If the name Food Run sounds familiar, you’ve got a good memory. We featured it about a year ago (via the developer’s blog post) as a gorgeous example of Retina display graphics. Now, a year later, the game is available from Pixels on Toast, and you can see those gigantic graphics in action.

The game is a nonstop platformer, similar to (though less inventive than) the great Run Roo Run. You play as a piece of food running along the screen, and you simply tap to jump at the right times, with the game doing everything else for you…

I’m a big fan of the band They Might Be Giants — for years and years now, they’ve been putting out slickly crafted folk pop songs, complete with a good sense of fun and absurdity. The band has hosted a “Dial-a-Song” service for years, in order to let you hear their music over the phone, and now there’s even an app for that. The official They Might Be Giants app is now available and it’s a free download from the App Store right now.

It’s not filled with features (in fact, the app isn’t even formatted for the iPhone 5 yet, unfortunately), but it does do one thing well: It will play one different They Might Be Giants song every single day…

Sharing icons by email and Dropbox never really captures the way each image will appear on-screen. That’s why developer Michael Burford and his brother created a web page mock-up solution that automatically adds an iPhone background and styles the icons to match the way they display on-device.

He built a PHP/CSS toolset that you can place on a web host to serve icon previews. The script detects your browsing platform, so the previews look right on both iPhones and iPads.

You can download the tools from his web page…

We already know Apple’s hardware was a hit in China during the last part of 2012, and new data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech shows that Japan felt the same way, at least when it comes to the iPhone. According to the firm’s most recent data from the end of 2012, the iPhone holds an astonishing two-thirds of the Japanese smartphone market.

Kantar’s figures also show that Windows Phone is beginning to gain a foothold in Europe, but it remains far behind iOS and Android in the US and China. Android remained in first place on a global scale, though iOS does currently hold the crown in the states and Japan…

We’ve been hearing rumors of the next iPhone for weeks now, with all kinds of different specs and models rumored for the device. One of these rumors pegged the next iPhone with a 5-inch screen and seemed at least relatively easy to believe. That rumor came from DigiTimes, but today the site is going back on what it previously said – according to the most recent word from sources, there won’t be a 5-inch iPhone in 2013.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be a 5-inch iPhone at all, however…

Welcome to Tuesday evening everyone. Perhaps the biggest story from the afternoon, Samsung’s reported mobile roadmap for 2013 leaked out with the rumored Galaxy Note 8 leading the charge. We heard that the highly anticipated Galaxy S IV might be getting an announcement on March 22, while Microsoft finally announced Surface Pro’s release date, setting it for February 9, 2013. The iPhone might have its best-selling quarter yet in Q1, while Google revealed its earnings for Q4 2012 (spoiler alert: it made a lot of money)…

Smartphones and extreme sports are natural enemies, as bringing your prized iPhone on that mountain-biking trip is a surefire way to get it lost or broken.
For this reason, thrill-seekers have often turned to GoPro for action cameras that can capture footage while on-the-go. But one company is challenging the status quo by developing a case that it says can turn a standard smartphone into a rugged camera.
SEE ALSO: 10 Crazy Ways to Use a GoPro
G-Form, which creates protective cases for tech gadgets, has unveiled the G90 Action Sports Camera for the iPhone 5, the latest iPod touch and other devices…

On Feb. 3, big brands and their agencies will line up to compete for what they hope will be remembered as the best TV commercial for Super Bowl XLVII, spending tens of millions of dollars in the process. One major retailer, Target, will be sitting on the sidelines, having developed a more modest (and budget-friendly) mobile game instead.
Snack Bowl, which can be played on mobile web browsers as well as downloadable apps for iPhone and Android devices, is pretty basic. You’re awarded points for tossing a carousel of branded snacks, including DiGiorno pizza and Coke Zero, to your jersey-wearing guests, who are inexplicably running across your living room one by one…

Earlier today, Barack Obama was sworn in for his second term as the 44th president of the United States. Although the public inaugural is Monday, legally the President is installed by 12 noon on January 20; when that date lands on a Sunday, the swearing-in is done twice, with the second public event as a ceremonial repeat of the private but legal oath.

If you want to follow along with all the inauguration news, check out the official Inaugural 2013 iPhone app.

The app, produced by AT&T, will offer a live stream of all the ceremony’s events…

Last year, I participated in the game jam at 360iDev, and my idea for a game there was to make a touchscreen 2D puzzle platformer where you could swipe across the screen to create platforms to close gaps or create a navigation path. Given that I’m still a beginner game programmer, that game didn’t get too far past the prototype stage, but the talented folks at developer Feedtank have been thinking along those same lines, it seems, and created this very colorful and well-made game called Pangolin…

On Wednesday Facebook added the ability to make voice calls to its stand-alone Messenger app. The feature is only available for iPhone users, and only works if both the caller and the recipient have Facebook’s Messenger app installed on their phone.
While the feature is definitely good news for Facebook users who use the app, Facebook isn’t the first company to offer free voice calls over data networks using your iPhone.
Check out the video above for a closer look at how to make calls using Facebook Messenger, as well as a look at some of the competition…

I remember Bump from its early days on the App Store, when it was one of the first “contact sharing” apps with a unique gimmick: where you simply “bumped” your iPhone to someone else’s to share contact information. Since then, however, Bump has been steadily upgrading its app, adding lots of other sharing functionality.

And the app’s latest update adds even more: In addition to sharing any files stored on your iOS device (functionality that was added in the 3.5 update), the latest update (3…

The sequel to the explosively popular Temple Run is out Thursday morning for iPhone and iPad.
Temple Run took players on a jungle adventure as they attempted to escape from a horde of demonic monkeys with a stolen idol from a ancient temple. Players had to jump, dodge and duck under obstacles with swipes on the touch screen as they ran for their lives. The endless runner was downloaded more than 170 million times from Apple’s App Store and Google Play since its 2011 release; 2.5 million of those downloads were on Christmas Day of 2012 as people unwrapped new mobile devices to game on…

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

B&H Photo Video: [iPhone Accessories] Tascam iM2 Audio Recorder for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch for $30 + free shipping.

AT&T Wireless: [Grills & BBQs] iGrill Bluetooth Cooking Thermometer for iPhone / iPad for $60 + free shipping.

MacUpdate Promo: [Mac Software] OCRKit for Mac downloads for $25…

After having about all the cases I could take at CES, I stumbled upon the iLid booth with a weary eye. I vaguely remembered a Kickstarter campaign a while back, and the case — which is also a wallet — was for the 4- and 4S-sized iPhone. It seemed like a cute idea, but these things are often better in theory than in practice. However, at CES I got a sample of the iPhone 5 version and since then I’ve been trying it out. It’s great, especially if you like to keep a small wallet or have less stuff in your pockets…

Facebook’s Messenger app for iPhone has undergone a number of facelifts in the past year or so, but a new feature was added today that may completely change the way you use it: free calling over a data connection. The Verge reports that the new feature began rolling out to users today, and doesn’t require you to update the app itself.

The new calling option is a rather streamlined affair: Simply open up a conversation with one of your Facebook friends from the app’s menu, select the “i” icon in the corner and then hit the “Free Call” button…

Welcome to Wednesday evening everyone. This afternoon, what’s supposedly the first full image of the rumored HTC M7 leaked out, though it’s worth pointing out that what we’re seeing is only a render and not an actual device. Facebook today announced free calling over WiFi or mobile data connections for iPhone, instantly making one of the biggest VOIP providers around. We heard a bit about the Galaxy Note III today, with rumors saying that it will come equipped with a 6.3-inch screen and Samsung’s new Exynos 5 Octa CPU, while Apple and Amazon have been ordered to meet over their App Store case…

Kumobius previously appeared on the App Store with the retro platformer Bean’s Quest, but the company’s latest, Time Surfer, is a very different project. It’s a new take on the very popular Tiny Wings’ endless jumping gameplay, with one very significant twist: You can rewind time as you move along.

That one mechanic turns the very casual into the extremely complex, as you can theoretically play and replay your jumps over and over again until you time them just right. The time reversal in Time Surfer is governed by the collection of gems, which fill up a meter of limited power, so you can’t just rewind the game indefinitely…

As we reported earlier today, news broke on Sunday that Apple has apparently reduced its orders for key iPhone 5 components by half. The decision was supposedly made based on weak demand for the phone, but as we pointed out, the move could very well be part of Apple’s plan to move to a six-month release schedule for new iOS devices. Nevertheless, the report spooked investors, prompting them to sell off Apple stock and cause its price to briefly dip below $500 today, according to AllThingsD. The stock closed today at $501…

Instead of succumbing to iPhone fever every time Apple announces a new version of the device, freelance journalist Robert Falck is still using an iPhone 3G. That’s right; not the 3GS, 4, 4S or 5 — an iPhone 3G, which was first introduced to the world in July 2008. Falck got his in January 2009, and he’s still using it every day.

Falck loves the curved plastic back of the phone, commenting that “The aesthetics of the newer iPhone models might be nicer in comparison, but when it comes to actually holding and using the device it’s hard to beat the older, smoothly rounded design of the iPhone 3G and 3GS…

Apple is getting creamed today because the Wall Street Journal reported that the company recently cut orders for components. Shares are down more than $18 (3.65%) today to $502 from $520. They were $550 just days ago, and nearly $700 last fall. Speculation is that demand for the iPhone 5 has been weakening and that Apple is losing ground to Samsung. 
Is that the case? We’ll find out in just nine days – next Wednesday, Jan. 23, when Apple reports its results for the holiday quarter. 
Until then we’ll mostly be treated to the usual back and forth over Apple, with its many fanblogger “spinions” bending themselves into pretzels to argue that Apple is doing just fine, thank you, and whatever negative news you might be hearing is all just FUD invented by short-sellers or someone else with an axe to grind and why would you get your news from the Wall Street Journal when you could get it instead from a laughably biased pro-Apple blogger? Like this…

In the past, I’ve reviewed apps from Fotor, and also Photo Effect Studio. Now the companies have combined to produce Fotor – Photo Effects Studio, a powerful and free camera and image editor for the iPhone.

On the picture-taking end, the app includes features to provide a grid for composition, a timer and an image stabilizer. On the editing side, you get auto-enhance, brightness, contrast, saturation and a variety of color controls. There is also a tilt-shift filter, and a variety of frames to finish off your photo…

While it might seem logical that, since tablets are better suited to web tasks than smartphones, data consumption would be skewed towards slates. But new data from Arieso suggests the opposite. According to the firm’s lastest figures, smartphones including the iPhone 5 handily trumped tablets when it comes to data usage, suggesting that users’ data habits don’t scale along with the size of a device’s screen. The report followed the habits of 1 million mobile users over a 24-hour period in November 2012…

Wilson Electronics has been making cell phone signal boosters for a while now, both for home use and for larger scale settings like offices and commercial use. But the company is turning to something more personal with its new Sleek 4G cell phone booster, which is a phone stand that will make your iPhone’s signal (or a signal from any phone, really) up to 10 times more powerful.

The booster, which is shipping next week, basically consists of a phone stand that you can either place on your desk or stick on your car’s dashboard, and then a cord leading off of it that connects to an antenna with a magnetic base…

Minnie Mouse Headphones

iHome’s new line of licensed Disney accessories includes these sparkled Minnie Mouse headphones.Click here to view this gallery.

From rhinestone-studded Minnie Mouse headphones to bejeweled iPhone cases, here’s a look at what glistened on the show floor.
More About: CES, CES 2013, Headphones, Mobile

Roccat first showed us the Power-Grid system (that uses an iPhone app to control various functions on a PC and the company’s PC accessories) at CES in 2012 before officially announcing it last March. And now, a year later, the service is almost ready for launch. It’s not quite good to go, but Roccat kindly showed off the near-finished version to us at this week’s CES in Las Vegas, and man, is it ever impressive.

Before I start going on and on about how just versatile and useful Roccat’s app will be, I’ll get the one major catch out of the way first: This product isn’t for a Mac…

The Consumer Electronics Show is boring; it’s too big; and for the most part, few companies are able to get their products into the spotlight for long enough to actually impress many customers.
And yet, CES is a necessary evil. Like it or not, the show is what the industry needs to ensure that the average non-Apple company can actually get some attention in a world dominated by the iPhone maker.

In some ways, the technology industry has become a sad place. Apple’s success has tossed all other companies in its growing shadow, and those firms can only hope to come out when the iPhone maker isn’t looking…

I can’t stop thinking about the iPad Mini. I really, really want to, but I can’t. Every time I use my iPhone for something, I wish the screen was twice the size. I think the smartphone might be doomed. A one-hand tablet and a smart watch would be so much better.
Learning To Be Mobile
The smartphone, specifically the 3.5-inch touchscreen phone, was the form factor that changed everything. But now that we’re used to touch and voice interfaces and mobile software, we’re getting more demanding. We want easy access to the Web and our apps all the time, wherever we are…

You may have already pre-orded FreedomPop’s almost-too-good-to-be-true iPhone accessory back in May, but it seems the FCC is still in the process of approving the device. FreedomPop CEO Stephen Stokols told FierceWireless that the agency is taking issue with the sleeve’s design, noting that the snap-on case places the built-in WiMAX radio right next to the iPhone’s own cellular radio. Stokols added that the company has 5,000 of the new sleeves waiting at U.S. Customs, and will begin shipping them as soon as the FCC gives the go-ahead…

Sina Technology sat down with Tim Cook while he was in China and talked about Apple’s growing presence in the Asian country.

Not surprisingly, Cook fielded a question about China Mobile, the world’s largest wireless carrier and the only major Chinese carrier to not sell the iPhone. Cook confirmed he met with China Mobile in the last few days, but was not at liberty to discuss what was said between the two companies.

With over 700 million subscribers and a network that covers more than 97% of the Chinese population, China Mobile is the holy grail for handset manufacturers…

LAS VEGAS — It seems iPhone owners aren’t the only ones who forget to turn off light switches now and then.
WeMo announced the launch of a new product that now gives Android smartphone owners the ability to turn off their lights when they’re gone — or just too relaxed to get up from a chair, like their iOS-using counterparts.
The Wi-Fi Light Switch (which is different than WeMo’s product for iOS, called Switch) will let you Android-users control an entire bank of lights from the app. The WeMo Light Switch was demoed to Mashable at International CES 2013 in Las Vegas…

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

MacUpdate Promo: [Mac Software] Habits for Mac downloads for $5

TigerDirect: [Surge Protectors] Ultra Xfinity 3-Outlet USB Charger/Surge Protector for $13 + free shipping

Ondesoft: [Mac Software] Ondesoft ClipBuddy for Mac for free

Nordstrom: [iPhone Accessories] Areaware Alarm Dock for iPhone / iPod touch for $30 + free shipping

MacMall: [eSATA Hard Drives] Refurb LaCie 2TB Quad Interface External Hard Drive for $100 + free shipping

Adorama: [Camera Accessories] Sunpak PZ40X II Flash for Nikon for $50 + free shipping

eBay: [iPad Accessories] Rotating Leather Smart Cover Case and Stand for iPad for $10 + free shipping

Buy…

I’m an American, but I live in the United Kingdom and travel frequently to foreign countries in Europe. If there’s one piece of technology that has most benefited the international traveler in the last five years it’s been the iPhone. Having a personal computer in your pocket that lets you interact with all facets of your life from anywhere you are is a godsend. That’s not even to mention the thousands of apps aimed at international travels that make exploring cities, translating words and languages, and getting you from the train station or airport to your hotel in one piece as easy as tapping a button…

Pelican is mostly known for its line of rugged bags and large cases meant for photography equipment and other expensive belongings that you need to protect. However, the company has released a new line of smartphone cases here at CES 2013, and we ended up getting our hands specifically on the ProGear Vault cases for the iPhone 5 and the iPad mini.

The iPhone 5 variant offers protection from “wind-driven” rain, dust, and scratching. All the ports are protected with durable flaps that let the sound out (for the speakers), but don’t let dust in…

We’ve been hearing rumors of a cheaper iPhone for longer than we’d care to remember, and while everyone from the Wall Street Journal to Bloomberg is trumpeting the budget iPhone horn, Apple’s own Phil Schiller is doing his best to put an end to it. TNW reports that in an interview with China’s Shanghai Evening News, Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing adamantly denies that the company is considering an iPhone with a lower price point.

“Despite the popularity of cheap smartphones, this will never be the future of Apple’s products,” Schiller bluntly states…

Paying an arm and a leg for your mobile service plan? Maybe not for much longer.
On Tuesday at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, FreedomPop, which for $99 turns your old iPod Touch into a virtual VoIP iPhone with its built-in 4G LTE hotspot case, is announcing a deal with free text and calling service textPlus.
The partnership gives FreedomPop users free access to make calls, text, check email, watch streaming movies with 4G speed, and even tether other devices…

China is Apple‘s fastest growing iPhone and iPad market, with the company recently opening several retail stores in the nation. In December, Chinese consumers bought in excess of 2 million iPhone 5 handsets within three days of its launch there. Now the company’s CEO Tim Cook has taken his second trip to the nation, where he is presently in talks with both partners and government officials.

Earlier today, the Minister of Industry and Information Technology Miao Wei met with Cook. The two are reported to have talked about the smartphone industry in general, as well as trends in innovation, followed by a discussion on Cook’s part specifically about its developments in China, according to the Chinese agency’s website…

It has been busy recently in the App Store with a bunch of app updates landing on iOS and OS X. Grab a cup of joe and check out our list of notable updates from the past week or so!

Favs [iOS Universal, Category: Social Networking, $2.99] The app for your likes, stars, social bookmarks and favorites. Version 1.2 brings the following changes:

Ready for iPad! (Universal App)

Ready for iPhone 5

Phatpad [iPad, Category: Productivity, $4.99] More than another note-taking app, PhatPad turns your iPad into an advanced brainstorming tool…

Fighter jet

Click here to view this gallery.

Who wouldn’t want to use an iPhone with a giant dinosaur attached to the back that you built yourself?
More About: CES, CES 2013, iphone, iPhone 5, iphone cases, legos, Mobile

AT&T just had its biggest smartphone sales quarter in history. In an announcement today, Ma Bell said that it sold more than 10 million smartphones over the fourth quarter, including  record sales for both iPhone and Android sales. 
If you are an iPhone or an Android fan, there are definitely things to like about AT&T’s announcement. Yet, if you look closely, you will note that there is more for iPhone fans to enjoy than for Android.
Of the three major carriers in the United States that carry the iPhone (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint), AT&T has long had the highest rate of Apple users…

Lifeproof’s iPhone 5 case has been on the market for around a month now, so by now, a number of people are keeping their shiny new iDevice safe behind the company’s handy little barrier. Here at ShowStoppers 2013, however, the company is revealing a number of new accessories for its iPhone 5 case, with the offerings ranging from strange to practical. For instance, how do you feel about making your iPhone 5 a little more buoyant?

With the Life Jacket accessory, your iPhone 5 will actually float…

Just like the iPhone 5 before it, details on the iPhone 5S are already being leaked months ahead of its expected reveal later this year. The latest rumors concern the theory that Apple may be planning to release two iPhone models this year.
A report from Digitimes on Tuesday says that Apple will release a low-cost version of the iPhone for emerging markets, like China, where consumers are increasingly demanding cheaper devices. Digitimes’ sources said that low-cost device would be radically different from any iPhone before it:
Some sources claimed that they have seen the sample of the low-cost iPhone, which will come with a larger display, meeting the prevailing trend for the adoption of 5-inch displays for high-end models…

The Nectar mobile power system had its debut earlier this week at CES’ Unveiled pre-show, and if nothing else, it’s an impressive boast: The system claims to provide up to two weeks of power for your devices (including the iPhone) from a pack that fits very easily in a pocket. It’s a pretty wild idea — obviously, we haven’t gotten a chance yet to really run the device through its paces just yet, but if the Nectar can do what the company says it can, it could be a very handy addition to your travel kit…

If you’re into do-it-yourself toys — and really, who isn’t? — you’re probably very happy that the recent Kickstarter for ATOMS was a resounding success. The tiny building tools can turn practically anything into a working gadget or toy, complete with iOS compatibility via Bluetooth.

There are 13 different ATOMS modules that perform functions like sensing light, detecting motion, providing power to moving parts, and even exploding into multiple pieces. The blocks can interconnect with existing Lego structures, or be used in all-new creations…

Giga-retailer Walmart made waves this holiday season by offering the iPhone 5 for well below its suggested retail price. Now it’s going to start offering Apple’s top of the line smartphone unlocked and on prepaid Straight Talk plans beginning January 11.

The iPhone 5 will cost US$649 in a 16 GB configuration — or the same price of the phone from Apple, unlocked. Walmart will also sell an unlocked iPhone 4 8 GB for $449. Customers will be able to use either phone on a Straight Talk unlimited voice, text and data plan for $45 per month, with unlimited international calling added in a $60 per month plan…