Do Your Part to Help Ukraine – Stop Using Yandex Apps

March 22nd, 2022 Editor

Do Your Part to Help Ukraine – Stop Using Yandex Apps
TheiPhoneAppReview.com

What can you, or any of us do, to show our support and, just possibly help Ukraine fight back against their aggressor? You don’t have to fly there to volunteer in the Ukraine army to have an impact. No, you can stay where you are and do things that make a difference.

According to Wikipedia, “On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict that began in 2014. Internationally considered a war of aggression,[29][30] it is the largest military assault on a European state since World War II. The invasion has also caused the largest refugee crisis in Europe since that war, with over 3.5 million Ukrainians fleeing the country. Millions more Ukrainians have been displaced.”

The Russian people are not likely to overthrow Putin but the military or the oligarchs might. So, what might cause this to happen? Well, there are countless scenarios that apply here but one is quite simple. If the pockets of the oligarchs are pinched they might be motivated to make some changes.

Just like boycotting a product from a company whose policies or politics you don’t agree with, such as the many Latino folks who have stopped buying any Goya products to protest their allegiance with Donald Trump, you can boycott apps too.

As it turns out, Yandex is by far the biggest tech company in Russia, with everything from a search engine to messaging apps, a web browser, ride-hail services and more.

According to Business Insider “There are currently 45 iPhone apps for Yandex on the Apple App Store in the United States, as well as extra apps for the Apple Watch and iMessage, according to a review by Insider on Monday. The apps range from Yandex’s search engine to a Yandex web browser and a messaging app.”

They go on to say that “Yandex has faced accusations of censorship and of having close ties to the Russian state. Since the invasion of Ukraine, several US companies have cut ties with Yandex, including food delivery service GrubHub, which announced this month that it would end a partnership using driverless robots to deliver food on college campuses in the US. Web browser maker Mozilla removed Yandex as a default search provider last week, citing the “prevalence of state sponsored content.””

So, the next time you go to download an app, or better yet make the effort to check the apps you currently use, and if the developer is Yandex, either find another app or if you already have it – long press and hit delete.

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9 Best iPhone Games for 2022

March 4th, 2022 dxRc81Il

9 Best iPhone Games for 2022
TheiPhoneAppReview.com

It’s 2022 and time to shake up your gaming app rotation. But which iPhone games are worth your time? That’s where we can help. We’ve curated a list of nine of the best iPhone games that are well worth it and we promise you won’t be disappointed.

Paring down all the latest games to our top 9 best iPhone games of 2022 is a daunting but incredibly fun task. We decided to dive right in as a service to all of our loyal readers. Don’t get stuck playing the same ol’ same ol’ games like Temple Run, Subway Surfer, or Clash of Clans.

Make 2022 the year that you break out of your gaming rut and try something new.

Our curated selection of the 9 Best iPhone Games for 2022 represents tons of work on our part so you don’t have to deal with the riffraff. There’s something for everyone here so follow our advice and get right to the gems.

With all that in mind, here are 9 of the absolute best iPhone games for 2022 that we think you need to play right now.

These games are hot so don’t wait, get on it!

1. Among Us!

Among Us! is not just a game, it’s a gaming phenomenon and a top notch party game.

This is a brilliantly designed social gaming platform that is a blast to play with friends locally, on the same network, or even remotely across the internet. You play as part of a crew, so there has to be at least 4 player – 15 max, and the object it to identify the randomly chosen imposter who is bent on causing as much chaos as possible. Don one of the optional roles, such as Scientist or Guardian Angel or even Shapeshifter to take your gameplay to the next level.

One game is likely to run about 15 minutes but we think you won’t believe that 15 minutes has elapsed since the game started. It is an exciting game that is perfect for a group that loves gaming. That doesn’t mean that you have to always know who you’re playing with, just go online and find a crew.

If you’re assigned the role of ‘imposter’, your job is to murder crew members while avoiding being identified and convincing survivors someone else should be voted off the ship into deep space. Since roles are randomly assigned you play the role you’re given unless you opt out of the game and start again. But beware, do that too much and you’ll get locked out for a few minutes.

One of the key advantages of this game is its broad base of players due to the fact that it is truly multi-platform supporting mobile, pc, Mac and console.

Cost: Free
IAPs: Yes
iOS: 13.0+
Supports: Family Sharing
Notes: Designed for iPad, #4 in Action
Developer: InnerSloth LLC

2. Skate City

Skateboarding games have come a long way since Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater dropped like a bomb and sold over 1 billion copies on all platforms.

This is not the ultimate competitive skateboarding game, Skate City is rather a chill skating game that has worked well on Apple Arcade since 2019.

The main task here is to complete your challenges as you proceed through the game. In some ways this process makes it seem like you’re moving through a sequence of hurdles but regardless, it’s a fun time.

The action takes place in four cities, LA, Oslo, and Barcelona, and Miami and you have a series of 21 challenges in each. You’ll achieve a rating of 1-3 stars for each. It’s also worth noting that you can’t progress unless you get at least one star in each group of 3 challenges.

The controls offer you two options: you can swipe the touch screen in various directions to perform tricks, or if you prefer, you can just hold your iPhone and move it as you’d like to move. Either way you should not be control-constrained to putting together some mad combos.

Keep in mind that Skate City is essentially a fun endless runner game and not a high adrenaline competitive game. If you pick it up and play it for 5 mins or 50 mins you’ll have a sweet time. Don’t expect too much in the way of crazy hard challenges but rather enjoy it for what it is.

While it can seem a bit short it is a relaxing time and works well as a quick pick-up-and-play bit of entertainment that you can also use on Apple TV and so it can also be a cool party game.

Cost: Apple Arcade
IAPs: No
iOS: 13.0+
Supports: 18 Languages, Game Controllers, Game Center, Family Sharing
Developer: Snowman

3. Super Mombo Quest

Super Mombo Quest is one of our favorite high quality action-packed platform games that features a ton of depth with lots crazy fighting and loads of collectables.

As “Mombo”, your personna is a rectangularish large-tongued purple creature. You have only one task, your only duty is to save Subrosa from destruction.

Are you ready to dive in and accomplish this noble goal?  Well then get set to run around an interconnected world of hundreds of areas completing your various challenges. When you’re ready to sit back a bit and chill you can chat it up with the guardians of Subrosa, a very interesting group.

Start by exploring the expansive map and check out the different challenges each area has to offer. Just make sure you complete them in time so you can collect your reward.

Ultimately you want to defeat all of your enemies within the allotted time so you can get a combo. The game’s changing pace will be an additional challenge that you have to work with. While there are IAPs, we’re happy to report that you can play quite a bit without having to lay out any cash whatsoever.

Cost: Free
IAPs: Yes
iOS: 10.0+
Supports: 6 Languages, Family Sharing
Notes: Designed for iPad
Developer: Orube Game Studio

4. Call of Duty®: Mobile

In this classic first-person multiplayer shooter, the latest spin-off of the wildly popular Call of Duty franchise, you’ll play against other online gamers.

The key appeal, of course, is that you’ll be using realistic military-style weapons and tactics. This is not for little ones or the faint of heart.

The good news is that with the specs of the latest iPhones, the capabilities of the hardware bring console-quality action to your handheld device. The multiplayer maps from Call of Duty®: Black Ops and Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® that you may already be familiar with are here for you for free. That’s not nothing!

One very cool aspect of the game is how big the Battle Royale mode can get. Up to 99 players!

We’re big fans of this entire franchise and can’t help gushing about the incredible experience it offers for iPhone players. With over 400 million copies sold, it’s likely you have played this game before, and in that case we don’t have to say much to you. If you haven’t, all we can say is, what rock have you been hiding under?

Cost: Free
IAPs: Yes
iOS: 9.0+
Supports: 10 Languages, Family Sharing
Notes: #3 in Action
Developer: Activision Publishing Inc.

5. Night in the Woods

Jump into the skin of Mae Borowski, a college dropout, and see what’s going on in your home town. The decrepit former booming mining town of Possum Springs just might have some surprises in store for you.

This adventure game is a great example of the new funky story lines that have become so popular with the latest wave of these games. From the moment you start exploring what the 20 year old Mae has around her, you’ll be caught up in this engaging narrative.

Her hometown buds, Bea, Gregg, and Angus offer a variety of believable situations that you can imagine happing in this realistic story. Each character is nicely defined with just the right touches that make them quite real. But don’t stop there, you’ll no doubt enjoy chatting it up with any number of secondary folks handing around town.

Just don’t expect Call of Duty level action here. This is a more quiet game that lends itself to a more enjoyable easy pace rather than something where you’re racing to finish is the best time possible.

While you may not find Mae to be the most likable character, she does have her faults, the more you get to know her and the others in Possum Springs the more you’ll relate to them as real flawed individuals.

Stop and smell the roses, and enjoy all the detailed work that has gone into creating this wonderful world that’s at your disposal.

Cost: $5.99
IAPs: No
iOS: 14.0+
Supports: Family Sharing
Notes: #170 in Adventure
Developer: Finji

6. Asphalt 9: Legends Car Game

If you’re a fan of racing games, and we’re not talking about Mario Kart, although that’s super fun game in its own right, then you’ll appreciate the high quality components of Asphalt 9.

If you’re ready to experience true-to-life real hypercars from renowned manufacturers such as Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini and W Motors, then this is the game for you.

This multiple award winning racing game is second to none in our opinion. It offers an adrenaline boosting driving experience while sitting on the bus! How’d they do that? No matter, just start by customizing your ride and browse the terrifically detailed racing locations.

Check out Tap-to-Steer and Tilt-to-Steer to see what works best for you but whichever you prefer don’t forget to also check out their amazing TouchDrive™ systems that is quite an achievement for games like this. It really works with you so you can max out your fun and enjoy the racing experience even more.

We’re thoroughly impressed with the graphics and love how all the little details really come together to make for an immersive racing experience.

Cost: Free
IAPs: Yes
iOS: 13.0+
Supports: 14 Languages, Game Controllers, Game Center, Family Sharing
Notes: #13 in Sports
Developer: Gameloft

7. Wordscapes

Wordscapes is a fun and relaxing word hunt game that makes some of your spare time more enjoyable. It has beaucoup downloads, more than 10 million across multiple platforms, attesting to its wide appeal.

Having succeeded for almost 5 years at being one of the most popular mobile word games, this game has a lot to offer that goes beyond what’s on the surface.

That said, the surface is actually one the nicest aspects of this game. Wordscapes’ colorful scenes are incredibly beautiful and visually relaxing. While you relax in its idyllic environ, you can rest assured that your time is not wasted. Just by playing the game you’ll be exercising your gray matter, improving your memory and logic, and adding to your vocabulary.

Once you get started you’ll find that you have a hard time stopping finding hidden words. It’s really amazing how rewarding it can be to find that next word. We are big fans of crossword, word connect and word anagram games, and Wordscapes, by combining best of word find games and crossword puzzles, scratches the itch in the best way.

If you happen to get stuck on a word, don’t fret. There are online sites devoted to helping you. But don’t give in too quickly. The whole point of a  word puzzle, regardless of the type of puzzle it is, it to challenge you to think.

Cost: Free
IAPs: Yes
iOS: 12.0+
Supports: Family Sharing
Notes: #3 in Word
Developer: PeopleFun Inc.

8. Roblox

In a sense Roblox is more of a meta-game than a game itself. That’s because it’s an awesome game-creation service that lets users design and upload their own games, and then play those same self-created games as well as those created by other people, all in a well-executed multiplayer environment.

This capability means that users are free to use their imagination and creativity to construct the game they always wanted. Of course, more likely, is to find out about an existing game from friends who are already playing it, so you can join the fun.

But however you start, there’s always more at your fingertips if desired. The open format encourages users to get comfortable with exploring, interacting, and, above all, dipping into your own creativity. Players can start our as total newbies, that is as player/explorers, and grow into veteran experienced users and ultimately game developers.

There aren’t many environments out that with all that Roblox has to offer. Of course it can be a bit overwhelming and costly too. Be aware that you, or your kid, can purchase the in-game currency known as Robux or opt for a paid Premium membership that nets you a monthly Robux allowance. This is not necessarily a bad thing depending on how deep you go and what you can afford. The incentive is that it allows you to buy, sell, and trade items to earn more Robux

One important point about this environment is that Roblox’s communication policy allows kids’ interactions to be anywhere on the spectrum from legitimate inter-kid messages to illegitimate predatory behavior. As with most things in life caveat emptor.

Cost: Free
IAPs: Yes
iOS: 9.0+
Supports: 15 Languages, Family Sharing
Notes: #1 in Adventure
Developer: Roblox Corp.

9. Pinball Deluxe: Reloaded

After all the downloading, trying, loving then hating, and hoping for that next life-changing gaming experience, you might just want to settle in with a total classic.

Pinball has been one of the great arcade games ever invented for over 50 years. It has survived because it’s simple to play, difficult to master, fun, exciting and challenging. The key for game developers has been to bring that appeal to a downloadable app.

We’re thrilled to report that Made of Bits Games Ltd. has done just that. This is tour de force with respect to virtual pinball gaming. The devs have done an outstanding job of tuning the physics engine to recreate the physical pinball experience as faithfully as is possible.

The level of detail as well as the action in all ten of the tables is stunning. From the wild west to deep sea treasure hunting to outer space and more. There’s lots here to love.

Of course being a virtual rendition of a physical game can be a plus or a minus (or both). We think the pluses vastly outweigh the minuses, if any, due to the way that mods and the online multiplayer experience has been implemented.

So go ahead and become a Pinball Wizard!

Cost: Free
IAPs: Yes
iOS: 10.0+
Supports: 11 Languages, Game Center, Family Sharing
Developer: Made of Bits Games Ltd.

 

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Learning Spanish is Fun With These Apps

February 17th, 2022 Jimbo

Learning Spanish is Fun With These Apps
TheiPhoneAppReview.com

Learning a foreign language as an adult is hard. Don’t believe the ads or the hype, it’s freaking hard and takes lots of time and effort. That said, there are ways to make the journey less painful.

These three apps stand out from the crowd by virtue of their educational design and straightforward execution. A key to learning a foreign language as an adult is maintaining your motivation to stay with whatever course, book, or app you’re using. You have to stay with it and do it everyday for the best results.

With that in mind, these 3 popular iPhone Spanish language games are worth your time because they do a great job of making a difficult task, learning Spanish, easier and fun.

1. LangLandia – Spanish Game

Who doesn’t love playing games? You’ve no doubt played many different iPhone games and maybe even tried one of the big language learning apps like DuoLingo to learn Spanish.

When you get down to it, though, the best designed learning app is useless if you don’t use it. So, how do you crack that nut? LangLandia, from Language Unlimited LLC, does an admirable job of not only making the experience game-like, but they also spoon feed you Spanish lessons so you can build you skills over time.

For adults the game itself can be a bit hokey, but nonetheless it’s a well designed game that you’ll find you want to play.

As you complete the challenges you’ll move to more difficult content but we found that the progression was well paced and not as expensive as many pure learning apps.

This brings up the issue of cost. For LangLandia it all depends on how you want to play the game. We’d like this game to be more  straightforward on the pricing side but, compared to pure games, like Candy Crush, the cost is trivial and result is a lot more significant than just the thrill of matching 4 or 5 tiles.

2. Learn Spanish with Lingo Arcade

The basis of language learning is ultimately vocabulary. Lingo Arcade is a peppy vocabulary game that works great as a pick-up-and-play game.

Brought to you by Interactive Mobile Apps, aka Aligator Apps, this Spanish language game is focused on building your vocabulary. To its credit the game is fast-paced and fun. In many ways it’s similar to using flashcards, but much more engaging.

The gist of the game is that you pull on the lever and a series of pictures are shown. Depending on the game mode you either have to pick the right picture for the word to indicate of the word shown matches the picture.

The key is for the gameplay is that it’s fast and incredibly addictive. The downside is that while you can unlock 22 levels for $0.99, it will cost you $8.99 to unlock the rest of the game. As with LangLandia the cost is not that bad when compared to big money making games or paying a $7.99 monthly subscription for a learning app like Mango Languages, but you also don’t get as much content.

3. Spanish Language Maze

We were quite pleasantly surprised by the innovative approach to gamifying Spanish language training that this app takes.

Spanish Language Maze, from University of Nebraska – Lincoln, provides a very well researched technique for language learning. It prompts you to move as quickly as you can to come up with word choices to build sentences.

The two sections, Story Maze and Sentence Maze, complement each other very nicely. They provide a great training methodology for building your ability and confidence in speaking Spanish.

The Sentence Maze challenges you to select the correct word in order to build a valid sentence. This activity helps you to think through putting verbs, nouns, adjectives and other parts of a normal sentence properly together all while paying attention to gender consistency, which is a new thing for native English speakers.

In the Story Maze your task is to weave through sentences to make a realistic story. So, you need to know enough Spanish to understand what’s going on. This, obviously, is bit more advanced.

In both cases it’s a fun game that will definitely improve your skills with Spanish.

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Is AI Writing The Articles You’re Reading?

January 24th, 2022 Editor

Photo Yuyeung Lau / Unsplash

Is AI Writing The Articles You’re Reading?
TheiPhoneAppReview.com

 

AI writing assistants are a new trend in the world of content marketing. They can be used to generate content ideas at scale and they can also be used for niche blogging.

The AI writer blog generator is an interesting, useful, and worthwhile tool that helps bloggers with their blogging efforts by generating blog posts from scratch.

Some people think that the use of AI is bad for the reader. They believe that AI is too impersonal and does not have a human touch. But on the other hand, some people think that AI can be helpful and provide a lot of good information for readers.

Arguments:

  1. Some people think that the use of AI is bad for the reader and they believe that it is too impersonal and does not have a human touch. 
  2. 2) On the other hand, some people think that AI can be helpful and provide a lot of good information for readers.

There are many advantages to using AI in the creation of blog posts. It saves time and helps with writer’s block, it can generate content ideas at scale, and it can produce high quality content.

However, there are also drawbacks to using AI in the creation of blog posts. Some people worry that it will lead to a loss of jobs for human writers, some people think that it will lead to deception because AI is not transparent about its sources, and some people think that the use of AI will make blogs less interesting or useful.

Earlier this year Bernard Marr opined on forbes.com that “The algorithms used to create “deepfakes” – as artificial intelligence (AI)-generated imitations are known – are widely considered by cyber security experts to be a major challenge society will face in coming years.”

The bottom line is that like all technologies AI can be useful AND harmful, depending on how and why it’s used. AI in healthcare, for example, is generally regarded as a net benefit. I doubt anyone who has had a accurate medical diagnosis based on using AI will complain about it. 

On the other hand deepfakes in images and videos along with social media fake news bots are drawing attention to the downsides of it. 

Take Jordan Peele’s effort in 2018 to bring attention to the matter. He deepfake’d a video showing former President Obama saying (with full accurate lip synching and facial movements) “President Trump is a total and complete dipsh*t,” although he never actually said it.

For better for for worse many instances of content, from writing to photos to art to movies will more and more be created, or at least augmented by AI. 

Btw, most of this article was written using the AI services of rytr.me.

Do you care?

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Upgrade Your Grocery Shopping – Use Boxed Instead

January 19th, 2022 Jimbo

Boxed: Bulk Quality Essentials
Price: Free
Rating:
iPad App Review by TheiPhoneAppReview.com

Reviewed by Jimbo

Love to find a good deal, but hate the time it takes to find one? Then the Boxed app from developer Boxed is the app that you will go back to again and again.

Features:

The Boxed app works great on the iPad and makes getting a wide variety of household goods and groceries, and saving money at the same time, a simple process.

Turns out you don’t need Amazon for that, who knew?

Everyone would love to save wherever and when ever they can, and this app does the job for you in one of the most popular shopping realms – general grocery food shopping.

Whatever major website or food chain you use for your household goods and grocery shopping, we think you’re due for a change.

Whether it’s at supermarkets or specialty stores such as Trader Joe’s and Fresh & Easy, or even mega chains stores and warehouse stores such as Walmart, Target, and Costco Wholesale, this app goes toe-to-toe with all of them and gets you even greater savings.

Have everything compared and revealed from specific items, weekly lowest prices, printable coupons, and even secret sales! If you set up periodic deliveries of the things you use most your bulk purchasing savings will add up fast.

In the area of ease-of-use we would like to see integration with popular shopping apps and even recipe apps.

Appearance and Layout:

Boxed iPad App Review

The UI is pretty straightforward but a brief tutorial would  help you find your way around and use the app to its maximum potential. Even so, saving money has never been easier.

With an even more simplistic layout, the Boxed app helps you locate your stores and your grocery items quickly, and any related sales even quicker.

A well designed format allows you to view vendors and products clearly and free of distractions. Additional functions such as adding sales items to your lists, and viewing top sales all around or just for you are another plus.

A simple intuitive layout plus clear, bold font further tops off the appearance factor for this app.

Value:

When savings comes free, no one can complain. That is just the case with Boxed app. Not only does it not cost you a cent, but it also saves you the time and effort!

This app designed specially to take advantage of the iPad’s larger screen will appeal to anyone who does grocery shopping on their own. If you love grocery shopping, you will love it even more with the additional perks that this app gives and does for you.

If you dread grocery shopping, Boxed might just be a game changer for you once you realize how much money and time you can, and will, be saving.

Overall this app will help you save money without a lot of effort. Nothing wrong with that. And while it could do more to make it easier to interact with shopping list apps and recipe apps, we think that’s likely coming down the pike.

Boxed: Bulk Quality Essentials is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iPadOS 10.0 or later.

The iPad App Review’s rating:

Find your next iPad app at TheiPhoneAppReview.com

 

 

What do YOU think? We’d love to hear your comments, try it and let us know!

 

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KidsBeeTV is a Must-Have Video Source for Your Little One

December 30th, 2021 Sarah Hanlon

KidsBeeTV Fun Videos Safe Kids
Price: Free
Rating:
iPad App Review by TheiPhoneAppReview.com

Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon

Being a parent in the digital age can be challenging, especially when children can access the world from an iPad or iPhone just like adults. That’s why it’s important to make sure you’re allowing them to use safe apps that will keep them out of trouble.

KidsBeeTV is a must-have source of video content for your kids because it provides children with an entertaining and fun safe space.

Videos that are featured in the app have been approved by parents and educators, so you can rest assured that they’re high quality and age appropriate.

Concept and Functionality: 

KidsBeeTV, a free app developed by Magikbee, is designed for children aged 1-8 and includes a wide variety of videos to suit every stage of learning. You’ll need to create an account and a profile for your child, as well as sign up for the 7 day trial in order to use the app.

The layout of KidsBeeTV is very clean and kid-friendly. It’s easy to navigate between channels and the overall appearance of the app is very pleasing. There aren’t any ads or hidden menus for kids to accidentally get into, which is definitely a good thing.

Like many apps that are designed for children, KidsBeeTV includes security measures to deter kids from accidentally accessing app settings. I’m sure it’s not foolproof, but it’s clear the developers have focused on creating a safe and functional app for both children and adults.

Features: 

KidsBeeTV iPad App

Along with a great interface that children shouldn’t have any issues with navigating, KidsBeeTV includes plenty of features. For example, kids can earn badges for successfully passing quizzes.

KidsBeeTV offers a wide variety of videos (over 5,000 of them) on many different subjects, including music, short stories, arts and crafts, fitness, and more.

There’s a very helpful dashboard for parents to see how their child is spending time on KidsBeeTV. You can even set a limit on the amount of time your child can spend in the app.

Value: 

KidsBeeTV is available to download from the App Store for free and is primarily designed for iPad, though it’s compatible with iPhone, too.

As mentioned above, there’s a free trial that lasts one week. If you want to continue using KidsBeeTV, there are a variety of subscription plans to choose from.

Overall, KidsBeeTV is a wonderful app that should prove to be a great source of entertainment for young children. The videos are very high quality and there’s a surprising amount of subjects to choose from.

Besides iOS, this wonderful app for kids is also available for Android and Amazon devices and you can get more information at their Kids TV Shows website.

I highly recommend checking it out!

KidsBeeTV Fun Videos Safe Kids is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 9 or later.

The iPad App Review’s rating:

Find your next iPad app at TheiPhoneAppReview.com

 

 

What do YOU think? We’d love to hear your comments, try it and let us know!

 

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