infinity Blade. We certainly loved it, declaring it to be an “elegiac App Store masterpiece,” but did Joe and Jane App Store agree?
It appears so. According to Appmodo, who looked at the Game Center data for Infinity Blade, 274,000 players have currently registered the game… which means at $5.99 per copy, Epic’s raked in over $1.6MM dollars in just five days.
Toshiba certainly seems to think their business with Apple is important, judging by the latest news the company is now readying a $1.89 billion production facility to help supply Apple with high-resolution LCD display panels. Re: Retina Displays.
Apple had 25 percent of mobile devices in November, with the iPhone the most used mobile device on the advertising network of Millennial Media. The Apple handset was used by 14.28 percent of the time and the iPod touch came in second with 8.96 percent of the network. Motorola’s Droid finished in third-place with 7.48 percent of the advertising network, according to the figures released Tuesday.
Samsung and Motorola were in second and third position behind Apple in the mobile device manufacturer category, with BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion and HTC filling out the remaining spots in the top-five mobile device manufacturers. Nokia finished in 7th position.
Remember that old Mac you had? That beautiful iMac. It was lovely. Still works, but these days it doesn’t get used much.
It was a G5. One of the 17 inch models. You think. Wait. Or was it 20 inch? Damn, have to get it out and measure it now. It had a 1.83GHz Intel. Or was it a 2.33GHz? Dammit. You really can’t be bothered to boot the thing up just to check. But now you want to know.
Chair and Epic Games’ Infinity Blade ($5.99) may disappoint those who looked for a direct iOS analogue to the Unreal 3 Engine’s console offerings (where first-person combat by beefcakey “Tom of Finland” style space marines often spills over into rocket-turret-mounted monster truck driving sequences) but gamers who would so miss the point are a rare breed easily descried by the government-mandated “DERP” tattoos branded into their foreheads. For the rest of us, Infinity Blade is a perfect crystallization of the iPhone’s capabilities as a cutting-edge gaming device, a paradigm shift in the way AAA developers approach multitouch interfaces, and… lest we forget… the most visually impressive and polished game on the App Store.
What You’ll Win
Each winner gets their favorite color ThinSkin FREE. Again, the Gremlin Green one is legendary.
Giveaway Details
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We report with reservations, because this rumor — while titillating — is clearly absurd. That said, if you don’t hear it from us, you’ll hear it from someone more breathless: Mac Daily News is claiming that the Verizon iPhone is coming to a Verizon outlet near you as soon as December 26th.
We start off another week with a mix of deals for your iPhone, iPad and iPod. To kick things off, there is a deal on a 1.4GHz 12-inch MacBook Air for just $1,104. Next is a new crop of price cuts for iPhone apps, including the “Nightstand” alarm clock. Finally, there is a deal on iPad cases, some marked down as low as 70 percent off.
Along the way, we also take a look at a number of other bargains, including a stand and folio for your iPad, a Sony radio dock for your iPod, and a 24-inch LED Cinema Display for your Mac.
As always, details on these and many other items can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.
The media is a-twitter with reports that Apple’s new iPad will have both a front-facing and rear-facing camera, with Reuters quoting anonymous sources in the supply chain.
I don’t buy that: I don’t think that Apple will imitate the ‘competitors,’ like Samsung Galaxy or Acer whatever-they-name-it.
Apple is ahead of the curve, it doesn’t follow. The thing is that a rear-facing camera in such a device is not useful and adding it only because others have it is not Apple’s style.
Not sure that Saint Nick has much sway over Steven P. Jobs, but maybe if you put this white iPhone ornament on your tree he’ll get the hint.
The handmade ornament (only six available!) comes with magnets on the back, so it can go up on your fridge once the holidays are over. It’s smaller than the real thing, measuring 3″ x 1.5″ and also available in black.
The ornament’s also a nice idea if you want to say you’re going to give your beloved one, but have to wait for the spring 2011 launch.
$10 on Etsy.
Via iPhone Saviour
Did Verizon suffer a Wikileaks-like unauthorized release of sales data? That’s the conclusion of one analyst, who wrote Monday that the carrier was practically forced to agree to an iPhone contract that was beneficial to Apple.
After a Friday report included monthly Verizon smartphone sales numbers precise to 1,000 units per month, Asymco’s Horace Dediu said the leak was “as big as a Wikileaks release of diplomatic chitchat is to…diplomats. Bigger, actually.”
Apple will likely bid for part of some of the 4,000 patents worth $1 billion held by bankrupt Nortel Networks, according to a Monday report. Google is probably also competing against the Cupertino, Calif. company to lay claim on patents involving wireless-related technology, such as LTE.
“Sources expect the sale to draw wireless telecom newcomers Apple and Google , which want to build up patent war chests as they fight incumbents such as Nokia, which want to protect their patent positions, in the courts,” according to Reuters.
This past week finally saw the unveiling of Google’s long-awaited Chrome OS. Surprising few to none, the big revelation is that Chrome the browser is actually the entire operating system. Using cloud web applications, it will be possible to run a bunch of desktop-ish apps on a Chrome-based netbook at home, then go to work, fire up Chrome on Mac or Windows on your work laptop, and have the same experience there. Pretty snazzy stuff.
It’s yet another take on what cloud-based consumer computing could be (insert “network computing” if you’d like to relive 1996), an heir to the promise of Java and so many others. And it looks to have some legs, even if we’re still quite some ways from seeing commercially available hardware ready to run on it. Many developers will create apps for the platform, and its write-once, read-anywhere (WOMA!) promise is mighty seductive. It would be very easy to imagine a world in which no one develops for traditional desktop operating systems anymore, except for professional applications like video editing and design work. Sounds like bad news for Apple, right?
Having sold millions of copies of their fowls vs. sows catapult game, Angry Birds, developer Rovio is experiencing such success that they’re even starting to begrudge Apple their thirty percent cut off the top of in-app purchases.
Rovio has just announced that they intend on launching Bad Piggy Bank, a new in-game payment system which will allow Angry Birds customers to make in-app purchases without going through Apple.
Ping just got a micron less useless on Friday with the addition of new functionality: the ability to make social playlists and share them with friends.
Boy, Delta’s getting everything right with Apple owners this year. Hot on the heels of their announcement that they would be installing 135 free-to-use iPads at their gates at JFK comes word that they’re now in the process of installing gadget charging stations in their gate areas at 19 United States airports.
Just as Cydia is the dark mirror to the iOS App Store, Cydia will also be available on the Mac, according to Cydia developer Jay “Saurik” Freeman.
The new MacBook Air is a remarkably solid wafer of hardware, especially after the recent EFI Firmware Update that solved the occasional issue of graphics corruption when the Air wakes up from sleep.
It looks, though, like there may be a new crisis brewing and a new glitch to address, this time with the Air’s ability to play nice with he official USB Ethernet Adapter.
Steve Jobs’ disdain for the 7-inch tablet form factor embraced by the likes of would-be iPad killers like the Samsung Galaxy Tab couldn’t be any more dripping even if it poured in bilious rivulets out of his open mouth. At the last earnings call, he flat out dismissed them as “DOA – Dead On Arrival.” He even fantasized about customers sanding the meat off of their fingers until only the skeletal bone was left, since “sand[ing] down their fingers to around one-quarter of their present size” is the only way to type comfortably on one.
This contempt seems pretty unequivocal to me, but someone apparently wasn’t paying attention: according to Reuters, Asian manufacturing sources are telling them that Apple is putting together a 7-inch “iPad Mini” for shipment in early 2011.
When a company with as fabled a name as Bowers & Wilkins proffers up an iPod dock, one expects nothing less than enough oomph to satisfy even the most discerning audiophile, and enough svelteness to elicit a smile from even the most ardent aesthete. B&W’s first shot at a dock, the Zeppelin, certainly turned heads when it debuted in 2007 (at least, once word got out about it). But its sprawling, bulbous shape — and sprawling, bulbous, $600 pricetag — limited its appeal. Two years later the company followed with the Zeppelin Mini, a much smaller, less expensive dock that nevertheless tried to maintain the aesthetic and sonic reputation the company was known for.
But at $400, the Mini was still significantly pricier than almost any other dock sitting on, say, an Apple Store’s dock table. Then earlier this year B&W brought the price down to $300, placing it on a level field with other upper-mid-end docks — a league that seems to be gaining players at an almost alarming rate — and allowing it to stand out among its peers as the compact, high-performance star it is.
One of our must-have iOS apps this week is the free OnLive Viewer that gives you a window in to on-demand, instant-play video games through the OnLive game service. Become a spectator and watch hundreds on games being played live throughout the world.
Facebook Browser for iPhone also makes our must-have list this week and provides a refreshing new way to experience Facebook on your iPhone, with a simplistic, elegant user interface.
Also among our favorites this week is Blueprint – a powerful application for iOS developers that enables you to easily plan and create stunning user interfaces for your applications.
Check out the rest of this week’s must-have iOS apps after the break!
A controversial art show featuring photographs of destroyed Apple products is coming to Steve Jobs’ home town this weekend.
Featuring 12 ultra high-resolution digital prints of bullet-riddled MacBooks and blowtorched iPads, the 12LVE exhibit opens Sunday in Palo Alto.
No word on whether Jobs plans to attend the three-month show. “I am not sure whether he’s even aware of the show opening in Palo Alto,” said Tompert. “But who knows.”
Check out all 12 photos here: What Happens When You Shoot A MacBook, And Other Pictures
The opening reception is Sunday, December 12, from 3 to 9 pm at “WhiteSpace” gallery in Town & Country Village in Palo Alto (855 El Camino Real).
Here’s a preview of what what the gallery will look like:
Featured in our list of must-have games this week is one of the most anticipated games yet for iOS. Infinity Blade uses Epic’s impressive Unreal Engine 3 technology to deliver a visually stunning sword fighter that’s packed full of adrenaline-fuelled action. Since its demo at Apple’s keynote back in September, every iOS gamer has been waiting for this game to hit the App Store.
Also on our list this week is Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift – released especially for the festive season, Holiday Gift is a free gift to all of the Cut the Rope fans out there. It’s the same highly addictive puzzle game we all love, but now it’s all Christmassy.
The official Jenga game lets you take your favorite tower building game anywhere and recreate the most authentic Jenga experience on your iOS device. Designed in consultation with the inventor of the original wooden block game, Jenga features great 3D visuals, realistic physics, and multiple game modes. It’s just as entertaining as the original and deserves a place in our list of must-haves this week.
Check out the rest of this week’s must-have games after the break!
We close out another week with a variety of deals, starting with hardware. There are a number of more than two dozen unibody Mac Book Pros from the Apple Store, starting with a 2.26GHz MacBook Pro for just $929. We also have a new crop of price cuts from the iPad App Store, including “HTML Editor” for just $0.99. Finally, to get you in the holiday spirit is “Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift” from the App Store. This free iPhone or iPad app offers the popular game with holiday-inspired levels.
Along the way, we’ll also check out deals on iMacs, freebie iPhone Apps, an iPhone headset and a winter bundle of applications from MacUpdate. As always, details on these and many more items can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.
Angry Birds Lite is the top downloaded free game on iTunes in 2010.
The pigs-vs-infuriated-fowls diversion beat out Tap Tap Revenge 3, PacMan Lite and Rockband in iTunes Rewind, which highlights the most popular games, music, apps and TV programs in the iTunes Store for 2010.
Angry Birds was also the second most popular free iPhone download overall, trailing Facebook but coming in ahead of Skype and The Weather Channel.
And it’s not just an addictive freebie, either: Rovio’s Angry Birds, the $0.99 version, is also one of the top grossing apps overall.
Its feathered fury is more popular than Call of Duty: Zombies, Tom Tom, Plants vs. Zombies, Tetris and Doodle Jump.
On the wings of this success, Rovio has just announced that they intend to launching Bad Piggy Bank, a new in-game payment system which will allow Angry Birds players to make in-app purchases without going through Apple.
Rovio’s goal is to divorce the game’s in-app purchase system from a reliance upon a credit card. Bad Piggy Bank, then, will launch in Finland (where Rovio is based) on Elisa, the country’s biggest telecom provider, and any in-app purchases will be added to their monthly bill, or even purchase other games, with other countries and telecoms to follow.
It will be interesting to see if this gets Rovio into trouble with kids making in-app purchases. Apple’s policy has been to allow kids’ games to have them, but generally refunds the money to parents if they complain about kids unwittingly buying stuff in apps.
Via iTunes
