Google Wallet received its first significant update in a while today, with a mildly refreshed UI, bug fixes, but no new features. In fact, as Ron points out, references to all the features we were excited about having actually been removed from the app. Like the Wallet Card, and P2P money transfers. It doesn't mean those ideas are dead, per se, but we would guess it does mean they're experiencing some delays. Who knows, they could pop back up at Google I/O. The new version number is 1.6-R96-v13.

Anyway, this latest update finally rids Wallet of the Gingerbread-esque tile layout that Google encouraged developers to adopt way back when, and picks up some holo-y accents, such as navigation tabs (which were in some areas previously, but now are throughout the app) and a proper action bar.

• Verizon Wireless Says It Isn't Blocking Google Wallet, Blames Integration Issues - Orly?
• Verizon's Motorola DROID RAZR HD And RAZR MAXX HD Now Support Isis Mobile Wallet
• Sony SmartWatch Update Is Breaking Devices, Users Report Problems All Over The World While Sony Is Silent
• Google Learns Pursuing Wallet Without Carriers' Blessing Is Suicide, Now Wants To Play Ball

Google Wallet Update Fixes Some Issues With Nexus 4, Includes A More Holo-esque UI was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

If you land on an app listing in another language, you might see the Translate bar right above the description. It will read, "Translate the description into [LANGUAGE] using Google Translate?" In this example [LANGUAGE] is replaced by whatever your default language happens to be.

• Download: Latest Google Play Store 3.10.9 With New Post-Install UI, Translate Button, And More
• Google Currents App Gets Massive Update To 1.1.0, Goes International
• Google Translate Gets Bumped To v2.5, Adds Live Updating And Image Translation
• [New App] Voice, Text Translator Vocre Comes To Android, Signature 'Table-Top UI' In Tow

Web Play Store Now Offering To Translate Foreign Descriptions Using Google Translate was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

I am a big fan of The Room, an iOS app which has gained plenty of accolades here and elsewhere already. One of the most charming things about The Room, I think, is how well it replicates real-world objects on a touchscreen platform. The Room expertly turns the touchscreen interface into a series of mysterious puzzle-boxes, all very fascinating and ingenious to play with.

Interlocked is another app that does that, although without a lot of the extra mystery and setting that The Room adds to things. The app is published by Armor Games, the same company that published the great Kingdom Rush, and like Kingdom Rush, it's based on a popular Flash game you can play for free online. Also like Kingdom Rush, the iOS version has been polished and cleaned up a bit.

The game is simple: You're given a puzzle with a set of interlocking pieces, and then you can drag or swipe around the screen to try and pull all of the pieces apart. The game starts off easy, and quickly gets difficult -- just a few levels in, I had some frustration trying to figure out just how these pieces on screen fit together. If you're a fan of these kinds of manipulation puzzles, you'll love this setup for sure.

As I said, Interlocking is a pure puzzle game, so it doesn't have any of the mysteriousness that made The Room so popular (and if you haven't played that one, you should). Still, if you like these very physical puzzles, Interlocked, with plenty of content and a nice clean interface, should offer up lots of fun. It's available right now as a universal app for 99 cents.

Daily iPhone App: Interlocked puts lots of physical puzzles on a digital touchscreen originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here.

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Daily Update for January 28, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When Apple CEO Tim Cook visited China earlier this month, it's possible that part of the trip was spent wrapping up a deal to open a new research and development center there. As China Business News reports (link in Chinese), the company is a lock to open an R&D operation in Pudong, Shanghai this summer. The announcement was made by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, although Apple has yet to issue an official statement regarding its plans.

Apple will reportedly pay a yearly 50 million yuan (US$8.03 million) to rent three buildings -- one of which will house the R&D center -- in what the company has called its second-largest market. Rumors have suggested that Apple is also looking to establish a data center in China to service the rapidly expanding territory, but there's no word if the Shanghai site is also being eyed for that purpose.

[Via AppleInsider]

Confirmed: Apple to open Shanghai R&D center this summer originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's time to save some of that hard-earned cash with our Daily Deals, featuring a handy list from Dealnews and our own hand-picked selections that include some sweet deals on iOS and OS X software (all prices are USD).

Deals from Dealnews

• Other World Computing: [Computer Accessories] OWC 2012 Featured Year End Sale: RAM, accessories, HDDs, more
• MacMall: [Apple Computers] MacMall Apple Computer & Tablet Sale: Up to $649 off Macs, tablets, and more
• MegaMacs: [iPad Accessories] Pogo Connect Bluetooth 4.0 Smart Pen for iPad for $53 + $7 s&h
• MegaMacs: [MacBook] Refurb MacBook Core 2 2GHz 13" Laptop w/ Lion for $380 + $17 s&h
• Buy.com: [USB Hard Drives] Seagate 500GB GoFlex USB / FW 800 Portable HDD for $66 + free shipping
• MacUpdate Promo: [Mac Software] Letter Opener 5 for Mac downloads for $15
• Best Buy: [MP3 Downloads] $100 Apple iTunes Gift Card for $85 + free shipping
• BuyDig: [Camera Accessories] Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye Lens for Canon, Sony, more for $225 + free shipping
• eBay: [iPod Accessories] iLive Clock Radio Dock for iPhone and iPod for $25 + free shipping
• MegaMacs: [Flat-Panel/LCDs] Used Apple 17" LCD Studio Display for $35 + $14 s&h
• StackSocial: [Mac Software] PDFPen for Mac downloads for $30
• Office Depot: [USB Flash Drives] Lexar JumpDrive S73 USB 3.0 Flash Drives from $7 + pickup at Office Depot

iOS Software

• Gesundheit! [iPhone, Category: Games, Now free, down from $9.99] Gesundheit! combines extraordinary hand-drawn visuals and animation with an infectious gameplay to create a vibrant and colorful world where cute characters face off against wacky monsters, pigs will fly, and snot happens!

• Fastr [iPad, Category: Education, Now free, down from $5.99] Fastr turns reading skills training into a fun and pleasant process.

• Mushroom Wars [iPad, Category: Games, On sale for $0.99, down from $2.99] Mushroom Wars is a dynamic real-time strategy that lets you defeat enemy tribes or capture key strategic locations.

• The Creeps! [iPhone, Category: Games, Now free, down from $0.99] Defeat the things that go bump in the night with toy blasters, glue bottles, flashlights and boomerangs.

• The Creeps! HD [iPad, Category: Games, Now free, down from $1.99] Defeat the things that go bump in the night with toy blasters, glue bottles, flashlights and boomerangs.

• Infocus Pro [iPhone, Category: Productivity, Now free, down from $7.99] In Focus Pro is an organizer designed to handle your simple or advanced tasks.

• Gyroscope Surface Level [iPhone, Category: Utilities, Now free, down from $0.99] A Gyroscope operated Bubble/Digital Level.

• ArcFrame [iOS Universal, Category: Photography & Video, Now free, down from $9.99] An arc & polygon shaped collage maker with endless options and unique decorations.

• The Grid - Calendar [iOS Universal, Category: Productivity, Now free, down from $9.99] Simple, but useful calendar app.

OS X Software

• Get Stuff Done [OS X, Category: Productivity, On sale for up to 50% off] Apple launched a new three-week promotion on OS X productivity apps. Included in the sale are Things($24.99), Todo ($6.99), Due ($4.99), The Hit List ($24.99), BreakTime ($2.99), TaskPaper ($11.99), 2Do ($14.99) and Clear ($6.99).

• Macbundler [OS X, Category: Various, Pay what you want] Pay what you want for two apps, pay more than the average and get three more. Titles include Cockpit, Thoughts, Destination: Treasure Island, Image tricks and Data Guardian.

Daily Deals for January 28, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This edition focuses only on new games. The app roundup is coming up soon.

Featured App

Prehistoric Park

Today's roundup is sponsored by Prehistoric Park by Gear Games. There is no fossil evidence that early homo sapiens or Neanderthals enjoyed theme parks.

• [New Game] Melesta's Toy Defense Comes To Android – Become 'A Truly Great Leader' While Playing With Toys
• [New Game] Asteroid Defense 2 Brings More Explosions, More Enemies, More Guns, More Awesomeness All Around
• Roundup: Five Android Games Everyone Should Try
• [Review] Radiant Defense Is One Of The Best Tower Defense Games On Android Right Now

34 Best New Android Games From The Last 2 Weeks (1/16/13 - 1/28/13) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

Update: The Best Buy page is live and taking orders right now - estimated shipping is 3-5 days. No sign of handsets being sold in-store, unfortunately (no in-store pickup either).

If you're one of many of us in the US still seeking out a Nexus 4, it appears another purchasing option may be springing up shortly, at everyone's favorite defunct-business-model brick and mortar electronics retailer. That'd be Best Buy, in case the allusion wasn't clear, where a listing for the newest Nexus handset has just appeared.

The caveat, though, is that it seems this is going to be a contractually-shackled version of the Nexus 4, on T-Mobile.

• Motorola Charm Now Available On T-Mobile: $0 On Wirefly With New Contract, $50 On Upgrade
• Sprint Changing Early Termination Policy, Upgrade Fee, And Dropping One-Year Contracts
• T-Mobile Reveals Pricing Of The G-Slate 3D Tablet And The Sidekick 4G
• [Updated] "Magenta Saturday" Will Eventually Net You A Couple Hundred Dollars Off The Life Of A T-Mobile Smartphone Or Tablet

[Update: Get It Now!] The Nexus 4 Has Popped Up On Best Buy's Website - Handsets On The Way? was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

The smartphone market is quickly boiling down into a two-party system, so to speak, with both iOS and Android picking up a whopping 92% of smartphone shipments over the last quarter of 2012. In 2011, 32% of smartphone shipments consisted of other operating systems, like Windows Phone, RIM's Blackberry, or Symbian. But in the last year that number has shrunk, to the point where only 7% of smartphones shipping are not iOS or Android, and it seems unlikely to rise again.

In the same time period, about 20% of smartphones shipped were iOS devices, as compared to 70% of devices shipped being Android. That may make it seem like Apple is losing a lot of market share, to Google's operating system. And that may be true, but let's not forget why: not only do Android phones tend to be cheaper (which means device makers can make and sell more), but there are also dozens of Android devices available from nearly as many companies, as opposed to Apple's relatively small (and, of course, exclusive) product line. As a platform, Android is shipping more smartphones than Apple is. But comparing the two isn't necessarily the best comparison, especially as a factor of Apple's success in the smartphone market.

Regardless, this report shows that the smartphone market in general is more mature than ever: there are currently two big players in terms of smartphone operating systems, and it's going to be harder and harder for anyone else to gain a foothold in the future.

[via TMO]

iOS, Android grab 92% of smartphone shipments originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Back on January 17th, OUYA announced a new contest called CREATE to motivate game developers to get their hands dirty and spend a little time (read: a lot) working on a some prototype games for the console. The entries are in, and there's a staggering 166 videos worth of alpha-esque gameplay for Kill Screen – who partnered with OUYA for this promotion – to sort through.

Among those titles, you'll find platformers, dungeon crawlers, action RPGs, brawlers, shooters, word games, puzzles, and more, according to OUYA. That's quite the impressive list.

So, how are the winners chosen, what do they win, and some other third thing?

• Ouya Announces CREATE, A 10-Day Game Development Competition With $45k In Prizes
• Ouya Partners With Square Enix, Final Fantasy III Will Be Among The Platform's Launch Titles
• [Update: Goal Surpassed!] OUYA Lands On Kickstarter: Say Hello To The Gaming Console Of The Future
• Ouya Announces Pre-Orders For Early Access Dev Kits, For $800 If You Really Need It 2 Months Ahead Of Time

OUYA Manages To Wrangle 166 Game Prototypes In Its 'CREATE' Game Development Competition was written by the awesome team at Android Police.