MacRumors

Imangi Studios' hit game Temple Run 2 has been updated to include Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt as a playable character.

As expected, the character comes equipped with Bolt's signature yellow and green outfit along with unique talents like a coin-magnet speed-boost hybrid power up. Bolt spoke to USA Today about his appearance in the game, which he says that he plays while traveling.

To see himself actually in the game, "is fun and a little crazy," says Bolt, interviewed via email. "People always tweeted at me and told me what a great fit my character would be in Temple Run, so finally seeing myself in the game is epic."

Temple Run 2 is Imangi's follow up to the original Temple Run game, which was first released in 2011. Temple Run 2 launched early this year, offering enhanced graphics, smoother gameplay, new power ups, and new environments. The free game was an instant hit, with more than 50 million downloads within two weeks.

The partnership between Bolt and Imangi came about after the studio contacted him about being a character in the game. According to Bolt, he responded, "Make it happen ASAP!"

Temple Run 2 can be downloaded from the App Store for free, though the Usain Bolt character will require a $0.99 in-app purchase. [Direct Link]

Netflix announced today that it is opening up its new 'profiles' feature to all accounts, after a brief beta period. The feature allows families to assign unique Netflix profiles -- up to 5 -- to each viewer, with individual Recently Watched and Instant Queue lists.

As a result, families and married couples won't be able to 'ruin' each other's Netflix experiences by watching an out-of-character show that then significantly affects Netflix's recommendations. The iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV should all gain access to profiles "over the next few days."

Profiles began appearing on the Apple TV for users in the beta earlier this week.

We’ve made it easy to add additional profiles, all you have to do is provide a name. Over the next few days, profiles will roll out on most Netflix devices, including the website, iPad, iPhone, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Apple TV, and newer Smart TV’s and Blu-Ray players. We’ll be adding additional devices like the Nintendo Wii and Android soon. For now, you can add more profiles on the website and the PS3, but you can select a profile on any of the devices listed above.

Netflix is a free download from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Semiconductor manufacturer Micron Technology has completed its $2 billion purchase of Elpida, a Japanese manufacturer of memory chips and primary chip supplier to Apple. The company’s memory chips are currently used in the iPhone 5 and fourth-generation iPad and are also found in other devices such as Google’s current generation Nexus 7. Elpida DRAM was also spotted in an iPhone 5S prototype leaked in June.

Using its advanced technologies, Elpida has built a strong presence in Mobile DRAM, targeting mobile phones and tablets. Micron is a leader in delivering enterprise DRAM solutions for networking and servers as well as offering a wide product portfolio in NAND flash memory and NOR. Combining the two complementary product portfolios will further strengthen Micron's position in the memory market and enable it to provide customers with an even more complete set of high-quality solutions.

Last year, Apple announced that it was cutting back on memory chip orders from Samsung in order to diversify its client list, and increased orders from manufacturers such as Toshiba, Elpida, and Micron to use in its mobile devices. With DRAM and NAND being relative commodities in the technology market, Apple sources its memory needs from a variety of companies, frequently shifting its orders based on pricing and capacity.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI) yesterday released its annual rankings for smartphone satisfaction in the United States (via CNET). While Apple once again scored above 80% in customer satisfaction for its current iPhone line, the survey also revealed that Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note II phones have taken the top two spots with both having scores of 84% in customer satisfaction.

"Not only does Samsung edge ahead of all iPhones, Apple customers themselves don't see much difference between the iPhone 4, 4S, or 5," ACSI director David VanAmburg said in a statement. "The latest earnings report from Apple was better than expected, but the name of the game for Apple has always been innovation. Samsung, on the other hand, shows a strong upward ACSI trend from the Galaxy S II to the Galaxy S III. If the S4 performs as well -- or even better -- in the eyes of customers, Samsung could threaten Apple's dominance in overall customer satisfaction."

Earlier this year, the ASCI also released its annual rankings of customer satisfaction for the broader segment of mobile phone manufacturers in the United States. While Apple had the highest customer service satisfaction for the second year in a row, its score fell from 83% to 81% compared to the year before. Concurrently, Samsung had a satisfaction score of 76%, up from 71% the year before. Apple is expected to refresh the iPhone line in the fall, with the expected launches of the iPhone 5S and low-cost iPhone, potentially named the iPhone 5C.

O2 has become the second British carrier alongside EE to announce high-speed 4G services, which are due to be launched at the end of the month. The rollout, which will initially cover London, Leeds and Bradford, will start on August 29, with a further 10 cities due to be added by the end of the year.

4G price plans will start from around £26 ($39) a month and O2 is already offering several 4G-enabled phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S4, the HTC One and the Blackberry Z10. As O2 has snapped up the 800 MHz spectrum, the new network will not be compatible with the iPhone 5, as the device operates on different spectrums. However, the CEO of Telefónica UK (the parent company of O2), told the BBC that he "would be frankly gobsmacked if their [Apple] roadmap didn't address that issue", suggesting that future models will support the new network.

Due to issues with Ofcom, the UK telecommunications regulator, and the delayed switch-off of the old analog television networks (the new 4G networks now operate within these frequencies), the rollout of faster LTE networks in the UK has been plagued with delays. EE, a joint subsidiary between Orange S.A. and Deutsche Telekom, was the first to roll out 4G networks back in August 2012, and its network already covers most of the UK's major towns and cities, with improvements being made daily.

EE has stated that by the end of 2014 its network will cover up to 98% of the UK population (around 62 million people). The 4G auction back in February 2013, which raised around £2.3 billion ($3.5 billion) for the UK government, awarded spectrum for 4G services to the four major UK carriers plus BT, one of the largest telecommunications operators in the UK. Both Vodafone and 3, two other British carriers, have yet launch their 4G networks, although Vodafone expects its network to go online "later this year", which may well coincide with an Apple iPhone announcement expected around September.

Double Fine Productions, the company founded by video game designer Tim Schafer, has launched Dropchord, a rhythm-based score challenge game for iOS. Dropchord’s gameplay involves the player touching glowing spheres and dragging a beam of light through other spheres on the screen. The game's soundtrack is also a major element of gameplay, with electronic music pulsating with the levels as the game goes on.

Dropchord is a music-driven, score challenge game with mesmerizing visuals and an original electronic soundtrack! Influenced by music visualizers and score attack arcade games, Dropchord is an original experience that'll test your dexterity while providing endless fun!

Dropchord is $2.99 for iOS devices and can be downloaded through the App Store. [Direct Link]

Dropchord is also available for Leap Motion on OS X.

The iPhone and iPad versions of Rovio’s Bad Piggies of the game can be downloaded for free.

The Bad Piggies are after the eggs again -- but as usual, nothing is going according to plan! Can you create the ultimate flying machine and steer them safely to their destination? Those tricky pigs have a few objects they can use, but they need your help to turn these into the perfect transportation!

The gameplay of Bad Piggies is different from that of other Rovio titles like Angry Birds and its spinoffs, centering on contraption building and sandbox gameplay as opposed to the slingshot physics gameplay found in the other titles. The game also changes the roles found in the original Angry Birds by making the player control the enemy pigs as opposed to the birds, with the pigs aiming to capture their eggs after being stranded on a desert island.

Earlier this year, both Angry Birds Space and Rio were named App of the Week, also resulting in a free sale.

- Bad Piggies for the iPhone [Direct Link]
- Bad Piggies HD for the iPad [Direct Link]

Update: Bad Piggies has now been confirmed as Apple's App of the Week.

The follow-up to the popular stargazing app The Night Sky has launched today, introducing a number of new features. As with the original app, Night Sky 2 allows users to view the sky above them on an iPad or an iPhone to identify nearby celestial bodies.

The revamped app offers a redesigned sky view that includes both higher quality imagery and original artwork constellations, along with a browse and search feature that was absent from the previous version. It also includes detailed information on both the sky and the weather.

With search, users can type in the name of any satellite, star, planet, or constellation to view it within the app. Constellations have been improved and instead of showing just a general outline, full but non-intrusive artwork depicting the constellation is displayed.

Sky Info, accessible from the app’s many buttons, provides a look at moon phases, sun rise and sun set times, daylight duration, and sun elevation. A similar mode, Stargazing Weather, offers information on cloud cover, temperature, wind speeds, and visibility, with an overall view indicating whether or not the local sky is visible.

Night Sky 2 includes an optional community mode, which requires a monthly membership fee priced between $2.99 for a month and $20.99 for two years. The community is designed to allow users to share stargazing sites around the world with one another. The app also features smoother sky tracking, detailed information on celestial bodies, and sharing tools.

Night Sky 2 is a universal app that can be purchased from the App Store for $0.99. [Direct Link]

Last month, Firaxis and 2K Games released XCOM: Enemy Unknown for iPhone and iPad, an extremely popular and well-regarded title on both consoles and the PC.

XCOM is known as an 'AAA title' in the industry; a major game with significant investments in both marketing and development. The company set the price of XCOM's iOS version at $20, well above the price for most games on the platform -- but the gamble worked out.

Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Take-Two Interactive -- the corporation ultimately behind the game -- gave an interview with GamesIndustry.biz (via TUAW) where he explained that XCOM proved that customers are willing to pay a premium price for a premium experience, even on mobile devices.

Zelnick said the game was not just critically acclaimed with a Metacritic average of 92, but commercially successful as well. In its first week of release, Zelnick said the adaptation was on Apple's top 10 grossing iPad app chart.

"The success of XCOM: Enemy Unknown for iOS illustrates that consumers are willing to pay a premium price for a premium entertainment experience on any platform. This bodes well for the opportunity to deliver profitably our most immersive new AAA titles to mobile platforms as they evolve."

XCOM: Enemy Unknown can be downloaded from the App Store for $19.99. [Direct Link]