Mobile Apple Me

Section: Software + Apps, Miscellaneous, Third-Party, iPod + iTunes, iPod touch, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps, Mac + Computers, Software

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for September 25, 2009:

Macintosh

• Boinx Software has announced BoinxTV 1.4, an update to its live-video production software that turns a Mac into a TV studio. BoinxTV, winner of the “Apple Design Award 2009”, makes a strong move to Snow Leopard, with major performance gains. The new version includes support for Axis network cameras and streamlines the production workflow. The update is free for all current BoinxTV users.
• E-Book Systems has announced new enhancements to its FlipCity PDF-to-FlipBook web conversion service. With this feature enhancement, FlipCity users can download the converted FlipBook from PDF to his own computer instead of leaving it to FlipCity to host. Users can then distribute the downloaded FlipBook through offline means, or host it online on any other web servers of their choosing. FlipCity is a web service created by E-Book Systems to help users to convert PDF documents into FlipBooks.
• Yazsoft has announced Playback 1.1, a major update to their new zero configuration media server for Mac OS X. With a focus on ease-of-use, Playback allows anyone to share their media with any Playstation 3, Xbox 360, or other UPnP compatible device. Playback can also share media stored in folders or even make entire disks available to a Playstation 3 or Xbox 360. By default, Playback will share almost any content on the users system. Version 1.1 includes many new improvements.

iPhone/iPod

• Slot Japan! is a Pachislo simulator. Pachislo is a Japanese slot machine that actually existed and amused a lot of people in Japan. This new version includes a jackpot mode, which allows you to enjoy the game in two ways: the realistic Japanese Pachislo and the arranged version of Pachislo. Slot Japan! Lite is a free game based on Pachislo.
• Vitaliy Pronkin has announced availability of SoundGrid 2.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch. SoundGrid aims to be the most advanced matrix sequencer for iPhone and iPod Touch devices. It was inspired by famous Yamaha Tenori-On and popular ToneMatrix webapp by Andre Michelle. Version 2.0 is major update that adds several important features. We made SoundGrid suitable for serious musicians while keeping it simple, attractive and fun for novice users.
• Submerge your iPhone in a beautiful and exotic underwater world with the new application MyReef 3D Aquarium. MyReef 3D Aquarium features a customizable saltwater fish tank and a variety of tropical fish with species-specific behavior and movement; users can watch the fish interact, feed them, or startle them by tapping the glass. Developed by raiX UG, MyReef 3D Aquarium is available now for iPhone and iPod Touch in the iTunes App Store for $2.99.
• TimeStream Software has announced the release of the new “Walt Disney World Secrets Gold!” Notescast for the iPhone and iPod touch.  This new iPhone App reveals over 200 secrets of Walt Disney World Resort, and, for the first time, includes colorful photos, as well as a magical Hidden Mickey tour of over 80 Hidden Mickeys and an added bonus of over 200 Fun Facts.
• Golvellius: Valley of Doom has received an update in order to correct some minor bugs. The game in version 1.1 is available for download worldwide on the Apple Appstore.
• Mobile users looking for laughter on-the-go need to search no further, as Al Lowe’s CyberJoke 3000 (iTunes App Store link) is available now for purchase through the iTunes App Store. From the creator of the popular Leisure Suit Larry series, Al Lowe presents over one hundred of his favorite jokes, personally picked to provide the most entertainment and laugh-out-loud moments ever experienced on their iPhone/ iPod Touch.
• Vogster Entertainment today released the Lite version of Robocalypse - Mobile Mayhem for the iPhone on the iTunes app store.  The Lite version of Mobile Mayhem offers two levels from the single player game, along with access to local multiplayer on one map. Robocalypse - Mobile Mayhem is a fun, fast and furious strategy game that challenges players to build their own robot armies to fight off the evil Demolisher and his metal minions who are attempting to destroy the Thermidoom Corporation and conquer the world. With a hilarious storyline written by Jay Lender (of SpongeBob Squarepants) and Micah Wright (of Angry Beavers) and online multiplayer, Robocalypse - Mobile Mayhem is sure to keep players coming back for more!
• Can We Technology’s A Crazy Fighter is a game like other vertical-shooting games such as 1943, iFighter and A doodle Flight, but with a totally different style. It might also be the most difficult 2D top-down shooting game for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: iPod + iTunes, iPod touch, iPhone, Email/IM, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps, Originals

It seems this might be gift card week on the App Store. Lots of fun stuff for everyone, though, so take a look. I hope you find something you like.

• 12mail Video Messenger - We covered 12mail earlier this week, but it’s awesome. It’s what Visual Voicemail should have been.  Well, almost.  It lets you take video with your iPhone 3GS or a picture with voice note on other iPhones and share it with anyone on Twitter or Facebook.  It works really well, but your messages are limited to 12 seconds.  You might find yourself in mid-message fairly often, but you can send as many messages as you like.  I’m really hoping they eventually up their time limit to 30 seconds, but I wouldn’t hold my breath, considering the 12 is in their company name.  Still awesome, though, since push notifications let you know of your new messages and everything happens fast.  You’ll like this one.
• myStarbucks - The first of two Starbucks apps hit the App Store this week.  This one puts all sorts of info at your disposal, including nutrition, a drink builder, a standard menu, and—oddly enough—a store locator.  I’m fairly certain if you don’t see a Starbucks, all you have to do is turn around, but hey, that’s what the locator is for.  Oh, you can save and share your custom drinks with others too.  Well, unless by “others,” you mean Starbucks, because currently they don’t let you place an order with this app.
• Starbucks Card Mobile - Starbucks app number 2 for the week.  I’m not sure why this wasn’t bundled with number one.  Anyway, this app lets you do things related to your Starbucks Card.  You can check a balance, reload it with a credit card, view transaction history, and, in some select locations, you can even pay with just this app (and a card entered into it).  As an added bonus, for a limited time you can get an extra $25 on your Starbucks card by reloading it with this app.
• Tango Card - The First Class Gift Card - Keep track of all of your gift cards in one handy app.  If you have a few gift cards you can enter in all the details on the cards and it will attempt to find card balances. Y you may even be able to shop using just the info you stored in the app.  It also has support for wish lists containing things you might intend to buy with said cards.
• 3G Test - I know we all love AT&T with all of our hearts and souls, but maybe—just maybe—you’d like to know how your 3G service really performs.  This app will test your 3G connection (or WiFi) and give you the details.  It also helps out some research at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
• Bust-A-Myth - What’s stranger, fact or fiction?  Usually, it’s fact, because you just can’t make some stuff up.  Either way, you might find it pretty hard to discern the difference. If you’re up to the challenge, then you might like this one.
• Lumines Touch Fusion Lite - One of my favorite games from the PSP now has it’s own iPhone game.  Lumines is a bit like Tetris, but honestly, it’s hard to explain how it’s different.  Good thing there’s a lite version.  I’m excited.  Actually, I think I’ll go play it now.  Bye…

Full Story » | Written by Jake Gaecke for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: iPod + iTunes, iPod touch, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps, Originals

Category: Cart racing game
Developer: Konami Digital Entertainment
Requirements: iPhone OS 2.0 or later
Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch
File Size: 15.7MB

What is it?

It’s crazy, that’s what it is! So crazy, in fact, that they misspelled the words in the title! Beyond that, it’s your typical cart racing game.

How does it work?

Krazy Kart Racers, like every cart racing game before it, involves driving through ridiculous race tracks while heaving objects at your opponents (and avoiding theirs in the process). The games are as much about personality as they are about racing, and Krazy Kart Racers is quite successful there. You play as one of 10 Konami characters (Frogger, that penguin thing, some girl in a lucha libre mask…it’s not exactly the Mario gang, but it works), racing on 16 different tracks. Each track provides weapons in red boxes that you can use to thwart your opponents, as well as speed boosts in blue boxes. Placing these in different colored boxes is actually a good idea, adding an element of strategy to your racing instead of keeping item retrieval completely random.

Five game modes are offered: Krazy GP, Trials, Free Run, Time Attack and Mini Battle. In addition, Krazy Kart Racers offers WiFi racing with up to six carts on the track at a time. Single players can play at easy, medium and hard difficulty levels, all of which will be fairly simple for experienced cart racers to surmount once you get used to the controls. Turning and acceleration can be handled by the accelerometer (tilt) or by touch (slide your finger to turn). This is one of the rare cases where the accelerometer is easily the best the control method, although both options can feel clunky when you’re hitting walls or trying to pull off hairpin turns. Still, once you get comfortable with the tracks (and their various secrets), racing through them is very enjoyable, especially with friends on WiFi. The tracks are thoughtfully created, quite colorful, and plenty of fun.

Features

• 10 characters with different skills
• 16 tracks
• WiFi for up to six racers
• Fantastic graphics and animation
• Ability to turn sound off in-game
• Requires more skill and planning than most cart racing games, which tend to be random

App it Up, Sum it Up

Krazy Kart Racers is quite goofy and light (still not sure why is sometimes turn into a pig), but manages to also be a pretty competitive racer. WiFi multiplayer is fantastic, but there’s enough variety in the tracks to keep single player racers entertained for quite some time.

Cost - $2.99
Worth the Money? - Yes. Even moreso if you convince some friends to buy it, too.
Availability - Now, in the iTunes App Store

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: Software + Apps, Miscellaneous, Third-Party, iPod + iTunes, iPod touch, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps, Mac + Computers, Software

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for September 24, 2009:

Macintosh

• Mode de Vie Limited has announced MyThoughts 1.0.5, an update to their popular mind mapping solution for Mac OS X Leopard. Intuitive, flexible and powerful, MyThoughts for Mac provides the means to present information in a clear, concise and memorable way. It avoids a steep learning curve or the need for any specialized training, and an ideal solution for those wanting to improve their thinking, learning and recall abilities.
• ExactCODE GmbH has released ExactScan 2, a major update to their modern and easy-to-use scanning software Mac OS X. The new Pro version delivers improved OCR recognition accuracy while the regular version of ExactScan come with improved support for third party TWAIN drivers. ExactScan includes built-in drivers for over 180 document scanners, including devices from Avision, Kodak, Oki, Visioneer and Xerox.
• The Dream Apps has released Involer 1.4, an update to its flagship financial application for Mac OS X. Involer allows users to create, print, export and track the status of their invoices within a single, easy to use interface. Version 1.4 includes compatibility with Snow Leopard, among a new interface, better invoice creation, bug fixes and new features. This release also starts us rolling on invoice themes and templates, which will be introduced in the next version of Involer.
• Macware has announced MacFreelance 2.22, an update to their invoice and billing software created for Mac professionals. Version 2.22 includes Snow Leopard compatibility, new formatting enhancements and better support for international customers. Current and new users can update MacFreelance by selecting the Check for Product Update option in the MacFreelance menu. Easily add new clients, monitor time spent on projects, track mileage and payments, and much more.
• Softpress will be on hand to give hands-on demos of their award-winning web design applications Freeway Pro and Freeway Express during the Mac Computer Expo on October 3, 2009 in Petaluma, CA. Special pricing will be available on Freeway Pro and Freeway Express, and a free copy of Freeway Express will be raffled off to attendees. Attendance is free, and more information can be found at the MCE web site.
• Werck BV has announced the immediate release of Checkout 3, the powerful, easy and affordable point of sale software for the Mac. Rebuilt from the ground up, Checkout’s new product manager offers better search functions and allows for editing and deletion of multiple products at the same time. EnStore is a pay-as-you-go web store that integrates seamlessly with Checkout. Products can be managed in Checkout and then synced with EnStore.
• Zevrix Solutions has announced PDF Checkpoint 1.0, a new powerful PDF workflow automation solution. PDF Checkpoint quickly preflights, exports as images and splits multiple PDF files. The program is equally suitable to process hundreds of files as well as single PDF documents. Users can also route files according to preflight results, create preflight profiles for various job types, and view all PDF fonts, color spaces, images and metadata.

iPhone/iPod

• Want to know it took so long for AT&T to bring MMS to the iPhone? Good, because our friends at Appmodo want to tell you.
• app4touch has just released PocketPets, BestBuddies, Periscope, TopMotors, GeekStuff and Paradiso for iPhone and iPod touch. All 6 new applications feature a new user interface designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod touch. An animated background, sounds and stunning graphics are integrated in each application for the best user experience. All applications takes advantage of the main features of the iPhone like the camera and the vertical/horizontal mode.
• Big Stone Phone and Souljerkey have shipped Intentionizer 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch. Intentionizer is your Mobile Mind Tuner, reveals a daily ‘tuning’ of our mental and emotional outlook. Equal parts Madlibs, fortune cookie, I Ching, and the Magic 8 Ball. Each message is a set of four harmonic words packed inside an easy to remember acronym that adds an overtone to the entire experience. Improve your vocabulary with this oracular system for inspiring ourselves.
• TweakerSoft has introduced SearchIt 1.0, their new quick search application for iPhone and iPod Touch. Designed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone’s unique abilities and interface, SearchIt is a no-frills web search. Through its simplified and easy-to-use interface, quickly find anything across the web, news, wikipedia and images and more. SearchIt’s suggestion assistant will immediately return a range of results to can tap on to quickly narrow the search criteria.
• PoweryBase has released NotifyMe 1.4, a simple Push-based reminder application for iPhone and iPod touch. NotifyMe lets users quickly create personal reminders, notifications and alerts for daily on the go usage. Minimalistic user interface allows users to type the reminder right on startup. Version 1.4 includes some of the most requested features. During the time-limited sale, new customers can get NotifyMe half of the regular price.
• Jugilus has announced the release of Little Space Duo for Mac. In this puzzle-based arcade game, the player guides an unusual pair of heroes, a little girl and a small robot, on their way through a huge spaceship. What’s the worst that can happen when a spaceship’s systems go haywire? Lucy knows all too well! She’s been abducted accidentally by a strange vessel, whose control systems have been damaged by a cosmic ray.
• Gotow.net has announced Layers 1.3 for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Layers takes natural media painting to the next level. Add up to five layers to your drawings and create a masterpiece with ten high-quality brushes. Version 1.3 allows you to select between multiple canvas sizes and includes several bug fixes and performance improvements. Layers is the only painting app to export in the PSD file format, allowing you to move your drawings to the desktop with layers intact.
• FlipSide5 has announced Checkers 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch. Checkers leverages FlipSide5’s multi-player platform with internet, wifi and bluetooth game play available. Game players can push game play invites to their AIM buddies using the iPhone’s push notification capabilities. Checkers also includes worldwide leaderboards based on a innovative player rating engine. With two modes of game play and 5 levels of computer player artificial intelligence, Checkers offers engaging gameplay.
• Chilli X have announced the launch of their latest iPhone app, Juiced. Now that the App Store is awash with battery apps, Chilli X set out to create the best looking battery app there is. When you launch Juiced, you’ll see your battery fill with the mysterious glowing fluid that powers your iPhone. As it drains away the color changes from green through orange to red and the glow slowly fades. Put it on charge and watch your battery pulse with an electric blue glow as the fluid starts to fill up.
• Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. has announced that DanceDanceRevolution S for the iPhone and iPod touch is now available on the App Store for 99 cents, exclusively from September 24 to September 27. Based on the hit arcade game, DanceDanceRevolution S is the latest iteration in the popular music rhythm franchise that’s been revamped to take full advantage of the iPhone’s accelerometer and multi-touch interface.
• Alawar Entertainment has announced that its top-selling Gourmania is now available for download at the deliciously tempting price of only $0.99. This delectable title unites two popular casual game genres into a single experience, allowing players to enjoy both hidden object game play and a fabulous restaurant business simulation at the same time.
• FDG Entertainment has announced that the lite version of Parachute Panic has been upgraded to v1.2 and now offers the same online functions as the full version of the game.
• Matmi has just released Monster Pinball Lite, featuring one of the six tables from the full Monster Pinball game. The table featured is called Hogie Feed. They’ve also added many new features—including Facebook Connect—to the full version, which allows you to challenge your friends and create highscore tables within Facebook. This version has been submitted and is awaiting approval.
• Griffin Technology, Inc., has expanded their Fall case collection with the announcement of new cases for iPhone 3G and 3GS. New for this season are Elan Form Etch in several new patterns, Outfit and Outfit Shade, as well as additional colors for Reveal. The lineup comprises unique, durable and attractive solutions for every taste.
• Currently there are games available on the App Store to perform scavenger hunt people watching, but none of them use the camera. Each game is only for one venue as well such as supermarket only or bar only. Not only does WTF Bingo incorporate the camera, but it is also intended to be used at more than one type of venue.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »