Tag: Polar bear farm »

A year ago today a massive earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand, leaving 185 dead and the lives of thousands in shambles. The country's second-largest city was horrifically damaged, and to this day aftershocks and unstable buildings have caused large sections of the city to be rendered completely uninhabitable and unsafe. It is a major tragedy, and one which has sadly been too quickly forgotten by the international community.

But out of this darkness comes a light, as at least one publisher is taking action to support those affected by the earthquake. Polar Bear Farm founder Layton Duncan has penned a heartfelt letter on the company blog stating that all Polar Bear Farm apps are going on sale for today only, with 100 percent of the proceeds devoted to earthquake relief. The money will be funneled into a charitable trust with the sole purpose of restoring and rebuilding downtown Christchurch so that the city's inhabitants can have their city back.

For those unfamiliar with Polar Bear Farms, they make a variety of neat utilitarian apps like Showtime, Face Match, Convert, and many more. For a full list of the company's apps just pop them up in iTunes and have a look.

If you're looking to pick up a few new apps this week and also want to do a little social good then this is your chance. Also, please spread the word to friends and loved ones so we can help the people of New Zealand and show them that even a year later they're still on our minds. I mean, the apps are already on sale AND all the money is going to charity, what more reason can you possibly need to contribute?

Businesses need to keep up with the times to remain competitive these days and keeping up with the times currently means the iPad. Air Forms from Polar Bear Farm looks to provide just such a competitive edge by making it easier for businesses to use their existing databases to create tools that can be used on the move via the iPad.

Yep, it sounds dull and, if you don’t use an iPad or any form of database in your work, Air Forms won’t be your particular cup of tea. But if your business relies on its core information being available to staff outside the office, this could be a handy tool for you.

The app allows businesses to create their own native iPad interfaces for employees in the field whether they’re using the database for tracking data or inputting sales data. The app offers local and cloud data options with the former using data stored on the iPad and cloud allowing multiple users to access the same information. Beyond this setup, users can then create their own interfaces that, from the examples we’ve seen, look great.

Sure, it’s not for everyone, but Air Forms will certainly fill a niche for a wide range of businesses, especially those without a dedicated IT infrastructure.

[via Polar Bear Farms - Air Forms ]

KaleidoVid is a fun little app from App Cubby and Polar Bear Farm. Two developers that spend their time making serious apps decided to take a little break and create something fun. Seems like a great idea!

The app is really pretty simple. It's like those little cardboard tube kaleidoscopes we all had as kids. Fire up your iPhone (this app requires a camera), and point the camera at something colorful. The app takes a triangular part of the image and reflects it just like the ones you had as a kid. I guess the difference is those cost 75 cents, this one costs $500.

The app lets you grab the screen at any time and save it as a unique image or share it on Twitter, Facebook, or via email. Pretty good way to create unique backgrounds for your iPhone too.

The app is available now for the crazy price of just $0.99.

We just got a quick look at Tweet Push from Polar Bear Farm. Chances are that the Twitter client you use on the iPhone doesn't currently support push notifications. Tweet Push fills that gap by working with your Twitter client to let you know when you get a new direct message, mention, or if you are really in need of constant interruption, a new message from one of your contacts.

Currently, Tweet Push works with Twitterrific, Tweetie, Twittelator, and TwitterFon. When you receive a message, Tweet Push will take you straight to the twitter client you choose. One of the best features of the app is that it does not count toward the API limits that Twitter has in effect. That means that if you have a desktop client running this won't eat into the number of calls you can make.

Tweet Push is one of the first subscription based apps in the app store. The app itself costs $0.99 and includes one month of service. Service is $0.99/month after that. Pretty reasonable considering the infrastructure needed to support this kind of app.

Sounds like an app you might like? Head on over to our Twitter stream for details, we're giving away 25 copies of the app over the next two days.

[gallery]