Back to School with Lists for Writers

It’s that time of year, again, when we purchase notebook paper, pencils, pens, glue, markers, folders, backpacks, lunchboxes, uniforms, shoes, and jackets in an effort to be ready for school.

Today, back-to-school shopping includes technology. This doesn’t mean only laptops and tablets, but it means apps. Just like you would buy a printed atlas or thesaurus, now, you will want these on your iPad, Kindle Fire, Nook, or Nexus.

Lists for Writers is our most popular mobile app and is being used by students, classrooms, and professional writers all over the world! It contains list after list of ideas for your creative writing projects. Whether it’s a poem, short story, or longer form fiction, Lists for Writers delivers on ideas to break writer’s block, or to help you brainstorm for that first sentence!

So, while you’re setting up the charging station for your iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire, Nook Tablet, or Google Nexus, think about what’s on those devices and how they will help your student this year.

If you still aren’t sure, come to the App Demo on Saturday, August 24th, at 11am Eastern time on Google+ Hangouts. Click here to RSVP.

 

Story Dice updated for iPhone

The new 1.1 version of Story Dice is now in the iTunes App Store. This new version has a number of new items for die faces – up to 111 total now. Some of the existing faces were modified to be more recognizable. We also removed the status bar and dimmed the info / settings icon for a cleaner, more distraction-free experience. If you have ideas for additional die faces or any other suggestions, we’d love to hear them!

Story Dice on the iPhone

Lists for Writers notepad is here!

You asked for it, and we delivered! We’ve added a notepad feature to Lists for Writers in our latest update, available today!

What’s new?
The #1 requested item is here! NOTEPAD!
– Tap notebook icon above to view
– COPY or note any list item
– EDIT notepad contents
– EMAIL notepad
– PRINT notepad * (requires iOS 4.2+)
Plus:
– Revised several lists – corrected errors, made clarifications
– Added more occupations
– Added ANIMAL lists! Domestic and general lists, plus list of animal sounds!

Once you select any list item inside the app, you can select “Copy” or “Note.” If you copy the item, you can paste it into any other document or writing app you are using on your device immediately.

If you select “Note,” your selection will automatically be copied and pasted inside a text document in the app. In the upper right hand corner of the app, there is now a notepad icon. Select the icon and it opens the notepad. Here, you can edit the text, and when you select the share icon in the upper right corner, you will have the option to email or print!

This was the #1 requested feature from our customers and reviewers! We love feedback, so please send us a note or comment on our facebook page!

 

Our latest app: Name Dice

Name DiceWe are happy to announce our latest release: Name Dice!

This free iOS app makes character naming easy by providing nearly a million unique names at your fingertips!

How does Name Dice work?

Name Dice randomly generates a first and last name pair from lists of hundreds of names.

Basically, Name Dice makes names. It does NOT make you more creative, write your story for you, make sandwiches, refill your glass, clean your room, or knit you a sweater.

If you are stuck on getting a story idea, or ideas for a main character, Name Dice can help you. Maybe you’re a spy and you need a new identity. Maybe you and your friend want to pretend to be someone else when you go out to lunch. Maybe you are having a sleepover and you and your friends are going to pretend to be celebrities and you need help coming up with a good name. Maybe you are a writing a novel about your mom and you want to publish it under another name so she doesn’t find out about it.

Whatever the reason, Name Dice can give you some ideas for just the right name!

Give it a try! It’s free!


True Confession of a Distracted Writer

“One reason I love this app is that it just feeds my imagination! I roll the dice, see the name, and my mind is immediately buzzing with activity creating a life story for the name. If I don’t like the name for whatever reason, I just roll again! Voila!”


How do I save my favorite name?

The easiest way is to take a screenshot by holding down the home button and the power button simultaneously. It’s a good idea to practice this before you need to use it. After you take the screenshot, you can find the photo in your iOS device’s Camera Roll. You can share the photo on Facebook or your blog.

We hope you enjoy this fun little free app! We’d love to connect with you on facebook and twitter and hear stories about your alter egos!

http://www.facebook.com/thinkamingo

http://www.twitter.com/thinkamingo

 

 

Celebrating Children on June 1

Children’s Day is celebrated in many countries around the world on June 1!

Today also marks Moms With Apps’ first Global kickoff party for App Friday! In honor of that, we’ve included many different translations of the words “story” and “dice” in our featured graphic. My personal favorite is the Icelandic translation – Saga Dice! Love that!

You do not want to miss this event on the App Friday facebook page! The Global kickoff is at 10am Paris time (4am EDT), and the big Download Party is at 10am San Francisco time (1pm EDT). I’ll be there if you’d like to talk to me about Story Dice, Lists for Writers, or anything else!

To celebrate, we are offering Story Dice app in iTunes FREE on June 1, only!

Pour fêter ça, nous offrons Story Dice app dans iTunes GRATUIT sur Juin 1, seulement!

This app can be used in any language because it is completely picture-based. There are some hints and tips in English inside the app, but the app itself crosses all language barriers. Roll the dice and make up your own story in your own language! Find out more about Story Dice!

Cette application peut être utilisée dans n’importe quelle langue, car il est tout à fait à base d’images. Il ya quelques trucs et astuces en anglais à l’intérieur de l’application, mais l’application elle-même traverse toutes les barrières linguistiques. Lancez les dés et de faire votre propre histoire dans votre propre langue! En savoir plus sur Dice histoire!

Amusez-vous!


FUN FACTS

Countries that celebrate Children’s Day on June 1 include, in no particular order:

  • People’s Republic of China
  • Ecuador
  • Russia
  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Belarus
  • Estonia
  • Georgia
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Moldova
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Ukraine
  • Uzbekistan
  • Albania
  • Angola
  • Benin
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Bulgaria
  • Cambodia
  • Croatia
  • Cuba
  • Czech Republic
  • Slovakia
  • Ethiopia
  • Eritrea
  • Germany (formerly East Germany)
  • Kosovo
  • Laos
  • Republic of Macedonia
  • Mongolia
  • Montenegro
  • Mozambique
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • Serbia
  • Slovenia
  • Tanzania
  • Yemen
  • Myanmar
  • Nicaragua
  • Islamic Republic of Pakistan
  • Portugal
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Macau
  • Cape Verde
  • East Timor
  • Angola
  • Mozambique
  • São Tomé
  • Príncipe
  • Vietnam

Our New App: Story Dice

Our newest app, Story Dice, is now available on the iTunes App Store. Story Dice can be used in a number of ways. It can be a creative writing prompt for writers young and old. It can be used as a pass-around game where players use the dice to extend a collaborative story. The app includes these and more usage ideas for fun and education.
There is an Android version coming soon, including support for the Kindle Fire and NOOK devices. To be notified when it is available, sign up for our announcement email list or Like us on Facebook.

Meet QI IQ and Improve Your Scrabble or Words With Friends Score

QI IQ - Memorize two letter words for Scrabble and Words With FriendsOur second app, QI IQ, is now available in the iTunes App Store. QI IQ is a tool to help learn which two letter words are valid in Scrabble®, Words With Friends, or Bananagrams. Knowing most or all of the valid two letter words makes it much easier to join your words in higher-scoring positions.

QI IQ lets you rapidly drill words whenever you have a few minutes. It keeps track of which words you’re struggling with and shows them more frequently. We hope you find it useful!