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Review: Lara Croft GO is the essence of adventure that feels unmistakably Tomb Raider-y

It only took a few minutes for me to get hooked on Lara Croft GO, a new premium title from Hitman GO creators Square Enix Montréal.

Created in partnership with Crystal Dynamics, this gorgeously done puzzle-solving adventure takes Hitman GO's turn-based strategy concept and simplicity of action to a whole new level while managing to incorporate several marquee aspects of the traditional Tomb Raider formula and gameplay.

But Lara Croft GO, a $4.99 download in the App Store, is hardly the same game as Hitman GO. More than the collection of its impressive parts—mesmerizing soundtrack, artful animations and gorgeous visuals—Lara Croft GO manages to distill the famed series down to its essence.

I spent a few hours playing and reviewing this game in the days leading up to its release, here are my hands-on impressions and findings.

Force Touch code discovered in iOS 9

Developer and noted iOS beta hacker Hamza Sood has discovered code relating to Force Touch in iOS 9. Sood tweeted out a screenshot of the code this evening, saying it appears Apple has been "testing keyboard trackpad gestures on the iPhone 6s, activated via Force Touch."

Given that the 6s is expected to be unveiled within the next few weeks, and believed to already be in mass production, it would seem the code all-but-confirms that the new iPhone will include Force Touch technology—a feature that already exists in MacBooks and Apple Watch.

Scanbot 4.0 rolls out with Quick-Actions, Workflows, FTP & OneNote support and more

Scanbot, a powerful document and QR code scanner for iOS which sports optical character recognition and a slew of other cool features, was bumped to version 4.0 today.

Available on a freemium basis with optional paid upgrades, Scanbot 4.0 for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad introduces Workflows and Quick-Actions, a pair of major new features aimed at increasing your productivity by automating repeating tasks such as uploading scans to cloud services.

Google’s new YouTube Gaming app is now available in the App Store

As expected, Google's YouTube Gaming app has begun rolling out in the App Store. Earlier this morning, Google launched a new website which sits at gaming.youtube.com, dedicated to watching and live-streaming gameplay videos.

The free of charge companion mobile app should be now available for download in your local App Store. Featuring a selection of live-streaming and on-demand content, the app acts as your one-stop shop for not just gameplay videos but video how-tos and walkthroughs as well.

Portal for iOS: wireless file transfers from your computer to iPhone made easy

Portal, an Android app that launched earlier this summer, is now available on your iPhone free of charge in the App Store.

Created by a company called Pushbullet which makes a namesake cross-platform notification mirroring utility, Portal for iPhone uses QR codes and takes advantage of peer-to-peer connectivity to transfer very large files and folders between your devices in a snap.

With Portal, you can transfer files from your computer to an iOS device via a simple interface that can be accessed through any web browser. The app lets you transfer as many files as you’d like and imposes no file size limits.

Here's a quick review of Portal based on my brief hands-on time with the app.

Read-later app Pocket rolls out personalized Recommendations feed

You can now check out the most interesting articles and videos you might have missed using Pocket's newly launched Recommendations feature. Available in Pocket's latest 6.0 update in the App Store, Recommendations takes “the absolute best content being saved across Pocket” and tailors it to your own saving and reading habit, based on what you save, read and watch in Pocket.

Video of partially assembled iPhone 6s reveals a few previously unknown tidbits

A video of a partially assembled 'iPhone 6s' is making rounds on the web, revealing previously unknown details about Apple's next-generation handset which is set for unveiling at a rumored media event on Wednesday, September 9.

According to MacRumors, the authenticity of the components used to kinda assemble the phone couldn't be verified though the parts appear to resemble previously leaked ones from an iPhone 6s prototype.

Germany’s highest appeals court invalidates Apple’s slide-to-unlock patents

Germany’s highest appeals court has ruled that Apple's famous slide-to-unlock patents are invalid, VentureBeat reported Tuesday.

The ruling basically reaffirmed a 2013 decision in which the lower Federal Patent Court rejected Apple's claims on the grounds of 'prior art'. The German courts discovered that Apple's slide-to-patent involves a similar technique as that featured on a smartphone released before the iPhone by a Swedish company called Neonode.

Facebook Moments is now available outside US with new features

Moments, a Facebook-made app that lets you “get the photos you didn't take”, is no longer confined to the United States, thanks to a 2.0 update that went live in the App Store earlier this morning.

For starters, Moments is now available in a total of 34 different markets such as Japan, Russia, China, Germany and Italy, to name just a few.

The app also comes with an interesting new feature that appears to be borrowed from Google Photos, which automatically creates a movie from your photos, while providing bug fixes, performance improvements and improved upload performance.

MagCable brings MagSafe-like experience with fast-charging to your iPhone

If the 12-inch MacBook is indicative of Apple's future plans, the popular MagSafe adapter is on its way out as USB-C comes into full view.

Sadly, USB-C is plagued with a major drawback: the standard doesn't use Apple's proprietary MagSafe charging method which employs magnets to ensure your notebook doesn't fly off a desk or wiggle the pins when you trip on the cord.

With MagSafe's future hanging in the balance, a company called aMagic Ltd. set out to replicate the MagSafe charging experience on Lightning-enabled iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.

Philips launches dimming kit for Hue wireless bulbs

Philips's 'Hue' programmable LED lights can now be controlled in a more traditional fashion with the new Hue Wireless Dimming Kit and white bulbs.

Announced this morning, the Dimming Kit allows you to adjust the brightness of up to ten white bulbs at the same time and can be installed directly on the wall or used as a remote control of sort for Hue lights.

The Hue Wireless Dimming Kit can be hooked up to Philips' existing Hue hardware via the company's Hue bridge accessory to control the standard Hue and Hue Lux lighting.