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Square releases Square Cash iPhone app
Square has released its new Square Cash iPhone app that allows you to send money to anyone with an email account. The iPhone app is a companion app to the new Square Cash service that lets you send money simply by typing an email. Anyone may compose a new email to the person they want to send money to, putting a dollar amount in the subject line (for example, "$50") and CC the message to "cash@square.com." If it's your first time sending money, you'll then get an email with a link to where you can store your debit card info. Your recipient will get the money within two business days. The companion Square Cash iPhone app shortens the time you need to spend composing emails by allowing you to quickly tap in the dollar amount of what you want to send. It then fills in an email template for you. All you need to do is add your recipient's address. From the app's release notes: Send money to anyone with an email address. It's fast, safe, and free! No account needed. Just securely link your debit card to start sending money. It's free to send, and free to receive money directly to your U.S. bank account. Secure. Your financial information is entered through a secure connection and kept private. You can confirm or reject any transfer. Fast. Money automatically deposits to your bank account within 1-2 business days. Right now Square Cash is only available for users in the US and has a US$2,500-per-week sending limit. Square Cash is a free download.
Seene lets you take and share 3D images from your iPhone
Seene is a clever and free iPhone app that lets you capture an object or person in three dimensions. It's not the 3D you get from taking two images that are horizontally displaced, but instead you move left and right, up and down while the camera is running, which produces an image that you can explore from different angles by either moving your phone or swiping your finger on the image. If you like the result, you can share your image through a web portal, or upload it to Twitter or Facebook. The 3D images can be viewed on most modern browsers that support WebGL, including Safari, Chrome and Firefox. How does it work? Really well, impressively so. Point the iPhone camera at an object or a person and you see a lot of little dots on your screen defining the object. If those dots aren't visible, your subject does not stand out enough from the background and you need to find a better background. In my experiments, I found that neutral backgrounds work best to not confuse the software. The app displays a kind of "pie chart" image that you can alter by moving in four directions until the four wedges have turned green. Once that has happened, there is enough data for the image. Processing is quick and easy, and from that point, you can save or send the photo. Seene is not the first app to try to capture an object with a moveable, dimensional photo, but I had the best results with it of any I've tried. If you are interested in this kind of photography, Seene is a no risk, no cost app to try out. Seene requires iOS 6 or later. Scenes can be captured only on an iPhone 4s or greater, but images can be viewed on an iPhone 4 or later. The app is optimized for the iPhone 5 series.
Angry Birds Go! cart racer hits iOS on December 11
With a franchise as massive as Angry Birds, no game genre is safe, and the next category of digital escapism to be graced by the adorable avians is racing. Angry Birds Go! is slated to hit your iOS device on December 11, and if the newly released trailer is any indication, it's shaping up quite fantastically. The game is very much what you'd expect if you've ever played a Mario Kart title: Iconic Angry Birds characters take the wheel of makeshift vehicles and attempt to best one another using their driving skills and destructive special powers. The game will feature customizable vehicles and, since the app is going to be free to download, we imagine microtransactions will play a large role in how well-equipped your ride becomes.
Share Anytime is a clever collaborative whiteboard app for iPad
There are a lot of whiteboard- and document-sharing solutions on both the Mac and iOS platforms. MetaMoji Corporation is debuting Share Anytime, a free app that allows teams to see documents, drawings and photos in real time and mark them up interactively. MetaMoji also offers Note Anytime, which has been a popular and highly rated PDF-markup tool. A user can start, or in Share Anytime lingo, be chairman of a meeting, and invite others to watch or participate. There are annotation tools, and you can add symbols from a large library of icons or draw in freehand using several pen options. Photos can be imported from your iPad, then scaled and moved. All this activity is seen in real time by other participants. I tried the app with a friend about 600 miles away. He was on a first-generation iPad; I was on an iPad 3. Everything worked fine, and neither of us had to consult the help files. When he imported an image, it popped up on my iPad. I could underline it, add a text comment or move it, and he would see the changes almost instantly. There is also a chat function so people can type comments in real time. I also tried a sample session that was running in Barcelona. Again, updates were very quick, so the technology in the app is up to the task of real-time collaboration. The app also allows you to import documents from services like Google Drive, Dropbox and Evernote. It should be noted that imported documents become PDFs, so they can't be edited. They can be marked up, and blank pages can be added with text or diagrams as if the PDF was a graphic -- which, in reality, it is. There are some negatives. One, there are two signups required to get the app working. The first is with Share Anytime, while the second is with a service called Digital Cabinet that activates the real-time editing. While using the basic features is easy, there are some rather arcane icons that aren't really clear until you check the help file. Also, there is no voice-over-IP support. Everyone will need to be on the phone to speak, which is pretty much the best way to interact. I don't think the chat window would be truly effective. Only the iPad is supported now, but other platforms are on the way. While the app is free and quite full-featured, there is a paid US$1.99 a month version that adds handwriting recognition in 13 languages and converts handwritten text to typed text. It also extends the number of meetings you can create. The free version allows you to attend an unlimited number of meetings and host up to ten meetings, or 1GB of data transfer, whichever comes first. Share Anytime is clever, and works as advertised. The free version should be great for lightweight collaboration with smaller document sizes. The paid version is very reasonably priced compared to a lot of the better-known collaboration options. I think the app can be useful in project management, distance learning and even by photographers who want to share and comment on their work. Share Anytime works on any iPad running iOS 5 or greater.
New and notable apps for iOS and OS X, October 14, 2013
It's always busy in the App Store with a never-ending flood of new apps landing on iOS and OS X. Take a few minutes and check out our list of stand-out titles from the past few weeks! If that's not enough, you can also follow our ongoing coverage of new apps as they are released. New iOS Apps Pickle - Smart Clipper (WEB IMAGE, GIF & SCREENSHOT) for iPad [iPad; Category: Productivity; $0.99] Pickle is the easiest way to clip Images & GIFs from websites. Cavorite 3 [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $1.99] Cavorite 3 continues the original and genre-crossing adventure game series, appealing to fans of puzzlers and platformers alike. Sheepland [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $3.99] After many successes in the field of board games with world class games such as Horse Fever, Rattus and Tzolk'in, Cranio Creations finally enters the world of digital gaming with Sheepland. Tick [iPhone; Category: Productivity; $0.99] Tick is a next-generation incredibly-customizable To-Do app designed exclusively for iOS 7. F1™ Challenge [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $2.99] Complete over 90 racing events and recreate thrilling moments from the 2012 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™ in F1 Challenge – an officially licensed FORMULA 1™ videogame. MagicalPad [iPhone; Category: Productivity; $2.99] Organize your ideas and improve productivity. Best for meeting notes, brainstorming, capturing ideas, doodling, taking notes and managing lists and to-dos. UniqueTrainer [iPhone; Category: Health & Fitness; $6.99] UniqueTrainer is smarter, faster and more prescriptively accurate than any other personal training workout programme. New OS X Apps Disk Diag [OS X; Category: Utilities; Free] Disk Diag helps to quickly discover and clean up unneeded files. Scan your home folder for useless files and remove them to free up disk space with only a few clicks. BookViewer [OS X; Category: Entertainment; $7.99] BookViewer is a top e-book renderer for your Mac. It is very lightweight because it has no heavy library collection management features and works exactly like Preview app for e-books. The Tiny Tale [OS X; Category: Games; $5.99] Retrieve the four elements and restore a magical kingdom in The Tiny Tale! Present [OS X; Category: Utilities; $2.99] Present's purpose in life is to allow you to be able to present images and movies on a secondary display without undue hassle. MUTANT [OS X; Category: Music; Free] Mutant is software designed for simple and efficient management of sound files for advanced music production. iWrite Albums [OS X; Category: Photography & Video; $4.99] Want to make your own album? Choose this software!
F1 Challenge launches on iOS with more than 90 events
iOS continues to grow as a game platform every day, with new titles and better-looking graphics constantly popping up. The latest beneficiaries of this growing game environment are Formula One fans thanks to the release of F1 Challenge, an officially licensed racing sim. Featuring more than 90 challenges, each inspired by moments from the 2012 racing season, F1 Challenge offers racing fans plenty of content for its US$2.99 price tag. Racers can also compete in time trials, race events and short Grand Prix events featuring 12 cars at a time and more. The controls are even adjustable for both right- and left-handed players. Players will be racing against the full lineup of drivers from the 2012 season, including Scuderia Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes' Jenson Button and Lotus F1 Team's Kimi Räikkönen. F1 Challenge is available now in the app store.
Rabbids Big Bang lands on iOS on October 17
Once Rayman's mortal nemesis, the Rabbids will soon get their very own mobile adventure with Rabbids Big Bang, headed to iOS on October 17. According to a press release by developer Ubisoft (below), the game will span a total of 150 levels, offering outer space-flavored fun as the Rabbids pilot jetpacks to accomplish specific tasks. Rabbids Big Bang will be the first proper Rabbids title to appear on iOS, with the only previous app, Rabbids Go Phone Again, being less of a game and more of a quirky virtual toybox. The game will sell for US$0.99 and will feature microtransactions, which likely means there will be a bounty of customization options and bonus items that you can pay to obtain without much effort. Show full PR text RABBIDS BIG BANG AVAILABLE ON OCTOBER 17TH SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – October 11th, 2013 – Today, Ubisoft announced that Rabbids Big Bang will be released on October 17th on iOS, Google Play and Amazon at the price of $0.99. Deciding Earth is not enough for them, the Rabbids are making space their new playground in this physics-based game on smartphones and tablets. Players will pilot the wacky little creatures using jetpack boosts and the gravitational force of planets, to avoid catastrophic accidents, fly around obstacles and explore the edges of the galaxy. Developed by Ubisoft Paris studios, Rabbids Big Bang offers 150 different missions including crash-landing landing on planets, bouncing off of space cows and reaching specific speeds. The customization options in-game are plentiful. Jetpacks can be upgraded for an added boost or just a bit of flare and as Rabbids love dressing up, there are lots of disguises, new outfits and funny looks to make Rabbids stand out! And as it's Rabbids we are talking about, players will meet space duckies, cheese planets and feel the burn if they fly to close to the Sun! For more info on Rabbids Big Bang, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/rabbids?fref=ts About Ubisoft: Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified lineup of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 29 countries and has sales in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2012-13 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,256 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com 2013 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Rabbids, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries
Cameo enters the social video world with a clever and powerful app
Cameo is a new free social video app that aims to compete with the likes of Vine and Instagram. The app sports some powerful features and has enough advantages that people who love to share videos will want to give it a shake. The app allows you to take as many videos as you want. All the videos are rendered in the cloud at 720p, and a copy is saved to your iPhone so it can be uploaded to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr. One clever feature is the ability to share videos in real time with friends, so if, for example, you're both in different places at a sporting event, you can share each other's clips and build them into your own video creation. Like Vine, clips are limited to six seconds, but you can combine those clips into a video that lasts as long as two minutes. As you shoot new clips, new ones are being rendered in the cloud, so you are not waiting for things to finish. When all your clips are done, you can select music, either from your own library or from clips provided by Cameo. You can title your video, and choose a theme. Then the video is rendered on the Cameo servers, which is pretty quick, and then you can share. I gave the app a try and found it very well thought out. A novice can get a great-looking video the first time out without ever consulting a help file. You can comment on friends videos, or follow what they are doing. I found the six-second clip limit restrictive, but once I got into the rhythm of the app, I was less bothered by it. The themes are very well done, and don't feel like simple filters thrown on top of video. The themes are sort of all or nothing. You pick a theme and go with it. You don't get to fiddle with transitions and effects. There are a lot of iPhone owners who never touch the video feature they have, but Cameo could give them a good reason to explore video as a creative and social outlet that isn't complicated to use. Like all apps, Cameo will mutate and improve, but it is already a strong contender and everyone who uses video on their iPhone, and those who don't, but are thinking about it, owe Cameo a look. Cameo requires iOS 7, and it's not universal. Your best bet is an iPhone, which is what it is really designed for.
Daily iPhone App: Fotor HDR brings some new tricks to iPhone photography
Fotor HDR is a new iPhone app for those of you who like to take high dynamic range (HDR) photos. The US$1.99 app adds some very sophisticated processing options after you take the multiple images required for an HDR image. The main feature Fotor HDR offers is preset styles. Rather than simply providing filters, the Fotor styles are geared to HDR images, and are similar to what you see in the pro HDR apps you see on the Mac, such as Photomatix and HDR Efex Pro 2 from Nik/Google. Here's how the app works: you frame your image on screen, with Fotor offering a grid to help you compose and level the camera. There are two picture-taking modes -- one mode grabs the images and processes them, while the other mode allows you to continue taking photos rapidly without waiting for processing and aligning (you can do that after your photo session). Processing and aligning are pretty quick on an iPhone 5s, and I think it's quite acceptable on older hardware as well. Once the images are done, you have the option to select a style for your photo, or leave the HDR image alone. Some of the styles were a bit over the top, but may appeal to some photographers. Some, like surreal, worked well if there were lots of clouds and a contrasty sky. With each style, you can adjust saturation, brightness, contrast and create a vignette. I was able to turn out some really nice photos using Fotor HDR. In my tests, I found it far superior to the built-in HDR feature of the iPhone Camera app, and similar in quality to one of my favorite photo apps, Pro HDR. Apple's HDR is very subtle, but when there are deep shadows it doesn't do very well. It does work well when faces are in front of a bright sky, brightening the faces while still revealing the great outdoors. When I gave Fotor HDR my "dark room with bright window" test, it did very well, revealing details in the room without overexposing the bright scene outside. What also makes Fotor HDR stand out are the style presets and the ability to adjust within those parameters. Readers can view some comparisons in the slide show above. I'm impressed with what Fotor HDR brings as an iPhone imaging tool. In future versions, I'd like to see the option to combine three images rather than two for greater dynamic range. Fotor HDR is not a universal app, so it's best used on your iPhone or iPod touch. It requires iOS 6.0 or later, but the user interface has a nice iOS 7 look to it.
New and notable apps for October 7, 2013
It's always busy in the App Store with a never-ending flood of new apps landing on iOS and OS X. Take a few minutes and check out our list of stand-out titles from the past few weeks! If that's not enough, you can also follow our ongoing coverage of new apps as they are released. New iOS Apps Frax [iPhone; Category: Entertainment; $1.99] Frax raises the fractal in 3D height, uses complex color gradients to smoothly tint and shade them, adds two light sources for glossy reflections and infinitely scaleable chaotic textures. Frax HD [iPad; Category: Entertainment; $3.99] Frax raises the fractal in 3D height, uses complex color gradients to smoothly tint and shade them, adds two light sources for glossy reflections and infinitely scaleable chaotic textures. Machines at War 3 [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $6.99] The creators of the mega hit real time strategy game Land Air Sea Warfare bring you their newest heart pounding action packed RTS, Machines at War 3. Dead Man's Draw [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $1.99] Draw cards, win gold, and unlock exciting new adventures in this addictively fun game of chance and skill. The Cave [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $4.99] Descend into the mysterious depths of The Cave in this adventure game from Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert and Double Fine Productions. Transport Tycoon [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $6.99] Take control of your own fledgling transport company, and use your engineering skill and business acumen to keep cargo and passengers moving - and keep the money rolling in! LEVEL 22 [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $3.99] Gary's been late for work, and he could be fired if he's spotted arriving at his desk after everyone else yet again. So he'll have to prove he's smart and sneaky enough to make his way up all the 22 floors between him and his office without being seen. Virtual ANS [iOS Universal; Category: Music; $5.99] Virtual ANS is a software simulator of the unique Russian synthesizer ANS - photoelectronic microtonal/spectral musical instrument created by Russian engineer Evgeny Murzin from 1938 to 1958. Gunner Z [iOS Universal; Category: Games; Free] Take your fleet of customized "AC-HMV" armored assault trucks into a city overrun by an undead army. Cube Synth [iPad; Category: Music; $9.99] Cube Synth is a groundbreaking new software instrument giving you the power and flexibility of additive synthesis together with easy editing and morphing capabilities. EMPIRE: The Deck Building Strategy Game [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $2.99] EMPIRE introduces the world's first "Deck-Building 4X Strategy Game". EMPIRE is a quick, easy-to-learn yet difficult to master strategy/tactics game. New OS X Apps Capo 3 [OS X; Category: Music; $29.99] apo 3 is a revolutionary tool that helps you learn the music in your iTunes library. By slowing your music, automatically detecting chords and quickly generating guitar tablature using the detailed spectrogram, Capo 3's award-winning capabilities let you learn to play your songs faster than ever. Report Assistant [OS X; Category: Education; $3.99] Report Assistant is a great and versatile tool for any teacher. As important as your subject specific knowledge, the assistant will help you during one of the most arduous time of the year. picatext [OS X; Category: Productivity; $3.99] You need to get the text out of an image or from anywhere on your screen? With picatext this is as easy as selecting a file or a screen area. PocketCAS for Mathematics [OS X; Category: Education; $9.99] PocketCAS is a very advanced mathematics application for your Mac. It can help you with any kind of math problem, from elementary school all the way up to calculus, algebra and statistics. SoHo [OS X; Category: Music; Free] That's exactly how easily you can use SoHo, the minimal music app. Control music from iTunes, Spotify, Rdio and Radium in an amazingly easy way.
Cinefex 'classic collection' coming to iPad in 2014
One of my favorite things in the world, Cinefex magazine, has funded the digitization of its older magazines to its iPad app thanks to a Kickstarter campaign that has become the fourth most-funded publishing project on the site to date. Cinefex, for those who don't know, is a magazine that takes a behind-the-scenes look at special effects work for Hollywood movies. Back in my film school days, I would get an issue when I could afford it, and pore over the photos and text, which took me backstage to some of the world's most talented artists, designers, animators and more. Much of what Cinefex documented shows the evolution of effects work as well, not to mention rare glimpses into what made some of our favorite movies work. The photo of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow man on the Kickstarter page should be enough to clue you in as to how awesome this magazine is for film buffs, never mind anyone actually working in the industry. And to supplement the current Cinefex iPad app, now those older issues of Cinefex will be available via its iPad app by January 2014, according to the Kickstarter page.
Spin looks to bring high-fidelity group video chatting to iPhone and iPad
For the past year, three relatively low-profile but intriguing iPhone and iPad apps from developer Net Power & Light have graced the App Store: Together Talks, Together Justice and Together Learn are all built on the company's core Spin technology. Each app provides a collaborative video chat community around a specific content source; Talks aggregates TED talks, for example. But this week NP&L is doubling down on Spin with a standalone, user-driven free iOS app that's meant to give you a new way to connect with friends and family. The Spin name, according to company co-founder and CEO Tara Lemmey, comes from the concept of quantum spin and the ability of subatomic particles to be "entangled" with one another, preserving their connection even over cosmic distances. This Spin, while not quite so complicated, still brings a lot to the table. The new app is "capable of delivering truly immersive real-time 'together' experiences," says NP&L, by putting real-time, high fidelity video chat (even over LTE networks) alongside synchronous media sharing. Spin makes it easy to call up a video chat with a group of contacts (up to 10 simultaneously) or schedule chats around shared events (sports, favorite TV shows, etc.). Once in the Spin experience, participants' camera feeds share space with YouTube and Facebook videos, or photos sourced from Facebook, Flickr or the device itself. With a flick of a finger, different bits of media can take center stage, and users can add their input with onscreen doodles, fun animated props (a vuvuzela? really?) or just chat away. Want to focus your attention on one participant? Make their avatar bigger and they'll get louder, just as though they were closer to you in real life. The whole experience is pushed out at the maximum available quality for both audio and video; full AirPlay mirroring support allows you to push out the conversation to the big screen. NP&L has some high-powered investor/advisors to go along with a deep technology stack; the company boasts the former Xerox PARC director and current Deloitte innovation guru John Seely Brown on its roster. JSB, as he's generally known, is enthusiastic about the potential of Spin to help move the needle for interpersonal connections through technology. "Social media revolutionized how we connect online," he says, "but the hard work that went into creating the technology platform powering Spin goes even further. Digital interactions finally begin to feel more human, more real, and less digital, deepening our relationships in ways that are more fun, rewarding and fulfilling." The Spin app, along with its three Together predecessors, is engaging, responsive and fun to use; unfortunately it's not that good at preserving state or the progress of a video playback if you happen to switch to another app while you're using it (at least in single-user testing). Hopefully that's an iOS 7-related hiccup that will be cleared up with a patch in the near future. In the meantime, you can download Spin for free on the App Store and take it for a... well, you can try it out.
New and notable apps for iOS and OS X - October 1, 2013
It's always busy in the App Store with a never-ending flood of new apps landing on iOS and OS X. Take a few minutes and check out our list of stand-out titles from the past few weeks! If that's not enough, you can also follow our ongoing coverage of new apps as they are released. New iOS Apps Polychord Mini [iPhone; Category: Music; $1.99] Polychord, the award-winning music app for beginners and experts alike now fits in your hand. Used in the studio by world-class bands to help write songs, polychord plays along while you discover interesting chord progressions and melodies. NBA 2K14 [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $7.99] With more than 38 Sports Game of the Year and "Best Of" mentions last year on console, 2K14 is set to rule the virtual hardwood on iOS. Arctic ProSynth [iPad; Category: Music; $9.99] Arctic Pro Synthesizer / Vocoder is a modern subtractive synthesizer. Lost Echo [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $2.99] In this indie adventure game you explore fully 3d environments using an intuitive point and click interface.Solve puzzles, explore, play minigames, interact with numerous characters and find out what really happened to Chloe! Drop That Candy HD [iPad; Category: Games; $2.99] Match and eat your way through 60 delicious and engaging sweet physics puzzles! Drop That Candy [iPad; Category: Games; $2.99] Match and eat your way through 60 delicious and engaging sweet physics puzzles! Facetune for iPad [iPad; Category: Photography & Video; $3.99] Facetune for iPad gives every user the ability to create high-end portraits, with intuitive, powerful tools previously reserved for the pros. Pocket Trains [iOS Universal; Category: Games; Free] Manage and grow multiple railroads by hauling important cargo around the world. Collect parts to construct all the different train types from Steamers to Diesels, and complete daily events to unlock special trains beyond imagination. Cat on a Diet [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $0.99] Soft, fluffy, and a little on the chunky side - the podgy pussycat Dr. Meow can't stop munching on delicious cookies and needs your help getting his greedy little paws on more. Trouserheart [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $2.99] Get up from the throne and defeat Blockolds, Tentacles, Derp Knights, Jelly Cubes, and other peculiar adversaries! The King needs his pants back. gMusic 2 [iOS Universal; Category: Music; $1.99] gMusic 2 has been recreated especially for iOS 7 and Google Play All Access. Trace 2 [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $2.99] The sequel to 2008's hit puzzle platformer is finally here! Trace 2 features eight brand new worlds to explore and tons of new gameplay mechanics to discover. PDFpen Scan+ with OCR, PDF text export [iOS Universal; Category: Business; $4.99] With PDFpen Scan+, use your iPhone or iPad to scan and OCR multi-page documents to create searchable PDFs. Scan directly with your iPhone or iPad camera. Velocity – Speed Reader [iPhone; Category: Productivity; $2.99] Read faster than ever before, one word at a time. Speed read articles from the Web, Instapaper, and Pocket at superhuman speeds. Todo 7 -The ORIGINAL To-Do Task List [iOS Universal; Category: Productivity; $4.99] Todo 7 is the world's first, and one of the most popular, powerful, and award-winning to-do list and task manager iOS apps ever-now OPTIMIZED for iOS 7. Shade° [iPhone; Category: Weather; $1.99] Shade gives you a clear, structured and understandable overview of the day ahead. It presents weather in a concise way, while keeping every screenful as unique as the weather it represents. New OS X Apps Simplenote [OS X; Category: Productivity; Free] Simplenote is an easy way to keep notes, lists, ideas and more. Your notes stay in sync with all your devices for free. The Lord of the Rings: War in the North [OS X; Category: Games; $29.99] In the battle for Middle-earth, a new Fellowship is born. Clipitto [OS X; Category: Productivity; Free] Take a screenshot or drop any file on the menubar icon. Clipitto will automatically upload it to your Dropbox account and instantly place a link into your clipboard for quick sharing.
Vanished is a unique and compelling iPhone game
I'm not much of a gamer, but every so often one comes along that grabs my attention. Vanished for iPhone has a unique premise, clever execution, and until Oct. 1, it's free. Here's the scenario: You awake in a dark room and hear some noises. To make the effect complete, you close your eyes, and the game requires headphones so you can hear the directional clues. The game depends on your built-in compass. I heard a siren and walked toward it by moving my iPhone horizontally until the sound was centered, then tapped the screen to walk forward. As you move the phone, you can hear the sounds change. Don't get frustrated. You may have to do a lot of walking. Around me were some low rumbles and a hint of some evil-sounding entity. You will encounter some nasty beings, so you engage in combat by shaking the phone, which lets you use your knife. This is a very clever and original approach to gaming. It will take your full attention. The more creatures you kill, the more experience and strength you will have. If you are looking for fancy graphics and flashing lasers, this is not the game for you. It reminds me a bit of the Colossal Cave text adventure of long ago, but with sound instead of text. I applaud the creativity of the developers, who say more expansion modes are on the way. Vanished is iPhone only and requires iOS 4.0 or later. Your phone will need a compass, which means an iPhone 3GS or later. Vanished is worth a look, or really, a listen.
Truck Stop brings destructive mayhem to Mac
Do you like your racing games better when there's less actual racing and more white-knuckle crashes? Then you'll feel right at home with Truck Stop, an in-progress crash-em-up being worked on by a former member of Criterion Games, the same studio responsible for the highly popular Burnout franchise. Some of the most fun you could have in the Burnout titles was in "Crash" mode, where you were tasked not with reaching a finish line, but with destroying as much of the game world as possible. Truck Stop appears to continue this tradition, and while the current, unfinished version of the game is only available for Windows, it is slated to hit Mac and Linux as it crashes it way toward a proper release. If you'd like to support the game's eventual launch on Steam, you can give it a "Yes" vote on Steam Greenlight now. [via Joystiq]
New and notable apps that launched alongside iOS 7
Apple rolled out iOS 7 yesterday to the public, and app developers were ready with their iOS 7 compatible apps. Yesterday, we looked at notable iOS app updates, and today, it is time to look at the new apps that debuted alongside iOS 7 . Here is a list of new apps that hit App Store just in time for iOS 7. La Luna: The Story Project [iPad; Category: Entertainment; $3.99] Pixar's Academy Award-nominated short film comes to life in a new interactive storybook experience for your iPad. Disney Infinity: Toy Box [iPad; Category: Games; Free] Captain Jack Sparrow in a sports car racing Dash, Sulley climbing mountains to find Cinderella's Castle – create anything your imagination dreams of. Riddick: The Merc Files [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $2.99] Be Riddick - the iconic antihero - and avoid the mercenaries that hunt you across the stars. Diptic PDQ [iOS Universal; Category: Photography & Video; $0.99] Diptic PDQ (short for Pretty Dang Quick) is the fastest way to create photo collages and share them with friends. Morningstar for iPad [iPad; Category: Finance; Free] Research thousands of stocks, funds, and exchange-traded funds; build a library of investment ideas; and drill down using proprietary Morningstar ratings and analysis. Lineal Timeline [iPad; Category: Productivity; $4.99] Beautiful Timelines Made Simple. Begin - Your daily todo list [iPhone; Category: Productivity; $0.99] Begin is a todo list for real people. It works how you'd expect. It's fast, it's simple and it's beautiful. Cook - The World's Cook Book [iPad; Category: Food & Drink; Free] Cook lets you create your very own Cook book for iPad to share the food you love with family and friends. Toca Cars [iOS Universal; Category: Education; $0.99] In Toca Cars you do what feels right. No rules apply to these roads. Cruise through big puddles of ice cream, fly off jumps into a lake or build a huge pile of houses, stop lights, and mailboxes and drive right through. Angry Birds Star Wars II [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $0.99] Based on the Star Wars movie prequels, use the Force for good against the greedy Pork Federation or choose a much darker path. Infinity Blade III [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $6.99] Created by ChAIR Entertainment, the original iOS blockbuster returns with adrenaline-fueled sword-fighting action, gorgeous visuals, and a thrilling story of love, betrayal, and redemption.
BlackBerry Messenger for iOS to launch September 22
It's confirmed -- the long-rumored BlackBerry Messenger is ready to roll out this weekend to iPhone owners. The release arrives one day after the Android version lands in the Google Play Store on September 21. With these releases, BBM moves away from its BlackBerry-only roots and becomes a cross-platform messaging service. On its website, BlackBerry listed the features that will be available to iOS BBM users at launch. These include the following: BBM Chat – Enjoy real, immediate conversations with friends on Android, iPhone and BlackBerry smartphones. Not only does BBM let you know that your message has been delivered and read, it also shows you that your friend is responding to the message. More than chat – With BBM you can share files on your phone such as photos and voice notes, all in an instant. BBM Groups lets you invite up to 30 friends to chat together, and go a step further than multi-chat by sharing photos and schedules. And, with Broadcast Message, you can send a message out to all your BBM contacts at once. Post Updates and stay in the know – BBM lets you post a personal message, profile picture and your current status, and lets your contacts know instantly in Updates. Your unique PIN – Every BBM user has a unique PIN that maintains your privacy, so you don't have to give out your phone number or email address to a new or casual contact. BlackBerry announced that BlackBerry Messenger for iOS will be available at 12:01 AM on September 22 in the iOS App Store. It will be compatible with iPhones running iOS 6 or iOS 7.
New and notable apps for iOS and OS X - September 16, 2013
It's always busy in the App Store with a never-ending flood of new apps landing on iOS and OS X. Take a few minutes and check out our list of stand-out titles from the past few weeks! If that's not enough, you can also follow our ongoing coverage of new apps as they are released. New iOS Apps PicLab HD - Design Studio [iOS Universal; Category: Photography & Video; $1.99] PicLab HD is a powerful design studio in the palm of your hands. Marvin for iPhone and iPod touch [iPhone; Category: Books; $4.99] Marvin is an e-book reader for people who are passionate about their books. interpol [iPad; Category: Music; $2.99] Interpol is the monosynth with dual personality! Create two sound setups and morph seamlessly between them with the crossfader. Pro Strategy Football 2013 [iPhone; Category: Games; $4.99] If you love American Football strategy, welcome to the best strategy football game for iOS! Play against the computer, against your friend with pass-and-play or against anyone around the world via Game Center online multiplayer. GO DANCE [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $1.99] Dance anywhere, anytime on your iPad and iPhone. GO DANCE is the first real dance game for mobile. Featuring revolutionary technology that lets your iPad and iPhone camera see and score your actual moves. Rage Warriors [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $2.99] In the style of classic arcade fighting games, Rage Warriors pits contenders against one another in a button-pounding battle of kicks, punches, blocks, parries and specials. Dodge This! [iOS Universal; Category: Games; Free] Cannons, carnage and lots of chickens -- we bet you've never seen anything like Dodge This. Modular Synthesizer [iOS Universal; Category: Music; Free] Modular, the ultimate synthesizer that will revolutionize your sound. Chicken Cha Cha Cha [iPad; Category: Games; $4.99] Kids ages 4 and up race animated chickens around a meadow, all while training their visual memory. Where's My Water? 2 [iOS Universal; Category: Games; Free] Get ready to join Swampy, Allie and Cranky on their NEXT exciting adventure! The sequel to the most addicting physics-based puzzler from Disney has finally arrived. Calendars 5 [iOS Universal; Category: Productivity; $4.99] Calendars 5 is a complete re-imagining of what the best mobile calendar experience should be. New OS X Apps ClassicWeather [OS X; Category: Weather; Free] Mac version of the beloved iOS weather app ClassicWeather. ExSqueeze it - Squeeze Your PDF [OS X; Category: Utilities; Free] ExSqueeze it reduces the file size of your PDF documents having many pictures in it. BioShock Infinite [OS X; Category: Games; $39.99] BioShock Infinite puts players in the shoes of US Cavalry veteran turned hired gun Booker DeWitt. Indebted to the wrong people and with his life on the line, DeWitt has only one opportunity to wipe his slate clean.
Mac App of the Week: Weather Live is a one-stop weather app for your Mac
There are few things that affect us on a daily basis more than the weather. Just ask anyone who has left the house without a coat on a rainy day and you will see what I mean. If you are looking for a new app to help you track the temperature on your Mac, then you should check out Weather Live from Apalon. Like most weather apps, Weather Live is partly about the weather, partly about the looks. The weather information is presented nicely in a dashboard-style layout with the date and time in the center. A moving background showcases the current conditions. It supports multiple cities so you can easily move from one city to another with a simple tap. You can also rearrange the city list, allowing you to put your favorite locations at the top. By default, the app displays your current conditions, the date and time, the hourly forecast and the upcoming forecast. The current conditions include the temperature, feels like temperature, projected highs/lows, the weather status (i.e., rain, cloudy, sunny, etc.) and the wind speed and direction. The app also has several customizable conditions such as the humidity, precipitation, pressure and visibility. You can switch these defaults and choose to display other parameters like the sunrise, sunset, wind chill and more. If you don't like this look, you can switch to a dashboard with just the current conditions or an all-text view that dumps the dashboard look and replaces it with text. In this text-only view, the background weather images really shine through. No matter what view you pick, the app displays the current temperature as a badge on the icon in the dock. It's a nice touch that lets you see the outside temperature without opening the app. There were a few quirks with the app that I encountered while using it. First, the badge in the dock disappeared occasionally and I had to toggle it off and then on again to get it to reappear. I also noticed that the projected weather forecast was displayed with the low temperature first followed by the high (33°F/65°F), instead of the other way around (65°F/33°F). Weather Live landed on the App Store today. It's available for US$2.99 and is worth the money if you are looking for a good-looking weather app to quickly check the current conditions or the upcoming forecast.
Daily iPhone App: PhotoPresenter gets your iOS photos on the big screen
PhotoPresenter from Boinx Software is a new US$0.99 app that lets you display your photos from an iOS device to a big screen via a cable or using AirPlay to an AppleTV. At first glance, this seems a silly expenditure, since you can use a cable or AirPlay to do that now, but PhotoPresenter has one very compelling feature in that you can display the photos in any order, rather than having to create a slideshow in advance. When you tap on any photo on your iPhone or iPad, it's displayed until you tap on another one. They can be in the order you choose. While your display device shows your photo full screen, you see all your photo libraries and can move between them while your last photo stays on display for your audience. I can see this being very handy for on-the-fly presentations. If you are using AirPlay you want to be in the mirroring mode. Even if you don't do presentations, the app is great for impromptu photo sharing. You probably won't want everything on your camera roll on the big screen, so you can pick and choose without anxiety. I tried the app on both an iPad and my iPhone. The app ran fine under iOS 6 and iOS 7 beta. One thing to note: The instructions tell you how to invoke AirPlay on iOS 6, but iOS 7 does it differently using the new control center. If you don't know that, and if the instructions aren't updated, you may be stuck waiting for your photos to appear. Other than that, PhotoPresenter is a very good idea at a very low price. I'm going to find a lot of uses for it, and you may too. Boinx has a lot of experience at dealing with photo apps such as FotoMagico 4 and TV production software like BoinxTV. PhotoPresenter requires iOS 6 or later, is universal and is optimized for the iPhone 5.
