Tomorrow, after much excitement, Apple will officially launch OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion for $19.99 to the public on the App Store. A new operating system certainly brings a ton of new features. However, there is always the lingering possibility that your favorite app may not be compatible. Just before the launch of Lion last year, we told you about a website called RoaringApps. As Mountain Lion is unleashed from its cage tomorrow, here is a little reminder on exactly why RoaringApps is so useful.
RoaringApps is a free website that allows you to check the compatibility of your apps with Mountain Lion. The website provides a long table of apps (it is a ton) that displays what apps are supported on the new OS X and whether the app is available on the App Store. If you are planning to upgrade to Mountain Lion tomorrow, this is definitely a website worth checking. The website organizes apps by name, and it has a search function to make things easy. [RoaringApps]
On a related note, how many of you plan to purchase Mountain Lion tomorrow? Is anyone holding off?
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced in the Q/A section of its Q3 earnings call that the company sold a total of 1.3 million Apple TVs during Q3, up 170% year over year, making for a total of 4 million sold during Apple’s fiscal year. He also noted that Apple will “continue to pull the string and see where [the Apple TV] takes them,” which is certainly an interesting comment after all the Apple TV set rumors that have been brought up over the past few years. Cook also continued with the same song and dance, saying Apple TV will remain in the company’s interest. With one quarter to go, Apple already passed 2011’s Apple TV sales of 2.8 million. Pretty solid for a hobby device.As GeekWirepoints out, the Apple TV outsold Microsoft’s Xbox 360 during Q3: 1.3 million to 1.1 million.
Apple has already begun building and expanding its Maiden, North Carolina data site and according to new plans sent by Apple to Catawba County, the Cupertino-based company plans to add another 21,030-square-foot data center to it. According to the plans, Apple is planning to build a new $1.9 million data center that will house 11 rooms, t-boned to the existing 500,000-square-foot data center that’s already on the site reports Winston Salem Journal. It will definitely be much smaller than the huge data center that is believed to power iCloud, having only two air conditioners, five fans, six electric unit heaters, one electric duct heat louvers and ductwork, 14 humidifiers, and only one unisex bathroom. My guess is that there are a ton of other additions coming to the site as well.
Along with its data center in North Carolina, Apple has also begun constructing data centers in Reno, Nevada and Prineville, Oregon to house the large amount of data that the company deals with. All of the centers are said to be built with the environment in mind, as the 20-megawatt solar farm that is set to power the North Carolina center is powered by trash from a local landfill. The data centers also create a sizable amount of jobs. [Winston Salem Journal via Engadget] Expand Expanding Close
Apple released a new version of iPhoto for Mac, version 9.3.1, which fixes a slew of bugs, along with ”an issue that in rare cases could cause iPhoto to hang when upgrading libraries.” Interested? Go to the App Store to grab the 599.65 MB update. In the mean time, you can checkout the release notes after the break.
From Day One, we were highly critical of the News Corp iPad app, The Daily, which aimed to revolutionize newspapers for the digital age—despite the amount of hype that was built before it launched. From its hay-day, The Daily has been relatively slow to load and present new content, especially considering our fast pace, gimmie-gimmie world. Moreover, its content has not always been hard-hitting. Consequently, The New York Observer reported earlier this afternoon that The Daily could be on the chopping block after the Nov. 6 elections. Murdoch has put the iPad newspaper on watch:
In addition, there are internal rumors that The Daily has been put “on watch.” According to a source the status of the groundbreaking iPad tabloid—which loses $30 million a year—will be reassessed after the November 6 election.
With other solutions like The New York Times’ stunning iPad app, as well as CNN and The Huffington, some users may be looking past The Daily for their news fix. Publisher Greg Clayman and Editor-in-Chief Jesse Angelo better step up their game before they experience the wrath of Mr. Murdoch.
We have known about OnLive’s awesome Desktop feature since this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. OnLive Desktop allows you to get access to a full Windows 7 client, complete with the ability to use Microsoft Office and other Windows apps. It was introduced as an iPad and Android app earlier this year, coming with 2GB of free cloud storage and paid plans that offer a bit more storage for those looking to get serious. The folks at OnLive promised the release of a Mac app with similar VM functionality, but that day has never come.
Luckily, Snowleo on the OnLiveFans forum posted an unofficial guide to getting OnLive Desktop to run on a Mac. It is a simple process, requiring only a free application called “Bluestacks”. Bluestacks lets Mac users run Android apps on their desktop, and it now allows them to access OnLive’s desktop service with a little side-loading. Only a few steps are required, and you will soon have free access to a full version of Microsoft Office on your Mac. Here’s how:
In wake of Judge Koh rejecting Samsung’s request to thwart the preliminary injunction Apple gained on its Galaxy Nexus, the pure-Android smartphone has disappeared from the Google Play website this evening. It is not clear if the removal is due to the phone being updated to the all-new Jelly Bean, or because of the injunction itself, but it certainly does make for interesting timing.
In the meantime, Google and Samsung are said to be working on a software patch to fix the issues that are causing legal happenings. A few months ago, the Galaxy Nexus dropped down to $399 and then lower to a solid $349 a few weeks later. Fast forward to now, and the Galaxy Nexus is just listed as “coming soon.” The device is still available on Amazon, for a little heftier price.
Research firm ComScore is out with new quarterly numbers today, giving us a look at the current state of mobile marketshare in the United States. Over the last three months, nothing too dramatic has changed. Android still has the lead in marketshare, now boasting a 50.9-percent share of smartphone customers (0.8-percent gain over three months ago but down from March), whereas Apple is in second with a 31.9-percent share (1.7-percent gain).
As for OEMs, Samsung has a commanding lead with 25.7-percent marketshare, followed by LG with 19.1-percent (had a 0.3-percent loss). Apple is third with 15 percent (boasting a 1.5-percent increase). The real story will come when companies report their earnings to investors in a few weeks. You can check out the charts after the break for all the details:
What seems to be everyone’s favorite email client, Sparrow, has received a significant update this afternoon. Sparrow for Mac upgraded to Retina graphics in the new version 1.6.2—something we have waited for from many apps lately. Furthermore, the app received support for Mountain Lion, which is currently seeded to developers on Apple’s Developer Center. Mountain Lion is expected to launch within the month for $19.99, so it is great to see support in place for an app that many of us use daily. Smaller changes include Notification Center support and a slew of bug fixes. As of now, the update is not available on the App Store, but is available for those who bought it on Sparrow’s website. Check out the full changelog: (via The Verge) Expand Expanding Close
Like it previously has, Apple reminded users in an email this morning that the iWork.com public beta will shut down July 31. In the email, as seen below, Apple encourages users to grab their documents by closing time. iWork.com launched in January 2009 as a service for users to collaborate on iWork documents, with the ability to view, download, and comment on uploaded documents. Now Apple is pushing users to use iCloud, which offers a similar feature to store and edit documents. Yesterday, Apple officially closed MobileMe in another attempt to push users to iCloud.
So, seriously, why would you not want to use iCloud yet?
It is no secret that Apple is aggressive to attack anyone involved with Android, including filing tons of patent suits against companies like HTC and Samsung. Perhaps the biggest news came last week, as Apple won injunctions on the original Galaxy Tab and —more importantly—on the Galaxy Nexus, which is Google and Samsung’s pure Android experience.
Now, both technology giants are fed up with Cupertino’s legal moves and are ready to work together. The Korea Times reported that Google and Samsung have a “game-plan” against Apple that will most likely lead to a cross-licensing deal—a.k.a. both companies are out to get money from Apple. One Samsung source told The Korea Times: “It’s too early to comment on our game plan (with Google) in the legal battle; but we will do our best to get more royalties from Apple, which has benefited from our technology. The fight is becoming more dramatic and the possibility of a truce in the form of a cross-licensing deal, seems to be becoming likely.”
Cross-licensing deals are nothing new in the technology sector. It is something many companies have agreed to do. For instance, Microsoft announced a cross-licensing deal with Samsung last September. Microsoft also has agreements with a slew of other companies, including HTC, Onkyo, Velocity Micro, ViewSonic, and Wistron. Samsung and Google are hoping for similar terms with Apple.
Samsung appealed the judge’s grant to Apple for the preliminary injunction this weekend. An injunction on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus would certainly be rough for both Google and Samsung. In the mean time, Samsung is anxiously waiting to hear what the judge rules. Interestingly nothing has happened to Samsung’s Galaxy S III, which is expected to sell 10 million units in July.
Samsung and Google are obviously fed up with being attacked, and they just want to move on with creating products. Google also wants to have a similar partnership with HTC. It certainly looks like Apple will have quite the Android force against them.
Jay and Rich over at Virtual Pants wrote a great review of Google Chrome for iOS, relaying their experiences after a weekend of use. They said it is a fairly good Safari alternative, but the biggest hurdle is the lack of iOS integration:
The inability to set Chrome for iOS as the default browser severely cripples the experience. Links from other apps, such as Maps and Mail, open in Safari. Most people prefer to use one app for each task. For browsing, it is nice to have all of your open websites in one place. Being forced to use Safari for a significant amount of browsing diminishes the experience of using Chrome for iOS.
I agree with them. Chrome for iOS is very sleek and makes for a great alternative over Safari, especially for those who use Google Chrome on a daily basis on our Macs. The ability to keep history, bookmarks, and tabs synced up makes things easy for my daily workflow. However, I would recommend sticking with Safari if you are a devoted Safari user. Apple included some syncing features in the new Mountain Lion and iOS 6, which are both now seeded to developers on Apple’s Developer Center. As for Chrome’s speed, I do not see any slower speeds than Safari in day-to-day browsing, even though JavaScript benchmarks show a very sharp decline for the Nitro-less Chrome.
Again, the sucky part of Chrome for iOS is the lack of “iOS integration.” Open a link in an email, and it opens in Safari. It is frustrating, but something we have to live with for now due to Apple’s restrictions. (Or hook your jailbroken self up with Browser Chooser.)
I am filing Chrome for iOS next to Sparrow. They are both two great alternatives to default Apple apps and both have features that Apple should rip—especially the way you can flip through tabs. How has your experience been with Chrome for iOS?
NetMarketShare is out with new numbers this morning that portray iOS’ continuing dominance over web marketshare. The firm found that in the month of June, iOS web marketshare rose almost 3 percent, pushing it past 65 percent, which is an almost 15 percent increase year-over-year. Compared to the competition, iOS is blowing 0thers out of the water. Android currently sits at 1 percent, with the dying BlackBerry just under 2 percent…ouch.
With Android leading in total OS marketshare, it is definitely interesting that Apple continues to kill with its Safari sword. Android currently sits at over 50 percent of total OS marketshare, according to April numbers, with Apple at 30.2-percent. Android has a comfortable lead in total marketshare. So, why is Apple leading in web marketshare?
It is no secret that Apple’s Internet browser offering, Safari, is one of the best and easiest mobile browsers to use. I do not care what any Mozilla engineer has to say. It is fast and sleek, and it gets the simple, daily browsing done. That being said, I think iOS numbers are so high because iOS users can comfortably browse. Sure, that could all change with Google Chrome on both iOS and Android, but I seriously doubt it will make that big of an impact.
As for the almost 15 percent year-over-year increase, I would contribute that to huge sales of iOS devices—particularly the iPhone 4S. The iPhone 4S saw a great start in Apple’s fiscal Q1 by selling a record 37 million devices. Combine that with sales of the new iPad, we are talking about a sizable amount of customers using iOS for the first time and contributing to web marketshare numbers. Moreover, I think we will see a bigger jump as iOS 6 and the launch of the new iPhone come about this fall. Perhaps an even bigger jump will come about if Apple launches a 7-inch iPad, giving users a completely different type of mobile consumption.Check out the full graph below:
IFOAppleStore got its hands on a photo of a new Genius Bar that ditches the traditional desk in the back and moves to a 10-foot long table perpendicular to the back wall with more seats. The design does not look to be rolled out to many stores, but rather looks like the Apple retail staff is testing it.
For those unfamiliar, the Genius Bar is the section of the Apple store where “Geniuses” assist customers with new purchases, training, and broken items. The old design featured the ability to seat seven customers. The new design allows 12 to be seated, which is a 71 percent increase. All wires and connectors are stored underneath the table, while the Geniuses’ equipment is available in the drawers on the back wall. As we first reported earlier this year, Geniuses recently moved from using MacBook Pros at the desk to using iPads instead. We can see how the move will work much better with the new table design.
The above photo certainly looks like a concept photo, but Gary Allen of IFOAppleStore noted he has heard the new table is being used in at least a few stores (he is working to find their locations). We cannot tell if this setup will make an appearance in every Apple Store across the world (doubt it), but it could be very useful in narrower stores. The new design looks to get rid of the kids’ area that recently ditched iMacs for iPads to get young-ones hooked to the touch experience early, which does not seem like a perk Apple would want to get rid of everywhere.
It is an interesting approach to serve customers in a little better capacity. It may not work everywhere, but it certainly could in cramped locations. The new design would not be practical in, for instance, the Fifth Avenue Store. Its current Genius Bar can seat up to 15 customers at a time and already has a nice niche in the back of the store. Is anyone’s local store moving over to the new desk? Let us know!
Apple’s been using two-sided tables for a while, mostly with Personal Setup. This new two-sided Genius Bar will be a limited roll out, obviously, given the small percentage of smaller stores. (image)
Several users on Apple’s Support Communities reported that their new MacBook Airs have crashed frequently, and in most cases they have pinned Google Chrome as the main cause. Luckily, all of our speculation was cleared up this evening. Google confirmed to Gizmodo that Chrome is the culprit behind the kernel panics on Macs featuring an Intel HD 4000 graphics chip (aka the new MacBook Airs). Google said it is working to fix the issue, and it temporarily disabled some of Chrome’s GPU acceleration on the new MacBook Air via an autoupdate. Here is the company’s statement with all the details:
We have identified a leak of graphics resources in the Chrome browser related to the drawing of plugins on Mac OS X. Work is proceeding to find and fix the root cause of the leak.
The resource leak is causing a kernel panic on Mac hardware containing the Intel HD 4000 graphics chip (e.g. the new Macbook Airs). Radar bug number 11762608 has been filed with Apple regarding the kernel panics, since it should not be possible for an application to trigger such behavior.
While the root cause of the leak is being fixed, we are temporarily disabling some of Chrome’s GPU acceleration features on the affected hardware via an auto-updated release that went out this afternoon (Thursday June 28). We anticipate further fixes in the coming days which will re-enable many or all of these features on this hardware.
It looks like things should be fixed temporarily until a permanent solution is released. Was anyone experiencing issues? Let us know in the comments below.
Apple just announced in a press release this evening that its Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering Bob Mansfield would retire. Apple’s current vice president of iPad hardware engineering, Dan Riccio, will take over the position during the next several months. Apple CEO Tim Cook had some kind words to say about Mansfield, who has been with the company since 1999.
“Bob has been an instrumental part of our executive team, leading the hardware engineering organization and overseeing the team that has delivered dozens of breakthrough products over the years. We are very sad to have him leave and hope he enjoys every day of his retirement.”
Mansfield has played a huge role in recent hardware releases for the company: since 2008, the SVP has led Mac hardware, and he led hardware for the iPod and iPhone since 201o. He has also led hardware for the iPad since its conception in 2010. It looks like Mansfield will enjoy his retirement, because he sold almost all of his stock just over a year ago and likely plans to retire in Bonny Doon.
Meanwhile, Riccio currently serves as vice president of iPad hardware engineering, and he has been instrumental in all of Apple’s iPad products since the first-generation iPad. Riccio joined Apple in 1998 as vice president of product design, and he has been a key contributor to most of Apple’s hardware over his career. Riccio earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1986.
In a movement concerning public safety, the National Weather Service will begin sending text notifications to those in the path of a dangerous weather event like tornadoes, blizzards, hurricanes, ice storms, and more.
Yahoo News (AP) reported that the text message sent out to smartphone owners in the affected area will be less than 90 characters and free, so no sign-up is required. If users want to opt-out of the service, they can do so. However, in the midst of tornado season in the Midwest, and hurricane season in the South, I cannot see why anyone would. The service opened up today for Windows Phone and Android devices, while iPhone users will have to wait until the Fall to get updates pushed to them (at least through the NWS).
As we found in our iOS 6 beta hands-on earlier this month, Apple included government alerts into the new OS. iOS 6 supports the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 4G, iPad 2, and the new iPad, so it looks like many users will be in the clear. Government alerts will give weather information to users via the NWS and other news about public safety.
AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and T-Mobile are all signed-up with the program to offer weather alerts to the majority of their devices. Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile now offer the service across all the United States, while AT&T only has the service available in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Ore. However, an AT&T spokesperson confirmed to the AP that more areas would be added over time.
Satellite-based positioning is not used in the program, but rather the four carriers send an alert from the local tower to every device in the county that is about to be affected. Smartphones that can pick it up will display the information. It is not clear how many devices can pick-up the notification, but a spokesperson for the project said it is most likely “in the millions.” As iPhones are upgraded to iOS 6 later this fall, that number should grow substantially.
Since there was not much severe weather on the radar across the country today (just heat), the system most likely did not get any use. As the weeks roll on, we will get to see which areas the new system is now deployed in.Presumably, more devices and areas will be added over time.(via The Verge)
As we reported previously, Apple is working on iTunes 11 for a launch later this year, which sources told us it is a major revamp. The new software will be even simpler and user-friendlier than the current design, and early builds indicate improved iCloud integration. Reiterating what we reported before, Bloomberg reported this evening that Apple is working on large changes to iTunes that will launch by the end of this year, “according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.” Furthermore, the publication said iCloud file integration and music sharing would be heavily featured in the newest build. The sharing will most likely happen through Twitter and Facebook, both of which Apple has partnered with for sharing in iOS 6 and Mountain Lion (both are also now seeded to developers on the Developer Center). As for the iCloud integration, it is suppose to make things easier for users to manage their files. We showed you a screenshot of the iCloud integration within an early build of iTunes 11 in April.
In February, Apple acquired app search engine start-up Chomp for an unknown sum of money. The technology and team are said to be working on the new version of iTunes to assist users with search and app discovery. It is not clear if the Chomp team is behind it, but Apple made noticeable changes to the app search results within iTunes recently.
The star of the iTunes show last fall was iTunes Match, which allows users to scan and match music tracks across all of their Macs and iOS devices for just $24.99 a year. It looks like a total revamp to the iTunes desktop app will be the star this October. The iTunes Store and App Store within iOS 6 already received a UI revamp.
A bit of legal news this evening: U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh issued a preliminary injunction on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the United States late this evening, according to Reuters. Apple has fought worldwide for close to a year to get an injunction against a slew of Samsung products, claiming Samsung “slavishly” copies its products. The folks in Cupertino are most likely celebrating this evening, after working hard to protect the hot-selling iPad. When asked to give comment on the case, Judge Koh said Samsung is “competing unfairly” by “flooding the market with infringing products.”
“Although Samsung has a right to compete, it does not have a right to compete unfairly, by flooding the market with infringing products. While Samsung will certainly suffer lost sales from the issuance of an injunction, the hardship to Apple of having to directly compete with Samsung’s infringing products outweighs Samsung’s harm in light of the previous findings by the Court.”
According toAllThingsD, the injunction will begin once Apple posts a $2.6 million bond to protect Samsung if the injunction is later determined to be wrongly issued. An Apple spokeswoman commented, “This kind of blatant copying is wrong and, as we’ve said many times before, we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.”
To be clear, this has been issued for the original Galaxy Tab—not the newer version Samsung just released.
Oh, and Happy Google I/O everyone (which begins tomorrow)! Check out the court documents below:
During Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference opening keynote, which took place earlier this month, Vice President of iOS Software Scott Forstall unveiled a new app called “Passbook” that allows customers to track a number of various types of stubs, including boarding passes, loyalty cards, movie tickets, and coupons.
The app is included in the iOS 6 preview currently available to developers a part of Apple’s developer program, but it is missing those virtual items to put inside. For now, it is just a sitting page with no functionality. However, Passbook will most likely swing into full gear as Apple makes more additions heading into this fall. For those of you itching to start using Passbook, you can get it going in iOS 6 with just a few simple steps:
The Wall Street Journalreported that travel-recommendation website Orbitz discovered that those of us who own a Mac are spending as much as $20 to $30 more a night on hotel rooms than PC users on average. That is a whopping 30 percent difference, and the smart folks over at Orbitz are looking to take advantage by changing what listings they show Mac users.
According to the WSJ, Orbitz has a new platform that tracks its visitors habits to recommend a room to match their spending habits, which can be oh-so expensive for those who own a Mac. The company is currently experimenting with a platform that shows hotel rooms matching a Mac user’s spending taste a little better, but Orbitz executives stressed that it is not showing the same room to different people for a different price. For example, the WSJ found listings for a Baton Rouge hotel room were 13 percent more expensive on a search from a Mac compared to a PC. In essence, Mac users are shown the nicer rooms.
In a Forrester research note released last October, the firm noted that Mac users are falling into the “power laptop user” range, or people who work 45 hours a week on average and have a solid 44 percent more income. They put it: “Most of the Macs today are being freewheeled into the office by executives, top sales reps, and other workaholics.” I certainly think that stands true, because owning an Apple product is an expensive investment. The lowest priced Mac laptop costs $999, which certainly is not cheap and not something everyone can buy. Despite the high price, you are buying a quality product.
To be clear, Orbitz is not putting an “Apple Tax” on the price of hotels. It is just defaulting the higher-end stuff to Mac users, because Orbitz believes Mac users are more likely to choose higher-end hotels.
It is a risky strategy and may put some people off, however. Moreover, as Mac users, it is very easy to get smug about something like this. But does it make good business sense?
Update: Facebook has already killed off the feature, according to ABC News. Looks like it was just a little test.
Facebook added another location feature to its iOS, Android, and mobile web apps this weekend. TechCrunch reported that Facebook’s engineers have shown off a new app on their mobile platform called “Find Friends Nearby.” It allows users to easily add each other on the social network. Find Friends Nearby also makes it easy for people at a certain location or event to fire up the app, and then quickly add each other, which gets rid of any need for having to search for names. A screenshot of the web app version is below:
Find Friends Nearby requires both users to log into Facebook and the FFN platform. If both users are logged in, they can then click a button to quickly add each other. It sounds like the perfect app for a social event where you are meeting a ton of new people. If only this was available for this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference.
Find Friends Nearby’s functionality is not to be confused for what Apple does with its Find My Friends app (but there is a third-party app that works similar and uses FB integration). FFN is not supposed to track your friends, but it is rather intended to make and add new ones. FFN’s functionality looks partly fueled by the technology that was once behind Glancee, which is a startup that was acquired by the folks in Menlo Park in May. Glancee was an app that helped people discover folks with similar interests, but Facebook quickly shut it down. Now, its technology looks rolled into Facebook’s FFN; although, the Glancee team and technology could be used for something very different—you never know.
Facebook engineer Ryan Patterson, who helped build FFN, responded to TechCrunch to help clear a few things up:
I built Find Friends Nearby with another engineer for a hackathon project. While it was originally called ‘Friendshake’, we settled on ‘Find Friends Nearby’ for launch (the URL was a little bit of a homage to the previous iteration).
For me, the ideal use case for this product is the one where when you’re out with a group of people whom you’ve recently met and want to stay in contact with. Facebook search might be effective, or sharing your vanity addresses or business cards, but this tool provides a really easy way to exchange contact information with multiple people with minimal friction.
It is no secret that Apple’s search results within its App Store for both the iOS and Mac do not always turn up the best results. In return, many hoped that Apple’s recent acquisition of app search engine Chomp, which revealed in February, would start leading to better results. That time may now be here.
TechCrunchreported earlier this afternoon that developers of popular, high quality apps with good ratings have seen better search results for their apps. This certainly makes it sound as if Chomp is behind the technical change. Chomp’s technology has been described to search for what apps can do, and not keywords and other buzzwords in an app’s description. Users are then able to get better search results with listings for high-quality, useful apps. You know—the good stuff.
It is certainly a hard thing to judge now, because search results are different from region-to-region. TechCrunch pointed out that the developer of the Best Parking app found his app jumped to the top of results recently, which is a place it has never been before (historically overshadowed by lower quality apps). For example, an app including “best parking” certainly does not look like it would be the top of an “sf parking” search. You would rather think an app that has “sf parking” in its title would be selected, but things seem to be changing for the better. The App Store now looks to be recognizing apps with more downloads and user reviews—like Best Parking (see screenshot below).
The 2012 Olympic Games being held in London this July has been given its own official game, dubbed “London Games”, and it is available on the App Store and Google Play this evening. Based off 12 venues that will be used at the Olympics, the game allows players to take part in nine events. A few events include swimming, kayaking, and archery in three different modes: training, competition, and challenge. Just for kicks, you can even build your own athletes with over 220 items. The game also features support for eight languages worldwide.
You can grab London 2012 on the App Store free or a $2.99 version with 3,000 more coins so users can buy more inapp items for their characters.
