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Push notifications go live on iPhone courtesy of Tap Tap Revenge
iPhone OS 3.0 may not be available to the masses for a couple days yet, but that's not stopping Tapulous (nor Apple's App Store overlords, apparently) from rolling out a new version of its ridiculously popular Tap Tap Revenge that's fully ready to take advantage of push notifications right here and right now. We've taken the new build for a spin, and in brief, it works as designed -- notification times ranged from near instantaneous to just under a minute. One of our editors here was testing on a cellular connection and the other was on a SIM-less iPhone 3G running just WiFi, so it looks like this setup will work pretty seamlessly regardless of what kind of connection you happen to be enjoying / tolerating / loathing at the moment. Follow the break for a quick video demo.[Thanks, Brandon]
Tap Tap to Dave Matthews
Tapulous has released a version of its mega-popular Tap Tap Revenge app geared toward Dave Matthews fans. Dave Matthews Band Revenge (link opens iTunes) costs $4.99US and includes 10 songs from the band, including two from its upcoming album "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King." Additional features include multi-player mode, a news feed for the Dave Matthews Band, and Facebook Connect for sharing scores.In addition to the regular flavors of Tap Tap Revenge, the Dave Matthews version also joins a dance version of the game, as well as one for Coldplay fans that was released last month.[via Touch Arcade]
iPhone apps stats revealed, games dominate list
With game applications taking up nearly half the list (12 of 25), the rankings for iPhone apps released this week by internet information company comScore may be aimed at advertisers, but tells us a ton about the newest gaming platform. For instance, of the 15 million iPhone users in the US, 32 percent (nearly one in every three) have installed Tap Tap Revenge, making it the most popular application by an ice cold five percent. Furthermore, of the 12 game applications listed, 75 percent of them were developed by small startup companies or, in one case, a single individual. Actually, aside from Pac-Man, Hangman, Sudoku, and a version of Solitaire, all the games are original IP, with number one title Tap Tap Revenge serving as the prime example. We're starting to understand why the iPhone dominated the IGF this year and will likely continue to do so for years to come.
New Tap Tap Revenge slammed with network issues
Tapulous unveiled the latest version of its megapopular iPhone music game franchise, Tap Tap Revenge 2 (link opens iTunes), a few days ago. While it has become the top free app in the App Store, the program is plagued with several issues due its massive popularity. An update posted on the App Store yesterday lets users know that Tapulous is experiencing network problems that are leading to issues with music downloads and online play -- in addition to the app itself crashing. Tapulous has promised a resolution to the network issues as soon as possible, and there should be an update to Tap Tap Revenge 2 over the next few days.Tap Tap Revenge 2 features more than 150 free tracks and three ways to play with friends -- Challenge mode, Two Player Split-Screen and Online Play. You can also progress through Career mode and share your results with that as well. Tap Tap Revenge 2 improves on an already fantastic game, and retains the same free price as the original. However, you may want to wait a couple days for the network problems to be resolved in order to take full advantage of the update. You can check out Tapulous' blog to see the progress on these issues.Thanks to all who submitted this!
First Look: Christmas with Weezer
When Tapulous released Christmas with Weezer [iTunes link] for the iPhone and iPod touch last week, I was pretty excited, as it combined three of my favorite things: Weezer, Christmas music and Tap Tap Revenge.The tough economic climate, stresses over moving two days before I leave for Macworld 2009 and a hectic schedule have given me less holiday cheer than usual, but I'm happy to say, Christmas with Weezer is helping to turn that around.Christmas with Weezer takes Tap Tap Revenge's addictive format and adds to it some Christmas cheer. Not only do Rivers and company perform a bevy of Christmas classics, the interface is all wrapped up for Christmas.The Kids Mode is great for anyone starting out with TTR or for kids who want to get in on the fun. Christmas with Weezer also features the multi-tap and tap and hold game elements introduced in the recently released, Tap Tap Dance (iTunes link).Check out the gallery below. Christmas with Weezer is $4.99 and available in the App Store.%Gallery-39242%
First Look: Tweetsville brings pro features to Twitter on iPhone
There are a number of Twitter apps available for the iPhone and iPod Touch -- and why not? Much like peanut butter and jelly, Twitter and the iPhone are a classic combination. Tweetsville [iTunes Link] from Tapulous is the newest Twitter client available from the App Store, and it offers up an interface and feature set that really gives the competition a run for its money. But wait, doesn't Tapulous already make a Twitter application? They do, and Twinkle [iTunes Link] is a neat app. Although the two applications share some interface similarities, the scope and focus are actually very different. Twinkle's real user hook is in its geo-location features, whereas Tweetsville is a full-fledged Twitter application. I'm a pretty addicted to Twitter, and have been searching for an app for my iPod touch that could help me monitor and manage my stream with ease. Tweetsville appears to be that app. I follow a lot of users and my biggest problem with some of the other Twitter applications (and with the m.twitter.com interface) is that I can't view a large number of tweets at one time. With Tweetsville, not only does it grab the last 200 tweets for me, if I leave the application and come back an hour later, it will pull up what I've missed. That means I can access 532 tweets at once, rather than just the last ten minutes or so. That's extremely handy. %Gallery-36828% Read on for more...
The Numbers Game
It's a week of superlatives for Apple content providers!Tapulous announced that their free game for iPhone 2.0 / iPod touch, Tap Tap Revenge (click opens iTunes) should reach the one million download mark sometime this weekend. Tap Tap Revenge joins Facebook in the million-download club, with Facebook being the first app to reach these lofty heights last week. A visit to the Tapulous website shows a counter ticking off the downloads (less than five thousand to go as of 10:42 AM ET today). Tap Tap Revenge uses soundtrack music by indie artists and over 2.5 million song downloads have been counted so far. Tapulous is now approaching the major labels on a "Pro" version of the game that would feature music by top stars.On Wednesday, Walt Disney Co. announced that they have sold over 5 million movies to viewers through the iTunes Store since the company started offering their releases online. While Disney CEO and President Rob Iger noted that although the company doesn't achieve the same margin on online sales as they do through traditional channels, it's the increase in online consumption of movies that the company is focusing on.[Disney info via Marketwatch]
First Look: Twinkle
The iPhone will no doubt see it's fair share of Twitter clients (just as the Mac has). Twitterrific is the big name in the Mac/iPhone Twitter app space, but in a client from Tapulous called "Twinkle" has also been generating some interest. Originally released as a jailbreak application for the iPhone and iPod touch, Twinkle has just debuted on the App Store with the ability to location-base your tweets. While Twitterrific seems to have more precise locating abilities, Twinkle uses the location-based tweeting in interesting ways. For instance, you can see tweets originating within a certain mileage range from your location. Twinkle allows you to easily view your direct messages.Overall, Twinkle looks like it will give Twitterrific a run for its money. Best part of all? Twinkle (iTunes Link) for iPhone and iPod touch is absolutely free.Check out our gallery for some screenshots.%Gallery-28037%
First Look: Tap Tap Revenge
The last time we covered Tap Tap Revenge, the AppStore hadn't yet been released. Now that we've been able to get a hands-on with the app, let's take a new look at TTR by Tapulous. When you first launch this application, you get a fun interface that is very straightforward. The game play is very simple; just tap along to the beat of the song playing. The red, green and blue colored dots will guide you. There are four difficulty levels: easy, medium, hard, and extreme. Some levels in TTR add in "shakes" that make you shake the iPhone to the left, middle or right to complete the beat (you can turn this feature off in the options). While TTR has the ability to download additional songs, there are currently no new songs available to download (hopefully this will change soon, as you get tired of the same four songs). In addition to scoring locally, TTR can also interface with an online scoreboard complete with a profile picture. You can also participate in the TTR tournaments for a chance to win a $25 iTunes gift certificate. Tap Tap Revenge is available for free from the AppStore, so download this amazing application and get your tapping on today!%Gallery-27448%
Tap Tap Revolution to be sold by Tapulous, called Tap Tap Revenge
Nate True, iPhone developer extraordinaire and friend of TUAW (but who isn't, really), has sold off his Tap Tap Revolution game to a company called Tapulous, and they're renaming it Tap Tap Revenge and are going to try selling it in the iPhone's (and iPod touch's) App Store. The game isn't much tweaked from its jailbroken incarnation, but there is a chaotic two-player mode, seen above, that could be a lot of fun. I've never played the original version, so I have no idea what's up with the shaking, but it looks like it incorporates some accelerometer fun as well.If you're a super TTR fan, Tapulous tells us that they've got a wallpaper to download on their site right now, and that more videos will be coming out over the weekend, so stay tuned. All these games are looking terrific, but of course the one thing we haven't heard confirmed from any of them is when and if they'll be showing up on the App Store. That, it seems, is up to Apple. It doesn't matter how many games you've got ready to go -- if Apple doesn't have them set for download right away, both the devs and iPhone owners will miss a nice opportunity.
WWDC '08: Mike Lee (Tapulous)
Mike Lee (yes, the self-proclaimed world's toughest programmer) has a new project called Tapulous. Last time we spoke with Mike, he was part of Delicious Monster but has since moved his focus to the iPhone. Tapulous includes several prominent names from the jailbreak community (including Polar Bear Farm) and is working on a family of "social iPhone applications." We talk about that ... and Lemurs, of course, but that was at my insistence.
