Happy Grinchmas!

Affinity Zero and I would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas! May you and your families have a wonderful and joyful holiday season! And with that note, here is Affinity Zero’s rendition of Mr. Grinch.

From YouTube:

Affinity Zero’s rocked out version of You’re A Mean One Mr Grinch. Recorded live December 2009.

Al Morita – vocals/guitar/bass, Chris Oufiero – drums, Genevieve Wolff – guitar. Percussion: Chris, Produced/Mixed – Al.

Fun Holiday iPhone Apps

Get into the holiday spirit with all these fun winter iPhone / iPod Touch apps! These are just a handful I tried out. Feel free to let me know what holiday apps are your favorite so I can try them too! :)

Snow Brawlin. Risoo the squirrel needs your help! A group of rogue rodents have taken over his area. And with the season’s nut shortage, there’s only one way to settle this. Snowball fight! It’s a fun game that will get your quick fingers tapping and heart laughing. The game is free but you can purchase in-app extra three lives for 99 cents. The pro version comes with the extra lives. (iTunes: Pro Version | Free)

Arctic Shuffle 2 is a cute and cuddly penguin puzzler that’s perfect if you enjoy short casual games. Object is to aim penguins to land on a target by bouncing off ice and other things. Earn loads of points and post them on the leaderboard. It’s available for only 99 cents in the iTunes App store. (iTunes: Full | Lite | Full Review)

Touch Pets Dogs 10 Food Grr is another version of Touch Pets Dogs, but it gives you 10 free bowls of food for your virtual puppy! Dress your little pup in the cutest winter clothes as you run around a winter wonderland! Lots a wonderful suprises int he game, as well as daily offers for free stuff. The game has amazing graphics and is fun for the whole family. Best of all, it’s free! (iTunes | Full Review)

Prep & Landing. Disney’s Prep & Landing takes you through the Kringle Academy to earn your place in the elite unit of elves that prepare homes for Santa on Christmas eve! There are three mini games — Deployment, Sparkle Ball Practice, and Ski Jump. Fun and worth the 99 cents! (iTunes | Full Review)

Grinchmas let’s you play the part of Mr. Grinch on Christmas Day. If you’re feeling like a mean grinch, you can throw snowballs at the houses in Who-ville. If you’re feeling like Mr. Nice Grinch, you can shower the houses with gifts! Great fun for the whole family. App is on sale now for just 99 cents! (iTunes | Full Review)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! – Dr. Seuss is the first official Dr. Seuss ebook and it’s tons of fun! You have the option of the book reading to you, or reading it yourself. The pages are filled with the original book artwork and the animation is just spectacular. It’s perfect for young children learning how to read, and big kids who loved this book as a child. Definitely a must-buy for any Grinch fan! Currently $3.99 but well-worth it. (iTunes | Full Review)

Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition is a fun way to add some whimsical Grinch-graphics to your photos. Just select a Grinch card and snap a photo! It’s really fun on unsuspecting people when you snap their photo and it turns out green! There are 23 different frames in all. The app is currently $1.99 in the app store, was $2.99. (iTunes | Full Review)

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a lot of fun, especially if you enjoy the movie! Help Scrat collect acorns while avoiding dangerous obstacles and enemies along the way! Game features characters like Prehistoric pals Manny, Ellie, Diego, Sid and Scratte join Scrat throughout game play. Usually $4.99, this game is on sale for Christmas for only 99 cents! (iTunes)

Elf Jumpers. Help guide the elves to land on chimneys! Avoid dangerous obstacles and get all those presents to the good boys and girls. The audio sounds are just hilarious. The app is currently Free in the app store. (iTunes)
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Coca-Cola Virtual Christmas Lights is a nice way to add some sparkle to your holiday photos! Add lights, holiday symbols and more with this app. You can also post it and share with the world your photo. It’s currently in the iTunes app store for free. (iTunes)
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Holiday Smash. If you enjoy bouncing ping pong balls off of a launch pad, you’ll love this! Smash the lights as fast as you can. For this holiday edition, the lights are in the shape of Santa, Snowman, Christmas Tree, Snowflake, Fireplace, Candy Canes, and more! Currently Free in the iTunes app store! (iTunes)

Triazzle Holiday. A great little puzzler to tickle your brain cells during the holiday season. Move triangle puzzle pieces around to match up the ornaments, dradles, light bulbs, nut crackers, and more! Great sounds and animation to brighten your day. Triazzle Holiday is available in the iTunes App store for just 99 cents. (iTunes)

Santa Rush. Digital Chocolate makes a lot of fun rollercoaster games, and this one is just as fun as the others. Your rollercoaster-ride is Santa and he’s taking a few elves with him in the other carts. Guide the rollercoaster carts to safety without losing anyone to advance to the next level! Fun and free! (iTunes)

Crazy Penguin Christmas is the holiday version of Crazy Penguin Catapult 1 and 2. Help save Santa and the elves from mean polar bears by catapulting penguins to the rescue. The app is currently 99 cents, but I suggest trying the Lite version first to see if you like it.
(iTunes: Full | Lite)

Naughty or Nice? Christmas Detective is a simple app that scans a person’s photo and determines if they’re naughty or nice! Once the photo is analyzed, a “naughty” or “nice” banner is placed on the photo. There is also the option of posting the photo on Facebook and/or Twitter! This app may be a handy tool during the holidays. It’s currently on sale for 99 cents. (iTunes)

Scrooge’s Tip Calculator. Of course you should tip generously to your server(s), but this app makes it a lot of fun. What would Scrooge tip if he was eating with you? There are four levels of tipping – from a generous Christmas Spirit to a Scroogey mood. This app is currently in the iTunes app store for Free! (iTunes)

Santa’s Sack. Angry animals have stolen all of Santa’s presents! Help Santa get them all back by tiling the iPhone / iPod Touch and catching all the present in his big red sack! It’s a silly game with fun music. Available in the app store for free! (iTunes)
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iPhone App Review: Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition

Name: Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition (iTunes Link)
Written By: Oceanhouse Media
Category: Photography
Price: $2.99 $1.99

Size: 6.8 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.1
Rate: 5 out of 5 Stars

Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition is a fun way to add some whimsical Grinch-graphics to your photos. Just select a Grinch card and snap a photo! It’s especially fun when you take photos of people and show them a green grinch-like version of themselves!

With 23 different frames to choose from, creating greeting cards have never been so easy and fun! Choose from various Grinch frames, Cindy-Lou Who, Max and more. Cards can be easily emailed and saved to your photo library.

Features include:
- Over 20 cards to choose from. Grinchmas cards are based on original artwork by Dr. Seuss.
- Add your photo in character face cutouts or stand along side them.
- Camera timer can be set to 2 or 10 seconds
- Edit and add whimsical borders and stamps to your cards
- Add fun stamps to further customize your cards. Stamps can be moved, rotated, and deleted.
- Cards can be saved to your photo library and emailed to your family and friends.
- Load photos from your library and edit. Drag, resize, and rotate to make the right fit.

For a Grinchy fun time in Who-ville, take along your Dr. Seuss Camera and snap away! The “Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition” is available in the iTunes app store for $2.99 $1.99.

This review was originally published in iProng Magazine issue #56.

Disclaimer: I’ve received a promo code for “Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition” iPhone app from Oceanhouse Media in exchange for a review.

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iPhone App Review: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Name: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (iTunes Link)
Written By: Oceanhouse Media
Category: Books
Price: $3.99

Size: 9.6 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.0.1
Rate: 5 out of 5 Stars

The holiday season wouldn’t be complete without the Grinch. If you haven’t read the book yet, there’s a fabulous app that will read it to you! And if you have read it, you’ll love all the memories this app brings to you and your little ones.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” is the first official Dr. Seuss ebook and it’s tons of fun! You have the option of the book reading to you, or reading it yourself. The pages are filled with the original book artwork and the animation is just spectacular. It’s perfect for young children learning how to read, and big kids who loved this book as a child.

In the “Read to me” mode, the book will read to you. As it reads, the words are highlighted in red.

In the “Read it myself” mode, the audio is turned off. If you would like to hear the audio, simply tap on the text and the app will start reading that phrase.

There is also another fun and interactive element in the app. If you tap on the page’s illustrations, the object or item’s name will appear in big red letters, and a voice will say what it is. This app is a great reading tool for children just learning how to read as well as big kids like you and me! It’s definitely a must-have for any Grinch fan. The iPhone/iPod Touch app is currently on sale for $3.99 and well-worth it.

This review was originally published in iProng Magazine issue #56.

Disclaimer: I’ve received a promo code for “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” iPhone app from Oceanhouse Media in exchange for a review.

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iPhone App Review: Grinchmas

Name: Grinchmas (iTunes Link)
Written By: Oceanhouse Media
Category: Games
Price: $1.99
Size: 5.7 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.0
Rate: 5 out of 5 Stars

If you’re looking for a casual holiday game, this one will surely hit the spot! “Grinchmas” let’s you play the part of Mr. Grinch on Christmas Day. If you’re feeling like a mean grinch, you can throw snowballs at the houses in Who-ville. If you’re feeling like Mr. Nice Grinch, you can shower the houses with gifts!

The game is pretty simple. There are two gaming modes — Mean Grinch or Merry Grinch.

In “Mean Grinch” mode, the houses in Who-ville are making too much noise for the Grinch. Splat each noisy Who house with a snowball to quiet them down. Do this by simply swiping the phone / iPod Touch. Keep throwing snowballs and see how long you can last!

In “Merry Grinch” mode, the object is to deliver matching colored presents to the Who houses within 2 minutes. Swipe the iPhone / iPod Touch to toss the presents. As each present gets delivered, the Grinch’s heart grows bigger and bigger. The Grinch’s heart grows smaller if the present and house colors are mismatched. How big can you make his heart grow?

The two modes are both simple and fun. I find that aiming at the houses can be a tough though. It may just be because I need a lot of practice. The speed and accuracy of the swipe will determine if the snowball/present hit the right house.

Grinchmas It’s fun for the whole family, even big kids like you! Grinchmas is available in the iTunes App store for just $1.99!

This review was originally published in iProng Magazine issue #56.

Disclaimer: I’ve received a promo code for “Grinchmas” iPhone app from Oceanhouse Media in exchange for a review.

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Free Holiday Music!

What’s the holidays without a little bit of holiday music? I found some great holiday music for you, and best of all, they’re free!

Amazon 25 Days of Free Holiday Music

Amazon has 25 Days of Free Holiday Music where they give a new Hoilday mp3 each day before Christmas. Free music includes songs from Lady Gaga, Tori Amos, Casting Crowns, and more! Amazon also has a free Sampler Claus album as well!
Read more

iPhone App Review: Disney’s Prep & Landing

Get into the holiday spirit and help Santa on the most important night ever! ABC brings to you Disney’s Prep & Landing, a new television special airing Tuesday, December 8th at 8:30/7:30c. Along with that comes a cute iPhone / iPod Touch app to spread holiday cheer!

You get to play Lanny, the Christmas elf, as he joins the Kringle Training Academy to become part of the elite unit of elves that prepare homes for Santa on Christmas Eve! Practice in these great mini games: Deployment, Sparkle Ball Practice, and Ski Jump.

In Deployment, you hop off of Santa’s sleigh and parachute down. But be careful! Avoid the toy airplanes, balloons and birds that may be i your way. catch the candy canes and presents to earn rewards!

You never know who’s awake and creeping downstairs anticipating Santa’s arrival! In Sparkle Ball Practice, toss sparkle balls to put eagre children and puppies to sleep.

There are lots of houses for Santa to visit on Christmas Eve, so in Ski Jump, you get to jump from rooftop to rooftop to catch special ornaments that increase your time to prepare for homes for Santa! Watch out for chimneys and snow pits!

This app also comes with some extra holiday fun. Santa has a special scanner to know if you’re naughty or nice, a compass, and a world map!

All in all, if you like fun little mini games, this is a great app to have. Play it while you watch Disney’s “Prep & Landing” tonight!

The app is available in the itunes store for just 99 cents.

If you’re in the US, you can view the video on hulu.

Katharine McPhee’s “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”

Take a listen to Katharine McPhee’s sweet voice as she sings her rendition of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” It’s beautiful, very soothing, and perfect for the holiday season.

The song is also available in the iTunes store for free, so get your copy now.