pop

The app store is filled to the brim with match-three games--variations on a classic formula that offer varying degrees of originality. That said, there are some that really pull it off--providing a unique experience that is at once familiar and new enough to warrant hours of time invested in it. Tap 'n' Pop Classic is such a game, albeit with a handful of issues that can make it frustrating in some circumstances.

The game is immediately familiar to any match-three players. You're shown numerous balloons of different colors. Tap a cluster of two or more (it's more of … Read more

If you're still holding onto an old AOL e-mail account or using the one your ISP (Internet Service Provider) gave you, it might be time to consider switching to Gmail. Gmail offers a ton of storage (currently at 10GB and growing), spam filtering at the server-level, two-step verification, and access from any Web browser or mobile device. In other words, it's secure, reliable, and convenient. And if you spend any time at all on a tablet or smartphone, the Gmail apps provide an unrivaled experience.

Migrating your old e-mail account to Gmail isn't that difficult and Gmail … Read more

If you're BlueStacks, the startup that figured out how to bring Android apps to Windows and Macs with its eponymous app player, the next logical step is to upend the mobile gaming market with a console and subscription service called GamePop, the company announced Thursday.

As CNET reported at CES 2013, GamePop is BlueStacks' Android-powered console that lets you not only play Android games on your TV, but also lets you use your phone or tablet as the controller.

GamePop preorders are available immediately at GamePop.tv, with consoles shipping this winter. As of today, the console ships with … Read more

Learning is a lot more fun with the range of apps now available for the iPad. Using what they know of learning habits and the natural desire of almost every child to play with an iPad or iPhone, developers are creating ever more interesting and engaging educational apps. Pop Letters is an interesting take on the act of learning letters that many young children will find entertaining, even if it is ultimately lacking in features.

The idea behind Pop Letters is for children to quickly tap the onscreen letters, right after the game announces them. At any given time, there … Read more

Users who know a lot about pop culture may look for a game to test their knowledge. Icon Pop Quiz is well thought out, but its bugs and gameplay are problematic.

Even though it's available for free, Icon Pop Quiz requires coins for certain features, which can be purchased in batches. Despite being available through the Google Play store, the application took a long time to download. While the graphics in the menus were well designed, they were not intuitive. As a result, the lack of any user instructions was a problem. The constant presence of pop-up ads made … Read more

The Sims Social was once heralded as Electronic Arts' "most successful Facebook game," but now it's being laid to rest along with SimCity Social and Pet Society. These three social games will be extinct from Facebook as of June 14.

The game maker made the announcement today, saying that it was a hard decision but had to be done in order to "reallocate servers and resources to more popular titles," according to the FAQ section of its Web site.

"Today we are informing players of the difficult decision to retire some of our Facebook games: The Sims Social, SimCity Social, and Pet Society," EA wrote in a blog post today. "After millions of people initially logged in to play these games, the number of players and amount of activity has fallen off."… Read more

Have you ever thought how pop-up ads really work on you?

I'm not looking for a rational answer. I am, as usual, trying to explore your feelings.

You see, things can affect us in insidious ways, so much so that we don't realize what we are becoming, until we have irrevocably become it.

Analytics company (1-1 consumer lifestyle predictive analytics company, to be precise) InsightsOne decided they had to know how ads were affecting Americans. In a deeper sense, you understand. So it commissioned Harris Interactive to probe, delve, and elicit.

The results are not an advertisement for … Read more

Users who want to easily search for information may not want a separate browser window open to a search engine. PopSearch for Mac allows access to a favorite search engine using a keystroke.

Available as a free application, PopSearch for Mac installs easily as an extension to a web browser, such as Safari. There do not appear to be any user instructions or technical support available. Users unfamiliar with installing and setting up extensions may have some difficultly figuring out how to configure the program, but this is easy with some trial and error. There is no menu for the … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Listen to the music of Bayside and check them out at one of their upcoming shows.

- Nick's clothing label is called Born and Bred, and 404 listeners can save 20 percent off all merchandise with code BB404.

- Follow Nick Ghanbarian and Born and Bred on Twitter

Subscribe:

iTunes (HD) | iTunes (SD) | iTunes (HQ) | iTunes (MP3)

RSS (HD) | RSS (SD) | RSS (HQ) | RSS (MP3)