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Fresh iPhone Apps for Sep. 23: Instagram update, Alarm Clock, Kula Blox, Tiny Defense – iPhone app article – Phil Hornshaw

An update to Instagram, the popular social photo-sharing app, leads today’s Fresh iPhone Apps, along with Alarm Clock for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, an app that is a great deal spiffier than the alarm clock with which your iOS device shipped. for this weekend’s games, check out Kula Blox, a falling game controlled by tilting your phone, and tiny Defense, a Plants vs. Zombies-like title with robots!

It’s still the easiest, coolest free photography social networking app out there, and Instagram just got cooler with its new 2.0 update. The app is known for its photo filters that users can apply after they take shots, as well as its photo-sharing capabilities both on the Instagram network and on other networks, such as Twitter and Facebook. in Instagram 2.0, you get four new filters and even more features to make Instagram even better.

The app now allows users to add live filters to photos, rather than having to add filters to photos after taking them. you can also rotate photos after shooting, add or remove borders and save filtered photos to your device’s camera roll without posting to Instagram’s network.

Sure, your iPhone includes an alarm clock when you buy it, but it’s not a cool alarm clock. Alarm Clock for iPhone iPod Touch and iPad, on the other hand, packs several cool themes to go with its alarm clock, regular clock, sleep timer and weather information. The app also lets you use your own iPod music to create a wake-up playlist for when you get up in the morning.

Alarm Clock allows you to set multiple alarms with different tunes, and the app will run in the background and keep your timers while you use other apps. you can also use it check the weather conditions and temperature instantly in your area, so you can wake up with all the information you need to face the day.

A plane full of crated animals has dropped its cargo over the jungle, giving you – a predator among the other falling animals – the opportunity to snack on your fellow captives as they drop to the forest floor below. Kula Blox is played by tilting your phone back and forth to guide your predator toward animals it can eat, trying to consume as many as you can before you hit the ground. The more animals you eat, the more points you rack up.

Each level of Kula Blox has you eating as many animals as you can; once you hit enough, your predator will grow and be able to eat new animals. Racking up a score high enough master each level can be tricky, and you’ll need to unlock new predators and their special abilities – like the leopard’s charge or the falcon’s flight – in order to hit the highest marks. The game also lets you use Game Center to share your scores on its online leaderboards.

A Plants vs. Zombies-like game of robots fighting robots, tiny Defense is all about fighting off approaching enemies. You’ll deploy your robots on the field from left to right, in order to defend against ground- and air-based enemies with as many as 40 different kinds of defense robots.

Tiny Defense includes 150 campaign levels across three different episodes. It also has 30 different mini-games you can play around with, Game Center support for online leaderboards and achievements, and plenty of unlockables to gather through the course of the game.

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Tough Judge Sets AT&T Antitrust Trial for Feb. 13

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“This is a four to three merger,” Bruce Schneider, antitrust lawyer with Stroock in New York told IBTimes. “There are four principal competitors today but if this merger goes through, there would be only three. And that is sometimes challengeable.”

AT&T and T-Mobile, which is owned by Deutsche Telekom, have fought back vigorously. besides winning support from 11 state attorneys general, they have advertised and lobbied heavily in Washington, emphasizing customer commitment.

As well, their investment bankers have a lot at stake. the merger deal includes a $3 billion cash breakup fee, along with services valued as high as another $3 billion.

AT&T’s bankers include JPMorganChase, Evercore and Greenhill, while T-Mobile is advised by Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse and Citigroup. Sprint-Nextel is advised by Goldman Sachs.

In one sense, Apple’s iPhone helped create the deal.

The reason is that when it was introduced, the mobile network of Dallas-based AT&T was overwhelmed by iPhone users, who ate up bandwidth. the AT&T network become the butt of jokes about dropped calls and bad service.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile, based in Bellevue, Wash., while much smaller, had invested in more 4G technology. for the partners, the deal made sense, especially because Deutsche Telekom wanted to unload its U.S. network for a profit.

T-Mobile was also known for being “a price maverick”, Stroock’s Schneider told IBTimes. so the government can argue that folding it into AT&T removes a strong player from the market, he added.

But mobile telecommunications had become so necessary and the big providers so few that the Justice Department entered to stop it. Sprint-Nextel, based in Overland Park, Kan., filed a separate lawsuit along with privately held Cellular South.

In her order, Judge Huvelle told all parties to report to her about talks for a possible settlement. That’s the usual judge’s tactic: get the parties to agree rather than engage in a protracted case.

The Justice Department has already prepared an order for her that would fast-track the case, getting all pre-trial discovery done by Jan. 10 and a trial shortly afterwards. AT&T and T-Mobile, in response, want to have the whole matter thrown out.

Unconfirmed reports say AT&T has been talking with smaller carriers MetroPCS, Leap Wireless, CenturyLink and Dish Network about possible takeovers of parts of the enlarged AT&T. If successful, that could be a method to win an OK from Judge Huvelle.

For the Obama Administration, a vigorous prosecution of this civil case could be a way to show support for “the little guy,” especially after Justice Department antitrust chief Sharis Pozen said, “Any way you look at this transaction, it is anti-competitive.”

Pozen hailed T-Mobile as “an important source of competition among the national carriers through innovation and quality enhancements.”

Schneider, the antitrust lawyer who has no involvement in the case, told IBTimes that Judge Huvelle might try to narrow down issues to less than a handful. one might be to define what market share is in the mobile phone sector. not likely is a well-regarded competition index that AT&T regards as questionable.

AT&T shares closed Wednesday at $28.30, down nearly 2 percent. until then, they had recovered nearly all the ground they lost since the suit was filed, an indicator big investors didn’t think the Justice Department case was a real threat. Nearly 60 percent of AT&T shares are held by large institutions and mutual funds.

Led Zeppelin Photographer Larry Ratner Discusses ‘Live Dreams’ App

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been sharing some great Led Zeppelin photographs from Larry Ratner with you, such as the one featured in this article.

Thanks to Ratner’s generosity, and to celebrate the release of the excellent ‘Live Dreams’ Led Zeppelin photo app, we’ve also been able to offer you the chance (there’s still time!) to win two different exclusive black and white Zeppelin photographs – one of Jimmy Page from 1973 and one of Robert Plant from 1975.

Now, we’re upping the stakes by adding a giveaway for a third, even cooler picture, and while we’re at it we talked to Ratner about how he got to take all these great pictures. So let’s get right to it, check out how subtly we got to the bottom of all this:

How did you end up taking so many pictures of Led Zeppelin?

Working as a studio photographer in 1971, I spent my days at modeling schools and in the company studio. I was just getting heavily into rock and roll and went to my first Zeppelin show. I was totally blown away. it was pretty amazing and I decided that this was something that I wanted to capture on film. I already felt that I had missed out on seeing them so many times in 1969 and 1970, and was not willing to miss much going forward. it really changed my entire focus on photography as an art. I felt that this was a phenomenon that should be depicted by someone who was really feeling it. So when the 1972 tour was announced, I stayed on top of it so that I could have the best situation for getting some good shots. I continued that approach with each tour, and always found a way to garner access, one way or another.

What was the first show you shot?

San Diego 1972. As a general admission show, it was totally chaotic. I chose to brave my way through the crowd and stationed myself about 6 feet from stage front and center. With the frenetic crowd all around me, pushing, shoving, screaming etc., the biggest challenge there was to get a decent focus and to change film. I took over 400 shots that evening. Approximately 12 film roll changes, and changing lenses back and forth was just as challenging.

Were you on assignment for somebody?

No, my focus at the time was strictly to feed my passion. I didn’t have any thoughts of where it could go commercially. I had a job and was a partner in a studio. this was just for me and was something I really enjoyed. I continued that approach with subsequent tours, and actually turned down many licensing offers, even for years after there was no more Led Zeppelin.

Did you ever meet the band?

Many times. Beginning in ’73, at the beginning of that tour and again later on in the tour. along the way, you develop relationships with others that are hanging out with the band. the whole scene was, for lack of a better word, competitive. everybody wanted their ‘moment’. For instance, with some ladies that I was friends with, ‘that moment’ came, where a band member, maybe Robert, would put his arm around the girl and say “See you later, mate!” my best calling card was having a stack of great photos to share.

How did you keep managing to get such great access over the years?

Sometimes it was a temporary relationship of sorts, for example one that I had with Peter Grant (the band’s manager). he actually gave me total access to one show in ’73, to be on the stage while they were playing, as long as I didn’t get in the way. even though earlier in the year, and he had forgotten, that I was the one who, in front of 50,000 people, walked out in front of Bonzo during the drum solo. at the beginning of the ’75 tour, I left no stone unturned. I made sure that the Tour Manager allowed me to supply them with 25 cases of Dom Perignon champagne, much of it delivered to their private jet. I brought an attractive lady around to meet Robert and he and Bonzo spent much time looking through my photos. to totally cover myself, I even made sure that through the Chicago Stadium, I garnered first row-dead center tickets for all three shows.

Is Zeppelin your favorite band? What’s your favorite album, today?

Of course! which album? I would have to say the live ‘How the West Was Won’ set. the studio stuff was always done to the greatest level of perfection possible and they always took a long time in doing that.

But, they were certainly an amazing live band, and the live shows were very different. besides being such an incredibly synergistic unit live, they were different every night. you could have three nights in a row, even with the same set list, and they wouldn’t be even closely similar, as opposed to many other bands. They just felt their way through, and sometimes some absolutely magnificent things happened. Those ’72 California shows were stellar.

So your photos and memories became the basis for a successful limited edition photo book, ‘Live Dreams,’ already. how did it come to be an iPhone App?

I put the Live Dreams project to bed after the second edition in 1996. then, last year, I got a call from a software company that said, ‘we saw your book, and we looked at your photos online, we would like to do an iPhone App based on your photography.’ unfortunately, what they wanted to do with it visually was much different than I had imagined, which was to just create a product out of the photography, which is something that I didn’t want to do. I ended up not working with them, but I decided to move ahead with creating an App. After looking into over a hundred developers from all over the globe to find the right people who could provide the same level of passion, I found this company called Blue Whale. They saw the potential and wanted to be a part of this.

How long did it take to get the whole project together?

We started right around New Year’s. these guys were very smart and passionate, they had great ideas, and they’re quite forgiving when it comes to some of the technical things that I don’t understand. I gave them free reign in terms of coding, and they came up with something that was truly magnificent and exceeded my expectations.

Was there additional work you needed to do, to convert this from a book to an app?

I needed to re-format many of the photos to work with the small format of the iPhone. In addition, I did a lot of extra writing for it. We added in some new stories and descriptions for a lot of the photos, I even did some audio commentary, little stories where I could convey, when you hit the little microphone button, something unique about that photo. often times, there are some unknown facts that people can hear about from me.

Do you have any future plans for your photos?

We’ll begin development soon on the iPad version, which will be different. We wanted to do the iPhone first, because so many more people have the iPhone. this is compatible with the iPad, but it’s not optimized for it. when we do it for the iPad, with that larger pallet and bigger screen, there’s going to be a lot of things that are different. I think it will emulate the book to an even closer degree.

As we mentioned above, Ratner was also kind enough to provide another special photograph for our third and final Led Zeppelin print giveaway. In his own words, “it is one of only two glossy Cibachrome prints I have. I made very few, because they were even more difficult to process in the lab. of course it’s a killer shot of Robert, during ‘In my Time of Dying,’ taken in Indianapolis in 1975. the richness and depth of color from Cibachrome was unrivaled, and remains so. I printed this in 1992. the Print is 11″x 14″ and is presented in an archival mat 16″ x 20″. the last one of these sold in a Soho gallery for $900. this image is a photo of the print, so the actual print is even richer and sharper.” Pretty sweet, right? and all you have to do for a chance to win is to sign up below!

Price Drop: The Monster at the End of This Book (Books)

The Monster at the End of this Book 2.1

Device: iOS Universal Category: Books Price: $3.99 -> $.99, Version: 2.1 (iTunes) Description:

3-Day $0.99 Sale on ALL Sesame Street Apps! We’re celebrating the launch of the new science-filled season of Sesame Street this Monday 9/26 on PBS with a special sale! For this weekend only, all official Sesame Street apps for your iPhone and iPad are only $0.99. Download a fun educational app today, then tune in on Monday morning for our new season!** 2011 Children’s Technology Review, Editor’s Choice Award **** Reached No. 1 in Books in the App Store! **** Named one of Babble’s 50 Best iPhone and iPad Apps for Kids of 2011! **** Optimized for BOTH iPad and iPhone/iPod touch devices **The Monster at the End of this Book enhances the classic Sesame Street book with a completely immersive experience that draws children right into the story. Join lovable, furry old Grover as he tries his very hardest to tie down pages and build brick walls— all to keep readers away from the monster at the end of this book. the all-time favorite you loved as a child comes alive for today’s young readers with interactive play, plus touch-point animation.   Families can share this giggle-filled story together in a brand-new way that children will ask to read again and again. the Monster at the End of this Book is a truly enchanting reading experience for kids—and monsters—of all ages.    Funny, furry features include:    • Lively, interactive animation that responds to your child’s touch  • Narration by lovable old Grover himself  –and tapping Grover makes him talk!• Engaging activities that empower readers to decide how and when to move the story forward—plus encourage kids’ spatial development and listening skills  • Word highlighting to help build beginning reader skills  • Easy-to-follow parent tips for helping kids tackle common fears, reflecting the book’s underlying curriculum messages about courage and labeling emotions• Bookplate personalization — add your child’s name!What’s New

* Optimized animations to fix crashes on iPhone 3G and iPod 2G *As parents ourselves, we know how important it is for children’s apps to be frustration-free. Please email if you experience issues. the Monster at the End of this Book

View full post on AppShopper.com: popular New Apps, Version changes and Price changes for iOS

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Logitech introduces Bluetooth Wireless Boombox and Headset for iPad

Logitech is getting more and more serious when it comes to tablet accessories, launching product after product, and the latest items are the Wireless Headset and Wireless Boombox for iPad, both using Bluetooth technology. While Logitech mentions the iPad in the product name, it’s actually a marketing gimmick, as both peripherals are compatible with iPad/iPad 2, iPhone (3G or later), iPod Touch (2nd gen or later) and tablets, smartphones, music players and other audio sources with Bluetooth A2DP support or 3.5 mm out (Boombox only).

The Logitech Wireless Headset for iPad also supports FaceTime calls thanks to an included microphone. Supported devices are iPad 2, iPhone 4 and iPod touch (4th generation), while voice calls can be made with all iPhone generations.

Both Logitech tablet accessories can get music streams from up to 33 feet (~10 meters) away and feature rechargeable internal batteries that will last you up to 6 hours, so you won’t have to remind yourself to buy batteries. as with many speakers for tablets, Logitech doesn’t rate the power output of the Wireless Boombox for iPad, but we know it should pack plenty of punch thanks to 2 x 3” laser-tuned neodymium drivers, 2 x ½” neodymium tweeters and 4 x 2” passive radiators. That’s 8 speakers, if you want to impress your friends.

Logitech Wireless Headset for iPad

Both Logitech iPad accessories should be available in October for $70 (Headset) and $180 (Boombox). They’re not cheap, but considering the high quality standard offered by Logitech I can forgive them.

Logitech Wireless Boombox for iPad

News of an Unlocked iPhone 3GS All For $350?

According to very credible sources, Apple shall launch the latest and next generation iPhone right at the end of summer during the late part of August. there are rumors that they will start offering the so called iPhone 3GS without the contract for the price of $350. This is to target the market along with the launching of the fifth generation iPhone. there is no certainty though that the very next iPhone will be completely launched with a redesign. Many are thinking it will look just like the iPhone 4 but with all the noted improvements like a much faster processor and even a clearer camera.

There are even other news too that the complete redesign would more look like iPod Touch 4G compared to the look of iPhone 4. there were even news leakage that Apple will come up with a new case. If this would prove true, then there would surely be an iPhone 4S to add up to the iPhone 3GS in prepaid that will be offered by the next couple of months.

There are also news that Apple will not cease to sell the present iPhone 4 to give the company a wide range of gadgets for the lower and middle price segments. Don’t you think that the idea of a free iPhone in exchange of a locked in contract for two years surely sound great all for $350? with this strategy, they need not go through all the hassle of updating the models every year.

KELLNER: OnStar mirror reflects poor technology grasp

The General Motors co., in the form of its OnStar LLC subsidiary, would like you to hie yourself to your nearest best buy and plunk down $300 for a new rearview mirror for your car.

No, this isn’t a sneaky grab at another bailout, but rather the distilled marketing premise of the recently launched OnStar FMV (For My Vehicle), an enhanced rearview mirror that offers many – but not all – of the services offered by the OnStar product installed in millions of GM cars.

OnStar’s premise is to offer a one-button way to contact an “adviser,” who can supply directions, help locate nearby businesses or, in the case of a crash or medical emergency, summon help. on GM models, the service also offers a way to track and immobilize stolen vehicles. on some, it also will start or unlock your car. It can tell if a GM car’s airbags have been deployed in a crash. the latter GM-only features aren’t part of the FMV offering.

The OnStar FMV product brings many of these functions to non-GM car models. most cars on the road can be retrofitted with an OnStar FMV device, the firm says. because it ties into a car’s electrical system, however, this is not a job for the weekend hobbyist, but rather it requires professional installation. (Best buy adds $75 to the basic price when selling the product on its website to cover this.)

At the heart of the OnStar FMV is a small cellphone tucked into the mirror housing. It, plus an accelerometer, a Bluetooth wireless link and some control buttons, are the “guts” of the unit. a small microphone is mounted in the car, along with the mirror, to communicate with OnStar and for hands-free calling.

I’ve been intrigued by the OnStar product for a while – the ads are frequently on satellite radio. For four days, GM provided a Toyota Camry with the device installed, and I learned a lot.

OnStar has been in existence for 15 years on GM models, and the OnStar FMV hews pretty much to the standard product. the accelerometer will detect if your car has crashed and will call an OnStar “adviser” to ask whether you’re all right. If you can’t respond, the adviser will send help; the unit can send your location data to the firm.

A basic OnStar subscription, including emergency response, hands-free calling, and vehicle security/roadside assistance, is $199 a year, paid upfront, or almost $19 a month. (The hands-free calling either taps into your cellphone via Bluetooth or requires the purchase of minutes, at a cost higher than most cellphone plans.) Add turn-by-turn directions and other navigational aids and the monthly service charge brushes up against $29 a month, or $299 a year when paid in full.

I’d like to say this is a product without flaws, and that the full-featured service is worth the price – as some other reviewers have – but I can’t. Five years ago, OnStar FMV would have been a breakthrough product. Today, OnStar FMV reflects a poor grasp of automotive and smartphone technologies.

The product connects to the car’s electrical system, but it won’t “dim,” or lower, the audio of your car radio/CD player when directions are spoken or you get a hands-free call. other Bluetooth integrations – such as the Pioneer aftermarket car stereo in my 2009 Honda CRV or the built-in Bluetooth in my wife’s 2011 Kia Soul – automatically cut the radio when a call comes in. An OnStar spokesman claims this isn’t an issue for most users and that the company will contemplate adding the “dimming” feature in future releases.

Pressing the blue OnStar button should elicit an immediate response; in reality, my calls took as long as 25 to 30 seconds to complete. now, I didn’t crash the car to see how that response would work, but response did seem sluggish. OnStar’s Stefan Cross said the test unit was linked to a “special events team” and that regular customers reach an adviser in 10 seconds and just one second if a crash occurs.

On Saturday night, OnStar just couldn’t download the audio directions from my home to a restaurant six miles away in Laurel. instead, the Map application on my Apple iPhone 4 found the address and got me going while OnStar was struggling. Mr. Cross said this was a rarity, but it was frustrating nonetheless. When directions to other locations worked, they were good, and it was nice to have the verbal cues.

As mentioned, this would have been a great product in 2006. the crash response thing is important, and if I had a teenager at home or at college, I wouldn’t let them drive a car without this. But I don’t have a teenager, and I’ve got Bluetooth, a phone with GPS and supporting turn-by-turn software, and AAA roadside assistance. That’s not everything OnStar FMV offers, but it also doesn’t ask me to pay an additional $675 or so in the first year.

OnStar needs to fine-tune its audio integration, at the very least, to make this a more compelling product. Otherwise, keep driving along and put your money to better use.

• E-mail mkellner@washingtontimes.com.