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1,949 'App Store' stories December 2010 - July 2013

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‘Pacific Rim’ iOS game lands in App Store as new movie hits theatres

Jordan Kahn Jul 11 2013 - 7:48 am PT

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Just as the new film of the same name from director Guillermo del Toro is about to hit theatres, Reliance Games has released the ‘Pacific Rim’ mobile game for iPhone and iPad. The developers have done a couple decent movie-tie ins in the past, so hopefully Pacific Rim will be worth the $4.99 it’s asking in the App Store. The game features a story mode with over 30 levels and also a Survival Mode that will allow you to “defend humanity from an endless wave of Kaiju” in one of the massive transformer-like robots from the movie known as Jaegers.

Pacific Rim is available now for iPhone and iPad on the App Store.

Exclusive Features:
•Story Mode: Play over 30 levels and challenge monstrous creatures in intense combat inspired by the motion picture.

•Survival Mode: Can you defend humanity from an endless wave of Kaiju? See how skilled you are with your customized Jaeger.

•Command up to five different Jaegers with custom equipment and technology.

•Upgrade your Jaegers and weapons to dominate the battlefield.

•Discover and research new technology to increase your armor, power and speed.

•The game explores the Pacific Rim universe with new events, Jaegars, and Kaiju not fully revealed in the film.

Deus Ex: The Fall for iOS arrives in App Store a day early

Jordan Kahn Jul 10 2013 - 6:17 am PT

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Square Enix already informed us that developer Eidos Montreal would be releasing its highly anticipated iOS instalment of Deus Ex this week on July 11. Today the app appears to have hit the App Store worldwide a day early with the expected $6.99 price tag. The App Store link is already live for the game in the US, and it should be available to download elsewhere shortly.

Deus Ex: The Fall is the start of a new journey in the award winning Deus Ex game series. Set in 2027– the golden era for science, technology and human augmentation. Ben Saxon an augmented former British SAS Mercenary, is desperate for the truth behind a global conspiracy threatening his life.

Deus Ex: The Fall is available for both iPhone and iPad as a universal download, but keep in mind you’ll need a free 1.6GB for the game. However, it’s not surprising given the fact Eidos and Square Enix appear to be cramming in almost a full console like experience in the iOS exclusive. Previously release gameplay trailer for The Fall below:

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

Jordan Kahn Jul 9 2013 - 1:51 pm PT

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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.”

Hahaha crashes on iOS 7! RT @9to5mac: Plants vs Zombies 2 for iOS launches in Australia & New Zealand App Stores http://t.co/RC3YbBshFK

— Lars™ (@larsetc) July 9, 2013

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.

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

Jordan Kahn Jul 9 2013 - 12:32 pm PT

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Yahoo 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

Apple abandons App Store trademark case against Amazon

Jordan Kahn Jul 9 2013 - 10:48 am PT

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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

Jordan Kahn Jul 9 2013 - 9:42 am PT

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Yelp 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.

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

Jordan Kahn Jul 9 2013 - 6:36 am PT

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Tumblr 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

Pandora for iOS now automatically pauses when muted, adds improved playback buffering

Jordan Kahn Jul 8 2013 - 7:13 pm PT

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Pandora 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.

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

Jordan Kahn Jul 8 2013 - 2:12 pm PT

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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.

Apple celebrating 5 years of the App Store with timeline of milestones

Mark Gurman Jul 3 2013 - 10:07 am PT

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In celebration of the iOS App Store’s upcoming 5th anniversary, Apple has created a timeline of notable events in the App Store’s history.

This timeline has been sent to members of the media, including The Financial Times’ Tim Bradshaw, and Apple has created similar promotions in the past.

Earlier this year, Apple sent out a similar celebratory memento for the iTunes Store’s 10th anniversary of existence. Coupled with the note to press, Apple launched a public-facing website to honor the date.

Perhaps Apple will launch a similar site for the App Store’s 5th anniversary on July 10th. Full image and a Vine below:

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Angry Birds updated w/ new ‘Egg Defender’ gameplay mode, 15 new levels, & 73 Bad Piggies contraptions

Jordan Kahn Jul 3 2013 - 6:14 am PT

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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

Jordan Kahn Jul 3 2013 - 5:59 am PT

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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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USA TV network lands on iOS with new app to watch full show episodes

Mark Gurman Jul 2 2013 - 9:49 pm PT

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The NBC-owned USA TV network has launched its own iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch application to bring the USA show viewing experience to the small-screen. The application, like many TV network apps currently on the App Store, allows customers to watch shows the day after they air. The application also includes a backlog of past show episodes.

Like some other applications of the same category, users will need to authenticate the application with their credentials for their home TV provider. If a user does not subscribe to USA on their home TV setup, they can still watch some exclusive content via the application. Besides TV shows, the application can access behind-the-scenes clips, a full programming guide, interviews, and more.

USA today airs popular shows such as Burn Notice, Graceland, and Suits. The new app is free on the App Store.

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Real Racing 3 adds Bentley & Mercedes-Benz vehicles, progression system, improved graphics & 180+ events

Jordan Kahn Jul 2 2013 - 1:45 pm PT

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EA updated its popular freemium Real Racing 3 game for iPhone and iPad today with a number of new features including over 55 vehicles from Bentley and Mercedes-Benz. On top of a new Time Trail event type and 180+ new events, EA is also adding a progression system that will allow users to “unlock cars and events as you progress through the new career.” That sounds like a nice addition for those that were complaining of EA’s decision to stick with the freemium model for the title.

Also included in the update is improved graphics with “Per-pixel shadowing on high-end devices” and new bonuses:

What’s New in Version 1.2.0

The Prestige Cars Update is here! Bentley and Mercedes-Benz join Real Racing 3’s extensive stable of manufacturers, while the highly requested Time Trial mode arrives with global leaderboards and ghost racing!

• New manufacturers – Bentley and Mercedes-Benz join an exciting line-up of over 55 licenced cars
• New event type – Time Trial! Race against yourself, your friends and the world for the top leaderboard position
• Bonus R$ – Get an R$ boost for the first race of each day, earn bigger bonuses for consecutive days of play
• Clean Race Bonus – Drive cleanly and fairly to receive R$ bonuses
• New progression system – Unlock cars and events as you progress through the new career
• Improved graphics – Per-pixel shadowing on high-end devices!
• 180+ new events!

Spotify for iOS gets ‘Discover’ feature, editable playlists, new icon and more

Jordan Kahn Jul 2 2013 - 6:09 am PT

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Spotify updated its iOS app today with a few new features, one of which is a brand new ‘Discover’ experience that is rolling out to all users as we speak. As you might expect, the feature allows users to discover content based on their previous listening habits, and is of course a nice feature to have as Apple prepares to roll out its iTunes Radio service with built in Genius features.

Also included in today’s update for Spotify is a brand new logo and the ability to edit playlists directly on your iPhone. Spotify noted that “a shiny, new Now Playing view, featuring the ‘Up Next’ queue” is available now on iPhone and rolling out to all users soon.

A full list of what else is new and fixed in today’s release is below:

What’s New in Version 0.7.1

• New: Ever find yourself wondering what to play on Spotify? Introducing the new Discover experience on iPhone. (Coming soon to everyone.)
• New: A shiny, new Now Playing view, featuring the ‘Up Next’ queue on iPhone. (Again, rolling out to everyone soon.)
• New: Say hello to our new logo.
• New: You can now edit your playlists on your iPhone.
• Improved: We’ve changed the order of the iPhone search tabs. Now it’s Artists, Albums, Tracks. (iPhone/iPod only.)
• Improved: We’ve moved the … context menu button in the Playlist and Album views to the top right of the screen. It’s better there. (iPhone/iPod only.)
• Fixed: Ford integration now works correctly when your iPhone/iPod is set to a language other than English.
• Fixed: In your playlist folders, “All Tracks” will now show you the actual number of tracks.
• Fixed: We’ve sorted lots of crash issues too.
• Fixed: The unread messages in your inbox will now update correctly.
• Fictitious: This app shares 73% of its DNA with bees.

In an iOS 7 world, here’s how Apple’s iLife, iWork, iBooks and other apps could look

Michael Steeber Jul 1 2013 - 7:01 am PT

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The introduction of iOS 7 brought forth a new era of iOS design: one that discards old thinking and draws little inspiration from past designs. While Apple’s included applications in iOS 7 have all been updated for the new design aesthetic, their App Store apps haven’t. Installing any of Apple’s other applications alongside iOS 7 reveals a huge discrepancy between the old, skeuomorphic design, and the new, flatter look. Obviously, Apple will have to redesign all of their App Store applications. So, what will they look like?

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Review: Hotwire travels to iPad with intuitive app

Mark Gurman Jun 27 2013 - 3:02 am PT

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After arriving on the iPhone late last year, Hotwire, the popular travel discount site for flights and hotels, has arrived on the iPad via an intuitive App Store app. The iPad version launches today as a free, universal update to the existing iPhone app.

The iPad app is very simple to use. From the start screen of the app, a user can input either their current location or another location where they want to travel, check-in/check-out dates, a number of rooms and guests, and tap a single button to immediately search for matching hotels.

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Google Earth for iOS gets new UI w/ sidebar, Street View & improved directions/search

Jordan Kahn Jun 26 2013 - 1:06 pm PT

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Google updated its Google Earth app for iOS and Android today with a few new features including a revamped interface that includes the left side panel it has been bringing to lots of its mobile apps.

Also new in version 7.1.1 of Earth is Google’s Street View feature, as well as improved directions and search with the ability to “visualize transit, walk, bike and drive directions in 3D while update search result list will let you browse search results quickly.” Google also announced that it is now making Google Earth available in over 100 countries worldwide:

Also with this release, we’re making Google Earth for mobile available in more than 100 countries worldwide, so you can start their virtual journey in Google Earth from almost anywhere on Earth. To unleash your inner explorer, check out your local Google Play store or iTunes to download the latest version of Earth for Android and iOS.

Version 7.1.1 of Google Earth for iPhone and iPad is available on the App Store now.

What’s New in Version 7.1.1

* Google Maps Street View: With Street View, you can explore the world at street level.
* Improved directions/search: Updated directions let you can visualize transit, walk, bike and drive directions in 3D while update search result list will let you browse search results quickly.
* Improved interface: Easily browse and enable different layers through use of new left hand panel

Award winning indie game ‘Limbo’ arrives on iOS July 3 for $4.99

Jordan Kahn Jun 26 2013 - 8:33 am PT

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The award winning indie game Limbo from independent Danish developer Playdead has made its way to just about every platform over the last few years since launching on Xbox Live in 2010 and eventually PS3, Windows, & Mac. Today, Playdead announced that it’s now created iOS ports of the game for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch that will be arriving in the App Store next week.

We have worked very hard to bring LIMBO to as many devices as possible; rethinking the controls and performing extensive optimizations to ensure an amazing touch-based experience across iPad 2 (and higher), iPad Mini, iPhone 4S (and higher) and the latest generation of iPod Touch.

The game, which has sold over 3 million copies since it launched, will be available on the App Store July 3rd for $4.99.

Digg’s Google Reader replacement now rolling out to all on web & iOS

Jordan Kahn Jun 26 2013 - 7:04 am PT

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Digg-reader-01

From 9to5Google:

After launching a private beta of its new Google Reader replacement, Digg announced today that it is now rolling out the beta to all users signed up to test the new app. Digg just sent out the first batch of invites to the new web app, but promises it will be “adding users in increasingly larger batches.”

The app is still a work in progress and won’t get you every feature you might have had with Google Reader, but for now you can easily import your Google Reader content, use Google Reader-like shortcuts, and save and share to all the usual third-party services.

iOS versions of Digg Reader land for iPhone and iPad in the App Store sometime today, and Digg says an Android app will be available before the end of July.

Update: The iOS version is now available.

Digg warns that the app is still very much in beta, but reminds us of a few features it plans to add in the coming months:
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iTunes U iOS app updated with pull-to-refresh, improved language support

Mark Gurman Jun 25 2013 - 10:21 am PT

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Apple has updated its iTunes U app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch with the ability to check for course updates via a pull-to-refresh animation. In line with this tweak, Apple says that today’s update resolves an issue with updating course information. Importantly, today’s update also brings improved language support for Arabic, French, German, Greek, Italian, Russian, and Spanish. The update is free on the iTunes App Store.

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Sony’s ‘Music Unlimited’ iOS app adds offline playback & high-quality 320kbps AAC streams

Jordan Kahn Jun 24 2013 - 3:01 pm PT

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CLC2u6lErGk

A nice update is landing any minute now for Sony’s Music Unlimited iOS app, which is continuing to improve thanks to some nice improvements coming with PS4 and PlayStation Plus. On top of some big discounts for PS Plus members, Sony announced today that iOS users will soon have the ability to download tracks for offline listening (something already available on Android devices):

Another improvement coming in version 1.3 of the Music Unlimited app is “crystal clear 320kbps AAC high fidelity audio while streaming.”Users can access the feature by turning on “High Quality Audio HQ Streaming”.in the app’s settings. The new high-quality audio will not, unfortunately, be available for offline playback.

Similar to the Music Unlimited Android app, iOS users can now download individual albums and tracks, as well as any playlists they have created to their device and enjoy music even when a cellular or Wi-Fi connection isn’t available, or when they want to conserve battery life or curb data usage.

Sony hasn’t picked up a ton of traction with the service among smartphone users, but it will certainly attempt to attract more users as it adds new features and closer integrates it with its revamped PS Network arriving alongside PS4.

As for deals:

If you’re not a subscriber to the Music Unlimited service, this is a great time to jump aboard! For a limited time, a 12 month Premium subscription to the Music Unlimited service is just $41.99 for PS Plus members – a discount of over 65 percent from the regular monthly price. Those who don’t have a PS+ membership can also take advantage of a special rate of $59.99 for the 12 month Premium subscription. More information about the offer can be found at PlayStation Blog.

Microsoft bringing Xbox & PC games to iPhone starting with free-to-play Age of Empires

Jordan Kahn Jun 24 2013 - 12:47 pm PT

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According to a report from Nikkei (via Reuters), Microsoft has signed up Japan-based game developer Klab Inc to bring some of its console and PC games to the iPhone and Android devices. There aren’t many other details, but the report claims Microsoft’s next title to arrive on smartphones will be a free-to-play version of Age of the Empires:

Microsoft’s “Age of the Empires” will be available as a free-to-play game worldwide on smartphones by the end of the fiscal year 2013 and other titles will follow, the report said.

KLab is behind a few titles already on the App Store and Google Play, including Arcadia, Gigabot Wars, Eternal Uprising, and Lord of the Dragons.

It actually wouldn’t be the first game that Microsoft has published for iOS devices as it recently brought its previously Windows Phone only title “Tentacles: Enter the Dolphin” to the App Store for both iPhone and iPad.

From beta 1 to release: how each major iOS version has transformed

Michael Steeber Jun 24 2013 - 7:00 am PT

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Following its introduction earlier this month, Apple’s newest operating system has fallen under criticism and scrutiny from both designers and casual users alike. Due to both the tight development timetable and the new design direction under Jony Ive, following the removal of former iOS SVP Scott Forstall last fall, iOS 7 is, understandably, the most controversial and intriguing iOS version yet.

In response to much of the negative criticism directed towards iOS 7, some have suggested that iOS 7 will change substantially before it is released to the general public. Looking back at previous versions of iOS reveals a long trend of subtle refinements to the operating system during beta periods, not dramatic changes. Let’s take a look at how each version of iOS has transformed:

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