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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.

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Amazon teams up with BMW for Cloud Player integration

(via automotive.com)

Amazon announced today an update to Amazon Cloud Player for iOS that brings sync support between its streaming music service and several BMW and Mini cars. Models from 2011 and forward which feature BMW Apps or Mini Connect will be able to access Amazon Cloud Player libraries with dashboard control support as well, Amazon says.
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Ember amplifies its utility with iOS debut [Review]

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With the debut of Ember for iOS today, the image collection app from Realmac Software just got a lot more useful with iCloud sync connecting your Mac, iPad, and iPhone.

Does the complete Ember suite have what it takes to stack up against Photo Stream, Dropbox, and other image syncing solutions? Check out my week-long hands-on experience below…


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Filemaker releases new version for 2013 with HTML5 data entry, new iOS features and tightened security

Filemaker, a subsidiary of Apple, has just announced its 2013 version of its popular database application. The new version focuses on bringing desktop database solutions to the browser. New in Filemaker ’13, projects can now be managed through a centralized web dashboard, with options for partner portals and file hosting. More importantly, data entry can now be taken in a web interface — HTML5 powered forms enable businesses to manage their deployments on any PC or Mac, as there is no longer a reliance on having the native applications installed.


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Paper by FiftyThree app updated w/ palm rejection, erase, & blend for new ‘Pencil’ stylus shipping this week

Last month creators of the popular Paper by FiftyThree iPad app announced that it would soon be shipping a $60 Bluetooth stylus for the drawing app called “Pencil”. With the first preorders for the device expected to start shipping this week according to the company’s Twitter account, today it has also updated the official Paper by FiftyThree app with features specifically for Pencil.

The app now supports new palm rejection, erase, and blend features for Pencil:

Palm Rejection— Pencil and Paper work together to produce the most sophisticated and effective palm rejection in any app available today. No setup, no calibration, just natural feeling writing and drawing.

Erase— Pencil’s unique built-in eraser lets you get down to what’s essential.

Blend— Pencil takes care of the lines so you can use your fingers to blend colors on the page and smooth rough edges without ever picking up a tool.

FiftyThree has been taking preorders of Pencil as an in-app purchase directly in the Paper iPad app as well as through its website. It’s selling a graphite model for $50 and a walnut model for $60. While the first preorders will begin shipping this week, an update on its Twitter account today notes new orders will take around in 3-4 weeks.

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New AllCast app allows Android users to wirelessly beam local content to Apple TV, Roku, and more

Well-known CyanogenMod developer Koushik Dutta is at it again, this time with a new app for Android that allows users to beam their local content to a variety of set-top streaming boxes, including the Apple TV, Roku, Xbox, PS4, and any other DLNA renderers (via Engadget). The app, entitled AllCast, is incredibly simple to operate. Once it is installed, simply go to a video that is local on your device and tap the cast button in the upper right corner and a menu will pop up, asking you where you would like to cast it. Within seconds of choosing a device, the video will begin playing on your TV.


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Black Friday: The best Apple deals on iPhone, iPad, Macs, & Apps all in one place

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It can be hard to keep up with all of the great Apple related deals available this Black Friday weekend, so we thought we’d make it easy for you. Here are all of the best deals available this weekend on Macs, iPhones, iPads, Apple TV, iPods, iTunes gift cards, and a ton of great apps for both iOS and Mac. As always, 9to5Toys is tracking all the best Black Friday deals on other products as well as the latest discounts as they get announced.

Mac |

Best Buy: Retina MacBook Pro up to $200 off, iMac $150 off, MacBook Air $150 off
MacMall: Black Friday Begins Now at MacMall: MacBook Airs $100 off, iPads $40 off, more
B&H: Some of the best deals on Macs if you want AppleCare included.

iPhone |

Best Buy: Best Buy offering iPhone 5s for $75 off all models on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon
Walmart: Walmart will credit YOU $30 to get an iPhone 5c on contract this Black Friday
T-Mobile: T-Mobile, regional carriers offering iPhone 5s and 5c for $0 down on Black Friday

iPad |

Apple iPad Deals: iPad Air w/ $100 Target GC $479, iPad mini $249, iPad 2 $300, more

Apple TV |

Apple TV + HDMI Cable: $72.49 shipped
Apple TV 3rd generation 1080p $85 shipped (Reg. $99)

iPod |

Black Friday iPod Discounts: iPod Touch/iPod Nano $50 off, more

Accessories |

Where to find the best Black Friday deals on iPhones, iPads, Macs, & Apple accessories

iTunes |

Discounted iTunes Gift Cards: Save up to 20% on future apps, music, movies, more. $100 gift card for $85 or $50 gift card for $40.

Apps |

Black Friday App Store sale guide: The best deals on iPhone, iPad, and Mac apps

Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Elements 12 combo: $70 shipped

Adobe launches Black Friday deals up to 60% off on Photoshop, Lightroom, and more

VMWare sitewide Black Friday sale, VMWare Fusion 6: $38.99 new or $32.49 for an upgrade

Black Friday App Store sale guide: The best deals on iPhone, iPad, and Mac apps

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If you’re looking for some great apps to spend those iTunes gift cards this holiday weekend (currently 20% off on 9to5Toys), below we’ve put together the best App Store apps discounted for Black Friday. Like our roundup yesterday of the best accessories for your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, we’re only including the best of the best, and we’ll continue to update throughout the weekend.
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Popular translation app iTranslate gains iPad support

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SonicoMobile, the developers behind the popular apps iTranslate, iTranslate Voice, Files, and Languages released a new update today, iTranslate for iPad. As the name implies, iTranslate for iPad brings all the features customers have loved from iTranslate to the big screen, with an iPad optimized app.

Like the iPhone version, iTranslate for iPad lets you translate words and text in over 70 different languages, with dictionaries for many languages that offer a wide variety of interpretations and meanings, as well as a full text-to-speech conversion tool. With an in-app purchase, you can also unlock iTranslate premium, with features like Voice Recognition built in, and powered by Nuance.


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The Bureau – XCOM Declassified arrives on the Mac App Store

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx8l2vVWULU]

Originally released in August for Xbox 360, PS3, and Windows, 2K and TransGaming just released The Bureau — XCOM Declassified on the Mac App Store. The release follows the launch of the popular XCOM: Enemy Unknown game on Mac earlier this year, but unlike that game, XCOM Declassified is a third-person shooter with strategy elements taken from the classic XCOM titles. The game received some mixed reviews, but was generally well received by most.

The year is 1962. JFK is President and the Cold War has the nation gripped by fear – but a far more powerful and insidious enemy than communism is threatening America. Known only to a select few, a top-secret government unit called The Bureau begins investigating and concealing a series of mysterious attacks by an otherworldly enemy. As special agent William Carter, call the shots, pull the trigger and lead your squad in a gripping third-person tactical shooter set within a high-stakes, covert war to defend humanity. The Bureau’s mission is clear – survive, adapt and overcome the enemy threat to protect the citizens from the truth.

The Bureau – XCOM Declassified is available now for $34.99 on the Mac App Store. Minimum system requirements below:

OS: Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.7.5 or higher
Processor: Intel Core i series processor
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Hard Drive: 15 GB free
Video Memory: 512MB
Video Card: AMD HD4870 / NVIDIA 8800GT or better*
Input: Keyboard and 3 button Mouse or Logitech Dual Analog Stick Gamepad

(via iMore)

Judge formally dismisses user privacy lawsuit regarding location services and App Store data collection policy

Reuters is reporting that Lucy Koh has today dismissed a data privacy lawsuit against Apple that dates back to 2011. The plaintiffs were suing on the basis that (in iOS 4.1) Apple collected WiFi hotspot and cell tower location data even though Location Services were disabled.


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9to5Toys Last Call: MacMall Black Friday sale live, iMac $200 off, iPod Touch $50 off, iPad mini Bamboo case giveaway, Macworld Mag $7, more

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Black Friday Begins Now at MacMall: MacBook Airs $100 off, iPads $40 off, more

Best Buy Black Friday Early Access: iMac $200 off, iPod Touch (5th gen) 32GB $50 off, more

Giveaway: Primovisto handmade iPad mini Bamboo case ($54 value)

1-year subscription to Macworld w/ digital access: $6.50 (Reg. $84)

Apps/games:

Anker Black Friday/Cyber Monday: A4 13000mAh power bank $35, 25W 5-Port USB charger $16, more

Logitech Harmony smart control w/ iOS integration and simple remote $90 shipped (Reg. $130)


Other great deals from today:

The best deals that are still alive:

Black Friday:

New product announcements & reviews:

  • Xbox One midnight launch info, reviews from around the web
  • PlayStation 4 launches tonight at midnight, reviews from around the web

Automatic: The smart driving assistant for the iPhone era [Review]

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For the past few months, I’ve been testing the Automatic Link which aims to make you a safer, more efficient driver. But is it enough to really change your driving habits?

With the holiday season quickly approaching and the hardware now widely available and in stock on Amazon (and Prime eligible at that), what better time to discuss my hands-on experience with the smart driving assistant…


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Tweetbot 3.2 brings night theme, account switching shortcuts

Today, Tapbots has released Tweetbot 3.2 to the App Store, the latest version of their highly-popular Twitter client. Tapbots have been pretty relentless in updating their flagship app with version 3.1 arriving only two weeks ago.

Tweetbot 3.2 brings a long-awaited night theme to the app, offering another theme choice to users who may not like the stark-white default look.

The theme can be set to adjust automatically based on time or manually set as the default look. The application theme can also be changed via a hidden gesture; simply swipe up and down with two fingers to toggle between the light and dark theme.


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9to5Toys Last Call: Apple Store style iPhone stand giveaway, Big savings on big HDTVs, Chromecast w/ free Play credit, GTA V/COD Ghosts, more

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Giveaway: Apple Store style NewPCgadgets acrylic iPhone stand ($30 value)

Sharp 50″ LED 120Hz 1080P HDTV LC-50LB150U: $400 shipped, 39″ Vizio/JVC 1080P, $300

Google Chromecast+$6 free Google Play credit: $33 (5% off)

Apps/Games:

Other great deals from today:

The best deals that are still alive:

Black Friday:

New product announcements & reviews:

  • Xbox One midnight launch info, reviews from around the web
  • PlayStation 4 launches tonight at midnight, reviews from around the web

Report: App Store search updated to compensate for typos, improve discoverability

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According to a report from TechCrunch, Apple has recently implemented updates to the App Store’s search engine allowing it to compensate for “misspelled queries with small typos” and provide more useful results. The update also reportedly extends to app titles that have spaces in the title:

For example, those looking for the highly ranked “QuizUp” game wouldn’t have found it before if they had typed in “Quiz Up” with a space. Now it appears.

The result will ultimately be better discoverability for apps in the App Store, especially for developers targeting keywords that are commonly misspelled. As noted by TechCrunch, it’s also something that has helped Google provide better results on its Play store (as highlighted in the graphic from SEO firm SearchMan above):
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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas arrives on iOS next month w/ MFi controller support

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After releases of Grand Theft Auto III and GTA Vice City on iOS, developer Rockstar announced today that GTA: San Andreas is set for a release on mobile devices next month. The game, which was originally released for the PlayStation 2 back in 2004, will arrive on iOS devices and the other mobile platforms with the usual updated graphics:

Encompassing Los Santos, San Fierro, Las Venturas and everything in between, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has been upgraded for its mobile release. Newly remastered graphics including dynamic and detailed shadows, greater draw distance, an enriched color palette, plus enhanced character and car models make this the best-looking version of San Andreas yet.

Rockstar also notes that the title will include full support for the new iOS 7 MFi game controller framework and new contextual control options for the touchscreen:
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Just in time for Black Friday: Target app update brings store maps, iOS7 design and gestures

With only 2 days left until the holiday shopping season kicks off with Black Friday, Target has pushed out an update for its iOS app. Version 6.3 brings a new design full of iOS 7-inspired fonts, colors and icons. Users can more easily navigate the app with the swipe-to-go-back feature just like the one that is prominently used in the stock Mail app. Of course, the app continues to offer power shopping tools like a Store Finder, TargetLists, access to the weekly ad, and more.

As a heads up for all you Black Friday shoppers, Target has already made some of its deals available for Red customers. Stay tuned to 9to5Toys all week for instant access to the hottest deals.

What’s New in Version 6.3
Just in time for the holidays…
• Design: Say hello to iOS 7 with updated designs and swipe-to-go-back.
• Shopping List: Build your lists faster with improved typeahead results. See which items in your list are on sale. Then, simply swipe right to check it off your list.
• What’s in Store: Open the app in any Target store to be inspired by trending products, deals across the store, popular Cartwheel offers and recipes.
• Save: See an item with a Cartwheel offer? Add it to your Cartwheel app with a single tap.

Beta Features*
Thanks to your feedback, in-store features keep getting better.
• Find: Maps are now more accurate with better support for multiple floors.
Whether a specific product or a generic item, the new shopping list will show you where to find it on your store map. As you check items off, we’ll show you the next item nearest to you.
• Decide: Tap on an item in your shopping list to see what options are available and if it’s in stock in your store, even from the comfort of home.

*Available in select stores in Minneapolis, Seattle and Chicago, plus all City Target locations.

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Procreate for iPad updated with iOS 7 redesign, 64-bit support, 4k canvas, more

Procreate, the powerful sketching app for iPad and 2013 WWDC Apple Design Award winner, received a major update to version 2 today bringing with it support for the 64-bit Apple A7 chip as well as a new 4k resolution canvas.

The update also includes an iOS 7 redesign and a new icon to match as well as several performance enhancements.

Procreate 2 is a free update to existing users and $5.99 on the App Store for new customers. Happy creating!

Full change log below:
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9to5Toys Last Call: Just-Mobile iPhone stand giveaway, Mophie Helium case $35, Infinity Blade Free, iPad Air $429, Sonos free bridge/credit, more

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Giveaway: Just-Mobile AluCup aluminum iPhone stand ($30 value)

Mophie Juice Pack Helium Protective Charging Case Refurb. for iPhone 5/5S $35 shipped (Reg. $99)

App/Game Deals:

  • Infinity Blade for iOS goes free ($5.99 savings)
  • Xbox One & PS4 titles: $49, Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus freemore

iPad Deals:

Get a free Sonos bridge ($49 value) and up to $40 Amazon credit w/ a Sonos Play wireless speaker


Other great deals from today:

The best deals that are still alive:

Black Friday:

New product announcements & reviews:

  • Xbox One midnight launch info, reviews from around the web
  • PlayStation 4 launches tonight at midnight, reviews from around the web
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Fantastical for Mac updated with Reminders due times and performance improvements

Fantastical for Mac received a small performance update today but also added one really useful feature: Reminder due times. As we mentioned in our full review here, Fantastical 2 for iPhone recently picked up full Reminders support and today’s update brings further parity between the two apps.

Fantastical for Mac, which I find to be the easiest way to input dates and reminders, is available on the Mac App Store for $19.99 to new users and today’s update is free for existing users.

Full change log below:
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How-To: Start using Maps in OS X Mavericks

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Apple has finally implemented a maps app in the OS X platform, and it seems to have been worth the wait. After being noticeably missing from the system, Maps (and iBooks) are helping achieve a greater consistency between the iOS and OS X platforms. After running the free Mavericks update, the Maps app icon will automatically be added to your dock.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to use the new app for everything from searching for locations to getting turn-by-turn directions set directly to your iPhone.


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Google+ for iOS updated with full-resolution photo backups, design tweaks, and more

Google has updated its Google+ app for iOS with a few new tweaks. Version 4.6 of the social networking application introduces full-quality photo backups for iOS 7 users, a few design tweaks in the notifications screen, and the ability to share your location with friends (similar to Apple’s own Find My Friends app which was recently updated).

What’s New in Version 4.6.0

– Full resolution backup of your photos and videos (iOS7 only)
– Updated design for the notification tray
– Share your location, see where your friends are, control who is displayed on the map
– Translate posts and comments inline
– Additional bug fixes and performance improvements

Google+ is available for free on the iOS App Store.

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Dropbox updated with new design for iOS 7, AirDrop, and more

As first shown by 9to5Mac, Dropbox has updated its iOS app with an all-new design for iOS 7 and several new feature and improvements. The update brings a streamlined iPad interface, improvements to the sharing process, an updated PDF viewer, and AirDrop support on iOS 7 devices.

Version 3.0 also includes fixes for HTML rendering problems and a variety of crash bugs. Along with the bug fixes, users will find that the app is now faster at certain tasks.

The update is available free to all users on the iOS App Store. You can find the complete change log below.

What’s New in Version 3.0

• Beautiful new design for iOS 7
• Streamlined iPad experience: just tap on your files and photos to toggle fullscreen
• Improved sharing and exporting makes it easier than ever to send files to your favorite apps
• AirDrop support lets you send links and files in a snap
• Seamlessly save videos to your library
• Speed! Faster launch, photo loading, and video playback
• Vanquished our most common crashes
• Fixed bug that caused HTML to render as text
• Oodles of PDF viewing updates

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Springpad for iOS updated with customized smart notebook templates

Springpad, the popular personal organizer app, makes it even easier to stay organized with their latest update by introducing customized notebook templates. These themed notebooks include different categories: Recipes, For Later, Tasks, Work Project, Holiday Gift Planner, Books, Movies, and Home Improvement. These templates are great for helping unorganized people get organized.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVl19HOdMeY]

Some of these templates are “smart templates,” meaning that the app knows the information you are putting in and either organizes it for you or provides you with more information. My family goes out to the movies frequently during the holiday season. Using the Movies template, entering  movies we want to see automatically organizes them based on whether each movie is playing in theaters, available to stream on Netflix, or available to rent. Another new template, the Holiday Gift Planner makes it easier to come up with your shopping list. When entering items, you are able to either scan the product’s bar code or type it in manually. This allows you to look up more information about the product and quickly buy it. If you are buying tech-related gifts, don’t forget to check out 9to5Mac for product reviews and 9to5Toys for the best deals this holiday season.

Springpad is a free app available for iOS, Android, Windows, Kindle and on the web.