Raise a glass, oenophiles — today there’s a new app that’ll let your fuzzy head easily remember that fantastic last glass of wine you had was actually from a bottle of “Emrich-Schönleber Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen Riesling trocken.”

You’ve been waiting for months and months, and it’s finally time. Plants vs. Zombies 2 is finally available in the U.S. App Store after a soft launch last month in Australia and New Zealand.

The download is free, but there are in-app purchases for certain upgrades and power-ups. But it’s not the annoying kind of freemium like Real Racing; you can play through the whole game just fine without having to buy anything. We’ll have a full review up soon.

So what are you waiting for? The sequel to one of the best iOS games in history just came out. Get downloading!

Source: App Store

WordPress has released an update to its iOS app that introduces several improvements. Most notably, the app has a new Reader experience for reading posts from followed blogs, liked posts, favorite topics, etc. Automatiic, the company behind WordPress, has also streamlined how the app handles multiple accounts.

Usually when we mention a Kickstarter project it’s with a mixture of excitement (because it’s like a totally cool product) and disappointment (because it will usually be at least half a year before we see a product, if ever).

However, some of these products make it into stores. The Vaavud is one. It’s a no-power wind-meter which you can buy today.

When I reviewed Kubxlab’s Ampjacket for the iPhone back in May, I found it to be excellent. And as I kept on using it after the review (always a good sign), I got to like it even more. Now, the Ampjacket is available for the iPad mini, and I expect it to be even more useful.

Here’s an interesting little iOS game for you: Rock Paper Missiles is an evolved version of the classic Rock, Paper, Scissors hand game played by millions of kids across the globe. This game, though, is different in two ways. One, it’s a universal app on iOS, which means you can play it on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

Two, it’s got missiles, flamethrowers and grenades.

Rock Paper Missiles is also gorgeously designed, with a monochromatic red-and-white color scheme that really complements the stark and confusing nature of the gameplay.

Command-Tab is probably seared into your muscle memory to switch between running applications while on your Mac. I know it is permanently stuck in mine.

You probably also know that Command-Tab can also be used to quit apps as well, right? And hide apps? To be honest, I knew the first tip, but not the second one, which (to me) makes it worth a share.

One of the most hopeful promises of augmented reality is that it will eventually help us understand the world immediately around us. I’ve always thought one of the best uses of AR technology in this respect was its application to cars: Pan your phone or tablet across an engine bay, for instance, and an AR app will tell you where to put oil or coolant, or which bolts to remove in order to access the battery.

Audi brought us a little closer to this (augmented) reality today with the release of an AR companion app, using technology from German-based AR powerhouse Metaio, for its entry-level A3 that explains features in the cabin and engine bay.

So, Ashton Kutcher, right? His first name is actually Chris. He met up with about a bazillion teen fans at Nickelodeon’s Teen Choice Awards last night to receive the Ultimate Choice Award from the kid-centric cable network, and told them some deep stuff.

First up, according to Kutcher, is that “opportunities look a lot like work.” He said that any job he ever had was never beneath him. And he worked at them hard, and never quit one job until he had another. He then said that “the sexiest thing in the entire world is being really smart, and being thoughtful, and being generous.” Everything else, said the handsome, well-off, successful actor, “is crap; I promise you.”

So far, so good. Then he laid some Steve Jobs wisdom on the young crowd, which got increasingly quiet during the five minute acceptance speech.

A new report from Bloomberg reiterates previous reports on Apple’s plans for the iPad family this year. According to Bloomberg, the fifth-gen iPad will be thinner with a design that more closely matches the iPad mini. The Wall Street Journal reported the exact same thing this morning. Expect thinner bezels around the display.

Bloomberg has also said that the iPad mini will be Retina-ified “in the last three months of the year” alongside the release of the 10-inch iPad 5. Awhile back there was a scare that we wouldn’t see a Retina iPad mini until 2014 due to manufacturing problems, but things are looking good now.

At this point in the rumor mill, certain bits of news are all but confirmed, like the September 10th date for Apple’s next iPhone event. Bloomberg is backing that date after it was reported by multiple other sources recently. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C.

Source: Bloomberg