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TUAW's Daily App: Inspector Gadget's MAD Dash
I would say that this Canabalt-like game is good for kids (and it is), but I don't suppose there are too many kids around nowadays who remember the early days of Inspector Gadget like I did in my generation. We 80s babies can fondly look back on Gadget, Penny, Brain and the mysterious Dr. Claw with nostalgia, so while this one is more or less a licensed tie-in game, it's still good to see the old gang kicking around. Actually, just calling it a tie-in game isn't quite right -- there are some new elements here, in the form of coins to collect as you run and a few interesting new sequences (including some hook-jumping and a train for Gadget to dodge). But it basically plays like a running game; Gadget constantly skates forward, and a touch on the screen let's you jump up to safety. It's just as fun, too -- while it doesn't have Canabalt's cool flavor, it does have the Gadget theme, sounds from the series and everything else you'd expect from a licensed title. It also has a nice curve of replayability -- you're not only scored as you play, you're also granted Gadget Coins, which you can use to unlock extras both in-game and out (there's a digital comic and a sound board, both of which are nice meaty add-ons). Plus, the game is half price right now at just US 99 cents ($2.99 for the iPad version). If you've got kids who like Canabalt, or if you just remember being a kid that liked Inspector Gadget, give it a shot.
McSweeney's revamps iOS app, now universal with a bookstore
I've said before that I'm a huge fan of McSweeney's, the publishing group founded by author Dave Eggers. The company has had an iPhone app for a while, but it recently updated to a universal version, so now all of that great content (from daily posts to various blogs, books, and the eponymous quarterly) is available to read on the iPad any time you want. The app is set up on a subscription basis, so the original purchase of $6.99 gets you access to six months of daily content from the company, plus "semi-eternal delivery" of material from the website (which is publicly available anyway). There's also an ebook store in the new version of the app, where you can buy any books the company has published, at prices from $6 to $15. All together, that may sound like a little much compared to some other apps, but compared to actual print books, that's still cheap, and all of McSweeney's ebooks are manually designed and typeset for the format, which is pretty cool. Good to see that McSweeney's is improving its iOS presence -- the App Store's a great place for smaller publishing houses like this one to find a bigger audience, I think.
Catan app adds Seafarers expansion with in-app purchase
The great Catan iOS game has added in its first expansion, available via an in-app purchase, and it's based on the Seafarers of Catan expansion from the original German board game. The expansion introduces ships and shipping routes to the kingdom-building simulation, and it includes 10 different scenarios to build ships in, as well as pirates, a Gold River tile and some extra victory cards with different bonuses. The expansion content is US$3.99 inside the app, but even if you don't want to shell out the extra four bucks, one of the scenarios is included, so you can at least see how it changes the game. The Catan app itself has been critically acclaimed, and I really like this model of releasing content -- it seems like a nice solid way of both making sure that content updates are significant improvements to an app, as well as allowing developers to get their own reward for releasing that content. Hopefully we'll see some more apps, outside of the board game model, take this approach in the future. [via TouchArcade]
Ion's Concert Piano has a built-in iPad dock
A while back at CES, I got to check out Gear4's Pocket Loops, a little keyboard with a built-in iPod touch dock, but Ion's Concert Piano takes that idea and goes big. It's a full-sized, 88-key piano with an iPad dock built into it. Just like the Pocket Loops keyboard, there's a downloadable app that lets you play music right out of your iPad (though I couldn't find it on the App Store just yet), but unlike the Pocket Loops keyboard, the piano itself has a built-in speaker, so even without Apple's tablet, you can make some music. Also unlike Gear4's keyboard, the Concert Piano seems like a premium instrument, with wood-grained paneling and actual weighted keys that are supposed to feel realistic. That probably also means it won't be nearly as cheap as Gear4's keyboard, but then again, when compared to a full keyboard or actual piano, the Concert Piano will probably stack up pretty favorably for your wallet. We've also seen even more complicated keyboards -- the Akai SynthStation49 has its own separate controls in addition to the built-in dock. No word on price or release date for the Concert Piano just yet, but we can probably expect to see it available later on this year. [via Dvice and Bornrich.org]
Firemint sells 3 million copies of Flight Control
Firemint has shared some sales figures about Flight Control over on its blog. The now classic line-drawing game was recently listed in the top paid apps of all time on the App Store, and so Firemint decided to reveal a little bit about how many copies it's sold and when. The grand total is exactly 3,881,634 copies as of their posting. The game currently sells for 99 cents, but that doesn't mean Firemint pulled in $3.8 million as Apple takes its 30 percent share as well. Firemint has also posted the chart above, showing when the most copies sold. Interesting to see that the Game Center patch gave them the biggest spike in sales, though don't forget that Flight Control was one of the first games on the service as it went live, something that certainly encouraged extra downloads. The new maps and the Retina Display support patches also gave big bumps. iOS developers, take note: big feature updates sell apps. Christmas boosts sales as well, as we've discussed here in the past. What's most interesting about those bumps, I think, is that they're basically the same size -- Christmas is turning into a pretty predictable spike in iOS sales for developers. We saw a lot of "planned" releases and discounts last holiday, and I bet we'll see even more as time goes on. Of course this is only one app on the store, but it's one of the biggest apps of all time, and probably a good representation of a lot of bestselling apps. Thanks to Firemint for sharing!
TUAW's Daily App: Strange Rain
We've been doing a week of experimental indie games in this space, and here comes Strange Rain today, from the creator of previous iOS indie title Ruben & Lullaby. Like the other games featured, Strange Rain is really more of an experimental art piece than an actual game. Rain falls on your iDevice's screen as the app plays, and it's really just an opportunity to sit, relax and experience things as they happen. There are some extras and secrets to go through -- a mode called Whispers Mode adds some words to the mix, and a Story Mode actually tells a story as you interact with the screen. What's fascinating about the app is that while it starts out as a rain simulation, following through with the experience turns things a bit, well...strange, and it's up to you, the player, to discover and find what meaning you want. Like the other experimental games, this means that the experience is a little more open-ended than just earning points (though there is Game Center integration in this one -- that's a fun bit). It's up to you to figure out how you'll react to a "game" like this, and for some players, that can end up being very fun as well. Strange Rain is US$1.99 for the universal version on the App Store.
Guardian iPhone app debuts, subscription available to UK customers
The Guardian has released a brand new version of its iPhone app on the App Store, this time featuring a subscription model for UK customers. Lots of publications have been trying to get Apple to approve a subscription model for apps, but The Guardian went ahead and did it themselves, offering up a six-month subscription to the content for £3, or a full year subscription for £4. The full app will still have content even without the subscription, but the subscription offers features like offline browsing and search, as well as some extra audio and video content. Americans can still download and use the app for free, and while it has all of the subscription features unlocked, the app is populated with ads. Interesting model for The Guardian, but theirs is a big organization, and the app is probably just a line item somewhere in a gigantic budget. If the subscription model works well for them, it could influence both Apple and other publications in terms of how they appear on the App Store.
Photo Factory for iOS devices is powerful (and, for today, free)
I love passing on tips about free stuff. Today I'll give you a quick alert on Photo Factory. The app is free today only, and it has a lot of good features for the photo hobbyist. There's a large collection of preset filters that you can modify to taste and see the results instantly. You also get the ability to create a variety of frames. Effects are additive, so you could create a frame, vary the color and add a soft matte with color control of the frame and the matte effect. I was most impressed with some of the black and white filters. For example, Photo Factory can find the sky in the photo and turn it into black and white, even if some parts of the image extend into the sky. Normally this would take some time consuming masking, but Photo Factory figures it out. It will also leave the sky in color and make the rest of the image black and white. %Gallery-114692%
MegaReader brings true multitasking to the iPhone, lets you walk and read at the same time (video)
Galaxy S owners will already be familiar with the awesome power of overlaying text on a live view of their phone's camera feed, but now their iPhone counterparts get to join in the fun as well. MegaReader, an e-reading app that's survived the cutthroat App Store waters long enough to reach version 2.1, has just added a "Heads Up Display" feature to its list of attributes. Its function is to make your iPhone appear transparent, which is achieved by relaying camera images of what's behind the phone to its front. A real life saver, a mere gimmick, or a golden opportunity for a hilarious promo video? Why not all three?
Apple updates 'All-Time Top Apps' prior to 10 billionth app download
As we move closer to the 10 billionth app sold on the App Store, Apple has updated its all-time top paid and free iPhone and iPad app lists, showing the top 200,000 or so apps on the store, ranked in order of sales and downloads. There aren't a lot of surprises in here -- if you've been following the App Store pretty closely over the first few years of its life, odds are that you'll know about most of these titles. But it is interesting to see them ranked. On the iPhone, Doodle Jump takes the crown as the most popular paid app of all time, with Tap Tap Revenge 3, Pocket God and Angry Birds filling out the top four. In free apps, Facebook and other free utilities are on top, with Backflip Studios' Paper Toss the only game in the top few entries. The iPad lists are interesting, being only a year old. There's still a fart app in there, under paid apps, surprisingly. The paid list is a strange mix of games and utilities, while the free apps are a little more obvious, mirroring a lot of the iPhone apps list (with iBooks coming in about halfway out of the top 10). As I said, all pretty obvious choices at this point, but still, very interesting to see. Good luck to everyone on being that 10 billionth app, and congrats as always to Apple on building such a solid platform over the past few years. [via MacStories]
White iPhone 4 seen in German inventory system
The good folks at Engadget have received pictures of what purports to be the inventory listing for Vodaphone in Germany, and in there you can see an entry for an iPhone 4 "weiß," which you don't have to have taken high school German to realize means white. That's right, the legendary white iPhone 4 still isn't dead -- Engadget's source says the phone should be available to the public "soon." We'd say that it's all just a bunch of wishful thinking yet again, but who knows? If The Beatles can show up on iTunes, then maybe we will see an actual, non-modded iPhone 4 for sale officially.
TUAW's Daily App: Hunters' Moon
Hunters' Moon is more of an experience than anything. It's a very beautiful app in a lot of ways, and it does have some game elements, but really it's a chance to sit and enjoy a piece of software that evokes a mood and an atmosphere. It was more or less inspired by a talk given by Brandon Boyer at last year's IndieCade conference; I did go to that show, but I didn't see Boyer's talk, unfortunately. Hunters' Moon is a great example of how personal and how simply beautiful video games can be. As the app's description says, it's "an interactive illustration and a drawing that shares an idea through game mechanics. It is best heard with headphones and played patiently." We get so caught up in the give and take of the business of software and the functionality of what we download and use that sometimes we neglect to see how powerful just sitting and enjoying these games can be. Give Hunters' Moon a try if that sounds intriguing. This iPad-only game is US$1.99 on the App Store.
Bump study: 90% of iOS users run 4.X
Bump, the folks behind that iPhone app that allows you to quickly and easily exchange contacts, released a set of stats about its users that says almost 90% of iOS device owners are already running some version of iOS 4.0 or above. Bump reportedly has over 25 million downloads, so we are talking about a decent sample of the iOS user population (though I'd argue that it's not quite as widespread as the stats might be on an app like Angry Birds -- still, we'll take what we can get). According to their figures, over 89% of users are running iOS 4.0, a number that's a little higher than what I've heard from developers in the past. Bump says that 10% of its users are still running some form of iOS 3.0, and just 2% of users are stuck back on iOS 2.0. Within the 4.0 crowd, 52.89% are running the latest version of 4.2.1, with 27.5% still running 4.1. Why's everybody so caught up? In addition to the press around each update, I'd suggest that the holidays were probably a big equalizer, with new iPhones and iPod touches smoothing out the playing field (since they come updated with the latest version automatically). With so many people all caught up to iOS 4.0 on the same hardware, Apple has a nice solid platform to build on, something that Android phones have been struggling with on both the hardware and software fronts. [via 9to5Mac]
TUAW's Daily App: Movie Triangles
Movie Triangles is a fun Java game where you connect movie stars and their films in a Sierpinski triangle-style grid. Developer Jim Blackler originally had the idea to create a trivia game made up of information straight from Wikipedia, and Movie Triangles is what that idea eventually became. It's also available for iOS now as a free universal app, so if you're a movie buff (or just know one), you can test your knowledge of movie casts right now on the iPhone and the iPad. Unfortunately, since the app started off outside of the iOS platform, it's not super flashy. You're basically just dragging triangles with text on them around, and a little bit of extra color or flash (a timer? another mode?) might have gone a long way. But the game is surprisingly addictive, as you can tell by playing it online, especially if you happen to know quite a bit about recent movies and movie stars. For film buffs, rearranging the triangles to try and remember who's in which movie is a lot of fun. The app is free, so there's really no reason to complain. Give it a look if you're into playing a little movie trivia on your iOS device.
OMGuitar iPad app lets you strum away on your iPad
This music video of a girl playing Garbage's "Only Happy When it Rains" (embedded in the continuation of this post) is actually an ad for an iPad app called OMGuitar, but that doesn't make it any less impressive -- the app looks pretty good. It allows you to hit a button to choose whatever chord you want to play, and then you strum along on virtual strings to your heart's content. The app also offers up some simple guitar effects to play around with as well. Unfortunately, since you're playing with an iPad, there's no tactile feedback, so I'd imagine you'd have to practice a bit to know exactly where to put your fingers and when. But given a few chords and a little bit of time with the app, it seems like it would be pretty easy to strum out a few of your favorite popular songs this weekend. [via ObamaPacman]
TUAW's Daily App: Brutal Fantasy
Brutal Fantasy: The Orcs of Undermountain is an interesting mashup of action and role playing. The actual gameplay is a beat-em-up like the old Golden Axe and Double Dragon games. You play as a knight battling through all kinds of different minions and bad guys, using a virtual D-pad and action buttons to hack, slash and cast various spells along the way. But the game is also an RPG -- there's a story to play through, which is drawn comic book style, and you can level up stats, get new loot and upgrade as you see fit. The art style is pretty distinctive -- it's all done by Joel "Drakxxx" Rose, and while it might take a little getting used to, everything is very detailed and stylistic. One word of warning: when the title says "brutal," it ain't kidding around. You'll see lots of blood and limbs spraying around in this one. The full game is US$1.99, and it comes with Game Center integration and universal compatibility, with enhanced graphics on the iPad. That's a pretty good deal already, but if you're not yet sold you can play through the Prologue version of the game for free. It's short, and it has ads, but it should give you a good idea of just how much fun the full game is.
Garmin updates StreetPilot app with improvements and fixes
If you follow my reviews, you know I had mixed emotions about the newly released iPhone Garmin StreetPilot. Chief among my complaints was an incredibly tinny and distorted voice. I'm happy to report that, after an update, the voice sounds much better and is now useful. Garmin has also increased the size of the map storage buffer, so you can see more of your previously downloaded maps without having to download them again. Voice instructions can now be toggled on or off, and there's a volume control on the main map menu for easy access. There are also some unspecified bug fixes. Garmin is to be congratulated for these quick fixes, and I have confirmed that the fixes do work and greatly improve the app. One thing that is not fixed is the requirement to download maps. While Navigon, TomTom and Magellan all have maps on board, Garmin has chosen to download maps as needed over the 3G network. This makes the app footprint small, but if you often drive in areas of weak reception, this is not the app for you.
Millienial Media report says Apple still top manufacturer and growing, travel apps busy last quarter
Millenial Media has released its final report of 2010 about advertising requests on its network, and Apple remains the king of mobile advertising on the network. For the last 15 months, Apple has been the top manufacturer, and ad requests on the network for Apple devices are still growing -- 12% from third to fourth quarter in 2010, and 14% over the entire year. iPad requests of ads specifically have jumped 280% in the last quarter. That doesn't mean Android is out of the running, however. Android beat out iOS in terms of impression shares, with a 46% network share as compared to iOS' 32% share. Android also took 55% of the revenue on the network, as opposed to 39% for Apple's devices. Verizon saw its share of impressions go up 2% in December, and it'll be interesting to see how that network's ad revenues grow with that new handset we've all heard so much about. Finally, Millenial says that ad requests on travel and vacation apps doubled in the last quarter of 2010, showing that users who were traveling and away from home still stayed connected to their mobile devices, using apps while on the road and on vacation. That's not too surprising since December is one of the busiest travel times of the year. What's interesting is how much travelers are depending on their smartphones for information and updates while out and about. This is a trend that will only increase next year as smartphones grow more and more ubiquitous. You can read the whole MobileMix report over here.
Lima Sky responds to trademark battle around the word 'Doodle'
This one's complicated but interesting. A few days back, it was revealed by the developer of an app called Doodle Monster that Doodle Jump creators Lima Sky (we've talked to founder Igor Pusenjak before) was trying to enforce trademark rights against any app on the store using the word "Doodle" in its name. That creator originally planned to step down and change the name, but the creator of another app called Doodle Hockey instead spoke out to say that Lima Sky had no business claiming the word "Doodle" itself, that there were pre-existing properties and trademarks on the word, and that "everyone with an app containing the word 'doodle' in the title needs to stand up to Lima Sky's threats." Now, Pusenjak himself has spoken out on the issue, and he says that he's retracting the original notice from the App Store. But he does hold his position on the word "Doodle," saying that "there was absolutely no rush to call a game 'Doodle Something' until Doodle Jump became famous. Then many developers began jumping on the bandwagon whether their game had any doodled elements in it or not. They were simply trading on the fame of Doodle Jump, for which Lima Sky has a trademark." Pusenjak admits that there is a trademark in the system before Lima Sky's, but says that the company's complaint on the App Store was designed to protect Doodle Jump against anyone else's attack. At any rate, legal action aside (and it doesn't appear as if there will be any), Pusenjak has agreed to step back from the restrictions, which even he agrees went too far, and says that he's simply trying to avoid customer confusion -- any developers creating games that might be confused with pre-existing IPs should simply have to change them, not remove games entirely. That seems to make sense, so hopefully that agreement will stand without further clashes.
PBS releases app for iPhone with full-length episodes and schedule info
PBS released an iPad app last October with access to videos and information about the donation-supported network's programming. Now, the network has done the same for the iPhone and iPod touch, with a free app simply called PBS. Just like the iPad app, you can watch clips and full-length episodes of some of the network's most popular programs, as well as see schedules for both national and local PBS programming. The iPhone app also lets you set reminders for certain programs, and you can also share videos with friends on Facebook and Twitter, or through email. I'm personally a big fan of shows like Antiques Roadshow and Nova, and having them available to watch anytime on the iPhone is great. The app is completely free and available for download right now, but if you like it, do look into hooking up your local PBS station with a nice donation.
