Using Do Not Disturb in OS X Yosemite’s Messages app

Like the Messages app in iOS 8, the Yosemite version of Messages allows you to mute specific conversations by enabling Do Not Disturb. Do Not Disturb ensures that you still receive messages, but you won’t be bothered by notifications when new messages arrive.

Have a look at our video walkthrough explaining the ins and outs of Do Not Disturb after the break.

Translucency: a big part of OS X Yosemite’s new visual style

Translucency is everywhere in OS X Yosemite. In Safari, you can see the subtle colorful translucent glow of a website behind its toolbar. In the Finder, you’ll see apps and wallpaper glow behind your list of favorites, and in the Dock, you’ll see the translucent visuals of any apps that are moved behind it.

Check inside, as we explore OS X Yosemite's translucent effects in our video walkthrough. We'll also show you how to disable translucency if you're not a fan of the effect.

Apps of the week: Hitman GO, Retry, Zero Lives, and more

Now that some of you have your brand new iPad Air 2 in hand, what awesome games are you planning on spending the weekend playing? The App Store has dozens of games that use the Metal framework and there are sure to be more coming in the near future. If you are looking for apps and games to test out on your new iPad or iPhone devices this weekend, we’ve got a list of things we think might be of interest to you.

Download videos from Vine directly to your iPhone with Vine++

Vine is one of the most popular video sharing platforms that allows users to capture and share videos of very short duration. However, the official Vine app on iOS  doesn't allow you to save videos, although you can make use of third-party apps to do so. Vine++ is a new jailbreak tweak that aims to get rid of this restriction and save your day. Developed by UnlimApps, Vine++ allows you to save any video from Vine directly to your Camera Roll with just the tap of a button and watch it later or share it with your friends.

Great Big War Game and other Rubicon titles free for the weekend

If you're looking for a little entertainment this weekend in the form of a new iOS game, you might check out some of Rubicon's titles. The UK-based indie developer has discounted nearly all of its iOS library down to free for the next two days.

This includes the massively popular turn-based strategy "Great War Game" series, as well as other games like Zombies: Dead in 20, Fruit Blitz and Yachty Deluxe. They normally range in cost from $1 to $3, so we're talking $10+ in savings here.

Sprint to start offering annual upgrades with ‘iPhone for Life’ plans

Sprint will soon start offering a 12-month lease option through its iPhone for Life program, the carrier said in a press release on Friday. The new option will allow qualified customers to get a new iPhone every year, without having to make a significant lump sum payment.

Previously, iPhone for Life subscribers could get an iPhone 6 for as little as $20 per month, with the option to trade it in for a new model after two years. With this new 12-month offering, customers will pay $30 per month for an iPhone 6 (16GB) or $35 for an iPhone 6 Plus.

OS X Yosemite adoption rate slightly outpacing Mavericks in first week

Apple's just-released OS X Yosemite is thus far seeing slightly better adoption rates than last year's Mavericks launch. New stats from the research team at Chitika ad network show Yosemite was installed on approximately 12.8% of Macs in North America in the first week.

Additionally, Chitika notes that OS X Yosemite accounted for more than 1% of all North American Web traffic from OS X users on launch day. That's more than double the first-day adoption rates of Apple's prior Mac OS updates, OS X Mavericks and OS X Mountain Lion.

Activating Apple SIM on AT&T locks it to their network

Just a heads up for folks looking to get a Wi-Fi + Cellular version of one of the new iPads. It was discovered on Friday that the awesome new Apple SIM feature, which is supposed to allow you to switch seamlessly between compatible carriers, doesn't play well with all providers.

More specifically, MacRumors points to an Apple support page that says when you activate your new iPad with AT&T, the carrier dedicates its Apple SIM to their network only. So if you wanted to move the tablet to another provider, you'd have to purchase and install a new SIM.

SleekCode: improve the look of the Lock screen passcode interface

SleekCode is a brand new jailbreak tweak that just recently touched down on Cydia’s BigBoss repo. SleekCode allows you to change up the look of the passcode screen. You can alter the background of the blur, alpha, and passcode rings, along with hiding the emergency dial button and slide to unlock chevron.

I was fairly impressed with the look of the passcode screen after configuring SleekCode. Have a look at our video walkthrough for more information.

How Complete My Bundle works

The much-improved App Store in iOS 8 features a number of enhancements. Case in point: app bundles. App bundles make it possible for developers to bundle up to ten of their existing iPhone and iPad applications in a single purchase at a reduced price.

Borrowing cues from the “Complete My Album” feature for music that debuted on iTunes in March 2007, app bundles are great promotional vehicles to drive sales and can serve as a nice reward for loyal customers.

But for the vast majority of ordinary users, app bundles are one of the least understood new features of the App Store in iOS 8. That it's still very unclear how the App Store's Complete My Bundle works is Apple's fault.

And it certainly doesn't make its users' lives any easier with cryptic feature descriptions and the App Store's non-intuitive bundle pricing mechanism. But don't sweat, here's everything you need to know in order to understand how Complete My Bundle works.

Camera+ offered for free for the very first time

Camera+ by Taptaptap, the award-winning iPhone photography app and one of the longest-standing camera and image editing apps in the App Store, is available free of charge for a limited time, but only through Apple's sleek Apple Store shopping application for the iPhone and iPad. That's a cool $2.99 saving right off the bat over the app's regular asking price.

No matter if you're only mildly into mobile photography or a seasoned photographer, you really shouldn't miss out on this promotion because Camera+ has never gone free since its inception in August of 2011. Again, you can't just follow the app's iTunes URL to grab Camera+ for zero bucks because the offer is exclusive to users who have the Apple Store application installed on their devices.

Jump past the fold for the full instructions.

iTunes music sales dipped sharply since start of 2014 as iPod turned 13 yesterday

If you need another proof that Apple made the right move dropping more than three billion bucks on Beats's audio accessories and music-streaming service, here's one.

According to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the Wall Street Journal on Friday, the decline of digital music sales on iTunes is accelerating with latest data showing between a thirteen and fourteen percent dip globally since the start of this year.

By comparison, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry estimated that global revenue from music downloads fell just 2.1 percent in 2013. Clearly this development doesn't bode well for iTunes, but can Apple do anything about it? Read on for the full reveal.