Clic: the elegant case that’s barely there

I have tested many, many cases in my short two year term as a hardware review editor. The one genre of case that I have seen overdone, rinsed and repeated, is the simple clip case. Almost every iPhone hardware company as one. The generic, little flimsy, thin-as-possible case that is just there to keep your phone from getting scratched up.

The trouble with these simple, small, thin cases is lack of detail and, really, passion. Companies seem to pass the thin do-nothing case as their last item at the trash can's bottom. They just produce it because it is a cheap, quick way to make a buck from people just wanting a simple solution. Native Union is here to correct those notions and is really killing it with their Clic...

WSJ: Amazon preparing to launch 3D smartphone in September

The Wall Street Journal added its weight to speculation that Amazon is preparing to launch a smartphone. The outlet reported late yesterday that the e-commerce giant has been showing off prototypes of the handset to developers, and it plans to take it public later this year.

What's really interesting about the device is that The Journal says its screen is capable of displaying three-dimensional images without the need for special glasses. And it accomplishes this by using retina-tracking technology that's embedded into four front-facing cameras...

Harmonix announces upcoming ‘Record Run’ game for iOS

The name Harmonix is legendary in the console gaming world, as it was behind a number of popular games in the early 2000's—Guitar Hero, Rock Band and Dance Central to name a few. And now it's hoping that success will translate into the mobile world.

The studio announced its first mobile game yesterday at PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) East called 'Record Run.' It's an endless runner of sorts that asks players to avoid various obstacles and collect vinyl records, while jogging to the beat of a custom soundtrack...

Apple adds CEO of branding agency Wolff Olins to marketing team

Ad Age reports this afternoon that Apple has hired Karl Heiselman, the global CEO of branding agency Wolff Olins. The news comes as the iPad-maker looks to double its in-house creative talent to better combat marketing from Samsung and others.

Interestingly enough, Heiselman used to be a design contractor for Apple in the early 1990s, before Steve Jobs made his triumphant return. He says back then the company was still trying to find itself, and he believes it's once again at a crossroads...

Alleged iPhone 6 cases surface in two different sizes

Most of the reports we've seen thus far regarding the iPhone 6 have pointed to two separate models: one with a 4.7-inch display and one with a 5.5-inch. It's possible that Apple is simply testing two different designs, and only plans on releasing one, but the consensus is that both models will make it to market.

Adding evidence to that theory is a new photograph, which surfaced online earlier today, of what are supposed to be two iPhone 6 cases. It's hard to tell how big they are, but it's being said that they were made to fit new, larger iPhones, and there's a mysterious cutout on the left-hand side of each of the cases...

Warhammer Quest goes free as Apple’s new App of the Week

Like every Thursday, Apple yesterday refreshed the App Store's ongoing Free App of the Week promotion.

The company's been running this promotion for months now and we've seen both must-have and mediocre apps and games go free in Apple's continuing mission to boost downloads by giving cherry-picked titles additional exposure. Warhammer Quest by Rodeo Games and Games Workshop is the latest title to go free for a week.

Previously costing five bucks and now available free of charge until next Thursday, this dungeon-based game will win you over with its addictive mix of role-playing and strategy elements.

Released ten months ago, this iOS adaptation is set in the Warhammer world and stays true to the original in looks and design. The game involves hundreds of weapons, armors and items and - yes - challenges you to battle through the legions of orcs, goblins, skavens and other creatures...

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 launching April 17, gameplay trailer posted

We recently told you about Gameloft's upcoming movie tie-in mobile game, The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Building on the original Amazing Spider-Man, the sequel is said to offer flashier and more detailed graphics, improved controls and of course updated movie-based content.

Both the game and the movie are slated to land on the same day and now Gameloft's given us a firm release date: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is coming to iOS, Android and Windows Phone platforms next Thursday, April 17, 2014.

Unlike many triple-As these days, Spider-Man 2 is a premium title, Gameloft has confirmed, so we expect it to cost a few bucks and (hopefully) not include any in-app purchases. Gameloft today posted a new trailer showing in-game action and I've included it right after the break...

Apple bans UK’s iTunes Radio competitor from iAd

Bloom.fm, a London-based music streaming service, on Friday made it known on Twitter that Apple's blocked it from advertising on its iAd platform, citing competitive reasons.

"Apple just banned our ads because we're 'a competitive service to iTunes Radio and it is against Apple policy'", reads the tweet.

The service has a catalog of 22 million tracks that can be streamed for as low as £1 a month (about $1.67).

It's easy to see why Apple has taken a stance against the service: its own iTunes Store sells individual song downloads for the price of a month's worth of unlimited streaming on Bloom.fm. The development has prompted Bloom.fm to boast that "We must be big time now", adding the team was surprised to learn that Apple even noticed what such a small company was doing...

Samsung caught lying about tablet sales

Samsung, the South Korean chaebol, has an established history of stealing, cheating and lying. It's not just the conviction of stealing patented iPhone technology that dealt it a massive PR blow, Samsung was also publicly shamed over the discovery it had paid people to spam message boards with negative comments about rival products.

And as if that weren't enough, its shady marketing tactics has come to light yet again in an internal document proving Samsung intentionally misled Wall Street investors, analysts and market watchers by flatly lying about sales of its Galaxy tablets, thereby creating a perception that the iPad was losing massive market share to cheaper Android competitors...

Reeder 2 beta for Mac now available for download

The long awaited update to the Mac version of Silvio Rizzi's Reeder is finally amongst the living. Indeed, Reeder 2 is now in beta and has been posted for download on its official website.

Rizzi, who is not known for indulging his customers with quick releases and frequent updates, launched Reeder 2 for iOS over six months ago. That release was met with mostly positive reviews, although the general consensus is that it didn't add much in the way of new or envelope-pushing functionality.

On the Mac, things are a bit different. The number of excellent feed reading apps can probably be counted on one hand, and that's being generous. I've only been able to play around with Reeder 2 for a few minutes, but I can tell you right off the bat that this is going to be one of the best feed reading apps available on the Mac. It's fast, responsive, works with a variety of feed reading services, and it looks good to boot.

Apple will no longer invest in patent troll Intellectual Ventures

Apple has chosen to pass on the opportunity to pour fresh money into Intellectual Ventures, a patent buying and assertion company founded and led by its chief executive officer Nathan Myhrvold. Following in Apple's footsteps, chip giant Intel has distanced itself too from the controversial patent holding firm and declined further investment

Intellectual Ventures was one of the top-five owners of U.S. patents in 2011. The patent assertion entity, however, has managed to persuade the Japanese consumer electronics maker Sony and the Windows maker Microsoft to invest in its latest acquisition fund, a move that will create a fresh war chest for Intellectual Ventures to buy new patents...

Deluxe Edition of Sim City 4 launches as $19.99 Mac App Store exclusive

The Mac edition of Sim City, an open-ended city-building video game which debuted on the PC back in 2003, was released in August of last year.

Previously available as a boxed product, Aspyr Media on Friday announced that SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition has made a triumphant return to the Mac. The game's available in the Mac App Store as a digital download that'll join Steam and other Mac digital outlets in coming weeks.

Deluxe edition of Sim City includes both SimCity 4 and the Rush Hour expansion pack, which gives you more control over your city’s transportation options and challenges you to build out a region of cities. And, you get two bonus disasters: UFO attack and Autosaurus Wrecks.

On top of all the goodies you've come to love about Sim City, Deluxe edition includes a nice Mac-exclusive feature allowing your iTunes library to be played in the game.

The $19.99 game can be found exclusively in the Mac App Store...