Apple’s App Store, iPhone 4, Angry Birds, other iOS games rack up Guinness World Records

Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer’s Edition’s list of Top iPhone and Apple App Store records:

• Fastest-Selling Portable Gaming System – iPhone 4: Analyst estimates place the first-day sales of the iPhone 4, released on June 24, 2010, at 1.5 million units, making it the fast-selling portable gaming device in history. For comparison, the PSP shifted 200,000 units on its launch date in 2005, and the DS took a week to move 500,000 consoles in November 2004.

• Most Popular Application Marketplace – Apple App Store: With over 6.5 billion downloads since its launch in July 2008, the Apple App Store is the most popular downloadable app service in the world. As of September 2010 it hosts 259,470 apps for purchase of free download (a further 50,000 apps that were once available through the service have been discontinued). Of the apps currently available, 61 are flatulence simulators, a genre that includes such masterpieces as Fart Machine, Fart Ocarina and iFart – Epic Rip Edition.

• Largest Downloadable Video Game Store – Apple App Store: As of September 2010, there are 37,362 games available for download via the Apple App Store, making it the world’s largest downloadable video game store. By comparison, PC games download service Steam offers around 1,110 titles, the Xbox Live Indie Arcade has slightly more at 1,300 and the Japanese Virtual Console store for Wii offers 576 titles covering a good chunk of the back catalogues of both Sega and Nintendo.

• Largest Launch Line-up of Any Gaming System – Apple App Store: The Apple App Store’s launch on July 10, 2008 featured over 500 apps – including 145 were games – making it the “Largest Launch Line-up of Any Gaming System”.

• Top Paid-For App Store Game in Most Countries – Angry Birds (Chillingo, 2009): Physics puzzler Angry Birds has been recognized as the top paid-for game in Apple’s App Store in a record 67 territories worldwide, including the US and UK, as of October 2010. Released by publisher Chillingo on December 10 2009, sales of Angry Birds are now in excess of 6.5 million copies.

• Fastest-Selling iPhone/iPod Strategy Game – Plants vs. Zombies (PopCap, 2010): With more than 300,000 paid downloads in its first nine days on sale in February 2010, PopCap’s Plants vs. Zombies for the iPhone and iPod Touch is the highest-grossing strategy game launch in the history of Apple’s App Store. Despite retailing at a pocket-money price of just $2.99, the tower defense title generated a cool $1 million for PopCap in a little more than a week.

• Most Popular iPhone Game Series – Tap Tap Revenge (Tapulous, 2008): The Tap Tap Revenge series of music rhythm games is the most popular in App Store history, having been downloaded more than 15 million times since the first game in the series was released in July 2008. Market research firm comScore reports that the games have been installed by 32% of all iPhone/iPad users. Tap Tap Revenge 3, which was released in October 2009, hit #1 in the App Store in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Singapore and Netherlands.

• First Text Adventure Engine for iPhone – Frotz (Craig Smith, 2008): The precursors to modern graphic adventures, text adventures use many of the same gameplay traditions as their more aesthetically appealing progeny. The first app to allow players to experience these gaming relics on the iPhone was Frotz, release to the App Store on August 11, 2008.

• First Physics-Based Puzzle Game on iPhone – Enigmo (Pangea Software, 2008): Announced alongside the App Store at Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference in 2008, the liquid storage game Enigmo demonstrates how games developers could exploit the iPhone’s multitouch screen.

To check out these records and many more, curious knowledge-seekers can pick up Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer’s Edition in hardcopy or eBook format and discover hundreds of new video game records, facts, trivia, classic quotes and much more! In addition, gamers can test their skills out on the new Gamer’s Edition Arcade app available on iOS for $0.99 at the iTunes App Store. Or try the free Guinness World Records: Gamers Edition Arcade Lite app.

Guinness World Records is the universally recognized authority on record-breaking achievement. First published in 1955, the annual Guinness World Records book is published in more than 100 countries and 25 languages and is one of the highest-selling books under copyright of all time with more than 3 million copies sold annually across the globe. Guinness World Records celebrated its 50th anniversary edition in 2004, a year after the sale of its 100 millionth copy. Guinness World Records also annually publishes the Gamer’s Edition; a records book devoted solely to the world of computer gaming and high score record achievements.

Source: Guinness World Records

Apple’s Next iPhone To Be Called iPhone 4S

"Business insider reports that Jefferies analyst Peter Misek has put out a note on the next iPhone, claiming Apple will go for the 'iPhone 4S' moniker rather than go straight to iPhone 5."
"Misek also lifts the lid on specifications: the iPhone 4S will include the dual-core A5 CPU just like the iPad 2, as well as improved cameras front and back. HSPA+ support will also be present this time around, while cosmetically not much will change, though ‘minor’ alterations are expected".
"Of particular note are Misek’s remarks that the iPhone 4S will incorporate radios that make the handset compatible with Sprint and T-Mobile in the United States as well as bringing the handset to China Mobile. A T-Mobile version had been rumored before and Sprint support is a new one on us, though not entirely surprising."

To read more about this article click here.

Apple sued again over location data

“Apple is being sued again over the controversial data location file on its iPhone and iPad devices,” Jim Dalrymple reports for The Loop.

“Filed in the United States District Court for the District Of Puerto Rico, Lymaris M. Rivera Diaz is suing Apple, The Weather Channel and Pandora Media for intentionally intercepting personally identifying information,” Dalrymple reports. “The lawsuit contends that Apple captures the Unique Device ID and transmits that information, along with location data, to third-party advertisers .”

Dalrymple reports, “Apple is facing six different charges, including fraud, abuse, and unfair trade practices. The lawsuit is asking for monetary damages.”

Read more in the full article here.

Microsoft tricked into overbidding for Skype by $4.5 billion

“With Microsoft having confirmed its acquisition of Skype, sources tell TechCrunch Europe that Redmond outbid its closest rival, Google, by almost two-to-one,” Steve O’Hear reports for TechCrunch. “Meanwhile, Facebook is said to have never been in the running.”

“According to a source who claims knowledge of talks held between all parties, Google came in second at a price of $4B, while Microsoft will be paying $8.5B.”

“Meanwhile, according to our sources, Facebook was never actually in the running to buy Skype and may have simply been inadvertently used to turn up the heat on Microsoft to push through a deal. Facebook was never approached, says one source, but that this didn’t stop rumors that the social networking site was “sniffing around”, a tactic often employed to close a deal.”

Read more in the full article here.

Its Official. Microsoft Buys Skype

With Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype, the company has announced that they plan to bring the software+technology to Xbox and Kinect, Windows Phones, Outlook, Lync, Windows devices and non-Microsoft platforms.

Click here for the full press release.

Want to use your iPhone to find land mines?

“Computer scientists at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have designed an elegant system that ties in smartphones to assist humanitarian de-miners by augmenting the information supplied by their metal detectors,” Rebecca Hersher reports for The Harvard Gazette. “Their system, known as pattern enhancement tool for assisting land mine sensing (PETALS), and which will be presented at this week’s Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, takes de-mining advances in a new direction.”

“‘We want to support people in the field with minimal invasiveness. Without changing their sweeping style, without giving them new procedures, this technology allows them to better visualize what they are detecting,’ explained SEAS researcher Lahiru Jayatilaka, who is working with Assistant Professor of Computer Science Krzysztof Gajos at SEAS, James Staszewski of Carnegie Mellon University, and Luca Bertuccelli of Massachusetts Institute of Technology,” Hersher reports.

“In the field, de-miners use a repetitive sweeping motion to systematically cover small sections of ground looking for land mines. When the metal detector passes over a metallic object, it beeps. Expert de-miners are able to visualize the auditory feedback of the metal detector, creating in their heads an image of the object’s outline underground,” Hersher reports. “Land mines, with their circular construction and trigger pin, have an ovoid signature. The system designed by Jayatilaka and Gajos shows one red dot for every beep of the metal detector. With passes over a buried object, the picture shows an increasingly complete outline of the object’s shape, giving the de-miner an evermore detailed picture of what may be buried there.”

Read more in the full article, which has a photo of an Apple iPhone being used to image sweeps of a metal detector,  here.

How to Untethered Jailbreak iOS 4.2.8 on Verizon iPhone 4 Using PwnageTool (Mac Users)

While Snowbreeze can already untethered jailbreak iOS 4.2.8, the problem is that it is for Windows users only. If you happen to be a Mac user, and want to untether jailbreak your Verizon iPhone 4 on iOS 4.2.8, Just click here for a guide on how to do so.

3 Major Smartphones Company Apple is Killing

Giving all the current success at tech stock Apple Inc. It's easy to forget how much the company has actually grown over the past five years. Apple stock investors become desensitized to the ever climbing share price, the torrent of inflating analyst expectations for both earning and product sells.
Apple is not just booming but competitors are going bust. Considering that Apple only has the iPhone while Google has scores of handsets running it's Android OS and Motorola has dozens of different models, is pretty impressive what the company has being able to achieve in such a short time.
Even more impressive, the IDC report shows Apple Smartphone business Grew just over 114% inside twelve months.
That kind of growth isn't coming from nowhere. Here are three companies in particularly that are being slowly killed by the iPhone;
Nokia
Sony Ericsson which involves two stocks (Sony, Ericsson)

To read more about this article click here.

Apple may be negotiating deal with Nuance for iOS 5 speech recognition

“This past November, the blogosphere was briefly set on fire when a comment Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak made in passing stated that Apple had acquired the voice recognition company Nuance,” MG Siegler reports for TechCrunch.

“Wozniak quickly came out and corrected that comment, and most believed that he had simply confused Nuance with the company he mentioned right afterwards, Siri — a company that Apple actually did acquire in April 2010,” Siegler reports. “But as it turns out, Wozniak’s comment, whether he knew it or not at the time, may not have been as off as it seemed.”

Siegler reports, “Apple has been negotiating a deal with Nuance in recent months, we’ve heard from multiple sources. What does that mean? Well, it could mean an acquisition, but that is looking fairly unlikely at this point, we hear. More likely, it means a partnership that will be vital to both companies and could shape the future of iOS.”

Read more in the full article here.

Fix iTunes Error 3194 When Restoring / Updating Custom 4.3.3 Firmware

It appears that many Jailbreak's users are having some trouble, when trying to Restore/Update to iOS 4.3.3 an error indicating;


           "The iPhone could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (3194)".

This is apparently due to a bug in Cydia’s backend which should be fixed soon.

Temporarily, you can fix this by removing Cydia’s SHSH caching server from your host file.

To read more about this error and to follow a guide on how to fix it click here here.

Apple moves to #4 in Barron’s 500

Just about a week ago Apple was in position #59 in Barron's 500, but do to the intense selling of iDevices they jumped from the #59 position to #4. For the way i see it Apple is kicking every major company out the way including Microsoft which rank on # 34.

Barron’s writes: Apple, ranked No. 4 this year, has done all that to perfection. It has generated stellar sales growth and handsome profits from the iPod, iPhone and related products, and its shares have rallied 321%, to 347, since the stock market bottomed in March 2009. Yet the stock, which trades for only 12.2 times next year’s expected earnings, still isn’t richly valued. Other tech stocks, including Western Digital, Research In Motion, Broadcom and EMC, also rank among this year’s top 20.

To read full article click  here. (Subscription required to read full Article)

How to Jailbreak iOS 4.2.8 Verizon iPhone 4, and iOS 4.3.3 using Sn0wbreeze (Untethered)

Just in time iPhone developer ih8sn0w updated sn0wbreeze to version 2.7 in order to support untethered jailbreak for iOS 4.3.3 and the Verizon iPhone iOS 4.2.8. To head over this guide click here.

Be advised that just like Redsn0w this jailbreak doesn't support the iPad 2.

How to Jailbreak the iPhone 4, 3GS, iPodTouch and iPad using PawnageTool 4.3.3 (Untethered)

The guys at Redmondpie have written a guide on how to untethered jailbreak the iPhone 4, 3GS, iPodtouch, and iPad using PawnageTool. To head over to this tutorial click here.

How To Jailbreak iPhone, iPod, and iPad using RedSn0w

Not to long since iOS 4.3.3 was release and an untethered jailbreak using RedSn0w is already out. To head over to this guide click here.

Apple considering Over The Air Firmware Updates for iDevices

Apparently Apple and Verizon are discussing  the possibility of getting over the air firmware updates starting with iOS 5.1. To read more about this Article click here.

How to Jailbreak iOS 4.3.3 on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Using Redsn0w (Tethered)

 Redmondpie.com has written a guide on how to Jailbreak iOS 4.3.3 on iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad & iPodTouch 4G/3G. Be advised that this is a tethered Jailbreak which means that you will have to boot your iOS device in tethered state on every reboot. Click here to head over to this guide. 

Downgrade iOS 4.3.3 to 4.3.2, 4.3.1, 4.3, 4.2.1 on iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, iPod touch

Today Apple released iOS 4.3.3 to fix the location tracking bug. Redmondpie.com posted a step by step guide to downgrade back to iOS 4.3.2, iOS 4.3.1, iOS 4.3, or iOS 4.2.1. Click here to head over to this post.

 

Gameloft Podcast #14

Gameloft video podcast#14 with iPhone and iPad games: Fast Five: The Movie Official Game, Order & Chaos Online, Green Farm, Let’s Golf 3, and iPad games Starfront: Collision and Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, and some news about the Asphalt Audi RS 3 contest winner!

Apple’s iOS doubles worldwide market share over past 10 months; now world’s #3 OS

“Apple’s iOS, the mobile operating system that powers the iPad and iPhone, has more than doubled its share of the worldwide operating system market over the past 10 months,” Jon Brodkin reports for Network World.
“When you count desktop, laptops, mobile phones and tablets as one category, iOS is the third most widely used operating system after Windows and Mac OS X, with share that jumped from less than nine-tenths of a percentage point in June 2010 to 2.24% in April 2011, according to Net Applications,” Brodkin reports. “The data, collected by determining the operating system of devices connected to the Web, shows Windows declining from 91.46% to 88.91% share since June. Mac OS X [at 5.04%, as measured by Net Applications] gained a quarter of a percentage point in that time span but it’s iOS that is Apple’s real growth engine, moving from 1.87% to 2.24% in the past month alone. More than half of that comes from the iPhone, with the iPad and iPod Touch contributing the rest.”
Brodkin reports, “Android holds only 0.66% of the OS market, putting Google’s mobile OS in sixth place behind Linux desktops and Java ME for mobile devices. Symbian, BlackBerry and Windows mobile are in seventh, eighth and ninth place, respectively, behind Android… Apple’s [iOS] 2.24% market share consists of 1.23% for the iPhone, 0.82% for the iPad and 0.19% for the iPod Touch, according to Net Applications.”
Read more in the full article here.

iMovie for iPad2 – Video demo

The folks at MobileBurn demoes the Apple iMovie app.  Apple iMovie is an iOS video-editing application for the iPhone 4, iPod touch (4th gen), and the iPad 2. iMovie allows users to create HD quality videos by assembling and editing video clips, photos, and music.

Safari Browser is the Portal for New Malware Attacks on Mac OS X Users

A significant new security threat has been detected and its putting Mac users on high alert today. Mac antivirus and security developer Intego has "discovered a rogue anti-malware program" dubbed MACDefender. According to a report from the agency, MACDefender attacks Macs via "SEO poisoning" assaults. (NOTE: The malware described here is in NO WAY affiliated with MacDefender, makers of popular geocaching software).

Quote:

When a user clicks on a link after performing a search on a search engine such as Google, this takes them to a web site whose page contains JavaScript that automatically downloads a file. In this case, the file downloaded is a compressed ZIP archive, which, if a specific option in a web browser is checked (Open “safe” files after downloading in Safari, for example), will open.

Once the file is decompressed and the installer launches, users see what appears to be a friendly screen (see above image) prompting MACDefender setup (it should noted that because the software deceptively requires user agreement, the accompanying threat level warning for MACDefender surfaces as "low"). However, if the installation process is followed - a process that requires the entry of an administrator’s password - the software will call your computer its new home. And this is one digital house-guest you don't want.

This latest security threat represents yet another example of how malware sites are capitalizing on Safari's "Open Safe Files" feature. Nonetheless, if you have installed the MACDefender software, there's a good chance you'll be able to uninstall the unwanted "house guest" in just a few steps - the first of which is searching for and deleting any and all references to "MACDefender" on your system.


According to CNET:

Quote:

Currently antivirus definitions for Intego's VirusBarrier X6 software are being updated to address this threat, and it is likely other legitimate antivirus software companies are doing the same for their programs. Therefore, if you run VirusBarrier or other antivirus utilities then be sure to check for an update soon, and run a full scan on your system to remove the MACDefender malware.

Jailbreak iOS 4.3.2 Untethered iPhone 4, iPad, 3GS Guide Video » Phone Reviews

Geohot Accepts The Challenge To Jailbreak iPad 2

It appears some new-old competition just joined the race to dump the iPad 2′s bootrom.

The hacker currently working on the feat, P0sixninja, tweeted that after he asked for more competition from his peers, the newly famous Geohot has accepted the challenge.

iOS 4.3.3 for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Dropping Within Next Two Weeks

Folks at BGR have got their hands-on the the upcoming iOS 4.3.3 for iPhone 4 , 3GS, iPad 2 & 1, iPodtouch, and it is said to contain fix for the much talked about iOS location tracking bug.

iOS 4.3.3 will include:

• The update will no longer back up the location database to iTunes
• The size of the location database will be reduced.
• The location database will be deleted entirely when Location Services are turned off.
• Battery life improvements.
• iPod bug fixes.

According to their sources, iOS 4.3.3 is due within the next two weeks or so. Apple is also expected to once again close the jailbreak hole which was recently released to untether the jailbreak on iOS 4.3.1/4.3.2.

How to Jailbreak Verizon iPhone 4 On iOS 4.2.7 (Using Sn0wbreeze 2.6.1)

 


















Guide on how to Jailbreak Verizon iPhone 4 On iOS 4.2.7 using Sn0wbreeze 2.6.1. Head over to this post to read the guide. Enjoy!

Windows 7 PC Theme available for download via Cydia (iOS 4+)

Windows 7 theme, Lockscreen, Dock Bar, Sidebar, MediaPlayer, and Safari available for download via Cydia

To Setup follow this guide

Step 1. Download 'Five Icon Dock'

Step 2. Download 'SpringJumps' - Turn On Page 0 & Page 1

Step 3. Download 'iBlank' - Create 1 blank icon for the 1st page, & 3 for the 2nd page.

Step 4. Download 'Categories' - Create 1 folder name 'Media', one name 'All Programs' & 1 name 'Games'

(You should know what apps to add in each folder)
Step 5. Arrange the icons exactly the way they are in the images bellow 'Page 1' & 'Page 2'.

Step 6. Download 'No Page Dots'

Step 7. Download 'Iconoclasm' - Enable Windows 7 PC(Iconoclasm)

Step 8. Download PerpageHTML - Enable Windows7PCStartMenu & applied to 2nd Page.

Step 9. Enable Windows 7 PC theme.

Not required but you can also download PageLock to make it more realistic.

________________________________________________________

Apps on 1st page

Clock, Calendar, Photos, Camera App Store, Messages, Phone.

Apps on 2nd page

'Media' folder, 'Games' folder, iFile, Settings, Modmyi, Mobile Terminal, Mail, skyfire, Cydia, Notes, WinterBoard,  'All Programs'
Apps on Dock
Page 0, Page 1, Safari, iPod & PocketLife.
      
To download theme click here

Microsoft tool helps devs port iOS apps to WP7

Microsoft is trying to make it easier for iOS developers to bring their creations to its Windows Phone 7 platform.  A newly announced service called the iOS to Windows Phone 7 API mapping tool, acts as an interchange for developers to take applications they've already written for Apple's platform, and figure out ways to get the code work with Microsoft's standards.  "With this tool, iPhone developers can grab their apps, pick out the iOS API calls, and quickly look up the equivalent classes, methods and notification events in WP7," said Jean-Christophe Cimetiere, Microsoft's senior technical evangelist in a blog post announcing the tool. The database is also able to direct users to a directory of code samples, where they can learn to do some of the same things using Microsoft technologies.  "The code samples allow developers to quickly migrate short blobs of iOS code to the equivalent C# code. All WP7 API documentations are pulled in from the Silverlight, C# and XNA sources on MSDN," Cimetiere said.  Right now, Cimetiere says the translation tool is designed to work with just a handful of iOS APIs (application programming interfaces), with more to be added in the future. Even so, the two platforms will not line up "one to one" because of basic differences in user interface and architecture, the company said.  Along with this new service, Cimetiere mentioned that the company is working on a similar offering for Google's Android, though did not provide a date on its arrival.  Porting games and applications from one platform to another is nothing new, though providing first-party documentation to help get the job done is a tactical gesture on Microsoft's part. It's clearly in Microsoft's interest as the company nears the launch of the first wave of devices it's collaborated on with Nokia as part of the two companies' strategic partnership. A report released by market research firm Distimo earlier this week noted that Microsoft's application marketplace is on track to be larger than Nokia's Ovi store and BlackBerry App World in less than a year since its launch, based on current growth rates.