iLounge

Incase has unveiled several redesigned cases for the third-generation iPad, as well as a new case for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Included among the iPad cases that have been redesigned for compatibility with both the third-generation iPad and iPad 2 are the folio-style Book Jacket Select, the Magazine Jacket, which combines a hard case with a functional front cover, and the Snap Case and Magnetic Snap Case, both of which offer compatibility with Apple’s Smart Cover, with the latter adding lightweight metal bars to hold the Smart Cover out of the way when the iPad is in use. Pricing for the iPad cases ranges from $30-$60. For the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, Incase is now offering the Box Case for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Available in black, white, pink, and clear, the aptly-named Box features a rectangular design, rubberized construction, coverage for the volume and sleep/wake buttons, and open access to all other ports, controls, and cameras. It sell for $30; all of Incase’s new offerings are available now.

Two weeks after its initial release, Disney has released a major update to Avengers Origins: Assemble adding a new mini-game to the storybook app. Designed to provide readers with an introduction to the Marvel Super Heroes, Avengers Origins: Assemble tells the story of Captain America’s rescue from a frozen wasteland by the other Avengers and the assembling of the Avengers to defend the Earth from evil. Version 2.0 introduces a new 3D third-person-view mini-game that allows the player to choose their favourite Mighty Avenger and battle to save the Earth from the attacks of Namor and the Atlanteans. Players can test their skills across three exciting stages with three individual levels of difficulty and awards and eight achievement badges. Players can play as Captain America, Iron Man, Thor or Black Widow; The Hulk is also available for users who have installed the latest version of Avengers Origins: Hulk on their device. Avengers Origins: Assemble is a universal app and is available from the App Store for $6.

Apple has received approval from the Cupertino Planning Commission to build a new 21,468 square foot cafeteria exclusively for company employees several blocks away from the its Infinite Loop headquarters. The San Jose Mercury News reports that the cafeteria is being built, in part, to give employees working at Apple’s various office buildings in the area a place to freely talk business without the threat of eavesdropping from competitors. “We like to provide a level of security so that people and employees can feel comfortable talking about their business, their research and whatever project they’re engineering without fear of competition sort of overhearing their conversations,” Dan Whisenhunt, Apple’s director of real estate facilities, said at a meeting of the Commission. “That is a real issue today in Cupertino because we’ve got other companies here in our same business.” According to the report, the two-story cafeteria will have a cafe, meeting rooms, lounge areas, and courtyard space, as well as an underground garage.

Apple is today launching the third-generation iPad in nine additional markets. According to the company, the device is launching in Colombia, Estonia, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa and Thailand today. Apple earlier this week announced sales of 11.8 million iPads during the March quarter, and called the manufacturing ramp-up for the device extremely successful.

Electronic Arts has released an update to Spy Mouse with a new level pack containing 11 additional levels with new enemies, obstacles and power-ups to challenge players. The new pack, Volcano Island, takes Agent Squeak through a new perilous world with new challenges such as jungle cats wielding poison darts, collapsible terrain, fireballs and lava pits. A new set of power-ups has been added as well including Banana Peels and Invinci-balls along with new goals and achievements that can now be tracked through Game Center. Spy Mouse is available from the App Store in two versions, Spy Mouse ($1) for the iPhone and iPod touch and Spy Mouse HD ($3) for the iPad.

Apple has started replacing with iPads the iMacs that have traditionally served as kids’ areas in its retail stores. iMore reports that the kids’ tables, which previously held four iMac computers in an outward-facing display, now sport four iPads instead. As with the iMacs, the iPads have a variety of kid-friendly apps installed; it is unclear when the switch was made, or if Apple has yet made the switch at all of its retail stores. [via MacRumors]

Twitter has updated its official iOS client with enhancements to its Discover feature and the addition of support for more push notifications. Twitter 4.2 now sports an updated design for the Discover tab with spelling suggestions and related searches as well as additional information on who a user’s connections are following, updates to their lists and which Tweets have been retweeted or marked as favourites. Push Notifications can also now be enabled for retweets and favourites of the user’s Tweets by other users. Additional enhancements include username autocompletion and go-to-user when searching in the Connect tab and additional language support for Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish and Polish. Twitter 4.2 is available from the App Store as a free download.

Griffin has rolled out its new SmartTalk Solar handsfree speakerphone. The SmartTalk Solar is designed to stick to an automobile’s windshield or dash and connect to smartphones or other devices via Bluetooth. Features include a built-in solar charger for longer talk times before a recharge is needed, a motion-sensing Auto Connect feature that links with paired smartphones automatically, multipoint pairing for connecting two devices simultaneously, and compatibility with most phone’s voice command features. Griffin’s SmartTalk Solar handsfree speakerphone is available now and sells for $70.

According to new data from The NPD Group, one-in-four iPad purchases are made by first-time Apple owners. The Apple Ecosystem Study found that 33 percent of US homes own Apple products, and while a majority—69 percent—of those own iPods, iPad ownership is growing. While 70 percent of long-standing Apple owners report that an iPod was their first Apple product, that number declines to just 57 percent among those buying their first Apple product in the last two years. Accordingly, the iPhone and iPad account for one-third of first-time Apple purchases since 2012. On average, Apple households own 2.4 Apple devices.

Popular business networking service LinkedIn has released an update to its iOS app adding native iPad support. LinkedIn 5.0 is now a universal app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad with a redesigned user interface specifically optimized for the new iPad and the Retina Display. The update also adds a new calendar feature that allows users to quickly access LinkedIn profile information for other participants in scheduled meetings and a redesigned updates view for a more accessible overview of connections, industry news, groups and other relevant information. LinkedIn 5.0 is available from the App Store as a free download.

Halfbrick Studios has released a major new content update to its hit game, Jetpack Joyride, adding a multitude of new gadgets along with new achievements and missions. Jetpack Joyride is a side scrolling action/adventure game that puts players in the role of Barry Steakfries who breaks into a secret laboratory to commandeer experimental jetpacks from a group of evil scientists and must use them to escape from the lab. Version 1.3 adds 15 new gadgets such as Air Barry sneakers for leaping obstacles, Nerd Repellant for avoiding scientists, an Insta-Ball for gaining a few extra meters by bouncing off the floor and many more crazy and cool new items to help push the envelope, earn higher scores and just generally have fun with. Along with the new collection of gear, the update adds four new Game Center achievements to unlock and a new set of missions to challenge players to make best use of the new toys. Jetpack Joyride is available from the App Store as a free download.

Apple has been named in a new lawsuit targeting the manufacturers of cellular phones with voice control capabilities. Colorado-based Potter Voice Technologies has filed a federal patent infringement suit against Apple, Sony, Microsoft, Google, HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola, ZTE, Kyocera, Sharp, Huawei, Pantech, RIM, and Nokia, claiming that all phones containing voice command functionality violate its 14-year-old patent. “Apple’s Siri and Google’s Google Voice Actions make cell phones and other electronic devices much more useful for customers, but those products and others would never have been possible if not for the technology embodied in Potter’s patent,” said IP attorney Christopher Banys, who is representing Potter. “The defendants have collected a fortune using Potter’s technology, and we are asking the court for at least a reasonable royalty based on their unauthorized use.”

Ostin Games has updated Zepi Music, its musical puzzle game for the iPhone and iPod touch adding new bonus power ups along with Facebook and Twitter integration and gameplay and graphics enhancements. Zepi Music challenges players to clear the iPhone screen of bubbles by matching colours as quickly as possible; users build combos with multitouch gestures by sliding across matching adjacent objects and quickly tapping on non-adjacent objects to clear as many objects as possible in a single chain, with larger combos resulting in higher scores. Each object is accompanied by a series of musical notes allowing users to build and experience improvised melodies as they play; colour ranges result in musical phrases of recognizable tunes as players string together longer combos and users can customize the settings to decide which instruments will accompany each colour. The app includes three graphical modes and four sound modes with high-quality graphics and integrated Game Center support with 30 unique achievements in each game. Version 1.5 adds new Crazy Rockets and Time Pills bonus power ups to help players reach higher scores. Zepi Music for the iPhone and iPod touch is available from the App Store for $1; an iPad version, Zepi HD, is also available for $1.

Chillingo has updated Cut the Rope with a new DJ Box level pack, adding 25 new levels featuring spinning vinyl records that users must use to navigate obstacles and feed candy to Om Nom. Cut the Rope is a physics-based puzzler that challenges players to cut ropes, catch stars and avoid obstacles while trying to feed the little monster Om Nom. The update also adds a new hidden Om Nom drawing for players to collect along with a new leaderboard and achievements for the DJ Box pack and various other optimizations and improvements. Cut the Rope is available from the App Store in two versions, Cut the Rope ($1) for the iPhone and iPod touch and Cut the Rope HD ($2) for the iPad.

Jarre has launched its new AeroPad Two speaker for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod. Available with a black, white, or bamboo front finish, the AeroPad Two features multiple 30-pin docks in the front center to provide for vertical or horizontal placement of the connected device, a USB port with support for WMA, AIFF, WAV, and MP3 files, an auxiliary input for other audio sources, five speakers, including a dedicated subwoofer, 200 Watts of total power, an included remote control, and chrome-finished stainless steel on the bottom and rear. Jarre’s AeroPad Two speaker for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod is now available for pre-order and will ship in September for €699, or roughly $925. [via Gizmodo]

Rogue Amoeba has released a major update to Airfoil Speakers Touch adding native iPad support and a new optional feature for receiving audio directly from iTunes and other AirPlay audio sources. Originally designed as a companion app for the company’s Airfoil for Mac and Windows, Airfoil Speakers Touch allows users to listen to audio streamed wirelessly from their computer to their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Version 3.0 adds a new “Enhanced Receiving” feature, available as a $3 in-app purchase, that presents Airfoil Speakers Touch as a remote AirPlay audio device, allowing users to stream directly from iTunes and other iOS devices without requiring Airfoil to be running on the computer. The new version also adds support for remotely controlling and displaying track info and artwork from a number of additional sources streamed via Airfoil for Mac. Airfoil Speakers Touch is now a universal app and is available from the App Store as a free download. Streaming audio from a computer requires Airfoil for Mac or Airfoil for Windows or an AirPlay compatible application such as iTunes with the purchase of the $3 in-app upgrade for Enhanced Receiving.

Just announced this morning, Apple has already sold out of tickets for its 2012 Worldwide Developers Conference. According to a notice on Apple’s official WWDC website, tickets are sold out, roughly two hours after they went on sale. “We’ll be posting videos of all our sessions shortly after the conference, so everyone can take advantage of great WWDC content for free,” reads a consolatory message. Last year’s conference sold out in just 12 hours.

Only a month after its debut on the App Store, Rovio Mobile has already released an update to Angry Birds Space adding ten new levels to the popular new Angry Birds adaptation. Angry Birds Space takes the eponymous birds into the final frontier with a new graphical theme and new space-based gameplay physics and activities. The ten new levels put the pigs in motion, challenging players to take them out while orbiting around ice planets. The update also offers players up to 20 free Space Eagle power ups that can be obtained daily simply by logging in each day and addresses stability issues on older devices. The game is available in two separate versions, Angry Birds Space ($1) for the iPhone and iPod touch and Angry Birds Space HD for the iPad ($3).

Reporting its first quarter fiscal results, Sprint today announced that it activated 1.5 million iPhones during the March quarter. According to the company, 44 percent of those were sold to new customers. While the activation number may appear low compared to AT&T’s 4.3 million activations and Verizon’s 3.2 million, the 1.5 million number actually accounts for roughly 5 percent of Sprint’s total postpaid subscriber base of 32.8 million. Sprint started to offer the iPhone last fall with the launch of the iPhone 4S.

Apple this morning announced that it will hold its annual Worldwide Developers Conference June 11 through June 15 at its traditional venue of Moscone West in San Francisco. According to the company, developers at this year’s conference will “learn about the future of iOS and OS X”, and will have access to more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers. The announcement lacks any mention of a Keynote Address; however, Apple has in the past used a later announcement—traditionally closer to the event itself—to outline its Keynote plans.

“We have a great WWDC planned this year and can’t wait to share the latest news about iOS and OS X Mountain Lion with developers,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The iOS platform has created an entirely new industry with fantastic opportunities for developers across the country and around the world.”