AppShopper

Apple this morning announced that its App Store had reached the 50 billion download mark and that the contest to mark the occasion, which had started on May 2, has concluded. The winner of the contest, who gets a $10,000 App Store gift card, is Brandon Ashmore from Mentor, Ohio.

Apple would like to thank our incredible customers and developers for topping 50 billion apps downloaded,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “The App Store completely transformed how people use their mobile devices and created a thriving app ecosystem that has paid out over nine billion dollars to developers. We’re absolutely floored to cross this milestone in less than five years.

Ashmore’s winning download was the free iPhone game Say the Same Thing by Space Inch, the developer of Mac app Lost Photos, which we featured earlier this week.

Apple’s App Store has seen incredible growth since its launch in 2008. As pointed out by our sister site MacRumors, the App Store took about 3 years and 8 months to reach 25 billion downloads and only 14.5 months for the next 25 billion to reach 50 billion downloads.

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  Say the Same Thing

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  iOS iPhone

  From the band OK Go, a totally new kind of word game. It's creative, with no preset answers -- a funny, unpredictable, mind-melding, turn-by-turn game where you have to think like your friends! Say...

Apple announced a new contest yesterday to commemorate the upcoming 50 billionth download from the App Store with a $10,000 App Store gift card as the grand prize. Additional prizes of $500 App Store gift cards will be given to those who download the next 50 apps after that.

To enter, all you need to do is download an app (free or paid) and if you happen to download the 50 billionth app or one of the 50 after that, you win. If you’d rather not go through the trouble of downloading an app, you can enter to win by completing an online form right here. You can find the official contest rules here.

The contest page in iTunes also lists the top free and paid apps of all time. Unsurprisingly, Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja top the paid list while Facebook and Pandora Radio top the free list.

Apple held a similar contest to mark the 25 billionth download in February 2012, also offering a $10,000 App Store gift card prize then, which was won by Chunli Fu of China. That contest lasted less than two weeks until a winner was announced and I’d wager this contest will conclude even faster than that, so get to downloading apps sooner rather than later to increase your chances of winning. If you’re not looking to spend any money, check out our Top 200 Free iPhone Apps and Top 200 Free iPad Apps lists.

Google Now, a personal assistant service that first debuted for Android devices last year, has arrived for the iPhone and iPad through an update to the Google Search app.

Google Now provides users with relevant information based on individual search history, Gmail account contents, and current location. This information, including local weather and traffic details, upcoming appointments, events, and birthdays, flight statuses, and more, is shown to users unprompted in the form of virtual cards in the main view in Google Search.

Here’s a promotional video showing how Google Now works within the Google Search app:

Google Search is free to download and requires iOS 5.0 or later on an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. To use Google Now, you’ll need to log in with your Google account since that’s how Google accesses your information to populate what Google Now shows you.

I like what Google Now can do but it’s not as robust as it could be (more thanks to Apple and its limitations on what apps are allowed to do than any failure on Google’s part). And it’s a little bit creepy as well.

Google Now lacks any sort of push notification option so you have to open the app to see what Google Now has to tell you. Google Search isn’t an app I use regularly so opening it just to see this information isn’t particularly appealing to me. Also, though I’ve had a Gmail account for years now and I know that part of the terms of service I agreed to when opening it states that Google will essentially read through my emails, it feels a little creepy that Google will “snoop” through my email, contacts, and calendar, and parse through my Google searches to bring me all of this information.

This aside, Google Now could be incredibly useful to those who make full use of Google’s suite of services. Now if only Apple would let Google and other developers integrate apps more closely with iOS so getting this kind of information is seamless and more fluid…

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  Google Search

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  Search faster and easier with the latest Search app from Google. Get just the right information at just the right time with Google Now. Search hands­free with enhanced Voice Search. Answers before...

After a prolonged absence, an official AppShopper app is back in the App Store! Our original AppShopper app was removed from the App Store due to a conflict with a new set of App Store rules introduced last year. Since that time we’ve been hard at work creating a new app to continue to provide useful functionality to our users and also remain in compliance with Apple’s rules.

Today, we’re happy to announce that we’ve released AppShopper Social [iTunes Link]. The new version of the app still contains the core Wish List functionality that we’ve always had, but also introduces a social discovery portion to the app. This is a brand new app, so it is a separate download (not an update). You will be able to keep your existing AppShopper app on your device as well.

New Social Features

The main view is now composed of your Friend Stream which shows you apps that your fellow AppShopper friends have added to their Wish List or My Apps lists.

With AppShopper Social, you can maintain a Friend/Follower list. When you add a friend to your list, your personalized stream becomes composed of apps that that they have added to their own lists. While you can add any other AppShopper user to your friends list, we’ve created a few special accounts for you to get started with.

In the screenshots above, you can see we are friends with:

• 148apps
• appshopper
• macrumors
• toucharcade

These are specially created AppShopper accounts that are automatically populated when apps are mentioned or rated on their respective websites.

Our stream shows Dungeon Hunter 4 because it had just been reviewed by TouchArcade.com. Similarly Skitch and Yahoo! Mail where mentioned on MacRumors, and Golf Star reviewed by 148apps.com. These appear on your list as soon as they appear on their respective websites. If you’d like to link your own website automatically to an AppShopper account, please contact us.

In the case of TouchArcade and 148Apps, we already have review integration in the app, so you can read the reviews right from the app:

Same Old Features, Some Coming Back

Long time AppShopper users will be happy to know that the core Wish List and My App features remain in place. You can still get Push Notifications for updates and price changes to your apps. You can also search for any apps. Following the appshopper user will get you a list of the AppShopper Featured apps.

A few features didn’t make the first cut. “What’s New” and “Top 200″ were temporarily dropped while we sought re-approval. We will see about returning those features in a future version.

Also, in the interest of time, we haven’t yet updated the iPad version yet. In its present form, AppShopper Social is not a Universal app. We will be working on a Universal update soon.

More to Come, Please Spread the Word

In the 1.0 version, we’re aware that there are several obvious features that are absent. Top on our priority list is the ability to browse friends’ lists individually by tapping on their name. Also, an easier method for friend discovery and friend recommendation are also something that is clearly necessary. Even without these features, AppShopper Social is an incredibly useful tool for App Discovery, but there’s a lot of potential to be even better.

We lost a lot of momentum with the removal of our App Store app, so we’d ask you to spread the word on AppShopper Social. A large user base will guarantee future updates and improvements.

Download now: iTunes Link

For press inquiries, please contact us by email

Earlier this month, Facebook announced a new interface for select Android devoices dubbed ‘Facebook Home’. The interface puts the focus on interactions with your Facebook friends, featuring images and updates from your Facebook stream and the ability to chat from anywhere without needing to open a specific app. Today, Facebook updated its iPhone and iPad app to incorporate some of these new features.

Version 6.0 of Facebook hit the App Store this afternoon. One of the most notable features of Facebook Home is “chat heads,” which are tiny head shots used to represent your friends. On the iPhone and iPad, chat heads pop up when you receive a new message in the Facebook app and they remain on your screen even as you navigate around the app. Tapping on a chat head brings up a chat window over whatever else you’re browsing in the app.

Also new are stickers to spice up your chats with cute images. In the description of what’s new in version 6.0, Facebook notes that both chat heads and stickers will be rolled out to users “over the next few weeks” so don’t get discouraged if you don’t have these new features yet. I downloaded the update today and have the chat heads feature but I don’t see any of the new stickers yet.

If your’e curious about this whole Facebook Home thing, check out Facebook’s promo video embedded below. Note that the video shows Facebook Home on Android devices but it will still give you an idea of how chat heads work.

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  Facebook

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  Keeping up with friends is faster than ever. • See what friends are up to • Share updates, photos and videos • Get notified when friends like and comment on your posts • Text, chat and have...

Apple’s App of the Week promotion goes big again this week, offering Halfbrick Studio’s wildly popular Fruit Ninja for free. The respective versions of Fruit Ninja for iPhone and iPad will cost you zero dollars right now and should continue to do so until April 18 if Apple’s timing remains consistent.

Apple started the App of the Week promotion last summer and it’s featured a few major titles recently, including Angry Birds, which had never gone free before, last month and Plants vs. Zombies in February.

Fruit Ninja has been in the App Store since 2010 and it’s even been featured in one of Apple’s iPad commercials. If you’re not familiar with it, you’re armed with a virtual sword in the game and your goal is to slice as much fruit tossed on the screen as possible by swiping with your fingers. There are various game modes where you need to avoid slicing bombs, avoid letting any fruit drop un-sliced, or slice as much fruit as possible in a short period of time.

Here’s the trailer for the iPad version:

Not convinced it’ll be fun? Download it anyway – it’s free!

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  Fruit Ninja

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  For the hundreds of millions of fans around the world with trillions of fruit sliced - thank you for you amazing continued support! You have made Fruit Ninja one of the most popular games of all...

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  Fruit Ninja HD

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  The worldwide smash hit iPhone game Fruit Ninja has now arrived for the iPad, featuring glorious HD graphics and incredible unique content not to be found on any other platform! ******* ...

T-Mobile USA began offering pre-orders for the iPhone 5 today prior to the official launch of the device on its network on April 12. T-Mobile is offering some unique payment plans for Apple’s flagship smartphone along with some straightforward and competitively-priced plans compared to other US carriers.

If you’re tempted to switch to T-Mobile but want to check out its network coverage where you live, work, or travel compared to your current carrier, check out Two Steps Beyond’s Coverage app. Coverage just got updated to version 2013.4 and now includes T-Mobile’s LTE and 1900 MHz networks so you can see just how well a shiny, new, unlocked iPhone 5 will work for you.

The great feature about Coverage is that you can choose to view the coverage maps of multiple carriers at once so you can truly do a comparison if you’re looking to switch networks. Of course, coverage maps aren’t always accurately indicative of the quality of the call and data coverage you’ll actually experience in a given area, but it’s a good start that can help you with the decision to switch.

Coverage costs $2.99 and is compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad and requires iOS 5.0 or later. Two Steps Beyond has been very good about updating the app regularly to reflect the most recent carrier coverage maps so you can rest assured you’re seeing the latest data.

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  The only app that directly overlays and compares carrier coverage maps! Perfect for travelers - research where you're covered across the USA! ** Follow our Facebook page to get update alerts:...

Last month, Google announced that it will shut down its Google Reader RSS service on July 1, 2013, citing a decline in the usage of the service. With hundreds of apps in the App Store relying on Google Reader, this shutdown puts a lot of developers in a tough place, forcing them to find an alternative or retire an app entirely.

In response to the uncertainty, Silvio Rizzi, the developer of popular RSS app Reeder announced via Twitter this afternoon that the iPad and Mac versions of the app are now free. In a blog post explaining the change, Rizzi states that development of Reeder to work around the Google Reader shutdown is in process. While the iPhone version of Reeder already offers support for other RSS services (with support for Feedbin on the way), the iPad and Mac versions will be getting the same treatment in version 2.0 and they will be free until then.

Reeder has been my preferred RSS app for a while now and I have confidence that Rizzi will adapt and keep Reeder as useful as it’s always been. If you’ve had Reeder on your Wish List or are just getting into the RSS game, now is a great time to get the Mac and iPad versions to take advantage of the temporary price reduction.

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  Reeder for iPad

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  Google Reader Client. - Syncs with Google Reader - Browse by feed or folders - Manage starred items, notes - Mark as unread - Image caching - State saving - Slider control for list entries: ...

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  Google Reader Client. ★ Syncs with Google Reader. ★ Full Readability (readability.com) integration (see Preferences → General) ★ Customizable interface (see Preferences → Appearance) ★...

Apple has released iOS 6.1.3 today to fix a bug that allows users to bypass an iPhone’s passcode lock and access contacts and make phone calls. The update also brings improvements to Apple’s Maps data in Japan.

The passcode bypass bug was discovered by JailBreakNation last month. The method to bypass a passcode lock in iOS 6.1 requires several steps in a specific sequence involving the emergency call button available on the iPhone’s lock screen and the device’s sleep/wake button. JailBreakNation stated that creating contacts, viewing photos saved in the Photos app, and sending emails and texts using the contact sharing feature are all possible through the exploitation of this bug.

If you’re concerned about others getting access to your photos and contact information or using your iPhone to make calls despite the fact that you have a passcode lock set, you should download this update. However, if you jailbreak your iPhone, note that this update closes down some of the exploits used in the latest jailbreak method, evasi0n, so once you update, you’ll lose your jailbreak and there’s no way to get it back for most devices according to one of the hackers who created evasi0n.

iOS 6.1.3 applies to the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, the iPad 2 and later, and the fourth-generation and later iPod touches. It’s a free download that can be obtained through iTunes on your computer or as an over-the-air update on your compatible iOS device in the Software Update area of the General section in the Settings app.

Apple has been running an  App of the Week promotion, in which a paid app is made free for a short period of time, since last summer. A couple of weeks ago, Popcap’s Plants vs. Zombies was the featured app for this promotion and this week sees another well-known game, Rovio’s Angry Birds, under the App of the Week spotlight.

The original Angry Birds for the iPhone debuted in the App Store in 2009 while the HD version for the iPad arrived in April 2010. The game proved to be tremendously popular, prompting Rovio to release additional versions including Angry Birds Seasons, Angry Birds Space, and Bad Piggies as well as t-shirts, hats, and just about anything else that you can slap the likeness of an Angry Bird on.

Since its release, the original Angry Birds for iPhone has been priced at $.99 for most of its time in the App Store while the HD version has jumped around between $.99 and $4.99. Neither app has ever been available for free until now.

Apple’s App of the Week promotion usually runs from each Thursday through the following Wednesday. If this pattern holds true, Angry Birds and Angry Birds HD will remain free through Wednesday, March 13 and go back to their regular prices on Thursday, March 14. That gives you a nice window of time to download them but you should get to clicking the Buy Now buttons below sooner rather later lest you forget before this week’s promotion ends.

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  Angry Birds

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  4.50 (432)

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  iOS iPhone

  Use the unique powers of the Angry Birds to destroy the greedy pigs' defenses!

 The survival of the Angry Birds is at stake. Dish out revenge on the greedy pigs who stole their eggs. Use the...

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  Angry Birds HD

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  Use the unique powers of the Angry Birds to destroy the greedy pigs' defenses!

 The survival of the Angry Birds is at stake. Dish out revenge on the greedy pigs who stole their eggs. Use the...