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XCOM: Enemy Unknown Now Available for the iPhone and iPad

2K Games's popular turn-based strategy game XCOM: Enemy Unknown is now available for the iPod touch, iPhone and iPad. The remake of 1994 PC game UFO: Enemy Unknown is one of the most expensive iOS games at $20. Early reviews of the iOS port have been positive, even though there has been some backlash from fans over its price tag.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

The developers warn that XCOM is a "graphically rich game with advanced features that is best experienced on the iPad 4 and up". The game is a hefty 1.86GB, so make sure you have plenty of space on your device before you download it. It's also only compatible with newer iOS devices such as the the iPhone 4 and up, and fifth-generation iPod touch.

Siri Learns How to Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Apple has taught Siri how to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for depressed iPhone owners. Previously Siri would only suggest nearby suicide prevention centers when a user told her that they felt like killing themselves, but now she will suggest calling the national prevention hotline, and offer to do the dialing for them. Siri will only read the 1-800 number to suicidal iPad and iPod touch owners, who can't place calls with their devices. Apple added the new Siri service via a server-side update on Tuesday.

Siri Suicide Hotline

Siri is going to be getting a lot of new features when iOS 7 is released later this year, but Apple must have thought this was too important to wait. However, Siri still won't dial 9-1-1 when asked to call for emergency services. That you still have to do on your own.

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Crytek Previews First iOS Game With MFi Controller Support

Game developer Crytek unveiled one of the first iOS games to feature MFi controller support at the Worldwide Developers Conference last week. 9to5Mac reported that Crytek demoed the controls of a tactical action game called The Collectibles while using the form-fitting Logitech controller prototype created for the iPhone. This is one of the first games known to take advantage of the new MFi (Made for iOS) game controller support Apple added to iOS 7.

The Collectibles

Apple shared two hardware mock-ups with developers during a 45-minute long WWDC session called "Integrating with Game Controllers". One controller featured the "form-fitting" design 9to5Mac claims Crytek used during their demo, and the other was a wireless standalone device. 9to5Mac said players can use either touch-based navigation, or the D-pad and physical controller buttons to control the action in Crytek's new game.

Apple Responds to PRISM Accusations

Apple has posted a public letter addressing the recent PRISM scandal where companies like Google and Facebook were accused of giving the government access to personal data without a warrant. Apple, Google, Facebook, Yahoo and Microsoft all originally denied secretly cooperating with government officials, and said they only disclose user data when in accordance with the law. However, Edward Snowden, the former security contractor who leaked details of the PRISM program, said the tech companies were "misleading" in their responses. Perhaps that's why Apple felt it needed to clarify its customer privacy policy by posting an open letter to its users on its website.

PRISM

Here's Apple's original response:

"We have never heard of PRISM. We do not provide any government agency with direct access to our servers, and any government agency requesting customer data must get a court order.”

Update Your iPhone's Look With Free iOS 7 Themes

iOS 7 may not be here yet, but developers have been hard at work creating jailbreak themes to simulate the look and feel of Apple's latest beta firmware. Of course, the key word is simulate, as many of the themes are simply new graphical elements and other skins that use Winterboard to camouflage icons.

iOS 7 Winterboard theme

For those who just can't wait until this fall to see what iOS 7 is all about, there are several free iOS 7 themes popping up in the Cydia jailbreak app store. Not only can the home screen be themed, but there are options for an iOS 7 style lock screen, status bar, control toggles, messages, and even the calculator. All of the themes require a jailbroken iPhone and Winterboard.

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