ocarina
Free apps update for Dec 10th, 2010
This week is all about games. Games, games, games and more games. In fact, I only managed to find three notable apps that aren’t games this week, one of which is a utility for keeping score…likely in some sort of game. But no worries, because games are awesome. And what better way to waste your weekend away? That’s right. Let’s get to it.
Smule at Macworld Expo; Ocarina live video!
Appletell’s made no secret of our big girly crush on Smule, makers of the Ocarina app, along with a slew of iPhone apps that combine interactivity with connecting people from around the world. So, it was with no small amount of excitement that I headed over to their Macworld Expo booth to speak with Ge Wang, CTO and Co-founder of Smule.
Smule’s Ocarina contest totally blows
Smule, makers Ocarina app for iPhone aren’t content to have their app, which turns your iPhone into a musical instrument, be one of the most popular paid apps on the iTunes store. They want Ocarina-ists from all over to go head-to-head, pitting their mad musical skills against each other in that modern-day equivalent of the gladiator pit: YouTube. The big prize? Glory, for starts. And if that’s not enough, there’s also a grand total of $10,000 in prize money.
Ocarina Wars Exclusive! Smule supports iPod touch mics
In the heart-rending, brother-against-brother conflict that is Ocarina Wars, things just got more interesting. Because, while the Ocarina app from Smule lists itself as being incompatible with the iPod touch (since it uses the iPhone’s integrated mic), we’ve received confirmation that it works just fine and dandy with external mics for the touch, including the new Apple mic/remote headphones.
“Stairway to Heaven” on the iPhone Ocarina
I hope you like hearing about the Ocarina application for iPhone, because we here at Appletell are unlikely to shut up about it. The app turns your bleeding-edge-of-tech iPhone into a 12,000-year-old musical instrument, and is quite possibly the most offbeat musical application since Jared.
Wow, that was an unfortunate comparison to make.
Following is a video from Smule (makers of the Ocarina app), showing how you, yes you, can sit around with around $1,000 in hardware and groove to “Stairway.”
Ocarina of awesome
Well, my search is over, anyway. There have been may great apps released for the iPhone/iPod touch, but, Zelda geek that I am, this is the first I had to buy and download the very moment I learned about it. Smule has just announced Ocarina, the first and only app that transforms the iPhone into an expressive musical wind instrument. And to answer your question, yes. What kind of fools would the Smules be if they didn’t more or less teach you to play the theme from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time almost right away.
Details, video and some amazing audio after the break.















