Apps

• AAPL Company
• Apps
• iOS games
• NFL
• freemium

Madden NFL 25 game makes it to the iPhone and iPad as a freemium download

Aug 27 2013 - 6:05 am PT

2 Comments

Madden NFL 25, EA Sports’ football simulation game that started life on the PC way back in 1989 and is now best-known as an XBox and Playstation game, today launched as a freemium iOS game for both iPhone and iPad. This iOS iteration of the famous football game promises to be more reflective of a console gaming experience, unlike the now retired Madden Social. EA has even included an exclusive head-to-head gameplay mode in this mobile version.

As we’ve learned in the past, many ‘freemium’ apps come with gaming caveats that can be confusing and frustrating as a gamer, but hopefully that isn’t that case here. In Madden 25, gamers will need to either earn coins to improve the player roster or simply cough up the cash to buy better players.

Perhaps most importantly, EA has improved the touch controls for Madden 25. The previously used virtual D-pad has been replaced by “intuitive tap & swipe controls.” Many of the player actions and moves can be executed using just one hand. This style of on-screen control may be the best way to game on iOS until we have a full-fledged hardware controller.

Madden 25 is exclusively available on iOS until later this fall when it will hit Android. For the biggest football fans, you can pickup a copy of Madden 25 for your favorite gaming console bundled with a year of NFL Sunday ticket for just $100. That’s up to a savings of $400.

An experience 25 years in the making! EA SPORTS delivers the most authentic NFL football experience to date on iPhone® and iPad® with MADDEN NFL 25. Build your Ultimate Team of NFL stars and run the show on offense and defense with new and improved touch controls, game modes and much more!

BUILD YOUR ULTIMATE TEAM
Collect your favorite NFL players from packs or win them in the Auction House, then dominate the field against friends by building your ultimate powerhouse team.

AUTHENTIC NFL ACTION
Madden NFL lets you choose from 32 REAL NFL teams and a roster of more than 1,500 REAL NFL players! Battle it out in true-to-life NFL stadiums, too. Ultra-sharp graphics make gameplay even more realistic. Feel the impact of every game-changing tackle with hard-hitting collision effects!

PLAY MULTIPLE MADDEN NFL MODES
Relive NFL storylines and play through several seasons in Solo Challenges. Take on friends in the fast-paced, offensive shootout mode, Head-2-Head (a mobile exclusive)! Or, jump into Exhibition mode for single-player offensive and defensive football.

NEW & IMPROVED TOUCH CONTROLS
Run, pass, and make the big hits on D with new and intuitive Tap & Swipe controls. Better tape your fingers!

Score MADDEN NFL 25 on iPhone® and iPad® now. BOOM!

• Apps
• blackboard
• learning management system

Controversial Blackboard Mobile Learn app updated with new design in time for fall semester

Scott Buscemi Aug 26 2013 - 2:54 pm PT

3 Comments

The unpopular Blackboard Mobile Learn app has been redesigned using feedback received from users. The application that can either be licensed by a school or purchased for $1.99 per year or $5.99 for life by the student has received terrible ratings over the years, but the new design looks much cleaner and, in a way, ready for iOS 7.

Blackboard is a learning management system used by schools of all sizes. The app allows students to check grades, receive push notifications when things are posted to the system, and attach files right from Dropbox. However, the additional cost to the student, slow interface, previous Wifi-only restriction, and other app policies and restrictions caused the app to receive low ratings and put the app and company in bad light.

Here’s the changelog for the new version:

What’s New in Version 4.0

Inspired by your feedback, we’ve completely redesigned the app. This update makes using the app and reading content easier than ever. Some of the sweet new features include:

-You can now “favorite” an area of a course for easy access later on
-More support for Rich Content Styles like Bold, Underline, Italics, and Hyperlinks
-New layout for Discussions that show you the history of each reply

Previously, the app seemed to focus on skeuomorphic metaphors rather than actual features and easy navigation.

Before and after comparison for Blackboard Mobile Learn.

The app is available in the App Store. If you use Blackboard, let us know what you think of the new design and whether or not it’ll convince you to use the app more often.

• Apps
• Philips Hue
• Home automation
• remote control
• philips-gue

Control your Philips Hue lamps from your Mac Menu Bar – new app coming soon

Ben Lovejoy Aug 26 2013 - 4:01 am PT

9 Comments

I can see why manufacturers opt for iPhone apps as the remote controls for their gadgets. A small touchscreen device is a familiar form-factor for a remote, and it’s likely to be easily to hand. But if happen to be in front of your Mac at the time, it can seem a bit awkward to have to pick up your phone, open an app and then use a smaller, fiddlier device.

Philips seem to have recognised this, with a new Mac app on the way to control its range of Hue smart LED bulbs. The app sits in the menu bar, providing a convenient way to control any of your Hue lamps.

Philips updated the iOS app back in May, with geofencing, schedules and a wide variety of triggering actions, including support for the popular IFTTT (If This Then That) app.
Expand
Expanding
Close

• Apps
• 1Password
• Password Management
• password security

1Password 4 for Mac screenshots and upgrade details [Gallery]

Scott Buscemi Aug 23 2013 - 8:02 am PT

6 Comments

This morning, AgileBits has shared some screenshots of their upcoming 1Password 4 for Mac software. The password management app has been in beta for awhile now undergoing dozens of new builds, and the company has announced that it is on track to launch this fall.

Some details that were released this morning:

• 1Password 4 will be a free upgrade for all MAS customers
• 1Password 4 for Mac will be a free upgrade to all website customers who purchased on or after January 1, 2013
• The browser extension is now native Cocoa and is the same for every browser
• Many features have come “Back to the Mac” from their iOS application – iCloud sync, favorites, and multi-site logins
• Custom fields can be added to most items

Here are some screenshots of the app at work:

• Apps
• Apple News
• iCloud
• iWork
• beta

Apple opens iWork for iCloud beta to all users ahead of expected public release this fall

Jordan Kahn Aug 23 2013 - 6:11 am PT

6 Comments

After first announcing its new iWork for iCloud productivity suite back in June at WWDC, Apple has been slowly rolling out access to more people ahead of a public beta release scheduled for this fall. It first extended the privilege to developers, then Apple employees, and in July started sending out invites to select non-developers. Today, several tips note that Apple now appears to be letting in anyone with an Apple ID despite not sending out invites or officially announcing a public beta. We’ve confirmed access to the beta on a non-developer account, but let us know in the comments if you’re unable to get in.

Following the unveiling of the new iWork for iCloud suite, we speculated that Apple could possibly move to make its other iWork suite of apps on iOS and Mac available for free. Our thinking: it’s hard to imagine Apple allowing users to create documents for free on iCloud but not seamlessly transfer from iOS to Mac without having to throw down $30 for the three iOS apps. Adding even more weight to that theory, Apple was briefly showing the apps listed alongside the collection of free Apple apps that it presents most users with when launching the App Store on their iOS device for the first time.

Apple previously announced it was planning on releasing a public beta for iWork for iCloud this fall but perhaps is opening the beta today to help beta test the apps among a larger group of users ahead of an official announcement. Apple is expected to unveil new iPhones at an event next month on Sept. 10, and there is a possibility we’ll hear more about iWork for iCloud alongside details for Mavericks and possibly the new Mac Pro.

• Apps
• itunes radio
• Pandora
• Advertising
• mike herring

Pandora to drop 40 hour per month limit on free accounts just before iTunes Radio launch [Update: App updated with sleep timer]

Scott Buscemi Aug 22 2013 - 2:43 pm PT

2 Comments

During Pandora’s earnings call today, the company’s CFO, Mike Herring, announced that the service will be dropping its 40 hours per month limit on mobile devices for free accounts. TechCrunch posted this statement:

When we introduced the 40 hour mobile listening limit, we were confident that our scale – over 7% of total radio listening and Pandora’s number one ranking in most major markets – would allow us to take this action without impacting our key monetization initiatives in driving the disruption of the radio advertising market and driving our mobile advertising leadership. As our results have shown, the continued strong growth in our advertising revenue allowed us to cover the increased royalty costs with dollars left over to invest back into the business.

With these tools in hand, and insight into how they work, we are resetting our levers in September. Notably, Pandora plans to eliminate the blanket 40-hour-per-month limit on free mobile listening effective September 1st.

The company also published a related press release :

Pandora (NYSE: P), the leading internet radio service, today announced it will remove the 40-hour-per-month limit on free mobile listening effective September 1, 2013.

“We’re pleased to once again maximize free listening for everyone on Pandora,” said Tim Westergren, Pandora’s founder. “The more than 70 million listeners that tune in every month will now have more time to hear the music they love, and thousands of working artists will reach more fans.”

The limit on free mobile listening was introduced in March 2013 to manage rapidly increasing royalty costs. While in place, this affected fewer than four percent of total monthly active listeners. The company continues to utilize multiple additional levers to carefully and effectively manage its content cost.

Pandora has been dealing with the balancing act of paying for content and pushing out as advertisements. Back in May, Bloomberg looked into the situation and found that some investors weren’t sure if the limit would also reduce the number of ads delivered to users. Only around 4% of its listeners were going over the cap at the time, but only a portion of those users would return and buy into a paid subscription after the cap was reintroduced on mobile devices back in February. At the same time, the introduction of the cap saw the service’s total listening hours drop around 5.1% within a month:

Pandora’s results since implementing the cap suggest the company is starting to contain content costs, its biggest expense, without alienating listeners. With fewer hours of use, investors are concerned that the company is also sacrificing advertising revenue, said Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Securities Inc. in Los Angeles.

The company reported revenues of $162 million which is is up 58% YoY; however, iTunes Radio is expected to launch in just a few short weeks and we’ll find out at their next earnings call if Apple’s music streaming service affects revenue for Pandora. For its part, Apple has partnered with very large sponsors and secured multi-million dollar advertising deals for the iTunes Radio service.

Pandora is available free in the App Store. iTunes Radio will have a free version with ads, but users can listen ad-free by subscribing to the $24.99/year iTunes Match service.

Update: Also, Pandora’s iOS app has been updated to version 4.5 which includes a new sleep timer feature and additional bug fixes:

What’s New in Version 4.5

• Sleep timer with 15, 30, or 60 minute options to continue playing your favorite Pandora station while you fall asleep
• Bug fixes and improvements

• Apps
• Facebook
• facebook ios
• facebook pages
• facebook pages manager

Facebook Pages Manager app updated with multi-photo posts and other new features

Scott Buscemi Aug 21 2013 - 10:01 pm PT

0 Comments

Tonight, the Facebook Pages Manager app has been updated to version 2.1 which includes the ability to upload multiple pictures per post, new Page creation right through the app, and improved insights.

The app is great for owners of Facebook Pages, as it makes it easy to quickly respond to comments and check up on statistics, and is available free in the App Store.

What’s New in Version 2.1

– Upload multiple photos for a single post
– Edit Page admins: add new admins for the Pages you manage
– Improved insights to make it easier to manage your Page
– Edit Page cover photo
– Create an event hosted by your Page (iPhone only)
– Create a new Page
– Bug fixes and performance updates

• AAPL Company
• Apps
• 9to5Toys
• Daily Deals
• video games

9to5Toys Last Call: Western Digital 1.5TB portable HD $80, Apple EarPods $15, 64GB flash drive, game/app deals, more

Aug 21 2013 - 3:00 pm PT

0 Comments

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:

Western Digital 1.5TB portable USB 3.0 external hard drive $80 shipped (Reg. $120)

Apple EarPods w/ mic and remote: $15 shipped (Reg. $30)

Other great deals we love:

• New! Klipsch Image ONE on-ear headphones w/ Mic and 3-button remote $65 shipped (Reg. $150)
• New! HP 64GB USB 2.0 flash drive for $28 or $18 after mail-in rebate + shipping
• New! Pyle Sound Box Waterproof Wireless Marine Grade Portable Bluetooth Speaker $45 shipped
• New! Gamer Deals: 70% storewide at Origin, PS Vita 3G w/ The Walking Dead: $200, 25% off Sim City, more
• New! Jabra TALK Bluetooth Headset with HD Voice Technology $18 shipped (Reg. $30)

• Google Play Summer Party Hits from Katy Perry, Daft Punk, Beastie Boys, and more for free or $0.91
• Get a free audible.com $5 voucher for audiobooks
• Get an extra 1GB of Dropbox space for free

• 4600 mAh Portable Power Bank from A ViiQ: $35 (Reg. $95)
• Spigen new-coated backpack $60 (Reg. $100)
• TiVo announces new ‘Roamio’ DVRs w/ out-of-home streaming to mobile devices and 6 tuners
• NFL Sunday Ticket for $55 after early Madden 25 video game trade-in at Best Buy
• Duo Gamer controller for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch: $6 (Reg. $40)
• D-Link wireless network day camera with iPad/iPhone integration $35 shipped (Reg. $50)
• $50 iTunes Gift Card for $40: 20% savings on future app, music, movie purchases
• Apple does rare iTunes ‘buy 1 get 2 free’ movie bundle sale (starting $10)
• The Steve Jobs Video Bundle: Lectures On The Man, His Legacy & The Future Of Technology $15
• 9to5Toys Exclusive: Get an extra $10 on Gazelle when you trade-in your used (or broken!) electronics
• Bose QuietComfort 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones $269 (Reg $299)
• Nearly 200 Mac Games on sale up to 66% off

• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• iOS
• iPad
• iPhone
• App Store

Real Racing 3 iOS app adds classic Dodge and Shelby muscle cars, new events, difficulty tuning & more

Jordan Kahn Aug 21 2013 - 2:05 pm PT

0 Comments

EA has pushed out an update to its Real Racing 3 app for iPhone and iPad today that brings a number of new vehicles in addition to new events and performance tweaks.

Among the new vehicles is a collection of V8 muscles cars from Dodge and Shelby that EA says include improved visual physics “with realistic pitch and bodyroll.” The update also adds improved cameras, difficulty tuning, and new events that feature a “Series featuring a field of muscle cars hailing from Detroit.”

A full list of what’s new below:

What’s New in Version 1.3.0

An iconic generation of cars joins Real Racing 3’s diverse garage, with the introduction of timeless classics from Dodge and Shelby.

• New cars – Dodge and Shelby add a collection of big V8 muscle cars to Real Racing 3
• New events – compete in multiple challenging Series featuring a field of muscle cars hailing from Detroit
• Difficulty tuning – faster and more accurate skill adjustment for even tighter competition
• Visual physics enhancements – classic muscle cars come to life with realistic pitch and bodyroll
• Improved cameras – enhanced sense of speed and motion yields a more authentic racing experience
• Additional social networking options for enhanced Time Shifted Multiplayer and Cloud Save functionality

• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• iOS
• App Store
• Google
• Android

Google brings unified account sign-in to YouTube & AdSense iOS apps

Jordan Kahn Aug 21 2013 - 1:00 pm PT

1 Comment

Following an update to version 2.0 for the YouTube iOS app yesterday, users have noticed that Google appears to have turned on shared account logins for at least YouTube and the recently released AdSense app. That means logging into one app will automatically log you into the other without having to re-enter your account and password. Although the majority of Google’s iOS apps require users to sign into a single Google account used across its services, up until now each app required users to enter their account info when when launching for the first time.

Google didn’t list the new feature when it updated the YouTube app or in the release notes for the new AdSense app, but the support page for YouTube does note, “If you’ve signed in with another Google app on your iOS device, you may see this account listed.” Removing an account in either the AdSense or YouTube app will also remove it from the other app if installed on your device, but Google doesn’t offer users any control over the feature as of yet. Google doesn’t mention support for any specific apps, but we’d imagine this is likely a feature that will make its way to other Google iOS apps in the near future.

• Apps
• Twitter
• IFTTT

Twitter triggers return to automation service IFTTT

Scott Buscemi Aug 21 2013 - 10:17 am PT

0 Comments

Last year, automation service IFTTT (IF This, Then That), which just released an iOS application last month, dropped support for all Twitter triggers after the social network made changes to their third-party app requirements. Now, the two companies have worked together to revive many of the tweet triggers, including “new tweet by you,” “new tweet by you with hashtag,” “new link by you,” and “new favorite tweet by you.”

As noted by The Verge, all of these hooks have to do with your own tweets rather than others’ tweets, which had been accessible before the support was dropped last year.

Some of the popular ‘recipes’ on IFTTT’s Twitter page include: “When #Facebook profile picture changes, update #Twitter profile picture,” “Tweet your newest uploaded Flickr pictures,” and “New link post by you then tweet the link.”

IFTTT is a free service and the iOS application is available for free in the App Store.

• Apps
• iPad
• Augmented Reality (AR)

Liver surgery: now there’s an iPad app for that

Ben Lovejoy Aug 21 2013 - 7:34 am PT

1 Comment

A German surgeon has used an iPad with augmented reality software running on it to assist in a liver operation in Bremen, Germany, reports Reuters.

The iPad camera was used to photograph the liver, while the iPad app overlayed a virtual 3D model of the pre-op plan. Want to see what that looks like? Make sure you’re not eating anything before you look at the photos below the fold … 
Expand
Expanding
Close

• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• iOS
• Android
• app
• YouTube

YouTube for iOS gains video playback while searching, improved ChromeCast integration

Mark Gurman Aug 20 2013 - 10:07 am PT

5 Comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir1xdtIb-g0&feature=player_embedded

Google has announced an update for its YouTube for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch application that brings multiple new features. Notably, the app will now allow users to watch a video in the corner of the display while browsing and searching for other videos.

The app also gains support for viewing playlists and more content on mobile. Also new is deep integration with the ChromeCast:

The Cast button on YouTube already lets you send YouTube videos from your phone or tablet to your connected TV, like on Chromecast, Google TV, Playstation 3 and other TVs. To make it easier to choose what to watch next, you’ll see a preview screen when your devices are connected and you select a video, with options to play the video to queue it up to watch next.

The app update is available now on iTunes for iOS and is also available for Android.

Expand
Expanding
Close