Apps

6,298 'Apps' stories April 2010 - January 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.

Launch Center Pro lands on the iPad

Zac Hall Jan 30 2014 - 7:06 am PT

6 Comments

Last October I reviewed Launch Center Pro for iOS 7 and shared a few actions and shortcuts I found useful. Today Contrast is out with Launch Center Pro for iPad, and it’s just as neat for anyone wanting to build shortcuts and more efficient workflows on the iPad.
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SwiftKey keyboard arrives on iOS as Evernote-infused app, third-party integration possible

Mark Gurman Jan 30 2014 - 5:59 am PT

3 Comments

SwiftKey, a popular Android keyboard option, has arrived on iOS. No, not as a keyboard that you can install to replace Apple’s iOS touchscreen keyboard, but in the form of a free App Store application. The name of the application is SwiftKey Note and it is available on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. More details below:

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UK watchdog finalizes rules for free-to-play games, requires compliance by April 1st

Benjamin Mayo Jan 30 2014 - 4:57 am PT

2 Comments

The UK’s Office of Fair Trading has today published its final “principles” for free-to-play games, after starting an investigation back in April last year. Publishers have until April 1st to comply to the regulations or their titles breach UK consumer law and may result in legal action …
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New official Paper app aims to turn Facebook into a beautiful, magazine-style experience

Ben Lovejoy Jan 30 2014 - 4:54 am PT

11 Comments

Update: Now available

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhrbT9O6kW8]

Facebook has made many changes to its newsfeed over the years (each usually generating howls of protest on launch and then viewed as business as usual within a week or two), but the interface on web and iOS app alike has seen only minor tweaks. Popup photos aside, it’s essentially remained a clean but uninspiring scrolling layout.

All this is set to change with the launch of Paper, a new iOS-only app set to launch in the U.S. on 3rd February.

Paper makes storytelling more beautiful with an immersive design and fullscreen, distraction-free layouts. We’ve also made it easier to craft and share beautiful stories of your own …

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Twitter for iOS updated with improved photo tools, content recommendations, more

Zac Hall Jan 29 2014 - 11:30 am PT

0 Comments

Twitter released a feature update to its iOS app today bringing new photo-centric features to the social client. Version 6.1 delivers a photo gallery to the tweet compose view making it quicker to sort through your images as well as improvements to photo editing.

Users should also find new content recommendations at the top of the timeline, a feature that may have been popping up for some users before.

The last major update to Twitter also focused on photo sharing as it introduced DM image support.

Twitter 6.1 is available for free on the App Store.

9to5Toys Last Call: Up to 33% off Belkin WeMo home automation, Chromecast from $25, LifeProof Frē iPhone 5 $30, more

Jan 29 2014 - 9:59 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:

Sony RX100 Cyber-shot 20.2 MP digital camera w/ Carl Zeiss lens (black): $400 shipped (Reg. $650) http://t.co/NdKmrrZd68

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) January 29, 2014

Amazon Gold Box: Up to 33% off select Belkin WeMo home automation products

Google Chromecast $25 for .EDU emails or $30 for everyone else

LifeProof Fre case for iPhone 5 (black): $30 shipped (Reg. $80)

Other great deals from today:

New! Game/App Deals: LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: $30 (Reg. $60), Simply Ludo & File Manager Pro: FREE, iOS freebies, more
New! Samsung 840 EVO Series 750GB 2.5″ SATA III Solid State Drive $400 shipped (Reg. $530)
New! Monitor Deals: Dell 24″ w/DisplayPort (refurb): $165, HP 27″ IPS display: $450, Viewsonic 24″ monitors (refurb): $125

More great deals still alive:

Apple 15″ MacBook Pro w/ Retina display (current gen) 2.0GHz/8GB RAM/256GB $1,700 shipped (Reg. $1999)
Apple Tablet Roundup: $30 off 32GB/64GB iPad mini w/ Retina display WiFi models, iPad 4th gen 128GB $520, more
Virgin Mobile cuts unsubsidized iPhone 5s to $440 or iPhone 5c for $360 shipped (Update)
Seagate 2TB Backup Plus Slim USB 3.0 portable drive: $120 shipped (Reg. $200)
JBL Micro II ultra-portable speaker in black or white: $21 shipped ($30 off)
Anker 5-port Family iPad/tablet/iPhone USB charger: $16 shipped
Apple TV 3rd gen. 1080p streaming media player $84 shipped (Reg. $99)
Staples 1080P Monitors $30 off $150: HP Pavilion 22″: $110, Samsung 24″: $120, AOC 27″: $170
Get 50% off all Otterbox Armor Series cases & 25% off select Otterbox Defender cases
Philips Shoqbox splash/drop-proof portable Bluetooth speaker $80 shipped (Reg. $150)
Bose AE2 fold-flat headphones $99 shipped (Reg. $150)
Philips Monitor Deals: 27″ Quad HD w/ mic & webcam: $600 (Reg. $900), 29″ UltraWide HD display: $450 (Reg. $700), more
Pad & Quill Little Pocket Book for iPhone 5/5S $60 shipped ($10 off)
Western Digital My Net N750 Dual-Band wireless router w/ dual USB, quad Gig Ethernet and QoS: $30 shipped (Reg. $90)

Gmail bug means iOS users may have accidentally deleted mail, says Google

Ben Lovejoy Jan 29 2014 - 5:25 am PT

0 Comments

A Gmail bug affecting the iOS app, mobile browsers and the offline version of Gmail may have resulted in users deleting or spam-marking the wrong emails, says Google.

The bug may have affected emails received between 15th and 22nd January. Google is encouraging users to check their spam and trash folders for email that does not belong there.

Via The Verge

Google releases tool to let devs bring Chrome apps to iOS & Android

Jordan Kahn Jan 28 2014 - 10:04 am PT

6 Comments

After letting us know last month that it was getting ready to release a toolkit to let developers easily bring their Chrome web apps to iOS and Android, today Google released a developer preview of the tool. In its blog post, Google explains the tool is based on open-source framework Apache Cordova, which allows devs to build native apps for iOS and Android using CSS, HTML, and Javascript. It’s also making a lot of its own core Chrome APIs available to developers through the preview. It essentially means devs will be able to bring their Chrome web apps to the App Store and Google Play, but it will also let them build new cross platform apps in CSS, HTML, and Javascript. Google explained how it works:
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9to5Toys Lunch Break: $30 off Retina iPad mini, Virgin iPhone 5s $440, 15″ Retina MacBook Pro (newest) $1700, more

Jan 28 2014 - 9:58 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.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Apple Tablet Roundup: $30 off all iPad mini w/ Retina display WiFi models, iPad 4th gen 128GB $520, more

Virgin Mobile cuts unsubsidized iPhone 5s to $440 or iPhone 5c for $360 shipped (Update)

Apple 15″ MacBook Pro w/ Retina display (current gen) 2.0GHz/8GB RAM/256GB $1,700 shipped (Reg. $1999)

Other great deals from today:

New! Amazon Prime Deal: Vizio 42″ soundbar w/ wireless subwoofer and satellite speakers $228 (Reg. $329)
New! Game/App Deals: Killzone Shadow Fall $40, Tomb Raider $10, up to 66% off Metal Slug games, iOS freebies, more
New! ZAGG iPad 2/3/4 ZAGGfolio with Bluetooth Keyboard in Red/Black/Leather (refurb): $30 Shipped
New! JBL Micro II ultra-portable speaker in black or white: $21 shipped ($30 off)

Some great deals on Timbuk2 Bagshttp://t.co/UFa6WqLMwE

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) January 28, 2014

More great deals still alive:

Anker 5-port Family iPad/tablet/iPhone USB charger: $16 shipped
Apple TV 3rd gen. 1080p streaming media player $84 shipped (Reg. $99)
Solid State Drive: 256GB Samsung 840 PRO $180 (Reg. $270)
Staples 1080P Monitors $30 off $150: HP Pavilion 22″: $110, Samsung 24″: $120, AOC 27″: $170
Get 50% off all Otterbox Armor Series cases & 25% off select Otterbox Defender cases
Philips Shoqbox splash/drop-proof portable Bluetooth speaker $80 shipped (Reg. $150)
Bose AE2 fold-flat headphones $99 shipped (Reg. $150)
Philips Monitor Deals: 27″ Quad HD w/ mic & webcam: $600 (Reg. $900), 29″ UltraWide HD display: $450 (Reg. $700), more
Pad & Quill Little Pocket Book for iPhone 5/5S $60 shipped ($10 off)
Western Digital My Net N750 Dual-Band wireless router w/ dual USB, quad Gig Ethernet and QoS: $30 shipped (Reg. $90)
Sony 3D Blu-ray player with WiFi streaming/USB $80 shipped (Reg. $140)

Popular lyrics site Rap Genius launches new Genius app for iPhone

Zac Hall Jan 28 2014 - 9:55 am PT

1 Comment

Just a month after Rap Genius got stung by Google for gaming search engine results, the lyrics and annotation site is delivering its popular service to iOS users with the launch of its first iPhone app.

While it features an optimized view of its annotated lyrics service its known for, it also has a Shazam-like feature for picking out the music playing around you. If you have music saved to your iPhone in the Music app, Rap Genius will pick songs it has lyrics for and present those to you as well. The music discovery feature was a bit hit-or-miss for me and a rather limited number of songs from my Music app appear, but the lyrics service of course works really well for the songs it does have.

Genius by Rap Genius is available for iPhone and iPod touch for free on the App Store.

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Rovio responds to claims Angry Birds was targeted by NSA smartphone surveillance program

Jordan Kahn Jan 28 2014 - 6:07 am PT

1 Comment

Yesterday we reported on new leaked docs from Edward Snowden reported by The New York Times and others that detailed secret NSA and GCHQ programs used to siphon data from popular smartphone apps on both iOS and Android. While Apple and Google have yet to respond to the reports, today one of the main developers singled out in the claims has. Rovio, maker of the popular Angry Birds game that was mentioned several times in the reports, today posted a response on its website.

The developer confirms that it in no way works with NSA, GCHQ or any other government organization to provide data about users, but it does point to third-party advertising networks as a possibility of the leaks:

The alleged surveillance may be conducted through third party advertising networks used by millions of commercial web sites and mobile applications across all industries. If advertising networks are indeed targeted, it would appear that no internet-enabled device that visits ad-enabled web sites or uses ad-enabled applications is immune to such surveillance. Rovio does not allow any third party network to use or hand over personal end-user data from Rovio’s apps.

Referring to the third-party advertising networks, Rovio CEO Mikael Hed said the company would have to “re-evaluate working with these networks if they are being used for spying purposes.”

Angry Birds wasn’t the only app specifically mentioned in the leaked docs, however. The reports claim the NSA program is capable of intercepting information ranging from location, age, and sex of users to address books, buddy lists, phone logs, geographic data and more from various mobile apps and third-party ad networks. Twitter, Google Maps, Facebook and others were also specifically mentioned in yesterday’s reports.

Facebook update allows you to hide certain stories and people from your news feed

Mike Beasley Jan 27 2014 - 4:01 pm PT

4 Comments

A Facebook for iOS update that was released earlier today includes the ability to hide certain people from your main news feed. To do so, just tap the downward arrow on any post and select the “I don’t like this post” option. From there you can select from a few different options for hiding the post or the user that posted it.

The iPhone version of the app also allows you to see all of your videos in a single album. This feature didn’t make it to the iPad version for some reason, but it might make the jump in a future update.

You can grab the updated app for free on the iOS App Store.

What’s New in Version 6.9

• Choose whose posts you see in News Feed
• See all the videos you’ve uploaded in one album (iPhone only)

MyPhotostream: Photo Stream for Mac without iPhoto’s baggage

Zac Hall Jan 27 2014 - 11:53 am PT

16 Comments

MyPhotostream is a simple, standalone Mac app for viewing your pictures from Photo Stream without having to open the mammoth of an app that iPhoto has become.

This app removes a major point of friction for me, and I’m guessing I’m not alone. Open iPhoto and it’s loading your image library, checking location data, updating Photo Stream and Shared Photo Streams, and who knows what else. If you’re viewing iPhoto in full-screen (as it best appears in my opinion) and you have a camera or iOS device connected, it will pull you back to a desktop view and take over the screen with a modal import prompt (even if auto-import is disabled); it’s a mess.

MyPhotostream digs your Photo Stream photos out of the mess and presents them in a simple, customizable grid view.
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New leaked docs show NSA collects personal data from smartphone apps

Jordan Kahn Jan 27 2014 - 11:47 am PT

5 Comments

New documents leaked by Edward Snowden and reported by The New York Times, The Guardian and ProPublica detail how the NSA and its British counterpart can collect users’ personal data through smartphone apps. The reports specifically mention popular apps like Angry Birds, Twitter, Google Maps and Facebook and claim the NSA is capable of intercepting information ranging from location, age, and sex of users to address books, buddy lists, phone logs, geographic data and more:

The N.S.A. and Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters were working together on how to collect and store data from dozens of smartphone apps by 2007, according to the documents, provided by Edward J. Snowden, the former N.S.A. contractor. Since then, the agencies have traded recipes for grabbing location and planning data when a target uses Google Maps, and for vacuuming up address books, buddy lists, phone logs and the geographic data embedded in photos when someone sends a post to the mobile versions of Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, Twitter and other services.

At least one of the app developers, Rovio, is not surprisingly unaware of any of the activity mentioned in the documents, but it will be up to the app developers, Apple, and Google to address the issue and clarify for users if their personal data is safe. In a recent interview with ABC, Apple CEO Tim Cook commented on the controversy over surveillance programs and promised he would press congress for more transparency:
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Dark Sky update brings iOS 7 design, beautiful 3D radar maps and more detailed forecasts

Benjamin Mayo Jan 27 2014 - 10:05 am PT

3 Comments

The Forecast team today released their iOS 7 update for Dark Sky ($3.99), the ‘down-to-the-minute’ weather app. The update strips back the bevels and gloss to fit the iOS 7 aesthetic. The new design puts the most important information — the current weather conditions — front and center. A graph plot of upcoming precipitation is also available at a glance on the main page of the app.

Blurring has also been used to great effect, with the forecast information superimposed on a blurred view of the global radar maps. These maps are beautifully rendered; the radar patterns smoothly transition over time. In addition to the radically new design, version 4 also brings much forecasts that span longer into the future. The next 24 hours is prioritised, but 7-day outlooks are available with a swipe. The day-by-day breakdowns offer a lot of information, more so than most weather reports will provide.

From the developers’ blog:

Completely rewritten from scratch, it sets aside the limitations of the web to become the weather app we’ve always wanted — and always wanted to build. It’s the culmination of over two years of work in figuring out how to display and organize weather data the right way. And it’s a full featured weather app — something we swore we’d never do — but it still remains true to its original focus on what’s happening right now, where you’re standing.

The developers say the app is a complete rewrite, which makes the fact they are not charging for the update impressive. For new customers, Dark Sky is available for $3.99 on the App Store. Note that Dark Sky coverage currently encompasses the United States, the UK and Ireland. The developers have said that they are actively working on adding data for more regions.

9to5Toys Last Call: $50 off all iPad Air models, 50% off OtterBox Armor Series, up to 73% off SwissGear backpacks, more

Jan 24 2014 - 10:03 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:

Home Deals: Up to 80% off HDX 12-Volt Inflator, SentrySafe Fire Chest, LED Lantern, USB charger: $1, more
Motorola offering Moto X for $100 off on January 27, $299 off-contract

https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/426837161368121344
Best Buy 2-Day Doorbuster Sale: $50 off iPad Air plus iPad mini/iPhone discounts

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFBOnvOR4MA]Get 50% off all Otterbox Armor Series cases & 25% off select Otterbox Defender cases

Amazon Gold Box: Up to 73% off SwissGear computer backpacks

Other great deals from today:

New! Onkyo Network AV Receivers (Refurb): TX-NR525 5.2-Channel $180, TX-NR727 7.2-Channel w/ BT and WiFi $480
New! Up to 80% off select Incase iPhone cases
New! Game/App Deals: Animoog: FREE (Reg. $10), Worms 2: $1 (Reg. $4), 50% off Korg apps, iOS freebies, more
New! 1 year magazine subs: Men’s & Women’s Health bundle: $10 shipped (Reg. $95), 90% off The Atlantic, Golf Digest w/digital access

More great deals still alive:

Philips Shoqbox splash/drop-proof portable Bluetooth speaker $80 shipped (Reg. $150)
Bose AE2 fold-flat headphones $99 shipped (Reg. $150)
Philips Monitor Deals: 27″ Quad HD w/ mic & webcam: $600 (Reg. $900), 29″ UltraWide HD display: $450 (Reg. $700), more
Take up to $50 off select iRobot Roomba cleaning robots, deals start at $300 shipped
Microsoft Surface Tablet 32GB (refurb): $169 shipped (Reg. $299 new)
Crucial M500 Solid State Drives: 480GB $259, 240GB $114, 120GB $77
Pad & Quill Little Pocket Book for iPhone 5/5S $60 shipped ($10 off)
Western Digital My Net N750 Dual-Band wireless router w/ dual USB, quad Gig Ethernet and QoS: $30 shipped (Reg. $90)
Thunderbolt Enclosures: D3 Dual-bay + USB: $222, ThunderDUO Dual Bay: $244 (Reg. up to $350) + $9 shipping
30% off Dell Outlet refurbished monitors
LifeProof Nuud Series Case for iPhone 5S: $64 shipped (Reg. $90), iPhone 5 Frē case: $40 shipped (Reg. $80)
Sony 3D Blu-ray player with WiFi streaming/USB $80 shipped (Reg. $140)
Anker 36W/7.2A 4-Port Compact USB Wall Charger $26 shipped (w/Prime)
Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock: $200 shipped ($100 off)
Philips Classic Clock/Radio/iPhone/iPod 30-pin dock: $50 shipped (half off)
IGN’s Free Game of the Month is Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour ($6.99 value)
Google Nexus 7 32GB (2012) refurb: $120 shipped (Reg. $249)

Apps

iWork for iOS and Mac updated with password-protected files, new Keynote transitions, and a lot more

Mike Beasley Jan 23 2014 - 3:11 pm PT

5 Comments

Following today’s Keynote for Mac and iWork for iCloud updates, Apple has updated Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for iPhone and iPad to version 2.1 today. The Mac versions of Pages and Numbers have also received updates. Like the web versions, each app gained support for sharing password-protected documents via iCloud links.

Keynote for iOS also gained new transitions, a remote feature for controlling the Mac version, and more.

Keynote for iOS
• Use the new remote feature to control slideshows on other devices
• New transitions including Droplet and Grid
• Enhanced presenter display options
• Share password-protected documents via iCloud link
• Create charts with date, time, and duration values
• Custom number formats in charts are preserved on import of Keynote ’09 and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations
• Improved compatibility with Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 presentations
• Bug fixes and stability improvements

Keynote Remote, which is integrated into the aforementioned update, is no longer visible in the App Store. But the direct link continues to work.

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Apple’s Podcasts iOS app updated w/ pull to refresh for subscriptions, fixes

Jordan Kahn Jan 23 2014 - 12:53 pm PT

2 Comments

Apple has released an update to its Podcasts app on the App Store today that introduces a few new features and fixes. The update brings a pull to refresh function for subscriptions in the My Podcasts section, improvements to overall stability, and a few fixes for bugs related to playback and subscriptions:

• You can now pull to refresh subscriptions in My Podcasts
• Resolved an issue that may cause playback to stop unexpectedly
• Fixed a problem where subscriptions may stop updating with new episodes
• Includes additional improvements to overall stability

Version 2.0.1 is the first update since Apple introduced a redesigned Podcasts 2.0 back in October.

Apple begins flat redesign of iWork for iCloud, adds shared password protected docs & new editing features

Jordan Kahn Jan 23 2014 - 11:11 am PT

9 Comments

Update: Some users are reporting that after opening a document in iWork for iCloud, that document is unable to be opened in the Mac or iOS versions of iWork.

Apple has just pushed out an update to its iWork for iCloud web apps that brings a redesign for some elements of the three apps and a long list of new features and improvements. Apple has added a new iOS 7-style UI for each app’s template chooser and document library (the first thing you see when launching the apps, pictured above), but when editing a document you’ll still get the old black and grey editor UI for now.

All three apps— Pages, Numbers, and Keynote— get the ability to add passwords and share password protected documents, spreadsheets, or presentations, as well as “improved voice over support for body text and document manager.” You can also now view a list of your documents, spreadsheets, or presentations that others have recently shared with you from a clock icon at the top of each app.

Other improvements in today’s update include new keyboard shortcuts and some highly requested editing features such as rich formatting of text in table cells. A full list of what’s new in each app is below.
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9to5Toys Last Call: Up to 50% off popular Mac games, Bose AE2 ‘phones $99, Philips Brilliance 27″-29″ monitors, more

Jan 23 2014 - 10:04 am PT

0 Comments

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

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call updates:

Best Buy 2-Day Doorbuster Sale: $50 off iPad Air plus iPad mini/iPhone discounts
Philips Shoqbox splash/drop-proof portable Bluetooth speaker $80 shipped (Reg. $150)

Game/App Deals: Up to 50% off Mac games: Borderlands GOTY, Call of Duty, Star Wars, many more, Carmageddon: FREE, iOS freebies

Bose AE2 fold-flat headphones $99 shipped (Reg. $150)

Philips Monitor Deals: 27″ Quad HD w/ mic & webcam: $600 (Reg. $900), 29″ UltraWide HD display: $450 (Reg. $700), more

Take up to $50 off select iRobot Roomba cleaning robots, deals start at $300 shipped

Other great deals from today:

New! Goal Zero Portable Solar Power Essentials Kit $75 shipped (Reg. $146)
New! Microsoft Surface Tablet 32GB (refurb): $169 shipped (Reg. $299 new)

More great deals still alive:

Crucial M500 Solid State Drives: 480GB $259, 240GB $114, 120GB $77
Pad & Quill Little Pocket Book for iPhone 5/5S $60 shipped ($10 off)
Western Digital My Net N750 Dual-Band wireless router w/ dual USB, quad Gig Ethernet and QoS: $30 shipped (Reg. $90)
Thunderbolt Enclosures: D3 Dual-bay + USB: $222, ThunderDUO Dual Bay: $244 (Reg. up to $350) + $9 shipping
30% off Dell Outlet refurbished monitors
LifeProof Nuud Series Case for iPhone 5S: $64 shipped (Reg. $90), iPhone 5 Frē case: $40 shipped (Reg. $80)
Sony 3D Blu-ray player with WiFi streaming/USB $80 shipped (Reg. $140)
Anker 36W/7.2A 4-Port Compact USB Wall Charger $26 shipped (w/Prime)
Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock: $200 shipped ($100 off)
Philips Classic Clock/Radio/iPhone/iPod 30-pin dock: $50 shipped (half off)
IGN’s Free Game of the Month is Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour ($6.99 value)
Google Nexus 7 32GB (2012) refurb: $120 shipped (Reg. $249)

SwiftKey bringing its predictive gesture typing from Android to iOS w/ ‘Note’ app

Jordan Kahn Jan 23 2014 - 7:57 am PT

3 Comments

SwitfKey, the popular Android app that replaces the stock on-screen keyboard with a gesture-based, predictive typing system, will soon arrive in an official iOS app from the same developers. While details are slim, the screenshot above from @evleaks comes with the caption “SwitfKey Note,” which we assume is a note taking app of sorts by looking at the image. Since Apple doesn’t allow users to change the system-wide on-screen keyboard to third-party alternatives like on Android, we assume that the gesture and predictive typing features will be accessible only within the new Note app.
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Pixelmator 3.1 brings 16-bit image support for Mac Pro, integrated photo printing and more

Benjamin Mayo Jan 23 2014 - 3:56 am PT

4 Comments

Pixelmator have released the latest version of their app today, version 3.1. As usual, it is available exclusively in the Mac App Store for $29.99. Codenamed Marble, this update brings several enhancements to the image editor including specific Mac Pro optimizations such as 16-bit image support.

Primarily, Pixelmator 3.1 optimises for the new Mac Pro’s hardware. Apple has used Pixelmator before to tout the Mac Pro’s performance benefits, and the developers are clearly keen to push this further still.

The “exclusive” support for the new Mac Pro enables the simultaneous use of both GPU’s for even faster composition and rendering. In fact, the app can compute the autosave data whilst the image is being rendered. This translates to significant speed improvements across the app.

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Apps

Apple releases iTunes 11.1.4 w/ Wish List in library, improved Arabic & Hebrew support, more

Jordan Kahn Jan 22 2014 - 1:18 pm PT

4 Comments

Apple just released a small update to iTunes on Mac OS X bringing the app up to version 11.1.4 and introducing a few minor features and tweaks. Apple notes that users will now be able to see the Wish List feature while viewing the iTunes library. The latest version of iTunes also introduces improved Arabic and Hebrew support, as well as other “additional stability improvements.”

“This version of iTunes adds the ability to see your Wish List while viewing your iTunes library, improves support for Arabic and Hebrew, and includes additional stability improvements.”

You can grab the update through the Mac App Store or Apple’s iTunes download page on its website.

Twitterrific 5 updated with streaming support, list management, more

Zac Hall Jan 22 2014 - 7:40 am PT

1 Comment

The Iconfactory released a significant update to Twitterrific 5 today bringing support for a highly requested feature: streaming.

Just like Twitter for Mac and Tweetbot for Mac and iOS, Twitterrific will now present new tweets to you as they’re loaded alleviating the need to pull-to-refresh when you’re caught up on your timeline. You will need to enable it in the settings for it to work, and it requires WiFi of course.

The update also features a number of other improvements including list management.
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