Apple auditioning the best apps for iPad 3 launch

February 11th, 2012, 00:39 Posted By: wraggster

[h=1]Rumours building ahead of expected device unveiling next month.
The Next Web says sources have disclosed that Apple is in "crunch mode" – and is now lining up apps to demonstrate at launch and in ads.
Well, possibly. You never know with that shadowy Cupertino lot.
But anyway the rumours seem to be centred around hi-def apps showing off the expected retina display. They also suggest that Apple is forwarding the best to TWBA/Chiat/Day for possible inclusion in the initial iPad 3 commercial spots.
Last year, Apple launched its iPad 2 with demo segments from Garage Band, iMovie and Photo Booth.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...-launch/016991
[/h]

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App of the Day: Domino's Pizza for WinPho

February 11th, 2012, 00:37 Posted By: wraggster

Much-hyped food app makes its debut on the Microsoft OS.
The app lets pizza lovers find their nearest store, browse the menu and then place their order. They can also customise pizzas by base, size and toppings.
It's been a wild success on other formats: the iPhone app alone has generated over £10m in sales in the past year.
Indeed, 13 per cent of all Domino's digital sales come through a tablet or smartphone.
The Windows 7 version was developed by Vexed Digital, and is being released at a time when the OS passed 60,000 compatible apps.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...-winpho/016992

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Epic secures Fighting Fantasy IP for iOS contest

February 9th, 2012, 23:59 Posted By: wraggster

Epic Games has announced that it has secured the rights to the Fighting Fantasy series for its Unreal Engine-powered iOS development contest, Make Something Unreal.
The deal means that games made by the four teams selected to take part in Make Something Unreal Live, a game jam to be held at the Gadget Show Live 2012 in April, will be based on the beloved series of role-playing books created by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson, specifically The Warlock Of Firetop Mountain, The Citadel Of Chaos, Deathtrap Dungeon, and Armies Of Death. All four games will be released on the iOS App Store.
Ian Livingstone said: "Steve Jackson and I are delighted to see our Fighting Fantasy books being developed as iOS games by new teams of talented and enthusiastic students. It will be really interesting to see how our IP will be captured and interpreted for the iOS platform.
"The evolving game industry is constantly on the lookout for design innovation and new ways of playing. I am really looking forward to playing one of my books as a game."
The four finalists were selected last November following a game jam at the University Of Bedfordshire. The teams are working under the stewardship of mentors from Deep Red Studios, Mediatonic, Appcrowd, and Epic Games.
Make Something Unreal Live, co-sponsored by Train2Game, takes place during The Gadget Show Live 2012, which runs from April 10 to 15 at the Birmingham NEC.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/epic...ip-ios-contest

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US Air Force Buys iPads To Replace Flight Bags

February 9th, 2012, 23:47 Posted By: wraggster

Following the precedent set by commercial airliners, the U.S. Air Force plans to buy up to 18,000 iPads for its Air Mobility Command (AMC), replacing heavy flight bags with light and efficient Apple iPad 2s for the crews that fly cargo aircraft. The devices will reportedly be used by the crews on the C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster aircraft. There are several benefits to using electronic flight bags instead of physical versions. For one, the iPad can instantly update charts electronically, while the AMC would require flying charts get reprinted every 28 days to stay up-to-date. By cutting publication printing and distribution costs, and exchanging 70 pounds of paper for a 1.3-pound iPad, the Air Force can save some serious cash, including more than $1.2 million worth of fuel per year."

http://apple.slashdot.org/story/12/0...ce-flight-bags

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Apple 'to reveal iPad 3 during GDC week'

February 9th, 2012, 23:42 Posted By: wraggster

Company 'targets San Francisco for major press conference'

Apple could launch the iPad 3 on the same week and in the same city as the Game Developers Conference, a new report claims.
John Paczkowski, the All things Digital journalist who correctly predicted the unveiling of the iPhone 4S when the rest of the tech press was fizzing with wild guesses, now claims Apple has chosen the first week of March to debut its next generation tablet computer.

“The event will be held in San Francisco, presumably at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts [(pictured)], Apple’s preferred location for big announcements like these,� Paczkowski wrote in his report.
If true it would mean Tim Cook’s company would be holding a press conference just a few hundred yards away from the Moscone Center where GDC takes place.
This would not mark the first time an Apple and GDC have been separated by just a thin stretch of San Franciscan highway. Last year, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and Apple’s late CEO Steve Jobs were both addressing their respective industries in two keynotes that had aligned with each other. The chance occurrence was given an even eerier quality when Iwata spent much of his time warning developers about the threat of Apple’s digital games platform.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...uring-GDC-week

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App Of The Day: Airbind

February 9th, 2012, 23:34 Posted By: wraggster

Allows users to wirelessly connect to their iTunes library.
While iTunes has been designed with Apple products in mind, the Airbind app gives Android users access to their iTunes media via wi-fi connection.
Users must download a software client for their PC or Mac, and additionally the app for the smartphone can be retrieved from Android Market.
One syncing is complete, users can access their entire music library from their smartphone as long as they remain connected to wi-fi.
Airbind was founded in 2010 and claims to "hit the nail right on the head" for uniting both the Apple and Android platforms.
For the software client, click here.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...airbind/016980

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HP releases Android kernel for TouchPad, makes hackers' lives easier

February 8th, 2012, 23:50 Posted By: wraggster

You may remember that during the TouchPad fire sale, a few slates slipped out with a rather primitive Froyo build on them. Well, HP doesn't seem to know how the tablets hit shelves with Android on board, but its decided to release the source code for the OS nonetheless. Devs had previously called on the company to hand over the code, but the request was refused since HP had never intended for TouchPads to ship with Android, and thus were not obligated to abide by the open-source requirements. As a gesture of goodwill to the community (and under a certain amount of pressure from it) the former purveyor of all things webOS has reversed course though, and let the TouchPad-specific kernel loose on the internet for others to repurpose as they see fit. Hit up the source link to download it now.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/08/h...-for-touchpad/

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Tweetbot hits 2.0, heads to iPad with new features and UI in tow

February 8th, 2012, 23:49 Posted By: wraggster

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The iPhone Is a Nightmare For Carriers

February 8th, 2012, 23:29 Posted By: wraggster

According to the latest EBITDA numbers from AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon, the subsidies they have to pay Apple in order to carry the iPhone are drastically reducing their profits. From the Article: '"A logical conclusion is that the iPhone is not good for wireless carriers," says Mike McCormack, an analyst at Nomura Securities. "When we look at the direct and indirect economics that Apple has managed to extract from the carriers, the carrier-level value destruction is quite evident."' So one money sucking leech has attached itself to another money sucking leech?

http://apple.slashdot.org/story/12/0...e-for-carriers

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Apple admits Chinese iPhone 4S issues

February 8th, 2012, 23:24 Posted By: wraggster

Last month, consumers literally went wild for the iPhone 4S when it launched in China. A rabble fought in the streets of Beijing andegged the Apple Store when it refused to open to the irate crowd.
Now, Jinghua.cn reports that iPhone 4Ss operating under China Mobile SIM cards have a glitch that prevents users from turning the device on, while an additional fault prevents the phone from receiving calls even when the screen displays full signal.
Apple's customer service team have addressed the issue and are currently working on a permanent solution. In the meantime, consumers have been offered a temporary fix, which requires upgrading to a new iOS and altering the device's network settings, though it's unclear whether this will compute with all of the faulty iPhones, according to the report.
However, there's also speculation that it may be a faulty batch of China Mobile SIMs, rather than an Apple error.
The discovery marks Apple's second 4S blunder. The first, of course, was virtual assistant Siri unlocking devicesto unauthorised users.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...-issues/016956

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Sony Tablet P's product manager shows off prototypes, tells the clamshell story

February 8th, 2012, 01:17 Posted By: wraggster

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Apple warns developers not to manipulate App Store charts

February 8th, 2012, 01:10 Posted By: wraggster

Apple has issued a statement warning its developers to avoid services which "manipulate" the App Store charts, cautioning that doing so could endanger a studio's development licence.
A post on the company's developer blog makes clear that Apple expects the charts to be a reflection of legitimate downloads alone, a clear response to recent allegations that some companies are using bot services which offer app downloads in return for payment to push games into the coveted front page positions on the storefront.
"Once you build a great app, you want everyone to know about it," reads a short entry on the site. "However, when you promote your app, you should avoid using services that advertise or guarantee top placement in App Store charts.
"Even if you are not personally engaged in manipulating App Store chart rankings or user reviews, employing services that do so on your behalf may result in the loss of your Apple Developer Program membership. Get helpful tips and resources on marketing your apps the right way from the App Store Resource Center."
Yesterday, claims emerged that third-parties were promising top 25 positions for as little as $5000.
It's far from the first piece of policing that the Cupertino multinational has had to conduct on its customer curated system. Last year, Tapjoy was scolded for offering "pay-per-install" packages to developers to promote their titles - something which was at least partially responsible for changes to the Apple ranking algorithm which saw users who download with a promotional code no longer able to rate apps.
Tapjoy's CEO Mihir Shah responded angrily to those changes, claiming that they promoted stagnation, but failed to change the policy.
More recently, Apple has found itself embroiled in scandal over copycat titles, acting to remove the works of Anton Sinelnikov, a Russian indie developer whose games were judged to be direct copies of other successful apps.
Another case, brought by Triple Town developer Spry Fox against 6Waves Lolapps, is as yet unresolved.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...p-store-charts

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Google Releases Chrome For Android Beta

February 7th, 2012, 23:51 Posted By: wraggster

Today Google announced the availability of a beta version of its Chrome browser for Android. Unfortunately, it's limited to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) devices. Google is trying to keep Chrome fast and easy to use, and part of that involved redesigning tabs so they work more naturally with touchscreens. 'You can flip or swipe between an unlimited number of tabs using intuitive gestures, as if you're holding a deck of cards in the palm of your hands, each one a new window to the web.' They've also including synchronization functionality that allows you to move from desktop browsing to phone or tablet browsing and pick up right where you left off."

http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/12/...r-android-beta

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Apple Could Lose $1.6 Billion In iPad Lawsuit

February 7th, 2012, 23:35 Posted By: wraggster

Proview Technology, which currently uses the 'iPad' name on several of its products including computer monitors, stands to win up to $1.6 billion and an apology from Apple for allegedly infringing upon Proview's trademarked name to use on its bestselling tablet. Proview International, which owns subsidiaries Proview Technology in Shenzhen and Proview Electronics in Taiwan, originally registered the name 'iPad' in Taiwan in 2000 and mainland China in 2001. Proview eventually sued Apple in 2011, and even though the Cupertino-based company retaliated with a counter-suit of its own, Apple lost the case in local Chinese courts. Depending on the court's findings, Apple could be fined anywhere from $38 million to the $1.6 billion that Proview is seeking. In addition to the money, Proview also wants Apple to apologize. 'We have prepared well for a long-term legal battle,' said one of Proview's lawyers."

http://apple.slashdot.org/story/12/0...n-ipad-lawsuit

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App of the Day: Puzzlejuice

February 7th, 2012, 00:25 Posted By: wraggster

With its crisp design-agency visuals, electro sounds and ingratiating, streetwise chatter - it will "punch your brain in the face" and is "rad", apparently - Puzzlejuice is the image of a slick, fashionable iPhone game. Underneath, however, it's just the kind of improvised, cut-and-shut piece of bedroom game-making that has been beaten out of mainstream games, but that the mobile marketplaces excel at.Developer Colaboratory clearly belongs to the A-Team school of game design. If you can make a serviceable armoured car out of a golf cart and a fridge, why not try making a new game by sticking two existing and completely unrelated concepts together? So Puzzlejuice welds a Boggle-style word game to Tetris in the most blunt manner imaginable, bolts on a few leftover components of Bejeweled, and bursts triumphantly through the suspiciously feeble locked garage door of your mind. The result is as crudely effective as you'd imagine.It's simple: slot the falling Tetrominos (though smaller three-block pieces do appear on the easier difficulty) together by rotating, dragging and dropping in the time-honoured fashion. However, once you've completed a row it doesn't disappear, but turns into letters. You then have to make words of three letters or longer out of these to clear the screen and earn points.Surprisingly for a visually simple game, when things get busy, Puzzlejuice has a tendency for slowdown on my trusty 3GS.

You're given the maximum flexibility for word-making; you can link letters in all eight directions and change course at any point mid-word. This is both a blessing and a curse, expanding your options but taxing your visual recognition to the max - the best potential words are extremely hard to spot in the alphabetic tangle. Bear in mind that you're having to divide your attention between this and slotting the falling blocks together as they rain down with increasing speed.All word games should have a Qu tile.


Thankfully, making words clears all adjacent blocks in an explosion. On the default 'hard' mode, any word does this, but on the tougher 'Euro Extreme' (which you will probably graduate to on your first play), only words of five letters and longer do. Occasionally, power-ups drop that help out when cleared by exploding, freezing dropping blocks, drilling through tiles and so on; you unlock these by clearing objectives, such as chaining 20 words of at least four letters in length.Finally, there's a match-three element, where tapping groups of three or more blocks of the same colour will turn them into letters, which can be a life-saver when you can't find a word or fill a row.There's plenty going on in Puzzlejuice, then, so much that it doesn't really need permutations - and sure enough, the 90-second Zen Mode Extreme score attack seems superfluous. The game must play beautifully on an iPad, but on a phone's screen, making words is a little fiddly; a text-editing-style "picture in picture" magnifying glass helps, but failing the game because you can't make a word you can see quickly enough is galling. It's the only way Puzzlejuice frustrates that's not intentional.It's a real mental plate-spinning exercise - you need to balance the tactical creation of scoring opportunities against time spent looking for words and the constant, nagging need to slot falling blocks and clear dangerous towers. Puzzlejuice creates challenge by making you do three or four simple things at once; as such, it's an enjoyably stern test, but one without a great deal of balance, integrity or elegance in the design. For £1.99, the legions of puzzle masochists won't care.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ay-puzzlejuice

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Corpse Party butters up iOS in Japan

February 7th, 2012, 00:12 Posted By: wraggster

Corpse Party was a pleasant surprise on PSP -- well, "pleasant" in that it was a good game. There's nothing pleasant about being trapped in an inescapable nightmare dimension of malicious ghosts and dead children. And now it's moving to iOS, at least in Japan, where it will be even more convenient to access the game's unexpectedly disturbing imagery (and random asides about hemorrhoid cream).

Publisher 5pb will release a port of the PC98/PC/PSP game Corpse Party Blood Cover Repeated Fear this Thursday, on February 9. The app will sell for the terrifyingly steep price of 2,200 yen ($29). We're inquiring with American publisher XSEED about a localized (hopefully cheaper) release.

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/06/co...-ios-in-japan/

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NPD: iPhones recover market share in Q4 2011, but Android draws the first-timer crowd

February 7th, 2012, 00:04 Posted By: wraggster

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Motorola wants 2.25 percent of Apple sales, in exchange for patent license

February 6th, 2012, 23:58 Posted By: wraggster

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A5 Mystery Solved (Why Siri Won't Run On iPhone 4)

February 6th, 2012, 23:30 Posted By: wraggster

Anna Leach reports that Siri support has been a contentious issue for owners of earlier iPhones, but a recent filing from Audience shows that Siri won't run on the iPhone 4 because the phone's chip can't handle it. Linley Gwennap of the Linley Groupcracked one of the secrets of the new iPhone's A5 chip after working out that it packs some serious audio cleaning power not available on the iPhone 4's A4 chip. Audience has developed technology that removes most or all of the background noise when someone places a cell-phone call from a restaurant, airport, or other noisy location. The iPhone 4S integrates Audience's 'EarSmart' technology directly into the A5 processor, improving its technology to handle 'far-field speech,' which means holding the device at arm's length rather than directly in front of the mouth. Apple has also licensed the Audience technology for a 'new generation of processor IP,' which may mean that the forthcoming A6 processor will appear in the iPad 3 and iPhone 5. 'Why Apple has not simply purchased Audience is unclear. An acquisition would prevent Audience's other major customer, Samsung, from using the technology to compete with Apple,' says Gwennap. 'The company may be hedging its bets, as it could switch to Qualcomm's Fluence noise-reduction technology in the future.

http://apple.slashdot.org/story/12/0...un-on-iphone-4

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Symantec Identifies Android Trojans That Mutate With Every Download

February 6th, 2012, 20:10 Posted By: wraggster

Symantec researchers have identified a new premium-rate SMS Android Trojan that modifies its code every time it gets downloaded in order to bypass antivirus detection. This technique is known as server-side polymorphism and has already existed in the world of desktop malware for many years, but mobile malware creators have only now begun to adopt it."
http://it.slashdot.org/story/12/02/0...every-download

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