Friday Recap: Apple Back on EPEAT, Nexus 7 Preorders Ship, in-App Hacking
Friday Recap: Apple Back on EPEAT, Nexus 7 Preorders Ship, in-App Hacking
Apple Hops Back Into Bed with EPEAT
And just like that, another Apple controversy comes to a close. Apple appears to have heard the vocal dissatisfaction with the company's decision to remove its Mac products from EPEAT, a voluntary green electronics registry, and today, retiring senior vice president of hardware engineering Bob Mansfield took to the Apple website to reverse that decision. "We’ve recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system," Mansfield relented. "I recognize that this was a mistake. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT." Seems as if the hubbub may have been for the best, with the VP explaining "our relationship with EPEAT has become stronger as a result of this experience, and we look forward to working with EPEAT as their rating system and the underlying IEEE 1680.1 standard evolve." So much for the hippie rally we were going to attend this weekend to protest Apple...
Google Begins Shipping Nexus 7 Tablet Preorders
Who says Friday the 13th has to be all grim news? Google Play is making the day a little more sunny for those who preordered a Nexus 7 tablet following its introduction on June 27 at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco. "Locked and loaded, ready to play: We’ve started shipping +Nexus 7 pre-orders today!" Google Play announced via (where else?) Google+ on Friday. They even posted a shot of what the Nexus 7 box will look like once you crack open the shipping container. Now all you have to do is wait to see when your turn at the roulette wheel comes up.
Food & Drink Section Goes Live on App Store
Not a whole lot to say about this one, but there's a new category on the App Store and it's one that foodies will surely enjoy. Announced by Apple last week, the company has now christened a new Food & Drink category in the App Store, making it lucky number 23. And hey, it's already stocked with tons of apps you probably already own that were purchased from other categories. But now, when you need to find an app dedicated to chowing down or tossing back a cold one, you'll know where to go. And hey, it's the weekend, so… not a bad time to dive right in and check out some new Food & Drink apps.
App Store In-App Purchasing Hacked by Russian Developer
There's no need to panic quite yet, but 9to5Mac is reporting that "a Russian developer has published a method of obtaining in-app purchases from iOS apps for free." That's… not cool. This co-called "in-app proxy" requires no jailbreak and is completed in three relatively simply steps, requiring nothing more than the iOS device in question. More disturbingly, the hack works all the way back to iOS 3 and all the way up to the currently in beta iOS 6. There's just one catch: The trick doesn't work with all apps, particularly those where the developer has used Apple's method of validating receipts for in-app purchases. So, if you're a developer and have avoided this method, now might be a good time to plug that hole so you don't get robbed blind.
Ape Entertainment Announces Fruit Ninja Comic App
Ape Entertainment has let slip that they'll soon be following up their popular Pocket God Comics and Cut the Rope: Comic titles with a similar app for Halfbrick Studios' beloved Fruit Ninja. "Fruit Ninja is a mobile masterwork and we’re very excited to turn every slice of juiciness into a comic series fans will love,†said David Hedgecock, CEO of Ape Entertainment. The company plans a full-color digital comic book series available in the App Store as well as a print version of the Fruit Ninja comic in the months ahead.
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