Apple today updated iBooks [App Store] to version 2.0.1, bringing a fix for an issue that resulted in some iBooks Textbooks not opening in the application.

Apple is not terribly specific about the issue, but it may be related to a complaint shared by USA Today almost immediately after the iBooks 2.0 launch and for which Apple had promised a fix.

We're aware of a small number of iBooks 2 users having issues with the playback of the introduction movies when opening iBooks textbooks. It will be fixed soon in an upcoming software update.

iBooks 2.0.1 is of course a free update to the already-free iBooks applications. A handful of iBooks Textbooks have launched, with most priced at Apple's maximum allowable price of $14.99.

One year ago today, News Corp. launched its iPad-only newspaper called The Daily. It was the first app to take advantage of the "In-App Subscription" feature that Apple launched the same day.


The Daily is available to subscribers for $0.99/week or $39.99/year and Mashable reports that the newspaper currently has more than 100,000 paid subscribers on the iPad alone. Rupert Murdoch, head of The Daily's parent company News Corp. said when the paper launched that it would take 500,000 paying readers to break even, though publisher Greg Clayman told Mashable that profitability is in sight:

From what I’ve seen, the average time it takes for a new magazine publication to get profitable is five to seven years. We’re on track to be ahead of that, which is great. When you calculate magazine profitability, you have to take into account the rising costs of paper and ink. We don’t have any of those costs. We’re in a very good place.

The Daily recently launched its first Android edition for Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets, and is preparing to release a version for iPhone and Android phones "in the next month or two".

The Daily for iPad is a free download on the App Store. [Direct Link]

MCV reports (via The Next Web) that Apple has nabbed yet another gaming PR executive, this time hiring Microsoft's European chief of Xbox Live marketing Robin Burrowes to oversee App Store marketing in Europe.

Burrowes worked at Xbox for seven years, and was in charge of Xbox Live. He was one of the execs promoting the latest Xbox dashboard update, even attending London Games Conference and Gamescom last year.

Prior to Xbox, he has worked for MSN and HMV. He joins Apple this year in charge of marketing the App Store for iTunes Europe.

Apple has been drawing PR and marketing talent from the gaming industry for some time now as it seeks to bolster iOS's positioning as a competitive gaming platform. Last year, the company poached longtime Nintendo executive Rob Saunders as well as Nick Grange, who came from Activision after stints at Microsoft and EA.

While most USB-charged Apple products like the iPhone and iPad come with a USB charging cable in the box, there is a thriving third-party market for these easily lost accessories. Dexim's $20 Visible Green USB-Dock Connector cables have a distinctive twist: they use electroluminescence to "visibly show the electrical current flowing through the cable". Completing the illusion is the fact that there are multiple speeds that the current can "flow", adjusting with the battery life of the device it's charging.


While perhaps not the most practical iPhone charger, particularly for bedside nighttime charging, the Visible Green cable is certainly the coolest.

Dexim's Visible Green cables are available via a number of retailers, including Amazon and others.

Launched in beta last week, Valve has opened up its Steam iPhone companion app to all users.

The app allows Steam users to view their Steam friends list, see what games their friends are playing, and chat with players in-game.

Gamers can also browse and purchase from the Steam library of titles from the iPhone, to play later on a PC or Mac. However, there is no purchasing of iOS games through the app, something that, aside from the fact that Steam doesn't support any iOS games, Apple would surely frown upon.


Steam Mobile for iPhone is available free on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Sir Benfro's Brilliant Balloon is a one-button side-scroller in the vein of the Helicopter Game or Jetpack Joyride, but with its own unique twist. Players take control of Sir Benfro and his balloon as they explore strange and fantastic worlds filled with weird creatures, complete with wonderful sound effects and soundtrack.

Travel with inquisitive explorer Sir Benfro as he flies through fantastical new worlds filled with weird and wonderful creatures. Float into forests, across oceans and down to the centre of the Earth. But take care - you’re never far from bumping into the next bizarre beast.

Sir Benfro’s Brilliant Balloon features four adventures. Magical fireflies named Light Emitting Daves power Sir Benfro’s balloon. You must fly as fast as you can to keep collecting the Daves and reach the end of each adventure. It’s a game for all ages with three difficulty settings to delight everyone from beginners to master balloonists.

Drawing inspiration from Victorian botanical illustration, puppet theatres, Terry Gilliam’s animations for Monty Python, the stylings of Studio Ghibli and Yimou Zhang’s film Hero, Sir Benfro’s Brilliant Balloon doesn’t look like any other game on the App Store.

A companion children's book called Sir Benfro’s Travels will be published by Thames & Hudson this autumn.

Sir Benfro's Brilliant Balloon is available for $0.99 for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. [Direct Link]

NASA, the U.S. space agency has released a new iOS game called Sector 33. The educational title aims to teach youngsters math and reasoning skills as they act the role of an air traffic controller in charge of ATC Sector 33 as they guide planes to San Francisco International Airport from the East over California and Nevada.

Players adjust multiple planes' path and speed to safely reach a target location in the sky in the fastest time possible while keeping the plans a safe distance apart.

"Our hope is that Sector 33 will give students a sense of the importance of math in managing our nation's air traffic and, at the same time, interest them in pursuing a career in aeronautics," said Jaiwon Shin, NASA's associate administrator for aeronautics research in Washington.

The math-focused game also aligns with the NASA Office of Education's mission to engage students in activities related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

"Today's students respond positively to experiential learning," said Leland Melvin, NASA's associate administrator for education. "Using an interactive game to spark their interest, while at the same time teaching them fundamental math concepts, is a win-win scenario. It is a perfect way to help cultivate the next generation of engineers and technologists."

NASA is no stranger to iOS apps, having launched an iPhone app in 2009 to help users stay on top of the latest NASA news.

Sector 33 is available free for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]

The iPhone's glass screen may be made of Corning's advanced Gorilla Glass, but, contrary to Steve Jobs' assertion, that doesn't mean it is scratch proof. Many products exist to solve this problem, including ZAGG's InvisiShield or rugged cases like Otterbox's Defender. Both solutions work well, but the feel of screen protector films bother some users, and though the Otterbox solidly protects the iPhone, it hardly maintains the svelte qualities that Jony Ive and his team worked so hard to create.


As an alternative, Spigen has released a tempered glass screen protector to give an added layer of protection to the iPhone 4S. The 0.4mm thick glass protector completely covers the front glass of the iPhone, protecting it from damage and scratches. Spigen claims the glass is specially reinforced to increase shock absorbency and is three times stronger than standard protective PET film. As it's tempered glass, if broken, it breaks into smaller pieces that aren't sharp.


The SGP GLAS.t iPhone 4 Screen Protector is available for $27.99 plus shipping on Spigen's website.

In the early 90's, a small software company called Callisto Corporation released a number of games for the Macintosh, along with a few other productivity applications. One of those games was Spin Doctor, which some long-ago Mac Performa owners may remember because Apple licensed a 10-level Spin Doctor Challenger edition for bundling with "about a million" Performas, according to developer Seth Lipkin.

Lipkin has since ported Spin Doctor, which was sold "in a big box" for $40 when it was first released in 1994, to the iPhone. The game is a bit like chess in the sense that it is easy to learn and difficult to master. It consists of a glowing wand making its way from dot-to-dot through a literal minefield of doors, switches, acid, fuses, bombs, and more. The user controls the direction of the wand -- which never stops moving -- as it moves its way across the map over more than 100 levels with several difficulty modes.


Spin Doctor for iPhone is $0.99 on the App Store. [Direct Link]

One of the biggest issues with the iPhone, especially amongst those who live in colder climes, is the tricky question of how best to answer the phone while wearing gloves. Hip-Hop producer Will.I.Am noted on the car show Top Gear that he wears fingerless gloves in order to use all his touchscreen devices, and claimed that capacitive touch gloves weren't fashionable.


Fashionable or not, a Dutch company has created a set of gloves knitted with silver-coated nylon fibers in the fabric. The silver in the Mujjo gloves makes them conductive and touchscreen compatible, and, according to TechCrunch, they work as designed.

I tried these during a few colder Brooklyn afternoons and, like most gloves, they kept my hands warm. Unlike most gloves, I could use them to tap my iPhone screen. Could they be used to tap your iPhone screen with your knuckle? Sure. They’re full of conductive thread so smack away.

Mujjo's touchscreen gloves come in only two sizes, but stretch to accommodate the largest of hands. They are available from Mujjo's website for €24.95 (about US$33) plus shipping. These aren't the only touchscreen gloves on the market, but Mujjo's pair work as advertised.

Three months after the iPhone arrived on Sprint, the carrier has launched an app allowing customers easy access to their account and to iPhone and Sprint customer support information.

In the US, AT&T and Verizon, the other two iPhone carriers, both have existing account management apps. They all work similarly, allowing customers to pay their bill, track usage, and get contact information for stores and customer support.


Sprint Mobile Zone is available free for the iPhone on the App Store. [Direct Link]

MyAT&T [Direct Link] and My Verizon Mobile [Direct Link] are also available free from the App Store.

Thanks Mike!

U.S. carrier T-Mobile has decided to offer "additional support" to customers using the iPhone on its network, reports TmoNews. While T-Mobile doesn't sell the iPhone, it reports that more than 1 million unlocked iPhones are used on its network and the additional support will be useful to T-Mobile's less tech-savvy iPhone users.


T-Mobile will support users who have questions about "common procedures, information about feature and specifications and other basic device questions." Most T-Mobile iPhone users are limited to T-Mobile's slower EDGE network due to the iPhone's incompatibility with the 1700/2100 MHz bands used by the carrier for its faster data networks. Late last year, though, some of T-Mobile's towers were adjusted for its faster HSPA+ network, moving them to the iPhone-accessible 1900MHz band in some "pockets" of the country.

Earlier this month, T-Mobile claimed the next iPhone chipset could be capable of supporting the carrier's Advanced Wireless Spectrum, but noted that it didn't have any specific knowledge of Apple's future products.