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Burstly acquired the beta testing service TestFlight just a few months ago, and TestFlight released a mobile analytics service called FlightPath soon after that. Now, Burstly has announced that it is restructuring its offerings, to set up a full set of services to take developers from developing and testing their app with TestFlight, to preforming analytics with FlightPath, and then monetizing with Burstly's tools, now rebranded as SkyRocket. This is a smart bit of revamping -- TestFlight is very popular, but FlightPath has just started out and SkyRocket's name is brand new to most developers, so combining these tools under the same umbrella should make them all more accessible to developers. All of these services are still available separately, but not only do they share a parent company now, but they also can combine functionality, such as having high profile users from FlightPath get offered different monetization options or deals via SkyRocket. Burstly's wasting no time making its TestFlight acquisition useful. We'll stay tuned to see, going forward, how this trio of services plays with mobile developers. Burstly restructures, now offers three services for code-to-ship functionality originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Seagate Technology has announced the new Seagate Video 3.5 HDD -- the industry's first 4TB, 3.5-inch hard disk drive engineered specifically for use in video applications such as digital video recorders, set-top boxes, and surveillance systems. Purpose-built for video solutions, the Video 3.5 HDD can store up to 480 hours of high-definition (HD) content. The drive supports up to 16 simultaneous HD streams or 20 standard-definition streams as well as 24-hour operation capabilities optimizing it for video content applications....

Apple remains in first place on an annual BrandZ ranking of the world's most valuable brands, notes MarketingWeek. Apple's brand is estimated to be worth $185.071 billion, putting it well ahead of next-closest rivals Google ($113.669 billion) and IBM ($112.536 billion). Other companies in the top 10 include McDonald's, Coca-Cola, AT&T, Microsoft, Marlboro, Visa, and China Mobile....

Apple remains in first place on an annual BrandZ ranking of the world's most valuable brands, notes MarketingWeek. Apple's brand is estimated to be worth $185.071 billion, putting it well ahead of next-closest rivals Google ($113.669 billion) and IBM ($112.536 billion). Other companies in the top 10 include McDonald's, Coca-Cola, AT&T, Microsoft, Marlboro, Visa, and China Mobile....

Walmart’s video on demand service, Vudu, just rolled out a new update for its iOS app. Version 2.0 of Vudu now lets you download videos from the service, and then watch them even if you’re offline. The player itself is streamlined, and Closed Captioning–already supported on the iPad version of the Vudu app–is now available on the iPhone, too. Vudi is a Netflix-style video on demand service that is owned by Walmart that lets users stream videos to Mac, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Roku, various Blu-Ray players, Android phones, and iOS devices. Vudu claims its advantage over Netflix is that Vudu movies come out the same day as the DVD versions, and users can access their UltraViolet codes via the service, as well. Plus, there’s no monthly fee; you only pay for the movies you rent to stream, with a rate of two dollars per two night rental period. The new update is only for iOS at this time, leaving Android users wishing they had an iPhone or iPad. What’s New in Version 2.0 • You can now download and watch your collection of movies and TV shows offline. • We’ve listened to your feedback and made the Player easier to use. • Closed Captioning for the iPhone is now supported. (Closed captioning is already supported for iPad). • General bug fixes have been applied. Source: iTunes App Store Via: TUAW Related StoriesMicrosoft Unveils New Xbox One ConsoleIntel Hires Former Apple VP Mike Bell To Lead New ‘Smart Devices’ TeamApple Publishes Opening Statements From Today’s Senate Hearing On TaxesWhy The Apple TV Has Nothing To Fear From The Xbox OneBadger Brings A New Level Of Meaning To iPhone App Badges [Jailbreak]

Unity has announced that it's making its mobile game development tools free to use for most independent and small studios. Unity has always been a popular engine both for mobile game development and for cross-platform game creation, but up until now, you had to pay about $800 to actually publish Unity-created apps on the iOS or Android stores. Those basic add-ons have now been made free, so anyone can now download Unity, and then use it to publish an app for iOS or Android without paying a fee for the engine. Unity still has pro versions available for sale to both iOS and Android developers, and anyone making over $100,000 per year with their releases is required by Unity to go ahead and purchase a pro license. So there are still some limits on exactly how this all works, and if your iPhone app does hit it big, Unity still would like its due. But starting off for free should open the door for even more indie devs to get in and try Unity, and make for even more and better games on the App Store.Unity makes mobile tools free for small devs originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Video-on-demand service Vudu on Monday rolled out a major update to its Vudu Player iOS app, granting users the ability to download movies and TV shows directly onto an Apple device for offline viewing.

There Will Always be Donuts Video URL (mobile): http://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp4/twit.cachefly.net/video/mbw/mbw0351/mbw0351_h264b_640x368_256.mp4 MP3 feed URL: http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/twit.cachefly.net/audio/mbw/mbw0351/mbw0351.mp3 Hosts: Leo Laporte, Rene Ritchie , and Andy IhnatkoGuest: Chris Breen Download or subscribe to this show at twit.tv/mbw. We invite you to read, add to, and amend our show notes. Bandwidth for MacBreak Weekly is provided by Cachefly. Running time:1:41:54 People: Leo Laporte Alex Lindsay Andy Ihnatko Rene Ritchie Sponsors: LegalZoom Audible Shutterstock Offer Code: MACBREAK5

The team at Olloclip has taken the wraps off of their newest product, a case for the iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 5 called the Quick-Flip Case (US$49.99) that works with the Olloclip 3-in-one lenses to produce a lightweight solution for all-purpose iPhoneography. Let's take a look! Design At first glance, this doesn't look like much of a case. It's made out of a smoked translucent black or opaque white polyurethane material and looks like any of a thousand other slip-on hard cases for iPhone. But then the little features start to appear and you realize how the Quick-Flip case can be used to assist in taking photos with your iPhone. Gallery: Olloclip Quick-Flip Case and Pro-Photo Adapter By itself, the case has a pivoting corner that rotates 180° out of the way so that you can install your Olloclip lenses. That pivoting piece also has a second function -- it presses up against the volume up button on the side of your iPhone so that you can just squeeze the button slowly to take a photo. No more need to tap that virtual shutter button on the screen. The real fun comes when you attach the included Pro-Photo Adapter. It slides onto the bottom of the iPhone and includes a pair of threaded tripod mount points as well as a cold shoe mount for other accessories like video lights or microphones. In case you happen to own a 5th-generation iPod touch, there's a special adapter that's included with the iPhone 5 case to make it compatible with the "non-phone iPhone." Functionality For Olloclip-toting iPhone owners, the Quick-Flip Case should be a no-brainer if you take a ton of photos. Your iPhone remains fairly well protected in the case, and with a quick flick of the top the bare shoulder of the phone is exposed so you can slide on the Olloclip. Using the rotated corner piece as a trigger button for taking photos is pure genius. Rather than holding onto the iPhone with one hand and swatting at the display to take a photo, you can use both hands to keep the iPhone steady while gently squeezing the button. It's sure to reduce blur in your photos, especially under low-light conditions. I was happy to see that Olloclip uses metal inserts for the tripod mounts as that will add to the usable life of the Quick-Flip case -- provided Apple keeps a similar size for the next-generation iPhone. The cold shoe is also a nice touch for adding goodies that can make the difference between dull, underlit video and properly illuminated personal movies. Conclusion While it's a bit pricey for an iPhone case, the Olloclip Quick-Flip Case and Pro-Photo Adapter -- along with the Olloclip lenses (purchases separately) -- make for an incredibly useful set of accessories for anyone who takes a lot of photos with their iPhone. Pros Quick-Flip Case makes it easy to protect your iPhone while also facilitating the installation of the Olloclip 3-in-one lens The design of the case makes it possible to hold the iPhone with both hands while shooting pictures, helping to steady your photographs Mounting the case on a tripod in either landscape or portrait mode is a piece of cake with the two threaded tripod mounts Cold-shoe mount works well for adding small LED light bars or microphones Cons The case itself is nothing spectacular in terms of looks or protection Who is it for? Dedicated iPhoneographers who want use their devices to get the best possible photographs and need the steadiness of a tripod mount at a moment's notice Olloclip Quick-Flip Case and Pro-Photo Adapter add protection, tripod mount originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wal-Mart owned video-on-demand service Vudu has updated its iOS apps to allow movie downloads for offline viewing. The Android phone version of the app has had this feature for awhile, but Android tablets are still unable to download and view their Vudu/Ultraviolet collection on their tablets. Other additions to the update include a reworked player to make the app easier to use, as well as support for closed captions on the iPhone. It's worth noting that the Flixter iOS app already allowed for Ultraviolet downloads. Ultraviolet is a digital rights authentication service that allows DVD and BluRay buyers to redeem unique download codes for digital viewing later. You can find the updated app for free in the iTunes store now.Vudu adds ability to download movies for offline viewing to iOS apps originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments