We’re getting really excited about the upcoming Macworld Expo in San Francisco. What’s not to love about live music, the mobile apps showcase, parties, industry events, news, and did we mention parties? We know many people may not be familiar with San Francisco, so we created this handy guide to help you get the most out of your experience. Along with highlighting some of the extracurricular events we’re looking forward to attending, we also designed an interactive map that shows a few of the points of interest near The Moscone Center, home to Macworld Expo. If you would like to share an event, suggest a restaurant or recommend an activity, please feel free to submit it to us!

Wednesday, January 25

Modest Mouse performing on opening night (doors open at 7pm)

Thursday, January 26

Silent Frisco (noon – 6pm) Moscone Center West (2nd floor) (Free) Silent Frisco includes two dueling DJ’s in which guests can go freely between both performances using patented wireless “Silent Event” headphones.

Appency Media Dinner (6pm – 9pm – by Invite Only) Location: Restaurant LuLu. The top app press in the industry sit down over dinner and discuss wha’ts new, what’s hot, and what’s not in the app world!

South Park Studios (7pm – 8:30pm) Moscone Center West (Free) Join South Park Studios to watch an un-aired pilot of the show, as well as a Q&A session with the Show Staff.

TUAW / HP Meetup (event details TBD – location: Jillians SF across from the Metreon) (Free)

Friday, January 27

LiveCode Meetup (4:30pm – 6:30pm) The Hotel Utah Saloon (Free) Get together with other LiveCode customers to share ideas and talk projects with RunRev CEO Kevin Miller

iPhone Film Festival (7pm – 8:30pm) Moscone Center West (Free) iPhone Film Festival filmmakers debut their award-winning films as well as never before seen videos specifically for MacWorld.

Cirque du Mac 9.0 (8pm – 11:30pm – Invite Only) MacWorld All Star Band, trapeze artists, face painters, henna tattoo artists, and a Videator powered light show.

Top 5 Apps for Your Macworld SF Trip:

1. It Happened Here: San Francisco Edition

Want to know the secrets of San Francisco? Then the iPhone app “It Happened Here” is your best bet. With one click iHH will find tidbits of local history and pop culture around you from where Marilyn Monroe was married to famous crimes of years past! Its like a walking tour for your iPhone!

2. Hotel Tonight

Good rooms at great prices might be hard to find… not with Hotel Tonight! Hotel Tonight offers great deals on same day hotel rentals at some of the hottest locations around the city… at the lowest prices around. Get a $25 credit towards your hotel stay when you use this link to download the app!

3. Taxi Magic

Need a lift? Taxi Magic allows you to book a cab with no phone call. You receive an e-receipt, you can charge to your credit card, AND you can track the arrival of your Taxi. No more embarrassing drunk phone calls to a taxi dispatcher. All for a budget busting 0$!!

4. Open Table

Ever needed to make reservations? We did too. With Open Table, you can make instant reservations at 15,000+ OpenTable enabled restaurants in the United States, Canada, AND the United Kingdom. Oh, by the way, Open Table members receive Dining Reward Points redeemable for Dining Cheques at ANY OpenTable restaurant. Now you can spend that money on your expensive dinner instead of this app.

5. SF Weekly

The San Francisco Weekly App is a guide for the sightseeing, cuisine, and activities, that can help to make your trip more time effective as well as more memorable.   A personal guide in your Iphone. That costs an incredibly reasonable 0$.

BONUS APP. CIA: Operation AJAX (iPad only)

Born right here in the City by the Bay, the digital graphic novel CIA: Operation AJAX for your iPad is the COOLEST way to kill time on that long plane ride to SF, or while waiting in line for the bathroom at the Modest Mouse concert.

Have an event of your own to add? Email us at contactus@appency.com

Every year at about this time, people start to pull together their favorite “Top 10″ lists of the year. Not to be left out, we wanted to put together our own top 10 list of the best viral videos we have seen in 2011.  Of course, since we are an app marketing company working with the awesome folks over at NXP Software, makers of the popular CineXPlayer app, we wanted to use their latest creation, VideoCam3D, to take these awesome videos and make them all 3D!  Throw on your 3D glasses and ENJOY! (Please note… the previews show side by side images – when you hit play, the 3D red / blue effect will start).

#10 – eHarmony Video Bio

For all of you who love cats… and really want to find a soul mate.

#9 – Anderson Cooper gets the Giggles on National TV

I’m a big fan of Mr Cooper, and it gives me great pleasure to watch a professional TV anchor lose it live on national telivision. What is more ridiculous… the ridiculousness he is reporting on or himself?

#8 – Twin Babies Talk it Up

Frankly, I just want to know what these guys are talking about. Id like to think it is about cool iPhone apps that they like but cant seem to agree on… Angry Babies perhaps?

#7 – The Video That Went Missing

I swear we had 10 of these. No really. Top 10 lists are the thing these days. Who wants a top 9 list? If you see video #7 – please let the authorities know… we’re still looking.

#6 – Father / Daughter “Home” Duet

As a father of a three year old little girl myself, I know how much they like to run around the house singing. Too bad I can’t play guitar to save my life…

#5 Homeless Man with the Golden Voice

Rumor has it this guy ended up getting a job after this, but alas, could not keep off the drugs or alcohol and ended up back on the streets. What a waste of good talent!

#4 Senior Citizens Dont Know They Are On a Webcam

There is nothing more amusing than the mixture of senior citizens… and technology. Watch what happens when you catch it on film!

#3 The Bed Intruder

I have just six words: “Hide Your Kids – Hide Your Wife.” (For more fun, don’t forget to check out the auto-tuned version of this!)

#2 Friday

It’s the best day of the week, right?

AND OUR #1 FAVORITE 3D VIRAL VIDEO OF 2011….

#1 – THE CRAZY NASTY-ASS HONEY BADGER!

Because Honey Badger don’t care if you make him 3D. Honey Badger don’t give a shit. Honey badger gonna jump right out of the screen at you and eat your face. Nom.

Dont forget to share, and check out VideoCam3D for the iPhone and iPad to take a convert all your videos to 3D!

BreathalEYES Measures Blood Alcohol Contenet (BAC) Through iPhone Camera

Using a variety of patent pending image tracking technologies, the BreathalEYES app is able to measure a users Blood Alcohol Content between 0.02 and 0.17%.

Nashville, Tennessee: New Years is here and it would not be surprising if you’ve planned a night out that includes drinking with your friends. Towards the end of the evening, one them wants to drive home, but you’re afraid they might have had too much to drink. What to do? No problem. Just pull out your iPhone & run a quick test with the BreathalEyes app from Xplor Corp.

BreathalEyes looks for the presence of Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) in the eye to determine their approximate Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). Unlike BAC calculators, BreathalEyes can be used at a moment’s notice. And, unlike a breathalyzer, it can be used multiple times in a row without any waiting. Simply frame the user’s eye on the screen and have them look to the side. Tap the screen to begin the test and a few seconds later BreathalEyes will tell you the user’s approximate BAC. (Margin of error +/- 0.02)

Do not be fooled. There are many fake breathalyzer apps available today. Only BreathalEyes uses science to determine real numbers. Check out the video of the tests between BreathalEyes and a police quality breathalyzer on YouTube.

Features:

• Quick accurate BAC results on
• No need for an internet connection to work
• Adjustable light feature for use in low light settings (like a bar, for example.)
• Accurate between BAC 0.02%-0.17%

BreathalEyes is intended for use on intoxicated individuals only, therefore it will not work unless you have been drinking. For best results, make sure that your iPhone’s lens is clean & that the subject has removed all eye ware.  All results are private and no data is ever recorded or retrieved from your phone by BreathalEyes.

BreathalEyes is optimized for the iPhone 4 and higher, and is available worldwide in the iTunes App Store for $0.99.

Links:

http://www.breathaleyes.com/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV_n3xlriU4

App: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/breathaleyes-bac-scanner/id477771569?mt=8

About Xplor Corps

Xplor Corps is a new company founded on the simple idea of honest excellence. We want to restore whimsy to the creative process and search for new and meaningful ways to improve form and function. We are explorers at heart, driven by learning and inspiring others to do the same. Our lawyers tell us we have to say BreathalEyes is for entertainment purposes only.  Each person reacts differently to alcohol. The test results are for reference only and may be affected by conditions such as high altitude and interaction with medications. BreathalEyes does not take any legal responsibility.  We would like to add:  please always drink responsibly.

Appency Announces the Newest Member of it’s Team, Thomas Dodson, to Lead the Company’s Parent and Family Division

Sacramento, CA: December 12th, 2011: Appency, the leading Public Relations and Marketing firm for mobile applications, is proud to announce the hiring of Thomas Dodson as its newest Account Executive. Thomas joins the team with more than fifteen years of professional journalism, public relations and marketing experience. Before joining Appency, Thomas worked with architect and construction firms and their public relations needs, before running off into the Costa Rican rain forest to promote a sustainable tree house community.

As the parent of two young children, Thomas has a keen interest in parenting and education-related applications. His professional know how and PR savvy, combined with his role as a parent are the perfect combination to lead Appency’s growing Parent and Family Division.

“I’m super excited about this opportunity,” says Dodson. “One of my life goals is to follow my passions. My children, obviously, are at the top of that list. Being able to watch them use apps, and learn from the newest technology is very rewarding. Then, being able to turn around and talk about what I’m seeing in a professional setting, is perfect for me.”

Sacramento, CA    Nov 30, 2011 – New York, New York

It’s been a busy last few months for CB Labs, who published their first game The Adventures of Timmy: Run, Kitty, Run with developer studio Rain Interactive. From launching at the Adobe MAX Keynote back in October, to being featured in the Apple “New and Noteworthy” section, it was still a huge surprise when the game showed up in the finals of the Mashable Awards for the Best Mobile Game category.

“We’re going up against the likes of Angry Birds and Cut the Rope,” Creative Director Adam Kahn said. “That’s huge in and of itself, especially for a game that’s only been out for about a month and a half.”

The game itself tells the tale of a young school boy named Timmy who wears a cat suit to school one day. While all the other kids on the playground make fun of Timmy, one girl named Kitty tries to befriend him. Unfortunately, Mitch, the schools bully, has already taken a liking to Kitty and kidnaps her. Timmy must find a way to stop Mitch and his minions and get Kitty back safe and sound.

About Rain Interactive:
Rain is an internationally recognized and awarded digital creative software agency dedicated to providing clients with solutions that allow their customers to connect with them wherever they are through the web, desktop, or mobile. Clients include HP, Google, Ancestry, Sony Music, Universal Music, Hess, Corona, Adobe and Skullcandy.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, 2/3/4G iPod touch and iPad
* Requires iOS 4.1 or later
* 96.2 MB

Pricing and Availability:
The Adventures of Timmy: Run, Kitty, Run 1.2 is $1.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category.

The Adventures of Timmy: Run, Kitty, Run 1.2
Purchase and Download
YouTube Video
Screenshots

In 2010, Crossborders created a subsidiary CB Labs for the sole purpose to create creative intellectual property in the digital products category. Leveraging smart phone and tablet distribution outlets CB Labs has launched its first iPhone/iPad game The Adventures of Timmy: Run Kitty Run. Copyright (C) 2011 CB Labs. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

###

Brian Collins
Account Executive
916-765-5949
United States

Santa’s Existence Finally Proven Using High Tech iPhone App Software

(London, England) Is has been the holiday mystery of the ages – the real life existence of Father Christmas, better known to children around the world as the jolliest of elves…  Santa Claus.  Over the years, the FBI, Scotland Yard, MENSA and the Illuminati have all tried in vain to gather undeniable proof that the man in the big red suit did in fact exist. Today, the unthinkable, unimaginable has occurred… through new technology developed by Wet Nose Design in London, undeniable evidence proving Santa’s existence has been uncovered and made available to the world in the form of an app dubbed Santa’s Big Helper, available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

While typically able to make himself invisible to prying eyes, special patent pending technology inside Santa’s Big Helper will allow you to see Santa himself when he comes down your chimney and create a video of his entrance. This is no faked video – set it up and it will show Santa coming out of your fireplace in your very own house!

The Santa’s Big Helper app is equipped not only to gather and display proof of Santa’s existence but provides a direct line of communication to the north pole’s director of communications, DoseyToes the Elf, and a variety of other holiday treats. In fact, Santa’s Big Helper combines nine holiday apps into one package available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad including:

• GPS Santa Tracker to follow his position on Christmas Eve as he makes his way around the world
• Christmas soundboard with a festive holiday sound bites
• Magic compass which lets you listen in when pointing to the North Pole
• Personal messages to Santa (which you can later share via email)
• Nice and naughty list allows inquisitive young ones to check their status
• Ask an Elf provides a direct line of communication with Santa’s team up north
• Elf Updates keep kids and parents alike posted on the latest happenings at Santa’s place
• Christmas Countdown tracks the days until Santa arrives
• The patent pending “Elf Cam” to capture footage of Santa in your own home.

Of course some of Santa’s magic is meant for grown-ups eyes only and in that way Santa’s Big Helper is any parent’s little helper this season.  A password-protected Grown Ups Only section within the app keeps app controls out of the wrong hands, and keeps the spirit of Christmas magic alive! Santa’s Big Helper for the iPhone and iPad is available worldwide in the iTunes App Store for a limited free engagement and will remain available for $1.99 as a universal application.

About Wet Nose Design:

Wet Nose Design is an independent developer of mobile applications, based in the UK. The company was formed to create unique, fun, and engaging experiences on the new generation of touch screen devices. Any rumors going around that Wet Nose Design is actually run by a group of rogue elves from the North Pole are completely unproven and will not be humored by the press people hired to write their press releases even if they are being paid in candy canes and Christmas cheer.

Press Contacts:

Aaron Watkins
Appency for Wet Nose Design

aaron@appency.com

858-945-1465

____________________

DoseyToes the Elf

Director of Communications,

North Pole Industries Inc.

dosey@wetnosedesign.com

Changing the face of graphic novels and digital publishing, CIA: Operation Ajax launches today for the iPad and will be completely free for the first two weeks, before rising to the full price of $7.99.

San Francisco, CA, November 16^th, 2011 – Cognito Comics didn’t want to simply make another graphic novel.  They wanted to completely change the way people looked at digital publishing, storytelling and the iPad.

“After working in the video game industry for years, I wanted to bridge my love of technology and art to tell meaningful stories,” said Daniel Burwen, Creative Director and Founder of Cognito Comics. “The story of CIA: Operation Ajax is very relevant to our current political landscape and the power of the iPad allows us to weave actual history throughout the medium of the graphic novel.”

The story of CIA: Operation Ajax is based on the 1953 Iranian coup d’etat, during which the CIA and British government overthrew democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh and reinstalled the Shah to power. Scripted by Emmy-nominated writer/director Mike de Seve and edited by renowned author and journalist Stephen Kinzer (All The Shah’s Men), CIA: Operation Ajax is a Cold War-era spy thriller powered by The Active Reader platform from Tall Chair, Inc.

Most digital graphic novels are static images like their print counterparts; CIA: Operation Ajax harnesses the power of the iPad to produce a truly dynamic experience.  Built-in newsreels from the time period are scattered throughout the story, as are historical vignettes, character rosters and declassified CIA documents, all presented through an elegant interface.

“Given that we designed CIA: Operation Ajax for the tablet from the ground up, it only made sense for us to look at pricing in the same way,” said Ash Aiwase, Business Development for Cognito Comics.  “We’re providing a reading experience that diverges from the current models of print, digital and motion comics with the goal of shaping the future of the comic book.”

Ajax has been turning heads since it was released almost a year ago as a public beta, with the New York Times calling it “one of the coolest media experiences that I’ve seen on the iPad” just weeks after the beta release.  This time, however, the story will be released in its entirety – and for a limited time, at no cost.  No in-app-purchases, no hidden advertisements, just an incredible story that’s ready to shake up the App Store and reinvent the graphic novel as we know it.

Based in San Francisco, Cognito Comics is committed to innovative storytelling through emerging technologies.

Check out CIA: Operation Ajax in the App Store here: http://tinyurl.com/ctsc735

Check out the Trailer here: http://tinyurl.com/7rxvfhv

Award-winning mobile travel app showcases the unknown pasts of six of America’s favorite cities.

Washington D.C. – November 15, 2011 – Are you eating at the same Philly restaurant that Bruce Willis’ anniversary scene was filmed in for The Sixth Sense?  Is the liquor store you just passed the former headquarters of Boston’s leading organized crime outfit? Was the apartment building you just walked past formerly home to one of the 13 victims of the Boston Strangler?  If you’ve ever been to Boston or Philadelphia and asked yourself “I wonder what happened here,” there’s now an app that will tell you all about it!  It Happened Here for the iPhone and Android has newly released guides for Boston and Philadelphia!

It Happened Here by Mobile Surroundings uses GPS to map and list historical events, pop culture happenings, and famous movie scenes that have occurred right under your nose.  The New York Times called it “an app for serendipitous discovery” and it was named a “Best iPhone Tour App” by Travel + Leisure magazine.

With the additions of the Boston and Philadelphia guides inside the app, users in both cities can now take part in the fun of exploring their own urban backyards without searching through chunky, outdated guide books or makings plans for expensive guided walking tours!

It Happened Here has hundreds of in-depth profiles for events in each city; even history and pop culture buffs will find something new in this app.  Profiles of events include photos, detailed descriptions, and links to related videos and content.  The app’s user-friendly navigation and ability to post especially fascinating profiles to Facebook from within the app make it a great back-pocket self-tour guide.

It Happened Here is available for the iPhone and Android in the iTunes App Store and Android Market, respectively.  Guides are $2.99 per city and include New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Boston.

About Mobile Surroundings LLC
Mobile Surroundings operates the largest human-edited database of interesting, location-based past events in the world.  It makes its location-based content available to consumers through its award-winning mobile apps and the mobile apps of its licensed partners.

Press contact:
Kim Lianthamani
kim@appency.com
800.705.8073 ext 4

iCookbook™ App from Publications International, Ltd. Brings Hands-Free Cooking to the iPhone®

Home chefs have no need to fear sticky fingers on the screen of their shiny new iPhone’s with Publications International’s new voice-activated iCookbook app

Chicago, IL – November 09, 2011

Publications International, Ltd. (PIL), the world’s leading publisher of favorite brand name cookbooks, is taking high tech hands-free cooking to the next level as they launch their critically acclaimed food preparation app iCookbook™ for Apple’s iPhone®. Chock-full of the latest advances in app technology made possible with Apple’s new iOS 5 platform, the expansion brings a brand new array of iCloud™, Airplay® and other features to the biggest update for the cooking platform since its iPad® launch this past March.

iCookbook™ is the only food preparation app to use voice command technology for recipe preparation, leaving cooks free to cut, mix and sauté without touching their iPhone screen. “iCookbook™ was created from the ground up to be a great in-the-kitchen cooking tool for the everyday chef,” said Jerry Croft, President of Cooking at Publications International, Ltd. “Our team of cooking experts and nutritionists have looked at every aspect of meal preparation and created an intuitive, powerful app that can be an everyday cooking companion.” Indeed, iCookbook™ comes equipped to assist cooks every step of the way: meal planners, shopping lists, ingredient substitution lists, conversion charts and cooking timers are only some of the many tools offered.

iCookbook™ version 2.0, in addition to being developed for both iPhone® and iPad®, boasts several brand new features that take advantage of everything iOS 5 has to offer including:

• How-To videos showing the proper techniques for some of the trickiest kitchen skills
• iCloud™ sync stores recipes and shopping lists to the cloud for sharing between iOS devices
• Airplay® video support allows recipes and videos to be pulled up on the big screen via Apple TV®
• User ratings of all recipes instantly show the most popular dishes

The best tools need the best recipes, and iCookbook™ starts with more than 2,000 individual recipes created by some of the top brands in the food industry. Each recipe is accompanied by a high resolution, full-color photograph and full preparation instructions. These recipes can be shared with friends via email or Facebook. Finding new recipes is a snap with dozens of search and sort filters ranging from ingredient to occasion!

Every month iCookbook™ releases a FREE recipe pack with great new dishes to download. The built-in iCookbook™ store is also full of unique, hand-curated specilty packs such as Thanksgiving Classics, Extraordinary Slow Cooker Recipes and even Gluten-Free Favorites for purchase.

About Publications International, Ltd.:

Publications International, Ltd. (PIL) is one of North America’s leading publishers of consumer periodicals, producing more than 400 new book titles each year and printing more than 20 million books annually. PIL’s Cooking Division publishes cookbooks under license with many renowned brands, including Crock-Pot, Campbell, Hershey’s, and Kraft, and also publishes its own line of cookbooks and cooking magazines.

Munich, Germany – Celebrating the 25th anniversary of its release, Ravensburger Digital today announced its parent company’s most popular board game will be coming over to iOS. The aMAZEing Labyrinth launches today on both the iPhone and iPad and hopes to continue the success of the original, which has sold over13 million copies to date.

The original game had players racing each other to collect all of their treasures. However, on each turn the labyrinth itself shifts: so the hallway or junction needed to get the next treasure would suddenly be gone the next time it became your turn.

The iOS version keeps the gameplay of the original untouched, but adds three new ways to play, including two new single player options. With Puzzle mode, players must accumulate the most prizes in the shortest amount of moves possible in order to proceed to the next level. The Time Duel option pits you in a race against the clock by adding more time with every treasure obtained. Finally, in Duel mode players compete off against each other to complete identical boards before their opponents can do the same.

Filled with the beautiful HD graphics one would expect from one of the world’s largest gaming companies, The aMAZEing Labyrinth is sure to please the eye of any maze competitor. Built in GameCenter allows players to play with people either in the room or across the globe.

And for anyone who’s ever tried to bring a board game on a trip: there are no pieces to assemble, no batteries to install, no set up to be had. Get started playing the aMAZEing Labyrinth with your family and friends with a few simple taps of your finger and be ready to have some fun in finding your way out of the dreaded labyrinth!

Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires iOS 4.1 or later
* 38.2 MB

Pricing and Availability:
THE aMAZEing Labyrinth 1.0 is $3.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category. THE aMAZEing Labyrinth HD 1.0 is $5.99.

Ravensburger Digital
THE aMAZEing Labyrinth 1.0
THE aMAZEing Labyrinth HD 1.0
YouTube Video (Trailer)
Screenshots
App Icon

Ravensburger Digital is part of Ravensburger Group, internationally well-known for its high-quality games, puzzles and books. We develop Ravensburger products for all major digital platforms, including online & browser games, PC games and mobile applications. Ravensburger Digital has already published several highly successful game titles like the memory(R) and Think(R) series on the iTunes App Store. Copyright (C) 2011 Ravensburger Digital. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.