Get something to read and learn from this weekend with today’s leading app, Inkling, which features interactive books designed specifically for your iOS devices. Shatoetry is next, the official app of William Shatner, which lets you assemble messages and phrases to be read by the actor. Finally, play Wreck-It Ralph to get ready for the animated feature of the same name.
Inkling update (Free)
What’s it about? Inkling is a platform for finding books that have been recreated specifically to be accessed on iOS devices – which makes them more interactive and engaging than their usual paper or e-book counterparts.
What’s cool? With its update, Inkling redesigned the user libraries, added font sizes, and ensures compatibility with iOS 6 and iPhone 5. The books on offer from Inkling are pretty interesting in their presentation. They’re designed to be read on a phone or iPad, which makes them easy to deal with, and they include a lot of handy features – like the ability to search for terms and flip quickly to different sections, see more information about certain topics, and take part in stuff like interactive quizzes. You can also make notes and share them with friends who also have the book. The caveat is that you need to go to Inkling.com to grab your books.
Who’s it for? Inkling’s uses are primarily educational, so if you’re looking for textbooks or works that will teach you how to do things, consider this app.
What’s it like? Though not always as interactive, try both Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iBooks for great reading experiences.
Shatoetry ($2.99)
What’s it about? The newly released official app of actor William Shatner, Shatoetry allows you to create messages by assembling words to be read by Shatner.
What’s cool? A bit of a novelty, but simple to use and often hilarious, Shatoetry lets you assemble various words into a sentence and then hit the play button to hear it read in Shatner’s voice. You can tap words to trigger more dramatic readings, as well as add Shatner’s trademark pauses between them wherever you want. When you’re done, you can share your messages with others through Facebook.
Who’s it for? If you like Shatner, you’ll like this app. It’s goofy but with great production value.What’s it like? Try Talking Carl! for an app that talks back to you in a goofy way.
Wreck-It Ralph ($0.99)
What’s it about? Based on the animated film of the same name, Wreck-It Ralph is actually several games that let players jump into the video game-based worlds of the film. Games include a vertical scroller that’s similar to Donkey Kong, a shooter and an endless climbing title.
What’s cool? Three games for one is kind of nice for a start. Fix It Felix, Jr. is a lot like the original Donkey Kong title, with Felix required to fix windows as he climbs. Hero’s Duty, a Call of Duty parody, presents players with a top-down shooter, and Sweet Climber stars Ralph in an endless climbing title. All the games are solid, and you get them all for a buck.
Who’s it for? Fans of Wreck-It Ralph may get a kick out of this tie-in, but if you’re in the market for three casual titles, this one is worth a look.
What’s it like? For other solid movie tie-in titles, try Avengers Initiative and Angry Birds Rio.
