Apple

Halfbrick’s ‘Monster Dash’ goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Apple has named Halfbrick's 'Monster Dash' its app of the week for this week. This means that from now through next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the title for free in the App Store, saving yourself a healthy buck.

For those who haven't played the game, Monster Dash is a survival platformer/runner that follows the familiar Barry Steakfries (of Jetpack Joyride fame) as he races through levels while avoiding and/or killing monsters.

US government warns iOS users about new ‘Masque Attack’ threat

The United States government issued a warning for iPhone and iPad users today regarding the recently-discovered 'Masque Attack' vulnerability, reports Reuters. The security flaw, which began circulating the web earlier this week, allows malicious third-party apps to be installed to a device using enterprise provision profiles.

Today's bulletin was issued by the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, and it warns users of how Masque Attack can spread and what it's capable of doing. The malware installs itself through a phishing link disguised as a new app or game, and then it can masquerade as a well-known app like Gmail.

Sprint launching ‘iPad for Life’ lease plan tomorrow

After unveiling its 'iPhone for Life' annual upgrade plan last month, Sprint, the nation's fourth-largest carrier on Thursday announced a similar 'iPad for Life' plan for the latest iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3.

With this plan, customers can get the latest iPads for $0 down and 24 monthly payments that will vary depending on your chosen storage capacity.

And like the iPhone for Life plan, the new offering helps customers upgrade to the latest iPad model provided they bring in their existing device in good condition and their lease period has expired.

SanDisk unveils Lightning-enabled flash drive for iOS devices

SanDisk, an American maker of flash memory storage solutions, on Thursday announced an external flash drive that connects to iPhones and iPads via Apple's proprietary Lightning port. The iXpand Flash Drive along with an accompanying iOS app makes it easy to transfer media and documents between an iOS device and a computer through a USB port.

Available in 16 and 64-gigabyte varieties for $59.99 and $119.99, respectively, the accessory is now available through the SanDisk webstore. The $79.99 32-gigabyte edition will be offered exclusively at Best Buy starting Sunday, November 16.

Numerical, a beautiful iPhone and iPad calculator without the equal button, goes free

As something of a calculator nut, I can never get enough of gorgeously designed calculator experiences. For most people, the stock Calculator is more than enough to run a quick calculation here and there.

Apple, sadly, isn't shipping its Calculator on iPads, forcing you to search the App Store for a third-party solution. But you don't have to be a calculator nut or part with your cash to enjoy doing math on your Apple devices.

That's because developer Andrew J Clark of Very Tiny Machines has just slashed his beautifully done Numerical: Calculator Without Equal app from $2.99 to zero bucks.

Download Numerical at no cost from the App Store.

Sunrise gets iOS 8 widget, Google Tasks and Eventbrite apps and iPhone 6 support

After gaining push support for Google Calendar, enhanced search and Todoist integration back in September and issuing a few maintenance updates since, Sunrise, the popular cross-platform calendar and to-do application, on Thursday launched a major new version in the App Store.

Sunrise now features native display support for the new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus resolutions so it will no longer run enlarged on the new iPhones.

You can now authorize both Google Tasks and Eventbrite services for use in Sunrise and there's a brand new widget for the Today view of the Notification Center on iOS 8.

Respective iOS and OS X edition of Sunrise are available free in the App Store and Mac App Store.

DigiTimes: Apple getting ready to ramp up Apple Watch production

Apple's suppliers are “gearing up” to ramp up Apple Watch production ahead of its early-2015 release, Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes said Thursday. While not the most accurate of sources, DigiTimes usually gets supply chain rumors right.

Apple's retail boss Angela Ahrendts recently told employees that the Apple Watch will be launching in Spring 2015. The device will start out at $349 for the entry-level model with aluminum chassis and plastic band.

The stainless steel model should be priced at $500, with an 18-karat gold variant commanding a price tag between $4,000 and $5,000, according to the rumor-mill.

Scanbot for iOS goes free, Pro edition 40% cheaper

Scanbot, a PDF scanning utility with built-in QR code scanner, hit a major milestone as its users have scanned over five million documents to date. To celebrate this achievement, German developer Doo GmbH is giving away the basic edition of Scanbot for the next 24 hours, a $1.99 saving.

Moreover, Scanbot Pro is marked down 40 percent and now sells for $2.99 instead of the regular asking price of $4.99 a pop, representing a cool saving of two bucks.

This is the first time Scanbot Pro has been made available at a discounted price in the App Store. Grab Scanbot at no cost for the next 24 hours and upgrade to Scanbot Pro via a one-time In-App Purchase at 40 percent reduced price.

AT&T offering $50 bill credit for iPhone upgrades purchased through Apple

AT&T is right now offering a $50 bill credit to Next customers who purchase a new iPhone from Apple's online and retail stores within the next two months. Neither company is actively marketing the promotion, but, as spotted by MacRumors, it does appear in the fine print of AT&T's Next plan.

All late model iPhones qualify for the deal, including the 5c, 5s, 6 and 6 Plus, but there are stringent requirements. The iPhone must be purchased on an existing line as an upgrade, it must be financed using AT&T's Next plan, and it must remain active and in good standing on Next for 45 days.

New job listing suggests web version of Apple Maps is on the way

Apple is working to bring its Apple Maps app to the web, according to a new job listing on its website. First spotted by 9to5Mac, the listing calls for a "talented and passionate web developer" to help make the company's mapping software "work seamlessly on the web."

This is fairly significant, as the lack of a web version is one of the most glaring holes in Apple Maps right now, other than perhaps transit and maybe some sort of Street View-esque feature. The mapping service is currently only accessible via iOS and Mac hardware.

Full video of Apple VP Greg Joswiak’s Code Mobile interview now available

In October, Apple’s VP of iPhone marketing Greg Joswiak participated in an on-stage interview at Recode's inaugural Code/Mobile conference. During the 30-minute discussion, Joswiak talked about several topics including the iOS 8.0.1 debacle, Apple Pay and more.

Since Joswiak isn't on Apple's senior executive team, we don't get to see him talk very often, but he offers up some interesting information in this interview. We already covered some of the major highlights here, but now you can watch the whole thing on the video below.

You can now ‘Say Thanks’ with Facebook’s personalized video cards

Facebook on Wednesday introduced 'Say Thanks', a new service allowing its members to create and send personalized video cards to their friends and family on the service.

To make a video for a friend, just visit facebook.com/thanks. Upon choosing a friend, the service will generate a preview of your personalized video card. Limited customization features are available, allowing you to change a theme of the video< edit photos and posts that represent your friendship and write a personalized message.