• app store,  games,  ios,  iphone,  ipod touch

    Infinity Blade II Gets Bumped to 1.1

    April 12, 2012 /

    This morning, I woke to find that Chair has bumped Infinity Blade II to version 1.1.   Whoo-hoo!!

    NEW CONTENT PACK! Infinity Blade II: ClashMob™!

    • Jump into the all-new, globally social battle mode: ClashMob, featuring dynamic challenges that will test your strategic mettle.

    • Recruit friends and team up together in MyMob and earn special perks as well as unlock new achievements & rewards!

    • Upgrade your weapons by crafting the most powerful gems available in the all-new Gem Forge.

    • More than two dozen new weapons, magic rings, gems and equipment to collect, wield and master.
    • Fully supporting iOS 5.1, with gameplay enhancements and updates for overall optimized gameplay.

    • All for free! Infinity Blade II is now better than ever!
    For a limited time, you an buy Infinity Blade II for $4.99 from the App Store.  If you have perviously purchased Infinity Blade II, the update, as always, is free.

    Infinity Blade II is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
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  • app store,  games,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod touch

    Max Payne Mobile “Hits” iOS

    April 12, 2012 /

    Just a short while ago, Max Payne Mobile just “hit” in the US iTunes App Store for iOS devices.

    [Parental Warning: Parents, you’ll want to check out this game before you outright buy it for your kids.  It’s a violent game.]

    For those who may not remember Max Payne on the PC platform, here’s a brief summary from the App Store.

    “A fugitive undercover cop framed for murder, hunted by cops and the mob, Max is a man with his back against the wall, fighting a battle he cannot hope to win. Max Payne is a relentless story-driven game about a man on the edge, fighting to clear his name while struggling to uncover the truth about his slain family amongst a myriad of plot-twists.”

    I remember Max Payne for it’s famous “Bullet Time” gimmick.  Bullet Time became a popular game mechanic because it was similar to the slow motion bullets whizzing by Neo in “The Matrix” films.

    Max Payne Mobile is available now in the US iTunes App Store for $2.99 (App Store Link).  This universal app runs on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 4, iPad 1, iPad 2, the new iPad.

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  • app store,  apple,  mac,  mac os x,  macbook pro

    Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Impressions

    June 7, 2011 /

    Apple is packing 250 new features into the next version of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, and most prominent among them are muli-touch gestures.

    With iOS, we have been taught how to interact with a computer through touch.  With Mac OS X Lion, Apple is bringing all of the same core concepts to our MacBooks, and desktop Macs via the Magic Mouse and Magic TrackPad.

    Interestingly, Apple reporting that well over 60% of their Mac sales are MacBooks, so if you feel that all this muti-touch stuff favors the notebook family — I’d have to agree with you.  I’m not sure how how well these new features will play out, say with a Magic Mouse which looks to have about half of the surface area as the track pad on my 17-inch MacBook Pro.

    Regardless, of how you interact with your Mac, I’m less worried that Apple is trying to “dumb down” Mac OS X to work more like the iPhone.  I think today’s announcement of new Mac OS X features are impressive and that I’d most of them.

    In addition to Multi-Touch, Apple demoed nine other tent pole features, including: Full-Screen Apps, Misson Control, the new Mac App Store,  Launchpad, Resume, Auto Save, Versions, AirDrop, and a redesigned Mail application.  Mac OS X 10.7 Lion will go on sale in July for $29.99 and will be sold exclusively via the Mac App Store.  Once you purchase Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, you will be able to install it on any Mac that you own and have setup your Apple ID account on.  Additionally, for those people who need it, Mac OS X Server is now a separate applications bundle you buy from the Mac App Store.  The server bundle is expected to cost about $50 and it is no longer a separate operating system that you have to purchase.

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  • app store,  games,  ipad,  iphone,  itunes,  mac os x,  popcap,  touch

    Plants vs. Zombies HD on Sale

    May 29, 2011 /

    PopCap’s popular game Plants vs. Zombies HD for iPad and iPad 2 is on sale right now for $1.99 (iTunes link).  PvZ, as it is often referred to, is normally $6.99.

    If you haven’t played before, the premise is that you control a variety of plants and mushrooms to stop the zombie horde that is invading your yard from the cemetery across the street.  Oh, and your neighbor, Crazy Dave shows up every now and again to sell you more seeds and other important upgrades.  The best part of the game, for me anyway, are all of the wonderful plants and things in your zombie busting arsenal.  It’s hard to look cute and slightly irritated all at the same time.

    Sounds weird, I know.  Until you play it.  My kids and I started off playing the web version, and I decided that we like the game enough to buy the Mac OS X version.  For a while there, I was super addicted to the game because I wanted to make it all the way to the end of the game and not get stuck on a tough level.

    PopCap also has a version of PvZ for the iPhone/iPod touch for $2.99 (iTunes link).  You can also purchase the Mac OS X version from the Mac App Store for $9.99 (App Store link) or, if you’re on a Windows PC, you can purchase the game directly from the PopCap website.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98v7Jq6IFrE]

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  • android,  android market,  app store,  apple,  google,  ios

    Google Uses Remote Kill Switch, Secures Compromised Handsets [Updated]

    March 7, 2011 /

    According to a new report from Boy Genius Report, Google has used the remote kill switch feature in the Android operating system to kill and remove malware installed on Android phones.

    “To try and fix the problem, Google has started using a remote kill switch feature in Android to wirelessly nuke those installed apps on user’s handsets. That’s not the entire story, though, as Google is actually installing new code in the process. The new code undoes the exploit and prevents your data from being shared, and it’s kind of creepy to plainly see how much control Google has over your Android phone from afar. “

    I’m glad to see that Google is using their powers for good.  Earlier uses of the kill switch angered users, if not make them a bit paranoid that Google has a back door into their devices.  But I have to wonder, shouldn’t Google have done a better job of curating their Android Market and have prevented these apps from becoming available for download in the first place.

    Regardless of whether or not you believe the Android platform and the Android Market is any more or less “open” and the Apple iOS platform and the App Store, it is up to us, the consumer, to make sure we know and understand what software we are installing on our devices.

    Update

    ComputerWorld has posted an article covering this issue online, stating:

    “Last Wednesday, Google removed more than 50 infected apps published by three different developers from its marketplace, but didn’t trigger automatic uninstalls until several days later.”

    You can read the full article on the ComputerWorld website.
    [Via BGR.com…]

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  • app store,  apple,  mac,  mac os x,  macbook pro

    Mac App Store Arrives Tomorrow

    January 6, 2011 /

    Apple is set to fling open the virtual doors of their new Mac App Store tomorrow if reports around the web are accurate.

    The Mac App Store will bring the iOS App Store experience to Macintosh computers running Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.  Mac users will be able to browse the Apple hosted selection of Apple and third-partyy developers applications for Mac OS X, and with one click, purchase, download, and install the software on their computers.

    Apple will list free and paid apps, and developers will be given the same 70/30 revenue split currently in effect in the iOS App Store.

    The Mac App Store will go live tomorrow, Jan 6, at 12 noon eastern, 9am pacific.

    [Via AppleInsider.com…]

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  • app store,  apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  itunes

    Apple Releases Minor iBooks Update (Again)

    July 24, 2010 /

    Apple has released a minor update to their iBooks application, 1.1.2. From what I can tell, the update has been released to address an issue that some customers were having installing the iBooks 1.1.1 update that was released just a few days ago.

    You can download and install iBooks 1.1.2 on your iPad with iOS 3.2 and iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 4.0 or later installed. Hit the App Store icon on your iDevice or use the iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC to download the update.

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