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While it’s not the kind of iPhone or iPad dock you would bring with you on your next cross-country plane ride, the Akai SynthStation49 dock offers up something a standard iPad dock doesn’t — a 49-key, velocity-sensitive keyboard controller complete with drum pads and manual pitch control. As reported by Engadget, the SynthStation iPad dock/keyboard combo is a far cry from the original SynthStation, which was much smaller and designed for the iPhone. What this new, bigger version lacks in portability it makes up for in features, with direct in-app MIDI recording, 1/4″ output jacks, full transport buttons and the ability to be used as a traditional USB MIDI controller if you happen to find yourself without your iPad. It’s also iOS CoreMIDI compatible, meaning it can be used with a bunch of music apps that are already available in Apple’s App Store.

The Akai SynthStation49 isn’t available for purchase yet as it is still pending certification from Apple, so we don’t even know what its price point will be. While we have seen a ton of different synthesizer software for iOS devices, this one throws in the keyboard and dock MIDI controller as well, making it a kind of “all-in-one” package for musicians everywhere, if not entirely mobile.

[via Engadget and Create Digital Music]

Akai SynthStation49 full-size iPad dock/keyboard combo originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brutal Fantasy: The Orcs of Undermountain is an interesting mashup of action and role playing. The actual gameplay is a beat-em-up like the old Golden Axe and Double Dragon games. You play as a knight battling through all kinds of different minions and bad guys, using a virtual D-pad and action buttons to hack, slash and cast various spells along the way. But the game is also an RPG — there’s a story to play through, which is drawn comic book style, and you can level up stats, get new loot and upgrade as you see fit. The art style is pretty distinctive — it’s all done by Joel “Drakxxx” Rose, and while it might take a little getting used to, everything is very detailed and stylistic. One word of warning: when the title says “brutal,” it ain’t kidding around. You’ll see lots of blood and limbs spraying around in this one.

The full game is US$1.99, and it comes with Game Center integration and universal compatibility, with enhanced graphics on the iPad. That’s a pretty good deal already, but if you’re not yet sold you can play through the Prologue version of the game for free. It’s short, and it has ads, but it should give you a good idea of just how much fun the full game is.

TUAW’s Daily App: Brutal Fantasy originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Return7 released version 3.0 of its popular BillMinder app on Tuesday, now a completely revamped program. As such, Return7 decided to switch its users over to a separate app — BillMinder 3 — which requires users to pay to “upgrade” to the latest version. While the out-of-pocket expense (US$1.99) isn’t much, it’s a move that hasn’t been that popular in the past — think Tweetie in the pre-Twitter days.

Amro Mousa, co-founder of Return7 told me today that BillMinder 3 isn’t simply an upgrade. The company rewrote the entire app from scratch and no code or art is shared with the original app, which is still available via iTunes. The original BillMinder app received more than 25 updates during its lifetime, including the upgrade to version 2.0. He acknowledged that there has been some grumbling over repurchasing the app.

“Most software companies don’t give away new major versions for free. Why aren’t folks angry when they buy a new version of OS X, iLife or Aperture? Since we prefer to continue existing, we’re charging for 3.0. Obviously that means we need to provide value in the new version for people to want to buy it,” Mousa said.

While we didn’t review the original BillMinder, we have taken a look at BillMinder 3. The app does exactly what its title implies — it reminds you when a bill is due and how much it is. A lot of banks have included software through their websites to handle this sort of thing, but not all of them have dedicated iOS apps or will push notifications to your iPhone. It’s also useful if you have separate bills going to different bank accounts like I do. Click on to see how the app works.

Continue reading New BillMinder a paid upgrade, but worth the money

New BillMinder a paid upgrade, but worth the money originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s a cool note I missed last week among the hustle and bustle of CES: Feral Interactive is one of the biggest publishers of Mac games out there, often porting and publishing games from larger PC developers over to the Mac platform. Last week, the company announced that four games it has published (Borderlands, Rome: Total War, LEGO Harry Potter and Bioshock) would be available for sale through three different digital download services (Direct2Drive, GamersGate and the MacGameStore).

That’s good news, not only for Mac gamers who want more options to pick from for their games, but for the platform as a whole. Steam has made plenty of headlines, both during the launch and since, but a deal like this shows that there is demand for Mac games even beyond the most popular digital store online. Direct2Drive especially is a fairly large digital store known for PC game sales, and the fact that Feral games are now available on the service is a nice indicator of how popular the Mac platform is becoming among gamers and other users.

Feral Interactive offers digital downloads on multiple online stores originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We recently covered how Apple was awarded 563 patents in 2010, but a patent approval announced today is for something we first mentioned back in January of 2010 — a patent for power management circuitry for solar-powered portable devices. Patently Apple is reporting that the US Patent and Trademark Office published the newly approved patent, which pertains to charging and operating portable devices with solar power via a voltage converter. While most solar chargers designed for portable devices only act as a way to charge the internal battery, this patent is for a way for said power to operate the device as well. By using the converter/booster, energy gleaned from the solar panels could be monitored and configured to both charge and operate a portable device even when not in full direct sun. Could this be a precursor to an iPhone covered in solar cells?

There sure has been a lot of patent talk around here lately, especially when it comes to multi-touch patents, but that just shows that Apple is really stretching its legs and going after innovation instead of resting on its laurels. Can’t wait to see what new developments 2011 brings us.

Apple wins patent for solar-powered portable device originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you follow my reviews, you know I had mixed emotions about the newly released iPhone Garmin StreetPilot. Chief among my complaints was an incredibly tinny and distorted voice.

I’m happy to report that, after an update, the voice sounds much better and is now useful. Garmin has also increased the size of the map storage buffer, so you can see more of your previously downloaded maps without having to download them again. Voice instructions can now be toggled on or off, and there’s a volume control on the main map menu for easy access. There are also some unspecified bug fixes.

Garmin is to be congratulated for these quick fixes, and I have confirmed that the fixes do work and greatly improve the app. One thing that is not fixed is the requirement to download maps. While Navigon, TomTom and Magellan all have maps on board, Garmin has chosen to download maps as needed over the 3G network. This makes the app footprint small, but if you often drive in areas of weak reception, this is not the app for you.

Continue reading Garmin updates StreetPilot app with improvements and fixes

Garmin updates StreetPilot app with improvements and fixes originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Millenial Media has released its final report of 2010 about advertising requests on its network, and Apple remains the king of mobile advertising on the network. For the last 15 months, Apple has been the top manufacturer, and ad requests on the network for Apple devices are still growing — 12% from third to fourth quarter in 2010, and 14% over the entire year. iPad requests of ads specifically have jumped 280% in the last quarter.

That doesn’t mean Android is out of the running, however. Android beat out iOS in terms of impression shares, with a 46% network share as compared to iOS’ 32% share. Android also took 55% of the revenue on the network, as opposed to 39% for Apple’s devices. Verizon saw its share of impressions go up 2% in December, and it’ll be interesting to see how that network’s ad revenues grow with that new handset we’ve all heard so much about.

Finally, Millenial says that ad requests on travel and vacation apps doubled in the last quarter of 2010, showing that users who were traveling and away from home still stayed connected to their mobile devices, using apps while on the road and on vacation. That’s not too surprising since December is one of the busiest travel times of the year. What’s interesting is how much travelers are depending on their smartphones for information and updates while out and about. This is a trend that will only increase next year as smartphones grow more and more ubiquitous. You can read the whole MobileMix report over here.

Millienial Media report says Apple still top manufacturer and growing, travel apps busy last quarter originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This one’s complicated but interesting. A few days back, it was revealed by the developer of an app called Doodle Monster that Doodle Jump creators Lima Sky (we’ve talked to founder Igor Pusenjak before) was trying to enforce trademark rights against any app on the store using the word “Doodle” in its name. That creator originally planned to step down and change the name, but the creator of another app called Doodle Hockey instead spoke out to say that Lima Sky had no business claiming the word “Doodle” itself, that there were pre-existing properties and trademarks on the word, and that “everyone with an app containing the word ‘doodle’ in the title needs to stand up to Lima Sky’s threats.”

Now, Pusenjak himself has spoken out on the issue, and he says that he’s retracting the original notice from the App Store. But he does hold his position on the word “Doodle,” saying that “there was absolutely no rush to call a game ‘Doodle Something’ until Doodle Jump became famous. Then many developers began jumping on the bandwagon whether their game had any doodled elements in it or not. They were simply trading on the fame of Doodle Jump, for which Lima Sky has a trademark.” Pusenjak admits that there is a trademark in the system before Lima Sky’s, but says that the company’s complaint on the App Store was designed to protect Doodle Jump against anyone else’s attack.

At any rate, legal action aside (and it doesn’t appear as if there will be any), Pusenjak has agreed to step back from the restrictions, which even he agrees went too far, and says that he’s simply trying to avoid customer confusion — any developers creating games that might be confused with pre-existing IPs should simply have to change them, not remove games entirely. That seems to make sense, so hopefully that agreement will stand without further clashes.

Lima Sky responds to trademark battle around the word ‘Doodle’ originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PBS released an iPad app last October with access to videos and information about the donation-supported network’s programming. Now, the network has done the same for the iPhone and iPod touch, with a free app simply called PBS. Just like the iPad app, you can watch clips and full-length episodes of some of the network’s most popular programs, as well as see schedules for both national and local PBS programming. The iPhone app also lets you set reminders for certain programs, and you can also share videos with friends on Facebook and Twitter, or through email.

I’m personally a big fan of shows like Antiques Roadshow and Nova, and having them available to watch anytime on the iPhone is great. The app is completely free and available for download right now, but if you like it, do look into hooking up your local PBS station with a nice donation.

PBS releases app for iPhone with full-length episodes and schedule info originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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