Daily News and Free and Cheap Apps for 1/30

A nice bit of news out there for Kindle Fire fans today. A new report from Flurry tells us that in just a few short months, the Fire has drawn dead even with the Samsung Galaxy Tab, which has been out since September 2010. Revised numbers also show that Amazon sold as many as 6 million Fires last year, and sales numbers continue to be strong in this post-holiday period. This chart should give you an idea how much headway the Fire is making!

Cheap and Free Apps
Arguably the best hidden-object game out there, Mystery of the Crystal Portal only had one thing about it that kept me from constantly talking up this game over and over, and that was the price. $4.99 seemed a little steep, but right now it's on sale for only $2.99. Great graphics, great gameplay, and great story are why people everywhere are falling in love with this game...and you should be next!

Name: The Mystery of the Crystal Portal
Rating: 4.1 stars over 302 reviews
Price: $4.99 2.99
Description: Journalist Nicole Rankwist cares deeply for her father, an archaeologist. When he goes missing after making a discovery he thinks could "change the course of humanity," she knows that she can't rest until she discovers what happened to him.

Thus begins The Mystery of the Crystal Portal, a brain-bending game that will test your eyes and wits. As Nicole, you will travel to exotic locations and put your investigative abilities to the test as you seek answers.

As you travel through seven picturesque settings and explore the levels they contain, you'll find clues that lead to objects hidden throughout the scene. As you complete each puzzle, other items appear and other venues open up. Complete each level as you quest to find Nicole's father and discover the secret of the Crystal Portal.

Get your copy of The Mystery of the Crystal Portal!

This is an enticing little game where you run around with cute characters hacking things to pieces. I guess that means it's appealing to boys and girls, doesn't it? Either way, there's a lot of fun to be had here, and you can grab this one for just a buck!

Name: Colosseum
Rating: 4.1 stars over 10 reviews
Price: 0.99
Description: Mercilessly kill monsters in this awesome action packed RPG from Gamevil. Employ different tactics and master the skills of your various melee and ranged weapons. Earn money to upgrade your weapon and equipment inventory. Perform ice, lightning, fire, and meteor type magical effects to slaughter evil. Colosseum is for Android OS 2.2 and above.

*Endless action-packed fun
*Infinite number of stages and various types of monsters
*Unique customizable weapons
*5 types of melee weapons and 4 types of ranged weapons to equip
*3 levels of weapon upgrades and 2 types of equipment

Get your copy of Colosseum!

These space-image apps are some of the coolest ones out there for the Fire. I guess the display isn't perfect, but you'll get a good look into what's out there in the galaxy.

Name: Hubble Space Telescope
Rating: 4.9 stars over 89 reviews
Price: 0.00
Description: This Hubble Space Telescope app is great for looking out into our beautiful galaxy and getting a closer look at images taken from the Hubble telescope. Check out planets, stars, nebulae, galaxies, and more with one of the largest and most versatile research tools available in the field of astronomy. Save images to your mobile device as JPG files and put them on your computer, save them as your background, or view them in your gallery. Choose to view the top 100 images or select the Ran button to view a random page of images.

*View stunning images of our galaxy
*Save images to your mobile device
*Check out the top 100 images

Get your free copy of Hubble Space Telescope!

I made the jump from Dictionary.com to Merriam-Webster a few years ago and have never looked back. Even though they have their share of ads too, I found the information was generally more detailed. Grab it for free!

Name: Dictionary - Merriam-Webster
Rating: 4.2 stars over 14 reviews
Price: 0.00
Description: You know it, you love it, it's the original and best: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Now you can get it for your Android device and take it everywhere you go.

This dictionary app offers voice search to let you look up a word without having to spell it, along with synonyms, antonyms, example sentences, Word of the Day feature, and more. Audio pronunciations are included. It’s a great tool for reference, education, and vocabulary building.

Get your free copy of Dictionary - Merriam-Webster!