Apple-owned Filemaker has announced that it will stop offering its Bento app for iPad ($10) and iPhone ($5) after Sept. 30. The company will also discontinue support for the personal database app after July 30, 2014.
Square Enix’s new Bloodmasque ($7) is a vampire hunting game that mixes Infinity Blade-style fighting with the RPG elements Square fans have come to expect. Bloodmasque allows a team of vampire hunters to fight together in multiplayer action, with one player taking control of a customizable on-screen hero, assisted by others. Players are given a fair amount of virtual controller freedom while exploring towns, and the game is heavy on story elements, as well. One of the more notable features lets users swap in a photo of their own face to create their character — or a photo of anyone else. Up to three photos can be added to express different emotions for the user’s virtual hunter. The graphics are top-notch, and as such, Square Enix notes the game may consume battery life “relatively quickly.”
Hipmunk has updated Hipmunk Flights & Hotels (free) to version 3.1.0. The app has added Tonight Only hotel deals, which allows travelers to find a hotel room for up to 60 percent off. Also, Fare Alerts allow users to be notified instantly whenever airfare changes. The interface for the iPad side of the app has also been improved.
Peek-a-Zoo and Peek-a-Zoo HD ($3 each) from Duck Duck Moose are separate iPhone/iPod and iPad versions of the same fun game for kids, though the content is relatively lightweight by this developer’s standards. Peek-a-Zoo shows you a lineup of cartoony animals — and one alien — each with a name. Kids move from screen to screen picking which character matches a certain characteristic, such as which one is standing with its back facing the screen, which is blending into the background, or which is having a birthday. Kids get to study the characters’ faces and bodies to see who meets the given description. It’s best for younger children, and cute, though sadly non-universal.
