Hasta La Gadget!

The HTC Droid DNA and Motorola’s Droid RAZR HD/RAZR MAXX HD are all sweet handsets. The DNA of course has an edge in terms of screen and display while the RAZRs’ battery lives are unmatched in the Android ecosystem. Sure the HTC One will be frickin’ awesome when it does eventually show up but “later this spring” is just too long to wait. So, if you had a phone upgrade coming your way this weekend—as I do—and the iOS option is right out, which phone would you choose? More »

When we first played the game known as Auralux, it was back in July of 2012 on a Google Nexus 7 tablet – now this masterpiece has come to iOS. Finally you’ll be able to experience what NVIDIA Tegra smartphone and tablet users have been tapping along with for so many months – Wardrum Studios has brought the minimalistic battle of brightness to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch at last! And it feels so fabulous!

What you’re getting here is a game that was originally released on the NVIDIA TegraZone. That means that NVIDIA helped to optimize the game (as it existed back then) for Android devices working with their Tegra processor lineup. Now that Wardrum Studios has given the world a taste of that iteration of the game, an Apple-hungry twin is born.

Here with the iOS version of Auralux you’re getting basically the same game with the same game mechanics, this time with no restrictions on which processor you’ve got (since iOS is run by Apple, and Apple commands all iOS devices). This game consists of a series of planets, each of them owned by whichever team of colored points of light has taken it over.

Once you’ve taken over a planet, your planet begins to produce more points of light. As you move forward to other planets, you’ll find that your enemies (different colors) will be wanting to command planets as well. Once you and an enemy reach a point where you both want the same planet, you’ll do battle. This whole while you’ll be hearing some rather lovely background music – the battle adds to this ambiance with a song all its own.

This app is available in the iTunes Appstore right this minute for free. The folks at Wardrum Studios make their cash from your need to expand the game once you’ve beaten the first several levels. You can continue to challenge yourself to beat these levels over and over again, of course – if you get that far – or you can pick up packs of levels with in-game purchases. Make with the fun!

Auralux hits iOS: multi-colored points of light go to war! is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Facebook has improved its mobile app install ads service to allow developers to reach a much more specific user base with their ads. The mobile install ads service is a great tool for developers to make their mobiles apps more well known to the world. Many developers have seen their mobile apps downloads increase phenomenally after using the service. Social Quantum, an international game developer, saw its app become the #5 grossing app in the US within less than a month after using the service.

With the new and improved features for the service, developers are now able to target more specific mobile users. They can create ads that target only the specific versions of Android and iOS devices. So if they only want to target users who have iOS 5 devices, or Android 4.2 Jelly Bean devices, they can now do so. Developers can also target their ads towards a more general category as well, such as “Only Android 2.3 users and up”. They can also choose to only target users with WiFi only devices, such as iPod Touches, Android tablets, and iPads.

The updated mobile app install ads service can be used in conjunction with Facebook’s Ads Create Tool. The tool provides all of the customizations in the previous paragraph, along with other options to select from. For example, you can choose to direct your mobile app install ads to only one gender, to only people with specific interests, or even only to people who satisfy a specific criteria (such as having a family).

These new features will most definitely be a great draw for many developers, especially the game developers that Facebook very desperately wants. Facebook wants to attract as many game developers to its network as possible. It wants to create a powerful gaming network that will appeal to casual and hardcore gamers alike. Facebook enticed developers by showing off how much money developers made off its network, and how many users interacted with their apps.

[via Facebook]

Facebook improves mobile app install ads for developers is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Today the next chapter in the Iron Man film saga has been revealed in mobile game form by the folks at Gameloft. This Iron Man 3 game is being targeted for a cross-platform release on the 25th of April, just days before the theater release of the film itself! You’ll be rolling out with an endless runner this time around – or endless shooter, if you prefer that version of the game concept genre.

What you’ll be doing here is blasting your way through a massive amount of metal mayhem with your newest-generation Iron Man suit, nearly all-gold and everything. Tony Stark won’t be stopping around for too much self-reflection in this presentation of the storyline, so don’t expect too much to be revealed about the inner workings of the movie – but there will be some hints and spoiler-like bits and pieces.

As it has been with past Gameloft releases, here we’re going to see a top-notch delivery of a film series translation – this set of developers doesn’t mess around. And by the looks of the gameplay trailer above, they’ve come back with no less than the healthiest dose of metal fist face-bashing action they’ve ever delivered.

Below you’ll see a bit more information about the Iron Man film series including trailers for Iron Man 3. Join us in the first week of May where we’ll be checking out the Iron Man 3 film ourselves – get pumped up to learn more if you don’t end up seeing it yourself on opening night! Also don’t forget to check out our entertainment tag portal for more movie action than you can handle!

[via Android Community]

Iron Man 3 mobile gameplay revealed by Gameloft for iOS and Android is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Gmail for iOS has come a long way since it first released on Apple’s platform, but it’s always been missing a few things that would make it the ultimate mobile email app. However, Google is getting a step closer to that with a new update today that introduces swiping between conversations, as well as taking action on multiple emails at once.

Gmailers are now able to swipe left and right to switch between email conversations without having to go back to their inbox to select another email. It only saves maybe a second or two, but that time can add up, and it’s a small convenience that can make a difference. I love how Sparrow is able to do this, and now with Gmail adding the ability, it makes it more tempting to switch over.

Also, Gmail added a new edit mode that allows you to select multiple email messages in your inbox and take action on them all at once. You can then choose to archive, delete, etc. from the actions bar at the top of the screen. Overall, it makes handling your inbox a million times easier, and you’ll be able to go through emails a lot quicker this time around.

Other than that, the app includes the usual bugfixes and performance enhancements. In the end, it’s not a huge update, but the two new big features could prove mighty useful for email power users who are constantly battling with their inbox. Gmail for iOS is a free download, and the update is available now in the iTunes App Store.

Gmail for iOS updates with new edit mode, navigation tweaks is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.