App Store Apps

LongScreen is a great app for combining screenshots

I don't think anyone takes more screenshots than an Apple blogger. They're particularly convenient when doing an app review where you want to illustrate the post with proper screenshots showing the app in action. Oftentimes, we like to put screenshots side by side to give an even better overview of the app, which isn't always a straightforward task.

Up until now, my workflow consisted of AirDropping screenshots to my iMac, and using a combination of Keyboard Maestro shortcuts and Pixelmator stitching. Painful! But thanks to a new app called LongScreen, this workflow is now considerably streamlined.

Facebook’s Paper app now supports sharing from iOS Favorites album and more

Facebook's Paper for iPhone app has been refreshed today with improved performance as well as faster way of sharing photos, in addition to fixing a few issues “you’ve let us know about.”

When sharing photos, your Camera Roll items are now organized by date. Even better, the app now supports the new Favorites album introduced in iOS 8 which collates the images you've favorited by tapping on the heart icon in the iOS Photos app.

Tumblr app adds new alert types, better 1Password integration, likes/follows on Lock screen, more

As growth of Yahoo-owned Tumblr continues unabated, new features are being added to the official iOS app on a regular basis.

After picking up support for two-factor authentication last October, the new Tumblr 3.8 for iOS now includes greatly improved integration with the popular 1Password password-management app, as well as with Authy, a handy iPhone software for generating two-factor codes.

TodayRemote is a widget with iTunes playback controls

With Apple’s Remote app, you can access your computer’s iTunes playback controls so you don’t have to get off the couch to switch songs. But, unlocking your iPhone, opening the app, and selecting your device is still just way too much work.

TodayRemote lets you control playback of iTunes right from the Lock screen of your iPhone. You’ll never have to work for your music again.

Google Play Newsstand gets Handoff & offline support and other goodies

Google's Play Newsstand iOS app (formerly Google Currents) was updated Tuesday with a few new features and several bug fixes.

The software now implements support for Handoff, a technology Apple built into iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite to make it easy to seamlessly transition between Macs and iPhones/iPads in apps.

With Handoff support in Google Play Newsstand, it's now easy to resume reading on your Mac running OS X Yosemite or an iPhone or iPad running iOS 8. Jump past the fold for other changes in Google Play Newsstand 3.1.

Colors puts 1,000 photo filters at your fingertips

The trends of digital photography, especially mobile photography, ebb and flow like the changing interests of a teenager. One day, toy camera filters are all the rage and the next day, the #nofilter hashtag can be seen on everyone’s social networking page.

Colors – 1000 Filters within Color Camera is a filter app with a huge variety of color options for you to choose from. It looks like crazy color filters are the new hotness for this season’s social photographs.

Twitter adds group direct messaging, 30-second video recording

Twitter has rolled out a big update to its iOS app, adding group direct messaging and the ability to shoot video directly within the app.

The new direct messaging tool changes up the feature that's been around since 2008. It's a move to make messaging a larger part of the platform. The group function lets you start conversations with any of your followers, and they don’t all need to follow one another in order to chat. You can create a group by simply tapping a few names.

Pandora’s iOS revamp launches with Thumb History, new mini player and more

The iPhone edition of Pandora Radio, a music streaming service with more than 75 million listeners each month, has just received a visual makeover. The company previewed it almost two months ago, though the iPad edition hasn't been refreshed today.

Version 5.7 of Pandora Radio sports a cleaned-up appearance with fancy new transitions and animations. In addition to the facelift, the iPhone app also includes enhanced station personalization capabilities, improved artist discovery, greater use of thumbing and much more.

uHealth wants to help you improve your focus and attention

We're an ADHD nation. Smartphones, apps, instant messages, and everything else is definitely not helping us keep focused on things for more than just a few minutes. However, one app in the App Store is trying to change that. Based on a pretty impressive eye-tracking technology, uHealth wants to help you improve your focus and attention through short brain training exercises.

Tweetbot for Mac returns to Mac App Store

Tapbots, the maker of popular third-party Twitter application Tweebot, has brought back the application to the Mac App Store after pulling it over the weekend.

"We've worked with Twitter to resolve Tweetbot for Mac authentication issues," Tapbots said in a tweet on Monday. "The app should be back on the Mac App Store soon." 

1Password gains Login Creator, one-time Password tool with 2-step verification support and more

1Password, the popular password-manager application for iOS and OS X, has just received a nice refresh in the App Store and Mac App Store, respectively.

Available as a freemium download, 1Password 5.2 brings out a new Login Creator feature available to all users, a one-time Password tool for Pro users, a bunch of syncing improvements and several other enhancements that improve your experience.