A mere two weeks after their latest release, Zynga can certifiably say they have another hit. That’s right, Hanging With Friends is already topping charts and hanging the competition. Being the next in a family of highly successful social word games (like Words With Friends), Hanging With Friends certainly has the right pedigree and seems to be asserting its place in the Zynga domain. Like Words, Hanging has you playing multiple games with friends or random opponents alike (whichever you prefer), except this time the game is Hangman — with a twist, of course. The objective is to craft mystery words that your opponent has to decode, all the while attempting to decipher the words your opponent throws back to you. The game comes complete with strategic lifelines for hints, instant replay to see your opponent’s guesses, and of course the cute characters we know and love when turns deplete and peril approaches (although it’s centered around balloons, not nooses, so totally family friendly).

So here’s both the good and bad news: the game is bound to keep you on your toes (well… fingers), provide endless entertainment, and serve as another way to keep in touch or make new Friends. This means it will be yet another addiction to add to the list, and if you’re like me, another realm of competition to obsess over. But worse things have happened.  Zynga: I think I can reasonably say that your games are changing the frontier of how the phone can be used to connect, play, and ponder. I thank you for your Friendly developments and I can’t wait to see what kinds of wordplay will come next!

Apps that aggregate are among my favorite things to find — as you can certainly tell by my fondness for IM+, which allows you to message everyone on every account from one app. Now there’s an app out with a similar premise, but for actual social networks. In other words, instead of having to check your Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter from three separate portals, you can now access them all from one simple domain: Stroodle. Appropriately named like the dessert, as this app is certainly a sweet treat (and, not to mention, one that weaves several layers and parts into one delectable entity), Stroodle enables you to add and access all your favorite networks, update and be updated by all of them, and even engage in crossposts so that you don’t have to write the same thing thrice. Further, the developers certainly had the users in mind, as they created the sleekest, easiest interface around, and no registrations or additional accounts are required (phew!)! Granted, actions are not as extensive as you would get through sole access to one network, but you can save more detailed endeavors in Facebook and the like for later. If you’re concerned about keeping up with all your favorite networks simply and simultaneously and most importantly on-the-go, then you should certainly savor some Stroodle.

If you’re an avid Pulse user, you probably received an update notification from the App Store today. And if you downloaded the update, you have likely noticed the little “me” bubble in your top right corner. That’s right; the Pulse just got stronger. Introduced today, Pulse is rolling out a Pulse.me service which enables you to save and archive any articles you encounter for later reading on any Pulse-enabled device. Along with Pulse.me is Pulse’s first ever web component, located conveniently at pulse.me, where you can also access any articles you have saved. Since the Pulse.me service is consistent across all platforms, you can ensure that no matter what you’re pulsing with, you will be able to pick up right where you left off on your other devices. You can also use Pulse.me to connect with other services like Instapaper, Read It Later, and Google Reader so all your news is easily aggregated with one tap. If having all the news readily at your fingertips wasn’t enough, now that you can constantly revisit favorites, pick up and leave off at will, and have a totally universal Pulse news experience, the app has ensured that all other news competition is safely blown far out of the water. Now if only the app itself could recognize what stories actually get your pulse going and automatically save them for you…

Gone are the times when everything was good and simple. It seems that every day, even amidst all the opportunities and advancements, more issues arise, more agendas are exposed, and more people and places are in need of help. As much as I wish I could assist and advocate for every cause, instigate some much-needed change, save the world, and be back in time for dinner, the fact of the matter is there just aren’t enough hours in the day to even know about everything that’s worth fighting for. As shameful as it is to admit, life can get so hectic that it is impossible to keep the larger issues in sight all, or sometimes even part, of the time. But at the heart of change is action, and at the heart of action is knowing. That’s where ONE comes in. Read the rest of this entry »

Now that the sun is shining and warm weather is (finally) upon us, it’s time to get out, get active, and show off that beach bod. One of the best ways to get fit for the summer season is through interval training, one of the latest and greatest cardio trends to make an impact on the health and fitness scene. Regardless of how you like to get your heart pumping, injecting your cardio with some high intensity intervals has proven to be one of the most effective ways to get the most bang for your body buck. However, in order to execute intervals properly, you need 1 of 2 things: impeccable timing (but let’s face it, who wants to constantly watch the clock as they work out?), or Seconds, a godsend for the interval enthusiast. Read the rest of this entry »