While it may not have the vroom of a (now discontinued) Pontiac G6, Oprah Winfrey this week awarded staffers of The Oprah Magazine with new iPads to celebrate the pub’s 10th anniversary. Also in today’s App Industry Roundup, a new app from Getty Images lets users shake their way to 24 million stock photos, and we showcase a game that strikes back at the quacks at BP.
You can buy a lot of apps for ten grand
Giving every employee of a 10-year-old magazine a $600 tablet computer is one thing. However, Oprah’s real gift to her magazine’s staffers – new and old – is a $10,000 bonus. While most people would prudently store that generous bonus in a savings account or college fund, just imagine how many cool apps you can buy with that money.
No need for anyone on Oprah’s payroll to feel squeamish about dropping a hundred bucks on Fine Luxury Wallpapers by Gatsby with that kind of money to burn. While it’s unlikely anyone in O’s publishing universe is seeking a career change, the $999 BarMax CA app – a bar exam tutorial – is suddenly more accessible.
Perhaps Apple will time its next iPad release with the finale of Oprah’s daytime talk show next year?
Getty goes iPad
With access to more than 24 million stock photos and media elements, Getty Images is the go-to source for publishers who understand the importance of pictures in telling their stories. A new free iPad app literally brings Getty’s library to your fingertips.
Features include the ability to search the entire collection and compare images side by side. Not sure what image to go with? No worries. Just shake the iPad and let the device’s accelerometer do your thinking for you. Call it 21st century serendipity.
Tapping into your BP anger
On top of the $20 billion BP agreed to allocate to victims of the Gulf spill comes a new iPhone game that deals in a bit of retribution to the impacted duck community. At 99 cents, Duck vs. BP casts you as the last duck to survive the spill. Create a new ecosystem by blocking pipes on multiple levels and learn environmentally-friendly tips along the way.
There is also a free version of the game, which is good for anyone who counted on BP dividends over the next few months.
