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Should Apple overhaul iTunes, it better resemble this minimalist concept

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 22, 2014

What is iTunes nowadays? Is it a jukebox application for Mac and Windows PCs, as it was conceived as such more than a decade ago? Is it the storefront software found on your iOS devices. A device management solution, perhaps?

Could it simply be a media player with a built-in music store? A video store, you say? Sure! A podcast store? That, too! A books store?

It's all of these things combined, and then some more.

This is precisely why folks have grown increasingly frustrated by iTunes. And herein lies the problem with iTunes, as we know it today: whatever the app is these days, there's no escaping the fact it's become hopelessly bloated, counterintuitive and just way too cluttered.

That's why UK-based designer Brye Kobayashi set out to lay out his vision for a total iTunes revamp, taking inspiration from iOS 7 while borrowing certain concepts from Apple's stock Music app for the iPhone and iPad. It's pure minimalism, looks gorgeous and I want it now!

Inbox Count keeps count of your emails in the Mail app

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Prior to iOS 7, the Mail app would show you how many emails were in your inbox, which was a handy feature that would help you keep track of things. It's something that apparently didn't make the cut in iOS 7. One could speculate on the reasons behind this decision, but it wouldn't help much.

Enters Inbox Count, a new jailbreak tweak that brings back the old feature and helps you keep count of how many emails are in your inbox...

Panzer Tactics DS has been remade for iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 30, 2017

Nintendo DS owners who've enjoyed Panzer Tactics DS will be jumping with joy knowing that the popular turn-based tactical game has made a leap to Apple's iPad.

Panzer Tactics HD for iPad, a $4.99 value in the App Store, is a Retina-remake to the World War II shooter in which you can join the Soviet Red Army, the German Wehrmacht or the Western Allies - the choice is yours - and blow stuff up.

"Fight your way to Stalingrad, push back the Germans and help the Allies liberate Europe - you’ll be fighting on all sides of the war," promises German developer bitComposer Online GmbH who ported the game over to the iPad.

There are more than 150 units at your disposal, with environmental factors like terrain, weather or seasons affecting your gameplay. We have a nice video and additional information for you right after the break...

Thomas Was Alone review: making friends in a pixelated existence

Lory Gil ∙ May 22, 2014

It’s interesting to see trends unfold right before your eyes. No, minimalist platform games are not new. However, their popularity has grown significantly in the past few months. The games are oftentimes thought provoking while offering a decent bit of fun.

Thomas Was Alone is a fascinating platformer that uses a minimalistic design but combines it with the complex narrative of a group of coding errors that have a mind of their own. Check out our game review of Thomas Was Alone below…

Exploratory action adventure Globosome: Path of the Swarm hits iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

Exploratory platformers seem to be all the rage in the App Store. In the past few weeks alone, several notable platformers and action adventures have been released for the iPhone and iPod, including awesome triple-A games such as Leo's Fortune, Thomas Was Alone, Sometimes You Die, Monument Valley and David, to mention a few.

If you're a sucker for the genre as yours truly, you'll want to put Globosome: Path of the Swarm on your wish list.

Released today for the iPhone and iPad and costing $2.99, this great-looking title by independent German developer Navel has you playing as a dark little dot which can replicate into a swarm by feeding on its natural environment. The twist: turning into the swarm is necessary to accomplish tasks and puzzles that would be otherwise impossible alone...

Nest and Google clarify: recalled smoke detectors returning soon, no ads on thermostats

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Contrary to a flurry of reports yesterday, Google was never going to put ads on the Nest Thermostat. Moreover, Nest co-founder and the iPod Godfather, Tony Fadell, has confirmed that recalled thermostats will be returning to store shelves sooner than you think.

Allow me to refresh your memory: soon after it was discovered that a safety bug with a Protect Wave feature could prevent the alarm from sounding, Google's Nest unit has responded by preemptively recalling about 40,000 faulty units.

This should set the record straight and put to rest the ridiculous notion that recalling smoke detectors and not doing ads in thermostats is somehow evil...

Pixelmator 3.2 is out: all-new Repair tool, Lock Layers feature, 16-bit channels and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 22, 2014

After previewing Pixelmator 3.2 a little more than a month ago, the team on Thursday released the updated software for public consumption.

Bumped to version 3.2, Pixelmator's 'Sandstone' update is now available free in the Mac App Store to those who own this popular Photoshop alternative for the Mac. The headline new feature: a much improved Repair tool.

It uses “the latest breakthrough technologies” to make it easy and fun to remove dust, blemishes and entire objects from your images, “with an unsurpassed level of precision and quality”.

Also on tap in this Pixelmator update: a Lock Layers Feature and 16-bits per channel support for all Macs (previously, only the new Mac Pro supported higher-fidelity color channels)...

You can now create mixes from Spotify tracks in Algoriddim’s djay for iPhone and iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

Germany-based Algoriddim - which develops the popular djay software for the iPhone [$1.99], iPad [$9.99] and Mac [$19.99] - today announced a major partnership with Swedish startup Spotify, which operates the world's leading streaming-music service.

Spotify Premium subscribers and DJ wannabes can now mix any of the more than twenty million Spotify tracks, right inside djay for the iPhone and iPad. This seamless integration extends to such advanced features as Automix Radio, Spotify Match, desktop-class audio effects and pro-grade DJ hardware integration, to name a few.

The newly introduced capabilities are available via a major update to djay for the iPhone and iPad. Based on my brief hands-on time with djay for iPad, I can safely say that Spotify integration has just become a major selling point for these kinds of apps, here's why...

Apple to fix iMessage phone number issues in a ‘future software update’

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 4, 2023

No, Apple is not intentionally trying to make life tougher for its former users who switched to another smartphone brand.

According to a statement a company spokesperson issued to Re/code, a fix for the issue with texts not being properly delivered to people who switched away from the iPhone is in the works.

Apple says a two-fold nature of the problem requires changes on the server end, as well as fixes to iOS, to be delivered in "a future software update"...

Apple’s environmental chief talks current and future clean energy initiatives

Cody Lee ∙ May 22, 2014

Apple's newly appointed VP of Environmental Initiatives, and former head of EPA, Lisa Jackson spoke at Fortune's Brainstorm Green conference earlier this week. The executive talked about a number of topics, including the iPad-makers various green projects.

Jackson noted that although Apple has done a good job reducing its carbon footprint over the past few years, it still has a long way to go. Their next major challenge, she says, is getting their 400+ retail stores around the globe to run on 100% on renewable energy...

Infinity Blade III goes on sale as ‘Blade Masters’ update arrives

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

Chair has just released a monstrous update for its popular Infinity Blade III game this morning. The so-called 'Blade Masters' update brings the app to version 1.3, and offers up a number of new features and characters, as well as other improvements.

Among the changes is a new character called the Collector, an ancient Deathless Blade Master who has a penchant for fine weapons. Ryth also makes a return, along with 6 new enemies, and you can prepare for them using the brand new Trainer feature...

Apple renews exclusive Liquidmetal deal for consumer products

Cody Lee ∙ May 22, 2014

According to a filing with the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), Apple has renewed its exclusive rights to use Liquidmetal Technologies' alloys in its consumer products through at least February of next year.

Apple originally purchased the rights back in 2010, and the agreement was set to expire in February. The company has thus far only used the alloys in smaller applications, but it's believed to have bigger plans for the tech...