running

With almost 550,000 active apps in the iTunes App Store, you get plenty of variation, and one developer continues to release games that are downright silly.

Many iPhone gamers will probably remember Justin Smith's Enviro-Bear 2010 (99 cents) from Captain Games. When the game came out in 2009, our Mac and iOS freelance reviewer, Paul Hughes, started the review by saying, "Enviro-Bear 2010 is part game, part joke, part art piece, and part game-design experiment." In Enviro-Bear 2010, the premise is that you are a bear getting ready to hibernate and you must drive a car … Read more

Pretty Run is a Windows search tool that can find and run programs quickly. Its roots lie in older versions of Windows that weren't capable of searching the Start Menu and other likely locations for shortcuts and executables. Though Windows now offers a search box, Pretty Run has stayed a step ahead, and its versatility keeps this free tool useful.

When it's active, Pretty Run resides in the system tray, though you can call up its simple, semiopaque interface from the Start Menu, an optional desktop icon, or with a customizable hot-key combination. Pretty Run starts searching as … Read more

NirSoft's RunAsDate is a small, free tool that lets you run applications using a different time and date stamp than your Windows system, yet without changing your Windows system time. It can change the date and time of multiple programs running simultaneously, each with different time and date settings. We can think of several reasons for wanting to do that (debugging log files, for example) so in any case, it's a useful capability to have around. However, it's not designed to extend shareware trial periods, which use different means of keeping track of such things.

Both 32-bit … Read more

Temple Run is a survival/escape game from the makers of Harbor Master in which you play as a character who's a lot like Indiana Jones from the popular action movies. The simple storyline is that you've stolen a cursed golden idol, and now you need to run for your life from demon guardians through all kinds of obstacles. A little different from the other games in this genre, Temple Run gives you a 3D perspective as you run, jump, turn, and slide down pathways while grabbing coins. You'll definitely want to grab as many coins as … Read more

E-commerce firm Rearden Commerce is looking to expand both the company and its Deem platform through a round of funding and a new acquisition.

The e-commerce developer announced today that it has picked up $133 million in financing from its current partners American Express and JPMorgan Chase and from new investor Citi. The company is looking to spend the influx of cash on paying off debt, generating working capital, and setting up some acquisitions.

In line with that third goal, Rearden also said that it has bought social-buying service HomeRun.com and its OfferEngine platform, an acquisition that will be … Read more

NinJump is yet another Android game that casts you in the role of a stealthy ninja on the run. As you quickly climb up the walls of what appears to be an infinitely tall building, you must hop back and forth to avoid colliding with obstacles. Enemy ninjas with throwing stars stand in your way, as do jutting balconies. Meanwhile, there are shields you can pick up and birds to attack along your way. Hit three birds in a row, and you get a bonus jump, which essentially boosts your speed for a short time. And, of course, your ultimate … Read more

Jetpack Joyride is a new distance game from the makers of Monster Dash and Fruit Ninja, but in this game you use a machine-gun jet pack to maneuver past obstacles and use discovered vehicles to try to survive as long as possible. The control system is incredibly simple: touch the screen to propel your jet pack.

As in Monster Dash, you play hero Barry Steakfries, but in this game you'll break into a secret laboratory to steal and use experimental jet packs. As you propel yourself through this side-scroller, you'll need to gather coins you can use between … Read more

Yoo Ninja puts you in the swift-moving shoes of a ninja on the run. As the levels automatically scroll to the right, you must tap the screen to hop from floor to ceiling and back, avoiding obstacles along the way, and moving fast enough to evade the throwing stars hot on your heels. Slow down too much and they will end your game in one fell slice. Tap the screen at the wrong time, and you could end up flying above or below a platform into the abyss. In Story Mode, you travel through 34 levels and across four different … Read more

In Moon Chaser, you are a stealthy ninja, controlling gravity, sliding along hills and valleys, and launching yourself high into the sky. Your challenge is to travel as far as you can, through different mountain stages, before the moon is completely eclipsed. Luckily, between each mountain stage, your moonlight is replenished, giving you just a bit more time to do your thing. Very similar to Dragon, Fly! and the extremely popular Tiny Wings, Moon Chaser is another addition to an already classic genre of mobile game.

By tapping the screen on declines, you can increase the pull of gravity and … Read more