The iPad, and previously the iPhone, have fast become the biggest mobile gaming platform in the world, with millions of people downloading simple apps like Angry Birds to their devices to play on the move. Now, though, there is a new kid on the block, and it’s going to blow Angry Birds out of the metaphorical water.

The OnLive service launched in both the US and UK for Macs and PCs a few months ago, and it has changed the way a lot of people play games completely. The system allows you to play a high-definition game on any machine, whether it’s a £200 netbook running Windows Vista or a high-end gaming PC designed specifically for producing the best the graphics. What computer you use won’t actually make any difference to how the game looks, because the entire game is streamed to you from the OnLive servers.

When you input controls, they are beamed to the server farm, which works out what you want to do and instantly beams back the visual reaction to what you have done, with every part of the computing taking place in the server. All your computer needs is an internet connection and you can play any kind of game you want at the highest quality available. And it works. Exciting, eh?

Now, though, things are getting even more interesting. While you can already play OnLive on your Mac, and buy a wireless controller for the device if you want a more traditional gaming experience, you could previously only observe games if you use the free OnLive app for iPad. Flicking between the games that other users are play and watching their progress live was increidbly impressive, but what we really wanted was to be able to play these games on the iPad, right?

Right – and the OnLive people have finally managed to do it. Check out this video, taken at E3 this year, shows an early demo of Batman: Arkham Asylum being played on an iPad, using a wireless controller. The app will be launching as soon as Apple approve it to the app store, and will include a whole selection of games that are playable with taps and swipes on the screen. At launch, there are three titles with Native Touch controls (one of which is the recent Rockstar title, LA Noire), which have been specifically designed to work with the iPad as if the game was built for Apple’s tablet.

Click here to view the embedded video.

There will be a controller launching for the service very soon (£39.99 and $49.99 in the UK and US respectively) that will allow you to connect not only to your iPad  but also to your Mac through bluetooth. You can play around 25 titles using touch controls on your iPad, but connecting a controller will unlock the full library of over 200 games currently available through OnLive. What’s really exciting is the potential here – with a MicroConsole and an iPad, you could display two different views of the same game, which could add a whole new dimension to gaming in the same way that AirPlay mirroring has with Apple TV and some iOS titles.

There’s also some great news for those in the US – OnLive have also been working on the service over 4G LTE networks with AT&T and Verizon, so you can play anywhere. Those who download the free OnLive Player app from the app store when it goes live will get a free copy of Lego Batman to test out the controls, and can test out other games for 30 minutes at no cost. So what are you waiting for – go get it now!

If you’re in the UK, you might also be interested to hear that BT is offering its home broadband customers an exclusive opportunity to get the OnLive PlayPack free for three months when they register online at bt.com/onlive before January 31 2012.

When it comes to ‘design’, there are a few basic rules that should be adhered to in order to create a product that is eye-catching, legible and well-balanced. By following a few simple steps, you’re going to learn some of these design skills and become versed in how to apply them to your own creations. In this case, we’re going to create the ultimate family newsletter, using the same rules that are applied to newspapers, books and magazines worldwide. Although it will take a bit of practice to define your skills, it’s easy to learn the basics and once you have mastered them, you can apply them to virtually everything that you do from now on, from using grid structures to using typography effectively, this tutorial will help you create much more professional-looking work. Before you start, you may find it helpful to sketch out on paper how you want your newsletter to look, from where each story will go, to where you will place images.

After setting up your profile in the App Store, installing a few freebies and moving on to install some commercial software too, you find yourself with a cluttered dock and the need to recover some disk space.

Indeed, with such a great tool as the App Store, it is easy to overburden your system with unnecessary software, free games and applications. The problem is that, unlike the average document downloaded from the internet, these software packages can be large and will not only fill your Applications folder, but could also litter your dock and desktop with all manner of shortcuts and preference files.

Recovering free disk space on your system and de-cluttering your environment is an essential part of maintaining a healthy system. This tutorial will help you keep your cool when considering the somewhat daunting and risky task of removing unwanted software from your system.

Step 1: Locate the application
Every software application bought on the App Store is installed in your Applications folder. Open a Finder window and navigate to the software.

Step 2: Is the software running?
For menu bar utilities, use the respective Quit menu item to close. For regular running software, switch to an active window and hit Command+Q.

Step 3: Locate the dock shortcut
With most applications, a dock shortcut is created. Browse through the dock at the bottom of your screen and look for a pictogram of the software.

Step 4: Trash the shortcut
If the shortcut is present, click and hold until the contextual menu appears. Choose Options and then Remove from Dock to remove the shortcut.

Step 5: Trash the application
Return to your Applications folder, click and hold on the software to be deleted and move it on to the Trash icon in the dock. Let go of your click to delete.

Step 6: Are you authorised to do it?
When an App Store purchase is dropped onto the Trash, a dialog box opens, asking you to enter an administrator password. Enter one and click OK.

Step 7: Check your work
Click once on the Trash icon in the dock and the Trash Finder window appears. Check carefully that the application is listed in the contents of the Trash.

Step 8: Empty the trash
With the Trash window still open, start the emptying procedure. Click the Empty button on the right-side of the Trash banner located under the toolbar.

Step 9: A word of warning
In the second step of the removal process, a warning dialog box opens prior to the Trash emptying. Click Empty Trash to delete the software.

Click on the image below to zoom in on the annotations.

DrawRace 2 HD · Chillingo Ltd · iPad · £1.99/$2.99

Simple games are perfect for iOS devices. Angry Birds, Cut the Rope and Infinity Blade all works thanks to a simple swipe system that makes them simple for anyone to play, but incredibly addictive thanks to their clever level design. Well, another of these games has recently been released by Chillingo, and it’s absolutely brilliant.

DrawRace 2 is (as you may have guessed) the sequel to DrawRace 1, but the difference between the two games is absolutely huge. While the first game was a relatively simple, 2D top down racer, the sequel has been fleshed out into a much more rounded product. Now in full 3D, races take place on incredible landscapes of dust, ice and tarmac. The graphics are fantastic too – sure, they’re not as stunning as Dead Space HD in full flow, but the animations are smooth and fast, and the tracks and their surrounds really feel alive with flowing rivers and rubber skid-marks staying on the tracks as you race.

Draw the lines on-screen with your finger to set your car’s path

The controls are just like other successful iOS games – easy to learn, difficult to master. The principle is simple: you draw a line on the race track with your finger and your car will follow it. Draw fast and the car will accelerate, draw slow and it will brake. Skidding slows you down, so keeping in control of your speed is vital to success.You also get a boost that builds up while you’re braking, and using this at the right time can be the difference between success and failure.

Timing your Boost is vital, and cutting corners will cause things like cones to scatter across the track.

There are three main game modes: a Single-player Career Mode, a World League mode that allows you to race against others online, and a mulit-player mode that gives four players the chance to race on the same screen. The Career Mode will keep you occupied for some time, with five classes each containing twelve races . Each race will start with one opponent who you must beat over two laps. You then race the track again with two opponents, then three. You will win a medal for each, and unlock the next class when you’ve won a certain number of medals.

As you power through Career Mode you’ll unlock new cars and tracks

The game is monstrously addictive, and you can’t help diving back in after you’ve been pipped to the post for the eighth time. You curse if you draw a corner just a tiny bit wrong, or when you boost in the wrong place, but because you know it was your own fault you try again to correct your mistake. There is never a feeling that the computer-controlled racers are unbeatable, and it’s this that constantly draws (hur hur) you back in. In fact, we’re issuing you with a warning now: you will not be able to put this game down. And we absolutely love it.

Pros:

+ Fantastically simple controls
+ Beautiful tracks
+ Will last you a long time
+ Single-iPad and online Multiplayer modes

Cons:

- Will suck away your life
- A ‘Single Race’ mode would have been great.

Verdict: