Sos is the creator of this game.
McPixel.

He has taken the indie gaming scene by storm, by doing what seems completely counterintuitive.
Sos has encouraged people to torrent his game, and has even had it featured on the front page of The Pirate Bay.

Finally, a game developer has embraced the realities of the Internet, and has made an honest and friendly effort at communicating with its citizens.

Now of course you’re all wondering, is McPixel any good?

Imagine an old school point and click PC adventure game.
Now imagine this game only lasts 20 seconds.
In the 20 seconds you have to deal with a ridiculous, and mostly nonsense situation about disarming a bomb.

Basically McPixel is Monkey Island, meets Wario Ware, meet MacGruber.

So let’s be honest, this isn’t the next addictive hit mobile game.
There’s barely any replayability, and little challenge beyond trial and error.

Despite this, McPixel absolutely succeeds as a piece of entertainment.

This is an honest, charming, and funny game that you can grab for $3 on iOS, or pay what you want on PC.
Though, if you do go the PC route, please be sure to donate to Sos!

Created by Ender labs, this app brings what is typically known as the Windows phone “metro” style to iOS.

Everything about this app feels refined and clean.

All text is presented in a super clean Sans-serif font.

The interface is super responsive and intuitive and really makes this app feel great to use.

Aside from the typography, Track 8 displays your music library with large and detailed album art.

To round out the visual experience, almost every menu and action features a smooth and subtle animation.

Track 8 also has some pretty cool organization features such as displaying the newest music in your library, and an always present search button for quickly locating specific songs.

All of these nice features aside, there is one thing that keeps this app from being our go to music player.

Unfortunately, the app can only access music stored locally on your iDevice or on iTunes match.
We know this is due to Apple’s restrictions, but the ability to access streaming music services would make this app a lot more versatile.

However, at only $2, we think this just might be the best way to listen and interact with your music library on the go.

Let’s start with Dropbox.
Dropbox is a complete cloud storage service, offering everything from web access to all your files, to integrated syncing within apps.
Everything is stored in a traditional folder structure and just about any type of file can be uploaded.
This means Dropbox allows tons of flexibility and practicality when it comes to accessing all your files on the go.

However, Dropbox is not without it’s downsides as a syncing service.

Unfortunately, the API Dropbox uses to sync and update files directly from apps is sometimes slow and prone to errors.
Closing an app or repeatedly editing a file too quickly has led to strange duplicate files and corrupted documents.
While this doesn’t happen often, it’s still something that keeps Dropbox from being ideal for us.

Next lets take a look at iCloud.
iCloud is Apple’s built in syncing and cloud storage for both Mac and iOS.
This service differs from the competition, in that it doesn’t offer free form storage space.
Instead, files on iCloud are always synced and accessed within the app they were created in.
This is both good and bad. On one hand, it eliminates almost all ability and need to organize your files.
For example, iCloud only allows a single level of folders with an apps document list.

The downside to this system is that it can be tricky to get the files saved in one app into a different one.

Where iCloud really shines is in syncing.
On both Mac and iOS, syncing with iCloud is fast and invisible. Files always seem to update consistently, and you never see or feel the “syncing lag” other services sometimes cause.

Overall, since we really only sync files between our iOS devices and our Macs, we’ve decided to make the jump to iCloud.
The faster, more reliable, and easier syncing functionality makes it the better service for us.
However, if you want universal access to a wider range of file types, and don’t mind slightly less elegant syncing, Dropbox may be the best choice for you!

This app has a rather unique history.
While initially developed as a simple text based journal, Day One has been updated and expanded to offer an all in one memory capturing experience.

Let’s start with the core writing experience.
Day One offers a super intuitive interface that supports markdown.
Styling and formatting your text is a breeze thanks to the built in toolbar that offers quick shortcuts.

The real power of this app though, is the automatic information Day One can pull into your entries. Location, weather, and even four square check ins can be added with ease.
Day one also allows you to take and insert photos, and even links with camera+ to let you edit them.

All of your entries are automatically organized by date, and can be viewed using the apps built in calendar screen.

Another small feature we thought was pretty cool is the ability to set recurring reminders so you remember to journal regularly.

Now we do have a few issues with this app.
Firstly, the interface while beautiful, does take a little getting used to. Some functions, like creating a new entry, have two buttons that do the same thing on the screen at once.
Also, tapping the giant photo button creates a new entry, rather than adding a photo to the current one you’re working on.

A bigger issue we have is the format in which your journal is saved. Everything is backed up and synced into a single proprietary “day one journal” file. While we understand this makes syncing easier, we don’t like the idea of all our entries being locked into a file format only day one can easily access.

Ultimately, day one is a intuitive and powerful journalling experience. Although it’s not as open and flexible as we would like, the seamlessness and ease of use offered is hard to beat.

At $5 for the Mac or iOS versions, Day One is well worth the price considering the top quality app and journal experience it is.

This is iA Writer.
Created by information architects, this app is an extremely simple, and high quality text editor.
When you launch this app, you immediately notice it’s minimal and clean interface.

A feature that really makes this app stand out is it’s custom font, which was designed specifically to look great on iPhone and iPad displays.
Another nice touch is the row of handy function keys above the keyboard that greatly help with text selection.

Writer supports local, iCloud, and DropBox storage. The interface for this is easy to use yet powerful, even allowing you create folders and move files between them.
Additionally, both Markdown and plaintext formats are supported, ensuring universal access to your files.

All these great features aside, our favorite thing about Writer might be just how insanely fast and responsive this app feels.

Now as we said, this app isn’t perfect.
While the custom font is very attractive and readable, we feel that it is slightly too large. An option to adjust the text size would be nice.
Another small annoyance is the app title bar, which pops down over the screen every time you tap to select text.

Still, writer manages to combine powerful and intuitive features into a beautiful responsive, and dead simple package.
At $2 this app is a steal for anyone looking for a focused and lightweight text editor.

Launch Centre Pro is a utility app that allows you to quick launch apps and custom actions.

This app feels a bit like the iOS equivalent of Mac applications like QuickSilver or Alfred.

When you open Launch Center Pro, the app presents you with it’s 3 by 4 grid interface which the entire app is built around.
On this grid you can place actions and groups of actions.
Groups work like a shift key. Hold down on a group and the grid switches to reveal the actions within. Then, simply slide your finger onto the action you want, and release to start that action.

Actions are the core of Launch Center Pro’s functionality.
Their purpose is to provide one touch shortcuts to functions usually buried in other apps.
For example, let’s say you want to search google, usually this means having to open safari, open a new blank tab, select the search box, and then begin typing.
Alternatively, you can create an action for this that simply prompts you with a text box. Type what you want to search for, hit go, and launch center pro takes you directly to a new tab in safari with your requested search results.

Time saving shortcuts like this are what make this app so powerful. Getting directions, searching yelp, sending a text, and more becomes only a tap or swipe away.

Unfortunately, this app of course has its limitations.
Unless an app explicitly supports preconfigured actions in launch center, anything other than simply launching that app becomes complicated to set up.
Launch center pro attempts to remedy this by offering the ability to type custom app interaction URLs.
While this is helpful in some cases, many of our favorite third party apps are not even accessible through this method.

These growing pains aside, Launch Center Pro still offers a fresh, powerful and convenient way to interact with your iPhone.
At $5, this app is on the pricey side, but we feel this is a more than fair price for such a polished and practical utility app.

This app is a turn and grid based military strategy game. If you’ve ever played the Advance Wars series, you know exactly how this game works.

Each turn you can build new units and issue commands to your existing ones. Once you’ve completed all of your moves to your liking, you submit your turn and wait for the oppnent to make theirs.

Great Big War Game offers a variety game modes including single player campaign and skirmish, as well as asynchronous multiplayer.

The campaign features 50 missions that offer a good variety of scenarios, along with super cheesy cut scene briefings in between.

The production value here is good, featuring colorful, stylistic and mostly well animated visuals. Audio design is also well done, if not a bit overwhelming, featuring music, unit voice overs, and sound effects all happening during a battle.

One sore spot is the game’s interface. Although very usable, it feels cheap and ugly from a design standpoint. Another issue is the visual design of the gameboard. Initially the different tiles on the board are hard to understand just by looking at them.

Understanding the stats on your units such as they’re movement and firing range are difficult to figure out and unintuitively presented.

Overall Great Big War Game is a high quality and ambitious strategy game. This app mostly succeeds in it’s execution, and offers one of the best competitive game experiences we’ve played on iOS to date.

At only $3, Great Big War Game is a fantastic deal, offering plenty of content and play time for any strategy fan.

The latest addition to this list is spotify.
Spotify of course is the super popular music streaming service which let’s you stream just about any song ever made, on demand.
Now unless you have a premium account, the mobile spotify will only let you listen to their newly launched radio feature.
This functions almost identically to other internet radio services, but with the advantage of Spotify’s much larger and higher quality library.
Offering unlimited radio play, recommendations, and seemingly infinite skips, this radio experience is hard to beat assuming you don’t mind a few ads mixed in.
This universal app is both beautiful and functional, featuring an intuitive and responsive user interface.
Now that spotify no longer requires a premium account for mobile usage, this app is one of the best options for high quality mobile listening.

Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without Pandora.
While one of the first Internet radio services available on iOS, Pandora continues to offer a consistently high quality experience.
The app is lightweight, responsive, and even ties into iOS to show the currently playing song in the multitasking bar and lock screen.
Of course, Pandora is all about their music discovery feature, which attempts to find new music you like, based on what you listen to and how you rate it.
Overall Pandora is reliable and dead simple to use music service. This app is perfect for instantly starting a station while you study or work.

Lastly, lets look at our personal favorite music app, turntable.fm.
Turntable is a website and app that lets users queue up songs to play to an audience.
As a song is playing, the audience can up or down vote the song, letting the dj know if what they’re playing is awesome or lame.
The turntable app is not universal, but still offers a clean, high quality, and responsive experience.
Overall turntable is our favorite music streaming service.
Hearing new music picked by real people in real time, combined with high audio quality and zero ads is hard to beat!

Olo is a beautifully simple, yet extremely competitive game.
Minimalism is the key to both the design and gameplay of this app.

Olo is a multiplayer game in which two or four players must slide various sized discs into their matching color area to win.
Players take turns throwing as they attempt to position their discs while knocking the opponent’s out.
Be careful though, as knocking a disc past the board onto your opponents side gives them the disc to reuse.
Also, keep in mind that each disc can only be used three times.
Once all the discs have been thrown, whoever has the most of their own color in the matching area wins.

Olo supports single screen and online multiplayer.
The online component even features a matchmaking service that finds random Internet opponents.

Olo is a high quality, competitive game, that offers some of the most unique and well designed MULTITOUCH gameplay we’ve seen so far.
At only $2, this app is well worth, it’s low price of entry.

How this app works:
Pocket planes is a continuously running empire building game, in which you build and run an airline.
You buy airports, airplanes, airplane parts, and various upgrades for each.
You earn money by running jobs, which consist of transporting passengers and cargo from airport to airport with your fleet of aircraft.
When a plane reaches its destination the game sounds an airline seat belt chime, notifying you that the aircraft is ready to take a new job.
On top of this, the game mixes things up with customization of your fleet, various world events, and even a social component that allows you to team up with friends to complete goals.

Our opinion:

Although this type of game isn’t for everyone, we’ve been absolutely addicted to pocket planes.
Unlocking new regions and aircraft is fun and has you constantly thinking about how you can expand your airline next.

Of course, pocket planes isn’t perfect.
The game can become repetitive, especially when just starting off and you only have a few planes and airports.
Additionally, pocket planes requires almost constant attention and micro management to play to it’s fullest. This is both good and bad.
On one hand it means there’s nearly always something to do in the game, but it can also make running your airline somewhat tedious.

Overall, Pocket Planes is a fun and long lasting gaming experience.
Seeing as it’s free for both iPad and iPhone, this game is an incredible value for any fan of this genre.