Daily App Digest – August 30, 2011
Latest apps and updates to hit the iTunes store today…
SENTENCE READING MAGIC
Preschool University today is pleased to introduce SENTENCE READING MAGIC 1.0 for iOS, their 14th free Education app, which provides valuable instruction and practice in the missing link between reading words and reading books – reading sentences. The app has two modes. The first mode is sentence building, where children can move the words into their correct position, creating a sentence. The second mode is the reading mode, where children can read the words of the phrase or sentence and then check their work by touching the hidden picture. The app features touch-to-hear, audible pronunciation of whole words or individual letters plus the complete word.
Designed by Montessori preschool owner and lead teacher Richard Colombini, SENTENCE READING MAGIC is the first of a series of apps to concentrate on building and reading sentences. As the first of the series, it uses only the simplest words of three letters or fewer. The goal is to enhance the learning process by setting up the right conditions for learners to be successful. The app gives emerging readers a step that will encourage skill building and confidence in reading.
Starvatar
Starvatar allows the user to experience the top tweeting celebrities in a totally new way. See a professionally drawn caricature of each person within a common backdrop. Listen and see each tweet along with viewing linked images. When a celebrity tweets, his or her head grows and speaks the tweet in addition to displaying the tweet in text. Linked images show up as thumbnails the caricature seems to hold while tweeting. When the celebrities are not tweeting, they continue to entertain the user with hilarious movements and actions such as jumping, nodding off, rolling their eyes and more.
Rockin Ted
32 Leap announces that it’s mobile app character Rockin Ted has been officially endorsed by Blackstar Amplification, a leading manufacturer of high-end, British made guitar amplifiers and effects pedals. Blackstar Amplification has a list of amazing guitarists endorsed by them, including Gus G. (Ozzy Osbourne), Neal Schon (Journey), Joe Don Rooney (Rascal Flatts) and more. All that was missing from the list was Blackstar’s first “virtual” rock star. . .enter Rockin Ted.
Rockin Ted is an interactive mobile app that features a high quality, 3D animated character performing multiple, rock inspired guitar solos. Users who download the app will now see Rockin Ted jamming through his new Blackstar Series One 200 Amp and complementing Series One 412 cabinet.
SigNote
Big Dream Kid is pleased to announce today that the updated version of its SigNote app is now available on the App Store. Since its original release in April, the app has gained a huge popularity, offering creative users a handy solution to turn any ordinary picture into a piece of art and add a little personalization to their favorite photos.
With just a few steps, an easy to use photography app enables anyone to explore creative photo enhancement offering more than 1000 doodle and speech bubbles, watermarks and stamps that make photo decoration an instant fun. Users can import any image from the library to use as a foreground and even apply their own hand-drawn art. The app features a simple edit screen. Foreground images can be dragged to any location on the photo, rotated and resized by making a zoom or pinch gesture with two fingers. Users can easily change the color of the image or erase portions of it with the size adjustable eraser.
Camp & RV
Created by Allstays, Camp & RV is the essential independent camping and RV park utility, including over 20,500 campgrounds, National and State parks and forests, overnight stops, stores, RV rental, photos, reviews and more. All data is stored locally allowing immediate access even when off the beaten track, giving the discerning camper everything they need to make the outdoors great.
Featuring thousands more locations than any other source Camp & RV is an interactive map utility that allows improved trip planning for modern day campers of all experience levels. Covering all corners of the US and Canada each location contains extensive details including official website, phone number, directions, rates, facilities, RV access and age restrictions. Group safety is also improved with quick resources for road conditions, emergency information and state laws.
Ice Tales
Indie developers Widget Revolt announced an update to their hit retro arcade gaming title, Ice Tales. By player request, a new level select feature has been added. Widget Revolt also totally revamped the free version and will make it available later this year. It will includes all levels through ad support. Ice Tales is a classically inspired maze game where old meets new. With modern, full-screen controls, the game is based on the journey of Pendleton Penguin who is trying to rescue his friends from an evil queen. As you try to help Pendleton, you must help him outmaneuver the queen’s complicated mazes by sliding and flying across distant icebergs, angry volcanoes and an evil palace while avoiding enemies. The game is appropriate for all ages. Ice Tales is a great value on the App Store at US $.99 for the iPhone/iPod version and US $1.99 for the iPad version. The full ad-supported version will be available later this year.
Localscope
Cynapse today is pleased to announce the release and immediate availability of the newest version of Localscope, v1.7, an update that enables users to better discover places around them. Localscope now seamlessly integrates with the new APIv2 of Foursquare, the popular location-based social network. Now, while searching the Foursquare source in Localscope, users are presented with richer results, including phone numbers for the locations as available.
Swiping a result allows users to quickly call the place or add them to the Address Book from the detail view. The integration with the Foursquare app for iPhone allows users to quickly switch from the details of a location in Localscope to its details in the Foursquare app. Once in the Foursquare app, user can check out tips, recommendations, mayorships and deals at the location or simply check-in to the venue.
BirdBeat
BirdBeat(TM) Birder’s iField Notebook(TM) ~ a revolutionary portable field observation & ID tool ~ lets users quickly & accurately capture key visual information and field data about a bird to make a positive species identification.
World-renowned birding experts agree ~ the best way to learn about birds and become a better birder is by using the eyes, sketching what they see, and taking great field notes.
BirdBeat(TM) helps users do that swiftly and with ease – whether or not they can draw. They can simply record and save color & pattern markings and other field data on a BirdBeat(TM) preformatted bird topography template – then go back to birding!
Pocket Clubber: GTL
App Partner Development, in association with Joseph Pantaleo, is proud to announce the release of their new iOS game Pocket Clubber: GTL today at the special introductory price of $0.99 (USD). In Pocket Clubber: GTL players create their very own Clubbers and take care of them by giving them what every good Clubber needs… trips to the gym, a nice orange tan, and clean laundry! Once their Clubbers are ready for prime time they can take them to The Club and challenge other Clubbers to dramatic dance battles.
To customize their Clubbers players can choose from a variety of clothing styles, hair styles, and accessories from the in-game store. The Clubber will also dynamically respond to how the player takes care of it. If the players don’t work out their Clubbers they will get skinny and weak. If they don’t go tanning the Clubber will get pale. If they don’t do the Clubber’s laundry their Clubber will start to emit some unattractive odors.
Talking Woody the Leprechaun
Snapdragon 8, an imaginative new mobile application developer, has today announced the launch of an updated version of Talking Woody the Leprechaun. Compatible with all iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices running on iOS 4.0 or later, version 18.2 of this engaging entertainment app gives users the chance to interact with a mischievous interactive character by the name of Woody. This digital hooligan will repeat anything users say, react to their touch, and even grant users a pot of gold should they wish for it! Recently updated to include cosmetic visual improvements, Talking Woody the Leprechaun is currently available for download on the Apple App Store for $0.99 in the Entertainment category. A free lite version of the app is available as well.
Created purely to entertain users, this app offers users a chance to hang out with Woody where ever and whenever they’d like. In keeping with the spirit of other classic mobile character sims, Woody the Leprechaun is featured front and center on the users device, ready to go with anyone who’s willing. If users talk to Woody he’ll repeat whatever they say in his signature high pitched voice. If they poke him with their finger Woody will react, often offering different responses depending on how users touch him. Tickle him and he’ll burst out laughing, but hit him a little too hard and Woody won’t be nearly so enthusiastic. Users can even have Woody say their favorite movie quotes or grant them gold with a single click!
Pocket PlayHome
Indie software designer Shimon Young today is pleased to announce the release of Pocket PlayHome 1.0.2, a doll house for the iGeneration. Massively interactive, your kids can explore and use everything in the house. The characters eat, sleep, shower, brush their teeth and more. Want the room to be darker? Close the drapes! Fancy a change in music? Pop a different CD into the stereo.
My PlayHome received phenomenal reviews on the web and iTunes and was featured by Apple in “New & Noteworthy” and “What’s Hot”. It received an Editor’s Choice award from Children’s Technology Review. The popular 5 star app, “My PlayHome” is now available for the iPhone and iPod touch.
Jets – Flight & Seat Advisor
Jets – Flight & Seat Advisor 1.0 is a brand new app for business and leisure travelers. Jets helps you to find the most comfortable seats on more than 100,000 flights worldwide. Just type in your flight number and Jets shows you up-to-date flight info, including airlines and aircraft, airports of departure/arrival, the nearest departure dates together with detailed seat layouts for the specific aircraft.
Jets provides info on flights throughout the world, covering more than 80 carriers and more than 400 different aircraft. The seat maps have easy-to-understand color schemes and include tips about each seat aboard. In addition to flight search you can browse seat maps manually using the included catalogue of aircraft and airlines.
Bubbling Math
Application developer TappyTaps has just announced a special Back To School promotion for its educational math game Bubbling Math. This app is available for both the Mac and the iPad. Throughout the month of September, both versions of the app are being offered for the special price of $1.99. This is a savings of 50% for the Mac version and 33% for the iPad version. As students settle into the back to school routine, they might need a little encouragement to get excited about the new math concepts they are learning or need a little refresher on what they learned last year. This is something the developers at TappyTaps understand and it is the reasoning behind the special pricing.‘Bubbling Math 1.0 for iPad and Mac’ is a truly unique educational app. Compared to other education apps available in the AppStore, ‘Bubbling Math’ is a real game – it contains 9 different graphics levels. In each level the child can receive an award – bronze, silver or gold cup – motivating children to play the game over and over again to try and improve their score.
Task Organizr
Busy professionals with long “to do” lists for both home and office can now turn to Task Organizr(TM) to track their projects and tasks. Task Organizr, a new application from On Point Applications, enables users to take control of their simple tasks and complex projects in just one app. Task Organizr is now available on the App Store for iPhones and the iPod touch, with release of an iPad version slated for 3Q2011.
When users need simple lists, inline editing enables them to efficiently enter their items without leaving the screen. For more complex projects, Task Organizr provides infinite depth folders to organize tasks. When time is critical, Task Organizr’s calendar view allows users to schedule when they are going to work on each task and when it’s due.
Wedding Registry
Planning a wedding just became a whole lot easier for those couples who have downloaded the Wedding Registry app for their iPhone, iPad2 or iPod touch.
An iList App, Wedding Registry is a powerful tool that promises to make the bridal registration process easy, exciting and best of all – fun!
Couples who may be feeling a bit overwhelmed right now with wedding planning can turn their hectic existence to an enjoyable one by downloading the free Wedding Registry App at the Apple App Store.
The bride- and groom-to-be can then visit any store and scan the barcode of any item. The information is seamlessly collected and categorized in their personal registry, both within the Wedding Registry App and on the companion website. The App makes it easy to add a photo of the suggested gift and add directions to the store where the product is sold. The couple now has a single registry no matter how many different stores they visit to register.
Cinderella
Big Small Things today is pleased to introduce Cinderella by BST 1.0 for iPad, their new, 49-page Book that brings the classic tale of Cinderella to life through the magic of iPad. Featuring expressive, museum quality watercolor paintings, interactive animation, professional narration, record your own narration, three built-in games, and four different languages for text and narration, the ebook was designed to be the most beautiful of all the Cinderella stories for iPad. The ebook offers three reading modes: Read to Me, Read it Myself, and Record. Read in landscape orientation, each self-illuminated page contains so much detail that readers will find additional layers of graphical and emotional content with every reading. Some pages include both independent and interactive animation, and others only user-activated, interactive animation.
TimeTours: Chichen Itza
TimeTours has announced v1.1 TimeTours: Chichen Itza for iOS, their revolutionary universal multimedia app that takes the viewer on a guided tour of the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza. Wrapped in a new design this version offers more information, more media and on top of that GameCenter support and two mingames. Still featured are meticulously rendered 3D stills, animations, and full-circle panoramas that allow instant comparison of the city as it appears today, versus how it looked over 900 years ago. At once a practical guide for actual tourists visiting the archaeological site in Mexico, and a doorway for virtual travelers exploring the past, the fact-filled multimedia production heralds a new age of app-based time traveler/tourist guides.
The pre-Hispanic city of Chichen Itza has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was recently voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the world. Founded in approximately 750 AD, by 1000 AD the city had become a major center of Mayan arts, religion, politics, and commerce. A theocracy, ruled by god-like kings, the city and its temples were inhabited by high priests and aristocrats, with common people occupying small village communities in the surrounding areas.
Craigslist+
Bixby Apps today is pleased to announce the release and immediate availability of Craigslist+ 1.0 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Craigslist+ allows users to browse, search, and email Craigslist listings on their iOS device. Craigslist+ aims to make using Craigslist on-the-go simple and easy, with no complex menus, moving buttons, or ads. Users can choose from over 300 cities and results can be filtered by region, area and neighborhood.
Craigslist+ provides access to Craigslist categories including, Community, Housing, For Sale, Services, Gigs, and Jobs. Craigslist+ is 100% ad-free and listings are shown in a simple list along with a swipe through image gallery. Users can email, call, and map an address directly from within the app. Finally, Craigslist+ includes direct-to-developer support, providing a medium for feature and support requests.
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter, creator of the world’s most popular mobile photography and art website— TheAppWhisperer.com— TheAppWhisperer platform has been a pivotal cyberspace for mobile artists of all abilities to learn about, to explore, to celebrate and to share mobile artworks. Joanne’s compassion, inclusivity, and humility are hallmarks in all that she does, and is particularly evident in the platform she has built. In her words, “We all have the potential to remove ourselves from the centre of any circle and to expand a sphere of compassion outward; to include everyone interested in mobile art, ensuring every artist is within reach”, she has said. Promotion of mobile artists and the art form as a primary medium in today’s art world, has become her life’s focus. She has presented lectures bolstering mobile artists and their art from as far away as the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea to closer to her home in the UK at Focus on Imaging. Her experience as a jurist for mobile art competitions includes: Portugal, Canada, US, S Korea, UK and Italy. And her travels pioneering the breadth of mobile art includes key events in: Frankfurt, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Paris, Brazil, London. Pioneering the world’s first mobile art online gallery - TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com has extended her reach even further, shipping from London, UK to clients in the US, Europe and The Far East to a global group of collectors looking for exclusive art to hang in their homes and offices. The online gallery specialises in prints for discerning collectors of unique, previously unseen signed limited edition art. Her journey towards becoming The App Whisperer, includes (but is not limited to) working for a paparazzi photo agency for several years and as a deputy editor for a photo print magazine. Her own freelance photographic journalistic work is also widely acclaimed. She has been published extensively both within the UK and the US in national and international titles. These include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Popular Photography & Imaging, dpreview, NikonPro, Which? and more recently with the BBC as a Contributor, Columnist at Vogue Italia and Contributing Editor at LensCulture. Her professional photography has also been widely exhibited throughout Europe, including Italy, Portugal and the UK. She is currently writing several books, all related to mobile art and is always open to requests for new commissions for either writing or photography projects or a combination of both. Please contact her at: [email protected]