iPad By Davis: “iTunes and App Store terms and conditions stuck in infinite loop, locking out customers” plus 5 more

iTunes and App Store terms and conditions stuck in infinite loop, locking out customers
Tonight on the iMore show special edition...
iMore Editors' Choice for September 30, 2012
Weekend iPad Wallpapers: Mountain Lion Desktop Images at iPad Retina Size
Final Fantasy for iOS vs. Final Fantasy for NES: Retro gaming shoot-out!
Apple changes Maps language on website

iTunes and App Store terms and conditions stuck in infinite loop, locking out customers

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 09:22 PM PDT

Apple has update the terms and conditions of iTunes and the App Store tonight, and it seems to have caused a recursive bug for some users -- the TOC pops up again and again, in an infinite loop, and you just can't get past it.

I haven't had the new TOC pop up for me at all yet, but based on the number of tips we're getting, a lot of you have, and lot of you have been bitten by the bug.

Hopefully this is something Apple can fix on the server-side so everyone can get back to downloading If you're experiencing the infinite fail loop, let us know, and if it gets fixed or you figure away around it, let us know that too.

Tonight on the iMore show special edition...

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 01:07 PM PDT

Tonight on the iMore show special edition...

Our special edition Sunday night podcast returns tonight with special guest, MG Siegler of parislemon and TechCrunch fame. We'll be talking about the fallout surrounding iOS 6 Maps, Apple's handling of it, Google's next steps, their relationship with each other, and with the media.

Join us LIVE at 6pm PT, 9pm ET, 2am BST. Set an alarm. Bookmark this page. Be here.

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iMore Editors' Choice for September 30, 2012

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 12:54 PM PDT

Every week, the editors at iMore carefully select some of our favorite, most useful, most extraordinary apps, accessories, gadgets, and websites. This week's selections include an iPhone 5 case, an RPG game, a movie, and a popular photography app.

Gear4 Tread GT for iPhone 5 - Chris Oldroyd

I am really not one for cases on my iPhone, I usually just run them naked. This time however I have decided to put a case on my iPhone 5 purely down to all the scare mongering going around about chipped paint and dents in the back and the antenna band. The case I ended up selecting and to be fair there wasn't a great deal of choice, has really won me over and I actually like it.

The Gear4 Tread GT looks like it has been made from a car tire but is it is actually much more brittle than that and is not that rubbery either. Not being rubbery is really a good thing as you can slide it in and out of your pocket easily without it sticking. The case is well made and really looks very smart, all the cut outs are in the right place and it is a very good fit without adding lots of bulk to the slight iPhone 5. I can thoroughly recommend this case if you are looking for some minimal protection for your iPhone 5.

$19.99 - Buy Now

God of Blades - Simon Sage

God of Blades is a slight variation on the endless runner scheme. Instead of dodging obstacles, you charge into foes head-on, spinning, parrying, and slashing your way to the next. Though the gameplay is pretty straightforward (if reflex-driven) the story and setting are bound to rope you in. You play the role of the Nameless King, who has been risen from the dead to fight a timeless and barbaric foe. The King's people fight on in the background, but without help, they're doomed to galactic extinction. The story is epic in scope, mixing traditional fantasy elements with a surreal, awe-inspiring landscape. As you play, the Nameless King discovers new weapons to continue the good fight for his people. These blades all have their own legends and story which weave together and form an impressive historical tapestry. Give this one a shot if you're looking for a new kind of story in your usual hack-and-slashery.

$2.99 - Download Now

The Avengers - Rene Ritchie

The Avengers are some of the most iconic, classical characters in comic books and Joss Whedon is one of the most iconic, modern writer-directors in Hollywood. Put them together and what do you get? Nearly two and a half hours of pure magic. Iron Man. Thor. Captain America. The Hulk. Black Widow. Hawkeye. Nick Fury. Whedon knows the characters well. As is his wont, he gets us to care about them, laugh with them, and then he tears them part in front of us.

The plot is clichéd, but this is a character piece, not a drama. It's about making Tony Stark understand sacrifice, Thor understand loss, Steve Rogers understand compromise, and Bruce Banner understand himself. The dialog is typical Whedon, smart and sassy, and the directing shows his confidence beyond the the confines of the small screen.

Juggling so many marquis characters is no easy task, and while the bigger guns get the bigger screen time, no one is entirely left out.

It's movie I've wanted to see since I was child, awed by the work of Lee and Kirby, Starlin and Perez, and more recently Miller and Hitch.

It's the Avengers, earth's mightiest heroes, writ upon the big screen. And I could watch it a hundred times over.

On iTunes, for Phone and iPad.

$19.99 - Download now

Or if you prefer, on 4 disc 3D/Blu-ray/DVD combo:

$35.98 - Buy now

Instagram - Ally Kazmucha

I go through phases with Instagram and for some reason, forget it exists at times. Then I'll go through a picture taking phase and start using it again. Since it's been updated for the iPhone 5, I've been at it again and uploading more and more pictures.

The extra space on the iPhone 5 doesn't seem like much but when scrolling through tons of pictures it's appreciated. The fact that you can see a whole image and some comments without scrolling is a welcome addition. It'll be interesting to see how apps like Instagram will tailor their apps in the future to take advantage of the iPhone 5's additional screen real estate.

For now, the extra space is a welcome addition.

Free - Download Now

Your choice?

Now that we've chosen our favorites for the week, we want to hear yours! Did you pick up a killer app, accessory, or game this week? Let us know in the comments below!

Weekend iPad Wallpapers: Mountain Lion Desktop Images at iPad Retina Size

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 08:52 AM PDT

This weekend's iPad wallpaper picks are a few Mountain Lion desktop images resized for the new iPad's retina display. The first one, shown above, is titled Blue and White – although I think White & Blue might be even more appropriate.

All three iPad wallpapers this week were shared by Brett Jordan (no relation) to our iPad Insight Flickr group. I'm hugely grateful to Brett – as he's easily the most prolific contributor to our Flickr group, and regularly shares striking images for use on our iPad home and lock screens.

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Read the rest of Weekend iPad Wallpapers: Mountain Lion Desktop Images at iPad Retina Size (88 words)

Final Fantasy for iOS vs. Final Fantasy for NES: Retro gaming shoot-out!

Posted: 30 Sep 2012 07:48 AM PDT

Back in the day, the NES and the Super NES were THE consoles with THE the best role-playing game (RPG) titles, and Squaresoft (now Square Enix) was THE best of the best. Square's most renowned franchise, the Final Fantasy series, debuted on the NES in 1987 in Japan. That original Final Fantasy game was later released iOS in 2010. Or so they would have us believe. How does the iOS version of Final Fantasy stack up against the NES version of yesteryear? Was it moved over pixel for pixel, bit for bit? Was it improved to take advantage of modern hardware? Was it ruined by a process with no respect for the original? For the honor and virtue of retro gaming fans and RPG players everywhere, we decided to have a look.

Final Fantasy for iOS vs Final Fantasy for NES: Graphics and sound

To be honest, I was expecting a simple port to iOS, but I was happily proven wrong the moment the title screen lit up. I could see and hear the differences immediately. They are both Final Fantasy, yet the experience is better realized on the iOS, which has much improved audio and graphics. Now the venerable NES didn't have the processing power of today's iOS devices, however, Final Fantasy on iOS doesn't exactly use the full potential of the iPhone or iPod touch either. What it does use, however, it uses well. For example, I nearly confused Final Fantasy 1 on iOS for Final Fantasy 3 on the Super NES due to the mode 7-like overworld feature they added. Final Fantasy 3 was one of the most beautiful games to grace the Super NES, so I'm actually grateful for these types of the improvements here.

Final Fantasy for iOS vs Final Fantasy for NES: Gameplay mechanics

The graphics and sound weren't the only things improved. The actually story line has been fleshed out with more (and more interesting) dialogue and explanations. The menu screens are improved with better access to each character, a vast improvement on the tedious process of pressing the action and back button to access various characters in game. Purchasing items is made easier as you can now see who in your party can use an item or spell, and who will have an improved status with easy to visualized green up and red down arrows.

The fight scenes now have the useful option of "defending" as opposed to only fighting. When in a town or dungeon, you can now hold the d-pad and press the action button and your character will move more quickly -- an option not available in the original.

The best part, however, the part that truly gives the iOS version a huge edge over the NES version, is the improvements to the save game system. Previously, you could only save at an Inn, and when powering off the NES, you had to hold the reset button before pressing the power button off. Now, staying at an inn only restores your HP and MP. You can save anywhere at any time with 3 save slots. On top of that, there is a resume game option. So, when coming back to play the game, you can continue playing from the last time you closed the app.

Final Fantasy for iOS vs Final Fantasy for NES: Controls

One minor gripe I have with the new version on iOS is, of course, the lack of a physical control. I find myself not properly pressing on the virtual, on-screen d-pad at times and frustration can set in if I do this often enough. The NES gamepad never had that problem. You could feel you were properly pressing its buttons.

Final Fantasy for iOS vs Final Fantasy for NES: The bottom line

All in all, the improvements made are completely worth any retro gamer replaying this legend of an RPG on iOS device. And if you've never played Final Fantasy, go get it now. You're in for a treat.

Note: Square Enix hasn't seen fit to release an iPad version, or iPad optimized interface for the original Final Fantasy game on iOS. I play the iPhone/iPod touch version on my iPad in 2x mode, however, and it looks gorgeous.