10 Must-Play Games for Your New iPhone 6

Are you one of the lucky ones whose iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus arrived today? Or maybe one of the crazy ones who lined up outside your local Apple Store? Either way, congrats!

Our first tip: Don’t drop it. Our second tip: Get some games that showcase the bigger screen and improved guts. Only a handful have thus far been optimized for the Metal graphics processor — we mention them below — but there are plenty of others that still deserve a spot on your shiny new i-device.

1. Asphalt 8: AirborneThe Asphalt series has always been a looker, jam-packed with spiffy, speedy cars that elicit oohs and aahs from onlookers. Gameloft not only polished up the graphics with its Metal update, but it also tossed in a Metal-exclusive season with three times as many opponents as any other Asphalt game.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

2. Epic Zen GardenOK, this isn’t a game, technically. It’s more of a tech demo. But hot damn, is it a pretty one! The developer behind Gears of War and Unreal put together this soothing experience (complete with a koi pond and sand raking) using the same engine that’s being used to powerFable Legends on the Xbox One.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

3. Monument ValleyIf M.C. Escher made a video game, this would be it. This winding, brain-warping puzzler routinely ignores gravity and the laws of physics, creating a dreamworld that is positively surreal and drop-dead gorgeous.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

4. Plunder PiratesThis free-to-play title from the company behind Angry Birds is cartoonishly goofy, letting you recruit a pirate army and sail your galleon into battle against other players. If you’re familiar with games like Clash of Clans, you get the gist.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

5. Monster Hunter Freedom UniteYou want a big game? They don’t come much bigger than this. Capcom’s 2008 PSP and PS Vita game made a big splash in the iOS world with a seemingly endless supply of missions and monsters. Perfect for the bigger screen of the iPhone 6 Plus, but be sure to also grab a Bluetooth gamepad for this one.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

6. Valiant Hearts: The Great WarIt’s not Metal-optimized, but this World War II-themed puzzle/adventure game makes up for that with a terrific, emotional story. It’s just as good as the console version that came out earlier this year — maybe better, since you can take it wherever you go. 

DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

7. 80 DaysA steampunk twist on a Jules Verne tale? Sign us up! Try to recreate Phileas Fogg’s journey around the globe, racing the clock and other players. It’s interactive fiction at its very best. 

DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

8. Modern Combat 5: BlackoutYeah, it’s a Call of Duty clone, but it’s not a bad one. And with its Metal optimization, you’ll get bigger, better explosions and some seriously impressive weather effects, including a very cool heat haze. Mobile warfare has never been so pretty. 

DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

9. The Room TwoLike its predecessor, this app is atmospheric and brooding. It’s a bit like the classic PC game MYST, featuring challenging puzzles and crisp, beautiful graphics. 

DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

10. VaingloryIt won’t be out until next month, but make a mental note to download this multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game ASAP. Apple believed in it enough to make it the gaming focal point of the iPhone 6 announcement. That’s a serious endorsement. 

The Resell Prices of the iPhone 6 & 6 Plus Are Upwards of $2,400 USD

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will officially be available for retail starting September 19, 2014 in select markets across the world. With in uncertainty regarding the official availability and launch of the iPhone 6 in China, the resulting conditions have created an extremely lucrative gray market for iPhone resellers. A color representing wealth and happiness in Chinese culture, the highest specification 128 GB iPhone 6 Plus in gold has fetched $2,441 USD according to the Bloomberg with guaranteed delivery on September 20. The lucrative nature of the iPhone 6′s release has resulted in numerous organized and individual resellers entering the fold to make a quick back. Across the border in Hong Kong, the local reseller market has entertained prices seen below, which ultimately will be more expensive once it reaches its destined market of China. With rumored delays of the delivery, there could be some sustainability to this after-market pricing.

iPhone 6 (16GB): approximately $1,161 USD – $1,290 USD ($9,000 HKD – $10,000 HKD)
iPhone 6 (64GB): approximately $1,419 USD – $1,677 USD ($11,000 HKD – $13,000 HKD)
iPhone 6 (128GB): approximately $1,677 USD – $1,806 USD ($13,000 HKD – $14,000 HKD)

iPhone 6 Plus (16GB): approximately $1,548 USD – $1,677 USD ($12,000 HKD – $13,000HKD)
iPhone 6 Plus (64GB): approximately $1,806 USD – $1,935 USD ($14,000 HKD – $15,000HKD)
iPhone 6 Plus (128GB): approximately $1,935 USD – $2,192 USD ($15,000 HKD – $17,000HKD)

Apple launches guide for moving content from your Android phone to iPhone.

By Jake Smith, Sep 16, 2014

Apple launched a web page on Tuesday guiding new iPhone users on how to move their content from an Android device, just in time for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus’ launch on Friday.

The webpage is a first for Apple, as it’s usually Android OEMs who have posted similar guides in the past taking jabs at the competition – aka Apple. However with the larger screens on the new iPhones gunning to take market share from Google, Samsung, HTC, Motorola, and others, it’s now Apple’s turn.

The web page offers tips for moving mail, contacts, and calendars, photos and videos, music, books and PDFs, documents, and apps. It’s relatively self-explanatory for an existing iPhone user, but for a new user coming from Android, it could potentially be quite helpful. For example, it shows the steps on adding a new email account, moving photos and videos using an app or a computer with iTunes, moving documents to iCloud, and more.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal in early September, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus will prompt “the mother of all upgrades.” He expects many Android users to look at switching to iPhone, adding the phones are “appreciably better in every single way.”

As for apps, the key to smartphones these days, Apple doesn’t offer some magic way of getting apps from your Android phone to your iPhone without spending a little money. “You’ll probably find the apps you’re already using on the App Store. Go to the App Store, search for the apps you have now, and install them. Then sign in with your user name and password.”

[Apple via 9to5mac]

Record Four Million Orders Of IPhones On Day One

Apple had more than four million advance orders of its new, larger iPhones in the first 24 hours, exceeding its initial supply, the company said Monday.The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be delivered to customers starting Friday and throughout September, but many won't be delivered until October, Apple said. Phones will still be available Friday on a walk-in basis at Apple retail stores and from various wireless carriers and authorised Apple resellers.Apple's website had intermittent outages last Friday because of heavy traffic as orders began online. The company said the four million orders set a new 24-hour record, beating the two million orders in 2012. That was for the iPhone 5, the previous time Apple increased the iPhone's screen size.

Last year, Apple sold nine million iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c phones in the first three days they were on sale, but the company didn't say how many came in the first 24 hours of advance orders.The iPhone 5, 5s and 5c have screens measuring four inches diagonally. The iPhone 6 is 4.7 inches, and the iPhone 6 Plus is 5.5 inches.Besides larger screens, the new phones announced last week offer faster performance and a wireless chip for making credit card payments at retail stores by holding the phone near the payment terminal. The phones start at $199 with a two-year service contact.The new phones will initially be available in the United, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Availability will expand to more than 20 additional countries a week later.A free update to Apple's iOS software for mobile devices will be available to existing users on Wednesday. The new phones will come with the update, known as iOS 8.

Published: Tuesday | September 16, 2014