Popular iOS physics-based puzzler ‘Cut the Rope’ lands on Mac App Store with HD graphics
Developer ZeptoLab UK Limited has released a Mac App Store version of its physics puzzler Cut the Rope originally released by publisher Chillingo on iOS in October 2010. According to Chillingo, the iOS game reached over one million downloads in just nine days and the franchise has now hit over 100 million downloads in total. The Mac App Store version is the first full desktop release of the game and has been optimized for landscape orientation with “crisp images on monitors up to 2560×1440 resolution.”
ZeptoLab has also redesigned some of the game’s original levels for a smooth experience with mice and trackpads. When it comes to online leaderboards, Scoreloop is supported currently, but the press release said there will be support for Game Center on OS X when it launches. The game is available on the Mac App Store now as a 133MB download and features 250 levels and 10 level boxes for $4.99 (requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher).
Microsoft’s revamped SkyDrive cloud service to take on iCloud on OSX?
On the heels of improved iCloud integration in Mountain Lion, Microsoft made things a little more official today for its upcoming updated SkyDrive cloud service for Windows 8 and possibly OS X. The new service will include improved file management and synchronization, secure two-factor authentication for remote access to files not yet uploaded to Skydrive, and support for file uploads of 2GB. What makes things interesting are rumors of paid storage options and a Mac client originating from Gemind.com.br who posted (via ArsTechnica) screenshots from Windows Live of SkyDrive advertising clients for “PC or Mac”…
Apple looking to launch iTunes Store, App Store overhauls later this year
In a move that will surely keep the Mac and iPhone maker on top of the digital music and software application industry, Apple is preparing its first iTunes Store redesign in nearly three years. In late 2009, Apple launched a new iTunes Store that traded in a blue-themed, convoluted store for a much simpler, white-themed store that provides a great focus on the store’s downloadable content.
The redesign of the iTunes Store that runs on both the iTunes application for the Mac and the PC is a top priority for Apple. The work on the redesign comes soon after the launch of new services in the United States such as the Spotify music streaming service and the growing popularity of Amazon’s online music store. Apple dominates the majority of the digital music market, and it will continue to bet on an in-application download store and not an online store found only in a web browser.
The new design is said to be even simpler and more user-friendly than the current design. Apple is working on ways to enhance the speed and efficiency of finding new content, such as songs, videos, and applications. The cornerstone element of Apple’s new iTunes Store is interactivity. As Apple vaguely explained to a number of music labels and entertainment partners, Apple is looking to make the iTunes Store a much more engaging experience. Read on for more…
MLB at Bat ’12 available for free on App Store Feb. 29 with $119 subscription
Pitchers and Catchers are set to report over the next few days and MLB is getting its 2012 App ready
Baseball fans will be happy to hear that Major League Baseball is again bringing the MLB at Bat app back to the App Store so they can enjoy every game throughout the season on their iOS device. In previous years, the MLB at Bat app on the App Store made available audio of the games and in-game statistics. A premium package could open video for all games. This year, MLB is changing the way they bring you games.
Luckily for this season, MLB confirmed with EverythingiCafe that MLB at Bat ’12 would be available for free on the App Store for both the iPhone and iPad— as long as you pay for the one time subscription. The app will stream both audio and video and bring in-game stats.
MLB at Bat ’12 will be available Feb. 29 for free. However, if you want to use the app, you will have to pay a once-a-year $119 subscription as a returning customer or $125 as a new customer. Those who subscribe can view 150 Spring Training games and all 2,430 regular season games, though some are subject black outs. You can now sign up for the MLB.TV season on the MLB website. The first game will stream March 3.
FTC criticizes poor privacy disclosures in apps for kids, says industry must improve standards
Let’s take a quick break from the hordes of Mountain Lion OSX news to talk about privacy issues within apps…again. However, this time the spotlight is on children’s apps in both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Android Marketplace.
The Federal Trade Commission released a report today (PDF) based on a survey that found apps for children do not fully disclose the types of data collected nor do they adequately educate parents about data harvesting.
The consumer protection agency scrutinized privacy policies, recommended each developer give comprehensible disclosures on how data is accrued and shared, including whether children’s data is linked to social network apps, and it even mentioned conducting a six-month review on disclosures and using enforcement if needed. The report focused on the two main app stores themselves and requested more be done to tell children and their parents about privacy concerns…
Google and Apple team up to save diabetic
The iPhone is great in many ways, but perhaps one of the best cases is in a medical emergency. KVAL reported a 57-year-old Oregon man was suffering from a diabetic reaction while driving down a local highway. (Video link here.)
When two medical responders came to the scene and tried to assist the man, they ran into quite a language barrier. The man only spoke Chinese, but luckily, one of the responders knew to reach for his iPhone. He fired up Google Translate and was able to speak Chinese with the man to figure out his condition and give him the help he needed.
Cross posted on 9to5Google.com
Mountain Lion’s Notification Center continues the merging of iOS and OS X
The introduction of Mountain Lion brought OS X undeniably closer to merging with iOS. The majority of the update focuses on features originally designed for our iOS devices, and one of the most notable features is a Notification Center almost identical to the iOS 5 version.
The first things you will notice are small pop up notifications in the upper right corner of your screen. These are comparably to what you would have in popular open-source notification utility Growl, and they disappear after a few seconds if you choose not to click them. Like iOS, Apple also gives you the option of a notification that remains visible until you select either “Close” or “Snooze.” You can decide which of the two notification types you want for each individual app…
Mountain Lion isn’t a walled garden (yet), but it has a Gatekeeper
With the consistent iOS-ifying of Mac OS X, and the introduction of Apple’s Mac App Store last year modeling the iOS App Store’s Apple-controlled distribution platform, some have questioned whether OS X will soon resemble the iOS ecosystem. That is, will Apple attempt to mirror the so-called “walled garden” approach of the App Store by requiring users to only run software specifically approved by Apple for use on Macs?
The good news is Apple’s OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion developer preview does not impose that restriction. Instead, Apple introduced “Gatekeeper,” a new system for developers to sign their apps, and a new method within System Preferences for users to better control which apps have access to their Mac. While claiming malware is “hardly an issue on a Mac,” Apple said Gatekeeper would improve security and help users avoid malicious software. By default, the feature only allows apps from the Mac App Store or those singed by identified Apple developers…
Study: Jailbreak apps upload less private data than Apple-approved apps
The app development world went into a frenzy when social network app Path was caught uploading users’ address book information without asking for permission last week. We already gave our view on the matter, but Forbes reported on a study by University of California at Santa Barbara yesterday that found Cydia apps leaked private data less than apps available on the iTunes App Store.
The group built a tool called PiOS that analyzes iOS apps for private data leaks. It looked at 1,407 free apps: 825 apps from the App Store; and, 526 apps from Cydia’s repository the BigBoss.
The findings indicated 21 percent of the App Store apps tested uploaded a users’ iOS device’s UDID, 4 percent uploaded location information, and .5-percent uploaded users’ address book—like Path did. When it came to the 526 apps tested on the BigBoss repo, only 4 percent leaked users’ UDID, and only one app leaked location and address book data.
Many people are under the impression that third-party apps do the majority of the uploading, but that might not be the case. Perhaps Apple’s new restriction on uploading address book information without permission will help remedy the situation.
You can view the study’s full graph after the break:
Use Apple TV to make your HDTV a wireless second monitor
Do you remember when we told you Apple has an AirPlay Mirroring application for Mac OS X in development? It would allow you to wirelessly mirror what is on your Mac’s display to an Apple TV and a connected HDTV. While we are unsure if Apple plans to release the app, thanks to “AirParrot” we might have a half decent solution in the meantime. AirParrot is available now for $9.99, and it allows a user to mirror a Mac’s screen (OS X 10.6+) to a television through an Apple TV. Unfortunately, it is not a perfect solution yet…
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