After the release of iPadOS 15.2, Apple is finally releasing the long-awaited update to Swift Playgrounds with the ability to create apps using the iPad. Swift Playgrounds 4 was announced back in June at WWDC 2021. The app helps developers and students learn the company’s Swift programming language, and the new version lets developers build and submit apps to the App Store directly from an iPad. For those unfamiliar, Swift Playgrounds is an Apple app to help developers and students learn the company’s Swift programming language....

All of today’s best deals are now up for the taking and headlined by the latest Apple TV 4K with new Siri Remote at $159. That’s on top of the ecobee3 lite at $120 and 11-inch M1 iPad Pro at $99 off. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break. Apple TV 4K packs the new Siri Remote As Apple’s latest streaming media player, Apple TV 4K comes powered by the A12 Bionic chip to deliver HDR and Dolby Vision playback at 60 FPS....

Positive early reactions from an Aquaman test screening point to a bounce back for Warner Bros. and DC Films. After Wonder Woman was universally praised, the expectation was that Justice League could continue to send the DC movie universe in the right direction. The movie was instead plagued by a Frankenstein edit, production drama and tragedy, and continues to be a major topic of conversation. The studio has a yearlong wait between that and their next film, that being James Wan’s Aquaman....

The DCEU’s biggest critics may see Aquaman as a step away from the vision and style of Zack Snyder. But apparently, the similarities between James Wan’s recipe for success and Snyder’s extend beyond Arthur Curry - to their dedication to the original comics, above all else. Patrick Wilson is probably the best equipped to comment on the directing styles of Zack Snyder and James Wan, having portrayed Orm, the brother and royal rival to the two directors’ take on Aquaman....

New artwork from George Miller’s failed 2009 Justice League: Mortal arrive giving us a glimpse of the planned Batman funeral scene. Long before the DC Films Universe existed, director George Miller already had a plan to bring DC’s premier team of superheroes to the big screen. But instead of straight-up assembling the characters, the shelved film was meant to be a bit more complicated with its story being an adaptation of Mark Waid’s Tower of Babel and based on the Justice League: Unlimited animated series....

While most people were cutting cookies into Christmas trees or snowmen, one artist created a Xenomorph from the Alien franchise out of gingerbread. The Xenomorph first appeared in Ridley Scott’s 1979 horror classic Alien, but has since appeared in a number of sequels, crossovers, video games, and comic books. As depicted in the first Alien movie, a Xenomorph starts off its life inside an egg that holds a creature called a Facehugger....

Marvel’s latest MCU blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War is doing so well that it was just granted a rare extension of its Chinese theatrical release. With a current worldwide total gross of nearly $16.8 billion over the course of 19 films, it’s no secret that Marvel Studios’ interconnected superhero franchise has staked its claim to the top of the box office mountain. Not even Star Wars - Disney’s other mighty franchise - can boast that kind of cumulative haul, although to be fair, there’s only been 10 theatrical Star Wars films made to date, 11 if one counts the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars....

While our readers are already talking about Avengers: Infinity War in the comments section of our Avengers: Infinity War review, this is the place where you can discuss spoilers, post-credits scenes, and plot twists/reveals without worrying about ruining Marvel Studios’ adventure for those who haven’t see it yet. If you’re posting comments here, assume that anyone in the conversation has seen Infinity War already. If you haven’t seen the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet, then we would recommend that you don’t read the comments here until you have....

Larian Studios’ rendition of the long-awaited Baldur’s Gate 3 looks quite promising, but its past-tense, internal-first-person dialogue system is a weird choice that breaks immersion. Larian first showed fans the dialogue choices as part of the Baldur’s Gate 3 gameplay reveal, and it stood out as one of the game’s only glaring flaws so far. Although Larian Studios earned renown for its critically-acclaimed Divinity: Original Sin RPGs, there’s extra pressure on Baldur’s Gate 3 for of its use of the Dungeons & Dragons property....

In Altered Carbon season 2, Simone Missick plays a strong-willed, loyal bounty hunter named Trepp, but you may have seen her before on-screen in several different roles. As Trepp in Altered Carbon she is a tough, professional bounty hunter who values her family’s safety more than anything. On several occasions she saves protagonist Takeshi Kovacs and his other allies, and she proved to be truly reliable backup. Missick’s Trepp is one of the best new characters in Altered Carbon season 2 due to her competence and strength....

We’re heading into the Independence Day weekend with all of the best deals headlined by a Fourth of July Apple sale at Best Buy. That’s on top of Apple Watch Series 5 at $235 off and these Anker iPhone essentials from $17. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break. Best Buy 4th of July Apple sale goes live The Independence Day holiday weekend has arrived, and so too has the annual Best Buy July 4th sale....

Last month, Apple launched the Beta Software Program for all users who want to preview iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS 12 Monterey, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15. Now, the the company is looking to expand beta testers and is sending emails to those subscribed to the beta program to try out its latest public betas. As we approach beta 5 of all the upcoming operating systems, Apple seems confident that this is a good time for its Beta Software Program users to try out the public betas....

Apple is continuing to increase the availability of the Apple TV app in order to get more people watching its streaming service, Apple TV+. Today, on Comcast’s quarterly earnings call, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said it has agreed a deal with Apple to bring Apple TV+ to Comcast platforms. This means the Apple TV app will soon be available on Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex, upcoming XClass TV sets, and the Sky Q cable box which is a major player in the United Kingdom market....

Action figures and toys are notorious for spoiling blockbuster movies, so fans looking for clues as to what to expect from Avengers: Infinity War should check out images of several new LEGO sets for the film that feature the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Thanos, the Black Order, and more. Avengers: Infinity War, a film that’s been hyped as the biggest MCU movie to date, is expected to serve as “the final chapter” for many MCU characters as they face off against Josh Brolin’s Thanos, a character who has been described as the “biggest and baddest” villain in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe....

Marvel showed footage from Avengers: Infinity War at their SDCC 2017 panel, teasing the epic showdown between Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Mad Titan Thanos. The panel featured information on a whole slew of Marvel Studios productions, including Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther and Ant-Man and the Wasp, but by far the crowning jewel was Avengers 3. The film was kept until last, with Kevin Feige and the cast doing a bit where the super-producer pretended to wrap up the show, only to be forced to show some footage from the highly-anticipated Infinity War....

The filmmaking industry is going through a phase where remakes, reboots, and superhero movies dominate the big screen, and adaptations of any kind of pre-existing IP– whether a book, video game, or even a toy – seem to immediately have a spot. Adaptations of books are very common, and adaptations of video games are slowly but surely getting a spot in the industry. After the success – both critical and commercial – of The LEGO Movie, studios are opting to develop projects based on toys, so it’s not a big surprise that Sony and Mattel are bringing Barbie to the big screen....

NOTE: The following post contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Batman v Superman - After a nearly three-year wait, it’s finally here – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the launching-off point for the entire DC Extended Universe. With its two-and-a-half hour running time, myriad plot threads, and copious amounts of Easter eggs and cameo appearances, there are many and more scenes to pick from that sent chills down our spines and got us excited for future installments in the shared cinematic universe....

FoxNext and D3 Go! never intended for Alien: Blackout to be a standard mobile game. Although it isn’t the follow-up to Alien: Isolation that many players are waiting for, it still has its merits. Speculation began to form around the game back in 2018 when 20th Century Fox trademarked the title. Fox then started teasing the title but waited several months to announce the game. Fox disappointed many fans by announcing that Alien: Blackout is a mobile game....

Early numbers for Ant-Man and the Wasp’s opening night have it topping Guardians of the Galaxy with ease. Marvel Studios’ 20th film is officially out in theaters, at least domestically. While the World Cup has split up the overseas roll out, Ant-Man and the Wasp is now making its mark on the box office charts. It’s already been a great year for Marvel Studios as both Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War topped $200 million in their opening weekend, but their latest isn’t expected to come anywhere close....