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HBO Go iOS app updated with AirPlay multitasking & new interactive features for Game of Thrones

HBO has pushed out an update to its HBO Go app in at least the US today. Version 2.1 brings AirPlay multitasking support, allowing videos from the HBO Go app to continue playing while users navigate to other apps. Also included in this release is enhancements to the interactive features experience for the network’s popular Game of Thrones series and the usual performance enhancements:

– Includes AirPlay multitasking capability — other apps can be used while video continues to stream via AirPlay.
– Enhancements to the interactive features experience for Game of Thrones
– General performance enhancements

HBO Go version 2.1 for iPhone and iPad is available from the App Store now.

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Notification abuse, too, led to AppGratis’s push out of the App Store

This past weekend, popular application discover app AppGratis was removed from Apple’s App Store. Many had correctly assumed that the application was pulled from the store because of Apple’s Developer Guidelines 2.25 clause:

2.25 Apps that display Apps other than your own for purchase or promotion in a manner similar to or confusing with the App Store will be rejected.

Any app that functions too similar to Apple’s own App Store, even if it routes users to complete the download via the App Store, will be rejected. If they already exist on the store, they will be removed. This Apple policy became stringent following the release of iOS 6 last fall.

While the app was removed for breaking this policy, AllThingsD reports that Apple has confirmed that the app was also removed for abusing Apple’s push notification system.

5.6 Apps cannot use Push Notifications to send advertising, promotions, or direct marketing of any kind.

Discovery apps that utilize a different, non-promotional business model seem to be safe.


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Apple App Store bug incorrectly claims Facebook, Instagram, other apps offer in-app-purchases (Update: Fixed)

In-App Purchases bug affects Facebook, Instagram

The iTunes App Store is incorrectly featuring the “Offers In-App Purchases” badge on select apps that do not include In-App Purchases, as David Smith noted today on Twitter.

Facebook and Instagram, which are both free and offer no In-App Purchases, are the most prominent apps to feature this bug. The bug can be seen on both the iOS variant of the App Store and via the iTunes application on computers.

The warning is problematic in that it could deter customers from downloading a free app that does not actually include in-app purchases.

It is possible the bug is related to changes made last week to the App Store that make age ratings more prominent and features an “Offers In-App Purchases” warning that satisfies a class-action lawsuit.

UPDATE: Apple appears to have resolved the In-App Purchases bug in its App Store.

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Adobe reverses decision to collect App Store royalty on Director 12 iOS apps

Users of Adobe’s just launched Director 12, which introduced the ability to publish iOS games, weren’t too happy in January about the company’s decision to collect a 10 percent royalty on earnings above an initial 20K for paid iOS apps. Following the feedback from users, Adobe has now reversed its decision and will no longer require any royalty fees or registration for iOS titles published with the platform.

Adobe provided us with the following comment:

Since launching Director 12 in February, Adobe conducted detailed conversations with members of the community to understand concerns with the licensing model. After analyzing all viewpoints, we decided to allow users to publish to iOS without registration or royalty fees on earned income.

Adobe is yet to update its end-user license agreement for Director 12 that states users are required to report revenue and (sic) “PAY ADOBE 10% OF THE REVENUE PAID BY APPLE INC. AND / OR ITS AFFILIATE(S) TO CUSTOMER IN RELATION TO SUCH PAID IOS APP IN A QUARTER.” Adobe’s Director 12 site still claims “*Additional Fees Apply,” linking to the end-user agreement, but Adobe will likely update the site soon to reflect its decision.

Apple allows Microsoft SkyDrive 3.0 update into App Store following delays

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Update: Microsoft provided us with the following comment noting that “people interested in buying additional storage will do so via the web versus in the app.” In other words, it doesn’t look like Apple will be getting a cut of additional storage purchased, but users won’t be able to do so via the iOS app:

We worked with Apple to create a solution that benefited our mutual customers. The SkyDrive app for iOS is slightly different than other SkyDrive apps in that people interested in buying additional storage will do so via the web versus in the app.

Back in December we heard reports, later confirmed by Microsoft, that Apple was delaying updates to its SkyDrive iOS app. The delays were apparently over a dispute regarding whether or not Apple should receive its usual 30% cut for additional storage that users purchased through the app.

While there is no word yet on exactly how Microsoft and Apple resolved the issue, Microsoft announced today on its Windows SkyDrive blog that a new update is available for the iOS app via iTunes starting today.

Version 3.0 of the app, the first update to SkyDrive for iOS since June, brings support for iPhone 5 and iPad mini, a revamped user experience, enhancements to photo features such as the ability to download full res photos to iPad and iPhone, and much more:
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Duke Nukem 2 gets 20th anniversary re-release on iOS, now available on App Store

We knew it was coming through previous teasers released for the title, and today Duke Nukem 2 has officially landed on the App Store as a 20th anniversary re-release of the original 1993 title. Publisher Interceptor Entertainment and 3DRealms are including the full 32 level experience, “Insane VGA Graphics”, and the usual touchscreen control enhancements, new artwork, and much more.

Duke Nukem II is everything you’d want from an action game. Duke blasts his way through your screen with enough firepower to wake your neighbors. In 1993 Apogee released Duke Nukem II. Its explosive action made it an instant side-scrolling classic. 20 years later, Interceptor Entertainment and 3DRealms have teamed up to bring Duke Nukem II back. Duke Nukem II for iOS lets you experience this 90′s classic all over again on the most popular gaming platform in the world!

Duke Nukem 2 is available as a universal iPhone & iPad app on the App Store now for $1.99.

Key Features
– Smooth Side Scrolling Action
– Insane VGA Graphics
– 256 Eye Popping Colors
– Kick A** Weapons
– Amazing Interactive Environments
– 32 Action Packed Levels
– Full Touch Screen Support
– Brutal New Artwork and Music
– Save/Load, Replay and Track Your Highscore

Screenshots below:

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Algoriddim’s ‘djay’ apps get Audiobus support alongside new features & enhancements

Following Apple’s decision to update GarageBand with support for the inter-app audio routing system known as “Audiobus”, the popular djay apps by developer Algoriddim have been updated with Audiobus support alongside a long list of new features.

On top of support for the Pioneer DDJ-WeGO and DDJ-ERGO controllers through the Pioneer DJC-WeCAi iPad Connection Cable for the iPad version of the app, both the iPhone and iPad djay apps get the following new features and enhancements:

What’s New in Version 1.6.4

✔ Introducing Audiobus support: Now you can stream live audio directly to other Audiobus-compatible apps! See http://audiob.us for more information
✔ Added support for Pioneer DDJ-WeGO and DDJ-ERGO controllers (requires Pioneer DJC-WeCAi iPad Connection Cable, sold separately)
✔ “Shuffle” setting is now also applied to Automix Queue
✔ Pause audio when disconnecting headphones or dock audio
✔ Gain is no longer reset when “Reset EQ” setting is off
✔ Allow sliding crossfader up after tapping to leave it centered
✔ Improved handling of iOS audio system errors
✔ Improved caching
✔ Improved Vestax Spin 2 mapping: allow tempo fine-adjust using Shift & +/– buttons
✔ Changed ION iDJ 2 Go jog wheels to scratch during playback (the previous pitch-bend behavior can be enabled using “Jog Pitch Bend Mode” in the MIDI settings)
✔ Fixed playback issue after loading error with specific files
✔ Fixed audio distortion when using Key Lock with Bluetooth audio
✔ Fixed lock screen audio controls starting both turntables
✔ Fixed possible crash when editing Automix Queue while Automix is active
✔ Bug fixes, performance and stability improvements

djay for iPhone is available on the App Store now for $0.99, and the iPad version is available for $4.99. The free, LE versions of the app also gained Audiobus support today.

Algoriddim even updated its vjay apps that allow users to mix music and videos with many of the new features—minus Audiobus support—included in the djay updates.

Apple updates Final Cut Pro X with new features as part of campaign to win back pros

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Following reports this morning that Apple was preparing to a launch a new campaign on its website to lure skeptical professionals back to Final Cut Pro X, Apple has now pushed out updates to the app in addition to smaller updates to its Motion and Compressor apps.

Version 10.0.8 of the ‘Final Cut Pro’ Mac App Store app brings a number of new features and enhancements, many of which focus on improvements for professional users. Among the updates is support for Sony XAVC codec up to 4K, the ability to view “ProRes Log C files from ARRI ALEXA cameras with standard Rec. 709 color and contrast levels,” and a long list of editing fixes, tweaks and enhancements that have been highly requested by pro users.

Apple has now updated its website with the new Final Cut Pro campaign we mentioned earlier. It includes a feature with acclaimed director Tsui Hark and Canada’s largest newspaper The Globe and Mail. The ‘What’s New’ Final Cut Pro product page was also updated to show off some of the new features in today’s update such as support for the Sony XAVC codec.

Apple also updated Compressor and Motion today with minor updates that include fixes.

A full list of what’s new in Final Cut Pro X, Compressor, and Motion is below:

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TweetDeck for Mac updated with column & content filters, advanced search, wide columns, much more

Twitter today released a big update to its popular TweetDeck Mac App Store app, bringing a long list of highly requested features like enhancements to filters, columns, fonts, and key commands.

Version 2.7.1 of TweetDeck for Mac introduces new column filters, the ability to filter columns by content type, Users filters on columns, and a new ‘wide column setting’. Also included in today’s update is a new “powerful advanced search”.

When it comes to Content filters, you can now filter by “media, RTs, including and excluding terms.” Meanwhile, the new Users filters will let you view “verified users, members of a list and more.”

Other new features in today’s release include new font size settings, the ability close windows using CMD+W, verified badges when searching lists, and an option to enable infinite scroll in temporary columns. The release notes pointed out that Spacebar would also now trigger a page down event.

A full list of what’s new is below:

What’s New in Version 2.7.1

➤ Introduced column filters and powerful advanced search
➤ Added Content filters to columns and search including ability to filter by media, RTs, including and excluding terms
➤ Added Users filters to columns and search including ability to filter by verified users, members of a list and more
➤ Added wide column setting
➤ Added new font sizes to settings
➤ Spacebar now triggers page down event
➤ Cmd+W closes windows
➤ Social proof for favorites & RTs in detail view
➤ Added verified badge to list searches
➤ Enabled infinite scroll in temporary columns

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Google apps take top two slots on Apple’s App Store

The two most popular non-game apps downloaded from Apple’s iOS App Store so far this year were both Google ones: YouTube and Google Maps, according to data from App Annie (via The Next Web).

Google Maps was originally installed as standard on iPhones and iPads until Apple struck out on its own with the rather ill-fated Apple Maps. Though Apple has since fixed many of the embarrassing errors in the launch version, demand for Google’s version has seemingly increased rather than decreased.

In an ironic turnabout, Google lost the top slot on its own Google Play store to Facebook.

BMW app integration, Plants vs Zombies 2, IM+, Pac-Man, StreamBoard, deals, more

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News:

BMW iOS app integration: Following some recent Siri Eyes Free news from Chevrolet, BMW announced today that it has partnered with handful of developers to bring similar eyes free experiences for a number of third-party iOS apps to its vehicles. BMW has partnered with Audible for audio books, Glympse for location sharing services, Rhapsody for subscription music and TuneIn for internet radio, all of which will be updating their apps in the weeks to come for compatibility with the BMW Apps system.

Plants vs Zombies 2: PopCap announced today that part two of its incredibly popular Plants vs Zombies title is finally going to land on iOS in additional to all the other usual platforms “early summer.”  No clues on what might be included in the second installment, but in the meantime PopCap will launch a new version of the game on Facebook.

App Updates:

IM+ Instant Messenger version 7.7: A nice update to the very popular IM+ service today offers Beep mobile-to-mobile service as an in-app purchase, the ability to preview transferred images directly in chats, and the usual bug fixes and performance enhancements. iPad users will also now be able to capture photos and videos in the app.

StreamBoard version 5.0: The Twitter client that lets you track keywords and hashtags in real-time is updated to version 5.0 with many new features and enhancements:

For this incredible milestone, StreamBoard has been rewritten from the ground up bringing to you:
– A brand new streamlined interface powered by gestures
– A reimagined filter view featuring real-time graphs that you can interact with
– Much improved engine for faster speed!
– and many more!

Pac-Man version 3.5.0: iOS 6 support and new features for the Pac-Man iPad app.

Added support for iOS 6
Fixed Game Center issue for iOS 6
Updated More Games functionality

Deals:
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Apple adds ‘offers in-app purchases’ warning in iTunes following class action lawsuit

After settling a class action lawsuit brought on by parents arguing the iOS freemium model, i.e. in-app purchases, allowed children to easily rack up thousands of dollars, Apple has made a subtle change to the App Store to make consumers more aware of apps that offer in-app purchases. The Guardian confirmed with Apple that it recently added a new “Offers In-App Purchases” warning directly underneath the download button in iTunes following the settlement (as pictured above).

Apple has always listed “Top in-app purchases” on app listings in iTunes and the App Store app, but the new warning is clearly a response to the lawsuit and an attempt to make apps that offer in-app purchases more visible to customers downloading free apps. The new warning isn’t on listings in the App Store iOS app yet, but could presumably make its way there as well.

Apple previously agreed to pay $5 in iTunes credit or a full refund for purchases above $30 to those claiming in-app content was purchased by a minor without their permission. Apple is contacting 23 million iTunes account holders that qualify to receive a cut of the settlement.

Update: As expected, the new warning is now appearing on the App Store on iOS as well:

Apple’s Podcasts app updated with custom stations with automatic updates, iCloud support for stations, playlists, more

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Apple has updated its Podcasts app today with a number of new features. Among the most notable is the ability to create custom stations that update automatically as new episodes of podcasts are available. There are also a number of new enhancements for stations and playlists, including iCloud support to keep stations up to date on all your iOS devices.

The app also now includes a redesigned “Now Playing” view that shows playback controls, as pictured in the screenshots above.

Other improvements include On-The-Go playlists and support for syncing playlists from iTunes, an option to have stations begin playing with the latest or oldest episode, and other fixes and performance enhancements:
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Google’s Eric Schmidt says Google Now for iOS approval is in Apple’s court

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Update: Apple responds.

Google chairman Eric Schmidt spoke at the company’s Big Tent Summit in India this morning, and, on top of claiming there are no immediate plans to merge Chrome and Android, the executive discussed the possibility of Google Now coming to iOS devices. It appears Google is in a similar situation to when it launched a standalone Google Maps app, as Schmidt claimed it’s up to Apple to approve or reject Google Now for the App Store. TechCrunch pointed us to the comment from the Google executive at around 17 minutes into the interview:

You’ll need to discuss that with Apple” (at around 17:50). “Apple has a policy of approving or disapproving apps that are submitted into its store, and some of them they approve and some of them they don’t,” he went on to say.

A video that appeared to be an ad for the debut of Google Now on iPhone and iPad landed on YouTube last week before quickly being removed. The video (above) showed that Google could implement Google Now functionality—currently only available as a Siri-like voice and contextual assistant app on Android devices—into the Google Search app.

Google already updated its Google Search app with voice recognition and Google Now-like features last October, and a number of comparison videos have since appeared online and show Siri has some serious competition with even the scaled back voice search features. Bringing the contextual assistant features that Google Now implements on Android to the Google Search app would give iOS users yet another reason to use it rather than Siri for a large number of tasks.
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BioShock Infinite, Amazon Send to Kindle, Garmin, Final Fantasy V, Reuters, more

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BioShock Infinite: Mac game developers Aspyr announced today that it will be bringing Bioshcok Infinite to the Mac following its release on PC and consoles next week on March 26. It will take Aspyr until the summer to get the third instalment in the Bioshock series up and running on OS X, but the company promised us more details on pricing, preorders, and release dates in the near future. The game follows lead character Booker DeWitt and takes place in the lost, floating city of Columbia. It’s the first title in the series that doesn’t take place under water and also sees the return of the game’s original developer Ken Levine.

Amazon Send to Kindle: Announced by Amazon today, website owners can now add a “Send to Kindle Button” to allow visitors save content directly to Kindle devices and apps. That means that iPhone and iPad users can now use the function on supported sites to send content to the Kindle iOS apps. Some sites such as The Washington Post, TIME, and Boing Boing have already added the button.

Final Fantasy V: The FF-Reunion website is reporting that Final Fantasy V is making its way to the App Store, at least in Japan, by the end of March. The title is said to get the usual overhaul for iOS, but until then you can always play the Game Boy Advance port through an emulator.

Garmin USA version 2.4: Garmin updated its USA version of its iOS app today alongside many other local versions with the ability to play voice instructions through your car’s speakers over bluetooth, a new Map Manager, points of interest from Wikipedia, and much more:
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Apple updates GarageBand for iOS with support for Audiobus, better control over region and note editing & more

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Apple today updated its GarageBand for iOS, bringing the app up to version 1.4 and providing support for Audiobus. Originally launched in December 2012, Audiobus is an iOS app available from developer A Tasty Pixel and described as an “inter-app audio routing system.” The app allows users to route audio from a growing list of third-party and Audiobus-compatible synths, drum machines, effects, and audio-editing apps and record them simultaneously in other supported multi-track editing apps. That means GarageBand users will now be able to use Audiobus to route audio instruments and effects from other Audiobus-compatible iOS apps into a GarageBand session.

Audiobus provides an SDK to developers that want to integrate the ability to support the Audiobus app and a long list of popular music creation apps have already taken part, including: Cubasis, Animoog, many of Korg’s apps, JamUp, Loopy, and now GarageBand. You can see a full list of apps that support Audiobus here. The Audiobus app will cost you an extra $9.99 on top of the cost of GarageBand ($4.99).

Other improvements in today’s update include the ability to turn off grid snapping to easier control the placement of regions when editing and a fix for issues with third-party audio accessories:
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Report: Twitter to launch iOS music discovery app that offers recommendations based on who you follow

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According to a report from CNET, Twitter might be preparing to launch a new standalone iOS music app as early as the end of this month. The report cites “a person familiar with the matter” and claimed Twitter would use technology it acquired through its purchase of music discovery service We Are Hunted to provide a music service dubbed “Twitter Music.” CNET says the service will provide customized content suggestions based on who users follow on Twitter. It would also apparently integrate with SoundCloud and carry Twitter branding unlike the company’s recently launched video sharing app Vine:

Twitter Music suggests artists and songs to listen to based on a variety of signals, and is personalized based on which accounts a user follows on Twitter. Songs are streamed to the app via SoundCloud.

The report provided a breakdown of how the app works, explaining that it will offer suggested songs and artists based on Twitter followers, links to songs people are listening to through the hashtag #NowPlaying, and popular and emerging tracks for trending and newly popular artists:
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Adobe, Google Shopper, Calendars by Readdle, Roku, Snapguide, Cubasis, Angry Birds Seasons, more

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News: With a heavy focus on its new Creative Cloud subscriptions lately (currently 60% off), TechHive confirmed with Adobe yesterday that it is cutting off physical, boxed sales of its Creative Suite apps.

As Adobe continues to focus on delivering world-class innovation through Creative Cloud and digital fulfillment, we will be phasing out shrink-wrapped, boxed versions of Creative Suite and Acrobat products.”

Google Shopper version 3.2: Google has updated its Google Shopper app for iOS today with new features including a new category result page, larger product images in a new slideshow mode, as well as “improvements to search locale detection, stability, and performance.”

Calendars by Readdle: Readdle has rebranded its paid Calendars app to “Calendars+” today in order to make room for a brand new free app that takes over the “Calendars by Readdle” name. The new free app features a UI and features similar to Readdle’s previous Calendars app, which the company tells us now has over 500,000 users.

Calendars lets you manage events both online and offline. Thanks to the unique interface you can move events simply with Drag & Drop, navigate quickly between dates, change event time and reminders rapidly with custom keyboards. Calendars supports everything you can find in Google Calendar: appointments, SMS reminders and more. Sync is really fast and your information is always up to date.

Roku version 2.1.2: The app that allows you to control your Roku from your iPhone gets official support for the Roku 3 player today:

• Support for Roku 3 player
• Minor fixes

Snapguide version 1.1.3: New photo editing features, search filters, and more:

– Introducing photo editing features! When creating a guide, you can now rotate and enhance images.
– Easily find guides you have liked. You can now filter liked guides by topics such as Food, Arts and Crafts and more!
– Bug Fixes.

Cubasis version 1.2: A massive update today for Steinberg’s iPad version of Cubase brings a ton of new features and fixes:
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Automatic Link brings your car’s on-board diagnostics to the iPhone, available for pre-order now

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

Automatic Link is a new hardware dongle for your car that is launching today and will allow you to monitor on-board diagnostics directly on your iPhone. On top of monitoring on-board diagnostics, such as braking, speeding, and rapid acceleration by connecting the Automatic Link to your car’s data port, the app will also include a feature that automatically reports crashes, the ability to locate your vehicle, check engine health, and provide “subtle audio cues when you do things that waste gas.”

The Automatic Link talks to your car’s onboard computer and uses your smartphone’s GPS and data plan to upgrade your car’s capabilities. It works with just about any car sold in the United States since 1996…The Automatic Link includes a built-in accelerometer that can detect many types of crashes. Automatic uses your phone’s data connection to immediately report the crash to 911* with your name, location, and vehicle description.

The Automatic Link is now available for pre-order from the company’s website for $70, with shipments and the companion app expected to land sometime in May. You can also check the make and model of your vehicle on the pre-order page to find out if your car is compatible.

  • Your Drive Score: Automatic gives you personalized feedback on your driving with your weekly drive score on a scale from 0-100. The drive score is based on metrics shown to increase fuel efficiency and safety, like braking and accelerating smoothly. A high score could save you hundreds on gas every year.
  • Your Trips in a Timeline: The Automatic app displays detailed information about where you go and how much gas it cost to get there. It shows you the actual MPGs you achieve for all your trips, even for older cars that don’t display fuel efficiency on the dashboard.
  • Parking Reminders: Automatic always knows where you parked your car, helping you find it again easily.
  • Crash Alert: If you’re ever in a crash, Automatic alerts emergency services with your location. It can even contact your loved ones to let them know what happened and that help is on the way.
  • Keep Your Engine Healthy: Automatic connects with your car’s computer whenever you drive and can tell you why that “check engine” light came on. It can decode the problem and in many cases offer a solution. The app even lets you clear the light yourself and save a trip to the mechanic.

Judge orders Apple to explain why it didn’t hand over Jobs emails in location tracking suit

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Bloomberg reported that U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal has ordered Apple to reveal exactly how it’s complying with previous orders to hand over evidence in a lawsuit that accused the company of collecting users’ location data. It will also have to submit documents related to its process for reviewing apps. Earlier this week, Apple’s lawyer, Ashlie Beringer, told the court that the decision to not provide emails from Steve Jobs in an order from November was a “mistake.”

“Luckily for the plaintiffs, Apple has provided more than enough evidence itself to suggest to the court that it has not fully complied with the court’s order,” Grewal wrote in the March 6 order. “In light of Apple’s performance in this case, the court cannot rely on its representations that this time it really has or will produce all responsive documents.”

According to the report, Grewal said in his order today that “it was ‘unacceptable’ that Apple waited more than three months to verify whether it complied with his November order to turn over documents.”

Apple has said previously that it has guarded some documents in the case to protect customers from harm if the documents were “inadvertently released to the public or fell into the wrong hands.”

Beringer said she and her team of lawyers reviewed more than 8,000 e-mails over the previous weekend and determined that they should turn over messages involving Apple’s late co-founder Jobs, Phil Schiller, its marketing chief, and Scott Forstall, the former head of mobile software, among others.

The result is Apple will now have to give a “detailed account” by March 8 of how it went about gathering documents it was ordered to submit to the plaintiffs:
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Apple asks judge to throw out app monopoly lawsuit, says there’s ‘nothing illegal’ about a closed system

Apple asked a federal judge today to throw out a lawsuit originally filed in 2011 that claimed the company has a monopoly over iOS apps by not allowing iPhone users access to an “aftermarket” of applications. Bloomberg reported that U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers did not resolve the matter today, but Apple’s lawyer Dan Wall argued Apple’s “closed” system doesn’t violate antitrust laws:

Apple doesn’t set the price for paid applications, and charging a price for distribution of a product on a new and unique platform doesn’t violate any antitrust laws, said Dan Wall, Apple’s attorney, at yesterday’s court hearing in Oakland, California.

“There’s nothing illegal about creating a system that is closed in a sense,” Wall told U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.

“Can a consumer go somewhere else to buy Angry Birds for the iPhone?” asked Alexander Schmidt, an attorney representing seven consumers who sued. “If the answer is no, then Apple is a monopolist.”

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Apple releases iBooks 3.1 with support for iBookstore in Japan, local content & improvements for reading Asian language books

Update: Apple issued a press release on the matter, below the fold.

Apple released version 3.1 of iBooks today on the App Store and with it comes hundreds of thousands of Japanese books to the iBookstore in Japan. Among the local content on the iBookstore in Japan is light novels and manga, while Apple also noted that it has made “a number of improvements for reading Asian language books.”

AllThingsD reported in January that Apple was in talks with Japanese publishers to work out deals for the iBookstore, which had lacked local Japanese content since it first launched in 2010. Up until now, the store in Japan has consisted of mostly public domain content, but it appears Apple has finally come to an agreement with a many of the large publishers in the country.

What’s New in Version 3.1

The iBookstore in Japan now has hundreds of thousands of books available for purchase, including fiction,
manga, light novels and more.  This version of iBooks also includes a number of improvements for reading
Asian language books.

iBooks 3.1 is available to download on the App Store now.
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Real Racing 3, YouTube, Socialcam 5.0, AVP: Evolution, DayOne, Cycloramic, Dunkin’ Donuts, Rabbit, deals, more

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Real Racing 3: The highly anticipated third installment in EA’s Real Racing iOS series has officially arrived in the US App Store today (via 9to5Toys). Available now for free, the game’s new in-app purchase model is getting a little bit of negative attention, but otherwise reviews of the game have been quite positive.

Trailblazing new features include officially licensed tracks, an expanded 22-car grid, and over 45 meticulously detailed cars from makers like Porsche, Lamborghini, Dodge, Bugatti, and Audi. Plus, racing with friends gets kicked into another dimension with the reality-bending Time Shifted Multiplayer™ (TSM) technology.

AVP: Evolution: Fox has released another app in the Alien vs Predators series with the release of AVP: Evolution. The game was developed by Angry Mob Games, makers of PREDATORS and Guerrilla Bob iOS titles, and takes cues from multiplayer modes in recent AVP console releases.

*Two distinct gaming experiences as you engage in the ultimate battle as both the Alien and Predator
*Vicious attacks and brutal finishing moves give players a lethal arsenal to wreak havoc on the enemy

Socialcam version 5.0: Autodesk is making some major improvements to its popular Socialcam app, which has now reached 20 million downloads, with the release of version 5 on the App Store today. The update should be hitting the App Store shortly and with it will come “a complete redesign of visual effects, 720p HD video, video High Dynamic Range (HDR), and a new icon for Socialcam.”

Major new features on the iOS platform include a complete redesign of visual effects, 720p HD video, video High Dynamic Range (HDR), and a new icon for Socialcam… Developed in collaboration with Autodesk’s expert professional video effects teams, the new 720p HD video and video HDR with one click real-time mapping and color correction enables Socialcam—with more than 20 million downloads—to continue to break through barriers to mobile video adoption by making it easy to express creativity and individuality wherever inspiration strikes—anytime, anywhere, and on any device.

Day One version 1.10: The well reviewed journal/diary app known as Day One gets new features today including new options for PDF Export and Printing, historical weather reports for 30 days, a new reminder sound,  Sanchez font option, and improvements to HTML styling. There are also a number of performance enhancements include for startup time, Dropbox syncing, and more. An update for the Mac app is coming soon.

Cycloramic version 2.1: The app that received much attention for its unique use of the iPhone’s vibrating motor to snap hands-free 360 degree video gets new features today. Among them is the ability to “convert panoramic photos to 24 second panoramic HD movies.”

YouTube 1.2.1: Google updated its YouTube app for iOS bringing the Send to TV feature that it originally introduced on Android devices back in November. The app will allow users to send YouTube videos from their iOS devices to a Google TV, PS3, or Xbox and Google confirmed back in January that the feature would be coming to even more smart TVs this year. 
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iCloud hasn’t had its coffee yet today folks, multiple services remain down

After experiencing some outages earlier this month, iCloud users continued to experience service disruptions across a number of services today. Earlier this morning, Apple reported on its System Status page, which at the moment appears to be experiencing some hiccups, that 11 percent of iCloud users were affected, and it listed all iCloud services as impacted by the outage (pictured above).

Apple later updated the system status page and listed only three services with outages: Photo Stream, Documents in the Cloud, and Backup. It also changed the 11 percent of users affected for all services to “Multiple iCloud Services- Some users affected.”

Unfortunately, Apple’s system status page doesn’t seem to be functioning properly, and it is not displaying values for outages tracked for each hour of the day. As witnessed on Twitter, many users continue to experience issues with several iCloud services including some not currently listed as being down by Apple.