iQi Weekly Round-Up

26th November 2011

MyMaps option added to Navigon sat nav app for iPhone

Navigon 2.0 has just emerged from the company’s garage, sporting a cleaner UI and the MyMaps service. Designed to help you free up storage space on your precious smartphone, MyMaps prompts you to download just the specific maps you need for upcoming journeys, rather than the entire database. As an added bonus, the price of Navigon MobileNavigator North America has been reduced to £27.99.

Angry Birds Rio gets 15 new levels in Smugglers' Plane update

Thanks to another update to Rovio’s bestselling Angry Birds Rio game, the fiery fowls' journey has been extended by another 15 levels. This new episode - which is entitled Smugglers' Plane - also features a fresh selection of golden fruit to seek out and collect. If you're familiar with the physics-based title, you'll know that these are rarely found in plain sight.

Kairosoft's Hot Springs Story and Pocket Academy now £1.49 / $1.99

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching in the US, Kairosoft has decided to offer both Hot Springs Story and Pocket Academy at the discounted price of £1.49 / $1.99. The latter title tasks you with taking over a floundering school and turning its fortunes around. Hot Springs Story, on the other hand, charges you with creating a relaxing spa, where teachers can come and unwind after a long day teaching snotty kids.

Digital Legends slashes side-scrolling romp Kroll down to free

Digital Legends’s side-scrolling hack ‘n’ slash epic Kroll debuted on Apple’s iOS platform all the way back in September 2008, helping to usher in a new era of graphical fidelity in mobile gaming. A recent update - including four fresh chapters, an extra game mode, and some new flying enemies - to Kroll should propel it back into the limelight, though. Oh, and it’s now available for free. Consider my jaw dropped.

Follow the Quality Index on Twitter

If you don’t already know, Qi trawls the print and online media for game and app reviews from respected sources like Macworld, TiPb, 148Apps, and GameSpot. A unique Qi formula is then applied to each site and publication to establish a definitive Qi score for the app or game. Top 5 recommendation lists, news round-ups, and regular industry analysis complement the dynamic Qi charts. Qi has its own Twitter feed, too, @qualityindex.