Stories about kids who gain access to their parents’ iTunes passwords and run up huge bills on apps and in-app purchases are becoming all too common. The latest, concerning 13-year-old Cameron Crossan from the U.K., has an interesting twist.
When Cameron ran up a £3,700 ($5,620) iTunes bill playing iPad games, his father, policeman Doug Crossan, called Apple to get a refund. Apple refused to give the Crossans their money back, so Doug went down a different route. He reported his son for fraud.
Kicking off this week’s must-have apps roundup is EverClip for iPad, a terrific tool that lets you “clip” almost anything to Evernote, so that you can’t forget them. We also have a wonderful new music player for the iPad, the new Star Wars Pinball game, and more.
Over at Asymco, noted Apple analyst Horace Dediu takes a moment to look at the iTunes App Store from the perspective of a “break even” model, a perspective that Apple has only recently started to discuss as perhaps more than breaking-even. Dediu notes that with the quintupling of growth of the overall beast that is iTunes (including music, video, and iOS app software), an analysis of Apple’s business practices as well as the App Store’s economy of scale suggests that Apple is doing quite a bit better than “breaking even.”
Apple has quietly added a new labeling system to the App Store that shows which apps have in-app purchases. You can only see whether an app or game has in-app purchases on the desktop version of iTunes, but the feature will presumably be rolled out to the App Store on iOS devices soon.
Coincidentally, Apple recently settled a lawsuit with some parents over in-app purchases. Kids were spending thousands of dollars making in-app purchases in freemium games.
Apple bans apps from the App Store all the time, for a variety of reasons. Most of the time, it’s because they think the app is pornographic, even if it totally isn’t, although occasionally, it’s because developers have hidden some functionality in an app that violates Apple’s EULA.
One thing we’re not used to seeing Apple ban apps for, though, is the mere fact that the app’s subject matter has made Cupertino uncomfortable… but that is seemingly what happened with Sweatshop HD, a game created by a BAFTA-winning studio that aims to raise awareness about where our products come from.
Roguelike games are marked by four main things: randomly generated levels, permadeath , turn-based gameplay and (usually) ASCII graphics. They also usually have insane difficulty levels and absolutely unhinged gameplay mechanics that you simply can’t find in other types of games.
I’ve written about my unapologetic love for roguelikes before, but unfortunately, they’re very keyboard heavy games… and that means that the very thing I love most about them (their unhinged gameplay mechanics) tend to make them entirely unsuitable for playing on a touchscreen device like an iPhone or iPad.
It seems, though, that one of the best modern roguelikes out there has successfully made the transition to the iPad pretty much unscathed. It’s called Brogue, and whether you’re an existing fan of roguelike games or someone who wants to figure out what the fuss is all about, this is a game you should play.
The Speedtest.net app is undoubtedly the quickest and easiest way to test your broadband and data speeds on your iOS devices — and it’s completely free. And thanks to its latest update, it’s better than ever before. The app now has a brand new look which supports the iPhone 5’s larger display (finally!) and a number of new features.
After a slew of complaints from users, Apple has just updated the Podcasts app for iOS. Gone away are the skeuomorphic UI elements that were prominent during the app’s original release. Instead, Apple has trimmed the UI down to its more essential elements.
Podcasts 1.2 is available in the App Store for free right now. The update includes some new features, such as On-The-Go playlists, Custom Stations, iCloud synchronization and more.
Here are the full notes:
After a few days of speculation, Google’s Chairman, Eric Schmidt, finally commented on whether Google Now would be making its way to iOS. This morning, Schmidt said that Google Now has been submitted to the App Store and the only thing standing in its way is Apple. The only problem is Schmidt’s completely wrong.
Apple commented on the Google Now approval process this afternoon and said that they haven’t even received Google Now yet.
Last week, Google accidentally posted a video to its YouTube channel which announced Google Now is coming to iOS. The company quickly pulled it shortly after it went up, and it wasn’t clear whether the app would actually come to fruition, or whether it was a project Google had started and then killed.
Now the company’s chairman, Eric Schmidt, has confirmed Google Now is on its way to the App Store — but only if Apple approves it.
A joint venture company between Philips and Sony called Intertrust, has decided to file a patent infringement suit against Apple, asserting that 15 of the company’s patents have been violated.
Intertrust’s patents cover a range of devices and services for digital restrictions management (DRM) to protect intellectual property.
Depending on how well it works for you, the Apple Store app’s EasyPay system is either a dream of a convenience or a total nightmare that ends up getting you arrested. And now a similar experience is rolling out to over 200 Walmarts nationwide.
What if Siri tried to kill you? That’s the plot of a new Dutch horror film called App that features a malevolent Siri clone called IRIS (get it?) that starts killing people. And as a cool twist, App allows you to download a free app to use while you watch the film.
Square Enix has been working hard to port its classic Final Fantasy titles over to iOS, and the next in the series, Final Fantasy V, is expected to hit the App Store by the end of the month. Like previous Final Fantasy ports, the game will bring updated visuals, and new controls optimized for touch-based devices.
It’s taken well over a year, but the Jawbone UP finally has an official companion app in Google Play. The device has only been compatible with iOS devices since it launched in November 2011, but now you can track your sleep and physical activity on Android-powered smartphones, too.
Furthermore, starting today, UP will be available in Apple stores across Europe.
Loren Brichter is a legend amongst iOS developers. The 28 year old developer is the creator of Tweetie, which eventually became the official Twitter app. He’s the guy behind fan favorite word game Letterpress. He’s the creator of ‘Pull To Refresh’, cell swipe and slide-out panels that have become synonymous features in mobile app development. Yet few people who aren’t app and design junkies even know who he is.
Gameloft’s Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour is, without doubt, the best first-person shooter available on mobile. It’s the latest edition to the company’s Modern Combat series, and it promises to “push the boundaries of mobile gaming even further” with stunning visuals, an awesome campaign, and a completely redesigned multiplayer mode.
If you haven’t already got it and you’re a fan of FPS titles, then you’re crazy. But now’s the best time to pick it up, because its price tag has just been slashed from $6.99 to $0.99 for a limited time.
Rovio and DreamWorks Pictures have today launched The Croods, a new mobile game based on the upcoming motion picture. The free title throws you back into the Stone Age for a “pre-hysterical” adventure in which you’ll have to hunt and gather through colorful landscapes in a bid to survive.
Readdle, the creator of some of the best productivity apps for iOS, has today replaced its awesome $6.99 Calendars app with a new version that won’t cost you a penny. It has all of the same great features it’s always had, only now you can enjoy them for free.
The official Tumblr app for iOS received a major overhaul back in November, delivering a completely redesigned dashboard, iPad support, and lots more. But the improvements aren’t about to stop there. Today sees the release of Tumblr 3.3, which adds a new camera, the ability to create photosets, and more.
The iTunes image preview may have gigantic typos, but HiddenApps lets yo do something really incredible without a jailbreak: hide stock iOS apps like Stocks, Newsstand, Passbok, Mail and more.
https://youtu.be/gW2D_Votd2Y
It is often said that Japan is a weird country.
Case in point, can you imagine any other country in which Domino’s Pizza Japanese president Scott Oelkers would make a commercial in which, over the course of a two minute period, he shills a new iPhone app featuring a virtual anime girlfriend named Hatsune Miku who “exists in a software called Vocaloid which enables you to create songs” that Hatsune Miku then sings.
Not that the Domino’s app does any of this, mind you. It just allows you order pizza online and listen to Vocaloid songs written by the wage-slavers who heat up your pie. You can also, apparently, insert Hitsune Miku into photos of your choosing, the perfect way to simulate the experience of having a cartoom girlfriend who will do whatever you want.
“Have fun with Miku!” trills Scott Oelkers with wild, manic eyes. If you choose to do so, you can download the app here (Japan only).
Via: MacGasm
Apple hasn’t announced the iPhone 5S yet, but Chinese clone specialist GooPhone has already created a cheap knockoff of it. And it has done a pretty incredible job. As you’ll see in the video below, the “i5S” looks identical to the real thing, and you probably wouldn’t even know it was a clone. That is, until you started using it.
Apple works hard to ensure that inappropriate content doesn’t end up in the wrong hands, and it has strict ratings and approval processes for content distributed through the App Store, the iBookstore, and the iTunes Store. But it would seem the Cupertino company isn’t quite as careful with its social media accounts.
On Sunday night, Apple’s official iBookstore account on Twitter retweeted a lewd message that would certainly get a 17+ rating from the company.
EA has updated The Simpsons: Tapped Out to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday, March 17. Available on both Android and iOS, the update brings a new storyline, new characters, and new buildings that deliver a taste of Ireland to Springfield.