App Store Apps

Rdio app updated with in-app playlist editing and reviews

Good news for Rdio users this afternoon. The music streaming service has posted an update for its iOS client, bringing the app to version 2.5.7 and adding a few new features including Playlist Editing and the ability to read and write reviews in-app.

Users can now edit their playlists from any mobile device by adding, removing and rearranging songs, and editing playlist artwork. They can also now write reviews for those playlists, and albums, and read reviews written by other other Rdio users...

Documentarian Ken Burns launches iPad app

Documentarian and movie director Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is well-known for his style of using archival footage and photographs and giving them life by slowly zooming in on subjects of interest and panning from one subject to another.

This technique became known as 'The Ken Burns effect' and you'll find it in Apple's iPhoto, iMovie and Final Cut Pro X apps and many other software applications.

Today, Ken's out with a new namesake iPad app, now available free in the App Store, which gives you access to streaming videos containing extras, behind-the-scenes and other footage from all 25 of his films, such as The Civil War, Baseball and Prohibition...

Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders named IGN’s ‘Free Game of the Month’

Good news gamers, IGN has named the popular Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders its Free Game of the Month. This is one of the few times that the game, which normally retails for $4.99, has ever been made available at no cost.

For those unfamiliar with the title, this particular episode of Sky Gamblers was first released in late 2012 and bills itself as the 'ultimate World War II air combat' game with a variety of levels and plane models to choose from...

Five months later, Path gets its iOS 7 refresh. The question is, do you still care?

The once popular private social network, Path, has finally received today its way, way overdue iOS 7 refresh. I mean, the 2014 Valentine's Day is looming and Apple released iOS 7 back on September 18, 2013.

If you're still using Path - I don't as I'm pressed for time - you'll immediately notice a revamped appearance making the software adhere to the overall iOS 7 aesthetics.

Controls in Settings have been simplified, you can now use the iOS 7 swipe gesture to navigate the menus and browsing the Shop is now cleaner and more streamlined than it used to be.

The team says they've made the new version (3.4) simpler and easier to "do the things you do every day with Path". Jump past the fold to see some nice screenies and learn more about the app. Or, if you're impatient you can just go ahead and immediately grab Path 3.4 free in the App Store...

Google launches new Admin iOS app to manage Google Apps domains

Google's official Enterprise Blog today announced a new iPhone and iPad app to manage your Google Apps domain. Google Admin, available free in the App Store, lets you manage Google Apps users on your domain, change passwords, access support, review and filter logs, access group management features such as adding and viewing group members, deleting individual group members and more.

If you're an administrator hosting your domain on Google Apps, the app should be a no-brainer, but keep in mind you're still going to have to access the web interface to use some of the more advanced features...

Nintendo had no hand in killing Flappy Bird, here are a few alternatives

Unless you've been sleeping under a rock lately, you must have heard about a phenomenon that is Flappy Bird, a silly and addictive game that set tongues wagging even before its controversial removal from the App Store last night.

A lot of people thought that Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen announcing the app's removal from the App Store was a marketing move, even after he followed through with his promise. And who can blame them?

I mean, who in their right mind would kill a golden goose that in Nguyen's own words was bringing a cool $50,000 per day from in-game advertising, right? Nguyen on his part would only say the sheer publicity from the game had “ruined his simple life” by attracting too much attention from the press and disgruntled players. 

Although some sympathized with Nguyen, others suspected Nintendo was responsible for killing Flappy Bird over certain graphics similarities with its Mario franchise. Surprisingly enough, Nintendo in a rather unusual move went on the record to specifically dispute the notion and assure Flappy Bird fans it had nothing to do with the app's removal...

Shazam’s iPhone app gets an overhaul

With increased competition in the media-fingerprinting and recommendations space and an ever-growing number of new music services vying for our attention, incumbents like Shazam are finding it harder to stay relevant.

Shazam is of course wildly popular so it's not really going anywhere. On the other hand, with growth slowing - they have 150 million users - the company has now decided to redesign the iPhone app in order to increase engagement.

The app redesign signals bigger changes coming to the service later this month. Both Shazam and Shazam Encore have received this visual makeover, now live in the App Store...

Used iPhones with Flappy Bird installed going for $100K on eBay

Here's an entertaining little anecdote to start your week off. By now, I'm sure most of you know about Flappy Bird; that it essentially became an overnight success, and that its developer pulled it from the App Store yesterday. But the saga may not be over just yet.

Shortly after the game was pulled on Sunday, iPhones with Flappy Bird installed started appearing on eBay. It's not too surprising that folks would want to capitalize on its popularity, but what may catch you off guard is that some of them are going for big bucks...

Flappy Bird has been removed from the App Store

As promised by Flappy Bird developer Dong Nguyen yesterday, he has removed the hugely popular game from the App Store, without giving any really convincing reason as to why.

Nguyen claims that he was fed up with the unwanted attention he was receiving after the unexpected success of Flappy Bird, a game that had been released months ago, but which only recently started getting traction...

Vimeo updated with new gestures, improved AirDrop support and more

Vimeo users will notice that the video-sharing site pushed out an update for its iOS client this weekend, bringing the app to version 4.0.8. The update includes enhancements such as new gestures, deeper AirDrop integration and more.

As far as the new gestures go, you can now swipe left or right on a video thumbnail to share it, like it, or watch it later, or add it to your device. And with the improved AirDrop support, you can quickly share videos from device to device...

Flappy Bird developer is pulling the game from App Store tomorrow

In a rather interesting turn of events, Flappy Bird developer Dong Nguyen has announced that the chart-topping game will be removed from the App Store in less than 22 hours. In a series of tweets made just minutes ago, Nguyen stated that this move is not due to legal issues, but rather because he "just cannot keep it anymore." Take a look for yourself…

Apps of the Week: Final Fantasy VI, Paper, Modern Command, and more

February has begun, which means it is no longer the start of the New Year. Are you sticking to your resolutions? So far, I’m doing pretty good with mine. Not great, but pretty good. Hey, we’ve got 11 more months to get it together, right?

This weekend, if you are planning on staying in with epic video games sessions on your iPhone, want to catch up on your Facebook news reading, or forgot to order flowers for you mom because you were playing videos games too long, we’ve got a list of apps and game to give you something to do this weekend…