Zynga has released the sequel to its once insanely popular game Draw Something in two incarnations: Draw Something 2 ($3) and Draw Something 2 Free. Both games feature dozens of new tools, patterns, stamps, and colors for drawing. Also featured are new words, new play modes, and a feed that shares drawings with all of your friends. The premium version also includes a free Sparkle Pen, no ads between turns, a free star and coin bonus, and thousands of extra new words.
Already beloved for its interactive iOS storybooks, Nosy Crow has hit another home run with the release of Little Red Riding Hood by Nosy Crow ($5), a lightly modernized take on the classic fable. As would be expected from this story, Little Red Riding Hood embarks on a walk through the forest to carry a basket of food to her ailing grandmother, but Nosy Crow adds several branching paths to the forest, enabling kids to choose additional items that will help Red defeat the big, bad wolf at her grandmother’s home—plus multiple endings. Beyond the fun of collecting these items in various mini games, the developer has populated the app with zoomable high-definition artwork, plenty of voice narration, and intuitively interactive elements that really bring the story’s scenes to life. This is certainly Nosy Crow’s best storybook yet, which says a lot given that it has previously released some of the very best iOS kids apps we’ve tested. Fans of the story should grab this one without thinking twice; it’s that impressive.
Vine (free) from Vine Labs has updated to version 1.1. It’s now possible to create a Vine using a front-facing camera — users can actually switch back and forth between the rear and front cameras while creating. Vine also now supports mentions, allowing users to tag others in a post. This is done in a manner similar to Twitter, with “@username” being the method for tagging another Vine user.
Wikimedia Foundation’s new Wikimedia Commons (free) app makes it easy for users to upload photos to Wikimedia Commons for use. Photos taken with an iPhone or uploaded from a photo library to Wikimedia Commons will be available for use directly on Wikipedia and other sites. It’s a simple, easy way to contribute to Wikimedia Foundation, and the user base should benefit from new photos to fill in the missing gaps.
