An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Forget it. Play a round of Bejeweled instead. According to a new study, casual games are proven to be beneficial for your health. Details in the full article.

Still addicted to Peggle? Have no fear, PopCap Games just released Peggle for the iPod to ensure that gamers can always get their fix anytime, anywhere. Downloadable from the iTunes store and available in six languages, players around the world are now given the opportunity to try this game.

More on this game adaptation after the jump!

Popping into the press wire is none other than PopCap Games, announcing that they've geared up their Flash game repertoire by adding an iPhone-friendly version of their classic puzzler, Bejeweled.

Via their website, you can access the custom version of Bejeweled, which is now tailored to by playable in the iPhone's Safari browser. And it's for free, too - that's enough for us to keep our eyes glued to the grid and match the gems three or more in a row. (Maybe say bye-bye to our social life in the process, too.)

With this release of the popular game, PopCap's director of the Mobile Platforms division, Andrew Stein, concludes with:

We're excited to be providing the most popular puzzle game of the 21st century to users of the most advanced mobile device yet created. We wanted to give the hundreds of thousands of iPhone users a fun, fast gaming fix -- and at no cost, no less.

Visit the Read link below to access the iPhone-friendly Bejeweled.

Apple's foray into the world of portable media player gave birth to one of the most recognizable electronic products in the world - the iPod.  The iPod has evolved from being a digital music device to a video viewer, podcast player and pocket-sized photo album. And if that wasn't enough, Apple has thrown in the gauntlet and announced their newest plan for this nifty little gadget: iPod games.

To be able to enjoy these games, iPod owners with any fifth-gen (video) player must first download and install the latest iTunes 7 software for Microsoft Windows or Apple Macintosh computers. After installing, you can now download a total of nine games from the iTunes store for US$ 4.99 per game.

One of the games offered is Namco's classic arcade game from the 80s called Pac-Man. the little yellow guy was able to chomp his way to the iPod. A total of 256 levels can be enjoyed in the iPod version of Pac-Man, with "coffee break" animations that serve as intermissions between  levels. The gameplay is exactly the same as in other version: to guide Pac-Man onto the dots and fruits while evading the colored ghosts. The only difference is that you get to control him by using the click wheel of the iPod: gently tap (not press) one of the four directions of the click wheel to direct Pac-Man to the goal.

Another game being offered is Electronic Arts' Mini Golf. The game features three courses: 18-hole Tommy Totem's Tiki Putt Putt; the Ancient Egypt course; and the Freaky Circus Sideshow course. The last two courses will be unlocked if you are able to shot under par. The game also offers Pass n' Play multiplayer mode where two players can take turns putting off at a hole, and the Practice mode for newbie players. The iPod's click wheel serves as the game controller.

Another downloadable game is PopCap Games' Zuma. Take control of a stone frog in the middle of the screen and eliminate the long string of multicolored balls by firing a colored ball from the stone frog idol's mouth towards a group of two or more of the same colored balls. The control is simple, rotate the frog and use the center Select button t fire the ball. To select the color of the ball in the stone frog' mouth, click fast-forward or rewind button. Other additions of the game include shooting gold coins for extra points, creating combos by chaining successful moves together and power-ups. These are only three of the games offered by iPod. Other titles includes Tetris, Texas Hold'em, Mahjong, Cubis 2, Bejeweled and Vortex.

Steve Jobs announced that their next-gen iPods will be packed with more gaming capabilities. Naturally, this next-gen of iPods won't be able to bump out the PSP or Nintendo DS from the top of the handheld food chain. But Apple doesn't seem to intend to do that. Or do they? Basically, they just want to make your iPod more fun to use (and earn from it; $4.99 per game).

Some people feel rather hesitant about adding too much features that could take away the appeal of the iPod's simplicity. Some people who have actually already tried the games have been having control issues (no, not with regards to inner demons) with the click-wheel. Others, though, are apathetic and do not care at all. And of course, there are some who are optimistic and glad that Apple is getting into the gaming biz.

Regardless of whether the whole "beefing up of gaming capabilities" move was for the better or for the worse, it's gonna be a strange new adventure for Apple as they expand their iPod away from the previous pre-loaded games in the older iPod units to more dynamic gaming atmosphere. And with EA, Namco, and PopCap Games, it seems that they are starting off on the right foot.

To see for yourself, you might want to go to their iTunes Store and check out the games section. Each game has its own page, with reviews, notes, and a demo video. Some people have wondered why the games take up so much storage space (reaching 30-40MB), but when you look at the quality of the games' graphics, you'd know why. There aren't that many games on the iTunes Store now, but so far, so good. If everything goes right for Apple, we'd be having more games for the iPod in the future.

As expected, the new iTunes was launched today at the San Francisco event. As expected, the new iTunes will new feature a lineup of movies from Walt Disney, Pixar, Touchstone, and Miramax. But surprise! iTunes now stocks on-the-go video games. And even more surprise! There's a hot new Apple Box sighted on the horizon: the (temporarily code-named) iTV.

iTunes will stream movies to customers in near-DVD quality at resolutions up to 640x480 (depending on the video iPod or media player). CUstomers can order the iMove the same day as it comes out on DVD, or they can pre-order and have iTunes deliver it automatically when the movie is released.

The games available from iTunes will work on 5th generation iPods. All the games in today's lineup will be available for $4.99 each, and include:

• Tetris, Mahjong and Mini Golf from Electronic Arts Inc.;
• Pac-Man from Namco Networks America Inc.
• Cubis 2 from FreshGames, LLC;
• Bejeweled and Zuma from PopCap Games, Inc.; and
• Texas HoldÂ?em and Vortex from Apple.

Ah, and now the (temporarily code-named) iTV. As suspected by a New York Times writer, it's the Living Room Mac Box, more or less. The same movies you download into your Macs and iPods may one day stream onto your flat-screen TVs. It will communicate with your Macs wirelessly via 802.11 (it also has a USB and Ethernet connection). It will hook up to the TV via component audio or even HDMI. And it will be available, as they claim, in Q1 2007 - two seasons from now. (Most likely, it would be - Steve Jobs demoed a unit at the San Francisco event).

Ah, but this is only half the battle, so they say. They also unveiled the latest generation of the iPod family. Check that out at our companion article!