We’ll keep the flame going this week with the best in Olympic apps plus find out if John Moore will have my back in a zombie apocalypse through a video game version of the Walking Dead. I also have two worthy weather apps for mobile meteorologists.
Olympic Apps
London 2012: Official Results
iPhone/iPad/Android
Free
Yes indeed, the official results app for the London 2012 Olympics does offer the best overall view of the games with a visual schedule and searchable index of both sports and athletes. You can set the country you’re rooting for to have the app focus on those related events and set notifications for your favourite events. There’s even a real-time count and summary of Olympic tweets by country too.
Reuters Olympics London 2012
iPhone/iPad
Free
News agency Reuters has put together a beautiful photographic timeline of the games, offering a live stream of breath-taking moments. You can play it as an active slideshow or dive into specific events and image collections, using touch gestures to pull up related infographics about the games or details on the images themselves. A simple, expressive way to keep track of the games as they unravel over the week.
The Walking Dead: The Game
iPhone/iPad
$4.99
You don’t even like zombies and yet the hit AMC television series has somehow drawn you in. The same thing can be said for this video game adaptation which focuses less on shooting the undead and more on the difficult decisions and emotional obstacles that come with surviving an extreme situation.
You’ll find that characters you meet are very observant, taking note of how you explain your actions, and which details about yourself that you choose to share or leave out. Taking someone’s side during an argument or helping them solve a personal issue can have dramatic consequences later when the zombies do come rushing in and your fellow survivors have to choose to come to your rescue or abandon you.
There is gore and plenty of tense moments where you have to fight off the walkers using simple touch controls, both to take them out or to outwit them to get by when they’re in the way. Using different characters with a few familiar faces, The Walking Dead video game does an excellent job of recreating the both the circumstances and the signature look of both the popular television series and the comic book series. Divided into five interactive episodes, the series is a worthy expansion of Robert Kirkman’s world.
Weather Apps
Solar: Weather
iPhone
$0.99
Simple and minimalistic, Solar gives you the weather at a glance using colour. Hues both warm and cold across the screen help mark both the temperature outside as well as the daylight/nighttime hour. Subtle, animated rain effects offer precipitation and with just a few finger swipes you can change cities, jump to a three-day forecast or slide upwards for a specific hour of the day. While it doesn’t offer the in-depth details desired by most self-professed weather nerds, it’s simple beauty makes it a stand-out for those who check each day, just to be aware.
VooDoo Skies
iPhone – Normal or Not
iPhone – World
Free
This simple set of apps offer weather comparisons for those curious about getting the bigger picture of our weather. With VooDoo Skies Normal or Not you can check to see how today’s weather compares against the history for your location. Is this heat normal for your neighbourhood or is the amount of rain that you’re getting unusual for this time of year? VooDoo Skies will reach back into the records for you.
With VooDoo Skies World you can get an idea of weather extremes around the globe. Each day the app brings up which cities are experiencing their hottest, wettest, and windiest days.
What I like about both apps is their sense of presentation, using clean infographics and friendly illustrations to offer simple tidbits of curious information.
