Daily iPhone App: Ion Racer crashes through for SGN

Ion Racer is the latest title from SGN, which is a collection companies assembled by MySpace founder Chris DeWolfe. I recently met with DeWolfe, who shared his thoughts on social networking. While it propelled MySpace and music in the beginning (around 2008), DeWolfe had suspicions about where it was going. "What really came to mind," he said, "was gaming." Today, the App Store generates billions of dollars a year, and a big chunk of that comes from games. DeWolfe was right.

DeWolfe has since formed up SGN (out of Mindjolt and a few other casual gaming companies) to move a few big social and mobile titles forward, and "roll up a bunch of companies that really are synergistic." SGN will release several titles this year (in addition to the successful Lil Flippers and Fluff Friends Rescue), including Ion Racer.

Ion Racer is a casual racing game with an endless runner/Jetpack Joyride style. You race a futuristic car along the track using the tilt controls, blasting through barriers to get a boost of speed or increased health.

There are three main missions to complete, and the overall goal is to earn "Kions" to improve your car and gain perks. Ion Racer plays fast and loose. The controls aren't as tight as they could be, but the game is so easy to restart that you're never too concerned about losing any one time. There's a fair amount of depth in the racing as well, so if you really practice at it, you can get pretty good as you climb up through the missions.

DeWolfe did tell me that devices like the iPhone are a big draw for companies like his, the App Store is "so frictionless in terms of buying items in the game." Indeed, Ion Racer is heavily driven by in-app purchases. You can earn the currency through races, obviously, but there's also a screen just waiting to take your money if you'd rather purchase perks and upgrades. Ion Racer is currently 99 cents on the App Store, and it's worth the buck, but I suspect that with in-app purchases placed so prominently in the app, it's only a matter of time before things go freemium.

It certainly sounds like DeWolfe has his work cut out for him, but he and his company have a solid foundation if they can keep releasing games like this one.

Daily iPhone App: Ion Racer crashes through for SGN originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPhone App: Ion Racer crashes through for SGN originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Physics of Angry Birds updated for Space

Ah, remember the early days of Angry Birds? Back when we were still fascinated by those frustrated feathered creatures and the hogs they so vehemently want to take down? That's when writer and physicist Rhett Allain published his original "Physics of Angry Birds" article, which used the original game to examine some real-life physics theory and equations.

Now, Allain is back to take a look at the Angry Birds Space sequel/spinoff/update and the physics contained therein. As you might imagine, there's quite a bit to work with here -- the Space version includes gravity around smaller planets, so Allain is able to actually go through the various equations that govern movement between two different bodies.

It's a nice long read (especially interesting if you're into math and physics, of course), but basically Allain finds that the birds aren't really dealing with gravity, just a coded representation of such. And perhaps more interestingly, Allain also says that the Space version of the birds contains pretty much, in a physics sense, the same slingshot as the original version. This makes sense (it's easier to code, obviously, having already done it once), but it also means that even though birds are floating through space in the spinoff, and flying across the ground in the first title, they're still starting with that same initial speed and force in both.

[via MacStories]

The Physics of Angry Birds updated for Space originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 22:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Physics of Angry Birds updated for Space originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 22:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spotify lifts track limits on free accounts, struggles to stand out in streaming market

Good news for European fans of the streaming music service Spotify: The company has lifted the five-track replay limit per day for users of the free service in Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands and Spain. Additionally, US users will get their current six-month free trial extended, but it's not yet clear just how long that trial will last. Presumably, Spotify is seeing a lot of action from free users, both on the desktop and with its mobile app, and now the company's challenge is going to be to keep these free users around.

Personally, I am fully on board with music streaming as the way of the future. I honestly can't remember the last time I downloaded an mp3 and before that, can't remember the last time I actually bought a CD. I've been using Spotify, Pandora, and Slacker, all in different places for different reasons. Among those three, there hasn't been any music that I've wanted to listen to but haven't found.

But for each of these companies, their goal going forward will have to be to become the standard. Right now, with each of these competing services, there are reasons for and against using them, with the most likely divider being that one of them is just the one you're used to using, or the one you heard about first. Until they come up with a really clear difference (such as, for example, a really great free program that is somehow monetized in a creative way), we'll continue to see these services struggle to reach a dominant spot.

[via TNW]

Spotify lifts track limits on free accounts, struggles to stand out in streaming market originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Spotify lifts track limits on free accounts, struggles to stand out in streaming market originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Handcircus set to return to iOS with free game based on Okabu

Simon Oliver's Handcircus studio was one of the biggest winners in the early days of the App Store. His game Rolando was originally published by Ngmoco back before the company went completely bonkers with social and free-to-play casual games. After Rolando 2 sort of sputtered out into the marketplace, hamstrung by Ngmoco's own strategy, Oliver and his company strayed away from iOS and created a game called Okabu for the PlayStation Network.

Oliver is coming back to iOS, according to The Guardian. The company has been working on a new mobile title set in the same universe as Okabu that will again be free-to-play. But before Rolando fans worry, don't forget that the app market changed a lot in the few years since Rolando was released, and Oliver himself has changed as well. "When Ngmoco decided to go free-to-play, I didn't know how to make games like that," he tells the Guardian. "But ideas have been bubbling away for the last couple of years."

I'm interested to see what Oliver gets up to. He suggests that Handcircus still may use a third-party publisher to get the game out, which is a little bit worrying. But it'll be good to have one of the biggest original iPhone devs back on the platform with a new release.

Handcircus set to return to iOS with free game based on Okabu originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Handcircus set to return to iOS with free game based on Okabu originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily iPhone App: MyTunes Pro makes your music sound better

MyTunes has been on the App Store for a little while. It's developed by SRS that uses that company's patented sound enhancement algorithms to make music sound "better." It's not completely clear what the algorithm does (as SRS wants to keep it secret), but basically, the tech boosts and lowers certain qualities in audio to make it clearer and more listenable.

MyTunes Pro is the new version of MyTunes. I saw it in action at CES earlier this year, and it's now available for the iPhone and the iPad (here's the HD version). The biggest update is that you can use AirPlay directly with the app. This lets you push your iTunes library through MyTunes Pro's enhancer, and then kick it out to an AirPlay system.

You'll also find new controls for a system called "TruSpeed," which will speed up or slow down your audio without changing the pitch (so you can listen to more podcasts in less time). A new "workout mode" lets you gather songs by tempo (BPS). The interface of the app has been updated as well. Unfortunately, it's still pretty laggy (and doesn't really feel like a native interface), but it is a little easier to navigate and use than earlier versions.

MyTunes Pro is free to try, so if you just want to hear what it does to your music, you can download it and give it a try (you get 10 minutes a day, unless you pay an in-app purchase of US$6.99).

It's an app that's of somewhat limited use, because you can only listen to music in your iTunes library. iOS doesn't let audio from services like Pandora or Slacker get processed. Still, if you listen to music coming off of your iOS device all day, and would like it to sound even better (or just want to have a really capable EQ to use on it), MyTunes Pro should do exactly that.

Daily iPhone App: MyTunes Pro makes your music sound better originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPhone App: MyTunes Pro makes your music sound better originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple, Motorola discuss Xoom in Düsseldorf courtroom

Apple and Motorola finally got to face each other in a German courtroom earlier this week, according to reports from Dow Jones. In this case, they're arguing over Motorola's Xoom tablet, and Apple is saying that it's too similar to the iPad. The judge in the courtroom meeting, however, apparently suggested that the Xoom's shape clearly makes it different and obviously Motorola's counsel supported that argument.

Apple and Motorola have gone back and forth on this and other arguments about patents worldwide -- at this point, it's not so much an argument of who's actually right so much as it is just deciding the messy issue of whose patents get to stand and whose don't. A ruling in this case, in Germany, is set to be decided May 31.

[via Electronista]

Apple, Motorola discuss Xoom in Düsseldorf courtroom originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple, Motorola discuss Xoom in Düsseldorf courtroom originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The one OMGPOP employee who turned down Zynga

When Zynga announced that it bought OMGPOP, the developer of the newly minted hit Draw Something, a lot of people shared some frustration. Zynga has earned a reputation as a less-than-popular developer out there, and the fear is that Draw Something, which currently has a relatively simple charm, will get overloaded with social cruft and other nonsense. But at least one person out there has a real problem with the Zynga takeover: Developer Shay Pierce actually walked away from his job because of it.

His story is an interesting one, and he wrote it up over at Gamasutra earlier today. Basically, he was a developer for OMGPOP (though he says he didn't actually work on Draw Something), and when the news came down that Zynga was acquiring the company, he was concerned about his own iPhone app. Pierce published a puzzle game called Connectrode on his own time (with his employer's blessing), but he was worried that self publishing like that wouldn't fly under Zynga's banner.

And indeed, long story short, it didn't. He was basically told to stop publishing on his own or leave the company, and instead of joining up with the house that Farmville built, he quit his job. It sounds like he'll be all right -- he was compensated for his leaving, is planning to work as an independent developer for a while, and the press from this has probably grabbed a nice bump in sales for his game, I'm sure.

Still, Pierce doesn't mince words talking about Zynga. "When an entity exists in an ecosystem, and acts within that ecosystem in a way that is short-sighted, behaving in a way that is actively destructive to the healthy functioning of that ecosystem and the other entities in it (including, in the long term, themselves)," he writes, "yes, I believe that that is evil. And I believe that Zynga does exactly that."

I would agree that many of things Zynga is doing (mostly revolving around its social and casual games) are unsustainable. Its audiences need to grow to continue to make the company successful, and Zynga has built a model so thin on gameplay that I believe there's a limit to just how interested in these games people can become. But I wouldn't argue that the company is evil -- being a flash in the pan just makes them a fad, not the devil.

Still, you may disagree. I think the final part of this story is to see what happens to Draw Something over the next weeks and months. The app has garnered such a huge audience so quickly that it seems as though it'll be very difficult for even Zynga to hold that interest for long. As for Pierce, he's made his choice, and we'll look forward to what he's working on next.

The one OMGPOP employee who turned down Zynga originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The one OMGPOP employee who turned down Zynga originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Japanese robot pet powered by iPhone

Robotic pets are kind of kid stuff here in the US, but they're a big deal over in Japan, and here's one that takes advantage of the iPhone's popularity. The Smartpet is a robotic dog that "borrows" the iPhone as head unit. The body is mechanical, of course, but the head uses the iPhone's touchscreen (and even the camera) to control the dog's movement.

Not only does the touchscreen show over 100 different facial animations for the virtual pet, but apparently the included app will also learn to recognize your face and voice, and will recognize gesture movements through the iPhone's camera.

There's no word on availability for North America yet, and this one may not make it over here at all. It will be available on April 24 in Japan, for around $80.

Japanese robot pet powered by iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Japanese robot pet powered by iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily iPhone App: Battleloot Adventure tweaks turn-based RPG combat

When I first heard about Battleloot Adventure, it was being compared to the great Battleheart game on iOS. That's a fair comparison given the way the game looks, but I think I have a much better one: old-school Final Fantasy, with a focus on combat. As you might have expected, Battleloot Adventure pares down the old turn-based RPG genre to its core -- there's not a lot of story here, and your adventurers just sort of stumble across each other within the first few missions, as you're taught the mechanics of fighting with a party.

But once everything has filled out, Battleloot Adventure does well using the iPhone and iPad's touchscreen to bring the old Final Fantasy-style combat system to life. You have four party members, and each one is assigned a color, each of which is strong or weak against certain enemy colors. You can simply attack with one group member per round, or you can expend energy by pulling in other members in the same around. And there are also special attacks that each character can use (that will go off automatically). Just like in Battleheart, the game takes place across a series of combat challenges, and it's your goal to beat the bad guys, earning XP and loot.

The biggest drawback here is that because the combat system takes center stage, it's also very complicated. This wouldn't be an issue if the UI was a little clearer, but unfortunately, it's not -- sometimes it's very hard to determine exactly what color an enemy actually is, or why a certain character just sits there breathing annoyingly loudly rather than fighting when you tap on them. All the game does in the way of explanation is in the tutorial, so if you don't pay attention and learn strategy fast, the game's depth won't really make itself apparent.

That's too bad, however, because there is a really fun and interesting combat system here. If you can work past the game's sometimes unworkable UI, you'll find a lot of fun. Battleloot Adventure is available now, for 99 cents on either the iPhone or the iPad HD version (they are not Universal).

Daily iPhone App: Battleloot Adventure tweaks turn-based RPG combat originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPhone App: Battleloot Adventure tweaks turn-based RPG combat originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Users take to iOS 5.1 surprisingly quickly

Developer David Smith has posted upgrade stats for his users in terms of their adoption to iOS 5.1, and as you can see above, the curve is pretty steep. iOS upgrading has always been sort of an issue for Apple -- in the past, users (I mean outside of the elite readers and staff of TUAW, of course) haven't been quite so willing to upgrade so quickly, and Apple is always trying to push users towards the newest iOS versions for developers' sake. But clearly iOS 5.1 has made a big splash, especially since it's the first big update that's available to download right over the air onto your device, rather than requiring a link up to iTunes on a computer.

And outside of the Apple ecosystem, this is still pretty phenomenal: Smith says that in 15 days, the latest version of iOS has just as many users as any single version of Android. That's the fragmentation that developers are trying to avoid with iOS, and that Android is suffering from. The more you can unite your users onto the same platform and operating system, the better chance you have of supporting them all with whatever resources you have.

[via MacRumors]

Users take to iOS 5.1 surprisingly quickly originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Users take to iOS 5.1 surprisingly quickly originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily iPhone App: Save My Telly builds a new twist on physics puzzlers

Save My Telly is the first physics puzzler game I've seen in a while that really surprised me. When I say "physics puzzler," you probably think Angry Birds or Cut the Rope, and these days on iPhone, 90% of the time you'd be right. But Save My Telly, which began as a Flash game that you can also play for free right here, is talking about a different kind of physics, really. In the game, you need to use physically modeled objects not to destroy, but to build.

Specifically, you need to build a shelter for a beaver's most prized possession: His television. Using everything from wooden planks up to straw and steel, you set down objects either on each other or the TV, and then each of your structures needs to withstand whatever natural disaster the beaver faces that day, from tornados to rainstorms or even alien attacks. The game's tone is fun and silly, but there's actually a very solid engine at the core of this one, that models the different physical materials well.

Unfortunately, there's not a ton of content here -- it's basically just the 60 single player challenges. There's a lot of complexity to go through in those, however, and there are a few different settings to mix it all up as well. Game Center integration is included, and if nothing else, Save My Telly should be lauded for trying something a little different with the whole physics puzzler sub-genre. If you like playing the game at the link above, give it a download on the App Store for 99 cents.

Daily iPhone App: Save My Telly builds a new twist on physics puzzlers originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPhone App: Save My Telly builds a new twist on physics puzzlers originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily iPad App: The Lost Shapes builds a puzzle connection

The Lost Shapes is a recently released puzzle game that's not a bad title. You have a queue of tiles with lines and corners on them on the side of the screen, and you're meant to tap them out in order to make certain shapes. It's like Tetris, sort of: You have to manage both the queue of pieces coming down, as well as try to switch around shapes on the board to try and line things up in as few moves as possible.

There's both a survival mode and a shape mode. The first just asks you to put together as many shapes as you can for as long as possible, and the second gives you some target shapes to make. The game is well-polished, and the little in-game character ends up being relatively charming, even if at first, I just wanted him to get out of the way and let me play around with the game.

The Lost Shapes is a quality title from dreamfab. The gameplay is definitely nice and deep, as you learn more and more about how to build shapes, both from your queue and from the tiles you've placed on the board, and with both the shape and survival mode "campaigns," there's plenty of content to explore and play with. If you're looking for a fun puzzle title to play around with, you can grab it in the store for $2.99.

Daily iPad App: The Lost Shapes builds a puzzle connection originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Mar 2012 23:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPad App: The Lost Shapes builds a puzzle connection originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Mar 2012 23:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Baldur’s Gate coming to iPad

An enhanced edition of Baldur's Gate was announced this month by developers Overhaul Games (which includes a few devs from Bioware that worked on the title originally), and now there's even better news: That enhanced version is also making its way to the iPad. The game will be out on Apple's tablet at the same time as the PC release, and it will include all of the updates and new content as the other platform. Additionally, there will be iPad-specific controls, such as pinching to zoom in and out and dragging to choose units to control. While they're not done yet, Overhaul says there will be more touch-friendly menus and buttons in the interface as well.

Which is just awesome, if you ask me or any other old-school gamer with fond memories of the Baldur's Gate series. We'll obviously keep both eyes out for this one. The game is due out sometime later on this summer.

Baldur's Gate coming to iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Baldur's Gate coming to iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily iPhone App: Beatstream

Beatstream is the latest app from the folks at Smule (who recently acquired Khush, another music-loving developer, and I can kind of see their influence here as well). Usually, Smule's apps are based around creation of music, but Beatstream is a little more targeted towards listening to your music (at least at first). The idea is that you can pull any music from your iTunes library, and Beatstream will turn it into a game, the game-iest game that I've ever seen Smule make. You basically control an arrow running along a path, and you can tap on the screen to flip it through two different colors, which match barriers running along the path in front of you. The goal is to make sure that when your little arrow crosses the barriers, it's the same color. Matching colors and going through levels you up, and missing the colors brings you back down.

It's fun, and even on the easiest setting, the barriers show up on the screen quickly enough that there is a little bit of a challenge trying to make sure the arrow is flipped the right way before going through them. There are also badges to earn, and unlike standard achievements, these actually change the gameplay a little bit, or even trip up the way the music sounds, like making it go faster or play in some crazy fashion.

The one caveat with the music in Beatstream is that, like all other apps that pull music from your library, it won't work with DRM-protected songs, so if there's anything on your device from before 2009, you might not be able to play it. Same deal with long songs -- I had a few really long songs that just didn't work. But I was able to get a shorter song working without a problem, and while you could tell the song was matched with an algorithm (rather than by hand, like a Rock Band or Guitar Hero song), it still played well along with the music anyway.

Beatstream is a cool way to experience your music while tapping along with that little arrow. I don't think it'll be a tentpole release for Smule -- it doesn't quite have that music creation streak that has led them to so much success with apps like Ocarina and Magic Piano. But it's a quality addition to their library for sure -- it's 99 cents on the App Store right now.

Daily iPhone App: Beatstream originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPhone App: Beatstream originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New games and updates on the App Store: Hunger Games, Dragonvale, more

Angry Birds Space wasn't the only big new release to hit the App Store last night. Here are some other noteworthy apps and updates that are now available (all prices are USD).

• Canabalt creator Adam Saltzman's new game, which is based on the upcoming Hunger Games movie, is now available as a free promotional app. It looks excellent, and features Saltzman's game design prowess as well as music from composer Danny B.
• Hunters 2 is a sequel to the great turn-based strategy title that looks awesome. It's $4.99.
• Chillingo has dropped an endless runner game in which you control a roller coaster called MadCoaster, as well as a good-looking physics puzzler called Light the Flower. Both are 99 cents.
• Swordigo is a 2D hack-and-slash RPG with impressive graphics. It's launching at $1.99.
• BattleLoot Adventure is a Final Fantasy-style RPG that looks excellent. It costs $0.99
• Smule has released a brand new title called Beatstream that turns your own music into a playable game for $0.99.
• Pocket Gems has released a new freemium title called Tap Paradise Cove.
• 99 Games' Nightclub Mayhem has arrived on the iPad for $0.99.
• Big updates include the beautiful Zen Bound 2 ($0.99) which is now ready for the new iPad.
• DragonVale (free) got a nice update with a new dragon to seek out, and new buildings to put up.
• And Scribblenauts Remix ($0.99) has some new spring break content to download and play with.

Man, that's a lot of new games and content to play with. Stay tuned, as we'll be covering a few of these more closely in the days to come.

New games and updates on the App Store: Hunger Games, Dragonvale, more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New games and updates on the App Store: Hunger Games, Dragonvale, more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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circleof6 app aims to prevent sexual violence

The White House put together a competition last year to try and encourage developers to build mobile apps dedicated to helping stop sexual violence, and a winner of that competition has just arrived in the App Store.

circle of 6 is that app -- it's an emergency notifier that allows anyone to choose six close friends or family members, put all of their contact information in and have it be ready to go, and then be able to send a series of pre-entered texts that can be packed with information about when and where the user is.

Within two taps, the app is designed to allow the user to send out everything they'd need to easily and quickly ask for help, regardless of where they are or what's going on. We covered both Circle of 6 and a few other contenders for the award back when the winners were announced last year, and a lot of good work went in to making this do what it's supposed to do.

The app also has a lot of information included on how to help prevent sexual violence and dangerous situations when out and about, and there are also shortcuts to two national hotlines and even local emergency numbers. This is the kind of app that you really hope nobody has to ever use, but if someone who is in a dangerous situation has an opportunity to use it and get help, then all of this fine work will be completely worth it.

Circle of 6 is a free download from the App Store right now.

[hat tip to The Frisky]

circleof6 app aims to prevent sexual violence originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

circleof6 app aims to prevent sexual violence originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint: iPhone customers are “more profitable” than others

In an interview with Mobile World Live, Sprint's CEO Dan Hesse says that iPhone users are some of the best cellphone users to have around.

Not only are iPhone customers "more profitable" (in that they just plain spend more money, given the price of the iPhone itself), but Hesse says iPhone users are also more loyal to Sprint (with "a lower level of churn"), and they actually use "less data on average than a high-end 4G Android device." That combination of more money coming in with fewer services going out means that iPhone customers are apparently just as premium as Sprint as the devices those customers use.

That's probably why Hesse spent $15 billion last year to get the phone on his network in the first place. Given how happy he seems to be about the whole situation, it must have been worth it.

[via Ars Technica & BGR]

Sprint: iPhone customers are "more profitable" than others originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sprint: iPhone customers are "more profitable" than others originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zynga acquires Draw Something dev OMGPOP for $200 million

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how App Store fortunes are made. We've posted already about the almost overnight success of Draw Something, an app that has picked up over 30 million downloads and even beaten Zynga at its own game on Facebook. And because everyone knows that Zynga has plenty of cash and just needs as many users as it can get, the check has apparently been written: The company is expected to announce the acquisition of Draw Something's developer, OMGPOP, at a press conference happening in just a bit later on today. All Things Digital says it has indeed been confirmed.

OMGPOP has a few different titles out, as well as a New York-based team of about 40 people. But what Zynga is really after here is the audience -- its games are social, so the more people playing them the better, and with the overnight audience of Draw Something, Zynga can promote its other games quite a bit.

As for OMGPOP, my guess is that the company hasn't had too much success on the App Store until now, and basically decided to get on the money train while it's still in the station. Zynga's known for swooping in fast on deals like this -- if things had gone the other way, and OMGPOP had decided to hold out and try to really monetize the app on their own, odds are we would have seen Zynga try to take advantage of Draw Something's popularity anyway.

At any rate, congrats to the OMGPOP team. Plenty of Draw Something players are groaning on Twitter, and lots of them are hoping that Zynga doesn't ruin what's still a pretty good and clean experience. But you never know -- with Zynga's resources, maybe Draw Something will turn into something even better yet.

Zynga acquires Draw Something dev OMGPOP for $200 million originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Zynga acquires Draw Something dev OMGPOP for $200 million originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New iPad uses Retina graphics assets for upscaling

Touch Arcade noticed something interesting about the new iPad that you might not have seen yet. Specifically, it uses Retina Display graphics meant for the iPhone 4 and 4S displays when doubling the size of non-universal iPhone apps.

This is a small use case these days, as many popular apps are universal. But there are still a few apps without dedicated iPad compatibility built in, and the new iPad will now use the Retina-style graphics when pixel doubling the image.

The screenshot above is a representation of what it looks like. You'd only be able to see the real difference on a new iPad's display. The upscaled graphics still aren't as perfect as full-sized iPad graphics, but they look much better than the original iPhone-sized versions, especially when spread across the new iPad's big screen. This means even apps that aren't designed for your iPad (but have built-in compatibility for a Retina Display) will look much better than they did before.

New iPad uses Retina graphics assets for upscaling originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New iPad uses Retina graphics assets for upscaling originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily iPhone App: Sky Defenders

There's two big things I really don't like about Sky Defenders. First, the game is basically a reskinned clone of the much better Tilt to Live, so if for some strange reason you still haven't played that one yet, go ahead and download the original and see how this "reactive shooter" genre is done. The second issue I have with Sky Defenders is that the game depends heavily on Facebook integration, so much so that when it first starts up, you're asked to log into Facebook right away, though you can still get into the game by hitting a small, gray "Play Offline" button. I really dislike being so pressured to be social -- maybe that's a reality for the developers, but if I was just coming along to this game without knowing what it was, I probably wouldn't have gotten any farther than the Facebook login before I gave up.

All of that said, there is fun to be had here, especially today, as the game is currently available for free. You play as a superhero, and just like the aforementioned Tilt to Live, you use the tilt controls to slide around the screen, grabbing and using powerups against waves and waves of invading robots and trying to score points inside a time limit. The graphics are definitely colorful and polished, and there are quite a few different powers to try and a nice bit of depth to gameplay. There are freemium powerups to explore as well, but they come across as very spammy. Fortunately, the app just had an update that upped the amount of credits you earn just by playing, which makes the powerups a little more useful.

Of course, most of that is sadly "borrowed" from Tilt to Live. But if you really love Tilt to Live and could use a little different spin on things, Sky Defenders is a free download right now.

Daily iPhone App: Sky Defenders originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPhone App: Sky Defenders originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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