Let me preface this blog entry: I can't get enough of the top-rated TV show NCIS The recent NCIS: The Game app update includes 3 new episodes - bringing the total to 8. Since I didn’t go into crime fighting as a profession, it's exciting to live like I’m a part of the Major Case Response Team, helping to solve thrilling cases and putting criminals behind bars.  

 

This app is craftily pulled together – keeping up with elements from the TV show and incorporating a mix of interactive action and mini-games which include collecting evidence, examining results in a lab, staking out suspects, and doing autopsies!

 

My favorite part is getting to bring in the “bad guys” for questioning. But I have to go with gut instinct – sometimes being too aggressive with my questioning scares the guys into not giving up the right info.

 

This is a “must have” game app for any NCIS superfan like myself.  But it's just as fun for crime solving fanatics or anyone who's looking for something new and engaging … Grab it today!

 

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Valentine’s Day is generally signaled by an increase in the Ambient Cuteness Quotient (ACQ) registered on both my personal devices and the games I play. Normally I tend to avoid getting saccharine sweetness overloads in my rare gaming time, but for some reason I am drawn into the Cute Zone in the days leading up to February 14^th. This year I’m glad, as I was drawn to Sneezies HD by Retro Dreamer - it captured my interest immediately. The gameplay is deceptively simple - tap the screen, unleash your sneezing powder to get the little fuzzy critters to react and pop their bubbles. However, the timing and positioning of the bubbles on the screen is key, as the particle effects from both the initial sneezing powder and the subsequent explosions are accurate and drift realistically. Being off by just a tiny bit can cause a chain reaction to fizzle out early, resulting in a massive miss of the target. The graphics are just about the cutest I’ve seen in a long time, and the sound effects never failed to make me grin while playing. This is definitely a game to share with someone you love, as the care and diligence that went in really shine through. Grab Sneezies HD today and give yourself a new reason to smile!

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It is once again that time of year. Resolutions have been made and the shine has worn off of the new year. Many of us are yet again fighting our own personal Battle of the Bulges. After a particularly festive holiday season, I looked down and realized that my feet were fighting for visibility beneath an expanding waistline. Exercise isn’t the issue as much as diet with me – chasing after newly mobile infants is GREAT exercise. Keeping track of what I eat, when and the impact on my overall plan and waistline is a lot easier since I started using  Lose It! by FitNow, Inc. The app is clean and thoughtfully designed. As a first-time user, I was set up with a free account on the tracking website and was entering my data in just a couple of minutes. Finding common foods in the catalog was easy, and defining my customized food and exercise information was simple and straightforward. The ability to share my progress with friends and family via Facebook and Twitter means my full support network kicks in when I skip a workout or cheat on my diet. Whether you are just starting a fitness regime or need to keep track of a highly detailed schedule, you can’t go wrong with Lose It!

 

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Word games are one my favorite genres of mobile app. They are quick, satisfying and when done well stretch my brain in odd directions. This week, our friends at Concrete Software published a game that is fun, innovative and deceptively simple enough to steal entire afternoons of my time. Wordsplosion for the Barnes & Noble NOOK family of devices combines the strategy and thoughtfulness of hangman with the ticking clock and sense of urgency of the best action games. Guessing the words is simple enough until the game moves a little bit faster and the words get a little more challenging. Thankfully, skilled gameplay will let you earn letters that will help you through the tightest spots. This game is beautiful and expertly crafted – from the audio to the smooth controls and maddening word choices, it will keep you challenged for a few minutes or as long as you and your word recognition skills let you survive. Avoiding the explosion will take all the dedication, recall and vocabulary skills you can muster. For one of the single best mobile word games available today, grab Wordsplosion now! But you have to have a NOOK Color™ or NOOK Tablet™ - for now, this gem is only available as a NOOK App!

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Stories told from the perspective of the villain are almost always engaging. One of my favorite stories put it best: “Heroes have morals. Villains have work ethic.” The constant scheming, the planning and preparation - it must be exhausting! This week we have a tale as told by one of the vilest villains in cartoon history – Plankton from SpongeBob SquarePants! In SpongeBob Frozen Face Off by Nickelodeon we hear the story from his point of view, and it is amazingly well done. My NOOK Tablet turned into a window to SpongeBob’s world and it was amazing. The narration was top notch, as it used the actual voice of Plankton from the show. The controls were well executed, as there are items to collect and the screen changes based on how the device is moved. Best of all the story changes based on how successful you are in locating the hidden jellybeans throughout the adventure. Let’s just say the ending gets happier based on how many jellybeans are found throughout. SpongeBob Frozen Face Off is fun, engaging and with the built-in replay value is one of the best buys we have for your favorite SpongeBob fan!

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Wheel of Fortune is practically an American institution. Generations of children have grown up entertained, puzzled and befuddled by the show and carry the torch forward all their lives. Wheel of Fortune HD by Sony Pictures Television is now available on the Barnes & Noble NOOK Tablet™. The reproduction is amazing – from the smooth animations through the feel of the game as you play, the experience will be at once familiar and engaging in a whole new way. The ability to create a customizable avatar draws you in, and the clever clues make the game just as challenging as any of the television episodes. Which is not surprising as the puzzles and clues were developed by the writers of the actual show! I have to admit to a little bit of a thrill at actually spinning the wheel, and playing it with friends is fun – passing the device around a table reminds me of the setup from the show. Grab your NOOK Tablet™, buy this app and spin the wheel!

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When I was single, keeping track of my routine was pretty simple. Granted, I’m a geek and my social calendar was intentionally limited. Since marriage I now have to stay on top of shopping and events for my wife, her brother and his family as well as her parents. Being double-booked in my personal time has become something of the new normal, as we had no easy way to synchronize our schedules. I recently started using Cozi Family Organizer by Cozi on my NOOK Tablet and things have changed. Getting the family looped in was easy – they’re not all techies but the app is really easy to use and it sends text messages to the ones who aren’t constantly plugged into email. We’ve already encountered and resolved two conflicts – a mother-in-law birthday dinner and a piano recital for my niece. I recommend using Cozi Family Organizer to keep you and yours sane, happy and stress-free for the new year and thereafter.

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Your trusty App Buzz blogger Tavares is taking a well-deserved few days off, so today I'll be bringing you the latest news from the world of NOOK Apps.

 

In fact, we're doing something a little bit different this week. Over the holidays, NOOK owners downloaded a whole lot of apps, and we've compiled a list of our recent top free and paid app downloads. Gamers love the Angry Birds fanchise, word nerds are wild for Words with Friends & NOOK Word of the Day, and movie buffs are huge Fandango fans. Hopefully these popular apps will strike your fancy, too.

 

 Top 10 Paid Apps

Angry Birds

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angry Birds Seasons

 

 

 

 

 

 

Words With Friends

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angry Birds Rio

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doodle Jump

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drawing Pad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bejeweled 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ms PAC-MAN by Namco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Game of Life

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scrabble

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Top 10 Free Apps*

 

Bubble Birds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hangman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minesweeper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skitch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abbey's Free Decorative Wallpaper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#1 Tic Tac Toe Online

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Animal Zoo Club

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fandango Movies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOOK Word of the Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fliq Notes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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*Note: App pricing is subject to change

 

 

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I am pretty particular about what I watch on television. My time is limited (see: new baby, dwindling daylight hours) and the competition is fierce. After thoroughly using the free Stroke Your Genius app by Showtime Inc. I realized my Sunday night viewing habits would be making a change starting January 8, 2012. Inspired by the new SHOWTIME series 'House of Lies,' Stroke Your Genius is a fun, edgy and darkly hilarious virtual handbook for the discerning management consultant professional, and will have you looking forward to the series premiere.

 

Stroke Your Genius is a rich multimedia playground more than anything else, presented from the perspective of Marty Kaan, ace management consultant. It is a collection of short articles, videos and clever games designed to entertain and educate. You’ll learn essential vocabulary and tactics such as PIOOTA (Pulled It Out Of Thin Air) to get you through rough work situations. You will also come to understand the why’s and how’s of creatively padding your bottom line while keeping a happy client and – perhaps most importantly – how to dress for success. The writing is witty and the games are irreverently fun – I really enjoyed the game that outlined several unusual workplace hazards. For the premium experience be sure to open the app while you're in a Barnes & Noble store to unlock an exclusive behind-the-scenes video about Marty's team.

 

This is one of the best apps I have used this year. Fresh, funny and with a distinctive style that emphasizes the “con” in consulting. You should download Stroke Your Genius today.

 

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There are some titles and concepts that just resonate with me, and I am happy to say that I now get to announce something that has both a killer concept and one of the best titles of any mobile app in its category. Words With Friends from Zynga is now available for NOOK Color and NOOK Tablet. Now I finally have the opportunity to join the world of Words With Friends converts on the NOOK platform.

 

The gameplay is brilliantly simple and immediately familiar to word game aficionados. Words With Friends is a crossword game. However, that is like calling the Titanic a boat – factually accurate but missing important information. I will get this out of the way first – you can play against anyone you know who has this game, on whatever platform they happen to use. That said, I’ve used the game on both iOS and other Android tablets and I enjoy the game immensely on my NOOK Tablet. The graphics are crisp and responsive, the colors are bright and the UI fits the form-factor perfectly. Being able to have up to 20 simultaneous games is awesome – that is 20 opportunities for me to get beaten by either friends or random matches provided by the app! The in-game chat is particularly useful, as most of my friends enjoy the taunting almost as much as the game itself.

 

There is very little to say about this game other than buy it. Now. Words With Friends is an amazing experience on the NOOK family of devices, and I have enjoyed every minute of preparation for this post. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I just got a notification that it’s my turn – time to play!

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