FromIphoneToIpad
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From iPhone to iPad: Star Walk
How do old iPhone favorites hold up on the iPad? In our From iPhone to iPad series, TUAW revisits iPhone applications that have transitioned to the iPad. We look at their latest incarnations and see how the new measures up to the old. Today, TUAW looks at Star Walk. I first encountered Star Walk last summer at an O'Reilly Foo Camp meet-up. "You want to see an app that really takes advantage of everything a 3GS can do?" asked one of the attendees. "Try Star Walk." I dutifully scribbled down the name and, when I returned home, I picked up a copy at the App Store. True to the advice, Star Walk really impressed. It's a kind of "virtual window" application that you use at night. You look "through" the 3GS to the sky behind it and see a live view of the constellations the 3GS is pointing at. Move the 3GS down out of your field of view, and you see the real night sky. Move the 3GS back in front of you and it explains exactly what you're looking at. That's because Star Walk was one of the first applications that took advantage of the iPhone 3GS's built in magnetometer. The sensor that powers the onboard compass allows apps to retrieve magnetic north readings. Star Walk uses the magnetometer to determine which way you're looking -- not just your position. And it uses that bearing information to display the correct portion of the night sky.
From iPhone to iPad: Plants vs Zombies
How do old favorites hold up on the iPad? In our "From iPhone to iPad" series, TUAW revisits iPhone applications that have transitioned to the iPad. We look at their latest incarnation and see how the new measures up to the old. Today, TUAW looks at Plants vs Zombies HD. An action-strategy game published by PopCap (they're the people who brought you Bejeweled, Peggle and Bookworm, among other popular titles), Plants vs Zombies forces you to defend your house from the zombie hordes with plant-based protection like pea shooters and cherry bombs. It's a castle defense game but one with a great twist and clever features. First ported from desktop systems to the iPhone, PvZ was an instant hit, receiving accolades and a fanatical user base. It has now been expanded to the iPad in an upgraded "High Definition" format. The iPad version includes enhanced graphics (as you would expect), an iPad-only mini game ("Buttered Popcorn!"), and exclusive iPad-only achievements for more fun during game play. So how does the upgraded version compare to the original? It's marvelous. The expanded room fits the game dynamics. Every element of the game from help screens to the game board to the size of the pieces really matches the iPad proportions. It plays so well on an iPad that you'll wonder why it ever was a hit on a tiny little iPhone screen. Fellow blogger Dave Caolo puts it this way: if Twitter clients could be said to define mobile handsets as a platform, then Plants vs Zombies was meant for the iPad. Like the original version, Plants vs Zombies remains a delightful family-friendly game that's playable by and accessible to a wide range of ages and skill sets. As far as TUAW is concerned, the iPad version is a must buy. TUAW is commonly provided with not-for-resale licenses or promo codes to permit product evaluations and reviews. For more details, see our policy page. Promo code requests are not guarantees of review.
From iPhone to iPad: Revisiting Labyrinth 2
How do old favorites hold up on the iPad? In our "From iPhone to iPad" series, TUAW revisits iPhone applications that have transitioned to the iPad. We look at their latest incarnation and see how the new measures up to the old. Today, TUAW looks at Labyrinth 2. I loved Labyrinth 2 when I first tested it for iPhone. So I was delighted when developer Carl Loodberg of Illusion Labs offered me the opportunity to try out the updated version for the iPad. As I wrote about the iPhone version, Labyrinth 2 offers a beautifully designed and fun-to-play classic wooden labyrinth with metal ball game that's fun to use, even for the manually uncoordinated like myself. Labyrinth 2 for iPad is all that -- and more. Loodberg has brought all the visual appeal that made the iPhone version a treasure and upgraded the graphics and interaction for the iPad display. Unlike many accelerometer games that are hindered by the iPad's larger form factor (that no longer quite matches the size of your hand), Labyrinth 2 HD actually benefits from the size jump. In fact, the iPad version more closely matches the real-world size of the original wooden toy. Labyrinth 2 HD hasn't sacrificed the great electronic touches that made the original stand out. You can still use magnets, shooters, ball doublers and other fancifully delightful elements to transform a simple game of balance manipulation into an arcade. I particularly love the pin-ball style bumpers and the little buttons that unlock obstacles. Labyrinth 2, in both its original iPhone ($4.99) and updated iPad HD ($7.99) form, offers a great iPhone OS game. It is priced slightly above the market but provides value for that cost. TUAW is commonly provided with not-for-resale licenses or promo codes to permit product evaluations and reviews. For more details, see our policy page. Promo code requests are not guarantees of review.
From iPhone to iPad: Revisiting Zen Bound 2
How do old favorites hold up on the iPad? In our "From iPhone to iPad" series, TUAW revisits iPhone applications that have transitioned to the iPad. We look at their latest incarnation and see how the new measures up to the old. Today, TUAW looks at Zen Bound 2. It was just about a year ago when I first played the original Zen Bound game on the iPhone. Having been recommended to me by Dave Caolo after it was originally reviewed on TUAW by Mike Schramm, I loved the game's beautiful graphics and sound design. Starting its life as a physics emulation game called Zen Bondage, Zen Bound became be a huge breakout hit on the iPhone. You play the game by wrapping rope around objects until you've covered a certain percentage of the object in question, avoiding running out of rope in the process. You progress by ascending a "game tree," unlocking new puzzles as you succeed in wrapping each object. The iPad version of Zen Bound 2 brings the same high quality design and interaction as its predecessors, all nicely updated to the new screen size. I found it a great deal of fun to play, although the puzzles are much harder this time around -- much as you might expect with a sequel. The big question is this: does the bigger screen improve the playing experience? I'm going to say no. That's not a slam at the application. It's a great game family, regardless of whether you play on the iPhone or iPad, and that's where the "no" comes from. There's nothing particularly innovative in the iPad release beyond the revised levels and a new "paint bomb" mode, which I never actually got to test. But that's okay. Zen Bound 2 is still basically the same excellent game; the iPad version has been competently upsized and the results are good. Zen Bound 2 is a worthy successor to Zen Bound. If you loved the original, you're sure to enjoy this update. Zen Bound 2 for iPad costs US$7.99 at the App Store. It's a beautiful, fun-to-play application. If you're playing with kids, you may want to start with the $2.99 iPhone original version, which offers easier puzzles before moving on to the iPad version, which my children found far more challenging. TUAW is commonly provided with not-for-resale licenses or promo codes to permit product evaluations and reviews. For more details, see our policy page. Promo code requests are not guarantees of review.
From iPhone to iPad: Revisiting Flick Fishing
How do old favorites hold up on the iPad? In our "From iPhone to iPad" series, TUAW revisits iPhone applications that have transitioned to the iPad. We look at their latest incarnation and see how the new measures up to the old. Today, TUAW looks at Flick Fishing. I've been a big fan of this application for some time now so I was eager to give it a try on the iPad. Flick Fishing is a fishing simulator. You cast out a line, you wait for a fish, you reel in your catch, and then repeat. The trick lies in managing your line tension, choosing the right distance to cast your hook, and nursing your fish along -- as you hope the latest catch is a record breaker. It's an addictive game that worked beautifully on the iPhone. To move to the iPad, the game needed to make some compromises. For one thing, the notion of "flicking" the reel had to go. While the iPhone easily fits in your hand, the iPad does not. Instead of casting your line by moving the device, you now use a "Cast" button. The reel control, formerly placed right next to the rod, appears well across the screen. The physical iPad realities drove those design changes and the game suffers, however slightly, as a result. You can imagine the iPhone as a hand-held fishing pole; you cannot do the same with the iPad. So what's improved? Keep reading. TUAW is commonly provided with not-for-resale licenses or promo codes to permit product evaluations and reviews. For more details, see our policy page. Promo code requests are not guarantees of review.
From iPhone to iPad: Revisiting Super Monkey Ball 2
There are a lot of great new apps for the iPad, and there are some terrific old ones that have made the move as well. In "From iPhone to iPad," TUAW will revisit some of our favorite games and utilities that originated on the iPhone, and see how they've transitioned to the larger device. Have they made the most out of the new hardware? Is the application worth a separate re-purchase? After all, you can keep running nearly all of your old software in pixel doubling mode. First up? Super Monkey Ball 2. We first looked at Super Monkey Ball a couple of years ago. My kids and I found the game hard to play, although I did appreciate the graphics. I wasn't alone in my negative SMB assessment. Its sequel, Monkey Ball 2, debuted late last year. It was a worthy follow-on that greatly improved on the original's playability, and generally garnered good reviews. The iPhone version currently retails for $7 on App Store. The iPad has now launched, and Super Monkey Ball 2 has arrived as well. Is it worth heading out and spending yet another $9.99 on App Store to purchase this latest version? I can't make buying decisions for you, but I can report that my kids and I really enjoyed testing this game.
