“Move the Box,” is one of the new puzzle apps on iOS and Android. This application brings forward a new genre of puzzles, which offers very limited moves. It is a smart app similar to Angry Birds and it requires attention as it really puts your mind to work.

As the name of the app suggests, the task is to move the boxes in a limited number of moves which if done correctly makes them disappear. Typically the player has 1 to 3 moves for every challenge. If the player uses more moves, he has to play again till he can figure out how to finish without using extra moves. The app continues with several new levels, each level getting tougher than the previous one.

Since each level has a different set of boxes that need a new strategy, the app does become very challenging and tiresome at times. To help at those points, the application offers hints, which can be obtained by either paying or by writing a review. This app has a very smart marketing strategy. By offering hints as bait, many users have already written a review. Even if it is a line, it is a proof of the apps success. While reviewing can get 5 hints for different levels, it is essential that the player saves those hints for the extremely difficult levels.

If nothing else works, it’s always best to do some brainstorming and randomly move boxes to get clues for the right strategy.

All in all this is a fun puzzle game, perfect to play while waiting at the doctor’s office or in long lines.

Todays’ app review is centered on a Facebook app which has now found its way to iOS. “Family feud and friends” is a game appearing like a game show with 3 rounds of survey questions. The top answers are hidden and revealed as you begin to guess the correct ones.  The answers are based on what a 100 average people have answered. At the beginning it allows you to spin the jackpot and win up to 9 coins so you can start playing. You get free coins on a daily basis and you can earn more coins by inviting friends to play with you. You also get the option to buy more coins with real money. While playing you can choose to connect through your Facebook account and play with you friends from there. You also have the option to play as a stranger with strangers.

The game requires only 2 coins to get started. This app has a fun TV show sense to it making you feel like you are playing for real money. You play against another player in the first three rounds. Points are doubled in Round 2 and tripled in Round 3. If you make it to the 3^rd round you play “fast money,” and earn up 200 points. In this round you don’t have a competitor. The task is to answer five questions and give the most accurate answers as soon as possible. If you collect the most number of points in the given time you reach the next level.

While the app appears to be rather fascinating one might compare it to word games and muse if this might be adding to our knowledge. However, it actually doesn’t. There isn’t much the player learns from the app except what were the top 100 answers that majority of the people answered in surveys. The good thing is, you are gaining general knowledge end of the day and since it’s free it is always worth a try.  Also, while typing the keywords the app lists down the closest possible answers you might be searching for. Hence, those poor at typing skills like me cannot give this as an excuse to justify a bad score.

Dokobots, is a new iPhone app which starts off in a rather fascinating manner. The user is first introduced to the history of dokobots that are aliens in need of help from humans. They are inactive and need batteries to get charged. The app helps you make your dokobot active and green in color. You can give your dokobot a name and a function, choosing from options like “hopeless romantic.” The app gives you a virtual map of your actual location and shows you objects like robots and batteries that you can pick. The player is provided with the option to search for batteries and other dokobots in the area and then pull them closer through a magnet. The app appears to be rather interesting and gives you the chance to build a life for your dokobot, so much so it even give it the opportunity to take a vacation.

However, as independent as the dokobots appear to be, any player will realize in half an hour or less that there are too many boundaries for this seemingly independent dokobot as well. While you remain in the same location, you will remain pretty far from all batteries and other abandoned dokobots unless you physically move in the direction of the batteries. Trying to bring them closer through the magnets takes too much time and the wait feels rather tiresome after a while. Another disadvantage is that I may have more dokobots in my room but they will not be visible to each other. This app could have a lot more potential if the dokobots are given more features and given the ability to interact with each other. Giving dokobots names and jobs in words is not enough to personify them, hence more is required from this app to keep the interest.

Dragon Go is a free app that allows you to search hundreds of content providers, delivering the best answers that match your query. The app also allows you to check on the movie times, moreover even compare the results from similar apps. One drawback in the app that many reviewers’ have noticed is the inability to take voice command to text. Released near cyber Monday, this app got a lot of attention and all the press hence making headlines all over the world especially Finland.

Nuance Communications was definitely prepared for all the reviews and criticism its apps would be getting, hence designed another app. “Dragon Dictation 2.0″ was also released round the same time which fulfills the other half of the job. Reviews confirm that this app is soaring in the market. Users are impressed by the speed of the app. It immediately converts your words into text, word by word. This text can then either be sent by phone, email, blog and even social networks. The app further takes the cherry, as it is not only for designed for iPhone, but also for i Pad and iPod.

Nuance Communications has left many reviewers speechless with yet another application, “Dragon Search.” Unlike other apps, this one searches Google and other social networks. After giving a voice command to the app on your iPhone, it lists down all queries that match on Google, Yahoo, Twitter, iTunes, Facebook and even Wikipedia. However, this app too has its limitations. Listing all the queries for you is how far it gets. After that you are required to use your fingers to find your way through the options. Over all I noticed that Dragon Go!, Dragon Dictation 2.0 and Dragon Search accurately recognize most of the speech and I feel that is quite an achievement considering most of the apps fail where sound recognition is concerned.

Last but not least, there is another application that also deserves applause – Vlingo. Jill Duffy in her article“Apple’s Siri Versus Dragon Go! And Vlingo,” admits that she liked Dragon Go! Better than Vlingo mostly because it misinterprets the voice command a lot of times. I agree with Jill Duffy on this one. Vlingo misinterprets the simplest sentences like “This is Vlingo” to “This is a new low.” I was curious after reading Jill Duffys’ article and tried searching for the “square root of 155”. I also ended up getting a list of addresses on the map instead of getting the literal square root of 155.

Nevertheless, I have to admit that so far these apps have not managed to make way through my daily life. I am enjoying dictating without tapping my fingers too often but am unable to rely on them solely for all work purposes.

In order to celebrate our victory and spot in the semi finals, Pepper.pk has released a FREE Pakistan Cricket Team Theme for your BlackBerry smartphone. You can download the theme from: http://www.pepper.pk/free-blackberry-cricket-worldcup-theme/index.php

Download the theme and support your team! Let’s bring home the cup!

Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you, yet another life changing app for the BlackBerry, Photo Paint!

This nifty app will make editing images and photographs a snap. You can add text, shapes, lines, and even draw on existing images choosing from a wide variety of colors. You can doodle on pictures and send them off to friends or you can take pictures of notes and slides (or pull up images sent in emails) and add your own text and diagrams before sharing them with colleagues.

Photo Paint will be available on BlackBerry Appworld within the next week so stay tuned for more news and exclusive screenshots!

If you want to know more here is the product description:

Ever wanted to add some artistic finishing touches of your own to a picture on your BlackBerry? Or maybe you wanted to take a picture and add some notes for future reference? Now you can do all that and more! – We are proud to introduce the latest member of the photo apps family – Photo Paint!

Photo Paint is an amazing application that allows you to modify and change any images on your blackberry. You can:

• Draw in different colors
• Create shapes and lines
• Fill the shapes with colors from an extensive palette
• Add text

Photo Paint is both a fun and useful app. You can doodle on pictures and send them off to friends or you can take pictures of notes and slides (or pull up images sent in emails) and add your own text or diagrams before sharing them with colleagues.

Use your BlackBerry to play with your pictures and really make them come alive!

Using the Photo Editor is simple and intuitive. That is the beauty of this application, it makes life easy! In this document you will find complete instructions on how to use the Photo Editor Suite and make the most of the pictures on your BlackBerry!

Features:

This awesome app suite contains the following:

• Photo Editor Brightness and Contrast
• Photo Editor – Resize
• Photo Editor – Recolor
• Photo Editor – Crop
• Photo Editor Rotate

How to launch the Photo Editor Suite

To use any feature of the Photo Editor you must first choose a picture and open it on your BlackBerry.

• Open the Media folder.
• Select the Pictures folder.
• Choose a picture.
• Next press the BlackBerry button, (the button with the BB logo on it) and choose Edit Photo.

A palette will show up with all the various features offered in the Photo Editor. When you hover on any icon, text will show up explaining what that particular icon stands for. For example, the color wheel represents the ‘Recolor’ option and the arrow represents the ‘Rotate’ function. Take a few seconds to acquaint yourself with these features. Once you have decided what you want to do, select the icon and let the fun begin!

• Brightness and Contrast

Upon selecting the sun icon we are taken to the Brightness and Contrast™ screen.

Depending on what you want to do, click either the Brightness or Contrast buttons. This will guide you to the next screen which will show the picture being edited and a scale showing degrees of the brightness or contrast. By dragging the button on the graduated line you will be able to see changes in the brightness or contrast in the picture. Once you are happy with the results, click, and your picture will be transformed.

The images above illustrate this technique. Both the Brightness and Contrast screens are shown with the picture being edited, and the graduated line which determines the degree of change.

• Resize

Upon selecting the yellow box we are taken to the Resize screen.

Once again, by scrolling along the graduated line you will be able to view the preview size of the picture being edited. Once you are happy with the new size, simply click to transform the picture.

This feature is very useful if you want to email and share pictures with your family and friends, since the pictures are now of a smaller size and resolution, they are easily sent.

• Recolor

Upon choosing the colored wheel we are taken to the Recolor screen.

We are given three options to recolor our chosen picture. We can change it to black and white, make it sepia or transform it to its negative.

Once you have chosen the change you would like to make to your picture, simply select the appropriate icon shown and click to transform your picture.

• Crop

Upon choosing the black frame we will be taken to the cropping screen.

You can choose where to start the crop by using the scroll button to move the white outlined square on the picture. Once you have selected the placement, click the centre scroll button. Now the location of the square has been locked, you can drag the square to increase its size by using the scroll button once again. When you are happy with the picture shown within the white outlined square, press the centre scroll button once again. You will be shown a preview of your cropped picture and be given the option to save the changes or go back and crop again.

• Rotate

Upon choosing the blue arrow we will be taken to the rotate screen.

On this screen, you very simply select the angle of rotation and click the appropriate icon. Your picture will be rotated according to the angle chosen.

• Save

You can make multiple changes to your pictures. For example you might want to crop and change the contrast. Once you are done with all the changes press the disk icon to save your new picture.

• Send Email

Upon selecting the envelope icon you will be taken to an email with your edited picture already attached. All you need to do is choose the contacts to send the picture to, and you are done! This feature makes sharing your edited pictures with your family and friends highly convenient and easy.

• Exit

Pressing the red power button will quit the application, but only after making sure that you have saved the changes you wanted.

If you have any further questions about how to use this application or need help please email us at:

support@pepper.pk

Go grab your copy of our free app today!

• Posted in: BlackBerry Apps, Pepper Blog
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• October 7th