AppShopper

As pointed out by our sister site MacRumors yesterday, TechCrunch noted the debut of Evi, a new iPhone app that offers Siri-like voice search functionality powered by artificial intelligence. Evi, developed by True Knowledge, works on iPhone and iPod touch models running iOS 4, unlike Siri, which is only available on the iPhone 4S.

Here’s the promotional video for Evi:

True Knowledge has sought to differentiate Evi from Siri by emphasizing its ability to provide answers rather than offering to search the internet, a result obtained often with Siri. However, Evi cannot add appointments to your calendar or create reminders and alarms like Siri can.

Unfortunately, Evi has proven to be so popular that True Knowledge’s servers are overloaded and Evi isn’t able to even provide any answers at the moment. True Knowledge has acknowledged these issues and has posted a notice promising that its team is “working around the clock” to address the issues and ensure Evi can handle the volume of requests. So if you want to give Evi a shot, you may want to wait until it’s operational before spending your money. Once operational, Evi may give Siri a run for her money, at least when it comes to providing information.

• $.99Buy Now
  Lifestyle
  

  Evi

  Last Changed:

  4 weeks ago

  Rating:

  2.50 (2037)

  Version:

  1.1.0

  iOS iPhone

  Say hello to Evi. Evi is the revolutionary artificial intelligence here to help with all of your everyday information needs. Unlike a search engine, which simply looks for matching words and shows...

Time Warner Cable, an American cable television service provider, has released an update to its TWC TV app that adds compatibility for the iPhone and iPod touch, expanding access beyond the iPad for live TV streaming via Wi-Fi within subscribers’ homes.

Time Warner Cable’s TWC TV app first debuted for the iPad only early last year and experienced some controversy shortly after its release when several media companies objected to the use of their content in the app, forcing Time Warner to remove several channels from its line-up available for streaming within the app. Despite this, the list of channels available for streaming through the app has since increased and at least one of the media companies that complained initially, FX, is back in the streaming line-up.

Beyond streaming live programming, TWC TV offers the ability to change channels on compatible cable boxes and DVRs and manage recordings and settings on compatible DVRs. The interactive program guide is also accessible through the app.

The free app requires iOS 4.3 or higher on an iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, 3rd-generation or newer iPod touch, and iPad and iPad 2. You must be a subscriber to Time Warner Cable service with a Standard video package or higher and have a Time Warner Cable user name and password as well as a home Wi-Fi network.

• FreeBuy Now
  Entertainment
  

  TWC TV

  Last Changed:

  4 weeks ago

  Rating:

  3.00 (347)

  Version:

  2.6.0

  iOS Universal

  Now you can watch your favorite shows and control your TV on the iPad® AND iPhone®! Turn any room into a TV room* - If you are a Time Warner Cable video subscriber, the FREE TWC TV™ app turns...

Billed as a reinvention of the textbook, Apple announced iBooks 2 today, as well as a new textbook creation Mac application, and a new iTunes U iOS app at a special media event in New York City’s Guggenheim Museum.

The updated iBooks app offers more interactive elements to enhance textbooks well beyond their paper counterparts. An on-stage demo highlighted the multimedia features of iBooks 2 using a biology textbook, showcasing a video introduction, animated 3D models of cells, access to the glossary simply by tapping on a word, and comprehensive searching capabilities. Also shown was the ability to highlight text and add notes, which can be turned into digital index cards for studying.

A new Textbooks category is now available in iBookstore where high school textbooks will be available for $14.99 or less to start. Apple has partnered with major publishers Pearson, McGraw-Hill and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, who have made several textbooks used by millions of students across the country available today in iBookstore with more coming soon.

iBooks 2.0 is available now in the App Store.

• FreeBuy Now
  Books
  

  iBooks

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  1 week ago

  Rating:

  3.50 (891)

  Version:

  2.0.1

  iOS Universal

  iBooks is an amazing way to download and read books. iBooks includes the iBookstore, where you can download the latest bestselling books or your favorite classics – day or night. Browse your...

Apple also announced a new Mac application today to create the interactive ebooks for iBooks 2. iBooks Author bears a strong resemblance to Apple’s Pages and Keynote applications, offering a WYSIWYG interface with drag-and-drop editing to add multimedia elements. iBooks Author also features a live preview function to display a work-in-progress on a connected iPad.

iBooks Author is a free app and is available today in the Mac App Store.

• FreeBuy Now
  Productivity
  

  iBooks Author

  Last Changed:

  1 week ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (42)

  Version:

  1.0.1

  Mac OS

  Now anyone can create stunning iBooks textbooks, cookbooks, history books, picture books, and more for iPad. All you need is an idea and a Mac. Start with one of the Apple-designed templates that...

Apple also announced a new iTunes U iOS app that will offer direct access to content from universities around the world, storing courses on a bookshelf interface similar to iBooks. The iTunes U catalog will offer entire courses, with videos, audio files, transcripts, and supplemental material available from the iTunes Store, App Store, or iBookstore.

iTunes U is free and available in the App Store now.

• FreeBuy Now
  Education
  

  iTunes U

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  4 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.00 (2381)

  Version:

  1.0

  iOS Universal

  The iTunes U app gives you access to complete courses from leading universities and other schools — plus the world’s largest digital catalog of free education content — right on your iPad,...

While games can seem to overwhelm the App Store catalog these days, hybrid apps that incorporate storytelling and gaming elements are making an impression with some compelling entries. Moonbot Studios made its debut in the App Store’s Entertainment category last week with Numberlys, a charming universal app with a look heavily influenced by Fritz Lang’s classic science fiction film, Metropolis, that tells a story about how the alphabet came to be.

Here’s Moonbot Studio’s teaser video for Numberlys:

The app’s animation is top-notch and its characters are absolutely adorable. The interactive elements are mostly intuitive (and help screens, which are on by default, will pop up to provide guidance as well) and augment the experience. The entire story takes about 20 minutes to complete, making it an ideal bedtime activity for young ones. Numberlys can also have some educational value for parents with its walk-through of the alphabet.

Numberlys requires iOS 5.0 or higher and works on the iPhone 3Gs, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, 3rd-generation or higher iPod touch, and the iPad and iPad 2.

• $599Buy Now
  Entertainment
  

  Numberlys

  Last Changed:

  4 days ago

  Rating:

  3.50 (177)

  Version:

  1.0.4

  iOS Universal

  Numberlys presents a fanciful depiction of the origins of the alphabet and is the newest interactive epic from Moonbot Studios, the creators of The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. ...

OnLive, a cloud computing company known for its on-demand gaming service, has released OnLive Desktop for iOS, offering a cloud-hosted PC desktop with Windows 7 and Microsoft Office applications on the iPad. OnLive Desktop’s virtual PC experience shows the Windows 7 desktop complete with the Start menu and standard applications including Calculator, Notepad, and Paint, plus Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.

Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal has posted a video review of OnLive Desktop for the iPad:

Last week, CloudOn debuted in the App Store, bringing cloud-hosted Microsoft Office to the iPad. While OnLive and CloudOn are similar in this respect, OnLive’s offering is more complete for those looking for a full PC experience with its virtual Windows 7 desktop and free online storage in the Documents folder of the virtual desktop.

An OnLive account is required to use the app and basic accounts are free and include 2 GB of storage. Additional storage will be available in the future for a fee. The app’s performance will vary based on the quality of your internet connection since the interface and applications are streamed from OnLive’s servers to your iPad.

• FreeBuy Now
  Productivity
  

  OnLive Desktop

  Last Changed:

  5 weeks ago

  Rating:

  3.50 (2810)

  Version:

  1.01

  iOS iPad

  OnLive® Desktop is a service that provides a seamless, no-compromise, instant-response cloud-based PC desktop, wherever and whenever you want it. OnLive brings to your iPad a high-performance PC...

Picitup, a company known for its innovation in the computer vision field, is bringing its popular iOnRoad app to the iPhone. iOnRoad, which first debuted for Android OS in October, will offer advanced collision warning, headway distance monitoring, text message narration and more to iPhone and iPad users.

Picitup has posted a sneak peek video of iOnRoad on an iPad:

Using proprietary algorithms, iOnRoad can calculate the distance to the car in front of you through the camera in your iPhone or iPad and alert you both visually and audibly when you get too close. When you receive a text message, iOnRoad can read the text message to you aloud so you don’t need to take your eyes off the road. It also offers a car locating feature, automatically taking a picture and logging your GPS location, if available, when you park your car to help you find it later.

iOnRoad has been popular in the Android Market where it’s available for free, garnering over 200,000 downloads in the first two months after release. There, iOnRoad has an overall rating of four stars at the time of this post.  iOnRoad was selected for a CES Innovations 2012 Design and Engineering award.

Picitup plans to submit iOnRoad for iOS to Apple in the next few weeks. iOnRoad for the iPhone and iPad will be a paid app though Picitup has not yet finalized its price.

Singapore-based Zensorium is previewing its Tinké dongle and iPhone app here at CES 2012 in Las Vegas. The dongle attaches to the iPhone’s dock connector, and in conjunction with the app, will record your heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood oxygen level through your thumb, creating your “Vita Index” with these data points and tracking this index over time as you use it.

The Tinké dongle has no battery in it and is fully powered by the iPhone. You need to press your thumb against the dongle for 60 seconds, activating LED and infrared sensors, to get an accurate reading. The app shows your current Vita Index and your history in a line graph view. You’ll be able to share your Vita Index with friends and family through the app. Though the exact format hasn’t been defined according to a Zensorium rep, you’ll also be able to export your Vita Index data if you want to share it in other ways or do even more analysis.

Here’s a demo video showing how Tinké works:

I like the concept of Tinké to measure, compile and track health information over time. However, it’s an accessory that you’ll need to be a bit dedicated to use since you’ll have to remember to whip it out and spend one minute with your thumb pressed against it to get a reading every day. Comparatively, I think something wearable in the same vein as the Jawbone Up would be more compelling though I’m still thrilled to see more health-related iPhone devices for consumers hit the market.

The Tinké dongle will cost $100 and its release is planned for this summer.

CloudOn, a Palo Alto-based start-up, made waves earlier this week when it released its first app in the App Store, bringing Microsoft Office to the iPad via a cloud-hosted solution. Demand was so great that the company’s servers were overwhelmed, causing CloudOn to remove the app from the App Store. However, CloudOn is now back in the App Store and open for registration to new users again.

CloudOn links directly to your Dropbox account, a required element to even use the app. (Dropbox accounts with 2GB of storage are free.) Once connected, you can access existing documents in your Dropbox account and edit them using Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. You can also create new documents in any of these applications, which will also be saved to your Dropbox account.

CloudOn’s WorkSpace allows you to:

• Use Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint on your iPad to create or edit documents.
• Rename, delete and manage documents with your Dropbox account
• Display, edit or create charts, change formatting, spell check, insert comments, into any Word, Excel or PowerPoint files
• Track changes while reviewing Word documents
• Use pivot tables and insert formulas in Excel workbooks-Display and edit animation or transitions in PowerPoint presentations
• Present in full PowerPoint mode (not in PDF)
• Open files directly from your iPad email accounts or Dropbox account
• Automatically save documents to avoid losing changes

As you can guess from the app’s name, CloudOn isn’t really putting Microsoft Office 2010 on your iPad but provides a way to use the applications on their servers. Since Microsoft Office is not a free suite of applications, this may sound too good to be true, particularly since CloudOn is also free. However, CloudOn’s blog indicates that this will change in the future when the company defines “a pricing model that is win-win for all.”

If you want an app that can create and edit Microsoft Office documents without requiring an internet connection, there are several alternatives in the App Store including QuickOffice Pro, Office² (and Office² HD for the iPad), and my Microsoft Office weapon of choice on my iPhone and iPad, Documents to Go.

• FreeBuy Now
  Productivity
  

  CloudOn

  Last Changed:

  6 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.00 (1835)

  Version:

  1.0.487

  iOS iPad

  For the first time you can get Microsoft Office® on your iPad. Seriously. CloudOn lets you use your iPad to create, view, and edit files directly in Microsoft Word®, Excel® &...

Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? Is one of them to get in shape or lose weight? If so, there are ton of iPhone apps that can provide exercise and diet plans and help you track your workout, but there’s now one that will actually pay you for going to the gym. GymPact hit the App Store on New Year’s Day (most appropriately) and tracks your progress against your commitment –the Pact that you define– to go to the gym. If you stick to your Pact, you get paid out of funds accumulated by those who don’t meet their commitment. If you don’t stick to your Pact, you contribute to the funds to pay those who did meet their commitment.

You can create a new account through the iPhone app or at GymPact’s site. As you create an account, you define the terms of your Pact including how many times per week you will go to the gym and how much money per visit you’re willing to put at stake. For example, you could commit to going to the gym three times per week with stakes of $10 per day missed. When you go to the gym, you open the app and check in. In order to register a check-in, you must remain at the gym for at least 30 minutes, which lessens the chances of cheating.

If you don’t make it to the gym per your Pact, you are charged based on the stakes you committed through the credit card you entered at registration. The money paid by all members who did not live up to their Pacts is added together each week and and divided up among those who did meet their commitments, which can be cashed out via PayPal.

Here’s an overview video describing the whole process:

 
If you’re not ready to put real money on the line, you can opt in for a free trial and avoid entering any credit card details during the sign-up process. You can find more details at GymPact’s site in an FAQ.

• FreeBuy Now
  Healthcare & Fitness
  

  GymPact

  Last Changed:

  3 weeks ago

  Rating:

  2.50 (12)

  Version:

  1.051

  iOS iPhone

  Paying too much for a gym membership you never use? Gym-Pact lets you set the financial stakes of not getting to the gym, plus earn cash rewards and real prizes for fulfilling your Pact. All you...

There are over 500,000 apps available for the iPhone and iPad in the App Store today and thousands of those debuted in the App Store this year. It can be overwhelming to stay on top of what’s new in the App Store (though our What’s New list can always help, of course) and we wanted to highlight the top new apps that caught our attention in 2011.

The popularity of Twitter, the micro-blogging social networking service, has exploded recently and there’s no shortage of Twitter apps in the App Store. Although Twitter has made several changes to its own official (and free) iOS app this year, Tweetbot by developer Tapbots continues to be one of the more popular alternatives. Tweetbot debuted to much acclaim in April and has an average rating of 4.5 stars in the App Store at the time of this post and it’s been a regular in the Top 200 Paid Social Networking iPhone apps.

• $299Buy Now
  Social Networking
  

  Tweetbot — A Twitter Client...

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  5 days ago

  Rating:

  5.00 (570)

  Version:

  2.0

  iOS iPhone

  Tweetbot is a full-featured iPhone (and iPod touch) Twitter client with a lot of personality. Whether it’s the meticulously-crafted interface, sounds & animation, or features like multiple...

To appease aspiring DJs without the turntables and equipment to go pro, algoriddim released its djay app for the iPhone and iPod touch this year, complementing a version that had debuted in late 2010 for the iPad only. djay essentially turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a portable DJ system so you can become the life of the party at the drop of a hat.

• $.99Buy Now
  Music
  

  djay for iPhone & iPod touch...

  Last Changed:

  18 weeks ago

  Rating:

  5.00 (1854)

  Version:

  1.2

  iOS iPhone

  ★ Now at an unbelievable price - LIMITED TIME OFFER! Get the hottest party app and start spinning your own iPod music today! ★ ★ iPhone App of the Year 2011 Runner-Up in Japan ★ ☆ Fully...

Flipboard is another developer that brought a winning app previously only available for the iPad to the iPhone and iPod touch. Flipboard is a personalized social magazine app that compiles articles, images and videos from your Twitter and Facebook feeds and other sources you select. A universal version that added compatibility for the iPhone debuted just a few weeks ago and it’s proving to be just as popular on the iPhone as it is on the iPad.

• FreeBuy Now
  News
  

  Flipboard

  Last Changed:

  6 weeks ago

  Rating:

  5.00 (8113)

  Version:

  1.7.2

  iOS Universal

  Named Apple's iPad App of the year and one of TIME's Top 50 Innovations, Flipboard creates a personalized magazine out of everything being shared with you. Flip through your Facebook newsfeed, tweets...

If you’re making New Year’s resolutions to get in shape, you may want to check out the official P90X app that hit the App Store in November. P90X is a home exercise program that’s been around for several years and used by millions around the world. The app offers the popular program’s workouts in a format that’s easy to use on the iPhone.

• $499Buy Now
  Healthcare & Fitness
  

  P90X

  Last Changed:

  14 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.00 (1118)

  Version:

  1.0

  iOS iPhone

  P90X® has evolved. The breakthrough workout program that revolutionized home fitness now has an app that lets you Bring It!® on your iPhone®, so you can get even more amazing results—and work...

Though it’s been a while since I played the piano after years of lessons as a kid, an iPad app that debuted in September got me excited to get back on that hard, unforgiving bench to try it out again. Tonara is a sheet music display app that can actually hear what you’re playing and automatically turn to the next page, avoiding the need to free up a hand to make the transition. How cool is that? Tonara is free and has a in-app library of sheet music that can be purchased.

• FreeBuy Now
  Music
  

  Tonara

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  3 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.00 (45)

  Version:

  1.3.2

  iOS iPad

  With Tonara, turning pages is a thing of the past. Tonara, voted "App Of The Week" in China, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, is the next generation sheet music application. It...

Even though you’d think it’s a mundane topic, knowing the weather forecast is critical for iPhone users if the number of weather apps in the App Store is any indication. Unfortunately, this glut makes it hard for developers to stand out but ITWC Association managed it earlier this year with the release of Fahrenheit, an app that uses push notifications to show the current temperature right on your home screen through a badge on the app’s icon. (There’s a Celsius version as well.)

• $.99Buy Now
  Weather
  

  Fahrenheit - Weather and...

  Last Changed:

  5 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (1534)

  Version:

  1.6

  iOS Universal

  App Store Rewind: Apple's Top Weather Apps of 2011 SALE! ***** $0.99 only! ***** One weather app for all your iPhone, iPod and iPad devices at no additional cost to you! The temperature on your...

Games

We defer to the experts at our sister site, TouchArcade, for recommendations in this area since they live and breathe iOS games. This year, TouchArcade selected Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery by Capybara Games as the 2011 Game of the Year. The first runner up was Chillingo’s Anomaly Warzone Earth and honorable mentions included Infinity Blade II, Mage Gauntlet, and SpellTower. You can read the full Game of the Year article over at TouchArcade here and even hear our editors discuss these selections in their podcast here.

• $499Buy Now
  Games
  

  Superbrothers: Sword &...

  Last Changed:

  8 weeks ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (327)

  Version:

  1.04

  iOS Universal

  Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP was chosen as the iPad Game of the Year Runner-Up in App Store Rewind 2011! *****UNIVERSAL VERSION. Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP is an...

I consider myself a casual gamer, dabbling in some Xbox 360 games here and there but spending most of my time playing games on my iPhone and iPad. In particular, I love shooting games and just about anything involving killing zombies and I’ve also found myself sucked into easy-to-play games with fun achievements and special in-game equipment to unlock. Given all of this, a couple of games stood out to me this year: Zombieville USA 2 and Jetpack Joyride.

Zombieville USA 2 by Mika Mobile is a cute zombie shooter with a ton of weapons, skills, and characters to choose from. It also has a great co-op mode where you can pair up with a partner to kill zombies galore over Bluetooth or through Game Center. You can read a full review of the game at TouchArcade here.

Jetpack Joyride by Halfbrick Studios (those brilliant folks who also made Fruit Ninja) is incredibly straightforward to play with a simple tap mechanic to make the main character, Barry Steakfries, jump. It may not sound like much but it’s absorbing and easy to play in short bursts and there are a ton of achievements that will compel you to jump through hoops in order to earn them. You can read a full review of Jetpack Joyride at TouchArcade here.

• $.99Buy Now
  Games
  

  Zombieville USA 2

  Last Changed:

  11 weeks ago

  Rating:

  5.00 (21181)

  Version:

  1.3

  iOS Universal

  The definitive zombie shooter returns, reborn with stunning new graphics, gameplay and more! Brought to you by the creators of Battleheart, OMG Pirates!, and the original Zombieville USA - this...

• FreeBuy Now
  Games
  

  Jetpack Joyride

  Last Changed:

  1 week ago

  Rating:

  4.50 (7916)

  Version:

  1.2.6

  iOS Universal

  You're going for a ride - from the creators of FRUIT NINJA! ** Winner ** - Gamasutra Mobile Game of 2011 - TUAW Best iPhone Game of 2011 - UGO iOS Game of the Year - Game Revolution Best Mobile...

That’s it for our 2011 selections! We here at AppShopper wish everyone a fun and safe New Year’s Eve celebration and a fantastic 2012!