Today was a big day here at iDB. With two dozen posts published – mostly some app updates – it's easy to get lost in this amount of information. To help you go through today's news, I thought it'd be helpful to share with you what I think was more newsworthy to me today. A few bullet points with links to additional coverage, should you want to learn more. Let's go, shall we?
Cast your vote on the 10 best music apps of 2013 Om Nom is back! Cut the Rope 2 is now available in the App Store Listen is a free gesture-based music player you can use without looking at it Fragment turns your photos into original artistry This app could very well be the best Instagram client for iPad A good review of Galaxy Run by Lory Angry Birds Star Wars II goes free as Apple’s App of the Week OS X 10.9.2 beta has been seeded to developers Apple’s new Mac Pro is now available for order (but you can't get one until at least February) San Francisco DA wants Apple to enable Activation Lock by default on all iPhones A list of apps that were updated todayThe 10 best music apps of 2013
Music makes up the fabric of humanity’s existence. It is so important in our lives that it is everywhere. In movies, television, stores, schools. Music is also a universal language. You don’t have to know what the lyrics are to understand a song’s meaning.
The App Store has produced some fantastic apps for music lovers and musicians alike this year. Whether you want a new music listening client or are looking for a mobile way to record your band, there is a wealth of apps to help you.
The editors at iDownloadBlog have come up with a list of what they think are the 10 best music apps of 2013. Check out our favorites and then vote for the one you like best to be added to our Best Apps of 2013 list…
Halfbrick’s Colossatron: Massive World Threat now available in the App Store
It seems like today has been a big day for game releases. Cut the Rope 2 landed in the App Store this morning, followed by Sony's new Ratchet & Clank game. And now we have a new release from Halfbrick Studios.
For those unfamiliar with Halfbrick, they're behind several very successful mobile games including Jetpack Joyride and Fruit Ninja. And today they're out with a new iOS title called Colossatron: Massive World Threat...
Apple patent details rich Maps layers, new features
Apple's Maps for iOS - and now for Macs running OS X Mavericks - still pales in comparison with Google's offering and will continue to struggle for some time until Apple achieves some sort of feature parity.
Google Maps are not only more accurate, they sport more features that put Google's rich data sets amassed in years past to good use.
For instance, Google Maps have long had layers, basically objects that consist of one or more separate items that can be manipulated as a single unit.
Traffic, transit, bicycle, weather, clouds, photographs - these are all map layers.
Apple, too, is working on various layers of information for its digital maps offering, but with a twist, a new patent filing published Thursday has indicated...
Olloclip introduces new 3-in-1 photo lens for the iPhone 5c
Olloclip, the makers of the widely popular clip-on iPhone lens kits, has announced a new accessory just in time for the holidays. It's a 3-in-1 photo lens made specifically for Apple's just-released iPhone 5c handset.
The new kit features familiar attachments—a macro lens, a fisheye lens and a wide-angle lens—and comes in the 5 colors of the iPhone 5c. And, like its 5/5s counterpart, it's made of very high quality materials...
Flow is a beautiful Instagram client for iPad
I use my iPad for practically everything digital. When I’m testing apps, if they are universal, chances are I’ll test them on my iPad first. I just like the larger sized screen. One app that is sorely lacking in iPad optimization is Instagram. The company that launched a billion selfies does not consider the iPad fit for consumption. So, the world is relegated to third-party clients.
Flow for Instagram is, as far as I know, the first Instagram-related iPad app that has been designed from the top-down with iOS 7 in mind. Frankly, it looks a lot better than the official iPhone app…
First OS X 10.9.2 beta seeded to developers
Apple has seeded the first OS X 10.9.2 beta to registered Mac developers this afternoon. The release comes just three days after the public version of OS X 10.9.1 hit the Mac App Store.
The new build is available to registered developers through the Software Update tab in the Mac App Store, or as a full download via the Mac section of Apple's online developer portal...
Angry Birds Star Wars II goes free as Apple’s App of the Week
Apple has named Rovio's popular Angry Birds Star Wars II game its App of the Week for this week. This means that between now and next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the application for both your iPhone and iPad, for free.
For those unfamiliar with the game, it's Rovio's second entry in the Star Wars-themed series. And like the first one, it combines the addictive gameplay of Angry Birds with characters and settings from the successful sci-fi franchise...
Sony releases ‘Ratchet & Clank: BTN’ game for iOS
In a bit of a surprise move today, Sony has released a new game for the iPhone and iPad called 'Ratchet & Clank: BTN.' It's an Infinite runner, much like Temple Run, with familiar elements from Sony's popular franchise.
The game's full name is 'Ratchet and Clank: Before the Nexus' and it features characters from the all new Ratchet and Clank: Nexus PS3 game. And bonus, you can actually sync earned Raritanium (points) between the two...
CNN gives its iPhone and iPad app iOS 7 makeover
One of the first premium news apps for the iPhone worth checking out came from CNN, "the biggest name in news". The 24/7 news organization released the CNN for iPhone app on the App Store in September 2009.
I immediately fell in love with its sleekness, responsiveness and overall branding. In fact, it was Godsent because CNN's mobile website was very pedestrian at the time (and still is!)
But that was before Flipboard and a host of other fine apps came along vastly improving on the rather clunky news-reading iOS experience.
The iPad edition followed in October 2010. Soon after, both versions went permanently free as CNN had realized that folks were reluctant to shell 99 cents for the privilege of following the Time Warner-owned network's software on their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.
And how does CNN's latest iPhone and iPad update feel like on iOS 7? How about giving the screenies below a quick look?
Shazam gains auto-listening feature, WhatsApp and Pinterest integration and more
The increasingly popular music discovery and fingerprinting service Shazam has just refreshed its free iPhone and iPad application with a new Auto Shazam feature that basically listens for songs and television shows in the background and tags them automatically, even if the device is locked, courtesy of new iOS 7 technologies. You can now share your Shazam Tags with people on WhatsApp, pin them to your Pinterest boards and send them to others via the iOS Messages platform.
Jump past the fold for more on Auto Shazam...
Google Search app gets iOS 7 styling, true full-screen browsing and more
Google's standalone Search application has been updated with barely visible iOS 7 styling and a pair of under-the-hood improvements allowing for the native fluid Image Search experience on the iPad as well as smarter integration with the Google Maps app.
Other than that, release notes mention no new features for Google Search version 3.2, which is now available as a free download from the App Store. I've included additional tidbits right below, if you're interested...