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6,300 'Apps' stories April 2010 - October 2015
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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.

Snapchat update adds slow-mo, fast forward, & rewind video effects + 3D Touch support

Avatar for Zac Hall Oct 28 2015 - 10:04 am PT
0 Comments

Snapchat has updated its iPhone app with a new set of fun video filters to try out plus 3D Touch support on the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. Adding to the existing set of video filters, Snapchat now lets you turn videos into slow-mo clips, quickly paced videos with fast forward, and backward-moving movies with rewind. Snapchat users with the latest iPhone models can press firmly on the updated app icon to start new chats or easily add new friends within the app right from the Home screen as seen above. 
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9to5Toys Last Call: Dell 27-inch 4K Monitor $430, Spigen Apple Watch stand $8, MFi Lightning cable $4, more

Avatar for Oct 28 2015 - 9:09 am PT
0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

Dell (P2715Q) 27-inch Ultra HD 4K LED IPS Monitor $430 shipped (Orig. $600)

15-inch Retina MacBook Pro (newest) 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB: $1,550 shipped (Reg. $1,999)

13-inch Retina MacBook Pro (newest) 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB: $1,280 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

Give your Apple Watch a home with Spigen’s Aluminum Stand for $8 Prime shipped (Reg. $16)

Monoprice 15% off sitewide: MFi certified Lightning cables as low as $4, more

PSA: Best Buy and others launch new Apple TV pre-orders, offer potential savings

Target ad leak reveals planned Apple Watch discount for iPhone purchasers

The best accessories for the new Apple TV: MFi game controllers, keyboards, cables, more

Giveaway: Polk Audio’s Omni Whole Home Music System – Soundbar w/ subwoofer and S2 Speaker ($880 value)

More new gear from today:

Daily Deals: Pioneer 7.2-Ch 4K ready AV Receiver $430, Lumsing 8,000mAh Ultrathin Portable Power Bank $10, more

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/659335022932066304 align=’center’]

More deals still alive:

A Dark Room — the best-selling iPhone/iPad RPG is now available for free (Reg. $1)

Freebies: Learn Guitar Theory for iOS + Shape magazine + Rise of the Tomb Raider DLC + More!

OLALA 6,000mAh Ultra Slim Power Bank w/ built-in MFi Lightning Cable $24 Prime shipped (Reg. $30)

New products & more:

Can a $99 Windows PC that connects to your iPad be any good?

Blue’s new Lola headphones drop some weight but keep the retro look

Skype for iOS adds 3D Touch & video filters in latest update

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Oct 28 2015 - 8:58 am PT
0 Comments

Skype is rolling out an update for its iPhone and iPad mobile apps today that introduces a number of ways to use Apple’s new 3D Touch feature on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, as well as support for video filters not unlike competitive video chat services.

For 3D Touch, iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users will find a few ways to use the feature including the usual quick-start actions by firmly touching the Home screen icon. In addition, you can “press on a Recent conversation to Peek the latest IMs or a live video call” and “Force Touch shared locations, photos, contacts and URLs to Peek the content.”

And for both iPhone and iPad users, Skype is adding filters for video messages with various effects to choose from:

Get started by tapping the filter wand at the bottom left of the video message window. Choose a filter to see it in action then, when you’re ready, hit the record button. Add balloons to your video message to celebrate any occasion. If you’re feeling goofy, change the appearance of your face to make it look rounder or longer – we love this one! Or, if you’re sending a video message showing off your Halloween costume, add some ghosts or use the negative filter to set a spooky mood.

And lastly, both the iPhone and iPad apps add improvements to conversations and contacts:

– Hide conversations from your Recent list with a swipe.
– Completely delete a conversation’s history from the chat menu or Recent list.
– Easily share Skype contacts.

The updated Skype for iPad and Skype for iPhone apps are available on the App Store now.

9to5Toys Last Call: 256GB Retina MacBook Pro $1,280, A Dark Room iOS game free, GoPro HERO4 Black $360, more

Avatar for Oct 27 2015 - 9:05 am PT
0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

OLALA 6,000mAh Ultra Slim Power Bank w/ built-in MFi Lightning Cable $24 Prime shipped (Reg. $30)

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/659106589555728384 align=’center’]

Apple’s 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro w/ Force Touch 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB $1,280 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

A Dark Room — the best-selling iPhone/iPad RPG is now available for free (Reg. $1)

Freebies: Learn Guitar Theory for iOS + Shape magazine + Rise of the Tomb Raider DLC + More!

GoPro HERO4 Black 4K Action Camera: $360 shipped (Reg. $500)

The best accessories for the new Apple TV: MFi game controllers, keyboards, cables, more

Giveaway: Polk Audio’s Omni Whole Home Music System – Soundbar w/ subwoofer and S2 Speaker ($880 value)

More new gear from today:

Amazon Gold Box – Audio-Technica M-Series Headphones over 40% off: ATH-M30x $49 shipped (Reg. $69), more

More deals still alive:

Fitbit Charge HR Activity Tracker $115 shipped (Reg. $150), Fitbit Surge $195 (Reg. $245)

New products & more:

The eora 3D scanner uses your iPhone to create 360-degree models of anything

Belkin’s new lightweight QODE Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad Air 2 is now available

Hands-on: SteelSeries’ Nimbus is the first Made For Apple TV game controller, but should you care?

Avatar for Jeremy Horwitz Oct 27 2015 - 8:31 am PT
19 Comments

For the moment, the new Apple TV’s accessory compatibility can fairly be described as “confusing.” It’s confirmed that Bluetooth speakers and headphones — previously unsupported by older Apple TVs — work with the new model. On the other hand, Bluetooth keyboards, which previously worked with Apple TVs, do not. And Bluetooth game controllers… well, if they were Made For iPhone (or iPad), they work with the new Apple TV. But contrary to some erroneous early reports, if they were made for other devices (say, the PlayStation 4), they don’t.

So even though SteelSeries’ Nimbus ($50) has been pitched as the first “gamepad controller for Apple TV,” it’s kinda not. The company’s earlier Stratus (now only $40 refurbished) works with the Apple TV, as do Mad Catz’ nicer C.T.R.L.i and Micro C.T.R.L.i controllers. However, Nimbus is launching with newer technology at a not-insane price point. It has a Lightning connector built in for recharging an integrated 40-hour battery, a Bluetooth 4.1 wireless chip, and a design that was apparently — despite obvious similarities to many other controllers — co-developed by Apple itself. It also is the first accessory to ship with Apple’s new “Made for Apple TV” logo on the box. Here are some early thoughts on the Nimbus based on my hands-on experiences…


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First Apple TV apps and games unveiled as developers prepare for tvOS App Store launch

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Oct 27 2015 - 5:25 am PT
28 Comments

The Apple TV is now available to buy but customers won’t be receiving their new hardware until Friday at the earliest, according to Apple shipping estimates. Although the dev kits currently lack an App Store to download software, plenty of developers are announcing their titles for the new Apple TV, ahead of schedule. We’ll be bringing you full coverage of the Apple TV later in the week but here’s a taste of the software already announced for the Apple TV’s debut …


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Facebook bolstering iOS Notifications tab with sports scores, birthdays, more

Avatar for Stephen Hall Oct 26 2015 - 11:46 am PT
3 Comments

If you’re a Facebook user, you’re definitely familiar with the Notifications tab in the company’s iOS app. Although it has barely evolved from being a simple stream of your notifications since its introduction many years ago, Facebook has today come out to outline some changes on the way to make it more useful and personalized.

Assumably since most of us rarely use or view notifications that are more than a day old, Facebook has decided to use the space in the Notifications tab in other, more useful, ways. With the new version, you’ll find the 5 or so most recent activity notifications at the top, with handfuls of additional — and hopefully useful — information below.

Among the things that Facebook says it is adding to the Notifications tab are friends and family “milestones” (which include birthdays, major life events, and the like), sports scores and television notifications based on the pages you have already liked, as well as events that are around the corner (but, seemingly, only those that you’ve already joined).

Facebook says that if you head into the app settings and allow it to see your location history (which many users already have), you can see things like local events based on your physical location, as well as weather updates, movies that are playing at nearby theaters, and even places to eat. Unsurprisingly, most of these features will connect you with many locations’ Facebook pages.

Facebook says that the update is rolling out “gradually,” so it should appear on your device sometime in the next few days.

9to5Toys Last Call: $100 iTunes Gift Card for $75, Power Bank + Lightning Cable $15, Polk giveaway, more

Avatar for Justin Kahn Oct 26 2015 - 9:03 am PT
1 Comment

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

Apple’s 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro w/ Force Touch (newest) 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB $1,280 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

$100 iTunes Gift Card for $75 with email delivery from PayPal (25% off), more

USB Roundup: Aukey 5000mAh Charger + MFi Lightning Cable $15 (Reg. $21), Lumsing 13400mAh Power bank $23, more

Giveaway: Polk Audio’s Omni Whole Home Music System – Soundbar w/ subwoofer and S2 Speaker ($880 value)

Best Buy lands the first major blow in this year’s battle for holiday shoppers

Amazon thinks leaving your house is over-rated, expands Prime free same-day delivery service

Dell Black Friday Ad Leak: Gears of War Xbox One w/ Fallout 4 + controller $300, VIZIO 60-Inch 4K HDTV $800, more

More new gear from today:

Fashion deals at Amazon – extra 20% off fall athletic/outdoor shoes: Caterpillar boots $52, ASICS running shoes $40, more

  • GoPro HERO4 Session action camera w/ $40 Amazon Gift Card: $275 shipped ($340 value)
  • Headphones: Audio-Technica Over-Ears $135, JayBird Bluetooth In-ears $102, more
  • Protect your new iPad mini 4 with this folio smart case: $3 Prime shipped (Reg. $10)
  • Daily Deals: Garmin Nüvi 5-inch GPS $150, Foscam HD Wireless Plug & Play IP Camera $60, more
  • Games/Apps: Fallout 4 pre-order (Prime only) $50, Nathan Drake PS4 bundle w/ Destiny $350, iOS freebies, more

More deals still alive:

Gift Cards up to 20% off: JCPenney, Sports Authority, more

App Store Free App of the Week: Dr. Panda’s Mailman ($4 value)

New products & more:

Dyson’s pricey 360 Eye robo-vac finally sees the light of day

Use your smartphone as a controller for these AirConsole Mac/PC browser games

9to5Toys Last Call: Apple Watch Target discount, 13” Retina MacBook Pro $1,080, Twelve South accessories up to 70% off, more

Avatar for Trevor Daugherty Oct 23 2015 - 9:00 am PT
0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

USB Roundup: Dual port wall charger + MFi Lightning cable $8 Prime shipped, more

PSA: Apple Watch is now live at Target. REDcard holders can save 5% on all configurations. That’s not a huge discount, but it’s the best current deal you’ll find. Another option is to go through B&H to take advantage of potential tax benefits. The lowest historical prices we’ve seen so far on Apple Watch came two weeks ago when the 38mm was $480 and the 42mm was $520. However you can find low prices for 3rd party replacement bands right now on Amazon.

Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro (newest model) 2.7GHz/8GB/128GB: $1,080 shipped (Reg. $1,299)

Save up to 70% on Twelve South Apple Accessories: BookBook for iPad Air $45 shipped (Orig. $80), more

App Store Free App of the Week: Dr. Panda’s Mailman ($4 value)

Best Buy lands the first major blow in this year’s battle for holiday shoppers

Amazon thinks leaving your house is over-rated, expands Prime free same-day delivery service

Dell Black Friday Ad Leak: Gears of War Xbox One w/ Fallout 4 + controller $300, VIZIO 60-Inch 4K HDTV $800, more

More new gear from today:

Daily Deals: Logitech Performance Mouse MX $45, SanDisk 64GB Flash Memory Card for MacBook Air $44, more

More deals still alive:

iPad mini 2 Wi-Fi 16GB in Silver or Space Gray: $230 shipped (Reg. $269)

Get a 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air 2 for less than Apple charges for 16GB: $490 shipped (Reg. $599)

proXPN VPN: Premium Lifetime Subscription for $39 ($375 value)

New products & more:

The MiniBrew launches on Indiegogo as an iPhone-connected way to make your own beer

Bird of Prey’s prone-style bicycle puts the rider facedown while riding

Pandora reaches $90M settlement to continue playing pre-1972 music

Avatar for Chance Miller Oct 22 2015 - 5:50 pm PT
0 Comments

While revealing its Q3 earnings earlier today, Pandora announced that it will pay $90 million to labels in royalties as a settlement to play music released prior to 1972. Federal copyright laws didn’t start protecting sound recordings until 1972, meaning that copyrights of clips released prior to then are governed by state laws (via WSJ).

Pandora stopped paying royalties on pre-1972 music a few years back and was subsequently sued by the Recording Industry Association of America. Pandora says that pre-1972 music accounts for just 5 percent of the music its service plays. The settlement prevents the parties from suing until the end of 2016, after which Pandora will have to negotiate a licensing deal.

Among the music companies settling with Pandora are Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group, Sony Corp.’s Sony Music Entertainment, Access Industries’ Warner Music Group and ABKCO Music & Records. The settlement, which was negotiated over the past two weeks amounts to about 10% of Pandora’s annual revenue.

Pandora today noted that its quarterly loss increased in Q3 of 2015, but active listeners increased and revenue rose 30% to $311.6 million. Active listeners rose to 78.1 million, up from 76.5 in the year ago quarter. Total listener hours rose 3 percent in Q3 2015. The growth comes despite the recent launch of Apple Music, which currently has 6.5 million paying customers and 15 million users total.

Glu’s ‘Sniper X’ first-person shooter stars Jason Statham for its latest celebrity tie-in

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Oct 22 2015 - 11:29 am PT
0 Comments

App publisher Glu today announced its latest game, which is also its latest celebrity partnership with actor Jason Statham starring as the game’s main playable character. The free game is a first-person shooter that some players will notice bears a similarity and seems to borrow from some of Glu’s past FPS games including the Contract Killer series.

“As Glu’s first male celebrity partner, Jason Statham’s over 55 million social followers add a new demographic to the company’s celebrity gaming platform,” said Niccolo de Masi, Glu Chairman and CEO. “Mr. Statham’s creative input throughout the game’s development has ensured a unique and authentic action-adventure experience his fans will enjoy worldwide.”

As part of Statham’s elite paramilitary team SPEAR, players work side-by-side to dismantle terrorists and rogue states that conventional forces can’t touch. Enemies of freedom can run, but they can’t hide from Sniper X!

The celebrity tie-in, featuring Statham’s name, likeness, and voice, follows Glu’s successful “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood” game that reports last year said was on pace to take in around $200 million.

Sniper X with Jason Statham is available on the App Store now for iPhone and iPad. The game is free to download but includes in-app purchases for in-game items, which is also the approach Glu took for the successful Kim Kardashian game.

Official trailer from Glu below:

[youtube=https://youtu.be/AYkwjYuly2U]

Chrome for iPad adds Split View, Slide Over, & Picture in Picture multitasking on iOS 9

Avatar for Zac Hall Oct 22 2015 - 10:41 am PT
1 Comment

Google has updated its Chrome web browser for iPad on iOS 9 to support each of the new operating system’s new multitasking features on the latest models. Chrome (version 46.0.2490.73 to be specific) now supports Split View for running the browser next to other updated apps, Slide Over for referencing it over any app, and Picture in Picture for minimizing videos playing within Chrome to view from other apps including Split View mode. The release notes also highlight “improved handling” for RTL, or right-to-left, languages.
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Instagram takes on Apple’s Live Photos with new 1-second video loop app, Boomerang

Avatar for Cam Bunton Oct 22 2015 - 7:43 am PT
2 Comments

Instagram is expanding its range of apps further today by introducing a new video-looping service to rival the likes of HTC Zoe and the iPhone’s baked-in Live Photos. Boomerang takes a quick burst of photos in-app, and then turns them in to a moving photo, or video, that loops forward and backward. Don’t call it a GIF though, it’s a Boomerang…
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Runkeeper can now track workouts on Apple Watch without your iPhone

Avatar for Zac Hall Oct 22 2015 - 7:06 am PT
6 Comments

We haven’t seen an awful lot of Apple Watch fitness apps update for watchOS 2 just yet — which lets faster native apps take advantage of sensors like the heart rate tracker — but Runkeeper is out with its iOS 9 and watchOS 2 update today.

Because Runkeeper 6.2 lets Apple Watch users track heart rate with the wearable’s built-in sensor, the app now lets you track runs with it directly on the watch without having to bring your iPhone. You’ll still need the iPhone if you want to track location as Apple Watch doesn’t have built-in GPS, but with a pair of Bluetooth earbuds and Runkeeper 6.2 you can track runs and listen to music using just Apple Watch.

Previously run tracking without iPhone required using Apple’s Workouts app. The updated Runkeeper for iOS 9 and watchOS 2 includes a few other changes as well including an interesting music analytics feature for workouts:
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PSA: Don’t do an in-app sign-up to the new YouTube Red service next week, it’ll cost you more

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Oct 22 2015 - 4:50 am PT
16 Comments

If you’re tempted by YouTube’s new ad-free subscription video service, YouTube Red, don’t subscribe to it via the iOS app. ArsTechnica reports that YouTube is taking the same approach as Spotify initially did to Apple’s 30% cut on in-app purchases: adding it to the monthly cost.

There is a big catch about that $9.99 price: $9.99 will cover Android, desktop, and the mobile Web, but if you purchase a subscription via Apple’s in-app purchasing on iOS, the price goes up to $12.99/month. Apple takes a 30 percent cut of all subscription revenue on its platform, and Google is passing that cost directly onto the consumer.

ArsTechnica says that Apple users will “most likely” be able to sign-up instead on the web for the normal $9.99/month and then access the content via the app, and I’ve confirmed in a chat session with YouTube support that this is indeed the case.

Once the service goes live on 28 October, simply visit youtube.com/red to sign-up, then sign-in with the app to watch the content on your iPhone and iPad.

Via Gizmodo

Apple asking developers to submit their tvOS apps ahead of Apple TV launch next week

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Oct 22 2015 - 2:23 am PT
3 Comments

A couple of hours ago, Apple sent out emails asking registered Apple developers to submit their tvOS apps for the Apple TV, using the GM seeds of tvOS and Xcode 7.1.

Although several thousand developer kits are out in the wild, the App Store app is yet to appear for these users. It may come online over-the-air and just ‘appear’ like Apple TV channels do, or there may be a small software update in the next few days to add the application.


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Twitter for Mac is officially getting a much-needed overhaul, but not just yet

Avatar for Stephen Hall Oct 21 2015 - 10:54 am PT
5 Comments

Twitter doesn’t exactly have the best track record in supporting its loyal third-party developers, which is something that could be forgivable if it built half-decent first party applications. The company’s official apps for the iPhone and iPad have dramatically improved as of late, but the official Twitter for Mac client has felt almost abandoned for years.

Today, at the Twitter Flight developer’s conference, the company has confirmed that a much-needed overhaul to the Mac app is on the way…
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9to5Toys Last Call: high-end 15″ Retina MacBook Pro $1,950, iPad mini 2 $230, Angry Birds Seasons free, more

Avatar for Trevor Daugherty Oct 21 2015 - 9:00 am PT
0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

Bluetooth Sport Earbuds w/ Prime shipping: Aukey Around-Neck $17 (Reg. $30), Mpow $10 (Reg. $20), more

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/656906294616563712 align=’center’]

Apple 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB (newest version): $1,950 shipped (Reg. $2,499)

iPad mini 2 Wi-Fi 16GB in Silver or Space Gray: $230 shipped (Reg. $269)

Get a 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air 2 for less than Apple charges for 16GB: $490 shipped (Reg. $599)

Games/Apps: Skylanders SuperChargers Pack (all platforms) $50 (Reg. $75), Angry Birds Seasons goes free, more iOS freebies

Save $20 on select Kindle e-Readers, deals start at just $59 with free shipping

Dell Black Friday Ad Leak: Gears of War Xbox One w/ Fallout 4 + controller $300, VIZIO 60-Inch 4K HDTV $800, more

Amazon and Toys R Us give a peek at this year’s must-have holiday gifts

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/656824473056858113 align=’center’]

More new gear from today:

GoPro HERO4 Action Cameras: Black 4K $389 (Reg. $500), Silver w/ LCD Display $329 (Reg. $400)

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/656842762508091392 align=’center’]

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/656853708349661185 align=’center’]

More deals still alive:

Seagate 4TB Portable USB 3 Hard Drive w/ 200GB Cloud: $150 shipped

21:9 Displays: Dell UltraSharp 34″ Curved $650, LG 34″ Curved $720, more

New products & more:

D-Link’s latest surveillance cameras go wide-angle with “less distortion” than the competition

Libratone introduces multi-room audio alongside two new colorful ZIPP speakers

Apple Music refuseniks seemingly head to Spotify, as app hits #1 spot in U.S. App Store

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Oct 21 2015 - 4:23 am PT
13 Comments

Apple Music appears to be off to a strong start in terms of paying subscribers, but as the old adage has it, you can’t please all of the people all of the time. A decent chunk of those who have opted not to pay for Apple Music appear to have headed instead to Spotify. TechCrunch notes that Spotify’s iOS app has taken the top grossing spot in Apple’s U.S. App Store for the first time ever.

Spotify was quietly hitting a milestone of its own. The company’s music streaming app just moved into the No. 1 position on the iPhone App Store’s “Top Grossing” charts for the first time in the US. Previously, according to data from App Annie, the highest rank Spotify saw on the “Top Grossing” charts stateside was No. 3, which it hit earlier this year and maintained in September.

When we polled 9to5Mac readers, 19.5% of you said that you would be switching to Spotify instead of paying for Apple Music.

With Apple hot on defending customer privacy, Spotify did hit a bit of a sticky moment back in August, when it was forced to clarify its new privacy policy, which appeared to allow the service to share personal information. CEO Daniel Ek apologized for the lack of clarity previously, and sought to reassure customers that data is used only to improve the Spotify service and use of customer data is opt-in.

Photo: curved.de

Guitar Hero Live lands on iOS with a new mobile instrument bundle

Avatar for Trevor Daugherty Oct 20 2015 - 10:31 am PT
1 Comment

From 9to5Toys.com:

Guitar Hero Live has hit iOS today in what is being billed as essentially a full-on port of the console game. The highly-anticipated virtual band title also launched on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this morning. Activision has opted for an in-app purchase model for this title. The iOS version is available for free to download, but only includes two songs. If you’re after the full catalog, you’ll have to purchase the full game or grab the new iOS bundle that includes a guitar controller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev66m8Obosw

It’ll take a $49.99 in-app purchase to secure all the songs available on Guitar Hero Live for iOS. The guitar bundle can be had for $99.99 at T-Mobile (or with monthly financing, if that’s your thing). It includes a six-button Bluetooth LE guitar, strap and everything needed to redeem your music within the app.

The new Guitar Hero Live for iOS comes with single and multiplayer modes. There are over 200 songs available today, all of which are playable via touch controls or the add-on guitar. Guitar Hero Live’s add-on hardware is compatible with Lightning-capable iOS devices.

Be sure to head over to 9to5Toys for the latest iOS deals and freebies each day.

Source: Touch Arcade

9to5Toys Last Call: iPad Air 2 64GB $490, Seagate 4TB Portable HDD $150, Dell 34″ Curved Monitor $650, more

Avatar for Trevor Daugherty Oct 20 2015 - 9:00 am PT
0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates: 

Apple 13-inch MacBook Air 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (newest version): $800 shipped (Reg. $999)

Get a 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air 2 for less than Apple charges for 16GB: $490 shipped (Reg. $599)

Seagate 4TB Portable USB 3 Hard Drive w/ 200GB Cloud: $150 shipped

21:9 Displays: Dell UltraSharp 34″ Curved $650, LG 34″ Curved $720, more

Save $20 on select Kindle e-Readers, deals start at just $59 with free shipping

Gold is Best: This one-off Macintosh is a must see with its walnut enclosure and shiny keyboard

More new gear from today:

Games/Apps: PS4 Nathan Drake bundle w/ Guitar Hero Live $399, The Witcher 3 $32, R.B.I. Baseball 15 $2, freebies, more

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/656447435233996800 align=’center’]

More deals still alive:

Ticket To Ride goes free on iPhone for the first time in years (Reg. $2)

New products & more:

This mini Segway hopes to take-off with its affordable price tag and compact design

You’ll have to hurry to grab one of these limited edition Fallout 4 Xbox One controllers

PSA: Beware 1Password web features can leak your browsing history, may show up in Google search

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Oct 20 2015 - 4:59 am PT
18 Comments

AgileBits has promised to beef up the security of 1Password after a Microsoft software engineer discovered that details of which websites you visit are unencrypted and indexed by Google if you use the 1PasswordAnywhere feature. Dale Myers said that he discovered this by chance after a sync problem led him to investigate the files used to store the metadata.

It turns out that your metadata isn’t encrypted [allowing someone to] go through and find out exactly what shady sites I have accounts on, what software I have licences for, the bank card and accounts I hold, the titles of any secure notes I have, any anything else I’ve decided to store in there.

While passwords remain secure, privacy is placed at risk and the data obtained could, says Myers, be used in a phishing attempt.

Thanks to people having links for easy access to their keychain on their websites, Google has indexed some of these. A simple search brings up results. By looking at one of these it was a simple matter to identify the owner of the keychain and where he lived. I know what his job is. I even know the names of his wife and children. If I was malicious, it would be easy to convince someone that I had compromised their account and had access to all of their credentials.

AgileBits said that the decision not to encrypt metadata was taken back in 2008, when decryption on mobile devices involved significant performance and battery-drain issues, and that it introduced a secure file format in 2012, but that it didn’t want to break compatibility with older versions by making that format the default.

The company said that work on making the secure file format the default was already in hand.

We’ve already started making changes to use OPVault as the default format. In fact, the latest beta of 1Password for Windows does this already. Similar changes are coming to Mac and iOS soon, and we’re planning on using the new format in Android in the future. Once all of these things are complete, we will add an automatic migration for all 1Password users.

For those who don’t want to wait, the company has posted instructions for manually migrating to the new format.

The 1Password iOS app was updated last month with a new design, new password-generation features and iOS 9 features. If you’re not yet using a password manager, check out our how-to guide.

Via Engadget