Los Gatos, CA, November 13, 2014 — In recent months, news of data breaches with millions of passwords compromised, photos leaked, or financial data stolen have been all too common. Today online security is a top priority, but finding a simple and secure way to keep personal data safe isn’t always easy. Now it is with the newly updated SplashID apps for iOS and Android.
For over 12 years, SplashData’s SplashID has provided a seamless way to store and lock the confidential information of over 1 million users with smartphone and tablet apps, Mac and Windows desktop applications, and web access. Now with SplashID’s latest upgrade to version 8, the SplashData team has added additional security measures and convenient features to ensure SplashID users have access to their personal digital wallet whenever and wherever they are.
While individuals can always resort to keeping usernames, passwords and account numbers on a piece of paper hidden in their desk or on an Excel™ file saved to their computer, it’s easy for passwords to be forgotten, files to be erased, and hard copies of documents to be lost. With SplashID, data is quickly and easily accessible, private and customizable, but—most importantly—secure.
With the new version, SplashID is available as a free app for the first time. To use SplashID with multiple devices or browsers requires an easy upgrade to SplashID Pro.
“Now more than ever, people need simple and effective ways of keeping their personal information private and secure,” said Morgan Slain, SplashData’s CEO. “With version 8, we are excited to make SplashID’s combination of security and convenience free for a new generation of users and at the same time bring powerful new features to our advanced users with SplashID Pro.”
SplashID 8 offers a unique combination of features and benefits:
SplashID is available now for free on the iTunes App Store and Google Play. For access across multiple devices (for example, iOS and Mac) and additional services like sync and automated backup, upgrade to SplashID Pro for $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year.
About SplashData and SplashID
SplashData (http://www.splashdata.com) has been a leading provider of security applications and services for over 12 years. The company’s secure password and record management solution SplashID has over 1 million individual users worldwide as well as hundreds of business and enterprise clients. SplashData was founded in 2000 and is based in Los Gatos, CA. https://splashid.com/
Cologne, Germany, November 12, 2014 — Discover the magic of bombardier beetles in Little Luna – Big Talent, Bastei Entertainment’s newest addition to their portfolio of mobile applications. Designed for children ages 4 to 8, this delightful interactive story teaches children about the importance of embracing their own individuality.
The story of Little Luna begins with a lesson on a bombardier beetle’s special talent – tooting! While typically bombardier beetles use tooting as a defense mechanism in the wild, for Luna and her family it is a way to express themselves. Children will enjoy following along with Luna as she introduces each of her family members and the unique ways in which they utilize their talents.
Through fun mini games like practicing toot target-shooting with her dad, doing yoga with her mom, and matching musical melodies with her brothers, the story of Little Luna and her family encourages children to pursue their own special talents even if it sets them apart from others. Additionally, the app’s interactive activities promote concentration, musical expression, and coordination.
“Little Luna was designed not only to teach children about bombardier beetles, but also to allow children to embrace and cherish the qualities that make them unique,” says Sabrina Glodde, project manager for Bastei Entertainment. “With the help of our entire team, we were able to make an engaging app to celebrate children for the individuals they are.”
Features of Little Luna – Big Talent include:
Little Luna – Big Talent is available for $2.99 in the iTunes App Store.
Video trailer: http://youtu.be/KRQrU_nCPqU
About Bastei Entertainment:
Founded in 2010, Bastei Entertainment is the digital department of parent company Bastei Lübbe AG, a leading German trade publisher home to famed authors David Baldacci, Dan Brown, Jeff Kinney, Ken Follett, Lesley Pearse and many more. Dedicated to the development of new innovative products and global digital entertainment, Bastei Entertainment’s in-house development team continuously creates unique multi-media content which translates the written world into digital works such as eBooks, mobile applications and other digitally enhanced products.
For additional information about Bastei Entertainment, please visit the company website at http://www.basteientertainment.com/.
Garner, NC, November 3, 2014 — Butterball is proud to announce the release of its newly redesigned meal-planning app, Butterball Cookbook Plus, now for iOS and Android users. Previously only accessible on iOS devices, Butterball has completely transformed the look and feel of its top-rated cooking app to give Turketarians everywhere easy access to hundreds of recipes, tools and tips to make cooking a complete Thanksgiving feast, or a weeknight family meal, a breeze.
In addition to recipes for main dishes, salads, sides and desserts, the new Butterball Cookbook Plus app is an ideal kitchen companion. The app provides Turketarians with cooking tools like conversion charts and substitution lists; how-to videos including ones on how-to choose the right turkey, how-to roast it and carve it; and Butterball’s helpful cooking calculator to find out just how long it takes to thaw and cook that Thanksgiving Day turkey. Additionally, the new Butterball Cookbook Plus app features nutritional information and promotional offers from Butterball and its valued partners.
“Butterball consistently searches for ways to meet consumers where they are – and that means providing relevant information to an increasingly mobile society,” said Kimberley Metts, manager of consumer promotions for Butterball, LLC. “The redesigned Butterball app now allows consumers who use a variety of different operating systems to take advantage of our turkey expertise no matter what device they use.”
Features of Butterball Cookbook Plus include:
Butterball Cookbook Plus is available now on the iTunes App Store and Google Play for free for a limited time.
For more information on Butterball products, including nutritional details and recipe ideas, visit Butterball.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
About Butterball, LLC:
Headquartered in Garner, N.C., Butterball is the largest producer of turkey products in the U.S. – producing more than 1 billion pounds of turkey each year. For 60 years, the company has provided foodservice and retail products to customers and consumers around the world. As an industry leader in quality, food safety and animal well-being, the company employs numerous processes to ensure the health of flocks and implements recognized prevention measures to exceed food safety standards. Butterball products are currently distributed throughout the U.S. and in more than 45 countries. Butterball operates six processing plants located in North Carolina, Arkansas, Illinois and Missouri.
For consumer questions or information, please visit Butterball.com or call 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372). Visit ButterballCorp.com for corporate information about the company.
Land tricks, collect power-ups and avoid a wipe out in this addictive, turbo charged surf adventure.
Melbourne, Australia – Gamers, surfers, and retro arcade junkies alike are invited to ride the virtual waves of Surfy, an all-new endless-runner from the Australian app development studio DreamWalk Interactive. Surfy is DreamWalk Interactive’s latest independent mobile game following the very successful launch of their top-rated music app Jam for iPhone.
With simple two-finger controls Surfy is a fast paced and strongly addictive ride reminiscent of 8bit classics such as California Games. The ride begins when players are dropped into a wave by helicopter. Players must then stay ahead of the break while navigating exotic locations, performing tricks and collecting power-ups to compete for a spot on the leaderboard.
From surviving violent tropical thunderstorms to performing radical aerial stunts into outer space, surfers rack up points and coins when achievements are unlocked and tricks are landed. Coins are redeemable in the ‘Surf Shop’ for upgraded boards and power-ups for invincibility, gravity-defying jumps, power boosts and more. Click here to view the trailer for Surfy.
“We wanted to put a modern twist on a classic genre,” says Sam Russell, head of development at DreamWalk. “We hope gamers find Surfy as addictive and fun as the games that inspired us to make it.”
Features of Surfy include:
Surfy is available now on the iTunes App Store for free.
About DreamWalk Interactive:
DreamWalk is a boutique app studio based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded by brothers, Joe and Sam Russell in 2008 with the development the world’s first commercial GPS treasure-hunting app, also called DreamWalk. DreamWalk’s most recent game, Jam for iPhone, reached #1 on the App Store music app charts in 26 countries, was featured in dozens of publications and showcased at SXSW 2013.http://www.dreamwalk.com.au/
New York, NY, August 14, 2014 — PromptSmart, the new teleprompter app available for iPad and iPhone, launches today as the first voice-guided public speaking aid with VoiceTrackTM proprietary voice recognition technology.
VoiceTrackTM is a breakthrough in mobile voice recognition technology. It seamlessly follows spoken words and pauses during a speech, adjusting the speed of scrolling text in real time based on the speaker’s actual words and pace. Because the speaker is in total control over the scrolling, PromptSmart delivers a more intuitive experience than even traditional teleprompters and needs no speed calibration. Additionally, the voice recognition processing is completed on the device itself, eliminating the need for an internet data connection.
PromptSmart also recognizes that many speakers prefer to use notes to guide their talks rather than full texts. For this style, PromptSmart includes a digital notecard feature which enables users to stay on-point with functionality to create, rearrange, and set optimum viewing parameters for notecards.
Whatever the style of the speaker, PromptSmart delivers professional tools with cutting-edge technology and an easy-to-use interface. PromptSmart is the ultimate presentation companion to de-stress any public speaking occasion in business, at school, on the campaign trail, or anywhere else.
Founder and CEO Eric Sadkin on PromptSmart: “From my time coaching MBA students in public speaking, I saw an opportunity to significantly improve the speaking experience using today’s mobile technology. PromptSmart aims to be the most advanced, accessible speech aid for any speaker.”
Select features of PromptSmart include:
VoiceTrackTM proprietary voice recognition: PromptSmart follows vocal cues, adjusting scroll speed according to the user’s pace and position in the text (no data/internet connection required).
PromptSmart is available now for a special launch price of $9.99 on the iTunes App Store. For additional information on PromptSmart, visit http://PromptSmart.com, like PromptSmart on Facebook, and follow @PromptSmart on Twitter.
About PromptSmart:
PromptSmart was born out of a passion for public speaking. As a Communications Fellow at Wharton Business School, PromptSmart CEO and Founder Eric Sadkin coached and mentored students in the art of public speaking. Realizing that many orators would be better supported by an intuitive, speaker-controlled teleprompter and a way to digitally create and display notes, Sadkin also recognized that today’s mobile devices could address these needs. With these in mind, PromptSmart was created. For more information, visit PromptSmart.com.
Learn what it takes to make it as an artist and win real world prizes in the process in this industry simulation game for iPhone and iPad.
August 12, 2014, Sacramento, CA – Today, music fans everywhere can step into the shoes of their favorite artist and get an inside look at what it really takes to make it as a professional performer. TourStar, conceptualized by entertainment executive Brandon Pankey of Music Players Group and brought to life with the help of Eddie Meehan of GroundCtrl, is the first iOS sim game of its kind to bring tour life and the perks and challenges that come with it to the mobile screen.
Like any new artist just starting out, first-time players of TourStar are faced with a number of decisions like; What should their look be? Should they sign with a label or stay independent? Should they go on tour right away or record an album? Who should they trust for advice?; and much more.
As the game progresses players learn that just like in real life, every decision they make has an impact on their career in some way.
As players make their way through levels of the game, touring the country, recording albums and building their in-game fame, they become eligible to win real world prize packages including concert tickets and VIP meet-and-greets with their favorite artists!
“TourStar is life in the music industry,” states Brandon Pankey. “The game is a fun way to peek into the life of a performer as they try to make it to superstardom. And the fact that gamers get to actually win real prizes like tickets and passes to their favorite artists’ shows is pretty cool too.”
Additional Features of TourStar include:
– Design a personalized 3D avatar to match players’ music style and fashion preferences.
– Virtually tour the country, gaining experience and building a fanbase.
– Record albums and release them to boost fame.
– Improve musicianship with mini-games that keep players’ instruments in tune and shows in high-gear.
– Build a virtual band, and get advice from managers, agents and record labels.
TourStar is available now for free on the iTunes App Store. Connect with TourStar on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates on prize packages, gaming advice, news, and more.
About TourStar:
Conceptualized by entertainment executive Brandon Pankey of Music Players Group and brought to life with the help of Eddie Meehan of GroundCtrl, a Sacramento, California-based artist engagement company and AtomicChimp, a leading mobile development shop in Redmond, Wash. Additional music for the game was produced by Roc Nation producer Jahlil Beats and Dilemma. For more information, visit www.tourstarapp.com.
There’s no denying how much we love apps, but we especially love apps for kids that are not only fun, but also educational. Apps claim to make learning fun, develop important skills, and give kids a head start on learning, but are they actually helpful to your child’s learning? In short — yes! A recent study commissioned by developer Motion Math suggests that significant learning can occur with the right apps. They can improve test scores as well as change a child’s attitude toward a subject. According to researcher Dr. Kate Highfield, quality apps can enhance learning incredibly, specifically when dealing with practicing specific skills or encouraging the child to create their own ideas and communicate in new ways. Quality apps can be like digital blank piece of paper, leaving room for the child to make or do anything with them. When used correctly and in combination with traditional mediums like books, apps do have a place in your little ones growth and development and are much more than a simple distraction device. Check out a few quality apps we love listed below.
1. Fun with Colors
Recommended for kids 2 to 5
$2.99, no in-app purchases
We love the adorable animations and interactions this app offers to its young users. It’s refreshing to see a new approach to experiencing the world of colors. What truly makes this app special is it’s teaching through storytelling that’s easy to follow. This app encourages creativity by allowing the user to create their own images, and this is what makes it such a quality app. Rather than limiting what a child can do on the app, it gives them the freedom to create their very own masterpieces. Download the app for iPhone and iPad here, or for Android here.
2. Freefall Spelling
Recommended for kids 4 and up
$1.99, no in-app purchases
We enjoy the many different options the user can choose from when practicing their spelling, and it’s definitely encouraging to see that Freefall Spelling won a Parents’ Choice Award. What makes this app amazing is the option to enter your child’s own spelling list from school. We love when our little ones stay motivated, so what better way than by the apps use of the reward system. For spelling a correct word, a fish is rewarded for their virtual tank. Download the app for iPhone and iPad here.
3. Marble Math Junior
Recommended for kids 6 to 8
$2.99, no in-app purchases
We applaud this app for challenging its little users to solve math problems and recognize numbers in a fun way! Their little hands will be able to guide their marble through fun mazes that will make learning enjoyable. Being based on the Common Core Curriculum makes this app worth checking out. Marble Math Junior has been widely recognized, winning the 2013 Parents’ Choice Award and Common Sense Media 2013 ON for Learning Award. Download the app for iPhone and iPad here.
4. BrainPOP Jr. Movie of the Week
Recommended for kids 6 to 8
Free, no in-app purchases
We love that this great app gives kids lots to think about —some of its video content may be challenging, but it’s definitely interesting and explained in a manner your youngsters will understand. They’ll learn something new each week with a different animated video. You can even test what they’ve seen though related quizzes and educational activities. The gentle, humorous, and relatable characters serve as guides through each topic, empowering your child to form their own ideas. Plus, the app has no in-app purchases, which protects your own wallet while your kids use the app. Download the app for iPhone and iPad here, or for Android here.
5. Britannica Kids: U.S. Presidents
Recommended for kids 6 and up
$1.99, no in-app purchases
We appreciate how this app makes it easy for kids to learn about America’s history, with concise information and fun facts provided for each president. It makes learning about each president much more interesting and entertaining. It truly brings the Oval Office into your living room and makes it enjoyable for not just your child, but also the whole family to learn something new about their favorite president, or quiz each other. Download the app for iPhone and iPad here.
Jessica Egan is a music, social media, and Disneyland enthusiast who currently attends UC Davis and looks forward to a career in either public relations and marketing.
Smartphone software development is both an art and a science. Developers are incredibly protective of the great work that they produce, graphic designers have a passion for aesthetics and user experience designers have insights into the natural way that the product should interact with the user. The project manager binds it all together; keeping the communication open and the information flow between stakeholders just right. We could call this the dream team.
Then we come onto the customer. They are solely interested in a product that works. They have high expectations too and rightly so; mobile introduces a whole new set of user behaviour.
Of course, the customer has an interest of which tasks the development team are undertaking and an outline of the development methodology used. This however means nothing if it fails the core objective or doesn’t solve the problem.
They will be interested in the developments within the mobile industry and could be dazzled by the rumours of the new technology that will change the way we use a smartphone. They will buy into this and that’s a good thing. But the customer has one key goal – to make the product work for them and their customers. Anything else that came before it becomes pointless.
Become the guide
Between Apple and Android there are nearly 15 million smartphone apps available with a scary download and delete mentality. The need for the mobile application to truly meet the needs of the customer and their customers is as important as it ever was. You want longevity and you want engagement.
We must share the customer objective. We must guide the customer down the correct path and deliver the Minimal Viable Product (MVP). We must try not to dilute this with a list of features to make the app more appealing. That can come later down the line and a new release.
As a customer, if this isn’t happening then you need to think about if what you are doing is right.
The job of the development team is to challenge and question the customer brief. To ignite conversation, promote debate and create an even tighter brief. From this, we can then begin to produce the user stories, create tasks and plan out the development sprints. Does this sound familiar? Well, agile development is perfect for keeping communication between the development team and the customer ‘close’ and ‘regular’ but that’s for another post!
But wait…what about testing?
The dream team isn’t complete without a tester right? If you haven’t got a tester or product developer whose job it is to think beyond the screen then who is going to do it? Have this conversation early as it’s going to require careful planning around resource and project milestones.
Yes, we will test the application, Mr. Customer, that’s part of what we do.
I’ve heard this so many times. The reality of the situation is that if you haven’t created a separate line item of costs on your quote to the customer to test the application, then you are only testing against what you know. Generally, this tends to be on a simulator controlled by a mouse, not in the real world with real people doing different things in different locations with different software versions, battery levels, signal strength, mobile phone settings and differing memory levels all at the same time as using the app. Phew!
Quick tips to remember
The below graphic details six points to consider when developing a mobile application. We could have carried on well beyond twenty but we wanted to keep it short and sweet for you!
Be flexible – software development is never 100% right
I started the post by saying that software development is an art and science, which is true. It’s also bespoke and no matter if you are Apple or Google, it will never be 100% perfect. So whilst you must test, test, test you must also keep testing and you must also keep iterating your product development.
There are some things that you just can’t predict. Testing wont give you the answer to these unknown situations. Humans are unpredictable but we can set expectations, minimise risk and plan out a healthy life for the mobile application.
Scott Hague is Managing Director of Integrated Change, a leading enterprise and consumer mobile app development agency. Scott has been involved in delivering over 55 mobile applications across all major platforms. You can find Integrated Change on Facebook or Google+, and Scott Hague is on LinkedIn.
Florida based Winning Blimp today announces Mosaique 1.1 for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad devices. Mosaique is a visually elegant puzzle game designed as the perfect pastime for long lines or lunch breaks. The game allows players to participate in the pastime of Vraxian colonial engineers and destroy small, localized gravitational pockets of sand. Users can develop their own strategy by swapping, lining up, and bursting the tiles in the playing field.
Temple Terrace, Florida – Winning Blimp is proud to announce today the release of their mobile game, Mosaique. Mosaique is a visually elegant puzzle game designed as the perfect pastime for long lines or lunch breaks. The game allows players to participate in the pastime of Vraxian colonial engineers and destroy small, localized gravitational pockets of sand. Users can develop their own strategy by swapping, lining up, and bursting the tiles in the playing field.
“Mosaique is a 10 minute brain snack, ideal for those wanting a short, engaging, intellectual distraction via a beautifully realistic visual interface,” said Alex May, co-founder and creative director of Winning Blimp. “The short length of the game, the graphic style, and even the name ‘Mosaique’ are all elements spawned from the feel of the music: intellectual, yet somehow familiar and accessible. We always prefer to create the music to our games first, and then draw inspiration from that.”
With just seven levels, Mosaique can be easily completed in ten minutes. Arrange and clear tiles of matching colors to beat each level and discover the hidden depths behind this addictive puzzle game. By switching to expert mode, players can use strategic elements to challenge themselves, earn more points, and progress further into the Mosaique. The game combines matching mechanics with a sci-fi theme, paying homage to the 16-bit games from the SNES, Genesis and Amiga era. It also features a 10-minute original soundtrack to help you slip away into the alien world of the Vraxian colonists and their intoxicating intellectual pastime.
Features:
* Algorithmically generated levels. Different each game
* Play as you please. Mosaique gives back as much strategic challenge as you put in
* No time limits. It’s a game, not a test
* 10 minute original soundtrack to help you slip away
* Elegantly designed interface and visual experience
Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires iOS 4.3 or later
* 33.1 MB
Pricing and Availability:
Mosaique 1.1 is only $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category. Mosaique is also available on Google Play and the Amazon App Store. For more information please visit Winning Blimp online and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Winning Blimp
Mosaique 1.1
Purchase and Download (iOS)
Purchase and Download (Google Play)
Purchase and Download (Amazon)
App Icon
Winning Blimp specializes in sci-fi themed games that pay homage to the classic 16-bit games of the Nintendo SNES, Sega Genesis (Megadrive) and Commodore Amiga. Based in both Osaka, Japan and Florida, USA, Winning Blimp is headed by Bear Trickey, a former game designer from Kyoto-based studio Q-Games, and Alex May, a multi-discipline graphic artist and musician. All Material and Software (C) Copyright 2013 Winning Blimp. 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. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.
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Portland, Oregon – Inkstone Mobile, maker of the top-selling speed reading and ebook reader apps, QuickReader, MegaReader, and eBook Search, is expanding their portfolio with the release of a new high quality audiobook app, Audiobooks HQ. Featuring over 5,300 free classic audiobooks, the Audiobooks HQ app gives users unlimited access to more audiobooks than any other app of its kind.
Designed with a stylish user interface and advanced navigation, Audiobooks HQ enables users to easily browse though thousands of their favorite classic audiobooks, download them, and play them back at anytime – no Wi-Fi connection necessary. Audiobooks HQ adjusts to the personal preferences of the user with additional capability to modify the playback speed in 40 steps from .5X to 2.5X without altering the pitch, leave bookmarks, set sleep timers, and skip forward and back through chapters as needed.
Perhaps, the most unique feature of the app, however, is its high quality audio. Audiobooks HQ is the only app that provides access to high quality recordings of its entire catalog.
“Our goal was to give people an easy way to find the best quality free audiobooks available, “says Inkstone Mobile’s founder Patrick Thompson. “Audiobooks HQ does so with its advanced catalog navigation filters, curated recommendations, playback features, and high bitrate downloads to give users the best listening experience available.”
Additional features of Audiobooks HQ include:
* Easy search functions. Find books by most downloaded, top rated, genres, tags, solo read books, language, recent, related books, and Inkstone’s top recommendations
* Leave a note for yourself to come back to your favorite parts of the book with the bookmarks feature
* Exclusive radio theatre audiobooks, originally aired on NPR Playhouse, beautifully performed by Globe Radio Repertory
* Access downloaded audiobooks anytime, anywhere – no network connection needed
Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires iOS 5.0 or later
* 15.3 MB
Pricing and Availability:
Audiobooks HQ by Inkstone Mobile 1.0.1 is $1.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Books category.
Based in Portland, Oregon, Inkstone Mobile is an independent software development company founded by Patrick Thompson. Combining a strong blend of design and development skills, Inkstone Mobile’s passion is to craft elegant, easy-to-use applications for mobile devices. Copyright (C) 2012 Inkstone Mobile. 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.