Mobile game developer Halfbrick today launched a new iOS game in its popular Jetpack Joyride series. Jetpack Joyride Racing is a multiplayer racing game that supports up to six players for real-time racing competitions. Players can take on the role of Barry Steakfries, Dan, Josie, Professor Brains, Robo Barry, and more, with four circuits and a zone system that changes gameplay on the fly. Purple zones slow you down, red zones cut your engine, and green zones speed you up. Races feature items to collect for boosts, drift mechanics, and different tactical designs to master in each level. In addition to the competitive racing mode with support for Discord voice chat, players can also team up with friends for collaborative gameplay in Party Mode. The game has easy-to-learn controls, but it will take some time to master drifting and boosting to win. Players can collect in-game cards for rewards, and the cards are part of the Halfbrick+ collectible card system . Cards unlock ships, characters, and cosmetic items, and will eventually integrate with other Halfbrick+ games similar to Nintendo's Amiibo. With Season Pass rewards, players can make their way through a progression system laden with prizes. Jetpack Joyride Racing is free to download and play, with no ads included. The optional Halfbrick+ subscription provides access to other Halfbrick games like Fruit Ninja, plus it includes exclusive rewards, premium cosmetics, faster progression, and subscriber-only content. Halfbrick+ starts at $2.99 per month, but there is no need to subscribe to play Jetpack Joyride Racing. Jetpack Joyride Racing can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [ Direct Link ] Tag: Halfbrick This article, " Halfbrick Launches Free 'Jetpack Joyride Racing' Game With Multiplayer Support For Up to Six Players " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Apple on Thursday announced that it will be permanently closing three of its retail stores in the U.S. in June, and one of them was unionized. Apple Towson Town Center in Maryland Apple Towson Town Center in Towson, Maryland is one of the three stores being shuttered, with no replacement store planned. The staff at this location became Apple's first retail employees in the U.S. to unionize in 2022. They belong to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers ' Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM CORE), and they signed a collective bargaining agreement with Apple in 2024 . The other two locations that are permanently closing are Apple Trumbull in Trumbull, Connecticut and Apple North County in Escondido, California. Apple said employees at the Trumbull and North County stores will "continue their roles" at the company's nearby stores in each area, so transfer eligibility is guaranteed. Meanwhile, Apple said employees at the Towson store will be eligible to apply for open roles at Apple in accordance with their collective bargaining agreement, and it is unclear if everyone who applies will successfully secure a new position at the company. In a statement, Apple said it made the "difficult decision" to close all three stores due to "declining conditions" at the shopping malls in which they are located: At Apple, we are constantly striving to deliver exceptional service and great experiences for our customers. As we continue investing to expand and enhance our retail stores and offerings worldwide, we remain deliberate about evaluating our existing locations to ensure that we can meet our customers' needs in the best way. Following the departure of several retailers and declining conditions at Trumbull Mall, the Shops at North County, and Towson Town Center, we've made the difficult decision to close our stores at these locations. Our team members at Trumbull and North County will continue their roles at nearby Apple Retail stores. Towson employees will be eligible to apply for open roles at Apple in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement. We look forward to continuing to serve customers at nearby stores and on Apple.com, the Apple Store app, and at Apple Authorized Resellers and Service Providers throughout the states. Towson Town Center is indeed a struggling shopping mall that has lost many major retailers. Earlier this year, for example, Banana Republic, Madewell, and Tommy Bahama announced they were leaving the mall. In addition, local news outlets have reported that the area surrounding the mall is facing a rising crime rate in recent years. In a statement, the IAM Union said it is "outraged" by Apple's decision to close the Towson store and raised "serious concerns" of potential union busting: The IAM Union is outraged by Apple's decision to close its Towson, Md., store—the first unionized Apple retail location in the United States—and abandon both its workers and a community that relies on it for critical services and its unique access to public transit. Apple's claim that the collective bargaining agreement prevents relocation is simply false and raises serious concerns that this closure is a cynical attempt to bust the union. We are exploring all legal options and will work with elected officials and allies to hold Apple accountable. We stand with our IAM Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM CORE) members and the community that depends on this store for essential access and support. IAM added that it is exploring all legal options and will work with elected officials and allies to hold Apple accountable for this decision. Apple has yet to respond to our follow-up questions regarding IAM's statement and the accusations of potential union busting. Apple Towson Town Center closes June 20, according to a source familiar with the matter. Update: According to Apple, the contract that the union agreed to states that in the event of a store closure, Apple would transfer or rehire employees if the company opened a new store within 50 miles of the current location at Towson Town Center. In any other circumstance, the union negotiated for employees to receive severance. Apple has no current plans to open a new store in the area, but if it were to do so within the next 18 months, the affected employees would have the right of first refusal. Tag: Apple Store This article, " Apple is Closing a Unionized Store in the U.S. and the Union is 'Outraged' " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Google has expanded Gmail's end-to-end encryption for Workspace users to iOS and Android, allowing mobile users to compose and read encrypted messages natively within the Gmail app for the first time. The feature is part of Gmail's client-side encryption (CSE) offering, which until now was limited to desktop. According to Google's Workspace update , users no longer need to download additional apps or use separate mail portals to handle encrypted email on mobile, and the experience is now built directly into the existing Gmail app on both platforms. Google says encrypted messages can be sent to any recipient regardless of their email provider. If the recipient uses Gmail, the message arrives as a standard email thread. If they use a different provider, they can read and reply via a secure browser interface without needing to install anything. The feature is available now for both Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains. Access requires an Enterprise Plus plan with either the Assured Controls or Assured Controls Plus add-on, which is Google's compliance-oriented tier aimed at enterprise and public sector customers. Admins must first enable Android and iOS clients through the CSE admin interface in the Admin Console before users can access the feature. To encrypt an individual message, users tap the lock icon within a compose window and select "additional encryption" before writing. Tag: Gmail This article, " Gmail End-to-End Encryption Comes to iOS for Workspace Users " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
