App Store Apps

Get inspired to take photographs with OKDOTHIS

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

It happens to everyone. You’ve got your fancy DSLR camera and a brand new lens that you’ve only used once. It sits by the front door, waiting for you to take it with you the next time you head out for a walk, but it seems like the only time you take pictures anymore is when you go on vacation.

OKDOTHIS is a photography app that inspires you to go out and take pictures that are outside of the box. It is not just for DSLR enthusiasts either. If you enjoy iPhone photography, this app could inspire you as well…

WhatsApp iOS 7 update is out with new design, broadcast lists and more

Cody Lee ∙ December 2, 2013

The highly anticipated iOS 7 update for WhatsApp finally landed in the App Store this afternoon. The update brings the iOS client for the popular messaging service to version 2.11.5, and includes an all new design, new features and various improvements.

One of the big new features in 2.11.5 is called broadcasts lists, and it allows you to send messages to many people simultaneously. So say for instance you have a list of your classmates or work colleagues, you can message them all at once instead of individually...

Paper by FiftyThree picks up palm rejection, erase and blend features for Pencil

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

FiftyThree, the fine people who brought you the excellent iPad drawing program aptly named Paper, have been taking pre-orders for their companion high-quality stylus, the Pencil, for more than a month now. As we explained in the announcement post, the Pencil uses power-efficient Bluetooth 4.0 technology to communication with the application running on your iPad.

But it's the marriage of high-quality Pencil hardware and premium Paper software which enables seamless features such as the ability to carve away parts of your drawing using a built-in eraser, without having to switch in-app tools first.

With first Pencil shipments arriving later this week, FiftyThree has refreshed Paper for iPad with hardware-specific support for the advanced blend/erase capabilities and the palm rejection feature which disregards spray input when drawing on the iPad's touch-sensitive screen...

Following complaints from Apple, TextExpander gives up Reminders trickery

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 5, 2018

Over time, I've managed to purchase a lot (too many?) of apps for my iOS devices and Macs. But if you asked me to name one instant purchase I have never, ever regretted, I'd easily pick TextExpander by Smile Software in a heartbeat.

This handy utility doesn't come cheap: the Mac edition will run you $34.99, and then an additional $4.99 for the touch-optimized version for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Despite dropping forty bucks on this particular app, I've recouped my investment many times over in just a few short months, by cutting down on the time spent typing common terms and phrases. TextExpander lets me create handy shortcuts which automatically expand during text entry.

For example, I have the 'iDB' shortcut set up to auto-expand to 'iDownloadBlog'. Same with common URLs, brand names and other oft-used snippets of text. The problem is, the curious little trick the app employs to manage and sync those snippets across third-party iPhone and iPad apps that integrate with TextExpander hasn't sat well with Apple.

The App Store review team has refused to approve a recent update on the grounds that Smile's use of the stock iOS Reminders app for shared snippet storage is no longer acceptable. In response, Smile has introduced a new snippet-sharing method and updated an accompanying SDK for third-party app makers...

iDB’s Cyber Monday Deals Roundup

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

Folks who chose to skip all of the Black Friday mayhem this weekend will be happy to hear that a new wave of deals on apps, consumer electronics and other products are on the way. And there's no crowd-fighting or line-waiting required.

Tomorrow is known as Cyber Monday, a marketing term created for the Monday after Thanksgiving to promote online shopping. And once again, a number of retailers and manufacturers will be offering major discounts on their products.

And again, iDB has you covered, as we've collected all the best offers and put them in one, easy-to-read list. Presenting our Cyber Monday Deals Roundup...

We Play: Super Hexagon

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

The iPhone and iPad are serious gaming devices. If you ask me, games are one of the best perks about owning an iOS device. The problem is that, just like with virtually every other genre of app on the App Store, there's an abundance of games available and many of them can be quite terrible.

With that in mind, I've decided to start a new series showcasing some of the games available on iOS. Unlike a normal post, I'll actually add video along with commentary of myself playing the game. By doing this, you'll be able to better gauge whether or not the game is right for you.

I'll be doing this a lot with new releases, but I'll also dig back in my stash of previous gems that everyone should know about. The first game in this series is a game that's been available for quite some time now—the legendary Terry Cavanagh's Super Hexagon. This is far and away one of my favorite games for iOS, because it has the perfect mix of drama and replay-ability. Watch me play Super Hexagon after the break.

Boxie goes free: everyone can now prettify their Dropbox

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

As a Dropbox power user on a daily basis, I am very dissatisfied with their mobile app because it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of advanced capabilities, so much so that I've recently become a Boxie convert and never looked back.

This awesome Dropbox client for the iPhone and iPad used to cost two bucks so I imagine the price tag must have put off a lot of would-be users, especially give Dropbox’s own official iPhone and iPad client is free in the App Store and good enough for most of casual Dropbox users.

Those who depend on Dropbox will be happy learning that developer Tapwings has now completely removed barrier to entry because starting today, you can download Boxie free from the App Store (the price cut is permanent).

Dropbox fans would be wise to immediately treat themselves to this awesome app which will soup up your Dropbox experience with the elegant user interface while allowing for some advanced features not supported by Dropbox’s own app.

I'm talking stuff like moving an item in a folder via drag-and-drop, per-folder sorting, ZIP archive extraction, direct Dropbox-to-Dropbox transfer and lots more...

Spotify update brings Browse mode to iPad, lets you follow friends/artists and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 26, 2016

The Swedish streaming music startup Spotify has pushed a new update to its free iPhone and iPad client today. The new Spotify 0.9.1 enables the Browse mode on iPads, while bringing the ability to follow friends and artists, enabling the search/public toggle for playlists on the iPhone and introducing more responsive searching and revamped playlists, along with the usual bug fixes and performance improvements.

Spotify, which received its major iOS 7 update on October 22, two months ago brought out the completely revamped Browse tab. Basically a new way to search for music, Browse taps a simplified interface for finding your favorite artists and albums or discovering new ones with just a few taps.

Browse used to be iPhone-only, but today's update brings the feature to iPad devices as well while replacing the old What’s New view...

iTranslate goes universal, adds native iOS 7 iPad UI

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

I generally dig software by German developer Sonico Mobile. As I'm not a native English speaker, you could imagine Sonico's free translator and dictionary program called iTranslate is one of the apps I always keep on my Home screen no matter what. I'm happy to report that the team has now produced a universal binary which perfectly adopts to iOS 7 by functionality and design.

The new iTranslate for iPhone and iPad is now available free in the App Store, bringing with it the native iPad interface featuring revamped appearance for iOS 7 aesthetics. Check out the screenshots and additional tidbits right after the break...

iTV Shows 3 lets you track your favorite TV shows in style

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

For some people, watching television is a ritual that cannot be disrupted. I have a few friends that won’t even go out on certain nights because they don’t want to miss their shows. Keeping track of past and future episodes can be a daunting task if you are an avid TV viewer.

iTV Shows 3 is a powerful TV tracker that uses multiple comprehensive databases to help you keep a schedule of shows you want to watch. Plus, TV tracking has never looked so good with this interface…

The best personal finance apps for iPhone

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Keeping track of finances may come easy to some people, but not everyone is great with money. Some of us need a little extra help to keep us from coming up short at the end of the month.

If you want to keep track of your finances and that old ledger book is just not cutting it anymore, check out our list of best personal finance apps for the iPhone.

Reeder for iOS updated with new themes, feed grouping, and more

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

Reeder for iOS has just been updated with some new features and obligatory bug fixes. Some of the new features — like landscape support for videos and images — are much needed additions to the app.

Unfortunately, one of my most wanted features since Reeder's inception — being able to search the contents of your feeds — is still no where to be found. At this point I've given up hope that search will ever be included with Reeder, so I'm just trying to enjoy the app for what it is.

With that said, Reeder 2.1 is a solid update that adds a host of new features that users will enjoy. Have a look inside for the full change log.