Report: Apple Stores to Start Replacing iPhone 5c and 5s Parts

Apple retail stores will begin offering hardware repairs for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, according to a report published by 9to5Mac. iPhone 5s and 5c owners who are not covered under Apple's AppleCare warranty will be able to pay $149 for a screen replacement and $79 for a new battery. iPhone 5c customers will also be able to buy a new Home button for $29. However, Apple employees will not be able to replace Touch ID Home buttons for the iPhone 5s.


Broken iPhone 5s

Allowing employees to repair damaged iPhones in-store will save Apple money from having to fully replace devices. 9to5Mac's sources revealed that Apple has already begun shipping the "replacement parts, new iPhone screen calibration machines, and training manuals" for the repairs to a few retail locations.

Star Wars: Tiny Death Star Now Free for iOS and Android Devices

Disney Mobile has teamed up with NimbleBit to bring the classic business simulation video game Tiny Tower to the Star Wars universe, and the result is the awesome Star Wars: Tiny Death Star! Players must help the Empire build the Death Star through the "power of commerce" by employing Galactic bitizens to work at intergalactic businesses. Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader will oversee your progress while you "fund the Empire’s evil schemes to defeat the Rebels and conquer the galaxy once and for all!"

Star Wars Games

You can build over 80 types of Star Wars themed residential and commercial floors, and employ over 30 unique species, including Wookiees and Ewoks, to work at businesses like the Cloud City Spa. Like any freemium title, Star Wars: Tiny Death Star does feature in-app purchases, and requires a certain amount of waiting around for construction of individual floors to be completed. You can of course speed up this process by spending in-game money called "Imperial Bux," which for sale through the game's in-app store. You can also spend Imperial Bux on new costumes for your citizens and to unlock VIPs and other fun Star Wars characters.

Pebble Smartwatch Adds More iOS Notifications and Gesture-Based Controls

Update: Version 1.3.0 of the Pebble Smartwatch app is now available.

Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky announced today that the company's smartwatch is getting an iOS 7-compatible app and a new developer kit. Migicovsky also told Engadget that "it's working with partners like Foursquare, Yelp and GoPro to produce new apps for each."

Pebble Smartwatch iOS 7

The new Pebble iOS 7 app will allow users to enable their smartwatch to receive alerts from any apps with access to their Notification Center. This will allow anyone with a Pebble smartwatch to receive notifications from Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and so on. Previously users could only receive calls, texts or emails as notifications through their watch.

Free iPhone Games: City Ninja Runner and Barry Woods

City Ninja is now free for a limited time on the App Store. The game is an endless runner with a story mode that includes 8 levels and 3 boss fights. Players must use their ninja skills to dodge obstacles and fight enimies while trying to locate a stolen diamond. The game features several different side-scrolling levels, various weapons/special abilities and the ability to upgrade your ninja.

Free iPhone Games

Game developer X-Com has also released Barry Woods to the App Store for free. It is puzzle a game where your goal is to knock down all the kegels before taking down the "king". The physics-driven game is based on the classic Swedish lawn game Kubb, and it is a lot like Angry Birds and Crush the Castle.

The iPhone 5s Home Button is Not Repairable

The days of swapping out a broken home button in a do-it-yourself (DIY) iPhone repair are over. Now that the iPhone 5s features Touch ID, iMore points out new hardware security features that could mean more trips to the Genius Bar. This is a side effect of protecting fingerprint data by locking down the Touch ID components.

iPhone 5s home button

The image above from iFixit shows the fingerprint sensor and component cable assembly, which are uniquely linked to each individual A7 chip. This extra layer of security means that each iPhone 5s has its own Touch ID harware, which will only work with that specific device. Swapping out the assembly for new parts results in a nonworking Touch ID system.

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