iOS

When it comes to racing games on the iOS, you have plenty of choices. Whether you want to race cars, motorcycles, ATVs, jet skis, or planes, the iTunes app store has excellent options.

Probably the most recognized racing games would be Firemint's Real Racing, the Need for Speed franchise, or the Asphalt racing games, all of which offer 3D racing action. But we've found that sometimes it's the arcade racing games that can be more fun if you're in the right mood.

This week's collection of iOS apps is all about arcade racing games. The first is a recently released 2D top-down racer with unique controls and six-player local multiplayer. The second moves toward combat racing with upgradable cars and tons of levels to conquer. The third is an excellent physics-based racer with a focus on skidding and sliding around corners to get to the finish line.… Read more

The next major version of Apple's Mac OS is one big step closer to being released.

Today Apple offered developers the gold master seed of the software. That's typically the same build users get when the software is released.

At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple announced that it would be releasing Lion as a $29.99 update to users in July, though it did not specify a particular date. Today's GM seed suggests that the release will be much earlier in the month, possibly as soon as next week.

With Snow Leopard, Apple's … Read more

Apple's iPad hit a big benchmark this week, surpassing 100,000 applications made specifically for it.

To put that in perspective, the platform has been out for 453 days, with developers getting access to its software development kit in January 2010, on the day the product was first announced.

The iPad hit stores that April with the promise of supporting "almost all" of the 150,000 plus apps on the company's App Store. Since then, developers have created a healthy supply of apps that have been tailored to the larger screen real estate.

In terms of … Read more

Smartphone demand continues to surge as more than half of all recent cell phone buyers opted for one, Nielsen said today.

Specifically, 55 percent of consumers who bought a new mobile phone from March through May picked a smartphone over a non-smartphone, according to a survey from the market researcher. That compares with 34 percent in the same period a year ago.

Non-smartphones--or what Nielsen refers to as feature phones--still hold the upper hand, though. Looking at all existing mobile users polled, 62 percent own one of them, while 38 percent own a smartphone.

Among smartphone operating systems, Android continues … Read more

A new tool from Google Labs called Swiffy is taking aim at Flash files on the Web by converting them to HTML5 for use on devices without Flash capabilities.

Flash authors who come to Google with their SWF files can run it through the Swiffy converter, which splits it into a JSON file, then renders it with HTML, Scalable Vector Graphics, and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). As a result of the process, Google says the converted files have rendering performance that's "quite good," with a file size that's "slightly larger" than the original.

Google'… Read more

The software hole involved in a popular method for jailbreaking Apple's iOS devices has reportedly been patched by the company as part of iOS 5, the free system software update that's due out later this year.

Digging through the beta version of iOS 5, which Apple made available to developers earlier this month, the iPhone Dev-Team--a group of hackers that targets Apple devices and is not to be confused with Apple's group that designs the iOS software--has discovered a change that threatens to close a loophole the group has long exploited.

"Those of you who have been jailbreaking for a while have probably heard us periodically warn you to 'save your blobs' for each firmware.... Saving your blobs for a given firmware on your specific device allows you to restore *that* device to *that* firmware even after Apple has stopped signing it," the group wrote on its blog yesterday. "That's all about to change."

The group says Apple has implemented a system that checks for a uniquely generated chunk of data each time the phone is restored. The problem there is that only Apple has the keys to unlock that code to let the phone boot up successfully. The end result is that jailbreaking methods that took advantage of that vulnerability could be endangered if that same system is employed in the final version of the software.

The iPhone-Dev Team notes that "there may still be ways to combat this" but that it's not showing its cards just yet, since it might give Apple time to make a fix ahead of a general release. "They've stepped up their game!" the group said of Apple's security efforts.

Apple's iPhone and other iOS devices continue to be hot targets for hackers. Ahead of the release of the App Store, one of the most popular reasons to jailbreak an iOS device was to be able to install third-party software. Even after the launch of the App Store, places like third-party app repository Cydia became destinations for developers who couldn't get their applications through Apple's approval process. Another popular reason was to unlock the iPhone so that it would work on other carriers, an option Apple now offers to U.S. buyers at a hefty price premium.

iOS 5 is due out this fall. Last week Apple released a second beta of the software to developers so they could use it to test their applications for compatibility with the OS and its new features. The first beta of the software was allegedly jailbroken by a member of the iPhone-Dev Team in less than 24 hours.… Read more

Independence Day is coming on July 4th, and that means people will be getting together to light fireworks or watch fireworks shows, and--perhaps most importantly--cook great food.

Though this might seem early with the 4th of July more than a week away, we wanted to make sure everybody had time to figure out their menus and get their supplies ready before the mad rush to the grocery stores. With these apps, you can start planning for the perfect Independence Day feast.

This week's app collection is all about cooking apps for iOS. The first lets you browse recipes from famous chefs on the Food Network; the second gives you a giant database of recipes and cooking guidance for any time of year; and the third is perfect for planning and cooking outdoors on the barbecue.… Read more

Apple this afternoon made available a second beta of iOS 5 to its developers. It's the first update Apple's provided to the upcoming operating system since taking the wraps off it at the company's annual developers conference earlier this month.

Besides bug fixes to the first beta, the new version of the software brings the Wi-Fi Sync feature to the Mac. In order to use the feature, developers need to use a beta version of iTunes 10.5 as well as OS X 10.6.8, which Apple released yesterday, or the latest developer preview of Lion.… Read more

If references to unreleased iPads in the code of Apple's first iOS 5 developer beta weren't enough to whet your appetite for new devices, signs of a new iPod Touch have now been found as well.

A forum goer over at iFans has unearthed a reference to an "iPod4,2" in a property list file from the iOS 5 code. Such a model identifier does not exist in Apple's current lineup of devices, suggesting this has been included to support an unreleased iPod Touch.

What's interesting here is that these model identifiers, which tend … Read more