Huge Canabalt Update: Game Center, Retina Display, 60fps

If you enjoyed playing Canabalt on your iPhones and iPads before, I think it’s time you give the app another try. Because, frankly, you didn’t really break any records. You can do better, and you know it. Most of all, the latest 1.6 update that just showed up in iTunes adds true Retina-ready graphics to the iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4th gen, 60fps on all Retina devices (that means it’s now super-smooth in all its pixel glory), Game Center integration (for leaderboards, I guess) and various tweaks and bug fixes. The update is free for all existing owners of the recently open-sourced game.

It’s the same Canabalt you know and love, only a lot smoother, faster and beautiful. Available at $0.99 for iPhone and iPad. You can’t miss this.

WebCamera Puts iSight On Your iPhone, iPod For Video Chatting

The iSight is actually pretty darned good when it comes to taking photos and video. My Twitter avatar? That’s totally done with just the iSight. When I was asked to check out WebCamera, I had my doubts about how well it would function as a disembodied iSight. Turns out it works pretty decently, though I can’t see myself deploying WebCamera full-time. It’s handy when you need to show off pics of your family in real time - you’d look kind of silly walking around with a MacBook, prying the lid back, and trying to aim the darned thing everywhere. WebCamera gives you the freedom to move and record over your local network by turning your iPhone into a WebCam, making it useful to revisit all the relatives who already miss you from the Holidays.

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Joby’s GorillaMobile Yogi Gives Your iPad Legs

The iPad is only as versatile as a flat piece of cardboard when it comes to holding or propping the device against your pillow. While many cases have hit the market in the past month in an attempt to give our iPads some additional ergonomic superpowers, Joby has stepped outside of the box by bringing our favorite camera tripod, the GorillaPod, to our iPads. Via a slotted sleeve that can accept a pair of curvy legs in portrait or landscape orientation, Joby promises your iPad is adaptable to just about anything. While I wouldn’t be so ballsy to leave my iPad hanging from a cupboard (if that things hits the floor…), but this would really great for propping on the arm of a chair, in the backseat of a car, or even wrapping it around your forearm as an anti-little-brother mechanism. You can check out the video above for a slightly creepy product demo of Joby’s latest creation, or you can skip past the nonense and buy it direct for $49.95.

[Joby GorillaMobile Yogi via Gizmodo]

Apple Releases Updates for GarageBand and iMovie

A few minutes ago Apple released an update to iMovie and GarageBand, which reach version 9.0.1 and 6.0.1, respectively. The GarageBand update improves the overall stability and performances of the app, removes latency on certain guitar tracks and fixes issues related to Flex Time edits. It is a recommended update for all GarageBand users and it’s a 47.5 MB available in Software Update now or on Apple’s website.

iMovie 9.0.1 fixes an issue with stabilization not applying correctly to videos shot on the iPhone and iPod touch, improves performances in the Project library and improves compatibility with cameras that record videos in multiple formats. It’s a 27.5 MB update available in Software Update or on Apple’s website.

Full changelogs embedded below. Read more

The Japanese Government Wants Apple To Add Filters To The iPhone

The iPhone is becoming one of Japan’s best selling smartphones – something quite strange for a country that’s not usually huge on products coming from the States, or Europe – and now the Japanese government is asking Apple and Softbank, the iPhone carrier in the land of the Rising Sun, to add content filters on the iPhone by default. To prevent teenagers from accessing “harmful” web content (can we have a guess? porn) and, generally, stuff they shouldn’t be able to see on a smartphone, the National Police Agency requires handsets markers to ship devices with this kind of filtering.

As you can imagine, this isn’t going to be easy for the Japanese government and Softbank, who’s just the middle man between Cupertino and the Japanese folks lining up to buy iPhones every day. Softbank can’t install proprietary code on the iPhone – they should open an iPhone first and find a way to give it to customers with some filtering software enabled. But we know iOS doesn’t allow for these kinds of software to be installed. So it’s all on Apple now, which has to evaluate whether or not they should follow the Japanese government’s request.

The way I see it, Japan will have to wait for filters to come on their iPhones for a long time. [via TUAW]

Mac App Store Preview: Lyrica

Lyrica is an upcoming new Mac app created by 17 year-old German developer Florian Zand which has been submitted to Apple for approval and should be available on the Mac App Store on January 6. As the name suggests, the app is aimed at fetching and displaying song lyrics – which is a pretty common task, although Lyrica has a few tricks up its sleeve that should grant it a relevant position in the new App Store. First off, the app queries 6 different lyric databases to find the most appropriate lyrics for the songs you’re listening to. Of course, Lyrica automatically takes the music that’s playing in iTunes and contacts the servers on its own. You just have to fire it up and wait a few seconds for the lyrics to show up on screen.

Lyrica can change from a classic OS X grey window to a more unobtrusive translucent black panel that can easily sit on top of any app without getting in the way. If lyrics for a song can’t be found, you can add them manually from the app itself. In addition for “now playing” capabilities, the app can also add lyrics to a specific playlist or your entire iTunes library – that will take a few minutes though, as it’ll have to tag your whole music collection.

We look forward to seeing Lyrica available in the Mac App Store on January 6. More information about the app will be available on the developer’s website here.

Remote Conductor: All-in-One OS X Controller for iPad

If you’re that kind of user who has set up a home entertainment system based on a machine running OS X, then probably you’re always looking for the next big thing in remote control. Several users, instead of buying a dedicated set-top box like an Apple TV or a Roku Player, prefer to get a relatively entry-level machine like a Mac Mini and route all their music, movies and photos through it. Because entertainment aside, the thing also happens to be a computer that can backup itself on a daily basis and serve content to other computers or iOS devices in the house. Just think of all the iTunes libraries or Plex installations shared through Mac Minis or, at best, Mac Pros that are powerful enough to be both desktop machines and entertainment systems for when the work is done and all you need is a good movie. A Mac computer set for such tasks, however, needs a good remote control system because, frankly, you just can’t use a mouse and keyboard on your couch.

Sure, you could use an Apple Remote and get most of your things done without having to lift a finger, but what about all those times when you want to use the stuff a computer also comes with – you know, like a web browser and high-def Youtube videos scaled to take all your TV screen? After all, even if geared towards home entertainment purposes, it’s a computer. And it needs to be remotely controlled. You could buy a VNC app like Screens for your iPhone and iPad, and control the computer that’s running on the TV in front of you with the comfort of also having it in your hands, in a portable app. Perhaps, though, you don’t need to have its screen mirrored on an iOS device and you just want a remote app that acts like a touchpad and lets you quickly launch and quit apps, and check on running ones.

Remote Conductor, a new iPad app by m3me, aims at reinventing the “remote controlling” app genre by combining in a single package features like a touchpad, multi-touch gestures support and some sort of application launcher and OS X-like Exposè to let you easily and effortlessly control your Mac’s screen from anywhere in your room using an iPad. Read more

Griffin Set to Release Crayola ColorStudio™ HD for iPad

Griffin Technology, with a special partnership with Crayola, has announced the new Crayola ColorStudio HD. It’s a new iPad accessory that uses the “iMarker”, a AA battery-powered digital stylus, plus the Crayola ColorStudio HD app, to allows young artists to color and interact with “live” animated coloring books. Printing is available in-app on iPads running iOS 4.2 or later. Maybe this is one reason to actually use AirPrint, then you can hang your kids’ works of art on your fridgerators. Have a little Picasso on your hands? Shared them via e-mail or Facebook. The Crayola ColorStudio HD will be available in Spring 2011 for $30.

Looks like my son will be getting a great birthday present (as long as he shares with his dad and little sister)! Read more