Apps of the week: Sonic Jump Fever, Macrocosm, Magic 2015, and more

Plenty of new and interesting apps and games flooded the App Store this week. After a few weeks of slowdown, it is nice to see things picking up again. Whatever you are into, there is a new app or game out there to keep you going.

Whether you want to play a simple puzzle game, learn a cover song, or catch up on a murder mystery, we’ve got a list of apps and games you are sure to enjoy. Just don’t forget to go outdoors for a bit and take advantage of the nice summer nights…

New Samsung Galaxy Tab S ad pans iPad for lack of multitasking

The iPad is no stranger to getting bashed in TV commercials—both Amazon and Microsoft have attacked the tablet over price, display quality, and productivity capabilities. And today, Samsung joins the party with its new Galaxy Tab S ad.

The spot, which went up on the Samsung Mobile YouTube channel this afternoon, is titled: 'Do more with Samsung GALAXY Tab S - Multitasking.' And unsurprisingly, it pans the iPad for its inability to run multiple applications at once...

Apple spotlights Amazing Puzzle Games on sale for a limited time

Apple recently created a special section on the App Store to highlight a select group of top-notch puzzle games that are currently on sale. These special App Store sections are great for discovering new games to check out and this one is no different.

Below is Apple’s list of amazing puzzle games with limited time pricing. At full price, they are gems. At their sale prices, they are must-haves! Check this list out to see which ones you don’t already own and grab them before the sale ends on July 17…

Sharp in talks with Apple to regain control of iPhone panel plant

Sharp is looking to regain control of its Kameyama plant back from Apple. Nikkei is reporting this afternoon that the company has proposed a deal to the Cupertino firm worth nearly $300 million, in an effort to diversify its customer base.

The Kameyama Plant No. 1 began operations in 2004 as a facility for manufacturing large panels for flat-screen TVs. But after consecutive years of profit losses, it called on Apple to help foot the bill to transition the plant to smaller panels...

Apple offering Xcode 6 beta for free on new Swift blog

Apple today launched a new blog on its developer portal for its Swift programming language. The company introduced the new language at WWDC last month, and it says this will be a way to keep devs up to date on its progress.

The news is interesting for a couple of reasons. For one, it's not like Apple to talk publicly about projects it's working on—particularly via a blog. It's also worth noting that it has posted a free version of its Xcode 6 beta on the site...

TapToSnap brings LG G3-like picture taking functionality to iOS

Have you ever wanted to tap the viewfinder while in the Camera app to take a picture? LG's flagship phone, the LG G3, includes a similar feature, but if you don't want to go out and buy a new smartphone just to experience it, we've got good news.

TapToSnap is a jailbreak tweak for jailbroken iPhones that mimics the LG G3's tap to snap feature. All you need to do is install this new jailbreak tweak, and you'll be well on your way. Have a look at the video after the break to see it in action.

SwipeSelection and AltKeyboard now play nice together

The jailbreak community didn't have to wait for iOS 8 to bring third-party keyboard support to iPhone and iPad. For several years now, jailbreakers have been treated to some clever keyboard tweaks to improve on the usability of the devices.

Two of these tweaks, SwipeSelection and AltKeyboard 2, somewhat overlapped each other's functionalities when released a few months ago, forcing jailbreak users to choose either one or the other.

With both tweaks now having been updated to support each other, this issue is a thing of the past, as SwipeSelection and AltKeyboard can now run side by side properly... 

OneThumb: a universal thumbs up/down tweak for Spotify, Pandora and iTunes Radio

OneThumb is a unique new jailbreak tweak that works with Spotify, Pandora, and iTunes Radio. It allows you to use a universal Activator gesture to input thumbs up or thumbs down ratings across all eligible apps.

Instead of having different manners and methods for curating radio stations, OneThumb brings it all under one umbrella. We've tested it out, and we can vouch that the tweak works exactly as it is described. Take a look at our video inside for all of the details.

Video: ultimate torture test reveals what it takes to shatter iPhone 6’s sapphire cover glass

Earlier in the week, a scratch test captured on video had us marveling at the virtually indestructible sapphire-strengthened cover glass purportedly making its way to Apple's forthcoming new iPhones.

The test, posted by YouTuber Marques Brownlee, showed scratching the protective cover with a set of keys and even a large folding knife yielded absolutely no damage. As Brownlee noted, the part's scratch resistance and proneness to bending and twisting is beyond any smartphone cover glass you've ever seen.

Despite trying, Brownlee just couldn't break the part under his own power. But anything in this world can be broken to pieces. We're a curious bunch here at iDownloadBlog and have been wondering a lot what it'd take to push this alleged sapphire cover glass beyond the point of breaking.

I've just stumbled upon a torture test video which answers that question quite effectively. It's included after the break so give it a quick watch and meet us in comments...

For China, the iPhone location tracking feature is a “national security concern”

The WSJ is out this morning with a piece based on a report recently broadcasted on the state-run China Central Television, quoting the iPhone location tracking feature as a "national security concern." Nevermind the fact that you can turn off the feature.

As the largest market, one that is greatly untapped, China is a big bet for Apple, and just about any other company. With 6% of the Chinese smartphone market share, Apple is trailing behind the competition, most notably, Samsung, and Xiaomi, but it didn't stop the Chinese broadcaster to make Apple the main target...

Google Maps gains Gmail appointments and search results on map and more

As Apple continues to decrease its dependency on Google for maps in products such as the Find My iPhone service, the Internet giant keeps on adding new features to the native Google Maps iOS app in an effort to widen the gap between its own service and Apple Maps.

Today's version 3.2 update adds a couple new features to Google Maps, starting with a new Explore section acting as your local guide that highlights different places and activities, depending on your location and time of day...

Photoshop Express can now remove blemishes, reduce fog and haze in photos and more

Having received a major update in May adding features like new brushes, a Quick Selection tool and more, the past month or so has marked a relatively quiet period for Adobe's Photoshop Express software for the iPhone and iPad.

But as Apple confirms ceasing development of its Mac photography software, Aperture, Adobe has renewed its commitment to the platform.

First, they're helping Aperture customers migrate to its Lightroom software and now Adobe's made the newly updated Photoshop Express 3.4 even more useful with such additions as blemish removal, a new DeFog tool and more...