This year is set to be one of the most disruptive 12 months ever for the games industry. Straight from the most fiery E3 conference for some time, we're now just a few short months away from the next generation of gaming consoles.

But, rather than being all sewn up by Microsoft's Xbox One, Sony's PlayStation 4 or Nintendo's Wii U, it's Apple who've just made the real game-changing gaming announcement.

iOS 7 for iPhone and iPad is set to introduce an official controller API.

Apple will now allow gamepads into the MFi program, which green-lights the sort of officially certified accessories you see lining the shelves of brick-and-mortar Apple Stores.

Two controller forms will be accepted: a "standard" model that offers a D-Pad, shoulder buttons and four face buttons, and an "extended" controller that adds an extra pair of trigger buttons and a pair of thumb sticks. Each can be a standalone controller that connects over AirPlay, or can act as a frame to house the iOS device, popping the controls either side of the screen.

On the surface it doesn't sound like a major deal - we've already had iOS gamepads from the likes of iCade and Ion. However, without any standardised API blueprint to work against, games developers had to put the effort in to optimising their titles for each manufacturer's unique hardware control system. For many games devs, it just wasn't worth the extra hassle to add support for a controller that only a few thousand people (at best) may own, especially when the iPhone and iPad's touch controls worked out fine. But with the introduction of a standardised API, whatever Apple-certified gamepad you buy going forward from the release of iOS 7 will adhere to a unified design, a single system that any game dev can easily add support for.

Hardcore iGaming

For years now we've been told that the console business will die out as more and more "casual" gamers turn to the devices in their pockets for their gaming thrills instead. But this has left the "hardcore" gamer, those that prefer their adventures delivered with buttons and thumbsticks instead of swipes and taps, out in the cold.

With the introduction of a standardised controller, the iPad can now be considered a genuine portable hardcore gaming console, among its many other techy roles.

And the hardcore gaming experiences for iOS devices are now coming in thick and fast. The recently released Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic port went down a storm, while the likes of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and the Modern Combat series are as far removed from the likes of Angry Birds as is possible.

Again, console stalwarts will point to the fact that some of the "hardcore" titles I've highlighted here are ports of older console titles. But with the knowledge that a traditional controller is now available to work with, more console-like games will certainly make their way to Apple's devices, perhaps even day-and-date iPad editions of games that would once have been the reserve of Sony and Microsoft's consoles.

And, unlike the uncharted waters of the next generation of consoles, there's already an installed iOS userbase of well over 500 million. 500 million! Of course, iOS 7 adoption is needed to support the gamepads, and older iOS devices won't be able to run iOS 7. But if even just under half of that number update to the new version of Apple's mobile operating system, that would eclipse even the mighty PlayStation 2's 155 million owners. And in penny-pinching times, you're not asking gamers to invest hundreds of pounds on new hardware, just in an inexpensive add-on for their already-capable device.

In terms of software, games like SW:TOR are proving gamers are willing to pay a premium for hardcore games on iOS devices, pushing app margins higher for developers. It's a market struggling games developers can't ignore.

Taking on the big three

Of course, this isn't quite a fair fight when you look at the hardware; the Xbox One and PS4 will be able to deliver incredibly detailed worlds, verging on the photo-real, with experiences exclusive to their platforms.

But mobile graphics are catching up rapidly. Apple's full-fat iPads already offer high resolution graphics through their Retina displays, and according to some mobile GPU vendors, the gap between mobile graphics chips and home gaming ones are shrinking.

Gamers are already turning against the Xbox One for what many feel are draconian anti-piracy measures. By encouraging digital downloads and licensed "ownership", Microsoft are effectively chasing the model set by Apple's revolutionary App Store. The difference of course is that people have accepted the App Store model, even if they can't trade the items they purchase through it. In the App Store, Apple delivered a disruptive platform through disruptive devices - the iPad and iPhone. The Xbox One is looking to introduce disruptive ownership systems in a traditional console market, and the two just don't gel together well in consumer's minds. Apple's App Store has succeeded, and with the 50 billionth app download confirmed on Monday, the Cupertino company are reaping the rewards. As are developers, who've pocketed $10 billion in the process.

But what of Nintendo's Wii U, selling so poorly that games publishing powerhouse EA look to be ceasing development for it altogether, and that many developers feel is hamstrung by its relatively low specs? The API announcement is arguably the final nail in the Wii U's coffin - with an integrated high resolution touchscreen and the addition of physical controls, what's the iPad but a more powerful Wii U gamepad, minus a certain moustachioed plumber? If the console fails and Nintendo are forced begrudgingly to license their properties out to mobile platforms, Apple will be first in line to pick up the pieces, possibly signing up their own valuable exclusives, and Nintendo will finally have a D-Pad to guide Mario around with.

The big sell

The stickler of course will be pricing and marketing. A £50 iPad controller isn't going to sell. A line of £10-£15 controllers though from multiple manufacturers, with Apple's in-store marketing magic behind it? Bundled in with an iPad or iPhone (however unlikely that particular scenario seems)? Now you're cooking with fire.

And then of course there's the Apple TV - with this announcement you're just a step away from pairing a controller with that and calling it the iGame.

Though a quiet announcement, Apple are now taking gaming seriously. And gamers should be taking Apple seriously now too.

Love watching the Jeremy Kyle show on your tablet, but can't stand the ITV Player app's adverts butting in just before we find out exactly why the UK's very own skeletor, Mad Dog Deon, tattooed his face up? Then you'll be (possibly) pleased to hear that ITV are introducing a subscription offering for their iOS app that will cut the commercials.

The premium upgrade will cost £3.99 a month, letting you watch uninterrupted streams of all ITV and ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 shows, as well as offering simulcasts of ITV3 and ITV4 over 3G and Wi-Fi.

"As ITV Player on mobile devices continues to grow - over 7 million downloads on iOS to date - it is important we deliver innovative business models and adapt the product to the evolving market," Steven Power, Product Manager for ITV Player on Mobile.

"I'm genuinely excited that we're the first commercial broadcaster to offer viewers the choice to watch content with or without advertising."

The update should be live now for iPhone and iPad users. No word on an Android version yet though.

Boasting sales of 365 million mobile devices, Apple today revealed iOS 7, their latest mobile software build.

"The team at Apple has been working incredibly hard on the latest version of iOS, and today it's a great thrill to announce iOS 7" said CEO Tim Cook.

"iOS 7 is the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of iPhone. It's packed with amazing new features and a stunning new user interface."

Featuring all new typography and redesigned icons, it's got Jony Ive written all over it, who made it clear he would be removing many elements of skeuomorphism after taking over the head software role from Scot Forstall.

Translucent effects feature heavily, with a home screen that reacts in a 3D way to a tilting phone, letting you see "behind" each icon.

Improved multitasking looks set to feature, letting you jump between apps in a similar fashion to fullscreen apps on a Mac OS X machine, while a new lockscreen features an upwards - rather than sidewards - swiping gesture.

All core Apple apps get a new look, refined and "flat" compared to older versions. Even the wireless mobile signal bar gets updated, now represented by 5 dots rather than rising bars.

Folders can now spread over multiple pages, giving clean-freaks increased control over the layout of their apps.

iOS 7: The key new features

Control Center

Control Center is accessed from a swipe up from the bottom of the screen and gives quick access to controls including Wi-Fi, brightness and Airplane mode, as well as enabling AirPlay among others. It's much like many Android reskinning's settings bars, accessed from downward swipes on those devices, but here complete with Apple's refined design sensibilities, finished with a translucent look.

Multitasking

Multitasking across all apps will be introduced, with the OS monitoring you usage habits and making sure they're ready to go as soon as you fire your phone up. Twitter and Facebook feeds for instance, will be automatically updated when firing your phone up. Double clicking the Home button brings up a pane-style view of each app, not unlike webOS cards, unlocking multitasking capabilities.

SafarI improvements

Safari now features a "Smart" search field that brings up favourites when its tapped, as well as featuring iCloud Keychain integration for accessing passwords and logins automatically. That search filed is smart like Chrome's Omnitoolbar too, pulling in pages from bookmarks, history and previous searches too. Tabs are no longer limited to just 8 either, though Apple didn't give a specific figure.

AirDrop

AirDrop will allow users to share photos wirelessly by tapping on faces of pals in your snaps. Photos in will also be subject to new integrated filters if you so desire, while photo sets will be organised into "Moments" categorised by date and location. Here's hoping Apple's Maps tech is up to the task. iCloud Photo Streams can now also have multiple editors, letting you and your pals put together photo albums together.

Siri updates

Siri now comes with a whole new female voice, and the option of a male voice in the US. French and German languages are now supported by the voice-activated assistant, with Twitter, Wikipedia and Bing services integrated into what it's commands can control and search. Hands-free Siri integration will also be integrated into dashboard screens of 16 major automotive manufacturers.

New improved App Store

A new version of the App Store will be introduced that automatically updates apps as a new version becomes available, as well as showing you the most popular apps of fellow iOS users in your local vicinity.

iTunes Radio

Apple's long-awaited music streaming service, iTunes Radio, also made an appearance. Integrated directly into the music player app as a "music discovery service", it makes use of a list of featured stations that you can swipe though. Tapping the station name plays it, and stations seem to be based around individual artists as well as genres and curated offerings.

Tapping a star next to a track lets the service know to play more songs that are similar, add it to an iTunes download wishlist, or remove the song from ever playing on iTunes Radio ever again. The "Nickleback button" if you like.

Free with ads, it's completely free to iTunes Match subscribers, coming totally ad-free to those folks. No separate subscription plan then will give Apple a big boosts here, though there was no word of offline playlists either, suggesting the company are still trying to get people to splash the cash on tune downloads through iTunes. Rolling out in the US first, it'll be available through iPhone, iPod touch and iPad and also works in iTunes on the Mac and AppleTV.

Activation Lock

A new security feature, Activation Lock will prevent theives from re-activating a device is it's been wiped remotely with the Find My Phone feature. A user will need to sign in again with their Apple ID in order for the phone to be useable again. Thieves will be stealing a brick, in other words, making for a great deterrent.

iOS 7 Availability

Developers will be able to get their hands on a beta version of iOS 7 from today, with an iPad beta rolling out in the coming weeks. The final version available to all iPod touch, iPhone and iPad users will be available "from the fall". That's the Autumn for UK readers, making a September/October launch date likely in time for a new iPhone release. However, only more recent devices will be supported, as follows: iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad mini and the 5th gen iPod touch.

"This major effort is only possible because of the incredible collaboration between Jony and his amazing design team and Craig and his amazing engineering team," said an obviously pleased Cook, with iOS 7 enjoying the most applause from the collected developers at the event.

"Our goal at Apple is to make amazing products that our customers love. Really great products that enrich peoples' lives. The words you saw at the beginning of the show are more than just words to us. They are the values we live by. They drive us. You've seen them reflected in our products over the years. You'll continue to see them reflected in the products we make in the future."

So what do you think of the new iOS 7 update? Has Jony Ive nailed it? We're looking forward to getting our hands on the new mobile OS, and will bring you our full verdict once we've got our hands on it!

Everywhere you go, always take the new BBC Weather app with you. Available for free to Android and iPhone users, it puts the Beeb's reliable forecast information in a simple to browser interface on your smartphone.

Offering at-a-glance information on the weather in your locality through GPS positioning, along with pollen counts and wind speed, a quick tap expands forecasts to hourly run downs of the temperature, rain chance and more.

There's also five day forecast information and global reports, all taken from the Met Office, while the Android version gets a nifty widget too to place on your homescreens.

"We're making BBC Weather truly mobile with the launch of our new app," said James Metcalfe, Senior Product Manager for Weather, BBC Future Media.

"As so many of our audiences access BBC Weather from iOS and Android devices, we can now offer them an even better way to keep ahead of the weather on-the-go. This represents a significant milestone in our commitment to provide a world-class weather service to audiences across four screens - desktop, mobile, tablet and connected TV."

The free iPhone app can be grabbed by clicking here. Pick up the Android version here.

Summer's nearly (hopefully!) upon us here in the UK, and that means an increased likelihood of at least one thing - drunken nights out enjoying the warm season's breeze. That, inevitably, also leads to unfortunate night bus journeys home, which is never a fun experience when you're half-cut and tired. You may want to turn to a taxi instead, but with the rise of unlicensed taxis causing concerns, and everyone's bank balances feeling a little more strained these days, it's not always an easy option to take.

Looking to make it a little easier is the Kabbee app for iPhone and Android. Offering a simple and efficient system for booking the best priced cabs, it may save you in a pinch if you're struggling for an affordable way to get home.

Kabbee uses your GPS connection and integrated Google Maps to pinpoint your location (which you can fine tune by putting in a postcode), letting your draw a line on the map to decide your desired taxi route.

The app then contacts the controllers of numerous local taxi fleets (all licensed) and lists them based on the price of their quotes for the chosen route, how quickly they can pick you up, and those that are best rated. You then simply pick one, confirm the booking and await the taxi. In a neat touch, the app sends you a text when the cab is ready to pick you up nearby, and as it's all tied to your mobile, the driver can give you a call to let you know where he is if parking locally has been an issue.

Kabbee gave me £30 worth of credit to try the Android app with. After a tiring Saturday at London Zoo with my toddler nephews, and after having dropped them off back at my brother's home, I was absolutely knackered. Firing up the app at my brother's London home in Bow, I booked a cab to take me back home to South London Streatham.It was a really slick and easy experience. What really surprised me was just how flexible getting a list of quotes all at once lets your journey be. As well as being able to organise the precise time I wanted to be picked up at, it was great to see all the prices compared. I was shocked to see my brother's favoured local service charge £15 more than the cheapest service on the list, though it was also admittedly 20 minutes faster.

Picking a fleet that could pick me up within half an hour, I was happily surprised when they arrived bang on time. If Kabbee is particularly good a one thing, it's making taxi firms accountable to the quotes and times they give, giving you a record of all the details they promised. It gives them an added incentive to be punctual and to be honest with fares.

Of course your experience will differ depending on the fleet you book with, who remain independent from Kabbee. I had a great driver with the taxi fleet I booked with, though he became a bit vexed when we got to our destination as he believed I hand't paid, not handing over any cash. I showed him the booking reference in the app, and he called his fleet and all was quickly resolved, but expect similar experiences until such booking apps become the norm and more widely used.

If you want to check out the Kabbee app, you can grab it for free on Android by clicking here. iPhone users can grab their version here.

Creating an account with Kabbee is free. A credit card tied to the account will be needed if you wish to book and pay for taxis in advance, though the app also gives the option to book a cab and pay with cash on arrival.

Heading out to the swamps of the Glastonbury 2013 festival? It's a big site with lots going on, so sponsors EE have handily put together an official app to help guide your stay at the world's best music festival.

The app includes an annotated site map, up-to-date news straight from the event, a schedule organiser so you don't miss your favourite bands, artist biographies and access to the seven live streams that BBC's iPlayer platform will be running from the main stages, among other features.

Kicking off on Wednesday June 26th, this year's headliners include the Arctic Monkeys, The Rolling Stones and Mumford and Sons, alongside hundreds of other performers and artists.

"We put a lot into making this festival as good as it can possibly be," said Emily Eavis, organiser of this year's Glastonbury Festival.

"I hope the app helps people navigate the site and introduces them to acts they've never seen before."

Click here to grab the free app for iPhone. For the free Android version, click here.

Apple have pulled an app from their App Store for iPhone and iPad that claimed it could "cure homosexuality" after thousands of users protested against it.

The Setting Captives Free app, which promised to free users from the "bondage of homsexuality", caused enough upset to lead 55,000 people to sign a petition against it, set up by the All Out pressure group, branding the app harmful.

The All Out group stated that the app's 60-day course could cause "terrible harm to lesbian, gay, bi, and trans people, or anyone forced to try to change who they are or who they love."

The app's creators on the other hand believed the app could add used looking to find "freedom from habitual sins", helping "help people just like you escape impurity, over-eating, substance abuse, gambling, smoking, and more."

Following the outrage, Apple have now pulled the app from the App Store for violating the company's developer guidelines, which do not allow "the promotion of hatred toward groups of people based on their race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, or sexual orientation/gender identity".

What was not addressed, however, was how the app got onto the App Store in the first place, given Apple's strict App Store approval process.

The app also remains on sale through Google's Google Play store for Android, despite criticism from app reviewers on the platform.

It's not the first time Google's app store has courted controversy, after it came to light that Google were claiming a cut of the profits from sales of a "Racist Jokes" app.

Our self publishing season continues today with a quick look at Dark Fate: The Treasure Island Chronicles, by Oxfordshire-based startup Whooc Publishing Ltd. under their Freed Fiction Imprint. So far we've looked at how to solo DIY publish Kindle eBooks, but what of stand-alone apps, and alternative ways to fund your project?

Dark Fate: The Treasure Island Chronicles explores both, being a novel in app form for iPad and iPhone, seeking funding through the Kickstarter crowd-funding community.

Fronted by Bea Longworth and Bill Cole, the pair founded Whooc Publishing themselves back in October 2012. Dark Fate: The Treasure Island Chronicles is set to be their young-adult orientated Freed Fiction imprint's first title. And it's an ambitious one.

Described as "first person fiction", it borrows heavily from the Choose Your Own Adventure books of old, but brought bang up to date as an iPad app. A prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, Dark Fate will let readers pick their own path through the tale, with the choices they make not only shaping the story, but defining the character the reader eventually becomes - Treasure Island stars Long John Silver, Blind Pew or Billy Bones, using an interface and coding Bea describes as similar in principle to that of console game Mass Effect.With touch controls and glitzy animations, it's far removed from the pen and pencil book-based role players of generations passed, making great use of the technology at hand. However, it's a more complex undertaking than a standard eBook, requiring a team of people to complete. Dark Fate will also have to face Apple's somewhat-draconian App Store approval process - a submission system far more involved than, say, the KDP approach.

"It's been really interesting coming from tech to the book publishing industry as a relative outsider," says Bea.

"Many publishers seem to view anything 'digital' as borderline witchcraft, but also know they need to find a way to use technology effectively if they're going to grow their audience. At the same time, interactive fiction and other genre-busting book/game crossovers are having a resurgence - The Numinous Place by Brandwidth was recently successful on Kickstarter, The Story Mechanics just released their first 'digital feature' The 39 Steps on Steam and Random House is experimenting with Black Crown, a 'narrative experience' designed to launch a new author. "

Kickstarter is full of potential for authors looking to fund their writing, but it's no walk in the park. Project backers can be demanding, requiring constant updates on the project that may distract from an authors work. Stretch goals for novelists can be great fun though: if a backer pops an extra £1,000 into the project, for instance, they could be immortalised as a main character in the tale.

However, with Kickstarter's profile rising rapidly, it's becoming an increasingly competitive area, with hundreds of projects all vying for backer's cash. Fail to hit your funding goal, and any money pledged by backers returns to them, potentially derailing your project.

"Kickstarter is becoming quite mainstream, which means a wider audience of potential
backers but also that Kickstarter fatigue is setting in," explains Bea.

"We don't have any celebrity supporters or cult following, so we decided to try and stand out by creating a video which would be entertaining as well as informative. We've mixed up our favourite movies, games and young adult novels - it's kind of like an episode of Spaced crossed with an infomercial!"

For more on Dark Fate: Treasure Island Chronicles, click here. The project is seeking £25,000 of funding, and has 23 days to achieve that goal.

Tech Digest eBook Self Publishing Season - Guides, Interviews and More on How To Get Your Work Read

Star Command, the long-awaited space ship strategy sim, will hit Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch on May 2.

Sitting somewhere between an 8-bit Star Trek and Theme Hospital, the game lets you build your own starship, enlist its crew and then takes them across the universe, meeting hostile alien races and engaging in space battles, repelling any foes that beam their way onto your ship.

Full Retina display resolutions will be supported, as will be fullscreen iPhone 5 support.

It's release this week comes a lengthy 15 months after its originally-slated date, penned in initially following developer War Balloon Game's successful Kickstarter pitch.

Android, PC and Mac versions are also in the pipeline, prioritised in that order depending on the success of the iOS release. Android versions are expected a month after the iOS release.

Google's superb Google Now digital personal assistant service is now available for the iPhone and iPad.

Landing as an update to the iOS Google Search app, Google Now has until this point been an exclusive feature of Android versions 4.1 and above.

Tapping into your Google accounts (Gmail, Calendar etc), your search history and current location, Google Now presents you with cards offering all manner of information, from the weather, local transport updates, sports results, meeting reminders (with directions) and local amenities. You can tweak the app to show you content more relevant to your needs, dismissing information that's not required.

One of the best things about Android, you may be surprised that Google has opened it up to Apple users. But ultimately Google wants as many people as possible using its services and viewing its ads, so it's ultimately an inevitable release. Anyway, Android users still get the superior version of Google Now, where it runs constantly in the background, pushing notifications and a readily available stream of relevant information at users from a single long-press of the home button.

Recently uncovered code has also suggested that Google Now will soon launch as the default view of the desktop Google homepage for users signed in to the search engine's services.

Grab the updated iOS app by clicking here. Those with the Google Search app already installed on their iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices will get Google Now through an app update.

UPDATE:
Super Monster Bros By Adventure Time Pocket Free now seems to have been removed from the App Store. But a quick search sees that a near-identical title called 'Adventure Games Super Monster Bros Plus' is still on sale. AVOID IT!

If you see your little one browsing the Apple App Store and venture anywhere near the Super Monster Bros By Adventure Time Pocket Free game, wrestle that thing from their hands IMMEDIATELY. It's quite possibly the most cynical cash-grabbing rip off app we've ever seen.

As highlighted by the folks over at IGN, the app (which can barely really even be called a game) illegally uses Nintendo's Pokemon characters and Mario sound effects, in a platformer where there's no penalty for walking across gaping chasms.

But that's not even the worst part. Upon firing up the app, you are instantly offered the option to purchase a £70 character which (we haven't been foolish enough to lay down the cash and test this theory) looks only to offer another rip-off Pokemon reskin for the main character.

Extra lives cost money, as do even the fireball projectile attacks that can be burnt through in a matter of seconds.

Which begs the question: how did this ever get through Apple's "stringent" App Store approval process? When apps like AppGratis (which aims to help App Store browsers get the best deals) get ejected from the App Store, how can the Cupertino company allow such shame-faced cash-grabs to make it onto the store? It plays so liberally with intellectual properties as to be a joke for starters, before you even look at the in app purchases, especially considering the scrutiny in-app purchases are currently under.

Apple need to pull this now, and give a slap on the wrist to whatever employee green lit its distribution.

Nike's FuelBand may be inspiring those who would otherwise be couch potatoes to get up and break a sweat, but what good's that if you can't show off your rock hard calf muscles?

A new update to the Nike+ FuelBand app will let you do just that, letting you add photos of your workouts through the app to share with Facebook friends, with location tags and exercise achievements all attached.

The app will also allow you to customise your networking photo with your current NikeFuel Score (and the Nike+ logo - kind of like those kids that used to have the "Swoosh" shaved into their heads) too. Not a bad idea - anything that can obscure my pained post-run face photo.

Finally, the app also introduces new customisable social leaderboards, using the NikeFuel score as a currency with which to challenge your pals latest fitness achievements.

With no FuelBand support planned for Android devices yet, this remains an iOS-only update.

This week sees the return of the candy-loving Om Nom in the new Cut the Rope: Time Travel puzzle game for mobile devices.

The sequel to 2010's Cut the Rope and 2011's Cut the Rope: Experiments, the latest in the award winning series sees Om Nom travelling through time on the hunt not only for another bunch of Campino's to munch down on, but also for his ancestors from across the ages.

Taking in levels loosely based on time periods including the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and the Stone Age, this sequel still sees you slashing away at ropes hanging the sweet goodies around Om Nom, tasking you with making sure they drop into his watering mouth. A keen grasp of the laws of gravity and timing is required to succeed, and you'll also need to get to grips with a host of new contraptions and obstacles to make sure Om Nom gets his grub, from the usual to bubbles and blades to bombs and bouncing platforms. This time out you'll also need to feed Om Nom's ancestors too, meaning you'll have to figure out how to make sure each of the green little monsters gets their share of the sweet-toothed dinner.

Alongside the standard levels, developers ZeptoLab have also expanded the "Om Nom Stories" mini animated series to go along with the game, with episodes popping up between each major group of stages.It's part of the company's push to make Om Nom a household name, with ZeptoLab also working on a full series with Sony.

Despite it's kiddie visuals, there's still a stiff challenge involved too, with some devilish puzzles littered across the game, especially if you're aiming to collect all the additional challenge stars dotted around each stage.

Cut the Rope: Time Travel is available for all major mobile platforms, priced at£0.69 for iPhone from Apple's App Store, and £1.99 for iPad. The app is also available for £0.62 from the Google Play store for Android-supported devices, £1.85 for NOOK and £0.65 on Amazon.

Freemium and free-to-play mobile and web apps are to be investigated by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) over concerns that players are unwittingly running up substantial costs with them.

Looking specifically at the marketing approach to children that these games employ, the OFT will examine whether or not gamers, particularly children, are unfairly pressured into making purchases in games that are otherwise advertised as being free. To use the OFTs own words, the body's investigation will look into whether these games include "direct exhortations" to children.

Free-to-play games on the web and mobile usually allow players to enjoy significant portions of the game for free, and some can even be played from start to finish without spending a penny. In-app purchases are usually used to sell items that speed up in-game achievements, grant in-game characters power boosts or unlock portions and levels of the game that are otherwise inaccessible.

"We are concerned that children and their parents could be subject to unfair pressure to purchase when they are playing games they thought were free, but which can actually run up substantial costs," Cavendish Elithorn, OFT senior director for goods and consumer, told The Independent.

"The OFT is not seeking to ban in-game purchases, but the games industry must ensure it is complying with the relevant regulations so that children are protected. We are speaking to the industry and will take enforcement action if necessary."

Facebook are today set to activate voice calling and voice messaging on their Facebook Messenger app for iPhone.

Already available in a testing phase in the US and Canada, it now seems that Zuckerberg's empire are ready to roll the features out to other territories. Technically still in testing, there may still be bugs with the app, with Facebook using this new roll-out opportunity to hunt down any remaining issues.

With the new features, Facebook Messenger can effectively be used as a replacement for standard 3G calling, providing the user is in range of a Wi-Fi network and their pals also use the app, much like Skype. Even if the recipient doesn't have the app, leaving a voice message should allow them to pick it up later through the standard Facebook messaging system.

Available for free from iTunes, we'll keep you posted if the features eventually roll out to the Android and BlackBerry versions of the app too.

Not content with snapping up over 8.4 million players through its web and Facebook games, We R Interactive's casual football sim I AM PLAYR is now available as an iPhone and iPad app too.

A free-to-play title that mixes action mini-games with role-playing elements and professionally shot, star-studded broadcast-quality video footage, I AM PLAYR already offers gamers the chance to fill the boots of an up-and-coming young football star as he signs his first professional contract with River Park FC, with the aim to make him as valuable to the club as possible.The new I AM PLAYR Mobile app acts as a supplementary experience to the desktop game. It focusses on mini-games, letting you flick and swipe your way around a number of training pitches, with drills including target practice and passing practice. While the free-to-play nature of the app means that each mini-game is time-locked (in-app purchases allow you to play whichever drill you prefer, as you please), the game is designed in such a way that there is always at least one available training game to play through.

Though the game can be played as a standalone diversion, I AM PLAYR Mobile is at its best when tied to an account with the desktop version of the game. Those who play I AM PLAYR through Facebook or various other browser-based portals will be able to use the mobile app to boost their I AM PLAYR Match Fitness on the go. I AM PLAYR desktop players already play the social game for an average of 44 minutes per day, with the new app designed to keep them in the I AM PLAYR universe for longer still.I AM PLAYR will face stiff competition on the iPhone and iPad from New Star Soccer, a game we heralded as one of the most addictive gaming apps of all time. But while New Star Soccer sports charming retro graphics, I AM PLAYR trumps it when it comes to presentation. While the iPad/iPhone version of I AM PLAYR has full 3D graphics, it comes into its own on its companion web version, where video footage is seamlessly integrated into the gameplay. Footballing stars like Steven Gerrard, Theo Walcott and Aaron Lennon, alongside a whole cast of actors, allow I AM PLAYR to deliver a rich, interactive storytelling experience. Over 250 video clips feature in the game. During these video cut scenes (including behind-the-scenes dressing room moments and nights out at glitzy showbiz parties) players will often be faced with multiple choice dilemmas that, depending on the path they take, will have a bearing on the success of their in-game careers.Though in-game purchases can be bought with real money to help speed up skill unlocks and career progression, patient players can make it through the game without paying a penny if they chose to do so. While in-game microtransactions certainly help boost We R Interactive's revenue streams, it's not the sole monetising element in the game. As in real life, there are plenty of real-world brands looking to court the football players of I AM PLAYR, and gamers will regularly be offered sponsorship opportunities for their player. The likes of Nike, Gillette, Alfa Romeo and Red Bull all feature. It's a subtle way of putting advertising into the game, but in the context of the footballing world (where so many stars have numerous sponsorship contracts) it feels natural and welcome.More than 15,000 new players join up to play I AM PLAYR every day, and if the iPhone and iPad versions pick up steam those numbers may spike quickly. The social/casual gaming markets and mobile gaming markets are incredibly competitive, particular the free-to-play space. But We R Interactive's obvious love of the beautiful game and I AM PLAYR's top-notch presentation looks to elevate the game beyond the usual freemium grind.

For more on I AM PLAYR, visit www.iamplayr.com. To grab the new I AM PLAYR Mobile app, click here.

Adobe's mobile Photoshop Touch app for iPad has been updated today, bringing with it new versions optimised for iPhone and Android handsets, as well as iPod Touch.

Putting many of the desktop application's picture editing controls in the palm of your hand, images up to 12MP in size can now be manipulated with full layer editing, alongside filters, tone and deep colour adjustment options.

The apps also come with 2GB of free Adobe Creative Cloud storage to sync images, letting you begin an edit on your smartphone and continue it seamlessly on a desktop or tablet device.

"Mobile phones are increasingly becoming the primary tool for people to take and edit photos," said Winston Hendrickson, Adobe's vice-president products, creative and media solutions.

"Adobe is dedicated to serving our customers' evolving creative workflow and we heard, loud and clear, that Photoshop fans wanted some core Adobe imaging magic on their smartphones."

The app is available now, priced at £2.99 on Apple's App Store or Google's Play store for Android devices.

Some mobile phone games blow you away with nifty graphics. Some mobile phone games keep you gripped with a riveting story. Some mobile phone games keep you hooked by pitting you against your friends.

Here are the top 10 most addictive mobile phone games, all available on both Android and iPhone. Play them at your own risk.

This year Comic Relief are bringing its Red Nose Day 2013 advertising to life with augmented reality (AR) technology.

Having enlisted the help of AR app Zappar, people will be able to discover bonus features and videos of Comic Relief's The Fun Raisers, a team of celebrities whose mission is clear: to help the nation do something funny for money.

If you own a smartphone or tablet, simply download the free app and zap the official Red Nose Day advertising and you'll be taken to a Red Nose Day menu where you can access a number of features. Want to see video footage of singer Jessie J, comedians Lenny Henry and Keith Lemon, Mary Berry, Jason Donovan, Helen Skelton and Miss Piggy from The Muppets? Just zap that! But that's not all. You can also take a photo or create a video with any of The Fun Raisers or pose with a Red Nose and share it with friends and family, and play a game where you can flick the Red Nose at Lenny Henry.

But it is really all about fundraising, and you will also find ideas of how to do so and help raise even more money on the app. Money raised will go to help change the lives of poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged people across the UK and Africa. This year, 2013, marks the 25th anniversary of Red Nose Day which has raised over £600m to date.

Available now on iPhone, iPod and iPad and Android.

This article was originally published on Hippyshopper.

See that hilarious video of your cat with its head stuck in a treat box that you posted online yesterday using the YouTube Capture iOS app? Remember how you could only push it to YouTube in lowly 720p resolution? If only you'd waited a day! We all could have pointed and laughed at Mr Snuffles in 1080p HD resolution, as the YouTube Capture app has today been updated to support 1920 x 1080 resolution uploads.

The app update also adds the ability to post clips straight to Facebook, Twitter and Google+ simultaneously, another feature sorely missing from earlier versions.

YouTube capture allows a user to quickly record video clips and publish them to YouTube in-app, with tools to touch up clips, add video stabilisation for shaky shots, trim videos and add music tracks. The closest app we've got to an "Instagram for video", the YouTube Capture update is compatible with the latest HD camera-packing iPod touch models, as well as iPhones. There's still no Android version however.

YouTube Capture's update comes in the wake of Twitter's move into the video sharing realm, following yesterday's launch of their Vine app.

Click here to grab the YouTube Capture app. It's free.