App Store Apps

The saga continues as Angry Birds 2 hits the App Store as a free-to-play download

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 30, 2015

As promised, Finnish mobile games maker Rovio today released Angry Birds 2, the official sequel to its original bird-flinging franchise. Available on a free-to-play basis, Angry Birds 2 for iPhone and iPad isn't a radical departure from the proven formula which made the original games such a rage.

In Angry Birds 2, your favorite feathered heroes embark on a brand new adventure as they storm Piggy Island to rescue their poor stolen eggs, all over again.

The sequel introduces some fun new elements to the gameplay experience such as all-new bird characters to choose from, spells, multi-stage levels, scheming boss piggies and much more.

Don’t Starve: Pocket Edition is so engaging you might forget to eat in real life

Lory Gil ∙ July 30, 2015

Sometimes, there are games that are so engrossing that you don't even realize that time has passed. They can sometimes get you into trouble, especially if you suddenly find yourself still at home in your slippers when you should have been at work 10 minutes ago.

Don't Starve is an action survival game for the iPad that might cause you to forget to eat dinner while trying to keep your character well fed and safe from things that go bump in the night. We've got a full game review of Don't Starve: Pocket Edition for you today.

Fantastical for iPhone gains drafts feature [bonus: promo codes giveaway]

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 29, 2015

Developer Flexibits has issued an update to Fantastical's iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch apps this morning. This premium calendar and reminder replacement software for iOS, watchOS and OS X now includes complete support for Japanese users across its iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch editions.

More importantly, Fantastical 2.4 for iPhone now includes drafts, a handy new feature addition that makes it possible to multitask while adding new items quickly and easily. The update is rolling out as we speak and should be available in the App Store shortly.

As a nice bonus, the fine folk at Flexibits have kindly provided more than a dozen promo codes for you, our readers, to redeem so read on to potentially grab your free copy of Fantastical.

Lead Them review: help the microcosm grow by pointing the way

Lory Gil ∙ July 28, 2015

As far as simple mobile games go, there are an uncountable number of them, so many that it is difficult to search through them to find the interesting ones.

That's where I come in. One game that was recently introduced to me is called Lead Them. While at first glance, it may seem like a vertical scroll game with a pretty skin, it turns out that it has a few tricks that make it stand out. We've got a full game review of Lead Them for your reading enjoyment today.

Power for Apple Watch updated with notification alerts, UI updates, and various fixes

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 12, 2018

It's always nice when someone from the jailbreak community ventures over to the App Store and goes "legit". Quite a few jailbreak community members have done so in the past, and Surenix, frequent jailbreak design collaborator and theme creator, is one of latest to do so.

The first edition of his App Store release, Power, bought glanceable iPhone power levels to your Apple watch. The newest update, version 1.1, adds notifications to the mix.

With Power 1.1 ($0.99), you can now be notified when your iPhone reaches specific battery levels. You'll can even receive an Apple Watch notification when your Phone battery is fully charged.

Periscope for iPhone refreshed with muting, Handoff support and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2016

In addition to refreshing its main application for the iPhone and iPad with drafts support and interactive notifications on iOS 8, the micro-blogging startup Twitter today issued a noteworthy refresh to its live-broadcasting app, Periscope.

Available at no cost in the App Store, the new Periscope 1.1.3 implements support for Handoff, a new technology in iOS 8 which lets you seamlessly move tasks across devices.

In addition, the app has gained other perks like a new notification setting for people you follow, viewer statistics when browsing past broadcasts and more. Plus, it now tailors your global list of recommended broadcasts to your geographical location.

Chrome for iOS gains a cool tab-switching gesture

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 27, 2015

Just days after updating Chrome for iOS with the ability to swipe right or left to navigate backward or forward, the search giant issued another app refresh this morning.

Bumped to version 44.0.2403.67, Chrome's added a handy shortcut to switch between open tabs without having to reach for an icon in the upper right corner with your thumb.

Google's mobile browser for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad is available at no cost in the App Store.

eBay folding Valet, Fashion and Motors apps into its main client for iPhone and iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 6, 2018

eBay's bidding application for the iPhone and iPad is about to get a whole lot better as the e-commerce service announced plans to streamline its App Store offering.

As part of the restructuring effort, eBay will shutter its Valet, Fashion and Motors apps and fold some of their functionality into the main iPhone and iPad client, available free of charge in the App Store.

Here are 5 new features coming soon to Google’s YouTube app for iPhone and iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 1, 2018

Google is doubling down on its mobile YouTube client. The most recent update, for instance, has at last brought push notifications to YouTube for iOS and support for fullscreen playback of vertical videos.

Prior updates have brought out such enhancements as the Cards feature and more perks and we also know that Google's been testing a major YouTube redesign with a subset of its users since May.

Moreover, at the beginning of this year Google finally ditched Adobe's Flash Player and switched to an HTML5-based player for YouTube's desktop interface.

But the fine folks at Google aren't standing still: yet another redesign effort is about to adorn YouTube's iOS app and with it come a few major feature additions to make it easier than ever to find videos and create them, too.

Obscura simplifies taking the perfect picture

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Photography is the capture of emotion for reuse. I’m particularly fond of art – photography or otherwise – that makes me feel something on an emotional level, because if art doesn’t induce emotions, what is its point?

Obscura is a new camera app for iPhone that simplifies the art of taking meaningful pictures. The first real shot I took with this app made an onlooker want to download the app immediately, because she looked at the image and felt something. Even Obscura’s flat, black and white interface leaves the user with a feeling of simplicity that, while decidedly modern, somehow connects back to the original colorless photograph.

This War of Mine review: a brutal look at war from the civilians’ side

Lory Gil ∙ July 25, 2015

In the video game industry, most war-related titles involve soldiers on the front line and put players onto the battlefield, fighting for a cause. Most are shooter games that let you test your sniper skills.

This War of Mine works from a completely different perspective. Instead of rescuing hostages in an airport, players act as civilians trying to survive in a war torn city. We've got a full game review of This War of Mine today.

Best apps of the week: Etch Keyboard, Audiobus Remote, incurve, and more

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

As the summer gets into full swing and the days are actually starting to get just a little shorter, you may find yourself restless for a little less outdoor activity and a little more screen time.

If you are looking for something new to pass the time as you forget your troubles this weekend, check out our list of apps and games that might just give you the distraction you are looking for.