Apps

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:

Roku announces refreshed lineup of devices starting at $50

Save 25% on any OtterBox iPhone 5 Defender case or up to 15% on everything else

$50 OfficeMax gift card for $40 shipped

Back in stock! Apple iPad 4th gen. w/ Retina display 16GB WiFi (black or white) $425 shipped (Reg. $499) http://t.co/zr9ZnN2gzV

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) September 25, 2013

Other great deals from today:

New! Amazon freshens up the Kindle Fire HD, now starts at just $139
New! Apple is now shipping new iMacs, but savvy buyers should hold off just a bit longer
New! Valve announces Steam Machines hardware beta for SteamOS
New! Game/App Deals: Bioshock Infinite $20, FIFA 14 freebies, iOS deals, more

Western Digital My Passport 2TB USB 3.0 portable hard drive $100 shipped (Reg. $150) … http://t.co/QLbuYRWxiT

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) September 23, 2013

The best deals that are still alive:

Apple Airport Extreme 5th Gen (Refurb): $80 shipped (Reg. $180 new)
Iron Man 3 is now available on DVD/Blu-ray, here’s the best current deals
Pioneer DDJ-T1 & S1 DJ Controllers at $100 off: $600 shipped
Samsung Solid State Drives: 840 EVO 250GB $165 (Reg. $250), 840 PRO 256GB $200 (Reg. $270)
Western Digital 3TB Elements External USB 2.0 Hard Drive $95 shipped
MOTA 4000mAh Portable Power Block for smartphones & tablets: $30 shipped (Reg. $70)
The best Apple-certified (MFi) Lightning cables in various lengths, colors, and styles
Acer 11.6” C7 Chromebook 2GB, 16GB SSD (Refurb.) $140 shipped (Reg. $199 new)
The Flexibits Mini Mac Bundle: Fantastical & Chatology $20 (Reg. $40) – Ends tonight!
Google-owned QuickOffice goes free on iOS and Android, 10GB of Drive space offered
Logitech Harmony smart control w/ iOS integration and simple remote as low as $80 shipped (Reg. $130)
Google Play ‘Free For Fall’ music promo featuring 12 free or discounted tracks from Phoenix, MGMT, Kaskade, and more
Google Chromecast now in stock at Amazon $35 with free shipping

Mac software bundles:

Mac Bundle 3.0 Ft. Camtasia 2 and 9 other explosive Mac Apps. Name your own price.
TuneUp iTunes cleaner $30
The Mac Freebie Bundle 2.0: 10 Apps To Enhance Your Design, Photography & Productivity
$50 MacUpdate Bundle: Snapheal Pro, Civ V Gold, PDF Pen, TechTool Pro 7, ScreenFlow, more

New product announcements & reviews:

Belkin announces YourType Wireless Keypad to extend your Mac’s keyboard
ChargeKey is a USB Lightning charging cable on your key ring
Sony launches new mini home console, the Playstation Vita TV

Instagram releases redesigned app for iOS 7 w/ higher resolution photos & video

Jordan Kahn Sep 25 2013 - 11:12 am PT

Instagram version 4.2 is available on the App Store now.

Just about every big app has been getting an update and in many cases a refreshed look for the release of iOS 7, and today a completely redesigned Instagram app is hitting the App Store. Instagram made the announcement on its blog and also highlighted a few new features arriving with the new app alongside the UI overhaul.

Version 4.2 of the app will also include larger photos and videos that bring an increased resolution and allows content to stretch right to either side of your display while browsing your feed. Instagram noted a few other design tweaks on its blog:

In grid view, we streamlined things so that your content will also appear larger. We led our redesign with a focus on clarity to keep the feel of Instagram clean, simple and grounded in the photos and videos you discover and share.

The updated app also includes circular profile pictures, but notably does not yet directly support the slow-mo video feature that Apple introduced with the iOS 7 camera on the iPhone 5s.

Popular Twitter client Echofon completely redesigned for iOS 7

Mark Gurman Sep 24 2013 - 5:37 pm PT

Popular Twitter client Echofon has been completely redesigned for iOS 7. The new version is mostly structured the same as its predecessor, but it trades in the black tab bar and blue navigation bar for a mostly white-look. The new client actually looks like many of Apple’s new pre-bundled iOS 7 applications. Alongside iOS 7’s launch, Twitter redesigned its official app for iOS 7, and we previously covered several other iOS 7-designed app updates. Echofon is available in either a free (Ad-supported) version or a $4.99 option. Screenshots of iPad (universal) version below:

Pixelmator pushes 2.2.1 update, modernizes file format for significant performance gains

Benjamin Mayo Sep 24 2013 - 8:01 am PT

Pixelmator has pushed a point update to the Mac App Store. Despite its minor bump in version number, the update brings a lot of helpful changes. The timing is ‘intriguing’, as it coincides with Adobe’s announcement of a new version of Photoshop Elements from this morning.

Pixelmator quotes a 2x performance improvement when saving documents, as a result of a move to a new file format. For instance, when saving to iCloud, Pixelmator can now push small deltas of what has changed between saves, rather than saving the entire image every time. This speed up is noticeable in use, with projects saving nearly instantaneously on a Retina Macbook Pro.

App Store stops by 950K apps on its way to 1 million

Jordan Kahn Sep 24 2013 - 7:40 am PT

5 Comments

Last time Apple checked in during its Q3 2013 earnings report it announced the App Store was home to 900,000 apps and over 375K designed specifically for iPad. Today, the App Store has now reached 950,000 apps and quickly approaches 1 million with Apple accepting 50K new apps in the last two months alone. The news comes from app discovery service Appsfire, which regularly tracks new and updated apps added to the App Store.

Apple often celebrates milestones for its App Store with some type of giveaway or contest for users. Earlier this year it made a number of premium apps available for free to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the App Store and also gave away a $10,000 App Store gift card to announce the 50 billionth app download. We wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple do something similar for the 1 millionth app on the App Store.

Apple has likely seen an increase in new app submissions in recent weeks, as a long list of developers update and release new apps to accompany last week’s launch of iOS 7 and the new iPhones. At the current rate, it will take Apple just another couple of months to hit the 1 million mark.
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Adobe updates Photoshop and Premiere Elements 12 with professional features and Cloud access

Seth Weintraub Sep 24 2013 - 2:49 am PT

1 Comment

This morning, Adobe announced Photoshop and Premiere Elements 12, an upgrade to their consumer photo and video editing tools for Mac and PC. A year to the day from the release of Elements 11, this release focuses on cloud organizing, sharing, syncing and editing photos and videos with Adobe Revel Cloud. New features like Content Aware Move and Auto Smart Tone for Photoshop and additional FilmLooks and Subject Spotlight for Premiere headline the updates.

What’s New in Photoshop Elements 12:

Photoshop Elements 12 gives you new options for perfecting and sharing your favorite memories with friends and family. Organize, edit, enhance, and share more quickly and easily thanks to bold icons, a helpful Action bar, and the ability to choose from Quick, Guided, or Expert editing modes so you can edit your photos the way that works best for you.

Take your photos with you wherever you go: Easily view, relive, and share your Elements photos on your smartphone and tablet. And finally—unlock the photos from your mobile device, and see them in your Elements albums back at home.

Share: Quickly and easily post on Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, and more. Share your Elements photos in Private Web albums, and view them on your smartphone or tablet.
Easily move objects: Move objects in a photo and have the background automatically filled in with Content Aware Move.

Add your personal touch in an instant: Use one-touch Frames, Effects, and Textures to add depth to your snapshots.

Correct pet eye: Remove green, yellow, and other “pet eye” discolorations as easily as you remove red-eye in photos of people.

Make it uniquely yours: Get intelligent photo corrections with Auto Smart Tone, which learns your preferences in a snap.

New in Premiere Elements 12:
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Apps

iMessage makes the jump to Android in the form of a shady unofficial app (updated: removed)

Mike Beasley Sep 23 2013 - 9:59 pm PT

29 Comments

Update: The app has been removed from the Google Play Store.

Earlier this month, iMessage Chat for Android appeared on the Google Play store. The app is by no means an official Apple-created iMessage solution for Android, but the creation of a third-party developer named Daniel Zweigart. Surprisingly, according to a few users who have tried the app, it actually works. You can send messages from your Android device to your iPhone or iPad, and vice versa.

However, it’s quite possible that the Apple IDs and passwords being entered into the app are being collected by the developer for nefarious purposes.

[tweet https://twitter.com/b3ll/status/382364776497545216 align=’center’]

If you’re really curious about how the app works, software developer Adam Bell has discovered that it connects to Apple’s iMessage server posing as a Mac mini. Cydia creator Jay Freeman (aka saurik) has also noted on Google+ that the app forwards all communication from Apple to a server running in China. That means every message you send or receive using this app is being processed—and possibly stored—on a server run by the creator.

[tweet https://twitter.com/b3ll/status/382369290243952640 align=’center’]

However, Steven Troughton-Smith also points out that the app has the ability to download and install software in the background, meaning it is capable of putting malware on your phone without your knowledge. Given this information, we highly advise staying away from the app.

[tweet https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/382369055887589376 align=’center’]

Should you decide to try downloading the app from the Google Play store, we recommend only testing it with a throwaway Apple ID that has none of your payment or personal information attached. We really can’t stress that point enough.

iOS 7 How-to: Redeem iTunes gift cards with your device’s camera

Sarah Guarino Sep 23 2013 - 11:02 am PT

iTunes gift cards are a great gift for iOS Device users. They can be used to purchase content from the iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore. However, entering in the string of characters to redeem the gift card balance has typically been a pain with the touch keyboards on iPads, iPhone, and iPod touches. Like iTunes 11 on the Mac, iOS 7 moves to solve this problem. You can now use your device’s camera to scan in the code.

Go to the main/featured page in whichever store you choose and to get to the redemption screen, scroll all the way down, and press on redeem:

Apps

Apple now allows customers to check iPhone retail availability via Apple Store app

Mark Gurman Sep 23 2013 - 8:04 am PT

12 Comments

In line with our report from last week, Apple has flipped the switch in its Apple Store app to allow for customers to check availability for the new iPhone models at Apple Stores. The process is similar to the one for Personal Pickup on Apple’s online store.

To check for availability on the iPhone and iPod touch Apple Store app, navigate to the buy iPhone page, add your iPhone to the cart, then choose “Check Availability.”

The app will show you a list of your favorite and nearby stores. With Personal Pickup, you can order an iPhone through the app and then pick it up at your local Apple Store. With iPhones now shipping in October, this might be your best bet at soon getting an iPhone 5s.

Review: Perfect Shot for iOS 7 helps with group camera shots

Sarah Guarino Sep 21 2013 - 8:49 am PT

7 Comments

Perfect Shot by TapMedia is a new iOS 7 app that is designed to make it very easy to take the perfect pictures of their friends and family. While holding either an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, to take a picture, Perfect Shot detects how many people are in the image. The app monitors and detects everyone’s sets of eyes and their smiles. Once everyone in the group is not blinking and smiling, the app automatically snaps the photo, without the need for the user to press the shutter button.

Perfect Shot also can detect when you (yourself) are in prime position for a photo. The “selfies” I’ve taken of myself with this app are the best I’ve ever taken on an iPhone. They sometimes even look like professional head shots. My eyes are centered and straight, as opposed to being crooked or unfocused because I’m concentrating on the act of trying to take a good shot of myself.

iOS 7 How-to: Set up Automatic App Updates

Sarah Guarino Sep 20 2013 - 6:52 am PT

15 Comments

In earlier versions of iOS, the system would notify users of available App Store updates with a badge on the icon (seen above).

You had to open up the App Store, press the Update button, then press Update All. It was rather annoying to keep up with all the apps that needed updating. Sometimes by the time you finished updating, more apps would need updating.

Now with iOS 7, the apps will now automatically update. To make sure that the apps are set to automatically update, go into Settings and scroll until you see iTunes and App Store.

Google Translate for iOS adds new UI, handwriting input, & translations in 7 new languages

Jordan Kahn Sep 20 2013 - 5:56 am PT

2 Comments

Google has updated its Google Translate app for iPhone and iPad today with a few new features that were previously only available to Android users. The app also receives a brand new UI that makes it fit more in with iOS 7 and the rest of Google’s apps.

Version 2.0.0 of Google Translate includes support for handwriting input, allowing users to write words using their finger for 49 different languages. The app also adds translations for seven additional languages, including: Bosnian, Cebuano, Hmong, Javanese, Khmer, Lao, Marathi.

The updated Google Translate app is available on the App Store now.

What’s New in Version 2.0.0

• Translation is now available for 7 new languages: Bosnian, Cebuano, Hmong, Javanese, Khmer, Lao, Marathi
• A sleek and modern user interface
• Handwriting input – write words with your finger to enter text for 49 languages

Apple Configurator updates to version 1.4 with support for iOS 7

Sarah Guarino Sep 19 2013 - 5:44 pm PT

2 Comments

Apple Configurator, allows schools and businesses an easy way to manage multiple iOS devices. Apple Configurator is now updated to include support for iOS 7 and allowing some of the new features or restricting the new features. With Apple Configurator 1.4 you can allow AirDrop, Configure AirPrint Printers, Configure AirPlay mirroring destinations and passwords, Allow Control Center or Notification Center on the lock screen and more. The full release notes are listed here.
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9to5Toys Last Call: The best MFi Lightning cables, Cycloramic / Quickoffice iOS apps go free, games, more

Sep 19 2013 - 3:00 pm PT

From 9to5Toys.com:

Today’s featured deals:

iOS7 is rendering many 3rd party Lightning cables useless, check out our list of the best Apple-certified (MFi) Lightning cables in various lengths, colors, and styles

Cycloramic Studio 360 Panorama FREE for a limited time only (Reg. $1.99)
Google-owned QuickOffice goes free on iOS and Android, 10GB of Drive space offered

Other great deals from today:

New! 1-year magazine subscription: Bloomberg Businessweek: $20 ($230 off), more
New! Game/App Deals: Bioshock Triple Pack: $20, 20% off next gen pre-orders, iOS freebies, more
New! Acer 11.6” C7 Chromebook 2GB, 16GB SSD (Refurb.) $140 shipped (Reg. $199 new)
New! Logitech UE Mini Boombox Bluetooth speaker, “9to5Mac’s best portable” (Refurb.) $59 (Save 40%)

The Google Chromecast is finally back in stock at Amazon. Pick it up for $35 with free shipping. http://t.co/HkNN1lCPRh

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) September 18, 2013

The best deals that are still alive:

$50 MacUpdate Bundle: Snapheal Pro, Civ V Gold, PDF Pen, TechTool Pro 7, ScreenFlow, more
Google Play ‘Free For Fall’ music promo featuring 12 free or discounted tracks from Phoenix, MGMT, Kaskade, and more
Far Cry 3: $20, AC3: $20, Bioshock Infinite: $25, iOS freebies, more
Patriot Xporter Pulse 64GB Flash Drive USB 2.0 Aluminum Housing $25
Patuoxun Ultra-Slim 10000mAh Power Bank External Battery Charger for any USB powered device $33 shipped
The Flexibits Mini Mac Bundle: Fantastical & Chatology $20 (Reg. $40)
Logitech clip-on iPad speaker (dented box) $13 shipped (Reg. $30)
Logitech Harmony smart control w/ iOS integration and simple remote $80 shipped (Reg. $130)
Borderlands 2 download for $11.99
Virgin slashes 8GB iPhone 4 to $199, (4S: 20% off) unsubsidized w/$30/month unlimited data plan
$20 Ubisoft game bundle ($100 savings): Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, AC 2, Driver San Francisco, Heroes of Might & Magic V, more
Trade in ANY old iPhone case and get $15 credit towards a new one from Incase
Camtasia/Crossover/+8 other Mac apps for $10, AfterShot Pro+10 apps: $49

New product announcements & reviews:

Grand Theft V ‘iFruit’ companion app lets you customize in-game cars, train Chop the dog
ChargeKey is a USB Lightning charging cable on your key ring
Sony launches new mini home console, the Playstation Vita TV
Amazon announces the all-new Kindle Paperwhite e-reader, now available for preorder starting at $119

Google-owned QuickOffice goes free on iOS and Android, 10GB of Drive space offered

Mark Gurman Sep 19 2013 - 11:34 am PT

7 Comments

Google today made its QuickOffice suite for both iOS and Android free to use with a Google Account. QuickOffice is a cross-platform document editor that can manage and edit Microsoft Office documents. The app is downloadable for free on both iTunes and Google play for no charge. Better yet, Google says that those who login to the updated app by September 26th will receive a 10GB storage boost in Google Drive for the next two years.

Google releases Google Wallet app for iPhone

Jordan Kahn Sep 19 2013 - 8:18 am PT

1 Comment

Following the launch of an all new Google Wallet app for Android that brought the service to all Android devices in the US and customers on Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, today Google has launched an official Google Wallet app for iOS devices.

Since in-store payments are still limited to a handful of Android devices in the U.S. with NFC, the new app, available on the App Store now, includes many of the new features that Google announced in its latest Android update. That includes the ability to send money to any friend in the US with an email address, support for adding loyalty cards, and integration with Google Offers for redeeming discounts based on location using the app. The app will let iOS users in the U.S. scan to add debit and credit cards for sending money and making purchases online.
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App Store makes it easier for parents to find apps for their children with new Kids Category in iOS 7

Sarah Guarino Sep 19 2013 - 8:17 am PT

In iOS 7, Apple has made it easier for parents to find great age-appropriate, kid-friendly educational apps by gathering them all in one location. It’s currently being featured on the Featured page. Also you can find it by pressing on the blue word Categories in the upper left hand corner of the screen and then scroll down until you see Kids or click here. (ages 5 & under, ages 6-8 and ages 9-11).

By pressing on the Kids category the apps are split up based off the kids age. They have sections for ages 5 & under, ages 6-8 and ages 9-11.

There are even categories that cover key learning concepts like creating, shapes, colors, discovering the world, reading, music, and interactive books. To see them all, just swipe right to left on the boxes to view them all.

So parents, the next time you give your device to your children, you can now have them play with apps that are truly developed with them in mind and that are educational!

App Store developers now allowed to manage legacy app availability

Mark Gurman Sep 19 2013 - 6:12 am PT

6 Comments

Earlier this week, we noted that Apple has begun allowing users on older versions of iOS to download older versions of their previously purchased apps. This feature exists because some iOS users are running hardware that no longer supports newer versions of App Store applications. At launch, this feature was auto-activated for all developers, and these developers were not able to manage what users on older hardware could download. Now, Apple has informed developers that they could manage the availability of their legacy software:

9to5Toys Last Call: $50 MacUpdate Bundle featuring 9 Mac apps, free music from Google, game deals, free apps, more

Sep 18 2013 - 3:00 pm PT

From 9to5Toys.com:

Today’s featured deals:

$50 MacUpdate Bundle: Snapheal Pro, Civ V Gold, PDF Pen, TechTool Pro 7, ScreenFlow, more

Google Play ‘Free For Fall’ music promo featuring 12 free or discounted tracks from Phoenix, MGMT, Kaskade, and more

Game/App Deals: Far Cry 3: $20, AC3: $20, Bioshock Infinite: $25, iOS freebies, more

The Google Chromecast is finally back in stock at Amazon. Pick it up for $35 with free shipping. http://t.co/HkNN1lCPRh

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) September 18, 2013

Other great deals from today:

New! Vizio HD Audio Dock w/30-Pin iPod/iPad/iPhone Dock, 4 Speakers & Built-In Subwoofer (Refurb) $30 shipped
New! Patriot Xporter Pulse 64GB Flash Drive USB 2.0 Aluminum Housing $25 shipped
New! Amazon Kindle Fire: 2nd Gen 8GB Refurb $95, New 16GB $220 shipped

The best deals that are still alive:

ViewSonic 22″ IPS LED 1080p IPS monitor with HDMI $126 shipped (Reg. $262)
Patuoxun Ultra-Slim 10000mAh Power Bank External Battery Charger for any USB powered device $33 shipped
The Flexibits Mini Mac Bundle: Fantastical & Chatology $20 (Reg. $40)
Logitech clip-on iPad speaker (dented box) $13 shipped (Reg. $30)
Logitech Harmony smart control w/ iOS integration and simple remote $80 shipped (Reg. $130)
Borderlands 2 download for $11.99
Virgin slashes 8GB iPhone 4 to $199, (4S: 20% off) unsubsidized w/$30/month unlimited data plan
$20 Ubisoft game bundle ($100 savings): Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, AC 2, Driver San Francisco, Heroes of Might & Magic V, more
Trade in ANY old iPhone case and get $15 credit towards a new one from Incase
Camtasia/Crossover/+8 other Mac apps for $10, AfterShot Pro+10 apps: $49

New product announcements & reviews:

Grand Theft V ‘iFruit’ companion app lets you customize in-game cars, train Chop the dog
ChargeKey is a USB Lightning charging cable on your key ring
Steam Family Sharing lets you share and borrow full game libraries, launches next week
Sony launches new mini home console, the Playstation Vita TV
Amazon announces the all-new Kindle Paperwhite e-reader, now available for preorder starting at $119

Apple raises App Store downloads over cellular limit to 100MB per app

Mark Gurman Sep 18 2013 - 1:30 pm PT

2 Comments

Alongside the launch of iOS 7, Apple has raised the limit for an application file size that could be downloaded over a cellular network via the App Store. The new limit is 100MB, and that is double the previous limit of 50MB (via MacRumors). Back in 2008, the App Store launched with a 10MB cap, but as iOS devices gained new features such as 3G, LTE, and Retina Displays, Apple has been raising the limits. It seems likely that the limit was raised due to the influx of new app designs that Apple is expecting to be rolled out in the coming weeks.

Facebook updates iOS app with new look for iOS 7

Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2013 - 12:47 pm PT

9 Comments

Facebook announced on its blog today that it’s rolling out a new update for iOS 7 (alongside just about every other developer today) that brings a brand new iOS 7 style design to the app. On top of a lighter color palette and the new iOS 7 translucent top bar, you’ll also now be able to “swipe from left to right to get back to News Feed” after tapping a story.

There are some other tweaks included in the update as well. The iPhone app, for example, now includes a new tab style menu along the bottom of the screen. The new menu design is something Facebook has actually been testing with many users in recent months, although not with the new iOS 7 design included in today’s update. Facebook is hoping the new menu makes it “easier to switch from News Feed to your friend requests, messages or notifications.”

The new Facebook app for iOS has begun rolling out to the App Store. A video of the new design in action is below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnXggjgWC3U&feature=youtu.be

iOS 7 How-to: Use the new multitasking interface

Sarah Guarino Sep 18 2013 - 11:46 am PT

9 Comments

Multitasking came out for the iOS devices with iOS 4. Multitasking is a way to manage all of the apps running on your iOS device.

Previously, when you double tap the home button, you would get a small tray on the bottom of the screen filled with apps running. To close the apps, you would have to tap and hold on one of them until it wiggles and jiggles, and then once it is wiggling and jiggling you would tap on the red minus button in the upper left hand corner of the app.

Now, with iOS 7 that is no longer the case. When you double tap the home button, it takes you out of the app you were in, and it shows you a fullscreen thumbnail preview of the app you were most recently in, as well the rest of your recent applications.

If you want to see the rest of your open apps, you would just swipe left to right or right to left to see them all.

The home screen even appears as a fullscreen thumbnail view. To get into any of your open apps, simply tap on the app in the switcher to bring it up.

If you want to close an app, just swipe up on any application preview. You cannot close all of the apps at one, just like before. However, if you swipe up with two fingers, it will close out two apps at a time.

This new method of multitasking is similar to the popular jailbreaking tweak Auxo. For those of you who used this jailbreak tweak, this is going to be very similar, except for the fact that there will not be a way to close all the apps at once, as well as there will not be a media control, or any setting controls. Instead, you will find these in Control Center.

BlackBerry announces BBM for iPhone arriving on September 22

Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2013 - 11:41 am PT

6 Comments

After first announcing that its popular BBM messaging service would be arriving on iOS and Android sometime during the summer, BlackBerry finally confirmed in a blog post today that the app would be released on Sept. 21 for Android followed by a release on iOS on Sept. 22.

BBM will be available as a free download for Android smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean (Android 4.x) beginning at 7AM EDT on September 21. BBM for iPhones running iOS 6 and iOS 7 will become available for each market on the App Store schedule of 12:01 AM local time on September 22. For more information, or to download BBM for Android or iPhone, visit www.BBM.com.

BBM for iPhone and Android will initially include chat, photo and voice note sharing, multi-person chats with up to 30 people, and the ability to post status updates and personal messages. However, BlackBerry says the apps will get BBM Channels in a future updates:

BBM will continue to evolve quickly. Later this year, BBM Channels will provide a forum for active, real conversations between you and the people, brands, celebrities, artists, service providers, communities and more, that matter to you. By creating a Channel, individuals and brands can engage their friends and communities in conversations sparked by their thoughts, ideas and passions. Subscribing to a Channel will let you join conversations with people who share your interests. In addition, BBM Video calling and BBM Voice calling are planned for availability for Android and iPhone in a future version.

Xcode 5.0 released with iOS 7 SDK, 64-bit app compiler

Scott Buscemi Sep 18 2013 - 10:32 am PT