Category Archives: Gadgets & Electronics

Prey 2 Not Cancelled

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After fears that the eager awaited Prey 2 had been shelved, ‘Bad Boy’ publisher Bethesda has finally come clean and confirmed that Prey 2 has not been cancelled, but it won’t be released this year after apprehension over its current quality.

The saying goes ‘Bad news travels fast, but good news travels slow’. Well this is news could not come a moment too soon. After rumours emerged almost a fortnight ago that the beloved ‘Prey 2’ was being canned; rumours that the developers Bethesda refused to deny, a public statement has now been issued that its development has not been cancelled but put on hold for further development and as result unlikely due to be released in 2012 as planned.

In a press release they go onto say ‘The delay is due to the fact that game development has not progressed satisfactorily this past year, and the game does not currently meet our quality standards. Prey 2 has shown great promise and we regret disappointing our fans.

‘We have made a substantial investment in game development to deliver the experience fans want. We are determined only to release the AAA game that fans rightfully expect, and are unwilling to compromise our quality standards to meet a release schedule.’

No other information, and certainly no new screenshots or footage, has been offered up but the news sure to make the many fans who posted on their face book fan page rejoice.

Rumours that the game had been cancelled were surprising as the game impressed most people that saw it at E3 and Gamefest festival last year. However, the lack of any hands on demos certainly gave the possibility that very little else of the game has been finished or indeed even properly planned.

Prey 2 has relatively little to do with the 2006 first person shooter and follows a new character who is marooned on an alien planet and forced to become a bounty hunter.

If you haven’t seen the trailer for this game then take a real look below and enjoy; this might be all we see of the game for a while. Then again, another good saying is ‘Everything comes to those who wait’. Well Time will tell if this game will be everything we come to expect of ‘Bad Boy’ publisher Bethesda.

 

NEW Kid Icarus: Uprising Weapons Infographic Now Available!

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In case you didn’t know – Kid Icarus: Uprising was launched exclusively on Nintendo 3DS on 23rd March to rave reviews; gamers simply cannot get enough of the flying / hack and slash / puzzler of a game that takes full advantage of the 3DS hardware. You simply will not believe your eyes.

Now the infographic has been released revealing for the first time the vast array of weapons available in the game.

Each weapon type has individual characteristics including attack range and trajectory and how it affects your speed of movement; each weapon also has attributes that influence your battlefield skills.  Weapons can be bought, sold and gained through the multiplayer mode and fused together to create even more devastating weapons with unique characteristics. From the Samurai Blade’s powerful slashing attacks to the EZ Cannon’s charged shots, from the Babel Club’s enormous sandstorms to the Meteor Bow’s long range comets drawing power from the night sky – there are a wealth of choices to make when battling Medusa’s dark hordes.

To check out the Infographic check out: http://www.nintendo.co.uk/kidicarusuprising/infographic/

For those of you not yet caught up in the incredible game that is Kid Icarus check out the trailer created by Mr Sakurai and the Sola Studio and don’t forget to give us your feedback – its priceless!

 

Highs and Lows of The Ridge Racer Franchise

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Incredible to believe that Ridge Racer has been around since 1993. whilst the latest instalment leaves much to be desired, join us as we take a look back at the highs and lows of perhaps one of the most incredible race franchises of all time.

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Ridge Racer Arcade Game and Ports

In 1993 a racing video game was released into the world by Namco. That game was Ridge Racer. It was initially released on the Namco System 22 arcade system board, and was later ported to the PlayStation console. It was released in competition to the rift of racing games released at the time by Sega such as Daytona and VR Racing and became an instant hit owing to the photo realistic nature of the graphics and arcadey style driving engine which was easy to pick up and hard to put down.

The first home version of Ridge Racer was released in Japan in 1994 as a launch title for the original Sony PlayStation console. Some players may say that it was an ‘arcade perfect port’ which was a term that was banded around at the time but I still would say otherwise. One thing is for sure is that the game played a major role in establishing Playstation console and in giving it an early edge over its nearest competitor, the Sega Saturn. Nice touches included the option to change the in game music by removing the game disc and inserting your own favourite CD – a move that has never been repeated since.

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Ridge Racer Revolution

Firmly following the mantra of ‘if it isn’t broke don’t fix it’ Ridge Racer Revolution’ simply offered more of the same. I personally did not like it as it had dodgy collision detection, but I know loads of players who loved it as it had a two-player link-up mode which when played allowed the players access to the two courses from the original Ridge Racer game known as ‘Special 1’ and ‘Special 2’.

Normally only 4 cars are selectable, but all 12 are selectable if a player is able to defeat 100% of the enemies on the Galaga ’88 game before the title screen. In addition if this was done in less than 44 shots, not only were all the cars selectable, but the car bodies were smaller and the wheels bigger, looking much like buggies. Other changes included a commentator with a higher-pitched voice and different handling of the cars. However, while you can still race the three bonus cars, you cannot win them in the buggy mode. One way to easily access the buggy mode from the beginning is to hold L1, R1 select, down and triangle all simultaneously from when the game loads until the space invaders game – a special laser then emitted from the ship to kill all of the enemies on the space invaders game. Don’t say I don’t give away secrets.

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Rage Racer

Whilst arcade gamers got Rave Racer, Playstation owners got Rage Racer. They sound similar but believe me they are anything but. Visually the game took a different approach compared to the previous PlayStation titles. It looked more realistic and had a darker colour scheme.  For the first time in the Ridge Racer series, Rage Racer introduced a brand new advanced single player career system which used credits which were received from winning races which then could be used to buy and upgrade cars. I rate this as a low because although I loved the way it brought something new to the genre and I have fond memories of taking a Beetle look-alike round the track at break-neck speed the graphics were really rough around the edges and the music was horrendous.

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R4: Ridge Racer Type 4

This was the fourth game in the Ridge Racer series on the PlayStation.

With Namco now properly turning the attention to the home market this title was solely made for the home console.  There were eight tracks and a whopping 321 vehicles, Having realized their mistakes in the previous title back came gouraud shading on the polygons, giving the game a visual depth that was really lovely to the eye. The intro and presentation of the game was incredible. It was also the first Ridge Racer game on the Sony system to feature a two-player split screen mode, and featured two different driving models.

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Ridge Racer 64

This was the next in the racing instalment developed by Namco and Nintendo Software Technology for the Nintendo 64 in 2000. It featured tracks from Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution and its very own set of desert tracks exclusive to the Nintendo 64. On the Car Select screen you could join the Dig Racing Team, Pac Racing Club, Racing Team Solvalou and R.C. Micro Mouse Mappy all from Ridge Racer Type 4. It marked ahigh point of the series and you could also change the colours of the car instead of the normal colours. The music was equally great and moving away from solely producing titles for Sony’s home machines Nintendo 64 owners finally had a racing game they could be proud of.

 

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Ridge Racer V 

(RRV), was the fifth game in the Ridge Racer series on the PlayStation. It was in one word Incredible. One of the launch games for the PlayStation 2. It featured 14 tracks and 18 vehicles, with 5 modes of play. Taking full advantage of the new spec hardware available in the next generation console the colours were bright, the in game graphics and speed was insatiable and the music was banging. I remember going over one ridge in the game and having the lens flare coarse into my eyes furthermore the night time tracks too were amazing; dimly lit streets that forced you to really peer ahead on the road to see the next hairpin bend. One other thing that is worthy of note was the ‘endurance race’ 99 laps of hardcore racing that tested even the most veteran of racing games. When you completed it all you got was a well done screen though, although you still had bragging rights to your friends for doing so.

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R: Racing Evolution

This title marked a low point in the franchise. Released in Japanin November 27, 2003, in North America on December 9, 2003 and in Europeon April 2, 2004, R is a racing-sim. Much like considered a cross over like Rage Racing and Gran Turismo. Opting to feature 33 licensed cars and in-depth customization options the game also featured a system referred to as the pressure meter, a fighting game-esque gauge that filled up as the player gets closer to a rival car; the higher the meter, the greater the likelihood that the AI will make a critical mistake.

The game offered a story mode where the player followed the racing career of Rena Hayami as she struggles to deal with the busy life of a professional race car driver and the politics of the sport. The mode featured some 14 chapters that were supposed to bring something new to the franchise, however none of these factors could protect the game from critical feedback. ‘Boring as hell’ said one reviewer; ‘If I wanted to play a racing sim I would have bought Gran Turismo’ said another.

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Ridge Racer 6

This was the sixth instalment in the Ridge Racer series. Released exclusively on Xbox 360 in 2006, it was marked as an achievement for Xbox owners who previously never had a Ridge Racer title. The game featured a Full Motion Video opening, which showed the series mascot the gorgeous Reiko Nagase in full action. Defending their decision to produce a game for another even rival console Namco announced that it expected to sell over 500,000 copies of Ridge Racer 6 for the Xbox 360, although in reality that never happened; far fewer copies were actually sold; although that does not stop it from being a good game in its own right. Ridge Racer 7 for the PlayStation 3 is something of a “remix “of Ridge Racer 6, but with major differences such as new vehicles that were not seen in Ridge Racer 6 such as Sinseong, a Korean brand company, for the first time.


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Ridge Racer 7

This was the seventh console instalment in the Ridge Racer series of racing games, released exclusively on the PlayStation 3. The game has around 40 cars, many of which return from Ridge Racer 6 and the PSP incarnations of the game. There are also 22 courses, available in forward, reverse and mirror mode. The game runs at 1080p resolution and at 60 frames per second. It also features Dolby Digital 5.1 surround
The game marked a long awaited return to the Sony console and was a real hit in terms of what the console could do. Namco really pulled out the stops and later – to help Sony place further emphasis on 3D gaming, produced a Patch called “Ridge Racer 7 3D License Version” which enabled owners of Ridge Racer 7 to play the game in 3D for free and it offers free online game play via the PlayStation Network too.
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Ridge Racer Unbounded

I’m not going to say why here all you need to know is it is a real low point in the series. You can find my review in Frostmagazine’s very pages to find out

Ridge Racer Unbounded Review

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Namco should be slapped on their botties for letting what could have been a tremendous title go to waste and with good reason sent to their room for the rest of the month.

One question deserves to be continually asked: Why oh why would you give away a game with so much history and so much of a following and allow it to be utterly ruined? It is the equivalent of having a million pound winning lottery ticket and giving it away to an alcoholic.

Imagine this: you have an incredible franchise that you develop over the years. Sure, it may not be realistic enough to warrant the title ‘A Driving Simulator’ but hey, it is a fun arcade racer, the graphics are top notch, the speed and the flavour of racing is such that you build a world-wide following of fans that stay with you over three generations of consoles. At the last hurdle, maybe time is the issue or resources either way you allow another developer to step in and as such they drop the ball, next thing you know it is 3 nill to your opponents…

I really wanted this game to be good, I really did. So much so that when I read some of the other reviews on the game I refused to believe them. When one of my friends pointed out that the key to the game is about learning how to use the ‘Drift Button’ effectively. Inside I jumped for joy; maybe it was a whole misunderstanding for the other reviewers but now, two whole days later, I realised he was under the same deluded self deception as me. You see, gamers like us who grew up on the whole Ridge Racer series just don’t want to believe their beloved franchise is in the pan. But trust me, for this game it is; it is in the pan with a little bit of extra virgin oil and under a high heat.

I’ve always said that I would put the boot in when it came to crap titles but the only thing that is worse in this world than a crap game is an expensive crap game. Oh and this game is crap with more crappy pieces than a crappy bits lunch box meal made by a crappy deep fried chicken chop shop that is crap. You see I wouldn’t enjoy this game if it came as a PSN cheap download – the fact that it costs £40 is plain pathetic and a waste of money. I actually owe it to gamers to stop them going out there and buying this tosh.

Where do I start? Ridge Racer Unbounded tries to bring in core elements of Split/Second and Burnout series to the franchise of old. By itself this should not be a nail in the coffin. Like Split/Second you can open up shortcuts around the track by filling a power meter which generates by sliding and tailing other racers you can use this power in one of four ways; to provide a quick boost, open up shortcuts, smash into your opponents or create explosions. Unlike Split/Second however, you don’t trigger the explosions or shortcuts remotely: you smash into them to explode them or open them up. The problem here is in the execution. Question: When is a shortcut not a shortcut? When you take it and more often than not it puts you behind the competitors…duh… It’s an idea that sounds pants on paper and in reality is pants to see. Practically all shortcuts I have seen besides looking good, offer very little else. The explosions are nothing to write home about and have none of that ‘Ream-ability’ factor seen in Split/Second.

Secondly is control. Ridge Racer has always been renowned for its pick up and play capability. It is an arcade racer; mistime your brake and you don’t always screw up or end up in a wall. Unbounded follows this legacy; in fact most of the walls are destructible, which to its credit is a nice touch, but rather than keeping with the common traits of the genre i.e. gas, brake, boost, what we have here is an addition in the form of a ‘slide button’ that is supposed to allow you powerslide round corners. You see, if you hit the brake, handbrake, or hit a wall you lose a lot of speed but if you power-slide you lose just a little bit of speed but go into a wide angle slide in which you will hit the wall anyway. Makes sense doesn’t it? I thought so. Adding to this is that your opponents never make mistakes – the AI difficulty is incredible and there are no options to change it – this all means you will be sitting there for a long time playing the same tracks again and again just to qualify one race. Now some of you might be forgiven for thinking ‘I bet you he is just having a moan because he is not good at racing games’ but the reality is I have played and completed most of this game’s competitors and it is their qualities that make this game pale in comparison.

Graphics is average. Split/Second (a game that is almost a year and a half old) and Motorstorm Apocalypse easily outdoes this title in terms of quality and execution and even with Unbounded’s exploding walls or vehicles it brings nothing that hasn’t been seen or done better elsewhere. And what happened to the 3D? Is this yet another title that had dropped the notion of 3D gaming?

Music is poor. A classic element of Ridge Racer was the banging tracks and cheesy voice over. Thankfully the voice over is gone but where are the tracks? A host of Japanese unknowns and a couple of drum and bass tracks are all you get for your money. My gosh, that is such a wasted opportunity; Namco could have done remixes from the whole of the franchise, even SSX had tracks you knew or could dance to. This is just a really appalling effort.

To be fair to Bugbear, they have tried to introduce variety into the game and franchise but I don’t think they really spoke to the fans, or truly had a grasp of what made the original games so much fun. The only thing I could say I liked was the game’s much-hyped track editor. After all who wouldn’t want to build a Ridge Racer track from scratch? I found it flexible and easy to use, putting together a decent course in a very short space of time which was great, obviously, but the underlying problems that affect the racing on the ‘actual’ tracks still applied. Ho-Hum…

My Verdict

Ridge Racer Unbounded is nothing but a shame and a waste of money. I simply cannot recommend a game when I know there are superior, cheaper alternatives out there. Even if you find it out on your travels as a cheapie, avoid like the plague. You have been warned.

2 out of 10

Storm Launch New Range | Preview

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I love watches. It must run in the family as my dad has well over 100. The first ever watch I bought was a Storm watch, it was silver with a big purple face. So it is fair to say I am a fan of the brand. I went along to The Sanderson Hotel to check out their new range.

Storm are always have cutting edge designs. Their watches are well made and beautiful to boot. Storm is the only recognised British watch brand on the market today. Storm is still quite young, it was launched in 1989. Their range has expanded to include not only watches but also jewellery, bags, eye wear, sleepwear and fragrances. All of which is sold in 45 countries internationally. Well, it’s enough to make you feel proud.

I will be honest and say that I did not know that Storm did perfume, but they do, for him and her. The packaging is slick (like everything with Storm) and the smell of the Touch and Electric are both divine.

The Touch gift set is only £19.99 for 100ml fragrance and 150ml of shower gel. It smells the right side of tropical with lemon, green leaf and tropical fruits on the top note with a blend of white jasmine, cedar amber and brown sugar. The make version runs along the same lines but is a but different with patchouli and sandalwood, ginger and lavender. Makes me want to eat it….

Another thing I love about Storm is that I am not allergic to any of their jewellery. I really love men’s watches on women, I am partial to a chunky watch, but love a slimmer, elegant one for evenings. I have chosen some of my favourites from the range. Which was a hard thing to do, as I love them all!

Featured watch: Atlas

Bion. £99.99

Black Out

Dualon

Elody Gold

A multifunctional timepiece with a pearl dial, sparkling crystals and stainless steel case and strap. The Elody is Storm Black’s Newest gem. It has Swiss movement and Storm Black’s signature Onyx set in the crown. This watch is perfect if you want a bit of luxury in your life. Price is £279.99 – £319.99.

Excalibur

Limited Edition with only 5.000 piece available worldwide. Has a wonderful fully exposed watch face showing it’s mechanisms. Also water-resistant up to 50m. Silver: £369.99

Kelli

This is very in at the moment. It embraces this seasons colouring blocking trends. Has cut away strap. £99.99

Trilogy

This is another limited edition piece. Only 3,000 made. It has 3 time zone, raised face, leather strap, stainless steel case and is water resistance up to 50m. Perfect for travellers. From £169.99

It is the Olympic year and Storm is a British brand, so it makes sense for the Nexon to have the colours of the British flag featured in the polycarbonate links in racing stripe form. RRP £109.99

The Una also has patriotic style. These stylish watches can be bought in red, white and blue. £69.99 – £84.99.

Storm also does some great bags for men and women.

And some great jewellery.

VEHICLE VENGEANCE: CHEATED WOMEN PLOT REVENGE ON PARTNERS’ CARS

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~ More than half vow retaliation on unfaithful lovers, Autoglass® survey reveals ~

One in 10 women say they would smash up the car of their cheating partner in revenge for an affair, a new survey reveals.

More than a quarter (27%) would consider damaging the paintwork if the car was his most prized possession with 13% vowing to slash the tyres and 9% targeting the windscreen. A further 26% would sell the vehicle on eBay for 50p, according to the Autoglass® poll.

Six out of 10 (59%) say the aim of revenge would be to humiliate their unfaithful boyfriend or husband although 18% would gain satisfaction just from seeing them lose their most treasured belonging.

The approach to Tiger Woods’-style “Vehicle Vengeance” is different depending on the age of the women. Those aged 22-25 would smash the windscreen to get even, 19-21year-olds would damage the paintwork first, while 31-35 year olds are the most likely to sell the car.

Overall, a quarter (24%) would attack the lovecheat himself to settle scores with a further 24% opting for the silent treatment. However, 6% say they would broadcast the infidelity on Facebook or Twitter.

More than half (59%) in the poll of 3,000 men and women said they would launch some form of retaliation if their other half embarked on an affair. Wales was top of the vengeful chart, with as many as seven out of ten (67%) vowing revenge – and almost a third of these would go for the car first – the highest number in the UK.

1. Wales

2. West Midlands

3. East Midlands

4. Yorkshire

5. Scotland

6. N Ireland

7. London

8. North West

9.North East

10. South West

The most placid people and the least likely to take action are those living in East Anglia while the Scottish are the most prepared to physically attack their partner to settle scores.

The Welsh take the top slot when is comes to targeting cash, with 18% of those questioned admitting they would take their partner’s money compared to a UK average of 11 per cent. Other popular ways of hitting back by both sexes include destroying clothes, revealing intimate secrets to parents, putting laxatives in food and going on credit card funded shopping sprees.

Matthew Mycock, managing director of Autoglass®, said: “Clearly, many Britons are prepared to take revenge if their other half is unfaithful – and cars are one of the things which are likely to bear the brunt of their anger.

“Vehicle Vengeance is a very real threat with women saying they are determined to target what is most precious to their partner to get their own back if he cheats. Men who are tempted to stray should think twice – especially if they love their cars!”

World’s first ever ‘wireless leash’ to help prevent loss of mobile phones

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Mother of three helps keep ‘dog and bone’ safe by inventing an award-winning ‘wireless leash’

An award-winning ‘wireless leash’ for mobile phones called ZOMM (www.ZOMM.co.uk) invented by a mother of three, is now available to buy in the UK. Laurie Penix and her husband Henry unveiled the gadget at CES, the world’s largest consumer electronics show, earlier this year. They beat some of the world’s largest technology companies to scoop the award for ‘Best Innovation’ at the show.

Using Bluetooth® technology, ZOMM prevents users from losing or misplacing their mobile phone by vibrating, flashing and sounding an alarm every time users walk away from their phone and reach a set distance. ZOMM is slightly larger than a £2 coin and is designed to be attached to key-rings. In addition to this, ZOMM also features call notification, works as a fully functional speakerphone and a personal safety device. ZOMM is the ultimate, multi-functional accessory for any Bluetooth-enabled phone.

Henry Penix, CEO and co-founder of ZOMM comments, “Everyone can relate to either losing or forgetting their mobile phone, so we created ZOMM to help prevent people from experiencing the exasperating and expensive process of getting a replacement. And it’s not just the phone – it’s the pictures, contacts and other personal information that’s so important.”

With call notification, ZOMM will flash, vibrate and sound an alert for incoming calls when the phone is out of sight – in a purse or bag. The speakerphone features a built-in, noise-cancelling microphone that allows users to answer calls with their ZOMM with just one press of a button. To send calls to voicemail, users simply press the multifunction button on the ZOMM twice.

As a personal safety device and only one press of a button, ZOMM enables users to sound a panic alarm deterring ‘would be’ attackers and notifying others nearby that they are in distress. By continuing to hold the multifunction button through the alarm, ZOMM will call local emergency assistance from anywhere in the world.

“ZOMM not only protects a mobile phone and the personal information kept on that device, but it can also help keep you and your family safe,” said Laurie Penix, ZOMM‘s co-founder. “With kids in school, it gives me peace of mind to know they have a panic alarm that will deter a would-be attacker, and the ability to call for emergency assistance in any situation.”

Key features:
– ‘wireless leash’ helps prevent mobile phone loss
– fully functional speakerphone with a noise-cancelling microphone
– personal safety device
– customisable distance for the ‘wireless leash’ so users can chose to be alerted from 9m to 20m away from their mobile phones
– ability to mute the ringer and other sounds on the mobile phone using the ZOMM
– ability to adjust the ZOMM volume from the user’s phone
– customable emergency number for ZOMM to dial
– re-chargeable lithium-ion battery lasts up to three days with normal usage before needing to be recharged with the included micro USB wall charger
– comes with a micro USB cord that connects to any computer for charging the battery, activation and firmware updates, and an optional belt clip for additional functionality

Henry Penix, CEO of ZOMM comments, “Purchasing individual products to match each of the key features the ZOMM provides would cost more than £125 plus monthly fees; ZOMM wraps everything into one sleek device for £69.95 with no monthly fees. This makes ZOMM the must-have gift this Christmas for anyone who owns a mobile phone.”

ZOMM is available in both black and white colour options

Apple unveils its magazine and newspaper Newsstand.

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iOS 5 is the next version of Apple’s operating system for iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. At Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference on the 6th June 2011 they announced new features and functions that would become available in this forthcoming release.
Apple explained there are over 200 new features, they then went on to highlight and demonstrate some of the most important, including:

The notification center – changing intrusive push messages and SMS notifications into a subtle alert that doesn’t interrupt your workflow.
iMessage – Apple’s answer to BlackBerry Messenger, an iOS to iOS instant messenger application that lets you continue conversations as you move from device to device.
Reminders – A ‘to-do’ or tasks application, allowing you to set tasks and reminders. Most impressively, the app allows you to anchor them to certain GPS positions, (for example, a reminder to “buy milk” when you walk into your local supermarket).
Some of the other features included native Twitter integration, immediate camera access from the lock screen, a vastly improved Safari browser… but most importantly, the Apple Newsstand.

In the keynote presentation, they explained how magazine readers would be able to locate and purchase their newspaper and magazines from a central newsstand, see new issues from outside the app and have them save offline when they become available.

What they didn’t explain was how publishers can make this possible and how this new functionality can be enabled.

Shortly after the Keynote, they released the Beta version of iOS 5 to developers (at around 23:30 GMT) the staff at Stonewash DD&AG were immediately on the case to learn more about the newsstand to understand how our clients and other publishers might be able to take advantage of the new features made available by Apple.

WHAT IS THE NEWSSTAND?

The newsstand is a central place, where iOS users can access their magazines and newspapers. Unlike iBooks, where book publishers supply “.epub” or similar documents, Newsstand publishers will have to create an iOS application (or adapt their existing app). Think of it like a cross between the shelf seen in the iBooks application and applications folders on the home screen.

To make use of the new features, publishers must invoke the newly added “Newsstand Kit framework”. From what we have been able to understand, some simple settings will help an iPhone or iPad recognise that the app as a magazine or newspaper that belongs in the Newsstand. At this point, instead of placing an icon on the home screen (as other applications currently do) the application will be installed in the Newsstand, the cover of the latest edition will be used as the large-format icon, instead of the small, square icons we currently see in use.

“The outcome is that users will be able to access the latest copy of the magazine at their convenience and in most cases the issue will appear on your reader’s device, saved offline, without them having to action anything manually.”

Making your magazine function efficiently on the Newsstand will require your application and your web servers to interact with one another. When a new edition is available your server will need to send a push message to your reader’s device. This message lets their device know that there is a new issue available and instructs the application to begin downloading the files immediately, these new issue alerts are limited to one per day.

The outcome is that users will be able to access the latest copy of the magazine at their convenience and in most cases the issue will appear on your reader’s device, saved offline, without them having to action anything manually.

The latest cover will already be visible from the device’s home screen and the Newsstand “shelf”. A counter and update message will help notify the user that there is a new issue ready.

HOW CAN THIS HELP YOUR MAGAZINE?

There are a number of potential benefits for publishers who may or may not already be publishing their titles to the iOS platform.

Effects of the news from the WWDC conference (immediate) and the imminent release of iOS 5 this autumn include:

Peaked interest in iOS devices and the app store. Along side every Apple release we have seen a peak in application downloads. The ‘buzz’ and amount of media coverage that surrounds any new Apple product reminds current users all over the world to explore the app store, as well as generates a spike in users that are new to the iOS platform.
Peaked interest in newspapers and magazines on the iPad. The story of “Apple versus publishers” has been well covered and in a number of cases, totally misunderstood. This move by Apple will undoubtedly receive coverage from mainstream media, prompting users to search the App Store and the newly formed newsstand for “Magazines & Newspapers”.
Effects of the Newsstand once available on iOS devices include:

Although it has always been possible (and very simple) to notify users of new editions using Apple’s push messaging system, the newsstand allows users to see the latest cover directly from their home screen.
If a new issue is available to a user (for example, if their subscription is active or (we assume) if the issue is free) it is now possible to download this edition onto the user’s device without them having to action or agree to the download. When the user wants to read the new issue, it will already be saved to their device and won’t be subject to the 200-700mb download (and associated waiting time) that we are seeing in some magazines currently being released.
The “Newsstand Store” is dedicated to magazines and newspapers; publishers won’t be fighting for screen real estate against games, utilities and other applications. The increased visibility should increase the number of downloads.
IS THIS GOOD NEWS FOR PUBLISHERS?

We believe so. The fact that there are new functions and features in iOS 5 that are specifically designed to help make magazines and newspapers more functional, more attractive and easier to use show us that Apple have a genuine interest in making the iOS a useful platform for publishers.

Any apps previously released will continue to function in the same way as before, as far as we can see there are no negative changes or restrictions being put in place, just a suite of new features that benefit your applications.

HOW SOON SHOULD WE LOOK TO MAKE USE OF THESE NEW FEATURES?

As soon as possible, and for two main reasons.

Technology moves quickly, if you spent months and months deciding on whether you would like to make use of these new features, they may become outdated. Apple will undoubtedly continue to develop and improve their operating system and to avoid being behind the times you will need to move quickly.

Apple receives an unprecedented level of media exposure around product launches. iOS 5 – and the new iPhone that will almost certainly follow – will be no exception. A spike in traffic interest and activity in iOS applications has the ability to benefit your brand and its application.

We have worked with clients to help them launch applications and projects alongside the iPad, iPhone 4 and the iPad 2 and in all cases there was a noticeable spike in activity, downloads and revenue.

INTERESTING FACTS FROM THE KEYNOTE

There were some fascinating figures released by Apple in yesterday’s keynote speech. We have summarised them below:

Apple sold 25 million iPads in the first 14 months
Over 130 million books have been downloaded from the iBookstore
There are currently over 425,000 apps on the App Store
Over 90,000 of those apps have been specifically designed for the iPad
There have been over 14 billion app downloads from the App Store since it launched
Apple have paid over $2.5 billion dollars to app developers and publishers
Apple have over 225 million iTunes accounts, all with credit card information and 1-click purchasing enabled

Article from; www.stonewash.co
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