Disney has released a tool to help make pixel art and animation easy. Pixel’d lets users make artwork that shows its pixelation and is proud of it! Users have a default 150×150 canvas to work with, though this can be shrunk to 4×4 or enlarged up to 1024×768. Users can freehand draw, generate lines or shapes, and use color fill to help make their creations. Artists looking for more advanced editing can use 3 modifiable layers to help them in their process.

Canvas backgrounds can be added and interacted with, featuring artwork from various Disney properties. A selection comes with the app for free, and others are available through in-app purchases. It’s possible to create more than just single-frame artwork, as animations up to 20 frames long can be created. Single frame artwork can be exported as PNG or GIF with animations exportable as either animated GIFs or MP4 video files. These can then be exported to the Camera Roll or shared to social networks directly from the app. Finally, it’s possible to team up with a friend using the Buddy Draw feature to collaborate on artwork via wifi.

FREE!

PIXEL'D

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-07-26 :: Category: Entertainment

The Olympic flame was fanned to extreme levels at 148Apps.com this week, as Jennifer Allen explored PlayUp’s socialization of the London games. She writes, “We’ve covered PlayUp before, appreciating its ability to bring sports fans together in their love of their chosen sport. Just in time for the London 2012 Olympics, a major update has been released geared towards keeping users informed during the summer Olympics.

The app offers users all the latest information on their favorite teams and athletes, as well as the latest news on the medal tally. That’s 17 days worth of coverage, across 26 sports, 39 disciplines and 302 medal events. Content is geared towards the geographical location of the user, ensuring that the most regionally relevant content is brought to the forefront when first launched.”

Want to know more? Read the full article at 148Apps.

FREE!

PlayUp - Where Sport Gets Social

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-10-02 :: Category: Sports

Giggleapps.com got Disney-fied with a review of Minnie Bow Maker. Amy Solomon writes, “Minnie Bow Maker is a cute and enjoyable application for kids – part craft experience – as well as including story and fashion show elements. Having a son, I have not had to deal with a daughter who wants to dabble in the world of fashion at a young age. For this reason, I consider myself fortunate as I could easily be a killjoy when it comes to many action figure dolls geared to fashion-conscious girls that to me, send inappropriate messages.

For this reason, I think many parents, especially those of girls, will enjoy Minnie Bow Maker as this app touches upon fun accessories that may satisfy young children who have shown an interest in the world of fashion.”

Read Amy’s full review at GiggleApps.

$3.99

Minnie Bow Maker

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-07-02 :: Category: Entertainment

Finally, 148Apps.biz featured a story about 6waves’ WaveX. Carter Dotson says, “Mobile publisher 6waves has announced WaveX, a new advertising tool for developers to drive traffic to their games. This serves essentially as a traffic exchange, where developers can display advertisements for other games, and get more opportunities for traffic by helping to drive new installations of other games. Developers can upload graphics for both portrait and landscape games, and the service is completely free to use.”

Read all about WaveX at 148Apps.biz.

The week is over, but there’s more ahead across the 148Apps network. Follow us on Twitter or Like us on Facebook to gain access to the latest news, reviews, and even a contest or two. Until next week, game on Olympians!

In need of something to entertain the little ones over the summer? Why not give Bambi: Disney Classics a try?

Disney’s latest app tells the classic story of Bambi as he grows up and discovers the world around him, all through many beautiful illustrations. Encapsulating the interactive spirit of iOS books, the app provides plenty of animated moments as well as some delightful music and sound effects.

For those after more interaction, there’s a coloring book feature as well as a matching game and musical activity section. The coloring book allows kids to color in their favorite characters, while the matching game involves matching flowers together. Most entertaining of all is the music game that gets kids to tap a tune out as they play.

Guaranteed to charm and entertain kids, Bambi: Disney Classics is available now for both iPhone and iPad as an Universal app. It’s priced at $3.99.

$1.99

Bambi: Disney Classics

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-07-12 :: Category: Books

This week at 148Apps.com, we got into the game with our look at CoachNote. Writer Jennifer Allen says, “CoachNote offers a way of creating sports drills, strategies and tactics, all from an iOS device and it’ll be a real hit for coaches as well as fans. The app makes it easy to create complex plays and strategies with tools for drawing lines in multiple colors to explain what’s going on.”

Read more at 148App.com.

$4.99

CoachNote : Sports Coach’s Interactive Whiteboard

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-01-26 :: Category: Sports

Meanwhile, GiggleApps.com took a closer look at Brave: Storybook Deluxe. Reviewer Amy Solomon writes, “As one would expect from this Disney Pixar film, the illustrations, music and narration are quite striking and beautifully crafted – especially the brilliant use of bright and bold colors which was the main detail that caught my eye the first time I saw a trailer for this film.”

Read Amy’s full review at GiggleApps.

$6.99

Brave: Storybook Deluxe

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-06-14 :: Category: Entertainment

148Apps.biz presented a guest editorial from Matthew Palmer, founder and CEO of Marketing Your App. Palmer says, “After all the hard work of creating a mobile app, there is one decision that can sink even promising apps more than any other: choosing a price. Knowing what to charge for any product is tough, but the peculiar world of the App Store makes it a top question for even savvy developers.

The rewards are great: Apple has already paid out $4 billion to app creators who have combined a smart app with good marketing. But, too often, sticker shock leads customers to ignore otherwise helpful apps. When developers choose the wrong price, more often than not it seems, they aim too high.”

Read the rest of ‘Why You’re Charging Too Much for Your App’ at 148Apps.biz.

And that, my friends, is the week that was. Don’t miss out on anything in the coming days and weeks. Stay on top of our contests, promos, reviews and news items by following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook. You’ll be glad you did. Until next week, keep wall crawlin’.

Ape Entertainment, purveyor of fine digital and print comic books, is at it again. This time, they’re bringing runaway success of endless runner game Temple Run to the comic book format. It will be released both as a print book, available in comic book shops, and a digital download as its own separate app.

“Temple Run is by far one of my favorite adventure games on the App Store,” said David Hedgecock, CEO of Ape Entertainment. “The thrilling gameplay plays into our plans very nicely for an extraordinary storyline that we know fans will enjoy.”

Ape Entertainment may be better known as the publisher of the highly successful Pocket God comics as well as a Cut the Rope comic. They announced a licensing agreement with Imangi Studios, the developers of hit game Temple Run, which spawned an endless supply of clones with similar swipe and tilt mechanics.

“The Temple Run game left a lot to the imagination, with more questions than answers,” said Keith Shepherd, CEO of Imangi Studios and a heck of a nice guy. “We look forward to exploring the world of Temple Run and the adventures of Guy Dangerous in more detail with Ape Entertainment and the comic series.”

Source: Ape Entertainment
Via: Touch Arcade

Fans of Temple Run from Imangi will recognize the mobile game tie-in for the upcoming Pixar movie, Brave. It’s an enhanced version of Temple Run set in the Scottish lands represented in the movie. Instead of playing an Indiana Jones type character, you now play as Merida, the red-haired and firey tempered teenage heorine of the movie.

In addition to the character changes in Temple Run: Brave, you will also find a new gaming mechanic added. Archery has been added to increase the gameplay complexity and provide another way to earn bonuses. In testing it last week, the addition of archery does add complexity to the gameplay yet doesn’t distract from the fun of the original.

While Temple Run is free, Temple Run: Brave will be $0.99. To offset the cost, players of Temple Run: Brave will get 2,500 coins, the in game currency, for power ups and character extras.

Pixar’s Brave hits theaters on June 21st. But you only have to wait a few more days for Temple Run: Brave. It hits the App Store on June 14th.

This week at 148Apps.com, we celebrated the coming Memorial Day holiday with a closer look and an ever-growing list of apps on sale. Site editor Rob LeFebvre writes, “So, it’s that time of year again! BBQs, lawn chairs, beer, and the ability to finally wear shorts with sandals without fear of frostbite. Tan those legs and check out all the huge sales that are going on across the App Store below. We’ll try and keep it updated as we go this weekend, so be sure to let us know of any good sales on iOS apps…”

Read the full list at 148Apps.com.

$4.99

Burnout™ CRASH!

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-04-12 :: Category: Games

At GiggleApps, writer Amy Solomon reviewed The First Million-Teach Your Child to Read. Solomon says, “The First Million is a lovely universal “mix and match” book application that adults and children will find interesting as well as intuitive as here, as the pages of this book are split into three sections – each being able to be flipped back and forth to create new and intriguing illustrations and word combinations. Unlike other “mix and match” books where one can look for the corresponding thirds of the same image to make a match, this app is completely open-ended with no right or wrong matches to be made, giving children free range to produce any and all combinations they may fancy.”

Read Amy’s full review on GiggleApps.com.

$0.99

Teach your child to read!

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-03-21 :: Category: Education

Finally, 148Apps.biz writer Kevin Stout reported on Disney’s push into Angry Birds territory. Stout writes, “Intensely popular Disney game, Where’s My Water?, will be receiving its first line of merchandise based on the game. The physics-based puzzler by Disney has been popular on both iOS and Android. Fans of the popular game can now buy all kinds of merchandise featuring the story’s character, Swampy the Alligator.”

Read more about Swampy’s foray into stores at 148Apps.biz.

$0.99

Where's My Water?

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-09-22 :: Category: Games

That’s it for us – and we’re one week closer to summer! Remember to follow us on Facebook or Twitter to get all of the latest updates all during the week. See you next time, Marvel Zombies!

The other day we told you about how Disney was reviving Peter Pan for the iPad, and now it seems the company is poised to do the same for The Incredible Hulk. The company just launched Avengers Origins: Hulk for the iPad, and it looks to be a fun romp for fans of one of Marvel’s greenest and most volatile heroes.

The app allows readers to learn the origin story of The Hulk on their own, or have it read to them by none other than Stan Lee. Along the way are interactive sections where users can let out Hulk roars, toss cars and do all sorts of other fun stuff that only those exposed to specific amounts of Gamma radiation can do.

The app looks like a great way to get kids into comic books, and we hope that Disney and Marvel will be teaming up for more of these in the future. Let’s just stay away from the darker stuff, no one needs the interactive scene where they forcibly coat Wolverine’s bones in Adamantium.

$2.99

Avengers Origins: Hulk

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-03-14 :: Category: Books

Even though times and people’s tastes change, there are still a few things that are consistently magical across generations. Among them are the timeless Disney animated features, and now one of the all-time greatest is getting a makeover for the iPad. Peter Pan: Disney Classics not only lets kids read along with the well-known tale, but also includes games, puzzles, and other fun activities along the way.

Perhaps the best way to think of Peter Pan: Disney Classics is as a digital activity book. Kids can enjoy the coloring section and then email or save their work, put together puzzles that recreate scenes from the story, play musical instruments, and play memory matching games. The app is also set up to allow users to read the story themselves or have it read to them with professional narration and classic sound effects from the movie.

And hey, we know this isn’t just for kids so if you want to download it for yourself to relive your childhood we’re not going to judge you. Peter Pan is awesome, and you have every right to revisit the story. Just please don’t send us your coloring book pages because that would be weird.

$0.99

Peter Pan: Disney Classics

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-03-08 :: Category: Books

It’s been a pretty amazing week for hugely popular game Where’s My Water?. It was the app responsible for Chunli Fu winning in the 25 billionth download on the App Store competition, thus propelling the game into the history books.

Where’s My Water? is back in the news courtesy of a new update that gives fans 20 new and free levels of fun to play. The latest chapter, Caution to the Wind, encourages players to create airstreams via fans to move water and solve those pesky puzzles. This update brings the full level tally within Where’s My Water? to an impressive 200.

Hopefully we’ve not seen the last of Swampy and there will be more levels to come. For now though, 20 levels should keep many a fan happily entertained for a while to come!

The update is available now. For those yet to give this addictive puzzle game a shot, this is the ideal time to help Swampy.

$0.99

Where's My Water?

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-09-22 :: Category: Games

It’s the season of love at the moment and Where’s My Water? has embraced that idea with a new Valentine’s Day themed update.

Since its initial launch in September last year, highly enjoyable physics-puzzler Where’s My Water? has done a fantastic job of not only providing regular updates to its fans but also educating them along the way.

It’s a more lighthearted update this time round, though. Swampy’s present to his fans is the update ‘Hearts and Crafts’ which allows players to unlock a new level every day for the next 10 days starting February 14th.

Take a look at the screenshots below. Things are looking pretty darn cute this Valentine’s Day with plenty of heart-themed levels ahead.

The Where’s My Water? Valentine’s Day update is available now for existing owners of the app. Anyone else who hasn’t tried the game out yet (and why not?) can pick it up for $0.99.

$0.99

Where's My Water?

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-09-22 :: Category: Games

57 years after Walt Disney first opened the gates to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, would-be visitors to Sleeping Beauty’s castle no longer have to travel to see the magic. Now there’s an app for that. OK, not really, very little beats the look in a child’s eyes when they first meet Mickey or a favorite princess on Main Street. But for those planning a trip, or those for whom one is still in the amorphous future, the folks at Disney have “Imagineered” an app: Disneyland Explorer for iPad. It takes virtual visitors on a pretty extensive tour of the entire California Disney experience.

Families can use a standard navigation menu, or simply swipe through the two parks – Disneyland and it’s younger sibling Disney California Adventure – to discover not just the rides, but also the restaurants, nightlife, shopping and hotels. There are 100 “touch points” in the app – that is 100 things to find and tap. Many just describe the associated attraction, but others offer photographs, short videos, and a few toggle some interactive treats kids will enjoy including a chance to choreograph a fireworks show or ride up – and then plummeting down – the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

This “happiest app on earth” is free to download and while its primary purpose is to get us calling our travel agents and packing our bags, as souvenir, wish, or a peek at what’s changed in oh, say, 35 years, it’s admirable as a stand-alone product. As always when Imagineers get behind a project, the presentation is slick, seamless, and will leave tourists past and future wanting more.

FREE!

Disneyland Explorer

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-01 :: Category: Entertainment

Disney’s physiscs puzzler Where’s My Water has gotten a new update that adapts the familiar mechanics in new ways with the new Cranky’s Story levels. The goal of these levels is to help out Cranky, the alligator who tries to thwart protagonist Swampy in the main mode. Now, he’s hungry, and being an alligator, he is content to eat things like safes. However, he is not content to eat them when they’re covered in moss. So, the player must get the moss-killing purple water to Cranky’s food so he can eat it.

The mechanics are still the same – use a finger to cut through the dirt and navigate the fluids through the level. It’s just that now the purple water is the one that needs to get to the goal point, and this changes the dynamic of the game. Suddenly, the water becomes the substance that needs to stay away from the rubber ducks lest they are made to disintegrate upon contact with a non-grimy surface. Of course, the purple water still reacts with the other fluids in the same way, but the levels are designed to take advantage of the mixed-up dynamics.

Also in the app are the new Cranky’s Challenges which are difficult new challenges that require Swampy’s levels to be played in different ways, like trying to collect three of the cranky ducks with purple water while still filling Swampy’s tub with blue water, or trying to get rid of all the blue water in a level without even a single drop reaching Swampy.

5 of these levels and 3 of the challenges are available for free; the rest are locked away as a $0.99 IAP, containing 50 regular levels and 16 challenge levels in total. The game will still receive free Swampy updates, and possibly even more Cranky levels in the future. This update is available now for iOS.

Conservation International (CI) and Disney are using the free version of Where’s My Water? in an awareness campaign to education people on the value of fresh water. Disney Friends for Change and the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund are making a $50,000 donation for the “Every Duck Counts” campaign. Now through the end of February, anyone playing the free online or mobile versions of the physics-based puzzle game featuring Swampy the Alligator will learn about fresh water facts, water saving action items, and species that depend on fresh water in CI’s project areas. They will also be encouraged to collect as many ducks as possible within the game to to raise awareness for the accessibility of clean water and its importance on a global scale. The tally of the number of ducks collected so far can be found on Disney Mobile’s Facebook page.

The donation is specifically for supporting freshwater ecosystems that support more than 126,000 species as well as more than 500 million people. This isn’t the first time Disney has been involved in such a program. In 2009, they teamed up to fund two forest projects in Peru and the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as supported CI freshwater projects in South Africa and Cambodia. More information about the programs can be found here.

FREE!

Where's My Water? Free

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-12-20 :: Category: Games

Regular Facebook gamers may recognize the name Gardens of Time. Recently named as the Best Social Network Game at GDC Online 2011, it’s an immensely popular Hidden Object game via the social network. Now it’s the turn of iPad gamers to see exactly what all the fuss is about.

In the game, players join the Time Society, a group of time-traveling detectives who must explore numerous scenes in order to solve the mysteries of time. Such scenes include the likes of the Egyptian Pyramids, Westminster Abbey and The Great Wall of China amongst others.

Besides exploring the 36 different scenes, the player can decorate their Garden with many fascinating structures from different points in history, plus visit their friends’ Gardens to decide who has the best example.

A free to download game, plenty of in-app purchases are available for those who wish to pursue the option.

Gardens of Time is out now for the iPad.

FREE!

Hidden Objects: Gardens of Time

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-12-01 :: Category: Games

This week at 148Apps.com was all about the US celebration of Thanksgiving, and the inevitable retail aftermath known as Black Friday. Rather than fight the crowds, 148Apps founder Jeff Scott put together a comprehensive Black Friday app sale list that continues to grow, and grow and grow. Scott says, “App sales are nothing new, but the biggest of the year is here, and we’ll be tracking the best of the sale apps right here. Expect lots of updates over the weekend.”

Take a look at the full list on 148Apps.

Jeff Scott also invited faithful 148Apps.biz readers to attend the upcoming AppNation III conference, saying, “Want to attend AppNation III? 148Apps network readers can get a 30% discount on the registration fee by using code 148APPS on the registration page.”

Read more about the conference on 148Apps.biz.

Meanwhile, at AndroidRundown, site editor Rob LeFebvre celebrated the release of Disney interactive’s Where’s My Water? for the Android platform. LeFebvre writes, “Android has been part of the plan since the development of Where’s My Water? for the iPhone crowd. In fact, the game was originally developed with C++, to make it easier to port to Android. The challenge, he said, is making sure the game is the same high quality experience across the myriad devices represented by Google’s hip operating system.”

Read the full story on AndroidRundown.

$0.99

Where's My Water?

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-09-22 :: Category: Games

Finally, on our parent-friendly GiggleApps site, Amy Solomon reviewed Don’t Let The Pigeon Run This App! Solomon writes, “I love these books. Pigeon can be cheeky, and my son has used pigeons’s one-liners, such as offering to “Give you five bucks” himself to try to stay up late. For this reason, some parents may feel that this pigeon is a bad influence on children, but I love the idea of my son practicing his ability to say “no” to this scheming pigeon as I want him to be prepared to stand his ground later in life when he is confronted by peer pressure, and I want him to recognize when he is being manipulated.”

Read the full review on GiggleApps.

$5.99

Don't Let the Pigeon Run This App!

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-10-27 :: Category: Books

And that’s a wrap for this Thanksgiving week! But don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook to get the latest news, reviews and contests. See you next time!

Fans of Tap Tap Revenge and The Muppets rejoice as Disney Mobile announced the availability of Tap Tap Muppets. The app is free and features music from Disney’s “The Muppets” soundtrack, in addition to the Muppets tribute compilation, “The Green Album.” How fitting, since it’s not easy being green. Well, in this case, it’s very easy since we all love The Muppets and music so this is a great combination to have in a game.

Tap Tap Muppets features all the usual cast of characters, including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal and a few more to help celebrate everyone’s favorite Muppet music. The game features six full tracks including three songs from the “The Muppets” soundtrack, which will be released by Walt Disney Records on November 21. A few of the songs include “Life’s A Happy Song” which is performed by Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Walter along with “The Muppet Show Theme” performed by OK Go.

The launch of Tap Tap Muppets coincides with the theatrical release, which hits theaters November 23. The Tap Tap Muppets app is available for free in the App Store.

FREE!

Tap Tap Muppets

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-11-16 :: Category: Games

JellyCar surprised a lot of folks with its sudden appearance and bouncy automotive hijinks. So much so that it spawned two well-received sequels. Now JellyCar 3, the most recent of the bunch, has a free trial. Just in case the dollar seems a bit too steep.

Now the incredibly frugal, or those without access to electronic funds (i.e. young-uns) can sample 10 of JellyCar 3‘s levels for free. That’s 10 levels of “squishy goodness” for the same price as lunch when someone else is paying. Of course, if a player were to find the size-adjusting, wiggly, loopy, special ability-having, secret exit filled, car-customizing extravaganza to be irresistible, it’s not exactly super-expensive.

So why not give JellyCar 3 Lite a try since it’s free? It’s not going to cost anything but a bit of time, and chances are it’ll be considered time well spent. I mean, the original was a lot of fun, right?

FREE!

JellyCar 3 Lite

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-09-07 :: Category: Games

Every now and then I think that I’ve finally become a proper adult, all responsible and doing away with childish things. Then I walk near a Disney store and all those allusions go out the window as I’m too busy exclaiming ‘awww’ at every single cuddly toy. A similar ‘awww’ came from me when I saw the latest update to Disney Princess Dress-Up: My Sticker Book.

It’s been updated as part of the excitement build up of the upcoming Royal Wedding at the end of the week. For those uninitiated in the app, you can use it to take photos of your children and ‘become’ part of the Princess storylines. This update adds a new Princess Tiana, 7 new stories as well as 25 new outfits and accessories that your children can dress themselves up with.

It’s a neat little idea anyhow that’s bound to be a big hit with young fans, even more so now that there are even more outfits to dress up in.

The update is available now for those who have already purchased the app, otherwise it’s $3.99 for newcomers to it. Oh and it’s an Universal app which is always convenient!

$3.99

Princess Dress-Up: My Sticker Book

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2010-12-09 :: Category: Books

My wife and I decided to eschew family Christmas traditions and make our own this year by visiting Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando. The experience itself was wonderful, in spite of surprisingly large crowds when we visited on Christmas Eve (no fault to Disney there, but even THEY seemed overwhelmed by the numbers that visited the park). But what amazed me the most about our trip is how essential our iPhones have become to every aspect of our travel. From navigation to photography to even Disney park preparation, our iPhone 4(s) had us covered every step of the way.

Our single-purpose GPS is way out of date (I’m the cheapskate and can just never bring myself to pay for map upgrades) so we decided to try out MotionX GPS Drive on this trip and the results could not have been better. MotionX GPS Drive has recently received a much-requested upgrade adding full-voice support for street names, so this new feature was added just in time for our trip. Mind you, neither the app nor the full-voice is perfect. “Exit 83-A” was commonly referred to as “Exit 83uh” and other street names were mangled from time to time, but as a whole the new voice functions worked well. And then there was the time when we needed to travel to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at African restaurant Boma. When I selected “Boma’s at Animal Kingdom Lodge” from the app, it began navigating us, but our destination ended up at the main gate of some Orlando resident’s palatial estate. A little fine-tuning was needed, but the app finally got us where we needed to go. MotionX GPS Drive is also a steal from a financial perspective – $0.99 for the app with guided navigation for $2.99 for 30 days. MotionX wisely does not auto-renew, so you only need to pay the navigation fee when you really need it, which is a very nice touch.

$0.99

MotionX GPS Drive

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-09-25 :: Category: Navigation

Once in the park, we had two go-to apps – Undercover Tourist and Hipstamatic. If you’re unfamiliar with Undercover Tourist, it’s an app designed to give you information about anticipated crowds at the various Disney parks and queue wait times at rides within the parks. Unfortunately, Undercover Tourist pushed an update right before our trip and it broke the app on my iPhone 4. I was hopeful when I saw a new update released, but mine still crashes. My wife, ever reluctant to update apps, still had an older version on her phone, so we were able to use it. The crowd forecast for December 24th (color coded: red for heavy, yellow for moderate and green for light) showed green so we thought we had it made. Like I said earlier, the crowds seemed to surprise even Disney, so I can’t really blame Undercover Tourist for a mistake in its data. The good news is that the queue estimates were generally accurate and helped us, particularly early on, decide where to go and what to do. And since the app is free (there is a paid ad-free version) there isn’t much I can complain about.

FREE!

Disney World Wait Times, Dining and Maps Free by UndercoverTourist.com

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-08-08 :: Category: Travel

Finally, what would a trip to the Magic Kingdom be without lots and lots of pictures? Sure, the iPhone 4 has a much-improved camera, but I’m a sucker for the retro surprises generated by Apple’s iPhone App of the Year Hipstamatic. I suppose it’s because my first trip to the Magic Kingdom happened only a year or so after the park opened, but I love the washed-out, 1970s style prints that Hipstamatic generates on the fly. Changing virtual lenses and films was a great way to while away the time spent in long, long lines (the Haunted Mansion line was longer than I have ever experienced), and the photos the app took are some of my favorites from this trip. There’s a reason Apple selected Hipstamatic, and it’s primarily because of its easy of use, versatility and overall fun-factor.

$1.99

Hipstamatic

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-12-10 :: Category: Photography

So, we’re back home now, but there’s no mistaking that the iPhone 4 changed our Disney experience for the better. For one thing, it was the first time we didn’t have to lug around a heavy, cumbersome camera throughout the park; but beyond that, it made the day more pleasant, more organized and a lot more fun to remember.