickers can be rotated, flipped and made larger or smaller
● App includes unique backgrounds, sounds, and music
● Photo function allows you to save photos of your scenes to iPad’s Photos app, to share or print

Our Thoughts

One Friday afternoon, I asked my daughter to come and sit down next to me.  She didn’t want to play with her brothers on the Wii and wanted to use my iPad.   I told her I had something special for her.  She asked what it was and I told her she will see it soon enough.   As I was opening the iPad, I kept my eyes on her because I didn’t want to miss her reactions.   It came immediately after I opened the Lego Friends Ultimate Stickers app that I had just received from DK Canada.  As soon as she say the main screen her eyes brightened and a gigantic smile came on her face.  She was pleased to see the Lego Friends on the iPad.

 

She didn’t hesitate a minute and immediately started to explore the various pages within the app.   The app contains 8 backdrops which allow your daughter to find the stickers that go in it.   Once the stickers of all the backdrops are found, she will get a trophy of completion and one special backdrop will be opened to her.    Jasmine loved searching the stickers and placing them where they go.  Each time she would ask me to read her what it said.   This app allows her to match the shapes with the stickers and learn more about her favourite characters of Lego friends.  

The app is very easy to use and will entertain your child anywhere you are.  I love having apps like this that will allow my daughter to quietly wait at the doctor/dentist office or to be quiet in the car during long drives.    The Lego Friends Ultimate Stickers app is very colourful and will keep your daughter occupy for a while.

The Lego Friends Ultimate Stickers app is available for purchase for the price of 3.99$ on iTunes.

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

AppDrive AppFinity

AppDrive
From AppToyz
Available through SpinMaster

About the product

Get behind the wheel of the ultimate driving simulator! Using patented touch pad technology, the AppDrive puts you right in the race! Your iOS device’s gyroscope delivers 100% authentic steering control as you tilt, twist and turn your way through every race! 4 console buttons deliver shifting, breaking, drifting and more! Customize each one while your race through popular licensed and non-licensed games. Whether it’s stock cars, planes or motocross, AppDrive puts you behind the wheel!

My Thoughts

After the AppBlaster and the AppFishing, here comes the AppDrive.  Last year, when we reviewed the AppBlaster, my husband was quite impressed with the possibilities of the blaster and the games.  Since then we have discovered new products from AppToys which are distributed through SpinMaster.    I tried the AppDrive, while everyone else were busy with other things in the house on Sunday afternoon.    I must admit that I always was challenged with driving games and I think I will always be challenged with them.  Somehow, it looks as though I prefer the off the road trips…   Nevertheless, I have a good understanding on how the game works and how the AppDrive will help the player to enjoy his ride.

Essentially, the AppDrive is a device that looks like a wheel and your challenge is to drive whatever vehicle the game you have selected will offer.  You can insert an iPhone, iPod or an android device inside the wheel to play the game.    Check the box to make sure that your device is supported with it.

Once you start the game,you are in for a ride!   The game I tried was 2XL MX Offroad which is a game with a four-wheeler that you need to control.  As I mentioned before, I am not gifted with this type of games on the iPod.   However, I enjoyed the graphics and the fact that I could control the four-wheeler myself.  You also have the possibility of choosing the vehicle and the driver.   You can go backward or forward as well as control the direction of the vehicle.   If you hit a tree your drive will be ejected and thrown in the air.   Sometimes,my drive also got squished under the vehicle itself.   But there was no blood whatsoever in the game which is great if you ask me.   I would have no hesitation whatsoever to let my kids play with it.

Even though I am more challenge than my kids would be for this sort of game, I have enjoyed driving my four-wheeler and explore the surroundings.   Did I made any jump?  No as I quickly got lost in the woods…   Did I hit some trees?  You bet.   But I am willing to persevere and become better – though I suspect that I am better an puzzle games and quest types of games…

 Asphalt 7 and 2XL MX Offroad are free apps that can be downloaded anytime via iTunes.   Other apps that will work with the AppDrive are 2XL Supercross HD, Ricky Carmichael’s Motocross Matchup Pro, and the 2XL Trophylite Rally HD.

The AppDrive will provide tons of fun for anyone who love driving games.  The fact that it simulates a wheel makes it even more interesting.  It would be a great birthday or Christmas gift for someone who likes this sort of games and owns a device that is supported.

AppDrive is available at your favourite toy store, even on amazon.com.

Disclaimer: Thanks to SpinMaster for sending the product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Atari Arcade

Atari Arcade
From Discovery Bay Games

About the product

Atari Arcade - Duo Powered lets you relive the fast-action excitement of all your Atari favorites—such as Asteroids, Centipede, and Missile Command—on your iPad. With its joystick and buttons, Atari Arcade lets you experience arcade games exactly the way they were meant to be played.

My Thoughts

While our kids go to Awana on Thursday nights, we try to find things to do together.  Often, we will go visit my in-laws this year but other times we take the hour and a half to do some grocery shopping.  One Thursday night about a month ago, we were at Wal-Mart to get a few things as well as check out a few things.    Near the toy section, there was part of the aisle dedicated to games based on the iPad and my husband saw the Atari Arcade.   He immediately thought it was  super cool and jockingly said to me “You should try to review this…” 

The next day, I emailed the company to see if it could be possible to review it as well as the Duo Pinball.  They agreed and sent me both of them.    I was very excited about this opportunity and waiting patiently (as much as I could…) to get the package.   He never asked me if I emailed them or not.    And I want to keep this a surprise.  

The packaging of the box has been thought so that the device doesn’t move around it.    Check out the Atari Arcade and its design below.

What I particularly like is the there are two switches on the side of the device that will help you secure the iPad when it is inserted in the Atari Arcade.    The control as well as the button are easy to handle and perfect for little and big hands.  Once you have inserted your iPad in it, you are ready to play.

 

I had downloaded the Atari’s Greatest Hits before unpacking the game and immediately loaded the game to try it out. 

Ataris’s Greatest Hits is the game that you can download for free on iTunes.   Be aware though that it’s free for the first game and if you want to unlock all the other ones (99 of them to be exact), you will have to pay 9.99$.  These 99 games are part of the classics from Atari 2600 and arcade games that you might have played in your youth.   Games like Asteroids which I excelled back in the days.   When I met my husband more than 15 years ago, I discovered that he still had the original Atari platform with numerous games including Asteroids.   I told him I was pretty good at it but he didn’t really believe me.   However, he recognized my skills when we played one day together.  He was impressed…   So I can tell you one thing.  When I give him this Atari Arcade at Christmas, I will also include an iTunes card so we can purchase the 99 games to play and have fun.  

Through the Atari Arcade device for the iPad and the Atari’s Greatest Hits app, you will relive the Golden Age of Gaming with a collection of the most popular retro games from the 70s and 80s.   This extensive catalog pays homage to each of the originals, with controls designed to mimic what Atari fans remember from 30 years ago!   Literally!   I never really played Missile Command when we had an Atari at home when I was younger but the graphics on the game I tried with the Atari Arcade were just like the game I used to play.   The Atari Arcade is easy to use and will bring tons of fun in your family.   If you want your kids to experience classic gaming experience, this device and its app are fabulous for this.   My kids are used to play with the Wii and I am quite impressed to see how Nintendo has improved their games since I had one in my 20s.   But this fun little arcade which fits the iPad in is a gem in disguise as it will bring my husband and I on a trip through time.   I look forward to see his face when he unwraps it on Christmas morning.  This Atari Arcade will also help my kids to develop a keep sense of strategy based on old games.   It will also work as a trip in history when playing with old games.   I could even ask my oldest to write a report on how gaming has evolved since the 70s.    (Yes I am sneaky sometimes…)  

If you have experience the Atari games back in the 70s or 80s and you have enjoyed it, this Atari Arcade will bring back memories to you.   If you have a love one who still has his old Atari device in the basement but also plays with games on his iPad, this would be a great gift for him this Christmas.    Whether for Christmas or a birthday celebration, the Atari Arcade will make a great gift to someone passionate about the old ways of playing games.

The Atari Arcade is available at your favourite toy store near you.   It is also available through the Apple Store or on amazon.com.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Discovery Bay for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

AppFishing APPFinity

AppFishing – AppFinity
From AppToyz
Available through SpinMaster

About the product

AppFishing delivers all the live-action of real fishing! Find your sea legs as you cast and jig your way into the ultimate fishing experience. Transform iOS devices into the perfect angler adventure as the gyroscope produces authentic fishingchallenges. The adjustable reel can detach to suit both left and right-handed anglers. Download the free Appfinity World Fishing Challenge and find yourself knee-deep in angler adrenaline!

My Thoughts

Last year I had the opportunity of reviewing the appblaster via SpinMaster.  This year, new products have come out on the market to incorporate your iPod/iPhone in your gaming time.    Introducing the AppFishing which will allow you to practice your fishing skill during the cold months. 

So one cold Saturday morning, I installed my iPod in the AppFishing device and proceeded to try out the app Fish It.  At first I had some issues with the AppFishing device but I quickly realized that I had inserted the support for my iPod the wrong way.  After reinserting the support properly, the device closed properly and it was easy to use.   

Click on the red button to release the line and throw it into the water.   Within seconds, fish will come and you will have a bait.   Lift your fishing pole in the air and hook the fish.  Once you are successful, you can now bring the fish back to the boat.   The AppFishing device is very quiet when reeling the fish on board.  Each time you catch a fish, you get money which in turn you will be able to purchase baits, lines and radar.   You can pick different fishing places around the world – American Lakes, Bahamas, Greenland, and Tokyo.   Personally, I wish that there would be more places to explore while fishing.  I sure hope that there will be more fishing challenges to be included in this app.    Also, the app allows you to catch over 60 different species of fish.    The app Fish It is available for free on iTunes but will work better with the AppFishing rod.  Also, please note that this is an OpenFeint app and it needs to be activate as such to be able to play.

In conclusion, I think that the AppFishing device has potential.  Your child or yourself can have quite a fun time trying to fish the various species found in the game.   I hope that the game will get better as time goes by.   It would make a great Christmas or birthday gift for the fisherman in your life.

The AppFishing is available at your favourite toy store, even on amazon.com.

Disclaimer: Thanks to SpinMaster for sending the product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Duo Pinball

Duo Pinball
From Discovery Bay

About the product

Experience some pinball wizardry and relive your favorite arcade moments with Duo Pinball, the app-supported pinball controller for iPad.   Flipper buttons and a spring-loaded plunger make pinball gameplay unbelievably real.

My Thoughts

Pinball machines – It seems as though they have existed for the longest time.   Actually I was surprised to learn that something similar existed back in the 1700s.   I played a bit back in the 80s but as I got older, I rarely hung up where you would find these machines.    I remember seeing a report on the news about someone collecting them which took quite some space in his basement.   I was impressed by his love and dedication of the game.    Still every now and then, I wonder if a pinball would be a fun thing to have in our house.   Real pinball machines can be extremely expensive – it’s an investment for sure.

However, if you love pinball and want to have the possibility of playing with one more regularly, let me present you the Duo Pinball device for the iPad.   This device plays exclusively with Pinball HD and Pinball HD Collection apps that are available on iTunes but you will see how fabulous it is.   As you can see on the right picture, the device itself is a plastic base that his tilted a bit to give you the impression of playing on a real pinball machine.   Two side buttons control the flippers and a spring-loaded plunger will help you to shoot the ball into the game.

When installing the iPad in it, it will fit snugly into the Duo Pinball device and won’t move easily.  This feature is perfect because you don’t want to miss some cool shoots when playing.  What is interesting is that you can play sitting down with this instead of standing up while playing on a regular pinball machine.

The spring-loaded plunger is very quiet and work fabulously well.    When I tried the device, I had not realized that I needed to set up the Bluetooth on the iPad so that it recognize it.    Why?, you might wonder.  Well the device is connected wirelessly to your iPad.  Three batteries need to be inserted in the back of it.     But once I did, I quickly became speechless and got absorbed in the Wild West game.   I had fun and I know that this jewel of a device will bring much joy for the rest of my family.    Also, when you launch the app you will unlock five free tables – Wild West, The Deep, Snow, Jungle Style and DaVinci.   Other tables are also available for the price of 0.99$ or 2.99$.      The colors in the app are breathtaking and the game is fun to say the least.  

My kids have not played often with a pinball machine I believe.  Well maybe the oldest did.  But going to places where pinball machines can be found could get pricey for us with a family of six.   So having the Duo Pinball will allow them to experience the joy of playing on pinball machines without having to make a huge investment in purchasing one or spending too much at an arcade.  Mind you I don’t mind them having fun at an arcade every once in a while but I prefer having the opportunity for them at home where I know they will practice as much as they want.

Wondering what to buy for your loved one this Christmas?  You know that pinball machines are attractive to him or her?  Do you have an iPad?   If so, why not getting the Duo Pinball device as a Christmas surprise.   It will bring joy and hours of fun in your family!

The Duo Pinball device is for sale for the price of 59.95$ Canadian at the Apple Store.

You can also purchase it on amazon.com.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Discovery Bay for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.