Successful mobile app publisher, Focus Multimedia, has announced a charming and unique new action-puzzle game, Squashies World, for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Developed by award-winning studio The Game Creators, Squashies World asks players to rescue the stranded Squashies – a collection of cute, cool and colourful characters – after their world is turned upside down by a tornado.

The Squashies are desperate to return to the world where they live. Players must work out how to save the Squashies by squashing together characters of the same type until there are none left in the level. The game uses intuitive squashy touch controls to aim the characters around the playing field. The quicker the player clears a level, the more points they are awarded.

Each of the hand-crafted levels offers a different challenge, and a variety of obstacles stands in the player’s way. Barriers, force fields, windmills, sticky walls and other devious devices all conspire to thwart the Squashies on their journey home. Fortunately, easy-to-learn controls allow the player to concentrate on honing their skills and steadily progressing through the vividly coloured levels.

“We wanted to put out an action-puzzle game that really makes the most of the touch screen,” said Rick Vanner, Business Development Director for The Game Creators. “We’ve found that players really enjoy the elasticity involved in pinging the Squashies across the screen.”

“Squashies World is ideal for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch gamers seeking a blast of fun,” said Grant Hughes, Director of Focus Multimedia’s fdigital mobile label. “It’s a very addictive game with intuitive controls, vibrant visuals and sneaky puzzles, and it will quickly hook casual players.”

Squashies World relies on skill, accuracy and speed. The characters’ actions are accurately physically modelled to create an unlimited variety of bouncy movements. With a specially-commissioned soundtrack and cartoon-quality sound effects, Squashies World is a rich gaming experience that will bring a smile to players’ faces.

Squashies World is available now for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, via Apple’s iTunes App Store. Android users can download the app from the Google Play store.

A new Squashies World video trailer and first screenshots are available for press to download and post online now at: http://www.fdigital.com/app/squashies-world/.

Squashies World is a unique partnership with Swizzels Matlow Ltd., the UK’s largest family-owned independent confectionery business, to mark the launch of their new range of gums. Squashies Sweet shop favourites – Love Hearts, Drumstick Lollies, Double Lollies and New Refresher chew bars – have been given a soft makeover by Swizzels Matlow and transformed into the new Squashies range.

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Wolverhampton, England — Drivers of unreliable cars, parents of teens, and everyone who has ever found themselves feeling vulnerable in an unfamiliar place, rejoice: Call4Help, a new app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, lets users call people they trust for assistance — even if they have no idea where they are.

Released this week by Toffa International, Call4Help pinpoints the caller’s location for the recipient of the call or text. It’s accurate to within a few feet, giving the recipient a satellite-view Google Maps location, latitude/longitude coordinates, and an address for the caller.

Call4Help features phone, text and e-mail “quick buttons” that can be quickly and inconspicuously pressed if needed. With one tap, the phone button dials the caller’s preferred contact; the text and e-mail buttons send a message that is automatically populated with a request for assistance, followed by the sender’s detailed location information.

The app is easy to set up. Once downloaded, the user enters the name and number of the person he or she wants to call for assistance should the need arise. Multiple contacts can be added to the text and e-mail quick buttons, and additional contacts can be added to the app’s “Emergency Numbers” section.

Call4Help can also come in handy for anyone who is lost but doesn’t want to call for help. The app’s “My Current Location” button shows a real-time view of the phone on Google Maps. As the phone moves, the app shows the user moving on the map, making it easy to tell whether one is headed to a main road or a dead-end.

“Call4Help is a simple app with the potential to save lives — or at least bring peace of mind to users and their loved ones,” stated Chris Jukes, Toffa International CEO. “Not many people can say they’ve never run into car trouble or found themselves in an uncomfortable situation with no idea of where they are. Call4Help uses Google Maps and smart phone technology to call in the cavalry and get the user to safety.”

Call4Help is available on the Apple App Store for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Click here to download.

About Toffa International

For 16 years, Toffa has been a leading developer of synchronization software for mobile devices. Its GooSync is now the market leader for Google synchronization. Products now in the design stage at Toffa include iPhone and Android applications. Despite the company’s quick, steady growth, Toffa continually provides highly personal, direct service to customers, representing countless sectors and industries but sharing the common need for efficient, reliable communications. Learn more at http://www.toffa.com.

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The Concussion Assessment and Response: Sport Version (CARE-Sport Version) is a new app from PAR that helps athletic trainers, team physicians, and other health care professionals assess and respond to a potential concussion—one of the most common yet serious medical situations for athletes at all levels.

From the instant a player is injured, the app guides users through a series of questions and activities that helps rule out a cervical spine injury, evaluate concussion signs and symptoms, and assess cranial nerve function. Designed for the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android device or tablet, the app is now available for download from the Apple App Store or Android Marketplace.

The CARE-Sport Version app features:

• The Balance Error Scoring System (BESS), which evaluates an athlete’s ability to maintain postural stability, providing important information about loss of balance in an injured athlete.
• The Sideline Assessment of Concussion (SAC), which assesses the mental status of the athlete—it addresses orientation, immediate memory, concentration, and memory recall.
• A Graded Symptom Checklist (GSC), which enables users to track the severity of post-concussion symptoms during the athlete’s recovery process.
• A Return-to-Play Guide, which helps protect athletes from further injury by guiding them through a gradual daily physical exercise routine that tests their tolerance for exertional activity.
• A Concussion Information Section, which helps ensure that users have a comprehensive understanding of concussions as well as the function of the CARE-Sport Version.
• The ACE Post-Concussion Home/School Instructions, an instructional page that users can share with non-medical personnel, including coaches, parents, and athletes, to guide early management of the athlete following a concussion.

PAR’s CARE-Sport Version app was developed by concussion experts Jason Mihalik, PhD, CAT, ATC, Assistant Professor at the Matthew A. Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and Gerard A. Gioia, PhD, Director of the Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC.

Image Courtesy of   sportgraphic / Shutterstock.com

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AT&T announced on February 07, 2012 that its AT&T U-verse for iPad App, which makes it easy for users to connect their iPad to their TV for an even better viewing experience, is available on the App Store.

Recent studies indicate that the majority of tablet owners use their device simultaneously while watching TV, and with this app users can link their iPad to their choice of any U-verse TV receiver and access several great new features like:

• Extra content and information about the TV show you’re watching, including series overview, episode synopsis, photos, cast and crew information, related TV shows and more.
• A full-featured, intuitive U-verse remote control with channel, guide, DVR, interactive app and on-demand controls, eliminating the need for extra (or lost) remotes throughout the home.
• Advanced search functionality to help you find the content you want.
• Recommendations on what to watch with ratings and reviews.
• Ability to share information about what you are watching with friends on Facebook.

And while you’re on the go, you can:

• Watch hit TV shows and movies over any Wi-Fi connection. Choose from a library of popular content based on your U-verse TV package, including shows and movies from STARZ, ENCORE, TBS, TNT, truTV, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, with more choices added on an ongoing basis.
• Access the U-verse programming guide and DVR scheduling, similar to the functionality available on the U-verse app for iPhone and iPod touch.

You can view a video demo of the app here.

“Today, we are taking our best in class TV experience and taking it to a whole new level by joining two very powerful platforms: your TV and iPad,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility.

“With our new app, AT&T U-verse customers have access to incredible functionality to make the TV experience much richer, from superior search and control functionality, to fresh content that tells you more about what you’re watching, to the ability to share what you’re watching with your friends through social networks. And, when they leave the home, our customers can take the U-verse experience with them.”

Using the U-verse IP platform and in-home U-verse Wi-Fi network, customers can link the app to any U-verse TV receiver in their home. Using a simple one-time set up process for each U-verse receiver, customers just tune to channel 9301 and go through intuitive steps to name their U-verse receivers using a default name like “living room” or “bedroom,” or create a personalized name, to enable the functionality and features.

AT&T U-verse TV was the fastest growing TV service in the country in 2011 and is the only 100 percent Internet Protocol-based television (IPTV) service offered by a national service provider. AT&T U-verse TV ranked “Highest in Residential Television Service Satisfaction in the North Central, South and West Regions,” according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Residential Television Service Provider Satisfaction Studies(SM).

The AT&T U-verse for iPad App is available for free from the App Store on iPad or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

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It has become the norm for teenagers to own a personal listening device (PLD) previously the Walkmans, then the Discman and now iPods, mp3 players and smart phones. Listening to music on-the-move has increased albeit with hazardous consequences, taking into consideration that this music is delivered to the listeners via high quality earphones at very loud volumes.

According to Professor Chava Muchnik of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Communication Disorders, 25% of all teenagers are in danger of early hearing loss as a direct result of their listening habits. The availability of cheap media players and file sharing platforms has helped fuel this listening habit.

The combination of listening habits of teens and the acoustic measurements of their preferred listening levels, were the main tools used for this research by Professor Chava and her colleagues Dr. Ricky Kaplan-Newman, Dr. Noam Amir and Ester Shabtai.

The results was published in the International Journal of Audiology, clearly stating that teens have very harmful music listening habits when it comes to their PLD devices. In “10 or 20 years it will be too late to realize that an entire generation of young people are suffering from hearing problems much earlier than expected from natural aging,” says Professor Muchnik.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a predicament that can caused by continuous exposure to loud noise. It is gradual and accumulative and can go unnoticed until the damage has been done. Professor Muchnik warns that at the present rate of exposure, we risk having a generation of teens who will suffer from hearing problems in their 30’s and 40’s, much earlier than past generations.

Firstly, the study consisted of 289 teens between the ages of 13-17. They answered questions about their preferred listening levels and the duration of their listening, on their PLDs. Secondly, the measurements of these listening levels were performed on 74 teens in both quiet and noisy environments. The measured volume levels were used to calculate the potential risk to hearing according to the damage risk criteria laid out by Health and Safety Regulations.

80% of teens use their PLDs regularly, with 21% listening from one to four hours daily and 8% listening more than four hours consecutively. Adding this information to the acoustic measurements, the data indicated that 25% of the teens who took part in the research where at a severe risk of hearing loss, warns Professor Muchnik.

Health and Safety regulations at present use industry-related benchmarks in measuring the harm caused by continuous exposure to high volume noise and this is the only available risk criteria. The professor says that an additional risk criteria must be created for music-induced hearing loss. A good example is where manufacturers of PLDs are govern by a standard that limits the maximum output of their products to 100 decibels.

Schools and parents can play a great role in increasing awareness of these dangers, she says. Teens could choose over-the-ear headphones instead of the ear buds that commonly come with an iPod.

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ZeptoLab, creators of the award-winning game “Cut the Rope”, in conjunction with Ape Entertainment, developers of the hugely popular “Pocket God” digital comic series, is proud to announce ‘Om Nom,’ the lovable character from the game, is now a comic-book hero in his very own app for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Millions of the game’s fans have fallen in love with the adorable, green monster and now, through the new comic series, they can learn more about Om Nom and his fascination for candy.

“The comic book is just the first step in broadening the reach of the Cut the Rope brand,” said Misha Lyalin, CEO of ZeptoLab. “Starting with plush toys, apparel and accessories, we see significant opportunities to build our licensing and merchandising business and bring Om Nom into homes around the world.”

The ‘Cut the Rope: Comic’ series begins in a quaint, little town where opportunity sometimes knocks, but in thirteen-year-old Evan Coulton’s case, opportunity leaves a plain and uninteresting box on his doorstep. Of course, the surprise contents inside are anything but plain and uninteresting.

Before Evan realizes what’s going on, both his kitchen and his life have been turned upside down by a little, green monster with an endless appetite for sweets. Om Nom’s sugar levels leave him either high on energy or lazily collecting more candy, as he and Evan discover just how much they have in common. Fans can follow the adventures of Evan and Om Nom as trouble unfolds in one of the most anticipated new comic series today.

“With millions of fans around the world playing Cut the Rope, the new comic series provides the first glimpse into the story of Om Nom,” said Semyon Voinov, co-founder, ZeptoLab. “Ape Entertainment shared our vision for extending the brand into the comic world and the result is a compelling story for all ‘Cut the Rope’ fans to enjoy.”

“The ‘Cut the Rope: Comic App’ is much more than a pages-to-pixels app – it’s an experience that taps into the power of iOS and unleashes the world of Om Nom to fans across the globe,” said David Hedgecock, CEO of Ape Entertainment. “We believe this is the exact direction that will satiate comic-book fans’ appetite in the digital age, as well as offer a reason to continue coming back to the App Store as well as local comic shops.”

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Five Chinese non-governmental organizations have accused Apple of adding to environmental degradation by using suppliers with known histories of environmental violations. The American company also faces strong criticisms for undermining social responsibility as its suppliers have been involved in serious work-related accidents and deaths.

A report released on Wednesday, which calls Apple out for taking “advantage of the loopholes in developing countries’ environmental management systems,” is threatening to cast a big shadow on Apple’s image.

One of the co-authors of the report Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, has been outspoken in several media outlets about Apple’s apparent disregard and unresponsiveness. The coalition of environmental groups has requested the help of businesses to map the companies’ impact on local communities;

Apple shied away from contributing to the report. Several electronics brands, including Samsung, Nokia and LG outsource all or part of their manufacturing. These orders are then picked up by suppliers with factories in, among other countries, China.

According to the New York Times, Apple spokesman Steve Dowling responded on Wednesday that the company had been aggressively monitoring its supply chain regularly.

“We require that our supplier provides safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made,” Dowling said.

But at the same time, Apple has, according to GOOD magazine, defended its ranking in the environmental groups report as a result of their suppliers’ actions — not theirs. CNN reported that the Apple company found 80 facilities where storage and handling of hazardous chemicals was not done properly during the 2010 audit.

According to Apple’s own report, the company had requested the non-compliant facilities to correct their mistakes and document these processes but nowhere does it say if the request was granted.

Apple’s market share in China has grown exponentially and the busiest Apple store in the world is located there. Yet their presence in the mainland has caused controversy. Despite keeping their suppliers under wraps, the company has faced multiple production challenges.

The New York Times reports that one of Apple’s biggest suppliers was hit by a suicide wave among workers at several mainland facilities last year while an explosion at fire at another plant in southwest China in May killed two and injured more than a dozen.

Apple is not the only company to face harsh criticism for taking advantage of the Chinese system — several multinational corporations have, according to the New York Times, been accused of employing child labour, violating local labor laws and polluting water resources and land.

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Fake Apple stores have begun popping up in China, fooling not only the customers, but the workers as well. The quickly developing country is renowned for creating and selling remake products, however this is more than a step up from product recreation.

A blogger who goes by BirdAbroad found the store, located in China’s Yunnan province in the city of Kunming. The blogger says that the first giveaway was the glowing apple outside the storefront. Instead of standing alone as it should, the words Apple Store accompanied it, giving away its mirage of reality.

Inside all things would appear fine, exactly identical to any authorized Apple store found across the world. However, the blogger admits that upon closer inspection little things including paints jobs and intricate staircases appear to be unprofessionally done.

In a recent update from BirdAbroad, she explains that many different media outlets have been able to contact workers or managers from the fake store. The Toronto Star said they spoke with a manager who claims that while they now know they are unauthorized, the products they are selling are real.

BirdAbroad has also begun taking heat from the population of Kunming, as well as other cities across China. She has recieved many different complaints about her blog and posts commenting on the fake apple store.

Some are looking for a public apology for mudding their good name, while others are irritated at the ongoing attention to knockoff production in China. They are saying, “shanzai is unstoppable in China;” shanzai, meaning knockoff.

Regardless, while the store is unauthorized, and there remains to be confusion on whether the products are real or not, many citizens in Kunming are saying that they don’t mind the knockoff store.

BirdAbroad quoted someone saying, “Apple deserves to have shanzhai stores, since their products are absurdly expensive, despite being made right here in China.”

1000 Words / Shutterstock.com

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The general image of the Apple Store is to “do what you want so long as you don’t break or steal anything.” To see just how far he could go, comedian Mark Malkoff pulled some interesting pranks on one Apple Store.

“It’s amazing what the Apple Store will allow,” Malkoff said. “There are hundreds of videos online of customers singing and dancing in the middle of the store. Not only do they allow house pets, but I have heard of customers successfully bringing in snakes. I can’t imagine that being tolerated at any other store.”

His first plan was to see if he could get a pizza delivered to him while he was shopping on the second floor of a Manhattan Apple Store. He gained positive reactions from the staff, one of whom remarked that the stunt was awesome when the pie was delivered and was also shocked that the pizza place was willing to deliver to someone inside a large retail store.

Malkoff was later joined by his wife for a romantic in-store dinner, complete with waiter service and dancing under a mirror ball while a solo trumpeter played a song.

The stunts do not stop there. On another day, Malkoff was able to receive help for his broken iPhone dressed as Darth Vader. One employee even urged him to use the force.

Though, the latest stunt may be the best yet. To see just how far he could push his luck, Malkoff brought in a goat. While there were more strange looks than before, he still was not rejected from the store.

“The staff at the Apple stores could not have been any nicer.” Mark said. “The fact they let me bring in a goat still makes me laugh.”

1000 Words / Shutterstock.com

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