Appletell | Apple, Mac, iPhone, iPod | News, Rumors, Reviews, How-Tos

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for December 23, 2009:

Macintosh

• File transfer specialists Pro2col have demonstrated their commitment to the Mac marketplace with the release of a new, Snow Leopard compatible client application for Hermstedt’s StingRay File Transfer Appliance. In addition, June 2009 saw the release of Hermstedt StingRay on an improved, more robust 1U hardware platform. Early 2010 will see the release of StingRay 2.6, incorporating a host of new features and functionality designed to further simplify and streamline large file transfer.
• Green & Slimy Software has announced that it will be offering preorders for Thoughts, their upcoming note taking application for Mac OS X due to be released in January 2010. As part of the preorder users will receive two applications for free: Yum, a recipe manager, and Family, a genealogy application to create family trees. As a further bonus all customers who blog or tweet about the bundle will receive the batch image editor ResizeMe for free as well.
• baKno has announced baKno Solitaire, a stylish new game for Mac and Windows. baKno Solitaire is a collection of the most popular solitaire games, with beautiful handcrafted card sets that are showcased and controlled in a 3D view with easy manipulation, board rotation and zoom. It includes some all-time favorites, such as Klondike, Freecell, Spider, Cruel and Canfield. Gamers can choose from five different card sets.
• Independent developer Joshua Garnham has released Spark, a powerful light-weight to-do and note taking app exclusively for Mac. Spark is an astoundingly light-weight to-do app, incorporating an ‘Apple’ style interface to fit in with your other Apple apps. Spark is an easy to use app and perfect for reminders. Spark has already received a great welcome into the Mac world by a number of websites that have reviewed it. Spark will also sync automatically with iCal when any tasks in Spark change.

iPhone/iPod

• BubbleFly is a game of skill and finesse of balance and breath. With skills you never knew you had, challenge yourself and others to see who can bubble fly the best. Bubble Fly is one of those apps that appeals to all ages by challenging players to use both the accelerometer and microphone in game play. Players blow up bubbles and then guide them towards targets with the iPhone/iPod Touch accelerometer.
• Tapstic has released Heroes Battle 2.0 in different versions (Free, 200, 500, 1500, 3500) on the AppStore. Heroes Battle is an MMORPG that rely on a strategic battle concept addressed to a large public. You can battle your friends, family, coworkers and world players in this epic online multiplayer game as you compete to be the most powerful or trendy heroic force of your community. Start out as a simple human and work your way up to become the new urban hero/villain of the world with your own unique appearance.
• Hot Chili Apps has announced Attack! Mad Bunnies 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch. Attack! Mad Bunnies is a big fun shooting game that utilizes the iPhone’s features for the worldwide hunt for a bunch of bunnies gone crazy. Due to a technical flaw in a chemical factory viruses were released into a nearby river. They have turned cute little bunny-wunnies into fearsome rabbits terrorizing mankind globaly. All players to arms for a heroic fight against these rabbits in order to save mankind.
• MadSharkGames has announced FingerStone 1.0, their new puzzle game for iPhone and iPod Touch. The FingerStone goal is to collect all of the diamonds by sliding the stone to unlock the exit in each level. The game starts simple and quickly progress to levels that require your brain to work. FingerStone is offer a wealth of very well designed puzzles all wrapped around one simple mechanic. The game introduces new elements as you go along to either help or hinder you.
• Polar Bear Farm has announced ShowTime 2.0 for the original iPhone and 3G devices. ShowTime records video at a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels at a frame rate of 6 frames per second; twice that of popular existing video recorders on the App Store. 16-Bit audio is recorded at 22.05kHz sample rate. The video is compressed using Motion JPEG file format, which can be played back on all major computer platforms. Video recordings can be emailed from the phone.
• Independent game developer Glenn Corpes has announced Ground Effect 1.1, an update to his hover racing title developed exclusively for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Ground Effect is a silky smooth arcade racer which is unique, simple, fast and set on the smoothest and most detailed landscape yet seen on this platform. Ground Effect has received a very warm reception from gamers and reviewers and been deemed “Hot” as well as “New and Noteworthy” by Apple since its release on November 5.
• Order Mapper, Inc. has announced that the 1.2 update to their Order Pizza iPhone app is ready and available for download. The new version of the app, which allows users to order pizza from virtually any pizzeria in seconds, boasts improved search results with more local pizzerias, and built-in map functionality that shows where the pizza’s coming from.
• Orbital v1.2 introduces the new mode, Supernova, which incorporates the most requested features as determined by a fan poll. The new shot mechanism allows you to pinpoint your orb placement by touching, dragging the laser guide, and releasing to shoot. The most requested feature update was chain reactions; so now orbs can explode nearby orbs and players earn bonuses for pulling off chain reactions.
• SouthPeak Games has announced the arrival of Schrödinger’s Rat for the iPhone and iPod touch. In Schrödinger’s Rat, players must guide a chalk ball through mazes full of items like quantum fur balls, disappearing walls, and mercury pools, which may help or hinder their efforts. There are 117 mazes in the game, each a test of an element on the periodic table.
• Faber Acoustical, LLC has announced that SignalScope Pro 1.2 is available for download on the iTunes App Store. SignalScope Pro 1.2 includes all the functionality of SoundMeter, the original sound level meter app for iPhone. Updates to SignalScope and SoundMeter are also now available for download. SignalScope Pro turns an iPhone or iPod touch device into a hand-held dynamic signal analysis tool, with support for 1/3-octave real-time spectral analysis.
• Viaden Media has announced Strip Poker 1.0, a new online poker application for iPhone and iPod touch. The solution is a technologies-based application for enabling iPhone and iPod Touch users play Texas Hold’em and 5 card Draw poker with an illusion of a real life play. The main zest of the game is having beautiful girls as game opponents. 6 variants of the Strip Poker application are currently available for iPhone gamblers. 3 versions with limited functionality can be downloaded for free.
• Habit Changer, the first online source of programs that give participants the tools to make positive and lasting life changes, has announced it has released its second iPhone application, Habit Changer: Feeding Your Kids. The free iPhone app shows parents the steps they need to become aware of bad eating habits and encourage their children to choose and eat healthier foods on their own.