by 
Monday wound up being a rather brisk day for tech news, with the removal of AppGratis from the App Store continuing to make headlines. T-Mobile also finally provided some much-needed official support for existing iPhones and Marvel even returned with its free #1 promotion — but you’ll need to act quickly, because that deal turns into a pumpkin again at midnight tonight. Read on to find out more!
AppGratis Removal Blamed on Push Notification Abuse
As we reported on Monday, popular app discovery service AppGratis vanished from the U.S. App Store over the weekend, prompting speculation that the app had run afoul of Apple’s developer guidelines. AllThingsD has confirmed that is indeed the case, getting slapped on the wrist for not one but two violations. The first is the most obvious, with App Store Review Guidelines specifically calling out “Apps that display Apps other than your own for purchase or promotion in a manner similar to or confusing with the App Store will be rejected.” The second violation involved abuse of push notifications “to send advertising, promotions or direct marketing of any kind,” which is becoming a big problem with many apps now. No word as yet from AppGratis on how they plan to fix the issue.
T-Mobile Releases Carrier Update for Unlocked iPhone 5 Models
After being teased last Friday, TmoNews reported Monday that T-Mobile’s Carrier Update for the iPhone is finally available ahead of its official debut on the magenta network this Friday. The tiny over-the-air update adds official support for T-Mobile’s U.S. network for all unlocked handsets, which includes Visual Voicemail, 4G network indicator, LTE and HD Voice for the iPhone 5 and auto-configuration settings for MMS, Personal Hotspot and APN. You’ll need the latest iOS 6.1.x update (and a T-Mobile SIM card) installed, then simply head to Settings > General > About from your device and you should be prompted to download the under 10KB update.
Marvel #1 Promotion Available Again, This Time in Batches
Marvel and technology partner ComiXology are back with their #1 promo, which briefly offered more than 700 free digital issues during SXSW last month before the whole thing was shut down because the servers crushed under the weight of so many people attempting to download at once. The promo is now back, but with a twist: You’ll need to head to this signup page before 11:59pm EST on April 9 (that’s today!), then wait for an email to arrive sometime after Thursday, April 11, 2013 with instructions on how to get yours. So much for instant gratification, but it’s still a great deal for those who missed out on it the first time around.
Paragon Camptune X Updated for Windows 8 Boot Camp Support
Paragon Software announced Monday that the latest version of its Camptune X software for Mac has been updated to add full Windows 8 support for Boot Camp. After buying or updating to version 10.2, Camptune X allows Boot Camp users to adjust how much space is devoted to your Windows 8 partition without data loss — and it happens in moments, with just a few clicks of the mouse. The $19.95 software previously supported Windows 7 and earlier versions, but the latest update now adds Windows 8 support, which Apple finally supports via Boot Camp as well.
HTC Posts Record-Low Quarterly Profit Ahead of One Shipments
Reuters reported Monday that HTC Corp. is reporting record-low quarterly profit for the first quarter of the year, a problem compounded by delays in shipping its latest flagship handset for 2013, the well-reviewed HTC One. The manufacturer had planned to roll out the handset in 80 markets worldwide, but only wound up with three — a problem blamed on a shortage of camera parts used in the handset. HTC’s Q1 2013 net profit fell from $1 billion in the prior quarter to only $85 million, missing analysts’ estimates at a crucial time.
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
