Blockbuster's been going through a bit of a reinvention over the last few years. It's retail stores are closing in staggering numbers as the company refocuses on becoming a streaming rental service with Blockbuster on Demand. Today that quest becomes a little easier with the service's debut on iOS devices, via a free app.

The Blockbuster on Demand service allows you to stream from a library of thousands of HD movies, including new releases. While the app is free the service requires you to pay by the film and lacks an a la carte option like those found on Hulu or Netflix. When the service's mobile app launched for Android it lacked HD video support for mobile devices, but that shortcoming has been fixed in the iOS version. You can find...

Apple traditionally releases big new apps all together on Thursday, and this week there's an exceptionally good slate of releases arriving, including some games we've been waiting on for a while.

• As expected, Angry Birds Friends has arrived, and it's a social take on the popular Angry Birds series. You can get it for free.
• Eclipse is a spectacular (if a little complicated) take on the award-winning board game, available for $6.99. We'll have more on this one as a Daily iPad App later today.
• Firaxis' Haunted Hollow is now officially out, and it's just plain great. Free-to-play, deep but accessible strategy from one of the best game developers around. This one is a must-download.
• ...

The Big Nerd Ranch has conducted iPhone development courses all the way back to the very beginning, when the App Store first launched in 2008. Doing so had its challenges.

At that time, Apple had imposed a nondisclosure agreement on all developers, with little indication if and when it would ever be lifted.

Under the terms of this agreement, developers could not discuss details of the OS and the SDK -- a limitation that challenged any business based on development training.

BNR CEO Aaron Hillegass devised an insane, brilliant, and counter-intuitive solution. Leveraging a little known clause in the agreement, he conceived a way to make an end-run around the letter of the law while still holding classes.

He hired his students.

Each student signed an agreement promising to deliver one (1) line of code to Hillegass upon completion of a week of on-site consultation. In return, he paid each...

A new video profiles Essa Academy, a once struggling school in one of the most disadvantaged areas of England. New principal Showkat Badat has reinvented the school as a hub of technology-assisted learning, and helped incorporate an ecosystem of Apple products, including iPad, Mac, and iTunes U, into the classrooms. The students’ excitement about the technology and direct access to information is reflected in dramatically improved test scores. Since adopting the technology, Essa went from a 28 percent pass rate to 100 percent. “I don’t see technology as an add-on, a nice option to have,” says Badat. “It’s what enables learning and creates an environment that sparks creativity.”

Apple has begun the countdown to 50 billion downloads from the company's mobile App Store, and the company is offering a US$10,000 Apple Store gift card to the person who downloads that stunning milestone app.

Earlier this week, we posted on the addition of Apple CEO Tim Cook as our opening night speaker at the 11th D: All Things Digital conference.
Now, we are thrilled to announce that Elon Musk will take to the stage on our second night. For those who have not been paying a lot of attention, Musk is the founder of both electric car maker Tesla Motors and also SpaceX, a private space exploration pioneer.
The South African-born entrepreneur is someone well known for shooting for the moon in his huge ambitions, and also does not mind getting into it to defend his efforts (his epic PR brawl with the New York Times over the cold-weather performance of the new Tesla Model S electric car was riveting)....

TMO veteran Jim Tanous has launched a new site called TekRevue, a broad tech news and tip site. Jim will be looking at OS X, Windows, mobile platforms of all sorts, games, gadgets, and hardware, with reviews and tips, too.

Drafts is a fast, lightweight note-taking app for iPhone (US$2.99) and iPad ($3.99) with so much more to offer than simple lists. Drafts is handy. You can use it to quickly jot down a list or something you'd like to recall later, which is great. But the app's real power is in the myriad of ways you can act on that text.

For example, you can send a list to a project manager like OmniFocus or a storage service like Evernote. Share a note with Facebook, Twitter or ADN. Create a calendar event, a reminder or even write in Markdown. Beyond that you can really geek out with automation and complex iOS workflows.

Many hardcore productivity and automation nerds have demonstrated...

A German auctioneer will put a working Apple I computer on the block later this month, and expects the handmade computer to fetch between or between $261,000 and $392,000 at Thursday’s exchange rate.

The record price for an Apple I was $640,000, paid last year in an auction also run by Breker of Cologne, Germany.

On May 25, Breker will try to sell a different Apple I, one of only six in working condition, the auctioneer said.

Apple I specs

The Apple I, a circuit board hand built by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, was made in 1976, and sold at the time for $666.66. About 200 units were produced, but by an estimate last year by British auction house Sotheby’s, only 50 survive.
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The race to 50 billion is on.

Just about a week after Apple announced that the App Store had crossed 45 billion downloads, Apple has decided it's high time to launch an official countdown towards the 50 billionth downloaded app.

The lucky winner will receive a $10,000 gift card redeemable on the App Store. Apple has run similar app download countdowns in the past, but this year it has decided to share the wealth a bit more. In addition to the aforementioned grand prize winner, Apple will be doling out $500 App Store gift cards to customers who download the next 50 apps once the 50 billion mark has been reached.

The current tally is about 49.2 billion downloads. Just 800 million more to go!...

With users of Google Now for iOS — found within the Google Search app — complaining about excessive battery drain, a recently published post on Lifehacker suggested turning off location reporting in settings for a fix. However, Google responded to the Lifehacker report, claiming that reports about excessive…

The cellphone industry -- including both carriers and phone makers -- is turning a blind eye toward the problem of smartphone theft, to its own benefit, a New York Times piece claims. The paper, for instance, quotes District of Columbia Police Chief Cathy Lanier as saying that "the carriers are not innocent in this whole game. They are making profit off [smartphone theft]." In 2012, the DC area witnessed a record 1,829 phones being stolen....  ...

Millions of people have had their lives profoundly affected by Apple and its products. However, few people understand the nature of that vision, and how it can incite both ringing joy and deep disappointment, other than the Apple Investor.

In a written response to a recent outcry over Google Now's alleged battery-draining location tracking feature, the search giant claims reports of the abnormal behavior are incorrect as it uses low-power positioning assets that don't rely on power-hungry GPS.  ...

Penultimate (free), the iOS handwritten note-taking app that was snapped up by Evernote just about a year ago, was updated to version 4.1 today.

What's different? If you connect the app to Evernote, it will now suggest notebook titles based on your location and events that you have on your calendar. The Evernote blog shows an example of a "design meetup" notebook that was created based on a calendar event. You can still change the suggested notebook titles by tapping and typing. The notebooks also now show the location and date when you last added or changed content as well, which provides helpful context about each notebook. The access to your iPad's calendar and location information is used only for the notebook titling feature.

Version 4.1 of Penultimate also adds new sync options, including the...

Apple on Thursday posted a countdown to 50 billion app download from the App Store, promising to give away a $10,000 App Store Gift Card to the person who downloads the landmark app.   ...

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here.

No Flash? Click here to listen.

Subscribe via RSSDaily Update for May 2, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 02 May 2013 15:15:00 EST. Please see our...

Founded 12 years ago, Atlanta's Big Nerd Ranch is well known among the Apple developer community as a prime source for corporate and individual training. Created to provide professional services for Apple Technologies, their mission has grown to include both contract programming as well as instruction for Android, iOS, HTML 5, Ruby on Rails, and Windows 8.

Recently merged with Atlanta's Highgroove Studios, BNR is about to kick off their second Clash of the Coders in-house event. Highgroove was a Ruby-on-Rails studio specializing in building back-ends for apps like "Words with Friends".

Clash of the Coders is a private affair, established to allow trainers and developers to take time away from working on other people's solutions and invest in their own creativity.

I was invited to take part in this years events as an observer and an honorary participant, to explore what goes on behind the doors when Big Nerd shuts down for three days to devote itself to coding...

If Google Glass freaks too many people out, the company likely has a Plan B close behind. Another Google smartwatch patent application was published today, describing a tactile user interface for a watch, similar to that of Glass.
Smart watches will likely be coming this year from Google, Apple, Samsung and others — but it’s not yet clear how ambitious the initial products will be.
The newly published Google patent application describes the components for a watch with two touchpads on a wristband that in tandem...

A somewhat unexpected iOS update showed up this afternoon for iPhone 5 owners. iOS 6.1.4 is a small update at 11.5 MB and the release note shows that it provides an updated audio profile for speakerphone.

The build number is 10B350 for those who keep track of such things. No developer beta of this update was released prior to today.

iOS 6.1.4 update appears for iPhone 5 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 02 May 2013 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this...

Funny because a lot of people said that once they deleted the app, the battery returned to normal functionality.
∞ Read this on The Loop

While the iPhone has GPS, and it's good enough for most people, performance-oriented athletes may find the precision lacking. Enter EpicSesh, makers of the Xensr line of "sports motion sensing devices." While it looks like the sensors are still undergoing testing, the promise is that athletes will get more accurate data to help training. If you've ever wanted more accuracy than that blue circle allows, Xensr is what you've been looking for.

If you're a bicyclist, you can precisely track your rides to see where you slowed down. Windsurfing, snowboarding, skateboarding and others can also track their precise movements to see what works and what doesn't. The Xensr records the full range of 3D movement very precisely. Even if you're not a performance athlete and just want to improve your times, Xensr is a promising technology I can't wait to see made available.

Until then, learn more about the Xensr from one of its creators, David Troup...

Apple has added smaller SSD storage options to its iMac line. The Apple Store now lists 256GB (US$300) and 512GB ($600) to both 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac models. Previously, the company had only offered a 768GB SSD option, and only on the larger model.

Adobe MAX, the company’s ‘Creativity Conference’ kicks off this weekend and runs May 4-8, 2013 in Los Angeles, CA. Our Angelino in residence Mark Gurman will be on the scene to cover the notable new product announcements including an exciting new Photoshop product we’ve heard lots about and perhaps iPad versions of Lightroom.  Can’t make it to LA? Adobe is going to be streaming some of the sessions (probably Flash, sorry) as well as the Keynotes live on May 6th and 7th:

//

A Creative Evolution
Monday, May 6, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. PT
The process of where and how we create is dramatically changing thanks to major advancements in technology, and there has never been a more exciting time. Join Adobe CEO Shantanu...

The team at Astrid has announced the company has been purchased by Yahoo!. Astrid is a popular iOS and Android To Do manager with over four million users. In a blog post, Astrid CEO Jon Paris said:

We are thrilled to announce that we have been acquired by Yahoo!. When we set out to build Astrid, we sought to help as many people as possible become happier, healthier and more productive. We're really excited to join the mobile team and continue this work with Yahoo!'s goal of "making the world's daily habits more inspiring and entertaining."

Astrid will continue to work as is for the next three months, but the company is no longer accepting new premium subscriptions.

Yahoo has been on a roll lately with acquisitions and revitalization of its mobile apps. Earlier this year, the company acquired...

A great looking list of speakers.
∞ Read this on The Loop

According to Apple, iOS 6.1.4 has an updated audio profile for speakerphone, as well as security content originally included in previous iOS Software Updates. Go to Settings > General > Software Update on device to get the update.

iOS 6.1.4 has made its way through the tubes, but users looking forward to any kind of major feature updates should keep holding their breath. Thursday's update only applies to the iPhone 5, and it brings an updated audio profile for the speakerphone, which comes as a surprise to both end users and developers alike.
There are no other pieces to the iOS 6.1.4 puzzle—or at least not according to Apple's public release notes. The update was not seeded to developers in advance (unlike many previous releases), likely because it's so minor by comparison. It's possible that Apple's iOS engineers are too busy to apply much time to iOS 6.x updates, as they've reportedly been hard at work on iOS 7 to ensure it's ready enough to demo at WWDC in June.
That said, iOS 7 is expected for a fall release, so we wouldn't be surprised to see another update or two...

Adobe's Lightroom product manager Tom Hogarty has shown off an early beta of Lightroom for iOS, according to CNET. Hogarty made the semi-announcement on an episode of The Grid this week. Here's what CNET's Stephen Shankland had to say:

He wouldn't promise when the app would ship or what exactly it would do, but he did demonstrate some features of the prototype software running on an iPad 2. He also offered several details about its features:

o. The ability to edit photos taken in raw photo formats, including Lightroom develop-module parameters like exposure, clarity, shadows, highlights, and white balance.

o. Cloud-synchronized editing so that changes made on a tablet arrive on the same photo on the PC.

o. The ability to zoom all the way to 100 percent for checking photo focus and details.

...

Ulysses III is a complete rewrite of the legendary Ulysses II writing tool.  It uses a wide range of OS X technologies to create a focused, elegant writing environment. By using Markdown, it separates how the document looks from the content. Version 1.0.1 is missing a few minor features, but is a solid and impressive initial release.  John Martellaro liked it a lot.

Taxes.
∞ Read this on The Loop

Google Keep, the Evernote-like content storing app for Android, is now available for the desktop as well as a Chrome web app, keeping with its web app initiative.
Google typically releases its services for iOS as well, so this could be a sign that we can expect its arrival soon.
Read the full story on 9to5Google.

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Apple released iOS 6.1.4 for iPhone on Thursday, an update whose sole patch note says, "Updated audio profile for speakerphone."

There's something new under the sun for those interesting in buying an iMac. MacRumors is reporting that Apple now has two new flash storage options available for the iMac, both of which can be purchased when buying a configure-to-order device from the online Apple Store.

iMac buyers interested in replacing the standard 1 TB SATA hard disk drive have had the 1 TB Fusion Drive option available since the introduction of the new thinner models last fall. Now that slow mechanical drive can be replaced with either a 256 GB ($300 extra) or 512 GB ($600) flash storage option.

With the 27-inch iMac, it's always been possible to purchase an all-flash storage solution -- a 768 GB drive at a $900 price tag -- as well as 1 TB and 3 TB hard drive and Fusion Drive configurations. Apple's current move appears to be aimed at those people who might not need tons of storage...

Instagram announced today that it is updating its iOS and Android apps with a new feature dubbed ‘Photos of You’ making it easier to view and be notified of photos you care about most. The feature will make it easier for users uploading images to add mentions of people or things and also adds a new “Photos of You” section on your profile where tagged photos will gather:
When you upload a photo to Instagram, you’re now able to add the people and things in the photo as easily as you add a location and hashtags. When someone adds you to a photo, you’ll receive a notification and the photo will appear in your “Photos of You” – the new section on your profile where you can curate all of the photos you’ve been added to. Want to make sure you like the photo first? No problem: you can easily adjust your settings so nothing appears on your profile until you approve it.
The feature will be in a sort of beta mode until May 16th at which time the Photos of You section will become...

Fixes a problem where the user interface wouldn’t respond while synchronizing folders on Snow Leopard. ($34 new, free update, 29.4 MB) Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Adds new features, including layers, brightness with curve function, and support for DPHOTO online service. ($39.95 new, free update, 155 MB) Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Originally a Facebook-only game, Rovio’s Angry Birds Friends is now available on iOS for free. The game still revolves around Facebook though — you have to sign into Facebook to compete in the tournaments and challenge friends for trophies. New levels are added to tournaments every week, and the…

Regret not ponying up for that OnStar subscription for your last car? A startup called Automatic promises to provide most of those features (and a few extra) with an iPhone app and a hardware dongle that plugs into your car's data port. The device performs diagnostics, lets you turn off your "Service Engine" light, provides fuel-saving tips based on your driving habits, remembers where you park and where you drove, calls for help in an accident, and more. The device (expected to ship in August) costs a one-time fee of US$69 and connects to a companion iPhone app via Bluetooth. An Android version is planned, but Windows Phone and Blackberry users are out of luck. The company says it works with virtually every gasoline-powered car sold in the U.S. since 1996. If Automatic lives up to its promise, it could be huge.
...

.
Apple has just released a new iOS .1.4 software update for the iPhone 5 that includes an updated speakerphone profile. That’s really it as far as public updates but Apple often updates some stuff behind the scenes including some bug fixes and security updates. The 11.5MB update (kinda big for just a profile, no?) is for iPhone 5 only and can be downloaded directly at the following links:

iPhone5,1 (iPhone5,1)
6.1.4 (10B350)
05/02/2013 13:07:01

iPhone5,2 (iPhone5,2)
6.1.4 (10B350)
05/02/2013 13:07:01

//

...

New pictures released to the Internet show the interior of Apple's soon to open Berlin store, as well as fans already in line waiting for the store's opening on Friday.  ...

Flying Meat has released Acorn 4, an upgrade of its Mac photo-editing utility. The update adds several major features, such as non-destructive filters and a curve editor, which offers more precise control over shadows, midtones and highlights. The new Merlin HUD lets users control the radius and center points of a filter while still on the canvas....  ...

Released today in the App Store, Onavo Protect promises to protect you while browsing the web on your iPhone. The app allows you to set up an always-on VPN connection, adding an extra layer of security to your browsing experience when you’re on public Wi-Fi networks. Unsecured wireless networks open up the possibility of your personal data being intercepted, and Onavo Protect is intended to keep you safe from those with malicious intent. Additionally, the app warns users when the site they are using is attempting to send a password in an insecure manner, and automatically blocks known phishing sites.

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According to Onavo, the application,...

New storage configurations for the 27-inch iMac at Apple's online store.

Apple’s iMacs are getting some new flash storage options, per changes to Apple’s online store. The 21.5-inch iMac, which was never before graced with the option of true solid state storage, can now get flash storage in two different sizes, while the 27-inch iMac has two new smaller sizes of SSD.
Previously, the 21.5-inch iMac had options for either a 1TB HDD or a 1TB “Fusion Drive,” A 1TB HDD coupled with a 128GB SSD. Now, customers can upgrade the model with a 256GB flash drive for an additional $300, or 512GB for $600.
The 27-inch iMac used to be limited to 1TB or 3TB HDD or Fusion Drive options, or else a massive 768GB flash drive at a $900 upgrade fee. The two smaller SSDs, 256GB and 512GB, are now available to the 27-inch iMac in addition to the old options.
...

A worthwhile software update never hurt anyone.
Or kicked your puppy when you weren’t looking.
On Thursday, software developer Telestream has released version 3.2.0.16 of Flip4Mac, its QuickTime components package which allows for Windows Media files to be viewed, imported and converted under Mac OS X. The new release, an 85.8 megabyte download, includes the following fixes and changes:
New Features:
- New in-app stores purchasing.
Fixes and Enhancements:
- Dramatically improved the loading time for ASF files (.wmv, .wma, .wm, .wmp, .asf, etc.).
Flip4Mac 3.2.0.16 is available for free but can go as high as US$179 depending on the version purchased....

The market for dedicated GPS devices hasn't died despite the rise of the smartphone, and Magellan found an interesting way to tie the two together with its new SmartGPS. Along with the usual GPS navigation features you'd expect, it also ties in to Yelp! and Foursquare, gives live updates on nearby gas prices and weather, sports a 5-inch touch screen, you can upload the locations you search for on your computer, iPhone, or iPad to the GPS, and more. SmartGPS is priced at US$249.99, the companion iOS app will be available as a free download soon.

Earlier this year Blockbuster relaunched its digital video rental service dubbed “Blockbuster on Demand” by releasing apps for Android, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, PC & Mac and introducing new features such as 1080p HD streaming and 5.1-channel surround sound. The service hasn’t picked up much steam since relaunching in January, but today it appears Dish is pushing ahead by finally...

It’s pricey, but it’s a useful option.
Per MacRumors, Apple has added new storage options to its iMac lineup, allowing users to choose either a 256 GB or 512 GB flash storage drive as part of the order customization process. The new options are available as US$300 and US$600 surcharges respectively to replace the 1 TB traditional hard drive that is standard across all iMac models.
Previously, the 21.5-inch iMac had not been available with dedicated flash storage options, only offering the standard 1 TB traditional hard drive and a US$250 Fusion Drive option. Apple’s Fusion Drive marries a 128 GB...