App News: Ghost In The Shell 'Optical Camouflage Camera' for iPhone!

Are you a Ghost In The Shell fan and wish that you could have some kind of optical camouflage to blend into your surroundings. Then this app brings you one step closer to that dream in the form of the Ghost In The Shell 'Optical Camouflage Camera' app for the iPhone.

The app released this week by Production I.G. to celebrate the 3D version of 'Ghost In The Shell: Solid State Society' allows you to make a person or certain objects blend into its surroundings. Here's the official description of the application and how it works:
This camera allows you to take pictures or record videos of objects that turn transparent and blend in with the background. The visual effect is exactly as the one achieved with the Optical Camouflage featured in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. With this camera, you can also take pictures or videos of transparent people.

It's extremely easy to use and can connect to Twitter and Facebook.
Create your own reality in ways previously thought impossible. Experience Optical Camouflage!

[Controls]
1. Start the application and hold the smartphone in your hand or place it close by.
2. Be sure your smartphone it won't move or shake.
3. Start Optical Camouflage Camera Mode by pressing the middle button.
4. Take pictures or record a video!"


My initial thoughts:
This is a pretty cool app if I am honest. Being a big fan of the franchise I saw this and just had to download it. Currently available at a 50% discount during it's initial launch period (although it's not clear how long this will be) at £1.49. At that price I think it's worth it based on the limited use I have had with it.

You've got the choice of using either camera on the iPhone4 (the device I'm using this app with) and can seemingly make an object or person in front of you have camouflage. There are also some pre-loaded GITS screenshots to blend yourself into. 12 to be exact that include an empty shopping centre with a line of Tachikoma standing guard, Kusanagi and Batou standing next to each other, even a sniper on a rooftop. There is also Twitter and Facebook integration so you can share these with your friends too. You can even activate a motion screen that resembles sight through the camera as though your are a cyborg and can see data being processed at the same time. (See screenshot to right.)

If you've got the money and/or are a fan of camera apps, why not give it a try.

Price: £1.49 (during initial launch period.)
Release date: 1st September 2011
Purchase from iTunes HERE.

There are some other Ghost In The Shell apps which we'll make sure to bring you details on in the coming weeks!

Jeremy Graves

App News: 5 Evangelion themed apps available to the UK

While doing a random search of the Apple App store (as I tend to do from time to time) for anime based apps I came across a collection of Evangelion themed ones.

Admittedly these have been available since the first quarter of 2009 so it's quite a late slip on my part, but it is the first time I've come across them and I wanted to share this knowledge to those who might not have been aware these existed.

There five apps produced by APPLIYA are themed around the Evangelion 1.0 feature film. They are all paid apps varying in price but there is a trial 'Lite' version of one of them. Each one represents a different category of application meaning they are unique to each other. I'm now going to go through them one by one for you.

*Evangelion Vol 1 - Cut Out
"Evangelion Cut Out lets you put yourself and your friends into the world of Evangelion with images taken directly from the hit anime movie, Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone.

We’ve taken scenes from the movie and created a cutout area that you can place over portraits in your Camera Roll. You can even put your face onto Gendo Ikari’s body, including his signature sunglasses. When you’re done, save the new picture and send it to your friends, or make it your new wallpaper!"

Price : £1.49
Location: HERE


*Evangelion Vol.2 - Clock
"The Evangelion Clock makes checking the time an exciting event! This app is designed to fit the unique style of the NERV headquarters timer screens that monitored the remaining battery life of the Evangelion mecha.

The app includes graphics that are faithful to the movie, optional sound effects, and there’s also an exciting timer mode that switches to “emergency” red countdown stage with ten seconds left. "

Price: £1.99
Location: HERE


*Evangelion Vol.3 - Picture Stamp
"Integrate the Evangelion anime movies into your photos with Appliya’s new Evangelion Picture Stamp application. Find out what your classmate might look like with Rei’s signature blue hairstyle, or add NERV military vehicles over that picture of an aircraft carrier you just took. The Picture Stamp app allows you to make any picture more interesting with the inclusion of vehicles, character elements, and mecha from the highly popular anime movie, Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone. "

Price: £1.49
Location: HERE


*Evangelion Vol.4 - Calendar
"This app enables you to create a wallpaper calendar that uses special images from the highly popular Evangelion franchise. Choose a scene from our picture gallery, which features characters, sketches, mecha, and vehicles from the anime, then pick the months you want to display on your calendar.

The image will be saved to your camera roll, and you can set it as your wallpaper from there. Now you have a new Evangelion wallpaper with a quick reference calendar on it! You can check dates with just a glance at your device, or just admire the beautiful art of Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone whenever you want!"

Price: 69p
Location: HERE


*Evangelion Vol.5 - Puzzle
"Evangelion Puzzle provides an exciting new twist on puzzle apps.

This latest entry in Appliya’s Evangelion application series uses imagery taken directly from the Rebuild of Evangelion movies in a challenging puzzle game that will have you occupied for hours!

The rules of the game are simple: load up your app and choose an image, difficulty setting, and type of grid. Each puzzle consists of an image that has been broken up into a grid of scattered tiles. Use your touch screen to slide the tiles into the proper place, but there’s only one empty space on the grid so your number of moves will be limited. Be smart and plan your moves carefully!

If you’re not quite sure where a piece should go, use the “hint” button to give you a full-view version of the puzzle image in its solved state.

Amateurs can choose a 3 x 3 grid on Easy or Normal, but serious puzzle pros will love the challenge of the Hard 5 x 5 grid. When you crank up the difficulty, the time limit for solving the puzzles decreases, so be quick!

As you complete puzzles, you can save the image to the camera roll and unlock new ones that use new scenes from Rebuild of Evangelion. The app also keeps track of your best puzzle completion times, so you can brag to your friends or motivate yourself to do better!"

Price: £1.49
Location: HERE for full paid version or HERE for free trial version.


For those of you who own an iphone or ipod touch, I hope you found this entry useful.

App News - Gundam themed iPhone GPS released in Japan!

The folks over at Andriasang have reported that iPhone users in Japan are able to purchase what could well be the start of an amazing trend of applications when it comes to the field of Satellite Navigation, otherwise more commonly referred to here in the UK as 'Sat-Nav' and 'GPS' in the USA.

Namco Bandai have unveiled the first of it's line of 'Character Navi' apps for the Apple iPhone. Which is a Sat-Nav app with the theme of an Anime. The first series to be immortalised in getting Japanese drivers from point A to point B is... Gundam!

That's right, for approximately £30.00 in Japan, granting you one year of usage, iPhone 4 and 3GS owners can have the Earth Federation or Zeon direct them to their destination. (You can choose either as your theme for the app.)

As you can see from the screenshots, your car is depicted as a mobile suit which can encounter 'battle events' where another mobile suit will appear and you have to defeat them! Now before you think you have to beat the other mobile suit otherwise you can't continue your journey, the designers have come up with a clever and super simple way of defeating said enemy mobile suit... simply drive on and you'll advance past the enemy. Meaning absolutely no interaction is needed on your part. (Yes, it really is that simple.)

It's currently unknown how often you will encounter these 'battle events'. Once would assume not as much as a game like Final Fantasy, but you never know.




It is also not known if this app (or any future apps of this kind) will be released here in the UK but we can safely say it is a brilliant idea and would make any iPhone a lot cooler. (Imagine driving to a convention like the London Expo with Amuro Ray telling you where to go.)