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Best apps from London Toy Fair
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It seems as though there’s an app to help you through each and every one of life’s little challenges these days — whether it be turning your lights on and off, navigating the London Underground or working out, you can be sure those app developers have got it covered.
Gaming apps may veer more in the direction of pleasure than practicality, but there’s much to be said for pure whimsical distraction. In this episode of Appy Days, Amie Parker-Williams takes a turn around the London Toy Fair to discover which apps are going to make our smart phones sparkle with the precious promise of wasted hours over the year ahead.
First up, we take a look at the iAppCade, which is the perfect application for a spot of unadulterated gaming nostalgia. The app will be free on iOS this spring and allows you to slot your phone in the iAppCade cabinet and manoeuvre the little ball-topped joystick to your heart’s content.
The app comes with four classic arcade games — Blasteroids, Pong, Breakout and Space Invaders — which will keep you firmly attached to the iAppCade until your digits begin to stiffen into a T-Rex claw-hand, at which point we recommend you take a break.
Prefer to blast your enemies with a proper weapon instead? Then try Elite Commander AR, which is also available free this spring on iOS and Android. Mount your smart phone on the top of a plastic gun to simulate an alien invasion in the real world around you, using augmented reality.
Spot the evil invaders emerging from behind your bookcase or lurking under your bed on your phone’s screen and use the gun to blast them to smithereens.
Last on our list is an augmented reality shopping app from Bandai and Aurasma that allows you to point your iOS or Android smart phone camera at the packaging of a toy and watch a 3D image of the item in the box pose and totter on the top.
The app also allows users to create their own animations that can be sparked off by pointing a phone at printed images, product packaging or even clothing. To see this crazy tech in action hit play on the video above.
Have you had a tinker with any of these apps yet or taken on an augmented reality star in a fearsome fake battle? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page.
