Mobile Apple Me

Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iDevice Apps, iDevice Accessories

iPhone, iPod and iPad product updates and announcements for August 25, 2010:

• Apps
• Accessories

Apps

• VoltGamer Ltd. has announced the Impossible Mission Quiz 1.0 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. The first series, Impossible Mission Quiz is a brainteaser is in the form of a quiz but with a great big twist. If you think you have played quizzes and you know how it works, you really need to play the Impossible Mission Quiz quiz to see how it works. Players will be challenging their friends to a friendly Impossible Mission Quiz duel to match each other’s wits.
• Enlevel Studio has introduced iMotion Flashlight 1.0, their first motion sensor LED flashlight app for the iPhone 4. Using the iPhone’s built-in motion sensors, iMotion Flashlight has the ability to turn on the LED light when the phone is held. Turning on and off the LED light is fast and intuitive. Designed to be user friendly, iMotion Flashlight takes advantage of the iPhone Retina display to include a high definition interface.
• MileBug for iPhone is now Two Years Old! Happy Birthday, MileBug! To celebrate, Izatt has announced that the full version of MileBug will be on sale for two days only, August 25-26. MileBug helps those driving their own vehicles for business, or other reasons receive their reimbursement and/or tax deduction, and was featured in What’s Hot this January as it rose to #2 in Finance.
• Alt12 Apps has released Pink Pad 1.0 for iOS. A central health hub for women, users can track health related issues while connecting to a global community for support and information exchange. Like realistically flipping through pages in a journal, Pink Pad’s unique notepad planner makes navigation intuitive. Pink Pad includes a visual calendar and a journal that enables users to track their health progress by documenting daily emotions and mood, symptoms and weight change.
• App developer Toytek Ltd has taken Mike Wilks’ New York Times best selling puzzle book “The Ultimate Alphabet” and transformed its magical paintings into a diabolically difficult interactive hidden objects game for the iPhone and iPod touch. The Ultimate Alphabet offers up four autographed copies of the original book to the brave word hounds who can complete letters A through D. The initial four letters release for Apple devices include over 1500 objects, with an estimated 15 hours of game play.
• HarperCollins Children’s Books has announced the launch of its apps ABC Song and 123: Ants Go Marching on the App Store. These apps for iPhone and iPod touch are published by Curious Puppy, a program of online educational games and apps for children from HarperCollins Children’s Books.
• Nemoid Studio has announced Tunes Attack! 1.5, a major update to their rhythm game for iOS. Tunes Attack! features 3 different musical games in one, including the classical guitar tap game, a scooter race and a space shooter, all dynamically generated by the player’s music. With the recent release of Apple iOS 4 it is now possible to play directly with the music from the iPod Library. Apps can now import songs from the iPod Library and opened the way to DJ apps and rhythm games.
• Carnation Software has released Say it & Mail it Recorder 4.0.3, an update to their popular emailer app for iPhone and iPod Touch. Say it & Mail it is the quickest and easiest way to email a voice memo from your iPhone to yourself or to others. Send yourself reminders when you are away from your computer. No typing required. With its full multitasking support, version 4.0.3 adds two new features that make it much easier to send voice memos.
• The Kids Book Review App is still free as a promotion with Amulet Books for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Truck Tour, ending Saturday August 28, 2010. Kids Book Review App has more than one thousand Children’s, Tweens and YA book, and adds new reviews every week. With the release of Suzanne Collin’s highly anticipated final book in the Hunger Games trilogy, she is doing a three-month, twelve-city tour to promote Mockingjay, meet fans, and sign books.
• idealSky Software, LLC has released PaperFinance 2.0, an update to the company’s flagship money-tracking app for iPhone and iPod touch. PaperFinance is a full-featured, yet easy-to-use personal finance app that skips boring tapfests in favor of fun swiping. Version 2.0 adds six brand new features, an interface makeover, and more than 30 total changes. A new Budgeting screen enables users to set spending limits. Account transfers are now supported natively, and much more.

Accessories

• This year iSkin is giving away a 64GB 3G iPad, plus some amazing iSkin accessories to rock out the new school year. What student couldn’t use that? The contest is open to citizens of the United States and Canada, and you don’t have to be a student.
• bioserie is first to market with a line of iPhone 4 covers that will give earth-conscious Apple device owners the protection they demand while using only plant based renewable resources in its production. bioserie’s unique use of the latest in bioplastics technology offers considerably less greenhouse gas emissions in manufacturing and the prevention of environmental toxic pollution once the cover is discarded. The iPhone 4 cover is the newest addition to bioserie’s existing line of “made of plants” covers for the iPhone 3G/3GS, iPod touch and iPod nano.
• Green Onions Supply has expanded its lineup with a new Leather Case with Built-in Stand for Apple iPad. The Leather Case provides sturdy protection for bringing an iPad anywhere and everywhere, with the added functionality of a highly adjustable horizontal stand.
• Green Onions Supply has just released an incredible new product: Mirror Back Protectors for iPhone 4. This film leverages Green Onions Supply’s great experience with screen protectors to provide protection and decoration for the back panel of the iPhone 4. The Back Protector allows the Apple logo and text on the back of the iPhone to shine through, so it does not detract from its original, elegant design. It is also ultra-slim, so it is compatible with Apple’s Bumper Case for the iPhone 4.

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

Section: Rumors, Apple News, Conferences, Press Events, iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPod touch, iDevice Apps, iPhone OS, SDK and hacks, iTunes, iTunes Movie/TV Rentals and Purchases, Macintosh / Apple Hardware, Apple TV

If you’ve been waiting for a new FaceTime enabled iPod touch or refreshed AppleTV or possibly even an iTV, your wait may be about to end. Apple has sent out invitations to a special event to happen next week Wednesday, September 1st in San Francisco.

Apple’s invites to this special event seem to suggest something involving music. As mentioned, we’ll most likely be hearing something about a new iPod touch, a completely new AppleTV (possibly renamed as the iTV) and maybe even an announcement concerning streaming iTunes or $.99 TV episode rentals.

We’re expecting to see both a regular camera and a front facing camera on the iPod touch.  I’d say it’s likely that it will also have a retina display and maybe even a redesigned case.  There’s even a small chance we could see an update to the iPad, though I think Apple will hold onto that one for a few more months.

Rumored updates to the AppleTV include it running iOS, getting its own apps and even getting a new name: iTV. I’ve even heard rumors that it might be getting FaceTime support, which would be awesome, though less likely. The rumors I’ve been hearing concering the AppleTV are really quite exciting. I think it’s time that the AppleTV becomes a product more people will actually find useful.

And finally, it’s likely we might hear some new developements concerning either streaming iTunes or new pricing for TV episodes as low as $.99.

But as much as I want a new iPod touch with cameras or even a new AppleTV/iTV, I really just want the guitar pictured on the invite.

Via Engadget

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

Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iDevice Apps, Features, Appidemic

Polar Fishing is a logic game that offers both single and multi-player online game modes. The idea is to get all the fish of your opponent before your opponent gets all your fish. It’s a pretty simple game with beautifully hand-drawn graphics that may either give you countless hours of mind-boggling challenge or bore you if you’re into fast-paced action games.

What is it?

Polar Fishing falls under the puzzle block category with a mixture of strategy and logic. This makes the game unique and interesting to play. Your objective is to push blocks on your side towards the 5 x 5 iceberg which forms the main puzzle board in an attempt to make a row of three or more ice blocks with similar objects in them. As you form a row, the blocks disappear from the iceberg and one or more fish get added to your side from your opponent’s side. As the row of blocks disappears, a new opportunity to form more rows of the same blocks emerge. The game continues until you or your opponent runs out of fish.

How does it work?

The gameplay is pretty simple. At first, you are given five blocks with different objects in them. You push one block towards the iceberg with the aim of forming a row of similar blocks. Your opponent will try to do the same thing. At first, the game may seem boring. But as you get the hang of it, you’ll soon find out it can actually be pretty exciting. It is a fun game, no doubt. But then, like I said, gamers who opt for the fast-paced action games may not like Polar Fishing.

It is contagious?

Polar Fishing slowly got me hooked. I haven’t tried playing the game with friends on a Wi-Fi network, so I can’t really say if the game will provide a new level of fun once you get to play with others. But as it is with the single player mode, the game was able to provide me with several hours of fun gaming.

Category: Games
Developer: Reversity Studios
Cost: $0.99
Download: Polar Fishing

Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPhone, iDevice Accessories, Reviews

Provides: Windshield/dashboard/console mounting systems for iPhone
Developer: Arkon Resources, Inc.
Minimum Requirements: Any iPhone or iPod touch
Price: $14.95 - IPM515; $17.95 - IPM514
Availability: Now

Your car offers you quite a few options for GPS placement: windshield, dashboard, etc. Which option is better for your vehicle and your personal driving style? You’re likely not going to know that until you’ve tried them all, so you may as well buy a mounting system that combines multiple options in one. Arkon Resources’ IPM515 and IPM514 Mobile Mounting Systems do just that, but not without some inconveniences.

The functionality of both systems is based around two units: the Travelmount and the Slim-Grip holder. The Slim-Grip is what actually latches onto your iPhone, and it does it quite well. Four support legs slide into the unit (two on top, and two on the bottom), allowing you easily pull open the spring loaded holder. Slip your iPhone into place, let the legs clamp down, and your iPhone is secure.

Unfortunately, there are two problems with this—one at the top, and one at the bottom. The legs, you see, aren’t convenient. On top, the one on the right needs to be centered or it’ll press down on the power button, shutting off your phone. Because, of this, I preferred to just use one leg in the center. The internal spring is strong enough to hold the iPhone in place with just one centered leg.

This doesn’t work as well on the bottom, though. If you’re going to power your iPhone with the docking cable, you have to keep the legs outside of it. This means that one will be placed directly over the speaker, making the turn-by-turn directions quite difficult to hear. The only ways around this are to either not dock the phone, or to only use one leg again and orient the phone so that leg is under the dock, not above it, if oriented horizontally.

If you can get around these drawbacks, the rest of the system functions exactly as it should. The Slim-Grip snaps securely to the Travelmount Swivel, which then attaches to your car with a powerful suction cup. You have two choices with that. You can either attach the suction cup directly to your windshield, or you can affix the adhesive circular disk to your dashboard and attach the suction cup to that. Because I like to eliminate as many variables as possible, I went with the windshield.

The dashboard of my Kia Soul has a fairly obnoxious texture to it that isn’t conducive to adhesives. The windshield is nice and smooth, and the spot directly beneath the rear view mirror allows me to glance at the directions without taking my eyes off the road.

The difference between the Travelmount of the IPM514 and IPM515 systems is minimal. Both give you full 360° swivel functionality for vertical or horizontal viewing. Both lock securely into place with the suction cup and with the Slim-Grip attachment. The 514 system, though, allows you to get a little more intricate with the positioning. Most won’t notice the difference, but considering the multiple locations you can place this system, the ability to get precise adjustments is worth the additional $3.00 charge.

The only real deal breaker here is that the system isn’t completely conducive to iPhone use. You can work around the legs covering the power button and speaker, but it’d better if you didn’t have to.

Still, this open system means you can mount your iPhone while it’s in a protective case or skin, and you won’t need to upgrade if you switch phones or if Apple rolls out a new design. Even better, get a second dashboard disk and you can easily transfer the system to another car.

At only $15 and $18, respectively, the IPM515 and IPM514 mounting systems are a great way to figure out what you need in a mobile mounting system. You may decide you want additional functionality or iPhone specific cradling, but you won’t easily find greater flexibility.

<!-- Also see:

• Appletell reviews the IPM512 : Mini Friction Dashboard Mount

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