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Apps & updates, DRM still misbehaving edition: eBay, TED Books, InstaTalks, more

Jordan Kahn Jul 9 2012 - 1:06 pm PT

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[tweet https://twitter.com/marcoarment/status/222411178842918912]

A few apps and updates hit the App Store today, unfortunately some are still reporting issues with apps not launching after updates. Let us know if you run into any issues in the comments.

eBay version 2.6.0: ebay’s main iPhone app received an update today alongside a small update to the eBay for iPad app. Unfortunately, eBay has now posted warning on at least the eBay for iPad release notes that some have reported the app is not working. As for the iPhone app, version 2.6.0 includes the following features and fixes:

• Improved selling flow

• Landscape support for easy typing of eBay item descriptions

• Faster bidding experience

• Check auto parts for compatibility before you buy

• Ability to search for items in My eBay

• Add and remove your Favorite Sellers

• Filter Feedback for buyers and sellers

• Payment support for Singapore and Malaysia

• More UI, stability and performance improvements

TED Books: TED, the people behind the TED conferences that are later made available online as TED Talks, released a free app today, which offers paid subscriptions to “Ted Books.” The books are produced every two weeks and “are typically under 20,000 words. They also consist of audio, video, and built-in social features. Subscriptions cost $15 for three months or $2.99 per book for non-subscribers.

InstaTalks: Recently released on the App Store, InstaTalks is a third-party messenger built for Instagram that allows you to exchange private messages and photos with Instagram users. There is no registration required (just an Instagram account), and the app is available for free now.

NBA Summer League: NBA Digital just dropped the official Summer League app, while the NBA Game Time app has also been updated with live video and scoring content for Summer League games.

• Apps

Keeping daughters off the pole made much harder with Pole Dancer Pro app rated at 12+ years

9to5 Staff Jul 9 2012 - 7:26 am PT

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Some interesting debate from the U.K.’s Sun this morning on the new Pole Dancer Pro app aimed at users 12-years-old and older. Says one opponent, “I’m all for encouraging new ways of helping people to keep fit, but do we really want to create a generation of children who are fully equipped in, what the app describes as, the ’art of tease’, ’erotic moves’ and ’seductive eye contact’?

On the flip side, the app’s creators counter, “Forget about social norms, morale and conservative practices that ladies should follow. Nothing is wrong with breaking the rules, if that makes you feel good.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tojBadSr2zI&start=33]

We anticipate Apple will raise the age of this app in the coming hours to the relief of fathers everywhere.

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Apps & updates: Vimeo, Facebook Messenger, more

Jordan Kahn Jul 6 2012 - 1:11 pm PT

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We already told you about a big recent update to Scanner Pro that brings iCloud integration and new iPhone interface, and below is our usual roundup of other noteworthy apps and updates released today. In other app news, sources told VideoGamer that Activision Leeds will be heading development of new new Call of Duty titles for iOS devices, which we can only hope means a full-blown COD game is coming to iPhones and iPads sometime soon. There are also a ton of developers on our list extending their 4th of July day sales into the weekend.

Vimeo version 2.0.5: The universal Vimeo iOS app received a decent update today that “adds initial support for vimeo:// url scheme” with support for projects, camera, featured, my_videos, likes, watch_later, feed, stats, and help. The update also includes fixes for bad localizations and the usual bug fixes.

Facebook Messenger version 1.8.1: Facebook Messenger was updated today with a few small fixes following updates to many of Facebook’s iOS apps in recent weeks. Version 1.8.1 includes a bug fix that was causing profile photos and friend pages to load slowly, something many FB iOS users have been complaining about. You will also now be able to see more of your top friends from within a compose window.

Yelp version 5.9.1: Yelp received a minor update today that includes a fix causing issues for Italian users.

Analytiks 2.0: Analytiks was recently updated to version 2.0. The app is an iOS-based hub for Google Analytics stats, and it provides a unique, stylish user interface unmatched by any other Google Analytics application.

Related articles

• Scanner Pro updated with iCloud integration, revamped iPhone interface (9to5mac.com)
• Apple launches updated iCloud website for developers with Notes, Reminders, improved Calendar and Find my iPhone (9to5mac.com)
• How long does an iOS beta period last? (9to5mac.com)
• iOS game, Angry Birds Seasons, (full version) temporarily FREE (9to5toys.com)

• Apps

Scanner Pro updated with iCloud integration, revamped iPhone interface

Mark Gurman Jul 6 2012 - 10:32 am PT

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Scanner Pro, an intuitive scanner application for iOS, has been updated with iCloud support and a revamped user interface for the iPhone. The scanner application is popular amongst productivity users, the developers tout  nearly 500,000 worldwide users, and offers an easy and reliable way to scan documents onto your iOS devices and into the cloud.

The new update brings full iCloud integration. With an iCloud account, a user can scan a document into their iPhone and the document will automatically show up on their iPad running Scanner Pro. The opposite – scanning into your iPad and the document showing up on your iPhone – is true as well. Scanner Pro already integrates with Dropbox, Evernote, and Google Docs to upload documents straight to the cloud.

The new update also features an updated iPhone interface that is more intuitive and more aligned with the recently redesigned iPad interface.

Scanner Pro 4.1 is a free update for existing users. The application costs $6.99 for new users and it is an iPad + iPhone universal binary with Retina Display support.

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Former Apple employee discusses the App Store review process

Jordan Kahn Jul 4 2012 - 8:23 am PT

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There are many examples of flaws in Apple’s App Store review process. We know Apple is quick to reject apps that mimic the core functionality of iOS, such as Voice Answer, Find My Facebook Friends, or Airfoil, but those developers all made tweaks to their apps and were later accepted into the App Store. Perhaps a bigger problem is apps sneaking their way into the store as offensive or stolen content. We came across an example of each with two apps recently accepted into the App Store: Bulimia Duck (pictured above), which is a Yelp-like restaurant finder with an obviously offensive name, and Dragon Ball Z Jump, which is a hybrid of stolen IPs including Dragon Ball Z and popular iOS title Doodle Jump. These are just two examples of the type of apps making their way into the App Store every week.

Today, we get a bit of insight into what goes on behind the scenes during Apple’s review process. A former senior engineer at Apple, Mike Lee, talked to Business Insider about the app review team:

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Avid sells off its consumer M-Audio brand and video editing apps

Jordan Kahn Jul 2 2012 - 6:40 am PT

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Avid is best known for its Pro Tools software, the music industry’s leading DAW used by pros worldwide, and it is the biggest competitor to Apple’s Logic Pro, but perhaps just as popular among Mac musicians is Avid’s consumer M-Audio brand. It offers midi controllers, keyboards, audio interfaces, speakers, and DJ gear.

Today, Avid announced that it will sell off its consumer audio and video product lines to focus on “Media Enterprise and Post & Professional customers and to drive improved operating performance.”

Avid will sell M-Audio to inMusic, the parent company of well-known gear makers Akai, Alesis, and Numark. Its video editing apps, such as the recently launched Avid Studio for iPad, will be sold to Corel Corporation:
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National Weather Service will begin sending texts to warn of oncoming severe weather

Jake Smith Jun 28 2012 - 3:15 pm PT

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In a movement concerning public safety, the National Weather Service will begin sending text notifications to those in the path of a dangerous weather event like tornadoes, blizzards, hurricanes, ice storms, and more.

Yahoo News (AP) reported that the text message sent out to smartphone owners in the affected area will be less than 90 characters and free, so no sign-up is required. If users want to opt-out of the service, they can do so. However, in the midst of tornado season in the Midwest, and hurricane season in the South, I cannot see why anyone would. The service opened up today for Windows Phone and Android devices, while iPhone users will have to wait until the Fall to get updates pushed to them (at least through the NWS).

As we found in our iOS 6 beta hands-on earlier this month, Apple included government alerts into the new OS. iOS 6 supports the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 4G, iPad 2, and the new iPad, so it looks like many users will be in the clear. Government alerts will give weather information to users via the NWS and other news about public safety.

AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and T-Mobile are all signed-up with the program to offer weather alerts to the majority of their devices. Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile now offer the service across all the United States, while AT&T only has the service available in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Ore. However, an AT&T spokesperson confirmed to the AP that more areas would be added over time.

Satellite-based positioning is not used in the program, but rather the four carriers send an alert from the local tower to every device in the county that is about to be affected. Smartphones that can pick it up will display the information. It is not clear how many devices can pick-up the notification, but a spokesperson for the project said it is most likely “in the millions.” As iPhones are upgraded to iOS 6 later this fall, that number should grow substantially.

Since there was not much severe weather on the radar across the country today (just heat), the system most likely did not get any use. As the weeks roll on, we will get to see which areas the new system is now deployed in. Presumably, more devices and areas will be added over time. (via The Verge)

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Get all 100 Atari’s Greatest Hits games for free for the next six hours

9to5 Staff Jun 28 2012 - 2:31 pm PT

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As we mentioned yesterday in our usual post about apps and updates, Atari is celebrating its 40th birthday by giving iPhone/iPad owners all 100 in-app purchases for free today. You have six hours. Go!

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• Apps
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Apps & updates: Nike+ Training, Nike+ Basketball, NY Times on Flipboard, more

Jordan Kahn Jun 28 2012 - 8:22 am PT

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Our list of newly released apps and updates kicks off today with two new Nike+ apps and another nice update that brings even more content to Flipboard. As always, we will keep this list updated as more notable app related news comes up throughout the day.

Nike+ Training: Nike released a new app today that works with shoes using the Nike+ Sport Adapter (included in Nike+ Sport Pack bundles) that syncs wirelessly with your iOS device over Bluetooth. The app’s iTunes page explained “Sensors in your shoes track every jump, step and rep as you take on pro athlete drill packs that challenge you with the moves the world’s best use to get into shape.”  This app is geared specifically towards fitness routines, and it provides four-week programs for daily workouts and demonstrations of drills from Nike trainers.

Nike+ Basketball: Nike also released another iOS app today called “Nike+ Basketball” that that works with the same Nike+ technology, but it is geared specifically towards basketball players, allowing you to track “how high, how quick and how hard” you play. The app provides stats for Vertical, Quickness, Hustle, and more. It also has a “Showcase Your Skills” feature that allows you to capture video and create highlight reels of your games to share through various social networks.

Flipboard version 1.94: After receiving an update earlier this month with Google+ and YouTube integration, today the app gets full access to the New York Times for paid subscribers, as well as the NYT Top Section free to all readers

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irejb1CEFAw&feature=player_embedded]

Amazing Alex: We already knew it was coming when Angry Birds developer Rovio announced it acquired iOS puzzler Casey’s Contraptions  and planned to rebrand it as “Amazing Alex”. Today we get a little bit more info about the game and a short teaser video from a post on the official Rovio blog:

 Set the objects up to bounce, pop, ricochet, bash, and crash into each other and create an elaborate Rube Goldberg device! With a houseful of toys to play with, there’s more than one right answer! Share your most creative solutions with your friends and see what they came up with!… Got a great idea for a level? Design intriguing new levels using 35 interactive objects and share them — with friends or with the whole world! With other fans constantly creating and uploading new levels, there are always new challenges to check out!

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Facebook launching “blazing fast”, rebuilt iPhone app next month

Jordan Kahn Jun 27 2012 - 9:18 am PT

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The New York Times’ Nick Bilton reported today that Facebook is planning on doing something about its “painfully slow” iPhone app. Citing unnamed FB engineers, the report claimed Facebook is going to release a new, “blazing fast” iOS app that is rebuilt “primarily using Objective-C”. However, according to Bilton who tested the unreleased app, it will be largely the same design as the current iOS app:

According to two Facebook engineers who asked not be named because they are not authorized to speak about unreleased products, Facebook has completely rebuilt its iOS application to optimize for one thing: speed… Many of the components of the current version of the Facebook app are built using HTML5, a Web-based programming language… The current version of the app is essentially an Objective-C shell with a Web browser inside. When it comes to speed, this is like putting the engine of a Smart Car in the body of a Ferrari…. Objective-C takes the opposite approach, taking full advantage of the hardware in the iPhone and then building most of the functionality directly into the application so it has to collect less information from the Web.

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Apps & updates: Instagram 2.5, Facebook Messenger & Pages Manager, free McGraw-Hill apps, more

Jordan Kahn Jun 25 2012 - 12:34 pm PT

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Today’s apps and updates news kicks off with four free apps from publisher McGraw-Hill, which was one of Apple’s partners for the iBooks textbooks launch in January, as well as big updates to popular apps such as Instagram, Facebook Messager, Facebook Pages Manager, and Words With Friends HD. McGraw-Hill Education is attending the International Society for Technology in Education conference this week, and it is offering some of its best-selling apps free. Starting today until June 27, you can grab the following textbooks free:

American History Time Line

Words to Learn By

Fusion Reading The Vocabulary Process

Sail Through Math

Instagram version 2.5.0: One of the most notable apps to receive an update today is Facebook’s Instagram with version 2.5 bringing a number of noteworthy features listed below:

– Revamped profile tab
– Search for users and tags in the Explore tab
– Improvements to commenting
– User search autocompletes based on people you follow
– Visual improvements
– Speed optimizations
– Optionally share likes to Facebook (enable in your Profile > Sharing Settings > Facebook)

Facebook Messenger version 1.8: The Facebook Messenger iOS app received a decent update today that includes the following features in addition to “More-reliable push notifications” and “Faster app loading, navigating and sending”:

– Quickly switch between multiple conversations with in-app notifications
– Include friends of friends in conversations
– Swipe to delete individual messages from conversations
– See who’s available when you start a new conversation
– Share bigger photos, tap for full screen and pinch to zoom

Facebook Pages Manager version 1.1: Facebook also updated its Pages manager app with the features listed below as well as the usual bug fixes and performance updates:

• View and reply to messages
• Adjust how often you receive notifications about Pages activity
• See answers to questions and guest lists for events created on your Pages
• Insights added for checkins

CNN App for iPad version 1.6: The CNN iPad app, like many others after the launch of the third-gen iPad, has been updated with enhanced imagery to support the device’s Retina display.

Groupon version 1.6.6: Groupon was updated today with a number of welcomed features, including: the ability to make appointments with Groupon Scheduler for iPhone users, support for users in Chile, and various tweaks and “beautification efforts” to the app’s UX.

Words With Friends HD version 5.0: One of Zynga’s most popular titles was updated today to version 5.0, which mostly brings a number of enhancements for iPad users:

-Interface enhancements will make all those “wanted” posters look out of date!

*Words is “strapped” with a new side menu!

*Surveillance is key! Turn the iPad and enjoy our new landscape mode!

*Words iPad now supports Retina display, so you can analyze every last detail of the scene.

-All this crime has made us more concerned about security!

-Enhanced app security!

-Bug fixes and optimizations!

Gmail version 1.2.7812: We already told you all about today’s update to the Gmail iOS app that brought Notification Center support, alternate sender addresses, and persistent logins. You get can all the information here.

Related articles

• Apps & updates: Hulu Plus, Time Warner Cable, Men In Black 3, Fox Business, more (9to5mac.com)

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• Apple News
• Google

Gmail iOS app updated with support for Notification Center, ‘Send-as’ option, and persistent logins

Jordan Kahn Jun 25 2012 - 10:27 am PT

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Google just updated the Gmail iOS app with a number of new features. Perhaps the most notable is that Notification Center support provides users with banners, alerts, and lock screen notification options that are manageable from settings. Google also noted on the Official Gmail Blog that notifications in the updated app are “up to 5x faster than in the previous version.”

Another new feature is a “From:” option when composing a new message. It allows you to switch between sender addresses under Settings->Accounts->Send mail as from Gmail on the desktop. Finally, Google explained the improved “persistent logins” would allow you to stay logged in as long as you want:

“we’ve improved the login process to allow you to stay logged into the app for as long as you’d like. You can still choose to sign out of your account, but you won’t be automatically logged out after a certain period of time has elapsed.”

What’s New in Version 1.2.7812

– Notification Center support. Banners, alerts and lock screen notification options.
– “Send-as”. Alternate sender support, if configured within Gmail.
– Persistent login. Sessions no longer expire.

Related articles

• Google doesn’t plan to leave iOS Maps users without a fight (9to5google.com)
• After getting booted from Maps.app, Google is plotting their own amazing iOS Maps experience (9to5mac.com)
• Facebook working on ‘major update’ to its SDK for iOS, acquires Face.com (9to5mac.com)

• Apps

Facebook adds new Find Friends Nearby feature to apps, makes it easy to add new friends (Updated)

Jake Smith Jun 24 2012 - 10:56 am PT

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Update: Facebook has already killed off the feature, according to ABC News. Looks like it was just a little test.

Facebook added another location feature to its iOS, Android, and mobile web apps this weekend. TechCrunch reported that Facebook’s engineers have shown off a new app on their mobile platform called “Find Friends Nearby.” It allows users to easily add each other on the social network. Find Friends Nearby also makes it easy for people at a certain location or event to fire up the app, and then quickly add each other, which gets rid of any need for having to search for names. A screenshot of the web app version is below:

Find Friends Nearby requires both users to log into Facebook and the FFN platform. If both users are logged in, they can then click a button to quickly add each other. It sounds like the perfect app for a social event where you are meeting a ton of new people. If only this was available for this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

Find Friends Nearby’s functionality is not to be confused for what Apple does with its Find My Friends app (but there is a third-party app that works similar and uses FB integration). FFN is not supposed to track your friends, but it is rather intended to make and add new ones. FFN’s functionality looks partly fueled by the technology that was once behind Glancee, which is a startup that was acquired by the folks in Menlo Park in May. Glancee was an app that helped people discover folks with similar interests, but Facebook quickly shut it down. Now, its technology looks rolled into Facebook’s FFN; although, the Glancee team and technology could be used for something very different—you never know.

Facebook engineer Ryan Patterson, who helped build FFN, responded to TechCrunch to help clear a few things up:

I built Find Friends Nearby with another engineer for a hackathon project. While it was originally called ‘Friendshake’, we settled on ‘Find Friends Nearby’ for launch (the URL was a little bit of a homage to the previous iteration).

For me, the ideal use case for this product is the one where when you’re out with a group of people whom you’ve recently met and want to stay in contact with. Facebook search might be effective, or sharing your vanity addresses or business cards, but this tool provides a really easy way to exchange contact information with multiple people with minimal friction.

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