Starbucks’ augmented reality app gets all lovey dovey

Branded Entertainment

Starbucks is giving its augmented reality mobile app a little bit more love. Literally. As part of a new update, users of the company’s Cup Magic app can now point their phones at Starbucks Valentine’s Day-themed cups to see new, love-themed effects that appear to be happening on the cup itself.  

Besides looking neat, there is—of course—a business hook to get you to buy more than a cup of something for yourself. The app lets users buy and send digital Starbucks gift cards to friends that can be delivered on Valentine’s Day, as well as providing a way to send messages that require the recipient actually head to a Starbucks, buy a beverage, and aim it at one of the limited cups to see.    
Via news.cnet.com

ICE ROAD & SNOWY’S PINBALL

Continuing with the showcase of Christmas based Matmi games, next up is Ice Road & Snowy’s Pinball.

Ice Road / Snowy’s Pinball has all the exciting gameplay of Monster Pinball and hundreds of new goals, challenges and other craziness. With super-smooth graphics and stunning stereo sound, Ice Road is a gaming feast with a whole new theme!

Ice Road / Snowy’s Pinball has 2 x 3 feature-packed tables so novices and pros alike will get the best out of this crazy pinball extravaganza, and with local, global, and Facebook Connect leaderboards, you’re sure to find something – or someone – to challenge you!

You can see Snowy’s Christmas Pinball in action here, become a fan on Facebook or grab it from the App Store for only $1.99/£1.19.

Snowy’s Christmas Pinball comments:

“I wholeheartedly recommend Snowy’s Christmas Pinball, one of the finest pinball games around.” - Geek.com

“one of the premier pinball experiences on the iPhone … you’ll love this” -Nodpad.com

“Smoother than hot egg nog” - iphoneachievements.org

✻✻✻✻✻ “one of the premier pinball experiences on the iPhone … you’ll love this” - Nodpad.com

✻✻✻✻✻ “Smoother than hot egg nog” - iphoneachievements.org

Matmi’s Elf iPhone App

Another MATMI classic:  

It’s Christmas morning and there’s magic in the air, enough to send an elf soaring into the stratosphere. While Santa’s away, Irving the Elf like nothing more than leaping skyward, stepping on stars and bouncing on baubles trying to get as high as he can! Build your boost and collect candy canes for a point bonus while you help Irving hit the heavens, but watch out for the twisted tinsel, its pointy prickles will put a real crimp on your day.  

With all the looks and charm you’d expect from a Matmi game, Elf is simple enough that anyone can pick it up and play it, but addictive enough that you’ll be hooked all year round. Aim skyward as you challenge your friends via Facebook Connect and see who can send Irving the highest!  

Elf Features:

• Amazing graphics and animations.
• Unique sound effects in stereo.
• Simple but addictive gameplay.
• Suitable for all ages.
• Local and Online scoreboards.
• Facebook Connect so you can challenge all your friends.
• Created specifically for the iPhone/iPod Touch by the wonderful minds of Matmi  

CHECK IT OUT: http://iphone.matmi.com/elf/

Via iphone.matmi.com

Apple’s Newsstand Is Already Booming For Magazine Publishers

Early indications are that Apple’s new iOS features for publishers have had an immediate beneficial impact.

• Exact Editions, which says it made about 10 percent of the Newsstand app titles on iTunes Store, says downloads of freemium sample editions jumped by 14x in just a few days, whilst some titles’ actual sales have more than doubled.
• Consumer magazine publisher Future says free container apps for its titles were downloaded two million times in three days and reports “consumer spending well in excess of normal monthly revenues”. “Future has sold more digital editions in the past four days through Apple’s Newsstand than in a normal month,” says UK CEO Mark Wood.

Although Future’s numbers have rocketed, this does not represent the “750 percent increase” being cited in some reports, which do not compare like with like. That is because, until last week, most of Future’s digital editions were not actually available as apps, only through Zinio’s newsstand.

On the same day Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) launched Newsstand, Future also pushed some 55 of these editions outside Zinio to iTunes Store as individual iOS apps. In other words, for Future, this is the difference between Zinio and iTunes Store rather than between pre- and post-Newsstand.

Even so, Newsstand’s features (automatic edition downloading, a dedicated publications folder and a new section of iTunes Store) were absolutely part of Future’s strategy in doing so. And it is so far reaping rewards.

►Mini Matmian:

Impressive growth. Whether it’s more of a spike or can be maintained (at least plateau at a higher level) remains to be seen. Personally, I too have turned to digital versions of publications more and more since Ibought a tablet.