Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Hits the U.S. App Store [iOS Blog]

Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is now available for download in the App Store, after being announced back in late November. First introduced back in 2004 for the PlayStation 2, GTA: San Andreas was the third 3-D game in the series.

GTA: San Andreas is an open-world game that encompasses the fictional areas of Los Santos, San Fierro, Las Venturas, and the areas in between (which have been based on areas in San Francisco, Nevada, and Los Angeles). The game includes remastered graphics with enhanced shadows, a larger draw distance, and a richer color palette, along with enhanced character and car models.

Like other Rockstar games released for iOS, GTA: San Andreas has been redesigned to incorporate touch controls and it also includes support for iOS 7 game controllers.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas features:
– Remastered, high-resolution graphics built specifically for mobile including lighting enhancements, an enriched color palette and improved character models.

– Enhanced for the iPhone 5 series and iPad 4th Gen and above with dynamic detailed shadows and real-time environmental reflections.

– Physical controller support for all Made-for-iOS controllers.

– Cloud save support for playing across all your iOS devices for Rockstar Social Club Members.

– Dual analog stick controls for full camera and movement control.

– Three different control schemes and customizable controls with contextual options to display buttons only when you need them.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas can be downloaded from the App Store for $6.99. [Direct Link]

Walmart to Sell iPhone 5c for $27, iPhone 5s for $127 Beginning Friday [iOS Blog]

Walmart will begin a holiday sale on Friday that will see the retailer drop price of Apple’s iPhone to just $27 with a two-year contract, reports the Los Angeles Times. Though the iPhone 5c is priced at $99 in the App Store, Walmart and other retailers have been selling the phone at a discount since shortly after its September launch.

Walmart initially sold the iPhone for $79, but back in October, the company dropped the price on the iPhone 5c to just $45, undercutting other retailers pricing schemes. During Black Friday, Walmart offered an even better deal, providing a $75 gift card along with an iPhone 5c purchased for $45.

Holiday price drops on electronics are not unusual, but iPhone 5c pricing has been aggressive since the launch of the phone. Apple has reportedly even reduced production of the iPhone 5c due to more than adequate stock. While the iPhone 5s was constrained at launch and for many weeks afterwards, supplies of the iPhone 5c have remained plentiful.

Walmart will also be discounting the iPhone 5s to $127 on contract, a significant discount from the standard $199 price, and offering a $50 gift card with the purchase of a $299 16 GB original iPad mini.

Walmart’s sale will begin on Friday, December 13 at 8 AM and last until December 24.

Geofencing to Unlock Vehicle Functions Detailed in New Apple Patent Application

In November, Apple filed a new patent application [PDF] with the European Patent Office describing a system using an in-car accessory with an iOS device to set up geofences to activate various vehicle functions as a user approaches a vehicle.

According to the 15-claim application, which specifically describes “Accessory control with geo-fencing”, the accessory (which may or may not be built-in to the car itself) would transmit a signal to a linked mobile device, allowing the device to monitor the location of a vehicle. When the mobile device (and the user) are close enough to the car, the mobile device would transmit a second signal to the accessory within the car, allowing it to trigger functions like door unlocking, defrosting, heating, trunk opening, seat warming, and more.

The first signal can identify a current or future location of the vehicle. The mobile phone can generate one or more virtual geofences based at least in part on the location of the vehicle as determined from the first signal. For example, a geofence can be defined as a circular boundary centered on the vehicle’s location, the radius being equal to a pre-defined distance. The mobile phone can repeatedly estimate its own location.

Upon detecting that the mobile phone has crossed a geofence (e.g., generally or in a particular direction), the mobile phone can generate and transmit a second signal to the vehicle. The accessory can control or coordinate control of one or more vehicle functions in response to receipt of the second signal.

Apple notes that geofences can be made in shapes that parallel vehicle components for very specific in-app functions. For example, a geofence could be tied specifically to a trunk or a door, with the mobile device able to identify the absolute-location boundaries of each individual geofence. With such accurate geofencing, a car’s trunk could be opened as a user approaches, for groceries or bags to be put away, while the car doors stay locked until later approached.

Geofences can also function on time, with features like a car’s heating system able to be activated when a mobile device estimates that an owner is “five minutes away and approaching the vehicle.”

Like Apple’s iBeacons, which are designed to transmit specific location information to mobile devices, Apple’s vehicle accessory system would potentially send signals over Bluetooth LE to activate various functions within the car. Apple also suggests Wi-Fi and cellular hardware could also be included in order for the accessory to communicate with mobile devices when owners are located far from their cars.

Along with serving as a possible expansion of the use of Apple’s iBeacon technology, the geofencing system described in the patent could also be a future expansion of Apple’s iOS in the Car initiative, which is designed to provide enhanced iOS integration in automobiles.

The first hints of iOS in the Car have been bundled into the new 2014 Honda Civic, allowing users to access HondaLink apps for iOS to connect to an iPhone 5 or later. Apple’s ultimate goal for iOS in the Car is far more advanced, however, with iOS built-in to in-dash systems.

The patent, which lists former Apple employee Sylvain Louboutin as the inventor, appears to have been filed solely in Europe.

Chrome Apps get Mac compatibility

Way back in September, Google unveiled the first round of desktop-based Chrome Apps, promising Mac and Linux functionality down the road. The company’s delivered on the former today, with apps that sync when you’re signed into Chrome, while offering native software functionality, like popping up in Spotlight search and living in your dock, if you’re so inclined. To celebrate, Google’s also offering up a Chrome App Launcher for OS X that’ll show up in your dock when you download a new app. Need more convincing? The company’s got a few suggestions in the source link below.

Filed under: Apple

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Source: Chrome Blog

Elder Scrolls Online Coming to Mac in April of 2014 [Mac Blog]

Bethesda and Zenimax today announced that it plans to release The Elder Scrolls Online MMO on Friday, April 4, 2014 on both the Mac and the PC, with a console release coming later in June.

The Elder Scrolls Online, initially announced in mid–2012, is part of the Elder Scrolls franchise, which has included open world role-playing games like Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim.

Like other games in the series, The Elder Scrolls Online is set on the continent of Tamriel and will feature a storyline that is indirectly connected with the storylines from previous games, set 1,000 years before the events of Skyrim. Along with a release date, a new trailer for the game is also available.

According to Game Director Matt Firor, major systems development has been completed and the development team is focused on polishing content, improving combat, and fixing bugs.

Game development is coming along very well. We completed major systems development, and are focusing on making this the Elder Scrolls game you expect: polishing the hundreds and hundreds of hours of content, making combat even more fun and responsive, fixing quest issues, and much, much more. In fact, we plan on spending the next few months before launch reacting to the latest feedback from internal and external testers and gameplay data we have collected.

The Elder Scrolls Online has been in beta testing for the last year, and the company plans to expand beta testing opportunities ahead of the game’s April release.

iPod and Nest Creator Tony Fadell May Have Purchased (RED) EarPods and Mac Pro for $1.4 Million

Earlier this year, Apple design chief Jony Ive and designer Marc Newson created a number of one-of-a-kind items to be sold at a Sotheby’s charity auction to benefit Product (RED). Two items in particular were Apple related, a pair of solid gold Apple EarPods and a new Mac Pro with a special red finish.

According to a pair of tweets by photographer Kevin Abosch, Tony Fadell — one of the creators of the iPod and the founder of Nest, the company behind the Nest Thermostat and Protect smoke detector — may have purchased both the Mac Pro and the EarPods at the auction.

The Mac Pro sold for $977,000 while the solid gold EarPods sold for $461,000. Other items sold at the auction included a Steinway & Sons grand piano that sold for $1,925,000 and a magnum of Dom Perignon 1966 with a custom red label that sold for $93,750.

My friend @tfadell stopped by with 1 of a kind solid rose gold earbuds. Very cool! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!

– 5:45 AM Pacific, December 11, 2013

Both 1 of a kind… @tfadell with the (RED) Mac Pro and he’s already trying to hack it!!

– 6:50 AM Pacific, December 11, 2013

The red Mac Pro is one of the few out in the wild at the moment, as Apple has not yet started selling the device to the public. First shipments of the new Mac are expected later this month.

We have reached out to both Kevin Abosch and Tony Fadell for confirmation of the purchase and will update if we hear back.

First 20Gbps Thunderbolt 2 RAID Arrays Now Shipping Ahead of Mac Pro Release

PROMISE Technology is now shipping its Thunderbolt 2 RAID systems ahead of the new Mac Pro’s promised December release. The arrays were first announced back in October but are now available through a number of retail channels.

The Pegasus2 line of RAID arrays allow for simultaneous transfer and display of 3D and 4K video files. They work with the new MacBook Pro with Retina display released in October, as well as the new Mac Pro when it launches later this month.

“Pegasus2 is truly one-of-a-kind, as there has never before been a storage solution that offered such an incredible combination of performance, mobility, and simplicity,” said James Lee, CEO, PROMISE Technology. “We are thrilled that Pegasus2 is the first storage solution available with Thunderbolt 2 — this further illustrates PROMISE’s position as a leader in Thunderbolt technology.”

The Pegasus 2 is available in 4-bay, 6-bay, and 8-bay configurations with 8TB, 12TB, 18TB, 24TB and 32TB capacities through the Apple Online Store and elsewhere. Pricing ranges from $1,499 to $4,599, though some retailers are offering modest discounts off PROMISE’s MSRP.

– Pegasus2 R4 (4-bay): Diskless $699, 4x2TB $1,499
– Pegasus2 R6 (6 bay): 6x2TB $2,299, 6x3TB $2,999
– Pegasus2 R8 (8-bay): 8x3TB $3,599, 8x4TB $4,599

The new Mac Pro, which will include six Thunderbolt 2 ports, is expected to begin shipping later this month.

Spotify Announces New Free Listening Tiers for Mobile Devices [iOS Blog]

Spotify today announced the introduction of new free listening tiers for its mobile customers, with separate options available for both tablets and smartphones. Previously, Spotify limited its free listening to desktop users, requiring a $9.99 monthly subscription for music access on mobile devices beyond Spotify’s free radio streaming.

On the iPad, the Spotify app will function similarly to the current free desktop version of the app, permitting users to search for specific tracks, build playlists, and listen to content for free.

On the iPhone, Spotify’s service is built around shuffling, much like similar services from Pandora and iTunes Radio. Customers can search for a specific artist or song, but will be required to shuffle through an artist’s catalog to access the music. Pre-compiled playlists can also be accessed, but unlimited search and listen access is not available.

– Your music: Listen to all the playlists you’ve created and playlists from the people you follow. Spotify lets you discover new music, save, shuffle and share.

– Your favourite artists: Want to listen to a certain artist? Just hit shuffle play, sit back and listen to their entire catalogue. Don’t settle for something similar. Don’t settle for just one track from the artist you want to hear every 20 minutes.

– Discover great new playlists: Going for a jog or to the gym? We’ve got the playlist to help you go the extra mile. We know you just want the perfect music for a specific moment in time – and we’ve got you covered. There’s something for every mood, genre or moment.

The difference between the iPhone app and the iPad app comes from Spotify’s decision to treat the iPad as a PC. Subscribers who pay Spotify’s $9.99 per month fee will have exclusive access to offline playlists along with the ability to select specific songs for playback.

Along with new free listening options on mobile devices, Spotify today also announced that it has added the full catalog of Led Zeppelin albums and expanded to 20 new markets around the world.

Spotify’s free services will be available beginning today. The Spotify app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]