TheAppleBlog

Along with the release of their new iPod shuffle, Apple has updated iTunes to version 8.1. New features include improved speed with large libraries, Autofill, a switch to 256-Kbps AAC as the new import default, and more notably iTunes DJ and Genius sidebar for Movies and TV Shows.
For a lot of users, the first two [...]

Movie/game tie-ins are as old as the original NES and, as a booming gaming platform, the iPhone/iPod touch are no less susceptible to this continuing trend. To that end, here’s a listing of games for your touch device that are based on a movie (Note: All links go to the App Store).
The Dark Knight: Batmobile [...]

As the recession becomes more and more prevalent, networking will become a more necessary tool in making sure that you can stay afloat — whether it is making new clients for business or a contact to help you get a job, should you find yourself needing one. Beyond that, while business cards have an air [...]

Apple announced today that it’s bringing some major changes to the iTunes Music Store. Most notable among the announcements is their shift to making its entire 10M-plus song library completely DRM-free.
Prior to today, Apple’s iTunes Plus selection was fairly slim. Now, all songs from the four major labels, as well as the plethora of independent [...]

Only two months after going into beta, AOL has released AIM for Mac 1.0. Unfortunately, not a whole lot has been changed since our review of the beta. There is still no option for video or audio chats, and beyond the addition of AIM Expressions (a library of Buddy sounds, wallpaper and animated Buddy Icons), [...]

Unable to ignore the ubiquitousness of Apple’s touch devices, Microsoft has released its first app, a tech-demo of Seadragon.
For those unfamiliar with the project, Seadragon is one of a few applications being developed under Microsoft’s Live Lab division. This one in particular provides “seamless browsing of vast quantities of visual information [...] regardless of the amount [...]

It was only two months ago that Flickr unveiled a beta version of their mobile site optimized for iPhone and iPod touch users, but now it’s official.
Compared to their previous mobile endeavor, this update of the site is nothing short of leaps and bounds ahead. Beyond a svelte new interface that makes browsing, not only, [...]

Since the Zunes inception, for all its faults, one thing that it did that seemed worth emulating was its Originals line, which are devices etched with original artwork from an array of designers. There’s no doubt that, even before comparing it to the Zune, or even the iPod nanos for that matter, the iPhone doesn’t [...]

Continuing with our round up of iPhone/iPod touch apps, here are 9 puzzle games (in no particular order) worth checking out. Each item on the list links to a full review with feature and pricing information.

Quordy
Find the most words, get the high score.

Smiles
Two games in one. Play the Drop mode for Bejeweled-like game play or [...]

According to this MacRumors report, Apple has started to dispense promotional codes to App Store developers. With them, developers will now be able to grant free access to their app for up to 50 users. Previously, developers would have had to resort to the ad-hoc distribution method or iTunes gift cards to give promotional copies [...]

If you are familiar with Zuma, Magnetica, Luxor, or any of the other clones, then Puzzloop Endless is nothing new. If none of these names ring a bell, these games pit you against numerous balls of varying colors rolling down a coiled track with you in the center. Armed with a canon, it’s your job to [...]

For those who consider themselves cruciverbalists, Imangi ($2.99) is a game after your own hearts. As a user in the App Store accurately commented, Imangi is a “cross between Scrabble and a Rubik’s cube.” Through four game modes: Standard, Speed, Daily Challenge, and Friend Challenge; you’re objective is to make as many words as possible [...]

There is something to be said for apps that are so focused, their entire function can be summed up in one word. Spin ($2.99) is just that, a game that revolves around spinning (pun intended). The premise is that you are given a silhouette and an object, you then have a limited amount of time [...]

Like ever ubiquitous flashlight apps, Sudoku games in the App Store are a dime a dozen. However, while the game play between them is roughly the same, there is a staggering difference between the graphics and what they offer in terms of options. The current king would be Amazing Sudoku, available for $1.99 for the [...]

MetaSquares, developed for the iPhone/iPod touch by MetaTools, Inc., is one of those games with such a devilishly simple concept that you can only think to yourself, “how much fun could this possibly be?” Then minutes become hours and eventually the reality sets in — you’re hooked.
Originally designed for AOL back in the days of [...]

Say you took Labyrinth — you know, the old wooden game (or the iPhone/iPod touch version) where you roll a metal ball around a maze avoiding traps to get to the goal — and doused it with a couple gallons of cute, what would you get? Well, Dizzy Bee, of course.
Available for $2.99 — there [...]

I have a love/hate relationship with the $2.99 Quordy. While probably one of the better, if not the best, word related puzzle game, and the most addictive game I’ve played thus far, it is a bit frustrating when for me to complete a round only to find that my score is much lower than what [...]

Do not be fooled by either its name or the cutesy screen shots, Smiles is as serious about casual gaming as it is colorful and adorning. Smiles is, at its core, a tile matching game. However, with two modes, Zen and Drop, it manages to differentiate itself from the others in its category and still maintain [...]

Lumen is a deceptively involving game. The premise makes it appear simple: use mirrors and colored filters to guide a laser beam through checkpoints with the appropriate color to win. However, you will quickly find yourself double and triple guessing your moves when you’ve realized that the path you have laid out for the lasers [...]

Apple has released another update to Quicktime that should be a small bit of good news to unibody MacBook and MacBook Pro owners. Bringing its version number up to 7.5.7, the new Quicktime removes the HDCP playback restrictions from standard definition movies purchased and rented from iTunes. According to the release notes:
This update is recommended [...]