iWorld Australia and ION Audio is proud to announce the latest and greatest for 2012
By iworld | February 5, 2012
ION Audio was created in 2004 out of the desire to bridge the gap between the classic and the cutting-edge, between the timeless and the revolutionary.
Whether it’s enhancing your gaming experience, bringing your entire library of books to your computer or helping you or your child learn to play an instrument, ION takes advanced, exciting technologies and makes them easy to use, transforming them into all-in-one solutions that everyone can understand and afford.
“It was great to visit CES 2012 and get to catch up with our friends at ION Audio. The release of new products from ION Audio are great. Not to mention they have heaps more to come out soon. The products that we are showing now have been really big hits at CES. The number one product pulling all the crowds at CES was the Guitar Apprentice. These products will be available after March 2012” States Chad DeClase, Director of iWorld Australia.
Get ready to shred like never before with GUITAR APPRENTICE from ION.
GUITAR APPRENTICE is a full-scale, electric-guitar-style controller that transforms iPad into an amazing guitar-learning experience. Simply place your iPad into GUITAR APPRENTICE’s fitted holder, open the GUITAR APPRENTICE app, and you’re ready to go. GUITAR APPRENTICE can be played anywhere as it requires no cables or external connections. GUITAR APPRENTICE’s strings can be strummed together or plucked individually, and its 14 fretboard-fret buttons mean you can easily play thousands of songs.
iDJ 2 GO is the easiest way to become a DJ with your iPad. iDJ 2 GO is the only ultra-compact DJ controller that lets beginners perform like a pro wherever they go. The iDJ 2 GO system harnesses the processing power of your iPad and enables you to DJ anywhere using the music from your iTunes library.
DRUM APPRENTICE literally lights your way to becoming a drummer, providing you with step-by-step instructions to teach you great rhythms in no time! This lighted drum learning station connects to your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch and comes with a FREE downloadable app to teach you basic drumming skills.
A sequel to the smash hit ION iCade controller for iPad, iCade Jr. brings the arcade excitment to your iPhone or iPod touch. Game-on with great iPhone and iPod touch games with this pint-sized arcade powerhouse. iCade Jr. gives you a joystick and four front buttons, plus four rear trigger buttons for ultimate control over tons of iPhone and iPod touch games. This mini-arcade cabinet will give you a novelty gaming experience like no other!
Get serious about your mobile gaming with iCade Mobile, the ultimate handheld game controller for iPhone and iPod touch.
Unleash your inner arcade champion with iCade Core. This streamlined version of ION’s acclaimed iCade equips your iPad or iPad 2 with authentic, arcade-style joystick and buttons that are ready for fierce non-stop gaming. Challenge your friends, throw retro-gaming parties and achieve your highest scores yet. iCade Core offers an incredible arcade experience, bringing all the fun of classic arcade gaming to your iPad!
PIANO MASTER is the ultimate piano teaching tool for iPad. Simply connect your iPad, download the free PIANO MASTER App, and start playing piano instantly!
Blast your music whenever and wherever you want: BLOCK ROCKER BLUETOOTH is a powerful and flexible all-in-one sound system for iOS devices, MP3 players, microphones and instruments.
Crank up your music anywhere with ROAD ROCKER from ION Audio. With ROAD ROCKER, you get a Bluetooth sound system that is compact enough to go anywhere: camping, tailgating, parties and, of course, road trips!
For more information please contact:
iWorld Australia 9532.5052
email:- sales@iworldaustralia.com.au
www.iworldaustralia.com.au
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The Evolution of the Board Game Is Upon Us!
By iworld | January 26, 2012
Identity Games Brings The Traditional Board Game Experience to Life with Multiplayer Innovative iPad Accessory - GameChanger™
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ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, Jan. 26th, 2012
Identity Games International and iWorld Australia ink exclusive distribution agreement for Australia and New Zealand.
Identity Games International – a Dutch and US based international award-winning game creator, producer and publisher - introduces a true “game changer” to the board game category. Presenting GameChanger™ – a groundbreaking innovation in game play. The GameChanger is a multiplayer, multigame electronic game board that works with the iPad. Featuring interactive animation and sound, GameChanger adds a whole new dimension to the traditional board game by creating a different game experience every time you play.
Identity Games successfully launced the GameChanger November last year in the US market. In January this year Identity Games appointed iWorld Australia as it’s exclusive distributor for Australia and New Zealand.
Managing Director Identity Games, Mr. Erik Spindler: “The people from iWorld Australia truly presented themselves as partners willing to build the GameChanger in their market. Their vision and execution with regards to the app accessory category really convinced us that they are the best fit as our business partner.”
Managing Director iWorld Australia, Mr. Chad DeClase: “This is just no ordinary board game. It is truly a revolution in Appcessories. The interaction between iPad and traditional aboard games is endless and Identity Games leads the way. The interest we have so far from the educational market has been fantastic.”
The GameChanger, which is an app-based accessory or appcessory “Made for iPad,” is very simple and easy to use. Kids are given the option of playing two different games; The Magic School Bus® from Scholastic and Animal Mania. The iPad simply slides into the GameChanger cradle, and one of the included game skins can be placed on top of the board. Parents can download the App, which is free with GameChanger purchase, and then the family fun can begin!
“The GameChanger is going to revolutionize traditional board game play,” said Emile Kalis, Creative Director, Identity Games. “By bringing together the best of both worlds – board games and the world’s number one tablet, GameChanger offers an entirely new gaming experience for the family that is both fun and educational.”
With GameChanger, the multiplayer electronic game board and the iPad screen become one, and come alive with a simple touch. The game pieces themselves interact with the iPad, which asks questions and assigns tasks, so players always know whose turn it is. In various ways it lets players move their pawn across the game board. Since the game board and the iPad are connected, all game play is completely guided and tracked.
In The Magic School Bus® game, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, kids can join Ms. Frizzle and her class as they play, learn and discover through fantasy and science. As young ones move across the game path, they will travel and see the world, learning fun facts through different video clips and questions.
In the Animal Mania game, it’s a crazy animal mad house! Young explorers will travel the world across different continents and time periods, learning about animals, their habitats and behavior. Kids will meet mammals, sea creatures and even prehistoric dinosaurs as different animals challenge them along the game path. With trivia questions, fun tasks and entertaining riddles, young explorers will learn about animals in a whole new way.
Next to these skin based games, there are lots of so called Friends Games, action games like Kaboom and DuckDuckGoose that have a completely different exciting gameplay.
The GameChanger comes with the electronic game board, four game skins (Scholastic’s The Magic School Bus and Animal Mania), four game pieces and free App download. It is recommended for children ages 6 and up.
For additional information, visit www.boardgamechanger.com.
About Identity Games
Identity Games is an international award winning game creator, producer and publisher.
The company was founded in 1992 and specializes in personalized games for B2B, for consumers and distributors worldwide. The mission of Identity Games is to make innovative, creative and educational games for every business, family and market and exceed customer expectations by delivering high quality games at the best possible prices.
About The Magic School Bus®
Based on the best-selling Scholastic book series written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen, The Magic School Bus is an Emmy Award-winning animated television series that has been seen in 39 countries in 16 languages. Now in its 17th season, it currently airs on the Qubo Channel in the United States. With more than 58 million books in print, the brand has won numerous industry excellence awards, including two Emmys for Lily Tomlin (for her portrayal of Ms. Frizzle in the TV series), five CINE Golden Eagles, a Parent’s Choice Gold Medal, a National Conservation Achievement Award, an Environmental Media Association Award, and an Annenberg Public Policy Center Award. Two The Magic School Bus book apps are available for the iPad™ and a live show entitled “The Magic School Bus Live: THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE” launched in October.
SOURCE Identity Games International
RELATED LINKS
http://www.boardgamechanger.com
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Hands-on with ION Audio’s Guitar Apprentice and new iCade models
By iworld | January 18, 2012
TAUW Beta
by Mike Schramm
We first saw ION Audio’s really impressive iCade followups at the beginning of CES last week during CES Unveiled, but that little taste at the crowded event wasn’t really enough for us, so later in the week we went by the company’s booth to get a better look and actually hold and play with the new products.
Of the various iCade implements on display, the most impressive was undoubtedly the iCade Mobile — that’s the (mostly) PSP-based Bluetooth controller setup which your iPhone or iPod touch can plug into. The company had the great Mos Speedrun working on the device, and the buttons felt great and were very responsive.
The one issue with the controller is that the “triggers” (normally L2 and R2 on PS3 or Xbox controllers) aren’t really triggers — they’re just buttons, and a lot of gamers, especially those who play shooters, often prefer the Microsoft style trigger controls rather than just wide buttons. The model we played with had buttons that were actually just an extension of the metal around the side, so they sort of “bent” in as you pressed them, but the ION rep told us that the final version will be separate from the side metal, which means they’ll press in straight. Still, just having buttons back there might not be quite as nice as full triggers, if there are games that make heavy use of them in the future.
Given that developers step up with compatibility on their apps (and ION has had a lot of success with that on the original iCade cabinet), this device could be a must-have for a lot of hardcore iPhone gamers. Of course, it bears mentioning Apple doesn’t really provide a great deal of support for gaming peripherals. In fact, all of these devices are simply sending button presses (like a keyboard would), so until iOS supports more input controls, Ion will similarly be limited. he handheld launches sometime this spring, and will be available for around USD$79.99.
I also got to play with the iCade Jr., a much smaller version of the iCade cabinet that’s designed for iPhones or iPod touches rather than the iPad. The model on display wasn’t a working version, but it was enough to feel what it was like to hold the device and press the buttons on the backside. Unfortunately, the whole thing felt about as gimmicky as it looked — I’m sure the games will be playable when they’re finally released, but obviously the mini cabinet isn’t built for comfort so much as it is a cute little version of the larger thing. That one will also be out in a few months, for around USD $49.99.
And finally, we checked out ION’s other big iOS product this year at CES, called the Guitar Apprentice. This one is huge — it’s a “guitar controller” for iPad, so it’s a plastic guitar-shaped device with dozens of little buttons on it designed to serve as the frets on a guitar. Your iPad is actually inserted straight into the frame on the guitar’s body, and eventually (though this wasn’t yet working at the show), the idea is that you’ll press buttons on the guitar controller’s neck, and then “strum” by swiping across your iPad.
It was an interesting idea, but the app wasn’t done by CES, apparently, so all that the Guitar Apprentice did so far was when you pressed any of the fret buttons, the iPad would play the appropriate musical notes. It actually worked well — I could play chords or “pluck” specific frets with ease, though the mechanics were obviously different than playing a real guitar. Hopefully, if ION makes a solid app for the iPad, the controller will serve as a nice set of training wheels for anyone wanting to actually learn a little bit of guitar.
The controller itself will be USD $99 when released, and the app will be available for free. ION had some really excellent offerings at CES this year — the company seems bolstered by the iCade’s success, so we can probably expect to see even more cool iOS products from ION Audio in the future.
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iPad Instruments: Ion Audio Helps You Learn Piano, Drums and Guitar
By iworld | January 16, 2012
Gizmodo
By Danny Allen
Ion Audio definitely had a busy CES. Besides launching iCade Mobile — which adds eight buttons and a D-Pad to your iPhone — they also showcased upcoming instrument learning rigs. Piano Studio is a 61-note keyboard with lighted keys showing you how to play, while Drum Master is a full-size electronic drum kit with six velocity-sensitive lighted pads and cymbals. We also got a sneak peak at guitar apprentice. Video!
The iPad accessories include a free app with built-in lessons and also connect to Garage Band (and other iPad instrument apps). Piano Studio and Drum Master both arrive in September and will be US$150 and US$300, respectively.
A smaller, cheaper version of Piano Studio called Piano Apprentice is already available in Australia from iWorld for $150. The cut-down Drum Apprentice won’t arrive until September, and is also expected to cost around the same price.
Though clearly too limited for serious music producers, these rigs look like a great introduction to musical instruments for kids. Well, the keyboard and drum accessories do, anyway. I’m still not sure about guitar apprentice. It looks fun, but seems more ‘guitar hero’ fun than practical first steps to learning how to play. More info on all the devices at [Ion Audio]
Guitar Apprentice
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Drum Apprentice
iDJ2Go Controller
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CES 2012: iDevices Introduces iShower and iNotebook To Go With iGrill
By iworld | January 16, 2012
Apple’N'Apps
Published on January 16, 2012, by Trevor Sheridan - Posted in CES, Special Event
AT CES in 2011, iDevices LLC was a new company that introduced a new strategy of making app enabled accessories for iOS that connect wirelessly. Their first product was the iGrill which is a Bluetooth enabled cooking thermometer which connects to an iOS device. The iGrill app is custom built, and allows users to track the cooking temperature on the barbecue or in the oven. For 2012, the company has two new products along the same line of wireless connected iOS accessories that are app enabled.
The first is the iShower which is a Bluetooth enabled water proof speaker that can be mounted in the shower or by the pool. The speaker system can be paired with up to five devices, and has a 200 foot range allowing your iOS device to be far away from the water. The device streams music for up to 15 hours on 3 AA batteries, and also includes the time of day. The iShower is coming in March for $99.99, and attaches and detaches easily to provide stability and portability around water.
The other iDevices product is the iNotebook which is a leather portfolio with iPad holder on one side, and traditional paper and pen on the other. The product lets you hand write notes, and it transfers what you write to the iPad in real time using a secure Bluetooth connection. The iNotebook doesn’t require any special paper to work, and instead uses writing recognition through IR built into the pen. The included pen features a stylus tip on one end, and a regular ink pen on the other, and the iNotebook uses rechargeable batteries. The device also connects with the iNotebook app which can record audio, allow editing of saved documents, and sync to iCloud.
The iNotebook is expected in June, and iDevices has worked with Targus for the product launch. Both the iNotebook and iShower sound like great innovative iOS accessories for 2012.
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CES 2012: Ion Shreds The Convention World With Guitar Apprentice
By iworld | January 12, 2012
Appadvice.com
By Lory
Ion brought the rock with them to this year’s CES by showing off what can only be described as the coolest looking iPad case, ever. Not only will you look like a rock star with the Guitar Apprentice, you can learn how to become one as well.
The Guitar Apprentice looks like a full-scale electric guitar that transforms your iPad into a rocking instrument. The iPad itself sits in the body of the guitar using a fitted holder. When connected to the Guitar Apprentice app, the case becomes a learning instrument. There are no cords, no amplifiers, no pedals, just you and your iPad guitar.
The neck of the guitar is specially designed to look and feel like a real instrument, the six strings and 14 frets are actually individual buttons meant to simulate an actual guitar.
The Guitar Apprentice app is more than just a fun toy. It is a learning tool for guitar beginners. With it, users can follow the lighted LEDs on the neck to learn the chord finger placement needed to shred like a pro.
The app features built-in effects so users can alter the sound their iPad guitar makes. Effects include distortion, reverb, flanger, delay and more. It is also compatible with other music apps, such as GarageBand.
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The case is less expensive than your average electric guitar. While it may seem like a frivolous purchase to some, there is no denying it looks cool. Who else do you know that has an iPad guitar?
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iHealth Hands-On at CES 2012
By admin | January 9, 2012
Engadget
By Daniel Cooper posted Jan 9th 2012
iHealth produce body monitoring devices that help you stay in tip-top condition and is building out a line of devices for this year that will arrive just as soon as it’s gotten past the hurdle of FDA approval:
Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor is a wireless update to the (wired) Blood Pressure Dock, the armband pushing your vitals over Bluetooth to an app on the device of your choice.
Smart GlucoMeter connects to your iDevice’s 30-pin port and once you’ve installed the free app, you’ll be able to stick smears of blood onto cardboard paddles in order to see how many Mike’n'Ike’s you’ve been snacking on.
Wireless Body Fat Scale will record your weight and measure your body fat to your device (and eternal shame once you’ve polished off all that candy).
There’s no word on pricing, but for reference, last year’s digital scale retailed for USD $70 and the Blood Press Dock for USD $100, so we’d expect the followups to linger around those same bands. All of these products will also connect (via their apps) to a new cloud service that the company’s launching to aggregate all that data into a single spreadsheet for the next time you need to negotiate your fee with your HMO.
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New iCade Models Enhance Gaming on iOS Devices
By iworld | January 9, 2012
iPhonefaq
By Frank Macey - Published January 9th 2012
At last year’s CES Ion Audio launched the retro iPad gaming cabinet known as the iCade. Although the product started life as an April fool’s joke at ThinkGeek, the maker of the iCade is now adding even more fun gaming accessories for iOS device owners.
iPhone and iPod touch owners are no longer left out of the loop thanks to the iCade Mobile, a portable game control pad that connects directly to the iOS device. The mobile version will connect via Bluetooth, adding a D-pad and buttons to the iPhone for $80.
Also revealed by Ion Audio was a miniature version of the original iCade iPad arcade cabinet, also designed to fit smaller iOS devices including the iPhone and iPod touch. The device sits inside the retro-style cabinet, which provides a joystick and four buttons. The iCade Junior launches in the spring for $50. The iCade Junior can be placed on a tabletop or hand held, thanks to additional buttons located on the back of the accessory.
Last but not least, there’s a new streamlined version of the original iCade, dubbed the iCade Core. With eight buttons and a joystick, the iCade Code provides all of the functionality of the original iCade, but loses the cabinet look. This simplifies the design into just a simple platform that holds the iPad vertically and makes for more portable gaming action. The iCade Core provides space for gamers to charge the iPad using a dock connector cable as well.
As the iCade line grows there are already 100 compatible games available for iOS gaming fans everywhere.
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SilverLit BlueSky RC Heli Review, the iPhone Controlled Helicopter
By iworld | January 6, 2012
ChipChick
Posted on January 3rd, 2012 by Scott Schaen
If you have any history with RC helicopters it probably went something like this: “Wow it flies!” (then…) “wow it’s tough to control” (then…) “wow it’s really leaning to the left” (and eventually…) “okay, it doesn’t really fly any more.” We’re lucky enough to say RC helicopters exist and they are quite affordable, but they’ve always been lacking one key feature until now: control. With the Silverlit Blue Sky Heli, I’m able to whiz the RC helicopter into my roommate’s bedroom, loopty-loop around his head, and bring it right back home–and all from my iPhone!
What’s in the Box:
-Blue Sky Heli
-Spare tail rotor blade x 1
-Tool for tail rotor blade replacement x 1
-USB cable
With your iPhone, iPod Touch, or even iPad (iOS 4+) you can control the helicopter with a strong bluetooth connection. The Silverlit R/C app from the Apple app store has three different methods of control. The easiest to use is Joystick mode, which is two joy sticks: throttle and directional. The throttle controls the speed of the blades and the height of the heli. The directional joystick turns the helicopter right and left, or flies the helicopter backward and forward (up and down direction). The heli has so much control that when you turn it right and left, it pivots in place as it hovers in a stationary position. The other two control modes are a bit tougher, but a lot of fun to try to get the hang of. There is full gesture mode and partial gesture mode, which both rely on tilting your iPhone to control the direction of the heli.
The setup is simple. Charge the helicopter with the included USB charger for 30-45 minutes. Turn on the heli with the switch on the bottom. When on, the heli will show up as a bluetooth device on your iOS device, just as any bluetooth headset would. Once bluetooth pairing is complete, just open up the app and get ready to fly! My iPhone 4S did not pair the helicopter automatically; each time I use heli I have to go into the bluetooth settings and tap “SL_BlueSkyHeli” from the device list (your results may vary). The battery is supposed to last four to five minutes, but in practice you’ll get 10-15 minutes of play.
The helicopter has an LED spotlight, and there are 8 different spotlight choices to choose from in the app. The choices range from a solid spotlight color to different fading colors. The helicopter transmits it’s battery level to the app, which has a three bar battery indicator. In the app settings you can adjust the sound effects, vibration, sensitivity, and throttle curve adjustment. While you’re controlling the helicopter, you can also adjust the trim in case the heli is spinning right or left on its own.
Even as a 24 year old, I can admit the SilverLit Blue Sky Heli is a lot of fun to play with. The level of control is what really differentiates this R/C helicopter from the rest. While the control is amazing, the durability is also amazing. The Blue Sky Heli was certainly put to the test (and I had my friends do the same), and it probably crash landed 50-100 times with no noticeable damage. At one point it started leaning to the right more than the maximum trim allowed me to compensate for, strangely enough after a few some more crash landings it fixed itself. Once you get good at flying (it doesn’t take very long), it’s easy to prevent crashes. Half the fun is learning to fly.
Since the SilverLit Blue Sky Heli is very controllable, you are able to fly it in small rooms without destroying it or anything else. SilverLit built the Blue Sky Heli to be durable and tough, knowing very well that helicopters crash. Considering this is not another helicopter that will break in a matter of days, you can very easily get your money’s worth. Also another bonus is that it’s rechargeable and so is your iPhone or iPod, so you won’t have to go through piles of batteries.
The Good
Amazing Control, Very Durable, Rechargeable, Works with iPhone, iPod or iPad, Different Methods of Control, Powerful, Spotlight, Strong Bluetooth Connection, Easy Set Up, Battery Sensor in Remote App.
The Bad
Have to Pair Bluetooth Manually Every Time, Short Charging Cable, Crashes have Some Effect on Trim
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iDevices unveils iShower water-resistant Bluetooth speaker for Apple and Android devices
By iworld | January 6, 2012
MOBILE TECHNOLOGY
By James Holloway
12:24 January 6, 2012
The iShower from iDevices is a bluetooth-enabled water resistant speaker for ‘aqua-centric environments’
From iDevices, the iPeople behind the iGrill, comes iShower - a battery-powered, Bluetooth-enabled, water-resistant speaker for what its makers charmingly refer to as “aqua-centric environments.” The iShower can stream music from any Bluetooth-enabled Apple or Android device, apparently to an impressive range of up to 200 feet (60 meters).
The iShower can be detached from its wall mounting (in your shower is recommended) for use anywhere one might be nervous of taking a smartphone - the beach or pool, iDevices suggests. The device runs on three AA batteries for a claimed 15 hours of streaming. That’s just about enough to sing your way through 125 showers. Or one pool party.
The iShower has all the playback and volume controls you’d expect from a stereo, displays the time of day, and can be installed without need of tools. There are free-standing and suspended options if wall-mounting is not convenient, and an anti-fog shower mirror is available as an extra.
The iShower includes a 3-watt speaker which, according to iDevices CEO Chris Allen, is located on the rear of the device. “The mount keeps the iShower about half and inch from the wall allowing the sound to reverberate off the tile giving you great sound,” Allen told us. “iDevices consulted speaker designer Anthony Gallo for the design and we feel we have an awesome solution to a very common problem” - namely, the problem of phones being dropped into unmentionable places. Do people listen to music on the toilet? Any way …
The press release explicitly states that the iShower is compatible with all Apple devices, and though they mention iPhones and iPods, we assume that means Macs too. The iShower is to be officially unveiled at next week’s CES in Las Vegas, and will be available from March for US$99.99. The press release also mentions a forthcoming iNotebook. The mind boggles.
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