Daily App Digest – January 4, 2011

To help automotive sales professionals easily find an accurate estimate of a used car’s value, Robert Srahol and Miroslav Hosek today announce the newly updated Car Calculator app, which is geared specifically towards car salespeople and automotive dealerships looking to do quick, hassle-free appraisals for their clients. Car Calculator is available in a Basic version for the iPhone or iPod touch and a Pro version for the iPad.

In addition, the app creators are announcing a newly discounted price for Car Calculator Basic. The app is now available for 3.99 USD. There is also available lite version for free.

The Car Calculator apps are convenient tools to provide quick appraisals for used vehicles, allowing professionals to easily valuate a client’s car. A user would note the make, model, year, condition, and mileage of the vehicle, key these details into the app and allow Car Calculator to compute the vehicle’s value.

"Car Calculator helps anyone who deals with vehicle purchasing and sales give their customers great service," said Robert Srahol, co-developer of the Car Calculator apps. "You can now go from meeting a customer to valuing a car quickly and easily, without any added stress thanks to the apps we created."

Unlike other used car apps, Car Calculator does not need to make use of an internet connection to compute the value of a vehicle. This seemingly small difference has proven to be the biggest advantage for those in car sales as it allows users to assess a vehicle from virtually any location, such as the far end of the parking lot or a customer’s home.

$3.99/£2.99/download

Talking Dog, the popular Talking Pet from Gigabyte Solutions, is free on the App Store for a limited time. Talking Dog has been very popular in Europe, reaching number 8 in the Italy overall charts and is now available for all to try for free.

Talking Dog will listen to the talking and music around you and repeat it for the amusement of your friends. family and colleagues, using a cute funny voice. You can also record everything he says and share a video with your friends via email, YouTube or even Facebook.

A new feature allows Talking Dog to listen to you and move his lips in real time, so can even use it to read a story to your children at bedtime and watch their faces light up. This feature is unique to the Gigabyte Solutions range of Talking Pets.

The Talking Dog application is part of the best-selling Talking Pet series produced by Gigabyte Solutions, which includes Talking Cat, Talking Pig, Talkin Cow, Talking Apple, Talking Puppy and others. The Gigabyte Solutions Talking Pet series is the longest established Talking App series on the App Store and was released over three years ago. Since that time it has been steadily updated and improved based on customer feedback.

Free/download

This NFL Playoff season, football enthusiasts can replace the Paper and Pen "Squares" betting sheets of old with the high-tech option of the Football Squares Plus App for the iPad. Squares sheets are a traditional Playoff and Super Bowl activity at viewing parties and in the office, and this app offers an interactive, paper-free solution.

Football Squares Plus offers participants the use of touch to configure sheets, buy squares, filter on names, and select the winning scores. Copies of completed sheets may be distributed via a built-in email generator. Participants can also include a picture in each of their on-screen squares with an optional in-app purchase.

Sheets may be configured in a number of ways, including the traditional 10 X 10 grid with scores for each quarter, half, or just the final score. Advanced options include 5 X 5 grids, entire playoff match-ups instead of the standard two-team sheet, and customized scoring labels for uses.

The purchasing of squares can be enhanced with a field for the sheet maker to describe the cost of entry, as well as the prize structure. Sheet makers can password-protect the sheet to prevent unwanted changes from participants.

$2.99/£1.99/download

Meet the real Casey and Bella from the unique book series where children become published authors! Casey and Bella are not just cartoon characters, they are real dogs who travel to schools and libraries across the country to teach children no dream is too big if you believe in yourself!

The New Casey and Bella Free App for all ages includes:
* Free ibook version of Casey and Bella Face Their First Bully, the 6th book in the series, original story idea by 5th grader Anna Stover!
* Tap to play Free Casey and Bella Video Games
* Tap to watch silly dog videos
* Tap Free Book previews to learn Casey and Bella’s many adventures
* Tap Writing Contest to learn how you can submit your own Casey and Bella story idea for a chance to become a published author!

Features:
* Casey and Bella Video Games
* Casey Surf Game & The Magical Recycle Factory Game
* Multiple "Read to Me" pages with "Tap" a word feature
* Preview of the 5 books in the series
* Links to Casey and Bella’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube Pages

Free/download

InterServ International Inc., an innovative new mobile applications developer, has today announced the recent release of A+ Word Puzzle for the iPad and iPad 2. A+ Word Puzzle is an exciting, arcade action infused word puzzle blast that challenges users to find words hidden in grids of letters. The player’s goal is to diffuse word bombs to move from one stage to the next while highlighting as many other words as they can along the way to get the best score possible! A word puzzle experience built from the ground up for the mobile arena, this app includes thousands of words, hundreds of levels, beautiful themes, the ability to compete for high scores online, and more! A+ Word Puzzle is currently available for download on the Apple App Store for $1.99 in the Games category. A bare-bones Lite version of the app is available for free in the App Store as well.

An eloquently straight forward word puzzle that’s as addicting as it is engaging, A+ Word Puzzle is designed specifically to put challenge and distract players as they find one word after another. The game features two unique modes, Free Play and Survival. Free Play mode gives players a casual free form puzzle experience, while the more structured Survival modes takes them on a journey across all six civilizations via differently themed and designed boards. In both modes players are given a word list, including word bombs in Survival Mode that need to be found before the game clock ticks down to zero if gamers want to alive and keep moving forward.

$1.99/£1.49/download

kode80 LLC today is pleased to announce the release of GLSL Studio, the first full featured Open GL programming environment for iOS. GLSL Studio brings serious GPU programming abilities to iOS allowing graphics coders to work on the go and filling a gap in the App Store productivity library.

GLSL (OpenGL Shader Language) is a GPU programming language used by most modern portable devices and new technologies such as WebGL. GLSL programs are run directly on the graphics hardware allowing full control over how geometry and pixels are processed. GLSL Studio not only enables the creation, editing and compilation of shader programs but also exposes device capabilities such as multi-touch and live video streaming to them allowing for things such as realtime video filters to be created.

Aimed at both novice and expert developers alike, GLSL Studio provides a safe and easy environment for experimenting with GPU programs requiring nothing more than an iOS device. Various example programs ranging in complexity are included giving new programmers lots of material to learn from and expert programmers a starting point for their own programs. GLSL programs can be used directly in applications on any platform that supports OpenGL ES 2.0 and GLSL Studio allows exporting via iTunes File Sharing and email attachment so work done on the road can easily be integrated into a main project.

$1.99/£1.49/download

vThinking Studio today is proud to announce the release and immediate availability of Voice Calendar 1.1, an update to their voice activated productivity app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Available on iTunes App Store worldwide, Voice Calendar understands what you say and it setup daily schedule for you. Voice calendar supports various time expressions. For example you may speak:

‘Call my Dad at 7 pm.’
‘Go to hospital on Friday.’
‘Meeting in 45 minutes.’
‘July 17th is John birthday.’
‘Shopping in two days.’
‘Sale Meeting in three hours.’  

While the built-in calendar requires user input title, setup date and time to create an event, Voice Calendar generates calendar items by user’s voice. In addition, Voice Calendar is synchronized with the devices’ built-in calendar database.

$1.99/£1.49/download

Solid Jade Inc., an innovative mobile applications developer, has today announced the launch of Nukes version 1.2 for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This exhilarating white knuckle arcade adventure pits players in a nuclear war. Either playing as the U.S. or the Soviet Union, gamers can play through the game’s solo campaign or go head to head against other players and nuke them into oblivion! Newly updated to improve overall operation, shorten game loading times, and make the game compatible with the iPad, Nukes is now better than ever. A whimsically addicting mobile shootout, Nukes is currently available on the Apple App Store for $0.99 in the Games category.

The game is simple yet deceptively engaging and addicting. Gamers choose a side – either the Yankees or the Reds – and man their battle stations. Gameplay is simple, just shoot as many ballistic missiles at the enemy as possible to overwhelm them. The first play who scores three direct hits wins. That means it’s time to tap the launch button, and FAST. There’s no time to blink, little room for error, and as always getting and shooting off as many nukes as possible is always the best way to go!

With its unique head-to-head playing structure Nukes is perfectly suited for both classic single player action as well as intense online gaming action. The game’s central campaign consists of 16 unique sequentially more challenging levels. Here players will face one enemy after another, each with more fire power and quickness than the last! It’s the perfect proving ground to decide who the ultimate nuclear blasting warrior is! Nukes proves that a simple, well executed mobile arcade experience is a hard thing to top in terms of entertainment value as well as all out fun.

$0.99/£0.69/download

t knowledge with "Aircraft Recognition Quiz", an aircraft recognition game that will challenge you to identify over 500 aircraft and helicopters. This game is a must for all aircraft lovers! You will learn to recognize the most common helicopters, fighters, bombers and other aircraft of all eras, from WWI to Actual Time and beyond.

Enjoy and compete with your friends, since you can share your scores on Facebook, Twitter or email. Compare with others using the Leaderboards and thirty six Achievements that work with or without Game Center. Take the Quiz, explore the aircraft organized by eras with their blueprints, photos, and links to additional information. Test your recognition skills in three game modes with varying difficulties:

1) Normal mode, where you are presented with three blueprint views of the aircraft (front, side, bottom) and have 50% and picture wildcards.

2) Picture mode, where you are presented with a picture of the aircraft and have a 50% wildcard.

3) Difficult mode, where you are presented with a random view blueprint and have no wildcards.

The goal is simple, you start with five aircraft and unlock five new ones each time you complete a level. You must correctly identity all five aircraft in the level to move on to the next. Three strikes and you are out. You can use two wildcards, see the photo of the aircraft or eliminate two of the four possible answers. Once you unlock aircraft, you get a lot of extra information and pictures if you have an Internet connection. If you want even more, you can get extra aircraft in the store. If you like aircraft this game is for you.

$1.99/£1.49/download

PixelMat today is pleased to introduce Pointy and Pokey for iOS, a delightful story in which your child gets to decide the hero. A heart warming adventure about acceptance, friendship and courage, Pointy and Pokey adapts itself to your child’s interactions.

Pointy, a shy and adorable hedgehog is the best friend of a naughty porcupine, Pokey. Other animals are wary of their sharp quills and stay away from them. Pointy and Pokey decide to blend in a little more. What do they do to gain acceptance? Who helps them? What happens later when two mean and hungry wolves come into the picture?

The unique features of Pointy and Pokey include:
* An interactive, heart warming adventure
* A story that is controlled by your child: your child’s interactions help in deciding the hero
* Beautiful, hand-drawn, original art
* Child friendly narration with soothing background music
* Read along text highlighting
* Amazing, interactive effects on each story page
* Devised by parents and happily enjoyed by children, several times over
* A fun story-telling experience for the entire family
* Page swipe for easy navigation
* Background music and narration tracks can be turned on/off
* A perfect good night story app, tried and tested

$0.99/£0.69/download

Shelly Data Doodles today is pleased to announce the worldwide availability of Puffer Holiday Edition, a new addition to their Puffer Train series of family-friendly games for the iPhone and iPod touch platform. Puffer Holiday Edition uses a snowy winter setting and Holiday themed music to present players with increasingly challenging train puzzles. Puzzles can be solved using both "Zen mode" – a kids friendly format with unlimited moves per puzzle and "Star mode" – an online competitive format where player’s scores allow them to earn points, collect bonuses, and open new levels for play.

Fully localized in English, French, German and Spanish, Puffer Holiday Edition allows train lovers and puzzle fans around the world to share in the fun together. The game starts off simply, but soon grows more complex. Players will find themselves

* Arranging tracks
* Bridging rivers
* Tunneling through mountains
* Collecting reindeer from the tracks
* And creating railroad paths that allow the little locomotive to run

Like companion puzzle games, Puffer’s Train Challenge and Puffer’s Train Challenge Lite, Puffer Holiday Edition is fully integrated with Apple’s Game Center providing leaderboards and a range of achievements to be earned and shared online with friends. Shelly Data Doodles also provides a free online Player’s Forum where puzzlers and gamers from around the world can come together to share tips, tricks and puzzle solutions with one another.

free/download

There are a lot of fun things in life. A Lot! Trying to remember and list everything you own, how long you’ve had it, where you got it and how much you paid for it is not one of the fun things to have to do. If you’ve ever had to deal with the aftermath of a burglary, or a fire, earthquake, flood, hurricane, tornado, etc., you already know the importance of keeping track of your possessions. A current, complete, inventory information list won’t fix the emotional losses that come with a catastrophic loss, but it may lessen the financial burden of the aftermath. It will also allow you to concentrate of other, more important, issues at the time of loss.

Yes, it can be very helpful even if you don’t need to file an insurance claim.

TheManagedInventory (TMI) can be used by almost anyone that needs to keep track of nearly anything. Add a property (an apartment, home, home with an out building, multiple homes, a small business, a small business with multiple locations) – even a business that has rolling inventory.

The information TMI creates for you from the data you supply is handy for a lot of additional reasons as well. A complete inventory will make it much easier for you know what you have insured and what isn’t insured. Tap a few buttons and you can create exactly the type of information your insurance agent needs to assure you that you have enough coverage – or not. Just because you have an insurance policy that has a coverage figure that is larger than the total of everything you want insured does’t mean it actually is. We believe your insurance agent will be very pleased if you had a complete inventory.

$3.99/£2.99/download

Swiit Apps, LLC today is pleased to announce an update to their popular iOS app Locally 1.4. Included in this release is our patent-pending feature Local Fizz to pop open the local fizz in your neighborhood. With no sign-ups and without disclosing your email or telephone number, neighbors and locals can instantaneously buy, sell, communicate, share & organize with anyone around them using a neighborhood bulletin wall. Locally gives you a neighborhood bulletin wall wherever you are.

Locally is a neighborhood bulletin wall for neighbors to instantaneously buy & sell goods or services, communicate, share & organize with anyone around them with an easy paperless post. You can read from or post to any neighborhood wall, where ever you are (e.g., home, office, vacation).

No contact information, No Sign-Ons , No connecting or following either. You maintain your privacy in your neighborhood. Anonymously and instantaneously buy & sell, communicate and share with anyone around you. Now with iOS Twitter integration for user authentication.

Download Locally v1.4 for free from the iTunes App Store and help get rid of paper-based flyers in your neighborhoods, schools, colleges, office areas and other community organizations.

Free/download