Pacific Rim breaks into the App Store

I've been on the edge of my seat ever since the first Pacific Rim trailer hit theaters. For those not in the know, Pacific Rim is an upcoming sci-fi monster flick directed and co-written by Guillermo del Toro. There's something inherently appealing about the movie's premise: colossal monsters suddenly emerge from a portal on the ocean floor, crushing skyscrapers, obliterating entire cities and threatening the mankind's very existence.

Since it's 2020s, we were able to engineer gigantic humanoid mechas controlled by two pilots whose minds are joined by a neural bridge. The movie premiers tomorrow and Reliance Games has just released the official tie-in game for the iPhone and iPad. We have a trailer and a few additional details right below the fold...

Apple could face triple damages in ebook verdict

Although Apple said Wednesday it would appeal its loss in the Department of Justice's ebook pricing conspiracy case, the consensus among legal eagles is: good luck, but bring your check book. In her ruling yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Denise Cote described the iBooks maker as the ringleader in a conspiracy to undercut Amazon's choke hold on the market for electronic books.

Apple's loss yesterday means the company faces triple damages. Despite Cote's wishes to assess damages soon, that phase could be delayed for months more as Apple asks an appeals court to overturn the ruling. But reversing the judge is likely an uphill battle as Apple seeks to do some PR damage control...

‘PredictiveKeyboard’ adds a predictive fifth row to the iOS keyboard

PredictiveKeyboard is a recently released jailbreak tweak that allows you to use a SwiftKey inspired 5th row for predictive key entry. The tweak, which is available right now on Cydia's BigBoss repo for $2.39, is capable of speeding up typing by remembering words and phrases. Want to see how PredictiveKeyboard works in action? Then check out our full video walkthrough after the break...

Infographic: four days without apps

Mobile apps have in no time become a true addiction in our smartphone-obssesed society. We use them day in and day out - to the point where we can't imagine our lives without those lickable Home screen icons. As Apple gave each user five premium apps and games for free as part of the App Store's fifth anniversary, eBay too celebrated the occasion by conducting an informal survey that challenged 200 iPhone owners with surviving four days without their favorite apps...

MLB.com At Bat iOS app refreshed ahead of All-Star Week

As New York preps to take the center stage for the upcoming All-Star Week, the Major League Baseball has released a timely update to its official iPhone and iPad app, MLB.com at Bat, which streams free and paid-for games, highlights and backgrounders while providing rich and detailed statistics like standings, schedules and rosters.

The All-Star Week update allows fans to follow All-Star Week live from New York, including the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game, and watch in-progress video highlights within the Gameday Plays interface. The iPhone interface has been revamped and both smartphone and tablet editions have received other changes, listed right after the jump...

Algoriddim previews djay 2, coming soon to iPhone and iPad

There's no shortage of apps for DJs on the App Store. For instance, one of the ten apps and games Apple made free as part of its 5 Years of the App Store promo is Traktor DJ (normally a $20 value), an excellent piece of software that appeals to pro DJs. Even the famous iOS hacker pod2g, known for his jailbreak releases, took notice of the trend and created his own app that will make you the star of every party, podDJ.

In my view, Algoriddim's djay for iPhone and iPad is arguably the best-known and certainly one of the first DJ apps to grace the App Store. Two and a half years following its App Store debut, the successor to djay is coming soon to an iPhone and iPad near you, Algoriddim confirmed Thursday. I've included a nicely done promo vid after the break...

‘Keyboard Control Pro’ lends enhanced control over the iOS keyboard

Keyboard Control Pro is an upgrade to a tweak that we discussed a while back called The Quick Brown Fox. It's a jailbreak release aimed at the iOS keyboard, and it allows for enhanced control over the keyboard's basic functionality.

While very similar to the Quick Brown Fox, Keyboard Control Pro does include a few new features and refinements that might make it worth your while. Take a look at our full video walkthrough inside for more details.

Apple researching combining mouse and trackpad into one ‘motion touch’ control device

How do you get the speed of a computer mouse and the fine control of a trackpad? Apple's answer is to combine the two motion sensors into one device and wrap it all into a patent filed and published Thursday.

The patent application, published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, is entitled 'Hybrid Inertial and Touch Sensing Input Device'. The 2012 filing outlines a type of motion-sensing traffic cop which determines whether inertia (mouse) or touch (trackpad) should control your iDevice's cursor...

Blendamaze adds color to a traditional wood labyrinth game

Back in 2010, I remember getting really excited about iOS wood labyrinth games. My grandmother had a real one one that I loved playing with when I was growing up. So, having one on my iPad was just too cool.

Blendamaze is a wood labyrinth style game that adds the element of color. Not only do you have to get the ball into the hole, but you also have to make sure that it matches the exit portal color by dipping it in paint first…

More photos of alleged plastic iPhone shells surface

Continuing the recent flurry of alleged 'budget iPhone' shell leaks, a new set of high resolution photos of the purported part have surfaced online this morning. There's several photos actually, showing various different plastic iPhone casings in newer iPod-like colors.

For those who haven't been following the storyline, there have been a number of reports over the past several months that Apple's long-rumored, low-end iPhone is finally going to materialize this year. And the theory seems to be corroborated by several recent part leaks...

IFTTT brings its powerful automation service to the iPhone

IFTTT has been around for a while now—since 2010. The acronym stands for 'If This Then That,' which does a great job of summarizing what it does: allows users to create automation Recipes for various services using a Trigger (this) and an Action (that).

Services like Instagram and Dropbox are known as 'Channels,' and there are different Triggers and Actions associated with each. It's a cool idea, but the only way to set up these Recipes through IFTTT was via a web browser. That, however, changes today...

SoftBank completes Sprint buyout, drops the ‘Nextel’ name

It's official. Sprint Nextel is now simply Sprint Corporation, as SoftBank completes its high-profile buyout of the wireless provider. Japan’s third-largest carrier now owns a controlling stake in the United States' third-largest carrier. Fitting, isn't it?

The deal, which has been in negotiations since last fall, is worth some $21.6 billion. $5 billion of it is being used as a cash infusion to take on future projects, and the other $16.6 billion is going to Sprint shareholders. And Nextel? It's gone for good...