MacRumors

Twitter is planning a massive overhaul of its mobile apps, reports AllThingsD. While the redesigned iOS app won’t be launched until sometime after iOS 7 is available, it will include a focus on streams, doing away with the standard menu bar on the bottom of the screen.

Content, including what is found in today’s Home, Connect, Discover, and Me sections, will be organized into streams, which can be navigated by swiping. The Discover section of the app will be eliminated and embedded media will be available in all streams.

There will be a main, reverse-chronological stream like users are currently familiar with, as well as a stream for interactions between other users and conversations they’re having. Notably new, there will also be a stream dedicated entirely to photos shared on Twitter.

Essentially, moving through all the streams will be more of a visual experience, sources said, with a heavier emphasis on multimedia. There won’t be the need, for instance, to click inside a tweet to see a photo or a video — it’ll just appear in the stream. (For reference, see how Twitter’s current “Discover” tab treats some media content.)

The overall theme: Look pretty, feel richer, and become far more visually immersive than the text-heavy Twitter we’re all familiar with.

The company is also reportedly experimenting with a stream that will display only television-related tweets and conversations, designed to bump up user retention by helping first time Twitter users discover interesting content. In August, Twitter redesigned conversations within its app, adding lines and reordering conversations to make it easier to follow discussions.

Twitter is expected to launch an update for iOS 7 following its release on Wednesday, but the redesigned app will not be released until later this year.

Twitter for iOS is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Google is acquiring Bump for an undisclosed sum, according to a blog post by company cofounder David Lieb.

Bump's eponymous app allows users to share contact information, photos and more with other Bump users by 'bumping' devices with each other, including across platforms. Bump's apps will continue to operate normally for now.

Our mission at Bump has always been to build the simplest tools for sharing the information you care about with other people and devices. We strive to create experiences that feel like magic, enabled behind the scene with innovations in math, data processing, and algorithms. So we couldn’t be more thrilled to join Google, a company that shares our belief that the application of computing to difficult problems can fundamentally change the way that we interact with one another and the world.

Bump and Flock will continue to work as they always have for now; stay tuned for future updates.

We’d like to extend a special thank you to all of you who have used our products so far. It continues to be a pleasure to serve you, and your feedback and evangelism inspire us every day.

Bump is a free download for the iPhone and iPad on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Ahead of tomorrow's Grand Theft Auto V launch, Rockstar has released a companion app for the game, Grand Theft Auto: iFruit (via TouchArcade). Though the name of the app is a parody on Apple devices, it provides a number of helpful in-game features, including allowing users to create and customize vehicles that will then be available in the game.

Customization options for cars include paint jobs, window tints, smoke colors, wheels, hoods, and spoilers. Engines, brakes, exhaust, and suspension can be upgraded, and there are even customized license plates available in the online portion of the game.

The Los Santos Customs app offers players the freedom to create their ultimate vehicle in Grand Theft Auto V from anywhere. At the bar, on the beach, on the toilet. This is the future, we’re almost sure of it.

Gamers can also use the iFruit app to access options for caring for Chop the Dog, an in-game sidekick in GTA V. Though a virtual pet system, the app provides in-game benefits that cause Chop to be more helpful, performing tricks, and locating hidden items.

Depth of content, high production values, defecation. It's the app that has it all. Because who doesn’t love tending to a virtual pet? Chop is Franklin’s canine sidekick in Grand Theft Auto V. Look after him well in the "Chop the Dog" app and you will reap the benefits when playing as Franklin in Grand Theft Auto V. Pet him, feed and water him, play fetch and tug-of-war, teach him tricks.

In addition to providing customization options and access to Chop the Dog, iFruit offers GTA V news, access to the Rockstar Games Social Club, and links to other Rockstar Games apps.

Grand Theft Auto: iFruit can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link] Grand Theft Auto V will launch on September 17 for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360.

Apple late last week updated its official guidelines for third-party case makers looking to create products for the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, giving detailed schematics (PDF) and revealing additional details about the construction for each device.

As noted by AppleInsider, the plastic iPhone 5c requires case makers to design radio-friendly transparent windows at the top of bottom of the device, indicating that the radio technology design inside of the iPhone 5c is similar in placement to that found the iPhone 5, which integrated cellular and other antennas in the upper and lower sections of the device.

Meanwhile, the metal and aluminum iPhone 5s now requires case makers to compensate for the new Touch ID fingerprint sensor, with the restricted area for cases surrounding the home button slightly larger than that of the iPhone 5c and the previous generation. iPhone 5. The document also notes that no metal should come in contact with the iPhone 5s chassis, citing unwanted interruption with the device’s antennas and signal degradation.

Apple will begin selling the iPhone 5s and lower-cost iPhone 5c this Friday, September 20. The company began taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5c in 10 countries on September 13, with online orders for the iPhone 5s set to begin early in the morning local time on Friday prior to the in-store availability later in the morning.

Online music streaming service Rdio is announcing the launch of a free, ad-supported music service along with a new, $100 million partnership with radio operator Cumulus, reports The New York Times.

The move comes as Apple is officially launching its own ad-supported music streaming service, iTunes Radio, this week on September 18 with the public release of iOS 7. Currently, plans for Rdio start at $4.99 for web-only streaming, while unlimited web and mobile streaming is priced at $9.99.

Crucially for Rdio, which was introduced in 2010 and has struggled to gain a foothold in the market, Cumulus will also sell advertising for a free version of the service in the United States. Rdio, which costs $5 to $10 a month and is available in 31 markets around the world, lets its subscribers listen to millions of songs, build playlists and interact with other users.

Last month, rival music service Pandora announced that it was going to remove its 40-hour free listening limit ahead of the launch for Apple’s iTunes Radio, stating that it would again allow unlimited listening via mobile devices. Rdio updated its iOS app [Direct Link] with highly personalized radio stations early last month, and the app currently holds a four-star rating with over 9000 reviews since its release in October 2011.

According to an internal first look guide for use by Apple Retail Store employees (via 9to5Mac), the company is planning to implement a Touch ID demo app within iPhone 5s demo units that will show customers the process of registering a fingerprint for on the device.

Specifically, the app will allow in-store customers to register a single fingerprint on the demo unit, compared to the five fingerprints that the actual device allows, and show that it has been recognized through the Home button. The demo will then ask the user to place a different finger on the sensor, showing how Touch ID can reject unrecognized fingerprints for security purposes.

Last week, an Apple spokesman shared additional details about Touch ID amid security concerns, noting that no images of fingerprints are stored on the device. The demoing of Touch ID on the iPhone 5s in Apple retail stores is part of the overall sales push of the iPhone 5s to customers, with the internal first look guide also suggesting quick demos of the 8 megapixel camera to customers along with the new features of iOS 7. The guide also suggests “key messages” that Apple Retail Store employees should relay to customers, which involve speaking about the 64-bit A7 processor, M7 coprocessor, longer battery life, and numerous other features along with promoting the Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

Apple is set to begin selling the new iPhone 5s and low-cost iPhone 5c in-store this Friday, September 20. The company began taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5c in ten countries on September 13 with launch-day supplies generally holding up well. Online orders for the iPhone 5s are set to begin in the U.S. at 12:01 AM Pacific Time on the same day as in-store availability, with other countries seeing similar early-morning debuts local time.

Japanese mobile carriers NTT DoCoMo, SoftBank, and KDDI are all set to offer the 16GB version of the iPhone 5s for free with a two-year contract, marking the first time that all three major carriers in the country will carry Apple’s flagship mobile device, reports CNET. Each carrier plans to offer the phone for free with discounts that enable the special pricing, with DoCoMo offering rewards points for users who bring in used iPhones from SoftBank or KDDI.

Japanese business newspaper Nikkei [Google Translate] has provided a comparison chart of the iPhone plans on the three major Japanese carriers:
In July, it was reported that DoCoMo, Japan’s biggest mobile carrier, lost a total of 3.2 million users over the last four-and-a-half years as it had yet to reach a deal with Apple to finally offer the iPhone after its two chief rivals, Softbank and KDDI have done so. However, a report surfaced earlier this month that the carrier would finally be carrying the iPhone, after DoCoMo CEO Kazuto Tsubouchi cited “compelling reasons” to reach a long-illusive deal the month before.

Apple began pre-orders for the lower-cost iPhone 5c in 10 countries, including Japan, on September 13, and will offer the iPhone 5s in store and for online order on September 20th.

Infinity Blade III, the third installment in the popular hack-and-slash RPG series, first debuted during Apple’s iPhone media event. Chair today released a video entitled “Infinity Blade: Origins,” designed to summarizes the events of the first two games and introduce the storyline of Infinity Blade III.

Our sister site Touch Arcade has been playing a preview build of Infinity Blade III, and says "it’s safe to say the bar has been raised once again."

Similar to the other two titles, Infinity Blade III features the same best-in-class swipe-based controls. I'm not sure what it is about the Infinity Blade games specifically, but your swipes feel infinitely more connected to the actual action in the game compared to others.

Oh, and if you were hoping for free roaming control, you're out of luck. The game is entirely combat focused, with the exact same kind of stopping, searching for sacks of gold, and moving forward via defeating increasingly difficult enemies.

Without getting deeper into review-y sorts of stuff which we're saving until after the game is actually available, I'd say the best way to describe Infinity Blade III is that it's just more Infinity Blade. There's not even a tinge of free to play to it, it looks better than any game I've ever seen on the App Store, and I'm not sure it gets much more must-have than this.

Infinity Blade III will launch alongside iOS 7, debuting next week on September 18. The first two Infinity Blade games are available for download from the App Store.

- Infinity Blade ($5.99) [Direct Link]
- Infinity Blade II ($6.99) [Direct Link]

Adobe has updated its popular Adobe Photoshop Express app for iOS to version 3.0, bringing a newly streamlined design, as well as new features such as over 20 additional filters, a corrective auto-fix feature that automatically adjusts photo attributes, and full integration with cloud photo syncing service Adobe Revel.

On-the-go photo editing was never so fun, fast, and cool. Touch your way to better-looking pictures with automatic fixes and filters. Get your pictures to pop! And after sharing, you’ll be the talk of your friends.

The updated app is not necessarily going over well with users, however, as the new version currently has only a 2-star rating in the App Store and a number of reviewers are complaining the loss of more advanced features that disappeared as part of the move to a more streamlined design.

Adobe Photoshop Express is a free download for the iPad. [Direct Link]

Alongside its iPhone media event earlier this week, Apple quietly introduced new "space gray" versions of its iPod touch, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle, replacing the black models of those devices with the new color.

Australian Ben Pasternak has now posted a brief video offering a first look at the new color option for the iPod nano. The video shows the front and rear of the device, with the anodized color of the device appearing lighter than the outgoing "Black/Slate" option. The anodized matte finish also helps minimize fingerprints that can be highly visible on more reflective surfaces seen in some of Apple's other products.

Earlier this week, Apple announced that the new iPhone 5s would also be sporting the new Space Gray color, similarly replacing the black/slate color offered on the iPhone 5. All of the iPod models with the new color option are currently available, with the iPhone 5s set to go on sale next Friday, September 20.