Once again, a new ngmoco’s game has hit the Canadian App Store first — this time it’s kingdom-builder We Rule [Free with in-app purchases - iTunes link]. Hey, there’s no Hulu or Google Voice in Canada, so fair’s fair!

[It should be hitting the US and other App Stores shortly though, so don't fret!]

Like all recent ngmoco games, We Rule leverages the social gaming element via their Plus+ network, and has in-app purchases for “Mojo” which basically speed up things like growing crops and building homes, so you can pay if you don’t want to wait. In this case, Mojo can run from $0.99 to for 1 to $49.00 for 800. You don’t have to buy it, you just have to be patient if you don’t.

It seems like you do have to log in to play, however, which is handy since you can keep one game going over multiple devices (like your iPhone and iPod touch, as long as they’re logged in to the same Plus+ account), but if you don’t care about that and just want to launch and play on your own, it’s a step you can’t skip.

No doubt ngmoco is doing what they do best here, taking a popular category of game and making it their own — and making it excellent for the iPhone OS platform. If you’re a fan of these types of farming, kingdom building games, you’ll likely be a big fan of We Rule.

Again, Canadian only for now, though @ngmoco is giving away codes to allow early US access on Twitter. If you download it — or score a code — let us know what you think!

Ton’o pictures and a video… after the break!

ngmoco’s We Rule for iPhone hits Canadian App Store is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Filed under: OS, iPhone, iPad

One of the big topics of discussion yesterday in our TUAW back channel was this post from the New York Times Bits blog. In "Why can't PCs work more like iPhones," Bilton pointed out that the iPhone has given Apple a chance to build a new OS from the ground up.

This is a familiar viewpoint to us here on TUAW. Last year, I asked whether the future of the Mac OS would turn out to be the iPhone. In my write-up, I pointed out that the iPhone OS was built from scratch to work with Objective C 2.0 with its properties and other modern language features. Its API, far from being cobbled together, showed ever increasing design maturity without the weight of heavy backwards compatibility concerns. I concluded that Apple might take a lesson from the iPhone OS and consider offering a ground up redesign for Mac OS X, at least in terms of core OS principles.

In his post, Bilton considers how Mac OS X might integrate iPhone OS features into its user experience, suggesting a possible Front Row-like overlay layer, running an iPhone OS interface. The goal would be to craft iPhone-style GUI simplicity onto the desktop experience, so that users could move seamlessly between their mobile and desktop worlds.

But as much as we believe that Apple is heading cautiously in the direction that Bilton suggests, the TUAW consensus is that a desktop OS needs far more structure and, at the same time, flexibility than what the iPhone OS offers.

Continue reading TUAW redux: The future of iPhone OS and Mac OS

TUAW redux: The future of iPhone OS and Mac OS originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW redux: The future of iPhone OS and Mac OS originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MacRumors points us towards the Associated Press‘ announcement that they’re setting up a new digital unit to target “next wave of Internet-connected devices such as Apple’s iPad”.

The AP’s iPad app could compete with offerings from some of its member newspapers, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, which also are believed to be mulling whether to sell subscriptions on the iPad to take advantage of its format. [...] The plans reflect the news media’s hope — still untested — that consumers will be more willing to pay for content on the iPad and similar handheld devices than they have been on traditional computers that depend solely on Web browsers to surf the Internet.

There’s no definitive word on pricing, though it’s suggested it might start off free. Subscription, however, remains the goal of newspapers in order to support their news-gathering business.

Whether or not the continued talk of individual newspaper apps for the iPad, like the New York Times, means the odds for an Apple-centric solution like iBooks is diminishing is unknown.

Let us know which future you’re looking forward to, diverse App Store offerings, or a unified iNews Store?

Associated Press App Coming to iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Apple confirmed the existence of yellow-tint and display issues in new iMacs and counsels users to contact AppleCare for a fix.

Apple's been saying for a while now that they don't want Flash on the iPhone or iPad for technical reasons, but it's pretty obvious that that doesn't hold much water. Adobe Chief Executive Shantanu Narayen, while giving a talk at the Goldman Sachs technology conference taking place this week, said what we know to be the obvious reason: keeping the App Store as the only way to get apps.

Apple's App Store may have over 150,000 applications, but none have sold as many as Plants vs. Zombies in their introductory sales period.

Rumors are swirling around about Apple possibly announcing lower-cost iPhone models in June. This one comes from Katy Huberty with Morgan Stanley, who points out that cost of the device and the plan that goes with it are hands-down the biggest factors deterring people from buying iPhones. She predicts Apple is going to respond to this by announcing models with a lower over-all cost of ownership.

"We expect Apple to launch new iPhones in June that offer both a lower total cost of ownership and new functionality, potentially including gesture-based technology," she wrote in her most recent note to investors.

She even has a fancy graph. Check it out:

Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, iPad

Would you like to add a second line to your iPhone? Perhaps you'd like to add a business number to the phone, but your existing phone is currently tied to your personal mobile number. You could always carry a second phone, but that's an expensive proposition, particularly if you're an iPhone addict.

VoIP provider Toktumi has a solution that may work out well for you. They're now selling an app called Line2 (US$0.99) that mimics many of the capabilities of the standard Phone app, complete with a form of visual voice mail. Purchasing the app provides you with one month of free VoIP service. After that point, each month's continued service costs $14.95 for unlimited calls within the US and Canada. The service is purchased in-app, and was a point of confusion for me -- the app listing in the iTunes store shows a "Top In App Purchase" at a cost of $19.99 for a month. Toktumi's website and the promotional video (above) do show the lower monthly rate.

While many VoIP solutions require a Wi-Fi connection to work, Line2 works over both 3G and Wi-Fi. The app has many of the features you might want in a business phone, including call waiting and call transfer, the ability to create conference calls with up to 20 participants, and even integration with Toktumi's hosted PBX service.

For small businesses that want to present a more professional image to callers, Line2 might be just the right solution. Toktumi notes that the app also works with both the iPod touch (Wi-Fi only) and iPad (Wi-Fi or 3G).

Line2 adds a second line to your iPhone for $15 a month originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Line2 adds a second line to your iPhone for $15 a month originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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