Apps

6,291 'Apps' stories April 2010 - April 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.

Google debuts iPhone app for its Helpouts learning and tutorial service

Zac Hall Apr 15 2014 - 11:51 am PT

1 Comment

Google has added yet another app to its collection of iPhone apps today. This time it’s Google Helpouts, which connects users over its Hangouts service to experts knowledgeable in a specific subject for tutoring. Google’s Helpouts service first launched last fall.

Google on what Hangouts has to offer:

What you can do on the iOS app

Find and schedule a Helpout
Start a free Helpout
Give a free Helpout
Read reviews and listing details
Send a message
Report abuse
Leave a review
Change your settings
Receive text-message and mobile reminders

Google notes that Helpouts for iPhone does not support creating new listings for topics; that feature is currently limited to the Helpouts website.

Google Helpouts for iPhone is available for free on the App Store.

9to5Toys Last Call: SquareTrade protection plans 40% off, Speck/Incase accessories, Kingston memory products, more

Apr 15 2014 - 10:17 am PT

1 Comment

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.

This weekend’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call updates:

Save 40% on SquareTrade protection plans for smartphones, tablets, and more

FitBit Zip Wireless Activity Tracker $35 shipped (Reg. $60) http://t.co/AMDHQgdTxw

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) April 16, 2014

Speck and Incase Apple accessories up to 90% off

Up to 65% Off Select Kingston Memory Cards and USB Drives

Wacom Intuos Creative iPad Stylus w/ Bluetooth $70 shipped (Reg. $100)

SanDisk Connect Wireless iOS/Android Flash Drive: 64GB $80 (Reg. $100)/32GB $50 (Reg. $60)

Update: Back in stock, but you better act fast..

RT @9to5toys: Apple iPad Air 16GB WiFi $400 shipped (Reg. $499) http://t.co/L6EUKGKlwA

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) April 15, 2014

Other deals from today:

New! Jawbone MINI JAMBOX Bluetooth speaker in many colors from $106 shipped (Reg. $180)
New! VIZIO 24-inch Razor 1080p LED HDTV w/ HDMI (refurb): $130 shipped (Reg. $200)
New! Games/Apps: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag $20, Borderlands 2 (Mac) $7, Wii U Fit Meter $10, 2K iOS sale, freebies, more
New! BodyGuardz 15% sitewide sale: Save on accessories for your iPhone, iPad, and other gadgets
New! Daily Deals: iPad $100, SOL Wireless BT Speaker $79, Toshiba 40″ 1080p HDTV $330, more
New! HP 11.6″ Chromebook LTE available from Best Buy for $199
New! Microsoft’s new 365 subscription gets you Office on one Mac or PC & tablet for $69/year

More deals still alive:

Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB Portable HDD w/ $50 Dell gift card $120 shipped ($200 value)
Target Apple Deals: Free $50 gift card and 5% discount on iPad Air/Retina mini, iTunes cards 10% off, more
MOGA Ace Power MFi Lightning iPhone game controller w/ built-in battery $67 shipped (Reg. $100)
Samsung 840 EVO Series 1TB 2.5″ SATA III Solid State Drive $455 shipped (Reg. $850), 256GB Pro: $180 shipped
Heartbleed Sale: 1Password for Mac/iOS/PC/Android is 50% off
2-pack of rooCASE Apple iPad Air cases for $11 with free shipping (Reg. $36)
Headphones: Beats Studio Over-Ear (multiple colors) $270, Beats Tour 2.0 In-Ears $149 w/ $20 GC, Monster DNA In-Ears $46, more
Power banks: 5600mAh Battery Backup $16, 2600mAh Battery Charger $7, 2600mAh Universal $7
Intel 530 Series 120GB 2.5″ SATA III Solid State Drive $80 shipped (Reg. $170), 240GB $136 shipped (Reg. $300)
Apple 2TB Time Capsule (previous generation) $169 shipped (Reg. $249)
Up to 83% off 12 top rated iOS apps: 1yr. Parallels iOS access, Printer Pro, Scanner Pro, iDownloader Pro, Day One, more
AKG K44 over-the-ear studio headphones or Ultimate Ears 500vm for phones: $20 shipped ($60 off)

New products/useful info:

Nintendo announces price drops coming to some of its most popular 3DS games
EPOCH.2 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is IGN’s FREE game of the month (Reg. $5)
Logitech Illuminated Living-Room Keyboard K830: $100 shipped
R.B.I Baseball is back! Get it today on iOS, PS3, and Xbox 360
Samsung Chromebook 2 now available for preorder with limited time free case offer
Amazon Officially Releases FireTV Today for $99
NVIDIA Shield portable gaming system gets a temporary $50 price cut while KitKat upgrade looms

Microsoft/Google/Android:

HTC One (M8) on Verizon and Sprint for $150 with a 2-yr agreement (Reg. $200)
Samsung Galaxy S5 for Verizon free after $100 bill credit and new 2-yr agreement (Reg. $200)
Corsair Flash Voyager GO 64GB Micro USB Flash Drive for Android devices $45 shipped (Reg. $55)
Android $0.99 app/game deals: Need for Speed Most Wanted, NBA Jam, Unified Remote, more
Google Chromecast streaming media player $30 w/ free shipping (Reg. $35)
Microsoft Surface Pro Tablets: Refurbished 64GB $399 (Reg. $499 new), 128GB $500 for .EDU emails (Reg. $600)
Google Nexus 7 16GB (2nd gen) and Chromecast media player: $199 for .EDU emails ($265 value)

A&E and History Channel add live TV stream in iOS apps

Jordan Kahn Apr 15 2014 - 9:34 am PT

7 Comments

A&E Networks has just updated iOS apps for two of its most popular TV channels, A&E and History, with the ability to watch live TV on both iPhone and iPad. The apps, which previously provided full episodes and clips on-demand to users in the US, will now provide a live stream of what’s playing on the TV channels. The live TV feature, however, will require a cable subscription.
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Microsoft’s new cheaper 365 subscription gets you Office on one Mac & iPad for $69/year

Jordan Kahn Apr 15 2014 - 9:10 am PT

5 Comments

Microsoft is launching a cheaper ‘Personal’ Office 365 subscription today that will give you access to the cloud services and mobile apps for $69/year or $6.99/month opposed to the $99/year Home subscription. The new Personal subscription only provides access for one Mac (or PC) and iPad (or tablet) instead of the 5 PC or Macs and 5 tablets you get with a Home subscription.

You might want to hold off on the new subscription, however, as Amazon is currently selling the full Home subscription for just $63 (37% off). That’s cheaper than the new $69 Personal plan, but it’s possible Microsoft could soon end that discount and change prices on Amazon now that the new Personal subscription is launching.

The Office 365 subscription gives you access to full editing features in Microsoft’s recently released suite of Office apps for iPad, but also access to desktop and online versions of Microsoft’s Office apps, 7GB of cloud storage, and 60 minutes of Skype credit a month.

Pioneer says CarPlay firmware update for existing 2014 in-dash systems coming this summer

Jordan Kahn Apr 15 2014 - 6:42 am PT

8 Comments

Following reports yesterday that car electronics manufacturer Alpine was planning to launch aftermarket CarPlay units in the fall, Pioneer issued a press release today confirming a firmware update for existing in-dash systems. Pioneer will be bringing Apple’s new CarPlay system to existing vehicles using the company’s five 2014 NEX in-dash multimedia receivers this summer through a firmware update.

Utilizing large, in-dash Pioneer LCD displays, CarPlay featuring Siri® voice control, gives iPhone users the features while allowing them to stay focused on the road. With CarPlay, consumers with iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5 can use Siri to make and receive calls, compose and respond to text messages, use Apple Maps for navigation and listen to their music, podcasts and iTunes RadioSM. For more information about CarPlay, visit www.apple.com/ios/carplay.

As for what vehicles and in-dash systems it will support, it sounds like it will be limited to 2014 editions of the in-dash receivers mentioned above. For the US, those include the following:
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Condé Nast’s Epicurious teams up with inMarket for in-store iBeacon experience

Jordan Kahn Apr 15 2014 - 6:02 am PT

7 Comments

Today, Condé Nast’s Epicurious becomes the latest to take advantage of iBeacons in-store by teaming up with inMarket to beam location-based notifications and offers to shoppers in retail environments. I previously wrote about inMarket, an in-store marketing platform that recently started rolling out iBeacons to retailers (mostly grocery stores), when it announced Zatarain’s would become the first consumer packaged goods brand to use the platform. The company was using inMarket’s Mobile to Mortar (M2M) platform to beam notifications and offers directly to shopper’s smartphones when in proximity of one of inMarket’s in-store iBeacons. Today the company is announcing its biggest news yet after recently expanding into New York, Boston, and Miami with the addition of Condé Nast’s Epicurious as the first major app partner to take advantage of the M2M iBeacon platform.
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Screens VNC client for Mac updated to version 3.0, rebuilt from the ground up with a new UI and much more

Mike Beasley Apr 14 2014 - 3:15 pm PT

11 Comments

Screens, the popular and powerful VNC client for OS X (with an iOS counterpart), has been updated to version 3.0, introducing a host of new features. But the update is more than just a few new features crammed into old software. The entire app has been completely rewritten with an all-new interface, big speed enhancements, and other optimizations for OS X Mavericks.

For the full details on what’s new, keep reading:

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Amazon Cloud Drive Photos 3.0 adds iOS 7-friendly redesign, upload enhances, timeline, and more

Zac Hall Apr 14 2014 - 1:23 pm PT

0 Comments

Amazon updated its Cloud Drive Photos app today to version 3.0 bringing an iOS 7-friendly and a number of features and improvements. With the redesign comes a new navigation view that now contains toggles between photos, videos, and both. This view also includes a progress bar while uploading photos; previous versions of the app only said that photos were being uploaded, not how many or how long it would take. The progress bar feature works with both automatic and manual photo and video uploads.
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Windows Phone 8.1 update lets users add Passbook cards to Microsoft Wallet

Jordan Kahn Apr 14 2014 - 11:42 am PT

3 Comments

WPcentral notes that the upcoming Windows Phone 8.1 update introduces support for Apple’s Passbook iOS app, allowing users to load coupons, tickets, boarding passes, etc, designed for Passbook into the Microsoft Wallet app.

While the Microsoft Wallet app will be able to load the various coupons and loyalty cards usually reserved for Passbook, it’s still a little unclear exactly what’s going on behind the scenes. Microsoft appears to be allowing users to download the Passbook files and rendering its own card for Microsoft Wallet, but the report speculates Windows Phone won’t be able to tap into the push notifications Apple’s uses to update cards like on iOS.

There seems to be some confusion over whether or not Mircosoft is officially supporting Passbook in one way or another, but with a developer preview of Windows Phone 8.1 rolling out today, I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about this soon.

Pandora adds alarm clock feature for iPad, new app for Pebble users

Jordan Kahn Apr 14 2014 - 9:38 am PT

1 Comment

After introducing a new alarm clock feature for iPhone users back in December, streaming music service Pandora today updated its iPad app with the same functionality. The app already let users fall asleep to music using a Sleep Timer feature, and with today’s update to version 5.3 iPad users will now be able to set song or artist stations as alarm clocks.

The alarm clock feature also packs in the usual snooze feature and can be configured from Settings inside the Pandora app. The update also includes “other improvements and bug fixes” for both iPhone and iPad users.

Also available starting today is a Pandora app for Pebble smartwatch users available through the app store within the Pebble Smartwatch app for iOS. Pandora announced the new feature on its blog today and noted Pebble is the first wearable platform that Pandora is debuting on:

Using the Pebble, you can view and change stations, thumb songs up and down, skip, play and pause tracks – all from your wrist! If you already have a Pebble that is paired to your mobile device, you should get a notification that you can install Pandora, or you can start the install process at any time from the Pebble Settings Page.

Pandora version 5.3 is available on the App Store now.

What’s New in Version 5.3

Start waking up to music you love – the Pandora alarm clock is now available for iPad
• Pick your your favorite station to play as your alarm
• Not ready to wake up? Adjust the snooze time to catch more zzz’s
• Use with the sleep timer to hear your music morning and night

Other improvements and bug fixes to give you the best listening experience

Readdle’s Calendar apps get new iPad UI, custom reminders on iPhone, & more

Jordan Kahn Apr 14 2014 - 8:17 am PT

2 Comments

Readdle, the developer behind popular Calendar apps for iPhone and iPad, today updated both its free Calendars by Readdle and the $2.99 Calendars 5 with a number of notable new features.

First up, both apps get an updated iPad UI that includes a number of tweaks for improved navigation and layout. For iPhone users, version 5.4 of the apps brings the ability to create custom reminders, while both iPhone and iPad users gain Smart Input support in new languages including Italian, French, and Spanish. Those new features are in addition to a handful of other improvements and fixes that you’ll notice throughout both apps.

Calendars by Readdle is available for free on the App Store, while the more feature filled Calendars 5 sells for $2.99.

Yesterday Readdle’s popular Print Pro for iPhone app went free for 24 hours and quickly became the #1 free app in 15 countries.

What’s New in Version 5.4

– updated iPad UI
– Smart Input now supports French, Italian, and Spanish.
– custom reminders on the iPhone
– lots of minor improvements

Digital design app Sketch 3 released for Mac

Zac Hall Apr 14 2014 - 6:40 am PT

6 Comments

Introducing Sketch 3 from Bohemian Coding on Vimeo.

This will be good news for a lot of graphic designers on the Mac. Bohemian Coding today released version 3.0 of its digital design app Sketch bringing new features and improvements. Here’s the list of features from Sketch 3:

NEW IN VERSION 3:
– Symbols, for reusing elements in your design
– Text Styles and Layer Styles, redesigned and unified for a better experience
– Redesigned inspector, giving you quicker access to everything
– Automatic Slices, export layers directly, without needing to set up manual slices
– Export multiple resolutions from a single slice, at any scale
– Improved PDF, EPS and SVG importing and exporting
– Speed, bug fixes and polish all around
– Presentation Mode, go full screen and hide all controls, perfect for showing off designs
– Improved bitmap editing with Magic Wand, Crop, Invert and Vectorize tools

The app is a paid upgrade so you won’t be able to move from Sketch 2 to Sketch 3 for free. Customers who bought Sketch 2 on the Mac App Store after March 1st, however, can email Bohemian Coding with their receipt and receive Sketch 3 at no cost.

Sketch 3 will be on sale from today until April 21st at $49.99 on the Mac App Store before it returns to its full price of $79.99.

Play Nintendo DS games on non-jailbroken devices with the nds4ios emulator

Benjamin Mayo Apr 14 2014 - 6:27 am PT

14 Comments

nds4ios has released a special version of the app that runs on non-jailbroken devices using a sneaky workaround. As the app is not available in the App Store, previously the app could only be installed on jailbroken devices, such as through the Cydia jailbreak app store. The app gets around Apple’s restrictions by using an enterprise provisioning profile reports TourchArcade. This is normally meant for businesses to distribute apps to company employees, but nds4ios is exploiting it as a way to enable widespread app distribution. Find install instructions after the break.

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Auki may be the best quick reply tweak for iOS 7 (Jailbreak)

Dom Esposito Apr 13 2014 - 8:16 pm PT

19 Comments

Auki is a new jailbreak tweak from Surenix and Benno available for iOS 7. This tweak brings a native style quick reply feature to the Messages app. Along with that, Auki provides several other features including a “Silent Mode” that can be applied to individual contacts, similar to Tweetbot’s mute feature.

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TypeStatus beta tweak for Mac puts iMessage typing indicators in your menu bar

Dom Esposito Apr 13 2014 - 1:16 pm PT

4 Comments

Following the success of Hashbang Productions’ iOS jailbreak tweak TypeStatus, the development group has released a beta version of the tweak for OS X. TypeStatus for Mac will provide simple system-wide notifications in the OS X menu bar when your iMessage has been read or someone is typing a response.

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Readdle’s Printer Pro for iPhone adds new languages, goes free for 24 hours (Reg. $4.99)

Zac Hall Apr 13 2014 - 10:22 am PT

7 Comments

Printer Pro by Readdle from Readdle Inc. on Vimeo.

After recently adding support for eight additional languages, Readdles’ Printer Pro app for iPhone is going free for the next 24 hours.

If you haven’t already tried Printer Pro, then now is a great time. The app allows you to print content content and files from a number of apps on iOS to several WiFi printers without AirPrint and any printer connected to a Mac or PC.

Printer Pro is localized in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese. Regular $4.99, Printer Pro is available for free for 24 hours on the App Store. (Printer Pro for iPad is also available for $2.99.)

For more deals, follow @9to5Toys and check out 9to5Toys.com for updates.

9to5Toys Weekend: 1Password 50% off, iPad Air 16GB WiFi $400, Intel SSDs 120GB $80/240GB $136, more

Apr 13 2014 - 6:58 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 subscribe to the new Safari push notifications feature.

This weekend’s can’t miss deals:

Updates:

Apple iPad Air 16GB WiFi $400 shipped (Reg. $499)
Western Digital 1TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive $54 shipped (Reg. $119)

Heartbleed Sale: 1Password for Mac/iOS/PC/Android is 50% off

~~Apple iPad 4th generation 128GB WiFi (black or white) $500 shipped (Reg. $799)~~ (Sold out)

Intel 530 Series 120GB 2.5″ SATA III Solid State Drive $80 shipped (Reg. $170), 240GB $136 shipped (Reg. $300)

Yamaha YAS-201 Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer $200 shipped (Reg. $450)

Other deals from today:

New! Netgear WNDR3400 N600 Wireless Router w/ USB port (Refurb.) $10 shipped (Reg. $70 new)
New! Daily Deals: Beats by Dre Solo HD Headphones (refurb) $160, Harmon Kardon A/V Receiver $160, Hisense Media Player $50, more
New! 2-pack of rooCASE Apple iPad Air cases for $11 with free shipping (Reg. $36)
New! Android $0.99 app/game deals: Need for Speed Most Wanted, NBA Jam, Unified Remote, more
New! Corsair Flash Voyager GO 64GB Micro USB Flash Drive for Android devices $45 shipped (Reg. $55)
New! XtremeMac Soma Wireless Bluetooth Speaker $30 ($100 off)
New! Samsung Galaxy S5 for Verizon free after $100 bill credit and new 2-yr agreement (Reg. $200)
New! Games/Apps: The Last of Us $25 shipped, NBA Live 14 $30 shipped, 60% off Adobe Photoshop Touch, MagicalPad HD $5, iOS freebies, more

More deals still alive:

Canon PIXMA MG5520 Wireless Photo All-In-One Printer w/AirPrint &Cloud Print: $65 shipped ($85 off)
HTC One (M8) on Verizon and Sprint for $150 with a 2-yr agreement (Reg. $200)
Apple 2TB Time Capsule (previous generation) $169 shipped (Reg. $249)
R.B.I Baseball is back! Get it today on iOS, PS3, and Xbox 360
Up to 83% off 12 top rated iOS apps: 1yr. Parallels iOS access, Printer Pro, Scanner Pro, iDownloader Pro, Day One, more
EPOCH.2 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is IGN’s FREE game of the month (Reg. $5)
AKG K44 over-the-ear studio headphones or Ultimate Ears 500vm for phones: $20 shipped ($60 off)
iPad Air Bluetooth Keyboard Cases: New Trent Airbender 2.0 $20 (Reg. $40), Anker Ultra-thin $24 (Reg. $40)
Logitech Illuminated Living-Room Keyboard K830: $100 shipped
Smartphone Battery Cases: OtterBox iON for iPhone 4/4s $40 (Reg. $130), uNu ultra-slim for Galaxy S4 $39 (Reg. $69)
iRig HD guitar interface for iOS and Mac: $45 shipped (Reg. $100)
ASUS RT-AC56U Dual-Band Wireless AC1200 Gigabit Router $90 shipped (Reg. $180)
Seagate Expansion 4TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive $130 shipped (Reg. $220)
Jabra Solemate Bluetooth speaker (red): $65 shipped, Memorex Bluetooth speaker/phone: $32.95 shipped
OtterBox Defender Series for iPad mini $28 shipped (Reg. $70)
Syma 3.5 Channel RC Helicopter with Gyro $20 (Reg. $80)
Logitech PowerShell MFi iPhone game controller w/ built-in battery $50 shipped (Reg. $100)

New products/useful info:

Samsung Chromebook 2 now available for preorder with limited time free case offer
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

Microsoft/Google/Android:

Google Chromecast streaming media player $30 w/ free shipping (Reg. $35)
Microsoft Surface Pro Tablets: Refurbished 64GB $399 (Reg. $499 new), 128GB $500 for .EDU emails (Reg. $600)
Google Nexus 7 16GB (2nd gen) and Chromecast media player: $199 for .EDU emails ($265 value)

Apple updates standalone FaceTime app for Snow Leopard users with connection bug fix

Mike Beasley Apr 11 2014 - 3:36 pm PT

3 Comments

Remember the good ol’ days when FaceTime wasn’t included with each Mac? Back then, you had to download a bit of software from the Mac App Store in order to make video calls to iPhone owners (though iChat could still do Mac-to-Mac calls). Even today, that standalone app is still available on the Mac App Store for $.99—and for some reason it’s still the #5 paid app on the entire store.

Given its apparent popularity three years after its launch, it makes at least a little sense that Apple updated the app today to fix a bug that could prevent users from connecting to FaceTime calls. Of course, if you’re on anything newer than Snow Leopard, you don’t need this update, but anyone still running OS X 10.6 who already purchased the app can get the free update to resolve the problem.

For Snow Leopard users who haven’t already made the purchase, the app is $.99 on the Mac App Store.

Popular RSS client Reeder 2 for Mac hits first public beta

Zac Hall Apr 11 2014 - 8:43 am PT

5 Comments

Popular RSS client Reeder was largely affected by Google’s abrupt shutdown of Google Reader earlier last year as it raced to update its various apps support for alternative RSS subscription services.

Reeder for iOS gained support for services like Feedly and Feed Wrangler pretty quickly last year, but Reeder for Mac has taken a bit longer than had originally been anticipated.

Today, Reeder 2 for Mac is available in its first public beta for free ahead of its final development.
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App.io brings its HTML5 iOS app demos to interactive ads on mobile devices

Jordan Kahn Apr 11 2014 - 7:18 am PT

2 Comments

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu9pt9QG4gA]

I’ve covered App.io a few times in the past. The service, which allows app devs to deploy fully useable HTML5 demo versions of their native iOS apps on the web, first launched under the name “Kickfolio” back in 2012. The goal for the company was originally to let devs bring demos of their apps to promotional webpages and it eventually expanded the platform to include Facebook and other channels. Today, and around 2 million interactive app demos later, the company is announcing that it’s bringing those same app demos directly to mobile devices as interactive ads.

The ads go a step beyond the interactive app-like experience that Apple promised, but never quite delivered, with iAd, and allows users to play a demo of the app before deciding to purchase/download or even visit the App Store at all. The ad starts off as a banner or like any other ad but turns into a demo version of a native iOS app that is fully playable for a set period of time before prompting the user to visit the App Store. The company tells me in its initial tests it saw “3-5x higher conversion rates than normal mobile ads.”
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SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition incorporates Rush Hour expansion pack, exclusively in Mac App Store

Ben Lovejoy Apr 11 2014 - 4:36 am PT

13 Comments

The Deluxe Edition of Sim City 4 is now exclusively available on the Mac App Store, some weeks ahead of availability elsewhere, priced at $19.99.

The special edition includes the functionality of the Rush Hour expansion pack, which includes a monorail system and a ferry, along with two new disaster scenarios …
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Apple releases iMovie for Mac 10.0.3 with new sorting options, improved titles, and more

Mike Beasley Apr 10 2014 - 2:51 pm PT

2 Comments

Apple has just published its third update to the revamped Mac version of iMovie launched last year. The update, version 10.0.3, makes changes to the default font in the new titles first added to last year’s release. It also includes the ability to sort events by date to quickly find clips by when they were recorded.

Other improvements include the ability to rotate and crop clips within events rather than projects, an easier method of accessing transition duration settings, faster access to clip speed controls, improvements to how speed changes are handled, and various bugs that could cause the app to crash or not do what was expected.

You can grab the update for free in the Updates tab of the Mac App Store if you already own iMovie 10. Users on previous versions of iMovie can buy the current version for $14.99. The full change log is below:

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9to5Toys Lunch Break: iPad Air Bluetooth keyboard cases from $20, AKG K44 headphones $20, Ooma VoIP $85, more

Apr 10 2014 - 9:52 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 subscribe to the new Safari push notifications feature.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

iPad Air Bluetooth Keyboard Cases: New Trent Airbender 2.0 $20 (Reg. $40), Anker Ultra-thin $24 (Reg. $40)

AKG K44 over-the-ear studio headphones or Ultimate Ears 500vm for phones: $20 shipped ($60 off)

Ooma Telo VoIP Home Phone System (Refurb.) $85 shipped (Reg. $150 new)

Apps:

Up to 83% off 12 top rated iOS apps: 1yr. Parallels iOS access, Printer Pro, Scanner Pro, iDownloader Pro, Day One, more
R.B.I Baseball is back! Get it today on iOS, PS3, and Xbox 360
Games/Apps: Final Fantasy XIV preorder w/ $5 GC, AC: Ezio Trilogy $17, 50% off iSlash, Slide & Vintage Cam go FREE, more iOS freebies
EPOCH.2 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is IGN’s FREE game of the month (Reg. $5)

Download 10 popular country music songs from iTunes for free http://t.co/bmI3PrMnEh

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) April 9, 2014

Other deals from today:

New! Apple 2TB Time Capsule (previous generation) $169 shipped (Reg. $249)
New! Daily Deals: Panasonic 39″ 1080p 120Hz Smart HDTV $430, Wii U 32GB w/2 games $250, ZAGGkeys Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad Air $49, more
New! Canon PIXMA MG5520 Wireless Photo All-In-One Printer w/AirPrint &Cloud Print: $65 shipped ($85 off)
New! HTC One (M8) on Verizon and Sprint for $150 with a 2-yr agreement (Reg. $200)

More deals still alive:

Logitech Illuminated Living-Room Keyboard K830: $100 shipped
Smartphone Battery Cases: OtterBox iON for iPhone 4/4s $40 (Reg. $130), uNu ultra-slim for Galaxy S4 $39 (Reg. $69)
iRig HD guitar interface for iOS and Mac: $45 shipped (Reg. $100)
ASUS RT-AC56U Dual-Band Wireless AC1200 Gigabit Router $90 shipped (Reg. $180)
6TB hard drives from Seagate and Western Digital hit store shelves starting under $300
Seagate Expansion 4TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive $130 shipped (Reg. $220)
Jabra Solemate Bluetooth speaker (red): $65 shipped, Memorex Bluetooth speaker/phone: $32.95 shipped
25W 5-Port USB Wall Plug Family-Sized Desktop Charger with 5-Foot Power Cord: $15, 30W 4-Port: $14
Samsung 32-inch 720p LED HDTV and $150 Dell gift card for $278 shipped ($470 value)
OtterBox Defender Series for iPad mini $28 shipped (Reg. $70)
Syma 3.5 Channel RC Helicopter with Gyro $20 (Reg. $80)
Logitech PowerShell MFi iPhone game controller w/ built-in battery $50 shipped (Reg. $100)
Google Nexus 7 16GB (2nd gen) and Chromecast media player: $199 for .EDU emails ($265 value)
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Apple reportedly considering “dramatic overhaul” of iTunes to help fight rising competition

Jordan Kahn Apr 9 2014 - 1:00 pm PT

35 Comments

Billboard has a report out today claiming Apple is considering “the most dramatic overhaul of its iTunes music store in more than a decade” due to lack of traction with its new iTunes Radio service launched in September of last year.

According to the report, which cites executives close to the project at Apple, some of things Apple is considering include new types of on-demand streaming services and “negotiating download sales windows that favor Apple.” It also mentioned the possibility of an iTunes store for Android devices, something the publication has reported previously.
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