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

Valve, the company behind the popular gaming platform Steam, has released a new companion app for iPhone called Steam Mobile as a closed beta. The app allows Steam users to view their Steam friends list, see what games their friends are playing, and chat with players in-game. Gamers can also browse -- and apparently purchase, though the app descriptions are a little fuzzy on that point -- the...

In what seems like a logical result of economic pricing strategies, iPhone app developers who put their apps on sale see an average increase in revenue of 41% on the first day, and total increases of 22% after 15 days. App store analytics provider Distimo shared the findings in a new research report. TechCrunch writes: When a developer decides to put an application on sale, there’s a...

Motorola Mobility has filed a new lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida against Apple, asserting six patents against the iPhone 4S and iCloud. As noted by FOSS Patents, the merger agreement between Google and Motorola Mobility requires the company to get Google's permission before asserting "any Intellectual Property Right in any new Action". As a result, this lawsuit is the closest Apple...

British actor and Apple enthusiast Stephen Fry has narrated this in-depth and iPad-only virtual encyclopedia called Inside the World of Dinosaurs. In the works for more than a year, 30 dinosaur specialists collaborated on the $13.99 app, with 60 dinosaurs detailed, 200 pages of original text, 84 videos, and, perhaps most enjoyably for many, 5 hours of narration by Stephen Fry. The art team...

Following a major expansion of iPhone 4S availability to China and 21 other countries two weeks ago, Apple appears to be preparing to make a few more additions to the device's market reach this Friday, January 27. Apple's current iPhone partners in Indonesia, Telkomsel and XL have both announced that they will begin carrying the iPhone 4S on Friday. Telkomsel is the country's number one...

Apple's new iBooks Author application enables users to make interactive iBooks on their Mac. Apple says the software allows authors to make "stunning iBooks textbooks, cookbooks, history books, picture books, and more for iPad." Richard Stevens, author of the Diesel Sweeties webcomic, has expanded that list of possibilities to include comic strips. Diesel Sweeties author Robert Stevens writes...

TechCrunch reports on Evi, a new Siri-like offering from True Knowledge that has launched for iOS devices [App Store] and as a beta for Android devices. While Siri provides a fair amount of integration with Apple apps and services such as reminders and calendaring, it is currently limited to the iPhone 4S, while Evi is compatible with all iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices running iOS 4.0 or...

Mapping company UpNext has released a new iPad app with its 3D mapping technology. The app shows uses points of interest and friends Foursquare check-ins to help users navigate on a 3D representation of close to 50 cities. TechCrunch, writing about the app, says: I am seriously impressed. The resolution is great and the onscreen update speed is amazing. It offers the best of services like...

Ten One Design, makers of the Pogo Stylus, have released a magnetic stand for the iPad 2 that is nearly invisible when in use, by repurposing the magnets designed for use with Apple's Smart Cover. Magnus is first machine-crafted from pure aluminum and then hand-finished using the latest manufacturing techniques. After that, customized magnets are installed into the base, and rubberized feet ...

Samsung is continuing its string of Galaxy S II television ads directly targeting the iPhone with a new commercial highlighting the iPhone's lack of built-in turn-by-turn directions. The ad contrasts that with the Galaxy S II (and other Android devices), where the functionality comes standard through Google's mapping services. The new commercial uses the familiar scenario of devoted Apple...

Last week, we noted that several carriers in Singapore were working to offer camera-less iPhone 4S models for users whose professions prevented them from carrying camera-equipped mobile phones. With Singapore requiring all male citizens and many permanent residents to serve up to two years in the military, there is a significant market for camera-less phones in the country. CNET Asia now...

TechCrunch summarizes notes from today's media event. Of interest, they seem to reveal that Apple's interactive textbook format is not quite the official ePub 3 spec:Books are not technically in the EPUB format, but they borrow from it (likely EPUB 3). Certain interactive elements of the books require the files to be done in the slightly different iBooks format, Apple says.Earlier rumors had...

Engadget highlights the economics of publishing iBooks Textbooks to the iBookstore, noting that paid downloads follow Apple's traditional App Store and iBookstore model where the company takes a 30% cut of the purchase price of each book. Authors are free to set their own pricing, although Apple has placed a maximum price tag of $14.99 on the textbooks. In addition, the report notes that...

Cult of Mac took a look at the size of the digital textbooks available on iBooks after today's education-focused media event. File sizes range from Pearson's 793MB Environmental Science up to a hefty 2.77GB for Biology. - Pearson’s Environmental Science – 793MB - National’s Chemistry – 959MB - E.O. Wilson’s Life On Earth – 965MB - McGraw Hill’s Algebra 1 – 1.09GB - McGraw Hill’s Geometry ...

With the introduction of new iPhone data plans from AT&T, here's a look at the data plans from the three providers that natively sell the iPhone in the United States. AT&T: - $20/month for 300MB data with a $20 charge for each additional 300MB - $30/month for 3GB data with a $10 charge for each additional 1GB - $50/month for 5GB data with mobile hotspot/tethering and a $10 charge for each ...

Last week, research firm NPD released data showing that Apple's iOS had significantly closed the gap on Android in new U.S. smartphone sales in October and November, narrowing Android's 34 percentage-point lead to just four points in the wake of the iPhone 4S debut. Nielsen now takes a look at its own data, showing similar momentum that had carried over through the end of 2011.Among recent...

Incase has introduced a new version of its popular Snap Case made with a heat-activated thermochromatic finish. The $35 pink Thermo Snap Case changes color when held, like heat-activated t-shirts from the 80's. Incase may be the most recent case-maker to release a color-changing case, but they are far from the only one. XtremeMac offers the $30 Tuffwrap Shift that has a similar design to...

Late last year, AT&T began throttling the data speeds of its highest-use unlimited data customers, knocking down the ability of the top 5% of its users to consume data for the remainder of a billing period once they hit certain thresholds. While AT&T no longer offers unlimited data plans, it did so for several years with the iPhone, and users who had previously signed up for the unlimited have...