Horn goes free as Apple’s new App of the Week

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 17, 2014

I sincerely hope that you’ve downloaded last week’s Free App of the Week, Warhammer Quest, a triple-A role playing game from Rodeo Games and Games Workshop set in the famous Warhammer world.

Apple does not always highlight premium apps and games in its ongoing promotion, but this one was well worthy your attention.

So, how about another free triple-A game?

Your prayers have been answered: enter Horn for the iPhone and iPad, Apple’s latest Free App of the Week. Normally a $6.99 value, Horn is free until next Thursday, April 24.

This premium third-person action adventure game has you playing as Horn, the young blacksmith’s apprentice who must fight monstrous creatures – actually your fellow villagers transformed into dark creatures by a curse.

Released in August 2012, Horn is set in a lush and beautifully rendered fantasy world. The game received some rather raving reviews due to its wonderful graphics, precise controls, Zelda-like appeal, great voice acting completed by Austin Wintory’s soundtrack and an addictive combination of puzzle-solving and sword slashing action.

Best you act now and grab it free in the App Store, lest you forget about it later… Read More

 

FaceTime connectivity issues reaching many iOS users

By Jake Smith on Apr 17, 2014

Users on iOS 6, iOS 7, and Macs are having issues connecting FaceTime video calls on Thursday.

Many complaints have rung across Twitter and Apple Support communities. Even some of our devices here at iDownloadBlog are unable to connect for unknown reasons.  Read More

 

Auxo 2 gains iPad support

By Jeff Benjamin on Apr 17, 2014

As promised, a3tweaks has released Auxo 2 version 1.1, and it comes with full iPad support. I’ve been playing with Auxo 2 1.1 for a while, and I can confirm that the iPad support is well-done.

To be honest, Auxo 2 feels more suited for the iPad than the iPhone. I noted in our Auxo 2 review that the tweak’s Multi-Center view, a mode that combines both Control Center and the App Switcher, felt a bit cramped on the small 4″ screen of the iPhone 5s. It’s the complete opposite on the large screen of the iPad.

From a pure functionality standpoint, everything is pretty much the same as the previous version of Auxo 2. The big deal here is addition of iPad support, and it’s well-warranted.  Read More

 

Apple officially endorses CarPlay aftermarket kits by Alpine and Pioneer

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 17, 2014

Apple on March 2 took the wraps off CarPlay, its in-car solution formerly known as iOS in the Car. The company said the feature would premier with only three premium brands – Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Ferrari – while naming two dozen additional manufacturers who pledged their support for the software.

Outside these launch partners, only Hyundai has thus far gone on the record officially confirming that CarPlay functionality will be available on its new mid-size 2015 Sonata sedan that will be available to buy at dealerships. Toyota initially said it would add CarPlay to select 2015 vehicles, but quickly changed its mind.

Realizing there’s money to be made from CarPlay, makers of in-car electronic systems Alpine and Pioneer both announced aftermarket CarPlay kits for older vehicles. We wondered whether these kits were Apple-sanctioned. Looks like we’ve gotten our answer as the iPhone maker has now added Alpine and Pioneer’s upcoming kits to its CarPlay webpage… Read More

 

LG launches AirPlay-like SDK to stream media to multiple TVs, Apple TV support incoming

By Jake Smith on Apr 17, 2014

LG is hoping to make it easier for users to beam media to their televisions, with a new SDK it’s making available to developers to integrate into apps on iOS and Android.

Smart TVs have historically been one of the most closed platforms out there, with manufacturers developing features for only their own TVs and set-top boxes, and not the broader market – example being Apple’s AirPlay. LG is changing this with its new Integrate Connect SDK, a standard to place into mobile apps to beam media across multiple platforms onto the big screen. Read More

 

Dropbox acquires cloud-based photo management service Loom

By Cody Lee on Apr 17, 2014

Following the debut of its new Carousel photo and video management app last week, Dropbox announced today that it has acquired Loom, a cloud-based service for storing your photos. The move should surprise no one, as both companies have very similar goals, but it will affect end users.

Starting today, Loom is no longer accepting new users, and the service will officially shut down on May 16. Current users have until then to act if they wish to save any of their photos/videos by either exporting them to Dropbox, with no interruption in service, or downloading them via a zip file… Read More

 

JailbreakCon 2014 mini talks now live on YouTube

By Sébastien Page on Apr 17, 2014

This year’s edition of JailbreakCon saw the introduction of mini talks, short presentations by various actors of the jailbreak community on different topics. Talks were between 5 and 20 minutes and were the occasion for speakers to share some of their knowledge with the audience, without necessarily taking up a whole lot of time.

I was actually one of the mini talk speakers. I actually believe that I went way over the 15 minutes I was allotted. Check inside for all videos of all the mini talks… Read More

 

GoogolPlex will ‘unleash the power of Siri’ with Nest, Philips Hue, Spotify commands

By Jake Smith on Apr 17, 2014

Siri within iOS 7 can be limited sometimes, thanks to Apple’s “walled garden”, but a new tool called GoogolPlex wants to change that by opening the voice assistant to new commands.

Self described as the “App Store for Siri”, GoogolPlex opens Siri to work with Spotify, Philips Hue, the Nest Thermostat and more, just by an iOS user changing a few proxy settings… Read More

 

Retina iPad mini refurbs now available

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 17, 2014

Apple’s iPad mini with Retina display is great until the reality hits you in your face with a lofty price tag of four hundred bucks for the entry-level model with just sixteen gigabytes of storage and no cellular connectivity. From time to time, Apple makes good-as-new gear such as iPads and MacBooks available for purchase at reduced prices via the refurbished section of its Online Apple Store.

And now, for the first time the company’s iPad mini with Retina display is available refurbished, too, starting at $419 for for the Wi-Fi model with 32 gigabytes of storage. That’s sixteen percent off for a cool $80 savings over the list price. The 64GB Wi-Fi refurb costs $509, or $90 less versus standard pricing for brand new models… Read More

 

Facebook launches its own Find My Friends feature

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 17, 2014

Social networking giant Facebook is bound to stir controversy all over again as it’s just introduced a new friend-tracking feature. Similar to Apple’s free Find My Friends iOS app, Facebook’s Nearby Friends basically notifies you when your friends are nearby.

It’s a rather radical idea, one Facebook said Thursday was designed to encourage people to “meet up and spend time together” in real life. Go figure. Learn more about Facebook’s Find My Friends right below the fold… Read More

 

Fantastical 2 for iPad giveaway

By Sébastien Page on Apr 17, 2014

When someone asks me what the best calendar app is, I usually don’t think twice about recommending Fantastical 2. It’s simple, elegant, and very easy to use, making it the de facto choice for me.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, Fantastical 2 was only available on iPhone, but after several years, the fine folks at Flexibits have finally graced us with Fantastical 2 for iPad, which we reviewed and loved when it first came out.

If you haven’t already pulled the trigger on this app, then you’re in luck, because we’ve joined forces with Flexibits to offer you a chance to win one of ten promo codes for Fantastical 2 for iPad… Read More

 

RunKeeper launches Breeze, fitness/activity tracking iPhone 5s app with eye-candy UI

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 17, 2014

RunKeeper has released a new iOS application that counts steps taken and tracks your activity. I know there are now dozens of apps in the App Store.

That being said, RunKeeper is a huge player in fitness and Breeze is brilliantly designed, gamified and available totally free of charge, no in-app purchases required whatsoever.

The software takes advantage of Apple’s M7 motion coprocessor inside the iPhone 5s to track up to seven days worth of activity, even when the app isn’t running and without taking any noticeable hit on your battery life.

Breeze is a free download from the App Store. I’ve included nearly a dozen pretty screenshots and more information right after the break so give the app a whirl and let us know what you think in the comments… Read More

 

Hitman Go arrives in the App Store

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 17, 2014

As promised, Square Enix Montréal has brought its console-only Hitman franchise to iOS with today’s release of Hitman Go. Like past Hitman titles, this game puts you in the shoes of the franchise’s main hitman character, Agent 47.

But unlike previous releases, Hitman Go is turn-based and involves stealth elements coupled with puzzle solving and requires a strong focus on strategy planning.

The game features diorama-style set pieces and its turn-based approach dictates game mechanics where you navigate fixed spaces on a grid in order to avoid enemies and infiltrate well guarded locations. Your ultimate goal: taking out your target.

The iPhone and iPad game is now available for five bucks a pop. Jump past the fold for more info… Read More

 

QuickWeather: Easily access current weather info from anywhere

By Jeff Benjamin on Apr 17, 2014

QuickWeather is a recently released tweak that allows users to access current weather information from anywhere on the iPhone. By means of a handy Activator gesture, users can invoke QuickWeather from the Home screen, or while within an app.

QuickWeather a simple tweak with no settings to configure outside of its Activator gesture. Have a look at our video review after the break. Read More

 

Flickr 3.0 for iOS: revamped UI, HD video capture, auto-tagging, detailed metadata and more

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 17, 2014

Yahoo-owned Flickr is a great photography service – I’ve been using it for years as my default companion photo storage solution.

It’s not just the fact that everyone gets a whopping one terabyte of free cloud storage for their photos, Flickr features a bunch of advanced options and keeps your photos backed up in the cloud in their full resolution.

Flickr’s iOS app has been nice, albeit a bit rudimentary in terms of features. This changes with today’s release of an all-new Flickr version 3.0.

Some of the many new features iPhone photography fans will surely fall in love with include the ability to record, edit and upload high-definition video, photo auto-tagging, comb through your photos using complex search criteria, access detailed photo data, share easily and quickly to Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook and lots more… Read More

 

Bug-fix iOS 7.1.1 update now appearing in web logs

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 17, 2014

It’s been nearly a month since Apple released iOS 7.1 and now the firm is seemingly prepping the first bug fix update, iOS 7.1.1. As you know, iOS 7.1, the first major update to Apple’s revamped mobile operating system, debuted last September.

It’s brought out built-in CarPlay support, Siri and Touch ID improvements, UI tweaks, major bug fixes, improved performance (especially on older devices like the iPhone 4) and a bunch of nice-to-haves.

According to online reports, iOS 7.1.1 is now appearing in web analytics tools, indicating Apple has now started testing the software with a wider group of employees ahead of the official release… Read More

 

Pixelmator 3.2 ‘Sandstone’ coming with Repair tool, app goes half price for entire week

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 17, 2014

As Peter Cohen put it, Pixelmator is to Photoshop as Sketch 3 is to Adobe Illustrator and I couldn’t agree more.

I don’t use the most advanced Photoshop features and Pixelmator ($29.99 in the Mac App Store) has served me well as more than a very capable alternative to Adobe’s image editing application. I use Pixelmator on a daily basis to edit press photographs, optimize images for web distribution, touch up snaps taken on my iPhone, create various compositions, convert between different formats and what not.

After issuing a major 3.1 update back in January with Mac Pro GPU acceleration and other goodies, the team is now teasing another forthcoming update, this one code-named Sandstone… Read More

 

Direct mobile app installs coming to your Twitter timeline soon

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 17, 2014

Micro-blogging platform Twitter on Thursday announced a full suite of targeting, creative and measurement tools that enable Twitter advertisers to promote their mobile apps, both on and off-Twitter.

One particular native ad unit takes advantage of Twitter Cards and Promoted Tweets technologies to allow users to easily install and engage with apps, directly from their Twitter timeline.

Currently, tapping an App Store link in a tweet in Twitter’s free iPhone and iPad application opens the link in an in-app browser which then redirects the request to the App Store app. Direct app installs from Twitter timelines is limited to this new ad unit and it’s not clear if Twitter plans on enabling the feature for common app store links in people’s tweets… Read More

 

Apple Stores and corporate campus to celebrate 2014 Earth Day

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 17, 2014

Apple’s brick-and-mortar stores in the United States and around the world will celebrate the upcoming Earth Day next Tuesday, April 22. According to a new report Thursday, Apple’s Cupertino, California campus will also join the celebration with a major internal event on April 22 focused on 2014 Earth Day.

This year’s Earth Day, prefixed with Green Cities, is focused on environment-friendly buildings, transportation and cities. Apple Stores will change their logo color to green to mark the occasion. More info right after the break… Read More

 

Twitterrific for iOS now lets you edit tweets after they’ve been published

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 17, 2014

What if you could edit a tweet that’s already been tweeted out? A new Twitterrific for iOS update by Iconfactory lets you do just that! Now available free in the App Store, Twitterrific for the iPhone and iPad now lets you edit previously published tweet in your timeline.

This is a rather interesting development as even Twitter’s own iOS app won’t let you edit a tweet after it’s been posted. So, how did Iconfactory accomplish this? Read on for the full reveal… Read More

 
Page 112345...