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Lynx Joining European iAds Next Week

Even though I still haven’t managed to see the popular Renault iAd in any app (yet I grabbed some screenshots of the Tron one yesterday), it looks like Apple keeps on signing advertisers for its European iAd service.

According to MarketingWeek, Unilever’s Lynx Excite (a body spray) will go live with a “fresh” new campaign on Apple’s iAd next week. We assume it’ll be an iPhone campaign, as the one Disney launched for Tron on the iPad was a “demo” of interactive advertisements to come on the tablet in 2011. You may remember Unilever was one of the partners Apple mentioned when they announced iAds were coming to Europe. Read more

Latest Apple TV Update Addresses Download, Resolution Issues

Apple released iOS 4.2.1 for Apple TV 2nd gen last night, which is labelled as “4.1.1” in the device’s built-in software update checker tool. The OS was a 267MB download on Apple’s servers, and that lead us to think that it was mainly aimed at fixing a few bugs found in the previous build.

According to a support document on Apple’s website, the 4.1.1 update fixes issues related to resolution and download of movies and TV shows.

TV resolution fix: Addresses an issue that causes some high-definition TVs to incorrectly display at 480p.

Download fix: Addresses an issue that may cause a movie or TV show to be re-downloaded.

As we reported last night, the 4.1.1 update doesn’t seem to provide a fix for the “color issues” with certain Sony and Philips televisions.

Toshiba Denies Rumors Of Apple’s Interest In Toshiba Mobile Display

Yesterday we reported that, according to the Nikkei business daily, Toshiba was building a $1.19 billion factory “mainly to supply to Apple Inc’s iPhones”. That’s quite a statement, as it would imply that Cupertino is somehow interested in expanding its mobile display supply chain.

Digitimes has posted a follow-up to the story:

Toshiba has denied rumors that Apple will invest in the new production plant of its small- to medium-size panel subsidiary, Toshiba Mobile Display (TMD).

Panel makers indicated that the rumors could make sense because of limited capacity for LTPS in the market, as well as the possibility to develop AMOLED solutions by leveraging the LTPS production line.

Expect more to come up in the next weeks.

Lastify Brings Additional Last.fm Features to Spotify

Another week, another SIMBL plugin that brings additional features to a Mac app. This time, instead of adding new functionalities to Tweetie for Mac, we’re going to add some spicy Last.fm integration to Spotify for Mac which, by default, only scrobbles tracks to the popular music service.

Lastify, developed by George Brocklehurst, injects a Last.fm in Spotify for Mac that allows you to “love” and “ban” tracks, tag them and add them to a playlist. Once you’ve downloaded the Lastify bundle, extract it and place the file in /Library/Application Support/SIMBL/Plugins or ~/Library/Application Support/SIMBL/Plugins if you want to install it for all user or just your account, respectively. Restart Spotify after that. To reveal the sidebar, resize the main Spotify window.

The integration with Last.fm is pretty sweet and works as you’d expect. Perhaps SIMBL isn’t the most elegant solution, but it works. Go download the latest Lastify build here.

3 U.K. To Offer Unlimited Internet Access→

3 U.K. To Offer Unlimited Internet Access

The New York Times:

3 U.K., a unit of Hutchison Whampoa, based in Hong Kong, is the fourth-largest mobile operator in Britain and is known for offering the lowest-cost plans. The company’s unlimited data offer is limited to the British market, according to documents describing the new pricing plan obtained by the International Herald Tribune.

In Europe, 3 also has networks in Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland and Austria.

Perhaps this new strategy won’t force the bigger European guys (Vodafone, Telecom, O2) to change their tiered plans. But think of this unlimited plan as a way to promote a certain smartphone from Apple coming out next year.

Update: Or, as Brad McCarty over at TNW puts it – “you can now walk into a 3 retailer, purchase an iPhone 4 at £69, then pay £35 per month for 2,000 minutes, 5,000 texts plus “all-you-can-eat” data. That’s compelling, no matter how you look at it.”

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First Infinity Blade Update To Drop Next Week→

First Infinity Blade Update To Drop Next Week

Work started on new content the day after the game’s five-month development ended, so Chair already has some goodies on deck. Next week’s addition, as well as another planned for January, will include more “booster packs,” as Mustard describes them – some additional content to keep things fresh and help entertain us sad sacks who’ve mastered all the gear.

Next week’s pack includes five new weapons, five new shields, five new helmets and a new armor set; enough equipment to increase the level cap to 45.

Also: new areas to explore (dungeons), more details about the God King, new enemies for experienced users. Multiplayer mode won’t be available in next week’s update, and the developers didn’t provide a release date. I think January would be perfect.

Don’t expect free-roaming to come anytime soon.

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MacStories’ 2010 Roundup: Top 10 iPhone Camera Apps

Welcome to MacStories’ 2010 Roundup! In this new series, we collect the best apps released in 2010 for the Mac, iPhone and iPad — apps we have probably already featured here on MacStories. Only the best apps, both free and paid. Apps you shouldn’t miss.

For me, 2010 has been the year of the iPhone camera. Since I bought my French iPhone 4 in June for a whoppin’ 800 Euros (don’t even ask), I’ve been shooting photos like never before. Sure, I know the iPhone 4 is still a cellphone and true photos don’t come from a phone. I’m OK with that. But I’m no professional photographer, nor am I willing to spend money on a DSLR. Not because I disdain quality – I just wouldn’t know how to fully enjoy it. Leave the pro tools to the pros. For me, the iPhone 4’s camera is good enough to provide photos I like, that I can share with my friends.

Which leads me to apps. The iPhone’s camera is great, but apps are there to enrich its functionalities. Apps with built-in sharing features, apps with filters, apps that rely on their own social network, apps aimed at completely replacing the stock camera…the selection is huge. Photography is, indeed, one of the best selling categories in the App Store right behind Games and Productivity.

In this second MacStories’ 2010 Roundup we have collected the top 10 camera apps for the iPhone. We could have included more, but these are the ones that in our opinion really stood out this year. So head past the break, and check out the Top 10 iPhone Camera Apps of 2010. Read more

Apple Releases iOS 4.2.1 For Apple TV

As reported by MacRumors, a few minutes ago Apple released a software update for the Apple TV. The build is 8C154 and it’s labelled as iOS 4.2.1 for Apple TV second generation. This is a direct link to the update, courtesy of iOS E Lite. As you can see, it’s a 267MB download.

The update is also available through the Apple TV’s built-in software update checker. A changelog for the new OS hasn’t been provided yet, nor is the update online on Apple’s download website.

In spite of the update file being registered as “iOS 4.2.1” on Apple’s servers, the Apple TV reports “4.1.1” as the new installed OS. The same happened on November 22 when Apple released iOS 4.2.1 for iPhone and iPad and announced the availability of iOS 4.2 for the new Apple TV, although the built-in updater tool reported 4.1 as being installed.

According to early reports on Apple’s discussion boards, the update hasn’t fixed the color issues reported by several Philips and Sony TV owners.

Read more

USB, SD and Micro SD In A Single iPad Camera Connection Kit

Feeling a little disconnected from your iPad lately? Do you think you could use some extra gadgets to make sure your favorite tablet can communicate with any other device in your room?

Give this 3-in-1 camera connection kit for iPad a try: it features USB, SD and Micro SD connection in a single (and unofficial) dongle that can be yours for just $25 from M.I.C. Gadget. Too bad it’ll be available “soon”.

While the idea sounds definitely interesting, I do wonder how many devices will be able to work with the connection kit on iOS 4.2. Granted, Apple doesn’t want you to use keyboards and Guitar Hero mics with the Camera Connection Kit, but I bought one yesterday and a simple 8GB USB key is not working on it thanks to iOS 4.2. Perhaps hackers will find a way to beam more power to the Camera Connection Kit soon. [via Gizmodo]