Sci-fi fans rejoice! EA have confirmed that a new third-person shooter set in the Mass Effect universe is headed to iOS devices like iPhones and iPads.

Mass Effect Infiltrator is a companion app to Mass Effect 3 for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3, allowing those that play the game to increase their "galactic readiness" in the console and computer game, which will help those who play it to achieve the best possible ending in Mass Effect 3.

EA describe the app in a press release as follows:

Take the all-out galactic war in Mass Effect 3 on-the-go with Infiltrator, a fully-featured iOS third-person shooter showcasing stunning graphics and authentic weapons and powers from the Mass Effect series.

Inspired by the deep and immersive Mass Effect 3 universe, in Infiltrator players will help to free prisoners from a hostile Cerberus base and will receive rewards for collecting evidence of Cerberus' crimes along the way. Every completed rescue and intelligence discovery in Infiltrator will increase a player's Galactic Readiness rating directly through the Galaxy at War system in Mass Effect 3.

No news on how the cross-platform integration will be achieved yet, but we expect EA's Origin platform to play a part somewhere down the line. More news on this release soon.

Gerald takes a look at the new, free Steam Mobile app from Valve, which gives gamers on-the-go access to the popular PC gaming platform.

Running through the features of the Android version (though available on iOS devices like the iPhone and iPod Touch too), Gerald gives an overview of messaging on the app, navigating the store catalogue, checking out purchases and editing profiles and preferences.

Though available to download now from Apple's App Store and the Android Market, Steam Mobile's full features are currently only available to those who have been chosen to beta test the service.

"The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve.

"Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale - these are all features customers have requested. Mobile is changing the way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone."

To be in with a chance of trying the service early, download the app now, sign in with your Steam account, and wait for Valve to send you a beta invite.

Hit the video above to see what's going to be on offer.

Valve have announced that their Steam PC gaming platform will soon be accessible through an iOS iPhone and Android app.

Though available to download now from Apple's App Store and the Android Market, Steam Mobile's full features are currently only available to those who have been chosen to beta test the service.

According to the press release, the app will allow gamers to "chat with Steam friends, browse community groups and user profiles, view screenshots and user-generated content for their favorite games, read the latest gaming news, stay up to date on unbeatable Steam sales, and more".

So, no actual game playing, but more-or-less full access to all the other features on offer from the Steam platform.

"The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve.

"Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale - these are all features customers have requested. Mobile is changing the way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone."

To be in with a chance of trying the service early, download the app now, sign in with your Steam account, and wait for Valve to send you a beta invite.

It sounds like a great idea from the Steam team, who have a solid handle on giving their community exactly what they want. Things could get a bit dangerous come the annual Steam Sales and daily deals though; there's no excuse not to splash the cash on some PC gaming goodness now, even if you're out and about away from your computer.

Fancy a bit of Xbox Live gaming on your Android or Apple iOS device? That's the possiblity being speculated upon today after a loose-lipped Microsoft executive teased the expansion of the platform.

Speaking to Forbes, an Xbox spokesperson stated that:

"While the Xbox Live experiences and games always work best on the Windows platform, we understand that some Xbox fans may be using other types of devices. To satisfy that need, we are working to extend a few of our Xbox experiences and titles to other platforms."

When it comes to mobile, only devices packing Microsoft's own Windows Phone OS have access to playable Xbox Live games. While the iOS App Store offers the Xbox Live status, stats and message tracking app My Xbox Live, as well as the standalone Kinectimals app, it doesn't yet offer gaming that's integrated into the same experience you'd find on Microsoft's home console. The same goes for Android devices.

While expansion to other platforms would be great news for consumers, Microsoft will have to weigh any eventual decision up very carefully. On the one hand, moving onto iOS and Android would greatly expand the Redmond company's mobile gaming dominance. But on the other, it will detract from the Xbox Live integration that is a key differentiator on their struggling Windows Phone 7 platform.

Have you been outside today, British Tech Digest readers??? It's like walking down Hurricane Alley with a parachute trailing behind you!

To help you better battle the elements, we've put together this handy little list of apps that make braving the freak weather a little easier.

Main Image © David Killock - Flickr

Did you have a Happy Christmas? How about an Appy Christmas? If you picked the latter, you're not alone. According to new research by analytics company Flurry, 1.2 billion apps were downloaded to Apple and Android devices in a Christmas week app-buying frenzy.

The figures, collated between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, also revealed the week to be one among the highest of device activations too, with an estimated 20 million new devices across both platforms activated.

Looking at the app download figures country by country, the USA claimed the most app downloads with 509 million of the 1.2 billion. China nabbed 99 million apps, with 81 million downloads going to the UK in third place.

It may sound like a massive jump, considering the Apple App Store manages on average just around 1 billion downloads in a whole month, but it's a trend Flurry expect to see rising.

"Looking forward to 2012, Flurry expects breaking the one-billion-download-barrier per week will become more common-place. While iOS and Android growth continues to amaze, the market is still by all measures relatively nascent," said Flurry's Peter Farago in the post.

Click here for more on the world's holiday season download habits.

Top of many a child's Christmas list this year is sure to be a tablet computer or a smartphone device. While your little ones may be looking forward to getting to grips with a handful of gaming apps over the holidays after unwrapping their top tech present, that doesn't necessarily have to be the mind-numbing experience that many parents dread. Mindshapes, a new digital publisher of apps and browser based games (made up in part by the team behind social-gaming juggernaut Playfish) are looking to promote learning through a fusion of gaming and educational principles.

"One of the things that is really important to us is how do you make learning more accessible to a broader range of people? How do you make it more interesting?" Mindshapes CEO David Begg told Tech Digest.

"The delivered learning method isn't always the most effective for the broadest population. We're not trying to challenge the way that schools teach, we're not trying to provide tools for teaching in schools, but we're looking at the ways we can provide accessory products for learning outside of school."

Having secured $5 million of series A investment from its founders and angels, Mindshapes are now preparing to launch two new products, which they describe as "ground-breaking learning worlds."

The first of these is Language City, described as an "immersive, task based, language learning virtual world", which is preparing to launch in closed beta. The next, Magic Town, takes the slightly more familiar shape of an interactive story-book.

"Magic Town as a story-based learning platform has been built with a very deep consideration of the core aspects of learning and development for children in the 2-7 year old age group." said Begg.

"We're not trying to teach cognitive skills, we are trying to teach some of the fundamental underpinnings of learning, that children of that age require. Things like creativity, reasoning, moral understanding, emotional development and social development, involving children in that learning through stories. Our animation content is built on the back of that [...] and the whole of the interactive structure behind those books has been built with the intention of creating the right level of involvement, and driving greater involvement in the story, rather than creating that story as a game."

Though Begg clearly does not want Mindshapes' future as an app publisher be too strictly labelled at this early stage ("I don't want to pigeon-hole us into the space of educational apps," he stresses) a clear effort has been made to maximise the educational potential in each of their products.

"Education isn't an overlay for us, education is deeply embedded in what we are doing from the ground up, and every product we are building comes from a proper understanding of the learning context for that", continued Begg.

"We have an advisory board made up of specialists in education, including Professor Harris from Harvard school of education, one of the leading spokespeople on child development and child psychology, We have within our team people who've previously been teachers, as well as Schoolastic and other educational based bodies. We have deep partnerships with a number of schools that go through pre-school to age 11 and above, as well as specialists in the particular areas that we are working in."

Mindshapes also clearly realise the potential for added engagement that gaming elements bring, with so many youngster these days glued to their games consoles.

"One can gain enormously from playing in a fun, immersive environment that has learning elements to it. Schools are already using a lot of gaming based products, not necessarily in their standard classroom, but certainly in some of the teaching areas beyond the classroom."

That engagement has been greatly increased thanks to the advent of the touchscreen, and larger screen devices like the iPad, believes Begg:

"The touchscreen has had an enormous impact on this category, particularly in the younger children segment, and I think the advent of a lot of products that are evolving, particularly in the younger child segment, would not have been able to have been developed when we were browser based. The touchscreen, and the tablet in particular, is an enormously intuitive device for kids."

Even with the best of intentions, Mindshapes are entering an increasingly crowded area of the app market, with everything from branded children's apps leveraging the likenesses of popular characters to curriculum based apps all vying for the attention of parents and children alike. But Begg remains confident in the Mindshapes vision, and the great potential it holds for the company's young audience:

"We're not trying to be fundamentally revolutionary, but we've learnt a lot from the products that came out previous to ours and a lot of the theory relating to reading content. We're building products that have to stand on their own two feet across multiple platforms, and the responsibility is on us to market those products directly to our customers in the most effective way.

"Mindshapes are really looking to how to apply the interactivity and gameplay that come out of the typical gaming market, and how to incorporate that to make learning more immersive, more fun, more entertaining. We put together a team here that is extra ordinary when it comes to gameplay and interactivity. There is an extra ordinary tech team, and great artists behind that too, and in addition to that we've created a very strong team that have deep educational experience. It's that combination that make us really, really strong."

For more on Mindshapes, click here.

British Gas have begun trialing a new app service that will allow customers to remotely switch off appliances from a smartphone.

The service, designed to keep bills low by tighter control over appliances (as well as being an additional safety feature for those worried they may have left a cooker or boiler on whilst away) could be ready to be rolled out early in 2012.

A new Smart Meter, letting customers measure exactly how much energy they are consuming in real time, is also set to launch.

Jacqueline Epifanie, Head of British Gas Smart Homes, said: "We've all had that
sinking feeling when we think we've left the boiler on as we disappear on holiday. Our new
technology will mean people will be able to switch off their appliances when they are away
from home and thanks to new smart meters will also be able to control their energy use
when in the home as well."

According to British Gas's research, these tools cant come soon enough considering the penny-pinching times we live in. The average household wastes £150 a year by leaving a boiler on all year round, a loss of £1 billion nationally, with a further £740 million lost leaving tech gear on standby.

A further 30 million Brits suffer from "appliance anxiety"; a fear that they've left potentially dangerous items switched on and unattended before leaving the house.

The BBC's iPlayer video-on-demand service is making its long-awaited debut on iPhone and iPod Touch devices.

The app lands with a string of new features that haven't yet been seen on previous versions. Most important of the list of new features is 3G streaming across all mobile networks, allowing for true on-the-go catch-up TV, providing you've got a data plan that makes this viable.

Live TV and radio channel switching is now included, which offers a more traditional TV viewing experience in a mobile format.

As well as a number of general UI improvements, radio playback now also allows for background listening, letting you tune into the BBC's radio network while carrying out other tasks like browsing the web or checking email.

"This has been a great year for BBC iPlayer on mobile with over 1.5 million installs on the Apple iPad and 1.2 million installs on Android devices since launch in February 2011," said Daniel Danker, BBC's General Manager, Programmes and On Demand.

"People love using BBC iPlayer on mobiles and tablets, and with 16.5 million programmes watched in October 2011 usage has more than doubled over the last year. With the new app audiences will enjoy catch up and live TV in a simple, easy-to-use mobile experience.

"Today's announcement also means more licence fee payers can enjoy a better experience when using BBC iPlayer on the move, and reflects our ambition to take BBC iPlayer beyond the desktop. We have worked closely with mobile operators to ensure that their networks are ready for iPlayer, and introduced 3G streaming to offer licence fee payers a truly mobile experience."

As well as the new iPhone and iPod apps, the readily-available iPad app will also be getting an update to allow for 3G streaming too.

Android owners feeling left out in the cold by the Beeb only have to hold out a little longer for the update. While iPlayer for Android isn't quite ready for 3 streaming, the functionality will be added in a new-year update, alongside improvements to the general video quality when using the app through Google's mobile OS.

Though not yet live on the App Store at the time of writing, the iPhone and iPod versions of the BBC iPlayer should land before the end of the day. It will be available for free.

To mark the first anniversary of The Beatles back-catalogue being made available digitally for the first time through the iTunes store, Apple have teamed up with the Fab-Four's team to offer iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch users an exclusive free "Yellow Submarine" book, based on the 1968 Beatles movie of the same name.

A digital update of the 2004 "Yellow Submarine" book, it's packed with psychedelic interactive illustrations, video clips from the movie and song snippets, with a full "read aloud" voice over narration track from Dean Lennox Kelly.

Click here to grab the free book, or download it through Apple's iBooks application.

Since making their debut on the iTunes store, The Beatles have racked up ten million songs sales and over 1.8 million album downloads on the iTunes Store worldwide. Bet they wish they'd jumped onboard a bit sooner now!

Gaming's premier football management simulator makes its annual, welcome return to the iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone today. Budding Alex Fergussons can get their hands on Football Manager 2012 Handheld right now for some on-the-go footy fiddling.

Though it's jam-packed with extensive player details and reams of customisable tactics, the handheld edition of the veritable sim is aimed more at quick-fire sessions, letting you drop in and out of the action while on the daily commute or killing time on the terraces on match day.

As such, as well as standard league modes Football Manager 2012 Handheld also offers challenge modes, pitting your skills against a number of pre-set scenarios. For instance, you've got "The Saviour Cometh" scenario, which challenges you to save your favourite team floundering at the bottom of the table mid-season, and "The Invincibles" which requires you to remain unbeaten for an entire season in order to win.

That's not to say the game is without depth; 12 nations and their leagues can be browsed for players or teams to direct, with the in-game databse brought bang up to date to reflect the season's changes.

The UI has been tweaked here and there too to make navigating the many options as simple as possible when guiding your team to the top.

Grab the app today from iTunes for £6.99. It's compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPads, and requires iOS 3.0 or later to run.

Forget partridges; Apple are looking to stuff your pear tree full of digital delights as they line up a whole host of goodies for their iTunes 12 Days of Christmas annual giveaway.

Kicking off on Boxing Day (December 26th), you'll be able to load up your iPhone, iPod or iPad with "a fantastic selection of songs, music videos, apps and books" hand-picked by the Apple team, running up until January 6th.

To get in on the action, you'll need to download the dedicated app, with a notification popping up each day to let you know what's up for grabs.

Only European Apple users will have access to the deal, and if tradition stands, it's unlikely that US Apple users will see similar offers.

Do remember however that each download is only available for a single day, so be sure you don't go too mad during the festive festivities and end up sleeping through and missing a top giveaway.

Adele, one of 2011's most successful pop stars, recently underwent throat surgery to strengthen her overworked vocal chords. It's left the "Chasing Pavements" singer with a very sensitive, painful throat which, if overused, could threaten to ruin her singing voice.

So how's she been getting on with day to day life being unable to speak? Enter a smartphone to save the day!

It appears that Adele has been using a text-to-speech app, working on similar principles to that which wheelchair-bound theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking uses to speak, in order to rest her voice.

A source told the Sun: "She's been using the speaking app to buy coffee at Starbucks and to order cabs. It is far easier to communicate using it rather than writing everything down on paper and showing people."

Starbucks coffee and taxi cabs. Oh, the life of the rich and famous.

While the specific text-to-speech app Adele has been using hasn't been revealed, we'd hazard a guess at it being the iPhone's Speak it! Text to Speech app, priced at £1.49 on Apple's App Store.

Via: The Sun

Sky Go', the digital broadcaster's popular mobile service, has been updated to include on-demand movie streaming for Sky Movies subscribers.

iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone Sky Go users will be able to stream select movies over a Wi-Fi connection, with 3G streaming hitting the service before the turn of the year.

Though on-demand movie access was available on desktop and laptop versions of the Sky Go platform, this is the first time that mobile users will be able to break away from linear scheduling when on the go.

Movies lined-up for inclusion on the service include Little Fockers, Black Swan, Gulliver's Travels, Limitless and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1."Sky Movies on demand is a great addition to Sky Go and gives customers complete control over how, when and now where they enjoy the latest movies," said Ian Lewis, Director of Sky Movies.

"Whether customers want to kick back at home and watch the latest movies in widescreen 3D or HD, catch a movie on the laptop while on holiday or at the office, or watch a blockbuster out and about on their phone or tablet, we've got it covered.

"Alongside other recent additions to Sky Movies like Anytime+ and 3D, the launch of Sky Movies on Sky Go helps customers get even more value out of Sky."

It's not just Apple fans getting some lovin' from the Sky team today either. Though they've got a little wait ahead of them, Android fans will be pleased to hear that Sky have confirmed plans to bring the exaxt same Sky Go functionality to Google's OS "in the coming months."

Tech gifts don't have to be about screen sizes or processing capabilities these days. In fact, they don't have to be physical gifts at all. You can put a smile on a loved one's face just by setting them up with one of the many ace online digital services and subscription packages that are tied into apps, download and streaming sites too.

From music packages like Spotify to productivity programs like Dropbox, there's something here for everyone.

When you're done here, be sure to check out the rest of Tech Digest's 2011 Christmas wishlists too.

The Gmail iPhone app is back on Apple App Store for another roll of the dice, after initially launching in such a buggy state that it was swiftly removed.

Originally, the Gmail iPhone app caused notifications on the smartphone to stop working properly, before displaying an error message that read "no valid 'aps-environment' entitlement string found for application." Pulled from the store within the day it was first released, Google now believe they've righted the wrongs so many users called them out on.

"We've fixed the bug and notifications are now working, and the app is back in the App Store," reads the Google blog.

"We're just getting started with the Gmail app for iOS and will be iterating rapidly to bring you more features... Based on your comments we have already improved our handling of image HTML messages - they are now sized to fit to the screen and you can pinch to zoom in."

New features set for inclusion with further updates also include unique mobile signatures, multiple account support, further customization controls and better notifications.

Yesterday saw the release of the minecraft pocket edition for IOS devices. Android users have been busy building all sorts of blocky goodness for over a month now, so its the turn of IOS users to see if they can trump those creations.

The pocket edition of the hugely successful game comes with all the main features from the PC version with randomised worlds and the ability to play multiplayer over wireless networks, it is a great edition to anyones game collection on their mobile devices.

The port doesn't have a survival mode but there are plans to update the game with the mode, for now leaving you with creative mode to build in the peace and harmony of your virtual world.

No word if the multiplayer modes will be cross platform, uniting the two platforms for a change in peace negotiations on top a mountain where you have built a castle with the Eiffel Tower inside. Although the likelihood of a cross platform format is highly unlikely.

For any football fans out there you will know that Budweiser is the new sponsor for this year's FA Cup competition. As part of their co-operation with the tournament an app is being release for all fans called Budweiser Man of the Match.

This free app is the ultimate tool for any football fan planning to watch the FA Cup this season. The app includes a feature that allows the users to vote for their man of the match for any match in any round of the competition. For the first time in history the fans will have the decision to who will claim the award at the end of the match, along with a magnum of beer.

Other features include live up to the minute match facts, view upcoming fixtures in the competition and win tickets to upcoming matches.

Ian Newell, Western European Marketing Director for Budweiser comments: "We know how passionate football fans are about The FA Cup and we wanted to let their opinions be heard. By giving fans the change to choose the Man of the Match, Budweiser is bringing something new to the most iconic football competition in history."

The app will be available for download for free from the android market and app store for 11th November.

Today sees the launch of a free Sky Movies app on iTunes for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. This App will allow existing Sky customers to quickly access and find movies from their portable devices.

The App follows in the footsteps of Sky Go and Sky+ Apps linked to the customer's Sky TV package providing up to date information on all Sky Movies and Box Offices releases, including future releases via thumbnails or full page views. Another extra feature will be the inclusion of providing information on movies currently being aired in cinemas.

All films featured in the Sky Movies packages include a review and the options to remote record the movies to your Sky+ HD box to watch at your convenience or watch it on demand with full Sky Go integration. Offering Top Picks of the day, movie trailers and reviews of the latest films on the services, Sky is hoping to give customers more value for their subscriptions.

Ian Lewis, Director of Sky Movies spoke about giving more to customers:

"We are really pleased to be able to add the Sky Movies app to our already strong offering of iPad and iPhone apps. Combined with the Sky+ and Sky Go apps customers now have even more ways to discover and enjoy the films they want to watch, either at home or on the move. We continually strive to give our customers the best possible movie service and this is just one additional feature out of many we have planned for Sky movies over the coming months."

With such a large client base it is only logical that Sky begin to reach out to their customers on-the-go, not just in their front rooms. The strongest feature in this app for me would be the ability to now watch films on the move with Sky Go with the App switching over to allow you to watch it straight from your mobile device.

Sky have also confirmed that an Android version will be available early next year but with no confirmed release date.

Google's long awaited Gmail app for iOS devices has been released, and subsequently pulled from the Apple App Store, all within a single day.

Users who downloaded the app complained of bugs and broken features, causing the new iOS 5 notifications system to go haywire on iPads, iPods and iPhones.

Realising something was seriously wrong, Google have now pulled the app, promising to fix and restore the app as soon as possible.

"Unfortunately, it contained a bug which broke notifications and caused users to see an error message when first opening the app," reads Google's statement.

"We've removed the app while we correct the problem, and we're working to bring you a new version soon. Everyone who's already installed the app can continue to use it."

So, if you've got the Gmail app, you can still use it, complete with bugs. But those who didnt grab it will have to wait until the app reappears on the store, or use the native iOS email app which pretty much does all the same stuff anyway...