Avid Studio video editor hits the iPad, looks a lot like iMovie

Avid is one of the big names in audio and video production software. The company offers professional media editing software for prices as high as $2499, and the Avid Studio home movie-making suite runs $170.

But now the company is launching a $5 version designed for the Apple iPad.

Avid Studio for iPad
Avid Studio for iPad is optimized for touchscreen input and the Apple tablet’s small screen. The mobile app can’t export videos in Adobe Flash format, but you can export apps to the Avid Studio for desktop app, which means that you can start working on a video on your iPad and finish on your PC.

The iPad app lets you work with audio, videos, and photos on your device or capture videos and photos while using the app. There’s support for 3D animations, transitions and titles as well as other effects such as picture-in-picture, pan and zoom.

All Things D reports that the $4.99 price tag is introductory. Avid will raise the price to $7.99 after 30 days. That’s still a bargain compared with the company’s desktop software, but Avid Studio for iPad will have to compete with Apple’s $4.99 iMovie app which offers many (but not all) of the same features.

Avid Studio for iPad is available from the iTunes App Store.

All Gameloft games in the Android Market are 99 cents through 1/5/2012

Gameloft

Game developer Gameloft is running a massive sale for the next week. Starting this morning at 10:00AM Pacific, all of the company’s games availabel from the Android Market will be available for 99 cents. The sale runs through 10:00AM PST on January 5th, 2012.

Some of Gameloft’s titles are always just under a buck, but some of the company’s higher-end games such as Order & Chaos Online and Modern Combat 3 normally run $6.99.

Gameloft is often criticized for their lack of originality (Order & Chaos is basically a World of Warcraft clone, Eternal Legacy is a Final Fantasy clone, and Starfront: Collision is a Starcraft clone). But their games are usually well designed, with excellent graphics.

Unfortunately not all of the company’s games are available from the Android Market, so not all of Gameloft’s Android games will be on sale, but titles including Asphalt HD, Texas Hold’em Poker 2, and The Adventures of Tintin should all be eligible.

via Droid Gamers

Zephyr adds new multitasking gestures to jailbroken iOS devices

Zephyr

Zephyr is a utility for jailbroken iPhone and iPod touch devices running iOS 5 and later. The app currently adds support for two new gestures:

  1. You can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to reveal the multitasking app switcher without touching the home button.
  2. You can swipe from the left or right edge of the screen to switch between currently running apps without using the task switcher at all.

In other words, Zephyr can save you time if all you want to do is flip back and forth between two apps — but if you often find yourself swiping from the edge of the display to play games or perform other actions you might accidentally end up switching apps. It’s a neat idea, though.

Developer chpwn plans to add support for additional gestures in the future, and you can disable any gesture that you don’t like in your devices settings.

You can purchase Zephyr from the Cydia store for jailbroken devices for $2.99.
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Classic games Grand Theft Auto III, Sonic CD come to iOS, Android

Sonic CD and GTA III

Every day dozens of new games are released for mobile phones and tablets — but every now and again you don’t want a new game. What you want is to relive a truly great classic game that you first played on a Playstation or computer.

Recently two of those classic games found their way to iOS and Android.

The first is Sonic CD, a Sonic the Hedgehog title from the 90s. Originally developed for the Sega CD, the game has since been ported to the Plyastation 2, GameCube, and PC. Now it’s available for $1.99 in the Android Market and iTunes App Store.

Next up we’ve got Grand Theft Auto III – a title that changed the way many people think about video games on a number of levels. GTA III was released for the PS2 in 2001 as a game that let you solve missions by driving, fighting, and problem solving in Liberty City, a fictional place that’s detailed enough to be a character in the story.

The game also pushed the boundaries of violent and sexual conduct in a mainstream video game.

Now GTA III  is available for $4.99 from the App Store and Android Market.

Legendary RPG Chrono Trigger now available for iOS

Chrono Trigger has arrived for the iPhone and iPod Touch, bringing one of the most popular epic role playing games to iOS.

The game was originally released for the Super Nintendo in 1995. The iOS version features optimized graphics for the Retina display and touch controls. For example, in a battle, you can employ a the “slide and tap” control cut through enemies and select your targets.

Other exclusives include over 50 personnel combo attacks and two areas from the Nintendo DS version of the game: The Dimensional Vortex and the Lost Sanctum.

Created by Square Enix, the makers of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, the game naturally centers around its storyline. Chrono, the main character, must go back in time “through the dimensions” to find his friend Marle after an accident occurs with a new invention. As a result, Chrono travels through both the past and the future, an even encounters the end of time.

Chrono Trigger is available in the App Store for $9.99. If that seems a bit pricey for an iOS game, consider the words of a recent commenter on iTunes: “Not only did it revolutionized the RPG genre, it raised the bar so high it hasn’t been beaten since!”

via Reddit

GarageBand app now jams on iPhone, iPod touch too

GarageBand 1.1

Apple’s GarageBand app for iOS lets users create and edit music on a mobile device. When the app launched last year it was an iPad exclusive. But now Apple has released a major update which allows GarageBand to run on an iPhone or iPod touch as well.

You can use the app to tap out tunes on a virtual keyboard, strum a virtual guitar, tap beats on a virtual drum kit, or use dozens of other virtual instruments. You can also mix songs using up to 8 tracks, create loops, trim audio, or apply other effects. You can either save your song as a digital music file or send a project to a Mac to continue editing in the desktop version of GarageBand.

GarageBand 1.1 for iOS is a universal app that runs most recent iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad models running iOS 4.3 and up. The update also adds new features such as 3/4 or 6/8 time signatures, custom chords for Smart Instruments, and new export quality settings for AAC and AIFF files.

GarageBand for iOS is available from the App Store for $4.99. It weighs in at a hefty 501MB.

 

SlingPlayer app for Android tablets now available (for $30)

SlingPlayer for Android 3.0 Honeycomb

Sling Media has released a new tablet-friendly version of their Android app which allows Slingbox owners to stream live or recorded TV over the internet. Like the smartphone app, the new version of SlingPlayer for tablets costs $29.99, which makes it rather expensive for an Android app… but rather cheap for a portable TV.

The new app works on tablets running Android 3.0 and up and has a new user interface designed for high resolution displays.

You can access a program guide, adjust screen aspect ratios, or access other settings from the app. You can also pull up an on-screen remote control that should look like the remote for the cable box, DVR, or other home theater device you’re accessing over the internet.

You’ll need a Slingbox SOLO or SLingbox Pro-HD in order to use the new app. You’ll also want a speedy internet connection to stream video.

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N64oid 2.4 turns your phone into a multi-player Nintendo 64 console

n64oid multiplayer nintendo 64 emulator for android

While you may not find many in the Android Market these days, there’s no shortage of video game console emulators for Google Android. These apps let you play classic GameBoy, Nintendo, or even Playstation games on your phone — assuming you have the video game ROMs, which I’ll just go ahead and assume you obtained legally.

Last week developer Yonzh released an updated version of his Nintendo 64 emulator for Android — and it has one pretty slick new feature: it lets you connect multiple Bluetooth game controllers so that you can play multiplayer games.

If you have a phone with a fast processor and an HDMI output, you can fire up N64oid, pair two gamepads, plug in a TV and play 3D games on a big screen TV using your phone instead of a game console.

The folks at AndroidNZ have put together a demo video showing what Mario Kart 64 looks like using this setup.

Although the new multiplayer feature looks great on an HDTV, you could also theoretically use a 10 inch Android tablet for some multiplayer gaming on the go. I somehow doubt you’ll spend a lot of time racing against your friends on a 4 inch phone.

You can purchase the latest version of N64oid for $4.99 from the SlideMe app store. You’ll need to make sure your phone or tablet supports installing apps from “unknown sources,” and you’ll want a phone with a pretty fast processor in order to get the most out of the app.

via Droid Gamers