Apps

6,396 'Apps' stories April 2010 - March 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 Last Call: 2 Nest Protect alarms $200 ($60 off), Seagate 4TB internal HD $150, Jawbone Big Jambox $214, more

Mar 21 2014 - 9:57 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:

Last Call updates:

2 wireless Nest Protect smoke + carbon monoxide alarms: $200 shipped (Reg. $260)
Seagate 4TB SATA 6GB NCQ 64 MB Cache Bare Drive $150 shipped (Reg. $250)
Jawbone BIG JAMBOX Wireless Bluetooth Speaker $214 shipped (Reg. $300)
Acer Intel 16GB 11.6-inch Chromebooks starting at $140 shipped

Incase Mac Accessories: 70% off and higher today and tomorrow only

Daily Deals: Beats by Dre Tour $59, JBL Lightning speaker dock $40, Otterbox Armor Series $25, more

Games/Apps: Xbox One Titanfall bundle $450 (Reg. $500), Earth Defense Force 2025 $40, Osmos $1, iOS freebies, more

.@griffintech is running another 20% sitewide sale. Save on iPhone/iPad cases, Lightning cables, and more http://t.co/cOdD2Obf2p

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) March 21, 2014

Other great deals from today:

New! Beyerdynamic DT 990-250 professional semi open-back headphones: $130 shipped (Reg. $200+)
New! Home Deals: Up to 45% off Thermos water bottles, travel mugs, food jars, more
Amazon Appstore giving away 14 hit Android apps for FREE (Reg. $50) as birthday celebration continues

Take $5 off your first Amazon Local purchase. http://t.co/BBtEg8uUhY

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) March 21, 2014

More great deals still alive:

Power Bundle: HooToo 7-port USB 3.0 hub and RAVPower 10400mAh power bank $52 shipped (Reg. $70)
PNY Turbo USB 3.0 Flash Drives: 32GB $15, 64GB $30, 128GB $50 shipped
Pick any audiobook free with a 30-day Trial Membership on Audible ($20-$30 value)
JBL OnBeat Venue Bluetooth speaker & Lightning dock: $130 shipped (Reg. $200)
iPad Bluetooth Keyboards: Anker Ultra-Slim Aluminum for mini $20
GameStop 15% off games/accessories: MGS V: Ground Zeroes $25.50, Watch Dogs $51, PS Plus 1 yr. $42.50, more
Logitech Z130 computer speakers $13 (Reg. $25)
Kensington PowerBolt Duo 2-port USB car charger w/ MFi Lightning cable $15 (Reg. $40)
Free year of ShopRunner ($79 value), while all Prime members can use a workaround to avoid price increase
Staples In-Store: iPod Touch 5th gen 16GB $180 ($50 off), 32GB $230 ($75 off)

New products/info:

Amazon announces rate increases for regular ($99/yr) and Student Prime ($49/yr) memberships

Warriors become first NBA team to rollout iBeacons, push seat upgrade offers to nosebleeds

Jordan Kahn Mar 21 2014 - 7:35 am PT

1 Comment

MLB is already using them with plans to roll out at all stadiums, and now Bloomberg reports that the Golden State Warriors have become the first NBA team to take advantage of Apple’s iBeacon bluetooth technology. Just as the MLB, retailers, and other events have used the beacons to send context sensitive notifications and offers to customers and fans in proximity, the Warriors will do the same and in the process offer fans in cheap seats the chance to upgrade:
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Jimmy Fallon and Billy Joel create doo-wop magic with an iPad

Mar 21 2014 - 6:06 am PT

6 Comments

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU-eAzNp5Hw]
Update (3/24 10:45am): For a limited time, Loopy HD has been discounted to $3.99 (50% off).

Jimmy Fallon’s MacBook may have mysteriously lost its illuminated Apple logo but it seems his love for Apple products hasn’t wavered.

Last night he teamed up with one of America’s biggest rock legends, Billy Joel, to create a doo-wop song using an iPad Air connected to two Bluetooth microphones. The duo utilized the iOS app, Loopy, to create a continuous background loop of their singing as a foundation for the song.

Apps

‘Placed’ app brings context-aware app launching via iBeacons into the home

Jordan Kahn Mar 21 2014 - 5:59 am PT

7 Comments

If you’ve been reading up on some of the organizations and companies working on iBeacon technology, most have used Apple’s Bluetooth LE standard to beam notifications and context-aware data to users that come in contact with iBeacon hardware in retail and event environments. They are already rolling out at retailers and being used in event spaces, but now a new app called “Placed” aims to bring iBeacons into the home (via TechCrunch).
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Tweetbot for Mac updated with larger in-line image previews, bug fixes

Mike Beasley Mar 20 2014 - 7:23 pm PT

2 Comments

Tweetbot for Mac, the desktop counter to the incredibly popular iOS Twitter client, was updated to version 1.5 today. The new update brings a few bug fixes and a big visual change that was first introduced in the most recent update to the iPhone version. This change brings large image previews to the feed, much like those found in the official Twitter for iPhone app.

For those who don’t like the new look, there’s a setting in the app’s preferences to get the smaller previews back or disable image previews completely. The smaller previews have also been tweaked to be a bit bigger and no longer have a border. Other issues addressed by the update include bugs with context menus, tweet detail layouts, and swipe gestures.

Tweetbot for Mac 1.5 is available on the Mac App Store. It’s a free update for existing users and a $19.99 purchase for new users. The full change log is below:

What’s New in Version 1.5

– Large image thumbnail option (as well as an option for no thumbnail) in the display settings.
– Refreshed design of image thumbnails
– Three finger left/right swipes in your timeline function if trackpad settings are configured that way.
– Fixed the issue where some context menus had the first option highlighted by default
– Fixed layout issues when viewing tweet details

Blogging service Medium launches its iPhone app, focuses on reading rather than writing

Mike Beasley Mar 20 2014 - 5:04 pm PT

2 Comments

Medium, the blogging service designed for (you guessed it) medium-length entries, has released its first iPhone app. Unlike most blogging apps, however, the Medium app does not have any writing tools. Instead, the app’s sole purpose is to provide a platform for reading the writings of other users. The app also allows you to bookmark and share your favorite posts and get personalized recommendations based on your Twitter account. You can grab the Medium app for free on the App Store.

Apple seeds new betas of iTunes 11.1.6 and Mavericks 10.9.3 to developers

Mike Beasley Mar 20 2014 - 3:35 pm PT

1 Comment

Following this week’s release of iTunes 11.1.6 and OS X 10.9.3 betas to AppleCare employees, Apple has pushed the updates live to developers as well. The iTunes update restores the ability to sync contacts and calendars to an iOS device, which had been removed in favor of iCloud in previous versions of iTunes.

The OS X update (with the build number 13D21) includes the ability to output at 4k resolution with a 60Hz refresh rate on the latest MacBook Pro models. The build number on this update is two builds newer than the version that was pushed to employees earlier this week.

Other than these changes and a few bug fixes, there aren’t any major changes in either build.

GarageBand for Mac brings back MP3 exporting, adds new Drummers & more

Zac Hall Mar 20 2014 - 10:58 am PT

7 Comments

Apple released an updated version of GarageBand for Mac today bringing back MP3 exporting and adding 3 new Drummers to the instrument recording software. MP3 exporting, which you would think is a standard feature for the software, was removed from the app in version 10. The update also features improvements to the software accessibility features and bug fixes.

What’s New in Version 10.0.2

• Improves stability and addresses a number of minor issues
• Adds the option to export songs as an MP3
• Contains multiple enhancements to Accessibility
• Includes 3 new Drummers and drum kits from the rock, songwriter, and R&B genres*

*Part of the one-time in-app purchase that includes the complete set of GarageBand sounds, loops, and drummers, as well as access to the GarageBand Lesson Store.

The last version of GarageBand (10.0.1) was released last November while Apple first released GarageBand 10 last October.

GarageBand 10.0.2 is available now on the Mac App Store.

Starbucks releases iOS 7-friendly iPhone app with a few new tricks

Zac Hall Mar 20 2014 - 10:13 am PT

17 Comments

We’ve already seen Starbucks show off a new way to pay and tip your barista in the long-awaited update to its iPhone app it previously announced, and today it is finally available and features a brand new design for iOS 7 when buying your latte.

Previously, the Starbucks app featured a number of various tabs on the bottom navigation bar, but the updated version has been dramatically simplified to focus on three main sections under the headers Pay, Stores, and Gift.

Reward member profiles, messages, and Pick of the Week content is now featured in a clean view with the app’s new tip feature as well.

The update also comes with a new icon to represent the refreshed design of the app.
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9to5Toys Last Call: Logitech UE Boom BT speaker $129, Staples gift card 15% off, Macworld subscription $8, more

Mar 20 2014 - 10:07 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:

Logitech UE Boom shockproof/water-resistant Bluetooth speaker $129 shipped (Reg. $200)

Staples $100 Gift Card for $85 shipped (15% savings)

1 year magazine subs: Macworld w/ digital $8 shipped (Reg. $84), Rolling Stone $5 shipped (Reg. $102), Pop Mechanics, Motor Trend, more

PayPal is once again chopping 20% off iTunes gift cards ($25-$100) http://t.co/Wq8hAGyTCT pic.twitter.com/5Ys7Cwro63

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) March 20, 2014

Other great deals from today:

New! Games/Apps: Saints Row IV $20 (Reg. $40), Civ V Campaign for Mac: $15 (Reg. $30), Pinball HD FREE, iOS freebies, more
New! Daily Deals: Logitech Keyboard Cover for iPad $35, Mophie Portable Juice Pack refurb $8, Dual USB Car Charger $8, more
New! Power Bundle: HooToo 7-port USB 3.0 hub and RAVPower 10400mAh power bank $52 shipped (Reg. $70)

More great deals still alive:

PNY Turbo USB 3.0 Flash Drives: 32GB $15, 64GB $30, 128GB $50 shipped
Pick any audiobook free with a 30-day Trial Membership on Audible ($20-$30 value)
JBL OnBeat Venue Bluetooth speaker & Lightning dock: $130 shipped (Reg. $200)
iPad Bluetooth Keyboards: Anker Ultra-Slim Aluminum for mini $20, Logitech Ultrathin for iPad 2/3 $30
GameStop 15% off games/accessories: MGS V: Ground Zeroes $25.50, Watch Dogs $51, PS Plus 1 yr. $42.50, more
Logitech Z130 computer speakers $13 (Reg. $25)
Kensington PowerBolt Duo 2-port USB car charger w/ MFi Lightning cable $15 (Reg. $40)
Seagate 3.5-inch 2TB internal hybrid drive: $100 shipped (Reg. $170)
iOttie Easy View Universal Car Mount for iPhone 5/4S: $9 + $3 shipping (Reg. $23)
Samsung 840 EVO Series 1TB 2.5″ Solid State Drive $469 shipped (Reg. $850)
Amazon celebrates its Appstore’s 3rd birthday with 2 weeks of deals
Samsung 32″ 1080p 60Hz Smart LED HDTV $300 shipped (Reg. $500)
Sony RDPM7IPN portable Lightning speaker dock for iPhone/iPod $60 shipped (Reg. $80), more
Free year of ShopRunner ($79 value), while all Prime members can use a workaround to avoid price increase
Staples In-Store: iPod Touch 5th gen 16GB $180 ($50 off), 32GB $230 ($75 off)

New products/info:

Amazon announces rate increases for regular ($99/yr) and Student Prime ($49/yr) memberships

iTunes Connect issue halting new app and update submissions for developers (U: Apple says fixed)

Zac Hall Mar 20 2014 - 7:00 am PT

7 Comments

After just over a month since the last similar episode, several developers from around the world have reported a critical issue with iTunes Connect that is preventing new app and software update deployment to the App Store. Apple has noted the disruption on its developer system status page with a brief message: “Some users are experiencing a problem with [iTunes Connect].” The system status page lists the service disruption as occurring around 8 PM EST yesterday, but developers first began reporting problems with app and update submissions much earlier on Wednesday. The system status page does not report issues with any other developer services, and all consumer services report no issues. Apple does not provide a timeline for when it expects the disruption to be resolved nor does it offer the cause of the disruption.

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Apps

Burger King will soon let you pay with your iPhone in its 7000 U.S. locations

Jordan Kahn Mar 19 2014 - 12:30 pm PT

8 Comments

Following announcements from other fast-food chains planning to roll out mobile payment and ordering systems this year, Bloomberg reports that Burger King will be the latest to let customers make purchases using a smartphone app.

The program will be introduced next month and should be in all of Burger King’s more than 7,000 U.S. locations in “a few months,” Bryson Thornton, a spokesman for the company, said in an e-mailed statement. The option to order food and drinks ahead of time for later in-store pickup may be added, he said.

McDonalds, Taco Bell, Dunkin Donuts and others are all currently testing or already beginning to roll out similar apps in markets around the US, while other chains like Starbucks have long offered similar payment options through its app. The apps will also provide coupons and other promotions to customers, and I’m sure it won’t be long before fast food franchises get on the iBeacon bandwagon.

Burger King is also apparently weighing the idea of allowing customers to order ahead of time for pickup at a later time.

Unreal Engine 4 arrives w/ new $19/month (+ 5% royalty) subscription model

Jordan Kahn Mar 19 2014 - 10:41 am PT

0 Comments

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD5cRnrMqWw]

Epic Games is announcing the release of its new Unreal Engine 4 engine today and in the process introducing a new pricing scheme and support for OS X out of the gate. The engine that powers many of our favorite games across platforms will now be available to developers as a subscription that will see devs pay $19 a month plus a 5 percent royalty on gross product revenue (that’s before Apple takes its 30% cut for the App Store, for example.) That will give devs access to the all Unreal Engine 4 features and tools, full C++ source code available on GitHub, as well as the usual documentation and upcoming updates.

This first release of Unreal Engine 4 is just the beginning. In the C++ code, you can see many new initiatives underway, for example to support Oculus VR, Linux, Valve’s Steamworks and Steam Box efforts, and deployment of games to web browsers via HTML5. It’s all right there, in plain view, on day one of many years of exciting and open development ahead!

Epic hopes that the new model will make it easier for anyone, especially the many smaller mobile game developers that might not yet be using the platform, to ship a product using Unreal Engine. That being said, Epic will negotiate custom terms for some developers, for example, “reducing or eliminating the royalty in exchange for an upfront license fee.” Epic used to charge a $99 license fee plus 25% of revenue after the first $50,000 any particular game brought in.

Epic warns that Mac OS X support in UE 4 still “hasn’t undergone serious developer testing yet” and that iOS deployment is only available on Mac so far.

You can get more info and sign up for UE4 here.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO2rM-l-vdQ]

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS6q1H23njM]

9to5Toys Last Call: Logitech UE Boombox $120, Apple TV $80, Retina MacBook Pro $200 off, discounted Amazon Prime, more

Mar 19 2014 - 10:10 am PT

0 Comments

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

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call updates:

Apple MacBook Pro ME866LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop with Retina Display and Intel Core i5 2.60GHz 8GB Memory $1600 (Reg. $1800)
Reminder: You only have a few hours left to save $20 on your first year of Amazon Prime
iPad Bluetooth Keyboards: Anker Ultra-Slim Aluminum for mini $20, Logitech Ultrathin for iPad 2/3 $30

Bluetooth Speakers:

Logitech UE Boombox Bluetooth speaker: $120 Shipped ($130 off)
Onkyo RBX-500 iLunar Bluetooth Music System: $123 shipped (half off)
JBL OnBeat Venue Bluetooth speaker & Lightning dock: $130 shipped (Reg. $200)

Apple TV 3rd gen. 1080p streaming media player $80 shipped (Reg. $99)

GameStop 15% off games/accessories: MGS V: Ground Zeroes $25.50, Watch Dogs $51, PS Plus 1 yr. $42.50, more

Other great deals from today:

New! Pick any audiobook free with a 30-day Trial Membership on Audible ($20-$30 value)
New! Games/Apps: Thief (all platforms) $50, Metro Last Light $20, Fling! FREE, Guitar Hero for iPhone $1, iOS freebies, more
New! Daily Deals: Logitech Solar BT Keyboard Case refurb $25, 7800mAh Power bank $15, Skullcandy buds $8, more
New! PNY Turbo USB 3.0 Flash Drives: 32GB $15, 64GB $30, 128GB $50 shipped
New! Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ 16GB Wi-Fi Certified refurb $129 shipped (Reg. $199)

More great deals still alive:

GameStop 15% off games/accessories: MGS V: Ground Zeroes $25.50, Watch Dogs $51, PS Plus 1 yr. $42.50, more
Logitech Z130 computer speakers $13 (Reg. $25)
Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB Portable $95 (Reg. $150)
Kensington PowerBolt Duo 2-port USB car charger w/ MFi Lightning cable $15 (Reg. $40)
Seagate 3.5-inch 2TB internal hybrid drive: $100 shipped (Reg. $170)
iOttie Easy View Universal Car Mount for iPhone 5/4S: $9 + $3 shipping (Reg. $23)
Samsung 840 EVO Series 1TB 2.5″ Solid State Drive $469 shipped (Reg. $850)
Amazon celebrates its Appstore’s 3rd birthday with 2 weeks of deals
Samsung 32″ 1080p 60Hz Smart LED HDTV $300 shipped (Reg. $500)
Nexus 7 Android tablet (2nd gen) 32GB WiFi + LTE $300 shipped (Reg. $349)
Sony RDPM7IPN portable Lightning speaker dock for iPhone/iPod $60 shipped (Reg. $80), more
Wireless Speakers: JBL Charge Bluetooth $84, JBL SoundFly AirPlay $140, Grace internet radio $125
Free year of ShopRunner ($79 value), while all Prime members can use a workaround to avoid price increase
Staples In-Store: iPod Touch 5th gen 16GB $180 ($50 off), 32GB $230 ($75 off)

New products/info:

Amazon announces rate increases for regular ($99/yr) and Student Prime ($49/yr) memberships
Roku announces a new HDMI streaming stick for $50
D-Link Releases the First Portable 11AC Router/Server/Charger for $99 shipped

Apps

Apple seeds Mavericks, Mountain Lion Safari 7.0.3/6.1.3 betas to developers

Mike Beasley Mar 18 2014 - 5:59 pm PT

3 Comments

Apple has just seeded the first beta of the next version(s) of its Safari browser for OS X. The new versions, 7.0.3 and 6.1.3, will be available for Mavericks and Mountain Lion users, respectively.

Earlier today Apple also released a new OS X 10.9.3 developer preview along with a beta version of iTunes 11.1.6 to employees. Based on the rapid release of these app betas and the decreasing time between OS X betas, the OS X update is expected to be available to developers later this week.

The new Safari beta includes the following release note:

Please focus testing on the following areas:
• General website compatibility
• Safari Push Notifications
• Login AutoFill
• Credit Card AutoFill (OS X Mavericks only)
• Extension Compatibility

Firefox 28 released w/ Mac OS X Notification Center support for web notifications

Jordan Kahn Mar 18 2014 - 12:34 pm PT

5 Comments

Firefox today released the latest version of its desktop browser for Mac, Linux, and Windows and in the process added one much welcomed feature for Mac OS X users: support for Notification Center. This means that web apps and sites taking advantage of Firefox’s web notifications feature will now also appear for Mac users in the Notification Center.

Version 28 of Firefox also introduces a few new behind the scenes improvements including VP9 video decoding, volume control for HTML5 audio/video, and a number of other fixes.

Firefox 28 for Mac is available to download from the Mozilla website now.

9to5Toys Last Call: Seagate 4TB desktop HD $125, Toshiba 2TB portable HD $95, daily deals, more

Mar 18 2014 - 10:09 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:

Last Call updates:

GameStop 15% off games/accessories: MGS V: Ground Zeroes $25.50, Watch Dogs $51, PS Plus 1 yr. $42.50, more

USB 3.0 External Hard Drives: Seagate Expansion 4TB Desktop $125 (Reg. $170), Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB Portable $95 (Reg. $150)

Daily Deals: Polaroid 1080p Waterproof Camera $90, Logitech Universal Remote Control $80, Craig BT Speaker $18, more

You can still score a FREE HD copy of the hit Tom Hanks movie ‘Big’ (up to $15 savings) http://t.co/gd2thRjDBm pic.twitter.com/bqUVJREqnK

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) March 18, 2014

Other great deals from today:

New! Games/Apps: Infamous Second Son w/ $25 GC $60, Dishonored GOTY $15, Wii U Balance Board & Fit Meter $55 (Reg. $90), iOS freebies, more
New! Logitech Z130 computer speakers $13 (Reg. $25)
New! Home Deals: Frigidaire Stainless Blender/Mixer $50 (Reg. $150), Breville Quick Touch Microwave Oven $300 (Reg. $450), more

More great deals still alive:

Kensington PowerBolt Duo 2-port USB car charger w/ MFi Lightning cable $15 (Reg. $40)
Seagate 3.5-inch 2TB internal hybrid drive: $100 shipped (Reg. $170)
Monoprice 27″ 2560×1440 Slim IPS monitor $290 (Reg. $855)
iOttie Easy View Universal Car Mount for iPhone 5/4S: $9 + $3 shipping (Reg. $23)
Samsung 840 EVO Series 1TB 2.5″ Solid State Drive $469 shipped (Reg. $850)
Amazon celebrates its Appstore’s 3rd birthday with 2 weeks of deals
Samsung 32″ 1080p 60Hz Smart LED HDTV $300 shipped (Reg. $500)
Nexus 7 Android tablet (2nd gen) 32GB WiFi + LTE $300 shipped (Reg. $349)
Sony RDPM7IPN portable Lightning speaker dock for iPhone/iPod $60 shipped (Reg. $80), more
Wireless Speakers: JBL Charge Bluetooth $84, JBL SoundFly AirPlay $140, Grace internet radio $125
Free year of ShopRunner ($79 value), while all Prime members can use a workaround to avoid price increase
D-Link AV2 600Mbps Gigabit PowerLine Starter Kit: $70 shipped (Reg. $100)
Staples In-Store: iPod Touch 5th gen 16GB $180 ($50 off), 32GB $230 ($75 off)
Amazon Kindle Fire 7-inch 8GB: $99 shipped (cert. refurb: $79)

New products/info:

Amazon announces rate increases for regular ($99/yr) and Student Prime ($49/yr) memberships
Roku announces a new HDMI streaming stick for $50
D-Link Releases the First Portable 11AC Router/Server/Charger for $99 shipped

YouTube for iOS updated with changes to comments, improvements to playlists

Mike Beasley Mar 17 2014 - 3:17 pm PT

7 Comments

Google updated YouTube for iOS today to version 2.5 with a few new changes and enhancements. The bigger changes include support for sharing entire playlists (where previously you could only share individual videos) and the option to quickly get to your own saved playlists from the sidebar.

Comments have also received some upgrades, giving users the ability to reply to other commenters and create conversation threads. Users can also now delete their own comments and see whether another user’s comment was posted publicly or not.

You can grab the free YouTube app on the App Store.

What’s New in Version 2.5.0

* Share and like playlists
* Quickly access your favorite playlists from the Guide
* Reply to comments and delete your own
* See if a comment was shared privately or publicly

Report: Office for iPad to be revealed on March 27th

Benjamin Mayo Mar 17 2014 - 2:38 pm PT

12 Comments

Both The Verge and ZDNet are independently reporting that Microsoft will finally launch Office for iPad at the end of this month on March 27th, according to sources. According to The Verge, the suite will (unsurprisingly) be very similar to the Office app already on the iPhone App Store.

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9to5Toys Last Call: Dell/Monoprice IPS monitors from $229, Samsung 1TB 840 EVO Series SSD $469, Griffin Tech. 20% off, more

Mar 17 2014 - 10:47 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:

Last Call updates:

Seagate 3.5-inch 2TB internal hybrid drive: $100 shipped (Reg. $170)
Logitech K760 Wireless Bluetooth Solar Keyboard for Mac/iPhone/iPad $33 Shipped (Reg. $80)
iOttie Easy View Universal Car Mount for iPhone 5/4S: $9 + $3 shipping (Reg. $23)

IPS Monitors: 24″ Dell UltraSharp 1080p $229 (Reg. $370), Monoprice 27″ 2560×1440 Slim $290 (Reg. $855)
~~Apple 13″ Macbook Pro with Retina Display $999 shipped (Reg. $1299)~~ (Update 3/17 2:45pm: Sold out)

Samsung 840 EVO Series 1TB 2.5″ Solid State Drive $434 shipped (Reg. $850) (Update 3/17 2:30pm: Price bumped back up to the low price of $469)

Griffin Technology 20% off sitewide St. Patrick’s Day sale: Save on iPad/iPhone cases, Mac accessories, Lightning cables, more

Kensington PowerBolt Duo 2-port USB car charger w/ MFi Lightning cable $15 (Reg. $40)

Ends today:

Arby’s Buy One Get One FREE Reuben sandwich http://t.co/E6TDvprfPC #HappyStPatricksDay pic.twitter.com/UPMaoM9sXD

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) March 17, 2014

Other great deals from today:

New! Games/Apps: Watch Dogs preorder $50, Titanfall + 1 yr. Xbox Gold $90, up to 70% off 2K iOS titles, more
New! IPS Monitors: 24″ Dell UltraSharp 1080p $229 (Reg. $370), Monoprice 27″ 2560×1440 Slim $290 (Reg. $855)
New! Amazon celebrates its Appstore’s 3rd birthday with 2 weeks of deals
New! Magazine deals: Car, AUX, Stylist, more FREE from Google Play, Macworld $8, Popular Science $5, more
New! Home Deals: Frigidaire Stainless Blender/Mixer $50 (Reg. $150), Breville Quick Touch Microwave Oven $300 (Reg. $450), more
New! Daily Deals: Apple Lightning Cable $9, urBeats Headphones $39, 1080P display $90, more
New! Free download of Cyberlink PhotoDirector 4 for PC/Mac
New! Nexus 7 Android tablet (2nd gen) 32GB WiFi + LTE $300 shipped (Reg. $349)

Seiki set to give its UHDTV owners a free 4K up-conversion HDMI adapter

More info: http://t.co/fTPplynPs9

Adapter: http://t.co/idwStqAG63

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) March 17, 2014

More great deals still alive:

Samsung 32″ 1080p 60Hz Smart LED HDTV $300 shipped (Reg. $500)
Sony RDPM7IPN portable Lightning speaker dock for iPhone/iPod $60 shipped (Reg. $80), more
Wireless Speakers: JBL Charge Bluetooth $84, JBL SoundFly AirPlay $140, Grace internet radio $125
Apple 2TB Time Capsule (previous generation) $160 shipped (Reg. $290)
Free year of ShopRunner ($79 value), while all Prime members can use a workaround to avoid price increase
D-Link AV2 600Mbps Gigabit PowerLine Starter Kit: $70 shipped (Reg. $100)
Seagate 2TB Backup Plus Slim USB 3.0 portable drive (black): $108 shipped (Reg. $150)
Staples $50 off tablets priced $249 or more: iPad mini w/ Retina display from $349, iPad Air $449, more
Staples In-Store: iPod Touch 5th gen 16GB $180 ($50 off), 32GB $230 ($75 off)
Amazon Kindle Fire 7-inch 8GB: $99 shipped (cert. refurb: $79)
Headphones: Beats by Dr. Dre Mixr (Refurb.) $180 (Reg. $250), MEElectronics Atlas On-Ears $55 (Reg. $100), more
$25 off Your next Hotel Booking with iOS or Android FREE App Download
iOttie Easy Flex 3 car mount/desk stand for iPhone & other smartphones $12.50 (Reg. $25)
Lexar 32GB JumpDrive $15 (Reg. $33), PNY 128GB $49 shipped (Reg. $70)
Western Digital My Passport Ultra 2 TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive Black + Photoshop Lightroom 5 $129 ($100 off)
ColorStrokes: Selective photo coloring app for Mac – FREE (Reg. $3)

New products/info:

Amazon announces rate increases for regular ($99/yr) and Student Prime ($49/yr) memberships
Roku announces a new HDMI streaming stick for $50
D-Link Releases the First Portable 11AC Router/Server/Charger for $99 shipped

Apps

Microsoft launches OneNote for Mac as free download in Mac App Store

Jordan Kahn Mar 17 2014 - 7:40 am PT

38 Comments

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kESYSK8NGHU]

Following reports earlier this month that Microsoft was gearing up to launch a Mac version of its OneNote app for the first time, the app is now officially available as a free download in the Mac App Store. Much like its OneNote apps for other platforms, the Mac app brings much of the same functionality allowing users to keep track of notes, lists, receipts and more and keep them synced with other versions of the app across platforms. The app across all platforms is also going free for the first time starting today.
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Google Play Game services brings multiplayer to iOS, lets devs offer cross-platform gaming

Jordan Kahn Mar 17 2014 - 7:27 am PT

2 Comments

From 9to5Google:

At this week’s Game Developers Conference Google is announcing number of new features coming to developers through Google Play Game services. Notable for iOS users is the fact that Google has decided to expand its multiplayer features to iOS devs. That means all iOS devs that integrate Google Play Game services into their apps (which already offers sign-in, achievements, leaderboards, cloud saves, and more) will be able to let their players across Android and iOS challenge each other to multiplayer matches.

The new features should become available to developers later this month. Google is updating its Play Games Unity Plug-in to support the new cross-platform multiplayer features as well as “introducing an early Play Games C++ SDK to support achievements and leaderboards.” Google notes the cross-platform multiplayer feature will support both its turn-based and real-time multiplayer modes.

First look at notifications feature on Apple TV arrives for iTunes SXSW Festival?

Jordan Kahn Mar 14 2014 - 9:50 pm PT

10 Comments

Apple might have just gave us our first glimpse at an upcoming notifications feature coming to the Apple TV. During Apple’s live stream of its iTunes Festival at the SXSW festival in Austin tonight, Apple for the first time started prompting users to tune into the live stream with a notification feature on the Apple TV (pictured above). The notification interrupts the currently-playing content— in my case a video AirPlaying from my Mac— and displays a notification asking users if they would like to watch the live performance.
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Apple Store for iPhone updated with improved notifications, iPad version gets gift card purchases

Mike Beasley Mar 14 2014 - 3:19 pm PT

1 Comment

Apple updated its mobile shopping apps for both iPhone and iPad today, with each platform getting a different set of new features or fixes. On the iPhone, improvements were made to the way in-store notifications are handled. These notifications can be triggered by a variety of events, such as a Genius Bar appointment or a nearby iBeacon.

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