Mobile banking has leapt forward with the announcement of Barclays Pingit; an app which gives customers the opportunity to send money by mobile phone. The free app available on , and , will streamline the banking process for customers who now have the option to leave their wallets at home and shop with their smartphone.
How it works?
By linking a UK mobile number to your current account, the Barclays Pingit app lets you send money by mobile straight to another phone. Simply log into your account and dial your contacts’ UK phone number to wire your funds across in seconds. Currently the Barclays Pingit app only accepts payments between Barclay’s current accounts. With time, Barclays intend to expand their service and allow any Barclays Pingit account to receive payments from any UK banking current account.
How safe is Barclays Pingit app?
With an estimated 90,000 muggings in the UK last year, can banking on the mobile phone expose our hard earned cash to opportunist thieves? For those concerned, the app is protected by a Barclays Pingit passcode, which needs to be entered every time the app is opened. Should your smartphone get stolen, you can call Barclays to deactivate the app as a precaution against fraud. For extra security, only one mobile number can be linked to each current account at any time.
The process of sending money by mobile phone is a firmly established option in Japan. Using NFC technology, there are over 117 million contactless payment accounts; 20 million of which are considered actively used. As smartphone users go through the cycle of changing their smartphone it’s expected that within 4 years, 90% of Japanese phone users will have access to contactless payment solutions; whether through NFC or mobile banking apps.
As mobile phones continue to redefine their purpose, transferring money by mobile banking will let the smartphone user lighten their pockets as they leave their wallets and purses at home. Will this movement pay off for Barclays? If successful, expect to see rival banks creating their own mobile banking apps in order to offer streamlined services to their customer base.
Does mobile banking appeal to you? .
Would you use a service like this? Let us know on our .
Last week we gave a rundown of our . This week we trawl Apple’s chart for some essential free iOS games, available to play on devices such as the Apple and . All the fun and all for free, here’s five free iPhone games apps which we’re addicted to.
Jetpack Joyride
First in our free iPhone games list is Jetpack Joyride. Meet Barry. He may wear a suit but he’s far from your regular guy. After breaking into a secret laboratory, Barry has commandeered a selection of jetpacks. With mad scientists, rapid fire missiles and deadly laser beams destined to stop Barry in his tracks, your mission is to control the Jetpack to avoid these hazards. Just touch the display to add more boost to your jetpack. Timing and quick reflexes are essential. High scores are determined by distance covered and the coins collected. It’s essential thrust filled fun in your quest to help Barry stay alive.
Like this games app? Download Jetpack Joyride from the free iOS games chart.
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Ninja Fishing
Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Teach a Ninja to fish and he’ll slice the scaly beasts right out of the water! By casting your hook as deep as possible into the ocean, use tilt controls to reel back in as many fish as possible. Once out the water, use your sword to descale the fish ready for market; a concept similar to Fruit Ninja. With over 50 fishes to catch, there’s great variety within this free iPhone games app. It’s manic fish and slash gameplay, that will keep you coming back for more.
Like this games app? Download Ninja Fishing from the free iOS games chart.
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Mega Jump
How high can you jump? Help Redford defy gravity as he collects coins in efforts to throw himself higher towards the edge of the universe and beyond. Miss the cash however and you will plummet to a fall of shame. Guide Redford by tilting your iPhone left or right; the controls are easy to pick up and are surprisingly effective. As with Jetpack Joyride, it has the addictive element, making it acceptable to have “just one more go” in order to get further. With Facebook and Twitter integration, you’ll justify the extra time spent on Mega Jump to leap above your friends on the ranking lists.
Like this games app? Download Mega Jump from the free iOS games chart.
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Bejewelled Blitz
The next app in our iPhone games chart pushes the mind to the limits! With a screen preloaded full of mismatching bling, your task is to swap jewels around to form horizontal or vertical lines of the same coloured jewel. Bigger lines means more points. Sound easy? The panic and dread of the looming 60 second time limit, adds pressure which would crack any diamond. With the highest scores awarded to those who craft multiple combos or collect Hypercubes, you need to plan your moves a few steps ahead to dazzle the ranking lists. If you get stumped for too long, arrows hint your next jewel switch to help you dive straight back into the action. We think this game rocks and is a worthy entrant in our free iPhone games list.
Like this games app? Download Bejewelled Blitz from the free iOS games chart.
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..And our free iPhone games favourite: Slam Dunk King
Our final app from our free iPhone games list is fresh from PikPok. Slam Dunk King, challenges your finger swiping skills to master the hoops and dunk as many balls as possible. Flaunt your skills with trick dunks and smooth moves to earn as many points as possible. Watch out for the bombs though, they’ll blow up your basket! There’s a selection of games including Time Attack, Arcade and Sudden Death to choose from. With additional options to earn or buy coins to unlock new balls, courts and mascots, Slam Dunk King is sure to keep you bouncing from boredom!
Like this games app? Download Slam Dunk King from the free iOS games chart.
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So there’s our round up of our favourite free games available on the iOS platform. We’ld like to apologise in advance for any unsociable acts you may put your friends through as you strive for a new high score. Addictive and free, they’ll definitely keep you occupied. Join us next week for our run down on free games available from the Windows Phone Marketplace.
Last month, Google revealed that their total number of downloaded Android apps had . The largest slice of the app pie went to games, with a staggering 25.6% of all apps downloaded, that’s 2,560 million games downloaded so far. Phew. Here’s our rundown of the top 5 free Android games available on the market at the moment.
5 – Zombie Dash
At the time of writing, this game holds the number 1 spot on the freebie Android games chart, having toppled the mighty Angry Birds from its pedestal. The secret of the Android games success is down to two things. The first aspect is its simplicity – you have two moves at your disposal, jump and shoot. The second aspects is zombies. People like zombies. Especially when you can shoot them. When jump and shoot is combined with zombies, you have a winning formula, as 5 million Android games downloads have so far confirmed.
Like this games app? Download from the free Android games chart.
4 – Pool Master Pro
Pool has always been a popular game subject whatever the platform, and the Android games version continues the trend with its 10 million downloads. Offering practice modes, as well as options to play against a friend or the computer, simply add a pint of lager and bowl of stale peanuts to recreate your local pool hall as accurately as possible without ever leaving the house.
Like this games app? Download from the free Android games chart.
3 – Fruit Slice
There has been much debate over the two fruit based slicing games currently available. Fruit Slice and offer a very similar setup; various items of fresh fruit fly through the air as you swipe the touchscreen to split each item of your potential five-a-day. The plentiful produce is occasionally punctuated by Looney Tunes style bombs, which you have to avoid or its game over. It may sound dull, but it’s hugely addictive stuff. On the Android games chart, Fruit Ninja has the highest placing (although they both have 10 million downloads), but we suspect that this is just down to it having the better name. Ninjas are cool – ‘nuff said. Judged on the games themselves, however, Fruit Slice is the clear victor. It offers more games on the app itself, much better graphics, and a smoother gameplay. If you have a spare fifteen minutes to waste though, either of the two will pass the time nicely.
Like this games app? Download from the free Android games chart.
2 – Words With Friends
This game is essentially Scrabble, but slower, which doesn’t necessarily sound too exciting, but stay with us on this one. The slow nature of the game is essentially its unique selling point, as it’s great for taking out on your afternoon break, playing your go, and then forgetting about it until later. The game consists of a Scrabble style set-up where you make words with the lettered tiles you are given, trying to use the double/triple letter/word squares to hit maximum points. As the title suggests, you can connect with your favourite social networking site to challenge your friends, or select random player in order to take on a mystery opponent from anywhere in the world. It would appear that ‘Words with Friends or Stangers’ just wasn’t as catchy a title. Either way, it has 10 million downloads to date.
Like this games app? Download from the free Android games chart.
..And number 1 of our Android games – Angry Birds
Probably the most popular smartphone game ever, with a mere 50 million downloads at the time of writing, our number 1 spot goes to those perturbed avians, the Angry Birds. It’s a total mystery as to why they are quite so angry, or why they take out their frustration by loading themselves into slingshots in order to systematically assassinate a race of green disembodied pigs with a penchant for flimsy architecture, but they just do. Spawning a series of themed sequels and special editions, such as the Halloween and Rio editions, and their very own merchandising line in the real world, the Angry Birds seem pretty unstoppable… especially if you’re a pig with no legs..
Like this games app? Download from the free Android games chart.
But why take our word for it, all Android games mentioned are free of charge so log onto the Android Market and check them out for yourself.
Prefer portable console gaming to Android games apps? Check out our blog on the soon to be released . If you’ve played these free Android games, let us know what you think of them on our page. Find out more about .
The rules of the game have changed. Just a few years ago, handheld consoles such as the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP ruled the roost of portable gaming. I remember in my childhood being captivated by Zelda DX and Pokémon Blue on my Game Boy Colour; back then the must-have device for gaming on the go. The birth of the app and evolution of smartphones have brought to light an increase in the quality of apps games available on your mobile phone. Not only do the likes of and offer quick fix games such as Angry Birds, or Plants vs Zombies but fully fledged blockbusters with lengthy storylines and awe blasting 3D graphics such as and Infinity Blade II. With the next generation of smartphone releases set to run faster and blast even more power, is it game over for the portable games console?
The Problem
Statistics from Flurry Analytics suggests that portable consoles are losing their slice of the pie. In 2009, Sony PSP and Nintendo DS were recipients of 81% of total portable game software revenue in the United States. Fast forward to the end of 2011, and their share has halved to 42%. Where has it gone? Smartphone operating systems iOS and Android have leapt from a combined 19% share in 2009, to a dominating 58% in just two years.
Out of control?
Hard core gamers may criticise iOS and Android games apps for their lack of a physical game pad to control the game; often the player has to touch the screen repeatedly. Even this hindrance can be removed thanks to an Android app which allows . It won’t be long before apps games have this feature coded into their official titles and smartphones steal another life from the portable games console.
Power to the smartphone!
The released with a dual-core A5 chip, has given the 1UP in smartphone apps games and offers power and graphics unseen in mobile devices previously. Even consoles such as the , which offers 3D gaming without the need for glasses, could be matched for technology. We’ve already seen the release of the and further rumours suggest the Samsung Galaxy S3 will come with eye trickery technology to match Nintendo.
Apps Games cost less
The apps games streamlined digital approach, eliminates the need for physical manufacturers and distributers. This means cheaper games for the consumer. Combine this factor with an ultra-competitive OS platform that releases new games daily, and you create a market where £6 chart toppers are frowned upon as too expensive – effectively the price of a bargain bin Nintendo DS game in the supermarket. Why would you pay £40 for the latest handheld title when you can download entertaining apps games that all your friends have for under £3?
What does the future hold for portable gaming hardware? Visit our blog tomorrow for Part 2 of our apps games review…
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What titles currently top the Apps Games Chart?
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The start of a New Year naturally brings on an opportunity for self-reflection and change. Maybe you want to spend this year discovering new music? If every day you love your Kaiser Chief collection less and less, now’s a great time to blow away those audio cobwebs. 2012 is the time to use your smartphone and expand your musical horizons with a selection of our best apps for music lovers.
Shazam Encore (Android £2.99, iOS £3.99 , Windows £4.99)
You’ll often stumble across your new favourite song when you least suspect it; during an advert, on the radio, in a pub. If you’re not told who it is, how are you supposed to download and experience more music by this artist? The first of our best apps, Shazam Encore has this covered. All you have to do is hold your phone towards the speaker and Shazam will recognise the song and artist in seconds. Once you have this info, you can buy the track through Amazon, see related YouTube videos or even view the lyrics. Magical. For convenience and a rapid response, Shazam Encore is the first in our best music apps list.
Like this music app? Download Shazam from the App markets:
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Ghostly Discovery (Free music app for iOS)
Our music tastes can vary depending on our state of mind or mood. Ghostly Discovery will factor this in your endeavour for all things electronic. After setting the mood wheel to a colour that reflects your state of mind, hook up to your headphones and enjoy a streamed audio archive of Ghostly International and Spectral Sound catalogues. Tailor your playlist between Digital versus Organic sounds and fast versus slow pace, as you position a slider between these extremes. iTunes integration opens the possibility to download the songs you like.
Like this music app? Download Ghostly Discovery from the iTunes Stores:
TuneIn Radio (Free music app for iOS ,Android, Windows)
For radio stations beyond dance, the TuneIn Radio app offers free access to over 50,000 radio stations. Wherever you are, tune into local or global radio to find a sound to quench your ear drums. Beyond music, there are even sport and news stations available to keep you in the loop. With so much choice at hand, our best app for radio ensures you’ll never skip a beat in your quest for new music. Purchasing the TuneIn Radio Pro for under £0.70 gives you the added bonus of recording, so you can listen to your favourite clips time after time
Like this music app? Download Ghostly Discovery from the App markets:
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Spotify (Free music app for Android, iOS & Windows, Subscription required after trial period)
If you want instant access to over 15 million tracks you can stream online, create into playlists and share with your friends, Spotify is the ultimate music app. With a subscription fee of £10 per month, it’s legal and great value for those who find their headphones soldered to their skull. Built for social integration with Facebook and Last.fm, Spotify keeps your friends in the know of your new favourite sounds. For those after one of the best apps around, Spotify is a great choice for the ultimate music search party.
Like this music app? Download Spotify from the App markets:
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iAmBeatBox (Free music app for iOS)
Ok, I admit this probably hinders your quest for new music rather than help but with so much fresh music trickling into your brain, you may feel an urge of inspiration to make your own sounds. Produced by savageapps, it’s free, popular and allows you to enjoy the art of beat boxing at the swipe of a finger. Using a diamond icon, scratch your way around the screen to a plethora of samples, rhythms and beats. Simple and addictive, it makes the last entry in our best apps list.
Like this music app? Download iAmBeatBox from the iTunes Store:
So there’s our run down of our best apps for music lovers. We’d love to know which apps you use in your hunt for new music. Why not let us know on our page
Tempted by these? Get yourself a new phone from mobiles.co.uk’s .
With Christmas just around the corner, we demonstrate how you can use your phone in a fun way to maximise your Christmas experience. Providing a dashing of festive fun, here’s five free Android apps to get you into the Christmas spirit:
If you wish it could be Christmas everyday then the Christmas Radio is the perfect start to our Android apps list. The free app from BluMedialab.com will always find the music to cater your Chrimbo cravings. With over 40 xmas radio stations to choose from including traditional, rock, religious and jazz, there’s a sound to get your sleigh bells ringing. There’s even a radio station broadcasting from the North Pole!
This is ideal for those who love carol singing but can’t remember the words. With a pick and mix selection of popular Christmas carols you’ll have no problem participating in the festivities. Forgotten the melody? This free app can even play you the carol, so you’ll know your Away in a Manger from your Ding Dong Merrily On High!
Think you know the traditions of Christmas? The Christmas Trivia App offers a fun way to test your knowledge on the world’s most celebrated holiday to the max. Topics covered include food, music, decorations and history. Why not set up your own profile and challenge a friend? For being educational and informative, Christmas Trivia is accepted into our Android apps list.
One of the highlights of Christmas is sharing quality time with loved ones over a delicious dinner. If you need help on the essential turkey or wish to expand your pallet with a festive desert, this Android app provides the time-tested recipes that’ll please any critic.
Of course before you can truly enjoy Christmas, you must endure the 25 day countdown. Lighten up the anticipation with free Android apps every day before Christmas. The Christmas Advent Calendar 2011 from MagicSolver is a great way to receive a present a day.
With a range of free apps providing music, quizzes and recipes, we hope our list of top Android apps will help deliver a truly special occasion. If you’re still looking for Christmas gift ideas, we have a range of free gifts, including Android tablets, available . If you wish to know more about Android phones check out our friendly .
It’s fair to say the hasn’t set the world alight, but why is this? The handset is an outstanding example of beautiful design, the hardware is as up to date as any other devices currently available especially the Samsung Galaxy S and unlike the Nexus One, Google’s latest variant of the Nexus does have some major advantages over it’s competition.
The Pure Google software experience means there is no manufacturer presence on the OS and shows exactly how great the Android operating systems is. Also running full Gingerbread 2.3, the Nexus S really does sit on the cutting edge of mobile OS.
With this in mind the Nexus S has generally seen less sales then it’s non-identical twin the Galaxy S. So why is this? We believe the answer is deal strength. However as of today the Nexus S gets the offers it deserves.
Mobiles.co.uk now has the Google Nexus S free on tariffs from as low as ?25.54 per month! Here’s a list of the best tariffs and discounts we offer.
Orange
?25.54 per month. This gives you 300 Minutes,unlimited texts and 500 MB of data. With this tariff you can just enjoy the handset with no more work to do at all. Click here for the .
O2
If 300 minutes isn’t enough you can get the Nexus S with 900 Minutes, Unlimited texts and 6 months free line rental giving you an effective cost of ?26.80 per month. This requires some redemption work but well worth it!
T-mobile
You may have noticed the O2 Tariff might not suit your data needs so if you want it all T-mobile is definitely the network for you. 900 Minutes 500 texts and unlimited web browsing with an effective monthly cost of 26.81 per month. This is including 6 months half price line rental through redemption. This saves you an ?210 versus our previous offer on this tariff.
To see why Google think the is worth the investment click .
These offers are available now! We think hope you’ll agree that these discounts combined with one of the slickest handsets should tick all the boxes and then some. Click to see our full range of tariffs and discounts for the Nexus S and keep checking the for updates on anything mobile.
Rumours broke yesterday that Social Networking giant Facebook, were producing a dedicated Facebook , a rumour which was later shot down Facebook representatives in a very vague and unconvincing denial. The representatives denied all knowledge of Facebook producing an actual phone, which left it quite open to debate whether Facebook could still be outsourcing the actual hardware from an OEM manufacturer, much in the same way as the Google/ collaboration which produced the Nexus One and instead focussing their efforts on producing the software.
The leak points towards two very high level employees working on the project, namely Joe Hewitt - a software engineer who has previously worked on the creation of the Firefox Browser and the Facebook application. The second man being Matthew Papakipos - the director of the HTML5 Open Web Platform efforts at Google before leaving and joing Facebook; which would certainly seem to support the rumour. It’s also said that the project is unknown to most Facebook employees, again something which seems perfectly feasible and quite likely.
We don’t know anything about the phone itself nor who will be producing it if it does indeed exist, but assuming it does, we’d be very interested to see Facebook’s take on a phone and how they think a phone should function. It could turn out that this is nothing more than a platform for developing a more integrated Facebook Application which can be rolled out across , , et al. What do you think it’ll be? Let us know in the comments section below.
It seems that could soon be receiving another feather in it’s cap, this particular feather though could prove to be a golden one. Gaming software giant Electronic Arts, has said that it has been taking a ‘hard look’ at Android, particularly with regard to recent reports which have depicted Android becoming the #2 mobile phone operating system as early as 2014, with a 25% overall market share, where a can only expect 11%. EA’s CFO (Eric Brown) also went on to say that “There’s a lot to happen in the future in Android, and we’re trying to position our mobile business to take advantage of that trend.”
The long running argument between Android and fans has always been and probably always will be, apps. Androids argument has always been around the amount of free apps that it offers in the Android Market where Apple fans are shouting about the higher quality and the sheer volume of apps available in the app store. Cutting a long story short, the fact remains that the Apple app store does still have the better quality ‘big name/branded’ apps, especially when looking at games, although by a rapidly decreasing margin.
The move into Android by EA would be a considerable blow in this argument, especially when you consider that the game titles you could expect to hit Android include Tiger Woods Golf, Need For Speed, John Madden Football, FIFA Football, Tetris and Monopoly. This also comes shortly after Rovio, makers of the #1 selling iPhone game ‘Angry Birds’, have also released a beta version of their smash hit game into the Android Market. The battle really is beginning to heat up, let us know which way you think it’ll go in the comments section below, or to take a look at our and get in on the action, .
Wait, an app to do your shopping? That can’t be right surely! Well, it is. Tesco have now released an application which can do just that, assuming you have an (Sorry users, there’s no love coming our way, not yet at least) and a Tesco Online account, you can simply download the app which is Free from the app store, sign in to your account and away you go. Choose your products, choose a delivery time, submit it and hey presto your shopping turns up at your door. All without even having to leave the house.
Admittedly you’ve been able to do this online via a laptop or PC for quite some time now but come on, grocery shopping on the iPhone is pretty cool. for more info.
There’s no word on whether this will be hitting anytime soon, or indeed any other operating system, but we really hope it does! Keep an eye onthe blog for more details.
