Rovio

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Rovio’s next big title ‘Bad Piggies’ now available on App Store for 99 cents

Banking (quite literally) on the success of its popular Angry Birds game, the folks at Rovio have released yet another game on the App Store. This morning, the crew has released Bad Piggies for 99 cents. The game reminds us of Angry Birds; it is described as “the ultimate flying/crawling/rolling/spinning/crashing device and pilot the pigs safely to the eggs” by the app development firm. Rovio listed the features:

• 60 levels crammed with flying/driving/crashing fun!
• 30 additional puzzles unlocked by three-starring levels!
• Free updates!
• 4 sandbox levels to stretch your creativity!
• Ultra-special, ultra-secret, ultra-difficult sandbox level to unlock by collecting all the skulls!
• 33 objects to create the ultimate machine: motors, wings, fans, bottle rockets, umbrellas, balloons, and much more!

[iPhone, iPad, Mac] Screenshots:

[tweet https://twitter.com/brettbabin/status/251309620021301249]

Update: Already #1
[tweet https://twitter.com/skiman121/status/251316363556179971]

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Apps & updates: Netflix, Shazam, Bad Piggies, OmniFocus, more

Bad Piggies: Rovio’s Bad Piggies doesn’t arrive on iOS and Mac until September 27th, but today we get our first look at the game in the first gameplay trailer above (via TechCrunch). The game takes place in the Angry Birds world, but appears to be quite a different experience. Check out the full trailer above.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LwZH0lg0XUM]

Netflix version 2.3: The Netflix iOS app for iPhone and iPad was updated today with a slightly updated UI and “Varied improvements on playback, AV sync, subtitle handling.” Netflix explained the new UI in a blog post and posted a video of the new experience (above):

At the top of the new browse screen on iPhone and iPod touch is a row that lets you continue watching shows or movies that you previously started watching right where you left off, a very handy feature. Lower down in the new experience are several personalized rows filled with movie and TV show recommendations…Tapping the browse menu gives you access to an extensive list of genre galleries that show even more titles organized into categories. Parents–like me–will really appreciate the children and family gallery with many titles organized by age… A simple tap on any title presents all of the information for that title and a double-tap on any title starts instant playback.

Shazam: Shazam announced on its website today that it is updating its iOS apps to allow users in the U.S. to use it as a “TV companion app” to tag TV shows and get access to cast information, sports scores, featured music and more.

Starting today, when people in the U.S. use the Shazam App while watching television, they have a fast and easy way to access:

• Featured music – Shazam has leveraged its rich music history and its 20+ million track database to identify the music featured in whatever people are watching
• Cast information – the app will list the cast featured in the program, guest stars, as well as other shows they’ve been in
• Trivia – fans can learn more about their favorite program and even read about the occasional goofs with the trivia feature in the app
• Celebrity buzz – gives fans all the latest gossip about the show and the stars in it
• Social sharing – live Twitter feeds as well as commenting in the app makes it fun to talk with your friends about what you’re watching
• More information – convenient links to show-related information at IMDB, Wikipedia, and the official site for the show.

Additionally, different types of programming will feature different results.  For instance, sports events will include stats, scores and schedules instead of cast information.

OmniFocus version 1.6: Both the iPhone and iPad editions of the OmniFocus task management app received a huge update today that includes support for TextExpander touch, Reminders Capture for devices running Siri, and full support for iOS 6.

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Apps & updates: Amazing Alex, Hulu Plus, Weather Channel, Tweetbot, and more

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk7vezL36IU]

Amazing Alex: (iPhone $.99/iPad $2.99)We recently got a little teaser for Rovio’s new game, but today we get the official launch trailer for Amazing Alex that now has a solid July 12 release date for iOS devices. Also included in today’s list of apps and updates is a refreshed Weather Channel iPad app, and updates to CloudOn and the VLC Remote app.

Weather Channel for iPad v3.3.0: The popular Weather Channel app for iPad was updated today with a number of notable new features and enhancements. Included in the update are improved radar maps, HD backgrounds for the iPad’s Retina display, and improvements to crashes experienced by first-gen iPad users. You can now also refresh data by tapping the Weather Channel logo within the app.

CloudOn v2.0.55: CloudOn allows you to access Microsoft Office on the iPad with DropBox and Google Drive integration, and today’s update brings even more functionality, including: the ability to open password protected Office files, an improved experience for Retina iPad users, and more.

Hulu Plus: Hulu Plus is now offering a free two-month trial opposed to its usual 1-month offering. The Hulu Plus iOS app is available here.

VLC Remote v6.02: The app that controls the VLC Media Player on Macs and PCs received a minor updated today that fixes issues with YouTube browsing and translations in several languages.

Tweetbot v2.4.1: A small updated to the Tweetbot iPhone and iPad client today brings the ability to “toggle smart quotes in the compose view (tap in the text input area)” and various fixes including one related to crashes for Droplr uploads.