I’ve always been an avid fan of Tycoon games, some of my favorites are Rollercoaster Tycoon, Zoo Tycoon and Lemonade Tycoon. Being a fan of these types of games, imagine my delight when I discovered a game on the iOS App Store called Streetfood Tycoon. I was even more delighted when I found out that the game was about Filipino streetfood and was developed by an indie Filipino game development company called Kuyi Mobile.

In Streetfood Tycoon, you play the role of a vendor selling french fries, corndogs, local Filipino streetfoods – kwek kwek (quail eggs in orange batter) and fishballs to walk-in customers while at the same time, restocking your ingredients and cleaning your stall. Coins earned can be used to upgrade ingredients, facilities, location and unlock new characters – Lady Gogo, Pee Noy, Moony Puhkyaw and Helen Degenerous.

Like Lemonade Tycoon, you can choose different locations to do business. In Streetfood Tycoon your choices are Village, Suburbs, Downtown and Bazaar. If you can’t wait to get enough coins to purchase upgrades and other stuff, you can use the in-app purchase options to get more coins.

Screenshots:

Here’s a short demo video of Streetfood Tycoon:

When I first installed Streetfood Tycoon it was still on version 1.0.1 and at that time the game didn’t have a pause button. There was no way to stop/pause the game so you had to finish it on-going game before you can take a break. I was gonna write a review on the App Store to make a suggestion to the developers but that same day, I saw that an update was just released – version 1.0.2 and one of the things that it included was a pause button. The developers must’ve read my mind. I think having new items, new unlockable characters or streetfood on the menu would make the game even more fun. If the game devs decide to do that there’s a lot of stuff to choose from – balut, banana que, isaw, chicharong bulaklak, kikiam, adidas, etc.

Anyways, it’s been more than two weeks now since I started playing Streetfood Tycoon and I’ve already maxed out all the possible upgrades but I still find myself playing it whenever I have spare time. Being away from home, this game brings a sense of nostalgia. Streetfood Tycoon is a must-have for Filipinos who own an iOS device. If you’re not Filipino, you can still enjoy playing the game because it’s simple and easy to learn yet fun and entertaining at the same time. Streetfood Tycoon is FREE and available only for iOS devices (compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and requires iOS 4.3 or later).

Download Streetfood Tycoon from the App Store

Anyone tried the Streetfood Tycoon game on any iOS device? How do you like the game? What other features or options would you like to see in future updates? Please share your thoughts.

Say goodbye to writing checks, carrying around cash and IOUs. Bump Technologies, creators of the popular sharing app Bump recently released a new mobile payment app called Bump Pay. With this app, users who have PayPal accounts can now easily send and receive money by bumping smartphones with other users.

Bump Pay is easy to use. No setup or configuration required as it uses your existing PayPal account. All you need to do is download and install the app, type in your PayPal email address, specify the amount you want to send and bump phones with the person you’re sending the money to. Each payment is securely handled and processed by PayPal and if your PayPal account is linked to a checking account, you don’t have to pay any transaction fees.

Screenshots:

Here’s a short YouTube demo video from Bump Technologies on how Bump Pay works:

Although Bump Pay offers a free, cool and convenient way to exhange money, it does have some disadvantages. First, you and the person you’re exchanging money with both need the Bump Pay app installed on your smartphone. You can’t send the money and let your friend install the app later on. Second, both parties need to have a PayPal account. Third, both parties need to physically bump phones to exchange money. There’s no option to exchange money wirelessly – via email or text message. So in some instances, it would be easier to just use the PayPal app.

For now, Bump Pay is available only for iOS devices but could probably be made available to Android and other mobile platforms in the near future. Download Bump Pay from the App Store.

The long awaited Android version of the massively popular and highly addictive iOS game Temple Run was finally released earlier this week. For those who aren’t familiar with this game, in Temple Run you control a character who stole a cursed idol from an ancient temple and is running away from the evil demon monkeys. This game tests your reflexes as you run, jump and slide through ancient temple walls, broken wooden bridges, tree roots, flames and cliffs. Game controls are simple and easy – swipe left or right to make turns, swipe up to jum, swipe down to slide and tilt the device to gather coins.

You start out with a character named Guy Dangerous but you can later on unlock new characters – Scarlett Fox, Barry Bones, Karma Lee, Montana Smith, Francisco Montoya and Zack Wonder with the coins that you’ve earned. You can also use the coins to purchase powerups, utilities and wallpapers. The object of the game is to run as far away as you can while gathering as much coins as you can get without dying.

Screenshots:

I already have Temple Run on my iPhone but for the sake of trying out the Android version, I downloaded and installed the game on my Nook Color running Android 2.3.7. Although it is still a bit glitchy and lags, the Android version of Temple Run works pretty much the same as the iOS version so users will have the same gaming experience. Temple Run is FREE to download and install but it does have in-app purchase options for users who want to get coins faster.

If you want to try it out on your Android device, you can download Temple Run from the Google Play App Store.

NOTE: If can’t find Temple Run from the Google Play App Store, try searching for “Imangi Studios“. Or you can also visit the Google Play App Store on your computer, login with your Google account then click on “INSTALL“. The app/game will be automatically downloaded and installed on your Android device.

Anyone who plays Temple Run? Have you tried the Android version?

Now for the Nook Color/Tablet and Kindle Fire, too!

We’re happy to announce that WordPress for Android is now available for the Nook Color/Tablet and Kindle Fire. The 7″ screen on these tablets make an excellent home for the all-new Dashboard UI that we added in WordPress for Android 2.0.

We paid special attention to the post editor on theses devices, enhancing the layout to make it super simple to edit your post content in either landscape or portrait orientation. You’ll find everything there that you’d want in a WordPress app, including support for editing post content, adding media, viewing your stats, comment notifications, and more.

I’ve been using WordPress on my rooted Nook Color so this isn’t really something new. However, this is good news for Nook Color/Tablet and Kindle Fire owners who haven’t rooted their devices as they can now download the app from the Nook Store or Amazon Appstore and install on their device.

Screenshots:
Dashboard

New Post

Posts

Comments

I personally like the design of the UI (user interface) of WordPress for Android better than that of WordPress for iOS especially the main page or dashboard. I also like the ability to access the real dashboard via the Dashboard icon/shortcut, because it lets you access parts of the blog that aren’t available on the app – other settings, themes, plugins, etc.

IMO, the WordPress for Android’s usability and functionality is definitely much better on a tablet than on a smartphone – enhanced layout and bigger screen makes it easier to create, view and edit posts and navigate through sections. I think its safe to say that the same is true for the WordPress for iOS app which is easier to use and works better on the iPad than on the iPhone unless you only use the app for moderating comments.

WordPress for Android is now available from the Amazon Appstore and Nook Store.

Anyone tried the WordPress for Android app on their Nook Color/Tablet or Amazon Kindle Fire? What are the features you like? What other features would you like to see added on future versions? Please share your thoughts.

Whether you create music for a living or just simply do it as a hobby, I’m sure a lot of people will be happy to know that GarageBand, a popular music creation app which was previously only available on the iPad is now available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. I haven’t tried GarageBand myself but I’ve seen several videos of people using this app to create beautiful music.

For those who aren’t familiar with GarageBand, this app turns your device – iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad into a touch musical instrument and a full-featured recording studio. Play pianos, organs, guitars, drums and basses using multi-touch gestures and make use of 9 built-in amps and 10 stompbox effects. GarageBand allows users to record/mix up to 8 tracks, save it as an audio file (AAC format) and/or sent to the desktop version of GarageBand. The app also comes with 250 professional samples to help users get started.

Screenshots:

GarageBand version 1.1 Features:

• Universal app designed for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
• Create custom chords for Smart Instruments
• Support for 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures
• Reset song key without transposing original recordings
• Transpose songs in semitones or full octaves
• Additional quantization options for recordings including, straight, triplet and swing
• New audio export quality settings for AAC and AIFF (Uncompressed)
• Arpeggiator available in Smart Keyboard
• Adjustable velocity settings for Touch Instruments
• Numerous enhancements, including automatic fade out and improved audio import options

NOTE: GarageBand requires iOS 4.3 or later and is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd gen), iPod touch (4th gen) and iPad. Users who already purchased GarageBand for the iPad can re-download and install the app on their iPhone or iPod Touch for FREE.

GarageBand is now available on iTunes for $4.99.

Anyone using GarageBand? Have you tried using GarageBand on the iPhone or iPod Touch?