It's the weekend again, and you know what that means: it's time for another edition of our Apps of the Week post. For those who aren't familiar with the column, this is where we put together a small list of apps and games that we think are worth checking out, and we think we've really made some awesome selections this week.
Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with the app Loopimal by Yatatoy. This means that for the next 7 days, you'll be able to pick up the critically acclaimed children's title for both iPhone and iPad for free—a solid savings of $3.
Loopimal is essentially a building kit of handcrafted animations and sounds that teaches kids about music. The graphics are both sharp and charming, and the rhythmic/melodic content makes for endless possibilities of creations and compositions.
Apple on Thursday seeded public betas for both iOS 10 and macOS Sierra. The releases, which come just a few days after beta 2 of both software updates pushed out to developers, can be downloaded by members of Apple's Beta Software Program.
iOS 10 brings about a number of changes, including a refreshed Messages app with tons of new features, enhanced notifications, Spotlight widgets, and much more. There aren't quite as many changes in macOS Sierra, but it compliments iOS 10 nicely.
Verizon on Wednesday announced a new wireless plan platform and several new features for its customers. The new plan is more expensive, but it includes at least 30% more data than the previous offering, as well as new stuff like Carryover Data and Safety Mode.
It looks like they're calling it simply the new Verizon Plan, and it comes in 5 flavors: Small, Medium, Large, X-Large and XX-Large. The Small option costs $35 per month for 2GB (previously $30/month for 1GB), and the XXL gives you 24GB for $110 per month.
Nintendo plans to push further into development for smart devices, and is exploring the idea of hardware, the company said during its annual shareholders meeting. Polygon passes along comments made by Nintendo's GM of entertainment planning and development during the meeting, in which he said the game-maker is considering building physical controllers for smartphones and tablets.
The storage options for the iPhone 7 will feature a higher starting point, reports The Wall Street Journal. Citing a person familiar with Apple's plans, the outlet says that instead of 16GB, the entry level model will come with 32GB of storage.
This isn't the first time we've heard this is going to happen with this year's iPhone, but coming from a source like The Journal certainly adds more weight to the theory. If true, this will solve a pain point that has been plaguing users for years.
This upcoming Monday is the 4th of July, which for many folks means a 3-day weekend. So if you find yourself with extra time to spare over the next few days, be sure to check out the latest edition of our weekly Apps of the Week post. This week we have apps that show you popular videos from around the web, offer a pleasant note-taking experience and more.
Prolific designer Martin Hajek was back again on Thursday with a new set of mockup photos for the iPhone 7 in the rumored Space Black colorway. As usual, Hajek’s renderings are gorgeous and the details of the handset match up closely with recent reports.
Following up on its own claim that Apple is looking to add a deep blue color variant to this year's iPhone, Japanese publication Mac Otakara said earlier this week that the hue is going to be closer to a "Dark Space Black," similar to that used for the Apple Watch.
Apple is in talks to acquire the streaming music service Tidal, reports The Wall Street Journal. Citing people familiar with the matter, the outlet says the iPhone-maker is exploring the idea because of the service's strong ties to artists.
Rap mogul Jay-Z bought Tidal in March 2015 for $56 million, and has since given 19 famous artists small stakes in the company. The current talks with Apple may not result in a deal, and it's unknown what terms have been discussed.
Facebook has announced that it is shutting down its newsreader app Paper. The app itself is no longer available for download in the US App Store, and the company says it will cease functioning for existing users at the end of next month.
Introduced in January 2014, Paper received praise for its beautiful design, swipe-based navigation, and exclusion of the typical Facebook noise like ads and game invites. However, it failed to gain much traction among the 1 billion+ users.
Nike on Thursday announced that it has appointed Tim Cook the lead independent director of its Board. The move is effective immediately, and comes as part of a larger shuffling in which Nike Chairman Phil Knight retires, and is replaced by long time president and CEO Mark Parker.
Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with the game Mimpi Dreams. This means that for the next 7 days, you’ll be able to download the critically-acclaimed puzzle-platformer for free on both iPhone and iPad—a solid savings of $2.
Mimpi is a lazy dog who likes to take naps and dream about being a super hero. Players are tasked with helping him save his friends by solving puzzles and manipulating environmental objects as they work their way through originally-illustrated levels.