iLounge

New code discovered in Apple’s iChat instant messaging client suggests that the company is preparing to add iMessage support to the app. Citing information provided by a developer, Mac Rumors reports that the version of iChat in OS X Lion contains properties for “_timeDelivered” and “_timeRead,” suggesting that the application will offer the tracking of delivery and read receipts for instant messages. Such features, however, are not offered by any of iChat’s current native messaging services, but are offered by iMessage. As noted in the report, support for iMessage in OS X Lion would allow Mac users and iOS 5 users to exchange messages with one another in real time, and would serve as a compliment to Apple’s FaceTime video chat service, which also allows for direct communication between Macs and iOS devices.

Parallels has updated the iOS companion application for its recently released Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac adding support for remote control of the Parallels host Mac in the same manner as remotely controlling virtual machines. The new version also adds audio support, allowing users to play back music and audio remotely from the host Mac or other virtual machine, and iOS clipboard support for copying and pasting text between the iOS device and the remote computer. Additional improvements in the update include better support for external displays and keyboards, the ability to limit connections to Wi-Fi only, and a number of general stability, performance and usability improvements. Parallels Mobile is a universal app requiring iOS 4.0 or later and is currently available from the App Store for an introductory price of $5, reduced from the normal price of $20. The app requires Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac or later; remote control of the host Mac requires Parallels Desktop 7.

The developers of the popular iStudiez class and schoolwork management apps for iOS devices have released iTeacherBook, a new app focused on providing class management tools for teachers. Created in response to multiple requests from teachers using iStudiez Pro, iTeacherBook now only allows planning a teacher’s schedule and tasks but also provides options for tracking and recording student attendance, sending assignments out via e-mail and marking and tracking student progress and grades for multiple courses and classes. A variety of grading systems are supported and attendance and grades can be entered in real-time or for past events and assignments and the app provides various types of built-in reports for attendance, grades, and student information as well as the ability to export data in CSV format. The application also provides notifications for events, assignments to hand out and scheduled tests and exams. Integration with iStudiez Pro is also planned for a future update. iTeacherBook requires iOS 4.1 or later and is available from the App Store for $5.

Apple intends on releasing its eighth beta version of iOS to registered developers this Friday, according to a new report. Citing a trusted source, Boy Genius Report claims that following the release of iOS 5 beta 8, Apple plans to release the Gold Master (GM) build of the software on or around September 23, and that that build will be loaded onto already-assembled iPhone 5 hardware that is waiting for final software. Finally, the report claims that Apple will then request carrier partners to give technical acceptance to the GM by October 5, although it remains unclear what Apple plans to do should the GM fail to receive acceptance.

According to a new report by Stop the Cap, Netflix has recently started to enforce streaming restrictions on subscribers, limiting streaming content to one device at a time. Although the Netflix Terms of Use previously included this limit as an official policy, it was not enforced, enabling users to stream multiple movies or TV shows at once to different devices.

While the policy applies to all Netflix-capable devices, it would appear that it is not yet being consistently enforced within the Netflix iOS app. Our testing today demonstrated that different Netflix content could concurrently stream on up to three iOS devices over both Wi-Fi and 3G connections, or on an Apple TV and a single iOS device, provided the Apple TV stream was already running when the iOS stream began. It is unclear at this time whether this behavior is intentional or not, however the Netflix Terms of Use do not provide any exceptions for specific devices. [via Mashable]

Update: A follow-up report from GigaOM indicates that this seems to be the result of a technical glitch rather than an actual policy change, citing an e-mail from Netflix VP of Corporate Communications Steve Swasey in which he stated that “No Netflix member is limited to less than two concurrent streams. A few Netflix members have heard differently from us, which is an error that we are correcting.”

Video game specialty retailer game stop may soon begin offering the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad in its stores, according to a new report. Citing several unnamed sources, 9to5Mac reports that the announcement was made to dealers at a recent trade show in Las Vegas. GameStop also recently began accepting iOS device trade-ins for store credits, and may be planning to offer used products before phasing in new offerings. Such a move by GameStop would likely bolster iOS’ growing reputation as a viable gaming platform.

Vito Technology has released an update to Solar Walk adding support for displaying content on an external 3D TV. Solar Walk is a 3D interactive virtual model of our solar system that allows users to navigate through space and time exploring the planets and their moons along with several of Earth’s satellites and hundreds of named places on Earth’s Moon, Mars, Earth and Venus. A Time Machine feature allows users to adjust time back or forward moving planets and satellites along their real trajectories. Version 1.8 adds support for connecting to an external screen including 3D TV support along with 3D models of Earth’s ten main satellites with real-time trajectories and more detailed Earth textures. The update also adds three new educational movies: Tidal Phenomena, Major Circles of Latitude and Zodiacal Constellations. Solar Walk 1.8 is a universal app and is available from the App Store for $3.

Apple has seeded its seventh beta version of iOS 5 for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch to registered developers. Listed as build 9a5313e, the release is also available as an over-the-air update for devices running the prior beta, and is once again accompanied by matching beta versions of the iOS 5 SDK, iTunes 10.5, and Apple TV Software. iOS 5 beta 7 is now available to paid iOS developers from the iOS Dev Center.

Apple organized a team in 2008 to crack down on the spread of knockoff iPods and iPhones in China, according to a new report. Citing a September 2008 memo from the Beijing embassy that was published online by WikiLeaks, CNN reports that despite Apple’s move, progress has been slow, as gadget piracy isn’t a high priority for the Chinese government. The report states that members of Apple’s global security team were recruited from pharmaceutical giant Pfizer after it executed a series of crackdowns on counterfeit Viagra production in Asia, and that former Pfizer security chief—and former FBI agent—John Theriault leads the team. It goes on to say that China’s Guangdong province has become a hub for manufacturing and selling counterfeit Apple products, as Apple manufacturing parter Foxconn operates factories there. According to the report, the Chinese counterfeit ring is also responsible for supplying knockoff goods to India, where officials had discovered shipments that came from China through Hong Kong.

Tapbots has released an update to Tweetbot for the iPhone and iPod touch adding support for the Tweet Marker API for bookmarking timeline positions. First introduced earlier this month in Twitterrific for iOS and Mac, Tweet Marker is a third-party service that allows applications to automatically register and save the last read tweet for a user so that the information can be used to sync reading positions between multiple Twitter clients.

Tweetbot is now the second iOS Twitter client to add support for the new service, allowing users of both Tweetbot and Twitterrific to store and synchronize reading positions for the main timeline as well as mentions, direct messages and even lists and searches even between the separate applications. The latest Tweetbot update adds several other enhancements as well including improvements to username searches when composing new tweets, location improvements and bug fixes. Tweetbot 1.6 is available from the App Store for $3.

OfficeTime Software has released an iOS version of its popular desktop time and expense tracking app. Aimed at consultants, freelancers, attorneys and other professionals who need to track their time for billing purposes, OfficeTime for iOS is designed to balance features and ease of use, making it simple and intuitive to enter time and expenses. The application includes support for multiple timers, easy switching between tasks and continuing timing in the background while using other iOS applications.

Advanced features include one-touch report generation by project or time period, tracking billable hours against fixed cost estimates and contracts and exporting reports and data to Microsoft Excel and Apple Numbers. OfficeTime for iOS can also synchronize data with OfficeTime for Mac and Windows including support for aggregating data from multiple iOS devices for team reporting and billing. OfficeTime for iOS is a universal app and is available from the App Store for $8. A free version is also available which provides limited projects and categories and excludes data export and desktop synchronization capabilities.

Electronic Arts has released spy Mouse, a new adventure game developed by Firemint. Building on the intuitive line-drawing mechanics found in the company’s acclaimed Flight Control game, Spy Mouse puts the player in the role of a wily mouse, Agent Squeak where they undertake a series of adventures to serve the needs of mice everywhere. Players draw lines to navigate Squeak through a maze, picking up cheese and other power-ups and avoiding enemies and obstacles such as cats. The game provides 70 different levels across six unique worlds along with numerous gadgets, gizmos, power-ups and secret areas. Spy Mouse is available from the App Store for $1.

Comex, founder of the browser-based jailbreak tool JailbreakMe and major figure in the jailbreak community, has announced that he will soon be starting an internship with Apple. “It’s been really, really fun, but it’s also been a while and I’ve been getting bored,” he wrote in a Twitter update. “So, the week after next I will be starting an internship with Apple.” It’s unclear what type of position the coder might hold with Apple, but given his background, it seems likely that his expertise may be used to discover and plug vulnerabilities in iOS and in mobile Safari in particular. [via 9to5Mac]

Support for Japan’s earthquake warning system has been discovered in the latest beta release of iOS 5. 9 to 5 Mac reports that iOS 5 users in Japan can turn on an early earthquake notifications via a slider at the bottom of the iOS Notification Center settings pane. According to a Time magazine profile of the system from earlier this year, it provides warning messages to users from seconds to one to two minutes before the most damaging waves strike, giving them a chance to seek cover. As noted in the report, the new feature will likely replace third-party apps offering similar functionality.

With the release of iOS 5, Apple appears ready to end iTunes’ use as a middleman between iOS devices and nikeplus.com. According to an anonymous source, iOS 5 beta 6 devices with Nike+ data now prompt an iTunes dialog box stating that workout data can now be sent using the “Send Workouts to Nike+” feature in the iOS device’s Nike + iPod settings, and iTunes 10.5 no longer displays a Nike + iPod synchronization tab for iOS 5 devices. Notably, iOS 4.x devices and iPod nanos still bring up the option to sync Nike+ data when connected to the new iTunes beta release. Readers may recall that the ability to sync Nike+ data wirelessly to nikeplus.com from an iOS device was added as an option in iOS 4.1, although users still had iTunes wired syncing as an alternative—the latter, traditional option is what has disappeared today.

Apple has released the sixth beta version of its upcoming iOS 5 operating system for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. Listed as build 9A5302b and available exclusively to paid iOS developers, the release does not appear to include any major changes from prior versions, and is once again accompanied by matching beta versions of the iOS 5 SDK, iTunes 10.5, and Apple TV Software. iOS 5 beta 6 is now available to paid iOS developers from the iOS Dev Center.

Taiwan-based HTC has filed a lawsuit against Apple in U.S. District Court in Delaware, claiming patent infringement. According to a Reuters report, the complaint claims that Apple infringes on three HTC patents through the sale of Macintosh computers, iPads, iPods, iPhones, and “other devices,” and seeks an injunction against Apple’s importation and sale of the devices, compensatory damages, triple damages for willful infringement, and other remedies. The legal battle between the two companies dates back to March 2010 when Apple filed a patent infringement suit against HTC; HTC has since filed a complaint against Apple with the U.S. International Trade Commission, while Apple has filed two such complaints against HTC. Last month, the ITC ruled in Apple’s favor in one of the complaints, prompting HTC to say that it was “open to having discussions” with Apple in the hopes of reaching a settlement.

Infinite Dreams has released Shoot The Birds (iLounge Rating: A-), a new universal iOS game that challenges players to get revenge on flocks of flying vermin by shooting down waves of birds in mid-flight. In Shoot The Birds, the player takes control of a crossbow-armed scarecrow and must fire arrows at bird targets flying above. Players must take down as many birds as possible within a set time limit with the goal of accumulating the highest score, the time limit varying based on how well the player performs. In-game objectives provide the opportunity to gain additional power-ups and point multipliers to rack up even more points with achievements and high scores tracked and shared via Apple’s Game Center. Shoot The Birds is a universal app requiring iOS 4.0 or later and is available from the App Store for $1.

Tapulous has released a new Glee themed app in its popular Tap Tap Revenge series of rhythm-based music games. Tap Tap Glee challenges players to tap and shake to their favourite music from the popular TV series while also offering a Glee Trivia game, a yearbook section with information on Glee characters and a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming film, Glee: The 3D Concert Movie. The game includes five free tracks and access to over 50 tracks via in-app purchase with a new free promo track released every day. Players can also connect to Facebook and post as a Gleek or a Jock and slushy their friends’ Facebook walls. Tap Tap Glee is available from the App Store as a free download.

PAN Vision and Tactile Entertainment have released Pigs in Trees, a new iOS game that puts players in charge of a group of tree-dwelling pigs that must defend their home from an invading army of woodpeckers. Described as the antithesis of Angry Birds, players use a real-time line drawing mechanic to navigate their flying pigs around a map shooting down enemy birds and racking up points. The game provides multiple ammo types and power-ups and challenges users with different types of enemies each with their own abilities as they play through three campaigns and 45 levels. Game Center integration provides support for tracking and sharing achievements and high scores. The game is available in separate versions, Pigs in Trees ($1) for the iPhone and iPod touch and Pigs in Trees HD ($2) for the iPad.