The most common complaint about the iPhone that I hear is that it doesn’t have physical buttons, and the typing is difficult and inaccurate. Next time you hear someone say this, point him/her to this video.

By the way, the app used in the video is iTextSpeed. It is used by most to increase texting speed and accuracy, but this guy obviously doesn’t need any help.

iTextSpeed

Category: Games / Educational
Released: 2009-07-18
Price: $0.99

I got word of the Nap App a number of weeks ago and was excited about the opportunity to have an app for that too. After thinking about the concept though, it seemed as though the iPhone’s clock app could do the exact same thing, rendering the nap app useless.

I still had hope for this Nap App though. I sent the developer an email with a simple suggestion… add a snooze button. The iPhone clock app just makes me wake up at a set time. I guess I could reset the timer for a 10 minute period, but by that point I would already be awake. I know that the point of a nap is to sleep for a limited period of time, but I always just want 10 more minutes!

To my surprise, Kevin Schaul, the creator of the Nap App just updated the app and added a 10 minute snooze button. He did post a warning on the update though, “be careful – a snooze button can become addictive!”

Today I took my first nap with the Nap App on the 20 min “Cat Nap” setting (a 60 min “Grizzly Nap” seemed a bit excessive), and then happily hit the snooze button after the time was up. Nothing is quite as nice as napping with a snooze option at the end.

Thanks Kevin!

The Nap App

Category: Utilities
Released: 2010-01-05
Price: $1.99

Zombie Recycling Inc. will be, if nothing else, an entertaining app. I know this because A. It looks to be very Japanese B. the press release starts with “We are pleased to offer more places to recycle zombies”.

Zombie Recycling Inc.: Rotten Red is the sequel of sorts to the under the radar Namco title Zombie Recycling Inc.: Moldy Green. Rotten red features 48 stages of zombie recycling action that promises to be harder than the first title, Moldy Green (which is on sale right now for 99 cents).

From the looks of the promo video, I have no idea what I’m getting myself into, but the game is downloading right now on my iPhone. I’m a bit scared.

Zombie Recycling Inc. : Rotten Red

Category: Games / Action
Released: 2010-03-10
Price: $1.99

Sometimes the most creative and useful inventions can just be so simple, the Sticky Strap is one of them. If the late Billy Mays were here to sell it he’d probably start his pitch with something like “it wraps, it hangs, it sticks, and it sits! It’s the iPhone stand that works in almost every situation but still manages to fit in your pocket!”

Honestly the first time I saw the Sticky Strap I don’t know what the heck I was looking at. The bizarrely unique stand, designed by aprodukt, is made of 2 double sided suction cups, a nylon strap, and a red plastic hook on the end. Trying to explain how to use it would be a nightmare, it’s just easier to watch this video.

What the video doesn’t show is how durable the Sticky Strap really is. It’s 100% water proof, can be folded in half, mashed up into a ball, short of taking a hammer to the red plastic hook I can’t ever imagine breaking the thing, making it tougher than others like the iBend. Being able to fit in your pocket makes it more portable than something like the Gorillamobile while still retaining some of its versatility. The video does show some of its uses but don’t think that the Sticky Strap limited to those alone. One of the additional uses I found is its ability to hang around poles or wires the red hook couldn’t fit around by sticking one end through the other. If you’re creative with it I have no doubt you could find dozens of other uses for it also.
Continue reading The Sticky Strap ~ A Stand that Loves to Suck »

Putting an end to past/previous speculation, PocketGamer confirmed today that Tekken is coming to the iPhone and iPod touch, stating a source close to Namco, speaking to them anonymously, told them the game is far along in development and looking good.

To paraphrase, “The game is being finished up and it plays rather nicely.”

They’re not sure if this iPhone version was developed “from scratch” or if it’s a “touch-enabled port of Tekken 6 as developed for PSP.” They believe the latter seems more likely, which they believe is wise, given how well-crafted the PSP version is.

Multiplayer has not been confirmed, but hey expect head-to-head bouts to be of the local variety.

With competitor Capcom having just announced Street Fighter IV for iPhone, Namco’s move with Tekken is a logical one.

Although it was previously reported that both games would be shown at next week’s Game Developers Conference (GDC), PocketGamer.co.uk has since confirmed Tekken won’t be shown during the GDC.

“We are NOT showing anything at GDC with regards to Tekken. We will be previewing new stuff, but it will NOT involve the Tekken brand whatsoever.” Emphasis is theirs.

The company didn’t confirm or deny the game’s existence, just that it has no plans to show Tekken next week.

Who doesn’t love free apps? Thanks to FreeAppCalendar.com, iPhone and iPod touch owners can visit the site and find great games and apps for FREE, every day! In addition, site visitors will have the opportunity to vote for which games and apps they want to see become free the following week. This allows the site’s visitors to control which games and apps will be featured on the main app calendar each week.

FreeAppCalendar,com, created by Mind Juice Media Inc., is dedicated to providing independent developers with a powerful way to promote their games and apps to hundreds of thousands of people in a very short period of time. The developers benefit from greatly increased exposure for their apps and the public benefits by receiving free games and apps featured on the site! Everybody wins!

Every week, site visitors can browse through the available list of apps on the site and vote on which game or app they would most like to get for free the following week. When voting is closed, the 7 apps with the most votes are chosen to be featured for free the following week.

This is a great opportunity for developers and app lovers! Please help the site grow by telling all your friends about freeAppCalendar.com, by following them on Twitter, and by becoming a Facebook Fan! Go to freeAppCalendar.com for more details!

Related Free App Sites:

http://www.greatappaday.com/
http://freegameoftheday.com/
http://www.freeappaday.com/

For as long as I can remember cell phones being around I can remember people questioning whether or not they’re safe. The argument has always seemed to center around cell phone radiation, and more recently bluetooth & Wifi waves. The bluetooth and Wifi scares have pretty much dissolved by being labeled as pure conspiracy theories, but the radiation concerns continue to surface every few months. With each study that comes out though it becomes more obvious that we just don’t know the long term risks of RF radiation exposure This article gives a little more insight into the potential jeopardy we’re in while at the same time the FDA is stating that “the available scientific evidence does not demonstrate any adverse health effects associated with the use of mobile phones.” With all of these mixed signals and unknown effects I wonder if the theoretical brain tumors and Alzheimer’s we could contract 20 years down the line is really the number one thing we should be worried about?

Continue reading Radiation vs. Germs ~ Which Should Worry You More? »

I was reading my Twitter feed a few minutes ago and saw this tweet from @wmcraver: This app reminds me of something @imogenheap would use…http://bit.ly/9T0hPJ Pretty amazing!

I haven’t messed with the app at all (yet), but thenextweb.com (the site the video came from) says that it has a “fairly steep learning curve” i.e. I should probably never touch it. Regardless, this video is awesome and really shows off the iPhone’s ability as a music device. Enjoy!

Everyday Looper

Category: Music
Released: 2009-10-23
Price: $4.99

Who would’ve guessed that one of the biggest App Store hits thus far would involve wrapping string around a wooden object? Apparently the success of the original Zen Bound even took developers by surprise. “We never expected the calm gameplay of wrapping wooden statues with rope to find such a great audience on the iPhone, much less win multiple awards over the year.”

Fortunately for us, the team over at Secret Exit announced Zen Bound 2 today, and it is specifically being tweaked to take advantage of the iPad’s graphic and size advantages. On top of that, Secret Exit has said that Zen Bound 2 “is both a sequel and a revision to the original, with more music from Ghost Monkey, new levels and new kinds of gameplay, but Zen Bound 2 also includes the original soundtrack and upgraded versions of all levels from the first game.” Secret Exit expects Zen Bound 2 to launch right around the iPad launch date… my guess is that the launches will coincide. There’s no video trailer yet, but there are a ton of screenshots after the break. Enjoy!
Continue reading Zen Bound 2 Coming To The iPad »

Origin8 have today announced that a major update to their hit iPhone and iPod touch tower defense sequel “Sentinel 2: Earth Defense,” Version 1.4 is now in submission. The new update will enable players to have access to a bunch of downloadable content, as well as providing free enhancements to the base game. Expansion Pack One, priced at $0.99 or regional equivalent, will be available as an in-app purchase upon approval.

Here’s just some of what you can expect from this new update:

Free content features:
- One menacing new enemy unit, integrated into all existing campaign maps.
- A new Sentinel ship weapon, the ION bomb, providing a spectacular explosion and damage over time.
- Two new missions based on existing campaign maps.
- New OpenFeint achievements.
- Bug fixes and balance tweaks for existing missions.

Expansion Pack One features:
- Two new maps, Barracks and Overpass, with unique mechanics and challenging layouts.
- A tough new enemy present on DLC maps only.
- Three new missions based on DLC maps.
- OpenFeint leaderboards and achievements for the new maps and missions.

Look out for this update hitting very soon!

Sentinel 2: Earth Defense

Our Rating: :: INCREDIBLE :: Read Our Full Review >>

Category: Games / Action
Released: 2009-06-26
Price: $2.99

If you’re like me and have been spending your mornings hoping to see that little yellow sticky note appear on Apple’s website .. this one is for you. In an official press release published by the Cupertino firm on Friday morning, Apple has announced that its latest tablet invention, the iPad, will be available in the US on April 3rd. The device will start at $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB and $699 for the 64GB Wi-Fi model. The Wi-Fi + 3G models however will only be available in late April, starting at $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for the 64GB model. The device will be available to pre-order from Apple.com and Apple resellers from March 12th, and Apple noted it will be offering an in-store collection option.

Alongside the announcement, Apple also revealed its future plans for an international launch, announcing that the iPad Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available in late April in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. Its worth noting that this announcement didn’t seem to bring with it any hint of international pricing, something which has evaded Apple product pages since the original announcement. Apple states international pricing will be announced in April. For any countries not mentioned in this initial press announcement, it’s bad news I’m afraid. iPad will ship to those countries later this year.

One other interesting tidbit to come from this announcement though is the US-only launch of iBooks. While Apple.com has stated since the device’s introduction that its iBooks application will be US-centric at launch, we didn’t yet know for sure if iBooks would be available internationally at a later date. According to the press release today, the UK and other countries can expect iBooks “later this year”.

Will iBooks make the UK iPad launch in late April? .. Who knows!

Sure .. we’ve seen rally-type games before, but what you probably haven’t seen is one that just looks this good. Below is the first teaser trailer from Pixelbite Games of their debut App Store application, Deliverace. Imagine a classic top-down racing game like Neo Drift Out .. and then times it by ten!

I have to say, if this teaser video does depict anywhere close to what we can expect from Deliverace’s actual gameplay quality, I’m pretty excited. I think this one could be a pretty big hit.

With no word on pricing yet, it’s hard to tell just how much of a hit this will be on its debut. But, with 3D graphics like the above .. I think we’re in for quite a visual treat. According to the studio Deliverace is set to hit our iPhone screens ‘Early 2010′ – and considering its the start of March already, I can’t see the release being too far away, can you?

The Academy Awards are Sunday and I can just feel your excitement. Whether you are a tech geek who is praying for Avatar to be the best picture or a softie who wants to see Precious get some awards, you have to be excited about knowing what to put in your Netflix queue next, and everyone wants to see all the winning movies. To get us fully ready for the show, I’ve come up with a list of some apps that will really get you into the Oscar loving spirit.

1. The Oscars – Sure, it may seem like an obvious selection, but sometimes the obvious is necessary. The Oscars app has lists with small descriptions of all the nominations, as well as a way to lock in the movie or actor you think will win… just to show off to others. Once you’ve submitted your picks, you can go to a results page to see what the rest of America thinks will win. According to the app, 51% of people voted for Avatar to win best picuter. Interesting. Well regardless, The Oscars is an inviting, well made, free app. Get it and make some guesses, it’ll be fun.

The Oscars®

Category: Entertainment
Released: 2010-02-10
Price: FREE

A stylus? Psh, get rid of it. A physical keyboard? Nah, no need for that either. Tactile feedback is a thing of the past, all we need is a big glass touch screen…right? Well that’s what Apple would have you believe anyway, a theory that is further being cemented with their upcoming release of the iPad. On a basic level it seems to be very true, we’re able to text, surf the web, take photos, all without any physical buttons or keys. What about high level gaming though, is that a different story? If you’d asked me 3 years ago I would’ve said “there’s no way for it to be done. We’re humans, touch is one of our basic senses, we need it.” Over the past several months though with games like N.O.V.A and Need For Speed Shift, or even classic ports like Wolfenstein, I’ve become more of a believer in the future. Not everyone is so ready to give up on game controllers, one such company being iControlPad.

The iControlPad has been in beta testing and undergoing redesigns since last May but as of February 18th the company has stated mass production has begun. The iControlPad can already be used with classic game emulators and the company is seeding a SDK to anyone interested in supporting the device. Two models are to be made, one with a built-in battery pack, one without. Based on early videos and screen shots the controls appear to work flawlessly with no lag at all. Here’s the catch, and it’s a big one, the iControlPad only works on phones that are Jailbroken. I’m not sure exactly why that is since we know iPhone 3.0 does support accessory plugin’s but it’s very clear that it must be Jailbroken. There are a couple of hints on the site that indicate they may be working on standard OS supported version but there certainly aren’t any promises made. All hope is not lost though for those who wish to keep their iPhones pure and sacred, the Game Bone Pro is coming.
Continue reading iControlPad Adds Joysticks to Your iPhone…If it’s Jailborken »

The 2010 Game Developers Conference is rapidly approaching. GDC is again this year focusing a special track on iPhone game development, and we’re expecting a bunch of iPhone developers to attend.

If you’re going to be in town for GDC, make sure you hit up the iPhone Developers Union / IUGO party at the Marriott Wednesday night. The party last year was a great time and a wonderful way to meet up with iPhone game developers from all over the world.

Since I’m based in SF, I’ll be around all week and available to meet up. I would love to meet up and see what you are working on, talk iPhone and iPad gaming, or just grab a beer. If you’d like to meet up, please contact me at jeff.scott {at} 148apps.com.