Guest Contributor

Guest Contributor

press@octa.com

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What’s New in Mobile Gaming at E3 2012?

June 7, 2012

Mobile Gaming at E3 2012We’ve told you how to follow the news about major consoles at this year’s E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo, but consoles are no longer the only place where gaming happens. Thanks to handheld devices like the iPad, the mobile gaming market is getting bigger every year. We’ve rounded up mobile gaming at this year’s E3. Read on for what we’re looking. (more…)

Prometheus-Inspired: Sci-Fi Gaming in the iOS App Store

June 6, 2012

Prometheus-Inspired: Sci-Fi Gaming in the iOS App StoreWhen Ridley Scott’s Prometheus arrives in theatres on Friday, June 8th, another chapter in one of the most influential outer space film series will be available for our eager eyes to pore over. Based on Scott’s previous films like Alien and Blade Runner, as well as Prometheuss massive viral marketing campaign, this new film promises to be absolutely packed with highly detailed futuristic sci-fi design. Since we can’t wait to get out into outer space, we’ve started early in the iTunes app store. Check out these iPad and iPhone games from deep in outer space. (more…)

The Bands of Bonnaroo, Live from Your Phone

June 4, 2012

The Bands of Bonnaroo, Live From Your PhoneEvery June, the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival transforms 700 acres of Tennessee farmland into one of the most exciting american concert series currently running. Over the course of four days, dozens of bands will contribute to a massive live show that spans ten stages and entertains some 80,000 fans from around the world. Not content to just deliver on music, Bonnaroo also features stand-up comedy, cinema, dancing, shopping, food, and even morning meditation sessions. If that still doesn’t sound achingly hip enough for you, consider this: the Bonnaroo App. With individual iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, and BlackBerry versions available for download, this digital entry into the epic-music-fest world is a must-have for Bonnaroo attendees, with integrated maps, schedules, and a retailer directory included. There’s even a custom Bonnaroo photo frame that you can apply to the shots you take on your phone while you’re there. And if you can’t make it to Tennessee and are more than a little jealous, the app features a radio station programmed with tracks from Bonnaroo acts and feeds into their YouTube channel full of artist interviews, past performances, and soon-to-be-live feeds from the festival as it happens.

All of this app integration got us thinking: what Bonnaroo acts also have their own apps? As it turns out, a whole bunch! (more…)

E3 Most Anticipated Major Announcements

June 1, 2012

E3The biggest video game announcements of the year are just days away! Each year at the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo, top game developers show off their upcoming games and systems, hosting huge press conferences to get us excited about their new titles and start us pining away for a chance to play them ourselves. iPad and iPhone owners can experience it for themselves courtesy of the free Official E3 2012 App, which will bring the news directly to you. Additionally, the major console makers will each be streaming their press conferences on the web, so we’ve picked out the biggest announcement expected at each and rounded up the links below.
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Snow White & The Sword-Swinging Princesses of iPad & iPhone

May 30, 2012

Movie poster for Snow White and the Huntsman brought to you as part of this blog article by Octa, makers of stands for iPad.On June 1st, Snow White & The Huntsman sets out to remind us that Princesses aren’t always just for saving. Sometimes they pick up a sword, throw on some plate armor, and knock out witches on their own time. To show off the top notch visual design that went into their big-budget fantasy film, Universal Pictures has released a free iPad offering, the Snow White & The Huntsman Storybook, which includes a look at the film’s fantastical, scary/beautiful costumes by multiple Oscar winner Colleen Atwood. When you’re done previewing that film’s dark fantasy setting, we found a couple other ways to celebrate strong princesses on your iPad and iPhone. (more…)

Living the LEGO Life on iPhone & iPad

May 25, 2012

Lego man holds a miniature Lego iPad, his Lego hands have the perfect grip for iPad.You can make all kinds of things with LEGO building brick toys, from castles to pirate ships to intricate working robots. However, one thing you still can’t quite create out of those colorful blocks is a touchscreen tablet computer that you can browse the web and play games on. But that doesn’t mean that the world of iPads and LEGO don’t intersect in other ways. Read on to see our favorite LEGO-themed apps and iPhone & iPad accessories. (more…)

From Outer Space to iOS: Men In Black III & Other Alien Apps

May 23, 2012

From Outer Space to iOS- Men In Black III & Other Alien AppsThe past decade hasn’t been without its fair share of alien invaders, in movies and in apps. Some came and visited from Cybertron, some picked unfair fights with dusty Cowboys, and recently it turned out a bunch were chilling at the bottom of the ocean. But way back in 1997 (and then again in 2002) we got to experience one of our favorite modern example of human-alien relations in the Men In Black franchise, whose sense of humor has been sorely missed ever since. On Friday, Men In Black III finally arrives in theatres, this time teaming up Agent Jay (Will Smith) with two Agent Kays (both Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin in the same role), in a Back To The Future-style time-travel adventure that takes the action back to 1969. (more…)

Is Bite-Size Video the Next Big App?

May 21, 2012

Socialcam and Viddy are great to use with your iPad and iPad holder.If you’ve been bitten by the Instagram bug, you might be ripe for another social media sharing bite in the very near future. Where there are now cleverly cropped and filtered photos streaming into your smartphone and tablet, there will soon be full motion video. Among the many products vying for the title of “Next Big Thing,” video sharing apps Socialcam and Viddy are buzzing loudly for our attention. Read on to find out why.

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Inspired by Battleship, a Retro iPad Game Roundup

May 18, 2012

Play Battleship on the iPad. Use the Whale Kit handle for iPad to keep your opponent from seeing your ships!We’re a little disappointed that the alien invaders in this summer’s big-budget blockbuster Battleship movie aren’t just walking, talking versions of the little plastic pegs that came with the original game. Still, we’re not complaining about more action and explosions, not to mention the possibility of hearing a serious actor shout “You sunk my battleship!” And since we’re in a retro board game mood, we’ve taken a look at what else is available for playing from the iTunes App Store. (more…)

Are We Close to Seeing Apple’s iTV?

May 16, 2012

Are We Close to Seeing Apple's iTV?It might not be smart to try and predict exactly what products Apple will be launching in the future, but it sure is fun. So let’s go ahead and give a little credence to the heaping of recent claims that the Apple TV maker is going to offer another living-room product sometime in the next year or two: a great big television set to harness the power of lessons learned selling that little black streaming box. (more…)