Apple updates iWork for iCloud with interactive charts, improved collaboration

Apple has updated its iWork for iCloud apps with a number of improvements today. The web versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote have each received new features with a focus on enhancing the user's ability to collaborate with others on a document.

All three apps have been updated to support collaboration with up to 100 people, edit larger documents of up to 1 GB, and support for images of up to 10MB. Additionally, they all now support chart formatting, and allow you to create 2D/interactive charts...

MBLOK is a wireless flash drive for iOS that fits in your pocket

May appears to be the month of Kickstarter campaigns featuring products that eliminate the need to use iTunes for transferring files between a Mac or PC and iPhone or iPad. Last week it was the iStick flash drive with a built-in Lightning connector, and this time around we're taking a look at the MBLOK wireless storage and flash drive by a team of students and entrepreneurs from Waterloo, Canada. Take a look… 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and 3 hit Mac

Texas-based Aspyr Media today announced that it's ported Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 shooters to the Mac.

Both games, including all downloadable packs for each, are available starting today through multiple outlets, including the Steam platform, Aspyr’s online store GameAgent.com and other participating online Mac game retailers.

At the time of this writing, neither game was available through the Mac App Store. Aspyr is the same company which brought you the Mac port of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare back in 2008 as the first title in the series...

Amazon Cloud Drive Photos updated with new album view, photo sorting and more

Amazon updated its Cloud Drive Photos iOS client this afternoon, bringing the app to version 3.1. The update brings about a new album view, as well as a new sorting feature, upload status indicator and various other improvements.

The new album view will allow Cloud Drive users to quickly scroll through their albums with large cover photos. And the new sorting feature brings the ability for users to sort their photos by either oldest to newest, or newest to oldest...

Verizon announces VoLTE rollout for later this year, iOS 8 expected to support it

Verizon Wireless has announced the roll out of its Voice over LTE technology - better known as VoLTE - will begin across the US later this year.

The new technology will move Verizon's LTE service past data and will offer an HD Voice experience, using the AMR-wideband standard. "This solution provides the best voice quality available now and allows for future interoperability with others using the standard," Verizon claims. 

Kik messenger app gains handy new ‘new people’ section

Kik users will be happy to hear that the cross-platform messenger has updated its iOS client today, bringing the app to version 7.2. The update brings about a handful of new improvements, such as a new block and report feature and the ability to send stickers faster.

But easily the biggest change in 7.2 is the new 'new people' section. This allows you to easily manage your conversations with people who aren't in your contacts, and it blurs out photos and other content files from them until you decide that you'd like to view them...

Adobe Photoshop Touch updated with new brushes, Quick Selection tool and more

Adobe has updated its Photoshop Touch app for iPhone this afternoon, bringing it to version 1.2. The update includes new brush types, and a handful of popular Photoshop features including the Quick Selection tool and auto-recovery for unsaved documents.

The Quick Selection tool has the ability to automatically detect the edges of shapes within an image, meaning you won't have to manually outline the shape to select it for editing. This will really come in handy on touch devices, where selection can be tough...

Apple talking with ISPs as it prepares to launch its Content Distribution Network

According to a new report from CDN and Internet Services analyst Dan Rayburn, Apple is going ahead with plans to develop its own content delivery network. Rayburn says the company is working on interconnection deals with Internet Service Providers, as it prepares to take its CDN live.

Apple is said to have spent the last 5 years building its CDN, which would be responsible for carrying out iTunes and iCloud content to customers. Currently, the iPad-maker outsources this delivery to third-party companies like Akamai, which means it has no control over quality of service...

Morgan Stanley also believes the iPhone 6 will feature NFC tech

It seems like every time Apple is about to release a new smartphone, NFC rumors pop up. I'm not sure if some folks just really want the technology to succeed, or think the iPhone needs it to be compatible with various products and services, but the talk has seriously become an annual thing.

And this year is no different. Back in March, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo noted that his supply chain checks signaled that Apple was building NFC chips for its iPhone 6, and earlier this month, Brightwire echo'ed the claim. Today, Morgan Stanley adds its weight to the claim in an investors note...

Apple planning new flagship Manhattan Store in retail push

Apple is getting serious about its retail expansion, amongst record sales. The latest Apple Store murmurs are a new flagship store in New York City - an area where it's already represented well in the streets.

Apple Store tracking blog "ifo Apple Store" is reporting a building permit has been issued for a greater Apple presence on New York City’s Upper East Side. The permits are dated May 15th and cover soil testing underneath the structure, and demolition of the building’s interior, costing $20,000 and $60,000 respectively.

OlloClip for iPad now available for pre-order

Accessory maker OlloClip recently announced that it will be releasing a 4-in-1 lens for iPad, and has now opened up pre-orders for $69.99 in black or white. OlloClip for iPad, which debuted at CES earlier this year, is a clip-on camera lens accessory that expands your photo capturing abilities with fisheye, wide angle and two macro modes. The lens has a sleek design and is engineered to slide on and off your iPad in just seconds, providing a versatile solution for anyone that takes photos or videos with the tablet… 

Google+ Stories combines your media into beautiful digital travelogues

Google today announced new photography and video features for its Google+ social thing.

Available later this week on Android and the web and coming soon to iOS, Google+ Stories and Google+ Movies offer digital travelogues and movies created automatically from your Google+ photos and videos and location data.

The feature is basically on auto-pilot.

Google is constantly analyzing the photos and videos you upload to Google+, along with the places you’ve visited. It then automatically uses your best and most popular media to create full-screen presentations...