App Store

In iOS 7, Apple has made it easier for parents to find great age-appropriate, kid-friendly educational apps by gathering them all in one location. It’s currently being featured on the Featured page. Also you can find it by pressing on the blue word Categories in the upper left hand corner of the screen and then scroll down until you see Kids or click here. (ages 5 & under, ages 6-8 and ages 9-11).

By pressing on the Kids category the apps are split up based off the kids age. They have sections for ages 5 & under, ages 6-8 and ages 9-11.

There are even categories that cover key learning concepts like creating, shapes, colors, discovering the world, reading, music, and interactive books. To see them all, just swipe right to left on the boxes to view them all.

So parents, the next time you give your device to your children, you can now have them play with apps that are truly developed with them in mind and that are educational!

iOS 7 now blocking some third-party Lightning cables after earlier warning shot

Ben Lovejoy Sep 19 2013 - 5:08 am PT

51 Comments

As we suspected when Apple added a warning to a pre-release version of iOS 7 that non-certified cables may not work reliably with iPhones, the launch version is actually blocking some of them from charging the phone. Certified cables contain a chip that allows them to authenticate.

We first spotted this in a Reddit post, and have since confirmed. The warning message itself is unchanged, but it’s no longer an empty threat – though as seen in comments, some non-certified cables are still working. Possibly ones that use cracked chips. The good news is that there is a workaround for others, but it’s not pretty …
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Facebook updates iOS app with new look for iOS 7

Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2013 - 12:47 pm PT

9 Comments

Facebook announced on its blog today that it’s rolling out a new update for iOS 7 (alongside just about every other developer today) that brings a brand new iOS 7 style design to the app. On top of a lighter color palette and the new iOS 7 translucent top bar, you’ll also now be able to “swipe from left to right to get back to News Feed” after tapping a story.

There are some other tweaks included in the update as well. The iPhone app, for example, now includes a new tab style menu along the bottom of the screen. The new menu design is something Facebook has actually been testing with many users in recent months, although not with the new iOS 7 design included in today’s update. Facebook is hoping the new menu makes it “easier to switch from News Feed to your friend requests, messages or notifications.”

The new Facebook app for iOS has begun rolling out to the App Store. A video of the new design in action is below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnXggjgWC3U&feature=youtu.be

BlackBerry announces BBM for iPhone arriving on September 22

Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2013 - 11:41 am PT

6 Comments

After first announcing that its popular BBM messaging service would be arriving on iOS and Android sometime during the summer, BlackBerry finally confirmed in a blog post today that the app would be released on Sept. 21 for Android followed by a release on iOS on Sept. 22.

BBM will be available as a free download for Android smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean (Android 4.x) beginning at 7AM EDT on September 21. BBM for iPhones running iOS 6 and iOS 7 will become available for each market on the App Store schedule of 12:01 AM local time on September 22. For more information, or to download BBM for Android or iPhone, visit www.BBM.com.

BBM for iPhone and Android will initially include chat, photo and voice note sharing, multi-person chats with up to 30 people, and the ability to post status updates and personal messages. However, BlackBerry says the apps will get BBM Channels in a future updates:

BBM will continue to evolve quickly. Later this year, BBM Channels will provide a forum for active, real conversations between you and the people, brands, celebrities, artists, service providers, communities and more, that matter to you. By creating a Channel, individuals and brands can engage their friends and communities in conversations sparked by their thoughts, ideas and passions. Subscribing to a Channel will let you join conversations with people who share your interests. In addition, BBM Video calling and BBM Voice calling are planned for availability for Android and iPhone in a future version.

Gmail iOS app gets new icon, full-screen mode for large images & better integration w/ Google apps

Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2013 - 7:19 am PT

A ton of apps are getting updated today, many of which include support, new features and revamped looks for iOS 7. Google isn’t listing iOS 7 related features in its update of the Gmail iOS apps today, but it has refreshed its icon and added some new features.

On top of the new icon, Version 2.4.1 of the app includes an “enhanced attachment experience,” which really means that a larger image attached to an email will now open in a new full screen viewing mode when tapping its thumbnail.

The update also includes improved integration with other Google apps:

Better integration with Google apps – Google Drive and Google+ links go directly to the app, if installed. You can turn this off using the in-app settings.

Gmail version 2.4.1 for iPhone and iPad is available on the App Store now.

Grand Theft Auto V ‘iFruit’ companion app lets you customize in-game cars, train Chop the dog

Jordan Kahn Sep 16 2013 - 10:04 am PT

Rockstar has released an official iOS companion app today for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto V console title set for release tomorrow. The app, called Grand Theft Auto: iFruit, will let users stay up to date on the latest GTA news, launch other Rockstar Games apps, and sign in to the Rockstar Games Social Club. However, perhaps the most notable feature of the app is the ability to customize vehicles that will be used in the game:

Also choose from paint jobs, window tints, smoke colors, wheels, hoods and spoilers. Upgrade your engine, brakes, exhaust, suspension, and accessorize with new lights, horns, tires and body armor. Place your order on-the-go and find it waiting for you in the garage the next time you play Grand Theft Auto V, or send your order in while playing and get a call from your local mechanic to swing by. You can even create and reserve custom license plates for both Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online – order your personalized plates before they’re gone!

The app also includes “Chop the Dog”, a virtual pet game that can change the way Chop acts towards the character Franklin in the full console title:

Looking after Chop successfully is reflected in his behavior in Grand Theft Auto V in a number of ways:

•He will be more helpful and responsive to Franklin
•He will perform tricks such as sitting, begging and giving paw if properly trained through the app
•He will sniff out the nearest hidden items when the player takes him for a walk
•Earn enough credits through walks and proper caretaking and exchange them for new collars for Chop

The free Grand Theft Auto: iFruit app is available on the App Store now. If you’re wondering about the name, ‘iFruit’ is what Rockstar calls iPhones in the GTA game world.

Readdle releases ‘Calendars 5’ w/ new design for iOS 7, natural language input & much more

Jordan Kahn Sep 12 2013 - 7:06 am PT

Developer Readdle has officially released the latest version of its popular Calendars app, which appears to be replacing the paid Calendars+ app that it rolled out back in May. Calendars 5 for iPhone and iPad introduces a new interface that focuses on upcoming events and a new look and feel designed specifically for iOS 7. It also adds new features including additional view modes, full offline support, natural language input for quickly creating events (much like Fantastical), and a new powerful task manager that syncs with iOS reminders.

Calendars 5 is available now on the App Store for an introductory price of $4.99 and Readdle’s free Calendar app also remains available.

A full list of what’s new in Calendars 5 is below:

What’s new:

1. Natural language event processing.

It’s the most natural way to enter an event. Everybody can understand and use it. But you can create events in Day view by tapping and holding, some might find that faster and more natural. Just try it yourself since we support it as well.

2. Clean UI focused on YOUR events.

There are no colorful bars or buttons in the elements of Calendars+5. The only elements in color on the screen are your events or buttons that need your attention. iOS 7 design philosophy is in its essence.

3. All complexity is hidden.

When you create an event in iOS calendar you see a 12-fields-dialog that confuses and disorients you. In Calendars+5 you have a single field to start with. The rest will unfold as you need it.

4. No compromises, you have ‘Day, Week, Month and List’ views of your events.

Depending on the situation you might need to see a different perspective of your schedule. We designed the best possible representation of your Day, Week and Month for the small iPhone screen.

5. Integrated task manager – syncs with iOS reminders.

Tasks and events should live in the same application while you may want to see all your tasks in your calendar when needed. At the same time a task manager should be first-class product and support everything you might ever need to successfully control your undertakings. I think we’ve done just that. And yes, you can sync your iOS reminders with the task manager in Calendars

6. Great for power users.

I know that till now I’ve been advocating for a perfect calendar for an ordinary person. But I hate compromises and I wanted to provide a remarkable tool for power users too, especially since our CEO is exactly this kind of person. Appointments, locations, notes and calendars with 10 000 events are something that you can easily manage with Calendars+ 5.

Moreover, you can create and events like “Do something every second month of the year on weekdays of the 1st, 2nd and last week”. Calendars+ 5 is the only iOS application that allows you to create custom recurring events.

7. First-class iPad app.

Calendars+ 5 is the first smart calendar for the iPad, since all other great calendar applications are for the iPhone only. I don’t get it because the iPad’s large screen is great for viewing your Weekly or Monthly schedule and enables richer interaction with events.

8. Transparent information sync between iPhone and iPad.

Your tasks and events are synced seamlessly in the background between all your devices. It just works, period.

Amazon issues “required” iOS Kindle app update to install prior to iOS 7

Mike Beasley Sep 8 2013 - 2:36 pm PT

Amazon’s Kindle for iOS app got an update today to prepare for iOS 7’s upcoming release. According to the change log, the update is required before users update to iOS 7. Failure to install the new version of the app prior to updating to iOS 7 could cause users to have to login again and re-download their books.

While this issue isn’t as signficant as losing all of your Google Authenticator tokens, it could be a bit of an annoyance for users to have to re-download their reading material.

The Kindle update is available on the App Store now.

iBooks Textbooks category leaks out on iOS 7 iPhone App Store

Mark Gurman Sep 6 2013 - 2:21 pm PT

Following some adjusted wording on iBooks Textbook pages inside of iTunes that ignited speculation of iBooks Textbooks finally becoming compatible with the iPhone, a new iBooks Textbooks category has begun populating on the iOS 7 App Store for iPhone. The section is currently accessible via the Education category of the store.

As you can see in the screenshots above and below, the category is not currently populated or fully functional. However, there is promotional imagery for several categories (including Life Sciences, Humanities, and a High School Core Curriculum) that is fully optimized for the size of the iPhone’s display…

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Android hits 51 percent of mobile web use, but iOS growing faster

Ben Lovejoy Sep 6 2013 - 7:09 am PT

3 Comments

A new report from Millenial Media, one of the world’s largest online ad networks, shows that Android boosted its share of mobile web usage to 51 percent this year, but that iOS usage is growing at a faster rate.

Android’s usage grew five points since Q2 last year, while iOS usage grew eight points to reach 42 percent. In tablets, the iPad held its lead, while the Android share was convincingly led by Samsung’s Galaxy Tab.

In the manufacturer league tables across all devices, Apple lead the way with 39 percent share with Samsung taking second place at 26 percent.

Via Fortune

“2K Drive” iOS exclusive lands on the App Store for $6.99

Jordan Kahn Sep 4 2013 - 9:00 pm PT

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOeno8XsIY8]

2K has been teasing its upcoming “2K Drive” title developed by Lucid Games in recent weeks, and tonight the game is officially landing in the App Store. The iOS exclusive won’t be going the popular freemium model route, as 2K has informed us it will be selling the iPhone/iPad game for $6.99. The game features a number of real world vehicles, 100+ unique events, 25+ tracks, and a “RaceFace” feature that will let users put their own face on their character in the game. Licensed vehicles include Dodge, Fiat, Ford, GM, Icon, Local Motors, Mazda, McLaren, Nissan and So-Cal. The game’s official launch trailer is above and full details are in the press release below.

2K Drive Now Available Worldwide for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

Immerse yourself in a new dynamic automotive experience for your mobile deviceJoin the conversation on Twitter using the hash tag #2KDrive

New York, NY – September 5, 2013 – 2K and Lucid Games, a boutique studio founded by creators of the Blur and Project Gotham Racing series, announced today that 2K Drive is now available for download from the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch for $6.99. 2K Drive is a cutting-edge racing simulator that brings the depth and richness of console-based driving mechanics to gamers on the go. Featuring high-quality licensed and original cars, iconic locations, precision controls, and an integrated feed for the latest automotive news, 2K Drive brings the fast-paced world of automotive racing culture right to gamers’ fingertips.

With a wide variety of racing modes for both single and multiplayer, 2K Drive promises a dynamic gaming experience for motorsports enthusiasts of all interest levels. Offering more than 100+ unique events on 25+ tracks in five environments, 2K Drive provides mobile gamers with the chance to get behind the wheel of more than 25 licensed cars, from manufacturers including Dodge, Fiat, Ford, GM, Icon, Local Motors, Mazda, McLaren, Nissan and So-Cal. And by using the “RaceFace” function, players can put their own face on their driver’s, as well as see their friends behind the wheels of their cars when playing in asynchronous multiplayer.

“2K Drive was designed to offer the most comprehensive driving simulation experience in today’s mobile market,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “The game successfully combines the appeal of a premier console racing game with some of the leading automotive editorial content available on the Web, to create an all-inclusive entertainment hub for auto-enthusiasts.”

Through the game’s live newsfeed and multiplayer options, 2K Drive also offers players the opportunity to build a strong, authentic connection with car enthusiasts and automotive communities. Gamers will have the opportunity to view video and photo galleries, as well as read, “like” and “share” the latest news from popular automotive blogs and outlets, such as Car & Driver, Road & Track, Autoblog,Between The White Lines (BTWL), CaniBeat, Cars X Hype, Distraction Control, DUB Magazine, eGarage, Electric Cars Report, Fatlace,The Lowdown, Hemmings Motor News, Hooniverse, My Life @ Speed, and My Ride Is Me.

“Lucid has been thrilled to work with 2K in creating a rich and authentic mobile gaming experience that transcends traditional racing games on the platform,” added Pete Wallace, studio head at Lucid Games. “2K Drive immerses players in a vast expanse of dynamic content that allows each user to tailor their individual experience to better suit their own interest and level of engagement with the auto genre.”

2K Drive is available for $6.99 from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or at www.AppStore.com/2KDrive.

For the latest breaking news surrounding the game, look for updates on the 2K Drive Facebook and Twitter pages.

2K is a division of 2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

About 2K

Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment globally for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, which are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, sports, casual, and family entertainment. The 2K label has some of the most talented development studios in the world today, including Firaxis Games, Visual Concepts, Irrational Games, 2K Marin, 2K Australia, 2K Czech, Cat Daddy Games and 2K China. 2K’s stable of high quality titles includes the critically acclaimed BioShock®, Borderlands™ and XCOM® franchises, the beloved Sid Meier’sCivilization series, the popular WWE 2K franchise and NBA 2K, the #1 rated and #1 selling basketball franchise*. 2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). For more information, please visit www.2K.com.

*According to 2008 – 2013 Metacritic.com and The NPD Group estimates of U.S. retail video game sales through July 2013.

Apple offering free iTunes Festival songs in Apple Store app as part of sales push

Jordan Kahn Aug 29 2013 - 8:21 am PT

Continuing with its new push to offer free content to users through its Apple Store app, Apple today started offering users a selection of free songs under a new banner promoting the upcoming iTunes Festival. The new section promoting the iTunes Festival is currently offering six free songs with the offer set to expire on October 31. You can access the free content by navigating to a specific store location within the app, but the free content is currently only available to those in the US.

The song downloads follow Apple offering free apps such as Color Zen and free iBook titles through the Apple Store iOS app as part of a new sales push that we reported first back in July. The new initiative offers free content downloads through the Apple Store app as a way to boost content sales and awareness about the company’s App Stores, iTunes content, and iBooks. Apple Store employees are also being encouraged to install the Apple Store app on iOS devices sold in the store.

Apple iTunes Festival is scheduled to take place during the month of September in London, and the events will be streamed to iOS devices, iTunes, and even an app on the Apple TV.

Gmail for iOS app updated with bigger image thumbnails, better integration with Google Drive & Google+

Ben Lovejoy Aug 28 2013 - 4:20 am PT

2 Comments

Google has updated its Gmail for iOS app to version 2.4, offering larger image thumbnails, better photo handling and better integration with both Google Drive and Google+.

You can now tap a photo to view it full-size, and both Google Drive and Google+ links now take you direct to the apps if you have them installed. Dealing with Google Docs attachments is now a much slicker experience.

The app is available for download from iTunes.

Ebay updates ‘Fashion’ & ‘Motors’ apps w/ iPad support, adds interactive maps to StubHub

Jordan Kahn Aug 27 2013 - 9:23 am PT

Ebay has updated some of its mobile apps today with new features and support for additional devices. Its Motors and Fashion apps, which provide dedicated experiences for browsing vehicles and fashion products on eBay, today get support for iPad. The Motors app also gets a redesign for iPad, improved search, and updated layouts on both iPhone and iPad.

Ebay also updated its StubHub iOS apps today with new interactive maps for the upcoming pro and college football and basketball seasons. You can now “filter listings by section on 1,800+ maps and see the view from your section on more than 400 maps.”

The updated StubHub, eBay Motors, and eBay Fashion apps are available for free on the App Store now.

$50 Apple iTunes Card for $35 shipped (Update: over)

Jared Weintraub Aug 24 2013 - 1:02 pm PT

4 Comments

From 9to5Toys.com:

Update: This one is over. Don’t forget to follow 9to5Toys.com on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Email, RSS to get the latest deals as fast as possible.

Gift Card Mall via eBay is offering a $50 Apple iTunes Gift Card for $35 with free shipping/no tax/limit 4. That’s the lowest price we’ve seen for an iTunes card of this value ever.

Give the gift of one-stop entertainment. Each card includes a code redeemable for music, movies, TV shows, games, apps, and more on the iTunes Store, the iBookstore, the App Store, and the Mac App Store. Recipients can access their content on an iPod, iPad, or iPhone, and watch or listen on a computer – Mac or PC.

We all buy a lot of media through iTunes and App Stores. I easily spend $200/year. Now I just saved $60 easily.
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Apple reportedly testing changes to App Store ranking algorithms, now including user ratings

Jordan Kahn Aug 23 2013 - 11:36 am PT

According to a new report from research firm Fiksu, which regularly tracks changes to App Store charts, Apple might be experimenting with new algorithms for iTunes and App Store rankings that incorporate user ratings. Apple previously only used the number of downloads and how fast an app was being downloaded in order to rank apps for its top charts, but Fisku thinks it has recently started incorporating user rankings:

In late July, we first began to notice apps unexpectedly shifting position without a corresponding increase or decrease in downloads. Upon closer inspection, we discovered these position changes correlated with the apps’ ratings. As evidenced by the graph below, apps with ratings of 4 or more stars received a rank boost in late July and have maintained that rank throughout August. Poorly rated apps with less than 3 stars received the opposite treatment about two weeks later, dropping off precipitously in rank and staying that way. Average rated apps, between 3 and 4 stars, suffered a slight degradation in rank but have generally been less affected.

The report also notes that, in recent weeks, Apple appears to be updating App Store charts every three hours opposed to the 15 minute intervals it was using previously. Fisku speculates that the increase could be to help prevent manipulation of the app charts, noting that “three hours allows enough time to identify anomalies and remove apps before they suddenly appear at the top of the rankings.”
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Real Racing 3 iOS app adds classic Dodge and Shelby muscle cars, new events, difficulty tuning & more

Jordan Kahn Aug 21 2013 - 2:05 pm PT

EA has pushed out an update to its Real Racing 3 app for iPhone and iPad today that brings a number of new vehicles in addition to new events and performance tweaks.

Among the new vehicles is a collection of V8 muscles cars from Dodge and Shelby that EA says include improved visual physics “with realistic pitch and bodyroll.” The update also adds improved cameras, difficulty tuning, and new events that feature a “Series featuring a field of muscle cars hailing from Detroit.”

A full list of what’s new below:

What’s New in Version 1.3.0

An iconic generation of cars joins Real Racing 3’s diverse garage, with the introduction of timeless classics from Dodge and Shelby.

• New cars – Dodge and Shelby add a collection of big V8 muscle cars to Real Racing 3
• New events – compete in multiple challenging Series featuring a field of muscle cars hailing from Detroit
• Difficulty tuning – faster and more accurate skill adjustment for even tighter competition
• Visual physics enhancements – classic muscle cars come to life with realistic pitch and bodyroll
• Improved cameras – enhanced sense of speed and motion yields a more authentic racing experience
• Additional social networking options for enhanced Time Shifted Multiplayer and Cloud Save functionality

Google brings unified account sign-in to YouTube & AdSense iOS apps

Jordan Kahn Aug 21 2013 - 1:00 pm PT

Following an update to version 2.0 for the YouTube iOS app yesterday, users have noticed that Google appears to have turned on shared account logins for at least YouTube and the recently released AdSense app. That means logging into one app will automatically log you into the other without having to re-enter your account and password. Although the majority of Google’s iOS apps require users to sign into a single Google account used across its services, up until now each app required users to enter their account info when when launching for the first time.

Google didn’t list the new feature when it updated the YouTube app or in the release notes for the new AdSense app, but the support page for YouTube does note, “If you’ve signed in with another Google app on your iOS device, you may see this account listed.” Removing an account in either the AdSense or YouTube app will also remove it from the other app if installed on your device, but Google doesn’t offer users any control over the feature as of yet. Google doesn’t mention support for any specific apps, but we’d imagine this is likely a feature that will make its way to other Google iOS apps in the near future.

Wacom announces affordable pressure-sensitive Creative Stylus for drawing & painting on an iPad

Ben Lovejoy Aug 20 2013 - 5:15 am PT

Wacom, the company that makes professional-grade drawing tablets with four-figure price-tags, has just announced something a little more affordable: the Intuos Creative Stylus for iPad at $99.

Wacom claims the pressure-sensitive stylus with 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity provides a realistic pen-on-paper feel. The stylus works with a range of iPad apps, including a new version of Wacom’s own free app, Bamboo Paper. The latest version of the app adds Dropbox and Tumblr support, as well as additional tools and color palettes …
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Security researchers sneak malware past Apple’s App Store review using ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ approach

Ben Lovejoy Aug 20 2013 - 4:12 am PT

Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology managed to get a malicious app approved by Apple and included in the App Store by using a ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ approach, where the behaviour of a benign app was remotely changed after it had been approved and installed.

It appeared to be a harmless app that Apple reviewers accepted into the iOS app store. They were later able to update the app to carry out a variety of malicious actions without triggering any security alarms. The app, which the researchers titled “Jekyll,” worked by taking the binary code that had already been digitally signed by Apple and rearranging it in a way that gave it new and malicious behaviors …
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App Store monopoly case dismissed by judge, can still be refiled

Scott Buscemi Aug 16 2013 - 8:33 am PT

2 Comments

Back in 2011, a group of consumers filed a lawsuit stating Apple’s App Store is a monopoly since it is the only software marketplace available for the iPhone. That suit has now been dismissed by the overseeing U.S. District Judge, according to Bloomberg. However, the dismissal was only due to the plaintiffs not being “in a legal position to bring the suit as they hadn’t bought the applications at issue in the case.” Furthermore, “the complaint can still be amended and refiled.”

The case itself is meant to demonstrate how the App Store, with its 30 percent fee paid by developers, should be considered an anti-trust issue since Apple does not allow for other application marketplaces to be installed:

Apple requires iPhone software developers to turn over 30 percent of what they charge for an application, increasing prices and excluding competitors from the iPhone “aftermarket” of applications, according to the suit.

A refiled case is expected shortly from the plaintiffs.

Finish for iPhone 2.0 introduces Kiip integration, more notifications, task times, and more

Mike Beasley Aug 15 2013 - 9:00 am PT

3 Comments

Finish, the Apple Design Award-winning task management app created by a duo of high school students, received a substantial upgrade to version 2.0 today. The new version brings many visual tweaks and bug fixes throughout the app, but the biggest changes are the addition of several new, highly-requested features.

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WatchESPN app updated for iOS 7, adds ‘Live Toolbar’ that lets you stream two videos at once

Jordan Kahn Aug 15 2013 - 8:18 am PT