D.A.R.K. is a darkly imagined, outer space horror themed dual stick shooter from Chillingo.  It’s fashioned as a super-soldiers vs. aliens mystery thrill ride in 3D.  

As a member of the D.A.R.K. Squadron, the player finds himself on a mission to unravel the events leading up to the current condition of the USS Stormbringer, an enormous military spacecraft.  The D.A.R.K.  Squadron is a military unit?think outerspace version of the Marines, or maybe Special Forces.  Serious tough guys encased in serious armour and packing serious heat.   Which is a good thing, because the crew of the USS Stormbringer might be gone(ish), but it’s definitely not empty.  The Stormbringer is inhabited by zombies, monstrous alien life forms, and malicious mechanical spider-like things.  Getting out in one piece is as vital as getting the down low on what went down, and this game supplies plenty of action.

The controls are quite simple.  Steering the character via touchscreen couldn’t really be any easier, with the top-down angle of the view and the narrow corridors.  Combat controls are also simplistic and intuitive.  You’re basically just mowing down enemies; it°Øs experience and survival that boost the character during leveling.  Proficiency with individual weapons also levels up as you progress, giving more oomph to your firepower.

The game°Øs not exactly a gamechanger? we’ve seen games of this type in the genre before.  What it is, however, is a well-executed example of the type with graphics that pop and attitude to spare And more action to come.  Because D.A.R.K. is only the beginning of this ride?episode two is supposedly on the way as a free update.  It’s a visually rich game, and if you like having a horror element thrown in with your shoot ‘em up space epics, D.A.R.K. is a great choice.

Visually, the game is impressive.  The top down view is gorgeously executed and crisp.  The close ups for cut scenes can be a little shaky, but thatss to be expected? it would be nice to see that cleaned up for the next episode though.  The game has a nice gritty post-apocalyptic feel to it.  The audio is fantastic, with separate themes for combat engagement and travelling which is a nice touch.  Overall, D.A.R.K. presents excellent material in a great way, which adds a lot to the game’s playability factor.

D.A.R.K. sells for $2.99 on iTunes, and if the future episode is as good as this one, that’s an incredible deal.  As it stands, though, $2.99 is still a great price for a game of this caliber.  It’s compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad (iOS 4.0 and up).

Even though some people may find this service a little unnerving since it makes the information you share so public and accessible by those who use Rococo, it only shares as much as you wish to publish. Furthermore, it ultimately is in your best interest, enabling a more efficient way to interact with your surroundings, and it can be argued that your information is already accessible — so why not make the best of it? I am really excited to see how various platforms will take advantage of Rococo and how the idea of proximity will change our interactions. For more information, visit rococosoft.com.

GasBuddy: This app is based on gasbuddy.com and works with both iPhones and Androids, so feel free to spread the news around to friends in both communities. It boasts one-click functionality that lets you see all the gas stations around you and what their current gas prices are. It is based on its users updating the prices as they encounter them, so for every price that you report, you’re entered to win prizes and giveaways, including a once-a-week gift card for $250 worth of gas (talk about saving!). Users have given the GasBuddy app 3 out of 5 stars, stating that it still has some bugs that need to be fixed and people need to realize that price reports are based basically on word-of-mouth so it may not be 100% accurate all the time (there is no price database that can be drawn from other than consumer knowledge). However, people also find it to be surprisingly accurate, interactive, and a great tool for finding places where you can get the gas you prefer (e.g. ethanol-free) at a price you prefer too.

Cheap Gas!: This app also works for iPhone and Android and provides gasbuddy.com information, so how does it differ from GasBuddy itself? Well, Cheap Gas! also enables you to map a route to the cheapest gas nearby and provides interesting options like an Augmented Reality view. There’s a range of ways to locate the best gas stations and views when finding them, but again relies on users’ reports for the most up-to-date pricing. Not surprisingly, considering it’s using another service’s information, Cheap Gas! only has 2.5 stars compared to GasBuddy’s 3, as users cite problems with bugs, functionality, and accuracy,  as well as difficulty finding certain gas stations to update, especially the more obscure or local ones. However, users do say that when it works, it is great, and is a fast and easy to way to spot the cheapest places to fuel up.

Where: While this may not be a gas app in the conventional sense, one of Where’s features also links to gasbuddy.com to display the best gas prices around you. However, since this app also enables you to access a plethora of other interesting venues, events, items of interest in your area, deals, and personalized recommendations for where to go and what to do, Where is the perfect app for road trips, travel, or even simple explorations of your own town. The gas tool just further ensures that you will be happy where you’re going, even if it requires you to get gas. Users have given Where 3 out of 5 stars, saying that some of the information is out-of-date and that it could stand to do a little more research in some areas, but also praising it for being an easy, fun way to find something to do (and the new bump feature doesn’t hurt either!).

Bankrate.com: Okay, this technically is not an app (although it really should be), but you can certainly take advantage of it through your built-in web browser. By going to bankrate.com, you have access to a variety of different calculators that will help you make important financial decisions, including that consideration of: will driving the extra miles to a cheaper gas station actually be worth it? Yes it’s true, some gas stations may offer a few cents difference, but you also have to think that it will may take gas to get there. Use this nifty tool to calculate if the distance driven to get a better price will actually translate into savings in the end.

Now that Verizon is part of the family, Verizon FiOS has jumped aboard, releasing the Verizon FiOS Mobile Remote (note: for HD setups only). At the nice price of free, this app enables you to turn your iPhone into a FiOS TV remote, flick photos to your TV, and carry your list of favorite channels to any TV in the house. The app enables all the traditional functions of a remote, including changing channels, adjusting volume, managing parental controls, and utilizing DVR capabilities, and also provides the ability to control the FiOS TV onscreen keyboard to search for programs and On Demand titles as well as connect to Facebook and Twitter. Furthermore, you can control any cable box in your house from anywhere in your house — an element some users have cited makes for a great practical joke. While people generally love it, reviewers have cited some bugs, but considering Verizon and thus FiOS are new additions to the iPhone community, I am sure they will get worked out soon.

Comcast’s XFINITY TV app is also free, and not only allows you to control your TV and DVR with your iPhone, but it also lets you play your favorite shows and movies right on your device. There are abilities to change channels, set parental controls, and schedule DVR recordings, although it is unclear whether or not there are capabilities to engage in more basic functions like adjusting volume and turning the cable box on and off. However, the app also comes complete with options to browse your area’s TV listings, peruse tons of On Demand titles, search TV and On Demand for shows and movies, and filter content by genre, network, HD, free, and more. One qualm many users have cited, though, is that the streaming only works for the iPad and not the iPhone 4, a kink developers are working on. Furthermore, reviewers have mentioned issues with the app crashing, but have also cited how useful it is to be able to watch and control their Comcast cable with the aid of a simple, free app.

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We live in the age of – Multi-Tasking. Thanks to the technology such as computers, anybody now has the ability to get a million things done at the same time on a single screen. Take an example of an average high school kid. On a single computer screen, he/she chats on AIM/facebook, goes on facebook, listens to music, surfs the web, talks on Skype, checks e-mail, writes an essay, blah. And it all works out-somehow – amazing. But doing all that on a small, limited computer screen could be inefficient and frustrating. Then, everybody wondered whether there could be a way to increase the viewable area.

Then comes the iDisplay.

iDisplay basically turns your iPad/iPhone/iPod touchscreen into a convenient side monitor for your Mac OR PC, letting you maximize your screen and multi-task even more! iDisplay can be used for anything, including watching flash videos, IM, twitter, weather/news gadgets, and other tools. The app is the ONLY secondary display software that works for both Mac AND PC. The best part is that it is much cheaper than all its competitors.

The NEW VERSION 1.3 is much faster than the older version and supports Windows Aero!

So if you are a busy-body like me on a computer…this just might let you finish your tasks a little faster – while doing everything else at once. Pretty sweet.

Note: In honor of the app’s launch, the developers will be hosting 3 simultaneous contests (winners of each contest win an iPad):
1. The best nose acrobat — create a video showcasing your skills nosdialing and post to NoseDial’s Facebook page.
2. Photo of best dialing nose, also to be posted to NoseDial’s Facebook
3. Best new background design — graphics specialists should submit their ideas

For more information, see nosedial.com or visit NoseDial on Facebook.

Web Camera: ON SALE FOR $0.99 (orignially $1.99) — At the fraction of the price of an actual webcam, WebCamera lets you turn your iPhone into a high-quality, portable, wireless webcam.

Business Card Reader: ON SALE FOR $1.99  (originally $3.99) — Like Smart Scanner, Business Card Reader allows you to snap shots of your business cards and easily, automatically save all contact information into your address book.

iDisplay: ON SALE FOR $1.99 (originially $4.99) — Make your iPhone or iPad an extension of your computer monitor, and maximize computer workspace!

Clock Pro ($0.99 ON SALE; originally $1.99): This app exceeds alarm abilities and is more of an all-purpose, customizable alarm. You can choose themes, have music from your iPod fade in to the alarm, and choose snooze durations. You can even set a timer for music to play as you fall asleep. Furthermore, the app can also be a chess clock, serve as a stop watch, give you information about sunrise, sunset, high and low tide for your GPS positioning, act as an egg timer, be a metronome, and act as a project manager (create, organize, distribute, and time tasks). And the final bonus: you don’t need to have the app open to use it — it runs 24/7 regardless of whatever else you’re using your iPhone for.

Nightstand – The Professional AlarmClock ($1.99): As the name implies, Nightstand encompasses (almost) everything you need before you fall asleep and as soon as you wake up. With Nightstand, you can set and customize multiple alarms and backup alarms, select a sleep timer so you can fall asleep to music, and enjoy details such as the sky color which corresponds to the changing time throughout the day. Furthermore, the app updates you on weather conditions, enables you to access internet radio stations or your iTunes library, and has a built-in browser so that you can search the news first thing in the morning. The only thing missing is some coffee…

iSunrise ($0.99): The visuals in this app are enough to give you a bright start to the day. In the 30 minutes leading up to your scheduled alarm time, the app gradually begins displaying breathtaking pictures of a sunrise from atop a Hawaiian volcano, and as the sun climbs the horizon, whatever alarm noise you select will begin to play (be it iTunes music, nature noises, or any other sounds the app offers). Furthermore the app also makes falling asleep easy as it depicts beautiful pictures of the sunset and enables you to listen to music, podcasts, or white noise as you plunge into a restful state.

Sleep Cycle alarm clock ($0.99): Since there’s more to waking up than simply the time, this app has found a way to analyze your sleep cycles and determine the best time to wake you up given which sleep cycle your in. All you do is place the iPhone on your bed and based on your movement while you sleep, the app calculates and analyzes your sleep patterns so it can wake you up in the lightest sleep phase (within a 30 minute window of your elected alarm time), ensuring you will be as rested as possible, and perhaps add a few minutes to your day. Furthermore, the app saves your sleep data so you can monitor the kind of rest you’ve been getting.

FreakyAlarm ($0.99): Now for a fun spin on the alarm craze. FreakyAlarm not only wakes up your ears, but your brain too. In order for you to silence, you must correctly answer a math question. Furthermore, the app tracks the statistics of how long it has taken you to respond to the alarm and answer the question, enabling you to monitor your progress as you gradually become more responsive in the morning hours. Finally, this app runs perfectly well in the background, meaning you’ll always get a wake-up call from FreakyAlarm, no matter what.

While Mobiola WebCamera was previously only usable with PCs, it now works for Mac computers too! Also, some things to potentially look forward to with the app: audio, iPhone-iPad linkages (for varying views), and other fun features!

There are some competing apps out there, but none of them remotely measure up to Mobiola WebCamera. Since Mobiola WebCamera has been around for years on a variety of smartphone platforms, it has got the technology down to an art. The video experience is so seamless, you’ll forget it’s on your phone.

Cue a serious opportunity for app developers. Fring is one app that has taken a little advantage of this loophole in Face Time logic, by enabling all Fring users across all smartphone platforms to engage in this video chat capabilities — an approach that could garner more users, but still limits video chatting to those who have the smartphones that enable such activity. Many people anxiously anticipate apps like Skype entering this scene, as a crucial and exiting introduction to the app could be enabling those from computers to video chat with people who are using an iPhone 4. And the possibilities don’t end here — there are so many ways to take advantage of the front facing camera, but people just need to tackle the domain.

So, where do you hope to see Face Time and the front-facing camera go? Do you think these features were added to the iPhone in vain, or are just waiting for the right push to create something revolutionary?

Barcode Scanner ($0.99): Barcode Scanner does exactly what it promises. You can scan objects, search product names, or manually enter barcodes in order to find products. Once something is recognized, you can find details of the product and link to online sites where you can buy the product (either within the app or open a window separately in Safari). Other features of Barcode Scanner include the ability to change currency and access a history of saved product searches.

Barcode Reader (FREE): Similar to Barcode Scanner, you can scan barcodes, search product names, or manually enter the barcode, and you can find out price details and purchase items within the app. However, Barcode Reader also enables location-based searches, so you can also see what locations are near you that hold the product in question and how they price it, as well as compare to online vendors. There are sort options — by price and by source — for product searches, the ability to add products to lists (so that you can return to the search later), plenty of product details, and e-mail capabilities.

Overall, I found that both apps were equally accurate in product searches, but Barcode Scanner was a little bit faster when scanning the barcode and Barcode Reader offered more search results (for example, when searching a small pack of gum, Barcode Scanner only linked me to the entire case of gum that the pack came from, whereas Barcode Reader showed me the individual pack of gum, packs of 3 of the gum, and so on). Manual entry was a bit better on Barcode Scanner and the app was also a bit more aesthetically pleasing, but required that you scan or search before doing anything, even accessing search history. On the contrary, it seems that you can do a bit more with Barcode Reader (due to location-based results and e-mail capabilities, etc), you can choose right of the bat if you want to access your product list or conduct a new search, and notably, it’s free.

Interestingly, neither product included some features that I think could be essential additions. There was no social media integration at all (although Barcode Reader has the slight edge by adding e-mail), neither app linked you to related products or suggestions based on the scans, and there was no ability to create wish lists or shopping lists.

Overall, it depends on what kind of app your looking for. If you’re in the market for something simpler, sleeker in design, and slightly better when scanning and manually entering barcodes, Barcode Scanner is for you. However, if you like having more options for how to use your barcode-related information, Barcode Reader is a worthwhile investment of iPhone space (since there’s no monetary investment involved). I’d have to say my edge goes to Barcode Reader, but either way you’re gaining access to pertinent product knowledge.

4:33 Creative Labs, aka FourThirtyThree, has launched their new title Secret of Chateau de Moreau.  The new game can be favorably compared to the popular title Phoenix Wright, in terms of its emphasis on evidence gathering and presentation—but it’s got a style all its own, and many will prefer Secret of Chateau de Moreau.

Backstory isn’t just important in this narrative driven title, it’s critical.  From the opening cut scenes on, players will have to stay observant.  The smallest detail can contain a vital clue.  Clue to what? To solving the murder of Count Moreau, of course.  On the one hand, the player character Antoine Moreau has it made—the Count’s death has brought to light his will, and Antoine gets everything.  On the other hand, this makes him a pretty attractive suspect, because it gives him a motive.  Plus, his relatives aren’t feeling too generous with him, seeing as how the Count cut them out of his fortune.  This mystery isn’t one that needs to be solved for just for fun (or profit).  Antoine has to clear his name, and to do that, the real killer will have to be smoked out.

Finding the real killer is easier said than done.  There’s a whole host of non-player characters and pretty much everyone has a good motive for knocking off the Count.  And the chateau is positively saturated with plots and secrets.  To uncover them all, players will use the efficient and well-designed user-interface and menus to navigate their way through a vast, shadowy castle and explore its grounds.  The controls are smooth and intuitive, and the touch screen makes point-and-click adventure effortless.

Like adventure games before it, Secret of Chateau de Moreau requires players to solve puzzles (over 100 of them!), converse with the other characters, and collect objects.  Doing so will allow Antoine to make sense of the story that’s being revealed in bits and pieces as the player progresses.

But players won’t just uncover a story, they’ll be taking part in it.  The game is not a simple matter of win or lose.  FourThirtyThree has heavily touted the game’s alternate endings, and with good reason.  Forty different potential outcomes make losing almost as fun as winning Secret of Chateau de Moreau. The puzzles pack a punch, the interactions between characters adds a layer of intrigue, and the overall presentation of the game drives it home.

The presentation is very close to flawless.  With the number of flashy 3D games out there, it’s easy to forget how much impact intricate, detailed illustrations can have.  It’s like stepping into a period novel, one with a dark undercurrent just about to break the surface.  The stills are gorgeous, and the gameplay is just as beautifully designed to add to the game’s mystery.  Realistic sound effects round out Secret of Chateau de Moreau.

The iOS installment of Rainbow Six is right in line with the previous games as far as concept. No big surprises there, since it’s unlikely the franchise is going to depart from the concept its title is based on. If you haven’t played a Clancy Rainbow Six title, first, shame on you. Second, here’s a rundown of what to expect. Rainbow Six is the cover name for an elite team of black ops, specially trained in counter terrorism tactics. It’s an international operation with team members from around the globe, run by a super secret agency. You’re good guys but you’re practically mavericks. Clancy games usually focus on real world tactics—okay, probably not all that real world, but they require some thinking, not just run-and-gun. So be prepared to take cover. There are a couple of different modes you can play in—campaign, which takes you through the counter terrorism story line (single player), co-op, which lets you play a campaign level you’ve unlocked with friends, and just for fun FPS deathmatch mode.

No real surprises with the controls either. They are on the complex side, if you’re a very casual gamer who isn’t into the FPS scene, but if you’re familiar with first person shooters they won’t’ take too long to learn. They can get a little cluttered on the iPhone screen, though, with so many team members to orchestrate and the emphasis on shooting from cover. Assigning everyone a place to dodge bullets can get iffy.

If you collect Rainbow Six or Clancy titles in general, it’s a must-have, and you won’t be disappointed. No spoilers but you will get to meet a few new Rainbow Sixers you haven’t seen before. Same goes for those who are into the more advanced FPS offerings—this is about as good as it gets on iOS. That’s not to say there aren’t a couple of issues with the game, which I’m about to get into now, though.

Graphics. Okay, so far I’ve said nothing about this game surprised me, and while pleased with it, I wasn’t too impressed with the pretty shallow attempt at a storyline (or bothered by it, I’m here to shoot bad guys), or the controls. But the graphics and the layout of the levels are really pretty awesome for iOS. Except… maybe too awesome. Here’s the thing, if you’re going to do great graphics, make sure the OS can handle them. In a couple of places, the graphics hang up severely—bad news in a fire fight.
You knew this game wasn’t going to be cheap, but $6.99 is worth it if you want a console quality game on that teeny tiny phone of yours.

Players progress through Crush the Castle by destroying castles and their inhabitants. Each castle is a stage within a larger level, represented by a campaign map, and crushing each castle on a map unlocks a new map to conquer. It’s a pure physics strategy game. Simple tap commands guide the immobile catapult. The number of shots it takes to knock down the castle and exterminate its inhabitants—a variety of knights, lords, ladies, and royalty—determine which medal you receive for each stage. In certain ways, the game is reminiscent of Angry Birds, as you’re using projectiles to directly or indirectly kill enemies protected by structures.

Given a catapult, players simply tap to start the catapult and tap again to release the ammunition at the optimum point to get the correct angle of fire. A double tap switches ammo, and more ammo options are unlocked as the game progresses.

The game is addictive, and for those who love the Flash version or can’t put down Angry Birds, it’s a must have. The challenging strategy requirements are actually impressive. As you reach higher levels, a shock-and-awe approach just won’t cut it. You’ll learn the way different projectiles affect the different castle materials, and the specific effects of “gravity” in this castle-crushing world. A few niggling irritations exist however. It’d be fantastic if the developers included a zoom function to judge the trajectory of shots in relation to the castle, for example. And one feature that seems to promise a lot just doesn’t cut it. The level editor theoretically gives you the option to build your own challenging castles to crush, but it’s so unwieldy it’s almost useless.

Crush the Castle doesn’t wow you with graphics, but you would expect a game of this type to be simple. All the same, the graphics could be much cleaner and brighter. The audio is minimal, with no background music (excepting the menu), but this didn’t bother me. During game play, you’re given soothing nature sounds punctuated by amusing sounds of discomfort as they’re smashed.

Simple, addictive, and only 99 cents? I can forgive the muddy colors and lackluster graphics. The achievements and the replay value in earning gold medals on previous levels make this game almost infinitely playable. If the level editor could be fixed up to be less frustrating and more rewarding by the developers, this game would be a steal.