Apps

6,295 'Apps' stories April 2010 - May 2014

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.

9to5Toys Lunch Break: ZAGG up to 50% off, Memorial Day sales from Belkin/J Crew/LifeProof, more

Justin Kahn May 26 2014 - 10:29 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:

ZAGG up to 50% off sitewide: invisibleSHIELD, keyboards, cases, chargers, headphones, other accessories, more

Memorial Day Sales: Lacoste 25% off, Gap 40% off, LifeProof 25% off, J. Crew 30% off, Lowe’s 10% off, more

Beats by Dre Pill XL portable Bluetooth speaker w/ $50 Amazon gift card: $253 shipped ($350 value)

Giveaways presented by SlickWraps: Apple TV, $100 iTunes gift card, $50 SlickWraps gift card, more

Other new deals:

New! Samsung 840 1TB SSD: $429 (Reg. $850), Seagate 1TB hybrid SSD: $90 (Reg. $149)
New! Yamaha NX-P100 Portable Bluetooth speaker: $100 shipped (Reg. $200)
New! Daily Deals: iPhone 5s $549, Otterbox iPhone 5/5s $15, $100 off Printers, more
New! Games/Apps: PS4 $360 ($40 off), 66% off Jump Remote Desktop, more iOS freebies
New! Motorola Dual-Charge 4000mAh Power Pack refurb $18 shipped (Reg. $50)

More deals still alive:

Save up to $300 on current generation iMacs w/.EDU email ($150 w/o), from – $1000
djay 2 for iPhone is now a free download for the first time, iPad version is 50% off
Philips 10.5-watt (60W equiv.) Slim Style Dimmable LED Light Bulb $9 (Reg. $14)
OtterBox iPad Air Defender Series Case (black): $60 shipped (Reg. $100)
LEGO movie early iTunes release, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey preorder $30, more
Foscam wireless/wired cam: $49 (Reg. $85), FI9821W V2: $85 (Reg. $149)
Toshiba 5TB Canvio Black USB 3.0 Hard Drive: $185 shipped (msrp. $300)
Belkin 20% sitewide coupon: Thunderbolt Express Dock w/ cable $184 (orig. $330), more
UP! Mini 3D Desktop Printer $600 shipped (msrp. $1,259)

New products/useful info:

Eyefi Mobi 16GB SDHC memory card w/ 1-year of Eyefi Cloud for $100 shipped ($130 value)
Deal Analysis: Is the Kinect-less Xbox One for $399 a good value?
Take $150 off early 2014 MacBook Airs (requires .edu email), deals from $750 (up to 17% off)

Microsoft/Google/Android:

The Hisense H6 is a 55-inch Android-powered TV priced under $650
Download 5 free Android apps from the Amazon Appstore, get 1,000 Coins ($10 value)
Acer Chromebook 11.6″ refurb $100 AR (Reg. $200)
OtterBox Defender Series for Kindle Fire HD 8.9 $15 shipped (Reg. $80)

9to5Toys Weekend: Apple TV/$100 iTunes gift card giveaways, iMac $300 off w/ .edu email ($150 w/o), more

May 25 2014 - 9:49 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:

Giveaways presented by SlickWraps: Apple TV, $100 iTunes gift card, $50 SlickWraps gift card, more

Save up to $300 on all current generation iMacs w/.EDU email address ($150 w/o), starting below $1,000 shipped

Daily Deals: Kensington Lightning dock: $18, Samsung 48″ 1080p Smart HDTV: $625, more

djay 2 for iPhone is now available as a free download for the first time, iPad version is 50% off

“@amazontechdeals: Get a Free Google Chromecast with Purchase of SONOS PLAYBAR http://t.co/QhlRfblZP2 pic.twitter.com/868fa0s4BZ

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) May 25, 2014

Other new deals:

Best Buy has 40 Blu-rays on sale for $5 each w/ free pickup or free shipping on orders of $35+ http://t.co/Nu8oK5Stzn pic.twitter.com/vg3H60D4d0

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) May 25, 2014

New! Philips 10.5-watt (60W equiv.) Slim Style Dimmable LED Light Bulb $9 (Reg. $14)
New! Games/Apps: Batman Arkham Origins (PC) $7.50, TowerMadness, Order & Chaos and BLiP go FREE, 4 Elements HD $2 (Reg. $7), more
New! Logitech UE 4000 On-Ear Headphones $20 shipped (Reg. $100)

https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/470595310138695680
More deals still alive:

Netgear Centria N900 Gigabit router w/ 3.5-inch storage $55 shipped (Reg. $250)
OtterBox iPad Air Defender Series Case (black): $60 shipped (Reg. $100)
Seagate Wireless Plus 1TB iOS/Android Storage $170 shipped (orig. $200)
LEGO movie early iTunes release, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey preorder $30, more
Foscam wireless/wired cam: $49 (Reg. $85), FI9821W V2: $85 (Reg. $149)
Toshiba 5TB Canvio Black USB 3.0 Hard Drive: $185 shipped (msrp. $300)
Kingston MobileLite wireless card reader $30 w/ free Prime shipping (Reg. $60)
Belkin 20% sitewide coupon: Thunderbolt Express Dock w/ cable $184 (orig. $330), more
Nest Learning Thermostat 2nd Generation: $224 shipped (Reg. $250)
UP! Mini 3D Desktop Printer $600 shipped (msrp. $1,259)
Logitech Ultrathin iPad Air Keyboard Cover: $54 shipped (Reg. $100)

New products/useful info:

Eyefi Mobi 16GB SDHC memory card w/ 1-year of Eyefi Cloud for $100 shipped ($130 value)
Deal Analysis: Is the Kinect-less Xbox One for $399 a good value?
Take $150 off early 2014 MacBook Airs (requires .edu email), deals from $750 (up to 17% off)

Microsoft/Google/Android:

The Hisense H6 is a 55-inch Android-powered TV priced under $650
Download 5 free Android apps from the Amazon Appstore, get 1,000 Coins ($10 value)
Acer Chromebook 11.6″ refurb $100 AR (Reg. $200)
OtterBox Defender Series for Kindle Fire HD 8.9 $15 shipped (Reg. $80)

Tweetbot 2 and 3 for iOS get mandatory updates, previous versions will stop functioning soon

Mike Beasley May 23 2014 - 6:18 pm PT

6 Comments

Tapbots, the development team behind the popular Tweetbot Twitter client for Mac and iOS have issued a mandatory update for all users. According to a post on the Tapbots blog, all current mobile versions of the app will cease to function soon due to a change in the app requested by Twitter.

Updates for both iPhone versions of the app are rolling out now. Users on iOS 6 running Tweetbot 2 can look out for version 2.8.8, while users on the newer Tweetbot 3 can already find version 3.3.2 in the App Store. The Mac and iPad versions of the app aren’t mentioned in the post, so it’s possible they won’t need to be updated. (Update: The iPad version has been updated to version 2.8.8 as well.)

Expand
Expanding
Close

YouTube working on separate mobile app for creators, fan donation feature, more

Jordan Kahn May 23 2014 - 10:21 am PT

0 Comments

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR8XBZRkkao&feature=youtu.be]

YouTube announced today that it will be releasing regular “Creator Preview” videos letting YouTube creators know about upcoming features so they can provide feedback ahead of time. In the first Creator Preview, the company announced that it’s working on a separate mobile app just for creators in addition to a few other interesting new features:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple releases iAd Producer 4.2 with full-screen iPhone banner support

Zac Hall May 22 2014 - 7:56 pm PT

2 Comments

Following a series of software releases over the last week including OS X 10.9.3, iTunes 11.2, Safari 7.0.4, and Podcasts for iOS, Apple has tonight released a point update to its iAd Producer software in the developer center. The previous update to the software was released earlier this year in March. The update includes, among other improvements, support for full-screen iPhone banner iAd creation. Full release notes after the break.
Expand
Expanding
Close

9to5Toys Last Call: djay 2 goes free, Jawbone BIG Jambox $200, Philips 10.5-watt LED light bulb $9, more

May 22 2014 - 9:59 am PT

2 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:

Apps/Games:

djay 2 for iPhone is now available as a free download for the first time ever, iPad version is 50% off
Infinity Blade III $3 (Reg. $7), GTA V $30, Amazon launches digital games Mayhem sale, Siege Hero FREE, more

$50 iTunes gift card for $40 shipped from Staples (20% savings)

Jawbone BIG Jambox $200 shipped (Reg. $300), Logitech UE Boom $129 shipped (Reg. $200)

~~Brother Multi-Function Wireless Monochrome Laser Printer $100 shipped (Reg. $200)~~

Philips 10.5-watt (60W equiv.) Slim Style Dimmable LED Light Bulb $9 (Reg. $14)

13-inch MacBook Pro w/ Retina display 2.4 GHz/4GB/128GB (newest version) $1,100 shipped ($200 off)

Samsung 28-inch 4K UHD LED 60Hz Monitor $597 shipped (Reg. $700) http://t.co/hOaznq4Ydb pic.twitter.com/v9mRfZYtei

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) May 22, 2014

Other deals from today:

New! Netgear Centria N900 Gigabit router w/ 3.5-inch storage $55 shipped (Reg. $250)
New! Daily Deals: Urge 4000mAh Battery Pack: $15, Canon Printer w/ AirPrint: $85, more
New! 1 year magazine subs: Macworld w/ digital $7.50, more
New! Download 5 free Android apps from the Amazon Appstore, get 1,000 Coins ($10 value)

More deals still alive:

HBO shows land on Amazon Prime Instant Video today: Sopranos, Wire, deadwood, more http://t.co/SyzFuhs0oU pic.twitter.com/HfWefuxtKw

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) May 21, 2014

Sony PlayStation 4 console $370 shipped (Reg. $400)
OtterBox iPad Air Defender Series Case (black): $60 shipped (Reg. $100)
Seagate Wireless Plus 1TB iOS/Android Storage $170 shipped (orig. $200)
Razor Pocket Mod Vapor 24V Electric Retro Scooter $210 (Reg. $350)
LEGO movie early iTunes release, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey preorder $30, more
MacBook/iPhone/iPad accessories from Incase up to 85% off, Case-Mate 40% off
Foscam wireless/wired cam: $49 (Reg. $85), FI9821W V2: $85 (Reg. $149)
Toshiba 5TB Canvio Black USB 3.0 Hard Drive: $185 shipped (msrp. $300)
Kingston MobileLite wireless card reader $30 w/ free Prime shipping (Reg. $60)
Belkin 20% sitewide coupon: Thunderbolt Express Dock w/ cable $184 (orig. $330), more
Nest Learning Thermostat 2nd Generation: $224 shipped (Reg. $250)
UP! Mini 3D Desktop Printer $600 shipped (msrp. $1,259)
Nikon D3200 Digital SLR Camera refurb w/ Lightroom 5 $330 shipped (Reg. $530)
TP-LINK 150Mbps wireless pocket $20 w/ free Prime shipping (Reg. $40)
Logitech Ultrathin iPad Air Keyboard Cover: $54 shipped (Reg. $100)
REI Sale knocks 20% off one item, GoPro HERO3+ Black for $320 (Reg. $400)
LunaTik TikTok Watch Wrist Strap for iPod Nano 6G in 5 colors: Starting at $5 shipped

New products/useful info:

Eyefi Mobi 16GB SDHC memory card w/ 1-year of Eyefi Cloud for $100 shipped ($130 value)
Deal Analysis: Is the Kinect-less Xbox One for $399 a good value?
Take $150 off early 2014 MacBook Airs (requires .edu email), deals from $750 (up to 17% off)

Microsoft/Google/Android:

Acer Chromebook 11.6″ refurb $100 AR (Reg. $200)
OtterBox Defender Series for Kindle Fire HD 8.9 $15 shipped (Reg. $80)

Osmo for iPad combines physical puzzles and games with interactive apps

Zac Hall May 22 2014 - 9:26 am PT

4 Comments

Parents who share their iPads with their kids for playing games and other entertainment will want to check out this novel idea from the startup company Tangible Play. The product is a combination of iPad game apps and iPad accessories that use the front-facing camera to connect real world gameplay and interactions with what is happening within the compatible apps. At launch, three apps will be available: Tangram, Newton, and Words.

As TechCrunch points out, the company behind Osmo is founded by former Google employees:

The company was founded by ex-Googlers, including Pramod Sharma, who had earlier seen the the intersection of physical and digital when he helped build Google’s book-scanning machine, and Jérôme Scholler, who had worked on Chrome for Android.

For parents and iPad owners interested in Osmo, the game set is currently available for pre-order in a crowdsourcing campaign to raise funds for development. Early backers can join in on the fun at $49 and the final product is expected to ship later this fall. Osmo will be regularly priced at $99 starting June 22nd, so interested backers will want to jump in soon.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbwIJMz9PAQ]

Pixelmator 3.2 revamps the Repair Tool, adds locked layers, 16-bit support for all Macs and more

Benjamin Mayo May 22 2014 - 5:31 am PT

9 Comments

The Pixelmator team is relentless, releasing significant updates to the application every few months. Version 3.2 (codenamed ‘Sandstone’) is no exception and can be downloaded from the Mac App Store now. Codenamed Sandstone, this iteration adds a majorly-revamped Repair Tool, 16-bit channel editing for all Macs (not just the Mac Pro) alongside a whole bucket of other improvements.

The Repair Tool now uses color-correction to match repaired areas seamlessly. It also has clever smarts that mean you don’t have to precisely select an object anymore, the software will remove the whole object automatically. Pixelmator will also try its best to infer the structure of the background area, for a more natural final edit.

The Repair Tool now has three different options, Quick, Standard and Advanced. Quick is meant for small blemishes, whereas Standard and Advanced tackle the removal of larger objects from a scene. It’s not exactly clear under what circumstances you are supposed to change mode, so I chose ‘Advanced’ every time in my testing and the results were fantastic. It’s sort of like magic. You can see an example of what this is capable of after the break …

Expand
Expanding
Close

Algoriddim’s latest djay for iOS app unlocks over 20 million songs with Spotify

Zac Hall May 22 2014 - 5:30 am PT

9 Comments

We’ve covered Algoriddim’s djay for iOS, the popular all-in-one DJ system software, in the past including the debut of djay 2, and today djay is out with a major new feature that unlocks over 20 million songs: Spotify integration. Previously, the DJ app relied solely on songs downloaded and stored in the iPhone or iPad Music app. The latest version of djay focuses on music access and discovery and also includes set list sharing using Spotify playlists as well as more than 30 new audio effects to unlock within the app. I’ve had the opportunity to test drive the new version of djay with Spotify integration over the past week, and it’s definitely a major benefit to users of the DJ system software.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Mini-review: Lockscreen Wallpaper Designer, the simple iPhone app for creating prettier lockscreens

Ben Lovejoy May 22 2014 - 4:56 am PT

11 Comments

You’d think choosing a photo to use on your iPhone lockscreen would be a pretty simple task. Scroll through your Camera Roll, choose a photo you like, hit Set and you’re done.

The reality is a little different. Half the time the photo you really want to use is landscape format (horizontal) and you need a vertical image. The iPhone will automatically crop it, and allow you to slide the image around to get a crop you like, but the result rarely does justice to the original shot.

The other half of the time, you find a portrait (vertical) photo which looks great on its own but then clashes with the clock and slide to unlock text when you set it as your lockscreen. Lockscreen Wallpaper Designer is a very simple app that aims to solve these problems …
Expand
Expanding
Close

Bubble app lets you discover real world items linked to the web w/ iBeacons

Jordan Kahn May 21 2014 - 3:28 pm PT

7 Comments

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtQSJx2nI9I]

Bubble, a new app launching this week, is about to make it super easy for anyone to link real world items to websites using Apple’s new iBeacon Bluetooth LE technology. Up until now retailers, event planners, and more have been using iBeacons in order to send relevant notifications to users in proximity, but that required users to actually have that specific retailer’s app installed. Bubble, on the other hand, acts as an iBeacon browser of sorts allowing users to discover web content as they come in contact with real world items.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple releases Safari 7.0.4 & 6.1.4 for OS X with security improvements

Zac Hall May 21 2014 - 1:37 pm PT

0 Comments

Alongside the release of OS X 10.9.3 and iTunes 11.2 last week, Apple released Safari version 7.0.3 and 6.1.4. Apple has since released a minor bug fix to that version of iTunes, and today Apple has released a security update to Safari bringing the latest version to 7.0.4. Users can find the latest version in the Mac App Store.

Safari 6.1.4 and Safari 7.0.4

WebKitAvailable for: OS X Lion v10.7.5, OS X Lion Server v10.7.5, OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.5, OS X Mavericks v10.9.3Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: Multiple memory corruption issues existed in WebKit. These issues were addressed through improved memory handling.

Read Apple’s documentation on the latest version of Safari here.

9to5Toys Last Call: 9 great Mac apps for ~$9 (Last Day!), Retina MacBook Pro $200 off, Incase Mac accessories up to 85% off, more

May 21 2014 - 10:04 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:

Name Your Own Price Mac app bundle. Titles include RapidWeaver 5, TuneUp, mSecure, and 5 others.

Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro w/ Retina display 2.4 GHz/4GB/128GB (newest version) $1,100 shipped ($200 off)

MacBook/iPhone/iPad accessories from Incase up to 85% off, Case-Mate 40% off

Seagate Wireless Plus 1TB iOS/Android Storage w/ Built-In Wi-Fi Streaming $170 shipped (orig. $200)

Media: LEGO movie early iTunes release, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey preorder $30, asstd. Blu-rays $5, more

HBO shows land on Amazon Prime Instant Video today: Sopranos, Wire, deadwood, more http://t.co/SyzFuhs0oU pic.twitter.com/HfWefuxtKw

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) May 21, 2014

Other deals from today:

New! Sony PlayStation 4 console $370 shipped (Reg. $400)
New! Daily Deals: WD 1.5TB External HD refurb: $60, Insignia 39″ 1080p HDTV: $250, iPad mini 32GB: $265, Smart TVs, more
New! OtterBox iPad Air Defender Series Case (black): $60 shipped (Reg. $100)
New! Games/Apps: GTA Trilogy for Mac $7.50 (Reg. $30), PDF Reader Pro Edition $1, Brutal Street & Pirate Gunner go FREE, more iOS freebies
New! Acer Chromebook 11.6″ refurb $100 AR (Reg. $200)
New! Razor Pocket Mod Vapor 24V Electric Retro Scooter $210 (Reg. $350)

PSA: eBay is asking its users to reset passwords after security breach. Paypal unaffected http://t.co/Q8QLr5qFLT

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) May 21, 2014

More deals still alive:

Foscam wireless/wired Pan & Tilt network cam w/ 8 meter night vision: $49 shipped (Reg. $85), and Foscam FI9821W V2 for $85 shipped (Reg. $149)
Toshiba 5TB Canvio Black USB 3.0 Hard Drive: $185 shipped (msrp. $300)
Kingston MobileLite wireless card reader/power bank for smartphones/tablets $30 w/ free Prime shipping (Reg. $60)
Belkin 20% sitewide coupon: Thunderbolt Express Dock w/ cable $184 (orig. $330), WeMo Insight Switch $48, more
Nest Learning Thermostat 2nd Generation: $224 shipped (Reg. $250)
UP! Mini 3D Desktop Printer $600 shipped (msrp. $1,259)
Samsung Smart HDTVs: 46-inch $427 (Reg. $750), slim 48-inch $571 (Reg. $830), 48-inch $735 (Reg. $900)
Nikon D3200 Digital SLR Camera refurb w/ Lightroom 5 $330 shipped (Reg. $530), Nikon 1 J1 DSLR bundle refurb $200 (Reg. $800)
TP-LINK 150Mbps wireless pocket router w/ LAN and USB ports $20 w/ free Prime shipping (Reg. $40)
Logitech Ultrathin iPad Air Keyboard Cover: $54 shipped (Reg. $100)
REI Anniversary Sale knocks 20% off one full-price item, get a GoPro HERO3+ Black for $320 (Reg. $400)
LunaTik TikTok Watch Wrist Strap for iPod Nano 6G in 5 colors: Starting at $5 shipped

New products/useful info:

Eyefi Mobi 16GB SDHC memory card w/ 1-year of Eyefi Cloud for $100 shipped ($130 value)
Deal Analysis: Is the Kinect-less Xbox One for $399 a good value?
Take $150 off early 2014 MacBook Airs (requires .edu email), deals from $750 (up to 17% off)
D-Link’s new Wi-Fi Smart Plug offers full control over your electronics w/ energy usage monitoring & thermal sensor safety features
Verizon FiOS 50Mb/25Mb, Local TV + HBO Go or Showtime: $50/month. Fully Loaded: $75/month

Microsoft/Google/Android:

OtterBox Defender Series for Kindle Fire HD 8.9 $15 shipped (Reg. $80)
ZTE is selling the Firefox OS phone direct via Ebay for $100 shipped

Facebook announces TV Show and Music ID app updates for iOS and Android

Mark Gurman May 21 2014 - 8:49 am PT

3 Comments

According to multiple sources, Facebook will unveil a new service today that can identify television shows and music playing in the background. The new software, which will be available via an updated App Store app on iPhone and a Google Play app on Android, will work in tandem with your smartphone hardware’s microphone. Facebook is said to be integrating the feature so Facebook users can more easily share what music they are listening to or what TV show they are currently watching to their Timelines. In iOS 8, Apple will unveil a new Siri feature in partnership with Shazam to identify songs playing in the background. Update: Official announcement after the break…
Expand
Expanding
Close

Spotify confirms it now has 10 million paying subscribers

Jordan Kahn May 21 2014 - 7:05 am PT

0 Comments

On the heels of the Beats acquisition that Apple is still yet to officially confirm, every music streaming service’s biggest competitor is today hoping to keep everyone interested: Spotify just announced it has increased its paid subscriber base to 10 million users from the 6 million users it reported earlier this year in March. Recode first posted the stats and also noted on top of paid customers Spotify now “has more than 40 million active users, in 56 markets around the world.”

Spotify of course has a big lead on Beats’ recently launched subscription music service, which as of latest reports has just around a couple hundred thousand paying subscribers. Also of note, there is some confusion over whether or not Beats subscriber numbers include those getting a free 90-day subscription through AT&T and subscribers getting access through a $14.99 group plan. However, it’s clear Beats early sub numbers aren’t that important to Apple’s long-term goals and its plan for the company and streaming service. Even Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek admitted to Recode “that the service has yet to break through to mainstream audiences in many markets, including the United States.”

Apple updates WWDC for iPhone and iPad with new design and conference schedule

Zac Hall May 21 2014 - 6:51 am PT

3 Comments

With WWDC less than two weeks away now, Apple has released WWDC 2.0 for iPhone and iPad today on the App Store. The update revamps the user interface to reflect the design changes introduced with iOS 7 at last year’s WWDC conference. The update also includes a new icon to reflect the design changes: from dark purple to bright orange. The update also includes the latest schedule for this year’s conference (or as much as it will reveal) so developers attending the conference will want to download and reference it soon.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Ballet company & iPhone gyroscope teach couples some new dance moves

Ben Lovejoy May 21 2014 - 5:07 am PT

4 Comments

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gete61IxkPo]

Trying to align moving dots on an iPhone screen might sound like an unlikely way for a couple to learn some new dance moves, but that’s the idea behind the Bounden app – and it was apparently created with the help of the Dutch National Ballet …
Expand
Expanding
Close

Starbucks offering free iTunes download of Coldplay’s new song via iPhone app

Chance Miller May 20 2014 - 1:26 pm PT

6 Comments

Coldplay’s highly anticipated album Ghost Stories became available in its entirety on iTunes Radio First Play last week, and was finally released to the public yesterday. Now, Starbucks is partnering with the British band to offer a free track off of the album as its Pick of the Week. By downloading and opening the Starbucks app for iOS, the opening track off of the album, “Always in My Head,” can be downloaded for absolutely free. Simply launch the app and head to the “messages” interface, in which you should have a new message offering the song for free.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 & 3 now available for Mac

Jordan Kahn May 20 2014 - 12:38 pm PT

18 Comments

A few years after hitting consoles, Aspyr announced today that it’s bringing a couple of the most popular games from the Call of Duty franchise to Mac, including: Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3 as well as all DLC for both titles.

The games aren’t available in the Mac App Store, but Aspyr is making them available through Steam and its own GameAgent online store today alongside all maps packs and other DLC. SteamPlay support means you’ll be able to pick up the title up once and play it on both Mac and PC.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 picks up immediately following the historic events of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, with players facing off against a new threat dedicated to bringing the world to the brink of collapse. And Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 continues the series’ epic storyline with even bigger and more explosive action.

While the release is already a few titles behind the console releases, it does bring Mac gamers some great new Call of Duty content including multiplayer for both games. The games are certainly an upgrade from the last COD release to hit the Mac: 2010’s Black Ops.

Both games feature:

Cinematic, action-packed single player campaigns
Cross-platform competitive multiplayer and cooperative online play
Multiple DLC Packs which add new maps and other great content to the multiplayer experience
Steam Works integration and Steam Play support
And more!

Amazon Cloud Drive Photos app gets revamped albums w/ large cover photos & more

Jordan Kahn May 20 2014 - 12:09 pm PT

0 Comments

Amazon updated its Cloud Drive Photos app for iOS today with a few nice new features for viewing and managing photos and video stored in the app.

The app, which offers 5GB of storage free and automatically backs up photo and video from your iOS device, now includes a revamped album view with large cover photos in addition to other new photo management features. You’ll also now see your photo as its being uploaded within the progress indicator as well as dates when transitioning between months and years while viewing photos: Swiping through photos in the single photo view now lets you know when you transition between months or years.

Lastly, Amazon notes the app now includes a filter to sort photos by newest or oldest first.

The updated Amazon Cloud Drive Photos app is available now on the App Store.

What’s New in Version 3.1.0

– New Album View: Quickly scroll through your albums with large, beautiful cover photos for each of them
– Upload Progress: See your photos as their being uploaded to the cloud
– Know when your photos were taken: Swiping through photos in the single photo view now lets you know when you transition between months or years
– Sort your Photos: Choose to see your photos newest first or oldest first
– Bug and Crash Fixes

9to5Toys Last Call: Toshiba 5TB external HD $189, Kingston MobileLite $30, Foscam wireless cams from $49, more

May 20 2014 - 10:12 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:

Media: LEGO movie early iTunes release, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey preorder $30, asstd. Blu-rays $5, more

Back in stock!

Apple iPad Air 32GB WiFi $490 shipped (Reg. $599) http://t.co/m51xPeqEwg

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) May 20, 2014

Toshiba 5TB Canvio Black USB 3.0 Hard Drive: $189 shipped (msrp. $300)Kingston MobileLite wireless card reader/power bank for smartphones/tablets $30 w/ free Prime shipping (Reg. $60) Foscam wireless/wired Pan & Tilt network cam w/ 8 meter night vision: $49 shipped (Reg. $85), and Foscam FI9821W V2 for $85 shipped (Reg. $149) Belkin 20% sitewide coupon: Thunderbolt Express Dock w/ cable $184 (orig. $330), WeMo Insight Switch $48, more Nest Learning Thermostat 2nd Generation: $224 shipped (Reg. $250)

Other deals from today:

New! UP! Mini 3D Desktop Printer $600 shipped (msrp. $1,259)
New! Ringke cases for iPhone 5/5s/5c, Galaxy S4, Nexus 5, Moto G starting at $5 (Reg. up to $30)
New! Panasonic 2.1-Channel Home Theater Bluetooth Soundbar + HDMI Cable $85 shipped (Reg. $200)
New! OtterBox Defender Series for Kindle Fire HD 8.9 $15 shipped (Reg. $80)

Urge Basics Soundbrick Bluetooth Speaker w/ built-in mic $30 shipped (Reg. $80) http://t.co/mi7jsxeUlw

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) May 20, 2014

More deals still alive:

Samsung Smart HDTVs: 46-inch $427 (Reg. $750), slim 48-inch $571 (Reg. $830), 48-inch $735 (Reg. $900)
Nikon D3200 Digital SLR Camera refurb w/ Lightroom 5 $330 shipped (Reg. $530), Nikon 1 J1 DSLR bundle refurb $200 (Reg. $800)
TP-LINK 150Mbps wireless pocket router w/ LAN and USB ports $20 w/ free Prime shipping (Reg. $40)
Logitech Ultrathin iPad Air Keyboard Cover: $54 shipped (Reg. $100)
REI Anniversary Sale knocks 20% off one full-price item, get a GoPro HERO3+ Black for $320 (Reg. $400)
LunaTik TikTok Watch Wrist Strap for iPod Nano 6G in 5 colors: Starting at $5 shipped
Belkin QODE Bluetooth Portable Keyboard Case for iPad mini: $35 shipped (Reg. $80)
uNu Aero 2,000mAh iPhone 5/5s battery case w/ wireless charging pad: $60 shipped (reg. $100)

New products/useful info:

Eyefi Mobi 16GB SDHC memory card w/ 1-year of Eyefi Cloud for $100 shipped ($130 value)
Deal Analysis: Is the Kinect-less Xbox One for $399 a good value?
Take $150 off early 2014 MacBook Airs (requires .edu email), deals from $750 (up to 17% off)
D-Link’s new Wi-Fi Smart Plug offers full control over your electronics w/ energy usage monitoring & thermal sensor safety features
Verizon FiOS 50Mb/25Mb, Local TV + HBO Go or Showtime: $50/month. Fully Loaded: $75/month

Microsoft/Google/Android:

ZTE is selling the Firefox OS phone direct via Ebay for $100 shipped

Review: Fresco for iOS condenses the headlines to photos, stories to quick descriptions

Sarah Guarino May 20 2014 - 8:06 am PT

1 Comment

Fresco News is a news reader app that delivers news in a whole new way by displaying informative, captivating, emotional photographs. It features content from political, sports, business, technology and entertainment news providers such as Aljazeera, BBC, Bloomberg, Boston Globe, CNN, The Guardian, Huffington Post, maskable.com, NY Post, NY Times, Reuters, Time Magazine and VICE News. Users get to scroll and flick through the images that convey the news.

Fresco presents the news in the form of a photo feed that illustrates each headline visually. Tapping a photo offers a brief description of the photo and the associated story. Tapping on it again allows you to view it in a fullscreen parallax-enabled view. You can also read the full accompanying article from a variety of news sources.

Compared to “traditional” news apps, Fresco is a helpful app that provides a practical, enjoyable news experience. For anyone who wants to stay informed of current events, the app provides a significantly less cumbersome method for getting the latest news.

Currently the photos in the feed come from professional journalism photographers, such as AP, Getty, or Reuters. In the app’s next update, the images will be a mix of professional and crowdsourced. The photo does have to be approved by the developers in order to show up in the app, but users will have the opportunity to be paid for their photos.

According to John Meyer, founder and CEO of Fresco News, when a newsworthy event takes place close to a Fresco user, they will receive a push notification informing them that they can be paid for photos of that event. The process of submitting a photo takes less than thirty seconds. Meyer is also working with news organizations to license their photos.

The next update will also contain more options for navigating within the app, allowing users to choose which feed to follow based on topic, interests, location or user.

As an avid news consumer, I will definitely be taking advantage of this free app, and highly recommend it to other like-minded news junkies looking to get the latest headlines. You can get Fresco News from the App Store for free.

9to5Toys Last Call: Nest Thermostat (2nd gen) $224, Nikon D3200 w/ Adobe LR 5 $330, iPad Air 16GB WiFi $400, more

May 19 2014 - 10:12 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:

Nest Learning Thermostat 2nd Generation: $224 shipped (Reg. $250)
TP-LINK 150Mbps wireless pocket router w/ LAN and USB ports $20 w/ free Prime shipping (Reg. $40)
Breett 10000mAh Power Bank Dual-Port USB 2.1A 1.0A Portable External Battery Charger $15 (Reg. $50)
Nikon D3200 Digital SLR Camera refurb w/ Lightroom 5 $330 shipped (Reg. $530), Nikon 1 J1 DSLR bundle refurb $200 (Reg. $800)
Brother HL-2270DW Monochrome Wireless Laser Printer $70 shipped (Reg. $150)
Apple iPad Air deals w/ free shipping: 16GB $400 (Reg. $499), ~~32GB $490 (Reg. $599), 64GB $580 (Reg. $699)~~

Here’s your second chance if you missed out this morning!

The 16GB iPad Air for $400 is back in stock. http://t.co/PUaQQ49FRY

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) May 19, 2014

Just added to our Daily Deals: Nexus 5 $385, WD 1TB USB3 HD $55, Sony SmartWatch 2 $120 http://t.co/bOQKqeN6XY pic.twitter.com/ChQzYRnUAY

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) May 19, 2014

Readdle’s Calendars 5 for iOS is available for free for the first time ever (Reg. $7)

Samsung Smart HDTVs: 46-inch $427 (Reg. $750), slim 48-inch $571 (Reg. $830), 48-inch $735 (Reg. $900)

Games/Apps: Battlefield 4 $25, Logitech PowerShell iOS controller $50, 60% off Tropico titles + DLC for Mac, iOS freebies, more

REI Anniversary Sale knocks 20% off one full-price item, get a GoPro HERO3+ Black for $320 (Reg. $400)

Wii U consoles: 8GB Skylanders bundle $200, 32GB Deluxe Super Mario & Luigi U bundle $250 http://t.co/cSqo80TylV pic.twitter.com/qrCXWF1xeB

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) May 19, 2014

Other deals from today:

New! Logitech Ultrathin iPad Air Keyboard Cover: $54 shipped (Reg. $100)
New! Incase Campus MacBook backpacks $19.99 w/ free pickup (Reg. $60)
New! Daily Deals: Kindle Fire HD 4G LTE: $219, Powerbeats by Dre: $80, IOGear Wireless Keyboard: $12, more
New! LunaTik TikTok Watch Wrist Strap for iPod Nano 6G in 5 colors: Starting at $5 shipped
New! Monster Beats by Dr Dre Tour in-ear headphones: $40 shipped

More deals still alive:

Home Deals: GreenWorks Li-ion cordless blower $60 (Reg. $100), Dyson DC26 Vac (refurb) $180 (Reg. $400), kitchen & patio items, more
Headphones: BlueAnt Embrace over ears $32 (orig. $200), Scosche RH over ears $60 (Reg. $149), Powerbeats by Dre. (refurb) $44 (Reg. $149)
iClever Aluminum USB 3 4A hubs: 7-port: $25, 4-port: $13 shipped AC
Display Deals: Dell 24″ UltraSharp $260 shipped (Reg. $350), three 23″ HP monitors $315 shipped (Reg. up to $480), HDTVs, more
HDTV Deals: Samsung 46″120Hz: $512, Samsung 60″: $899, Panasonic 39″ Smart TV $400, more
Belkin QODE Bluetooth Portable Keyboard Case for iPad mini: $35 shipped (Reg. $80)
uNu Aero 2,000mAh iPhone 5/5s battery case w/ wireless charging pad: $60 shipped (reg. $100)
Home Deals: Philips Automatic Espresso Machine $360 (Reg. $1600), KitchenAid Stand Mixer $230 (Reg. $350), more
Apple iPad mini 32GB WiFi (black or white): $300 shipped (orig. $429)
Bose OE2i On-Ear headphones w/ mic & controls $100 (orig. $180), more from Plantronics and Beyer Dynamic

New products/useful info:

Eyefi Mobi 16GB SDHC memory card w/ 1-year of Eyefi Cloud for $100 shipped ($130 value)
Deal Analysis: Is the Kinect-less Xbox One for $399 a good value?
Take $150 off early 2014 MacBook Airs (requires .edu email), deals from $750 (up to 17% off)
D-Link’s new Wi-Fi Smart Plug offers full control over your electronics w/ energy usage monitoring & thermal sensor safety features
Verizon FiOS 50Mb/25Mb, Local TV + HBO Go or Showtime: $50/month. Fully Loaded: $75/month

Microsoft/Google/Android:

ZTE is selling the Firefox OS phone direct via Ebay for $100 shipped

Facebook may try to take on Snapchat again with upcoming ‘Slingshot’ app

Mike Beasley May 18 2014 - 6:33 pm PT

5 Comments

If at first you don’t succeed…

Facebook may have recently pulled its Snapchat-like Poke app from the iOS App Store, but the social network is gearing up to take another swipe at the messaging giant later this month, according to a new claim by the Financial Times. Facebook’s new app, currently dubbed “Slingshot” interally, will enable users to send short video messages to one another.

In 2012, Facebook launched its own Snapchat rip-off called Poke, which borrowed its name from an entirely separate feature that had been available on Facebook’s website for years. When Poke failed to attract a significant number of users, Facebook forgot about it and let it sit idle for nearly three years before removing it from the App Store.

Expand
Expanding
Close