Apple’s grip on the mobile gaming market tightens with the iPhone’s Game Center app in the iOS 4.1 update.
Game Center basically provides the infrastructure for Apple’s iOS games to offer multi-player and leaderboard sharing options. Like iTunes' new Ping, Game Center has a social networking aspect to it - letting you add friends and see their status as well as which games they’ve been playing and their high scores. Unfortunately sometimes it lets you get a little too social, as I’ll touch on in a minute.
Don’t get too excited about Game Center if you’re still using an iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G or the first-gen iPod touch - you’ve been left out in the cold as Apple tried to encourage people to upgrade.
When you first launch Game Center you need to login with your iTunes account details and then create a profile, which is basically just choosing your location and a username (it’s another land rush, so get in early if you want a common name). You can also nominate extra email addresses which people can use to find you as a friend, which is handy if your iTunes account doesn’t use your primary email address.
There are a few ways to add people to your friend list. Firstly you can click on the Requests tab and then enter someone’s email address, which will attempt to auto-complete using your phone’s address book. When you’ve sent the invitation, your friend receives an email with a link to the Apple website telling them how to create a Game Center account and accept your invitation.
If your friend has already created an account, you can send them an invite using their Game Center username. If their iPhone is logged into Game Center, they’ll get a pop-up message with a bloody loud trumpet fanfare asking if they want to be your friend. Game Center stays logged in, in the background, so perhaps try not to invite your friends in the middle of the night. You’ll get a pop-up to confirm they’ve accepted, then you can see them in your friend list.
What’s strange is that changing the defaults under Settings/Notifications/Game Center makes no difference. I sat down with two iPhone 4s and switched off all Game Center notifications on one, but there were still pop-ups and trumpets when that phone was invited to join a game or received a friend request from the other phone. This is going to be a major hassle if spammers start to target the service. Unless you’re a keen social gamer, I’d recommend logging out when you’re not using Game Center.
When you’re first setting up Game Center you’ve the option to disable “Find Me By Email”, which you would think means friends will only be able to find you if they know your Game Center username. This doesn’t seem to be the case. I had a friend disable “Find Me By Email” and I could still email him an invite, or else use his Game Center username. The setting, and the fact you can add extra email addresses, implies there is some way to search for users - as you might with Skype or Facebook - but I can't find such an option.
What’s really weird is that I had someone show up in my Friend list that I’m pretty sure I didn’t invite or accept. His username was Adam but it's clearly not me, so perhaps I invited him by mistake or perhaps Game Center got its wires crossed - I’m not sure. I sent him a message by removing him as a friend and then reinviting him and changing the default text, but he hasn’t replied. Once someone accepts you as a friend you can’t keep sending them messages unless you unfriend them again, but I don't want to hassle the poor guy too much.
Once you’ve found a friend, wanted or otherwise, you can see which Game Center-compatible apps they have installed and click on them to buy them from the app store (I can hear Steve Jobs’ evil villain laugh from here as he racks up another sale). You can also tap Find Game Center Games in the Games tab, which will take you to a list in the iTunes store.
by Adam Turner
Via smh.com.au
AppleLiscious
Your one stop shop for all things Apple. From the Ipad to the Mac Mini, we post reviews, news, videos and more! Look for the great deals on the Ipod Touch, MacBook Pro and more. Bringing the Apple lifestyle to you!
September 9, 2010
Let The Games Begin!
New Rumors Surface About Next Wave of Apples iPad, iPhone and iPods!
Don't believe the hype, but rumors are some new releases coming by the end of this year and early 2011 for the iPad, iPhone and iPod. A smaller screen iPad, the iPhone 5(already?) which might just be a re-packaged iPhone 4 without the antenna issue and 3 new iPods.
Also, a smaller, 7-inch screened version of the iPad is reportedly ready and due for release either later this year or in early 2011.
Apparently Apple has been prototyping devices with 7″ screens since even before the first iPhone. Why they’ve then decided to release the 9.7″ version of the iPad first is not known.
As is always the case with Apple-related rumors, please take this with a substantial pinch of salt. Clearly, as time goes by, more and more rumors regarding future Apple mobile products will emerge, and most may turn out not to be true.
In this specific case, I would say that the smaller iPad seems plausible enough, while pushing the iPhone release date that far back, for the first time since Apple got into the smartphone business, seems less likely. Not impossible though, as Apple have clearly felt more heat for the antenna problems of the iPhone 4 than they were expecting.
This doesn’t seem to have impacted sales in a big way yet, but perhaps it may do so in the future.
In any case, we’ll keep you informed.
More atiLounge
September 8, 2010
Apple Ipod Touch Black 16gb
by DeclanTM
Apple Ipod Touch Black 16gb
The Apple Inc. has again created a wave in the electronic market with the launch of the new Apple iPod Touch (black) 16GB music player. Launching iPods a decade back for the first time, Apple had made a storm in the world of music entertainment. They have succeeded in maintaining the goodwill for the last ten years and the new product from Apple is another right example for their quality and technological perfection.
The new Apple iPod Touch black 16GB supports the user by providing him favourite music, videos and lot more additional features on the widescreen display. This new model coming from Apple has a Wi-fi wireless connectivity that ensures the technological perfection of the model. It is possible for the user to browse the internet with this iPod. This model is the first iPod with Wi-fi built in. The iPod comes with multi-touch screen technology. It helps the user to scroll through the songs and videos with a flick. Another attraction of the model is the brilliant 3.5- inch wide screen display that will help the user in watching the favourite movies, T.V shows and slideshows in bright vivid color on the 320-by-480-pixel display
The Apple iPod Touch (black) 16GB helps the user in downloading music straight from i-Tunes. It is possible for the user to download his favourite tunes, there by assuring perfect musical entertainment.
This latest model coming out from the world's largest entertainment house with a dimension of 11.0×6.2×0.8(H/W/D)cm has a storage capacity of 16GB and guarantees excellent performance and entertainment for the user. Coming with a capacity of 16GB, it has a capacity to hold up to 16 hours of video along with 4,000 songs, 14,000 photos which not many of the competitors can claim. It is also possible for the user to enjoy YouTube videos on the player bringing more elements of entertainment into it.
Adam Caitlin is expert author of Telecommunication industry.Who writes on apple ipod and cheap laptops
The Apple MacBook Air : What You Get with the MacBook Air
Now that you have bought your Apple MacBook Air laptop computer, what exactly do you get? Learn all about what accessories are included with your MacBook Air laptop computer in thisfree video. Expert: Brandon Karon Bio: Brandon Karon works for Florida’s largest premier Apple reseller. He is also an Apple specialist and has been an Apple sales professional for over two years. Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Apple iMac MC509LL/A 21.5-Inch Desktop
Apple iMac MC509LL/A 21.5-Inch Desktop
- 3.2GHz Intel Core i3
- 1TB Hard Drive, , 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM, DVD SuperDrive
- 21.5″ LED-backlit display with a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio, 1920×1080 HD resolution
- ATI Radeon HD 5670 with 512MB
- Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard, Magic Mouse
The ultimate all-in-one. Turbocharged. The new iMac is the ultimate all-in-one computer. Its Intel Core i3 processor feature an advanced architecture and set new benchmarks for iMac performance. And fast discrete graphics processors now come standard in every iMac. The 21.5-inch widescreen displays is perfect for HD video, and the Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse keep your desktop tidy. Offering a brilliant 21.5-inch LED-backlit widescreen display in an edge-to-edge glass design
Rating: (out of 2 reviews)
List Price: $ 1,499.00
Price: Too low to display
iPod Touch & iPhone Accessories
This is a video talking about some useful accessories for the ipod touch and iphone!
iPod touch
Image by dontthink.feel
Accessories.
December 23, 2007
- Chuo-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama, Japan.
Premium Black Folio Wallet Leather Case for Apple Ipod Touch Itouch 8Gb 16GB …
- Brand new non-OEM. High quality soft durable leather material.
- Custom made to fit your iPod perfectly.
- Easy access to all buttons and features.
- Prevents damage to your iPod from objects in your pockets or purse.
- iPod not included. Does not fit Touch 1st Generation
Keep your iPod safe and away from damage whit this Premium Black Folio Wallet Leather Case. It has a classy design and is compatible with IPod Touch 2nd 3rd Generation
Rating: (out of 107 reviews)
Price: $ 4.39
Check Out The Lastest Apple Ipad News
iPad Hurting Consumer PC Sales
Apple’s tablet computer and a bum global economy crimping demand for cheap netbook and notebook comp
Read more on Forbes
Next gen Apple iPad to add FaceTime?
iPad 2 could include two cameras A grainy, fuzzy photo may suggest Apple is working on adding FaceTime, its face-to-face video call technology, to the next generation iPad. The move would add two cameras to the iPad, one front facing and one the back with a microphone.
Read more on PC Advisor
Apple iPad Tablet (64GB, Wifi + 3G)
- Apple iPad Tablet
- Its capacity 64GB
- It includes Wifi + 3G
The best way to experience the web, email, photos, and video. Hands down. All of the built-in apps on iPad were designed from the ground up to take advantage of the large Multi-Touch screen and advanced capabilities of iPad. And they work in any orientation. So you can do things with these apps that you can’t do on any other device. A large, high-resolution LED-backlit IPS display. An incredibly responsive Multi-Touch screen. And an amazingly powerful Apple-designed chip.
Rating: (out of 254 reviews)
List Price: $ 829.00
Price: $ 917.10