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Avatar for Jordan Kahn

Jordan Kahn

jordankahn

Dir. Partnerships

9to5Mac / 9to5Google / 9to5Toys / Electrek.co / DroneDJ / SpaceExplored

Jordan manages the internal Partner Program for sponsorships and partnerships across the 9to5 network’s media brands including 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, Electrek.co, SpaceExplored and DroneDJ.com.

Jordan also writes about all things Apple as a Senior Editor of 9to5Mac. He covers Google for 9to5Google.com, the best gadgets and deals on 9to5Toys.com, and EV and solar news on Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series and makes music sometimes.

Contact Jordan with partnership inquiries and long-winded complaints:  

Connect with Jordan Kahn

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Google brings voice back to Gmail w/ new group chat features, free calls to US & Canada from other countries

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From 9to5Google:

When Google rolled out its new unified Hangouts messaging service, some users were disappointed that the new experience within Gmail removed the ability to place free calls within the US and Canada. Google previously confirmed that the feature would be returning and today it announced on its Gmail blog that it is rolling out the free calling feature to Gmail Hangouts and also adding some new features.

More at 9to5Google.com

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Plants vs Zombies 2 for iOS launches in Australia & New Zealand App Stores

EA already said that Plants vs Zombies 2‘s July 18 release date would be delayed slightly until later this summer, but today PopCap announced that it is kicking off a soft launch today in Australia and New Zealand to fine tune the experience. In fact, the game is already available on the App Store in both Australia and New Zealand (and of course any user can access the download with an Apple ID associated with one of those locations).

we are launching the game a bit early in Australia and New Zealand to help us test out all of the new systems and features we’ve built into the game. We’ve added a bunch of new features that allow us to take advantage of new technologies to make a better experience for our players, and those innovations require us to perform some large tests to make sure we are ready for our worldwide audience to play.

PopCap already announced that the game would be a free-to-play experience, but today noted that it will “be testing all sorts of different aspects of the game’s functionality, pricing, stability, etc.”

A break down of new game features from iTunes below:

Game Features

NEW PLANTS! NEW ZOMBIES!
Meet B**k Choy, Bloomerang and Lightning Reed: Just a few of the powerful new plants that will defend your lawn through time. Go toe-to-missing-toe with dozens of new zombies including Ra Zombie in Ancient Egypt, Swashbuckler Zombie on the Pirate Seas, or Chicken Wrangler Zombie in the Wild West. In every new world, clever new zombies and brain-teasing challenges will test your zombie-zapping skills.

AMAZING NEW WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR BRAIN
New Plant Food and power-ups will take your game to new dimensions. Plant Food will supercharge your plants when you need it most. Use your fingers to pinch, flick and zap zombies off your lawn.

LOOK OUT! ZOMBIE CHICKENS!
Seriously.

NEW LEVELS OF EXCITEMENT
Battle the fun-dead on land, on sea and… on the rails? Unlock ultra-challenging (and ultra-fun) endless levels — Pyramid of Doom, Pirate’s Booty and the Big Bad Butte.

THE FUN NEVER DIES
Gather keys to unlock brain teasers and new plants. Collect coins to purchase potent power-ups. Earn stars to take you to new worlds. Survive long enough and you’ll be rewarded with piles of prizes and achievements. And that’s just the beginning! The future holds many mysteries. Also, zombies. Lots and lots of zombies.

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Yahoo! Mail iOS app now lets you sign into multiple accounts, switch between inboxes

Icon-YahooYahoo updated its email app for iPhone and iPad today with a few new features. Users will now be able to log into more than one account at a time and easily switch between inboxes without logging out.

Also new in version 1.5.5 is support for Business Mail accounts. Yahoo! Small Business customers will now be able to use the free app to access their email and also have access to “push notifications, Yahoo! contacts, and photo attachments.”

What’s New in Version 1.5.5

– Multiple accounts: Have more than one Yahoo! account? More power to you! Now you can add all your Yahoo! accounts and easily switch between your Inboxes, without ever having to sign out.

– Business Mail accounts: Yahoo! Small Business customers can now access their email through this app, with all supported features such as push notifications, Yahoo! contacts, and photo attachments

– Bug fixes and stability enhancements

Dropbox lets third-party devs sync app data w/ new API, now at 175M users

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Update: Mailbox just received the expected update with Dropbox integration for attachments.

Dropbox kicked off its developer conference in San Francisco today and with it came a few updates including new tools for devs and the announcement that the service now has 175 million users. That’s up about 75 million users from just last November.

The developer conference also included some announcements about new tools coming to let third-party app and website developers easier integrate Dropbox. The company is introducing a platform for developers that includes a new API called Datastores, allowing app devs to store and sync data from their apps across multiple devices and platforms. It’s something developers have been doing on their own for a while (for example 1Password), but now Dropbox is making easy for all:
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Apple abandons App Store trademark case against Amazon

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Apple’s long-running lawsuit against Amazon for its use of the “App Store” trademark might finally be coming to an end as Reuters reports a judge has dismissed the case at the request of the companies. The report claims U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in California dismissed the case “after Apple issued to Amazon a covenant not to sue, eliminating the need for Amazon to pursue a related counterclaim.”

“We no longer see a need to pursue our case,” Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said. “With more than 900,000 apps and 50 billion downloads, customers know where they can purchase their favorite apps.”

A spokesperson for Amazon said “This was a decision by Apple to unilaterally abandon the case, and leave Amazon free to use ‘appstore’.
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Yelp iOS app rolling out ability to order food with ‘Order Pickup or Delivery’ button in restaurant reviews

Yelp-iOS-app-iconYelp receives a nice update today for iPhone and iPad that brings the app up to version 6.9.1 and introduces a new feature (in at least the US) for users to order food directly from within the app. Now, while reading a review of a local restaurant users will be able to tap a new “Order Pickup or Delivery” button to place an order. The feature isn’t available everywhere yet, but Yelp plans to roll out the button to new locations in the weeks ahead.

What’s New in Version 6.9.1

New in 6.9.1:
• Reading that review making you hungry? Well, you can now order delicious meals without ever leaving the Yelp app! We’ll be rolling this out to more locations in the coming weeks, so check for the “Order Pickup or Delivery” button on your favorite local restaurants.

Apple picks up Digital Dash touch screen dashboard patent that could improve iOS in the Car

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A new Apple patent published today by the United States Patent and Trademark office (via AppleInsider) could show some of Apple’s future plans for bringing iOS to the car through its partnership with various car manufacturers. Earlier this year at WWDC, Apple showed off its new iOS in the Car feature that will bring enhanced iOS integration for apps such as Maps and Siri to select vehicles sometime next year. Today, Apple describes how it could also be doing some work on the touch panels that will control these new in-car features. 
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iWork, iLife appear in iOS 7 free downloads screen, corroborates Apple apps going free theory

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We reported previously on the possibility of Apple making its iWork suite, and possibly its other premium content creation apps, available for free alongside iOS 7 and the launch of new iWork for iCloud web apps. It would make a lot of sense given it’s hard to imagine Apple allowing users to create documents for free on iCloud but not seamlessly transfer from iOS to Mac without having to throw down $30 for the three iOS apps. Today we get a little hint from the latest iOS 7 beta that Apple might actually be considering making the apps free this fall (via @nielskorte & iFun).

The screenshot above shows the screen that Apple presents most users with when launching the App Store on their iOS device for the first time. Curiously, on iOS 7 beta 3, the recommended free apps screen includes Apple’s iWork suite in addition to other paid apps such as Garageband, iMovie, and iPhoto. In the past, Apple has only included free apps in the pop up such as iBooks, iTunes U, and Podcasts. This could signal Apple has plans to offer its premium apps for free in the future…


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Tumblr iOS app gets improved search and explore features for tags & blogs

Tumblr-iOS-appTumblr updated its iOS app today for iPhone and iPad with a few new features that will greatly improve the search experience within the apps. On top of being able to now search tags and blogs (something that many used third-party clients for), version 3.4 of the Tumblr app will also allow users to explore trending tags and blogs, as well as “Follow recommended blogs for any tag you search.”

A full list of what’s new is below:

What’s New in Version 3.4

We’re thrilled to bring you a brand new discovery experience:

– Search tags and blogs
– Explore trending tags and blogs
– Follow recommended blogs for any tag you search

Synology releases DiskStation Manager 4.3 public beta w/ revamped iOS apps

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Anyone that reads 9to5Mac often knows that we are big fans of Synology’s DiskStation network attached server products. On top of making a selection of well priced storage options under its DiskStation brand (a couple of which we’ve reviewed), Synology’s big draw for us has always been its web interface and ecosystem of apps that goes well beyond Time Capsule and your average NAS. Today, things are about to get even better for DiskStation users as the company announces the public beta release of the latest DiskStation Manager operating system, DSM 4.3, alongside revamped iOS apps and tons of new features.
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Pandora for iOS now automatically pauses when muted, adds improved playback buffering

Pandora-app-iconPandora Radio for iPhone and iPad received a minor update today that brings a couple of welcomed improvements for users. The first notable new feature will automatically pause music when muting your iOS device, making sure you never miss a song when muting suddenly and forgetting to pause. The updated app also adds improved playback buffering for what Pandora says is ‘stutter-free’ music and the usual bug fixes and performance enhancements.

Pandora also notes that “all the URLs that work on Pandora.com now work just as well on your phone.”

Full list of what’s new below:

What’s New in Version 4.4

• Stuck with a flaky connection? We’ve improved playback buffering to keep your favorite music stutter-free.
• Never miss another great song: if you mute your phone, we’ll pause your music for you.
• More links to more of what you love: all the URLs that work on Pandora.com now work just as well on your phone.
• Bug fixes and improvements to keep your music playing as it should.

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‘Deus Ex: The Fall’ for iOS gets new gameplay trailer & July 11 release date

Square Enix and developer Eidos Montreal announced today that ‘Deus Ex: The Fall’ will be arriving in the App Store this Thursday, July 11 for $6.99. The game will come exclusively to iPhone and iPad and take place after ‘Deux Ex: The Icarus Effect’ novel, which acted as a prequel to some of the other titles previously released on consoles. To go along with the announcement we get the brand new gameplay trailer above showing off the game on iPad. Eidos Montreal is also giving away free wallpapers and ringtones to celebrate the launch later this week.

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Tweak enables free iOS hotspot tethering on T-Mobile without jailbreak

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A new tweak available without a jailbreak claims to enable free hotspot tethering on devices running iOS 6 and 7 for at least T-Mobile in the US. It comes to us from iTweakiOS, the same people providing hacked carrier profiles enabling features such as wideband audio and faster data speeds for various US carriers. In theory the hack could work for other GSM carriers, but there is still some work to be done to get it up and running on AT&T. On it’s website the guys explained exactly how the tweak works:

Many of you may remember a story I put out awhile back talking about how CommCenter blocks edited carrier.plist files and I may have found a work aroun to get things like personal hotspot enabled. Well, I’ve found the solution, but first, let’s talk about why CommCenter blocks plist editing. This happens because of the very thing we’re doing right now, which i suspect will likely be patched quickly by iOS 7 GM release time. People were enabling tethering by modifying the original carrier.plist files and this stopped entirely when Apple implemented signatures into the carrier.plist files and creating what we all know as CommCenter which is the process that checks these signatures. So, the challenge was finding a way to enable hotspot without CommCenter checks and verifications. After months of research and digging, I’ve finally found a genuine workaround to enable this great feature and its quite simple, really.

Step-by-step instructions are available through the iTweakiOS website now, but the process is a little more in-depth than some of the other hacks released through the website in the past. The post warns that the tweak has only been tested on T-Mobile and that AT&T users “will need to tinker around and test a bit to get it operational.” If you’re up for a bit of .plist editing and likely some trial and error if you’re on AT&T, you can find the full instructions here.

iPhone closes gap on Android during May, grabs 31% of T-Mobile smartphone sales

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Following stats from comScore late last month for smartphone market share by vendor and OS, research firm Kantar Worldpanel is out today with its own numbers for the three month period ending in May. While Kantar puts Android at the same 52% of the market during May as comScore, it has Apple slightly higher at 41.9% of the market (up 3.5% from the same period last year) compared to the 39% comScore reported:

Through the 3 month period ending May 2013, Android continues to lead smartphone sales at 52%. Close behind is iOS with 41.9% of sales.

Kantar notes that Apple’s increase is thanks to T-Mobile picking up the iPhone 5, which is now the best selling smartphone at the carrier despite only being available since mid April. Thanks to iPhone, T-Mobile could soon increase its share of smartphone sales in the US, as Kantar notes all iPhone models counted for 31% of the carrier’s smartphone sales during the quarter. Currently the carrier holds just 10.1% behind Verizon (34.6%), AT&T (29%), and Sprint (12.7%).

The report notes T-Mobile has been attracting a lot of first time smartphone buyers since getting the iPhone with around 53% upgrading from feature phones:
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Irish authorities won’t grill Apple & Google over offshore tax practices

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Unlike the U.S. and EU, Irish authorities won’t be forcing representatives from Apple and Google to answer questions on their tax practices after a motion to do so was voted down this week by the Irish parliamentary committee. The news, first reported by TheRegister, follows Apple CEO Tim Cook’s testimony before a U.S. Senate hearing in May and Ireland’s denial of “a special two-percent rate” at the center of controversy surrounding Apple’s over shore tax practices:

The subcommittee is already scheduled to hear from the OECD, the Department of Finance, tax authority the Revenue Commissioner and academics, but Doherty wanted the option to also call representatives from firms like Google and Apple, which have already been quizzed in Blighty and the US.

“Given the fact that multinational corporations have appeared at committees in Britain and the United States to give evidence about their tax affairs in Ireland, it is ridiculous that politicians here in Ireland would vote down a proposal for them to do the same here,” he said in a statement after the vote went against him.“If the committee is to do its job properly it is important that it is free to invite the relevant people and companies to provide all the relevant information.”

In late May, the EU Tax Commissioner called for an end to tax havens following Apple’s testimony before the U.S. Senate, while the U.K. and other EU member states have also questioned Apple and other large multinationals on their tax practies. Irish authorities planned to investigate the issue as well, but now it appears Apple and other companies won’t be dragged into the process.

Apple details flexible battery packs suitable for rumored iWatch product

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We’ve seen a few patents from Apple that cover flexible components that would be suitable for its much-rumored watch product in the past. Some of which include a couple for flexible displays and another that details a device that changes functionality as it bends. Today we get a look at another patent application from Apple, this time covering battery designs that could very well end up in a flexible or bendable product such as a wristwatch (via PatentlyApple):
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HTC & Samsung miss expectations on Q2 earnings ahead of Apple’s financial call later this month

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Apple’s two biggest competitors in the smartphone space have reported their initial Q2 earnings report and estimates today ahead of Apple’s fiscal Q3 financial results later this month. While Samsung, which holds the second place spot behind Apple as top smartphone vendor in the US, is estimating profits of around $8.33 billion for the quarter, it also missed estimates due to slowed growth of its smartphone sales. Despite the record number marking an increase of around $2 billion from its Q1 profit, Samsung falls just short of the 10.16 trillion won that analysts were expecting for the company thanks to slowed momentum in its smartphone division.

HTC, which sits at #3 smartphone vendor in the US with 9% of the market behind Apple and Samsung, has posted disappointing earnings for the quarter. 9to5Google reports HTC profits are down 83% year-over-year….not too surprising considering it’s been losing share of the smartphone market in the US since February. According to the report it’s also seeing sales of its flagship HTC One drop in June after strong May sales.

Oh, and the ad above… That’s Samsung’s latest mocking iPhone users. This time it’s a little more niche than its other ads that have aired in the US and abroad, but the new Icelandic ad makes it quite clear that Apple is the target. We’re not sure about the ninja symbology, but the tagline for the ad translates to “Get a phone that understands you” and the ad focuses on lack of Icelandic language support on the iPhone.

As a reminder, Apple reported earnings of $43.6b in revenue for Q2 2013 and just last week announced its Q3 financial results will be reported later this month on July 23rd.

Apple details Waze-like crowd-sourced route ratings and incident reporting for real-time traffic alerts in Maps

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According to a new Apple patent application published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (via AppleInsider), Apple is looking into new mapping features that would integrate real-time, crowd-sourced traffic and navigation data through ratings and user reporting.

At first glance the features appear to be similar to those included in the community-based mapping app ‘Waze’, which is one of the reasons that Google just acquired the company last month. The patent application, titled “User-Specified Route Rating and Alerts,” describes a system for users to “provide ratings for routes, streets and/or locations.” In other words, users can rate a suggested route when getting directions in order to provide crowd-sourced feedback to Apple and in return Apple will provide the most efficient and accurate routes to other users based on the ratings:

Particular implementations provide at least the following advantages: Route determination is improved by accounting for real-world considerations and concerns of travelers. Real-time user-generated alerts allow for faster and more accurate notification of events within proximity of a user that might hinder the user’s progress as the user travels… In some implementations, rating database 110 can store information related to users’ ratings of routes and/or locations. For example, a user of mobile device 102 can interact with navigation engine 104 to provide ratings for routes and/or locations. The ratings information provided by the user can be transmitted to navigation service 106 through network 114. Navigation service 106 can store the ratings information in rating database 110 and route engine can determine routes based on the ratings information stored in rating database 110.

Apple also walks through a process of gathering user-generated alerts for routes including accident reports, road closures, etc. Apple plans on taking all the alert and route rating data and providing it to other users in real-time to improve route directions. In other words, if your device is detected to be in the same location as a user-generated alert, Apple will be able to push that alert to your device or suggest an alternate route based on the incident that’s been reported:


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Vine for iPhone adds improved sharing, channels, camera tools, & private account options

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Vine has released an update to its iPhone app today that its calling its biggest yet following the release of Instagram’s competitive video feature last month. The update brings the app up to version 1.3 and introduces 15 new channels for different categories of content that users can submit and browse, a new protected accounts feature, and a number of new camera features.

Vine made a blog post today announcing the update and highlighting some of the new features. Among the more notable is new grid, focus, and ghost tools for capturing video, the ability to “revine” other users’ posts with a single tap, and a new protected posts feature:

The new protected accounts option, which will also be arriving for Android users later today, brings the ability to select which specific users will be able to see your posts on a post by post basis.

Protected Posts: Most Vine posts are public, which means they can be viewed, discovered and shared by anyone on Vine. If you want more control over who can see your posts, you can now protect your posts, which means only the people you approve to follow you can see them. And of course, if you choose to share one of your protected posts to Twitter or Facebook, then it will also be viewable on the web.

As for the new channels that users can both submit content to and browse, Vine explained channels such as comedy, music and nature will be available from the Explore tab “each with their own theme and Popular feed.”

Head below for a full list of what’s new:
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iFixit walks through the iPhone 5 battery replacement process [video]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ-SGr9cqTo

As part of its Liberation Week and the big savings its currently offering on its iPhone Liberation Kits, iFixit has put together the video above walking us step-by-step through the iPhone 5 battery replacement process. It’s also got a few more below taking us through replacing the home button and the device’s display assembly.

You’ll of course need a pentalobe screwdriver (included in the Liberation Kit) for Apple’s proprietary tamper-proof screws, as well as a phillips #01 screwdriver, a suction cup, and small tool to pry off the display. iFixit reminds us that its pro toolkit contains everything necessary to get the job done.

iFixit’s iPhone 5 and iPhone 4/4S Liberation Kits, which include a pentalobe screwdriver and replacement screws, are available for $0 + shipping while supplies last. The deal will continue until the end of its Liberation Week celebrations ending on July 5.

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Disney releases ‘The Lone Ranger’ RPG for iOS as new movie hits theatres

To accompany its latest feature film set to hit theatres today, Disney has just released “The Lone Ranger” game for both iPhone and iPad on the App Store. The iTunes page describes the game as a full 3D role-playing game with quests, duels, and the ability to “Level-up to unlock new weapons, tools, and horses.” The screenshots look promising, so we’re hoping its better than the typical Hollywood movie tie-in. The good news is you won’t have to pay to find out as the full game is available for free on both iPhone and iPad.

Saddle up and take the reins as one of the greatest Texas Rangers in the Wild West. Embark on a thrilling adventure as you protect the town of Colby, face-off in epic showdowns, and bring infamous outlaws to justice. Fight against greed and corruption in this 3d, role-playing adventure!

· Interact with known allies and outlaws throughout your journey: With allies like the Lone Ranger and Tonto on your side, prepare to take on the villainous Butch Cavendish and his unwieldy gang.
· Restore peace to the town of Colby: Protect the citizens of Colby, and embark on legendary quests to end greed and corruption.
· Duel outlaws and bandits: Face-off against wanted outlaws with your best weapons and equipment, and bring them to justice.
· Level-up to unlock new weapons, tools, and horses to aide you on your journey.
· More languages coming soon! Play The Lone Ranger in Italian, German, and Spanish starting late July.

Boston University files lawsuit against Apple for patent infringement

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Boston_University_seal.svgAccording to a report from the BostonHerald, Boston University is the latest to sue Apple for patent infringement claiming several Apple products use technology covered by its 1997 patent for highly insulating monocrystalline gallium nitride thin films. The university filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts yesterday listing Apple’s iPhone 5, iPad, and MacBook Air as infringing devices.

“Defendant’s acts of infringement have caused and will continue to cause substantial and irreparable damage to the University,” BU alleges in its complaint.

The highly technical patent, which can be viewed on the USPTO’s website, was originally awarded in 1997 and lists computer engineering professor Theodore D. Moustakas as its inventor. BostonHerald notes that the university has also used the patent in cases against Samsung and Amazon, and “plans to illustrate that at least one other company pays a licensing fee to use the component in question” during its case with Apple:
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Angry Birds updated w/ new ‘Egg Defender’ gameplay mode, 15 new levels, & 73 Bad Piggies contraptions

Rovio has released a big update today to its original Angry Birds app, which happens to remain as the #1 app of all time. Today’s update brings a brand new gameplay mode known as “Egg Defender,” which according to iTunes gives “Red special powers to attack the advancing pigs.”

Also included in today’s update is 15 new levels with all-new challenges, as well as “73 crazy pig contraptions” straight from Rovio’s hit spin off title ‘Bad Piggies’.

What’s New in Version 3.2.0

The #1 app of all time gets a fun new update! You may be an expert pig popper, but how will you cope with a moving target? One bird stands between the egg and the advancing pig army in the all-new Red’s Mighty Feathers episode. The fearless Red Bird faces wave after wave of Bad Piggies in their crazy contraptions. But wait! He now has some magic feathers from the Mighty Eagle himself – giving Red incredible new powers as he darts toward those pesky pigs at incredible speed!

Fun new gameplay – the Egg Defender mode gives Red special powers to attack the advancing pigs!

15 new levels – the latest Red’s Mighty Feathers episode brings fresh new challenges!

73 crazy pig contraptions – wave after wave of Bad Piggies edging closer in their wacky machines!

Hit indie game ‘Limbo’ arrives for iPhone & iPad for $4.99 in App Store

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We already knew critically acclaimed indie game Limbo would be arriving on iOS this week after an announcement from Danish developer Playdead late last month. Today the title has finally arrived in the App Store for all users and comes with a mere $4.99 price tag for one of the best reviewed indie console games in recent years.

Early reviews for the iOS port seem to be positive and, apart from some tweaked controls for the touchscreen, includes the entire game experience from the console versions.

Limbo ($4.99) for iPhone and iPad is available on the App Store now.
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