Subatomic Studio’s tower defence game Fieldrunners was one of the first big iOS smash hits, so it really is about time for today’s announcement of a sequel for the game. Fieldrunners 2 will be coming to the iPhone at the end of June, with the iPad version being released just after. Subatomic says that the sequel will have more than 20 hand-painted levels across four distinct zones, from grassy fields to big cities, not to mention the secret volcano base. I said don’t mention the secret volcano base! Players will be armed with more than 20 upgradeable towers and customizable loadouts as they try to find new strategies to defend each unique map. Among the towers that fans can look forward to playing with are the limbo-of-death Link tower, the sniper-style Railgun tower, and the self-explanatory Nuke tower. As well as basic survival and newly revamped time trial maps, new map types have been added, including puzzle maps and sudden death maps. Also thrown in for good measure are air strikes and precision-based power up attacks.

And as you might expect with all this new hardware, there are more enemies than ever before too, with over 30 different types, all of them out to conquer your bases at any cost, and more relentless than ever as well!

Feast your eyes on the first screenshot - looking good!

Source:
Subatomic Studios

Sony Network Entertainment International today announced that its Music Unlimited app for iOS will be available to download in the App Store from this Friday, May 25. The new free app gives the user access to the service’s global catalog of millions of tracks on the go, enabling the user to listen to their music library, playlists and channels, as well as easily add songs to playlists, discover related artists and tracks, and browse by genre. Although the app is free to download, you’ll have to pay the following for the subscription service: Basic subscription is $3.99, GBP$3.99, EUR$3.99, AU$4.99, CAD$3.99, NZ$5.99, DK 49.00, FI 3.99, NO 49.00 and SE 49.00 per month; Premium subscription is $9.99, GBP$9.99, EUR$9.99, AU$12.99, CAD$9.99, NZ$13.99, DK 89.00, FI 9.99, NO 89.00 and SE 89.00 per month

"With the proliferation of connected devices, consumers expect complete access to their digital entertainment and demand a consistent experience regardless of the device," said Tim Schaaff, President of Sony Network Entertainment International. "Bringing the Music Unlimited service to iPhone and iPod touch is one of the many ways we are able to reach more music lovers around the world while ensuring the same level of high-quality entertainment that is associated with the overall Sony Entertainment Network experience."

Originally launched in December 2010, the Music Unlimited service now reaches 16 countries and is available on a wide range of Sony and non-Sony devices. The cloud-based digital music service hosts a global catalog of over 15 million licensed songs, including all major US labels, leading independent labels, and major publishers worldwide.

Source:
Sony Network Entertainment International via PR Newswire

9to5 Mac reports on the announcement today by Meta Watch of a smartwatch that links up with your iOS device via the low-energy Bluetooth 4.0 technology. The watch is designed to work in conjunction with an iOS app that can be used to customize the notifications that will appear on the display. According to 9to5 Mac, not only will the smartwatch be able to display the usual info that you might expect, such as mail and phone call notifications, it will also be able display almost any sort of data that the user chooses. 9to5 Mac says that Meta Watch, which comprises ex-Nokia and Fossil executives, has managed to overcome early teething troubles involved in getting the watch to interface with iOS, thanks to being able to use Bluetooth 4.0. The smartwatch has a 96x96 pixel LCD display, 6 fully programmable buttons, a 3-axis accelerometer, vibrating motor, and ambient light sensor, and is due to go on sale sometime this month, for $199.

Source:
Meta Watch announces first Bluetooth 4.0 smartwatch for iOS, ships to devs this month | 9to5Mac | Apple Intelligence
MetaWatch - Home

According to a report on AppleInsider today, Sony is one of several companies commissioned by Apple to supply in-cell displays for the next iPhone. AppleInsider says that the news comes via the Taipei Times, which also says that Sony and the likes of Japan’s Sharp Corp and Toshiba Mobile Display, and South Korea’s LG Display will begin production of the displays for Apple by the end of May, in time for the phone’s rumoured launch this fall. AppleInsider notes that the in-cell technology is a means of making a thinner smartphone, due to the display’s capacitive touch sensors being embedded into the LCD filter array as opposed to the usual method whereby two components are stacked on separate sheets of glass. Apparently the process is a complex one, however, making it more difficult for just one manufacturer to provide enough screens at a fast enough pace for Apple’s needs, hence the use of several different manufacturers.

Source:
Sony added to list of in-cell display suppliers for next-gen iPhone

Cnet writes that the 16th Annual Webby Awards paid a moving tribute to the late Steve Jobs with a video presentation featuring the likes of President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, George Lucas, and Bono from U2. The video was introduced by the actors John Hodgman and Justin Long, who played the “PC” and “Mac” in Apple’s famous series of ads. Actor Richard Dreyfuss, who had previously been the narrator for Apple’s “Think Different” ad, also gave his own individual tribute to Jobs before the video, saying that Jobs was “the exception that proves the rule.” Others featured in the video include Al Gore, Buzz Aldrin, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Sarah Silverman, Jimmy Fallon, Arianna Huffington and Vint Cerf. When you look at this, it makes you sad all over again. As President Obama says in his tribute, “The truth is when we are talking about Steve Jobs, we only need one word: amazing.”

Source: Obama, Clinton pay tribute to Steve Jobs at the Webbys | Apple - CNET News

9to5 Mac reports today that it has heard from its sources in the know that Apple is currently in the process of testing several different versions of the next iPhone, with at least one of the prototypes having a new display. This backs up many recent reports that say that the next iPhone will have a larger display. 9to5 Mac says that the prototype phones that are being tested are kept in thick, locked cases in order to keep their contents secret and prevent leaks. However, it seems from this report that this has not prevented some details from sneaking out about the prototypes. 9to5 Mac reports that two of the test iPhones it has heard about, named as “iPhone 5,1” and “iPhone 5,2”, have larger displays that are 3.95 inches diagonally. Apple has also added more pixels to these displays, which both now have a resolution of 640x1136, which is 176 pixels extra. The screens on both the phones are the same width, but they are longer than previous phones, at 3.45 inches in height. The new screen’s resolution will be of such quality that 16:9 videos can be viewed in full screen. Furthermore, 9to5 Mac says that it has also heard that Apple is in the process of testing iOS 6 builds that are specially tailored for the new iPhone’s display, with some versions sporting a redesigned home screen with five icon rows instead of four, as well as other tweaks.

Source: Likely next-generation iPhone with 3.9-inch display, 1136 x 640 resolution in testing | 9to5Mac | Apple Intelligence

According to AppleInsider, GigaOm has been in contact with several app developers to get their opinions about the possibility of the next iPhone having a screen of at least 4 inches, as has recently been rumoured by several reliable sources. Judging by the report, it seems as though most developers would not have any problem with having to make iPhone apps for a larger screen. Lenny Rachitsky, CEO of social discovery app Localmind, for example, told GigaOm that he doesn’t expect Apple to “pull an Android and fragment the market unnecessarily,” and make developers have to adjust their apps for lots of different sized screens. Rachitsky went on to say that he was confident that Apple would provide the necessary tools to migrate its apps to an iPhone with a larger screen. And of course many developers will already be familiar with developing for Android phones with larger screens anyway, so it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for them at all.

Source: iOS developers not concerned about Apple making a larger iPhone screen

Reveal is a very useful Cydia Tweak which will allow you to scroll on any push notifications you may receive. Sometimes you receive a notifications which is too long to read on your Lockscreen or your Status Bar notifications. This Tweak lets you scroll on your notifications to see the rest of the message. Now you have the ability of read your iMessages, SMS, etc. on your Lockscreen or within applications without having to open a separate app. Reveal can be found for $1.99 under the Big Boss Repo in the Cydia Store.

SiriGole is a Cydia Tweak which will add 3 swipe gestures to Siri. By holding down on the Siri button when it is opened, this will now close/dismiss Siri. Swiping to the left on the Siri icon when Siri is not listening will take your to the Settings. Finally, swiping to the right will clear out everything you have said to Siri and Siri has said to you. SiriGole can be found for FREE under the Big Boss Repo in the Cydia Store.

The iPhone 3GS has been around since 2009 and since the iPhone 5 is due in just a few months; many would have expected Apple to terminate this rather “outdated” device. Nevertheless, the company has other plans: the phone will stay in production and will be used to tap into the developing markets. The devices will be sold contract-free and featuring pay-as-you-go plans.

Analyst Peter Misek, from Jefferies, was the first to bring us the news. He stated that the smartphone will go on sale on developing markets with a price tag that varies between $250 and $300. Compared to its current price of $375 it’s quite a reduction. Apple is already trying to secure a partnership with “a leading distribution and logistics company” in order to make sure the iPhone 3GS will be marketed efficiently.

Usually when Apple rolls off a new device, the older one gets the discount treatment. When the iPhone 4S hit the stores in October 2011, Apple sold the 8GB iPhone 4 for $99 on a two-year contract. The iPhone 3GS dodged the bullet back then too as it was offered for free with a carrier subsidy. And apparently Apple is not done making plans for the 3GS.

Emerging markets have attracted the attention of companies like Apple. One special study highlighted last year that emerging markets encapsulate 14 times more younger people with ages between 25 and 34. These are the smartphone people, or the people who are most prone to go out and purchase such a device.

By Radu

Source: Apple: iPhone 3GS May Get New Life In Prepaid Markets - Forbes

Above is a concept design artistic rendering and may/will not be indicative of the actual final product.

The new iPhone launch is just months away and even though not too many details are known about the upcoming device, one thing is clear... People expect a lot out of this new gadget. Many consumers want a complete overhaul, a new breathtaking design which packs some amazing features. Preferences include a new and larger retina display, and more. So what are the odds the launch will procede according to this scenario?

Very probable is the answer according to Bloomberg, which has stumbled across sources that claim the late Apple boss Steve Jobs himself was involved in redesigning the upcoming device. The fact that Jobs worked very closely on the device fuels hopes that we might be seeing some interesting new features with the iPhone 5, after all.

This is not the first report of the kind. Back in October 2011 analyst Ashok Kumar of Rodman & Renshaw claimed the same thing, that Steve Jobs was very intimately involved in the developing process of the next generation iPhone.

“The next-gen iPhone was the last project that Steve Jobs was intimately involved with from concept to final design. For that reason…this product will establish the high water mark for iPhone volumes.”

The new iPhone has been in the works prior to the iPhone 4S, device that hit the retail stores back in October. The 4S caused a wave of confusion between Apple fans who were expecting some mind-blowing features to be added, but instead had to make-do only with Siri – the virtual assistant. Nothing had changed in terms of hardware design, but this time many are certainly hoping for a new outcome.

By Radu

Source: Steve Jobs rumored to have worked closely on iPhone 5 redesign | iMore

AppleInsider reports today that far from being nudged gently into retirement after the release of the next iPhone later this year, the iPhone 3GS is set to have a new lease of life as a contract-free smartphone in developing markets. According to Jefferies analyst Peter Misek, Apple has signed a deal with “a leading distribution and logistics company,” with the aim of helping to push the iPhone 3GS in prepaid markets overseas. With this in mind, Misek says that Apple is also looking to lower the price of the iPhone 3GS without a contract from $375 to somewhere between $250 and $300. In many major markets already, such as the UK and the US, the iPhone 3GS is available as the entry level iPhone, usually going for free on a 24-month contract, with minimum monthly payments also being relatively low. In contrast the iPhone 4 will still set you back around $99, or local equivalent, with somewhat higher monthly payments usually.

Source: Apple's iPhone 3GS expected to live on for under $300 in developing markets