Apple has recently removed Airfoil Speakers Touch by Rogue Amoeba and AirFloat by The Famous Software Company from the iTunes App Store for using AirPlay APIs in a way Apple did not intend them to be used. These apps basically let you use another iOS device as an AirPlay speaker. So, for example, you could beam your audio from your iPhone to an iPod touch or iPad. Though these API's are public, it looks like some reverse engineering was needed to get them to work in this way, and that's what Apple has taken exception to. Airfoil was just taken down this week, while AirFloat was yanked last week.

Apple may just be sour that these devs have found a way to crack into AirPlay without going through the usual "Made for iPhone" accessory certification process, and allowed users to have AirPlay speaker setups without buying additional AirPlay certified audio gear.

There's obviously a big business in that kind of thing, but also a lot more quality control; there's no way of making sure these apps don't provide a sub-par experience, since there's no documented iOS API to test against. If the AirPlay is glitchy or inconsistent, then buyers might get the idea that AirPlay sucks, and will refrain from spending more on, say, an Apple TV.

There was a certain amount of noise made since these types of apps have been in the App Store for years in some cases, and have been approved over and over again during that time, including when they submitted versions with the AirPlay features.

Again, it shows that frustration doesn't only exist in Apple's curation, but in the sometimes arbitrary and sometimes delayed ways in which they enforce it.

Well, I guess the Cydia store exists for a reason... Is Apple right to shut these guys down and protect private APIs, or should they go ahead and let developers make cool apps that leverage the technology that's already there, stability and testing be damned?

Source: Rogue Amoeba, Daring Fireball, The Verge

Apple has made some minor changes to the layout of the App Store within iTunes; the same changes are reflected on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. With such a huge number of apps now available in the App Store finding what you are looking has gone from hit and miss to downright daunting. Apple has been rumored to be completely revamping its iTunes software but in the meantime, they're still tweaking what we have now.

When you visit the App Store you will now see two new features -- Editor’s Choice and App of the Week. Editor’s choice looks to have taken the place of the previous iPhone and iPad App of the Week. This week’s editor’s choices for the UK are The Thames, Air Mail, and Extreme Skater. In the U.S. different apps have been chosen and they are Facebook Camera (fairly fast, given it was only released yesterday...), Sketchbook and again Chillingo’s Air Mail.

The App of the Week for this week is Cut the Rope: Experiments. Apple’s App Store twitter account tweeted the information and included a new hashtag “#FreeAppoftheWeek”. We don’t know if the App of the Week will always be a free app, if it will be a paid app on temporary sale for free, or if -- as we assume -- it won’t always be free and that it will still be any app, paid or free.

These new changes may make things slightly easier to find apps that maybe of  interest to you but the App Store still has a long way to go before it becomes a great experience. Hopefully the rumors of an iTunes redesign will turn out to be true and Apple will use the acquisition of Chomp to offer a better version of the App Store; until then, we will take any improvements we can get.

Source: Touch Arcade

Apple has just announced its line up for the annual iTunes Festival. The event which first started in 2007 has been hugely popular as all of the tickets are given away free of charge. The live concerts all take place at London’s The Roundhouse and it all kicks off on September 1^st and goes on until September 30^th.

Every year since 2007, the iTunes Festival has been bringing you a full month of spectacular live music. Many of the world’s biggest stars and the brightest newcomers have graced the festival stage, and this year’s brilliant line-up includes jack White, One Direction, Norah Jones and more. It will all take place in September 2012 at one of the UK’s best live music venues-the Roundhouse in London.

If you can't make the live shows, you can enjoy all the action live on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch via the iTunes Festival app, as well as on your Mac or PC. The iOS app even supports AirPlay; enabling you to stream the action straight to your Apple TV. Unfortunately, it looks like being exclusively for UK based users as the app is only available in the UK App Store.

Free - Download Now

Source: iTunes Festival

Apple is currently rejecting apps that use the Dropbox SDK to provide integration with the popular cloud storage solution. The reason for the rejections is apparently that, under a specific but not inevitable set of circumstances, someone using an app with Dropbox integration could end up on Dropbox's web site and find a way to pay Dropbox for additional storage. That would violate Apple's prohibition against using external websites to circumvent Apple's 30% cut of subscriptions. Dropbox attempted to patch the problem by removing links that would make getting to the full version of the website and finding and buying additional storage possible, but the rejections seem to have continued. Dropbox is now working to try and find a more satisfactory solution and says they'll have more information on that next week.

On the surface, Dropbox broke a rule, caused a problem for developers using their SDK, and is now correcting the mistake. It doesn't appear to have been an intentional or obvious violation, but it was eventually discovered and now Dropbox and their developers have to deal with it.

It's that latter part that highlights some of the continued frustration with Apple's App Store policies, frustrations that persist some 5 years after the introduction of the App Store. The review and rejection process is still, as often as not, impenetrable and capricious. Plenty of apps with Dropbox integration are already on the App Store, presumably using the same SDK as the apps rejected today. That they weren't rejected as well doesn't excuse Dropbox or the apps that were rejected today, but it shows that what one (or many) reviewers let in, another (or many others) may reject.

One of the rejections listed account creation for both Dropbox and Google. (You can pay Google for Google Apps or Google Drive, among other things.) It makes you wonder what would happen if an app linked to store.apple.com...

That's part of what causes frustration with Apple's system. Another part is things like the recent scam app plague. Apps that should have been obvious candidates for immediate rejection to any reviewer who laid eyes on them, were let onto the store to violate intellectual property rights and cheat users out of money.

One absolutely doesn't excuse the other, but people have innate senses of fairness, and for rules to be respected they need to be perceived as being far. (As the old saying goes, people don't mind paying taxes only because it's generally believe everyone pays taxes.)

We want and need real humans reviewing App Store apps, but developers need to believe those reviewers are being fair, and applying broadly consistent standards with generally predictable results.

To their credit, Apple is continually improving the App Store review process. Because the process is human, they recognize they can't always predict all of the edge cases, all of the time. They've made changes over the years, sometimes major ones like un-banning the use of cross-compilers, sometimes small ones like un-banning satirical political cartoons.

So far, however, they haven't changed the policy that affects Dropbox -- the requirement that Apple get 30% of all subscriptions, and that apps can't link to external websites where the same subscriptions can be purchased without Apple getting that cut.

Again, Dropbox knew about it, accidentally broke it, and is now working to fix it. In the meantime, Apple will catch some criticism, both for the policy, and for the way the App Store handles policies. And given the power Apple wields, that kind of ongoing discussion isn't a bad thing.

Source: Dropbox via @sethclifford

Apple is pushing the benefits of using an iPhone in business with the launch of a new webpage on its site. The new page is simply titled "iPhone at Work" and it runs through a reasonably extensive lists of business orientated apps and features.

Stay on top of your business and accomplish everyday work tasks in a whole new way. With iPhone and amazing apps that get you the information you need at a  moment’s notice, your work day is anything but ordinary.

It appears that more and more businesses are looking to integrate the iPhone into their IT infrastructures. Apple wants to ensure that it has the information available to IT professionals when they need to make the big decisions!

Source: Apple

Apple has approved an app called Bluetooth OnOff that simply allows you to turn your Bluetooth connection on and off from your home screen. Apple hasn’t previously permitted any apps that connect and interact to stock settings until now; so this is an interesting development.

Did it take too many steps just to turn on/off bluetooth? You can now turn on/off just by launching this app. Just in a second, you can activate or deactivate Bluetooth.

The app is extremely simple to use, once installed you have an icon on your home screen. If you click on it, a screen loads with a Bluetooth toggle switch, you can then turn Bluetooth on. If Bluetooth is already turned on then loading the app will give you the option to turn it off. The best way of using the app is to go into the apps settings and turn the OnOff switch to on. This enables you to now toggle Bluetooth On / Off from your home screen with one tap of the app icon.

Shortcuts similar to this were very popular when iOS 5 was initially launched. You could use Safari Bookmarklets to add various on/off settings to your home screen. This type of interaction was broken by Apple with the release of iOS 5.1.

It is very interesting that this app is now available but we don’t know if it is a mistake by Apple. It may be pulled at any minute or it could be a sign that Apple is prepared to allow apps that make its users life easier. Let’s be honest, turning systems settings on and off should not be anywhere near as tedious as it is now.

I hope that Apple finally addresses this problem with iOS 6. In the meantime let’s see if this app stays in the App Store. Maybe we will start to see more approved apps that allow us to toggle Wi-Fi and other system settings too.

$0.99 – Download Now

UK TV network Channel Five's The Gadget Show aired a 360 degree promo video for its new series which starts next week. The promo which aired last night was the first of its kind ever to be shown. To benefit from the complete experience, users had to watch live TV with an accompanying iOS app running on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The app ran in time with the live TV stream and enabled you to look around the studio using the inbuilt gyroscope; giving 360 degree views in real time of the studio.

At 9pm on 16th April 2012, Channel 5 will make television history by bringing you the world’s first 360 degree promo for the new series of The Gadget Show: World Tour. Jason Bradbury and Pollyanna Woodward are off on an international gadget-filled expedition to seek out and play with the greatest tech the globe has to offer.

Source: The Gadget Show, YouTube

The classic PC game Max Payne is set to arrive on the iOS platform next week, April 12^th to be exact. Rockstar has announced that it will have the original version of Max Payne ready for iOS next week and it will be called Max Payne Mobile.

Max Payne is a third-person shooter in which the player assumes the role of its titular character, Max Payne. Almost all the gameplay involves bullet time-based gun-fights and levels are generally straightforward, occasionally incorporating platforming and puzzle-solving elements. The game's storyline is advanced by the player following Max's internal monologue as the character determines what his next steps should be. Several of the game's levels involve surrealistic nightmares and drug-related hallucinations of Payne.

Source: The Verge, Wikipedia

Some people, really security conscious people, would probably prefer iTunes ask for a password any time it does anything, always. Better safe than sorry. Who knows who could be using your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad after all, from a friend to a colleague to a spouse to a child to a friend's colleague's spouse's child. You really want to risk $100 in Hello Kitty apps suddenly showing upon your Home screen?

Other people, really convenience-oriented people, would probably like iTunes to ask for a password as little as possible. Maybe never. If you're the only one who ever uses your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, and it never leaves a place you control, then why should you be bothered by having to enter in a password every time an app has a minor bug fix update?

Personally, I'd like a choice (big surprise, right?) Give me a Settings option for "always ask", or "only ask for paid transactions". I don't think "never ask" is safe, so I'm fine with that not being there. What about you? How often do you think iTunes should ask for your password?

Apple let it be known back in August of 2011 that they'd be deprecating developer access to UDID ( Universal Device Identifier), they've now taken the next step and begun actively rejecting App Store apps that use it. The fine developers of Tweetbot have reported that one of their latest updates was rejected from Apple for collecting UDID information without getting user consent first. What does this mean for apps like Tweetbot?

[UDIDs] allowed us to restore push notifications settings after Tweetbot was deleted and re-installed. With this new change in place this is no longer possible, if you delete and re-install Tweetbot you’ll have to setup your push notification settings again.

The UDID is 40 characters that are unique to your iPhone and iPad, used most generally by developers to provision pre-release apps through the App Store. Now developers will need to create their own unique ID within the app and store it in iCloud.

Ultimately, it's good news that Apple is making sure that developers aren't easily getting a hold on potentially sensitive data like UDIDs; iOS users are a little on edge about privacy after that Path incident.

This might also explain the speed with which Apple went from deprecating the UDID collection to outright rejecting apps. Typically something deprecated in one iOS version will be removed in a later version, giving developers time and an expectation for when they need to have an alternative approach in place. This has led some developers, including Subfurther, to call it a "lousy way to communicate policy change".

Source: Tapbots, Subfurther

Now that you've got your new iPad in hand and it's been set up just the way you want it, it's time to get to find some great apps and games from the App Store. If you're new to iPad, no worries. We'll have you flinging birds, finger painting with productivity, slicing fruit, and making the perfect pictures in no time.

How to download an app or game

1. First thing you'll need to do is pop into the App Store App from your iPad.

2. You'll notice a long list of tabs along the bottom. This is where you can browse through featured apps, top charts, and more. You can also use Genius to find new apps that may interest you. The App Store will pull up apps it thinks you'll like based on what you've already got installed. If you know the app you're looking for by name, you can also search for it in the upper right hand corner.

3. If you find an app you'd like to take a better look at, just tap its icon. You'll now see a description of the app as well as screenshots.

4. To buy the app, tap the price. It will then turn into a "Buy App" button. Tap it once more to purchase it.
5. You'll be asked to type in the password for your iTunes ID. Type it in and click ok.

That's pretty much all there is to it. You're app will begin downloading and show up on your homescreen. Once it's done you'll be able to tap it to launch it.

How to turn on automatic downloads

If you've got multiple iOS devices, namely an iPad and and iPhone or iPod touch, you'll be able to use universal applications on both without purchasing them again as long as you're signed into the same iTunes account on both.

There's actually a very easy way to set your devices up to keep your apps in sync. If you'd like the same apps to install on all your compatible iOS devices, you can enable automatic downloads inside settings.

1. From the homescreen of your iPad, tap your Settings icon.
2. Now tap Store.

3. From here you can choose to turn automatic downloads on for music, apps, books, and any magazines you are subscribed to. Just toggle them on or off for the items you'd like to sync across your devices.

That's all there is to it. If you're looking for all the best apps and games to download, hit the app reviews link below. Now get to downloading!

Additional resources:

• iMore best apps
• Everything you need to know about the new iPad
• iPad apps and games help and discussion forum

You asked for an accurate blood glucose meter that would fit seamlessly into your busy lifestyle. We listened and are introducing the new iBGStar, a blood glucose meter for the 21st century designed with you in mind by the company with over 85 years of insulin expertise. The innovative iBGStar is the first available blood glucose meter that seamlessly connects to the iPhone and iPod touch allowing you to view and analyse accurate, reliable information in ‘real time’. Using the technology built into your iPhone or iPod touch, you can share this information with your healthcare professional while on-the-go, to help you make better-informed diabetes-related decisions together.

Source: iBGStar

It's the eve of Apple's highly anticipated iPad 3 event and Apple has snuck in a new "Catalogs" category into the App Store. The new Catalogs category is not yet available from the categories tab of the App Store, but you can see it in the description of some apps like Catalogue by TheFind as seen in the photo above.

This is interesting, to say the least. Apple doesn't often add new categories to the App Store. There are a lot of catalog apps in the App Store, so it will be nice to have a consistent place to find them (previously, you would find them in the Lifestyle or Utility sections.)

But again, with the iPad 3 event so very, very close, could there be something more to it?

Source: MacRumors

EA has severely underestimated the popularity of any game that involves characters and voices from the hugely popular animated TV series The Simpsons. After releasing its latest game called The Simpsons: Tapped Out, it has now embarrassingly had to remove it from the App Store as its servers are being slammed and user experience is being badly affected.

To make sure you current players have the best possible experience, we’ve temporarily removed The Simpsons: Tapped Out from the App Store. Yes, as a current player you can keep playing -- and things should only get better as we make improvements to connectivity. Once we have a solution, we’ll return the game to the App Store so new players can join in the fun. Meanwhile, thank you for your patience and support.

EA hasn’t said when the game will be back in the App Store but we will keep an eye out for it and let you know as soon as it does!

Source: Facebook via MacRumors

Following their 25 Billion app download, Apple has updated their list of all-time top App Store apps in both the free and paid categories. The original list was launched back when Apple celebrated 10 billion app download.

This time around, they've gone ahead and increased the section sizes from 10 to 25 for both iPhone and iPad apps, making them rather long.

Federico Viticci from MacStories did some heroic work parsing out the trends.

• 17 apps from Top Paid for iPhone chart are from the Games category.
• There are no Apple apps in the Top Paid for iPhone chart.
• There are no Apple apps in the Top Free for iPad chart.
• There are 4 Apple apps in the Top Paid for iPad chart.
• There are two Google apps in the Top Free for iPhone chart, no Apple apps.

Check out their full analysis via the link below. For a full list of the apps (and an easy way to get any you may be missing) hit the iTunes link.

Source: Top App Store apps on iTunes via MacStories

Apple has followed up their previous website announcement with a press release, repeating that the iTunes App Store has reached 25 billion downloads, and revealing that the person who downloaded the 25 billionth app, Where's My Water? Free, was Chunli Fu of Qingdao, China. He'll be getting a $10,000 iTunes gift card.

“We’d like to thank our customers and developers for helping us achieve this historic milestone of 25 billion apps downloaded,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “When we launched the App Store less than four years ago, we never imagined that mobile apps would become the phenomenon they have, or that developers would create such an incredible selection of apps for iOS users.”

The App Store, which launched alongside the iPhone 3G and iOS 2 (iPhone OS 2) in 2008, is now in 123 countries, with over 550,000 apps, over 170,000 of which run natively on the iPad.

Here's the full press released, and congratulations to Chunli Fu!

Apple’s App Store Downloads Top 25 Billion

CUPERTINO, California—March 5, 2012—Apple® today announced that more than 25 billion apps have been downloaded from its revolutionary App Store™ by the users of the more than 315 million iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch® devices worldwide. The 25 billionth app downloaded, Where's My Water? Free, was downloaded by Chunli Fu of Qingdao, China. As the winner of the App Store Countdown to 25 Billion Apps, Chunli Fu will receive a $10,000 iTunes® Gift Card.

“We’d like to thank our customers and developers for helping us achieve this historic milestone of 25 billion apps downloaded,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “When we launched the App Store less than four years ago, we never imagined that mobile apps would become the phenomenon they have, or that developers would create such an incredible selection of apps for iOS users.”

The revolutionary App Store offers more than 550,000 apps to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users in 123 countries around the world, with more than 170,000 native iPad apps available. App Store customers can choose from an incredible range of apps in 21 categories, including Newsstand, games, business, news, sports, health & fitness and travel. The App Store has paid out more than four billion dollars to developers.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

Square is already well known for the way it brought easy credit card transactions into the hands of small businesses and sole traders. Now it has gone one step further and announced its latest creation which is a register app for the iPad. The new app aims to replace a traditional POS (point of sale) cash register with an iPad.

"I truly believe POS, as you know it today, is dead," says Megan Quinn, director of products at Square. "This will bring Square to an entirely new, small-market audience (bricks-and-mortar stores)." The new app extends Square far beyond just a payment-processing service. It replicates and, Square claims, enhances the features of a cash register for mom-and-pop storefronts. The app accepts cash and credit payments, lets merchants easily list menu items, and tracks the history of customers' purchases.

Source: USA Today

Square Register from Square on Vimeo.

Ringtonium is simple and easy to use, and best of all saves you money by letting you use your already purchased songs as ringtones.

Ringtonium is the best app for creating custom ringtones -- and alert tones -- on your iPhone. While record labels are happy to resell you ringtones for the same tracks you've already bought -- often at the same or even higher prices than the full song -- if you don't mind a few quick steps, you can save some money and get exactly the ringtone you want, exactly the way you want it.

Although there are plenty of ringtone creation apps available in the App Store to do just that, none of them are a well rounded or useful as Ringtonium. The user-interface is extremely easy to use and builds on some of the unique syncing abilities available in iTunes, along with a number of outside apps like SoundCloud, and of course social network sharing.

Dialing down to specific start and stop times with Ringtonium's fine-tune slider and associated dial

Upon launching the app you'll be asked to choose between an existing track from the iPod music library, or creating your own track by using the iPhone's built-in microphone. Once you've got a track to work with, you can then jump into the mix and get into the details with a fine-tuned audio scrubber for selecting your start and stop times. If you need even more control over your start/stop times, Ringtonium offers a dial with the ability to drill down to milliseconds for absolute precision.

If you chose to record from the microphone, the quality is remarkably high and distortion free, even at higher input volumes. That's surprising and very welcome.

Adding effects in Ringtonium using their built-in FX feature is easy

Ringtonium also has an included FX panel where you can add fade in and fade out, adjust the pitch or reverse the audio, and add flange or echo effects. The quality of the included effects are top-notch and Ringtonium lets you go for the longest ringtone duration Apple allows -- something most other ringtone apps haven't caught onto yet.

Exporting custom ringtones with Ringtonium

The Good

• Fast to use
• Well thought out design and user interface layout.
• Supports exporting using iTunes or with 3rd party cloud integration.
• Fine-tuned slider and dialer let you set perfect start/stop times.
• Modify or delete custom ringtones within the app -- no iTunes required!
• Video tutorials included.

The Bad

• Cannot mix/combine multiple tracks.
• Limited built-in FX.

The conclusion

Ringtonium is simple and easy to use, and best of all saves you money by letting you use your already purchased songs as ringtones. If you've been looking for the best ringtone app for your iPhone, look no further than Ringtonium -- it's the best option currently available and excels in every area.

$0.99 -- App Store Link

It appears as though Apple's FairPlay Digital Rights Management (DRM) for iBooks has been cracked, allowing iBooks to work on non-iOS ePub readers. MobileRead Forums reports:

It is now possible to remove the DRM from epub ebooks bought in Apple's iBooks store. "Brahms", has recently released a new version, 3.3, of his Requiem software, which has been able to remove DRM from music and videos bought in the iTunes Music Store for a long time. This new version can also remove the DRM from Apple's epub format ebooks.

DRM cracking has been a long standing problem for Apple and other platform owners, originally with iTunes music and video content, later with App Store apps. While Apple dropped FairPlay DRM from iTunes music in 2009, it's remained in place for everything else.

DRM protects authors and other creators from illegal distribution of their content (we all like to get paid for the work we do), though when poorly thought out or overzealously implemented, it can also stop legitimate customers from enjoying the content they purchased.

FairPlay tends to be pretty liberal, allowing up to 5 Mac or Windows PCs to be authorized for iTunes content, and up to 10 iOS devices, including iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV to access services like iTunes Match.

It's likely Apple is investigating the issue and will have a FairPlay fix put into place via a software update for iTunes and the iBookstore in the near future, but it's a cat-and-mouse game so we probably haven't heard the last of it.

Source: MobileRead Forums via CNET

Would it be better ways to fight scam apps so the App Store isn't littered with fakes, ripoffs, and other junk that make good apps even harder to find? Should Apple just get more reviewers and do a better job curating the App Store? How about a demo period, where we could return apps within a day, heck, even 15 minutes, of discovering we were ripped off could go a long way to taking the money -- and hence the incentive -- out of the scams. It would also probably thin out the paid crap apps as well, if less than ethical developers knew customers could return them.

Is better search the answer? Apple just bought Chomp, supposedly to improve discoverability. Do you want social sharing, so your friends and people you follow can help you find the good stuff (no Ping for apps joke, please!).

What about ways to help good developers make more money so they're encouraged to make better apps and games? Right now they have to give away upgrades for free or make a separate app and charge us again. How about paid upgrades as a fair middle ground? How about a premium section in the app store so higher production value apps and games aren't pitted again $0.99 or freemium apps in the top 10 lists?

Or do you want to go completely in the opposite direction and have Apple curate even less, so more stuff comes in, good and bad, but the choice is yours? Maybe just expand the content with an adult section for more mature titles, or a theme store where you could buy whole new looks for your iPhone or iPad?

If you had to pick one thing you'd want Apple to change about the App Store more than anything else in 2012, what would it be?

Apple has acquired Chomp, a search and discovery app for the iPhone that helps users find the best-of-the-best apps in the App Store. Apple plans to utilize Chomp's proprietary algorithms and technology to improve discoverability and user experience, presumably both on the mobile and desktop versions of the App Store.

According to M.G Siegler at TechCrunch:

This is not a cheap “acqui-hire”, Apple has bought the Chomp team and technology and plans to use both to completely revamp App Store search and recommendations, I hear.

This follows a recent 9to5Mac report that Apple had plans in the pipeline for a complete revamp of the iTunes and App Store environment, with emphasis on app and music discovery. The Chomp acquisition would no doubt play a roll, potentially a large one, in the rumored redesign, especially server-side where right now there are far too many scam apps and poor quality search results to effectively find quality apps.

Whether or not it would replace, or merely reinvigorate the Genius recommendation system is unknown.

There are currently over 500,000 iOS apps available for download and purchase, and Apple is already preparing for 25 billion app downloads. There's also a growing number of OS X apps in the Mac App Store. This is something Apple simply has to address.

Source: TechCrunch

Apple is reportedly planning a redesign for the iTunes Store and App Store for sometime later this year. Apple hasn't introduced a complete overhaul to the iTunes Store interface since late 2009 when they introduced iTunes 9. Mark Gurman at 9to5Mac reports:

The new design is said to be even simpler and more user-friendly than the current design. Apple is working on ways to enhance the speed and efficiency of finding new content, such as songs, videos, and applications. The cornerstone element of Apple’s new iTunes Store is interactivity. As Apple vaguely explained to a number of music labels and entertainment partners, Apple is looking to make the iTunes Store a much more engaging experience. [...] The interactivity that Apple wants within the digital store is something Apple could only likely pull off by housing the store within a full-fledged application, not a pure web browser experience.

They're not sure if this redesign, like iTunes 9, will require a new version number -- iTunes 11 -- or if it will just be rolled into an iTunes 10 point release. However, discoverability is said to be on the agenda, with more interactive ways to find music, movies, apps, and games being a priority. It sounds like iTunes on Windows and Mac is the current focus, and may be timed to coincide with Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion this summer, though the more traditional fall update cycle -- perhaps alongside the iPhone 5 -- could be a more likely possibility.

Source: 9to5Mac

Fraudulent apps are a complex, entangled, messy piece of business that harms Apple, developers, and consumers.

Recently there's been a dramatic rise in the number of fraudulent apps getting attention -- even top sales positions -- in the iPhone and iPad App Store. Some scam apps are copy-cats that duplicate as closely as possible the name and icon of popular games in order to confuse consumers and get them to buy a scam app instead of the real thing. This costs the consumer money for the scam app and developers money for the lost sale. Others scam apps appear to be byte-for-byte copies, stolen whole-cloth and offered for sale side-by-side with the original. This still costs the developer money for the lost sale, and while consumers get a functioning app, it's likely not one with any support going forward. Still other scam apps rip off the copyright of a popular brand (like Pokemon) for bogus apps that do nothing but cheat customers out of their money.

They all combine to damage confidence in the App Store, and harm the experience of the iOS platform.

For a developer, it's just one more risk they need to consider when developing for iOS -- even if they make a superbly crafted app, avoid dilution and downward price pressure from lower quality apps in the same space, and hit the jackpot by landing on a top seller list, their marketshare and customer base can be quickly assaulted by scammers.

For consumers, it's just one more hurdle to face when trying to find the good apps -- even if they hear about something fantastic from a trusted source, even if they manage to find the right app, they now have to worry if the one they find is the right, right app.

For Apple, it's just one more problem they have to figure out in order to maintain the appeal and value of their ecosystem -- even though they have a curated system that makes it easy to sell and easy to buy, they now have to deal with scammers damaging both the selling and buying trust of their store.

Can you spot the copy cat and rip-off apps in the top chart?

Right now, from the outside, Apple's approach seems to be that of YouTube -- approve any app that meets technical criteria and then respond to publicity or legal takedown demands from copyright holders when and if they come in. It's one of the smartest, safest approaches, legally, for Apple. They certainly don't want to take on the responsibility of pre-emptively moderating intellectual property, and then have their necks on the lawsuit line when something slips through and the rights holders sue both the offending party and Apple.

It's also open for abuse by large companies misusing infringement claims to remove competing apps by smaller companies who can't afford the litigation.

So it's a complex, entangled, messy piece of business that harms Apple, developers, and consumers. The fault lies entirely with the scammers making the fraudulent apps -- they're the ones to blame. But ultimately Apple will have to fix it, because it's Apple's store.

How to fix it is the question.

If the scammers can't make money, they'll be less inclined to spend time scamming.

It likely puts Apple in a more actionable position, will probably get them sued more often when a scam app slips through or when a non-scam app gets incorrectly targeted, but it just might be the cost of doing business to maintain a better, more valuable store for developers.

Flagging a scam with a simple click or tap would be great

The App Store has been around for nearly 4 years, and it is approaching 25 billion downloads. (That's 25,000,000,000!) To celebrate, Apple is doing a countdown and giving away a US$10,000 (or equivalent) iTunes gift card to the person who downloads the 25 billionth app.

As of today, nearly 25 billion apps have been downloaded worldwide. Which is almost as amazing as the apps themselves. So we want to say thanks. Download the 25 billionth app, and you could win a US$10,000 App Store Gift Card.* Just visit the App Store and download your best app yet.

You can enter by downloading an app from the App Store or alternatively filling out a form on Apple's website. US and Canada residents can also enter by calling 1-866-296-5926.

The promotion will end once the 25 billionth app has been downloaded and will be announced on Apple's website.

Just like with Apple's giveaway on previous milestones, we want to ask, what would you do with US$10,000 to spend on iTunes?

Good luck, it could be you.

Source: Apple countdown, online entry form

Avoid carrier SMS and MMS charges and keep all your IMs in one place with iOS iMessage right on your Mac

If you have been waiting for Apple to release a version of iMessage for Mac then that day has just become a lot closer. After the release of the beta of OS X Mountain Lion earlier today, Apple has followed it up with the release of a beta version of its new Mac Messages app. Messages, which will replace the current iChat app, brings all of the great features of iMessage to your Mac while keeping many that made iChat great as well.

Messages for Mac works just like it does on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, running iOS 5. You can send and receive unlimited messages across all of your supported Apple devices. All of your devices will receive the same messages, and copies of messages that you have sent from other devices, so all of your chat messages are in the same place and in-sync, no matter which device you have in your hand at the time. You can start an iMessage conversation on your Mac, continue it on your iPad then finish it on your iPhone or iPod touch while on the go.

Just like the iOS 5 version of iMessage, Messages also lets you send photos, videos, file attachments, contacts, locations and even start a FaceTime call right from the app. Messages also supports a host of other chat services like AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk and Jabber. The Messages app is available today as a public beta so anyone with a Mac running Lion 10.7.3 can give it a whirl.

Messages Beta – Download Now

More: Mountain Lion on Apple.com.

Apple has sent out a letter via its iTunes Connect portal to all of its registered iBookstore content publishers advising them of some much needed improvements. The iBookstore will now allow publishers to submit screenshots of their books but even more importantly, they can now generate and issue promotional codes for any content sold in the iBookstore.

Publishers can now issue up to fifty promo codes which can be given to book reviewers to enable them to receive an iBooks version of a book for free. This works in a very similar way to app developer who already have the ability to give away promo codes for apps.

iBookstore publishers also now have the option of submitting screenshots of their books. This could prove extremely useful for books that include rich multi-media content which can be produced using Apple’s iBooks Author tools. Screenshots have to follow some strict guidelines with regard to size of the screen shots as well as the file types used.

The final change is in the way the iBookstore will handle any pre-order books. From now on, publishers can place books up for pre-order without the need to submit any cover artwork or other information. This information must be in place at least two weeks prior to the book actually being made available for sale.

Now that it seems Apple will be holding their iPad event in early March, rumors have turned to Apple working with developers in a frenzied rush to get Retina display iPad apps ready to show off on stage. TheNextWeb reports:

Apple has a long history of hand-picking apps that it thinks are exemplary or really show off the hardware of a device to demonstrate during iPad presentation. The iPad 2 saw demo segments with Apple’s own Garage Band, iMovie and Photo Booth apps, while the recent ‘Let’s Talk’ iPhone event saw game title Infinity Blade 2 demoed in order to show off the graphics capabilities of the new iPhone 4S. Apple’s pre-event weeks are often spent soliciting demonstrations from many app developers and preparing demonstrations of those apps for the live event. Our sources tell us that this selection process is continuing at an increased rate as Apple looks to finalize the lineup for the iPad 3.

Retina display iPad apps would require 2x, high-definition elements. The iPad 3 -- or iPad 2S according to some rumors -- is widely expected to have a similar form factor to the currently available iPad 2. The main differences are thought to be on the inside with a faster, possible quad-core processor, improved graphics performance and of course a higher resolution display.

We're taking a poll of what you expect to see, hardware wise, in the iPad 3 so if you haven't already, hurry up and vote now.

Source: TheNextWeb

Microsoft has rolled out its popular MSN app to the USA and Canada. It was originally launched at the end of January as a UK only release. The MSN app brings you all of the latest news, sports, entertainment and much more form the Microsoft network in a beautiful, magazine style layout on your iPad.

MSN is now available on your iPad – easily swipe to find your favorite news, sports entertainment, autos and money articles & videos in one place. Easily share what you find with your friends on Facebook,Twitter or e-mail a link to the article. Of course you can view articles, photos and videos in either portrait or landscape modes with MSN for iPad. Need to dig deeper on something you just read? We’ve built Bing right into the top of the app for easy searching.

The app will also let you gain access to your Hotmail accounts and Windows Live Messenger. It is a well laid out application that makes full use of the iPad’s screen and touch interface. The screen is split into small rows which you an flick through to find an article of interest. You can even download the whole days news for offline reading later. Microsoft has made a very nice news application for the iPad.

Free – Download Now

Hasbro has announced that its next release of Lazer Tag guns will use your iPhone or iPod touch to provide augmented reality and a heads up display. The Lazer Tag guns can accept an iPhone or iPod touch which is slotted into the gun in a purpose made holder. The user can then download an app from the App Store which can keep track of your gear, power levels and also setup multiplayer games with up to 23 other players.

To experience the LAZER TAG game, players download the free LAZER TAG app to their iPhone or iPod touch device, connect their device to their LAZER TAG blaster, and find themselves immersed in a world where video games and real life connect. Using either single or multi-player mode, players can engage in a LAZER TAG match featuring either real life worlds or virtual opponents. Each LAZER TAG blaster equipped with a device has a virtual firing range of over 250 feet and contains a 'Heads Up Display', or HUD, which allows players to keep track of their gear and remaining power, while also providing a view of the augmented reality targets and enemies in the area. A virtual leaderboard keeps track of each player's profile and, with every successful mission, players will gain in-game access to upgradeable attacks, missions and gear. With LAZER TAG blasters, the stakes are high, the game is real. Don't just play it, live it.

The Lazer Tag blasters will be available in August this year. A single gun will cost around $39.99. The app will be available as a few download.

Source: Engadget

The VooMoteZapper is a small accessory that clips into the dock connector of your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and turns it into a universal infrared remote control for your TV and home theater components. Figuring out which remote controls which device, where to find batteries when they run dry, how to fix them when something goes wrong, or what to do when you can't find them are just some of the problems we face. There are a lot of dedicated universal controls, from cheap dollar-store varieties to incredibly expensive, programable Harmony remotes already. All of them offer to make our lives simpler and easier by replacing the complexity of multiple remote controls with a single, simple solution. There are other iPhone remote adapters as well. But the VooMoteZapper looks to be one of the smallest and most elegant so far.

 Say goodbye to the days of switching from app to app or fumbling for the right remote.  The all-in-one VooMote Zapper software and hardware combine all you need for an entire home entertainment experience. With VooMote Zapper App, you don't have to sacrifice customization for convenience. Consolidate all your remotes, TV Guide functionality (coming 2012), facebook and twitter (coming 2012) and still define custom remote layouts, programming and much more!

The VooMoteZapper can not only control single items of equipment but, like a Harmony remote, it also has the ability to be programmed with macro functions too. This enables you to program a string of commands under one function for example “Watch a movie”, this could then automatically turn on your TV, start your Blu-ray player and turn on your home theater surround sound system too.

Unlike the Harmony and other, dedicated, universal remotes, it harnesses the wonderful multitouch display of the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad for its user interface, making it far more powerful and easier to use.

The downside of course is that you need to have an iOS 5-compatible device available in your living room all the time. If you have an extra iPod touch, it won't be a problem. If you're trying desperately to change channels and your spouse is talking on the iPhone or your child is playing on the iPad, it could be quite frustrating.

The VooMoteZapper is available online from the Apple Store for $69.95 and is available in a few different colors like red, green, blue, pink and gray.

$69.95 - Buy now

Via: 9to5 Mac

Kenisngton and Chelsea College in the UK is planning a new course which will be devoted entirely to taking photographs with the iPhone’s camera. The course in "iPhoneography" is thought to be the first ever course of its kind in the United Kingdom.

The college says many iPhone owners struggle to use the camera properly. Students will create images using the iPhone camera and a range of "apps". Tutor, Richard Gray, said: "all you need is a passion for photography and a creative mind." Students are required to have their own iPhone to do the course which will begin next month. "With the right apps and skills, the iPhone can be a powerful creative tool," said Mr Gray. "It is a great levelling force within photography. No longer do you need expensive or complex equipment to produce great images," he added.

Mr Gray is planning on teaching students the basic rules of composition, color and light as well as editing skills using various iOS apps. He sees the iPhone as revolutionising photography by the way it allows you to take a picture, edit it and post it online all within minutes; no matter where you are. Mr Gray will also be holding a free workshop at the Apple Store in Regent Street, London in the near future.

We've been saying that here at iMore for years, of course. We even have a dedicated iPhone photography forum available for you to discuss the subject, share tips, and start projects. With more to come!

Source: BBC

Tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday, and whether you're cheering for the New England Patriots or the New York Giants, it's easy to follow all the action right on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. You can stay up to date while away from home and on the road, or get all sorts of extra information while you're watching live.

NFL Live for Verizon iPhone

If you have an iPhone on Verizon, you can take advantage of their exclusive NFL Mobile app to stream Super Bowl XLVI straight to your mobile device. It's a universal app, though it doesn't specifically say that live video will also be streamed to the iPad version, so if you want to be absolutely certain you see it, keep your iPhone handy. Both versions should give you the latest news, videos, as well as all the information you need to stay in the big game.

• Free - App Store link

NFL.com Super Bowl XLVI site

The NFL also has a full site up for Super Bowl 46, complete with history, events, visitors guides, live feeds, trivia, and much, much more. The mobile experience won't quite be up to that of the desktop -- which is why they made the apps -- but if you want to make sure you've got everything covered, launch Safari on log onto NFL.com. And if you're not on Verizon and need to watch live, you can do so from here with your Mac or Windows PC.

• Web site link

Super Bowl XLVI Guide

The official NFL Super Bowl 46 guide app will keep you up to date with maps, local happenings, and more. Whether you'll be attending the big game in person or watching from the comfort of your home, the Super Bowl XLVI Guide is the best way to navigate through the multitude of Super Bowl events and and keep up with all the social media buzz that's sure to be generated by millions and millions of fans.

Super Bowl XLVI Guide is compatible with the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and is available in the App Store now.

• Free - App Store Link

Super Bowl XLVI Commemorative App for iPad

By NFL Magazine, the Super Bowl 46 commemorative app for iPad brings you the full story of how the New England Patriots and New York Giants made it to the big game, key stats, and bonus features like video, interviews, stadium shots, and more.

• $2.99 - App Store link

More Football is More

If that's not still not enough Football for you, you can also check out our Top 5 NFL Football apps for iPhone. Whether you're interested in play by play commentary or managing your fantasy leagues, we've got you covered.

Now here's the big question -- come tomorrow, who's going to win?

Apple has removed a number of copy-cat apps from the App Store, specifically plagiaristic titles such as Tiny Birds, Temple Jump and Numbers With Friends created replicated by developer Anton Sinelnikov. Apple has made similar moves against shady developers in the past, taking down 1,000 apps in 2008 after they noticed fake 5-star reviews in the App Store.

However, the problem is greater than just a few scam apps from a few shady developer. Most of us know that these titles copy from the real deal, specifically Tiny Wings, Temple Run and Words With Friends, but new users might have a hard time telling them apart, and get a nasty surprise after they've drop down money only to discover they've been conned into buying a fake app. That creates a bad experience and might make them wary of the App Store in the future.

For legitimate developers, they lose out on the income. It's difficult and expensive enough, especially for independent developers, to get a hit title on the App Store. When and if they finally do have a hit on their hands, they now have to worry about scammers trying to steal their sales, damage their brand, and turn off their customers. Worse yet, according to developer Kode80, scammers rely on the outrage that follows their copy-cat apps to actually gain attention and drive sales.

Should Apple be doing more to prevent copy-cat titles from hitting the App Store in the first place, and should they be making it easier to report when they do? Apple long ago appointed themselves as gate-keepers and curators, but when it comes to copyright issues, they've followed the common practice of waiting for a complaint and then leaving the developers involved to fight it out. Sometimes that works. Sometimes it lets bigger, more established brands bully competitors out of the App Store.

Likewise, Zynga, one of the biggest gaming companies on the planet, has been accused of copying NimbleBit's Tiny Tower with their new game, Dream Heights. Dream Heights doesn't present itself as a copy-cat in the App Store the way Sinelnikov's did, with similar naming and branding intended to cause confusion, but it does duplicate the look, feel, and gameplay of a popular independent game.

Where should the line be drawn, and should Apple be the ones drawing it?

Source: The Guardian, TechCrunch; image via @tapbot_paul

As expected, Reckless Racing 2 is now available in the App Store. It is the sequel to the hugely popular racing game Reckless Racing which brought thrills and spills from the track as you slide you car around corners on dirt and tarmac.

Strap down and prepare for the ride of your life... Reckless Racing is back with more! Including a selection of 18 highly detailed cars, ranging from small dirt buggies to fast supercars, and 24 routes in a variety of flavors make this a racer for all tastes - both dirt and tarmac.Compete in the Career mode to earn money for new cars and car upgrades. Have a quick race in the Arcade mode with 40 pre-defined challenges. Compete against your friends on the leaderboards in Single Event mode - including Race, Hot Lap and Elimination events.Tune your car in the garage to match your driving style with a vast selection of parts and upgrades. Whether you are a reckless power slider or a slick race driver, make your car the way YOU want it.

• Probably the best power slides in the world
• Tune and tweak the performance, handling, tires, rims and colors of your cars
• Shader based game engine with normal maps, reflections, specularity, shadows, particles and more
• Improved and optimized shaders for iPad 2 and iPhone 4S
• Online leaderboards with downloadable ghost cars
• Online multiplayer over the Internet
• 17 characters, including your favorites from Reckless Racing 1
• 5 control layouts with customizable button positions
• Optional assists, such as race lines, mini map, chase camera and more

• App Store link

Avid Studio is a new app that lets you edit video, audio and photographs right on your iPad. And if you think Apple’s iPad version of iMovie has just gotten some real competition in the video editing space -- you're right.

Avid and Apple have been battling it out for years now in the professional space, with Avid's high end movie editing kit seeing competition from Apple's much lower priced Final Cut Studio. Several prominent directors switched from Avid to make high profile movies using Final Cut. Following Apple's recent re-invention of the digital editing model with Final Cut X, they faced a lot of push back from unhappy editors who missed features or simply didn't like the new software. Apple did, however, achieve some consistency across their editing software, with everything from iMovie on iPhone and iPad, to iMovie on Mac, to Final Cut Pro embracing similar user interface and design concepts.

Now Avid is bringing the battle back to Apple, and on Apple's mobile turf for a change. We'll have a full hands-on, and a side-by-side comparison with iMovie coming your ways soon. In the meantime, here are all the details on Avid Studio for iPad.

Big-screen moviemaking comes to the touchscreen with Avid® Studio for iPad. We’ve distilled the world’s leading film-editing technology into an easy-to-use app that enables you to edit video, audio, and photos at the speed of your creativity. Swiftly arrange your clips in the Storyboard, make precision edits using the Timeline, and add high-quality transitions, effects, and a soundtrack. Then share your movie directly to YouTube, Facebook, and more—or export your project to Avid Studio for the PC and continue editing with even more advanced tools.

Easily Access Your Media

• Work with any media on your device—video, audio, and photos
• Access media from external devices via an iPad Camera Connection Kit (sold separately)
• Capture video and photos from within the app
• See your media organized by Albums, Events, Faces, and more

• Get started quickly with how-to materials
• Easily navigate your project with intuitive gestures
• Swiftly arrange clips in the Storyboard
• Make precise edits and trim individual frames in the Precision Trimmer
• Use the Razor Blade tool to cut on the fly and delete or replace the second half of the clip
• Easily replace one clip with another

• Quickly create multi-layer 3D animations, transitions, and titles with included Montage templates
• Easily composite video tracks to create layered looks
• Add high-quality fades and dissolves to help your story flow
• Generate professional-looking motion titles and graphics with full control over text, font, color, size, position, and rotation
• Create amazing Picture-in-Picture effects with full control over position, size, and rotation
• Pan and zoom on your photos to create high-impact slideshows
• Enjoy full-screen playback

• Use your own audio or choose from the included sound effects
• Trim audio to any length, set levels, and fade audio in or out

• Easily share movies via YouTube, Facebook, email, and more
• Export projects to Avid Studio for the PC

• Created by Avid, the maker of the world’s leading film and music editing technology
• Easy enough for the hobbyist, powerful enough for the pro

• App Store link

Flipboard, the hugely popular iPhone and iPad social magazine app, has announced that it can now deliver customized content guides for four more countries, including UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia.

Anyone who has his or her iPad or iPhone region set to one of those countries automatically receive the local edition of their Content Guide when they tap on the red ribbon in the top right corner of Flipboard. To switch back to the “original” Content Guide, set your device’s country setting to United States.

The four new content areas are in addition to the other areas which are already supported. These are China, France, Taiwan, Hong Kong and of course the United States.

• Free - App Store link

Source: Inside Flipboard

A Police officer in New York used his own iPhone to catch a thief and retrieve a victim’s iPhone after she was robbed in a handbag store on Thursday night. A man walked into the store brandishing a black handgun and took the woman’s iPhone.

After a fruitless canvass of the area, one officer, Robert Garland, tried another tack. Using the 24-year-old victim’s iTunes account information and the iCloud feature on his own phone, Mr. Garland was able to track the victim’s iPhone. Officers then followed the cyber-scent to the area near 49th Street and Eighth Avenue. As they searched the area, the suspect, who the police said had placed the phone in his boot, walked past the officers. The victim’s phone began to beep. And, soon, the suspect was placed under arrest.

Source: The New York Times

Valve has released Steam Mobile for iPhone and iPod touch into the App Store. Sort of. It is available to download and install on your iOS device, but unfortunately you need to be part of a limited beta to actually begin to use it. We are sure this will change fairly soon but it is very frustrating for those gamers that use Steam and want to use the app now.

With the free Steam app for iOS, you can participate in the Steam community wherever you go. Chat with your Steam friends, browse community groups and user profiles, read the latest gaming news and stay up to date on unbeatable Steam sales.

• Connect with friends:  Steam on your mobile phone is the easiest way to keep up with your Steam friends while on the go.
• Steam Chat: Now you can take your Steam chats away from your computer with Steam for iOS and Android.
• Shop Steam: Browse the extensive Steam library of Windows and Mac titles from your phone. Find out about Steam sales wherever you are.

The Steam Mobile app is available for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad. It is not a universal binary so you are looking at 2x mode on your iPad. Hopefully Valve will rectify that soon as well.

• App Store link

Have an app you’d love to see featured on iMore? Email us at iosapps@imore.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Microsoft has launched another app for the iPad, this time it is MSN UK. MSN UK is brings all the latest news, sport and entertainment from the UK right to your iPad.

The MSN experience is now enhanced on iPad – easily swipe to find your favourite news, sport and entertainment articles and videos. Excited about something you read on MSN for iPad? Just tap and share with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

• Reading articles on MSN for iPad feels natural, no matter how you hold your iPad – in either portrait or landscape modes. We’ve added popular photo galleries, slideshows and videos to add depth to what you’re browsing. You can even download stories to your iPad for when you’re not connected to a network later. Need to dig deeper on something you just read? We’ve built Bing right into the top of the app for easy searching.
• Popular photo galleries and slideshows
• Quick access to Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger
• View in portrait and landscape modes, whatever is easier for you
• Send feedback to the MSN team – let us know what you think

If the iPad’s Auto-Lock is set to 2 or 5 minutes, the downloading of an issue of MSN for offline viewing may be interrupted when the iPad locks the screen. You may see the dialog box showing that the download is in progress, but the background downloading of the issue may have stopped. Tap Cancel to close the dialog box. You may need to close and restart the app to resume the offline download.

• App Store link

Reckless Racing 2 is expected to have many new features including a full single player campaign, longer and more dangerous tracks, better graphics and new car models. No news on pricing or if this will be a universal app for all platforms. We will let you know as soon as we find out anymore.

Source: Pocket Gamer

McGraw Hill CEO, Terry McGraw has paid a huge amount of credit to Steve Jobs over the launch of iBooks 2, which brought the availability of low price textbooks on the iPad.  Speaking to the press after Apple’s education event yesterday, McGraw was asked a number of questions by All Things D reporter Peter Kafka. He was asked why now for digital textbooks as Apple had been talking to publishers for the last few years.

Sitting and listening to all of this, I wish Steve Jobs was here. I was with him in June this past year, and we were talking about some of the benchmarks, and some of the things that we were trying to do together. He should be here. He probably is [gesturing up and around]. This was his vision, this was his idea, and it all had to do with the iPad.

We’ll do whatever we can to make this the most meaningful space. And the person, or, well, Steve Jobs and Apple, have done more, in terms of creating this personalized learning platform than anyone.

Source: All Things D

Time Warner has just updated its TWC TV app and it is now fully compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch. Since its launch back in March 2011, it has been an iPad only app, but not any longer. If you are a Time Warner Cable subscriber, you can now watch live TV, manage your DVR and change channels on your set-top box on your iPhone and iPod touch.

If you are a Time Warner Cable video subscriber, the FREE TWC TV app turns your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch into another TV screen and lets you watch selected live cable channels while in your home, through your wireless home network. Watch Bravo from your bedroom, take Food Network with you to the kitchen or catch up on CNBC news from the breakfast table.

• Interactive program guide (IPG) – up to 7 days of listings. View detailed show descriptions including box art. Option to display “HD only” or “favorites only” by creating a favorite channel list.
• Search – search for programming by title or episode name and filter results by genre
• Set-top box tuning – tap on a network logo or “watch on TV” button within the program description to tune compatible set-top boxes directly to the channel
• DVR management – schedule one-time and series recordings on compatible DVRs directly from the IPG. Tap on the “DVR” button to see a list of all upcoming recordings and make changes or cancel recordings

Google has officially launched its Orkut app for iPhone, letting users of Brazil and India's favorite social network access the service on-the-go.

The official Orkut app for iOS connects you to your friends and family. Now you can send scraps, see your friends updates, upload photos and browse your friends albums anywhere you go. Never miss a conversation again because you are not in front of your computer: get the free Orkut app and stay connected.

• Update your status
• Check your scraps and messages
• Reply to your friends birthdays
• Check your friends updates
• Browse your friends profiles, scraps and photos
• Take new photos and upload them directly to your Orkut albums
• Share your life anywhere, anytime with the people you care about

Although Orkut isn't as popular as Facebook in most parts of the world, the Google-owned social network that's not Google+ has gained popularity in Brazil and India, where roughly 80 percent of its active user base resides.

Orkut is available now in the App Store and is compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch.

• Free -- App Store Link

Have an app you’d love to see featured on iMore? Email us at iosapps@imore.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Woz, a known Android fan, thinks the Android OS is more functional than iOS in many ways. Even though an iPhone is his primary device he still wishes his iPhone would perform some of the tasks his Android devices do.

“if you’re willing to do the work to understand it a little bit, well I hate to say it, but there’s more available in some ways...

I agree with his statement even though I'm strictly an iOS user. I still manage to find a reason to jailbreak when Apple decides to omit the features that I want. Not only is feature set an on-going issue for Apple but the fact that iOS is exclusive to Apple. Android being open source to the end user is arguable as well. It's open to the manufacturers and carriers, not the user. Android is still available for licensing to all manufacturers while Apple is the only company with rights to distribute iOS.

Woz also said he thinks Apple's approval process for apps slows developers down compared to Android's model. He was a long time user of Siri until Apple purchased it. He claims it doesn't work as well as it did when it was an independent application.

Do you think Apple's strict curation of the App Store and need for control is what pushes users towards Android?

Source: The Daily Beast

Apple has snuck a couple of new features into their apps pages in iTunes, specifically an information popup with tabbed content remarkably similar to how Google presents Android Market details. We know that in the past Android has been accused of copying Apple, but like Notification Center this time it looks like Apple is the one caught with their fingers in the copy jar.

The iTunes pop-up windows are activated by a new information icon which will appear when hovering over an app icon. The purpose of this is to make things easier -- the information appears right in front of you now without having to click through and load a new page. Movies and TV shows are also getting in on the action, although they'll have a play button to preview a clip of the video instead.

Source: MacRumors; @sdw

Namco Bandai has announced that it will be bringing its weapons based fighting game Soul Calibur to the App Store this week. Soul Calibur was originally launched in arcades back in 1998 and has also been available for the Sega Dreamcast and more recently the Xbox 360.

The iOS port of the classic arcade and Dreamcast fighting game features all 19 fighters and a mode list that includes arcade battle, time attack, survival, extra survival, practice and museum modes. Of these, time attack, survival and extra survival are compatible with Game Center's Leader Boards.

Source: Andriasang

OnLive Desktop has now gone live in the App Store. OnLive Desktop is an app which will provide a cloud based Windows 7 experience for iPad users. The OnLive Desktop app will give users access to a Windows desktop experience without the need for any VNC or remote desktop connections. It is all stored in the cloud and accessible from your iPad or a desktop machine.

OnLive Desktop is a service that provides a seamless, no-compromise, instant-response cloud-based PC desktop, wherever and whenever you want it. OnLive brings to your iPad a high-performance PC experience, regardless of the content, even when interacting with fast-action media. Based on groundbreaking video compression technology, OnLive harnesses the power of cloud computing to deliver a seamless, no-compromise remote PC desktop solution.

• Instantly view, edit and create documents using actual Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Easily transfer files between OnLive Desktop and other devices
• Experience high-performance, instant-response PC applications
• Interact with lag-free animation and video

• App Store link

Mole Kart has arrived in the App Store and if you are looking for a game that resembles the original Nintendo Mario Kart, you need look no further. After Nintendo sees how this game looks and plays, we are sure it will be talking with its legal team.

Your favorite Mole characters come together to battle it out in an adrenaline-fueled race to the finish line. They are zooming on to your iPhone and iPad for party racing showdown.Test your skills across different landscapes and unique tracks, ranging from freezing glaciers, cliffhanging mountains, waterfalls and even Mole’s World. Experience new challenges, all kinds of monsters, extraordinary gameplay and much more! Challenge up to four friends over WiFi or Bluetooth.

• Choose from 7 unique tracks, set in Mole Pasture,X.Mushroom,Sky Remnant, Mole’s Garden and other fantasy environments.
• Go through completing challenges and watch out for outrageous monsters that may await you at any turn!
• 6 iconic Mole characters, each has a custom built vehicle with special abilities to match against tough terrains and all racing conditions.
• Whether racing around an obstacle-filled track or battling in an arena, drifting and tossing items are the keys to Mole Kart success. You can toss a prop to temporarily boost their speed or create an explosion to block competitors. 19 super cool power-ups to outwit your opponents and enhance your racing experience!
• Manual or automatic modes! Experience the ultimate drifting by tilting the device or controlling the virtual stick.
• Local Multiplayer Mode: Battle up to four friends online either on WiFi or Bluetooth.
• Excellent graphic and 3D experience, feel the thrill of racing like never before!

• App Store link

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Sony is bringing its Music Unlimited service to the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch later this year. Music Unlimited is Sony’s subscription based streaming music service and will be available as an app for all iOS devices.

Sony’s decision to offer the service, touted as the Japanese company’s answer to Apple’s iTunes, on iOS devices speaks to Apple’s presence in the all-important smartphone and tablet markets as well as Sony’s willingness to do whatever it takes to expand the reach of its content services.The Music Unlimited service, along with Sony’s video and videogame offerings, functions as the glue holding together the links between the Japanese conglomerate’s entertainment businesses and electronics products.

Source: WSJ

The TomTom App for iPhone and iPad will be the first to use social networks as a source for turn-by-turn navigation. It can automatically plan routes based on information from Facebook events, places and friends. Drivers can also use the App to share their destination and arrival time on Twitter, Facebook, by email and SMS text.

Source: TomTom PR

Shazam has launched a new app called Shazam Player which can be used as an alternative to the inbuilt Music app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Shazam Player lets you stream lyrics for supported tunes as well as view a huge store of information on the band or artist you are currently listening to.

Switch to a music player with a difference - Shazam Player™ the NEW app from Shazam! Why just listen to your music when you can now see streaming lyrics, watch YouTube videos and read reviews of your favorite tracks and artists! Get to know your music with Shazam Player. It’s your music. Shazam Player lets you do more with it.

• Bring your music to life with LyricPlay. See streaming lyrics in time to the music - you’ll always have the words to your favorite songs with you
• Share the soundtrack of your day on Facebook and Twitter
• Watch YouTube videos and concert clips
• Find tour dates for the bands and artists you’re into
• Manage your music – see your iTunes playlists and create new playlists on the fly
• Select your favorite tracks and hide ones you don’t want to hear
• Add to your music - buy new tracks on iTunes from within the app
• View music by artist/album/title and use the Track Tray to see all the great Shazam features available for each song
• Top tracks – a changing list of LyricPlay tracks – buy them straight from the app if you don’t already own them
• Identify new music you’re hearing by instantly launching the Shazam App

• Text input (yes!)
• Tagging
• Page Search
• Twitter & Facebook Integration
• A number of usability improvements across the app

[$4.99 - App Store link]

Consisting of two initial products, the WeMo Home Control Switch and the WeMo Motion Sensor, WeMo is a customizable, accessible home automation solution designed to simplify home maintenance and bring peace of mind to busy families and individuals on the go. WeMo works with a home’s existing electrical system and requires only a Wi-Fi network and free smartphone app to set up and control. Simply plug the WeMo Home Control Switch into any electrical outlet and then plug in any device, such as a lamp, into the WeMo Home Control Switch. Through the free smartphone app, the item then can be turned on or off remotely or scheduled to turn on and off at set times. The second product in the line is the WeMo Motion Sensor, which works with the WeMo Home Control Switch to make your device react to motion. Used together, WeMo can create a home environment that can turn a light on when someone walks in a room, or off when no one is present.

Source: Belkin PR

OnLive, better known for its online gaming service has just announced that it will be launching a cloud based Windows 7 experience for iPad users. The OnLive Desktop app will give users access to a Windows desktop experience without the need for any VNC or remote desktop connections. It is all stored in the cloud and accessible from your iPad or a desktop machine.

OnLive has just re-imagined what’s possible on iPad with the OnLive Desktop app, available Thursday in the iTunes App Store. Launching a brand-new chapter for OnLive (and everyone), OnLive Desktop gives users instant access to a seamless Windows desktop experience, with full-featured Microsoft Office applications and 2 GB of free cloud storage for secure file access anywhere. Need to edit a Word doc with redlines and comments? No problem. Need to give some oomph to that PowerPoint deck for your meeting? Go for it: present animations and slide transitions, edit diagrams and embed videos. Desperate for a pivot table in Excel? Pivot away … Anything you can do on your office desktop, you will be able to do on your iPad—at home, in your hotel, anywhere.

OnLive also plan on offering some more advanced versions of the app too. OnLive Desktop Pro will offer up to 50GB of storage, priority access to apps, full-featured cloud-accelerated browsing and additional PC applications for a subscription of $9.99 a month. OnLive Enterprise will allow complete customization for business and organizations and OnLive collaborative services will offer thousands of users to simultaneously view, control and discuss a shared desktop via voice chat.

Source: OnLive

Photography app specialists Interealtime has just released an update to its highly acclaimed True NightVison app. The app uses special light capture techniques which allow much darker photographs to be taken using the iPhone camera.

Looking for powerful light amplification tech that fits in your pocket? You came to the right place. True NightVision features advanced image enhancement AND unique light gathering modes. Combined, they make this the most potent night vision app available on the App Store. How does it work? It uses a live camera view and special photo enhancement techniques capable of producing a decent image at high speed (we're talking fluid 30fps action here!) even where it's way too dark for the iPhone's camera app.

• Speed: For full motion, 30fps action use
• High: Balances speed and light enhancement, good for regular use
• Still: High level light enhancement, but requires a steady hand
• Max: Ultimate light enhancement for stationary use
• Improved zoom: Up to 8x zoom on iPhone 4/4S, up to 4x on 3GS
• Enhancement is now set to 50% initially
• Speed fix for iPhone 4s

• App Store link

ChatON is an instant messaging app that supports multi-platform chat across iOS, Android and Samsung Bada platform. Soon the app will also be available for BlackBerry and Windows Phone as well, so it will cover most platforms. What makes it really interesting is... the app was made by Apple largest Android rival -- Samsung.

ChatON is a Global Mobile Communication Service that enables you to have better relationships with your buddies or groups. ChatON brings together all of these methods of communication, expression, and sharing in one place.

• ChatON supports multi platforms and devices. Users can chat freely through ChatON.
• Currently, ChatON supports iOS, Android, Bada, Samsung Feature and will support Blackberry, Window mobile, web soon.
• ChatON provides multi ways to make your communication richer.
• 1:1 Chat, Group Chat, Broadcast, Drawing Message, Picture, Video, Voice, Location, Contact, Calendar.
• Using ChatON, create your own unique drawing message by hand drawing etc.
• ChatON provides group management feature for easy group chat
• ChatON provides Interaction rank which informs you how often you chat with your buddies.
• For every chat room, you can easily see all sent images and videos in a Trunk.
• Something to say for your buddies? Use 'Buddies Say'!

• App Store link

ABI Research has a new study claiming the iPad App Store has hit three billion downloads since it debuted in 2010.

The iPhone took as long as two years before being able to achieve this level of downloads, while the iPad made it within nearly a year and a half.

This would represent roughly 19 percent of all iOS App Store downloads combined, a significant slice of the pie in terms of Apple's mobile ecosystem.

In comparison, Android tablets only have around 440 million app downloads thus far, or just a little under one sixth of the amount from Apple's fledgling -- but wildly successful -- tablet device.

Source: ABI Research

CloudOn, a free iPad app that offered Microsoft Office functionality with Dropbox support, appeared briefly in the App Store yesterday before going up in a puff of smoke a short time later.

CloudOn has responded saying their app has "sold out", but we think this may have had something to do with server overload.

Thanks for your support of CloudOn! We're currently sold out. We look forward to the feedback we will receive as we continue to support the many users that have registered in this first phase.

The fact that CloudOn came with full Dropbox support for storing and managing office files on-the-go was a great idea for power users, and the overall offering is unique in respect to beating Microsoft to the punch at their own game. This could be another reason the app is no longer available, as Microsoft could have called shenanigans if CloudOn didn't go through the appropriate channels before release.

I gave it a quick whirl when it was actually up and running, and noticed the app was somewhat sluggish from the get-go (probably due to how much it relies on the cloud backend to get things done paired with the influx of users hammering their servers).

We'll let you know as soon as CloudOn is back in the App Store. In the meantime, here's its description:

• Use Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint on your iPad to create or edit documents.
• Rename, delete and manage documents with your Dropbox account
• Display, edit or create charts, change formatting, spell check, insert comments, into any Word, Excel or PowerPoint files
• Track changes while reviewing Word documents
• Use pivot tables and insert formulas in Excel workbooks
• Display and edit animation or transitions in PowerPoint presentations
• Present in full PowerPoint mode (not in PDF)
• Open files directly from your iPad email accounts or Dropbox account
• Automatically save documents to avoid losing changes

Source: CloudOn

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Kids have access to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and curious how to prevent them from deleting your App Store apps the moment you're not looking? They're fun and games can cause a lot of additional work for you if you're not careful. Luckily, Apple lets you lock down app deletion.

1. Jump into the Settings app.
2. Tap General settings.
3. Next, tap Restrictions.
4. At this point, you'll be prompted to enter your 4-digit passcode if you have one set, or create one if you don't.
5. Scroll down and switch Deleting Apps to 'OFF'.

That's it! Now, if you ever hand over your iPhone to a friend or family member, they'll have no ability to accidentally remove or delete your favorite apps from the iPhone Home screen.

**Bonus Tip: Using an older version of iOS that doesn't provide for app deletion restriction? If you're jailbroken check out No Uninstall in Cydia, which removes the ability to delete apps from the iPhone Home screen.

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

Lock Screen Weather is a clever app that allows you to display local weather information and graphics on the iPhone Lock screen without requiring a jailbreak.

• Current weather conditions on your Lock Screen
• Optional five-day weather forecast displayed below current weather
• Tens of thousands of cities around the world supported
• Current weather and forecasts updated automatically and according to where you are (optional)
• Background sounds captured right in the nature (optional)
• Both Fahrenheit (℉) and Celsius (℃) scales supported
• Originally designed graphic assets reflecting every significant weather change

The way it works is by playing a silent track through the iPod app, then using the album art for the track to display the weather based on locations you set within the app settings. Because of the dynamic abilities of how album art is displayed in the iPod app, and subsequently shown whenever you lock your iPhone or iPod touch, this app essentially tricks the iPhone into displaying updated Lock screen weather without breaking any of Apple's strict developer guidelines.

The only drawback is, whenever you have the app running to display weather on the Lock screen, you won't be able to listen to any music from the iPod app (or any other App Store app that uses audio output or album art, such as Pandora). This is, however, a very adept workaround and gets the job done without the need to jailbreak and install apps like IntelliscreenX.

• $0.99 -- App Store Link

Having trouble finding what you need in the app store? Send us an email to news@tipb.com and let us know what you’re looking for, and we’ll do our best to find you just the right App for That!

I tend to go through phases where I can continually change the apps I have on my home page, and the apps I use the most. There are however five apps that will never leave their prime positions. These are my most-used apps, the ones I can't function without, the ones I use everyday, over and over again.

Tweetbot

I love Twitter, it has opened up a whole new world for me, I have friends on Twitter from all over the planet that share my interests. Tweetbot is in my opinion the most elegant and user friendly of all the Twitter apps available on the App Store. Every time I open it, it makes me smile, the subtle sound effects and smooth sliding animations are really well done. It may lack a few features compared with other apps but I would rather give them up just to use this app, it is that good!

$2.99 -  App Store link

HulloMail

One of the frustrations of moving your iPhone from the O2 network in the UK, is that it is currently the only network to support Visual Voicemail. Vodafone, T-Mobile, Orange and 3 all skipped this really nice feature. So what are your options? Well HulloMail does a really good job of filling the gap. It is basically Visual Voicemail with loads more additional features.

The HulloMail iPhone app offers an easy way to manage your voicemails visually, send, receive and share voicemails, instant voice messaging to mobile and email, no matter which operator you use. There are two versions of HulloMail, a free version which is ad supported and a paid version which costs $8.99 a year via in-app subscription. The subscription version gives you some extra features like an ad-free service for a year, individual greetings, longer voicemails of up to 5 minutes and priority access to more features in the coming months.

If your network does not support visual voicemail, give HulloMail a try, it is an excellent voicemail management tool.

• Free -  App Store link

Reeder

Being a news editor for TiPb means I have to keep on top of the news at all times. I use Google Reader on my notebook but when I am mobile, I use Reeder. It is super clean, super fast and really easy to use. Of course it syncs with Google Reader too so I never have to read anything twice. I use it on my iPhone 4S as well as  Reeder for iPad on my iPad 2. Both work equally well with speed being the key ingredient.

• $4.99 – iPad App Store Link
• $2.99 – iPhone App Store Link

Air Video

Air Video is a fantastic app that can transcode and stream video content from your Windows PC or Mac straight to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. It now includes AirPlay support so you can beam all your content onto the big screen too.

Your Windows PC or Mac needs a small piece of software installed to communicate with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad but once setup you can stream native iOS video content (MP4 and M4V) instantly to your device (rather than having to sync it over first via iTunes). Air Video will also convert non-supported video formats (AVI, MKV, etc) and either store them for later viewing or stream them on the fly so you can watch now rather than having to wait.

Air Video is an excellent app that gives me instant access to over 2TB of media on my networked drives. There are two versions, a free version which limits the number of displayed items in each folder and the paid version which removes those limits. Both versions are universal apps; so work great on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

• Free – App Store Link
• $2.99 – App Store Link

LiveScore

LiveScore is a fantastic free app that provides real time scores from many sporting events around the world; with a particular emphasis on soccer scores. Every match in the UK league is covered along with most other countries. With this app you will know about goals, yellow cards, red cards, substitutions, you name it, seconds after they happen.

The application comes directly from LiveScore Ltd., the inventors of real-time delivery of live sport data and owners of the no.1 ranked football / soccer web site globally. No country restrictions either,  fast access to scores and it is a universal binary too.

• Free -  App Store link

If you want to celebrate the beginning of the New Year, Times Square is an awesome place to do it. Unfortunately for most, it is not possible to be there but at least there is an app that will let you see what’s going on and even get you and your family’s picture on the huge Toshiba Vision screen.

Join millions of revelers around the world to celebrate New Year’s Eve LIVE. The Official Times Square Ball App is your exclusive access to be part of the activities in Times Square as you watch the LIVE co-hosted official show featuring opening ceremonies, musical performances, celebrity appearances, hourly countdowns and the midnight Ball Drop!

• Participate in the celebration by submitting your New Year’s photo for friends, family and other revelers to vote on their favorites and possibly be selected to be seen on the Toshiba Vision screen atop One Times Square directly beneath the Waterford Crystal New Year’s Eve Ball on December 31st! The selected photos will also be featured on the LIVE Show.
• Discover everything you need to know about the Times Square New Year’s Eve Celebration including the history, news, weather, photos, map and event schedule.
• Send New Year’s Eve ecards and share photos with friends and family.
• Watch live streaming of the events in Times Square leading up to New Year’s Eve throughout December as well as the highlight promo and other exclusive video content.
• Customize your Toshiba Countdown Clock with your personal photo and time zone.
• Check-in via Facebook, Four Square, and Twitter to find out how far away you are from Times Square and get directions to special places at the Crossroads of the World.
• Put your face on Toshiba Vision with 5 new ways to upload
• New always-on webcam + livestream of countdown event
• Updated cards to send to friends and family
• Updated design for 2012

• App Store link

The Mac Security Blog warns of a new phishing scam in circulation that tries to trick users into updating their Apple ID billing information, in hopes of stealing it for nefarious purposes.

A vast phishing attack has broken out, beginning on or around Christmas day, with e-mails being sent with the subject “Apple update your Billing Information.” These well-crafted e-mails could fool many new Apple users, especially those who may have found an iPhone, iPod or iMac under their Christmas tree, and set up accounts with the iTunes Store or the Mac App Store for the first time. The messages claim to come from “appleid@id.apple.com.”

The email looks pretty legitimate, but upon hovering over the link you'll notice it points to an obviously fake Apple website asking you to enter your Apple ID credentials, and it's all downhill from there.

As always, never click on links in an email -- type them in yourself in a browser. When you get phishing emails, mark as spam and wash your hands of the worry. Done and done.

Source: The Mac Security Blog via CNET

9to5 Mac has word that Facebook for iPad will be getting the new Timeline feature in late January.

Timeline was supposed to come to the iPad in December, but the release has been pushed back due to last minute bugs found during advanced testing. Facebook is now planning to launch the update between mid-January and late January.

Facebook recently updated their iPhone app to include the new Timeline profile layout, but the iPad app was noticeably lacking in that respect.

The Timeline feature is said to work very well on the iPad's larger, multi-touch screen, and will be a "fusion of the web and iPhone/iPod touch version". I'm personally looking forward to this, and it couldn't come any quicker.

Source: 9to5Mac

Apple's iOS device activation numbers spiked 353% on Christmas Day. In addition, app sales jumped 252% after millions of people opened their new iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and iPod touch and headed straight for the App Store.

Estimates from Flurry Analytics peg iOS and Android device activations averaging around 1.5 million per day, but Christmas day saw around 6.8 million devices activated.

In terms of App Store and Android Market downloads, estimates suggest the number of apps purchased on Christmas day more than doubled from 108 million downloads per day in December, all the way up to roughly 242 million downloads across iOS and Android devices.

To make things interesting, Localytics also issued a report indicating a 15 fold increase in iOS device activations, with the iPod touch seeing as high as a 21 fold jump (most likely due to the low cost of entry into the iOS ecosystem). This contrasts the difference between how analysis of sales and App Store purchases are calculated, but the main point remains the same.

Apple had a huge Christmas day.

Source: Flurry, Localytics

If you want to become a master of Infinity Blade II, its developers have shared a number of great tips to get you on your way. Infinity Blade II is the sequel to the hugely successful original infinity Blade and it makes full use of the iPhone and iPad’s gaming capabilities to deliver stunning visuals and game play. There are a total of sixteen tips which we have listed below.

• Parry an enemy weapon by either swiping in the same direction as the enemy weapon strike or by swiping in the opposite direction.
• Pay attention to gem modifiers and equip them to get more gems or more gold.
• Save super moves and magic for the battles when you are really going to need them.
• Equip a Gold+ gem to earn more money quickly.
• Use a Health Regen potion before a difficult Titan to constantly heal throughout the battle.
• Keep an eye out for hidden keys. They are small and difficult to see, but they can open great treasures.
• When playing the Heavy class, doing a successful parry will also give you a block charge back.
• A successful parry will open up a Titan to more combo hits than a dodge or block.
• Perfect blocks prevent elemental damage from a Titan attack even if you don’t have the right elemental defense; it also reduces the block damage.
• Perfect parries increase the hit window on a Titan.
• To maximize damage with Heavy weapons make sure you plan to do the combo hit at the natural end of the hit window, as the slash attack always ends the hit window.
• To pull off an ultra combo with dual weapons you need to do left/right/up (or some rotated version) attacks when you are in the combo hit mode.
• Titans will tend to have the same elemental attack as each other during a Rebirth, equipping the right gems/equipment to defend against them is worth it.
• Titans are weak to the opposite elemental of their attack. If a Titan has a fire attack he will take double damage from ice elemental and ice magic.
• Using dual weapons allows you to do multiple combos, one after the other.
• Learn which moves cannot be blocked or parried, then dodge these moves.

• App Store - link

Source: Epic Games

Apple has launched its 12 Days of Christmas app for the third year running. The app offers free content from iTunes for twelve days between December 26^th and January 6^th. Today you can access three live audio tracks and three live videos from Coldplay’s recent appearance at the iTunes Festival in London earlier this year.

Each day between now and January 6^th, when you open the app, new content will be available for free. Last year this included music, movies, books and apps. It is offered by Apple as an introduction for new iOS users to get to know how iTunes works and also as a thank you for existing users too.

Apple’s 12 Days of Christmas is only available in Canada and most parts of Europe; strangely the United States is not part of the promotion. The app is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.

• App Store – link

Action Movie FX is a new app that lets you add special effects to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch videos. When we say special effects, we don’t mean boring old effects, we mean Hollywood spectacular explosions, missile attacks and car smashes.

Action Movie FX lets you add Hollywood FX using your iPhone's video camera! You direct the action! and free for a limited time – 2 Movie FX packs!! Select a Scene like "Missile Attack," film a target and Action Movie FX adds an incoming missile and its explosion right into your movie!

• 2 FREE Big-Budget FX! MISSILE ATTACK & CAR SMASH!
• Sound Design By Skywalker Sound!
• Fast, Automated Video Tracking!
• Music, Sound FX and Lens Flares!
• Post to Facebook or Email to friends!

Action Movie FX is free in the App Store and comes with two special effects built in. There is also the option to add two more effects bundles which you can get via in-app purchase. The Chopper Down and Tornado Action bundle and an Airstrike and Fire Fights Attack bundle; each at a cost of $0.99.

Action Movie FX supports the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and iPod touch 4^th Generation only.

• Free - App Store link

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

iMame has been taken out of the App Store by Apple as fast and stealthily as it originally appeared. The app first made its official appearance earlier this week and we thought then that it could be leading a bit of a charmed life.

Mame is a hugely popular app on other platforms as it is an emulator for retro arcade cabinet games from the early 1980’s. The App Store version was a more locked down app that came with a number of built in games but no official way to get more games into the app. This we assume is how the developer managed to gain Apple's approval.

On other platforms, Mame is all about downloading ROM images of old arcade games of which the legality is highly questionable. The iOS version was not advertised as having this ability to accept ROMS from outside sources; but it didn’t take users long to discover how to do just that. We assume that this may well be the reason that Apple has decided to pull the app!

Source: iTunes

Capcom has released what I consider one of the best action games of all time, Mega Man X, in the App Store for iPhone and iPad.

• Beautiful Game Graphics Supporting Retina Display -- The nostalgic graphics of “MEGA MAN X” are optimized for the iPhone’s Retina Display.

• Two Different Display Modes - In addition to a “Regular Mode,” a “Full Mode” is available to display the game in full screen.

• Multiple Difficulty Levels

• Ranking Mode with Game Center Support

• 80 Challenges with Game Center Support (The first 20 challenges are not supported by Game Center)

• Support Items Provide Advantages for Game play

One important thing to note is device compatibility. Mega Man X supports the following devices:

• iPhone 3G, 4 and 4S with iOS 4.3 and up
• 3rd and 4th generation iPod touch models, except for 8GB iPod touch units with Model No. A1288 (your iPod touch model number is located on the back of the device)

Mega Man X is available for $4.99

• App Store Link

Source: Capcom

iMame has just appeared in the App Store, it is a hugely popular app on other platforms as it is an emulator for retro arcade cabinet games from the early 1980’s. The official version comes with a set of seven games pre-installed with no official way to add any more games.

iMAME is an application designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. The intention is to preserve gaming history by preventing vintage games from being lost or forgotten.

• Circus
• Crash
• Fire One
• Hard Hat
• Robot Bowl
• Side Track
• Spectar
• Star Fire
• Targ

If it is easy to add other game ROMS without the need to jailbreak, the app will probably have a short life in the App Store. We recommend you grab this one as soon as you can. iMame is a universal app and also includes support for the iCade.

• Free – App Store Link

Market research firm Distimo has issued a new report detailing the huge gains the App Store has made in China.

When comparing the two countries, the Chinese App Store for iPhone devices was just 18 percent of download volume vs the U.S. at the beginning of 2011. By November, that share had climbed to 30 percent, meaning China jumped from less than a quarter to nearly a third over a 10-month period. The numbers are even more interesting when examining the iPad: China’s take is just south of 50 percent of combined downloads between the two countries.

This doesn't come as a huge surprise given the size of the Chinese market. More interesting, however, is that iPad app downloads have now jumped up to a staggering 50 percent of App Store sales for Apple, making it a straight split between the two markets.

China is now the second largest market for Apple next to the U.S. as of June, and it doesn't look like they'll be loosing momentum anytime soon.

Source: GigaOM

Kindle has updated their iPhone and iPad app to version 2.9, which now includes support for newspapers, magazines and textbooks. Here's the full update log:

iPad:

• New Design for Magazines: Kindle for iPad customers now have access to the huge selection of over 400 magazines and newspapers that are available on Kindle Fire. Magazines such as Martha Stewart Living, Food Network Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, Popular Science and many more are displayed in rich full-color pages. Customers can buy a single issue or subscribe to popular magazines and leading newspapers and have them wirelessly delivered to the Kindle for iPad app.
• Read print replica textbooks including rich formatting and layout of the print editions and support for notes and highlights, zoom and pan, and linked table of contents.

iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch: - Email documents to your new Send-to-Kindle e-mail address and we deliver them to your device. The documents are automatically archived in the Amazon Cloud and available for re-download on your iOS or supported Kindle devices. - Open PDFs from Mail or Safari, by transferring them from iTunes, or by sending them to your Send-to-Kindle email address. The Kindle PDF reader supports PDF table of contents and thumbnail navigation for quickly jumping through the document. - New library organization allows you to view your Kindle Books, Newsstand, and Docs.

Kindle for iOS is one of the better eBook reading apps out there, which even rivals Apple's own iBooks in a lot of respects. I, for one, personally prefer iBooks, but this update may give reason for those in similar opinion to make the jump into the Kindle eBook ecosystem.

• Free - App Store Link

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Apple has issued a fix for iOS 3.1.3 App Store download bug. The bug in question removed the 'Download' button altogether when users running the older firmware attempted to acquire apps from the App Store.

Since the App Store is essentially a native wrapper around a web-based interface, Apple is able to update it without having to push out a full version of the whole OS. That can lead to things breaking out of nowhere, but also getting fixed.

It's good to know that Apple still has the backs of those running on firmware that's now going on two years old.

Source: Apple Support Communities via Engadget

The NFL has announced that this year will be the first year that the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl will be streamed live across the internet. What's more, iPhone and iPad users will be able to view the games on their devices too.

The NFL stream will be available to view on its own site and the NBC channel. If you want to view it on your iPhone or iPad or iPod touch, you will need to pick up the Verizon NFL Mobile app. The app is free in the App Store but unfortunately it will only work for Verizon Wireless customers.

The whole Super Bowl experience should be greatly enhanced next year with the promise of multiple camera angles, highlights and live stats, right in the palm of your hand.

Source: Electronista

Evernote, one of the most popular note-taking apps for the iPhone and iPad, has been updated to version 4.1.7 and now includes options to allow users to share notes with friends.

• Improved stability
• Addressed some sync errors
• Users can share notebooks and manage the sharing members of notebooks on both iPhone and iPad.
• Easier access to offline-notebooks (Premium only)

I use Evernote for pretty much everything, from simple note-taking to helping me remember wishful purchases and more.

• Free - iPhone App Store Link

• Free - iPad App Store Link

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Reports in Apple's Support Community suggest some users running on older iOS 3.1.3 firmware are no longer able to download apps from the App Store after Apple pushed out an update on December 16th.

Specifically, when users jump into the App Store and try to download any app, the download button is completely missing altogether. Although fragmentation within Apple's iOS ecosystem is extremely limited -- at least compared to the closest competition with Google -- some users are still running older iOS versions.

There's currently no fix outside of upgrading to a newer version of iOS, but for some users with older devices that simply don't support current iOS versions, this could become a serious problem. Hopefully Apple pushes out a fix soon.

Source: Apple Support Communities via Engadget

The New York Times has a great piece up on how app developers for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch are in a mad rush to get their apps submitted and approved into the App Store before it goes dark for Apple's annual holiday break.

Each year around Christmas, Apple stops accepting app submissions and updating its store for a while. This year the shutdown starts on Thursday and runs for eight days. In the weeks leading up to the cutoff, developers often pull all-nighters so they can get their work to Apple in time. [...] “There’s a mad scramble for developers,” said Marc Edwards, lead designer at Bjango, an Australian app maker. “In terms of money, it can be a really big deal.”

Apple's App Store approval process is mandatory -- run more like a carefully curated department store than the almost-anything-goes open air bazaar that is Google's Android Market -- and most iOS developers are highly motivated to get approved before the shutdown because being there on Christmas day means big money.

When millions of people unwrap their shiny new iPhone 4S, iPod touch, or iPad 2, one of the first things they'll do is jump into the App Store and start downloading apps to play around with. Flurry, a mobile analytics firm that specializes in tracking such app downloads, estimates that the period between December 23rd and December 26th are the biggest days for developers with around 240 million apps purchased in this small window of time.

Bryan Duke, a part-time app developer in Las Vegas, has seen firsthand how much of a difference one day can make. One of his apps is an air hockey game that costs 99 cents and usually averages about 300 downloads a day. But on Christmas Day last year there were 1,834.

Given the numbers involved, if App Store is a gold mine, Christmas day is an Eldorado bonanza... No wonder developers don't want to take any chances.

Source: NYTimes

A new Kickstarter project from FMC Smart aims to make sure your iPhone never lets you forget where you've parked again!

After a long day at work or hanging out with my friends or even after going to the shopping mall, there's always a time where I completely forget where I parked my car. Right now, there are apps on the iPhone that will save the location of my car, but I have to manually launch the app to drop a pin each and every time I have parked my car. Stopping to launch an app when I'm running into work or trying to catch a plane is a complete waste of time and totally annoying. So I developed an app that allows the iPhone 4S to remember the last place I parked and the only time I have to launch the app is after I've lost my car, not before.

The way it works is simple an straightforward, using the new Bluetooth Smart technology nestled inside the iPhone 4S it helps find where you've parked your car without having to first tell the app that you've parked in that location.

The receiver sits in your vehicle. All you have to do is launch the Find My Car Smart app and it will automagically locate your car by communicating with the receiver using the BT Smart technology. Unfortunately this only works with the iPhone 4S due to the Bluetooth Smart requirement, but it can be a total lifesaver in those panic moments where you've completely spaced out where you were parked.

The Kickstarter project has a goal of $10,000 in order to being mass production, but they're already up to around $2,500 in funding with 28 days remaining. You can donate just $25 to receive the receiver and a free copy of the app from the App Store, and for an additional $30 you'll get a car charger to ensure the Bluetooth Smart receiver never dies on you. The receiver should begin shipping at the end of January.

Source: Kickstarter

• App Store Link

Apple has announced they're rolling out the iTunes Store to Brazilian and a number of Latin American countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela.

iTunes in the Cloud is available today for free in Brazil and Latin America and iTunes Match is available today for a $24.99 annual fee in Brazil.

The iTunes Store in Brazil offers over a thousand movies to rent or purchase, with many in stunning HD, from major studios including 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures. The iTunes Store in Brazil now joins the revolutionary App Store™, which offers more than 500,000 apps to consumers in 123 countries, reaching hundreds of millions of iPad, iPhone and iPod touch® users around the world. Customers have downloaded more than 18 billion apps to date.

Brazil before Canada or the UK? Oh Apple, you tease. Hit the source for the full press release from Apple. Any Brazilian or Latin American readers excited to finally be included in the Apple ecosystem?

Source: Apple

To celebrate Angry Birds' second birthday, Rovio has updated its ever popular game to version 2.0. Angry Birds was originally released back in December 2009 and has become a huge franchise.

Fans everywhere can enjoy a new “Happy Birdday” update for Angry Birds, which features 15 delectable new birthday cake levels, spiffy new menus and graphics, and special birthday achievements. As a birthday gift to our fans, all episodes are now unlocked!

• iPhone App Store link

• App Store – link iPad

Apple has once again released their annual iTunes Rewind listings, highlighting the best and top-selling iPhone and iPad apps and games of 2011.

Here's the list:

iPhone Apps and Games

• Instagram [Free - App Store Link] iPhone App of the Year
• Angry Birds [$.99 - App Store Link] top-selling iPhone App of the Year
• Tiny Tower [Free - App Store Link] iPhone Game of the Year
• VidRythm [$1.99 - App Store Link] runner-up for App of the Year
• Tiny Wings [$.99 - App Store Link] runner-up for Game of the Year

iPad Apps and Games

• Snapseed [$4.99 - App Store Link] iPad App of the Year
• Angry Birds HD [$4.99 - App Store Link] top-selling iPad App of the Year
• Dead Space [$4.99 - App Store Link] iPad Game of the Year
• djay [$9.99 - App Store Link] runner-up for iPad App of the Year
• Contre Jour HD [$2.99 - App Store Link] runner-up for iPad Game of the Year

Hit the source for the full breakdown of the best and top-selling iPhone and iPad apps and games for 2011. Notice any of your favorite apps or games that you think Apple left out this year? Let us know in the comments!

Source: iTunes Rewind

Apple has released their 12 Days of Christmas app a little early this year. The promotion will run between December 26 and January 6 but Apple hasn't put any content in there just yet.

You and your friends can download a fantastic selection of songs, music videos, apps and books for free. Each download will only be available for 24 hours. Get our special 12 Days of Christmas app to make it even easier to access your gifts while you’re on the go.

Don’t have an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch? Don’t worry. Come back 26 December to download gifts from your computer.

Falling in line with their 12 Days of Christmas promotion last year, Apple will promote special daily deals on music, apps, books and more for the holidays. You can download the app now from the Portugal and UK App Store, but content won't start showing up until the promotion begins. If you're outside of Portugal or the UK and see the app available in the App Store, let us know in the comments!

• Free - App Store Link

Alec Baldwin was removed from an American Airlines flight after refusing to turn off his iPad because of a particular intense game of Words with Friends. The flight which was bound for New York from LAX was idling at the gate when Baldwin apparently ignored request by cabin crew to turn his device off.

The "30 Rock" actor was playing a game called "Words with Friends" while the plane idled at a gate Tuesday, said Baldwin's spokesman, Matthew Hiltzik. "He loves `Words with Friends' so much that he was willing to leave a plane for it," said Hiltzik, who added that Baldwin boarded another American Airlines flight to New York.

Source: Associated Press

According to iPhoneiTalia, Facebook is working on an update to its Messenger app that will deliver Facebook video calls across multiple platforms. Facebook currently offers a video calling service between users on desktop web browsers using its agreement with Skype. According to sources, the update to the Facebook messenger app is already being tested in the wild and should be revealed in the not too distant future.

This update appears to be a natural progression for the Facebook Messenger app. The idea of being able to video chat with another Facebook user on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch would be extremely appealing to many. The app should be compatible with any iOS device with a front facing camera. We will let you know as soon as we hear any more information!

Source: iPhoneItalia via Cult of Mac

Infinity Blade II has received an update that looks to address the issues that a lot of users have been experiencing. The details are a little scarce on what exactly the update address specifically. We can only assume it will fix the start up crashes that a lot of disappointed gamers have been experiencing.

What's New in Version 1.0.1, Balance tweaks, optimizations, and bug fixes.

[App Store - link]

An Australian indie-pop band has created a music video for their latest track and the theme of the video is iPhone gaming. In the video the band created real-life versions of hugely successful iPhone games like Angry Birds, Flight Control, Fruit Ninja, Cut the Rope and Plants vs. Zombies.

The band is called Hey Geronimo and after watching the video, it is obvious that they not only have a passion for music but iOS gaming too. The amount of work that appears to have gone into recreating these games into a real-life environment is very impressive.

Spotify is working on an iPad app and it should be available very soon. Spotify, for those that don’t know is a music streaming service that offers a subscription service for mobile devices with features like playlist sync for offline listening.  Spotify Managing Director Chris Maples told Pocket-Lint that it is making an iPad app a priority and it is absolutely in the pipeline.

"We launched recently on Virgin Media's TiVo platform and our fundamental philosophy is anytime, anywhere," he said. "Consumers make no differentiation between devices and we want our service to be available on any device that people want it on."

Source: Pocket-lint

The BBC has now made its global BBC iPlayer app available in Canada following successful launches in eleven other countries earlier in the year. There is still no sign of the app hitting the U.S. App Store but it can’t be too far away now.

Watch a selection of the best classic and contemporary British shows on demand, including Doctor Who, Top Gear and Gavin & Stacey. Download the app and explore plus enjoy free clips and taster episodes. Subscribe today for unlimited access - even when you're offline.

• Comedy - laugh out loud with comedy from The Office, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Little Britain, Gavin and Stacey and The Mighty Boosh and explore classic British humour with Fawlty Towers, Absolutely Fabulous and Only Fools and Horses.

• Drama - be transported out of this world with Doctor Who, immerse yourself in the period drama of Cranford and Pride and Prejudice, be gripped by the fast-paced contemporary action of Spooks(MI-5) and stirred by powerful drama Occupation.

• Science & Nature - immerse yourself in inspiring series like David Attenborough’s The Life of Birds and Walking with Dinosaurs and get up close and personal with Chimpanzee Diary and James May at the Edge of Space.

• Family & Kids - keep the kids entertained for hours with our wide range of fun and educational shows, from Junior Masterchef to Balamory, MI High and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

• News Specials & Documentary - get the latest current affairs and analysis with Panorama and Newsnight and be stimulated by thought-provoking documentaries like Obama’s America and This World: Madoff Hustle.

• Music & Culture – be inspired by exquisite works of art and fantastic music. Journey Around the World in 80 Treasures, get the best seat in the house with performances from Robbie Williams, Blur and Jamie Cullum and discover John Lennon’s transition from Beatle to solo artist in biographical drama Lennon Naked.

• Collections - a compelling mix of programmes and clips that take you on a journey into the BBC's rich archive as far back as the very first Doctor Who, William Hartnell, in 1963.

The app is free to download but you will need to subscribe to the service which costs $8.99 a month or $84.99 a year.

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Infinity Blade II, the follow up to the Epic Unreal 3-powered original, has just become available in the Australian and New Zealand App Stores and should be hitting the U.S. around midnight, ET.

Infinity Blade II continues to raise the bar for triple-A mobile gaming. Journey into the world of the Deathless tyrants and their legion of Titans. Build skills and upgrade characters… all while delving deeper into this mysterious, timeless adventure.

The game, a universal app, will be compatible with the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad, iPad 2 and iPod touch 4th and 3rd generation.

US$6.99 - App Store link

Update: Live in the U.S. App Store now!

Source: Epic Games

iTether is currently showing up as unavailable in the iTunes App Store. iTether, which was approved and released yesterday, let users tether their laptops to their iPhones without having to pay any additional fees to carriers. Another tethering app, Netshare, was approved and then later removed in 2008.

Whether iTether has actually been removed by Apple or the developer, temporarily or permanently, remains to be seen but the developer has claimed they were in communication with Apple throughout the app approval process. If Apple couldn't have, or simply didn't want iTether in the App Store, it's strange they'd approve it at all.

UPDATE: Tether just let us know they've released a statement, and confirmed Apple pulled the iTether app from the App Store. Their site is currently getting hammered so we're reproducing it here. Please do click through and give them a comment with your thoughts. Tether.com:

Around 12PM EST, Apple called our head office to let us know they were going to go ahead and pull our app iTether from the App Store. They stated it was because the app itself burdens the carrier network, however they offered us no way to remedy the solution… We were very clear when listing the app what the primary function was and they even followed up with several questions and requested a video demo then they approved the application.

We strongly disagree that it burdens a carrier’s network, as from our own data history on more than 500,000 users we know the average user consumes less than 200 MBs of data per month on Tether. In comparison, one TV show streamed from Netflix, an approved Apple App, could easily be in the 300-400 MBs range. Sure, there are some users that will consume way more than the average however that’s the case with any of these types of products.

Our team is very disappointed in Apple’s decision; as we strongly believe we help carriers better monetize their data stream by pushing customers into new data tiers further increasing their bottom-line. It is very anti-competitive to not allow any Tethering application to enter into this space to innovate. Our team has created a lot of innovative solutions for the BlackBerry product, which we were hoping to port over to the iPhone like end-to-end encryption, compression, website filtering and port filtering.

According to Apple, users who purchase iTether before it was pulled will continue to be able to use the product.

Our team is evaluating all of our options… Stay tuned.

The iTether app has arrived in the app store and it enables a user to tether their iPhone to a Mac or PC and use its data connection. The app does not appear to require a tethering data plan with your carrier so it is really a surprise that this app has been approved by Apple; it may be that its life is short lived. If you have been waiting for a way to tether your iPhone without the need to jailbreak or pay extra for the privilege, don’t hang about with this one.

Tether is an application that allows your Mac and PC to take advantage of your smartphone's data plan, providing you access to the Internet on your laptop anywhere there is cellular coverage from your smartphone. Tether is easy to install, easy to use, works practically anywhere, and is very cost-effective.

iTether is available in the App Store for a price of $14.99.

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Siri can now control third party apps and even open cars thanks to clever developers and the SiriProxy. In case you missed it earlier in the week, a developer created a SiriProxy to control a thermostat and then made the code available for others to use. The SiriProxy stands in between your iPhone 4S and Apple's servers. It then intercepts Siri voice commands. This proxy enables additional commands to be added to Siri's repitoire.

Other developers have now started using the SiriProxy to do other weird and wonderful things and we now have example videos of two. The first video below shows a developer using the SiriProxy to work alongside his car Viper system.

The “Siri Proxy” plugin I wrote handles interaction with a php script that runs on my web server. The php script, which I developed months ago for personal use, allows me to send commands to my car which has a Viper SmartStart module installed. Current commands accepted are: “Vehicle Arm”, “Vehicle Disarm”, “Vehicle Start”, “Vehicle Stop”, “Vehicle Pop Trunk”, and “Vehicle Panic”.

FastPdfKit Reader is manipulated by various commands with SiriProxy acting in the middle. A plugin is used to add new commands to the ones recognized by Siri, and finally, the proxy then sends the final commands to the app

Source: Mobfam via Engadget, 9to5Mac

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade app is now available in the App Store. If you are planning on heading out to watch it, this could be invaluable. This year is the 85^th Annual Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade so if you want to ensure you do not miss a thing or just need a guide to New York, this could be a great app.

Macy’s and MyCityWay have teamed up to bring spectators of the 85th Annual Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade an Official Mobile App as magical as the Parade itself! This App will give spectators important Parade information plus a comprehensive guide to New York City all at their fingertips for free.

• Parade Participants
• The Line of March (on Parade Day Only)
• Parade Route
• Inflation Event Locations
• Blue Sky Gallery
• Parade History
• Balloons Over Broadway
• Parade Shop
• Tourism Guides and Information
• Dining Locations and Reviews
• Popular and Nearby Coffee Shops
• Nearby and Parade Route Wifi Spots
• Regional Transportation Guides
• Thanksgiving Day Transit Information
• Full Subway Map
• Nearby Restrooms
• Weather Forecasts and Updates
• From MyCityWay:
• Tourism Guides and Information
• Dining Locations and Reviews
• Popular and Nearby Coffee Shops
• Nearby and Parade Route Wifi Spots
• Regional Transportation Guides
• Thanksgiving Day Transit Information
• Full Subway Map
• Nearby Restrooms
• Weather Forecasts and Updates

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade app is available free in the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Apple has removed Big Fish Games subscription based iPad gaming app from the App Store without any explanation. We reported yesterday that the app was the first to allow in-app subscriptions where for a monthly fee users could play a range of Big Fish games. The games were stored and streamed from a data center belonging to Big Fish.

“We were notified that the app was removed,” said Paul Thelen, founder of Big Fish, a game publisher in Seattle. The app had been available since Nov. 18, he said. “We’re trying to follow up with Apple to try to figure out what happened.” Thelen said he was surprised by the move because Big Fish had worked with Apple for several weeks to ensure that it met the requirements for recurring monthly charges made through the App Store.

Source: Bloomberg

The iPhone, iPad and  iPod touch are pretty much the perfect mobile gaming platform and chances are you might be shopping for someone who just loves their iOS gaming. So what to get them? Luckily, there are lots and lots of gifts for gamers to choose from! Here are a few of my favorites, both for the hottest hardware and greatest games!

Don’t need anything for a gamer? Check out the recommendations anyway, something great might still catch your eye. If not, no worries, check out one of our other 2011 holiday gift guides!

iOS device gifts

Does you gamer in your life not have an iPhone, Pod touch or iPad yet? Not sure which one you should get? Not a problem! Start here:

• iOS device gift guide

Accessory gifts

If your gamer already has their device, there are some great accessories out there to help them take their gaming to another level.

iCade

The iCade is a magical gift for the retro gamer. The iCade arcade cabinet is an accessory for your iPad which turns it into a retro arcade machine complete with joystick, six buttons and a glowing coin slot.

More and more games are being released that work with the iCade; including the Atari's Greatest Hits app. The iCade is designed to work with the iPad and iPad 2.

The iPad slots into the arcade cabinet and the controls are done over Bluetooth. Buying a gamer one of these should keep them happy not just over the holiday period but for the rest of their life too!

• Get iCade at ThinkGeek.com

Fling and Fling Mini

What if you are watching your favorite gamer and they are constantly struggling with their game and can't achieve even the simplest tasks due to their finger and thumb fumblings on the shiny iPhone or iPad touchscreen? Fear not, there is a solution for that too, Ten One Design have come up with a well designed joystick for the iPad and a mini version for the iPhone and iPod touch too. Called the "Fling", it sticks to your screen with some small suction cups and claims to offer a console type gaming experience.

As you control a game with Fling, it pushes gently back towards the center position.  This haptic feedback guides and stabilizes your gameplay, making every action more accurate. Any gamer would love to get their hands on one of these, me included!

• Get Fling and Fling mini at Amazon.com

mophie juice pack plus

It is pointless having the latest games and accessories for your iPhone if the battery on your device is not up to the task. Thankfully we have just the thing to buy for the gamer to keep their iPhone fully charged and ready to play.

The mophie juice pack is a hard shell case which fits the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Built into the case is a 2000 mAh capacity battery. mophie claims that the juice pack plus will double your iPhone's battery life which gives you double the time to play your favorite games.

The mophie juice pack is the ideal gift for the iPhone gamer, it not only protects your iPhone but also doubles its battery life, a perfect gaming combination!

• Get mophie juice pack plus on store.imore.com

Motorola MOTOROKR S10HD Bluetooth Stereo Headphones

It's a classic story, they love to game, you'd dearly love some peace and quiet. Luckily, there's a gift that can keep on giving to the both of you -- stereo headphones! They get deep base and immersive sound, and the freedom of a cable-free experience, and you get blissful, well deserved silence.

While there are a ton of headphones to choose from, wire and unwired alike, the MOTOROKR looks and sounds great, and has just a touch of that futuristic feel to it.

• Get the Motorola MOTOROKR S10HD Bluetooth Stereo Headphones on store.imore.com

App gifts

What better gift for a gamer than more great games to play? The App Store is chock full of them, and iTunes allows you to gift them straight to your special gamer. (If you're not sure how, here's quick guide to gifting apps)

First person shooter (FPS) games: Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation

Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation is the ultimate First Person Shooter for the iOS platform. If you want to treat the gamer in your life with a great game then this may be the one to go for. You can play a solo mission with over 13 different levels each with fantastic graphics and enemy AI.

Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation also offers a highly polished online multiplayer game experience. You can battle up to twelve players in six maps with seven different modes of play. A word of warning, you can accelerate your gaming abilities in this game via in app purchase of weapons and health kits; some find this an unfair advantage!

It is also a universal binary so this particular game will look stunning on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

• $6.99 - App Store link

Also check out:

• Dead Space is a gorgeous, terrifying shooter set in the depth of space. $6.99 - App Store link
• N.O.V.A. 2 is the closest thing to HALO on the iPhone. $6.99 - App Store link
• RAGE HD comes from John Carmack and while it's on rails, it's also off the hook. $1.99 - App Store link
• Call of Duty: Zombies is all the undead you can empty a clip at. $4.99 App Store link

Arcade games: Real Racing 2

If the gamer on your gift hit list is into driving games then they don't get any better than Firemint's Real Racing 2. Real Racing 2 lets you take the wheel of 30 officially licensed cars and each has its own characteristics too. You can race against 16 other cars all at the same time.

Real Racing 2 also offers 15 locations to race in with over 40 miles of highly detailed race tracks, speedways and city center circuits. You can also choose to race in the daytime, twilight hours or evening.

If you are lucky enough to own an iPhone 4S or iPad 2 and an Apple TV (Black) you can even play wirelessly on your HDTV. Friends can join in too with split screen multiplayer and Party Play.

• $9.99 - App Store link

Also check out:

• Infinity Blade brings the Epic Unreal 3 engine to iOS. 'Nuff said. $2.99 - App Store link]
• Street Fighter IV Volt puts the classic fighter in the palm of your hands. $0.99 - App Store link
• Extraction: Project Outbreak is a fresh take on the top-down 3D shooter. $0.99 - App Store Link
• Atari's Greatest Hits brings the oldest of old school to your brand new advice. Free - App Store link

Casual Games: Amazing Breaker

Amazing Breaker is a game for the more casual gamer. It involves ice sculptures; you remember them, popular at high class parties but nowhere else. Anyway, the aim of the game is to destroy the ice sculptures with bombs, and try not to leave any shards of ice behind.

Amazing Breaker is a highly addictive puzzle game with over 80 levels to keep you busy. Designed for the Retina display, it offers high resolution graphics, easy to learn game play and Game Center achievements. The bombs you use to destroy the ice sculptures come in many different flavors too with Spike Bombs, Ghost Bombs, Helicopter Bombs and even Split Bombs. The game is a lot of fun and once you start it, you will struggle to put it down. A great gift for the gamer in your life!

• $0.99 - App Store link]

Also check out:

• Catan is a great version of a great strategy game. $4.99 - App Store link
• Words with Friends isn't Scrabble but it is an all out, all online spelling war. $0.99 - App Store link
• Carcassone is a beautiful rendition of the medieval strategy game. $9.99 - App Store link
• Poker by Zynga let's you get your Texus Hold'em on your iPhone. Free - App Store link

More great games for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

Every day, TiPb covers the best new games and best new game updates, so if you're looking for more great game gift ideas, check out our gaming section! Likewise, the iTunes App Store has a games section with lots of great choices.

• TiPb Games
• iTunes App Store games

And if you're still not sure what to get, consider an iTunes Gift Card, that way the special gamer in your life can pick their very own gift!

• Get iTunes Gift Cards

Your picks?

Remember, you’re part of Team TiPb too, so if you’ve already picked the perfect gift for your iPhone or iPad gamer, or have the perfect idea for one, let us know in comments!

Vemedio has released Instacast HD which is an iPad version of the hugely popular Instacast iPhone app for managing your podcasts. If you are a user of the iPhone version and want the same experience on your iPad, now you can. Even better, Instacast uses iCloud to enable your podcasts to be in-sync across devices too.

This is the high definition version of the famous podcast client, Instacast. More screen, more video, more show notes, better browsing, push notifications and iCloud syncing. It has everything you want from a native podcast client and it's so much better on the big iPad screen.

• Show notes are the heart of the app. Surf links along playing the show and read in-depth information about the things the hosts are talking about. Save articles for reading later using your favorite Read-Later service such as Instapaper or Readability. Show notes also include chapter lists when available and let you jump directly to a certain point in the show. Surf through the show archive by swiping and flicking with your fingers.
• Instacast HD has an enhanced video player, that lets you control the video with minimal interaction. Change the screen brightness in low light situations or stream the video to your Apple TV via AirPlay. Playback controls are positioned in a way that you don't have to touch the middle area where the video is playing, keeping the important parts of your screen fingerprint-free. Hide the player and continue playing only the audio portion of the video while surfing the show notes or browsing the web.
• Instacast automatically downloads the most recent episodes and caches it on the device for later offline consumption. With the integrated Download Manager you can pause downloading, resume later and re-prioritize downloads. If the connection drops, Instacast will resume downloading later as soon as the internet connection is available again.
• Exclusively on the iPad, Instacast HD can notify you automatically as soon as a new episode gets published by the author. Get the notification, tap it and Instacast will refresh and automatically download the episode and boom, you're ready to play.
• Introduced first on the iPhone, Instacast HD can sync your podcasts subscriptions wirelessly via iCloud. Have your subscriptions in sync all the time both on your iPhone and on your iPad. There is no setup, just enable it and you're done. No headache anymore.

Instacast HD  costs $4.99 and is only available for the iPad.

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Apple has approved a subscription based iPad gaming service for the first time. Big Fish Games has gained Apple’s approval for its collection of games to be made available to iPad users at a cost of $6.99 a month. Apple introduced its subscription features earlier this year however no other game developer has taken advantage of this business model until now.

When Apple introduced its subscription feature earlier this year, Paul Thelen, the founder of Big Fish, saw it as an opportunity to offer an “all-you-can-eat” service. That lets players jump in and out of different games without having to make a bunch of downloads. While game-subscription services have a mixed record of success, the popularity of the iPad, along with the easy payment method provided by Apple’s App Store, will make the offering attractive, Thelen said.

Initially the service will launch at an introductory price of $4.99 a month. This will increase to $6.99 a month when more game titles are added. Big Fish also plans to offer a free version of its app. This will allow a user to play for a maximum of 30 minutes a day and it will include advertisements too.

Would you use a game subscription model like this?

Source: Bloomberg

eBay has updated its iPad app and it now includes a new feature for its U.S. users called “Watch with eBay”. Watch with eBay lets you easily find items related to what you are currently watching on television.

Watch With eBay is a new and fun way to discover items from the wonderful to the unexpected, all based on what you're watching on your television. After a few quick setup steps, you can browse and view eBay search results based on any television program currently playing in the United States*. You may find DVD sets, signed photographs from your favorite actor or athlete, movie scripts, coffee mugs, jerseys, collectible pieces, and more!

The update also includes one or two bug fixes as well as the Watch with eBay feature. eBay says that the Watch with eBay feature is U.S. only due to current program data constraints. It does say it may bring the feature to more countries later on.

[App Store link]

A Charlie Brown Christmas is now available in the App Store and it looks like another excellent app by Loud Crow Interactive Inc. The Charlie Brown Christmas app is an interactive book based on the 1965 Charlie Brown Christmas TV special.

"Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?!" Help Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the entire Peanuts gang as they struggle to find the true meaning of Christmas. Peter Robbins, the original voice of Charlie Brown, narrates the rebirth of the 1965 animated classic as an interactive storybook complete with original dialogue and digitally remastered illustrations, animation, and music optimized for your Apple device. Play Schroeder's piano, finger paint with the gang, go carolling with the Peanuts choir, and participate in the Spectacular Super-Colossal Neighborhood Christmas Lights and Display Contest to unlock decorations for your very own Charlie Brown Christmas Tree! With something to discover on every page, this is one interactive Peanuts adventure you won't want to miss this holiday season!!

• Original dialogue from the 1965 animated classic
• Captivating narration by Peter Robbins, the original voice of Charlie Brown
• Charming soundtrack featuring music and sound effects from the original show
• Decorate your own Charlie Brown Christmas Tree
• Participate in the Lights and Display Contest to unlock rewards
• Educational features such as word and note highlighting to help improve reading and musical skills
• Hear individual words spoken with the tap of a finger
• Touch and drag objects to make them “spring” to life or tilt to watch them slide and move
• Objects that literally pop out of the page to delight you and your family!

[App Store link]

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