App Updates

Facebook Messenger now available for iPad

In addition to a Pages Manager update with new commenting and posting features, Facebook Messenger has quietly gained long-awaited universal support for the iPad in an update this morning. Facebook users can now take advantage of the larger screen to chat with family and friends, with access to all of the same features that are available through the iPhone and iPod touch version… 

Facebook updates Pages Manager with new commenting and posting features

Nearly two weeks after giving its Pages Manager app for the iPhone and iPad a much-needed iOS 7 overhaul, the social networking giant Facebook last night issued another update adding a couple new capabilities for page admins.

The latest Facebook Pages Manager 4.1 update expands on the app's feature set with photos and tagged Pages in comments, direct sharing from your Page, location in your posts and more...

Spotify updated with new sorting and filtering options, prompts for playlist duplicates

Monday, Swedish music startup Spotify has updated its app with the ability to search your downloaded music while offline. Today, Spotify has received another update which adds an additional few long-overdue capabilities.

Now live in the App Store, the new Spotify version 1.4 offers the ability to view your Play Queue on the iPhone, apply actions to your songs and playlists by taping the ellipsis icon, avoid adding duplicates to your playlists and more.

Jump past the fold for the full reveal...

App Recap: a mid-week look at 8 must-have apps

If you're looking for a deal on one of the best calendar apps available for iPad, or interested in trying out a brand new Atari-inspired game, don't go anywhere. This edition of App Recap, which covers the best new, updated and discounted apps on the App Store, has a great selection of 8 must-have apps for iPhone and iPad. Wednesday was not an overwhelmingly busy day in terms of apps, but the list ahead should keep you occupied… 

Vine updated with Loop Counts, revamped Activity section and more

Twitter-owned Vine's mobile app hasn't received a lot of important new features lately as the team focused on making the web interface more functional and prettier.

Today, Vine announced a cool new feature addition: Loop Counts. Now available in the just-updated Vine for iPhone version 2.1, Loop Counts indicate how many times people have looped a video, including on Vine and in embeds across the web.

Vine also contains a cleaner feed with bigger videos and a revamped Activity section with new account milestones and more visual notifications and other perks...

Yahoo’s Mail for iPad picks up mail filters and personalized web features

Yahoo's Mail for iPad debuted in April of 2013 and has since been gradually picking up new features like multiple personal and Business Mail accounts, folder management, message swiping, support for Apple’s VoiceOver feature and much more.

Today, the software has received another boost as Yahoo announced it's bringing multiple features from the web interface to Mail for iOS, including news, search and snapshots of the weather, sports scores, stocks, popular videos and Flickr photos, now all accessible in one app...

Pebble 2.3 firmware now live with notification skipping with a double-click

Nearly a month into its most recent firmware update which has brought out a much-needed music volume control and Launcher item ordering, the maker of the Pebble smartwatch on Tuesday issued another firmware update while refreshing its companion iOS app with smaller changes.

The Pebble 2.3 software update brings improved Bluetooth performance and, more importantly, enables the ability to quickly skip to the next notification by double clicking, in addition to other tweaks...

Apple announces iTunes U 2.0 with new creation tools and discussion feature on iPad

Apple on Monday announced a major new version of its iTunes U educational app with a number of new creation and discussion features for iPad. The new iTunes U 2.0 app, due July 8, will enable teachers to create, edit and manage entire courses directly on iPad for the first time, while students will get to take advantage of some interesting new collaboration capabilities, including the ability to start class discussions and ask questions right from their iPad...

Apple updates its pro apps: Compressor, Final Cut Pro, MainStage and Motion

As we continue to chew on the ramifications of Apple's eyebrow-raising decision to stop development of Aperture and iPhoto for OS X and focus exclusively on the upcoming Photos for OS X Yosemite (due in 2015), the Cupertino firm has just issued a round of updates to its pro apps: Compressor, Final Cut Pro, MainStage and Motion.

New versions of these apps are now available in the Mac App Store under the Updates tab. I've included release notes for each app right after the break...

Opera Mini for iOS gets a surprise overhaul loaded with cool new features

For the first time since 2012, the Opera browser by Norway-based Opera Software has received a substantial update cleaning up the UI dramatically.

In a nutshell, Opera has dropped the dark theme in favor of a light appearance. I'm liking it a lot: not only is the new look a lot easier on the eyes, navigating and enjoying web content is now more pleasurable than ever before.

In addition to the updated design, the new Opera Mini version 8.0 brings out several new features, including a new data compression mode, user interface themes to customize the browser's look, a new way to discover what's trending and a built-in QR code reader...

SoundCloud for iPhone receives stunning facelift, removes Record feature

Berlin-based SoundCloud is a popular service to upload, record, promote and share originally-created sounds and they've long had a decent iOS app on the App Store. Today, the company has issued a major iPhone-focused redesign that focuses on much simplified one-thumb navigation through the use of gestures to seek and skip tracks.

The new SoundCloud for iPhone version 3.0 also brings the ability to open another user’s profile straight from a track or playlist and includes other enhancements, detailed after the break...

The Weather Channel gives its iPad app iOS 7 love

The Weather Channel's nice iPhone app was updated two months ago with substantial design changes and much-needed iOS 7 styling. Today, it's the iPad app's turn to get some way overdue iOS 7 love.

Now available in the App Store, the new Weather Channel for iPad version 4.0 is now closely aligned to the iOS 7 aesthetic and it shows: from precise typography and flat UI elements to the use of translucency and complete lack of ornamentation to the gorgeous background photos that match your current weather conditions and more...