AppShopper

Though we normally leave iOS game coverage to our sister site, TouchArcade, I couldn’t help but note a significant update to one of my favorite games that hit the App Store today. Version 1.9.2 of PopCap’s Plants vs. Zombies became available today, adding new mini-games and game modes, Game Center leaderboards, coin packs to buy virtual goods via in-app purchase, and more.

The full list of what’s new in the iPad version is as follows:

• ZEN GARDEN: Relax and start a plant collection in your Zen Garden. Find new plants in the game, or get Marigolds and Mystery Sprouts from Crazy Dave. Treat your plants well, and they’ll reward you nicely.
• VASEBREAKER ENDLESS: It’s not just a mini-game anymore! Try to survive all 9 unique levels as you battle zombies hiding in vases. It’s smashing fun!
• I, ZOMBIE ENDLESS: Change sides for a while and give your fun-dead friends a hand through this 9-level game mode. Help zombies get past the plants to their brainy rewards.
• FOUR NEW MINI-GAMES: Try your hand at Slot Machine, Zombiquarium, Portal Combat, and Beghouled Twist — a fun new set of mini-game challenges!More awesome fun:
• 28 NEW ACHIEVEMENTS: Earn even more ways to prove your zombie-zapping prowess.
• LEADERBOARDS: Check out the 5 unique Game Center leaderboards and see where you rank.
• COIN PACKS: Want great new stuff? Check out the brand-new coin packs for purchase on the Main Menu.
• And now, the zombies are speaking your language! We’ve added language support for French, Italian, German and Spanish!

The full list of what’s new in the iPhone version is as follows:

• VASEBREAKER ENDLESS: It’s not just a mini-game anymore! Try to survive all 9 unique levels as you battle zombies hiding in vases. Plus, see where you rank in the Vasebreaker leaderboard. It’s smashing fun!
• FOUR NEW ACHIEVEMENTS: Earn even more ways to prove your zombie-zapping prowess.
• COIN PACKS: Need coins for great new stuff? Check out the brand-new coin packs for purchase on the Main Menu.
• And now, the zombies are speaking your language! We’ve added language support for French, Italian, German and Spanish!

If you’re not familiar with Plants vs. Zombies, it’s a tower defense-style game where you deploy cute little plants that can shoot peas and employ other defensive tactics to defend your home against zombies. The zombies, of course, want to eat your brain. It’s adorable and fun to play and is appealing to both children and adults. If you’re not sure if you’d like to spend your money on it quite yet, you can check out TouchArcade’s review of it here. If you’d like to get a feel for the game directly first, you can play it on the web at Popcap’s site here.

 

• $299Buy Now
  Games
  

  Plants vs. Zombies

  Last Changed:

  2 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (3485)

  Version:

  1.9.3

  iOS iPhone

  Winner of more than 30 Game of the Year awards!* A mob of fun-loving zombies is about to invade your home. Use your arsenal of 49 zombie-zapping plants — peashooters, wall-nuts, cherry bombs and...

• $699Buy Now
  Games
  

  Plants vs. Zombies HD

  Last Changed:

  2 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (779)

  Version:

  1.9.4

  iOS iPad

  Get ready to soil your plants in this high-definition, multi-touch adaptation of the PopCap hit! Winner of over 30 Game of the Year awards.* Plants vs. Zombies™ was spawned from the fertile minds...

Avantar’s free Yellow Pages app received a significant update recently, adding free turn-by-turn navigation with voice guidance. Yellow Pages has been available for iOS devices for several years now, debuting in October 2008 shortly after the App Store itself opened and it became universal with the release of the first-generation iPad in 2010.

To access the free navigation feature, you simply need to tap the purple car icon in the listing of the business you’d like to go to. Next, you’ll see an intermediate screen that contains tips, including an important one suggesting that you adjust your iPhone’s screen lock settings (Settings/General/Auto-Lock) to “Never” so that the screen doesn’t turn off while you’re driving.

After this, you’ll see a map view providing an overview of your route and tapping on Drive at the bottom of the screen will start the turn-by-turn guidance. A Switch button in the top right corner lets you change to the Google Maps, Navigon, or TomTom apps if you’d rather get your guidance from another source (you’ll have to have purchased Navigon or TomTom separately). I have Navigon installed on my iPhone and selecting this option in the Switch menu automatically inputs the address of the selected business in Navigon so it doesn’t need to be entered manually.

There are a few caveats to using Yellow Pages as your go-to navigation app. First, Yellow Pages does not store any map data on your device, so you’ll need to have an internet connection via Wi-Fi or 3G to get map data and guidance. Second, since Yellow Pages is a business directory app, you can’t use it to navigate to a friend’s house or an address that’s not already in the directory as a business. And last, though Yellow Pages is a universal app with an interface optimized for the iPad, the turn-by-turn navigation option is available only on the iPhone. However, if you already know where all of your friends live and your navigation needs are primarily to locate businesses, Yellow Pages is a fantastic free choice compared to shelling out money for a dedicated navigation app like Navigon or TomTom.

• FreeBuy Now
  Navigation
  

  Yellow Pages

  Last Changed:

  1 week ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (132)

  Version:

  4.4.2

  iOS Universal

  NEW: Turn-By-Turn Voice Navigation, built-in! (iPhone) Find what you want with ease. This is the one and only YellowPages, leader in local mobile search™. You know it's all about data, and we are...

Turning Bluetooth on or off on an iPhone or iPad takes several steps, a process that can be a little frustrating for such a simple task. Though those who jailbreak their devices have an easily-accessible switch to accomplish this via utilities like SBSettings, non-jailbreakers have had to make do with the 4-step Settings/General/Bluetooth tap dance. At least until now with the release of Jung Disk’s Bluetooth OnOff app for the iPhone and iPad.

Bluetooth OnOff hit the App Store last night and is a messaging app that lets you send text messages via Bluetooth to others who also have the app. However, its description focuses on its ability to toggle Bluetooth on and off right within the app, avoiding the need to go to into Settings and dig down a few levels to accomplish this.

Additionally, the app offers an even quicker method to control Bluetooth, allowing you to toggle Bluetooth on and off by simply opening and closing the app. To do this, you need to go to the app’s settings panel in Settings and toggle the unlabeled switch there and then kill the app through the multitasking tray and relaunch it.

When this is enabled, the app won’t even stay open but simply toggles Bluetooth on and off each time it’s tapped. This kills its functionality as a messaging app but with a host of other, more functional messaging apps already available in the App Store, not to mention Apple’s own iMessage, I don’t think I’m going out on a limb here by saying this won’t disappoint many people at all given the app’s primary purpose to quickly control Bluetooth.

Bluetooth OnOff is a universal app that works on both the iPhone and iPad and it costs only $.99. If you’re a frequent Bluetooth toggler, you’ll want to check it out. However, as I understand it, this kind of direct control over Bluetooth is not technically allowed under Apple’s iOS development guidelines and I don’t expect this to last long in the App Store so you should get it before it’s gone.

UPDATE: Bluetooth OnOff is no longer available in the App Store. Apple removed it since it made use of private APIs that are off-limits to developers.

Apple updated its Cards app for the iPhone today, adding several new card designs for Mother’s Day next month (celebrated on the second Sunday in May in the U.S. and several other countries). Version 1.1 of Cards also adds new card designs for other categories including birthdays and thank you and get well cards.

The check-out process has also been streamlined, making it quicker to purchase a card. In fact, it’s so quick now that your purchase is complete as soon as you enter your Apple ID and password, so you’d better be certain that the card you’ve selected is the one you want to purchase since there are no other confirmation checks after this step. Can you tell that I just ordered a card through the app by accident in checking out this update? Well, at least my husband will think I’m more thoughtful than I actually am in a few days.

Version 1.1 of Cards is available in the App Store now and is free to download. Cards cost $2.99 each mailed to addresses in the U.S. and $4.99 to other locations outside of the U.S. Though Cards is not optimized with an interface for the iPad, it is compatible with the tablet as well as the iPhone and iPod touch and requires iOS 5 or higher.

• FreeBuy Now
  Lifestyle
  

  Cards

  Last Changed:

  2 weeks ago

  Rating:

  3.50 (156)

  Version:

  1.1.2

  iOS iPhone

  The Cards app from Apple lets you create and mail beautifully crafted, real greeting cards personalized with your own text and photos — right from your iPhone or iPod touch. Take a quick snapshot...

Adobe, the California-based software giant, has released a major update to its Adobe Reader iOS app that first debuted in October. Version 10.2.0 of Adobe Reader gets several new features, including the ability to mark up PDF files with virtual sticky notes, freehand drawing and highlighting, strikethrough and underlining tools plus the ability to complete PDF forms.

The full list of what’s new in this version is as follows:

• Easily mark up PDF content with sticky notes, the freehand drawing tool or the highlight, strikethrough, and underline tools
• Add comments anywhere in your PDF file with sticky notes
• Fill out PDF forms
• Use the new Ink Signature tool to sign any PDF document using your finger
• Send PDF files to others for electronic signing using Adobe EchoSign
• Performance and Memory fixes for new iPad

While this isn’t an earth-shatteringly exciting update (no offense to the iOS developers at Adobe), Adobe is finally offering some features here that other apps in the App Store have offered for a while, and usually not for free. It’s nice to see the creator of the PDF standard itself expand the functionality of its iOS app. Adobe has posted more details about the new features on its blog here.

Version 10.2.0 of Adobe Reader hit the App Store yesterday and is compatible with the iPhone 3GS and higher, the 3rd-generation iPod touch and higher and all iPad models. The app requires iOS 4.2.5 or higher.

• FreeBuy Now
  Business
  

  Adobe Reader

  Last Changed:

  5 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.00 (1179)

  Version:

  10.2.0

  iOS Universal

  Adobe® Reader® is the free, trusted leader for reliably viewing and interacting with PDF documents across platforms and devices. Download the free Adobe Reader X mobile app to work with PDF files...

For those who like to shop, there are few things in life more satisfying than finding a great deal on something you want. Though it’s pretty much impossible to find tangible items in stores that are free without applying your own five-finger discount, this is not true for apps. From time to time, some developers get a little crazy and make their paid apps free. But how do you find these apps? While you can be notified of price drops for apps on your Wish List (a topic we covered recently), how do you find out about apps beyond those already on your Wish List? As you might have guessed, AppShopper can help.

First, we already have three RSS feeds set up to catch and list all paid apps gone free for the Mac, iPhone and iPad. These feeds are shown in the sidebar on the right when you’re viewing any page under the What’s New tab. You can subscribe to these feeds using your favorite RSS feed reader so you can stay on top of these apps without even needing to visit AppShopper. You can also get fancy and get push notifications of updates to any of these RSS feeds on your iPhone or iPad through a push notification app like Boxcar or Push 4.0, which we featured in our blog a few months ago here.

If RSS feeds aren’t your thing or you just want to browse apps in a more leisurely fashion, here’s how you can find paid apps gone free right on our site at any time. When you’re viewing the What’s New tab, a row of toggles and a drop-down menu are visible at the top of the page below the row of tabs. You can adjust these toggles to change what’s visible on the page to suit your needs if you’re looking specifically for apps for a certain device or your Mac.

Now, here’s the magic combination to find all paid apps that are now free: using the three sets of toggle on the right, select All between All/Popular, Free out of All/Paid/Free and Price Drops out of All/Updates/New/Price Drops. The toggles should now look like this:

Voilà! The list on the page will change to show you all paid apps currently marked down to free, the best price ever.

If you want to narrow this down to a specific category, you can do that as well. For example, choosing the Games category will show you all paid games that are currently free. Also, if you’re looking only for iPhone apps, you can choose that toggle to narrow down the results. Of course, choose the appropriate toggles to choose iPad-specific apps or universal apps that are made for both the iPhone and iPad.

Here’s an RSS feed trick you may not have known. When you customize the toggles and category drop-down, you’re also customizing an RSS feed that’s available in the top right corner of the page next to the links to your AppShopper profile.

After you’re done customizing the toggles and drop-down menu to your liking, you can just subscribe to this feed using your favorite RSS feed reader and have it for all eternity.

So there you have it. You are now armed with the tools to take advantage of the most drastic price reduction decisions app developers can make. Happy app shopping and don’t forget to check out our free AppShopper app if you haven’t already!

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  Utilities
  

  AppShopper

  Last Changed:

  12 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (159)

  Version:

  1.4.3

  iOS Universal

  The official AppShopper.com app from the creators of TouchArcade.com AppShopper keeps you up to date on the newest App Store apps, sales and freebies. Organize apps in your own customized Wish List...

FileMaker, Apple’s subsidiary that creates relational database software, announced the release of the next major version of its flagship software product today. FileMaker 12 applications are now available for Mac and Windows-based computers with FileMaker Go 12 companion apps for the iPhone and iPad.

FileMaker Pro 12 includes several new features including Starter Solutions database templates, new themes, and quick chart creation. FileMaker Pro is not available in the Mac App Store though the various versions are available for purchase directly from FileMaker’s site here. Both upgrade and full versions are available with retail prices beginning at $179 for upgrades and topping out at $299 for the full version. FileMaker Pro 12 Advanced, FileMaker Server 12 and FileMaker Server 12 Advanced are additional offerings in the FileMaker 12 product line.

FileMaker Go 12 for the iPhone and iPad lets you view and edit databases created with FileMaker 12 on a desktop computer and offers multi-tasking capabilities, the ability to import video or audio media created on an iPhone or iPad, and export data in multiple formats. FileMaker Go 12 for the iPhone and iPad are free and available in the App Store now.

• FreeBuy Now
  Business
  

  FileMaker Go 12 for iPhone

  Last Changed:

  6 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.00 (23)

  Version:

  12.0.2

  iOS iPhone

  FileMaker Go 12 lets you and your team access databases created by FileMaker Pro 12 on your iPhone. DO MORE ON THE GO Tackle any task on your iPhone with FileMaker Go. Negotiate sales deals on the...

• FreeBuy Now
  Business
  

  FileMaker Go 12 for iPad

  Last Changed:

  6 weeks ago

  Rating:

  3.50 (48)

  Version:

  12.0.2

  iOS iPad

  FileMaker Go 12 lets you and your team access databases created by FileMaker Pro 12 on your iPad. DO MORE ON THE GO Tackle any task on your iPad with FileMaker Go. Negotiate sales deals on the road,...

If you can’t make it to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City to see one of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings and a printed reproduction just won’t do it for you, you should check out Petros Vrellis’s new iPad app that offers an interactive version of the masterpiece. Starry Night Interactive Animation debuted for the iPad a few days ago and displays the painting with movement and sound that you can influence with your touch.

Here’s a demo video of the app in action:

 

Vrellis had initially created this interactive model for the PC and after receiving so much positive feedback on it that he created a version for the iPad and an Android version is in the works.

If you have a new iPad with a retina display, the images might look a little fuzzy to you and Vrellis acknowledges this in the app’s description, noting that he’s working on a fix. Due to the graphics-intensive nature of the app, it’s recommended for the iPad 2 and up, so first-generation iPad owners are left out in the cold here. The app also requires iOS 5.1 or higher.

• $199Buy Now
  Entertainment
  

  Starry Night Interactive...

  Last Changed:

  5 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (12)

  Version:

  2.0

  iOS iPad

  The famous painting "Starry Night" of Vincent Van Gogh comes to life. Not only you can watch it move, but you can interact with it! Also, the background music responds to the...

I’m a sucker for educational apps that provide insight into the world around us beyond reading and math skills (not that those aren’t important as well) and there’s an iPad app that debuted today that promises to be an impressive entry in this category. HarperCollins has released Brian Cox’s Wonders of the Universe for the iPad, an app that offers a wealth of information about the universe from sub-atomic particles all the way to the formation of stars and galaxies.

Professor Brian Cox provides mind-expanding insight in over 200 interactive articles pinned to the stars, planets, galaxies and other wonders modelled in extraordinary 3D, written in his accessible style and accompanied by two and a half hours of video from the BBC TV series Wonders of the Solar System and Wonders of the Universe. The app also includes hundreds of infographics and images of space objects supplied by astronomy experts, NASA and other space researchers.

The app is broken down into seven sections to cover all things sub-atomic and atomic, the solar system, stars, the Milky Way, galaxies and the universe as a whole. Each section contains text supplemented with photos and videos to document the current state of scientific knowledge of each topic. Two additional sections feature content from Professor Brian Cox’s BBC television series, Wonders of the Solar System and Wonders of the Universe.

Here’s a video demo of the app in action:

 

I’ve been exploring the app this afternoon and find it to provide a ton of information as promised. While there isn’t a lot of depth to each topic with only a few paragraphs for each section that I’ve seen so far, the breadth of what’s covered is impressive. The app is polished with interactive images that look great on the new iPad’s retina display and a soothing audio track to complement the content.

Wonders of the Universe is available at a special introductory price of $6.99 for three weeks. After this, its regular price will be $9.99. Given its graphics-intensive nature, HarperCollins recommends it only for 2nd- and 3rd-generation iPads, so owners of the first-generation iPad should skip this app to avoid an unsatisfactory experience. A separate version of the app for the iPhone is planned as well though a specific release date and pricing has not yet been announced.

• $699Buy Now
  Reference
  

  Brian Cox's Wonders of the...

  Last Changed:

  6 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (102)

  Version:

  1.11

  iOS iPad

  Take a mind-blowing 3D tour of the Universe with Professor Brian Cox as your guide. The official Wonders app by arrangement with the BBC. ★ Promotional Launch Price ★ Journey up from the...

With more than 500,000 apps in the iOS App Store and nearly 10,000 in the Mac App Store, finding and keeping tabs on apps you may want to buy in the future can be a daunting task. However, we’ve developed an easier way for you to do this right here at AppShopper.com. If you’re new to AppShopper or just want to make sure you’re taking full advantage of what we offer, this article describes how to use our Wish List feature.

First, you need an AppShopper account. Yes, it’s totally free. All we need is a valid email address and a password of your choosing. We won’t sell your email address or do anything else dastardly with the information you provide or send you spam. Use the Register link in the top right corner and fill out the form on the next page (the Register and other links are not visible here on our blog pages – you’ll need to go to the What’s New tab to see them).

You’ll receive an email after you’ve created your account to verify your email address. Click on the link in that email to finish setting up your account and then you’re done!

Next, when you’re browsing the lists on our What’s New pages, every app shown has two check boxes: Own It and Want It. Checking the Want It box adds that app to your Wish List. (We’ll cover the Own It box and what it does in a later article.)

Now, click on the purple Wish List tab at the top of the page. All of the apps you’ve marked as Want It will be listed here.

Now here’s the beautiful part – find the Price Drop Notifications dialog box in the sidebar below the ads:

Here’s where you can choose to get an email alert when the price of an app on your Wish List drops. There’s als an option here to choose to receive an email when an app on your Wish List is updated, which can be handy when you’re waiting for a developer to release a universal version of an existing iPhone app, for instance.

Below the Price Drop Notifications dialog box in the sidebar is the Share My Wishlist box. Here’s where you can automatically share your Wish List through a dedicated URL (don’t worry – that URL won’t allow access to your account settings to anyone else) via Facebook, Twitter, or even an RSS feed. You can also just copy the URL and email it to someone – a useful feature to share the apps you want to buy before your birthday or any other major holiday you celebrate.

We also have a free universal AppShopper iOS app through which you can also view and add to your Wish List. Our app can also notify you of price drops and updates to the apps on your Wish List via push notifications. This can be in addition to or instead of email notifications – it’s your choice.

That’s it! You’re now an AppShopper.com Wish List expert. If you have any trouble using our site or app, please submit your issue using this contact form.

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  Utilities
  

  AppShopper

  Last Changed:

  12 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (159)

  Version:

  1.4.3

  iOS Universal

  The official AppShopper.com app from the creators of TouchArcade.com AppShopper keeps you up to date on the newest App Store apps, sales and freebies. Organize apps in your own customized Wish List...