Another day, another milestone. Saurik, the man behind Cydia, has re-enabled purchases for paid Cydia apps and tweaks, which means that you can now purchase apps and tweaks that were, for a time, unobtainable for some.
He also made sure to lend credibility to the stability of both Cydia and the iOS 8 jailbreak via a pair of tweets—the first of such since the iOS 8 jailbreak arrived.
Apple today added the CBS News channel to the ever-expanding library of content on its Apple TV. The app was pushed OTA and automatically, so users in areas where the channel is available should notice the addition without having to update their software.
The move coincides with the launch of CBS' new CBSN streaming news network, which is being billed as the "first live anchored news network across all leading digital platforms." Strangely enough, CBS doesn't mention the Apple TV in the official press release.
After adding passcode protection to Google Drive for the iPhone and iPad half a year ago, Google on Thursday added more coolness to the software.
First and foremost, the app now includes full support for iOS 8 technologies and can finally lock itself behind Touch ID fingerprint authentication.
And should you happen to own one of the new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 or 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus devices, Google Drive will take full advantage of the increased resolutions to show more files and content.
They've also added a new option to save videos from Drive to your device and implemented a handy system-wide Storage extension allowing you to access your Drive in almost any iOS 8 app.
Google Drive is available at no cost in the App Store.
I'm not really sure what to think about Amazon's crazy connected speaker with built-in personal digital assistant. What I do know is that the Echo could be a close approximation of what a next-generation Apple TV with built-in Siri might be like. Taking another swing at hardware, the Echo is well designed: it sports both sexy looks and the smarts.
It's also got a few cool tricks up its sleeve to dazzle unsuspecting users. In a nutshell, the Echo will talk to you, play music, read your news headlines, check the weather, find facts online — and also sell you things — for $199.
Upscale is a new jailbreak tweak that allows you to run higher resolutions on jailbroken iPhones. The tweak, which is currently in beta, features serval presets to choose from via its settings.
This tweak makes it possible to run the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus resolution on older devices like the iPhone 5 or iPhone 5s—devices with substantially less screen real estate. The result is an interface that features less than ideal tap-zones, but much more room to work with on screen.
Upscale is a compelling jailbreak tweak that everyone should at least investigate. First noted and discovered by developers cpdigitaldarkroom and coolstar, this is a tweak that will surely turn a lot of heads. Full details after the jump...
Developer Tapbots has made a name for itself with an excellent Twitter client for the Mac and iOS, Tweetbot. They have other apps in their portfolio, too, and on Thursday released a nicely done Mac edition of Calcbot, an intelligent calculator and unit converter that made its iOS debut in July of 2010.
Despite a somewhat steep asking price, keep in mind that Calcbot combines a compelling calculator and a powerful unit converter into a single, beautifully designed experience.
Calcbot is a $4.99 download from the Mac App Store.
Announced yesterday, a much-improved Google Maps for the iPhone and iPad featuring Material Design appearance, OpenTable reservations, Uber integration and more is now rolling out in App Stores worldwide.
Featuring engaging animations, shadows and depth — courtesy of Google's newly-found design language for desktop, mobile and the web — Google Maps 4.0 promises to be the funnest version of the app to date.
The search giant says the layers and buttons “come to life so you know just where to touch to get directions, recommendations and imagery.”
Download the app now, give it a whirl and tell us how you liked it in comments.
Google Maps 4.0 is free in the App Store.
Is this enough to get you to take the plunge? I know it will be for Sebastien, and perhaps even Cody. Springtomize for iOS 8 was officially teased by well-known (and well-liked) developer, Filippo Bigarella.
Springtomize is the type of tweak that lets you customize virtually every aspect of your iPhone's SpringBoard, hence the name "Spring" (SpringBoard) and "tomize" (Customize). We've done extensive reviews of this extremely popular tweak in the past, so if you're not familiar with it, I advise you to get up to speed and review our Springtomize coverage.
If you've yet to jailbreak, will this be enough to push you over the edge?
I've been on the lookout on a case to protect my iPhone 6 Plus and think Twelve South's just-launched SurfacePad fits the bill. Priced at $39.99 for the iPhone 6 and $49.99 for the iPhone 6 Plus, the SurfacePad is a premium “buttery soft leather jacket” that protects the new iPhones without adding bulk and weight or concealing their gorgeous design.
It has reinforced stitching around the perimeter for long-term durability, with soft microfiber lines protecting your precious investment from the inside and soft napa leather protecting your device from the outside.
Both the $39.99 SurfacePad for iPhone 6 and $49.99 for iPhone 6 Plus are available through the Twelve South website.
Thursday, software maker Microsoft announced immediate availability of Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps for the iPhone following the release of Office for iPad applications back in March 2014.
Moreover, the company has refreshed the entire iOS Office suite with Dropbox integration and adding other new features to “ensure a consistently beautiful and productive Office experience on every device”.
In addition to the new Office for iPhone and update iPad apps, Word, Excel and PowerPoint are coming to Android tablets with the start of Microsoft's Office for Android tablet Preview program. Finally, brand new, touch-optimized Office apps for Windows 10 are in the works and “we’ll have more to share soon”.
Universal Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps are free in the App Store.
Pixelmator, the popular Photoshop alternative for the Mac and iPad, on Thursday refreshed its desktop application with several improvements and enhancements.
Now available in the Mac App Store as a free update to existing users, the new Pixelmator 3.3 'Limestone' offers a redesigned user interface and a new Repair Tool extension allowing you to quickly fix images in other Mac apps like Mail or TextEdit, without even having to open Pixelmator.
You can now store and access your images on all devices via iCloud Drive and pick up in Pixelmator for iPad right where you left on the Mac with Handoff. The app also features a redesigned user interface, full OS X Yosemite and Pixelmator for iPad support and more.
Pixelmator for OS X is $29.99 in the Mac App Store.
Runtastic on Thursday released an interesting new iPhone application in the App Store which focuses on improving your sleep habits without using a wearable device, bedside sensor or any kind of special hardware.
The new Sleep Better software is fully integrated with Apple's HealthKit platform so it can optionally upload your sleep data to Apple's Health app on iOS 8, allowing you to access and view all of your health and fitness data on one comprehensive dashboard.
Tapping the iPhone's many sensors and supporting Airplane mode, Sleep Better not only tracks your sleep patterns such as Cycles, Duration and Efficiency, it also tracks moon phases and offers Smart Alarm and Wake-Up Window features and more.
Sleep Better is available free in the App Store, with advanced features locked behind a one-time In-App Purchase.