At GDC I had a very quick chance to try out a new zombie (yes, another zombie game) game from Bulkypix called Undead: The Last Refuge. This one is, honestly, very similar to Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies. It’s a very fast FPS that really shows off what the iPhone 3GS can do. The framerate is as good if not better than CoD. The movement and animation is very fluid and quick as you can see in the demo below.

Later in the video you see 32 zombies on the screen at the same time. CoD maxed out at 9 if I remember correctly. Very impressive.

We’ll have to wait for the game to drop before we can see if it’s a really good game. I only had a chance to play a partial level and honestly had pick my chin up off the floor, I was that impressed with the 3D engine they are using. The game should launch by the end of the month for $2.99.

Hit the jump for the full marketing text about the game and a feature list.

Description: The coming of the Apocalypse had been announced for centuries, so we were not to know that it was so close. The dead have risen from the ground and destroyed everything in their path.
You have managed to survive until now, but you are alone and cut off… How long will you be able to survive?

Features:

• Experience fear and stress in a battle for your survival.
• Enjoy being in an entirely 3D-modelled environment with impressive graphics.
• Take on the hordes of dozens of zombies coming to drink your blood. A totally new scenario for the iPhone/iPod Touch.
• Let your weapons do the talking as you drive back your assailants.
• Use OpenFeint to survive and achieve success. Beat the highest scores to become world number one.
• Challenge your friends on Facebook or Twitter by posting your highest scores.

At GDC this year we got a chance to take a look at a new game from Backflip Studios, Strike Knight. The game is a recreation of shuffleboard-type bowling you used to find in bars in decades past. The device in the app has a blue knight that never fails to make fun of missed shots.

The game offers both single player and multiplayer (pass and play) bowling. Take a look at the video for an idea of what the game looks like and how it plays.

Strike Knight will be submitted to the App Store next week, we should see it shortly after that.The game will be released free (ad-supported) much like Backflip Studios very popular Paper Toss.

Take a look at some screen shots after the jump.

Paper Toss

Category: Games / Simulation
Released: 2009-06-06
Price: FREE

Lynda.com has been around for a long while now. Their video training series have been helpful to me in the past when I’ve needed to quickly learn a whole new platform, a new app, or just want to find out the right way to do something, not the way I do it.

Well now, Lynda.com have released a new iPhone app that gives you access to all of their video training from the app itself. You can now pick up where you left off on your training if you are on Wifi, 3G, or even Edge. The app features multiple streaming qualities that adapts to your connection speed.

Full access to all 700+ video courses requires a subscription starting at $25/month. If you haven’t ever tried any of the video learning featured from Lynda.com, the app lets you sample thousands of their training videos for free so you can get a taste of their gentle but informed teaching style. Here’s a quick video introduction to the app.

lynda.com

Category: Education
Released: 2010-02-25
Price: FREE

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.

KaleidoVid - Video Kaleidoscope

Category: Photography
Released: 2010-03-15
Price: $0.99

3bot, a 3D action/puzzle game for the iPad, iPhone and iTouch, developed by DevKid, in cooperation with PIXELFEDERATION, is gearing up for it’s app store debut!

3bot is shaping up to look like an exciting, unique, 3D puzzle/action game. Game play previews feature a tripedal “bot” traversing a dynamic, multi-colored polygonal game board, set within a retro, 50’s-60’s-style cosmic universe reminiscent of a puzzle version of Q-bert set in the 50’s space-age.

According to the game’s developers, 3bot is a robot with 3 feet that thinks in three’s. Game play centers around 3bot moving and coloring 3D patterns, navigating its way around a 3D environment set in outer space.

3bot’s cosmic puzzle/action unfolds throughout 3 worlds containing 45 different levels and features multi-touch controls, global score sharing and an authentic, “retro” 50s-60s sci-fi genre atmosphere.

Features:

1. 3+3+3+3+3 levels in 3 worlds = 45 levels.
2. New features added into levels to keep players “on their toes.”
3. Global Score-sharing.
4. Simple, intuitive touch controls.
5. Multiple player profiles.

3bot was developed by DevKid, in cooperation with Pixelfederation and looks like it’s shaping up to be a unique game play experience. You can follow 3bot on Facebook.

Hit the jump for some more screen shots of 3bot.

iPhone gamers who’ve been trawling the App Store for a while might remember when the first chapter of Puzzle Quest made it debut. The popular match-3 / RPG mashup has been a huge hit on the DS and PSP, but the initial iPhone port was sloppy, overpriced, and almost impossible to play. Thankfully, those problems were addressed after the release, and the second chapter was added as a free update to Chapter 1. However, Puzzle Quest is a three-chapter game…and now, a year after the second chapter’s release, the full experience is finally available to play.

You can purchase the third chapter as an in-app purchase for $1.99 if you own the paid version, but I recommend you go with the lite if you don’t own Puzzle Quest yet. Not only can you get a feel for the game, but you can purchase all three chapters for a bargain $4.99 in-app. Yes, you’ll be stuck with “free” on the game’s icon…but it’ll save you two bucks!

Puzzle Quest is really a great title—despite its simplicity, the balance of light RPG elements like spells and attacks mixes very well with match-3 gameplay. Quests require you to “battle” certain monsters in match-3 face-offs, and if the plot is unimaginative, at least the game is addicting! If you’re a fan of Bejeweled and its ilk, you owe it to yourself to check this one out. Even if you don’t particularly love match-3’s, Puzzle Quest is still fun.

Puzzle Quest Free

Category: Games / Adventure
Released: 2009-02-18
Price: FREE

PuzzleQuest Chapter 1 and 2

Category: Games / Adventure
Released: 2008-12-23
Price: $4.99

I know you’re going to think I’m crazy but I think man’s greatest invention is denim. Seriously, think about it, denim has worked it’s way into every modern society around the world. It’s durable, comfortable, and stylish at the same time. It can be business casual but add some paint spots and then it’s trendy. Heck, it can even pose as formal wear in the right circles, who doesn’t love a Canadian tuxedo? There’s not a doubt in my mind that everyone reading this has a favorite pair of jeans in their closet as we speak, unless of course you’re like me and already wearing them. The only problem I ever face with my jeans is that they wear out, not in the knees or the heels, I can deal with that, but in the back pockets. I used to blame it on my George Castanza like wallet, but even when I went to a slimmer style and purged all of the loyalty cards I still found holes, bringing my jeans to premature deaths. SmrtCase has come to my rescue though with an amazing new case called the Glide which combines your wallet and iPhone case into one.

Actually let me rephrase that, the concept of the Glide is amazing, being able to carry up to two cards in your phone case is perfect for going out, especially for women who don’t want to carry a purse or a pocketbook with them. “Amazing” is a bit of a stretch though when referring to the physical case itself. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good case, but there are a few key drawbacks that keep it from reaching its full potential. Honestly I think SmrtCase put too much focus on making the case thin and lightweight that they actually took away from the overall product. The impact resistant polymer material used for the case is 100% recyclable, which is great but it’s so lightweight that it feels almost cheap or brittle. To be fair I do think it’s a misperception as I put the case through several impact tests and it withstood them all very well, but a little extra weight would oddly make me more comfortable.

Read on for the rest of our look at The Glide case

SmrtCase advertises the Glide to be capable of fitting up to two thicker cards (ID & Credit Card) comfortably together in the back slot.

The cards are secured in place by the pressure created by sandwiching them between the case and your iPhone, this method creates a few caveats. First, claiming that two cards fit comfortably is an over statement, placing both in at once causes the right side of the case to pull away from the phone’s bezel giving the user unnecessary anxiety that the case may pop off at any random moment. Secondly, it’s such a tight fit that both cards actually start to bow slightly which could ultimately warp your cards. This certainly isn’t the end of the world but nonetheless it’s annoying. Thirdly, this design has the cards making direct contact with the back of the phone instead of it being its own separate compartment which overtime could cause scratching. Fortunately SmrtCase foresaw this one and provides a protective sticker with each case. However, because of the tight fit and a need to keep it thin, the protective sticker is a much lower quality then the skins I’m used to seeing on the back of phones. Aside from the air bubbles which are impossible to eliminate, the sticker doesn’t fully adhere to the phone around the curved edges. Neither of these facts matter much when the Glide is in place but it does eliminate your ability to quickly swap with other cases if desired. All of these pitfalls could be solved by giving just a little more space to the rear compartment. I realize this would add a little bulk to it but it’s a term I’m willing to concede, given the alternative.

Enough nitpicking though, everything else with the case is pure perfection. I’ve literally gone the past week without carrying or missing my wallet. I know this may not be an option for everyone but I’m sure you could find some card you’d like quick access to, perhaps a bus/train pass, business cards, or Starbuck’s rewards card, etc. This is still a pretty new design and I’m sure the 2nd generation is going to fix all of the little issues I pointed out above but in the meantime $30 seems like a fair price to save your jean’s lives.

This week, historically, is the most important week of the year for the college basketball fan. It all starts with Selection Sunday when the field of 64 (or 65 as it is now) is announced. Then, college basketball fans worldwide struggle for the next 3.5 days to fill out their brackets. And finally, Thursday comes around and the first game tips off. From there it’s 4 straight days of basketball nirvana.

Here’s a quick round-up of some apps that can help you enjoy this week. Some to fill out your brackets with, and one to even help you catch the games when away from a TV.

CBS Sports NCAA® March Madness on Demand® is back for the second year. This app is on the high end price wise for an app, but it has one really special feature. Along with sports scores, news, and full bracket coverage, this app lets you stream video of every single NCAA Tournament game. That’s right every single one of the games, even over 3G and Edge. There’s also audio-only coverage if you prefer that. Last year the app worked really well for me. Great if you can’t get away from work to watch a game, you can just sneak into the bathroom and watch it there. I’m not too proud admit that I’ve had to do that once or twice…

CBS Sports NCAA® March Madness on Demand®

Category: Sports
Released: 2010-03-08
Price: $9.99

CBS Sports NCAA® March Madness On Demand® LITE

Category: Sports
Released: 2010-03-08
Price: FREE

Hit the jump for more great apps to help you enjoy March Madness.

PocketBracket Let’s admit it — the best thing about this week is the company sanctioned mass gambling in the office. This app can make keeping track of your pool and your brackets much easier than paper. Not only can you keep track of your own brackets and how they are doing, you can run bracket pools with this app.

PocketBracket: College Basketball March Tournament

Category: Sports
Released: 2009-02-18
Price: $1.99 ON SALE: $0.99

Hooplytics is an app that helps you fill out your bracket and know more about the games than anyone else. Loaded with stats and the ability to simulate the games means you might know a little more than the others in your pool.

Hooplytics 2010

Category: Sports
Released: 2010-02-23
Price: $2.99 ON SALE: $1.99

ESPN Tournament Challenge if you prefer to join large online tournament bracket challenges like the one on ESPN.com, this is the app for you. It lets you keep track of all of your different brackets in the app, enter new ones, and check your progress overall and in your private groups. You can also track the progress of each game from within the app.

ESPN Tournament Challenge

Category: Sports / Sports
Released: 2010-03-14
Price: FREE

In May of last year a mysterious video popped up on YouTube showing Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 running amazingly well, it seemed, on the iPhone. That video was created to celebrate Tony Hawks birthday and to hopefully present a product idea to Tony and Activision.

Well it looks like the game might really be coming out. Tony Hawk revealed this picture on his Twitter stream over the weekend. That tweet has now been removed, but the image remains on the image hosting site. The original tweet from Tony was “In the PR world, this is considered “going rogue,” but I’m too excited to contain it. This is real & dropping soon.”

Activision have the rights to the Tony Hawk franchise so the game will be released through them. We connected with the developer of the version we saw last year to see if they were the developers of this new version. The bad news is that they are not creating it. It was apparently created by someone else for Activision or possibly internally by Activision. I’ve contacted Activision to see if they have a comment on this game, but have yet to hear back.

Hit the jump for the original YouTube video to see Tony Hawk running on the iPhone.

Take a look at the original video below to see the kind of performance we can expect when this drops — it should be really soon now.

[via Pocketgamer]

(editor note: GodFinger is not available in the US App Store yet, but ngmoco:) says that it is coming soon!)

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of playing Bolt Creative’s Pocket God, you’ll probably understand how much fun it can be acting as ‘God’ over a group of (admittedly adorable) virtual characters. Within the game, players get to control almost every aspect of every day life for the islands small inhabitants, the pygmies. While good in its own right, Pocket God only focuses its attention on one small, virtually insignificant island. Released today, GodFinger by ngmoco takes this genius concept and multiples its size by … a lot.

In GodFinger, you don’t just get to control an island … you get to control a planet. Your planet. To do with whatever you please. Your planets inhabitants are called denizens and you get control them in any which way that you please! In order to play the game you’ll first need a Plus+ account. If you’re not familar with the service, Plus+ is ngmoco:)’s own social network which allows you to interact with other players of certain ngmoco-owned games, store achievements and game progress. If you already have an account, simply login and you’re ready to roll!

Starting out the game will take you on an interactive tutorial in which you complete a number of task to make you familiar with the game and its working. As you act as God, most of the in-game elements are “power” related. For example one of your first tasks is to find and guide your followers to your shrine. Your shrine is the global source of your godly power. Having your followers worship you around this totem-like statute will generate Mana. There are three types of currency you will come into contact with and use in GodFinger. These include; Mana, Awe and Gold. Mana is the “currency” of your powers, and while you have Mana you can perform various different wonders. Wonders are events like triggering a rain shower from a cloud, commanding lightening bolts, or lighting up your planet with sunshine. Your Mana regenerates over time, but you can speed this up by forcing your followers to worship you. If you need a quick fix of Mana you can trade Awe for Mana in the Awe store.

Awe is your virtual currency for buying goodies from the in-app Awe store. Where’s the catch? I here you ask. Well Awe costs real money. You can choose from 35 Awe costing £1.79 to 206 Awe costing £5.99 or go all out and pick-up 750 Awe for £17.99. The last currency used in the game is Gold. Old fashioned, gold will allow you to buy both buildings and other amenities for your followers.

Each of you followers has a bar of energy and each will alert you of what wonder you must perform for them, to keep the level of this energy constant. Every once in a while a new non-believer will be introduced to your planet. using your Mana to perform wonders you must convince these non-believers to become your followers. To pick up a follower and move him or her to a different place on your planet simply tap, drag and drop.

Moving onto actual gameplay, the game is set out on a huge barren planet. Using your fingers as navigation tools, you can virtually turn the planet and its contents either left or right. At any time you can double tap and zoom in on a certain part of this planet and fill the screen with its contents. Using gold you can build upon your planet creating farms and other building for your followers to work in. As you do, you’ll create a system which will continuously create more gold for you. The aim of the game is level up. You do this by gaining more Level XP (experience). For example 73/140 means you have earned 73 out of 140 XP, with 140 XP being the amount of experience you need to level up. This is where the social element also comes in. Supported by ngmoco:)’s own Plus+ network, GodFinger allows you to add contacts as Mystics. Mystics periodically earn you gold on other peoples planets. Adding and assigning a mystic on your own planet will ensure that person receives a wad of gold, too.

Overall, while the game is stunning to look at, and performs well, my opinions of GodFinger fall at the feet of this argument of the ‘Freemium’ business model ngmoco seem to have adopted for most of its games lately. Personally, I can see where they are coming from. They’re not forcing you to pay for in-game elements. In fact, if you like you can play the game for free and never pay for things like Awe. But, I believe there will come a point in the game where purchase is necessary, and therefore the game has to fall into the category of ‘Pay to Play’. While your planet will run without you, you may find the constant push notification asking you to come back and sort things out a little annoying. Sure these can be turned off, bu it doesn’t stop the fact that certain elements of the game will degrade while your away.

GodFinger is a very “hands on” kind of game, and apart from its pay-to-play nature … one I think fits the iPhone nicely.

ngmoco’s new games have all been based off of the freemium play model. Whatever your opinions of freemium in other games, there’s denying that for Eliminate, it’s been a huge success; the online FPS has legions of dedicated fans. If you’ve tired of it in recent weeks, however, this might bring you back into the fold: ngmoco has released a new Eliminate app that adds a new and much-asked-for mode to the game. Cooperative play is here!

In the new co-op mode, two players team up to fight off the attacking bots. It includes a bunch of new loot to collect, so you can earn credits to upgrade your player’s armor and weaponry. It’s a lot of fun so far, and as a free update it’s even better. Eliminate fans, go grab the new app!

Eliminate: CO-OP

Category: Games / Adventure
Released: 2010-03-13
Price: FREE

For those who have been living under a technology rock, the iPad went on pre-order today and is set for a release date of April 3rd. With a hard launch date finally in place new details have come to light about the yet to be held device. The most talked about addition thus far is the addition of a Screen Orientation Lock switch on the side which replaces the formerly announced mute switch. Personally this is a feature I wish they would build into the iPhone as well. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been texting while laying in bed and my phone can’t decide if it wants to stay in landscape mode or not. Please Apple, even if you don’t add a hard switch to the next iPhone, make a software option to turn off the accelerometer in the settings menu.

Additionally more information about the data plan for 3G users has also come up. It’s confirmed that any user subscribing to the 250MB plan per month ($15) will receive three separate warning notifications when the iPad is approaching it’s limit, popping up respectively at 20%, 10%, and 0% remaining. At any point a customer can chose to upgrade to the unlimited plan for $30. All can be done straight from the iPad itself with a credit card, no need to go into any store or call anyone, you can do it straight on the go. Combined with the ability to cancel it at any time I think it’s safe to say the 3G model is the one to buy. As an added bonus, just like the iPhone, AT&T is throwing in its access to over 20,000 hotspots, what’s not to love?

Some of the less notable details include a new terrain view being added to Google Maps, playback support for AVI & MJPEG files, and a directly integrated Voice Over feature with iBooks. Voice Over is available on all of the default applications but it appears that it will be taken to another level with iBooks. It’s also confirmed that DRM-Free ebooks will also be supported through upload via iTunes. MobileMe users will also be pleased to know that all of the features being enjoyed on the iPhone will also be brought to the iPad, including the Remote Lock/Wipe, Find My [iPad], and the Send Notifications features.

The iWork apps received some attention and sharing details too. Originally the apps were announced with the ability to import and read numerous formats including MS Office files but lacked the ability to export in anything other then iWork Files or PDFs. Well good news for iPad Pages users, the app will actually be able to export as Word files also. While Numbers & Keynote exports will still be restricted to their respective formats the addition gives me faith that Apple will eventually support Excel & PowerPoint as well. As a work-around I’m sure iWork documents created on the iPad would be convertible via their full application on your main computer. Apple’s site also encourages users to sign up for the iWork.com public beta as files can be shared directly through it, it’s been up for over a year so hopefully those beta training wheels will be coming off soon.

Overall it’s been a pretty successful day for the iPad as early reports are stating 50,000 units were sold in the first two hours of pre-sale and I’m sure the buzz is only going to continue.

The Magellan Premium Car Kit is a feature rich mounting solution with a lot of promise, but for $130 it ultimately leaves you wishing for a bit more. We’ll break these attributes down in detail later on but a brief overview shows the kit boasting a Bluetooth speakerphone, adjustable 360º bracket, GPS booster (with iPod Touch support), and in car iPhone charging through a 12v port. Built similarly to TomTom’s mount, Magellan’s Car Kit is designed to be used in conjunction with the company’s own $90 (currently on sale for $60) turn by turn navigation app, Magellan RoadMate 2010 (reviewed separately). Other navigation apps can be used successfully with this kit but some of the unique features may not function fully, more on that later also.

Bracket & Mounting Performance:

Using a suction-cup system the MPCK (Magellan Premium Car Kit) can be mounted very securely to any part of your windshield without fear of it falling or slipping. The only issue with this is one of aesthetics, being that the kit is powered off of the car means it needs to be plugged in 100% of the time and this results in an ugly cable hanging down from your windshield. To help with this MiTAC includes an adhesive dashboard disc for the mount to attach to, which while It doesn’t get rid of the cable entirely, it certainly does help with concealing it. The bracket attaches to the mount via a ball-joint which allows for a smooth 360º rotation. Be cautioned though, since the power cable hangs down rotating the mount too many times in one direction causes the cable to become taught and tangled.

The clip for securing your iPhone or iPod Touch is one of the best designs I’ve seen yet. Most hardware makers, like TomTom for example, create clips that are device specific meaning that if you buy a mount for an iPhone but down the line get an iPod Touch then you’re out of luck. The MPCK on the other hand uses an adjustable top arm and rear support switch to accommodate for devices of varying heights and widths meaning it not only allows for both iPods and iPhones but also leaves enough room for most cases to fit comfortably.

Audio & Bluetooth:

The bottom facing amplified speaker assures that all of the turn by turn directions called out by any navigation app are easily heard throughout the vehicle and its loudness can be adjusted using the manual volume control on the left side of the unit. While the speaker can also be used to casually listen to music, I can’t really see anyone using it over their in-car speakers. Fortunately MiTAC seems realize this and has added a 3.5mm audio-out port for connecting the dock to a car’s radio auxiliary input. This is another basic feature that TomTom has overlooked in its design and even though you need to provide the 3.5mm cable yourself, having the option is huge. The internal speaker’s 3rd act is its bluetooth speakerphone capabilities. Described as a premium noise canceling speaker phone on MiTAC’s website, it’s a great bonus but I found it to fall a little short of my expectations. It does support a slew of multi-function bluetooth controls which can be seen here and it allows you use the speaker phone without the iPhone being docked but the biggest drawback seems to be sound quality.

I made a couple dozen phone calls using the speakerphone and while I was able to hear others perfectly fine, most of them had complaints of hearing too much background noise over my voice. It seemed to get worse at higher speeds leading me to believe it’s more the proximity to the windshield rather than the actual build quality of the speaker itself but that hardly makes it any more useful. The saddest thing to me is that the bluetooth doesn’t support music playback through the speaker or auxiliary out. This would be an amazing feature that would allow anyone who has an iPhone to pair with the dock and play their library through the car stereo with no extra cables. At CES this year Scosche was showcasing a product that does exactly this, while it’s still in preproduction I thought the idea was brilliant and adding something like it to the MPCK could make that $130 price tag much easier to swallow.

Power & iPod GPS:

One of the coolest features the MPCK is advertising is the added GPS support for iPod Touch’s. It does this using the added GPS Chip that’s built into the mount itself which can also boost the reception for iPhones currently with GPS. As interesting as it is, it’s not as unique of an idea as it sounds and MiTAC is doing it with more limitations than some of its competitors. One such limitation is that it only adds GPS to the 2nd generation iPod Touch while TomTom’s version adds it to both 1st generation iPod Touch’s and iPhones. In addition, MiTAC states that the added GPS support will only work when using their RoadMate app while Dual Electronics’ XGPS300 Navigation Cradle adds location services to all apps on the device. The XGPS300 also has an advantage as it’s not limited to in car use since it sports its own rechargeable battery pack. The MPCK does use a mini USB port for power which makes it more universal if you have friends without iPhones needing a charge on the go.

Conclusion:

For $130 the Magellan Premium Car Kit does leave you wishing you got a bit more bang for your buck but that’s not to say there aren’t already plenty of features packed into it. Sure maybe some alternative kits out there offer additional niche features but many of them are also missing the basics this one has mastered. The truth is that these car kits only work for a certain market and there is a growing debate as to whether or not spending $200+ on a kit and app for an iPhone is worth more than buying a dedicated unit for cheaper or with more features. If you’re looking to make an iPhone your navigator then definitely go with Magellan over TomTom, but it may be worth exploring other stand alone units first.

As you probably already know, GDC or the Game Developers Conference in San Fransisco is an annual conference at which game developer get together to share development, tools, tips and technologies. This year, independent development companies Semi Secret and Backflip Studios were quick to share just how successful their dive into the App Store has been. Between the two of them, they have 8 paid applications on the store.

Yesterday, co-founder of Semi Secret, Eric Johnson revealed to Pocket Biz that the company had sold 115,000 copies of their popular side-scroller adventure Canabalt. Whats interesting though is these download statistics he said were based upon Canabalt selling at the $2.99 price point over 5 months. He was also quick to estimate the ball-park piracy rate of Canabalt, which he put at 20 percent over those 5 months.

Similarly, Backflip Studio revealed it had generated $2.5 Million in around nine and a half months of being on the store. The company stated these figure were based on enjoying a staggering 22 Million downloads overall, revealing 17 Million of those came from just one of their App Store titles – Paper Toss. On a side note Backflip also announced mobile advertising is making them a substantial $1 Million in just six months and $379,000 in December last year, alone.

One for the game developers now. Since the iPhone’s launch and the App Store’s debut, we’ve seen a slurry of companies take it upon themselves to create a “social” medium or space in which gamers of all ages and skill levels can communicate and interact with each other on a device to device basis. But so far, supposedly due to the limitations of the iPhone SDK, this has been restricted to three methods of gameplay for us here gamers; iPhone to iPhone. iPhone to iPod touch or iPod touch to iPod touch.

Namco, most famous for its worldwide Pac-Man franchise, have announced at GDC yesterday that they have been working on a new, different method. Unite is a cross-platform gaming technology that will allow users to play against gamers using different types of devices and machines and challenge each other in the same game. Acting very much like a social network, Unites aim is to unite gamers the world over, no matter which device they choose to play on.

“For example, an iPhone gamer could play a game against a PC player in Pool Pro Online 3. Unite will have a single login across all platforms supported by the platform. Gamers have a profile fronted by an avatar and a score, boosted by the accumulation of achievements in Unite-powered games.And having a central web site (and soon, an iPhone app) where you can manage your account should also make it an attractive alternative to developers looking for a social solution for their games.”

The big news here is that unlike the current social platforms like ngmoco:)’s Plus+, Open Feint and Crystal, Namco’s Unite platform will apparently allow gamers to chat live with each other during gameplay. So, as well as bringing along the ability to play non-iPhone gamers the world over, this new SDK should also bring some functional aspects of a platform like Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE, for example, to the iPhone.

As with Open Feint, Namco says they’ll soon have a “central” iPhone application on the store, which you can keep track of all your Unite platform achievements on the the go! Currently there is little more information known about Unite, but we’ll be following this closely and keeping you up to date with news and announcements which come out of this new SDK – I’m sure you’ll agree, this is pretty exciting stuff!

Source: IGN UK

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

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

iTextSpeed

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks Kevin!

The Nap App

Category: Utilities
Released: 2010-01-05
Price: $1.99 ON SALE: $0.99

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

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

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

Zombie Recycling Inc. : Rotten Red

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

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

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

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

It’s not to say that the Sticky Strap is limitless, quite the opposite, and aprodukt’s list of “Do’s and DON’TS” is liable to scare anyone a little bit but the basic message is use common sense. If you don’t think sticking your iPhone to a cold surface over a fish tank is a good idea, then don’t do it. The biggest drawback of this design is that it can’t stick to just any surface, it has to be a very smooth and clean surface. While that sounds obvious it’s important to note that includes your iPhone or more specifically the case you may be using on your phone. I tested it with 5 different cases, all three of the hard cases worked just fine but the two silicone soft cases couldn’t be used at all. Taking the case off for use may not be the end of the world but it could certainly become annoying after a few uses. However, for less than $10 the Sticky Strap worth buying for quick on the go use. For only $3 more, aprodukt also offers a kit which includes a 3 pack of protective stickers and a polishing cloth which usually run about $15 through other competitors.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related Free App Sites:

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

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

Some would say no, common germs could have a much bigger impact on our every day lives. A recent study has shown that an average person’s cell phone can have 100x more bacteria than a toilet seat. When it comes to germs I’m more the type to say “bring it on, what doesn’t kill ya makes ya stronger,” but this kind of statistic concerns even me. After all, putting our heads on a toilet seat and talking to it isn’t something most of us, beyond our 21st birthday of course, would ever even consider doing. Being an iPhone user appears to have an even greater danger than standard phones because we tend to show off and share our phones with more people on a regular basis. This leads to the greater opportunity for skin infections, flu virus, and cold viruses to spread. God, how pissed would you be if you got Swine Flu from a cell phone?!

So how do we avoid this plague? Well the two news reports below suggest using rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab to periodically clean it. Thats all well and good but, as the first report eludes to, how often do people really remember to clean their phones? At least one company has decided to step up and help protect us, even when we didn’t know we needed protecting. iSkin has come out with two lines of cases which contain Microban in them. Microban is an antibacterial protein that has been around for quite some time and can be found in many normal office products like mouse pads, keyboard covers, even paper and literally thousands of other products out there. iSkin’s two case model lines are the Revo and the Solo (which I recently mentioned in my Case Buying 101 article). Of the two I would recommend the Solo over the Revo for a decent all around case. While the Microban doesn’t automatically make either of them the best case on the market it could certainly add enough benefits to tip the scale in iSkin’s direction.

Ok I admit some of this may be a little dramatic and I certainly don’t want to walk out of my house tomorrow to see everyone talking on their phones, holding it with a handkerchief, and keeping it few inches away from there ear. Well ok, I do want to see that, but only because that would mean every person in Phoenix reads my writing. Seriously though, I do think it’s important to know about these risks, and knowing is half the battle (I can’t believe I just worked a G.I. Joe quote into an article.).

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

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

Everyday Looper

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Look out for this update hitting very soon!

Sentinel 2: Earth Defense

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

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