Apps

• Apps
• Apple Watch
• Travel
• Airlines
• British Airways

British Airways reports near-quadrupling of Apple Watch app usage, will soon handle bag-drop too

Ben Lovejoy Dec 1 2015 - 5:58 am PT

4 Comments

British Airways has revealed that use of its Apple Watch app rose by 386% between June and October, and the airline is responding by introducing new scanners to allow Watch owners a faster way of dropping any hold bags, reports Advance.

Customers will be able to slide their wrists under the new ‘Scan and Go’ devices to scan their boarding pass, print their own bag tags and speed through the airport. A total of 136 of the new gadgets are being installed at check in desks across Heathrow’s Terminal 3 and 5, and will be ready for use on 15 December.

The scanners can also be used with the smartphone app.

BA’s app provides access to real-time flight status, gate information, a countdown to the departure time and the weather at their destination, as well as displaying a QR code that can be used at both Security and the gate.

The airline is planning an update to the iPad version which includes Highlife entertainment listings, allowing customers to peruse the in-flight movies prior to boarding.

Via Gizmodo

• Apps
• Snapchat
• Product Red
• Bill Gates
• ProductRED

Add a World AIDS Day geofilter to a Snapchat photo today to help (RED) raise $3M from Bill Gates

Ben Lovejoy Dec 1 2015 - 5:13 am PT

0 Comments

Add a World AIDS Day sticker – or geofilter – to a Snapchat photo today, and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will donate $3 to (RED). The LA Times reports that it hopes to raise as much as $3M from the initiative – something that could be achieved if just 1% of Snapchat users joined in.

You can also raise $3 by sharing a themed video clip on Instagram.

If you’re willing to part with a little cash, donating to the cause will buy you entry into one or more of a range of competitions with prizes like a bike ride through Central Park with Bono, a trip to the Games of Thrones set and meeting Snoop, Jimmy Kimmel, George Clooney, Matt Damon and more.

Apple is also joining in, with an iPhone 6s leather case in (what else) red.

Via Engadget

• Apps
• Apple News
• MacBook
• Deals
• 9to5Toys

9to5Toys Last Call: 12″ MacBook $1,100, iTunes $100 Gift Card for $80, tons of discounted iOS apps, more

Nov 30 2015 - 9:43 am PT

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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:

Sports/Fitness: Fitbit Charge HR Wristband $105 (Orig. $150), Jawbone UP3 Activity Tracker $85 (Orig. $180), more

• USB Accessories: Sharkk 4 Outlet Power Strip w/ 4 USB Ports $20, more
• Pebble Time Steel Smartwatch for Apple/Android (black, silver or gold) $180 (Reg. $250)
• Save an extra 15% at the Amazon Warehouse: Polk Atrium Outdoor Speakers $56, more
• Barnes & Noble 30% off Toys: LEGO City Fire Station $70 (Reg. $100), more
• Free Xbox Live Gold Games for December: Thief, Adventures of Van Helsing, Sacred 3, more
• Free PS Plus Games for December: Far Cry 3, Gaunlet Slayer Edition, more
• Cyber Monday magazines from $3/yr ea: Wired, GQ, ESPN, Rolling Stone, many more
• Today Only: Download 1 DC Digital Comic get the 2nd one free (up to $30 value)
• Home: refurb Cuisiniart juicers/can openers/coffee makers from $14, more

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/671454035787030529 align=’center’]

Apple 12″ 256GB MacBook $1,100 (Reg. $1,299), 13″ 128GB Retina MacBook Pro (newest) $1,050 (Reg. $1,299)

$100 iTunes Gift Card for $80 with email delivery from PayPal (20% off), more

Apple’s Amazing Apps & Games sale 50% off: Threes!, Transistor, PAC-MAN, Sworkit Pro, iTranslate Voice, more

Cyber Monday brings big iPad Pro savings: 32GB $679 (Reg. $799), 128GB $807 (Reg. $949), more

Target offers a 15% sitewide discount for Cyber Monday: Nest Thermostat w/ $50 Gift Card $212, more!

Apple Watch Deals: Up to $100 off + $50 gift card – Sport from $299, Stainless from $449, more

B&H Photo’s Black Friday Mac Deals live! 5K iMac: $1579, Mac Pro: $500 off, Retina MacBook: $170 off (Tax in NY only)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

HDTVs: Samsung 48-inch 4K HDTV home theater bundle $600 ($755 value), Seiki 43-inch 1080p $260 (Orig. $400), more

• Cyber Monday magazines from $3/yr ea: Wired, GQ, ESPN, Rolling Stone, more
• Amazon is discounting everything a book lover could ever want
• Polaroid Cube HD 1080p Action Camera: $75 shipped (Reg. $100)
• Games/Apps: MGS V $30, 15% off amiibo, Nathan Drake PS4 + $50 credit $300, more
• Cyber Monday Fashion: Tommy Hilfiger 50% off, up to 60% off at Timbuk2, Amazon
• Media Stocking Stuffers: $4 Blu-rays, Harry Potter Complete Collection from $25, more
• Seagate Backup Plus Desktop 8TB External Hard Drive $180 shipped (Orig. $300)
• Cyber Monday deals: 50% off The New York Times, 40% off GNC supplements, more
• Daily Deals: Epson PowerLite Wireless 2600 Lumens 3LCD Projector $499, more
• CyberPower 1500VA/900W Mini-Tower UPS: $140 shipped (Reg. $215)
• Blue Condenser Mics: Spark Digital Lightning from $128 (Reg. $200)
• OtterBox Commuter Series iPhone 6/6s Case for $19 shipped (Reg. $28+)
• These men’s luxury watches are on sale for Black Friday & Cyber Monday
• O’Reilly eBook and Video 50% off Cyber Monday: El Capitan Missing Manual $15

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Nomad Black Friday Sale: Apple Watch Stand $40 (Reg. $60), more

• Anker iPad Accessories: Bluetooth Folio Keyboards for iPad Air 2, mini 4, more from $20
• eBay Gift Card Roundup: Toys R Us $100 for $85, Lowe’s $200 for $175, much more
• Black Friday Tablets – Amazon 7-inch Kindle Fire $35 (Reg. $50), more
• Grab extra MFi Apple-Certified Lightning Cables from Anker, Spigen & Mpow from $4
• Pencil by FiftyThree smart iPad stylus from $30 Prime shipped (Orig. $50), more
• GoPro HERO4 Cameras: Session $229 (Reg. $300), Black 4K $349 (Reg. $500)
• Yamaha 7.2-channel 4K Wi-Fi Network AV Receiver: $300 shipped (Reg. $400)
• Crucial & Lexar Storage up to 75% off: 256GB Flash Drive $55, 500GB SSD $120
• Two Chromecast Streaming Media Players (newest version): $50 shipped (Reg. $70)
• Take 50% off any album purchase from Google Play
• ecobee3 HomeKit Thermostat w/ 3 Remote Sensors: $249 shipped ($328 value)
• Nest Thermostat (3rd Gen) w/ free $50 Amazon Gift Card: $249 ($299 value), more
• Pixelmator for Mac gets a 50% discount today: $15 (Reg. $30)
• Apple AirPort Extreme 802.11ac Wireless Router (refurbished): $100 shipped (Orig. $199)
• iTunes HD Movies: Godfather Trilogy $10, Rocky Collection $30, more
• Panasonic Sound Rush Plus On-Ear Headphones $15 shipped (Reg. $60)
• Save on the 3rd Gen 1080p Apple TV with this refurb deal: $40 shipped (Orig. $69)
• Herman Miller takes rare 15% off world’s best office chairs + desks
• Car Tech: iOttie Easy One Touch iPhone 6s/Plus Car Mount $10 (Reg. $17+), more
• Implosion – Never Lose Hope for iOS goes free for the first time ($10 value)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Unboxing and Review: Star Wars Battlefront limited edition PS4 is out of this galaxy [Video]

Mohu launches a “high-end” speaker with built-in Android display, save 10%

• Leica introduces a new low-cost M series camera, but don’t expect bargain pricing
• D-Link takes all the smart things and puts them together in one Komfy light switch
• Curate With Me, Win A Prize: 2015’s Most Coveted Holiday Tech Gifts List!
• The ultimate 4K set-top box battle [Video]
• GENII’s CAST streaming box skirts copyright rules to beam your content to friends

• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• iOS
• Mac
• iOS Devices
• Mac Pro

Apple award-winning iOS game Leo’s Fortune comes to the Mac (+ promo code giveaway)

Benjamin Mayo Nov 25 2015 - 8:53 am PT

6 Comments

Leo’s Fortune previously won an Apple Design Award for its game on iOS, thanks to its engaging gameplay and beautiful art style. Over the last year, it has become a smash hit across multiple platforms including iPhone, iPad, Android and more. Today, the same great game is now available in the Mac App Store for $6.99 accompanied by beautiful high-resolution textures.

Voyage through lush environments from mossy forests and arid deserts, to pirate cities and snowy mountains. Survive vicious traps and solve physics-based puzzles through 24 levels of treacherous adventure. Follow the trail of gold and uncover the truth behind Leo’s stolen fortune. Finish Leo’s Fortune to unlock Hard-core Mode: try to beat the whole game without dying to unlock a special prize! Compete with your Game Center friends to beat as many levels as you can in the fastest time possible.

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• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• update
• RSS
• reeder 3

Reeder 3 now available for iOS with iPad Pro optimization, 3D Touch & Split View support, more

Chance Miller Nov 24 2015 - 4:36 pm PT

5 Comments

Popular RSS client Reeder has today released the third major iteration of its app on iOS. The availability of Reeder 3 for iOS follows the release of Reeder 3 for OS X back in September alongside the launch of El Capitan. Reeder 3 introduces a handful of new features and capabilities, including support for new services, interface tweaks, and more.

First off, the update adds support for using Instapaper as a sync service. Instapaper joins services like Feedbin, Feedly, and Feed Wrangler as services supported by Reeder. The update also introduces a Safari View Controller, meaning that you no longer have to exit the Reeder app itself to view links. Instead, they will open directly within the app, making for a much more seamless experience.

Reeder 3 also adds support for Split View multitasking for iOS 9 users, as well as support for iPad Pro. 3D Touch support is also now supported for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus users. You can now press harder on articles in the article list to preview them without actually tapping on them.

Various other interface tweaks have been made, as well. There are now font size options, unread and starred counts for smart folders, a new archive folder, font options for the article viewer, and more.

Below is the full changelog and Reeder 3 is available for free in the App Store now.

• Apps
• Twitter
• developer
• native video

Twitter announces native video support for its Twitter Kit developer tool

Chance Miller Nov 24 2015 - 4:04 pm PT

5 Comments

Twitter today announced that it is rolling out a highly-welcomed new feature to its Twitter Kit developer tools. The company announced in a blog post that users will now be able to watch full-screen Twitter videos and GIFs without having to open up a webview or leave their app.

Essentially this means that Twitter for iOS now will play back videos and GIFs full-screen with the native video player on iOS that we’ve all come to recognize and use over the years. Twitter notes that the feature is live on iOS now and will come to Android soon. This feature should make the entire video viewing process more seamless for the user as they will no longer have to remember to go back to whatever app they were using before clicking the video link that opened another app.

Twitter appears to be rolling out the update over-the-air, so there’s no work that needs to be done on the user/developer of things. Twitter says this feature is supposed on the latest version of Twitter Kit on iOS 8 and higher.

Here’s what the company had to say in its blog post announcing native video support for Twitter Kit:

From unbelievable sports highlights to powerful first person footage, Twitter is full of unique stories told with immersive videos. Today, we’re excited to announce native support for those videos in Twitter Kit.

Starting today, your users will be able to watch full-screen Twitter videos and GIFs without having to open up a webview or leave your app. Video support is now live on iOS, and will be coming shortly for Android as well.

The best part is, you don’t have to do any extra work. Any app running the latest version of Twitter Kit on iOS8+ will automatically support native video viewing.

We’re committed to helping you tell the best stories with videos, and we look forward to building new ways to showcase rich Twitter content in your Twitter Kit apps.

• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• iOS
• iPad
• Apple Watch
• iPhone

Vine comes to the Apple Watch with favorite videos and a complication

Mark Gurman Nov 24 2015 - 10:04 am PT

0 Comments

Twitter’s Vine today launched an application for the the Apple Watch, bringing the ability for Vine users to watch videos that interest them on their wrists. As noted in Vine’s announcement, the simplified Vine interface allows users to quickly watch videos from either the featured category or from their favorite Vine accounts. Of course, the application also allows users to like and Re-Vine clips from the Apple Watch. Notably, the application also includes a watch face complication so users who post videos to Vine can quickly measure their loops. In related news, Vine’s updated iPhone application now lets users more easily swipe between videos.

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• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• update
• keyboard
• SwiftKey

SwiftKey for iOS updated w/ new “Bubble Gum” keyboard theme, more

Chance Miller Nov 24 2015 - 9:00 am PT

0 Comments

SwiftKey, the popular third-party keyboard app for iOS, has today been updated with a few changes and tweaks that users of the app will certainly welcome. First off, the update adds a new dynamic theme for the keyboard. Called “Bubble Gum,” this new keyboard design offers light blue keys with pink keys. Every time you tap on it, pick, blue, and yellow bubbles float behind the keyboard.

Bubble Gum is the second “dynamic theme” SwiftKey has introduced on iOS, following “Shooting Stars” earlier this year. “Bubble Gum” is available under the “Design” tab in the app for $1.99.

Today’s SwiftKey update also refreshes the settings screen interface with a completely new design. The company says it’s now “easier than ever” to find information like usage stats and change your keyboard theme.

See your typos float away with SwiftKey Keyboard for iPhone’s new Bubble Gum theme (plus more!)

Today’s update for SwiftKey for iPhone brings two new exciting changes to our iOS app: a new ‘Bubble Gum’ dynamic theme, and a big makeover to the settings menu within the SwiftKey app on your homescreen.

Bubble Gum is a light and airy theme with pale blue and pink keys. With each tap, pink, blue and yellow bubbles float behind the keyboard, and fall with real gravity depending on how the phone is tilted – give it a try! Bubble Gum joins Shooting Stars as our second dynamic theme on SwiftKey for iOS, you can grab it for $1.99 now under “Design” in the container app.

The settings menu, found in the SwiftKey app on your homescreen, has been completely redesigned with an updated new look. It’s now easier than ever before to find the setting you want and tune SwiftKey to exactly how you like it. You’ll find that your usage stats – showing you just how productive and quick SwiftKey is making you, also for bragging rights – are now on the home screen you can get your data fix faster than ever before.

• Apps
• police
• Department of Homeland Security
• Terrorism
• See Send

New York promotes mobile app to report suspicious activity in ‘See Something, Say Something’ campaign

Ben Lovejoy Nov 24 2015 - 4:48 am PT

3 Comments

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo yesterday announced that the state is supporting a mobile app allowing people to report suspicious activity, reports the NY Daily News. The See Send app, available on both iOS and Android, allows users to send either a text note or a photo.

The app […] will allow people to send a photo or written note to the state police Intelligence Center, where its credibility can be examined and referred to the proper law enforcement agency if necessary. [It] should be used to report suspicious behavior or specific situations like an unattended backpack in a public place, not simply hunches.

The app is already supported by Pennsylvania, Ohio, Louisiana, Colorado and Virginia.

State Police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico likened the app to a telephone crime tip line, with police hoping that making it easier to pass on tips will make it more likely that people will use it.

“If you see something that may be linked to terrorism, send something,” D’Amico said. “Your tip could provide valuable information that could prevent a tragedy.”

For emergencies, you should of course still call 911. More information about the ‘See Something, Say Something’ campaign can be found here. The See Send app is a free download on iTunes.

• Apps
• Skype

Skype for iOS updated with data detectors for phone numbers, addresses, and more

Mike Beasley Nov 23 2015 - 9:39 am PT

2 Comments

Skype updated its iOS client today with support for several different data detectors in text chats.

Now whenever someone sends you a phone number, address, or date, you can tap that information to automatically start a call, bring up a map, or create a new calendar event, respectively.

The update also now shows a bar that you can tap from any chat or the contacts list to get back to your current call.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU_JMYgK7GY]

Skype 6.6 is available on the App Store.

What’s New in Version 6.6

Phone number, date and address detection in your conversations:
– Call a phone number (using Skype Credit) direct from highlighted numbers.
– Set up calendar events by tapping highlighted dates, days and times.
– Check locations in Maps directly from highlighted addresses.

Making it easier to multi-task in Skype:
– Quickly return to a call by pressing the Active Call banner in Skype.
– Use the unread counter to easily see how many unread conversations you have when in a conversation .

General improvements.