Year: 2014

Downcast apps for iOS and Mac on sale for a limited time

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Folks looking to branch out in the world of podcast apps may want to check out Downcast for iOS and Mac. The two apps are considered by many to be best in their respective categories, and for a limited time, both of them are available at discounts of up to 50%.

The iPhone client, for those who haven't used it, is about as sharp as they come. It's packed with innovative features like gesture-based playback controls, and looks great thanks to its recent iOS 7 refresh. And the Mac version of the app is equally impressive...

Pocket updated with new languages, support for Medium and more

Cody Lee ∙ April 9, 2014

Last month, popular read-it-later service Pocket took its iOS client global, adding the support of French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish languages. Until then, the app could only display UI elements (not saved content) in English.

Today the service built on that achievement by adding support for 5 new languages, including both Chinese and Portuguese, via an app update. The release, marked as version 5.2.1, also features better support for Medium and other improvements....

New report says iWatch is set to launch in September

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

It sounds like Apple is aiming for a fall launch of its so-called iWatch project. According to a new report from DigiTimes, the Cupertino company has taken delivery of samples of flexible circuit boards for the smartwatch ahead of its September debut.

The news comes just 24 hours after Taiwan’s Economic Daily News claimed that Apple was aiming for a 3rd quarter iWatch launch. And while both outlets have somewhat sketchy track records, combined with previous intel the two reports hold weight...

Upcoming ‘PushNotify’ tweak will let you forward push notifications from iOS to the Mac

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 8, 2014

I've been testing PushNotify for a few weeks, and now I can finally talk about what it does. A lot of you have been asking me about this tweak, because you've seen its settings featured in my other videos and screenshots.

PushNotify, to put it simply, is a jailbreak tweak that lets your forward push notifications to the Mac. It does so by means of a small menu-bar utility that runs on the Mac, and a jailbreak tweak that's installed via Cydia on your iOS device.

We've taken PushNotify for a test drive on video, and we'd like to show you how it works. Check inside for the details.

GesturesPlus: improve the pinch-to-close iOS 7 animation

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 8, 2014

If you've used Auxo 2, you're probably aware of the interesting animation that occurs when closing an app using a swipe-up gesture from the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. The result is an animation that features all of the app icons on the Home screen zooming out in sync with the closing application.

This is the same pinch-to-close gesture that's available on the iPad, and it's only recently gaining significant notoriety on the iPhone due to Auxo's slick implementation of it. In iOS 7.1, Apple changed the animation slightly to better represent an app's presence in iOS' three dimensional space, and GesturesPlus—a recently released tweak available for free on Cydia's BigBoss repo—brings these changes to lesser firmware.

Admittedly, the function of this tweak is a bit difficult to explain in writing, so I encourage you to click past the break to watch the video where I compare the animations before and after GesturesPlus is installed.

Flashout 2 review: race in a future with flying cars and rockets

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

Racing games all have pretty much the same game mechanic. Drive fast, beat your opponent, and sometimes upgrade your car. No matter how many different versions of the game I play, I love every one of them. Racing is fun. Especially when you can blow your opponent to smithereens.

Flashout 2 is a racing game set in an utopian future where cars can fly, money litters the streets, and it is legal, in some cases required, for you to destroy your opponent…

Klout for iPhone goes 2.0: personalized content stream, topic explorer, Klout Perks and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

Klout started out in 2008 with the promise of measuring the world's influence. Although its rapid rise to fame has inspired a bunch of similar services, Klout has remained my favorite social media analytics.

Upon connecting your social media accounts with Klout, the service calculates your score on a scale of 1-100, depending on the popularity of your posts as measured by the number of interactions and reposts from your community, among other factors.

To derive your score, Klout processes an astounding 50 billion pieces of information every single day. Granted, Klout isn't the most accurate social analytics tool out there, but it does help you get noticed for your unique passions.

Besides, the team is dutifully adding new features on a regular basis. My only gripe with Klout: its sub-par iPhone app - and I'm using the term 'app' loosely here - that would only let me see my Klout score and nothing else.

Today's version 2.0 update changes all that by adding several much-needed features such as personalized content streams, the new content scheduler and topic explorers, Klout Perks and more...

Amazon announces it’s passed Apple and Hulu in streaming video usage

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Following the unveiling of its new Fire TV box last week, Amazon announced today that video streams on Instant Video nearly tripled over the past year. And according to a report from tracking firm Qwilt, the e-commerce giant has surpassed Apple and Hulu in streaming video usage.

The report doesn't mention how traffic for Apple and Hulu is being tracked, but it does show that Amazon experienced a 94% traffic volume increase of streaming video users in the last 12 months. In fact, in March, Amazon's Instant Video service was only topped by Netflix and YouTube...

Adobe Lightroom for iPad now available

Cody Lee ∙ April 8, 2014

Nearly a year ago, Adobe’s Tom Hogarty showed off an unnamed prototype iPad app that brought pro-level photo editing and image manipulation capabilities to the Apple tablet. Then in January, the company let it slip that an iPad version of Lightroom was in the works.

Today that app has landed in the App Store as Adobe Lightroom for iPad. From afar, the software looks powerful, capable of editing RAW DSLR photos and more. But, as with many professional mobile tools, you'll have to be a subscriber to Adobe's Cloud service to use it...

Auxo 2 update brings improved performance, CCToggles compatibility, and more

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 8, 2014

Don't be fooled. Despite the fact that the latest update to Auxo 2 is labeled as an incremental 1.0.2 update, you'll find quite a few fixes and enhancements in its change log.

One of the biggest complaints about Auxo 2 was that it lacked compatibility with popular tweaks like CCToggles and LockHTML3. That has all been remedied in version 1.0.2, which is available right now on Cydia.

I've taken version 1.0.2 for a test drive, and I've found a stabler and more mature Auxo 2. Have a look inside for the details.

FCC filing says Apple exploring development of a set-top box

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Evidence is mounting that Apple is working on advancing its $99 set-top box around a bunch of new features like downloadable apps and games, iOS 7 game controller support, streamable television channels and subscriptions, DVR and wireless AirPort router capabilities, cable box functionality and what not. Whether any of this pans out is up for debate.

That said, surely Apple won't be standing still as new entrants like Amazon enter the crowded living room space. Perhaps the most solid piece of evidence to date comes in a filing with the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) related to the planned Comcast and Time Warner Cable merger.

Hit the jump for more...