MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

Developer Neven Mrgn, one half of The Incident developer Big Bucket Games, has released his new text-based dystopian sci-fi game, Blackbar. The game, which was co-developed by James Moore of Panic, has similar traits to old text-based adventure games and interactive fiction. Players will become Vi, deciphering a series of letters from Kenty, an employee of the fictional Department of...

The ongoing legal battle between Apple and Samsung shows no sign of abating and last night, U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh issued a ruling that denied Samsung a new trial over the 'bounce-back' patent, reports CNET. Apple originally accused more than 20 Samsung smartphones and tablets of infringing on its 'bounce-back' patent, which was filed back in December 2007. The patent, No. 7,469,381...

Sonny Dickson has posted a new gallery of nearly 70 photos showing parts allegedly from Apple's upcoming iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. While many of the parts and even some of the individual photos have been seen previously, the gallery provides a good look at the various parts apparently making their way out of Apple's supply chain. The photos include rear shells of both new iPhone models at...

According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple’s falling market share in China is prompting local electronics accessory makers to give more attention to phones and tablets made by rival Samsung among other electronics manufacturers. Specifically, the report cites competitive, feature-rich products from the likes of Samsung as well as various cheap phones by other mobile handset makers. A shift to...

The Pebble smart watch has received an official update to its iOS app, bringing proper push notifications for emails and fixing compatibility for AOL and iCloud email accounts. Official support for email notifications had been introduced earlier this month, but with access limited to fetching on 15-minute intervals. The app officially launched alongside the smart watch in January, with the...

Apple is rumored to launch the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C in China on November 28th for 5,599 yuan ($914.69) and 3,399 yuan ($555.23) respectively, according to a report from Chinese news outlet First Financial Daily [Google Translate] (via CNET). The report cites telecommunications analyst Yang Tao, and states that the phone would be released later in China than the rumored global launch because of ...

Popular WWII air combat game Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders was named as Apple’s App of the Week, and as a result, the $4.99 app can be downloaded for free for the next seven days. First launched in late 2012, Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders allows players to participate in dogfights, protect cities, and bomb enemy structures. The in-game locations are based on real areas like Pearl Harbor, Coast...

BlackBerry announced in May that it would bring its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) platform to iOS and after sending out beta invites to the service in early August, the company has now posted (via TechCrunch) a user guide that suggests the app's launch may be imminent. BBM, which functions similarly to Apple's iMessage, was one of the first proprietary mobile messaging services and remains...

iOS gameplay capture platform Kamcord has announced it has secured over $1 million in funding and is introducing new features for users such as a community website to browse videos on the service and a new UI for developers allowing them to upload playlists and share videos, reports 9to5Mac. Other new features such as likes, comments, and user profiles on the service’s website will begin to...

Asphalt 8: Airborne, the newest addition to the popular iOS racing game series, has been released today with universal compatibility for both the iPhone and iPad. The game features a brand new physics engine and includes 47 selectable cars with 37 new cars making an appearance. The game also places an emphasis on verticality with ramps and air stunts, and contains nine different locations for...

According to a newly published Apple patent application (via AppleInsider), Apple is investigating methods to offer an iPhone status sharing system in which users can check the individual "status" of other iPhone users before calling them, similar to the "Away" feature already present in most instant messaging systems. The patent application, which is simply titled "Methods to determine...

Facebook’s Pages Manager app, which allows users to control and connect with their audience and analyze activity on multiple Facebook Pages, has been updated today, adding new features such as uploading multiple photos for a single post as well as improved analytical insights for page management. The update also brings the ability to edit page admins from a mobile device, as well as the ability...

Real Racing 3 received a major update today, adding both new content and performance enhancements to the popular freemium game. Players can now access Dodge and Shelby muscle cars and race in all new events. The game's difficulty has been slightly tweaked, to allow for faster and more accurate skill adjustments and visual physics enhancements offer up realistic pitch and bodyroll for classic...

AT&T retail stores will be offering refurbished iPhone 3GS models to its prepaid GoPhone customers -- no-contract accounts that do not qualify for subsidized phones -- according to a MacRumors tipster.The iPhone 3GS was originally released in 2009 and, notably, will not run the new iOS 7 when it's released this fall. For comparison, AT&T sells the refurbished iPhone 4 for $325, so the 3GS would ...

Google CEO Larry Page has had informal discussions with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and other NFL executives that included talks about the NFL Sunday Ticket package that DirecTV currently holds the rights to, according to AllThingsD.The current Sunday Ticket deal with the NFL -- which sees DirecTV paying $1 billion a year -- ends after the 2014-15 season and the NFL is likely looking to lock ...

Yahoo has officially updated its Yahoo! Sports app for iOS, adding a host of new features such as full coverage for Mixed Martial Arts organizations, as well as scores, news, and standings for the WNBA and a refined look with full, updated scoring summaries and extended details for football games. The app also brings fixes to external article rendering, as well as a refined view for football...

Streaming music service Radical.FM launched a new iOS app today, providing users with access to more than 22 million songs at no cost and with no advertising. Rather than charging a subscription fee, Radical.FM asks its customers to "pay what you can" for the service. While Radical.FM is similar to Pandora in that it allows users to create personalized stations, Radical.FM's content is...

YouTube has updated its iOS app with new support for continuous, touch-free playback of playlists as well as a new picture-in-picture mode that allows viewers to keep watching a video while still browsing through search results or the rest of the app.More YouTube in your YouTube appsWith the swipe of a finger, you can watch a video at the bottom of your screen while you keep exploring. Think...