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Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch, App Review

Hippo Remote is a great app, now you can win a copy

I've become very accustomed to remote-controlling my computers for a while, but nothing ever seemed to get it right. Apple's Remote for iTunes is great, of course, but what about all my other stuff on my Mac, like Boxee or VLC? Yeah, you can get some specific remotes for those apps (frankly the VLC remotes I've used were terrible and would just quit working sometimes). But what you really want is a master remote that'll take all those tasks over for you. Enter Hippo Remote [iTunes Link], a wonderful, simple, brilliant little remote app for your iPhone or iPod touch and Mac -- or PC.

Hippo Remote starts off as a trackpad, and supports gestures, multi-touch (like scrolling and zooming) and even replicates circular scrolling. There's a keyboard with F-keys, a history and navigation keys. There are app profiles for Powerpoint, Boxee, VLC, even Gmail and Windows Media Center. There's also a login manager for stuff like Gmail or Twitter, so it's very, very fast at getting you to where you need to be all via iPhone screen.

Hippo Remote's response is like butter. Scrolling, swiping, tracking are all wonderful, even on my congested network. I can even use wake-on-LAN or wake-on-wireless to zap those computers alive from anywhere in my house.

All this and the only setup was to add a password for VNC connections in my System Preferences on my Mac. There is a HippoVNC application which enables a few other features, but I don't use it. Instead, I have a saved profile for the Mac I have hooked to my HDTV, and with one tap I'm controlling that Mac via iPhone. It just doesn't get any easier.

Now you can win a copy of Hippo Remote for your own iPhone or iPod touch. Just leave a comment on this post and you're entered. Promo codes are only available for the US, sorry.
  • Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • To enter leave a comment on this post.
  • The comment must be left before Saturday, November 7, 2009, 11:59PM Eastern Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • Five winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Prize: One promo code for Hippo Remote (Value: US$4.99)
  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch

Win a copy of Boxhead - The Zombie Wars

If you've seen Minigore [iTunes Link] or played iDracula [iTunes Link] you're familiar with this game mechanism, now quite popular on the store: left thumb moves, right thumb aims and shoots, all in an isometric 3/4 view. Boxhead Zombie Wars [iTunes Link] brings some nice weaponry to the game, plus a raft of defensive tools to allow a little more strategy than either of the comparison apps I mentioned.

Boxhead offers a Flash-based version of the game here if you're interested in how much gore and mayhem is involved. It's a lot, really, but perfect for the genre.

Now you can win one of 10 promo codes to try Zombie Wars yourself. If you don't win, there's also a Lite version [iTunes Link] to try before you buy. Good luck!

Here's a video of the game in action:

  • Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • To enter leave a comment on this post.
  • The comment must be left before Sunday, November 1, 2009, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • Ten winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Prize: One promo code for Boxhead Zombie Wars (Value: US$1.99)
  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Filed under: iPhone

Win a copy of Distant Suns to see the night sky on your iPhone

We've covered Distant Suns before, and we missed the Galilean Nights, but we're giving away 10 copies of Distant Suns [iTunes Link] for your iPhone or iPod touch this week. It's always a good time to have the "universe in your shirt pocket," right? The rules couldn't be simpler (unless we allowed everyone to enter, but promo codes are US-only, sorry) so enter a comment to win!

  • Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • To enter, leave a comment below.
  • The comment must be left by Saturday, October 31 at 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • Ten winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Prize: Promo code for the Distant Suns app (US$4.99 value).
  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Filed under: App Review

Lil Jon app video demo and giveaway


Coded by 16-year old developer Gabe Jacobs, the Lil Jon app best speaks for itself. Buttons that make noise is the short version. But hey, if you like Lil Jon, then here you go, 17 phrases shouted by the man himself. We're giving away a few copies of this to save you the $.99 cost. Hey!
  • Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • To enter, leave a comment below.
  • The comment must be left by Saturday, October 24 at 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • Five winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Prize: Promo code for Lil Jon app (US$.99 value).
  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware

Win a Square Trade accident-coverage iPhone warranty from TUAW

Two weekends ago, Diet Coke was accidentally spilled onto my MacBook Pro Keyboard. The machine, a Core Duo 15" that was among the first of the Intel Macs rolled out, suddenly didn't work the way it used to. Luckily, damage was restricted only to the keyboard: caps lock, shift, b, h, and num lock didn't function. Not being able to type the word "butt" was a pain in the "utt." While I've since repaired the keyboard -- on my own, thanks to iFixit's instructions -- it made me question, again, the value of an extended warranty. Had the damage been worse, I may have had to get a new machine.

While AppleCare is certainly compelling for many (phone support and timely repairs of manufacturer defects by Apple-authorized technicians, among its values), its defect is that hardware repair coverage is restricted to manufacturer defects. And in my case, even if this had been a new machine still under AppleCare, it wouldn't have been covered. So, if you accidentally drop your iPhone in the toilet (it happens) or if, while looking up your Tiramisu recipe in MacGourmet, you happen to spill Kahlua all over your MacBook, you won't be covered by AppleCare.

While researching third party extended warranties, I stumbled upon Square Trade. In addition to covering manufacturers' defects, Square Trade's warranty covers accidental damage. In effect, it's a warranty with an additional safeguard for dings, drops and drenching.

Although the Square Trade warranty covers accidental damage, consider all your options before proceeding with a purchase -- Is it worth its cost? For example, claims for accidentally damaged items (as opposed to manufacturer defects) require a $50 deductible. In the case of the MacBook and MacBook Pro, this narrows the price gap between AppleCare and the SquareTrade price.

Continue readingWin a Square Trade accident-coverage iPhone warranty from TUAW

Filed under: Gaming, Software, Freeware, Developer, iPhone, App Store

Free music and a chance to win more from Tap Tap Revenge 3

Tap Tap Revenge 3 is apparently going gangbusters over on the App Store -- Tapulous has gotten in touch with us to let us know about two different free promotions they're doing lately, as well as give you readers a chance to win their entire catalog for free.

First up, the free stuff for everybody. Today, October 22, they're giving away the great song "Fireflies" by one of my favorite new music acts, Owl City. It just happens to also be the number one song in iTunes today as well, which is a pretty big deal for Tapulous -- it's the first time they've been able to pair up a TTR track release with a #1 on the download charts.

To get that free song, just sign in to the application and pick it up. Additionally, if you don't have the app yet, buying the app before this Friday can get you a free premium two-pack -- all you have to do for that is email your iTunes reciept (or a screenshot of it) to "freemusic AT tapulous DOT com" and put your TTR3 username (and only your username) in the email subject line.

And hey, if that's not enough free stuff, keep reading -- here at TUAW, we're giving away licenses to TTR3's entire premium catalog (the whole thing, from A Perfect Circle to Robbie Williams) to three lucky commenters.

Continue readingFree music and a chance to win more from Tap Tap Revenge 3

Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch

Win a copy of the 3-in-1 Bundle #1 from AmbiScience

We're giving away a baker's dozen of codes for a 3-in-1 bundle from AmbiScience [iTunes Link]. The AmbiScience apps are audio "entrainment" generators, which means they generate waves at certain frequencies and mix that into some ambient audio tracks. The ambient stuff alone is pretty good, and is a different take on the typical "looping sound effect" sound generators you usually see on the store. Great production values and a healthy choice of sound waves to mix in, plus a nice finish makes AmbiScience a favorite on my iPhone. The purpose of these apps are to either help you sleep, relax, or even focus or "wake up" by using waves to stimulate your brain accordingly. I tend to use them to help nap, and there's a timer that will shut off the audio at the end of a pre-set time period.

Now you can win one of a dozen codes to try the 3-in-1 bundle #1 for yourself. Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch, the app generally sells for a couple of bucks. Not much, but free is good, right? To enter, leave a comment on this post before midnight (Eastern), October 14, 2009. Good luck!
  • Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • To enter leave a comment on this post.
  • The comment must be left before Wednesday,October 14, 2009, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • Thirteen winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Prize: One promo code for 3-in-1 Bundle #1 from AmbiScience (Value: US$1.99 )
  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Filed under: Accessories, Odds and ends, ipod shuffle, Music

TUAW and Scosche are giving away a tapSTICK for 3rd gen iPod shuffle

When you think about the 3rd generation iPod shuffle, you probably don't think about getting a case for it. After all, the little music box is less than 2 inches long, .7 inches wide, and .3 inches thick, and it comes with a clip.

The designers at Scosche Industries realized that some shuffle owners might like a way of keeping their devices from getting scratched or wet, as well as having a way of using any earphones with the shuffle and still be able to control it.

The tapSTICK comes in white or black polycarbonate plastic, and slides over the outside of the shuffle. It has three buttons on it that allow you to control play, adjust volume, navigate playlists, and even activate the VoiceOver feature on your iPod shuffle. It also comes with a 3 foot audio cable that connects to most audio systems, including those in cars:

While nobody at TUAW had a 3rd generation shuffle to try out the tapSTICK on, the good folks at Scosche did make one available for a giveaway to some lucky TUAW reader / shuffle owner. To enter, just leave a comment telling us how many times you've misplaced your 3rd generation iPod shuffle. Here's the scoop:
  • Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
  • To enter leave a comment telling us how many times you've misplaced your 3rd generation shuffle.
  • The comment must be left before Friday, October 9, 2009, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Prizes: One Schosche tapSTICK in black (Value: US$29.99)
  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.
Good luck!

Filed under: Accessories, Reviews, iPhone

TUAW Review & Giveaway: OtterBox Commuter / Commuter TL iPhone cases

After the debacle earlier this year when I lost my iPhone 3G, I decided to not only protect the new phone -- my lost 3G had been "naked" -- but make sure that whatever I used to protect it had a bit of heft.

My choice of case was the locally-grown (Fort Collins, CO) OtterBox Defender, which fit the bill perfectly. It has what OtterBox refers to as a 3-layer design, including a thick screen protector, a hard shell that encloses the iPhone, and a rubberized exterior jacket that cushions shocks and keeps ports covered. While it has been an awesome case in terms of protection, it's pretty chunky and I've often wished I had something a bit skinnier.

OtterBox came to the rescue last week with a new line of protective cases called the Commuter. There are two models -- the Commuter (US$34.95) and Commuter TL (US$29.95). Like the Defender, these cases work with both the iPhone 3G and 3GS. Read on to hear more about the OtterBox Commuter cases, and a chance to win either a Commuter or Commuter TL case from TUAW and OtterBox.

Continue readingTUAW Review & Giveaway: OtterBox Commuter / Commuter TL iPhone cases

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, App Review

Star Walk still out of this world (and you might get it for free!)

Star Walk [iTunes link] has been updated and improved with new features that let you leave the earth and look back at our home planet in beautifully rendered views.

Star Walk uses GPS to get your location, and shows you the current sky above your head. Since we last looked at Star Walk the app has added augmented reality, so as you orient your phone to the sky (iPhone 3GS only) you see star maps that show just where you are pointing. You can zoom into any object and get a closeup view of the surface details of planets, or even close-ups of deep sky objects like star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. You can click on a button and get more info on the object, and if that isn't enough you can connect to Wikipedia for even more.

Star Walk is one of the great demos of Apple technology. Standing out on any clear night, exploring the skies, and easily finding out what you are looking at is a real treat.

I think the earth view is nifty, but frankly, it probably isn't a feature you will use a lot. On the other hand the augmented reality features, the detailed star maps, and close-up images of objects in our solar system are very compelling features.

I still don't like that the app switches to Safari for the Wikipedia info. It would be nice to see the browser built in, but that's a small price to pay for the rest of the deep information provided.

Star Walk works on any iPhone or iPod touch with version 3.0 or later software. The augmented reality feature, as I said, only works on the iPhone 3GS.

At US$4.99 there is a lot to like in this program. Even better, we have ten free licenses to give away to our readers. Here are the rules:
  • Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • To enter leave a comment on this post.
  • The comment must be left before Monday October 5 at 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • 10 winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Prize: One copy Star Walk (Value: US$4.99)
Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Hare are some more screen shots of Star Walk to whet your appetite:

Gallery: Star Walk

Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch

BuzzVoice Giveaway

Want to win a copy of BuzzVoice [iTunes Link]?

Here are the rules:
  • Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • To enter leave a comment on this post stating which feed you read the most via RSS.
  • The comment must be left before Saturday October 3rd at 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • Ten winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Prize: One copy of the BuzzVoice app (Value: US$1.99 )
  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Filed under: iPod Family, Internet Tools, Podcasting, iPhone, iPod touch, App Review

BuzzVoice reads aloud to you almost anywhere


BuzzVoice can most simply be described as a talking reader for over 1400 blogs, but saying that doesn't begin to do it justice. It's not just an iPhone/iPod touch app, although BuzzVoice provides one [iTunes Link]. It's a platform that can be enjoyed on a variety of devices including any iPod or mp3 player, your computer, Blackberry (upcoming) or with added functionality on the iPhone/iPod touch running OS 2.0 to use the basics, or OS 3.0 or better, to use in-app email.

BuzzVoice is the butterfly that emerged from chrysalis of the now defunct PimpMyNews app, a talking reader with far less functionality. What it grew into is a full system that starts on your computer at the BuzzVoice site. There you can sign up for a free account and explore the 1400 different blogs that BuzzVoice can read to you. The site allows you to listen to individual stories and to email a story that, when received, contains an audio file of the story, as well as the ability to visually read the story either on the site or by being transferred to the originating blog.

The BuzzVoice site lets you create a list of MyFeeds in where you build a list of the blogs you are interested in hearing by either searching, browsing or picking a ready made playlist based on specific interests. This is handy and becomes quite important when we get to the iPhone app.

The site also lets you put together a Buzzcast, which is a grouping of blogs that you like, and have that grouping transform into a 10 minute (for the free version) or 30 minute (for the pro version) personal podcast that, after a click, will be added to iTunes and update daily, so it can be heard throughout the iPod line. A feed is also displayed for use with a non-iTunes powered device.

How does it sound? I was expecting to be disappointed since I have had enough of the 'take-me-to-your-leader' type vocal stylings of many talking apps, but I'm very happy to report that the voice implementation is nearly perfect. It sounds quite natural with great attention paid to punctuation. You can choose a male voice or female voice or have BuzzVoice mix it up, using the pro version. For free you get one voice. The sound was good enough to allow me to stop paying attention to the player and start giving my full attention to the story being read. This is not a small thing if you're going to listen to more than a story or two.

The iPhone app (selling now for $US1.99) ties in nicely to the site and provides additional goodies. On the bottom of the screen are four buttons. MyPlaylist displays all the blogs that you put into MyFeeds on the site. Tap one and you'll see the current story list, tap a story and it will be read to you. If you tap the blue arrow to the right of each story a second screen lets you share a story via Facebook to Reddit (plus 4 others) or email. You can tap Listen to hear the story, or tap Source to read the story in BuzzVoice, which doesn't present in landscape mode, or Safari, which does. Tapping My Buzzcast will play the Buzzcast that you created on the site without having to go to iTunes.

The third button, BuzzRadio, is interesting. Tapping it brings up a listing of topics ranging from Apple Radio to Politics Radio to Sports Radio. There are currently eight stations to choose from. When you pick one, a grouping of top stories from various subject-specific blogs gets built, which BuzzVoice then reads; perfect for any time your hands should be somewhere else (driving, running or whatever). You don't get this on the site.

I'd like to see a non-variable, or user designated playing time for the stations. As it is now, I've found that playing time can vary from 4 minutes to 30 minutes. I can see that being a problem when driving and expecting a longer read. Once that is fixed, I'd like to be able to stack stations so if I know that I'll be in the car for 90 minutes and I know that each station plays for 30 minutes, I would be able to stack 3 topic-oriented stations which would then be sequentially read to me, filling up my 90 minute drive. The fourth button is 'Info' which doesn't really provide any. Instead, it opens up an email where you can report mispronunciations, suggest blogs or ask for help. It would be nice to see a little tutorial on this page.

In the iPhone app, when you receive mail sent from BuzzVoice, either from the site or from another iPhone, you get a link bringing you to a BuzzVoice-formatted Safari page with a big Listen to this story button on top and the full story with graphics displayed below. This is a very nice feature.

Continue readingBuzzVoice reads aloud to you almost anywhere

Filed under: iPhone, App Review

Win a copy of Zoom Lens for your iPhone

I checked out Zoom Lens [iTunes link] over the weekend, and I'll say that as far as zoom tools go, this one is great. A simple interface, simple use and the images look pretty good. Of course, you'll be less impressed when you view them on your Mac, because Zoom Lens, like all iPhone apps of the same nature, just crops the image, really. It's what you find on consumer cameras as "digital zoom" -- not much more than a zoom & crop in Photoshop or iPhoto, really.

But Zoom Lens does give you an interface that looks as though Apple made it themselves. Who knows? Maybe some day the iPhone will have a true zoom lens, although the optics would be tricky... Anyway, the best part is you have a chance to win Zoom Lens for yourself! It only works on the iPhone, of course, and we can only give codes for the US (no Canada, sorry!). But read the rules below and enter by leaving a comment before October 1.

Glimpse a before/after shot of the app in action on the next page.

  • Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • To enter leave a comment on this article (below).
  • The comment must be left before Thursday, October 1, 2009, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • Ten winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Prize: Promo code for iPhone app "Zoom Lens" (Value: US$.99 )
  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Continue readingWin a copy of Zoom Lens for your iPhone

Filed under: Accessories, Peripherals, Odds and ends, iPhone

TUAW and Mophie team up for a great giveaway

You remember Mophie's Juice Pack Air, don't you? It's a cool little "backpack" battery for the iPhone 3G and 3GS that adds life to your talking, texting, gaming, video, music, or surfing fun. We gave one away back in June, and it was a very popular giveaway.

Now Mophie has added a new product line, the Hip Holster series. These are padded premium leather holsters just the size to hold an iPhone dressed in a Juice Pack or Juice Pack Air. Each Hip Holster is priced at US$29.95, and they're available now through Mophie's website.

Mophie and TUAW would like to give away a matched set -- one Juice Pack Air and one Hip Holster -- to one lucky reader. You can enter the drawing by leaving us a single comment below; tell us what will you do with the extra battery power you'll get from the Mophie Juice Pack Air.

Here are the rules and a link to the obligatory legal statement:
  • Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
  • To enter leave a comment telling us how you'll use the extra power you get from a Mophie Juice Pack Air.
  • The comment must be left before Friday, October 2, 2009, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Prize: One Mophie Juice Pack Air valued at US$79.95 and one Mophie Hip Holster valued at US$29.95.
  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.
Good luck!

Filed under: Accessories, Odds and ends, Other Events

Win another big bag of goodies from Stylit.tv and TUAW

TechStyle has begun round two of their giveaway on Stylit.tv, and this one ends September 15. There are even more prizes in this bag, and TUAW readers need only enter a special promo code to get extra chances to win. Thanks to our friends at Stylit.tv, host Shira Lazar and the vendors who donated the loot.

On the next page you'll find the special code, a video of Shira at Macworld Expo (plus see us give away the two other bags of goodies at the event) and a list of what's in this giveaway.

Continue readingWin another big bag of goodies from Stylit.tv and TUAW

Tip of the Day

F11 moves all your windows off the screen so you can quickly glance at your desktop. F10 shows you every open window in an application. F9 shows every open window for every application that isn't hidden or in the dock.


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