Apps

6,261 'Apps' stories April 2010 - February 2015

Learn about the latest news for iOS, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV apps

Apps for iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS power our modern world. 9to5Mac will update you on the latest news, review, and updates for all types of apps. “There’s an App for that”.

The term came became part of our vocabulary when Steve Jobs announced The App Store as part of the iPhone 2.0 software update in 2008.

Over the years, the term has become as common as kleenex for describing applications on all of our devices. Apple’s platforms have apps for just about anything from finance, banking, sports, social media, podcasting, music, and more. We have a guide for helping you discover the best ones as well. Apps are now on everything from our TV, to our smartphones, on our laptops, and all the way down to our wrists.

As new ones are released or existing ones have major updates, the team here at 9to5Mac will bring you the latest news and reviews. If you want to follow along with video footage, be sure to follow 9to5Mac on YouTube. Scroll down below our latest updates on all things relating to applications on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.

Photoshop celebrates 25th anniversary today of app originally created on a Macintosh Plus

Ben Lovejoy Feb 19 2015 - 5:26 am PT

21 Comments

Adobe is today celebrating the 25th anniversary of Photoshop, which first launched as a Mac-only app on 19th February 1990.

What went on to become the industry standard image editing app started life in 1987, when Thomas Knoll, a computer vision doctorate student at the University of Michigan, began developing it on his Mac Plus. Known then as Display, the app was designed to do nothing more than display grayscale images on the Macintosh’s black-and-white monitor. As Adobe showcases in the video below, the app has come rather a long way since then …
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Inbox by Gmail iOS app now has full iPad version, still requires invite at present

Ben Lovejoy Feb 19 2015 - 4:41 am PT

8 Comments

Inbox by Gmail, which Google appears to view as a replacement for the popular email client Sparrow, has been very quietly updated, notes TechCrunch, to include a native build for iPad. The app is currently only available in some countries (including the U.S.), and neither the App Store description nor What’s New entry mention the iPad build.

The app, which our hands-on last October described as “a marriage between Gmail and Google Now,” has tended to polarise views, some loving it, others hating it–with very few falling between the two …
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Microsoft’s OneNote for iPad app gets handwriting, and same OCR functionality as Mac app

Ben Lovejoy Feb 19 2015 - 3:53 am PT

4 Comments

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOpxNVJ7tZ4]

A day after Microsoft updated its OneNote for Mac app, adding OCR scanning of text within images, it has today updated its iPad app. OneNote for iPad gets the same OCR functionality, along with the ability to add handwritten notes–a feature previously available only on the Windows and Android versions of the tablet app.

As many of you have pointed out, one major feature that has been missing from OneNote for iPad is handwriting. With today’s update, you can pen notes. To get started, just tap the new Draw tab on the ribbon. Select a pen, marker, or highlighter and write, sketch or doodle until your heart’s content.

Handwritten notes can be made using either an iPad-compatible stylus or your finger, with customizable ink color and pen thickness …
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Southwest Airlines app for iOS updated with Passbook support

Mike Beasley Feb 18 2015 - 7:49 pm PT

7 Comments

Southwest Airlines has updated its mobile app with support for Apple’s Passbook, allowing users to quickly access their boarding passes from the lock screen when boarding a flight. The Passbook card also presents critical information about a passenger’s flight, including departure time and gate, and flight number.

The new version of the app also includes fixes for issues reported by users. It’s available now from the App Store for free.

Apple releases iTunes 12.1.1 update for Windows w/ playback improvements, Outlook syncing fixes, more

Zac Hall Feb 18 2015 - 1:43 pm PT

6 Comments

After releasing iTunes 12.1 in January adding a Notification Center widget for OS X Yosemite users on the Mac, Apple has released a minor update to iTunes 12.1 specifically for Windows users.

According to the release notes, iTunes 12.1.1 addresses an issue that caused audio playback to glitch while also improving syncing between Outlook and iPhones and iPads. Apple also says the update “improves compatibility with screen readers.”

The latest version is rolling out now so iTunes users on Windows should be able to update soon.

9to5Toys Last Call: Office 365 free w/ iPad purchase, VIZIO 50″ 4K $698, Audio-Technica M50x $130, more

Justin Kahn Feb 18 2015 - 9:02 am PT

1 Comment

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call updates:

Ray’s 4.8-inch touch screen Super Remote takes TV watching out of the dark ages
Marshall’s Major II headphones with updated audio and same iconic style are now available
Kitchen Tech: Spherification lets you make your own caviar from fruit juice, more
Apple-certified MFi Lightning cables: 3.3ft: $7 or 10 ft: $10 Prime shipped
Media: Gravity Blu-ray/UltraViolet $5, Her & Great Gatsby Blu-ray $9 each, more
Home: Neato XV-S Robotic Vacuum $285 (Reg. $310+), more
Make awesome ice spheres, cubes, Death Stars, diamonds and more for only $10

[tweet https://twitter.com/llsethj/status/568071035926523904 align=’center’]

Microsoft Office 365 Personal ($70 value) FREE w/computer/iPad/tablet purchase including this $50 Android at Best Buy

VIZIO 50-inch 4K Ultra HD 120Hz Full-Array LED Smart TV $698 shipped (Reg. $1,000)

Amazon Gold Box: Audio-Technica M50x Headphones $129 shipped (orig. $239)

Audio-Technica Pro Headphones: ATH-M40X $79 shipped (Reg. $139), ATH-M30X $55 shipped (Reg. $99)

iPad deal roundup: iPad mini $200, iPad Air $339, iPad Air 2 $424, more

Mophie Juice Pack Helium for iPhone 5/5s (multiple colors) $35 shipped (orig. $80)

$40 Mac Bundle: Things, ScreenFlow, Typed, Civ, ExpanDrive, Aftershot Pro 2, more

Small States: Cord Shoes churns out handmade boots with a story behind every pair, $250 giveaway

More new gear from today:

New! Jabra REVO Wireless Bluetooth Headphones in black $90 shipped (Reg. $148+)
New! Samsung 2TB M9T PlayStation 4/laptop storage $100 shipped (Reg. $120)
New! Daily Deals: Acer 28″ 4K monitor: $380, Oscar-Nominated Movies from $5, more
New! Games/Apps: Metro Redux $25, Xbox Live Gold $36, iOS freebies, more

$50 PlayStation Network gift card for $40 w/ email delivery via PayPal (20% off) http://t.co/RJzp6QT0zG pic.twitter.com/YWf8nxVzwv

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) February 18, 2015

More deals still alive:

Quirky President’s Day Sale + extra 25% off: Metal Cordies cable keeper $3.75, more
BJ’s 1-Year Inner Circle Membership + $25 Gift Card $35 (~$75 value)
Samsung SSDs: 512GB 850 Pro $283 (Reg. $300), 250GB 840 EVO $103 (Reg. $130+)
TP-LINK Dual Band Wireless N600 Gigabit Router $47 shipped (Reg. $56+)
Free Google Play download of Jason Aldean’s latest album Old Boots, New Dirt
Save $25 on your first Google Express order
Home: Chefman Stainless Steel Kettle $23, more
Magazine subs from $4.75/yr: National Geo, Rolling Stone, Runner’s World, more
Amazon Fire TV streaming media player $34 w/ Sling TV subscription or $84 w/o
TDK TREK Micro Bluetooth/M Portable Weatherized Speaker: $25 shipped (orig. $60)
Acer 11.6″ Chromebook 2.16GHz/2GB RAM/16GB SSD $160 shipped (orig. $200)
RapidWeaver 6 Mega Bundle – themes, stacks, and plug-ins $80 ($673 value)
Canon Printer w/ AirPrint + Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop $70 (~$220 value), more
iTunes Free App of the Week: Dr. Panda’s Restaurant 2 ($2.99 value)
Get a free Fire TV/Roku streaming stick when you sign up for Sling TV
20% off new video games for 2 yrs w/ Best Buy Gamers Club Unlocked: $30 in-store
Mass Effect Infiltrator is IGN’s free iOS game of the month ($4.99 value)
Adobe Creative Cloud (PS CC + Lightroom): $10/month w/$25 Amazon credit

New products & more:

Take your iPhone 6 Back to the Future with this highly detailed Delorean case
Truffol’s wood/aluminum USB chargers w/ protection power up to five devices
LEGO brings Jurassic world to life ahead of its summer release
Blub Uno USB desk clock uses 1950’s Nixie tubes to display time, temperature and more
Kitchen Tech: Catch up on 10 great food and drink tool columns!
The entire Star Wars saga is represented in LEGO’s upcoming releases, current sets now $8
Gaming For Couples: Last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for gamers
Mitsubishi’s new iNSTICK cordless vacuum doubles as an air purifier

Microsoft OneNote for Mac adds OCR for scanning & copying text from images, full search coming soon

Zac Hall Feb 18 2015 - 8:04 am PT

5 Comments

OneNote, Microsoft’s cross-platform application for taking and organizing notes, received a useful update on the Mac adding support for OCR, or optical character recognition. OneNote version 15.7.1, which is rolling out on the Mac App Store now, adds the ability to scan images from OneDrive notebooks for text.

Once OneNote’s OCR system has ran, you can actually copy the text and save it to your notes just like if it were a editable text file from the start. Searching images for text is currently possible for new images added to OneDrive notebooks, but a future version will make text search possible on existing images as well.

The update also includes the ability to toggle viewing authors and closing the window without quitting the app. Microsoft also added support for iCloud Drive on its iOS versions of Office yesterday. Full release notes below:

NBC updates iOS app with live streaming in select markets and partial catalog of classic shows

Mike Beasley Feb 17 2015 - 10:38 pm PT

7 Comments

NBC has followed in ABC’s footsteps and released an update for its iOS app that introduces live streaming of the network’s content directly to an iPhone or iPad. Similarly to ABC’s offering, the feature is only available in a few select cable markets that this time and requires a subscription to a cable or satellite partner.

All users will be able to take advantage of the other new feature added in version 3.0, however…

VLC 3.0 will gain support for Chromecast streaming from iOS devices and Macs

Mike Beasley Feb 17 2015 - 4:09 pm PT

8 Comments

The popular VLC media player will be upgraded to version 3.0 soon, introducing a whole host of features to the software, including support for Google’s Chromecast streaming device. The change was mentioned in a VLC change log on the VideoLan website.

VLC for iOS was recently re-added to the App Store after being pulled several times for licensing issues and other problems.

Chromecast support in VLC will allow users to stream their stored media to their TVs from supported devices, including iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Android devices and computers running Windows are also expected to get the upgrade.

VideoLan, the development company behind VLC, hasn’t announced the availability date for version 3.0 yet. You can grab the current version of the iOS app from the iTunes App Store.

Dropbox gets more powerful on iOS 8 with new sharing extension

Zac Hall Feb 17 2015 - 10:02 am PT

10 Comments

Dropbox for iPhone and iPad users is getting a lot more powerful today as the latest version includes a new action extension for iOS 8. This allows you to save information from various apps to Dropbox on iOS without having to open the cloud-syncing app.
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9to5Toys Last Call: iPad deals galore, Audio-Technica headphones 20% off, Mophie iPhone 5/5s $35, more

Feb 17 2015 - 9:16 am PT

0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call updates:

Save $25 on your first Google Express order
Truffol’s wood/aluminum USB chargers w/ protection power up to five devices
Take your iPhone 6 Back to the Future with this highly detailed Delorean case
Home: Schlage Plymouth Keypad locks 70% off, Chefman Stainless Steel Kettle $23, more
Samsung 11.6″ Chromebook 2 1.9GHz/4GB RAM/16GB SSD $250 shipped (Reg. $300)

iPad deal roundup: iPad mini $200, iPad Air $339, iPad Air 2 $424, more

Audio-Technica Pro Headphones: ATH-M40X $79 shipped (Reg. $139), ATH-M30X $55 shipped (Reg. $99)

Mophie Juice Pack Helium for iPhone 5/5s (multiple colors) $35 shipped (orig. $80)

Quirky President’s Day Sale + extra 25% off: Metal Cordies cable keeper $3.75, more

Small States: Cord Shoes churns out handmade boots with a story behind every pair, $250 giveaway

More new gear from today:

New! BJ’s 1-Year Inner Circle Membership + $25 Gift Card $35 (~$75 value)
New! Samsung SSDs: 512GB 850 Pro $283 (Reg. $300), 250GB 840 EVO $103 (Reg. $130+)
New! Magazine subs from $4.75/yr: National Geo, Rolling Stone, Runner’s World, more
New! Games/Apps: Real Pool 3D free, Mac games up to 75% off, freebies, more
New! Yamaha Portable Bluetooth Powered Speaker $55 shipped (orig. $1 80)
New! Free Google Play download of Jason Aldean’s latest album Old Boots, New Dirt
New! Daily Deals: GoPro HERO4 Black: $430, Two 3ft. Lightning cables $10, more
New! TP-LINK Dual Band Wireless N600 Gigabit Router $47 shipped (Reg. $56+)

More deals still alive:

Amazon Fire TV streaming media player $34 w/ Sling TV subscription or $84 w/o
TDK TREK Micro Bluetooth/M Portable Weatherized Speaker: $25 shipped (orig. $60)
Acer 11.6″ Chromebook 2.16GHz/2GB RAM/16GB SSD $160 shipped (orig. $200)
RapidWeaver 6 Mega Bundle – themes, stacks, and plug-ins $80 ($673 value)
Canon Printer w/ AirPrint + Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop $70 (~$220 value), more
iTunes Free App of the Week: Dr. Panda’s Restaurant 2 ($2.99 value)
Caseology iPhone 6/Plus cases in multiple styles/colors from $6 w/ free shipping
Sennheiser HD 518 over-ear headphones $65 shipped (Reg. $130)
Get a free Fire TV/Roku streaming stick when you sign up for Sling TV
Canon EOS Rebel T3i DSLR (refurb) w/ 18-55mm Lens Kit $336 shipped (orig. $599)
20% off new video games for 2 yrs w/ Best Buy Gamers Club Unlocked: $30 in-store
Mass Effect Infiltrator is IGN’s free iOS game of the month ($4.99 value)
Adobe Creative Cloud (PS CC + Lightroom): $10/month w/$25 Amazon credit

New products & more:

LEGO brings Jurassic world to life ahead of its summer release
Blub Uno USB desk clock uses 1950’s Nixie tubes to display time, temperature and more
Kitchen Tech: Catch up on 10 great food and drink tool columns!
The entire Star Wars saga is represented in LEGO’s upcoming releases, current sets now $8
Gaming For Couples: Last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for gamers
Mitsubishi’s new iNSTICK cordless vacuum doubles as an air purifier

Google removes Sparrow email client from iOS & Mac App Stores following Inbox launch

Chance Miller Feb 17 2015 - 8:38 am PT

7 Comments

Google acquired the popular email client Sparrow back in 2012 and announced that the entire team would be joining Google to work on Gmail. Since that acquisition, Sparrow apps received only a handful of updates and have been seemingly neglected in favor of Google’s new Inbox initiative. Over the past few days, however, Sparrow appears to have received the final nail in its coffin as it has been removed from both the Mac App Store and iOS App Store (via TechCrunch).

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Microsoft updates Office for iOS apps w/ support for iCloud, other third-party storage providers

Jordan Kahn Feb 17 2015 - 5:59 am PT

10 Comments

Microsoft is today rolling out an update to its Office apps for iOS devices bringing the ability to save to iCloud and tap into storage from other services across all three apps.
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Apple invites developers to Cupertino to finish Apple Watch apps, test out device

Mark Gurman Feb 16 2015 - 1:57 pm PT

2 Comments

Apple has been working with several third-party App Store developers at its Cupertino, California offices to assist developers in finishing up applications for the upcoming Apple Watch. Development and design representatives from dozens of different development firms have visited Apple last week, or are coming to Cupertino this week, to work with Apple engineers to finish up WatchKit-based applications. One source claims that Apple is holding workshops for over 100 different developers across February. Apple also met with a smaller number of developers to assist with WatchKit development and discuss future plans in early January…

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9to5Toys Last Call: PNY flash storage up to 50% off, Motorola SB6141 modem $55, iOS freebies, more

Feb 16 2015 - 9:16 am PT

0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

iPad deal roundup: iPad mini $200, iPad Air $339, iPad Air 2 $424, more
LEGO brings Jurassic world to life ahead of its summer release
TDK TREK Micro Bluetooth/NFC Portable Weatherized Speaker: $25 shipped (orig. $60)
Quirky President’s Day Sale + extra 25% off: Metal Cordies cable keeper $3.75, more
Monoprice President’s Day Sale $20 off orders of $100 or more
Home: Dyson DC65 Animal Upright Vacuum $325, more
RapidWeaver 6 Mega Bundle – themes, stacks, and plug-ins $80 ($673 value)
Canon Printer w/ AirPrint + Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop $70 (~$220 value), more

Amazon Gold Box – up to 50% off PNY flash storage: 256GB USB 3.0 flash drive $70 shipped (orig. $130), more

Motorola SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem (refurb) $55 shipped (orig. $90)

Amazon Fire TV streaming media player $34 w/ Sling TV subscription or $84 w/o

Kensington KeyCover Bluetooth iPad Air Keyboard Case: $10 shipped (orig. $80)

ZAGG 30% off + free shipping sitewide: Slim Book Bluetooth iPad Keyboard cases from $84, much more

Small States: Cord Shoes churns out handmade boots with a story behind every pair, $250 giveaway

More new gear from today:

New! Dell Wireless Touchpad $15 shipped (orig. $60)
New! Games/Apps: Destiny (all platforms) $30, iOS freebies, more
New! President’s Day Fashion: Save up to 50% at H&M, Eastbay, Timbuk2, Gap, more
New! Groupon 10% off: Xbox One bundle $315, Chromecast (recert) $23, more
New! Daily Deals: Lowepro Rover backpack: $79, D-Link Wireless Cam: $25, more
New! LG 29-inch UltraWide Dual HDMI IPS LED Monitor $302 shipped (Reg. $400)
New! Acer 11.6″ Chromebook 2.16GHz/2GB RAM/16GB SSD $160 shipped (orig. $200)
New! Coosh portable Bluetooth extended range speaker $28 Prime shipped (orig. $60)
New! 50% off LED Light bulbs from IKEA

More deals still alive:

iTunes Free App of the Week: Dr. Panda’s Restaurant 2 ($2.99 value)
Caseology iPhone 6/Plus cases in multiple styles/colors from $6 w/ free shipping
Rocketcases Afterburner iPhone 6 Battery Case w/ Kickstand: $40 (Reg. $60)
Sennheiser HD 518 over-ear headphones $65 shipped (Reg. $130)
Get a free Fire TV/Roku streaming stick when you sign up for Sling TV
Canon EOS Rebel T3i DSLR (refurb) w/ 18-55mm Lens Kit $336 shipped (orig. $599)
20% off new video games for 2 yrs w/ Best Buy Gamers Club Unlocked: $30 in-store
Kinivo ZX100 Mini Portable Speaker (Grey-Blue): $13 Prime Shipped
Fitbit Charge Heart Rate + Activity Wristband: $127 shipped (Reg. $150)
Harman recertified sale: NI in-ears $15, SoundFly AirPlay speaker $45, more
Bose Acoustimass 6 Home 5.1 Entertainment Speaker System $400 shipped, more
Mass Effect Infiltrator is IGN’s free iOS game of the month ($4.99 value)
Jaybird Freedom Sprint Bluetooth Headphones $60 shipped (Reg. $100)
Get 100GB of cloud storage at OneDrive for free
Adobe Creative Cloud (PS CC + Lightroom): $10/month w/$25 Amazon credit

New products & more:

Blub Uno USB desk clock uses 1950’s Nixie tubes to display time, temperature and more
Kitchen Tech: Catch up on 10 great food and drink tool columns!
The entire Star Wars saga is represented in LEGO’s upcoming releases, current sets now $8
Gaming For Couples: Last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for gamers
Mitsubishi’s new iNSTICK cordless vacuum doubles as an air purifier
Kitchen Tech: Vitamix and hand immersion blenders make silky soups, foamy drinks

VLC for iOS back in the App Store for some/upgraders, should be available to all shortly

Ben Lovejoy Feb 16 2015 - 4:20 am PT

6 Comments

The VLC for iOS app–a favorite media player for many–has returned to the App Store in some countries and is expected to be available for all shortly. Some existing US users (us included!) are also reporting on Reddit being able to update to the latest version (2.4.1) if they have the previous version from before it was removed.

The app has something of a checkered history in the App Store, first removed from the store way back in 2011 after a licensing dispute; the original open-source developers claiming that the App Store terms were incompatible with the GNU Public License for the code. The app finally returned in 2013 before disappearing once more last September …
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Visa to follow Apple Pay’s lead, use tokens for mobile & online payments

Jeremy Horwitz Feb 13 2015 - 10:38 am PT

3 Comments

Following Apple Pay’s successful use of tokens—one-time-use, unique codes rather than credit card numbers for payment transactions—Visa today announced that it will remove 16-digit account numbers for mobile and online payments across 2015. No specific date was given for the transition; instead, Visa suggests that tokens will begin to replace credit card numbers as the company’s partners get access to the Visa Token Service that rolled out alongside Apple Pay in October 2014.

“Removing card account numbers from the processing and storage of payments represents one of the most innovative and promising technologies we’ve seen in decades,” said Charlie Scharf, chief executive officer, Visa Inc.

According to Visa, online transactions made with Visa Checkout will be tokenized this year, securing transactions for over 110 existing merchants. The Visa Token Service will also grow to include “other leading device manufacturers and technology companies” beyond Apple with Apply Pay, and will be supported in mobile payment apps released by Visa-partnered financial institutions in the United States, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.

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9to5Toys Last Call: Digits for iOS free, Kensington iPad Air Keyboard Case $10, WD 2TB Portable HD $80, more

Justin Kahn Feb 13 2015 - 9:11 am PT

0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

Xbox One Assassin’s Creed Unity/Black Flag bundle $315 shipped (Reg. $350)
Blub Uno USB desk clock uses 1950’s Nixie tubes to display time, temperature and more
Home: Breville 900-watt juicer (refurb) $115, Dyson cordless stick vac $320, more
Kitchen Tech: Catch up on 10 great food and drink tool columns!

Digits calculator app for humans is FREE for iPhone and iPad (reg. $3.99)

Gameloft’s Modern Combat 5 Blackout for iOS $1 (Reg. $4+)

Kensington KeyCover Bluetooth iPad Air Keyboard Case: $10 shipped (orig. $80)

ZAGG 30% off + free shipping sitewide: Slim Book Bluetooth iPad Keyboard cases from $84, much more

WD My Passport Ultra 2TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive $80 shipped (orig. $140)

Apple Deals:

Best Buy takes up to $250 off Apple MacBook Pro w/ Retina display, starting at $1,200

Apple TV (current version): $80 shipped (Reg. $99)

Apple iPod Shuffle 2GB in multiple colors for $35 w/ free in-store pickup (Reg. $49)

Caseology iPhone 6/Plus cases in multiple styles and colors from $6 w/ free shipping

Baytek iPhone 6/Plus Holster Case w/Kickstand $6 Prime shipped

Rocketcases Afterburner iPhone 6 3200mAh Battery Case w/ Kickstand: $40 shipped (Reg. $60)

Get last minute gifts in time for Valentine’s Day with free 1-day shipping from Amazon http://t.co/HoENzwqS21 pic.twitter.com/zknbYOMLdE

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) February 12, 2015

Valentine’s Day Roundup: ProFlowers 30% off, Gap/Timbuk2/J.Crew up to 40% off, more

Today is your last chance to enter to win our Small States giveaway from @WoodchuckUSA http://t.co/isI9aKS96R pic.twitter.com/CTaq2HqhgT

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) February 13, 2015

More new gear from today:

New! Canon Inkjet Printer + Photoshop Lightroom 5 $60 shipped (~$180 value)
New! Daily Deals: Acer 3D Projector $500, WD Router: $25, more
New! Sennheiser HD 518 over-ear headphones $65 shipped (Reg. $130)
New! Games/Apps: Far Cry 4 $30, Star Command $1, iOS freebies, more
New! Motorola Moto 360 Smart Watch w/ free $50 Best Buy GC $300 ($350 value)

More deals still alive:

iTunes Free App of the Week: Dr. Panda’s Restaurant 2 ($2.99 value)
Get a free Fire TV/Roku streaming stick when you sign up for Sling TV
Canon EOS Rebel T3i DSLR (refurb) w/ 18-55mm Lens Kit $336 shipped (orig. $599)
Home: Dyson DC34 hand vac $130 (Reg. up to $170), more
20% off new video games for 2 yrs w/ Best Buy Gamers Club Unlocked: $30 in-store
Up to $140 worth of Android apps for free: OfficeSuite Pro, Cut the Rope, more
Kinivo ZX100 Mini Portable Speaker (Grey-Blue): $13 Prime Shipped
QNAP 4-Bay Cloud NAS w/ HDMI, AirPlay and PLEX $350 shipped (Reg. $500+)
Fitbit Charge Heart Rate + Activity Wristband: $127 shipped (Reg. $150)
Harman recertified sale: NI in-ears $15, SoundFly AirPlay speaker $45, more
Gift Cards w/ email delivery 20% off: Fandango, Regal Theaters, AMC, Cold Stone Creamery
Bose Acoustimass 6 Home 5.1 Entertainment Speaker System $400 shipped, more
Download the first episode of Better Call Saul in HD for free
Belkin Fusive slim portable Bluetooth speaker $54 shipped (Reg. $90)
Mass Effect Infiltrator is IGN’s free iOS game of the month ($4.99 value)
Jaybird Freedom Sprint Bluetooth Headphones $60 shipped (Reg. $100)
Get 100GB of cloud storage at OneDrive for free
USB Charging: Omaker 3-port car chargers from $8, 10-port USB 3.0 hub $24, more
Home: Brentwood Kettle $19, kitchen items, more
Bluetooth speakers: Bose SoundLink mini $159, Mini Boom $49, more
Canon Printer w/ AirPrint + LR 5 or PS Elements $90 ($238 value)
Seagate 5TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive: $130 shipped (orig. $250)
Samsung 2.5″ Internal SSDs: 850 Pro 512GB $290, 850 EVO 500GB $200
Adobe Creative Cloud (PS CC + Lightroom): $10/month w/$25 Amazon credit
Amazon Kindle sale: Fire HD6 $94 (Reg. $99), Kindle reader $59 (Reg. $79), more

New products & more:

The entire Star Wars saga is represented in LEGO’s upcoming releases, current sets now $8
Gaming For Couples: Last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for gamers
Mitsubishi’s new iNSTICK cordless vacuum doubles as an air purifier
Kitchen Tech: Vitamix and hand immersion blenders make silky soups, foamy drinks
Anki announces its latest generation of iPhone connected racing with OVERDRIVE
Nikon intros its first dedicated astrophotography DSLR alongside a slew of point-and-shoots
Sling TV is now available with free 7-day trial, details on new channel availability
Preorder Canon’s new Spring lineup of DSLRs and pocket cameras today
The new HyperX Cloud II gaming headset with free 16GB USB flash drive
ControlAir adds iTunes and Spotify gesture control to any Mac for free

Nike+ FuelBand iPhone app adds HealthKit integration, no longer requires a band

Zac Hall Feb 13 2015 - 7:25 am PT

6 Comments

Nike today released a long-awaited update to its FuelBand app for iPhone users with the fitness tracking FuelBand wearable adding support for sharing NikeFuel points with Apple’s Health app on iOS 8. The update also adds support for motion tracking right from the iPhone for iPhone 5s users and up and no longer requires a Nike FuelBand to use.

The new version uses HealthKit, a framework introduced with iOS 8, to let Nike’s FuelBand app share data easily and with your permission to Apple’s built-in Health app and other apps that integrate with HealthKit. NikeFuel, the fitness company’s metric for tracking movement throughout the day, is featured as a supported fitness metric in Apple’s own Health app.
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Mattel plans to release its new Google Cardboard-based VR toy on iOS by end of the year

Jordan Kahn Feb 13 2015 - 6:45 am PT

5 Comments

Google and Mattel are holding a press event today to announce a new product that merges Google’s experimental Cardboard virtual reality platform with Mattel’s classic View-Master toy. Also announced at the event: Mattel plans to bring the new View-Master toy and with it Google’s Cardboard platform to the iPhone by the end of the year.
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Opinion: Could Apple’s Pinterest profile be an early step toward properly-curated apps?

Ben Lovejoy Feb 13 2015 - 6:45 am PT

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iOS and Android are completely different worlds when it comes to apps. Android is pretty much the wild west, with little control over quality or even safety (malware is commonplace). iOS, on a non-jailbroken device, is a walled garden, where Apple decides what apps can and can’t do, and which ones get approved for sale.

Yet despite that carefully-controlled approach, the App Store can still feel like a bit of a jungle. Which is why I wonder whether the Pinterest tie-in announced yesterday may offer hope for the future.

But let’s start with the problem I think needs to be solved, and that problem begins with search. Results may vary by country, and you can try the searches for yourself to compare your results with mine, but here’s what I get for a few obvious app searches …
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Fleksy Keyboard updated with hotkey shortcuts, case-sensitive layout, animations, valentine hearts and more

Ben Lovejoy Feb 13 2015 - 4:23 am PT

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Fleksy has updated its popular custom keyboard app with a range of new features, mixing the practical and the fun.

On the practical side, you can now add a row of seven customizable hotkeys that act as shortcuts for anything from an emoji or symbol to an email address. The functionality of the globe button is also now customizable, for example making it dismiss the keyboard, and you can opt for a case-sensitive keyboard layout. More keys have been added to the iPad app, also appearing in the iPhone app in landscape mode, and dictionary words now sync between devices via iCloud …
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Apple reverses decision barring marijuana apps from the App Store, now requires location-based restrictions

Mike Beasley Feb 12 2015 - 8:30 pm PT

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Apple has apparently been revising its app review strategy this week and has decided to reverse a previous decision that banned MassRoots, a marijuana-centric social app, from its software storefront. The application was booted from the App Store late last year (though it lasted much longer on the store than some other apps).

According to App Store guideline 2.18:

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Apple begins enforcing rule requiring App Store screenshots and icons to meet 4+ rating standard

Mike Beasley Feb 12 2015 - 8:11 pm PT

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Apple has started enforcing a long-ignored rule in its App Store guidelines regarding what kinds of content can appear in app metadata. According to rule 3.6 in the guidelines document:

Apps with App icons, screenshots, and previews that do not adhere to the 4+ age rating will be rejected

This rule has been mostly unenforced since the App Store launched, but according to a new report from Pocket Gamer, some app developers are starting to see their apps rejected for depictions of violence in their screenshots.

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