Apps

Google+ gains full-res photo/video backup, location sharing, inline translation and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

The search monster Google has posted another update to its Google+ app for the iPhone and iPad, this time bringing a new iOS 7 perk: the ability to upload your iOS Camera roll photos and videos automatically and in glorious full resolution, to a private album on Google+ Photos, viewable only by you (unless specified otherwise). This brings the iOS app to parity with its Android counterpart.

It's really useful because your photos get sent to the cloud in the background, even if you haven't opened the app. You could previously enable Camera backup in Google+, but this would not back up full resolution images and the app would upload for only a few minutes after it quit.

It's a very interesting addition that turns the Google+ thing into a viable cloud backup of your iOS Camera roll. This Google+ update comes with other tweaks and nice-to-haves so jump past the fold if you're interested to learn more...

Amazon app redesigned for iOS 7

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Just in time for the holidays, Amazon has redesigned its iPhone and iPad app for iOS 7. The update comes a week before Black Friday—the beginning of the biggest shopping weekend of the year for most retailers.

The app gives users virtually full access to the ecommerce giant's staggering selection of products, which ranges from electronics to clothes, and everything in between. And now it looks right at home on iOS 7 devices...

Boxer adds Evernote integration and iPad support, finally

Lory Gil ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

What is it about third-party email clients that send us into a frenzy? We either love them or hate them. Each person has a very specific set of requirements to establish what they think is a worthy app to house our digital correspondences.

Boxer is an email client that lets you access multiple accounts, includes Dropbox integration, Sanebox cloud storage, to-do list organization, and all manner of additional inbox-zero features. The popular email app just received an update that adds Evernote integration and finally optimizes it for the iPad…

Dropbox iOS 7 update: AirDrop, video uploads, full-screen iPad viewer and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 21, 2013

The popular cloud-storage startup Dropbox recently teased an image that gave us a glimpse into its iOS 7 makeover and we were pretty ecstatic about the new look. The good news is, the app is now live on the App Store - and it looks even better than we were hoping for!

Dropbox 3.0, now available for download on the iPhone and iPad, is a major redesign that feels right at home in iOS 7 because it honors Apple's guidelines.

It's not just the looks - Dropbox packs in some interesting and much welcomed new features like an improved PDF viewer, wireless AirDrop sharing (finally!) on iOS 7 devices, enhanced exporting and video importing, speed improvements and more.

As a bonus, full-screen viewer for photos and files is now but a tap away. Do give me a favor and jump past the fold to check out release notes and some really nice iPhone and iPad screenies...

Apple adds new features to iWork for iOS and Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 17, 2017

As you know, Apple earlier in the month has promised to bring back dozens of recently-removed iWork features over the course of six months. In keeping with that promise, a barrage of updates has gone live Wednesday on the App Store and Mac App Store, adding new capabilities to the iWork suite of applications on Macs, iPhones, iPads and iPods.

This is the first major refresh since last month's downgrade stealthily removed arguably less popular though essential features in favor of cross-platform document compatibility between OS X, iOS and the web.

I've included full release notes and a couple of highlights right after the break...

WhatsApp’s iOS 7 update caught on video

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

Some time ago, a source with dubious credentials approached me with a bunch of claimed screenies of WhatsApp's long-anticipated iOS 7 refresh.

The genuine-looking images apparently showed off work-in-progress code, but I was reluctant to publish as the source's veracity couldn't be established with a satisfactory degree of certainty.

WhatsApp (free download) recently passed 300 million users and is quite popular.

With that in mind, one could imagine yours truly has since been on the lookout for more proof for it seemed to me there had to be some fire to go along this smoke. Finally, yesterday I stumbled upon a video hands-on which I felt was credible enough to warrant sharing here.

Without further ado, this is what WhatsApp's forthcoming iOS 7 refresh will look like...

DrawQuest is now available for iPhone, adds zoomable canvas and custom quests

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

4chan founder Chris Poole’s DrawQuest app landed on the iPad in February 2013, taking DrawSomething believers by surprise.

Similar to DrawSomething, DrawQuest taps your inner artist by issuing daily drawing challenges where you're asked to complete incomplete drawings. The catch: you're only allowed to use the tools provided. Novel concepts like DrawQuest and DrawSomething tend to blow up, fast.

DrawQuest is no exception - the app's amassed some pretty ardent following. Needless to say, fans have been clamoring for an iPhone version from day one and today Poole's little enterprise has finally delivered.

Yes, DrawQuest for iPhone (and iPod touch) is here and it's brought with it some new features, including pinch-zooming on your canvas and the ability to create and share your own drawing quests...

Microsoft’s SkyDrive app redesigned for iOS 7

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Continuing with today's line of app updates, Microsoft has posted a new version of its SkyDrive client for the iPhone and iPad. The update brings the app to version 4.0, and includes a handful of improvements and an all new design for iOS 7.

The client itself allows you to upload photos, videos and other files to Microsoft's cloud service. And today's release adds Camera Backup for automatic media uploads, improved integration with Office Mobile for iPhone and OneNote, and more...

Personal assistant Donna gets smarter meeting scheduling, Lock screen calling and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 14, 2018

Remember Donna, a third-party personal assistant for the iPhone by San Francisco-based Incredible Labs? Cody explained in June how the program takes advantage of such features as Smart Notifications, Anticipatory Calendar and GPS directions to manage your day efficiently to make sure you’re never late again.

Incredible Labs today pushed version 2.0, Donna's second major update since launch. As you could image, it brings a host of visual changes in line with the iOS 7 design principles.

But more importantly, version 2.0 takes Donna's prediction engine to the next level by prompting you when you need to leave for your appointment based on your location and ensuring that meeting participants are notified in a timely manner in case you’re running late after all...

ESPN rebrands ScoreCenter app, adds League ‘Clubhouses’ and other features

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

ESPN’s rather excellent and successful (43 million downloads thus far) ScoreCenter app for the iPhone and iPad has just gotten a tad better as today's update brings more video content, a new League Clubhouses feature, enhanced game pages and a brand new name. Yup, ESPN decided to rebrand ScoreCenter as SportsCenter, which better reflects its emphasis on all things sports.

SportsCenter now provides one-tap access to GameCast live scoring information while the Clubhouses feature collects content from various sports leagues into a single hub. As part of the update, the app's appearance has been refreshed slightly to better match the iOS 7 look and feel...

Clumsy Ninja finally available in US App Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

It's been a long 12 months for NaturalMotion studios and its Clumsy Ninja game. After drawing oohs and aahs from the crowd at Apple's iPhone 5 event last fall, the title essentially disappeared, with no word on when or if it would be released.

That changed, though, a month or two ago, when Clumsy Ninja started showing up in international App Stores. And we're happy to say that this week, the game's finally landed in the United States App Store, and is now available for download...

EPOCH.2 review: shoot and cover in a robot apocalypse

Lory Gil ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

Games with extraordinary graphics, mechanics, and overall design don’t come around all that often in the App Store. The time and effort that goes into making an epic game is worth more than $0.99, which is what most consumers want to pay for an iOS game.

EPOCH.2 is a cover system game that features rich 3-D graphics, a deeply involved storyline, and lots and lots of shooting…