News & Press

Esquire Says QRANK is One to Watch

Esquire magazine's September issue tags QRANK in its "Encyclopedia of Now" feature, a collection of "80 people, places, and ideas that matter right now."

Nestled among Jonathan Franzen, Kinect, Wikileaks, 3-D, and Mark Zuckerberg is everyone's favorite location-based trivia addiction, QRANK:

"The quick-hit, wildly addictive current-affairs trivia game that lets you compete against your friends all day, every day. No better excuse to stay informed."

Esquire is on newsstands now, or read it online. 

Big Props from Macworld

Macworld gives props to QRANK, awarding it 4.5 out of 5 mice.  Pretty sweet! 

Macworld praises QRANK's social hooks with Twitter and Facebook, its design, and the quality of its trivia questions.  Macworld sums it up this way: "...in he end, all trivia games come down to how interesting the questions (and possible answers) are. And in this aspect, Qrank is terrific."

Read the full review here.

Start Your Own Live QRANK Game

QRANK 2.0 adds a big new feature to our popular quiz game: free live games that you can play head-to-head with your friends as much as you want, whenever you want.  Here are the cool points:

*  New games start every 15 minutes, 24 hours per day. 

*  There's no limit on how many games you can play or how often. 

*  You can play by yourself or against any number of other players.  So next time you're out with your friends, fire up QRANK and match wits with your buddies in real time. 

Here's how to start your own live QRANK game:

After you launch QRANK, tap the "Find Live" button on the main menu:

QRANK locates you on a map and shows you nearby QRANKSpots.  These are venues like bars, restaurants and coffee houses hosting live games. 

Tap on the little "Q" flags on the map to get info about each location's game.  You can either go to that venue and join its game, or you can start your own wherever you are. 

To create your own QRANKSpot, tap "Create QRANKSpot" on the map.  You'll see a list of nearby venues.  Select the one you're in, or if your location doesn't appear on the list, tap "Not Listed" and create your own QRANKSpot.

Once you've created your QRANKSpot, tap "Play" to join the game.  Games start every 15 minutes and you can jump in and out at any time. 

QRANK Live Crazy

What is QRANK Live?  The San Antonio Express News has an in-depth article about it.  Roy Brag dissects trivia mania with an emphasis on one of our recent live events, this one with The Texas Tribune.  Read the full article here.

Hit Home Slice for Qrank Live Mondays in August!

Home Slice Pizza in Austin is hosting QRANK Live each Monday night in August from 7 - 9 pm.  Join us in the restaurant or the back patio for cold beer, yummy slices, homemade desserts, and hot QRANK action. 

Rumor has it that Deb and Andy Langer from 101X and Dale Dudley from KLBJ may even join the action.  Come show them how smart you are!

Texas Tribune Hosts QRANK Live, Weds, Aug 4

It may be no surprise that many of us at QRANK HQ are political geeks.  From playing the game, you've probably seen our love of politics, good and bad, admirable and ridiculous.  That's why we're pumped that the Texas Tribune is hosting one of our next live QRANK events. 

The Tribune is presenting an evening of QRANK on Wednesday, August 4, at Jo's in downtown Austin (242 West 2nd St.) from 7 to 9 p.m.   Everyone is welcome to match wits with the Tribune's writers and staff in real-time, head-to-head QRANK games.  All you need is an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad to join the fun. 

Jo's will offer drink specials to all players, as well as prizes to the winner of each round.  The quiz masters at QRANK HQ will offer up a range of quiz challenges, with an emphasis on Texas news, culture and politics.  The event is free and open to the public.  More info is here and RSVPs are encouraged.  Hope to see you there. 

101X Gets Its Qrank On

Rodney Gibbs, our CEO, joined Deb and Jason of 101X on their popular morning show.  Don't tell anyone, but Deb has an addiction... to QRANK.  She particularly enjoys kicking the crud out of Jason and Andy Langer, who joined them on the two segments.

Here's the first segment:

Please download Adobe Flash to listen to this audio

And the second one:

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TUAW Names QRANK its Daily App

Thanks to the well-respected TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) for naming QRANK its "Daily App" for July 16th!  The reviewer felt that the game represents a harbinger of future apps, with its tight social networking integration and fresh daily content.  They also enjoyed being able to match daily scores with friends.  They wrote that "Something like this is complicated and painful if not done right, but Qrank (or QRANK, if you want to shout about it) has it just about dead-on."  Thanks guys!

QRANK Reviewed by App-A-Day Podcast

QRANK was recently reviewed by Nathan with the App-A-Day podcast in San Antonio, Texas (near our home base of Austin).  He said that QRANK is "a really well-designed game."  He also noted the fun element of QRANK's location-based awards, and appreciated getting special awards for playing the game in different states.  He gave the game 5 out of 5 stars and recommended that people check it out!

Austin Players: Hit Home Slice for QRANK Live!

Austin's best pizza joint, Home Slice, is hosting Qrank Live this Friday evening, July 9, from 6 - 9 pm.  Join us on the back patio for cold draught beer, yummy slices, and head-to-head QRANK fun. 

What is QRANK Live?  It's the same great trivia game you know and love but with a cool new twist.  Through the magic of GPS, QRANK Live matches you against everyone else in the venue in totally synchronized, real-time games.  These live games are leisurely paced, giving you plenty of time to socialize with your friends, sip your beer, and scout out the room for that smartie you beat you on the last question.  We're rolling out QRANK Live nationwide later this month.    

This event is free and open to the public.  Join us for a quick round or hang around for a while and enjoy a beautiful evening in Austin.  Home Slice is located at 1415 South Congress and its phone number is 444-PIES.  See you Friday!   

IGN Reviews QRANK on Facebook

IGN's Nicole Tanner wrote a great review of QRANK on Facebook.  She said that "QRANK is perfect for the person who loves trivia."  She also noted how unique it is compared to most other Facebook games.  Thanks!  To play QRANK free on Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/Qrank

Austin American Statesman previews QRANK Live

The Austin American Statesman has a sneak peak at our next big update: live, location-based games.  Imagine QRANK played head-to-head with your friends and everyone else in the bar, restaurant or movie theater.  We're testing an open Beta in Austin, and we'll soon roll it out to the world.

Austin Business Journal on QRANK

The Austin Business Journal has a report on QRANK's recent launch on Facebook.  As they note in their story, QRANK's not just for iPhone anymore!  Now Facebook users can join the daily addiction and go head-to-head with their iPhone, iPod and Facebook friends.

QRANK Launches on Facebook

We're thrilled to announce that QRANK, the addictive social trivia game, is now available on Facebook.  Enjoyed each day by thousands of passionate iPhone and iPod players, QRANK's daily quizzes are now available to all Facebook players for free.  One of the only games to allow Facebook and iPhone users to play head-to-head in the same game, QRANK continues to find new ways to let friends enjoy games together, no matter if they're holding a mobile device or sitting in front of a computer.  We're thrilled about this new way to play QRANK and hope you love it to.  Enjoy! 

QRANK Review on 148Apps

QRANK was recently reviewed by 148Apps and received a generous rating of 4 out of 5 stars.  The reviewer was especially impressed by the social aspect of the game and enjoyed competing against her friends’ scores.  She also noted the game’s tendency to include quirky and timely questions in the mix. Thanks guys! Read the full review here.

On Air with QRANK

QRANK spread the social quiz gospel on the airwaves of Austin when Rodney GIbbs, Ricochet Labs' CEO, appeared on the Morning X show on 101X.  Co-host Deb completely caught the bug, thanks to picking a salacious political sex scandal question right off the bat.  And KGSR host and Esquire contributor Andy Langer stormed the studio to confess he's a QRANK addict.  Listen to the full segment below:

Please download Adobe Flash to listen to this audio

Many thanks to 101X for touting the game.  Morning X posts many of its funny and cool segments on iTunes for free.  Check them out here. 

Gizmodo Finds Secret New QRANK Phone!

Okay, QRANK isn't jumping into the smartphone market, but we did get some love from Gizmodo.  It named QRANK a Best App of the Week. 

"Well-designed"?  "Easy to use?"  "Engrossing"?  You're making us blush, Gizmodo.  Read the full review here.

New Update Available

Grab the latest version of QRANK in the App Store for all sorts of new goodies, including:

• Smack talk – razz your friends via Facebook,

• Twitter support – post your scores to your Twitter, 

• Profile editing – change your username and other details with ease,

• Easier friending – add friends by their user names,

• Leaderboard improvements – easier to see your local, state, national and global boards,

• More time to answer questions – just a pinch more time in case you need it,

• Tap to advance to next question – take your time reading the question follow-ups,

• Bug fixes – several bug fixes, including the coveted Lumbergh and Weekender badges, and

• Cheating fix – harder to cheat for you scofflaws out there.

Many thanks for all your suggestions.  Keep 'em coming either through the Feedback tab on this site, email, Twitter or Facebook.
 

App of the Day

App Advice Daily names QRANK the App of the Day.  Our review starts at 2:58.   

QRANK is “What’s Hot”!

Apple bumped QRANK up to the "What's Hot" section of the App Store Games, just in time for the holiday weekend!  Let's get QRANKing, Easter Bunny!