Apps

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:

App Store Free App of the Week: Worms3 ($5 value)

Canon’s latest camera can film in near-pitch black conditions, but costs more than your car
Olio announces new Gold and Rose Gold options for its luxury smartwatch
Take a peek at Nerf’s upcoming high octane blaster that shoots foam balls up to 70 mph
The Imperial Spherification Kickstarter project turns any food into caviar
Stream Pixar’s animated short Lava in its entirety for free
Nintendo is reportedly readying its own monthly merchandise subscription service
Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 16GB Wi-Fi Tablet in White (open box) $170 shipped (Orig. $330)

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/626815891154567168 align=’center’]

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/626810599402512384 align=’center’]

Home: ecobee3 Smart Thermostat (not HomeKit) $180 (Orig. $250), KRUPS Espresso Machine (Prime only) $30 (Orig. $60)

LEGO iOS sale: Movie Video Game hits lowest price ever, Lord of the Rings & Harry Potter $1 ea. (Reg. $5), more

Drive Genius 4 the award-winning app for maintaining & repairing your Mac: $50 (Orig. $99)

Logitech $20 off $49: MX Master Wireless Mouse $80 shipped (Reg. $100), gaming accessories, more

Amazon’s Dash Replenishment Service is here and Prime members can order today

Amazon’s new Launchpad store offers the latest gadgets from crowdfunding campaigns and startups

More new gear from today:

Daily Deals: AOC 16-inch USB-Powered Portable LED Monitor $82, Jabra STEALTH Bluetooth Headset $66, more

LEGO and Star Wars come together once again in this gorgeous new photography book

New! Games/Apps: The Art of Fallout 4 hardcover (pre-order) $26 (Reg. $35), BLiP goes free
New! Netgear AV1200 Powerline Ethernet Adapter Kit: $60 shipped (Reg. $80)
New! Timex Ironman watches in multiple colors/styles: $19 Prime shipped (Orig. $43)

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/626764461634920448 align=’center’]

More deals still alive:

Free PS Plus Games for August: Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, Limbo, more

Free Xbox Live Gold Games for August: Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes, more

Cut the cord! Mohu Leaf 50 Ultimate HDTV Antenna (open box): $30 shipped (Orig. $90)
Magazine subs from $5/yr: Men’s Health, Wired, GQ, Dwell, more
Headphones: Sony MDR-7506 Professional Folding $70 (Reg. $100), more
PUMA Private Sale up to 75% off: Ferrari Pedale Grid Men’s Shoes $60, more
ALEX Arts & Crafts Back to School Essentials 40% Off
GoPro’s newest HERO4 Session waterproof action camera is on sale: $370 (Reg. $400)
USB roundup: RAVPower 36W 4-Port USB wall charger $10, more
VIZIO’s 70-inch 240Hz Smart 4K UHDTV: $1,799 shipped (Reg. $2,200)
QNAP 2-Bay Cloud NAS w/ AirPlay support: $219 shipped (Reg. $300+)
Newegg Monitor Sale: LG 27-inch w/ HDMI $170 shipped (Reg. $200+), more
Samsung 850 EVO 1TB 2.5-inch Internal Solid-State Drive: $310 shipped (Reg. $3509)
Printers: Dell LED Laser $100 (Reg. $150+), Canon All-In-One Inkjet $70 (Reg. $100)
Etekcity 8GB Voice recorder and USB Stick: $13 shipped
Media: $5 Blu-rays – Rush, This is 40, Public Enemies, more
Timbuk2 Iris Gym Duffel Bag (Black) for $30 shipped (Reg. $54)
Apple’s massive iOS sale w/ 100 apps for $0.99 ea: Rayman, Angry Birds, Pixelmator, Spider-Man, many more
QuickRes – the app that changes your resolution in a click: 50% off
App Store Free App of the Week: SpongeBob Moves In ($4 value)
Disney’s award-winning Animated iPad app hits a new all-time low price of $3 (Reg. $10)
Save 50% on the brand new Screenium 3 high-res, high-speed screen capture app for Mac
Cook your food perfectly with the Range Smart Thermometer: $60 shipped (Orig. $70)
iFixit Pro Tech Screwdriver Set & Jimmy Tool Bundle: $60 Shipped (Orig. $100)
Shoot cinematic masterpieces w/ iStabilizer: $39 (Orig. $60)
Themes for iBooks Author for $9.99 (50% off)
Designs for Mail for $9.99 (50% off)
Learn to build 11 apps with this exclusive iOS 9 Swift coding course: $59 (Orig. $299)
Blinkist Premium 1-yr Subscription: 1000+ Grasp Nonfiction Books: $30 (Orig. $80)
Complete this Chipotle trivia game & receive a buy one, get one free coupon

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/625692013636263936 align=’center’]

New products & more:

Livescribe announces new Echo Smartpen Pro Edition with 8GB of storage

The LEGO Architect shows you how to build exact replicas of famous buildings and homes

Kodak’s 360 degree action camera adds must-see YouTube capabilities
Munchtime T-Rex chopsticks and more kitchen gadgets that’ll make you go aww
Knock those piggies down in 3D with this oversized Angry Birds arcade cabinet
This Lightning cable cleverly solves an annoyance every iPhone user deals with
Plantronics new BackBeat Sense Bluetooth headphones are loaded with sensor
Make your own miniature 3D printed, Raspberry Pi-powered Game Boy emulator
Hori’s new Tactical Assault Commander 4 brings PC style controls to the PS4
2K announces Terminator as a playable character for WWE 2K16
JBL details new Flip3 & Xtreme portable Bluetooth speakers w/ fresh designs & features

RSS client Reeder 3 releases public beta for OS X Yosemite

Zac Hall Jul 30 2015 - 6:38 am PT

5 Comments

We know the developer behind the popular RSS client Reeder has been working on a version 3.0 update for OS X 10.10 Yosemite as we last saw a teaser in April. Today users get the first chance to try out the redesigned RSS service reader as the first public beta for Reeder 3 has gone live. The updated version sports a user interface designed for Yosemite and beyond, more themes for making reading comfortable, and even a few OS X El Capitan features. Reeder says the new version will be available as a free update to current Reeder 2 customers when it’s completed.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Angry Birds 2 released for iOS, free to download on the App Store

Cam Bunton Jul 30 2015 - 3:47 am PT

Rovio has finally released the long-awaited sequel to the original Angry Birds hit mobile game. Since the first title saw phenomenal success on the iOS App Store, the game has gone on to amazing heights with tons of spinoffs. With several official movie tie-ins, including the popular Star Wars titles, Angry Birds is the ultimate success story of the mobile app world. And now, Angry Birds 2 is available to download.

The game retains the key features, in that you fling birds with a catapult in an attempt to destroy blocks and kill green pigs. However, it does have some new features. Some levels now have multiple stages to complete, and you have to choose which bird to launch next. You can challenge other players and there are even more magic spells too, to help you complete difficult levels. As always, there are plenty of pig bosses to wipe out.

It’s free to download and has the expected in-app purchases. Download the app from the App Store.

You can watch the official gameplay trailer below
Expand
Expanding
Close

Opinion: How Apple News can improve so it doesn’t fail like Newsstand

Jeremy Horwitz Jul 29 2015 - 12:58 pm PT

30 Comments

I’m not entirely sure why I’ve been rooting for iOS 9’s upcoming Apple News app to succeed. I’ve been a dedicated Reeder user since it debuted in the App Store, quickly dumped alternatives such as Flipboard and Pulse, and don’t need to change my daily news reading routine. But ever since Apple launched Newsstand in 2011, I’ve been waiting for a truly next-generation iOS news reading experience. Apple hasn’t just missed the boat on this; it actually sank the ship it launched, and lost a lot of talented sailors to rival companies that were developing digital book and magazine apps.

Having paid for Newsstand digital magazine subscriptions, I (like many people) was beyond disappointed when Apple abandoned Newsstand and the publishers who supported it. Newsstand was a great first step, and had the potential to become much better. Today, it seems obvious that Apple was hoping to coax Newsstand publishers over to its new app Apple News , but after testing iOS 9, I don’t think News is ready to replace Newsstand. Moreover, unless something major changes over the next few months, I’d be very surprised to see News succeed where Newsstand failed.

Whether it’s Apple or someone else (say, Amazon’s Kindle division), I’d like to see a bold company take the next big step and unify published content — at least traditional newspapers and magazines, and probably also traditional books and Internet-based publications — into a single Reading app with the best features of News, Newsstand, and iBooks. Below, I’ll explain why this would be a great next move for publishers, consumers, and Apple itself…

StubHub iOS app adds Uber and Apple Music integration

Jordan Kahn Jul 29 2015 - 12:46 pm PT

StubHub is rolling out an updated version of its iOS app today that adds integration with both Uber and Apple Music.

For Uber, users can now request a vehicle directly from within the app when purchasing event tickets or setup a reminder to do so for an upcoming event. Once you’ve booked a ride with Uber, StubHub automatically provides the location of the event venue to the driver:

After completing a ticket purchase on StubHub, fans will now be able to set a reminder to arrange transportation through Uber when the event is imminent. Users who purchase tickets within two hours of the event will be able to order an Uber directly from the order confirmation page.

As for the Apple Music support, the app can now tap into your Apple Music library to automatically scan for new artists to add to your StubHub ‘favorites’, a feature that lets users track upcoming events for their favourite artists.

The Uber and Apple Music integration is available for StubHub users in the updated StubHub app, version 6.0.4, on the App Store. The Uber feature, however, is available only for users in the UK, US, and Canada.

Fantastical adds Mail-like multitasking drafts to iPhone, Japanese localization

Zac Hall Jul 29 2015 - 9:27 am PT

Following Fantastical’s recent debut on the Apple Watch, which includes the full iCloud Reminders experience and more, Flexibits is delivering a neat new drafts feature to the intelligent calendar app and newly added support for another language.
Expand
Expanding
Close

9to5Toys Last Call: MFi Lightning cable $6, Logitech $20 off $49, Chromecast w/ $10 Amazon gift card $30, more

Jul 29 2015 - 9:13 am PT

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:

Amazon’s Dash Replenishment Service is here and Prime members can order today

Livescribe announces new Echo Smartpen Pro Edition with 8GB of storage
Free PS Plus Games for August: Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, Limbo, more
Magazine subs from $5/yr: Men’s Health, Wired, GQ, Dwell, National Geographic, more
Home: 2-pack Philips Electric Toothbrushes $100 (Orig. $137+), more

This 6ft MFi Lightning cable has a built-in LED status indicator: $12 Prime shipped (Reg. $16) http://t.co/Croc6xjuYw pic.twitter.com/8HI96o5pft

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) July 29, 2015

MFi Lightning cables: iOrange 6.6-foot w/ LED indicator $12, Anker 3-foot in white $6 (Orig. $10)

Logitech $20 off $49: MX Master Wireless Mouse $80 shipped (Reg. $100), gaming accessories, more

Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Media Player + $10 Amazon gift card: $30 Prime shipped ($45 value)

Amazon’s new Launchpad store offers the latest gadgets from crowdfunding campaigns and startups

More new gear from today:

LEGO iOS sale: Movie Video Game hits lowest price ever, Lord of the Rings & Harry Potter $1 ea. (Reg. $5), more

Games/Apps: Worms3 goes free for the first time, Dual Xbox One controller charging system $20, freebies, more

Daily Deals: Atari Retro Gaming Console $35, 13” Retina MacBook Pro (Mid 2014) $1,499, more

New! PUMA Private Sale up to 75% off: Ferrari Pedale Grid Men’s Shoes $60, much more
New! Munchtime T-Rex chopsticks and more kitchen gadgets that’ll make you go aww
New! ALEX Arts & Crafts Back to School Essentials 40% Off

Gold Box: 2-pack Philips Sonicare Easy Clean Electric Toothbrushes $100 shipped (Orig $137+) http://t.co/fz7zP1GVHg pic.twitter.com/C8CblCyZvb

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) July 29, 2015

More deals still alive:

Cut the cord! Mohu Leaf 50 Ultimate HDTV Antenna (open box): $30 shipped (Orig. $90)

Headphones: Sony MDR-7506 Professional Folding $70 (Reg. $100), Beyerdynamic DT 1350 $150 (Orig. $300+), more

GoPro’s newest HERO4 Session waterproof action camera is on sale: $370 (Reg. $400)
USB roundup: RAVPower 36W 4-Port USB wall charger $10, more
VIZIO’s 70-inch 240Hz Smart 4K UHDTV: $1,799 shipped (Reg. $2,200)
QNAP 2-Bay Cloud NAS w/ AirPlay support: $219 shipped (Reg. $300+)
Newegg Monitor Sale: LG 27-inch w/ HDMI $170 shipped (Reg. $200+), more
Free Xbox Live Gold Games for August: Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes, more
Samsung 850 EVO 1TB 2.5-inch Internal Solid-State Drive: $310 shipped (Reg. $3509)
Printers: Dell LED Laser $100 (Reg. $150+), Canon All-In-One Inkjet $70 (Reg. $100)
Etekcity 8GB Voice recorder and USB Stick: $13 shipped
Media: $5 Blu-rays – Rush, This is 40, Public Enemies, more
iOttie Easy One Touch 2 iPhone car mount: $17 Prime shipped (Reg. $25)
Anker Bluetooth iPad Keyboards from $20: Folio Case $30 (Reg. $40), more
Sennheiser Urbanite on-ears for $75 or XL over-ears for $130 (Orig. up to $250), more
Magnetic Air Vent Car Mount Holder for iPhone 6/Plus $6 Prime shipped (Orig. $11)
Timbuk2 Iris Gym Duffel Bag (Black) for $30 shipped (Reg. $54)
Apple-Certified MFi Lightning Cables: 1-ft braided nylon $12, 10-ft $10, 3-ft $5, more
Canon PIXMA Inkjet Photo All-in-One Printer + software $20 shipped (Reg. $40+)
Cook your food perfectly with the Range Smart Thermometer: $60 shipped (Orig. $70)
iFixit Pro Tech Screwdriver Set & Jimmy Tool Bundle: $60 Shipped (Orig. $100)
Shoot cinematic masterpieces w/ iStabilizer: $39 (Orig. $60)
Themes for iBooks Author for $9.99 (50% off)
Designs for Mail for $9.99 (50% off)
Learn to build 11 apps with this exclusive iOS 9 Swift coding course: $59 (Orig. $299)
Blinkist Premium 1-yr Subscription: 1000+ Grasp Nonfiction Books: $30 (Orig. $80)
Complete this Chipotle trivia game & receive a buy one, get one free coupon

Apple iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi 16GB in all colors for $400 shipped (Reg. $499) http://t.co/6m0iOdNOIA pic.twitter.com/gqknmZ9WtM

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) July 27, 2015

Apple’s massive iOS sale w/ 100 apps for $0.99 ea: Rayman, Angry Birds, Pixelmator, Spider-Man, many more

Free McGraw-Hill iOS apps for kids: Monster Squeeze, more (Reg. $2 ea.)

QuickRes – the app that changes your resolution in a click: 50% off

App Store Free App of the Week: SpongeBob Moves In ($4 value)

Disney’s award-winning Animated iPad app hits a new all-time low price of $3 (Reg. $10)

Save 50% on the brand new Screenium 3 high-res, high-speed screen capture app for Mac

New products & more:

The LEGO Architect shows you how to build exact replicas of famous buildings and homes

Kodak’s 360 degree action camera adds must-see YouTube capabilities

Knock those piggies down in 3D with this oversized Angry Birds arcade cabinet
This Lightning cable cleverly solves an annoyance every iPhone user deals with
Plantronics new BackBeat Sense Bluetooth headphones are loaded with sensor
Make your own miniature 3D printed, Raspberry Pi-powered Game Boy emulator
Hori’s new Tactical Assault Commander 4 brings PC style controls to the PS4
2K announces Terminator as a playable character for WWE 2K16
JBL details new Flip3 & Xtreme portable Bluetooth speakers w/ fresh designs & features
Converse upgrades its Chuck Taylors with new technology for the first time in 98 years
Dad makes a custom Mario Kart 8-inspired nursery and becomes instant internet sensation
The Panono panoramic camera is filled with 36 lenses that total 108MP, available today

Review: Bang & Olufsen Beolit 15 Bluetooth speaker

Review: DODOcase Apple Watch Charging Stand

Review: SanDisk Connect Wireless Stic

Verizon will sell HBO Now directly to wireless and FiOS subscribers as Apple’s exclusivity expires

Mike Beasley Jul 28 2015 - 12:49 pm PT

7 Comments

When Apple and HBO announced the launch of the HBO Now streaming service, they said that their app would be exclusive to Apple devices for three months. Now, a quarter year later, that agreement has expired and other providers are looking to distribute access to the television network’s streaming app.

One of the biggest names looking to get into the HBO Now market is Verizon. The mobile carrier and FiOS provider announced today that it will be bringing the service to its 100 million customers…

Alympus tweak revamps multitasking on jailbroken iOS devices

Mike Beasley Jul 28 2015 - 9:46 am PT

13 Comments

Famed designer Surenix and developer Kyle Howells have teamed up to create a new iOS task switcher/Control Center replacement called Alympus, which combines a full screen of toggles with a new music controller and a customizable grid layout for running apps.

9to5Toys Last Call: 13″ Retina MacBook Pro $1,100, Mohu HDTV Antenna $30, Dell Laser Printer $100, more

Jul 28 2015 - 9:10 am PT

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:

Kodak’s 360 degree action camera adds must-see YouTube capabilities

The LEGO Architect shows you how to build exact replicas of famous buildings and homes
GoPro’s newest HERO4 Session waterproof action camera is on sale: $370 (Reg. $400)
Knock those piggies down in 3D with this oversized Angry Birds arcade cabinet
USB roundup: RAVPower 36W 4-Port USB wall charger $10, more
VIZIO’s 70-inch 240Hz Smart 4K UHDTV: $1,799 shipped (Reg. $2,200)
QNAP 2-Bay Cloud NAS w/ AirPlay support: $219 shipped (Reg. $300+)
Newegg Monitor Sale: LG 27-inch w/ HDMI $170 shipped (Reg. $200+), more
Free Xbox Live Gold Games for August: Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes, more
Home: Hamilton Beach Deep Fryer $30 (up to $20 off), more

Motorola’s best-selling SurfBoard SB6121 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem: $52.87 shipped (Reg $100) http://t.co/TseErHGZ0k pic.twitter.com/0OicoL9mnx

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) July 28, 2015

The LEGO Movie Video Game for iOS gets its first price drop: $1 (Reg. $5) http://t.co/7L6mJmuQpm pic.twitter.com/K1wkqjBqBg

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) July 28, 2015

Bose SoundSport In-ear Headphones (green) $100 shipped (Reg. $150) http://t.co/uG9tGNoYiZ pic.twitter.com/L3nsD0wTZu

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) July 28, 2015

Apple 13″ MacBook Pro w/ Retina Display: 2.7GHz/8GB/128GB $1,100 (Reg. $1,299)

Cut the cord! Mohu Leaf 50 Ultimate HDTV Antenna (open box): $30 shipped (Orig. $90)

Color Wireless Printers: Dell LED Laser $100 (Reg. $150+), Canon All-In-One Inkjet $70 (Reg. $100)

Amazon’s new Launchpad store offers the latest gadgets from crowdfunding campaigns and startups

More new gear from today:

Daily Deals: Trendnet N600 Dual-Band Router $10, ZAGG iPad Mini ZAGGkeys Bluetooth Keyboard Cover (refurb) $10, more

Headphones: Sony MDR-7506 Professional Folding $70 (Reg. $100), Beyerdynamic DT 1350 $150 (Orig. $300+), more

New! Games: Final Fantasy Type-0 HD w/ XV demo $35, Fallout 4 Vault Dweller’s Guide $24
New! Media: $5 Blu-rays – Rush, This is 40, Public Enemies, more
New! iFixit Pro Tech Screwdriver Set & Jimmy Tool Bundle: $60 Shipped (Orig. $100)

Apple iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi 16GB in all colors for $400 shipped (Reg. $499) http://t.co/6m0iOdNOIA pic.twitter.com/gqknmZ9WtM

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) July 27, 2015

More deals still alive:

Apple’s massive iOS sale w/ 100 apps for $0.99 ea: Rayman, Angry Birds, Pixelmator, Spider-Man, many more

Free McGraw-Hill iOS apps for kids: Monster Squeeze, more (Reg. $2 ea.)

QuickRes – the app that changes your resolution in a click: 50% off

App Store Free App of the Week: SpongeBob Moves In ($4 value)

Disney’s award-winning Animated iPad app hits a new all-time low price of $3 (Reg. $10)

Save 50% on the brand new Screenium 3 high-res, high-speed screen capture app for Mac

Samsung 850 EVO 1TB 2.5-inch Internal Solid-State Drive: $310 shipped (Reg. $350

iPhone 6/Plus $100 off w/ VZW or Sprint 2-yr contract: 16GB $100, more
Etekcity 8GB Voice recorder and USB Stick: $13 shipped
iOttie Easy One Touch 2 iPhone car mount: $17 Prime shipped (Reg. $25)
Anker Bluetooth iPad Keyboards from $20: Folio Case $30 (Reg. $40), more
Sennheiser Urbanite on-ears for $75 or XL over-ears for $130 (Orig. up to $250), more
Magnetic Air Vent Car Mount Holder for iPhone 6/Plus $6 Prime shipped (Orig. $11)
Timbuk2 Iris Gym Duffel Bag (Black) for $30 shipped (Reg. $54)
Apple-Certified MFi Lightning Cables: 1-ft braided nylon $12, 10-ft $10, 3-ft $5, more
Canon PIXMA Inkjet Photo All-in-One Printer + software $20 shipped (Reg. $40+)
Jabra SOLEMATE Portable Bluetooth Speaker $60 shipped (Reg. $90+), more
Urge Soundbrick $18 shipped, waterproof shower speaker $10 shipped, more
Beats by Dr. Dre Studio Wireless On-Ear Headphones in Titanium: $209 shipped (Orig. $380)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II is now available for Mac: $7 (Reg. $10)
Cook your food perfectly with the Range Smart Thermometer: $60 shipped (Orig. $70)
Shoot cinematic masterpieces w/ iStabilizer: $39 (Orig. $60)
Themes for iBooks Author for $9.99 (50% off)
Designs for Mail for $9.99 (50% off)
Learn to build 11 apps with this exclusive iOS 9 Swift coding course: $59 (Orig. $299)
Blinkist Premium 1-yr Subscription: 1000+ Grasp Nonfiction Books: $30 (Orig. $80)
Spigen’s latest Apple Watch dock is made for watchOS 2, pre-order now for $12
Pay what you want for the 7-course Web Hacker Bundle ($1,043 value, currently $6)
Complete this Chipotle trivia game & receive a buy one, get one free coupon
Sennheiser HD650 + Apogee Groove portable DAC/amp $550 shipped ($755 value)
American Express rolls out PayPal competitor, offers $10 statement credit for trying it

New products & more:

Plantronics new BackBeat Sense Bluetooth headphones are loaded with sensors

This Lightning cable cleverly solves an annoyance every iPhone user deals with

Make your own miniature 3D printed, Raspberry Pi-powered Game Boy emulator
Hori’s new Tactical Assault Commander 4 brings PC style controls to the PS4
2K announces Terminator as a playable character for WWE 2K16
JBL details new Flip3 & Xtreme portable Bluetooth speakers w/ fresh designs & features
Converse upgrades its Chuck Taylors with new technology for the first time in 98 years
Dad makes a custom Mario Kart 8-inspired nursery and becomes instant internet sensation
The Panono panoramic camera is filled with 36 lenses that total 108MP, available today
Stary Board cuts the weight to become the “world’s lightest” electric vehicle

Review: Bang & Olufsen Beolit 15 Bluetooth speaker

Review: DODOcase Apple Watch Charging Stand

Review: SanDisk Connect Wireless Stic

Periscope for iOS adds Handoff support, ability to mute notifications, more

Chance Miller Jul 27 2015 - 3:18 pm PT

The popular live streaming app Periscope today announced a much-welcomed update to its iOS app. The update, which bumps the app to version 1.1.3, includes a couple of new features and tweaks. For one, users now have the ability to mute notifications on a user-by-user basis. For instance, if you follow someone, you can now go to their Periscope account and turn off notifications for when they initiate a new broadcast.

Power for Apple Watch, the iPhone battery monitor, adds charging and low power alerts

Zac Hall Jul 27 2015 - 1:01 pm PT

12 Comments

We told you last month about a neat Apple Watch utility app called Power, and today it’s learning a handy new trick and becoming even more useful. Power, created in part by jailbreak developer Surenix, lets you check how much battery power your iPhone has remotely from your Apple Watch. As I mentioned before, this is a practical utility as it’s not uncommon to use the Apple Watch to stay on top of notifications while the iPhone charges in another room.

Starting with version 1.1, Power is adding support for notifications. This means you can charge your phone and know when it hits certain percentages in case you’re waiting for that level to take it off the charger and head out the door.
Expand
Expanding
Close

eBay discontinuing several mobile apps including Fashion and Motors for iOS

Zac Hall Jul 27 2015 - 12:06 pm PT

Commerce company eBay announced today that it will soon retire several of its mobile apps including ones on iPhone and iPad. eBay’s primary iOS app will not be going anyway, however, and several of the discontinued apps will eventually see their features appear in the main eBay app.

In an effort to simply the shopping experience, eBay says it will be shutting down its Valet, Fashion, and Motors apps soon and later integrate their features into eBay’s primary app.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Pandora’s ‘Sponsored Listening’ rewards ad interactions with commercial-free playback

Jordan Kahn Jul 27 2015 - 11:39 am PT

6 Comments

After a pilot of its new “Sponsored Listening” advertisements last year, streaming music service Pandora Radio announced today that it’s rolling out the feature to all advertisers and listeners in its mobile apps. The feature rewards users with an hour of ad-free, uninterrupted listening as long as they first interact with an ad for at least 15 seconds.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple bringing its Maps vehicles to France, Sweden & more US/UK cities

Jordan Kahn Jul 27 2015 - 9:51 am PT

Apple has announced an expansion of its Apple Maps vehicle program, a fleet of vans equipped with advanced sensors collecting data for an improved Maps experience. Among the new locations, Apple will be bringing the vehicles to France and Sweden for the first time, while it also plans to survey a long list of new cities in the US and UK where it’s already started surveying.

We first reported on the project back in May, noting that Apple was gathering data to reduce its reliance on third-parties, including getting Google Street View-type images of storefronts and other 3D imagery.

For France, Apple lists the following areas already scheduled for surveying: Hauts-de-Seine, Paris (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th), Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne.

For Sweden, the areas the company plans to visit include: Malmö in Skåne County, and Stockholm (Bromma, Enskede-Årsta-Vantör, Farsta, Hägersten-Liljeholmen, Hässelby-Vällingby, Kungsholmen, Norrmalm, Rinkeby-Kista, Skarpnäck, Skärholmen, Spånga-Tensta, Södermalm, Älvsjö, Östermalm).

Apple has also added a number of new areas in the UK and US that it plans to survey from August 17th to August 30th next month. The full list is on its website here along with other dates scheduled for data collection in various locations.

9to5Toys Last Call: iPad Air 16GB $300, Samsung EVO 1TB SSD $310, Sony 4K AirPlay Receiver $299, more

Justin Kahn Jul 27 2015 - 9:04 am PT

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″ MacBook Pro w/ Retina Display: 2.7GHz/8GB/128GB $1,100 (Reg. $1,299)

Inatech 2.5″ HDD Enclosure Case w/ three USB 3.0 ports: $22 Prime shipped (Reg. $30)
Plantronics new BackBeat Sense Bluetooth headphones are loaded with sensors
Hori’s new Tactical Assault Commander 4 brings PC style controls to the PS4
Make your own miniature 3D printed, Raspberry Pi-powered Game Boy emulator
2K announces Terminator as a playable character for WWE 2K16
Cook your food perfectly with the Range Smart Thermometer: $60 shipped (Orig. $70)
Home: Dyson refurbs – upright vac $180/handheld $75, more

65-inch Vizio 120Hz 1080P HDTV (refurb) $497 shipped/site to store (recommended) at Walmart http://t.co/jo0TeS6Oll pic.twitter.com/AuISUGybIh

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) July 27, 2015

iPad Air in Silver or Space Gray: 16GB $300 (Reg. $399), 32GB $350 (Reg. $449)

Apple iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi 16GB in all colors for $400 shipped (Reg. $499) http://t.co/6m0iOdNOIA pic.twitter.com/gqknmZ9WtM

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) July 27, 2015

Samsung 850 EVO 1TB 2.5-inch Internal Solid-State Drive: $310 shipped (Reg. $350)

Sony 7.2-ch. 4K AV Receiver w/ AirPlay and Bluetooth for $299 shipped (Reg. $400), more

QuickRes – the app that changes your resolution in a click: 50% off

Apple’s massive iOS sale w/ 100 apps for $0.99 ea: Rayman, Angry Birds, Pixelmator, Spider-Man, many more

App Store Free App of the Week: SpongeBob Moves In ($4 value)

Disney’s award-winning Animated iPad app hits a new all-time low price of $3 (Reg. $10)

Save 50% on the brand new Screenium 3 high-res, high-speed screen capture app for Mac

More new gear from today:

Motorola Refurb DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modems: SB6121 $45 (Orig. $100), SB6141 $55 (Orig. $100)

New! Daily Deals: Lumsing 10400mAh Power Bank $12, LifeCHARGE case $40, more
New! Games/Apps: Zelda Majora’s Mask 3DS $33, 1 yr. PS Plus $40, more
New! Etekcity 8GB Voice recorder and USB Stick: $13 shipped
New! LED light bulbs up to 40% off: 4-pack $17 shipped (Reg. $23+), more
New! Shoot cinematic masterpieces w/ iStabilizer: $39 (Orig. $60)
New! Free McGraw-Hill iOS apps for kids: Monster Squeeze, more (Reg. $2 ea.)
New! Designs for Mail for $9.99 (50% off)
New! Themes for iBooks Author for $9.99 (50% off)

65-inch Vizio 120Hz 1080P HDTV (refurb) $497 shipped/site to store (recommended) at Walmart http://t.co/jo0TeS6Oll pic.twitter.com/AuISUGybIh

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) July 27, 2015

More deals still alive:

iPhone 6/Plus $100 off w/ VZW or Sprint 2-yr contract: 16GB $100, 64GB $200, 128GB $300

iOttie Easy One Touch 2 iPhone car mount: $17 Prime shipped (Reg. $25)

Anker Bluetooth iPad Keyboards from $20: Folio Case $30 (Reg. $40), more
VIZIO 43-inch 4K 120Hz Smart LED UHDTV: $500 shipped (Reg. $600)
Tweetbot for Mac hits its lowest price ever: $10 (Reg. $13)
Sennheiser Urbanite on-ears for $75 or XL over-ears for $130 (Orig. up to $250), more
Magnetic Air Vent Car Mount Holder for iPhone 6/Plus $6 Prime shipped (Orig. $11)
Timbuk2 Iris Gym Duffel Bag (Black) for $30 shipped (Reg. $54)
Apple-Certified MFi Lightning Cables: 1-ft braided nylon $12, 10-ft $10, 3-ft $5, more
Canon PIXMA Inkjet Photo All-in-One Printer + software $20 shipped (Reg. $40+)
Jabra SOLEMATE Portable Bluetooth Speaker $60 shipped (Reg. $90+), more
Urge Soundbrick $18 shipped, waterproof shower speaker $10 shipped, more
Beats by Dr. Dre Studio Wireless On-Ear Headphones in Titanium: $209 shipped (Orig. $380)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II is now available for Mac: $7 (Reg. $10)
Save 30% on fashion at Amazon: Herschel Supply Co., Lacoste, PUMA, more
Learn to build 11 apps with this exclusive iOS 9 Swift coding course: $59 (Orig. $299)
Blinkist Premium 1-yr Subscription: 1000+ Grasp Nonfiction Books: $30 (Orig. $80)
Spigen’s latest Apple Watch dock is made for watchOS 2, pre-order now for $12
Pay what you want for the 7-course Web Hacker Bundle ($1,043 value, currently $6)
Complete this Chipotle trivia game & receive a buy one, get one free coupon
Sennheiser HD650 + Apogee Groove portable DAC/amp $550 shipped ($755 value)
Bose SoundTouch Portable Series II Wireless Music System from $269 (Reg. $325)
Aukey USB Chargers: 5-Port USB Desktop Charging Station $22, more
JBL Control One 4″ Indoor/Outdoor Speakers: $80 or 2-pairs for $150 shipped (Orig. $180)
Kmashi 10,000mAh Dual-USB Power Bank: $9.39 Prime shipped (Orig. $50)
American Express rolls out PayPal competitor, offers $10 statement credit for trying it
Free PS Plus Games for July: Styx Master of Shadows, Rocket League, more
Free Xbox Gold Games for July: Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, more

New products & more:

This Lightning cable cleverly solves an annoyance every iPhone user deals with

JBL details new Flip3 & Xtreme portable Bluetooth speakers w/ fresh designs & features

Converse upgrades its Chuck Taylors with new technology for the first time in 98 years
Dad makes a custom Mario Kart 8-inspired nursery and becomes instant internet sensation
The Panono panoramic camera is filled with 36 lenses that total 108MP, available today
Stary Board cuts the weight to become the “world’s lightest” electric vehicle
Cusby adapters work like LEGO to let you build a custom USB-C hub
ZNAPS gives any Lightning or microUSB charging cable a MagSafe-like connector
Jet.com is ready to battle Amazon and Walmart for your online shopping needs
A-Bike Electric has powered assistance in the “lightest” package in the world
Hot Toys is partnering with Disney to create an 18-foot long Millennium Falcon model
Acer’s $100 Liquid Leap+ Fitness Watch for iOS/Android with a 20% discount
The Remix Mini is a low-cost Android-based PC alternative

Review: Bang & Olufsen Beolit 15 Bluetooth speaker

Review: DODOcase Apple Watch Charging Stand

Review: SanDisk Connect Wireless Stic

Google Spotlight Stories arrives on iOS – beautiful, 360-degree, immersive animations

Ben Lovejoy Jul 24 2015 - 4:07 am PT

10 Comments

There aren’t too many cool apps that launch first on Android, but Google Spotlight Stories is one. It plays sweet, animated stories using a mix of 2D and 3D imagery – the cool part being that you can ‘look around’ the scene simply by rotating your phone.

Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling made just for mobile. Engineers and critically-acclaimed filmmakers are bringing stories to life using the latest advances in mobile technology. Using 3D and 2D animation, 360° spherical cinema-quality video, sound sphere audio and sensor fusion techniques, the screen is now a window into a story that unfolds all around you. Look anywhere, follow individual characters, watch it over again and again. It’s a little different each time. Google Spotlight Stories is your mobile movie theatre.

There’s some heavy-duty talent behind the creation of the stories, the debut story Windy Days being created by former Pixar animators, and Help by Justin Lin, director of The Fast and the Furious …

YouTube for iOS updated w/ support for fullscreen vertical videos, mobile notifications

Chance Miller Jul 23 2015 - 7:47 pm PT

3 Comments

On the same night that VidCon kicks off in Los Angeles, Google has released a new version of YouTube for iOS. Earlier this week, the Android version of the app was updated with a fix for those annoying videos filmed vertically. Now, that update is making its way to iOS.

Apple highlighting Accessibility apps to celebrate anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act

Chance Miller Jul 23 2015 - 2:47 pm PT

Apple today has launched a new page on the App Store dedicated to showcasing apps that take advantage of the Accessibility features on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Apple says that the section is meant to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Accessibility featured page on the App Store is further broken down into sections for Vision, Hearing, Speech, Learning and Literacy, and Physical and Motor Skill.

Apple launches massive iOS sale w/ 100 apps for $0.99 ea: Rayman, Angry Birds, Pixelmator, Spider-Man, many more

Justin Kahn Jul 23 2015 - 1:53 pm PT

3 Comments

From 9to5Toys.com:

Unlike most App Store promos, Apple has now quietly kicked off one the largest iOS game/app sales we have seen this year. The news comes courtesy of participating app developer Readdle.

The sale includes 100 apps and games at “new low prices”, most of which are $0.99. While we have posted some of these titles over the past week in our daily/game app roundups, this is the first time they’ve all appeared together in one giant sale. Now is your chance to fill up your app library, as we are seeing all-time lows on games, productivity apps, photography apps and much more.

A couple standouts are Pixelmator (Reg. $5), GoodReader (Reg. $5), The Room Two (Reg. $3), Rayman Jungle Run (Reg. $3), BADLAND (Reg. $4), Real Racing (Reg. $5), Angry Birds titles, and well, far too many to mention here. Not even including the insanely popular Angry Birds games, just these apps alone combine for a 4+ star rating from 100,000 reviews.

If there is still a couple apps you can’t find in this sale, then be sure to hit our daily roundups for even more discounted options and the new Free App of the Week.

You can also download Screenium 3 on Mac for 50% off (Reg. $50) for a limited time.

Meerkat teaming up with GoPro to offer live streaming from action cameras

Zac Hall Jul 23 2015 - 1:40 pm PT

Twitter’s Periscope app may have taken a lot of the attention from Meerkat after the live video streaming competitor launched, but the first live streaming service to capture everyone’s attention this year isn’t giving up yet.

Meerkat announced an interesting partnership with GoPro today at VidCon, CNBC says. The partnership will allow GoPro users to live stream on the Meerkat service using action cameras. Previously streaming was limited to using either the front or rear smartphone camera so adding GoPro cameras as a source should result in some interesting streams for viewers.

The integration between GoPro and Meerkat is currently supported on GoPro3 cameras while a future update will add support for GoPro4 cameras. Meerkat and GoPro for iOS available for free on the App Store. Meerkat shared these instructions today for setting up the new feature:

[tweet https://twitter.com/AppMeerkat/status/624271796867592192 align=’center’]

Microsoft Office iOS apps add Outlook integration, improved sharing, protected documents, & more

Jordan Kahn Jul 23 2015 - 1:25 pm PT

1 Comment

Microsoft is rolling out an update to some its Office iOS apps today that includes a handful of new features for the Word, PowerPoint, and Excel iPhone and iPad apps.

Among the new features, all three apps get support for viewing protected documents and Outlook integration. For Outlook, users now have the ability to “send a document as an attachment in Outlook. Or directly edit a document attached to or linked from an Outlook email message.”

In addition, all three apps get support for bi-directional and script languages, including Thai, Hebrew, and Arabic.

The updated apps will also now let users invite others to edit a document and configure permissions for those collaborators.

The updated Microsoft Office apps (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) are available on the App Store now.

Pinterest for iOS updated with enhanced Pin button extension

Zac Hall Jul 23 2015 - 11:59 am PT

The iOS 8 update last year introduced the ability for third-party apps to extend their apps to share sheets in other apps just like Messages, Mail, Facebook, and other apps. Pinterest was ready on day one with an iOS app extension in the form of a Pin button that allowed you to “pin” content from Safari to your account.

Today its introducing an enhanced version of that Pin button just as functional as the web version with the ability to “edit descriptions of Pins, create new boards and choose from multiple images in a new grid format.” This should make it easier to save content for viewing later, tagging it with a proper description, and putting in somewhere where you can find it safely later when using the service.

You can download the latest version of Pinterest with the enhanced Pin button share extension for free from the App Store, and Pinterest has created a helpful image that shows how to enable any supported extension on iOS 8 for iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:

9to5Toys Last Call: GoPro HERO4 Black $399, Bluetooth iPad Keyboards from $20, 15″ Retina MacBook Pro $1,750, more

Justin Kahn Jul 23 2015 - 9:06 am PT