Gamers and music lovers both have App Store updates to be happy about Thursday, as Rovio released the latest edition of its blockbuster Angry Birds franchise and streaming radio firm Rdio unveiled a major update with a focus on stations.
Angry Birds Stella
First announced in February of this year, Angry Birds Stella is a new female-focused offshoot of the franchise. According to Rovio, players will be given the opportunity to join "Stella and her super adventurous friends on a quest to protect Golden Island from the greedy Bad Princess and her clueless piggies."
The game boasts more than 120 levels and players are given six birds in their "flock." Angry Birds Stella also introduces new superpower dynamics with tap-and-hold moves, as well as support for Rovio's Telepods real-world model system.
In addition, players can collect "pics and wacky outfits" for an in-game scrapbook while playing against their friends for high scores.
Angry Birds Stella is available now as a free, 43.4-megabyte download from the App Store.
Rdio
With Apple's iTunes Radio gathering tens of millions of listeners, Rdio is looking to stay ahead with an all-new version of the service rolled out across all platforms. The company says it will be the first to combine "lean-back listening" with radio stations and "on-demand listening" with albums, songs, and playlists.
Stations are now at the forefront of Rdio, with the entire service being "re-examined all of Rdio through a stations-first lens." New users can start listening to a personalized station immediately on signup, for instance.
The company has also added a new home screen that gives listeners personalized "music stories," as well as a new "trending" section that combines the Heavy Rotation and Top Charts lists to show currently-popular music and playlists.
Rdio version 3.0.0 is available now as a free, 47.6-megabyte download from the App Store.