Earlier today we told you about Apple having a big event tomorrow, which is centered around iTunes. At the time, we speculated that the event will most likely be to introduce iTunes Cloud, a service that would allow you to stream music from iTunes, anywhere you are.

Well, it looks like this is not going to happen, at least not tomorrow. According to the WSJ, Apple will announce tomorrow that they finally have the rights to the entire Beatles catalog and that it will be available on iTunes… Read More

Facebook is one of the most popular apps on the iPhone, and as of today it’s getting an important privacy update. New in version 3.3.2 is the ability to change your privacy and account settings directly from the app itself. Previously, Facebook users would have to log into Facebook.com in their browser in order to change settings, but those practically prehistoric days are now far behind us.

Actually, we shouldn’t get too excited just yet as the requirement to go into the browser hasn’t been removed, but rather reworked so it’s slightly less cumbersome. Now whenever users pull up their account they’ll be presented with the ability to tap a button to chance their privacy and security settings. Once tapped, the app redirects the user to their settings on Facebook.com, allowing them to make and save changes. So even though you still have to go to the website to actually make any changes, at least now you can start the process from the app. Hopefully this will be a springboard to even more streamlined implementation down the road.

The privacy and account settings are really the only noteworthy additions in this update, as the rest of the content is just bug fixes and performance boosts. Sort of an underwhelming update really, with the only new feature only being half-implemented in a process most folks don’t use their iPhone for in the first place. Then again, after Facebook’s recent slam of Apple’s iPad as not truly a mobile device, relations between the two companies might be a bit frosty. Still, we’ll keep our fingers crossed for some sort of major update in Facebook 3.3.3, because with such a nicely numbered update we’re well within our rights to expect a major new feature.

FREE!

Facebook

iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad

Our Rating: :: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2008-07-11 :: Category: Social Networking

[via TUAW]

[ Facebook iPhone App Gets Privacy Update is a post from 148Apps ]

There was a time, not so long ago, that Tamagotchi’s ruled the hearts and minds of little kids everywhere. Mindless children would feed, pet, and train these little creatures as if their deaths would be the end of their worlds. Maybe I’m wrong in the head, but all I wanted to do with the little critters was mess up their limited digital lives.

“Sure I’ll watch your Tamagotchi!” I’d say to my classmates, “It might not eat for a few days, but what’s the harm.”

Later on, the makers of the evil little toy were forced to add a pause button due to pressure from school teachers nationwide. Apparently kids were sneaking off to the bathroom during class to feed their Tamagotchi’s when the little buzzer came on that indicated hunger. After awhile the critters lost popularity and their time slaughtering ways evolved into Farmville and ngmoco:)’s “We” games, but a spot in our collective hearts were holding out for this very day. The day Zombigotchi arrived.

Zombigotchi is, as you can imagine, the zombie version of Tamigotchi. Like it’s namesake, your goal in Zombigotchi is to raise your little zombie to be the best brain eating zombie out there. Instead of being nice to the zombie though (which you can still do), you can poke it and maim it without consequence. You also have to feed it, but I’m pretty sure it eats blood and body parts… perfect for a tiny little brain eater.

The game comes complete with five unlockable characters, two unlockable subgames (ragdoll and giblets), and 25 unlockable zombie cards. If you want a good chuckle this Halloween season, be sure to pick up Zombigotchi today. Also, be sure to check out the promo clips below, they’re really pretty funny.

$1.99

Zombigotchi

iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-10-22 :: Category: Entertainment / Family

[ Zombigotchi Rights My Childhood Wrongs is a post from 148Apps ]

Just when you thought you couldn’t get any more Angry Birds comes the announcement that the super-successful app will be receiving an update in the form of 45 all-new Halloween themed levels. The update is expected to arrive any moment now, and will cost $.99 for the standard version or $1.99 for the HD edition.

“With Angry Birds Halloween, we wanted to provide our fans with a special treat,” said Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio. “In addition to this new experience, we will also keep providing continuous free updates for Angry Birds.”

It’s interesting to note that this update is coming from Rovio and not Chillingo, especially in light of today’s purchase of Chillingo by EA. Rovio owns the rights to Angry Birds, so content updates such as this one or even a full-fledged sequel will come from Rovio and not Chillingo/EA. Just something to keep in mind going forward as we await the inevitable Angry Birds Christmas/Festivus/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah pack.

While you wait for the update to release please enjoy the gallery of new screenshots, which manage to be both spooky and adorable at the same time. It’s a lot like when you dress your dog up for Halloween, but with a lot less animal cruelty.

[via Kotaku]

[ Angry Birds Getting Halloween Theme Levels is a post from 148Apps ]

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) co-founder Paul Allen is not messing around. He has filed a lawsuit against Google, Facebook, Apple, eBay, Yahoo!, AOL, Netflix, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples, and YouTube over patents. Paul Allen claims he owns the rights to pop-up stock quotes on websites, related news articles on websites, and videos on the sides of your screen.

Paul Allen filed this lawsuit in a Seattle federal court. “This lawsuit against some of America’s most innovative companies reflects an unfortunate trend of people trying to compete in the courtroom instead of the marketplace,” stated a Google spokesperson as quoted in the WSJ.

Critics of Mr. Allen’s actions have called this method of collecting royalties “patent trolling.” Patent trolling is an aggressive method of collecting from alleged infringers without any intention to market or produce technology using the patent themselves.

The patents were developed at Palo Alto firm Interval Research Corporation. Paul Allen financed this incubator with $100 million of his own money. But Interval shut down about 10 years ago. Paul Allen’s spokesman David Postman said that this lawsuit has nothing to do with the Microsoft co-founders health or personal finances.

eBay and Facebook have both already responded by saying that they plan to fight the lawsuit vigorously. Other companies are still preparing an official response. The lawsuit was filed by Paul Allen’s Interval Licensing LLC. Interestingly, Interval Research Corporation has been credited by Google in 1998 as an outside collaborator. Interval also helped fund research for Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. This research led to the creation of Google itself.

[WSJ]