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Các bài viết trong Apps

Free apps update for Dec 10th, 2010

December 11, 2010 · 1 Comment

Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iDevice Apps, Originals

Star Wars: Imperial Academy

This week is all about games. Games, games, games and more games. In fact, I only managed to find three notable apps that aren’t games this week, one of which is a utility for keeping score…likely in some sort of game. But no worries, because games are awesome. And what better way to waste your weekend away? That’s right. Let’s get to it.

  • Star Wars: Imperial Academy - Whether you support a galactic empire, you’ve probably at one point at least contemplated acquiring stormtrooper gear.  Admit it, there’s something awesome about their white plastic armor.  There’s really only one way to get it: enlist.  Join the Imperial Academy and you can be a stormtrooper working your way to the top with a wide array of weapons.  You can even travel to a number of memorable Star Wars environments in Retina quality graphics.  I’m surprised George Lucas didn’t require at least a dollar for this game, or an action figure purchase or something.
  • Jawbone Thoughts - An app that aims to help you communicate with your friends quickly without typing or calling.  Essentially, it’s a voice recording app that can send your message as an email or text.  It’ll even transcribe your audio into text if you want to give them some money.
  • We Bowl - Freeverse is a name you’ve likely come to know and love.  They make a number of great games, including Flick Fishing, We Rule, Skee-Ball and this one.  Here, you use your finger to flick a bowling ball and, well, you know the rest.  There are prizes to be had, even powerups to make bowling a bit more interesting.  Plus, you even get to create your own avatar.  No, not the blue kind with the creepy pony tails, the character kind.
  • Touch Pets Dogs 2 - Virtual pets were all the rage when I was in middle school, though they were kept on ridiculously low-res screens with minimal features.  Now you can play with your puppy with even less of a need to feed it.  Perfect.
  • BIT.TRIP BEAT BLITZ - See what all the buzz is about by checking out this free version of BIT.TRIP.  They call it the “arcade game for the new millennium, fusing Pong with interactive beats.”  Pong and music?  Alright, I’m in.  Plus this game has very unique graphics, if you didn’t already know that.
  • Life Scoreboard - Let’s face it, your elementary school gym teachers lied to you.  Not everyone is a winner.  In fact, winning wouldn’t be any fun if there weren’t losers.  This app helps keep track of the winners, and more importantly, the losers.  It’s basically a very slick counter app focused on keeping score.
  • Chess HD Lite - Do you need another chess game for your iPhone or iPad?  Probably not, but this one looks pretty slick, is universal, and free.  Can’t ask for a whole lot more, except maybe support for online gaming.  Yup, it has that too.
  • Ocarina - Grab one of Smule’s many great virtual instruments before they start charging for it again.  This one is an Ocarina.  Yes, you can be Link with it.  The screen has the virtual holes you can cover with your fingers and you blow into the microphone to simulate blowing into a real ocarina.  Master Sword not included.
  • Ace Pool 3D - Free for a limited time, this game is your basic 3D billiards.  You can play against your iDevice or a friend.  And there are two modes, 8 or 9 ball.
  • Stick Golf HD - Again, free for a limited time.  This game is a ton of fun.  Instead of the top down perspective of most virtual mini golf games, this one from the side perspective.  That means the holes are all about the vertical.  Did I mention it’s great fun?
  • Future Racer - This one should already be back to it’s regular price, but at the time of this writing, the developer seems a bit generous.  Some say this game is a lot like F-Zero.  Where I’m from, them’s fightin’ words.  Nevertheless, it’s a fully 3D futuristic racer that’s likely worth at least a download.
  • DiceBall - This game is super simple, but sometimes simple translates to fun.  Like other games, you control the table on which a metal ball rolls.  But instead of maneuvering around obstacles, you’re actually trying to hit dice.  Green ones to be specific.  They’re planning on making some notable improvements to the game soon, so now you have even more of a reason to grab this one while it’s free.
  • geoFighter - Light Wars - This game is very similar to Geometry Wars.  See what they did there with there with the title?  Yeah, didn’t slip past anyone.  Anyhow, this game looks beautiful, and the controls are spot on.  It’s very enjoyable, and I recommend that nothings stops you from clicking on that link and downloading it.  In fact, I’ll end the list right now just to facilitate.

Full Story » | Written by Jake Gaecke for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

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Appletell reviews Trine for Mac OS X

December 10, 2010 · No comments

Section: Mac Software, Games, Reviews

Trine

Genre: Action
Format: Download
Developer: Frozenbyte
Mac Publisher: Frozenbyte
System Requirements: Mac OS X v10.6.4 or later, Intel processor, 1GB RAM, OpenGL 2.0 compatible video card with 256MB share or dedicated RAM, 600MB hard disk space, keyboard, dual button mouse with
Review Computer: 3.2GHz Intel Core i3 iMac, 4GB RAM, 512MB Radeon HD5670 graphics card
Network Feature: No
Processor Compatibility: Intel only
Price: $ 19.99
ESRB Rating: E 10+
Availability: Out now

In my decades of gaming, I’ve played a lot of games that have required me to run from left to right. Pitfall, Jungle Hunt, Mario, Sonic…running from left to right is as important to gaming as turning left is to racing. You’d think this would get boring after a while, but as long as we’ve got companies such as Frozenbyte making games as incredible as Trine, the right hand side of your monitor will never need to worry about us abandoning our quest to reach it.

Trine is set in a sort of medieval fantasy world, and you know exactly what that means; evil has taken over the land, and only our heroes can restore it to its former glory. But there’s a bit of a twist here; the three heroes—knight, wizard and thief, of course—are bound together by a curse. Only one can be active at a time, with the others…inside of the active character, I guess. But each has particular skills that require you to switch often. The thief has ranged arrow attacks and can use a grappling hook of sorts to swing across traps. The wizard can create items (boxes, bridges and such) with magic that can be used for climbing, blocking, and smashing enemies. The knight is just a tough guy who can block attacks with his shield and is most effective at close range combat.

Trine

These skills are important not just to combat and travel, but to acquiring the numerous treasures and potions, as well. Often, you’ll need a combination of heroes to reach certain objects. For instance, the wizard can set hanging boxes in motion, and the thief can use their momentum to swing up to an otherwise unreachable area.

A lot of this, therefore, is very hard, requiring precise timing. Fail, and you’re likely to fall on a bed of spikes (unless you’ve covered them up with one of the wizard’s bridges, of course). If they’re too difficult to reach, you can just skip them, but the potions lead to leveling up, and the treasures give you new skills and equipment. It’s not wise to skip too many of them.

Your enemies consist almost solely of skeletons, and that’s perfectly fine. Give a skeleton a sword, and you’re almost guaranteed a 5 out of 5 rating from me. At first, the skeletons rely solely on numbers. As you progress, though, they’ll acquire fire, shields, and actual tactics. You’ll also square off against the occasional mini-boss, but still, if variety in your combat is important, Trine doesn’t deliver.

Trine

In it’s defense, though, it doesn’t try. The point of the game is to use the physics engine to solve your way through puzzles, over chasms, under water, and through a Donkey Kong finale that’s both intensely frustrating and awesomely rewarding.

And yet, as well as the action and the puzzles come together, they’re not the best thing about Trine. Rather, it’s the design. The graphics are certainly not the most realistic I’ve seen, but they’re completely fantastic. Each level uses color and depth to create a world that in no way feels 2D. You can’t run into these forests, caves and dungeons, but it was always feels as if you could. So even when the action and enemies started to feel redundant, the level design kept things going.

Trine

In fact, I’ll close the review with this. At one point during my testing, I was playing Trine with my six-year-old sitting on my lap. After a while, she asked me, “Why are there so many skeletons?”

“Because skeletons are the best part of the game,” I explained.

“No,” she countered, and stretched her arms out towards the iMac as if indicating her kingdom, “the backgrounds are!”

And if your backgrounds are impressive enough to hold the attention of a six-year-old girl despite the lack of ponies, unicorns and any sort of baby animal, then you’ve got something special happening there.

Appletell Rating:
Trine review

Buy Trine

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

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iPhone, iPod and iPad product news – December 8, 2010

December 9, 2010 · No comments

Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iDevice Apps, iDevice Accessories

iPhone, iPod and iPad product updatesiPhone, iPod and iPad product updates and announcements for December 8, 2010:

Apps
  • FileMaker, Inc. has announced FileMaker Go training, now available in the updated FileMaker Technical Resource Kit. The free downloadable kit’s four self-paced training modules include the new FileMaker Go module, which teaches users how to quickly optimize and deploy FileMaker Pro databases on iPad and iPhone. It also provides recommendations for using calculations and scripts in FileMaker Go, and covers passing data between FileMaker Go and other mobile applications.
  • Geist Interactive has announced GoSign 1.0. GoSign makes it easy to add signature capture to any FIleMaker Go solution. With GoSign you can incorporate Signature Capture into any FileMaker Go work flow. It only takes about 15 minutes to integrate into any solution. Signatures are captured and stored as Base64 encoded data urls which makes them easy to display in web viewers or to embed into HTML email.
  • AppPro Studio has announced Humanist 1.0.1, their new app for iPhone/iPod touch. Humanist is a unique solution which helps learn about personal traits of any person, possibility of doing business with him, and foretell probable outcome of a meeting with that person for every day. By entering a date of birth in Humanist, users will receive detailed information about their character structure. An built-in calendar offers the most unusual possibilities, including forecasts for user for every day.
  • Techselect Consulting, Inc. has announced their Corporate Professional Series of iPhone apps. Mobile Executive,  Mobile Manager and Mobile Employee business productivity apps are specifically tailored for corporate business executives, managers, and employees. All of the apps provide expense tracking and can store travel details, including air, hotel, ground transportation, and frequent flyer/travel reward programs.
  • John Carlin has announced Indisposable 1.0.1, his personal cash flow analysis and forecasting app for iOS. The app enables the user to easily evaluate any personal financial decision by calculating its consequences. After inputting the date and amount of recurring and one-time income, plus recurring and one-time expenses, the app can accurately forecast cash flow from one week to six months in the future. This allows the user to test various interest, credit, income, and expense scenarios.
  • Mobile Force Corp. has announced AutoRobot TD - Defend and Defeat for the iPhone and iPod touch. A visually dynamic mobile tower defense gaming experience, AutoRobot TD throws players into the role of a combat commander charged with defeating waves of enemies efficiently and creatively enough to keep their tower intact and stop any foe from crossing the game field. Players can choose between single player matches and heads-up matches via either a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection.
  • iRoma S.R.L. has announced Artistic Churches in Rome 1.1, the studios’ artistically minded tourist map application for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Created specifically to provide art lovers an engaging mobile resource, Artistic Churches in Rome highlights locations where authentic Roman art can be viewed for users. Over 140 beautiful Churches are profiled and cataloged via digital information cards. Each card provides users with church descriptions, historical information, and more.
  • Left Coast Logic has released SmartPad 1.1, the iOS4.2 version of their iPad productivity powerhouse. SmartPad’s logic slots tasks into free time between appointments, integrates tasks into the calendar and more. The Day Manager shows which tasks can be completed today, as well as allows interactive scheduling. Version 1.1 boasts significant performance improvements, as well as syncs directly with the iPad Calendar and from there to Outlook, Mobile Me, iCal and other calendars.
  • Apalon has announced Fashion Monkey 1.0 for iOS. Fashion Monkey offers fun while developing imagination skills in a playful manner by creating an exquisite look for one of the four monkeys. By browsing through the virtual wardrobe, kids and parents alike can let their fashion fantasies come true. Fashion Monkey enhances children’s creativity by focusing on imagination stimulation and the ability to create fancy looking characters by customizing their facial expression, outfit, and accessories.
  • Vito Technology has announced a fun toy that recreates a fully functional 3D compass on compass-less devices. The original idea was developed in an effort to let iPod Touch owners enjoy the full beauty of Star Walk with the new 4th generation iPods. Mission accomplished: Gyrocompass 3D is a software compass built on gyro, camera, and accurate celestial maps.
  • Mindwarm Incorporated has released AddTo San Jose 1.0 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. AddTo San Jose lets you create your own travel guide from your photos and notes. Easily create your own map with the highlights you want, photo album and travel diary. At any time you can add a note or photo to your album. If you have allowed location, then your current location will be added to that note and photo. Send your notes, photos and maps to your friends.
  • Spot Documents is an alternative to iDisk, DropBox and other cloud based file storage systems, offering a desktop like searching and browsing experience. Leveraging the security and redundancy of Amazon’s S3, now even small companies can afford to take their documents online. The iPad, iPhone, OS X and Web clients are all free to use. A single account can host multiple repositories and any number of users can be assigned read only or read/write access to each repository.
  • MobileApp Systems LLC has announced iLuaBox 1.1.1, an update to their Lua scripting environment running on all Apple iOS 4.2 compatible devices. Lua is a powerful, fast, lightweight, embeddable scripting language. It has been used in many industrial applications, with an emphasis on embedded systems and games. Version 1.1.1 improvements include command history, external keyboard support, and new library functions.
  • HackingFresh has released Fruit Guide 1.0 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users. Fruit Guide offers users beautiful photographs and text referencing for selecting only the finest, healthiest fruits available. HackingFresh currently displays more than twenty-nine of the most popular fruits, with more being added all the time. Users are welcome to submit suggestions for new additions to the existing list of fruits.
  • Wimmera Native Nursery has released Native Plant Guide 1.0.1 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users. The application is an instruction guide and teaching tool for users worldwide to learn about native Australian plant species. Information about selection, preparation, planting and maintenance of the plants is included in the extensive database, which can be searched or browsed. Native Plant Guide includes hundreds of beautiful plant photos.
  • Thomsen Business Information has released Business Plan for Entrepreneurs’ Startups 1.2 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users. This application is a complete start up kit, written in easy to follow, plain language, for those wanting to go into business for themselves but aren’t sure how. There are business, marketing and budget templates, as well as a ton of vital information for small business success.
  • CHR Sports Events Management has released Hoops Clipboard 1.2 for iPad users. The application is a combination of whiteboard for developing play strategies and a detailed statistics tracker. Basketball coaches can easily draw plays and move player positions with their fingers then save, export, email and print plays, or review them line by line. Hoops Clipboard makes managing home and away rosters simple and offers full court, half court, NBA and NCAA court types support.
  • ComboApp has announced four new learning applications powered by their recently launched Combobook educational system. These newly released mobile courses are all geared towards helping users master various skills to aide them in their personal and professional development. All courses maintain a focus on teaching psychological and communicational skills applicable to business environments.
  • MaximumSoft Corp. has announced the release of new tools that help to transfer company’s online catalogs, websites, presentations to Apple’s iPad and view them at any time, even when Internet connection is not available. The tools allow users to download HTML-based materials either directly to iPad, or to their desktop computers and then upload downloaded files to their mobile devices.
  • Jelly Biscuits has announced Food Fight! 1.1 for iOS. Food fight is an original story which tells the story of Tim, a boy from earth and Sammy, a sausage from somewhere else altogether. Food Fight has been specifically remastered using the original illustrations and text from Glenn Melenhorst’s popular children’s book. With over 80 interactive elements and sounds, interactive content on every page, the collaboration has created an interactive experience to delight both young and old.
  • Ruckus Mobile Media has announced the release of its first author-illustrator driven app with original content written specifically for Apple’s iPad device: A Present for Milo, written and illustrated by Mike Austin, tells an interactive exciting cat-chases-mouse story ideal for pre-readers and young readers alike. With more than 80 tap-able objects that initiate 125 animations, A Present for Milo provides a fun, engaging read-to or read-aloud experience at a terrific value for active young fingers and minds—on sale for $ 1.99.
  • Options for College has released Entoview College Edition, the first iPhone/iPod app designed to help students ace the dreaded college interview. The content was written by Entoview Expert Keith Berman, a Certified Educational Planner who’s counseled hundreds of students through the application process and worked as an interviewer at Harvard and Yale. Entoview includes plenty of information on how to prepare, and practice interviews with a real evaluation at the end. Students can learn our tried and true Cardinal Rules, how to avoid common pitfalls, and more.
  • What really wows iPad fans is when their touchscreen does what’s impossible on other gadgets: the finger-painting app that turns a cross-country flight into a moving art class, the mini music studio (two-dozen instruments strong, each with motion-induced warble effects), and the portable fireworks display that you sculpt by swiping. Problem is, with tens of thousands of apps available for your iPad, who knows what to download? You can try to sort through a gazillion customer reviews with a mix of 5- and 1-star ratings, but that’s not only very confusing, it also takes a lot of time. The stakes are getting higher, too: instead of freebies and 99-cent trinkets, the price of iPad apps is steadily creeping up and beyond their iPhone predecessors. Best iPad Apps guides you to the hidden treasures in the App Store’s crowded aisles. Author Peter Meyers stress-tested thousands of options to put together this irresistible, page-turner of a catalog.
  • 7twenty7 LLC has released Videoscope 1.0 for iPhone 4 and 4th-generation iPod touch devices. Videoscope turns the iOS device into a real-time video processor with multiple interactive effects, including a kaleidoscope, a 3D pinscreen, and a particle generator. Users can choose from either the front or rear camera of their device, and save or email still images from the live effects.
  • Battlestar Commander is an action packed, multi-player tabletop sci -fi shooter. The games makes amazing use of iPhone’s and iPad’s multitouch feature - allowing you to navigate your ships and shoot at the enemy with a flick of a finger. It can sometimes be an exercise in dexterity, but the task is all the more fun as you see things explode on the screen.
  • Sportcraft Ltd. has announced its expansion into online gaming with the launch of its Turbo Hockey application now available for play on Apple iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices. Sportcraft’s new Turbo Hockey is an elite hockey application with vibrant graphics, six game speed options and all-star voice sound effects.  Similar to traditional air hockey, players use their fingertips to control a virtual pusher located on the touch screen of your Apple device. Turbo Hockey also features OpenFeint scoring and allows for wireless play against other users with similar devices.
  • Sprite Labs has announced iLearn Solar System HD 2.0 for iPad. iLearn Solar System HD is an interactive, rich 3D visual experience and informative reference of the Solar System and its planets. Detailed information on each planet is given with the aid of stunning and beautiful animations. Users can zoom in on the space objects surface to get a closer look and rotate the 3D model of the space object to get the desired perspective.
  • The Daily App Dream games and apps portal offers to consumers not only the best selection of paid titles available as a free download for a limited period of time, it now has its own app on the App Store! With this app you no longer need to visit the portals website to download the hottest free games and apps, as this cool piece of software grants you direct access to current titles on the portal.
  • Quickoffice has released a new update to its Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite for the iPad. Version 1.2.0 features new advanced file management features that allow users to copy and transfer multiple files at one time, and search for files by name. Quickoffice also integrated with two new “connect” partners, Huddle and SugarSync, offering its users more options when selecting a cloud storage provider for their digital content. Among other user requested features, Quickoffice added keyboard support, iOS 4.2 support for multitasking and localization in French, German, Italian and Spanish.
Accessories
  • The DustJacket for iPad both protects and enhances its functionality. The protective cover opens like a book and folds back flat for a comfortable grip. You can also unfold and position the DustJacket to multiple preset angles for viewing or working. The custom cradle holds your iPad securely within the micro-fleece lined interior, and the padded leatherette exterior adds extra comfort and protection from bumps and drops. The DustJacket is available in Red and Black Leatherette for a MSRP of $ 49.95.
  • GEAR4, the UK iPod/iPhone audio brand and case manufacturer, announces the first line of Angry Birds protective cases for the iPhone 4 and the fourth generation iPod touch. The cases are decorated with characters from the top-selling smart phone game and are available in three designs: Red Bird, Yellow Bird and Pig King.
  • Maverick Lifestyle has announced the retail availability of Nica Sunrise Bluetooth headset at Amazon.com and select Apple Stores and Best Buy Mobile Specialty Stores.  Building off of Nica’s original trendsetting technology, this revolutionary hands-free solution brings a new era of comfort, style and convenience to mobile phone users. A reinvention of the Bluetooth headset, Nica Sunrise features a light-weight, open-air and clean circular design that can be worn comfortably for extended periods of time. The advanced comfort features coupled with a unique set of accessories cements the Nica Sunrise as the most user friendly headset design on the market.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

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25 days of Macintosh hardware and software sales

December 9, 2010 · No comments

Section: Macintosh / Apple Hardware, Mac Software, Miscellaneous / Other

Macintosh software and hardwar holiday savingsThe gift giving season is now in full swing, and will be up through the end of the year. Luckily for you, the deals are in full swing as well. As special offers and giveaways from Macintosh hardware and software developers are announced or extended, we’ll round them all up here. Check back often for the best deals as they hit the wire.

Utilities/Productivity
  • Are you still using an older version of Squeeze? Don’t let 2010 slip away without upgrading to the ultimate workflow solution, Squeeze 6.5. Upgrade to the all new Squeeze 6.5 starting at only $ 199. Save up to 50% now. Offer ends December 31, 2010. Don’t miss out on your last chance to save on Squeeze 6.5.
  • This holiday season, Boinx Software is teaming up with Nikolaus to bring free software licenses to your closest friends and colleagues. Each year on the 6th of December, the Boinx team celebrates “Nikolaus,” an old German tradition, by placing boots outside their doorsteps in the hopes that he will leave technology treats as a reward for their good behavior. This year, running short on time, Nikolaus left special instructions at the Boinx Software headquarters for all Boinx iStopMotion 2 Express and Pro and FotoMagico 3 Pro license holders to help deliver up to three free copies of iStopMotion Home and FotoMagico Home to friends and colleagues from December 6th – December 12th.
  • Codewave Software has announced the release of MyTunesRSS 4.0.0. MyTunesRSS is your personal music and video server. Browse and listen to your music in any web browser from all over the world. You can also use other devices like Nintendo’s Wii or Apple’s iPhone to listen to your music. MyTunesRSS offers lots of features like smart playlists, user management, configurable and skinnable web interface, LastFM music community integration and on-the-fly audio and video transcoding. Codewave Software offers a license for the new version from December 6th until December 29th for only 5,99 EUR instead of 15 EUR.
  • SintraWorks today is delighted to announce their end of year promotion for PDFClerk Pro, their popular PDF Document Editor for Mac OS X. PDFClerk Pro is an editor with unique capabilities, designed to make standard operations easy, while allowing ample adjustment to more complicated workflows for those with advanced needs. During the month of December only, the first 250 copies sold using the coupon code SWPDFX, get 40% off the regular purchase price.
Games
  • Guess who just got a game library upgrade? In order to bring Mac gamers everywhere a more unified Mac gaming experience, Aspyr and the fine folks at MacSoft have teamed up to offer some of their excellent titles at GameAgent.com. In order to properly welcome their newest additions, they’re discounting their full family friendly assortment by 15%. Grab your favorite title below before this deal is up.
Hardware
  • Help Santa with this handy hint: Surprise your Mac with a TubeStick hybrid and turn your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch into a TV, DVR and mobile media center. With equinux’s Christmas offer, you will save an unheard of $ 70 through December 31st.
  • GelaSkins is offering free UPS shipping on all orders of $ 50 or more (U.S. and Canadian customers only). The special only lasts until December 31st, 2010. You have until the end of time, however, to take advantage of their buy three, get one free deal.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

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Appletell reviews the Castiv Guitar iPhone holder

December 9, 2010 · No comments

Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iDevice Accessories, Reviews

Castiv guitar iPhone mountProvides: iPhone support for your guitar
Developer: Castiv
Minimum Requirements: A guitar and iPhone
Price: $ 29.99
Availability: Now

The App Store is now flooded with music related apps, a wealth of which are useful for guitarists. Setting your iDevice on a desk close by is an okay solution while you’re actually playing, but there has to be a better way. Castiv thinks they have the perfect product to solve the problem. It’s called the SideKick, and it makes it possible to mount your iPhone, iPod touch or other similarly sized device right on the headstock of your guitar.

The idea behind Castiv’s SideKick is simple…possible just a bit too simple, actually.  There are three main parts to the SideKick: the holder for the iDevice, a ball joint that makes it easy to position your iDevice, and the clip that actually attaches to your guitar.  Assembly and usage are dead simple; just position the clip behind the nut of the headstock on the strings. Basically, this guy just holds on to the strings where they don’t vibrate.

But there’s potentially a problem here that might not cross your mind at first.  Depending on your specific guitar, the clip may not fit between the nut and the first peghead.  I know this because it didn’t fit on the very first guitar I tried it on, a Peavey Wolfgang.  This also happens to be my favorite guitar.  Bummer.  I don’t think this problem will effect most users, since most guitars have enough space to support the SideKick, but you should definitely check to see if you have about an inch of space between the nut and closest peghead.  In the case of my Peavey Wolfgang, there’s a tension bar between the nut and closest peghead.

An easy fix for this would have been to make the clip hold on to the headstock itself with pressure.  You definitely don’t want anything that needs to be permanently attached, but I think it’s possible to accommodate all guitars, not just most of them.

Castiv guitar iPhone mount

Moving on, once you have the SideKick attached, you have a decent amount of control of just where your iDevice will be facing.  You can even choose how tight you’d like the ball joint.  Looser makes it easy to reposition on the fly, while tighter makes sure that it doesn’t ever move, which is likely a better choice.

The only other concern is how the extra weight on your headstock will affect the balance of your guitar.  The guitar I ended up using this on is a Line 6 Acoustic Variax, which has a very light body.  The SideKick with an iPhone in it definitely upset the balance even more than it already is.  The headstock is constantly wanting to point down.  This could affect your playing, but likely won’t be a problem for most electric guitars.

Now, all that’s left to do is decide with what apps you’re going to be using this setup.  Good choices include any chord dictionary apps, tuners, metronomes, notated music and more.  Two apps that work perfectly with the Castiv SideKick are Ultimate Guitar Tab and Tab Toolkit.  Both are guitar tab apps.  You might be tempted to use something like AmpliTube with this, but that’s likely to be awkward considering you’ll have numerous cables being routed around your headstock.  Alternatively, you could just use this for playing backing tracks for practicing or browsing the internet while your bandmates are screwing around.

Overall, the Castiv SideKick is a decent product for any guitarist who needs to have his or her iDevice within reach while playing. It’s the apps that make or break this guy, so if you’re having a hard time thinking of the best apps, check out Castiv’s list of suggested apps.  I really think the Castiv SideKick plus Tab Toolkit are an awesome combo.

Appletell Rating:
Castiv SideKick review

Buy the Castiv SideKick

Full Story » | Written by Jake Gaecke for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

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USB Slim 16-Port Hub: frivolous excess or useful innovation?

December 8, 2010 · No comments

Section: Macintosh / Apple Hardware, Peripherals

Have any computer peripherals junkies on your Christmas gift list? If so, the Brando USB Slim 16-Port hub could be the perfect solution—the Cadillac Escalade of USB hubs, if you will.

Brando USB Slim

Some might argue a 16-port USB hub is a frivolous exercise in excess and overkill, but I beg to differ. One of my abiding laments as a Mac notebook user is Apple’s perennial stinginess with I/O port configuration. My current workhorse, a late 2008 unibody MacBook, has a pathetic two USB 2.0 ports. Consequently, I keep it connected to four daisy-chained USB ports most of the time, and on occasion have even yet run out of ports. I can see a 16 port unit being more convenient, compact, and tidy solution.

Brando USB Slim Upright

This USB Slim 16-Port Hub from Brando.com allows you to connect up to 16 USB devices simultaneously—input peripherals (I have a keyboard and three pointing devices hooked up), printers, scanners, external hard drives, USB thumb drives, USB lights, fans, and other USB accessories, digital cameras for downloads, iPods charging and synching, iPads and iPhones. The downsides are its relative bulk (if you’re only going to use a few of the ports) and its cost—$ 72.00—which is a lot of to cough up for a USB hub.

Brando USB Slim Horizontal

USB Slim 16-Port Hub features and specs:

  • Fully compliant with USB 2.0 specification
  • Backward compatible with USB 1.1
  • Input: 100-240V AC, 50/60Hz, 0.5A
  • Output: 5V DC, 3A, 15W
  • Dimensions: 180 x 122 x 28mm (approx.)
  • Weight: 254g
USB Slim Colors

The Brando USB Slim 16-Port Hub is available in black or white livery and comes bundled with a USB cable and Universal AC power supply (no way you can bus power 16 USB devices).

Brando USB Slim Bundle Bits

Product [Brando USB Slim 16-Port hub]

Full Story » | Written by Charles Moore for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

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World of Warcraft: Cataclysm now for sale

December 8, 2010 · No comments

Section: Mac Software, Games

Ahhh! A huge dragon!

World of Warcraft, the lovable children’s game where you collect honeybees to make ice cream before the big church picnic, has released its latest expansion: Cataclysm. The plot surrounds Sailor Sammy’s quest to discover who’s stolen the key to Old Man Eli’s candy store! OR it might be about how an ancient dragon devastates Azeroth, a mythical land populated by fantasy races all locked in an endless war. It is also more likely that the relentlessly popular MMO features two new playable races, completely reworked maps of many popular areas, and a new level cap.

On sale now as a digital download or on DVD from many fine retailers, the expansion is available for $ 39.99 (regular edition) and as a $ 79.99 Limited Edition which contains additional background material, but the same game. Let’s get some unbiased commentary from the press release!

In World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing has returned, and the world has been reshaped by the devastation left in his wake. In an effort to survive the planet-shattering cataclysm, two new playable races—worgen and goblins—join the struggle between the Alliance and the Horde. Players can now begin their journey to the new level cap of 85, discover newly revealed locations, acquire new levels of power, and come face to face with Deathwing in a battle to determine the fate of the world.

And by “determine the fate of the world,” they mean “maintain the balance of power between the playable races.”

No word yet on when the next expansion will be available, but players are already strongly divided on the suxxor/roxxor ratio.

Product [World of Warcraft: Cataclysm]

Full Story » | Written by Bill Stiteler for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

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The Festive Mac: Christmas card creation tools for Mac and iDevices

December 8, 2010 · No comments

Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iDevice Apps, Mac Software, Graphics / Design, Miscellaneous / Other, Originals

You can make custom personalized Christmas greeting cards on your Mac or iPhone using iPhoto or one of the several third-party greeting card creation applications available.

iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Christmas C@rds HD - The Christmas App for the iPad

After last year’s success of Christmas C@rds for the iPhone, Hot Chili Apps is expanding their Christmas Card Edition. From December 2010, digital postcards can be designed on the iPad in HD quality and in a complete new look. Christmas C@rd HD will be an eye catcher for visitors of the Christmas App Store this year due to its design and special features.

Christmas C@rds HD

Christmas C@rds HD are e-cards. The user has a choice of various graphic elements for designing his own Christmas card to his individual taste. 36 brilliant C@rd templates are available in HD. They can be decorated on the iPad with personal photos or texts as well as one from 18 stickers. The application is very easy to use because its functions are supported by iPad’s ingenious features.

Hot Chili Apps’ Christmas C@rds for the iPhone have received a lot of recognition in 2009: the Appstore supported it immediately by choosing the app for its Christmas promotion. The Financial Times picked Christmas C@rds from one of the five best Christmas Apps and Apple made it part of his cross-European print campaign for iPhone.

Christmas C@rds HD Samples

Christmas C@rds HD combines latest technology standards with classic design style in high-definition picture quality. The app offers ideal conditions for an atmospheric Christmas card design like a traditional paper postcard with postage stamp and patina or a luxurious writing desk top made of cherry wood. Another novelty is an easily manageable overview of the templates at one glance apart from many other innovative design templates.

Price: $ 3.99

Product [Christmas C@rds HD]

helloCards

helloCards is an iPhone and iPod Touch app with a databank of 170 stock cards across 20 different categories, plus you can add your own photo, enter your personal message, and send via email.. They have something for every occasion. To customize the greetings, personal text and images can be embedded very quickly and easily. There are no usage limits on helloCards, they can be sent everyday, all day long. The $ 1.99 price tag is all you need to pay, send as many cards as you like—there are no hidden fees or usage limitations.

helloCards for iPhone

helloCards isn’t just about price. With everyone finding less and less time for themselves and their families, it is also a fast alternative to hand-writing cards and envelopes, applying stamps and going to the post office. People are able to personalize the helloCards with text and stock images or their own embedded photos quickly and easily, which is a huge selling feature. Once the card is made, it is sent to the recipient’s inbox via the built-in email application.

To sample this product, there is a free version for people to try, called helloCards Lite. It works the same as the full app but has a smaller card library.

Price: $ 1.99

Product [helloCards]

iCarol 2.0

Portable Arts’ popular iCarol application now lets users send virtual Christmas carols to other iCarol users or to friends through eMail. Each iCarol contains high quality music and provides lyrics (in case you want to sing along). Holiday images flash in the background, and users can also set up their virtual yule log while the music plays.

iCarol

In addition to sending virtual carols, users can turn off the music and use iCarol as a source for lyrics, or turn off the lyrics and simply use iCarol to play the music during the holidays. Users have a choice of over 20 high quality recordings including Jingle Bells, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, Deck The Halls, Angels We Have Heard On High, Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairies, Silent Night, The Wassail Song, Joy To The World, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, O Christmas Tree, The 12 Days Of Christmas, and many more.

Price: $ 0.99

Product [iCarol]

Macintosh Christmas Free Mail Stationery 1.0 and Christmas Stationery Pack

aMac Island’s € 2.85 Christmas Pack 2010 for Apple Mail contains six new models to announce Christmas. These themes are variable in length and are also multilingual, as the title may be changed as you wish.

Christmas Pack 2010

The companion € 2.85 Christmas Stationery Pack contains 10 fully new models to announce Christmas time.

Christmas Stationery Pack

System requirements:

  • Mac OS X 10.5 or later
  • Mail 3.5 or later
  • Intel processor

Product [Christmas Free Mail Stationery 1.0 and Christmas Stationery Pack]

HappyHolidays!

HappyHolidays! makes it easy to create personalized photo cards. Use your digital photos, add a personal message and you have the perfect photo card. Use HappyHolidays! to create your annual holiday card for family and friends

Happy Holidays Christmas

Save money using HappyHolidays! over ordering pre-designed photo cards from a photo center. You can print your HappyHolidays! photo card at any photo center that prints digital photos because HappyHolidays! allows you to save your photo card as a 4x6 jpeg photo file. Printing 4x6 prints is very inexpensive—as low as $ 0.12 each with no minimum order. Pre-designed Holiday Cards can cost as much as $ 0.84 per card with a required minimum 50 copy order! You can save over $ 35 by printing your own HappyHoliday! designed 4x6 photo cards. In addition, you can create many variations of your holiday photo card—personalize the photo or the message for each card!

With HappyHolidays! you are not limited to a set number of characters and lines for your personalized message, unlike most pre-designed photo cards that you order from photo centers. Stylize your message any way you want. HappyHolidays! works like a word processor allowing you to set text attributes (font, color, size, alignment) of your message. HappyHolidays! provides you more freedom than when you order pre-designed photo cards from photo centers. HappyHolidays! also offers image manipulation controls which allow you to crop and resize your image.

Export your photo card as a hi-res JPEG file and print as a normal print at any photo center. Print your photo card on any photo printer. Email your photo card to family and friends.

With HappyHolidays! you are not limited to having your personalized text message in English only. You can write part or all of your text message in any language supported by Mac OS X.

System requirements:

  • Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

Price: $ 10.00 shareware

Product [HappyHolidays!]

Sophie’s Cards 5

Sophie’s Cards 5 is a powerful greeting card creation software application, incorporating an extensive database of photographs and greeting messages (including extensive libraries of 792 photographic images and 730 text greeting messages, many of them original), in eighteen categories (with some crossover), plus 20 informal fonts. Sophie’s Cards also allows you to import your own photos or art images and compose your own text. Imported pictures should be about 8x10.5 and no more than 72 dpi.

However, you probably won’t want to import photos at least, because one of Sophie’s Cards’ most impressive features is the incredible library of photographic images. They are uncredited, but the photographer or photographers are true artists, and the images are superb—more than a few of them arrestingly beautiful. The selection is eclectically varied in subject matter and mood, so you should have no problem finding just the right image for any occasion and recipient. The program’s developers aren’t kidding when they say you should never have to send the same card twice. The challenge is deciding among so many excellent alternatives.

The beauty of a program like Sophie’s Cards is that making your own greeting cards with a computer and color printer can save you money if you send a lot of cards, and perhaps more importantly, allows you to create personalized cards with just the right image and sentiments expressed.

Sophie's Cards Formet UI

The cards created by Sophie’s Cards are very classy and professional-looking, complete with thumbnails and information about the front panel image on the back, along with attribution of the verse/text selections used, and a Sophie’s Cards logo.

The program will print to standard 8-1/2 x 11 paper, but of course will work best with proper card stock paper such as available from Avery or Epson, for which size configuration options are provided in the menus. You can keep track of cards that you have sent with the Card History feature.

You can specify landscape or portrait oriented cards with full or small photos, and with or without cover text. There is also a custom envelope printing template with fields in which you can enter “to” and “from” addresses with your specified font, size, font color, and text alignment. You can also import addresses.

The built-in content library makes Sophie’s Cards one of the biggest applications you’re likely to have on your Mac. The online installer file download is 525MB, which makes it impractical for bringing down on a dial up connection, which the developer explicitly does not recommend. The installer fits nicely on a CD, which is how my review copy was delivered. Demo CDs are available. Of course, if you have broadband, online downloads will be no problem.

System requirements:

  • Power PC G3, G4, G5 or Intel based Mac
  • 256MB of RAM
  • Mac OS X v10.4.8 through 10.6.x
  • 1GB of available hard disk drive space
  • photo quality inkjet printer
  • CD-ROM drive for CD versions of Sophie’s Cards

Price: $ 39.95 demoware

Product [Sophie’s Cards 5]

Funtastic Photos 1.0.2

Funtastic Photos is Ohanaware’s amazingly easy to use photo editor for Apple Macintosh computers. Funtastic Photos features some of the most advanced photo editing technologies, such as Non-destructive Photo Editing. This amazing technology allows non-permenant manipulations to made to a photo, these changes can then be altered or removed at any time. The edited photo can easily be ‘rewound’ back to its original state, regardless when or how much editing has taken place.

Funtastic Sepia

Funtastic Photos makes photo editing simple with 1-Click Styles. A single click can fix problems and enhance the photo in ways never imagined. Funtastic Photos ships with 50+ 1-Click Styles which provide some original, unique and cool photo effects. Printing photos at home will never be the same. Funtastic Photos offers a range of inspiring layout designs, including amazing picture collages (or photo mosaics to some), addictive photo cubes and…greeting cards.

Funtastic Photos is a combined Photo Editor and Photo Sharing tool. Having the Photo Sharing built-in to Funtastic Photos makes it real easy to quickly edit a photo and share it online using e-mail, attractive Fun Cards, and direct uploads to the most popular photo sharing sites such as Facebook, Picasa Web Albums, MobileMe & Flickr. A trial version of Funtastic Photos can be downloaded from Ohanaware’s website.

Funtastic Photos UI

For the entire month of December Ohanaware are offering 20% off everything in their online store. This includes Funtastic Photos Single User, now $ 27.99 (USD and before tax). The family pack is now $ 57 (USD and before tax). Ohanaware are also offering a 3 for 2 Gift Card Pack, where you can get 3 gift cards for the price of 2, and then 20% discount on top of that! Happy Holidays From Ohanaware. Funtastic Photos 1.0.2 is a FREE update to all existing Funtastic Photos customers. This new release can be downloaded from Ohanaware’s website.

System requirements:

  • Power Macintosh G4, G5 or Intel based Macintosh computer
  • Mac OS X v10.4 or later
  • 512MB RAM

Price: $ 34.99

Product [Funtastic Photos]

Print Explosion Deluxe 3.0

Print Explosion Deluxe is an easy, fast way to create one-of-a-kind custom greeting cards, signs, banners and more. It’s easy to use, so you don’t need to be a computer whiz. And with more than 8,800 ready-made professional designs for virtually every occasion under the sun, you don’t need to be an artist either. Print Explosion Deluxe was designed exclusively with the Macintosh in mind. So you know it works like a Mac program should. And that puts Print Explosion Deluxe in a class of its own.

Print ExplosionPrint Explosion Deluxe’s easy-to-use interface will guide you through the process from concept to finished product in a matter of just minutes. It is ideal for first-time publishers and professional designers alike because it contains rich graphics, layout features, and text effects not found in many other programs at ten times the cost.

Optimized for both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs, Print Explosion Deluxe 3.0 features an enhanced user interface, thousands of new projects and complete integration with iTunes and iPhoto. You can even use the new mail merge feature to automatically personalize and send greeting cards to people in your Mac OS X Address Book.

Create one-of-a-kind custom greeting cards, signs, banners and more. With more than 8,800 ready-made professional designs for virtually every occasion under the sun, you don’t need to be an artist either. Print Explosion Deluxe was designed exclusively with the Macintosh in mind. So you know it works like a Mac program should. And that puts Print Explosion Deluxe in a class of its own. Print Explosion Deluxe’s easy-to-use interface will guide you through the process from concept to finished product in a matter of just minutes! It is ideal for first-time publishers and professional designers alike because it contains rich graphics, layout features, and text effects not found in many other programs at ten times the cost.

Print Explosion will pay for itself in no time. You’ll save a bundle on greeting cards, labels, and other projects, not to mention the hours spent trying to find that perfect card.

System requirements:

  • Mac OS X 10.2 or later
  • PowerPC G3 (or faster) or Intel Core processor
  • 512MB of RAM
  • DVD or CD-ROM Drive

Price: $ 49.95

Product [Print Explosion Deluxe 3.0]

The Print Shop 2.0.5

The Print Shop is a complete greeting card creation and editing tool. Import your own photographs directly into The Print Shop from Apple’s iPhoto and then fix, edit and enhance them using The Print Shop’s built-in Photo Workshop. Crop in shapes such as circles, hearts and stars. Adjust color, brightness, contrast, and sharpness. Fix flaws and get rid of red-eye and scratches. Apply custom effects such as pixelate, noise, emboss, antique, and more.

Now you can get the precision you need with rulers, grids and guidelines. It’s all tied together in a handy Layout Palette that includes “snap to” functionality and the most common alignment tools.

Create a multipage project from 2 to 32 pages. Great for making annual reports, family newsletters, sales materials, menus and much more.

There are now more than twice as many Special Edges and Transparent Effects to turn your projects into masterpieces.

Thousands of photos and fine art images on a separate Art CD.

No more fussing with navigation: Just open iPhoto, select as many photos as you like, and drag them all at once into your project.

No more spoiled off-center label printing with the new Precision Print Alignment “Nudge” feature which lets you get set it just right.

Now you can get the precision you need with rulers, grids and guidelines! It’s all tied together in a handy Layout Palette that includes “snap to” functionality and the most common alignment tools.

Mac OS X 10.4 users can take advantage of Tiger’s Spotlight search capabilities to search for documents made in The Print Shop by project type, text in text blocks and headlines, and even by Avery label.

In addition to Avery you can now use CD Stomper, NEATO and Memorex CD and jewel case stock.

System requirements:

  • Mac OS X 10.2 or later

Product [The Print Shop 2.0.5]

FontMarketplace.com

FontMarketplace.com is introducing specially-priced sets of fonts with matching Microsoft Word templates for Hanukkah Cards, Christmas Cards and other holiday projects.

American Text Font

Ascender Corporation, a leading provider of advanced font products, today announced two new consumer font packages for the holidays available exclusively from its fontmarketplace.com website. The Hanukkah Card Kit and the Christmas Card Kit each contain five selected holiday-themed fonts matched with five expertly-designed Microsoft Word greeting card templates.

The packages are priced at $ 4.99 with a single user license and are available for immediate download from the fontmarketplace.com website. Each kit is available with an automated installer for Microsoft Windows XP or Vista, or as a compressed .zip file for Mac OS or other systems.

The Ascender Christmas Card Kit contains a wonderful set of Certified TrueType fonts that are well-suited for Christmas and all year-round matched with five Christmas Card templates ready for customizing in Microsoft Word. The five fonts are: Artcraft, Centaur Swash, Colonna, French Script and Thor.

Price: $ 4.99

Product [FontMarketplace.com]

Full Story » | Written by Charles Moore for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Appletell

How to undelete files on your Mac with FileSalvage

December 8, 2010 · No comments

Section: Mac Software, System Utilities, Features, How-To

Once you delete files on your Mac, they are gone, right? Well, yes and no. Without help from an outside source (like Time Machine), you will not be getting your files back once you empty that trash can. But with the right software, you can recover the files and get back that precious baby photo, song you thought you didn’t want anymore, or paper you would have sworn you already submitted to your professor. Let’s talk about how to get your file back using FileSalvage from SubRosaSoft.

SubRosaSoft FileSalvage

  • Purchase and install FileSalvage. It is not cheap ($ 89.95), but it does the job.
  • After launching FileSalvage, choose Recover Deleted Files and then Quick Scan if the file is recently deleted, Deep if it has been more then a day.
  • Find your file in the list which is sorted by category. If the file can be recovered (i.e., if it hasn’t been overwritten by another file), it’ll be in this list.
  • Drag your file to the desktop.

Now, your file is recovered. Nice and easy.

Of course, none of this is necessary if you’re running Time Machine, but that’s another tutorial for another time. There are myriad other file retrieval programs available, too. If you have a personal favorite, let us know in the comments.

Full Story » | Written by Katie Gatto for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

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