' Store' iOS App Update Coming Tuesday with Free iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore Dls

9to5Macreportsthat will be relsing an updated version of its Storpp for iOS devices on Tuesday, bringing a minor redesign and new tie-ins with iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore content. Through the updated app, will offer special dls, making paid content free of charge for users of the app.
As you can see in the photo of the upcoming app update (to the right), the app will promote content from the three content stores. This content normally costs money, but will be available free for a limited time via this new app.

, internally, positions this as a way to boost content sales as this new fture is designed to raise awareness about Apps, iTunes, and iBooks content.The report indies that the updated app will be part of 's effort tofocus on iPhone salesin its retail stores, with customers being encouraged to install the app on their new i, exposing to 's content offerings.

In the example, shown in the screenshot, is offering free downloads ofColor Zen, a new puzzle game normally priced at $0.99.

's focus on iPhone sales is designed to boost the proportion of devices sold in its retail stores from the current level of 20%, although analysts have noted that may have adifficult timchieving that goal given its network of just 250 stores in the United States compared to over 10,000 third-party sales loions such as carrier stores, Best Buy, and RadioS. According to one U.S. study, 90% of first-time iPhone customers purchase their devices from somewhere other than an retail store.

The company has alrdy begun taking some steps toward enhancing direct iPhone sales, including the device in its annualBack to School programfor the first time. Under the program, eligible eduion customers can receive a $50 gift card good in any of 's content stores with the purchase of an iPhone.

is also partnering with recycling firm BrightStar to offer aniPhone trade-in programat its U.S. retail stores. That program will offer instant trade-in credit to customers, hopefully driving upgrade rates as customers will be able to immediately see the net cost of upgrading and take advantage of a simple mns for turning in their used devices.

Download Link: Shadowrun Returns IPA for iPhone/iPod/iPad

A little over a yr ago, game developer Jordan Weisman took toKickstarterto help fund the development of Shadowrun Returns—an RPG game for Mac, PC and mobile devices. Shadowrun has made an apprance on a of consoles since it first debuted on the SNES back in 1993.Needless to say, Weisman’s Kickstarter project was successful. In fact, it surpassed its goal of $400,000 within the first 48 hours, and went on to garner nrly $2 million from over 36,000 backers. And after several months of rigorous development, the tm is finally rdy to launch…From theShadowrun Returns Kickstarter page:“It’s hard to believe that the launch of Shadowrun Returns is only 7 days away. Holy smokes! It’s been quite a marathon. Thanks for sticking with us during this amazing adventure.Remember back in December, during Jordan’s fireside chat, when he said we didn’t have a marketing budget? Well… we still don’t.But we have something better than money. We have our community.”And here’s your official ‘Returns’ launch :For those unfamiliar with the title, Shadowrun takes place several decades into the future—sometime around 2054. And users play as various shadowrunners, which are assets that use a combination of technology, magic and street smarts to rn a living doing dirty deeds for evil corporations.Shadowrun Returnswilllaunchfor PC, Mac, iOS and Android on July 25, with a Linux version coming at a later date. Other details such as console availability and pricing are not yet known at this time, but it’s worth noting that Kickstarter pre-orders for the game went for $15.

Best Buy offering $50 gift card with iPad purchase

Folks in the market for a new tablet will want to check out their local Best Buy this weekend. The retail giant has a limited-time promotion going on right now that gives customers a free gift card with the purchase of an iPad.Those purchasing a late-model iPad with Retina display, or an iPad 2, will get a $50 gift card, while those purchasing an iPad mini will get a $25 card. Offer is valid on all iPad models, 16GB through 128GB, Wi-Fi and Cellular…Best Buy sent us an email this morning,announcing the sale, and here’s how it works:“When you add an iPad® with Retina® display or iPad 2 to your cart, a $50 gift card will be automatically added as well. When you add an iPad mini to your cart, a $25 gift card will be automatically added.One free gift card per browser session. Gift card will ship separately and is not available for store pickup. Formatted capacity may vary.”The site doesn’t say that the offer is exclusive to online ordering, but it may be worth checking with Best Buy by phone before you make the trip.The promotion runs from 7/20/13 − 7/22/13, and of course iPad models vary by store.It’s worth noting here that is widely expected to introduce anew iPadandiPad miniwithin the next few months. The 9.7-inch model is said to get lighter and thinner in a major redesign, and the mini could get a Retina display.But even if you’re not interested in picking up a new tablet, it may still be worth stopping by. In addition to the iPad sale, Best Buy is alsoknocking $200 offof select MacBook models as part of its ‘Back to School’ campaign.

US government gets approval to continue tracking phone records

In June,an order granted by theForeign lice Surveillance Court to the FBI , revling that Verizon was handing over millions of private telephone records to the US government. Of course, we later found out thatit wasn’t just Verizongiving up user data.As you may have known, that court order was set to expire today, mning that the government would no longer be authorized to collect such records. But according to the of the Director of National lice, FISA has just renewed its authorization…For those of you unfamiliar with the original FISA court order, here it is: “authorization requiring the production of certain telephony metadata under the “business records” provision of the Foreign lice Surveillance Act (FISA), 50 U.S.C. Section 1861.”At lst this time they’re telling us about it. Here’sthe press relsefrom the DNI:“On June 6, 2013, the Director of National lice declassified certain information about this telephony metadata collection program in order to provide the public with a more thorough and balanced understanding of the program. Consistent with his prior declassifiion decision and in light of the significant and continuing public interest in the telephony metadata collection program, the DNI has decided to declassify and disclose publicly that the Government filed an appliion with the Foreign lice Surveillance Court seeking renewal of the authority to collect telephony metadata in bulk, and that the Court renewed that authority.”Needless to say, the warrantless collection of private data hasn’t sat well with people. And that anxiety multiplied tenfold when it was revled that Verizon was just one of a of tech companies participating in a covert government-run monitoring program called PRISM. itself was specifically named as a ‘willing’ participant of the PRISM program, suggesting that it knowingly handed over user data to the National Security Acy without a proper warrant. But of course, it, like other companies,sharply deniedknowledge of the project.“Wefirst hrd of the government’s “Prism” program when news organizations asked us about it on June6. We do not provide any government acy with direct access to our servers, and any government acy requesting customer content must get a courtorder.”Thursday, joined a coalitionof over 60 companies in a fight to push for more government transparencyregarding electronic monitoring and surveillance.

buys HopStop transit app to beef up Maps

As pointed out by multiple outlets and tweeted by several reporters, has acquired an online navigation startup HopStop.com to improve its troubled Maps offering, Bloomberg just reported.HopStopmakes a freeiPhonndAndroidtransit app that ftures detailed subway, bus, train, taxi, walking and even biking directions.This is exactly the kind of data ’s Maps need in order to become a viable alternative to Google Maps. The HopStop software also ftures rl-time transit information via the HopStop Live service, the official transit maps, nrby station srch and station-to-station schedules in over 600 cities throughout the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zland, including 140 major metropolitan ars…According toBloomberg: Inc. agreed to buy online transit-navigation service HopStop.com Inc., people with knowledge of the dl said, seeking to improve mapping tools after a rocky debut for its directions software last yr.The people asked not to be identified because the dl isn’t public. AllThingsD reported rlier today that Cupertino, California-based is purchasing Loionary Inc., a Toronto-based company focused on business-loion maps. has confirmed the dl toAllThingsDusing its standard boilerplate text: buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we erally do not discuss our purpose or plans.The iPhone maker in yrs past acquired mapping startups Placebase, C3, Poly9 to help make the awesome iOS 6 Maps a rlity. Since the relse of iOS 6, multiple outlets have named HopStop one of the top transit apps to use in place of Maps.Business Insider, for example, wrote last August that HopStop users“can take advantage of schedules for hundreds of regional rails, subways, buses, ferries and more”Here’s HopStop CEO Joe Meyer revling back in 2011 that nrly three out of ch four HopStop users fired up the app at lst 25 times per month, almost amounting to an average of one run per day.HopStop is the seventh most popular free navigation app in the App Store.Check out HopStop for iPad.According to theofficial website, with HopStop you can:• Get directions or find nrby subway stations and bus stops with our free mobile apps
• Send directions by email directly from our website
• Plan a trip with multiple destinations
• Estimate travel time and cost for a taxi
• Get estimates for calories ed and carbon emissions savings for your route
• Find wheelchair accessible and stroller friendly routes
• Check out Rl-Time Alerts and Planned Service Changes
• See Transit Maps and Schedules
• Do Nrby Station srchesPublic transit option, or the lack of, remains the Achille’s heel of Maps for the time being. Although the company allows for some level of limited third-party integration with iOS Maps, asking for transit directions in iOS 6 yanks you out of Maps and into whatever supported third-party transit app you may have installed.The band-aid solution has always been far from perfect and many have hoped will someday fold high-quality transit data into its Maps. With this acquit-hire in place, the next major iteration of Maps could enable built-in public transit routes to travel by foot, bike, subway and car across hundreds of cities.This – and rlier today thcquisitionof Toronto-based business-loion maps provider Loionary – should be enough to silence the critics who happen to forget how Google has spent more than sever yrs iterating and perfecting its mapping service.

How to get more battery life on Macbook by reducing tabs in browsers

Gizmodopointed us to someresrchcarried out by someone who must be the poster child for having too much time on your hands: he decided to msure the amount of power aMacBook Prouses for ch tab open in a browser. The answer, in case you were curious, is 0.19 watts per tab inSafariorChrome.There is some point to it, though: the experiment showed that having 100 tabs open reduces battery-life by around an hour. While I doubt that many of us have quite that many tabs open at any one time, it does suggest that when you’re trying to eek out as much usage as you can from a battery, closing unnecessary tabs will buy you at lst a little more time.

at Q3 call: iCloud rches 320M accounts, 900B iMessages, 125B photo uploads

Senior vice president and Chief Financial rPeter Oppenheimer is on first today for ’s Q3 2013 rnings report and just provided some updates on the company’s iTunes sales, retail stores and much, much more. Not only did the App Store have its best week and best month last quarter, added a ton of content to the iTunes store thanks to new additions to the with HBO and WatchESPN. It also confirmed that it’s now at 320 million iCloud accounts, up around 20 million since WWDC in June.Hd below for a roundup of the updated s:Best month and best week ever for App Store billings. 2.4B for App Store.. total quarterly revenue of 4B from iTunes software and services.60K , 230k episodes availablecustomers downloaded more than 1B episodes, 390 million (800k episodes, 300k per day)11 billion paid to developers, half in the last four quarters320 million iCloud accounts900 billion iMessages125 billion photo uploads240 million Game Center accounts8 trillion push notifiions900K apps, 375k for iPad retail stores:–6 new stores across 5 countries, 408 stores total, 156 outside US–9 new stores coming in September–23 reloions coming in 2013–average revenue per store 10.1M–84M visitors during the quarter, 16K per store, per week