In the build-up to the release of the new iPad, there were plenty of rumours about what was in store for the lucky consumers – a physically responsive haptic feedback screen, a mini-version, a foot massager? What actually turned up was an improved screen, with retina display, a faster processor and a 5MP camera.
These additions underwhelmed some, but primed the iPad for Apple's photo manipulation tool, iPhoto (App Store, £2.99). There are plenty of photo editing suites already available, but this is hard to beat for non-experts. There are four areas – crop and straighten, colour, effects and exposure – all easy to use with a simple gesture interface and help via a question mark in the top corner. Even a beginner can quickly be removing red-eye and adding a healthy tan to deficient pics.
But if something more entertaining is needed, what better to download than the first proper sequel to the most successful app/game ever, Angry Birds: Space (App Store, Rovio, 69p)? It takes the now all-too-familiar pig-hating avians into the stratosphere, adding a healthy dose of zero-gravity to the physics-based puzzler. The porcine foe now hide on a variety of planetoids – which have their own gravitational pulls – creating a more varied challenge, and there's even a new ice bird to attack the porkers and their hideouts. It's as addictive as ever and a sign that the developers are seeking to push the envelope as their superstar brand develops.
