MacRumors

Last night, a number of highly anticipated games made its way out into the App Store ahead of the holiday rush. Among them was Crescent Moon Games's role-playing game Aralon: Sword and Shadow HD. Aralon is an epic open world western RPG that is more comparable to the PC/console game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind than anything else available on the App Store. In fact, the game's art was even done in part by Mark Jones, a contributing artist to Morrowind and other Elder Scrolls RPG's. Aralon features over 30 hours of gameplay, a character creation and customization that is unrivaled by anything else on the platform, mounts to ride, crafting systems, and much more. Our sister site TouchArcade calls it a "masterpiece of an iOS game" in its review:

[Some things] can only be experienced firsthand, like the first time the sun sets and gives way to a breathtaking night sky overlooking the vast land before you. I used to look at my iOS device as a small window into new worlds and fun experiences, and with Aralon I feel like I actually have a fully realized living and breathing universe sitting snugly in my pocket. ... I don't only suggest Aralon for fans of Western RPGs or expansive open-world action games, but I think every iOS gamer needs to pick up this title just to experience what is possible on this constantly expanding mobile platform.

Aralon: Sword and Shadow HD, priced at $6.99, is a universal app optimized for the third- and fourth-generation iPod touch, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, and iPad. Other notable releases include:

World of Goo for iPad. A highly rated PC/Mac game that has been ported to the iPad.

Dungeon Defenders: First Wave - The second game on the App Store based on Epic's Unreal Engine.

Real Racing 2 - A sequel to the highly rated Real Racing for iPhone. This time the game comes with 16 licensed cars and online multi-player.

Foss Patents reports that a joint venture company involving Apple, Microsoft, Oracle, and EMC has acquired 882 patents from Novell for a sum of $450 million. Novell is undergoing a transition as it has been acquired by software company Attachmate, and the patent sale is part of the acquisition deal.

Breaking news: Twitter user @VM_gville just pointed me to the website of the German federal antitrust authority ("Bundeskartellamt"), which discloses a merger (or more precisely, joint venture) notification filed a week ago (on 09 December 2010), according to which the four companies behind CPTN Holdings LLC -- the acquirer of 882 Novell patents -- are Microsoft, Apple, EMC, and Oracle. The product market in which the newly formed company plans to operate is defined as "patents".

Three weeks ago I already commented on the recent announcement of Attachmate acquiring Novell and the sale of 882 Novell patents, in exchange for $450 million, to CPTN Holdings LLC. At the time, the full list of CPTN Holdings LLC partners was not known. The entity was described as a "consortium organized by Microsoft."

Apple, which boasts an extensive patent portfolio of its own, has been looking to bolster its arsenal even further as several large blocks of intellectual property have come available in an increasingly litigious technology industry that has seen Apple rank as the most-sued tech company over the last several years. Apple is said to be one of a number of big players bidding to acquire Nortel patents estimated to be worth over $1 billion in total.

Apple yesterday released LED Cinema Display Firmware Update 1.0, addressing audio problems with the company's latest standalone display.

This Firmware Update addresses intermittent audio issues some users have experienced while using the 27-inch LED Cinema Display.

The updater application will be installed in the /Applications/Utilities folder and will be launched automatically. Please follow the instructions in the updater application to complete the update process.

Details of the issue are included in an associated support document:

You may notice that sound from an LED Cinema Display (27-inch) connected to a Mac intermittently becomes inaudible. In some circumstances, you may need to unplug the display and reconnect it or restart the Mac before the sound becomes audible again.

The update weighs in at 957 KB and requires either Mac OS X 10.6.4 plus the LED Cinema Display Software Update 1.0 or Mac OS X 10.6.5 or later.

Apple today announced that the Mac App Store will open on Thursday, January 6th, launching in 90 countries and offering free and paid applications.

"The App Store revolutionized mobile apps," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We hope to do the same for PC apps with the Mac App Store by making finding and buying PC apps easy and fun. We can't wait to get started on January 6."

As with the iOS App Store, developers of paid applications will receive 70% of revenue, while Apple keeps 30%.

Apple announced the Mac App Store at its "Back to the Mac" event in October, saying the store would launch for Mac OS X Snow Leopard users within 90 days. The January 6th opening date meets that schedule with two weeks to spare.

Digitimes reports that in anticipation of a high volume of orders for the next generation iPad, Apple is securing two additional touch panel makers, Chimei Innolux and Cando. According to Digitimes' sources, Apple's iPad 2 orders are expected to top 6 million units per month. In contrast, current iPad orders are only at 4 million units per quarter.

Apple has been widely rumored to be working on the next generation iPad for launch in early 2011. Several rumors have suggested the new iPad will have a better display and include at a front facing camera for FaceTime.

Digitimes claims that in addition to a new iPad revision, Apple is also planning on upgrading both the MacBook Pro and iMac in the first half of 2011.

The sources noted that Apple plans to launch at least four upgraded MacBook Pros as well as an iMac that features a new panel size and a price point for the mainstream market.

The Macbook Pro was last updated in April of 2010, so a first-half 2011 revision seems likely. Digitimes' sources believe that four new MacBook Pro models will arrive at that time.

Meanwhile, the iMac was more recently updated in July 2010, and the new claims describe a "new panel size" and "price point".

ChangeWave Research reports on the results of a new survey conducted last month regarding corporate usage of tablet devices such as Apple's iPad. With new tablet offerings such as the HP Slate 500 and the Dell Streak now becoming available, the survey finds that businesses are still overwhelming supporting the iPad as tablet adoption increases at a rapid rate.

In terms of current usage, 7% of corporate respondents now say their company provides employees with Tablet devices - up 1-pt since our previous survey in August.

The Apple iPad (82%) remains by far the most popular Tablet for business purposes. H-P (e.g., Slate; 11%) and Dell (e.g., Streak; 7%) are also showing some traction among corporate users - but both remain far behind Apple's overwhelming share of the market.

Usage is expected to continue to surge, with the number of surveyed companies planning to be utilizing tablets in the first quarter of 2011 registering at 14%, double the current number. Those companies planning to begin using tablets early next year are also overwhelming planning to adopt the iPad, with 78% opting for Apple's tablet device.

Among those companies that have already begun using tablets, the iPad registers highest in satisfaction, with 69% of corporate users saying they are "very satisfied" with the device, compared to only 23% of HP tablet users and 12% of Dell tablet users.

Finally, the survey finds that corporate users are more broadly using the iPad for such functions as Internet access, corporate email, and on-the-road work when compared to the firm's August survey.

Apple today released iTunes 10.1.1, addressing a number of performance issues.

This release provides a number of important bug fixes, including:

- Addresses an issue where some music videos may not play on Macs equipped with NVIDIA GeForce 9400 or 9600 graphics.
- Resolves an issue where iTunes may unexpectedly quit when deleting a playlist that has the iTunes Sidebar showing.
- Fixes a problem where iTunes may unexpectedly quit when connecting an iPod to a Mac equipped with a PowerPC processor.
- Addresses an issue where some music videos may not sync to an iPod, iPhone, or iPad.

The update is available via Software Update or Apple's iTunes download page.

iTunes 10.1 was released in mid-November ahead of the iOS 4.2 launch.

Apple today updated its iBooks application [App Store], adding a number of new features including enhanced support for illustrated books, a new "Collections" feature for organizing books into categories, and AirPrint compatibility for printing PDFs and notes.

- Experience fully illustrated books, from children's picture books to beautifully designed art books, available for download in the iBookstore.
- Organize your books and PDFs into personal Collections. Swipe left or right to jump between Collections.
- Print PDF documents and notes you've written in iBooks using AirPrint.
- iBooks now fits more words per page by automatically hyphenating text, available only on iOS 4.2 or later.

The focus on illustrated books had been pre-announced by The New York Times, which earlier today noted in an article on the ability for color readers to display enhanced image content in e-books that Apple would be rolling out a major push into illustrated books today with over 100 new titles in children's books, photography books, and cookbooks.

The release comes just after the Canadian government granted approval for Apple to begin operating its iBookstore in the country.

Adobe's John Nack notes on his blog that the company's Flash Player 10.2, currently in beta testing, can offer up to a ten-fold improvement in CPU usage under certain circumstances by taking advantage of new "Stage Video" functionality to more fully utilize hardware acceleration, particularly for SWF files in which other elements have been overlaid on top of video.

Nack points to a demo from last month's Adobe MAX conference showing off how Flash Player 10.2 and Stage Video can reduce CPU load. The demo shows a standard Flash video playing on Apple's new 11-inch MacBook Air checking in at about 80% CPU usage, and when vector images are overlaid on the video, CPU usage spikes to over 120%. The same video using the new Stage Video API demonstrates CPU utilization of about 10% with and without vector images overlaid.

The Stage Video implementation requires that Flash developers update their video players to support the feature, but some major developers such as YouTube have already updated their players, with others expected to do so in the near future.

Market research surveys can certainly be hit-or-miss when it comes to revealing companies' future product plans, but a new one from satellite TV provider DirecTV dug up by Engadget hints at the intriguing possibility of the company's "NFL Sunday Ticket" sports package being made available through the new Apple TV as well as a number of other devices.

According to a tipster, some of the questions asking about potential pricing setups indicated the digital version would be available via currently unsupported devices including internet connected Blu-ray players & TVs, "game machines," Apple TV, Roku and Boxee.

Such a move to push live streaming content to the Apple TV would mark a significant expansion of the device's capabilities. And while the service would presumably be offered as a menu option on the Apple TV in a similar manner to Netflix, the existing NFL Sunday Ticket iOS applications demonstrate how such content could be relatively easily moved to the new Apple TV should Apple decide to open up the platform to third-party applications.

In the United States, the traditional NFL Sunday Ticket TV package is available exclusively through DirecTV, making it one of the satellite television provider's key selling points for consumers. In addition to offering access via their set-top boxes, DirectTV also offers "NFL Sunday Ticket To-Go" for both its traditional subscribers and non-subscribers alike, allowing them to view content on their computers and on mobile devices such as the iPad and iPhone.

Apple today released a minor software for the new Apple TV, moving the device's operating system from iOS 4.2 Build 8C150 to iOS 4.2.1 Build 8C154. The update is live on Apple's servers and several users have reported seeing the update become available for their Apple TVs, although not all Apple TVs are yet seeing the new iOS version as available for download.

It is unknown at this time what changes are included in the update.

Apple released iOS 4.2.1 (Build 8C148) for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch on November 22nd, but the Apple TV's software update released the same day was only referred to as iOS 4.2 by Apple. Confusing things further is the fact that the Apple TV reports the previous software version as being "4.1", while we have heard that the new iOS 4.2.1 is referred to as software version "4.1.1" by the Apple TV.

Update: A support document notes that the software update resolves a pair of issues related to incorrect display resolutions and download performance.

- TV resolution fix: Addresses an issue that causes some high-definition TVs to incorrectly display at 480p.
- Download fix: Addresses an issue that may cause a movie or TV show to be re-downloaded.

While Apple's AirPlay feature introduced in iOS 4.2 allows users to stream certain video content from their iOS devices to the new Apple TV, users have been wondering if the service will ever be extended to allow content to be streamed to their Macs in a similar fashion. In addressing the question of whether such an implementation would be difficult, TUAW's Erica Sadun has put together an alpha version of a Mac OS X application known as "AirPlayer" that does exactly that.

What AirPlayer does is create and advertise a custom Bonjour AirPlay service that pretends to be an Apple TV. Bonjour is Apple's zero configuration networking solution for allowing devices and applications to communicate with each other over local area networks. When Apple created AirPlay, it basically set up a new way for Apple TV to interact with iOS using Bonjour communications.

The functionality could in theory also be supported on Windows PCs as Apple offers Bonjour for Windows, although Sadun notes that she is not likely to attempt to build a Windows version anytime soon.

Interested users can download the ad-supported alpha version for Mac OS X from Sadun's website to test out the functionality. Users' iOS devices do not need to be jailbroken for the functionality to work, although some tools such as AirVideoEnabler that can extend AirPlay functionality to more iOS apps do require jailbreaking.

AirPlayer remains an early proof-of-concept release, and users are of course advised that there may be bugs and other quirks associated with the application.

Ad Age reports that the first iAd for the iPad will debut today in the form of an advertisement for the Disney film "Tron Legacy" premiering in theaters this weekend. According to the report, it is the only iPad-specific iAd scheduled for release before the end of the year.

The format, designed to maximize the ad potential of Apple's tablet computer, will be launched widely in early 2011 when other ads start flowing onto the platform.

Like its iPhone and iPod Touch predecessors, the first iPad iAd is chock-full of the rich graphics, touch navigation and video native to apps. The full-screen "Tron" ad, which will run in iPad apps such as TV Guide, includes close to 10 minutes of video, images from the movie, a theater locator with showtimes, and a preview of the movie soundtrack with the option to purchase on iTunes without leaving the ad. For the first time in any iAd, users will also be able to send email straight from within the ad.

Apple brought iAd compatibility to the iPad with the release of iOS 4.2 late last month, but production of the ads, which remains under the tight control of Apple, has taken some time to bring iPad-specific ads to market.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been Disney's largest individual shareholder since the media and entertainment company acquired animation studio Pixar in 2006. Jobs holds a seat on Disney's board of directors, and Apple and Disney have worked closely together in the past, likely smoothing the way for "Tron Legacy" to serve as the debut iAd for iPad.

Apple has announced its annual Europe-only iTunes Store holiday promotion, giving away free content each day from December 26th through January 6th. The company has also released a 12 Days of Christmas iOS application [App Store], available in countries participating in the promotion. The simple application, which is universal for iPhone/iPod touch and iPad compatibility, offers push notifications regarding each day's free content.

Unfortunately for customers in the U.S. and many other countries, the promotion will likely be unavailable if past years are any indication. Due to regional content licensing issues, the 12 Days of Christmas promotion has always been limited to European iTunes Stores. Many App Store developers are expected, however, to offer sales around the Christmas holiday in hopes of capturing business from users looking to load up their new iOS devices received as gifts.

Google today announced that it has updated its Google Voice App Store application to support the iPad and iPod touch. The application, which Google and Apple famously faced off over last year before Apple finally approved the app last month, offers an interface for interacting with Google's telephone service.

Starting today, you can download a new version of Google Voice that lets you use all the features of the app on these devices, such as sending and receiving free text messages - except, of course, make cellular calls.

While iPad and iPod touch users can't use the Google Voice app to make cellular phone calls through the service, Google has developed a system known as Click2Call that allows users to initiate calls through other devices.

While you can't use your iPod or iPad as a phone, you can use it to initiate Google Voice calls with your phones. We call this feature Click2Call. Simply click any 'Call' button in the Google Voice app on your iPod or iPad and then select which of your phones you want to ring. Google Voice will call your phone and then connect your call.

The update brings several other improvements, including the ability to set "do not disturb" times during which all calls are sent directly to voicemail and improvements for initiating calls from the address book.