Could Tiny Wings be the Angry Birds of 2011?

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SMALL TALK…


Tiny Wings Top Paid App 1Tiny Wings by Andreas Illiger

Type: Arcade
Size: 10.5 MB
Price/cost: £0.59
Updated: 25 March 2011
Official Site: www.andreasilliger.com



"You have always dreamed of flying - but your wings are tiny. Luckily the world is full of beautiful hills. Use the hills as jumps - slide down, flap your wings and fly! At least for a moment - until this annoying gravity brings you back down to earth. But the next hill is waiting for you already. Watch out for the night and fly as fast as you can. Otherwise flying will only be a dream once again."




BACKGROUND INFORMATION…

Tiny Wings Top Paid App 2
As I am in writing (date is 11/03/2011) Tiny Wings 
app is currently sitting first place in most popular top paid app knocking Angry Birds and many other popular apps out of the top nest spot. Also ranked second for top grossing app (just behind Tap Zoo) I decided to give it a download to see what all the fuss was about. I had the misconception (at first) that it was going to be very much similar to that of Angry Birds, and reading several articles beforehand found that there were many more people that had paid admission and were part of this boat. It was only until I glanced quickly through the description page that I found my misconceptions to be stupidly wrong. Blame it on the cartoon bird theme I reckon! But yes, back on topic; at only £0.59 what was the most I could possibly lose, £0.59; so I went ahead and gave Tiny Wings a shot. Could this be another one of those addictive games that you pull out every time you get five minutes spare with nothing to do, could this be the Angry Birds of 2011? Let’s find out!

MY ADVENTURES…


Tiny Wings Top Paid App 3The human race is by far the very best at jumping into just anything without reading the damn instructions; especially the male side of the populace without trying to make too much of a sexist remark. Even though Tiny Wings does offer expert help and a whole tutorial level for beginners, I decided to jump right in the deep end and just play! I was taken to an opening screen where a small bird (which I assume to be Tiny Wings himself*) quietly snores away in his nest waiting for the morning sun to rise. With one godly touch on the screen the sun rises, Tiny Wings awakes feeling all invigorated and I am off! The game mechanics are rather simple and it’s essentially a test of timing which the game is revolved around that will obviously depict whether the player will score high or not. When holding down on the screen, the bird stops flapping his dubiously small wings dropping from the sky like a much larger piece of lead. The secret to ones success in this game is to drop perfectly on the downward slope of each hill (by pressing the screen as mentioned) to gather momentum. Letting go of the screen on the upward slope of each hill propels Tiny Wings into the clouds, space and beyond! This technique is repeated on each hill Tiny Wings encounters; with every accurate drop raking in more points and possibly activating a fever mode which in turn gives the user an increased score multiplier. This technique needs to then be adapted to all sorts of different shaped hills and its quick decisions and expert timing that are going to win the day. Nightfall is your only enemy, as that becomes ever closer with every bad mistake that is made. There are objectives in Tiny Wings which gave me a sense of direction and purpose with nest upgrades (with extra score multipliers) up for grabs as resultant reward for the successor. I am currently on my eighth nest (with a score multiplier of 24) but frustratingly stuck on a hard objective that requires me to ‘Be in fever mode for 34 seconds’. Help!


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MY THOUGHTS…


Tiny Wings Top Paid App 4

So, what do I think of Tiny Wings… It’s a great arcade app and deserves to be top paid app for such a genius concept! I definitely recommend it for only £0.59, you can't really go wrong at such a cheap price! Countless times has it saved me from the depths of boredom and took me to a more happier, exciting place. It reminds me of the old Mario games where you had to race the screen, in both cases time is your worst enemy. Tiny Wings and Angry Birds are both great apps by their own right, one arcade the other puzzle. Is Tiny Wings the Angry Birds of 2011? No. Angry Birds has so much more to offer in the form of playability and support (hundreds of new levels and themes being added all the time) I still think Angry Birds is top of my charts. If I had to choose only one of the two apps mentioned for a four hour plane journey, Angry Birds would be the one hand down! If I found myself with a couple of minutes to spare on the other-hand, Tiny Wings would definitely be a consideration. 






Score: 4/5






SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT…

Do you think Tiny Wings deserves to be a top paid app, do you agree with my personal review of the game? Drop App Advisor a comment, we want to know!

Apple Launches iPad 2

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NEWS FRESH IN... 
 
SAN FRANCISCO — 2 March 2011 — Apple today introduced iPad 2, the next generation of its magical device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading ebooks and much more. iPad 2 features an entirely new design that is 33 per cent thinner and up to 15 per cent lighter than the original iPad, while maintaining the same stunning 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen. iPad 2 features Apple’s new dual-core A5 processor for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics and now includes two cameras, a front-facing VGA camera for FaceTime and Photo Booth, and a rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video, bringing the innovative FaceTime feature to iPad users for the first time. Though it is thinner, lighter, faster and packed with new features, iPad 2 still delivers up to 10 hours of battery life that users have come to expect. iPad 2 is available in black or white, features models that run on AT&T’s and Verizon’s 3G networks, and introduces the innovative iPad 2 Smart Cover in a range of vibrant polyurethane and rich leather colours. 

“With more than 15 million iPads sold, iPad has defined an entirely new category of mobile devices”, said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “While others have been scrambling to copy the first generation iPad, we’re launching iPad 2, which moves the bar far ahead of the competition and will likely cause them to go back to the drawing boards yet again”. 


With the new front and rear cameras, iPad 2 users can now make FaceTime calls to millions of iPhone 4, iPod touch and Mac users so they can see family and friends anywhere there is Wi-Fi. Photo Booth lets you apply fun visual effects, including eight photo special effects like Squeeze, Twirl and Kaleidoscope, to photos captured by either camera. 


iPad 2 comes with iOS 4.3, the latest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, with new features including faster Safari mobile browsing performance; iTunes Home Sharing; enhancements to AirPlay; the choice to use the iPad side switch to either lock the screen rotation or mute audio; and Personal Hotspot to share an iPhone 4 mobile data connection over Wi-Fi. Additional iPad 2 features include a built-in gyro for advanced gaming; HSUPA support for enhanced 3G upload speeds on iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, and HDMI Video Mirroring that lets users mirror their iPad screen on an HDTV using an optional adaptor. 


The innovative new iPad 2 Smart Cover provides protection for the iPad screen while maintaining its thin and lightweight profile. Designed with a unique self-aligning magnetic hinge that makes it easy to attach and remove, the new iPad 2 Smart Cover automatically wakes iPad 2 when it’s opened and puts it to sleep when it’s closed, and has a soft microfibre lining to help keep the screen clean. The Smart Cover also folds into a stand for typing or viewing videos and is available in vibrant polyurethane for $39 or rich leather for $69 in a range of colours, including a (PRODUCT) RED one which helps support the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.


Apple also introduced two new apps: iMovie and GarageBand for iPad, both available on the App Store for just $4.99 each. With iMovie, iPad 2 users can shoot and edit videos right on their iPad and post their movies to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and their MobileMe gallery; watch them on their iPod, iPhone or iPad; as well as view them on their HDTV using AirPlay and Apple TV. GarageBand turns your iPad into a collection of touch instruments and 8-track recording studio, allowing you to perform with onscreen keyboards, guitars, drums and basses using multi-touch gestures – even if you don’t play a musical instrument.


iPad 2 runs almost all of the over 350,000 apps available on the App Store and there are more than 65,000 native iPad apps available from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. The iTunes Store gives iPad users access to the world’s most popular online music, TV and film store with a catalogue of over 14 million songs, over 50,000 TV episodes and over 10,000 films including over 3,500 in stunning high definition video. The iBooks app for iPad includes Apple’s iBookstore, the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile device. 


Pricing & Availability
iPad 2 with Wi-Fi will be available on March 11 for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model, $699 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G compatible with the Verizon network will be available in the US only for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad 2 will be sold in the US through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorised Resellers. iMovie and GarageBand for iPad apps will be available on 11 March for $4.99 each from the App Store on iPad or www.itunes.com/appstore.


iPad 2 will be available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK on 25 March; and in many more countries around the world in the coming months. Further international availability and pricing will be announced at a later date.

Source: Taken from http://tinyurl.com/5rcxd5m



SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT... 

What do you think of the new features the iPad 2 has to offer, are you going to get one? Join in on the vote and also tell us your opinion.