Skylanders Trap Team on iOS is now physically available in Apple stores for the first time ever

Skylanders Trap Team on iOS is now physically available in Apple stores for the first time ever

The iOS version of Skylanders Trap Team is now available as a physical starter pack in Apple retail stores nationwide for the first time ever, Activision announced today.

The Trap Team Starter Pack for iPad includes a free download for the game, a wireless portal, two figures, two traps, a trap collection tray, character poster and five AAA batteries. The pack is also available for purchase on the Apple Online Store for $74.95.

The game is compatible with third and fourth generation iPads.

Skylanders Trap Team is also available on Android tablets, the Kindle Fire, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. A different Nintendo 3DS version is also available.

Original Article at: Polygon

Dropbox Carousel comes to iPad and web today, Android tablets soon

Dropbox Carousel comes to iPad and web today, Android tablets soon

Ever since the first cloud storage services hit the web, they've been a prime destination for thousands upon thousands of uploaded photos. Unfortunately, many of those services don't have polished user interfaces that allow for easy viewing and sharing -- unless you're just a big fan of file manager-esque folders and list views. In April, Dropbox debuted Carousel, an app that seeks to solve that problem by grouping your images together by date and letting you scroll through endless years of photos and sharing your favorites with friends and family. The service was only offered on iPhones and Android smartphones until today, when Dropbox announced that it's now available for iPads and the web, with support for Android tablets coming in the coming weeks.

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Original Article at: Engadget

Walmart's pre-Black Friday sale kicks off Friday; PS4, Apple, game price drops

Walmart's pre-Black Friday sale kicks off Friday; PS4, Apple, game price drops

Walmart already had some of the best console and gaming deals coming this Black Friday. They even managed to sell a number of PlayStation 4s for less than $100 a pop. (OK, that one was a scam). And now the retailer kicked off a pre-Black Friday sale that runs from Friday until Thanksgiving.

The deals include drops for the PS4, some games and iPads and iPhones. Here's the complete rundown:

The only console on sale for the Before Black Friday event is a PlayStation 4 for $399, which comes with a $50 Walmart gift card. The retailer has the same deal come Black Friday, and frankly, it's not the best. But if you're looking for just the console and a touch of savings, this might fit the bill.

The circular also lists "select" PS4 and Xbox One games for $29.96 each. There are no further details, but it does show pictures of Madden, FIFA and NBA 2K 15 as well asWatch Dogs. You can also pick up the Skylanders Trap Team Starter Pack for $37, a hefty price drop.

Walmart is also having a sale on iPads and iPhones. You can pick up an iPad mini 3 16 GB WIFI with a $100 Walmart gift card for $389 or an iPad Air 2 16 GB WIFI with $100 Walmart gift card for $489. They also have the iPhone 5s 16 GB for $79 under a two-year contract and the iPhone 6 16 GB under a two-year contract for $179. All iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 phone purchases come with a $75 Walmart gift card.

I haven't really been going into the many, many, many television deals I've seen across all of the sales hitting this month, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Walmart is selling a 40-inch LED HDTV (1080p with 60 refresh rate) for $115. They don't mention the brand,which can vary by store, but that's a damn good price.

Original Article at: Polygon

Chinese devs can now sell their Android apps on the Play Store

Chinese devs can now sell their Android apps on the Play Store

Chinese developers can finally sell their Android apps through the Google Play Store, possibly foreshadowing a local launch of the marketplace. The move gives devs the ability to sell their apps to Android users in over 130 countries around the world, with one major exception: China, where the Play Store is not available -- for now.Google has had a troubled relationship with China, where many of its services are blocked. As a result, local Android users currently get their apps from Baidu, Tencent and others. This is in stark contrast to Apple, which operates its own store in the country and is seeing app revenues grow as more locals purchase iPhones and iPads. Perhaps it's not surprising, then, that The Information reports the search giant is looking to launch its Play Store there soon. Gaining access to the country's many Android users could be a boon to Google's finances, but it'll need permission from the government to open up for business. Allowing Chinese developers to profit from it certainly won't hurt its chances.

Original Article at: Engadget

Apple releases iOS 8.1.1 to fix bugs and speed up older devices

Apple releases iOS 8.1.1 to fix bugs and speed up older devices

iPhone 4S and iPad 2 users should see performance improve.

Apple has just released iOS 8.1.1, the fourth update to iOS 8 since it was released two months ago. The update is available for all devices running iOS 8, including the iPhone 4S, 5, 5C, 5S, 6, and 6 Plus; all iPads except the first-generation model; and the fifth-generation iPod Touch.

iOS 8.1 focused mostly on adding features like SMS forwarding and Apple Pay, but 8.1.1 returns the focus to fixing bugs. The biggest improvement should be better performance on the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, devices that both suffered when iOS 8 was originally released. While they aren't mentioned in the release notes, these performance improvements should hopefully apply to the original iPad Mini and the fifth-generation iPod Touch, since they both use hardware very similar to the 4S and iPad 2.

Apple usually gives some specific examples of other bugs that are being fixed, but it doesn't list any for this update—we'll update the article if we can find more information.

We'll be testing iOS 8.1.1 on some older hardware and reporting back with what we find soon. In the meantime, the update can be downloaded over the air or from iTunes—if your device doesn't have enough space to install the update, connecting it to iTunes is the best workaround.

Original Article at www.arstechnica.com