BlackBerry 10 promises six phones, 90 per cent of major apps

Half a dozen BlackBerry 10 phones are coming this year, with 70,000 apps at your fingertips including nine out of ten of the big names.

Speaking to FierceWireless, the marketing boss of BlackBerry builder Research in Motion confirmed we'd see at least six BlackBerry 10 devices, at a range of prices.

RIM also said that BlackBerry 10 will have 70,000 apps, including 90 per cent of the top 600 apps on rival platforms.

BlackBerry 10 is the much-anticipated next generation of software for the clicky-keyed phones popular with business types and messaging teenagers alike. There's a lot riding on the new lineup of phones and software as RIM's market share is in serious trouble, after coming under pressure from the iPhone and Android in recent years.

One of Android's strengths is that you can buy Android-powered smart phones at almost any price. By selling low-cost phones as well as premium models BlackBerry can appeal to the BlackBerry Messenger-loving teen market as well as the business-loving serious types.

RIM better hurry up though -- Samsung is aiming to swoop into businesses, investing in security and reliability to replace BlackBerry as your next work phone. 

The first two BlackBerry phones will be unveiled with the new software at the end of this month. One will sport a traditional BlackBerry keyboard, while the other will have a full touchscreen. There won't be any deals to make them exclusive to one particular network.

[Source: CNET]

Hackulous closure prompts rise of portals that allow bootleg iOS apps without a jailbreak

The somewhat unexpected shutdown of Hackulous' community, and the corresponding departure of related tools like Apptrackr and Installous, left iOS app pirates in something of a panic: many of those who jailbroke their devices expressly for ill-gotten goods suddenly lost one of their main sources. While they haven't earned much sympathy, they've also triggered a surge in services that don't require a jailbreak at all. Months-old pay service Zeusmos has seen a spike in popularity, but more recent upstart Kuaiyong is drawing the most attention. It's offering others' commercial releases through the web, for free -- and on a scale into the thousands of bootleg installs per app, suggesting that it may be abusing enterprise policies rather than Zeusmos' apparent reliance on developer slots.

[Source: Engadget]

Suunto Ambit update lets athletes build their own GPS watch apps

Extending watches with apps is one thing if you're building for a smartphone companion with a traditional, developer-centric app model. It's quite another when it's a GPS watch, and athletes are building their own apps -- yet that's what Suunto has managed with a 2.0 firmware update to its Ambit outdoor watch. The revamp uses a simple web interface to let us build free sports apps based on criteria as simple as distance and speed through to more specific measurements like heart rate and pressure. Adding predictive routines and arbitrary values allows for situation-specific code we might not get elsewhere, whether it's estimating the finish time of a marathon or guessing just how much post-run beer is possible before the guilt sets in. On top of the new software platform, the 2.0 update brings a handful of major extensions from Suunto itself, including support for ANT+ and Foot POD sensors as well as an interval timer. The apps and upgrades help justify a relatively steep $500 price for the Ambit by turning it into a Swiss Army Knife for the wrist; when features are dictated more by imagination than a developer's whims, they might just save the cost of an early hardware replacement.

[Source: Engadget]

MacLegion Bundle: 10 Mac Apps for $49.99, Including Djay, Fantastical, and Capo

A few times a year, MacRumors partners with one of the Mac App Bundle organizers to promote their bundle deal. The latest bundle comes from MacLegion and delivers 10 Mac applications for $49.99 (a $548.80 value if all purchased separately).

[Source: MacRumors]

New Apple retail employee holiday perk: popular paid apps from the App Store for free

This week, Apple will rollout an interesting new perk called “App Discovery” to its retail store employees. According to several sources who participated in quarterly meetings, in which the details were announced, Apple retail employees will have free access to a catalogue of popular paid App Store applications. It is possible that this is a holiday perk for employees that will not remain in place forever. 

For instance, if an Apple retail employee, starting this week, wants to download Fruit Ninja for their own iPhone, they will be able to use an Apple provided redemption code to get the application at no cost. Because Apple has agreements in place with developers who have apps featured on Apple Store iOS device demo units, we assume that same catalogue of apps is the catalogue that will be available to retail employees. With that, we speculate that Apple will use this program to allow Apple Store employees to become more familiar with the apps that they demo to customers in stores.

The program is currently iOS-exclusive, so there is no complementing catalogue for Mac App Store programs. Apple has had a version of this retail perk in place for a couple of years, but it has been exclusive to Apple’s own paid iOS App Store apps like the iLife and iWork software suites.

[Source: 9to5Mac]

Apps and tips for coping with Hurricane Sandy

All of us in the northeast US (which includes myself and TUAW colleagues Megan Lavey-Heaton, Dave Caolo and Kelly Hodgkins) are keeping a wary weather eye on the approaching maelstrom that is Hurricane Sandy. While we continue to hope for minimal impacts to life and property, it's overwhelmingly likely that millions of people will be facing days or weeks of power outages, constrained transportation and other serious challenges.

As we noted last year with the approach of Irene, there are several apps and simple tips that can help keep you safe and secure in emergent conditions. Of course, the most important advice is also pretty simple: follow the instructions of local authorities with regard to evacuations, road closures and travel restrictions.

[Source: TUAW - Click here to read the full story]

Technology for gaming, from fridge-sized machines to handy apps

Gaming has always been greatly influenced by developments in technology. At first casinos, the forerunners in gaming tech, were developed as land based buildings where patrons could play their favourite games on big, clunky machines. Playing a game required both travel and time, and often a bag full of coins. The next step were gaming devices in more reasonable sizes that you could buy to use at home, computers and consoles. Later the devices became a bit more portable, but still not too impressive. Then, finally, the internet gave us online gaming sites and casinos – first accessible from the comfort of our own homes at the click of a mouse.
A bit later we could play games wherever we were, thanks to the development of truly mobile devices - who can forget the first phones with Snake? – and later mobile internet revolutionized everything. Whether you have an iPhone, a BlackBerry, or an Android smartphone, there are hundreds of different casino or other gaming apps out there ready for you to download and use to play all of your favourite games; from roulette to craps, slots to blackjack, and even poker, all the best casino games are now accessible from the palm of your hand.
With so many to choose from how do you know which app is the best? It depends on what you’re looking for. Some apps are dedicated to a particular game, such as slots or roulette. If you only want to play one particular type of game a dedicated app like this will probably provide the best experience. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for an all-round casino experience with lots of games to choose from then you need an app with broader scope; one such app is the new Mobile Casino from Gaming Club - a reputable online casino and games provider. Their app is available to download from their mobile website, and you can of course also play in your phone browser. With a reliable provider behind it this is a safe bet for a casino app that will allow you to have fun and win big whilst keeping all your financial information secure.

[guest article]

Google Play hits 25 billion app downloads, holds celebratory yard sale with $0.25 games

Google Play crossed a rather significant milestone this morning: something to the tune of 25 billion app downloads. While the accomplishment is weighty enough on its own -- especially given that the store also offers books, music and movies, which aren't included in this tally -- Google is celebrating in symbolic style with a number of apps and games for sale at just $0.25 over the next five days. Among the mix of discounted titles, you'll find publishers such as Gameloft, Electronic Arts, Rovio, Runtastic and Full Fat. Not to stop there, shoppers will also discover a curated collection of 25 must-own movies, 25 banned books, 25 albums that changed the world and 25 top-selling magazines.

With today's announcement, it was revealed that 675,000 apps and games now live in Google Play -- a healthy increase when compared to 600,000 titles and 20 billion installs just three months ago. As you might expect, Apple still claims the largest selection with 700,000 titles in its App Store, although with such a thin separation between the two, we may see Google Play eclipse its rival in short order.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple updates Garageband, Keynote, Numbers, iPhoto, iMovie, Cards, Podcasts, Remote, iTunes U, & Find My Friends iOS apps

As expected, Apple is releasing updates to many of its iOS apps today including Garageband, Keynote, Numbers, Cards, iPhoto, iMovie, and Find My Friends with support for iOS 6 and other new features. We also expect to see a few more updates headed towards the rest of Apple’s own iOS apps today following the public release of iOS 6 earlier today.

[Source: 9to5Mac - Read the full article there]

MasterCard announces PayPass User Interface SDK, lets devs roll their own NFC payment-enabled apps

MasterCard has been in the cashless payment game for quite a while, and now it's hoping to get more developers on the PayPass bandwagon with its freshly unveiled user interface software development kit. By leveraging the SDK, programmers will be able to bake the firm's NFC payment system, which is compatible with over 70 handsets, into their own Android or BlackBerry OS 7 apps. The kit is free to license and includes API code libraries, documentation, a developer guide, sample code, a white-label reference application and a testing suite. Once apps are created with the SDK, they'll have to go through MasterCard's approval process before they go live. Yearning to code PayPass-enabled smartphone software? Check out the press release below for more details.

[Source: Engadget]

Top 3 iPhone 5 Features Collab Video Coming

Apple are going to deliver the most anticipated news on the 12th September 2012… the long awaited iPhone 5. Don't wait until the 12th, you need to tune in today at 5pm GMT and check out the MOST AWESOME collaboration video with myself & Emkwan from AvorahTV on our channels. Be sure you are subscribed to Geekanoids and AvorahTV before it happens.

9 Apps For Editing Video On Your Smartphone

Just a few years ago creating your own movie would have required an expensive camcorder to shoot, and your own –- often expensive -– video editing equipment in order to polish your video into something you’d want to share with others.

Now most smartphones come with built-in video cameras that can often capture high-definition videos worthy of your 50-inch high-definition television.

In addition to replacing the camcorder, your smartphone can also be used as a video editor. There are a variety of different apps available on the market today for editing video. From basic video editors that let you trim out pieces of your video you don’t want, to themed editors that let you change the frame rate and filter of your video to make it look like an old school 8mm film.

Whether you’re packing an iPhone or an Android handset in your pocket there’s bound to be a video editor perfect for helping you create videos on the go just how you want them to be.

Not just for your TV anymore, most mobile video editors also allow you to share your finished creation instantly on the web with built-in integration to sites like YouTube and Facebook. Connect your phone to your television and you can watch your masterpiece on the big screen.

iMovie

iMovie is Apple’s video editor made for the iPhone and iPad. Much like the desktop version of the app, the mobile version of iMovie lets you edit your videos, add music and transitions, and create a trailer for your finished flick.

Completed movies can be shared to your camera roll for sharing via email or iMessage, or can be uploaded and published directly to a number of websites including YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, and CNN iReport.

iSuper8
Miss the days of Super 8 cameras? iSuper8 lets you give videos you’ve recorded on your iPhone a vintage look, grading each pixel of your video to give it a unique vintage look. The app allows you to adjust the frame rate of videos you’ve recorded to 12, 18, or 24 frames per second and has number of customizable film stocks you can use to make your video look its best.

Vyclone

Vyclone uses the GPS in your phone to determine where you are shooting a video, and then matches you up with other people who are doing the same to create a multi-camera look at the same scene. The free iOS app edits videos from up to four different iPhone cameras together automatically. You can also edit the videos together manually on your own. The finished product can be shared in one tap on Facebook and Twitter, and can be saved to your phone’s camera roll.

VidTrim Pro

VidTrim Pro is a video editor and organizer for Android that allows you to trim and edit your videos on your Android device as well as compress your finished videos and share them with friends via email or on video sharing sites such as YouTube. The app also has a built-in "frame grabber" you can use to grab specific frames out of your video to use as stills.

Viddy

Not for longer-form projects, Viddy lets you capture, edit, filter and share 15-second video clips, or "viddys." The app comes with a number of built-in effects and filters to use to create the ultimate short video . Finished videos can then be shared in one lick on asocial media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Videolicious

Videolicious lets you edit videos and photos from your iPhone’s library, turning them into a documentary-style film. The easy-to-use app has number of built-in video ideas and instructions on how to create things like a video thank you note, a product or restaurant review, or your own news report. Finished videos can be saved to your phone’s camera roll to share with others, or uploaded directly to Facebook or YouTube from within the app.

Lapse It Pro

Lapse It Pro is a quick and easy way to create time-lapse videos using your Android phone. The app lets you capture time-lapse videos, add different effects, and flip and trim your finished product. Videos created with the app can be rendered to MP4, MOV, and FLV and can be shared to directly to a number of sites including YouTube, Facebook, and Google+.

AndroMedia HD

AndroMedia is a full-featured video-editing program for Android that offers many of the same features you might find on a traditional desktop video editor. Features include the ability to add effects and transitions, to overlay title clips and captions, and to fade in and out video. The app supports MP4,MOV,JPG,PNG,MP3, and WAV file formats, and finished videos can be exported in standard or high-definition and uploaded directly to YouTube from within the app.

CinemaFX
CinemaFX gives your finished videos a new look with its palate of 55 effects. Stackable with up to three effects at a time, effects can be adjusted to create your own unique finished look. Videos can be previewed side-by-side against the original, and finished videos can be exported to your phone in a variety of different formats as well as uploaded directly to YouTube or emailed to friends from within the app.

[Source: Mashable]