App Store Apps

Movie-inspired Run Forrest Run hits iOS

Forrest Gump is one of my favorite movies of all time, not just due to Tom Hanks' career-defining performance as one of the most likable film characters — I particularly fell in love with the epic romantic storyline involving an athletically prodigious native of Alabama.

Those who've watched the movie (and if you haven't, you're missing out — big time) surely haven't forgotten the scene of Gump running across the country.

Well, the scene has been conveniently turned into an endless-runner game for the iPhone and iPad. A free-to-play download contains optional bonuses and power-ups in the form of In-App Purchases, but despite the dreaded APIs and nagging Facebook prompts, I'd highly recommended Run Forrest Run to those who can't get enough of endless runners, as well as to anyone who enjoyed the 1994 Robert Zemeckis movie...

Rules! is a twitch game that challenges your memory skills

When you are racing against the clock in order to win the game, the stakes are high and success depends on how fast you can react to a current situation. That’s why “twitch” games are so fun.

Rules! is a twitch game that challenges your mind instead of your fingers. You must follow the rules to pass each level, but you must also remember what those rules are or you’ll be lost in time…

Yelp app updated with new Bing Translator feature for foreign reviews

Yelp announced a new feature for its mobile app this week called 'automated review translation.' The feature will allow users to translate foreign language reviews with the tap of a button, making it the perfect companion for folks traveling abroad.

Reviews are translated using Microsoft's 'Bing Translator' tech, and can be done one at a time, or as a group. Yelp says that the feature works for all 15 of its officially supported languages, which includes German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, and French...

Several productivity apps on sale for a limited time

Apple is highlighting a number of popular productivity apps in its App Store right now, which have recently seen significant discounts. The promo can be found in the iTunes Store, under a special new section entitled "Amazing Productivity Apps Limited-Time Prices."

Here you'll find several top tier apps like Fantastical 2,which has made our Top Calendar Apps list multiple times, for bottom tier prices. There's also Clear To Do List, Notablity, 1Password and many more. We've put together a list of the apps and their discounts below...

Peter Molyneux’s newest God game is now available for iOS

Arguably the most famous game designer of all time, Peter Molyneux left Bullfrog to form Lionhead Studios in 1997. Ever since, he's been (mostly) churning out one hit game after another. His latest project: a God sim called Godus.

After a recent soft-launch, it's now available worldwide as a free-to-play download for the iPhone and iPad. Designed by Molyneux himself and developed for mobile by DeNA Corp., Godus started as a Kickstarter project.

The game can be considered an unofficial sequel to Curiosity, an experimental Molyneux-designed game which forced people to frantically tap away at a cube in order to discover what's inside. Godus takes a different route. Featuring cartoonish graphics, it invites you to rule over a living, breathing world and lets you shape, mold and sculpt every inch of the landscape to your liking, among other features...

Crystals turns geometric art into 3D wallpaper

Cool-looking wallpaper is a big deal now that iOS 7 has made it possible for users to experience the parallax effect on our Home and Lock screens. I’m always looking for new and interesting apps that will allow me to alter and manipulate existing images into something unique for my background.

Crystals is a polygon creation app that lets you manipulate triangles and turn them into interesting fractal patterns. You can then use your intricate new design as a wallpaper for your iPhone or iPad…

Autodesk’s SketchBook apps go free for the first time in Apple’s Free App of the Week promo

For the first time ever since debuting on the App Store back in the summer of 2013, a pair of excellent drawing and painting apps for the iPhone and iPad by Autodesk have gone free.

Both SketchBook Mobile — a professional-grade painting and drawing application designed for the iPhone and iPod touch — and SketchBook Pro for iPad— an authentic, natural drawing experience based on the same paint engine as its desktop counterpart — are available free of charge, for a limited time, courtesy of Apple's weekly Free App of the Week promo on the App Store.

That's a cool $7 saving right off the bat as SketchBook Pro normally sells for $4.99 and SketchBook Mobile is regularly $1.99...

NFL Now hits iPhone, iPad and Apple TV with rich video library, personalized streams and more

As announced last week, The National Football League has launched its brand new NFL Now app. The software is available as a new channel on Apple's $99 Apple TV media-streaming box and as a free download for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Arriving in time for the new season, NFL Now features a personalized video stream of your favorite NFL teams, players and coaches, delivers exclusive interviews and stories about the teams, breaking news on your fantasy players, and unlimited access to content in the NFL Films Archives.

The app learns from your behavior and analyzes what you like to deliver a personalized video feed of content tailored to your tastes...

Google Shopping Express 2.0: deliveries in more cities, enhanced search, new products and more

Following a June update, the Internet giant today released a major new version of its Shopping Express application for the iPhone and iPad.

The official iOS client of Google’s same-day delivery service, version 2.0, now live in the App Store, brings same-day and overnight delivery to more cities while introducing several enhancements to the built-in search feature.

You can now use the app to buy wine, beer and spirits and have them delivered to your doorstep, if you live in San Francisco or the San Francisco Peninsula. And people who shop at Costco can now purchase their Costco membership and shop Costco in the same session...

FX Photo Studio 6.0 for iPhone brings iOS 7 overhaul, new filters and sharing options and more

FX Photo Studio by MacPhun used to be my go-to iPhone photography tool, but I was forced to switch to other apps because it looked like the team had ceased further development (last update was in February of last year).

I'm glad I was wrong about that. As of today, the iPhone edition has been resurrected. Basically everything has changed and MacPhun bills it as "the biggest update in its four-year history".

Now available in the App Store as a free update for existing users, the new FX Photo Studio 6.0 of course sports an iOS 7-friendly user interface along with a brand new engine and tons of other new features.

All of the hallmarks of FX Photo Studio have been preserved and enhanced in this update, including great filters, special editing tools and sharing features...

Classic RPG ‘Dragon Quest IV’ lands in the App Store

Fans of the classic RPG 'Dragon Quest IV' will be happy to hear that Square Enix has delivered on its promise to launch an English version of the game. After spending several months in Japan, the title is now available in the US App Store.

For those unfamiliar with it, Dragon Quest IV was a popular turn-based RPG in the early 90's. Square Enix promises that the port keeps the same core gameplay experience as the original, and a new control system optimized for mobile devices...

United Airlines app gains handy new passport scanning feature

United Airlines updated its iOS app this morning, bringing the client to version 2.0.16. The update includes support for a new feature the company is testing out that enables users to scan their passports to check-in for international flights using their device's camera.

United is calling the trial feature "Expanded International Check-In," and its purpose is to allow international passengers to complete their check-in process and print their boarding pass before arriving at the airport. All it takes is a quick photo scan of their passport...