Pokémon Duel: Everything you need to know

There’s a new Pokémon game for Android.

The Pokémon Company dropped a brand new Pokémon game into the Google Play Store, and those words alone might have some people buzzing with excitement. But unless you happened to be a fan of the obscure and discontinued trading figure game, you’re probably going to be disappointed.

Here’s everything you need to know about Pokémon Duel.

So what’s the deal?

Pokémon Duel is essentially a mobile version of the Pokémon Trading Figure Game, a discontinued two-player tabletop strategy game wherein players collect Pokémon figurines and battled them in 6-vs-6 battles in a fixed arena. The mobile game was originally released for iOS and Android in Japan back in April 2016, and it has finally become available to the rest of the world.

Is there a story mode?

Yes… sort of.

There’s an overarching narrative surrounding the Pokémon Figure Games World Tournament, which your character is heading to despite not knowing the first thing about Pokémon figures.

You’re told the stakes of the tournament are sky high, as the the tournament champion will win the Jewel Tower — literally a skyscraper on the island where the tournament is being held. On the train ride there, you meet Luca who introduces himself as your rival (because every Pokémon trainer needs a rival — even Pokémon…Figure…trainers?). He then runs you through a tutorial of how to navigate the many menus and teaches you the basics of how to play the figure battling side of the game.

One would assume that as you progress up the ranks, Luca returns to test you in battle. One would also assume you need to beat him several times to progress through the tournament.

Other than Luca, battling is done PvP versus other online opponents. It can take a while to find an opponent, so you’ll have to be patient.

So this game is promoting a new line of collectibles figures? Like how the original Pokémon GameBoy helped sell trading cards?

Well, yes and no. Pokémon Duel is based on the Pokémon Trading Figure Game, which totally existed as a thing about 10 years ago. All the tabletop elements are preserved, from collect and playing with figurines, to spinning a wheel to determine attack success.

But they may have been preserved too well. For examples, the Pokémon figures themselves look beautifully rendered, but this is a video game — why are they static figures? Just because it’s based on a tabletop game doesn’t mean you need to literally keep it as true to the original game mechanics required for playing the game in real life.

The Pokémon Trading Figure Game was discontinued back in 2009. Only one expansion set was ever released in the game’s short two-year existence. Feel free to draw your own conclusions.

How do you play?

The rules of the game involve moving your Pokémon around the play arena until you get one of your Pokémon to your opponent’s goal area, while simultaneously defending your own goal area. Players take turns strategically moving figures from their deck to the battle arena, moving them around.

If two Pokémon run into each other, they battle! Unfortunately, battling here only consists of spinning the figure’s attack wheel, which leaves everything up to dumb luck. Battle effects such as Confusion or Poison can be strategically played which affect your opponent’s ability to land an attack. The Pokémon who spins the higher attack wins and gets the space, while the loser is sent off the arena to the PokéCenter, where they must wait in rotation to be reinserted back in the player’s deck.

If playing with digital figurines sounds like it would be kinda lame, well… it is.

Oh, and that’s without touching on the in-game currencies you’ll have to manage and booster packs you’ll need to wait to unlock. Yep, it’s another classic free-to-play title.

Best Android games with no in-app purchases

Is this finally the Pokémon battling game for mobile I’ve been waiting for?

Going to go with a hard NO on this one — unless of course you were obsessed with the Pokémon Trading Figure Game for its short run almost a decade ago.

Will Pokémon Duel find an audience outside of Japan? Perhaps people will download it from name recognition alone, but once you’ve experienced the uninspired gameplay (which could be fun in a tabletop setting), hokey story, and the fun-killing free-to-play game mechanics, it’s really only for kids with nothing better to play and most hardcore Pokémon fans.

The tabletop version was discontinued back in 2009. Only one expansion set was ever released in the game’s two-year existence. Feel free to draw your own conclusions.

To be clear, this is nothing like the Pokémon Go phenomenon which, love it or hate it, blew up in part for nostalgic love of Pokémon, but largely due to developer Niantic’s strong handle on augmented reality gaming. Pokémon Duel offers nothing new or innovative, so unless you were a huge fan of the defunct real-life trading figure game there’s not much to see here.

What are your thoughts?

Have you checked out Pokémon Duel? Would you recommend it to others? Let us know in the comments!

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Best tech toys for Christmas 2017: Star Wars, skateboards, smartwatches and more

Yes, we’ve just had a holiday season and our houses are still cluttered with the toys our kids got for Christmas, but forget all that, it’s time to look forward again.

Before we know it, John Lewis will be screening a new batch of animated animals and Slade will be ringing out on our radios once more. And we’ll be expected to hunt down the best tech toys to pop under the tree.

Well, never fear, Pocket-lint has already seen a fine collection of games and gadgetry that are likely to make it onto many a child’s wish list (and our own, in some cases).

We visited the London Toy Fair and here are our top tips for the best tech toys for 2017.

• 23 tech toys you wanted for Christmas but never got

Best tech toys for 2017: BeatMoovz

Pocket-lint

BeatMoovz was one of the few toys we saw that could be just as fun to use for adults as kids. It comprises two wearable wristbands with motion trackers inside that, when linked by Bluetooth to a smartphone or tablet app, plays a sound depending on your movements.

The app has a soundboard with thousands of audio clips available. You can use the wristbands, therefore, to either play music using your body, or add silly effects to your motions – such as 1970s kung fu movie noises.

It’ll be available in the summer for £50 a pair.

• BeatMoovz preview: The crazy wearable that adds a soundtrack to your life

Best tech toys for 2017: Laser X

Pocket-lint

Remember the laser quest style toys from the 80s? Character Options does as it’s bringing Laser X to the UK.

It works in a similar way to the old Lazer Tag retro gear, with two blasters and two vests coming in one package. However, the Laser X system works up to 200 metres, so you can expand your range of play.

Release date and price is TBC.

Best tech toys for 2017: Minions MiP

Pocket-lint

WowWee’s MiP robot was a huge success a couple of years ago and now, as a tie-in with the forthcoming Despicable Me 3 movie, you can get a version shaped like your own Minion.

It does many of the same things as the original, including app-controlled movement and coding tasks, but Turbo Dave can also laugh, cry and even make noisy bottom burps. Hilarious fun for all.

It’ll be available in the summer for £100.

Best tech toys for 2017: RazorX Cruiser electric skateboard

Pocket-lint

Razor has turned to lithium batteries for its latest electric skateboard, meaning it can get up to 40 minutes of use from rechargeable battery packs.

The RazorX Cruiser has geared rear wheel drive, which is controlled by a separate remote control with a go and stop slider. You can change the speed using the controls, even getting up to a maximum top speed of 10mph.

The deck is made from quality bamboo, and everything else about the board is authentic.

It’ll be available from the summer for £230. 

Best tech toys for 2017: The Rocket Singing Machine

Pocket-lint

The Rocket Singing Machine is more than a karaoke microphone, it links to a tablet or smartphone via Bluetooth and can be used with any music stored on the mobile device or streamed via media services, such as Spotify. You can even find karaoke versions of your favourite tracks, without vocals, to sing over.

It has a built in speaker to play the music and an amplifier for your voice. There’s an echo effect you can add too.

Price and release date are TBC.

Best tech toys for 2017: Five Nights at Freddy’s Game

Pocket-lint

To be honest, we don’t know much about the Five Nights at Freddy’s game apart from the fact that it’s licensed from the clever and scary console and mobile title. The one at Toy Fair was an early prototype and didn’t actually do anything, but from the packaging we could see that it’s a bit like Buckaroo.

You have to steal pizza pieces from Freddy Fazbear and we suspect that should you steal the wrong piece, he wakes up with a start, scaring the willies out of you.

Again, price and release date are TBC.

Best tech toys for 2017: Sky Viper Drone

Pocket-lint

Vivid is bringing a successful range of US drones over to the UK, all under the Sky Viper banner. There are models from £60, such as the Stunt Drone pictured, all the way up to a first-person view Sky Viper Streaming Drone, which comes with a VR style headset that houses your mobile phone and gives you a drone’s eye view. That’ll be more in the £140 price range.

All the Sky Viper drones are planned for a July launch.

Best tech toys for 2017: VTech Star Wars Camera Watch

Pocket-lint

VTech has made smartwatches for kids in the past but none have drawn our eye quite as much as the Star Wars camera watches we saw at the show.

Not only do they have the ability to take snaps and video using a top-mounted lens, with 256MB of storage on board, they also feature mini-games, voice recording with Star Wars effects, a motion sensor, step counter, and all the time-telling features a kid needs.

There are two models in the range, one for BB-8, the other for the First Order. We’re still awaiting pricing and release date.

Best tech toys for 2017: VTech Star Wars Stormtrooper Digital Camera

Pocket-lint

Another Star Wars licensed device from VTech, the Stormtrooper digital camera is similar to the company’s previous Kidizoom range. However, it is all themed around the movie franchise and has several additional games and features.

For example, you can add Star Wars characters to pictures taken to make it look like you (or your child) is stood next to a Stormtrooper or the like. You can also play games using the rear screen, including an augmented reality shoot-em-up with Tie-Fighters swarming around your location.

We’re also waiting for price and release date details for this.

Best tech toys for 2017: Razor Power A electric scooter

Pocket-lint

Like its new electric skateboard above, Razor’s 2017 portable electric scooter is for kids and adults and is rear wheel driven by a lithium battery powered motor. It can also achieve speeds up to 10mph and is capable of lasting 45 minutes between charges.

Unlike many other electric scooters, the Razor Power A is very lightweight – 4kg – and can be folded so can be taken on a commute and the like.

It’ll be out in the summer for £230.

Best tech toys for 2017: VRSE

Vivid

We got to try one of the VRSE virtual reality headsets on Vivid’s stand at Toy Fair but because the design was not finalised, couldn’t bring you our own pictures. However, we still thought it worth of inclusion as the headsets and, specifically, the licensed games are good quality.

There will be two in the initial range, based on Jurassic World and Batman. Each will cost £70, which gets you the headset, a themed Bluetooth controller and an app download. You use either and Android or iOS smartphone in the visor to provide the screen.

Where we think VRSE differs from most other “toy” VR devices we’ve seen in the past is in the content. We had a brief go at an early build of the Jurassic World app and there are several mini-games and experiences included – with actual gameplay and thought gone into them. It’ll be available in July so we’ll take a more in-depth look closer to the time.

Best tech toys for 2017: Zoomer Zupps Tiny Pups

Pocket-lint

The Zoomer Zupps Tiny Pups are the only toy here you can buy now. They are the latest entry into the Zoomer series, which has already produced a robot dog and a chimp, and are inexpensive mini robotic creatures that can play some games and interact with their owners.

Leave them alone too long and they’ll start to whimper, and you can press the tops of their heads or noses to have them make other sounds. Each Zupp also has a special trick to discover.

Each of them costs £14.99 and they are all available now.

Best tech toys for 2017: VTech Kidizoom Flix

Pocket-lint

Last year, VTech released a selfie stick camera for kids and this year introduces one with a tripod that can stand just about anywhere, even wrap around a child’s arm.

The Kidizoom Flix not only takes photos, it can guard a child’s bedroom in keeper mode, taking snaps when it detects motion. It also detects faces, so can interact with its owner, even repeating phrases it hears in silly voices. The alien inside can play games with a child too.

Price and release date are yet to be revealed.

Best tech toys for 2017: VTech DigiGo Max

Pocket-lint

This year’s kid-friendly tablet from VTech comes with Android for the first time. It has a 5-inch 800 x 480 screen and 8GB of on-board storage (expandable through microSD card).

THere’s a rotatable camera at the top, for front and rear photos, and a “child-safe” web browser is built in, although we’re not sure quite how that works yet.

You can download extra games and apps from VTech’s own service.

Price and release date are TBC.

Best tech toys for 2017: WowWee Chippies

Pocket-lint

WowWee continues its robotics range with Chippies – three lovable puppies that has many features of the larger, more expensive CHiP released at the tail-end of last year. There is Chipper, Chippette and Chippo.

Each Chippie has a unique personality and will respond to their owners. They are also remote controlled through the included bone controller. More features will become apparent closer to release.

They’ll be available from Q4 at £50 each.

At internetmatters.org parents can find all the advice they will need to keep their children safe online. Designed specifically for parents, the site offers a wealth of up-to-date, unbiased information and advice about how to deal with online safety. Parents can learn about the latest issues and technologies, get great tips on how to talk about online safety with their children and get the best advice on dealing with issues and taking action. Created with experts, Internet Matters provides detailed information, but also signposts to best-in-class resources from individual expert organisations. Our goal is to ensure parents can always access the information that they need, in a format that is clear and concise.

ICYMI: Flapping wind turbines and Dubai’s firefighting jetpacks

Today on In Case You Missed It: The Dubai Civil Defence treated us to an impressive — and fantastically dramatic — video demonstrating its ‘Dolphin’ system which consists of a jetpack connected to a Sea-Doo water craft. The jetpack uses water pressure to lift the wearer into the air to provide rescuers with better vantage points in emergency situations. The system includes a thermal camera to aid in search and rescue missions, but is largely intended for situations that occur near waterways and bridges.

Meanwhile, a Tunisian company has taken inspiration from the tiny, yet mighty, hummingbird to create a new turbine design that relies on rotating fan blades to produce up to 1kW of electricity. The “Biometric Wind Converter” design uses carbon fiber wings that flap in a figure-8 motion that imitates a hummingbirds wing movements, and is said to be both less noisy and less dangerous to birds than conventional spinning turbines. The goal is to enable the turbine to gather energy on both the up- and down-strokes, however, it is still early in development and the technology it’s based on is still unproven.

And although it’s no longer technically a full-sized planet, Pluto still got some one-on-one attention from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft — after ten years and three billion miles the spacecraft sent back over a hundred high resolution images of its approach to the dwarf planet from its July 2015 fly-by. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.

HP recalls 101,000 laptop batteries due to fire concerns

HP is asking the owners of some laptop models to send their batteries in for a replacement to make sure their devices don’t catch fire. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a notice about the recall, which affects around 101,000 computers. Those who have HP, Compaq, HP ProBook, HP ENVY, Compaq Presario and HP Pavilion laptops purchased between March 2013 and October 2016 may want to check their lithium-ion battery. If its bar code starts with 6BZLU, 6CGFK, 6CGFQ, 6CZMB, 6DEMA, 6DEMH, 6DGAL or 6EBVA, the company says the best course of action is to pull it out and contact HP for a free replacement.

According to the CPSC notice, HP has received an “additional report of the battery overheating, melting and charring and causing about $1,000 in property damage.” The electronics maker issued a recall for 41,000 batteries in June 2016, but this new report compelled it to do another round. Lithium-ion batteries are prone to overheating and catching fire — the Samsung Note 7 fiasco is the perfect example — and this is far from the first time HP’s had battery troubles. It recalled hundreds of thousands of batteries over the past few years for the same reason. And until the electronics industry finds a better battery tech or a way to prevent lithium-ion-related fiery mishaps, tech companies will have to continue dealing with the same issue.

Via: CNET

Source: US Consumer Product Safety Commission

‘Banner Saga’ back to Kickstarter to fund final chapter

Though Viking axe-and-smash tactics game The Banner Saga suffered years of delays after it got funded three days into its March 2012 Kickstarter campaign, it enjoyed critical and commercial success upon its release in January 2014. Its sequel earned lower sales and fanfare after indie studio Stoic fatefully decided to forgo another draining crowdfunding campaign and build it behind closed doors. But to finish the trilogy strong, they’ve launched a new Kickstarter for The Banner Saga 3, which is already 40% funded on its first day.

The last chapter will close the series’ epic story of humans, giant horned Varls and centaurs striving to survive against an army of runic automatons and the encroaching Darkness that pushes them. Both of the first games earned acclaim for their deep tactical system, lush hand-drawn animation and gorgeous soundtracks by indie composer luminary Austin Wintory.

Returning to Kickstarter is both a dependable income generator and a solid community engagement method. Fans ended up pledging over 700% of the first game’s $100,000 crowdfunding goal back in 2012, but running the campaign was draining on the team. As technical director and co-founder of Stoic John Watson told GamesIndustryBiz, the studio’s decision to neglect their community during the second game’s development hurt the game’s success. It didn’t help that its release window was simply more crowded, coming out among 400 games instead of the first title’s 70 competitors.

If the first day’s $88,000 take is any indication, The Banner Saga 3’s $200,000 Kickstarter goal will be met soon enough. As their FAQ notes, they have no firm release date; Likewise, they aren’t saying when a port to PS4 and XboxOne will be likely, though it took the first game a year and the second a few months after their PC launches to make the jumps. But early backers from the first Kickstarter who tipped in extra dough, take heed: Stoic is honoring those who bought $50-or-higher tiers that ensured copies of every game in the trilogy and will send out copies when The Banner Saga 3 drops.

Source: The Banner Saga 3 (Kickstarter)

The first Ultra HD Blu-ray PC drive ships next month

More and more, we’re getting our movies and TV via streaming services instead of on disc. But a certain DIY crowd still appreciates support for physical media piped through a home theater PC, and that’s the group the first Ultra HD Blu-ray drive is made for. Pioneer Japan announced two disc drives, the BDR-S11J-BK and the BDR-S11J-X that it will release in late February, ready to read the triple-layer 4K-ready discs.

Both drives come bundled with a copy of Cyberlink’s PowerDVD software that is ready to play back 4K movies from disc. However, you’ll also need a PC running Windows 10 as well as a 7th-generation Core i7 or i5 Intel processor (Kaby Lake) and an HDMI 2.0a connection that’s HDCP 2.2 capable (just like 4K Netflix on the PC). Once you get past the demands of HEVC compression and the DRM wrapping, it should be all set. Still, we have seen some growing pains with the first Ultra HD Blu-ray players and it’s possible a software update or two will be needed for every movie to work just right.

Both drives are capable of reading and writing (read-only for Ultra HD Blu-ray), and are basically identical although the J-X has some extra tweaks for CDs, whether you’re listening or just ripping. There’s no word yet on price or exact release date, but we’ll probably see drives in the US soon. As Myce (f.k.a CDFreaks) notes, both Pioneer and Hitachi-LG are licensed to make the drives, so whatever arrives will probably come from one of those two.

Via: AV Watch

Source: Myce, Cyberlink, Pioneer Japan

Here’s how to become an ethical hacker

Cybersecurity should be top of mind for most people, especially given the slew of high-profile cyber-attacks that have been dominating the news. While it’s often unclear who the perpetrators of these attacks are, the core concepts and techniques they use are well known, and can help you protect yourself or build a lucrative career protecting others from cyber threats.

The Ethical Hacking Training Bundle is a great resource for those wanting to learn this useful and fun skillset, featuring over 60 hours of comprehensive hands-on training. Engadget readers can pick it up today for just $49, over 90 percent off its retail value.

Here’s what’s included:

• Ethical Hacking for Beginners ($99 value)
• Ethical Hacking from Beginner to Advanced Techniques ($30)
• Learn The Basics of Ethical Hacking & Penetration Testing ($50)
• WebSecNinja: Lesser Known WebAttacks ($99)
• Automated Mobile Application Security Assessment with MobSF ($49)
• Build an Advanced Keylogger Using C++ for Ethical Hacking ($199)
• Linux Security & Hardening: The Practical Security Guide ($20)
• Cross Site Scripting (XSS) Attacks for Pentesters ($65)
• How to Build a $120,000/Year Career as a Web Penetration Tester ($70)

You’ll get a comprehensive overview of ethical hacking, from core concepts and fundamentals to advanced techniques like keylogging, penetration testing, and Linux-specific system security—essentially everything you need to know to become a competent cyber-security pro. Get the Ethical Hacker Training Bundle from GDGT Deals today for just $49, down from its regular $600 price.

Check out these other popular offers from GDGT Deals:

• This slim, portable pocket charger is now under $20
• Learn to build your own VR games in Unity 3D for just $19.99
• This Data Science with Python eLearning bundle is down to $49

Engadget is teaming up with StackCommerce to bring you deals on the latest gadgets, tech toys, apps, and tutorials. This post does not constitute editorial endorsement, and we earn a portion of all sales. If you have any questions about the products you see here or previous purchases, please contact StackCommerce support here.

Facebook snags ‘Heroes of the Dorm’ as an eSports exclusive

In a surprise move, Blizzard announced that this year’s Heroes of the Dorm eSport tournament will be shown exclusively through Facebook Live. Based around Blizzard’s popular video game –Heroes of the Storm — this unique tournament sees college teams across the US and Canada competing for a chance to win free tuition at their university. After two years of being broadcast on ESPN, every match of 2017’s competition will instead be live streamed exclusively from the game’s Facebook page. Blizzard state that the move to the social network will help to ‘enhance’ each match, allowing the company to create easily shareable clips and interact more closely with its fans.

Despite 2015’s first showing attracting only a small subset of viewers, last year’s tournament was still shown on ESPN 3, Twitch and YouTube. With ESPN previously betting big on Heroes of the Dorm, this year’s exclusion suggests that 2016’s event didn’t get the kind of ratings that the channel was hoping for.

Still, it’s a win for Facebook. This Blizzard streaming deal marks the social networking company’s first aggressive expansion into eSports, setting its sights firmly on Amazon owned competitor, Twitch. Interestingly, this is Facebook’s first notable move towards gaming since it announced Live streaming options for Blizzard games last year.

As college education is still such an expensive proposition in the US, students will once again be flocking to test their MOBA skills in a bid to save them years of crippling debt. As of today, eligible college gamers can sign up to compete, with the matches wrapping up this spring.

In 2015, UC Berkeley’s team became the first-ever Heroes of the Dorm winners, while last year’s tournament saw Arizona State University’s ‘ Real Dream Team’ earning their tuition. If you’re prepared to live in darkness for a few solid months, it could well be your time to shine. You can find information including the latest match lineups, up-to-date statistics and eventual player profiles at the Heroes of the Dorm site.

Apple Resellers and Service Providers Speak Out Following Simply Mac Closures

GameStop last week announced it is closing a number of non-productive Simply Mac locations throughout the United States, less than four years after acquiring and expanding the Apple Authorized Reseller and Service Provider, which effectively serves as a third-party Apple Store in smaller markets.

Following the reports, we received a tip from a disgruntled Apple Authorized Service Provider owner who said the underlying issues prompting Simply Mac’s downsizing are “far deeper” than it would seem. He noted his own AASP is closing because Apple has “slowly strangled” him on margins and with “free labor” demands.

Another longtime Apple Authorized Dealer and Service Provider told us that AASPs have been “under siege” for years. The person, who wishes to remain anonymous, said profit margins are “appallingly low” and that Apple views its authorized service partners as “nothing more than glorified TV repairmen.”

“I am sad to say that I do not see this changing,” the person said. “Apple is highly aware of our concerns and do not seem to care. As an Apple reseller for over 20 years, I thought that when Apple became successful we would participate in that success, but we did not,” the person added.

Given the polarizing comments from a few, we decided to reach out to a number of Apple’s authorized sales and service partners in the United States and Canada to see if there is any validity to the claims.

A number of the Apple Authorized Resellers and Service Providers we spoke to refuted the allegations, noting they are stable if not growing, but we did learn that Apple has made one adjustment in particular that might explain the pressure felt by some sales and service partners—especially smaller ones with fewer sales.

Since August 2015, Apple has lowered its profit margins for resellers, requiring them to pay more upfront for products. Apple then rebates the difference as part of the monthly Business Development Funds checks it sends to resellers, but this method requires resellers to wait longer to be fully paid.

In other words, while the margins did not change overall, resellers are now forced to pay more upfront for Apple products to sell, which restricts cash flow that could otherwise be used for day-to-day operations, employee wages, and other expenses. For smaller resellers, the change can be particularly burdensome.

Meanwhile, one reseller believes Apple’s arguably lackluster 2016 was a contributing factor to its own year-over-year sales decline.

On the service side, one person told us they “don’t know that there is any truth” to the statement about Apple demanding “free labor,” which a separate source said is likely an exaggeration for certain items that Apple used to compensate resellers for but now considers “non-revenue repair.”

“I would not say that Apple has been demanding any kind of free labor,” a service manager told MacRumors. “However, they are increasingly sending customers to us for iPhone repairs, which do not pay very well. We get paid more for a ten minute Mac repair than we do for an hour-long iPhone one.”

“I am pleased to say that Apple really values their service partners and has increased our compensation for warranty work,” another reseller said. “If you can achieve Premium Service Provider status, you get some nice perks along with higher compensation. While not perfect, Apple service really seems to care about us and is constantly trying to make things better for us.”

MacMedics, an Apple Authorized Premium Service Provider with two locations in Maryland in Severna Park and Lanham, and another in Philadelphia, agreed to comment on the record to shine positive light on Apple.

“We’re doing very well, we’ve expanded, and we opened a new pure retail location in 2015. Apple give us great support and guidance,” said Dana Stibolt, President of MacMedics. “We’re very encouraged by the upward trends over the last year, and in fact we’re hiring more staff for all locations for both in-lab and on-site.”

The other sources asked not to be identified. Apple and GameStop did not respond to requests for comment.

Tags: Simply Mac, AASP
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Apple Celebrates Australia Day on App Store

Apple has updated the App Store in Australia to mark the beginning of celebrations for the country’s national holiday Australia Day, which takes place annually on January 26. The landing page for the iOS App Store now sports a collection of apps and categories that highlight Australia’s green and gold national colors.

The update includes an emphasis on in-game additions with Australia Day-themed add-ons, as well as general promotions taking place in certain apps. Gaming apps involved in the celebrations include Clash of Clans, Torque Burnout, Marvel Contest of Champions, Asphalt Xtreme, and more.

Non-gaming apps have also been rounded up for Australia Day, including DocPlay, which notes that a collection of Australian-centric documentaries are free for a limited time within the app.

Apple has given the App Store a celebratory overhaul in the past, last year encouraging users to get involved in its Apps for Earth and World AIDS Day campaigns by promoting apps that forwarded proceeds to relevant causes. When looking back on 2016 at the beginning of the new year, Apple announced that App Store developers made $20 billion in 2016, which the company said was up 40 percent from 2015.

(Thanks, Stuart!)

Tag: App Store
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