MacRumors

TouchArcade reveals a first hands-on with an upcoming Commodore Amiga emulator from mobile developer Manomio. Manomio is the developer behind the Commodore 64 emulator for iOS that made headlines after it was originally rejected from the App Store. Manomio's Commodore 64 emulator eventually returned to the App Store after some favorable changes in App Store policy.

As with its Commodore 64 emulator, Manomio is legally licensing the required intellectual property and is working with individual developers to bring popular Amiga titles to the App Store. Even at this early stage, the emulator is running very well, though input controls need to be polished. The following demo video shows a collection of 10 classic Amiga games including Defender of the Crown, Battle Squadron, International Karate +, R-Type, R-Type II, Speedball, Stunt Car Racer, Shadow of the Beast, Virus, and Xenon 2: Megablast:

The shown games don't necessarily reflect the selection that will become available in the App Store, as that will depend on the ultimate licensing agreements. The emulator achieves its performance using tuned ARM assembly language and will only support iPhone 3GS / 3rd gen. iPod touch devices and up. No release date has been announced.

Apple has started rolling out 90 second song previews on iTunes tonight. The offering is presently sporadic with not every album, or even every eligible song on an album, offering a full 90 second preview.

According to a previous letter sent to music labels, Apple intends to offer 90 second previews on all songs longer than 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Songs shorter than this length will continue to offer only 30 second previews.

Apple's email also noted that by continuing to offer their music on the iTunes Store, labels are indicating their acceptance of the new terms. Consequently, any labels who do not wish to agree with the terms must withdraw their music from the iTunes Store.

Epic Games has released their first full iOS game tonight. Infinity Blade is a gesture-based fighting game that is based on the company's Unreal Engine 3. Epic showed and released a free technology demo of the engine at Apple's 2010 Fall Media event, and has since taken the time to flesh it out into a full game.

TouchArcade reviews the new release and describes it as a "must have" but warns not to expect an open world RPG:

If you were expecting Infinity Blade to be some massive open-world RPG and any number of other things I've seen people on our forums suggesting, you're going to be sorely disappointed. If all you were looking for is a fighting game with a really cool input method that fits perfectly with iOS devices, you're going to be in for a treat. The RPG elements are very light, but the fighting is solid, and the graphics are the best we've seen so far on the App Store.

Infinity Blade is a universal app optimized for both iPhone/iPod touch and iPad and is available for $5.99

Despite some recent predictions to the contrary, The Loop claims the Mac App Store won't be launching until January 2011.

Reports earlier this week claimed Apple would launch the Mac App Store on December 13, ahead of the holiday shopping season. However, according to my sources, Apple will launch the store in the new year.

The previous report pegged the launch as early as December 13th. The later January launch would make more sense as Apple still needs to ready the final version of Mac OS X 10.6.6 to coincide with the Mac App Store launch. A January launch would still coincide with Apple's original plans to launch within 90 days of their October announcement.

Apple today issued an EFI firmware update for the new 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air models, the latest in a series of software updates released since the line was revamped in late October as some users have complained of display problems, kernel panics, and other issues.

The new update, known as MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update 2.0, addresses a "rare" issue with the machine booting or waking from sleep to a black screen or becoming completely unresponsive.

This update resolves a rare issue where MacBook Air boots or wakes to a black screen or becomes unresponsive. This update is recommended for all 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air (late 2010) models.

The MacBook Air EFI Update will update the EFI firmware on your notebook computer. Your computer's power cord must be connected and plugged into a working power source. When your MacBook Air restarts, a gray screen will appear with a status bar to indicate the progress of the update. It will take several minutes for the update to complete. Do not disturb or shut off the power on your MacBook Air during this update.

Apple released a graphics-related update for the new MacBook Air just as it began shipping, but even so users reported a number of issues with the new machines. Apple's internal support teams acknowledged several of the graphics issues soon after, and fixes were included in Mac OS X 10.6.5 released in mid-November.

In addition to today's news that promo codes for applications in Apple's iOS App Store are now valid worldwide, several other items of interest related to the iOS and Mac App Stores have surfaced yesterday and today.

First, MacStories notes that the latest version of Apple's iTunes Connect Developer Guide makes clear that promo codes will not be available for Mac App Store applications. In conjunction with last week's tip that Apple will not permit "demos, trial versions, or betas" of applications in the Mac App Store, this latest bit of info suggest that Apple will be fairly restrictive in what can be offered through the Mac App Store, preferring that developers use their own sites for non-mainstream distribution for testing and review purposes.

Given that Mac OS X is much more open than iOS in terms of officially-supported application distribution mechanisms, it appears that Apple feels that limiting its role to mainstream distribution is a preferred strategy, at least for the time being.

Second, Apple yesterday announced on its developer news page that iOS developers can now submit Mac OS X versions of their applications to the Mac App Store with the same names as their corresponding iOS applications. Apple had previously required that applications in the two stores carry different names, but has apparently now opted to support the branding and consistency permitted by using the same name for a given application on each platform.

Finally, iClarified reports that Apple has informed iOS developers that it will be upgrading the security on its push notification service as of December 22nd, introducing 2048-bit certificates to ensure greater security for connections between applications' notification provider servers and Apple's servers. The change will not require modficiations to iOS applications, but will require developers to update their notification servers with the new certificate.

Industry Gamers reports on the results of a new survey from market research firm Interpret revealing that users of handheld games are increasingly moving away from dedicated devices such as the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP in favor of smartphones such as the iPhone.

The report, "The Phone Gaming Revolution: Do the DS and PSP Stand a Chance?," found that 43.8% of the phone/DS/PSP gaming market plays games on phones, which represents a significant 53.2% increase over the past year. At the same time, Interpret says that the proportion of those who play on the DS or PSP has fallen by 13%.

But while that data could indicate that the market for handheld gaming is simply expanding with the increasing capabilities of phones, other data shows that users of dedicated gaming devices are in fact abandoning those devices in favor of their phones.

The company notes, "Gamers appear to be defecting from their handheld gaming devices to phones to get their gaming kicks: a full 27.2% of consumers who indicate that they play games on their phones only (and not on the DS/PSP) actually own a DS or PSP, but do not actively use the device(s)."

With existing dedicated gaming devices being forsaken in favor of all-in-one smartphone devices, some analysts are questioning whether dedicated devices have a significant role in the future portable gaming market. Sony at least appears to be responding to the threat with a "PlayStation Phone" of its own that appears to be an Android-based device offering many of the features of a smartphone while also including hardware buttons akin to those found on traditional handheld gaming devices.

Apple today announced a "special limited time" offer of reduced pricing on all three refurbished Wi-Fi iPad models in its U.S. online store, dropping the price of the 16 GB model by additional $20 and the 32 GB and 64 GB models by an additional $50 over the standard refurbished prices.

All refurbished iPads come with brand-new batteries and external shells and include one-year warranties. Refurbished iPad Wi-Fi + 3G models are not included in the special pricing and continue to be offered at $50 off relative to brand-new units.

As noted [Google translation] by Mackinando, Apple has announced that promo codes for App Store applications are no longer limited to U.S. customers.

Your promo code distribution is no longer limited to U.S. customers. Promo codes in iTunes Connect can now be redeemed by all App Store customers worldwide. Your Team Agent can request 50 codes per version of your app in iTunes Connect and your customers can redeem these codes in any App Store. To learn more about requesting promo codes in iTunes Connect, see the iTunes Connect Developer Guide.

The change will allow developers to get free copies of their applications into the hands of more users, whether it be for review purposes for publications or for giveaways.

Apple allows developers to generate up to 50 promo codes per update of an application, and the codes are good for four weeks after generation.

MarketWatch late yesterday announced that it has selected Apple CEO Steve Jobs as its "CEO of the Decade", recognizing the Apple co-founder for his role in revitalizing the company and revolutionizing portable devices.

"The resurrection of Apple is just the most astounding story that's probably happened in business in at least a decade - you might be able to go further and say it's a half-century," says Roger Kay, president of Endpoint Technologies, a technology-industry think tank. "It's on par with Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell in terms of its total impact."

In parallel with the company's string of successes over the past decade that has seen the iPod, iPhone, and iPad all experience wild success in the marketplace as the Mac has continued to grow its market share, investors have also been rewarded by Apple's success.

During the first decade of the new millennium, Jobs and Apple managed to thrive even when the rest of the country didn't. Apple's shares blossomed, pausing only when Jobs's health was in doubt. While the stock trades at roughly 43 times its level of a decade ago, the S&P 500 has lost about 7%.

Sales are up twelvefold from the end of 2000, surging from $5.4 billion for fiscal 2001 to $65.2 billion for fiscal 2010, which ended in September. Cumulatively, Apple has racked up more than $229 billion in total sales during the decade.

MarketWatch selected Jobs for the award over fellow finalists Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Eric Schmidt of Google, Howard Schultz of Starbucks, and Tim Solso of engine manufacturer Cummins.

Jobs won a similar "CEO of the Decade" award from Fortune last year.

Several MacRumors readers have written in to report that Apple has begun offering high-definition movies for sale in its UK iTunes Store. A very limited library of titles appears to be available at the moment with, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse appearing to be the highest-profile release available for purchase in HD.

Films priced at £9.99 for standard definition are carrying £12.99 price tags in high definition, while cheaper films typically priced at £6.99 for standard definition are being offered at £7.99 in high definition.

Apple launched iTunes movie rentals and sales in the UK in June 2008, but high-definition films were only available for rent, and even then only with limited titles. The company began offering HD movie sales in the United States in March 2009, but has been slow to extend the offering to other countries.

Bloomberg reports that European carriers are looking to band together in an effort to demand that companies such as Apple and Google offering data-intensive smartphones make specific contributions to network infrastructure according to their usage. The move comes as carriers struggle to handle the rapidly-growing demands on their networks as customers increasingly turn to smartphones and consume increasing amounts of data for purposes such as video streaming.

As mobile and Web companies add videos, music and games, operators including France Telecom SA, Telecom Italia SpA and Vodafone Group Plc want a new deal that would require content providers like Apple and Google to pay fees linked to usage.

"Service providers are flooding networks with no incentive" to cut costs, France Telecom Chief Executive Officer Stephane Richard said last month. "It's necessary to put in place a system of payments by service providers as a function of their use."

The carriers claim that the current business model for data usage is economically unsustainable given the billions of dollars worth of infrastructure spending needed just to keep pace with growth in demand. Those infrastructure needs come as revenue from customers has flattened amid stiff competition. Many carriers have already moved to limit unbridled data usage by doing away with unlimited data plans for customers and moving to tiered pricing with various monthly data limits.

Carriers have also pushed back against Apple's rumored plans for an embedded SIM card that would make it easier for customers to activate service and change carriers, with carriers threatening to withhold handset subsidies paid to Apple over fears that the moves would limit their ability to lock in customers to lucrative long-term contracts.

For their part, companies serving the network-intensive content to smartphones note that they do not share in revenues collected by the carriers and thus fail to see why they should have to contribute to building out the carriers' own infrastructure.

DigiTimes reports that suppliers of the backlight unit (BLU) for the next-generation iPad have been selected, quashing speculation that Apple might turn to OLED for display technology in the revised tablet device. According to the report, Taiwanese firm Coretronic has been selected to supply BLUs to iPad display vendors Chimei Innolux and LG Display, with Radiant Opto-Electronics also supplying BLUs to LG.

Coretronic has reportedly entered the supply chain for the second generation iPad, and will supply BLUs to Chimei Innolux (CMI) and LG Display.

Coretronic has declined to comment.

The second generation iPad is expected to hit the market at the end of the first quarter of 2011 and suppliers in the supply chain are estimated to start shipments in the first quarter.

It is understood that Coretronic is the only BLU supplier of CMI for iPad 2, while LG Display is getting iPad 2 BLUs from Coretronic and Radiant Opto-Electronics.

Rumors of Apple adopting OLED display technology have surfaced prior to the release of numerous portable Apple products, dating as far back as 2003 with early-generation original iPods. OLED technology can offer lower power requirements and superior contrast ratios to traditional LCDs, but pricing, technical, and production capacity issues have slowed adoption of the technology over the years.

Research firm DisplaySearch today announced the results of its latest quarterly estimates for shipments of "mobile PCs", which include notebooks, netbooks, and tablets. The estimates for the third quarter of 2010 highlight the "iPad Effect" that has seen Apple leap to third place worldwide and first place in North America.

Capturing a 12.4% share of global mobile PC shipments in Q3'10, Apple is benefiting from the iPad Effect, which continues to shake up the mobile PC market. According to preliminary results from the DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report, Apple took the #3 position worldwide, and ranks #1 in North America as a result of the continued success of the iPad. The iPad accounts for an 8% share of global shipments of all mobile PCs. 95% of iPad shipments were to developed regions, primarily North America.

While Apple grabbed 12.4% of the worldwide mobile PC market with the iPad included, it would have placed eighth with 4.8% of the market had the iPad not been considered a mobile PC.

The report notes that iPad acceptance has been weak in Japan amid customer concerns regarding a lack of content tailored to the local language and interests. Adoption is also slow in developing countries, due in part to the iPad's partial reliance on a PC for content syncing.

The report echoes similar data released in August by Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore which likewise saw Apple jumping to third place among global notebook PC manufacturers for the second quarter of 2010 when the iPad was included in Apple's sales totals.

Apple's MobileMe service has been a bit of a mixed bag with consumers, with some seeing value in the service's email, photo/file hosting, and syncing capabilities while others feel that the $99 annual list price for the service is too high. The latter sentiment is becoming especially prevalent now that the "Find My iPhone" service that had previously required a MobileMe subscription is free for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch users running iOS 4.2.

Some MobileMe customers have also experienced performance and access issues dating all the way back to the service's debut in mid-2008 as Apple transitioned from the former .Mac service. Aside from occasional downtime, users have also reported issues with syncing data among devices and integrating that data from the various devices into combined databases for syncing.

One MacRumors reader frustrated by his experiences with MobileMe emailed Apple CEO Steve Jobs to share his dissatisfaction and to inquire whether improvements might be coming to the service. Jobs reportedly replied, claiming that MobileMe will "get a lot better in 2011".

Q: I love my iPad and iPhone4 and am a huge fan of yours and all that Apple does. I desperately want to stay inside of Apple'e ecosystem as much as possible.

However, MobileMe is making it very difficult for me to do so. Unreliable/unpredictable syncing, creating duplicate entries (sometimes scores of them), etc. It's almost unusable.

And I know from forums (including Apple's own support boards) that I am not the only one experiencing these very real and frustrating problems.

Please tell me it will get better, and soon?

A: Yes, it will get a lot better in 2011.

Sent from my iPhone

With Jobs offering only a brief and vague response as typical in his emails, it is unclear whether Apple is planning significant feature enhancements for MobileMe or if he is merely referring to performance improvements for its existing capabilities. Jobs' statement should offer some reassurance, however, that Apple apparently has plans for significant improvements to the service that will hopefully result in more customers finding its offering to be worth MobileMe's annual fee in a market where a growing variety of cheap and free applications and services are providing increasing features and capabilities.

9 to 5 Mac reports that it has received word that Apple appears to be sending out emails to select customers offering them free iTunes movie rentals.

iTunes has more than 8,500 movies, including new releases, to rent without late fees, envelopes, or queues. Try one today on us.

Redeem your free movie rental below, and start watching one of your favorite movies on iTunes. Watch what you want, when you want. Enjoy movie rentals on your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, the all-new Apple TV, or on your computer. You have 30 days from the moment you rent a movie to start watching, and 24 hours to finish it.

The free rentals appear to be limited to the United States, and it is unclear how Apple is selecting users to receive the offers.

Apple launched iTunes movie rentals in January 2008, but has been pushing the rental model in recent months with the introduction of the new streaming-only Apple TV and TV show rentals in September.