iLounge

In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Grand Theft Auto III, Rockstar Games has released an iOS version of the highly acclaimed console and PC title. Grand Theft Auto 3 for iOS takes players back into the dark and seedy underworld of Liberty City, with a massive and diverse open world that players can explore at will and a wide variety of characters to interact with in an immersive storyline. The game includes redesigned HD graphics designed to take full advantage of the latest iOS device capabilities alongside high-quality voice acting and touch-screen optimized controls. Grand Theft Auto 3 requires an iPhone 4/4S, iPad 2 or fourth-generation iPod touch running iOS 4.3 or later and is available from the App Store for $5.

Google has released an update to its native Gmail app for iOS adding several new features including support for nested labels, mobile signatures and vacation messages, and a new “scribbles” feature. With Gmail 1.1 nested labels now appear laid out properly in the left-hand labels view and users can configure Mobile Signature and Vacation Responder settings directly from their device by clicking on a small gear settings icon at the top of the menu view. The update also adds a new notification sound for iOS 5 devices to help users distinguish Gmail notifications from other iOS notifications. The update also adds a new feature dubbed “scribbles” that allows users to open up a canvas to draw a message using the touchscreen that will be attached to an e-mail. Scribbles provides multiple colours, brush sizes, lines, erasers and spray paint and can also be accessed from the HTML5 Gmail web app. Gmail 1.1 is available from the App Store as a free download.

An apparent glitch or oversight in the way Apple’s iMessage SMS replacement service is set up is allowing thieves and unknown buyers of stolen iPhones to continue to receive and send texts via iMessage using the Apple ID of the original owner. Citing separate Mac Rumors and Apple Support forum threads, Ars Technica reports that the problem persists even after the device is registered under a new account. According to the report, neither remote wiping, changing Apple ID passwords, or even moving the prior phone number to a new phone fixes the problem, with the only proven fix to completely cancel the Apple ID that was used for iMessages on the stolen device. Ars contacted Apple to ask why this was happening, but has yet to receive a response.

Apple has released the second version of iOS 5.1 to registered iOS developers. According to Apple’s release notes, this new beta adds the ability to delete photos from a Photo Stream, along with other improvements; it also notes that the accompanying preview release of Xcode 4.3 is distributed as a single application bundle, allowing it to be installed directly from the App Store without the need for a secondary installation process. iOS 5.1 beta 2 is available now to registered iOS developers as a direct download from the iOS Dev Center.

Motorola Mobility has won a German patent suit against Apple, leading to a preliminary injunction that bars sales of all iPhone models and 3G iPad models in the country. FOSS Patents reports that all products which implement the patent in question—EP 1010336 (B1), covering a “method for performing a countdown function during a mobile-originated transfer for a packet radio system”—are barred from sale; this includes the iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad 3G, iPad 2 3G, and likely the iPhone 4S, although it is not specifically named. Apple will likely appeal this ruling and request a stay on the injunction for the duration of the appeal proceedings, and may also make efforts to acquire a license for the patent.

Google has released Google Currents, a new content aggregation and reading app for iOS devices. Google Currents provides access to top content from a wide range of publishers such as CNet, AllThingsD, Forbes, Saveur, PBS, Huffington Post, Fast Company and more delivered in a format optimized for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Users can also add their own RSS, video and photo feeds and integrate their Google+ streams and Google Reader subscriptions to provide a customized content experience. Google Currents also provides a Trending Editions section that leverages Google search technology to build a customized collection of the five top trending stories in categories such as world, entertainment, sports and science, updated hourly and presented as a compiled edition of articles, videos and pictures. The application also provides offline reading support so that users can browse and read their customized magazines even without an active data connection. Integration with Google+ allows users to easily share articles or videos with their circles; Facebook, Instapaper, Pinboard and Tumblr are also supported as additional services. Google Currents is currently only available from the U.S. App Store and is a free download.

Twitter has released a major update to its official iOS app adding a significantly redesigned user interface for the iPhone and iPod touch. Designed to bring the mobile user experience in-line with the Twitter.com web site, Twitter 4.0 provides a new set of views for the user’s Home timeline, a Connect screen that combines mentions and related activity such as retweets and favourites and a new dedicated Discover view designed to allow users to explore trending topics, find new people to follow, browse interests and explore hashtags. A new “Me” section provides quick access to the user’s profile along with drafts, lists and direct messages. The new UI design is presently only available on the iPhone with Twitter on the iPad retaining the same UI design and features as in the prior version. Twitter 4.0 is available from the App Store as a free download.

Speaking at the LeWeb conference in Paris, Google Executive Chairman and former Apple board member Eric Schmidt touted his company’s Android operating system as being “ahead” of the iPhone and iOS. Cnet reports that Schimdt’s claim that “Android is ahead of the iPhone now” was met with silence from a crowd filled with iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Schmidt responded by explaining, “Ultimately, application vendors are driven by volume, and volume is favored by the open approach Google is taking. There are so many manufacturers working so hard to distribute Android phones globally that whether you like ICS or not—and again I like it a great deal—you will want to develop for that platform, and perhaps even first”. In addition, Schmidt responded to a complaint from an Android user frustrated that many apps launch on iOS first by predicting that “six months from now you’ll say the opposite”.

Microsoft has released My Xbox Live, a universal iOS application that allows Xbox users to access their Xbox Live accounts while on the go. The application allows gamers to connect with their Xbox Live friends, track and compare achievements and even change their 3D avatar dirtily from their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Users can review recent games that their friends have played or jump into the games hub to learn more about the latest Live games and apps. The app also provides access to Xbox Spotlight feeds, breaking news from Xbox Live, game tips and tricks and more. My Xbox Live requires iOS 4.3 or later and is available from the U.S. App Store as a free download.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh’s ruling denying Apple’s request for a ban on sales of select Samsung products in the U.S. has unintentionally provided additional details of the ongoing dispute between the two companies. According to Reuters, a version of the ruling was originally released that allowed anyone to copy & paste redacted text out of the document for reading elsewhere; one of these passages revealed that Apple’s own studies show that existing iPhone customers are unlikely to switch to Samsung devices, with any increase in Samsung smartphone sales likely to come at the expense of other Android handsets. Koh alluded to this in the openly released portion of the ruling, saying that “It is not clear that an injunction on Samsung’s accused devices would prevent Apple from being irreparably harmed”.

Another passage shows that Samsung argued that Apple’s supply cannot keep up with market demand for its products, a claim which Koh called “dubious”, as Apple had presented convincing rebuttal evidence to the contrary showing its ability to keep up with demand in the long term. In addition, the redacted portion of the ruling also referred to licensing deals that Apple had struck with other tech companies involving one of the patents referenced in Apple’s suit. As first reported by The Verge, Apple licensed a key patent dealing with a method of scrolling documents and images on a touchscreen device to both IBM and Nokia before offering a similar licensing agreement to Samsung, which the latter company rejected.

A U.S. District Court in San Jose has rejected an Apple request for a preliminary injunction barring the sale of several Samsung Galaxy tablets and smartphones. The San Jose Business Journal reports that Judge Lucy Koh denied the request, saying that “It is not clear that an injunction on Samsung’s accused devices would prevent Apple from being irreparably harmed.” Samsung issued a statement on the ruling, saying, “We are confident that we can demonstrate the distinctiveness of Samsung’s mobile devices when the case goes to trial next year.” Despite the ruling against Apple, Koh also said that Apple has proven that it’s likely to succeed in proving that Samsung’s products infringe its patents.

According to the latest survey from ChangeWave, early customer satisfaction ratings for the iPhone 4S are even higher than those seen for its predecessor, the iPhone 4. 77 percent of iPhone 4S owners reported being “Very Satisfied” with the device, compared to 72 percent who said the same of the iPhone 4 in July 2010, while 19 percent of 4S owners say they are “Somewhat Satisfied”, compared to 21 percent of iPhone 4 owners. Overall, 96 percent of iPhone 4S owners reported being satisfied with the device, compared to 93 percent of iPhone 4 owners; only 2 percent of iPhone 4S owners said they were “Unsatisfied” with the handset. Siri ranked as the most popular feature of the phone, followed by the generic “ease of use” and the eight megapixel camera, while short battery life and the lack of 4G connectivity topped the dislike list. In addition, the overall dropped call rate reported by iPhone 4S owners—2.5 percent—was less than half of the rate reported by iPhone 4 owners—5.2 percent—in July 2010. ChangeWave’s survey was conducted among 215 iPhone 4S owners on November 2-9.

An iPhone 4 has reportedly caught fire while charging, the second report of a combustable iPhone this week. According to Brazil’s The iPhone Blog (Translated Link), Ayla Paulo Mota plugged her iPhone in to charge overnight, and awoke at dawn to see sparks and black smoke coming out of the device, which was just 15cm (roughly six inches) from her head. Unfortunately for Mota, her iPhone was purchased in France, and according to the report only phones purchased in Brazil are covered by Apple’s warranty in the country. Earlier this week, an iPhone 4 unit began emitting smoke aboard an airplane; that unit has since been turned over to aviation authorities for further investigation.

Software from “Mobile Intelligence” provider Carrier IQ has been found on the iPhone, following the widely-publicized discovery of its software on Android phones. According to The Register, Android developer Trevor Eckhart posted a YouTube video on Monday showing the software running on an HTC EVO handset. In the video, Eckhart demonstrated the software’s ability to record key presses, over a cellular data connection and Wi-Fi, and even when entering the information onto a page using SSL encryption. In addition, the software appeared to be capable of forwarding text messages to the company’s servers, all without any user notification. Unsurprisingly, the findings resulted in a media uproar, leading Carrier IQ to post an obtusely-worded media alert (PDF Link) on its website, which has since been “translated” into common language by Daring Fireball’s John Gruber.

Now, Jailbreak developer chpwn—otherwise known as Grant Paul—has discovered the underpinnings for Carrier IQ software on Apple’s handsets. According to Paul, the software’s name was changed between iOS 3 and iOS 4, and with iOS 5, requires users to opt-in by enabling the “Submit Logs to Apple” option during the setup sequence. As such, it can be disabled on iOS 5 by selecting the “Don’t Send” option of the Diagnostics & Usage area of the Settings app (Settings > General > About > Diagnostics & Usage). Compared to the version running on Android devices, however, Paul says the software does not appear to have any access to the UI layer, where text entry is done; it can and does, however, record users’ phone numbers, carriers, countries, and locations. The latter happens only if Location Services are enabled; Paul admits that it is possible the software could collect and transmit other information that he has yet to discover. Apple has yet to make a statement on the matter.

Update: Apple has since issued a formal response on the matter to AllThingsD. “We stopped supporting Carrier IQ with iOS 5 in most of our products and will remove it completely in a future software update,” the company said in its response. “With any diagnostic data sent to Apple, customers must actively opt-in to share this information, and if they do, the data is sent in an anonymous and encrypted form and does not include any personal information. We never recorded keystrokes, messages or any other personal information for diagnostic data and have no plans to ever do so.”

Chair Entertainment has released Infinity Blade II, the much anticipated sequel to last year’s highly acclaimed sword-fighting action game, Infinity Blade (iLounge Rating: A). Infinity Blade II continues the epic story from the prior game with the God King defeated and the player now on a quest to discover the secrets of the Infinity Blade, descending deeper into the world of the Deathless tyrants and their Titan armies. Originally unveiled at Apple’s iPhone 4S Event in early October, Infinity Blade II was shown as a demonstration of the higher performance hardware in the new iPhone 4S; the game has been optimized for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 to provide extremely detailed and high-resolution graphics and lighting effects to create an immersive and dynamically changing environment with graphics and animation described as beyond what is being done on high-end gaming consoles.

Infinity Blade II expands on the gameplay of its predecessor adding three new styles of combat with multiple classes of weapons, armours and spells that include specialized capabilities such as Dual Wielding and Two-Handed in addition to the standard Weapon and Shield classes. The character customization has also been further expanded from the original, allowing players to use mystical objects that they discover in their travels to create and forge more powerful weapons and providing a richer storyline as the player explores and discovers the story of the Infinity Blade. iCloud support has also been included to allow players to synchronize game status between multiple devices. Infinity Blade II is available from the App Store for $7 and is a universal app supporting the iPhone 3GS, 4 and 4S, the iPad and iPad 2 and the third- and fourth-generation iPod touch. iOS 3.2 or later is required, iOS 5 is recommended.

Path has released a major update to its social photo sharing app for the iPhone and iPod touch expanding the app and online service beyond mere photo sharing into a Smart Journal for sharing various types of life moments. Initially released in November 2010, Path’s goal was to create a more personal social network for sharing photos online by deliberately limiting the number of friends that a user can have and thereby focusing on sharing personal moments with close friends and family. The app later expanded into limited video support and social network integration, but remained primarily about sharing and tagging photos.

Path 2.0 brings a completely new interface design and expands the sharing model to become a life journal rather than merely another photo sharing service. Users can now share more types of information in their “Path” such as music they’re listening to and places they visit and can even record automatic path entries when the app recognizes that the user is spending time in a different neighbourhood or visiting a new city. Additional features include the ability to record sleeping hours to a user’s Path along with moon phases, improved Push Notifications and integrated sharing with Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare from directly within the application. Path 2.0 requires an iPhone or fourth-generation iPod touch running iOS 4.2 or later and is available from the App Store as a free download.

According to the latest data from Nielsen, the iPhone accounted for 28.3 percent of the U.S. smartphone market in Q3. While Android as a whole accounted for a larger percentage of handsets—42.8 percent—no single phone manufacturer accounted for more than Apple, with HTC coming closest with 20.3 percent. Overall, iPhone and Android combined to account for 83 percent of all app downloads during the period, despite accounting for just 71 percent of all smartphone hardware.

Code referencing next-generation versions of the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV has been found in the iOS 5.1 beta released to developers last night. According to a report from 9to5Mac, iOS 5.1 contains references to an iPhone5,1—the iPhone 4S is listed as iPhone4,1—as well as an iPad 3,3, a full number higher than the iPad 2’s 2,x designation. A separate report indicates that iOS 5.1 also reveals the codename for the next-generation Apple TV, which is said to be J33. While such references do indicate that Apple is working on such hardware, they are not indicative of an impending—or even planned—release.

Apple has seeded its first beta version of iOS 5.1 to developers. According to the company, the update—listed as build 985117b—provides improved dictation support for text input views on “supported devices”. In addition, Apple warns that devices should be backed up either using iTunes or iCloud prior to installation, and that devices updated to iOS 5.1 beta will not be downgradable back to prior versions of the operating system. iOS 5.1 is available now to registered developers from the iOS Dev Center.

An iPhone 4 has spontaneously overheated aboard a commercial flight. According to a press release from Australian airline Regional Express, a passenger on flight ZL319 from Lismore to Sydney had his/her personal iPhone 4 emit “a significant amount of dense smoke, accompanied by a red glow” sometime after landing. In accordance with regulations, a flight attendant extinguished the handset, which was handed over to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau for analysis. A photo of the handset shows the rear glass to be shattered, with a burnt-looking area in the vicinity of the battery. Further details, such as if the handset was jailbroken or connected to a charger, are currently unknown; a somewhat dubious report from earlier this year indicated that a separate iPhone 4 unit had overheated and caught fire while in use. [via BGR]