iLounge

Rovio has released another update to Angry Birds, adding fifteen new tropical-themed levels along with a new set of power-ups. Continuing the beach vacation theme introduced in the last update, the newest version adds four new power-ups: King Sling, Birdquake, Super Seeds and Sling Scope to help players gain the elusive third star on even the most challenging levels. The game is available in two separate versions: Angry Birds ($1) for the iPhone and iPod touch and Angry Birds HD ($3) for the iPad.

Apple has updated its Apple Store app for the iPhone and iPod touch adding the ability for customers to have Pages, Keynote and Numbers pre-installed on any MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac or Mac Pro ordered from the Apple Store. Added to the Apple Store on the web earlier this week, the new option allows users to choose to bundle the purchase of any of the iWork apps with their new Mac, which will come already installed from the Mac App Store in the same way as the iLife apps—iPhoto, GarageBand and iMovie—presently do. The latest update to the Apple Store app also includes performance enhancements designed to improve the shopping experience. Apple Store 2.3 requires iOS 5.0 or later and is available from the App Store as a free download.

Epic Games and Chair Entertainment have released another new content update for the critically acclaimed iOS game Infinity Blade II. The new content pack, dubbed Skycages, expands upon the storyline of the Deathless with new areas to explore and relics to discover along with new enemies, weapons and other items. The update also includes a completely new weapon type to master—the Solar Transport Energy Blades along with a collection of 30 new other weapons, magic rings, shields, helmets and armor. New Achievements have also been added, as well as new gems and treasure maps and exclusive ClashMob challenges. Infinity Blade II is a universal app requiring an iPhone 3GS/4/4S, third- or fourth-generation iPod touch or iPad and is available from the App Store for $3.

Amazon has released its new Amazon Instant Video app for the iPad. The app, which requires iOS 4.3 or later, allows users to watch movies and TV shows from Amazon’s streaming library. Amazon Prime members can watch titles from Prime Instant Video for no additional cost, while all users can watch over 120,000 videos available from the Amazon Instant Video store. Purchased and Rented videos can be downloaded to the device for offline video, and users can also add videos to their Watchlists and resume watching videos they have already started thanks to Amazon Whispersync. Amazon’s Instant Video app for the iPad is available now as a free download from the App Store.

Inkling has updated its iPad interactive book application adding support for the iPhone and iPod touch along with synchronization features designed to help with reading content across multiple devices. Inkling 3.0 is now a universal app and users can download and read all of their purchased Inkling content on their iPhone and iPod touch at no additional charge. Highlights and bookmarks are also now automatically synced between devices, including not only iOS devices but also Windows PCs and Macs. Inkling on the iPhone and iPod touch features a user interface specifically designed for the smaller screen and also allows users to download content on a per-chapter basis to conserve space and data usage. Inkling 3.0 requires iOS 5.0 or later and is available from the App Store as a free download.

Good.iWare has updated GoodReader with direct support for Microsoft SkyDrive and improved support for a number of other online services via WebDAV. With GoodReader 3.17 users can now configure server-style connections to Microsoft SkyDrive as well as configuring automatic synchronization. The update also adds support for Novell NetStorage servers and Microsoft Office 365 and SharePoint servers via WebDAV and adds a new “Windows-style name encoding” setting for WebDAV connections to address issues when uploading or synchronizing files named with accented characters to Windows-based servers. GoodReader is available in separate, device-specific versions: GoodReader for iPad ($5) and GoodReader for iPhone ($5).

Vimov has released a major update to Weather HD adding a number of new features including 3D weather maps, Push Notifications for severe weather alerts, new social features and more. Weather HD 2 adds a new set of high-quality weather animations along with unique 3D Weather Maps and a QuickView feature that allows users to easily see the weather at multiple locations at once. Users can also share the current weather with their friends, and users in the U.S. and Europe can configure Push Notifications to receive severe weather alerts. An optional MultiForecast feature is also now available via in-app purchase that adds Accuweather and MeteoGroup weather data. Weather HD 2 is available from the App Store for $1.

Avko Labs has released Feed The Penguin, a new logic game featuring unique, original artwork drawn using brushes and special painting techniques. The game puts the player in the role of a penguin who lives in a six-room flat and must solve logic problems in order to get fish, biscuits, strawberry ice cream and sausages. To solve the puzzles players plot the penguin’s path by adjusting a curve to collect all of the food items while avoiding obstacles such as boots, towels, teapots, cockroaches and spiders. Each level also includes three light bulbs that players are challenged to light up by passing over with the penguin in order to unlock the next room of levels. The game provides six rooms consisting of 20 levels each, for a total of 120 levels. Feed The Penguin is currently available from the App Store in a Premium version for $1; a free, three-room version is also expected to be released soon.

Google has released a major update to its Google Earth iOS app adding support for 3D cityscapes along with a new Tour Guide feature. Google Earth 7.0 now allows users to access a 3D flyover view of select cities; 3D imagery currently is currently available for Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Geneva and Rome with new cities said to be added in the coming weeks. A new Tour Guide feature in the latest version also allows users to virtually explore new places with tours of major cities, historic landmarks and natural wonders. Google Earth 7.0 is a universal app requiring iOS 4.3 or later and is available from the App Store as a free download. The new 3D imagery feature requires an iPhone 4S, iPad 2 or third-generation iPad.

Path has released an update to its iPhone personal social networking application adding support for sharing movies and books and making several improvements to capturing and enhancing photos within the app. With Path 2.5 users can now share the movies they watch and books they read complete with full previews, actor and author pages, synopses and reviews. The update also sports an improved camera mode that allows users to capture both square and landscape photos and videos and fix and improve photos with Glo, Depth, Zoom and Crop tools.

The new version also improves both invitations and notifications, allowing users to send personalized invitations to friends that can include recorded audio messages. Users can also receive newly designed and more easily accessible rich notifications from friends and take advantage of a new “For Friends” notification feature for keeping up with conversations. Additional enhancements include larger photo and video display, support for taking photos using the volume button, simplified single-tap video recording, and new friend suggestions and “nudging” features to help encourage participation. Path 2.5 requires iOS 4.3 or later and is available from the App Store as a free download.

Rovio has released another free content update to Angry Birds Space, the latest instalment in its popular game franchise. The new update expands upon the food planet Utopia series introduced in May, adding two new characters and 20 additional levels. The Orange Bird gets a superhero makeover in this edition and a brand new space egg character is introduced. The update also includes 10 new bonus levels that can be unlocked by achieving three stars on the prior levels and a gigantic new boss fight to test players’ skills. Angry Birds Space is available in separate iPhone/iPod touch and iPad versions: Angry Birds ($1) and Angry Birds HD ($3).

Apple has released updates to Pages, Numbers and Keynote for compatibility with the new iCloud Documents features in Mountain Lion and the corresponding Mac OS X updates released yesterday. The three apps, now at version 1.6.1, simply now list that they work with iCloud to make documents, spreadsheets and presentations automatically available between iOS devices and the corresponding Mac OS X applications, with changes made on one device now being “instantly available” on the other. The three iWork apps for iOS were originally updated to add iCloud support last fall with the initial debut of iCloud in iOS 5, allowing users to share documents, spreadsheets and presentations between multiple iOS devices. However, iCloud support did not come to iWork for the Mac until yesterday’s release of OS X Mountain Lion; these latest iOS updates appear to be primarily focused on ensuring compatibility with iCloud on the Mac. Pages, Numbers and Keynote 1.6.1 are universal apps and require iOS 5.1 or later. Each is sold separately from the App Store for $10.

Apple has released a minor update to its Podcasts app focused on performance, stability and usability improvements. Originally released last month, the new standalone Podcasts app is designed to replace the Podcast playback functionality previously incorporated into the iOS Music app with additionl features such as the ability to search for and subscribe to new podcasts and download or stream podcast episodes over a 3G or Wi-Fi connection.

In addition to listing “significant improvements to performance and stability,” the Podcasts 1.0.1 update adds several small user interface tweaks, including displaying the number of unplayed episodes for each Podcast in the user’s library, displaying the Podcast titles in Top Stations in place of missing artwork, remembering the last-used playback speed when switching between episodes, and fixing problems with the Subscribe button and Top Stations artwork. Podcasts 1.0.1 is a universal app requiring iOS 5.1 or later and is available from the App Store as a free download.

Denys Yevenko has released Cloud Outliner, a new iOS application designed for easily creating and organizing ideas across multiple devices. Cloud Outliner provides a full-featured editor that employs touch-based drag-and-drop gestures for creating and editing outlines along with the ability to select multiple rows to reorder, indent or delete in a single operation and copy and paste rows between different outlines and other iOS apps. Outlines can optionally incorporate checkboxes and users can hide checked rows and view outlines in either portrait or landscape orientation. Outlines can be synchronized to an Evernote account as well as across multiple iOS devices via iCloud where they can be edited from any device and users can also send outlines via e-mail in either plain text or OPML format and import OPML outlines from other applications. Cloud Outliner is a universal app requiring iOS 4.0 or later, with iOS 5.0 required for iCloud support and is available from the App Store for $3.

Apple has released an update to its universal iTunes U app adding new note-taking and sharing features and improvements to searching within the app. iTunes U 1.2 now allowed users to take notes directly in the app while watching or listening to a lecture. An improved search feature now allows users to search for text within posts, assignments, notes and other course materials from any of their subscribed courses, and users can now also share their favourite courses with friends via Twitter, Mail or Messages. iTunes U 1.2 is a universal app requiring iOS 5.0 or later and is available from the App Store as a free download.

Web Information Solutions has updated Pocket Informant, its personal information manager for iOS devices, adding universal and Retina Display support to the iPad version, an upgraded engine for better performance and stability and numerous other new features and enhancements. With Version 2.5, Pocket Informant HD has been renamed Pocket Informant Pro and is now a universal app adding iPhone and iPod touch support to the previously iPad-only version, while the basic iPhone edition of Pocket Informant remains non-universal but has been upgraded with the other new features and improvements.

Pocket Information 2.5 also introduces a online sync service designed specifically for Pocket Informant to allow users to keep their data synchronized across all of their devices, available as an optional in-app purchase. A rewritten iOS Event engine improves performance and allows users to choose between the custom Pocket Informant editor or the standard iOS editor. Users can also now assign multiple locations to a context and assign locations directly an individual task, complete with location alarms. Locations can be bookmarked and users can view recently used locations. Improvements have also been made to managing subtasks and calendar/tag filtering along with a new “Simple task” mode and several improvements to the date picker. Settings, audio notes and the database can also now be backed up and restored via Dropbox. The new version also improves synchronization with Google Tasks and updates Google Calendar support to accommodate the latest changes by Google and adds localizations in Turkish and Korean. Pocket Informant remains available from the App Store in two separate versions: Pocket Informant ($10) for the iPhone and iPod touch and Pocket Informant Pro ($12), a universal app supporting the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Sparrow, developer of the popular Mac and iOS e-mail client of the same name, has announced that it has been acquired by Google. In a post on the company’s web site and an e-mail sent out to customers, Sparrow CEO Dom Leca indicates that the company will be joining the Gmail team “to accomplish a bigger vision” that it feels it can better achieve working with Google. Leca goes on to note that they will continue to make the Sparrow e-mail client available and provide support for its users, including any critical updates that may be required, however they do expect to be working on new projects at Google and do not plan to release any new features for the Sparrow apps.

Gameloft has released The Dark Knight Rises, a new exclusive gaming experience inspired by the concluding instalment in the Batman movie trilogy. The new game challenges players to take on the role of Bruce Wayne as Batman to protect Gotham City through a collection of missions dealing with hostage situations, bomb squads, jailbreaks and car chases. To succeed, players must learn to take advantage of the variety of tools in Batman’s arsenal and master different fighting moves to take on a variety of villains. Players can also climb into vehicles such as the Bat-Pod and The Bat to drive and fly through Gotham City on special missions, exploring the city and its different districts across a huge map. The Dark Knight Rises includes an immersive storyline with likenesses of key characters from the movie such as Catwoman, Lucius Fox and Commissioner Gordon along with detailed high-resolution graphics and soundtrack. The Dark Knight Rises requires an iPhone 3GS/4/4S, third- or fourth-generation iPod touch or iPad running iOS 4.0 or later and is available from the App Store for $7.

Update: Our full review of The Dark Knight Rises is available here.

Omer Shoor has released an update to Photogene² for iPhone adding new photo annotation tools along with several other features and enhancements. In Photogene² 1.3 users can now take advantage of new annotations to add arrows and markers to photos and collages and can also rotate text boxes, add curved edges in collages and modify vignette colour. Photos are also now displayed in full resolution in the editor and a new oil-painting filter has also been added along with the ability to add or modify geo-tagging of photos and search for albums by name. The export menu has also been redesigned and users can now choose a destination folder when exporting photos to Dropbox and export IPTC metadata in XMP format. Users of the in-app Pro upgrade can also now geo-tag photos in bulk and copy and paste geo-tags between photos, add textual watermarks, and set DPI for exported photos. Photogene² for iPhone is available from the App Store for $1.

Hemisphere Games has introduced multiplayer support to its hit game Osmos in a major free update released earlier today. In Osmos (iLounge Rating: A) players control a ball known as a Mote by tapping to navigate it through a pool of fluid, absorbing nearby smaller motes to grow in size while avoiding larger objects and other obstacles; challenges across numerous levels include growing larger than other objects in the pool or absorbing specific target objects. The game also provides a unique physics engine and numerous small gameplay-enhancing touches such as gravity attractors, time warping controls and AI opponents to add strategy and unique gameplay throughout each level.

Osmos 2.0 takes the game into a new dimension by allowing players to challenge their friends to a mote-eat-mote absorption fest of skill and strategy in any of six distinct arenas via either local Wi-Fi/Bluetooth) or online Game Center play. The update also adds a new unique level type for multiplayer, Antimatter Impasse. iPad vs iPhone play is also supported for local multiplayer games, while Game Center requires all users to be on the same device. Additional enhancements in the new update include support for Retina Display graphics in the iPad version, Twitter integration for sending out achievements and challenges to friends and followers, and numerous audio/visual enhancements. Osmos 2.0 is available in separate, device-specific versions: Osmos ($3) for the iPhone and iPod touch and Osmos for iPad ($5). Both require iOS 4.1 or later.