February 8, 2010 6:00 AM

Macworld has posted a new review of the Mac version of Dragon Age: Origins Collector's Edition. Bioware's latest fantasy role playing epic challenges players to take on the role of a Grey Warden and defend the land of Fereldin from the monstrous Darkspawn. Macworld gave the game a score of 5 out of 5.

From the review:
On my MacBook Pro 2.66GHz running Mac OS 10.6, Dragon Age was stunning. From the fire effects of enemy spells to the gush of blood from a blade, the details were beautiful and realistic. Unlike some RPGs, there isnt a major drop off between cut scenes and combat; the shadows and shading were impressive in both. There are some moments of slow-down, particularly in the bigger environments, but on the whole I was impressed with my machines ability to handle this high-end game.

While chaotic, battles are easy to manage thanks to the pause button and the ability to instantly order your party to change tactics....

February 8, 2010 6:00 AM

Blizzard Entertainment has published an Insider interview with World of Warcraft Lead Encounter Designer Scott Mercer and Lead Systems Designer Greg Street. The developers discussed the Fall of the Lich King content update released with version 3.3 of World of Warcraft.

Can you give us any teasers about the final Lich King encounter from a gameplay standpoint? How difficult will he be? Any insight into how his skills and powers from Warcraft III will carry over into the final Lich King raid event?
Scott Mercer: We're going to keep those cards close to the vest, as players will be toe-to-toe with the Lich King soon enough, but I can say that he will pose the greatest challenge yet found in World of Warcraft. Beyond that, I can only share a few additional details. The battle against the Lich King takes place at the top of Icecrown Citadel where the Frozen Throne protrudes from the citadel's tallest tower. Throughout the fight, players...

February 9, 2010 6:00 AM

Soldak Entertainment has released an update for the beta version of its upcoming action RPG, Din's Curse. The beta version is available to testers and those who have pre-ordered the game. In addition to a variety of quests to complete and monsters to slay the final game will feature 6 characters classes with 18 specialties for a total of 141 possible character combinations.

Din, champion of the gods, has cursed you into a second life of service because you selfishly squandered your first one while causing misfortune to those around you. To redeem yourself, you must impress Din by building a reputation for helping others. Travel the spacious western plains of Aleria and save desperate towns from the brink of annihilation. Until you're redeemed, you're doomed to wander the earth alone for all eternity.

In Din's Curse, you will explore an extensive underground, slaying dangerous monsters, solving dynamic quests, dodging deadly...

February 9, 2010 6:00 AM

Orange River Studio's Michael Rubin has informed us that his Classic OS shareware game set in outer space, Missions of the Reliant, will be receiving an OS X version. Reliant fan and Mac Programmer Gwynne Raskind has started work on porting the game and will be offering progress updates on her blog.

From The Monk's Brew:
For those of you who dont know, I did write one other computer game in the past, The Missions of Starship Reliant (aka, Missions of the Reliant). I had always wanted to write and release a game throughout my childhood, but all I knew back in the 80s was BASIC, and that never got me very far. And so, at one point in my mid-twenties, and being a Mac fan and all, I decided to pick up some books and learn Pascal. In 1994, amid great imaginary fanfare and to much fictitious critical acclaim, the first version of Missions was released in all of its $20 shareware glory. (The sequel, Missions II, was released in 1996, but it...

February 10, 2010 6:00 AM

MacTech Magazine has posted a new article detailing recent benchmark testing of Parallels Desktop and VMWare Fusion running on Intel based macs. Comparing performance on MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac Pro models the tests covered performance, differences running Windows XP and Windows 7, the impact of multiple processors, and comparisons of 64 vs 32 bit.

Games
One of the most frequent questions that we were asked after our last virtualization benchmarks was "What about games?" The 3DMark06 testing did give us good insight and excellent data, but we also wanted to try some games and see how they worked.

Devil May Cry 4:
Devil May Cry 4 is the fourth in the Devil May Cry series of action games by CAPCOM. In the game, you fight enemies in close combat using firearms, swords, and other weapons. High speed, high action.

We looked at Devil May Cry 4 (from DVD, not Steam) in part because it has some very nicely...

February 10, 2010 6:00 AM

In a blog post from last month Dingo Games revealed that work has begun on a sequel to Tasty Planet. The game put players in the role of a grey glob of experimental bathroom cleaner that rolled over items and slowly increased its size until capable of devouring worlds. The blog update offers a few details about features in the sequel.

Ive been working for a couple weeks on a sequel to Tasty Planet. We havent finalized the story or setting for the new game, but weve picked a general direction and things are moving along. Here are some features that we have in mind:

• Larger scale in levels. We want the ability to go from really small to really large in a single level instead of spread across multiple levels.
• Many more levels. Ive been working on tools to speed up our ability to generate content.
• New physics system. This will make object interactions feel better.
• 2-Player Cooperative play. Should be super...

February 11, 2010 6:00 AM

Apple Games has published a new article on High End Loft Stuff, a new item pack for The Sims 3. The pack adds a variety of new items to the popular sim title including three items returning from the previous two Sims titles: the heart-shaped vibrating bed, the electric guitar, and the aquarium.

Nothing beats relaxing in a well-furnished living room after a tough day at the Mad Scientist lab, and no Sim can go wrong with the aptly-named Cradle of Civilization, billed as the most comfortable sofa in the entire world. Thats right, not just in Sunset Valley or in Sim City: the entire world. Dont be surprised if the neighbors start feeling a little jealous.

And you might have to start coming up with excuses for why they cant drop by daily after they see your Sims MedeaMedia wall-mounted flat-screen TV, especially if its connected to a GUGA JoyToy 3 videogame console. Nothing beats an intense game of DeathSaga or Blood Buckets 7 in...

February 11, 2010 6:00 AM

NCSoft and Paragon Studios have revealed some new information about Issue 17: Dark Mirror, an upcoming update for the company's comic book hero themed MMO, City of Heroes. The patch will include a new Ultra Mode featuring improved graphics for Paragon City and the Rogue Isles, and offering an idea of the new visuals coming in the upcoming Going Rogue expansion.

A while ago, we announced Ultra Mode, a brand spanking new addition to the City of Heroes universe that will bring Paragon City and the Rogue Isles to an even fresher and visually more pleasing level!

Ultra Mode will allow you (as long as your computer can handle it) to experience City of Heroes in a completely different light...literally! You will rediscover places and landmarks in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles as if you'd never seen them before, and best of all, it will be in Issue 17: Dark Mirror, our next free expansion! And it is worth mentioning that once...

February 12, 2010 6:00 AM

Soldak Entertainment, known for its Depths of Peril and Kivi's Underworld fantasy games, has released more new information about the upcoming action RPG, Din's Curse. The latest update reveals the game's Rogue class and its associated specialties: Assassin, Trickster, and Thief. This is the fifth revealed class of the six planned for the game.

Rogue:
Living by their own rules, this tricky class excels at stealthy deception, trap evasion, lock picking, and are lethal killing machines.

Specialties: Assassin, Trickster, and Thief.

Assassin
This vanquisher is a lethal killer, racking up huge amounts of damage.

Bonuses: higher attack per dexterity, higher health per vitality, and higher damage per strength
Mana gen: Mana gain on critical hits and kills
Armor: Cloth and Leather
Weapons: Daggers and Swords

• Rupture - This has extra damage and a high chance of deep wounds. Deep...

February 12, 2010 6:00 AM

NCSoft has announced a Double XP and Account Reactivation weekend for its super hero themed MMO, City of Heroes . Starting on March 4 and continuing through March 7 both villain and hero characters will receive double the usual experience points for their accomplishments. The company will also allow gamers with inactive accounts to rejoin the game for the duration of the weekend event.

Get excited because one of your favorite times of the year is quickly approaching - Double XP Weekend! All the fun begins on March 4th!

What is a Double Experience Weekend? It's a three day stretch of time during which all participating Hero and Villain characters receive double the XP, Influence, and Infamy for their accomplishments in game. All you have to do is log in and take advantage of this opportunity to level up your favorite characters twice as quickly as normal! And if you pre-purchase Going Rogue, you'll be able to take advantage of...

February 15, 2010 6:00 AM

Phil Hassey has announced the release of Galcon Fusion for OS X. The game is a "fast-paced multi-player galactic arcade-strategy game", which now features improved HD graphics, a full soundtrack, a variety of new multi-player modes, achievements, and detailed rankings.

Developer, Phil Hassey, created the original prototype in just two days for the Ludum Dare 48-hour game development competition in 2006. Galcon was such a hit with the Ludum Dare crowd that Phil decided to rework it into a multi-player desktop game. In 2008, Phil ported the game to the iPhone where Galcon distinguished itself as the first multi-player strategy game in the App Store. Galcon went on to win the Independent Game Festival Innovation in Mobile Game Design award in 2009. With the introduction of Fusion, Galcon comes full-circle back to the desktop, with all new graphics, missions, and more!

Game features include:

• Beautiful new HD graphics...

February 15, 2010 6:00 AM

Rikard Peterson has announced the release of version 2.0 of SLUDGE, a 2D Adventure Game Engine. Originally created for Windows by Tim Furnish, SLUDGE has been modified by Peterson to work on Mac and Linux machines as well. Other updates include OpenGL graphics and support for 32 bit images with alpha channels.

Some of you may be aware of the cross-platform open source adventure game engine called SLUDGE. It used to be Windows-only, but starting with version 2.0 it's available for Windows, Mac and Linux. (The 2.0 development kit is currently Mac-only, but games made with the 1.x dev kit in Windows can be run in the 2.0 engine, and there are plans to bring the new dev kit to all three platforms.) Version 2.0 is currently in beta, but it's reached the point where it's working well, so we want more people to try it to find any bugs that may be remaining.

I have packaged up the game Nathan's Second Chance with the engine, so that...

February 16, 2010 6:00 AM

TopWare Interactive and Reality Pump recently added new content to the website for Two Worlds II, the upcoming fantasy RPG. The site change includes several new screenshots and MoveShots, 3 second videos showcasing Two Worlds II gameplay. The game will send players to the unexplored land of Eastern Antaloor and will feature detailed graphics, an active combat system, and a complex storyline.

Despite the massive landscape which spans over 60 square kilometres of rolling grasslands, murky swamps, and sprawling cities, images of the upcoming RPG epic Two Worlds II have only to date only scratched the surface of beautiful world of Antaloorliterally. Deep underground there lie cavernous mines rich with precious Veritas crystals, the ancient twisting catacombs of long forgotten cultures, and shadowy dungeons adorned with remnants of countless tortured prisoners.
Available today at...

February 16, 2010 6:00 AM

IncGamers recently posted an article examining the history of Blizzard Entertainment's popular MMO, World of Warcraft. The article examines the innovations Blizzard brought to its massively multiplayer role playing game with the initial release of WoW five years ago, as well as with each expansion since then.

Due to Blizzard's work on level 60+ content since the release of TBC, players with new characters tend to rush through WoW's early zones in favour of questing in the more recently added areas, and thanks to all the improvements to levelling speed, many of WoW's original areas are often desolate. Cataclysm, WoW's next expansion which is due to be released later this year, will address this issue head on. Blizzard has stated that almost every zone in Azeroth will be affected as a result of Deathwing's reappearance, the story behind Cataclysm. Some places will change so dramatically that they'll hardly be recognisable, others will have...

February 17, 2010 6:00 AM

The Marvel Action Pack was recently released. The game is a collection of 10 casual arcade games featuring characters from the Marvel Comics universe. The Marvel Action pack includes Hulk, Wolverine, Captain America, and Iron Man games.

The MARVEL Action Pack! contains 10 arcade style casual games that pull you right into the action alongside your favorite MARVEL Super Heroes. Various games inside feature Hulk, Wolverine, Captain America, and Iron Manproviding hours of MARVEL entertainment all jam-packed into one exciting collection.

Features:

• Sharpen your skills with "Wolverine MRD" and "Wolverine Search & Destroy"
  
• Get green with "Hulk Vs.", "Hulk Bad Altitude", and "Hulk Central Smashdown!"
  
• Wield your shield to help Captain America defend his city in "Captain America: Red Skull and Crossbones"
  
• Then suit up with Tony Stark in "Iron Man Armored Popper", "Iron Man...

February 17, 2010 6:00 AM

Blizzard Entertainment recently updated the official Diablo III website with new character information. The update offers new concept art and animation for the female barbarian class. Diablo III will return players to the action RPG franchise where they once again must choose a character and face off against the forces of darkness.

Though they were once misunderstood as simple, bloodthirsty invaders, the long and noble history of these proud people is now rightly acknowledged. And therein lies the greater tragedy here, for those of us familiar with the nobility of the barbarians remember too what they call their "vigil", the concept that lay at the very heart of their culture. The barbarians consider it their sworn duty to protect Mount Arreat and the mysterious object within. They believe that if they fail to uphold their duty to the great mount, or are not given a proper burial upon its slopes, they will be denied a true warrior's...

February 18, 2010 6:00 AM

A new blog post from Soldak Entertainment's Steven Peeler provides an update on the status of Din's Curse, the company's next action RPG. The post covers testing progress and preorder sales. A 4th patch was also recently released for beta testers.

Today, I released our 4th patch. In those four patches, I have made 309 changes. Well over half of those are changes directly from gamer feedback. There are still many changes coming that I haven't gotten to though. Right now my todo list has 241 items on it. One of these days I will get this back down to zero.

A quick sales note, so far this is our fastest selling game ever. I'm really hoping it stays this way. :) If it doesn't, I might start taking some contracting work, which would slow down Soldak development. :( The sales so far is actually interesting to me. On one hand we don't have a finished product, just a beta, and not even a demo yet. Yet the beta is selling quicker than...

February 18, 2010 6:00 AM

PopCap Games has released the results of a new survey of gamers who play games on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. The survey of 5,000 respondents found that 24% regularly played social games, and that the average social gamer is a 43 year old woman.

From IndustryGamers:
The survey was conducted for both Americans and Brits; in the U.S., 55 percent of all social gamers are female and 45 percent are male, with the U.K. disparity growing to 58 percent to 42 percent. In age matters, social gamers in the U.S. are on average 48 years old compared to 38 for those based in the U.K. while 46 percent of American social gamers are 50 or older, contrasting to to just 23 percent in the U.K. Social gamers that are age 21 or younger only make up six percent of the total social gamer population.

From Gamasutra:
"While still in its infancy compared to the traditional video game industry, the social games sector...

February 19, 2010 6:00 AM

Ambrosia Software has updated its real-time online strategy war game Multiwinia to version 1.3.1. The update includes a variety of bug fixes and enhancements including adjustments to movement controls. Returning to the unique world of Darwinia, the game allows players to choose from six game modes on over 40 maps as they battle for stick figure supremacy.

Multiwinia 1.3.1 includes the following changes/improvements:

• Movement controls shouldn't "get stuck" anymore
• Smoother sound in main menu
• Fixed a number of crashes
• Fixed hang in main menu on certain machines
• Minor gameplay and interface fixes
• Numerous other bug fixes and enhancements

Multiwinia is a multi-player real time strategy war game unlike any other. A chaotic war is raging in a fantastic fractalized world populated by bloodthirsty little stick men with a mission: follow your orders to annihilate their...

February 19, 2010 6:00 AM

GamersInfo.net has published a new interview with Soldak Entertainment's Steven Peeler. The indie game developer discussed Din's Curse, the company's upcoming action RPG, as well as the difficulties faced by independent developers.

In Din's Curse players take the role of an adventurer cursed to walk the lands in a quest for redemption. The game features 141 possible class combinations, an infinite number of dynamically generated towns, and a game world directly impacted by player choices.

GamersInfo.net: The other feature of Dins Curse that I took note of was the dynamic world and quest system. How does that work, and how did it come about?
Steven Peeler: Instead of starting in the same world each time, in Dins Curse, you start in a new town that has different problems than any other town. It doesnt stop there, though; these quests arent static. If you dont do anything about them, they will cause other trouble. For example,...

February 19, 2010 12:07 PM

Frictional Games today announced a first look at in-game footage of the company's new horror game, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, in the form of a teaser video. The game's website has been updated with general information about the game, screenshots, the new teaser video, and details about pre-ordering Amnesia.

A recent email from Frictional Games revealed that the Mac version of the game is already functional and at this stage of development runs on a PPC 1.4Ghz eMac with a 64MB Radeon 9600 card. System requirements have not been finalized yet.

"We recently finished a massive testing session of the game to much success. With that behind us we now know how Amnesia will play like and what it takes to finish it. This means we feel confident in moving forward and sharing more juicy details about the game. This includes crucial things such as availability, pricing and what the game is all about." - Thomas Grip, Co-founder.

Web...

February 22, 2010 6:00 AM

Basilisk Games has announced the release of a trailer for Eschalon: Book II, the upcoming second title in its planned "old school" RPG trilogy. The game will include improvements like re-rendered tiles, new weather effects, new skills, new monsters, and a larger world to explore.

More about Eschalon Book II:

• Eschalon: Book II is the sequel to 2007s award winning RPG Eschalon: Book I, although no previous experience is needed to play and enjoy Book II.
• Book II will be available for Windows, Macintosh (Universal Binary) and Linux-based computers.
• Play as a male or female character.
• 1024 x 768 native resolution.
• Most tiles have been re-rendered to take advantage of the higher engine resolution. Hundreds of new graphic elements, tiles, sound effects and music means Book II is not just a remix of the previous game.
• New weather effects: snow, rain, and thunderstorms. Weather isnt just an...

February 22, 2010 6:00 AM

In a new post on his Bottom Feeder blog Spiderweb Software's Jeff Vogel recently offered a few tips to aspiring independent game developers. The veteran RPG developer discussed the importance of having a unique product, acquiring the best software necessary regardless of cost, and avoiding the dangers of working too hard.

1. You Need a Good Idea
This means (and yes, I know this seems obvious but it's amazing how often people forget it) that whatever you are selling has to be pretty darn special. It has to be a good idea, well executed, and not competing against a ton of free competitors. And let me tell you something. That's a hard thing to come up with these days.

2. Professional Work Requires Professional Tools
Another question I get asked from time to time is, "How can I find a free program to do [make art/write programs/whatever]." And my answer is always, "You DON'T!"

I know. You don't have much...

February 23, 2010 6:00 AM

Episode 92 of Omaha Sternberg's iGame Radio podcast is now available for listening. The podcast features a review of Feral Interactive's The Movies Superstar Edition for Mac as well as reviews of Thor and Phantom Mansion: The Orange Library for iPhone and iPod Touch.

Episode 91:

• A review of The Movies Superstar Edition by Feral Interaction. This babys got everything for the budding movie mogul. Just hop in and express your creativity.
• Plus, a review of Thor by Freeverse. This slide-scroll platform game pits a goofy god Thor against giants, the goddess Hel, even a serpent. And Thor just keeps running and running and running and
• Finally, a review of the Phantom Mansion: The Orange Library, the second episode in the Phantom Mansion series. No, Hector is still stuck in the Mansion. And Omaha is still waiting for more difficult puzzles.

Show Notes:

• A great conversation with Peter...

February 23, 2010 6:00 AM

Frictional Games recently published an in-depth look at the recently released teaser trailer for the company's upcoming horror game, Amnesia: The Dark Descent. The blog post covers the creation of the trailer and includes comments on key moments in the footage.

- 2:05
Notice how books just slightly slide along the shelf because of friction and so on. This is all due the nice simulations provided by Newton Game Dynamics. It was quite fun setting everything up on the table so that that some fell off while pushing it, giving the a feel of urgency when trying to barricade the door. The table was also harder to move due to the weight from all the stuff on it, so had to give it an extra push to get into place (using the "throw" button). One never knows what going to happen with physics...

- 2:26
It took a while to remember the best times to open the closer door, in order to get a nice effect. After 50 tries or so, I had...

February 24, 2010 6:00 AM

Independent game developer Enkord has announced the release of Jurassic Realm 1.9, a new action puzzle game for Mac OS X. In the game players uncover the secrets of the ancient Jurassic Realm by solving a variety of puzzles and discovering images of long-lost dinosaurs.

"We continue to bring our classic casual hits which hit top spots on casual portals to Mac platform" said Yaroslav Yanovsky, CEO and founder of Enkord, Ltd. "We feel the Macintosh is a wonderful platform and intend on porting more of our games."

Perfect for casual gamers and pros alike, Jurassic Realm features 2 game modes, includes over 150 striking levels with 19 ancient dinosaurs to uncover. Players become archeologists on a mission with a huge map at their disposal, with great number of roads and pathways to travel. Version 1.9 includes improved collapse, explosive power-ups and exciting brick-breaking.

Feature Highlights:

• Over 150...

February 24, 2010 6:00 AM

Honest Gamers has published a new preview of Soldak Entertainment's Din's Curse, the company's upcoming action RPG. In Din's Curse players take the role of an adventurer cursed to walk the lands in a quest for redemption. The game features 141 possible class combinations, an infinite number of dynamically generated towns, and a game world directly impacted by player choices.

Keeping the multiplayer support introduced in Kivi's Underworld, Din's Curse ditches the pre-generated characters of the previous title to introduce a new class system with over 140 possible combinations. Players can pick from classic templates such as Warrior or Priest, or they can combine two skill trees from any basic class to create a hybrid. Want to relive the glory days of Ultima Online with a platemail-wearing, polearm-wielding warrior-mage? How about rolling up a home-brewed necromantic archer? Din's Curse will let you do that.

The downside of the...

February 25, 2010 6:00 AM

Blizzard Entertainment recently revealed that the long delayed patch for Diablo II has once again entered beta testing on the public test realms. Version 1.13b will introduce a variety of bug fixes and updates as well as respecialization options, and a new mystery to be solved by players of Hell difficulty.

Major Bugs:

• Fixed an item dupe bug.
• Video improvements for Intel Mac machines with OS 10.5 or greater.
• Fixed an issue where some players could kill other players while in town ("TPPK").
• Fixed an issue where some players could disconnect other players when they had too many active states.
• Fixed two issues where players could stack auras in an unintended way.

Specific changes/improvements:

• Respecialization is now possible! Completing the 'Den of Evil' quest will now additionally reward 1 free respec which can be saved. Players who have already completed this...

February 25, 2010 6:00 AM

NCSoft and Paragon Studios have released a new overview page for the upcoming Issue 17: Dark Mirror update for the company's comic book hero themed MMO, City of Heroes. The patch will include a new Ultra Mode featuring improved graphics for Paragon City and the Rogue Isles as well as a variety of other game content.

Features:

Ultra Mode
Ultra Mode includes a superior graphics rendering process for players who have higher-end graphic cards. Each feature can be enabled or disabled in the graphics menu options and will be scalable. Ultra Mode works on both Macs and PCs. In specific, it offers dynamic shadows, screen-space ambient occlusion, and dynamic environment reflections (including planar reflections and environment mapping of reflective surfaces).

Epic Archetypes Unlocked at Level 20
Previously, you had to have at least one character at level 50 to make an epic archetype character. No more! Now you...

February 26, 2010 6:00 AM

Soldak Entertainment, developer of Depths of Peril and Kivi's Underworld, has released more new information about the upcoming action RPG, Din's Curse. The latest update features three new additions to the creature list with the unveiling of the Evil Leprechaun, the Scree, and the Plaguebringer.

Evil Leprechaun
A nether creature, this small fiend can smell coins of all kinds and will steal from anyone. When it runs away with new found wealth, it'll rely on other brutish allies to protect it from retribution.

Scree
Chaos rips through the core of the world, a deadly doorway to dimensions beyond. The Scree slipped through into the underworld, cowardly mini-demons ready to mob their enemies when the numbers were on their side.

Click over to the link below for more information.

Din's Curse Monsters
Soldak...

February 26, 2010 6:00 AM

Blizzard Entertainment has announced an upcoming Twitter chat for fans interested in talking with the World of Warcraft development team about recently released content for the game. The question and answer session will be focused on Icecrown Citadel and Fall of the Lich King and will be held on Blizzard's Twitter page February 26 at 5 PM PST.

We will be holding our next Developer Chat on Twitter on Friday, February 26, at 5:00 p.m. PST with World of Warcraft's lead content designer and lead systems designer. This chat session will focus on Icecrown Citadel and other Fall of the Lich King content.

Questions will be taken live through Twitter, so be sure to sign up for a Twitter account at https://twitter.com/signup and follow account @Warcraft in order to participate!

To submit a question for the Developer Chat, please tweet using the #...

Dani Grant, the founder of the security research group Hackers of NY, has reported a serious flaw in the way that Delta and potentially other airlines handle online boarding passes, often displayed on smartphone screens to gain entry to flights. Grand discovered that if she shared the URL to her Delta online boarding pass, anybody could download and potentially redeem it. Even more disturbingly, when she changed with the last digit of the seemingly random numbers in the URL, she could view someone else's online boarding pass, which might even be on an entirely different airline....

...

According to new quarterly figures from industry analysts Gartner, enormous growth by Apple's iPhone has eroded worldwide mobile phone share -- including both smartphones and feature phones -- from top seller Samsung and second-place Nokia, with Apple potentially taking the second spot from Nokia after this quarter's expected record-breaking iPhone sales are announced. For the most recent quarter, Apple was within one percentage point of matching Nokia in a market seeing strong overall growth....

...

Pixelmator Team has released updated Mac and iPad versions of its namesake image editor. The Mac update, v3.3.1, now supports pinch-to-zoom gestures on trackpads, fulfilling a popular demand. Resizing and scrolling options have been added to the Shapes, Gradients, and Styles palettes....

It's not too late, but its getting close. In fact its so close, that any helping hand might be welcome for the Apple-centric device lover in your life. Good news! We see every conceivable gadget all year -- use our knowledge to benefit you! This week, Electronista and MacNN have suggestions for the best gift options for the Apple fan in your life....

The Federal Court of Canada has agreed to order Apple's Canadian division to turn over documents to the Competition Bureau, Reuters reports. Apple has already handed over some requested documents, but may not be handing over as much as the Bureau wants or needs. The Chief Justice for the court, Paul Crampton, is due to sign the order later today....

Mujjo has introduced its Leather Wallet Case line-up for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in gray, as part of its Desaturated Collection. The wallet case is designed to hold two to three essential cards without sacrificing a thin profile. The case is available in two styles for iPhone 6 - one with the card slot angled upright and the other with an 80 degree angle pocket - and the 80 degree angle pocket case is available for iPhone 6 Plus. Pricing for the Desaturated Collection begins at $40, and cases can be purchased through Mujjo....

...

Customizable iOS keyboard app Fleksy has received a major update introducing new themes and extensions, as well as improvements to existing features. Fleksy allows users to find and send GIFs, and provides autocorrect while typing, and intuitive gestures offer greater typing speed. Version 5.0 of Fleksy offers more themes to choose from, including branded ones. New keyboard extensions can be dragged and dropped as cards to add and remove features. Five extensions are available at the time of launching, including a GIF keyboard, Numbers Row, One-Handed Mode, Cursor Control, and Rainbow Pops. A...

...

As a postscript to Apple's unanimous win in a lawsuit brought by audio software company Real, Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers on Wednesday turned down media requests to make public a videotaped deposition from Steve Jobs, in one of his final filmed appearances, that was presented during the trial. Jobs, who was quite ill at the time and just months from his resignation from Apple and later death, was videotaped answering questions about the case. Yesterday, a jury exonerated the iPhone maker from charges it had conspired to lock out competitors....

...

Apple's iTunes media player has been around since 2001 -- meaning that for many users, it's likely that their library has traversed multiple system upgrades, duplicating and splintering across a variety of drives and mobile devices along the way. For this, there is SuperSync, an app designed to provide access to all your music in one location, allow libraries to be accessed via the Internet, and organize multiple music libraries as to stay organized. Aimed at DJs, avid music collectors, and anyone with multiple libraries, SuperSync aims to get all your tracks in a row. Pricing is organized by...

...

If Apple has its way, then one day we will never save another document -- and we will never think about where it went. It will just be there when we want to open it again. That's nice. Until then, we open and save documents nearly as often as we check Facebook. Which makes it a shame that OS X rather fights us. You can open a document from this folder on that network drive and you can then save it on that folder on this USB stick, but it is a pain. Not much of a pain, let's not get carried away here, but try doing it twice and see how you feel. That's where Default Folder X comes in....

...

In a memo to all employees, Apple CEO Tim Cook has announced that the recent (Product) RED campaign, which ran through app upgrade purchases, in-store items and online accessories during the run-up to World AIDS Day on December 1 raised over $20 million, which will be seeded to the Global Fund. The group fights HIV/AIDS, malaria and other health threats largely in Africa and other impoverished areas. Cook said that the promotion has thus pushed Apple's total contribution to over $100 million since 2006....

...

People must really dislike Apple's on-screen keyboard for iPhones and iPads, because the instant we could try alternatives, we got alternatives. Some seem different for the sake of being different. Some, like TextExpander's one, add useful new features -- yet take away some of the usability. But then you get the odd keyboard like Mazec, which tries to offer a true alternative. Rather than typing, you scribble with a stylus -- if you've got one, and haven't lost it -- or with your finger....

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Apple has sent an email to iOS developers, notifying them of a change to the way it handles VAT (value-added taxes) at European App Stores. Currently the company charges a single VAT rate across the European Union; soon, though, it plans to charge on a per-country basis. The change is due to take effect on January 1st....

(Updated with Chinese job listing) A new job listing indicates that Apple is actively working on expanding Apple Pay worldwide, beginning with Europe. The company is seeking an Apple Pay intern who will work with a London-based team. The listing states that Apple Pay is "set to expand across Europe, Middle East, India, and Africa," and that the London group will collaborate with "issuers, payment networks and merchants across Europe."...

If you need to put a link to a webpage or an email address into a document in Pages, there's an easy way to format it so that it looks far more professional than it would if you just pasted the text in. For this Quick Tip, we're going to cover how to do that and also what effect that'll have on exporting the file to other formats.

Algoriddim has launched djay Pro, a new Mac edition of its typically iOS-based DJ software. In its new incarnation the app supports up to four simultaneous decks, rather than two, and can draw music not just from a local iTunes library but from Spotify, thanks to a partnership with the streaming music service. It also exploits Retina displays and multi-core 64-bit processors; on a 12-core Mac Pro, the app can handle up to 24 processing threads at once for track analysis....

On Wednesday's episode of the Tonight Show, host Jimmy Fallon gave away an iPad Air 2 to every member of the studio audience. The segment (below) was part of a week-long series of giveaways. It wasn't identified which models people were getting, although NBC may have opted to give people 16GB Wi-Fi versions, given the costs involved. Even at that bottom tier, the tablet costs $499....

Apple has begun seeding a third beta of iOS 8.2 to developers. Significantly the code restores blood glucose tracking in the Health app, which was temporarily disabled earlier this year due to confusion caused by the app displaying data in mg/dL but accepting data from devices using mmol/L as well. In the new software, users can toggle between mg/dL or mmol/L....

Ahead of the airing of a Panorama documentary on the subject, the BBC has published a web piece revealing the outcomes of its investigation into Apple's supply chain. The network went undercover and charges that promises to protect the rights of workers were "routinely broken." In particular the BBC found violations of standards for work hours, ID cards, dormitories, meetings, and underage labor at Pegatron factories on the outskirts of Shanghai....

Apple Pay has been a huge success in the United States. The mobile payment purchase is supported by credit cards used for 90 percent of purchases. Now, thanks to a job posting that's been spotted, it seems Apple is ready to expand Apple Pay into Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India.

You can't buy an iPhone in Russia today because Apple isn't cool with the wildly fluctuating ruble. Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to look at Apple's decision and what impact that has on the company and consumers, plus they take a detour into Sony's decision to not release "The Interview," and they touch on Netflix's decision to not offer movies for offline viewing.

War games may have originated from the need to boost military logistics and planning, but they have since become popular with civilian gamers. Risk and Chess are two popular war games most people are familiar with, as are Civilization and Hearts of Iron. How does newcomer Supreme Ruler Ultimate, by Battlegoat Studios, stack up to the classics?...

The BBC has published a video (below) showing what it describes as "Apple's broken promises" to improve and protect working conditions in its Chinese factories. The media organization sent undercover reporters in to work at a Pegatron factory making Apple iPhones, where they filmed company-orchestrated cheating on tests, hours that far exceed Apple's requirements, and intimidation tactics used to control workers.

Since President Barack Obama voiced his support for reclassification of ISPs as utilities, there has been much debate back and forth, and back again on the topic of "Title II" regulation of carriers. Would it be the dystopian nightmare anti-government zealots and the carriers proclaim, or would it provide a golden utopia of progress for consumers and American businesses alike?...

In the past weeks, quite a lot has been revealed about Sony's role in ongoing anti-piracy efforts due to the leak of emails as part of the fallout of the North Korean-based GOP attack on the studio. In a post on Thursday on the Google Public Policy Blog, Kent Walker, Google SVP and general counsel, outlined even more leaks that describe a combined and carefully planned effort by Sony and five other studios that began this year to provide funding and legal support for the MPAA's efforts to court State Attorney Generals and target Google directly....

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Researchers from Check Point Software Technologies released information on Thursday about an exploit they are calling "Misfortune Cookie." This bug was introduced into "RomPager" software, which is commonly embedded into residential gateway devices such as routers, beginning in 2002. A conservatively-estimated 12 million un-patched devices, connected to the Internet in 189 countries, are at risk....

Samsung is shutting down its ChatOn messaging service in the next few months, the manufacturer has announced. The cross-platform messaging service will go dark on February 1 for the majority of users around the world, though apparently users in the United States could have access to the service for a little while longer than everyone else....

Users of the Watch ABC app on the Apple TV can now watch full episodes a week after they air without a subscription, ABC has announced. Previously the app was like most network-based offerings on the Apple TV, limiting that content to people who could authenticate a cable subscription. Watching the latest episodes as soon as they're uploaded (next-day) still requires authentication, as does the live feed available in select cities....

In a new email memo to the company's UK workforce, Apple's senior VP of Operations, Jeff Williams, claims that he and CEO Tim Cook were "deeply offended" by a BBC Panorama documentary exposing labor abuses in the company's supply chain. Specifically Williams are Cook are said to have been "deeply offended by the suggestion that Apple would break a promise to the workers in our supply chain or mislead our customers in any way;" Williams charges that "Panorama's report implied that Apple isn't improving working conditions. Let me tell you, nothing could be further from the truth."...

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CalDigit has launched the Thunderbolt Station 2, a new Thunderbolt 2 dock. Like some alternatives, the dock includes two Thunderbolt 2 ports, three powered USB 3.0 ports, and connections for HDMI, Ethernet, and audio input/output. Two eSATA 6G ports are also present, supporting storage formats not normally enabled by a Thunderbolt dock....

T-Mobile has settled a lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over complaints the carrier allowed third-party companies to place unauthorized charges to customer bills. As part of the "cramming" settlement, T-Mobile has agreed to pay out at least $90 million in fines and refunds, as well as altering its third-party billing practices....

[Updated with comments from President Barack Obama] North Korea is responsible for the attack on Sony Pictures, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced. The statement about the agency's investigation into the intrusion of the movie studio's computer network, and subsequent leaks, comes at the same time as messages supposedly coming from the hackers wanting Sony to do more than halt the release of "The Interview" movie....

Actress Kate Winslet is currently in negotiations for "the female lead" in Universal's upcoming Steve Jobs biopic, Variety reports. Winslet is best known for movies like Titanic, The Reader, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It's not clear what the role will be, but top female characters in the film are rumored to include Jobs' daughter Lisa, and Katie Cotton, Apple's former PR head....

This week in the MacNN Forums, members discuss temperature sensor issues, hard drive compatibility and more. After a temperature sensor blew on the logic board of a Xserve that is run by "Waragainstsleep" he turned to the forums hoping someone would have some advice on how to repair this so he doesn't have to replace the whole board. Today Dedicated MacNNer was looking for help with moving addresses from Leopard to Yosemite....

Apple has raised the price of apps in the Russian App Store in the midst of a meltdown in the value of the Russian ruble. The move follows Apple's decision earlier in the week to stop selling iPhones in Russia because of the volatility.

If you live in a multi-platform house, we have a deal for you on a 6-foot charging cable that's convertible between microUSB (for Android devices) and Lightning (for iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch). Better yet, the converter is actually attached to the cable, eliminating the chance to lose it! That's clever, and I like clever. It retails for $40, but you can get it through our deal for $21.

What's the most sought after wearable tech device? That would be the Apple Watch-a device that isn't even scheduled to ship until some time next spring. Apple's unavailable smartwatch beat out Google, Samsung, and Fitbit as the wearable device people most want to buy, according to a study by Ipsos MediaCT.

The Mac Observer Spin: Polls like this are great news for Apple and horrible for their competitors because it shows consumers are more interested in buying a wearable device that has even shipped than products that are already on the market.

A study by research firm ITG suggest that Apple Pay -- introduced only last month -- is already accounting for one percent of all digital payments. The firm also noted that those using Apple Pay increased spending using mobile payments, and tended to use the technology frequently -- resulting in a jump in sales at top merchants that accepted Apple Pay, such as Walgreens, Whole Foods and McDonald's. Each of the three retailers grabbed double-digit shares of the Apple Pay pie....

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North Korea has verbally fired back at allegations that it is behind the Sony Pictures attack. Calling President Obama's words "groundless slander," the country is demanding a joint investigation into the hack, with the country's experts and US law enforcement working side-by-side. If the US should refuse, North Korea's foreign ministry promised "grave consequences," presumably to US interests, if the hack which has caused an estimated $100 million of damage to Sony Pictures, not including less tangible problems, continues to be blamed on the country....

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Google has launched its own legal effort to stop Mississippi State Attorney General Jim Hood's effort with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to pin the search engine on the world's piracy problem. Google claims in the court filing in Mississippi's district court that Hood has filed a "burdensome, retaliatory" subpoena against it, which would require a massive financial and labor effort to comply, for no real gain other than extra-judiciary punishment. Hood has responded, and is "calling a time out, so that cooler heads may prevail."...

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Cellphone manufacturer BlackBerry has published its most recent quarterly results. While the company is trumpeting a return to profitability, it still incurred a fair value debenture charge, forcing the company to post a $148 million loss on the quarter, or $0.28 per share. Without the debenture, it would have posted a modest profit of $2 million. While it appears that the cost-cutting measures are starting to pay off given the improvement in the loss numbers, the company showed a 34 percent drop in revenue over the year-ago-quarter, suggesting that the road ahead for the company is still chal...

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[Updated with more deals!] There is less than a week until Christmas, and depending on where you live, approximately four days available for deliveries of presents. If there are more presents to get before the big day, you're likely to be spending a lot on quicker deliveries, so why not even out the cost by getting some great Friday Deals? Every Friday afternoon, we search for bargains on hardware, peripherals, gadgets, and software for you, the discerning MacNN and Electronista reader. Prices are right at the time of writing, but double-check before purchasing, as prices could change. Also, b...

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In an interview recorded on Friday, President Obama clarified his remarks last week regarding the Sony Pictures hack. The president denies swirling discussions about the hack being an act of war, and called it "an act of cyber vandalism that was very costly, very expensive." Additionally, late Sunday, tweets purport that hacker collective Anonymous is about to wade into the fray against North Korea for its role in the event....

Yep, another one of Dave's iMacs is having boot problems. It's mayhem! That's OK, he and John talk through possible resolution and also when not to assume you know the answer (hint: always!). Then it's on to maintaining your iTunes accounts, finding (and removing) any adware, and an unpublished solution to Yosemite's incrementing hostname issue. All this and more. Download today and enjoy!

Earlier this month, we had talked about the falling out between Wizards of the Coast and Trapdoor Technologies over DungeonScape (or Codename: Morningstar, depending on the day), which was supposed to be the answer to every dungeon master's prayers. DungeonScape was gearing up to be an application, available for both tablets and computers, and its aim was to help eliminate the lengthy setup times and give users the ability to look up rules and equipment at a glance. Under a month after gaming company Wizards of the Coast killed the partnership, Trapdoor Technologies launched a Kickstarter in h...

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An intrusion into Staples' point-of-sales systems earlier this year put 1.16 million credit and debit cards at risk, the retailer admitted on Friday. Approximately 115 of the company's 1,400 retail stores across the United States were affected by malware on its systems, though the store apparently managed to eradicate the malware and improve system security in mid-September....

Production of Apple's rumored 12-inch MacBook Air -- along with the Apple Watch -- should enter mass production in the first quarter of 2014, supply chain sources tell Digitimes. Suppliers are allegedly beginning to accelerate work on related components. The new Air is expected to have an Intel Broadwell processor, and an even thinner and lighter design....

Apple's Russian online store is back online, following an almost week-long downtime. The store was taken down to review and change prices, and accordingly many products are now substantially more expensive. A 16GB iPhone 6 is 53,990 rubles, or about $988, far higher than the 34,990 rubles ($643) it sold for previously. A Retina iMac starts at 189,990 rubles, or $3,467. The same system is $2,499 in the US....

Everyone's familiar with current trend in photos that keep popping up across the Internet. One part indie-rock and one part Photoshop, their soft colors and multiple filters have become the new cool thing. Originally these images took time, effort, and at least a basic understanding of Photoshop. But now something like Calista, by THINKSUIT, gives users the ability to make these straight from the comfort of a handheld device....

Apple has released what it calls a "critical" patch for OS X, dubbed the NTP Security Update. The code is currently being pushed to users via the Mac App Store, and solves vulnerabilities within the Network Time Protocol. The update is available for Mountain Lion (10.8.x), Mavericks (10.9), and Yosemite (10.10). While no known attack exploits the now-patched vulnerabilities, the discovery appears to be serious enough to merit immediate attention....

Need access to otherwise restricted web content? Donât trust your WiFi connection? Need to ensure online security? You want to consider a virtual private network (VPN), and boom! We just happen to have a deal for three years of VPN Unlimited's Premium Plan for $19. With this package, your Internet data is encrypted between the VPN and you, greatly limiting your exposure to hackers, and for those who live in countries that block access, it can be the only way to get to some sites. There's a lot more information on our deal site.

Hereâs Dr. Mac's final batch of reasonably priced Apple related gadgets (and holders for Apple gadgets), all of which will be much appreciated by the geeks you love.

Last Friday, the Tor Project blog posted about a possible threat that some of its servers would be seized in an attempt to incapacitate or hijack the Tor network. Over the weekend, a group of "exit node" servers in a Dutch datacenter went down, and then came back online. The service, a volunteer network of relays aiming to provide anonymity and security, says it was warned of suspicious activity that may have been instigated by law enforcement....

North Korea has declared it will strike against the United States, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the rogue state as the origin of the Sony Pictures hack. However, alongside the sabre-rattling statement provided by the Korean Central News Agency of DPRK (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as it calls itself) are reports that the country's Internet connection has itself been the target of an attack over the weekend, with North Korea effectively being knocked offline....

North Korea's connection to the rest of the Internet, which had been knocked offline this weekend, has been restored according to a new report. Over the weekend, Internet service in the country dwindled to nothing, after DDoS attacks against its Internet infrastructure increased....

A new post from Apple Retail Senior Vice President (SVP) Dame Angela Ahrendts on her LinkedIn blog offers a simple holiday message and song with a theme of peace, saying her message for the season was simply "let peace begin with me." Ahrendts said she was inspired by a recent re-hearing of a song she used to play on piano, a rendition of "Let There Be Peace on Earth" by B.J. Thomas. The song, originally written by Jill Jackson Miller and Sy Miller in 1955, offers an inspirational message of unity....

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LG has revealed more details for new speakers joining its Music Flow networked speaker collection, competing against similar systems from Samsung and Sonos. Set to be shown off at CES, the new items consist of a portable speaker, two sound bars, and a streaming 3D Blu-ray player, all of which will be compatible with Android and iOS devices....

For today's Quick Tip, let's talk about how to change the default ringtone in Yosemite! We here at TMO really dig the idea of being able to answer calls on our computers, but we're not completely in love with the sound Apple picked as the default ringtone. So here's how you can switch it up if you want something different, too.

CNN has announced their pick for CEO of the year for 2014, and it's no surprise they went for Tim Cook. CNN chose Mr. Cook because he guided the company into a sharp increase in stock value, plus he managed to show Apple can continue to innovate without Steve Jobs.

The Mac Observer Spin: Considering Apple's leading position in the tech market and Tim Cook's strong leadership, it isn't any surprise CNN named him CEO of the year. It's also no surprise CNN called out Microsoft's Satya Nadella for his suggestion that women shouldn't push for better pay.

Merry Christmas, Apple Pay, you're going to Disney World. The world-destination theme park plans to start accepting Apple's mobile payment platform on December 24, just in time for the holiday.

The Mac Observer Spin: Disney promised to launch Apple Pay support before Christmas. Looks like they're keeping that promise even if it is within only a few hours of the holiday.

If a player finds themselves longing for a game that requires both long-term planning and quick thinking, simulation games are often the way to go. If a player is looking for an in-depth resource-management game, they should check out RimWorld by Ludeon Studios. One part The Sims and one part Minecraft, RimWorld requires players to not only colonize the alien land around them, but also manage the health and happiness of their colonists. The game plays very similarly to older SimCity-esque games, and largely boils down to properly allocating resources and disaster control....

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Apple's Tim Cook has been chosen as CNN Money's CEO of the Year for 2014. The site explains this is because "Apple is the apple of Wall Street's eye again;" the company's shares are noted to be up 40 percent this year, and close to an all-time peak. CNN in turn links that stock performance to the success of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and "excitement" about the Apple Watch, due to ship early next year....

Mac owners who just can't wait to get their hands on the latest updates for Yosemite can try out OS X 10.10.2 public beta. The latest public beta release rolled out over the weekend and is available to anyone who signed up to get at the releases.

The Mac Observer Spin: Public betas will give you an early look at what's coming next for OS X, but don't install the beta operating systems on mission critical Macs. There is a possibility you could lose data if something goes wrong.

We often get a photo with sub-par quality when we use a cellphone or tablet as our go-to camera. One of the main reasons for this, of course, is because users have minimal control over individual camera functions like focus, white balance, and ISO sensitivity. The iPhone's camera is far more akin to a point-and-shoot than a professional model, and frequently the automatic settings can leave a picture feeling a bit lacking. But there's still hope -- something like Manual Photo Camera, by Rego Korosi, allows a person to take maximum control over shooting....

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This week in the MacNN forums, members are plagued with songs that won't erase from their iPods, trackpad problems and more. "I can't erase songs from my iPod touch" says one frustrated Mac Elite, who is also baffled as to why there are random U2 songs on there that he never downloaded. After doing an update on an iPad 2, one Mac Enthusiast found that the unit is stuck on "searching" for cellular service....

Fidelity Media has released a new update for its professional DJ and radio automation software, MegaSeg. MegaSeg is available in Pro and DJ editions, with MegaSeg DJ focusing on live mixing features and visual beat syncing with Magic Trackpads, and more, and the Pro version adding video playback with ambient visuals, sound effect hot keys, and other advanced features. Now featuring optimizations for OS X Yosemite, MegaSeg's new sound engine includes higher quality pitch-locking, looping and swappable output devices. Controller presets for Denon MC2000 and MC3000 devices are now available, and...

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