Hurricane by American Red Cross joins the top free iOS app this week at No. 4, according to research from AppData. The free app lets users monitor storm conditions in their area and gives tips on how to prepare for a storm and keep in touch with loved ones.

Below, we’ve listed the top free iOS apps of the week. The list links to Inside Network’s research about the individual apps, including historical charts, developer information and download information.

To prepare for Mediabistro’s upcoming Media App Summit on December 3, 2012, we spotlight the top free apps every week–helping our readers discover, enjoy and analyze successful content. Read more

New York is encouraging state residents to download its iAlertz app, which will be used as a way to communicate emergency messages with residents during Hurricane Sandy.

The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) created the free app in conjunction with Buffalo Computer Graphics.

Here is more about the app from iTunes: “Based upon New York State’s web-based mass notification product, NY-Alert, the mobile iAlertz app is designed to provide users with critical and emergency information in a quick and simple app, which can be accessed on the go.” For more information follow this link.

To help you stay safe during the hurricane, also check out our list of 5 apps to prepare for the hurricane, which we made last year in preparation for Hurricane Irene.

For your weekend reading pleasure, here are the most popular AppNewser headlines of the week, including the $329 iPad Mini, a tool for publishing your book online and advice for improving your media diet (video embedded above).

Click here to sign up for AppNewser’s daily email newsletter, getting all our publishing stories, book deal news, videos, podcasts, interviews, and writing advice in one place.

1. Apple Introduces $329 iPad Mini

2. How to convert ePub Books for use on Kindle

3. Best iPad Stylus for Writers

4. Free eBooks of the Week

5. How To Publish Your eBook Online with PressBooks

6. How To Accept Mobile Payments

7. Sync iBooks Between Your iPhone And Your iPad

8. 5 Apps To Tether Your Verizon Phone

9. The Pirate Bay Moves into the Cloud

10. Do You Suffer from Information Over-Consumption?

Apple’s newest and smallest tablet is up for pre-order today and, once again, demand exceeds supply.

Reports are coming in from the UK that the initial supply allocated to that country by Apple has already run out; the 7.9″ tablet is now showing a two week delay on new orders.

And the news is almost as bad in the US. The white iPad Mini model is already sold out in the US, and it too is showing a 2 week shipping delay. Luckily for us the black model seems to be less popular; it is still available with the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB storage options. Read more

Online Universities has created a large infographic outlining a host of online education options.

The chart explores options that range from free courses to classes that cost $30 a month. In addition, Apple has a vast collection of free courses to download at iTunes U, free courses are offered by major institutions like Stanford and Oxford. We collected a list of Free iTunes U Courses for Writers, a collection ranging from zombies to Tolkien studies to creative writing.

And don’t forget Mediabistro’s huge list of online courses.

Read more

Yahoo has acquired the app developer Stamped, in a deal whose terms were not disclosed. The Stamped brand will be absorbed into Yahoo and the company will be discontinuing its Stamp product — a social tool in which users can give products and services a “stamp” of approval — by the end of the year.

In a blog post on the Stamped website, the founders Robby Stein, Bart Stein & Kevin Palms wrote, “As entrepreneurs, it’s never easy to walk away from something you built from the ground up, but the folks we met with at Yahoo! are simply top-notch and we’re thrilled to be joining them!”

In the post, the executives went on to reveal that they will be “creating a brand new product and engineering office for Yahoo in NYC’s Bryant Park.” They did not explain what the product would be, but did say that it will be “something big, mobile, and new.” Read more

The Sigils: Volume One by Macaulay C. Hunter is today’s Free eBook of the Day.

The horror novel will get you in the mood for Halloween. Here is the book’s description: “Cadi Shaw doesn’t take much from humans – an ampoule of blood, a few snips of hair, maybe a toenail or two.  Nothing essential.  Nothing life-threatening. But not all sigils are harmless. Three badly wounded Nychos force Cadi to procure for them to spare her brother’s life. But they want a lot more than human blood or hair to work the spells keeping them alive. Far more.”

Smashwords has the free download.

For more free eBooks, check out our free eBook of the Day archive.

Apple begins shipping the iPad Mini on November 2nd, but the initial preorder devices are already out of stock. Just in case you didn’t get your order in or you want to try to get one a few days early, eBay sellers are promising to have the devices this week or next. It’ll cost you though.

From Apple, the 16GB version is $329, the 32 GB version is $429, and the 64 GB version is $529. The price is much higher from eBay sellers.

For $550 eBay seller blazeseller writes, “ WILL SHIP THIS IPAD MINI WORLD WIDE! BUY NOW!”

For $599.95, coltsfan895 has listed, “Apple iPad Mini 32GB White or Black PRE-ORDER Ships OVERNIGHT! WORLDWIDE TOO!”

For $450, bigwill95gs has listed, “Apple iPad Mini 16GB – Wi-Fi – Black & Slate.”

There are plenty more listings on eBay as well. It might also be a good time to get an old iPad, as people are selling their first, second and third generations to make room for the fourth generation model.

Freemium apps, free apps that let users purchase additional content, are on the rise in both iOS and Google Play stores, according to a new report from App Annie, a data and analytics company dedicated to measuring app consumption.

Here is more from App Annie’s blog: “Over the last 24 months, worldwide revenues for freemium apps on iOS have more than quadrupled. In 2012, worldwide freemium revenues on Google Play have grown 3.5X. Premium revenues for both app stores remained relatively flat in these time periods.”

In the U.S. freemium apps are rising at a steady pace. The rate of growth is huge in China and Japan. In Japan, Google Play freemium revenues have risen 24x in the last year and a half. In China, iOS freemium revenues have grown almost 25X in the past year and a half.

ZeptoLab, developer of the popular physics based iOS puzzle game Cut the Rope: Experiments, is branching out today. They’ve just announced a new series of short videos which will star Om Nom, the main character from Cut the Rope: Experiments.

The series will be called Om Nom Stories. They’re going to tell the story of OmNom after he comes to live with a boy named Evan. There will be 10 videos in all, and they will be posted to Youtube on a regular schedule (here is the first). You can also watch the videos from inside the app, which was updated today.

As you can see from the screenshot, the episodes will be made using a mix of live video and traditional animation, resulting in a video similar to Who Framed Roger Rabbit. ZeptoLabs has already announced that they are planning a second season of 40 episodes.

iTunes

Youtube