DIGITAL LIFE

Even though the Apple iPhone 5 had the biggest launch in the company’s history, not everybody is completely happy with the product. Most notably, Apple users lament the loss of the Google Maps app, calling Apple’s alternative inferior. To correct that, Apple appears to be recruiting ex-members of the Google Maps team.

The sixth generation Apple iPhone, the iPhone 5, went on sale only Friday, Sept. 21. But it seems that one of the talented iOS jailbreak developers is already in possession of jailbroken iPhone 5. Well-known iOS hacker Grant Paul, better known as “chpwn,” posted a couple of pictures on Twitter Friday that showed an iPhone 5 running iOS 6 with Cydia installed.

With the iPhone 5 launch mere hours away, die-hard fans across the world have taken to lining up outside Apple Stores in hopes of being among the very first users to own the new iPhone. Armed with sleeping bags, snacks, and, of course, older Apple products to entertain themselves, some have been waiting for days.

When it comes to “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2,” Treyarch hasn’t been shy about revealing information concerning gameplay and multiplayer maps. But it wasn’t until recently that players learned more about the game’s Zombie Mode, one of the most highly-anticipated aspects of the acclaimed military shooter.

With the introduction of the new Maps platform and Passbook app to iOS 6, the latest version of its mobile operating system, Apple has extended the reach of its smartphone and tablet ecosystem, helping drive the company’s app store revenue up by nearly 70 percent by the end of this year, according to a new iSuppli report.

Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: EA) announced plans today to expand its global customer service center in Galway, Ireland, by hiring 300 more employees in the coming months. The expansion that almost doubles the size of its European customer support center will be done with the support of the Irish government, which was competing with other major cities in Britain, Europe, and the United State to woo the company's customer service headquarters away from Galway.

Some Android users will be getting a sweet treat in the near future. The release date for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean has been confirmed for the majority of devices powered by Google?s popular OS. The new ?buttery smooth? iteration of Android was announced at the search engine giant?s I/O developer?s conference in June, and is rolling out just a day ahead of Apple?s new iOS 6 software.

Apple will begin its official rollout of iOS 6 on Wednesday, just a couple of short days before the release date of its recently revealed iPhone 5. The next-generation operating system boasts a host of new features for iOS devices, but one crucial flaw may have some users considering a switch to Android.

As the world keenly watches the next-round of the tablet war with Microsoft and its longstanding partners gearing up to launch the tablets that run on Windows 8 OS and Apple designing the launch of a smaller version of iPad in the same month, rumors are rife that Microsoft's hardware partner Asus has priced the Vivo Tab RT model at $599.

The second largest computer manufacturer in the world, Lenovo Group Ltd (0992) has decided to acquire a U.S.-based software company Stoneware Inc that marks its venture into Cloud Computing, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

The privately-held Finnish game developer Rovio Entertainment has secured a comfortable spot for itself on top of the freemium food chain with its legendary line of Angry Birds mobile apps, a series of mobile games that's been downloaded over 1 billion times and attracted merchandizing spin-offs as diverse gummy candy and real-life theme parks. Now after several sequels (the most recent propelling birds into orbit with Angry Birds: Space), Rovio is seeking greener pastures wit...

GREE (TYO:3632), Japan's $4.7 billion online media giant and regional rival to U.S.-based internet companies like Facebook Inc. (Nasdaq: FB) and Zynga Inc. (Nasdaq: ZNGA) stepped further into America soil on Monday with another developer acquisition, this time of California-based mobile game developer App Ant Studios.

Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social networking site, had a good week: its shares vaulted 15 percent after CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared at a forum in San Francisco where he acknowledged mistakes. Now, with Instagram tucked in and commitments for search and mobile, is it a time for another look at half price?

Soon after Apple Inc. announced the iPhone 5, customers who preordered the phone online saw their shipping dates pushed back, from Sept. 21 to as far as October, because of high demand. However, it now appears the company may be able to ship on the expected date after all -- at least to some customers.

Sean Smith, one of the four Americans killed in Libya, was a longtime "EVE Online" player, and hugely influential in the game's online world.

All the details on the demo release for FIFA 13, the latest installment of EA Sports' video game series.

Gearbox Software’s latest, “Borderlands 2,” is out next week, and millions of gamers are set to go looking for loot, find themselves in frantic gunfights and listen to the awful wub-wub of dubstep.

Enemies and weapons that will appear in “Halo 4” were revealed over the weekend, providing even more of an insight as to what players can expect in the next installment of the franchise. The Promethean enemies and new set of weapons appeared in a NeoGaf forum by user Garrett 2U, according to Halo Council.

Square Enix’s cloud-based gaming portal Core Online was born out of a “selfish” need to grab more gamers, according to the company. While Square Enix would obviously want more people to enjoy their various titles including the upcoming “Hitman: Absolution” and “Tomb Raider,” the company also offers browser-based versions of games like “Mini Ninjas” and “Hitman: Blood Money.”

Amazon officially announced its next-generation Kindle Fire release on Thursday, unveiling a brand new tablet with improved specs and battery, HD visuals and 4G LTE connectivity. However, there is one characteristic no critic or analyst had predicted: the tablet’s name.

“Assassin’s Creed” has always incorporated swift and acrobatic combat into its gameplay mechanics, and the upcoming “Assassin’s Creed 3” release looks even more fluid. However, a recent YouTube video brings the energy out of the game and into real-like parkour.

Amazon unveiled its next-generation Kindle Fire at a press event on Sept. 6 in California alongside a fresh paper-white E-reader. Referred to as the Kindle Fire HD, the device boasts visual upgrades, a faster processor and longer lasting battery than its predecessor.

The release date for the most recent “Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” DLC came on Sept. 4, and the correctly rumored “Hearthfire” add-on gave players more opportunities to flesh out their character in the “Skyrim” universe.

After slaughtering countless green piggies in the quest to secure the stolen eggs, the birds of Rovio’s smash hit (no pun intended) “Angry Birds” will be taking a back seat to the pigs this time around with the game’s sequel.

The release date for Halo 4 is still a ways away, but the ending of the game may have been leaked, according to the Official Xbox Magazine. A new video documentary has revealed segments of what could be a legitimate Halo 4 script.

“Skyrim” players using PS3 have been eagerly anticipating the release date for the “Dawnguard” DLC. However, they may be waiting for a day that will never come, according to Bethesda.

The Pirate Bay has long-struggled with criticism that users are afforded with relatively low security while downloading BitTorrents. After Demonoid's demise, a new virtual private network could erase those concerns for online pirates.

"Madden 13" is sure to be one of the most popular games of 2012 and one that's almost as popular through illegal BitTorrent sites as it is at Game Stop. Online piracy has continued to grow and effect the bottom line of major game titles, just don't expect anyone downloading the game to feel bad.

“The Elder Scrolls” franchise is taking a new direction with its upcoming release. Straying from the single-player worlds of “Skyrim, “Oblivion,” and other previous titles, Bethesda Softworks is now venturing into the MMORPG territory with “The Elder Scrolls Online.”