Python fans are certain to welcome the best bits from the penultimate season of the BBC sketch comedy in a new iPhone app: Python Bytes 3 – Monty Python Series 3. If you have a flair for the obvious, you’ll correctly assume this is third in a series of apps that feature the best skits from the cult-classic, Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

The 20 most popular skits from series three are presented in a style that looks like Terry Gilliam had a hand in the design. The app launches right into a random sketch, and a shake of the iPhone launches another arbitrary dose of funny.

Tapping on a video toggles a menu where users can select specific sketches, create playlists and even delete scenes – a nice touch for space-freeing purposes. The app, like the rest of the series, sells for $2.99 –  a fair bit less than buying the complete season and a fair bit less tiresome than a YouTube search. The app even comes with some cast audio commentary.

Let’s be honest, while vintage Canucks (like this humble Python head) were weaned on British sketch comedy, for an American audience it’s a decidedly acquired taste, particularly in its retro-absurdist Python perfection. There were always laugh-beer-out-yer-nose moments, but for each one, if we’re being candid, there was also an unmitigated dud. That makes this final greatest-hits package a perfect lightweight introduction for those who haven’t yet reached the point where even bad python is good python.

Check out the trailer from the first app to see the UI:

$2.99

Python Bytes 3 - Monty Python Series 3

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-05-14 :: Category: Entertainment

For the movie industry the Cannes Film Festival is one of the most important events in which to preview films and watch the stars. The 65^th annual festival is happening in France right now, but if you weren’t able to secure an invite or make the journey, hope is not lost. Film buffs and star gazers can keep tabs on the festival with The Hoolywood Reporter’s new iPad app, Hollywood Reporter: Cannes Film Festival. And, if you did get there and find the opulence a little overwhelming, this app serves as an on-site guide as well.

Calling itself the ultimate companion, the app provides almost-live news, film reviews, and of course, lots of video for those of us watching from afar. Look for lots of Red Carpet moments, gossip from exclusive parties, extensive photo galleries and oh and did I say videos?  Ardent fans can even download The Hollywood Reporter festival dailies to see what’s happened so far and not miss any of the remaining action.

And for those on scene there are interactive maps, extensive screening listings, and a mini Cannes travellers’ guide. We envy those enjoying the movie nights on The Riviera, but for the rest of us, this app brings home almost everything except the sun, sand, and surf .

FREE!

Hollywood Reporter: Cannes Film Festival

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2012-05-10 :: Category: News

Photo manipulation apps, especially the apps that mess with peoples faces, can be particularly fun. Role Play, by Dim Dim Sum App, is an entertainment app that allows users to take pictures of themselves and friends, apply “digital make-up,” and put them into different roles.

Users can take photos from their existing library or taking a picture within the app. Then users place position markers on various parts of the face in the picture like the eyes and mouth. After that, the user can apply a “role” from the app to the photo and the person instantly becomes something like a pirate or a clown. This can be a fun way for users to give themselves digital make-overs or screw with their friends by putting their faces into roles that would be humorous.

The app comes with two free “make-over” roles: Princess and Pirate. Other roles can be purchased with in-app coins that can either be purchased or earned by sharing Role Play pictures via Twitter or Facebook. Some other roles that can be purchased include Cat, Cleopatra, and Geisha.

Role Play is free to download.

FREE!

Role Play - Makeup Makeover Photo Booth

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-12-14 :: 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

Fanhatten already offered TV and Movie fans tons of entertainment by providing ratings, general information and then linking users to popular streaming services from iTunes, Hulu Plus and Netflix to Crackle and PBS.

Now they have updated to incorporate the hottest trend in in online news – discovery. The app is now a one-stop shop for celeb 411, reviews and streaming, but also personalized news feeds and recommendations based on social networks and predictive algorithms.

Fanhatten now boasts over 60 major entertainment publication sources including Billboard, E!, Entertainment Weekly, TMZ, Rolling Stone, and People.

But the new Fan Feed is where to find the action. The app allows users to select favorite shows, actors, even directors and brings up content that is tailored to individual taste. As users spend time with Fanhatten and add more likes, the feed gets progressively “smarter”. If friends use Fanhatten too, the app offers a social component and shared recommendations as well.

Now that the already rich content comes with discovery and social components it should not only please its own existing fans, but create a new market for people who aren’t looking to stream necessarily, but who are looking for what – and whom – to watch no matter how they access the video.

FREE!

Fanhattan – Watch Movies and TV on Netflix, NBC, iTunes, Hulu, Amazon, ABC, Xfinity, HBO, and more

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-11-15 :: Category: Entertainment

FREE!

Fanhattan - OLD VERSION

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-06-01 :: Category: Entertainment

We reported back in September that CineXPlayer would now be supporting 3D movies and, come October, the AC3 codec allowing for Dolby Digital 5.1 and 7.1 sound.

Well, it’s not quite October any more but finally Dolby Digital support has been added to the $2.99 app making it the first iOS app to offer such functionality. As the audio codec used for the vast majority of DVDs, it’s the ideal addition to an already solid video playing app.

Besides the AC3 support, AirPlay support has also been added for iPad 2 and Apple TV owners which is bound to make the Dolby Digital support all the more welcome. Integration of DropBox services is also in there for extra ease of use.

Regular travellers will be understandably pretty happy by such news. The CineXPlayer update is available now for existing owners. The app costs $2.99 otherwise and it’s well worth the price.

$1.99

CineXPlayer HD = The best way to enjoy your Movies

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-09-25 :: Category: Photography

$3.99

CineXPlayer HD – The best way to enjoy your movies

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-08-06 :: Category: Utilities

As anyone with cable TV will tell you, picking what to watch isn’t as easy as it could be. While there’s always a channel guide to browse through, it’s frequently not very intuitive when it comes to finding the right show. Fortunately, Peel – Personal TV Show Guide jumps right in there and tackles that dilemma.

Kind of like an app version of Tivo, Peel – Personal TV Show Guide recommends shows according to what favorites the user adds to the system. The more the app learns about TV tastes and preferences, the better the suggestions become.

An attractive app to look at, it’s simple to flip through the colorful thumbnails of each TV show and these thumbnails can lead onto episode descriptions and other details. Perhaps most useful is that of the ability to search for any show and Peel – Personal TV Show Guide lets the user know exactly when it’s on and what channel to tune into.

Peel – Personal TV Show Guide is bound to save some time for the avid TV watcher, all the more so with Christmas coming up.

It’s out now and it’s free to download.

FREE!

Peel Personalized TV Experience

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-10-15 :: Category: Entertainment

As a Brit, I’m rather envious of those in the US celebrating Thanksgiving this week. I’m a big fan of family gatherings, time off work and eating plenty of tasty food as any sane person would be. One other big Thanksgiving tradition is that of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

This year marks the 85th Anniversary of the Parade and it also marks the introduction of the offiical app.

MyCityWay’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a free app set to enhance spectators’ experiences of the Parade. It offers information such as the participants of the parade, the Line of March, the parade route, inflation event locations and the history behind it.

There’s also a comprehensive guide to new York City bundled with the app that includes dining locations and reviews, popular and nearby coffee shops and Wi-Fi spots as well as a subway map and other useful information such as nearby restrooms.

On the day, there’ll be traffic cameras viewable in real time to check out what’s going on plus a way of tracking various Cheerleading, Dance Troupes and Marching Bands.

The official Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is out now and it’s free to download.

FREE!

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade ®

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-11-17 :: Category: Entertainment

I’ve got an iPad full to the brim with photos taken over the years, ever since I first dipped into the iOS world. Numbering in the thousands, it’s comforting to know they’re there, ready to browse through at any time.

How to exhibit them to others, however? Or how about just a cool new way of watching a slideshow of images? That’s where Jiv3D enters the picture.

It’s a new app that automatically syncs music with photos, thus creating attractive showcases of all those memorable moments. With several different themes that can be applied and the ability to manipulate images with a tap of the screen, Jiv3D is a pretty neat app and extremely easy to use.

It’s an ideal app for all manners of different situations such as showing holiday snaps to the family or in the conference room to explain a concept to colleagues.

Jiv3D is out now for iPad owners and it’s a free download.

FREE!

Jiv3D

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-11-08 :: Category: Entertainment

Poking people on Facebook is just sooooo 2010. 2011 is all about jabbing friends! Or at least that’s what JabMe‘s developers think.

JabMe is an app that lets users send jabs to their friends alongside fun sound effects. Using Push Notiications, it’s unlimited with a plethora of different sounds and jab actions. Jabs can be anything from a Kung Fu Kick jab to a Burp or a kind hearted Happy Birthday.

There’s a game element to it, too, with GameCenter Leaderboards helping users keep track of the highest number of jabs they’ve inflicted on their friends. A Jab Back action means it’s pretty easy to up the jab count and fast.

Once bored of the free supply of jab actions, users can then purchase other packs for $0.99 a pack.

It’s certainly quirky but hopefully JabMe will make for a fun messaging service for those who like to be in regular virtual contact with friends.

It’s out now.

FREE!

JabMe

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-10-27 :: Category: Entertainment

Who’s a big film fan, then? I know I certainly am. I’ve spent years trawling the Apple Trailers site since back when the idea of viewing film trailers on a website was revolutionary. Now I can do it through a new app by the name of iTunes Movie Trailers.

The app does exactly what the name suggests, offering the newest and most exclusive movie previews in HD at the fingertips of all iOS device owners who choose to download this free app.

Users can browse trailers, clips and featurettes for all the biggest movies, as well as view spectacular HD photos, view a year long calendar of upcoming movie releases and find showtimes at cinemas near them.

Hundreds of movie trailers are available in all and a quick glance already shows the best of the best are on display such as Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Besides tracking what the networks reckon are the biggest hits, users can also browse the charts to see what other people are downloading the most for inspiration as to what to check out.

iTunes Movie Trailers is out now. It’s universal, it’s free, it’s the ideal app for movie fans.

FREE!

iTunes Movie Trailers

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-10-12 :: Category: Entertainment

Southern Californians and music fans alike should instantly recognise the name KCRW. It’s a public radio station that’s become increasingly popular thanks to its use of modern methods like podcasts and streaming Internet radio broadcasts in its efforts to educate music fans in the latest and greatest new acts. In the past, KCRW hosts have helped showcase the likes of Beck, Adele, Florence & the Machine, Coldplay, Dido and Massive Attack.

Now there’s an app from KCRW that aims to take ‘listeners on an audio adventure of artists especially selected by DJs’ from the station. Pretty exciting, huh?

KCRW Music Mine – an iPad only app – is dedicated entirely to music exploration using The Echo Nest’s music intelligence platform to track down the best new artists. The app offers up to 100 artists at a time with lists updated daily in tandem with the on air playlists for KCRW. Listeners who want to learn more can then find videos, photos, blog posts and more behind each artist as well as discover the musical talent.

The format of KCRW Music Mine lends itself to users who don’t have a lot of time on their hands for messing around with configurations. Intead it’s an app that’s simple to browse and quickly find something of interest.

For fans who just want to kick back and relax, they can jut tap the KCRW’s 24 hour, all music stream Eclectic24 and enjoy the music, or they can listen in to full shows by many KCRW DJs.

KCRW Music Mine sounds like the ideal companion for KCRW fans and a fantastic app for music enthusiasts keen to find something new to love. I can certainly see some lazy Sunday afternoons being lost to checking out new music.

It’s free to download so why not give it a try today?

FREE!

KCRW Music Mine

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-09-13 :: Category: Music

Dogs are great. Cuddly, sweet, faithful and never judgemental. How intelligent are they though? Dog fans may now be able to figure out this very important question thanks to a new app by the name of Dog IQ.

According to the app, dogs have different kinds of intelligence just like humans do. These types are: problem solving ability, social intelligence, awareness, sense and the ability to learn and adapt. Dog IQ helps determine how mentally adept the user’s dog is by providing a well rounded overview of all of these types.

Each test offered by the app consists of 11 simple and fun questions testing the above abilities. Taken from a pool of 30 questions, there’s enough room for trying the test numerous times. Indeed it’s encouraged with a history page allowing users to monitor their dog’s performance over time.

Dog IQ looks to be a fun entertainment app to finally see if dogs really are smart or not. It’s out now priced at $0.99.

$0.99

Dog IQ

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-09-17 :: Category: Lifestyle