Tech review: Apps to help you pass the time
From developer PlayDots, the game Dots takes classic connect-the-dots to a new level. Credit: PlayDots
Last Sunday, you received a once-a-year gift: An extra hour, courtesy of the end of daylight saving time. If you haven’t cashed in your 60 minutes yet, these games will be more than happy to help you waste it. These time-killers can be completed in a single session and can make a commute or standing on line go faster — or can simply help you while away an extra hour.
Threes! Free
(iOS, Android; free)
One of the most popular puzzle games for mobile devices — and a former Apple editors Game of the Year — Threes! features deceptively easy gameplay. The goal is to move numbered tiles to make multiples of the number 3. There’s a paid version for $5.99 with more features and levels, but since you only have an hour to kill, the free version should suffice.
Dots
(iOS, Android; free)
From developer PlayDots, maker of the similar Two Dots and Dots & Co., Dots takes the classic connect-the-dots game to a new and addictive level. There are three game modes: Timed, where there’s an onscreen clock (perfect to know when your hour is up), Moves, where you must plan your moves strategically, and Endless, where you can easily squander away your daylight saving time bonus hours for the next 10 years.
The Tower
(iOS, Android; free)
A captivating and quickly paced puzzle game that has so much action you can’t play for more than an hour at a time without suffering finger cramp. The goal of the game is to swipe blocks that appear on the screen to create a tower. The higher your tower soars, the more points you score.
Doodle Jump
(iOS, Android; free)
Google Play editors picked this immersive game as one of its best of the year back in 2015, and Doodle Jump still delivers the goods. In the game, you control a weird creature whose goal is to get ever higher on a piece of graph paper (or other backgrounds). The gameplay is clever because you “see” other players’ scores written in the margins as you surpass them.
Compute your commute
A new feature on Google Maps may help Long Islanders avoid the worst commuting bottlenecks. Google has added a “commute” tab on its Android and iOS Maps app that gives live traffic and transit information, has information about delays and will offer alternate routes. It will also tell you if your commute is going to be “a normal one” or if you have to allow extra time.
— PETER KING
TikTok’s time is now
If you’ve never heard of TikTok, you’re probably not a teenager. TikTok, an app from China-based Musical.ly used for sharing short videos, has become enormously popular with U.S. teens. As of last week, TikTok was the No. 1 most popular Android app and No. 3 on Apple’s iOS charts. Tech website TechCrunch says TikTok’s installs in September were higher than Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.
— PETER KING
Get your Apple data
Apple has begun allowing users to download a copy of all data they have stored with the company from its privacy.apple.com website. Users can download data such as their address book contacts, calendar appointments, music streaming preferences and details about past product repairs. Previously, customers could get their data only by contacting Apple directly.
— BLOOMBERG NEWS
'We had absolutely no idea what happened to her' What began as a desperate hunt for Shannan Gilbert in the marshes near Gilgo Beach became, in three astonishing days in December 2010, the unmasking of a possible serial killer. NewsdayTV's Doug Geed has more.
'We had absolutely no idea what happened to her' What began as a desperate hunt for Shannan Gilbert in the marshes near Gilgo Beach became, in three astonishing days in December 2010, the unmasking of a possible serial killer. NewsdayTV's Doug Geed has more.
