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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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Popular translation app iTranslate Voice adds new languages, updated UI, and more

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Sonico Mobile, the developers of popular apps such as Languages and Files App today are releasing an update to one of their most successful apps, iTranslate Voice. This new update adds several new features to make translating easier, faster and more accessible.

One of the first things you’ll notice if you’re an existing iTranslate Voice user is a refreshed user interface. While it’s nothing totally new, the update provides a more modern look, without any excessive UI elements. The title bar has been removed and a new “hamburger button” has been added between the translation buttons at the bottom of the screen which can either be tapped or swiped up to reveal settings and options.


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USA TV network lands on iOS with new app to watch full show episodes

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The NBC-owned USA TV network has launched its own iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch application to bring the USA show viewing experience to the small-screen. The application, like many TV network apps currently on the App Store, allows customers to watch shows the day after they air. The application also includes a backlog of past show episodes.

Like some other applications of the same category, users will need to authenticate the application with their credentials for their home TV provider. If a user does not subscribe to USA on their home TV setup, they can still watch some exclusive content via the application. Besides TV shows, the application can access behind-the-scenes clips, a full programming guide, interviews, and more.

USA today airs popular shows such as Burn Notice, Graceland, and Suits.  The new app is free on the App Store.


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9to5Toys Last Call: Warner Bros. $.99 app sale, Amazon Instant Video Half Yearly Sale, $100 Seagate 3TB USB 3.0 Desktop HD, more

From 9to5Toys.com:

A large majority of the deals we cover each day come from a variety of ‘Daily Deal’ websites or are so popular that they don’t even last 24 hours. We know you can’t be at your computer every second, so we’re going to round up the best deals each day to make sure you have a fair shot at the deals you want. Be sure to follow 9to5Toys.com so you never miss a deal... Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+

Today’s Featured deals:

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Warner Bros. Mobile App $.99 Sale for iOS: Batman Arkham City Lockdown, Man of Steel, Bastion, more

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Amazon Instant Video Half Yearly Sale: Hundreds of free TV show pilots, $.99 movie rentals, more

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Seagate Expansion 3TB Black Desktop USB 3.0 Hard Drive $100 Shipped (Reg. $160)

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Belkin Charge & Sync Lightning dock w/ built-in 4′ USB cable $25 Shipped (Reg. $35)


Other great deals we love:

Logitech Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard K810 $60 Shipped (Reg. $100)

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Real Racing 3 adds Bentley & Mercedes-Benz vehicles, progression system, improved graphics & 180+ events

Real-Racing-3-Bentley-MercedesBenzEA updated its popular freemium Real Racing 3 game for iPhone and iPad today with a number of new features including over 55 vehicles from Bentley and Mercedes-Benz. On top of a new Time Trail event type and 180+ new events, EA is also adding a progression system that will allow users to “unlock cars and events as you progress through the new career.” That sounds like a nice addition for those that were complaining of EA’s decision to stick with the freemium model for the title.

Also included in the update is improved graphics with “Per-pixel shadowing on high-end devices” and new bonuses:

What’s New in Version 1.2.0

The Prestige Cars Update is here! Bentley and Mercedes-Benz join Real Racing 3’s extensive stable of manufacturers, while the highly requested Time Trial mode arrives with global leaderboards and ghost racing!

• New manufacturers – Bentley and Mercedes-Benz join an exciting line-up of over 55 licenced cars
• New event type – Time Trial! Race against yourself, your friends and the world for the top leaderboard position
• Bonus R$ – Get an R$ boost for the first race of each day, earn bigger bonuses for consecutive days of play
• Clean Race Bonus – Drive cleanly and fairly to receive R$ bonuses
• New progression system – Unlock cars and events as you progress through the new career
• Improved graphics – Per-pixel shadowing on high-end devices!
• 180+ new events!

TeeVee 2 for iPhone, TV show tracking with a modern look [Review]

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In a world where Netflix releases entire seasons of TV shows at a time, like House of Cards and the new season of Arrested Development, personally, I find it increasingly difficult to schedule myself around when HBO wants to air a show or even when it has already aired something.

So when I shared a screenshot on Twitter a few months ago of Episodes, an app that allows you to follow and manage TV shows, a handful of people asked me which app this was I was using. Managing and tracking TV show scheduling is clearly something many people need a solution for.

TeeVee 2 is similar in that it allows you to follow your favorite shows on television without having to manually input any information aside for the name of the series.
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Pebble smart watch announces Best Buy as exclusive retail launch partner, available online today & in stores July 7

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Yesterday we noted that Best Buy retail sources indicated the popular ‘Pebble’ Bluetooth smart watch would be landing on at least some of the retailer’s store shelves this weekend. Today Pebble and Best Buy have finally made things official by announcing the partnership that will bring the most successful Kickstarter-backed device of all time to both Best Buy online and across all its U.S. brick and mortar locations.

It’s definitely big news for the company ahead of Apple’s rumored smart watch, as well as Sony and others getting deeper into the space. The exclusive retail partnership with Best Buy also marks Pebble’s first retail launch of the device following raising over $10.2 million from around 68,000 backers on Kickstarter.

“It’s been so rewarding to see and share the great things our early backers and development partners have done with Pebble already,” says CEO Eric Migicovsky. “Their work and our evolving app ecosystem has kept demand very high. Best Buy’s partnership with us is a big step towards meeting that demand.”

As we first reported yesterday, Pebble confirmed today that the device will be landing in all U.S. Best Buy locations starting Sunday, July 7, and Jet black and Cherry red editions of the smart watch are already available through Best Buy’s website. The Jet black models will be shipping starting today through the retailer’s online store, while the Cherry red models will arrive sometime later in August.

The packaging for Pebble also appears to have received an upgrade for Best Buy’s store shelves since we first saw it back in January right before the device started shipping to Kickstarter backers:


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Reeder for iOS updated with Feedly, Feed Wrangler support in wake of Google Reader closing

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Early Tuesday morning, Google Reader finally closed its doors, but not without a plethora of alternatives launching. We’ve covered all sorts of them before, including Feedly, Digg Reader, AOL Reader, and much more. One of the most popular RSS apps for iOS is Reeder, and it has been updated to support some of those alternatives.
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Spotify for iOS gets ‘Discover’ feature, editable playlists, new icon and more

Spotify-App-icon-01Spotify updated its iOS app today with a few new features, one of which is a brand new ‘Discover’ experience that is rolling out to all users as we speak. As you might expect, the feature allows users to discover content based on their previous listening habits, and is of course a nice feature to have as Apple prepares to roll out its iTunes Radio service with built in Genius features.

Also included in today’s update for Spotify is a brand new logo and the ability to edit playlists directly on your iPhone. Spotify noted that “a shiny, new Now Playing view, featuring the ‘Up Next’ queue” is available now on iPhone and rolling out to all users soon.

A full list of what else is new and fixed in today’s release is below:

What’s New in Version 0.7.1

• New: Ever find yourself wondering what to play on Spotify? Introducing the new Discover experience on iPhone. (Coming soon to everyone.)
• New: A shiny, new Now Playing view, featuring the ‘Up Next’ queue on iPhone. (Again, rolling out to everyone soon.)
• New: Say hello to our new logo.
• New: You can now edit your playlists on your iPhone.
• Improved: We’ve changed the order of the iPhone search tabs. Now it’s Artists, Albums, Tracks. (iPhone/iPod only.)
• Improved: We’ve moved the … context menu button in the Playlist and Album views to the top right of the screen. It’s better there. (iPhone/iPod only.)
• Fixed: Ford integration now works correctly when your iPhone/iPod is set to a language other than English.
• Fixed: In your playlist folders, “All Tracks” will now show you the actual number of tracks.
• Fixed: We’ve sorted lots of crash issues too.
• Fixed: The unread messages in your inbox will now update correctly.
• Fictitious: This app shares 73% of its DNA with bees.

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9to5Toys Last Call: 14% off $50 iTunes Gift Card, Incipio/OtterBox iPhone cases from $5, smartphone car mount $8, more

From 9to5Toys.com:

A large majority of the deals we cover each day come from a variety of ‘Daily Deal’ websites or are so popular that they don’t even last 24 hours. We know you can’t be at your computer every second, so we’re going to round up the best deals each day to make sure you have a fair shot at the deals you want. Be sure to follow 9to5Toys.com so you never miss a deal... Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook

Today’s Featured deals:

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As one of their Daily Deals, eBay is offering a $50 iTunes gift card for just $43 with free shipping, a total savings of 14%. Each card can be redeemed for music, movies, apps, books and more from the iTunes Store, App Store, iBook Store and all other Apple digital distribution stores.  This is a perfect way to save on expensive Apps like the iWork / iLife suite or even OS X Mavericks when it is released.

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iPhone Case Deals: Incipio Stowaway (iP5) $5 Shipped, OtterBox Impact Series (iP4/4S) $10 + $3 Shipping, more

*The Incipio Stowaway case is now sold out, but you can still grab an Incipio Textured Impact Resistant case or one of several iLuv (Snoopy design) cases for $5 and $4.50 respectively.

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Universal Car Mount with 360-Degree Rotation and Adjustable Fit $8 Shipped

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ONKYO TX-NR616 7.2-Channel THX Certified Network A/V Receiver $300 Shipped (Reg. $350)

  • Apple TV integration, streaming services (Pandora, Slacker, SiriusXM), USB port for iPod/iPhone/iPad


Other great deals we love:

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Yahoo News app updated with improved sharing, refreshed interface, sponsored stories

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Yahoo has updated its official app for iPhone and iPod touch with a refreshed interface that is easier to navigate. The new update also includes improved integration with Yahoo’s own Mail service and the ability to conduct multi-tap gestures to navigate through the application.

The new update also is more visual, includes new, simpler content sharing functionality, and improved accessibility options for searching the web. Also included are “sponsored stories” in the stream, which seems to be Yahoo’s method of monetizing its main iPhone app.

Yahoo’s iPhone app includes summarized versions of stories, based on Summly technology, and works to provide users with stories of interest based on what the user has read and accessed in the app in the past. Today’s update is free on the App Store. 


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Microsoft releases major update for OneNote app on iOS

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In a post on the official Office blog, Microsoft has announced a major new version of OneNote for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

First off, the update adds a much more rich editing experience. Now, files and formatting look the same across all devices. This includes things such as text, graphs, tables, borders, and more. If you draw on a note with a Windows tablet, the markings are then visible on your other devices, as well. All devices now support the ability to sync notebooks with Office 365 and SharePoint, as well as the ability to share files with other Office users. OneNote also now lets multiple people edit a note at the same time, much like Google Drive. 
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In an iOS 7 world, here’s how Apple’s iLife, iWork, iBooks and other apps could look

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Apps

The introduction of iOS 7 brought forth a new era of iOS design: one that discards old thinking and draws little inspiration from past designs. While Apple’s included applications in iOS 7 have all been updated for the new design aesthetic, their App Store apps haven’t. Installing any of Apple’s other applications alongside iOS 7 reveals a huge discrepancy between the old, skeuomorphic design, and the new, flatter look. Obviously, Apple will have to redesign all of their App Store applications. So, what will they look like?


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9to5Toys Last Call: $20 Apple Leather Smart Cover, app/game deals, $119 Western Digital 2TB USB 3.0 portable HD, more

From 9to5Toys.com:

A large majority of the deals we cover each day come from a variety of ‘Daily Deal’ websites or are so popular that they don’t even last 24 hours. We know you can’t be at your computer every second, so we’re going to round up the best deals each day to make sure you have a fair shot at the deals you want. Be sure to follow 9to5Toys.com so you never miss a deal... Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook

Today’s Featured deals:

ipad-leather-smart-cover

Genuine Apple iPad Leather Smart Cover $20 Shipped

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Gamers’ Deals: MLB 13 The Show (PS3) $28, Amazon Digital Games Summer Sale: freebies & price drops


Other great deals we love:

Non-tech deals we’re pretty sure you’ll still love:

Apple adds auto-renewable subscriptions for Mac App Store apps in OS X Mavericks

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Just like app developers have the ability to sell subscriptions as in-app purchases in iOS apps and Newsstand, they will soon be able to offer the same auto-renewable content through in-app purchases in Mac App Store apps.

Mac apps on the latest releases of OS X already support non-subscription based in-app purchases. For example, items that are purchased once and automatically applied to a user’s account. Up until now, developers offering an auto-renewable or non-renewing subscription in their iOS apps couldn’t do the same in the Mac App Store equivalents.
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An interview with Ryan Orbuch, one of the high school students behind Apple Design Award winning app Finish

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At WWDC earlier this month, Apple once again recognized some of the top designers of iOS and Mac apps with the annual Apple Design Awards. This year, one of the apps that won the student category was Finish, a unique task management app which we reviewed when it launched in January. Finish was created by Ryan Orbuch and Michael Hansen, a high-school duo from Colorado.

This week, we sat down with Orbuch and discussed the inspiration behind Finish, the ADA, and more. You can listen to the complete interview below the break.


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Apple offering additional international pricing tiers to App Store developers

Many readers are noticing today that new pricing tiers are showing up on some international App Stores. Most notably, people are discussing a new .99 euro price for European countries. It seems that Apple has created these new tiers (and it is unclear when these actually became available) to better align with the pricing structure in the United States. Prices below (thanks to everyone who sent this in):

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BlueStacks announces ‘GamePop Mini’, a free subscription-based Android console that runs iOS games

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Earlier this month, we reported on a new technology from BlueStacks called “Looking Glass” that brought iOS games to your big screen via a subscription-based console. On Friday, however, the company announced another new console with that technology, but the big selling point here is that it is free and incredibly small. In fact, the company says it is about the size of a pack of gum. Just like with the company’s other Cube console (which isn’t yet released), the BlueStacks Mini does require a subscription commitment, which will run you $7 a month for a year.

It’s worth noting that the BlueStacks Cube is also free with a subscription, but that offer expires on July 1st. The company says that its goal is to always offer a gaming console for free.
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9to5Toys Last Call: $45 PNY 128GB flash drive (after rebate), app and game freebies & price drops, more

From 9to5Toys.com:

A large majority of the deals we cover each day come from a variety of ‘Daily Deal’ websites or are so popular that they don’t even last 24 hours. We know you can’t be at your computer every second, so we’re going to round up the best deals each day to make sure you have a fair shot at the deals you want. Be sure to follow 9to5Toys.com so you never miss a deal... Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook

Today’s Featured deals:

316jbir35l-_sl500_Expires Tonight: PNY Attache 128GB Flash Drive $45 Shipped (After Rebate)

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Game/App deals:

  • Borderlands 1 & 2 Bundle: $22, Tomb Raider/Sleeping Dogs/Just Cause 2 bundle: $30

  • 12 month Xbox LIVE Gold: $35 (Reg. $60)

Other great deals we love:

Non-tech deals we’re pretty sure you’ll still love:

gerber-knife-beargrylls-amazon-deal

Gerber Bear Grylls Pocket-Size Multi-Tool Survival Knife $10 + Shipping (Reg. $22)

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Twitter #music and Tweetbot for iOS updated

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Both Tweetbot and Twitter #music have released minor updates this afternoon, extending the capabilities of these social applications.

The two versions of Tweetbot, one for iPhones and iPod Touches and the other for iPads, have been updated to version 2.8.2 and now support Instagram video according to the release notes, although there have been some reports of the feature not working at all.

The Twitter #music update is a bit more substantial, bumping up the app to version 1.1 with the addition of genres:

Genres! Get hip-hoppy or get your metal on or get your dance beats grooving with Twitter #music genres! Tons of genres plus Superstars, Popular, Emerging, Unearthed and Hunted charts.

This build also includes:
• Fixes for some scenarios that could cause tracks to be unavailable.
• Rdio authentication now happens in-app, rather than kicking you out to Safari.
• We have stomped many bugs so that you don’t have to.

The free Twitter #music app is available in the App Store.

New for app developers in iOS 7: text to speech, motion effects, background downloads, free in-app purchases, more

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We’ve reported on a number of big improvements coming to iOS 7 for both app developers and accessory manufacturers already. Yesterday we reported first on the new blinking and smiling detection features available to camera and photo app developers, and earlier this month told you about some of the new Bluetooth related APIs coming this fall.

We previously walked you through some of the new APIs and features for gamers, but there is still a lot more coming to third-party app developers in iOS 7. A few big improvements: a text to speech API, background downloads for in-app content, motion effects, 3D maps, and much more.

Head below for details on some of the more notable new APIs available for developers to take advantage of in iOS 7:
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AOL launches iPad app with news, weather, video, and mail

AOL launched a new iPad app today that allows users to quickly access their AOL email accounts, as well as the latest news and weather updates from the online service. The app is designed exclusively for Apple’s tablet and doesn’t currently have an iPhone counterpart.

The application is available for free on the iOS App Store.

Features:
• Discover the latest stories and videos in an engaging news stream format
• Connect and share via AOL Mail, Facebook and Twitter
• Choose the news categories that matter most to you by customizing your stream
• Save articles and videos to read, watch and share at your leisure
• Delight in the featured news stream as it reflects your personal news interests over time

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Google Hangouts iOS app updated w/ clickable links, invites via SMS, performance improvements, more

Google-Hangouts-app-iconGoogle has just rolled out a nice update to its recently released Hangouts app for iOS. Version 1.1.1 of the app now includes the ability to send and click on URLs within the app, support for inviting friends to Hangouts via SMS, and much more.

Also included in the updated app is official support for iOS 6.0, new in-app sounds for when you receive a message, and other improvements and performance enhancements. A full list of what’s new is below:

What’s New in Version 1.1.1

Thanks for using Hangouts and sending feedback! This update addresses some of the top requests we’ve heard from you:

— Support for sending and clicking on links
— Invite friends to Hangouts via SMS
— In-app sounds when you receive a message
— Improvements to badge count behavior
— Addressed network connection bar weirdness
— Bug fixes
— Support for iOS 6.0

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Review: Hotwire travels to iPad with intuitive app

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After arriving on the iPhone late last year, Hotwire, the popular travel discount site for flights and hotels, has arrived on the iPad via an intuitive App Store app. The iPad version launches today as a free, universal update to the existing iPhone app.

The iPad app is very simple to use. From the start screen of the app, a user can input either their current location or another location where they want to travel, check-in/check-out dates, a number of rooms and guests, and tap a single button to immediately search for matching hotels.


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NoteSuite for iPad and Mac is your all-in-one digital notebook [Review]

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUinMxBHLPk&feature=youtu.be

While there is no shortage of to-do lists or note taking apps on the App Store, it isn’t always easy to jump from one app to another and still stay productive. NoteSuite features note taking, task management, PDF viewing and annotation, and Office document management all in a single app, creating one digital briefcase of sorts.

I had the chance to meet Peter Tamte of Theory.io during WWDC week in San Francisco and see a preview of NoteSuite in person. Peter’s demonstration was very impressionable and left me with one particular thought: NoteSuite is entering a saturated app market, but should thrive as it does a few key things better than its competition.

Continue reading for specific thoughts and observations as I unpack the features of NoteSuite.
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