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Today Apple held its media event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and unveiled its work in significantly evolving a number of its mobile and media products. I had a chance to see it all first hand and spend some hands-on time with the fruits of the company's recent labor.

The announcement that is likely of the most interest to our readers is the arrival of the new iPod touch, thinner than ever and featuring the same razor-sharp Retina display used in the iPhone 4. (And, holding the new device in my hand, I can confirm that the screen is every bit as sharp as that of the iPhone 4.) The upgraded device is, indeed, basically "an iPhone 4 — without the phone," with a few exceptions. It utilizes the same A4 processor used in the iPhone 4 and the iPad, and features integrated gyroscopes for added in-game control precision. It has front- and back-facing cameras, as well, allowing FaceTime video chats. But the rear-facing camera offers a relatively low 960×720 pixel resolution, as compared to 2592×1936 pixels on the iPhone 4. That means it produces photos that are only 14% the size of those taken with big brother iPhone 4.

But, we're gamers here! And in that capacity, the new iPod touch is a golden mobile gaming device. During today's event, Steve Jobs indicated that the iPod touch is presently the #1 selling mobile game device, outselling Sony and Nintendo's devices, combined. He revealed that 1.5 billion entertainment and game app downloads have passed out of the App Store. With the dramatic enhancements on most every front that the new iPod touch puts in the hands of gamers, we don't expect the touch to give up the crown anytime soon.

Another big announcement that Steve had in store is the reinvented Apple TV. No longer a scolding-hot slab of metal and plastic with the footprint of a Mac mini, the new Apple TV is a quarter the size of its predecessor, shrouded in black plastic, and cool to the touch.

This time around, Apple dispensed with local media storage and has positioned the new unit as a video streaming device, built on a video rental model. First-run HD movies can be rented at $4.99 per, with HD TV shows available at $.99 an episode — all HD. Netflix streaming is integrated, as well. And all of the local media sharing capabilities of the original device (tying to computers in your home for media display on TV) are preserved, with the notable addition of media streaming from an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. And all that, which I can confirm fits comfortably in the palm of your hand, can be had for just $99.

The new Apple TV should be of particular interest to our readers for another reason — it's based on Apple's A4 processor. Intel is not inside, this time around. Given that, it's clear that the new device is based on some form of OS X for the ARM processor. Apple isn't calling it iOS but, if it's not iOS proper, it's something extremely close. But, likely, it actually is iOS under the hood. Daring Fireball's John Gruber recently lent strong confirmation of that, as well.

And if, indeed, the new Apple TV is an iOS device, is there an App Store in its future? Let's hope so…

Apple also showed a new iPod shuffle which, happily, brings back the buttons of the previous versions and also demonstrated the new iPod nano. The nano is about the size of the shuffle, but features a multitouch display and a user interface styled after iOS (though it's not iOS-based). It's a pretty amazing device to play with, extremely light, small, and functional. It's not improvements all around with this one, though; the new nano lacks video recording as well as playback capabilities. It seems Apple's decided that's functionality to be found only in the iPhone and iPod touch.

On the software front, Apple has released iTunes 10 (available now), which offers several interface improvements as well as Ping, a new social network of sorts that allows iTunes users to follow one another and share news of what they're listening to online. Facebook integration is in place as well. iOS 4.1 will be released next week and will include a number of new features including the launch of Game Center — Apple's leaderboard network. Other improvements include bug fixes, and performance enhancements for 3G owners. iOS 4.2 was also previewed which will finally bring OS 4 to the iPad and is due in November.

It's clear from today's event that Apple has been keeping a laser focus on the areas that have become its clear domain: media and mobile.

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MapleStory is a 2D MMORPG developed by South Korean company Wizet which has well over 100 million subscribers across the world. The MMO itself is completely free to play, and is monetized by selling various customizations and enhancements from an in-game shop purchasable with real money or gift cards which are even sold at Wal-Mart. MapleStory works like most MMORPG's where you fight monsters, earn experience, and otherwise develop your character while chatting, trading, and forming guilds with other players. Unfortunately, the social aspect is missing in the single player iPhone game, but otherwise the gameplay (or as much gameplay as I'm familiar when I had dabbled in MapleStory) seems intact.

On-screen controls move your little dude around and handle all the other functions in the game. There are two playable classes, both the thief and assassin with over 70 different pieces of swag to outfit yourself with. The graphics look like they're straight out of the original game, and in the brief time I've spent with it, it seems like there is tons to do with all kinds of quests to complete.

The appeal of MapleStory for me was always the sheer scale of the game world with tons of players, and Thief Edition just feels lonely in comparison without the constant chatter of other players in the game world. The game does play well enough with virtual controls, and I really hope that Nexon Mobile is just using MapleStory: Thief Edition to test the waters of the App Store before releasing a full MapleStory client because how awesome would that be.

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One of our favorite turn-based strategy games, Highborn, has just received a new update and has gone free for today only. Released in early June of this year, Highborn has a wonderful art style, clever writing, single player campaign, and an asynchronous multiplayer mode. Using the typical top-down grid view of most strategic games like this, once you engage in battle with an enemy the game switches to a 3D animation of the ensuing fight between your troops and the enemy. It's a really neat effect, and the overall presentation of Highborn really impresses. As you can see from this excerpt, we really loved the game in our full review:

Highborn comfortably sits as one of the best turn-based strategy games we have played on the iPhone. Beyond its dialogue and characters, which raise the bar entirely for humour, creativity and personality (and ability to plough right through that fourth wall); Highborn looks and plays fantastically, with a depth and attention to detail in its presentation that constantly surprises (just take a look at the character descriptions to see what I mean). If you look past the Facebook integration (which we understand some of you won't, though we strongly urge you to), Highborn also has a lasting and engrossing multiplayer mode that is excellently paced and perfect for portable devices. With additional campaigns promised beyond the 8 lengthy missions currently available (they'll take you hours to complete), Highborn is a robust and content-heavy turn-based strategy game that will surely leave you impressed.

What you can also see from that snippet is that while we loved the way the multiplayer mode worked, we absolutely hated that it forced you to use Facebook to take part in it. I'm sure many other players felt the same, and likely shied away from the multiplayer aspect because of this. Developer Jet Set Games recognized this, and in an update released a couple days ago Facebook was taken out in favor of the OpenFeint social network. While not everyone is a fan of OpenFeint either, it at least affords a way to enjoy the multiplayer in the game without having to add strangers to your own personal Facebook friend list, and doesn't even require an email or any personal info to sign up for. There's even the inclusion of player chat thanks to OpenFeint, not to mention the 30 million strong user base.

Besides Highborn for iPhone being free today, there's also an iPad version that has just been released. The iPad version adds the usual benefits of sharper graphics and a larger play area due to the bigger screen, but essentially the two versions are identical. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though, as the iPhone version is of such high quality and the introductory price for the iPad version is only $2.99. And while Highborn has a fairly decent single player campaign already, what I'm really waiting for is the addition of the second chapter that is hinted at in the game. Still, for one of the best strategy games available on the App Store there's no reason not to at least grab the iPhone version of Highborn while it's free for today only.

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John Kooistra's games have been long time favorites around here on TouchArcade, with both Blue Defense and Blue Attack the topic of discussion during episode #5 of our podcast where we had Kooistra on to chat about his then upcoming but since released RTS game Red Conquest as well as the formation of his new development studio, Cat in a Box Games. We just received word that while a sequel to Blue Defense is still in the works along with episode 3 of Red Conquest, Cat in a Box plans on launching their next game, Fastar! on July 30th.

Fastar!, or Fight Angry Squares: The Action RPG, is set around the seemingly ridiculous premise of being an action RPG for when you don't have time for an action RPG. Set in an intentionally vague fantasy world, players fight nothing but squares which oddly enough seem to explode coins upon dying. 24 game modes are included, with many focusing on playing through the game as quickly as possible.

There's a magic system, an in-game shop to upgrade your character, and even online leader boards to post your various speed runs to. Fastar! sounds fairly clever, blending both the quick pick up and play game styles that have become so popular on the App Store with gameplay mechanics action RPG. If all goes as planned, Fastar! should be available on the 30th for 99¢.

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Still enjoying the afterglow of just how great Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge for iPad [$9.99 / Free] is, I went scouring the App Store for other worthy "HD" versions of favorites of mine on the iPhone. More often than not these games feature little more than higher resolution graphics, but for quite a few of them, the bigger screen size of the iPad makes playing them a lot more fun, especially in instances where the game's interface felt too crowded or cramped for comfort on the smaller screen. None of these games are universal, which is a little annoying that you have to buy them twice if you've already downloaded them on your phone, but I've been guilty of re-buying my favorite movies that I already own on DVD in BluRay which is pretty much the same thing.

ORBITAL HD, $2.99 – This is a favorite around my house, and is a great game for showing the iPad off to all those annoying people who can't help but ask you, "Is that an iPad?" because it looks so cool. The gameplay is simple, and based on the free Flash game Gimme Friction Baby much like a number of other nearly identical games on the App Store. What sets Orbital HD apart is the bright colors, mellow music, and more superfluous particle effects than you can shake a stick at. Orbital looked great on the iPhone, and Orbital HD looks even better on the iPad.

Geared for iPad, $4.99 – This up-scaled version of the original Geared [99¢ / Free] features 150 levels of varying difficulty, the ability to skip to any of them, timers to keep track of how long it takes you to complete levels, and other fun stuff. On the big screen, the various gears are easier to manipulate, and while there isn't much sense in re-buying the game if you already own it for your iPhone, if this is the first you've heard of Geared and own an iPad, it's really worth checking out.

Galcon Fusion, $7.99 – This game could easily be described as Galcon [$2.99 / Free], but bigger. Fusion on the iPad has all the same gameplay and multiplayer modes that made the original awesome, only bigger, with way more planets to attack and defend. On high difficulty levels, battles get so chaotic they almost require two people playing in order to win.

Charadium for iPad, $4.99 – In Charadium, players take turns in online games drawing and guessing what other people are drawing. More screen real estate has really made Charadium much more fun to play on the iPad. You can actually draw with some level of accuracy, and the new layout with the chat screen below just generally makes the game more fun.

bitFLIP HD, $1.99 – While there are entirely way too many match 3's on the App Store, and you probably already have at least one on your device, bigFLIP HD is worth checking out. It comes with a great electronic soundtrack and multiple game modes including a two player split screen battle mode that's a ton of fun if you have another person around who shares a love of matching three similarly colored circles together.

I Dig It HD, $9.99 – The original I Dig It [99¢] along with the sequel I Dig It Expeditions [$2.99 / Free] are two of my favorite iPhone games, and I Dig It HD is even better on the iPad. You can see more of your surroundings, there's an on-screen mini map that makes navigating your tunnels a lot easier, and there's even a map editor where you can create, trade, and load your own levels. I Dig It HD is a must have for any fan of the original iPhone games.

Samurai: Way of the Warrior HD, $4.99 – What attracted me to Samurai: Way of the Warrior [$4.99 / Free] for the iPhone was its fantastic art style and graphics combined with excessive amounts of blood. This all looks even better on the iPad, and the various swiping gestures you need to do in order to attack seem to be much easier to perform on a larger device.

CRYSTAL DEFENDERS for iPad, $7.99 – This odd tower defense game by Square Enix has you utilizing familiar Final Fantasy units to attack waves upon waves of enemies. I've actually really enjoyed most tower defense games for the iPad, as you can place towers (or in this case, units) much easier and more precisely on the larger screen. Crystal Defenders got a complete graphical overhaul, and as expected, looks even better on the iPad.

Karnival for iPad, $5.99 – The original version of Karnival [$3.99 / Free] left me pleasantly surprised as the gameplay from the Tycoon series of games worked very well with the strange setting of a creepy carnival. The interface of the iPhone version felt a little cramped at times, which has been completely alleviated on the iPad.

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This afternoon I chatted with Brian Howard, founder of InMotion Software, who explained that the next iteration of the I Dig It series was submitted to the App Store today. After downloading a preview build of the game and installing it on my iPad, I can say with utmost confidence that iPad-owning fans of the I Dig It games are going to be in for a treat.

If this is the first you've heard of these games, here's what you've been missing: Around the time of WWDC last year, the original I Dig It [99¢] hit the App Store, and if it wasn't for a surprising amount of people talking about the game at the event, it likely would have never even appeared on our radar at all. In the game, you pilot a retrofitted farm tractor turned subterranean digger in attempts to raise $100,000 to save the family farm. Luckily, the ground under said farm is absolutely chock full of valuable things to dig up, and gameplay amounts to drilling tunnels, collecting diggin's, and selling your spoils to purchase various upgrades for your digger.

I Dig It was a huge success, topping the iTunes sales charts in a number of countries including the United States, so a sequel was only natural. I Dig It Expeditions [$2.99 / Free came next, expanding on the original gameplay of I Dig It as you take your digger on the road and search for archeological treasures in exotic locations such as the Antarctic tundra, the South American Amazon, and even under the ocean.

We loved both games in our reviews (I Dig It, I Dig It Expeditions) and lite version of Expeditions is on my short list of games I automatically recommend to anyone with a new iPhone asking me what games to try. So what's new with the iPad HD edition? Well, first off like many iPad adaptations of iPhone games, you can see substantially more of the game's environment. Also, your digger's radar has been moved from a completely separate screen to a mini-map that is always in the top left corner. These two things alone really improve the game, as being able to see more of your elaborate tunnel system and not needing to page back and forth between the radar makes for a much better overall experience.

The content of I Dig It HD is similar to Expeditions, although not exactly; so even if you've made it all the way through Expeditions, the HD version should still be worth playing. Also, there are new iPad-only challenges not found in the other games. However, the absolute coolest addition to I Dig It HD is the included level editor which fully utilizes the iPad document handling system to allow you to create, share, and import custom levels made by other people.

According to InMotion Software, the editor is what they're calling a beta, and is a little rough around the edges. Regardless, it still works well enough. Much like the document handling of the iWork suite, you can import/export custom levels via iTunes or by either emailing or clicking a link to a .idigit file. Even in its current state, it seems like there is quite a bit of potential if the level sharing community takes off– Something InMotion Software is waiting on to determine how much more development effort to invest in the level sharing and creation system.

As mentioned previously, I Dig It HD has already been submitted to the App Store, and barring any unforeseen rejections or other issues, should be available very soon. As far as how many of these enhancements will make their way to the iPhone, according to Brian Howard, the ability to import community created levels is a "real possibility" but due to differences in screen size they don't see a level editor on the iPhone.

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Thirty years ago today, a certain video game from Namco, featuring a curious little yellow fellow with a taste for dots and ghosts, hit the arcades in Japan. That round little yellow guy is known as PAC-MAN — you may have heard of him. In the decades that followed, PAC-MAN became an arcade phenomenon spawning a great-many spin-offs and stands today as an icon of '80s pop culture. And the 1980 original is hugely popular, even still. (Don't miss today's playable PAC-MAN-themed Google doodle.)

Namco is celebrating PAC-MAN's 30th birthday by launching a sweepstakes, detailed on the official PAC-MAN website, to win a PAC-MAN-themed Smart Car as well as running sales on various titles across several platforms.

The discounts on PAC-MAN titles in the App Store follow:

• PAC-MAN Championship Edition (iPhone): $2.99 → $0.99 [ review ]
• PAC-MAN REMIX (iPhone):  $2.99 → $0.99 [ review ]
• PAC-MAN (iPhone): $4.99 → $3.99 (now with leaderboards, chat, achievements)
• PAC-MAN (iPad): $4.99 → $3.99
• Ms. PAC-MAN (iPhone): $4.99 → $0.99 [ review ]

Namco's sale on the indicated items will remain in place until 6 PM (PST) tomorrow, Sunday, May 24. The most compelling grab of the list, in our opinion, is the excellent PAC-MAN Championship Edition, an iPhone conversion of the XBLA original.

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Carcassonne developer The Coding Monkeys has confirmed with us that the iPad version of the upcoming Apple handheld title will be a universal update to the initial App Store release this summer.

Just don't expect the update to hit in the immediate.

According to developer Martin Pittenauer, The Coding Monkeys haven't started work on the larger version of the game. Instead, they've focused their efforts on the iPhone and iPod Touch versions slated for release in May.

"The iPhone version will be released this month and we plan to start work on the iPad after that," developer Martin Pittenauer told us via e-mail.

"We poured a lot of love into the game already and feel the iPad version deserves the same level of attention, so it's hard to make promises for a release date right now. But we plan to have the game universal later this summer."

Universal updates allow handheld Apps to run natively on the iPad, which avoids creators from having to juggle two similar Apps on the Store at the same time.

The Carcassonne update will be free for purchasers of the App, but the price of the whole package will be raised from its initial $4.99 price point once the update goes live on iTunes.

"Once the app is universal we will end introductory pricing and sell the game for $9.99," Pittenauer told us in a later e-mail. "So, if you buy early, you essentially get a discount on the version that runs on iPhone, iPod, and iPad."

Despite being universal, the iPad version of the game will have its share of differences according to Pittenauer. Most of which are planned to stem from the iPad's larger touch screen size.

"We will try to use the available space to streamline some parts of the user interface and adopt more of the emerging 'feel' of the iPad platform," he said.

"We are also still thinking about the dimensions of the device and its implication for the multiplayer user interface. Other than that it will mainly differ by size."

But Pittenauer believes neither version will have a leg up on the other.

"We don't think any version will be better per se, but they will have different strengths."

"The iPhone version is very portable while being very easy to play thanks to pinch-zooming and its UI. The iPad version will have room to see more of the game board, but isn't as practical on the go. And as the game will be universal, both versions complement each other perfectly anyway."

Visually, the game appears to be capturing the board game feel. The big question is if the  game's mechanics and components do the same. Pittenauer tells us that bringing the board game to life via our iDevices is the point of the project.

"As boardgame geeks, we hope to make players feel like they are playing the original in the real world."

"That's why we favor a very traditional view of the table and decided against unnecessary 3D gimmicks for our version. We also love the social aspect of board gaming, so we tried to retain that as much as possible by adding all sorts of multiplayer variants (pass-around, local network, internet) and in-game chat."

At the end of the day it's up to the players to judge if the digital version of the board game feels like the board game. We'll have to hope and see.

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Perhaps our iPads aren't as tied to the App Store's selection of games as some of us might have come to believe. Leave it to David Perry, founder of Shiny Entertainment, to change our perception.

In a post on his blog, the Gaikai co-founder revealed a picture of a prototype version of his browser-based streaming service working on an iPad. The game he chose to show off with it? Blizzard Entertainment's ever-popular PC MMO World of Warcraft.

Gaikai proper is a cloud-based browser-binded streaming service. The goal is to move consumers away from installs and having to upgrade their computers with parts. Gaikai's servers hosts the game, and all of its files, and streams them into browsers. This allows users to get the full game experience without hassle.

Gaikai is currently in beta.

Speaking with Eurogamer's Digital Foundry about the image of World of Warcraft running on the new Apple device, Perry revealed that it's running in 1024-by-768. He also revealed other details, and called the picture a "teaser."

"All iPad inputs are streamed through a translation system to the server, so we can re-map anything to anything in real-time. We hide a virtual keyboard off to the side, so you can type as well (like to login). It's just a teaser as the iPad just arrived, once they are done with the video optimization we will show it off."

This isn't the first time we've seen World of Warcraft running on an Apple handheld. Last year we watched a video of the MMO running on an iPhone courtesy of the Vollee client which promises to be able to do what Gaikai will do for PCs, but in our phones instead.

According to Digital Foundry, Gaikai for the iPad is a ground-up, HTML5-designed effort. If Gaikai, as an app, ever progresses beyond this tantalizing prototype stage, it's hard to tell if Apple will clear it as an App Store purchase. We don't need to lick a frog to predict that it'll at least experience some sort of scrutiny.

"I'd prefer to play World of Warcraft on my iPad more than just about any app they (Apple) permit. I'm not sure blocking great stuff is a good strategy," Perry told Pocket Gamer in a recent chat.

"I guess the point is that once we get our player written for iPad, we can run absolutely anything on it that same day."

Until that fateful day, though, we can just drool and wish.

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There's been a number of games released on the App Store featuring mainstream music acts such as Lady Gaga, Metallica and Coldplay. So it didn't really come as much of a surprise to see Linkin Park 8-Bit Rebellion arrive over the weekend. What does come as a surprise however is that this isn't rhythm-based like most other music games, but rather a side-scrolling beat-em-up of sorts with a heavy focus on social networking. It sounds strange, and it kind of is, but it's also quite refreshing to see something other than the expected. The result ends up being more of an interesting experience, rather than a solid game.

The story has you helping each of the six members of Linkin Park to find their stolen music track. Once all tracks have been found, they complete an exclusive new Linkin Park song which will save the world… or something like that. You'll travel through the seven different locations in the game talking to different characters for clues and performing menial tasks that eventually lead you to each track. The gameplay is a bit shallow and repetitious, and incredibly easy. Battling enemies is done by merely mashing an action button, but there are some pretty cool weapon upgrades to help spice it up a little.

During play you'll collect coins from defeated enemies which can be spent in the shops spread throughout the seven game settings. You can buy gear for your avatar or furniture and decorations for your apartment. There's a heavy focus on this collection and customization aspect, and there's lots of different items for you to buy in the game. 8 Bit Rebellion does a great job of providing fan service with this, and the real life artwork and posters of Linkin Park albums can be adorned on your apartment walls. Even better are the music tracks in the game, which are familiar Linkin Park songs that have been given the 8-bit treatment. I'm not the biggest fan of Linkin Park, but I couldn't help but enjoy the retro versions of their songs. There's eight songs in total, and during the game you'll unlock all the original versions of them as well so you can compare them to the 8-bit remakes.

What really shines about this game is the online component. You're constantly connected while playing, and you'll see the avatars of players from around the world walking around inside of your game. At any time you can tap on one which brings up a menu to check out their profile, “poke” them á la Facebook, or even engage in real time chat with them. It's fun to see these people roaming around, and I've already run across some familiar usernames from people in our forums. Each level even has a bulletin board where anyone can post a message for all to see. Full Facebook and Twitter integration are included so you can post various game accomplishments and search out friends. If none of this sounds appealing to you, the entire game can be played just fine offline.

If you're a fan of Linkin Park, you'll likely get a lot of enjoyment from playing through 8-Bit Rebellion. The gameplay is a little too simplistic for serious gamers, but it can still be fairly entertaining at times. It's almost as if River City Ransom, Zombieville and Facebook decided to make a game based on their love for Linkin Park. In reality it feels like the type of game that actually would be played on a social network like Facebook. If this sounds interesting to you, you're definitely getting a high quality experience that's been designed beautifully to suit the iPhone interface. If you're not a huge fan of the band, however, 8-Bit Rebellion may just be a little too flimsy to hold your attention.

App Store Link: Linkin Park 8-bit Rebellion!, $4.99, Linkin Park 8-bit Rebellion! iPad Edition, $4.99

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