Word Teaser is a new take on the classic word search game (review)

Intro

You may have played a mobile word search game or two, and they may have had their share of unique color schemes, game modes, and such. But I would like to take you through a truly new style of word search game: Word Teaser. From the developer GAMEDU, who also offers up to 20 other mobile games in all varieties, Word Teaser take the traditional word search, and adds several levels of variety that makes it a pretty fun game that offers a surprising amount of replay value.

Setup

Getting started is easy; just download from  or the Play Store (or iTunes if you have an iOS device). Once done, you can sign in to Google Play Games if you so choose (though you don’t have to).

Once in the game, you go through a tutorial to guide you through the game’s rules:

• You have to find a word of a given length (the “target word”) within the puzzle presented.
• You build words by swiping across adjacent letters. The words you build may or may not be the target word, but they will help you discover the target word through a process of elimination.
  • Words can be built using adjacent letters; adjacent being above, below, left, right or diagonal to the previous letter.
  • The flow of the words can be forwards, backwards, up, down, a combination from first letter to last.
• There are three letter colors that are meant to be used as hints:
  • Green letters exist in the target word in their exact position.
  • Yellow letters exist in the target word, but are in the wrong position in the puzzle.
  • Red letters do not exist in the target word.
• You are given a time limit for each puzzle to find the target word; usually around 60-90 seconds.  If you fail in finding your word in time, the game is over.

Gameplay

Playing the game took a bit getting used to in the beginning, particularly using the color-coded hint system explained above. But with just a few minutes of repetition I had a good handle on it and found myself replaying for a good long while.

The game overall is for adults down to school-aged children. You start out looking for just three-letter words, and it takes a while to graduate to even 5-letter words. But please don’t take that to mean the game is easy: even once in the four-letter puzzles, I found myself scrambling to complete them before my time ran out.

Controls are smooth, perhaps a bit too much. Particularly on my phone, I found my finger going one letter too many and my word being rejected because of the added letter; causing several re-tries.

Graphics are a nice set of muted earth-tones, making the screen easy to look at for extended periods (this is an underused feature in games: more developers should spend less time trying to make their games stand out with bright color and more with good gameplay).

Music was rather bland; it sounds a bit elementary. But again it’s unobtrusive so it’s in no way a deal-breaker (and you can turn both the music and sound effects on & off, so there’s that).

There are several modes you can choose right from the beginning, without having to unlock them first:

• Solo (the ‘standard’ game version): You build up through the levels of increasing difficulty.
• Category: You can choose to find words from a specific topic (sports, flowers, cities, colors, etc).
• Multiplayer: You take on a friend! Each player has 3 puzzles; the winner is decided by who completes their 3 puzzles in the least amount of time.

Conclusion

I was genuinely surprised by the quality and replay value of Word Teaser. Puzzle games generally lost their appeal for me a while ago; so when I was asked to review this game, I didn’t expect a whole lot of fun from the exercise. Imagine my surprise when I found myself still playing this game almost an hour after downloading and opening it!
That really is the core of this review itself: give this game a try…..chances are you will find yourself still there playing it a whole lot later than you anticipated.
And it’s a game your school-age children would enjoy, as well, so it’s a win-win for family devices, to boot.

Download Word Teaser for Android here.

Download Word Teaser for iOS here.

HiGoing headphones review roundup and giveaway

Headphones can be an expensive purchase depending on what you’re looking for. I don’t know about you, but $100 to $200 headphones is out of my budget. Even if it was in my budget, I’m not sure I would go out and buy a pair without doing some extensive research, I mean it’s a big price when perhaps there are cheaper alternatives.

Many smaller companies offer headphones that not only look amazing but also have quality sound at a much more reasonable price. Often times they get overshadowed by big companies that have bigger budgets to showcase its products.

Fortunately, we live in the world of Amazon, which means smaller companies with smaller budgets have the opportunity to be seen. Operating with only an Amazon storefront means better visibility with less overhead; this allows those companies to compete with bigger brands. It also affords potential consumers easier comparative shopping with lots of reviews at their fingertips.

Today, I have two headphones to review from one of those companies: HiGoing. This brand has a couple of those quality headphones which are priced more in line with my tastes.

HiGoing Wireless Stereo Workout Headsets

HiGoing’s workout headphones are in-ear buds designed with intense workouts in mind. They have a two-foot-long tangle free cord that is not only strong and durable but also fits nicely into the included hardshell case. To ensure the right fit for your ears, you are provided with the traditional small, medium, and large ear tips.

The body of the of these headphones is built from a nice soft rubber with a matte finish. On the sides, it has beautiful brushed aluminium with HiGoing’s logo on it and a silver power button. I have to say it, though, the logo could use a little work.

On top of the right ear, there are two buttons that control volume and skip tracks which are quick to respond and easy to press. On the inside of the right ear’s body is the tiny microphone hole. The microphone quality is okay, but I wouldn’t rely on it as a daily talking device.

Finishing out the body are ear hooks that easily and comfortably fit around your ear. This is ideal for rigorous workout routines as you don’t want them falling out.

Inserting these in my ears for the first time, I thought it wasn’t going to be loud enough because it wasn’t deep in my ear. I’ve had this issue before with similar styles where you have to get it in the right position to get better volume. As it turns out, volume wasn’t an issue at all; they had plenty.

They have excellent battery life and take only a couple of hours to top off with a microUSB cord (included). At decent volume levels, around 70%, you can last 7-9 hours easily. The Bluetooth connects by just turning on the headphones and has a reach of around 30 feet.

Let’s face it, a good workout means one thing: sweat. Some of us sweat more than others, but none of us want that ruining our headphones. HiGoing’s headphones have an IPX4 rating, which means you can’t go swimming with them, buy it’s certainly protected from sweat.

Sound is where it really counts so let’s discuss how it stacks up. These headphones are a bit on the bass-y side. It doesn’t necessarily reach the level of distortion, though, so it’s no deal breaker. It’s more prevalent in some songs than others, so results will vary. The highs and mids are more on the transparent side. Overall, and considering $22 price tag, these are great workout headphones to buy.

You can buy HiGoing Wireless Stereo Workout Headsets in one of three different colors: Red/Gold, Black/Gray or Red/Gray.

Buy HiGoing’s workout headphones

New Bee

Yunyida’s New Bee headphones are sold exclusively on HiGoing’s Amazon page. These on-ear headphones are a nice bang-for-the-buck pair when it comes to Bluetooth headphones. They have a nice build that is smooth to the touch and features a matte finished soft rubber shell. The ear cups have a soft padding that is great for long term wear so you can avoid that soreness on the outer ear that some headphones leave you with.

These headphones have a foldable and adjustable headband for easy storage and easy fit. For extra comfort, they have padding at the top. The ear cups are connected to a swiveling piece at the bottom of the headband. This piece is made out of plastic that has a slight sheen to it without looking cheap. Since the ear cups swivel, it creates a better fit no matter who is wearing them.

On the side of the right ear cup, you’ll find four buttons that control power/phone call, two volume buttons that double as skip tracks, and play/pause. All the controls are easy to press, which is more than I can say for others I have used.

On the bottom of the right ear cup, you will find a USB port, 3.5mm jack, and a small hole for the microphone. I’m not gonna say the phone call quality was excellent, but it’s sufficient being that you probably won’t be using it primarily for this purpose.

New Bee’s Bluetooth connects quickly by turning on the headphones, and the light at the bottom of the headphones will flash blue and red. Listening range is typical of any other Bluetooth device, around 30 feet, and it works flawlessly for me.

Let’s discuss battery life. The company boasts that this 800mAh battery can do 45 hours of playback time, 60 hours of phone calls, and 180 days of standby time. I can’t attest to the phone calls time as I’m not sure I even talk on the phone 60 hours in a year, and it would have been wrong to hold on to these for 180 days before getting around to the review.

In the time I have had these, I’ve only charged once, and I didn’t fully charge them. I have listened to about 10 hours of music off and on and had roughly 30 minutes of talk time, and I’m still on the same charge. It may not go the full 45 hours, but feel confident in saying it will last plenty long enough for average users.

Since these headphones are foldable, they are compact and easy to take along with you. Thankfully, they come with a roomy clamshell hard case for protection in your bag. Inside this case are the instruction manual, microUSB cable, and a 3.5mm cord. While you certainly don’t always need a case it is nice to have one to protect investments.

Overall, New Bee has a sound that is full, with tight bass and transient mids and highs. It makes for incredible listening sessions, and for $35, these headphones are a steal.

Other features in the New Bee included NFC for quick and easy pairing and an app for tracking steps while wearing. You can buy New Bee headphones in one of three different colors: Red, Brown, or Black.

Buy New Bee headphones from Amazon

Giveaway

We’re giving you a chance to win a pair of headphones from Higoing and AndroidGuys. In fact, we’re helping to give out two pairs, one of each model. We’ll give away brown version of the on-ear and a black set of the in-ear units.

To enter simply leave a comment between now and 11:59PM PST Friday, July 22. Make sure that you do use a working email address for your account/comment so we can reach you there. It doesn’t get much easier! Unfortunately, we do have to limit the entries to those of you living in the United States.

You can learn more about HiGoing on Facebook and Twitter.