Former Apple Ad Man Says Apple Considered Calling the iPhone the ‘TriPod’, ‘TelePod’, ‘Mobi’, or ‘iPad’ [iOS Blog]

Former Apple advertising lead Ken Segall was at an event for the University of Arizona’s Department of Marketing tonight and in giving the latest version of his “Insanely Simple” talk revealed some of the names Apple considered for its smartphone before settling on “iPhone”, reports 9to5Mac.

The proposed names included “TelePod,” “Mobi,” “TriPod” and “iPad.” Segall also presented the name “MicroMac” to his audience, but insisted that it was not under consideration and that he wanted to gauge their thoughts on the name. In past versions of the talk, Segall has presented “PocketMac” as the outlier option that was not actually considered.

Segall went on to explain the thought process of the names:

– TelePod: Segall said Apple considered this name because it sounded like a “futuristic twist” on the word “telephone.” The “Pod” part obviously came about from the success of the iPod.

– Mobi: This name was in consideration not only because it was a creative take on the word “mobile,” but that it also had personality, Segall said.

– TriPod: When Steve Jobs revealed the iPhone, he famously referred to it as three devices in one: an iPod, an Internet device and a phone. This name likely had an impact on that presentation and represents the three “legs” that the iPhone was built on.

– iPad: This eventually became the name of Apple’s tablet line, but Segall said it was under consideration for the company’s smartphone product as well. Steve Jobs did confirm that Apple had been working on a tablet before it started working on a phone, and that the tablet had internally been codenamed “Safari Pad.”

Of course, Apple eventually settled on the name “iPhone”. At the time, Cisco actually held the U.S. trademark for iPhone for a line of VoIP handsets, but the two companies eventually reached a trademark agreement over the name.

‘Canabalt’ Creator Releases Minimalistic Puzzler ‘Hundreds’ [iOS Blog]

Hundreds, from the makers of Canabalt and Solipskier, is a minimalistic puzzle title that’s making waves with its simplistic design and clever gameplay.

Previously a Flash game, Hundreds has been ported to iOS with great success, incorporating intuitive multi-touch controls.

The idea is to tap a series of circles on the screen. With each tap, the number on the circle increases, until it reaches 100. As they grow, circles turn red, and if they collide, the game will end. Each level incorporates new challenges and gameplay elements. From the App Store description:

Simple in concept, deep in design, Hundreds is a puzzle game that requires quick fingers and deep thinking.

The goal of Hundreds: Grow at least 100 points between the circles in each puzzle. Circles turn red and volatile while being grown and if they collide, it’s game over. It’s that easy.

So far, Hundreds has received rave reviews from our sister site Touch Arcade and Kotaku, which has already named it 2013′s potential Game of the Year.

Hundreds can be downloaded from the App Store for $2.99. [Direct Link]

LG and AU Optronics Once Again Named as Display Suppliers for ‘iPad Mini’ Coming in October [iOS Blog]

Bloomberg reports that LG Display and AU Optronics will serve as suppliers for the 7.85-inch display destined for Apple’s forthcoming “iPad mini”. The publication specifically claims that the device will be released in October.

The orders will mark the first time AUO, a maker of panels for Apple’s MacBooks and Sony Corp. TVs, is supplying screens for Apple handheld devices.

Carolyn Wu, a spokeswoman for Apple, declined to comment. Sharp Corp. may make panels for the device in the future and will not be an initial supplier, three of the people said.

The report also cites TPK and Foxconn subsidiary Yeh Chang Technology as handling the lamination coating for the display.

Interestingly, claims of LG and AU Optronics serving as suppliers for the iPad mini display can be traced all the way back to October 2011, when Taiwan’s United Daily News claimed that the two companies had been sending samples to Apple. The Wall Street Journal reiterated the claim in February of this year.

‘MLB.com At Bat’ Adds Support for Ford SYNC and Social Sharing Options [iOS Blog]

Ongoing its trailblazing efforts to provide a great baseball viewing experience to iOS device proprietors, Major league baseball Advanced Media has added Ford SYNC integration and social discussing with Facebook, Twitter, and email to the Major league baseball.com At Softball bat application.

Ford SYNC is really a Siri-esque integrated voice control system included in some Ford automobiles. The At Softball bat integration enables customers to obtain scores, agendas, and live audio broadcast feeds utilizing their voice.

At Softball bat 12 could be bought through out the 2012 season for $9.99 (via in-application purchase), delivering out-of-market baseball games and residential-and-away radio broadcasts for each game, such as the postseason.

Major league baseball At Softball bat is really a free universal download in the Application Store for apple iphone and iPad. [Direct Link]

TouchArcade’s Best iOS Games of August and Labor Day Sales [iOS Blog]

iOS gaming site (and sister site) TouchArcade has posted a roundup of their Best iOS Games for August 2012.

The list of games consists of the highest rated iOS games from just the month of August. Two of the top rated games are actually ports of highly rated games for other platforms. Both are relatively deep games for the more hardcore audience. The rest of the list consists of a broad range of titles, including platformers, puzzle games, point-and-click adventures and a first person shooter.

5 Stars

Bastion, $4.99
[Review] – [TA Plays Video] – [Forum Thread] – The universally loved XBLA/PC action RPG Bastion shocked us with a surprise iPad release. This game is absolutely amazing for multiple reasons, but my favorite has to be the near-constant narration that sets an incredible mood for the game that is nearly unrivaled on the App Store.

The World Ends with You: Solo Remix, $17.99 / HD
[Review] – [TA Plays Video] – [Forum Thread] – A fantastic single-screen port of the Nintendo DS game The World Ends With You. You play as the amnesiac Neku, a boy with a hatred for the masses and an unusual predicament. Unlike others, who come and go as they please, you’re trapped in Shibuya, a pawn in the Reaper’s Game. It’s a game you’re going to have to play. Failure to do so will result in erasure. This isn’t the quick 99 iOS game you’re used to, this is a serious full-length game with incredible depth.

Mikey Shorts, $0.99
[Review] – [TA Plays Video] – [Forum Thread] – BeaverTap Games knocked it out of the park with their first game ever, Mikey Shorts. Great virtual controls combine with a game that feels “just right” for obsessive speed runs and time sharing. Created by two hardcore gamers, Mikey Shorts ticks every checkbox a good iOS platformer needs to have and shouldn’t be missed.

4.5 Stars

Walking Dead: The Game, $4.99
[Review] – [TA Plays Video] – [Forum Thread] – Telltale’s latest point and click adventure game may be its strongest yet. Set in the fantastic Walking Dead universe and filled with tons of choices that can have a drastic impact on the game, it’s something everyone needs to try. Also, check out our review, we’re updating it as new episodes launch, and the second episode just hit today.

Supermagical, $0.99
[Review] – [TA Plays Video] – [Forum Thread] – The latest game from the Super Awesome Hyper Dimensional Mega Team is every bit as radical as their studio name. It’s a neat spin on the Bust-a-Move formula with super magical (as the name might hint) spells you can execute as well as a whole host of light RPG elements.

One Tap Hero , $0.99
[Review] – [Forum Thread] – A clever platformer from Chillingo that centralizes around a single button control scheme, as the title hints. It has some heavy influences from the endless runner genre while feeling fresh enough to stand on its own. Overall, it’s really cool how they packed such a “complete” feeling platformer into such a simple package.

Super Mole Escape, $0.99
[Review] – [TA Plays Video] – [Forum Thread] – Another awesome title from Adult Swim, this one puts you in charge of helping a mole (and more unlockable moles) escape prison. Its gameplay is fairly standard for a endless vertical (insert action here) game, but the integration of multiplayer races via Game Center really puts Super Mole Escape ahead of the pack.

Trigger Fist, Free
[Review] – [TA Plays Video] – [Forum Thread] – Although the whole modern military shooter thing has been done to death on consoles, few quality entries in that particular aisle of the App Store exist. Trigger Fist does a fantastic job of feeling like the “right fit” for the iPhone with an interesting camera angle and a control scheme that makes aiming and shooting in massive online fire fights substantially easier.

Organ Trail: Director’s Cut, $2.99
[Review] – [TA Plays Video] – [Forum Thread] – An incredibly creative zombie-centric spin on the classic versions of Oregon Trail. We really enjoyed the whole atmosphere of the game, the strangely cinematic opening, and putting down members of our party that manage to catch a wicked case of the zombification.

Gasketball , Free
[Review] – [TA Plays Video] – [Forum Thread] – The awesome combination of the incredibly popular see-if-you-can-get-three-stars physics game genre and… Basketball! The game comes with enough free content to choke a horse, much to the detriment of sales. We outlined what you get for your $2.99 unlock to make things a little more clear regarding just what Gasketball has to offer.

Bitless, $0.99
[Review] – [Forum Thread] – A delightfully blocky chiptune-laden retro-ish platformer that comes packed with a brutal difficulty level. Nissa nailed it in our review of the game: “This is a precision platformer perfectly tuned for its platform-it can’t help that I’m not tuned for it. You’ll either need to be very skilled, up for a good challenge or a bit of a masochist to enjoy this game, but hey, that covers a lot of people.”

Meanwhile, the site has also compiled a list of dozens of sales on games during this Labor day weekend. EA alone has put 17 titles on sale for $0.99 each.