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‘Canabalt’ Creator Releases Minimalistic Puzzler ‘Hundreds’ [iOS Blog]

Hundreds, from the makers of Canabalt and Solipskier, is a minimalistic puzzle title that’s making waves with its simplistic design and clever gameplay.

Previously a Flash game, Hundreds has been ported to iOS with great success, incorporating intuitive multi-touch controls.

The idea is to tap a series of circles on the screen. With each tap, the number on the circle increases, until it reaches 100. As they grow, circles turn red, and if they collide, the game will end. Each level incorporates new challenges and gameplay elements. From the App Store description:
Simple in concept, deep in design, Hundreds is a puzzle game that requires quick fingers and deep thinking.

The goal of Hundreds: Grow at least 100 points between the circles in each puzzle. Circles turn red and volatile while being grown and if they collide, it's game over. It's that easy.

So far, Hundreds has received rave reviews from our sister site Touch Arcade and Kotaku, which has already named it 2013's potential Game of the Year.

Hundreds can be downloaded from the App Store for $2.99. [Direct Link]

Apple Rumored to Be Testing New ‘Touch on Display’ Technology for Next iPhone

According to a rumor from The China Times [Google translation], Apple is planning to adopt new touch panels with "Touch on Display" technology for the next iteration of the iPhone. The panels, which have been developed by Apple supplier Innolux, are said to be in testing at the moment.

Apple's iPhone 5 incorporated a display that uses in-cell technology, and it has been reported that problems with the recognition of rapid diagonal swiping on the screen are due to the display. That may be one reason Apple is looking at new touch panel technology.

The China Times concurs, pointing to the slow response speed of the iPhone 5's touch panels along with interference issues as the deciding factor behind the switch.

There isn't much information available about the Touch On Display panels, but they are said to be thin and tough, with a thickness of 0.5mm and improved optical performance and sensitivity.

The new display would presumably be used in Apple's iPhone 5S, which could be entering production as early as the first quarter of 2013.

Rumors about the next-generation iPhone are already surfacing, with a report earlier this week claiming that the iPhone may launch in mid–2013 in several different colors and sizes, and a leaked photo in December of what might be the rear shell of the next phone.

No Deal in Sight for Apple to Acquire Waze

Yesterday, TechCrunch reported that Apple was interested in purchasing Waze, the social turn-by-turn navigation company. According to the report, Apple was offering approximately $400 million plus an additional $100 million in incentives, but Waze was holding out for closer to $750 million.

TechCrunch's MG Siegler now reports that there is no deal in sight.
And while Mike Butcher also claimed multiple sources in his original post, you’ll note that he was quick to qualify the information as a “rumor” (or in British parlance — Mike is English — a “rumour”). Because that’s exactly what it was. This isn’t a rumor (of a non-deal). There is no deal is happening. At least not now or anytime soon.
Siegler goes to note that Apple and Waze have in fact probably had low-level conversations about a closer partnership given that the two companies are already working together on Apple's mapping products, but he says that the talks are so far nothing more than the typical interactions seen between partner companies on a daily basis.

18.5% of U.S. Mobile Phone Subscribers Now Using iPhones

comScore today released the results of its monthly rolling survey of U.S. mobile phone users for the September-November period, finding that 18.5% of U.S. mobile phone subscribers are now using an iPhone, up 1.4 percentage points from the June-August period. Samsung continues to lead the market at 26.9% on 1.2 percentage point growth, while the remainder of the top five vendors all lost share.


Apple overtook LG for the second spot in last month's survey, and solidified its lead in the latest data on continued growth paired with a small decline by LG.

In looking only at smartphones, which now account for 53% of the U.S. mobile market, Android has continued to expand its lead and now holds 53.7% of the market. The iPhone 5 launch has, however, allowed Apple to continue its growth and the company now holds 35% of the smartphone market as the fall of RIM and Microsoft have increasingly turned the smartphone market into a two-horse race.


Notably, comScore's data tracks installed user base rather than new handset sales, making it more reflective of real-world usage but slower to respond to shifting market trends than some other studies.

How Blind People Use Instagram [Video]

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Just because you’re blind and can’t see what you’re taking pictures of does not mean you can’t use Instagram. Thanks to the Accessibility features in iOS, Tommy Edison is able to use an iPhone and take pictures through Instagram to give his followers a view of his world, even though he can’t see.

The process is mind blowing and seems incredibly tedious, but it’s awesome that even blind people can connect with people through Instagram. And you know what, Tommy’s photos aren’t all that bad compared to some of my friends’.

Source: Tommy Edison

Via: Kottke

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Microsoft Acquires Apple Target R2 Studios

In late December, it was reported that Apple was one of three companies, with Google and Microsoft being the others, in talks to acquire home automation firm R2 StudiosThe Wall Street Journal is now reporting that Microsoft has acquired the firm to beef up its Xbox unit.
The company, id8 Group R2 Studios Inc., was created by entrepreneur Blake Krikorian in May 2011. Mr. Krikorian will be joining the Redmond, Wash., software giant with a small team. As part of the deal, Microsoft also acquired some patents owned by the startup related to controlling electronic devices.

The price of the deal couldn't be learned.
R2 has reportedly been working to expand its existing business focused on Android software to control Crestron home automation systems to develop technology for distributing digital media to television sets.

The report notes that Microsoft has been working hard to transform its Xbox platform into a digital media hub, striking deals with HBO, Netflix, YouTube, Comcast, and Time Warner for on-demand and Web video.

Apple is of course also rumored to be interested in the television market beyond its existing Apple TV set-top box. Apple has reportedly been working on both new set-top boxes and Internet-connected television sets as part of an effort to remake the television viewing experience, but progress has been slow due to complicated negotiations with content providers.

Get New Logos, Website Redesigns, And More With 99designs [Deals]

So you’re starting a new venture in 2013. Need a new logo for it? What about getting that web design dealt with so you can launch your first website? Perhaps it’s time to finally consider styling up your business cards?

Whatever your design needs may be, why limit yourself to one designer when you can tap into the talent of hundreds of talented artists? That’s what 99designs offers – and Cult of Mac Deals has an offer that lets you get $50 of high quality design services for only $25!

With this deal, you can use the credit towards any of your design needs, including:

Logo design Business card design T-shirt design Brochure design Web page design Mobile app design …and more!

We’re not the only ones singing the praises of 99designs, either. Check out what some other high-profile sites have had to say:

“A new generation of online service marketplaces is giving small companies more opportunities than ever to find specialized expertise and affordable labor.” – The New York Times

“More than 90% of 99designs’ customers come through word of mouth. Imagine if the company actually invested in sales and marketing.” – TechCrunch

“This huge market makes it simple and cheap for business owners and individuals to get custom sites and logos quickly and on the cheap.” – Forbes

Here’s how 99designs works:

  1. Post Your Design Project. Create your detailed project brief and kick-off your own design contest. You set the guidelines…scope, price, timing and all other aspects of the design project. Once completed, designers browsing for projects will find your brief and if they decided to submit an entry, it will be presented to you as they are completed. Depending on the scope of the project, you may receive several – or even dozens – of entries.
  2. Give Feedback and Collaborate. As the designs come in, you can provide continual feedback on the submissions. On the right track but not exactly the right color? Shift the logo to the left? No problem, you can provide as much feedback as you wish in order to help the designers deliver exactly what you had in mind.
  3. Choose Your Favorite and Reward Your Designer. Feedback may be submitted to the designers up until you find a satisfactory design. Once selected, you will pay the designer the predetermined amount and receive the copyright to the original design. Once that’s done, you’re done!

And if you can’t decide on just one design, then you can declare multiple winners, and pay them each the pre-determined price accordingly.

This kind of service is a great way to get the top-notch designs you need to start off your new venture with style. Cult of Mac Deals has timed this offer perfectly to coincide with the start of the year, so take advantage of it while it lasts. Get $50 of 99designs credit for just $25 by heading over to our Deals page today!

#mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } Want More Freebies And Deals On Mac Software And Apple Gear? Sign Up Below!

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Apple Says ‘Do Not Disturb’ Bug to Resolve Itself on Monday, January 7th

Some users discovered that the scheduling portion of the "Do Not Disturb" feature in iOS 6 failed to work after New Year's Eve. The scheduling would turn itself on as scheduled, but would fail to turn itself off again.

Apple reports in a support article that Do Not Disturb scheduling will begin working properly again after January 7, 2013.

Symptoms

After January 1st, 2013, Do Not Disturb mode stays on past its scheduled end time.

Resolution

Do Not Disturb scheduling feature will resume normal functionality after January 7, 2013. Before this date, you should manually turn the Do Not Disturb feature on or off.

To turn off the scheduling feature, tap Settings > Notifications > Do Not Disturb and switch Scheduled to Off.


Judge Dismisses Apple Trademark Claims Against Amazon’s Appstore

Amazon has succeeded in having Apple's false advertising lawsuit over its "App Store" trademark thrown out, reports Bloomberg via The Next Web.


In early 2011, Apple sued Amazon over the latter company's new "Appstore" for Android devices, claiming the 'app store' name was trademarked by Apple and would cause confusion amongst consumers.

Apple claimed Amazon's "inferior" app store would tarnish Apple's reputation. Last year, a judge indicated skepticism over Apple's claims, saying Apple had not demonstrated "real evidence of actual confusion" between the various "app stores", and suggested that Apple was "not likely to prevail" in the case.

Microsoft also fought against Apple, arguing that 'app store' is a compound noun that is a generic characterization of the store itself -- a store for apps.

Parisian Apple Store Robbed of 1 Million Euros in Merchandise on New Year’s Eve

The Apple Store Opéra in Paris, France was robbed by four masked gunmen on New Year's Eve. The thieves made off with more than 1 million euros worth of iPhones and iPads.

Christophe Crepin, an Unsa police union official, told Le Parisien newspaper that 'the four hooded and heavily armed criminals made their move very quickly. Most of the police forces were being mobilised to monitor the Champs Elysees, so the robbers have clearly benefitted from this opportunity to strike.'

Mr Crepin said the robbers mainly took 'a lot of goods' and very little money. Early estimates were that the haul was worth well over 1 million euros, or close to 1 million pounds.
With Apple gadgets fetching such a high price on the secondary market, thefts of individual devices in muggings are common. However, organized robberies on Apple Retail Stores are more uncommon.

The Covent Garden location in London was attacked by a group of armed motorcycle riders in 2011, while an Apple Store employee was shot at a Virginia Apple Store back in 2009. Smash and grabs are more common, with thieves using vehicles to crash through the barricades at outdoor stores to steal merchandise.