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TweetCaster Pro: An alternative to the 'd**kbar' in the Twitter app
Timing is everything. Just about at the same moment that the official iOS Twitter apps were updated with a new "Quick Bar," which was met with almost universal disdain, Handmark started shipping its new TweetCaster (US$4.99 Pro and ad-supported free versions available) Twitter app for iPhone. There's no "dickbar" in TweetCaster, and in fact, the app does everything it can to let you zip the lips of annoying tweeters or trends. Yeah, we've all seen a lot of Twitter apps, but TweetCaster is a bit different, and that's what made it interesting enough to try. The official Twitter app recently added the annoying Quick Bar, designed to let you know what was trending in Twitter, which means that lately it's been filled with the phrases "Classic Tattoo Fail," "Breakout Kings" (which appears to be a paid promotion for the new cable TV series), "thataintwinning" (somehow related to some actor from Ferris Bueller's Day Off), "Justin & Selena" and so on. %Gallery-118497%
Handmark and Goal.com team up for free FIFA World Cup 2010 app
With the FIFA World Cup 2010 commencing on June 11th, TUAW has been receiving a lot of info about iPhone apps for the event, including the indie effort Total Football 2010 which we'll be checking out soon. One of the most intriguing tips came from veteran mobile developer Handmark, which has teamed with huge soccer site Goal.com on a new app. The Goal.com Mobile app (World Cup 2010 edition) displays a special World Cup tab for news coverage from a team of 550 reporters, 10 of whom are based in South Africa for the finals. Features of the app include: Up to the minute top news & photos Live scores with play-by-play details Player ratings Teams with schedule and lineup details Fixtures and Results by day Group State with team standing Knockout Stage with the final tournament schedule Any of the articles can be emailed to friends or shared through Twitter or Facebook. If you're only interested in seeing how your team is doing, you can customize the app to focus on specific news feeds. You don't need to have a full-time Internet connection either; there's an offline reading mode so you can catch up on info while you're taking that long airplane flight to South Africa to cheer on your team. The Goal.com Mobile app is available in 9 languages -- English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Japanese, Turkish, and Indonesian. Time for football!
Samsung offering sacks of cash for mobile game ideas
It looks like Samsung is willing to pay as much as $250,000 to development teams or individuals for any mobile game pitches that eventually make it to the recently launched Samsung Application Store. According to Develop Online, Samsung has enlisted the help of mobile developer Handmark to help oversee the upcoming megaton of pitches, prototypes and products, as well as assist developers with production of their ideas for the platform.Having lost a sizable chunk of the mobile consumer base to Apple, and more specifically the iTunes App Store, Samsung is now reaching into its pockets to ensure the company's slip in market share doesn't turn into a complete mudslide. "This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone, including big brands, mobile developers or any individual with a unique, creative idea to make it a reality," Handmark's senior VP of Global Sales, Chris Barnett said. If you're looking for advice on how not to pitch your idea, we have you covered.
Glyph rocks on iPhone; GTS World Racing gets two-player mode
Handmark has released one new game for the iPhone and iPod touch, and updated one of their existing titles. The new game is Glyph, a game in the jewel-matching genre that has been a hit on PCs and other handheld platforms. The game has more than 200 levels across 2 different modes. In the Quest mode, you are trying to break through layers of rock by matching like-colored stones to make the glyphs visible. In Action mode, you touch groups of stones to clear them as they come up from the bottom of the screen. Your task is to try to keep the stones from making it all the way to the top of the screen. There's beautiful music playing in the background, although you can choose your own soundtrack from your music.Glyph is available now in the App Store (click opens iTunes) at an introductory price of US$1.99 -- the regular price will be US$4.99.In other news, Handmark has announced an update to GTS World Racing that provides a two-player mode so you can race against friends over Wi-Fi. The update is available for free through the App Store.
GTS World Racing on sale
One of my favorite racing games for iPhone / iPod touch is GTS World Racing from Handmark and Astraware. If you haven't loaded this fun app on your pocket pal, you might want to race over to the App Store before October 19th since GTS World Racing is on sale (click opens iTunes) for $2.99.This action-filled race game features a number of different cars, countries, and tracks, and uses the accelerometer to control the speed and direction of the car. It's a much more realistic racing game than Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D or Cro-Mag RallyFor more info about the app, including a movie showing the game in action, check out our August preview of GTS World Racing.
Motorola Q officially launches on Sprint, gets reviewed
Those of you patiently waiting for Sprint to officially launch (and make available) its rendition of the Motorola Q can finally breathe a sigh of relief, but you'll still have to wait just a bit longer to actually grab one. Slated to hit webstores "around mid-January" and retail outlets the month after, Sprint's Q isn't quite available to the masses just yet, but LAPTOP Mag got their palms around a pre-production release and promptly threw it on the testing block. Mimicking remarks we made earlier, reviewers noticed the lack of upgrades aside from the Sprint splash screen, logos, and unique "dark grey" hue, and they also found the "less rubberized" feel compared to Verizon's black version less enjoyable to handle. Noting the possibility of including a dedicated volume switch (as on the BlackJack), the crew was also let down by the omitted backlight underneath the keyboard, which Verizon's unit is blessed with. Additionally, surfing the web proved quite a bit slower when compared to Verizon's flavor, but Sprint suggested that "finalized units" wouldn't suffer the same fate. Nevertheless, not all was doom and gloom, as they did take note of the exclusive NFL Mobile functionality as well as the bundled Handmark application -- dubbed On Demand -- that loaded up "news, weather, directions, and other information optimized for the Moto Q's screen within seconds." Overall, this Q proved to be a bit of letdown considering what it could have been, and if only Sprint would've taken the time to add support for its Sprint TV and Music services, at least something would've stood out from the competition. As it stands, however, the Q still isn't a bad choice, and it was noted that Sprint's cheap unlimited data could swing contract-less buyers in its direction, but if you were hoping for a revamped, refreshed offering from big yellow, you'll be sorely disappointed.Read - Motorola Q officially launches on SprintRead - LAPTOP Mag reviews Sprint's Motorola Q
