distance

Temple Run 2 is the sequel to one of the most popular running games on iOS devices, and it has just enough new features to make it an excellent follow-up.

As in the original Temple Run, you use swipe controls to run, turn, and jump as you explore a floating temple. But in Temple Run 2, you're no longer limited to right-angle turns. The path you follow has dips and rises and jogs left and right to make the game more visually interesting than the original. You also get some new methods of transportation, with zip lines that you … Read more

Temple Run 2 is the sequel to one of the most popular running games for mobile devices, and it has just enough new features to make it an excellent follow-up.

As in the original Temple Run, you use swipe controls to run, turn, and jump as you explore a floating temple. But in Temple Run 2, you're no longer limited to right-angle turns. The path you follow has dips and rises and jogs left and right to make the game more visually interesting than the original. You also get some new methods of transportation, with zip lines that you … Read more

Temple Run is a treasure-hunting game with shades of a few other popular games thrown in. It installs quickly and launches with a short tutorial that teaches the game mechanics in about 60 seconds. Temple Run is a free download, but you'll want to buy some extra coins to buy upgrades and new capabilities.

Essentially, in Temple Run you need to run through a maze of paths, jumping or sliding over and under obstacles, collecting coins or gems as you go, using different swipes of the screen and by tilting the iDevice. There are power-ups and special abilities (like … Read more

Skype has done wonders for connecting people around the world. We see it in schools, where a class in California chats with kids in Chile. Of course we see it in the home, where grandparents and grandchildren can catch up on the day's events over a meal together. And now we're increasingly seeing music instructors use the videoconferencing technology to offer lessons to students around the world.

Our video team at CNET connected with a Nashville, Tenn., based guitar teacher named Lance Allen. We observed a lesson he gave to Jeff Feldman, a San-Francisco based instructor at Creative Spark Guitar. … Read more

Perfect for outdoors enthusiasts, Google's My Tracks app records your path, speed, distance, and even elevation while you walk, run, bike, or do anything else that a GPS signal can follow. And for those who are a bit more serious about their training, the app even lets you hook up with a few third-party Bluetooth biometric sensors, including Zephyr HxM, Polar WearLink, and ANT+ monitors.

To get started, just open up My Tracks and hit the record button at the top of the screen. From there, so long as you have a strong GPS signal, My Tracks will plot … Read more

Even with its belt full of powerful tools onboard, Smart Tools is, for the most part, simple. The app opens up to a wall of choices, and if you've used any of Smart Tools' apps before, then all of them should look familiar. Smart Tools combines the powers of all of the developer's individual Pro tool sets.

The first set lets you measure length and angle, using a level, ruler, and two protractors (one which uses the screen, and the other your device's camera).

The second offers a Distance tool, which is a bit more complicated, as … Read more

Ski Safari (99 cents) challenges you to swoosh down a powdery mountain to avoid an avalanche, with animal friends and other vehicles along the way to help you with your escape. This distance game quickly became my go-to time-waster on both my iPhone and iPad, so when an update was announced last week, you can bet I was at the App Store immediately. The update adds a new mountain you can choose for your run, a new animal to help you along your way, and added achievements to keep you coming back for more.… Read more

Jetpack Joyride (Free), from Halfbrick Studios, makers of hit iOS games Fruit Ninja and Monster Dash, has now added Gadgets -- tools you can purchase with earned coins that help you get further into the game.

Now, when you go into the Stash (the store where you can buy new jetpacks, outfits, and more), there is a new Gadgets category. There are a total of 15 gadgets to choose from (once purchased with earned coins), but you only have 2 slots on any given run. Each of the new gadgets have specific properties that help you on your run. For … Read more

If you haven't guessed already, I'm a big fan of platform games. Maybe it's my background of playing games from both the Mario and Sonic franchises or the sheer number of solid platformers in the iTunes App Store, but I simply can't get enough of them. There's just something charming to me about exploring a level, making all the right jumps, and trying to collect all the items to go on to next level.

There have been several popular platform games to come through the iTunes App Store, but as time goes on, I've noticed the genre evolving in interesting ways. Particularly with a few of the newer games, I'm seeing unique types of challenges being added that take the genre to places it hasn't been before.

This week's collected iOS apps are all platformers with something extra. The first uses an interesting foreground/background playing dynamic that adds to the action. The second is a continuous climber with added bonuses that keep trying to get higher and higher. The third offers tons of side challenges and secret areas for those who like to explore.… Read more