According to a report from ifoAppleStore, Apple is all set to open a new retail store in Paris. This new location is its sixth retail store in the metropolitan area of Paris and one of the more spacious and extravagnt ones available in a mall.

The huge store will be located on Level 1 adjacent to the Gap store. The five-level mall is located in the La Défense district of Paris, along the north extension of the Champs Elysées, and sits adjacent to the iconic Grande Arche building.

The store will be the eleventh store overall in France and is part of Apple’s plans to continue to increase its international presence. France is now the fifth most popular country for retail stores, after other countries such as United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Apple normally does not put its larger retail stores inside of malls or stations, but has recognized the potential for more foot traffic.

One of the first major Apple Stores in a cluster of retail shops was Apple’s Grand Central store in New York City. The details for the Les Quatre Temps store have not yet been revealed and square footage of the store is yet unknown. The opening of the Les Quatre Temps store is scheduled for this Friday, May 25th.

{via MacRumors — Image Credit: MacGenerations}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) To Open New Retail Store in Paris on May 25 originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

According to the latest iPhone 5 rumors, Apple is testing more than one prototypes of the next-gen iPhone. The sixth gen iPhone is expected to see major re-design and feature a taller display.

Apple introduced the original iPhone in 2007 with a 3.5 inch screen and that has remained unchanged over last 5 years. However, now it seems that the company might be ready to give the display a complete makeover and introduce iPhone 5 with 3.9 inch display. According to a report published by 9to5 Mac, Apple is testing multiple prototypes of the next gen iPhone that are locked in shells to avoid discovery by unauthorized personnel.

We know of two next-generation iPhones in testing with a larger display: the iPhone 5,1 and iPhone 5,2. These phones are in the PreEVT stage of development and are codenamed N41AP (5,1) and N42AP (5,2).

The new iPhone will reportedly not just feature a taller display but will also increase the resolution from 640×940 to 1136×640.

That’s an extra 176 pixels longer of a display.  The screen will be the same 1.94 inches wide, but will grow to 3.45 inches tall. This new resolution is very close to a 16:9 screen ratio, so this means that 16:9 videos can play full screen at their native aspect ratio.

The report further mentions that custom-built iOS 6 software is being tested in the iPhone 5 prototypes that takes full advantage of the taller and wider screen by adding a fifth row of app icons to the home screen.

In addition to the display changes, the sixth gen iPhone will continue to include the home button but, could possibly feature smaller dock connector. iPhone 5 is widely rumored to be released in October during a special Apple event.

{via 9to5 Mac}

iPhone 5 Expected to be taller with 3.9-inch display at 1136×640 Resolution originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Facebook’s iPhone app has been in the App Store for a long time, however, the company has expanded certain parts of the application into its own app. Facebook released the Facebook Messenger app last August, expanding the messages feature in the Facebook app. On Monday, Facebook expanded yet another feature, Pages.

The company released Pages Manager, an app that allows users to manage all of their pages on Facebook within one app. The app can be used to edit and post on the pages as well as edit settings for the pages.

Facebook has posted an update for Pages Manager in the regular application in the form of a banner atop the News Feed. Facebook has also changed some small features, enlarging images, setting trending topics higher in the feed, and allowing users to scroll through trending articles. Facebook is slowly expanding each of its apps and features to make it more easily accessible on mobile devices.

The company started this new drive into mobile after the introduction of the new timeline feature in both the web version and the Facebook app. The Messenger app and Pages Manager app are only the two of the first set of applications that Facebook is likely to release to continue its push into mobile.

{via iMore}

Facebook Releases ‘Pages Manager’ App for iPhone originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

After Sprint, the third major carrier in the United States began to offer the iPhone 4S this past October, competition between the other carriers increased. While Apple divided its own iPhone ads between the three carriers, AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, each company began to release its own ad campaigns to compete. Verizon claimed that their network was the most reliable, AT&T claimed the fastest network and Sprint advertised its unlimited data plans.

Sprint is now looking to attract new customers by offering $100 off the price of a new iPhone 4S if the user switches over from another carrier and trades in their old iPhone. This new promotion is perfect for iPhone 4 users on another network looking to upgrade to the new 4S, for the same price of the 4 at $100. Any iPhone user whose phone is not eligible for the full trade-in value of $100 will receive the money by other means, such as an online credit, which can be put towards the bill or another product online.

The guidelines of the program mention that the new iPhone must be activated by the 3rd of July and trade-ins have to be completed by the 14th of August. The program is available in all Sprint stores where users can open a new two year contract or can be done online where users can reserve an iPhone.

{via TheNextWeb}

Sprint Offering $100 iPhone Trade-In Towards An iPhone 4S originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Apple’s next iPhone 5  is expected to be released later this year, most likely in the October timeframe when the iPhone 4S was released this past year. Late last week, Apple won the domain iPhone5.com from a small online forum that operated under the name.

The Cupertino company filed a claim with the World Intellectual Property Organization earlier in the month, to secure the iPhone 5 name. Although there have been no credible reports that the next iPhone would in fact be called “iPhone 5″, Apple is just keeping its options open and would reroute the domain back to the iPhone page on Apple.com.

Apple had trouble securing the domain iPad.com as well as iPhone.com in the past, but is looking to acquire any and all possible names for the next generation iPhone, so as to avoid any confusion. Apple’s WWDC conference is coming up next month on June 11, and iOS 6 is expected to be announced and maybe even a developer preview is made available.

The next generation iPhone 5, slated for an October release is rumored to include a larger 4 inch screen, a micro dock connector, LTE connectivity and perhaps even LiquidMetal offerings either on the bezel, stainless steel frame or on the back. Names for the next iPhone remain unclear, even with a number of rumored features, and at this point, iPhone 5 is the best bet until an official announcement is made.

{via iMore}

iPhone5.com Domain Dispute Settled By Apple originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Tractor Trails Review

Tractor Trails is a cute and difficult game that harkens back to the skills of Pac-Mac. Get your tractor moving down the trails to plant the trees, but do it in the right pattern or you’ll find yourself in a dead-end before the job is finished!

You’ve got a field (or is it an orchard?) to plant and you’ve only got so much time to do it. The little tractor “Red” is up for the job and is placed in the empty field. You drag your finger to tell Red which way to go and he continues down the path until he reaches the end. Then you drag your finger a different direction to go down another path to continue on. As you travel, you leave behind you trees that serve to both accomplish your task and block your way once they are planted. You have to think ahead to keep an open path so you can plant the entire field.

Tractor Trails {$0.99, App Store} is one of those games that looks easy until you try to master it. It scores you based on picking up objects along the trail, completing the planting, and doing it within a specified time. One out of the three is easy to do. Two of three most folks can handle. Getting all three though, takes some practice and some in-game equipment boosts to master.

The graphics are bright and clear and the music is upbeat and filled with the appropriate farm sound effects. The game has a light-hearted, cheerful feel that makes playing it a pleasant experience, and well suited for kids.

For the $0.99 price, you’ll get plenty of challenge. The in-app purchases can add corn to your stocks or unlock all the levels instantly. But you can also earn these in-game if you take the time.

Tractor Trails is a fun way to challenge yourself and your puzzle-solving skills. It strikes a nice balance between visual appeal, gameplay simplicity, and puzzle difficulty that makes if a compelling app.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

What we like:

• Cute and easy to understand
• Plenty of puzzles to solve
• Can go back and repeat levels to improve your score

What to know:

• Difficult!

Tractor Trails Review: Putt-Putting Around Fields of Fun originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

On Wednesday, a report from The Wall Street Journal revealed that Apple is ordering 4 inch screens for the next generation iPhone 5. The screens have been reported to measure 4-inch diagonally, meaning that the width of the phone would not change, instead it would become taller.

A mockup of the possible next generation iPhone 5 was released earlier last week, and has gained lots of attention (image above). Every model released since the introduction of the original iPhone in 2007 had the same 3.5 inch diagonal widescreen display. This would be the first time that the screen would change.

Apple Inc., which is expected to launch its next-generation iPhone later this year, has ordered screens from its Asian suppliers that are bigger than the ones used in iPhones since they debuted in 2007, people familiar with the situation said.

Production is set to begin next month for the screens, which measure at least 4 inches diagonally compared with 3.5 inches on the iPhone 4S, the latest phone from Apple, the people said.

As with all previous generations of the iPhone, Apple has worked with outside companies on the display. The new 4 inch display for iPhone 5 is going to be created from a collaboration with LG, Sharp, and Japan Display.

Japan Display is a combination of Sony, Hitachi, and Toshiba, all native Japanese companies. Following the report from The Wall Street Journal, Reuters released their own report backing claims of Apple ordering 4 inch screens.

Apple Inc plans to use a larger screen on the next-generation iPhone and has begun to place orders for the new displays from suppliers in South Korea and Japan, people familiar with the situation said on Wednesday. [...]

The next generation iPhone 5 release date is expected to be announced during the same October timeframe as the iPhone 4S.

{via MacRumors}

Apple’s Next Gen iPhone 5 to feature 4-inch Screen? originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

On Monday, a report from Bloomberg suggested that Apple is expected to release a thinner Macbook Pro at this year’s upcoming WWDC 2012. Rumors that Apple would be discontinuing the 17” Macbook Pro and introducing a thinner model have been on the web for quite some time, but no credible sources have produced any solid information as to when the public would see the new Macbooks.

According to the report, the new thinner models of the Macbook Pro would be adopting a number of features from the current Macbook Air, including the flash storage in order to give it a faster startup time and help to extend the battery life. The Macbook Pro line has not had a redesign since 2008, but has received upgraded internals, including the new i5 and i7 chips from Intel.

Bloomberg also mentioned that Apple may announce the release date for the latest OS X Mountain Lion that the company issued a developer preview of earlier this year. Apple has focused its attention on making its products as portable as possible, first with the iPhone, followed by the iPad, and did the same with the Mac starting with the Macbook Air. Apple’s WWDC conference, when the thinner Macbook Pro is expected to be announced is going to be held from June 11-15 in San Francisco.

{via MacRumors}

Apple to Release Thinner MacBook Pro at WWDC 2012? originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

On Tuesday, a report from Bloomberg suggested that Apple Inc. (AAPL) and parent company of ESPN, Disney, were in talks to bring the popular WatchESPN app to the Apple TV. The report mentioned a statement from ESPN executive Sean Bratches that the deal wasn’t imminent and is currently being hashed out between the two companies.

If AAPL were given the go ahead to bring the app over to the Apple TV, subscribers of select cable networks or subscribers of ESPN would be able to stream live games through the app. The WatchESPN app is currently available in Apple’s App Store and can be streamed on the iPad and iPhone as well as on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gaming console. Bratches, the executive interviewed by Bloomberg also cleared up the negotiations between Apple and ESPN and explained the benefits of such a deal.

We’re a platform-agnostic company. To the extent that in the future there’s an opportunity with Apple to authenticate through the pay-TV food chain as we’re doing with Microsoft, that’s something we’ll participate in.

This wouldn’t be the first application pertaining to accessing live streaming sports on the Apple TV but would be one of the first major collaborations between the two companies. Currently, the Apple TV allows users to access NHL Gamecenter, MLB.tv and NBA League Pass.

If Apple strikes this deal with ESPN and brings the WatchESPN app over to the Apple TV, the company will likely be setting up for its rumored television set, which may incorporate an App Store of some sort, personal assistant Siri, as well as integrated features from the current Apple TV.

{via AppleInsider}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) in Talks to Bring WatchESPN App to Apple TV? originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Apple launched the new iPad earlier this year in March, with the original WiFi version and for the first time, a 4G version of the popular tablet. Recently, iPad users in a number of international regions have complained that the 4G advertised with the tablet isn’t really 4G as many carriers didn’t support it. As a result, Apple has now changed the name of the new iPad in those regions, now calling it WiFi + Cellular.

The term 4G was originally intended to be for the LTE-Advanced standard, however, a number of carriers such as Sprint introduced HSPA+ with a lower download and upload speed than LTE is expected to be. This claim of 4G has now led Apple to label the iPad as “Cellular”, to suggest that the device can connect to a network, but does not specify as to what type. LTE speeds are generally expected to have a download and upload speed up to 72mbps. HSPA+ has the capacity to hit 42mbps but can also drop below 30 mbps.

Although this renaming may take away from Apple’s simplistic approach, it definitely clears up any confusion as to what speeds a user can expect or what type of network is operating on the device. Currently, in the United States, the WiFi + 4G branding is still used and will likely remain that way. The question as to whether this issue would also be present in the new iPhone 5 has also been brought up, however, since Apple has not used any radio speeds in the naming of the phone, it likely will not be an issue.

{Via iMore}

Apple Renames iPad WiFi + 4G to iPad WiFi + Cellular originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Earlier in the week, Apple released iOS 5.1.1 for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and now the company has updated the Apple TV to version 5.0.1. The update doesn’t bring any major features to the set top box, but now allows previews of movies and TV shows to be viewed in HD. Previously, the TV shows and movies could only be viewed in HD after the customer purchased it. In addition to this new feature, the update also brings a few minor bug fixes to the 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TV models. Other minor updates for the Apple TV include:

iTunes previews – Previews for movies and TV shows from the iTunes Store can now be viewed in HD.
AirPlay – Fixes an issue that caused some iOS apps to have trouble connecting via AirPlay.
Home Sharing – Improves the reliability of Home Sharing connections.
Netflix – Addresses an issue affecting Netflix login and navigation.
Stability and performance – Includes fixes for issues affecting stability and performance.

The update is now available directly on the Apple TV and can be downloaded by going to Settings>General>Update Software. Apple, with this latest update, is likely stabilizing the minor bug fixes and patching up issues in iOS 5 before the company releases iOS 6, the next version of its mobile software.

{via MacRumors}

Apple Updates Apple TV to Version 5.0.1 originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Apple launched its new iPad 3 earlier this year, and expanded it for sale in a number of international countries. On Apple’s iPad selection page in Latin America, additional countries have been added. Apple’s country page was recently updated to reflect the availability of the new iPad in 30 new countries, including Brazil.

The full list of countries for May 11 include: Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Malta, Martinique,Mauritius, Morocco, Peru, Taiwan, Tunisia, Vietnam.

May 12th will include: Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates. Apple is also looking to bring its previous generation iPad 2 to a number of countries, including China, Honduras, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and the Philippines at a lower price, putting the finishing touches and securing final deals.

Apple continues to make its new iPad available in nations all around the world, allowing the company to expand its line of products and gain more users. Apple’s recent focus on Asia has given the company a significant boost in international sales and marketing. With these 30 new countries added, Apple continues to build upon its success.

{via MacRumors}

Apple’s New iPad Available in 30 New Countries originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Last week Fortune released their “Fortune 500” list, organizing and releasing their list of the top 500 companies in the United States, in order by revenue. Apple has been experiencing strong quarterly growth over the years, and as a result, jumped up 18 spots on the list since last year to occupy #17 in the new list.

The company emerged from the tragic passing of co-founder Steve Jobs saddened but in no perceptible way weakened. Under CEO Tim Cook, the company continued pumping out new products — like a significantly upgraded version of the iPad tablet. Apple nearly doubled its earnings per share in 2011, compared to 2010.

That helped nudge management to announce plans for the firm’s first dividend since 1995, returning some of the $97.6 billion in cash it had accumulated. Apple fans and analysts alike also continue to await a long-rumored television set from the gadget maker.

Apple has continued to increase its revenue and its profits continuously over the last year of 2012 in order to become the most profitable company in the United States, with $25.9 billion in profit. Apple surpassed Exxon Mobil and Chevron, holding the #2 and #3 spots.

Apple will likely climb higher, reaching new heights in stock prices, breaking the $600 barrier with the arrival of new CEO Tim Cook. Apple is referred to as one of the greatest business comebacks in history, rebounding after being 3 weeks away from bankruptcy. With two successful quarters in 2012, Apple is setting itself up for another successful, possibly moving up further on the Fortune 500 in the coming months.

{via MacRumors, Image: Credit}

Apple Moves Up To Number 17 on Fortune 500 Rankings originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

On Monday, Apple released iOS 5.1.1, the latest iOS update since 5.1 which brought a number of bug fixes and battery life fix for the iPhone 4S. The latest free software update is only an incremental upgrade and as expected, brings a number of bug fixes and performance enhancements for the iPhone, iPad, and the iPod touch. The exact details of the update from the Apple website are as follows:

This update contains improvements and bug fixes, including:

• Improves reliability of using HDR option for photos taken using the Lock Screen shortcut
• Addresses bugs that could prevent the new iPad from switching between 2G and 3G networks
• Fixes bugs that affected AirPlay video playback in some circumstances
• Improved reliability for syncing Safari bookmarks and Reading List
• Fixes an issue where ‘Unable to purchase’ alert could be displayed after successful purchase

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

Perhaps one of the biggest bugs in iOS that was fixed by this update was the bug that prevented the iPad from switching between 2G and 3G networks, which could cause either the user to experience very slow data speeds or would force them to shut off 3G and turn it back on in order to bring the network back up.

It’s interesting to note that Apple picks up on minor bugs in iOS and pushes out fixes as quickly as they do. This is likely why iOS is one of more stable mobile operating systems out on the market, tightly controlled by Apple’s ecosystem and managed very well. iOS 5.1.1 is now available and can be downloaded via iTunes or the OTA (Over The Air) feature on all iOS devices running iOS 5 or later.

{via iMore}

Apple Releases iOS 5.1.1 with Bug Fixes for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Music streaming service, Spotify, gained popularity in Europe before debuting in the United States last July, allowing users to stream music from major music labels on their Macs, PC’s, and portable devices. Spotify is one of the first streaming services to combine users music libraries, as well as online streaming and allow them to sync their devices.

Today we’re extremely proud to present our native iPad app in all its green-hued glory. Features include:

- Retina graphics for iPad – dazzling display, razor sharp images, richer colors
- Even easier to browse and explore Spotify’s entire 18 million* song catalogue
- New ‘Now Playing’ full-screen view with high-definition cover art
- Search for playlists, users and music – all from the same view
- Check out what’s hot and find trending playlists & songs amongst your friends
- Inbox grouped by user for easy searching
- Gapless playback and crossfade
- AirPlay integration

Spotify has long been available on the iPhone since its release, operating on a pricing model, as opposed to the free model on the desktop computer. On Tuesday, Spotify announced that their new iPad application is now available in the App Store, utilizing the iPad’s 9.7 inch screen. The app is available via an upgrade to the existing app, which will be downloadable as both an iPad and iPhone app.

Spotify Premium is currently offering a free 48-hour trial for new users , allowing them to extend for up to 30 days if they sign up on the website. Premium users who use the service on the iPad, iPhone, and other mobile devices are the option to sign up for a subscription for $9.99 per month.

{via MacRumors}

Spotify Releases iPad App for its Streaming Service originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Apple Inc. (AAPL) acquired rights to LiquidMetal Technologies to use in their products back in 2010, but did not utilize the company, except to make a small SIM removal tool for the iPhone 3G. A number of reports have people speculating that AAPL would be redesigning the next generation iPhone 5 with LiquidMetal technology.

However, in a report published by Business Insider, one of the inventors of LiquidMetal alloy, Atakan Peker revealed that Apple will not be using the futuristic metal for at least another two to four years. Peker also mentioned that Apple may use the metal in some smaller aspects of its products, as they did with the SIM removal tool.

Q: I’ve heard rumors that future MacBooks from Apple could use Liquidmetal casing, what would that be like? Is it likely to happen?

A: Given the size of MacBook and scale of Apple products, I think it’s unlikely that Liquidmetal casing will be used in MacBooks in the near term. It’s more likely in the form of small component such as a hinge or bracket. A MacBook casing, such as a unibody, will take two to four more years to implement.

If Apple is to utilize this new technology and decides to use it in one of their major products, they might first use it in smaller consumer products such as the iPod Shuffle, or perhaps the Nano, then move onto larger and more high demand products such as the iPhone and iPad. It’s important to note that Peker does not have actually have any solid references when suggesting this delay in LiquidMetal usage.

However, Peker does believe that Apple will revolutionize some of its products with the metal, utilizing its strength and durability to match the solid feel of some of its unibody products, such as the MacBook Pro.

{via MacRumors}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) Unlikely to Use LiquidMetal in Its Products for Several Years originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Wake Smarter Review

Wake Smarter puts that fancy bedside alarm clock to shame. It has an amazing variety of choices on how you would like your alarm to behave. There are options for the usual alarm sounds, repeats, snooze-ability, and custom labels. But Wake Smarter goes WAY beyond that.

As an alarm clock it has a daytime display with gorgeous background photos or textures to choose from, and it has a much simpler nighttime display with a black background a red numerals that are easy on the eyes in the dark. The fun begins once you set an alarm. You have the ability to set the alarm to the minute and choose which days of the week it applies to. But then you get to add actions to that alarm. Actions such as having a custom message read to you, or the weather, or the news headlines, or your day’s calendar events, or your Facebook or Twitter news. Even the alarm audio allows you to choose from some unique sounds or a radio station or one of your iTunes playlists. And you can have more that one action on your alarm, so if you can’t choose you can focus on which action you want to have first. You can even control the length of the snooze feature and set it between 1-60 minutes.

There is a sleep timer too that is just as customizable. You can control the length, up to two hours, and set the audio mode to radio, playlist, or choose from about a dozen sleep sounds. The sleep timer needs to be set manually, but the audio will stop as scheduled and not interfere with any of the alarms that are set.

Another great feature of Wake Smarter is the voice control. On the main clock face screen, there is a microphone icon. When tapped, Wake Smarter understands a limited number of voice commands such as “time,” “date,” “weather,” or “Facebook.” Wake Smarter will then read out what you’ve asked for. The text-to-speech function does quite well with difficult words and it’s quite understandable. There is even some level of customization of volume, pitch, and speed for the voice to make it suit your ear.

With all these options and features, navigating has the potential to be a problem, but not so with Wake Smarter. The main clock screen has just three icons to interact with. And even the full-featured Settings screen has only four main icons to find what you’re looking for. They are clearly marked and easily understood as to what they control. You shouldn’t find yourself getting lost in complex menu structures here.

Wake Smarter is a fantastic alarm clock app. It comes with it’s own set of sounds and backgrounds. The features and options include something for everyone. But the voice control and text-to-speech feature sets this clock app apart and make it worth the $2.99 price tag.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

What we like:

• Handles both falling asleep and waking up functions
• Completely customizable
• Variety of audio sources including radio, playlists, and included sounds
• Brings Siri-like functions to non-Siri-enabled devices with voice control and text-to-speech

What to know:

• Have to keep the app open

Gallery

Wake Smarter: Brings Full Control, Including Voice Control, to Your Alarms originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Zio Ball Review

Zio Ball is a bit of pinball, a bit of a maze, a bit of Cut the Rope, and more difficult than a first glance would indicate. The challenge is to place magnetic spots that pull or push your ball toward the escape hatch.

Zio Ball is easy to understand and has few controls to master. You are given an obstacle course with a ball placed in it and magnetic spots to position in relation to the course to move the ball to the escape hatch. The red magnets pull the ball and the blue magnets push it. But getting these magnets placed so they have just the right amount of influence on the ball is the tricky part. Beyond placing the magnets, the only other control is turning them on or off. That allows you to drop the ball at strategic times to send it rolling in a useful direction.

Placing the magnets in just the right locations to move the ball through the course isn’t easy. Just a nudge one way or the other can leave the ball motionless or jammed between the magnet and the course. And coordinating the push and pull of the magnets with the timing of the on/off switch can take several attempts to get right. And refraining from trying to swing or tilt the ball using the accelerometer is hard to overcome.

The industrial look of the game suits the task perfectly. The setting of the courses resembles a tunnel or an engineering deck. There are controls for music and sounds, but I couldn’t hear anything. There’s also a control for vibration, which did work and provided feedback when the magnets were interacting with the ball.

While simple in concept and controls, Zio Ball offers a surprising level of difficulty. There are plenty of levels and courses to keep the challenge going. Zio Ball takes a bit more concentration and puzzle solving skill than many games. And if it starts to get easy, there’s always the challenge of beating your best time.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

What we like:

• Simple attract/repel physics
• Objective is easy to understand
• Few, simple controls
• Not as easy as it looks

What to know:

• Limited hints available

Gallery

Zio Ball Review: Magnetic Pinball Obstacle Courses originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Over the past year, Apple added a number of new applications to its App Store and ported over some of its existing Mac applications over to the iOS platform, such as iPhoto, GarageBand, and iMovie. Late Tuesday, Apple posted updates for all of the following apps: iPhoto, GarageBand, iMovie, and Cards.

iPhoto received a minor update for bug fixes and enhancements, as well as a minor UI tweak, adding a button to allow users to send out journals uploaded to iCloud. This would allow users to share the journal with one click. Cards, a rather simple Apple app, allows users to amake and send physical cards, straight from the app and integrates into Apple’s iOS ecosystem with the use of iTunes gift cards and such.

Any noticeable changes for the Cards app is currently unknown. iMovie received a minor fix allowing users to add their own personal movie soundtracks to a project, as well as minor stability improvements. GarageBand received the most stability improvements, fixing a bug that crashed the app when users tried to upload songs to iCloud or attempted to connect to SoundCloud.

These stability and UI improvements will likely continue over the course of several months, and as iPad and iPhone generations pass, until the mobile app operates very similar to that of the desktop.

{via CNET}

Apple Updates iLife Apps for iOS with Minor Tweaks and Upgrades originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Apple introduced its iTunes Match services last November, allowing its users to create a music locker by matching their music libraries with songs available on iTunes from major music labels and artists. After bringing the service over to a number of countries, including Brazil last December, the company has now decided to release it in a list of new countries including Austria, Greece, and Italy.

Earlier Tuesday, MacRumors received reports that Apple was planning to launch iTunes Match in new countries, with many users reporting that they were prompted to agree to updated iTunes Store terms and conditions while others were unable to complete registration for the Match service.

Apple’s support document for the service has a running list of all the countries that the service is available in, however, at this point has not been updated and does not contain other countries slated to receive the music locker, such as Bulgaria, Portugal, and Slovenia. Alongside the feature of iTunes Match, users should also be able to use iTunes in the Cloud features as well, allowing them to re-download any previously purchased app, song, or music video from iTunes.

Apple’s introduction of the iTunes Match service in a number of international countries is only one of the many ways that the company is targeting customers abroad. iTunes Match is a different approach to the “cloud”, allowing users to access copies of the music files in their library as opposed to spending hours uploading their entire music and video libraries.

{via MacRumors}

iTunes Match Goes Live in New Countries – Austria, Greece and Italy originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Light the Flower Review

If you want a more relaxing way to get your daily 3 star fix than firing slightly perturbed feathered animals at different green animals then growing flowers could be just for you. And if that’s the case then you need to get hold of Chillingo’s latest game, Light the Flower.

The challenge in each of the 60 levels spread across 5 different homes is to get as much light as possible to all the plants in the house. The 3 star challenge comes from equally lighting up three stars as you bounce the light around the room to the sun thirsty plant.

The light source on each of the levels is the sun that streams in through one or more of the windows. You then get to use a combination of mirrors, prisms and filters to bounce and change the path of the light to the darkened corner where the plant has been positioned.

The touch controls are smooth and accurate. You can drag the mirrors around the room and rotate them so that you can get the perfect angle. It’s also worth noting the splitting the beams of light is key in some of the levels as multiple plants have to be bathed in sunlight.

The challenge is increased as you progress through the various houses not only by multiple plants but also by their need for different colored light. This is achieved by passing the sunlight through different colored filters.

Throughout the game your progress is hindered by a variety of household items that are strewn throughout the different rooms which block the light from passing requiring you to bounce the sunlight around them.

As with all such games you can progress through the game relatively easily if you don’t care to achieve all three stars on each level, but then where’s the fun in that!

The game has a Cut the Rope feel to it especially in regard to the cartoon style graphics and the jolly background music that keeps things moving along nicely! Light the Flower is a fun, challenging puzzle game and the nature of the game means that you can just keep making slight adjustments to achieve the result you desire.

Additional levels are promised in future updates but that’s not to say that the 60 levels aren’t good value in themselves especially if you complete them all with 3 stars. If you want to unlock the current 5 houses you will need to get all the stars you can though, otherwise you’ll need to unlock them via a 99cent in app purchase.

Light the Flower is available now for just 99 cents in the App Store and as a universal game it’s great value for money if you do happen to own both an iPhone and an iPad. What it doesn’t do is synchronise your data between the two devices which is slightly frustrating.

Both Crystal and GameCentre integration is included so you can view your progress with all your friends.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

What we like

• Fun challenging puzzles
• Cute graphics
• Great value

What to know

• No syncing between devices

Light the Flower Review – A Fun Puzzler Game with plenty of Challenges originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Barefoot World Atlas Review

Apple have been pushing the iPad as an educational device since its launch and this is certainly the case for younger users of the device as more and more apps are introduced to the App Store to engage, educate and entertain children as well as adults.

One of the most recent to attempt to do this is Barefoot World Atlas from Touch Press who already have produced such iconic titles as March of the Dinosaurs and Skulls by Simon Winchester.

Barefoot World Atlas is a 3D interactive globe that highlight 100’s of different places around the world and the things, people and places associated to them.

The touch navigation is intuitive for any iPad user, you can scroll around the the globe with simple a swipe and zoom in and out with two fingers which are all natural gestures for the iPad. This is all done with subtle background music which changes up whenever you zoom in to any specific item.

Zooming in on any of the individual items will bring up a brief description of the item that can also be read out to you in a clear human voice rather than a computerized one. Many of them also include pictures, some of which are interactive, which you can view full screen. Most of them only have one picture and it would be nice to see more of them.

As well as just browsing around the world and selecting items you can also view lists by Feature, Region and Countries. Viewing regions and countries provide even more detail, for example you can find out the climate and weather of a region or information about its wildlife, environment, people and transportation.

Countries meanwhile provide detailed facts about the current time, distance from your current location, population, currency and much, much more. The whole app is a treasure trove of facts and information produced in a beautiful way that will appeal to adult and children alike.

Barefoot World Atlas is priced at $7.99 and it’s unlikely that you could find a paper copy covering such information so wonderfully for half the price.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

What we like

• Beautifully presented
• Easy to navigate
• A multitude of interactive information

What to know

• More pictures please!

Barefoot World Atlas Review – A Treasure Trove of Interactive Information originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Paper by FiftyThree Review

Ever since I purchased my very first iPad 1 on launch day I’ve been searching for an app that will let me use the iPad as if I was hold a piece of paper in my hand, (And yes, I appreciate the irony of spending $500+ for a piece of paper!), and I’m yet to do it. Penultimate comes close, and I do love the app but it still didn’t feel natural.

Paper by FiftyThree aims to change all that with an app which is more than just for taking notes and is more about getting your creativity down on, well…..paper!

The app is built for the retina display of the new iPad, however, I’ve used the app on both the new iPad and the iPad 2 and other than it being a little more pixelated on the iPad 2 the experience is still one that will probably keep you coming back for more.

As a free download the app seems like an absolutely bargain to begin with but for free you only have access to a skill pen style and 9 colors. For many this will suffice, the experience is an organic one as you brush your finger across the screen and the pen draws pin-perfect pressure sensitive lines to create thin and thick lines as required.

Writing in Paper for iPad is an absolute joy, not only does it feel great but it looks amazing too and even though I’m not very artistic I felt that Paper brought out creativity in me that I never knew that I had purely because it’s such a great experience and possibly because there is an endless supply of paper!

The paper is stored in notebooks that you can create and name as you require and you can navigate through the notebooks and the pages with a swipe, while opening and closing them can be done with a pinch or by opening two fingers.

The minimalistic style also extends to the undo option which is performed by rotating two fingers anti-clockwise on the screen and while this works great some people may prefer the option of a virtual button to complete some of these actions.

In fact the only virtual in use are those to select the pen of choice and the color and it’s both these two items that left me wanting.

As mentioned previously the fact that the app is free initially seems like an absolute steal, however, if you wish to add additional writing options such as markers, pencils or a watercolor brush then you must purchase them for $1.99 each. This may seem a little expensive but if you find yourself using this app daily it’s certainly worth it.

Then there is the choice of color, a paltry 9 to choose from, why a complete color palette couldn’t have been included to allow you to choose any color you wish I don’t know. Perhaps a future update will see this included.

Those two points made, Paper is still a must download for all iPad owners, the free option will be more than adequate for many users but the chances are that after a few minutes, hours or days the temptation to purchase one, if not all, of the additional writing options will prove too much for many.

For a truly unique writing and artistic experience Paper by FiftyThree is a must.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

What we like

• A perfect writing experience
• Intuitive gesture based navigation
• Great results

What to know

• Limited color range
• Additional pens via in-app purchase

Paper by FiftyThree Review – A Great, if Somewhat Expensive, Creative Experience originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Burnout Crash Review

One of the most eagerly anticipated games has finally made its way to the iPhone and iPad. But while the wait is finally over it may not be what some players of the massively successful franchise want.

Burnouts first journey onto iOS is in the from of the mini game, Burnout Crash, that has already made it onto the PlayStation and XBox Arcade. So instead of a full-on 3D crash-fest of mangled metal, you have the pleasure of playing God, (or should that be the Devil), in a crashtastic onslaught of exploding cars, trucks and every other type of vehicle you can think of.

The 2D top-down view looks great, across a massive 18 different junctions the detail pops of the screen and the whole environment is interactive so not only can you destroy the vehicles but also blow up the surrounding buildings, parked cars and pretty much anything that burns.

Each of the 18 junctions have three different game modes so you’ll have plenty of opportunity to hone your skills and have plenty to keep coming back for as each of the have 5 stars to be collected based on high scores and other side-goals such as performing special moves or destroying certain items.

The 3 modes are Rush Hour, Pile Up and Road Block and while they all take place on the same junctions they require slightly different techniques to succeed. Rush Hour puts you up against the clock to destroy as much as you can while Pile Up tasks you to crash as many vehicles as possible and then keep them blazing. Road Block meanwhile is as simple as blocking any vehicles from driving off the screen, lose 5 and it’s game over.

All of the modes provide special vehicles too that offer a variety of challenges. Stop a Pizza delivery truck and you get to spin the lotto wheel a win a bonus item while stopping the bank truck will rain down bags of money on you.

Like all great games Burnout Crash is easy to learn but difficult to master. Controls aid this as all that’s required is a swipe to move your car or truck while a tap of your vehicle will cause it to explode once the burnout bar is maximized of course.

There are 7 cars and trucks to unlock and each one offer a slightly different balance of power and control, switching between these vehicles can offer different opportunities to grab all 5 stars on each level and you will often find yourself heading back to earlier levels with better cars to grab all the available stars.

While causing all of this mayhem you are blasted with a cacophony sound and a great set of songs from the 80’s. I certainly recommend playing this game with headphones in to get the best sound experience and so that you don’t annoy anyone sitting around you!

Unfortunately the multi-player option that they provide in the form of Autolog, is a little disappointing. It certainly works and you can send challenges to your friends but no ability to play against other players in real time is a real disappointment. And while GameCenter integration is included there are no leaderboards, just 20 achievements to be unlocked.

That being said, I do keep coming back to Burnout Crash to unlock more levels and to go back and gain more stars, it could just be so much better if the social aspects of the game worked better.

Burnout Crash is a universal game and is available in the App Store, despite its shortcomings it’s still a recommended purchase.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

What we like

• Smashing good fun
• 54 levels to complete
• 18 detailed junctions

What to know

• Limited GameCenter integration
• Limited multi player options

Burnout Crash Review – A Smashing Way To Wait For the Full Version of Burnout! originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Dice With Buddies Review

If as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the people over at Zynga must be very flattered indeed and must be doing something right. The latest company to be inspired by the success of Zynga’s ‘…with Friends’ series is Stofle Designs with their version of Yahtzee called ‘Dice with Buddies’.

Despite the obvious influences Stofle haven’t rested on their laurels, instead they have produced a highly polished and playable game with both turn based online and local game-play for two-people.

If you have ever played Yahtzee before then you will feel perfectly at home in Dice with Buddies. The game consists of rolling 5 dice to complete different sets. From 3, 4 and 5 of a kind and groups of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6’s to straights, full house and the always useful chance option if you’ve not played Yahtzee before a basic understanding of the hands in Poker will also see you through.

The game is nicely laid out, you can see all your available combinations listed down the page and your opponents alongside them too. This allows you to easily see what combinations you have remaining and how you are doing compared to your opponents. While the layout is usable yet compact on the iPhone on the iPad with its larger real estate is even better with no scrolling required.

The updates come thick and fast with push notifications working well to inform you when it’s your turn to play and you can have multiple games running at the same time. In game notifications are all well managed meaning that you don’t have to navigate away from the game screen to play multiple games.

The game integrates with Facebook allowing you to easily play with your Facebook friends and brag about your success to your wall. There is no Twitter or GameCenter integration though which is a shame as achievements, if not leaderboards, would be a nice addition. There are in-game stats though so you can see how well you are doing including such as your highest score, average score, wins and wins percentage.

Of course no game would be where it is without in app purchases and Dice with Buddies is no different. You can buy bonus rolls from 99c to $100 (seriously!) and these will enable you to have extra rolls of your dice to get the combinations you need, however, these are certainly not required and not buying them certainly doesn’t make the game any poorer.

Dice with Buddies is a universal game which is a great feature if you have both devices, and the game comes in both paid and free versions. If you’re a fan of these types of social games and prefer numbers to letters then Dice with Buddies is a must.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

What we like

• Universal App
• Simple rules
• In game stats

What to know

• No Twitter or GameCenter integration

Rolling Dice is No Gamble with Dice with Buddies for iPhone and iPad originally appeared on: Touch Reviews