As you might have noticed if you’ve added a few friends in Apple’s new Game Center service, the backbone social components are working great. But where, exactly, are all of the games? Developers have actually had access to Apple’s service for quite a while now — it was introduced to them under NDA way back at WWDC. But for some reason, Apple seems to be waiting on approving Game Center-enabled games.

Fortunately, they’re coming, probably as soon as Apple can approve them. Touch Arcade forum member Project-79 has been keeping track of which games have said that they’ll be Game Center-enabled. As soon as updates roll out for games like Field Runners, Flight Control, Super Mega Worm and Angry Birds, you’ll be able to jump in and earn achievements with them.

Keep in mind that some of the best games on Game Center are still to come: Gameloft’s Dungeon Hunter 2 was leaked via a Game Center screen, and of course we’re all waiting to see what Epic Games’ Project Sword looks like, ever since it was shown off with full GC functionality at last week’s Apple event. There are games coming for Game Center, and they should be here soon.

Update: Apparently Ms. PAC-MAN is the first game to get updated with Game Center support. You might want to wait, though — we’ve heard it’s not a very good version.

TUAWGames updated for Game Center (soon) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC pictures of the brand new iPod touch’s internal tech show that the device has a vibrating motor inside of it. According to Apple, the motor will be used with FaceTime, but presumably, it’ll work when any app calls for vibration. That should help for gaming — neither the DS nor the PSP has any sort of vibration feedback, and that’s a feature that has become more or less standard on game consoles.

This also brings the iPod touch in line with most of what the iPhone has. Besides the cell service (obviously), the GPS, and the mute switch, the iPod touch really is, as even Steve commented at last week’s event, “an iPhone without the contract.”

Update: According to iFixit’s teardown of the iPod touch, the component identified is actually a microphone and not a vibration motor. Mac Rumors points out that Apple has updated the iPod touch’s FaceTime page to remove all reference to vibration. It appears vibration continues to be an iPhone-only feature for now.

TUAWNew iPod touch has vibration motor (Update: No, it doesn’t) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re stuck at work and can’t update your iPhone or iPod touch to iOS 4.1 yet, feast your eyes on the gallery below. I was able to take some screenshots of the notes for the update as well as get some shots of Game Center, the HD YouTube movie upload capability, and the new HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography setting in the Photo app.

As noted in the gallery titles, I wasn’t able to actually find any Game Center games — the button in the Game Center app shows nothing just yet. That’s not a good sign for the first day. At least we can all get signed up and befriend each other. We’ll keep an eye out for any games that get GC-enabled as soon as they’re ready.

I plan on tinkering with the HDR photography quite a bit over the next few days. I could have used it during a short trip out of town this last weekend. It’s also nice to see that the HD YouTube movie upload is working well. Be sure to let TUAW and our readers know what you like the most or least about this update by leaving a comment.

TUAWA gallery of iOS 4.1 update screenshots originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in 2008, reports of fires that were caused by overheating batteries in first generation iPod nanos caught the attention of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (MEI). In turn, MEI ordered Apple to replace defective units. Apple conceded and launched a replacement program in August of 2010. Since then, according to the Mainichi Daily News, Apple has replaced over 5,000 batteries.

The MEI reported that Apple replaced 5,527 batteries in August, up from 232 in July and 62 in June. The jump is attributed to changes Apple made to the program’s Web page, which made it easier for customers to find pertinent information.

Apple has stated that the defective batteries overheat only in “very rare cases,” but it has not revealed how many of the targeted units — first generation iPod nanos sold in Japan between September 2005 and September 2006 — have been sold.

The new iPod nano looks super, but I’ve always been partial to the design of the original model. It felt like a big Andes Mint. And for the record, mine never got too hot.

[Via AppleInsider]

TUAWApple replaces 5K nano batteries in Japan originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mystery episode, you say? What could that mean?

Usually it means that your host can’t think of much to talk about, but today I’ll probably have iOS 4.1 feature discussion and demos, an original Apple TV tear-apart (literally), and that’s just the beginning. I’m thinking a few app demos might be in order as well, provided that the super-secret spy cam decides to cooperate. I’ll also be showing off some iPhone 4 products from Exogear, including their new Exolife rechargeable battery case.

My weekly hour-long video livestream starts, as usual, at 5 PM EDT (2 PM PDT) right here at TUAW.com. Drop by a few minutes before the show begins to get yourself acquainted with the livestream and chat tools (if you’re not a regular viewer), or to start chatting with the others about whatever topic comes to mind. It’s fun, it’s fast, and it’s live — see you at 5 PM.

TUAWTUAW TV Live mystery episode today at 5 PM EDT originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you were using the tripwire script, you already know this: iOS 4.1 is now available for download via iTunes. Just connect your iPhone or iPod touch and hit the Check for Update button.

As announced last week, the new version of the firmware should fix some deeply annoying issues (if you’ve inadvertently muted or hung up a call with your earlobe, raise your hand). It also adds Game Center, HDR photos, high-def video uploading, TV show rentals and dramatic improvements to the lot of iPhone 3G owners.

Chime in below or on our Facebook page with your 4.1 upgrade experience!

TUAWSound the klaxons: iOS 4.1 now available for download originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re an iPhone 3G user who has upgraded to iOS 4, you’re most likely pulling your hair out in anticipation of the bug fixes expected in iOS 4.1 (due to arrive this week). However, if you just can’t wait that long, creativebits has a few tips you might like to try in order to improve the performance of your sluggish iPhone 3G.

• Delete all unused and unessential apps.
• Delete all unessential conversations from your SMS inbox.
• Clear your history and browsing cache in Safari.
• Delete your call history.
• If you don’t use them, turn off Spotlight and MMS messaging.

For all the details, check out the article here.

Our own Chris Rawson has some good pointers concerning this issue, but if all else fails, we recommend you get your party poppers ready for the imminent iOS 4.1 release.

TUAWHow to speed up your iPhone 3G (while waiting for the release of iOS 4.1) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whenever Apple releases new hardware, I start to anticipate iFixit’s inevitable teardown. This time they’ve gotten into the iPod shuffle to show us the very small number of tiny parts that keep users rocking.

Much like the Magic Trackpad, there isn’t much to see inside the new shuffle. The guys admit that getting the shuffle apart wasn’t easy. “It took us a good half hour of prying and heat-gunning to open the little guy.” The front and back cases were glued and press-fit together. It’s a solid little device.

Inside, the battery and logic board live side-by-side in cozy quarters. In fact, they’re soldered together (so no user-serviceable battery in the shuffle). Once the connecting ribbon has been removed, you can pop the board’s retaining clip and the lone screw holding it in place, removing it and the battery as a single unit. Finally, four little screws keep the click wheel in place.

iFixit shares some other information on the battery, board, and probable dates of manufacture in their article, so go and read it. We suspect, as they do, that these teardowns will only get harder as Apple’s hardware continues to shrink.

TUAWiFixit tears down a new iPod shuffle originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sharing your files, photos, movies, and images with others through online services can sometimes be a hassle for Mac users. For some of us, it’s possible to get all of the various interconnections between services set up in such a way that one tweet sends a photo to Facebook, Flickr, and a variety of other services. But for a surprising number of Mac users, it just isn’t that easy.

Realmac Software is in the business of making things easy. They’re the folks who make website design easy with RapidWeaver, and they’ve just come out with a tool to make media sharing as easy as putting a stamp on an envelope. Courier (US$19.95 introductory price) is designed so that anyone, even your Mom, can easily upload photos, movies, and the like to a pile of services.

A download of Courier is available for a limited trial, and you can make an in-app purchase of the app if you like it. We’re going to be giving away five copies of Courier to TUAW readers, so read up on how the app works and then enter the giveaway. Check out the gallery below for a few screenshots, and then read on for a look at this Mac application.

TUAWTUAW first look and giveaway: Courier simplifies Mac media sharing originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Good news for 2nd generation iPod touch users! As reported by AppleInsider and MacDailyNews, the 2nd generation iPod touch will be compatible with Game Center, Apple’s new gaming and social networking application, but the iPhone 3G will not. Other compatible iOS devices are the 3rd and 4th generation iPod touch as well as the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS.

AppleInsider notes that the 2nd generation iPod touch, which has similar hardware specs to the iPhone 3G (in terms of game playability), had previously not been compatible with Game Center, in an iOS 4.1 beta build. However, in a turn of events, the 2nd generation iPod touch is now compatible, according to Apple’s official Game Center website.

Though both the iPhone 3G and the 2nd generation iPod touch were released in 2008, the 2nd generation iPod touch has a slightly faster processor, clocking in at 532MHz over the iPhone 3G’s 412MHz.

With the iPhone 3G suffering under the weight of an already slimmed down version of iOS 4, it’s no surprise to see that the 3G won’t be compatible with Game Center. Game Center will be available, for compatible iOS devices, with iOS 4.1

TUAWConfirmed: Game Center for 2nd gen iPod touch, not iPhone 3G originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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My FTP app of choice, Cyberduck, has updated to version 3.6, and as you can see on the changelog, it’s a nice, chunky update. The developers have added in support for Google Storage, made things easier for Amazon S3 users, and added a lot of little features and bugfixes that make the whole experience easier and more compatible with other apps and platforms.

I still like Cyberduck as an app — a lot of Mac users praise the heck out of Transmit, and it’s also a very nice app, but I like supporting open source (and don’t mind the free downloads, either). And Cyberduck is still growing — they just recently announced that a Windows version is coming soon, so if you need to do some FTP’ing on Microsoft’s platform, but want a Mac-quality app to do it with, Cyberduck could be the one. That version is in beta now, and should be out for release soon.

Cyberduck, as open source software, is a free download, with the option to make a donation to the hardworking developers over here.

TUAWCyberduck adds cloud file management improvements originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iMovie 1.1 is now available in the AppStore for download. The updated iMovie application for iPhone comes with video clips splitting and iPod Touch 4G support via iOS 4.1.
Full changelog in iMovie 1.1 after the jump…

New in iMovie 1.1

• Compatible with iPod touch (4th generation).
• Ability to split video clips.
• Automatic music looping when video extends beyond music track.
• Scrub to preview clips in Video Browser.
• In-app Tips page that illustrates how to use key features.
• Updated Photos Browser with newest images at top.
• Mute badge to indicate video clips with audio disabled.
• Additional performance and reliability improvements.

Download iMovie 1.1

If you already own a copy of iMovie, version 1.1 comes as a free update. New users can purchase and download iMovie from the AppStore for $4.99. [iTunes Link]

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Pod2g from Chronix Dev Team has found a new bootrom exploit that could bring iOS 4.1 jailbreak tool for all iPhones and iPod Touches. Unlike a userland jailbreak (Spirit/jailbreakme for example), Apple cannot fix a jailbreak based on a bootrom exploit with a new firmware update. A bootRom based exploit can only be patched with a new hardware revision.

This is what MuscleNerd and Pod2g has tweeted about the new exploit:

Apple has pushed the iOS 4.1 firmware update for iPhone 4, 3GS, 3G and iPod Touch 4G 3G, 2G. If you depend on jailbreak and/or unlock, you’re strongly recommended to avoid iOS 4.1 until new jailbreak and unlock tools are released.

Stay tuned at iPhoneHeat.com. We’ll keep you posted on future developments.

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