WindUp Rocket

See Puzzld! at your local Apple Retail Store

mwelch — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:14:01 +0000

That’s right. Apple is currently featuring our children’s iPad app, Puzzld!, on every iPad in every Apple Retail Store nationwide. (International readers, I’d love to know if it’s being featured in your stores as well.) Needless to say we’re tremendously proud of this fact.

Our goal when we started to develop Puzzld! was to make a beautiful app. An app that would catch Apple’s attention. The first step in that effort, of course, was recruiting Two Fish Illustration to the Puzzld! team. Without those gorgeous illustrations, it’s safe to say that Puzzld! probably wouldn’t have grabbed Apple’s attention like it did. WindUp Rocket and Two Fish spent months honing and polishing the illustrations and the user experience for Puzzld!, and we’re so glad that Apple has noticed.

We were first contacted by Apple about two months ago, and we’ve been itching to get the word out since. Now that Puzzld! is officially in Apple Retail Stores, our wait is over. So go, check it out, and tell us what you think.

And while we’re at it, how about a “Fourth of July/WE’RE IN THE APPLE STORE” Sale? Puzzld! for iPad is US$0.99 through the long weekend. Enjoy!

WindUp Rocket joins an App Party!

mwelch — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:42:30 +0000

Gary James, the force behind Apps for Children with Special Needs is hosting an “App Party”, starting tonight, and running through most of the weekend. Over on his Facebook page, Gary will be giving away thousands of iPhone and iPad apps that are geared towards children, and specifically geared towards children with special needs. In addition, we understand that Gary is giving away some actual iPads, as well as some accessories.

WindUp Rocket is really excited to be taking part in the party, and have donated promo codes for our Puzzld! and Puzzld! To Go apps.

Parents who would like to participate should check out the instructions here, and then be ready for a frenzied free for all over the weekend.

In just a short amount of time, Gary has turned A4CWSN into a significant resource for parents looking to learn about apps that might help their children. We’re super proud to be supporting them in this event.

A Puzzld! To Go Update

admin — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:50:14 +0000

We just got word from Apple that the update for Puzzld! To Go has been approved, and should be hitting your iDevices within the next few hours. Here’s a quick rundown of the changes:

We’ve added some visual and audio flourishes here and there. Nothing too fancy, mind you. Just some things to round out the experience.
The usual, Apple-esque “bug fixes.”
We’ve improved how audio is handled in the game. Our previous method played nice with other music player apps, but they sometimes didn’t play nice with us. Some apps wouldn’t release the audio resource, even when paused. The end result was that no music would play in Puzzld! To Go, even if there was no other music playing, either.

We’ve got some more updates planned, and look forward to your continuing great feedback. If you haven’t had a chance to yet, please consider reviewing Puzzld! To Go, or Puzzld! To Go Lite in the App Store. Every review really helps!

Puzzld! To Go
Puzzld! To Go Lite

Puzzld! To Go is live!

mwelch — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:03:33 +0000

We are SO excited to announce that our new iPhone kids’ game, “Puzzld! To Go,” is now available in the App Store. (You can try the Lite version here.) We had so many comments about our first iPad game, Puzzld!, and how folks wished they could play it on their iPhone, that we decided to see if we could get a similar experience on the smaller screen.

We would have loved to have made this a universal (iPhone and iPad combo) app, but we had to keep the size under the “download over cellular 3G” limit, so two apps was the solution. To help out our loyal customers (as well as our new customers!), we’re having a special “Make it Universal!” promotion. Both Puzzld!, and Puzzld! To Go are now US$0.99 in the App Store for a limited time. Buy them both, and make your own univeral app!

We can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of the new iPhone app. We’re pretty pleased with it, and hope you will be, too.

A Sneak Peek of Puzzld! To Go

mwelch — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:06:43 +0000

We had such a great time making our first iPad app, Puzzld!, and we got so many comments from folks that they’d love to see the game on the iPhone, that we couldn’t resist the opportunity to revisit these beautiful illustrations, and make a new game.

We struggled a lot with how to “shrink” these wonderful images to fit the iPhone interface, but still retain their charm and beauty, and I think we’ve come up with something pretty magical. We hope you agree.

We’re hoping to have the app submitted to Apple within the week, and, with any luck, we’ll be able to welcome our new Verizon iPhone-toting friends to the fold with Puzzld! To Go!

Yay! Fun New Goodies from WindUp Rocket (and a price drop!)

mwelch — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 12:18:01 +0000

A little bummed that the Holiday season is drawing to a close? At WindUp Rocket, we have a little pick-me-up. We’re super excited to be releasing our first batch of fun little digital and real treats. Over on the Goodies page, you’ll find a really neat set of homescreen wallpapers for your iPhone. They use the same weathered wood look that our kids’ iPad puzzle game, Puzzld!, employs. Also on the goodies page is a papercraft model of the WindUp Rocket logo. Papercraft is a lot of fun, and we’re looking forward to seeing this model built by our fans. Send in a photo of your finished rocket!

Also, just to help get us through the post holiday-doldrums, we’re lowering the price of Puzzld! to US$0.99, starting right now. (Well, as soon as the new price works its way through the App Store. If it isn’t $0.99 yet, check back in a short while.)

Thanks for all your support!

An Update for Puzzld!

mwelch — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 02:30:07 +0000

The first update for Puzzld! just got approved, and should be available in the App Store any time now. A few bug fixes, and two bigger changes:

Most obviously, we have a new icon. We loved the old one, but wanted to feature some of the lovely characters from the puzzle. After a lot of internal debate, we went with the cute cat from the farm scene.
We added the ability to “reset” the game, clearing all achievements. This way, a child can “start over” and complete and unlock each board as if for the first time. We put this setting in the iPad Settings App section, apart from the Puzzld! app itself, so that little hands wouldn’t accidentally enable it, and erase all their progress.

We’ve got some great ideas for updates in the new year, and welcome any input from our fans! Thanks for being Puzzld! players

Take ‘Puzzld!’ on Your Roadtrip!

admin — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 15:12:22 +0000

Nothing says “Thanksgiving in the US” more than piling into the family car, and going on a roadtrip. To the beach, or to the mountains, or, certainly, to Grandma’s house, a lot of Americans will find themselves on the road this Wednesday. So, to help ease your burden a bit, WindUp Rocket is offering Puzzld!, our gorgeous iPad wood puzzle game, for US$0.99 for a very limited time. (Probably not much longer than your roadtrip will last!) The kids will appreciate the fun game in the back seat, and you’ll appreciate the calm in the car.

To our international friends, you have reason to give thanks this year too, as the sale is for you as well. So everyone, head to the app store, and enjoy a little roadtrip respite, from your friends at WindUp Rocket!

Note – If iTunes is not reflecting the sale price yet, try back in a few minutes. It might take a while to propagate throughout all the stores.

Beautiful Puzzles! Take Them With You!

admin — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 05:07:02 +0000

Eighteen beautifully illustrated puzzles, all in your pocket, with
Puzzld! To Go! Never lose a piece!

Wood Puzzles, on the Big Screen!

admin — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 05:06:31 +0000

Enjoy six beautiful puzzles on the giant iPad screen
with Puzzld for iPad. See every detail!