I know what you’re thinking… there’s so many zombie games that incorporate ice cream and humor. I know, right! Wait… no, that’s not what I was thinking. Sure, the zombie genre is “on fire” right now, but when Crawl Space Games went about combining awesome art, incredible humor, addictive gameplay and mixes genres of Scoops, Zombies versus Plants and throws in some of the most awkward sounding, but helpful upgrades – I want a real life cardboard helmet that looks like that, serious – and you’ve got a game that will hold my interest:

Plants vs Zombies meets Scoops in Zombies Ala Mode for Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, and Android devices. Play as a young hard working zombie trying to make a living in the ice cream business. Fill ice cream orders while dodging obstacles and try not to get fired. With three game modes, 50 levels, OpenFeint achievements, leaderboards, and lots of upgrades in career mode, you will enjoy hours of zombie goodness.

Already on sale for the Apple iPhone for $2.99 with the Android and Apple iPad versions upcoming, Crawl Space Games delivers yet again – check out Knife Toss, one of my faves for my Apple iPhone also by Crawl Space Games.

[ Links: Crawl Space Games, Zombies Ala Mode, Knife Toss ]

Over the Labor Day Holiday Weekend, I had the chance to visit the county fair. And allow me the opportunity to set a mental landscape before entering this review full steam. Imagine the smells of cotton candy filling the air, funnel cakes, the unfortunate waft of an elephant (ew!) and popcorn by the ton. Visualize the brightly painted and extremely lit signs announcing oddball tests of strength and dexterity that you will probably never encounter in real life.

That is, not unless you get the 2K Games Carnival for your Apple iPhone or Apple iPod Touch. Best part, there’s no elephant smell either.

Carnival Games has the typical odd assortment of games from a test of strength, bumper boats, shooting galleries (shoot out the center of a star, shoot the ducks with the targets on their sides and a Wild West shooting game) and even a milk bottle game that you can actually win – much unlike in the real life cheating gosh darn game.

The graphics are great, simple, extremely clean and bright and in good looking 3D. Upon your first start up, you will create a character, I decided to make mine look like me… sorta. You can unlock many items and add them to the look of your character. In fact, my little cherub like avatar is now sporting a pair of x-ray glasses that I won by ringing the bell in the test of strength three times. And speaking of which, 2K Games actually worked it out where if you have to slide your finger up and down in order to build your strength for the test of strength, you actually have to rub your finger up and down – staying in one place won’t suffice. I found that actually cool that they used the iPhone’s touch screen in that manner.

You move around the screen using an virtual joystick and while it’s easy to get around, you cannot control the camera at all. The way the game is laid out, you have to walk around from place to place to where the carnival games are located. While I don’t mind the controls in that aspect, you can find yourself walking into corners or behind the game stands. Just walk around them and you’ll be fine.

I was one of the few that did encounter some random crashes; however since the 1.01 update in the last few days, I can easily state that I’ve been crash-free and enjoying this game to the point of having to charge my battery multiple times in a day. Easy to pick up, totally fun to play with, 100% addictive. I’ll have to give the Nintendo Wii version a spin later on too.

A definite must-buy in my book: 5 out of 5 (Highly Addictive)

[ Link: Carnival Games on iTunes, Carnival Games ]

Apple announced their “AirPrint” wireless printing that will accompany Apple’s iOS 4.2 will be out in November, but why wait until then? Epson and Thinxtream have collaborated their new mobile printing application, PrintJinni for the Apple iPod Touch, Apple iPhone and Apple iPad.

“PrintJinni for Epson enhances the printing experience for mobile device users by delivering superior performance where it counts, whether at home, in the office, or on the road,” said Gregg Brunnick, group product manager, Consumer Ink Jets, Epson America, Inc. “With the benefit to print to any Wi-Fi-enabled Epson all-in-one, this convenient app keeps iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users from being tied to one printer. PrintJinni for Epson offers the ultimate mobile printing freedom and superior print quality inherent in Epson’s all-in-one solutions.”

PrintJinni for Epson does support Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007 documents, as well as Adobe PDF, JPEG from e-mail attachments. Via an easy setup, PrintJinni supports Microsoft Exchange, Apple MobileMe, Google Gmail and other IMAP based e-mail accounts. And since I’m an Epson printer owner – WorkForce 600/610 – this app will allow for printing to the Epson line of Wi-Fi enabled printers and all-in-ones wirelessly without the need or use of a computer and will work alongside the aforementioned AirPrint functionality coming later this year.

Best part? It’s out right now and not later in the year. Even better? Presently the price is only $6.99 via the Apple iTunes Store, but only for a limited time only then it’s back up to $9.99 and does include a free one-year subscription to the PrintJinni Cloud Services.

[ Links: Epson PrintJinni Press Release, PrintJinni for Epson ]

At the Apple Keynote today, Steve Jobs pulled out the oft-rumored $99 Apple TV (finally) and the long awaited update to the Apple iPod Touch that brings the best parts of the Apple iPhone 4 to the music player. Think about all of the good parts of prior Apple iPhone 4 announcements:

• Facetime – forward facing camera
• Retina Display – 960 x 480 high-density pixel display
• 720p HD Video Recording via improved, 5mp back camera
• Apple A4 SoC chipset for improved performance and battery life
• 40 hours audio playback, 7 hours video playback
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz only)
• Bluetooth

And the inability to also make phone calls! har har

Showing up at 8, 32 and 64GB sizes, at $229, $299 and $399 respectively, the Apple iPod Touch just upped the ante for the mp3 players with extended abilities. Not bad at all Apple. More on the Apple TV later.

[ Links: Apple, Apple iPod Touch ]

After seeing such Apple iPad and iPod Touch accessories like a jacket just for carrying an iPad or even putting an iPad into the front of a shirt, I figured it was going to be no time that it would be used as a wall-mount.

I didn’t have to wait long:

iPort®, the inventor of the world’s first in-wall system for the Apple iPod®, is once again poised to advance the integration of Apple products into the home. Since its inception, the iPort brand has helped consumers experience Apple’s products in new and exciting ways allowing them to listen to, and experience their music and video libraries throughout their home. As Apple’s products have evolved from entertainment sources to intuitive touchscreens with the iPhone® and iPad™, iPort has continued to innovate new ways to incorporate them into consumers’ lifestyles.

Continuing the tradition, iPort has introduced two new products in its Control Mount Series for the Apple iPad and iPod touch®. The CM2000 Control Mount for iPad and the iPort CM100 Control Mount for iPod touch both integrate the handheld Apple touchscreen products in an attractive in-wall frame, transforming them into in-wall touchscreens for display of weather, news, stocks and many other preferred Apps.

The CM100 also transforms the iPod touch into an in-wall Internet radio source, and easily connects to any stereo or audio/video receiver. Users can download their choice of any Internet radio apps available in the App Store and play the audio back through any connected stereo system.

The CM100 for the Apple iPod Touch mount kit costs $250 and the CM2000 mount kit for the Apple iPad costs $499.

[ Link: iPort ]

Totally controllable via the Apple iPhone, Apple iPad or Apple iPod Touch via wi-fi, the Parrot AR.Drone is the world’s first quadro-copter (read: it has engines with blades) and it’s shipping in September. Also, X Games fans will have the chance to see the Parrot AR.Drone live this weekend at the games in Los Angeles and select L.A. Brookstone locations.

The AR.Drone combines real and virtual worlds to offer an unparalleled gaming experience. A front camera broadcasts and streams what the AR.Drone is seeing onto the iPod touch, iPhone or iPad screen and provides the opportunity for augmented reality games.

“The Parrot AR.Drone offers an entirely new flight and gaming experience,” said Brookstone CEO Ron Boire. “It’s the first flying vehicle you can control with your iPod, iPhone or iPad. Brookstone is proud to be the first store in the U.S. where customers can purchase the AR.Drone. We’re going to make a lot of pilots very happy throughout the fall and holiday season.”

The Parrot AR.Drone is a one-of-a-kind quadricopter, extremely easy to fly in both indoor and outdoor settings. The AR.Drone generates its own Wi-Fi network at which you simply connect an iPod touch or iPhone. The AR.FreeFlight application is a free app in the App Store and allows for the AR.Drone to be piloted via the iPod touch/iPhone/iPad. Once in-flight, the accelerometer of the iPod touch/iPhone/iPad detects all of the movements and the AR.Drone will mirror all movements made by the iPod touch/iPhone/iPad while the pilot’s left thumb is on the control button.

Armed with a camera that streams back to the Apple iPhone app, three axes accelerometer, two gyrometers (one axe & two axes), one ultrasound sensor and one vertical camera to automatically stabilize once it takes off where even a novice can get up to speed easily.

Priced at $299, this can be pre-ordered at Brookstone with an anticipated delivery date starting until September 3rd and will be an Brookstone exclusive until October 31st. The AR.Drone combines the worlds of video gaming and radio-controlled models, enabling consumers to recreate a large number of single and multi-player video games in the real world. One game, AR.FlyingAce will be available for download in the App Store. And

The AR.Drone-Pilot Academy at AR.Drone’s website provides multiple videos and instructions that prepare aspiring AR.Drone pilots for flight.

[ Links: Brookstone, AR.Drone ]

The makers of the cool and free textPlus have released a game based on texting, textRace for the Apple iPhone and Apple iPhone Touch.

Fire up those texting fingers and prepare to do battle — the ultimate texting throwdown is here. From the creators of the free, unlimited texting app textPlus, comes textRace, a no holds barred texting game that pits challengers against the clock in a test of speed and accuracy. textRace is free to download for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

The premise is simple: a message appears in the app, and users must accurately retype that message to beat the clock. The faster and more precise they retype it, the more points they earn and levels they unlock. The app’s speed clock and pounding music get the blood pumping, and the fiercest competitors can boast about their high scores by posting them to Facebook.

Bound to be fun for the texter in your family, textRace is in the Apple iTunes Music Store right now for free too.

[ Links: textRace, textPlus ]

AVerMedia has shown off its Video Capture USB at CeBIT 2010, which allows users to watch and record digital TV on PC.

It can convert piles of video tapes and turn recordings in diverse analog devices into a comprehensive DVD format without a loss of quality. Plus, real-time Apple iPod and Sony PSP format recording allows you to take your favorite shows on-the-go. This USB device is Windows 7 certified. It can run on both AVerTV 6 and Window Media Center with superb reception ability even while commuting.

Link to the original article…

Ten One Design, a New York-based design firm specializing in solutions for the mobile lifestyle, announced that its Pogo Sketch and Pogo Stylus – the world’s first stylus compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and MacBook trackpads – are fully compatible with the 9.7 inch capacitive touch screen display of iPad, the new Apple tablet.

The aluminum base and advanced material used on the tip of the Pogo Stylus and Pogo Sketch are what make them extraordinary and revolutionary for multi-touch displays. The touch screen tool acts as a bridge by transferring the signal from the display to the user’s hand, allowing the user to more accurately and efficiently control the capacitive touch sensitive screen of iPad.

The Pogo Sketch and Pogo Stylus are both ideal for detailed graphic artwork and enhancing the canvas-like display of the iPad, especially when used with applications like the Brushes app demoed during the media event.

The tip uses considerably less surface area than a fingertip, which makes navigating the user interface easier and more enjoyable. And people with longer fingernails or larger fingers will not experience gadget envy from not being able to use touch screen devices. The stylus easily glides across the screen and even keeps it free of smudges and grease.

The Pogo Stylus and Pogo Sketch are both available at TenOneDesign for $14.95; the Pogo Sketch is also available at Apple Stores

Link to the original article…

Just like all things cool on the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, this will require some jailbreaking and some know-how; however Redmond Pie has shown you how to save some $499 and get the newer iPad interface onto your iPhone/iPod Touch.

Since iPhone, iPod touch and iPad uses the same OS (iPhone OS), the look and feel is generally the same throughout the three iDevices except for the few tweaks here and there in the iPhone OS 3.2 running on the iPad.

Now if you want to make your iPhone and iPod touch to look exactly like the iPad, simply follow the steps as shown in the video below to get the same lockscreen and springboard background, carrier logo which reads “iPad”, an iBooks like app, New York Times reader, the entire Kindle books catalog and much more.

I wonder if this will work on the first generation iPhone… hmmm. Hello weekend project.

[ Links: Redmond Pie ]

Ever since my review of Bento 3 for the Apple iPhone and Mac OS X platform, life has been that much more organized for me. And I’ll admit, I was one of those “structured yet unstructured” dudes. I knew where everything was at, lord forbid anybody that would try to follow my organized chaos.

Announced today, Filemaker has released a free Contact & Customer Manager template via the Bento Template Exchange – a free exchange of templates for Bento 3 that extends the living daylights out of Bento 3 from just an easy way to interface a deceptively simple yet powerful database that arranges notes, recipes, meetings, contacts, even contracts and invoices to an even more powerful application.

FileMaker, Inc. today announced the Bento 3 Contact and Customer Manager, a customized set of three new templates that make it easy for Mac users to organize all their contacts and customer details in one place – the perfect solution to a very popular New Year’s resolution. The Bento 3 Contact and Customer Manager includes a free 30-day trial of the popular Bento 3 personal database for Mac, plus three professionally designed, ready-to-use templates including customer and client contacts, sales receipts, and sales opportunities.

The Bento 3 Contact and Customer Manager also works with Bento for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, so customers can organize their contacts and business activities on an Apple iPhone or iPod touch and then synchronize the information to their Mac.

“Customers and prospects can tell if you are organized – or not. By tracking notes from past meetings and conversations, upcoming to-do items, completed phone calls, and important e-mails you’ll be ready when your customers are.” said Ryan Rosenberg, vice president, marketing and services, FileMaker, Inc. “With the Bento 3 Contact and Customer Manager, we’re providing an easy and affordable way for customers to get instant access to complete contact and customer details—fully integrated with iCal Tasks and iCal Events—so they have a central hub of information that lets them stay more organized and productive.”

And yes… I’m that excited about a database program. Don’t have Bento for Apple OS X? Download a free trial here. And if you have Bento, the Contact & Customer Manager Template is free.

Thanks Beth and Carleen for the scoop and info!

[ Links: Bento 3 Contact & Customer Manager, Bento 3, RTL Bento 3 Review ]

Fring has always been on the cutting edge and one of my favorite multiple client IM programs on my Nokia N810 and Apple iPhone but the addition of being able to receive video just pushes it that much further than the rest in my book.

And what a new year’s gift this is… the world’s first video calls over internet on the Apple iPhone and Apple iPod Touch! fringsters with iPhones and iPod Touch (and selected Nokia devices as announced last week) can now see all their family and friends on fring and Skype this Holiday Season!

Right now iPhone and iPod touch users can receive and make fring and Skype video calls entirely over Internet connection (for free!) and see the person on the other end. When a front camera is placed on these, we’ll have two-way video calls available here too just as we do on all the supported Nokia devices.

The promise of 2-way video from Fring has my attention, that’s been the killer app in my mind for quite some time. Just will be awkward because the Apple iPhone has no forward facing camera at the moment and the Nokia devices they’re currently supporting are only the Symbian phones.

But the Maemo powered Nokia N900 also has a forward facing camera… how about some support there too fring? Please?

[ fring ] [ Skype ] [ fring blog ]