The App Shelf for iPhone and iPod touch

It looks like the iPad is going to be bringing a slew of all new apps and content for Apple fans to drool over.  AppShopper.com is starting to see dozens of new apps populate its iPad section.  Just like the App Store, AppShopper showcases developer screenshots of the apps, and the content is looking spectacular.

The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, and Associated Press have all already launched their new iPad-specifc apps and they look stunning.  As confirmed by Mac Rumors, a particularly interesting tidbit for Netflix subscribers is that Netflix appears to have launched a streaming video, “instant” view app.

It looks like there will be quite a bit of new and interesting content to move iPad in a direction that iPhone and iPod Touch haven’t yet managed to fill, including an ABC.com “full episode player,” some very impressive looking HD games, and some surprisingly useful utilities (especially for musicians).   Unfortunately, we have yet to see that elusive Hulu app.  If you want to keep an eye on the apps yourself, check out the iPad section at AppShopper.com.

On September 9, Apple announced a refresh to its iPod line, including the next gen iPod Touch.   Because a lot of info comes out of these media events, we wanted to take a moment and distill the day’s announcements for iPhone and iPod Touch users.

iPhone & iPod Touch Related info:

• iPhone OS 3.1 officially released and available for download (see below for a list of changes and new features).
• OS 3.1 will be available for free to iPod Touch owner currently running OS 3.1 & to all iPhone owners.
• iPod Touch Users not running 3.0 will have to pay $4.99 (a $5 price drop).
• iTunes 9 released and adds enhanced syncing options and Genius option for Apps.
• iTunes 9 allows users to edit & organize device home screens in iTunes.
• The 8 GB iPod Touch price dropped to $199 (with no hardware upgrades).
• The 16 & 32 GB models have doubled in storage space to 32 & 64 GB respectively, and have been upgraded with a faster processer.
• EA released Madden 2010 for iPhone OS.
• Ubisoft announced Assassin’s Creed II for iPhone OS.
• Gameloft announced Nova—a Halo-like FPS—for iPhone OS.
• Tapulous announced Riddim Ribbon

• Gameloft announced Nova—a Halo-like FPS—for iPhone OS.

• Tapulous announced Riddim Ribbon

Gameloft recently released a mysterious trailer for an otherwise unannounced iPhone OS app, entitled Dungeon Hunter. 


The YouTube description labels the game as an “action RPG” and “coming soon.”  The video itself has fun cinematics, an intriguing story, and absolutely no gameplay footage.  Could these be a Diablo-like hack and slash?  Or maybe iPhone’s version of Zelda?  For now, your guess is as good as ours!

We’ll post more info when we get it.

The first trailer of Anders Hejdenberg’s Dark Nebula debuted earlier today.  Dark Nebula, described as “a skill-based action game,” appears to combine accelerometer-based ball rolling controls—one of the many trademarks of iPhone gaming—with many elements of action and platform games.

The game will launch as a series of episodes priced at $0.99, starting with the release of episode one, which will contain ten levels and about an hour of gameplay.  According to the developers, Dark Nebula is sure to "have you bouncing, sliding, spinning and swerving all the way to the finish line."

Hejdenberg, the lead designer of Battlefield 2: Modern Combat had this to say about the iPhone as a new platform:

“The iPhone has always intrigued me as a gaming platform, both in terms of how you can interact with it as well as what it is capable of technically. So I felt quite compelled to try it out and see what we could do with it. It was a lot of fun to come up with a new game concept with a control mechanic that feels great on the device.”

“I was really impressed to see just how much the iPhone and iPod Touch are actually capable of. I think we’ve only seen the beginning here because as developers learn how to work with the platform they’ll be able to create some truly remarkable things compared to what we’ve seen so far.”

Dark Nebula looks to have a lot of potential based on the trailer and the info provide from the app’s development team.  The app is still in development and expected to hit the App Store around the end of September.

Recently I had a chance to get my hands on the upcoming iPhone app title, Liberty Boom, co-developed by TheAppShelf.com’s Matt Braun of Magnate Interactive, in collaboration with Mourlam Studios.

The game is a patriotically themed, fast tapping frenzy of fireworks and explosions, with beautiful graphics and six original audio tracks.  The objective of the game is to keep the crowd happy by detonating the fast moving fireworks as high as possible.  This is done by hitting the designated tap zones before the rockets pass the threshold line, while avoiding other flying obstacles, such as planes, helicopters, and blimps (unless, of course, it happens to be a flying bonus multiplier).  According to Braun:

If we were to compare [Liberty Boom] to another game, it's most like Tap Tap Revenge, but inverted.

The first few levels start out simple enough to get players warmed up, but before you realize what’s hit you, the game gets frantically fun.  Players can influence the speed that aircrafts move across the screen with tilt controls; this is particularly great for lining up bonus multipliers.  For competitive gamers, the app contains a global scoreboard and social challenge system.  For a better impression of gameplay, check out the trailer below.

Personally, one of my favorite parts about the app is the breathtaking nighttime skyline photos used for backgrounds. The initial release features 20 city skylines, and the developers are asking players to send in more for future updates.

Liberty Boom, which has already been submitted to the App Store for approval, will be released at the temporary introductory price of 99¢, with a full price of $2.99.  Look for it soon!

Here's the latest trailer for the Dexter iPhone app, announced several months ago.  It appears the game may be nearing completion, but specific details are still unknown.  Take a look:

Earlier today, TouchArcade.com posted a "Hands-On Preview and Video of Ganstar: West Coast Hustle," which is essentially gameloft's take on the popular Grand Theft Auto Series.

Gameloft is becoming well-known for producing successful iPhone OS counterparts to popular console videogames, such as Brothers in Arms (Medal of Honor), Hero of Sparta (God of War), and Guitar Rock Tour (Guitar Hero), just to name a few.   Gangstar: West Coast Hustle would be the first major fully 3D GTA-style game to arrive in the App Store, and from the looks of the gameplay video below, it'll be a welcome addition to the lineup.