There is no doubting the power of music. However, there is also no denying how annoying ads can be on a radio program or on Pandora when you’ve just gotten into the groove and bursting from the headphones is some annoying product you don’t need. This is where the streaming music app comes save the day. miraculously offers up curated playlists from music experts all on an audio advertisement free basis. Amazing. Simply amazing. I’m not sure how they’re making this possible and I don’t care as long as the music keeps coming. Sure, there are in-app ads at the bottom, but they’re non-intrusive. The best feature of the app is the curated playlists. Not sure who the “music experts” are, but again, I don’t care as they’ve done an extraordinary job of putting together some of the best playlists I’ve seen. Of course, I’m not a music expert, but hopefully I don’t have too poor of taste when it comes to tunes. The one list I’ve been listening to the most is the Acoustic Guitar Instrumentals, which as I write is playing Hot Tuna’s “Mann’s Fate.” Good stuff. Within the playlist I can click on the menu tab for more info on the playlist and what type of artists are included. It also offers up similar playlists towards the bottom and I had to laugh a bit when I saw there was a Hipster-Approved Classic Rock option, which features “cool tunes from the golden age of pre-punk classic rock from 1965 to 1976. Artists included Bee Gees, Sparks, The Flamin’ Groovies, Comus, Nico and much more. Even though I live close to hipster nation, it’s not all Portlandia around my house so I switched over to Late Night Rock for some Elivs Costello, Neil Young and Bob Seger. Talk about the Read More
Newsdate: March 16, 2012 7:00 am Posted by Barbara Holbrook in Books Digital comics are making quite the splash on the App Store as of late and rightly so as the beautiful screens on Apple devices have the ability to showcase all the gritty details of art that comic publishers and iOS developers such as Ape Entertainment and Bolt Creative put so much time and effort into. We can’t wait to see what they have in store for the new iPad’s retina display, but in the mean time they’ve released “Para-Abnormal Activity,” the latest installment in the saga. Available on the App Store for iPad, iPhone and iPot touch via iVerse Media, a digital distribution partner of Ape Entertainment, No. 14 is the last issue before a new story arc begins. The new story kicks off with the two-tribes crashing into a mysterious island while trying to get home from their previous adventure. And like a page straight out of some unsolved mystery, the girls are unable to regenerate making it clear that this is not the ideal time to be on what seems to be a very ghostly and haunted island. Yep… ghosts, a mystery, and a dubious murder make this an ooky-spooky, extra-kooky issue of Pocket God Comics. For those new to the pygmies, the digital comic series is based on one of the all-time best-selling iPhone apps under the same name and is one of the most successful digital comics to-date. In fact, Ape announced back in early-December that fans had downloaded over 500,000 issues, making it a huge success. If you’re already a veteran pygmy ruler, then you’ll notice that the app is showing a new issue for download. Another great feature is that the Pocket God Comics app is updated frequently with all kinds of Read More
Underneath the shell, is a physics-based puzzler that uses a touch and drag shooting mechanic to launch a squirrel across the screen via a pot-bellied pig onto none other than a floating acorn. And once you crack this game open you won’t want to stop. While the physics puzzle genre is running amuck with good and bad gaming options, Oh My Nuts easily pulls off the feat of providing a unique take on an old style. I mean, who launches a squirrel with a pig? Genius. Not only is the gameplay unique, the graphics are quite amusing. From birds with ruffled feathers to cartoonish backgrounds set across Brazil, France, Japan and the U.S., the game does a great job of giving oomph to the drag, aim and shoot gameplay. Beyond the visual appeal, the actual game offers enough enemies and obstacles in the way of the point A to point B path that ensures you’ll be challenged when finding alternate ways to land on that floating acorn. My favorite addition was the trampoline, but it’s also a pain. Other elements such as barrels that can be manipulated and used to launch you at varying angles add an extra level of interactivity. The difficulty of the game is as challenging as you make it. For instance, completing most levels is quite easy. However, completing most levels with three stars is quite hard as the levels progress. This extra bit of gameplay toughness is what sets this title apart from other lesser titles that are way to easy to actually keep your interest. That’s what I liked about Oh My Nuts. It literally got nuts at points in the game where I felt the developers where playing a silly trick on me and that there wasn’t actually a way to get three stars. Priced Read More
Without a doubt, Defyn’s is a game with one sweet storyline – defend the campfire from the evil marshmallows and graham crackers intent on destroying you, the sole remaining chocolate bar. Seriously, who wouldn’t get a kick out of a survival game based on the evil components of s’mores that lets you play as the best part (the chocolate)! Mean Mallows may have a deliciously sweet storyline, but it is first and foremost (and only) a survival game in which players last as long as possible warding off the zombie mallows and crackers with an arsenal of toothpicks and matches. Mean Mallows features arcade-style joystick and button controls. The controls aren’t difficult, but they aren’t as intuitive or as forgiving as they should be. There are three different types of ammunition choices to fire from the chocolate bow – single shot toothpick, triple shot toothpick and matchsticks. The triple shot and matchstick are often the more successful choice, as you have to become a pretty good shot to hit your mark with a single toothpick – and you don’t have a lot of time to aim. The campfire enemy hordes approach from different places around the campfire and one hit takes down marshmallows, while graham crackers require two. You also have the option of melee combat, but close contact with either enemy will almost certainly cause you damage. The poor chocolate bar only has four units of health with which to fight and these can be lost quite easily upon contact with an enemy. Random units of health and ammo drop from the sky to replenish your cache, but often times, health doesn’t come fast enough. As a survival game, high scores and achievements are the only basis for replay. There are no new levels and the campfire environment never changes. Though a Read More
Newsdate: March 6, 2012 9:40 am Posted by BarbH in Education, Games Over In The Meadow: Sing Your Numbers features three unique games and an immersive sing-along that could pass for full-fledged apps in themselves. The most impressive game is an under the sea game that asks questions and looks for the user to find the answer. Similar to an immersive “Where’s Waldo”, it is great for learning how to count and exploring under the sea. Another favorite game is a building ships scene. There are five fuzzy creatures trying to get off an island and back to the meadow. It is up to you to build rafts, boats and sailboats to get across to the other side! The third game has a focus on counting and learning numbers. There are a group of friendly critters that are caught in the desert and it is up to you to help them get back to the lush green meadow. Using catapults, hot-air balloons and giant springs, help launch the animals to safety! The sing-along is magical as it takes one of the best nursery songs and makes it into an interactive experience. Within several counting scenes there are hours and hours of excitement perfect for those restless toddlers looking to cruise underneath a restaurant table. Wherever you are in the app, everything on the screen is touchable and fully interactive. Opening the door to adventure, Tiger Stripes has refreshed the loveable nursery song and created a full-fledged learning experience. Designed specifically for Early Learning, Tiger Stripes makes exciting games for children that are instructive, musical and guilt free. Relax for a moment while one of your favorite nursery songs is sung to your child in an educational, fun and tasteful environment. Over In The Meadows: Sing Your Numbers 1.0 is available Read More
Newsdate: March 6, 2012 7:05 am Posted by BarbH in Photo & Video Appologics is pleased to announce AirBeam 1.4, a major feature update to their high quality video surveillance solution. AirBeam is an universal app available for iOS and OSX that streams video and audio between any number of iDevices or Macs. Each iDevice can be used either as a surveillance camera or as a remote monitor. In addition to iOS and OSX, the update now adds a third option that users have long waited for: A flexible new web interface allows to access AirBeams functionality with a web browser from any platform. The interface makes use of latest HTML5 technology and allows to watch the video stream, control recordings, enable motion detection and remotely adjust camera settings like the resolution and frame rate. Besides the new web interface, AirBeam 1.4 introduces numerous additional new features: AirBeam 1.4 is available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Photo & Video category. Read More
Newsdate: March 4, 2012 3:45 pm Posted by BarbH in Business The developers of vueCAD announced this week that users everywhere will no longer have to deal with large computer workstations or carry laptops to display, promote or demonstrate their 3D projects. vueCAD 4.0 builds upon the success of previous versions with important improvements. The popular iPad design app is now available through the App Store Version 4.0 includes new functionality for exploding a model, point-to-point measurement, a tree-view with the ability to turn on/off sub-assemblies and parts within a model, and full support for color, transparency and textures. Version 4.0 adds SolidWorks and Unigraphics importers (available as in-app purchases) to the long list of file formats supported by vueCAD including STEP, JT, IGES, Catia, Pro/E, SolidEdge, VDA, ACIS, Parasolids and tessellated mesh formats. Support for large assemblies and large part files is included. “The power of vueCAD is its underlying CAD engine which makes possible native CAD import on the mobile device. vueCAD was designed as a foundation platform for a suite of mobile software solutions from design to manufacturing to quality control,” said Frank Ruotolo, President of Titansan Engineering Inc. “Since the product’s initial release, we’ve found additional success with vueCAD embedded as a component within our partners’ solutions. Our most prominent partnership is the Eaton PowerSource app with vueCAD at its core.” vueCAD v4.0 is $9.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the Apple App Store in the Business category. Additional CAD importers are in-app purchases and vary in price from $99.99 to $499.99. Read More
Newsdate: March 4, 2012 11:25 am Posted by BarbH in Travel App.Solutely, LLC., an emerging mobile applications developer, is excited today to announce the recent launch for Tank Pro for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. An innovative gas station locater, Tank Pro was created to help users save money at the pump by showing them which gas stations nearby offer the lowest prices and where they are. Tapping directly into the OPIS – the nation’s Oil Price Indexing Service – the app connects users with over 95% of U.S. gas stations, giving them up-to-the-minute pricing info regardless of where they live or where they happen to be driving. A handy price-concious trip planning feature is included as well. Tank Pro is currently available for download on the Apple App Store for $0.99 in the Travel category. A free, ad-enabled version of the app without trip planning features is available too. Tank Pro isn’t simply the best gas pricing app on the market, it’s the only one that’s guaranteed to be accurate and effective day in and day out, no matter where users are in the country. Most pricing apps — regardless of whether they claim to find the best drink prices or gas prices — work via crowd sourcing. They depend on user’s aggregated opinions to basically guess where shoppers should look for the best deals. Tank Pro doesn’t guess. This app goes straight to the source and plugs users straight into actual down-to-the-penny market prices, gas station by gas station! To find the most economic fuel fountain by them users can either search for nearby gas stations by area code, or simply open Tank Pro’s GPS enabled map and see what their best options are. The full version of the app also gives frugal travelers the option of Read More
Newsdate: March 3, 2012 5:45 pm Posted by BarbH in Games Farm Up! HD gets an update that makes farming in the 1930′s America even more smooth and fun. From the very release date the game has enjoyed the attention it was given by the casual gamers’ community. “Farm Up! is going to be the next big thing in the world of casual farming games. It starts attracting attention of more and more gamers. With the release of 1,03 patch Farm Up! becomes even more user-friendly than it used to be and it’s the best time to join in and have some gardening fun,” said Natalia Matveeva, head of business development at Realore. This game currently holds a 4.5-star rating on the App Store and the developers’ team closely works with the feedback from gamers. The results of this communication are in the recently released 1.03 patch. Now players can enjoy longer gameplay sessions with Farm Up! HD as the developers addressed the issue with lack of energy on early levels. For the true Farm Up! enthusiasts who play all around the clock, Realore Studios added an option of buying unlimited energy with an in-app purchase. Minor bugs and glitches were also fixed and the game runs well and stable on both iPad and iPad 2. Farm Up! is a new farming simulation game set in 1930′s America. It features beautiful graphics, numerous customization options, and a great story-line. Players can not only develop their own farm but help other states cope with difficulties completing numerous quests on a global map. Farm Up! HD 1.03 is Free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category. Read More
Newsdate: March 3, 2012 3:40 pm Posted by BarbH in News, Social Networking Cover Stories, a beloved feature first introduced on Flipboard for iPhone and iPod Touch in December, is now available on Flipboard for iPad. Cover Stories gives readers one place to quickly catch up on some of the most interesting stories, posts and photos from everything they have connected to their Flipboard. Cover Stories shows up as a new, “double tile” on Flipboard’s first page. Cover Stories learns what readers like from their interactions with news, posts and photos shared by friends and sources. Over time Cover Stories on Flipboard gets more and more relevant, giving readers one place to quickly catch up on their social news. On the iPad, the design and editorial teams have infused Flipboard with even more timeless print principles, applying the feel and flow of a magazine to real-time social media content. For instance, new covers, typography overlays on photos and beautiful full-bleed images make the social magazine pages resemble the beauty of print design that people love so much even more than before. Based on reader feedback, this edition of Flipboard also includes the following additions: This edition of Flipboard lays the groundwork for further internationalization and includes our first European launch with the release of a French edition of Flipboard (see related press release today). In addition to the custom French-language edition, Flipboard is also making it easier for other international readers to enjoy Flipboard. Now readers of Flipboard in the UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, France, Hong Kong and Taiwan can easily access a Content Guide with hundreds of recommendations based on their language and location through the new country picker. A single tap on the red ribbon lets readers access the Content Guide. Later this month, Flipboard will also launch a Read More
