Basques in Boise

Jason Crawforth, a small business entrepreneur from Boise, Idaho, last week launched two new applications for Apple''s Iphone and Ipod Touch, bringing up to five the number of his products that have gone on sale since he started his new venture in the world of Iphone applications.

His most recent creation, "400 Sounds #2", is an updated version of a premium sound effects iPhone application. With over 400 unique, high-quality sound effects and a customisable interface that allows users to assign his or her favourite sounds to over 200 icons, Jason expects "400 Sounds #2" to be just as popular as its precursor.

This first version , "400 Human Sounds" is among the top most popular ''lifestyle'' applications of Itunes, in both the free and paid application sections, together with "400 Sounds", also by JLC Mobile.

"300 Arcade Sounds", released two days before "400 Sounds #2", includes over 300 sounds from 76 of the most popular classic arcade games from 1979 to 1989. The sounds include start-up theme songs, high score jingles, game over music and hundreds of various game play sounds.

Jason, who knows that it is important to use social networks like facebook or youtube to let the world know about his products, has come up with a new way to help "300 Arcade Sounds" become more popular. JLC Mobile has launched a contest to correctly name the 76 games contained in the application. There will be a draw each week for a $50 iTunes gift certificate for the winning submissions.

Jason is already working on new applications for the iPhone and Ipod Touch. "We are going to add a release to our apps within the month, including the new ones, that allow people to convert the sounds they like to ringtones," he tells eitb.com in Boise.

His previous applications have had 1.2 million downloads and have been in the top 0.5% of the most popular apps (out of 32,000+ apps).

Jason, a regular pala player at the frontón in Boise, also told us he visited the Basque Country some years ago and even ran with the bulls in the San Fermin festival in Pamplona/Iruña. "I was old enough to know it was wrong but young enough to do it," he adds.