WP8 Internet Explorer Lag

If you've been an early adopter of the WP8 platform, chances are you've been using it daily without too much trouble. There are different types of smartphone users but if you're like me and love to browse the internet a lot, you might have noticed a slight lag when a page loads. Previously I've tried clearing the cache and it didn't seem to help much so I continued to use the phone dealing with the slight lag that occurs when initially loading a page.

It's been a few months since then and I tried clearing the cache again and now Internet Explorer loads up nice and quick just like when I first acquired the phone. So this is just a quick PSA to try clearing your cache a few times if you experience any lag while browsing. It's pretty obvious but since it didn't work the first time around for me I didn't think much about it.

Free Emulator Apps

  

If you're into classic games and wish to play some old school SNES, Game Boy, and Game Boy Advance games, be sure to check out developer m.k.'s solid emulator apps which are currently now all free. I purchased all three apps when they first released and have reviewed two or the three. The apps are solid and definitely recommended. The apps were temporarily removed but are now back on the marketplace so grab them while you can!

Click here to grab the apps.

App Update : CarTunes

CarTunes was last updated over a year ago and I wasn't really expecting any more updates. Even so, the app was solid enough for me to have it as my main in-car music player. A few months ago the developer commented on my review stating updates were coming and in the last week two updates were rolled out giving a few more features.

The first update enabled swipe gestures to work on the full screen as opposed to only the album art section which makes the app that much easier to use. A subsequent second update now gives the ability to pin an album or artist as well as enabling a seek feature which can be activated by bringing down the drop-down music player by hitting one of the volume keys and holding down the forward button.

Be sure to check out CarTunes and read the review!

WP App Review : MLB At Bat 13

NOTE: This review has been updated at the bottom.

At Bat 13 (Version 1.0)

MLB Advanced Media L.P

Free

MLB has finally released a Windows Phone 8 version of their popular At Bat app. For baseball fans like myself, it was a long time coming. Having an official baseball app further solidifies the Windows Phone platform as more and more official apps from popular companies are added to the marketplace. So how does this new app perform?

Lumia 920 LCD Vertical Line

So, after about 7 months of owning the Lumia 920 (pre-ordered to get it on launch day), the LCD suddenly developed a vertical cyan line on the left side of the LCD screen while I was browsing the internet. I was actually a bit surprised as I feel that Nokia makes quality products but searching online I've found lots of other users who have a similar problem.

WP8 Waze Beta Preview

On June 18th, the Waze Beta app for Windows Phone was finally released to select beta testers. Although Google's recent acquisition of Waze has brought on thoughts of concern for the app's future on the Windows Phone platform, the beta release shows a good start to the app's eventual release.

WP App Review : Tiny Space

Tiny Space (Version 1.0)
Redware
Free

Tiny Space is a simple strategic game where you must destroy  the bases of two opposing teams by controlling a regenerating squadron of tiny airships. As the name implies, the battlefield is small, consisting of your phone's screen. This makes for a faster paced game play and it doesn't take long to start getting into the game.

WP App Review : Tunes

NOTE: This review has been updated at the bottom.

Tunes (Version 1.1)
stain-sr
$1.29

Nowadays, the smartphone has become an integral part of the driving experience as different apps can be used for traffic, GPS, music, and more. One of the most common uses is music and having a solid gesture-based music app is something I rely on daily. There are currently only a handful of these apps and I've previously used CarTunes and Gesture Music Player. Both worked well with only a few faults but I eventually defaulted back to the OEM player or various reasons. With the new Tunes music app, there's a slick new gesture-based music player that I can happily use.

WP App Review : Monster Burner

Monster Burner (Version 1.0)
Ubisoft
$0.99

Monster Burner is a fun, arcade style, castle defense game in which you must "throw" fireballs at the incoming monsters before they reach the bottom of your screen. The game play is smooth, the graphics are clean, and the fun factor is addicting.

WP App Review : Instance

Instance (Version 1.1.5)
Daniel Gary
Free / $1.49

Instanceis a recently released third-party Instagram app which features uploading as well as viewing photos, commenting, and liking. As of this review, it's more fully featured than the other third-party Instagram app, Instagraph, although an update is upcoming for the latter.