Rumor: Apple courting developers to support official gaming controller [u]

Apple has allegedly developed its own dedicated gaming controller for release at some point in the future, a development that, if true, could drastically reshape the face of the video game industry.
Update: The extremely reliable Jim Dalrymple of The Loop has weighed in on the matter, saying, "Nope." 

Multiple sources at the 2013 Game Developers Conference have told Pocket Gamer that, in secret meetings at the San Francisco, Calif., convention, Apple representatives have been talking to developers about the company's plans and lining up developers so that the gaming peripheral will enjoy wide support upon its release. The notoriously secretive iPad maker is said to be operating at GDC under a pseudonym in order to avoid media attention.

Details on the form factor of the controller are unknown. Also unknown is when gamers could expect such a device to be unveiled. Current speculation points to an April event focusing on the iPad or perhaps Apple's longtime "hobby" of "intense interest," the Apple TV. 

Should Apple's rumored controller be unveiled alongside an updated Apple TV, such an event would largely confirm earlier rumors that Apple was preparing to make a push to turn its "hobby" into a much bigger pillar within the company. Those rumors had Apple revealing a standard development kit (SDK) and possibly opening the App Store for operation on its set-top box, two elements that would likely be necessary were Apple to release a controller for iOS/Apple TV gaming.

Apple's iOS devices have in short time become a major platform for game development, with games from previously unknown developers going on to sell in the millions of copies. The touchscreen form factor of the devices, though, has to some extent kept them from functioning as serious, dedicated gaming platforms. 

Some major developers have introduced ports of successful titles for Apple's devices, specially crafted to suit the touchscreen. These titles, though, tend to be from a limited range of game genres.

The introduction of a controller would open iOS or Apple TV to a wider span of titles, and — taken in conjunction with the popularity of Apple devices — could reshape the gaming landscape in a short period of time. Noted gaming figures, including the designer of Microsoft's Xbox and Valve's Gabe Newell, have pointed out that the traditional gaming heavyweights would likely be in trouble should Apple decide to get into the gaming hardware industry in a bigger fashion.

Apple won't be the only company looking to disrupt the gaming industry in the near future. Chief rival Samsung, while introducing the Galaxy S4, also unveiled a physical controller much in the vein of Microsoft's standard Xbox controller. Also, upstart gaming company Ouya has begun shipping its eponymous, Android-based game console with the hopes of bringing the emotional element of traditional console gaming back in the increasingly mobile-dominated game sector.

Newfound iMessage security issue spams, crashes app

A reported attack method can target Apple's iMessage service and flood it with messages. So far it remains highly isolated.

Apple's nearly year-and-a-half old iMessage service has been found to be vulnerable to an attack that uses a flood of messages, or messages so long that the application is rendered unstable.

According to a report from The Next Web, a small group of developers have found themselves the target of an attack that does one of those things -- sending what could be thousands of messages.

The source is suspected to be someone with involvement in pirated iOS software, who could have gotten some basic information needed to send another user a message through Apple's messaging service, The Next Web says. That same individual (or group of individuals) is also said to be using throwaway e-mail accounts, making it difficult to trace it back or block future attacks.

CNET has contacted Apple for more information about the issue, and will update this post when we know more.

iMessage is Apple's proprietary messaging platform used between iOS devices, as well as Macs, replacing the need to use text messages on the former. The feature was added in iOS 5, and into Mac OS X in version 10.8 Mountain Lion inside of the Messages app. Apple said in January that its users were now sending more than 2 billion messages on the services each day.

The exploit, which The Next Web says can be set up using AppleScript, comes on the heels ofa security hole found on Apple's password reset tool late last week. Apple took the service down for several hours before it was repaired.

Amazon to buy book review site Goodreads

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Amazon.com Inc., the world's biggest online retailer that got its start in bookselling, has agreed to buy book recommendations site Goodreads.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Amazon said Thursday that it "shares a passion for reinventing reading," with Goodreads.

"Goodreads has helped change how we discover and discuss books and, with Kindle, Amazon has helped expand reading around the world," said Russ Grandinetti, vice president of Kindle content for Amazon. "In addition, both Amazon and Goodreads have helped thousands of authors reach a wider audience and make a better living at their craft. Together we intend to build many new ways to delight readers and authors alike."

In addition to recommending books based on other books members have reported liking, Goodreads also serves as a social network for bookworms. It was founded in 2007 and now has 16 million members.

The deal is expected to close in the second quarter. Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. says Goodreads' headquarters will remain in San Francisco.

Shares of Seattle-based Amazon closed up $1.19 at $266.49.

© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Real-time bus, subway times come to Google Maps

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Riders of public transportation in New York and Salt Lake City are the first to get real-time departure info in Google Maps. Washington, D.C. residents will also get a bit of new live transit info.

Devin Coldewey / NBC News

Live departures as seen on an Android phone.

Everyone knows the triumph and exasperation of making and missing a train by a few seconds. And having your phone be able to tell you whether the 5:15 is on time or 2 minutes late is something for which millions have no doubt wished.

The latest update to Google Maps makes that dream a reality, if only for a select few in the country for now. NYC's 1-6 subway lines should give live departure times, indicated on the map by a blinking circle. Several Salt Lake City buses and trams, too, are getting real-time updates.

Washington, D.C. doesn't get quite the level of detail as the others, but global delays, track work and other service alerts will be integrated with transit schedules and directions.

No indication was given in Google's blog post announcing the featureswhether or when other cities can expect similar features. Google Maps transit info is available for hundreds of cities around the world, however, so there's no shortage of demand — though metro authorities must assemble and provide the necessary information in order for Google to include it.

The updates are live now on the Web and mobile devices.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.

Why the Apple iWatch Will Have These 6 Killer Features

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Sony, Pebble, Cookoo, I’m Smart, MetaWatch and Martian already have pretty sophisticated smartwatches available, all of which interoperate with the iPhone.

You can be sure that 100 Chinese companies will make inexpensive smartwatches that support either the iPhone or Android or both.

And, of course, Apple is rumored to be working on a curved-glass “iWatch.”

Here’s why I believe Apple’s smartwatch will have a market advantage.

(Dear critic: I know you’re tempted to slam this column because I’m predicting that a product that doesn’t exist will beat other products that don’t exist. Please note, however, that all six features are based very solidly on what Apple has and does right now in real life and is not based on pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking.) 

Custom Haptics

I believe the usage model for smartwatches will be very different from smartphones.

Traditionally, wristwatches were used for telling the time — a one-second interaction. I think smartwatches will also favor one-second interactions, and lots of them.

Someone sends you a text or posts a picture on Facebook, you’ll get calendar meeting alerts and other standard types of incoming information, and they will flash on the watch.

A future, more pre-emptive and proactive Siri will nudge you about all kinds of random things: “You’re near the cleaners — pick up your laundry,” or “Do you want me to remind Steve about your meeting?” I expect us active users to be glancing at our iWatches 10 times an hour during the day to keep up on one-second messages of all kinds.

It makes sense that the iWatch will gently interrupt you constantly. But how?

Beeps are annoying and public. I believe haptics will be the main way that the iWatch will say, in effect: “Hey, look!”

Haptics are the buzzes and rumbles of physical motion you feel when your phone is on vibrate or what you feel in the controller when you play Call of Duty on Xbox and someone tosses a grenade into your bunker.

Apple has been quietly integrating custom haptics into the iPhone user interface for years. The feature lets you tap out your own pattern of vibrations, then assign a unique, custom pattern for each contact, if you choose.

In iOS 5, custom haptics was an “Accessibility” feature. In iOS 6, Apple baked it directly into the Contacts app. (Open any contact, tap Edit, tap “vibration,” scroll down and tape “Create New Vibration” under Custom.)

Hardly anyone uses this feature, and why would they? With a phone, you never really know if you’ll “feel” the buzzing. And even if you can feel some buzzing, an iPhone in your pocket isn’t solidly connected enough to your skin for you to recognize subtle custom vibrations.

But with a wristwatch, which is tightly bound to your wrist and in direct contact with your skin, you will always feel haptics.

I believe Apple will enable custom haptics for the iWatch. You’ll be able to set up custom vibration patterns for specific people and/or specific types of information, so you won’t even need to look at the watch to get some kinds of messages.

You can also be given enough information by buzzing to make a decision even to look at the watch or not look. For example, you’ll have a specific pattern of buzzes for incoming text messages and another pattern when someone in your “Close Friends” group on Facebook posts a status update. If you’re in a meeting with your boss, you might choose to check the iWatch to see the incoming text, but ignore the status update.

Send To

The boundaries between devices are breaking down. If you have other Apple hardware, such as an iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro, iMac or Apple TV, you’ll be able to see incoming stuff, then quickly toss it over to another nearby device with a simple command. For example, someone may post a picture on Facebook. You’ll see it thumbnail size on the iWatch, and with a voice command instantly put it up on your iMac or TV.

This will be a market advantage only to users who also have other Apple products, but which is a potential market of hundreds of millions of people.

iTunes

Apple has sold a semi-smart watch before. It was called the iPod nano, and the wristband was sold separately by third-party companies in Apple Stores and elsewhere. (Apple did make available custom apps and watch faces, including a Mickey Mouse watch face.)

Note that I say that was a semi-smart watch because while it ran apps, it didn’t have a third-party app ecosystem or connect to the Internet.

In any event, the nano wristwatch was primarily a content consumption device. You plugged your Apple earbuds into it and listened to your iTunes music.

I believe Apple’s future iWatch will take it a step further, and enable you to tap into iTunes wirelessly, and listen wirelessly via Bluetooth earbuds. I believe this because Apple is quietly obsessed with Bluetooth 4.0. The iPhone was the first phone ever to get the new technology, and every Apple product since last year ships with Bluetooth 4.0 support.

You’ll be able to listen to your music, podcasts, audiobooks and iTunes U lectures. After synching with iTunes, you’ll be able to do this at the gym or while running when you don’t have your iPhone with you.

Exclusive Nike Support

Apple has a “special relationship” with Nike, especially when it comes to the wrist. The nano “wristwatch” had a Nike app. Apple CEO Tim Cook is on the Nike board of directors. And Cook also wears a Nike FuelBand wristwatch, presumably every day.

It’s also well known that people use Apple products for fitness more than any other brand of gadget by far. People buy third-party accessories to lash iPhones and iPods to their arms and other appendages, and listen to music, etc., while running, working out, hiking or whatever. They also use third-party fitness apps and accessories to monitor performance.

The wrist will be the perfect location for a fitness computer, and Apple is likely to give Nike a prominent place in the pantheon of default apps on the device, as well as a head start on accessories. In exchange, Nike is likely to remain faithful and exclusive to Apple.

Notification Center

If the Notification Center is appealing and useful on iOS and OS X it will be massively so on the iWatch.

A rational feature would be for the iWatch Notification Center to replace, rather than duplicate, iOS and OS X notifications. By simply detecting the presence of an iWatch connected via Bluetooth, Notification Center messages would appear on the watch instead of the other device, keeping those screens free from clutter and interruptions.

Female Friendliness

The single most killer feature of the iWatch from a market dominance point of view may be female friendliness.

No, I’m not being sexist. The undeniable fact is that women overwhelmingly choose smaller, thinner and lighter wristwatches than those normally chosen by men.

I predict that most of the smartwatches coming out from Google, Samsung, LG and others will be somewhat like the current generation in their bulkiness.

However, Apple’s market savvy and two-part obsessions with both having at launch the thinnest device in every category (iPhone 5, MacBook Air, iMac, etc.) plus Apple’s obsession with curved glass (Steve Jobs said Apple’s new “spaceship” headquarters will not have a single pane of flat glass) — not to mention Apple’s affinity for the Nike FuelBand, which is small, narrow, light, curved and thin — will result in Apple cornering the market for women who choose to wear smartwatches in the first two or three years after they ship.

It’s time for the smartwatch revolution. And Apple happens to be ideally positioned to rule this fledgling market like they did the touch tablet market. And they’ll do it with these 6 killer features.

Samsung Galaxy S4 pre-orders start April 16 for $250

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Samsung Galaxy S4 pre-orders start April 16 for $250

By Adrian Covert @CNNMoney March 28, 2013: 12:39 PM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney) If you've been waiting eagerly to buy Samsung's Galaxy S4, you'll have to wait at least another month. The new smartphone will be available for pre-order on April 16 for AT&T (T, Fortune 500) customers, but there's still no word when the phone will actually hit shelves. Surprisingly, you'll have to pay $250 for the Galaxy S4 with a new two-year contract. That's about 25% more expensive than most high-end carrier-subsidized smartphones, which typically sell for $200. The Galaxy S III and Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) iPhone 5 were both initially priced at $200. It's not unheard of for smartphones to sell for more than $200 at their cheapest configuration, but the only notable phone -- if you don't count the Galaxy Note II -- to break that threshold in the past year was the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx, whose cost was mostly attributable to its battery. Other phones to sell for more in the past include the HTC Thunderbolt and the Samsung Epic 4G. The Epic 4G was one of Samsung's more successful phones in 2010, but sold less than two million units. The Thunderbolt sold well initially due to the fact that it was one of the first LTE devices, but quickly fell into obscurity. Of course, none of those devices had the pedigree of the Galaxy S4. It will be interesting to see how much the added cost will affect sales, and how quickly AT&T will cut prices if it is disappointed with the consumer response. T-Mobile on Tuesday announced its plans to start selling Samsung's flagship device on May 1, so it's likely AT&T will do so as well in the same time frame. Samsung said the Galaxy S4 will also be available on Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500) and Sprint's (S, Fortune 500) networks, but neither has said when they will debut the smartphone. The highly anticipated Galaxy S4 sports a five-inch screen, a 13-megapixel camera and a giant battery. Some of its most talked-about features include eye control, smart audio settings and an instant translation tool. But for now, you'll have to keep waiting.

How low can the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro go? $1,299

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How low can the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro go? $1,299
The price of 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro has been slashed $200 by one retailer.

The 13.3-inch Retina MacBook Pro has plunged to $1,299 at one retailer, a whopping $400 off its original price.

The model debuted at $1,699 in October. But it didn't take long for Apple to cut the price to $1,499 in February after widespread discounting from retailers such as Best Buy, Fry's Electronics, and MacMall.

Today we have new low, courtesy of MacConnection: $1,299.

It's obvious now that the original pricing on the Retina MBP was a miscalculation by Apple. And the additional $200 discount at MacConnection may indicate that $1,499 may still be too high.

What gives? While the higher-cost 13.3-inch Retina display is stunning, there isn't much more about the model that's mind blowing enough to warrant such a high price.

For instance, it's not particularly lightweight at about 3.6 pounds. And while its mainstream Core i5 processor is faster than the MacBook Air's power-efficient variety, the silicon doesn't scream like the 15.4-inch Retina MacBook Pro (which combines a quad-core Core i7 with Nvidia GeForce GT 650M graphics). At 128GB, the 13.3 MBP's solid-state drive storage is average too.

Then there's the matter of Google's Chromebook Pixel, which bests the MBP in a few key areas: it has higher pixel density (239 pixels per inch versus the MBP's 227), has a touch screen, and can be configured with internal 4G.

And the base Pixel model is priced at $1,299.

But that doesn't mean the Pixel is jumping off the shelf either. The 64GB model with 4G/LTE is priced at $1,449, only a little less than the base 128GB 13 Retina MBP as sold by Apple.