OK I know I talk a lot about zombies and these days the topic of a zombie apocalypse is fairly meh BUT how could I ignore an app called Zombies And Trains?! This is the latest game app from Norwegian based Dragonhead Games and it is a corker!
Emma Lee
emma.lee@escapestudios.com
Lee's App Of The Week: Real Bokeh
I love me some bokeh and I've been searching for a super simple bokeh app that lets me jazz up my pics with the click of button. Finally my search is over, for I have discovered Real Bokeh. Available on the iPhone and Android
Lee's App Of The Week: Plants Vs Zombies
Y'all know I've got a zombie "issue". I've actually developed a theory regarding the outcome of a potential zombie invasion since I unfortunately live quite close to a hospital (a well-known breeding ground for the suburban undead, see episode 1, season 1 of The Walking Dead) which means my fortress would be hit by the first intense wave of walkers to roll out across the nation. I've obviously begun acquiring the usual zombie defence equipment; cross bow, machete and so forth, but it turns out the only thing I really need is...PLANTS.
Lee's App Of The Week: Jurassic Park Builder
Normally I come bearing apps of technical brilliance, photographic immensity and all-round-smarty-pants-show-off material. This week however, I bring you JURASSIC PARK BUILDER. That's right people, you heard me right the first time, JURASSIC PARK BUILDER. Where all of your T-Rex and Jeff Goldblum dreams can come true.
We're going through ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...
If you're a regular through our doors then you might have noticed a few changes. Here at Escape HQ we've been busy building, painting, schlepping, and revamping our office area, studios and break out space for a new and rather fresh look. There's still quite a few bits and bobs to do but here's a look at what we were then and what we are now...
Lee's App of the week: The Walking Dead: Assault
I officially love The Walking Dead but hate the long breaks in between series (can I get an Amen to it's return this month!) so thankfully Skybound - the same company that publishes TWD comics - has produced a top-notch game app to see us through those tough times and give us our zombie slaughtering fixes.
Lee's App of the Week!
After a brief hiatus, Selby's App of the Week has returned - under the new married guise of Lee's App of the Week!
Selby's App of the Week: Postagram - the new age of postcards!
In this modern age of gadgetry we've got tablets, suri and GPS coming out of every oraphis, but sometimes it's nice to remember the past, the things that people used to do before all the technological world took over, like writing a letter - with an actual pen and paper, using real stamps from a post office?! That's quite a retro step too far but if there was some way to combine the old and the new worlds...some sort of post card sending app maybe?? But if only you could use your own picture - not the generic touristy crap you can get every, something more personal...Everyone LOVES taking photos on their phone - it's fast and it's easy but what do you do with them after that - sure you can whack them on twitter, upload them to facebook and wait for the likes but what about posting it...as a postcard?!
BOOM! Hello Postagram! This super cool app puts a perfectly digital spin on the dying art of postcards allowing you to take any picture you've captured on the hot photo-sharing service Instagram (anyone who's anyone is using Instagram!), convert them into a postcard, add your own 140-character message and click send! Postagram allows you to look at your Instagrams while on the go and then send any picture - new or old - to anyone all from your iPhone! All you need is a recipient's name and address and a credit card - details will all be remembered after the first entry.There are a couple of photo-postcard-sending-apps on the market at the moment, including Touchnote, but Postagram is super user-friendly, quick and convenient and allows a direct connection with Instagram - which is great for editing and jazzing up pictures.
So if you too would like to send the personal touch of a postcard, without the old skool hassle of finding those fiddly stamps and a pesky old mailbox you can download the Postagram app for FREE! Each postcard costs just £1.49 to send - if you think that's pricey, have you been into a card shop recently?! You can thank me later. You're welcome.
In this modern age of gadgetry we've got tablets, Siri and GPS coming out of every orifice, but sometimes it's nice to remember the past, the things that people used to do before the technological world took over, like writing a letter—with an actual pen and paper, using real stamps from a post office?! That's perhaps a retro step too far, but if there was some way to combine the old and the new worlds...some sort of postcard sending app, maybe? But if only you could use your own picture—not the generic touristy crap you can get everywhere, something more personal...Everyone LOVES taking photos on their phone—it's fast and it's easy. But what do you do with them after that? Sure you can whack them on twitter, upload them to facebook and wait for the likes but what about posting it...as a postcard?
Selby's App of the Week: Get 360-Degree Snap Happy with Photosynth
It's a well known fact that the iPhone camera is pretty cool but there's always been a certain je ne sais quoi missing from its camera interface. Granted it does make taking a quick pic a breeze but there isn't much on offer in terms of customisation or creativity. That's where Microsoft's Photosynth app comes in. This versatile panorama app automatically stitches vistas out of your iOS device camera's images.
World's Largest Digital Photo: Say Cheese!
Feast your eyes upon this image. No it's not just a random cityscape image - it is in fact the World's largest digital photo.
Get your game on at Gamescom 2012
Gamescom, Europe's premier gaming event, starts today in Cologne, Germany and will run through until the end of this week (15th - 19th August). With over 275,000 visitors, more than 5,000 journalists and 557 exhibitors from 39 countries, Gamescom is the World's largest games event, uniquely showcasing all interactive game segments from PC and console right through to mobile gaming. This is the place for game devs and manufacturers to make an impression on Europe's tastemakers and games journalists.
The Walking Dead Season 3
Despite all its woes over the first season, AMC's The Walking Dead amassed a huge following during its second season. Even though the story has arguably dragged at times, there is no doubting the fantastic special effects work that goes into each and every episode of the zombie thriller. Based on Robert Kirkman’s popular zombie apocalypse comic book series by the same name, The Walking Dead has captivated TV audiences for two seasons and is already whetting appetites for its highly anticipated third season, scheduled to air in the UK in October. The story follows a group of survivors, lead by police officer Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who band together in the midst of a gruesome zombie apocalypse. The creative concoction that is The Walking Dead blends real-world and CG elements, characters, and environments. Artists at Stargate Studios, an international production services and postproduction company, merge that which is real and imagined, as well as dead and undead, into a convincing, cohesive whole on a rather impressive weekly basis.
Selby's App of the Week: Fancy that!
Forget looking at silly pictures of cupcakes and sunsets on Pinterest, why not collect and organise images of stuff that you actually intend to eat, see, do or buy? Say bonjourno to Fancy, an app that lets you collect images of stuff you like, tag it, organise it, share it, buy it...BOOM! From the creators of Fancy.com, the Fancy app is available on iPad, iPhone and android and is completely FREE. Users can browse, shop and sell items they, well...fancy! You can flick through all things weird and wonderful from out-of-your-price-range sports cars and fancy gifts for your loved ones to vampire slayer kits, prosthetics limb covers and hot tub boats (no lie, it's a hot tub-boat!). This doesn't have to be an entirely self-indulgent experience either, share all those little discoveries on all the usual social media suspects to make sure everyone knows just how cool you are.
Who Says Size Matters?
The rumours are true - Apple is launching its iPad Mini alongside the iPhone 5 in early Autumn, providing all the same fun gadgetry of a regular iPad but in a neat and compact 7.85 inch tablet. The competition is rife with Amazon and Google spewing out rival devices, including the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7, in preparation for this year's Tablet rush. Apple hopes to squash this competition with the release of the iPad Mini, lending weight to the idea of a ‘budget iPad’ in order to compete with the lower priced android slates creeping into the market.
A New Look for Escape
To mark Escape's 10 year anniversary we decided to give the office a new look. Some of you who have been to our office may remember the funky brown and orange colour scheme gracing our office walls and the old layout of the desks next to our Reception area. Over the past few weeks the Escape office has dramatically changed and now we have a fresh, chic and very cool colour scheme of metallics and white. We've opened up a new area for our main office space and moved the Tech team into their very own area. There are more changes to come - we've got big ideas for the uninhabited space next to the Reception area plus some trendy furniture is arriving from our LA office.