App Review: Customize Your Live Tiles With Tilemaker 8.1

Making your phone your own is something that some Windows Phone users have struggled with since day one. Sure, you can change sizes, colors and layouts, but creating your own tiles and looks is something that Microsoft just never made possible in Windows Phone. Tilemaker 8.1 from Study Circle brings this functionality front and center and does it with amazing ease. Simply select the type tile you want to make and you are rolling.

Start by opening up Tilemaker 8.1 and selecting the style of tile you want. You can set it to open an App (though only a select few of my installed Apps appeared on the list), a website or even a system feature. Overall, the process is pretty self explanatory and doesn’t get much easier than what Tilemaker 8.1 does. Click the type, select the icon or photo, select “add a function” and choose what you want your tile to do. Pretty simple.

 

Once you’ve created your Tilemaker 8.1 tile, you can add it to your home screen or you can save them for later use. Saving them is a great idea since you might want to have them around later, just in case you reorganize your home and accidently delete one.

Overall, Tilemaker 8.1 fills the void of home screen customization pretty well. There are other tile creation Apps out there that do the same thing, but Tilemaker 8.1 is free and very small. At a 6 MB download size, most users won’t even know it’s there. Now, the one drawback to the App, if there is one is the supported Apps that you can create a custom tile to. Although the developers added quite a few in July of 2014, it looks like this one may have been left behind in ‘freebie’ mode and no additional items are coming for the end user. Even still, when you have a customization App that is free, it’s hard to pass it up. Jump on over to the Store and grab a copy of Tilemaker 8.1 by hitting the link below.

Download Link: Tilemaker 8.1

Game Review: It Might Not Be Legal, But Classic NES – Super Mario Sure Is Fun

Before the debate begins, no, I don’t think this is legal, but that’s an entirely different story on copyright laws and use of ROM’s that I’m not going to have today. Instead, let’s have some fun and take a quick peek at one of the greatest games ever made and the amazing port to Windows Phone that Lunar Games pulled off here. Classic NES – Super Mario is about the closest thing I have seen to a clean port of a Nintendo title to a mobile device. In fact, it’s so good, Nintendo should seriously license them to do it all for them.

As far as the actual game goes, Lunar Games nailed this port. The controls of Super Mario are smooth and easy to use. You have the overlay D pad on the left with the A and B buttons on the right. Above those, you have the left and right buttons found on the Super NES for later use. My one complaint on the control system is that your big thumbs will cover a very large area of the screen when you are controlling the game – thus blocking the action and causing a few oopsies.

Something that helped me get over that issue was to try the ‘fixed joystick’ option at the start of the game. It helped a ton, but I almost think I would rather have a bit smaller controls or maybe a slightly smaller screen of play to help eliminate the viewing issue.

Other than the slight control overlap, Classic NES – Super Mario is a home run. Lunar Games has ported what looks to be about 20-25 classic Nintendo ROM’s over to Windows Phone and done so with such detail it’s downright unreal. There are a few times where slightly annoying full screen ads appear, which is on other sticking point I have with the design. If we are playing a game that runs best in landscape mode, the ads should auto-rotate to landscape mode as well. Just one to put down for future releases there.

Classic NES – Super Mario is available for download in the Windows Phone Store and is an ad supported free game. The 4 MB download size is so small the average device can take it in seconds. If you were/are a fan of classic Nintendo games, go check out Classic NES – Super Mario and enjoy it. You might also want to check out some of the other titles that Lunar Games has brought over as well. Zelda might be the perfect battery drain test App going forward for me, but you never know. For now, hit the link below and enjoy!

Download Link: Classic NES – Super Mario Bros.

Boost Your Cell Plan With A Lumia 635 From Boost Mobile

While many Windows Phone fans are beginning to mourn the fact that Microsoft still has not run out a flagship device for 2015, nor have they really contributed much more than a ‘hint’ that one is coming in the future, there is something of a victory to be had in the world of mobile devices. With the addition of the Lumia 635 to their lineup, Boost Mobile has brought the Lumia lineup to a front and center position on the largest assortment of prepaid MVNO’s in the US. Boost Mobile runs off the Sprint network and offers one of the lowest rates around for unlimited talk, text and data plans.
Boost Mobile offers three different plans for users to choose from. First, there is the $35 a month unlimited talk, text and data plan with 1GB coming at LTE speeds before slowing to 2G. Second, you can add just $10, bringing your total monthly cost to $45 for 5GB of that speedy LTE browsing. If that isn’t enough for you, for just $55 a month, Boost Mobile will give you a whopping 10GB of those speeds before you slow up. All in all, the 2 year cost of a Boost Mobile plan will set users back as little as $939.99. This compares to T-Mobile coming in at $1425.99 for their Simple Starter Plan and the same Lumia 635.
Boost Mobile plans are available online and you can order your Lumia 635 for just $99.99 and have it in just a few days. Not sure which plan is right for you? Start with one and give them a call if you need to change it up. Boost Mobile’s customer service people that I spoke with were very helpful and said that they can work with most plan changes, sometimes even performing them in the same month, but usually starting for the next billing cycle.
For now, hit the link below and check out the options that are available for Boost Mobile and your new Lumia 635. The extra cash you put in your pocket can be used for much better things, like a dinner out or a week of coffees every month.
Source: Boost Mobile

Steal Alert: Amazon is featuring the Boost Mobile version of the Lumia 635 for only $69 with free Prime shipping. (2/2/15)

Get Your Chive On!

After a very short hiatus from the Windows Store, the popular time killing App, the Chive, is back and ready for more fun. After being yanked from the store for causing some major issues with certain devices, its revamped form is now available again for downloading.

The crazy part about the App is that you may not see it if you search the Store right now. That said, if you can't keep calm and need the App right now, you can hit the link below.

Download Link: http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=adf2e87a-6ca1-4348-b6f3-807c1d0dc3ae

Sent from my HTC One M8 for Windows
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Game Review: Hours Of Maddening Entertainment With The Light Game

When it comes to game play, sometimes simple is the way to go. The Light Game is one of those times where a minimalistic approach was the absolute perfect way to go. Andrea Angella took simplistic gaming to a new level when coding The Light Game for Windows Phone and the result is one of those $2 games that will get you hours upon hours of entertaining frustration as you try and score higher and higher than you did before. The concept is beyond simple. The game play is so easy a 5 year old can play it. It’s about the perfect mix of challenge and fun. The Light Game nailed it from the start for me.

 

The game play is simple. You start the game, put your finger on the line on the screen and it starts to scroll. As the game goes on, the line begins to turn more and the pace quickens. There are also various power-ups that can help you along your line tracing journey. Some just give you extra points, others give you huge advantages – like increasing the size of the line, or slowing the line down.

  

As you drift through the game, pay attention to when lines start to change color as there is a break in the line that you need to “jump” over or you’ll lose a tiny bit of your precious health. Trust me on this one, in The Light Game, there is only one thing that matters, keeping those life points intact by staying on the line. I hate to say this, but it almost seems like one of those “brain sharpening” games as well as a ton of fun.

The Light Game is a $1.99 and is only a 3MB download to get installed. If you are one of those action-puzzle-reaction-time game lovers, The Light Game is completely up your alley. I really enjoyed playing The Light Game as well as watching some others give it a crack. The Light Game is a perfect example of simplicity at its finest. Grab The Light Game in store from the link below and give it a shot. I mean, $2 isn’t even enough for a drip coffee and this will wake you up without turning your teeth yellow.

Download link: The Light Game

Using Google Services On Your Windows Phone

Probably Microsoft’s biggest struggle in the mobile market will be poaching customers from other OS’s to bring them to Windows Phone. Even keeping them going on Windows may come down to how they solve this gaping issue. You see, once you have used an Android device, Google gets you completely embedded in their system. From Google Drive to YouTube and Hangouts to GTasks, Android users have quite a few features burned into their daily lives and they just aren’t interested in alternatives, even if they are stronger in some areas. With so much of their daily life dependent on Google, how can you get a Windows Phone that includes none of it? Fortunately, thanks to third party developers, you don’t have to give many of them up and here’s how.

Google Drive – Google Drive on WP

While it isn’t perfect, Google Drive on WP gives you access to your Google Drive and all the files it contains. The better part is that it has full Office integration for opening up your docs and spreadsheets. Google Drive on WP is a free download, Give it a shot and see what you think.

Download Link: Google Drive on WP

GTasks – GTasks Plus

GTasks is a very popular to-do service that Google integrates with their calendar system. A simple check box system that syncs with your daily calendar in Android that makes life simple. One could call it the same as Cortana’s “remind me” service, but if you are used to something and use your PC for entering your calendar data, the remind me function won’t do the trick for you. Enter GTasks Plus to save the day. GTasks Plus is a perfect port of the GTask system to Windows Phone. If you are embedded in doing your tasks on your Google calendar, GTasks Plus is the perfect companion to your WP. It also works great for those with companies that rely on Google calendars and tasks in their employee environment.

Download Link: GTasks Plus (Free)
Download Link: GTasks Plus Premium ($4.99 – ad free)

YouTube – Tubecast

Probably the feature on Windows Phone I miss the most is that great YouTube experience. It stinks that Google was able to shutdown Microsoft’s brilliant App, but what’s done is done. For users that want a bit more than the stock “browser” experience, there’s Tubecast. Tubecast is a free YouTube client that really delivers on the full YouTube experience. The free version is enough for me until they build in support for my Amazon Fire TV Stick, but if you have a Chromecast, make sure to upgrade to the paid version for $1.99. The free version offers 20 casts gratis, but those cat videos will go to your big screen awfully fast, so you’ll want to plan that upgrade quickly.

Download Link: Tubecast (Free)
Download Link: Tubecast Pro ($1.99 – unlimited casting)

While there certainly isn’t an answer for everything, many of the common tasks are being handled by great Windows Phone Apps. If you have questions on a particular service, hit me up below and I’ll see what I can find to make your transition easier. Of course, don’t forget that Drive is much smoother with OneDrive and Cortana will keep track of all those tasks for you by pinning the Remind Me tile to your home page. For now though, enjoy your new found Google-ness on your Windows Phone.

Insider App Updated To Windows Preview

In advance of the soon to be preview launch of Windows 10 for mobiles or phone or just Windows 10, Microsoft has rolled out an update to their Preview App. Going forward, the new App will be called Windows Insider.

This unifies the Insider program between mobile devices and PCs, making it easier for developers keep testing the latest and greatest builds with their software. It also gives Microsoft an opportunity to let more users into the program in a controlled environment.

One thing worth noting, the App allows users to log in now, but it also has a little line about device not meeting the requirements for a preview build. Hopefully this is still in the testing phase and hardware won't be left out, but if they start opening the previews to only certain devices, it could be a bad sign for those down the road.

Sent from my HTC One M8 for Windows
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