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- Review: Set card game on the iPhone is oh so close to the perfect puzzle app
Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch, App Review
The idea behind Set, the now-classic card/puzzle game, can be mind-numbingly difficult to explain. Some people just can't wrap their heads around the "all the same or all different concept." Of course, some people get it right away. For both types, the new Set app [$2.99] for the iPhone and iPod touch is a fine challenge, even if it's not perfect in all aspects.
Here's the gist of the game: each card in the 81-card deck has between one and three images on it. These images come in three shapes (diamond, oval, and squiggly), three colors (red, green, and purple), and three levels of shading (solid, lined, and empty). Every possible combination is available on one single card.
The goal is to find sets from a collection of cards laid face-up on the table. A set is any three cards where each of these four features are, independently, either all the same or all different? So, a single red solid diamond, a single green solid diamond, and a single purple solid diamond make a set (in that example, the number, shading, and shape features are all the same while the colors are all different). Also, a single empty purple squiggle, two lined green diamonds, and three solid red ovals make a set. Got that? Good. If not, click through the gallery of images from the app starting here to see how the game's designers explain things.
If you want to give Set a try for free, you can try an online daily puzzle here, or download the very limited lite version of the iPhone app here. For learning the game, the app's tutorial is tremendously helpful. Keep reading to find out more about how the game works, or doesn't, on the iPhone.
The Game
First released in 1988, Set is a perfect light card came. Part puzzle, part race, watching players who enjoy the game stare intently at a table with the 12 cards played out in front of them and shout "Set!" is an absolute joy. The first person to see a set calls it out, takes the tree cards into their score pile and three new cards are laid out. If there is ever a situation where the 12 cards do not contain a set - something that is geekily fun to prove - you simply deal three more cards and go from there. If someone misidentifies a set, they lose three cards from their score pile back into the deck. The game ends when all the cards have been dealt and all the possible sets have been found. Whoever snagged the most cards wins. Reshuffle, deal 'em out again and play it again and again until everyone's sick of staring at squiggly lines and stripes.
The App
What's most frustrating about this app, the first offering from Pockent (also available for Android, apparently), is that it's so close yet maddeningly far from perfect. With just a little more effort, the app could completely replace the deck of cards. We'd need a way to enter the number of players, name them, and a method of play that goes through the deck. When someone sees a set, they'd hit a "found" button, identify which player they are, and then touch the cards they think are a set. Sounds great, right? Well, that style of play is not available in the app.
Instead, the app is built for single-player use only. Sure, you can kind of shoehorn in ways to play with friends, but none of the app's game modes truly recreate the intense thrill of going head-to-head with friends.
The app comes with four modes, with basic or advanced play available in each mode. Basic just means that one of the features (shading) doesn't make an appearance and only nine cards a dealt. In advanced mode, all four features matter and 12 cards are dealt. The four game modes include:
- Arcade: You have just one minute to find sets but, if you find enough to reach the next level (which changes as the game goes on), you're given more time. Cards are replaced as you find sets.
- Classic: Find ten sets as quickly as possible. Cards are replaced.
- Puzzle: Nine (or 12) cards are laid out and you need to find all four (or six) sets hidden in them. No time limit and the cards dealt stay on the table.
- Timed: You have two minutes to find as many sets as you can. Cards are replaced.
The app's clear graphics and simple look work great. The only problem, carried over from the card game, is that people who are red-green colorblind might have difficulty identifying colors correctly. The app really should include an option to set the three colors on the cards to whatever a player wants, making it possible for anyone to enjoy. Well, anyone who can get what a set is, anyway.
Something about Set just screams higher level math. And yet, when you're playing, it's simply fun. But, speaking of getting geeky with Set, check out this paper (PDF) about the ACTSet program for Mac OS X called "How to Construct a Believable Opponent using Cognitive Modeling in the Game of Set." Whew.TUAWReview: Set card game on the iPhone is oh so close to the perfect puzzle app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iPhone - Mac OS X - IPad - IPhone OS - IPod TouchПереслать - Iris suspends development, users can upgrade to Acorn for free
Filed under: Software
I never actually used Iris (my image editor of choice is still Pixelmator), but the one-window image editor released a few years ago certainly had its share of fans. Unfortunately, those fans may be disappointed to hear that Iris' developer, Nolobe, has suspended development on the app. Nolobe's principal Matthew Drayton says that back in 2007, when Iris started development, there were no cheap yet quality image editors, and nowadays, the app has simply become a "me too" app. He doesn't want to do that, so he's out.
Fortunately, however, Iris owners aren't completely left in the lurch -- Drayton highly recommends Acorn, and anyone who currently owns Iris will be able to get a free upgrade to that app. Sad to see that a quality image editor is calling it quits, but the reasons seem legit and the transition should go smoothly. If you own Iris, watch your email for directions on how to upgrade, or contact Nolobe yourself.
It's not all glum news from Nolobe: the company has a great deal going now for its flagship FTP client, Interarchy. Commemorating the two-year anniversary of an office-gutting fire (well, maybe it is kinda glum, now that we think about it), the Interarchy Fire Sale offers a steep discount on the app for the next week, along with discount codes for several other leading indie apps (including Acorn). The $19.95 Interarchy 9 licenses are valid for free upgrades to version 10 (now in beta), which adds up to a savings of almost $70.
[via DF]TUAWIris suspends development, users can upgrade to Acorn for free originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Unofficial Apple Weblog - Acorn - Graphics - Pixelmator - NolobeПереслать - Anticipating WWDC
Filed under: WWDC
It's March. It's the month where beer turns green, where the road repair crews start taking over the midwest of the United States, and when Apple usually announces its Worldwide Developers' Conference dates. With the hotly anticipated iPad introduction this year, more devs than ever are looking forward to seeing what WWDC will have on offer.
Will WWDC bring the iPhone OS 4.0 announcement and the hardware refresh that we've speculated about? Or will the iPhone OS family remain in the 3.x generation for the foreseeable future? (The current release for the iPhone and iPod touch are at 3.1.3. The iPad will ship with firmware 3.2.) That's the question that has a lot of devs scratching their head.
In the past two years, March has been the time when new iPhone SDKs were provided to developers, with the actual firmware released a few months later, somewhat in sync with WWDC. This year, with the iPad release due for the first week of April, the iPhone refresh seems to have been pushed out, or even to the side.
Will Apple's WWDC announcement help clarify where we stand in the iPhone lifecycle? That's hard to say. I know a lot of devs are hoping that a new beta SDK will debut sometime in April, once the iPad has been released; with the new version focusing on the iPhone, WWDC sessions would follow up on that build. It would make sense to bring the iPhone up to at least 3.2, so that firmware releases remain in sync across all iPhone OS devices; however, by Jim Dalrymple's estimation we won't see a unified firmware version for both families until the autumn.
What about iPhone OS 4.0? With the WWDC keynote being the only remaining scheduled event keynote in the Apple yearly cycle, it would make sense for Apple to use that platform to announce major a iPhone OS update, or a major Mac OS update for that matter. However, the bottom line is this: Apple keeps its secrets. We'll know when they tell us. That can make third-party planning challenging -- whether you want to schedule flights to California for WWDC, or prepare your applications for major firmware updates. We've emailed Apple for clarification on WWDC timing, and have yet to hear back.
Here's a quick run-down of past TUAW WWDC announcement posts for your reference.
WWDC '09 Details Posted
Spring is in the air, although we're in the midst of a blizzard here in the Denver area. That means one thing -- the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) is coming soon!Eric over at...Apple announces WWDC 08 dates
With the iPhone SDK announcement last week, some of us here at TUAW were expecting a Worldwide Developer Conference date to be announced. Thankfully, the world has been put to rights, as Apple has...AppleInsider: WWDC to take place June 11th - 15th
Take this with a grain of sodium chloride, but AI is reporting that "people familiar with conference planning" have tipped them off to the dates of this year's World Wide Developers Conference....Also of interest:
TUAWAnticipating WWDC originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iPhone - Unofficial Apple Weblog - Apple - AppleInsider - IPadПереслать - WSJ: Hundreds of thousands of iPads sold, Apple scrambling for content deals
Filed under: iPad
The Wall Street Journal has written that Apple is scrambling to get everything ready for the iPad's release on April 3rd -- not only has it already "sold hundreds of thousands of the device, [according to] people familiar with the matter," but Apple is also working hard to try and "nail down" several big content deals with television companies, having put their original drive for print media on hold for the moment.
Not really news in and of itself, as almost everyone expects content to be a big part of the iPad's revenue, but it is a little surprising to hear that Apple is still fighting to get deals done. The WSJ says that some content owners feel that the iPad is a threat to their current revenue streams -- the same old story that we've always heard about iTunes content delivery.
Of course, none of this comes directly from Apple, but they obviously wouldn't confirm if they didn't have all of the deals they wanted squared away before the device's release. The shift from print to multimedia may have something to do with it -- the iPad was originally introduced, along with iBooks, as a reader device, with the additional bonus of being able to play movies. But now that the ad has been premiered on the Oscars and a little more buzz has grown up around the multimedia possibilities, Apple may be more pressured to deliver on release day. We'll have to see -- I doubt that all of those iPad preorders will want to return their device if they can't watch all of their favorite shows on it, but obviously Apple wants to have the biggest library they can at launch.TUAWWSJ: Hundreds of thousands of iPads sold, Apple scrambling for content deals originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Unofficial Apple Weblog - Apple - IPad - IBooks - Wall Street JournalПереслать - iGroups patent suggests Apple is looking at social networking
Filed under: Apple
A new Apple patent is going around that offers up something called "iGroups" functionality -- it seems to be a kind of location-based social networking, including an ad-hoc currency functionality between a crowd of Apple devices. It's pretty interesting, though it sounds more like an idea Apple is playing with than an actual service they're going to debut. They specifically mention rock concerts and tradeshows (including WWDC), with the plan that someone would start up a "group," and then individual group members in the same location (determined by GPS) would be able to hook into that group and/or exchange contact info or "tokens" with other members of the same group. Not quite a Foursquare or Facebook competitor (this definitely seems like a much more local service), but a new kind of ad-hoc network based on the idea that everyone in the area who is using an Apple device can connect up in new ways.
The "token" idea is interesting, too -- it adds a gaming element to the situation that seems very un-Apple. That, more than anything else, is what makes me think this is Apple just covering their bases rather than securing an idea that they plan to put into action. Still, a lot of Apple's services (MobileMe, iWork, and so on) tend to be more traditional rather than innovative -- they innovate on hardware and often play catch-up on software -- they do it well, of course, but their specialty is polish, not necessarily. Diving into a newer arena like social networking would be an interesting move for Apple.TUAWiGroups patent suggests Apple is looking at social networking originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Unofficial Apple Weblog - Apple - Facebook - iWork - MobileMeПереслать - Rupert Murdoch loves the iPad, sees everything in the world on it
Filed under: iPad
News Corporation Chairman Rupert Murdoch was interviewed last week by Fox Business Channel. During the interview Murdoch blasts Google for stealing his content and talks about how tablet devices will reinvigorate the advertising industry for new media.
As for the iPad, Murdoch states, "...all media will be coming to the iPad whether it be music, or books, or newspapers or movies" and contrasts it with the "black and white" Kindle. He imagines reading a newspaper article with a photograph in it and just touching the photograph to watch it become a video.
He goes on to say that the iPad is physically "small to start with" but says "there'll be more iPads" implying that they'll eventually come in larger sizes. Even though he is one of the most important people in the media world, Murdoch's comments are most likely conjecture and not inside knowledge. Skip to 1:45 for the iPad mention.
[via 9to5Mac]TUAWRupert Murdoch loves the iPad, sees everything in the world on it originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Rupert Murdoch - Google - News Corporation - Newspaper - IPadПереслать - Turn yourself into an alien avatar with PhotoAvatar
Filed under: App Review
PhotoAvatar (US $.99) is a remarkable iPhone/iPod touch novelty app from the makers of HourFace, an app I liked quite a lot when I reviewed it a few months ago. PhotoAvatar turns a properly taken photo into any one of three alien avatars, each so realistic that it's eerie.
Using a carefully taken photo snapped by the camera or taken from a photo library, you decide on which alien you want to be and the app does the rest. The picture gets transformed into an amazingly realistic 3D moving image. The result can be emailed or saved to the camera roll. But the creepiest part is watching the image on the screen. It's constantly in motion, blinking, turning, glaring and growling at you. If you swipe your finger over the image, the avatar will follow your finger. If you tap the screen, the image will stretch and audibly growl at you. If you shake the device, you'll get another animation.
This app is very simple to use and limited in usefulness, but for once, I don't think that matters since the results are really something to behold. I watched an avatar without touching the screen for a few minutes and regardless of what I knew, I was just about convinced that the image was real. You really need to see this gem for yourself and a buck is a fair price to show you something that you haven't yet seen in such a realistic manner.
PhotoAvatar has the same limitations of HourFace when taking or using a picture. The photo needs to look directly ahead, not be wearing glasses, have a visible forehead, a closed mouth and not be too light or dark. I found about half of the photos I tried from my photo library worked and half didn't, bringing up a screen detailing the specs I just noted. But when it works, it's incredible.
The only thing I would like to see added to the app is the ability to output a properly sized avatar file to be used with Twitter, Facebook, etc. The marketing text makes it clear that this is one of the purposes of the app, so I can't see why PhotoAvatar can't output such an image.
Take a look at this gallery where you can see my source picture and what PhotoAvatar did with it. Then, click the 'read more' link to watch the video since you really need to see it in action.
I'd buy it right now as one of the best graphic implementations yet.
TUAW is commonly provided with not-for-resale licenses or promo codes to permit product evaluations and reviews. For more details, see our policy page.
TUAWTurn yourself into an alien avatar with PhotoAvatar originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Facebook - Twitter - Unofficial Apple Weblog - IPhone - AnimationПереслать - The tech sites Steve Jobs reads
Filed under: Steve Jobs, iPad
Ever wonder what tech sites Steve Jobs reads? Well, according to Silicon Alley Insider some of those sites are our very own sister site Engadget, along with Gizmodo, The New York Times Tech section, and the Wall Street Journal.
SAI's source was in one of the meetings with Jobs when he visited Manhattan on his media tour with the iPad in February and he clearly saw those four sites bookmarked in Safari on Steve's iPad.
The source did say that Steve had other sites bookmarked, but the ones listed above were the only ones that stuck in the source's mind. Here's hoping that one of the other ones was The Unofficial Apple Weblog.TUAWThe tech sites Steve Jobs reads originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Steve Jobs - Unofficial Apple Weblog - Apple - IPad - Wall Street JournalПереслать - Google and partners set to challenge Apple TV
Filed under: Apple TV
Apple's so-called "hobby," the Apple TV, is about to receive some serious competition from apparent nemesis Google.
According to the New York Times, Google is working on a set-top box that will integrate web services like Twitter and Facebook with sites like Hulu, YouTube and Google's own PIcasa. The Google TV, as the Times calls it, will be based on the Android operating system, and a toolkit will be made available to developers within the next couple of months.
As for Google's partners, Sony has been tapped to develop the platform, Logitech will make peripherals and Intel will manufacture the chips. In fact, Intel recently posted job listings for Android developers who can extend technology "...from PC screen to mobile screen and TV screen."
As a front end to the iTunes Store, the Apple TV does its job well. But people obviously want it to do more. As computers and TVs merge into a single device, Apple should identify a clear role for its hobby; either make it a competitor or a toy.TUAWGoogle and partners set to challenge Apple TV originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Google - Unofficial Apple Weblog - Sony - New York Times - YouTubeПереслать - 10,000 iPad pre-orders per day
Filed under: iPad
Daniel Tello, a Venezuelan blogger-analyst who writes about Apple has been tracking iPad order numbers submitted by volunteers since March 12 at 8:30 a.m. ET, when Apple began taking pre-orders for the iPad. Based on his calculations Apple passed the 180,000 unit mark on Wednesday and is now averaging about 10,000 pre-orders a day.
"I think sometime during Friday, perhaps before noon, the counter should roll to 200,000 units pre-ordered," he told Philip Elmer-DeWitt at Fortune. Tello's calculations are based on a precise count of order numbers and an estimate of how many of them were non-iPad orders.Tello's estimates only include pre-orders and not iPads reserved at Apple Stores for in-store pickup. According to BoyGeniusReport, those in-store reservations averages about 700 per the 222 US Apple Stores. That's a grand total of 155,400 in-store reservations in addition to today's supposed total of 200,000 pre-orders. Not too shabby for a device that for almost all of the people ordering one have never held.
If a total of almost 350,000 iPads have been pre-ordered/reserved it makes some of the lower estimates of first year iPad sales seem ridiculous. However, for now all we have to go on is these educated guesstimates. Apple won't be officially announcing any iPad numbers until their next conference call.TUAW10,000 iPad pre-orders per day originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple - IPad - Unofficial Apple Weblog - Pre-order - AppleStoreПереслать - Apple board member Jerome York passes away
Filed under: Apple Corporate
[Apple has updated its home page with the tribute above.]
Apple board member Jerome York died today after reportedly suffering a brain aneurysm on Wednesday.
York, 71, has been on Apple's Board of Directors since 1997. His former positions include chief financial officer at IBM and Chrysler, chief executive officer of Micro Warehouse and a vice chairman of Tracinda. At the time of his death he was the chairman, president and CEO of Harwinton Capital. York was a graduate of West Point, MIT and the University of Michigan; he started his career at Chrysler as an engineer and worked his way up to the executive suite.
We offer our condolences to Mr. York's family and friends.
[Via MarketWatch]TUAWApple board member Jerome York passes away originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple - Unofficial Apple Weblog - Board of Directors - MicroWarehouse - Jerome YorkПереслать - Make a molehill out of a mountain with Tilt Shift Focus
Filed under: Multimedia, Software, Odds and ends, Graphic Design
Got a desire to mess with some pictures you have by controlling blur or making full-sized objects look like miniatures? I've just played with some software called Tilt-Shift-Focus that mimics the way tilt shift lenses work. By artfully applying selective blur, you can make objects look they are part of a train set. There is another effect that duplicates the look of zoom movement in a still photo.
There are several modes that let you define where the blur and sharpness is positioned in your image. You can also use a paintbrush tool to draw sharpness onto an image that is pre-blurred.
To use the software, you manipulate control points. At first it seems very counter-intuitive, but with a little practice it starts to make sense. Of course, this software is not going to duplicate what an expensive lens can do, but I found it fun to manipulate some photos from my archives and 'miniaturize' parts of the photos.
One thing I noticed was that at times loading and saving JPEG images was very slow. I also wish there was some built-in help to get you started, but the developer does have some good tutorials and a helpful videos on his website.
If you are looking to do this on an iPhone check out our review here. You can also simulate this effect in Photoshop, and we have you covered there too.
The software sells for US$14.99 and requires OS X 10.5 or later. It's worth a spin if you are interested in doing these kinds of effects.
Here are some examples I created:
TUAWMake a molehill out of a mountain with Tilt Shift Focus originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iPhone - Unofficial Apple Weblog - Apple - OS X - Adobe PhotoshopПереслать - New Square Enix RPG coming to the iPhone this year
Filed under: Gaming
A job posting on a Japanese developer's site has hinted that Square Enix will be releasing a brand new RPG on the iPhone sometime later this year. Media.Vision has posted that they're seeking to fill a number of positions related to building an RPG on Apple's platform in conjunction with Square Enix. The Final Fantasy Ring fansite says that the game will be called Chaos Ring, and will by produced by the same team that made the popular Wild Arms console series.
FFRing also says (via Japanese translation) that the game will be a 3D title, and it will feature a storyline concerning five pairs of warriors who fight to the death for the right to eternal youth. Each game stage will consist of a ring of battles with a boss in the center, and some choice in how the player takes on enemies -- more challenge for more risk.
It sounds intriguing. Square Enix has been seeing some success with its older titles on the iPhone, and we know it's got a few original titles already in the pipeline for Apple's platforms. It'll be great to see what they can cook up for the App Store.
[via TA]TUAWNew Square Enix RPG coming to the iPhone this year originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iPhone - Square Enix - AppStore - Final Fantasy - Unofficial Apple WeblogПереслать - HTC responds to Apple's lawsuit, will fight
Filed under: Apple Corporate
HTC has finally responded about the patent-infringement lawsuit Apple filed against it two weeks ago. In the lawsuit Apple alleged that HTC was infringing on 20 patents concerning the iPhone user interface and the underlying hardware and architecture. "We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it," Steve Jobs said. "We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."
Today Jason Mackenzie, vice president of sales and marketing at HTC America replied, "We strongly disagree with Apple's actions and plan to use all the legal tools available to defend ourselves. Choice is important for customers, and healthy competition is instrumental to that."
Apple's filing cites twelve HTC phones, including five Google Android handsets and seven that use Microsoft's Windows Mobile software. Apple is requesting compensation for the infringement and attorneys' fees, as well as an injunction against products and services that infringe the asserted patents.
While Google wasn't named in the lawsuit they issued a statement saying they "stand behind our Android operating system and the partners who have helped us to develop it." Google declined to tell Forbes if they would assist HTC in fighting the lawsuit by lending their teams of lawyers that specialize in antitrust and IP issues. "Given the seriousness of the case and the allegations, we expect it to be a long, drawn-out process," Mackenzie said.TUAWHTC responds to Apple's lawsuit, will fight originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple - iPhone - Steve Jobs - Android - Unofficial Apple WeblogПереслать - Valve: Coming to the Mac is "biggest event in Steam's history"
Filed under: Gaming
The good folks at Joystiq got to sit down and talk with John Cook, the director of Steam at Valve, and he says there's probably no comparison to the news about Steam coming to the Mac -- it is "the biggest event in Steam's history." He says that not only is it big news for the company and its services, but that one of the goals of the service will be to "prove" to other game developers that coming to this platform is important. Like PC gaming in general, Mac gaming isn't dead, "it just needs to be attacked from more directions than retail."
Too true -- while PC gaming is suffering on the retail shelves, Mac games are having those same issues many times over. And with Apple taking a larger share of the desktop pie than ever, putting Steam games on the Mac platform is a huge benefit both for game companies and their customers. Cook says he hopes that "many, if not all" of the game companies with games on Steam will eventually bring their titles over to the Mac.
Good news for us. He does knock down, however, the suggestion that Valve is coming to the Mac on the way to the iPhone -- Cook says the company is focused on the Mac right now. That doesn't rule out a move to the iPhone or the iPad, but for now, Steam on the Mac is a story that's plenty big. We can't wait to see the client running in April.TUAWValve: Coming to the Mac is "biggest event in Steam's history" originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple - Steam - Unofficial Apple Weblog - Macintosh - iPhoneПереслать - iTunesConnect now allows automated release dates, price changes
Filed under: Developer, App Store, SDK
Back in the bad old days of the App Store, it was anybody's guess when a submitted app might get blessed by Apple and show up in iTunes. It might be three days, three weeks, three months, or never. Recent improvements in the approval process have brought that time period down to a matter of hours -- but until now, there's been no way to schedule release dates for apps. Once submitted and approved, apps went straight to the App Store. Now, developers of apps for the iPhone OS have been granted new options in the iTunesConnect interface. Not only can devs set a release date for the app, they can also automate price fluctuations set to certain dates.
For example, say you've created an app that you want to go live on April 15 rather than immediately after Apple approves it. This allows you to publicize the app on your site, and at an introductory, promotional price, as well. "$0.99 for the first week," you can tell potential buyers, "$2.99 after that." Through iTunesConnect, not only can you set the launch date for your app, you can also automate the price increase from $0.99 to $2.99 on April 22. And if you want to run another $0.99 promotion a month or even a year later, you can automate that, too: just set the price and the effective date for the price in the iTunesConnect interface. It's a pretty simple change to the interface, but one that opens the door to a lot of promotional opportunities for developers.TUAWiTunesConnect now allows automated release dates, price changes originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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AppStore - Unofficial Apple Weblog - Apple - iTunes - iPhone 3GПереслать
Новинки каталога интернет-супермаркета SoftKey - самого популярного в Рунете продавца софта.
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