Burstly acquired the beta testing service TestFlight just a few months ago, and TestFlight released a mobile analytics service called FlightPath soon after that. Now, Burstly has announced that it is restructuring its offerings, to set up a full set of services to take developers from developing and testing their app with TestFlight, to preforming analytics with FlightPath, and then monetizing with Burstly's tools, now rebranded as SkyRocket.

This is a smart bit of revamping -- TestFlight is very popular, but FlightPath has just started out and SkyRocket's name is brand new to most developers, so combining these tools under the same umbrella should make them all more accessible to developers. All of these services are still available separately, but not only do they share a parent company now, but they also can combine functionality, such as having high profile users from FlightPath get offered different monetization options or deals via SkyRocket.

Burstly's wasting no time making its TestFlight acquisition useful. We'll stay tuned to see, going forward, how this trio of services plays with mobile developers.

Burstly restructures, now offers three services for code-to-ship functionality originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unity has announced that it's making its mobile game development tools free to use for most independent and small studios. Unity has always been a popular engine both for mobile game development and for cross-platform game creation, but up until now, you had to pay about $800 to actually publish Unity-created apps on the iOS or Android stores. Those basic add-ons have now been made free, so anyone can now download Unity, and then use it to publish an app for iOS or Android without paying a fee for the engine.

Unity still has pro versions available for sale to both iOS and Android developers, and anyone making over $100,000 per year with their releases is required by Unity to go ahead and purchase a pro license. So there are still some limits on exactly how this all works, and if your iPhone app does hit it big, Unity still would like its due. But starting off for free should open the door for even more indie devs to get in and try Unity, and make for even more and better games on the App Store.

Unity makes mobile tools free for small devs originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The team at Olloclip has taken the wraps off of their newest product, a case for the iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 5 called the Quick-Flip Case (US$49.99) that works with the Olloclip 3-in-one lenses to produce a lightweight solution for all-purpose iPhoneography. Let's take a look!

Design

At first glance, this doesn't look like much of a case. It's made out of a smoked translucent black or opaque white polyurethane material and looks like any of a thousand other slip-on hard cases for iPhone. But then the little features start to appear and you realize how the Quick-Flip case can be used to assist in taking photos with your iPhone.

Gallery: Olloclip Quick-Flip Case and Pro-Photo Adapter

By itself, the case has a pivoting corner that rotates 180° out of the way so that you can install your Olloclip lenses. That pivoting piece also has a second function -- it presses up against the volume up button on the side of your iPhone so that you can just squeeze the button slowly to take a photo. No more need to tap that virtual shutter button on the screen.

The real fun comes when you attach the included Pro-Photo Adapter. It slides onto the bottom of the iPhone and includes a pair of threaded tripod mount points as well as a cold shoe mount for other accessories like video lights or microphones.

In case you happen to own a 5th-generation iPod touch, there's a special adapter that's included with the iPhone 5 case to make it compatible with the "non-phone iPhone."

Functionality

For Olloclip-toting iPhone owners, the Quick-Flip Case should be a no-brainer if you take a ton of photos. Your iPhone remains fairly well protected in the case, and with a quick flick of the top the bare shoulder of the phone is exposed so you can slide on the Olloclip.

Using the rotated corner piece as a trigger button for taking photos is pure genius. Rather than holding onto the iPhone with one hand and swatting at the display to take a photo, you can use both hands to keep the iPhone steady while gently squeezing the button. It's sure to reduce blur in your photos, especially under low-light conditions.

I was happy to see that Olloclip uses metal inserts for the tripod mounts as that will add to the usable life of the Quick-Flip case -- provided Apple keeps a similar size for the next-generation iPhone. The cold shoe is also a nice touch for adding goodies that can make the difference between dull, underlit video and properly illuminated personal movies.

Conclusion

While it's a bit pricey for an iPhone case, the Olloclip Quick-Flip Case and Pro-Photo Adapter -- along with the Olloclip lenses (purchases separately) -- make for an incredibly useful set of accessories for anyone who takes a lot of photos with their iPhone.

Pros

• Quick-Flip Case makes it easy to protect your iPhone while also facilitating the installation of the Olloclip 3-in-one lens
• The design of the case makes it possible to hold the iPhone with both hands while shooting pictures, helping to steady your photographs
• Mounting the case on a tripod in either landscape or portrait mode is a piece of cake with the two threaded tripod mounts
• Cold-shoe mount works well for adding small LED light bars or microphones

Cons

• The case itself is nothing spectacular in terms of looks or protection

Who is it for?

• Dedicated iPhoneographers who want use their devices to get the best possible photographs and need the steadiness of a tripod mount at a moment's notice

Olloclip Quick-Flip Case and Pro-Photo Adapter add protection, tripod mount originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wal-Mart-owned video-on-demand service Vudu has updated its iOS apps to allow movie downloads for offline viewing. The Android phone version of the app has had this feature for awhile, but Android tablets are still unable to download and view their Vudu/Ultraviolet collection on their tablets.

Other additions to the update include a reworked player to make the app easier to use, as well as support for closed captions on the iPhone. It's worth noting that the Flixter iOS app already allowed for Ultraviolet downloads. Ultraviolet is a digital rights authentication service that allows DVD and Blu-ray buyers to redeem unique download codes for digital viewing later.

You can find the updated app for free in the iTunes store now.

Vudu adds ability to download movies for offline viewing to iOS apps originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft has announced a brand-new game console today, though the company would probably be disappointed to hear that I called it that. The Xbox One is really more of an entertainment center all-in-one -- it's designed to connect your games, your streaming media and cable television all together in one set-top box. In some ways, it's a competitor to Apple TV. The Xbox One will also include a new Kinect camera, which will boast Siri-like voice control over all of its functions, and allow users to switch back and forth between live games, live TV or any of the console's various apps.

Obviously, that release is only tangentially related to Apple and its products, but there are a few closer ties that might become more important in the future. First up, Microsoft has already confirmed that the Xbox One will work with its SmartGlass system, for which there is already an app on the iPhone and the iPad. It's unclear just what SmartGlass will do for the Xbox One, but we'll stay tuned for more functionality on that end.

And second, Microsoft is apparently learning from Apple. The Cupertino company has famously been making its own "system-on-a-chip" hardware lately to go into new iPhones and iPads, and Microsoft has now done exactly the same. The Xbox One's CPU is a chip based on AMD designs, but customized by Microsoft's own R&D labs. There are a few reasons for that, including the power requirements, and the fact that the Xbox One actually runs a few different operating systems at a time (to easily switch back and forth between the games and the TV content). But Microsoft clearly borrowed the model for the hardware from Apple, and presumably later versions of the Xbox One will have even more customized chips in them. The Xbox One is due out sometime this year, but there's no official release date announced yet.

Microsoft announces Xbox One, with more SmartGlass and TV integration originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blendoku is based on a crazy idea, made even crazier by the fact that it works. I am just plain terrible at colors. When I was working retail, I spent an entire day learning to lay out merchandise according to color. I was so bad at it, the trainer sent me right back to customer service. That's the very skill set that Blendoku tests, yet I still enjoy playing it.

You're presented with several different colors which must be sorted by shade, lightness or various other qualities. Some levels are simple, with just a strip of various colors going back and forth, but some are very complicated, with multiple colors mixing up in different ways. The game works well. Moving the colors around is intuitive, and the fun, simple aesthetic allows you to focus on the puzzle.

Blendoku was a surprise. If someone asked me if I'd like a game about lining up color combinations, I don't think I would have said yes. But this is a fun one, and it might give you a new look on how various visual colors go together (needless to say, you probably can't be color blind and play this). The game is free, with a few in-app purchases to help you solve puzzles or get rid of the ads.

Daily iPhone App: Blendoku has you lining up colors to match originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This is an excellent deal for any iOS owners who are fans of football and video games. EA is releasing the 25th anniversary iteration of the Madden football series this year, called Madden 25. And in the Anniversary Edition, which costs US$100, there will be a deal with DirecTV and the NFL to set up streaming to your television, your PC and consoles, or any mobile devices you have. The NFL has been stepping up on streaming game coverage to iOS over the last year or so, and usually services like that can cost a few hundred dollars.

To get the deal, you'll have to pre-order the Anniversary Edition of Madden 25 ($100, versus the standard version's $60) over on Amazon. The biggest hitch is that you'll need to actually have a DirecTV subscription to stream the games to your television. But even without a DirecTV sub, you can still get a code for the streaming, which will still allow you to see the games on your mobile device. Note also that this is for a "17-week free trial," which basically means that when the season is over, so is your service (so no playoff games, for example).

Still, if you were thinking of picking up Madden 25 anyway, that's a solid deal, and it could mean hours of streaming games on your mobile device.

[via 9to5Mac]

Pre-order Madden 25 on Amazon, get a deal for NFL app streaming originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Touch Arcade recently had a chat with CCP, the Icelandic developer behind the popular MMO EVE Online, and while there aren't any announcements yet, it certainly sounds like they're gearing up for some iOS apps, or even maybe a client for the game itself. EVE's been on the Mac for a while now, and there have been some third-party attempts at bringing parts of the game to iOS. But CCP has just released a companion game called Dust 514 on the PS3, and that means it's probably time they start thinking about tying in iOS and other popular mobile platforms as well.

There's an app called Neocom coming from CCP to the PS Vita, and Executive Producer John Lander calls that app a "tracer bullet" to see if the community's interested in more mobile offerings. Neocom allows players to customize their weapons and buy and sell virtual goods for the game, and that seems like an excellent set of functionality to bring over to iOS as well.

Lander says that there are lots and lots of possibilities, and that CCP is planning on stepping up development this year, hopefully moving towards lots of little projects with quicker turnarounds. At any rate, there's something coming from CCP for sure. "This time next year, you will have EVE Mobile in your hand," Lander told assembled fans at a recent company gathering.

EVE Online creator CCP revving up for mobile release originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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View Magazine is a nicely put-together coffee table ebook for the iPad or iPhone that contains photos that are interesting and certainly not run-of-the-mill sunsets and flowers. A variety of photographers have combined to submit some of their favorite work, and they offer some commentary about the images.

There are shots of urban landscapes, people, and nature images, but none are what I would call the standard 'pretty pictures'. That said, the images are striking, and the thoughts behind the images are often illuminating. You won't like everything you see, but there is plenty to choose from.

VIEW Magazine used to require a paid subscription, but it has just gone free, and you can manually download an issue or set it up for automatic downloading to Apple's Newsstand app.

I found the content stimulating and interesting. Any image can be shared to Facebook or via email. You scroll horizontally to move form article to article, and scroll vertically to explore the content within an article. Bookmarks are available if you find something you want to refer to again.

Gallery: VIEW Magazine for iOS

VIEW Magazine is a pretty hefty download; the current issue is about 250 megabytes. The app allows you to save or discard issues, so if you start filling your iOS device you can always dump past issues. VIEW Magazine is universal, but really isn't as effective on an iPhone as it is on the iPad. The newest version supports the Retina display on newer iPads, and the app requires iOS 5 or later.

VIEW Magazine is a worthy download, and I think you may find it enjoyable and thought provoking.

Free VIEW Magazine is filled with intriguing photography originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 20 May 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peter Molyneux's studio 22cans has been working on a Populous followup game called Godus, and the company has just announced a deal for a publisher. DeNA, the Japanese company behind the Mobage social platform, will be publishing Godus on iOS. And the game will also connect up to Mobage in Western companies and in Japan and Korea.

DeNA is an interesting choice for Molyneux -- the company is usually known for casual games, and the audience is largely Japanese so far. But DeNA has definitely been looking to expand to the West and seeking well-known developers to do that with, including a game they're working on with former EA designer Ben Cousins. Plus, Molyneux has released Curiosity on iOS already, and that game didn't quite have the reception that he hoped for. So it sounds like this teamup will be good for both sides. Godus is set to arrive, after being previously crowdfunded on Kickstarter, sometime this year.

DeNA to publish Godus on iOS originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 20 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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