Mobile devices and video gaming have come a long way since Pac Man. The best thing is, especially with today’s struggling economy there is a wide variety of entertainment — games, books and movies — for you and your family that provides hours of fun at little or no cost.
Online Games
Angry Birds, the game of crash-landing squawking birds to free their caged friends was just the tip of the iceberg for online gamers looking for free or inexpensive fun.
Trendy puzzle games you can enjoy on any Internet platform include Jewel Quest at iWin.com and Candy Crush. With Jewel Quest, play for free (which there are some ads that pop) or purchase the game for $2.99 — advert free.
Kill time during the seventh-inning stretch with 9 Innings Pro Baseball 2013, which allows gamers to play a full or shortened season and has a fun Home Run Derby option.
Temple Run and Nemo’s Reef has been popular apps for children, as well as adults. Temple Run has simple maneuver options, controlling a man through obstacles while he collects coins and evades the grasp of a very large creature.
Nemo’s Reef is similar to Facebook’s Farmville, taking gamers on a journey through the watery reef helping Nemo build a whole new reef for his class project.
Streaming Services
Netflix and Pandora are still going strong in popularity for movie and music sites, respectively, however, more and more people are picking up Hulu and Hulu Plus as an alternative plan for cable TV shows and Spotify for a better musical outlet.
For only $7.99 monthly, Hulu lets users watch their favorite shows with almost any online device. Hulu Plus provides more device access, more content and better video quality.
“I use Hulu Plus when I’m connected to Wi-Fi,” said Cory Smith, a journalist who uses several mobile devices for work and play. “This way, it doesn’t suck up data charges.”
Spotify allows users to listen to their favorite songs while being able to browse friends, musical artists and celebrities’ favorite songs, as well.
The Kindle app has been Stefanie Paquin’s favorite app to use for reading books. Paquin, who is taking classes while also working as a business systems analyst for Chrysler, said the Kindle app lightens her load, literally.
“My books are always with me, so it’s at least one less thing to carry,” she said. The other benefit with this app is that many textbooks are now available in a Kindle version. “A bonus is that every book I purchased is saved in the ‘cloud.’ I can never lose or damage them.” Overdrive.com provides a one-stop-shop for readers looking for eBooks, audiobooks and other digital formats. The site provides both links to local libraries and access to school books for any device.
