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6,257 'Apps' stories April 2010 - July 2014
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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.

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9to5Toys Last Call: Jawbone UP24 $50 off, WeMo Light Switch 2-Pack $70, iPad mini cases $3.50 ea., more

Avatar for Justin Kahn Jul 25 2014 - 8:58 am PT
0 Comments

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

Best Buy Black Friday in July: Jawbone UP24 $50 off, iPad 4 from $330, Logitech M310 mouse $10, iTunes 15% off, more

2-Pack of Belkin WeMo Light Switches $70 shipped (Reg. $90)

rooCASE iPad mini cases for $3.50 each Prime shipped (Reg. $10)

PNY 256GB 90MB/s SDXC card: $71 shipped (over half off)

Fantastical 2 calendar app for iPhone, iPad and Mac up to 50% off

Apple deals:

Other new deals:

More deals still alive:

New products/ongoing promotions:

Kamcord now uploading 1hr of mobile gameplay video every min, launches redesigned social iOS app

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jul 24 2014 - 9:58 am PT
3 Comments
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Kamcord, the SDK that lets iOS developers offer gameplay recording and sharing functionality, is today launching a redesigned community iOS app while announcing some impressive new milestones for the service.
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Instagram’s plan for new ‘Bolt’ one-tap photo messaging app leaks?

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jul 24 2014 - 9:50 am PT
3 Comments

Instagram is reportedly working on a new photo sharing app called “Bolt,” according to screenshots that surfaced online today (via The Verge). The leak comes from an advertisement for the app that appeared inside of the Instagram for Android app (pictured above). The notification, which some users noticed and posted screenshots of online, appears to be visible for some users in the app accidentally ahead of an official launch by Instagram.

We don’t gain much info about the app other than it’s description that it will be a “one tap photo messaging” app, which is leading to speculation it will be a Snapchat competitor of sorts. There is a possibility this could just be a test for new app install ads coming to the Instagram apps.

Instgram hasn’t yet commented and the app isn’t available on the App Store or Google Play yet, but I suspect we’ll be hearing more about the app soon.

[tweet https://twitter.com/yo_areli/status/492170778981318656/]

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9to5Toys Last Call: iPad Air 64GB $580, iMac $200 off, littleBits CloudBit now available, more

Avatar for Jul 24 2014 - 9:10 am PT
0 Comments

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call updates:

Timbuk2 1-Day Sale up to 50% off: Messenger Bags, Backpacks, more

Lumsing electronic accessories up to 80% off at Amazon

8Bitdo brings retro gaming to iOS, Android, Mac and more with its NES Bluetooth controller

Fantastical 2 calendar app for iPhone, iPad and Mac up to 50% off

Apple deals:

Other new deals:

  • New! WD My Cloud 3TB Personal Cloud Storage $140 (Reg. $200)
  • New! 2-pack of Lutron Maestro occupancy motion sensing switches $30 (Reg. $40)
  • New! One year magazine subs: Wired & Pop Science $9, Rolling Stone $5, more
  • New! Polk Audio 39″ BT Soundbar $150, Braven Wireless BT Speaker/Powerbank $180
  • New! Games/Apps: Car Club:Tuning Storm, City Maps 2Go Pro go FREE, more
  • New! TP-LINK AV500 Nano Powerline Adapter Starter Kit $30 shipped (orig. $70)
  • New! Daily Deals: Insignia 39″ 1080p HDTV: $230, Aduro Wireless BT Headset: $25, more

More deals still alive:

New products/ongoing promotions:

Square gets automation-savvy with new IFTTT channel

Avatar for Zac Hall Jul 24 2014 - 7:37 am PT
0 Comments
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<a href="http://9to5mac.com/2013/05/14/square-announces-new-square-stand-hardware-for-ipad-now-available-for-pre-order/" target="_blank">Square Stand for iPad</a>

The mobile payment service Square is getting even smarter thanks to the automation service If This Then That. An entirely new set of possibilities for features that will benefit merchants and mobile payment customers has been unlocked thanks to Square integration with If This Then That, or IFTTT, through a dedicated Square channel on the popular automation service. At the time of launch, a total of 78 other channels supported by IFTTT can be connected to the mobile payment service’s channel and triggered by sales, refund, and settlement data from Square…
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Pixite’s new 3D photo editing app Matter debuts on iPhone and iPad

Avatar for Zac Hall Jul 24 2014 - 6:00 am PT
5 Comments
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Pixite is out today with a new photo editing app for iPhone and iPad called Matter. The app allows you to embed and manipulate 3D objects in your photography or photos from others to give your photos an impressive science fiction effect. This is achieved by Matter’s ability to intelligently apply shadows and reflections that match your photography to its library of 3D objects. You can see examples of images edited in Matter above and more details about the photo editing app below…
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Modern Combat 5: Blackout released after earlier embarrassing leak by competition winners

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Jul 24 2014 - 5:22 am PT
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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjz614QVyfQ]

‘Modern Combat 5: Blackout,’ the game embarrassingly leaked by competition winners given early access to it, is now available on iTunes.

First seen in a trailer in early June, Gameloft claims that the latest installment is the best yet.

Step into the action as the latest installment in the best FPS series raises the bar for shooters once more! Create a squad, add your friends and test your individual and team skills against other squads!

Is single player your thing? Then step into a world on the brink of anarchy and shoot your way out of one dire situation after another to expose a lunatic who’s trying to tear the world to shreds.

Designed for both iPhone and iPad, it will run on anything from the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 up, as well as the 5th generation iPod Touch. The game costs $6.99.

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9to5Toys Last Call: Marvel Unlimited $0.99, Fantastical 2 for iOS/Mac 50% off, Eric Clapton iTunes First Play free, more

Avatar for Justin Kahn Jul 23 2014 - 9:27 am PT
0 Comments

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call updates:

Fantastical 2 calendar app for iPhone, iPad and Mac up to 50% off

Media: Man of Steel Blu-ray set w/ figurine $15, Eric Clapton free iTunes First Play, American Hustle $10, more

Roku 3 1080p streaming media player w/ HDMI cable (refurb) $65 shipped (Reg. $100 new)

Apple deals:

Other new deals:

  • New! Headphones: Sony BT over-ears (refurb) $105 (orig. $400), Scosche over ears $55, more
  • New! Daily Deals: Canon Pixma Inkjet Printer $50, Monster Portable Battery Pack $15, more
  • New! Games/Apps: Trine 2 $3 (Reg. $15), Ninja Turtles Rooftop FREE (Reg. $4), more
  • New! SanDisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive $100 shipped (orig. $215)

More deals still alive:

New products/ongoing promotions:

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CNN iPhone app exposing login info of its iReporters unencrypted, according to security researchers

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jul 23 2014 - 8:30 am PT
1 Comment

Update: Apple tells us CNN submitted fixes for both their iPhone and iPad apps that are now live on the App Store.

Security researchers at Zscaler claim to have found a security flaw in CNN’s iPhone app that exposes personal login and passwords of its users. The CNN app for iPhone, which includes an iReport feature that allows users to sign-up and submit news stories, is reportedly not using SSL encryption for registration/login and SSL certificate pinning like its Android app counterpart and sending the personal user info to and from the app unencrypted. The report notes that CNN’s iPad app is not subject to the same vulnerability as it currently doesn’t have the iReport feature:

The current CNN for iPhone App (verified on Version 2.30 (Build 4948)) has a key weakness whereby passwords for iReport accounts are sent in clear text (unencrypted). While this is always a problem, it’s especially concerning that this relates to functionality which permits people to anonymously submit news stories to CNN. This occurs both when a user first creates their iReport account and during any subsequent logins.

As can be seen, both transmissions are sent in clear text (HTTP) and the password (p@ssword) is sent unencrypted, along with all other registration/login information. The concern here is that anyone on the same network as the user could easily sniff the victim’s password and access their account. Once obtained, the attacker could access the iReport account of the user and compromise their anonymity. The same credentials could be used to access the user’s web based iReport account where any past submissions are also accessible.

Zscaler said it notified CNN of the security flaw on July 15th and that the company confirmed it’s investigating. The CNN app for iPhone received an update today with “bug fixes” listed in the release notes, but the company is yet to confirm if the update was to address the security flaw detailed by Zscaler.

Hands-on: Fantastical 2.1 for iPhone & iPad adds snooze, invitation/birthday notifications, keyboard shortcuts, more

Avatar for Zac Hall Jul 23 2014 - 6:59 am PT
2 Comments
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We’ve already taken a close look at Fantastical 2 for iPhone and Fantastical 2 for iPad, and today Flexibits is releasing Fantastical 2.1 for both platforms with a list of new features and discounting Fantastical for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Among the list of changes include new snooze functionality, event invitation notifications and badges, notifications for upcoming birthdays, external keyboard shortcut support, and more. Below we’ll take a look at each new feature added to Fantastical for iPhone and iPad…
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FiftyThree launches SDK to bring its ‘Pencil’ Bluetooth stylus to other iOS apps

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jul 23 2014 - 5:59 am PT
1 Comment
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FiftyThree, the developers behind the popular drawing app Paper, today announced it’s releasing an SDK that will let all developers take advantage of its Pencil stylus for iOS devices. First launched last year alongside an update to Paper, Pencil is a $60 Bluetooth stylus for the drawing app that aims to offer a realistic pencil-to-paper drawing experience.

The SDK will allow for a smooth experience with the Pencil stylus in other apps and that also means in some cases FiftyThree will be working to improve the apps of its direct competitors while hopefully selling its stylus as a platform in the process. Devs will get access to palm rejection, erase, easy pairing, and all the pencil and touch classifiers the company uses in the Paper app. Support for surface pressure is also arriving with iOS 8:
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Apple TV to gain FXNOW channel w/ new Simpsons World content within 12 months

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jul 22 2014 - 1:13 pm PT
7 Comments
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The Apple TV will soon be getting more content thanks to a new FXNOW channel set to debut on the platform in the near future, according to two new reports (via iLounge). The news comes from the Television Critics Association Press Tour with TV writer Jason Lynch reporting the FXNOW channel will arrive on Apple TV within 12 months. The FXNOW channel, which is already available on iOS devices via an app for iPhone and iPad, offers on-demand video streaming from across the FX, FXX, and FXM networks.
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AMC debuts trailer for ‘The Walking Dead: No Man’s Land’ mobile game arriving w/ season 5

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jul 22 2014 - 10:50 am PT
3 Comments

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aiRboM4fok]

AMC announced today that it will release a new mobile game for The Walking Dead early next year alongside season 5 of the hit TV show. The TV network is teaming up with Next Games to develop the title and today shared the first trailer for the game that it plans to show off at Comic Con International later this month.

The game, titled The Walking Dead: No Man’s Land, will allow players to experience the world of the iconic show through gameplay exclusively developed for smartphones and tablet devices. Developed by Next Games in close collaboration with AMC, the game will feature themes familiar to the TV series, where characters fight for survival in a post-apocalyptic, walker-infested world. A recurring theme of choosing the right survival strategy and making the most human choices possible is at the heart of the first-of-its-kind game.

Telltale games already publishes a game based on universe of The Walking Dead comic book series, but this is AMC’s first official game based on its TV show version of the franchise. It isn’t, however, sharing many details on what we can expect from gameplay other than the description above or specifics on platforms.

The Walking Dead Season 5 is coming this October and the game, The Walking Dead: No Man’s Land, will hit smartphones and tablets early next year when the mid-season premiere of Season 5 airs.

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9to5Toys Last Call: MacBook Air up to $250 off w/ .edu, MacBook Pro 15″ $300 off, Eric Clapton free iTunes stream, more

Avatar for Jul 22 2014 - 9:34 am PT
3 Comments

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call updates:

 

Save up to $250 on current gen. MacBook Airs w/ .edu email, 13-inch from $750, more

Belkin charge & sync iPhone dock w/ built-in Lightning cable $19 Prime shipped (Reg. $35) (price bumped up slightly at 2:15pm)

Apple deals:

Other new deals:

  • New! Daily Deals: Kindle Fire 7″ HDX 4G: $229, more
  • New! Seiki Retro 1080P HDTV w/Yamaha 20W: $100 shipped (75% off)
  • New! Monitors: LG 24″ Widescreen $140 (orig. $249), Acer 27″ G6 Series $180 (Reg. $220+)
  • New! Timbuk2 Large 25-inch Aviator Wheeled Backpack $99 shipped (Reg. $200)
  • New! Home: Bissell Sweepers from $20, Worx cordless trimmer $100, kitchen items, more
  • New! Enercell Dual-USB 3.1A: Auto Charger + USB Travel Wall Charger $6 shipped
  • New! Games/Apps: BioShock Triple Pack $11 (Reg. $60), Trine $2 (Reg. $10), freebies, more
  • New! One year magazine subs: Macworld $7.50, Bloomberg Businessweek $15, more

More deals still alive:

New products/ongoing promotions:

Hillshire increases sales w/ iBeacon, 20x increase in purchase intent, 500x increase over average mobile ads

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jul 22 2014 - 8:56 am PT
4 Comments
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With more and more retailers, event spaces, and others deploying Apple’s Bluetooth LE iBeacon technology in order to beam iPhone and iPad users context and location aware notifications, we still haven’t seen much data on how the beacons are improving ad engagement for marketers. InMarket, a company installing iBeacons in grocery stores around the country that talk to a number of apps from its advertising partners, today shared some of the first stats from a specific consumer brand using the platform. 
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Facebook introducing ‘Save’ read later feature for iOS & Android

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jul 21 2014 - 1:09 pm PT
2 Comments
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[vimeo 101133002 w=700 h=381]

Facebook announced today that it’s rolling out a new feature for its mobile apps that will let users save content for easy access at a later date. A list of saved content from Facebook— including links to things like places, movies, TV, and music— will appear in the Facebook mobile apps in the “More” section and on the left side bar on the web.
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Contest winners turned pirates leak early copy of Modern Combat 5, and Gameloft’s furious

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Jul 21 2014 - 11:34 am PT
3 Comments

Earlier this week, Gameloft hosted a contest on their Facebook page rewarding winners with a free, early copy of Modern Combat 5: Blackout. The upcoming next installment of the popular first-person shooter is slated for release July 24th for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 8 devices. Unfortunately for Gameloft, however, you can already download it-for free. According to the company, one of the contest winners pirated the game made it available for download as a torrent. Unsurprisingly, Gameloft is livid. Gameloft Community Manager Florian Weber said in a statement on Facebook:
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9to5Toys Last Call: AirPort routers (refurb) from $60, iTunes gift cards 15% off, Ikea LED light bulbs $5 each, more

Avatar for Jul 21 2014 - 9:33 am PT
0 Comments

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications. Today’s can’t miss deals: Last Call updates:

Airport wireless routers (Refurb): Express $60 (Reg. $99 new), Extreme $120 (Reg. $199) Save an extra 25-30% at Canon refurb store: T3 w/ Lens $252, T3i w/ lens $336, SL1 $360, more Apple deals:

Headphones:

Other new deals:

More deals still alive:

New products/ongoing promotions: https://twitter.com/9to5Google/status/490112071686553601

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PackPoint handy packing checklist app now available on iOS

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Jul 21 2014 - 4:35 am PT
1 Comment

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hugJHCHvWJ8]

There’s nothing worse than arriving at your hotel for a trip, unpacking and then realizing you’ve forgotten something vital – like your MacBook  power supply, to pick an entirely random example **cough**. Packing checklists offer a good solution, but what you need for a business trip in the winter will be very different to what you need for a holiday in the summer.

PackPoint is an app that asks you a series of questions about your trip, then generates suggested packing lists based on everything from the forecast weather to the things you expect to be doing there. Previously only available on Android, it’s now available for iOS. Going out for a fancy dinner at some point? PackPoint will ensure you remember suitable attire. Business trip? Your VPN fob and gets added in along with the ubiquitous laptop and power.

You can edit the suggested lists by removing suggested items and adding in your own ones. The result is highly-customized packing checklists that should ensure nothing is forgotten.

Best of all, the app is completely free. You can download it now from the App Store.

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Upcoming Twitter for iPhone update will allow you to browse your entire DM history

Avatar for Mike Beasley Jul 18 2014 - 5:09 pm PT
5 Comments

Twitter has announced that an upcoming update to its mobile clients will allow users to go back and review their entire direct message history. Currently the app only provides a limited look back, but that restriction will be removed in a new version that will also make deleting messages more reliable across its web and mobile platforms.

[tweet https://twitter.com/Support/status/490260546818543618 align=’center’]


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iPhone app Numerous previews iOS 8 Notification Center integration

Avatar for Zac Hall Jul 18 2014 - 11:30 am PT
0 Comments
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We’ve already seen a few developers preview how new technologies introduced in iOS 8 make new features possible. Last month we saw 1Password’s iPhone app take advantage of the new access developers have to Touch ID and systemwide Extensions with their iOS 8 beta, and a number of health and fitness app developers have discussed their excitement for Apple’s new HealthKit tool. Today the developers of the fairly new iPhone app Numerous have previewed in a blog post their plans to include an app widget for presenting numbers from the app in the new Today view in Notification Center coming to the iPhone and iPad in iOS 8…
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9to5Toys Last Call: Pioneer 2-way speakers $50, AppleCare 30% off, Canon AirPrint Inkjet printer $45, more

Avatar for Jul 18 2014 - 9:39 am PT
0 Comments

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call updates:

Pioneer 80-Watt 2-Way Speakers: $50 (Reg. $130), JBL OnBeat Speaker Dock: $20 (Reg. $45), more

Save 30% on an AppleCare Protection Plan for your 13 or 15-inch MacBook

Canon PIXMA MX472 Wireless Office All-In-One Inkjet Printer with AirPrint: $40+$5 shipping

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

DJI Phantom FC40 Wi-Fi Drone w/ HD Camera: $449 w/ coupon code phantom50 (Reg. $769)

Other new deals:

More deals still alive:

New products/ongoing promotions:

Android/Microsoft deals:

EU accuses Apple of dragging its feet on protections for ‘misleading’ IAP-driven free apps

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Jul 18 2014 - 4:43 am PT
24 Comments
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The European Commission has complained that Apple is taking too long to implement protections for freemium games in the App Store, reports BBC News. The Commission has decreed that both Apple and Google, the two biggest app store vendors, must make the “true cost of apps” clear before purchase. However, officials are upset that Apple has not yet committed to any such measures.

“Regrettably, no concrete and immediate solutions have been made by Apple to date to address the concerns linked in particular to payment authorisation,” the Commission said in a statement.

“Apple has proposed to address those concerns. However, no firm commitment and no timing have been provided for the implementation of such possible future changes.


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Buffer releases official app for Mac, lets you add to your queue from the menu bar

Avatar for Stephen Hall Jul 17 2014 - 1:33 pm PT
5 Comments

Buffer has released its first official app for the Mac today, bringing an easy way to add content to your Buffer queue right from the menu bar. Buffer already lets you share social media updates from multiple accounts at once via its web, iOS, and Android clients, but now you can do much the same via Mac OS X.


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