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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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Morcut/Crisis Mac malware capable of monitoring location, webcam, address book, more

We told you yesterday about the Trojan named “Crisis“, also being referred to as “OSX/Morcut-A”, discovered for OS X, but it is considered low risk for users. Today, we get some more details about the trojan with security company Sophos explaining the Morcut Malware features code for controlling the following:

  • mouse coordinates
  • instant messengers (for instance, Skype [including call data], Adium and MSN Messenger)
  • location
  • internal webcam
  • clipboard contents
  • key presses
  • running applications
  • web URLs
  • screenshots
  • internal microphone
  • calendar data & alerts
  • device information
  • address book contents

The malware appears to have been specifically created with spying on the user as its goal. There have not been any reported cases of infected users, though, so the threat is still considered low risk.

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Samsung says Apple stole iPhone design from Sony

With Apple and Samsung’s jury trial slated to kick off in a federal district court in San Jose, Calif., this Monday, AllThingsD points us to trial briefs where Samsung’s lawyers argued Apple’s inspiration for the original iPhone CAD drawings and designs were inspired by a Sony product:

Right after this article was circulated internally, Apple industrial designer Shin Nishibori was directed to prepare a “Sony-like” design for an Apple phone and then had CAD drawings and a three-dimensional model prepared. Confirming the origin of the design, these internal Apple CAD drawings prepared at Mr. Nishibori‘s direction even had the “Sony” name prominently emblazoned on the phone design, as the below images from Apple‘s internal documents show..

Soon afterward, on March 8, 2006, Apple designer Richard Howarth reported that, in contrast to another internal design that was then under consideration, Mr. Nishibori‘s “Sony-style” design enabled “a much smaller-looking product with a much nicer shape to have next to your ear and in your pocket” and had greater “size and shape/comfort benefits.” As Mr. Nishibori has confirmed in deposition testimony, this “Sony-style” design he prepared changed the course of the project that yielded the final iPhone design.

The article referenced above is from a 2006 interview with Sony designers that appeared in Businessweek.

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OWC launches Mercury Helios PCIe Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis

OWC is launching a new PCIe Thunderbolt expansion chassis today that provides the ability to take advantage of any professional level performance PCIe adapters (half-length PCIe 2.0 card up to 6.5″) on Thunderbolt Macs:

Mercury Helios is fast and flexible with throughput up to 10Gb/s, and is the perfect solution to massively boost workflow productivity. It’s bootable with AHCI compliant cards and can daisy-chain up to six devices. Types of PCIe cards Helios can use include: Fibre Channel • 10Gb Ethernet • RAID controller • Video capture • Digital audio • Solid State Drive • SAS controllers such as the OWC Jupiter • and FireWire, USB 3.0, eSATA host adapter cards.

The Mercury Helios PCIe Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis is available now for $399.95, and it is shipping from OWC in “7-10 days.” A full list of features and specs from OWC is below:

Features and Specifications

  • Use any half-length, single width, full height x1, x4 or x8 Thunderbolt compliant and AHCI compliant PCIe card
  • Expansion slots: One PCIe 2.0 x8 (x4 mode)
  • Connection interfaces: Two Thunderbolt ports
  • Daisy-chain up to six devices
  • Bootable with AHCI compliant cards
  • External case dimensions: 5.7 in (W) x 8.8 in (D) x 2.9 in (H)
  • Weighs 2.4 lbs (without card)
  • Ventilated quiet cooling with a variable speed fan
  • Automatically powers on/off with computer
  • Warranty: 3-year
  • Compatible with any computer that can support Thunderbolt technology
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Former Sun employees bring Java to iOS with cross-platform SDK

Codename One is an SDK launched by former Sun employees that allow developers to create a single native mobile app for multiple platforms (iOS/Android/Windows Phone, etc.) using Java and an optional GUI builder:

“Ex-Sun employees did what Sun/Oracle failed to do since the iPhone launched. They brought Java to iOS and other mobile devices. They are getting major coverage from Forbes, DDJ,hacker news and others. They are taking a unique approach of combining a Swing-like API with a open source and SaaS based solution.”

In other Apple Java news, a recent Apple job listing is looking for a Senior Java Engineer to join the Siri Server Platform team. Candidates should have experience in Java API design and will “lead and extend the core software infrastructure, algorithms, and APIs that let Siri move, understand, plan, learn, speak, and remember.” Like most huge Server Side Applications, Siri’s backend appears to be Java-based.

Apps & updates: Walking Dead: The Game, SafePay, Google Catalogs, Angry Birds Space, Twitter, Instagram more

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It looks like the biggest app update might go to the Google Earth iOS app due to reports that claim the new 3D maps feature Google demoed last month will roll out sometime today. Until then, below is our list of other apps and updates hitting the App Store:

Walking Dead: The Game: While Telltale has been teasing the iOS game for the hit TV series The Walking Dead, today we finally get our hands on the first “A New Day” episode available in the App Store for $4.99. The game requires iPad 2/iPhone 4 or later, and it will release episodes No. 2 through No. 5 via in-app purchases in the near future.

Angry Birds Space version 1.2.2: Both the iPhone and HD iPad versions of Rovio’s Angry Birds Space title were updated today with “the second half of Utopia.” It includes two new characters, 20 new levels, a “never-before-seen space egg,” and a “GIGANTIC” new boss fight.

SafePay version 1.2: Recently released on the App Store, SafePay is getting a lot of attention for its app designed to protect “cardholders and retailers against online payment fraud.” SafePay’s technology allows users to monitor transactions in real-time and verify purchases to protect against fraud—right from their iPhone. The company explained how the technology works:


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Add RSS button to Safari 6 with Subscribe To Feed extension

While Safari 6 brought a number of great new features, including unified search and offline Reading List for Lion, many were disappointed that Apple dropped the RSS button next to the URL bar. Luckily, developer Daniel Jalkut at Red Sweater Software wrote an extension to add the functionality:

My beta-quality, more-or-less unsupported Subscribe to Feed extension adds a handy button to the toolbar that, when a page offers RSS or Atom feeds, can be clicked to easily open the feed:// link, which should automatically open your favorite news reader… I hope this extension fills a void for those of you missing the beloved RSS button.

It is not perfect… it currently defaults to 9to5mac’s comments feed. It is better than nothing, though, especially if you are missing the feature from Safari 5.

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IHS iSuppli: Apple buying chips at a faster rate, will remain top OEM semiconductor buyer in 2012-2013

In a post on iSuppli citing the IHS iSuppli OEM Semiconductor Spend Analysis report, the research firm broke down Apple’s continued lead among top OEM semiconductor buyers, noting Apple is buying at a faster rate and “dramatically outperforming” No.2 purchaser Samsung. The research expects Apple to increase its spending on semiconductors to $28 billion this year from $24 billion in 2011, and also made the case for Apple’s continued growth in 2013. Apple will experience the fastest growth among the top 10 with the company “set to increase its chip buying at a rate nearly three times faster than the next-fastest-rising purchaser.”

Apple this year is expected to buy nearly $28 billion worth of semiconductors, up 15 percent from $24 billion in 2011, according to an IHS iSuppli OEM Semiconductor Spend Analysis report from information and analytics provider IHS (NYSE: IHS). This means that Apple will dramatically outperform the No. 2 purchaser, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., allowing it to remain the world’s top OEM semiconductor buyer—a position it has held since 2010… Apple is set to expand its lead in global chip purchasing in 2013, with growth of 12.3 percent once again leading the Top 10 OEM semiconductor purchasers.

Senior analyst for semiconductor spending and design activity at IHS Myson Robles-Bruce explained the benefit of Apple’s dominance in the supply chain:

“It’s well known that Apple has already conquered the smartphone and tablet segments—but behind the scenes the company is engaging in another kind of conquest: the dominance of the electronics supply chain,” said Myson Robles-Bruce, senior analyst for semiconductor spending and design activity at IHS. “Such a dominant position provides critical benefits, allowing one to dictate semiconductor pricing, control product roadmaps and obtain guaranteed supply and delivery. For Apple, these benefits translate into competitive advantages, letting it offer more advanced products at lower prices, faster and more reliably than the competition.”

Apps & updates: Podcasts, AutoCAD WS, Opera Mini, BBC iPlayer, more

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We already had a number of updates to Apple’s own apps today, including iWork for iOS, Apple Remote Desktop, iTunes U, Xcode 4.4, Safari 6, and OS X Server, but below is our usual list of popular apps and updates hitting the store today:

Update: Apple has now updated its Podcasts app with the expected bug fixes. Release notes below:

What’s New in Version 1.0.1

Podcasts 1.0.1 provides a number of improvements, including:

• Significant improvements to performance and stability
• Podcasts in your library now show the number of unplayed episodes
• Top Stations now show the podcast title if artwork is missing
• Playback speed is now remembered when playing the next episode
• Fix for a problem where the Subscribe button is inactive
• Resolution of an issue where Top Stations artwork may not appear

Podcasts: If you have experienced issues with Apple’s Podcasts iOS app that released last month, as many have, you will be happy to know Apple plans to release an update today that brings a number of fixes to common bugs. According to a report from AllThingsD, Apple has been hard at work tweaking the app to fix the problems that currently plague it” and the update expected today should “vastly improve it.” 

AutoCAD WS version 1.5: Autodesk’s app for viewing, editing, and sharing AutoCAD drawings on iOS devices was updated today with two new “powerful collaboration tools that transform design creation, review, and approval into a social experience.” The two features include:

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Mountain Lion’s dictation feature disables MacBook’s fans to hear better

[tweet https://twitter.com/stuartmiles/status/228174290149842945]

A nice new feature many MacBook users have noticed in Mountain Lion when using Dictation is that the MacBook’s fan briefly turns off in order to hear the user more clearly. Hit the links below for all the news surrounding today’s Mountain Lion launch:

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Apple releases OS X Mountain Lion Server for $19.99 on Mac App Store

Following this morning’s launch of 10.8 Mountain Lion on the Mac App Store, Apple just launched a separate app as an OS X Server for Mountain Lion. It allows users to add sever functionality to the OS for $20. It is definitely a significant price drop from the $49 Lion server and the $500 or so it cost to add the functionality before that.

OS X Server is the next generation of Apple’s award winning server software. Designed for OS X and iOS devices, OS X Server makes it easy to share files, schedule meetings, synchronize contacts, host your own website, publish wikis, configure Macs, iPhones and iPads, remotely access your network, and more.

Server is now an application you can add to Mountain Lion right from the Mac App Store. Anyone can quickly and easily turn a Mac running Mountain Lion into a server that’s perfect for home offices, businesses, schools, and hobbyists alike.

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iCloud up 25M users to 150M in Q3

Today, at Apple’s Q3 2012 earnings call, the company provided some updates on numbers for the quarter. Apple Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer shared iCloud is now up to 150 million users. Last time Apple checked in in April, it reported 125 million users for Q2. This marks an increase of 25 million users during Q3. Hit up the links below for all of the updates from today’s conference call:

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Reminder: QuickBooks 2011 not supported on Mountain Lion

We received a tip today that may be of interest to QuickBooks users planning to upgrade to Mountain Lion this week. The email below was sent to a reader from Intuit’s QuickBooks for Mac team. It informed them QuickBooks 2011 would not be supported on Mountain Lion. While the email notes “you may find that most things in your QuickBooks for Mac work for you” after upgrading to Mountain Lion, the company will only officially support QuickBooks 2012 on 10.8. The full email is below:

Let’s talk about Mountain Lion!

Like a lot of Mac users, everyone on the QuickBooks for Mac team is excited about the upcoming release of OS X 10.8: Mountain Lion. You may be wondering how Mountain Lion will affect your version of QuickBooks for Mac.

QuickBooks 2011 and prior are not supported on Mountain Lion. (Note that QuickBooks 2012 is supported on Mountain Lion.) Read more about this on Little Square.

If you decide to upgrade your OS, you may find that most things in your QuickBooks for Mac work for you, but if you run into a problem, we may not be able to help you. To minimize the chances of running into issues, you should make sure you’ve installed the latest update for your software. To find and install an update, click QuickBooks > Check for QuickBooks Updates.

If the new features in the Mountain Lion OS aren’t a big deal for you and you don’t want to upgrade either your OS or your current version of QuickBooks, then just stay with your current OS and QuickBooks versions. We can continue to help you with any problems you may run into.

If you must upgrade your OS, but don’t want to upgrade QuickBooks, you can continue safely running QuickBooks for Mac and any other software that may not be compatible with Mountain Lion on a partition. (Note: it’s important that you check all your software on the Mac you use for your business to be sure that it’s all compatible with Mountain Lion.) You can learn more about setting up a partition at this article by Apple: http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5845

If you want to run QuickBooks for Mac on Mountain Lion, you should upgrade to QuickBooks 2012 for Mac. That way if you do run into any problems, we can help you. You can find QuickBooks 2012 for Mac on our website at http://quickbooks.com/mac and at most major retailers.

We really appreciate your business and wish you happy accounting whether you choose to upgrade to Mountain Lion or stay with your current version of OS X.

You’ll find great answers to your questions and advice on our Community. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter. And Little Square will keep you up-to-date with new developments about QuickBooks for Mac on Mountain Lion.

Sincerely,

The QuickBooks for Mac Team

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Reminder: Apple to give speech on key iOS security technologies at Black Hat this week

While there is not much new information, a post from Bloomberg today, which spoke with Black Hat conference General Manager Trey Ford, confirmed Apple will for the first time ever attend this year’s show to give a presentation on iOS security. To handle the presentation, Apple will send its manager for the platform security team, Dallas De Atley:

While many major technology vendors have overcome their reluctance to making a public showing at the conference, Apple, now the world’s most valuable company, has had no problem snubbing a community whose aim is to unearth its vulnerabilities… That will change Thursday when Dallas De Atley, manager of Apple’s platform security team, is scheduled to give a presentation on key security technologies within iOS, the operating system for iPhones and iPads.


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Apps & updates: Tweetbot Alpha 3, IM+ Pro, Viber, more

There are more than a few apps and updates today worth mentioning, starting with the latest update for the recently launched Tweetbot for Mac Alpha:

Tweetbot Alpha 3: After rolling out a huge update a couple of days ago for notifications, keyboard shortcuts and other performance enhancements, Tweetbot Alpha 3 is officially available for download/update today. It brings the ability to switch usernames/accounts from within the New Tweet compose window. Clicking a small profile image within the “new tweet” pop-up lets you switch between accounts on the fly. The update also included a hashtag popover fix.

IM+ Pro version 7.0: Perhaps the biggest new feature included in today’s update to one of the most popular iOS IM clients is “Metacontacts,” which is the ability to “merge multiple accounts of one contact into a metacontact” and reduce clutter while increasing efficiency for multiple account users. Another big new feature is iCloud support for syncing IM+ settings across multiple iOS devices, as well as support for additional IM services like Gadu-Gadu and MeinVZ. Unfortunately, version 7.0 will also drop support for iOS 3.x, and it now only works on iOS 4 and up.

Viber version 2.2.0: A huge update today goes to the iOS client for the 90 million-strong Viber service, which allows users worldwide to make free calls and send texts and photos without advertising. Included in the update is a completely refreshed UI that brings group messaging, custom backgrounds for any conversation, profile photos in the Contacts list, and a time stamp for every message. In addition, you will now be able to view recently joined users from the Contacts screen. Viber also promises better sound quality and a new voice engine.

Sky News International for iPad: Released today on the App Store to join the already available for iPhone version, Sky News now has a dedicated iPad app for its international edition with breaking news, top stories, and live streaming of Sky News TV in full screen.

Plesk Manager version 1.2.0: Parallels’ app for monitoring and controlling servers running Parallels Plesk Panel 10.4.4 and Plesk Panel Power Pack was updated today with push notifications, a logs viewer, a new skin, an embedded panel view for iPad, an “improved user experience for VPS owners,” and a troubleshooting section.

Sparrow version 1.3.1: A small update for Sparrow’s iPhone app today includes several bug fixes.

Microsoft job listing hints at Outlook and Powerpoint for iOS, perhaps other Office apps

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We had a few hints in the past about Microsoft possibly preparing an iOS version of its Microsoft Office suite of apps. In May, The Daily posted an image of a supposed early build of the software—demoed by a Microsoft employee—rumored to launch in November.

Another hint that Microsoft could have iOS apps in the works comes from a set of job listings posted earlier this month. It looked for a software engineer on the Outlook Test team to work on “Microsoft’s next move on the Mac and on iOS.” Another was on the Powerpoint Test team.

This is not solid proof that Office is coming soon, since Microsoft does have several other iOS apps, such as SkyDrive, OneNote, etc. that could benefit from office integration, but the job listing specifically looks for someone to test Outlook/Powepoint on Mac and iOS.


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Mountain Lion installed on a MacPro1,1, here’s how to do it

As pointed out by OWC, a step-by-step instruction guide has popped up courtesy of Mac user Jabbawok that details the steps necessary to get Mountain Lion running on a MacPro1.1 (the models first introduced in 2006). It is not the easiest process ever, forcing you to upgrade the graphics card, have access to a spare SATA HDD, and go through a couple of dozen or so more steps inside Chameleon bootloader, terminal, and elsewhere. The good news is this means there are not a lot of Intel Macs that won’t be able to handle Mountain Lion. You can check out the instructions here, if you are interested, and the author gave a brief explanation below on what prevents the MacPro1.1 models from running Mountain Lion in the first place:

There are two things that prevent 10.8 from installing on a MacPro 1,1. The first is the lack of EFI64. Mountain Lion as has no support for 32bit kernel and extensions so it will not boot. This is true of many early Intel macs… The other thing is that checks are made by the installer; against a supported machines list. If your mac isn’t on the list, it refuses to install.

On a related note, you might make use of popular Mac backup and cloning app Carbon Copy Cloner throughout the process. The app was just updated to version 3.5 with a number of new features including Mountain Lion compatibility.

[tweet https://twitter.com/lfstudios10/status/227501498630823936]

Report: Apple to sell 30-pin adapter for new iPhone’s smaller 19-pin dock connector

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According to a report from iMore’s Rene Ritchie, Apple plans to release an adapter alongside the new iPhone that will allow users to connect accessories using the old 30-pin dock connector to the device’s new 19-pin connector:

iMore reached out to the original sources that gave us the new Dock connector story way back in February just to make doubly sure — and yes, there will be an adapter for the iPhone 5’s smaller Dock connector that will let it work with many of the accessories designed for the old 30-pin Dock connector.

The report noted there is no word on whether Apple plans to include the adapter in the box with the new iPhone or make it a separate purchase. Earlier today, a report from Reuters backed up the rumors and earlier reports that Apple plans to include the smaller, 19-pin dock connector on the new iPhone expected to launch in October. iMore originally reported the new iPhone would include the smaller connector in February, and several reports since followed up with similar predictions.

In May, we posted images of the next-gen iPhone‘s metal back (above) that clearly show the smaller connector.


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Reminder: Mountain Lion will be free for 30 days for new Mac owners

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Update 2: After a brief time online, Apple appears to have taken down the form to request a copy of Mountain Lion. You’ll still be able to request a copy at Apple’s original link following Mountain Lion’s official release.

Update: As noted by MacRumors, Apple’s form to request a free copy of Mountain Lion for new Mac owners is already live on the company’s website. After entering details about your purchase, personal details, and the serial numbers of your new Mac, Apple sends two emails —one with a password protected redemption code and another containing the password— to open it. The redemption code is not yet working in the Mac App Store.

Apple previously confirmed, when it unveiled the new Retina MacBook Pros and refreshed Mac lineups, that Mountain Lion would be available for free to those who purchased a Mac after June 11 through the Up-to-Date program. Since then, Apple has updated its website to confirm the free copy will be available to new Mac owners for 30 days from the release date, which will likely be sometime after tomorrow’s Q3 earnings call. Those who purchase a new Mac following Mountain Lion’s release will also have 30 days to claim their copy on Apple’s website.


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Russian hacker is doing Mac apps too

After Apple rolled out temporary fixes, and promised a permanent fix for the in-app purchase hack in iOS 6 earlier today, it looks like the same Russian hacker now offers a similar hack for in-app purchases in the Mac App Store. The Next Web has the full story

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Minor app update roundup: djay for iPad, Turntable.fm, Tweetbot for iPad, more

By far the biggest app news today is the announcement that popular Mac and iOS email client Sparrow has been acquired by Google, but below is our usual list of all the notable apps and updates hitting the App Store:

djay for iPad version 1.5.1: djay for iPad received a significant updated today that brings support for Numark’s upcoming iDJ Pro controller for iPad arriving in September. The update also improves “turntable behavior for fast spinning,” slider accuracy, and some bug fixes including one for distortion issues with Split Output.

Turntable.fm version 2.1.1: Turtable.fm’s iPhone app received a small update today that allows users to log in with their turntable account instead of Facebook or Twitter. The update also added more avatars.

Tweetbot for iPad version 2.4.2: A small update for the extremely popular Tweetbot for Twitter client for iPad brings a number of bug fixes.

Netflix version 2.2.1: Another small update today goes to the Netflix iOS app with version 2.2.1 bringing much-needed stability improvements.

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Find My Facebook Friends app forced to change name – becomes ‘Locate’

Developers of the Find My Facebook Friends app have had quite a rough time getting their app past Apple’s App Store review team. The app was originally called “Find My Friends For Facebook” until Apple rejected the app name and icon for being too similar to its own Find My Friends app, forcing the developers to resubmit the app with a new icon and name. While the app has been live in the App Store and steadily growing among users as “Find My Facebook Friends” since March, the developer told us today that it is once again being forced to change its name—but this time by Facebook.

After a few emails with Facebook’s Platform Operations team, Find My Facebook Friends has now been renamed “Locate”. Facebook also requested the developer remove the “f” logo, and then alter the white silhouette used in its icon. It appears Facebook’s platform policy and trademark rights allow iOS developers to use “for Facebook” in their app titles to clearly indicate the app is “for” Facebook and not an official app. However, there are many apps, such as Facebook Chat+, that seem to violate Facebook’s policies the same as Find My Facebook Friends, and they have been available in the App Store for almost a year. The developer noted Facebook contacted him after briefly testing its location-based Find Friends Nearby feature, which did not include the exact same functionality. However, it could easily be confused with Find My Facebook Friends by its title alone. The app still includes the same features, allowing you to locate Facebook friends on a map, receive proximity alerts, and more, but it is now available as “Locate: Real-time Location Sharing for Facebook” in the App Store.

iTunes in the Cloud for movies rolling out in 35+ countries (Updated)

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Following the launch of iTunes Match in Poland and Hungary today, Apple also appears to be opening up its iTunes in the Cloud for movies in at least the United Kingdom, Canada, and Colombia, which previously only had access to music, music videos, apps, and books (and TV shows in Canada and the U.K.). There are also various other reports coming from Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland that claim the feature is going live.

Apple’s list of supported countries for the feature has not been updated to reflect the new countries. Let us know in the comments if you notice the feature rolling out in your country.

[tweet https://twitter.com/betterthan/status/226009325544558596]

MacRumors has been tallying the updated list:

Australia, Argentine, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, the U.K., Venezuela, and Vietnam


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Apps & updates: Bolt!, PDF Expert for iPad, Vyclone, and more

[tweet https://twitter.com/MikeTyson/status/225260161734934529]

[tweet https://twitter.com/SnoopDogg/status/225999765593264128]

We already had some app news today with the release of Gameloft’s official The Dark Knight Rises iOS game/movie tie-in, but the rest of the notable apps and updates hitting App Stores worldwide are below:

Bolt!: The free game, featuring the World’s Fastest Man and Jamaican track star Usain Bolt, was released by Rock Live a couple of days ago, but it is getting a ton of attention for its addictive gameplay. You might notice a few celebs playing this one (as you can see in the tweets above), and Mike Tyson is even accepting challenges. An iPad version is coming soon.

PDF Expert version 4.1: The iPad version of Readdle’s PDF Expert app was updated today to version 4.1 with a number of new features including:

– Faster PDF rendering

– AutoSync for Dropbox and other storages

– Support for Microsoft SkyDrive

– Recording audio notes into PDFs

– Ability to move opened notes

– Network connectivity fixes (FTP, SFTP, Dropbox)

Vyclone: Released as a free iPhone app on the App Store today, Vyclone takes video shots on several iPhones and stitches it together into the perfect video clip with multiple viewing angles. You can also take all the raw footage and make your own cuts.

Tango Video Calls: The Tango Video Calls app received a decent update today, including the ability to send and receive free text messages to Tango contacts, share videos in text conversations, and more.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies: Activision’s Black Ops Zombies app received a huge update today brining the “dark and ice-covered isles of Siberia” as Call of Dead: Director’s Cut content. The updated also includes new V-R11 and Semtex mine weapons, new achievements, and a new perk called “Deadshot Daquiri”.

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Gameloft’s ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ now available in the App Store, Arkham City Lockdown dropped to $1

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnxL8IWhd8I&feature=plcp]

Gameloft teased the release of The Dark Knight Rises iOS game last week with the second teaser trailer for the official movie tie-in above. Today, the universal iOS app is already available in the New Zealand App Store for $9.99, and it should hit the U.S. store for around $6.99 shortly. Also of note, although it is not a Gameloft developed Batman title, the popular Batman Arkham City Lockdown iOS game released by Warner Bros. is currently on sale for just 99 cents, down from the usual $6. It also recently received a huge update with Retina support.

PLAY AS THE DARK KNIGHT
Access Batman’s complete arsenal and learn how to take full advantage of each tool. Use the Grapnel to cross the city or to defeat foes, throw the Batarang to knock out your enemies or to hit a distant button; the possibilities are infinite.
When kicks and gadgets are of no use, The Dark Knight relies on his vehicles to get the job done. Drive the Bat-Pod for special vigilante missions or pilot The Bat for fast travel across the city.

EXPERIENCE GOTHAM AS YOU NEVER HAVE BEFORE
Explore the entire city of Gotham and its different districts spread across a huge map and enjoy stunning graphics for total immersion in the dark universe of Batman.