Monday’s Mobile Review |
Michael Robin | APPS | 03.25.2013 @ 10:35 pm
Today we’re starting a new installation on Tapsauce where we’ll look at the hottest news in mobile apps and discuss them here. There’s a wealth of news happening every day and we aim to deliver the best news to you in one place.
Is ‘Ghostbusters’ the Best or Worst Freemium Game? |
John Gholson, Director of Creative Development at Rocksauce | APPS | 03.20.2013 @ 5:00 pm
“Freemium” is the latest buzzword in mobile gaming, used to describe a game that’s free in the store, but loaded with items and power-ups within the game ‘s in-app store, to get you to part with your dollar once you start to play. It’s the “first taste is free” idea, used by many a back alley dealer, applied to the world of gaming. It’s easier to get an initial download when a game is free (and I’ve written in the past about our reluctance to impulsively spend 99-cents on an app). But what happens when a game’s paid content is so negligible that you never even consider spending a buck or two on in-app goodies? This brings us to Beeline’s official Ghostbusters game, which, depending on how you look at it, is either the worst or the best example of “freemium.”
Appetite for Destruction: SXSW Edition |
John Gholson, Director of Creative Development at Rocksauce | APPS | 03.14.2013 @ 10:02 am
Did you catch us at SXSW this year? Sorry if we missed you! We were passing out a special edition of Appetite for Destruction with a SXSW comic in the back. If you want a physical copy, just let us know and we’ll see what we can do! Ohterwise, we’ve uploaded it here just for you!
SXSW with Rocksauce |
Michael Robin | MARKETING | 03.04.2013 @ 8:00 pm
We’ve been MIA for about a week now and there’s a reason. We’ve been concentrating a lot of our efforts into making sure your Rocksauce experience at SXSW is nothing short of well… Rocksauce this year! We’ve been designing t-shirts, a super special edition of Appetite for Destruction and coordinating an interactive gallery lounge all for your enjoyment at SXSW!
Games Worth Those Few Extra Bucks |
Jacob Hall, Editor-in-Chief of TapSauce | APPS | 02.26.2013 @ 9:00 pm
Earlier, I spent a couple hundred words complaining about the state of mobile gaming and probably coming off like some sort of horrible combination of a whiny baby and an old man shaking his fist at the youngsters congregating on his lawn. I fear, more than anything, that a post that is composed of paragraph after paragraph of complaints and warnings and doomsaying makes me sound like I’m down on mobile gaming…because I’m not. At all! I love mobile gaming! I’m just a little picky. I would say “Maybe you should be a little picky too since it would help you find and enjoy better games,” but that sounds really snobby and elitist and I actually want you to keep reading as I endorse some of my favorite mobile games and encourage you to throw money at them.
So, without further ado, here are a few games that I’ve sunk more money into than I have most others…and I don’t feel bad about it at all.
The Power of Image: Samsung VS Apple (Again) |
Jacob Hall, Editor-in-Chief of TapSauce | BUSINESS | 02.26.2013 @ 7:00 pm
You’d think that Apple and Samsung would eventually just get tired of beating the stuffing out of each other on a daily basis, but nah, these two are pretty much mortal enemies locked in a death grip while tumbling off a cliff at this point. Even if one of them does “win,” it’s going to emerge battered and broken and unable to compete. I’ve long been of the opinion that the ongoing legal and patent war between the two companies is absolutely toxic for the mobile industry and is stifling innovation all over the place, but it genuinely feels like it’s worse than ever. It’s been too long since we’ve been genuinely blown over by a new device (although Google Glass may change that) and I place the blame squarely at the feet of these two dueling giants.
But what both companies have gotten especially good at is cultivating their respective images, images so powerful that’ll be hard to knock them off their pedestal even if (or when) something truly superior shows up.
Hackers VS Apple: The Ongoing Jailbreak War Continues |
Jacob Hall, Editor-in-Chief of TapSauce | BUSINESS | 02.26.2013 @ 5:00 pm
Unlocking your smartphone may be illegal now, but you wouldn’t know it. When the iOS 6 jailbreak “evasi0n” was launched earlier this month, the tech community responded by using it to unlock seven million iPads and iPhones, definitive proof that the internet wasn’t kidding when it managed to wrangle up over 100,000 signatures asking President Barack Obama rescind the law. Evasi0n was always going to be successful, but there’s something unique about this success: it’s doubling as protest.
SXSW Mentor Session: Q Manning, CEO of Rocksauce |
Michael Robin | MARKETING | 02.26.2013 @ 3:00 pm
SXSW provides a unique forum for making valuable, one-on-one connections that can take your career to the next level. These connections sometime occur via panels, networking events and even through chance meetings in the hallways at venues where our programming occurs. Another avenue to make these valuable, one-on-one connections is the SXSW Mentor Program, which includes the Interactive, Film, and Music festivals and conferences. The SXSW Mentor Program allows registrants to participate in a seven to ten minute meeting with an industry veteran or insider. Typically, these short meetings provide a great forum for the mentor to dispense important advice, guidance, counseling and inspiration to the mentee. More after the JUMP…
Utility Apps: The Future of Doing Your Job More Efficiently |
Jacob Hall, Editor-in-Chief of TapSauce | APPS | 02.26.2013 @ 1:00 pm
When I think about the future of mobile apps, I tend to think about the things that I find inherently exciting. I imagine having a library of incredibly mobile games on my smartphone, for instance. I imagine someone finding a way to top Summly and deliver the new Best Newsreader App Of All Time. I imagine a top notch Twitter client that leaves all of the others in the dust. You see, when I think about what apps will be able to do in the future, I have a fairly narrow view of what’s possible — I selfishly daydream about apps that will benefit me and only me.
By doing this, I find myself ignoring the obvious: as more and more people gain access to mobile devices and smartphones, apps are going to become more and more important to people who have different priorities than me. The coming years won’t just bring apps that will make me happy and allow me to kill some time, they’ll bring apps that will simply dull tasks and make the world a faster, easier and more efficient place in ways beyond finding a cool new restaurant.
Freemium Gaming: Evolve or Die |
Jacob Hall, Editor-in-Chief of TapSauce | APPS | 02.26.2013 @ 11:00 am
Freemium gaming is broken.
Okay, that’s a little harsh. I’ll be more specific, in many cases, Freemium gaming is broken. And I’m not just talking about the system of charing people a few bucks here and there to play a game (which, when handled properly, is completely tolerable), I’m talking about how the freemium style is actually causing developers to create actively bad and painful gameplay experiences that would not be improved even if they were free. People are looking at games with optional micro-transactions and learning the wrong lesson entirely. A good freemium game demands extra money because it’s addicting and fun to play, but many free to play games offer an interminable experience while allowing you to pay to skip levels or to get through the the rough sections of the game.