viernes, 7 de junio de 2013

iPad By Davis: “Fates Forever promises to reinvent real-time strategy gaming on iPad” plus 19 more

iPad By Davis: “Fates Forever promises to reinvent real-time strategy gaming on iPad” plus 19 more

Fates Forever promises to reinvent real-time strategy gaming on iPad

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 09:31 PM PDT

Fates Forever promises to reinvent real-time strategy gaming on iPad

Jason Citron, founder of OpenFeint, is hard at work on a new game designed for the iPad (and eventually for Android tablets too). The game is called Fates Forever, and it's designed from the ground up to be a deep and intense Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA). If you've been waiting for a League of Legends-style game for your iPad, this could be the one. Fates Forever is currently in development at Hammer and Chisel, the company Citron founded after selling OpenFeint to GREE.

Citron recently posted to the forums at TouchArcade to provide a few more details about the forthcoming game.

"We looked around at what great games we've been playing and that we think we could reinterpret for tablets," wrote Citron. "We picked the MOBA genre (like league of legends and DoTA). The idea of using gestures to pull off skill shots sounded like a great way to play. And it turns out (from our Alpha playtesting) that it's a lot of fun and different in cool way!"

Fates Forever is due out this summer.

    

EA punts Mac SimCity from June to August

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 08:56 PM PDT

EA punts Mac SimCity from June to August

EA had previously indicated that a Mac version of its rebooted SimCity game would come out this month, but that's not going to happen. Senior producer Kip Katsarelis posted to the official SimCity blog to let players know that the date has moved to August.

"We have made this tough decision because we do not believe it is ready for primetime yet. We want to ensure the Mac is a great experience for our players and that is why we are taking more time," wrote Katsarelis. No further details were provided.

SimCity is a city building simulation game developed by Maxis, a brand new version of the game that first debuted in the late 1980s. Players build cities by mixing residential, industrial and commercial zones, maintaining utilities, roads, airports and other transportation, as well as public services.

The new version of SimCity debuted for Windows in March. It's been a hot seller for EA, but it's also been criticized for its requirement that players stay connected to online servers in order to play. The game initially hit some roadbumps as players overwhelmed EA's download servers and the SimCity servers themselves struggled to keep up with demand from players, causing some game save problems and other issues. Those problems have been ironed out over time, and Maxis continues to improve it through periodic updates.

Katsarelis said that because of the delay, Mac users will have access to the "SimCity Launch Park," a region exclusive to early adopters which debuted in the most recent major patch to the game.

    

Looking back: The 2008 WWDC keynote - iPhone 2.0 and the iPhone 3G!

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 03:11 PM PDT

We're continuing our look back over WWDC keynotes of yesteryear, and today's choice is the 2008 event. In stark contrast to the year previously which focused mainly on OS X, the 2008 keynote delivered a full on iPhone hit with iPhone 2.0 and the unveiling of the new iPhone 3G.

The largest portion of the keynote was dedicated to the run through of iPhone 2.0, following the launch of the SDK in the months leading up to the event. 2.0 was a huge step forward from the first iteration of the iPhone software, and back then was a paid upgrade for iPod touch owners at $9.99. I remember paying for it! Also as part of the main part of the presentation Mobileme was shown off to the world, but we all know how that ends.

Coming with iPhone 2.0 was the first of the iPhone redesigns with the unveiling of the iPhone 3G. Steve Jobs highlighted a number of key areas Apple needed to address in order to push forward with the iPhone; 3G, enterprise, third-party apps, availability in more countries, and more affordable. With the iPhone 3G Apple hit each one of these, with the $199 launch hitting 22 countries to begin with, an increase on the originals 6.

So, that's 2008. It's great to watch back these old events as we build up towards Monday's big presentation. So join us, kick back and relax, and share with us your highlights of the 2008 WWDC.

    

Best addicting games for iPhone and iPad

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 02:57 PM PDT

Best addicting games for iPhone and iPad

iPhones and iPads are excellent gaming devices. Games available for iOS include just about every genre imaginable: strategy, arcade, puzzle, hardcore, board games, and more. Some of these are downright addicting and have the power to keep you glued to your device for hours and make it feel like only a few moments. That's what we're taking a look at today -- our favorite addicting games for iPhone and iPad.

Candy Crush Saga

The newest addiction to plague the staff here at iMore and Mobile Nations is Candy Crush Saga. In this match-3, you must reach specific goals by matching up three or more candies of the same color. It sounds easy, but with minimal number of moves, strange board shapes, evil chocolate, and other obstacles, Candy Crush is anything but easy!

Angry Birds

What's an addicting games list without Angry Birds? This addicting game of birds vs. pigs has been around for quite some time, but continues to delight. You must help the birds use their special ability to destroy and take down the pigs' defenses. With the ability to get up to three stars per level, Angry Birds is sure to dominate your life for hours at a time.

There are several other version of Angry Birds available, including Angry Birds Star Wars, Angry Birds Seasons, and Angry Birds Space. Check out Rovio's author page on iTunes to download.

Cut the Rope

Here's another classic iPhone and iPad game, but this one is just too cute for words. In Cut the Rope, you must help feed candy to the adorable little monster Om Nom by slicing ropes with perfect timing and finesse. Not only is Cut the Rope fun and addicting, but little Om Nom is sure to steal your heart.

Tiny Wings

Tiny Wings is another physics-based game where you must fight gravity and guide your bird along beautiful hills to fly into the air. It's a "one tap" arcade game that anyone can play. The challenge is with the timing -- landing at the beginning of the peak of a hill isn't going to help your bird fly!

Flow Free

Some of the best addicting games are the ones that require use of your mind -- puzzle games -- and Flow Free is one of the best. The goal is simple: pair all the matching colors and cover the entire board. But heres the catch: you can't let any of the pipes cross or overlap! Flow Free includes 10 different board sizes, so there's a difficultly level available for everyone. There are also over 900 free levels, but if you want even more, you can buy some as in-app purchases.

Puzzlejuice

If you've ever wondered what it might be like to mix Tetris with word search, the answer is Puzzlejuice! Instead of clearing rows by filling them up with falling pieces, the rows fill up with letters and you must create words. Spelling words clears away blocks. The puzzle pieces are also multicolored and tapping groups of three or more blocks of the same color will turn them into letters. As the developers say, Puzzlejuice will "punch your brain in the face!"

Your favorite addicting game?

The App Store is flooded with tons of great addicting games, so this list is just a small taste of what's out there. Do you have any favorites that aren't on the list? Let us know in the comments!

    

Any.Do's Cal smart calendar app understands context, location, and more

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 11:27 AM PDT

Any.Do will soon launch Cal, a calendar app that is supposed to be the first in a series of new apps. Cal asks you to sign in with your Any.Do account, then imports your existing calendar events as well as your contacts. Cal tries to make creating events as easy and useful as possible. According to The Next Web, Cal can use your location when creating a new entry in order to give you important for your event.

To add an item to your calendar, hit the little '+' button and then enter a name for your event. Here's where things start to get smart – it also asks to use your current location, so it can deliver 'smart' details for each entry. For example, if you enter a location name such as 'Concert at Finsbury Park', Cal detects it. It will even plot it out on a map for you and offer to help you navigate your way to any event.

You can also tell Cal what kind of place you are going to, such as a restaurant, in which case Cal will display a list of your event's possible locations for you to select automatically. Adding contacts to an entry gives you the option of sending invites directly from Cal.

While Any.Do hasn't said anything about the other apps that they are currently developing, a quick look at the Cal announcement video provides a hint or two about what's coming up next.

Cal is currently in private beta. If you want to join the beta, sign up at Any.Do's website. Cal is expected to launch later this summer.

Source: Any.Do, The Next Web

    

The best indie games for iPhone and iPad

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 11:18 AM PDT

The best indie games for iPhone and iPad

iMore's authoritative guide to the very best, insanely addictive indie games for both iPhone and iPad

It doesn't always take a huge development firm and investors with an endless budget to develop a great game. There are lots of indie developers out there that prove every day it doesn't take a million dollars to produce great games. Sometimes it just takes a great idea.

There are thousands of great games by indie developers in the App Store. Here are the ones we think you should definitely be playing on your iPhone and iPad.

Letterpress for iPhone and iPad

If there's one game that can cause turmoil between you and your friends when it comes to word games, it's Letterpress by atebits. It's highly addicting and a great twist on classic letter games. Instead of getting tiles and having to place them on a board, the board is pregenerated for you and doesn't change.

The object of the game is to have more points than your opponent by the time all the letters on the board have been used. You can use any tiles you'd like and in any order. You'll get a point for each tile you use and ones that you block in will prevent your opponent from stealing that point back. Your tiles are one color while your opponent's another. You'll go back and forth battling for tiles until all have been used. At that point, the game ends and the person with the most tiles in their color wins.

Jetpack Joyride for iPhone and iPad

In Jetpack Joyride by Halfbrick, you play the character Barry who has broken into a science lab to go galavanting around on jetbacks and other experiments. Dodge lasers and other obstacles while picking up power ups and objects to help you along your quest.

The entire object of Jetpack Joyride is simply to get as far as you can. If you run into something while you have a power up, you'll lose your current item and return to your jetpack. If you run into something with your regular jetpack on, you'll have to start over. Jetpack Joyride isn't a difficult game by any means but makes for a great way to kill time.

Lili for iPhone and iPad

Lili by BitMonster is an impossibly gorgeous RPG and puzzle hybrid. You'll play the character of Lili who is stuck on the island of Geos. You'll guide Lili through her quest by helping her solve puzzles and explore the world around her.

Lili is a very well made game with many adventures and puzzles that'll keep you busy for quite some time. Whether you're a skilled or novice RPG fan, there's nothing terribly complicated involved and no hand to hand combat skills required. That being said, it's a game both hardcore and light RPG'ers will appreciate for the simplicity and very well designed graphics.

Hundreds for iPhone and iPad

Hundreds by Semi Secret Software is a painfully addictive game with a dead simple goal: get to 100 by holding down on the circles. There's always a catch, as you very well should expect. You can't touch any other circles on the screen while your expanding the one you're holding down. As you progress through levels, this task gets harder and harder. You'll also be thrown all kinds of loops such as circles that must be held down simultaneously as well as dead space you'll have to work around, as of course, you can't touch that either.

If you want to kill time or just want a new puzzler, Hundreds is perfect for either of those objectives.

Dots for iPhone and iPad

Dots by Betaworks One is another time killer that offers quick games that are easy to play and don't rely on playing against an opponent. The premise is simple, you've got one minute to connect as many dots as you can to clear them. To create lines, you have to join like colored dots that are next to each other. You can move up, down, left, and right but not diagonal.

The best strategy with dots is to try and move them thinking about the next move and how many dots you'll get out of that next line. The more dots you connect, the more points you'll score.

Ridiculous Fishing for iPhone and iPad

Nothing says old school gaming like almost 32-bit graphics and arcade style play. If those sound like you, you'll love Ridiculous Fishing by Vlambeer. The object of the game is exactly what you'd expect, catch lots of fish. You play Billy, and you'll be helping him cash out for as many fish as he can catch. Cast your reel and get as far down as you can. Once you've hit bottom or snagged a fish, catch as many as you can on the way up.

Ridiculous Fishing also features an in-app store that allows you to purchase more reels and other items with money you've earned by playing. You'll need to save up for items such as longer line and ammo for when you need it.

Tiny Wings for iPhone and iPad

I don't think I could have thought up a more addictive game than Tiny Wings by Andreas Illiger if I tried. The premise is dead simple to understand and the game play is amazingly fun. You play a little bird who has always dreamt of flying but unfortunately, has tiny wings. That sure doesn't stop him from trying though.

You'll use the hills in order to shoot him towards the clouds and across several different islands. Holding down on the screen will bring him back down again. Going up and down slops while completing each levels objectives is not only fun, but alarmingly addicting. You'll have to achieve the objectives for a given level before the sun sets.

Your picks?

There's lots of indie games out there, let us know in the comments what your favorites are!

    

How to send an iMessage from the Contacts app for Mac

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 11:14 AM PDT

How to send an iMessage from the Contacts app for Mac

While iMessage has its own native Mac app, you also have the ability to quickly send an iMessage via the Contacts app if you're running OS X Mountain Lion. Whether you're looking for a specific number or not done looking through your contacts just yet, here's the easiest way to get a message sent without interrupting what you're doing within the Contacts app.

  1. Launch the Contacts app on your Mac.
  2. Search for or scroll to the contact that you'd like to send an iMessage to.
  3. Click on the label for the number or email you'd like to send the iMessage to.
  4. Now click on Send Message.
  5. An iMessage window will now appear allowing you to quickly send a message to the contact of your choice.

You'll notice that the send button is greyed out if that address is not an iMessage address. In this case, you'll have to choose a different address for that contact.

    

Debug 15: Simmons, Wiskus, Gruber, and Vesper

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 09:13 AM PDT

Debug 15: Simmons, Wiskus, Gruber, and Vesper

Brent Simmons, Dave Wiskus, and John Gruber join Guy and Rene to talk about their new app, Vesper, the value of ideas and collecting them, the art of collaboration, flat design, accessibility, testing, app pricing, and more. Also: Mad Men.

Show notes

Guests

Hosts

Feedback

Yell at us via the Twitter accounts above (or the same names on ADN). Loudly.

    


This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Vesper for iPhone review: Collect your thoughts with one part notes app, one part lists app, shaken, not stirred

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 09:10 AM PDT

Vesper -- Brent Simmons, Dave Wiskus, and John Gruber's Vesper -- is part list-maker and part note-taker, and so strongly opinionated about how it balances both that you'll fall instantly in love... or want to kill it on sight.

This isn't your UIKit convention, your lowest common denominator, or any other concession to the mass-market. Everything about Vesper, every choice about every feature, liberates only through constraint. Because it allows for just a very small set of very deliberate actions, Vesper frees you from the cognitive overhead of managing the management app, and forces you to simply fulfill its purpose -- collecting your thoughts.

  • Debug 15: Simmons, Wiskus, Gruber, and Vesper - Listen now

Vesper's name draws allusions to the most classic of Bond women, and the drink she inspired. So does the company name behind Vesper - Q Branch. Why that? Because, according to the Brent, Dave, and John, they're making a precision tool for you the same way MI6's Q made them for Bond. And yes, in this case, that makes you Bond.

And here's what they've made: In Vesper you can create new notes, add text or images to them, tag them, search for them, share them via Mail or Messages, or copy them to the clipboard, archive them or delete them, visit URLs contained within them using a Spartan, built-in browser, and that's about it. No themes. No font selection. No import or export. No sync. Nothing to sync to or with.

Just Vesper, your ideas, and as little as possible to get in the way of their being captured.

The design reflects that feature set. The interface, there are no rich textures, no shadows nor sheen, and no gradients. Its got one font, though it's a good one. Its palette is beyond minimal, and it's flat enough to slip under a door. It's also informationally dense enough to be useful, which isn't always the case with type-centric design.

Where Vesper delights is in its kinetics

Where Vesper delights is in its kinetics -- to steal Guy English term for it. Its sidebar opens with the tap of a the "hamburger" button, but it also opens any time you put your finger on the screen and slide it aside to reveal the notes layer beneath. To archive a note, you hold it and pull it out of the list. If you change your mind, it doesn't just slide back, but bounces playfully back into place. To open a note, you tap it. To change the order, you touch it and drag it to its new home. The credits... well, I won't spoil those!

These aren't abstract gesture commands, but direct manipulation -- as Brent calls it -- and it works so well well, I find myself missing it when in the note view. There's no obvious place to put it -- no edge of the list view to drag back -- but my instinct craves says their should be.

Vesper's tag- and archive-based system makes it not only possible but also convenient to use it for long-term memory. Still, even with all of its opinions and constraints, Vesper remains flexible enough to suit several different workflows. I find myself seldom using tags and often deleting, using Vesper more as short-term memory -- things I want to keep in cache but not write to disk.

If you want to do more, Vesper loads with an initial set of notes that tells you how. As Dave describes it, it's a Super Mario rather than Zelda style tutorial - fun, informative, but totally unobtrusive.

And to quickly blast through the remaining controversies -- no the icon isn't the most richly designed or visually balanced, it's stark, either a portion of a tag bubble or -- if you've watched as many movies as me -- James Bond walking across the screen, just about to turn and fire through the circular sight. It's also impossible to miss on a Home screen and I like it fine. I'm also ecstatic that Brent, Dave, and John are charging real money for a real app. I hope more developers follow in their footsteps.

I've been using Vesper for a while now in beta, and it saves me enough time to easily be worth such a little amount of money. It's value far exceeds its cost.

Again, it's so focused and opinionated it'll turn off as many potential customers as it turns on, but that's okay. Maybe that's even how it should be -- great tools for highly specific jobs with highly specific tastes. A cocktail, not a soda.

If that appeals to you, Vesper is available in the App Store now. If you want to know more before you buy, Brent, Dave, and John were gracious enough to join Guy English and me for Debug this week. I learned a ton. Give it a listen.

    

Update: No BBM for iOS on June 27, T-Mobile got it wrong

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 08:54 AM PDT

T-Mobile UK has come out and told the world that we should expect to see BlackBerry Messenger launching for iOS on June 27. While it isn't clear why we should be hearing such a huge piece of news from a carrier, and not from BlackBerry, the Twitter account it came from is the official, verified T-Mobile UK account.

Rumors have been circulating in recent days over when non-BlackBerry users would finally get to experience BBM, and at least on the face of it we don't have to wait too much longer. The message also came accompanied by an Instagram-fresh image of the app running on a Samsung Galaxy S3, but until we hear an official word from BlackBerry, we'll be treating it with a pinch of salt. Our buddies from CrackBerry are on the case, and we'll update when we hear more.

BBM isn't going to be for everyone, but we know there's a lot of you guys out there who are ready to give this a try. Does this latest piece of news increase your anticipation at all?

Update: CrackBerry has heard back from the folks at BlackBerry, and it turns out this one is completely false. There's nothing to suggest exactly where T-Mobile was coming from, but we're back precisely where we were this morning.

Source: T-Mobile UK via CrackBerry

    

Debug 15: Simmons, Wiskus, Gruber, and Vesper

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 09:13 AM PDT

Debug 15: Simmons, Wiskus, Gruber, and Vesper

Brent Simmons, Dave Wiskus, and John Gruber join Guy and Rene to talk about their new app, Vesper, the value of ideas and collecting them, the art of collaboration, flat design, accessibility, testing, app pricing, and more. Also: Mad Men.

Show notes

Guests

Hosts

Feedback

Yell at us via the Twitter accounts above (or the same names on ADN). Loudly.

    


This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Vesper for iPhone review: Collect your thoughts with one part notes app, one part lists app, shaken, not stirred

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 09:10 AM PDT

Vesper -- Brent Simmons, Dave Wiskus, and John Gruber's Vesper -- is part list-maker and part note-taker, and so strongly opinionated about how it balances both that you'll fall instantly in love... or want to kill it on sight.

This isn't your UIKit convention, your lowest common denominator, or any other concession to the mass-market. Everything about Vesper, every choice about every feature, liberates only through constraint. Because it allows for just a very small set of very deliberate actions, Vesper frees you from the cognitive overhead of managing the management app, and forces you to simply fulfill its purpose -- collecting your thoughts.

  • Debug 15: Simmons, Wiskus, Gruber, and Vesper - Listen now

Vesper's name draws allusions to the most classic of Bond women, and the drink she inspired. So does the company name behind Vesper - Q Branch. Why that? Because, according to the Brent, Dave, and John, they're making a precision tool for you the same way MI6's Q made them for Bond. And yes, in this case, that makes you Bond.

And here's what they've made: In Vesper you can create new notes, add text or images to them, tag them, search for them, share them via Mail or Messages, or copy them to the clipboard, archive them or delete them, visit URLs contained within them using a Spartan, built-in browser, and that's about it. No themes. No font selection. No import or export. No sync. Nothing to sync to or with.

Just Vesper, your ideas, and as little as possible to get in the way of their being captured.

The design reflects that feature set. The interface, there are no rich textures, no shadows nor sheen, and no gradients. Its got one font, though it's a good one. Its palette is beyond minimal, and it's flat enough to slip under a door. It's also informationally dense enough to be useful, which isn't always the case with type-centric design.

Where Vesper delights is in its kinetics

Where Vesper delights is in its kinetics -- to steal Guy English term for it. Its sidebar opens with the tap of a the "hamburger" button, but it also opens any time you put your finger on the screen and slide it aside to reveal the notes layer beneath. To archive a note, you hold it and pull it out of the list. If you change your mind, it doesn't just slide back, but bounces playfully back into place. To open a note, you tap it. To change the order, you touch it and drag it to its new home. The credits... well, I won't spoil those!

These aren't abstract gesture commands, but direct manipulation -- as Brent calls it -- and it works so well well, I find myself missing it when in the note view. There's no obvious place to put it -- no edge of the list view to drag back -- but my instinct craves says their should be.

Vesper's tag- and archive-based system makes it not only possible but also convenient to use it for long-term memory. Still, even with all of its opinions and constraints, Vesper remains flexible enough to suit several different workflows. I find myself seldom using tags and often deleting, using Vesper more as short-term memory -- things I want to keep in cache but not write to disk.

If you want to do more, Vesper loads with an initial set of notes that tells you how. As Dave describes it, it's a Super Mario rather than Zelda style tutorial - fun, informative, but totally unobtrusive.

And to quickly blast through the remaining controversies -- no the icon isn't the most richly designed or visually balanced, it's stark, either a portion of a tag bubble or -- if you've watched as many movies as me -- James Bond walking across the screen, just about to turn and fire through the circular sight. It's also impossible to miss on a Home screen and I like it fine. I'm also ecstatic that Brent, Dave, and John are charging real money for a real app. I hope more developers follow in their footsteps.

I've been using Vesper for a while now in beta, and it saves me enough time to easily be worth such a little amount of money. It's value far exceeds its cost.

Again, it's so focused and opinionated it'll turn off as many potential customers as it turns on, but that's okay. Maybe that's even how it should be -- great tools for highly specific jobs with highly specific tastes. A cocktail, not a soda.

If that appeals to you, Vesper is available in the App Store now. If you want to know more before you buy, Brent, Dave, and John were gracious enough to join Guy English and me for Debug this week. I learned a ton. Give it a listen.

    

Update: No BBM for iOS on June 27, T-Mobile got it wrong

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 08:54 AM PDT

T-Mobile UK has come out and told the world that we should expect to see BlackBerry Messenger launching for iOS on June 27. While it isn't clear why we should be hearing such a huge piece of news from a carrier, and not from BlackBerry, the Twitter account it came from is the official, verified T-Mobile UK account.

Rumors have been circulating in recent days over when non-BlackBerry users would finally get to experience BBM, and at least on the face of it we don't have to wait too much longer. The message also came accompanied by an Instagram-fresh image of the app running on a Samsung Galaxy S3, but until we hear an official word from BlackBerry, we'll be treating it with a pinch of salt. Our buddies from CrackBerry are on the case, and we'll update when we hear more.

BBM isn't going to be for everyone, but we know there's a lot of you guys out there who are ready to give this a try. Does this latest piece of news increase your anticipation at all?

Update: CrackBerry has heard back from the folks at BlackBerry, and it turns out this one is completely false. There's nothing to suggest exactly where T-Mobile was coming from, but we're back precisely where we were this morning.

Source: T-Mobile UK via CrackBerry

    

Sneak peek at Mega Jump Retina update for iPhone and iPad

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 08:02 AM PDT

At the Ottawa International Game Conference I got a chance to check out an upcoming update to the classic endless jumper, Mega Jump. The only real additions here are Retina display support and an iPad version of the game, but they're long overdue. Production Manager Andy Smith gave a great, frank talk prior to the demo on a lot of the lessons they've learned, including update cycles (do it often), the how to do freemium right, and how a brand can last as many years as Mega Jump.

    

Why isn't mobile gaming better? - Talk Mobile

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 08:00 AM PDT

The quantity and quality of mobile games have exploded over the past few years. Game developers have been blessed with rapidly improving hardware and an ever-growing customer base that's becoming more comfortable with the idea of spending money for mobile entertainment. Mobile development studios like Rovio and Glu along with independent, one-man developers like Loren Brichter of Letterpress and Andreas Illiger of Tiny Wings are playing on the same field for the same dollars as long-time game studios like Electronic Arts and Rockstar.

But while the customers and dollars might be directed towards any one of those warriors, the battlefield itself is segmented. Is it better for a developer to target the expansive iOS or Android ecosystems and risk all of their work being lost in the fog of app storefront warfare, or should they go for less-populated venues like BlackBerry and Windows Phone, where they can be the big fish in the small digital pond? Do they try and support those features unique to specific platforms, like BBM or Game Center, or do they hit only the most common features across all platforms? And how do those answers change if they're small indie developers, or powerhouse studios?

    

iPad Insight on Flipboard – New Sections

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 07:30 AM PDT

Flipboard iPad Art

I know we have a number of readers here who enjoy iPad Insight in the excellent Flipboard app. I love the app and I'm delighted that iPad Insight is a featured partner site on Flipboard.

This week the Flipboard team has helped me make the iPad Insight pages a little more awesome. I'm a big fan of the new Flipboard magazines feature that was added back in March and of course I created a few on iPad topics.

Now, those magazines are included as individual sections of iPad Insight on Flipboard. The three new sections are iPad Apps, iPad Art, and iPad Accessories.

Flipboard iPad Accessories

So now when you open iPad Insight in Flipboard you can tap on the menu button, just to the right of the iPad Insight title words at the top center of pages, and tap to move to any of the new sections. And of course you can go back to iPad Insight with a single tap from any of the section pages.

...

Read the whole entry... »

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Deal of the Day: 44% off the BodyGuardz UltraTough Clear ScreenGuardz for iPhone 5

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 07:36 AM PDT

Today Only: Purchase the BodyGuardz UltraTough Clear ScreenGuardz for iPhone 5 and save $6.95!

These protectors are made from the same material used to shield the front of vehicles from rock chips and provides your iPhone 5 with unmatched scratch protection from outside elements. These invisible protectors are tough, durable and are custom designed to fit your iPhone 5, keeping your device's screen completely scratch-proof.

List Price: $15.95     Today Only: $9.00

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WWDC 2013 wish-list: iMore's top Mac hardware wants!

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 07:25 AM PDT

While there won't be new iPhones or iPads at WWDC 2013 -- those are coming in the fall -- there will be new Macs. Peter's been covering everything from the new Haswell chipsets we can look forward to, to the new Mac Pros every geek is hoping beyond hope for. But what are we most looking forward to? Which non-mobile slab of glass and aluminium do we most want to bring home with us this June?

Well...

Peter Cohen, managing editor of iMore

I'm looking forward to improved power management and better graphics performance in laptops. The MacBook Airs and 13-inch MacBook Pro are showing their age with their Intel HD4000 graphics; Although I don't think it'll happen at WWDC, I'd love to see a new Mac Pro from Apple, too - the machine is long overdue for a complete overhaul.

Ally Kazmucha, how-to editor of iMore

I just bought a new iMac and a retina iMac doesn't really appeal to me to be honest. I'm fine with what I have. I would, however, like to upgrade my 2011 15" MacBook Pro within the next year or so and I'm really holding off for a retina MacBook Air. Please?

Richard Devine, senior editor of iMore

I'm fortunate enough that I'm running recent Mac hardware, so there's nothing specific I'm holding out for. What I'd love to see more than anything is a smaller Thunderbolt display. I've got limited space in my office, and the current 27-inch Thunderbolt display is just too big for me. If they could shrink that down to a 23-inch size, it would be the display for me.

I also really want to see an updated 11-inch MacBook Air with some of the new Haswell chips. I'm a huge fan of the 11-inch Air, and I'd love to see it given a bit of an update.

Marc Edwards, co-host of Iterate

I'd like to see LTE networking for all portables. And, like many, I'd welcome Retina displays for the MacBook Airs and iMacs with open arms. They seem like a sure thing, it's just a matter of when it's technically possible while meeting the desired price points.

Seth Clifford, co-host of Iterate

All I want - and I'm sure I'll never get it - is a 15" MacBook Air. I don't care about the Retina MBP (yet) but I need a big screen. I love my standard 15" MBP, but I'm tired of schlepping it around. I know it's a long shot, since the product lines don't seem to be moving in that direction, but stranger things have happened.

Chris Parsons, editor-at-large of Mobile Nations

I have a 15-inch MacBook Pro. I'm fine.

Nick Arnott, security columnist

Lighter, faster, longer battery. While I'd love to see Retina displays become status quo on Macbooks, I don't think we're there yet. In the meantime I'll settle for iterative update from Apple on their current lineup.

Rene Ritchie, editor-in-chief of iMore

In a perfect world we'd all get the 1024GB Retina MacBook Air, but we don't live in that world. We live in a world where display density, battery life, and lightness all need to be balanced in a way that means we don't get what we want. At least not yet. So I'll settle for a Haswell-powered 13-inch retina MacBook Pro, powerful and light. And if I get a Mac Pro, or a Mac Mini Pro, that delights high-end users and redefines Apple's top of the line.

What's your number one Mac wish?

So that's what everyone here at iMore wants to see! Well, almost everyone. You're the most important part of the site, so your opinion matters to us the most! Tell me, what's your number one wish come Mac and WWDC?

    

How to Record AirPlay Mirroring Sessions with the Reflector App

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 06:15 AM PDT

AirPlay Mirroring Screen Recording

AirPlay Mirroring is easily one of the coolest features of iOS. Mirroring everything that happens on your iPad (or iPhone) to an HDTV or to your Mac is awesome and can also be incredibly useful for screencasts and demos.

I've written before about the excellent Reflector app that enables AirPlay Mirroring from the iPad or iPhone to a Mac, and selected it for our list of the Best iPad Apps of 2012.  Today I wanted to mention a very cool feature that Reflector offers: the ability to do screen recordings of your AirPlay Mirroring sessions on the Mac. As in, it will record a movie file of your AirPlay Mirroring session.

To do a screen recording with the Reflector app you just hit Command + R on the Mac keyboard or select 'Start Recording' from the Device menu of the app. Then hit Command + R again when you want to stop recording. It's that easy. Reflector records video only, no...

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Subway UK Subcard app adds support for Passbook

Posted: 06 Jun 2013 06:10 AM PDT

As time passes by here in the UK, Passbook support continues to grow. This time up it's the turn of Subway, with an update to their Subcard app that allows you to finally add your card to Passbook on your iPhone. Your Subcard ID and recent transactions can now be accessed from your Passbook wallet.

That's all that has been added, but to see such apps integrating Passbook is welcome news. Particularly here in the UK, Passbook enabled apps have been slow to take off, but in recent weeks we've seen two of the country's biggest Airlines add support, and Apple themselves have added Passbook to their iTunes Festival application. This also follows the news that Starbucks is the largest use case in the U.S. of mobile wallet apps, another Passbook integrated application. What do you guys have in your Passbook? Mine is a little slim, with only the Subcard and Starbucks card in there at the moment, how about you?

    
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