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This week at 148Apps.com, writer Carter Dotson reviewed one of the most anticipated iOS games in recent memory – Infinity Blade II. Dotson writes, “Most of what is new here is a modified and extended progression structure. Instead of one path leading to a final boss, where failure means starting over, there are now several of them, with more branching paths to explore. There are 3 different weapon types now: the traditional swords, slow and heavy axes that deal more damage, and speedy dual swords that deal less base damage, but can do double damage once combos are started. The story is more fleshed out, with actual speaking dialogue from characters besides the God King.”
Read the full review at 148Apps.com.
$6.99  + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-12-01 :: Category: Games Meanwhile, our attention was turned to more artistic matters at GiggleApps, as Amy Solomon reviewed Auryn – Van Gogh and the Sunflowers. Solomon says, “The look of this app is terrific, with illustrations evoking the style that Van Gogh is known for, complete with bold color choices and noticeable use of brush strokes, but maintains a childlike quality that fits well within this storybook. The jazzy music used is also wonderful, relaxing as well as engaging and very enjoyable to listen to even for long periods of time. The narration used here is also quite good. Parents will also like that each spoken word is highlighted red to aid the young children new to the world of reading.”
Read more about our take on Auryn – Van Gogh and the Sunflowers at GiggleApps.
$0.99 iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-10-21 :: Category: Books  Finally, 148Apps.biz site editor Rob Lefebvre reported on tablet users and their media consumption. LeFebvre writes, “In a study put out by comScore and reported by Fierce Mobile Content and the appside, interested parties can see that the number one use of tablet devices is games, with 67% of surveyed tablet users saying they’ve played a game at least once in the past month, as compared to 49% of smartphone users surveyed. 23% of those surveyed said they’d played a game on their tablet EVERY DAY. That’s a good number.”
Dig deeper into this study and read the full report on 148Apps.biz.
That’s our wrap-up for this week. While you’re out getting all of your holiday shopping done, don’t forget to check us out on our Facebook and Twitter feeds to find out the latest and greatest news, reviews and contests. Feliz Navidad!
It’s no secret folks love using the Facebook app on their iPhones and it seemed like just a matter of time before a dedicated Facebook app made its way over to the iPad. Funny story – sometimes foregone conclusions aren’t as foregone as you think, and it would seem that Facebook currently has no immediate plans to create an iPad app. The reason? Company CEO Mark Zuckerberg says that the iPad “Isn’t mobile.”
 The initial response to such a statement is one of sound and fury, but it seems that Facebook’s true planning is actually a bit more elegant than Zuckerberg let on. According to company Mobile VP Erik Tseng, Facebook is trying to figure out a unified strategy across all tablet devices so that there can be one tablet-optimized Facebook for Apple, Dell, HP, etc. The thinking goes that Facebook is currently tinkering with an HTML5 version of the service which will present a user-friendly, unified experience across all devices.
Furthermore, Facebook fanatics can still put up wall posts or upload embarrassing pictures via the traditional Facebook website which is easily accessible on the iPad’s web browser. It may not be as streamlined or elegant as the iPhone’s Facebook app, but it’s still perfectly functional.
Even though there’s no official iPad Facebook app on the immediate horizon things are far from dire. While it would be nice to go to an tablet optimized version of the social networking site in one click, having to navigate for a few more seconds has never killed anyone and it won’t start now. I’m sure we’ll all find a way to manage somehow, and we’d rather Facebook take their time and get it right then rush out a half-baked app that barely works and proves to be more cumbersome than helpful.
[via Mashable]
 Apple has announced that iPad sales have now surpassed the three million mark in the 80 days since the tablet went on sale. During this period, the iPad has gone on sale in nine more countries including Australia, France, Italy and the UK with sales strong from most reports. Apple plans to begin selling the iPad in a further nine countries in July.
“People are loving iPad as it becomes a part of their daily lives,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re working hard to get this magical product into the hands of even more people around the world, including those in nine more countries next month.”
The number of apps available for Apple’s tablet computer have also increased, now totalling 11,000 on the App Store alongside the existing 225,000 iPhone and iPod touch apps, most of which are compatible with the iPad.
 Tomorrow, Apple has a BIG announcement scheduled. If Apple delivers on even half the hype, it will be a huge day.
Join us and a group of very esteemed iPhone bloggers tomorrow over on a special Friendfeed group to discuss the announcements in real time.
The event starts at 10am Pacific (GMT -8). Be there for a piece of Apple history!
Join us on Friendfeed.
Maybe it’s because I’m pessimistic, but when I hear other blogs talking about the revolution to reading the iSlate will bring, I just don’t buy it. Yes, the iPod did wonders for music and the iPhone has changed the mobile phone landscape overnight, but reading is different – and if the rumours of a multi-purpose, all in one device are true, Apple doesn’t appreciate the importance of keeping it separate.
I should start by explaining that I’m an avid reader and follower of all things literary, so much so that I just spent £238 having an Amazon Kindle (http://www.amazon.com/kindle) and it’s accompanying leather case shipped across the channel to arrive on the 27th – so I’ll have two things to look forward to that day! A quick count of my bedroom highlights the presence of over 150 books, from Harry Potter to Dan Brown and with a load of lesser known authors in between – Jasper Fforde anyone?
What makes the Kindle great is its single function eInk display. It reads books, and that’s about it (there’s an experimental web browser too), but it does it brilliantly. The screen has no glare, only uses power during a page turn so you get seven days from the device without needing to charge it and – perhaps most importantly – reads even under direct sunlight.
As much as I love Apple’s glossy displays, they don’t perform well in bright conditions (try shining a torch at your iPhone) and in my mind a big 10” one just wouldn’t be suitable for reading on the go. It’d be too big and bulky to chuck into an oversized coat pocket, too uncomfortable to hold in just one hand and would you really want to take a $1000 tablet to the beach with you?
Continue reading Why Apple’s Tablet Won’t Revolutionize Reading, At Any Price »
TechCrunch recently put up an article that showed off some pictures of a “leaked” tablet from a designer named Dustin Curtis. Dustin timed his fakes pretty well, and will probably end up getting quite a few calls for work after this. These in my opinion (and many others) are possibly the best fakes to date. I would not be surprised if this is very close to the actual device itself. With the hype generators going strong leading up to tomorrow’s announcement I’m simply amazed at how much information, speculation and intrigue are being produced around a device that technically does not even exist yet.
 
Some of you may be asking though, why is there so much hype around this device? For me, my interest levels went through the roof after watching some videos of what the device could be capable of. I believe quite a few of the big industry players in film, games, books, and music have all got early access to the device to create remarkable interactive experiences. Some prototypes, and design concepts have been shown.
Tomorrow we’ll know for sure though, and it’s possible that this thing could change the way we do everything.. all over again. If you have a few extra minutes, take the time and watch the videos I’ve posted below. You will not be disappointed.
Continue reading Best fake pictures of the new Apple Tablet so far. »
Hooray! More news on the Apple product that nobody really knows exists. The good folks at Flurry Analytics, while doing some of their analyzing, noticed about 50 mystery devices being identified as “iProd” being used on Apple’s Cupertino campus, and ONLY being used on Apple’s Cupertino campus. What’s more is that these devices are also running an unreleased version of iPhone OS, this one coming in the delicious 3.2 variety. You may be hearing this and thinking to yourself, “well it’s just another iPhone.” Flurry knew you would be thinking this, and responds by saying “It (the mystery product) doesn’t follow the same naming string as iPhone devices and is showing up as iProd… We’re triangulating on other data as well that gives us confidence that we are looking at a tablet.” Flurry would love to release this “other data”, save for the privacy of their customers.
 Absolutely, almost, sort of a graph for what the Tablet is going to do. This is also what an iPod Touch does. What’s more, after looking at this graph for a while, you will notice that the graph is measuring how many times apps belonging to a certain genre were downloaded and used. It is not measuring the use of the apps overall, but only if they are downloaded and opened. Comparing this list to Apple’s top 50 app list right now (paid and free), the 3 most downloaded genres are games, entertainment, and news. So really, Flurry’s chart is showing us the downloading tendencies of most iPod Touch users.
Continue reading This is Definitely, Maybe, Sort Of, Official Tablet News. »
Endgadget is reporting that Apple will have a “Major” announcement ready for the public of their “New Creation” on January 27th at 10am. Now this has been known/speculated for a while, but this is the first time Apple has admitted that a “New Creation” will be unveiled at this event.
Make sure you find a good live blogging stream somewhere as this is going to be huge if the heavily rumored iSlate is what is going to be announced. If this changes things the way people are saying, I believe then we have just seen the tip of the iceberg in terms of what the app store is. That means a lot more work for us here at 148apps, as things could one day be 1.48million apps!
We’ll be following all the developments as it pertains to the app store, and how the device will use all the old games and apps. It’s not guaranteed that this new device will have backwards compatibility but I believe that it will, due to the crucial nature of that ability would be for launch. Imagine you opening your new device on day one, and having access to 100,000+ applications already tested and working for it.
So far my guesses are this:
1) Price point of $1000
2) Unexpected design
3) Two Models: 32gb 10″, 64gb 11″
4) Will run a modified version of iPhone OS4.
5) Typing will be on screen, and via foldout wireless bluetooth keyboard.
6) We’ll have to learn new gestures, and change the way we interact with touch screens.
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