App Store

1,949 'App Store' stories December 2010 - June 2012

Apps and updates: LinkedIn passwords leak, Angry Birds Space hits 100M, and Sparrow teases iPad app

Élyse Betters Jun 6 2012 - 9:00 am PT

[slideshow]

The blogosphere is abuzz this morning regarding a few key developments—some good, some bad—within notable iOS apps, including: Linkedin, Angry Birds Space, and Sparrow.

Linkedin

UPDATE at 1:02 p.m. PST.: According to LinkedIn’s Director Vicente Silveira: “We can confirm that some of the passwords that were compromised correspond to LinkedIn accounts.” More information about what LinkedIn is doing to remedy the situation is detailed in a blog post by the company’s director.
UPDATE at 10:01 a.m. PST.: LinkedIn just updated its iOS app to version 5.0.3 to bring “miscellaneous bug fixes” and “improvements in calendar.” The company promised earlier that it would no longer send sensitive data from the meeting notes section of calendar events and that it would provide a “learn more” link to offer more information on how it crops data. These improvements are also live on the Android counterpart.

LinkedIn’s free iOS app is in the middle of a scandal after reports from last night indicated the professional network scrubs calendar entries filled with business and personal data, and then transmits the sensitive particulars to the company’s servers without users’ knowledge. LinkedIn promptly took to its official blog and tried to reassure users that all is well. Unfortunately, the website’s troubles do not stop there: According to a report from The Verge today, a Russian forum member [translated] claimed to have hacked and uploaded nearly 6.5-million LinkedIn passwords. The company posted a tweet this morning notifying users that it is “currently looking into reports of stolen passwords.” A later tweet from the company revealed it could not confirm the existence of a security breach, but asked users to “stay tuned.”

[tweet https://twitter.com/linkedin/status/210390233076875264]

Angry Birds Space

Rovio, the gurus behind the popular iOS app Angry Birds Space, announced in a tweet this morning that its latest offering in the popular Angry Birds series hit 100 million downloads across all platforms. The game passed 50 million downloads within 35 days of its launch, and the company revealed last month that all Angry Birds titles cumulatively hit 1 billion downloads across all platforms. Those are some astonishing stats for a 99-cent app.

[tweet https://twitter.com/AngryBirds/status/210363760307732481]

Sparrow

Sparrow launched a landing page today on its website with the message: “We are preparing something bigger.” The URL, sprw.me/ipad, is an indication that the popular email client for Mac and iPhone is now coming to the iPad. A contact field to sign up for updates is centered on the page. Once an email is submitted, an image of the iPad immediately springs from below.

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Review: ‘JamUp’ multi-effect guitar app for iPhone & iPad

Jordan Kahn Jun 1 2012 - 8:27 am PT

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Written by Travis Tucker

First off, let me just say this is by far the best and most intuitive amp modeling iOS apps that I have seen to date. If you know how to move and manipulate the app layout of your iPhone/iPad, you will be up and running on JamUp in no time. The app has five main sections: Amp/FX, preset, songs, sampler, and tuner.

The Amp/FX section is what you would expect. It is an area for you to experiment with by adding and manipulating amps and effects in various locations in your signal chain. Various staple amp models are featured, as well as the tried-and-true lineup of effect pedals. The amp sounds are genuinely warm and sound noticeably better than comparable models in Amplitube’s amp modeling app. With that said, some of the amp features are not as faithful to the models they are based upon. On-board tremolo and decent clean sounds are noticeably absent on some heads. The pedals sound great. A feature I would like to see added is the ability to stack the same model pedal in series, instead of using it only once.

The Preset section is a collection of sound patches pre-programmed by PositiveGrid that serve as nice launching points for tinkering and coming up with your own sounds that can then be saved. It is self-explanatory, but what makes this work as easy as it does is the fast and intuitive interface. It is also much less daunting and intimidating than similar apps.

The Songs section is great, because it allows you to jam along with any audio file in your iDevice’s music library. You can sort/find the songs in your library in a variety of ways, and control the volume mix. You can even vary the pitch/speed of the music playing! I loved this feature for playing along with some bands that detune a half or whole step. The pitch change alone does not vary the speed. These features are a great practice tool for breaking guitar parts down and playing through setlists by bands with various tunings.

The Sampler section allows you to record yourself playing a section of music, and then you can play something along with it, after the fact, in loop fashion. This is another great tool for practicing and songwriting. I especially liked the ability to export and share recordings as song ideas.

The Tuner is self-explanatory, although, again, I really like the interface choice (the vintage “note wheel”). It also cuts the audio output, so no one is forced to hear your droning notes being tuned.

HARDWARE

Another great feature of this app is the interoperability that it provides with many guitar input interfaces. More than half a dozen other interfaces work with the app besides PostiveGrid’s own JamUp Plug. I compared the audio response of IK Multimedia’s iRig and the JamUp Plug, but the JamUp model was undeniably better sounding. However, noticeable clipping is evident while using some sound combination choices, regardless of input level and interface chosen. This is a problem not unique to this app, but it frustrates nonetheless.

SUMMARY

I think the JamUp is a wonderful tool for guitar players looking to experiment with different amps and pedals before buying the real deal. It is also quite handy in helping to decipher songs and putting simple song ideas together. It sounds much better than Amplitube. It does not offer the ability to dive as deeply into sound tweaking as the rival app by Agile Partners, but its interface is much smoother and intuitive.

JamUp Pro is available for $19.99 here. The company also offers a free, scaled-back lite version available.

Apps and updates: Little Things Forever, Diet Coda, Sparrow, Netflix, Angry Birds Space, and more

Élyse Betters May 31 2012 - 11:41 am PT

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[slideshow]

A few of the most noteworthy apps in the iOS ecosystem either landed on the App Store recently or received much-welcomed updates, such as the launch of Little Things Forever—the long-awaited sequel to the “iPad App of the Week” Little Things. Performance enhancements and new feature additions also arrived to Little Things, as well as Diet Coda, Sparrow for iPhone, Netflix, Etsy, Pinterest, Angry Birds Space and Angry Birds Space HD, Flixster with Rotten Tomatoes, Google Shopper, and Djay and Djay Free.

Check out the full slate of notables below.

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Nuance releases Dragon Express Mac app in 7 additional countries, 3 new languages

Jordan Kahn May 31 2012 - 7:49 am PT

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Nuance announced it is releasing the Dragon Express Mac App Store app today to seven new countries in three new languages. Originally released last year, the app is now available in the following countries for around $50:

Dragon Express 1.1 now supports the French language in Canada, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, the German language in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, and the Italian language in Italy.

Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland (French), Switzerland (German)

According to iPhonehellas [translated], Nuance also held a press event today in Greece to announce the availability of Dragon Dictation for June 6.

The full press release from Nuance is below:

Nuance’s Dragon Express for Mac OS App Store Now Available in French, German and Italian Languages

BURLINGTON, Mass., – May 31, 2012 – Nuance Communications, Inc., (NASDAQ: NUAN) today announced that its Dragon Express App, an introductory voice recognition app for Mac OS X Lion, has debuted in seven additional countries, supporting three additional languages. Dragon Express 1.1 now supports the French language in Canada, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, the German language in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, and the Italian language in Italy. Available exclusively for download from Apple’s Mac App Store, Dragon Express is an easy and fun way to put words to work without the hassle of typing, allowing users to do more in less time.

Released in late 2011, Dragon Express quickly rose to the top of the charts in the Mac App Store. It’s a fast, hands-free way to quickly turn speech into text, whether sending email, surfing the Web or posting an update to Facebook and Twitter. Dragon Express is priced to provide people with an opportunity to experience the power and performance of speech recognition.

“The excitement for Dragon Express has been overwhelming, and we’ve heard our customers’ requests for additional language support,” said Peter Mahoney, chief marketing officer, senior vice president and general manager, Dragon, Nuance Communications. “We know that people around the world are embracing speech as a useful and fun interface, and we’re excited to bring the Dragon Express app to a broader worldwide audience.”

Dragon Express can be conveniently accessed from the menu bar at any time and doesn’t require a network connection. Users dictate directly into the Dragon Express window, using the internal Mac microphone or a USB headset microphone (which can be purchased via http://www.nuance.com), and the text instantly appears in the Dragon Express window. When finished, Dragon Express places the transcribed text into the application of choice. The download comes with a short enrollment so that the app can better recognize a user’s unique voice.

Dragon Dictate, the most full-featured and advanced speech recognition software for Mac OS, was recently updated to version 2.5. Dragon Dictate 2.5 includes many features beyond those in Dragon Express. These features include the ability to dictate directly into applications, edit, format and correct recognition errors by voice, open and close applications by voice, control the mouse by voice, create custom voice commands and support for the Dragon Remote Mic app for iPhone.

Fantastical Mac Calendar gets updated with iCal and iOS reminders, bugfixes (9to5mac.com)

Spotify updated with push notifications

Jordan Kahn May 29 2012 - 8:10 am PT

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Spotify just released version 0.5.1 of its universal iOS app. The new version adds push notifications for updates to playlists that you are subscribed to, new subscribers, and when a friend joins Spotify. The update also brings a number of fixes, updated artwork for Retina displays, and Retina graphics for offline playlists. We are not so sure how many people will find push for Spotify useful, because those subscribed to many playlists will likely be bombarded by notifications. The good news is you can switch them off from Settings. Unfortunately, you cannot specify notifications for specific playlists. You can check out the full list of changes from the update below:

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PhotoBeamer: Imaging tech company Scalado introduces first iOS app; beam photos to any browser

Jordan Kahn May 29 2012 - 5:19 am PT

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_dJOvJQv8o&feature=youtu.be]

You may not be familiar with the name Scalado, but there is a good chance you have used one of its imagining technologies without even knowing it. The company’s photo applications helped power camera and image apps for over 10 years, and they are currently baked in to 1.5 billion phones (adding about 500 million mobile phones every year). Most recently, we revealed Scalado’s Rewind technology is integrated into BB10’s camera app, and Scalado is introducing its first iOS app today called “PhotoBeamer“, which we have tested over the past month.

While it usually works directly with OEMs, the company recently released its first app directly to users late last month as an Android-only photo viewer called “Scalado Album“. The new iOS app, PhotoBeamer, serves to quickly and wirelessly display photos stored on your iOS device to any display with a web browser.

We already have a ton of third-party apps for transferring and viewing photos from iOS devices to a bigger screen. Even Apple’s own Photo Stream feature makes things easy for accessing photos on your other iOS devices and almost as easy on your Mac, and iPhoto’s beam feature allows for wireless sharing of images between iOS devices. Getting images to our other devices is not a problem, but PhotoBeamer’s zero-configuration, no registration, and extremely snappy, patented imaging tech might make it your go-to app.

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iOS Games and Apps on sale for Memorial Day!

May 25 2012 - 12:24 pm PT

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From 9to5toys: Many iOS game and app developers are slashing prices of their most popular titles to celebrate Memorial Day this weekend. We will continue to update this post as we find more great deals for you.

Universal Apps (iPad, iPhone, iPad)

Grand Theft Auto 3 for iPad, iPhone, iPod, regular 99 cents, regular $4.99
Infinity Blade II, $2.99, regular $6.99
Mass Effect: Infiltrator, $2.99, regular $4.99
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, 99 cents, regular $9.99
Burnout CRASH!, 99 cents, regular $4.99
Combat Arms: Zombies, $1.99, regular, $6.99
Solar Walk 3D Solar System, $1.99, regular $2.99

iPad Apps

NBA Jam for iPad $1.99, regular $4.99
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 for iPad, 99 cents, regular $4.99
Real Racing HD for iPad $1.99, regular $4.99
Need for speed Hot Pursuit for iPad, 99 cents, regular $4.99
Fifa Soccer 12 for iPad, $2.99, regular $9.99
Battlefield Bad Company 2 for iPad, $1.99, regular $9.99
Monopoly Here and Now: World Edition, 99 cents, regular $9.99
Skyfire web browser, $2.99, regular $4.99
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD, 99 cents, regular $9.99
Dead Space, $1.99, regular $9.99
Madden NFL 12, $2.99, regular $6.99
Tiger Woods: PGA Tour 12, 99 cents, regular $4.99
Flight Control HD, 99 cents, regular $4.99
Battleship HD, 99 cents, regular $4.99
Fight Night Champion by EA Sports, 99 cents, regular, $4.99
Monopoly, 99 cents, regular $6.99
Star Walk for iPad, $2.99, regular $4.99

iPhone Apps

Fifa Soccer 12 for iPhone, $1.99, regular $4.99
Need for Speed Undercover, $99 cents, regular $2.99
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, 99 cents, regular, $4.99
Real Racing 2, 99 cents, regular $4.99
Skyfire web browser, $1.99, regular $2.99
Battlefield Bad Company 2, 99 cents, regular $2.99
Dead Space, 99 cents, regular $6.99
Madden NFL 12, 99 cents, regular $4.99
Hipstamatic, 99 cents, regular $1.99
Star Walk, $1.99, regular $2.99
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, 99 cents, regular $4.99

Apple removes Rogue Amoeba’s audio streaming app without reason (Update: Apple explains)

Jordan Kahn May 24 2012 - 1:03 pm PT

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Update May 25: Following yesterday’s story, The Verge reported today that Apple has confirmed it removed the Airfoil Speakers Touch app after its recent 3.0 update introduced the ability to stream over AirPlay from other iOS devices. Apple said it is against Review Guideline 2.5: Apps that use non-public APIs will be rejected. Verge explained:

The feature in question permits any iOS device running the app to play back audio beamed from a variety of sources using Apple’s AirPlay wireless streaming protocol. Apple presently only allows designated products to act in this capacity — such as the Apple TV and (often expensive) AirPlay-enabled third-party hardware

We have seen Apple both reject and remove apps for many reasons in the past. It is often due to an icon or name that is too close to one of Apple’s own apps. Sometimes, however, apps are removed if they boast features that mimic or are too similar to the core functionality of iOS. Today, Daring Fireball pointed us to a post from Paul Kafasis of developer Rogue Amoeba, who wrote that the company’s Airfoil Speakers Touch app that is designed to send audio between Macs and iOS devices has now been removed from the App Store after being available since 2009.

Although Kafasis noted Apple has not given a clear reason why the app was removed, many are speculating it is due to a new feature introduced in a recent update to the app:

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Google Search iPhone app completely redesigned for speed and full screen searching

Jordan Kahn May 23 2012 - 8:28 am PT

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Google updated its Google Search iPhone app to version 2.0.0 today, which introduced a completely redesigned app that focuses on improvements to speed and full screen browsing features. Among the new features are an auto full screen mode that hides controls when scrolling down and reveals when scrolling up, and a new full-screen image search view.

The updated app also includes “major speed improvements,” a built-in text finder for webpages, and quick links to Gmail, Calendar, Docs, and search options such as images, places, and news. The iPad did not receive the same update, but both the iPhone and iPad will now be able to save images to the iOS camera roll.

A full list of features is below, while the updated app is available on the App Store now.

✓ Complete redesign

✓ Major speed improvements

✓ Auto full screen: scroll down to hide controls, scroll up to reveal

✓ Beautiful full-screen image search

✓ Swipe away webpages to quickly return to search results

✓ Search within a webpage using the built-in text finder

✓ Easily switch between images, places, news, and more

✓ Fast access to Google apps like Gmail, Calendar, Docs and more all from one place

Cross-posted on 9to5Google.com

Apps & updates: Diet Coda goes live, Draw Something & Opera Mini go Retina, more

Jordan Kahn May 23 2012 - 7:23 am PT

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A few newsworthy apps and updates already landed in the App Store today including the Diet Coda development platform that we told you about a few days ago, and some Retina graphics updates for popular apps such as Draw Something and Opera Mini. Another notable app in the news today is Blizzard’s recently released Diablo III. The company announced on its site that it sold more than 4.7 million copies on launch day and more than 6.5 million in a week.

We will update the list throughout the day as more notable apps and updates are released:

Draw Something: OMGPOP’s massively popular Pictionary-style drawing game was updated today with “Bright, high resolution graphics” for users of the new third-generation iPad’s Retina display. Other improvements included in the update are a new password recovery system, a new loading screen, and the usual bug fixes. The free version of the app received the same update.

Diet Coda: We told you a couple days ago that developer Panic planned to release an iPad version of its Coda developer platform, and the app has already landed on at least the New Zealand store today. It is listed as $13.99, but it should go for $9.99 USD when it hits the U.S. App Store later today. That is a 50 percent discount as a launch special good until Thursday.

Some of the app’s features include remote editing of documents, FTP and SFTP File Management, Syntax Highlighting, and a “Revolutionary Super-Loupe” that allows for easy positioning of the cursor in iOS. It also has an “AirPreview” feature that allows you to use “your iPad as a dedicated preview window for Coda 2 on the Mac.”

Opera Mini Web Browser: Opera’s Mini web browser app for iPhone and iPad has always been a great third-party browser option on iOS, and it gets even better with a new UI today for the third-generation iPad’s Retina display, as well as a Data Usage option in the main menu, and various bug fixes and stability improvements.

Mint Personal Finance app: Intuit has updated its universal Mint.com Personal Finance iOS app today adding “two of your most requested features.” On both iPhone and iPad, you can now create and edit budgets as well as spilt transactions into multiple categories.

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Apps & updates: Hulu Plus, Time Warner Cable, Men In Black 3, Fox Business, more

Jordan Kahn May 22 2012 - 2:21 pm PT

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A few notable apps and updates landed in the App Store today including a significant update to the Hulu Plus iOS app, Retina optimizations for the Time Warner Cable app, and the official Men In Black 3 game from Gameloft. A full list of noteworthy app releases and updates from today is below:

Hulu Plus: The most significant app update today goes to the universal Hulu Plus iOS app. The new update brings a number of improvements, including: a “re-engineered, optimized video player”, support for the new iPad’s Retina display, and enhancements to AirPlay mirroring, and HDMI support. The update also includes a new UI for iPad and search options for new shows by genre.

Time Warner Cable TV: Much like just about every other iPad app update that takes advantage of the third-generation iPad’s Retina display, the TWC TV app for iPhone and iPad was updated today with optimizations for Retina displays—in addition to the usual bug fixes and performance enhancements.

Men in Black 3: Gameloft just released the official iOS tie-in for the new Men in Black 3 movie that appears to be a top-down strategy game of sorts. It is available as a free universal download for iPhone or iPad. It is already live in the New Zealand store and should hit the U.S. and elsewhere soon.

Fox Business for iPad: Financial news and videos from the Fox Business app get landscape mode, a new Data Wizard feature for tracking market activity, and news sub-sections to “drill down deeper into the news that matters to you.”

NBC Sports Talk for iPad: A decent update for the iOS app that brings the latest news and analysis from the NBC Sports network today adds support for Retina displays. It also includes the addition of CollegeBasketballTalk and ProSoccerTalk with other small UI tweaks.

NASA App for iPhone: NASA’s official iPhone app was updated with its biggest redesign since launching in 2009. The update includes a new interface, weather forecasts, a ton of new content and programs, and new features like the ability to favorite content and bookmark images.

CNN App for iPhone: CNN has a few iOS apps, but the latest update to its CNN App for iPhone turns it into one global consolidated app that offers CNNMoney and Opinion headlines, CNN blog stories, and the rest of the network into a single app including both U.S. and global news.

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Coda 2 and Diet Coda for iPad bring a new level of web development to Apple developers (May 24)

9to5 Staff May 21 2012 - 1:17 pm PT

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Update: Coda 2 is $49.99 at the Mac App Store now (half off today only) and Diet Coda is now available as an iPad App for $9.99. [iTunes]

Panic, the makers of Coda, a popular development platform for web developers, just announced a new $9.99 iPad version and a second version of its Mac software. The demo videos (here and here) look delish.

The software will land May 24 and be available through the App Store for both platforms.

[Via]

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Sony releases ‘Music Unlimited’ Spotify competitor as iOS app

Jordan Kahn May 21 2012 - 8:17 am PT

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Looking to usurp rival competitors like Spotify and MOG, Sony today launched its Music Unlimited streaming service as an iOS app. We told you in January that it was coming, but today the free app officially hits the App Store with subscriptions starting at $3.99 a month for varying access to the service’s 15 million+ songs and playback features. There is also a 30-day free trial of the premium service.

Previously only available to Android users and Sony products such as PlayStation 3 and Blu-ray players, the service offers two paid subscriptions options, including: a $4 Basic plan that provides basic channels and access to your own library; and a $10 Premium account giving you access to on demand playback for Sony’s catalogue, offline listening. The more expensive packages also offers the ability to create playlists, and access charts, new releases, and premium channels. Unlike Spotify, which recently debuted its iPad app, the Music Unlimited app does not have an iPad-specific version.

The Sony Music Unlimited app is available in the New Zealand App Store now, and it should hit the United States and other supported markets soon. As of March, Sony offered the service in 14 countries including the U.S., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. A full list of features for Basic and Premium subscribers is below:

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Apps and updates: Mule Radio, Sonic the HedgeHog 4 Ep. 11, The Daily, and more

Élyse Betters May 18 2012 - 2:12 pm PT

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[slideshow]

A few of the most noteworthy apps in the iOS ecosystem either landed on the App Store recently or received much-welcomed updates, such as the launch of Mule Radio, CNNMoney, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II, and LA Clippers, or performance enhancements for Official UEFA EURO 2012 and The Daily.

Check out the full slate of notables below.

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Google launches Google+ integrated ‘Schemer’ app for iPhone

Jordan Kahn May 16 2012 - 1:14 pm PT

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Google launched its Schemer social networking mobile app today as a free iPhone app in the App Store. It originally launched as an invite-only service in December, and then it released on Google Play in April. The service is a social network “all about the schemes” that allows you to post your plans for future activities, meet with friends, and get activities, or “schemes” recommended to you.

Get the full story at 9to5Google.

(via GigaOM)

Sparrow to charge for push notifications with yearly subscriptions

Jordan Kahn May 14 2012 - 7:00 am PT

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The last we heard, iOS email client Sparrow said push notifications were coming “with or without” Apple. Apple has decided not to extend the privilege of VOIP apps to Sparrow, which, due to latency issues, are allowed to keep an open network connection in the background for processes like notifications. The alternative forces non-VOIP, third-party apps—such as Sparrow– to send push notifications from its own servers. The company initially said it would not implement push notifications due to security and cost concerns, but confirmed in a blog post today, while announcing Sparrow v1.2, that it will soon offer push through a yearly subscription:

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Adobe releases iPad versions of ‘Collage’ & ‘Proto’ apps

Jordan Kahn May 11 2012 - 7:11 am PT

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Previously available only to Android users, Adobe released its Adobe Collage app to iPad users today for assembling “modern, conceptual moodboards.” It also released the Adobe Proto app for iPad that allows you to create prototypes of websites and mobile apps.

The Collage app allows users to import content from select Adobe Creative Suite applications, including PDFs, PSDs, and AI files, as well as upload and access existing content stored in your complimentary 2GB Adobe Creative Cloud account. Once you have content imported from Adobe apps or the Web, the app provides a canvas, multiple pen types, text tools, various fonts, and other tools for incorporating images, video, text, and drawings into a collage-style piece of art.

Adobe’s Proto app allows you to “sketch website and mobile app wireframe layouts with simple finger strokes on your tablet’s touchscreen” using a CSS grid system, WebKit preview, jQuery support, and the ability to sync wireframes to Creative Cloud and to Dreamweaver CS6.

The Adobe Collage app for iPad is available on the App Store now for $9.99, and the Adobe Proto app is available for the same price (here). Adobe also updated its Photoshop Touch iPad app today with a ton of new features including new 2,048-by-2,048 resolution settings, auto-sync for Creative Cloud, new languages, and much more. A full list of features for Proto and Collage is below:

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Adobe Photoshop Touch updated to version 1.2

Jake Smith May 11 2012 - 4:18 am PT

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The Adobe Photoshop Touch iOS app received a slew of fixes and small new features this morning after being updated to version 1.2 overnight. The most notable feature in version 1.2 is a new maximum resolution of 2,048-by-2,048 pixels for images. The default measurement will still be 1,600-by-1,600 pixels, but for those looking for a little more can change it in the app’s settings. Sadly, Photoshop Touch still is not Retina-compatible. Other new features include:

Automatic synchronization with Creative Cloud
Available in 6 languages (English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Italian)
Added export to PSD and PNG via Camera Roll or email.
Improved rotate and flip image workflow.
Added ability to transfer images to desktop via iTunes.
Added two new Tutorials.
Added four new Effects (Watercolor Paint, HDR Look, Soft Light and Soft Skin).

As for fixes, Adobe corrected the supported languages in iTunes and fixed an issue with logging in via Facebook. You can grab this update over on the App Store.
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Facial recognition app KLIK comes out of testing with v1.0, debuts filters and learning mode

Élyse Betters May 10 2012 - 9:47 am PT

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Face.com’s facial recognition iPhone app, KLIK, just released version 1.0 today with filters and a new learning mode.

The app’s previous “testing” version, as Face.com’s co-founder and CEO Gil Hirsch described it to 9to5Mac exclusively, debuted in January. However, the latest flavor exhibits face-friendly filters akin to Instagram and improved recognition capabilities that also Facebook-tags people, while remembering those features for future occurrences in case the social network cannot (some Facebook users’ privacy settings do not allow for photo-tagging).

“We looked at the photos people were taking and chose filters suitable for people’s pictures,” explained Hirsch to 9to5Mac. “Our filters are face-friendly.”

Hirsch detailed how KLIK’s artistic filters compliment faces due to their subtle colors and saturations, while other apps’ filters are more generalized for pictures of animals or objects and are often too harsh. Meanwhile, the face-learning software not only tags friends in images, but it quickly trains itself to remember them. The team behind KLIK noticed Facebook users do a lot of uploading, but not much tagging, and that decreases the amount of sharing. Therefore, the facial recognition may not always be on par, but the app’s new learning mode quickly corrects this lapse.

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Apps & updates: Instapaper 4.2, Yelp, and more

Jake Smith May 9 2012 - 7:07 pm PT

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While Google+ got the most notable update earlier this afternoon, there are three other nice little updates to apps this evening. Most notably, Instapaper was updated to version 4.2, which adds an iBook style “pagination” feature. Other key features include:

All-new Fast Pagination mode, a complete rewrite from the old pagination code that greatly improves accuracy and page-turn speed
New draggable dot bar to replace the scroll bar in pagination mode
New two-finger-swipe gesture to close an article
Full-screen now has “Auto” mode to switch to full screen after a few seconds
The subtle Twilight Sepia color tint can now be selected at any time
Added sharing to Drafts and the upcoming Quotebook 2.0
Many bugfixes and performance improvements

Furthermore, community driven business reviews app Yelp was updated to version 5.8.0. It added the ability to comment on your friends’ checkins. Other features include:

Comment on your friends’ check-ins! Know of a killer dish at a place your buddy just checked into? Let ’em know instantly.
Support for Norway! Yelp is now live in the land of vikings, death metal, and chess Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen.
Now write longer, more expressive tips. You know, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing.

Lastly, new up-and-coming game Dice With Buddies was updated to version 2.0 and has been marked down to a free app for a limited time. In version 2.0, the app now features a new redesign of the main menu. Some other nice additions:

Rematch and Nudge your buddies from the main menu
Made it easier to delete completed games
Check your stats directly from the main menu
Pull down and release to refresh your game list
Tweet your friends (iOS 5 only)
Tap the status bar to quick scroll to the top (iOS 5 only)

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Facebook announces App Center for all platforms and devices

Élyse Betters May 9 2012 - 2:15 pm PT

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Facebook just announced that it is launching a new App Center—but it is not just for Facebook apps.

9to5Mac reported for months that Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg and company were planning a web-based alternative store to Apple’s App Store and Android’s Google Play dubbed “Project Spartan.” Speculation said the project is a framework for apps that would use social hooks, while working inside of Facebook’s ecosystem.

It seems those reports are ringing true, because the highly-anticipated HTML 5-based App Center will give Facebook users access to iOS, Android, web, mobile web, and desktop apps. Interestingly, Facebook reiterated that it is not competing directly with Apple or Google, because the App Center will send users to both the iOS and Android platforms. For example: If you are visiting Facebook’s App Center on an iPhone, and then enter Words with Friends, or one of the many Facebook-compatible games, you will soon beam to that app’s App Store page for installation. The same holds true for Android users.

“In the coming weeks, people will be able to access the App Center on the web and in the iOS and Android Facebook apps. All canvas, mobile and web apps that follow the guidelines can be listed. All developers should start preparing today to make sure their app is included for the launch,” explained Software Engineer Aaron Brady in a Facebook Developer’s blog post.

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Apps & updates: Dolphin Browser, Watch ESPN, Evernote, Expensify, more

Jordan Kahn May 8 2012 - 10:33 am PT

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The most notable app updates today landed for the Dolphin browser iOS apps and Evernote app, but we also get significant improvements to the Watch ESPN app for Comcast customers, a major update to Expensify, and other fixes and features for eBay and Vimeo.

Dolphin Browser for iPad v4.2: In addition to a high definition and “sleeker browsing experience” for the new iPad’s Retina display, the app has also been updated with the following:

-Keyboard: Your last used keyboard layout will reopen for fewer switches.
-Browsing History: Past sites and searches shown in suggestion list while searching in URL bar.
-Various stability and performance improvement.

Dolphin Browser (iPhone) v4.1: A decent update for the iPhone Dolphin app brings browsing history and keyboard improvements from the iPad update, as well as a new Tab Restore feature and a number of fixes.

Evernote Version 4.2.0: The universal Evernote app received a huge update today with a ton of new features, improvements, and redesigned UI elements. We also get support for Photo Stream images as attachments, a new audio recorder, and “more powerful note editing capabilities.”

Watch ESPN Version 1.6: ESPN’s universal iOS app for watching live sports and shows from the network has been updated to allow Comcast customers with ESPN in their TV package to access all content from the app.

Expensify Version 3.20: The popular “#1 app for business travellers and road warriors,” Expensify, received a major update today bringing a new “Expensify Trips” feature, time tracking, pinch to zoom receipts, and tons of fixes. Here is how the new Trips feature works:

Forward your travel itineraries to receipts@expensify.com and let SmartScan pull out the details for fast access inside the app. Includes: streamlined presentation, pre-flight travel alerts, reminders displayed in the app 24-hours before each reservation, offline access, etc.

Other apps that received updates today include fixes for crashing during syncing videos in the Vimeo iOS app (Version 2.0.4), and a redesigned eBay Fashion app (version 1.6.0) with a new look and improved sharing and search capabilities.

Dolphin Browser iPhone app updated with “Sonar” voice control functionality (9to5mac.com)

Oceanhouse Media’s Smithsonian Apps on sale for $.99 for Teacher Appreciation Month (Promo codes!)

Seth Weintraub May 4 2012 - 10:49 am PT

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx7x7qpKQmk]

The kids in my house are all big Oceanhouse iPad book fans, so today is a good day for them.

“Tyrannosaurus Rex!,” “Triceratops Gets Lost,” “Woolly Mammoth in Trouble,” “Polar Bear Horizon,” and “Penguin’s Family” are all on sale for $.99.

We have 10 different promo codes in the forums for those who are quick. Go see all of Oceanhouse Media’s iPad apps on the App Store.

Oceanhouse has some other news today, as well:

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Apps & updates: eBay for iPad, The Daily for iPhone, Google Currents Retina support, more

Jordan Kahn May 3 2012 - 9:13 am PT

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A number of notable apps were released or updated today on the App Store like the release of previously iPad-only news app The Daily, which was originally launched by News Corp last year. We also get a new iPad app from NBC offering video coverage, interactive tools, and live election results for breaking political news, as well as a completely redesigned iPad app for eBay, and more.

The Daily: Like the iPad version, The Daily iPhone client is free with a selection of content accessible to everyone. However, you will need to grab a $20 per year or $2 per month subscription to access the entire app, which is considerably less than the $40 per year and $1 per week offered with the iPad version.

eBay for iPad: This app received a huge update today bringing support for Retina displays, a redesigned home screen, “ultra-high resolution item images,” and many enhancements made to search results and notifications. The online auction and shopping website also noted it added some of the top requested features from users, such as: revise listings, back button, and improved search.

Google Currents: It is not a huge update, but Google updated its free magazine-style news app today with support for iPad Retina displays and the usual bug fixes.

NBC Politics: NBC’s new universal iOS app provides coverage of all-things politics with video coverage including interviews and shows like “Andrea Mitchell Reports” and “Morning Joe.” It also offers an interactive “Battleground Map,” real-time live election results, candidate profiles, and sharing features.

Lowe’s Virtual Experience: Lowe’s released a universal iOS app today allowing you to view 3D models of its major appliances available in its physical retail locations. It employs augmented reality to allow you to view and walk around the products in your home—as if your kitchen was the showroom.

Assassin’s Creed Rearmed: Ubisoft’s latest iOS spin-off of the Assassin’s Creed franchise was updated today with bug fixes for crashing during the character selection screen. But, more importantly, a new “Synergy” feature now allows you to “hack the Animus and use normal abilities in spectacular ways.” There are a eight abilities, such as: Smoke Bomb Immunity, Instant Trap, and Killing Knives.
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