Hercules - Curse of the Hydra isn't exactly the most polished game I've seen on the iPhone -- it's a little clumsy, in fact, with some awkwardly placed controls and graphics that aren't quite as smooth as they could be. But it's still an interesting title and a solid effort from an indie studio, and I like its ambitious nature....

()

Chillingo held its E3 demo this year in the same area as EA, which makes sense considering that EA outright purchased it last October. The publisher of Angry Birds and Cut the Rope has a very impressive stable of titles due in the next few months, and I got to both see and play with them at E3. I've got some quick descriptions on...

()

I met up with Halfbrick Studios again last week at E3 here in Los Angeles (while most of you were watching the goings-on at WWDC in San Francisco). I got to play an updated version of Machine Gun Jetpack, the latest game in progress from the developers of Fruit Ninja and Monster Dash. I saw this game at GDC earlier this year, but...

()

Since Steve Jobs unveiled iCloud at WWDC, many current MobileMe subscribers and potential iCloud users have wondered what will happen to the current web-based offerings for contacts, calendars, email and so forth. Josh Topolsky of This is my next claims that Apple PR has confirmed the current web-based interface will go away, replaced...

()

Update: The unlocked iPhone 4 actually slipped out a day early, and is now available through the Apple Store. As mentioned below, this is a GSM model only. While we were skeptical about the rumors that came up over the weekend, both MacRumors and 9to5 Mac now confirm that unlocked versions of the iPhone 4 have arrived in Apple's...

()

Nuance's Dragon Remote Mic is now available in the App Store. It turns your iPhone into a Wi-Fi connected microphone for dictation, but buyer beware: it is compatible with Dragon Naturally Speaking for the PC, not the Dragon Dictate Mac product. Chances are, we'll see compatibility with the Mac app in an upcoming release. While...

()

Ever want to design an iPhone app but have no coding skills whatsoever? Not to worry; several companies are offering click-and-drag iPhone app creation. App Press has a service that allows the user to upload custom images and assemble those images into the layout of an app. Once you've added your images and text, the App Press team...

()

Here's even more streaming video content on the iPad for users in the UK. Sky TV has introduced Sky Go, which will combine Sky Player and Sky Mobile TV into just one service, which will be free for subscribers and let the rest of us who don't have a subscription watch for a monthly charge of about US$40. Note that this service would...

()

Dear Aunt TUAW, Why is VoIP so freaking awkward? I really like using Google Voice with Safari but then I always end up talking over the guy I'm calling to. What gives? Love, Denny Dear Denny, It's called latency, and it happens with all kinds of computer telephony solutions like Google Voice and Skype, as well as with iOS...

()

According to Boy Genius Report, a report from Nomura Research predicts that Nokia will lose its lead in smartphone unit sales for the first time this quarter, being surpassed by Apple and Samsung. Nokia has held the top spot in smartphone unit sales for the last 15 years. Dropping from first to third would be a blow indeed. It's not...

()

9to5 Mac is reporting that the next-generation iPhone is in the final stage phase before production begins. Quoting a "previously accurate Apple source," 9to5 notes that some high-level Apple and carrier executives are testing near-final iPhone prototypes. The source also claims that the new model will be released in September, and...

()

You may remember Backbreaker, the iOS football arcade game series by developers NaturalMotion. That same company has now used its proprietary physics engine to put together a game called Icebreaker Hockey, which obviously takes on the sport that's popular with our Canadian friends in the north. Just like Backbreaker, the game...

()

Several rumors with varying degrees of credibility came up over the weekend. According to AppleInsider, Twitter user @chronicwire (reportedly a source of past Apple leaks) reports that Apple's retail stores are setting up to launch Apple's annual Back to School promotion on Wednesday. The same source initially reported that the Back...

()

One of our readers sent us a story that was too good not to share. James, an iOS developer living in the UK, cleverly rigged his iPhone 4 against the peephole in his front door to catch a prankster that had been ringing his doorbell and running away every morning. His story is below. For the past week, every single morning between...

()

I have a longstanding audio quality problem with iTunes -- but iTunes Match will finally resolve it for me. Hurray! Hopefully this post will help others in the same situation. It all starts with the sad fact that I'm a perfectionist idiot about audio quality, so I still buy CDs and rip them myself using Apple's lossless codec -- I...

()

Dear Aunt TUAW, My wallet is full to bursting -- and not with cash. (Don't try pulling a Soupy Sales on this nephew.) I've got too many shopper cards, library cards, etc. Help me empty my wallet of cards -- and if you don't mind, fill it with cash instead. Your loving nephew, Fnulnu Dear Fnulnu, (And, yes, Auntie knows...

()