Apps & Updates Archives - Page 114 of 159 - 9to5Mac

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Swing Copters update makes Flappy Bird sequel slightly less impossible

Zac Hall Aug 25 2014 - 7:47 am PT

Swing Copters

If you’ve tried and thrown in the towel on Swing Copters, the follow up game from Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen, you may want to give besting your high score another try this morning.

An updated version of the game was released today, tweaking the gameplay and bringing it closer to the difficult-but-not-quite-as-impossible levels of its popular predecessor Flappy Bird.
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Crowdsourced app gets CPR volunteers to cardiac arrest victims fast

Ben Lovejoy Aug 25 2014 - 5:09 am PT

10 Comments

pulsepoint

When someone’s heart stops, there are just minutes to save them from brain damage or death; by the time medics arrive, it can be too late. This is the problem former San Ramon Valley Fire Department chief Richard Price set out to solve with the crowdsourced iOS app, PulsePoint.

Price came up with the idea for the app after a tragedy that happened feet from where he was sitting, reports Re/code.

He was off-duty at a local deli when he heard sirens. Emergency vehicles pulled up and he rushed outside to see what was going on. A man in a shop next door had collapsed and emergency responders were unable to revive him.

“He was on the other side of the wall, I couldn’t see him,” Price says. “He lay there unconscious with no one doing CPR. I had a (automated defibrillator) nearby in my vehicle.”

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Upcoming Secret update removes ability to access photo library or post real names, adds Flickr search, polls

Mike Beasley Aug 22 2014 - 5:13 pm PT

2 Comments

The popular anonymous social sharing network Secret may be under fire in Brazil, but in the U.S. and abroad the software lives on, and today received a big new update on the Android platform, with the iOS version expected to be released sometime over the next few days. The new version both adds and removes several capabilities to the app.

One of the most important changes in the new build is the removal of the ability to access photos saved to a device’s photo library. The camera is still fair game, but Secret is attempting to cut down on personally-damaging photos by taking away the option to upload older images.

That’s not to say that the camera is the only way to upload photos, though. The app now supports Flickr search so users can still find just the right photo for their posts without the need to go through their photo libraries.

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Apple removes Secret app from Brazilian App Store for not conforming with local laws

Mike Beasley Aug 21 2014 - 6:39 pm PT

15 Comments

Following a recent ruling that Apple would have ten days to remove the anonymous social app Secret from its Brazilian App Store, Apple has complied with the order. The justification for the removal, according to a source close to the situation, can be found in section 22.1 of the App Store Guidelines:

Apps must comply with all legal requirements in any location where they are made available to users. It is the developer’s obligation to understand and conform to all local laws

As noted by the judge, the Brazilian constitution prohibits anonymous freedom of expression, which essentially makes Secret and other apps like it illegal with that country.

Per Article 5, Section IV of the Constitution of Brazil:

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iWork for Mac and iOS updated with bug fixes and stability improvements, iMovie for Mac with iCloud fixes

Mike Beasley Aug 21 2014 - 2:21 pm PT

5 Comments

Apple has published updates to all of the apps in its iWork suite on the Mac and iOS platforms. Pages for iPhone and iPad was bumped to version 2.2.2, while Pages for Mac reached version 5.2.2. Keynote for Mac was updated to version 6.2.2 and its iOS version went to 2.2.2. Both versions of Numbers were also updated, with the iOS version coming to 2.2.2 and the Mac version hitting 3.2.2.

Each of today’s update has the same exact change log:

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Intuit debuts redesigned Quicken 2015 for Mac with free mobile apps

Zac Hall Aug 21 2014 - 9:33 am PT

12 Comments

Quicken 2015

Intuit is out today with a new version of its personal finance app with the release of Quicken 2015 for Mac. The latest version of Quicken boasts an overhauled design to simplify the app as well as “new investment capabilities”, Intuit says. The new Mac version is accompanied by a sync compatible, updated Quicken Money Management app for iPhone which supports snapping and saving receipts as well as displaying charts on-the-go…

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Google Play Music for iPhone updated w/ ability to remove music on-the-go, improved playback, more

Zac Hall Aug 21 2014 - 8:19 am PT

5 Comments

It’s been just over a month since the last big update to Google Play Music for iPhone, and today the Google Play Music team is rolling out another update with new features and improvements. The latest release brings the version number to 1.3.2.2559 for those keeping track at home, and adds a handful of new functionality like the ability to remove music from your library via the iPhone app. The update also boasts additional accessibility features which will surely be appreciated as well as fixes for issues with skipping during track playback and eliminating duplicate listings in the music library. You can see the full change log below.
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LucasArts’ ‘Star Wars: Commander’ is a free-to-play iOS shooter, invading US right now

Stephen Hall Aug 21 2014 - 6:51 am PT

5 Comments

A new Star Wars game from the now Disney-owned LucasArts is landing on iPhones and iPads, and it’s a free-to-play combat strategy game (which won’t be free for too long if you don’t have the patience to wait real time for your structures to be built). The game is called Star Wars: Commander, and while it’s only today reaching the US, it has been available in at least one other country for a little while and has received some great reviews.
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Swing Copters from Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen now rolling out on the App Store

Stephen Hall Aug 20 2014 - 8:34 pm PT

5 Comments

In case you hadn’t heard, the creator of the infamous Flappy Bird is back and making another attempt at stealing your attention when you just need a quick iPhone gaming fix. The game is called Swing Copters and, quite frankly, it looks like a vertical remake of its predecessor—which spawned dozens of clones without the help of this spin-off. While we won’t know for a while whether or not this game will live up to the success of Flappy Bird, it’s now rolling out on the App Store in many locales.
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Vine for iOS updated with new camera, packs a plethora of new capture tools

Stephen Hall Aug 20 2014 - 11:00 am PT

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vine camera

Vine for iOS is getting a big update today, packing a new camera that adds a feature that those who use Instagram to share video have had for quite some time: the ability to create posts using clips from your camera roll. The new camera does more than add this method of creating posts, though, and includes many new tools for editing these videos to make your posts exactly what you want them to be.
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NFL Now channel added to Apple TV w/ instant in-game highlights, live events and press conferences, more

Zac Hall Aug 20 2014 - 10:12 am PT

3 Comments

NFL NOW APPLE TV

Earlier this month we reported that the NFL network was testing its NFL Now service as a channel on the Apple TV. The subscription sports service launch followed a few days later with apps for iPhone and iPad in tow, and today the Apple TV channel has arrived as well. While the football channel does not support viewing live games, it does feature highlight clips and other programs as part of the service. Here’s how NFL Now describes the service:

NFL Now gives you personalized access to the largest digital library of NFL content available anywhere including news, analysis and highlights, plus NFL Films archives all on your favorite devices. Some premium content requires a paid subscription.

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Parallels Desktop 10 announced with support for Yosemite, iCloud Drive, and much more

Seth Weintraub Aug 19 2014 - 9:00 pm PT

23 Comments

Parallels Desktop has been with the Mac almost as long as it has run on Intel hardware.

Today, the company announced the 10th major release of its industry-leading virtualization software for Macintosh and mobile. It has more of what makes Parallels so special: Performance, integration and features.

Parallels has an important place in Apple history because it allowed many people who needed a few Windows applications over the last decade to buy and enjoy the Mac OS. In effect, it helped deal with Microsoft’s monopoly on software in the desktop era.

For many people that continues today. Microsoft still makes its Office suite a little bit handicapped on the Mac. Gamers know that to get a wider variety of games you need to run Windows. Developers need different environments, browsers and OSes to test their software on. And, probably most painful, many companies still require Windows to run proprietary apps or connect to antiquated network servers.

Speaking of Windows, Microsoft has made it harder for Parallels to integrate the Windows installation so you’ll have to do it yourself from with a Optical media or a USB port. In v9 of Parallels, you could buy the image from Microsoft and then install from an image in a matter of minutes.

PDupgrade_dock

The new Parallels 10 offers the following performance improvements:

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Brazilian judge orders Apple, Google remove Secret from the app stores, remotely delete from users’ phones

Mike Beasley Aug 19 2014 - 6:40 pm PT

17 Comments

Update: At the moment, this ruling is still unofficial. A Brazilian prosecutor is pushing for the removal of these apps, but the judge has not officially ordered any action just yet. A source tells us that Secret has sent counsel to Brazil to investigate the situation, though we’ve been told this ruling would really be against Apple, Google, and Microsoft rather than the Secret app itself. Original story below:

A judge in Brazil has had it with the anonymous bullying carried out on social networking apps like Secret and has stepped in to put a stop to it, according to a report from Estadao [translation]. Judge Paulo Cesar de Carvalho has ruled that Apple and Google must delete the application from their respective app stores, but the ruling doesn’t stop there.

According to the report, the judge has demanded that both companies remotely delete the application from every device that has installed it in the country. While that might sound like a hilarious case of a judge not understanding how technology works, you may be surprised to learn that it’s actually a capability that both companies possess.

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Simple for iOS gets redesigned from the ground up in 2.0 update

Stephen Hall Aug 19 2014 - 11:15 am PT

4 Comments

simple 2.0

If you haven’t heard of Simple, it’s definitely one of the most 2014-friendly banks out there. Known for its excellent mobile applications, the bank works just like any bank, but gives you a plethora features in both its mobile and web applications to make banking and tracking spending much easier. Today, the company is pushing version 2.0 of the app to Android and iOS users—and the latter will be especially happy because the app still hadn’t been updated to match the iOS 7 aesthetic until today.
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Mailbox for Mac reaches public beta, packs draft support, new “snooze to desktop” feature

Stephen Hall Aug 19 2014 - 9:24 am PT

1 Comment

The team behind the famed Mailbox mobile application demoed a very early preview of the app for Mac back in April of this year, not long after announcing that the platform had been acquired by Dropbox. But the team has seemingly been making steady progress, hoping to create the perfect desktop counterpart to its mobile email client. Today, Mailbox announced that the app has reached public beta and that it will be rolling out soon to those who have signed up for the wait list.
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Google releases new Photo Sphere Camera app for iPhone

Zac Hall Aug 19 2014 - 9:02 am PT

5 Comments

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9D3PxwGvC8&feature=youtu.be]

Google has dropped a new app for iPhone this morning called Photo Sphere Camera. The app offers a special camera that allows you to capture 360º images – everything above, below, and around you – for viewing and sharing. The new app even allows you to publish 360º images you capture to Google Maps for others to see as well. Google notes that the app requires iPhone 4S or higher for capturing images. Photo Sphere Camera is available for free on the App Store joining a long list of other Google apps including its popular game augmented reality game Ingress.
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The creator of Flappy Bird is launching a new game this week called Swing Copters

Zac Hall Aug 18 2014 - 11:54 am PT

6 Comments

Swing Copters

After months of countless Flappy Bird clones hitting the App Store, Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen is taking his best shot at hopefully cloning the success of his bizarrely popular iPhone game with a new title called Swing Copters.

According to Touch Arcade, which had an early peak at the game (Nguyen seems to be marketing this game despite pulling Flappy Bird for getting too popular), Swing Copters is just as challenging (therefore probably as addictive) as you pilot a helicopter upward through gates with menacing, swinging hammers that crash your flight on impact. The gaming site also has footage of early gameplay of the Flappy Bird successor as you can see below:

The official successor to Flappy Bird is said to be ready to soar on Thursday, August 21st, and be free with a single 99¢ in-app purchase to remove advertisements. Will Dong Nguyen’s next game be yet another hit or is the Flappy Bird concept too played out?

Xbox One SmartGlass app adds ability to buy & install Xbox games remotely, more

Jordan Kahn Aug 18 2014 - 11:38 am PT

2 Comments

Xbox-One-smartglass-01

Microsoft updated its Xbox One SmartGlass app for iPhone and iPad today with a few interesting new features including the ability to purchase and remotely begin installing games to your Xbox.

The app now lets users browse new and popular games, add-ons, and bundles as well, which will come in handy now that you can also purchase and begin automatically installing content on your Xbox right from your iPhone or iPad.

Also included in version 2.8 of the app is the ability to “rate your favorite game clips and activity feed entries” and “receive and view shared Activity Feed and Game Clips”.

The updated Xbox One SmartGlass app for iOS is available on the App Store now. A full list of what’s new in the update is below.

What’s New in Version 2.8

•Rate your favorite game clips and activity feed entries
•Purchase things on your phone or tablet and they will start installing on your Xbox
•Browse new and popular games, add-ons, and bundles
•Receive and view shared Activity Feed and Game Clips
•General stability and polish improvements
•Bug fixes

Pokemon is coming to the iPad, just not in the way you were probably hoping

Mike Beasley Aug 15 2014 - 6:55 pm PT

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The world has long clamored for Pokemon on iOS, and now it looks like those users may finally get their wish. But don’t get your hopes up to play the upcoming Omega Ruby on your iPhone, or even the classics like Pokemon Red. The game headed for the iPad isn’t part of the popular adventure game series at all. It’s actually a digital version of the Pokemon trading card game.

YouTuber Josh Wittenkeller spied an early build of the app earlier today, snapped a photo and posted it to Twitter.

[tweet https://twitter.com/TheJWittz/statuses/500350510403432448 align=’center’]

The Pokemon Company has confirmed that the app is in development, but there’s currently no established timetable for when it will become available to the public. Mac and PC versions of the app have be available for some time.

TweetDeck for Mac gets Regional/City Trends column, other improvements

Jordan Kahn Aug 15 2014 - 9:38 am PT

0 Comments

Tweetdeck-mac-01

TweetDeck for Mac was updated via the Mac App Store to version 3.8.4 and with it comes a new feature that will show regional and city trends. “You can now find locally trending topics for Regions and Cities, and add a column based on the trend.”

The update also includes a number of other improvements and fixes. You can now remove scheduled tweets from the Scheduled column by removing the time from a tweet and the other update also includes improvements for multiphoto tweets in large columns. In addition, the updated app fixes a few annoyances like the empty columns bug after a computer wakes from sleep as well as retweets with emoji not display properly.

The updated TweetDeck for Mac is available on the Mac App Store now.

What’s New in Version 3.8.4

– Fixes issue with empty columns after computer wakes from sleep.
– Regional + City level Trends. You can now find locally trending topics for Regions and Cities, and add a column based on the trend.
– Retweeting a Tweet with emoji no longer scrambles Tweet contents
– Removing time from a scheduled tweet now removes that Tweet from the Scheduled column.
– Multiphoto inprovements for large columns

Apple interviews Tom Hanks via Twitter about his new Hanx typewriter iPad app

Zac Hall Aug 14 2014 - 11:15 am PT

14 Comments

Tom Hanks iPad

Tom Hanks has played many roles throughout his acting career in movies like Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile, and even Pixar’s Toy Story trilogy, and today the actor is finally adding app developer to that list.

Hanx Writer, a flashy new app with a very classic concept revisited for the tablet age, is the result of close collaboration between Tom Hanks and the game/mobile app development studio Hitcents. The app brings the old school typewriter experience to the iPad with clicking and clacking and dings and includes various inks, ribbons, and keyboards. It’s also very functional in that you can share you documents in all their vintage glory over email, AirDrop, print, and more just like any modern iPad writer. Catch the interview after the break…
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Dropbox’s Mailbox for iOS updated with new languages, support for opening Passbook, printing, more

Zac Hall Aug 13 2014 - 1:20 pm PT

3 Comments

The popular Dropbox-owned email client Mailbox received a notable update today bringing a list of new supported languages as well as additional features.

In addition to English, Mailbox is now translated into the following languages: Chinese (both Simplified and Traditional), Danish, Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Spanish (both European and Latin American), Swedish, and Thai.

The update also adds support for Apple’s Passbook platform. Previously, emails containing Passbook files would prompt an “Open in…” dialog with Mail and Dropbox supported, but the new version of Mailbox allows users to open Passbook files right in the Passbook app from the email as you would expect.

The update also includes a list of other changes including support for printing emails, viewing spam folder emails, spam filtering, adding stars to emails, using military time, and more.

Mailbox for iPhone and iPad is available for free on the App Store.

Beats Music “Listen Now” feature starts rolling out to Shazam iOS app

Mark Gurman Aug 13 2014 - 10:42 am PT

2 Comments

Users of the Shazam iOS application have begun noticing that Shazam is testing a new “Listen Now” feature with the Apple-owned Beats Music streaming service. Like it does with iTunes Radio, Spotify, and Rdio, this feature allows a user to tag a song with Shazam and then instantly play it in Beats Music. We tested the feature this morning and it works as advertised. You’ll need a Beats Music subscription or a 14-day free trial in order to make use of the feature. With Beats now under Apple’s wing and Shazam a key partner for Siri in iOS 8, it makes sense that the trio would integrate in a fashion such as the new Listen Now button in the Shazam app. You’ll need the latest Shazam update to make use of the feature.

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Facebook 13.1 released for iOS, boasts crash rate reduction of over 50 percent

Mike Beasley Aug 12 2014 - 10:21 pm PT

1 Comment

Facebook released version 13.1 of its iOS client today with a rather uninteresting change log noting that the app had received “bug fixes” and nothing more. However, over on Facebook’s engineering blog the company has outlined what exactly went into this fix, and it turns out the update contains a significant fix that will resolve over 50% of reported crashes.

According to the blog post, the issue arose from a file corruption error that appeared in iOS’s Core Data system:

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