Izik, Madden NFL 12, Calendars by Readdle, NexStop NYC Subway, HopStop Transit, iColorama, and more

Élyse Betters | Jan 4 2013 - 9:24 am PT

9to5Mac has once again scoured the App Store for all the latest app launches, price drops, noteworthy news, and updates, and we have compiled everything in a roundup below. Check it out, but keep coming back as we continually refresh the list throughout the day.

New

1. Izik | Free
Izik recently launch as a tablet-optimized app that allows users to browse the Web in a “fun and playful manner.” The app’s description gives the following example:

Type in the name of your favorite band, TV show, sports team, city, recipe – really anything – and izik will produce an image-rich page filled with quality content for you to explore.Content on izik is presented in various categories to allow for minimal typing and to provide context to results. Look up “Jennifer Lopez” and see results under the categories of Lyrics, Gossip, and Perfume. Search for “Lincoln” and see not only movie times, but also sites organized under Reviews, History, and Cars — all accessible with a tap of your fingertip.

There is a free Android version, too. Check out the promo video above for more details.

Updates

1. Madden NFL 12 | 99 cents
Version 1.0.8 brought a Touchdown Challenge that allows users to lead their offense on a two-minute drive for the game winning touchdown. It also included multiplayer mode for challenging a friend via local Bluetooth and improved gameplay.

2. Calendars by Readdle – Universal | $6.99
Version 3.5.1 fixed displaying times in some countries and the ability to create new events with default reminders. The update also brought stability improvements.

3. NexStop -NYC Subway| $1.99
Version 2.3 added support for realtime arrival times on “the 1,2,3,4,5,6 lines and Grand Central Shuttle”, and the app updated with the latest MTA schedule data and maps.

More apps, updates, and deals are below.

LaCie refreshes its best-selling hard drive, the d2, with Thunderbolt & USB 3.0(9to5mac.com)
LaCie 3TB Minimus USB 3.0 External Hard Drive for $140 + free shipping(9to5toys.com)
Refurb LaCie 2TB Quad Interface External Hard Drive for $100 + free shipping(9to5toys.com)
Corning and Sumitomo unveil 100-ft optical Thunderbolt cables ahead of CES(9to5mac.com)
1TB BUFFALO MiniStation Thunderbolt drive for $159.99(9to5toys.com)

More Updates

4. HopStop Transit for iPhone | Free
Version 2.4 is not live yet, but it added support for over 10,000 bus lines to the schedules. The update also improved schedule categorization, enhanced nearby listings on direction results, and included a few bug fixes. The latest version should roll out soon.

5. iColorama for iPad | $1.99
Version 2.9 1. made it now possible to “zoom and move the image while applying effects and masks by pressing the button with the hand.” The full changelog also include the following updates:

Minitutorial for masking:
Go to presets, gradient: first preset is fill color.
Click mask button, brush button
use finger to brush and create mask
erase the mask by clicking in the black circular button and draw with finger
Change brush types, change parameters by clicking the button with the sliders icon and set everything to 1.0
remove completely your mask with button garbage icon.
Apply brush with all settings to 1.0
Invert mask with button with circle two colours icon

6. SoundHound | Free
Version 5.2.3 included just the usual, unspecified bug fixes.

7. Food Network in the Kitchen – Universal | $1.99
Version 3.1.1 brought bug fixes for an issue that caused the app to crash when existing customers updated to the newest version. The developer added the following notice to users in the app’s description:

Any information you may have in your current version of In the Kitchen will be transferred to the new version the first time you open the application after downloading the update. This could take a few minutes, but will only happen the first time you open the application.