Episode 33 – Favorite Apps

Summary: These days, everyone has a smartphone.  You've got one.  Your mom has one.  Hell, even the 2nd graders down the street have one, and they probably know more about how to operate it than the techs at Apple do.  That being said, one of the greatest features of smartphone and tablet technology is the plethora of Apps being developed by everyday geeks faster than you can switch from an Android to an iPhone* (*contract restrictions may apply).  Join us this week as we discuss some of our favorite Apps.  Whether it's useful time wasters (aka games), infinite knowledge at our finger tips, or the ability to stay organized at work, at the gaming table, or in the daily grind of life in general, we're not really sure how we used to function without them.  So, make sure your battery is charged, the touch screen is polished up, and your notepad app is open and ready as we discuss it all on this weeks new episode of Monkey in the Cage. (01:20) - Robert has some crazy "alternative" adventures out at LAX as he talks about GameX 2012 - Strategicon, DnD Next, Pathfinder Society, Fluxx, Descent, Rattus and Drakon.  Plus, he finally received a copy of the Leverage RPG. (11:00) - Ramses brings us news of gastronomical proportions and tells us geeky ways to get our drink on! - The 28 lb. Sandwich and Avengers Shots. (16:22) - Karen re-finds her love and inspiration for the fantasy genre and continues her unstoppable Batman obsession. - Game of Thrones and Grant Morrison's Batman Incorporated.  Plus, we discuss horses turning into camels. (22:06) - Matt talks playtests, buys another video game he'll never beat, and makes lonely and regrettable movie choices. - The Keep on the Borderlands, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, and Chernobyl Diaries. (28:14) - Robert talks more games and potentially costs future Matt money. - Wings of War and Sovereign Chess. (30:53) - We give some shout outs to listeners who left us some awesome iTunes reviews and talk about the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying archvillain contest at pksullivan.com! (34:29) - It's topic time!  Matt starts off this week's discussion by looking to the heavens as we discuss Google Sky Map and he feels more in the loop thanks to Skyvi. (39:32) - Ramses kicks off the discussion on our favorite Apps of all, games! - Plants vs. Zombies, Small World, Ticket to Ride, Scotland Yard, Settlers of Catan, Hero Academy, Cordy, Where's My Water, and Dungeon Raid.  Plus, Tiny Tower and Skyfall. (43:50) - Not only are apps useful in the form of games, they make for great gaming resources too! - iPlay4e and RPG Character Generator. (46:41) - We discuss practical apps as well as those integrated into other tech. - iHandy Level, Flashlight Apps, Netflix, Pandora, and Amazon. (48:32) - Karen opens the discussion on the value of apps for digital reading. - ComiXology, Fiasco, The World of Darkness, and Spellbook - D&D 3.5. (52:50) - We discuss the awesomness of DropBox, Matt loves NFL Fantasy Football, Ramses channels his inner DJ with RjDj. (56:16) - Robert talks Augmented Reality, we discuss Wikipedia and Qwiki, and Karen enlightens us on Unstuck. Closing Song - Nothing On We - produced by Chiddy Bang and mixed by Ramses via RjDj. . . . . .