iOS 4.3 hasn’t been publicly released yet, but Apple is already approving apps with direct support for the updated version in the App Store. TIPB spotted StreamToMe v3.5 [iTunes link] had been approved, complete with “support for AirPlay video (requires iOS 4.3), seemingly a sign that Apple is looking to push out the new iOS version sooner rather than later.

Whereas normally beta releases for developers are distributed on a two-weekly basis, we’ve seen just one week between beta one and beta two with iOS 4.3. Assuming no significant bugs are spotted, that might mean that the new version could be pushed out before the end of the month.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

• Apple rejects magazine about Android from App Store
• Adobe: Packager for iPhone apps already being approved
• Apple forces devs to kill key feature in some apps
• iPhone SDK apps to require Apple approval and iTunes distribution – I’m So Shocked!
• Apple see 1.5 billion App Store downloads in first year

Google is looking to improve the performance of paid apps in the Android Market with tools like in-app purchases and carrier billing, after Android platform manager Eric Chu told developers this week that the search giant was “not happy” with paid-app growth. According to Forbes, Chu outlined Google’s rough strategy for the Android Market in 2011, which will see carrier billing for software extended from just AT&T in the US.

The AT&T arrangement began in December 2010, and Chu says that Google is working with more carriers worldwide to set up similar systems. As for in-app payments, that’s expected to debut sometime this quarter, and as on iOS will allow free or paid apps to offer further downloads for add-ons and extras.

Meanwhile, Google’s is looking to make discovering apps more successful, with tweaks to the search algorithm and more emphasis on removing titles that contravene the terms of service. There’ll also be a push for HTML5 apps and leveraging “the best social graph”: the user’s own address book since it aggregates contacts from multiple platforms.

[via Android Community]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

• Boxee paid-content due July/August; iPad & Android plans tipped
• Android Market announced: Google’s own App Store
• Android 1.6 phones get Google Maps Navigation beta
• Google on Purchasing Android Inc: “Best Deal Ever”
• Google Earth is now available for Android 2.1

First, the Mavericks Civilian Space Foundation tested a Nexus One’s ability to deal with the stress of a rocket launch. Then, Google floated seven Nexi to the edge of space to see if the phones could cope with the void. Now, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) is looking to launch a satellite into orbit and use a ‘droid — much smaller than the Astromech variety — to control said satellite. SSTL, who is helping build Galileo (and is acutely aware of its cost, no doubt), views smartphones as a way to democratize access to space because they are far less expensive than purpose-built control systems. The company hasn’t said which handset will be used in the satellite, but they chose Android because it allows engineers to easily modify the phone to do their bidding — from controlling pulse plasma thrusters to handling the advanced guidance and navigation systems of the foot long satellite. Additionally, the open source OS means that they “could get people to develop apps” for the satellite. We’ve seen plenty of Android apps, but we’re really hoping this venture is successful so we get to see apps… in space.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

SSTL using Android handsets to control satellites, conquer the final frontier originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 06:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that the number of App Store downloads to iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads around the world has handily exceeded the population of Planet Earth, we can hopefully put this story to bed until they hit another factor of ten — and as unreasonable as 100 billion downloads sounds, we’ll bet it actually won’t take that long. That’s right: just a few days after kicking off its online counter, Apple’s officially hit the 10 billion mark, which is a whole lot of software any way you slice it. So, Android Market, you’re next?

Update: The lucky winner was Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, UK, who downloaded Paper Glider. PR after the break.

Continue reading Apple’s App Store hits 10 billion downloads (update: we have a winner)

Apple’s App Store hits 10 billion downloads (update: we have a winner) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Jan 2011 05:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As of today, 10 billion apps, thats ten BILLION individual apps have been downloaded from the Apple App Store. The person who fired off the ten billionth download will be receiving a $10,000 USD iTunes Gift Card that can be redeemed for anything in the iTunes store or the App Store including apps, music, audiobooks, television shows, and movies. Supposing the 10 billionth person was a person buying up every app in the world in order to be the magic number last, can you imagine them even having anything left to buy, much less $10,000 worth of digital downloads?

Another bonus the final person might be receiving is either a $1,000 or $5,000 gift card from MacPhun supposing they downloaded either a photo app or specifically the FC Photo Studio app – what are the chances it’s either one of these? We imagine the chances are slim. Good sales tactic then, eh?

And lets talk for a moment about the number 10 billion. That’s huge, especially considering the only comparable number to be coming from the Android Marketplace which, if current projections are right, should be at right around 2,750,800,000. Will the marketplace ever eclipse the market? Currently it appears that another thousand apps are downloaded every 9 seconds in the Android Marketplace while every 3 seconds another 1,000 apps are downloaded in the App Store.

Is this accurate? I’d say sort of. The counter on AndroLib appears to be going at a more random rate than Apple’s did, which I’d guess is closer to the truth, but is also based on an estimate. What do you think – will the Android Marketplace ever overtake the App Store?

Press Release:

Apple’s App Store Downloads Top 10 Billion

CUPERTINO, California—January 22, 2011—Apple® today announced that more than 10 billion apps have been downloaded from its revolutionary App Store? by the more than 160 million iPhone®, iPod touch® and iPad™ users worldwide. The 10 billionth app downloaded, Paper Glider, was purchased by Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, UK. As the winner of the App Store Countdown to 10 Billion Apps, Gail Davis will receive a $10,000 iTunes® Gift Card.

“With more than 10 billion apps downloaded in just two and a half years—a staggering seven billion apps in the last year alone—the App Store has surpassed our wildest dreams,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The App Store has revolutionized how software is created, distributed, discovered and sold. While others try to copy the App Store, it continues to offer developers and customers the most innovative experience on the planet.”

The revolutionary App Store offers more than 350,000 apps to iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users in 90 countries around the world, with more than 60,000 native iPad apps available. App Store customers can choose from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

The newest edition of the massively successful mobile phone game Angry Birds is set to come out Valentine’s Day with a special pink addition to what we’re pretty sure will be the Seasons version of the game. Seasons already has Christmas and Halloween sets of levels, and this love-based new set would fit perfectly in the timeline. This news was released by DW-TV (Deutsche Welle) via YouTube where the personality speaking notes that “The designers and game developers at Rovio are currently working on new versions of their game, like this update in pink, due to come on the market on February the 14th – Valentine’s Day.”

If you’re in the mood to watch the entire clip, you can grab a bit of additional insight on how the game got its start (with a mother of a developer delaying a dinner party because she could not stop playing,) and simple fun facts (like the fact that originally there was no slingshot and the game made no sense!) Mikael Hed, CEO and co-founder of Rovio notes that the future of Angry Birds has the potential to include additional games, merchandise, and even TV shows and movies! Wacky stuff man, wacky. Check out the full clip here:

NOTE: They don’t mention if the game will be released on both iOS and Android at the same time, but if we had to guess, we’d say yes.

[Via AndroidCommunity]

Behold one epic looking game. This sort of game is what makes it worth having an iPad, if you ask me. This game is what IntoMobile is calling a Legend of Zelda clone, and I’m inclined to agree. I’m NOT inclined to protest though, as such a game as that might not be out for ages and ages. Now is the age of Sacred Odyssey: Rise of Ayden. A young fellow by the name of Ayden is chosen by the god Uryah to save the kingdom of Lasgalen from no less than the Apocalypse. How will you do such a monumental task? You’ll ride your horse and break some ice with a big glove, of course!

This game wouldn’t be so innovative if they were releasing it on PS3 or Xbox 360 or a PC, but here on iOS: iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, it has the potential to be huge. Huge in a way that normally only highly-recognizable brand-name RPGs are huge. Possible prices for iPhone and iPod Touch are $6.99 and $9.99, respectively, and those are only guesses, but they’re informed guesses to be sure. Take a peek at the preview video:

[Via IntoMobile]

Apple has released information [iTunes link] on the most popular App Store apps of all time, split down into free/paid and iPhone/iPad categories. The lists – published as Apple approaches ten billion downloads and offers a $10,000 iTunes gift card for the person who downloads the milestone app – reveal that Facebook is the most popular free iPhone app in both the US and UK, while Doodle Jump is the most popular paid iPhone app in the US and Angry Birds takes that top spot in the UK.

As for iPad apps, the top free app is Pandora in the US and Google Mobile in the UK, while the paid charts are topped by SoundHound in the US and TuneIn Radio in the UK. The difference primarily seems to be one of geographic availability: Pandora is not available outside of the US, for instance.

US Top Paid iPhone Apps

• Doodle Jump
• Tap Tap Revenge 3
• Pocket God
• Angry Birds
• Tap Tap Revenge 2.6
• Bejeweled 2 + Blitz
• Traffic Rush
• Tap Tap Revenge Classic
• AppBox Pro Alarm
• Flight Control

US Top Free iPhone Apps

• Facebook
• Pandora
• Google Mobile App
• Shazam
• Movies by Flixster
• The Weather Channel
• Google Earth
• Bump
• Skype
• Paper Toss

US Top Paid iPad Apps

• SoundHound
• StickWars
• FlightTrack
• Backbreaker Football
• Calorie Tracker
• BlocksClassic
• iFart Mobile
• GoodReader for iPad
• Cro-Mag Rally
• Ambiance

US Top Free iPad Apps

• Pandora
• Google Mobile App
• Movies by Flixster
• Google Earth
• Yelp
• Fandango Movies
• Remote
• iBooks
• Bible
• Solitaire

[Thanks Tony!]

First hot news is coming in right before the bell – Samsung telling us all that they’re definitely NOT Charging Carriers for Android Updates. Then while we’re on a controversial tip, take a peek as Apple’s Tim Cook dismisses ALL Android tablets as “Bizzare” and “Vapor.” Beware of pirates in the Android Market as another thief is discovered: jasminstory. Next behold the mightiest of mightys… Apples First Quarter Results! Muhahaha! Then another massive business news bit: Comcast’s Purchase of NBC Approved by FCC! Muhahaha! The dice are rolling! But don’t let them roll too hard – Chris Davies presents a column by the name of Facebook, Privacy & a little Self-Control.

All this and MORE on The Daily Slash!

R3 Media Network

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Consumer Reports Cautious on Verizon iPhone 4 – Good News for Android? [HEAT]
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Missing Cricket Android Costume Recovered [THANK GOD]
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Notion Ink Adam Begins Shipment Tomorrow, Pre-Pones February Shipments to January [AS SEEN ABOVE]

SlashPhone
Amazon Offered EVO 4G For Only $99
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Nokia to Stop Offering Free Music Download For Their New Handsets
CAZE Launch Zero 5 World’s Thinnest Case For iPhone 4

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G-Slate may hit Europe in a model lacking 4G
Acer set to bring Sandy Bridge tablets to market and phase out netbooks
Sprint $10 Premium Data smartphone fee coming Jan 30 2011
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Samsung Vibrant 4G for T-Mobile Poses for Photo, Shows Off Android 2.3 [Update]
T-Mobile G2 Now Free Online with 2 Year Contract
ATT Sends Out 4G Email Featuring Motorola Atrix 4G, HTC Inspire 4G, and Samsung Infuse 4G
Consumer Reports Cautious on Verizon iPhone 4 – Good News for Android? [FIGHT]
Google Looking to Hire a Tech Account Manager with NFC experience
Samsung Says They’re NOT Charging Carriers for Froyo Android Update
Dual-Screen Android Tablet Sprint’s “Big Announcement” for February 7th?
Apple’s Tim Cook Dismisses Android Tablets, Calls Them “Bizzare”
CherryPad 2 7-inch Android Tablet to have Capacitive Touch, GSM, Under $400
RealPlayer for Android Updated
Verizon Employees Begin Training For the HTC ThunderBolt
Verizon’s New Every Two Upgrade Program Officially Dead
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Samsung S5830 Galaxy Ace Spotted?
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Samsung Vibrant 4G Launching on Feb 23?
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Kongregate Arcade Brings 300 Free Games to Android
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Another Pirate in the Android Market: jasminstory
Motorola Droid Bionic 4G gets Hands-On Treatment
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The Angry Birds Team in Lego Form
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SlashGear
Lenovo establishes Mobile Internet & Digital Home team for tablets, phones & more
Samsung passes 2m Smart TV App Store downloads
Nokia E7 Finnish pre-orders open ahead of Feb 2011 delivery
Samsung reportedly buys Liquavista e-paper specialists [Updated]
ASUS Sirocco netbook is Eee PC 1015PW?
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TiVo Premiere for iPad remote app now available
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Pentax offers new firmware for K-7 and K-x DSLRs
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Nokia N8 DIY Terminal Mode setup gets video demo
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Intel IPAD detailed as chipmaker recalls iPad forerunner [Video]
Silicon Power unveils new 32GB SDHC card
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Reports of 3DS users feeling ill surface after 3DS showcase in Japan
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iCar Black Box is perfect for the accident prone
Moog OMG-1 custom synth is twin-iPad, twin-iPod touch and all awesome
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Microsoft talks Windows Phone 7 homebrew with ChevronWP7 team
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Facebook freeze address & phone sharing as privacy advocates scream
Next Issue Media e-magazine launch imminent with Android tablet focus
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12-15m CDMA iPhone 4 shipments predicted for 2011 as China, India & more eye Apple
Plastic Logic secures new funding; 2nd-gen factory due by 2014
Netflix pull “Add to DVD Queue” option from streaming devices
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To see more Daily Slash posts, click here: [The Daily Slash] or here: [SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up]

We all know that there is an app for everything on the iPhone and other iOS devices. Whether you want games or productivity tools or something in between you can probably find an app for your need on the App Store. Asymco has revealed some details on the app store after the announcement last week by Apple that the App Store was about to hit 10 billion downloads.

According to Asymco when you look at the numbers the 10 billion mark works out to over 60 apps downloaded per iOS device sold. The company also predicts that within a few months the downloading of apps will overtake the downloading of music on iOS devices. It took apps about half the time to hit the 10 billion download mark that it took for songs to reach that point.

One very interesting fact is that apps are being downloaded at the tune of over 30 million per day. The one thing that really stands out from the Asymco report is that the huge number of downloads that iOS device users have is going to effectively lock the user to the Apple device since the user will have a high monetary investment in apps. That is assuming their apps will still transfer over at the first sync to a new iOS device.