App Store Apps

Review: create iTunes affiliate links with Blink for iPhone and iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Whenever you click or tap on a link which leads to an iPhone/iPad/Mac app in the App Store/Mac App Store, or a movie, TV show episode or electronic book carried on iTunes, we earn a very small commission fee on each sale coming from that link.

Though not much, these things add up and anything that helps us run the site and keep the lights on for you guys is worth the effort from our standpoint.

For those not in the know, anyone can sign up to become an iTunes affiliate partner. Too bad Apple's web application for generating affiliate links is so tedious and a pain in the you-know-what.

Introducing Blink (or Better Affiliate Links) from Squibner, a nifty little iPhone and iPad application which eliminates the hassle of manually creating iTunes affiliate links with your own tokens and campaign tags.

Launcher is back on App Store as Apple’s stance on widget restrictions softens

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 18, 2015

Launcher, a tremendously useful iOS application by Greg Gardner for creating app, web and contact shortcuts available from a widget inside the Notification Center, is now back on the App Store following a six-month hiatus. The update is still propagating and it should hit all App Stores worldwide in the coming hours.

The original app was short-lived.

Following its App Store debut on September 17 of last year, the day iOS 8 was released, Apple removed Launcher just a week later citing a misuse of widget functionality.

Thankfully, the re-released app continues to offer the same features like its predecessor, indicating Apple may have softened its stance on launching other apps via the Today view of iOS 8's Notification Center.

Camera+ gains Today widget, full iPhone 6 support, direct Instagram sharing and better white balance

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

My favorite camera and photo-editing application, Camera+ for iPhone from Taptaptap, has received a long-overdue refresh Wednesday.

Now the app finally takes full advantage of the new screen resolutions provided by the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus because “there’s just no substitute for a pixel-perfect, custom UI designed specifically for your megaphone.”

The previous versions used automatic scaling, which resulted in a blown up interface that didn't feel at home on new iPhones. Also new in Camera+ 6.2: advanced white balance control using a dial.

You'll also love direct sharing to Instagram and a handy Today widget which not only lets you quickly open Camera+ from anywhere, but puts handy photo tips and inspirational photo quotes of the day right into the iOS Notification Center.

Modern Combat 5 goes free, gains MFi controller support, new multiplayer, Support soldiers, more

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 18, 2015

In addition to going free for the first time (regularly a $4 value), a barrage of new features have been added to Modern Combat 5 in a brand new Spring update to Gameloft's excellent war shooter (an App Store Best of 2014).

Now available in the App Store, Modern Combat 5: Blackout version 1.2 finally supports 'Made for iPhone' game controllers, both form-fitting and extended variants.

There's a brand new multiplayer mode available called Zone Control in which you must capture and defend areas to boost your score. Other improvements include new weapons and character classes and additional character customization.

Card Crawl review: battle your way through a dangerous deck

Josh Gallagher ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

In Card Crawl, developer Arnold Rauers has created an eclectic mix of games that don’t immediately sound like they would fit well together. With the bones of a simple game of solitaire and some heavy inspiration from Dungeons and Dragons, Card Crawl is just strange enough to warrant a closer look.

Conformity app is like having a math tutor in your pocket

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

It has been years since I had to access the part of my brain that learned algebra and geometry. I never did have to take trig (being a journalism major has its perks). If someone were to ask me today what the Pythagorean Theorem is, I might be able to remember that it has something to do with adding square roots.

Conformity is a calculator that specializes in formulas for general math, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. No more memorizing the Quadratic Equation or trying to remember how to find the volume of a cube.

Opera brings video boost feature to Coast browser

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 29, 2018

Norwegian browser developer Opera Software has refreshed its free Coast browser for the iPhone and iPad with several new features, among them Opera Turbo compression technology which can boost streaming video performance by reducing the size of video data, resulting in fewer buffering breaks while saving your mobile data bills.

Rdio brings sharing improvements to iOS app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

Rdio, the popular Internet radio service, on Tuesday announced three new sharing features in its mobile app for the iPhone and iPad: Share Replies that keep the conversation going, Smarter Sharing via a new Share icon and Tweet the Artist, which automatically puts the artist’s twitter handle in your tweets.

FiftyThree launching new toolkit for iPad drawing app Paper next month

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 17, 2015

FiftyThree, the makers of the popular iPad drawing software Paper which works with their Pencil stylus, on Tuesday announced a new set of drawing tools coming to Paper in the form of an app update due next month.

The next-generation of tools, dubbed ThinkKit, will dramatically speed up the creation of diagrams, charts and presentation sketches, the company argued.

Prison Life RPG review: survive, escape, or die in prison

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

There are simulators for all kinds of life experiences, including running a theme park, building a bustling metropolis, and owning the airlines. There is a darker side to life, though. Now, anyone can be a part of it.

Prison Life RPG is a lot more creative than its name implies. It is a prison life simulator where players must make friends, join gangs, and stab people in the shower in order to survive. We’ve got a hands-on game review of Prison Life RPG for your reading pleasure.

MacID goes free, gets audio controls, Notification Center widget, and more

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

A few months ago, I reviewed MacID, which is a biometric locking and unlocking utility app for iOS and OS X. Users sync the two devices together and sign in with their Mac’s password. Then, whenever you leave your computer, it locks. The iOS app allows you to unlock it with Touch ID or by entering your iPhone’s password.

MacID version 1.1 recently launched and to celebrate, the company’s developer has dropped the price of the iOS app from $3.99 to free for 48 hours. The update makes this app way more than just a simple unlocking feature.

MATE.. is a fast-moving twitch game that will leave you spinning

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Every once in a while, a really hard game finds a home in the App Store. Not complex or difficult to understand, but really, really hard. MATE.. is one of those games. No matter how many times you play it, it is nearly impossible to get through more than a few seconds before slamming into a wall and losing.