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6,235 'Apps' stories April 2010 - June 2013
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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.

Adobe’s new Creative Cloud ‘CC’ apps now available to all

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 18 2013 - 6:00 am PT
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Back in May, we told you all about Adobe’s brand new Creative Cloud suite and its decision to end support for CS6 following its presentation at the MAX 2013 Creativity Conference in LA. Adobe introduced big updates and new features to just about every app in the CC suite, including updates to its design apps like Illustrator, a new Kuler iPhone app, revamped web tools such as Dreamweaver and Edge Animate, and updates to just about every other app it makes. Today, Adobe is finally making the massive Creative Cloud update available to all users and is also offering a number of promotional discounts to celebrate. Head below for details.
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Mailbox for iPad gains support for portrait orientation, bug fixes

Avatar for Mark Gurman Jun 17 2013 - 5:00 pm PT
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Today, Mailbox for iPad has been updated with support for the iPad’s portrait orientation. In previous versions of the iPad app, email viewing, composing, and other functions were exclusive to landscape mode. Additionally, today’s 1.3.1 update brings unspecified bug fixes. Mailbox for iPad launched last month following the app’s March acquisition by Dropbox.


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Crytek shows off iOS tactical action game ‘The Collectibles’, coming later this year with MFi controller support

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 17 2013 - 8:19 am PT
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Crytek, the company behind CryEngine and the popular Crysis series, is planning to release a new tactical action game later this year for iOS called ‘The Collectibles’.  We’re told the company implemented support for Apple’s new MFi gaming controller framework just in time to give developers a preview of the game and new controls during a session last week at WWDC.

Developers tell us team members from Crytek’s Budapest studio demoed the game on stage, which has the player command a squad of five through your typical war-torn environment. It isn’t the first time Crytek has released a game for iOS devices, but it is the first time it’s bringing a shooter of sorts– the genre its best known for– to the platform. There doesn’t, however, seem to be any first-person shooter elements, as the title looks to be an overhead, tactical action game from the screenshots below.
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XCOM: Enemy Unknown for iOS lands June 20 for $20

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 17 2013 - 6:16 am PT
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Following the release of XCOM: Enemy Unknown Elite Edition for Mac in April, Firaxis and 2K Games announced today that the game will finally be arriving on iOS devices on June 20. The highly anticipated iPhone and iPad port of the game was already announced back in March, but today we learn the game will be landing on the App Store for $20 and support iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad mini, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, and iPod Touch 5th Generation.

Leader designer on the game Jake Solomon gives us a break down of what to expect in the iOS version in the above.

(via GameSpot)

As Apple’s built in camera gets filters, Instagram planning to move into Vine territory with Video?

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 17 2013 - 6:01 am PT
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Just as Apple introduced iOS 7 equipped with Instagram-like filters built-in to the redesigned camera app (although not for video), word has it Instagram is looking to move into Vine’s territory by adding video features in an upcoming update.  According to a report from TechCrunch, Facebook’s event later this week won’t focus so much on that rumored news reader, but more so on integration of a Vine-like short video feature for Instagram:
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This could be one of the first Apple authorized iPhone gaming controllers

Avatar for Jun 17 2013 - 5:22 am PT
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We already know that Apple has added support for game controllers in iOS7, but it appears that these plans are further along than first thought.  According to Kotaku, the above image shows an early  iOS gaming controller prototype made specifically for the iPhone 5 by gaming giant Logitech. While they weren’t forthcoming with details of where the device was seen or who showed it to them, Kotaku is standing firm that they believe this photo to be absolutely authentic.  The decision to support integrated gaming accessories is in stark contrast to Steve Jobs’ stance that such products would ruin the “elegance” of Apple devices (even though he got his start at Atari).

A reader reached out with this image from one of Apple’s WWDC sessions, which appears to show the same Logitech controller.

Bluetooth gaming devices have existed for iOS devices for quite some time but most have had limited compatibility and fragmented compatibility.  An integrated, Apple authorized (MFi) gaming controller is going to be a welcomed addition for the iOS gaming community.

3rd party gaming accessories like the iCade Mobile (Above) have existed for years


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9to5Toys Father’s Day Deals: $100 iTunes Gift Card for $85, $966 Seiki 50″ 4K HDTV, $10 Apple Lightning Cable, more

Avatar for Jun 16 2013 - 9:10 am PT
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From 9to5Toys.com:

This Father’s Day holiday weekend is bringing some terrific deals on everything from iTunes Gift Cards to HDTVs and everything in between.  Our 9to5Toys deals team has rounded up the absolute best deals we’re seeing from online retailers and B&M stores.  Feel free to stop by throughout the day as new deals are constantly being added.

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys.com so you never miss a deal... Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook

Today’s Featured deals:

Sold out $100 iTunes Gift Card for $85: Save 15% on future purchases of Apps, Music, Movies, more

HDTV Deals:

Sold out. Apple 3-foot Lightning cable $10 or 2 non-MFI Lightning cables with Car/wall adapters $7 shipped

iOttie Easy View iPhone Car Windshield/Dashboard Mount $12.50 + Free Shipping for some (Reg. $25)

Some great Specials.9to5toys.com happening currently including half off Nuance PDF maker/editor ($49) and Firecore adds all kinds of cool stuff to your 2nd Generation appleTV (720P).

Other great deals we love:


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TweetDeck for Mac gets a cleaner look, new sidebar and easier customisation

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Jun 14 2013 - 4:55 am PT
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The Mac version of TweetDeck has been updated with a cleaner look, a new nav bar on the left and easier customisation. This follows an earlier update back in March.

You can now reorder columns simply by drag-and-dropping the icons in the sidebar, you can expand & collapse filters, and opt to see the bios of followers. It’s available as a free download from the Mac App Store.

Microsoft Office 365 comes to the iOS App Store, iPhone only so MS doesn’t have to change its ads

Avatar for Scott Buscemi Jun 14 2013 - 2:39 am PT
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Microsoft just released the Office 365 iOS application (iPhone only), allowing 365 subscribers to “access, view and edit … Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint documents from virtually anywhere”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDR150tAOkk

Of note, Microsoft is currently running a commercial and online campaign touting the Windows 8 RT tablets’ ability to edit Office documents (they claim that the iPad can only read documents rather than edit them). It seems that Microsoft violated the letter of this ad campaign and the spirit while somehow still giving Apple folks a sub-par experience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pHg0ZEY4NXA

From the first look, it seems the formatting abilities are extremely limited – especially compared to other document editing iOS apps like Quickoffice Pro – but the integration with 365 will definitely be appreciated by subscribers of the service. In the meantime, you can find a quick gallery here: 
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Want to know what makes you happy? There’s an app for that! [giveaway]

Avatar for Scott Buscemi Jun 13 2013 - 7:57 pm PT
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I have a confession to make. For the past two months, I have been receiving a push notification at 9 PM that asks me for my mood. With a quick swipe, I scroll through the various faces and describe my mood for the day. The app also gives me the option to leave a quick comment or reason for my mood.

Now why would I do such a silly thing? Because the Mr Mood app allows me to view my moods over time and look through the notes to find out what makes me happy or sad. In addition, the new 2.0 version that was released last night brings with it new mood calculations for different time ranges. You can see if your “average mood” for the past month is higher than the past week and look through the comments to investigate.

The interface is extremely straight forward and you can set a reminder for any time of the day to receive a quick push notification that asks for your mood. It may sound crazy, but this app has actually helped me to become happier, understand what I need to do every day to stay smiling, and what needs to be gone from my daily life.

You can find Mr Mood on the App Store for just $0.99. It’s well worth it and receives an A+ from this happy guy. Check out the gallery below for some screenshots.
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9to5Toys Last Call: Up to 70% off select ZAGG iPad keyboard cases, $60 iGrill iOS Cooking Thermometer, more

Avatar for Jun 13 2013 - 3:01 pm PT
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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 roundup 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:

Save up to 70% on select ZAGG Keyboard cases for iPad 2/3/4/mini, starting at just $29 + free shipping

iGrill Cooking Bluetooth Thermometer for iOS / Android $60 w/ free in-store pickup (Reg. $80)

Some great Specials.9to5toys.com happening currently including half off Nuance PDF maker/editor ($49) and Firecore adds all kinds of cool stuff to your 2nd Generation appleTV (720P).

Other great deals we love:

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Just a few days later, Android users already mimicking iOS 7 icons and Parallax

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 13 2013 - 9:57 am PT
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From 9to5Google:

Some iOS users might not be too happy about the big design changes in iOS 7, but Android users are already finding ways to get a few of the new features on their non-Apple phones. The image above shows a set of icons created by one Android user to mimic the new home screen icons on iOS 7 (via Cnet).

Android users can grab the icons through a download on Dropbox and use Nova Launcher or other home screen replacement apps to get Apple’s controversial new look on their Android device now.

That new 3D parallax effect Apple showed off for iOS 7? Android users have also found a way to get a similar 3D effect, as pointed out by AndroidCommunity in the video below:

The 3D Image Live Wallpaper seen in the video above has been on Google Play since November, but you’ll have to judge for yourself to see if it compares to the new parallax feature in iOS 7.

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Official ‘Man of Steel’ iOS game now available on App Store for $2.99

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 13 2013 - 7:08 am PT
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We got our first look at the official game of Warner Bros upcoming ‘Man of Steel’ Superman movie earlier this month, and today the game has now made its way to the App Store for $2.99. The game, available as separate downloads for iPhone and iPad, appears to be somewhat of an on-rails experience, but lets hope its a little better than the typical Hollywood movie tie-in.

Man of Steel is available now for iPhone and iPad on the App Store.

RELIVE THE EVENTS OF THE MAN OF STEEL MOVIE!
-Attack, dodge, block, and utilize various super powers including flight, super speed, and heat vision to defeat Zod and his evil forces.
-Play through an in-depth Story Mode or set a personal high score in the intense Survival Mode.
-Battle a challenging cast of mini-bosses and technologically advanced foes featured in the film.

BECOME SUPERMAN LIKE NEVER BEFORE
-Unlock and purchase up to 6 different suits from the Man of Steel movie.
-Upgrade your suits to become a truly unstoppable force!
-Customize your experience by upgrading the specific abilities YOU want to use.
-Embrace the true strength of Superman with bone-crunching combos, all with the swipe of a finger.

AMAZING GRAPHICS
-Delivers next-gen graphics on your phone or tablet with beautifully detailed animations and cinematic sequences.
-Fight in a variety of detailed

MTV revamps iOS app with full episodes, on-demand video, & second screen experience

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 13 2013 - 5:54 am PT
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MTV is rolling out a huge update to its iOS app today that brings a ton of new content to both the iPhone and iPad. The previous MTV WatchWith app appears to be rebranded to simply “MTV” and now offers a ton of full episodes from the network’s most popular series, on-demand video, & a brand new second screen experience.

As for full episodes, MTV has signed up nine cable providers so far: AT&T U-verse, Bright House Networks, Cablevision (Optimum), DIRECTV, Hawaiian Telecom, RCN, Suddenlink, Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS. Subscribing to one of these cable providers will be necessary to access the full episodes, but MTV notes it is “working hard to get all TV providers to participate.”

Other content, such as on-demand video, won’t require you to sign in. Available through on-demand is sneak peeks, after shows, bonus clips and exclusive, original content for MTV series, but also great content from MTV News, MTV Style, MTV Geek, HTV Hive, HTV Other, and live coverage of the MTV Video Music Awards and MTV Video Awards:
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Square Wallet 3.0 just released: faster checkout than ever

Avatar for Scott Buscemi Jun 13 2013 - 2:51 am PT
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Square has just released a redesigned version of their Square Wallet, their local directory and checkout app. By opening up the application (or setting the app to auto-check in when you’ve entered your favorite store), the cashier can see your name on the Square Register app and take your payment without having to swipe a credit card. Prior to the newest 3.0 version, users had to open the app, find the store they’re in, and press the “Pay Here” button. Now, the last step has been taken out. Just tapping on the store checks you in and puts you on the customer list. For Starbucks locations, tapping on the location pops up a very large QR code that can be scanned to pay.

The new design is very media-rich, with pictures from the merchants taking front stage. Rather than having a table view of the local vendors, it takes on a gallery design to show the logos and products. This is definitely a much-welcomed update.

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Want to control living cockroaches? There’s an app for that: RoboRoach

Avatar for Scott Buscemi Jun 12 2013 - 4:59 pm PT
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A new Kickstarter project gives you the tools and technology you need to control a real, living cockroach. According to the RoboRoach campaign, which is currently sitting at $4,300 of its $10,000 goal, touts itself as “world’s first commercially available cyborg”. The kit itself requires a pledge of at least $100 – cockroaches not included.

From the company videos, they show how to perform cockroach “surgery” and install the system onto roaches. Once you’ve gotten through that, you can use their app to move the cockroach left and right. It doesn’t always work perfectly – in fact, some species of roaches just stop in their tracks when you press the button – but this technology definitely has a futuristic feel to it.

Put on your tin foil hats, as it seems dogs and cats will be next… then primates… then humans!

iOS 7’s new Inter-App Audio introduces universal audio routing between apps

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 12 2013 - 8:38 am PT
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Following WWDC this week Apple’s redesign of iOS 7 and Mavericks have been getting the majority of attention, and rightfully so, but there are a few new big features coming in iOS 7 that haven’t been discussed. This morning we told you about the new MFi Game Controller framework that will make using hardware game controllers a lot smoother in iOS 7, but another important new feature in the update is inter-app audio.

The basic idea is simple: Inter-app audio will allow developers to make their app act as an output and or input for sending and receiving audio to and from other apps. In fact, we already somewhat have that functionality through third-party iOS app Audiobus. However, with Apple’s new inter-app audio feature available to devs, apps will no longer have to use a third-party app like Audiobus to send audio to one another. At first glance it seems to make Audiobus obsolete, an interesting move after Apple just recently implemented support for the third-party service in its own GarageBand app. Either way, it means a ton of new possibilities for creating music and sharing audio on your iPhone and iPad are on the way with the update to iOS 7 this fall.

We dug into Apple’s documentation on Inter-App Audio to find out how it works and also spoke with Audiobus about what this means for them:


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Comcast isn’t waiting around for new Apple TV, shows off next-gen ‘X2’ TV platform & iOS apps

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 12 2013 - 6:59 am PT
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We didn’t get any updates to Apple TV at WWDC this week like some were hoping for, but yesterday Comcast–one of the cable companies that has been rumored to be in discussions with Apple over a new and improved Apple TV service– unveiled its next-generation cable box arriving this fall. On top of a brand new UI and platform dubbed “X2”, the company also gave us a look at its revamped iOS apps & a new controller with voice control features that will let you search by actor, show type, series, etc.

While showing off a new slick UI with recommendations and brand new, customizable guide views, the company also showed off integration with apps such as Pandora, Rotten Tomatoes, and zeebox for ratings. Within the new apps section (shown at 16:40), we see integration with Facebook, Pandora, Instagram, Xfinity Home apps, and much more.

An interesting aspect of the presentation, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts noted that the company sees the new open platform as being an open architecture that would allow for a “family of boxes” and a family of personalized remotes. We’re not sure if that means the company has plans to integrate third-party hardware with its platform, like an Apple TV for example, but it’s clear Comcast has no plans on completely getting rid of its own cable box anytime soon. It also doesn’t look like Comcast is waiting around for Apple to revamp its TV service with apps and voice control, and we also got a quick look at the new X2 experience running on an iPad and iPhone (pictured right).
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Apple announces ‘Activation Lock’ theft deterrent feature for iOS 7 ahead of gov’t meeting on rising smartphone crime

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 10 2013 - 1:40 pm PT
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Ahead of a meeting with government officials later this month to discuss how Apple could prevent increasing smartphone crimes, Apple today introduced a new feature called ‘Activation Lock’ that it says will be “a really powerful theft deterrent” when released later this fall in iOS 7.

We told you earlier this month that government officials in the US were calling Apple, Google and others to a “smartphone summit” later this month on June 13 to discuss the increasing amount of smartphone related crime in New York city and the rest of the country. State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon have been pushing smartphone makers to come up with solutions to prevent crime and discourage thefts of devices.

Today, during its WWDC keynote presentation ahead of the meeting later this month, Apple introduced the ‘Activation Lock’ feature that will require an Apple ID and password to reactivate a stolen phone after being remotely erased/wiped by the owner through Apple Find my iPhone feature. The login information will also now be required to turn off Find My iPhone.

If a user’s device is stolen, wiping the device clean will essentially leave the thief with a device that is inoperable without the user’s Apple ID and password (as pictured above):
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Apple updates AirPort Utility with support for new 802.11ac AirPort devices

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 10 2013 - 1:15 pm PT
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After launching new MacBook Airs and Airport devices with support for 802.11ac Wi-Fi at its WWDC keynote today, Apple has now updated its AirPort Utility iOS app and Airport Utility on Mac to support the faster wireless standard.

The AirPort Utility iOS app is now in version 1.3 and comes with the ability to “configure and manage the new AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule with 802.11ac Wi-Fi.”

The Utility on the Mac received an update to version 6.3, also bringing support for the new AirPort Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme with 802.11ac Wi-Fi.

Apple says the new standard provides “wireless performance that is up to three times faster when connected to an 802.11ac base station.”

Release notes below:

Apple announces iWork for iCloud, new apps for Mac and iOS coming later this year

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 10 2013 - 11:10 am PT
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Confirming our earlier suspicions, Apple today showed off some new features for its iWork suite of apps, which includes both Mac and iOS versions of the Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps. While Apple confirmed that new versions of the apps for Mac and iOS would be coming later in the year, it spent its presentation today showing off brand new web versions of the apps designed to run right in the browser through iCloud.com. The new web apps, available initially only to developers starting today, will be dubbed ‘iWork for iCloud’ and bring web apps to iCloud that will compete directly with Google Docs and Google’s other suite of web apps.

Apple execs spent much of the time on stage showing off the new Pages for iCloud app, demoing how users can drag and drop Microsoft Word files and other documents directly into the iCloud.com UI in their browser to begin editing a document. Apple also briefly demoed presentations and spreadsheets running in web versions of the Numbers and Keynote apps.

During the demo of the new iWork for iCloud apps, Apple also made a point of noting that the new apps run in any browser by showing off the apps running on Windows 8.

The new apps are available as developer beta starting today. A public beta of the new iWork for iCloud apps will be arriving later this year. Apple didn’t mention any details regarding pricing, or whether or not the web apps will be a separate purchase from the apps currently available on Mac and iOS.

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Apple updates WWDC app with uninterrupted videos and more ahead of Monday’s event

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 7 2013 - 3:50 pm PT
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Ahead of Apple’s big keynote address to kick off its WWDC 2013 developer conference next week on Monday, Apple today updated its WWDC app for iPhone and iPad with a number of tweaks and fixes.

The most notable updates include videos that “now continue to play over AirPlay when the device locks or after interruptions” such as phone call, as well as a tweak so the audio ringer switch doesn’t mute audio in videos.

You can check out everything we expect to see at WWDC next week in our roundups here and here.

Other improvements included in version 1.0.1 of the WWDC app below:

What’s New in Version 1.0.1

Thanks for all the great feedback. This release includes numerous bug fixes:

• Videos now continue to play over AirPlay when the device locks or after interruptions, e.g., a phone call
• When playing videos, the audio ringer switch no longer mutes audio
• Favorites in Events go all the way to 11 PM
• Duplicate section headers in the videos list no longer appear
• The navigation bar in Events no longer disappears
• Blurry text in session details has been corrected
• Version information has been added to augment future bug reports or feedback

To get the most out of the WWDC app, make sure you sign in with your Registered Apple Developer account. If you’re not a Registered Apple Developer, you can still use the app — just tap Cancel when you’re prompted to sign in.

9to5Toys Last Call: $59 Logitech UE Mini Boombox Bluetooth speaker, $15 Apple Leather Smart Cover (open-box), Father’s Day Gifts, more

Avatar for Jun 7 2013 - 3:18 pm PT
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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 roundup 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:

Logitech UE Mini Boombox Bluetooth speaker, ‘the best portable speaker you can buy’: $59 shipped

Apple iPad Leather Smart Cover (open box) $15 Shipped (Reg. $69 new)

3-in-1 Universal USB Charging Cable –This universal USB cable is the last charging cable you’ll ever need. It can charge up to 3 devices simultaneously, and is compatible with iPhone 5/4S/4/3GS/3G/3, iPad, iPod, Android, HTC, Samsung and other devices. It’s optimized to avoid tangling, and for $7 + Free Shipping (a big discount from $59) it is the same price as Apple’s single Lightning cable. We reviewed the Cable here for more information.

Other great deals we love:


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