iPhone Video Out and Teaching

The Moving at the Speed of Creativity Blog teacher, discusses his need and surprise to find more video out possibilities with the iPhone and iPod Touch. Follow the clipped from link for more information.

clipped from www.speedofcreativity.org I want/need my iPhone (without jailbreaking it) to support video-out functionality, not just for video/movie playback but also to show my active/current screen when selecting and using different applications. According to the Apple Support Article “iPod and iPhone: TV out support,” the iPhone and iPod Touch just support “TV Out” currently. “TV out” functionality is available if you own an “Apple Composite AV Cable,” advertised to: Easily connect your iPod or iPhone to the composite video inputs on a TV. The cable also features audio and USB connectors, and a USB Power Adapter is included. The YouTube video “iPhone as a videogame Device” (nod to MacRumors) shows one gaming example of how the iPhone 2.2 SDK can be used to output video from applications directly to a television or other external display device. This functionality is potentially a VERY big deal, with lots of positive implications for educators as well as students which go beyond gaming. Watch Video

Iron Man on iPhone for 59p

clipped from toucharcade.com Watch Video Paramount Digital Entertainment has reduced the price of iPhone flying shooter Iron Man: Aerial Assault [App Store].  The game has dropped from $4.99 to $0.99 for a limited time. We took a look at Iron Man: Aerial Assault back in mid-December. Iron Man: Aerial Assault is an on-rails shooter that is more or less a modern take on the 1985 Sega arcade classic Space Harrier. Equipped with a variety of weapons, the player guides the accelerometer-controlled Iron Man through wave after wave of enemies and bosses of increasing complexity. The goal? Destroy everything and remain intact. (Where have we heard that before?) While it’s true that Iron Man for the iPhone is a rather more limited outing as compared to the PSP version, it nonetheless offers solid 3D shooter action.

Amother Word Game: Word Squares Lite

There are so many of these they really should get their own catergory. I would love to see a real study on the addictiveness and educational value of these games. I believe both of those factors are on the high end of the scale.

clipped from toucharcade.com Imangi Studios has recently released a Free Lite version [App Store] of their word puzzle game Word Squares. Word Squares is a game that should appeal to Crossword puzzle fans. The game presents you with a grid of letters where each row and column form a valid word. Your job is to simply unscramble the words by dragging and dropping the letters into place. A few letters are given to you in their proper position to help you get started. The Lite version offers 25 hand puzzles while the full version offers over 1000 and is only $0.99. This developer video shows how the game is played: Watch Video

Another Great iPhone Word Game

clipped from toucharcade.com Click play to watch video NoMonkeys has released a Lite version of their original iPhone game called Alphabetic Lite [App Store]. The game is a beautifully animated game in which you must find all 26 letters of the alphabet before time runs out. The object of the game is to find all the 26 letters of the alphabet before the timer runs out. The game has dozens of nifty animations it uses to display the letters so they get harder and harder to spot. A previous discussion thread revealed many fans of the game. The developer has since provided this lite version as well as a video (see right) of gameplay. This game’s definitely worth a try. The full version is available for $1.99 [App Store] and offers a number of different “challenge” modes. App Store Links: Alphabetic Lite, Free, Alphabetic, $1.99 Watch Video

Another Word Game….But not Bad at All…

clipped from toucharcade.com Ian Marsh’s Textropolis [App Store, $1.99] has generated quite a following amongst our forum members. An over 500 post thread has produced mostly glowing reviews for the latest word game to hit the App Store. Not surprisingly, word games have been a popular gaming genre in the App Store. The iPhone’s touch screen interface seems to lend itself well to these word puzzlers. The basic premise of almost all word games is the forming of as many words as possible out of a given set of letters. And a large number of these games tend to fall into either TextTwist (Chicktionary, Lexitron) or Boggle (wurdl, Quordy) type games. Textropolis, however, manages to offer a somewhat relaxed take by eliminating the time-limits found in other games of the genre. Instead of racing the clock, you are simply challenging yourself to find as many words as possible.

Brothers in Arms – Historical Action!

clipped from app-store.appspot.com Brothers In Arms® Hour of Heroes gameloft (iDP) Category: Games Released Nov 23, 2008 Seller: Gameloft S.A. © 2008 Gameloft. All Rights Reserved. Published by Gameloft under license of Ubisoft Entertainment. Brothers In Arms is a trademark of Gearbox Software, LLC and is used under license. Gearbox Software and the Gearbox logo are registered trademarks of Gearbox Software, LLC in the US and/or other countries. Ubisoft and the logo Ubisoft are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. Gameloft and the Gameloft logo are trademarks of Gameloft in the US and/or other countries. Version: 1.0.3 81.6 MB $5.99 Rated 12+ for the following: Frequent/Intense Realistic Violence Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor

App Store without the iTunes!

Nice simple site which makes navigation more fluid in my opinion.

clipped from www.pocketgamer.co.uk If you want to have a quick browse around the App Store, or take a look at the new albums and movies, you spend more time watching Apple’s bloated, memory-hungry albatross grinding away at the simplest tasks, while bringing your computer to an aggravating halt. Quite why Apple insisted on being unnecessarily different, rather than using a simple and fast HTML-based portal, is anyone’s guess, but the good news is there’s now an alternative when it comes to browsing. Nikhil has developed a Google Web App capable of translating iTunes’s obscure XML into a navigable web page in your browser – allowing you to wander gaily through the halls of the App Store with less resistance than you’ve ever previously seen. Unfortunately you can’t use the search function or buy anything through it, but it does make finding your way about iTunes far less irksome. Head on over to App Store and check it out – your computer will love you for it.

99p iTunes Rentals – Doctor Zhivago

http://www.99rental.com/uk is a great site that updates each time iTunes releases a new 99p rental. The site also has the 99c rental lists for the USA and Canada.
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO is a classic and an epic. Definately one for historical and literary fans.

clipped from www.99rental.com Doctor Zhivago PG AvailableJan. 23, 2009 – Jan. 29, 2009  •  Plot Summary: Based on the Nobel Prize-winning novel by Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago covers the years prior to, during, and after the Russian Revolution, as seen through the eyes of poet/physician Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif). In the tradition of Russian novels, a multitude of characters and subplots intertwine within the film’s 197 minutes (plus intermission). Zhivago is married to Tonya (Geraldine Chaplin), but carries on an affair with Lara (Julie Christie), who has been raped by ruthless politician Komarovsky (Rod Steiger). Meanwhile, Zhivago’s half-brother Yevgraf (Alec Guinness) and the mysterious, revenge-seeking Strelnikoff (Tom Courteney) represent the “good” and “bad” elements of the Bolshevik revolution

‘WordJong Daily Challenge’ on the iPhone

Great Vocab and world puzzle and builder app

clipped from toucharcade.com games, iPod touch games Gameblend Studios has recently released WordJong Daily Challenge [App Store], an iPhone version of their popular Nintendo DS and Wii word puzzle franchise. WordJong presents players with a Mahjong solitaire-style board covered with lettered tiles.  Players pick tiles to forms words which are then removed from the board, revealing tiles below.  The bigger the word, the higher the score.  Gold coins and bomb power-ups can be collected along the way.  A soothing, ethereal soundtrack plays throughout. Watch Video WordJong for the DS, which is similar to the iPhone version, has generally received high marks from review sites.

Reduce your Stress Levels with Tetris?

Gaming on the iPhone or Touch is a great way to relieve stress after a difficult day at work. It can also be used to calm down your own kids if they are stresed as well. The BBC reported on a study which highlights the reduction of stress in those playing Tetris! WOW, didn’t we already know this! However, for some it might just increase their stress levels if they cannot put it down!

clipped from www.pocketgamer.co.uk BBC News has published an item on an Oxford University experiment in which volunteers were exposed to disturbing images, and then given Tetris to play as they attempted to recover from their ordeal.