Scumbag Turned Scholar Creeps into the App Store

Erie, Pennsylvania – The AppFlixion Group introduces Scholar or Scumbag 1.0 for iOS. With Scholar or Scumbag users put skills to the test. Given a picture, users simply decide whether the an individual in history was a scholar or scumbag.

History from past to present has been filled with scholars. We’ve been graced with talent from Einstein to Edison and Shakespeare to Salinger. But the world wouldn’t be complete without a few scumbags, as well. Scott McCausland, Co-Founder of The AppFlixion Group, jumped head-first into the “scumbag” category in May of 2005. McCausland knowingly and illegally uploaded Star Wars Episode III to the file sharing site where he was an administrator. As it turns out, the FBI warnings that you see at the start of every film are no joke and McCausland found that out the hard way.

After serving several months in a federal prison, McCausland decided that he needed to make a change. In 2011, after previously obtaining a degree in Management Information Systems, McCausland received his MBA from Penn State University. Enter, the scholar.

“When you make a mistake of the caliber that I did, it stays with you for long after the initial consequences. A lot of people are stuck on my past, but I’m not,” McCausland said. “I’m a new person with new goals and new passions.”

One of those passions is running a successful iPhone app development business. McCausland, along with partner Josh Layhue, made their initial mark in the App Store with Bust A Caption in late 2012. Their second title is set to be released on February 12, 2013. The app is appropriately entitled, Scholar or Scumbag.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone 3GS/4/4S/5, iPod touch (3rd/4th/5th generation), and iPad
* Requires iOS 5.0 or later
* 29.0 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Scholar or Scumbag 1.0 is only $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Entertainment category.

The AppFlixion Group is owned and operated by Scott McCausland and Josh Layhue, each software developers from Erie, Pennsylvania. The company focuses on iPhone and iPad entertainment apps. Copyright (C) 2013 The AppFlixion Group. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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Apple pulls 500px app from App Store, accuses it of allowing too easy access to porn

500px is one of our favorite photography applications - a simply and beautifully designed app for photographers and enthusiasts, but also a community, it was suddenly pulled out of the Apple App Store for allegedly allowing easy access to pornographic images.

Here is the official explanation by Cupertino:

“The app was removed from the App Store for featuring pornographic images and material, a clear violation of our guidelines. We also received customer complaints about possible child pornography. We've asked the developer to put safeguards in place to prevent pornographic images and material in their app.”

Those are some heavy accusations from Apple, especially given the fact that 500px has never hosted purely pornographic pictures, and the nude images that are hosted are always artistic in nature, not vulgar in any way.

“We don’t allow pornographic images. If something is purely pornographic, it’s against our terms and it’s deleted,” 500px COO Evgeny Tchebotarev notes.

It is true, though, that through the search function one can find nude images in 500px. The service relies on its users to flag inappropriate images, but in addition it also has a very clear and enabled by default opt-out policy for nude images.

However, what makes Apple’s move particularly weird is the fact that the 500px app was on the App Store for nearly 16 months staying with virtually the same functionality from the get go. The app was only updated in November with a prettier UI but no other changes.

Here is the developer’s official response:

Now, we can understand Apple pulling the app immediately (if it didn’t and child pornography was found, that could be considered grounds for a lawsuit), but it’s strange that it did so with this exact application that has obviously been there for a long while. Pornographic content is of course not far from the reach via browsers as well, and here we’re not even talking about ‘pornographic’ images per se.

The 500px app should be back in a couple of days, but we are once again seeing Apple’s walled garden approach. The app is still freely available on the Google Play store. Question remains, though, is Apple's decision good for developers and users? We’ll let you sound off your thoughts in the comments below.

source: Tech Crunch

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Google Nexus 10 all sold out in Google Play Store

The Google Nexus 10 was back in stock at the Google Play Store on January 2nd. 19 days later, both the 16GB and 32GB variants of the tablet are once again sold out. Both versions of the tablet, which is produced by Samsung, offer Wi-Fi connectivity only. When in stock, the price is $399 for the 16GB model and $499 for 32GB.

The tablet sold out amid rumors that a new version of the Google Nexus 10 will be displayed at MWC next month in Barcelona. The GPU is expected to be updated to a 8-core T628 GPU. Those who have played with the new version of the tablet say that performance is like "night and day". Currently, the tablet features a dual-core 1.7GHz Cortex A15-based Samsung Exynos 5 chip, and a quad-core Mali-T604 GPU.

Will Google look to replenish inventory of the Google Nexus 10 or will it wait for a sequel version of the tablet to be launched? That is the big question for those interested in purchasing the slate.

source: GooglePlayStore (1), (2)
UPDATE: The Google Nexus 10 is back in stock... for now.

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Pixeljam Releases Potatoman Seeks the Troof in the Mac App Store

Asheville, North Carolina – Potatoman Seeks the Troof 1.0 is a challenging potatosophical platforming adventure from Pixeljam, the creators of Dino Run and Gamma Bros. Make your way through dry deserts, mysterious forests, busy cities, the tallest mountains and ultimately through your innermost consciousness in search of the ultimate answer! Go forward, seek, and discover The Troof!

Feature Highlights:
* A short-form, story-driven experience with extremely challenging and rewarding gameplay
* A bounty of colorful deaths
* The meaning of (Potatoman’s) Life

Accolades:
“Potatoman will delight, surprise, and challenge you. I had so much fun playing through his little adventure, and I know I’ll replay it many times in the future. And the ending is amazing! Definitely play all the way to the end.” – James Kochalka – Creator of American Elf

“Potatoman is an awesome bite-sized platformer that is as fun as it is, well, insane.” – Northerlion

“In contrast to the game’s difficulty is its completely charming aesthetic and tone. Though visually minimalistic, the game is rich with character, from its level design to the actual characters you meet along the way (each with their own ideas about the nature of truth). Also, you play as a sentient potato. Not many games really have that going for them.” – Indie Statik

System Requirements:
* Requires Mac OS X 10.6 or later
* 38.2 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Potatoman Seeks the Troof 1.0 is $2.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the Mac App Store in the Games category.

Potatoman Seeks the Troof 1.0
Purchase and Download
YouTube Video 1
YouTube Video 2
Screenshot
App Icon

Located in Seattle, Washington, Pixeljam Games is an independent games development team that specializes in unique and retro styled arcade games for the good people of earth. Pixeljam makes low resolution entertainment for high resolution people. Copyright (C) 2013 Pixeljam Games. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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Google Nexus 10 all sold out in Google Play Store

The Google Nexus 10 was back in stock at the Google Play Store on January 2nd. 19 days later, both the 16GB and 32GB variants of the tablet are once again sold out. Both versions of the tablet, which is produced by Samsung, offer Wi-Fi connectivity only. When in stock, the price is $399 for the 16GB model and $499 for 32GB.

The tablet sold out amid rumors that a new version of the Google Nexus 10 will be displayed at MWC next month in Barcelona. The GPU is expected to be updated to a 8-core T628 GPU. Those who have played with the new version of the tablet say that performance is like "night and day". Currently, the tablet features a dual-core 1.7GHz Cortex A15-based Samsung Exynos 5 chip, and a quad-core Mali-T604 GPU.

Will Google look to replenish inventory of the Google Nexus 10 or will it wait for a sequel version of the tablet to be launched? That is the big question for those interested in purchasing the slate.

source: GooglePlayStore (1), (2)

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The Huawei Ascend Mate, a 6.1 inch 1080p beast, gets impromptu introduction at a Huawei store

If you had a phone with a 6.1 inch screen in your pocket, could you really keep quiet about it until CES in January? Huawei Chariman Richard Yu finally snapped at a Huawei store in Guangzhou on Saturday, and the executive did an impromptu introduction of the Huawei Ascend Mate. It's not the first time that a Huawei executive has touted the device. A little more than two weeks ago, Senior Vice President Yu Chengdong confirmed the existence of the phone and told prospective buyers of the Samsung GALAXY Note II to hold off on their purchase until the Huawei Ascend Mate was launched. Chengdong also happened to call Samsung's 5.5 inch smartphone "grossly overpriced".

Earlier speculation has the phone equipped with a 6.1 inch 1080p screen, which equals an outstanding 361ppi pixel density. Under the hood is a 1.8GHz quad-core processor and a 4000mAh battery keeps the lights on. The Huawei Ascend Mate is expected to be 9.6mm thick. Still, Yu posted on his web page on Sina Weibo that the final specs may differ. The price is estimated to be just south of ¥3,000, or approximately $480 USD. And yes, Huawei will still make a proper introduction of the device at CES 2013.

source: Weibo via Engadget

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Apple allows two fake Halo 4 apps to be sold in the App Store

Getting an app approved and listed on the Apple App Store in an arduous process. Yet, two obviously fake Halo 4 apps made it through to actually go on sale for $4.99 each on the App Store. While both had an icon that would seem to represent the wildly popular Microsoft game, showed screenshots of the real thing and had a metadata description of Halo 4, what you were purchasing for nearly $5 was a chess game or a racing title. Neither game would be worth the money that you might have been rooked out of.

Each Halo 4 app also featured a number of 5 star reviews. Actually, to be precise, there were 206 reviews with an average 4.5 stars. How could something like this escape the watchful eye of Apple not just once, but twice? We do have to note that Apple has removed the fake Halo 4 apps, but not before some people spent $4.99 for something that they did not receive.

source: MacMixing, CultofMac via Gizmodo

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YouHue:Effects for Instagram has arrived in the App Store

Burnaby, Canada – Christmas has come early for Instagram lovers. YouHue, the new photo sharing and editing app that works with Instagram, is now available for download from iTunes. YouHue enhances the Instagram app, giving diehard iphoneographers access to more filters and photo editing tools.

YouHue lets users:
* Adjust elements like lighting, brightness, contrast, saturation, and sharpness
* Eliminate red eye and blemishes
* Enhance photos with new filters including Singe, Laguna, Indiglow, and Soft Focus
* Add text, drawing, and stickers to photos
* Upload photos to their Instagram feed, Facebook or Twitter with the simple click of a button
* YouHue is a free app. It’s the second release from Vancouver-based developers Done Right Apps

“We learned a lot from the Release of our first app PictiseMe,” says Done Right co-founder Sudhir Datta. We’re diehard Instagram users, and we know lots of users hoped for new filters and editing options for their pictures. We tried to focus on that, and created an app that’s intuitive and fun to use.”

Response to the new app has been strong so far, and team members are hopeful that YouHue will become a staple for iPhoneographers.

Language Support:
YouHue directly supports English, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Swedish languages.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires iOS 5.1 or later
* 6.5 MB

Pricing and Availability:
YouHue: Effects for Instagram 1.0 is free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Photo & Video category. For More information or to schedule an interview, please contact Nita or Sudhir at 778-989-6738.

Done Right Apps
YouHue: Effects for Instagram 1.0
Download from iTunes
Media Assets

Founded in 2011, Done Right Apps is an entertainment media company based in Vancouver, BC. PictsieMe is the first app released by Done Right. Copyright (C) 2012 Done Right Apps. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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Microsoft will allow mature games in the Windows Store in Europe, at least

So is this really why there are no good games for windows phone? I'm a big boy, I can decide for myself what is, and isn't, appropriate. Stupid Microsoft.

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Gifting apps returns to iOS 6 App Store

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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Windows Phone Store gets a big update and web expansion

your the only hurt fanboy here, the comments were all reasonable till you appeared

first to correct you, symbian (pre belle) lagged, hell even belle can lag fp2 i havent had any but doesnt mean it isnt possible. heavy users can get lag off any phone. android is no exception.

second windows 8 is an eye sore...........coming from all those tacky 3rd party widgets you can get and icon packed screens..........seriously get off your high horse. windows 8 and wp8 is minimal, and compare it to android and ios it looks much fresher and cleaner.

i think this is what you android fanboys dont like :

1. nokia arent making an android phone and your butthurt

2. wp8 has gone a different way and looks different and more modern then other os's (preference has influence here)

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Google Nexus 4 bumpers back in stock at the U.S. Google Play Store, now how about the phone?

Guess what is back in stock at the Google Play Store? The Google Nexus 4...bumpers. Oh, if only we had stopped before writing bumpers, we could have made many people happy. Still, those lucky enough to have been able to purchase the phone will want to have some protection for the device, and that is what the bumper offers. The bumpers have been out of stock, but can now be ordered for $19.99 with delivery in 3 to 5 days.

By covering them with the rubber, the sides of your Google Nexus 4 are protected. By raising the back of the device slightly, it helps prevent it from getting scratched. The bumper is available in black and if you want one, you can click on the sourcelink to place your order. Considering that it has been sold out before, we wouldn't wait too long before making the purchase.

source: GooglePlayStore via AndroidCentral

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Beautiful Clock Widgets set hits the Play Store, lets you change that ugly clock with peppy designs

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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16GB Google Nexus 10 joins the other sell outs in the Google Play Store

What did you expect? With that luscious 2560 x 1600 display and 300ppi pixel density, how could both versions of the Google Nexus 10 not sell out? The 16GB model of the tablet is now all sold out, as is the 32GB version as well. Did someone say the economy is still doing poorly? And wait, there's more. Of course, the Google Nexus 4 sold out on the Google Play Store shortly after being offered on Tuesday, (although a trip to the right T-Mobile store could help you here, that is if you don't mind paying $150 more for the same phone) and the HSPA+ variant of the Google Nexus 7 is also out of stock.

If only producing these phones and tablets were as easy as having a shack full of Keebler elves. In the meantime, there is still the 16GB and 32GB versions of the Google Nexus 7 left with inventory along with the $199 Acer Chromebook

Some of those who ordered the Google Nexus 4 received an email on Thursday, telling them that the device is on backorder and could ship sometime in the next 3 weeks.

source: GooglePlayStore via AndroidCentral

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Oh, the absurdity: iOS games with titles containing the word "memory" may be pulled from the App Store

Stuff like this really makes you question the way trademarks are awarded to entities these days. According to a report from gaming site Gamasutra, Apple is in the process of warning iOS developers that in case the titles of their games contain the word "memory," they might soon be pulled from the App Store.

It turns out that German casual game maker Ravensburger is in control of the rights for the word "memory" when it's in relation to games. What's more, the trademark has been awarded to the company in an impressive number of countries, including Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Serbia, South Korea, Spain and many others. According to the source, the ban for other dev studios to use the work is to be enforced by the end of the year.

Are we the only ones who find this incredibly stupid? We can understand the right to trademark names like "Angry Birds," but to let someone trademark ordinary words such as "angry" or "birds"... or "memory" seems very weird to us.

via: Electronista

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ProtectStar iTreasure for iOS – Store Any File in Impregnable Data Vault

Miami, Florida – ProtectStar, Inc. today is pleased to announce the December release of its newest security app for mobile devices, ProtectStar iTreasure for iOS. The app allows iDevice owners to store text documents, photos, videos, financial records, or any other files inside a data vault, where all contents are encrypted using powerful 256-bit AES algorithms. Featuring intuitive touch control, iTreasure includes the ProtectStar Smart Viewer, which permits users to view, read, send, share, compress, or print any encrypted file format from within the app.

The Smart Viewer is capable of opening a wide variety of file formats, making it unnecessary to employ native apps to open different file formats. For example, the Smart Viewer lets users open Word, Excel, Keynote, and PDF files from within the iTreasure data vault. The app also supports AirPlay and AirPrint. A full-screen option with zoom allows easy sharing of photos and notes via Facebook and Twitter.

iTreasure is fully compatible with iCloud and Dropbox, allowing completely secure remote storage of encrypted data. In the event that a user’s iDevice is lost or stolen, the entire contents of the user’s secure data vault is deleted in such a way that the data cannot be recovered, in accordance with military security standards, such as the US Department of Defense’s DoD 5220.22-M E method. The optionally available ProtectStar iFile Server is seamlessly compatible with iTreasure. This function allows users to upload and download all of their files, documents, videos, music, and pictures to and from their data vault via drag and drop in their web browser.

Feature Highlights:
* Store any kind of file securely in the iTreasure data vault
* 256-bit AES encryption
* ProtectStar Smart Viewer opens any encrypted file
* Integrated Dropbox and iCloud connectivity
* Support for Apple AirPrint and AirPlay
* View, read, send, share, compress, or print any file format from within the app
* Optional ProtectStar iFile Server

Founded in 2004, ProtectStar was among the first companies to check mobile devices for security risks, a pioneering effort leading to significant security improvements in mobile and smart phones. In 2006, it released Data Shredder for Windows, which has become an industry standard in secure data deletion. The company’s iShredder for iOS, released in 2011, is the leading iOS data erasure app that protects against third parties restoring deleted files. ProtectStar has more than 200,000 customers in more than 30 countries, from industrial, business, institutional, government, and military sectors, as well as individual users. ProtectStar plans the December 2012 release of iLocker and iTreasure.

“Make life simpler, easier and more secure. Maximally secure in fact. Without compromise,” commented Christopher Bohn of ProtectStar. “ProtectStar iTreasure is one of the world’s most secure apps – and what’s more, it offers fully intuitive operation. We know that protecting your data is more important today than ever before. Regardless of whether it’s your CV, vacation snapshots, personal videos, account statements, or secret notes, you need to safeguard your confidential data against unauthorized third parties and hackers – at all times, and without exception.”

Language Support:
* English, German, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian

System Requirements:
* iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
* Requires iOS 4.3 or later (iOS 6 tested)
* 10 MB

Pricing and Availability:
ProtectStar iTreasure 1.0 for iOS will be released in December, 2012 in the Utilities category of the iTune App Store, and it will be launched at a price of $1.99 (USD) in the first week and then goes up to $2.99. Review copies will be available on request.

Based in Miami, Florida, ProtectStar, Inc. was founded by Christopher Bohn in 2004. Their aim is to protect the users of tomorrow against unauthorized data access today. Copyright (C) 2004-2012 ProtectStar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.

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