Friday Recap: Black Ops Coming to Mac, Dish.fm, RIM Hangs On, Apple Updates
Friday Recap: Black Ops Coming to Mac, Dish.fm, RIM Hangs On, Apple Updates
Happy iPhone anniversary day! Five years ago, Apple's little smartphone that could was released to the unwashed masses and the industry hasn't been the same since. The anniversary caps off a busy month with new product announcements from Apple, Microsoft and Google, and not so coincidentally also finds Virgin Mobile now selling the iPhone today. Before you head out to buy yours, click ahead and catch up with the rest of the news for Friday, June 29, 2012!
Call of Duty: Black Ops Coming to Mac, COD Catalog Now on Sale
Aspyr Media has announced the forthcoming release of Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops for the Mac in both digital and boxed versions this fall. Black Ops takes players to conflicts across the globe as elite black operations forces fight in the deniable operations and secret wars that occurred under the veil of the Cold War. “Aspyr has worked with the biggest brands in the entertainment world, but the launch of the original Call of Duty: Black Ops for Apple fans is our biggest in 17 years,†said Ted Staloch, Aspyr’s Executive Vice President. While the company promises additional details to come in the weeks ahead, in the meantime they've put the existing Call of Duty catalog on sale for 50 percent off via the Mac App Store and other digital retailers, including Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2 and Call of Duty 4. That should be enough Call of Duty to hold most anyone over until the fall, don't you think…?
Dish.fm iPhone App Helps Find Yummiest Dishes at Any Restaurant
Foodspotting may have ushered in a new era of discovery for foodies, but the new Dish.fm app for iPhone promises to go beyond that popular service. The free Dish.fm app offers detailed reviews from your fellow foodies, with dishes ranked from one to five stars. A comprehensive search mode helps users find exactly what you're looking for when the belly starts grumbling, including pre-populated menu listings as well as user reviews. If you're in a new city, Dish.fm will sort out restaurants using geolcation as well as the kind of dishes offered there. Last but not least, Dish.fm integrates with Pinterest for one-tap sharing with your foodie pals. The 18.9MB app is available now on the App Store, compatible with all devices running iOS 4.0 or later.
RIM Hoarding Cash Until BlackBerry 10 Bailout
AppleInsider is following up on the devastating fiscal Q1 2013 report from BlackBerry maker Research in Motion this week, which saw an operating loss of $308 million during the three months. According to Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu, RIM's latest round of layoffs is likely part of a strategy to hang onto what little cash it has left -- $2.2 billion as of this quarter. "While it is painful for us to see layoffs, it is necessary for the company's survival," Wu explained. "We believe a key risk is how much cash the company uses with its 5,000 in headcount reductions by the end of (fiscal year 2013)." That will be particular crucial now that is BlackBerry 10 OS and hardware has been pushed back to the first quarter of next year -- a move that has many putting RIM on death watch, although they were probably wise to do so, given that Apple's next iPhone will be arriving in the fall.
Apple Posts Aperture 3.3.1, Gaggle of Printer Driver Updates
If you haven't checked Software Update lately, you might have at least one new update waiting for you. Apple pushed out a minor tweak to Aperture on Thursday, bringing the pro photography app up to version 3.3.1, which "fixes an issue that in rare cases could cause Aperture to hang or quit unexpectedly when upgrading libraries." But even if you don't use Aperture, there might still be a treat waiting for you, with printer driver updates for NRG, InfoPrint, Lanier, Savin, Ricoh, Gestetner, Infotec, Lexmark, Epson and Canon models also available. If you don't have any of the above, well… as you were, nothing to see here.
Adobe Helps Dick's Sporting Goods Create Free Football 2012 App for iPad
Adobe's Digital Publishing Suite is starting to turn up frequently in iPad apps, and one of the latest comes from U.S. sports and fitness retailer Dick's Sporting Goods. The company's free Football 2012 app for the iPad is now available from the App Store, and even garnered a nod as Adobe Digital Publishing's app of the week. "Devoted to football equipment and apparel, the catalog app showcases products in context of their use and inspires customers to buy through interactive features," Adobe's press release explains. "Part of the retailer’s omnichannel strategy, the app includes 'Buy Now' buttons that enable customers to purchase gear inside the app -- driving incremental revenue for the company." For football fans, it's never to early to start thinking about their favorite sport, so head to the App Store and grab it for your iPad today.
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