Apps

Amazon has just updated its Amazon Instant Video app, which provides access to its catalogue of over 40k movies and TV shows, with a redesign of the entire UI inspired by iOS 7.

Amazon isn’t listing any new features in the iTunes release notes other than bug fixes and stability improvements, but you’ll also find a new icon and some UI tweaks that come as part of the new redesign. The overall navigation of the app remains the same but buttons and icons within have been flattened along with streamlining of other UI elements to make the app fit in with Apple’s iOS 7 redesign.

The redesign isn’t just for iPhone users, as the iPad version has been given a similar facelift:

The updated Amazon Instant Video app version 2.4 is available now on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.

9to5Toys Weekend: Logitech PowerShell iPhone controller $50, Toshiba 5TB desktop HDD $190, AirPlay receivers, more

Apr 6 2014 - 8:19 am PT

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

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Logitech PowerShell MFi iPhone game controller w/ built-in battery $50 shipped (Reg. $100)

Toshiba 5TB Canvio Black USB 3.0 Hard Drive: $190 shipped

Network A/V Receivers w/ AirPlay: Denon 5.1-Ch. $200 (Reg. $400), Yamaha 7.2-Ch. $450 (Reg. $650)

Google Chromecast streaming media player $30 w/ free shipping (Reg. $35)

Here, have a free month of Hulu http://t.co/Gv8Xg3ENzk (new subs. only)

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) April 5, 2014

Other great deals from this weekend:

New! Games/Apps: Buy 2 games Get 1 Free at Target, 50% off BADLAND for iOS, Rune Gems FREE, more iOS freebies
New! Daily Deals: Logitech Harmony Remote refurb $160, Pyle Bluetooth headphones $35, Griffin smartphone controlled helicopter $24, more
New! Logitech M325 (Red) Wireless mouse: $8.49 shipped
New! Case Logic Compact Systems Camera Medium Kit Bag: $6 w/free Prime shipping
New! 2600mAh USB power bank external battery key chain charger $5 shipped
New! Philips AD7000W/37 Fidelio SoundAvia Wireless Speaker with AirPlay: $62 shipped
New! Magazine subs: Bloomberg Businessweek (for 3 yrs.) $20 (Reg. $150 – $749), Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Car & Driver, more
New! Infinity Primus P143 Bookshelf speakers: $40/ea shipped
New! Monoprice iPhone 5/5s case 5-pack: $10 +$3 shipping
New! Foscam Wireless/Wired Pan&Tilt IP/Network Camera w/ 8 meter Night Vision: $50 shipped
New! EPOCH.2 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is IGN’s FREE game of the month (Reg. $5)

Xbox One Titanfall console bundle w/ 1 year of Xbox Live $450 (value $560) http://t.co/ZTCZSPvGGw

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) April 6, 2014

More great deals still alive:

Kensington AbsolutePower iPhone dock with built-in Lightning port and AC adapter $20 shipped (Reg. $50)
Pebble Smartwatch: $130 shipped (Reg. $150)
Sony 7.2-Channel 4K AV Receiver $220 shipped (Reg. $300)
Home Deals: Hoover/Bissell/Dyson Vacuum Event, Home Depot $10 off orders of $100+ (includes Nest), more
Mpow Bluetooth 4.0 Stereo Foldable Headphones Headset $33 shipped (Reg. $80)
DODOcase Sitewide sale on handcrafted accessories for iPad, iPhone, and other gadgets
Wacom Bamboo Stylus with soft tip for iPad and iPhone $11 shipped (Reg. $30)
Toshiba Canvio External USB 3.0 HDDs: 1TB Slim II Aluminum Portable $60 (Reg. $120), 5TB Desktop $205 (Reg. $300)
uNu DX iPhone 5/5s 2300mAh MFi Protective Battery Case (multiple colors): $50 shipped (Reg. $90)
Plex media server app for Android temporarily $0.99 at Amazon, down from $5
MacHeist Design Award Bundle: $20 ($1776 value) w/ BoinxTV, AccountEdge Pro, iSale, more
Free Coupon for Two Months of Audiobooks from Audible ($30 value)
WD My Passport Pro portable RAID storage w/ integrated Thunderbolt cable: 2TB $257 (Reg. $300), 4TB $369 (Reg. $430)
Samsung Galaxy S5 16GB unlocked smartphone $700 w/ free shipping
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-M50 (Refurb) $75 (Reg. $199 new), Monster Inspiration Noise-Canceling $125 (Reg. $250)
Up to $250 off Native Instruments DJ rigs: Traktor Kontrol S2/S4: $292/$455 shipped (Reg. $499/$799)
Staples offers $20 off purchases of $100 or more (up to 20% in savings)

New products/useful info:

Bose introduces new colors and designs to their high quality line of headphones
Logitech introduces new Audio Adapter for Bluetooth pairing with any speakers
Amazon Officially Releases FireTV Today for $99
Samsung’s new billion-color, 28-inch 4K monitor is now available to preorder: $699
The best storage, drives, and NAS deals & tips for World Backup Day 2014
Get 33% off 1yr Office 365 Home Premium subscriptions: $67
Spotify cuts 50% off Premium subscriptions for US students, now just $5 per month
NVIDIA Shield portable gaming system gets a temporary $50 price cut while KitKat upgrade looms

9to5Toys Lunch Break: Kensington Lightning dock $20, Incase backpacks 50% off, Sony 4K AV receiver $220, more

Apr 4 2014 - 10:02 am PT

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

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Kensington AbsolutePower iPhone dock with built-in Lightning port and AC adapter $20 shipped (Reg. $50)

Select Incase MacBook backpacks and cases 50% off at Best Buy

Sony 7.2-Channel 4K AV Receiver $220 shipped (Reg. $300)

Other great deals from today:

New! Games/Apps: Rayman Fiesta Run $1 (Reg. $3), Knack $25, 50% off Hider 2, iOS freebies, more
New! Sony Smart Watch SW2 w/ Bluetooth for Android Phones: $130 shipped (Reg. $200)
New! Daily Deals: Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle $300, RCA 46″ 1080p LED HDTV $350, 2-Pack of Power Bank Key Chains $13, more
New! HTC One Smartphones: M8 buy one get one FREE w/ contract, M7 $1 w/ contract, Max factory unlocked $480

More great deals still alive:

Home Deals: Hoover/Bissell/Dyson Vacuum Event, Home Depot $10 off orders of $100+ (includes Nest), more
Mpow Bluetooth 4.0 Stereo Foldable Headphones Headset $33 shipped (Reg. $80)
DODOcase Sitewide sale on handcrafted accessories for iPad, iPhone, and other gadgets
Wacom Bamboo Stylus with soft tip for iPad and iPhone $11 shipped (Reg. $30)
Toshiba Canvio External USB 3.0 HDDs: 1TB Slim II Aluminum Portable $60 (Reg. $120), 5TB Desktop $205 (Reg. $300)
uNu DX iPhone 5/5s 2300mAh MFi Protective Battery Case (multiple colors): $50 shipped (Reg. $90)
Plex media server app for Android temporarily $0.99 at Amazon, down from $5
MacHeist Design Award Bundle: $20 ($1776 value) w/ BoinxTV, AccountEdge Pro, iSale, more
Free Coupon for Two Months of Audiobooks from Audible ($30 value)
WD My Passport Pro portable RAID storage w/ integrated Thunderbolt cable: 2TB $257 (Reg. $300), 4TB $369 (Reg. $430)
Samsung Galaxy S5 16GB unlocked smartphone $700 w/ free shipping
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-M50 (Refurb) $75 (Reg. $199 new), Monster Inspiration Noise-Canceling $125 (Reg. $250)
Up to $250 off Native Instruments DJ rigs: Traktor Kontrol S2/S4: $292/$455 shipped (Reg. $499/$799)
Staples offers $20 off purchases of $100 or more (up to 20% in savings)

New products/useful info:

Bose introduces new colors and designs to their high quality line of headphones
Logitech introduces new Audio Adapter for Bluetooth pairing with any speakers
Amazon Officially Releases FireTV Today for $99
Samsung’s new billion-color, 28-inch 4K monitor is now available to preorder: $699
The best storage, drives, and NAS deals & tips for World Backup Day 2014
Get 33% off 1yr Office 365 Home Premium subscriptions: $67
Spotify cuts 50% off Premium subscriptions for US students, now just $5 per month
NVIDIA Shield portable gaming system gets a temporary $50 price cut while KitKat upgrade looms

Get selected travel apps free via new Expedia app Media Lounge feature

Ben Lovejoy Apr 4 2014 - 6:02 am PT

If you do a lot of travelling and like your travel apps, you can now get some paid iPhone apps free of charge through a new Media Lounge feature in the Expedia app.

To access the offers, you need to download the free Expedia Hotels & Flights app, complete your traveller profile and then hit Extras to see what’s on offer. The first offer is Over, an app that allows you to create customized artwork from your travel photos. Normally priced at $1.99, it’s free when you download it via the Expedia app …
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Apps

Apple seeds OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 build 13D33 to developers

Jordan Kahn Apr 3 2014 - 3:20 pm PT

After seeding the fourth OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 beta (build 13D28) to developers a week ago, Apple today pushed out another pre-release version of the update, Mavericks 10.9.3 (build 13D33). Like previous builds, Apple is once again asking developers to focus on Graphics Drivers, Audio, Safari, and Contacts/Calendar USB sync via iTunes.

The new beta release is available now through software update and Apple’s developer channels.

One feature users can expect when the update is released to the public is the enhanced support for 4K external monitors we discovered in the first beta. Apple recently started seeding versions of the update to AppleCare employees alongside a pre-release version of iTunes 11.1.6 that will restore the ability to sync contacts and calendar data to iOS devices locally. The ability to sync contacts and calendar data to an iOS device from a Mac was removed previously (to many complaints) but remained possible through iCloud syncing.

iPhoto for iOS update adds white border printing option alongside various bug fixes

Benjamin Mayo Apr 3 2014 - 2:59 pm PT

Following a slew of updates to iWork, Apple has released a minor update to iPhoto for iOS, part of its iLife suite. The update adds a new border printing option. When ordering prints, you can now frame your photos with a white border. As usual, the update also includes miscellaneous bug fixes and “other improvements”.

What’s New in Version 2.0.1

• Add a white border to photos when ordering prints
• Includes bug fixes and other improvements

iPhoto costs $5 on the App Store, but new iOS device purchases automatically unlocks the app for the registered account for free.

Microsoft says Office iPad apps hit 12 million downloads a week after release

Jordan Kahn Apr 3 2014 - 1:37 pm PT

36 Comments

After announcing the release of the Office for iPad apps late last month, Microsoft announced today that the separate Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps for iPad have collectively reached 12 million downloads a week after release. The number also included downloads of the OneNote app for iPad, which has been available for a couple of years leading up to the release of the Office apps, but Microsoft didn’t provide a breakdown of sales by app.
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Vine adds private video messaging, profile theming in latest update

Benjamin Mayo Apr 3 2014 - 12:36 pm PT

Vine has just released its ‘biggest update yet’ to the App Store, bringing one-on-one video messaging to the service for the first time. Analogous with Twitter DM’s, Vine’s VM’s work in the same way — hosting private conversations outside of the main stream. As you might expect, conversations can include short video clips as well as text messages.

You can start a conversation directly to a recipient, or bounce off a public Vine for inspiration. Just share the Vine to as many as friends as you want to start a message. It’s important to note you cannot have group conversations (yet). If you share a Vine to more than one person, a separate thread is created for each recipient.

Version 2 also adds some new customization options for your Vine profile. In Settings, you can theme your profile with a specific color which then shows to all other Vine users.

Vine can be downloaded on the App Store, for free.

Facebook Messenger for iPhone updated with free calling support

Zac Hall Apr 3 2014 - 12:07 pm PT

10 Comments

Just a week after Facebook added group management to its Messenger app, the social network is out with yet another update to the messaging service: free calls for everyone.

The feature allows you to call your Facebook friends who also have the app over WiFi for free (you can call over cellular as well, but this uses data, of course). Free calling is especially beneficial to users who communicate internationally as calling rates tend to get pricey in that area.

Messaging threads now include a phone icon for prompting calls from the app, and the actual phone user interface resembles the native iOS Phone UI prior to iOS 7.1 introducing a tweaked design to the Phone app.

Facebook-owned Whatsapp is poised to introduce VOIP support in an upcoming update as well. Screenshots of Whatsapp in-app calling leaked earlier this year.

Facebook Messenger 4.1 is available for free on the App Store.

9to5Toys Last Call: Mpow Bluetooth headphones $33, iOttie iPhone car mount $12.50, Wacom Bamboo iPad stylus $11, more

Apr 3 2014 - 10:05 am PT

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

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call updates:

Mpow Bluetooth 4.0 Stereo Foldable Headphones Headset $33 shipped (Reg. $80)
iOttie Easy One Touch Car Mount for iPhone, Galaxy, and other smartphones $12.50 shipped (Reg. $25)
Wacom Bamboo Stylus with soft tip for iPad and iPhone $11 shipped (Reg. $30)
Logitech introduces new Audio Adapter for Bluetooth pairing with any speakers

Bose introduces new colors and designs to their high quality line of headphones

D-Link Whole Home Router w/SmartBeam Coverage, Gigabit, USB SharePort $20 shipped (Reg. $49)

uNu DX iPhone 5/5s 2300mAh MFi Protective Battery Case (multiple colors): $50 shipped (Reg. $90)

Save 40% on handcrafted DODOcase accessories for iPad, iPhone, and other gadgets

Other great deals from today:

New! Home Deals: Hoover/Bissell/Dyson Vacuum Event, Home Depot $10 off orders of $100+ (includes Nest), more
New! Toshiba Canvio External USB 3.0 HDDs: 1TB Slim II Aluminum Portable $60 (Reg. $120), 5TB Desktop $205 (Reg. $300)
New! Daily Deals: Amazon Kindle Fire HD 16GB refurb $85, Otterbox Defender Cases $13, Portable Battery Pack $20, more

More great deals still alive:

Plex media server app for Android temporarily $0.99 at Amazon, down from $5
MacHeist Design Award Bundle: $20 ($1776 value) w/ BoinxTV, AccountEdge Pro, iSale, more
Free Coupon for Two Months of Audiobooks from Audible ($30 value)
WD My Passport Pro portable RAID storage w/ integrated Thunderbolt cable: 2TB $257 (Reg. $300), 4TB $369 (Reg. $430)
Samsung Galaxy S5 16GB unlocked smartphone $700 w/ free shipping
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-M50 (Refurb) $75 (Reg. $199 new), Monster Inspiration Noise-Canceling $125 (Reg. $250)
Up to $250 off Native Instruments DJ rigs: Traktor Kontrol S2/S4: $292/$455 shipped (Reg. $499/$799)
Netgear N300 WiFi Gigabit Router $40 shipped (Reg. $90)
Mpow 12000mAh External Battery Portable Charger Power Bank $30 shipped (Reg. $66)
VIZIO 40″ 1080p Smart LED $430 (Reg. $530), Seiki 39″ 4K/2K UHDTV $380 AR (Reg. $600)
Staples offers $20 off purchases of $100 or more (up to 20% in savings)re
Kensington PowerBolt car charger w/ built-in MFi Lightning cable $13 (Reg. $25)
Toshiba Canvio 1.5TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive $65 shipped (Reg. $100)

New products/useful info:

Amazon Officially Releases FireTV Today for $99
Samsung’s new billion-color, 28-inch 4K monitor is now available to preorder: $699
The best storage, drives, and NAS deals & tips for World Backup Day 2014
Get 33% off 1yr Office 365 Home Premium subscriptions: $67
Spotify cuts 50% off Premium subscriptions for US students, now just $5 per month
NVIDIA Shield portable gaming system gets a temporary $50 price cut while KitKat upgrade looms

IFTTT app update brings support for push notifications, new iPad version

Jordan Kahn Apr 3 2014 - 8:30 am PT

If This Then That (IFTTT), the popular web service that allows users to automate tasks from a long list of other mobile apps and web services, is today announcing an update to its iOS app that also introduces full support for iPad and new features for the iPhone version (via TNW).

The most notable new feature is push notification support, allowing any IFTTT “recipe” to result in a push notification to your iPhone or iPad. While you could already get push notifications to show up in a recipe from many apps that send out their own, this will bring universal support for the feature allowing a push notification for any recipe you can think of.

IFTTT allows users to setup “If this then that” recipes that act as rules for when a certain app or web service should begin automating a task. For example, users could setup a recipe that automatically uploads photos posted to Instagram by a certain user directly to Dropbox. With today’s update, users can now setup recipes that end in a push notification being sent to their iPhone or iPad.

The iPad app introduces a new take on the IFTTT mobile UI and the updated app also brings a new Recipe Collections feature that highlights a curated selection of recipes grouped by category.

The updated IFTTT app is available now in the App Store as a free universal download for iPhone and iPad.

Doo moves beyond document syncing, releases Scanbot for iPhone

Mike Beasley Apr 3 2014 - 8:00 am PT

14 Comments

Earlier this year, the developers of the document-syncing application Doo announced that the company was shutting down its backend and removing its app from sale. The company wasn’t going anywhere, however, and had plans for a brand new product that would be revealed soon.

Today, the company has taken the wraps off of its newest app, Scanbot, which allows users to scan documents into their iPhone and store them as PDFs or JPGs on a variety of cloud services. We had a chance to talk to Frank Thelen, CEO of Doo, about why the original service was shuttered, how the company decided on a new direction, and and what lies ahead for Scanbot.
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Review roundup: Is Office for iPad worth ninety-nine bucks a year?

Ben Lovejoy Apr 3 2014 - 5:36 am PT

44 Comments

Image: smallbiztrends.com

The iPad edition of Microsoft Office has been a long-time coming. This was, it now seems clear, no accident: Microsoft wanted to attempt to boost sales of its ill-fated Surface tablet by pointing to the lack of Office software on the iPad.

Now that the company has accepted the inevitable, that most people would rather have Office on their iPad than buy a Surface, the question is: was it worth the wait … ?
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9to5Toys Last Call: DODOcase 40% off, iPad mini 64GB WiFi+LTE $430, Apple Design Award Mac app bundle $20, more

Apr 2 2014 - 10:00 am PT

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

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call updates:

Save 40% on handcrafted DODOcase accessories for iPad, iPhone, and other gadgets
Apple iPad mini 64GB with Wi-Fi + 4G (black or white): $430 shipped
MacHeist Design Award Bundle: $20 ($1776 value) w/ BoinxTV, AccountEdge Pro, iSale, more
Samsung Galaxy S5 16GB unlocked smartphone $700 w/ free shipping
Amazon Officially Releases Amazon FireTV Today for $99

iRobot Roomba 770 Vacuum Cleaning Robot for Pets and Allergies $400 shipped (Reg. $500) http://t.co/rAhzvU4lap pic.twitter.com/8wl0RKg6PW

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) April 2, 2014

ZAGGkeys Flex Bluetooth iOS/Android Keyboard with stand $30 shipped (Reg. $80)

Free Coupon for Two Months of Audiobooks from Audible ($30 value)

Daily Deals: Slingbox Pro HD TV Streamer refurb $80, Samsung 50″ LED HDTV $800, ZyXEL Wi-Fi Range Extender $25, more

Other great deals from today:

New! Anker Ultra-Slim Qi-Enabled Wireless Charging Pad $23 (Reg. $46)
New! Games/Apps: The Last of Us $28, Thief $33, DrawRace 2 & Weathercube go FREE, more iOS freebies
New! Plex media server app for Android temporarily $0.99 at Amazon, down from $5
New! Samsung Galaxy Tablet Refurb Sale: Note 10.1-inch (2014 edition) from $350, Note 8-inch $205, much more
New! Acer C720P Touch Screen 32GB Chromebook for $220 shipped at Amazon Warehouse

More great deals still alive:

WD My Passport Pro portable RAID storage w/ integrated Thunderbolt cable: 2TB $257 (Reg. $300), 4TB $369 (Reg. $430)
Mpow 12000mAh External Battery Portable Charger Power Bank $30 shipped (Reg. $66)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-M50 (Refurb) $75 (Reg. $199 new), Monster Inspiration Noise-Canceling $125 (Reg. $250)
Up to $250 off Native Instruments DJ rigs: Traktor Kontrol S2/S4: $292/$455 shipped (Reg. $499/$799)
Netgear N300 WiFi Gigabit Router $40 shipped (Reg. $90)
Mpow 12000mAh External Battery Portable Charger Power Bank $30 shipped (Reg. $66)
VIZIO 40″ 1080p Smart LED $430 (Reg. $530), Seiki 39″ 4K/2K UHDTV $380 AR (Reg. $600)
Staples offers $20 off purchases of $100 or more (up to 20% in savings)
Home Deals: Caravan Canopy Zero Gravity Chair $39 (Reg. $80), Hamilton Beach appliances, tools, more
Kensington PowerBolt car charger w/ built-in MFi Lightning cable $13 (Reg. $25)
Toshiba Canvio 1.5TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive $65 shipped (Reg. $100)
Belkin Thunderstorm iPad Theater Speaker Case: Lightning or 30-pin $100 shipped (Reg. $200)

New products/useful info:

Samsung’s new billion-color, 28-inch 4K monitor is now available to preorder: $699
The best storage, drives, and NAS deals & tips for World Backup Day 2014
Get 33% off 1yr Office 365 Home Premium subscriptions: $67
Spotify cuts 50% off Premium subscriptions for US students, now just $5 per month
NVIDIA Shield portable gaming system gets a temporary $50 price cut while KitKat upgrade looms

inMarket lets specific brands, not just retailers, target shoppers using iBeacons in-store

Jordan Kahn Apr 2 2014 - 9:08 am PT

http://vimeo.com/83270004

inMarket, an in-store marketing platform that recently started rolling out iBeacons to retailers, today announced an interesting new twist for the platform: the first consumer packaged goods brand to take advantage of iBeacons in a retail environment. That means that rather than the retailer controlling the entire iBeacon experience and the location-based notifications that get beamed to shoppers, inMarket’s Mobile to Mortar (M2M) platform is giving that same opportunity to the individual brands on the store’s shelves. We’ve also learned it’s about to expand and continue its rollout of iBeacons in retail locations across New York, Boston, and Miami.
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Adobe announces new features for After Effects, Premiere Pro & more coming to Creative Cloud

Jordan Kahn Apr 2 2014 - 8:14 am PT

Adobe announced a few product updates today at NAB 2014 in Las Vegas including updates to all of its video apps in the Adobe Creative Cloud suite including Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects. Among the standout new features are Live Text Templates, autosave, and Masking and Tracking features for Premiere Pro, as well as Master Keying effects and Typekit integration for After Effects:

Timesaving editorial features in Premiere Pro CC. New features include Live Text Templates that let users edit text in After Effects CC compositions directly in Premiere Pro CC; Autosave to Creative Cloud for automated backup of projects; and a new Masking and Tracking feature that provides accurate masks that follow subjects and blur out faces and logos, crucial for newsroom editing. In addition, the new Master Clip effect in Premiere Pro and SpeedGrade changes the effects applied to original clips and ripples down through all instances of the clip.
Powerful new updates to After Effects CC include Keying effects to provide better keying results with compressed footage; and Typekit integration with Premiere Pro CC and After Effects CC provides users with access to a growing library of fonts worth $30,000, that can be used on the desktop.

Also getting an updated today is Adobe Anywhere, Adobe’s collaboration platform for After Effects CC and Premiere Pro CC. It adds real-time project backups, Rough Cut Support for Prelude CC, :After Effects CC media processing for direct integration between Anywhere and After Effects CC.”

In addition, Adobe showed off new features coming to the rest of its CC video apps. A full list of new features and more on what’s new and coming from Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, Adobe SpeedGrade CC, Adobe Audition CC, Adobe Story CC Plus, Adobe Prelude CC, and Adobe Media Encoder CC is here.

Review: Fantastical for iPad completes the improved calendar suite… and it’s pretty sweet

Zac Hall Apr 2 2014 - 5:05 am PT

22 Comments

After first debuting on the Mac then joining iOS with the iPhone, Fantastical is finally ready to replace the calendar on your iPad, too. With Fantastical for iPad, Flexibits has brought the same, streamlined design and natural language parsing for quick event and reminder entry to the iPad. I’ve been using Fantastical for iPad for a few weeks now, so let’s take a look at how it compares to Apple’s calendar app…
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Spotify dramatically overhauls its iPhone app with new design, adds ‘Your Music’ section

Benjamin Mayo Apr 2 2014 - 3:58 am PT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1I6-wv0p8k

Spotify has released a major update to its iPhone app, bringing a new dark look and feel. The new layout relies heavily on the contextual blurring and geometric motifs of iOS 7.

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WhatsApp announces 64 billion messages sent through its texting app — in just one day

Mike Beasley Apr 2 2014 - 12:14 am PT

Whatsapp, the popular messaging client for iOS and Android, announced today on Twitter that it had reached a new record for messages sent in a single day. With 20 billion outgoing messages and 44 incoming messages handled in a single 24-hour period, the grand total came out to 64 billion.

[tweet https://twitter.com/WhatsApp/status/451198381856014337 align=’center’]

Here’s a little perspective on that number: Instagram recently announced that its users had posted 20 billion photos to the service. You’ll notice that’s not a statistic for one day. It’s the total number of photos shared in the history of the network.

That means that in one day, Whatsapp handled over three times as many requests as Instagram has since it launched three years ago. Not too shabby.

Dish subscribers can now access ESPN, Disney & ABC content through mobile apps & online

Jordan Kahn Apr 1 2014 - 3:56 pm PT

10 Comments

Dish and The Walt Disney company announced today that they have reached a multi-year distribution deal that will see Dish subscribers gain access to a ton of Disney content including its ABC and ESPN networks. That means if you subscribe to Dish, you’ll now be able to access the WATCH ABC, WATCH ABC Family, WATCH Disney Channel, WATCH DisneyXD and WatchESPN through your computer, smartphone, tablet and other connected devices like game consoles and Apple TV. The deal will also see Dish launch a number of Disney and ESPN networks while pending litigation between the two companies comes to an end:

The agreement will result in dismissal of all pending litigation between the two companies, including disputes over PrimeTime Anytime and AutoHop. As part of the accord, DISH will disable AutoHop functionality for ABC content within the C3 ratings window. The deal also provides a structure for other advertising models as the market evolves, including dynamic ad insertion, advertising on mobile devices and extended advertising measurement periods.

DISH will make available Disney Junior, Fusion, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Buzzer Beater, as well as Longhorn Network and the upcoming SEC ESPN Network upon its launch. In addition, DISH, ESPN and ESPN Deportes customers will have access to the live and video-on-demand channel ESPN3… As part of the agreement, DISH will launch ESPNEWS, ESPNU, Disney Channel and ABC Family in high definition. ESPN Classic will be reintroduced as a video-on-demand channel.

For Apple device users, the majority of the content is available through dedicated iOS and Apple TV apps including WatchESPN, WatchABC, and WatchDisneyChannel.
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Apple releases Safari 7.0.3 with push notification changes, security improvements, and more

Mike Beasley Apr 1 2014 - 2:59 pm PT

After updating iWork for iCloud and its Mac and iOS counterparts, Apple has pushed out a new Safari update as well. The new version is 7.0.3 and contains mostly bug and security fixes. Apple has been beta testing this update with developers for the past few weeks. The two biggest parts of this update are changes to push notifications and the way URLs are handled.

For users who don’t want to be asked about push notifications from any site, there’s now a checkbox in the notification preferences that disables them entirely. Unchecking the box for “Allow websites to ask for permission to send push notifications” (seen above) will block all notification prompts in the future.

The second big change enables Safari to recognize new generic top-level domains (the .com bit at the end of the URL). The organization responsible for managing these has recently created several new ones for generic terms (like “.pizza”). Safari will now recognize these and go to the correct URL rather than trying to search for the term.
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Apple updates iWork for Mac and iOS with read-only sharing modes and much more

Mike Beasley Apr 1 2014 - 2:15 pm PT

7 Comments

Following today’s iWork for iCloud update, Apple has pushed out new versions of the iOS and OS X version of the productivity suite, providing feature parity with the online version. Pages (iOS / Mac), Keynote (iOS / Mac), and Numbers (iOS / Mac) each received a new read-only sharing mode to work with the iCloud version of that feature.

Each app also got a long list of changes and enhancements, which are listed below. You can get all of the updates for free if you already own the latest version of iWork. Apple recently started including a copy of the iWork and iLife suites along with new iOS devices and Macs, but users with older devices will need to purchase the current version separately if they haven’t already.
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9to5Toys Last Call: WD My Passport Pro RAID 15% off, Mpow 12000mAh bank $30, Audio-Technica headphones, more

Apr 1 2014 - 10:12 am PT