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."

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.

Amazon have updated the Amazon Cloud Player app, bringing new iPad and iPad Mini optimised features to the version for Apple tablets.

Better accomodating the extra space afforded to Apple's tablet devices, the app allows users to access music stored on Amazon's cloud service, including both tracks uploaded from a personal library and those bought through Amazon's stores.

Tracks can be both streamed or downloaded to local storage, giving unlimited free cloud storage space to tracks purchased directly from Amazon's own AmazonMP3 store. However, if you're looking to upload your personally ripped CDs or downloads bought from another service you'll be limited to just 250 uploads and less you cough up for the £21.99 a year, 250,000 track premium version.

"Our goal is to make Cloud Player the most widely compatible cloud playback solution available, giving our customers the ability to buy their music once and enjoy it everywhere," said Steve Boom, VP of digital music for Amazon.

Steve Bernstein, director, EU Digital for Amazon, added: "With Amazon Cloud Player for iPad, we're excited to bring our UK customers another great way to access their music when and where they want it."

Amazon Cloud Player went live in the UK back in September 2012 following a successful US launch. Despite rivalling Apple's own iTunes Match and iCloud services, it made its way in app form to the App Store for iPods and iPhones last summer. Thankfully, the frustrating wait for an iPad version is now over.

Click here to grab the app.

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.

The iPad's 500px photo sharing app has been pulled from Apple's App Store, as the Cupertino company believes it goes against some of their stringent App Store Guidelines.

The app has apparently been penalised for allowing users to easily search for nude pictures, with its creators only realising it had been pulled when they tried (and failed) to get an update to the 500px iOS app grennlit.

This is despite the fact that 500px defaults to a "safe search" mode - users have to opt in via the 500px website in order to get access to the potentially-adult images.

Though Apple are notoriously prudish, Apple's reasoning (as offered in a statement to TechCrunch) hints at something potentially darker:

The app was removed from the App Store for featuring pornographic images and material, a clear violation of our guidelines. We also received customer complaints about possible child pornography. We've asked the developer to put safeguards in place to prevent pornographic images and material in their app.

Certainly, there's no space ANYWHERE for child pornography, and if 500px is found to have been facilitating the distribution of such images, then Apple totally should pull the app until changes are made. However, if its purely based on images of nudes, something that's been accepted within classical art for centuries and within photography for many decades, it'd be a shame to lose one of the iPad's best photo apps because some Apple exec can't handle a pair of boobies.

The digital comic book scene is booming. Big names like Marvel and Dark Horse now push many of their titles out to digital platforms on the same day that paper versions hit comic book store shelves, and the advent of the tablet has paired the format with the perfect hardware companion.

But, aside from some panel-focus transitions and uninspiring dalliances with augmented reality, few are really trying to push the medium forward given the fresh possibilities that the digital form offers.

Enter Wynter Dark, a graphic novel project by Resolution Independent's (and former Dark Horse writer) Pete Ford and editor Natalia Pizzey, currently seeking funding through Pozible, the Australian equivalent of Kickstarter.

A post-apocalyptic vision of a near-future New York consumed by a second Ice Age, it's looking like a nifty story with some stellar artwork. What's most interesting about the pitch though is how Ford and his team are approaching the "appification" of their graphic novel.

Heading to the iPad, Wynter Dark looks set to have standard digital comic features, such as full Retina Display support and a panel-to-panel view. But Ford's looking on taking it one step further, introducing gestures that strip the page first of speech bubbles for a closer look at the artwork, then the colours to strip back to ink work, then the ink to see the original pencil sketches and then a further step back to the initial script stage.

Multiple languages will be supported, as will interactive world maps and character selections, while the ultimate plan is to allow for fan-fiction content to be added to the app, building the Wynter Dark universe beyond the original writers ideas and setting the imaginations of fans loose on the fictional world.

It's an exciting concept, and one that (in a world where the two highest grossing films of 2012 were The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises) could capture the imaginations of a public increasingly comfortable with the comic book existing beyond the realms of geekdom.

Wynter Dark has so far attracted $5,435 Australian dollars of a A$35,000 target with 15 days left to complete funding. If you want to show your support, click here.

On-the-go Christmas fun lands on the iPhone, iPod and iPad today in the shape of The Snowman and the Snowdog app.

A free app companion to the animated sequel to the classic Christmas flick, you'll be flying through the air over a snow-kissed English countryside, onto London landmarks and then up to the North pole before heading home again in time for tea.

Part on-rails shooter, part hidden object game, you'll tap away at snowflakes to keep your snowman floating through the sky, swiping up to speed forward and down to apply the brakes.

A gentle and relaxing game, its offering an accessible game for kids but one with enough challenge to make even nostalgic adults want to have a second or third go in a row.

It's surprisingly good for a free TV tie in, but with ex-Rare and Free Radical developers behind the app, it's got a strong gaming pedigree behind it.

Pick up the free app by clicking here.

Cloud storage service Dropbox has updated its iPhone and iPad apps to better cater for photo uploads. A new visual stream of photos is offered with which to browse your snaps, as well as a whole new tab devoted to your photographs, set apart from all other files you've uploaded to the service.

"With just a tap, you'll be able to scroll through a timeline of all the photos you've automatically uploaded (including the pocket-dialed ones too)," say Dropbox.

"Our new speedy scroller will help you navigate all the way back to time immemorial (or your earliest photos) in seconds. Even if you have 'Billions and Billions' of them."

Pictures are filed by month, and Dropbox can be set to further automate the upload process by periodically scanning your device for new snaps. Uploads in general are now easier to perform across the app, with a "+" icon appearing anywhere you can upload a file to, or where you may like to introduce a new folder to upload files to.

It's an interesting move by Dropbox. Though files of all kinds can be stored in their cloud, they obviously see photo storage now as their leading feature, one that consumers are most likely to use the service for. In this respect, and with this new visual update, Dropbox seem to be aligning themselves more with the likes of Flickr and Picasa as they are with SkyDrive or Google Drive.

YouView, the live broadcast/catch up TV set top box mash-up, gets some-on-the-go love today in the shape of an iOS app that lets you set your box to record shows remotely.

If you've got an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, you can use the app to record that episode of Bargain Hunt you forget to set up through the box, while waiting at the bus stop, or in the queue in Tesco. Or even at home, in your living room, because regular remote controls are so passé these days.

The free app is available now from iTunes, but if you're a YouView owner with an Android device, you're going to have to wait until some unspecified point next year to get hold of it.

Sonos have updated their controller app for iOS devices to improve its wireless streaming capabilities.

iPhone, iPod and iPad users running iOS 6 will be able to stream tracks direct from their devices iTunes library. Prior to the update, users either had to invest in a £100 iPhone dock to access tracks on their iDevices, have tracks stored locally on a networked hard drive or use Sonos's cloud-based music streaming providers such as Spotify or Napster.

Now, so long as the songs you're looking to play aren't DRM protected, you'll be able to fire them over the air straight to your Sonos speaker systems. The same goes for podcasts, bringing Sonos up to Apple AirPlay-like standards for iOS users.

"Simple, clean, and seamless, favourite tracks and artists are available instantly in multi room Hi-Fi sound, putting an end to situations where music may sometimes never leave an iPhone or iPad," reads the Sonos press release.

No word yet on whether Android users will get similar features added, but we'll keep you posted. The new iOS update however should be rolling out now.

The Daily Mirror has become the first major UK national daily newspaper to offer its digital iPad edition for free.

Joined by sister paper The Daily Record in the move, the iPad edition will be available from Monday to Friday at no cost, though the Saturday edition and Sunday Mirror will remain print-only publications.

Including all the content of the print edition, the iPad version of the Daily Mirror adds interactive features such as video reports, interactive adds and crosswords and a live news ticker.

Ten regional editions of the paper will be available, while international readers will be able to access the digital newspaper for £4.99 a month.

It's a game-changing move from the tabloid, whose red top rivals The Sun and The Star both charge £4.99 a month to UK readers of their tablet editions.

Lloyd Embley, editor-in-chief of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and The People, said: "This is everything you'd expect from the Mirror and more. Visually it looks stunning and the interactivity brings a whole new depth to our content.

"The e-edition is brimming with the energy and creativity that will extend the reach of our journalism to new and wider audiences."

Martin Newman, editor of the Mirror's e-edition app, added: "The world of media is changing at an incredible speed and it's up to newspapers to keep up with that change and deliver news in the format that our readers want it.

"Over the past decade that has led us to put more and more focus on the internet, and now we are addressing the boom in the tablet computer market.

"Last year the tablet market in the UK grew by 300 per cent, with about 2.8percent of the population now owning one. That rate of growth is set to increase.

"About 60million iPads were sold worldwide this year and the projected number next year is 96million, with 122million likely to be sold in 2014. Add to that the Android market and by 2016 we're likely to see total tablet sales of 350million."

"We are going to see the same percentage increases in the UK, which is really taking tablet computers to its heart."

Plump up those shoulder pads and fire up some Hall and Oates, it's time to leap back to the seedy neon world of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, set to touch down on iPhone, iPad and Android devices in a special 10th Anniversary edition on December 6th.

The Rockstar team's homage to 1980s gangster flicks like Scarface, some have argued it's the series high-point so far, offering the best soundtrack alongside a careful balance of tongue-in-cheek humour and open world freedom to indulge your gaming excesses in.

Priced at $4.99 stateside (roughly £3.10), we'll be giving it the full review treatment upon release. For the time being, check out its first trailer in the clip above.

Though hardware sales have been as strong as ever for Apple this year, it's also been a year full of uncharacteristic software cock-ups too. By now, the Apple Maps debacle needs no introduction, while Siri and iTunes continue to disappoint.

These failing have led to the high-profile departure of Scott Forstall, former iOS chief, making way for Jony Ive to oversee both hardware and software at the cupertino company.

So, who's going to pick up the pieces following these disastrous launches? Eddy Cue, Apple's "Mr Fixit".

Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services and Ferrari board member, has been given the unenviable task of getting Siri and Apple Maps up to scratch, and has been leading the iTunes 11 launch, expected to land later today.

So, is Cue up to the job? It seems so, according to a new profile piece from the WSJ. Seen as the senior exec to oversee "all the most important services that Apple wants to grow", Apple staff have great faith in Cue, who seems a very likeable fellow:

"Employees single him out as the rare senior Apple manager who likes to make small talk and discuss sports. (Mr. Cue is a Duke University basketball fanatic, and his office is full of photos of the team.)

Employees appreciate that he doesn't shy from acknowledging mistakes head-on by saying things like "We really f-ed up," said people who know him."

Remember, this is the man who championed a 7-inch tablet long before the iPad Mini became a reality, and that's proving very popular so far.

The iTunes 11 launch today will be a good measuring post by which to gauge Cue's expertise. If his leadership has managed to streamline the bloated mess that iTunes has become, we may yet be able to hold out hope for both Siri and Apple Maps.

Did you sense a disturbance in the force this morning? That's probably because Angry Birds Star Wars has launched for practically every single mobile platform today.

Hitting the respective app stores for iPads, iPhones, iPod Touch, Android devices, Windows Phone 8, Windows 8 tablets and PCs, Apple Macs and Amazon's Kindle Fire, it's the biggest gaming launch in developer Rovio's history, and the most substantial overhaul to the birds vs pigs gameplay since Angry Birds Space.

Playing most similarly to the original Angry Birds game, the Star Wars edition takes in locations from George Lucas's original trilogy, and introduces new birds styled like Star Wars heroes like Obi Wan and Chewbacca for instance, each with their own unique abilities.Obi-Wan for instance has a force push power, while C-3PO can explode with a tap of a finger.

Free updates will land over time, but there's already an in-app purchase called Path of The Jedi, set on Yoda's homeworld of Degobah, which unlocks a further 40 levels.

Also, for every 10 stars you bag in the regular levels, you'll unlock special secret levels starring R2-D2 and C-3PO.

Prices vary depending on platform. iPhone costs 69p, iPad £1.99, Windows Phone 8 79p while the Android version is free and comes with ads.

The Xbox 360's second-screen Smartglass functionality is now available for iOS devices such as the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

Letting you control your gaming console using the devices' touchscreens, it lets you easily type and navigate the new Xbox 360 Internet Explorer app, offers new features to a (currently small) number of titles and throws up great supplementary information based on what you're watching or doing on your main screen.

Rather than being a brand new app however, it's confusingly a manual update to the Xbox Live app, previously available on iTunes. Also, the app hasn't yet been optimised for the iPhone 5, so you're going to get black bars at the edges of the screen, possibly to encourage you to try out the Windows Phone version instead.

The free app is available now from iTunes.