News

Yelp updated its iOS app to version 8.1.0. The update allows users to upload short videos of businesses to their Yelp reviews. This will help users share aspects like "ambiance, lighting and noise level" with other users, according to Yelp. The new video feature is not intended for posting video reviews, instead users are encouraged to only post 3-12 second long clips from their point-of-view.

To upload a video, just open your Yelp app then click the star icon at the bottom of your display and then select the purple "Photo or Video" option. This will open a search page for local businesses if you have location services enabled. From here select or search for the business you want to review and then select the video camera icon to start recording your video.

Ironhide Game Studio released a new teaser trailer for Kingdom Rush and Kingdom Rush Frontiers. The video shows the new endless challenge modes coming to both games. The Frontiers' level seems to have an Egyptian theme. You can see the bottom of a pyramid and Anubis-like bosses in some of the gameplay clips. It is also nice to know that Ironhide Game Studio took the time to add new enemies instead of just recycling the old ones. This is what makes Kingdom Rush and Frontiers two of the best tower defense games ever released.

It is still unknown if this will be the last update for the franchise. Developers typically only release an endless mode when they are finished with a game. This isn't necessarily a bad thing because the ending of Frontiers does hint at a possible third game. It is also hard to imagine that Ironhide will abandoned the popular franchise since they have been adding fresh content since Kingdom Rush was originally released in 2011.

With its Beats Electronics and Beats Music acquisition recently approved by the European Commission, Apple plans to further bolster its streaming radio services by purchasing the news / podcast app Swell, according to Re/code. The deal worth $30 million will nab Apple the app which carries news from NPR, ABC, ESPN, BBC, CBC, TED and more. The Swell app will also be pulled from the App Store sometime this week.

Apple bought Beats Electronics, along with the Beats Music for $3 billion back in May. Apple plans to offer Beats Music as its own separate service instead of incorporating it into its own upstart iTunes Radio. The Beats Music app is still available on the App Store for free, but it requires a $10 monthly subscription fee to access its features. iTunes Radio will remain Apple's free music streaming option through the stock Music app available on all iOS devices.

The biggest news last week was the approval of the Unlocking Consumer Choice Act legislation by the the House of Representatives. Up until now, wireless carriers having been "locking" their devices, forcing customers to sign a new contract with them after their current one expires, rather than going to another carrier. The penalties for unlocking your phone are stiff, including fines and, believe or not, jail time. No longer though, once Obama signs the bill into law, which he is happy to do, cell phone owners will be able to change carriers and keep their phones when their contracts are up.

Apple's Q3 earnings report was issued on Tuesday. Even though they dipped from Q2, it was a record third quarter for iPhone sales. Much of the success was attributed to the 55% year-over-year increase in sales in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China).

There is a large mobile gaming presence at San Diego Comic Con this year and plenty of developers are showing off their upcoming mobile gaming lineups. Rovio Entertainment previewed Angry Birds Transformers, and AMC launched the first teaser trailer for The Walking Dead: No Man’s Land. Bandai Namco announced three titles at the event: Outcast Odyssey, Pac-Man Friends and Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. All three games will be available for mobile devices later this year. It was also announced that the original cast of Firefly would reunite to voice the upcoming online game based on the television show. You can check out the Firefly Online and the other SDCC trailers at the end of this post.

Marvel is offering 1-month of Marvel Unlimited for only $0.99 for a limited time, and the mobile game Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past is now only $1. Storm and Polaris were also added as playable characters along with the price decrease.

There were also a lot of iPad-only games released this week and the first Hearthstone expansion "Curse of Naxxramas" is now available. You can see a list of all the newly released iPad games here. The only one we missed was the strategy game Commander the Great War which launched later in the week. It is available now for $14.99 on the App Store.