Visiting somewhere new? Get local insight with Sooligan, which provides the inside scoop about a place from current residents. Next, a big update to Pocket (Formerly Read It Later) makes sharing Internet articles more seamless. Finally, new levels were added to Angry Birds Star Wars, which means you should play them post-haste.
Sooligan (Free)
What’s it about? Sooligan isn’t your usual social networking app – it allows you to get information about a place you’re visiting from locals who live there, and post useful info about your hometown for others.
What’s cool? You can talk up or put down just about anything, from restaurants and businesses to particularly troublesome intersections visitors should avoid. The app is meant to bring locals and visitors together to share information, so you can answer questions about a place if you choose, or ask questions to get the information you need. The app also funnels deals and ads to your device to help you find what you’re looking for in an unfamiliar place.
Who’s it for? If you like local insight into the places you’re visiting, try Sooligan.
What’s it like? More local ratings can be found through apps such as Yelp and Alfred.
Pocket update (Free)
What’s it about? Pocket lets users save articles and videos to their computers’ web browsers, for accessing them again from their iOS devices when they have time to read.
What’s cool? The app lets you access your articles through a number of means, either through a Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connection on the fly, or by syncing articles into offline mode to be read later even if you don’t have a connection. Pocket’s latest update improves a number of features, adding the ability to navigate back to your reading list even if you’ve clicked through links in the articles, and native Facebook sharing so others can see what you’re reading.
Who’s it for? If you find you don’t have enough time to read all the interesting articles you come across, Pocket can be a big help.
What’s it like? The popular Instapaper is a solid alternative if Pocket isn’t your thing.
Angry Birds Star Wars ($0.99)
What’s it about? Rovio Mobile packed in another set of new levels into its Star Wars-Angry Birds crossover, advancing the story of the original trilogy into the middle of The Empire Strikes Back.
What’s cool? When last we left Angry Birds Star Wars, the Millennium Falcon was leaving after the Battle of Hoth. The latest update to the game adds 20 new levels in a pack known as “Escape from Hoth,” which takes place in the asteroid field you may remember from Empire. That sequence ends with some adventures in a cave (“This is no cave!”), so you can expect to deal with new obstacles and upgraded birds. If you haven’t tried Angry Birds Star Wars – which uses the Star Wars license to do some really creative things with the formula – you really should.
Who’s it for? If you like Star Wars, Angry Birds, arcade titles or puzzle games – or playing games at all – Angry Birds Star Wars is for you.
What’s it like? If you haven’t played Angry Birds Space, which uses a lot of the same ideas as Angry Birds Star Wars but to different effect, you really should. And of course, there’s always the original Angry Birds.
