Apps Rush: Tech City, Tango, Mafia Wars Shakedown, Gangstar Rio, Beebdroid, My Note Games and more

A selection of 18 new apps for you today: Tech City The UK government's Tech City initiative now has its own iPhone and Android app, courtesy of Mobile Roadie. It promises news from the East London cluster of startups and technology companies, as well as augmented reality features courtesy of Aurasma. The app also includes The Guardian's series of Tech City podcasts. iPhone / Android The Show Must Go On Hide and Seek Productions has made this characterful iPhone mini-games collection for the Royal Opera House in London, getting players to catch music, find props, dress stars, build sets and then light it all up. There's a suitably orchestral soundtrack from EMI to accompany it. iPhone Tango Skype may now be a Microsoft subsidiary, but it has some competition on Windows Phone for VoIP calls and video calls from Tango. The app lets WP users communicate with users on iOS, Android and PCs, automatically pulling in friends' details who already have the app on those platforms. Windows Phone Mafia Wars Shakedown by Zynga Zynga's latest social game for iPhone is a spin-off from its Mafia Wars franchise. Mafia Wars Shakedown's slogan is "Battle friends. Defeat bosses. Rule the world". The aim is still to build up a gangster mob, complete with weapons, armour and vehicles, but the battling features are emphasized. iPhone LoveFilm By Post UK service LoveFilm has launched its first Android app, although it's focused on the company's rentals-by-post service rather than streaming films. The app helps customers manage their list, watch trailers and browse upcoming movies. Android Beebdroid The latest emulator app to hit Android Market is Beebdroid, an emulator of the BBC Micro computer. The app is free and open source, and points people in the direction of websites hosting ROMs for games and applications. Android Gangstar Rio: City of Saints Grand Theft Auto III may be on its way to iOS, but Gameloft has got in before it with the latest installment in its GTA-influenced Gangstar series. This time the action takes place in Rio de Janeiro, with 60 missions, five neighborhoods to explore, and in-game radio stations playing tunes by the likes of M.I.A. and Bonde do Role. iPhone / iPad Asteroids Gunner Atari has revived its Asteroids franchise with a new version for iOS. Shooting the bejaysus out of space rocks is still core to the action, but there are also enemy ships, power-ups and more than 200 achievements to unlock. Veteran iOS gamers will note the resemblance to Space Miner, which was itself inspired by the original Asteroids. iPhone / iPad My Note Games My Note Games is an iOS app designed to be used together with a physical instrument, including piano, guitar, trumpet and recorder. Aimed at children, it uses note recognition technology to identify the notes they're playing, and give feedback on whether they're the right ones. Three mini-games make it an entertaining experience. iPhone / iPad Ocado On The Go Home shopping service Ocado has ported its Ocado On The Go app to BlackBerry and Windows Phone, following previous iOS and Android releases. It claims to be the first "transactional supermarket app" for BlackBerry in the UK, helping people fill their digital baskets on the go. BlackBerry / Windows Phone RSS Alarm Clock widgets are ten-a-penny on Android, but RSS Alarm has a neat twist: it wakes you up by reading your RSS feeds, including podcasts. It works with Google Reader, Google Listen and other podcatcher services, and uses Android's text-to-speech engine. Android Apps For Execs There are a number of app-recommendation apps for iPhone, but Apps For Execs has a specific focus: apps for business folk. It covers financial, travel and social networking apps aimed at the business community, among other categories. iPhone HD Widgets 2.0 Android app HD Widgets was released for Honeycomb tablets a while back, but it's now available for seven-inch Android slates, as well as smartphones. It promises a selection of useful and fun widgets for the devices, which can be easily swapped and customised. Android Corpse Granny Bulkypix's latest puzzle game for iPhone is a mix of platforms, fireballs, zombies and, yes, grannies. It includes a mode to make your own levels and send them to friends to play. iPhone LinkOut Social networking app LinkOut taps into people's LinkedIn profiles, and aims to hook them up with relevant contacts in their area, tying in with the calendar and location to suggest the best time and place to meet. iPhone Snuggle Truck iOS hit Snuggle Truck has been ported to BlackBerry PlayBook, keeping its physics-based driving gameplay intact. As with Corpse Granny, there's a level editor to create your own challenges and share them with other players. BlackBerry PlayBook Chocohero Chocohero is a colourful platformer from Korean publisher Com2uS which comes on like a reverse Doodle Jump: tilt the device as the chocolatey hero rolls down, while picking up power-ups and upgrading items with coins. iPhone / iPad Simon's Cat in Cat Chat Remember the hit series of YouTube animations Simon's Cat? There's now a (second) app for that: a game involving attempts to "skillfully place items on a hedgehog's back without him noticing". iPhone