News

A lot of apps were submitted to the App Store before the winter holiday shutdown on December 22 to December 29, but before we get to all the new releases here are a few quick news items.

The Apple Music on Sonos beta is now available. Apple Music subscribers can now access all their favorite features of Apple's music streaming service on their Sonos wireless speakers. Click the link above to learn how to install the beta on your Sonos devices.

Google this week added offline navigation, business hours and real-time gas prices to its Google Maps app for iOS. Google Maps version 4.13.0 is available for free on the Apple App Store.

Whether you plan to buy an Apple gift for yourself or someone else, Best Buy is running some serious holiday deals on new hardware. Anyone shopping for an Apple Watch, iPhone or iPad can enjoy free two-day shipping online. In-store pickup is also available for many items and locations. Here are some of the savings offered as part of the promotion:

Shockingly, even with its hundreds of product tie-ins Disney did not release an official Force Awakens app, but they did release the entire soundtrack to iTunes. Star Wars fans can listen to all 23 songs from the new movie while they are driving to the theater to watch Luke, Leia and Han reunite for maybe the very last time. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is available on iTunes for $11.99.

The independent developer Frogmind has released a sequel to its 2013 Apple iPad Game of the Year. BADLAND 2 is now available for both the iPhone and iPad on the Apple App Store. The new game promises to deliver more than just a rehash of the original with new levels that "extend and scroll in all directions," and new elements, "such as liquids, flamethrowers, frost, magma, water and searing light," according to the press release.

"BADLAND 2 is our attempt to reinvent the first BADLAND,” said Juhana Myllys, co-founder and lead artist/designer of Frogmind. “We wanted BADLAND 2 to be worthy of the word ‘sequel.’ It’s not the old BADLAND just with new content. It is a whole new world to explore."

Five Nights At Freddy's developer Scott Cawthon announced over the weekend that he is working on a novel based on his hit video game.

"This is not something recent; I've been working alongside a professional writer for the last ten months crafting this story, and I'm very excited about the finished product," Cawthon explained on the FNAF Steam page. "It expands the mythos and reveals a human element never before seen in the games."