Daily App Digest – 04/07/11

MacPhun LLC, developers of FX Photo Studio has announced FX Photo Studio 3.2, an update featuring enhancements for both iPhone and iPad versions of its iOS applications. The perennial Top 10 iPhone and iPad photography app now includes six brand new filters, faster image processing and the ability to capture and edit images taken directly from Apple’s flagship tablet.

MacPhun has collaborated with established artists from North America and Europe to create a new "sketches" category. The newly added category consists of six cartoon-styled filters providing users with a total of 187 filters to mix, match and share with friends. The addition of more precise tuning controls for contrasting, adjusting hues and sharpening filters, provide even more unequivocal tools to users, making one of the most useful image editing apps on the market, even better.

As a gesture of appreciation to its loyal fans, MacPhun is also developing the first ever jointly collaborated, free standalone wallpaper app that will showcase user-submitted photographs edited with FX Photo Studio and other photography iOS apps. With MacPhun’s support, the app will provide the ideal platform for aspiring artists and photographers to gain increased exposure for their work. To kick off the submission process, MacPhun will be holding a two month promotion on their Facebook page. Prizes include iTunes gift cards, photo printing gift vouchers and much more.

$1.99/Download

Readdle has announced the release of PDF Expert 2.3, its iPad application focused on annotating PDF documents and filling PDF forms. A new version features the complete set of tools related to adding stamps, logos and text notes to PDF documents. The update was designed for business and education-related users who need to approve, confirm or review documents on the iPad. All edits in the document can be flattened making it readable on any desktop or mobile device.

New to PDF Expert 2.3 for iPad is the stamping tool that allows to insert predefined stamps, labels, logos or add new custom stamps right to the PDF file. Lawyers, legal professionals or government agents now can add stamps and comments to the document within seconds. PDF Expert supports all standard stamps available in Adobe Acrobat and lets add custom ones from the iPad photo library.

$9.99/Download

Runloop has released Blockees, a delightful and totally addictive puzzle game you’ll find hard to put down. Blockees includes 75 puzzles split into 3 packs, a puzzle editor, puzzle pack generator, puzzle sharing (over 500 user puzzles before launch!), hints and Game Center. So far Blockees has been hugely popular with all that have played it, particularly so with girls.

How To Play Blockees:
* Move ALL the Blockees at once by swiping
* When Blockees of the same colour unite they will disappear
* Unite all the coloured Blockees to win

Each of the Blockee types has it’s own characteristics, below is a list of the Blockees includes with the initial release:
* The three main Blockee families – Red, Blue and Yellow. Unite the family members with each other to complete the puzzles.
* Miserable Grey Blockees. These guys don’t like anyone, not even each other. They just get in everyone’s way.
* Rainbow Blockees. These will allow Blockees of different families to unite with each other.
* Bombs! Be careful of these. While they will only stun coloured Blockees and stop them from moving for the rest of the puzzle, they will actually destroy Grey Blockees and hedges.

$0.99/Download

PTT Solution has announced the release of X Games 1.0. X Games is a free physics-based game for iOS devices. In the game, you ride and balance your unicycle at the same time. It looks very very easy, but it’s not easy, it’s very difficult to play. Usually, it takes from 2 to 10 seconds for the game to be over. Therefore, it is a very short iOS game. In some cases, it is quite funny. The game is the best way to kill your stress before stress kills you.

Features:
* Physics-based game
* Local high scores
* Integrated Game Center for global high scores
* Stickman

How to play:
* Keep the balance by tilting your device right and left
* Watch out the ball, tap on iOS device’s screen to jump to avoid the ball

Free/Download

iProfits helps clients by allowing them to spread their efforts to increase profits across multiple fronts, instead of focusing on just one method of increasing profits. The app makes it easier than ever before to quickly and easily calculate important business values, by including functions such as the "client worth calculator", the "three options for growing the business" screen, and the "profit calculator", among other functions.

$2.99/Download

Chop Booth, one of the newest apps in the iPhone App Store, is an addictive skill game that involves throwing axes at the player’s friends while they wear one of several amusing bodies. Users take a picture of their friends through the game app, which then places the faces on a body of the player’s choice. Players can unlock hilarious new bodies for their friends in the game by scoring points.

Options include a knight, cheerleader, clown, monkey, and more. Points are scored by landing the axes as close to friends’ bodies as possible without touching them. Players have just 30 seconds to throw as many axes as they can. They must tilt the device to aim the axes and then tap the screen to throw them. When an axe hits the user’s friend, he screams in pain, so the game requires very quick and nimble fingers.

Free/Download

2no7 Creations announces PlayMeNext 1.2 for iOS, an update to the innovative app that combines music and photos with a multi-user experience. The typical situation where PlayMeNext can be used is at a party, where you setup a player filled with your favorite music and connect it to your sound system. Guests at the party can then use the same application to connect to the player and request songs and reorder the play queue, without interrupting the music or losing any playlists.

The other main feature of PlayMeNext is the Photo Wall, where guests can take photos and share them along with a comment. Photos are stored on the player and immediately made visible to all guests upon upload. To make it more fun you can connect the player to a TV or a projector and you will have a slideshow of live party photos. You also have the option to automatically upload photos to Facebook or Flickr as they are added, or you can do this afterwards, if you want to review photos first.

$4.99/Download

BKS Technologies today is pleased to announce The Gracious Few 1.15 for iOS, an update to their free music app that allows fans to follow the activities, appearances, and new releases of this star-studded, hard rock group, and enables them to post comments to the band’s Twitter page or blog. The five-man group includes former members of Live and Candlebox, two legendary bands that together sold over 30,000,000 albums, appeared on the covers of Rolling Stone and Spin, and made headlining performances on Saturday Night Live, Woodstock 94′ & 99′, Pinkpop, Howard Stern, and The Tonight Show. The app features push notifications for special messages and occasional surprises, and its own social network consisting of fans of The Gracious Few.

Formed in September 2009, The Gracious Few (TGF) is an American rock band featuring guitarist Chad Taylor, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer and drummer Chad Gracey from the band Live, along with lead vocalist Kevin Martin and guitarist Sean Hennesy from the band Candlebox. Their producer, Jerry Harrison, is a member of the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, owing to his substantial contributions as guitarist and keyboardist for Talking Heads. He has produced works for Live, No Doubt, Foo Fighters, Crash Test Dummies, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Free/Download

Parents can now enlist the help of their unborn child when picking their baby names, thanks to a brand new app called Kick to Pick. Available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, Kick to Pick randomly cycles through thousands of baby names whilst monitoring a baby’s movements to sense any signs of enthusiasm there may be. Any kick detected by the program will then stop the cycle at the baby’s chosen name, ready for the parents to accept their child’s choice or dismiss the name and start their search again.

Featuring a cute baby monitor design and costing just 59p* to download, the Kick to Pick app adds a whole new dimension to naming a child. Not only does it provide a great source of inspiration but plenty of fun too, making it perfect for baby showers, family gatherings or a gift for expecting parents. Those using the Kick to Pick app can narrow their search either by gender or by creating a list of favourites to choose from.

$0.99/Download

Squabble is a social game that takes advantage of the networking capabilities of iPhone, iPod, and iPad devices. Users may play online with Facebook friends or with a random opponent. ‘Play and Pass’ mode lets users play with a friend on a single device. In between rounds, players can chat live with their opponents or check on definitions of played words with the integrated dictionary. A robust ranking system will let players see how they match up against their friends and players around the world.

"Squabble is an addictive gameplay with a twist. You’ll have fun and you just might learn a new word or two". – said Chris Chuter, co-founder of the Retired Astronaut Collective.

Free/Download

Conversions for Cooking has been enhanced with customer requested features, including Imperial Units and conversion value input. Version 2.0 adds a unique calculator-like input for custom values that minimizes the taps needed to convert a value. "We think it’s important to minimize interactivity in a kitchen environment," said Duane Fahey, co-founder of Gormaya, LLC. "Other conversion apps require too many taps."

Feature Highlights:
* US tables for both liquid and dry measurement with metric
* New Imperial tables for volume measurement with metric
* Temperature and weight tables
* New calculator-like input for each table
* Some new icons and other enhancements

$1.99/Download

HiFutureSelf is an amazingly simple app that allows you to send messages to your future self. The app is quick, easy, and incredibly useful. Version 1.5.5 adds a social layer to your future messages. Instantly share messages over e-mail, SMS, Facebook, and Twitter within the HiFutureSelf app. The update also adds 6 high quality custom ringtones to customize the feel of your future messages.

HiFutureSelf brings the ease of text messaging to setting up alerts and reminders. With as few as two taps you can set up reminders for your daily routine. It’s that easy. Timers are great if you have one thing to do. But that’s not life, you have 20 things to keep in mind at all times. There are so many calendar and to-do note apps with alerts, but they are all clunky and ineffective for the one thing you really need, quick instant reminders.

Free/Download

Hobbyist Software announces Off Remote 3.0 for iOS, an update to the popular app that gives users remote control over the power states of PCs or Macs. Users can turn off, log off, lock, sleep and restart their computers remotely. Uses include turning off the office computer from the lounge sofa and switching off or locking the kid’s computers to prevent excessive screen time.

Version 3.0 adds a timer that can trigger Off to work up to 24 hours later. This allows users to arrange for their computers to turn off automatically after finishing a task such as a download or upload, or for the computer to lock automatically after a certain time, such as a child’s bedtime.

$2.99/Download

MochiBits is proud to announce the release of SwipeTapTap version 1.2 for iPhone, iPad and iTouch. SwipeTapTap (STT) has been featured in over 70 countries’ "New and Noteworthy" and "What’s Hot" lists!

$0.99/Download

Escape Velocity Apps today is pleased to announce the release and immediate availability of Audiolio Version 1.5, the audio bookmarking, recording and note-taking app for iPad. Audiolio for iPad is useful for adding notes and bookmarks to all of your audio, and one great way to use it is with your audiobooks. Audiolio provides an easy, intuitive way to mark favorite passages and quickly refer back to them whenever you like. And if you’re a member of a book club, you can provoke great discussions by sharing your audiobook reviews and commentaries.

"We are really encouraged by the great reviews and feedback we have been getting from our growing customer base," said Vince Oswalt, " We are really excited about the features that will be coming with our version 2.0 update."

$2.99/Download

Independent developer Ken Tidwell is pleased to introduce D300 DSLR v2.2 for iOS, another in his series of popular Min-U Guides to Nikon DSLRs. The app provides quick, easy access to information by allowing the user to "drill down" through a topic, just like using the camera menus, until they find exactly what they need. For example, a new photographer may want to find out how to set the camera’s self-timer so he can appear in a group shot.

From the app’s opening screen the user selects the topic Custom Setting Menu from among six other chapter headings, then they pick Timers from five other choices, and finally they choose Self-Timer from four other listings, where step-by-step instructions are found. A convenient alternative to carrying bulky, printed reference material, the app also includes a handy list of D300 Quick Specs, a troubleshooting checklist, using the built-in flash, compatible lenses, error messages, supported standards, digital photography & DSLR lens glossaries, tripod tips, Nikon product previews and iPad Camera Kit overview

$5.99/Download

Free/Download

Independent developer Nigel Green today is pleased to announce the release of TeachMe Numbers 1 for iPad. The first App in a series of 3, TeachMe Numbers 1 is aimed generally at 1-3 year olds. Designed with the assistance of the developer’s wife (who has a background in Early Childhood), the App teaches the child numbers 1 through 10 using multiple techniques which cover the 3 stages of number learning: Recognition, Sequence and Quantity. Sound Effects and Audio in English are also included to help the child to learn their first numbers.

$2.99/Download

The XY7 Attack Fighter is the most advanced single pilot craft in the universe, and controlled by tilting your device. Gun and bomb auto-fire allows you to concentrate on navigating the many dangers and obstacles in your way. Watch out for cloaked enemies that need to be touched to decloak them. As you complete challenging missions collect upgrade points. These can be used to expand your attack fighters weapons and defences. For the really hard levels you’re going to need all the help you can get. Revisit the days of blowing aliens into tiny pieces. It’s your turn to save the universe!

$0.99/Download

Tap Party 2 is the sequel to Tap Party, an iPad game made by Yobonja last year. In the sequel, the game has improved across the board with features like new art and gui, new store, tweaked gameplay, the ability to unlock rewards by earning "confetti" currency, and more!

The game supports single player and 2 person multiplayer on the iPhone and iPod touch, and up to 4 person multiplayer on the iPad. An Android version of the game is also currently in development and will be released soon.

Free/Download

Reiner Knizia’s ClusterMaster offers both timed quick games as well as more meditative longer game modes where you can take all the time you need. In total, the game offers 4 challenging modes to play.

This is the fourth time Tribeflame and Reiner Knizia come together to bring a game to the emerging tablet market. Their collaboration gave birth to the first german style board game on the iPad, Reiner Knizia’s Keltis Oracle, as well as the first german style board game on Android tablets, Reiner Knizia’s Through the Desert.

Reiner Knizia’s Cluster Master creates something entirely new, as this time the game is designed specifically for tablet devices, rather than being a digitized version of an existing board game. We are excited to work together on bringing this new type of entertainment to consumers worldwide.

Free/Download

Blast Monkeys focuses on simple gameplay that starts easy and gets progressively harder as you continue. The game provides fun and challenges for anyone of any age. With 90 levels spread over 3 worlds, unique backgrounds and level elements, Blast Monkeys can keep you engaged for hours. The game was created using the Corona SDK, and was featured in the Corona SDK developer showcase as their App of the Month.

Free/Download

Elite Systems, the long established UK based developer and electronic publisher of games for portable, mobile and other devices has announced, ahead of this week’s 2011 running of the world-famaous National Hunt horse race, the launch of “Grand National” – Elite’s ‘signature’ ZX Spectrum game from 1985 – as a stand-alone App for all iOS devices.

A feature of the App (which is expected to go live on the iTunes App Store at around noon BST on Friday 8th April and will later be offered as an in-app purchase within the “ZX Spectrum: Elite Collection” apps) is the support  (either at launch, or in the first update) for TV-out on iPhone 4, 4thGeneration iPod Touch and iPad.

Indie developer Spaghetti Studios is reviving the spirit of that game. It has the same simple control system but with a host of extras and a bit of extra polish. Plus a bunny. And Easter eggs. And evil moles spinning poisonous flowers. It is shaping up to be a fantastic game for Easter.

It is also going to be a special, limited edition release. As soon as Easter is over, so the game will be removed from the App Store.
So how can you get your hands on this? It launches on Sunday April 10 and it is called “Easter Eg – An addictive egg-chasing Easter game”. Play it, become addicted, love it, cherish it – just make sure you get it before you lose it.