Square Enix's Bloodmasque was undoubtedly the strangest game I saw at E3 last week, and in a year defined by indie titles and two new HD consoles, I think that's saying something. Square Enix has had a weird time with the App Store -- other companies like Capcom and EA have found a lot of success in smaller titles, but Square Enix has clung to its own console traditions, releasing relatively large and high-quality, high-production titles for a relatively high cost. Bloodmasque follows this trend (though the price has yet to be announced just yet), and it also brings one weird little twist that was actually more charming than I expected.

The game is based in an alternate universe, sort of steampunky version of Paris in 1890, where an empire of vampires (yes, a vampire empire) rules the world. One plucky adventurer has the guts and the magical powers to stand up to those empires, and that adventurer is you. Literally you, I mean, because the game scans your face, and then inserts it right on to the main character. That's me and my character above, though keep in mind that this was day three of E3, so if I look a little tired, that's why.

The face-scanning thing is a gimmick, and yet strangely it works: After my face was scanned in and my hair was tuned to the right shape and color, I watched as my character (a little more fit than I am) saved a damsel in distress, and carried out a vampire fight scene. I tapped to attack, swiped to dodge and then when the vampire was almost dead, pulled off a jumping leap and staked him right in the back of the neck. You can actually record three different faces, so you get one frowning, one standard and one smiling. Each of them can look very different, which can make the animation a little strange. Even under the best of conditions, the face looks weird and a little creepy, sure, but I could tell it was me, so I guess that's the point.

Bloodmasque itself is really just a series of missions, which you navigate around via an overworld map. There's a light social game built on it as well -- you can choose two friends to join you in battle scenes, and their faces will also show up on screen as you play (you can elect to keep your face private, if you like, or you can choose a premade face if you're not interested in showing your mug to the world). Your friends get bonuses when you use them in battle, and vice versa, so having an oft-used mug will earn you more blood for upgrades and XP for missions.

There are exploration levels, too, but I found them pretty bland, unfortunately. We'll have to wait until the full game arrives to see if the story pulls us in at all. But the setting is distinct (steampunk is always a plus), and that face gimmick makes for a very interesting twist indeed. If the combat can sustain the fun, Bloodmasque could be a riotous way to put a character together, featuring your very own look.

Square Enix seems attached to the idea that selling premium games at a premium price will work, and I'm not one to disavow them of that, especially as lots of other companies race towards the bottom. Bloodmasque should be an interesting experiment -- it's set to come out sometime later on this summer.

Square Enix uses your face for action in Bloodmasque originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Square Enix uses your face for action in Bloodmasque originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thinking of buying new headphones for listening to music on your iPhone or iPod touch? You might want to try the Dirac HD Player or the Lite version instead to see if it can improve the sound from the headphones that came with your iOS music player.

Dirac is a Swedish company that does all kinds of high-end electronic equalization for the auto and electronics industry. You can hear their work in BMW, Rolls-Royce or Bentley autos, not that I get into too many Bentleys or other high-end cars...

Dirac has applied its sonic expertise to fixing some of the audio issues with Apple's headsets. The app is not designed for any other headset, as the EQ is quite specific to Apple's original iPhone and iPod touch headphones or EarPods.

The Lite version is free, and doesn't allow you to create or modify playlists, but the audio quality for the free and paid version (US$2.99) is the same.

I gave the app a listen on a variety of rock, jazz and classical tunes I had on my iPhone, and overall I would say the sound improved. My tests were with the Apple EarPods that came with my iPhone 5. The midrange seemed to be boosted, the edge was taken off strings and there was a bit more distinctness to the bass lines. Sometimes I felt the sound was different, not necessarily better, but in most cases I liked the improvement. There are no adjustments to make, other than to decide if you are listening on Apple headphones or EarPods.

A couple of caveats. You can only listen to music from your iTunes library. It won't work on other audio sources, like streaming radio. iTunes Match and iTunes in the Cloud aren't supported yet either, but they are coming.

If you are interested, I would suggest trying the free version to see if you like the sound improvement. If so, you might want to spring for the paid version for the extra flexibility.

I've listened to some other audio enhancers like the SRS iWow app and hardware solution. The results are more dramatic than the Dirac app, but the SRS app requires a hardware clip-on. However, it does work with any headphones and has many more adjustments.

The Dirac HD Players are optimized for the iPhone 5, and require iOS 5.1 or better.

Gallery: Dirac HD Player

Dirac HD Player can improve the Apple headphone and EarPod experience originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dirac HD Player can improve the Apple headphone and EarPod experience originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A new update has been released for the popular social video app Vine that adds a sharing button beneath posts in your feed, along with the standard bug fixes that come with every update. Sharing is a nice touch that the app has been sorely lacking since its launch. When you hit share, you're given a list of options: Twitter, Facebook or embed.

When you share your own videos, the link is sent directly to the feed of your choice with no option to insert a personal message. The Vine is simply shared with the text you attached to it. However, when you share a friend's Vine you're given the option of attaching your own text to the repost, so you can tag friends... or perhaps enemies.

You can find the Vine version 1.1.3 in the App Store right now.

Vine 1.1.3 update adds a share button originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Vine 1.1.3 update adds a share button originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Agricola is one of the most popular board games around these days -- it's sort of a farming simulation game, where you can take two turns every round, and then periodically get rewards paid off in a harvest. Playdek is an up-and-coming iOS developer that's mostly done card games so far -- they're behind the Penny Arcade card game, as well as the excellent Ascension and a more complicated one I really like called Nightfall. Now, Playdek has teamed up with the creators of Agricola and Lookout Games to produce this iOS adaptation, available right now on the App Store for US$6.99.

The way the game works is that every round, you send out a family member to perform some task for you, including growing crops, bringing in resources or building fences for animals. During the game, you can add more members to your family, which means you'll have more chances to bring in resources, but you'll also have more people to feed when the harvest comes around. The game is complex, but the core idea (of building up your farm bit by bit) is strong, so after playing through the tutorial and seeing the process for a while, it's easy to start building your own strategies and plans.

Just as with the rest of their titles, Playdek has done a great job here in the presentation -- the game's stark but beautiful music goes well with the theme of fighting just to have enough, and all of the title's various processes and features are clearly displayed with charming and iconic touches. The game uses a top-down 2D drawn style, which might not have been quite as impressive as a full 3D farm environment, but works very well in getting all of the information you need across clearly. Plus, in addition to four gameplay modes, there's online or offline multiplayer, including a pass-and-play mode which is always a nice. Playdek knows well how to translate card games over to iOS, and this title proves they've been able to bring that expertise to board games as well. Agricola might be a bit pricey for those unfamiliar (or uninterested) in the original, but if you're looking for a full-featured, well-made adaptation of the popular board game, this is definitely it.

Daily iPhone App: Agricola is Playdek's great adaptation of the board game originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPhone App: Agricola is Playdek's great adaptation of the board game originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The excellent iOS RPG Knights of Pen and Paper has been updated to the +1 Edition (as we heard it would be back at GDC) and is now available as a free update on the App Store. This new version, which is technically 2.02, brings lots of new content, game updates, new dungeons to explore and many other extras. For example, there's now a place called The Tavern, where you can keep old heroes and swap in new ones. Several new battle options nearly turned Knights of Pen and Paper into entirely new game.

The +1 edition was spurred on by the game's new publisher, Paradox. Thanks to that collaboration, the game is also now available on Steam for US$9.99. But again, the iOS version is a free update, so if you've grabbed the game already, do be sure to download and give this version a try. If you haven't purchased it yet, you can grab it now for $2.99.

Knights of Pen and Paper now updated to +1 edition originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Knights of Pen and Paper now updated to +1 edition originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Casual artists looking to expand their sketching skills to the iPad should take a close look at Tayasui Sketches. The app landed in the iOS App Store earlier this month and rivals Paper as one of the best easy-to-use sketchbook apps.

Sketches reminds me of an artist's workbench with a canvas in the middle and a handful of tools neatly arranged on the side. Sketches includes six drawing tools, one fill tool and one eraser to get you started. You can use a US$1.99 in-app purchase to buy the complete set of 12 tools and their interchangeable tips. Besides the new tools, the pro version also gives you the ability to change the size and opacity of your tool tip.

Sketches may look simple on the surface, but there are a few key features that make the app a useful tool for serious sketchers and not just child's play. First and foremost is the ability to zoom in on the canvas and add small details to a drawing. It's great for adding a wrinkle to a forehead or the veins on a leaf. You can also draw a shape and fill it in with a pattern in one or two taps. You can even tweak the colors using a level tool that'll let you get the right hue, saturation and brightness. About the only thing missing from the app is support for notebooks. It would be wonderful to be able to group your individual sketches into a notebook to organize them.

Tayasui Sketches is available for free from the iOS App Store.

Daily iPad App: Tayasui Sketches is a basic, but beautiful sketching app originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPad App: Tayasui Sketches is a basic, but beautiful sketching app originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As noted by AppleInsider, AT&T has begun its FaceTime over cellular rollout to users. Back in May, AT&T stated that, by the end of 2013, all users would be able to use FaceTime over cellular. It appears that transition has begun. According to AppleInsider:

So far, activation of the service has been verified in parts of New York, Maryland, Georgia, Louisiana, California and Hawaii. Voice and video quality is nearly on a par with the WiFi implementation of the service, suggesting AT&T is not throttling those subscribers who choose to use the feature while on the go.

In January AT&T began rolling out FaceTime over cellular to users of its tiered data plans. By the time this current rollout is complete, all AT&T users will be able to use FaceTime over cellular, including those on grandfathered-in unlimited data plans.

[Editor's Note: A couple of weeks ago I noticed FaceTime over cellular was enabled for me, and I'm in Tennessee -- others confirm similar activations in the state. - VA]

AT&T begins FaceTime over cellular rollout originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AT&T begins FaceTime over cellular rollout originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When it comes to getting music from your iOS device to a good speaker, there are a lot of different methods. There's the tried and true dock method, which can fall to pieces when Apple comes out with a new connector design as they did last year with Lightning. Some manufacturers have the mistaken hope that people will just use an adapter and a pair of wires to run to a speaker or two, while the vast majority have gone the route of Bluetooth. Wren Sound Systems has changed all that with a Wi-Fi connected AirPlay speaker called the V5AP (US$399) that is provides excellent sound reproduction in a beautiful design.

Design

The unique design of the Wren Sound Systems V5AP speaker is an eye-catcher. Whether you're using the V5AP in a crowded, dirty dorm room or a mansion, the gently curving lines and wood surfaces immediately draw your eyes to the speaker. The case is finished in either a light finished bamboo or in deep, rich rosewood. Along the front of the speaker is a silvery grille that is backed with a diamond (shaped) matrix so that music is pumped through without distortion.

On one end of the speaker is a vertical array of controls. Unlike the confusing mess that many speakers clutter up the control panel with, this simply has four buttons: a power button, a set of volume buttons, and a button for selecting input (Wi-Fi, USB, or AUX). LEDs glow unobtrusively on the speaker case and don't tend to glare or attract undue attention.

Gallery: Wren Sound Systems V5AP AirPlay Speaker

There are a pair of 19 mm edge-driven soft dome tweeters, one at each end of the speaker, to produce a nice, open sound. On the bass end are two long-throw drivers with 4-layer voice coils. The bottom of the case is covered with a 4 mm silicone pad to absorb transmitted vibration when you really have the volume cranked up.

Inside that enclosure you'll also find an Intersil D2 50 Watt DSP-controlled digital amplifier to drive all of the speakers, along with the other fun electronics. There's a tuned acoustic port on the back to help the bass along, and the back is also where you'll find a setup button, USB port and AC adapter connection. By the way, if there's one thing I have to say is a failing of the V5AP is that it comes with a rather generic AC adapter and power brick. Fortunately, it has a nice long cable so you can increase the distance between power outlet and speaker.

Last but not least, the box includes a remote control that I frankly never touched, preferring to use the controls on my iOS devices. Note that the V5 speaker also comes in a Google Play-Fi version (V5PF), and a Bluetooth version is in the works.

Functionality

Setup of the Wren Sound Systems V5AP is very simple. The company actually provides two methods; I chose to use my iPhone to set it up. Basically, you plug in the speaker, turn it on, make sure that USB is selected for connectivity, and then plug your iPhone or other iOS device into the speaker. Almost immediately, a dialog appears on the iOS screen asking if you wish to share your Wi-Fi settings with the speaker. Tap OK, and a few moments later your V5AP is joined to your Wi-Fi network. You can unplug the iPhone at this point, although I kept mine plugged in for a while to give it a charge!

Next, it's just a matter of selecting the speaker from the AirPlay controls on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. You'll want to make sure that the speaker has good Wi-Fi connectivity, but once you're connected you can begin playing music...

...and that's where the joy of this product comes in. The sound is full, crisp, and just plain amazing. The V5AP sounds better than any other AirPlay speaker, Bluetooth speaker, or dock that I've reviewed. I was able to crank this speaker up to the point that the floor was shaking and the sound was still undistorted.

Regarding my comment about needing good Wi-Fi connectivity: I moved the speaker to several locations, one that's a known "dead spot" on my Wi-Fi network. While I still had connectivity, traffic from the MyFi card in the camera I was using for photographs actually caused the connection to drop momentarily. Bringing the speaker back into an area with better Wi-Fi coverage resolved this issue.

Conclusion

Many AirPlay or Bluetooth speakers on the market are plagued with either boring design, bad sound, or complicated setup. Wren's V5AP is simple to set up, pleasant to look at, and boasts audiophile sound quality.

Pros

• Beautiful case design
• Easy to use controls
• Simple and fast setup
• Best-in-class sound quality

Cons

• Uninspired use of a generic AC adapter that Steve Jobs would hate

Who is it for?

• The connoisseur of good design and excellent sound quality -- in other words, the V5AP is perfect for any Apple customer

Wren Sound Systems V5AP AirPlay speaker: Stunning design, incredible sound originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wren Sound Systems V5AP AirPlay speaker: Stunning design, incredible sound originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chillingo, unfortunately, wasn't mentioned at all during EA's press conference last week. I thought the big publisher would at least give a little nod to its extremely successful mobile publishing arm, but no such luck. I did, however, go and see the team gathered in their annual suite near the LA Convention Center, and got a nice look at their upcoming slate for the next few months. Here's a quick title-by-title rundown of what Chillingo and parent company EA were showing off.

Plants vs. Zombies 2

This is technically not a Chillingo title, as it's being developed by Popcap and published by EA. But it was probably what will turn out to be the biggest title in the suite for sure. Plants vs. Zombies was a huge hit on mobile, and so Popcap is bringing it first to iOS later on this month. In addition to new plant types and lots of new stages, the title has a time traveling theme. Crazy Dave will take you and your plants back through time to fight zombies in Ancient Egypt, the Wild West, and the pirate-infested seas, with one more (probably a future) level coming soon after launch.

This time around, the game is based on that series of worlds, so each world will have its own core levels, challenge levels, and then endless levels to play through. Levels are unlocked as you open them up with keys that you collect, and you'll need to earn a certain number of stars to open up "star gates" and move to the next world. Gameplay is as colorful and fun as ever in the very popular Plants vs. Zombies series, though there are a few new elements, like the ability to drag across the screen and pick up sunlight, rather than having to tap on each sun separately.

There are also new touchscreen-based powerups to play with, and this is where the game's biggest issue comes in: It's a freemium title. The original Plants vs. Zombies was very much a premium game, in that you paid once and played forever. But Popcap has elected to go freemium with PvZ2, so it'll be free to download, and then various currencies and items will be available via in-app purchase. Popcap's reps were very clear to say that players would be able to see the whole game for free, and that's true, but even in my short playthrough, I saw no end of reminders that I could spend real money on in-game items. Powerups cost currency to use, which you can earn in-game, or you can spend real money on them if needed. And a special item called plant food provides your plants with a big boost, and can be collected from certain zombies or purchased directly.

The jury's out on this one for now -- we'll have to wait and see if the changes bother Popcap's audience at all. Popcap believes there's more money to be made with a freemium scheme, and that's almost certainly true. But the freemium elements may turn off a sizable part of the audience that doesn't want to be continuously bothered for cash, and could taint the series' otherwise sterling reputation for quality. Plants vs. Zombies 2 is due out very soon.

Fightback

Fightback is a Chillingo-published title being developed by Ninja Theory, the talented folks behind the great Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and the recent DmC: Devil May Cry, both for traditional consoles. Fightback is a much simpler action game with an '80s feel, as you play a muscle-headed thug fighting through floor after floor of various towers, trying to save his oft-kidnapped sister. The game features a simple control scheme (tap to punch, swipe to kick or duck), and challenges the player to keep an attack combo going and defeat all of the baddies within a certain time limit.

Fightback seems simple but fun -- one level takes place in an arcade, and the neon signage and fictional arcade cabinets add a nice bit of fun to the fisticuffs happening in the foreground. It too is a freemium title, and in addition to upgrading weapons and equipment, the hero can also get tattoos, which provide special buffs and abilities. Fightback should be an excellent but simple action title, and a nice entry into iOS for the veterans at Ninja Theory. It's set to arrive sometime this summer.

Zya

Zya is the product of a company called Music Mastermind, and it has already picked up 300,000 users courtesy of a PC-based beta last year. It's a music creation app, though while most music creation tools are buried under complicated UIs and science, Zya instead goes with cute characters and flashy graphics, and turns the process of creating and mixing a song into a game, of sorts. You start by choosing a series of music tracks (including a bass line and a rhythm section), either picking from the original pieces provided, or using licensed music from artists like Kelly Clarkson or Madonna. You can then add a melody, again from a licensed piece, or simply by singing your own into the iPad or iPhone's microphone.

The game will then mix all of your tracks together (courtesy of a cute cartoony dog hitting a big green "Mix" button), and then reward you various points and achievements based on the mix you chose. You can then share that mix via YouTube or other social networks, with friends or online with the public.

Zya seems like a great idea -- it combines some really impressive music creation and mixdown tools with cute characters and a very clear interface. There are only 20 licensed songs to start, but of course the company is ready to add more, if the app sees the popularity it needs. Zya will be out later this year, on iOS first, with an Android version to follow.

Icycle

Icycle was my favorite game at GDC this year, and we chatted with creator Reece Millidge just a while ago. The good news about Icycle is that it's just as beautiful, charming, and well-made as it was at GDC, and it's even closer to release (though obviously Chillingo is putting the time in to get it right).

The bad news, however, is that some freemium elements are creeping into the gorgeous gameplay. Now, when your character dies, you're presented with a button to retry right from where you started, with a small cost of currency to pay (undoubtedly available via in-app purchase). There are also various boosts and other items buy, and unfortunately the menus for those items just appear garish and commercial when overlaid on the spectacular game itself. Icycle has to make money, of course, but it's a little depressing to see commerce invade what should really be held up as pure art.

We'll have to see how that balance plays out -- it would be a shame for Chillingo to ruin such an excellent experience with a few overly crass sales pitches. Icycle is almost done, I'm told, and we should see it on the App Store soon.

Ultima Forever

Finally, Ultima Forever was on display yet again. I saw this in action at GDC for the first time, and it was and impressive retake on the old Ultima RPGs, made directly for iPhone. Unfortunately, it too suffers a little bit from the freemium focus that Chillingo has had lately, using a relatively annoying scheme of requiring keys of various qualities to do RPG-standard things like open chests and repair damaged equipment.

Fortunately, senior producer Carrie Gouskos seems particularly sensitive to the freemium concerns, especially after what sounds like a very enlightening Canadian beta. She told me that she's very dedicated to not only making sure there's a free-to-play path through the game that's fun and rewarding, but has also been lowering prices lately, trying to get the in-app purchases to a place where they're both profitable (for Chillingo's sake), and tolerable (for the audience's). We'll be able to see the game soon -- it's set for a worldwide release sometime in July.

Chillingo is one of my favorite publishers on the App Store -- the staff over there has made some terrific decisions in partnering up with quality developers, and all of these titles seem like great, well-polished experiences. Freemium is turning into a bad word with these titles, however, even when it doesn't have to be. We've seen in the past that audiences on iOS are more than willing to pay for high-quality experiences, and while the constant ask may make Chillingo more money in the end, it could sully the company's reputation, especially as there are more and more great experiences on the App Store that don't constantly pester for cash. Hopefully this company can find a good balance between profitable and fun, and keep publishing these great titles without having to cram them full of controversial freemium pitches.

EA/Chillingo's E3 2013 offerings: Plants vs Zombies 2, Fightback and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

EA/Chillingo's E3 2013 offerings: Plants vs Zombies 2, Fightback and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I first got to see Solstice Arena, Zynga's latest iOS entry, at GDC earlier this year, and then had a short meeting again last week with the publisher at E3. But you no longer have to take my word on what it's like: The game arrived on iOS worldwide last week, so you can grab the free-to-download title at your leisure.

And I recommend you do. Zynga has a reputation for pushy freemium elements in goofy casual titles, but I can confirm this game has none of that. This is a true mobile MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) title, similar to League of Legends, but very iOS-centric in its delivery. The game has been simplified in a lot of very smart ways, producing a high-quality title that's very impressive. In my own play, I've found some minor balance issues (the healer character, for example, seems awfully overpowered, especially when teamed up with a burly bruiser), but I am sure those will get evened out as the game gets periodic updates and tweaks.

And while yes, this is a freemium title, that part is also done very intelligently. The freemium elements are mostly confined to customization and convenience. Just like League of Legends, the game opens up a number of free heroes to play every week, so there's ongoing variety even if you never spend a dime. And if you do, real money can only buy you custom skins for the heroes you own, or can pay for boosts in your own XP, so spending money doesn't affect the gameplay at all. Prices are a bit high (which is something else I expect will likely be tweaked in a future update), but all in all, the freemium elements almost never get in the way of the gameplay, which is very respectable on Zynga's part.

In short, Solstice Arena is exactly the kind of game Zynga needs to help cleanse its reputation as a money-grabbing casual publisher. I would hesitate to call it truly hardcore (I think the game needs about double the heroes and maybe another map or mode to really start comparing its depth to a standard PC MOBA), but it's definitely a "mid-core" experience that delivers a lot of fun. If you're a MOBA fan or just want to see what Zynga is doing right lately, give it a download and a try on iPhone or iPad.

Daily iPhone App: Solstice Arena is Zynga's shot at multiplayer online battle arenas originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPhone App: Solstice Arena is Zynga's shot at multiplayer online battle arenas originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automattic, the company behind Wordpress, has purchased the iOS Wordpress client Poster. Developer Tom Witkin is joining Wordpress' mobile team with the aim of bringing his app's unique features to Wordpress' own app.

Sadly, progress for Wordpress means Poster is no longer available in the app store, but there's a bright spot for those who've already picked it up. Users who already own the app will be able to re-download it from their accounts and Witkin has announced that he will continue to provide support.

Poster brought a number of features not found in the company's own apps to Wordpress users, including Dropbox integration for importing articles from the cloud, support for Markdown and the ability to choose your own URL slug for posts. While it's sad to see Poster leave the App Store, it's nice to know Wordpress' own apps will most likely be seeing these improvements in the future.

Automattic buys third-party Wordpress app Poster to improve its own mobile apps originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Automattic buys third-party Wordpress app Poster to improve its own mobile apps originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With the impending doom of Google Reader just around the corner on July 1, RSS fans have been searching for an alternative to their beloved feed. Digg has heard their cries, and will be launching the first public beta of its new Reader replacement, called Digg Reader, next week.

The beta will slowly roll out at first, but Digg promises it will be available to everyone by June 26. Digg has made it clear the service will become a freemium product, akin to services like Evernote which provide free services with extra paid options available to those willing to pay. However, all of the features available during the free beta will remain part of the free version of the reader in the future.

Digg Reader will come with migration tools to help you move your feeds from Google Reader. In addition, Digg promises the core product will feature mobile apps that sync with your Reader web page, a clean layout that focuses on article content and support for subscribing, sharing, saving and organizing.

The mobile beta will launch on Digg's iOS app, with Android support coming in the 60 days following launch. Other upcoming features include integration of third-party services like Buffer and Evernote and improved sorting and filtering of feeds, notifications and search.

Digg Reader beta launching next week on iOS originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Digg Reader beta launching next week on iOS originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The long-awaited iOS version of XCOM: Enemy Unknown is almost here. 2K Games has announced that it will be available on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch Thursday at a premium price of US$19.99.

Firaxis' excellent remake of the old PC game arrived on consoles last year to critical acclaim, and now it's coming to iOS with all of the single player features of the main release. Multiplayer mode is coming later on, and will be added in an update a little further down the road.

That price might be the most notable thing about this one. Lots of developers are going with freemium on iOS lately, claiming that there's just not a big enough audience willing to pay a higher price to justify anything but giving games away for free. But XCOM is definitely a premium experience, and I think that there are plenty of gamers out there willing to pay $20 for a game worth the quality (XCOM is still selling in stores for $50 or $60 on consoles and PC). Firaxis apparently agrees, so if XCOM turns out to be a hit, we may see more developers and publishers trusting the premium price for their highest quality games.

A hit here could also kick off a trend of even more developers bringing out their AAA titles to iOS, possibly even closer to the same day and release date of consoles and PCs. We'll see how this all plays out. If nothing else, we're all set to get another excellent game on iPhone and iPad this coming Thursday.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown arrives on iOS on June 20 for $20 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown arrives on iOS on June 20 for $20 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype is usually about communicating in real time, but today the Microsoft subsidiary added a new feature that works even in those cases when your recipient isn't going to be able to see you right now -- video messaging. Skype Video Messaging has been in beta for a while; today the free feature is becoming available to all users.

All video messages are sent and received free of charge, regardless of how often you wish to share video snippets with friends and family. Messages can be up to three minutes long. Although there are no editing tools built into the current incarnation of Skype video messaging, you can always go back and re-record your message until it's perfect.

Updates to Skype for Mac, iPhone and iPad are expected to be out later today to enable video messaging for all users. In the meantime, enjoy the video below showing how the feature will work.

Skype adds video messaging to Skype for Mac, iPhone and iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Skype adds video messaging to Skype for Mac, iPhone and iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crytek is the company behind the Crysis series of games, as well as the CryEngine game engine that powers them, and it's released a game on iOS before. Now, it looks like the AAA developer is planning to make a return to Apple's touchscreen platform, with a new game called The Collectibles (or The Collectables, depending on who you hear about it from). Last week at WWDC, Crytek showed off the new game during a panel, and as you can see above, the game looks like a top-down action title, probably a shooter of some description.

The other interesting thing you'll notice about the game is that the developer demoing it was using a controller. iOS 7, you'll remember, adds official Apple support for "Made for iPhone" controllers, and we've already seen this hardware leaking out into the world. There have already been a number of third-party controllers available for iPhone and iOS devices, but it looks like Apple is finally supporting buttons officially, and Crytek's game might be one of the first titles to work with this new standard. The game also uses the touchscreen, however, so you probably won't absolutely need to have a controller just to play.

Of course, that probably also means we won't see The Collectibles in action until iOS 7 is out, which means sometime later on this year. Hopefully we'll get a chance to see the game in action sooner rather than later.

Crytek showed off a new iOS title called The Collectibles at WWDC originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Crytek showed off a new iOS title called The Collectibles at WWDC originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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During last week's WWDC 2013 keynote address, support for MFi -- Made For iPhone / iPad / iPod -- game controllers at the iOS SDK level was quickly noted on one slide. Since that time, TUAW has discussed why this is so important to not only game developers, but Apple as a whole since a combination of an iOS device, a MFi controller and an Apple TV could easily make dedicated gaming consoles a thing of the past. Now 9to5Mac and several other websites are showing an image of a prototype MFi game controller from accessory manufacturer Logitech.

The rather blurry image showed a Logitech controller on top of a glass surface. Fortunately, 9to5Mac commenter "clstr0ud" had a much clearer image taken from a slide from the WWDC "Platforms State of the Union" session. As noted on that image (seen above), developers had an opportunity to test out these prototypes during lab sessions.

The fuzzier anonymous photo shows that the controller is designed to work with a newer, Lightning adapter-equipped iPhone or iPod touch. No date has been set for release of the device, nor is there any assurance that this is Logitech's final design for the controller.

Prototype Logitech MFi game controller pics surface on web originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Prototype Logitech MFi game controller pics surface on web originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's always busy in the App Store with a never ending flood of new apps landing on iOS and OS X. Take a few minutes and check out our list of standout titles from the past few weeks!

New iOS Apps

Songbirds of North America [iPad; Category: Reference; $5.99] Sharpen your identification and voice recognition skills with this remarkable app featuring the spectacular beauty and the lovely, melodic voices of 220 North American breeding songbirds in seven families. The app includes fun and interactive games designed for entertainment, challenge, and learning.

Mysugr [iPhone; Category: Medical; Free] Diabetes Management Made Fun (...Almost).

Dictonic [iPhoneCategory: Social Networking; Free] Snap a picture, record audio, pick one of amazing voice changing effects and post it to Facebook and Twitter - as simple as this.

Mobile for Office 365 subscribers [iPhone; Category: Productivity; Free] Microsoft Office Mobile is the official Office companion optimized for your iPhone.

Nave [iPad; Category: Music; $11.99] Nave - next generation Wavetable SynthesisNave is Waldorf's first synthesizer App development - created by chief engineer and director Stefan Stenzel, NLog mastermind Rolf Wöhrmann and Design Guru Axel Hartmann.

WhosCall- Call Filter and Number Search [iPhone; Category: Utilities; $0.99] WhosCall is the leading app for Call Filter and Number Search, with a global number database of over 600 million entries.

Galileo Organ [iPad; Category: Music; $4.99] Galileo is the professional tonewheel & transistor modeling organ for your iPad and iPad Mini.

Performance Stretching [iPhone; Category: Health & Fitness; $2.99] Everything you know about stretching is wrong. Performance Stretching will show you how to do it right.

SessionBand - Piano Edition [iOS Universal; Category: Music; $5.99] Create pro-quality piano backing tracks for any song in minutes with the world's only chord-based audio loop app.

SessionBand - Acoustic Guitar Edition [iOS Universal; Category: Music; $5.99] Create pro-quality acoustic guitar backing tracks for any song in minutes with the world's only chord-based audio loop app.

SessionBand - Jazz Edition [iOS Universal; Category: Music; $8.99] Create pro-quality jazz tracks in minutes with the world's only chord-based audio loop app.

BigMind Pro - Mind Mapping [iPad; Category: Productivity; $4.99] BigMind is a perfect tool to create a mind map. It can record your ideas, create to-do list, take note at meeting and anywhere else you require a fast, intuitive method to collect ideas and information.

Agricola [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $6.99] Simple to understand and great fun, Agricola lets everyone play to the end in a race to see who can build the most productive farm.

Despicable Me: Minion Rush [iOS Universal; Category: Games; Free] Gru's loyal, yellow, gibberish-speaking Minions are ready for their toughest challenge in Despicable Me: Minion Rush.

Man of Steel HD [iPad; Category: Games; $4.99] General Zod has begun the invasion of Earth and only the Man of Steel can stop him. Utilize the powers of Superman to fight your way to victory and save the planet from certain destruction.

Tribal Quest [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $0.99] Set in a lush, dynamic landscape, Tribal Quest charts the story of Holos Prime, a planet ravaged by war and populated by tribes with only one goal - to survive.

Fighting Fantasy: The Forest of Doom [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $5.99] Fighting Fantasy returns with Ian Livingstone's classic, The Forest of Doom.Take part in one of the classic gamebook experiences that introduced a whole generation to fantasy role-playing games.

Sherlock Holmes 2 [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $1.99] Prowl the shadows of the Belton School grounds and shadow suspects through the crowds of London in this thrilling adventure.

Avengers Alliance [iOS Universal; Category: Games; Free] Team up with the Avengers, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and S.H.I.E.L.D. to harness the potential of this new power before Dr. Doom, Loki, and the world's most powerful villains beat you to it.

Gangstar Vegas [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $6.99] Roll up on a dangerous new trip through the City of Sin in the latest episode of the acclaimed open-world action series.

New OS X Apps

Muzzy [OS X; Category: Music; Free] Muzzy is a tiny and gorgeous iTunes companion that lives on your Menu Bar.

LevelFix [OS X; Category: Music; $4.99] A powerful and highly useful new tool for correcting or adjusting the audio level at multiple points in your music and video files.

Mr. Runner 2: The Masks [OS X; Category: Games; $0.99] Mr. Runner 2: The Masks, the critically acclaimed multi-million selling iOS game, is now available on Mac.

New and Notable Apps for iOS and OS X - June 17, 2013 edition originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New and Notable Apps for iOS and OS X - June 17, 2013 edition originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Speaking at All Things D in 2010, Steve Jobs famously predicted that "PCs are going to be like trucks": specialised devices that only appeal to people with particular demands of their computing experience while ordinary people would come to prefer smartphones and tablets for all their computing activities. Last month, Enders Analysis consultant Benedict Evans gave a presentation at BookExpo America entitled "Mobile Is Eating The World." In it, he laid out a thorough series of metrics that suggest, when taken as a whole, that the scale of the post-PC opportunity is somewhere between 'ginormous' and 'staggering' -- and that Jobs's vision is coming inexorably to pass.

Now, I don't want to spoil the whole thing. I urge you to read the slide deck for yourself. But I am going to cherry pick a few of the figures I found most interesting to whet your appetite, and add in some of my own ideas as to what this all could mean for the future.

Before that, though, an aside about analysts. There's a strong meme circulating amongst Apple blogs that analysts are idiots and their writing to be universally shunned. Like most strong memes, this one presents a simple narrative; like most simple narratives, this one is wrong. Reality is far more nuanced than that. There are good analysts and bad analysts, as with people in all walks of life. Certainly, I cannot understand why Gene Munster is obsessed with the Apple TV, an idea that makes no sense to me. Evans is one of the good guys though.

The scale of the post-PC opportunity

Evans starts out by talking about just how big the post-PC device market could be in the future. Total global PC sales in 2012 were 350 million; there are 1.6 billion PCs in use, most of them shared between multiple users, and they are replaced every 4-5 years. For mobile devices (including smartphones, feature phones, and tablets), 2012 saw 1.7 billion sales -- almost five times as many as there were PCs -- to a total of 3.2 billion users, almost always used only by one person, and typically upgraded every two years. In other words, mobile is a whole different ballgame to computers, and it always has been. Dwell on those figures for a moment -- 3.2 billion means almost half the planet has a mobile device today (almost all of them low-end feature phones, of course).

Still, mobile sales have outnumbered PC sales for decades; that's old news. What's changed about mobile is the rise of the smartphone and (to a slightly lesser extent, because it started later) the tablet. Since 2007, although feature phone sales have been declining slightly, smartphone and tablet sales have grown very quickly. Today, smartphones make up about one in every three phones sold, and that ratio is continuing to move in smartphone's favour. Furthermore, unlike PC sales -- broadly stagnant for several years now -- there is no sign of growth in phone sales slackening off. There's still half the planet to go, after all.

So where does this lead? Evans predicts that in the next five years, we'll see no change in the size of the PC market -- but explosive growth in the smartphone and tablet space, three to four times bigger than where they stand today. That'll put tablet sales well above combined sales of desktop and laptop PCs, and smartphone sales far above that again.

So it seems Jobs was right. The scale of opportunity in mobile technology is huge. But how well positioned is Apple to benefit from this? And what of its competitors?

Is Microsoft withering on the vine?

In a slide entitled "the irrelevance of Microsoft", Evans paints a stark portrait. As little ago as 2009, almost all online access was done via PCs and as almost all PCs run Windows that meant Microsoft's share of the "connected device" market was pretty large: 80% or so. But as more and more smartphones and tablets have been sold, which almost entirely run non-Microsoft OSs, so that share has steadily declined ever since. It's now down to 25% or so. Certainly, in terms of things like determining web standards, Microsoft is a much diminished influence.

Does that bode ill for the company, however? Don't forget that although Microsoft's share of the connected device market has declined, that's mostly because the overall market itself has grown. PC sales, as I remarked above, have been largely static through this era, and therefore so has Microsoft's revenue from Windows licences. It had a revenue of $18.8 billion in the first quarter of 2013, and $6.06 billion in profit. Not too bad, right? This is because most of the mobile growth has been in smart phones, and very few people are buying a smart phone to use as a PC, so (so far) the affect of the growth in mobile tech haven't been felt in Microsoft's markets.

However, in the last two years, tablets have also been growing explosively (although far behind smartphones) and this is a product category that can replace a PC. So PC sales have, finally, switched from stagnating to declining, and there's the real threat to Microsoft's bottom line.

There's also another element to this story, which is Microsoft's other cash cow: Office. Office sales largely work through a sort of institutional inertia: the main value is that everyone uses it, so everyone shares files around in its formats, and no third party app has ever managed to do a flawless job of opening and working with those formats without munging the layout, breaking the fonts, or some other irritation. But today we're in a world where less than a quarter of people are using Microsoft devices online, and so less than a quarter of people online can choose to work on Office. Most of those of those people are on phones, of course, where it doesn't matter much -- only the brave and foolhardy are doing complex word processing on a smartphone. But many of them are also on tablets, and that could be a problem for Microsoft as tablets eat into laptop and desktop PC sales.

Now, this is a line of reasoning that leads you to the conclusion that Microsoft should port Office to the iPad. I used to have a hunch we'd have seen this happen by now, but so far, it's chosen not to do so, and instead use the existence of Office as an extra selling point for its Windows RT and Windows 8 tablets. In other words, Microsoft is prioritising protecting Windows PC and tablet revenue over protecting Office revenue. It remains to be proven if that was a smart call or not; perhaps the release of Office 365 for iPhone means Microsoft's resolve is weakening, although I'd argue that's not quite the same thing. Few people would choose to use a smartphone rather than a PC for document editing, so the two products don't really compete; whereas people might well perfer to use a tablet to a PC, so the competition has more direct consequences.

The "Four Horsemen"

Evans's lists "four horsemen" of the post-PC world: Apple, Google, Samsung, and Amazon. (He sees RIM and Microsoft as rapidly becoming irrelevant and never gaining relevance, respectively.) How does Evans see competition between these companies today, and how does he see it playing out in the future?

Consider the business of selling devices. In this, Apple and Samsung rule supreme: not in terms of units (Apple and Samsung combined sell less than 30% of all handsets), but in terms of profit (Apple and Samsung hold more than 95% of the profit in the entire handset industry, with the lion's share of that going to Apple).

Note that it's a mistake to believe that this somehow means Android is a failure because Google doesn't make any money on it. Remember that from the very outset Android was supplied by Google to the handset OEMs (HTC, Motorola, Samsung, etc) for free. If one's plan is to make a lot of money, one doesn't generally start by giving things away. Android was never supposed to generate any direct revenue for Google. Google makes money by serving up ads, and to do so effectively it needs people using its various products -- search, email, maps, coughReadercough. Android was designed to ensure that no-one like Apple could establish a stranglehold on the future mobile market and freeze Google out. Or, as Erick Schonfeld wrote for our sister site TechCrunch, "search is Google's castle, everything else is a [defensive] moat [around it]".

Evans also believes there will be significant growth in low-end Android tablets, with 7" screen sizes and prices below (often far below) the $330 price point for a poverty spec iPad mini. There could be as many as 125m cheap Android tablets sold in China alone in 2013, he claims -- compared to 120m tablets sold in the entire world in 2012 (of which 66m were iPads).

However, as many others have pointed out, Evans underscores that Apple products seem to lead the market in usage, far out of proportion to sales; depending on the exact metric you believe, anything up to 80% of all tablet web traffic comes from the iPad. I've yet to find an explanation that entirely addresses this. It's easy to list factors -- some Android tablets are shipped but never sold to end users; some of them are awful, and after a few weeks end up gathering dust; some of them are used regularly, but for much smaller amounts of time per day than iPads; some of them are mostly used for purposes other than web surfing (e.g. in-car satnav and entertainment centers); some of the metrics are biased towards English-language sites, whereas Android is huge in China. But to my mind, none of that convincingly adds up to the size of the difference in the stats. Perhaps I'm wrong, though, and that's all it is; or perhaps there's some other factor I've overlooked. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments.

The ecosystem is key

Selling devices isn't the whole of it, though. For Google, Android devices itself are only a means to an end -- a way to make Google services more accessible and attractive to end users. It's about building and supporting an ecosystem.

Evans finishes on differentiating between ecosystem types and sizes between the key software platform players: Apple with iOS, Google with Android, but also Facebook and Amazon with its as-predicted-by-me (why yes, I am still smug about this; thanks for asking) Android fork.

He (rightly) points out that Apple is qualitatively different from the other companies discussed here. For Google, Facebook and Amazon the platforms are designed to facilitate and increase customer engagement with their services -- ultimately, to either serve them adverts or enable them to buy things. Apple, however, remains primarily a hardware company that uses a strong software ecosystem as a hardware differentiator rather than a end in its own right. If you're inclined to disagree with that, remember that iOS updates are free and OS X updates are cheap -- but iPhones and Macs are neither. Apple's main profit driver and main focus remains hardware sales.

The bottom line

Three years ago, Jobs predicted that mobile devices would come to compete with and ultimately domainate over PC sales, coining the phrase "post-PC" to cover mobile devices that overlap with PCs -- so, smartphones and tablets, as opposed to feature phones. He tied a significant chunk of Apple's future to this vision, by concentrating much of its effort onto iOS and the hardware that runs it. There's plenty of evidence that Jobs was right, and as these trends continue, so companies that are involved in this space -- Apple and Samsung being the most obvious -- will continue to thrive.

If you like his data, I humbly urge you to follow Benedict Evans on Twitter and subscribe to his weekly newsletter, where he routinely shares his insight and data like this. I would also like to extend my personal thanks to Mr Evans for allowing me to reprint some of this slides in this writeup.

Gauging the scale of the post-PC opportunity: "Mobile Is Eating The World" originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gauging the scale of the post-PC opportunity: "Mobile Is Eating The World" originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CrimeReports is a free universal app for iOS that collects crime reports from your local police and sex offender locations from a federal data base, and then superimposes that information on a map. If your local police agency is participating, you can also get email alerts about local crime.

The app determines your location via GPS, and you can look elsewhere using any address in your contacts list. You can also just type in any address or location. Crime reports can be viewed from the last couple of days, or a more extended period. If you don't like the presets, you can type in your own range of dates.

Crime reports can appear on a map, or in a list. National sex offender data also appears alongside your local crime reports.

I found the app worked fine when testing it against several cities around the country. You have to zoom into neighborhoods before most of the data appears. When you click on an icon, you get the date of the crime, the location, and the address. In some areas, I only saw sex offender locations. This is because not all police departments submit crime data promptly or at all. The app has a request form to let your local police know you want to see this information. Usually, the sex offender info has a mug shot, and a specific address. I was a bit surprised how many people appeared in every area I checked.

Gallery: Crime Reports

CrimeReports is a handy, but sobering app, especially if you think you may live in a crime free area. You may find there is more going on in your neighborhood than you think. If you aren't seeing much information, it may be that your local police aren't sharing that data.

Other apps with similar features include CrimeMapping.com and Crime Watcher. Both apps are free. Crime Watcher seemed pretty buggy and had less information that CrimeReports.

CrimeReports requires iOS 3 or later, so it will run on a wide range of hardware.

How safe is your neighborhood? CrimeReports can tell you originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

How safe is your neighborhood? CrimeReports can tell you originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Camera apps seem to get most of the attention from iPhone users, probably because there are a lot more people taking stills than video. The iPhone does have very capable video features, and some third parties seem to have outdone Apple when it comes to creating and editing videos you will want to share.

Videon is a perfect example. This US$2.99 app lets you shoot video as well as edit out those bits that should be left on the virtual cutting room floor. Videon's feature set is complete, with a nice-looking digital zoom, multiple resolutions and aspect ratios, adjustable frame rates for slow motion, independent focus and exposure points, and the ability to take a photo while you are recording a video.

Once you have captured your clips, Videon is an excellent video editor. It provides effects like saturation, filters, black and white conversion, and even the ability to straighten (or tilt) an image that isn't oriented the way you want. Clips can be merged into longer videos and re-ordered, as well as trimmed.

I gave Videon a spin and found it both reliable and intuitive. I thought the digital zoom was of very good quality, but it is no substitute for a real zoom lens, something Apple doesn't supply (Editor's note: although the company has added a digital zoom to the iOS 7 beta). Still, the zoom Videon provides is of the best quality I have seen on an iOS app. Stabilization was also quite good, but if you don't have steady hands understand that your frames will be cropped in order for the feature to work. Stills can be grabbed from videos after they are taken, and the final video saved to your camera roll.

Gallery: Videon

Videon is an impressive app, and goes far beyond what Apple builds into the iPhone. I would consider Videon to be among the top consumer-oriented video apps on the platform. Those with a more professional bent should take a look at FiLMiC Pro for $4.99. which is aimed more at pros using the iPhone camera. The ultimate app for video appears to be Vizzywig, a camera and editing app that even includes titles, music and the ability to share video with others running the app in real time. I'll try to get my hands on it to give it a test. User reviews are very positive, and Vizzywig is $19.99.

There's a YouTube video online if you want to get a good overview of the Videon features.

Videon is optimized for the iPhone 5 and requires iOS 6 or later.

Videon for iPhone is a full-featured and well thought out app originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Videon for iPhone is a full-featured and well thought out app originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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