When it first arrived on the scene many people probably scoffed at the iPhone and iPod touch as unsuitable gaming platforms. After all, what can you do, graphics-wise, on the devices to make gaming worthwhile? Well, I’m happy to report that you can, at least in the hands of the folks at Epic Games, do quite a bit.

Since its debut on December 9th, Epic Games’ game Infinity Blade has grossed over $1.6 Million. Based on data from Apple’s Game Center, there were over 271,000 different users who played the game as of Sunday night.

Now here’s the math part, sorry if it hurts your heads. Infinity Blade costs $5.99 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, which means the title grossed well over $1.6 Million in that short time span. Quite a success for the team at Epic.

Infinity Blade is the first Unreal Engine 3-based iOS game and, along with titles like Rage HD (Which also rocks, btw), it is helping to change the perception that the iPhone, iPad and such are not “real” gaming platforms. Lets hope the trend continues.

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We are fans of the UFC and the console releases of UFC Undisputed as well (with UFC Undisputed 2010 for XBox 360 receiving an 8.0 score). So, when we heard the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch would be getting its own UFC Undisputed 2010 we couldn’t wait to get our hands on it.

Gameplay:

This mobile game obviously has to play much simpler than the console version both in terms of power and control scheme. Without formal buttons, players must navigate their fighter throughout the octogon on a 2D plane reminiscient of Street Fighter 4 more than other UFC titles. Fighting consists of various finger swipes over a punch, kick or synch icon.

Different presses or swipes result in different moves and as far as we could tell with our hands on the game, every competitor on UFC 2010′s roster players and moves in the ring exactly like each other, with the only exception being how wrestlers perform takedowns differently with body slams.

The melee combat is fairly basic but does not encourage button mashing. Players who do so will quickly find their stamina drained and on the receiving end of hammer punches to their faces.

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Sometimes a game come out and fans just take to it in droves. Case in point: Rage HD from id Software. After only one day in release, the game shot to the number one spot on the top-grossing chart in Apple’s iTunes Store.

The highly-anticipated, and very coo,l first-person shooter only costs $1.99 and can be played on the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad or current-generation iPod touch. It’s a pretty amazing looking game and really shows how well iOS devices can be used as a gaming platform. A lot of potential there for sure.

Rage HD replaced Angry Birds as the App Store’s top-grossing app in less than a day, and it is already number 2 on the top paid app charts. This success will hopefully spur developers to make more games like this for iOS devices. If so, that’s good for iOS and, of course, good for gamers. After all, you can’t really carry around an XBox 360 console with you everywhere, now can you?

Rage HD is available in Apple’s App Store for $1.99. A standard definition version called RAGE is also available for $0.99.

Shhhhhhh! You hear that?

“Braiinnnnsssssssssssssssssssssssss!”

It’s AMC’s The Walking Dead arriving on your Apple iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad courtesy of the comiXology app. While the world anxiously awaits AMC’s Halloween premiere of the brand new zombie-destroying series, comiXology has launched a dedicated digital comic app in collaboration with Image Comics and the comic’s creator Robert Kirkman.

“Robert Kirkman and Image Comics have been great partners of ours and we love to see them continually pushing the envelope with The Walking Dead series,” said David Steinberger, CEO of comiXology. “Through this new app, zombie lovers everywhere will be getting a full dose of their favorite comic on their mobile devices all in one location. We’ve even added all the collected editions.”

In case you’re not familiar with the franchise, The Walking Dead is a mostly black-and-white comic first published by Image Comics in 2003, and created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore. The story arc focuses on Rick Grimes, a small-town police officer from Cynthiana, Kentucky, his family, and a number of other survivors who have banded together in order to survive a world stricken by a zombie apocalypse. The series won the 2010 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series at the San Diego Comic Convention.

“Today’s app release will provide fans of The Walking Dead, new and old alike, another way to enjoy this series,” said Robert Kirkman. “The Walking Dead app will make the series that much more accessible to the new generation that, more often than not, experiences their entertainment completely digitally. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with comiXology, on the eve of the debut of the AMC television series, to bring this series in front of a whole new generation of readers.”

Interested in grabbing the dedicated app? Head over to iTunes and download it now. And don’t forget about the new series on AMC, premiering on October 31, 2010.

At a packed media event today Apple announced some new things that were met mostly with enthusiasm by the attending crowd. Among these new things was iOS 4.1 and 4.2, new iPods and a new version of the Apple TV.

Here’s a summary of the announcements:

iOS 4.1 – iOS 4.2

• High Dynamic Range photos: Takes three photos and combines them to form one better one.

• Proximity sensor, Bluetooth and the iPhone 3G.

• High-definition video upload over Wi-Fi.

• TV show rentals and purchase

• Game Center debut

iOS 4.2

• Brings iPad up-to-date with iPhone 4 including folders, better multitasking, etc.

The iOS 4.1 update will be available next week through iTunes. iOS 4.2 will come in November.

New iPod Nano

• New square design
• Touchscreen interface
• VoiceOver
• FM radio
• Nike+ and pedometer
• 24-hour battery life
• Six colors
• $149 for 8GB and $179 for 16GB
• Preorder today, shipping in a week

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Netflix is one great service, and while it’s been available for streaming from devices like the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii, it’s never been available for anything portable other than the iPad. That is, until now. As of today, users of the iPhone and iPod Touch can now stream Netflix straight to their devices.

The application is available from the App Store at no charge. All you’ll need is a subscription to Netflix, iOS 3.1.3 or later and a working internet connection.

Using the application, you’ll be able to access your Instant Queue, browse through your favorite genres, and search by title.

The only issue facing the Netflix app is due to Apple and AT&T’s new data plans. While users that have had an iPhone for quite some time have unlimited data, newcomers to the iPhone and AT&T will have a bit of an issue keeping their data under the cap while still being able to use the Netflix service to their leisure.

Android users are sure to be seething with envy, as it is unknown when, or even if, an application will ever be available for their devices.

The Red Star has had an interesting history. Starting off as a graphic novel by Christian Gossett, it was originally set for an XBox release. Development went as far as releasing a demo for Official XBox Magazine’s demo disk, though the release was canceled soon after. It would then be ported to the PlayStation 2 in 2004 and go into hiatus until this March where it was released as a PSP Go download only title.

Now, it has been ported over to the iPhone, with sadly, less than stellar results.

Gameplay:

As with all games, strong gameplay is essential for the success of any title. If a game is difficult to control, people just aren’t going to be able to enjoy it. Even though the game looks pretty (as will be mentioned later), the interface on the iPhone greatly hinders The Red Star.

Instead of opting for a static position D-Pad on the touch screen, players are forced to use their thumbs anywhere on the screen to direct the motion of their character in this side scrolling beat ‘em up. On the right side of the screen lies a “button” to shoot, melee or use special attacks.

Unfortunately, aiming any of these becomes a deeply frustrating process as a player will often find their left thumb gravitating towards the center of the screen to keep moving from left to right only to find they have completely covered their character and have no idea what direction they are facing (on top of blocking much of the left half of the screen with their left hand as well, giving a huge blind spot).

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Apple’s iPhone has been making great strides to prove itself as a legitimate gaming platform. While many of the games for it are casual in nature, others such as Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars have shown the hardcore audience has a place on the platform as well. Activision, seeing this, has capitalized by introducing the Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies series to the iPhone.

Gameplay:

Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies II is a first person shooter using the touch screen of the iPhone. There is a dual “analog” setup with movement on the left and aim on the right. Players can zoom in by tapping the gun icon for more accurate aiming. Shooting is accomplished by tapping the screen on the aiming “analog” and grenades are tossed by tapping an icon on screen.

The controls work as well as one would expect for an iPhone. They are responsive but nowhere near as accurate as a mouse and keyboard or a control pad with actual analog sticks. Having your aiming analog act as the fire button as well prevents certain FPS standards like turning while strafing around enemies which ends up becoming more of an inaccurate zigzag attempt.

The gameplay starts out slow to let players get accustomed to the controls as a few zombies begin bashing their way past wooden barriers around the doors. Eventually, the number of zombies ramp up as well as the addition of Hellhounds. The first time I was hit with a sneak attack from two rabid Hellhounds that teleported into the room it was almost instant death.

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Don’t be jealous of your friends who ordered a new iPhone 4. Well, maybe just a little. At least you’ll be able to use that fancy OS Apple designed for the new iPhone because they have just released iOS 4 into the wild for all to download and enjoy.

iOS 4 can be installed on your newer iPhone OS devices including the iPhone 3G, the iPhone 3GS, the 2G iPod touch and the 3G iPod touch. With iOS 4, you’ll be able to multitask, use folders to organize your apps, have a unified e-mail inbox, and much more. Sadly, without an actual iPhone 4 you will miss out on some features, like that two-way-video chat thing, but you still get some cool stuff.

As has been pointed out at various outlets, this version of iOS4 is the same 8A293 build seeded to developers with the GM release candidate. So, if you’re a developer, no need to update.

You will also need iTunes 9.2 for your new iOS 4 installation. Also, iPhone 3G users may need to do a full restore, not just an update, to get this release working.

If you do decide to update, let us know your experiences, good and bad, in the comments. For us, one iPhone 3GS updated so far and all is well.

In just about two months, Apple has made what must be a record in the tech industry, reportedly selling two million units of their uber-popular iPad. And amazingly, the majority of those numbers came from domestic sales as the iPad only went on sale internationally last weekend. When international sales figures start rolling in, the ‘magical’ tablet will be on course to outpace sales of just about every must-have device, including Apple’s own iPhone.

Additionally, apps specifically built for the iPad’s much larger screen have topped 5,000 in recent days, but represent only a small fraction of the nearly 200,000 total apps most of which are designed for the iPhone or iPod touch. The big concern now seems to be whether the Foxconn factory in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen can produce enough iPads to meet demand. Apple CEO, Steve Jobs mentioned this issue as the new sales figures were announced.

“We appreciate [customer] patience, and are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone,” said Jobs.

Keeping up with demand isn’t Foxconn’s only concern at the moment as an investigation into an alarming rash of worker suicides has begun. More than 300,000 people sleep, eat and work at the sprawling factory complex and thus far in 2010, 10 people have committed suicide, while three others have tried. Other manufacturers besides Apple contract with Foxconn, including Dell, HP Dell, and Sony, each of which have begun their own investigation into worker conditions.

Have you been looking for a way to keep track of all the important news and info for Marvel’s upcoming blockbuster release of Iron Man 2? Do you also happen to be an iPhone or iPod Touch user? If so, then this is your lucky day. Why? Well, read on.

Today, Marvel has released the Iron Man Central application into the wild and its available on the Apple iTunes Store for iPhone and iPod Touch. Here’s all the info for this new app directly from the Marvel press release:

Suit up with the world’s most popular super hero in anticipation of Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 2 feature film, and learn everything about Iron Man with this totally free app!

Iron Man Central is perfect for Iron Man fans new and old, providing access to all things Iron Man including news, exclusive wallpapers, video content, direct links to Iron Man content on iTunes and more. This brand-new app also seamlessly integrates with users’ e-mail, Twitter and Facebook accounts, allowing them to share exciting new Iron Man content with friends and family.

Head on over to iTunes to get this app. Also, be sure to check out some screenshots from it after the jump. Oh, and as if you didn’t already know, Iron Man 2 hits theaters this Friday.

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If you thought it was just a matter of time before Steve Jobs would come around, see the error of his ways and embrace The Flash (no, not the superhero) well, to put it nicely, you were wrong. Not gonna happen. . . ever. How do we know? Simple, Steve told us so.

In a statement signed off on by Jobs himself, Apple has posted their “Thoughts on Flash” which highlights most of what has been said in the past about why Apple won’t be supporting Flash on iPhone OS devices like the iPhone and iPad. They will also be blocking programs that attempt to recompile and be used as iPhone OS applications, especially games.

Still not convinced? Think it’s all just a misunderstanding at that Steve’s resolve will weaken? Well, take a look at what Apple said and tell us there’s room for doubt that Steve Jobs hates Flash:

Apple has a long relationship with Adobe. In fact, we met Adobe’s founders when they were in their proverbial garage. Apple was their first big customer, adopting their Postscript language for our new Laserwriter printer. Apple invested in Adobe and owned around 20% of the company for many years.

The two companies worked closely together to pioneer desktop publishing and there were many good times. Since that golden era, the companies have grown apart. Apple went through its near death experience, and Adobe was drawn to the corporate market with their Acrobat products. Today the two companies still work together to serve their joint creative customers – Mac users buy around half of Adobe’s Creative Suite products – but beyond that there are few joint interests.

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