From 9to5toys.com:
Today only EA Mobile is offering both Flight Control and Mirror’s Edge ($9.99) for free in both regular (iPod/iPhone) and HD (iPad) versions. This is the first time that both of these iOS hit games (over 4 million paid for!) have been free.
Seems to be Beatles day at Apple. Earlier, we noted the iBookstore offering an enhanced iBook version of The Beatles Yellow Submarine (also worth noting: in the credits at the top it says ‘For Steve’).
A few minutes ago, the above ad appeared in Apple’s YouTube feed.
Go get some Beatles!
Back in November, iOS hacker Pod2g announced in a message on Twitter that he had discovered a bug in the iOS 5 software that could provide an untethered jailbreak. To backup his claims, Pod2g has posted a video to YouTube that demonstrates the hack in action, but he’s yet to provide any indication as to when the jailbreak might go public.
Following his announcement last month, a member of the Chronic Dev-Team verified Pod2g’s exploit and confirmed that it was indeed legitimate, but claimed that it was being kept “highly guarded until the right time.”
Just in case you needed proof of its existence, Pod2g has created a video demonstration (above) of the untethered jailbreak in action on an iPod touch running iOS 5.0.
It’s all very promising for those who are itching to install apps and tweaks that aren’t authorized by Apple, but unfortunately, we have no idea when the jailbreak will be made public. There’s clearly a lot more work to be done before Pod2g releases his hack, but at least we know it’s in progress.
[via AppAdvice]
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Holy cow! They’d been teasing it forever, but all of sudden, now it’s here: Square-Enix has just released their beloved SNES era classic Chrono Trigger on the App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch!
If you’ve never played Chrono Trigger, you’re in for a treat. It’s one of those classics that, unlike many of its peers, continues to impress 16 years later. A time-travel based RPG, Chrono Trigger‘s development team included three designers that Square dubbed the “Dream Team”: Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square’s Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a freelance designer and creator of Enix’s popular Dragon Quest series; and Akira Toriyama, a freelance manga artist famed for his work with Dragon Quest and Dragon Ball.
Square-Enix’s ports in the past have been a little rough around the edges, and it’s too early to say if Chrono Trigger follows that pattern, although my initial reaction is positive. Sadly, like most Square-Enix games, this one’s a bit expensive at $8.99, and it also sadly isn’t available as a universal binary for playing on the iPad.
Still, if you like RPGs at all, this is one to install on your iPhone post-haste. I’ll see you at the End of Time.
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We’re huge fans of OnLive’s terrific cloud gaming service here at Cult of Mac, and we’re even more excited to hear that it’s coming to iOS devices. The company has announced that an OnLive app is on its way to the App Store, which will allow users to play top-tier console-quality games on the go.
In its press release, OnLive promises the app will deliver “the latest, top-tier, high-performance games,” to the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad:
OnLive, Inc., the pioneer of cloud gaming, announced that it is bringing console-class gaming to tablets and phones with the revolutionary OnLive app for tablet and mobile platforms. The latest, top-tier, high-performance games—previously limited to only consoles and computers—will be available for instant play via the free OnLive app on over 500 million mobile devices over Wi-Fi or mobile networks in the US and UK.
You may have already experienced OnLive on your Mac or PC, and if you have, you’ll know just how groundbreaking this service will be on mobile devices. Regardless of your device’s specifications, OnLive allows you to stream games from the cloud that are traditionally only available on the latest consoles or high-performance PCs.
All you need is a broadband connection that’s capable of both streaming video from the OnLive server, and sending your controls back.
OnLive says that 25 console-class games have been adapted for touch-based input on smartphones and tablets, including titles like L.A. Noire and LEGO Batman: The Videogame; but for an even greater experience, you can pickup an OnLive wireless controller for $49.99.
With the controller, you can play any of the games available through OnLive on any supported mobile device. To see just how impressive OnLive will be on your iPad, check out the video below from PocketGamer:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTvOtKxadJQ
Unbelievable, right?
The OnLive app will be free to download from the App Store — and it should arrive imminently — but you will need to pay to play OnLive games. However, anyone who downloads the OnLive app will get LEGO Batman: The Videogame for free.
[via MacRumors]
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Apple’s iTunes 12 Days of Christmas promotion is becoming an event that European users can depend on every year. A new app for its Christmas 2011 giveaway hit the App Store yesterday, and will offer iTunes users a free download every day between December 26 and January 6.
Like previous 12 Days of Christmas promotions, this year will see Apple give away a selection of songs, music videos, apps, and books:
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.
Unfortunately for those of you in the U.S., it seems this year’s promotion — like previous ones — will be limited to European and Canadian iTunes Stores only.
Once installed, the iTunes 12 Days of Christmas app will request permission to send you push notifications. Be sure to turn this on the app will alert you to new freebies each day — ensuring you don’t miss any.
Until December 26, the app is a little useless, and simply displays a message that tells users to come back on December 26. But again, it’s worth installing it now so that you don’t forget about it and miss any giveaways.
For those without an iOS device, you can download the daily freebie using iTunes on your computer.
[via MacRumors]
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Apps just might be the next action figures, and iPad accessories the new Tickle-Me-Elmo. Judging by the influx of PR activity I’m getting about kid-focused iPhone and iPad products, and the apparent interest those targeted kids have in getting their hands on iPhones, iPads and iPod touches, Apple won’t just be the device-maker of the future; it’ll be a toy-maker on par with the likes of Hasbro and Mattel, too.
The iPad and the iPhone have a knack with kids, as any parent and iOS user will tell you. The brightly lit, touch-screen technology that appeals at an emotional level to adults is no less effective on children, who are more liable to indiscriminately touch things to see how they react to begin with. Kids are also voicing their demand for iOS devices as soon as they’re able to; recent surveys found that iPhones, iPod touches and iPads topped the wish lists of children ranging from the very young to the nearly adult. In fact, 52 percent of children between the ages of zero and eight already have access to a mobile device of some kind, many of which are probably running iOS.
Accessories and apps seem to be either fueling or cashing in on this trend, too, at a growing pace. Consider the partnership announced Tuesday between Disney and iHome, maker of audio accessories for iOS devices. Characters from Disney’s stable of brands will be adorning iHome iPhone docks, headphones, and speaker systems starting this holiday season, at major outlets like Toys ‘R’ Us and Bed Bath & Beyond. Think about it: A Kermit the frog docking alarm clock assumes a lot of kids either are already or will be sleeping next to iPhones next year.
Disney and iHome aren’t the only ones cashing in on the youthful appeal of Apple’s mobile gadgets. Perennial Apple accessory maker Griffin is partnering up with Crayola to create the iMarker, essentially a branded stylus kids can use in conjunction with a coloring book app. Both Disney and Crayola are playing it smart, taking parent-trusted brands and combining them with the expertise of industry-leading third-party gadget manufacturers who already know the ins and outs of making devices for Apple products.
It isn’t just accessories getting the kid-friendly treatment. Content producers have kids in mind with their iPhone and iPad offerings, too. PBS announced Tuesday (.DOC link) that its PBS KIDS video app for the iPad is now available on the iPhone and iPod touch, too. The iPad app, which launched in May, has delivered on average two million video streams per day to its more than 450,000 users, growing steadily since its introduction. Reaching out to iPhone and iPod touch users broadens the potential audience, so that kids can check out full episodes of programs like Sesame Street and Super Why on smaller-screened devices if they don’t happen to have a tablet handy.
This is just the beginning of a coming flood. Whereas once the kid appeal of iPhones and iPads was an unexpected bonus to a parent’s purchase, now parents are seeking out Apple devices with full knowledge that they also make good distractions and educational tools for their young ones. And since people are often even more willing to spend money on their children than on themselves, the market for kid-focused apps and accessories has likely only begun to heat up.
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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The MobileOne iPhone Fingerprint Device (Photo/Provided)
The next time you are pulled over by police you may encounter a familiar face: your iPhone. Faster than you can say “Book ‘em, Dano,” Apple’s handset is quickly becoming law enforcement’s favorite tool for identifying unknown fingerprints. The iPhone’s touchscreen will even be enlisted by the FBI to spot terrorism suspects.
Time counts when you’re trying to identify and find a perp, so using an iPhone could significantly shorten the time police officers need to wait while fingerprints are run through a national database, says Ken Nosker, president of Fulcrum Technologies. Fulcrum’s mobileOne device is just one product using the iPhone to create biometric devices for law enforcement.
The chief benefits of using an iPhone fingerprint device are saving time and money. If an officer must take a suspect in for fingerprints, the delay could be hours, and although there are mobile fingerprinting units, their high price means more delays as police search for the one or two they can afford. On the other hand, many police officers already have iPhones, and the cost of the mobileOne device is within reach of even the smallest police departments.
The mobileOne device slips over an off-the-shelf iPhone or iPod touch, which can be easily slipped into a pocket. The device then can take high-quality fingerprints that even pass the rigorous requirements of the FBI. Because of the iPhone’s Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity, fingerprints obtained can be quickly compared to those in national databases, including the FBI’s recently introduced Repository for Individuals of Special Concern (RISC) database.
In 2012, the mobileOne iPhone will be among devices that undergo trials by the FBI. Once approved, the iPhone fingerprint product could be available to all U.S. law enforcement looking for serious criminals.
At a recent International Chiefs of Police conference in Chicago, Fulcrum representatives were mobbed by local law enforcement officials asking when the mobileOne iPhone device would become available in their area. The holdup is getting the device approved by state IT departments. Nosker said the steps required to get iPhone fingerprinting approved are “pretty significant.”
But why not Android? For biometrics — which can include fingerprints, facial analysis – even voiceprints — “Apple provides the most stable platform, bar none,” Nosker said. He dismissed the vast array of Android handsets, complaining that 30 or 40 Android smartphones had 30 or 40 different ways to interface with his fingerprint device. In other words, Google’s OS can forget about being deputized, and Android will never be a RoboCop.
The mobileOne device is expected to cost $600, much less than another iPhone fingerprint option known as MORIS.
MORIS stands for “Mobile Offender Recognition and Information System.” Along with fingerprints, MORIS offers law enforcement officials facial and iris recognition. An officer snaps a photo of a suspect and the iPhone compares 130 facial landmarks, including the distance between the eye and nose. The same high-resolution photo is used to compare more than 200 features of the human iris. Both facial recognition systems use the iPhone to tie into national databases, cutting delays by a factor of ten, according to the system’s maker, BI2 Technologies.
The system, which attaches to an iPhone and weighs 12.5 ounces, is already paying off for Florida law enforcement. Since 2004, deputies in the Pinellas County, Fla. sheriff’s office have nabbed 700 people. In Brockton, Mass., the MORIS iris scans quickly link suspects’ prior criminal history.
Forget guns, or CB radios, or even in-car computer systems. In the next year, the iPhone could become the most important crime-fighting tool a cop has at his disposal. Just as the iPhone has reshaped what we expect from smartphones, it’s now set to overhaul law enforcement. Criminals beware!
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Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch are still among the top three mobile devices used in the U.S. and UK, according to a new report from mobile ad network JiWire released on Tuesday, but they are shedding market share. Luckily for Apple, the iPad, which rounds out the top three, is still experiencing positive share growth.
Apple’s iPhone dominated ad requests from JiWire’s mobile network in both markets during the third quarter of 2011, despite giving up a bit of market share. In the U.S., the iPhone accounted for 41.9 percent of all ads served, down 1.8 percent from the previous quarter. In the UK, it took 50.6 percent of all ad requests. In both markets, iOS easily beat out other competing mobile platforms, with 79.9 percent of requests in the U.S. and 71.1 percent in the UK. JiWire’s data is gathered from mobile users connecting via public Wi-Fi locations, which means that its reports mainly cover traffic outside the home, likely with a high percentage of business travelers. Millennial Media sees different results from its advertising network.
In both cases, however, iOS as a platform dropped, by 2.0 percent in the U.S. and 6.5 percent in the UK. The losses were in spite of 2.9 and 2.3 percent gains in the share of ads delivered to the iPad in the U.S. and UK, respectively. Surprisingly, the platform benefitting most from Apple’s drop isn’t necessarily Android. In the U.S., for instance, Android climbed by just 0.5 percent in ads viewed, while Windows Phone was up 1.2 percent. In the UK, too, Windows Phone rose 5.5 percent, compared with Android’s more modest gain of 1.5 percent. Might this indicate the early stages of the emergence of a truly competitive third mobile platform? Increased ad spend could attract more developer attention for Microsoft’s mobile OS.
The iPad’s gain is good for Apple, since it slows the rate at which the company loses ground to the competition. But it’s also good news for mobile commerce. JiWire found that 82 percent of tablet users were willing to buy directly from their devices, versus just 76 percent of smartphone owners, and that 67 percent of tablet owners spent $50 or more, while only 57 percent of smartphone owners and 52 percent of those on notebooks were willing to do the same.
As you can see from the numbers, Apple by far still has the lion’s share of mobile ad market share according to JiWire’s numbers. And while it is losing ground, it at least doesn’t appear to be doing so to the exclusive benefit of just one major competitor, like Android.
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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Ever wondered how long you spend on your iPhone playing Angry Birds, or watching videos on YouTube? Well, if your device is jailbroken, there’s a handy new tweak called App Stat that will tell you exactly how much time you put into each app.
App Stat has three main functions that will help you discover which of your apps you use most: Firstly, it’ll tell you how frequently you use each app installed on your phone. Second, it’ll tell you how long you spend in each app once you’ve opened them. And third, it’ll tell you when you last loaded up each app.
You probably already have a good idea of which apps you use most, but App Stat actually provides accurate statistics that can be really useful. For example, if you want to free up space on your device, you can use App Stat to tell you which apps you haven’t opened for months, and identify those that you just never use.
Best of all, App Stat is completely free, and it’s available to download now in Cydia via the BigBoss repository.
[via AppAdvice]
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