app store

Apple pulls controversial Chinese game from App Store

Apple has removed a video game from its App Store over its controversial theme, according to a report.

Dubbed Defend the Diaoyu Islands, the game allowed players to defend the islands against soldiers carrying Japanese flags and dressed as ninjas and sumo wrestlers. The game, which was developed by China-based Shenzhen ZQGame Network Co., highlights the real-world political upheaval that's occurring in Asia over the Diaoyu Islands, according to China Daily, which was first to report on the news.

The 87-mile stretch of islands situated between Taiwan and Okinawa are claimed by both the Japanese and Chinese governments. The … Read more

Why Google Glass is the next frontier for developers

When Google co-founder Sergey Brin demoed Google Glass, the search giant's attempt to build a next-generation wearable computer, with skydivers live streaming their descent, it became very clear that Glass wasn't some side project -- it was Google's future.

Glass won't be available to consumers until 2014, but a select group of developers will have the chance to purchase the "Explorer" edition of Glass in early 2013.

Why is Google giving Glass to developers more than a year before its consumer debut? Simple: Google wants to turn Glass into the next major developer platform.… Read more

Apple says it has fixed glitch that led to crashing apps

Apple says it has resolved a problem that caused recently updated apps to crash when launched.

The company said in a statement that only a small number of users were affected by the glitch.

"We had a temporary issue that began yesterday with a server that generated DRM code for some apps being downloaded," Apple said. "The issue has been rectified and we don't expect it to occur again. Users who experienced an issue launching an app caused by this server bug can delete the affected app and re-download it."

The issue came to light … Read more

Apple, Google remove Trojan spamming app from stores

Apple and Google removed an app from their app stores after it was revealed to be harvesting users' phone contacts as spam targets.

The Find and Call app was originally thought to be an SMS worm but later discovered to be a Trojan, according to Kaspersky Lab. The Russian software security firm said it alerted by Apple and Google to the presence of the malware in their stores, leading to the app's removal.

Apple confirmed it removed the app for violating App Store rules.

"The Find & Call app has been removed from the App Store due to … Read more

Apple working on a fix for App Store snafu

Apple's App Store has recently been plagued with a binary corruption problem in which applications being downloaded were not intact and would crash when launched. After reports of this problem surfaced, Apple has acknowledged the issue and is working to correct it.

The problems have affected both Apple's iOS and Mac App stores; applications for recently updated programs would be corrupted and resulted in persistent crashes when launched. The problem has been occurring since earlier this week, and developers who have noticed the problem have been able to contact Apple and have problems with their updates fixed, but … Read more

How to share your iTunes account with multiple iOS devices

Before the launch of iCloud, sharing an Apple ID linked to iTunes or the App Store was straightforward -- you would simply log in to the same account across all devices and you'd avoid having to purchase an app more than once.

With the launch of iCloud, users are still able to share one main "iTunes account" (if you will) and still have their own iCloud account linked to the rest of the iOS services. Although, not many people realize how straightforward it is.

When initially setting up a new device, go ahead and log in using … Read more

Apps crashing? Apple's App Store to blame, says developer

Apple's App Store might be causing some trouble for application users.

Marco Arment, the creator of Instapaper, reported yesterday that he was "deluged" earlier this week by users who had downloaded Instapaper 4.2.3 and found that upon opening it, the application "crashed immediately." The issue even occurred after users removed the application from their devices and reinstalled it with a clean version.

After inspecting the issue, Arment found that the problem was due to what he said was a corrupt update Apple distributed through its App Store. According to Arment, the update he … Read more

Remembering my first iPhone

Editor's note: The iPhone is 5 years old. Last year, I reflected on my very first iPhone, and what owning one was like before the smartphone landscape had utterly changed...before the App Store...before iPads. What I wrote last year is still true now, maybe even more so, although one important event has transpired since: Steve Jobs died October 5, 2011, less than four months later. What follows is what I wrote, along with photos of that iPhone that I still have kicking around, compared with the iPhone 4S. Looking at them side by side, it's amazing how little has changed in terms of form.

It was only 2007 when the iPhone debuted. It seems like longer. My first HDTV, my Wii, and my PlayStation 3 all existed before the first iPhone. Yet, in 2007, BlackBerrys were all the rage. The Motorola Q was an eye-catching phone. Android didn't exist.

Also, my grandparents were still alive. I wasn't married. I didn't have a kid. I was freelance-writing a novel. My life was different then.

The iPhone lines were crazy, but if you picked the right time you could sneak into an Apple Store and buy one. That's because the first iPhone started at $499. No one knew yet whether the device was a smash hit. Apple didn't have a reservation system in place yet, or claim tickets. In the summer of 2007, the iPhone was a novelty. … Read more

Five years in, the iPhone's greatest legacy: Its apps

The very best feature the iPhone ever had didn't exist until a year after the iPhone first debuted. It wasn't the Web browser. It wasn't the touch screen.

It was the apps.

While I remember the magical parts of owning the first iPhone, those aren't really what I think it will be remembered for. After all, touch screens, cameras, and all its other iconic elements have been appropriated by competitors.

The lingering bombshell that the iPhone has birthed is, needless to say, the idea of apps.… Read more