Apple

Codemasters publishes new official F1 racing game for iPhone and iPad, F1 Race Stars

Games maker Codemasters has released a new and officially licensed Formula 1 game into the App Store.

F1 Race Stars, now available as a free-to-play download for the iPhone and iPad, includes all the cars, teams and drivers from the 2013 FIA Formula One World Championship racing across over 40 tracks from 15 F1 Grand Prix locations across the world.

But unlike other F1 games, this one's more of an arcade title than a true simulation. You can race against AI-driven opponents or against your friends, see how you rank on the global Game Center leaderboards, collect various power-us, powerslide around corners, hit jumps and more.

Speaking of jumps, hit the jump for the gameplay trailer and more information...

Cheaper 8GB iPhone 5c now available in India

Following the phasing out of the four-year-old iPhone 4 in India earlier this month after re-launching the handset in January, Apple has now officially brought its cheaper iPhone 5c model with eight gigabytes of storage to the 1.24 billion people country, one of the emerging BRIC (Brazil/Russia/India/China) markets.

According to local reports, the 8GB iPhone 5c has replaced the aging iPhone 4 as one of Apple's most affordable handsets, starting at Rs 33,500 (approximately $574) after a cash discount of Rs 4,000 (about $68) and a wireless service contract...

TeeVee 3 premiers: native iPad UI, iCloud/Trakt.tv sync, fullscreen iOS 7 layout and more

Last summer I covered TeeVee, an elegant TV show-tracking app by Tomas Perzl of the Czech Republic and Slovakia-based CrazyApps Team.

I was sufficiently impressed with its clean and unobtrusive user interface and a robust set of capabilities designed to make it dead simple to retrieve useful information about your favorite TV shows, track the ones you're watching on a regular basis and what not.

A year in the making, the new TeeVee 3 is now available in exchange for $2.99 (free to existing users). The app is now finally optimized for the iPad and refreshed with a brand new iOS 7-styled interface. It sports iCloud/Trakt.tv integration, delights with its beautifully done fullscreen browser that uses edge-to-edge poster images and much more.

Hit the jump for the full reveal...

Apple updates iAd Producer with ability to create full-screen banner ads

It looks like the rumors were true. Apple last night released an update for its iAd Producer tool, which brings the app to version 4.2, with the ability to create full-screen banner ads for the iPhone.

The update also gives users the ability to upload Producer projects directly to iAd Workbench, reorganize folders in the Assets sidebar, and includes a number of other enhancements and bug fixes...

Apple offering free shipping on all online orders

Apple has launched a new promotion on its web store, which gives customers free shipping on all online orders through the end of the month. It doesn't give a specific reason for the event, but we're coming up on both Memorial and Father's Day.

While Apple has long-offered free shipping on orders over $50, this deal would allow you to purchase a case, Lightning cable, or any other low-cost accessory without having to spend the extra $4-$6 (depending on location) for standard shipping...

New report says Apple-Beats deal was close to falling apart, but is still on

It's been two weeks since we first received word that Apple was looking to acquire Beats Electronics, and we still haven't heard a peep about the sale from either company. Some folks have taken the silence as a sign talks had broken down, but a new report says that's not the case.

According to TechCrunch, sources with knowledge of the deal say that Apple's planned multi-billion dollar acquisition of headphone maker Beats will go through. The outlet does note, however, that negotiations have been bumpy and close to falling apart on multiple occasions...

Fun Golf GPS 3D goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Apple has named the popular app Fun Golf GPS 3D its App of the Week this week. This means that between now and next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the application for both your iPhone and iPad for free—a huge savings of $20.

For those unfamiliar with the software, it's essentially a digital caddie. It's capable of tracking your shots, showing you distance to pin, and recommending clubs. And it features 3D maps of nearly 32,000 golf courses from around the world...

T-Mobile starts rolling out VoLTE in select markets, starting with Seattle

Deutsche Telekom-owned T-Mobile USA, the nation's fourth largest wireless carrier, on Thursday announced it's started gradual deployment of Voice Over LTE (VoLTE) technology, starting with Seattle.

The move comes just as rival AT&T last Friday brought both VoLTE and HD Voice technologies to select markets and as Verizon Wireless pledged to roll out VoLTE later this year.

That major U.S. telcos are racing to have VoLTE ready at this particular moment in time may have something to do with Apple's expected launch of the iPhone 6 this Fall, alongside iOS 8 which is said to support making voice calls over high-speed LTE networks out of the box...

Should Apple overhaul iTunes, it better resemble this minimalist concept

What is iTunes nowadays? Is it a jukebox application for Mac and Windows PCs, as it was conceived as such more than a decade ago? Is it the storefront software found on your iOS devices. A device management solution, perhaps?

Could it simply be a media player with a built-in music store? A video store, you say? Sure! A podcast store? That, too! A books store?

It's all of these things combined, and then some more.

This is precisely why folks have grown increasingly frustrated by iTunes. And herein lies the problem with iTunes, as we know it today: whatever the app is these days, there's no escaping the fact it's become hopelessly bloated, counterintuitive and just way too cluttered.

That's why UK-based designer Brye Kobayashi set out to lay out his vision for a total iTunes revamp, taking inspiration from iOS 7 while borrowing certain concepts from Apple's stock Music app for the iPhone and iPad. It's pure minimalism, looks gorgeous and I want it now!

Panzer Tactics DS has been remade for iPad

Nintendo DS owners who've enjoyed Panzer Tactics DS will be jumping with joy knowing that the popular turn-based tactical game has made a leap to Apple's iPad.

Panzer Tactics HD for iPad, a $4.99 value in the App Store, is a Retina-remake to the World War II shooter in which you can join the Soviet Red Army, the German Wehrmacht or the Western Allies - the choice is yours - and blow stuff up.

"Fight your way to Stalingrad, push back the Germans and help the Allies liberate Europe - you’ll be fighting on all sides of the war," promises German developer bitComposer Online GmbH who ported the game over to the iPad.

There are more than 150 units at your disposal, with environmental factors like terrain, weather or seasons affecting your gameplay. We have a nice video and additional information for you right after the break...

Exploratory action adventure Globosome: Path of the Swarm hits iOS

Exploratory platformers seem to be all the rage in the App Store. In the past few weeks alone, several notable platformers and action adventures have been released for the iPhone and iPod, including awesome triple-A games such as Leo's Fortune, Thomas Was Alone, Sometimes You Die, Monument Valley and David, to mention a few.

If you're a sucker for the genre as yours truly, you'll want to put Globosome: Path of the Swarm on your wish list.

Released today for the iPhone and iPad and costing $2.99, this great-looking title by independent German developer Navel has you playing as a dark little dot which can replicate into a swarm by feeding on its natural environment. The twist: turning into the swarm is necessary to accomplish tasks and puzzles that would be otherwise impossible alone...

Nest and Google clarify: recalled smoke detectors returning soon, no ads on thermostats

Contrary to a flurry of reports yesterday, Google was never going to put ads on the Nest Thermostat. Moreover, Nest co-founder and the iPod Godfather, Tony Fadell, has confirmed that recalled thermostats will be returning to store shelves sooner than you think.

Allow me to refresh your memory: soon after it was discovered that a safety bug with a Protect Wave feature could prevent the alarm from sounding, Google's Nest unit has responded by preemptively recalling about 40,000 faulty units.

This should set the record straight and put to rest the ridiculous notion that recalling smoke detectors and not doing ads in thermostats is somehow evil...